Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Loving the Sunshine

Well the past few days have been beautiful!  The sun has been out most of the day, and I have been able to hang laundry out on the line.  I always forget how much I love hanging clothes out until I do it.  So, since the sun has been out lately, I have been taking advantage of drying our clothes for free.  Plus, I am able to have a little quiet time with God.  Yesterday, I was giving thanks to God that I had clothes to hang out to dry.  I also gave thanks to God that I had 11 other people to be doing laundry for.  I can not promise that tomorrow I will be as thrilled, but I was yesterday as well as today.

Today, we put up some wire to try to keep in the goats.  We shall have to wait and see if it works.  The fencing we bought needed to be a foot or two taller, but we needed to get something at the time.  Oh well, live and learn right?  Our next goat project will be to build a shelter for the goats and then a pen for the mamas and their babies when we breed them.

Tomorrow we are going to go and pick up some hay.  Just a few bales for now until we are able to buy more.  It seems like we are having to do quite a bit of buying a little here and there.  Times are tough for so many people, and it just kills me.  This is when I wish I was rich so I could help others in need, but we are not meant to be rich financially.  We are rich in another way.  God has blessed us with our beautiful children, and even though we have our rough times...I wouldn't trade any of it for anything! I will just keep trying to do God's will and help my husband and children reach Heaven.

God bless you all.



















Thursday, August 18, 2011

August 18, 2011

I think that everyday I will post a little something just to keep the blog moving along.

I am sure I have mentioned it before, but Frugal Families is a wonderful board to belong to.  There is a little fee of $10, but it is well worth it.  Plus within reading a few threads you will have learned how to save more than the $10 you spent to join.  Not to mention the fact that the women there are simply wonderful.  They are encouraging and inspiring.

We now have some Oberhasli goats.  They are just so beautiful and very loving.  The family that we bought them from are also beautiful.  Because of this wonderful family we now have fresh raw goat milk.  What a blessing this has been for our family as we have several children that can not have any dairy from a cow. Although, I do enjoy raw cow milk it has been easier to take care of the goats.  I think due to the fact that they are not as big as a dairy cow or eat as much plays into my way of thinking.  Plus, I like having a smaller dairy animal since we have several small children.  With a cow, although it would be tame, it could still accidentally hurt of one of the little ones more than a goat would.

Speaking of goats...it is time to milk.

God bless you all.
















New School Year

Well, it is that time of year of new books, pencils, paper, erasers, crayons, and the list goes on. 

I must admit that I have an addiction to buying school supplies.  I just can't help myself.  Okay, I take that back.  I can help myself, but I choose not to!  So, this year I decided I would force myself not to purchase anything other than a math book.  I can not believe it, but I actually did it!  I am using up what I have and I have to say so far so good.  This of course makes hubby happy, as he is well aware of my new book smell addiction.

I am printing out books from The Robinson Curriculum that I purchased many years ago.  This is another little something that has hubby in a good mood.  The only thing I will need to purchase later on this year will be more toner, but hubby is more than happy with that. 

This year we have four children schooling, and it is going quite well.  I really can not complain as the kids are working with me.  We have decided to be more practical and simplify our homeschooling.  So far so good.  Now don't get me wrong I am perfectly aware that we will have our bad days, but making things simple, well it can only help.  Instead of having four different History or Science books we are combining them into just one class for all of the children.  No more of trying to do what the school district does.  No sir, we are going to be a one room school house and we will have more learning going on.

There has been less fighting and distracting going on since we made this decision.  Not to mention that it is easier on the younger children as well.  We have five that are five down to 2.5 months.  I wish I would have done this years ago instead of trying to have the kids doing everything and anything just because society said it was necessary.  Ha!  Homeschooling can be fun as well as educational!

May God bless you all.











Friday, July 29, 2011

Bot Fly Larva

Well, one of the kittens had, what we thought was a puncture wound, a bot fly larva in its back.  I was so disgusted, and I must admit that I still am.  I told my hubby that I didn't know if I would ever be able to get over it. 

Here is a video that found about a woman that had a bot fly in her head.  It is not for those with weak stomachs.  It is pretty nasty, but she has a bit of educational information in this video as well.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

First Sunday of Lent

We did it!  We survived the 1st partial week of Lent.  It has been difficult, but as I continued to pray it became a bit easier.  Thanks be to God for those graces.  I don't think I could have made it if He wasn't helping me along.

I ran across a site that I haven't been to in a very long time the other day, and I found this letter to be one of the things I needed to hear.  Laines Letters is a nice little site.  The owner seems to be such a sweet and compassionate woman.  I found after reading their story of how they paid off their mortgage that I was lacking in my faith in God.  Sure, I believe and I thought I trusted Him, but after reading this...I realize that I have really failed in that department.  I cried when I saw the truth of the matter, but then I prayed to God and poured my heart out.  I realized that I am not living my vocation as God wants me to be.  So, this is one of the things that I am working on for Lent this year.  I pray that God will send all the graces I need to get through everything that comes my way. 

On another note, we are trying to start a garden.  It is frustrating and funny at the same time.  See, the younger 3 girls are sort of causing a bit of trouble.  The oldest one, of these garden destroyers, is over watering.  I don't mean just a little bit of too much water...no I mean that there is at least 2 inches of water in the containers.  Next, her younger co-conspirators are always digging into the dirt.  The youngest one for some strange reason likes to rub the dirt onto her face.  So, hubby and I are going to have to figure something out.  We really need the little pots to stay where they are because the spot we have them in has the most sun.  It looks like the mean garden mommy is going to have lay down the law!  I am sure we can figure something out, but we need to do it quickly, as time is running out!

I hope that you all have a wonderful and blessed day.  God bless.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Lent

Today is 3rd day of Lent.  I wasn't sure what I was going to give up this year, but then my wonderful husband of 19 years reminded me that I can add something extra.

So, I have added a couple of prayers, and some religious reading.

It seems to be going well, but our Lent started off with a bang.  It was such a painful Ash Wednesday, but I had been telling God that I wanted to have a good Lent this year.  My heart still aches, but I am embracing this Cross and holding onto it for dear life.  I do not know where it is going to go or how it will end, but I am turning it over to Christ because I know that I can not deal with this on my own.  I have realized that I need to trust in God completely, I must let go of everything and leave it all in His hands.  In my own hands...it is nothing, but I know that in His hands He will fix it all and it will be something beautiful.

May God bless you, and may you have a blessed Lent.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Girls Girls Girls

We have 5 beautiful daughters that we love dearly, and 4 handsome boys.  What more could parents ask for?

 Well, we are being blessed again, and I have to say that the estrogen is pulling further ahead!  We found out that our newest blessing is a little girl.  We are all so thrilled, although the boys have plans to catch up one way or another.

It is just amazing that we are going to have 5 little girls in a row.  We were surprised, but happy just the same.  It doesn't matter if we have a boy or a girl.  A baby will be just fine thank you very much.

God is good and he has blessed us again.  I couldn't be any happier.