Reformed Farmer's Wife

I have a new blog!!!

2006-07-29T09:13:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago some internet friends came to meet us for the first time! We had a wonderful visit with Mark and Gwen and their son Charlie! They have a web hosting business called ChristianAgrarian.com ChristianAgrarian.com and they are now hosting my blog!!! Please update your link to my blog with the following address, http://www.reformedfarmerswife.christianagrarian.com/. I hope you enjoy the new blog as much as I am!

Thank you so much, Mark and Gwen, for all the work you did in getting my new blog set up! I love it!

An excellent article on modesty!

2006-07-27T08:55:00.000-04:00

I've been looking at the Sense & Sensibility pattern website and recently joined their Message forum on sewing historical clothing. I'm putting together an order with the money I still have left from my birthday! While perusing the forum I came across a post suggesting we read the following blog entry on modesty. It's a great article and I thought some of you may enjoy reading it, too! The Dress of War from The Severn Clan's blog. I can hardly wait to read more of the blog posts at this great blog! I hope you enjoy this post and the other entries as much as I have/will!

26 Weeks 5 Days & Growing!

2006-07-19T19:54:00.000-04:00

I am now just 3 days shy of my 3rd trimester!!! I can hardly believe this baby will be making his or her appearance in just 3 short months!!! Give or take a week or two. ;)

We had a midwife appointment this afternoon. It went very well! My urine was negative for both glucose and protein. I’ve now regained the weight I lost over the first half of pregnancy. My blood pressure was excellent at 112/70! I’m measuring 26 weeks which is right on target. The baby’s heart rate was in the 160s which is what it has been all along. I took the Glucose Challenge Test which meant sitting in the midwife’s “office” for an hour. We then had blood drawn to check for gestational diabetes and anemia. We’re praying for great results from both tests!

The boys were able to help with both measuring the fundal height and using the Doppler to find baby's heartbeat. Noah pulled the tape measure out and John pushed the button to let it back in. John squirted the gel stuff on the Doppler and Noah held it and turned it on. Then John took a turn holding it and got to turn it off. I think one of the most amazing things about using a midwife and having a homebirth is that my children get to be involved in the whole pregnancy and labor & delivery! The boys will not likely be in the room with me when I give birth but they will either be a stone’s throw away and Scott’s parents or be here in the house in another room. When delivery is imminent or has just occurred we can call them to the bedroom to meet their newest brother or sister.
Our next appointment is in 4 weeks on August 15th. I can hardly believe I’ll have less than 10 weeks to go ‘til my due date at that point!

We’re so thankful for such smooth, problem-free pregnancies so far. They are certainly a blessing. We continue to pray for healthy pregnancy and a safe, uncomplicated home delivery.

Here is a recent picture of my baby belly. I've posted a few previous pictures for comparison.

16w 3d

20w 3d

24w 3d

Happy Birthday, John!!!

2006-07-11T09:26:00.000-04:00

Four years ago today I had just begun the pushing stage of labor. It was a long, drawn out process which lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes in total. At 10:39AM, we met our precious first born son, John Thomas Terry! He was born at home after a 30+ hour labor. We were so glad to finally meet him! He weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz and was over 21 inches long when he was born. (He refused to extend his leg so we don't know exactly how long he was.) He latched on shortly after birth and was a champion nurser for almost 15 months.

John loves helping his Papa in the barn. He's learning to milk cows and take good care of them. Since he was just 15 months old or so he's been horse "crazy" and still is to this day! I wouldn't be surprised if he grows up to be a horse breeder/farmer. He loves his younger brother and can hardly wait to meet the newest addition to our family. He's convinced we're having a little girl. He's been praying for a little sister for a year now. He's a very active, happy little boy who lights up my life! How blessed I am to be his Mama!!!

We prayed for 7 long months to be blessed with our first child and now he's turning four! Where has the time gone? What a wonderful thing it is to be a Mother!

An excellent sermon!!!

2006-07-05T20:14:00.000-04:00

A wonderful friend from CMOMB (Christian Moms of Many Blessings message board) shared a link with us to this excellent sermon! It is not from a Reformed perspective but is a message that should be preached from pulpits across America!!! Please take some time to sit down and really listen! I think you will be blessed and motivated to follow God's Word in viewing our children as blessings from the hand of God!

Closing the Generation Gap Click on #5 Voddie Baucham. Enjoy!!!

Please PRAY!!!

2006-07-04T21:49:00.000-04:00

I was just checking my cousin Abby's blog. Her brother(also my cousin, of course) and his wife just had their second child, Augustine, last night. Unfortunately, the baby is not doing very well. :( He has been preliminarily diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. Please keep this precious baby in your prayers. I will update when I know more.

My growing baby belly!

2006-06-28T10:52:00.000-04:00

My last midwife appointment was on June 6th when I was 20 weeks 4 days along. Everything was looking great at the point and I'm sure it still is! My urine was negative for protein and glucose. I was still down 7 pounds but I know I've gained some weight since then. My blood pressure was lower than it's ever been at 118/62! The baby's heartrate was in the 160's. My next appointment isn't until July 18th so I've still got about 3 weeks to go.

This baby is very active like his/her oldest brother and very strong like his/her "younger" brother! I'm not sure if that's good or bad! ;) I just love feeling the baby kicking and squirming and rolling around. I can't believe we've only got about 4 months to go before we meet this precious little one! At the same time I can hardly wait to hold this baby in my arms and know if we have another son or our first daughter!

A friend from church asked on Sunday that I post some more belly pictures. Here you go, Elizabeth! :) I am now almost 24 weeks so the most recent picture is over 3 weeks old. I will update with a new 24w 3d picture next week.

13w 3d

16w 3d

20w 3d

Spending time in God's Word

2006-05-17T07:43:00.000-04:00

My morning started off great with some time in God's Word and prayer! I've been following a reading plan that a friend from WV gave my mom, my sister and me. Right now we are reading through 1 Samuel, also the corresponding Psalms written by David, and a chapter in Acts. This morning's reading was 1 Samuel 22-23, Psalms 52, 54, 57, and 63, as well as Acts 8. All this reading and some time in prayer only takes me about 30 minutes. Time well spent I must say! For the most part I'm able to get it all done before the boys wake up for the morning.

I must admit to letting this area of my walk with the Lord slip over the years, especially as children started coming along. But the Lord has given me a new determination and a strong desire to make this work! I'm now on my 10th straight day of making this quiet time happen! What a blessing it has been to me! I've noticed also that my boys seem to be better behaved. Maybe it's because mama's focus has been put into the right place from the start of the day. I'm in a better frame of mind and my boy's are feeding off of that. How cool is that?

Another thing I've begun doing is spending a few minutes every morning teaching the boys a memory verse. Our first verse was/is Ephesians 6:1. Within just a few days John was able to say the whole verse with just a couple helps! Noah is also doing an excellent job! I plan to add the next few verses in Ephesians 6 as the boys seem ready to move on. Of course teaching them this verse has helped with their behavior, too. ;)

So back to my Bible reading for the morning. Psalm 63 was a great blessing to me this morning so I'm going to post it here. I hope you find it as encouraging as I did!

Psalm 63
A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

A beautiful Psalm

2006-05-16T07:52:00.000-04:00

I read this Psalm as part of my Bible reading/Prayer time this morning. It was such an encouragement to me that I just had to share!

Psalm 34

1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The *angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

11 Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

What a mighty and awesome God we serve!

All about our precious baby!

2006-05-09T21:21:00.000-04:00

Well, my appointment went very well today! I'm currently 16 weeks and 4 days pregnant! Everything looks great with baby! His/her heart rate was 155-160 bpm. He/She was pretty low at first just above my pubic bone, then moved over to my left side. My babies always try to get away from the doppler. Heehee. My iron is at 13.8 right now which is great! The midwife said I'm only measuring about 1 week ahead. I still think I'm measuring a good 2 weeks or more ahead but who am I to argue with the midwife? ;) She did say that most mothers who are pregnant with twins don't measure too much ahead until later in the pregnancy. She said she always is looking for a second heartbeat just in case there is another baby. We've decided not to do the u/s for now. Hubby is a very traditional, old-fashioned-type, as am I really. If at some point in the future we are questioning things again we will probably have an u/s done. I guess twins are still a possibilty we just won't know for awhile longer.

The midwife was telling us about another midwife who just delivered twins at home! The mother was thought to only be carrying one baby. Turns out there were two both weighing about 5.5 pounds! I think that would be the coolest thing!

The most awesome thing of all is that our midwife said she would be willing to attempt a twin homebirth with us! She said she feels we are great candidates for a twin homebirth because we are knowledgable in pregnancy, labor, and delivery and are confident and comfortable with attempting a twin homebirth. I was thrilled! Of course, there are several things that would have to fall perfectly into place such as the babies being in a good position to be born vaginally. How neat it would be to give birth to twins at home!

So I'm looking forward to my appointment in 4 weeks! I'll be just over halfway at that point!

Here are some progressive belly shots. A couple of the ladies from church said it looks like I've popped over the last week or so! What do you think?

Top to bottom: 11w 3d, 14w 3d, 16w 3d

I don't think I wrote about feeling the baby moving around! I think it's the most amazing thing! I first felt the baby move when I was in the hospital with Noah on the evening of April 20th. It was so reassuring to me that not only was our unborn baby doing well but it was almost confirmation to me that Noah was going to be fine, too. At lunch time on April 22nd the baby was doing somersaults! It was so wonderful! As I get further along I'm feeling the baby more and more! Last Thursday morning at about 6:30AM the baby was VERY active! In fact, the baby is making his/her presence known right now! Oh, I just love being pregnant!

Belated birthday post and a surprise!

2006-04-27T14:24:00.000-04:00

Yes, as of Monday April 24, 2006, I'm now offically 29 years old! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was anticipating turning 20! And now I'm a year away from the big 3-0! Ack!

What blessings God has bestowed on me these last many years, though!

~ Scott and I will celebrate 6 years of marriage in just over a month. We were married on a beautiful day 10 days into the month of June in the year 2000. 6 days after our wedding we flew to Alaska with one-way tickets. After nearly a year there God brought us back to NY where we are enjoying living our homesteading dreams! Every year we are learning to live more simply, separately, and deliberately.

~ Just over a year after our return from Alaska God blessed us with our first son, John! What joy! John was born at home in the summer of 2002 in the farmhouse my mom grew up in! Her sister, my Aunt Nancy, was also born in that house!

~ Just 11 short months after having John we found out our second child was on the way! Noah was born at home in the last winter of 2004 just 19.5 months after John was born. Another son! At that time we were living in a small mobile home several miles from the farm.

~ Just before Noah's 1st birthday God moved us into another mobile home on our own land! Hallelujah! My parents gave us about 5 acres next to their house. These 5 acres had once been an orchard with apples, pears, and plums. We are now working on restoring the land to its former beauty. We have a lot of work to do! ;)

~ Exactly one year after moving into our new home we found out we are expecting another baby! Praise the Lord! Our precious baby is due October 20, 2006! We've been praying for another baby blessing for many months! We had at least one miscarriage in the fall of 2005. God carried us through that difficult time and now we rejoice in the fact that another little one is on his/her way.

These last few years have not been without any trials but God has been faithful! What an awesome God we serve! So as hard as it is to know that I'll be 30 in one short year, I look forward to continued growth not only in my family but with my Lord.

Scott blessed me with several beautiful gifts. He bought me Nancy Wilson's CD series The Pleasant Home. I look forward to listening to this series and learning from it! He also got me two plants to start my first flower garden with! He got me a big pot full of pansies and a foxglove plant! The boys got me a primrose plant and gave me a card! Scott also gave me a beautful card and took me out to dinner. It was a wonderful day!

And now for the surprise! Well, it was a surprise for me! Scott, the boys and I were outside wandering around our property. Scott got some free telephone poles about 7 feet tall from a neighbor. He's hoping to use them for a chicken coop/goatbarn/storage shed thingy. After we decided where we're going to build this building I asked if I could show him where I wanted to put a clothesline. After showing him he said he'd go get the post-hole digger and start digging the holes! He got both holes dug which was easier than we thought. We didn't run into as many rocks as we anticipated. We had 4 4X4s around that were supposed to be used for a small porch and steps for our front entry. Well, since that hasn't been built yet we decided to use them for the clothesline and replace them when we can build the porch. After evening milking we made a quick trip to town and got the rest of the parts we needed! Scott had the poles in the ground before dark last night! All we have to do now is finish stringing the line itself! I'm so excited! We've been without a dryer for many months now. We do have an indoor clothes drying rack but it doesn't work as well now that we don't have a fire going constantly. I'm so excited to be able to dry my clothes outside all spring, summer, and fall! Thank you, Scott!

Here are a couple pictures of the soon to be finished project!

This is my view while hanging out clothes in the morning!

Yes, our cows! One of our pastures connects to the back of our property. I just love seeing and hearing the cows in the morning!

More belly shots!

2006-04-24T13:24:00.000-04:00

It's only been a couple weeks since I posted belly pics but I seem to have really "popped" in the last week! I'm now measuring 19-20 weeks even though I'm only 14 weeks 3 days today. My next midwife appointment is 2 weeks from tomorrow on May 9th. I'm anxious to see what she says about my measurements. Scott has already begun to prepare his parents for the possibility of twins as slight a chance as it may be. I've also talked a little to my sister.

So does it look like I'm growing to you?

6 weeks 3 days

11 weeks 3 days

14 weeks 3 days

Baby names and belly shots!

2006-04-11T20:30:00.000-04:00

Scott and I got to talking baby names on Sunday night. We talked a little about the ones we'd already discussed. Then Scott mentioned the name Josiah. We decided to look up the story of King Josiah which can be found in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. He is also mentioned in Lamentations but we didn't read that. So now the name Josiah is in the running and probably in the lead!

Josiah means "fire of the Lord," "Jehovah has healed," "God restores" etc. Those are the three I've found so far!

Here are a couple verses I really liked.

2 Kings 23:25 "Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him."

2 Chronicles 34:1-3 "Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images."

We are considering using David as a middle name because Josiah was said to be like his father David. We've liked the name David for awhile anyway and had even considered it as a first name at one point. Scott has a good friend from western NY whose name is David and we have a couple frineds from church named David, too. ;)

David means "dearly loved" or "beloved."

So what do you think? Do you like Josiah David? :)

On to belly shots.

I took another belly shot a week ago at 11 weeks 3 days pregnant. I'm posting my 6 weeks 3 days pregnant shot as well for comparison. You can really tell that baby is growing! And it really is baby as I've lost another 5 pounds in the last two weeks for a grand total of 6 pounds lost this pregnancy!

6 weeks 3 days

11 weeks 3 days

Can you see the growth? I can hardly wait until this precious baby is born!

Decluttering and organizing the kitchen!

2006-04-06T19:25:00.000-04:00

Some of you may have noticed the a link in my sidebar to Mrs. Catherine's blog. You can go there by clicking here. Mrs. Catherine also has a Yahoo group and publishes a magazine! I've found both her blog and her Yahoo group to be very encouraging and motivating! They are both about decluttering your home and keeping it clean and beautiful! I've not purchased a subscription to her magazine but hope to in the future.

Two weeks ago the focus room for the week was the kitchen. Last week it was the dining room. Since I don't have a dining room I decided to continue on with the kitchen! I'm very blessed to have a big kitchen even though we live in a mobile home. I'm so thankful for all my counter and cupboard space! Well having all this space can be less than nice if it isn't kept up with. So I've been tackling my kitchen! I'm too embarrassed to show the before pictures (blush) but will gladly share with you my after pictures! :) My house WILL be in order before this baby is born! So do you want to see what I've been working so hard on?

This cupboard holds our plates and bowls. Yes, we've resorted to paper plates because we have no water, again.

This cupboard is connected to the above cupboard and holds all our glasses and mugs.

This is my cookbook counter! Yes, I have enough counter space to use one just for cookbooks!

This cupboard is below the ones in pictures 1 and 2. It holds all my mixing bowls, baking dishes, and storage containers.

The top of my fridge! Yes, I only have one thing stored there now! That is some of our handmade soap. I need to find a new home for it as I continue to declutter our house.

I cleared a lot of the stuff off the front of my fridge.

I put a lot of the stuff from the front onto the side instead. It is still visible but not as overwhelming!

This cupboard holds our sharp knives, light bulbs, candles, etc. It needs to be reinforced before we can put heavy things in it.

This is the counter space below the above cupboard. I think I might use it for some of my scrapbooking and cardmaking supplies.

This is one of my 4 drawers. As you can see it holds ziploc bags, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and my hand mixer among other things.

This drawer is for towels, dishcloths, and potholders.

The next 3 pictures are of my food "pantry." These do not hold my baking supplies just my canned, boxed, and bagged food.

I am so thankful that my kitchen is so big! Most mobile homes have tiny kitchens but mine is huge! These pictures represent less than half of my cupboards and probably only 1/4 to 1/3 of my counter space! As I said before I have a LONG way to go but I will make it with the Lord's help!

Midwife appointment!

2006-03-28T22:38:00.000-05:00

Today was my second midwife appointment! I've lost one pound since my first visit 5 weeks ago! My blood pressure was 120/78. Protein and glucose were both negative. I declined pretty much all the tesing except for CBC, HIV, and something else which I've forgetten for the moment. (I'm doing the HIV test not because I'm in any risk category but because I'd rather have them poke me now than have them poke my baby in the hospital if I happen to be transfered.) I'm measuring a little big it seems. My uterus was already out of my pelvis! (This doesn't usually occur until about 12 weeks.) My next appointment is not until May 9th, 6 weeks from today so we'll see how I measure then. And best of all, we heard our precious baby's heartbeat!!! I was really hoping we would but knew, for me, that it wasn't likely. I'm too well padded. Anyway, after just a minute or so of looking for it, we found it!!! I'm just so excited and thrilled! I didn't hear either of the boy's heartbeats until after 12 weeks! I'm still in awe over hearing my precious baby's heart beating away! We didn't listen for long but my midwife said it was in the 150's! Can you tell I'm overjoyed?!

Sickness and catching up

2006-03-22T09:47:00.000-05:00

Well we've had quite the last few days!

Saturday was a beautiful baby shower/tea party for one of the ladies from church. It was so fun! And did I mention it was beautiful?! Scott's mom watched both boys for me so I was able to go alone! It was nice not to have to worry about them breaking any of the china or tea cups but I was so glad to cuddle with them when I got home!

Sunday we had a church meal after the worship service. It's always so nice to get to spend time fellowshipping with friends! The rest of the day was pretty predictable until about 7:30PM. At that time John complained of a sore stomach and proceeded to throw up all over the couch. :( Poor little guy. He very rarely sick so when he was all done he said to me, "Mommy, what did I do?" He continued to throw up every few hours until about 1AM Monday morning.

At about 3:40AM Monday morning, Noah started throwing up. He was so scared. He really didn't know what was going on. He continued to throw up every few hours until about 9AM Monday morning. When Scott back from the barn for breakfast he said he wasn't feeling well. Thankfully, he never did have to throw up but he was in a lot of pain for about 24 hours.

Tuesday morning I felt kind of off but I wasn't sure if it was pregnancy-related or if I was coming down with the same bug the rest of the family had. At about 4PM Tuesday I threw up. I felt somewhat better afterwards but I hate being sick. I went to bed almost as soon as Scott got home from the barn at about 6:30PM. I threw up again at about 9:30PM and started to feel better after that. I'm so glad we've all made it through this illness and that it wasn't long-lasting.

Enough about sickness! Just thought I'd mention that I finally got all the new pictures of cards on my other blog My Card Creations. You can imagine why it's taken me so long!

I hope that all of you are feeling well. Spring can not come soon enough!!!

More cards and scrapbooking

2006-03-17T20:20:00.000-05:00

I've added lots of pictures of cards I've made to my other blog, My Crafty Creations. I've had lots of fun being involved in a card swap put together by my cousin's wife who is a TAC demonstrator. You can learn more about The Angel Company here.

Card making has been put on the back burner for awhile. Several of the ladies from our church got together last Friday night and worked on scrapbooking and picture organizing! I decided I should catch up on my scrapbooking, especially with a new baby on the way, so I left all my stuff out(at my mom's) so I could keep working on it! I actually got about 7 pages done yesterday! I'm so proud of myself!

Noah's 2nd birthday!

2006-02-28T19:24:00.000-05:00

My sweet little Noah was born 2 years ago today at 2:08PM after 23 minutes of pushing and about 33 hours of labor! We are so thankful for our precious little man. He is no longer a baby but a little boy! We celebrated his birthday last night with both sets of grandparents, my husband's brother, SIL, nephew and Grandma. We had a lot of fun!

You can see pictures of Noah's cake at Scott's blog, Homesteader Life. Papa was the one who came up with the design and it fits us, as a farm family, very well. All our farmer friends will be very proud! ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my precious Noah!!! Mama loves you so very much! My prayer for you is that you continue to grow into a fine young man who serves the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength!

How does my baby grow?

2006-02-28T14:25:00.000-05:00

I'm amazed at how much my baby grows during this 7th week of pregnancy! My baby started out at the beginning of this week at about the size of a BB pellet(4-5mm long - crown-to-rump). By the end of this week, my baby will be the size of a pinto bean(11-13mm)! That means the baby doubles if not triples in size this week! I'm just so amazed at how babies grow in utero! It's no wonder I'm feeling so tired all the time! I'm working hard to help this baby grow! In just 4 more weeks(at the end of week 11) my baby will be 1.75 to 2.4 inches(44-60mm)long crown-to-rump. This means that my baby at least quadruples in size in the next 4 weeks!!! My baby will be the size of a large lime and weigh about 0.3 ounces! Wow!!! I just love being pregnant! :) What a wonderful blessing this baby is! Thank you, Lord!!!

In case anyone wants to know where I'm getting all my info, it's from the book Your Pregnancy Week by Week by Glade B. Curtis. It's my absolute favorite baby book! I also have the What to Expect books but I don't like them as well. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Do you all have any other book suggestions?

Here's a "belly" pic. I was only 6 weeks and 4 days when this picture was taken. I'm not showing at all yet but I love taking pictures every few weeks to see how my body and baby are changing and growing!

Baby Names!!!

2006-02-22T19:15:00.000-05:00

My husband, Scott, refuses to discuss baby names until we know I'm pregnant again! Well, now that I am pregnant, we've started occasionally discussing baby names! Below is a short list of some that we like and their meanings! I'd love to hear you reactions or suggestions! Here ya' go!

Our top picks for a boy's first name right now are:

Jeremiah ~ The Lord exalts
Nehemiah ~ The Lord's comfort
Elijah ~ The Lord is my God

We also like:

Isaiah ~ The Lord helps me or salvation of God (my personal favorite!);)
Ezekiel ~ Strength of God
Malachi ~ Angel, messenger
Obadiah ~ Servant of God

Possible middle names for a boy are:

Joshua ~ The Lord is salvation
Joseph ~ Jehovah increases
Tobias ~ The Lord is good

Our possible first names for a girl so far are:

Esther ~ star (my favorite! It was my grandma's name and I've wanted to use it ever since she passed away.)
Hannah ~ grace
Rebekah ~ joined
Sarah ~ princess
Beth ~ house
Bethany ~ house of figs and house of affliction or poverty

Possible middle names are:
Margaret ~ pearl (This is my other grandma's middle name.)
Sophia ~ wisdom
Rosalie ~ rose garden
Ruth ~ friend, companion
Naomi ~ pleasant

The list goes on and on! Thankfully, we still have about 8 months or so. Our list will likely change between now and then. My favorite baby name book is gone. I like the meanings used in it much better than the ones in the book I'm currently using. I'm hoping to get a replacement copy soon.

So tell me. What do you think?! :)

A very good appointment!

2006-02-21T19:31:00.000-05:00

My appointment went very well today! We went over what's happened with me since Noah's birth, including first PPAF, LMP, etc. I also took a urine sample and weighed myself. She check my blood pressure and gave me a basic health check. We discussed my EDD and she agreed that we should adjust for ovulation on cd17. We decided not to check for size of the uterus. We just didn't feel there was a need to do an internal at this point. We agreed to do a PAP after baby is born. I just love my midwife! I love being so involved in my prenatal care and actually having someone listen to me, believe that I know what I'm talking about, and agree to a very non-interventive course of prenatal care! It would be so hard to see an OB after having seen midwives for all my prenatal visits! Did I say I love my midwife?! :)

My next appointment is in 5 weeks when I will be 10 weeks, 5 days. We're hoping to hear the heartbeat but I never hear it early. I'm too well padded I guess. *blush* We usually hear it sometime after 12 weeks. Oh well, it will be fun to try! I can hardly wait to hear my precious little one's heartbeat!

More exciting news!!!

2006-02-16T11:08:00.000-05:00

My sister called me this morning, shortly after 7AM. She told me that she's expecting again, too!!! She just found out this morning! We are due just 3 days apart!!! How cool is that?! Unfortunately she lives about 5 hours from me but we hope to see a lot of each other over the summer! My mom is going to have a hard time knowing where to be, with whom, and for how long! I know God has it all planned out already and His plan is perfect!

I'm so excited to be pregnant with my sister again! I was 12 weeks pregnant John when her second child was born. Then I got pregnant with Noah and delivered him. She got pregnant a few months later and then delivered her third. Now we are pregnant together again, she with her 4th and me with our 3rd! I'm so thrilled!!!

My first midwife appointment!

2006-02-14T20:51:00.000-05:00

I was able to get ahold of my midwife this morning! She was very excited to hear that we are expecting another precious baby in October! I asked her if we could set up our first appointment and she said, "Yes!" She grabbed her calendar and asked if we would be able to come in next Tuesday! I didn't expect to get in until the beginning of April! I'm so very excited to see our midwife and begin our prenatal visits!!! I can hardly wait!!!

Notice anything different around here? ;)

2006-02-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist. I had planned to wait until Valentines' Day but my curiosity got the better of me! I caved and took two pregnancy tests on Friday, one early in the afternoon and one in the evening. The one I took in the afternoon was an internet cheapie. The one I took in the evening was my one and only Equate(Walmart brand). They were both positive!!! I'm pregnant!!! The line came up on the internet cheapie within about 5 minutes and continued to get darker as it dried! The Equate was positive within a minute or so of the urine passing across the test strip! In fact, the test line is almost as dark as the control line! I really didn't expect it to be that dark! I'm so excited!!! I can hardly believe it's true!!! God has blessed us with another precious baby!!! We are both so excited about this wonderful blessing! We, of course, are also concerned about another miscarriage but from the darkness of the second line on my pregnancy tests Friday, I think everything is going to be fine!

I had planned to tell Scott on Valentine's Day as well but I just couldn't keep such good news from him! I was able to surprise him which is really neat! He had lost track of when my next cycle was due. I decided to make him a card with a new baby stamp set I got from The Angel Company. He knew I'd been making baby shower cards so when I asked him if he wanted to see what I made that day, he half-heartedly said, "Sure." I gave him the card not having sealed the envelope. (I didn't want to give it away.) So he pulled the card out of the envelope and commented on how cute it was. Then he opened it and saw that it was to him. He said, "It's for me?!" I said, "Yes!" So he began to read it. Then he looked at me and said, "Are you sure? How do you know?" The look on his face was priceless! He was so surprised and in shock! I said, "I took a test." After showing him the tests it began to sink in. He is so excited!

We told Scott's parents, Grandma and brother on Saturday morning. They were more excited than I thought they would be! We told my parents Saturday afternoon. I also called my sister Saturday afternoon and told her. My parents and sister were both super excited! We told our church family yesterday at church! Everyone was very excited for us! We have a hard time keeping such exciting news a secret! ;) Now I need to call the midwife and get my first appointment set up!

My symptoms have been so different this time around! I've had a weird "lump" in my throat/gagging thing since shortly after ovulation. I usually don't get any kind of queasiness/nausea until about 5.5-6 weeks and even then it isn't bad. My usual first symptoms are fatigue and frequent urination. Those symptoms didn't set in until the last few days. I'm wondering if this baby may be a girl! We'll see! We don't get ultrasounds done as they are not covered by Samaritan Ministries and we can't afford to have them done independantly. Besides, I'm not convinced of their safety. ;) So, as with our boys, we won't be finding out until delivery day!

I'd be grateful to you all if you would keep us and our precious little baby in your prayers. God is good and we are so thankful for His blessings!!!

More on homeschooling

2006-01-14T12:44:00.000-05:00

Many of you who check my blog regularly will remember me mentioning the SOW Curriculum. Well while catching up on the SOW Yahoo group today I came across a great post. It really hit home to me! I will post it here in a minute. First, some of my own thoughts on homeschooling.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what my goals are in homeschooling my children. My greatest goal in homeschooling my children is that they will grow up with a great understanding of God's Word and have a close, deep relationship with Him. In most curriculums both of those things are lacking or, at best, secondary to all other "subjects." Why do we put God's Word last? Why do we concern ourselves with Latin and Calculus but leave the most important things for later? (That is not to say that Latin and Calculus have no place or value.) I want our focus to be on the eternal not the temporary. At times in the past I've struggled with wanting my children to be the best and smartest children in my family, our church, etc. As I realize how trivial this line of thinking is I also realize what truly is important. If my children grow up loving the Lord our God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength then I will feel I have been successful in homschooling them. I will definitely put effort into teaching many other "subjects" but they will all be secondary to God's Word!

Now for that post I mentioned from the SOW Yahoo group.

10 Commandments for Homeschoolers

1. Thou shalt have no curriculum before me. Will I put the book or
tape before what God has called me to teach my children? Will it
interfere with or enhance our studies?

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image of education....thou
shalt not bow down to it, nor serve it. Will this material make
education a stronger emphasis in our home than wisdom? Will I find
myself structuring my school day around this curriculum or book instead
of around God's Word?

3. Thou shalt not buy a book that takes the name of the Lord in vain.
That should go without saying, however it is not just His name we
should
be concerned about, but also His principles, His commandments, His
teachings.

4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Does the book uphold the
religious beliefs that we're teaching our children? Does it undermine
what we're striving to do? Does it support Christianity or does it
teach from "other" viewpoints?

5. Honor thy father and thy mother. Does this book enhance the
family values that have been passed from our parents? Does it malign
heritage and tradition, or does it uphold the heritage of my parents
and my dh's parents? Does it encourage respect toward elderly people?
Does it teach clearly and precisely the role our ancestors played in
our nation's history?

6. Thou shalt not kill. Does the curriculum or book that I'm looking
at endorse abortion, euthanasia, suicide? Not just openly, but in
hidden cues that are picked up in the reading? Does it contain
unmerited violence? Does it teach the sanctity of human life or the
"disposability" of human life?

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Does the book contain examples of
adultery? Does the material support "one marriage for life"? Does it
uphold courtship or will it lead my dc to hunger for "companionship"?

8. Thou shalt not steal. Does this book contain so many "fun
things" and so much "busy work" that it steals valuable time that would better
be spent on other endeavors? Will it "steal" my children's heart?

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbors. Does
this curriculum malign other cultures or individuals? Will it bring
pride into our home, "At least we're better than......"?

10. Thou shalt not covet..... Do I want this because someone else has
it and I want to have the same material they have? Or is it what is
truly best for my family? Am I buying this so it will look
"impressive" on a transcript or am I buying this because it will truly
equip my children to serve God?

I'd love for all of you readers to share with me what your goals are in homeschooling! Let's inspire and encourage each other to continue on with this great challenge called homeschooling! God has given us a great responsibility but He has also given us everything we need in His Word to be successful at it!

Happy 31st Birthday, Beloved!!!!

2006-01-13T08:45:00.000-05:00

Scott,

I love you more than you could ever know! Thank you so much for being such a godly husband and father! Thank you for always being here to cheer me up or calm me down! I'm so glad that God brought us together in His perfect time and that we have been able to spend the last 5.5 years serving Him together! May we grow old together and see our children's children serving our Lord faithfully! I am truly blessed to call you not only my husband but my best friend!

With all my love,
Leah

More on Altered Books

2006-01-13T08:17:00.000-05:00

A couple of people have emailed me with questions about how to make altered books. I thought I would go ahead and add some more specific instructions to my blog for anyone else who may have questions. Making altered books is so fun! And it can be very inexpensive!

1) I went to Target and bought composition notebooks for 50 cents each. (Composition notebooks are the ones with a black binding and usually a black and white speckled cover.)

2) I then took 3 (or 4) sheets of 12 X 12 scrapbook paper. I cut the first two pieces of paper slightly larger than the cover. I don't cover the black binding so you will need to adjust the size of your paper for that. I think I cut mine about 7 X 10. With the 3rd (and 4th) piece of paper I measured and cut for the inside cover. Beware these pieces will need to be bigger! I think I cut mine about 10 X 10. If you have 4 pieces of paper cut both inside covers. If you only have 3 (which is all I had) you can piece the inside of the back cover. With most papers you can't even tell!

3) I used spray adhesive to adhere the paper to the covers of the books. Spray adhesive is VERY sticky. Be very careful and work slowly! Spray adhesive dries quickly to so you can keep working on your book! I used a rotary cutter to trim the edges of the paper. You could also use a utility knife. (I preferred the rotary cutter.)

4) My mom found some really neat closures for the books at Walmart. (I'm not sure what they are called. I'll try to get a close up picture of them when I can.) I added the ribbon to the closure and then glued it to the front and back covers of the book. The glue we used took a little while to dry so I usually called it a day then went back to working on the book the next day.

5) I tried to use as many found objects as I could for the front of the books. One of my favorites was pictures from old books! I also used old postage stamps, buttons, play money, scrabble tiles, dominoes, etc. My mom had some vellum scrapbook paper that looked like an old newspaper and also some that was definitions from a dictionary. I cut these apart and used them on my binder and a couple of the books I made. You could also use stickers, die cuts, or any other scrapbooking embellishments. I just laid out all the things I had found on top of each book so that I liked the way it looked. Then I used a tape runner to secure all the paper items to the book. I used the same glue for the buttons, scrabble tiles, etc as I had for the closures.

I sure hope this helps you get started on making your own altered books! I've had so much fun making them!

If anyone else has any more questions, feel free to ask me either here or in an email!

Poems for Pregnant Mamas

2006-01-11T22:00:00.001-05:00

How Much Longer
Mitzi J Confer

I'm waiting so impatiently
To see your sweet face
It seems to be taking forever
Before my life, you Grace

My arms long to hold you
To touch your soft skin
How much longer now
Before I see your tiny chin

All my instincts tell me
It has to happen soon
But as the days and weeks go by
My life is filled with gloom

How much longer, Lord
Must my arms ache to hold
This precious life inside me
His birthdate yet untold

From the Beginning...
Author Unknown

Mothers give the greatest gift,
that we on earth can receive.
A life to live and love to give;
the day she does conceive.

She carries me close, inside her.
Her heartbeat I do hear.
Her voice sounds like Angels singing-
The first sweet sound I hear.

Her touch is; Oh so gentle.
So secure I feel inside.
Only wondering how much longer,
in her womb I must abide.

Then the day comes,
when I no longer need to stay.
I only want to be outside-
in her arms I wish to lay.

I twist I turn,
I push I shove,
I open my eyes
and look above.

So scared I feel,
I just want to hide,
then her voice I hear,
so close by my side.

Then I see her-
The most Beautiful sight I've seen,
reaching out for me- her eyes full of tears,
yet still a happy gleam.

I snuggle and cuddle,
as close as I can.
As she kisses me gently,
and then takes me by my little hand.

I love her instantly,
as much as my small heart can bare.
Bundled up in her arms;
I grasp a strand of her soft hair.

I wrap it in my hand,
So, so very tight.
wanting to make sure that-
she is with me throughout the night.

I settle in quickly,
and slowly drift off to sleep.
As my mother carefully watches over me,
and counts each toe on my feet.

I see her in my dreams,
I feel her in my heart.
And I know this feeling will be here, in life,
even if we are apart.

So Mother, when you think of me,
know that this is true;
When I think of Undying Love,
Mother I am thinking of YOU!

These poems were written about and for pregnant mamas but they really touched me, too. The Lord has not seen fit to bless us with another baby yet which is very hard sometimes. We've been praying and patiently waiting for well over a year now. (We did suffer a very early miscarriage in September of last year.) I don't understand why God is saying, "Wait," but I'm trying to be faithful to Him and trust Him for His perfect timing. My body aches to carry another baby, to feel him move inside me and to see my belly grow! My arms ache to hold another precious baby blessing in arms, to cuddle him close and to smell that sweet newborn baby smell! If God so leads you, I'd be ever so grateful if you would pray for me to accept God's perfect will for our lives. God is doing some marvelous things in me through this long, hard wait for another child. I know that when another baby is given to us I will be a better mother because of this growing, maturing time I am going through! Praise be to Him!

Christmas Gifts

2006-01-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

The Lord blessed us with some money for Christmas! It was a total surprise but we are so thankful! We were able to buy the boys some gifts and get a few books and things for ourselves!

We got both of the boys their own Bibles. They are inexpensive ones but they are just as servicable(for now)! They have taken them to church each Sunday since(and on) Christmas! We got John a John Deere tractor and some craft/school supplies. We got Noah a little John Deere tool box and some craft/school supplies. We got them a few stocking stuffers as well.

Scott got two books which will help us in our homesteading endeavors. One is called The Self-Reliant Homestead by Charles A. Sanders. The other is called Backyard Market Gardening by Andy Lee and Patricia Foreman. We are hoping to sell produce, herbs, and eggs at our local farmer's market this summer! I've been wanting to get him something else, probably another book, but he keeps telling me he doesn't need anything else. Any ideas?!

I got several things, too! I got a book called So Much More by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin. I got it at Biblical Womanhood. They had the best price and the best shipping rates! It arrived shortly before Christmas so I got to open it Christmas morning. I also got the ebook by Candy Bauer called The Home Management Binder: The Housewife's Best Friend. I talked about her ebook here. We had gotten a $10 off coupon for Vision Forum sometime before Christmas. It expired on December 31, 2005. We decided to wait and see if VF had their after-Christmas as in years past. They did so I was able to get several more things with my allotted amount of Christmas money! I was able to get the 2-CD set by Douglas Phillips called A Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing Her Husband's Vision! I've listened to the first CD but didn't get to concentrate on it as I wanted to. I'll have to listen to it again soon! It was 30% off. You can see it here. I was also able to get a 6-tape seminar and workbook called Spiritual Rest In the Life of a Woman by Yvonne Welch. It was also 30% off. You can see it here. Last but not least I was able to get a tape by Douglas Phillips called Rebuilding a Culture of Virtuous Boyhood. It was 17% off. You can see it here. I feel so blessed to have been able to get all these things!!! (With the sale prices plus the coupon I was able to get all 3 of these things for only $26.40 before shipping. Full price they would have been $53 before shipping!!!) I pray that they will help me to become a better wife and mother for God's glory! What a wonderful, blessed Christmas!

P.S. Vision Forum is now having a New Year's Clearance on many of their items! It ends at the end of January.

2006-01-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

I made this book for my friend Michelle. She is one of my newest church friends!!! Our families really enjoy getting together which is not as often as we would like! You can see her blog here.

2006-01-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

This is the book I made for my friend Rebecca. Again we don't get to spend much time together anymore but I really enjoy and appreciate our friendship! You can see her blog Renaissance here.

2006-01-03T09:47:00.000-05:00

I made this book for my friend Elizabeth. We don't get to spend much time together but I really enjoy her company when we do! You can see her blog Full of Grace-n-Blessings Fivefold here.

My Home Management Binder

2005-12-28T18:59:00.000-05:00

I recently found a really neat blog called The Genuine Profit of Home Sweet Home. Candy is the "owner" of this blog. She is a Christian lady with several young children and the author of an ebook! Scott let me buy her ebook The Home Management Binder: The Housewife's Best Friend as one of my Christmas presents! Before Christmas I printed the book off, three-hole punched each page, and then put it into a 1-inch binder. I tried very hard not to read it as I three-hole punched each page! Scott then wrapped it up for me to open on Christmas day. Anyway, Candy suggests buying a 3-inch binder to use for your Home Management Binder. I did just that on Monday when my mom and I went out shopping for all the after-Christmas deals. (I know, what were we thinking!) Candy also suggests not starting on the inside of your binder until the outside makes you smile! Well today I went "all out"
decorating the front cover of my binder! (I bought one of those binders with a see-through cover on the front, the kind you can slide something into.) I decided to use the same idea as doing the front covers of the "altered" books! It turned out so well and it certainly does make me smile!!! Now it's time to get going on the inside of my Home Management Binder!

You can buy Candy's book directly from her. It can be found in the right side bar of her blog. You pay through Paypal and then download the book. You can then print it off or just read it from your computer screen.

"Altered" Books

2005-12-28T18:12:00.000-05:00

My mom recently started making "altered" books! See buys composition notebooks from Target for 50 cents and totally alters the cover! First she finds 3 sheets of the same (or coordinating) scrapbooking paper. Then she covers both the outside and the inside of both the front and back covers. Then she goes wild adding all kinds of fun things to the front! She uses old stamps(the kind for mailing letters), old playing cards, pictures from old books, scrabble tiles, dominoes, etc. Its so fun and they look so cool! Well, I decided to try my hand at making my own "altered" books! I have several church friends I thought might really enjoy them! ;) I'll take pictures of them and post them to my other blog on Monday (after they've been given to said frineds)!

Why are YOU homeschooling?

2005-12-19T20:22:00.000-05:00

I recently joined the Student of the Word Yahoo group! It can be found here. 0-StudentsoftheWord What a blessing it has been to me already! One of the many godly ladies there, who has been homeschooling for 14 years, challeneged us to come up with as many reasons as possible for why our family is choosing to homeschool. The catch is we have to have scripture to back up each of our reasons! Wow! What a challenge! I must admit that I have not done this yet! Will you join me in this challenge? I'd love to see what each of you that are homeschooling/soon-to-be homeschooling come up with!

Following are the reasons this wonderful lady gave!

Our Family Homeschools…

for the glory of God.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31

to teach our children that God is Creator.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:13, 14

to spend every waking moment we have teaching our children to love the Lord their God with all their heart and soul and strength.

"The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9

to teach our children that Scripture thoroughly equips them for every good work.

"...from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:15-17

to teach our children that if we seek God first and His righteousness, God will take care of all our needs (including academic needs).

"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33; and see Daniel, chapter 1

to teach our children the fear of the Lord.

"Fear the LORD your God and serve him." Deuteronomy 10:20

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:7

to serve God.

"…as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15

to train our children in righteousness AND in life skills.

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

to discover the gifts and talents God has bestowed upon our children, and to direct lessons toward building up those gifts and talents, thus encouraging our children to be good stewards with them.

The Parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-30.

Also, just as spiritual gifts need to be fanned into flame, so, too, do gifts bestowed upon us during our physical formation by God.
"fan into flame the gift of God." 2 Timothy 1:6

as an act of obedience to God, Who has directed our family to homeschool.

"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry." I Samuel 15:22, 23

Update on Tim, Scott's brother

2005-12-17T18:59:00.000-05:00

Thanks so much to everyone for all your prayers for my BIL. I have a wonderful update on his situation!!! He's home! But they found 3 infections in his bloodstream! 3!!! Can you believe it?! He has to go back for antibiotic infusions twice every day for another week. He was really hoping to be home by Christmas. And he is! Please continue to pray for complete healing and most of all his salvation.

Pictures of our boys!

2005-12-16T22:04:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, December 11th, I decided it was about time I took some pictures of the boys in their Sunday best! John is 3.5 years old and Noah will be 2 at the end of February. You can imagine how "fun" it was to get them to sit still long enough to get a good picture! Needless to say, I gave up after about the 6th or 8th try. John did pretty well but Noah got bored VERY quickly! My favorite one is the first one. I just thought it was so cute! I hope you enjoy!

2005-12-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Peek-a-boo! I see you!

2005-12-16T21:58:00.000-05:00

Noah: I love you big brother!

2005-12-16T21:56:00.001-05:00

Aren't they just so sweet!

2005-12-16T21:56:00.000-05:00

One slouching and the other s t r e t c h i n g!

2005-12-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

My goofy little guys!

2005-12-16T21:51:00.000-05:00

Johnny, look at the camera!

2005-12-16T21:47:00.000-05:00

Can't get enough of my sweet little boys!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST ~ History of problem

2005-12-15T10:27:00.000-05:00

My BIL is in the hospital with a very bad infection. He may not live. His name is Timothy. He is only 26 years old. He is not a Christian. He has a wife and an almost 3 year old son. Please pray for God's will to be done! Please also pray that he would see his need for the Savior. I will do my best to keep everyone updated.

Here's a little history on Tim's situation.

My BIL was hit broadside by a deer awhile ago. It shattered the driver's side window and crushed the driver's side door. Thank the Lord no one was hurt! Apparently when he was cleaning up the mess he got a sliver of glass in his pointer finger. He didn't realize this at the time. It started swelling up and became very uncomfortable. He went to the ER with it and they sent him home saying it was gout. It continued to get worse. He thought there might be a sliver in his finger so he tried getting it out still not realizing it was glass. After doing this his finger got even worse and his had started to swell. He was in great pain! At the ER for the 2nd time they gave him IV antibiotics and morphine for the pain. They sent him home with scripts for antibiotics. After another day or two things continued to get worse. His father(my FIL) finally went with him to the ER for the 3rd time. The administrator of the ER saw and said had he not come in when he did he could have died. They immediately lanced the finger and took him into emergency surgery. They weren't sure at that point if they would be able to save his fingers/hand. He spent the next week in the hospital. They finally found out that he had a staph infection in his hand. He was released from the hospital last Friday. He returned to the hospital twice a day for infusions. (The hospital is 30 miles away!) Tuesday afternoon while at the hospital for an infusion he got very sick. This had been occuring frequently for about the previous day or so. He was in so much pain again. He called his mom(my MIL) and told her he wasn't going to be able to make it home. They readmitted him that afternoon. They are afraid the infection may have traveled to his heart. At this point we've not heard back about any of the testing. The antibiotics are not working. We don't know what the next step is going to be.

Student of the Word

2005-12-14T12:33:00.000-05:00

Rebecca recently posted on her blog, Renaissance, about her homeschooling concerns. I just had to share that the Lord has brought to my attention what seems to be a wonderful curriculum option for homeschooling moms and dads!!! A lady on CMOMB told us about a curriculum using the Bible as the main resource! It is called Student of the Word. It can be used from kindergarten through 12th grade! Here's a link to the website which is loaded with lots of information. Student of the Word They also have a message board(found on their site) and a Yahoo group for those interested. Here's the link to the Yahoo group. 0-StudentsoftheWord I hope that someone else benefits from this information! I'm so excited to receive the information I requested!!!

A wonderful blog!

2005-12-13T13:54:00.000-05:00

I came across a wonderful blog this morning! I'm adding a link in my sidebar. i"ve been blessed and encouraged by this blog in the few minutes I was able to read it! Biblical Womanhood Enjoy!

A piece of history gone forever. :(

2005-12-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

My parent's live in a very old house that was built by one of my mother's great, great grandfathers. I'm not sure how many generations back but I do know the house is over 200 years old. On the property were several old outbuildings, including a chicken coop and a granary, and a big barn. I worked very hard one late winter month getting all the old hay out of the hay mow. I was hoping that we would be able to replace a couple rotting beams and use the barn as it had once been used. There were really neat draft horse stalls in the downstairs. It had a tin roof and still had the old lightning rods. Well this last fall my parent's had the big barn torn down. :( I was and still am very sad. After the sides were taken off my parent's realized how stright the barn still stood but it was too late. The people taking the barn down had already been promised the wood as payment for their taking the barn down. The only consolation it that the barn will be rebuilt on the new owners property and turned into a house! Here are some pics of the whole process. I didn't get as many as I had wanted to but some is better than none.

2005-12-08T09:18:00.000-05:00

This is a view of the barn from our front yard. (Sorry it's not a closer shot.) Yes, we live this close to my parents! Scott's parents are just over the hill to the left. This is also our first snow! It fell on October 25th!

2005-12-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

Barn with addition(right) still intact.

2005-12-08T09:12:00.000-05:00

A view from the back side of the barn.

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The last side still with siding still intact.

2005-12-08T09:07:00.000-05:00

Still working on getting the siding off.

2005-12-08T09:06:00.000-05:00

The big machine used for most of the work.

2005-12-08T09:04:00.000-05:00

Taking the roof off.

2005-12-08T09:03:00.000-05:00

Closer picture of the roof.

Lost pictures

2005-12-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, it seems some of my pictures of the barn demolition have been lost. I'll take a picture of what it left and add it soon.

Handmade soap and more cards

2005-11-29T21:24:00.000-05:00

A couple of friends from church have asked me about the soaps we make. One friend suggested I post pictures and prices here on my blog. Well, I got some pictures taken this morning and now I'm putting them here on my blog. As of right now we only have four scents to offer. Hopefully soon we will be adding more to the list!

One of my favorites is our Very Cinnamon soap. It smells so yummy! Perfect for the holiday season!

Another one of my other favorites is our Citrus Blend soap. It has dried grated orange peel in it! It's great for getting all the dirt and grime off your hands after gardening, etc.

Lemongrass is a softly scented soap that is a light buttery yellow color.

Peppermint is another great scent for this time of year!

All our soaps weigh at least 3 oz. some even as much as 4 oz. As of right now, we sell them for $2.75 or 2/$5.00. A great, inexpensive gift that will get weeks, if not months of enjoyment!

P.S. I posted some new cards on my other blog if anyone is interested in looking at them. ;)

Another Blog

2005-10-15T14:04:00.000-04:00

Well, Abby did it! And she suggested Rebecca do it! So I did it! ;) I've created another blog for pictures of my craft projects. You can find it here! My Crafty Creations I will post pictures of everything from homemade cards to scrapbooking pages and knitting to cross-stitch! I hope you all enjoy it!

Once a newborn..... now a little boy!

2005-10-06T18:57:00.000-04:00

Well a couple weeks ago I took the plunge and gave Noah his first haircut. :( My little baby boy is growing up way too fast! He is now 19 months old. The last year and a half has flown by. Where does the time go? Before I know it he will be John's age and John will be 4.5! Both John and Noah had the most adorable little curls as their hair started getting longer. It was so hard to cut them off but I know I can't keeping letting their hair grow forever. Maybe someday Go will choose to bless us with a little girl and I won't have to go through the torture of cutting off that beautiful baby hair. Aww, I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking about the possibility of another child. At times I think it will never happen. But enough of my weepiness. Here are some before and after photos. Enjoy!

BEFORE

AFTER

Spiced Peach Jam recipe with a picture!

2005-09-13T19:51:00.000-04:00

It's been quite awhile since I've posted here. We've been quite busy around these parts! A new family moved to the area and are coming to our church! My husband has been helping them renovate their "new" house! It is a beautiful house that was built in the 1860's, I believe! While the men have been working, I have been able to get to know the wife/mother! It is so nice to have yet another like-minded family to fellowship with!

Well, I finally got my Spiced Peach Jam made! My men love it! So do I! ;) Here's the recipe I used and a picture of the finished product. The recipe is from the Ball Blue Book. Enjoy!

Peach Jam

2 quarts crushed, peeled, pitted peaches
½ cup water
6 cups sugar

Combine peaches and water in large saucepot. Cook gently 10 minutes. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Bring slowly to a boil. Cook rapidly to gelling point, about 15 minutes. As mixture thickens, stir to prevent sticking. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: about 4 pints.

Spiced Peach Jam

Follow recipe for canning Peach Jam. Add 1 teaspoon whole cloves, ½ teaspoon whole allspice and 1 cinnamon stick tied in a spice bag to jam during cooking. Remove spice bag before canning jam.

My aunt gave me lots of tomatoes from her garden! Thanks, Aunt Nancy!!! I think I will make some more spaghetti sauce and some salsa! Does anyone have any really good salsa recipes?!

Canning, canning, canning..... and change!

2005-08-24T19:45:00.000-04:00

Today was a busy day of finishing up some more tomato sauce! It seems to take me two days to get it done. The first day is spent cutting the tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Adding all the herbs to the mix and cooking it down for a couple hours. Then we run it through the Squeezo. The second day is spent continuing to cook it down until it is thick enough to can. It is then put into jars and canned in a boiling water bath for 40 minutes. Phew! I'm glad I'm done for the day.

Scott and I decided that we were sick of the computer being in our room. We made a spot for it in the living room the other day. Today we actually got it moved out of our room! Yeah!!! I plan to put the pack 'n play in our room where the desk was and set the crib up in the boys room where the pack 'n play is. We're hoping to blessed with baby #3 and I think this will be the best set-up. We'll see, I guess!

Sweet Pickle Relish

2005-08-19T11:21:00.000-04:00

Here are pictures of my Sweet Pickle Relish, before and after. Can't wait to try it out some hamburgers this winter!

Tomatoes!!!

2005-08-17T17:57:00.000-04:00

Oh, I almost forgot to post the picture of my sink full of tomatoes!!! Scott picked all these early this afternoon with a little help from Noah! ;) These are the tomaotes that are right now being turned into spaghetti sauce!

A busy day once again!

2005-08-17T17:44:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally got around to posting the pictures I promised yesterday. I'll post some recipes soon!

Yesterday I got 7 more pints of summer squash pickles done and started my first batch of spaghetti sauce. We finished it early this afternoon! Scott said he really likes it! I'm so happy!

I've been working on spaghetti sauce again today. It's a lot of work! Oh, but I can't wait to open a jar of it in the middle of winter! Yum! I was going to work on sweet pickle relish but I just haven't had the time. Maybe tomorrow!

John and Noah are both asleep at the moment. It doesn't happen very often! I'm enjoying a few moments of doing nothing before we go finish the spaghetti sauce.

I stopped at the local farmer's market this morning. I had to pick up some read and green peppers for the pickle relish I want to make. There were quite a few vendors today. Scott and I hope to be able to set up there ourselves next summer. We will see how the Lord leads. We have a lot of "homework" to do before get started. It will be a great project for this winter!

Well, I'd better go get the sauce finished up!

Summer sqaush pickles

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Dilly beans

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Bread and butter pickles

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Green beans

2005-08-17T17:37:00.000-04:00

Back into the swing of things!

2005-08-16T15:47:00.000-04:00

Well after of busy weekend of picnicing, spending time with family and friends, and worshipping with my family on the Lord's Day, I am back to the canning scene! I'm just having so much fun!!! Today I'm planning on making more Summer Squash Pickles, something with my tomatoes and something with the cukes my mother-in-law gave me. I've already got the summer squash pickles going! They should be done soon! I'll be posting pictures and recipes later on today! Gotta go make the syrup fpr my pickles!

More canning, homebirth, and family!

2005-08-08T18:04:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm back to canning! I was able to can 7 quarts of tomatoes and 5 more pints of green beans today. My mother-in-law gave me some more cukes today so I will probably make some more pickles tomorrow!

On Friday my midwife is having a homebirth picnic! Last year I missed going because I had already made plans to do something else on that day. I look forward to seeing my midwife again and meeting other homebirthing families!

Saturday my mom's family is having a family "reunion" picnic. It's always so much fun to catch up with aunts, uncles and cousins I haven't seen in at least a year! My mom was one of seven children. Her oldest brother has 5 children. Her oldest sister has 7 children. Her other brother has 8 children. Her two other sisters have 3 and 4 children. Her youngest sister had Down's Syndrome and was one of the sweetest people I knew. (She died along with my grandparents in a car accident 13.5 years ago.) Needless to say it is quite a large gathering! Oh, but it is so wonderful! There are a total of 30 cousins, including my sister, my brother and me! We've already topped 50 second cousins and only about 1/2 of the first cousins have any children or are even married! I love being part of a large extended family! And you can bet I will do my part to make it even bigger! ;)

A busy but profitable week!

2005-08-06T21:38:00.000-04:00

Well canning(and freezing) season is definitely upon us! I've been canning like a mad woman this week! And I've been having so much fun! Tuesday I canned 9 pints of green beans. Thursday I canned 5 pints of summer squash pickles, 8 pints of dilly beans, and 14 pints of bread and butter pickles! Friday I picked 9 pounds of blueberries and put them in the freezer.(This was the 3rd time I've been out picking!) Today I canned another 8 pints of green beans.

I also made 5 half-pints of black cap jam and 15 half-pints of blueberry jam with my sister when she was here a few weeks ago. We put some blueberries in the freezer then, too! We split all that we made together.

So here's a running total:

3 half-pints of black cap jam (My sister took two.)
7 half-pints of blueberry jam (My sister took eight.)
35 pints of green beans
5 pints of summer squash pickles
8 pints of dilly beans
14 pints of bread and butter pickles

I have also put about 17 pounds of blueberries in the freezer. I hope to go picking at least once more before the season is over. I just LOVE blueberries! Yummm!

I have a long list of other things I want to can. I will post some pictures and recipes on Monday of the things I already canned.

Oh, and Scott just reminded me that we have also put quite a bit of snap peas, "regular" peas, and broccoli in the freezer too!

Natalists?

2005-08-03T01:31:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to an interesting article about large families and their growing popularity among Christians. Back to the Future: The Growing Movement of Natalism Or read it below.

This article was posted by a fellow member on Christian Moms of Many Blessings. Enjoy!

Back to the Future: The Growing Movement of Natalism
By Paul Strand
Washington Sr. Correspondent

CBN.com – MCKINNEY, Texas - Is this the future face of American conservativism? Just ask Pastor Pat Hurd. He is a father of, count them, 11 children. They live in a growing suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth, called Weatherford, Texas. Ranging in age from two to 21, the Hurd family represents what some are calling a new demographic movement – Natalism.

Father Hurd says, "I think that's what God commands us to do -- to raise them to think biblically, and to see the world biblically. They're going to vote biblically. They're going to go out into society, and impact culture in a very few generations. It's already happening. Even in our family we have three voters, so we have three registered voters -- voting children, and it's just going to keep increasing."

Worldwide, birth rates are plunging in places like Western Europe, Latin America and many U.S. cities. Nationwide, people are marrying later and having fewer children. But in some of the fastest growing regions of the country, like the Great Plains and the Southwest, fertility is on the rise.

People are having three, four or more kids. Who are these people and what is causing them to buck the trend? They are a growing number of Americans that New York Times columnist David Brooks calls Natalists.

Rod Dreher is assistant editorial page editor for The Dallas Morning News, and a self-proclaimed Natalist. He says, "It's an attitude, it's a sensibility where families are open to life, open to children, open to large families."

Dreher continues, "Because we're Christians, we believe our commandment is to be fruitful and multiply. We think children are a positive good. They are not just another notch on the debit sheet. We believe they are given to us by God, and that big families are what God would have us to do."

Dreher and his wife Julie have two children, for now. They moved to Dallas from Manhattan in 2003.

"We wanted to have more kids,” says Dreher, “and we wanted to have kids in an environment that was family-friendly, that supported our faith and our moral values, and, indeed, our political values. So we came down here to Dallas, which is my wife's hometown, because we knew we could afford to live here. And we knew this is a place, a culture, where we could be openly Christian and be part of the mainstream. That's not the case in NYC."

He adds, "Finally, you think, why am I putting up with this? Let's just go to ‘red’ America."

In a world that is not always friendly to raising large families, it is easy to see why many Americans are fleeing the city for what the census bureau calls "micropolitan areas." These are areas with at least 10,000 residents, but fewer than 50,000, areas that are quite simply, more in sync with pro-family/natalist values.

And judging from the 2004 presidential election, the political implications are obvious.

According to a Virginia Tech study, President Bush won 474 of the nation's 573 micropolitan areas, taking 61 percent of the vote. What is more, the American Conservative reports that George W. Bush carried the 19 states with the highest white fertility rates, while John Kerry won the 16 states with the lowest.

For many moms like Melissa Husted of Fort Worth, what is most important is having a safe environment for her three kids to grow up in.

Husted says, "I think, even more, I would like to get even further away. I don't want to isolate my kids from everyone, but I want to be very particular about who my kids associate with."

More and more families like the Husteds are escaping the big city for towns like McKinney, population 90,000. The 2000 census identified McKinney as one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.

But McKinney is just one of many towns from the Southwest to the Sunbelt that are growing like gangbusters. Now what is fueling their amazing growth? They are simply a great place to raise kids.

Phyllis Davis works for Ebby Halladay Realtors in Collin County, Texas. She describes where she lives in McKinney as, "This little subdivision called Mayberry, of all things. So you have a real harkening back to roots, which is kind of all of McKinney looking for that home town atmosphere."

She continues, "The idea of moving here, to have a place to raise a family, is probably uppermost in most peoples’ decisions."

And if you are looking for a great place to raise big families, Davis says you cannot beat the lifestyle in places like McKinney.

According to the Web site realtor.com, a $100,000 salary in liberal Manhattan buys you only as much as a $38,000 salary in conservative Pinehurst, North Carolina. Likewise, a couple working in San Francisco earning $100,000 between them can afford just as much in Cedar City, Utah if the husband finds a $44,000 a year job, and then mom can stay home with the kids!

For Natalists like the Husteds, it is not just about issues like lower taxes. It is about attitudes, and priorities like home schooling and church attendance. And it is about what really is most important in life to them, preparing their children for the future.

Melissa said, "We are fighting a war, and it is cultural, but it is also spiritual in nature. We look at the world with a different mindset. We think generationally. We're not going to win this culture war in our generation, but God is building his arm when you see your little four-year-old running around and putting things in VCRs and such as that. Those are the little soldiers and we're going to grow them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and they will be the soldiers of the next generation who will fight the, you know, the coming hostilities that are apparent even now, toward Christianity.”

So people moving wherever they have to, wherever they need to, to get back to old-fashioned family values, seems to be the newest wave in American culture.

The Need of the Hour

2005-06-19T21:34:00.000-04:00

The Need of the Hour

What does our country need? Not armies standing
With sabers gleaming ready for the fight;
Not increased navies, skillful and commanding,
To bound the waters with an iron might;
Not haughty men with glutted purses trying
To purchase souls, and keep the power of place;
Not jeweled dolls with one another vying
For palms of beauty, elegance, and grace.

But we want women, strong of soul, yet lowly
With that rare meekness, born of gentleness;
Women whose lives are pure and clean and holy,
The women whom all little children bless;
Brave, earnest women, helpful to each other,
With finest scorn for all things low and mean;
Women who hold the names of wife and mother
Far nobler than the title of a queen.

Oh! These are they who mould the men of story,
These mothers, ofttime shorn of grace and youth,
Who, worn and weary, ask no greater glory
Than making some young soul the home of truth;
Who sow in hearts all fallow for the sowing
The seeds of virtue and of scorn for sin,
And, patient, watch the beauteous harvest growing
And weed out tares which crafty hands cast in.

Women who do not hold the gift of beauty
As some rare treasure to be bought and sold,
But guard it as a precious aid to duty-
The outer framing of the inner gold;
Women who, low above their cradles bending,
Let flattery's voice go by, and give no heed,
While their pure prayers like incense are ascending
These are our country's pride, our country's need.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

The last stanza is my favorite! It reminds me that true beauty comes from the inside, not the outside! What are your thoughts on this great poem?

Pictures of my precious men!

2005-06-19T20:39:00.000-04:00

Daddy and Noah with a newly planted apple tree!

Noah, mischeivous? Nah!

My little Amish boy, barefeet and all! Grandma Terry got John this Amish hat when she was in Indiana visiting family. Yes, she has Amish and Mennonite relatives!

Noah wanted to sit on big brother John's lap.

John and Noah enjoying FlufferNutter sandwiches!

Has it really been a month?!

2005-06-19T20:34:00.000-04:00

I said I was actually going to start posting on this silly blog! Where does the time go? I always have good intentions of posting but never seem to actually get around to doing it! How many times does this happen? All the time it seems! Well, I'm going to post some pictures and then I'll make a real post from one of the books I got for my birthday! Enjoy!

My birthday gifts!

2005-05-16T14:14:00.000-04:00

A few short weeks ago, I turned 28. My wonderful husband bought me two new books! I always love getting books! Anyway, the books he got me are nice hardcover ones! The first one is called Home-Making and was written by J. R. Miller. It was originally published in 1882! I have yet to read much in it but what I have read so far has been excellent! The other book I got is called Verses of Virtue ~ The Poetry and Prose of Christian Womanhood. It was compiled and edited by Elizabeth Beall Phillips. I have also not finished this book but am enjoying it immensely! I will be posting some of the poetry and prose from this book sporadically but hopefully consistently! I look forward to spending more time posting about my life and family!

It's been far too long!!!

2005-05-16T14:11:00.000-04:00

So here I am, after all this time! I'm finally going to add a few new posts to this blog! Of course, some will just be pictures but hey something is better than nothing, right?!

It's a boy!!! (not a girl!)

2005-03-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

Announcing the birth of....
Radien Collin Ferrell
born on March 29, 2005
at 8:22 PM
7 lbs. 13 oz.
21 inches long

My brother, Tim, and his fiance, Danielle, are now the proud parents of a baby boy! After 3 ultrasounds they were convinced they were having a girl but God had a surprise in store for them! Mom and baby are both doing well. Danielle had a c-section and should be coming home in about 3 days. Radien has a thick head of dark hair and he sucks his thumb! Please pray that God will work in my brother's heart and in Danielle's and that Radien will grow up to be a mighty warrior for our Lord!

Happy 1st Birthday, Noah!!!

2005-03-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been far too long since I have posted to this blog! And what a better occasion than my youngest son's first birthday!

Just over a week ago, on February 28th, Noah Matthew Terry turned 1 year old! It was a bittersweet day. I can't believe my baby turned 1! It is so fun to watch the two children God has given us so far growing and maturing into little men! What a blessing my children are to me!

Noah, my prayer for you is that as you continue grow physically you will also grow spiritually! I pray that God chooses to reveal Himself to you at a young age and that you will give Him your all. I love you, my precious, bright-eyed boy!

Happy 30th Birthday!!!

2005-01-13T20:36:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday, dear Scott!
Happy birthday to you!

Well, my dear husband has hit another milestone! He turned 30 today! He's not quite sure he likes it, though. John and I made him a cake. John asked all day about it. He wanted to know when we were going to eat it! :) We ate dinner with his parents and grandma. It was really a very low-key day. Unfortunately, his birthday gifts did not arrive in the mail yet. :( Well, I'm sure he will enjoy then when they do finally come.

A note to my wonderful husband:

I just want you to know how much I love you! I thank God for you every day! I'm so glad I get to spend the rest of my life with you! Happy birthday, dear!

All my love,
Leah

My little boy is walking!

2005-01-08T20:59:00.000-05:00

Noah has been taking steps for quite some time now. Crawling though was always the best way for him to keep up with his older brother John. Well as of Friday, January 6th, Noah has been doing more walking than crawling! He is growing up so fast! I can't believe he will be 1 year old next month!

Here are a couple pictures of the boys at the farm. We put one of them in a frame that says Grandchildren and gave it to Grandpa Terry for his birthday.

Announcing the birth of.....

2004-12-30T16:02:00.000-05:00

Alayna Alice Smeal

Born 23 December 2004

at 3:13 AM

6 lbs. 1 oz.

19 inches long

My sister has given birth to a beautiful little girl! She was born 12 days "early" on her brother Micah's 3rd birthday! We are so thankful that both mama and baby are doing very well! Welcome to the world, baby Alayna! We love you and can't wait to meet you!

Here are a couple pictures of baby Alayna with her big sister and brothers!

Congratulations Smeal family!!!

Counting my blessings!

2004-12-22T23:46:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to share what the Lord has did for me and my family yesterday. Recently I decided that I would switch from disposable diapers to cloth diapers. Mostly for financial reasons but also for a few others. A family member introduced me to Freecycle recently. I have been able to offer some things and have also asked others for things, specifically cloth diapers. Well, three ladies responded to my ISO (in search of) post. Yesterday I was able to pick up cloth diapers from two of the 3 ladies. The first lady, who lived about 25 minutes away, gave me a 21 gallon Rubbermaid-type tub FULL of cloth diapers! And not the old-fashioned kind like our mothers and/or grandmothers used but the newer fancy ones!!! I praised God the whole way home! I stopped at the barn to tell Scott about how good God was to us! The second lady only lived a few miles away in a nearby town. At lunchtime Scott and I drove to the second ladies house. She greeted me at the door and invited me in. She handed me a small bag of diapers and asked me how old our boys were. I told her how old they were. She said, "Could you use some boys clothes?" I said, "We can always use boys cloths!" She had me follow her to a back room where there was a huge box full of boys clothes! There were also a few baby girl things. She ended giving me all the clothes for free also! I am now able to give my sister, who was in labor today and may have had her baby girl by now, a nice sized box full of little girl clothes that will fit baby Alana right away! There were also some boys clothes that are too small for John and Noah that I am going to give a friend from church. She has lost two babies, one of which was a little girl who was born prematurely at about 20 weeks and only lived for about 1.5 hours. God has blessed her with a healthy pregnancy! She is due with a little boy in April! She has lots of girl clothes but not much at all for a little boy. I am just so thankful for what God has done for me and what I am now able to do for others! Praise God for his provision!

2004-12-21T08:46:00.000-05:00

Noah is our soon-to-be 10 month old! He is always smiling and making us laugh! We love him so much!

2004-12-21T08:43:00.000-05:00

John is our rambunctious 2 1/2 year old! We love him so much!

2004-12-21T08:41:00.000-05:00

John and Noah, our two most precious gifts!

2004-12-21T08:38:00.000-05:00

Daddy, John and Noah..... so sweet!

2004-12-21T08:36:00.000-05:00

Mama and her precious boys!

2004-12-21T08:34:00.000-05:00

Our first ever family pictures!

Hello to all my dear family and friends!

2004-12-21T00:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I've finally done it! I've started my own blog! My blog will contain mostly pictures but on occasion I will also write little tidbits about our daily lives. I think this will be a great way for me to share with those of you who don't live nearby what goes on here at the Terry "ranch." I hope that you all enjoy what I share with you here!

Leah

P.S. Rebecca, now it's your turn! ;)

2004-12-20T22:10:00.000-05:00

John and Noah "ridin' a horsey!"

2004-12-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

Mama, John and Noah in the woods

2004-12-20T22:05:00.000-05:00

Daddy and John in the woods

2004-12-20T22:03:00.001-05:00

Our sweet baby Noah!

2004-12-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

Johnny at the farm

2004-12-20T22:01:00.000-05:00

Johnny and mama