April Showers

Today's is on the dark drizzly side. The rain sounds amazing. I have always love the sound of rain, and as soon as it started I went and opened all the windows, gathered all the little people and we practised or catechisms.

What a beautiful start to the morning.

School always slows right down this time of year, but today the older ones were asking what they could do. They went downstairs and found their Canada workbooks and got right to work.

Meanwhile I have lite candles through out the house have some soft worship music playing and my little ones have pulled out stacks of books curled up on the sofa together.

It's a slow morning, but later this afternoon we will load everyone into the Suburban and go see Daddy at work.

I thought I would sit down and write something while I had my tea, it's almost time to go nurse my little one down for a nap. What a precious time.... this gives me about 20-30 to cover my husband and children in prayer. It's a memory of nursing babies that I will always cherish, the moments of cradling a gift from God and bathing them in prayer.

I pray that each of my friends would enjoy the gift of each precious one in your family, and the safe haven, and peaceful rest, of your home.

First Birthday

I Want to Go Back in Time..

Today the children and I had a bunch of shopping to get done. We were in Walmart in the baby section and I could hear a frustrated mom, although I couldn't see her.
Then we bumped into each other...
She had 3 children around ages 4, between 16-20 months and one around 6-7 months plus she was pregnant( I think).

She was hard not to notice cause she was yelling alot.
The older girl had an maybe week old black eye and then the toddler had a large bruise down his cheek.

Normally that wouldn't bother me, kids fall things happen.
We ended up in the check out with her and she had her toddler on her hip and she loudly yells " I told you to shut-up right now! I am going to smack you again if you don't be quiet!"

Then her toddler took a swat at her face and she then grab his arm and made him hit himself over and over.
And then she yelled " I am going to beat your ______ when we get home"

I was shaking, I felt sick to my stomach.
Everyone around us pretended not to notice, and I said and did nothing. And I just feel so sick about that.

I felt sick for hours later, I have been praying and emailed some good friends that I knew would "get me" and asked them to be praying that our paths would cross.
I felt like I was begging the Lord for another chance, I desperately wanted to go back in time 4 hours.

I wish I would have said "aww looks like your having a busy day, the kids and I are going to go get some french fries would you like to join us? treat is on us... Hoping she would maybe take it, and just chit chat over fries and a drink about her family. Hoping a gentle response would encourage her to be more gentle? I duno... I'm so bummed I want another chance! Anybody who knows me in real life knows this would be extremely hard for me. But I want another chance!!

If you can please pray for this mom and her children, I know the little boys name is Adian.
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Loving devotion to the Lord Jesus means we embrace the desires of His heart. His heart is for a lost world. He came to seek and to save the lost and to give His life a ransom for many. With a price more costly than we can ever imagine He sacrificed Himself on the cross for lost people. Before He departed for heaven He commissioned His followers, the church, to continue what He came to do, to preach the Good News to the ends of the earth. And He gave the power of His Spirit to accomplish His assignment.
If I love Him I want to satisfy His heart. If I love Him I want to do my part to reach the lost. If I love Him I want to express His compassion to those without Him. It is so easy to be immersed in my Christian world of church-life, Bible studies, growth groups or whatever is meaningful to my own Christian life and forget to reach out intentionally to the unsaved. Can I say that I love the Lord Jesus and yet remain silent around lost people I encounter along life’s path? Can I say I want Him to be glorified and yet not engage in that which satisfies His heart’s desire—the rescue of those facing God’s eternal punishment?

The Fruit Inspector

I woke up this morning with a clean slate, I love the morning. I love having the whole day fresh, yesterday is put behind you and new memories to be made. Once the children were all awake and dressed we all made breakfast together and we did our morning devotions we are reading through 1 John together. It's such a sweet time to read aloud to them. We stop every few verses and talk about what it is saying and how we can apply it to our own life.

We read the verse in 1st John that says "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."

So we took a few minutes together and went around confessing sin to each other. It was really neat to see the vast difference in my children.


“True repentance must include awareness of the magnitude of our spiritual destitution; therefore real repentance must begin with recognition of God’s incomparable and unachievable holiness.
When we do not apprehend the true nature of our wrongdoing, we do not hate it sufficiently to seek its expulsion. True repentance requires grief and remorse that cries out, ‘How could I have done such a thing? Please, God, take the guilt and presence of this evil from my life!’
Without such a loathing of the sin that has been magnified by God’s holiness, not only will we fail to repent, we will not even see our wrong.”
Bryan Chapell
Holiness By Grace, p. 74
~~~

O Father, I have sinned! I have done
The thing I thought I never more should do!
My days were set before me, light all through;
But I have made dark—alas, too true!
And drawn dense clouds between me and my Sun.
Septimus Sutton
~~~

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret.
2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV)

Resting In Him Alone

The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes,

and surely it is in the everyday things around us

that the beauty of life lies.”

~~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Tonight I crawled in to bed a little earlier than I normally would, I ended up with a headache and Chris looked at me and gave him a hug and said " why don't you go to bed I'll take care of snack and bedtime?" So I scooped up the baby and did just that.
I laid here for over an hour just thinking and praying in my nice warm fluffy blankets as the cool evening breeze blew into my room.

I started to pour my heart out to the Lord, sometimes I can get really discouraged as mother and wife. I fall short in so many areas my children learn far more by what I do, than by what I say. They will become what I model before them. And because I am a sinner I need Jesus to pour His Grace and Mercy over me. We go through our days and weeks with many quick and humble apologies, serving each other, gentle words, teaching kindness, love, understanding, compassion, acceptance, praise but I need the Lord to transform my heart. I lay here with my eyes shut asking him to search the very depths of me, uncover all my sinful motives, intentions and desires.

Yet in this moment of pouring myself out to Him, I feel His embrace and I let him hold me. I whisper "Lord change me, I need more of you less of me" I ask him let my children and my children's children walk in mercy and Truth. Tonight I close my eyes in His loving acceptance of me and I will walk with Him in the week ahead.


Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

Matthew 12:28-30

A Mother's Helper

Recently a homeschool mom emailed me asking if I would be interested in hiring her daughter to help me around the house. I thought this was a great idea, I have other friends who have girls come over and take over all the laundry or ironing.

This young girl is only 9 though so she really can't handle that kind of task. But I wanted to be able to use her in a way that would be useful to me and let her earn some money.

I have her coming over two times at week and during the 2 hours she is here I have her arranging games and fun activities for my 2 and 4 year old. This gives me a good amount of time to do some extra school with my older three, but also gives those younger guys something to really look forward to.

The first day I was really impressed and the children really adored her.

The Wonder of 2 Year Olds

This has got to be one of my most favorite ages.

They are so full of love and energy and everything must be done big. They have big needs and big emotions... They are growing and wanting to be big kids but are still babies. They still need lots of cuddles in the day and night, they need pulled onto our laps for stories read over and over. They need predictable days, warm meals with the family, they need songs sung while we zip up coats and tie up shoes.

Lots of outside time is a must running, pushing, pulling, playing in water, sand, and mud. I love how creative their little minds really are.

If there is one thing I have learned with 2 year old number five it is too keep out of the home excursions very limited, it's during this time that alot of daily training will take place and you really can't do that if your never home.

2 year olds need us to make their environment one that is peaceful. We don't need to feel guilty about saying no to outside commitments. This age is precious and they need to see mommy smile and delight in them because it is during this time they are being shaped and they will become what they see on your face. They need softness in our speech and excitement when they bring you into their little world. Don't listen to people tell you these are the terrible two's because this time is tiny and precious so soak up every minute you have with them.

What Kind of Men?

Today in the middle of our school day we paused to read a story. My Grandmother recently gave me her big comfy chair as my children call it. All them try and balance on the arms and squish in beside me so see the pictures.

We read "The Princess and the Kiss" We have read this story dozens of times. If you don't have this one for your children I highly recommend it. It's a story of purity and saving your first kiss for marriage. We got to the part in the story when different men were coming to ask for her hand in marriage. The first one to come was a prince named Prince Peacock she saw that his strength was impressive, but she knew that he was so full of himself that there would be no room for her in his heart.

Today this one part really got me thinking. How often does the world draw us to puff up our boys? Yes our little boys need oodles of loving encouragement but do they need to be the best? or told they are the best?

Pride is a seed I believe that we as parents unknowingly can water without seeing the harvest we are about to get.

We need to be watchful over their hearts that they are not being wrapped up in worldly pleasures and peer influence so much so that their hearts turn cold to the Lord, His Word, and serving others.

If we do not pluck out seeds of pride when they are young it will have the potential to destroy there homes with their wives. Pride will not strengthen a home it will weaken it, it will tear it down. I pray that the Lord will convict my heart any time I put on a proud look or speak prideful words and show me that it will tear down my home little by little, but also my children's futures and their homes, I pray He will show me where I am watering the seeds of pride in my children and I will not be afraid to pluck them out even if the world tells me those things are good.

"Pride is a cunning, deceitful snake that lurks in every believer’s fallen nature. Its origin is the devil, and its ugliness is repulsive when put beside the beautiful humility of the Lord Jesus. Pride has a thousand disguises, but regardless of which one it may use there is always the same putrid smell. Because it is so deceitful, the one who does not choose to be humble by the Lord’s grace is totally unaware of its ugly manifestation in their own life through their words, attitudes, and deeds. The Christian who is proud is not aware of his own spiritual bad breath that is offensive to others. Pride always wants to be somebody before others, and humility is willing to be nothing before others. Seeing the beauty of Jesus’ humility causes one to despise their own pride and diligently pursue the humble way before God and others. Even when sinful flesh tries to be spiritual and humble it reeks with pride’s putrid smell. Only the Spirit of God can produce in us the lovely humility of the Lord Jesus, and when He does it brings the fragrance of heaven upon us. Please do it, Lord, because I utterly despise the stinking pride that lurks in my natural being."

Baking with my Beauties

My little baby is almost one in 20 days, makes my heart skip a beat.

How does this year go by so fast? I think every mommy says that, but really it's like you blink and poof they are toddlers.

My little artist spent the quiet morning drawing pictures for all his Grandparents with a little note that read "Jesus is Alive"

The girls and I were inspired by my Mennonite friend down the road and we decided to make Paska.
Paska is a traditional Mennonite Bread made only at Easter.
It was a sweet morning this bread is wonderful to make your home with smell absolutely amazing.

I couldn't help but day dream as I was doing up dishes and the two girls on chairs up with me. How fun these years are but in ten years these two will be my best friends. Raising daughters who enjoy homemaking can be a wonderful adventure and I am looking forward to the years ahead. What a blessing they will be to our home.

"One of the sweetest places a young girl may have in any home is that of big sister. What a field of happiness and usefulness is open to the girl with little brothers and sisters! They are ready to look up to her as a guide and a pattern in everything. If she manages rightly, she can have unlimited influence with them.

"Have you seen her, the ideal big sister? She is ever ready to kiss away the bumps and bruises of little heads and hearts, she know just how to mend broken dolls and balls, she like to pop corn and make candy for little people to eat, she knows such wonderful stories to tell or read, she will pick up and put of of sight those evidences of childish neglect that might bring little people into trouble, she understands and is a companion for every one of them. Yes, many homes have just such older daughters as that.

The girl who is learning day by day to be a good daughter at home and a good sister to the younger children is also learning day by day how to make in time a good wife and a good mother. She is getting ready for the greatest work a woman can do...

There is no work so good for any woman as making a good, true home for somebody. Every truly beautiful character is its best at home. Let us never neglect the home life."

--From the book 'Beautiful Girlhood' by Mabel Hale from the early twentieth century