My homemade christmas gifts...

Here's a couple of the gifts I made for Christmas last year.

This is what I did for my 2 sisters-in-law. The other one looked just like this one except it had Beth and Ron's names on it.

This is what I did for all my nephews. For my nieces, I embroidered their names and butterflies on the denim background.

Everybody loved the gifts. I was so glad because I worked pretty hard on them. We didn't have alot of money (read "none") to spend and, even if we had, I hate buying people stuff that I know they won't care anything about. Know what I mean? Anyway, gotta try to get some inspiration for this year's gifts before last minute like last year. That was stressful to say the least!!!

Update and Prayer Requests

Living in South Central KY, our electricity was off for almost a week. I'm so thankful we had the wood stove put in a while back. We were able to have heat and I put a big stock pot of water on top of the stove so we also had enough hot water to keep the dishes washed and to take sponge baths. Alot of people had it much harder than we did. There are still people who don't have electricity yet and the utility workers have been working 16 hour shifts so we still need to remember them in our prayers.

I started a diet on January 22. My weight was 157.5 and my BMI was 27. I haven't weighed again but I sure do feel better. Here's a link to the diet: No S Diet. I don't even crave sweets anymore.

I've decided to go to a 4 day school week with Dusty and just school year round. I want his education to be more realistic and to be part of our lifestyle not something we have to stop what we're doing to get done. I don't know if that makes sense the way I worded it, but it makes sense to me! LOL!

We're having a singing at church Sunday. We've been in service with these singers twice before and have really grown to love their spirit. They are the Hawkins Family from Ohio County, KY. I'm really looking forward to it. Praying for a full house and that hearts will be touched and lives will be changed through a good Holy Ghost service!!!

Our pastor's mother is real bad sick and in the hospital. Last I heard, they weren't completely sure what's wrong with her. She's 82, so Bro. Johnnie is pretty worried about her as is the entire congregation. Bro. Johnnie also has been struggling with a decision for a while now about his ministry. He's talked to my husband and I about it some, we're just praying that the Lord will help him to make the right decision and give him peace about it.

Remember my daddy, too. He's really got alot going on with his body and his mind and the Lord is dealing with him, too. So, he needs all the prayers he can get and so does the rest of the family to be able to deal with him right now!

25 tips for a better life in '09

I got this in an email forward from a dear friend....

25 TIPS FOR A BETTER LIFE - 2009

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, and almonds.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9 Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, wi ll this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. Please Forward this to ever y one you care about. I did.

1-5-09 A day in the life of....

Well, I finally figured out why I was having so much trouble getting Dusty's school work done every day. We aren't on a curriculum yet, so I have workbooks and things that I've been collecting since he was a year old. I print stuff off the internet when I need something else, too. So, anyway, I have been doing his lesson plan on a daily basis, which it's hard to find enough time every day to sit down and do. Well, this morning, I decided I was gonna solve this problem so I got together a whole week's lesson plan and it didn't take me much longer than just doing one day once I got my momentum going! So, we got schoolwork caught up today in no time. I am so excited!!!

I've almost finished another late Christmas gift for my nephew. When I get my pics back, I'm going to post what I done. I have this one to finish and another one to do and I'll finally be done with last year's Christmas. Then, I'm going to start on this year's soon, I promise!!!! I'm tired of not being prepared!

We had homemade chicken and dumplings for supper tonight, with homemade biscuits and October beans that I put up last summer with homemade lemonade. We had a friend coming for supper, then my mother in law called and said she was coming, too. She doesn't visit with us as often as she does Bucky's sisters but we're always glad to have her!

The song, "I Just Feel Like Something Good is About to Happen" has been on my mind for a few days now.

I know we need something good to happen. We spent so much money doing car repairs last year that we got behind on all our bills and then work slowed down the first of last month. So, we are flat broke, I have no car and all our bills are past due. I called my piano teacher and told her I was gonna have to put off my lessons for a while because I don't see how we can pay her. She seemed okay with it, she just told me to keep practicing because she knew how much I enjoyed it. But, I know it is well because God said He would never leave nor forsake us. I know that He knows what we need better than we do and obviously we needed to go through this right now for some reason. I will praise Him when we win and I will praise Him when we lose!!! I will not stop praising Him!!!!

January 3, 2009 Words Upon My Heart

Titus 2:1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

-We know that the Bible says in Proverbs 18:21 that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Also the tongue is a fire, an unruly iniquity, full of deadly poison, that no man can tame.

-But, when we bridle our tongues, then the mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom, a wholesome tongue is a tree of life. This is speaking sound doctrine.

-Speaking of Levi, the Lord said in Malachi 2:6-7, The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

I have to admit, I have had alot of trouble bridling my tongue in the past. I've been so quick to speak that I've said things that have hurt other people, things that should never have been said, I've also said things that maybe should have been said but I had no business saying. I wish to use my tongue only to upbuild my brethren, to encourage others, to speak the truth, and to honor and glorify God.

Oh, Father, help me today to become a speaker of sound doctrine. Help me, O Lord, to bridle this tongue that I might be pleasing to you in all that I say.

Thank you, Lord, for all you've given me. Thank you for my salvation, and for using me in kingdom service. Thank you for my family, watch over them and keep them from evil, Lord. Let your will be done in their lives. Thank you for our home and our work that you've given us to do. Thank you for our health that we are able to do the work that is set before us.

Please remember all the prayer requests that have been lifted up by your people everywhere. Let your hand not be hindered in fulfilling our heart's desires if they be in your will. We know so many lost people, Father. Let us be a light unto them, speaking that sound doctrine, that they might be brought to repentance and be saved! Let us speak the truth with boldness that we might see lost people saved, sick people healed, and prodigal sons brought back home. We'll remember to give you all the honor and glory that you so rightly deserve. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Amen

1-2-09

Today is my father-in-law's birthday. He passed away almost a year ago. He was a good man with a heart for the Lord and his family. I'm looking forward to seeing him again, albeit in a healthy body!

I caught up my dishes a little while ago. We don't have a dishwasher so if I miss a day doing dishes, like I did yesterday, it looks really bad!

Believe it or not, I'm still working on Christmas gifts. I have 2 nieces and a nephew who live out of town that we didn't get to see for Christmas so I'm going to mail their homemade gifts to them when I get them finished. I knew they weren't going to be here so I put theirs off until after Christmas as I was pressed for time to get everyone else's finished.

I had intended to get back to school work this week, but it hasn't gone very well. Maybe next week will be better.

God is so good. I am so thankful that He opened my blinded eyes and gave me that precious gift of salvation. I'm so thankful for my husband and his work, even though it has been slow (nonexistent) the last few weeks. But, God is faithful and He is our provider. I know that things will get better. I don't depend on the economy, I don't depend on the bailout plans or whatever else the government can concoct. I know that my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He can do whatever He wishes with all the wealth in the world. I know that if He wants us to have it, we will. I'm so thankful for our children, Bucky's 3 beautiful girls and our son. They mean so much to me. Sometimes I don't let them know enough, sometimes I'm too harsh, sometimes I'm too negligent, but I love all 4 of them so very much and I'm so glad that they all love the Lord! I'm so thankful for our home, it's not much but it's warm and dry and sometimes it's even clean! I'm also thankful for the guy who holds our mortgage. We didn't go through a bank or finance company because we had credit problems, we went through an individual and he has been wonderful. We've gotten behind but he doesn't hound us and he says he doesn't want to take our place, he just wants to see us get back on track and he'll help us any way he can. He has even referred Bucky to people who needed fencing/construction work done. I'm so thankful that God has given us hearts to serve Him, the desire to be pleasing to Him and I'm thankful that He allows us to be used in service for Him!

When I woke up this morning, there was a message on my heart but I didn't write it down so I lost it. Maybe He will give it back to me or maybe this is my new message. Either way, awaiting His return......

Edited to say: January 2 is my sister in law's birthday. My father in law's is the 7th. So, I made one of them thar mis takes, imagine that!

Homeschooling progress

We have gotta get back on track with our schoolwork. Dusty has learned to read some words. He knows most of the family's names. He just realized the other day that he could count all the way to 100. He was counting and he got to 30 and he was so excited. He said, "Mama, I counted to 30!" And I said, "Well, you could probably count to 100 if you wanted to." So, he tried and he's been counting ever since. I think he's gonna be a little math whiz because he's crazy about numbers and adding and stuff.

He has learned to play Jesus Loves Me on the piano and has played it at church which I think is pretty amazing considering I just started taking lessons this past summer myself! He's learning the books of the Bible. He gets stuck at Esther, though. Hopefully, we can get past that soon so we can move on!

He asked me the other day why the sun doesn't warm us up in the winter like it does in the summer.

He's five! I don't remember thinking like that when I was five! I told my husband I was afraid that I would have to take college classes just to get him through middle school LOL! He loves nature and critters. I'm so glad that God has instilled a love for creation in him. So many kids seem to care less about the world we live in.

After writing all this, it seems like we may not be as far off schedule as I thought we were by looking at our records. I found this over at http://spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com/ and this seems like the appropriate place to share it:

"A well-educated child is one who knows and loves the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength; and loves their neighbor as themselves. That's not proven by a standardized test score, but demonstrated daily in a life lived in obedience and service to Him." I wrote this quote on an index card and hung it up on our bulletin board for me to see everyday. That's the very essence of my prayers for my son's education!