6 days of serving

For today's countdown til Christmas, the kiddos made treats for the trash-man and mailman. This is something we do all through the year for them. The kiddos enjoy doing this to make their day a little brighter. Also, please lift Jeff in prayer. He went to the doctor today and he has strep throat and a yeast infection. The guy feels miserable and we had a lot we were to get done this week. So please pray for a quick recovery.

7 days of serving

Today's day of serving is something Josh has been doing since I can remember. Every Sunday when church lets out, Josh first gets his sucker from Pastor Joe's office then he holds the door open for everyone as they leave. I don't know why he ever started this other than his dad and I have always told him that it is polite to hold the door for ladies. Anyway, he has taken this on himself and it is so unlike him since he can tend to be on the shy side. We are so proud of the polite young man he is turning out to be.

The kiddos at 'Breakfast with Santa' yesterday at church.

My two Rudolph's!

8 days of serving

There is a family in our community that needs a little help this Christmas. So our church is helping out by getting presents for their kids. Each of the kiddos were able to get a gift for one of the children and tomorrow we will drop them off at church to be delivered. Have a great evening.

Girls night out!  We had a fun night  Wednesday with  going out to eat and to see a show at the Honeywell. I was able to take  Kris and Dorothy with me. It was great to talk and catch up during this busy time of the year. 

9 days of serving

Ringing the bell for the Salvation Army is #9 on our countdown until Christmas. Livy, Josh and I rang the bell for an hour at Kroger. Every 15 minutes they took turns ringing. They did an great job talking to all the people that donated. I was so proud of them. This is something I know we will do again next year.

Good Job Kiddos!

10 days of serving

For our tenth day of serving,  we took the kiddos to the nursing home where my grandma is. Olivia played Christmas songs on the piano for the residents as they ate their lunch. She was very nervous, but did great. One of the gentlemen pulled out his harmonica and played along and grandma sang. It was a blessing to see them enjoy her playing. After she was finished she and Josh passed out candy canes with the meaning of them attached to all of them. One of the ladies was 101 and it was such a blessing that the kiddos were able to wish her a Merry Christmas.

Liv playing Christmas songs.

Josh passing out candy canes.

Livy passing out candy canes.

Grandma with the kiddos. 

11 days of serving

For today's Christmas serving day I was able to purchase a ticket for a friend at church that is having a rough time right now to go see a play with me tonight. I'm glad she will be able to enjoy a little girl time tonight and relax. Have a great day.

Date Night! Went out last night  with hubby and our very close friends, Aaron and Christi (it's just a little weird we all matched). It was so nice to catch up and enjoy some laughs. 

12 Days of Serving

Last year my sweet friend ,Brittany, gave me the idea of doing 25 days of Christmas in which you do something for somebody else from Dec. 1 until Christmas. I really wanted to do this ,and had every intention, but the days seemed to slip by us. So we are going to do 12 days of Christmas instead. For today we made a care package for Cory. He is a young man in our church serving in the Air Force. He was just deployed a few weeks ago and will be away from his family and new bride this Christmas. We filled a box with some items and the kiddos made him Christmas cards. So today if you could, say a prayer for Cory and all our men and women serving this Christmas overseas.

Merry Christmas Cory!

Hubby did his serving today by emptying the dishwasher when he got home from work. What a nice surprise when I opened the door and found a sweet note to start my day.  Love that guy!

Prayer Basket

I found this idea in a homeschool magazine and I can't wait for us to start it Monday. It's called prayer basket devotions. Up to now the kiddos and I say a prayer before we start the school day. We dedicate the day to him and ask him to be present in all we do and then add any other prayers we have. Anyway, our prayers often become routine and not heartfelt. They often don't realize that there are people all over the world that need our prayers. But Monday that will change. I have made a prayer basket with four different colors of paper each representing a different category for prayer: Countries, Ministries & Missionaries, Family & Friends, and Prayer Requests. Everyday we rotate on who's doing the prayer so the person doing the prayer that day will choose each color from the basket and pray for that specific need. After the prayers we will locate the country on the map we prayed for (just a little way to sneak in some Geography). Then, as weeks and months pass they will right down any answered prayers they have heard or seen in their prayer journals.I will be continually rotating the slips of paper for any new prayers that come up. I can't wait to start this. I never want the kiddos to think of prayer as mundane. I want them to see the power of prayer and to be prayer warriors for their families someday. Here is an awesome site I found where you get daily emails for a country to pray for,  specific needs that country has and some interesting facts.  I think this will be an added bonus in the educational area .Here's the link
http://www.operationworld.org/join-prayer-movement

Busy couple of days...

We have been non-stop the last couple of days. We had our home study portion of the adoption process Wednesday. Our next step is to take ten hours of classes and begin an essay of the country we are adopting from. We are hoping that by this time next year maybe we will have our little girl home. We are so excited that our dear friends, Aaron and Christi, have also decided to adopt internationally. It will be so awesome to watch these girls grow up together and see how amazing adoption can be. Anyway, Liv, Josh and I went with KASH on Friday to the Seiberling Mansion for a field trip. It had been a long time since I had been there and forgot how beautiful it was inside. Friday evening we went to some friends house who also homeschool. They had four homeschool families over to kick of the Christmas season with dinner and fellowship. A couple of these families are the ones that encouraged five years ago when we started thinking about homeschooling and we have all enjoyed growing and learning through this experience ever since. We  try to get together a couple of times through the year with our families and once a year just us parents pick a homeschool convention to go to for the weekend to enjoy each others company.  So then this morning we got the kiddos up at 8:00 and told them we had a surprise for them!  We love waking them up like this and having them guess all the way there what it is. This time we got tickets to see the circus at Conseco. They were all glued to the show and had a great time. Tomorrow we have church then the kids Christmas program in the evening. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

At the Seiberling Mansion standing in front of  the Dirilyte display and a picture of the factory workers from 1942. They were excited to see their Great, Great Grandpa Charlie Heflin and Great Grandpa Dan Heflin  in the picture.

At the Mayhill's for dinner Friday evening. Liv and her girlfriends enjoying some playtime.

Daddy and his boys in their Bronco shirts at the circus.

Two clowns!

Daddy surprised them with snowcones in their own elephant cups!

Mommy surprised them with cotton candy! Yummy and sticky!

Only Nate could fall asleep during the circus. Poor guy.

Christmas Songs

I just love Christmas songs. We started singing them at church yesterday and it was so good to hear about the birth or Christ. K Love has on their website a Christmas radio you can listen to online. Here's one I really like by Casting Crowns. Looking forward to the true meaning of this season. Blessings

Happy Thanksgiving

We spent a relaxing Thanksgiving day at home this year. Here's a peek at what we did. Hope you all had a wonderful day too!

Kiddos were in and out helping me cook.

In between cooking they watched the parade with daddy.

First turkey I've ever made.

Time to eat!

Make a wish!

The rest of the afternoon the kiddos and I played while daddy took a nap. He has to go in at 3 am tonight. After his nap we got the Christmas tree out and set up.  We then had dinner, which was pie, while watching the Polar Express. . (We were to full to have it with lunch earlier.) Then decorated the tree, cleaned up then off to bed. Hopefully tomorrow we can get the outside decorations up.

Christmas Boxes

Sunday after church the kids came home and emptied their piggy banks to buy gifts for Operation Christmas Child. Our church does this project every year and the kids get so excited about doing it. What it is,  that they each get to fill a shoe box up with gifts for another child somewhere around the world. They get to choose the gender and age of the child which make it even better for them. The church then sends the boxes to Samaritan's Purse who will then disperse the boxes. It is so fun for them knowing that they are able to make another child happy on Christmas. They also include and written card for the child telling a little about themselves and that Jesus loves them. It's just a little way for them to realize that it is not all about them this time of the year. Have a blessed day!

Filling up their boxes with lots of goodies!

National Adoption Month

This is National Adoption Month. As you continue to keep our unknown little girl in your prayers, please pray this month for all of the children that go to bed tonight without a mommy or daddy to tell them they love them.

Learning

Part of the teaching method we use is teaching the kids to do and fix things around the house. Today Jeff was to teach Josh how to change the washers in the laundry room sink. He and the boys headed out to town to get the items needed. Came home and started to work on the sink and realized they bought the wrong size. So he and the boys headed back to town again. Instead they came home with a whole new faucet. Anyway, Josh learned how to replace a faucet and I guess will learn how to change the washers later. On the other hand Olivia has been helping me do laundry, and that includes making the laundry soap. I have been making my own laundry soap for two years and I can't believe how much money we save by making it ourselves. Normally when buy the laundry soap it is costing you $.71 a load when you make it yourself it cost $.1 a load. That savings really adds up. We also save on our electric bill by hanging out our clothes in the nice weather.  So if you want to make your own laundry soap here's the recipe I use. Go to 
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm   I usually triple it so I don't have to make it as often.  I also use 1 C. of Borax and 1 C. of washing soda instead of the 1/2 C. of each they call for. It really works and Olivia really likes helping me make it.

Working out her muscles making laundry soap.

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween,

From, Popeye, Mary Ingalls, & Popeye

Pumpkin Time

The kiddos have been ready for weeks to carve out their pumpkins. I put it off as long as I can because I know that in the end I will be the one with my hand in three pumpkins taking out the cold, slimy junk. Daddy gets the fun job of making the faces. Why do mama's always get the dirty jobs, while daddy gets to have all the fun. Tonight (nothing like waiting until the last minute) I am making their costumes for tomorrow night. Wish me luck.

Earings

So last night Jeff and I tucked the kiddos into bed and were enjoying a nice fire outside. About fifteen minutes later Olivia comes out and said she's decided she's ready to get her ears pierced. Last time she thought she was ready she got in the chair and decided that having a needle go through her ear was not so appealing. We talked to her about it and told her she would have to be brave. So this morning I took her in as soon as they opened, as fear she would change her mind, and bravely had her dainty ears pierced. She was so brave. She did the first one and I could see her eyes water up, and I was so scared she wouldn't her do the other one. She held my hand tightly and fought back any tears for the second. She is so proud of herself and looks so cute.

Get ready....

Ouch!

I love them!

Misc. Pictures

I took off the pictures I had on the camera from the last couple of days. We took a field trip to the museum on Thursday to check out the new exhibits; frogs and ancient Egypt, which we are studying in school right now. Friday the kiddos spent the night with Ma and Pa so Jeff and I could have a much needed date night. We finally got to see Courageous. It was terrific! I cried and laughed all the way through it. It is defiantly one we will be getting when it comes out DVD. Saturday Jeff did some house projects while I took the kids out back to take a walk along the creek. I love taking them out into the woods where there is always something new to discover. Have a great week!

Checking out one of the many frogs from around the world.

Digging for artifacts in ancient Egypt.

I just love this picture of  a curious Nate in the woods. He is trying to figure out why the trees are making noises.

They love hanging out at the creek.

Josh loves throwing the leaves in the air and having them land on him.

Keep Changing the World

As we are going through this adoption process our desires and wants have not seem so important any longer. As we are looking at these countries we see how very blessed we are. At times I feel sick about how selfish Americans really are always wanting the newest, biggest and best of everything while there are children starving to death or sleeping on the floor. We are really wanting our kids to see this and Olivia is already wanting to know when we can go on a missions trip to another country. When the kids are older I would love to take mission trips with them and their friends to other countries and to develop a servants heart for missions. So, this  adoption has already been blessing us by opening our eyes to how great the need is and hopefully it may open the eyes of others to reach out and help in someway.

"Christians today like to play it safe. We want to put ourselves in situations where we are safe. But if we truly desire to please God, we cannot live that way. We have to do things that cost us during our life on earth but will be more than worth in eternity." Francis Chan

Just another day...

Not much going on around here this week. We have been enjoying the absolutely perfect weather.  I wish I could bottle it up for the cold days to come. This weekend Jeff is off and we plan on working around the house with my never ending list of things that need done before winter. I'm hoping the farmer gets his beans in across the street today or tomorrow so I can get the windows washed. They are sooo filthy.  Sunday evening there are 35 of us from church going to see Courageous and then dinner. I can't wait to see it! I'll let you know how great it is. The adoption is now getting ready to start the home study portion. Which means that they get to come see how crazy our home is everyday. Have a great weekend. LOL!!

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3

Nate wanted Olivia to sleep with them this week. Poor Josh was so squished. They are so cute when they are asleep.

It was crazy hat night at Awana this week. Silly kids. 

Walkin in Faith

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

So far our short walk down this adoption road has all ready caused me tears and feelings of emotions I never expected. Everything in this process requires us to totally trust in Him. One of the things I dealt with today is that I am so worried that we are going to pick the wrong country which does not lead us to the child God wants us to. As some you may know or to others it may not be a big surprise, but I like to be in control of everything. This is something I have no control over. I am having to leave it at His throne and walk away trusting everything to Him. This morning I was questioning God about the country we chose. Jeff had to once again remind me that it is in His hands. If we can help one child, despite whatever country she is in, then that is one more child that is going to a loving home. So now I must walk in Faith even if I can't see. So in my devotional time I have been going back through a Bible study I just did which dealt with a lot on faith (funny how God prepares us for what He knows what we will be needing soon) and writing everything down that will give me encouragement. Also spending a lot of time in Hebrews 11. Maybe you need a little Faith today...

"And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6

"The rest of faith is uniting the word of God with faith for a particular situation." Kay Arthur

"Faith is taking God at his word.." Kay Arthur

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:36

"As we live this life of faith we are to fix our mind on Jesus at all times." Kay Arthur

"To know God's word is one thing, but to live by it, apply it, trust it, act on it, cling to it is a another thing altogether." Kay Arthur