Mothers Who Know

God Said To Love One Another.........Then Why Do So Many Hate?? (An evening with my family)

God said to love one another right???  He even said to love thine enemies.  We should love all people!!!  We should even try our best to LIKE them.  LOL  That is one thing my mother and I used to chat about.  She would say, I love so and so because God told me to, and I work hard at it, but I don't necessarily "like" them.  It's hard sometimes to love others, even your friends and family, when they can have such ugliness inside, such judging attitudes and their words towards others make you cringe.

The short story is, we gathered at my brother's house for Fourth of July.  The company was good, the food was wonderful, and the kids played and giggled (sometimes too loudly might I add.....but that is a good thing!)  We were forced to eat inside with the chill in the air and the fear of a downpour at any time, but it did hold off some, so that was wonderful as well.  We sat around the table and ate and chatted with my brother who seems to have some of the same favorite TV shows as Matthew and I.

Then after eating, the guys all gathered downstairs to play the Playstation or X-Box.  The kids were playing well, and I settled at the dining room table to chat with the girls (5 of us from 21 to 60).  It was then that I realized, my family is like this EVERY TIME, and it seems my brain forgets it and tries to give them a second chance each time.  UGH!

First the conversation was about Megan, and her baby (due in October) and all the cute things she has boughgt for the bedroom, and the clothing that Tammy (who will be the gma for the first time) bought, etc.  It was a sweet conversation.  It went downhill fast from there!!!!  The conversation went to my neice's MIL and how she "says" she has bought the baby tons of stuff, but she hasn't shown any of it to Megan yet, and how she bettter not forget this child's bday, and how she baby's her own neice but not her own child and wife, she gives money to everyone except them, etc.   I have been there....with the MIL troubles....still are there in alot of ways.  We are trying to work things out and ignore the bad and focus on the good with Matthew's parents.  Isn't that what God does to us????  I want to havev a relationship with my inlaws so I try much harder than I think I should some times.  But my neice has been married a year and she is already starting in the hate game.  Shame.  And her own mother of course sits there and coaches her and eggs her on instead of saying, now hunny, I am sure she had a good reason to do that, or if you have a problem with that, please go talk to her and not talk behind her back, etc.   It really is a shame.

But it went down hill farther from there.  A gal from their church dresses inappropriately evidentially.  Everyone knows and everyone talks about it behind her back.  Her own 13 year old daughter and 16 year old son have told her about it and that it embarasses them, but she does nothing.  Her own daughter told her she dresses like a hooker or a slut.  OMG!  And eveidentially she was serving communion in the churcch with her hubby with a LOW CUT top and VERY MINI skirt and some of the guys "saw things" they shouldn't!!  GEE WHIZ!!  Why isn't someone saying something to her??? Why didn't the pastor say, this is inappropriate, please dress appropriately especially when you are serving communion!!!

Dr. H has a new wife evidentially.  The girls weren't sure if they met on the internet or if she was a mail order bride, but they say she isn't really pretty.  So everyone had to rush to the laptop to see pictures of his new wife from the Ukraine, and his 2 new step daughters at their reccent wedding.  (Dr. H is a very nice looking man, and the daughters were adorable.  I think the reason they said she wasn't pretty was because she had some BLACK mascara on....she had cried at the wedding and thus had some under her eyes.  Other than that, she was very pretty!)

So and so has Hepatitis and is dating so and so.  Yes he knew she had it when they started dating.  I know he is nuts, but he loves her.  That's gross, etc.  Oh and then they started talking about people who weren't proportionate.  LOL  So and so'd butt doesn't fit the rest of her body, etc.  The one I always laugh at is how a few of the bigger gals talk about someone else who is FAT.  Look in the mirror.  That's all I can say.  I know....that wasn't nice.  Sorry.  They rubbed off on me perhaps.

We spent two and a half hours out there before coming home and starting our own firework display here at the house (Noah and I had a blast as Matthew put on quite a display for a whole $32.00).  And in that time I never heard once that they said M is a sweetheart.  Did you know J got married??? They are so happy!  Or, wow, I sure do miss K and how she used to.....blah blah blah.  I heard them talk about V and her new gorgeous baby, but then it went into another girl who has a child who is "not right" and man were they glad they didn't have to deal with that.  *yawn*

By the time we all loaded up in the car, Matthew and I were a little on edge (he said something, I misunderstood, plus his ADHD was pegged out with all the noise and commotion of the family, and yes, we were all tired), that I hate to say we whined and griped at each other and about the family gathering all the way home.  UGH!

It wasn't until we got home, that we talked about the misunderstanding and patched that up, rested a little, played some Christian music to sooth all of our nerves and were finally able to put a smile on and speak joy and love again.  It really is sad how others can rub off on you like that.  Just being around a houseful of that for a few hours had us nipping at each other and had taken our joy level to a very dangerous low level.

Thankfully, we were able to pull out of it, go outside and enjoy the fireworkds.  We were able to see most of the citywide display from our front porch, plus some other neighborhood displays as well as the items Noah and Matthew picked out.  Noah was so funny shouting out the colors of the displays as he saw them and actually couting the roman candles as well.  RED! GREEN! BLUE!!  LOL  We had a great time.

And this morning we were able to get up, go to church and visit with our church family, praise God, let Noah learn about Jesus and play with his friends, and see the prior youth director and song leader who came for a visit this Sunday with their 3 kids from Colorado.  We were also honored to have some of Pastor's dear friends from Thailand come to visit this weekend.  They are Americans but moved to Thailand several years ago with their daughters to spread God's word.  They specifically came to the US this weekend to celebrate Independence Day.  Isn't that wonderful???

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe weekend!

Happy Birthday America!

  Happy Birthday America!  Today I am especially grateful for the wonderful freedoms we enjoy.  The freedom to worship, the freedom to praise God, the freedom to own our own property and live and work as we wish. For all these freedoms and more I very thankful for!

I pray each one of you enjoys a blessed & wonderful day!

Gloria

Praying for the Sun to Make an Appearance Today!!!

Happy Birthday America!!!!  Let's all cheer for the Red, White and Blue!!!  I love the Fourth of July, and the cookouts, family gatherings, and fireworks.  But this year, we aren't sure if there is going to be much fireworks.  We might be able to still arrange the cookout, and just eat indoors.  But is is difficult to celebrate with fireworks when it is raining!!  UGH!  The weather reports aren't sure if the rain will stop before sunset and the big firework displays or not.  DARN IT! 

Matthew took off earlier this morning with our Noah, 3 years old, to pick out some fireworks.  We always wait until the 4th to buy ours because of the wonderful sales they hold the day of.  He alsos picked up some sausage and milk on the way home for our breakfast....sausage gravy and biscuits!!  YUMMY!  He even made breakfast for us.  Matthew never cooked (except for Hamburger Helper) until he met me.  LOL  Now he is the breakfast expert and won't let me in the kitchen when he is making pancakes or his specialty of biscuits and gravy. 

The rest of the day we are going to hang out, relax (finish putting away laundry, do a few dishes) and just enjoy having daddy home!   Tonight we are going to my brother's house for a cookout (possibly cook in...depending on the whether), and then back to town for the city wide fireworks display.  I am looking forward to seeing my family today.  We are all so busy, and it seems working schedules conflict that we don't get together more often.  Looking forward to seeing how big my neice Megan is getting with her first pregnancy.  She is due in October, and I am sure she isn't much bigger than her little frame was before, but maybe a tiny bit. 

Matthew's family is all scattered this weekend.  We made a comment last night that if everyone wasn't gone, we would have loved to get them all together at our house this weekend.  Oh well.  His parents church is having a 3 day meeting, his sister lives in Washington,DC area and unable to come home, and his other sister, her hubby and 5 year old daughter just started their 5 day trek back to Missouri from California and today.  They visited Sea World, Disney, etc. and had lots of fun.  I can't wait to hear about their trip!

A Prayer for Fourth of July

Fourth of July Plans & Menu

                              I have been planning our weekend.  Tomorrow we will enjoy a quiet day at home.. just family ( all 12 of us!).  We always enjoy a special meal on America's B-day.. so this year I will be making grilled steaks ( a rare treat) , baked potatoes, homemade baked beans, watermelon & homemade apple pie! It's not the fourth w/ out homemade apple pie! 

      Sunday our Church is holding an evening meeting and then a potluck meal. I'll be brining watermelon, lemon meringue pies and spinach salad. The girls are making cookies & cupcakes.  We are also going to bring a pinata & water balloons!  It should be a fun evening!

      Fourth of July is one of our favorite holidays!  We sure enjoy celebrating and taking time to remember how blessed we are in this land of the brave and home of the free!  I am also thankful for the freedom and perfect law of liberty thru Christ our Lord ! Jesus died so ALL men could be set free!  How grateful  I am for that!  We are no longer under the bondage of the law -- but are free thru the grace and liberty in Christ! Thank you Jesus for your precious blood shed on calvary so all men can be free!

  Hope you all enjoy a blessed Holiday!

Gloria

Big Families or Not?

Family, Friends and Food for the Fourth (nd an update too)

Well I just got notification that my side of the family is having a big BBQ at my brother's house on the evening of the Fourth.  I am thrilled since hubby's family is all busy and doing their own thing.  His mother and father will be at their church's 3 day meeting, his oldest sister is in Washington and unable to come home but will be home in a few weeks for Grandma's 90th bday, and his youngest sister and her hubby and daughter are in California at Disney!

Of course I asked what I could bring and my SIL told me maybe a salad or a dessert.  So I plan on taking both. LOL  Not sure what kind of salad to take, and I have a simple dessert recipe I will make (it is red white and blue).  Hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill sound so good right now.  And I know several of the other dishes will be potato salad and baked beans, etc.  One gal there doesn't cook, so she usually brings the pop, or ice and sometimes a large tub of icecream depending on what we are all having. 

We aren't shooting off any fireworks there though.  One of the twins is scared of fireworks, 2 of the other kids are with their dad for the weekend and won't be there either.  So it is the one if the twin who likes fireworks, and Noah, who is only 3 but loved them last year, so I unless he decides to change his mind, LOL, I think he will be ok with them again this year.  After the BBQ, several of us will drive back to town and watch the citywide fireworks display at the lake.  We won't buy much this year....maybe some snappers, some smoke bombs, and some other smaller items for Noah.   I just can't see spending alot of money on big bangs this year when we have so many things we could spend the money instead.

Matthew got called today for a small electrical job.  The guy wants an electrical hookup for a camper put in behid his barn by this weekend.  So Matthew is running a little late tonight getting that done.  He was hoping it was a 10 minute job, but knows things happen and it might take longer.  Oh well, we need the money to take care of part 2 of fixing my car's air conditioning.  (Part one was putting in a new fan, which he did last night.  Part 2 is???  LOL  I have no idea.  I know the fan works now but no cold air.  Maybe it needs freon?? Who knows.  That is hubby's job)

I have discussed having a yard/garage sale and then canceled it thinking I would just have an auction (a HS friend has an auction business and is going to hold a consignment auction), but now I am thinking I should just open up a Ebay shop, and possibly put some stuff on Etsy as well.I think in the long run I will end up getting more money for the items.  I will just advertise that I go to the post office once or twice a week, etc. so I don't have to go every single day.  That would be crazy. On days I have many packages, I will ask a girlfriend to watch Noah, or drop him off for an hour at grandma's shop.

Speaking of grandma's shop.....she has offered me one of her large display windows to put items in if wanted.  I told her I would speak to Matthew, pray about it and get back to her.  I know I won't make alot of money from it, because her shop is kind of out of the way, and not many people walk around there either.  However, the customers that come into her shop for Speech (She is a Speech Pathologist) might see something and buy it, or order one in a different color, tell their friends, etc.  I was thinking of putting some vintage items in the window, and making up some aprons and shaggy blankets to display and sell there.  I am getting excited about the opportunity to make some money to help with household items and Christmas, etc.  When I get the shops up and running, I will post the addresses here for all of you!!!

Matthew (who is the king of putting things off, starting projects and then not finishing them, etc.) has turned a new leaf.  I am not sure what happened, but I am not about to ask and screw this up.  LOL  Projects like Noah's bedroom upstairs that have sat for over 3 years without being finished are now being worked on!  He comes home from work and instead of colasping in his chair with the laptop, he asks if there is anything I need him to do!  Mostly it is small stuff like, take out the trash, take this box upstairs, etc.  But recently he has fixed part of the air conditioning on the car, fixed the leaky roof, replaces a filter on the furnace/air conditioner, and my favorite, bought and hung a ceiling fan in Noah's new bedroom!!!  The later was all his idea and he was so pleased to be able to buy the fan with his extra money coming in from electrical jobs.  :)  Makes me smile to see this part of Matthew blossoming. 

Noah has been talking up a storm!!!  I can't believe in the last couple of months since his birthday screening in April, how much he has developed.  He is definately not the same little boy.  He is doing better every day.  Last night I told Matthew that he had been talking up a storm all day long and learning new words every day.  Later on Matthew said, how do you turn HIM off??  LOL  We both had a great laugh over that one.  The little boy that wouldn't talk earlier except for mom, dad, cookie, candy, etc. little words, is now talking 4 word sentences, answering questions with words instead of sign language, and asking for items instead of pointing and grunting.  God is so good to us.  I love this little guy.  And yes, there are times you want to turn him off still.  LOL  But most of the time, I love hearing him talk (now not only in English but a little Spanish and Chinese due to a few tv shows he watches)

Well, that's all for now.  I should go. 

The old farmhouse

I don't think I have ever taken a photo of the old homestead from this angle..... I was on my mower today and I had my camera in my apron.... this is being taken looking west from our garden area...... I wish I had a photo of what this looked like " before".. oh my! It was so delapitated!  The building next to the house is our "schoolhouse" or aka: "smoke house".... it was built as a smoke house and was in such bad shape when we moved here. Many told us to tear it down. My husband decided to make something of the old structure and completely remodeled it from floor to roof... and made our schoolhouse! We spend a great deal of time here... this is where we do all our schooling. As you can tell it's close enough to the house, that I can run in and check on things.   This November it will be 3 yrs since we moved to Missouri. This place has seen many changes - it's really not the same place we drove up to!  Wow.  Still have things to renovate still, but most of the stuff is done! Praise God for that!

What we've been up to

 I thought I would share some pics of some of the projects we have been busy with here on the homestead.

First of all, we have so enjoyed all the wildlflowers that have bloomed! I love bachelor buttons & black eyed susans!  We took an old hand pump that had been on the old cistern that we took out ..... and repainted it and used it for landscape decor!

This area had once held a cistern and hand pump and we tore that out and made a flower bed.....

 We had a big problem in this area.... the previous owner had laid brick pavers and they had cracked and the weeds were coming thru and muck..... my 16 yr old son tore the whole thing out, leveled the dirt, laid down black landscape tarp and then put down pond rocks and some stone...... turned out nice, eh?  I was so suprised when I was done and so happy! No more mucky wet ground!!

 It sure is handy to have a teen age boy around!  He helps me a great deal with household projects! Great job, Jacob!

Dru has been busy working on refinishing all the outside doors. Stripping, sanding, re-staining and then finishing...... he even took the old door hardware and cleaned them up with an oil rubbed bronze spray paint! It turned out great! 

We took the old screen doors, stripped them, repainted and cleaned up the old hinges.... we rescreened them with a tough pet resistant screen..... it sure comes in handy to have screen doors durring bug season!

Finally, I have really been enjoying working in our garden and flower beds..... the roses are blooming and beautiful... and the wildflowers are attracting the butterflies and hummingbirds and bees...... one of my favorite spots in the warmer months is my front porch.... I love to sit out there on my rocker and look around at the surrounding countryside.... it's where I go in the early morning hours.... I love to sit out here and listen to the birds chirp and sing praises to my Lord...

Home sweet home.......

Lots of other projects we are working on..... hope to share more later next week!

Until then, God bless!

gloria

Pina Colada Yogurt