Why?

Children looking at picture books at school, Santa Clara, Utah, 1940. Photo credit: Library of Congress

12:02am, 12:12am...I can't sleep. I can't seem to stop thinking about the latest school shooting, children the same age as one of mine learning their alphabet. Older children the same ages as two of mine trying to conquer a long math problem. And like many other people my mind wants to know "Why?'. A young man sits near me in the Chiropractor's office and asks his dad "Why did the shooting happen?". But his dad has no answer
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But the answer is there. If we will hear it. Sin. That is the answer. "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth", I can hear my 3 year old quoting. Man was lovingly created in the image of God. Man chooses to ignore God and teach our children that they came from an Amoeba or from apes, just a glorified animal. Man chooses to teach our children that there is no hope after death. Man chooses Sin and evil. How can life be valued if we teach them that they are nothing more than animals and that when we die it is the end? How can we be surprised when our young people choose to sin and commit such evil?

But even in the midst of Sin and sadness, we can know we have Hope. Jesus Christ is our Hope. We can know without a doubt that this isn't all there is, that this is not our home, that we are just passing through. But we have to choose it....it isn't automatic....Jesus doesn't force Himself on anyone.

Moms and Dads, are we teaching our children about God and His great love and Hope? Are we teaching them to Love the Lord God with all their hearts and souls and minds? What is more important to teach them than that? Nothing! If they know they were created in the image of God and that they are loved by Him and by us then they will value life.

How are you doing in teaching your children? I know I have been slack about it. I have let the cares of the day take over and haven't adequately been directing my children to their Saviour. Let what happened to those children remind us that time is precious and that we have a job to do.

Did I mention He Likes Hats?

These are a few of my favorite things

 

My Ting-ting-ting thing

 

                                                
                                                  Queen Anne Chocolate Covered Cherries

 

And Sugar Cookies!

 

I'm in the mood for Christmas!

A Couple of My Guys

My guys just love their footie jammies so B#8 was thrilled when we brought home some matching jammies for them.

Chocolate chips make everything better!

                                                      He just loves hats....and shoes

How Can America Gain Her Freedom Back

I read this interesting post today and wanted to share it with you. You can read it HERE.

Original source of photo unknown

The Election

Just minutes after hearing the announcement that Obama was re-elected this hymn was running through my mind...

The Solid Rock

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.

The Flowers

On one of the blogs that I read, she posted this poem. It brought tears to my eyes as I read it. I hope that you will read it and enjoy it as much as I did. Go HERE to read it.

Have a wonderful, Jesus loves you day!

Pumpkin Patch

We love Pumpkin Patches. We have been to different ones all over the area over the years but by far our favorite pumpkin patch is Bauman Farms. When we went last year we decided that we would save all year to be able to go back this year and do anything that the kids wanted to do.

 

                                    B#9 enjoying the bumpy slides(plastic drainage ditch pipes)

This slide was great. You slide down this plastic stuff on a plastic disc. Even mom took a turn on this one. Luckily there aren't any pictures of that. Here B#3 and a friend are going down together.

 

B#7 enjoying the slide

 

They have these fun big swings that are hanging from the barn roof. They are really long and swing really wide. B#10 absolutely loved it. I think he would have stayed there all day if I could have let him. There are so many things to do there. I didn't get many pictures since we were so busy. But this is a pumpkin patch that is fun for littles all the way up to bigs (even B#2 who is 20 likes it there). We were definitely missing B#1 this year as he is off in his Tech school. Hopefully another year we can all go together again.

 

I was hoping for a great family photo while we were there. That didn't happen and the one picture we did get leaves much to be desired.

 

A Great Quote

Don't you just love that quote? I totally agree. I love being outside in the fall. Today I put some starts in the green house that DH built for me. Just some lettuce, kale and spinach but I so enjoyed being outside in the beautiful fall weather. B#10 loves being outside too. He was so filthy that he had to come in for a bath before dinner. The rain is supposed to come tomorrow but I am hopeful that it won't last too long just yet. We still need more sunny fall days to carry us over.

B#10 Turns 1

I love the simplicity of first birthdays. No huge parties needed. Tons of presents not needed. They are so content with the simple things in life. If only we as adults could be so content with the simple things!

Apples

 

B#5 was a huge help to us girls!

 

 

A friend gave us about 80lbs of apples recently so we have been hard at work trying to use them wisely. Another friend asked me to teach her how to can so on Friday she came over and we made lots of pints of applesauce for her and her daughter. Then on Saturday the girls and I, along with a friend of theirs, finished up the apples by making apple butter, applesauce, apple pie filling and drying some with some cinnamon. They sure were yummy. We still have apples from our trees to do but we may save them for apple cider.

Funny

While shopping at Michaels recently we found this marshmallow Yoda. DH is a Star Wars fan so we thought it would be funny to buy it for him. I didn't actually think he would eat it but he and the boys did. I think it would be hard for me to eat something that green:)

B#7's Camoflauge Cupcakes

For B#7's 5th birthday we thought we would make Camouflage cupcakes, courtesy of Pinterest. They were alot of work. Hmmm kind of reminiscent of the Cookie Monster cupcakes we did last year. It took 3 of us girls to put the different cake batters in at the same time and getting all three colors of frosting to come out of the bag at the same time was interestingly messy. But in the end they turned out well and it is always worth the effort.

We Skyped with B#1 while he opened his presents since B#1 is in Tech School in Texas.

Projects

I have been in the mood to do some projects lately. I guess now that B#10 is almost 1 I feel like I am coming out of a year long fog. He still wakes up several times a night to nurse but we have a relatively good schedule. Feeling like fall is coming on also makes me want to do some creative things. Last week before 1/2 of the family left for B#1's Boot Camp graduation, the girls and I started recovering our dining room chairs. My mom sent me some lovely dark plaid fabric which she got for a steal of a deal. It goes so well with my dining room and should hide stains well. I took a before and after picture for you so you can adequately appreciate the difference.

                                                           Before..stains and all

                                                                    After

I love, love, love chalkboard. I have wanted to paint one of my cabinets in my kitchen with chalkboard paint for a couple of years now. I still haven't gotten brave enough to do that but I did find some chalkboard paint looking adhesive backed paper to use for labels on my storage jars and recycleable trashcans.

This was how they were before. I like the way this looks, at least the way it would look in a good picture. If I could combine this with chalkboard that would be lovely.

These were the tools I used to finish this project...

 

 

I also made (with the help of B#4) a burlap table runner but I think I will save pics of that for after I get my fall stuff put on it.

Our First Day of School

For our first day of school, in our Bible Time, we were learning about Creation. We learned that the Hebrew name used for God in the Creation account in Genesis is the name Elohim, which means Creator God. We also learned two Hebrew verbs used in the creation story. Bara, which means to make or create from nothing. We learned that bara is used when God created the earth. We also learned the verb yatsar, which means to form or fashion from a predetermined pattern. I found these things to be so amazing. We know that, despite what Evolutionists would have us to believe, God spoke the world into existence from nothing yet Scripture shows us clearly a few verses later, using the verb yatsar that we as people were formed or fashioned in the plan that He had. We did not form from monkeys or microscopic life.

So for school we made things out of clay and baked them. The kids had a good time and I think Sculpey is a fun medium for them to use. It holds its shape so well, even holding up to my feeble attempts at making a dinosaur for B#8. Then you bake it and it will last, at least until little hands get ahold of it and break it which unfortunately did happen to several of our things.

On a side note, I had an interesting conversation with my daughter-in-law recently about Creation. She was telling us that when she was in Elementary school they went outside with balloons filled with paint. They were instructed by their teacher to throw up the balloon and when it landed and splattered everywhere that was what the Big Bang was like. I asked her if her paint fell in to a rose, or an eyeball or anything other than a disorganized splatter. She confirmed that No it didn't form into anything when it fell. In my opinion where her teacher was trying to teach the Big Bang theory, she was actually confirming Creation. God is a God of order, not disorder and His Word is true and can be trusted.

This verse comes to mind when I think of schools teaching Evolution as fact when in fact it is a theory...Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galations 6:7

Sticky Bun

B#4 likes to do B#9's hair for her everyday. Our favorite hair style that she does is a messy bun, which daddy affectionately calls a "sticky bun".

More Summer Days

                                                              B#8 pitting cherries

                                                              Playing with Bub

                                                                    Swinging

                                                             Playing in the grass

                                                     A going away party for Bub

                                                                Water gun wars

                                                          Making 4th of July cookies

                                                     Lavender Fest with the girls

                                  And saying Goodbye to Bub before he leaves for the Air Force