Day Off

I love the fact that my children are each others best friends.

The Decline of the Presidents

I am so humbled and convicted just by reading this prayer of our first President, George Washington, a man whose character was said to be the "wonder of the world". He was "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen".

O eternal and everlasting God, I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine majesty, beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks, that it hath pleased thy great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to, and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep, whereby I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day, in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul. Direct my thoughts, words and work, wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by thy Holy Spirit, from the dross of my natural corruption, that I may with more freedom of mind and liberty of will serve thee, the ever lasting God, in righteousness and holiness this day, and all the days of my life. Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the gospel; give me repentance from dead works; pardon my wanderings, and direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation; teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments; make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber, but daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life. Bless my family, friends and kindred unite us all in praising and glorifying thee in all our works begun, continued, and ended, when we shall come to make our last account before thee blessed Saviour…
(From William J. Johnson, George Washington, the Christian (New York: The Abingdon Press, New York & Cincinnati, 1919), pp. 24-35.)

No wonder America has been the wonder of the world for over 200 years, being founded by humble men like this who feared God. President Washington was a servant leader that was elected unaminously, having the hearts of the people...something which he didn't use for political aspirations; instead, something he humbly treasured.

How far we have regressed! Our modern tyrant in the White House, who has no time for even a formal National Day of Prayer (at least, if it's Christian...plenty of time for homos and Muslims), had to hire government funded thugs to dishonestly and illegally get him votes , spews blasphemy almost every time he opens his mouth, and has chosen to surround himself with czars who crank out volumous rules and regulations to force the people to bow to his agenda. (I might as well get it all off my chest while I still can.....)

I mourn for my nation, but I can still humbly beseech our Lord on my own behalf, that I might personally be found doing His will, and have my own heart and mind cleansed and focused heavenward. Thank God for this wonderful example set for us all by our first President.

How much does a life cost?

This sad, but all too true, story in the article below ought to be a shrill wake-up call for all Americans. Change is coming, and it's not going to be pretty. It's the story of a baby born prematurely in a hospital in Britain. The child, 21 weeks and 5 days along at birth, fell short of the window of care set by the socialized healthcare standards of the U.K., which state that "viability" begins at 22 weeks. Therefore, the child was denied care and just left to lie there and die while his parents watched in horror.

How Premature Is Too Early To Live For A Baby? - ABC News

Whether or not the child may or may not have survived if given treatment is not the issue. The point is that when a coldhearted, atheist beurocracry is in charge of healthcare, "personhood" means nothing. It's cost and effect. Plain and simple.

Dr. Leon Kass said, "We are already witnessing the erosion of our idea of man as something splendid or divine, as a creature with freedom and dignity. And clearly, if we come to see ourselves as meat, then meat we shall become."

Should we expect anything else from the man described below????

Sweet Happy Girl

Rosebud finally got to sit at the table with everyone (instead of in her high chair), and she was just thrilled and so happy. She loves my rooster tablecloth (calls it "bach bach"). You can see a bruise on her head, where she just fell a few minutes before this; at which everyone in the house of course went running to pet her. She is spoiled rotten by her brothers and sister, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Never Let a Serious Crisis Go To Waste

Please take time to check out the website below for some TRUTH and REASON in this whole swine flu hoopla. Don't get all your information from the national media, which sadly has become the 4th branch of our government. Be informed!

Dr. Mercola's Swine Flu Website

I've long feared that this"emergency" would be the door for this oppressive adminsitration to declare a police state in our once free nation. Once that happens, there's no turning back. I feared it would either be this swine flu nonsense, or else a terrorist attack, which Obama has literally begged for by his shameful criticism of our nation abroad and by his feminization and cuts in the military. Whatever the crisis may be (swine flu, terror attack, or some other drama), rest assured that his hand will come down heavy in every area of our lives. And, like his freakish Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has said....

"NEVER LET A SERIOUS CRISIS GO TO WASTE"

Stand up for your right to refuse the toxic swine flu shot!

And don't forget to get your daily dose of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and probiotics.

Ranch Chalupas

Thought I'd share one of my family's favorite new recipes. These chalupas are similar to a bread style taco, but with a Ranch twist. Obviously, you can adjust portions for your family's size; however, I will say that these are a little more filling than tacos. This makes 16, and easily feeds my family of 6 + 1 baby portion (yes, Rosebud loves them too!). I freeze any leftover meat mixture for a quick burrito lunch (just add sour cream and cheese). Enjoy!

RANCH CHALUPAS
1 8-oz. cup sour cream
4 tsp. ranch salad dressing mix
1 tsp. lime juice
Mix and refrigerate until ready to use

2 lbs. ground beef
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 10-oz. can Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. cilantro (optional, but I love cilantro!)
1/4 c. (or 1 envelope) taco seasoning
Brown meat; drain. Then add beans, tomatoes, and seasoning and heat through.

Preferred toppings such as lettuce, shredded cheese, onions or green onions, sliced ripe olives

2 16.3-oz. large tubes of buttermilk refrigerated biscuits (8-count each)
After sour cream, meat, and toppings are prepared, heat skillet on medium to high heat. Roll out biscuits into 6-inch circles and cook over medium heat about 60 seconds on each side or until brown; keep warm. (dry skillet, no oil)

Spread each bread piece with 1 Tbsp. ranch sour cream, about 1/3 c. meat mixture, then sprinkle with desired toppings. Roll up taco style to eat.

I Was Glad

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord"

Psalm 122:1

I remember hearing Bro. Lawrence Garrett preach once when he said that there's no prettier picture that could ever be painted than that of a Mama and a Daddy walking hand in hand with their children into the church house. I love to take Sunday morning pictures of my crew all dressed up. These are precious days.

Liar Liar Pants on Fire?

There is so much to be afraid of with our new imposter of a president, but his shadow government of unconstitutional czars has to be at the top of the list.

For a man who campaigned on the promise of having a completely "transparent" administration, there's an awful lot of clandestine planning going on! And pretty soon, our elected Congress will be obselete. Even Nanna Pelosi and Papa Reid won't mean anything once Obama completes his handover of our national sovereignty to the U.N. We'll be at the mercy of whatever agreements he and his hand-picked thugs make with the global government.

So it should be no surprise to us that he now will protect his "czars" from testifying before Congress (read below):

CNSNews.com - White House to Keep Obama’s ‘Czars’ from Testifying Before Congress

What I want to know is, when is he going to appoint the "Liar Liar Pants on Fire" Czar? We might could actually use one of them!

For FBers Only

(If you don't Facebook, you won't get this, but for my Facebooking friends...poke, poke....this is so cute!) Oh, and this is for closet Facebookers too, like my husband!

Blest Be the Tie that Binds

Blest be the tie that binds... Our hearts in Christian love;

The fellowship of kindred minds... Is like to that above.
Before our Father’s throne ...We pour our ardent prayers;

Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one ...Our comforts and our cares.
We share each other’s woes, Our mutual burdens bear;

And often for each other flows... The sympathizing tear.
When we asunder part,... It gives us inward pain;

But we shall still be joined in heart,... And hope to meet again.
This glorious hope revives... Our courage by the way;

While each in expectation lives, ...And longs to see the day.
From sorrow, toil and pain ,...And sin, we shall be free,

And perfect love and friendship reign ...Through all eternity.

I love my church. Being a pastor's wife can be an emotional roller coaster at times. It's hard sharing your husband with so many, having to watch him expose himself to ridicule and criticism while knowing the personal sacrifices he's making, living in a glass house, and not quite sure what you can say and when to say it. Not to mention the whole burden of living with a man of God. I dearly love him, but he's a man just like all other men; yet I have to live with the burden of knowing that my attitudes and criticism, my mistakes and my sins, directly affect his preaching and his ministry. (...hence, my gray hairs...)

But, did I mention that I love my church? Jason has been pastoring since 1996. It's been a wild ride for us. We have been loved. We have been hated. We have felt the sting of rejection, seen our children's tears, watched as our personal sacrifices of time and money were laughed at, and we have even come close to collapsing beneath the heavy load. But the Lord has been ever faithful to us.

And that's why I love my church. The Lord has now (since 2006) placed us in a place of rest. Don't get me wrong, Jason still carries a pastor's burden, but life is so different for us being in a church that loves us and loves Bible preaching. Not just one or two families, not just half the church, but the entire congregation is in one mind and one accord, and we genuinely love and lift up each other. The church believes and lives by what the preacher preaches, and they encourage him to keep preaching more! I am honored to be a part of this body of believers and to experience the true Christian fellowship that we have.

I do love my church. Yesterday, they gave Jason a surprise "Pastor Appreciation Day". There was dinner served, with the fellowship hall decorated, gifts, and even a new suit. I will forever treasure the surprised and humble look on Jason's face when he realized what the church had done for us. I'll never forget the countenances of my children, over whose tender hearts I have prayed as we've had to endure such bitterness through the years, as they listened to the people thank us for our service to the church and to the Lord.

I love my church, and blest be the Tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.

Takes One to Love One

If you are under any hopeful delusion that things aren't quite as bad in our nation as people like me are bemoaning, ...then now's the time to grab your barf bag and suffer through this 25+ minute clip of our shameful leader bowing down to the sodomite looneys of the world (a.k.a. "LGBT community"). If you can stomach it to the end, you'll notice that after the President promises to continue to "change the minds" of "people with outworn ideas" like ME (yet, another lie from Obama....I'll NEVER sympathize with those unnatural perverts), you'll be shocked to see that he has the audactity to end his speech with "God bless you, and God bless America"!

Attack is the Best Form of Defense

ROTFL!

I believe in the Biblical rod, and only the rod, for direct rebellion when it comes to childrearing. But in matters of training, I have been known to be a little unconventional. My kids live in fear of what I'm going to dream up next to curb their childish, annoying habits. They'll be terrified that I've seen this commercial.....he he he!

Pre-Pre-K

Haven't had much time for blogging since our school year kicked off full swing. We've added Bubbie into our schedule this year (MY idea, NOT his!), and that means I'm pretty much needed every hour of the day. For our curriculum this year, we are studying:

Teaching Textbooks for Math (Caleb and Madelyn)

Singapore Math (Seth and Jared)

Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading (Seth)

Apologia Young Explorers Series: Exploring Creation with Zoology 2

The Mystery of History

U.S. Presidents and States

Christian Liberty Press Spelling and Phonics

First Language Lessons

Story Starters

Bible Story Guide for All Ages

21 Rules of Our House (the boys)

(whew! I'm pooped just typing all that!)

On average around here, we get a new P.E. curriculum about every 2-3 years. It isn't your average regimen, I'm sure, but please believe me when I say it keeps you hopping! This year, for our phys ed, we are studying:

"Rosebud"

Trust me, you do the equivalent of 100 toe touches per day, lots of jumping and lifting, a little touch football, and you could certainly never become a couch potato with a little sprite like this flittering around stirring mischief all day long! LOL

Seriously, everyone always asks me what I do with the baby when we school. The answer is, nothing. She just joins in (more like "crashes" in), but she's gradually learning to respect their books and supplies, and respect our time. The house is quiet and without distractions during school, and she can tell that everyone else is calm. It can certainly be tough some days, but she's beginning to get her books or toys and sit quietly playing while we work. Regular routine is a valuable training tool for children!

And, as you can see from this picture, I seriously doubt if she'll ever lack for help with HER lessons. (and I have no idea whose foot that is...or why Seth is holding it)

Homeschooling is not for the fainthearted. It's hard work! But I wouldn't trade the fellowship and relationships I've been privileged to establish with my children for anything!

Independence

I always tell the children to try and try again before asking for help with their daily responsibilities. Seth certainly found a way to reach those clothes in the bottom of the washer, didn't he?

Sent from my iPhone

CHILL OUT!

Chill out! That's the message to all my fellow homeschool moms. In the article below, you'll see that you're kids really aren't missing that much from a public education. I know we often worry about measuring up, or missing something vitally important, and stressing about whether or not our children will be prepared for life....but, um, my 4-year old is already ahead of these high school students in history.


75 Percent of Oklahoma Students Can't Name the First President - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports

And whenever I get nervous about measuring up (which, honestly, is not often...I have total peace about homeschooling), I just think of what all my children are NOT learning:
they don't know curse words

they don't know perverted jokes

they are so innocent that it's almost funny in this twisted world in which we live

they don't sympathize with sodomites

they don't know evolution (actually they do, but I had to teach them, and I took advantage of my God-ordained privilege and responsibility to teach them that it was a lie out of hell)

they don't know that their brothers and sisters are not cool

they don't know that they're supposed to disrespect and sneak around their elders

they don't know worldly music and they don't know that they're supposed to idolize "cute" boys and girls from movies and TV shows

they don't know how to chant praises to Obama

the list could go on and on.......

So there may be a few important things that we actually do miss in education, but it's an okay trade for all the sinful things they're missing that could turn their tender hearts away from God.

Thank the Lord for the privilege to homeschool!

Poor thing!

Seth has not put this frog down for 2 days, except to go to bed (and he tried to pull one over on me there!)

And just for the record, he does have better pants to wear. He had a bike wreck and tore those he has on in the pic.

Shoot the buck deer!

I can't remember which of our children started calling deer "buck deer", but that's what they are around here. I give up with the girls not hunting thing. I guess there are worse things than girls loving their daddy and brothers so much that they want to go everywhere with them!

Know, No, Go

It's true that I hear good preaching every Sunday, but I do love to listen to the old preachers from days gone by. One way that God has truly blessed us through technology, is through the ability to go back to the start of this past century and find recordings of men of God. I seriously doubt that Bro. Lester Roloff or Bro. Maze Jackson or Bro. Harold Sightler ever imagined their sermons being downloaded for iPods, but I'm thankful for that privilege. I like to read scripture aloud and try to imagine how John the Baptist and Paul might have sounded as they delivered their messages. I've read messages from Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, but that isn't the same as hearing something preached with anointing. I can personally testify that there have been certain times in my life where I had sin and weights that I needed to lay down. I read about these issues, but was able to reason through the arguments laid out in print. Then, I heard them preached on with anointing, and the Holy Spirit bare witness on my soul that in order to continue forward in my Christian walk, I must lay these things down. That's why church and preaching are so neccessary to the Christian walk. Pray for your preacher!

I hope you enjoy this message by Bro. Roloff. It's called "Know, No, Go", and it was a great encouragement to me. The one thing that always draws me back to Bro. Roloff's messages, is the love for sinners that you can so strongly hear and feel in his voice. How I need that kind of compassion! Our hope is not in America, and certainly not in Obama (though many actually pray to him, believe it or not!) , our only hope is in Christ Jesus, Who is soon returning. Preachers, preach while there's still time!

Enjoy:
"Know, No, Go" by Bro. Lester Roloff (you can download it or stream it live)

Brunswick Stew

Every year when fall begins to come on, I like to make a good, warm, filling pot of stew. I'd like to share my recipe for Brunswick Stew. It's a combination of many recipes I've tried over the years, and it's turned out to be a delicious combo if I do say so myself! This recipe fills a 6 qt crockpot. I always like to make a large portion, because leftovers can be frozen, or you can always share with someone! I'm going to list the "can" version, which is delicious, but when I make it, I like to substitute as much as possible with leftovers for the chicken, ham, and pork. I deliberately plan my menu in the weeks ahead, and freeze leftover meat to use in the stew. Obviously, it's healthier this way, but I can't say the taste is much different. This is a great Sunday dinner recipe because all you have to cook is the ground beef, which obviously can be done ahead. (I usually use taco leftovers for this.) Enjoy!

Brunswick Stew

1 14.5 oz. diced new potatoes, drained

1 14.5 oz. whole corn, drained

2 14.5 oz. cans cream corn

1 10 oz. Ro-Tel tomatoes

1 29 oz. diced tomatoes

2 5 oz. flat cans chunky ham

2 10 oz. cans chicken breast

1 18 oz. prepared shredded pork barbecue

(I buy Lloyd's brand, in the meat section sold in a plastic container)

1 lb. ground beef or chuck, browned and drained

2 envelopes onion soup mix

1 c. ketchup

1 c. Cattleman's smoked barbecue sauce

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 Tbsp. liquid smoke

Cook in crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.