Homeschooling with Joy & Misc.

I guess I'll start with the misc. First, I did my first maternity shoot last night! It was so much fun! What a blessing to be able to document the miracle of being pregnant! I will be doing the newborn shoot on March 5th, Lord willing. I also have two more maternity shoots in the next 3 weeks with their newborns to follow! I just LOVE this! Ashley is my helper and we have alot of fun. I still have not been able to do a wedding yet but am praying. First and foremost, I am a keeper at home and I LOVE that the most!
Another thing is my thoughts lately. At times I am tempted to play over my Dad's last day of life. If I really start thinking about it I have SO many regrets. If I had only known, things would have been so different. But we don't know, only God does. Then I have to remember that I had nothing left unsaid with my Dad. He knew how much I loved him and I had told him several times about the Lord. He also saw me live out my life in Christ. I told him two weeks before he died that I could not pray him into heaven, that no pastor could pray him into heaven. It had to be between him and the Lord. He had to pray and tell the Lord he wanted Him. I don't know what happened that day or the next two weeks. I have hope. I DO know that the Lord knows and I DO know that He is good. That I can trust and rest in. Also the Lord gave me so much more than a perfect last day with him. As I look at old pictures I see and remember how close to death he was when Dylan was 2, 8 yrs ago. And again when Paige was 3 months, 7 yrs ago. When Paige was 3 months I was a new Christian (a little over a year) and I prayed Lord please don't take my Dad now. He gave me 7 more yrs with him. So when I am tempted to say why not just one more day? I stop and praise the Lord for the 7 wonderful years! He was the best Dad and Grandpa EVER.
Now Homeschooling with Joy instead of tears! I must admit that there were some tears this last week. I became impatient with my little learner. I hate it when I do that. But I did realize it so much quicker and correct it. That was a blessing.
I wanted to share about our children being arrows. It is our job to sharpen and straighten our arrows. That way when we send them out into the world they will fly straight and be mighty for the Lord! The battle begins on the field of our children's hearts and moves out from there into the fields of a dying world. This one statement from the book I'm reading confirms my decision that schoolbooks are not the most important thing. I'm not training up my children to be math whizzes or to win a noble prize. I am training them up to go into a dying world and tell people about Christ. Both with their mouths and their lives. Yes, we do learn some book work but character and love one to another is so much more important than that. I want to have strong arrows to send out for the Lord. Nothing is more important than that!

Great Giveaway!

We all need to be ready for an emergency, we just never know what's going to happen. This is a blog about storage and survival and they are having a giveaway. Go to their website for more details! God Bless!
http://foodstorageandsurvival.com/?p=492

Maybe it's Nebraska?

Things are going so well! I am a blessed mommy of 7 wonderful children and a happy wife! I just want to give praise and honor to the Lord for His faithfulness. This morning as I read John 15 I was reminded that He loves me! He LOVES me! Isn't that amazing?

We are starting to get settled. We started school last week. They are all doing so good. The house is staying clean! YaY! We are working on our nursing home songs! We are all excited to visit our old nursing homes. Lord willing, some of our old friends are still there.

I have an idea of why things are going so good.....I am having time in the morning to be with the Lord. My prayer and Bible reading are the best they have been in a LONG time. With a large family it can be so hard to get that time. But it is so important. You simply cannot grow if you are not getting fed. Also I am around encouraging people and seeking out encouraging things to read. I am reading Homeschooling With Joy by Christian Light. It's very good and I will be sharing some highlights soon! In any case, when you are right with the Lord and making Him first in your life everything else just falls into place!

Back to John 15, we are told to continue in His love and if you keep His commandments then ye shall abide in my love, verses 9 & 10. Focusing on His love spurs me onto good works. It is encouraging. Yes, He has wrath reserved for disobedient people. But for those who are surrendered to Him, He is there to help us if we fall. He wants us, He has chosen us. He is a loving Savior and one that I want to serve. He goes on to say that He does not call me His servant but His friend. In Matthew He says whoever does the will of my Father in heaven I call my mother, and sister, and brother. Matthew 12:50.

We are reading about Amy Carmichael as a family at night. It's great to hear of her selfless love for others. Especially those we would consider very low class. She sets up a meeting place for the ladies in Belfast that are covered in parasites, lice and fleas. Yet she only speaks of them with love. She truly has their souls in mind. Isn't it easy to start looking at people as lower than yourself? You're holy and they're not? Truth is that we were all there once. It's only by God's grace that I am where I am today. John 15:4,5, "Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." Without the Lord you can do nothing. We are nothing by ourselves! Praise God! I think John 15 may be my favorite chapter in the Bible. Years ago when I started this blog I was obviously thinking about John 15 Striving to Abide in Christ. It's not always easy. In fact quite often it is hard. But again the Lord is faithful, I want to be faithful to Him!

Happy New Year!

I am learning so much and am so thankful to have a new year to put into practice the things I am learning. Of course I am not promised another day but will be thankful for each day the Lord gives. I will be trying to post about these things He is teaching me.

Again I find myself thinking of His return. When I will be standing at His feet. Is my heart pure before Him? Yes! What a blessing! I am following the Lord in spirit and truth. I do stumble and fall but He is faithful and always there for me.

Rejoice in the Lord! Every day is a day that we do not deserve. He is longsuffering to us. I pray that everyone would seek the Lord in spirit and in truth. May 2011 be a year of fellowship with the Lord and living for His glory alone!

Join Us In a 90 Day Challenge!

Join us (Ashley and I) in participating in the "Bible Blast, Read your Bible in 90 days Challenge"!

Dylan is going to do the challenge as well with us, but only girls can join on the site below.

Can we read the whole Bible in just 3 months? We are gonna try! It starts Jan. 1st. and ends March 31st. For more info and to sign up click below!

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

-Galatians 6:9-

Please leave me a comment if you do! Have a great day in the Lord!

Yummy (not healthy) Puppy Chow Recipe

This is so good for every great once in awhile!!

Puppy Chow

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
9 cups chex cereal
1-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Microwave first 3 ingredients for one minute, stir and mix in the vanilla. Take a quick lick (to make sure it is good, of course). Put cereal in bowl and pour mixture over, add sugar until all is well coated! Enjoy!
Let me know if you made this and how it turned out!

Girls & Their Horses

We had a fun horsey day! It didn't start off so fun though. My saddle has this habit of trying to slip off when I try to get on. :0) Anyway, it was a little bit frustrating. But, oh well it was fun after I got on and situated! Here are some cute pictures, Paige and Ashley are naturals!