Honor's Night 2012

     Our family is a member of CCCHE, a home school group in our area.  Each year in May we participate in Honor's Night.  This year our Marianna was one of the Kindergarten graduates.

     She was SO excited!!! 

     Each family has a space in the program.  Nathan introduced us & presented the girls with their grade level completion certificates.  Then, Kaley recited Hebrews 11 & Marianna recited the ABC Bible Verses.



     We are proud of our girls!  They did a great job!  Now, let's finish up our school work!  lol  A special thanks, as always, goes to Nathan's mother for taking these pictures!  :)

It's A Boy!

     Praise the Lord!  Everything has been going perfectly with this pregnancy!  I am due on October 3rd.  We found out yesterday that it is a baby boy.  We are overjoyed!  Clay will have a baby brother to play with plus 3 older sisters to keep them in line.  Having 3 girls has been one of the greatest joys in my life.  I'm sure it will be just as special raising the 2 little boys and look forward to every minute of it.  I am not stupid enough to think it will all be a "bed of roses", but in those times God is our refuge & always makes a way!  His love for us & the joy of raising children is unexplainable.  Doing so with your best friend & the love of your life is also God's rich blessings! 
     My long time doctor has retired from delivering.  I was truly devastated but looking back even that was God's blessing in disguise.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new doctor!!!  She is so wonderful!  She has almost as many children as I do.  The staff is so friendly & offer such sweet, personal service.  The office facility & hospital I am now using is definitely an upgrade from before!  Also, it's even more cost efficient.  Only God works like that!  :)
     Names?  We like the name Graham but have no middle name picked out.  We always use at least 1 family name so settling on that is what is in question right now.  Some names seem better left on the family tree.  Other options include Graham Bryan, Graham Bailey, Graham Jackson...just not sure yet.  Suggestions are definitely welcome!       

What Else Would I Do?

"The woman who makes

a sweet, beautiful home,

filling it with love

and prayer and purity,

is doing something better

 than anything else

 her hands could find to do

beneath the skies."

Copied from the Blog ~ Simply Farmhouse.

     When I read this, I thought what else would my goals be?  What else would I strive to do?  I love to stay home!  I want it to be a place of refuge...a place of love & prayer.  I want to hold my children close & teach them the things of God.  My desire is to pour scripture into their hearts daily.  I want to set a Godly example as their mother.  I want to be the wife my husband longs to come home to & care for.  No, with 4 kids our home isn't always quiet or perfectly clean, but it can be peaceful!  Helping my children learn & hearing them play brings such a joy & blessing!  I couldn't imagine sending them off & me going to work just so we could have more.  We have WAY too much now to keep clean!  lol  Enjoy life!  Hold your kids tight!  Greet your husband with a sweet smile & a kiss!  :)  What else could be better for my hands to find to do beneath the skies?       

Our Back Yard Garden

 

     We love to garden!!!  We plant a garden of vegetables every spring.  We also can & freeze them to enjoy all year long.  This year my Daddy came to help us plant it.  You can see our farm fields of wheat in the back ground.  It is such a beautiful sight right in our back yard.

Tomatoes (above) & Squash (below)

     This year we planted several rows of sweet corn & different kinds of peas.  We also planted a row of okra & about 80 Better Boy Tomato plants, 30 squash plants, 12 cucumber plants, 12 bell pepper plants, 6 cherry tomato plants, & 3 eggplants.  This will be plenty to eat, put up, & share!    This year we didn't plant early enough to grow green beans or potatoes.  Thanks to Nathan's family, maybe we will be able to enjoy those also.  Everything has grown so much since these pictures were taken just 10 days ago!  Today at lunch we ate our 1st pick from our garden-cucumbers!  We also ate fresh new potatoes shared from Nathan's parent's garden.  They were delicious!  :)  We are looking forward to the harvest ahead!  Yum!

Easter Fun

     We had a very blessed Easter!  Much time was spent with each other, family, & friends!  We were   coloring & hunting eggs, baking & eating, & going to Sunday Easter services.  What wonderful memories were made!

    

     Mamaw & Papaw surprised the kids by renting a big slide this year!  They all loved it & the cousins spent the night sliding & playing together!

Easter Cookies

This is a fun & yummy way to recount the story of Jesus' death & the wonder of Easter with kids!  We make these every year & my kids love this activity!  Each step of the way allows a chance to discuss the contributions Jesus made.

Things you will need:  1 cup of whole pecans, 1 tsp of vinegar, 3 egg whites, a pinch of salt, 1 c of sugar, zip lock bags, wooden spoon, electric mixer, cookie sheets, wax paper, & Bible

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the pecans into zip lock baggies & have kids break them into pieces with a wooden spoon.  Explain how Jesus was beaten by the Roman soldiers after He was arrested, & read John 19:1-3.

Next, add the vinegar to the mixing bowl & tell the children that Jesus was given vinegar to drink while he was on the cross.  Read John 19:28-30.  Have each child taste vinegar.  Add the egg whites to the bowl, explaining that eggs represent life & how Jesus gave His life to us by reading John 10:10-11.

Now add a pinch of salt to the bowl to represent the tears shed by Jesus' disciples & followers after His death.  Have each child also taste the salt to remind them of the bitterness of sin.  Read Luke 23:27.

The next step is to add the sugar while telling the kids how the sweetest part of Jesus' story is that He died because He loves us.  Let them also taste the sugar.  Read Psalm 34:8 or John 3:16.

Beat the mixture with the mixer on high speed for 15-20 minutes.  Have the children take turns beating the mixture until stiff peaks form.  Next, fold in the pecans & drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheets covered with wax paper.  Read Matthew 27:57-60 to explain how each cookie represents the tomb where Jesus' body was laid to rest.

Put the cookies in the oven & close the door.  TURN OFF THE OVEN.  You may seal it with tape to represent the way His tomb was sealed.  Read Matthew 27:65-66.

While waiting for cookies to make for about 10-15 minutes, read John 16:20 & 22 to learn about how the disciples & followers were saddened by the sealing of the tomb.

Remove cookies from the oven & allow them to cool.  Finally, distribute & break open the cookies which are hollow inside which serves to represent the empty tomb after Jesus rose!!!  Enjoy!  :)

Marianna's 1st Turkey

     Marianna has been SO excited about turkey hunting this year.  She delights in going!  She has even cried on several mornings when they couldn't go.  Nathan says she's a great hunter, quiet & still.  Her Papa Craig & her Daddy called this bird up!  She has shot at 2 others but this one she brought home!  We ate him last night for supper!  Great job Marianna!