Jesus, Lover of My Soul

We sang this wonderful hymn yesterday, and I wanted to share it. Such poignant words!

Jesus, Lover of My SoulJesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing.

Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall—Lo! on Thee I cast my care;
Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand, dying, and behold, I live.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness;
False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity.

Down Memory Lane

I'm once again working on scanning old pictures from my photo albums so that I have them in digital format and and can burn them to discs for safer keeping. It's a huge project, but fun in many ways.

I'm currently in the Summer of 1992. What a mix of emotions those pictures bring back!

And here, just to see if Shawna is reading my blog...

What an artist!

The Best Bread I've Made ...

... in a long time!

I've been trying for the last few years to "cheat" and use my Cuisinart to make bread. It just doesn't work for me, and I've had dissapointment after dissapointment.

So on Tuesday, I decided to "really" make bread. I was sooo delighted with the results!

Are You Weary of Being the Giver?

I do not know of any helpmeet/mother who does not occasionally weary of being the giver. It is easy to be overwhelmed by all that is required of us. The demands of being a wife, a homemaker, a mama, etc can be draining, and I have seen in myself and the women I love the tendency to get drained dry, to come to the point where we have nothing left to give. The modern human response to this weariness is often something along the lines of, "I've just got to get away!" I have bought into this thinking more often than I'd like to admit. I'm not saying there is anything inherently wrong with "getaways," but they are not God's ideal answer to the dilemma.

Recently some thoughts in Elizabeth George's book A Woman After God's Own Heart really struck me. She says, "What happens when you and I do slip away to be with God in study and prayer? We receive. We take in. We are nurtured and fed. We insure our spiritual health and growth. When we spend time with Christ, He supplies us with strength and encourages us in the pursuit of His ways." (Emphasis mine)

There we stand, drained and weary, longing for someone to "give to us for a change." There He stands, ready, waiting, and eager to GIVE to us. And we don't have the time/energy/desire to take a few minutes a day to spend in fellowship with Him. We will not make the effort to develop the habit of "walking" with Him, of practicing His presence no matter our location or activity. We give and give until we are dry, while the greatest Giver of all waits for us to accept His filling, His giving. Getaways are all well and good, but the true answer is in abiding in Him, not in escaping His call on our lives.

I was both broken and blessed by this realization, and began to look at some of the ways in which the Lord wants to give to us. Would you like a peak?

Psalm 29:11 ~ The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.

Psalm 84:11 ~ For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Psalm 119:130 ~ The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.

Proverbs 3:34 ~ He gives grace to the afflicted.

Matthew 7:9-11 ~ Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Matthew 11:28 ~ Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

John 14:27 ~ Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Romans 5:5 . . . and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 8:32 ~ He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

2 Thessalonians 2:16 . . . our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace . . .

James 1:5 ~ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

1 John 5:20 ~ And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

So, my fellow weary woman, I want to encourage you - Go to the Giver!! He's ready and waiting to fill your weary soul with blessings beyond what you can ask or think!

A Prayer

Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my time, my all, utterly to Thee to be Thine forever. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever.

~The daily prayer of Betty Scott Stam, a worker with China Inland Mission. She and her husband were led to execution by decapitation while their baby lay behind in the crib. Quoted by Elizabeth George in her wonderful book, A Woman After God's Own Heart.

What to do with an imperfect spouse

This is such a terrific article, I had to share it.
Go read it!.

Maternity Clothes

I have more eternally significant things to blog about today, but I feel compelled to share with you that I am so glad it is starting to feel like spring! Besides all the usual reasons, there's my maternity wardrobe. And my size. Or maybe it's the way my maternity wardrobe and my size are fitting together. For a little while longer....

You see, the cute summer clothes that I had looked forward to wearing closer to "term" fit me now. Not fit as in, "I'm pregnant-enough-looking to avoid looking ridiculous wearing this outfit" but fit as in, "Hmmm... won't be able to wear this much longer." The large end of my maternity wardrobe is all summer stuff, hence the rejoicing over springlike weather.

About the size issue... I started this pregnancy about 25 pounds heavier than I would have liked to have been. I'm 25 weeks along and I've gained 30 pounds. The midwife is not concerned about the weight, but she has cleared me to start watching my carbs if it will make me feel better. I'm not too worried about the weight myself, because I think a big part of why I just couldn't lose it before I got pregnant was because of the estrogen dominance issue. I feel very confident about getting it off after the baby arrives.

In the meantime, it won't be long before I'm going to run out of clothes that fit! For now, though, I'm just going to enjoy wearing my summer clothes. I shall consider myself the beacon of coming warm weather!

Refiner's Fire

You've likely heard this one before. It's such a wonderful picture.

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

This put me in mind of a section of Hind's Feet on High Places that has always been precious to me...

Last of all he took her up the stairway to the highest floor. There they found a room with a furnace in which gold was being smelted and refined of all its dross. Also in the furnace were rough pieces of stone and rock containing crystals. There were put in the great heat of the oven and left for a time. On being taken out, behold, they were glorious jewels, flashing as though they had reeived the fire into their very hearts. As Much-Afraid stood beside the Shepard, loving shrinkingly into the fire, he said the loveliest thing of all.

"O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay they foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones" (Isa. 54:11). Then he added, "My rarest and choicest jewls and my finest gold are those who have been refined in the furnace of Egypt," and he sang one verse of a little song:

I'll turn my hand upon thy heart,
And purge away thy dross,
I will refine thee in my fir
Remake thee at my cross.

There's a song that Mr. Glock taught us at Emmaus that has been the prayer of my heart many times through the years since:

Living God, consuming fire,
Burn the sin from my life.
Make Your will my desire;
Take my life in Your hands.
Purify me with Your blood
Till I shine far brighter than purest gold
In Your eyes.

Some of you have guessed that I'm "in the fire" right now. I treasure your prayers, and I appreciate being able to share some of what the Lord is teaching me (for the how-many-eth time?). May I become a shining specimen of HIS work!

A Contrast...

It was with a broken and convicted heart that I read Psalm 16 today.

Psalm 16
A Mikhtam of David.

Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.
I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
I have no good besides You."
As for the saints who are in the earth,
They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied;
I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.
The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
I will bless the LORD who has counseled me;
Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.
I have set the LORD continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

The contrasts to the portions in bold:

*I've challenged You to manage to preserve me, O God, for I have not been taking refuge in You. I know I have no good besides You, but I've been too busy looking at me to notice the good that You are.

*Instead of focusing on the wonderful inheritance You have for me, and appreciating the beautiful heritage You've given, I have focused on the pain and hurts in my life.

*Instead of setting the LORD continually before me, I have set myself. Because I have pulled away from His side, I have been greatly shaken. Therefore my heart is bowed down and overburdened, rejoicing is scarce, and I am full of fear and insecurity.

*Though You long to make known to me the path of life, to give me fullness of joy and pleasures forever, I have not been at Your right hand or in Your presence. I have refused the blessings You long to give.

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." Psalm 51:17

JOHN DONNE ~ HOLY SONNET XIV.
Batter my heart, three-person'd God ; for you

As yet but knock ; breathe, shine, and seek to mend;

That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend

Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

I, like an usurp'd town, to another due,

Labour to admit you, but O, to no end.

Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,

But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.

Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,

But am betroth'd unto your enemy ;

Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,

Take me to you, imprison me, for I,

Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,

Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

The Strength to Submit

This is a section from Elizabeth George's book A Woman After God's Own Heart.

Do you know the main reason why we wives don't submit to our husband? God says it's fear. We are afraid of what will happen if our husband does things his way instead of our way. Clearly, underneath God's call to us to submit lies a much deepr, more fundamental call to live a life of faith in Him. "The holy women" of the Bible "who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands," and we can follow in their steps if we "do good and are not afraid with any terror" (I Peter 3:5-6, emphasis added.)

Faith is the opposite of fear (Mark 4:40), but how does faith fit with submission? It is by faith that you and I believe God works in our life directly through our husband. It is by faith in our sovereign God that we submit to our husband, trusting that God knows his decisions and the end results of those decisions, and trusting that God redeems, if not guides, those decisions. And so it is by faith in God that our fear is dispelled and we gain the strength to submit. As you learn more about submitting to your husband, why not ask God, as the disciples did, to increase your faith (Luke 17:5)? Faith in God gives us the strength to obey and submit to our husband.

Not Giving Up - An Update

Many thanks for the encouraging words, my friends! Asking for help has always been difficult for me - thank you for making it "worth it." :-)

The Lord used Amy over at Amy's Humble Musings in some super practical ways to accomplish quite a lot in my heart/our home in a relatively short amount of time, and I thought I'd share them...

Amy's "Take a Deep Breath" blog (which thankfully Shawna posted about) prevented me from tearing down the walls and starting over with my truckload of 2x4's. He used her "Rest for Weary Homeschool Moms" to re-focus my heart and get me on the right track mentally and spiritually. And as I talked Sunday night (rationally, even!) with my programmer hubby, we found her schedule a great jumping-off point for getting into a routine. I'd tried the MOTH thing before, and though I think it is a great tool, it became a master for me, and I pretty much gave up on scheduling because I was such a not nice person while I was using that system.

Yesterday and today have found us non-stressfully beginning to work our way into a new routine, one that I think will focus us on our priorities and give us freedom and flexibility. We have a ways to go, and I'm realizing that baby steps are okay. And they're much better than truckloads of 2x4's!!

My Balancing Journey - Part 6 - Estrogen Dominance Overview

Here are some of the symptoms of estrogen dominance - Breast cancer, Breast tenderness, Cold hands and feet as a symptom of thyroid dysfunction, Decreased sex drive, Depression with anxiety or agitation, Dry eyes, Early onset of menstruation, Endometrial (uterine) cancer, Fat gain - especially around the abdomen, hips and thighs, Fatigue, Fibrocystic breasts, Foggy thinking, Gallbladder disease, Hair Loss, Headaches, Hypoglycemia, Increased blood clotting (increasing risk of strokes), Infertility, Irregular menstrual periods, Irritability, Insomnia, Magnesium deficiency, Memory loss, Mood swings, Osteoporosis, Polycystic ovaries, Premenopausal bone loss, PMS, Sluggish metabolism, Thyroid dysfunction mimicking hypothyroidism, Uterine cancer, Uterine fibroids, Water retention - bloating.

That's not a complete list, and having a symptom on the list doesn't necessarily mean you are estrogen dominant, but if several of those symptoms sound way too familiar, I'd go take this simple test! :-)

If your test results sound like you might be estrogen dominant, my biggest recommendation is to invest some time reading Dr. John Lee MD's books and/or his website. The book that I read from and found helpful was What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About PREmenopause. Why that one? Because at 32, I was so estrogen dominant that I was going into premenopause! I found the book quickly at my library. It's like a fire hydrant of information, but you can digest what seems most important for you. There are bucketloads of information on the website as well.

If you are estrogen dominant, the thing I don't recommend is running out and getting a prescription for progestin. Prescription hormones are slightly different than what your body produces on its own. They have to be, because you can't get a patent (read: more money) for something that is exactly like it is found in nature. However, there are companies who make progesterone that is bio-identical - its chemical makeup is identical to what is found in your body naturally. I don't know all the benefits of having something identical to what your body makes, but it seems logical to me that using something that matches exactly would be better (and more effective) than using something that has been "tweaked" for the sake of a patent. I haven't done much research on it, but after a quick look around, I see that HRT has been linked in multiple studies to increased risk of breast cancer. I'm not sure if that's just estrogen HRT or if that includes the use of prescription progestin as well. I'd really encourage you to research the subject. Especially considering what the prescription Premarin comes from - Pregant Mare's Urine. :-)

Here are some articles from Dr Lee's site that I think would be helpful and informative:

(prescription) HRT articles homepage

Main link page for articles about using natural hormones
A great FAQ page about natural (bio-identical) hormones
an interesting looking article by Dr. Lee about natural hormone therapy

I think it's important to know that Dr Lee did not have his own prog. cream company, nor did he make money from any prog. cream company. From all I've been able to find, he was simply someone committed to honest research and truly healthful solutions. There is an extensive list of companies that make quality bio-identical progesterone cream here I think these are all companies who make creams without parabens and without mineral oils, both of which are ingredients which have an estrogenic effect (something I surely didn't want when already estrogen dominant!).

Thinking about giving up...

Disclaimer - I realize that it's been a long time since I've blogged, and I didn't plan for my first blog in two weeks to be like this one...

I was thinking that we had discovered the thing that was really going to work for us with homeschooling. And in the last couple of days, I've found out that it's not working like I thought it was. I feel so incredibly discouraged, and thoughts of giving up are flooding my head.

Then I think about the alternatives. And I know that I can't give up. But, quite honestly, I feel like an utter failure as a homeschool mom right now.

The whole balance thing is seeming to ellude me. I'm a help meet, a homemaker, a mom to six wonderful in-arms Blessings, growing another Blessing inside, a homeschooling mom, a vital part of our home-based business, part of our local body of believers, an advocate for healthy birth options in Missouri... and I'm not sure I'm getting a "passing grade" in any of it right now.

I'm headed over to re-read the post by Amy Scott that I read yesterday (before I really started to need it). Maybe that's why the Lord led me to it yesterday (thanks, Shawna!), so that it could be brought to mind today.

Anyhoo... do any of you ever get totally discouraged about this journey we're on, or is it just me?

Any helpful words of wisdom?

Beyond the Ultimate

I was once again thrilled to hear the owner and coach of the Colts give glory where it was due today. I loved it that when asked about the "social significance" of his victory in the presentation ceremony, Coach Dungy, while acknowledging the honor of being the first black head coach to win the Super Bowl, made a point of stating that to both he and coach Lovie Smith, what's even more important that they are Christian coaches, and have been able to show that you can do it "the Lord's way."

Here's a message passed on by Michael W. Smith on his Shoutlife page, from Coaches Dungy and Smith:

On Sunday, one of us will be a world champion. We may have reached the ultimate goal for a football coach, but we know that there is more to life than football. Even when you have achieved the ultimate, someting better lies beyond.

As pro football coaches, we are also men of faith. Our faith drives us every day to seek excelle4nce. It comforts us in the worst of times and produces hope in adversity. It is through our common faith in Jesus Christ that we have individually experienced God's love and forgiveness.

We would love to tell you more. Visit http://www.beyondtheultimate.org/, and discover how you can live "BEYOND" the ultimate.

Signed By: Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith

"A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way I've found true peace, joy and forgiveness." - Tony Dungy

"At a young age, I called on God to help me. I have leaned on him ever since." - Lovie Smith

This site is really wonderful!! Even if you're not a football fan, I'd encourage you to check it out. What a neat testimony to God's grace!

The Project for the week

I'm working this week on getting our bar-height office counter cleaned off so that we can lower it this weekend to desk height. We've needed more room in our office for quite a while, but with my belly growing, it's becoming a dire situation! lol

So yesterday, I finished cleaning off the counter - a major accomplishment, that. Now I'm working on making room in our big filing cabinet for the contents of filing cabinet drawer from our big school teacher desk, which takes up way too much room in here. I'm hoping to move that out this weekend as well, and since I got the counter clean earlier than I expected, I'm working on other things in the office that will enable us to make better use of our space.

I indulge in HGTV when I have the chance, and the Blessings have watched their share of Mission Organization, one of my favorites. A couple weeks ago, they were working in someone's office, and Davey says, "Mom, maybe you need to have them come and do *your* office!" Oh, yes, in my dreams! :-)

I've realized that I just don't have a spot for everything that needs one, and I'm working on figuring out how I can fix that. The combination of a home office/busines office/homeschool office is just a high demand for a space. Any ideas would be met with great appreciation!

This is what it's really about

Here is a terrific article about Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith, the two head coaches who are taking their teams to the Super Bowl. I'm so glad someone's talking about what really distinguishes these gentlemen... and it's not their skin color! Take a look. :-)

Changing Shapes

In the search for my maternity clothes, hubby and I found a box last night that had my old "skinny" clothes in it... clothes from back in the days when I thought I was chubby, lol. I'd given away most of my clothes from back then, but these were things that I just couldn't let go.

Well, today I finally put most of the rest of them in a bag to take to Agape House (a resale shop close by that supports a ministry to unwed mothers). Other things I had to just go ahead and toss.

So all this got me thinking...

I remember my midwife chuckling during a prenatal with my first baby. When I asked her why, she said, "You know, your tummy's never going to be this tight again." I was, in my youthful, idealogical state, slightly offended by such an assumption.

Well, several years ago, before I got pregnant with our 6th baby, I got back down to the weight I was when we got married. Yay for me!! Out came the skinny clothes I'd been hanging on to! And guess what? They didn't fit. At first, I was sooo dissapointed. Then I realized something...

No matter how well-conditioned I am, my body is not going to return to the shape that it was before having (as of this coming summer) 7 bundles of Blessing. And you know what? That's okay! What matters is that I do my best to take care of my body, because it is the temple of the Lord. In many ways, my body, though different, is in much better condition than it was before I had children. I want to strive to continue to improve my physical condition.

Similarly, the circumstances that we go through in life change our shape, whether it be our physical shape, our spiritual shape, our emotional shape, whatever. It's okay that we might not ever be the same. God wants to use all the circumstances in our lives to change our shape to be more like Christ.

What about the things that hurt and scar us? Is the goal to be restored to where we were before the hurtful circumstances entered our lives? I don't think so... I think the goal is to not waste the pain, but rather to let the Lord use our circumstances to mold and shape us into the image of Christ.

So if you look back on who you were and what you looked like 10 or 20 years ago and don't like the differences you see, maybe you could reconsider your perspective. If the changes don't fit with HIS goals for you, He can still salvage them and use them for your good and His glory.

Isn't God good?!?

Fundal Height

This is mostly for my own documentation...

I'm looking forward to my next prenatal - to seeing what my caregiver thinks of my fundal height. I've been consciously practicing self-palpation for my last several pregnancies, and I'm regularly feeling the top of my fundus at my belly button. On me, that's ~22-23 cm. Generally, your fundus corresponds to the number of weeks along you are, and for me that's held true through 6 previous pregnancies.

Here are some possible reasons I found on babycenter.com for measuring "large for dates":
• Your due date is off. (Nope, don't think that's possible)

• You have looser abdominal muscles than most women as a result of an earlier pregnancy. (rofl!! I've had 6 earlier pregnancies - ya think?! But my abdominal muscles have been looser than normal for 10 years, so I'm not thinking this is it)

• You have uterine fibroids. (This is a known side effect of estrogen dominance, so I'm not ruling it out. However, looking at the list, pre-pregnancy I had no symptoms of uterine fibroids, so I'm not super concerned about this)

• You're carrying twins or more. (Twins do run in my mom's family...)

• You have too much amniotic fluid. (I suppose this is possible, but honestly, what I'm feeling does not feel like amniotic fluid to me)

• Your baby is positioned high above your pelvis, which might be the case with a breech baby or if you have a placenta previa. (This early in the pregnancy, I don't think these would really be issues)

• You have a bigger-than-normal baby because of gestational diabetes. This condition is known as macrosomia. You may need to be tested to rule it out. (Given my history, the list of risk factors, and my current condition, I really don't think this is it. And my urine's been "great"! lol)

So that's the fundal height report. Any reasons you know of that aren't listed here?

Corn Adventures and The Simple Life

Months ago, I read an article by Debi Pearl on the No Greater Joy website about different uses for corn. It fascinated me - though we are far from being self-sufficient or old-fashioned in our way of life, anything related to the simple life appeals to me. We would love to become more simple in our way of living, and thanks to the wise advice in the Cumberland Books catalog, we are working on making Baby Steps in that direction.

Anyway... we received our NGJ magazine last week and I was thrilled to see that they had reprinted Corny, Ten Different Ways. I showed it to Jonathan and he thought it looked pretty neat as well.

So last night, the guys come home from work with a 50# bag of Deer Corn (which J had researched and found was the same thing as the feed corn Debi refers to in her article). Woohoo!

Here's what we've done so far:
**We have hominy in the works. We cooked the corn in the ashes last night for quite a while, but it's not quite done, so it's back on the stove this afternoon. I'm going to wait for Jonathan to get home to do anything with it, because he's really enjoyed our experimenting.
**We roasted corn last night to "grind" for corn meal (to use for corn meal mush and corn bread, two things we really like but have never made from meal we ground ourselves).
**We tried "grinding" the roasted corn in the Cuisinart last night, which sent me into the giggles - using the Cuisinart to aid our "old fashioned, simple life" experiments, lol. It was evident that we really do need to be on the lookout for that handgrinder Debi Pearl refers to, but I went ahead and put some of the "ground" corn into the crockpot to cook overnight into corn meal mush. Again, what to me is a humorous blend of old and new.
**The corn meal mush this morning was yummy but rather chunky, due to the incomplete grinding. I also could have used more water in the crock pot. But a successful breakfast, nonetheless.


Here are some of our goals for this year, as regards the simple life:
**Find a hand grinder for corn (this can be used for other grains, too, of course).
**Get our feet wet with Square Foot Gardening. The Blessings are each going to get a few squares, and Jonathan and I will probably have a 3x3.
**Hopefully... Chickens! We need to start small, but we'd really like to have chickens, for eggs especially, but also for meat.

And now it's time for a nap!

Getting back in the saddle

We're working on getting back in the swing of things around here. I'm trying to be careful to not do too much too soon, but we're thankful to all be feeling much better.

We're trying some new stuff with school this week, with help from An Old-Fashioned Education. Public domain works + the internet = wow! Also trying to get back on the ball using our Ray's Arithmetics. Since we have the whole set anyway, I need to stop doodling around and get with the program! That's the one area in which our Blessings are "behind."

I think I'm going to go ahead and make the big $8 plunge for Motivated Moms for this year. I'm not in a rush to get it, though. Since I basically lost last week due to sickness, I'm just going to do what I can from each day off of that page of my sample.

I have lots of stuff I'm wanting to blog, but I'm going to stop for right now and try to make time to do several posts today.

Notes to self (cause my brain is still stuttering):
Fundal Height
Corn
Philosophy of dealing with Illness
Balancing