September 29, 2009
I would rather
clutch my invitation
and wait my turn
in party clothes
prim, proper
safe and clean.
…………………………
But a pulsing hand
keeps driving me
over peaks
ravines
and spidered brambles.
…………………………………
So, I’ll pant
up to the pearled knocker
tattered
breathless
and full of tales.
- Janet Chester Bly
[ 2 Comments ] Posted on 09.29.09 under Home Life
Harvest Crusade 2009
August 14, 2009
If you want to meet Jesus and haven’t yet, here’s a place to do it:
The crusade will go live online tonight (Friday) and tomorrow night at 8pm MST and Sunday night at 7 pm MST. My dad and I got saved there 9 years ago and our lives have never been the same since. Plus, you can watch the archives if you are watching this after the crusade has already happened.
[ 2 Comments ] Posted on 08.14.09 under From My Garden, Home Life, How to Start A Garden
Tagged
November 12, 2008
This is an abstract post today, since my friend, Kelli, has tagged me. So, here you go, Kelli!
* Write 6 random things about yourself.
1. I adore reading cookbooks, especially my new Taste of Home magazine.
2. I completely enjoy reading about many other homemakers including Heather, Laura, Eyes of Wonder, and Laine, who have many children, some being special needs as one of mine is, and how they manage their homes and how I can learn to manage better and streamline so I can fit more in to each day, whether it be for need or to make room for more fun.
3. Spending time talking to the Lord and listening to Him every morning, cooking, planting, checking my garden for progress, taking a quick walk in the morning, listening to Revive Our Heart’s radio program, kids’ naptime, being disciplined and working when I feel like being lazy, a call from my mom or dad, an email from a friend, snuggling next to my 3 year old while she falls asleep, reading books written by older women and gleaning their advice, sitting next to my husband on the couch and chatting while the kids clean up after dinner, knowing that I am giving everything I have and that everything I have is bringing security and love to the people I love the most and have poured my life out for are all things that bring me daily joy and deep satisfaction.
3. I was born, raised and am raising my children in Arizona.
4. I attend Calvary Community Church, where my husband works and teaches the NEXT College/Young Adult class.
5. I’ve been married for 11 years, have 5 children and I homeschool.
6. I like truth and facts.
[ 1 Comment ] Posted on 11.12.08 under Home Life
Flying Praying Mantis
October 07, 2008
Why, oh, why do praying mantis’ have to find their way into may house? Did you know they fly? Yes, they fly around and around and around wondering, I’m sure, how in the world it made such a wrong turn into my house.
These are the kind of things that happen when you have a garden 5 feet from your back door, I suppose. Can you picture 5 kids screaming trying to pounce on it while it flies wildly around and around while dive bombing the lamp, me screaming and running for cover and my husband loudly encouraging the kids to catch it.
I think the little guy was finally glad to be caught because he definitely was finding it difficult to locate his point of entrance. I know that I’m glad he’s caught so I don’t have to worry about having a lost praying mantis searching for his way out in my room tonight.
Do y’all have praying mantis’ flying around in your houses or am I the only lucky one that the Lord chooses to send bugs (and really big wolf spiders and lizards rescued from the cat, and hatching tomato hornworm caterpillars, in my house, might I add) to entertain my boys with?
[ 6 Comments ] Posted on 10.07.08 under Home Life, Pests
What to do with a “garden” of children
September 15, 2008
As most of you know, I have 5 children, ages 11 on down to two years old. I’m sure most of you might wonder what a normal day might look like for a mama with 5 kids home all day. I know I used to look at a family that had 4 and think that they were crazy when I only had 2 kids. I wondered, what on earth do you do with all of them?
I have learned that you put them to work! You might think that they shouldn’t be working and they think that they shouldn’t be working, but they like to be part of something and they don’t even realize it. My kids feel good when they look over what they’ve done and they know that they’ve done a good job…satisfaction.
Satisfaction seems to be lost in today’s society with everything already premade, precut, precooked, pre-everything. Hard work is hard, yes, but satisfying. And hey, my kids actually have fun sometimes while working!
Well, here’s just a snippet of what goes on regularly at our house.
Laundry, of course. My littles like to help. It’s harder to incorporate them into my regular routine, but they like to help, most of the time, and they are learning at the same time that they are supposed to be helping. It helps out with their attitudes when they get older, like when they are 11, and they expect to help out without a bad attitude.
Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t perfect, and neither am I. We all regularly have not-so-great attitudes about something, but I actually hear quite regularly from my 9 and 11 year olds, “is there anything I can do to help?”. Can you believe that? It amazes me each time I hear it.
Then my 3 year old daughter thought it was so exciting that I was taking pictures so she insisted that she take one of me…so this next one is to humor her.
Here’s Nathan doing his morning table chores of cleaning up under the table and vacuuming around the table rug after breakfast. You’d think that he liked it or something. (Mental note-help him out with his clothes matching skills.) 
See what we would have would have missed this morning if I would have done all the work myself and put in a movie for the kids?
[ 3 Comments ] Posted on 09.15.08 under Home Life
Hospitality
August 28, 2008
Ok, again, not a gardening topic, but I was just thinking that this is such a “desert” topic for me so it sort of fits my desert gardening blog in a different way. This topic kept nagging me all afternoon, so I thought I better write it down so it will go away and quit nagging me…
Anyway, I grew up in a home ravaged by divorce and inviting people over to hang out and have dinner at our house was not “normal” for me. So over the years, having people enter into where I live has been such an odd concept. To most “normal” people, I’m sure this post sounds odd in itself.
On top of that mentality, watching Martha Stewart or the Food Channel made me feel like I can’t have anyone over unless I have concocted something extra special that costs a small fortune and that I have a beautifully decorated home, table, childen, or whatever else. Oh, and then added on top of that mentality I have 5 children under the age of 11. Oh, and get this, 4 of them are boys. Try having a beautifully decorated home, table, children, large food budget or whatever else with all of that. Forget it!
If I’m going to have anyone over, that mentality has to be dropped! Tomorrow, we have some friends, not real close friends, coming over. They have been out of the country and we have invited them over to tell us the amazing God stories that happened while they were away. Do you honestly think that they care how beautifully decorated my house or their dinner plate is?
We are going to have Cheesy Sour Cream Enchiladas, refried beans and a salad. Voila! Nothing too fancy and nothing very expensive. Especially, if I cook a whole chicken, debone and shred it, soak the beans, cook them and then refry them. If we were to all go out to dinner or even buy something frozen it would definately double my expense because cooking for my 5 guests plus the 7 of us is not exactly cheap that way. Again, they are not coming for a gourmet meal…they are coming for fellowship. When Christians meet with Christians something supernatural happens…it’s really neat. Martha Stewart and Barefoot Contessa forgot to add that in their shows.
Don’t get me wrong, Martha Stewart is great, just don’t let her stop you from opening up your home when it doesn’t look so perfect.
I am going to make sure that my humble abode is clean, especially the kitchen and bathroom (important) and then everything else will have to be just fine with the condition it is in. These five guests do not have children so they will have to pretend to be understanding and maybe someday they will really understand when they do have children.
I also have these wonderful children to help do the cleaning. They make this house messy and they will help clean up this messy house. They enjoy having people over so much that they rarely complain about having to do the cleaning. Only when we have guests, might I add.
I hope this might encourage someone to get busy and invite people you don’t know all that well over to your house because people are LONELY and if you’re a Christian then you have no reason not to! Well, unless you’re about to have a baby…that’s a good excuse for a little while!
[ 4 Comments ] Posted on 08.28.08 under Home Life
Hey ladies…
August 19, 2008
Here are some links to teachings about biblical womanhood by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle.
If there are any ladies out there or if you know any ladies who could benefit from hearing this…please pass it on.
[ 1 Comment ] Posted on 08.19.08 under Home Life
Harvest Crusade
August 15, 2008
I know this isn’t a garden topic, but since this is my site and I think this is an AWESOME event, I thought I’d post it here since you can watch it live wherever you are in the country tonight, tomorrow and Sunday…and then they will have it saved and you can download it WHENEVER after the event is over.
I got saved in Anaheim, California at this event 8 years ago…so did my dad.
CHECK IT OUT!!! It might change your life…it did mine!
[ 3 Comments ] Posted on 08.15.08 under Home Life
Update…
July 18, 2008
I’ve been sick with fever and stomach troubles for the past week and 4 of my 5 kids have had the same thing that I have had. Thankfully, it has passed by my husband so he can handle our full homelife without my assistance. We’re not real hard to cook for because more than half of us at a time can’t eat.
So, I hope to return to posting our going ons as soon as I get to feeling a little better! I thought I’d let you know where I’ve been…still here, just recooperating.
[ 1 Comment ] Posted on 07.18.08 under Home Life
