The Homemakers Journal

Wool Felt Watch Band

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:49:00 +0000

Recently, I posted about how to make a beaded watch band. Then today, I came across these instructions on how to make a wool felt watch band by Claire over at the Needle Book. Check them out! Her watch came out adorable.

Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:09:00 +0000

A few days ago, I made macaroni and cheese for dinner. We served it with salad and it made a simple delicious meal. I don't make it very often because it's so full of cheese and cream and butter which makes it fattening but also soooo good! I probably make it a few times a year.

Macaroni and Cheese
1lb elbow macaroni, cooked
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 c shredded muenster cheese
1 c asiago or italian blend cheese
1 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
2 c half and half
2 large eggs, beaten
italian bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Pour cooked macaroni into a large bowl. Add the butter, cheeses, half and half and eggs. Stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour mixture into baking dish and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Then sprinkle bread crumbs on top and put back into the oven to bake for another 15 minutes. Take out and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

For our family (9 people) I triple this recipe and we have it with salad and fruit for dinner and then a few days later we have the rest for lunch. Usually, there is still some left over for my husband to take to work for lunch another day also so it really goes far.

Herbal Shampoo and Beaded Watch Bands

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:24:00 +0000

Hey everyone!

Okay, I have some things to share with you.

This is a picture of me applying that deep-conditioning treatment to my daughters hair. I didn't get to include a picture with that post so I thought I would put it in here.

Secondly, my daughters watch band broke and I was going to throw the watch away (it was an inexpensive little watch from Walmart). But then I decided to make her a new one. Here is how I did it in case you want to do the same.

Beaded Watch Band

First measure the wrist and add two inches.
Cut a piece of elastic jewelry thread according to your measurement.
Tie one end of the elastic to the little bar on the watch face.
Begin to add beads of your choice.
Once the band is as long as your first wrist measurement (without the 2 extra inches) stop adding beads.
Tie the end to the other bar on the watch face.
That's it!

Okay, now for my shampoo recipe.

Nourishing Herbal Shampoo

1 Tbsp. dried Lavender
1 Tbsp. dried Patchouli
4 Tbsp. dried Rosemary
3 pints boiling water
1/2 c. liquid castile soap
vegetable glycerin
1 tsp. irish moss
1 tsp. wheat germ oil
1 tsp powdered kelp
1/2 c. cup aloe vera gel
4 drops ylang ylang essential oil

Place dried herbs in the water and bring to a boil. Stir and remove from heat. Cover and steep for 2 hours. Strain the infusion into a bowl and discard the herbs.

Pour the infusion back into the pot and add the moss and kelp. Bring to a boil, take off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Strain.

Now, add the glycerin, oil, aloe vera gel, and essential oil. Pour into bottles, label with date and store in fridge.

Notes:
When I made this, I forgot to write down how much aloe I added. I'm guessing it was about 1/2 cup but you can play with that amount to get it where you want it.

The wheat germ oil is great if you have dry or brittle hair. If your hair is oily you can leave it out but I think it also makes the shampoo last a little longer.

The herbs I chose are herbs that are good for dry, dark hair. You can do a little research and try different herbs until you get the perfect mixture for your hair.

If you don't have glycerin, kelp or moss feel free to make the shampoo without them. They are in my shampoo because they are great for adding nutrients and moisture to dry hair. They are good for any hair type in my opinion but this shampoo would still be great without them.

This recipe made 60 oz of shampoo.

This shampoo will lather a little but not like the shampoo at the store. That's okay. It cleans your hair just as well without stripping it and add nutrients at the same time.

Have fun!

Answers to Gina and Greenwoodsathome

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:20:00 +0000

Hi! I just stumbled onto your blog a few days ago and I was wondering if you would share how you make your shampoo (and do you make conditioner too?) -Gina

Hi Gina. I'm glad you found the blog! Welcome!

I'll try to do a post with my shampoo recipe in just a couple of days because it will take a while to type the directions and I don't have my book next me right now. I will tell you now that we have coily hair which has a tendency to be very dry. This means that instead of using your typical rinse out conditioner I have found that a deep conditioning treatment before washing and then applying a leave in conditioner after washing is best for our hair.

I make the conditioners that we use and I like to change it up all the time. I don't want our hair to get used to what we're using too much and I like to benefit from many different ingredients without having to put them on our hair all at once. So one week I use one treatment and the next week I use another. Another thing is that we only wash our hair once a week. This is usually recommended for African-American hair types as well as any hair type that is fragile or can be very dry.

As a side note, knowing what type of hair you have is helpful also. I think this site has some helpful info. on hair types. According to this system my hair is 3b/c and one of my daughters is 3b/c, one is 3c, and two are 4a.

For instance, the other night I did my 9 year old daughters hair. She didn't need the deep conditioner this time so I washed her hair with my shampoo and then rinsed her hair with a little apple cider vinegar in a couple of cups of water. Then I applied a mixture of shea butter, aloe vera, and coconut oil. This was great on her hair and left it very soft. After that I twisted her hair. She will wear her hair like this all week. She will rinse her hair whenever it needs it as she takes her baths this week since water is good for hair but we won't actually wash it. Every day I will spritz her hair with a veg. glycerin and water mixture.

I also did my 6 year old daughters hair and she did need the deep conditioning treatment before washing. Basically it's 1 cup of yogurt, 1 Tbsp. honey, 1 Tbsp. wheat germ oil, and 1 Tbsp. olive oil. I apply this to the hair and let it sit for about 15 min. Then proceed like I did with my 9 year old.

So, I'll get my shampoo recipe up for you all soon if you're interested. It takes a little work but it's so worth it. I love this shampoo! I've bought expensive organic natural shampoos and conditioners from many places including Carols Daughter and although I liked some of them, I like mine more! :-)

Greenwoodsathome, yes you can do this! :-) I would suggest Mountain Rose Herbs for buying your ingredients because they sell high quality ingredients for a great price. I should sign up as an affiliate since I recommend them so much! You can also find these ingredients at some health food stores but it will probably cost more.

Always get organic if you can. If you can't, don't worry about it. It will still be better for you than the stuff with all the preservatives at the store.

Blessings!

A Couple Sites to Share

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:11:00 +0000

Hey everyone! I have a couple sites to share with you by friends of mine who also go to my church.

I thought you might want to go check out Michele's new blog! Michele is a sweet friend who loves God and her family. I'm sure you will be encouraged by her blog! :0)

Our friends the Bogdon's run a ministry called Spirit Liberia . You can check out their blog here. They have an awesome ministry in Liberia supporting pastors, building wells, helping the churches there and more. If the Lord so leads you, please consider donating to this work. :-)

That's it for today. Talk to you all soon. :-)

Herbs for Eczema and Answers to Other Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:32:00 +0000

Hi all! I wanted to write a post to answer the comments left on my
Homemade Mixes and Herbal Products post. Sorry this post took so
long. I wanted to put it up days ago!

First of all, I'm thrilled that some of you were inspired or
encouraged to make some herbal/natural products for you and your
family. That is exactly why I blog those sorts of things. I always
worry that it will come off sounding like "look what I
accomplished!" which is not what I want! :-) I just want to get
others excited about doing it too. I know that when I read blogs and hear
what others are doing it makes me excited and motivated.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert by any means. I'm just sharing what I have learned
through doing my own research. I encourage you to do the same before trying any
remedies or products mentioned here. :-)

But anyway, so Elizabeth wanted to know if natural products made in
Oct. would keep until Dec. What I do is refrigerate any products
that contain water. Since my shampoo contains an herbal infusion
(basically, strong tea) I keep all my extra bottles in the fridge
and only store the one we are currently using in the bathroom. I've
never had a problem with them keeping for at least a few months in
the fridge. This is probably because of the essential oils and wheat
germ oil. They help to extend the life of the product. If it's my
butter I know I can count on it lasting for a long time (maybe
several months) because it contains no water but it does contain
wheat germ oil, sodium borate (borax- a pinch), vitamin c and ess.
oils that do help to preserve it.

Some examples of natural preservatives include: ess oils (1/2 - 2%
concentration), GSE (grapefruit seed extract. About 2-5 drops for 4
oz of cream), vit E, wheat germ oil as an anti-oxidant, sodium
borate (borax), and vit. c as an anti-oxidant.

On top of natural preservatives you can keep the more fragile
products (products containing water, for instance) in the fridge.
Keeping your products in the fridge is much easier than it sounds. I
never wanted to do that because I didn't like the idea of putting
cold lotion on but if you bring it into the bathroom with you before
you take your shower, then it's much warmer by the time you are
ready to use it. Plus, you will rub it in your hands a little before
applying it.

Okay, greenwoodsathome also asked about where I get my recipes.
Actually, I just make them up. I've been making products for years
now and I used to sell them. In order to do that, I had to have
original recipes so I played with them a bit. I also studied for
hours and hours ( I still do) about which oils, butters, herbs,
etc... were good for which conditions.

I have a daughter with eczema also. It shows up behind her knees and
inside her elbows. We've been able to control it by giving her flax
oil daily and using comfrey and calendula oil, salve or butter on
her skin.

To make calendula or comfrey oil, simply add about 2 ounces of dry
herb to 8-16 oz of oil (such as sweet almond or olive oil). Make
sure all the herb is covered in the oil and either a) let it sit in
a covered glass jar in a warm spot for a couple of weeks or b) warm
it in a crock pot for a couple of hours. Then, strain out the herbs
with cheesecloth and store in a clean, dry bottle or jar.
You can use the oil directly or make it into a salve or butter.

By the way, calendula oil is AWESOME for bug bites. Whenever we get a bug bite we put it on as soon as possible and we always feel better almost immediately. Usually, by the next day you can't even tell we were bit. I've tried this on ant bites and bites that we get from who knows where (I'm assuming mosquitos or something).

For a good eczema salve try this:
1/2 cup infused comfrey oil
1/4 cup infused lavender oil
1/4 cup infused calendula oil
Primrose oil and vit. E oil (it's hard for me to say how much of
these to use since mine are in capsules. I just poke a hole in them
and use part of the capsule)
1 ounce melted beeswax (you can add more later if the salve isn't
thick enough but this should be good)
2 Tbsp. of ground herbs such as calendula, comfrey or burdock

Melt the beeswax in a double boiler. Then add the oils and herbs.
Pour into clean jars and cool.

Also, I give my daughter nettle tea which contains vitamins, and is anti-inflammatory and
anti-allergenic. This is great for eczema.

I also make an herbal bath by making a strong
infusion of beneficial herbs and pouring this infusion into her bath
water. Let it cool enough for her skin and then let her soak in it.

Hopefully that helps some!

I'll be posting more info. soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:36:00 +0000

Hi! Just a quick note to those who commented on my post on natural products and mixes. I've been super busy but I plan to post some more info. and answer your questions! I'll probably do that Friday or Saturday (hopefully). :-) So stay tuned! I think I'll share a couple recipes with you also. One you can eat and one for eczema plus some more eczema info. since I have a daughter who has that but you can't tell because the herbs and other things have helped her so much! Praise God for that!
Blessings!

A Couple Blessings to Share with You

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:39:00 +0000

Last night my 9 year old and 6 year old daughters were baptized! It was beautiful to watch them give their simple testimonies. They were so nervous and quiet but they professed faith and love for Jesus and that they hated their sin and wanted to follow Him. We are so thankful. Our 5 oldest children have all been baptized by their father. We go to a wonderful church that lets the fathers be the one to actually get in the water and baptize their children. There were other children being baptized also. It is beautiful to see fathers standing there with big smiles or tears of joy in their eyes as they baptize their sons and daughters. Amazing!

Another thing I wanted to share with you is that we had an ultrasound and found out that we are having a boy! This will give us 4 boys and 4 girls. :-) The ultrasound technician wanted to know if we were done now that we were even. I laughed because the idea that we had 8 children just because we were trying for an even number of boys and girls sounded so funny. We had the ultrasound at home and he made a dvd for us to keep. That was fun.

So now we are working on picking out a name. I'm 19 weeks so I'm due the end of Dec. but I can almost guarantee that there will be no baby until sometime in Jan. :-( I'm consistently 2 weeks overdue every time.

Homemade Mixes and Herbal Products

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:57:00 +0000

Have you ever read the Make a Mix cookbook? It's a great cookbook that I've had for years but I haven't used nearly enough. I took it out a couple of weeks ago and started to make some of the mixes and I'm so glad that I did! Last week I made the brownie mix and the taco seasoning mix. The brownie mix has been useful for our church's fellowship meals or when someone is coming over at the last minute.

When you want to use them you simply add your wet ingredients. They are similar to those cake or brownie mixes you find at the store but those are loaded with stuff that isn't good for you and I just don't like the way that they taste. I'm thinking these mixes sound like good things to make before having a baby to make meal prep. easier. We often make an apple muffin mix that saves us tons of time in the morning when we want muffins for breakfast. I'm not sure if I got that mix from the Make a Mix cookbook or not because I've had it written in my notebook for years.

I think you could probably take any recipe and just triple it, premix the dry ingredients beforehand, store it in a zip lock bag with the recipe on the outside of the bag. Choose recipes that don't take a lot of time or have many steps. Simple recipes seem to work best since the idea is to use these when you don't have a lot of time.

This last week I've been replenishing our supply of skin and hair care products. I like to make these myself because it saves a lot of money, is all-natural and organic and I can tailor the herbs and other ing. to suit our needs. I purchase most of my ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs. I've been doing this for several years now and I really enjoy it. It may sound corny but I love knowing that my children are using shampoos and moisturizers that I made for them.

This week I made face and body butters ("butter" is basically a very rich, thick cream- often without water), scar butter, calendula infused sweet almond oil, lavender infused olive oil, comfrey infused sweet almond oil, a milk and herbal bath soak, rosewater, several bottles of nourishing shampoo, jojoba/rose oil, gentle face cleanser, toner, several bottles of body wash, some rich lotion, toothpaste and more.

The infused oils are for making healing salves and butters which I hope to do sometime this week. I used the calendula oil last night on a bug bite and it was feeling better almost immediately and was gone this morning.

Next, I'd like to make some soap and some medicines (elderberry syrup and some herbal tinctures). I want to start the medicines now because they need to soak for 2-6 weeks or more and I want them for the fall/winter time. If I do them this week, they will be ready by the middle or end of September if I let them soak for 6-8 weeks.

Blessings!

Infrequent Blogging and Guilt

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:19:00 +0000

Lately I've been feeling really bad for not blogging more often. :-) The thing is that I'm assuming that most of my readers are also busy mothers so I'm sure that you all understand! Even right now I'm blogging in the midst of my children getting ready for bed and the family we had over for dinner tonight just left.

So when I came across this post over at Julie's blog I knew I had to share it with you. :-) Blogging without Obligation

By the way, this post took me 30 minutes to write because of little people putting stickers on me and asking me questions and the phone rang and then I had to correct the toddler for purposely stepping on his sister's head in order to get up on a chair.

Now, daddy has extended bedtime so that he can color with the children on the floor while the older ones are hanging out in the living room reading books. :-)

'night!

Needed: Activity Bag Ideas :-)

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:20:00 +0000

Hi ladies!
I've been working on making a new schedule for our week days. I was thinking the other day about some things that I used to do with my little ones when all I had was little ones that I don't do anymore with my new littles. For instance, rotating toys out during the week so that they don't get old. Like, Duplos on Monday, wooden blocks on Tuesday, etc... I also used to think up little crafty projects for them to do and they loved it. I really want to get back to this now.

So, I'm going to add all these things into my schedule or else they won't happen. :-)

One thing I'm working on now is a 30-60 minute period for my 6 year old, 4 year old and 2 year old to do some sort of activity together. I'm thinking activity bags might be the way to go here. A different bag for each of the 4 days per week that we do school. I'm thinking crafty things or something like that. So far, I have playdough with tools, and a bag full of color pencils, paper, stickers, etc.... But now I'm stuck.

I'm hoping that some of you all will have an idea for something that:
will keep them busy for 30-60 min.
they will look forward to doing every week
isn't too hard for a 2 (almost 3 ) year old but isn't boring for a 6 year old

Thanks for your help!

2 Blessings!

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:08:00 +0000

Hey y'all! Wow, it's been a long time since I last wrote. I have so much to tell you all but I don't even know where to start.

I guess I'll share 2 blessings with you all.

First of all, I wanted to share with you all that, although my miscarriage was very hard, I came out of it much closer to the Lord. I'm realizing now that this is the reward/blessing of trials. I would never choose to lose a baby (or anyone else for that matter) but I'm so thankful that this trial pulled me even closer to Him. I see Him a little more clearly now. What could be better? He is completely amazing. His beauty is inexhaustible!

Psa 71:19-23 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? (20) You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. (21) You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. (22) I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. (23) My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.

Also, we are expecting again! Actually, I'm about 3 months pregnant! I'll need an ultrasound to confirm dates because we can only base it on the miscarriage. Also, I'm measuring about 16 weeks, which isn't possible. My midwife thinks I'm about 14 weeks along. Just as I was starting to feel better and lose weight I began feeling tired, emotional and sick. :-) So, this has been the main reason for my lack of blogging lately. I've only recently stopped feeling sick (yay!) and now I'm waiting for a little energy to return.

We listened to the baby's little heart beat on Wednesday. It was such a blessing!

Anyway, I hope to get back to blogging again. I do miss it. I wanted to tell you all more but it will have to wait for another time.

God bless!

Getting Back to "Normal"

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:51:00 +0000

Ack! I never got around to putting up pictures of the things I have sewn. Sorry about that. It's easier to edit pictures on my desktop but easier to write blog posts on my laptop. I'll get around to it soon. :-)

I am much better and still so surprised that you sweet people are still writing me to check on me. You all are something else!

I've been exercising like a crazy woman over here. I figure now is a good time to get back into shape. If the Lord chooses to give us another I'd like to be physically stronger to make the pregnancy and delivery easier. I'd pretty much kept about 5 lbs on for every baby. Multiply that times 7 babies. Ouch.

I've lost almost 10 lbs so far. Basically, I'm keeping it simple. I haven't tried any special diets or anything. I've just started to make sure that I'm creating a calorie "deficit" by watching how many calories I consume and exercising to burn more. It's amazing how quickly you can see results. I'm already stronger and I have better endurance and it's been less than a month.

Well dinner is ready so I better get going. We are having fish over brown rice and spinach. Blessings to all of you!

I'm Still Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:33:00 +0000

Ladies, you all are amazing. Seriously, I have been so blessed by all of your comments and prayers. I've received private emails also from ladies I don't know to ladies in my church and I love you all! Thank you so much.

I went to a ladies meeting tonight. That was nice. We are meeting every two weeks to discuss Managers of Their Homes. Excellent book! It was nice to hear from the other women about how they have been working at doing a good job managing their homes. Some have already started using the scheduling process from that book and others are just beginning. We met at Wildflower Bread Company and we will be having the meetings regularly until we get through the book.

It's late now and we just got home so I guess I better get to bed. I just wanted to let you all know that I was still here! :-) I've been doing a little sewing and so I'm hoping to take some pictures tomorrow and show them to you. I'd like to get back to blogging regularly now. The break was needed but God has really blessed me and I feel so much better. As much as I'd love to be still expecting that little one, I'm happy that my baby is in the best place of all.

Blessings!

He is Good

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:59:00 +0000

I wish I was writing to tell you all that everything is fine but I did have a miscarriage. I really appreciate all of your prayers for me and this little baby. I so wanted to see and to hold this little one. I'm quite disappointed but I am trying to accept what has happened and trust in Him. It's strange to be pregnant one day and not the next but have no baby to show for it. It's a terrible feeling. Writing about it brings tears to my eyes again. I've been crying so easily the past few days that I can't even return phone calls because the tears come too quickly and leave me unable to talk.

Still, He is good and I am hoping that He will bless us again with another child soon.

My husband was able to stay home with me this week so that was nice and such a blessing. Just having him here made me feel better. Whenever I have a baby or am otherwise unable to do my normal chores, I am so thankful that his mom taught him to cook! We have not starved during this time. :-) He doesn't usually consult a recipe either. He just goes in the kitchen and throws this and that together and comes out with something good. Unfortunately, I haven't had much of an appetite though.

The other night I went into the craft room because the cramps were making it impossible to sleep. I decided to make a little quilt in memory of the two babies that we have lost through miscarriage. It's a small quilt measuring only 20"x 20". I finished cutting, piecing, sewing, quilting and binding it that night which surprised me. I guess I was focused because it felt so important to me. I slept with it that night too. :-) Today, I am finishing the embroidery. I stitched both babies names with their meanings and the year the miscarriage occurred on two of the squares. When it's finished I'll show it to you.

This baby's name is Elkanah which means God-created and God-bought. We are so thankful for this child and his/her life (no matter how short) and we are looking forward to being reunited in heaven with the two children that we had for such a brief period. I am praising God for that today.

Keep Praying!

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:42:00 +0000

Ladies, thanks so much for your sweet comments and for praying. Today things are pretty much the same. I'm going to continue to just rest today and tomorrow as much as possible. God is fully in control and I'm grateful for that. I've had a miscarriage once before. They are hard and painful (emotionally and physically) for sure but even then, God was with me and blessed me. He is good.

Prayer Request

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:25:00 +0000

I have a prayer request for you sisters. I am having some signs of a miscarriage. I would appreciate it if you all would pray for this baby. Thank you!

Right now, I'm supposed to be completely resting so that is what I am doing. I'm lying on the couch as some of the children do their school work. The younger ones are playing church. Jeremiah is the pastor. :-) Have you ever seen a 2 year old try to be a pastor? It's pretty cute. My living room furniture has been rearranged and they're singing songs right now. I can't wait to hear the sermon!

17 Great Years

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:08:00 +0000

Yesterday was my oldest sons birthday! He is 17! I can't believe it. He'll be 17 years older than his youngest sibling. :-)

His birthday started out as a normal day with chores and school and the other basics. When dad got home we took him to a local western wear store and bought him the cowboy hat he has wanted for so long. He was surprised and happy about that!

Then, on our way home we stopped for gas and there was a man outside asking people for money. Both boys stopped with their dad to share the gospel with this man and to give him the book of John, a tract and a little money. Turns out he was a Christian man with many regrets. He had gotten involved with drugs and other destructive habits and said that he had made many terrible mistakes and now he was suffering the consequences. He also asked my husband and sons to pray for him. They knelt down right there beside the store and prayed. The man was crying and people were walking by just staring but at the same time, they were being respectful which was a blessing.

The girls and I were in the van praying and watching. Honestly, I couldn't think of a better way for my son to spend his birthday. He was hearing the sad regrets of an old man (which should serve as a warning for our sons) as well as praying for him and helping him. Praise God!

When we got home, we had a special dinner and dessert and prayed for over our son. We also prayed for the man (Jack) that we met that day.

I remember when I gave birth to him, I was so surprised that I could instantly feel that protective of someone and love them so much. I was overwhelmed by new emotions and I just wanted to hold him all of the time.

He has been a sweet blessing in our lives and it's been a joy to see how God is using him and conforming him to His image. He is truly caring and is becoming a fine young man with a heart for those in need of salvation and help. I love that he enjoys sharing Christ with others! I praise God (and Him alone) for that! I know that my children are following in my husband's footsteps with their love for evangelism! He has a heart for hospitality also and loves to have others over. I can't wait to see how God continues to use these gifts in his life.

The night before his birthday he said that he regretted not having read his Bible completely through before his 17th birthday. He has started the read-the-Bible-in-a-year programs before but hasn't finished them. This Jan. he started another one and has been very diligent to keep up with it. I think this will be the year he reads his Bible cover to cover! :-)

I want what I say next to be an encouragement to others, I don't mean it as a judgment or boasting. He and his younger brother have been proof that you can raise "teenagers" that are kind and humble as opposed to haughty and rude. If you are raising children and have yet to reach this stage, be encouraged! It can be a wonderful time! If you have teenagers that do have haughty spirits and you don't have their hearts I want to encourage you that it isn't too late! God can turn them around too! I recommend that you read Keeping Our Children's Hearts.

Son, we love you! Happy Birthday!

Keeping Boys Busy Contest Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:47:00 +0000

Hey! Well, I randomly chose a winner for the Keeping Boys Busy Contest and its keke_d_83@hotmail.com (sorry, I don't have a name for you!). I'll email you to get your info. though. It will be coming from lovingmotherhood (at) gmail (dot) com so be aware of that before you send your address. :-)

Thanks all of you for sending in your suggestions! I'll print them out and give them to my friend and I'm sure that they will be a blessing to her.

What a Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:38:00 +0000

My husband took my oldest son in to get his drivers permit today and was told that he didn't have enough forms of id to get one. Apparently, since 9/11, having your child's birth certificate and social security card as well as your drivers license, ss card, and car insurance info. is not enough. He also needed one other form such as a school id card! He's home-schooled so we are going to order one from here and hope that it is good enough. He was quite disappointed since he can't go back until we get this figured out.

Well the day got better after that. One of my friends from church came over today and we spent 6 hours getting my craft room organized! Actually, her whole family came and stayed for 9 hours total. The dads and the children stayed busy working with leather and playing so that we could work on the room and we shared two meals together.

I hadn't even attempted to organize that room since we moved in because, although I can keep a room clean, I'm not very good at organizing it when there are many things that need to fit into one space. However, my friend Vicki is so she came to my rescue today.

It looks so nice in there. I can find everything! Yay! Now I want to get busy finishing up some more diapers for my toddler and maybe start making some in a smaller size for the next baby.

I decided that, for this round of meals for my friend who is on bedrest, that I would make lasagna, tacos, pancakes, sloppy joes, tuna casserole and some sandwiches. I've purchased all of the ingredients and I plan on beginning to prepare them tomorrow. Hopefully they will be ready to deliver to her by Thursday.

Now, I'm off to get some rest!

A Happy Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:17:00 +0000

Well, it looks like we are expecting a baby! I'm pretty excited since it's been 2 1/2 years since my last little one was born. I always hesitate to announce these things because deep down inside, I don't trust those pregnancy tests. I'm always worried that it could have been wrong, especially if the line was light.

But barring any test recalls or other crazy mishaps, it looks like we should have a little one due in November! Yay! :-)

I'm not feeling sick yet (just tired). So, I'm working to get some things done around here that may make life a little easier, if/when I do feel miserable.

First of all, if any of you have any ideas for relieving restless legs I would LOVE to hear them. I'm also hoping to lessen the "morning" sickness as much as possible.

One thing, I'd like to do, is to make some meals ahead of time and get them in the freezer. I have friend who is also pregnant and is on complete bedrest with 3 little ones and I'm planning on taking some meals to her too. Again, if you have any great recipes that can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer, let me know.

I'm also working on our schedule, our school plans and our chore system. I need to organize it all better so that everything can carry on even if I'm on the couch being pitiful.

I tried making a new dessert tonight that I was really looking forward to and, in my opinion, it was a complete failure! Everyone, else liked it but I couldn't even eat it! I was so disappointed.

Well, I'm off to bed. We have an early appt. tomorrow.

Keeping Boys Busy Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:47:00 +0000

A friend of mine recently asked me a question and, like any good blogger/writer, I'm going to turn it into a blog post. :-) I would LOVE to get your advice and suggestions on this one and be able to pass them along to her. So please help! ;-)

We moved out onto a little land about 5 months ago and what we have found is that there is no shortage of work here for any of us, especially our sons. Our main problem now seems to be managing our time so that we can fit it all in!

However, before living here, we lived in a normal suburban neighborhood about 15 minutes away. Our main challenge there was to come up with enough projects and outside work for our sons so that they weren't bored. They loved to work outside but sometimes we would just run out of work.

My friend is struggling with that same issue. What kinds of projects can she give her sons so that they have meaningful work to keep them busy and aren't inside all day. It's really one of the reasons that we moved here.

Anyway, I told her that some of the things that we had our sons do were yard work, repairs around the house, wood-working, taking care of animals and other basic chores. We built a pond once and that was a lot of fun. It required lots of research as to the best kinds of fish and turtles for the pond and how to care for the pond. They had lots of fun building it with their dad too. They also had a little garden for a while.

Other ideas would be to raise animals, breed them and sell them as a business. One family we know makes a nice side income selling birds. It requires lots of time checking on the birds, cleaning the aviary and cages, feeding baby birds, etc... You could do the same with dogs (like we have done) or other pets.

So, do you all have any ideas for how to keep boys busy in a normal neighborhood with an average sized yard? If so, please leave them in the comments section! Thanks.

I'm planning on purchasing Measure Twice, Cut Once from Franklin Family Springs. I'll order another one and choose a winner from the comments section to send it to!

California Homeschooling Case

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 07:17:00 +0000

I want to encourage you all to fill out the petition which is on the front page of HSLDA right now. It's a petition to request depublishing of the recent California Court Case that effectively outlaws homeschooling in CA. Depublishing would be one way to neutralize that court opinion for other CA homeschoolers.

Stand with those homeschoolers in CA by praying for them and signing this petition if you feel that it's the right thing to do.

New Winner for 100th Post Give-Away

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 07:25:00 +0000

Unfortunately, I was unable to get a hold of the original winner to our first big give-away. Thankfully, I saved all the slips with everyone's names on them so I chose a new winner. Our new winner is Dawn! Thanks for participating Dawn and congratulations! :-)

The Big Party

noreply@blogger.com (Tanisha) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 10:05:00 +0000

If you pay attention to the Twitter updates to the left, you know that we had a big party for my son's 15th birthday on Saturday. It went great and I know that he was very blessed by all of those who came.

Many of the men wrote a message or advice for him to read later. They also prayed for him which was beautiful. We had a fire and music since many of the children in our church (mine included) play an instrument.

One of the sweet ladies in our church made him this amazing cake-

It's times like this that I am so thankful for our church family- our covenant community. My mother and grandmother were also there. My grandmother wrote a sweet note about him being a fine young man and wishing that his great-grandfather (my dear grandpa) was still alive to see him. That brought tears to my eyes but I know we will see him again.

Some of the men getting ready to pray for him.

When did he get so much taller than me?! That's my grandmother with us.