Summer and Changes

It has been a fun, great, busy, rainy summer full of smiles, giggles, dirty floors from wet feet, card playing, basketball in the rain, 3 vbs's, church camp, swimming, sewing projects, small garden, puppies, cousins, and friends.   We just got back from the beach last week and it was an odd beach trip this year.  Most years have all 8 children, 2 grandchildren, son-in-law, my sister, her husband and 3 children.  This year it was only myself, my sister, and 5 children, my son-in-law and 2 grandchildren.   It was great and sad at the same time.  My heart is trying to adjust to these changing times where my kiddos are growing up, getting jobs, moving out, and moving on.   
 

Little Old Papaws at the beach

The first day of looking out at the water brought back a rush of emotions.   Last year I was between chemos, post radiation, between surgeries, had an iliostomy, and struggling to make it a fun trip for my family when all I really wanted to do was throw up and sleep.   I pasted on a happy face and prayed for a good attitude, and tried to make it the best trip ever in case it was my last.   The Lord's grace and strength still amazes me when I glance back and realize how much He carried me through a really rough time.  Gazing upon the waves this year my heart swelled with thankfulness to the Lord for another year, the opportunity to stay at my friend's (more like family...over 40 years of friendship) beach house again, not to have to worry about the walk back and forth to the beach with an ostomy bag, ability to get into the water this go around, stay in the sun the entire time, and truly enjoy the time with my family even while missing the ones who couldn't make it.

Goofy beach picture day

Nicholas and Timothy are gone this week on a mission trip to Jamaica.  Will post updates and pictures soon.  That leaves only half our children at home which still leaves four, yet it seems so quiet.  This is our 4, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 27 year which means I will be graduating children every other year for a while and my house will seem emptier and emptier.   How I wish every young mom could grasp how quickly it goes.   You are told many times that when they are all littles by the older generation, but sometimes all you see are the endless diapers, piles of laundry, dirty dishes, bad attitudes, tears, snotty noses, and the to do list that never gets totally checked off.   As my friend Donie would say in those busy times, the years are short, but the days are long.   The years have definitely flown by, and I am so grateful the Lord changed my heart as a young mom with our plan of only 3 children to allow Him to fill our home.  13 pregnancies (5 miscarriages), 8 children and 2 grandchildren later, we are truly blessed!  That was a decision that was challenged many times over the years when we were concerned about finances, my health, the size of our home, our sanity (ha, ha), educating our children well, and more.  But the Lord was and is faithful.   I wouldn't change a thing.  The seemlingly impossible times made us lean on Him and trust Him when I would've tried to figure it all out (and many times attempted) on an excel file I am sure.   Thank you Lord for entrusting me, your very imperfect child, with many blessings and the gift of life to make more memories with our family and friends.       

What Are You Reading?

"You will be the same person in five years 
as you are today except

for the people you meet

and the books you read."

~Charlie Tremendous Jones

Keeping our home, home schooling, being a wife and mom, gardening a little, and being active at church makes it hard to read all the books I'd love to read.  However, I am always encouraging my guys to read each week a new book (to them).  Now for one of my girls right now, she could read 24/7.  She is learning balance.  We decided to use our books this week to begin our summer reading program list from our local library.  So what are we reading?

Nicholas, 18, is reading "Not a Fan," by Kyle Idleman.  I talked so much about how I loved it that he wanted to read it after he finished "Radical."

Timothy, 15, just finished reading John Piper's "Seeing and Savoring Jesus," and this week he wants to read "Follow Me," by David Platt.

Praise, 13, finished "The Lamplighter", by Maria Cummings and this week she is reading "Sherlock Holmes" the complete collection by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Michael, 11, is almost finished "Joel, a Boy of Galilee" by Annie F Johnston and will begin  "Happy, Happy, Happy" this week.  Most of the summer I will have him reading through the Heroes of Faith and Courage series.   

Emily, 8, decided to read the Bible Wise series along with chapters in Genesis.

What am I reading?  Well, I decided to read "Sir Knight of the Splendid Way," by W.E. Cule and John Piper's "Seeing and Savoring Jesus" again.   

Also, my nephew Brian is spending the week with us and he is reading "Happy, Happy, Happy" with my son Michael.   (When Michael does math, Brian reads....when Brian does math, Michael reads.)

Our summer schedule will look something like this:

7:00  Math

8:00  Science

9:00  chores

10:00 Pool

2:00  Reading

3:00  Anything you need to finish from school year or FREE TIME

5:00  Dinner

8:00  Family Walk

I want to incorporate some nature journaling throughout the summer and we have 4 small garden areas (potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers) that we are tending to also.  Not to mention, we have puppies to train and some to find good homes for.

So what are you reading this summer?  Challenge your children who are participating in the summer reading program to read things that are good for them.  Use Philipians 4:8 as your guide.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,

whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just,

whatsoever things are pure,

whatsoever things are lovely,

whatsoever things are of good report;

if there be any virtue,

and if there be any praise,

think on these things.

If you'd like some free books, head on over to my Big Happy Family Books face book page.  I try to list a few free Amazon and other source books each week.   If you are getting rid of books, I'd love to take them off your hands.  I sell books on Amazon as a small business.  Hope you have a fabulous week!!

Jamaica'n Me Run

A few months ago I was pondering a way the boys could make some money for their mission trip to Jamaica this summer.   A 5k came to mind, and I started asking lots of questions.   Next thing I know, I knew that was what we were supposed to do to help earn money for the mission trip.    After I came up with a name, we started lining things up and boy were we getting excited. 

The Beautiful Augusta Canal

Here's how we described it on the active.com website:
This Jamaican themed 5K walk/run will have fun Caribbean music, bright Jamaican colors, & a super friendly Island atmosphere with race volunteers cheering you on Jamaican style. You'll feel like you're running in the Islands of the Caribbean in the Spring on the beautiful Augusta Canal.   Bob Marley would even feel at home! Feel free to wear your bright Jamaican & Caribbean colors.

The proceeds for this 5K will go to help the Youth at Kiokee Church to go on mission to Jamaica this summer. The Youth will help provide for the poor in the St. Ann area with shoes & clothing as well as help build a community center and provide several backyard bible schools for the children of the area.

Beautiful Morning

The Lord truly blessed our efforts and we had a great first time turn out.   The weather was seasonably cool for May in GA and the humidity was low.   The rain even held out until the race was over.   I had lots of helping hands the day of the race that helped make everything go smooth and turn it into a great success.  

Registration

Our Jamaican Music Man

And They're Off!

First Place!

Grizzly was worn out!

We have tons more great pictures on our face book page titled Jamaica'n Me Run 5k Walk/Run.   Feel free to join the group.  They turned out great!   Please pray the Lord will bless the trip in July and that lives will be touched by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Thanks for all who supported us and we will do it again next year (Lord willing)!! 

The Team that Helped Make it a Great Success

Rainy Saturday in May

I LOVE the rain especially if I get to stay home in warm "jammy" pants, a hot cup of tea, and a good book.    Today however one son fished in the rain for his RA cookout tomorrow at church.   My mom, 2 younger daughters, and granddaughter had a GA tea to go to.  As I crawled out of bed this morning, I was just going through the motions making a choice to rejoice on this rainy, chilly day.   We needed to be there at 10 after picking up my beautifully dressed granddaughter.   Of course, it was wonderful.  Had a great time visiting other ladies and girls dressed for this spring tea (adorning sweaters, of course).   Was home by 12:30, took an unplanned nap, donned some warm jammy pants, and sat for a bit watching history channel before I decided I need to get busy this Saturday afternoon.   My oldest three still at home (18, nearly 16, and nearly 14) are going to the movies together, while my younger three are playing with the two grandchildren, and I feel overwhelmingly blessed!   Of course, I always hoped my children would grow up to be the best of friends, but it is so exciting to see it come to fruition.  I will work on my 5k that I put together for the youth to earn money for their Jamaican mission trip this summer, type up my two week menu that my husband and I put together before we shopped for groceries yesterday, do the last load of laundry, prepare meatloaf and veggies for dinner, and just enjoy this day at home.  

The books I finished the last few weeks are The Killing of Kennedy, The Killing of Lincoln, and Dam Break in Georgia.   If you like historical reading that reads like a novel, you will enjoy the first two books.   The last book, also historical, reads like praise reports through tragedy.  

Whatever you may be doing this 4th of May, I hope you are enjoying and savoring life.   Cancer taught me last year that you REALLY never know what tomorrow may bring. 

Lastly, here is a video to enjoy from John Piper!   It's great stuff.

Master's Week Augusta, GA and Intentional Living

I started this a few weeks ago and forgot to post.  Wrapped up and posting.  Yep, chemo brain again, its real!

It is Master's Week in Augusta, GA.   For those not from the area, it's a prestigious golf tournament held yearly in our city.   Most cities have spring break around Easter, but in Augusta it's the week of the golf tournament.    It seems even nature puts on a show for the thousands of folks who come to Augusta.    Everything is abloom from the flowering azaleas and daffodils, to the dogwood, redbud, peach, and cherry trees.   The aroma from the wisteria vines is intoxicating, and they are beautiful to behold as well.   The birds are singing their spring songs.   Of course for folks with allergies, the pollen is also painting everything yellow and making for some miserable headaches, sniffles, and itchy eyes.   Many Augustans head out of town this week, others work extra for the week, and the rest of us may take a break from school, but pretty much keep our normal routine avoiding the Washington Road area if at all possible unless we are fortunate enough to go to the tournament or it's practice rounds.  

If you live here, you have to be intentional not to be more focused on the Master's Tournament this Easter season than the Master and the celebration of His Resurrection.  In fact, the older I get the more I realize that everything tries to steal from the worship the Lord deserves or even His design.  
            We don't do Santa with the munchkins, because he steals from the reason we celebrate Christmas.  
            We don't let our guys buy into the Easter Bunny, he takes the focus away from the Resurrection. 
           We don't celebrate earth day, but thank the Lord continually for the earth that He created for us.   
           I admit we did the "alternative to Halloween" deal before.    Walked away feeling like I was part of the Christianizing of Halloween, dressing it up as a fall festival with "friendlier" costumes and sending kiddos off with a wad of candy so they don't feel like they missed out on anything.  Really?   Really?

You may think we are missing out on some fun childhood memories, but we are purposely making fun memories all the time.   We are not missing out.

Not only are so many things stealing from from the worship that belongs solely to the Lord, His truths are also continually being redefined.    What God defines as a family is continually being redefined by the culture, the media, etc.   The church is not immune from this, and many denominations have chosen political correctness and postmodern thought to Biblical Truth.   God puts humans as stewards over all the earth, and makes us more valuable by creating us in His image.  Yet, people cried out over Michael Vick's dog fighting much louder than the outcry over Kermit Gosnell and his horrific late and after delivery abortions.   We absolutely should be good stewards of animals, the earth, etc.  but they are not more valuable than human life.  These are just a couple of examples.   I have bed time stories to read, prayers and night time smooches to give so let me just wrap this up.   We all have to decide what is stealing from our devotion and worship of the Lord Jesus.  We need to be intentional about searching Scriptures to see what God's standards are and how He wants us to live.  Don't get me wrong how we celebrate holidays IS NOT a salvation issue.   Those are choices we made in our family to help us stay focused.    What is a salvation issue is who or what am I worshiping?   Warren Wiersbe defines worship this way…Worship is the believer’s response of all that they are – mind, emotions, will, body – to what God is and says and does.  Lastly a prayer from John Piper, “Fight for us, O God, that we not drift numb and blind and foolish into vain and empty excitements. Life is too short, too precious, too painful to waste on worldly bubbles that burst. Heaven is too great, hell is too horrible, eternity is too long that we should putter around on the porch of eternity." Amen.

 

Teaching Our Daughters week 5 & 6

REVIEW WEEK 6
Sewing:  We made pillowcases.   They turned out sooo cute.    For next time, bring 2/3 yd, 36” fabric such as heavy broadcloth, burlap, denim or other fabric of your choice and 2 24” wooden dowels or metal curtain rods, thread, cord (for hanging bulletin board), scissors, sewing machine, straight pins to make a Hanging Bulletin Board next class.

Gardening:    Make a list of 7-10 vegetable to grow in your garden.  Try to include some root vegetables (onion, radish, beets, carrot, turnips, potatoes), some leaf vegetables (lettuce, spinach kale, cabbage and some fruit/seed vegetables (peas, bean, corn, squash, zucchini, tomatoes).   The end of chapter 5 of Square Foot Gardening has a list of easy-to-grow crops.  You might also consider carrots and spinach.  Look at garden catalogs.   Order your seeds.   Be sure you’ve read up to page 39.

Cooking & Baking:   We made vegetable tray and dip.


Bible
We read “A Child’s Puzzle” and “Jennie Browning” and talked about obedience and never to fight our conscience.

REVIEW WEEK 5
Sewing:  Talked about all we learned thus far, and then discussed modesty.   Read this article from this website:  http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2012/03/dear-daughter-heart-of-modesty.html

Gardening:    Read about “your” weeds in Weeds and What they tell.  Summarize and record information.  Keep it in your notebook.  Relect on what “weeds” we’ve allowed to grow in our hearts.   Pray for GOD’s weeding job.

Cooking & Baking:   We made homemade tortillas.  Then we used them to make quesadillas.


Bible
We read “Nothing Finished” and talked about finishing the thing we begin, and guarding our time if extra things are keeping us from doing things well.

Preparing our Hearts for Resurrection Day

For us as believers, this is a glorious, victorious day!!  For years, we’ve used a book “Family Celebrations at Easter” that has daily devotions from Ash Wednesday to Resurrection Day.  It’s a great resource!

Also, Anne Voskamp offers Trail to the Tree from her website that you can get here.

Desiring God Ministries offers a free book for the Holy Week here.

A few of many hymn studies that would be appropriate for this month: 

Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed

All Glory, Laud, and Honor

Beneath the Cross of Jesus

Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Alleluia!

Crown Him with Many Crowns

I lay my Sins on Jesus

Jesus Christ is Risen Today

Just as I am, without One Plea

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross 

A great resource is here.  

Free Copywork go here.  

A Resurrection Day Lapbook go here.  

Every year except my cancer year, we try to make these cookies and the following rolls.   Be sure to start these the night before if you are going to do them.

Resurrection Day Cookies:

• 1 cup whole pecans
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 3 egg whites
• pinch salt
• 1 cup sugar
• zipper baggie
• wooden spoon
• tape
• Bible

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.       (read John 19:1-3)
3. Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. (read John 19:28-30)
4. Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. (read John 10:10-11)
5. Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. (read Luke 23:27)
6. So far these ingredients are not very appetizing and that’s a good thing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. (read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16)
7. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. (read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3)
8. Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. (read Matthew 27:57-60)
9. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. (read Matthew 27:65-66)
10. GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. (read John 16:20 and 22)
11. On Resurrection morning open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. (read Matthew 28:1-9)
12. Now GO TO CHURCH!   CELEBRATE!   HE IS ALIVE!!

Resurrection Rolls

These are fun to make on Easter in the evening.

Ingredients:

• 1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 8 large marshmallows
• Melted butter
• Cinnamon
• Sugar

Instructions:

• Give each child one triangle shaped section of crescent roll. This represents the tomb.
• Each child takes one marshmallow which represents the body of Christ.
• Dip the marshmallow in the butter and roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture. This represents the oils and spices the body was anointed with upon burial.
• Lay the marshmallow on the dough and carefully wrap it around the marshmallow.
• Make sure all seams are pinched together well. (Otherwise the marshmallow will "ooze" out of the seams) 
• Bake according to package directions.
• Cool.
• Break open the tomb and the body of Christ is no longer there!!
• Celebrate God's love!

We also like to celebrate Passover each year.   We use a book called “A Family Guide to Biblical Holidays”.   This year the Passover begins on 3/26.  There are also resources available at Anne Voskamp’s site at this location. 

Crafts  

An Easter garden can be found here.

 

Church

If you can attend a Maundy Thursday service, a Good Friday service, and a Resurrection Day service, that would be great.

Resurrection Day Celebration
We are preparing for our Resurrection Day celebration even now.   We send out an invite to our family of when and where dinner will be.   Lately, we have been doing outside picnic table decorated style dinners.   Each family decorates their own table and we all volunteer to bring different food items so it’s never too much on any one person.  Then we make sure we clean up afterwards, so everyone has a restful evening to reflect on the goodness of our Lord.