Let Freedom Ring!

Happy Birthday America!

I am blessed to live a free country.

I am thankful for America - The Land that I Love!

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

Zak

This is a post about our fourth son. Zak is very special to us as he is a special gift from God just for us. Zak came into our home on October of 2003. He had just turned one and was a very sick boy. He came to live with us as a pre - adoptive foster child.

When Zak came to our home he was very sick and had not been cared for properly. Through much love, time and many many doctor's visits Zak improved considerable. We were thrilled to finally be able to adopt him in 2004. The court room was filled with our friends and family and with one happy Mom and Dad - and four excited kids. Our family had grown!!

Despite the love and care that we had given Zak through the months, we still found him to be delayed in some key areas of development. We continued to give him time to mature - (his beginning had been less than ideal and he did need more time to gain the time he had lost through neglect) - and continued to talk with the doctors about our concerns. Finally we were referred to a neurologist. After thoroughly studying Zak,and putting him through many tests, he diagnosed him with autism. We are awaiting therapy for him and continue to work with him to bring him as far as he is able to go academically It has been an exciting challenge and we have seen great improvements in his development.

This week we have experienced a set back. We have seen his speech delayed and at times he is unable to communicate with us at all. He is very frustrated and the doctors are very puzzled. We have found ourselves this week looking at possibilities we would rather not have to think about. They are looking at the possibilities of a seizure or a stoke. We are waiting for test results and more tests to be run. We plan on keeping everyone updated on his progress through the blog page here.

It is so neat to know that God has a perfect plan for everything. We are so thankful to have Zak in our home and know that God gave us a special gift in our son. We are blessed beyond words with is presence in our home and his smile can light up the darkest of days! We are praying for God's direction and wisdom in the next few days as we seek to find out what is wrong with him. Thanks for your prayers we will keep you posted.

Peace - A Benefit of Homemaking

When our homes are neat and orderly - it causes there to be a spirit of peace in our homes. When items are in disarray, personal belongings missing and just an overall spirit of chaos in the home , nerves are tense and the attitude in the home are far from peaceful! As homemakers, we play an important part in the atmosphere and spirit of our homes. Many times, we can directly influence the spirit of our home. We see in scripture that God calls us to be "keepers at home." What are some things we can do to help improve the atmosphere and spirit of our home; and cause us to be able to fulfill our God given calling of being a "keeper at home"?


* Spend Time Daily with the Lord in Bible Study and Prayer - By making sure we have that quiet time with the Lord - we are putting ourselves in a place where He can speak to our hearts. How sweet it is to have the Holy Spirit convict us of our wrong attitudes even before we choose to do wrong! By spending time with God, we allow Him to be able to work on us through His Word. We also are brought to the realization that we can not minister in our own strength. Our prayer time allows us be dependant upon God for our strength. Being a godly Christian homemaker can not be done without the working of God in our lives! We can not miss this vital ingredient if we are to have a spirit of peace in our homes. It is only by our personal walk with God that this is possible.

* De clutter - "This world is not my home - I'm just a passing through..." the song says. Sometimes, we view the things of this world with such high regard because we forget that we are not home yet. When our hearts are turned to the things of this world it is so easy for our lives to become cluttered with too much "stuff". We must constantly be watching and making sure that we are managing our lives the way that God wants us to. It is so easy for clutter to come into our homes. We must as Christian homemakers guard against clutter.

*Adopt the motto - "A place for everything - and everything in it's place. This is biblical!! "Let all things be done decently and in order." When everything has it's place it is easy to clean up, clear out and live because we can just put it away and go on.

* Good Godly Christian Music - It is amazing how quickly music can change the atmosphere of a room!! This is also a biblical principle "Singing to ourselves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord." Ladies, the Christian battle is fought in the mind! Satan knows that if he is going to defeat us he will have to do it first in our thought life. So much of life can burden us down, cause us to have a bad attitude and just an overall bad spirit about us. Christian music can help keep our thought on track and focused on the Lord. Now, when I say good Christian music, I am NOT talking about music that talks about God in it's words; but sounds like the world in its musical content. Christian music does not emulate the world at all. If you are listening to music that sounds like the worlds music, but with different words - this will not cause the overall spirit in your home to be peaceful. When a person walks into a Christian homemakers home it should look and sound distinctively Christian!

* A Schedule - This is one thing that will help the Christian homemaker immensely! When we know what we need to do,and when it is scheduled to get done - it does wonders to helping our hearts be at peace. So much of the chaos of the world is people running to and fro. Going from this thing to that thing - not really knowing exactly what they need to do next. As a Christian we are told to "redeem the time" Redeeming the time - means bringing our time into account and managing it - A Schedule will work wonders in allowing you to plan and also to see the things you have been able to accomplish in the ministry of homemaking that God has called you to.


These are only a few things. There are many more. Ask God to help you to be the homemaker of His desires. Be obedient to the things that He shows you - and then watch as He opens the door to you to minister to other through the world of homemaking!!

Happy Birthday!

To My Son : On His Birthday!

Son: Today you are another year older. Today your are closer to becoming the man that you were created to be. Today you continue to walk thru life - but now another year older. As you grow older, you will learn more and more about life. Here are a few things I want you to always remember:

* God's ways are always best!

* Life is not always fair.

* Respect life.

* Love Life.

* Find God's purpose for your life - then - do it!

* Always do right

* Always stand for the truth - no matter what the cost.

* Honor Courage and Faith over Fear.

* Don' t be afraid to fail.

* Learn from your mistakes

* Be a man - the world needs men not sissies!

* Be a man of your word.

* Be a man of character

* Keep your eyes on the goal - Heaven's closer than you think.

* Remember those who have gone before you

* Don't forget those who are coming after you - be an example

* Love the Lord with all your heart - your soul - your mind - do justly - lover mercy -

* Walk humbly with God

I am so thankful that God gave you to me! Happy Birthday.

Love, Mom

Berry Picking

Today I took two of the kids and we went berry picking. I love to pick berries and for the most part the kids enjoyed it also. We picked and picked together. I always have a hard time when I go berry picking for my allergies kick in so badly. By the end of our time in the field my eyes were swollen, blood shot, and watering to beat the band!

All and all we picked over 30 pounds of berries. We enjoyed eating some all the way home. Thus far, I have successfully got them washed and hulled. I am thinking that I will make some jam; but I am really thinking that I am just going to freeze most of them, since my family is not a big jam eating family. I think no matter what I do I will have plenty of berries for a while. It feels like summer is officially here now that I have my berried done!

My Favorite Things

I thought I would take a few minutes and tell a little bit about me.

What I like:

The sound of water in nature. I think the most beautiful sound that we hear when we are outdoors enjoying nature is the sound of running water. I think I could sit by the bank of a rushing stream all day long. If I could, I would close my eyes, let the sun beat down upon my face and enjoy the sound of the water running over the rocks as it too is warmed by the sun.

I love the sound of a new born baby's cry. The first time I heard the each one of my new babies cry my heart was filled to over flowing. I also love the little grunts a new born baby makes. I love babies. I love watching children learn.

Favorite things to do:

I love to go on dates with my husband.

I love to listen to music.

I love to hang clothes on the line and smell the freshness of each piece as I place it onto the line

with clothes pins. I think I could hang clothes on a line all day long. (It is by far, my favorite

homemaking chore.)

I love to organize things - charts and schedules make me a happy person.

I love to dream about the future.

I love to laugh with friends.

I love to make new friends.

I love to help people.

I love spending time with elderly people. This is one of my favorite past times. I love sitting

and chatting with old people about anything and everything that they like to talk about.

I love antique shopping.

I love playing the piano.

I love watching my daughter play her violin.

I love watching my other daughter make her favorite basketball dunk shot.

I love watching my son explain to me about his latest Lego artwork. I am mesmerized by his

attention to detail.

I love watching my youngest son play cars; knowing that it is only by a miracle of God that He

is with us today.

I love watching my husband preach.

I love watching my husband study for his message to preach.

I love listening to my children sing.

I love watching my husband sing in church.

I love watching people and wondering what "their story" is - because everyone has a story.

I love talking to my sister on the phone.

I love living the life God has given me and wondering what our future with hold.

This is just a little glimpse of me - but these are the things I love. My God, My life My family and all the things in between.

Happy Anniversary!

I am married to my best friend. We have been married for so long that we know what the other is thinking and finish each other's sentences. We love being together; and there is no one else on the face of this earth I would rather spend time with other than him. He is a wonderful father to our children; and when I watch him with them - I stand amazed at his patience, love and self sacrificing attitude towards them. I know that he would give his very life for the safety and well being of our family - and this makes me feel secure in his love. We have been married now for 17 years.

The other night we sat and watched the video from our wedding. So much had changed. There were family members on the video that are no longer with us. Our eyes filled with tears as we saw the faces of family members whom we have loved, and said good bye. Change. We laughed as we looked at the clothing and hair styles - that most definitely had changed!! We watched as our flower girls and ring bearers carefully made their steps up the isle. They too have changed. Now, they are all old enough to have families of their own - adults now, living their lives. Ah, and yes, we had changed! The color of my husband's hair has changed from dark to gray; and my hair color? Well, we will not go into detail - but it has changed too - more than once!!

Almost everything in the video had changed. Life means change. Even our love has changed. As we watched and remembered we could see how alive our love was; but so shallow. Now, because of all the changes life has made - our love has matured and grown. We listened as we said our vows to one another. We spoke of commitment we did not understand. The vows we said to one another that June evening seventeen years ago spoke of one theme - COMMITMENT! We now understand that "For better OR for worse" should really be said - "For better AND for worse" because in every marriage there are " betters" and there are "worsts". We were young then, we did not know all that life would hand us; nor just what the cost would be to honor those vows spoken in hushed reverent tones that night; but now we do. We understand the high cost of commitment. We understand what it means now to honor your word above your feelings. You see, 17 years ago we spoke those vows not just to one another but also to God Himself. He expects us to honor those vows. "Till Death do us Part" means just that. There will be times in every marriage when it will be easier to "follow your heart" than to honor your word; but God expects us to honor those sacred vows. Those vows spoken that day are only to be broken by death itself.

I am so glad that God has given me 17 wonderful years with the man of my dreams. I am married to my best friend; and I am so happy God has given him to me. Thanks Dear for the wonderful years. I look forward to the years to come! I love you