The end of 09

I thought I would write one more post in 2009. Tomorrow will be 2010. Somehow that seems like such a futuristic age. Even the sound of it...2010, makes me think we should be flying around living like the Jetsons. Remember the Jetsons? I have to say I would not mind pressing a button and having my full meal come down a track and plop in front of me when I wake up in the morning.



Anyhow, we are here in Arkansas on a much needed break. We have enjoyed such a wonderful time with family. The children have had so much fun playing with their cousins, going bowling and to the children's science museum. They have played the Wii more times than you can count. From the minute they get up till they crash into bed they have had a blast. And don't forget Nonie's home cooking. It's enough to make anyone feel like they have landed in the land of "comfort food". In the words of my facebook status..." spending time with family, apple stack cake, playing the Wii, pumpkin pie, clothes shopping with your mother in law, peanut butter balls, watching movies, warm fireplace, homemade lasagna, doing sudoku, ice cream, laughing and enjoying one another, peanut brittle, more Wii, pizza, chocolate chip cookies, port whine...ahh, this vacationing is hard work!" LOL! I got some laughs out of my mispelling of wine in that one. :)

On a more serious note. I miscarried this week our sweet little Sita. It was a much harder miscarriage than my previous ones. I was basically in a type of "mini" labor for three days. It has exhausted me on all fronts, but I am very thankful the Lord sustained me through it and has brought it to closure for us. This has been a valley for us, and I will not pretend it has not been hard, because it has. But, we have a great God who is good, and there is much reason for thankfulness. He is continuing to perfect His work concerning us all.

Tonight we are heading over to my sister-in-laws house for our new years eve celebration. The children are excited, because they get to stay up till midnight and have sparkling cider in champaine glasses.

On the topic of new years resolutions. I would commend to you our friend Andrew's blog . Andrew has posted the new year's resolutions of Philip and Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry is my absolutely favorite older writer. I have been so blessed by his commentaries and feel that he has been a real mentor to me. I wanted to copy and paste a bit of it here, but blogger is resisting me, so I will just send you Andrew's way.

My new year's resolutions. Well, I could list many, many but here are just three..
1. To become even more intimately close to the Lord Jesus Christ, to hear even more His voice as I read His word, and to draw nearer in prayer than I have before.
2. To redeem my time more faithfully than I have this past year. Every day is hastening by and my children are growing so fast, I want to learn how to spend each moment to the glory of God.
3. Back to weight watchers! The Flat Belly diet I had started and dropped because I was pregnant was not producing the results with my friend who continued it. So I am going back to the tried and true WW. There is a new branch that opened up that is near where I shop anyway, so I am excited to jump back in this new year.

Those are just three of my desires for the new year. So what are your new year resolutions? Post a comment and let me know!

Until next year then!

Pictures of the family conference...

Pop on over to Stef's blog if you would like to see some pictures of us and meet some of our friends from our church and last August's family conference. We had a great time as you will see.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY:

Monday December 21, 2009

Outside my window... A beautiful sunshiny day! I actually opened up the windows for a while. Bonnie Blue is enjoying some outside time today on a long leash.
I am thinking... it's a time for alot of prayerful thoughtfulness for me right now.
I am thankful for...a nice long vacation with time with dear husband and family coming up
From the learning rooms...we are officially off for winter break! Yahoo! Although my dear W got up this morning and forgot and jumped right on getting his math and science done. :)
From the kitchen...leftover pizza and quesadillas for lunch. Tonight part of us are going over for Mom's chili.
I am wearing...beige long sleeve shirt, red patterned broom skirt, barefoot
I am going...to mom and dad's tonight with some of the children. My brother is in town and we are planning a fun night of supper, ping pong, and the movie "Where Eagles Dare" (1968 with Clint Eastwood). S is staying home to work some overtime and keep a couple of sick children. Won't be half as fun without him!
I am reading...chipping away slowly at Biblical Teachings on the Doctrines of Heaven and Hell, by Edward Donally. And I also found encouragement by some commentary excepts this morning a friend sent through facebook on Zeph. 3:17.
I am hoping...that the Lord will bring this miscarriage to completion soon. He will perfect that which concerneth me is my theme verse lately.
I am hearing...the children watching some cartoons right now, dogs barking outside
Around the house...we have enjoyed having a break today, so relaxing to not have any pressure to get things done. But, this afternoon we all got busy and cleaned and shined the house up. It feels good. :)
One of my favorite things...A cuppa coffee with lots of cream and sugar!
A few plans for the rest of the week: Vacation! Leaving Thursday, spending a fun night in a hotel swimming, etc. Then on to our dear family for a full week of fun!
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

This is a family picture that was taking at our church's family conference last August.


Don't forget to check out Peggy's blog also!

Rich meditations...

A friend of mine from church wrote on the wall of my facebook with these most beautiful quotes from Samuel Rutherford. (You can check out my friend's blog here) Samuel Rutherford was a true doctor of the heart and these thoughts are precious. May they bless you as well.

I know grace roots not out the affections of a mother, but puts them on His wheel who makes all things new, that they may be refined; therefore sorrow to a dead child is allowed to you, though by measure and ounce weights; the redeemed of the Lord have not a dominion or lordship over their sorrow and other affections, to lavish out Christ's goods at their pleasure. 'For you are not your own, but bought with a price'; and your sorrow is not your own, nor has He redeemed you by halves; and therefore you are not to make Christ's cross no cross.

He commands you to weep; and that princely One, who took up to heaven with him a man's heart to be a compassionate High Priest, became your fellow and companion on earth, by weeping for the dead (John 11:35). And therefore you are to love that cross, because it was once on Christ's shoulders before you; so that by His own practice he has over-gilded and covered your cross with the Mediator's lustre. The cup you drink was at the lip of sweet Jesus, and He drank of it; and so it has a smell of His breath. And I conceive you love it not the worse, that it is thus sugared; therefore drink, and believe the resurrection of your child's body...

It is true, the child died before he did so much service to Christ on earth... but that were a real matter of sorrow, if this were not to counterbalance it, that he has changed service houses, but has not changed services or Master (Rev. 22:3, 'But the Lamb shall be there, and His servants shall serve Him'). What he could have done in this lower house, he is now upon that same service in the higher house; and it is all one, it is the same service, and the same Master, only there is a change of conditions.

And you are not to think it is a bad bargain for your beloved child, where he has gold for copper and brass, eternity for time. I believe Christ has taught you... not to sorrow because he died. All the knot must be, he died too soon, he died too young, he died in the morning of his life, this is all; but sovereignty must silence your thoughts... The supreme and absolute Former of all things gives not an account of any of His matters.

The good Husbandman may pluck His roses and gather in His lilies at midsummer, and, for ought I dare say, in the beginning of the summer of the first month; and He may transplant young trees out of the lower ground to the higher, where they have more of the sun, and more of the free air, at any season of the year. What is that to you or me? The goods are His own… and he cannot be too early in heaven… and you cannot adjourn Christ’s love, which has taken him there.

-S.R.

Out of the mouths of babes...

Conversation between H, D and myself today as we sat on my bed reading a naptime story...

H: "When I grow up, who will I marry?"

Mommy: "You will marry a godly man."

H: "Who is the godly man?"

H: "What is his name?"

D: "He will be a pretty man and you will love him".

Awwwww.

Our loss...her gain

It is with sadness that we announce that the Lord has taken this precious little

baby home to be with Him. I say it is with sorrow, because we are grieving,

but it is to this sweet babies great gain. I had an ultrasound yesterday which

gave us the news that our little Sita is with Jesus. There are many tears

and will continue to be. But we have great hope and comfort in the Lord's

most sovereign perfect plan.

A chapter that has ministered so much to us is Psalm 71..and I love this verse.

6

By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. I told the children it is an amazing thought to think of our little Sita up in glory, saying to our Savior "Thou art He that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee!" Sita would not change what happened for a second. She will never know the pain of sin and sorrow that is here on earth. How beautiful this thought is. We now have four little E babies that we look forward to seeing in heaven. I would appreciate prayers for me as I wait to miscarry. There will be tough days ahead. As someone reminded me today, I will have all the hormones of a birth (baby blues, etc) for several weeks without the baby to cuddle. So life around the E house will be a little different for awhile. But, the Lord has perfected that which concerneth me and the child. I would like to share with a quote that a friend of mine shared. Please visit this website where you will find beautiful cards with quotes such as these... "No word could tell our heartache as you drew your final breath; Our heads are bowed in loneliness and sorrow by your death. Yet comfort grows as we recall that death has lost its sting-- For death has carried you to Christ, redemptions song to sing! And oh, the joy your heart must hold! What must that moment be, When wondering eyes are lifted up, the Saviour's face to see! How glorious to feel the loving touch of His embrace, To kneel at His majestic throne and thank Him for His grace! These thoughts like sunbeams through the clouds, our hearts with joy renew And though we sorrow for ourselves...we can't be sad for you!" "...the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21

Happy 60th Birthday!

Happy 60th Birthday to my beautiful Mama!

Simple Woman's Daybook

Don't forget to check out Peggys Daybook today as well...FOR TODAY

December 14th, 09

Outside my window...gray, cloudy, cold winter day...brrr.
I am thinking...that instead of taking one day at a time, sometimes I have to take one minute at a time.
I am thankful for...each day I still have a little babe in my womb.
From the learning rooms...Basics of math, writing, reading and science. In history today we read in the Story of the World about Cyrus the Great. We are where he releases the Jews from captivity.
From the kitchen...Bean and cheese burritos for lunch. Italian sausage and baked potatoes for supper.
I am wearing...blue t-shirt and flowered skirt
I am creating...the next generation
I am going...to put the littles down for a nap shortly
I am reading..my Bible.
I am hoping...to get an ultrasound this week
I am hearing...B working on her math on the other computer, the fan running in the bathroom, the littles are out playing on the trampoline.
Around the house...we are learning how to do our work quickly and cheerfully and how not to take all day on one task!
One of my favorite things...when I see one of my children show a new level of maturity and walk in what they have been taught
A few plans for the rest of the week: ladies chick flick night at my house tomorrow night, prayer meeting as normal on Wed, Keepers at home meeting on Saturday. I am waiting to hear back from the Dr and hoping to go in for an ultrasound in the next few days to see if there is a little heartbeat.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

This and That Friday

It's been an interesting last couple of days here. W started complaining of his throat hurting and then Wed afternoon he showed me a big goose egg on the side of his neck. He did not even want to turn his neck, it hurt him so bad to even touch the area. So he and I stayed home from prayer meeting and had a nice quiet evening together. We worked some puzzles, I made him 3 mugs of hot peppermint and honey tea. He took a hot bath and later in the evening I wrapped his neck in a castor oil poultice. (He wasn't thrilled about that, but later told me it was not too bad.)

The next morning when he was still in alot of pain we decided to take him in to the Dr. I was not sure if we were dealing with strep throat or possibly even the mumps. It turned out to be either a bacterial tonsillitis or strep. The Dr did not culture for strep, because he said that either way they were going to treat it the same. So both W and J came home with antibiotics. (J was started to get swollen glands as well). They were thrilled when I came out of Walgreens (where I dropped the prescription) with a small battery operated air hockey game. They have already played and played and enjoyed it so much. The whole family has actually. W is already feeling so much better today, we are very thankful.

Today we are back on track with a fruitful school day, even though I feel very tired. This afternoon I have done some catching up on correcting the children's assignments. In fact, I got out my papers, pen and stickers to get all ready. Left the room for a minute and came back to see H doing the job for me. She was putting a sticker on each page. I guess she figured all the assignments were done well. :) Always my little helper! Anyhow, our system works like this. The children do their assignments, put their name and date at the top, and put them in the "homework bin" that is hanging on the wall. Then, I go through and correct them and put stickers on them. This is what I was doing this afternoon. We have a big trapper keeper type notebook with folders for each child in them. Today after I corrected their work I put their pages back in their folders. One side of the folder is for papers they need to go back over and correct, the other side are the papers ready for filing. On "filing day" then, they have to take all their papers and put them in their correct notebooks. They have notebooks for Literature/Language (Lat and Lit), History, and Math. I need to make them one for Latin still, since we are doing that now too. If I were more organized I would use the trapper keeper all the time, but often times the children just are given their piles to file. :)

After I did some phonics with D and H this morning, I set them up with playdo to have some fun. I told D it was very important that Bonnie not get into the playdo, because it could make her sick. His response? "It's not a vegetable". So, I guess he thinks BB (Bonnie) only can have vegis? It's makes me think of the scene in Wallace and Grommet where Wallace is chanting "Veg Bad, Veg Bad!) LOL! I had a cute picture of them playing playdo that I took on my cell phone (my only camera right now) but it is not wanting to send it online for me to be able to put it up here. Maybe later...

Some of you might be wondering about Baby Sita. Well, all is very quiet and calm right now. I have not felt very sick or tired this pregnancy and it has me concerned that things might not being going well. I am right where I was when I lost Baby Sieta. So, I am waiting on the Lord right now. I will probably call a midwife early next week and try and get an appt, because after Tuesday they should be able to hear a heartbeat. We will hopefully have an idea then if the baby is alright. This has been a real exercise in waiting and trusting in the Lord. Waiting has always been hard for me. And He is sanctifying me as I must rest in His timing in revealing to me His will. As I have said before, however long He gives us this child, we will be thankful.

We are looking forward to seeing my brother soon. He arrives on leave from the military school on the 19th. We are so excited to spend some time with him!

Then the 24th we are going to start our trip to Arkansas. We are planning on driving partway the evening of the 24th, and then driving the bulk of the miles on the 25th. We are looking so forward to the break and getting to spend time with our dear family! We plan on returning home the 2nd, Lord willing.

Tonight we are having beef stew/soup and I might make some biscuits to go with them. And we are having a family movie night. I rented from netfliks the movie "The Apple Dumpling Gang"...remember that old movie with Don Knotts in it? It's fun showing the children some of the favorite movies from when I was a little girl. After the children go to bed S and I are going to watch "National Treasure" which was recommended to us by a friend. So it looks like it will be one of those cozy winter nights.

Well, I guess that's all for now. The children are in playing air hockey, and E is making peppermint tea for some of them. I am so looking forward to having S home tonight! I love weekends! That's all for now!

Way to go Dockers!

This is the add for the Dockers website...makes me want to go and support them by buying S some new pants! If you want to see their website click HERE.

Bonnie Blue

Ok so someone (you know who you are) wrote on my wall on facebook saying they wanted more pics up on my blog. :) Sadly, my digital camera broke, so I have to rely on others pics right now. But, here are a few pictures of Bonnie Blue that Stef took for me today. Thanks Stef! Isn't she the cutest butter ball?

Simple Woman's Daybook

It's Monday so it's time for the Simple Woman's Daybook again. Don't forget to visit Peggy for more. I don't know why, but when I do the daybook it does not let me move my pictures, so I will put that first again.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... this was Nona and some of the children back awhile ago, doing one of the things they love best...

FOR TODAY

December 07, 09

Outside my window... it is dark since I am now writing this in the evening. It has been a cold day here in SC!
I am thinking... of the little baby deep inside my womb. The Lord is teaching me how to wait upon Him as to how long He will give us this little one.
I am thankful for... a new little niece who was born just a few days ago!
From the learning rooms...we took a break from school today to clean, reorganize and declutter! Ahh, we needed it!
From the kitchen...tonights supper was sloppy joes, fries, salad and pickles.
I am wearing...a light blue skirt, one of S's t-shirts and a flannel shirt of S's that he wore the day we got engaged (15 years ago)!
I am going... to enjoy a few minutes of quiet tonight with S.
I am reading... this morning studied my Bible and sermon notes about hallowing the Lord's name. This afternoon after hard work, I lounged on the couch and read "Country" magazine.
I am hoping... that all is well with the child within, but ultimately my hope is in the Lord, I know His will is perfect.
I am hearing...Daddy laughing with the boys, as he is tucking them in for the night.
Around the house...we finished a rousing family game of UNO, in which Pilly won.
One of my favorite things...our new little puppy Bonnie Blue. She is sooooooo cute!
A few plans for the rest of the week: taking it one day at a time. I am thankful for the Lord's mercies which are new every morning.

My dear brother

Thought you might like to see my brother's official Air Force Portrait...

More Bonnie Pics

Announcing...

Our new border collie puppy named....Bonnie Blue (Bonnie or BB for short, you know the E family has to always have LOTS of nicknames). We picked her up today and she is getting used to her new surroundings. For now her kennel is in the kitchen until she is familiar with everything. Through the cold nights while she is little she may come inside the kitchen as well. Right now she is sitting on my lap while I am typing. She is the cutest little five week butterball. Her little cries and squeals are so cute. (We will see if we think so in the middle of the night). I will try to get pics up soon of her standing up, so you can see her better.

Exciting Day!

We are heading out to get our new puppy in just a little bit. She is pure bred border collie. We are so excited! We went last night and got her little "house" and a pink collar and leash. We also got a little engraved tag with her name and our contact info on it. We plan on keeping her in the kitchen for the first little while, since she is only about 5 weeks old. Her name? Well, you will just have to wait for the next post with her picture and that information. (smile)

Switching diets

For those of you who might have wondered. I obviously am not doing "The Flat Belly Diet" anymore...instead I have switched to "The Fat Belly Diet". (Cartoon from this website). So, where is the ice cream?...

And then there were seven...

We are very excited and happy to announce that there is a new little E baby on the way! I actually found out I was "late" on my trip and went to a Walmart to get a test. It will make for a funny story for this new little one, when he or she finds out that mommy found out she was pg in a Walmart bathroom out of town!! LOL. We are all very happy. H is thrilled that she is a big sister. S always has predicted the baby's gender and been right 100%...he says this is a baby girl. But, boy or girl we already love this little one. I am due mid to late July, we have yet to confirm an exact due date.

After Baby Siete, I have some concerns as to whether all will go well. But, I was encouraged by a nice bout of morning sickness this morning. However long the Lord gives us this child we will be thankful, whether long or short.

We always keep the name a secret till birth, but have a womb nickname. This one is Baby Sita (spanish for little one).

We would appreciate your prayers for us as we embark on this new journey.