CandyFoote

About Four Months Old

Pictures

Here's a picture of Sarah at a month old.

Sarah's little hand in Daddy's while at the hospital.

She's now six months old.  She weighs 13 pounds and 1 ounce!

The Parables of Jesus

I am excited to say that I just finished up my latest book!

"The Parables of Jesus" is just that - the parables of Jesus!

I wanted to take Charlotte Mason's advice and have my kids memorize some of Jesus' parables.  I thought this would be easier if they were all contained into one book. 

Want one for your homeschool?

Just e-mail me, visit me at http://candyfoote.com/

or just simply leave me a comment.

This is an e-book in the King James Version.

It is available for $14.99.  I accept paypal, checks, or money orders.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Comment and let me know that you were here!

Sarah is Getting Big!

Sarah is five months old today.

She weighs in at 11 pounds and 7 ounces!

I will post pictures if I ever figure out how!!

Beef

Have you ever read about the things they do to the meat you are consuming before it reaches you?!?

Boy, I have!  I'm almost sorry that I have!

I love it when we butcher our own beef.  The problem is we need more meat long before the next bull is ready to butcher. 

Not only that, but the prices that the grocery stores charge now can be down right scary.

We have decided to start buying our beef from a local butcher when we run out of our home grown meat.

It is cheaper, healthier, and tastier!

I guess you can't beat that.

Eggs

Well, the chickens are laying four eggs a day now.

Funny, but we are excited about that!

With a family our size, we use a lot more than four eggs a day!

At $2.39 a dozen, it is getting to be too expensive to buy eggs. 

Well since eggs seem to be one of those things you tend to need, I decided to check out the price the local Amish are selling their eggs for.

I sent my eldest daughter over the other day, and yeah, they were $1.50 a dozen.  Not only that, they are beautiful huge brown eggs.

I guess that's where we will be getting our eggs until our own chickens start cooperating a little more.

On a side note, we add mayonaise instead of eggs in a lot of our recipes.  Cakes turn out so nice and moist!  Cookies, on the other hand, need to have a least some eggs added.  Many times we add a couple of eggs and a couple of spoons of mayo.

I have even added mayonaise to my pancake mix when in a pinch.

Frugal Living

You can't get more frugal than free!

All next week, our local thrift shop is giving away all of their winter clothes.

Many thrift shops clean out when the next season arrives.

Check out your local thrift shop!

Funk & Wagnalls

No More Dirty Clothes

My husband bought me a Speed Queen wringer washing machine for $35.00!

I love it!

No more going to the laundry mat!

Our Anniversary

Today is our wedding anniversary!

21 years on the 21st!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Instant Rice

Make your own instant rice.

The next time that you cook rice, make extra.

Put the left-overs into small freezer bags, then

throw them into the freezer.

When you want some rice, boil some water, poke a small hole into the baggie, and pop it into the boiling water until hot.

Renovations

My Newest Book!!!!

I am really excited about my newest book!

I have just finished putting together,

"The Word of God on Prosperity" available in the King James Version.

I am really excited about this series.

Here are the books available so far:

"The Word of God on Healing"  in the KJV

"The Word of God on Being a Woman, a Wife, and a Mother" in the KJV

"The Word of God on Prosperity" KJV

I am just so thrilled about this series!  These books are just filled with the Word of God!  There are no additional comments or remarks.  You can just read for yourself what God has to say on these subjects. 

At this time, they are each available in either an e-book or a regular bound book for only $8.00 each.

We will be changing the price when the audios are completed.  At that time they will be sold as a set.

Please check out my website at http://candyfoote.com/

Leave me some feedback!  I am very interested in your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks for taking time to read my blog!

Sarah Update

Sarah

February 29th

I had such big ideas for this "extra" day!

Somehow it ended up just being a regular day.  ;D

We cleaned house, fed animals, cooked meals, and did our school work.

How did you spend your "extra" day?

March

Are you as excited as I am?  Tomorrow is March!

Spring is on my heart and mind.

I've been buying seeds for the garden, and making plans to get apple trees in this year. (I want to plant two trees.  One in honor of each of my grandchildren coming this year!)  I even had the kids run out and start a clean up on the yard between snow storms.  LOL

I think my chickens are excited too.  They have been laying 2 to 3 eggs a day.

Groceries

The price of groceries is not cheap!  According to the news, it's not going to get any better.  Now is a great time to start that price book.

Just keep track of how much you pay for certain items at the stores you shop at.  Keep your little book with you.  When shopping check your book to make sure that you are getting the lowest price. 

My book contains prices of the four separate grocery stores that I shop at, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, and Walmart.

Don't you hate it when you buy something and find it cheaper at the next store!?!

Start up a price book today!

Math and Science

Weekly Menus

Don't you just love reading everyone's weekly menus?

I know that I do!

I love it when I actually make out my weekly menus!

Life is sooo much easier.  Not too mention, it's easier on the grocery budget!

Well, I guess I will start working harder on this habit!

Cornbread and Chili

We are having chili for supper tonight.

I'm going to try my hand at making homemade cornbread to go with it.

My husband loves cornbread, but I have only made Jiffy in the past.

I just found a recipe off from the internet.  Anyone out there have a cornbread recipe that is loved?

Talk About Funny

My two and four year old kept jumping on their beds instead of going to sleep one night.  I told them to get to bed and to say their prayers.  My two year old kept jumping while saying, "Jesus, watch me jump."

Sarah Jane Update

Here's an update on Sarah Jane!

She's three months old now.

She weighs 7 pounds and 9 ounces.

She is doing great!

A New Baby in the House

There is a lot of down time at the Foote house when a new baby comes home.  Mom spends a considerable amount of time holding, rocking, and just plain snuggling with the new little one. (If you don't spend a lot of time holding your new little one, be warned: the don't stay babies long!)  It is nice to remember little helps that keep the home running smoothly during this time.

Remember to plan your meals.  It's always so peaceful to know what's for dinner.

Remember to do 5 minute clean-ups.  Boy, does this do more than a person would realize.  Just time yourself for 5 minutes and go!  I usually set a specific goal, like

-clean off the furniture in the living room

-clean off the shelves

-wash down the table, etc.

You get the point!

Little things can go along way

Another big help is don't forget to delegate!

Kids can help cook and clean.  As a matter of fact, I recommend it.

Who needs more college-aged kids who can't do basic household things.  Teach them young!

My kids love it when it's their turn to cook supper or make snack.

Enjoy your new little baby.

Remember:

"Settle down cobwebs.

 Dust go to sleep.

 I'm rocking my baby,

 And babies don't keep."

My Computer Crashed!!

My computer crashed!! Ughh!!

But my awesome, wonderful husband bought me a new Dell computer.

I am sooo excited.

Isn't he good to me?!?

Back At Writing

Sarah is soooo healthy!  It's amazing!  God is so good!

It feels good to be getting back to the things I enjoy (slow but sure).

I am back to writing.  I am still working on, "The Word of God" series.  I am in the process of writing,  "The Word of God on Prosperity" and "The Word of God on the Words of Your Mouth".  I am very excited about this series!!

Have you checked out my website???

http://www.candyfoote.com/

Surprise Mom and Dad - Here I Am

I had been having light contractions on and off all week-end.

I figured that it was just false labor, but I stayed off from my feet and drank extra water to be safe.  After all, it had been a difficult pregnancy, so better safe than sorry.

I referred to Mondays as Monday Madness because every Monday I had to spend the day having non-stress tests and ultra-sounds done.  Diabetes, age, and history of extreme hemmoraging put me in a very high risk group.

I woke up Monday feeling fine.  My husband and I headed out the door for our Monday Madness.  When we arrived at the hospital for the non-stress tests, the doctors and nurses were busy with a woman in the labor room. (We have a very small hospital.  Usually, there is no one else on the maternity floor except for us!) 

They got me all hooked up to the monitors and went back down the hall.  I just layed there praying for that momma.

Suddenly, my contractions started again.  I asked my husband to turn the  monitors so that I could see how the baby was reacting to the contractions.  To my surprise, her heart rate was dropping way down with each contraction!

I sent for the nurse!  At first, an LPN came in to see what the problem was.  When I told her, she calmly said that everything was alright.  She went out and got an RN.  She too tried to act calm, but ran down the hall to get the doctor.  Since this was my 12th pregnancy, I knew everything was NOT alright.  The doctor came in and watched me and the monitors, finally determining that I was in real labor.  The baby was under serious destress.  He informed me that I needed an emergency c-section ASAP.  He hoped to be able to wait for an emergency team to arrive from the city hospital, but if the baby took a turn for the worse, we would have to go ahead without them.  The city team had the equipment and medication that it would take to save the baby's life. 

The doctor asked if I needed him to repeat what was going on.  I replied, "No.  I know that everything is going to be alright.  I just don't know what I have to go through to get to 'alright'."

We were able to wait for the city team.  They flew up in a helicopter.

They rushed me into the operating room.

When Sarah was born, the nurse stopped for a split second for us to see her.  I turned and saw my little girl with a head full of black hair, then she was gone.

That was the hardest part!

Sarah was out in the other room screaming!  She was so active that she wore herself out.  They had to put her on a respirator, which she stayed on for her first five days of life.

I was shocked when I came out of the operating room and was told that they were waiting for me to be able to see Sarah before she was rushed off to the big city.

They wheeled my bed up beside her incubator.  I reached in and touched her hand.  She squeezed my finger!  After a very  few minutes they took her away.

They next morning, I was up on my feet waiting for the doctor.  He asked if I wanted to stay longer, and I told him I was leaving!  I jumped into a vehicle and headed out for a three hour ride to the city!

That is such a long story.

God has been soooo good to us!

Sarah was born at 31 weeks.  Our little hospital had never delivered such an early baby! 

She came home four days before turning one month old!

She is completely healthy.  Not one problem!!!

Thank you, Jesus!

Today she is 2 1/2 months old.

She weighs 6 pounds and 6 ounces.

She weighed 4 pounds and 2 ounces at birth.  She was 16 1/2 inches long.  They expected her to be half that size.

Because I was diabetic, she gained weight too fast.  That was the only part of the diabetes that helped her.

We later found out that the diabetes was killing off the placenta, and in turn killing our little girl.

The devil had a plan for our destruction, but God has a plan for good!

I am so thankful that we serve such a big GOD!

Sarah Jane

HERE'S SARAH JANE!!!!!!!

A quick word to say that I will be back at blogging soon.

My actual due date was January 4, 2008.

For those who don't know the baby came two months early, on November 5, 2007!

Well, I'll let everyone know what happened soon!!

Quick Update

Here is a very quick update for those of you who have been wondering where I have been.

The baby came 2 months early.  Sarah Jane weighed 4 pounds and 2 ounces.

She is 3 1/2 weeks now.  We are hoping to bring her home this week-end.

She was very sick when she came, but God has been very good to us!

Please keep her in your prayers.

Keep me in your prayers as well.  I had an emergency c-section and in less than 24 hours I was up and on my way to the hospital that they sent Sarah to.  It was a 3 hour trip one way!

I have been on the run ever since.

Pray for my children who haven't met their sister yet.

Thank you!!!!

Frugal friday

I love junk stores. 

They remind me of our local library.

No, really!

I went into the library looking for a book, but couldn't find it.

When I asked the librarian about it, she replied, "Candy, you always want the classics, but we don't carry the classics any more."

What!  So did all of those good books go?  You can find them at the library book sales.

Ok, back to the junk store.  Sometimes when we go to the junk stores, the kids will yell, "Mom, there are too many people here.  They probably got all of the good stuff."

"Nay," I reply, "nobody thinks like me!"

You see, nobody wants the good stuff!

I got four really nice heavy duty wooden spoons at 5 cents each!  I picked up a set of 5 stainless steel bowls for $3.99.

Best of all, I got two cast iron frying pans in excellent shape.  One was 75 cents and the other one was a dollar!

Happy Frugal Friday!!!!

Still Busy Preparing for the Holidays

Kids Are So Funny

Jars

I love jars!  Yes, jars!

We started a penny jar a few months ago. 

What fun!

We started out with a quart size canning jar and kept throwing in our pennies.  Every time someone comes home with pennies, into the jar they go.  Pennies can always be found under the couch cushions or thrown on the floor in some corner.  The kids have a great time searching for them.

We had to move up to a gallon jar a few weeks ago.  We are almost to the half way mark!

My two year old loves to get the pennies out to play with.  Earlier she made a big pile, then ran and jumped into them.  (I guess she had more fun jumping in those leaves the other day than I realized!)

The other kids like to get out the penny jar to help them to do their math problems.

Sometimes it's fun to take them out and simply count them or just look at them. 

Everyone is guessing how many pennies can fit in a gallon jar.  So, what do you think???

Another fun item to collect in jars is buttons.

The kids love to cut the buttons off from old clothes in order to throw them into the button jar.  They are fun to look at and count too.  They also work great as a math manipulative.

I use glass gallon jars in the kitchen too.

They make great containers for flour, sugar, oatmeal, or anything else you may use a lot of.  I put a pretty cloth top on them with a piece of matching paper that says what it is on the front.

The ideas go on and on.

Like I said, I love jars!

Snack TIme

"Mom, I'm hungry!  What's to eat?"

I hear these words all day long.  Okay, it sometimes feels like all day long.  When you homeschool, your children have the potential of taking up residence in the kitchen.  They love to eat!

For a quick, easy, and wholesome snack let them eat homemade bread and butter.  My kids could eat toast all day if I allowed it!  They also like peanut butter and honey sandwiches.  But plain old bread and butter is a tasty and filling snack. 

Best of all, mom doesn't have to run to the kitchen!

Save on Eggs

I like to add a couple of spoonfuls of mayonaise (or salad dressing) to my cake, cookie, or pancake recipes.  I either substitute it for the eggs entirely or use half of the eggs that the recipe calls for.

I think everything tastes better too.

The recipes turn out very moist.

Light and Fluffy

Are your homemade cakes turning out flat and heavy?

Try adding some hot water to end up with light and fluffy cakes.

I add some to my biscuits and pancakes too!

Free Material

We are blessed enough to be given clothes all of the time!

Some of the clothes aren't very good while others still have the tags on them!

I sort them into different piles as soon as they come into the house. (If you put it off it only adds to clutter!)

The keeping pile, the giving pile, the garbage pile, the Christmas closet pile, and the sewing pile.

You can manage to get a lot of good and free material!

I took 2 long dresses yesterday and cut them down the back.

They didn't have any buttons - you just pulled them over your head.  They both had strings to tie around the back.

After cutting them straight up the back, one of my daughters and I each ended up with a really nice full length apron that ties in the back!

Skirts can be cut up the side to become a large piece of material ready for use.  They also make very pretty pillow cases.

Blue jeans are our favorite right now.  We make blue jean quilts.  My eleven year old son wants his quilt to be entirely pockets!

The pockets also make great country looking potholders.

Just sew a back onto it.  One of my sons likes to put filling into his potholders.  They make great little gifts!

Needless to say, sheets make excellent material!

Old blankets can be used as filler for new quilts!

Can't figure out what to do with that old shirt?  Make dish rags.  The best part is you can either wash and reuse or toss them out - depending on how messy the job was.

We like to keep rags around the house.  They work great for wiping up the floor or washing off greasy hands.

I keep a basket of "rags" on the counter for quick napkins or washcloths.

If you don't have people dropping clothes off at your house, then check out the thrift shops.  While rummaging through the clothing section, think "free material"!!!

I Love Christmas

Do you get the feeling that I love Christmas?!?

We have many children in our house. (I know that's an understatement!)

We require each of them to work and earn enough money to either buy or make each one of their siblings, parents, and grandparents a gift at Christmas time.  They also buy gifts towards the shoe boxes (See Samaritan's Purse) and for others that the Lord lays on our hearts.

Many people ask us why we don't just draw names.  We believe that the children should be more focused on others than on themselves.  We want them to be giving at least as much as they are receiving.  Too many children are just focused on what they want for the holidays.  By the way, this should be their attitude through out the year.  We are always encouraging our children to pray and ask the Lord who he would have them bless.

Three of our children have already finished their Christmas shopping!  Another child will be finished this week!  They are so excited!  They figure that now they can spend their money on baking supplies.  They love to cook for others!  They are also excited that if the Lord tells them to go bless someone, it won't be a problem because they have the extra money now.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cards

Pregnancy Update

Many people have been kind enough to ask how this pregnancy is going.  Thank you!!

I thought that I had better post about it.

I was very sick through the first half of the pregnancy.  Not only with morning sickness, but with diabetes and early contractions.

After much prayer and standing on God's word, He gave me a word concerning the diabetes.

The Lord told me to start drinking a lot of water.  I mean a lot!

I drink between 2 and 3 quarts a day.  Many days I drink a gallon or better. 

I try to drink it early in the day if I don't have to go away.

So, has it worked???

Yes!

It started to work immediately!

As a matter of fact, I haven't had any problems with high sugar levels since July!

The doctor told me that I should not expect to have my insulin lowered.  He said that (medically speaking) my insulin should continue to be raised through the pregnancy.

Well, I haven't had it raised at all.  He has actually lowered it twice.  I really need to have it lowered again, but my doctor is starting to get nervous.  LOL

Keep me in prayer!  I would love to have the doctor run another gluclose tolerancy test!

Differences Between Boys and Girls

Don't you just love to observe the difference between boys and girls!?!

While wrapping up Christmas presents, little girls are so careful.  They want everything just right.

While my eleven year old son was wrapping his gifts, he noticed that he didn't seem to have enough hands.

What do you think he did?

He put his foot in the middle of the gift - work boot and all!

Warning!! This Post is About Christmas!

I love Christmas time!  I believe that one of the best things that we can do for our children is to make memories.  I want my kids to look back on their childhoods and smile.

Well, Christmas doesn't just happen around here.  It takes a lot of work on momma's part!  (Do I hear any AMENS???)

With that said, have you started your holiday dinner box?

I have a box in the pantry that says, "Holiday dinners: Stay out!"

Planning out great memories for Christmas takes a some organization and planning ahead!

Pick up a couple of cans of corn or some canned pumpkin this week.  Actually, make a list of the non-perishable food items that you will need in order to have the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners that you desire.  Keep that list in your purse and each week grab something off from it. 

Hey, let's make some great memories this holiday season!

Are You Being Frugal?

I had a very frugal day yesterday.  We needed a new VCR and I found one while out junkin'!!!

I paid $3.00, and the lady told me that if it didn't work to bring it back.

Well, it works great!

Everyone is happy, except for my son who gets to break out those algebra tapes now!

Canning Tomatoes

Woohoo!!  We ended up with 48 pints of tomatoes!

They are sooo pretty to look at!

Enjoying Helpful Kids

It is so awesome to have kids willing to help out!

My 12 year old daughter has been helping me can tomatoes all day.

Now, she is out in the kitchen preparing supper!

She's making meatballs, potatoes, and biscuits - Mmmmm!

Frugal Friday

You don't have to cook for a month to enjoy cooking ahead.

Cook enough for two meals once in awhile.

When I make a roast I cook an extra big one.  The next day I make up stew.  This saves me from buying two packages of meat. Plus, I have a head start on the next day's meal!

Stocking the Pantry

Don't forget to rotate your items while stocking up the pantry.

When bringing new things in, date them, and put them to the back!