Workin' on the blog...

I have some techno questions for my readers who also have blogs. I'm wanting to tweak my blog but I'm soooo not technological.

I have created a slide show in photobucket and a music playlist but have no clue how to upload them to my blog. Does anyone know how to do this. I don't want them as posts but as an added "gadget" on the side that comes up everytime my blog loads.

Also how does one go about starting a carnival? I have two or three I'm thinking about but I'm unsure about how to add Mr. Linky, how to create a graphic for it, how to get people to participate?

What would you all like to see me add? What kind of posts do you like or dislike. I haven't been feeling very original lately. Input greatly needed. PLEASE!

Frugal Friday- Free is good! True Beauty!

My four beauties!

And one crazy boy!

If y'all head over to http://safethusfar.blogspot.com/ she is having a giveaway sponsered by Vision Forum. You can win your choice of one of five different VF conference albums- one of which is on raising Godly daughters! That was my pick as I currently have 4 lovely daughters and perhaps the Lord will bless us with more. You have to hurry though! The give away closes tonight at 10pm! (EST) God Bless!

For more Frugal Fridays head on over to http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/

Taylor post as required by Grandmas

Homemade Thursday- Old Post

I'm cheating for this week's Homemade Thursday post. I linked to and old post from last year. Here is the page link: http://modernchristianhomestead.blogspot.com/2008/04/home-made-playdough.html .

Have Fun! For more Homemade Thursdays go to http://shipfullofpirates.com .

Works For Me Wednesday- Free is Good!

If you haven't heard, head on over to either of Crystal Paine's two blogs (http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/ or http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ ). She is sponsering a free entrepreneurial download from http://www.behemoth.com/ , a division of http://www.visionforum.com/ . It is an audio (MP3) file of Vision Forum's Entrepreneurial Bootcamp. If you were to pay for this it would cost around $100 ($65 on sale). If you are even the slightest bit entrepreneurial or thinking of starting a business of your own, head over and pick up the coupon code from Crystal that will allow you to download all 21 files absolutely free! This is only offered until Saturday so don't delay! I have wanted to purchase this for ages and now I was able to get it free! FREE works for me.

Also under Free works for me: I have a new pasta container. In its former life it used to hold "Pub Mix" a cheesy cracker/pretzel type snack mix by UTZ sold at Costco. Now, after said crackerage was eaten, the container stripped of its packaging and washed, it hold my spagehtti noodles. No more taping boxes or bags closed or accidentally dumping my pasta all over the pantry. FREE works for me!

For more Works For Me Wednesday head on over to http://www.rocksinmydryer.net/ (old host) or even better try the new hostess over at www.wearethatfamily.com .

Help For Growing Families- Franklin Springs

Maybe I'm a bit behind the times but I just discovered Franklin Springs Family Media. It is a Christian family owned/operated company. They produce and film wonderful family orientated films and DVD's. As I ran down the catalog list they have available, I found 7 must haves for my family and the rest of the films also sounded uplifting and encouraging to my walk as a Christian and mother.

They have documentaries, instructional videos for men, women and children, and helps for the family. I can't wait to get my hands on their The Art of Breadmaking DVD, Inherit the Land, and The Family Meal Table. For my DH: A Journey Home. For my son: Measure Twice, Cut Once. For my girls: The Art of Candlemaking and The Art of Soapmaking.

I can see my brood having good family time watching these DVD's and applying what they've learned to their skill and knowledge bank.

Check them out at http://www.franklinsprings.com/

For more Help With Growing Families check out http://www.shipfullofpirates.com/

Meal Plan Monday

I have never participated in a Meal Plan Monday before. I have planned out menus before but it fell by the wayside last year when I was pregnant and then after my new one was born. This is my first week back on it. The goal is to avoid the fast food joints by having this plan and let eating out be a rare treat.

Monday: Spagehtti, homemade bread, salad, minister's delight

Tuesday: Beans and rice, sauted green beans, applesauce

Wednesday: Porkchop and potato casserole, homemade bread, salad, peaches

Thursday: Fried Chicken, mashed potato, sauted green beans, cookies (homemade)

Friday: Turkey sloppy joes, corn, cookies (homemade)

Saturday: Tacos, refried beans, finger veges, applesauce

Sunday: Homemade challah bread, cheese soup, pudding

If you notice: I put a dessert with each meal. I'm trying to cut out unhealthy snacking during the day and after dinner. By having a sweet option (including but not limited to fruit) it pleases the sweet tooth but eliminates snack binges of sugar and salt.

Minister's Delight:

1 can (21oz) fruit filling

1 packaged yellow/white cake mix

1/2 cup butter (melted)

1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Put fruit filling in slow cooker, combine cake mix and butter, sprinkle over filling, sprinkle on nuts, cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours. (Serve in bowls.)

For more menu planning ideas go to www.orgjunkie.com

Inherit The Land

I don't usually post on Sundays but we are home from church today with a sickie (My four year-old has an ear ache.) and I didn't post yesterday, so I thought I'd let you all know about a contest over at http://sharrissnapzshotz.blogspot.com/ . She's giving away a DVD from Franklin Springs- Inherit The Land. Check it out and enter!

Homemade Thursday (On Friday)- Daily Bread Part 2

A beautiful finished product

A cup full of ice helps form a crispy crust

Scoring of the bread

Shaped and floured loaf

A baker's best friend- Silpat

My baking set up (I don't have a baker's stone)

As promised here is the second part of my bread post. Yesterday I made the dough and placed it in the refrigerator overnight. This helps develop flavor and makes the dough easier to handle. After taking it out of the refrigerator, I shaped it and floured it right on my Silpat lined baking sheet. Then the bread rests for 40 minutes. While the bread is resting, I set up my pans in the oven: One pan on the bottom to hold ice for steaming and an upside down pan on the rack above to serve as my baking stone. When the pans are in place, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

After 40 minutes have passed, score your bread anyway you like using a serated knife. Quickly load the bread into the oven and toss a cup of ice onto the bottom pan. Shut the door ASAP so the steam from the melting ice doesn't escape. Bake the bread for 20-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. That's it Folks. Easy Peasy! No more store bought bread for me.

Frugal Friday- Dave Ramsey

The DH and I went to see Dave Ramsey live last night. Even though there was a hoard of people at the sold out venue, we still managed to have a good time and walked away, not with new knowledge (well some facts were new to us) but with a vision. He used a clip of a gazelle trying to avoid getting eaten by a cheetah as a visual on how we should be trying to avoid debt. Worked for me.

This morning my son counted his money and had me price a video game he wanted. He tried to convince me that he had most of the price and I could just pay for the rest. Uhmmm... not! Seemed like a good time to start in on the "save till you can pay for it fully" lesson and start moving him away from instant gratification. It is, however, much easier to be good when it is not your money and desire that is in the way.

Now we have to come up with a budget and stay on track. We are on Baby Step One. Not sure how we are coming up with $1,000 but it will be time to look at our "stuff" really carefully. We really are in for a total money makeover and lots of delayed gratification. We are definately not purchasing a house without 20% down and are even considering 100% down.

I recommend Dave Ramsey to any one. You don't have to buy his books or pay to see him live. Listen to him on the radio or tv. He's not saying anything new but he is really good in the motivation department.

Mom, would you be angry if I sold my china?

For more Frugal Friday posts, check out www.biblicalwomanhood.com

Homemade Thursday- Daily Bread- Part 1

1. Gather what you need

2. Spray a spatula and bowl with cooking spray

3. Get three cups warm water

4. Add 1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast

5. Add 1Tbsp. sugar, stir mixture to incorporate.

6. Let sit until Bloom forms (5 to 10 minutes)

7. While waiting for your yeast mixture to "Bloom" add 6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose white flour to your mixing bowl (you may mix by hand, hand mixer or a free-standing mixer with a dough hook)

8. Add yeast mixture to flour and mix until just blended

9. Add salt and blend just until a sticky dough forms, do not knead (I add salt at this stage rather than earlier to avoid the salt "killing" the yeast and thus preventing a good rise.)

10. Transfer dough to prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap

11. Let sit for about 2 hours (until dough flattens on top or starts to fall) and then refrigerate for three hours. (This is a sticky dough. The refrigeration will allow you to be able to shape the dough easier. You can shape a loaf immediately though.)

Homemade Thursday is hosted by http://shipfullofpirates.com/

I have found that with this bread recipe I can keep my family in bread on a daily basis. It is easy and requires very little "hands-on" time. Best of all- it turns out great every time! I adapted this recipe from the basic recipe in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Herzberg and Zoe Francois. I've added sugar to it and changed the directions to my liking.

This recipe makes 4 lbs of bread dough (recipe may be doubled also) and may be kept in a refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You may freeze it also in individual loaf portions.

Check back tomorrow for part two- shaping and baking the loaves. I will also post tomorrow's post to next week's Homemade Thursday.

Lewis Daily Bread:

3 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar (I find that my yeast blooms better with some type of sweetner to feed on.)

1 1/2 Tbsp. coarse kosher salt

6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose white flour

See also www.petersonclan.com/2009/02/some-seriously-good-eating.html . She just posted about making the original recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Works For Me Wednesday- Green Bananas

For some reason my local Costco sells bananas that are greener than a leprechaun on St. Patty's Day. My simple solution: put them in a plastic bag with an apple. It makes a great homeschool science experiment too. The gases given off the ripe apple cause the bananas to ripen. Go figure! Works for me! Tip: Don't store ripe bananas near apples or you'll be making banana bread pretty darn quick!

Works For Me Wednesday is sponsered by www.rocksinmydryer.net

Help For Growing Families- Chores/Allowence/Entrepreneurship

Reagan is encouraged to help wherever she wishes!

Hi All,

I'm taking a break from my vacation series to talk a little bit more about what Mother Hen at http://shipfullofpirates.com/ (Hostess of Help For Growing Families) commented on this week.

Our family, like Mother Hen's, expects children to help out greatly around the house. My eldest daughter (12) folds all our clothes, sweeps upstairs daily and cleans the bathroom as needed. My second eldest daughter (10) is in charge of dishes (loading/unloading dishwasher, hand washing) and helping with floors. My son (8) takes out all the trash and readies it for pick up, vaccums the upstairs daily and scrubs floors as needed. They all help carry in groceries and occasionally are called on to help with meals. They are also expected to keep their rooms clean, beds made and the downstairs playroom picked up. Any large chores, inside or out they are expected to help with. Also if there is something I just can't get to, they made be called on to pinch hit. (Like helping my four year-old in the bath or playing with the baby.) This is just part of our family. They do not get paid for these chores and we do not give out allowences. (We can't afford to even if we thought allowences to be a good idea.)

So how do our kids come across their spending money? We encourage entrepreneurship. This spring our kids will be putting up a treat table every day for when the school kids get off the bus. (40+ kids live on our street.) Koolaid, cookies etc. made by my children will be available at reasonable prices for the hungry kids. The DH and I will fund the start up and then the kids are expected to tithe and put their earnings back into the business before drawing a salary . On Saturdays we will be holding a "market" in our front yard with various homemade items for sale. Each child will have his own products to make/purchase and be in charge off. This will teach them great business skills and hopefully allow them to run profitable businesses when they get older, rather than just go "get a job".

I recommend the e-book Learning and Earning by Jim Erskine. You may contact him at http://www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com/ . It is full of ideas for child operated businesses and inspirational stories of other young entrepreneurs!

Car Issues

Our Dodge Durango was making strange noises so we took it in to the shop today. Sigh... it needs a new engine and it might not be covered by the warranty my DH purchased for said purpose. According to the shop records we missed a couple of oil changes so that may void the coverage. Very frustrating. We are trying so hard to pay off debt and we just seem to keep accruing it. We are going through the Dave Ramsey book and work book and might be going to see him live this week. But ARRGH! The hits just keep coming. But it's okay! The Lord tell us to consider trials of any sort a joy. We just need to keep our eyes on Him and make our hearts malleable for teaching. Still, I'm thinking the Amish horse and buggy thing sounds pretty good right now.

Current Reading

Slow Cooker Classics (Reader's Digest)- to save time and money and beat the eating out or prepared food habit.

The Bread Bible (Rose Levy Beranbaum)- to master the art and eventually make saleable loaves.

Candymaking (Kendrick & Atkinson)- to master the art and eventually make saleable products.

Total Money Make Over (Dave Ramsey)- to GET OUT AND STAY OUT OF DEBT! Whoo... this is a whole other post.

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm off to bake bread and make some heart shaped sugar cookies for my kids to frost and contemplate what lucious dinner to cook the DH. We're sending the kids downstairs early tonight and having a date/movie night. (Watching Fireproof- for the second time.)

Little Lady Reagan

Being a proper lady is serious business- but who needs shoes?

Just let me grab my baby!


I'm ready for my close up!

I'm ready to go shopping!

Little ones sure do like to imitate grown ups. I forget how much they like to watch and follow.

Homemade Thursdays- Pot Roast

Pot roast covered in garlic, onion, mushrooms and Worchestershire sauce.

Made easy in the slow cooker!

Homemade Thursdays is hosted by http://shipfullofpirates.com/

Tonight's dinner is pot roast. In an effort to make cooking a good dinner easier, I pulled out the crock pot. I don't use it as often as I could so I'm going to make a habit of using it more. The DH has challenged me to save money. So instead of waiting till the last minute to think about dinner and thus pulling out the frozen prepared food or coaxing the DH to let us go out, I'm going to work on my cooking in the crock pot. A little work in the morning and a good healthy, less expensive dinner, is on its way.

I just plopped my roast in, added a couple of tablespoons of minced garlic, half a chopped onion, some sliced mushrooms, salt, pepper, and liberal dashes of Worchestershire sauce. It's cooking on low and smells great.

I plan on serving mashed potatoes and gravy with it as well as creamed spinach. I also have blackberries to make into a crisp or cobbler.

This is how my DH feels loved- A good homemade dinner that I spent time on. While he understands that some days just don't allow for tons of cooking, he does prefer more cooking and less defrosting and heating.

Pictures of Tay- For Grandmas

My sister, Seven, is 12 years old. She got to choose my clothes today. She likes color.

My brother loves me!

I don't quite have the concept of sitting down yet.

My sisters love me too, but I hate this hat!

I can blow great raspberries these days. Momma thinks I'm starting to teethe.

This is what happens in Michigan...

...when we have a mid-winter thaw! It was 60 degrees yesterday!! Kids reappeared outside (in shorts and t-shirts of all things).

Out came all the skateboards, bikes and rollerblades.

It isn't quite time for sandcastles but why not build a few snow castles? (In roller blades of course.)

Ahhh... if only it would stay this way. Unfortunately today is raining and the snow returns tomorrow. Still, it was a nice break. I even took little Taylor out in the stroller for a walk up and down the street.

Help For Growing Families- Vacationing Part 2

Whew! Today was crazy! Sorry for the late post but I just couldn't get time to post until now.

Last week we talked about camping: http://modernchristianhomestead.blogspot.com/2009/02/help-for-growing-families-vacations.html

This week we're talking about planning.
In order to make a vacation affordable and enjoyable for the larger family, a little planning goes a long way!

Read about your destination at the library.
Search the internet.

Send away for any and all tourist guides.

You want to find out what there is to do in the general area. What do various family members like to do? What fees are there for attractions? What is there to do that is free? Do you really need to go to place A for $$$ when place B is almost the same and is $?

Look for discounts. Is there a certain day that an attraction offers a cheaper fee? Are coupons available? Package deals?

Check times of tours and hours of operation. Do you need reservations?

What sights are close to each other? How much time can you expect to spend at any given sight? How much can you do in a day? How much do you want to do in a day?

Every family will have different needs and desires. If you take your time and do the research then you get a truly fun and memorable trip for everyone.

Help For Growing Families is sponsered by Mother Hen over at http://shipfullofpirates.com

Crystal's cleaning dare!

This week's cleaning project

Still this week's cleaning project

Remainder of this week's cleaning project

Last week's finished project

Last week's finished project different angle

Clean and reorganized bookcase

Purged books for garage sale

Purged books for storage

Crystal over at http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/ hosted a cleaning dare last Monday and I finished it! Here are my results! Clean and uncluttered as can be. (I'm stuck with the t.v. and entertainment center until the DH decides what to do with them- though I'm hosting a breadmaking class in two weeks so he doesn't have too long to sit on it.)

To see the before pictures go here: http://modernchristianhomestead.blogspot.com/2009/02/todays-to-dos.html

and here: http://modernchristianhomestead.blogspot.com/2009/02/does-your-bookcase-look-like-this.html

This week's organizational chore is the computer hutch and file cabinet. For deep cleaning (it's not Spring yet) we are scrubbing the walls in the dining and living area and washing the inside of the windows. (The outside will get done when it really is Spring and the weather is warmer.)

I've gotten over 5,000!

The DH being silly!

Check out my site meter! I've had over 5,000 hits! Yeah, for some of you that is sissy stuff but I'm thrilled considering I didn't blog from July thru January. (Late pregnancy and then a newborn filled that time.) My DH laughed at me and told me it was just me and the Grandma's that made that total. To which I replied indignately, "I have blogging friends!" That made him laugh even harder.

Professor Troy Update

I have good news and bad news on missionary Troy's back. He went to a specialist on Thursday and was told that with surgery he would be up and around (with a few physical therapy sessions) and pretty much back to normal in 3 or so weeks. He would have pretty much normal movement but there was a risk of paralysis if the the surgeon nicked the spine. If he chooses not to do the surgery then it will take a full year and lots of therapy to get back to even semi-normal activity. Troy has limited funds and insurance and only church and work family in the area to care for him. He is seeking a second opinion and is deep in prayer for God's guidance. Please keep him in your prayers. You can keep updated with his blog over at http://proftroy.com/ .

Does Your Bookcase Look Like This?

Overflowing with school books...

Overflowing with regular books...

Overflowing with more school books and supplies...

The catch-all for shells, Star Wars cards, Bakagan, Legos, beads, various jewelry, pennies and dimes, game pieces, Barbie shoes and one baking soda and vinegar volcano (not to mention too many books)...

And overflowing with even more books, plus a couple of wallets containing library cards?

It is this evening's project. I hope I can whittle down the books that I want and need out and can either put some in storage or better yet delegate some to the yard sale bin for this spring's annual event. Wish me luck! I love books and getting rid of them is hard. I would just purchase a second bookcase but funds are tight and so is space. Purging is a must.

Homemade Thursdays

Okay, God made her but those Grandmas do get cranky if I don't keep them in pictures!

Book Cover Front

Book Bindings


Book Cover Back

Front inside page

Copyright page

Back pages

Mother Hen over at http://www.shipfullofpirates.com/ hosts homemade Thursdays. The only thing I've created recently is my 3 month-old daughter and God did most of that work. My DD and DH however were busy. The DH took all the "books" my daughter Andi wrote and illustrated (on computer paper), scanned each page into our computer, formatted them to book size, added front and back info pages as well as heavier paper for the front and back cover and bound them by hand. We now have a collection of very professional looking books all made at home. We have created (tongue and cheek) Lewis Publishers. Both my daughter and my husband are very proud of their work.

Getting back on track

"Stop cleaning for a second Mom. Look what I learned to do!"

Ahhh... clean and organized!

Over at http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/ Crystal has posted about getting back on track. It is a very timely issue for me. My pregnancy and birth of my now three month-old daughter knocked me out of the loop for a while. Just within the past couple of weeks I have been working to get back on track. I'm back to serving and being involved in church again, rather than just being a body. I'm back to blogging and keeping up with family and friends a little bit better and I'm working on getting my house in order. I don't have anything special I'm doing but just making sure that I'm usuing my time wisely. I'm trying to get up a little earlier and work just a bit faster during the day. I'm not overdoing it but just getting 15 or so more minutes a day gets things a bit more under control. If I can suceed in getting my home reigned in then I can concentrate on money saving and earning issues. While I'm not sure I have the discipline to save 100% for a home like Crystal, I sure would like to have 20% to put down. In the past we've gone 3%, 5% and 0 down. Both my husband and I have been making strides to live within our means, pay down debt and start saving. It is good to read about others doing the same type of things. (Things my parents have always done and tried to teach me. Ahhh... the folly of youth.)

Resources For Homesteading and Country Life

We've made some programming changes with our cable subscription to save some $$. We have dropped the movie channels (Showtime, HBO etc.) because we just don't watch them all that much. Instead we added a different tier with the DIY network on it. Imagine my surprise to find out there is a cable channel for rural living- and we have it now! I love it. My favorite show thus far is Living The Country Life. If you go to the show's website you can subscribe to a free year of their magazine. Check it out at http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/ .

Another source in the past I have turned to and loved is Mother Earth News. I have ignored the title in favor of the good info the magazine provides. I have picked up issues here and there for the past few years and have never subcribed. Well, I won't be subscribing or picking up any more issues. In the News From Mother Column of the December '08/January '09 issue (Front of the magazine, Pg. 6) the article titled Three Mountains We Must Climb gave me a shock. They support population control and suggest that each adult only be allowed one child. (That would be two per couple- one for the man and one for the woman.) Oh, my goodness! Now if a couple chooses to have 0, 1 or 2 children that is their choice and that's fine as well as the choice to have more. But please don't tell me that the government needs to make that choice for me. I like the freedom the U.S. constitution gives me and I plan to fight tooth and nail to keep it. Mother needs to talk to the people of China- the people not the government- and find out how they like population control laws. I will not be a supporter of this publication until they change their stance on this issue.

Help For Growing Families- Vacations Part 1

Mother Hen over a http://shipfullofpirates.com/ hosts Help For Growing Families on Tuesdays so I've decided to do a Tuesday series on How to Vacation Frugally with a large family. It is very possible to have great vacations with a bigger than average family. It just requires creativity, flexibility and planning. Today we'll tackle part one: Learn to love camping!

Whether you backpack, tent, or RV it, camping is the cheapest form of lodging around. Campgrounds range from back country to primitive to deluxe. You can find campgrounds that are privately run, State run or Federally run. In most states you can camp for free on public lands (no facilities though).

Many campgrounds allow one family (no matter the size) to camp in one site for one charge. Beware of campgrounds that consider a family 2 adults and 2 children- clearly those of us with larger families are not welcome at these places unless we desire to pay extra fees.

The general rule for campgrounds is the higher the overnight fee, the higher the amenities. Personally I don't mind camping with pit toliets and pumping water from a public pump. These types of campgrounds (usually state or national forest service parks) are very cheap.

I have found state parks to be a good bet. They usually offer clean bathrooms, flush toilets and hot showers (though some may charge a small fee for hot water) and playgrounds. They are also usually set on some form of waterfront providing swimming, boating and fishing opportunities.

Be aware that some of the more hoity-toity "resort" campgrounds only allow certain sizes and types of RV's in them. (Super expensive, flashy RVs). Lowly tenters and pop up trailers need not knock on their doors.

My husband and I tented for the first 12 years of our marriage. Only three years ago did we invest in a used pop-up tent trailer. ($2,500) We have really enjoyed not sleeping on the ground and having a dryer place to be in when foul weather hits. It does not have a bathroom but it does have a sink and a small refridge.

One other note: My in-laws belong to a members only camping group- Thousand Trails. These are nice camp grounds with lots of ammenities for adults and children. They even have lots of planned activities in the summer months. I don't know what it costs to buy a membership but my in-laws gave us a Christmas gift several years ago of a lifetime membership. Because of this, we can camp free at any Thousand Trails/Naco campground. You better believe we look for these when we plan our vacations. I think it is the best Christmas gift we ever recieved.

Camping is fun, exciting and an affordable way to take a large family on a vacation.

Today's To-do's

Nope, Taylor doesn't really have anything to do with this post (besides adding a few items to the clutter pool) but the Grandma's get cranky if I don't keep them furnished with pictures.

Dining area/bookcase clutter

From any angle its still clutter!

Today I must:

1. Grocery Shop

2. Bring lunch to injured church family member

3. Bake bread

4. Declutter and clean dining area

This is all on top of the regular daily stuff. Over reaching? Yes, probably but eating is kind of important and I can't stand the clutter that has accumulated. We can not even begin to get to our table. We just replaced our dying tv and since my DH "had" to go bigger we also needed a new stand. So our old tv, the old stand and everything that was on it is shoved into our eating area. Add a plethora of baby items (car seat, diapers, toys etc.) plus an overflowing bookcase and just a couple of days worth of various items (laundry, snow gear, toys) and we have a BIG mess.

Off I go!

Check out what others are tackling today/this week at www.biblicalwomanhood.com

Crushed T12

An update on the missionary that my four year old sweet talked into taking her down the sledding hill. Troy crushed his T12 vertabrae. He is flat on his back right now with 4 to 6 weeks recovery time ahead of him. Currently his best friend is vicodin. I'm going over to help him with lunch today. See what a smile of a cute little girl can do to a grown man. Please keep him in your prayers. He is not used to "resting".