Posted on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 01:35 PM

First of all, I want to say a big THANK YOU!!! to all who have served and are serving  our country in the armed forces. This family really cherishes all that you have done and are continuing to do. Thank you for your sacrifice!!

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Today I had a wonderful time at ladies bible study. It was challenging and yet encouraging at the same time. I did loose track of time, so I was home a little late to start lunch. We'll just have to eat a little late today. I am making chicken breasts with marinated feta sauce. Cant wait to try it. It is a new receipe. I also got a triple batch of pumpkin creamcheese bread made. Trying to get the Christmas baskets going. Dont want to wait untill last minute.

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I am really feeling challenged to get back on track with my dedication to running a smooth and organized homefront. I really feel like my home and family has been suffering due to lack of committment lately. So I have started today to take my "TO DO" list seriously and to really take some time to study  PROV 31:10-31. This is my life verse and whenever I begin to loose focus on this, my relationship with my Lord suffers and because that suffers, so does everything else important in my life. I am energized just by making this observation but mostly by knowing just what I need to do about it. So out comes my neglected prayer journal.

I really do love it when God brings me round about back to his call on my life. It is a shame that I so often stray from it, but praise the Lord, He is faithful to bring me constantly back to where he wants me.

So I am off to tackle the rest of my "TO DO" list.

Here is what is on it for today:

Bible study

School (this is done in the afternood on Wed due to bible study)

Wash, fold and put away laundry

Make pumpkin bread triple batch

Clean bathroom

Pick up

Vacuum

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Have a blessed day!

Posted on Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 03:56 PM

We spent the day cutting up and wraping an elk and a deer. We are so thankful that we got a elk this year. It was much needed. The freezer will be full when all is said and done. What a blessing.

Things have been slow and steady around here lately. Just the way I like them. The kids are really getting into school work. We started with Noahs ark and just finished up the ice age. Monday we will be jumping into the tower of Babel and continuing on in our journey through history. The kids are chomping at the bit to get to the begining of Egyptian history. They want to mummify a chicken! Sounds like fun! Cant wait. I am so happy that we decided to do school this way. It has really transformed our school time from being a little bit of a drudgery to a real high point in our day. Also, I am learning so much. I am really excited about what the children are learning and how much better prepared and knowledgable they will be than I was. To me that is sucess. When an evolutionest tries to tell them about science, they are going to be able to answer knowledgably and biblically. That is a huge step in the right direction. I am really looking forward to seeing what else we are going to learn.

I have been thinking about Christmas baskets recently. I am wanting to put them together for family and close friends, but I dont want to do the same thing that we have done in years past. We are on a pretty tight budget for the time being, so if any of you have some helpful ideas or websites that would be helpful here I would appreciate some direction. We need to get started on these things.  Thanks for your help.

Have a blessed evening!

Posted on Monday, November 2, 2009 at 09:27 PM

The boys came home from hunting this weekend with a doe. So now we have antelope, deer and elk in the freezer. Yeah! Donald can shoot one more deer this season. Should be able to get us through most of the next year. I am so thankful that my hubby hunts and that we live in a state that makes it worth while. It saves us sooo.... much money.

I made Ezekiel bread for the first time the other day. I used rye, wheat, pinto beans, lentils, and barley. It turned out really good! Next time I think I will add some flax seed to it also. I really enjoyed the taste. My next endeavor will be to try making sprouted grain bread. I need to do some more research on it first. Dont know enough about it yet. I am really enjoying my  "Hearth and Home" cookbook. By Keary Swan. IF you havent had a chance to read this, you should. It is full of great ideas. I just finished reading "Nourshing Traditions" not too long ago also. Some very unique ideas in there. I did make the fermented salsa and it turned out pretty good. I want to try more of the recipes out of there. Do you have any favorite recipe books that you would suggest? I would love to hear about them.

Have a blessed evening!

Posted on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 04:16 PM

The girls and I are getting ready to send off Daddy and brother hunting for the weekend again. The girls are making peanutbutter bars  and chocolate chip cookies right now, and when they are done, I will make bread and stew for them to take. I will probably make granola too. So the girls and I have some girlie time this weekend. Not quite sure what we are going to do with that time yet. Maybe go visit some new friends in Kalispell. That would be fun.

We will be going to a Fall Festival on the 31st. That should be fun. It will be the first time we have done something like this before. The girls are dressing up as Mary  and Miriam.

I do believe that fall has passed on and we are experiencing the beginning of winter weather.  I am sad to see the fall weather gone so soon, but will enjoy the peace and quiet that winter always brings. I am having visions of puzzels, books, games and sewing  along with a nice fire, cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. Sounds like the perfect winter to me!

Have a blessed day!

Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 11:58 AM

I have been going to a class the last couple of weeks. It is called the "Healthy Edge" you can check out some of the info at getthehealthyedge.com. I started going to this class as kind of a last ditch effort to loose some weight. I have tried so many different things, and nothing was working. I had decided that there must be something wrong with my body. A friend of mine was going to this class and she invited me to go with her, so I did. The class is 8 weeks long, and I am in week 5 now. I have been able to actually loose some weight, but that is not the best part. The best part is how I feel. It is amazing the difference.

The focus of the class is to eat low-glycemic. I was doing some of this before I took the class, but the thing that I found is that I have been starving my body. Everything I was eating it was storing as fat, because it was in starvation mode. Who would have guessed? So We have been making some changes in our eating habits and have been greatly enjoying the results. Just so you know, I now weigh less than I have in 11YEARS!!!! It is absolutely amazing. So if you have struggled with your weight at all, or if you are just wanting to keep your body as healthy as possible, I really recommend you check out this web site. It is wonderful

God bless!

Posted on Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 09:00 AM

Life around here has been pretty calm and steady. Just the way I like it! We did go hunting for 4 days last week. Donald got his antelope along with the other men that went. That was a bit of an adventure as we were tent camping and I dont think that the temp got above 35* during the day time. It was chilly, but still we had a lot of fun. Now the meat is in the freezer and that is a couple more weeks worth of meat that I wont have to think about buying. Donald and Wesley are going again next weekend, and hopefully they will come home with a couple more animals.

School has been a blast this year. Even I am enjoying it! We are doing a very large unit study. We are using "All through the Ages" which is a chronological history study. That is our main resource, but we are using other things to add little bits that might be missing. Doing a unit study through history has been an amazing adventure. I am learning so much myself, I know the kids are learning too! We are just now studying the tower of babel and where the people were dispersed to and what cultures they started. It is facinating!

The kids are done with their morning chores, so it is time for us to start. Have a blessed day!

Posted on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 04:39 PM

It's not falling here yet, but it is all around us and it is in the forcast. We got the yard all cleaned up just in case. I laid the rest of the grass seed too. Hopefully we will have some grass in the spring.

Things have just been pluging along. School didn't go very well this week due to our pathetic library. I will be going to get a library card in Kalispell this week. I went in to our local library to look for some books on seasons and on prisims. They had no books on either subject! How can you have a library without books on seasons!?!?! So.... Next week we will get going on school, at least the stuff we couldnt do without books.

I crocheted my first hat and matching scarf. I have a list of more that I want to do for Christmas gifts. I really enjoyed making them. They go VERY fast. A project that I can start and finish in 2 days. I love it! I may get industrious and make a bunch and try to sell them at one of the bazaar's this year. We'll see.

The house is clean, the dishes are done. I have spaghetti squash baking for dinner. Wesley is at the shop with dad today and the girls are playing house in the bedroom. I am enjoying some "early" quiet time. Not too common around here, but I sure enjoy it!

Have a blessed evening!