catching up and rambling on...

I keep thinking that having a blog is such a great way to keep friends and family up to date with what is going in our crazy lives, then I look and see that a whole month has past since I last posted igg! I have many post started (ok some are just in my head but still I have thought through them and have the pictures!) just finding the time to sit down doesn't seem to happen. Now I'm thinking do I have to schedule blogging time too? My life seems to be so scheduled already. Is that good or bad?? I am flexible and will drop things in a moment to take care of surprises or help but maybe this isn't the priority I thought it would be?? Hmmm, I love being able to look back and see what the kiddos have been doing (how quickly I forget). But is it worth the time?? I think it is a priority and I need to pray and seek guidance on if it is worth making it a scheduled priority...

Is it wrong to kiss the Fed Ex guy?

I'm not sayin' I did exactly, I'm just askin'. Really, what is a woman to do when the "box man" as the kids and I like to refer to him, comes to your door bearing a VITAMIX!! Finally, finally I was so stinking excited I was jumping up and down. The kids and I even made up a song to go with it :). I must go and finish watching my DVD so I can start grinding-yeah!

An invitation to dinner

So Brilynn is shaking the rugs, I am sweeping the dinning room, Haven is putting the silver wear away, and Gabriel is.... I thought I would die when I looked over to see him picking the dishes up like this to PUT THEM AWAY! The following words came out of our mouths: Me "Gabriel what in the world are you doing?!" Gabriel (cool as a cucumber) "Putting away dishes like you said". Me "Gabriel we are all.." Gabriel "I know Mom "going to die of germs" but isn't this cool, I don't have to get down to get each plate". Me "Stop that right now, those all have to be rewashed!" Gabriel "I know". (Insert a two second delay) Me "Wait, stop, let me get a picture of that" (I just knew, everyone, especially the friends and family who "used" to come over for a meal would want to see how we do chores). Click, click, click. "Ok that is disgusting, get down and put them away the correct way and make sure to rewash the toe plates". Gabriel "ok Mom but it is pretty cool" Me "Yes, son, it really is cool, sometimes your talents are just too much for me".
We are having cheesy baked lentils tonight if anyone would like to stop by...

azure standards

We got our first shipment from Azure Standard yesterday. I am so excited. I found non GMO corn! And sucanat (yummy) and cane sugar, raw almonds, tapioca and potato flour.

THEN (drum roll please) I FINALLY ordered my Vitamix grain mill. I am sooooo stinkin excited to get my grain mill FINALLY (ok its not here yet but I'm dreaming). Now when I run out of flour I can grind my own!! So very very much healthier and cheaper-yay. Six years ago, I could never have imagined writing that sentence. Of course, I could not have imagined baking my our gluten free bread, eating mostly whole foods, or never opening another package of prepared chemicals err I mean snacks. How time and research (and celiacs ) can change a mama. Now when I walk through the store I literally feel sad when I see little kids begging for (and worse getting) those "snacks". It is an uncanny blessing that my kids never (and I do mean never) ask for any of the things I would have to tell them no to anyhow (oh the blessing of celiacs disease).

God's ways are not our ways...

salmonie fun

We had a wonderful day at Salamonie yesterday. It was snowy and beautiful. We learned about health and saftey outside:)

coop

Coop began again on Monday. Gabriel is taking Weather Wonders, the girls are taking Pet Pals and all three kids are in Five in a Row with me :) This week we read the book Three Names, had some activies one of which was playing marbles. The kids have enjoyed playing marbles all week.

Even Haven has been getting the hang of it while I have been getting the hang of dancing on marbles.

Cast is off

Haven got her cast off Friday-yay! I didn't realize that her arm would be sore and stiff (duh). Any tiny bump and she was crying (and yes I did take her diretly to the nearest frozen yogurt shop). In less than an hour, I was wishing the cast was still on. God is gracious and gave us a beautiful day and my more beautiful friend Krista, asked us to go to the park with her. It took Haven about three minutes to get so into playing that she forgot about her arm. She worked out the stiffness without even noticing it. It truely was God's timing, as we live in Indiana so Saturday was absolutely freezing.

Eagle Release

We were blessed to be able to see an eagle release on Sunday. Lynanne from Salamonie along with other volunteers have been rehabilitatin a juveline bald eagle.

They have been working with "Mosie" for the past year. He was found with a broken wing. This was an emotional time for the volunteers.



There was a round of cheering for him once he took off.

winter fun

We spent saturday afternoon sledding. We had so much fun, before the afternoon was over Haven was going down the hill by herself. We were frozen so of course, we had to end the fun with hot cocoa and cookies in the van on the way home.

You know you live in the country when..

You know you live in the country when you send your kids out to play in the snow while you cook dinner, you look out the window to check on them and this is what you see.

Wonderful Pappa had been moving hay bales and ended up taking the kiddos sledding behind the tractor! I just love this country life (not to mention, I relish time alone in the kitchen, I even whipped up a dessert, I was so excited). There's nothing like a warm meal, yummy dessert, followed by a testimony "when I was a kid, I had to actually walk up a hill (true story I swear!) to go sledding...

Eagle Watch

My sweet red-nosed kiddos

You can't see from this picture but we were able to view several eagles on this "island" of trees-amazing.

We went to an early (5:30 am. eek!) bald eagle watch this past Saturday. After the trauma of leaving so early (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I stayed out until 1:02 at a booksale/dinner with a couple of my favorite girlfriends...)we had a wonderful time. It is so amazing to see these majestic creatures sitting on their aeries (aka nests) getting ready to head out for a day of hunting. (I have to wonder what they were thinking about the crazy humans with the red noses staring at them). This is one of my favorite ways to teach the kids about God's greatness-being in nature (though not always at 5:30 in the morning).

Our dear friend, Ms. Chris who was also at the eagle watch, invited us to visit her audubon group, last night. I was so excited. I had been praying for a way to work birding into our schooling for a couple of years now and just couldn't seem to do it (seeing that this is something I know little about makes it even more daunting). We had a great time. Their speaker happened to be a gentlemen that had led a birding expedition we went to last fall so the kids had that connection and the group made my kids feel very welcome and invited us back for their meeting next month. God is so good (read: never quite praying).

science and creation

We have started our new science curriculum, 106 Days of Creation by Charlotte Mason. We love it! The kids are each creating their own Creation Notebook (that they are so proud of!). Each lesson we read from the Bible and the kids will narrate, or draw, complete an experiment or do a combination of . This experiment on the atmosphere really cool. We took a candle, a bowl with colored water and a jar to demonstrate how the flame uses up the oxygen gas in the jar, the water level will rise to replace the oxygen. When all the oxygen has been used up leaving only nitrogen, the flame will go out (every single time, trust me we did it several times, did I mention really cool).

Firsts...

After four kids, here is a new first, our first broken bone. It was very traumatic (for both of us) but after getting it cast, she has been very proud of it.

Haven and her beloved Pap.pa

Haven and sis

The most important...

I had to add one last post with a picture of our tree. This is where Gabriel and Brilynn prayed the sinners prayer to receive Christ as their personal savior on Wednesday December 21st. Such a special, wonderful evening as we were getting ready to sleep by the tree, an innocent comment started the best, most important conversation that led to Gabriel and Briley taking the most important of steps. This was our bestest Christmas ever!

Recycling

Brilynn and "Lovey Dove" her Heritage Girl doll. We went to the recycling plant in Wabash for a field trip with Heritage Girls. I never knew a recycling plant could be so interesting! Who knew that clothes are made out of recycled plastics!(not to mention flooring, ceiling tiles, counter tops...) Well, we are now on the recycling wagon ;O) Actually, it fits well with our present lifestyle, I'm not really sure why we haven't been doing it all along. We make our our cleaners, we compost, watch our electrical use (ok so that one is for the financial benefits) why not recycle too?? So we are.

12 Days..gifts

Here they are with their epiphany gifts. Banks to keep their "gold", bath bubbles for their "myrrh" and a snugglie to snuggle in as they read their personal devotions (frankincense). This was a wonderful Christmas. I think, in part, to the preplannng and wonderful organization! ;O) Because, I wasn't scattered here in there running like crazy, I had time to really focus on family and Christ. It really helped me to see that what some people view as over organizing/planning really is a gift. Actually, I have already started my planning book for next Christmas. I think I may just keep this spirit going all year, we will see....

Twelve Days of Chirstmas

We officially finished Christmas :o) with an Epiphany party. We had been learning the meaning behind the song and celebrated with a cake and a few presents. That song, lead to some really great Bible study with the kids, not to mention that we finally know the song by heart in the correct order!

Minnetrista

We went to the luminary walk at Minnetrista in Muncie. It was beautiful. We got to see an outdoor play of the Nutcracker, there were a lot of fun things for the kids to do and the houses were so so very lovely. I want to have tea with the girls at this house!

Elfie continues

Elfie found his way to the ceiling fan, the presents Christmas morning and into the gingerbread house! We decided to recycle the house so we took the candy off, filled it with birdseed and set it outside.

The adventures of Elfie continues

Elfie got into the cookies, took the helicoptor for a spin, got into the advent boxes and got caught in the sugar cubes for our openhouse. You just never know where you might find him! Here is Briley wrapping presents for Operation Christmas Elf.

Our new friend "Elfie"

We have a new Christmas friend, his name is Elfie. He randomly showed up the night after Brilynn helped out with Operation Christmas Elf through American Heritage Girls club (have I mentioned how very much I love that group??). We got home and there he was sticking out of my camera bag hmm....Anyway, he has spent the Christmas season with us. He is a fun but mischievious little fellow (which has really helped us learn about manners and how to act in other people's homes :o) ). We have found him making elf angles in our rice, sleeping in our kleenex box, hanging on a tree at Salamonie, and sitting on a jug of green milk! These are just some of his tricks, I hope to post some more