If there ever was a time to pray....

....these poll results will show you that it is NOW. This was taken from an email I received. I must go on and say that it is not just about praying we must examine our lives and make sure that we do not set stumbling blocks before our children. God's word is to be our guide. I like the saying, "If Jesus came to your house would he feel at home there?" I know I have to work on myself daily, I fail much! But I know my children are worth it!


Bizarre but True: What People Really Believe and Think

According to Cornell University, 9 out of 10 children abandon the values of their parents.

According to USA Today, 83% of the youth leave the church, and 80% of the parents are very worried about their children and the influence on them of the mass media of entertainment.

A new study of 16- to 29-year-olds by the Barna Research Group shows that America's youths are growing more resistant and skeptical to Christianity than were people of the same age a decade ago.

Currently only 16% of young non-Christians said they have a "good impression" of Christianity and only 3% have a favorable view of evangelicals, compared to 25% of young non-Christians viewing evangelicals in the Baby Boomer generation.

USA Today noted that 70 percent of Americans were unable to name the Ten Commandments.
More Americans are familiar with the specific ingredients in a McDonald's hamburger than know the individual commands that comprise the Ten Commandments.

Christmas Music? Now?

I have always had a strict rule that no Christmas would be heard or seen in our home until Thanksgiving. However, with the children begging to hear some Christmas music we turned it on. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I promise not to put Christmas music on the blog until Thanksgiving.
When do you begin celebrating the season? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Common Sense

This an e-mail I have received a couple of times over the years. It says a lot.

Mr. Common Sense, Obituary

My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by until today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance. For Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary Mr. Common Sense

~
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

~
Mr. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

~
Mr. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student; but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

~
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.

~
Common Sense finally gave up the ghost, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

~
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.

~
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
Author unknown

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Here is Jenna doing what she has seen me do all of her life. I pray that she will be as enthusiastic about serving the Lord when she is grown as she is about playing and singing now!

Born to Serve the Lord

~

From the dust of the earth God created man,

His breath made man a living soul.

And God so loved the world that He gave His only son,

and that is why I love Him so.

~

Chorus:

For I was made in His likeness,

created in His image,

for I was born to serve the Lord.

And I can't deny Him,

I'll always walk beside him,

for I was born to serve the Lord.

~

My hands were made to help my neighbor,

my eyes were made to read God's word,

my feet were made to walk in His footsteps,

my body is the temple of the Lord.

Look at those cheeks!

This is my cousin and her baby, Maddie. I can't help but to pinch those beautiful, round cheeks!

Just Being with Each Other

After a busy week of revival we took a break to enjoy Frontier Day at New Echota. It was a beautiful day!

Just think, just a few short years ago we were writing like this.


Wonder what she is thinking?

And to think....I complain about loading the dishwasher!

Dad showing his widdling skills.

What in the world are parents thinking?

This is a close copy of the sleaze that came with my daughters Happy Meal (I know, its poison and we try to only do this when we just have to)

I tried to get my husband to give it back to the attendant, but being a much more leveled headed person that myself he told me to just throw it away. I had other plans for it that included fire.

Here is a link to another pitiful article about the state of young girls in our land. Please mothers, lets embrace the virtues of femininity and modesty. Let our girls look like young ladies and not streetwalkers. Our daughters and their future husbands will be grateful.

Little Miss Studious

"Mom, I got to do my lessons!"

Presenting Davy Crockett

This is the latest costume my Mom has churned out for our upcoming History Day.

Remembering My Papaw J. M. "Red" Sullivan 1927-2006

All day I have had my Papaw on my mind, then I remembered today was the one year anniversary of his passing. Papaw was always so funny and cheerful. I miss walking in his house and hearing him say "Hello, Mel Mel!" Although it was awful to say goodbye to him, the Lord was gracious to our family during that time. My Papaw was cared for by those that loved him the most during the last 2 weeks of his life. Round the clock there was one of us there, cousins, my aunts and uncles and other relatives. The first 5 days of his decline the Lord blessed us with a happy Papaw that sat up and greeted all who came to see him. He always had a smile and a joke, you see "John was a good boy", that was one of his sayings and you would have just had to be there to get it. Then the last week or so, when he could only lay in the bed he never wanted for anything. He was never cared for by a stranger. My family was awesome. I could have never imagined that all of us would come together like we did. The last day, after hours of unconsciousness, he glanced over toward my mother and Granny and smiled the prettiest smile, (can you just imagine what he was seeing?) and he dropped his robe of flesh and went home. No one wanted to leave, we all just wanted to stay together. After the funeral we planned to have sleep overs at Granny's so we could all be together more. Of course, we all got on with our lives and time has once again separated us, but I will always remember the special time when I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was with family who loved each other. Some of them I have not seen but a few times since then. But, I am glad to have those memories and I learned that although we may seem far apart.......we never really are. Thank you Lord for all of my family and for letting us have Papaw Red for so many years.

Preview of our upcoming History Day

I just can't keep this cute picture to myself. My mom has finished Jenna's outfit (I learned to cut out a pattern ) Here she is trying it on.

Socks, Socks, Mom I dont have any socks!

I am going to scream if I hear that again. Today we went and spent about $30-$35 on socks, no kidding and I bought the ones on clearance! I have had a plan for socks in this house for some time and my DH sticks to it. For some reason the kids just don't get it......maybe next time they can spend their own money for socks. Here is my plan of attack. Like I said I had a plan, I have added to that and now I am going full force ahead with enforcement.

Here they are being labeled

I have numbered and initialed every pair, once they are taken off they will immediately be pinned (for the next week I will collect the socks and demonstrate this to the dc) However, should I miss sock removal they have been labeled. You can see I am using child's initials and a sock number
Here is my pin box
This is important, pin the socks this way to hold up better in the wash.

Now, I write all of this with lots of humor. I am a detail person and this just makes sense to me. I hope you enjoyed it and perhaps it will help someone else who often hears that dreaded phase "Mom, I have no socks!"

Hair Raising Experience

Jenna thinks the trampoline is the greatest thing going! (Along with the chocolate milk that is dribbled down the front of her shirt : )

My Mom

There are a lot of romantic ideas about a mother. But sometimes what you need is action, not ideas, and that is what I have in my Mom. She can plow through any task with amazing speed and while I am still thinking about how to attack it, she is finished. Through it all she has been there and I never remember having to ask. She has taken care of me and my babies and me trying to have babies and still kept up with her life and responsibilities.

Here she is doing what no other would do for free.....painting my living room, the room with the cathedral ceilings and crazy angles. The room my husband has been saying "honey,it needs painting" for 4 years. Thanks Mom!

Proud Mommy (or..... what a good cat)

Friends

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man

sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Prov.27:17

I am so thankful for the friends I have who by just being in their company encourages me to be a better wife, mother & homemaker.

Let Me Help

Here is little Jenna helping her very patient dad water the animals (actually, the ground). What this picture does not tell is that he was in a big hurry trying to get to a revival meeting. Nevertheless, he let her help. Patience does not come naturally to me. More times than I care to count I have been guilty of telling one of my children, "Not now, just let me get finished." A few months ago I had a conversation with a lady about one of my children's education. Somehow the conversation turned to how this particular child functions in the home. I said well, this child is a daydreamer. I can tell the child to do something and when I go back to check progress it is obvious that a daydream has been in the making. The lady looked at me (note: I am waiting for her to agree with me that the child should do better) and said "How have you trained her?" I just looked at her. You see, I was good at giving out the orders (drill sergeant) but was I mothering? The lady kindly suggested that I take 30 minutes a day and train this child on some household chore that was appropriate. Not show and tell.... train...... as in teach the child and let the child do it. That was the best advice I have received in a long time. You would not believe the change in this precious one. I have thought a lot about what being a mother is since then. I am thankful for this advice and for lady that was wise enough to give it.

"It is the home that lays the foundation of a child's future. And though the strength of the foundation is determined by the virtues of both parents, it is a woman who holds the key to her children's heart in the early years of childhood. She has the privilege of weaving God's eternal truth into the daily lives of her children while they are still young and tender. A woman who is a mother, is she not greater than he that ruleth a city? Are not her children the foundation of all human life?" Fenelon, 17th Century.

Mother and Daughter with Vacuum

All Boy

This is my Cowboy, he is all boy and well on his way to becoming a capable young man. In this day in which we live, where men are effeminate and shirk their God given responsibility of being a man and taking care of a family, I am glad that homeschooling allows us to nurture a boy to be what he was created to be... a man.