The little darling has a name~

Ambreigh Christina.  (pronounced Am-bree)  It never gets old snuggling a wee baby.  I have to admit I've not had my fill yet either.  She is an absolute gem and I'm enjoying each moment. 

This precious angel came to join our family on Friday, January 28th.  Juli and baby angel with no name yet are doing great.  She is healthy and strong, and absolutely adorable.  We've all already fallen in love with her!  Such a wonderful blessing and we are very thankful.

Eighteen hours of driving DONE!!!

And I am here. But the baby isn't!!!!! I arrived Tuesday evening to greet a very pregnant, tired and exhausted daughter! The plan is that she will be admitted on Friday to be induced-if nothing happens by then!! We would love all your prayers for the safe delivery of a healthy new little addition to our family.

The children and I drove alone and daddy will fly out on the 1st. of February to stay for a few days and we will all drive home together. This makes me very happy to not have to drive alone, because.......

My brain hurts and the word 'mommy' keeps echoing through my mind like a broken record!!! And how about that second pair of eyes to help keep track of the kids during the one million potty stops we will have to make!!!!

Yummy cranberry pudding cake

We had an abundance of frozen cranberries in our freezer and so our twins decided to use some in this very moist pudding/cake. It turned out great.

cake~

2 C. flour

1 C. sugar

1 C. milk

1 egg

2 T. butter

1 teas. baking soda

1 teas. cinnamon and nutmeg

1/4 C. flour

2 C. fresh or frozen cranberries

Mix together first 7 ingredients. Stir together 1/4 flour and cranberries and add to mixture.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Sauce~

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. butter

1/2 C. whipping cream

1 teas. vanilla

Bring all to boil except vanilla. Boil slowly for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add vanilla. Refrigerate until warm or cool to taste and pour over cake.

A wordless moment

Cold weather health remedies

Is it the cold weather or is it just me and my family? Whatever the reason for the season of aches, pains, upsets, and such I have a handy supply of remedies that have proved well in our family over the years. I hope that some of these will bless you as they have us.

Aching body.~ This results from the countless armloads of wood being chopped and carried in to home during the cold months. And from just plain ole work! Fill your bath with hot water as hot as you can stand it and add 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup epsom salts. Soak in this for a while. You may smell for a bit but it works!

Aching feet.~ Put about 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar in a tub wf warm water and soak for 30 minutes. AHHHHH

Control those winter appetites.~ Try drinking several cups of red clover tea each day to help soften your appetite and suppress hunger a bit. And don't forget that full glass of water at the beginning of each meal to encourage your tummy to want less.

Do you have a bedwetter?~ How about giving your child a handful of raisins or a teaspoon of raw honey right before going to bed. Crazy, but I've actually had it work. (when I remember)

Burns.~ We have a wood burner and more than once a rowdy child has come in contact with it!! Thankfully though, we have never had any serious burns. What has proven well for us is to use honey. I've use garlic oil at times to help keep out nasty invaders and it helps it to blister and to heal. However I have found some of my children find that that can irritate them a bit but it does work if you have a willing child.

Here are a few other helpful burn remedies I've been told about but never used. I will list them here in case there are any takers.

1. Slice a potato and cover the burn for quick pain relief and healing. The iron and potassium is said to be the magic powers of this remedy.

2. Smear apple butter on the burn and sprinkle with a bit of sugar to protect the burn from contaminates.

3. Aloe vera is always a wonderful remedy to have on our shelves.

Chest colds.~ 3 T. dry yellow mustard, 1 T. flour, & 1 egg white. Mix together with a bit of warm water and add warm, melted coconut oil to make a paste. Spread on muslin cloth and cover the affected area. (coconut oil is remedy all in itself. very valuable for your diet)

Earaches.~ Dip cottonball in peppermint oil and place in ear. Olive oil is another oil we have used if the earache is accompanied with a low grade fever.

General tonic.~ 2 large T. honey, 2 qts. water, and 3/4 C. apple cider vinegar. Mix together adding honey to taste.

Sore throats.~ Equal parts honey, vinegar, and lemon. Gargle often or sip throughout the day.

Stomach tonic.~ Dissolve 1/2 teas. dry ginger in a glass of warm water.

And last but not least, a body tune up. ~ A needful thing this time of year in hopes to avoid any of the above.~ Squeeze a lemon into a pin jar, and fill with water. Add a couple T. maple syrup or molasses to taste. Take a few swallows every so often throughout the day. Do this everyday for a whole week.

(Disclaimer. The above remedies have been used in our home and are not intended to replace medical attention in any of the situations. Only suggestions and ideas of what we've used and has helped us in the past.)

More on honey

Commercial honey quality is judged by these four factors:

1. mild flavor

2. clean aroma

3. absence of defects (bits of honeycomb, critter body parts, etc.)

4. light to clear color

Honey ranges in color from almost clear, to nearly white, to nearly black. Honey can have tints of yellow, amber, orange, green, and even blue. Honey is considered more valuable when its color is lighter and costs even more when it's almost colorless. The light-colored honey usually has a more delicate flavor and aroma. In fact, honey grading, and therefore its pricing structure, is based on its appearance relative to color and clarity.

Storing honey

For best storage capability, store pure, unprocessed honey. It does not normal support growth of bacteria and requires no refrigeration to prevent yeast and mold populations. Store all honey in containers with tight-fitting lids. And remember to rotate if you are storing large amounts. Date each container.

As long as honey is kept sealed in a cool, dry, and dark place, it has virtually no storage limitations, as proven by the ancients. Avoid storing honey in plastic buckets or pails near petroleum products, chemicals, or any other fume or odor producing product.

Pure, unprocessed comb honey: keeps best in covered containers in a cool, dark, and dry place. It is the purest form of honey and requires no preservatives. Pure honey usually becomes crystallized as it ages or if stored at cold temps. Creamed honey: may be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Freezing or refrigeration will not harm creamed honey, but may speed its crystallization. This crystallization can be cured by warming. Diluted honey: when diluted with water or any other liquid, honey should be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator. As with other syrups, diluted honey may ferment or mold quickly if not kept cold. Usually the label on the honey container will indicate the best means of storage.

Honey is a natural food and is much better for you than sugar. Baked products stay fresher longer when honey is used. Honey absorbs and retains moisture, thus retarding the drying out and staleness associated with home-baked items.

Making the Best of Basics

Wordless Wednesday

Christmas & New Year 2010 family fun foto's~finally

I always say better late than never!! I knew eventually I would get around to posting some highlights of our 2010 holidays. Sadly we were not able to get together with our 2 eldest children Juli and Vance. We missed them very much and enjoyed doing ichat with them.

Christie says, "No more wrapping! I'm taking a break!"

See what happens when mom pops in and turns on the bright light!

What a happy scrubber Robyn is!

Someone needs a nap!

Her dolls are tucked away safe and sound!

Kim and daddy enjoying a cuddle!

New Year's Eve dinner. Thankfully, only once a year!

Kimmy enjoying some little sister time after prettying up their hair!

Kenzie, Robyn, and Mary enjoying playing pretty, pretty, princess!

Some of the children braved the cold for a game of hide and seek.

Kim posing with her 'models.' Everyone got their hair trimmed or styled from our very busy daughter hair stylist. She doesn't do hair professionally but our family alone can keep her up on her skills!

Little girls putting forth their best pose!

Only two of my kids were brave enough to sit on Santa's lap!

Christie's silly faces!

Daddy and Robyn preparing our usual Christmas morning breakfast of ham and hot chocolate.

Sharing poetry with children

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.~Phillipians 4:8

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture everyday of his life; in order that world cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul."~J.W. von Goethe

So many times these areas of education (or training) get slid to the back burner. Keeping my current poetry book with my scriptures is the best way I have found to see to the reading of poetry everyday. Right after our devotionals I am then prepared to read a few selections. I agree completely with Charlotte Mason when she says: "We can hardly do better than to lead children to reflect on some high poetic teaching, for it is here that the young and aged mind continue to feast, providing food for moral understanding, reverence, imagination, and true loveliness." She maintained that this sort of teaching so be given on a daily basis. Memorizing, copywork, and recitation are all ways in which we can incorporate poetry into the daily lives of our children.

We are currently reading A Child's Treasury of Poems. It is perfectly fit for the ages of my younger ones. It is loaded with gorgeous pictures and the kids love to imitate them in their drawings. My older children are reading selections from The Oxford Book of Children's Verse by Iona & Peter Opie. I believe this is out of print right now. We found an old library copy that we are using.

Picture

A land flowing with milk and HONEY

The Old Testament mentions the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey-symbols of abundance. Honey was discovered in the Egyptian tombs unspoiled-even after being in storage for more than 2,000 years! Besides being used as food, it was used as medicine-more than half the remedies prescribed by Egyptian doctors contained honey. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans spread honey on wounds to hasten their healing-so did the German field medical personnel during WWI. Even as late as 1070 in England, a surgeon announced he was using honey on open wounds after surgery-and had fewer bacterial infections than similar wounds treated with antibiotics. Honey proved to be an effective disinfectant; it hastened healing; and bacteria did not develop resistance to it, as often happens with antibiotics.~Making the Best of Basics. James Talmage Stevens

The lowdown on honey

Honey may be used, measure for measure, in place of sugar in the following preparations:

baked apples

baked ham

candied vegetables

cinnamon toast

custards

dressings for salads

glazes lemonade

pie fillings puddings

punch drinks

sweet & sour dishes

When baking with honey as a substitute in regular recipes, there are three steps you must take in order for it to work.

1. Use only 75% liquid honey for sugar-1/4 C. honey for each 1 C. sugar

2. Reduce the total liquid ingredients by 25%-eliminate 1/4 C. liquid for each C. of sugar replaced by honey.

3. Reduce oven heat approximately 25-35 degrees. Honey caramelizes, becoming darker and/or burning at a lower temperature than sugar.

Recipes for honey

Honey butter-1/2 C. butter and 1 C. honey. Blend well and store in refrigerator. For cinnamon butter add add 1 teas. cinnamon to the honey butter.

Honey chippers-1/2 C. butter

1/2 C. honey

1 egg

1 1/4 C. sifted butter

1/2 tsp. baking soda and salt

1 C. chocolate chips

1/2 C. chopped pecans.

Cream butter and honey together, add egg and beat well. Mix dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. About 3 dozen

Honey butter cookies-2 C. butter

1 C. honey

2 eggs, separated

1 T. grated lemon peel

8 C. flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

2 T. lemon juice

1 C. almonds, chopped

Mix all together except for egg white. Shape into balls and flatten. Brush with beaten egg whites and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. About 7-8 dozen. Dough may need to be chilled before shaping.

Honey Custard~A favorite

2 eggs, 2 C. milk, 1/4 C. honey, and 1/8 teas. salt.

Beat eggs slightly and add milk, honey, and salt. Pour into molds and set in a pan of water. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. About 24 oz.

Peanutty chompers-1 C. honey, 1 C. peanut butter, 1 1/2 C. nonfat dry milk

Add peanut butter to warm honey and mix well. Stir in dry milk. Form into small balls.

Honey crispies-a favorite

1/2 C. butter

2 T. milk

1 C. flour

3/4 C. honey

1/4 tsp. salt

1 C. coconut

1 teas. vanilla

2 C. rice Krispies cereal

Combine all ingredients except vanilla and cereal in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until dough leaves sides of pan and froms a ball. Remove from heat and cool. Add vanilla and cereal. Shape into balls; roll in additional coconut. Store in fridge.

Wonderful Wednesday

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.~Deut. 29:29

Did someone leave the water on in the kitchen?

That's what I thought I was hearing but upon checking into it I noticed the water was coming from inside the cabinets.  Trickling down upon the stove and dishwasher.  That scene got my attention so as I began my investigation I found it was also 'raining' in the laundry room, the downstairs bathroom, and the two bedrooms upstairs had turned into little indoor ponds!!

It all began with this: "Mom, can I get a bath?" 

And proceeded as follows:

Child turns on the bath.  Runs downstairs to grab some clean clothes from the laundry room.

Sees other children playing games at the table and decides to join them.

Suddenly becomes oblivious to the running water upstairs until we realize it's raining downstairs!! (about 30 minutes later)

It ends with everyone grabbing buckets and towels.  And daddy tapping a hole in the ceiling of the laundry room to allow the remaining water to drain out of the flooring area.  (hence, the whole in the ceiling)  Bubbles in the ceiling, peeling paint, and peeling shelf liner from the bottom of the cabinet all make for a fun January home repair project!!  

(we quite towel-less by the time all this was cleaned up.  Then we had another child drop a 2 gallon bucket of milk on the floor.  That was interesting cleaning up considering every towel we owned was soaking wet.  Daddy says, "Oh well, it all comes with the blessings!")

Five birthdays~Six days!!

A new year brings many blessings right off the bat. We are celebrate five birthdays the first week of January and are very thankful for each of these loves that we are blessed to have in our lives.

We begin with our very first grandchild Aubryn. She turned 6 on the January 1st. She is a lovely little girl and has stolen a spot in all our hearts. We love you Bryn.

Second we have our lovely daughter-in-love Heather. Born on January 3rd. Seems we've known and loved her forever. We are so grateful to have her married to our son Vance Jr. We love you Heather and wish you a very happy (late) birthday.

Heather's daughter Gemma joined our family on January 6th. If you think the pictures are sweet, then you know what she's like. She is every bit as sweet as the pictures looks. We love you Gemma and hope your birthday was as grand as you are.

Our twins Emma and Kaydee. I can't really say they are next because they share their birthday with Gemma. They were born January 6th as well and are a huge blessing to our family. We all love you girls very much and are thankful for your presence in our family. (More on the twins and their birth is here!)

Wonderful Wednesday

"Directly after God in heaven comes a Papa."~Mozart

Yes, we shelter our children

Yikes, you "shelter" your children? Here's a new word that keeps coming up around homeschoolers. It is mostly used by non-homeschoolers and you may even hear it at your church from your Christian friends and leaders. That word is often spoken in whispers regarding 'the family' who has chosen to shelter their children.

 I admit that we do. But before you begin to psycho analyze our decision let's consider the meaning of the word shelter.  (I firmly believe that however the Lord leads you in your family, then that is what's best for you. All families are different.  I feel it is extremely important to search the Lord's will through faith and prayer when it comes to decisions being made for your family.)

Shelter~That which covers or defends from injury or annoyance. The state of being covered and protected; protection; security. He that defends or guards from danger. To cover from violence, injury, annoyance or attack. To defend; to protect from danger; to secure or render safe; to harbor. There are many scripture passages that show what a loving, protective, sheltering, delivering, Father we have.

Psalm 18-2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer

2 Timothy 4:17-18 God strengthens us and rescues us.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

Psalm 56-9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back

Psalm 91:3-5 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler...he shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Psalm 121:3-8 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is they keeper: the Lord is they shade upon they right hand. vs. 7-8 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve they going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Isaiah 41:10 I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Psalm 1241 2-6 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: then they had swallowed us up quick,, when their wrath was kindled against us....Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.

If our family is guilty of sheltering, then so be it. Even the wonderful Christian 'sooth sayers' who love to counsel families in regards to the idea that our/your {homeschooled} children should be the 'salt and light' to the world, and, they should be exposed to the evils and the wrongs in the world in order to 'strengthen' them against it.  Those overwhelming feelings of love, the desire to protect, and care for you baby! That shouldn't end just because your child turns 5. They depend on us, their parents, to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord all their days. They don't need to be exposed to evils, lies, and the false teachings that are corrupting our children each and every day to make them strong and stand against the storms of life. The word of God, His teachings is what they need to make them strong. Do we feed their bodies junk food to strengthen their bodies? No, that weakens them, just as the junk food fed their minds in our schools, by tv, etc do not strengthen them. We feed them whole foods, living foods; that is where their bodily strength comes from. So as filling them up in the word of God strengthens their souls.

So I say "shelter away." "I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way." Proverbs 4-11-15

I love those verses in Proverbs. Ask yourself~are YOU guiding your children in the way of wisdom? Are their teachers, the television, friends, and church leaders guiding them in the way of wisdom. To whom are we trusting the guiding to?

Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well. Whatever your child is being instructed in, that will he hold onto.

Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way."

"If you want to know what has de-Christianized the country, I point my finger to the provided school from which Christ has been turned out and the door slammed in His face. The thought of it makes me bury my face in my hands and sob with sorrow and shame.~Heber C. Iverson Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.

Year end logistics, funnies, goals, & cautions!!

Things not to be repeated in 2011!

1. Making it all the way to church and getting seated before noticing my son had stapled the rip in his white church shirt instead of getting it sewn. And the rip was right up front near the collar for all to see!

2. Double check before leaving home that your young daughter has on her panties under her dress. Otherwise, when she decides to do some somersaulting while in public you will find she isn't completely modest.

3. When your son finds a rip in his dress pants, have him tell you so it can fixed. Otherwise he might just use duct tape to fix them and then wear them out in public at a formal event.

4. Don't let too many things get in the way of taking the time to inspect your children's dress before leaving for church. You may find you have a son who from the waist up looks very respectable, with his white shirt and tie, but below the waist is a black pair of baggy sweat pants and a pair of black, shiny dress shoes. (he thought they would work since they were black and he couldn't find his pants.) At least his shirt was tucked in.

5. At times we have 2 cars at church if someone has to stay later.  I will no longer assume a child will be coming in the 2nd car with daddy (even when I'm told they are) without first making sure.  Otherwise, it would be way too easy to leave one standing on the steps alone while I begin driving off without her!

Comments received this year worth sharing (and laughing over)

• "A woman asked me if I had ever heard of Family Planning." (planned parenthood I presume) My answer, "Oh certainly I've heard of it! We planned a family and now we're having it." (Is that being sassy?)
• "Is number 13 on the way yet?"
• "Are they all yours? Like one father, one mother kind of thing!" (seriously?)
• "You must homeschool." Why I ask, do you say that? "Because your son has a nice, short haircut and he is polite."
• Upon arriving at my husband's open house at work we were announced; "The Vance Smith family has arrived, hmm, aren't you missing a few people?" My son-in-law Kelly; eyeing our large group promptly answered, "Oh, you know you're right, where's the other 20?
• After visiting the doc for my boys' scouting physical I was told they were both fine and did I have any questions. Before I could speak, he said, "Oh wait, maybe I should be asking you the questions."
• "That's a lot of babies? Do your older ones have jobs to help? Does it get easier and easier to birth them the more you have?" (Of course it gets easier, I barely feel anything, the 'older' ones have the job of birthing the babies for me!)
• "I only have 2 kids and they drive me crazy." (Yeah, well, your kids would me crazy too!)
• "Mom, why do we always have to dress the same when we go out?" Two reasons... 1. So I don't lose you in the crowd, and 2. So I don't accidentally take home any kids that aren't mine!
• "Do you all eat at the same time, or do you eat in shifts?"

Logistics for the year, just for fun!

I think I heard the word mom about 10,000 times

I heard "I love you" almost as many times

Had over 100 dates with my husband

Had and or gave thousands of hugs

celebrated 20 birthdays

over 25 little handfuls of flower/weed bouquets

kissed over 100 boo boos-could be more! (let's not mention the number of band aids)

read aloud to my children over 300 hours

executed 100's of braids, pony tails, and up do's!

graded over hundred spelling/math tests between all the children

over 3000 miles of running was logged between daddy and the boys

mom logged over 300 hours of exercise

925 gallons milk-give or take

650 dozen eggs

1500 loads of laundry-give or take (probably take)

ran my dishwasher around 750 times

baked over 100 batches of bread

ground over 300 pounds wheat

popped over 300 large bowls of popcorn

served over 500 pounds of potatoes

consumed about 750 lbs of bananas. Banana smoothie addicts live at my house. Plus our family eats them all day long.

used about 750 rolls tissue paper, one roll a day per bathroom. (It's a girl thing)

at least 365 pounds of butter

peanut butter and jam:we won't even go there!

And the very best of the best New Year's goals...

"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1 Peter: 1-2