My Praying Squirrel.....

As most of you know we live on the church property. It seems that even the animals on the property are spiritual enough to take the time to thank God for their food. But does this squirrel seriously think that God is going to bless his stolen lunch? There is a reason this is called a "bird feeder."



Or maybe he was praying that my squirrel-loving husband wouldn't notice how big he was (Obviously he has had a lot of stolen lunches!) and decide to have him next to some mashed potatoes...



Went to a funeral today...again. Our pianist and I were talking after wards and decided that we did not want to do anymore this year. Of course, only God controls such things, but I certainly love our precious people and am always sad to say "good-bye"---even though I know it is for a short while.

The precious lady who went to Heaven was not one of our ladies I knew as well as most. She started coming a few years ago on Sunday mornings. She and her friend had a certain place they sat and I always looked to see if they were in their place. Your typical "sweet, little, old ladies"---don't you just love those?

I listened as different family members got up to share their memories and I enjoyed getting to know this lady better. I learned she had a fascination for big fancy earrings. In fact, the daughters, sisters and granddaughters had gone through her 150 pair collection to each pick out a set to wear today. She loved shoes. I learned that she piled whip cream...lots of whip cream...on top of the grandkids cocoa. And I heard the story of how she got upset 3 years ago when her son bought a motorcycle....yet her son was able to talk her into taking some rides with him and she enjoyed it!

I was tickled to realize how many church members had loved her and had gone out of their way to visit her and call her-even go out to eat with her. I have such a burden to do so much for and with the ladies of this church, but cannot do all that I want to. My children are still young. The majority of my time is invested in them. What a blessing and encouragement to me as I realized I have ladies going about and doing good all week long...without anyone even knowing!

May I make happy memories today for my children to remember tomorrow. I pray the lessons I teach them today will be a strong foundation to build on in the future. And I pray that I am someone going about doing good all week long. Seeking to be an encouragement everywhere I can!

And I hope I am the kind of Grandma someday who knows how to pile high the whip cream!




My baby is growing up! He is now in Patch Club with the rest of us instead of going to nursery on Wednesday nights.....and he could not be more pleased! Where has the time gone? What a delight to have this smiling face to teach in Club. He certainly sings and smiles with great enthusiasm!



I hope your weekend is wonderful!

Thanks for stopping by,

Hello, Friends!

What a busy month this has been! Praise the Lord that such a beautiful season is here. I am so enjoying Autumn decorations and the anticipation of the changing of leaves. The downfall is that Winter follows Fall....and in Maine that means everyone becomes much more housebound. But we will talk about that later....when we have to deal with it! ;)

I have always thrilled when my children pick flowers for me. I have already oohed and aahed over more Dandelions than most people will even see in a lifetime...but how it delights my heart when these humble offerings come through my door. To be loved by my children is such a priceless blessing. I am often reminded how frail and humble my gifts of service to God must appear to Him...yet it makes Him feel loved and special because it is a gift from His child...me!

With that said, Joshua brought me the very first flowers he had ever picked of his own accord. He was pleased with himself and these were clasped tightly in one hand with his other hand in Rachel's. Rachel had taken him out for a walk and he felt like such a big boy! I quickly took a picture of this sweet love offering as my baby's "gentleness" assured these plants a very short life ahead...



And speaking of flowers, one of the precious children from our church, Connie, brought me these lovely blooms. The children of the church certainly love and spoil me! I can hardly walk through the door without getting a note, candy, gift, flowers or hug. God is so very good to allow me to be a teacher. What an amazing honor!



We have been so very busy with so many wonderful things! And we have been getting school up and running. It has been a rough start. We ordered our curriculum later then normal....we switched parts of our curriculum which requires study and adapting on the part of the teacher....and I have 5 different grades to teach. All of this has required a great deal of my time. I know many of my blog friends home school more than 5 different grades in their home, but this has proved challenging to me. God is requiring growth out of me...and the stretching can be painful! LOL So, blogging becomes a low priority during those times. I have missed reading every one's blogs, but I am hoping to have our routines all smooth and happy by October. I sooooo love schedule, routine and organization!

A few random pictures of our recent days....

Joshua fresh from a bath...and I mistakenly asked Daddy to please comb his hair! (I should know better than that by now!) :)



Joshua with "his Hana." He adores her and is missing her very much! (Can you hear him all the way over there in India, Hana??? He keeps asking for you!)



Patch Club sang on the Bickfords last Sunday here...



Some of my children have outgrown their Club shirts, so we purchased some new ones. One of the out grown ones has been given to Joshua. He is still too young to join Club, but he was thrilled to be like his older siblings. He jumped up and down in excitement and was proud to wear Patch the Pirate shirt to nursery! How cute!



Our football party was last week and the boys had a good time. I was so busy hostessing the event I did not get many pictures....but here is one shot. Not all the boys are in it though...



One of our church buses needed painting....so that has been an ongoing project this last week. What hard working church folk we have! I have learned that painting a bus is no easy chore! We are excited that it is near completion...



Now off I go to do computer projects for people I love! I am looking forward to going out to breakfast with Nicole this week(I am so glad she is home!!!) and am anxious to see Mandy. I am so glad she gets to come to Maine for a visit. What a great week ahead! Hope to chat with all of you in blog land sometime again soon!

Until the next time....

Thanks for stopping by,

I Need Ideas...

Just a quick note....

We had an amazing thunderstorm late Monday afternoon. It did some minor damage here and there-one result being the loss of our internet. A repairman is coming Wednesday so hopefully will be back on-line then. For now I ran to my library outpost! :)

Anyone have any good theme ideas for Secret Pal revealing night? We love to use a fun theme that the ladies use as they tell who they had for the year. We have used flowers and food items to name a few. I would love to hear some inspiring ideas. Please do not hesitate to leave a suggestion. I will be very grateful!

Hope to be back on reading all your blogs soon!

Thanks for stopping by,

Blessing From the Homefront

I am home on a Sunday.

It is not the first time and I doubt it is the last.

Moms of little ones know that there are different kinds of illness and fevers. Let's take fevers for an example. There are times I will have a child with a fever who acts fine. They want to eat and play though their fever has climbed high. Then there are fevers that seem to sap the life out of your child. They do not want to do anything at all and you miss seeing their smiles and hearing their play.

Joshua has one of the latter. Last night and early this morning were miserable. This morning after lots of love, a good nap, some medicine and pedialyte he is walking around a bit and getting a couple of toys. The fever is still with him, but he is not miserable.

All that said, it made the following encounter with him all the more sweet....

Joshua is almost 31 months, but does very little talking compared to our other children at that age. He has two or three two-word sentences and maybe a dozen words he uses. Everything else is through his own adopted sign language and gestures that get him what he wants. His hearing is fine, he just doesn't choose to talk. We practice words with him all the time. He repeats after us when we tell him to-just doesn't choose to use those words on his own.

I finished giving him a banana late this morning and he was feeling a bit better with the medicine kicking in. I cleaned him up and sent him to pick out a Thomas video to watch. I started to clean the table as he left and I heard, "Love you! Bye!" and looked up to see him give me the hand sign for "I love you" and then wave good-bye as he disappeared around the corner. My heart melted as for months my husband and I have had him repeat "I love you" but this is the first time I have received it without prompting him.

I am home on a Sunday...and I am loved!

Thanks for stopping by,

More Odds and Ends

Well, I have joined the ranks of Facebook.

I didn't think I ever would, but my Grandma invited me! My Grandma loves to stay abreast of the latest technology. My Bramma is cool! ;) I had to join to keep up with her!

I set up a page and found myself OVERWHELMED with how many people I know there. Obviously, Facebook is much bigger than I knew.

And looking around made me love my blog all the more. I love the simplicity-the layout-the design options-and the community.

So, while I definitely enjoy "howdying" with family and long-lost friends on Facebook, I am quite content to spend the majority of what time I claim on the computer here in bloggerland.

I like to think of this blog as one of my "pleasant places" in life. (Cute, huh?)

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I have been meaning to mention for awhile a couple of wonderful free on-line resources from a trusted site.

Both of these are from Evangelist Allen Domelle. If you like good preaching that's what he delivers.

He has two things I would like to share with you. The first is a
daily devotional sent to your e-mail box every morning. My husband especially enjoys these. You can subscribe here.

He also puts out a monthly on-line newspaper with articles for men, women and teens. I think it is wonderful that it is free. It is obviously a lot of work on his part and the paper is very first class. It would be well worth your time to check it out here.

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I have had a fair amount of feedback about my Mommy Moolas post from a few places. I have a few more ways that I remembered that we use our Moola system and thought I would share it here. I have also added this update to the original post for anyone who wants to use it as a reference point.

A few other things that I pay moolas for are as follows:
--My children drink water, juice and milk throughout the day, but they do not tend to drink as much water as I would like. If I say water is the only option the kids tend to drink little or none at all. I now pay a moola for every cup of water they drink. I showed them how much I considered to be a cup and we go on the honor system. I saw a wonderful jump in their water intake and no one was foolishly drinking 50 cups to earn some fast cash. ;) They record each cup they drink on the chart we put out daily.

--With six children, we go through a lot of cups each day. I pay one moola at the end of the day to any child who uses the same cup all day long. In the morning they each pick out a cup for the day (I have lots of variety so it is easy to pick out something different from everybody else.) and they leave it on a certain area of the counter all day long. I now only run the dishwasher once a day. Yeah!

--We rarely allow our children soda, but they do get to go out to eat from time to time and they would get soda during these times for a variety of reasons. I wanted to encourage them to order water on their own instead of a sugar drink. To make it worth the "sacrifice" I pay 20 moolas anytime they willingly choose water at a restaurant as their beverage. They drink water now about 80% of the time they eat away from home and it is no longer something that has to be discussed when we go out. They want the water because they want the moolas! This is also nice because my older boys are having more opportunities to go out and I am glad to hear they are making wise choices without Mom.

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Three days in a row without rain! The boys spent a long time this afternoon doing their favorite thing. This is why we bought the basketball hoop...



Jesse and Kemuel came over to play.



He is not going anywhere with that ball!



Daddy walking down to the church to close up for the day. They are all going to "help" him..




Stopping at the swings on the way back...



Coming back home.



Joshua found an electronic Tetris game. He looked so intent. I think the noise and screen really grabbed his attention.


It has been a busy, happy and productive day. It ended with a cook-out and five haircuts. I do our boys but I am too nervous to do Rachel's hair. Any tips from those who cut their daughter's hair?

I went to get Joshua ready for bed and noticed he was whining. He gets upset alot, but doesn't usually whine. I picked him up and noticed how warm he was. His fever is over 102 degrees. Where did that come from?!? So, I will be home tomorrow. It will give me lots of reasons to baby my baby. Please pray that this fever does not spread through the house.

Hi, Heidi! It is good to "see" you again! How have you been?

Hi, Kelly! I sure do miss you! Are you still in Maine or did you move? How is Nigel? I love you and think of you often.

And to everyone else...I would love to hear from you! Let us know once in awhile if you stop by.

Have a wonderful Lord's day!



Thanks for stopping by,

Two Days Without Rain!

And we are tickled pink about it! (Aren't these guys too cute?)



My roses are blooming...



There are toys in the yard...



And basketball is being played!



Jack got more birthday money...and so they match again! This time we got some variety in their matching.



Jonathan



Jack



Joshua



Jonathan has been quickly outgrowing what he affectionately calls his "cow blanket." Last night was chilly. I went to check on him before I went to bed and he was curled up in a ball, but his feet were still sticking out. (It is meant for babies.) I covered him with additional blankets and decided to strike a deal with him the next day. With Daddy's permission, I told him today I would buy him a new blanket in exchange. There was a new blanket he REALLY wanted and so he agreed. I have now retired the good old cow blanket to storage. (I am NOT a pack rat, but some things you just have to keep.) He went to sleep fine tonight, so hopefully the transition is easy. ;) I will have to post pictures of the new blanket sometime.



We had a baby shower for a dear sweet friend, Denise. Several of you know her. What a great gal! Little Kylee is so blessed! Lots of laughter and games-food and fun-gifts and a sweet baby girl...All in all, a very enjoyable evening.




And if you want to "meet" the cute kids you see on my blog then check out my sidebar. I had a good time adding a description of each today.

Thanks for stopping by,

Praise God For Sundays!

It was another wonderful day in God's house. Sundays are so vital to my spiritual well being. I thrive in church. I love church. I am thankful to have spent my day in church.

The preaching all day was "spot on"--God challenged my heart on some specific items. I was able to sing today. I love to sing and thrill to be used of God in that way. We were able to have Bro. Domelle in our home for lunch. What an honor and privilege to be able to serve one of God's men.

We saw several old friends that we have not seen in a very long time. How fun to reconnect and take a stroll down memory lane.

A familiar Sunday afternoon sight...Joshua "reading" the newspaper after his nap. (Maybe he is checking his stocks??)

I have not had many pictures of Rachel lately and tried to remedy that...but this is what I got. Can you tell what she was reading today? (If you can't figure it out, don't tell me!) ;)
I tried again later when we were leaving for church...


Hope your Sunday was wonderful!

Thanks for stopping by,

I was working at my desk and glanced out the window to check on the children. I saw Jack in deep concentration sitting on our front steps. Hard to get a shot between the curtains and window panes-but I love this picture because I am deeply in love with this little guy. He turns 7 on Monday. So hard for me to believe!

We put Joshua in a robe after his bath...too cute! He tried to "hide" for this first picture...
...but I got him!
My rose bush has only produced two blooms. I have taken some pictures and my husband and I check our bush each day. He bought it as a surprise for me last year.

Today, one of my children picked a rose to bring to Mommy. Such a thoughtful gesture...but I did not want my rose inside. Oh, well! So, now there is one bloom on the bush. I took several photos of my "inside rose" while it was still fresh. It hardly has any stem at all so I placed it in a cup of water.

Wish you could smell it...

Thank you to my thoughtful son who brought Mom a rose. I love you, Buddy!


We have had quite a day and it is not over yet. Our schedule has changed often as the day has progressed. This is good for me as I need to learn to be more flexible. We are thoroughly anticipating our time with Evangelist Allen Domelle the next three days. Our church folks love him. He is a hero to my boys. And he is married to one of my best friends in the whole world. How wonderful to have a friend who encourages you spiritually. I love you, Sandy!

Tracy, I am currently reading Evidence Not Seen. Wow! I am not sure how I have never heard of this book before, but thank you for suggesting it to me. This story certainly challenges me to love my great God more.

Mandy, I found your new blog. Thank you! I would love to answer questions for you. The only reason I even have a blog is because Amy patiently answered all my e-mails and questions! And I must admit that I am curious...you dropped the recipe in the pot? LOL

Marisa, few things in the world make me smile like reading your blog does! Your wit and humor come shining through. What a special friend you are and always will be. I love you!

Thanks for stopping by,