Simple Farm Wife

Catching up

Well, good morning!  It has been so long since I have written anything!  I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!  We had a great time with family - cousins laughing and giggling, Aunts and Uncles, Granparents... I love the sound of family laughter.

I really miss blogging and sharing with all of you!

Over the past week we had our holiday parade in town - so much fun!  The youth were busy working at our house all week "creating" their float.  Then on Nov. 22nd we marched down the main street of our town and saw many faces we knew!

Our little town of Roseville is turning 100 years old - little older but that is when it was incorporated - and will have a float in the Roseville Tournament of Roses Parade next year.  Look for us if you watch that parade.  They are getting volunteers to start attaching stuff.  Could be a lot of fun!

I jhave been overseeing a Keeper's group for my homeschool coop.  We have been working on crocheting and the girls are busily making hats for charity.  The great thing is that the boys are even being inspired.  I was at my friends house last night and her one son has chain stitched a rope that goes the length of their house - or further?  I challenged him to measure it for me :)

I will try and share some pics.  I so enjoy getting a glimpse into your life that way :)

Blessings,

Flossie

Wednesday

  Last night we went to our son Chaser's football banquet. He lettered for the first time as a varsity football player at the school we moved to last January after coming to Alabama from Arkansas.  This was quite the feat for him as he had never played football, was in a field of 600 trying out for 80 spots and only 35 or so of them lettered.  He was very proud and I am glad for him.

     Our tree is up and I am working on making the most out of the 17 days I will have the children in our home before they go to their other parents for the Christmas break.  We will enjoy family nights of Christmas videos, driving to see the city Christmas lights, and a couple of evenings of each of their frends coming over to have a homemade meal together and to allow us to share time with them enjoying Christmas activities together.  This turned out to be a huge hit with their friends, though we did simple things, popcorn balls, made ornaments, and had traditional food together.  The high schoolers actually asked last night if I could do it again this year.....boys!....I loved that they enjoyed what we did for Thanksgiving week together....I had made a homemade "manly" meal of chicken fried steak, potatoes and gravy and green beans and rolls and then had asked them to help put together some things we were taking elsewhere...they loved helping and eating with us and it was a good thing. Son had been so embarassed for me to ask them to come over, but 5 boys together had fun even with the chore part of it.

     I am thankful today for a beautiful day outside, the tree lights that glow and the smell of paper whites blooming in the den.

God is good.

The fog has left

We had a rain storm during the early morning and the fog is gone.  We actually saw the blue sky and some clouds in the sky this afternoon. 

Emily had to take the Direct Writing Assessment for school today.  We went back into Nampa for her to take it.  She is now done with those tests for the state.  Josie will take the Direct Math Assessment tomorrow in Nampa.  These are state tests that they take from 4th grade through 9th grade.  Even grades take the math and odd grades take the writing.

We got home and Emily had to finish up the rest of her school.  I helped her with math and Spanish.  I am working on RaeAnne's math and science with her.  I still need to review Josh's math for tomorrow as well as his Chemistry.  I am starting to feel overwelmed.  I know it is because I have had to go to Nampa three days in a row.  That always messes up my days.

Emily helped me with supper tonight.  We had Pasties, a cabbage salad and canned peaches.  They turned out great and we have plenty for lunch tomorrow.

My Two Year Old Knocked Over the Christmas Tree!!!!!

Ok, stop laughing already!  LOL  Ok, it might be a little funny today but let me tell you, this mommy was not too happy when it happened earlier today!!!  UGH!!  But this pretty much explains my day today in a total nutshell.

I think Noah woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something.  He was whiney and grouchy and crabby all day long.  When he is like this he doesn't want to snuggle and calm down, he just PUSHES EVERY BUTTON HE CAN until you bust.  LMSO  So, it started off with the fabric Christmas doll on the back of the couch.  He picked it up, looked at it, hugged it, and then threw it on the floor, and jumped off the couch and pounced on it.  I was shocked because normally he is not like this.

Then started the whining for POP!  We have a few 2 liters left over from our late Sunday Thanksgiving dinner and he saw them in the kitchen and wanted some.  I said no way!!  So, he turned to get the broom (I forgot to put it away last night after breaking a plate and sending shards of glass everywhere) and was using it as an entended limb to turn the light off and on, and hit me in the leg.  The part of using it to turn on the light really impressed me, but I was a little annoyed he was banging me in the leg and I took it away from him and told me to follow me into the living room.  Well he refused!  So he got in trouble.

Then he refused to do something else, stood on toys he knows he is not allowed to stand on, and he climbed up on his little table and stood there looking out the window.  About the time I hollared for him to get down, he reached up and decided to hit my expensive stained glass angel hanging in the window.  (It is huge,a nd I love it so!)  Well, he sat in the chair and had a talking to AGAIN.

FInally about that time, was when I decided I might need to calm down, and get him to calm down for a few minutes before his nap (in about 15 minutes).  I called his dad to check on him and low and behold, while I was picking something up I had dropped, he jumps up from the naughty chair and then BAM.  Down went the tree.  Before I knew it the tree was on the ground and Noah was under it.

After lifting the tree off of him, and accessing the boy for any marks I picked him up and took him directly to bed for his nap.  It was either that or I am afraid I might have lost my cool!!!  So he was upset that I didn't do the naptime routine and I was upset that there was my tree angel laying on the floor in the corner.  I was praying her porcelain face was not broken because my mother gave her to me the last Christmas she was alive.  She was intact and ok!  I put the ornaments that were scattered around the living room floor back on the tree and by then the phone was ringing off the hook.  It was hubby saying, I heard screaming in the phone and then the phone went dead.  He wanted to make sure we were ok.  I told him what happened and we talked for a few minutes before getting back to work.

As I sit here now, looking at the tree, I realize there are still a few "dented" areas in the greenery that need to be fluffed more.  LMSO   Geesh.  Maybe tomorrow will be better.  I didn't get much of my list of items done today either.  I did get some tidying up done, but the dishwasher wasn't set correctly last night for some reason, so when I opened it to unload clean dishes today, they were still dirty!  So I ran them again, and will put them away in a bit when they cool down.  

A sanctuary from the world

" The family meal table is a sanctuary.  It is a secret place from the daily word of strife.  On of the Hebrew words for "secret" is sod which comes from the word "yasad".  It means to "sit down together , a talk session, an intimate friendly convesation or a serious consultation, a company of persons in close secret talks. "  Families can enjoy this special time together at each evening meal.

  Psalm 23:5   " You prepare a table before me in the presense of mine enemies."  

Mothers we can prepare a table that is a sanctuary from the filthiness of the world.  Our husband and grown children may spend their day out in the work place. More often than not they are surrounded by filthy talk, jesting, immodesty an humanistic reasoning.  If they come home and turn on the TV, this conatimination of the world will only sink deeper into their spirits. But if they arrive home to a waiting table  -- a table  that welcomes them with good food, love, and fellowship, the filth of the day washes away.  As you communicate and talk about the things of the Lord, their souls and spirits are washed clean. "       ~ Nancy Campbell, The Family Meal Table & Hospitatlity Study guide, pg. 20

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I was blessed to grow up in a home where the family gathered each day for dinner together. It was not just a " Sunday meal" that we enjoyed once a week, but each night we would set the table and sit around as a family and share our day. I remember when I got old enough to have friends and eat at the homes of other families, I took notice that many did not eat together as a family. Kids grabbed something on their own, or families would sit in front of the TV.   I didn't appreciate the family meal table when I was a child in my family home, but now years later I look back upon that time as a treasured time in my life.

In talking to my 88 yr old father about the meal table he shared that he felt very strongly that it was so important for mother & father to sit down with the children and share a meal each day. He told me that is where values are passed down and where parents can get a feel for what their children are thinking and feeling.  I am grateful to my parents who in wisdom, chose to follow the "old paths" and held family dinner each day of the week.

Today, statistics show that families eat only a few days a week together. 

What has happened to the family meal table?

I am currently leading a study of Nancy's book on the Family Meal table and I have been blessed to read her thoughts on this special time of day. 

I have chosen to follow the tradition my parents gave me and we do eat together each night.  I too agree with Nancy and my dad that it is a wonderful time .  It is a sanctuary for us! It is a time to share our hearts and thoughts, and to put aside the world.

I do hope many of you are blessed with special moments around the meal table.

~ gloria ~

Projects for Today:

I am not goign to be super busy today, but I do have a few projects in the sewing room I need to get going on!!!

1. Tidy up the house

2. Unload clean dishes and put away

3. Put clean clothing away

4.  Put supper in the crockpot (bbq pork for sandwiches tonight)

5. 

Sewing:

1.  cut and sew a crayon roll (to be hung on the wall even) for a swap

2.  Cut fabric and start sewing new apron (for another swap)

3.  Get all packages ready to be shipped tomorrow

Changing Tastebuds or Forgetfulness??

Since we had our late Thanksgiving dinner with hubby's family on Sunday, last night we had leftovers.  YUMMY and EASY, too!  LOL  So, since most of the family was supposed to go to different celebrations on Thanksgiving Day with traditional foods, I switched our dinner up a little and we had pork loin and potatoes and carrots in the crockpot instead of turkey.  Now, I ahve fixed this before at home, several times in fact because I love it, but hubby has kinda wrinkled his nose at it before.  So, for him, I fixedd a large batch of sweet and sour meatballs for Thanksginving Day.

Last night, we had leftovers and I told hubby I would fix him a dish to take to work if he wanted, and of course he excitedly said yeah!!!  So I asked him what all he wanted me to put in his dish and he said, oh I would be great with just the pork loin and all those yummy vegetables.  I said huh?? He said I really enjoyed them, can we do that again???  LOL  Inside my head I am thinking, who are you and what did you do to my husband?  LOL  I said well hunny, we have plenty of pork loins in the freezer from the hog we had processed a while ago, but usually you wrinkle your nose at that dinner and barely eat it, so I stopped making it for a while.  He said oh, well I liked it this time, maybe my taste buds are changing and then he laughs.  I said, yeah, maybe you forgot you liked it???  Whatever!  LOL

He is so silly sometimes!  So today in his lunch, he is having pork loin with potatoes and carrots, some sweet and sour meatballs and some homemade hotrolls I snuck in for a suprise!  LOL  It is probably enough food ofr at least 2 days (I love the LARGE Tupperware dish we have for hubby to take leftovers in), so he will be well fed for a while!  LOL

Menu for the Week:

Ok, so I am a day late.  LMSO  Oh well.  I was much too busy to even think about this yesterday.  Since we had our late Thnksgiving dinner at our house with hubby's family on Sunday, we simply ate left overs last night. 

Monday: Thanksgiving leftovers

Tuesday: BBQ Pork Sandwiches, cheesy potatoes, pie (all of these are leftovers as well...the pork loin we had Sunday is being turned into BBQ pork for the sandwiches)

Wednesday: Kielbasa, fried potatoes and onions, green beans with bacon (hubby request)

Thursday:  Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Friday: Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza, Brownies and Icecream

Saturday: Beef Roast and Vegetables (crock pot)

Sunday: Planned Leftovers

To my "anonymous" reader

Dear "anonymous" reader who left a comment on my blog about women & working out of the home......

I want to thank you for taking time to read my blog and I also wanted to let you know I left a comment in response to your comment..... please take a moment and read.

Friends, this is my personal blog.... I share here what is on my heart..... I realize not everyone is going to agree with what I share here...... that is certainly a freedom we have in this wonderful country of ours....but I do ask friends that you leave your name when you post...... I am not sure why folks post "anonymous" comments...... what not share your name? It's ironic to me that when people leave unkind comments or comments that disagree with the writer's opinions they do not have the courage to share "who" they are... why is that so?

In any case, I wanted my anonymous reader to please take a moment and read my response to their comment.  For those of you who wish to read my reply left in response to a comment left in regards to my post titled: The Old Fashioned Parlor.

May God bles you & keep you,

gloria

Oh Joy!

Today I had a conversation with a friend who is not a Christian ~ this friend has tried on various occasions to persuade me to accept the teachings of their church  ~~ this person knows me well and paid me the most precious and lovely compliment a believer of the Lord Jesus could ever be told...... it has made my heart sing for Joy an I just needed to share it here with you all because so many of you love my Jesus as much as I do and will understand!!

This person told me that " born again Christians like me  and another Christian they know were content with Jesus and not looking for any thing else" ....... oh dear reader -- can I just tell you how my heart lept for JOY when this friend shared this with me???? 

Oh that I would always be content with my Jesus..... oh that I would always have such closeness to Him that I would never feel the need for "religion" or "other teachings" outside of what He has given us in His word...... oh, how that made my heart sing!

One of my favorite songs is  Shout to the Lord by Hillspring ........

My Jesus, My Savior,..... Lord there is none like you...... all of my days, I want to praise.... the wonders of your mighty hand....

My Jesus, My comfort.... tower of refuge and strength....let every breathe, all that I am.. never cease to worship YOU.......

Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing... power and majesty praise to the King......

The mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of YOUR name ....

I sing for joy at the work of your hands, forever I'll love you forever I'll stand....

nothing compares to the promise I have in YOU.........

Praising Him!

Gloria