My Kitchen

*NOTE: The previous resident took the piece of corian off of the island before he moved, thus my husband hasn't had a chance to replace it.



I wanted to post pictures of my kitchen online so that I could look at it CLEAN... I struggle daily with keeping up with everyday tasks as it always seems that someone needs me, or my help, or my arms to hold them, or my kisses for their boo-boos...etc., etc., etc.

My goal is to look at this post every time I get discouraged or need motivation to keep things maintained. I know there will come a time when I get behind AGAIN for the thousandth time, but I am striving to get things in order around here so that my home is "guest ready"...

As I go through each room and clean it over the next several weeks, I plan to post a picture of each room so that I can go back and look later on when I feel a bit overwhelmed. Again, a "guest ready" house is the goal...it will take weeks, as I still have much organizing to do and many children to undo my cleaning, but I am aiming for an organized home that I can MAINTAIN.

Thanks for sharing my clean kitchen with me! I am so thrilled that it is clean!

Have a blessed day in the LORD!
Heather

No Time for ANYTHING...

Lately I have been so busy with everything, that I don't have any time for anything...I know it doesn't make any sense, so let me explain.

This whole year has literally FLASHED before my eyes....Just last week I found myself claiming that it was Wednesday, when in truth it was really THURSDAY!!! I lost a whole day! I mean I was really convinced that everyone else was wrong (that it was Thursday) and that I was right (that it was Wednesday)! I kept thinking, where did Wednesday go? I am sure that I didn't miss the whole day...but I found myself realizing that, in truth, I really DID miss the whole day. It literally "flashed" before my eyes and I missed it altogether, or so it seems.

So to get to the point, as I don't have all day, I have really lost my focus. My focus on what is really important in my life. I have been so busy with MY LIFE that I have not had anytime for the most important person in my life....my LORD and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

I realized my fault after reading an article on this very thing...refocusing your life on Christ so that you have more time for the everyday tasks. All in all, taking the time in the morning to pray and meditate on Scripture...and listen to what God has to say...

Have I been living for Christ this year? Truthfully, NO....

Can I change the way I have been living? Not without the LORD's help...

So, through Christ, I am going to make a change....

No more am I going to lean upon my own strength to do things...the LORD knows that I can't do it and He has taken the entire year to show me this.


So any who are dealing with the same thing...I urge you to:

1. Change your focus....don't focus on YOUR life, YOUR duties, YOUR struggles for in those darkest times, YOUR LORD will carry you...if you put your trust in HIM and not yourself (note: this is mainly for me...)
2. Begin your day in the Scriptures and in prayer.....that's where you will find your energy and the time you have "lost".
3. Remember, you are but a mere human, but "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me..." (a verse from Philippians)
4. Get your children involved, our job as parents is to train our children in the way of the LORD. We can't save souls, but we can show them the path to Christ.
5. Be ever fervent in prayer...praying without ceasing...
6. Finally, don't forget to pray for your husband...his job, as head of the household, can be quite stressful at times and one way you can ease his load is by turning to Christ and seeking strength and renewal for him (your husband)...

In Christ Alone,

Heather

My Nursing Cape

Here is a picture of my nursing cape...you'll have to excuse the color as it was a test pattern for a nicer nursing cape. Unfortunately I have not yet done the nicer cape, but I plan to and when I do, I will provide pictures and instructions to all my readers.

Here I am nursing below...really nursing my baby! What I like about this cape is that you can't see anything! I have NEVER liked nursing in public, but after having seven children, I decided that I must find a better way, especially since I had babies that liked to nurse every 1 1/2 hours. I don't usually supplement formula to my babies mostly because it is to expensive to buy formula.

If you are afraid that you might show something under the cape OR that your baby may lift up the cape, you can tuck the cape under the baby's head assuring that NO part of your body will be exposed.

There you have it! I will try to follow up with instructions on how to make one of these capes. I just LOVE mine and I use it for church, in restaurants, at the park, and in the presence of company!

SO GLAD to be HOME!!!

This is our first full week back from our fast-paced trip to the midwest...St. Louis, MO area. We drove over 2000 miles!

My sister got married and boy were we BUSY!!! BUSY helping her set up, and make sure the wedding went smoothly. Everyone stayed pretty healthy, as our last trip was plagued with throwing up and sickness. I did have to deal with the sniffles, watery eyes, sinus conjestion and cough...but all in all everyone stayed quite healthy...

UNTIL Monday night, we were on our way home...we had stopped in Cambridge, Ohio, a midway point and that night, I found myself plagued with the stomach virus. I tossed and turned all night, had hot and cold sweats, and tossed my cookies in the process. Needless to say, the last half of our trip home was no piece of cake for me...I just wanted to lay down on a soft bed and sleep...and that I did the following day.

Then, Thursday everyone else started getting the same thing. I think it is past now. All but one of our children got it, my husband even had it.

This has become a pattern for us. Everytime we travel, we get sick. I think it may be something about the stress of trying to get ready and then going all over the country and being exposed to EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE.

Now I have a huge task ahead of us...GARDENING, SCHOOLING, and SEWING, not to mention getting my home into good order so that we can host several families for their "mini-vacations" and such.

I am stubborn though, I WILL DO IT, with God's help, of course.


A plan of action is forming in my busy brain. I don't yet know all that it will entail, but I must find a way to get it all done....NOTE: I am not a superwoman...nor do I claim to be...

It is interesting though, when you go to restaurants with my troop, people automatically think that you must be super-organized and have it all together (which I don't). My children are simply well behaved because we fight our battles at home. I am not outwardly organized, but organized in my brain...I have to know where things are and not forget this and that, you know. Maybe you have been somewhere before and your child had an accident, or an allergic reaction, or you needed to nurse in public...things like that I AM on top of...I have to be.

Oh, and by the way...someday I will show you a picture of my nursing cape...I find it quite handy when I am nursing in public...

Anyway, I am rambling on...

I must go and do now! Have a blessed day, week or month...however long it takes me to get back to this thing...

Blessings!
Heather

Wordless Wednesday (or not so wordless)

WOW! HASN'T SHE GROWN!!!

I'M READY TO GO! GO! GO!

SUCH BIG BLUE EYES! THE BIGGEST THING SHE HAS AT 12 1/2 pounds...BTW, she is now 8-months-old...her twin cousins have already passed her up with weight weighing in at 16 pounds each!!! SHE IS A DINKY ONE!

I WANNA BE A ROCKSTAR!!!!

ENJOY!

Blessings!

Heather

Gardening on the Brain...

Well, I know that I haven't been around much lately...it will probably continue as I have gardening on the brain.

Let me explain...
As you saw in the last post, I have daffodils EVERYWHERE! I love having all of these flowers, but I am still working on my gardens. I am planning on planting tomatoes, green beans, peas, onions, potatoes, lavender, etc. etc. etc...

I have a much larger area to plant this year, BUT I also have deer EVERYWHERE!!! Although, I love the animal, I am not to fond of its appetite for my garden.

Just two weeks ago I planted my strawberry garden. The first few days went pretty well, and then it happened. I noticed that a few of strawberry plants had been eaten by our lovely deer...and then a few more, and a few more. SO just last night I took up my strawberry garden, every single plant...I guess I am going to have to plant it elsewhere.

Now I am worried about all of my garden as I have read that they will even eat tomatoes if they are hungry enough. And we have a pretty large herd of deer that live here. I remember just after moving my husband telling me that he counted 29 pairs of eyes late one evening...UGH!

So I am researching, and going to attempt to still have a garden.

Interestingly enough, this morning I found that baby powder sprinkled on tomato plants will keep them from eating them...I LIKE that solution!!! I ALWAYS have baby powder! So I will continue to research and if I find something interesting, I will let you know about it!

In the meantime, if you are wondering why I haven't posted, I am experiencing severe boughts of gardener's brain!

***NOTE: I DO have a walled in courtyard, but I was planning on making that my secret flower garden...however, due to the circumstances, it may end up being my secret vegetable garden...my herbs will probably be safe from the deer, but NOT my veggies!

TTYL!!!
Have a great week in the LORD!!!
Heather

Daffodils Anyone?

Daffodils are EVERYWHERE!!! No one told me that I was going to experience this kind of beauty at our new location!!! I am just amazed!!! Here are some pictures...by the way, I could pick a vase full of daffodils EVERYDAY and still not make a dent in them!!!

And I also have TONS of raspberry vines growing...here is a picture...the raspberry has a bristly, red stem with thorns, and jagged fuzzy green leaves that are white on the bottom. The bristles on the stem feel like a hairy chin!

That's all the time I have, it's movie night and we are getting ready to watch one of the episodes of the Waltons.

Have a great evening & weekend!

Blessings!

Heather