Another Chapter Is Ending

A moment to reflect.

My oldest son is in high school.

My days of driving him to his JROTC class are now over.

The long hours of waiting for big brother's class to end are over.

We don't have to put our feet up.

And share in the van while we wait for class to end.

Pausing to play with the baby, who will be grown up himself all too soon.

Yet these are the days...

and the moments...

we cherish.

Next fall my son will drive himself, along with his younger brother to their one class at public school. We will continue to homeschool through high school. Two boys in high school. Where has the time gone? Weren't they just little boys yesterday?

But they are becoming men. This is what I have been preparing them for since they were born.

Another chapter is ending. It is all good.

We've Gone to the Birds! Officially!

Photo credit

The lumber has arrived!

The workers are ready!

My husband is building us a chicken coop! Yep! That's right! A chicken coop!

The kids and I have been wanting to get chickens for well over two years now. My husband has had a ton of excuses each time we suggest getting chickens. My nine year-old once asked, "why can't Daddy just see that we want to eat healthy and have fresh eggs?!" I finally told him he needed to talk to God if his own father wouldn't listen. God knows the desires of our hearts, and in His timing He always answers.

"The Lord remembers us all and will bless us" Psalm 115:12

I was perfectly content to submit to my husband's reasoning about NOT having chickens, ie. the care, maintenance, predators, etc. I did think they would be fun for the kids to help take care of and we would also get to eat some healthy fresh eggs, but I knew my husband would never go for the idea of us having chickens...until now!

My husband came home from work on Sunday and explained how he had been at a co-workers house who had a dozen chickens. He got to see someone he knew first hand and with whom he felt comfortable asking the questions he needed answering. He blew me away! I knew the whole thing would have to be his idea and not something I wanted. I've been trying to get him to build a swingset extension for our kids for over 10 years. I bought the kit and everything but he has never had any desire to buy the lumber for the kit and actually finish the project. Recently he found the kit in the basement (incidentally the children I bought this kit for have long since outgrown it, but we have little kids in the home again so they will get some use out of it). Well, he has decided he would get some lumber from his father and actually finish the swingset project for me, and NOW A CHICKEN COOP? Okay, someone please tell me who this man is that I'm living with and what have you done with MY HUSBAND?!!!

I can't wait to share the progress on the new chicken coop! I can just see my little kids out running out to gather the eggs and their happy, smiling faces. I'm told that the chickens are great at eating the ticks in the grass too. I'm super excited about being rid of ticks. Two of our kids contracted lyme disease in the last couple of years. It is not a disease you fool around with.

So that's it! We have really gone to the birds now!

Learning on the "Fly"

Homeschooling has been a wonderful way to bring our family closer together while learning and growing as a family. Our children also partner with the local Christian school for a full one day program where homeschooling children are welcomed and receive instruction in gym, art, chorus, and band. 

At the end of each school year the homeschoolers are invited to participate in the school's end of the year field trip!

Wednesday we gathered the family and headed out to Cape Elizabeth, Maine

 to join the kids and staff of the school.

We had a great day discovering the wonders of Maine's rocky coast

 and the lighthouse of Portland Headlight.

There is so much beauty to behold here on the coast of Maine!

There's lots of wind up on the hill at Ft. Williams!

It makes for a great kite flying day!

I thought our smallest daughter might get carried away by her kite!

There is history to be discovered here too!

We visited the old Goddard Mansion on the Ft. Williams property.

We tried to imagine it in all its glory, bustling with military personnel who later lived here after it was acquired by the military in 1899. We were intrigued to learn how Ft. Williams played an integral role in protecting the shore line of Cape Elizabeth and the harbor of Portland during World War II.

We had a fantastic day! We were praying that God would push back the skies and make for a beautiful day, and boy did He ever deliver! The weather turned warm and sunny after four LONG days of flooding rains.

  It was the perfect day to head to the ocean!

We love to put down our books and study history hands-on!

Our kids are truly getting an amazing education. I mean, just look at this little guy smiling here. He's quite a contrast to the homeschool books stacked behind him! Our kids will learn far more from loving on this little guy than from any textbook, I'm sure! There's always something crazy interesting going on at our house! With so many kids and so many interests we just never know where each day may take us! 

(Hint: look behind the baby.)

Welcome "Jake" and "Jeb"!

Our 14 year old son bought these parakeets on Thursday with his own money he earned. The lady in the pet store made sure my son knew what kind of a commitment this was going to require. "These birds can live about 20 years. This isn't a short term commitment, you know."  He knew. He had done a ton of research and was ready to commit. He plopped down over $90 for a wonderful cage, toys, and food, (and the birds, of course)! He has spent a good portion of the day getting to know the birds and trying to earn their trust. I'm so proud of my son and his new interest. The birds are really pretty. I guess I always wanted a bird, but never wanted to actually go so far and BUY one. Now we have birds. He named one Jake. He says it's because he wants to train it to talk to him so when he says, "Hi Jake!" the bird will talk back and say hi to him, "Hi, Jake!" I can't stand it this kid is so funny!

So, there you have it, learning on the fly has taken over and we have officially gone to "the birds"!

What adventures have your kids taken you on lately?! 

1 Peter Allume Bible Study

I'm excited to begin this study on 1 Peter with the Allume ladies.

It is written by Katie Orr and you can join me too by downloading the study guide here.

Let's strengthen our Bible studying muscles! Will you join me?

Smudge Marks

I was checking on my blog stats this morning and found someone had actually found my blog by Googling "smudge marks"! Of all things, it was "smudge marks"? Really?!  How interesting!
Here they are!

They were left behind one afternoon of finger (and toe) painting with my little girls.

It got me thinking about how it's those little smudge marks in our life that often build and yet also reveal our character. We are all covered in the "smudge marks" of life.
It is these marks that make us who we are after all.

Photo Credit

We are all different and fashioned for a purpose. But should I then say to God, "I am not worthy to be called to this tremendous task of homeschooling these six children!! Someone ought to do a better job than me?"

But I am really only clay in the Potter's hands.

Photo credit

"You turn things upside down,

    as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! 

Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,

    “You did not make me”?

Can the pot say to the potter, 

    “You know nothing”?

Isaiah 29:16 NIV

Father, help me to remember that You are doing a good work in us. Even through the smudge marks of life you are shaping us into the people you are designing us to be! 

Precious Days and Pizza

These are precious days we are living. My family loves it when I make homemade pizza. I make it about once a week. I take a simple dough recipe and double it.

5 tsp. yeast

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

4 TB vegetable oil

2 cups warm water

I mix all the above ingredients in my Kitchen-Aid with my wisk.

Then I use my dough attachment and add

2 cups wheat flour

3 cups white unbleached flour

Blend on med-high to high until dough forms into a ball around the blade.

I turn this out onto a greased silicon mat and cut into four balls.

Most nights I have eager little hands that want to help roll out the dough! I can't get enough of these little hands!

I top the dough with pizza sauce. I usually make it homemade as well using tomato paste and spices. A little apple cider vinegar gives it an extra special kick we all love. Then comes the cheese. I usually have lots of hands wanting to help spread the cheese because it means hungry mouths get to sample the cheese before it hits the pizza!

For the bread sticks I press the dough into my small toaster oven pan. I cut it into bread sticks. Then drizzle 2 TB melted butter over the dough. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the melted butter, then sprinkle sugar over the cinnamon to coat the sticks. Bake all these in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 min.

This recipe makes three pizzas and one batch of cinnamon bread sticks.

Happiness!!!

This girl makes my heart melt!

Sometimes in these moments we call life I stop and my heart lingers here on the fact that if I hadn't pursued having my tubal ligation reversal surgery, I would never have gotten to know this amazing little girl. She's one of a kind and we all lover her soooo much! She wakes up every morning with a smile on her face, and wants to play "I Spy", but you have to go first!

God has blessed us more than I could ever imagine! Pizza nights are all the more special with little hands who run to help. I hope my kids will want to make this a tradition for their own families one day. My oldest son at 16 can make this recipe just as well as I can and sometimes will fill in and take over. Yes, these are really precious days.

Road to Fitness- Checking In!

When my doctor gave me the go ahead to start exercising after my 6 week check up, I didn't hesitate to get started. I was anxious to get MOVING again! This was my sixth pregancy though! I didn't even know where to BEGIN! I cried out to God asking Him to help me get motivated to get moving again. His answer came in the most unexpected ways!
I was sitting at my lovely Moms group when this mom I didn't know really well boldy stood up and shared her testimony of this dvd exercise program she had started. It was called Prayfit. I decided to order it at Amazon.

It arrived in about four days and I began the video with my kids!


Here I am before starting the video:

And here is my progress so far:

January 5, 2012 Delivery Day! 196 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh! The biggest I've ever been in my life!!!!!


February 15, 2012 6 week post-partum check-up  174 lbs!!!! Down 22 lbs!!! Just dropping the baby's weight, fluids, and breastfeeding

March 6th, 2012 Started Prayfit

After 3 weeks (around day 21) I began to feel stronger and was getting a little bored with the video, quite honestly. So when my husband invited my son to go along with him running and he refused, I said, "yes". So I began running. You can read my journey here.

I began adding running a mile and a half in between using my ellipitical in addition to keeping up with the Pray fit dvd.

After only 3 weeks I had dropped 6 lbs and was gaining so much energy!

On April 1, 2012 I weighed in at 168.

By the end of April, on April 28th, 2012 I checked in at 163.

At the end of May, on May 27, 2012 I checked in at my lowest weight so far, 158!!! ****

I am pretty well near where I started when I got pregnant with little Super Wy. You can read about his story here

And here I am now! Down 38 lbs!!!!!


My husband and I are working toward doing some sort of physical activity each day, whether it is the PrayFit dvd or going for a run. It is a lot of fun to do this together! By the way, he has also lost about 13 pounds himself!
We give all the praise and glory to God for our health, and our fitness, for the very breath in our lungs!

As Jimmy Pena says, "In Jesus' name, we train!"