Thank You Jesus For Everything!

My mission for this week is to avoid all negative thoughts of failure and despair by making my actions control my thoughts; to smile often; move swiftly; to raise my voice to strenghten my confidence; make allowances for the moods of others and to refuse to allow any set back or problem to discolor my day.

Becoming Christ Like takes discipline and much effort.

It is life changing and to change your mind is the first step. Our life is the result of our thinking. If we have a life we don't like ~ let's work to change that. By thinking the right thoughts makes that happen. Scripture says renew the mind so to do that look at what you are saying to your self when you talk to yourself. Are they self defeating thoughts or ones of harmony. peace and joy that create a life of knowing in your knower all is going to be alright?

Think to create! Figure out what you want and think thoughts that bring it into manifestation. Of course this takes being on a daily course of working to make it happen.

If you think you can you will and with less effort as time go onward.

Now listen to what you are thinking about what is written here and that will let you decide if this is crap or truth. An open minded person is open to become single minded as scripture says.  When we are single minded we read the word, know it then believe it.

Sending love and a prayer that all you ever need is always there~ this I believe is trusting with all your heart to make it so. Be eternally blessed is my desire. rilda *U*

Thank You Jesus For Everything!

My mission for this week is to avoid all negative thoughts of failure and despair by making my actions control my thoughts; to smile often; move swiftly; to raise my voice to strenghten my confidence; make allowances for the moods of others and to refuse to allow any set back or problem to discolor my day.

Working on this weeks mission, I have found my thoughts very positive. You see when I think positive it comes back to me I have found. I don't listen to the news or read the news paper and that is really helping me in this process. I know it is out there although I don't want it to get inside of me that way I just stick to what the word says and keep believing it. Doors of negativity open in many ways and decernment allows me to SHUT IT before it gets near. I am blessed to be living a life separated from the things that block the blessings so I walk in His presence knowing I am not ever alone. I Bless You Father for all you are doing and all you have done for it just opens up within me the Kingdom.

It's all about Your will for my life.

Blessings Always, rilda

Last night I had a glass shatter in my hands at the inlaws when it clipped the edge of the table. I ended up with the deepest, nastiest cut I've ever had on my hands (and I've had some doozies) on my left little finger. My second dad butterflie'd it back together splendidly but it's sore today if I either straiten it or bend it.

Strangely, making pancakes, making the beds, picking up Elijah doesn't bother it, but changing diapers does. Typing is okay because I don't straiten it enough. Weird!

Company is coming in tonight/this evening from out of state. I'd been going through all of our fall/winter clothes and re-organizing them all over the spare room in plastic totes, now I *MUST* pack all of it up and finsh that today. I wasn't in a hurry before, but now I am! I wonder how upset Jonathan will really be if I dragged them back down stairs by myself? Hmmm, I am the curious sort and I just might find out . . . or I might stick to stacking them in the living room for him to take downstairs when he gets home.

The problem is, company might beat J to the house, but I might have to simply let them walk in on my mountain of plastic totes . . . and my smarting vanity!

Oh, and I have to cook a nearly MSG-free meal for the company tonight, which is semi-extensive since it involves making just about everything from scratch merely to throw it into a cassarole . . . . anyone want to make homemade enchilada sauce, cream of mushroom soup, and tortillas for me today? I'll handle the rest!

After this weekend things should calm back down. I get to see my uncle from Seattle this weekend, haven't seen him since our wedding 4.5+ years ago, as well as go to one of the largest gun shows in the country tomorrow. Gun shows were always a huge treat when I was growing up, but a real rarity. I've been to more since I got married, and at this one Jonathan has said he will buy me a lever-action 30-30 - if I can find one! With 900 tables set up, we'll see. LOL I'm also going to be hunting for a recoil shoulder stock for my double barrel .20 gauge, and J will be on the prowl for the pistol he wants to conceal-carry.

I need to stay away from the knives. I love knives of all sizes, shapes and colors, but I have plenty. More than I will probably ever use!!!

Oh, and speaking of slicing & dicing . . . I have a ton of green peppers that were given to us that I need to put in the freezer . . . or maybe I'll ask my Jonathan to do that since my hand is still so sore . . . I have too much to do already today as it is, seems like. But I don't mind a crazy day once in a while!

I can't believe it's October already!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend,
~Ashley~

Thank You Jesus For Everything!

My mission for this week is to avoid all negative thoughts of failure and despair by making my actions control my thoughts; to smile often; move swiftly; to raise my voice to strenghten my confidence; make allowances for the moods of others and to refuse to allow any set back or problem to discolor my day.

Today this is my focus! Thank You Jesus for showing me how to be more like thee.

Have a blessed day one and ALL.

God loves you so lovingly!!!!!

Rilda *U*

I would really appreciate some other Mommy's imput.

With Samuel, we deemed "walking" when he could walk across our living room, which is gigantic. By that point, he was practically running, too.

Elijah on the other hand, is walking 5-6 steps easily, and sometimes 7 or 8. Last night, he stood strait up in the middle of the floor and walked three or four steps to me.

Naturally, he still likes to hold onto things, but you can definatly tell that "upright" is his favored position!

Monday he turns 1yo . . .

So, what is ya'lls opinion? Is he walking or not?

~Ashley~

I read somewhere recently that most people only wear about 20% of the clothing that they own. Which, in my opinion, is sort of a type of clothes – gluttony, and I don’t have much desire to keep up with 80% of non-useful clothing. It wastes time as well, pawing through it to get to the percentage that you do wear!

So I would say that we wear at least 75% of what’s left on a regular basis. I hope!

I had Jonathan bring up some of the plastic containers of clothes that we store in the cellar so I can go through them to make sure I’m not using precious storage space for something we’ll never wear again, too. I have four huge totes to sort through today, if I get a chance!

The reason I may or may not have time is that both boys have diarrhea. Otherwise, they’re fine and act fine, but this is the drop-what-you’re-doing, change-all-their-clothes-and-try-not-to-gag type. Maybe even scrub carpet. Samuel throws up randomly, hours after eating, and not after every meal, and has 50/50 managed to be standing on tile when the event occurs. Tile is so much easier to clean, but it’s not fun stuff either way.

As I take care of my boys, I think of how one of these days I might have five or six munckins and the flu go through our house. Yeah, I multiply everything out, good and bad, and picture it with more people. *laughs* I reckon Jonathan cleaned up after me when I had food poisoning (that was enough puke to last a lifetime) and I clean up after my boys now . . . unless you limit the number of people you love and are willing to get dirty for, I really don't see a way to keep my hands clean.

Crazy how love works.....

Give me another five or six years and I'll let you know how I handle a stomach bug with more people. I suspect that I'll clean up, feeling queezy inside just about like now, praying for grace . . . just 'doing' for a few more people.  But I'll let you know!  

And Jonathan and both boys have poison ivy, which also adds to the need to do laundry every day. Jonathan has it pretty much everywhere – how I don’t know! Both shins, his arms, his side/back. Elijah has a few spots and Samuel has the least. I have to practically roll in it to get it, and as I recognize it even when I’m not looking for it, I’m fine. I think Elijah is going to be ultra-sensitive like his daddy, as he was not anywhere near the stuff and probably picked it up from clothing fibers. Which I can’t. I’ve ridden my horse through it and then touched all of her legs and been fine. Samuel should be covered as he walked through ivy several times, but Elijah was carried everywhere outside, period.

So, yes, I’m a bit busy . . . .

Take care!

~Ashley~

Thank You Jesus For Everything!

Hello dear ones! I just love this time of year. I did a new photo show of my Fall displays if you care to take the time to see them. I enjoyed decorating~ for it makes my heart sing Joyfully. I have been doing a sudy course and different projects. I have so many I am going to do. A few days ago I made a wreath from my harvest of plant which I do not know the name of ~ maybe you do. I have it in my flower garden and know it is good for drying. Here is what I did.

My dry goods a wire wreath holder and scissors and a few flowes [ not seen].

During, Just keep going in the angle.

Do one layer then come with second one lapping and tucking over the ends for cover up.

Adding flowers I love for color.

This is the end result although it will be displayed inside as it's home. Better view in daylight outside today.

Ha, no one even knew we were leaving for the weekend, huh? That's so none of you wonderful readers could make nefarious designs on our abandoned home.

Yes, I’m a very trusting individual. Why do you ask?

Hahahahahahaha!

Anyways, we left Friday night for Oklahoma and returned at about 6:50pm Sunday night.

Now, you should be able to let your little arrow hover over each picture to see a caption.

And today I feel exceptionally lazy/mentally tired. Somebody needs to poke me with a pointy stick or I’m not going to move much today.

Even the boys are sleeping a bunch today. Kinda leaves me feeling lonely and a wee bit bored.

La da da dee . . . somebody wake up and play with me! I’ll read books, I’ll do just about anything besides clean my house or . . .  or menu plan.

I don’t have a menu plan for the first time in about 3 weeks. Not that I always stick to it, but without it I feel helpless. I don’t even want to think about dinner . . . let alone the rest of the week. About the closest I feel like to “menu planning” is reaching for my wallet to see how much money I have left and seeing if there is enough for some burgers and fries.

Not that I need burgers and fries. I’ve finally gained some weight. I started the 24^th week today, and I only need to gain about, oh, about 6 more pounds to hit the final weight I hit with Samuel at the very end.

Weirdly enough, I don’t feel “big”. Or even “bigger” than I’ve been with my other pregnancies. I’m taking bilberry, and I don’t even have spider veins in my legs this time. How weird is that??? I had ‘em with Samuel, and with Elijah, and I had one right beneath my right knee . . . . and it’s gone now. I rarely nap, while I took long naps carrying Samuel and some with Elijah, I might catch 10 or 15 minutes

Being pregnant feels so normal. I love praying over meals and praying for the food to nourish us. Of course, I can pray that when I’m nursing, too, but it’s so unique to have two heartbeats inside one body.

Okay. Enough rambling.

So, here are some pictures from the trip, and I’m just going to pretend I’ve been jabbed with a pointy stick. Maybe I’ll imagine the horror of having someone walk in the door unexpected like and seeing a pint of food drying scattered beneath the table. A highly unlikely scenario, but about as much of an incentive as I’m going to get . . . .

LOL.

~Ashley~

Here are my boys, Samuel feeding Elijah yogurt. We’d just returned from Walmart, and I plunked them in the floor, gave the youngest a cheese stick and Samuel his yogurt. When I walked back in with more groceries, Samuel was dipping his spoon into the yogurt, feeding his brother, then polishing off whatever remained!

Wow. What would I do without these guys?

I’m sure I’d have gobs of free time to cross stitch or mountain bike or learn tatting. I could even be making money to buy . . . something. Something I’m sure I need (ha! sarcasm) and my children prevent me from getting. I wonder absently if my life would be “easier” if I weren’t pregnant so often – I guess so. And it would be even simpler if I wasn’t married . . . let’s just think, here. When I’m forty-five and all my kids are gone (Oh please o please o please) then maybe Jonathan will only be around another twenty, and by the time I’m sixty-five my life will be smooth as butter . . . .

[Note: I hope you could plainly hear the sarcasim dripping from that last paragraph!]

Wait, that doesn’t spell an E-A-S-I-E-R life - it spells an E-M-P-T-Y, L-O-N-E-L-I-E-R one. At least to me. I love these people in my life, and each meal I make and sock I wash is my ministry to them. One day I hope my children leave home, but I’m also not going to wish and plan my life around “freedom” from them at 18yo, just like my life hasn’t stopped because I change diapers now and I'm not holding my breath waiting for Samuel to be potty-trained or to finally pack him off to school so I can get a break, or to grow out of a booster seat, or start making his own lunch or start driving so for crying out loud I can stop dragging him around to everywhere he wants to go and then he'll move out and I won't have to do his stinky laundry and have him eat me out of house and home and never call and be out late . . . .

 I could really stop enjoying my babies, needless to say. And if I stopped, and resented the time it took to diaper and wipe and bath and dress and rock and read and feed and clean . . . would I ever start enjoying them again???

If you only take one thing away from this blog, I hope it is how passionatly I love my family; how blessed I feel to be able to sacrifice for them, and the underlying current that ultimately, it's all about my Savior Jesus Christ. He alone gives contentment and joy and strength when I am weak. Just as he gave Paul and Silas a song in the night when they were beaten and bruised in prison, He is teaching me how to praise Him when I rock a restless little one in the night or wipe runny noses . . . . 

I know we are weird and walk to the beat of a different drum – I just hope it comes across how much I love our “normal”.  I mean, this is my blog and that's what I hope I convey!

See ya'll next week!

~Ashley~

The carpet was finished around the tile today! The carpet place called and said they were sending over "the best they had". Which turned out to be a nice fellow named Daniel, who was very young, I thought, to be 'the best'. But his work spoke for him.

He did a great job and now I'm waiting for Jonathan to come home so the panio can be moved back into place.

It's amazing how much you DON'T feel comfortable doing while a stranger is working in your home.

We leave to be out of town this weekend, and that means leaving the house pretty much spotless. I'm chipping away at it, little by little . . . .

Here is the finished dining room:

And here are my boys reading a totally age-inappropriate book together. About aviation.

Jonathan started reading it, then stopped and closed the book. Samuel dug through this monstrous thing, FOUND THE EXACT PICTURE where Daddy had been reading, and begged him to read more. Here is an actual quote I overheard Jay read to his attentive little boy last night about the Citation X:

"These included temperature margins at high altitudes, high performance with low fuel-burning characteristics, reliablity, maintainablility, low noise and emissions, and a wide thrust margine. Most important, however, the engine had to come with a 2,500-hour or five-year guarantee for the end user."

Why this interests my little boy, I have no idea. He's begged me to read from this book all day.

But I've daubed it "Daddy's Book"!!

~Ashley~