Candle By Night

I know I posted about my binder a long time ago. I finally got around to taking pictures...even though I am not really using it too much right now....with trying to find a place to move and everything. Here is the front of my binder. I realize the pics are blurry, but just bear with me....The camera was free and I am not complaining about it. When you open my binder this is what you will see. In this pocket I keep pencils, pens, index cards, scratch paper, and scissors. Then I have my dividers (which I need to add tabs to.) My first section is my schedule. I actually have everything scheduled out for the day...the time, the activity...everything. I have done this because it keeps me more on track. At this point if I just make a list of what needs to be done I tend to get off track and then I don't get done what I should. Plus when we get to move I will have to totally redo this (almost) so it fits my cleaning routine and everything for the new home. I forgot before my dividers I h...

Okay...it wouldn't let me post anymore pics in the last post so I had to move it to another post. Anyway...my next section is my Meal Planning. In this section I have blank calendars for the month. I write out what our meals are going to be for each day and this helps me for my trips to the market...so I know what to purchase and how much to purchase. This also prevents from the never ending problem of..."What are we having tonight?" We always now....it can change, but it is nice to not have to try and think about what to make each day. I then have a calendar section. Here I have blank calendars (monthly) printed off for the next year. I write down appointments with the midwife, trash day, grocery trips, family gatherings, etc. This way it is all written in one space. My last section is my coupon section. This mainly contains coupons for JoAnn's. ;) But I put ad's and other things in there that I need to keep track of for my shopping trips. My binder is definately...

Which kingdom do you run after? Do you run after the Heavenly Kingdom? Or do you run after the things of this world? Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for the shall be filled." Do you have initiative to strive after the things of God? Or are you someone who is idle and just goes along with the things of this world. As many have read we are in the process of looking for another place to live. We could be consumed with fear and anxiety trying to figure out what to do...we could be like the rest of the world and just jump on the first thing that comes around (which may or may not be God's will.) We have chosen to wait and see what God has in store for us. I have a friend that says, "God is never late, but he is seldom early." That is so true! We think God should take care of so...

Well...haven't posted much because I have been either cleaning, packing, or running errands. Last night we all grabbed a bite to eat and went to Sam's Club as I am almost out of laundry detergent. I purchase a 40 lb tub for $11+ and it lasts me for over 2 months. When it was just Hubby and I ...it would last us for 6 months! It is still a really great deal though. Today...I went to the store to purchase khakis for Hubby. Going from hanging insulation to office work requires different clothing. Which is okay...I actually found pants he likes and that fit him well at K-Mart! Go figure. So I have bought a total of 3 pairs of pants and 1 dress shirt. They are working on getting him work shirts (white button up shirts with the NCI logo on it). The only thing I don't like about those though is that they automatically take so much money out of each paycheck for the shirts because they have a laundry service for them. When he hung insulation...it was great, but for nicer shirts I...

I don't remember if I shared this already or not, but if I did...you will just get to hear it again. Last week when my husband went out to his car to leave for work he noticed that Shad, our dog, was wound up more than normal. He actually noticed him barking a lot since 5:30 that morning. Well when he got in his car and turned on his lights...you won't believe it. There was a cat in the Shad's pen! It was sitting up on top of his doghouse. Why in the world the cat would ever be possessed to get in there is beyond me. Hubby distracted the dog so the cat could jump out. But later this whole scenario got me to thinking. How many of us are like that cat? We don't see the devil and think ..."I could sneak in there just one time and I will never get caught." And then to our surprise Satan comes out from the Shadows and we are trapped. He has us cornered and there is nothing that we can do about it. We have to call upon the Lord to "distract" Satan so we ca...

I know that I haven't blogged much lately. I have been busy packing things here and there. Today I went to the store to purchase oil and filters so Hubby can do oil changes on the vehicles this evening. Once I am done here I need to go and do a thorough cleaning on my kitchen and pack some more. I will write when I can.

Well....for the first time ever it went very well. Because we are actively searching for a new place to live...our day was cut a bit short. But that is okay. I made blueberry muffins for breakfast and we had orange juice with them (Which is such a treat for us!) Then we went into town to look at a rental, but aftwards we went downtown to a shop called Woolson's. There is our children's favorite thing! A mechanical horse, but not like today's modern ones. This one is at least 50 years old and it only costs 25 cents for a ride that lasts for a very long time!!!! They each got to ride the hors 3 times! They were so happy! After that we went down to the coffee shop on the corner at Hubby and I got our favorite drinks (The Buckeye, and a Mocha). That was really nice and then we headed home. Once we got home I put the ham in the oven to bake. So..since we were going to eat a lot we had a late lunch. We had baked ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and Wasail (recipe complements of M...

I just wanted to give everyone fair warning that the posts on this blog for the next month or two may be sporatic and "crazy". We are definately moving. Where....I don't know yet, but we know we want to be moved by the first of December. They are selling this house, but it may be a while....but one of son's might buy it and rent the house, ....but..... There are just too many "what if's" and we decided it would just be best to move. Trust us...we don't want to move. This will make our 4th move in 4 1/2 years of marriage. We are trying our best not to worry about it. We know the Lord will provide us with a place to live, but the thought of moving again is almost just too overwhelming. We just want to find a place where we can live for 5 years and not have to move. We moved out of the trailer because I was promised we would only stay there a year to save money. The house after that...we found out that our Landladies where definately gay and I wanted ou...

This morning's devotion was not necessarily "new" to many people, but it is a good reminder. It was on Matthew 6:19-21. It spoke about laying up treasures in heaven instead of on earth where thieves can steal it and it can be destroyed. Where our treasure is....our heart is there also. Where is your treasure? I am not saying that we can not beautify our homes, but how do you go about it. Do you think you need designer this and that...or do you find simple things to beautify your home without spending a lot of money. We need to concentrate on things above and not things that can be destroyed in a fire or that can be taken (stolen) from us. A good way to put this "command" into action is to be Thrifty? Are you a thrifty person? I know I try. I have failed the past few weeks, but I have been reminded (by myself) that I need to be careful of how I spend the money my husband works so very hard for. I am sorry I am going to have to cut this short, but I hear the child...

I had a really busy day today. Just wanted to let everyone know I am still here ;) and that I canned about 6 1/2 quarts of applesauce today. I will "tackle" the other 1/2 bushel tomorrow. Hope all had a wonderful God Filled Day! Oh yes...I also finished a doily, but have to wait to see if I can post once I find out what the designer is going to do with the pattern.

W hen you hear Titus 2_____. Most people think of Titus 2 women. Well this weekend I got to hear abou the Titus 2 Man and Family. Our camp meeting was absolutely wonderful! We all got together on Friday night to start off. There was a meal Friday evening (which we missed because Hubby had to work, but that is okay) then we had a time of singing and then a message from Brother Paul H. (another like minded church). (He told us he was going to be speaking on the Titus 2 Man. Of Course he covered the entire book of Titus over the weekend. Not just the 2nd chapter.) Wow!!! I have to say I am very happy just having my role as a wife. The husbands have such a responsibility as leaders of the household. I realized I need to be more supportive for my hubby. He has a lot of responsibility to "carry" on his shoulders. I am so blessed to have a husband who is responsible and takes care of his family and has a felationship with the Lord. The speaker went over the qualifications for an el...

Well after making a hat for Hubby I made a hat for DS. I made it smaller because...he is a boy. WEll the child must have a really big head! After frogging the thing completely I still ended up with it being a little too small. Oh well....at least he has a hat now even if it doesn't fit him perfectly. It is out of the small yarn that Hubby's is out of, so they have matching hats. I might make DS a scarf too. He really like wearing scarves last winter. I don't know. Right now I am really busy with keeping the home, testing for people (at least I finished for Anna), and actually...I need to get ready and get things packed so we can leave for the camp meetings as soon as Hubby gets home! So...I probably won't post until Monday. May all have a wonderful God Filled weekend!

Now...I realize most of you are probably wondering, "What in the world is she talking about?!" Matthew 6:3-4 says "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." I know that it does not mean that I should let my left hand "see" what my right hand does, but trying to explain this early was hard. I asked my Hubby before he left for work and he said, "It is doing something without thinking about it. That your giving is second nature." I like that...second nature. Is giving second nature for you? Do you give so that people will commend you and thank you openly? If you give to charity maybe you should do it anonymously? Also we shouldn't be thinking that we are "so great" because we did this or expect to get recognized for it. What we do in this life is seen by our heavenly Father above and he will re...

I went to see my midwife today. I am 23 weeks along and everything looks good. I am surprised I really haven't gained any more weight than what I have. I lost some weight, but never really gained anything back yet. But my midwife didn't seem concerned. I hope to have gained a little weight by my next visit though. The baby is growing as I am starting to "pop" out more the past 2 weeks. Aren't babies amazing? Here are a couple picks of DS and DD when they were born. Ds is on the left and DD is on the right. Do you think they look alike? ;) They both take after their father. Maybe this one will actually look like me! Who knows..they are beautiful none the less. After I went to see the midwife my friend, my children, and I went to Zinck's fabric store. Their $5 bolt sale was deceiving (not the big bolts like we thought) but we still got good deals. I will try and post pics later of what I bought. I purchased fabric to back DS's blanket, fabric for slips/bloo...

I don't have a lot of time to post, but I had to tell about my son. As most of you have realized...my son loves horses. Yesterday and today he was telling the "baby horse"...."Come here baby...I won't hurt you." I was absolutely amazed to watch the 2 1/2 month old animal come to my son and let him pet her. It was so cute! It is almost scary to see the larger horses come over. I know they wouldn't hurt my son on purpose, but they are just so much bigger than him. Here are a couple pics I caught of them. The first is of DS's new friend. I don't know if the neighbors have named her yet. The second is of DS feeding the horses. He wants to make sure they are taken care of. I also wanted to show a picture of how our trees in the front/side of the house have turned. The person renting the farmland started combining the beans today. That provided a lot of entertainment for my children (at least for a while). They can never seem to sit still. ;) I am of...

I just finished a hat for Hubby today and wanted to show it off. ;) Here is DH modeling it. Isn't he cute? I also wanted to post a picture of the children on one of their favorite things. The Lawn Tractor!!!

I know...I haven't posted in a while. I have been very busy. I don't usually post on Sunday anyway, but on Saturday I was at a Faithful Women Seminar in Plain City. Deeper Life Ministries is the "organization" that puts it on every year. It was wonderful. I have been able to go two years in a row now. There were 4 speakers (typical format). Barb Coblentz spoke on "Deceptions Common to Women", Elizabeth Bricker spoke on "Attitudes that Destroy/Attitudes that Build", Karen Hostetler covered "Qualities that Enable My Husband to Trust Me", and Loveda Schrock ended the day with "Priorites that Please God." They were all very insightful and wonderful to listen to. Common Deceptions Barb covered were: 1) I am a victim of abuse, therefore I can never be whole, 2) This is who I am. I'll always abe this way, 3) My value is based on my performace, 4) I have to be liked by everyone 5) There's a limit to God's resources, and ...

I don't have time to post much today. Yesterday the children and I went to visit a friend (from High school) in Columbus. We had a very nice time and the children loved her Dog Cortez. I wish the pictures came out, but the dog wouldn't stay still. ;) Go figure. Anyway..after lunch we went to Garden Ridge. I used to love that store, but I hadn't been in almost 3 years. Well...we get there and pretty much all the craft (cross-stich, yarn, etc) was gone! So...at least I don't ever have to worry about going back there again. I will just stick with Hobby Lobby, Joann's Etc, and Michael's. I have all three within 30 minutes of me! ;) So...Sabrina if you are reading this....THANK YOU for allowing my children and I to come to your "home" for the day. I am reminded why I don't like big cities though everytime I catch rush hour traffic. It wasn't terrible, but it was starting to get that way when I left. Also...I finished something else for Anna. No.......

I just felt like posting some pictures today. The top picture is of the barn and the garage on the property we are renting. The second picture is of my son's favorite animal. He loves getting to see these work horses everyday! I wish we coudl affor a horse for him, but it will be a long time before that happens. The third one is one angle of the house we are living in right now. Can you see DS's "horse" on the front porch? I love how the trees around the house are starting to change color. The picture below is of my children watching the Lawrence Welk show (in honor/memory of Grandpa George) It was Grandpa George's favorite show and DS would watch it with him every Saturday night. The children just love it! Grandpa George would be so proud! ;) This last photo is of the Tea Cosy my partner sent me. I was never able to post it before, but I wanted to make sure I put it on my blog for all to see. Isn't it pretty! Hope you all enjoyed seeing pictures today. Oh y...

Can you guess what my devotion was on today? Yes...it was on Matthew 5:44. It can be so hard to put that into practice sometimes. But the Lord has given me a lot of practice over the past 4 years....mainly with my own family. It is really hard to love someone who mocks you and persecutes you isn't it? It goes against our "human nature." My devotion said it best today. To fulfill this command you need to have creativity. It said "creativity is cultivating wise thoughts, prudent words, and skillful actions to carry out God's will." I think that puts it very well. You have to be creative when you are persecuted so you can turn things around. My challenge to all today is to love your enemy. Make sure you bless them...that always throws them for a loop. ;) Also..I started working more on the afghan for my son's birthday which was 2 months ago. ( I know...bad Mama.) That garden just took up so much time. At least I don't have to worry about weeding it..si...

I finally can post the pictures of the Easter Song Ensemble I made for DD for her 2nd birthday (not till March) I put the buttons on while I was at the craft show on Saturday. Everyone loved it and couldn't believe that I crocheted it! So... Here are the pictures. Oh yes...I tested this for Anna over at Lullabies and Lace. Check out her patterns..there is some great stuff there!

Well...I went to the craft show, but...not too many people showed up. I think they only had an ad in the paper twice. Oh well...I wasn't out anything. MIL paid for my table and it was only $10. I am going to try another one at a local church on November 4th. At least I don't have to make a lot of stuff for it. Everything is already made. I did sell some of my broom corn, all my twinkies, and most of the truffles. Everyone loved my items, but not enough to purchase I guess. Hopefully this next show will be more publicized. Plus it will be closer to the holidays. Besides the craft show I dropped off our rent check to Becky. She is the one in charge of running the rental and all. After we moved in Ralph..the owner... passed away and Becky took over. Well...I guess things are not going well. Her sister wants "her money." She wants the property sold by Dec. 31 of this year. So...Becky didn't say we had to move out, but I think it would be best. (She would have liked u...