Protect our girls-

"Girls, like those on Toddlers & Tiaras, that are throwing tantrums, calling themselves divas, and saying to their mothers “I can do whatever I want” will grow up to be women who are brash, conceited, self-worshiping, and find value in their sexuality. They will be the queens and princesses on the throne of their heart, unless they let God become ruler of their hearts."

 Read the Full Article Here

Gardening

So we planted out garden beds over this past weekend. Hoping this last nights cold weather wasn't a bit too cold for the young plants. I know the seedlings will be fine, but the plants with leaves...hmmm I'm kinda worried about those. I don't think it dropped below freezing last night, but there was frost on Big Daddy's windshield this morning.
So here is what we planted:

Tomatoes (love them!!)
eggplant
cucumbers ( hoping to try out pickle makin' this year)
zucchini
strawberries
bush beans
lettuce
potatoes
carrots

And the girls got to pick out and plant a packet of flowers each:) I hope they make, they'll be so excited!

Speaking of growing things....my little fat baby is going to be 5 months old here shortly and I can't believe how big he's getting!!!!

Isn't that blanket cute! Russ' Aunt Sherry made that for John. I just love simple things like that when they're personalized:)

Ok, off to cut some grass! The weather is finally starting to look alot like spring around here!

1 for 2011

She watches over the affairs of her household
   and does not eat the bread of idleness. 

So this year I have a goal of seeing our family's routine go from sketchy to wonderful!
Its not that we have to be boring about it or stick to our routine and system like its law. But a good household routine and system for getting the things that need to be done in place helps make the rest of life more enjoyable.

I've been reading Large Family Logistics.
And its given me some really great tips and ideas! So Iv been trying to implement some new routines and home management techniques to keep things running smoothly around here. So far, the house is looking better then ever, I feel less stressed and the children are doing well with there routines also!
I highly recommend the book, even if you only have one child.

Another tool Iv found that I just love is Money Saving Mom's Daily Docket. Love it!!! You can customize the PDF file to fit your life and it has really helped me out big time!!

Too long, so much!

Wow has it really been since Thanksgiving that I updated here!!!

I really would love to have daily or at least weekly updates, but alas; homeschooling, caring for our home, and little Mr John Roy are much more important then the blog! Not that I wouldn't love to write and participate in all the neat blog carnivals and such. Have to keep the priorities straight though.

Here are a few pics that Iv been meaning to post though:

Happy Thanksgiving From our Family to yours!

We have so much to be Thankful for this year as with previous years, God is too good to us!

Sweet Blessings from God....

 Family....

 Good Men....

 Food to fill our tummy...

And Lots of Love....

Back to the Bible: Daily Devotional

Back to the Bible

Newest Addition has Arrived-

John Roy was born Oct 26th at 9:55pm. He weighed in at a healthy 8lbs 15 oz and 20 1/4 inches long.
We were blessed to have a all natural birth, no meds whatsoever! However we didn't do the home birth like planned. Although I'm not disappointed because God is good and his will is perfect, we labored and delivered our son at the birth center. And it was a water birth at that!!

I had a short birth, at only 3 1/2 of active labor and pushed for maybe 20 minutes. I'm writing up his birth story, but just like babies do, he takes up most of my time these days.

I'm so looking forward to this Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are having a simple yet meaningful Christmas this year and I have some crafts and recipes that I can't wait to share on the blog. Hopefully baby boy will stop eating long enough to let me post a few;)

More pictures to follow soon!

Lists, To Do's, Planning....

So I think instead of nesting in this pregnancy, I'm listing;)
I have this insatiable need to make al sorts of lists. Calenders, to do's, schedules, plans. But this is a good thing...well actually its a great thing! Because for me there is nothing more satisfying then marking off a item on my to do list!!
So although I don't have the urge to nest (just yet) I have a list of nesting items on my to do (in fact I have a 8 week schedule of tasks, it started today)and each item I get to mark off is so one more way I can prepare for Baby:)

One list I have and will be starting to check off is a freezer meal plan.
Here are some things that I will be cooking and freezing for after baby's arrival.
Seasoned taco meat
Meat Loaf
Chicken and Dumplings
Potato Soup
Mashed potatoes
Meat ball marinara
Chili
Chocolate chip cookies (for the holidays of course)
Banana nut bread
Blueberry muffins
Pancakes
Chocolate chip butterhorns
pie crusts (again for the holidays)
And I'm stocking up on things like frozen veggies, shredded cheese (it freezes great in small portions), canned items such as refried beans.
Anyway, that is just the start of my list, I "plan" on having a month worth of meals, plus some extras premade for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Oh yeah I'm also addressing Christmas cards this week!

Proverbs 19:14, says, "House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, BUT A PRUDENT WIFE IS FROM THE LORD."
Im sure Big Daddy will appreciate all the meal prep when baby is here, after all I know I'll be spending my time feeding baby and not cooking in the kitchen:)

Firsts....

Aw, by girl has lost her 1st tooth!!! She was scared at first but now she's excited to be like her older cousin Skylar who has also already lost a few of his baby teeth.

Randomness

Oh things have been a little hectic around here as of late. But I think its finally slowing down to a easier pace!
The last two weeks we have been dealing with the cleaning and repairing of our rental house in Dallas and that has kept me away from the computer:( I haven't been able to update on things like my pregnancy, our garden, our plans, or participate in the Completing Him Challenge. I'm two posts behind on that and I don't think I have the time to catch up, but I have been reading others posts and really enjoy it! I think its a great challenge though!

Now for a quick update and then its off to make eggs and bacon for breakfast!

Pregnancy is going wonderful! We have decided (and I may have already posted about this) to NOT find out what gender we are having! I think it will be a grand surprise and one of life's more memorable moments:) Although we still would LOVE to have a son, if the Lord has decided on a 3rd daughter for our family then we will gladly accept her and be ever so grateful for her:)

I'm so disappointed in our garden this year:( Between a late freeze (okay maybe we just planted a week too early) and major heat, then some serious rainfall (7 inches in 1 day!) our poor garden just couldn't take it! But every year we plant and every year we learn new things. This year we learned that if you plant wheat you must harvest it when you your suppose to, or else it will rain and your wheat will mold and all your effort will be for not!

Oh yeah, we're not getting a ultrasound done either. Unless something comes up that would indicate we need to further investigate by getting a u/s done. Im so excited to meet this little one this fall!!!

Because I'm an over achiever in the planning department, I'm thinking about things I can do to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. See I'm suddenly struck by the thought that I will have a newborn who will be just a few weeks old at Thanksgiving and then maybe 6-8 weeks old at Christmas! Wow that alot to take during the holidays. And because I love that time of year I do still want to to enjoy it and have my family enjoy it despite any sleep deprivation I may be experiencing. So I'm putting together a list of things I can do in the next few months to make it easier. One thing is obvious...freezer cooking and baking. Cookies, fudge, quick breads, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. If I have these things on hand, I can mange a bird or ham and not feel over whelmed in the kitchen. And we have also decided to opt out of any Christmas gift exchanged, really we won't have the money and I don't know how many of those family gatherings we will be attending. But I know I will be purchasing stocking stuffers ahead of time also.

Lastly some of my favorite newly discovered spots on the internet.
Money Saving Mom
Women Living Well

And one of my newest faves-Raising Homemakers! Which is a subject near and dear to my heart!

Okay well that is all for now. Hhmmm maybe a picture is in order to round this post out?

Oh my sweetheart, how I LOVE him!!!! He's not aiming at anything living;) Just target practicing in our backyard:)