Wow! This blog is so far behind in posts, it is impossible to catch up! To attempt at least a modest shot, I'll share some highlights. We had our 2nd baby girl on May 7th 2017, Her name is Bethany Marie and she arrived 5.5 weeks early and weighed a slight 5 pounds. She was born quickly and unexpectedly into her Daddy's hands in our hospital room's restroom. This newest addition makes our family size a nice round 10. Her now 19 year old sister was over the moon in love with her baby sister. Here are a couple of recent pics of us! I will be adding more posts each week.
Hi! I am actually still alive! I have been gone for 2+ years and thanks to encouragement from my good friend, Eloise and my new "friend" Jennifer Fulwiler, I am back. I can't believe it's been so long!!
I have missed reading all the wonderful inspiring blogs and I have missed posting. I really needed some guidelines to follow to ensure my blog was uplifting and a blessing to others and a true reflection of my life. I feel like I now have those guidelines after hearing Jennifer Fulwiler speak at the Midwest Catholic Family Conference this past weekend. The guidelines are actually based on the writings of St. Francis de Sales' book, Introduction to a Devout Life. I need to dig up my copy and keep it close to my computer!
Life has been full of ups and downs over the past few years. My baby, Greg is now 3! I have a man child, Noah, rocking an Amish beard at 19
,
a 17 year old soon to be partially deaf son, Jonah who enjoys blasting out his eardrums,
a budding almost 15 year old artist, Hannah (holding a relative's baby),
a 12 year old thinker, Eli and my 2 Rock em Sock em Robots, Benny (9) and Charlie(7).
As always, I'm still trying to figure things out and I am learning a little bit too....although that seems to have slowed lately. I am navigating through peri-menopause, let me tell you, if you want excitement, that is IT. Wow! I never know if I am happy, sad, mad, or just forgetful....usually it's a combo deal.
My goal is to get back on track and see if I can remember how to blog and I promise I will post regularly!
Outside: Too hot! My poor rose bush made it all the way through the summer....but it's really struggling with this last little bout of heat.
School: We are on our 2nd week and I think we are finding our groove. In all honesty, I couldn't imagine life any other way with my kids at home learning and me learning right along side them. I hated history in school, but am really loving the way it's laid out in The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. I use these with Hannah, Eli, Benny, and Charlie. Another favorite for Benny and Charlie is the Draw Write Now series of printing and drawing lessons. We enjoy the simple and easy illustrations and I am amazed at how well the kids' drawings turn out. So much fun! I could go on and on about other titles, but will stop for today;) As always, Math is my nemesis....especially high school math! Fortunately, Don is much better. We have also hired a tutor to help Noah occasionally when we all get stuck.
Crafting: I have been so frustrated with my unorganized overstuffed page protector bursting with all my recipes. I didn't want to spend much, so I took a 25 cent binder...(gotta love those back to school sales!!) and I printed out some free printable recipe cards,
grabbed some leftover page protectors from my CGS binder and made my own custom recipe organizer.
Not as cute as the $20 versions, but I am thrilled with the end result....and so is my kitchen!
In the Kitchen: trying to keep cool. We've been making lots of crock pot recipes, BBQ Chicken, Chicken and Rice, and Breakfast Casserole. Goodness, we have been making egg dishes at least twice a week. For Hannah's birthday party, she and her friends made pudding parfaits complete with whipped cream.
Don's brother, David just opened a new restaurant at Harry and Webb. It's honest to goodness homemade tasting comfort food....and I'm not just biased;) Tuesday and Thursday nights kids eat for .99 cents. They have the best Chicken Fried Steak I have EVER had...and the prices are reasonable.Checkout the menu on their Facebook page.
The kids with Uncle David at Curly's
Summer Fun:Hannah, Jonah, and Eli took Hook a Kid on Golf summer camp. They really had a great time, but didn't ever get to play a round because of all the rain. It's a really great program!
What I'm Reading:No Turning Back A Witness to Mercy by Fr. Donald Calloway. It's a true conversion story. I struggled through the first 10 chapters in absolute disgust, but the remaining chapters of the book really inspired and floored me. You can do a google search and find videos about the story.
I am also reading Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Father Jacques Philippe that I borrowed from my brother, Doug. Reading this book just gives me peace....I know it sounds so cliche, but let me give you an example,..."Consider the surface of a lake, above which the sun is shining. If the surface of the lake is peaceful and tranquil, the sun will be reflected in this lake; and the more peaceful the lake, the more perfectly will it be reflected."
What I am Praying/Thinking:I have been visiting a relative who is in prison. It hasn't been easy, and I was really terrified about it at first, but I had been praying for this person and I asked God to show me a sign of how I could help them...2 weeks later, I received a phone call from a prison ministry volunteer from our previous parish. My relative asked that person to call me and tell me that they wanted to see me. So I went. I didn't know what to do or what to say....I didn't even know what door to walk through and set off an alarm! I prayed that the Holy Spirit would give me the words to say....so I told my relative that I loved them and I would walk this journey with them and encourage them through their trials. My relative broke down and cried they were so shocked to see me...they never thought I would actually show up....everyone they knew had given up on them because of the choices they made. They pleaded with me to not leave them and they told me how very sorry they are for their choices and how it has affected the family. My loved one is not bitter toward their family members and they understand their frustrations...even their rejection.
That was 6 weeks ago. I always wanted to experience prison ministry...I never expected I would be visiting a loved one. Please pray for this person, they are a child of God and they really want to change.....they really NEED to change, their life depends on it. Please pray for me as well, I feel so inept and unqualified, but I do know how to love....and pray.....and I will because my life depends on it.
I wanted to share one of my favorite freebies: Above Rubies .
It is a life-giving magazine and it's one that I can never put down once I start reading it. It's a Christian magazine for mothers, it has articles about marriage, kids, homeschooling, and just about everything in between. I have never found it to be anti-Catholic. I always receive so much inspiration and encouragement in a very tough vocation;)
