Christmas Gifts

This year was the first year that Lydia actually expressed a desire for a specific gift. She first laid eyes on the "Baby Alive" doll in the Walmart Toy catalog back in November. Her sisters read her the list of the doll's many features (among them--she poops and pees), Lydia swooned and fell instantly in love.

Lydia accompanied me to Walmart one day to buy groceries and when we walked into the store we were greeted with an entire wall of Baby Alive dolls. Lydia was beside herself. "Mommy we have to get one right now, otherwise there won't be any left because people will buy all of them!" I assured (and reassured) Lydia that there would be enough Baby Alive dolls to go around.

Lydia played Mary in the little nativity play that she performed with her brothers and sisters this Christmas. She confided to me that she really couldn't play Mary to her full potential without a Baby Alive doll to be the baby Jesus.

Everyone in the whole family knew that Grandpa Tom and Grandma Jane had purchased the doll for Lydia as a Christmas present and no one spoiled the surprise. Needless to say, Lydia was overcome with joy when she opened her very own Baby Alive on Christmas Eve. Every time the baby cries, she gives me a knowing look (we mommies have a lot in common) and she runs to get the baby, feed it and diaper it.

I also received some lovely gifts. In addition to several friends who took time out of their busy schedules to come visit and check on me and to drop off treats at the house, I also was given some thoughtfully chosen presents.

One friend gave me a bottle of Philosophy Peppermint Hot Cocoa bubble bath. She knows I love hot baths. I've already tried it and it's yummy. My sister-in-law gave me a bracelet with 2 Cor. 12:10 inscribed on it. Another friend gave me a scroll ornament on which is painted the word "shalom." Matt gave me a necklace with "shalom" engraved in Hebrew on it. I've always found great comfort in the word "shalom." Especially this Christmas, it seemed fitting to receive those gifts.

But best of all, was the little Hummel ornament that my dear Matthew gave to me. I've always loved Hummels for sentimental reasons. I remember them from my Grandma's and Mom's houses. I've also always loved the movie "The Sound of Music." The seventh Von Trapp child's name was Gretel. So Matt bought me a little Gretel as a remembrance--such a sweet and apropos gift.
This Christmas I also re-received the gift Jesus so willing gave me and I remembered that I've been bought with a price, so I willingly give my life back to Him. "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness.' " (2 Cor. 12:9)

Christmas at our House

I wasn't my usual self this Christmas, so a lot of the things I normally do at Christmas time didn't get done. However, as a family we did manage to mix things up a bit by doing some things we don't usually do at Christmas time. I have to confess that these activities have always been things I've wanted to do, but always ended up ditching because I was too "busy" to squeeze them into the Christmas schedule.

This year, for the first time in fifteen years, I made cut out sugar cookies. Grace and I rolled and baked the cookies and then we let the other kids "have at it" with the frosting and the sprinkles (in Joel's case a whole bottle of sprinkles on one cookie). We all had a grand time.
We also had a "Christmas Picnic" night. Matt, Grace and I put together some snacks and we all ate in the family room. The kids asked "What are we having for dinner?" I said, "This is it!" Paul said, "Cooool!"
We watched "It's a Wonderful Life" as we munched our yummies and kept tabs on the little Snack Snatcher Jude.

The kids also put together a little Nativity play which they performed for various audiences several times over Christmas. I know I'm the Mommy and I'm probably prejudiced, but I thought the kids were adorable. Joel and Jude were shepherds and in order to keep them in the pasture "watching their flocks by night," Grace gave them saltines to munch--a stand-in for pita bread I guess.
We still kept our Advent wreath, Jesse Tree and Happy Birthday Jesus cake traditions even though we had to simplify and stream line them to some degree. We still had our traditional celebrations and meals with family and friends, so some things were very much the same as our past Christmases.

All in all, our Christmas was much less hectic than in years past. Funny how I had prayed that it would be back in November. God doesn't always answer our prayers in the way we expect, but He is faithful to answer.

Nap Time

Reading Double Portion

Mystery

The song "Mystery" by the Christian music group Selah has long been one of my favorite Christmas songs. This year it has taken on special significance for me.

On the Mend

In the last couple of weeks, our computer broke, our dishwasher broke, our chicken broke and I broke.

Our computer contracted a virus that has proved difficult to fix, but Matt is making progress on it as evidenced by the fact that I'm able to write a blog post.

Our dishwasher decided its workload was too heavy and so it went on strike. It wouldn't complete its cycle, leaving us with dingy dishes. Often times we run the dishwasher twice a day, so this was no small problem. Matt did some research on the internet and after he discussed it with me, we both decided a faulty electrical panel was the cause of the problem. He ordered the expensive new part, replaced it and the cycle still did not complete. We finally ended up having an appliance repairman take a look at the dishwasher and he found a tiny piece of lint that was blocking one of the hoses. We now have a working dishwasher. Yay!

Our friendly white chicken broke. She lost a great number of her feathers and looked positively UGGGLY. I thought she should meet her Maker so as not to infect the other chickens with her sickness, but Matt thought we should give her a chance. Low and behold, she grew back her feathers. She'd probably gotten a little stressed when the twenty five little chicks became chickens and she had to integrate (or ingratiate?) herself into the new clique. Cluck. Cluck.

Lastly, I broke. Matt and I were happy to find out that I was pregnant at the beginning of November. Two weeks ago I went to the doctor's office for an ultrasound. My hormone levels (derived from a blood test) were such that my doctor expected to see a fetal pole on the ultrasound. We both expected to see a heartbeat. Unfortunately, we saw neither. The doctor told Matt and me that I was miscarrying. We were devastated. We longed for that baby as much as we longed for our firstborn, Grace. As my doctor said, "There's no such thing as a 'little' miscarriage." The doctor thought my body would take care of things naturally and that I wouldn't need a D and C. He was right, my body began to take care of things on its own and I thanked the Lord for His mercy.

Last Friday, however, I started to bleed very heavily and Matt had to take me to the ER. Two years ago, at the exact same time of year (one week before Christmas) I had been in that same ER. I was newly pregnant with Jude and they told me I was miscarrying. It turned out they were wrong. God had different plans.

The similarities between my ER visit two years ago and last week's ER visit were startling. I had the same nurse. I had the same doctor. (The hospital is big enough that the likelihood of this happening is pretty slim.) I was walking the same path I had walked two years ago, except this time I knew the outcome would be very different. The doctor had to do a D and C to get my bleeding to stop.

I've been processing all of this with the Lord and I know He will be faithful to show me what I need to know when I need to know it. Is God still God? Yes, He is. This miscarriage was not a surprise to Him. Is God still good? Yes, He is. "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (1 Jn. 1:4-6) The Lord will use this experience for my good (Rom. 8:28) and His sovereign purposes. Does God still love me? He most certainly does. He sent His only Son to become a vulnerable little baby, to grow up and trod this sinful place called earth and then to die on the cross for me. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (Jn 15:13).


Yesterday in church our pastor preached on the little town of Bethlehem. She was so small and insignificant, hardly even worthy to be counted among the tribes of Judah (Micah 5:2), yet she would be the birthplace of the Messiah. Pastor said, "Even though it may not seem like it, God has not overlooked you." His words pierced my heart. Then Pastor went on to read this verse, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 15:55-57) This verse is the one verse that the Holy Spirit has brought to my mind over and over again these last two weeks. God is indeed good. He is faithful and He loves and protects His own. He has shown His love for me through the many family and friends who have been such a support to us in the last couple of weeks.

I had a dear friend say this to me the other day: "Boy, you're going to have a glorious Home-going, aren't you?" Indeed I will have a glorious Home-going. I will see my sweet Jesus and my two little babies. In the meantime, I have work to do here on earth. (Ephes. 2:10)

My Christmas "To Do" list has been completely neglected. The annual Christmas picture has not been taken, cards have not been mailed, presents have yet to be wrapped and baking has yet to be done. These last couple of weeks, against my usual nature, I have chosen the better portion, sitting at the feet of Jesus in prayer and reading His word. I've cuddled my six beautiful children and my wonderful husband and I've been eagerly anticipating my Lord's Advent. Our family will most certainly have a very Merry Christmas.

"Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I will hope in Him!' " Lamentations 3:22-24

Eggs and Outage

Alas, we have contracted a computer virus, thus limiting Melissa's blog updates. Sorry. Stay tuned.

And our chickens are producing eggs, and we need more egg cartons. Let us know if you can help.

-Matt

Weekend Getaway

Matt and I were able to sneak out of town for a planned little getaway this weekend. The trip would not have been possible without Matt's mom and dad, who offered to take all six of our kids for two whole days. I was pretty concerned about leaving Jude, especially. I thought he might be fussy without his Mommy and Daddy, but all reports indicate he did quite well without us. Joel, on the other hand, was another story. He insisted on his two year old rights and ran into Grandma and Grandpa's well-marked boundaries repeatedly over the weekend. Grandma says that someday Joel's determination will come in handy.

Matt and I had a relaxing weekend exploring the countryside and some antique and thrift stores. I got a never worn pair of Hush Puppy Mary Jane shoes, which I wore to church this morning. We also enjoyed a couple of nice meals, listened to The Vienna Boys Choir and Placido Domingo sing Christmas hymns on Pandora radio and attended two very different worship services at two different churches this morning. We picked up the kids from Grandma and Grandpa's this afternoon, came home and took good naps, then awoke to get out the Christmas decorations. We'll end the evening by lighting the first Advent candle and then read our first devotion of the Advent season. We're anticipating Jesus' Advent once again and working on keeping Jesus at the forefront of our celebrations this month as we approach Christmas.

Pilgrms #2

More excerpts from "Of Plymouth Plantation". We used Psalm 107 as the sermon text at church today. It is the same as is quoted below. -matt

Lastly, (and which was not least), a great hope and inward zeall they had of laying some good foundation, or at least to make some way therunto, for the propagating and advancing the gospell of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world; yea, though they should be but even as stepping-stones unto others for the performing of so great a work.

. . . .

So they lefte that goodly and pleasante citie, which had been ther resting place near 12. years; but they knew they were pilgrimes,2 and looked not much on these things, but lift up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest cuntrie, and quieted their spirits.

. . . .

But the tide (which stays for no man) caling them away that were thus loath to departe, their Rev[erjead pastor falling downe on his knees, (and they all with hirn,) with watrie cheeks commended them with most fervente praiers to the Lord and his blessing. And then with mutuall imbrases and many thars, they tooke their leaves one of an other; which proved to be the last leave to many of them.

. . . .

Being thus arived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the periles and miseries therof, againe to set their feete on the firme and stable earth, their proper elemente

. . . .

May not and ought not the children of these fathers rightly soy: Our faithers were Englishmen which come over this great otean, and were ready to perish in this willdernes; but they eried unto the Lord, and he heard their voyce, and looked on their adversitie, etc. Let them ther f ore praise the Lord, because he is good, and his mercies endure for ever. Yea, let them which have been redeemed of the Lord, shew how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressour. When they wandered in the deserte willdernes out of the way, and found no citie to dwell in, both hungrie, and thirstie, their sowle vas overwhelmed in them. Let them confesa before the Lord his loving kindnes, and his wonderfull works be f ore the sons o f men.

Stampede

If you want a stampede to ensue, simply say "yes" to this question: "Mom, can we get out the Christmas books?" And then, for good measure, throw in, "You can even get out the Christmas CDs."

Pilgrims #1

-by matt

In the book "Of Plymouth Plantation", William Bradford documents the history of the people we call "the Pilgrims". William Bradford was the governor of Plymouth for many years. He had been with the group from the beginning. In his introduction to the book, he provides the background as to why he and his group left England. Depending upon when you went to public school, your education about the Pilgrims may have varied. As I recall, there were some "religious persecutions" and the Pilgrims came to America to be free. This is sort of right. Below is an excerpt from the book with the original spellings.

This portion lays out the beginning of things. I doubt that many of us are as serious about the Word of God as they were. If you can parse the language you should be shocked or offended or both.

"But that I may come more near my intendmente; whell as by the travell and diligente of some godly and zealous preachers, and Gods blessing on their labours, as in other places of the land, so in the North parts, many became inlightened by the word of God, and had their ignorante and sins discovered unto them, and begane by his grace to reforme their lives, and make consciente of their wayes, the worke of God was no sooner manifest in them, but presently they were both scoffed and scorned by the prophane multitude, and the ministers urged with the yoak of subscription, or ele must be silenced; and the poore people were so vexed with apparators, and pursuants,and the comissarie courts, as truly their affIiction was not smale; which, notwithstanding, they bore sundrie years with much patience, till they were occasioned (by the continuance and enerease of these troubls, and other means which the Lord raised up in those days) to see further into things by the light of the word of God. How not only these base and beggerly ceremonies were unlawfull, but aleo that the lordly and tiranous power of the prelats ought not to be submitted unto; which thus, contrary to the freedome of the gospell, would load and burden mens consciences, and by their compulsive power make a prophane mixture of persone and things in the worship of God. And that their offlces and calings, courts and cannons, etc. were unlawfull and antichristian; being such as have no warrante in the word of God; but the same that were used in poperie, and still retained."

Full text here.

God's Power Unplugged?

I had a conversation with a couple of Christian women the other day. One of them gave me the classic line, "I could never homeschool. I just don't have the patience for it." The other woman chimed in, "Me neither." Not being the time or place to get into such matters, I changed the subject.

But, what I wanted to say was, "Do you think I have the patience to homeschool? I'm the least patient person I know!" I wanted to say to the woman, "What you're really saying is NOT 'I don't have the patience for it,' but 'I don't believe God can work through me.' "

This year our family is studying the book of John. Last week we studied about how Jesus fed the five thousand. A little boy brought his meager little lunch to Jesus and Jesus transformed it into enough to fully satisfy five to ten thousand (including woman and children) people. And there were twelve baskets full of leftovers.

Jesus can take my little bit of faith in what He has called Matt and me to do in homeschooling and transform it, stretch it and multiply it beyond my wildest imaginings. I'm already getting glimpses of this in my older girls. Without any direction from me whatsoever, they have taught themselves to knit and crochet this year. They've read books, looked at videos and asked friends for instruction. They've also dragged out the sewing machine I got from a yard sale and have read the manual and figured out how to use it. When a problem arises, they troubleshoot it themselves. I've been asked to buy necessary items for repair of the machine at the sewing shop, but that's been my only involvement. The girls are now busy knitting and sewing Christmas gifts.

My oldest, of her own volition, has recently taken on a very large memorization project. The fruit being produced in this house is the Lord's doing. Matt and I have just been obedient to His Word, knowing that someday we will give an account before the Lord of how we (not the Sunday school teacher or Cub Scout leader or anyone else) discipled our children. Jesus has taken our mustard seed of faith and multiplied it. God's power is not unplugged. He is able to work through two sinful, weak parents and bring glory to His Name through the working.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

Joel and Lydia's Trip Down the River (in 1814)

Words to the song are here.

A Day of Remembrance

Today we celebrated Grandma Ethel's life. A gathering of family and friends, a time to share memories of an amazing woman. Grandma Ethel was a huge fan of this blog. Whenever we got together at family dinners, she'd always say, "I sure love your blogs." Then she'd go on to relate specific details of what she'd seen or read here. I hope that I'm that sharp at the age of 96. Now every time I write an entry or have Matt post a picture that I'm sure Grandma would have enjoyed, I'll remember her and the zest she had for life.

Easy Applesauce

I still haven't processed all the apples we picked on our apple expedition last month. Yesterday morning before church, Elizabeth and I embarked on an applesauce experiment. We decided to make applesauce in the crockpot--two crockpots actually.
We washed the apples and then ran them through the apple peeler, corer, slicer. We filled both six quart crockpots in a matter of a half an hour. Then we sprinkled a little brown sugar and cinnamon over the apples and turned the crockpots on low at 8:30 a.m. When we got home from church, the house smelled fabulous.
I took the lids off the crockpots and pureed the apples into sauce with my immersion blender at 4:30 p.m. My parents were down for dinner, but most of us ended up sampling the applesauce before dinner. The sauce had gotten pretty dark after cooking all day, so I wasn't so sure how it would taste. We were all pleasantly surprised--it tasted like caramel apples. A cooking experiment that actually worked. We may have to do a repeat with the apples I still have downstairs.

Cranberry Relish

In honor of Grandma Macduff and because it's so close to Thanksgiving, I'm posting Grandma's famous cranberry relish recipe. It is deeelish! It's waaay better than anything out of a can. I can't imagine Thanksgiving dinner without it.

Cranberry Relish

1 bag fresh cranberries (rinsed)
1 medium orange
3/4 to 1 c. sugar

Slice unpeeled orange into eighths. Remove seeds.
Put cranberries and orange into a food processor and
pulse until evenly and finely chopped (or use a grinder).
Place fruit in bowl and add desired amount of sugar.
Stir to combine. Store in the refrigerator for a couple
of days or in the freezer for longer. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Ethel Macduff 1913-2009

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18


Lift up the trumpet, and loud let it ring:
Jesus is coming again!
Cheer up, ye pilgrims, be joyful and sing:
Jesus is coming again!

(click above to sing along or here, to hear someone else)
--Matt


I was honored to be Ethel's granddaughter-in-law for sixteen years. She was an amazing woman. She worked on an electron microscope during WWII to support the war effort. She never wanted to talk about herself, she always wanted to talk about you. She loved Jesus very much and was an incredible prayer warrior. It was only three years ago (at age 93) that Grandma quit getting down on the floor to play with her great grandchildren. She remembered the names and birthdays of all fifteen of her great grandchildren and delighted in making them each personalized cards for special occasions. In fact, she made many personalized cards on her computer which she distributed far and wide to all who were on her heart for some reason or another. Over the years, Grandma and I spent many hours together in the kitchen after family dinners. I washed the silver and she dried it and put it away, we bonded as we worked together. Ethel will be so greatly missed. She was a lovely woman who ran well the race set before her and is now in the arms of her beloved Jesus.

Sleepy Boy

Leaf Boy

Bouncing Boys

Family Altar

We've been more consistent with our family Bible time this year and the kids are loving it. If we miss a night, Matt and I definitely hear about it.

We've used this time in the evenings to worship, to train and to settle down from the day's activities. I bought a couple of candles at the thrift store that sit on our fireplace mantle. Daddy lights the candles at the beginning of our family devotion time and then the kids take turns snuffing out the candles when we're finished.
Matt has been working diligently to get the littles to sit still during this time (although we're still in process). This has translated to better behavior during church on Sundays.

We have acquired a number of hymnals from yard sales and our church (when the congregation replaced the old hymnals with new ones). One of the kids passes every member of the family a hymnal at the beginning of our family worship time. Daddy takes requests and we sing a few hymns to get started. Then Daddy reads from the Bible and asks the kids a few questions about what he's just read. We then end with a hymn and a prayer. It's all pretty simple and takes between ten and thirty minutes depending on the night and how crabby people are.

We've had a tough time forming a habit of family Bible time over the years. We've been pretty inconsistent, mostly due to being too tired and not making the proper effort. This year we're trying to make devotion time a non-negotiable. Invariably this means that Matt and I have to put off something we feel we should do (i.e.--laundry, etc.) to make sure that we're doing what is needful by nourishing our family with God's Word.

"The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple."
Psalm 119:130

Birthday Girl

We celebrated our niece Raphaella's thirteenth birthday on Sunday. We had a full crowd of aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins to honor Raphaella. Our little rope swinging, curly haired girl is all grown up! She's taller than her mother, but I'm not entirely certain if she's taller than me yet :)

Through the Wardrobe . . .

. . . and into Narnia. At least that's what it felt like last week when we picked Asian pears on our pumpkin/hayride expedition. The farmer stopped the tractor long enough for us to disembark from the trailer and pick a Korean variety of pear from what the kids dubbed "The Pear Forest." The trees had already lost all their leaves, so the "Pear Forest" took on a rather Narnian atmosphere. The pears, however, are delicious!

Sweet Baby

(photo by Grace)

BBQ Quest

If you look up BBQ on Wikipedia, you'll see a picture of Matt (just kidding). Seriously, the man loves his BBQ. He used to travel a lot to Oklahoma on business. He always ate plenty of BBQ while there, and even brought some home on the plane a couple of times. There might even be a famous picture of Matt with BBQ sauce all over his face floating around out there--I'll never tell.

While driving through town a couple of weeks ago, Matt saw the sign for a new BBQ place. He had a whiplash moment, "What's that?! BBQ?!" I'm telling ya, the man loves his BBQ. Since Matt just finished a huge project at work, we decided to celebrate on our date night this week by eating at the new BBQ place.

The place is a hole in the wall, but that's no deterrent to us, we don't mind lack of atmosphere if there's good food. All the food was in crock pots of various vintages on the counter. A white board had the menu written on it. We chose the two meat, two sides option. The place is only a dine in/take out establishment, but the guy let us sit at lone table to eat.

My chicken must have been on a diet before it was butchered because it was the skinniest little drumstick and tiniest little thigh I'd ever seen. However, the chicken was definitely the best. My ribs were nearly inedible, beings how they were almost all fat and tougher than rawhide (so much for the last plastic knife in the place being of any use). Matt's brisket wasn't very good, either. But he did like the baked beans (when does he not like baked beans?) and we both thought the dirty rice was pretty good.

As I said before, we're not restaurant atmosphere snobs, but I would have to say I do have my limits. The fly strip hanging above Matt's head and the t.v. blaring about what happens to something after it dies --"The head of a dead animal, especially, is a tasty treat for the other forest critters."--didn't exactly improve the taste of my meal.

The guy who owns the new BBQ place was super nice, but his food wasn't so nice. As for Matt's quest to find good BBQ in this part of the country--well, he'll just have to keep trying.

Fall Fun

The kids and I recently visited an apple orchard with several other homeschool families. We pressed apple cider and each family was able to take home eight gallons of yummy goodness.

Yesterday the kids and I met up with the rest of the cousins and Grandma for our annual pumpkin patch hay ride. Unfortunately, instead of our usual crowd of four Macduff generations, we were down to three this year. Grandma Ethel (age 96) couldn't make it as she's been under the weather lately. She was greatly missed by all.
The pumpkin patch we've been frequenting for the last fifteen years has increasingly gone in a more commercial direction. We decided we wouldn't miss the crowds (hoards, actually) and lack of personal attention, so we chose a different location this year.
The farmer was very personable. He took us all on an extra long hay ride, let the kids try out his tire swings and even gave us a discount on the gargantuan pumpkins that the boys (and one girl) chose. The pumpkins were so big that the farmer used his fork lift to load them into the backs of our vans. The farm had a spectacular view, the rain threatened, but thankfully it didn't produce and we had a very peaceful, enjoyable morning. (It was also nice that we were the only family there at the time because it's a lot easier to keep track of fifteen kids when they're not getting all mixed up with other little people.)

Ruling My Domain

This year I'm participating in a Bible study called the "Five Aspects of Woman." So far, I've learned that God created me to rule, subdue and produce within the domain (sphere of authority) that He has given me. My domain includes the things for which I'm responsible in my household. The concept of "ruling my domain" gave me the final push I needed to finally (after several years) create a written schedule.

This past summer, I studied the book "Created to Be His Help Meet" with my sister-in-law and a friend. One of the most convicting parts of the book for me was when Mrs. Pearl asked if there was anything around the house that I could do that would relieve some of my husband's burden. Mrs. Pearl said that this category could even include things that I thought my husband should do.

Immediately our back yard shed came to my mind. It's been a mess since the day we moved, when we literally just threw things in there. It's been a thorn in Matt's side ever since, but he just hasn't had a large enough block of time to commit to the project. Even though I had previously thought Matt should deal with the shed because it has all the "man stuff" in it, I realized that I was perfectly capable of cleaning it myself. Yuck! Quite frankly, that task could not have been lower on my priority list. I put it off all summer. Then I learned the concept of "ruling my domain" in my Bible study. God has given me authority to make decisions about the stuff I own, where to put it, whether to keep it or get rid of it. I knew it was time to tackle the shed (and stepping in a bag of fertilizer while trying to retrieve something I needed was also a good motivator).
This past Tuesday, the kids and I cleaned the shed. Elizabeth watched the littles inside the house while Paul, Grace and myself worked on getting the shed in order. We took everything out and laid it on the lawn and then sorted, discarded and reorganized it all. We gave the shed a good sweeping and organized all the cupboards and shelves. I even separated all the plumbing supplies from the electrical supplies (I think) and hung up all the garden tools. Paul was pretty impressed that I could hammer a nail.
We found a dead mouse and even Paul, who is usually quite eager to deal with anything dead or gross, refused to touch it. But since I am "Mistress of my Domain," I mustered up the courage and got the thing into the garbage. I even killed a Black Widow spider. I was in the "ruling my domain" groove.

The shed project took us the better part of the day to complete, but we all felt good about our accomplishment when we were done. The kids made a big production of showing the newly cleaned shed to Daddy after dinner that night. I think he was pretty stunned. He was also very pleased. "I can't believe you guys did this," he said.
Matt has been working extra hard and dealing with a lot of stress at work lately. Our shed cleaning project was a way for the kids and me to show Matt how much we love and appreciate him. And now I must end this post because I have quite a bit more ruling of my domain to do and according to my schedule, Saturday is project day, so I'd better get to it.

Burst of Gold

Here's a picture of our birch tree in all its autumn splendor. I had hoped to get a picture of it yesterday, but I didn't. Yesterday was a gorgeous balmy day and the birch tree's leaves looked like pure gold in the sunshine. The kids and I were working outside and we stopped to take a moment to relish the beauty of our birch tree.

When I was a little girl, I sat in my grandparents' cozy kitchen and looked out the window at their beautiful birch tree. I remember many a quiet conversation with my grandparents as we sat under that tree in the glider on their deck. My aunt and uncle live in that house now. The birch tree still stands in their yard and I still see it when we sit down to eat a meal with them in their kitchen. That's why I love our birch tree so much.

Shortly after we moved here, one of our big maple trees fell down in a wind storm. One of the other maples had to be removed when we had to put in a new septic drain field. Another tree on our property should be removed as it has suffered irreversible damage due to lack of water over the years. But the birch tree still stands. It has birch borers, but the aborist that looked at the tree said treatment will fix the problem and it will survive.

God is so gracious. When I look out my kitchen window, I'm reminded of how He can do "immeasurably more than what we could ask or think." After all, He gave me my very own birch tree. Today the kids played under the birch with their Grandma as the tree "snowed" leaves of gold. They pressed the prettiest of the leaves between sheets of waxed paper, a reminder of Fall and God's goodness. Yes, God is indeed good and worthy to be praised.

"You alone are the LORD;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You." Neh. 9:6

Goings On

We're still here, we're just living life--in the fast lane, instead of in the slow lane as I had planned this year.

I'm still working the couponing angle. I've finally put the coupon planning and shopping into several specific time slots during the week. I've also put my other time responsibilities into a schedule, which is something I've been trying to do for the last couple of years. I've bucked against the whole idea of an official "schedule" as it's my natural tendency to be very uptight about not deviating from anything that's been written down. But my dear husband (very kindly) pointed out some imbalance he was seeing in my time management, so I took it to the Lord and He gave me a schedule. The schedule is bare bones enough that I have some flexibility if need be. I'll give this a go for awhile and then work my way toward even better use of my time.
Matt and I are also attending two Bible studies this year, both of which we're enjoying very much, but both of which require a fair bit of time (another reason for the schedule).

Last week I started to get some of the eight boxes of apples that we picked processed. I had to borrow my mother-in-law's mixer. When I upgraded my Kitchenaid mixer a couple of years ago, her applesauce sieve (which you can't buy anymore) no longer fit on my mixer bowl, so I've been borrowing my mother-in-law's mixer every time I make applesauce. This past weekend, however, my mother-in-law presented me with a mixer just like hers (it was given to her by a friend that no longer had any use for it). Now I won't have to schlep her big mixer to my house every Fall. It never ceases to amaze me how God takes care of all the little details.

Yesterday we invited my parents for dinner. They spent a pleasant afternoon with us. A friend of ours challenged Grace to memorize the first chapter of John (which we are studying this year in BSF as well as our small group Bible study). Grandma Jane helped Grace with the memorizing as Grace peeled potatoes for dinner. Grandpa Tom helped post signs around the neighborhood about the lost pig and enjoyed some time shooting the BB gun with Paul and helping with the chickens.

This week we have more schedule keeping to do as well as some clean-up projects to tackle. I'm still trying to get all of the clothes put away after the big Summer to Fall clothes switch out. We're also still trying to put the finishing touches on the kids' rooms, which we recently rearranged. We will post pictures in the near future. Meanwhile, I must get some dinner ready for my hungry little crew.

Piggy Mystery Solved

Three weeks ago, we had a little piggy bantering about our yard, but when we tried to catch him, he went running into the neighbor's hay field and we couldn't find him--until Saturday. The neighbor came over to ask if we had lost a little black piggy. He had been told by another neighbor (whom I'm sure had seen all of us running after the piggy in our back yard) that we owned the pig.

No, we don't own a pig, but we told the man we could find someone who could take it. Enter my friend Julie (we've been friends since kindergarten). We called to see if she could take the little piggy as we knew she and her family had piggy raising experience. "Yep," she said she'd take him. Julie picked him up on her way back to the farm and we told her we'd help pay for the feed and split the sausage with her.

Yesterday we received a phone call from Julie. The piggy was not of the sausage variety, it was of the pot-bellied variety. She had asked her pot-bellied pig loving friends if they would take it and they wouldn't. So the pig was to come back to our house. She made signs for us to post around our neighborhood, which we did.

We even asked some other friends if they would take it. Nope. Already had a guinea pig, didn't need a pot-bellied pig.

Then, providentially, right as Julie was redelivering the pig to our house, the rightful owners called us. They had lost their little pot-bellied pig three weeks ago. They had no hope of finding him again because they were positive that "Bacon Bits" had become tasty victuals for a coyote. They were tickled to have their piggy back and Julie and I were tickled to no longer be the owners of a little piggy. The guy even gave us eight tickets to the corn maze that he owns. I gave the tickets to Julie since she paid for feed and housed the pig for three days (she even brought him into her house at night because he was shivering).

Bacon Bit's mama wrapped him in a blanket to take him home. She held him like a baby and he squealed and grunted delightedly (I'm not kidding). A very happy piggy reunion. I had prayed that God would take care of that little piggy when he ran away. Guess what? My God is big enough to care about little pot-bellied piggies who've got wanderlust.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matt. 10:29-31
Ahhh--back in mama's arms. (The pig looks much bigger in this picture than he actually is. He's not more than 10 lbs--his mama is just really petite.)

Home at Last

Yesterday, Chris Klicka, homeschooling dad and attorney for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, lost his fifteen year battle with MS, but is now in Heaven with his beloved Jesus.

Seven years ago the Lord started to impress upon Matt's heart and then mine that we should begin homeschooling. We attended our first homeschool conference. Chris Klicka was the keynote speaker. The words Chris spoke at that conference touched our hearts, but his actions are what really made a deep impression on me.

Chris struggled to walk, even with the assistance of a cane, to the podium in order to speak to the conference attendees. He struggled to stand and deliver his message. I saw him struggling all weekend, but never once did I see a look of discouragement on his face.

Chris Klicka was instrumental in giving me the confidence to take the plunge, follow God's leading and begin homeschooling. I thought to myself, "If that man can overcome so many obstacles in order to homeschool, than surely I can homeschool, too."

Homeschooling is not easy. Chris Klicka didn't say that it would be, but he did say it would be worth it. Now in our seventh year of homeschooling, I can attest that homeschooling is worth it. The Lord has allowed us to see some of the fruit He is producing through our homeschooling and I have confidence that He will continue to show us more fruit in His good time.

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb. 12:1

Winter Wonderland

This morning our yard turned into a winter wonderland in the middle of autumn. The lawn sprinklers froze and created icicles all over the yard.

Field Trip

Yesterday the kids and I went on an unexpected field trip. We had planned on going to see Grandpa Tom and Grandma Jane so we could pick apples together, but we hadn't planned on getting a lesson in agriculture at the same time.

One of the women who works for my Dad has a brother who is an apple farmer. His apples got hit by hail this year. The skin on many of the apples has scars from the hail. Since the damage was so widespread, the farmer decided not to thin or harvest them this year--the cost would have been too great, even if the apples had just been sold for sauce or juice. The food bank wouldn't even take the apples because they were "damaged." (This was really too bad, because it was a shame to see all the fruit going to waste.)

Anyway, we were invited to pick as many apples as we wanted. The orchard had Fujis, Braeburns, Goldens and Grannies. If you were careful to pick on the South side off of the lower branches, there were plenty of unblemished apples from which to choose. We picked almost eight boxes.

Then our hostess took us to another farm to get some potatoes. When we arrived they were busy harvesting. The kids and I had never seen potatoes harvested before, so we asked plenty of questions about the process.

Once the potatoes are dug from the ground, they travel to the farm via semi-truck where they are unloaded onto a huge apparatus called "Spudnik" which carries the potatoes into the enormous shed in which they are stored. The vines, weeds, rocks and such are picked out by hand as the potatoes travel along the conveyor belt to the shed. Any "green" matter is a potential rot hazard and needs to be removed.

The potatoes are put into the shed (which has a aerated floor) with a piler. The piler is operated by a man who has a remote control joy stick. The shed had four bays, each able to hold 600 tons of potatoes. The potatoes will be stored until as late as next July, depending on the rise and fall of market prices.

The potatoes are checked every day for "hot spots." Hot spots indicate spoilage. A laser thermometer is used to check the potatoes' temperature. The potatoes also have their temperature taken manually when a man climbs out onto the huge pile of potatoes and sticks a thermometer into them. Any hot spots that are found must be eliminated by removing all of the potatoes stored in front of the hot spot and then removing and discarding all the potatoes in and around the hot spot.

Since I grew up around wheat farming, learning about potato farming was all new to me. In fact I may have enjoyed myself even more than the kids did. We left the farm dirty and tired, but we all agreed it was a good time. Even Elizabeth, who had protested earlier in the day about the long car ride, said she enjoyed herself.
(Videos by my Dad, on his iPhone.)

My Big Ears

I overheard the following conversation a few days ago:

Paul: "Grace, can we let Daddy be in our club?"
Grace: "I don't know . . ."
Paul: "Daddy is older than you, so that would mean you couldn't be the president anymore."
Grace: "Well, we'll have to see . . ."

A few minutes later I heard Paul approach each of his other siblings. "Vote for Daddy to be in the club. Vote for Daddy to be in the club."

Might we have a politician in our midst? A bag piping politician--now that would be quite the shtick. Only time will tell, I guess.

How Do I Love Thee. . .

Let me count the ways. . .
(Sixteen ways because sixteen years ago today I married the man I love)

1. I love how much you love Jesus.
2. I love the way you make me laugh.
3. I love the way you grab me and kiss me in the middle of the kitchen and send the kids scurrying in embarrassment.
4. I love the way you sing Nat King Cole's "Mona Lisa," substituting "Melissa" for "Mona Lisa."
5. I love to see you run across the yard with the kids--laughing hysterically as you chase a football or a chicken or a pig.
6. I love how you never complain about a lack of dinner or clean underwear.
7. I love that no matter how tired or busy you are, you always take the time to change a messy diaper.
8. I love how much you love to sing hymns.
9. I love that you're so good at math (because I'm not and sometimes its nice to have a human calculator around).
10. I love that you're always so patient when I ask you to explain something to me for the umpteenth time.
11. I love how you remember everything you read.
12. I love how you're always thinking deep theological thoughts.
13. I love that when I really need to go to WalMart, you're willing to go with me on date night even though you can't stand the place.
14. I love that you read the Bible to the kids.
15. I love how you work so hard to provide for the kids and me.
16. I love your hugs and the way you smell.

Happy Anniversary, my Matthew. God has been so gracious and faithful to us. Here's to another sixteen years and beyond!

He Loves Me , , ,

Another Year

Today is my eldest son's eighth birthday. I can't believe how much Paul has changed this past year. The boy who couldn't be bothered when it came to sitting down and eating a meal now has a hollow leg. He has grown taller and has become more responsible and mature. Paul is a sensitive little boy. He's quite aware of others' feelings and he goes out of his way to comfort those who are hurting. Paul is also very contemplative. Sometimes he comes up with a question about the Bible or some other subject that is beyond my capability to answer and I have to say, "Go ask your Daddy."

Paul is definitely "all boy." Anything related to guns, Legos, military history, space, dirt and the like are all passions of Paul. Paul is quick to obey when I ask him to collect laundry or take out the garbage. He almost never complains and it's a very unusual day if Paul doesn't do his work cheerfully. He's a very good example to all of his siblings.

We celebrated Paul's birthday with Grandpa Tom and Grandma Jane on Saturday. Matt and I went to a homeschool conference for most of the day and Grandma and Grandpa took care of the whole brood. They even took all the kids to the park to see the Lewis and Clark reinactors. Paul was definitely in his element and of course he wore a hat befitting the occasion.

I fixed ham, cheesy potato casserole and applesauce for dinner as these were Paul's requests for his birthday. The traditional extra chocolaty chocolate cake was served for dessert. Paul was tickled to receive two new Lego sets that were picked out with love by Auntie Em, Uncle Jake and Grandma and Grandpa.

Several months ago, Paul requested that we all go bowling on his birthday. This afternoon we fulfilled that request. Paul did quite well for a first-time bowler, as did the other kids. Matt whipped us all, though. Joel was too cute. No matter how many (or few) pins were knocked over, he personally hugged and high fived every one of us after our turns were over.

Paul opened his presents from us after dinner tonight. The biggest hit was the bag pipe chanter he received from Daddy. Ever since Paul saw the young teenage boy play "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes at the homeschool conference this past spring, Paul has expressed his desire to learn how to play that quintessential Scottish instrument. Paul began practicing on the chanter as soon as he could get it out of its packaging. I do believe the laddie is well on his way to becoming a Macduff.

Lydia Logic Strikes Again

We have rules about candy at our house. Candy is not to be kept in bedrooms, it must be stored on top of the refrigerator. Candy is not to be eaten without permission from one of the parents in the house. Candy is not allowed before lunch and it's to be eaten in the kitchen only.

The other day, we found Lydia in violation of all of the house candy candy rules. It was 7 a.m. when Lydia walked into our bedroom with a sucker in her mouth (pretty brazen, I thought). I asked, "Why do you have a sucker in your mouth, Lydia?" She replied, "Because I like it."

Wednesday afternoon Paul discovered a little black piglet in our backyard. It was the cutest little thing, but fast. We couldn't catch it. It wouldn't drink out of the water bowl we tried to give it. We asked all the neighbors if they had lost a little piggy and they all said, "no." However, one neighbor didn't speak English, so that evening we decided we should try again. Maybe a child home from school could tell us if they had lost a little black piggy. When Lydia heard us discussing all of this, she ran into the house to grab her shoes.

"I can do it!" she said, "I know Spanish!" Somehow I think the conversation would have come to an abrupt halt after "Hola!" (The little piggy ran into the alfalfa field next door and we couldn't find him. We hope he found his way home again.)

Lydia is really into washing things lately. She takes her dolls and other toys to the bathroom sink to "wash them." When Daddy says "It's time for bed," she says, "I have to wash my so and so first." Today Lydia found a ladybug. A few minutes later she came up to me and said, "Momma, I washed the ladybug and it's still alive!"

Space Station

Last night we saw the International Space Station catapult through space at 17,500 miles per hour. We had a clear view of the space station in the night sky for three minutes until is disappeared behind the earth's shadow. Lydia cried when it disappeared because she wanted a ride. Thanks, Grandpa Tom, for getting us out into our backyard to see something so mind-bogglingly amazing (and for the tutorial over the cell phone).

The International Space Station will be visible in the evenings until October 8. Go here to find the schedule.

Killer Serve

By Matt.
We had the pleasure of watching our niece, Raphaella, give a clinic on volleyball tonight. (Her team won 3-0.)





And she's pretty good player too.

Making Lemonade

Yesterday all the kids were in sour moods. We had all just come off of a long weekend and I was pushing them hard to get school work done. We finished our Bible study homework, but not without some tears. I did preschool with Lydia using a curriculum I'd never used with her before. She just kept saying, "I don't like this preschool. I like the other preschool."

As I was taking a break to put another load in the washer, I heard the kids pecking at each other like a bunch of angry roosters. I finally (after several attempts) was able to get their attention. I told them they must all go outside--immediately. I'm sure they all thought that I would assign some arduous outside chore for their misbehavior, because they all proceeded to go outside with their heads hanging low.

"Line up over their by the pergola," I said. "We're going to play Simon Says," I announced. Upon hearing this, the kids' countenances began to brighten. We then began the game. I went through several "Simon Says" commands before I said, "Put your hands on your eyes." Lydia did it and everyone started laughing. Lydia, the quick thinker and even quicker talker, said, "I was just covering my eyes from the sun," (even though she was standing in the shade). We all got a good laugh from that comment.
We proceeded on with the game, quacking like chickens, marching like soldiers and doing jumping jacks. I then said, "Make a sound like a siren." Grace bit. The lone siren. We all roared.

We finished up the game by Simon saying, "March inside like a penguin, make lunch and bring it outside to eat." We then ate our lunch at the picnic table and enjoyed what I'm sure will be one of the last pleasantly warm days of the Fall.

I once went to a homeschooling conference where the speaker said, "Sometimes when you're having a bad day, you just need to bring everything to a halt and do the Hokey Pokey with your kids." I took that woman's advice yesterday and turned sour lemon day into a lemonade day.

Annual Tradition

We took our annual trek up North this past weekend to partake of all the German delicacies we could lay or hands on (or get our mouths around). Cabbage rolls, kartoffel und gloss, sausage, kuchen, pfeffernuese and apple strudel. We also got to participate in an all-American tradition--watching a small town parade. Jude danced to all the marching bands, Joel was most impressed with the horses and Lydia loved the princesses on the floats. All the kids managed to get a nice little stash of candy, too.

Daddy and the kids took a spin on the go carts after lunch. We went back to my aunt and uncle's house for the family "wipe out" as my sister calls it. It was there that I asked Matt why year after year, am I always so tired on this day? "Could it be the overeating?" he asked me. Maybe.

Well, we gathered up enough energy to head back downtown for dinner, which was bbq, much to Matt's delight. I even hit the last few yard sales as they were packing up for the day. We loaded into the van and headed home. God treated us to a gorgeous sunset in the west and an incredible lightening storm in the east to entertain us as we drove home. He really is something else, isn't He?

Better Mice resolution

This is a bit better quality.

What the Mice Do When the Cats Are Away

(Video by Grace. This one's for you, Grandma Ethel.)

Bye Bye Binki

I've heard of other parents whose babies begin sleeping through the night the first night home from the hospital and those who have their babies potty trained by eighteen months. Not me. Nope, I've never been blessed with that kind of baby. I guess God figured I could use the patience. Having said that, I just recently had my first experience in the otherwise unknown territory of parenting bliss.

A week and a half ago, Joel announced to Matt that he didn't want his binki any more. The kid who couldn't be quieted from a meltdown unless he had his binki, couldn't ride in the car unless he had his binki, couldn't take a nap, sit through church, listen to a book, watch a video or go night night without his binki, said he didn't want his binki any more. We were stunned.

Matt asked Joel if he was quite sure he wanted to get rid of his binkis. "Do you want me to throw them in the garbage?" Matt asked. "Ep (yep)," Joel replied. I had been mentally girding myself for a major binki battle for a couple of months. Every time I'd think, "I've got to get Joel off the binki," I would shove the idea to my mental back burner. I remember all too well our experience with trying to get Lydia to give up her binki. We talked and negotiated with her, read the Miss Piggy book "Bye, Bye Binki" over and over, took the binki away from her, regretted it after major crying fits ensued and then gave the binki back to her again. In desperation, I finally took all of her binkis and put them in a little gift bag for her to give to her pediatrician. We told him he could give the binkis to the little babies who needed them. Talk about withdrawal. Matt and I had to sleep with her to help her get through those first few nights sans bink.

Instead of throwing the binkis in the garbage, as Joel advised, we put them high up in the cupboard (without his knowledge), just in case. I hid one binki in my purse and took it in the car and to church all last week in the event an emergency should arise. Joel did look in the garbage once last week. "My binki, Momma," he said with the most pitiful little voice. I just said, "Oh, you don't need that anymore" and then diverted his attention elsewhere. Joel did have a hard time settling down to sleep at nap time and night time last week, but he was quite satisfied to look at animal picture books as a substitute for his binki and he seems to have relearned how to put himself to sleep without it. He even took the long car ride to grandma's without any complaints. Amazing!

I had hoped to potty train Joel this summer when he could easily run around the house in underwear, but he's shown absolutely no signs of readiness and I've learned from (hard/bad) experience that's it's just not worth it to push training before the child is really ready. I'd rather clean a mess in a diaper than a mess off the floor. I'm sure I'd have plenty of people disagree with me on that one, including my very beloved grandma who is now in Heaven. I can hear her now, "I had your mother potty trained by the time she was eighteen months old."