A Plain Home

Not Feeling Well...

I will get back to posting in a day or two. I'm not feeling well enough to compose a full length post. 

Warmly, ~Melissa

Just a brief hello

     Much has happened since the last time I blogged.

     David's mom passed away five days after Christmas and we had a very nice funeral last Saturday. She was only 72 and had a variety of illness that she had been dealing with, but we didn't anticipate her death so soon. What a comfort to know that God doesn't make mistakes.

     We have also had the first real Montana winter in 20 years, making me very thankful for 4 wheel drive just to drive around town.

     I need to get the library opened, but I wanted to say hello. I will compose a longer blog soon.

                                                           Denise (prairiemom)

Brrrr it's cold

Well, it's cold. The temps have dropped a little since last week and I am chilled to the bone. We were told that we were going to have 4 to 6 inches of snow today but the wind is blowing so hard (gusts up to 55mph) that it really didn't even stick to the ground.  It is the type of wind that pierces your skin and chills deep. I didn't think we were going to even be able to call this season WINTER because we have been having some really decent weather, but Today..... well.... IT IS WINTER. hehehe

I hope you all are staying warm. I have decided to just sit in a cozy blanket (thank you Laur) and read my bible and maybe work on a little art and think about being in front of a roaring fire place.

Blessing everyone

A Lamp Unto My Feet

" Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. "

                          ~ Psalm 119:105 ~

  I recently purchased this lovely Bible at a local Christian book store. Isn't it lovely? It looks old but it isn't. 

God's word has become very near & dear to me. It has seen me thru many a storm and many a tearful moment. In it's pages are words of hope, words of comfort and beautiful promises from our Lord.  Truly the Word of God lights my path and is a lamp unto my feet. Like water to a parched soul, and bread to a hungry heart is God's word.  

May we all treasure up the Word of God and hide it in our hearts,

~ gloria ~

Pics, pics, pics!

No, haven't been to the midwife yet. So no news. Of course, there might not be any after I see her, anyways. So don't be holding your breath.

I find myself trying to get back into a ready-to-meet-my-baby mindset. Remind myself it *will* happen one of these days. Frankly, I don't feel too bad. Outside of my soaring weight gain, the baby feels safe and protected tucked away inside. Ya'll mind if I just carry this one forever? I need to know RIGHT NOW who will be upset a me for a February baby.

Just kidding. You don't have to admit to it.

Me, taken today. I'm approximately 38w and 2 days.

See, I had to show you that picture first, so you can tell I'm not the shapless blob I appear to be in this pic:

Then Samuel got snappy with the camera.

Not terrible, huh? I call the next picture my Yellow Boys. For some reason, J is just incredibly photogentic with the boys. Always. And the boys are always so annoyed to pose with Mommy. And then I wind up looking like a Blob.

Life. is. not. fair!!!!

Check out these pictures of them playing. There are three boys per pic, promise! Can you find them all?

From the other night. I just adore Samuel's orange pants. They are just so COOL! He doesn't. He cries when we put them on. Oh, well. Maybe they will grow on him? Hahahaha!

Another by Samuel, the photographer:

And then one from the other day when they were all reading. I like pictures of the three of them reading. Elijah has really started to get into books!

And then ....

That's where Samuel drew a line under a "T" and made it an "I". The stinker likes letters and numbers. He knows the difference between a 'W' and a 'M' and what a 'S' is and 'A' and 'H' and all kinds of other letters and numbers . . . he's not yet three years old. I certainly never expected him to learn such things. Below the "T" turned into an "I" is his completely freelance "I". I'm just . . . wow. Proud, I guess?

Well, this is all I have for the moment. If I were to randomly have the baby this afternoon, I will try to let everyone know ... in the meantime, I'm going to go clean my house. Some more, yes. I hope I'm nesting, dear readers, but I feel too good for that I fear! So don't get your hopes up!

~Ashley~

Hebrews 10:26...

"Natural" GMO meds?

WASHINGTON – You've heard of making cheese from goats' milk, but prescription drugs? In what would be a scientific first, an anti-clotting drug made from the milk of genetically engineered goats moved closer to government approval Wednesday after experts at the Food and Drug Administration reported that the medication works and its safety is acceptable.

Called ATryn, the drug is intended to help people with a rare hereditary disorder that makes them vulnerable to life-threatening blood clots.

Its approval would be a major step toward new kinds of medications made not from chemicals, but from living organisms genetically manipulated by scientists. Similar drugs could be available in the next few years for a range of human ailments, including hemophilia.

Ok, I'm always on the rather outside of popular thought here I know, but am I seriously one of only a few who think this is just a bit beyond normal?  I understand the medical ramifications here, and of course I'm not saying allow folks to suffer when a potential 'help' is out there.  But this GMO craze the government is on is so obviously NWO.

I'm not even going to debate anything, I'm just making an observation.

We are being given Hell in a handbasket and accepting it with not only willing, but grabbing hands.

Prayers for Israel

    " Pray for peace in Jerusalem: May those who love her be safe. May there be peace within her walls and safety within her strong towers." 

                   ~ Psalm 122: 6 & 7 NCV ~

Like many of you my heart goes out to Israel at this time.  The media has launched an anti-Israel campaign.  They are not telling the truth about what is really going on there.  My prayers are that peace will be in Jerusalem. The bible tells us to pray for Israel and for her peace. I pray the United States may always be counted as one of her allies.  Israel still has a destiny to fulfill and God has His eyes on His people.  His promises will be fulfilled in due time.

Praying,

~ gloria ~

Homeschooling thru the years...

I realized today I have not blogged much about homeschooling.  Our family began homeschooling years and years ago, when my oldest child  ( 15 yrs old now) at the time was getting ready for kindergarten. I remember reading everything I could about home education and then taking the "plunge"!  Of course back then I had just a few little ones to school, and now there are 8 children being homeschooled at home! 

Homeschooling does pose it's challenges --  but overall I have been really pleased with the results.  I can't even imagine putting my kids in the public school system.  I know there are many wonderful & gifted teachers teaching in the schoools, and I am sure many kids are receiving a good education.   The decision to homeschool is much more than "academics" to me.  It's more about "relationship" with my kids then academics. Oh sure, we do have our texts and our projects we are working on, but the focus has never been on the "books" but on character development and relationships. My greatest desire is to keep my kid's hearts and to really lead them to a personal walk with the Lord.  I want our schooling time and our books we use to glorify God and to teach truth not relativism or humanism.

So we continue to homeschool. Some days I am tired. Like many of you I deal with the yearly "burn out" syndrome, and the days do come where I ask myself "why am I doing this to myself"!   But when I stop to really think about things and look into my kid's faces and eyes..... there is NO way I could put them in the local school.  I just can't. 

Does that mean homeschooling is a "perfect" fit? No! I am sure that there are many things I could be doing better as their teacher and there are hard days when I am struggling along with a child and something they are trying to understand or learn.  But overall, homeschooling is so much more than academics. ... it's a way of life...... our life does not revolve around "school" ........ we do have a time set aside each day for doing the math, the grammar, the spelling, etc. But we have learned to be flexible and to keep the "big picture" in mind.

Recently I found out a good friend of mine has quit homeschooling her kids after years of doing so. It just broke my heart.  She has beautiful children and for the life of me I don't understand why she would make that choice. But regardless of how I feel about homeschooling, I know it's not for everyone.

One of the things I really love about homeschooling is the ability it gives me to really *know* my kids.... there is no "guessing" what is going on in their minds...... everything is revealed and there is nothing hidden....if there is a problem, it's evident..... if there is an attitude that needs to be adjusted that is known too...... it's all up front and open....... no hiding anything... that can be tough, especially when mom's flaws are "open" too!  So I openly admit, homeschooling is a "stretch" for mom, and it certainly does keep me on my toes!  ( no hiding my sins behind closed doors around here!!)

I wanted to share one aspect of homeschooling that I really, really love and that is the opporotunity that homeschooling can give to really develop a love of learning in our children . By that I do not mean learning their math facts or spelling words -- what I mean is loving to learn about something for the sake of loving to learn!  Each month my kids choose a topic that they wish to study and dwelve into.... it can be anything........ and believe me we have had some interesting topics thru the years. :)  After their assigned subjects are completed they can spend as long as they wish studying their "topic of choice".   At the end of the month we have a "report night" where each child writes up a report on their topic, presents an oral report ( they hand in a typed report for me to file) and can also share a display board with drawings or print outs.  The kids really look forward to this night!  They enjoy sharing their knowledge with the rest of the family.  It gives them a sense of accomplishment.   My husband & I also enjoy hearing about what they are learning and what they have gleaned from their in depth study. 

Here are some snapshots of  our report night we held a few nights back.  As always the reports were interesting and varied.  :) 

This past month we had:

Sarah studied  about the Pilgrims.  Big sister Hannah, helped her put a display board together. :)  She loves to give these reports, even though she is just 6 yrs old and needs help reading her report a loud. :)

Paul learned about Abraham Lincoln .  The twins are getting much better with their reading and didn't need much help giving their reports!

Peter gave a wonderful report on Martin Luther King Jr.

Rebekah studied about Anne Frank.....

Samuel gave a wonderful report on William Penn -- the founder of Pennsylvania ....I learned a ton just by listening to his report!

Rachel enjoyed learning about the "maide of Louraine"....Joan of Arc.......

Hannah studied up on Mary Queen of Scotts......... what a sad and interesting life she led.....Hannah loves to study about famous women in history....... she's a lot like her mom. :) I too love studying the lives of famous women -- right now I am reading about the life of Susanna Wesley the mother of Charles & John Wesley.

Last but not least, Jacob gave us a very detailed report on the Vietnam War.......he loves to study wars, and he really learned a lot. This month he has chosen to study  the Korean War, so he really is into this "war" studies lately!  He loves history and mostly chooses historical topics of interest.

This coming month the kids have chosen the following topics to study:

Jacob: Korean War, Hannah : Christopher Columbus, Rachel: Eleanor Roosevelt, Samuel: Lightening, Rebekah: Horses, Peter: George Washington ( again!), Paul: Trains, Sarah : Dogs

I hope my kids can look back upon their years homeschooling with fondness. :)  I know I will have many many memories to look back upon.  No regrets here, even though there are the the "days" I wonder what on earth I have done to myself!

~ gloria ~

Thoughts on children and life

I’m getting lots done around here.

I made some diaper rash ointment for the boys yesterday in my baby crock-pot. I don’t remember who gave it to us when we married, but it’s the perfect size for my herbs and salves and tinctures. The four of us have pretty much out-grown it, though, and it never EVER was big enough to hold a whole roast. Back in my more primitive days, I once sawed a roast in half to wedge it in there.

That’s okay, though. In a step of faith that our family size will one day be worthy, I now own a 22-quart roaster. Did you know these work as mini ovens? You can even make bread in them. And they can also serve as a really large crock-pot for big families? One of these days, I’ll have three teenagers (or possibly even more!!!), Lord willing, and I have a feeling that the capability of making three gallons of chili at a time might come in handy! lol

I’m getting so much de-cluttered that it’s wonderful! I might actually get to some deep cleaning soon. Or even surface cleaning. I don’t like clutter, so cleaning is what gets pushed to the back burner around here. Who cares what the mirrors look like if I can’t walk for toys?

When I first came off of bedrest, it really seemed to stress my body to “do stuff”. Several times I had contractions 5 minutes apart for hours. At this point, things have calmed down to the point that “Hey, you want to work hard? Go for it!” and I might get them 15 minutes apart.

So, yes. It feels as if I could be pregnant forever. But, also, it’s lovely to get caught up and reign as Queen of My Own House again.

Last I knew, about a week ago, the baby was only a -3. I must carry my babies really high, or at least this one; because the little feet haven’t been under my ribs for a while now. It was kinda a neat feeling – and it was unique to this pregnancy. I miss it. I almost wonder if the baby is a -2 now, but I’m too nervous to hope. I go back to see my midwife tomorrow – I’m sure she thought I’d have this baby by now, but like I said, my body seems to have adjusted to the strain of going from comatose to active. It’s been the calmest week ever! *sigh*

Still, I trust God’s timing. And I’m willing to wait for it, really. That actually has something to do with why I’m due with another munchkin when my sweet Elijah just turned 15mo yesterday. His spacing, not mine. I do happen to think it’s delightful to be expecting a baby just when my last baby is suddenly becoming very Mommy-independent! Would I be as happy if I thought their spacing was just a fluke? Maybe, maybe not.

Of course, there are those that would say that he’s becoming independent because suddenly I’m not going to have the time for him like I used to; bosh! I’m with my babies 24/7. I do all the clothing, feeding, kissing boo-boo’s and wiping noses, singing, reading, counting, laughing, scolding, praising . . . they get a whole lot more of me than they would if I were working!

So, soon there will be three of them sharing me. Oh, the horror! But how many share one teacher in school? How many children share one day-care worker? Honestly, is a one-to-three ratio that dreadful?

Maybe it’s the close spacing that’s bad. Who can cope with three little ones pulling in different directions? But it’s closer to the spacing which is “ideal”, which is all the 5yo together, all the 6yo together, etc. It means they have very similar interests. Surely it’s somewhat easier to have one almost 3yo, one 15mo, and one newborn rather than 3 newborns, or three 15-month olds, or three 3yo?

Yes, no? These are just thoughts I ponder occasionally. Where do we get the idea that a young mother of three little ones is a stressed out mess (not to say I’m sometimes not) but that a child-care specialist with 8 of the same age is somehow more capable?

Here is an excellent blog that puts so much more into perspective than I can. From a mom of fourteen:

“. . . you may have gotten the impression that I think that having a large family has been the driving force in my life. This is so far from the truth.

The message, if any, that should be drawn from the testimony of who I am is this: She trusted God and surrendered, and it was good.”

Amen. That’s what it is all about . . . . it isn't about hitting a certain number of children. It's about letting go of my ideas and plans. Finding joy in God's design - surrender. Trust. Faith. Hope. The whole article is so good. You should really take the time to read it. I want to be like her when I grow up! *smile*

~Ashley~