I got up feeling better than yesterday. We watched our church service streaming online, (which was so nice.)

Now, I’m back to running a temp now and coughing quite a bit, again.

I think I have tracked how I was exposed to this virus.

I have 5 other family members now showing signs.

Today, I started a few load of laundry. I cleaned off my dresser. I filled out our census paperwork. I’ve not felt like doing much beyond those things.

My symptoms started with a headache that lasted almost a week. Next came coughing and a massive amount of head congestion. Fever was next. I actually woke up with my temp having gone back down, but it’s up again tonight.

My throat is so sore. My lymph nodes are swollen. They are making my ears hurt. (Fisherman’s Friend cough drops have been so nice to have. This is the first time I have ever used them. I can’t imagine not having them in the house now.)

I am praying this will move on through my family.

I’ve been looking at the amount of food local stores will allow you to purchase. I have absolutely no idea how I will feed my crew with that size purchase, but for now, we are good. I am trusting the Lord will provide for us when the need arises! <3

Today’s meals:

B- Cereal (We will need milk before we have cereal again. We will most likely plan for some other meal since I don’t want to take the chance of exposing someone to this bug.)

L- Chicken sandwiches (Buns from our last grocery visit, and chicken from the freezer.)

D- King’s Ranch Chicken from the freezer with salsa and chips from our pantry

The post Corona Virus- Quarantine, Day 8 appeared first on Lines From The Vine.

By this point, I had purchased our groceries and was buckling my seat for what I thought the week might bring.

I can’t believe it has been a week.

We’ve taken classes, played games, and eaten almost every meal together around our table.

My younger children have suntans from the time we have spent in the sun.

It’s actually been a good week and I have loved the time with all of them.

I know the situation isn’t ideal, but that is a positive.

Today, awoke for the day not feeling well. By 9am, I was running a low-grade temp. At this moment, there is some coughing, and a headache. I’ve slept for most of the day. I don’t have anything horrible going on, it’s more uncomfortable.

I’m hearing Paul coughing off and on. I’m also hearing 3 of the children who sound congested. I guess we will see where this week leads.

I love my family. They are all such a precious blessing.

Our meals today-

B- Poptarts! (I never give my children poptarts for breakfast, but we had these and honestly, they were delicious!)
L- P, B &J (I had a cup of chicken broth.)
D- Baked Ziti from the freezer, salad and garlic bread (still trying to use that salad, bread from the freezer)

Tomorrow, I need to go through the freezer and make a plan for next week.

The post Corona Virus- Quarantine, Day 7 appeared first on Lines From The Vine.

We’ve spent much of our day cleaning in the yard again.
We have pressure washed a good bit of the house. We are working to clear trees that have fallen following a season of lots of rain and storms.

We planted an entire bed of zinnias and sunflowers. (I’m super-excited about these!)

I took photos of the little flower blooms in our yard. Hopefully, this means they will begin producing this year. That would be a sweet blessing.

I was also able to video chat with one of the little ones from my SS class. We read two books. It was nice to see her sweet little face.

We have also arranged to purchase bees this week. They will be a huge blessing to our home. I’m really thankful Courtney and Daniel told us about this man who was looking to downsize his colonies!

This morning, we heard from Paul’s company. Since they had cleared his schedule through the end of April, we’ve been expecting a lay-off or pay-cut. It looks like we will find out for sure on Monday.

This would be an easy place for fear to take hold and grip me. We have been through so much as a family, over the last few years. I have experienced pain in a way I didn’t know was possible. This could be big, I know, but God is faithful in all things. I actually have a lot of peace about this one. I know he will take care of us.

Meals today- (This is the first time this week that we have eaten from food purchased during our most recent grocery trip.

B- Biscuits and Sausage
L- Macaroni and Cheese fresh strawberries (YUM!– Courtney and Ollie web chatted with us over lunch with us. It was nice to see their faces. I would like to do this with some of my other grown children. I miss all of them very much.)
D- Pizza Night!

I’m starting a sourdough starter today. From what I’m hearing, yeast is pretty scarce. This will give us a “back-up” plan for breads, but it is also so much better for you!

The recipe I’m using is 1/4c flour and 1/4c water. Every 12 hours, you remove 1/4c of the mixture and replace it 2T water and 2T flour.
You have to leave them loosely covered. I’ve learned the hard way over the years that plastic wrap is a bad idea. It’s much better to screw a washcloth, or some type of thin fabric over the lid. That allows it to breathe, but keeps out fruit flies.

I am not feeling well tonight. I have kept a headache on and off over the last week, and I feel like I’m running a temp, though the thermometer is saying my temp is normal.

The post Corona Virus- Quarantine, Day 6 appeared first on Lines From The Vine.

Breakfast- Grits and a mandarin orange (thankful for fresh fruit in the house!)
Lunch- Leftover fajitas (These turned out pretty great! I wasn’t sure since they already had sour cream on them.)
Dinner– Taco Salad (I’m trying to use up the salad greens we have in the fridge. This was a pretty great way to make good use of some perishable foods we’ve had sitting around.)

The world has changed and yet, nothing is a surprise to God.

Paul and I are considering what actions we need to take to get our yard working for us again. Goats? More chickens? Definitely, a garden.

I’m also needing to replace the rocker on my canner. I have no idea why my little boys LOVE playing with the weights and rocker. I hope I can find a replacement. Of course, then there is a matter of what I would can in the short term. We can’t seem to find bulk bags of beans anywhere. That is what I’m normally canning during this time of year. I could still can the broth I have been making. We’ve been storing it in the freezer.

I was able to give my teen boys a haircut today. I’ve been doing this for many years, and there is probably no telling how much money it has saved our family.

This morning, one of the boys told me thank you for always cutting his hair. He said he knows he has probably always taken it for granted, but he’s sure glad to have it done. <3

He has a sweet, sweet heart.

The post Corona Virus- Quarantine, Day 5 appeared first on Lines From The Vine.

That is a good motto for what we are doing in our home, too.

Today’s meals:

Breakfast- Bran Muffins from the freezer with Little Smokies we found from Christmas, (also in the freezer)
Lunch- Chili Mac and saltines (the chili I made yesterday cooked with elbow macaroni from the pantry)
Dinner- Fajitas (This was fun! I realized I had some peppers going bad. We still had some tortillas and onions from the first of the month grocery trip, and 2 packets of fajita seasoning that has been in the pantry for too long!)

Tonight, when the house had been straightened, we played flashlight tag through the house. We issued everyone flashlights and turned off the lights in the entire house. It’s a big game of hide and seek- and SO MUCH FUN!

All is well, though I wish I knew why I am suddenly having pretty bad headaches. We are also still waiting to hear about Paul’s job.

God is faithful!

The post Corona Virus- Quarantine, Day 4 appeared first on Lines From The Vine.

Day 3- No symptoms.

We are still hearing stories.

We haven’t had to go to the store. I see some folks finding what they need at local stores, and some are leaving empty-handed.

Our meals today have been good. I think we are enjoying family time around our table together.

I made broth from my last rotisserie chicken. The chicken is divided and in the freezer for 2 more meals. The jars of broth are in the freezer. Having fed so many people on a limited budget for many years, I can say, these chickens are one of the best buys in a grocery store- especially if you find the ones that have been marked down! That meat can really stretch when you need it to, and the broth is easy and flavorful.

B- Pancakes

L- Leftover Asian Chicken and Rice

D- Chili and Cornbread (My mama’s recipe- chili- a little hamburger, tomatoes, dried beans, and spices from the pantry. The cornbread was made with cornmeal, eggs, and sour cream that was going to go bad. I’m trying to use every single thing we have in our fridge. The goal is NO WASTE! Sour cream is SO good baked into cornbread, or cakes. I use it interchangeably with liquids I would normally add to a recipe.)

Today, we worked on our school assignments out in the yard and then started pressure washing the house. I believe the children ended up with more water than the house.   I’m thankful for their laughter in the house and in the yard. It makes for a happy heart.

Paul continued work on our new room. Tonight we have the two moving lights installed and working. Tomorrow, the other 5 will come to life. I’m so happy with how this room is coming along. In spite of other things being placed on hold, this room makes progress. It’s fun to watch.

This morning, I woke up with this hymn on my heart:

Praise God! He is faithful!!

The post Corona Virus- Quarantine, Day 3 appeared first on Lines From The Vine.

The world seems to be on edge. The news is full of heart-breaking stories, BUT GOD.

“Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 42:11

Today, we started trying to create some type of family plan.  It’s a challenge to fill everyone’s day so we don’t just sit idle waiting on the next news story.

The big boys cleared a hardwood tree that had fallen in the yard a couple of years ago. We cleaned some areas of our basement. We straightened the house. We worked through some school assignments. The children found a craw-dad (which was fascinating to them after just finished a science unit on Arthropods.) We started the first chapter of Peter Pan. The younger children played in the yard.

It was a pretty great day. I am reminded of my many blessings. I love watching my children play and explore.

No one is showing symptoms of the virus, though people here are still sniffling. Paul and I are beginning to wonder what his job situation will be like after all of this- right now, there are still upcoming dates on the calendar. We will see.

In all things, we can rest. God is faithful.

Day 2 menu-

B- Oatmeal (Purchased Friday)

L- Peanut Butter and Jelly  (Bread and peanut butter purchased Friday, Jelly purchased during the 1st pay period of the month)

D- Stir-fry Chicken and Rice (I made 2 extra pans of chicken and rice on Sunday and we had some leftover from yesterday. I added spices from the pantry and teriyaki sauce for this meal. It was good!)  We also each had a square of chocolate from 4 large chocolate bars I purchased when I realized we might be stuck at home.

The post Corona Virus- Quarantine, Day 2 appeared first on Lines From The Vine.

Paul was in Minneapolis when we started seeing this virus taking its grip on our country.

As a result of sporting events across the nation being cancelled, his company’s entire fleet of trucks was re-called to the home office, except for his. His re-call came a day later, and he was on a plane toward home on Saturday.

Friday was our normal grocery day. I hadn’t yet made a menu for the coming weeks, but knowing lots of folks were heading toward grocery stores, I decided this grocery trip probably needed to be full of staple items for our pantry and freezer.

I’m so glad I went! By Sunday, stores here were pretty empty. It’s odd, and really unsettling, to see store shelves bare.

I picked Paul up from the airport on Saturday. We stopped for lunch, and to return some building supplies, on the way home.

Everyone was out just doing their normal things- it was strange to see, especially since I kept reading all these stories about corona virus spreading through the US.

As it happens, our family has had a head cold that seems to want to linger. We decided to stay home from church on Sunday. That was quarantine day 1, for us.

We rested.

It’s exactly what we needed as a family.

Paul and I quietly discussed what the coming days might need to look like for our family- more and more states were advising that residents stay in small groups, and out of public places. We played Charades and Monopoly with our children tonight. That was a lot of fun! Paul spoke with his brother on the phone. All is well.

We decided at that point to start our 2-3 week quarantine, (hopefully, this will have calmed some by then.)

We normally do buy groceries for 2 weeks at a time, so I believe we should have what we need to not have to leave our house for the weeks ahead.

On this day, I’m thankful my husband is home. I’m thankful I was able to buy groceries before all of this began. I‘m thankful none of my family is showing signs of illness.  I do miss my church family.

Day 1 Menu-

(I’m hoping this might be inspiring to someone trying to come up with ideas for eating with limited options.)

B-Cereal (I had a pile of cereal stocked I found at Dollar Tree)

L-Hamburgers with a bag of chips and a dill pickle (I had hamburger patties in my freezer, pickles from the 1st grocery trip this month, and chips we were saving for a zoo trip, but it doesn’t look like that is happening any time, soon.)

D-Chicken and Brown Rice with Dill Carrots and bread (These were the last 4 hamburger buns we had from a pack I sliced and buttered.)

(This week, we ate off of a turkey I had purchased on sale after Christmas. We smoked it and today, I started turkey broth in the roaster.)

The post Corona Virus- Quarantine, Day 1 appeared first on Lines From The Vine.

We have made slow progress over the nine years we have lived here, but knew we wouldn’t make serious progress until it was paid off. What a blessing it was to write that last check early this last fall. Now, it’s time to make some things happen.

As part of my 2020 purposes, and in working the three month master plan, we’ve decided on 5 projects to tackle this year.

The first will be to refinish the front bedroom. It will be my sewing room/guest room. We’re adding windows, shelves, new doors, and new paint….a team of contractors are supposed to show up in the morning (YIKES!), to begin. We are being told, they will be completely done with this room in 3-4 days. That just seems crazy to me.

I’m excited and scared to death, but it’s time. It’s time to start turning this into the home, I believe the Lord intended it to be when we moved here. We have bathed this house and our plans in prayer. I can’t wait to see it begin coming together.

May the Lord bless this work and be pleased as we begin to work through our plans!

This is the first of 5 projects we intend to finish (the Lord willing!) this year.

The house will look so different by the end of the year, and then what?!  I giggle at the thought of laying out 5 more projects! Maybe the main hall and bathroom, the kitchen, living room and family room? A poured driveway would be nice…I guess we will see!

I keep telling Paul I also want a curly slide through the house for our grand-littles! I think he believes I’m joking.

The post Something Really Big is Happening! appeared first on Lines From The Vine.

Time has a way of doing that, I think.  The older I grow, the faster time passes.

I was strongly encouraged by a friend, at the end of last year, to begin this year with a month of prayer, and that is exactly what I have done.

I do pray, but I’ve never had such a direct, intentional time of extended prayer time- I’ve seen amazing answers to prayer this month. I’ve enjoyed time of private worship. I’ve poured my heart out…crying out to the Lord, at times and it has been an amazing January.

The following are some things we have seen happening…

We’ve bought a new (to us!) van. We are days away from a construction crew coming to begin a new project in our home (I’ll post more on this later!),  we’ve paid off several smaller bills we had, purchased a new chest freezer and filled it up with turkey, pork roasts, and ham that were on after Christmas sales, we have had time to create extra casseroles for the freezer, we are almost finished re-finishing the hardwoods in some of our rooms, we’ve gotten a good chunk of Christmas purchased for next year, and we’ve had a wonderful month of homeschooling.  We have even had our first dinner guest for the year, (who happened to be one of my grown children- that made this mama’s heart so happy to see his face walk through my door.)

Of course, the biggest blessings are those that remain unseen. Places where the Lord is working to heal my heart and make me stronger. Places where He’s been dusting me off and setting me back upright after a season of what has felt at times, like unbearable grief.

These verses have been on my heart so much recently:

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

*Oh, how my heart loves to hold on to fear.* What if this doesn’t work the way I so desperately want it to? 

It has been a season of trusting in His will.

Psalm 139:2  “You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.”

Psalm 139:23-24  ”Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

*A good reminder* that the Lord KNOWS our thoughts. Our words may fool others, but the Lord knows our intentions. He knows our thoughts. He knows our thoughts. I pray the Lord would search my heart and find it pleasing to Him.

Proverbs 28:9 “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”  

1 Peter 3:12  “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Isaiah 59:2  “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”

*Only a few* of the many places where the Bible speaks of those who don’t keep their heart in the right place. You can’t fool God.

Matthew 12:34  “How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Please let those be only good things and keep my feet and thoughts from wandering, Lord.

I’m writing about this month, mostly for myself. I don’t want to ever forget. I have saturated every area of my life and family in prayer. I have soaked in the Word.

I have cried through morning devotions and I have had an amazing personal worship time this month.

Thank you, Jesus, for January, this very first month of the year.

Please make my heart a reflection of You.

The post Staring Straight at the End of January… appeared first on Lines From The Vine.