Click Comments are located at the end of each post. Click comments makes it easier for readers to express their thoughts and appreciation with just one click. It will also suggest other posts that might interest your readers. With just one click it is an added way to be kind to blog owners and leave some imput with very little effort. Just don't let it replace commenting in the comment section.

2.
This is a place for bloggers to develop that community spirit. You can track which pages your readers prefer to read so you know what is of interest to them. It is a great place to make new friends and connect with other bloggers.

3.
This is another benefit of belonging to MyBlogLog. This little pop-up button lets you know which links are clicked on most often. That way you know what is popular with your readers, not to mention it is just fun!

4.
Here is a new banner for those who would like to use it to link to my blog. It was made by Eric at "The Voice of Experience." All you have to do is look in my side bar and copy the code from the little box and place on your blog. It is that easy!

5.
Would you prefer the button to link here? Eric made this one too! The code is located in the sidebar as well.







6. STICKY POSTS- I have added a sticky post section directly above the first post that shows on the page. This is to highlight certain posts or important things that are going on. If you missed it, check it out!


7. The Heart of the Matter online homeschool magazine. I write for a monthly column over there entitled, "Ducks in a Row." It is for homeschooling with a large family.

8. "Weekend Kindness; Reaching Others Through Kindness" run by MInTheGap is my latest venture.

9. The Well Drained Mind is a place I blog very spuratically but there are a lot of other great things over there for you to check out as well!

10.
This is an online newsletter for encouraging homeschool families. It is run by my dear friend Valerie. You can visit her at SoCalVal or sign up for her newsletter by clicking on the image!

11.
The 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge. My husband and I have decided to join up in the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge and I encourage you to consider doing so. You can click on the image here for more information. There is also a link in the sidebar to the original post and guidelines.

12.
I am having my first ever giveaway. This is the last week to get in on this. For more information on how to get your name in for the drawing go here, JANUARY HOMESCHOOL GIVEAWAY.

13.
I am also participating in my friend Trish's Winter Reading Challenge! She is having a drawing for a $25 gift card to Amazon for one lucky participant.

To view my reading list go HERE.

To view the guidelines and to enter for your chance to win visit Trish's Winter Reading Challenge.

Labels: Blogging, Thursday Thirteen

About a month ago, I posted on the Magic Body-Morfing Log. Here is another in the series of events with the same log! Look close for the legs! Enjoy!

Labels: Wordless Wednesday

Labels: Curriculum, Homeschooling, Weblink Wednesday

SSgt. Justing R. Whiting
27 years old from Hancock, New York
3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
January 19, 2008

Staff Sgt. Justin R. Whiting, a Special Forces medical sergeant sustained fatal wounds when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive devise 16 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq.

He is survived by his mother, Estelline, of Colorado Springs, Colo., father, Randall, of Hancock, N.Y., sister, Amanda, of DuPont, Wash., and brother Nathan of Dover, Tenn.

For more information on SSgt. Justin Whiting, you can download this PDF file.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Labels: Military, Wednesday Heroes

These guys can!! This is such an amazing video! I would love to do it if the thought didn't terrify me so much!

The Mountain Wingsuit

Labels: Videos

Throughout the Bible, names were given to children with much thought or expression. The name given was always for a reason. Never lightly or because of the “way it sounds”. To name something is to describe something, to give direction or a feeling to understand. God gave the name Abraham to Abram to describe what he was going to do in his life. Abraham means father of nations. Now when God called him that, and when people spoke it from then on, it was not a name that needed interpretation.

Labels: Quiverfull

I am still battling the stomach flu, so I thought I would do an easy post today. Here some links to some places to find modest clothing for girls. Check them all out, they are all different styles! Let me know what you think.

Below the Knee is dedicated to providing high quality clothing for girls who value both style and modesty.

Purity is a girl's best friend. Don't go with the flow, go Up Stream.

Divine ModesTee, This company is founded on the principles of the unique relationship between daughters and mothers! Include your family and friends in this fun adventure of high class fashion, chic styles and soft and vibrant colors for your entire wardrobe that is garanteed to be modestly divine!

April Cornell, Her clothing is modest, elegant, beautiful, of good quality, and has a refreshing uniqueness! Using nature's color palette, lines, forms and shapes as her guides, Cornell's designs are an inspiration to make an occasion of every day.

The Amoretti Skirty is something I have posted on before, you can see that post here. It is great to hide those little girl undies when they are in their dresses.

Christa Taylor is a 20 year old designer dedicated to producing high quality chic and trendy clothing that allows women to be fashionable without being suggestive. She resounding rejects the notion that modesty must be frumpy and has set out to disprove that notion through her clothing line. Christa operates her business as a family enterprise involving two brothers, her father and two sisters. She is also committed to donating at least % of her sales to the poor and towards advancing social justice around the world.

Labels: Modesty

There is great power in prayer. We are told in the book of James that "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." I learned this verse in the old KJV which says, " The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." We know that there is great power in prayer and often times the answer to our prayers is joyfully that which we requested. After all, we are told in the Psalms that God grants us the desires of our heart and in the New Testament we are told to ask and we shall receive.

But how do we respond when we do not get the answer we desire? Are we able to accept an answer we did not wish to receive? Do we argue with God, do we find ourselves feeling resentful? Do we fall into the trap of thinking that God owes us? Do we question that God is even correct in His answers? I know this sounds unthinkable but it occurs more than many would care to admit.

What this all boils down to is do we truly believe that God is sovereign? Is He really the one in ultimate control, with ultimate authority, does He really love us with a love bigger than what we as mere humans can comprehend, or does He not?

I just finished reading Job and am astounded at how much he grasped the concept of the sovereignty of God. After all that befell Job, look at what he had to say.

"But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips." Job 2:10

Do we have the depth of relationship with God to be able to speak in such a way?

I have often seen others who rest in the fact that God grants the desires of our hearts but they do not consider this in context.

Psalm 37: 3-5
Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

We are to be trusting in the Lord, befriending faithfulness, delighting, and committing. We are to be relying upon the Lord. When one does these things we grow in grace and our desires develop into the desires of the Lord. When this happens we realize that His will in all things should be our desire. We move more from the temporal desires to the eternal desires. Our prayers will change to not merely praying for physical healing but also and foremost that the Lord would heal the heart, strengthen the character, draw others to Himself, bring comfort and wisdom, and be glorified. Our main desire is that God's will would be done and we can then rest in Him and His sovereignty regardless of the outcome.

Jesus modeled this for us when He was in the garden praying. Jesus, being God, already knew the answer.

Luke 22:42-45 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.

I believe as the scripture says, prayer does availeth much. I think that sometimes we may loose sight of the fact that what that "availing much" may be is to make us more like Christ. We will never be satisfied with the Lord if we see the availing much as only the physical desire being granted. I spoke with a woman once who told me that she demands things of God. Yes, we are able to come boldly before the throne but we should never forget our position before God. Prayer should mold us to God's desires rather than trying to bend Him to our desires.

Labels: Christianity, Prayer

Jacque has a great testimony about this hymn and how the Lord has used it in her life, in the past and just the other day! It is one of my favorites also. Since Jacque has the words and a story on her blog, I thought I would place a recording on mine. This arrangement is sung by Jars of Clay and I love it!!


To participate in the Saturday Psalm & Praise just follow the link.

Labels: Saturday Psalm and Praise, Videos

This week Photo Hunter's theme is old fashioned. Here is a photo of one of my daughters wearing an old fashioned bonnet that she sewed herself.

Labels: Family, PhotoHunt

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

When people discover how many children I have there are numerous responses. Some are good and some are not so good. Often times the responses leave an opening for me to share about what the Lord is accomplishing in my life. One response I often receive is this; "You must have a lot of patience to have that many children!" I have noticed by the responses of many, that people tend to think of me as a patient person. I am more patient than some I suppose but I definitely do not consider myself patient.

Patience is something that grows. It does not grow or develop alone either. God uses many circumstances to grow patience in us. There is a saying that you should never pray for patience because the Lord will place you in a situation where you will develop it. When I hear the statement which I quoted above I reply something like the following. "God did not bless me with these children because I am a patient person. One of the reasons He blessed me with them is precisely because I am not patient enough." God teaches me more about patience with each new life. I have also noticed that unless patience is practiced, it is something I tend to forget. There are times when I realize that I was more patient with an older child when they learned a particular task than I am with the younger child. I have forgotten my patience and need to relearn and apply it.

Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

This verse has been on my mind lately. It takes a lot of strength to apply the lessons of patience in our lives. Let's face it, we are not patient by nature and it really is not all that fun. We live in a world where we want everything yesterday. But the Lord says to wait upon Him. To wait!! If I desire to be patient I will need strength. This strength comes from waiting upon the Lord. That is patience, too. It brings me back to the Lord. If I can learn to wait upon the Lord and trust in Him and His sovereignty and timing in life, then it gives me the strength to be patient because I can rest in Him concerning all things. That rest brings peace(another Fruit of the Spirit) and that peace flowing through us causes patience to flourish.

More Fruit of the Spirit Friday.

Labels: Christianity, Fruit of the Spirit, Quiverfull

Jenn over at ~Enjoying the Ride~ is handing out this award. I definitely qualify! I am passing this along to all of my lady blogging friends out there! Here are the rules:

This award was made for all us woman who aren't perfect. I love it! So if you have dirty dishes in the sink, or laundry waiting to be done, dust bunnies and cobwebs, feel free to grab this for yourself!

She has also passed along the following awards! So to those of you who visit me regularly these are for you. To say thank you for your friendship and for making my blog a place of discussion, the following two awards are yours!!

Labels: Awards

My grandmother passed away on Saturday. She was very dear to me. You can read a bit about her here. So today I thought that I would share a little more about my much loved grandmother.

1. She attended a one room school house.
2. She graduated from 8th grade.
3. She loved Scotty Dogs.
4. She used interesting words I have never heard another use; words like floozie when someone wore too much make-up.
5. She collected salt & pepper shakers.
6. She liked to eat burnt black toast.
7. She had the sweetest laugh.
8. She never remarried after my grandpa died (he died in his early 40's from a heart attack).
9. She hated snakes, they gave her the willies.
10. She loved the big city and was scared of the woods.
11. One way she showed you she loved you was to feed you a big meal.
12. She took care of my great grandma (her momma) when other siblings would not.
13. She filled my childhood with good memories.

I miss you and love you grandma!

Labels: Family, Thursday Thirteen

Being a stay at home mother, wife, and homeschooler can be a challenging position. Those on the outside tend to make comments and give nasty looks. I have experienced this many times. We are often made to feel as if we are wasting our lives and not making anything of ourselves. To be honest there are times at home when I will feel unappreciated. Thankfully, these times are rare!Often times in my household, it is usually because I am having a bad day and am reading to much into the actions and words of my family than is really there. I realize this is what I have caused myself to feel. I have let the voice of the world in rather than dwelling on the call and command of God. I found this quote from Martin Luther and think it is one of great encouragement. I hope it is to you as well.

What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. —Martin Luther

Labels: Encouragement, Family, Quiverfull, Quotes, Weekend Kindness

Labels: Curriculum, Homeschooling, Weblink Wednesday

Airmen from the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at an air base in Southwest Asia prepare a C-17 Globemaster III for an airdrop mission Jan. 14 to deliver humanitarian supplies to coalition forces in Afghanistan

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived.

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll.

Labels: Military, Wednesday Heroes

Last night we watched a movie that is becoming one of my favorites. "One Night with the King" tells the story of Esther. It gives a brief history lesson and tell of how Hadassah becomes Queen Esther and ultimately is used of God to save her people.

"One Night With The King" - The Call of Destiny - chronicles the life of the young Jewish girl, Hadassah, who goes on to become the Biblical Esther, the Queen of Persia, and saves the Jewish nation from annihilation at the hands of its arch enemy while winning the heart of the fiercely handsome King Xerxes. Purim.
from:Queen-Esther-Movie website

Here is a wonderful movie review. It is a Christian movie review and also details the story line. Here is how it begins...

Esther, Jewish queen of gentile Persia, set a remarkable example of personal sacrifice. Although understandably at first hesitant, she willingly risked her life so others could be saved. In this respect she prefigured the sacrifice of the coming Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, who willingly gave His life so each of us could have the opportunity to receive God’s gift of salvation, eternal life in His Kingdom.

READ THE REST OF THIS GREAT REVIEW!

Last but not least, here is the movie trailer.

Labels: Christianity, What to Watch

Timmy Brister is hosting the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge. This is a great way to introduce yourself to the Puritans. He has arranged an excellent deal with Reformation Heritage Books on the twelve books he'll be covering this year, and he will be posting discussions on each as he goes. To top this all off, there will also be a lot of extra stuff going on such as giveaways, extra information, and interviews.

Here is what Tim says about how the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge was born.

Towards the close of 2007, I began thinking of a way I could challenge myself to grow spiritually through a reading regiment and schedule. While riding home from work one morning, I came up with the idea of reading one Puritan Paperback a month, along with incorporating the Valley of Vision in my devotional meditations and prayers. I shared my personal challenge publicly, not thinking much about it.

To my surprise, this Puritan reading challenge has resonated with more people than I could have ever imagined. Due to the high level of interest and encouragement from many people wanting to take on this reading challenge together, I have worked to make this Puritan reading project the best it could be.

by: Tim Brister

My husband and I have decided to join up in the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge and I encourage you to consider doing so. We are starting a little late as we just purchased our books today and must wait for them to arrive. My hubby already has the Valley of Vision book mentioned above but I had to have him order a second one for me. He loves it so much I rarely can get my hand on his copy! So we will be using the Valley of Vision book along side the reading challenge as well as our daily Bible reads. I am doing a chronological read through the Bible this year.

Here is the list of books and the timeline for the Puritan Reading Challenge.

January: The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes (128 pp)
February: The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel (221 pp)
March: The Godly Man’s Picture by Thomas Watson (252 pp)
April: Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks (253 pp)
May: Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ by John Bunyan (225 pp)
June: The Mortification of Sin by John Owen (130 pp)
July: A Lifting Up for the Downcast by William Bridge (287 pp)
August: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (228 pp)
September: The True Bounds of Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton (224 pp)
October: The Christian’s Great Interest by William Guthrie (207 pp)
November: The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter (256 pp)
December: A Sure Guide to Heaven by Joseph Alleine (148 pp)

Click on the button to learn about all of the details and to order your books if interested!

Labels: Christianity, What to Read

A couple of months ago, I began a blogroll for those who are actively living out the Quiverfull Lifestlye.

The Quiverfull lifestyle is a movement among conservative evangelical Protestant Christians. Roman Catholics and some others might refer to the Quiverfull position as Providentialism. Those who hold this position do so not in an attempt to simply have large families but to leave in the hands of the Lord God Almighty His sovereignty and authority over the womb. The distinguishing viewpoint is to eagerly receive children as blessings from God, abandoning all forms of contraception, including natural family planning and sterilization.

This post will seem "carnival-like." It's purpose is to highlight the testimonies of those who have joined thus far. There is some amazing, encouraging, heartbreaking, and hopeful reading contained within these links. Whether you hold this position or not, live it out or not, there is no doubt that if you read the testimonies you will see God at work and be blessed. There are a few short snippets here, be sure to click over and read the testimonies!

Like my husband and I, there are many people we know who have traveled the route of reversal. After having been "fixed" as the world calls it or "broken" as we call it, after all things were working correctly until the surgery. The Lord has changed their hearts; revealing this to them through the Word and the Spirit. This revelation leads to repentance. Repentance not only in word but also deed – having actions of confession and repentance that places this physically not just spiritually back in the hand of God. This typically is in a hope for more children but more importantly to honor and glorify the Lord and to proclaim His sovereignty.

Becca at Mission of Motherhood writes about their journey of vasectomy and reversal. Her husband also gives his testimony on the subject at Mission of Fatherhood.

Cindy at An Army for the Lord gives here testimony about dealing with Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome and the road to reversal. Cindy also shares about the pain of loosing a child. There is heartache for some who follow the Lord in this area of their life. Yet, there are many who continue to trust in the Lord even if they must endure the loss of one of these little ones.

Melissa at Getting into the Promised Land... shares about this transformation in her life after loosing a child. She says: "I think this was one of the starting points of really turning my life over to God. Although a known possibility, the loss was so unexpected. The acceptance of God's plan for our family became a needed comfort and an easy source of solace to turn to in my sorrow. "

Christi from Where the Creek Meets the Lake says through blessing and through loss that, "God is so good and merciful."

Then there is Lisa from the Beehive Buzz. This lady just lost a precious child on Christmas Day. She has been blogging through this trial. Lisa is an amazing lady! Even though there is great mourning God is there with her and she is a blessing to share how He comforts and walks her through this.

Leah from Reformed Farmer's Wife shares her story with us. She speaks of how God showed her, even as a young teenage girl, that He was in control of everything, even a woman’s womb and how the Lord taught here through watching her parents correct a mistake they had made.

Nataly at Sheepy Hollow Farms gets to the heart of being quiverfull. She shares, "But I think being quiverfull goes deeper than having an excuse to have many children. For us, it isn't an issue of how many children will we have. Rather, it's a question of whether we are truly trusting that God can and will provide for us or are we trying to put God in a box and take control of our own lives? To us it's really surrendering to God's control over every aspect of our lives."

Jacque from