Think Pink

Could it be? 2 pink lines...okay, a blue + sign will do! Yes, I am 5 weeks pregnant today, woot!!! Now I know it's early, but I am just praying that at the end of this I will have another sweet baby to hold in my arms. (As my youngest tries to steal the mouse again!) We are really hoping for a girl this time, but a boy would fit in great, too! Dan says he wants a boy. This is not up to me, thank the Lord. That's God and Stu's department. Anyway, if you think about praying then please do. I am a little nervous. I have been tired and a little quesy at times among a few other things...this is good. I will go see my midwife, Jane, at around 8 weeks. Pray for God's provision to cover all of the expenses.

Read Psalm 127

Not the best blogger...

Okay, I haven't posted in almost a week. You might be starting to consider that I am not the best blogger. All of my responsibilites at home keep me from doing it. That is a good reason, I believe. Home schooling 4 children, chasing a 17 month old (today!), preparing snacks and meals, errand running, taking kids to their activities, cleaning, and church events tend to take up most of my time! In the meantime I manage to try to squeeze in some reading. I haven't scrapbooked in forever AND I have lots more pics since I got that new digital for Christmas. I better get busy with it--or jiggy with it. Life is full and this is a good thing!

"Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table." Psalm 128:3

I read this yesterday and was thinking on how I can be a more fruitful vine within my household. Think on these things and how you can honor God on a daily basis in your home. I think we're going to do some more bible reading together. Also, I am still working on a little thing called gentleness....

Much to do!

Max jumps up in the air!



Chris Tuttle with her new baby, Kole Freedom
who was born at home on January 5th.



Celeste gets ready to paintball.



Dan just LOVED swinging on this tree swing!



Jamie decked out to play paintball.


We have been very busy, of course! Jamie just got back from a 3 day scouting trip to the Okeefenokee Swamp in GA. He canoed 15 miles on Sunday!!! Here are some pictures I have been meaning to get up on my blog, too. Please pray for our friend, Susan Wright. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last week and is having surgery today. We are praying for her complete healing. Also, the Welch's daughter, Valerie Grace, will be undergoing shunt surgery this week related to her brain tumor. She is just a wee one not too much older than Tommy, so keep her in your prayers. "...and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5 Let us feel that today in ALL of our being. He has saved us from our sins and can heal us mind, body, and soul. But only if we let Him do this. We need to give our lives over to Jesus. In our weakness, He makes us strong. I, for one, don't want to be strong in a worldly sense, but strong in Christ. May Your Holy Spirit, Lord, give me the power to glorify You on this pale blue dot we call earth. The heavens call out your glory, Lord! Check out Louie Giglio and his presentation on Significant Insignificance. You can find the dvd here: http://www.268store.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.100.exe/scstore/p-2530DVD.html?E+scstore. Blessings!

In a cbyer "fix"

Okay, remember that funk I was talking about a couple days ago? My daughter was on IM on our home computer and clicked on something. Now it has a virus and we may have lost everything. Hubby is going to take it in to see if anything can be done. Meanwhile I'm limited to using his laptop when he's home. I'm trying not to freak out about it....all of my pictures were on that computer!

I took dinner to my friend, Chris, who just had her 6th baby last night. He's so cute and has so much hair! I'll post pics when I can! Also, on Tuesday we had a bunch of the youth over to hang out. That was fun. I drove them home and had 11 people in my 8 passenger suburban...that was fun, too! Gotta love that vehicle! Hope your Thursday is wonderful!

Go-carts, paintball, & migraines

It's been a fun-filled weekend with the kids. We stopped by my brother's house and the kids drove thier new go-cart! They had a Blast! hehehe i love you mom! (That was Celeste butting in on my blogging.) On Sunday the older kids got together at the church property for a paintball party. It's fun to watch. I think the chocolate cake I had may have contributed to the migraine I had this morning. I'm hoping it's a signal of the return of fertility here. I hadn't had one for 4 months until a couple weeks ago. We have had a good Monday despite my rocky start. Thank the Lord for that!

A cheerful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 22:17

Kind of in a funk

I guess I've been in a funk and just not admitted it. I don't have anything to look forward to in my immediate future. I am just feeling like one day runs into the next. Also, I haven't been organized enough when it comes to feeding my family. I need to lose weight, too, but am not motivated...food is comfort, kwim? What else is there if there isn't food...or chocolate...ha ha! I know God knows our cares. I know He has a future and a hope for me. I just wish I could see it so that my hope would be a little greater. I suppose all this melancholy is due to looking over my past year. It wasn't the best one I can think of. It was down right challenging. Things can change so slowly. I'm just lonely lately... Sorry for the complaining. I just needed to get it out. I would love to write something earth-moving or brilliant. Hasn't happened anytime recently. Lord, I pray that your wisdom would enlighten my heart. I pray for your joy to cheer my soul. Amen!

FINALLY!

Here is a picture of the sign! Stu's neighborhood is finally up for sale, yea! He's co-owner in Azariah Development and they are developing this property. Please pray for good sales in a timely fashion as this project has been over TWO years in the making!

Back to school

Here we are...back to school. We started again yesterday. I think the kids are getting a slow start. Their brains are warming up very slowly. We're in high gear for the rest of the year now. Celeste, since she is in high school, has been diligently working. Dan is having a hard time b/c he wants to play. I know how he feels...
Stu is working hard, too! The past 2 days he's had 12 hour work days. He hasn't eaten dinner with us either. I don't like that! I am praying for a very productive year for him in business. I am so thankful for all of his hard work. What a burden to care for all of us...myself and the 5 children. It is amazing what he does! I am thankful that God gave men the job to provide and women the arena of caring for the home. I am reading a great book called So Much More. I got it from Vision Forum. Celeste will be reading it, too. It's about women and their biblical calling as wives, mothers, sisters.
Well, time to go supervise everything here and think about lunch!

They're Baack!

Well, I am so happy to announce that Celeste and Jamie are back! See airport pictures. We arrived home a little after 1 AM. It was a pretty uneventful trip. We got a little lost when we went to park at the Orlando Int'l Airport--that place is huge. I'm sure we'll spend today visiting friends. Stu and I plus the littles went to see our good friends Val and Heath. Val is pregnant, newly anyway. It was so nice to see them! Gotta go make breakfast for the masses!

This is the day the Lord has made!

Stuff of the Day

Okay, good news: my best friend, Valerie, is pregnant!! I am so excited for her! She had a burst ectopic and almost died last year, so this is such a blessing. I am praying for her health and that of the baby's. Bummer news: I am not pregnant this month. I know God's timing is perfect, so we are just waiting for that.

In other news, I picked out a new digital camera...finally!!! It is a Nikon Coolpix S1 and you can look at it here: http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25529. I am posting a couple of pics I have taken with it. I love that it is quite compact and I can slip it into my pocket and run off to take pictures of the children. It's an amazing camera and can do things I'll probably never do with it, lol! I hope I like it. A few weeks of use and we'll be able to tell. It has a HUGE screen on the back, too.

If I don't get to post until the new year...have a happy one! Our verse for the day was: "A cheerful heart is good medicine." Proverbs 17:22 I am working on getting the littles more into learning the bible. Proverbs is always a good start!

The best Christmas gifts

Sorry I haven't posted. I've been very busy and out of town! What an interesting Christmas this year. I received 2 digital cameras! I am an avid scrapbooker and my 35mm broke a couple of years ago. I have been using those throw aways and couldn't decide what to get to replace them with. My hubby and my dad bought me a digital. We are taking both back and I will pick one out. Making decisions like that never comes easy for me. I'm a details person which can be a drawback. Also, in other news, I got to spend Christmas with my younger brother, Jamie, this year. A rarity for sure. I only saw him one other time this year and that was in July. Enclosed is a picture of us. I believe he's the one on the right. My older brother, Ed, is on the left. I feel blessed!

Busy little hands

As I type this post, my 16 month old son, Tommy, is swinging his arms back and forth and clasping his hands while he stands in front of our recently decorated Christmas tree. Danny, Max, and I finally decorated it this morning during Tommy's nap. We also hung the stockings on the wall. Gotta love those command 3M thingys! Anyway, it's amazing how much better our old tree looks when it's decorated. I had really worried about putting up the tree this year. It's a bit of work with the baby. Every time he reaches for an ornament or pulls one off he gets a, "No, may not!" It seems to be working because he doesn't know what to do with those little hands now. In a few years, I will have lots to keep those little hands busy! I feel blessed today!

The Battle is in the mind

During the message on Sunday our pastor reminded us that the battle we fight day to day is in the mind. I can most assuredly agree with that as I experience the loneliness and frustration that has come with this particular Christmas season. Rather than spend this whole blog telling you about it, I chose to focus on what Phil said. Since the battlefield is in the mind we must put on the helmet of salvation. Preach the Good News to yourself every day. Remember the Grace you have received from Jesus and share it with others. While you're at it, read the book of James. It's one of my favorites and I find it encouraging. That's what you'll find me doing when Tommy lays down for a nap. Also, focus on this:

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for ALL the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

Let us thank Him every day that this life isn't all he has for us. That our salvation is sealed and we will live forever with Him. Thank you Jesus!

When Elves Take Hostages

My children are leaving....sniff...sniff. Here's what Celeste, 14, did to Jamie, 11, last night. I will miss them for 17 days!! I love you guys!

Prayer Requests

Hello! Yes, I know it's been about a week since I posted. We have been unbelievably busy with the children going to events this week. We had a caregroup Christmas party, we watched our friend's 20 month old (they were in labor with their 2nd child), Jamie went to a boy scout holiday party, the older kids had a church youth Christmas party, we went to my brother's to open gifts with the olders and ride the horse, and we've had friends over galore! Meanwhile, I've been busy Christmas shopping and running errands with the children. Jamie and Celeste leave tomorrow morning at 3:30 AM to catch a flight to St. Louis. In addition, we have our church Christmas party on Sunday evening, yea! Please pray for the following:

--Stu's safe travel as he takes Jamie and Celeste to Orlando tomorrow
--the Beck's new baby boy, Caleb, and his mommy's quick recovery from C-section
--my mother is currently living in a hospital and needs a place to live (special circumstances)
--Stu's mom, Sara, recovering from surgery at Thanksgivingtime
--healing for my friend, Charity, who hurt her neck and back in a car accident last week

Also, pray that we will take time to focus on the REAL meaning for this season...Jesus birth. Without this we would not have our salvation. Praise God for his many blessings!

Getting started

Okay, today I got started on some Christmas shopping. It wasn't too bad, but then I ventured out in the morning. Everything is not so safely "hidden" in our closet. I wonder if I have to resort to hiding things in the attic. I was pretty bad as a child....my younger brother and I would carefully unwrap things and then just to get a peek. What was that all about? I think encouragement from my siblings goaded me on! Hopefully, no one here will want to ruin their surprise. I LOVE surprises....and presents. I love giving them and I love receiving them.

I have to type this fast because the 3 older boys are playing outside. It's the nicest day we've had this week and it's quite overcast. Tommy is in his high chair having a snack and watching me type. That won't last long. It's going to be a challenge without my big helpers for 17 days! I can do it. Other people do and I did it all summer long. I just love my children! I enjoy playing games with them. Did I say I took Celeste to see Pride & Prejudice. I enjoy taking them to the movies, out to lunch, and shopping. ALL of them. It gets a little hectic sometimes, but it's worth it and better than being alone. Have a super weekend!

Much ado about something

Thursday greets me with rain, but not in my soul. My heart is light for I have had a wonderful week already. What a wonderful anniversary Stu and I had! Today the children and I will be baking cookies and Nancy's Apple Bread for our caregroup Christmas party this evening. With all of the rain, I'm sure the bonfire is out, but I am looking forward to the fellowship just the same.

Since I home school, we are on an abbreviated schedule this week and will be concluding our studies for the calendar year tomorrow. Celeste has been working hard because she is in high school now. I am proud of her. She may continue with math into next week, but otherwise I am on vacation for 3 weeks. Jamie and Celeste leave next Thursday evening for St. Louis. Their flight leaves Orlando on Friday morning. I will miss them a lot! But I know they will have such a wonderful time with their family in the midwest. Meanwhile, we will try to make the most of Christmas without them. Which reminds me...I need to gather a few gifts here soon! As I really only have a couple. Please pray for Stu's business. We are in specific need for his Beacon Hill project to close--this depends on good weather which we are not having today. I still praise His holy name for He has kept us in good care!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

Blessed be His holy name!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my 8th wedding Anniversary! It seems like longer...but in a good way. Just ask either of us and we'll tell you that. Stuart Bradley Palmer married Nancy Jean Van Winkle on December 6th, 1997 at 2:00PM. Believe me, I remember a magical and blessed day. I stayed at the Magnolia Plantation Bed & Breakfast the night before my wedding. What a beautiful place...and so romantic! Check it out at http://www.magnoliabnb.com/. Stu and I spent our honeymoon night there. And so did the maid of honor, Celeste Rodgriguez, and the best man, Brian Caffee, and my bridesmaid ,Laura Mosimann, and her fiancee, Jasper. I have so many wonderful memories. I LOVED the cake--it was delicious AND beautiful. You know how you're supposed to save the cake and eat it on your first anniversary? Well, it was so good that we ate it just a few days after the wedding!! Stu gave me a beautiful ring. The marquise I had always wanted (but much bigger!) with sapphires and diamonds on the wedding band portion. What a wonderful thing to have a wedding at Christmas. It truly was one of my best days! It reminds me of how thankful I am for Stuart. He is very dedicated to me (and our children), loyal, and hardworking. He has provided for me to stay at home with the children and supports my idea of home schooling them. He honors me in my choices when it comes to planning our family. I am so fortunate! God has truly blessed me over the 8+ years.

Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

Sugarcane Fest at Dudley Farm

On Saturday we went to the Dudley Farm which is a state park about 3 miles from our home. We had always wondered what they had there. It's an 1880's working farm that has been restored and is 325 acres. They had a sugarcane festival there. The kids got to see them grinding the cane to make juice and then boiling it to make syrup. They had all sorts of old timey things there. How about doing your wash in wooden buckets? Or spinning wool into thread to make things. Anyway, it was a good time. The weather was great and all of us enjoyed being outside. Enjoy the pictures!

Experimental Christmas Pic

I thought I'd show you a couple more cute pics. I tried to take a pic of the kids for Christmas card, but the resolution on the camera was too low. This is what we got. They're really cute even if it's not perfect!