Only 25 Shopping Days left....

or as my mother text messaged me, only 28 shopping days until HER birthday. LOL!

This is a picture of a homestead friend's Nubian goat Miss Diva "disguised" as a reindeer. I thought this picture was too cute and wanted to share it with everyone.

Been cleaning, still need to work on the bedroom. That is on the schedule for tomorrow afternoon. I am having a new friend over for lunch tomorrow. She is a homeschooling mom too.

I still haven't decided what to have for lunch, I was thinking sandwiches and potato soup. I sure hope it's chilly and rainy tomorrow, so I can light a fire in the stove...I love the way the living room looks with the fire glowing through the glass window of the wood stove.

Taylor will be working for a local nurseryman tomorrow. I have talked with this gentleman several times, and am actually interested in opening my own nursery, but haven't had time to work on it. I hope Taylor does a good job for him. I'm really worried, so please pray.

I also need to get a casserole together for Candi. The ladies at church are making them so she won't have to cook for a few days after having the baby....six days left! I am so excited!

To Do List:

clean bedroom

laundry

bake molasses cookies/gingerbread

HOMEWORK!

A Tour of My Home....

I did a virtual "tour" of my home last year on my previous blog, so thought I'd do another so everyone here could get a general idea of my home when I talk about it. Hope you enjoy! (The tour is free, but donations can be left in the basket by the front door. LOL!)


Welcome to Queen's Edge Farm...the tree on the left bit the dust this year, so it's missing from the picture now...let's pause for a moment of silence...................................

The foyer, this no longer looks the same....the Christmas tree is in the corner where the desk is....

The living room...it looks different now. My dad's furniture has replaced the blue furniture. Sorry, can't find my digital camera so can't update the photos, but you get the general idea and layout of the room.

Dining room and kitchen (with laundry in back corner)

Hannah stirring laundry soap in the kitchen....isn't she cute....she loves making faces....she really is cute!

Laundry room pictures.....it no longer looks like this, as there are comforters, waiting their turn in the washer, plopped on the floor. My goal is to get it looking like this again...soon I hope.



The hall way with original artwork by the artist currently known as "Hannah Banana". The girls room is the door on the very end, sorry no pictures, they wouldn't sign a release or clean it up for a picture. Taylor's "stink room" is the door in the foreground.


Our little bathroom, soon to be repainted and redecorated. Really! I have the paint and everything (more artwork on right corner).

Hannah's former bedroom/nursery and playroom. Currently this room is FILLED with most of my dad's belongings.

My bedroom, or what would fit in the picture...

The other view of my room, see my wardrobe and the front door?

Okay, here is a picture of Lauren and Muffin. I have to put Lauren's picture in this post, because she saw me put Hannah's and asked where hers was....so to keep the peace...here is Lauren.... now she can go to bed happy....LOL!

And last, but not least, a view of the backyard. The screened porch on the left, will soon be enclosed for my son's apartment. We are hoping to purchase the lot to the right (behind where the slide is at..this would bring our lot to right at .96 acres, so basically an acre).

Thanks for stopping by, ya'll come back now...y'hear?

Random Thoughts

I was driving by a large field today, one that my husband and I used to ride his three wheeler in while we were dating. It was directly behind the house I grew up in....it is a huge piece of property, and used to be home to a water treatment plant. The ponds there had some kind of beaver type animal (not sure beaver live in Texas, so unsure what it was.) Well, now those ponds have been filled in, and a MASSIVE housing development has gone up, and is still going up. It made my heart hurt to see it. Does anyone else feel like this?

I just can't believe there are so many people in San Antonio, that are looking to buy new homes. Everywhere I go, new homes are being built or sprang up so fast, they weren't there the last time I drove by. And I'm not talking years, I am talking the space of a month or so..There will be a beautiful piece of land, trees, cows, etc., and then WHAM! a million houses that all look the same, along with miles and miles of privacy fences.

On another note, I was going over a friend's house this morning, and on the way into her development there are several mobile homes where the people just absolutely have no respect...for themselves or their neighbors. I don't feel this is in anyway a reflection on my friend, it's just unfortunate that she has trashy neighbors. She keeps her property and home immaculate. I don't care if you don't have any money, you can still be clean, it costs nothing to pick up trash out of your yard, and to keep the weeds down. The weeds I could even live with, but the MOUNTAINS of trash piled up on the front porch, and strewn throughout the yard is appalling. If something is broken, get rid of it, don't leave it rotting in your front yard. By making the effort to be at the least clean, it will make you feel good about yourself and your surroundings. My mother told me this, and it holds true. Example: when you are feeling sick, or depressed, by fixing your hair and putting on a little makeup, the world WILL look a little brighter, and you will feel a little more inclined to deal with the problems that crop up. If you look like crap, and feel like crap, well, you won't accomplish much. The same goes with your house, clean it up a little, clean is free, just takes time.

Driving home tonight from picking my son up from the college library, we passed rows and rows of houses with their Christmas lights on...it's amazing how beautiful everything looks at night, with the lights blinking. You almost forgot how "traumatized" the landscape looks during the day. The row after row of broken down vehicles, the neglected properties, the razing of the land to build more houses (see paragraph 1 for that rant) and the continuous expansion of the highways and roadways. At night it all dissappears to be replaced by these magnificent lights that give you a little feeling of hope. Reminding you that Jesus is the Light of the World. This is the explanation I give my kids for why we put lights up at Christmas. Along with proclaiming your light before the world, and not hiding it under a bushel....NO! (lol!)

*********************
My days are so busy...I cannot wait for this semester to be over. I look forward to being able to stay home during the day, to clean, sew again, bake and get back to my routines for each day of the week. Having to get up each week day to take the son to college SERIOUSLY takes a HUGE chunk out of the day...by the time I get back home it's almost 3:30 in the afternoon, and I have just enough time to straighten the foyer, living room and bathroom, then get dinner started before my husband gets home from work. This next semester I have the son scheduled for one online computer course, plus a landscaping course and it's lab. That is a total of 6 semester hours, which is part time. I have his course and lab on Monday evening, so he will be there from 6:00-10:00 at night. Hopefully, this will allow him to find a local, part time job, and allow me to get my house back in "apple pie order". Since my daddy's passing in August, I haven't been able to really clean the house, more of just a general clutter control. I need to declutter my bedroom. It's in bad shape, and used as a general catch all.

I plan to buy about 6 rubber maid totes tomorrow, to pack all the clutter from the dining room in it, until I can sort through it. Then I will stack these in the closet in the playroom. I surely hope my sisters will be ready to sort through some of my dad's things, and that my brother buys a house here soon. He has asked for my dad's dining room set, plus the old antique recliner that was our great-grandfather's (I'd LOVE to have it, primarily because I am the family historian and love old things, but I am keeping a lot of my dad's furniture, so am trying not to be selfish.) In the bedroom, I need to go through dressers and throw away a lot of old clothes (husband's), then take most of these dressers to the garage for a future sale or give away, then set up my dad's bedroom suite in my room. Then I want to paint, and make new curtains, making my room, finally, a safe haven for sleep and relaxation.

My kitchen needs a little work, but not much, more of a general cleaning, and putting things away. The laundry room needs LOTS of work. I am behind on my laundry again, especially when it comes to comforters and bedspreads. They take up a lot of space, let me tell you. The puppy enjoys it. She sleeps in the laundry room, and burrows into a comforter to keep warm.

The girls room needs to be organized and the carpet cleaned. They really need a new carpet, but I haven't taken the time to hunt one down, and I am not looking forward to taking apart the bunk beds to get another carpet in there...Oy vay!

The long hallway is another "hot spot" as the Flylady would say. I need to get this area taken care of too. My son's room....I don't even go in there...he will be 19 in February, and I REFUSE to clean his room at his age....he does okay, but there is this yucky "boy" smell in there....

The bathroom is cleaned every day. I do this, to help keep everyone healthy. I find by cleaning the toilet everyday, and wiping off counters, door knobs and hanging clean towels every day, we have been relatively illness free most of the year. (I really like that show "How Clean is Your House" and have learned a lot about how to clean the toilet and bath.)

The living room is also cleaned every day, for the most part. I see a couple of cobwebs way up in the corners of my 12 foot ceilings. My 5 foot three self doesn't look up often so they get missed. The toys in the corner toybox bother me and I want to put them in the girls bedroom, but I lack the motivation. Likewise in the far corner I have a semi-permanent box of books that I have listed on Amazon.com for sale. I think they are starting to grow roots, and are sprouting mushrooms on the top, as they have been there for about a year. Other than though, my living room is pretty clean.

I have a new friend coming over on Saturday for lunch, so I am motivated more than usual to clean and declutter (which I hope will start tomorrow morning and finish tomorrow night.)

Mini Vacation

We recently took a small weekend trip to Dallas. The entire purpose of this trip was to go ice skating at the Galleria. I had always wanted to go as a child. My girls loved it! Lauren took to the ice skating right away, but she roller blades a lot, so it didn't pose a problem like for Hannah. Hannah, she's 4, and wouldn't give up. The second time we went skating, I was actually able to hold her hand and skate in the middle of the rink, instead of her clinging to the side. I loved it too, and it brought back memories of ice skating in the Maryland woods. We used to ice skate in Maryland at an outdoor skating rink. Pretty cool....there used to be a small building on the way to the rink, that my grandpa and dad would tell us that the Goat Man lived there...and to keep looking, and you'd see him peeking out....inevitably we would glance away, and either my dad or PaPa would say "Ah! there he goes, you missed him!" It was a combination of excitement and fear of this legendary Goat Man.

While in Dallas, we also made a trip to the American Girl Boutique (if you aren't familiar with American Girl, well, I just can't explain it...it's an experience in itself), anda trip to the "famous" Canton fair. Never again, will I go to Canton, it was a nightmare! Too many people, too much traffic, too much walking, and everything was WAY too expensive.

The highlight of the Dallas trip for me was the skating, for Lauren the American Girl store, and for Hannah, well it was the hotel. The girl just loves hotels. She will actually suggest stopping and sleeping at one if we are shopping in town, and she gets sleepy. She loves them that much....it's a good thing we have never stayed at a place that had room service, because I'd never pry her out of the hotels. Oops! I forgot about our DisneyWorld trip this summer, we stayed in a hotel, kind of like a La Quinta, and they did have room service, Pizza and Chocolate Cake, her two favorites. Plus she loved the little Mickey soaps, and the Disney themed rooms, and the big Laptop computer attached to the side of our building.

The drive was the worst thing, their dad was pretty good about the entire trip, and didn't complain at all. Which is a BIG surprise....I think he was still in shock over the hairdressers for the dolls at the American Girl Boutique.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for those listed below, as well as, their families.

Theresa H. - pending kidney surgery

Eddie S. - diagnosed with inoperable brain tumor

Mario V. - diagnosed with aggressive lung and adrenal cancer

Patsy K. - had a stroke on Sunday

Candi K. - pending child birth

"Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD." Psalm 27:14, NLT

Monday

Spent the day with Candi sewing receiving blankets for her new arrival. She is due in 8 days. I had a large supply of flannel, so we cut one yard pieces and hemmed the edges. Actually I ironed all the edges and pinned and Candi sewed the seams. She is learning how to sew more, and did a wonderful job. We finished 6 receiving blankets in four hours. We will sew 7 more on Wednesday.

My nephew had an accident last night and was taken to the hospital for head trauma. He has a slight cut and a concussion, but otherwise is doing fine. Thanks to everyone for their prayers it was really appreciated.

Please keep my friend Perla in prayer. Her father was diagnosed on the 16th with lung cancer that has spread to his adrenal gland, and possibly his brain. He underwent his first chemo treatment today. Please pray as she and siblings deal with this tragic news regarding their father.

My daughter's 10 year old friend came over tonight to spend a couple of hours with her. I gave them dinner, they played video games, Candy Land and jumped on the trampoline. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. They were a little bummed out when it was time to take her home at 8 p.m., but her friend goes to public school and has to catch the bus really early.

Man, the fire has burned out...good thing we are heading off to bed. It is supposed to get in the 40's tonight. I would love to get up and clean the kitchen, but I think I am coming down with a slight cold. I have body aches, and a headache. I took too aspirins and am drinking some Echinacea tea with lemon.

'Tis the Season

The girls and I are so jealous of Bob's snow (see www.walkedwithangels.blogspot.com) as we would dearly love some ourselves. The weather here has been great too, chilly and rainy. Great stove weather. We left for church this morning, leaving behind a house that looked like it had been through a tornado. Once we came home the kids cleaned up the living room, while I put the lights on the Christmas tree. That was our deal. Then the girls and I put the ornaments on the tree, and Taylor steadily worked on the outside lights.

I cleaned up the dining room, foyer and kitchen, and am now sitting here with the candles lit and the fire glowing through the glass door in the wood stove. The house smells wonderful, and it is wonderfully relaxing.

We have finished 99% of our Christmas shopping (I just have the kid's dad and my son to buy for).

I have a little more decorating to do outside, and then I will get started on my baking. I plan to have a Christmas Party this next month, along with Candi's baby shower, so cookies and gingerbread will come in handy.

This is the first time I haven't received any orders for my pies, gourmet cookies and brownies. It seems strange. I think the economy is having an effect on what people spend their money on, and evidently my baking items are considered a luxury. LOL!

Today's sermon was very thought provoking. The pastor talked about making sure your salvation experience was genuine, and how to tell if it was or not. Just because you teach Sunday School, own a bible, attend church or are involved in a ministry does not mean you are going to heaven. Evidence of this is in Matthew, where it says that many claimed to have done miracles in Christ name, and at judgement he will say to them "depart I never knew you". Assurance for those who have will love the Lord with all their heart, soul and mind, and will love fellow believers. It really made me stop and evaluate myself.

A View From the Keyboard....

I was reading a blog that I have been reading for over a year, and I am really jealous of Pixie's free living lifestyle. I don't share her beliefs or talent, but I would love to travel around and live simply...it's just kind of hard when you are married to someone with such different views on life. I think it is smart to wait until you are older until you get married, that way you really know what it is you want out of life, and can pray and look for a partner that will compliment you. Most young people lead with their emotions and hormones, and that can put you in some really tough relationships, especially if you don't have a strong sense of morals and values.

I am really looking forward to staying home today. It is chilly and rainy this morning, and the fire is crackling in the wood stove. I am feeling lazy and just want to read, even though the dishes and washing need to be started. It gets really hard when it's cold, because we normally keep the doors to the living room closed to keep the front part of the house warm, so going into the kitchen requires Artic gear. LOL!

Lauren and her dad went shopping for my Christmas present. I gave them a list of some ideas.
I wonder what they will choose for me...I am so excited!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Today was a good day. I was up early to put the turkey in the roaster. We ate dinner around NOON. Afterwards we headed over to the kids grandparents. The kids ran around on the farm picking up acorns, pecans and hickory nuts. It was pretty nice out there, though a tad cold. I need to look for everyone's gloves, hats, etc.

ETA: I forgot to add earlier that we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving parade this year. I watched every year when I was a child, but this was the first year my kids had ever seen it, at first they weren't too excited, but really enjoyed seeing all the floats like Shrek, and seeing some of their favorite Disney characters/actors on the floats. We also sent out emails to Santa for the girls "wish list".

My menu for this year was: roast turkey, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, chocolate cream pie, and apple pie. Everything that I cooked yesterday and today, I used my Watkins products from the vanilla to the Apple Bake Seasoning. In the stuffing I used Watkins Chicken Broth seasoning. Trying to use the products to be able to honestly answer to people about the taste, etc.

Here's the recipe for my Cornbread Dressing

1 cup chopped celery or 1 tsp celery salt
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used dried onion)
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
salt/pepper
4 cups dry bread, cubed
4 cups cornbread, cubed
1 egg, beaten
2 cups water
2 packages of Watkins Chicken Soup/Gravy Base

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large, round cast iron skillet (or pan of your choice, at least 9 X 12).

Saute celetry and onion in butter. Stir in seasonings. Mix bread and cornbread, and add sauteed veggies and egg (use hands to mix). While mixing, add enough broth to reach desired moistness. Mix well. Spread in pan and Bake for 40-60 minutes (times varies depending on oven) It came out awesome! Better than usual, even my husband commented that it was good. The only difference was the Watkins Chicken Base, so I assume that was it. Ya'll should order some and try it.... LOL!

Sitting by the wood stove now as the temperature is 40, and the wind is blowing strong. I can feel the drafts blowing up between the floor boards as I walk across them, barefoot! I need to find my slippers or put some socks on. The kids have crashed on the floor around the wood stove, and the cats are curled up in the chair next to the stove.

It's only 9:30, but everyone but me is asleep, and it is very peaceful and relaxing. Had to stop and throw another log on the fire, as I felt a draft blow across my feet. (One of the drawbacks of living in a 110 year old house, but it's worth it.)

Did some Christmas shopping online last night and today, ordering a few presents for my girls. They are always with me, so it's hard to shop for them.

I am off to make some more hot tea, just wanted to say hello and hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving this year!

Winter's A-coming

After reading Bob's post on his winterization efforts, my sister showed up and mentioned that it was supposed to get colder over the next few days. I checked the forecast and yeppers, it will be in the low 40's over the next few days and 38 on Saturday! Wow! I am so excited.

I need to get the house ready. Put the blankets on the beds, and have my son bring some wood in for the wood stove. I think I'll make soup tomorrow for dinner, and check out some videos from the library or Blockbuster.

I also need to put a light in the chicken coop, add some more hay and close up the outside doors to keep the drafts out of the coop. I need to find the dogs sweater too...now where did it go? I will check the baby doll stuff. It's a small sweater, we have a chihuahua, and it gets misplaced easy (the sweater, not the dog).

Baking Day

Getting right on picking up the house this morning, and getting started on my baking.

Hey! I have LOADS of flowers on my tomato plants....way more than this summer. Maybe since all the rain has tapered off, they are doing better. I have lots of little green tomatoes on the vines, and picked one small red tomato yesterday. The vines are all over the place, as I just ignored them when they stopped producing.

I need to send Taylor to start gathering the neighbors leaves that I use for mulch during the winter. I am just totally unmotivated and unenergized lately. I feel so blah! I have more energy in the evening, but hesitate to make so much noise to wake everyone up, planning to get busy in the morning, but am running on fumes by the time it rolls around.

Just wanted to remind everyone during this annual time of "giving", that if you are having a hard time deciding on a family project or gift this year, that I have several families that I can give you more information on that are in need.

Family 1: father just had a stroke, found out it was a brain tumor...age 41 (prayers needed too!)

Family 2: family living in poverty, needs basics (West Texas)

Family 3: family expecting new baby, times tough financially

Family 4: family with a disabled member in need of financial help

*I have detailed information I am willing to discuss with anyone who wants to help, just send me an email to queensedgefarm@yahoo.com or post a comment here and I will email you.

Any donations can be made to me through PayPal by sending an email to queensedgefarm@yahoo.com. Please annotate in the comment section which family you would like to help. If you don't have PayPal you can make a check or money order out to my church and specify which family you want to help. (Thought someone might feel comfortable to dontating through a legally setup, non-profit than through me. Whichever you prefer. ) If you are short of funds, I totally understand, but please PRAY for each of these familiies as they go through tough times.

Another Laundry Day down the "twa-let"

I have such plans, but lack the motivation to get things done. Blech!

I have my sisters two children with me for a couple of days. It has been okay, with a few touchy moments. The girl child is a tad bossy (which no one likes, except her) and the boy child is a tad whiney and a tale bearer (which no one likes). It is pretty difficult meshing two households with different rules. I am very strict, and expect certain things, and of course my niece and nephew don't know these things. Makes me feel very mean to have to correct them, or put the little boy in timeout. But...I absolutely cannot put up with him hitting my 4 year old. Yeah, she can be a tad annoying, but he doesn't just smack her, he PUNCHES. I have made him stay by me most of the time he has been here (I read this in "Raising Godly Tomatoes", it's called staking.) Since I obviously can't trust him to behave out of my sight, he has been near me the entire time. It is freaking him out. (insert evil laughter here....Mwaaahh!)

I am driving the dually for a few days since it has enough seats for six people. The PT crusier only had room for five. I left the headlights on in it this morning, and the battery died. I had to call the DH to come give me a jump so I can pick our "man child" up from college.

I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, and we went to DQ for ice cream. I also printed out Thanksgiving color sheets for the kids to work on, they colored for about an hour, which kept them out of trouble. At 7 pm we headed out to DQ, then I had everyone get ready for bed and lay down to read or watch TV around 8:30 pm. I am not an advocate of such early bed times because I normally have a lot to do, but with two extra kids, and a yappy dog (she doesn't like strangers) I haven't been able to work on the laundry (the dog sleeps in the laundry room and is currently locked up in there...)...the clothes are piling up fast!

Tomorrow is baking day, and I have plans to make a pumpkin pie, a pecan pie and a spice cake. I need to take the turkey out of the freezer to start unthawing too.

The weather is a little cloudy, with rain off and on...I like it!

Elsie Dinsmore and more!

I bought a new book yesterday. I think they are designed for young girls but I wanted to read it. The title is Elsie Dinsmore. There is a series of them written in the early 1900s and it is actually very good. I will allow Lauren to read this when I am done. (I like to read everything she reads first, so I can make sure it's appropriate.) I bought the Lost World for her by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes author), and it's not right for her right now. I'll wait.

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know about several specials I have going with my businesses. My jelly, I am selling for $1.00 off if you order by December 1st. I only have a few jars left so get them fast!

I am also taking order for gourmet cookies and brownies for the upcoming Christmas entertaining schedules. Also, on the list is my locally famous Gingerbread loaves and mini loaves, lemon poppyseed mini muffins and whole wheat bread.

I have a Gold Medal Assortment box of cookies, brownies, gingerbread, and poppyseed muffins for $25.00 plus shipping (Priority shipment is strongly suggested for the freshest possible baked goods)

And last but not least head on over to my Watkins site at www.watkinsonline.com/edge and check out the Specials listed to the far right. I don't want anyone to be caught short on their gift plans or baking supplies, so get your orders in ASAP please.


**ETA: I can highly recommend the Cinnamon Cocoa from Watkins. It is extremely good, and much better than the Swiss Miss I usually buy at the store..

Chilly Day

Last night the wind was crazy! Pecans were falling off the tree and pinging off the window in the dining room. All night, all I could hear was the wind roaring. Woke up to a chilly room, and didn't get out of bed until after 10:00 am! Yes, I said 10! I was too cold to get out of the bed...finally did get up and get a fire started in the wood stove. The dog wouldn't even come out of the laundry room, where she sleeps at night. She was buried under her blanket, and when I called her, she looked out and stayed there.

Took Taylor to his golf class, and then headed to Walmart where we picked up several board games: Scrabble, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Monopoly, and Monopoly Jr. the Disney Channel Version. I also bought two decks of cards, Uno and Rook cards. I have been meaning to get these as part of my emergency preparations. When the power goes out or during the winter when we are stuck inside more, we will have games to play.

The kids and I came home and cleaned up a little, still needs a little work. I washed dishes, and made dinner (grilled cheese and soup with homemade pickles on the side). Started the fire going again, as it is in the low 40s tonight. The girls just got finished watching Shrek 3, and are dancing to the music from the movie. The fire looks very comforting. I like the living room at night. The curtains are down, the fire is going, and everything is winding down for the night.

Candi is coming for lunch tomorrow, and another friend is coming over in the evening. Topping that off, my sister drops her two hooligans off Saturday evening. We are watching them for a couple of days while she and her husband go to Vegas for their 10th anniversary.

Time to get the kids in bed.

My First Big Speaking Engagment

Tonight I had my first BIG speaking engagement. I have mainly talked to small groups, but tonight it was an unknown church. My friend Lorie, set it up for me. I was very nervous and prayed all the way to the church that God would give me the words to say. Well, I am proud to say that He must have, because I don't remember much. I do know they thought I was funny, and liked how I made the presentation interesting with my humor, and appreciated the tips I gave them on saving money.

I made a Powerpoint presentation and their media person connected it to the overhead projector, this helped me keep on track, and I tried to follow the outline. This worked really well, I had 45 minutes, and I used every minute of it, stopping right on time. The outline was perfectly time. Praise God! I took a stack of books, my Watkins catalog and samples, and a variety of different items that I produce and sell online and set up a table for everyone to look at. The point was to encourage them to think of things that they can do to bring in more money to help pay down their debt.

I hope I get more of these type of speaking engagements as I really want to make this a big part of my ministry.

I have set up a new website for this ministry, it is still under construction, but it is located at www.geocities.com/biblicallymanagemoney

I will be posting scriptures relating to money management, tips and resources, as well as, beginning a new four week bible study on how to manage your money....

Send me an email at biblicallymanagemoney@yahoo.com

Why I Homeschool....again.....

I just love finding others on the Internet that are in total sync with me. I couldn't have said it better myself....so here ya go.....another article on homeschooling for all those naysayers who give me a hard time.

I homeschool because my children were being failed by the school system-their grades, test scores and reading levels were insanely low-after homeschooling for ONE YEAR, they were brought up to 2 grade levels ABOVE their actual grade level.I homeschool because school violence is no joke where we live . Every day there is some type of violent act, most involving some type of weapon. Even where we live (a pretty nice, "rich" area) the drug problem in out of control. Call me crazy, but I have always been under the impression that we are supposed to protect our kids from, oh I dunno..being KILLED.I homeschool because I am able to provide my kids with more healthy and real-world based socialization activities-rather than have false socialization (sitting in a room with 30 other kids exactly the same age learning exactly the same thing), my kids are in the real world each day-volunteering with The Fire Station, the Civil Air Patrol, the Library, our church groups. Because my kids aren't bogged down with 8 wasted hours of "school" a day (seriously, do you know how much time class changes, answering "trouble-maker/ not-so-smart Johnny's" questions, transportation, movie watching and all the other non-education things that happen at school wastes?), they are have less anxiety and can more happily participate in becoming well rounded members of society.I homeschool because NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE cares about my kids and their success the way I do, and no teacher is going to go the distance to see them succeed that I will go.I homeschool because I can customize my kids learning....we can advance when they just 'get' something, and take more time when a concept is flying over their heads. No homeschooled child is EVER left behind. If something is boring to them, I can almost ALWAYS turn it into a field trip to ignite a spark of interest in them. My kids LOVE learning because of that. My kids aren't being taught political opinions as FACT either, as I was taught in public school.I homeschool because I have time to make sure my kids are getting what they need. With a teacher, your kid gets whatever is leftover from the 20-30 other kids in that class. When I teach my child, it is like having a private tutor...one-on-one attention ALL the time.I homeschool because even though some people may have earned a DEGREE, that does NOT make them good or well suited to teaching. Having a piece of paper does NOT make you good at something.In short.......I homeschool, because I can do it better than public school. And for anyone who disagrees, the proof is in the pudding-their test scores ALONE prove how good homeschool is, not to mention their higher self-esteem levels

Today's Sermon

I don't know if I have mentioned (I have a bad memory) that I attend a really small congregation. At the maximum we will have 40 in attendance on a good Sunday (meaning no one is sick, off doing mission work, out of town, on military manuevers, etc.) With Candi and Brian's recent joining, that has increased our membership by 5 (soon to be 6). Yeah!

If you want to read our Statement of faith go to www.geocities.com/fellowshipofbelievers

We are very close, especially since we are so small. We all attend each other's birthdays, Superbowl parties, etc. The other members have helped each other build storage sheds, they came out and tilled my garden one year, and walked my small town with me handing out flyers when I was running for city council. That's the kind of church we are...we try to be there for each other by watching each other's kids, sharing our food surpluses (the guys in the congregation got five hogs recently) and more.

We don't have our own building, and meet in one of the community centers in town. We only meet there on Sunday mornings. any other time we mostly meet at the Pastor's home, but have been known to meet at each other's homes for a variety of reasons (except mine, I live out of town).

Today's sermon started out in 1 Chronicles 29:1-5. In these scriptures King David is talking about the building of the temple (the church) and how everyone's contribution is needed. We also discussed worship, and how important it was to God. God is so worthy of our praise! Other verses to ponder: Psalm 9:1, Psalm 111:1, Psalm 138:1, Psalm 119:1-9, Psalm 63:1-5, Psalm 98:4, Jeremiah 33:10 and II Chronicales 29:27-30.

A couple of points to focus on are 1) wholeheartedly worship, 2) have an upright heart (Psalm 119) 3) worship is meant to be joyful, if you don't find it so, your "worshipper" is broken 4) what you are and what you do during the week prepares you for worship on the sabbath. You cannot worship on Sunday, if you aren't worshipping in some way during the week. It won't be true worship 5)What does God desire from each of us?

Prayer requests:

Voice of the Martyrs Christmas offering
Mrs. Workman's sister Brenda having surgery for thyroid cancer on Monday, please be in prayer.

*I will be speaking on responsible, biblical stewardship, and how to be debt free this week at a San Antonio church. Send me an email if you are interested in attending.

Saturday chores

Well, today my plan had been to hang around the house, declutter, clean and do laundry. That has been blown out of the water. A friend called and I am taking her my left over chick feed, she has three motherless chicks, then I am heading into town to go to the outdoor store or Cabela's to check out gun cabinets. We really need to get them up off the floor, and locked up.

I also need to stop by Dollar Tree, and look for some Christmas stickers for my Christmas newsletter to the family, and I need a mop, my last one bit the dust. I guess I mop too much.

The guys headed over to the Motocross track a couple of towns over. They want to take advantage of the still warm weather.

I had better get started, as I do need to get back and do my "fall cleaning". I don't like being surrounded by clutter, especially during the winter, when we are cooped up together for long periods of time.

Have a great weekend!

Another Soapbox Rant

Here is a link to another woman's blog....http://lora.keethfamily.com/?p=169

I am not familiar with her, and have only read this one entry, as it was posted on Brea's site (http://www.tinymama.blogspot.com/) (Brea is a friend of Candi's). I read her blog and relay the info to Candi, as Candi doesn't have internet access at this time.

Her article was interesting, and gave me something to really think about. I am of the opinion that her goals are well intentioned, and are very applicable to younger children, teens and young adults, but I wouldn't even try to coerce an adult child to bend to my will. Once your children are responsible adults I don't believe they are obliged to be under our authority. Our roles as mothers (and parents) are to equip our children to handle life, and their ability to be successful at this is a testament to your parenting.

My son is disabled, and I anticipate his living with us for the remainder of his life. We are currently building him a little apartment in the backyard to give him some semblance of independence. My greatest fear is that he won't be able to care for himself once we are dead, so I am trying to equip him to pay his own bills, clean up after himself, shop for his own clothes, cook, etc.

I would love my daughters to be able to stay home and be wives and mothers, and pray for this constantly and for their future husbands. My ten old claims she is going to be a doctor for women, and if that is the path God chooses for her then so be it. I can in no way replace God in their lives, and have no idea the plans he has for them. It may be to be a wife and mother, but then again it may not be. He does choose some for different ministries.

Brea's post also started me thinking on why I believe what I believe.....again. I discuss this often with friends, but I don't know that I have ever posted that here.....I will double check.

I Corinthians 15:33 "Don't be misled: bad company corrupts good character."

I struggle with the concept of having friends of all types and beliefs. I was raised to believe that you should choose your friends carefully. That it was more likely that your relationship with God would suffer, than you would influence un-Christian friends. I do have lots of friends, but most are Christians, I have two that aren't, but I know God placed them in my path for a reason, and I love them dearly. I don't believe in hitting people over the head with my Bible, but I do believe there is only one way to believe and only one way to heaven, and I won't apologize for that belief.

Maybe because I am older, and more firm in my convictions and KNOW what God says in His word is why I don't waver in this regard. I find it strange for people to boldly profess their "faith" in Christ, but in the same breath, or by the way they live their life proclaim quite the opposite. It gives Christians a very bad name. Maybe it is just they are baby Christians still? With the exception of Candi and Rebecca I am surrounded by baby christians who just don't get it. They are content at "playing" at being a Christian. This really frustrates me.

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I started researching denominations, especially Calvinism, as I was not entirely familiar with the theology. I do agree with most of what is listed in the wikipedia entry, but from what I could understand it stated that Calvinists believe that God already has chosen who can accept Christ. I don't agree with that, I believe all of humanity is capable of accepting Christ, and through free will they either do or don't.

Basically, I do believe in what is called the five solas (found under the non-denominational christianity entry). This is the first time I heard this exact term, but I knew the doctrine. I was brought up (to age 11 yrs) as an Independent Baptist, then we attended a Southern Baptist congregation until 5 years ago, when a group of us from our childhood church formed our own non-denominational congregation. I prefer to call myself a Christian, meaning that I profess a personal relationship in Christ, and I have evangelical, fundamentalist, Baptist leanings.

I would like to sum it up with the Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his onlybegotten Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
one holy Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Mike Pearl

ETA: I have done more reading and research on the Pearls since making this original post. And I just wanted to clarify that while I agree with this article, I in no way endorse all their articles. I am not going to even say teachings, as I don't know that I would agree with his beliefs. He has some wacked out theories. I consider myself a Bible scholar and my two of my spiritual gifts are wisdom and teaching, so believe I am able to discern for myself what God is telling me. I will keep on reading more about him and by him, but don't plan to advocate anyone take his concepts too seriously.
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Candi told me about the Pearls. They were at a church in San Antonio this week, and were interviewed because of their controversial child training ideas. I don't think they are controversial at all. I am sure it is just a matter of time until he is arrested for child abuse though, especially since the American Academy of Pediatrics advocates time outs instead of physical discipline, and everyone knows how the "government" types carry more weight than common sense. Give me a break! .....here is an article from the Pearls

A Whole Way of Life
By: Michael Pearl
The number of homeschoolers is rapidly increasing. Home-schooling is not just an alternative educational procedure; it is one of many expressions of a whole way of life.
It is the result of loving parents putting on the brakes and saying, “No” to this stampeding system of child-trampling New Agers. Our families will not be devoured and digested, becoming part of the feces of this carnivorous monster called public education, generated by the twisted minds of the morally ill.

As homeschooling parents, you have taken charge of your life to give God his rightful place in training your children. To teach biology in an environment that denies the Author of life is like eating an egg and denying the chicken. Such a process is stupefying—degrading to the intellect. To teach history apart from God is to praise the sculpture and deny the sculptor. To learn science and mathematics apart from the omnipotent God is to throw out the computer and do your computations with a roulette wheel. To teach children to read and then outlaw the reading of the only book written by the God called the Word is like giving a blind man sight and then outlawing seeing.

The public school expelled God from the class room, but when the immorality became a threat to personal satisfaction, as well as personal safety, they started talking about values. They will not get their values back any more than a man will get peaches from a tree he cut up for firewood.

We are not rebels; quite the opposite; we are just the minority who refuse to join a rebellion against God and the truth. We are taking our children to the tree of life growing beside the fountain of knowledge to be refreshed by the Author of life. We will not stoop for anything less. We will not compromise. We will not allow state testing to dictate our curriculum. They have made their position on God and morality clear. We are making our position clear. We will not attend their party, dance to their tune, or employ their fiddler.

How to be vigilant

This is my devotional for today...I have it here right now as a place holder until I have time to respond to it's questions....hope you enjoy it until I get to the responses.

HOW TO BE VIGILANT by Gail Rodgers**Do you want to be a great leader? http://mentodayonline.com/workplace/leader.htmlIn the noise and commotion of life it's easy to miss the still small voice within us. It is easy for our awareness of God to diminish in our busy schedules. It's easy to lose our observant eye and ear as we rush from one thing to the next! It is wise to stop and ask, "Am I being vigilant in my life?" A vigilant woman is watchful and alert. She is observant...with an eye to the future and is on guard for danger or pitfalls. A vigilant woman pays attention to the little things in her life and in her relationships. She is careful with her money knowing that the little things can add up to be big things. She is alert to the subtle slip in important relationships. A vigilant woman is wise in seeking to sow seeds of approval, appreciation, affection and attention. She takes the time to mend the small tears in the relationships around her, knowing this will make them stronger in the future. "Be very careful, then, how you walk ~ not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil"(Ephesians 5:15-16). As you walk through this day ask God to help you be observant to His still small voice nudging you. When you are attentive in your relationship with God He will help you grow to become more aware and vigilant in your life and relationships. ~Father God,I want to be a wise woman. I know I am not always as careful as I should be in how I walk and how I tend my relationships. Help me to be on guard against the slow erosion that can happen in relationships when I become too busy. Help me to see how my hurried life distracts from some of the most important tasks I have in building for the future. Remind me to make the most of the opportunities I have each day to build into the relationships with those I love. The days are evil, Lord...there is much to pull us away from each other and from You. Help me to be wise. Fill me with Your Spirit and help me to be watchful and alert as I guard my heart and my home. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, amen.Questions: What does "being vigilant" mean to you? Which areas in your life do you find this to be most difficult? How can we become more watchful and wise?

Monday

Well, I am totally off on my schedule....still. I used to be so proud of my schedule. What is that saying "Pride goeth before a fall"? If so, it is so true! I have only done two loads of laundry, and it is 9 p.m.! This morning, I was up early dropping the boy child off at college around 8:30 a.m., then heading to the bank to deposit the tithe checks, my credit union to deposit my checks for Watkins orders, and to do some other banking business.

I then headed over to Starbucks to meet my life insurance representative to sign some papers to increase our life insurance coverage. I feel better now, and much more ready to meet any life's hurdles that come at me.

The girls had a dental appointment at the local Mobile dental clinic. Yes, I said mobile! I just love that mobile clinic. Hannah, at 4 years old, had her first appointment today. No cavities! Yeah! She had her teeth cleaned, and sealants added. She did great! Lauren had one little tiny cavity, which they drilled, filled, then cleaned and sealed her teeth. Both done in an hour! I was so happy!

We then headed over to a neighbor's to check on "our daddy". He was taking down an aluminum and purling barn that we purchased from the neighbor. He is moving, and not taking it with him. We will be putting it up in the backyard to use for the chickens, goats, and a place to put the car in a storm. We took daddy and papa lunch, and then headed for the library and then the post office. We arrived home around 2 p.m. where Lauren started her schoolwork for the day. She just started On the Banks of Plum Creek this afternoon, and finished all the discussion questions for the three chapters she was assigned to read. (I'd like to add, I just asked her to read, she wanted to do the questions, which she finished around 9pm tonight. She often does "extra" stuff on her own time, which I find strange, and yet makes me proud of her.)
That is about all she was able to work on today, due to our appointments and such.

Tomorrow she will take her schoolwork to Candi's, as Candi will be watching the girls as I head to my own doctor's appointment. Having a few health problems lately that need some attention.

I also need to pay attention to my own schoolwork, as I missed an assignment that was due last week, and I have a few due this week. The end of the semester is coming up fast, and I have a couple of projects to get busy on.

*I just wanted to put a plug in for the Whitley Mobile Dental Clinic. They are great, as they travel to different schools, and communities to provide low cost dental services. They take Medicaid, CHIPs, and private insurance too. If anyone is interested in making an appointment, or checking to see if they will be in your area (Texas) you can contact them at 210-393-1287.
Here's a link to an article about the Mobile Dental Clinic http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2007/07/30/focus2.html?ana=from_rss

Lauren's Baptism Pictures

Below are pictures of my ten year old's baptism, that I wanted to share with my friends and family.



This is a picture of our pastor, Kelly praying over Lauren before baptizing her.

This pictures shows her coming up out of the water. Her dad took the picture. It was a beautiful day, in the high 80's, though the water was a little chilly, seeing that it was October. The water here is clear and pretty, and this is our favorite swimming hole in the summer.

Busy weekend....

it was a very busy weekend, and we ended up driving all over the place, though did manage to take the girls ice skating in town for a little break. The guys are working on the four-wheeler right now trying to get it running.

Tomorrow will be a busy day, I have appointments in town with the life insurance company, dentist and the doctor on Tuesday. I'm already tired and the days aren't even here yet.

Electrical Fire

We had an electrical fire this morning under the kitchen sink..apparently, rats, yes I said RATS ate through the wiring to the dishwasher casuing the cabinetry to catch fire, which melted the PVC pipes and caused a flood in the kitchen, which fortunately put out the electrical fire. We spent the morning carting soggy "stuff" outside, and drying off everything. My husband put DECON out everywhere in the attic, pantry, garage, and we have given strict instructions to our two cats that they really need to kill any rats or mice they see. This is only the second time we have been aware of rodents in the house in 15 years. The other night I thought there were squirrels having a keg party in the attic, but it was probably rats. Whenever it rains a lot here, the rat population increases, and spills over from the feed and seed across the street and into our house. I am worried that they will eat through more wires and burn the house down.

Since we will be replacing our brand new kitchen cabinets, with more new cabinets this weekend, checking wiring, plumbing, and such, my trip this weekend has been put on hold. I really need to get this rat problem taken care of....it just grosses me out!

I have been tossing out boxes, plastic bags, and stacks of junk today, since I am sure my storage of such things is a fire hazard plus draws the mice/rats.

*Please no ugly comments about killing rats, there is no good reason to keep a rat alive, they carry disease, and I frankly don't want my house burning down because of one. If you don't believe in killing rats, let me know, I'll catch them in a live trap and mail them to you.