I thought I’d share this little video of Matthew. He’s been really sucking on his fist a lot lately, so I captured the memory. 🙂
Thanks for reading and watching!
So, have you ever had one of those days? The kind where it doesn’t just rain, it pours? The kind where the dog bites and the bee stings and singing about your favorite things just doesn’t happen? In fact, who ever sang after they were bitten by a dog or stung by a bee anyway? Yeah, only in Hollywood! 🙂
I’m a home schooling Mom. I have five children. I have had several of “those” days this week and I’ve decided to take a break for a little levity. I have to laugh, or I’ll cry! They say that laughter is the best medicine, so in that spirit, I want to lighten some hearts today. Whether you are having a great day, or a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, I hope the following cartoon makes you laugh – or at least smile – even if it’s just a little. (Cartoon by Todd Wilson – Family Man Ministries)
Keep smiling! 🙂
This is a recipe that my Mom has made for years. I have loved making it for my family, as well. It is fast and easy to prepare, and it’s delicious!
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (I use boneless/skinless)
1 cup rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 packet dry onion soup mix
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Mix rice and soups together in a bowl and pour into dish, spreading evenly. Place chicken breasts on top of rice mixture. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix on top of chicken. Cover with foil and bake for 2-2 1/2 hours.
Enjoy this on a busy day, or any day! 🙂
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
It seems that I awaken each day with so many things on my mind. I have work to do, children to teach and train, a husband to love and cherish, and the list goes on. I also have others’ needs on my mind. I think about my church family, and their needs both physically and spiritually. There are those who are sick, and those who need to know the Lord or serve Him and live for Him more. I do my best to begin my day at the feet of my Saviour. I need His help to carry the load and to do the work.
Some days, I’m more overwhelmed than others. Today is one such day. I rose and came to my special place, and the Lord was here, waiting for me. He reminded me that in the midst of life’s busy-ness and turmoil, He knows me, and He is there for me to run to. A “strong hold” is a fortified place – a place of safety. I’m so thankful that the Lord – the Creator of this universe – knows me, the sinner that I am! I’m so unworthy and yet, I’m so happy that I can run to Him and be protected. I can receive the help I need to bare the burdens of life by entering His “strong hold”. And, when He sees me there, He knows that I’m right where I belong.
Thankful to be His child,
Here are a few snapshots I wanted to share. My blog is a diverse collection of my life – homeschooling, devotions, happenings, recipes – and it’s also a great scrapbook! 🙂 Thanks for indulging me, and reading, even when the posts are only of interest to the few of you out there who are related to me. 🙂
The first few pictures are of Laci *trying* to hold Matthew. As you can see, it starts out okay, but gradually gets worse…
Contentment…*sigh* it’s something I am constantly working on. It takes effort to be content – to be satisfied with my life. There are problems in my life that I have no control over, but I have recently noticed that many of my “problems” are not problems at all, but merely a matter of discontentment. When I start to get my eyes off of the Lord and on others, I begin to do something very unwise, according to 2 Corinthians 10:12. I begin to compare myself to them! Others have nicer homes, better possessions, or more possessions, better cars, more money, larger ministries, blah, blah, blah. Comparing my own personality, possessions or circumstances to others’ causes me to become one miserable lady. And, as the saying goes, “When mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” My spirit greatly effects the spirit of my home. My spirit also effects my church family. When I am down in the dumps, they are too. When I start looking around at the faults in my fellow believers, I am not happy. I start becoming critical. This is a bad thing.
The fact is, God gave me the abilities and personality that I have because He wanted me this way. He made others the way they are for a reason. He has given me all that I possess, and likewise, He’s given others their possessions because He is sovereign and He knows what is best for me and for them. I guess I’m saying that contentment is a choice.
Now, it’s true. I am discontented with some things in my life that I can change. I am working on those. I am trying to walk closer to the Lord, control my thoughts and tongue more, save money, be more organized and lose weight. These are areas I can work to improve. I cannot, however, change others. I cannot change my personality. I cannot change my past. These are things that are beyond me – way beyond me.
Here are a few verses that have been a blessing to me as I choose to be content.
Phil. 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
1 Tim. 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1 Tim.6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
Heb. 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Rom. 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
I find that a spirit of discontentment creeps up unawares at times. I am trying to stay on guard against it.
I’m still working on saving money here at the Basham hacienda. Before I began taking medication for my PPD, I was really getting hysterical about pinching pennies. I mean, I was really nervous about it! I lost sleep over whether or not my efforts at cooking from scratch would pay off – pun intended. I was also stressing out about it because I was busier than ever with a nursing infant and four children to home school. I didn’t have much time to bake and cook if I was stuck in a chair nursing my baby. This made nursing seem like a time eating chore, instead of a special time with my baby. I’ve gone back to using mixes and convenience foods for the time being – Terry said this wasn’t the time to become a pioneer woman! lol I needed to get well and get Matthew on a schedule before I spent hours baking and cooking from scratch. I agreed. I’ve also suspended my weight loss efforts for the time being. Once again, I need to get well first. (I am continuing to try to eat right and exercise though!)
I am starting to really turn the corner emotionally. It is SUCH a blessing! There hasn’t been a day go by since starting my medication that I haven’t thanked the Lord for doctors and modern medicine. Matthew is finally getting on a regular schedule, and I’m feeling like taking on my work without a panic attack. 🙂
One job I’ve been wanting to tackle for some time is making laundry detergent. I spend a lot of money on this each year and I felt that this would really save us some money. So, I fianlly made some! It really wasn’t that difficult and only took me about 30 minutes. I used the recipe from the Duggar family’s book,The Duggars: 20 and Counting!: Raising One of America’s Largest Families–How they Do It
Ingredients:
4 cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (not detergent, but sodium carbonate)
1/2 cup Borax
You will also need an empty five gallon bucket, with lid, and an empty and clean liquid laundry soap container.
This past summer, I decided to do my own summer reading program with the kids. For each book they read, or had read to them, I made a butterfly to put up around the ceiling of our school room. Okay, I didn’t “make” the actual butterflies, I bought some die cuts at a bookstore and wrote the title, author, and the name of the child who read, or listened to, the book on it and then taped it on the wall. Lauren and Mitchell read their own books and I read aloud to Leslie and Laci. We finally made it around the room about a month ago. (Sorry for not posting this sooner!)
Below are the photos from around the room!
We have a grand total of 93 butterflies fluttering around our school room! We would have had even more, but I didn’t buy enough! We are now doing the Pizza Hut Book It program, another great incentive to get kids reading. Of course, reading is its own reward, but it doesn’t hurt to add more to it. We need to take the butterflies down now that autumn is here, but we enjoy the color they add to our room so much, we hate to do it!
I can’t believe summer is already over! It’s been a wonderful summer of reading many wonderful books.
On September 19, our church celebrated 36 years of Gospel ministry in our town! What a blessing! My husband invited Bro. Austin Missey, the church’s pastor from 1992-2007, to come and preach to us all day. We also had a wonderful meal at church and some great fellowship. Folks came from all around the city to hear Bro. Missey. He is very well known in our area as being a loving and hard working man. We are blessed to follow in his footsteps. I thought I’d share a couple of photos of the day. I apologize for not taking more pictures, but photography had to take second to looking after my five kiddos during a very busy Sunday! 🙂
valeriewritenow.com 