French Family "Loving the Father and His True Word"

Pay It Forward.........

If you are wondering what this is all about and to join the fun go and check over to seem what Pay It Forward is all about at Forward To The Past

See you over there :)

Summer School Adventures Starting

Summer School Adventures starting...

Adding to the Summer School fun...and a baby shower gift

Adding to the Summer School fun...and general fun

Saturday - Garden Party

Yesterday family & friends celebrated my Sister's 60th Birthday. The weather was just glorious, company was great and excellent food (including curries - yum).

My sister and her husband have a stunning garden which was where the party was held.  There are so many different aspects to the garden and so many wonderful beautiful plants, flowers and wild life. Up until a week or two ago, there was a robin's nest in one of the sheds in the garden. Five baby robins plus it's parents - none of us wanted to take photos in case this scared/disturbed these tiny birds. We really hope all five babies survive, what the survival rate is of tiny birds surviving, we don't know but we have a feeling that this may not be very high :(.

It was lovely to catch up with family again, some of whom Andrew & I have not seen since our wedding last year and two cousins, I haven't seen for several years but despite this, they have hardly changed over the years - which is a compliment.  It was really lovely and very special for my Sister too.

Jackie has not aged very much at all and definitely does not look her age by any means - anyone who doesn't know her would think she was ten years younger than her actual age. My brother too who is now in his mid 50's again, would easily pass as being in his very early 40's.

I am so blessed to have a wonderful family even though some members I don't see very much - they are great.

Below are some more photos that I took throughout the day. Here are some taken in Jackie & David's fabulous garden.

Of course, I had to take a photo of some of the balloons :)

Here are some general photos that were taken during the afternoon/evening. These are a mixture of pics of family & friends.

Andrew needed to pop home to make sure that Patch was ok plus to give him some more food - one of my niece's came with us as she absolutely adores dogs. She loved Patch and thought he was great - Patch was very gentle with her and very good.

 In the evening, we had more family come over which was great. Chloe was having great fun with Andrew playing with our iphone. I am not sure who was teasing the other the most as they were playing games and checking out photos on the phone - they were having fun which was lovely to see.

 And to round the dayoff - gathering together, relaxing and enjoying each other's company listening to piano music being played by Jackie, David & Various friends - what a delightful way to end an absolutely perfect and very special birthday :) 

 If anyone would like to comment, please go to Forward To The Past - thank you :)

we are closing Guantanamo...

Got good foods?

1. Raw (grass-fed) dairy products which are rich in CLA, alkalizing minerals (Ca, Mg, K) critical Vitamin D, beneficial probiotics, numerous enzymes, vitamins A, E, K and B Vitamins.
2. Free-range eggs, which are rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, cysteine and other amino acids, lecithin (phospholipids).
3. Cod liver oil, which is a rich source of vitamins A and D and some EPA/DHA.
4. Coconut oil, which is rich in medium-chain, saturated fatty acids as found in human breast Milk, Very anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial. Readily absorbed, easily processed by the liver.
5. Fermented soy products such as miso and tempeh (avoid processed soy products, soy-based supplements).
6. Fermented vegetables (raw) such as sauerkraut, kim-chi which contain powerful anticarcinogenic compounds, lactic acid, lactic bacteria, enzymes, nicin, acidolin Fand lactoperoxidase.
7. Fermented milk products: kefir, yogurt, clabbered milk, and buttermilk.
8. Raw butter/cream from grass-fed ruminants: rich in CLA, fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, Wulzen factor (anti-inflammatory).
9. Sprouted grain products: rendered free of phytates, enzyme inhibitors; rich in enzymes and additional vitamins.
10. Pigment-rich fruits containing resevetrol, astazanthins, lutein, lycopene, proanthocyanidins, bioflavonoids, flavenols, ascorbic acid, etc.: blueberries, strawberries, elderberries, raspberries, prune-type plums, cherries, etc.
11. Ocean fish rich in EPA/DHA, such as sardines (watch mercury in large fish), wild (not farmed!) salmon, sea vegetables rich in alginates (which are metal decontaminants), iodine, numerous trace minerals and mucopolysaccharides.
12. Vegetables: brassica (especially kale, brussels sprouts), also broccoli, asparagus, garlic and onions, winter squashes, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, and miscellaneous greens such as raddichio, arugula, mustard greens, endive, dandelion, radish, celery, etc.
13. Meats (pork, poultry, beef and lamb) should be ranged fed and drug free. If your pH levels are low, eat small amounts until they rise.
14. Tropical fruits (for enzymes!)--pineapple, mango, papaya, jack fruit, leechee, guava, coconut, etc.
15. Pure water: up to half your body weight in ounces. Consider alkaline and energized waters.

1. sugar: Feeds cancer cells and causes insulin production, which stimulates cancer growth. Demineralizes and acidifies the body fluids. This also includes refined carbohydrates.
2. Vegetable oils: easily oxidized, causing peroxidized lipids (carcinogenic); especially avoid hydrogenated oils (trans-fatty acids). Exception: Raw, first-expeller-pressed olive oil, which is rich in chlorophyll and squalene.
3. Processed dairy foods and conventionally raised meats--they lack CLA, and are likely to contain hormones, antibiotics, E.coli, salmonella, camphylobacter, etc.
4. Too many carbohydrates even from whole grains (high in phytates, which inhibit mineral absorption and enzyme activity:). Soak and/or sprout grains before eating
5. Refined soy foods.
6. Fluorine, chlorine: enzyme inhibitors, carcinogens that suppress iodine uptake by thyroid.
7. Pesticide-laden produce: especially potatoes, apples, coffee, bananas, celery, onions, etc.
8. All processed (canned/frozen) foods such as possible, including organic processed foods. These foods are "dead".
9. Foods containing artificial colors - very carcinogenic.
10. Microwave and barbecued foods (heterocyclic hydrocarbons).

Voddie Baucham -- We Despise Our Children

:::"All I can think to say is, I can't believe he got away with it. If you are pressed for time, at least listen from 25 minutes until the end. He speaks on the state of the Church and how to close the generation gap." -Amy Scott

Of course you know how much I respect and admire the boldness and truth-speaking of Dr. Baucham, so I take any opportunity I find to point to him. I've heard part of this message before and it just makes me want to shout. Oh that more godly men would just speak the truth and not worry about its popularity…just as our Savior did.

"We despise children in the Southern Baptist Convention." -Voddie Baucham

Oh dear sisters, call your husbands and children around and listen to this message.

The Cleaning Challenge

Now the *real* purpose behind the challenge I offered up -- my main closet! We will be putting it under seige!

It isn't so much a closet really as a 'hidden storage area' here and wow is it a mess and disorganized extremely.

I know what we have in there, but the main trouble is too many littles going in and out for things, so nothing is even remotely stacked or grouped anymore :o(

Ok, not that being stacked or grouped even helps this area.

I admit it -- I have far too much fleshly pride to even take pictures. This is such a disaster area, I'm ashamed to have you see hoe bad it's gotten in there.
And it's not as though it's been in use as junk storage a long time either -- we just redesignated the area back when the woodstoves were put in! Losing a living space here for the wood heater and the cookstove meant repurposing those items from that room to another.

Well, I suppose 'repurposing' isn't really the word considering I didn't go about storage the proper way. What I should have done is to truly sort and dejunk *before* we relocated things to that closet area. I should have been ruthless and done some serious purging before even trying to relocate anything.

I am certainly passing on a poor legacy to my children with my lack of plan and organization especially when it comes to this! I want so much more for them! I definitely don't want this to be an issue for their spouses to deal with -- pack rat tendencies show a basic lack of faith, if you think about it. And if I trust that The Lord supplies my needs, I am stealing so much of His Glory by hoarding away so much junk and clutter this way.

But, I plan to regain that ground and honor God with my clean sweep as it were! God can easily redeem the loss to the locusts here, and I plan to be heavy in prayer chat with Him the entire way! I have to truly be honest about what is necessity and what is plain junk to shed ourselves from. And I know my level of pack-rettedness here...there is far more JUNK there than treasure to keep on and level!

So -- my JUNK Challenge this week will be the closet area.

What is YOUR area?

Monday's Update

But this week is busy. Good thing God instuted that wonderful day of rest and worship for us because we certainly needed it this week.

Tonight and tomorrow our preacher is doing Revival meetings at another church. We'll be meeting up with them to drive over -- so many back country roads stretching out around here, there's no way I'd find it on my own.

Wednesday we have our own church services and I have class with the teens. We are ready to start putting things together for our VBS now. I left the tubs of supplies last night, now its time to begin 'crafting' our 4 themes -- the jungle, a castle, an Indian village and a volcano. We have laid out the plan of action for the VBS, with the craft projects and games we are planning and we have our Bible stories/lessons together. Time to start making our props and such.

Thursday is the Visitations night. If any of the ladies come along for the ladies crocheting, I'll be up there. A couple of the ladies are planning to join the visitation rounds themselves, but I believe it's better for me to hang out at church on that. With my headcovering and dresses-only, Plain style to boot, I don't believe I'd be a help in visiting. Most folks automatically assume that we are Amish (well, we've been considered everything from Amish to Catholic to Jewish and even Muslim based on headcovering alone! Folks just don't know anything different and people do like their stereotypes and pigeon-holes). I don't see folks running to check out our church if they believe we hold anything Amish to ourselves -- folks don't tend to like "rules" or strict teachings; they want fluff and lightness.

Friday we just have bill paying to do. Whew! That will be a nice quiet day!

Saturday morning we are starting an Outreach at church. Again, the adults were starting this, but the teens really need to be involved in something themselves. I'd like to carry them up to Memphis one day, to the mission/homeless shelter and places like that. There is no end to the things they can and should be doing to reach out and see what is around them. They are rather coddled in their lessons sometimes, but they aren't children anymore, it's time they act as though they truly have the Salvation Gift they lay claim to and step into The Lord's adulthood.
Being the first gathering, and a bit short notice, I don't have a deep plan yet for this gethering, but hopefully we will get some ideas for next meeting at least.

And back to Sunday's glorious rest and worship again! We will definitely enjoy the Lord's Day again and bask in His Wisdom of a day set aside from the things of the world.

Other happenings this week:
We have 3 dresses cut to sew, prayerfully before midweek.
Lots of baking -- we might, if it's in His Timing, put together some mini breads to carry along for Visitations. Regardless, we have plenty of our own baking to do. And get the list together for the Farm Market.
Schooling goes on no matter what the busyness looks like
Finishing the side area of the barn, cleaning and mucking out
Putting together next month's school plan so I can check out the reading materials needed and used

All sorts of odds and ends to tie up with small projects and projects nearing completion.

And none of them are getting any closer to ticking off with me typing!

What's on your plan for the week?

Ups & Downs of Married Life

PLEASE NOTE: Not suitable reading for readers under 18

For the next 30 days as many of you know we are praying for our husbands - this could not have come at a better time to be honest :). Last week was an especially difficult week in our marriage and one where to be honest I could quite easily have walked out on but I didn't.

As many of you may be aware, my Darling Husband is not a believer yet. DH does at times come to church with me and or come to various Life Group Socials that we have - he has also played golf with a couple of the guys from Life.

We are now heading towards our first Anniversary which will be at the end of this month. As I look back on the last twelve months this has not been an easy ride at all for either of us. We have had to deal with varying trials, more than we should have had to through in twelve months. Some of these trials have been to do with work, losing our unborn baby, finances, my hysterectomy, communication problems plus my depression which included my ending up in hospital last August (this last bit, Praise The Lord I am still here as I almost didn't make it!).

DH & I are in many ways like chalk and cheese - total opposites but on one hand we both have a stubborn streak which is not a very nice trait to have.  When we have fights, (I) at times back down and make the first move to make peace. I get this little nudge from The Lord which intensified especially when I feel like "why should I have to back down" kind of feeling - but in the end I do it and more often than not the situation between DH and I improves.  It is far nicer when we are getting along.  There are times that DH has had enough and makes a move to ease the tension between us.

There have been many testing times throughout our first year of marriage and I know that we have both had a lot of adjusting to do and still are continuing to do so. I have been told many times over that the first few years of married life can be difficult.  You (we) are getting to know one another, we do things differently and don't agree on a lot of things. We have different and varying interests. In regards to our home, I am the type of person where I like to have a place for everything and for our home to be clean, no clutter whereas DH is the total opposite to me. When Andrew doesn't put things away (i.e. tools etc) then I put them away but quite often I forget where I put things and DH when he wants something & I have to look for it, either gets irritated and/or stands around with that knowing look of amusement when I can't find something.  There was a time when I lost a whole 2 months worth of his medication which he had to re-order - he wasn't happy and I can't blame him. 

Most of the time I know where to find things but there have been times that I have just gone on a cleaning frenzy and just put things in bags and put them away in the understairs storage cupboard in the dining room.  We are waiting until we can purchase a shed by the way and when we do, all DH tools etc will go in there along with his set of golf clubs - then I can have the understairs cupboard totally free as my pantry and freezer storage space. At the moment everything gets dumped in here as we have very little storage room elsewhere.

Now onto something else - a few months ago, I found a magazine in one of the draws under DH side of the bed - I became upset and this was dealt with or so I thought.  Last week, I decided to listen to a sermon on our iphone before going to sleep but when I went into the phone, I found some unwanted sites on there that had been bookmarked.  I was shocked and very upset.  To cut a long story short, DH could not understand what the big deal was or why I was so upset (and still doesn't totally to be honest).  Things were very fraught and I did pack a small bag and a friend took me to my sister's home where I was going to stay for a few days. Within a couple of hours of being at my sister's home I felt I should return home so I did.  The next couple of days were very fraught and I just basically felt as if it was all my fault and I still do to an extent.  I booked an urgent appointment with our Family Therapist which we both attended.  DH is a little more understanding of how and why I feel the way I do but not totally.

I know DH has been on his own for a few years and probably had no issues with this kind of material before. He also without a doubt didn't give this a second thought and/or could not see that what he was doing was wrong (and still doesn't to a degree) but he does know how much I am unhappy about this.  DH does not even use the iphone now at all now - I don't have any objections to him using the phone but as long as he does not go onto sites that I know are not right.  DH said that he came across these sites by accident - I don't think so, besides which, I am not that daft!.

I guess this is something that is not going to go away overnight and I need to continually pray for us as a couple, for our marriage and also that DH no longer accesses these sites either on the iphone or televisision or anywhere else for that matter.

I am aware that this is probably "the norm" amongst non-Christian guys but this is also a problem with Christian men too unfortunately and no matter what anyone says  - this is sin and sin is sin........................

I know that we are going to go through more rough patches as no doubt all marriages do. I know that I can call on The Lord at any time and there are times that He has carried me through situations and will continue to do so. I also believe that He is also with Andrew even though, DH does not see this yet!

Another thing I am learning to do is to keep my mouth zipped at times when I can get so frustrated & irritated which believe you me I do not find easy. As soon as I open my mouth at times like these we can often say things which we regret afterwards - I am sure that others can identify with me here.  Learning to keep our mouths closed is one of the best things we can do - when the road becomes a little rocky (I will be posting a vision about rocky roads that was given to me yesterday from a Dear Christian Friend) we need to get down on our knees and hand the situation(s) over to The Lord & ask for His help.  As well as keeping our mouths zipped, we also need to guard our thoughts and immediately get rid of any unwanted thoughts that come into our mind, again, hand these over to the Lord and if needs be ask for His forgiveness too.

Something else I am learning is that quite often we are prone to blaming our spouse for things that go wrong - I have done this so often.  This is where we need to turn around and take a good look at ourselves, we need to ask The Lord to show us the areas in which we need to be changed......................This is all still new and very much a learning process for not just me but for my DH too.  Even though I know to expect plenty of rough rides so to speak, I am also looking forward to the many joyful times and changes that the Lord is going to do not only for me but for DH too.

The next post will be about the vision that was given to me yesterday :)

Please note any comments to be left at Forward To The Past