Above Rubies Retreat

This past weekend I went to the Above Rubies retreat in Alabama. What a blessed time! I was a bit apprehensive going, not really knowing anybody, although I had met some ladies from last year's retreat that would be there this year. I also knew I'd be taking G since he still nurses and I figured he would have me chasing him about all weekend and that I'd be stressed and worried.

I carpooled with a lady that lives in my area, so the hour and a half it took to get there flew by. She had been there last year too, and it was nice getting to know one another. I roomed with a Marine wife, so that was fun! I saw many ladies I met last year and had the opportunity to get to know them better this year. But best of all I was able to be encouraged by Nancy's teachings. Even though I did chase around my little fellow a bit I was able to get from it what i knew I needed to hear. It was so encouraging and refreshing. And one of Nancy's daughters, Pearl, was there along with her 10 year old daughter, Meadow. Pearl and sister Serene have two CD's that you can purchsae through Above Rubies. They are the sweetest, most encouraging songs about motherhood (and you can order them through the Above Rubies site, and I HIGHLY recommend them!!!). Serene and Pearl used to be 'Considering Lily' (if you have ever heard of that Christian band). Well, since Serene wasn't there (they just adopted 4 children from Liberia), Pearl and Meadow sang. Can you picture it? This 10 year old girl singing with her mother. But, she wasn't only singing words, you could tell she meant what she was singing. Oh, it was such a beautiful site. She had the most beautiful voice! And if you know me, you know that I was trying to hold back those tears! I just kept thinking how I pray my daughter will have such a love for the Lord like that as she grows. And to watch mother and daughter. Little Meadow was massaging her mama's back, helping with her 14 month old sister. You could tell they had such a bond, a friendship. How I yearn to be my daughters friend, not just her mother. Sometimes I feel like I am just a dictator at times, saying, "Do this", or "Don't do that".

Part of Nancy's message was about Adam & Eve being made as one. Now I know this, but for some reason it really just struck me this weekend and I really needed to hear it. I am always quick to open my mouth about things, nagging and complaining about this and that. But this weekend as I listened to the word of the Lord through this wise woman of God it really hit home for me. I vowed to come home changed. Renewed. Keeping my mouth shut more often. Even if I don't agree with my husband on something, to stand by him, being one with him. I was tested even before I came home, let me tell you, and I succeeded, only because I relied upon the Lord for His strength.

G was so good! Friday night he ran around like crazy, but it wasn't stressful at all. The other days he seemed a bit calmer. But I really enjoyed him! Even though he was sometimes so busy I never lost my patience! I feel I had a chance to bond with him a bit more than usual, being just he and I. I was able to enjoy him and all his little antics. And he was so sweet. He has never been around babies. We don't really know many people around here with babies. But at the retreat there were babies. He would go up to them and call them "Nana". Don't know how he gets that out of the word baby! He would rub their head and smile at them, rub their belly. Oh, he was SO gentle, SO loving to these sweet little babies! It was so sweet to see (and it only reinforced my desire to have another). So, now that I know that my baby is cool with babies, bring it on Lord;)

A bit of paint and...

It's amazing what a bit of paint can do! My kitchen looks so different to me, with just a bit of paint! I am so glad to be rid of that ugly border at the top! The kitchen feels so much warmer and homier. Just thought I'd share!

Proverbs from the Mouths of Babes

Has anybody ever kept a journal of their children's sayings? I have been thinking lately alot about the things my dear children say. Some of the following can be heard at times:
"Mommy, when I get big I'm going to paint my living room orange."
"I'm a scherba."
"I want 4 girls and 1 boy. If I don't I will cry and pray to Jesus."

Not to mention all of the questions they ask:

"What does humble mean?"

"Did God made everything?"

"Mommy, can I marry you?"

So, I've been thinking how it would be neat to write down some of the things they say throughout the day. That way I can look back and laugh (especially at those times they're driving me bonkers), and it will be a great thing for them to read when they're older. Has anybody done anything like this or heard of anything like this? Not sure how good I will be at doing it...running to the notebook every time something cute comes out of their mouth, but it is worth a shot!

This 'N That

So, I've been playing around with my living room a bit. And you know what? It is finally exactly the way I want it! I absolutely love it! I bought new curtains last week (I haven't had curtains up in there in awhile because I didn't know what to do with the shape of my windows). Then I bought some new lamps. When asking Zach what he thought of the lamps he commented, "What are you trying to make this look like an officers house?" I simply want a nice home, not fancy, just nice, to my appeal to make a home for my family. After all, the lamps only came from Wal-Mart! Do officers shop there? I don't know!

(I have 3 long skinny windows hiding behind those panels which is why it took so long to find curtains I liked!) . And here is a closeup of my new lamp. It really goes with my living room!

Did I mention before about the quilts the ladies in Minnesota made? I've been wanting to take a picture of the munchkins with the quilts to mail along with a thank you. Here's a snapshot!

Aren't they adorable?

Yesterday I picked up a new book from the library called 'The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns' by Ann Budd. Looks very good (and modern, as most books were from the 60s or 70s). Lots of nice patterns I wouldn't mind trying to knit sometime!

Have you seen this article yet? It tells exactly how I have been feeling living down here on the Mississippi coast. I think we all feel like this down here. I may have seen it before, but it really struck me last night.

Last night I had all sorts of things running through my mind that I was going to blog about, but I could not get into blogger for the life of me and of course now I have forgotten.

My First Knitting Project!

This is my first official knitting job. I just LOVE knit dishcloths! My mom makes them for me, but now I think I can do it on my own! I'm hoping to learn to knit many other things. It really isn't that difficult! It is weird to see how popular knitting is nowadays.

H lost her first tooth today! 

Snow Much Fun!

Did you know there is 'snow' in Mobile, AL? My friend told me there was a snow park there, so we coordinated a trip to take our families! Yesterday was the day. Now, if you look at the pictures online it looks like a neat little thing to do. Considering we have no snow down here, I thought the kiddos would enjoy it. I did keep wondering to myself, though, why I was PAYING to play in snow!!! Who would think, growing up in Michigan, that you would go to a special place to play in snow!?! Not I! Anyway, it turned out to be a joke. There were two 'slides' to tube down and one little place with 'snow'. The people said it is because the weather has been milder, that it is difficult to keep the snow! I guess I can understand in a way, but the pictures make it seem much better than what it was. The kids still did have fun, as you can see by the pictures, but us adults were rolling our eyes. It wasn't a total wasted trip into Mobile though, since our friends from Pensacola had met us and we got to visit with them and enjoy a scrumptious meal together!


Here is G on his only trip down the 'hill'. I'm not too sure what he thought of it. There was no smile, but there were no tears either!

Here is H having a blast and smiling for the camera, as usual!

J was just chillin' in his tube!

Poetry

H has been wanting to read poems every morning after we do our Bible time. I came across this one and wanted to share it. I don't have too much else to post about anyways.

God Give Us Homes!

Homes where the Bible is honoured and taught;

Homes with the Spirit of Christ in their thought;

Homes that a likeness to heaven have caught.

God give us homes!

God give us homes!

Homes with the father in the priest-like employ;

Homes that are bright with a far-reaching joy;

Homes where no world-stain shall come to annoy.

God give us homes!

God give us homes!

Homes where the mother is queen-like in love;

Ruled in the fear of the Savior above;

Homes that to youth most inspiring shall prove.

God give us homes!

God give us homes!

Homes with the children to brighten the hours;

Budding and blooming like beautiful flowers;

Places of sunshine- sweet, sanctified bowers.

God give us homes!

By J.R. Clements

*Taken out of the book 'Verses of Virtue' from The Vision Forum.

I certainly hope someday my home can look like this!

Sometimes Sharing is NOT Caring

I know I've posted things like this before, but it really just angers me....
Yesterday I was sitting here at the computer and my neighbor came over with her two kids, ages 2 years and 6 weeks. No big deal, I don't know her well and it was a nice surprise. I haven't had somebody 'just drop in' since I've lived on base! Well, after about 3 minutes of her being here I realized both she and her 2 year old had colds. She kept coughing and her daughter had the nastiest nose. What could I say? "Get out of my house, you are sick!" I just kept sitting there praying we wouldn't get sick! Then H invited her for dinner! Boy, I felt real unhospitable, but I was thinking about all the germs that were already lingering in my home! I'd like to have her over, just last night wasn't good. So I made up some excuse about not sure what we're eating, and it being last minute. When she finally left I went around the house with the Clorox wipes and with my Sol-u-Guard and sprayed everything!!! This morning J's been coughing a bit, but I'm not sure if he could catch a cold that fast! Just praying we all stay healthy here...And wondering WHY people make an appearance when they are not in the best of health!
***UPDATE: Well, it must have been my imagination on J's coughing this morning, because all has been fine so far. I guess I'm just a big germ freak!

Nothing New...

Not much has been happening here lately, so I haven't really had anything to write about.

Larry flew back home on Friday. We had a nice visit and they did a lot of work on the house. I even got a new kitchen sink! I absolutely love it! My other sink wasn't very deep, so I went on the deep end and got an extra deep one! You can see it here. Now to paint the kitchen walls...

Since Larry left I figure I'd get G used to his bed. He would never sleep in a crib so I had taken that down sometime after Christmas. He has been sleeping in his bed for naps and doing real well. I can't believe he is big enough to do it, and I don't think H & J were as little as him when they went into their big kid beds. Then again, they didn't sleep with us either! Last night I put him in his bed for bed and he slept in it for like 2 hours. At least he is getting used to it! I can't believe how much he is growing. He feeds himself like a pro and makes less of a mess than his 3 year old brother!!! I guess when there are other siblings that need mommy's attention they learn to grow up a bit quicker.

On Sunday I took H and J to Awana for the first time. I said I'd help in Cubbies. This is the first time my children have been to anything of this nature. We don't go to Sunday School, we homeschool, etc. I wasn't sure what H would think and I had volunteered to help in J's class. J is in Cubbies. He was a bit clingy, saying, "Mommy, Mommy!". He isn't very good with changes though. I am hoping after a few times he will be more relaxed and I won't have to stay right by him! I don't want to make it a miserable experience for him though. He did seem to enjoy himself and he's even memorized a few verses! H came to find us after Sparks and she had a good time, chatting about it the whole way home. She seemed to do fine with my not being right there! She generally does good with new situations though.

We finally began school again this week. H was so excited to start! I told her Sunday night and she was practically dancing in her chair, asking what we were going to learn and if I was for real! That sure made me more enthusiastic to prepare her lessons. She does awesome in math. I hate math and I wasn't sure how it would go, but she sure is catching on to adding! She still tends to read words with sounding them out and if I ask her not to sound them out she doubts herself. Hopefully she'll get it soon! I even did some school with J. Once H was excited, he was too. Last night I hauled myself to the Dollar Tree and picked up a few books for him. As if I don't have enough workbooks around here, but these were only $1 and I figured he'd enjoy them. So, we've been working on shapes with him. This is all stuff that I did with H when she was way younger than he is now, but many things he catches on to when we do it (like colors and counting). It was nice to have some time to teach him too, and I'm sure he enjoyed the attention. So often I feel like he gets 'pushed aside' as I teach H and nurse G.

I have been knitting again and teaching a lot of it to myself. I did have a friend's daughter show me how to cast on, but otherwise I've been learning binding off and purling myself. My first project was supposed to be a dishcloth but was a bit messed up so I gave it to H & it worked for a Barbie blanket! I am attempting another dishcloth now. Hopefully I'm doing it all the right way!

That's a little update on us! Nothing exciting...

Fun & Learning in One!

Last week we took a trip to Mobile with a friend and went to the Exploreum. We had such a fun time! Here are some pictures of the kids having fun! First is H playing the harp. Only this harp had no strings, but if you move your hands it detects the movement of your hands and plays music. J is at the bottom of the slide in the room where you learn about poop! And G had a blast playing with the water!

Tagged Again

Amie tagged me for this meme, so here goes:

Four jobs you've had in your life:
1. Pizza Maker/Waitress
2. Burger flipper/ice cream designer
3. Bartender
4. Secretary

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Sarah Plain & Tall
2. Cheaper By the Dozen
3. Dying Young
4. The Polar Express

Four places you have lived:
1. Upper Michigan
2. North Dakota
3. North Carolina
4. Mississippi

Four TV shows you love to watch : (I don't watch TV much anymore, so I'm just saying 4 that have been my favorites at some point in time)
1. Full House
2. Beverly Hills 90210
3. Seventh Heaven
4. One Tree Hill

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Olympia, WA
2. Rapid City, SD
3. Winnipeg Canada
4. Myrtle Beach, SC

Four websites you visit daily: (I'm excluding blogs)
1. CNN
2. Allrecipes
3. Ebay
4. My Yahoo Groups

Four of your favorite foods:
1. Anything with Chocolate
2. Chicken Fajitas
3. Pepperoni Pizza
4. Baked Ziti

Four places you would rather be right now:
1. California visiting my best friend
2. North Carolina visiting friends
3. Michigan visiting family
4. In my bed napping next to my baby

Four bloggers you are tagging:
1. Bethany
2. Marisa
3. Bobbie Jo
4. Anybody else who wants to join in

North woods vs. South bayou

In the North woods you greet people by saying, 'Hey yous guys. How are ya?'
In the South bayou you greet people by saying, 'Hi there ya'll. How are ya'll doing, honey?'

In the North woods you spend your winters snowblowing, shoveling and sitting by the woodstove keeping warm.
In the South bayou you spend your winters outdoors, doing house repairs from the season's hurricanes. You also need to mow your lawn a few times and you've never seen snow so you can't even imagine what it is.

In the North woods you have to drive about three hours to go shopping. You call up your ma and say, 'Hey, I wanna go Green Bay. Wanna come?'. It takes you about 6 hours to drive there due to the snow drifts on the road.
In the South bayou you drive down the road to the local shopping mall when you get shopping fever. A road trip is reserved for when you need to evacuate during hurricane season.

In the North woods you see more snowmobiles that you soon dream about them.
In the South bayou you see more shrimp boats that you consider investing in the business.

In the North woods you are glued to the TV screen to keep track of the snow count.
In the South bayou you are glued to the TV screen to keep track of the latest tropical developments.

In the North woods fireworks are reserved for the 4th of July.
In the South bayou fireworks are seen all year long: 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, etc...

In the North woods 30 degrees seems warm to you.
In the South bayou 30 degrees is freezing and you are wearing the warmest coat you have.

In the North woods you grow icicles off of your mittens by the time you get indoors and you have to dry your boots by the heater.
In the South bayou you have never seen a pair of mittens (and have only heard of them in The Three Little Kittens story), and the only boots you own are cowboy boots.

In the North woods the only people racially different from you are the college students.
In the South bayou all of the people are racially different- you live in a mixed neighborhood.

In the North woods you've never seen a real train.
In the South bayou the trains wizz by you every 5 minutes.

This is just some of the differences between the North and the South. I could come up with many more but my computer time is over! Last night I laid awake for hours listening to the whole neighborhood go crazy lighting off fireworks and celebrating the New Year. I had never seen fireworks on New Year's until I moved to Mississippi! Strange land, this is. Happy New Year!