Pictures from Our Work-cation

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A few weeks ago our family, and Emma and Josh, took a work-cation.

A work-cation is where you go somewhere and it is partly work, and partly vacation. Basically the work part of it pays for the vacation part of it.

Josh’s mom needed some work done to her house, and he being the good and faithful son he is wanted to do it for her. (((Girls, look for a guy that is good to his mom - he’ll be most likely be good to YOU!)))

Josh knew he’d need some help so he and his mom invited ALL OF US to come down to the beach, all expenses paid! We stayed at her house and she spoiled all of us, especially our kiddos!

This trip was especially special because our little kids had never been to the beach, they have never seen the ocean. They’ve actually never been anywhere.

I LOVE this picture!

This was the first morning of our work-cation. Josh’s mom made a huge breakfast for us and the work crew. There were a few men from her church who came to help. These men were amazing! Kind, FUNNY and willing to work. This is what men are suppose to do. They are suppose to come along side and help those in need. This is how others will know we belong to God, that we have love for one another. All of these men worked as a labor of love, not for money. It was beautiful!

But what I REALLY LOVE about this picture is that this little 8 year old boy that God plucked out of a wicked home life of crime, drugs, neglect and homosexuality is now entrusted to us and surrounded by Godly men that know the importance of being a MAN… a good man!

He is learning how to work and how to be honest. He is learning skills that will equip him to not only provide for himself, but skills that will also bless others.

The best way for this little boy to become a man of integrity is to be with men of integrity.

What grace and mercy has been poured out on this simple, unworthy family of mine. This picture represents so many answered prayers that were years prayed for; Jeff being self-employed, more children/adoption, and a Godly spouse for our daughter!

And then there is this sweet, precious girl. She is an indoor type of girl (much like me).

But she knew she was on a mission, on a mission to bless Josh’s mom and to help her dad! One thing for sure about Cherish, she will step up and do what needs to be done… no matter what!

She was excited to put her math skills to real use.

But she was MOST excited to be her dad’s helper!

She was his number runner. He’d measure and she’d run the numbers to (pregnant) Emma and she would cut the wood, then she’d run the piece of wood back to Dad! It was a great system!

And even Peachy-girl had things to do!

Everyone wants to feel like they are a part of the team.

Everyone wants to feel needed and important. Here she is filling Josh’s nail pouch with nails… that’s important and helpful work!

Something as simple as handing screws is a big help!

Things as simple as holding boards, or fetching a hammer is a huge help!

This work-cation was a LOT of work, but it was good work. I was so proud of the kids good attitude. They never complained and were so willing to work… to serve Josh and his mom. I was so proud of the men folk being patient with the kids, letting them be a part of the mission and teaching them along the way.

Attitude is the most important part of any job!

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Relationships were strengthened. Character was refined.

It was a JOY to watch Emma come along side and be major help to her husband!

This girl was raised to be faithful. She is not afraid to get get dirty and do what needs to be done. And to think my little baby granddaughter in the womb is up on that ladder too, her mom already setting the pace for her. I am so proud of the kind of wife Emma is becoming!

And this one… he’s MINE! He sets the pace for the rest of us… always leading the way!

This was the morning we left our labor of love very grateful for the opportunity.

Although it was chilly some of the days there, we were able to hot the beach few times.

The water was cold… but that didn’t stop them!

It was so beautiful!

This picture pretty much sums up the beach adventure. The boy ready to take on anything… no fear, Cherish enjoying a little of everything and Peach staying close where it was safe!

Emma 25 weeks pregnant!

Jeff was able to break away from his work for a couple hours one day. He’s not the beach type…note the work boots… haha… but he went none the less.

He showed them the right way to build a sand castle and took a stroll with me… for him that is a vacation!

This was a work-cation we’ll never forget.

Counting our blessings!!!

btw… Olivia stayed home to take care of the animals and other responsibilities, with her it would have been prefect!

Diligent Hands, Servant Hearts

I received this as a comment the other day on this crocheting post. I was so humbled, encouraged and convicted all at once. This is from Jill:

Several years ago, you did a little series on young
entrepreneurs. One of them was Brianna, a crocheter. I showed my daughter, Sarah, that post. She had just started crocheting, and she contacted Brianna. They have become friends, penpals, and fellow crocheters. Brianna inspired my daughter to start her own business. I think Sarah had just turned 11 at the time.

At first, she was earning money for herself, but soon we started our first
adoption process in the summer of 2010, and she sold her beautiful items to
raise money for our adoption. After we got our first son home, she turned
her efforts to other waiting special needs orphans or families in process.
She has since taught her best friend to crochet, and together, they have
raised almost $6000 to help bring orphans home! (Sarah just turned 15, and her friend is 17.) In fact, just this morning, Sarah did a Farmer’s Market booth all by herself. She is learning so many life skills through this experience, not just crocheting.

I just wanted to encourage you that even a seemingly simple post had a HUGE impact on our family and my daughter’s life. I love the way the Lord works!

I’d be honored if you checked out her work when you have some time. (I’m a very proud Mama!) She designed the blogs/websites herself, and she’ll be
taking an HTML class to advance her skills after your encouragement to have our children learn this skill.

This is her blog she started with:
http://forhisgloryhandiwork.blogspot.com/

Her “Block Party” blog: (Brianna sends blocks for this every year.)
http://blockpartyukraine.weebly.com/

This is her fundraising site where they sell their items.
http://handiworkforelijah.weebly.com/index.html

Again, thank you SO much! God has used you in mighty ways! (I thought it was about time I told you, so you didn’t have to wait until we are in Heaven.
LOL)

Many Blessings to you and your beautiful family!

Please visit our adoption blog: www.mygodislord.blogspot.com
And Sarah’s fundraiser blog for “Maria”: www.handiworkforelijah.weebly.com

DID YOU READ THAT??? They have raised $6000 selling crochet items to help give orphaned children a mom and dad… a real, FOREVER family! And they are only 15 and 17!!!

As I read their blogs and saw their WILLINGNESS to give and serve I was so convicted, convicted of my complacency and laziness.

If I could plead and beg with families… with young people, please set your American Dream worldview aside and reach higher. Give. Serve. Work. Think bigger than yourselves. Don’t settle for our cultural normal. If God chooses to bless you with wealth, use it for His glory. If God chooses to bless you with less wealth use your time, skills and life for His glory. Wherever He has you, let your goals be bigger than material gain and comfort, ask Him to remove the hay and stubble form your life.

What a sad state we are in when we believe Christianity looks like the American Dream. God have mercy on us complacence, materialistic and narcissistic people.

There are children in orphanages that need to be rescued, if you can’t bring them in your home, in your family, then come along side a family that is willing. I’ve posted here about specific ways to help. There are so many ways to do orphan care. Our friends and church have been a HUGE blessing to us in MANY ways as we added our 3 adopted kids to our family.

We live in a very needy world. The needy are not only the orphans, although I believe they are the most helpless. And what is done for the least of these is done for Christ. How are you spending your time? How are you using your talent? How are you investing your wealth?

I love to crochet. I’ve done it so long that it is almost second nature. I can whip up a child’s hat in the time it takes our family to watch a movie. I can make a baby blanket in 3-4 evenings. I don’t mean to sound like a brag, I’m just saying, if I can make something in a couple hours, sell it for $15 and it only cost me $1-2 to make it, that is an easy way to make money for the needy.

Think of the amount of time being wasted!

Thank you, Jill, for sharing your family with us. Thank you for rescuing those precious children. THANK YOU Sarah for being a faithful servant of Christ!

Linking Up at:

Raising Homemakers

Why They (kids/husband/housework) Get On My Nerves

I’m not sure what it is right now, but the kids are hungry all the time, maybe it’s because it is summer and they are running around more, swimming more or maybe they are all just growing! Sometimes I think they are just bored.

We don’t buy a lot of junk food around here and most of our cooking is from scratch…so that takes time.

This morning I was making waffles for the kids using wholewheat that I ground myself and with blueberries that were just picked by my husband. My hopes were that these waffles would keep them ‘full’ for a while, and I made some extras for them to snack on this afternoon. Making waffles takes time.

I use this pancake recipe for waffles too.

While cleaning up from the waffle mess…because if you cook from scratch there are more things to wash than if you just opened a package and popped them in the toaster… I found myself getting cranky with the kids as my mind raced with other things that I’d rather be doing.

I was pre-occupied with a ladies Bible study that I teach once a month…

and with a new money making project that I am ALMOST finished with…

and with how I am going to design a cake that I am making this weekend for a special occasion for a friend…

and writing a blog post…

and …

Then I realized, through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, that I was becoming impatient with the children because my mind (and my heart) was not fixed on what was my duty… my God given responsibility.

I was becoming frustrated because the waffles..the nutritious, tummy satisfying waffles were taking up the time I’d rather spend on something else. I was grumbling in my spirit because I wanted to do something I viewed as more important. Basically those menial tasks were beneath me.

I struggle with this all the time, with loosing my focus. Of spending my time doing what is most important, of finding delight and satisfaction in my duty… EVERYTHING else is extra… less important.

And it’s not just the kids and making waffles, or hanging out laundry, or being on my hands and knees cleaning the bathroom, or sweeping the floors for the third time today that get on my nerves, that I huff about or roll my eyes at.

It’s also about my husband. He is a good man…I mean a REALLY GOOD MAN, who works so hard and sometimes I grumble in my spirit about having to do things for him…most of which are un-spoken because he is not demanding at all. I have a tendency to put other things before him and that is wrong. I forget that God CREATED ME FOR HIM. I am his helper, I fill in all the gaps for him, I meet his needs, I am his detail person. And what shame I bring when I am not taking delight in my duty to him…making him my main priority.

Why do I get irritated when he wants to do something that I find trivial? Why do I feel inconvenienced when he or the kids need me for something? Why does the sticky floor gripe me, after-all I just mopped it?! AND…is it really time to cook more food? I just cleaned up from the last mess!

WHY?

Because of selfishness. Because of what I deem as more important than my duty to my family. Pride!

I’ve been asking God to remove the hay and stubble from my life. All those things that will bring no lasting fruit. All those things that I am not suppose to squander my time on. That is a painful and scary thing to ask God to do. The real question is, will I obey when He quickens my spirit like He did this morning? Will I give thanks for the waffle batter that is dripped on the cabinet and the child asking for more?

And for the record, I do not do all the cooking and cleaning around here, everyone helps. Training the kids to find delight in their duty can only be found if I express it myself!

Are you irritated, impatient as you clean up AGAIN? Ask yourself, why. Do you really have something more important to do?

Also posting at:

Fiber Arts Monday - Simple Basics, looking for some ideas

With having little girls in my house again I am looking for ideas to help them learn the basics of sewing and easy projects that will encourage them to keep their hands busy.

Cherish, who is 8, is working on a printed plastic canvas project that we picked up at Hobby Lobby. Just learning the simple basics of how to hold a needle and which direction to stitch in has been a challenge, but plastic canvas , a big plastic needle and yarn are perfect to learn these simple things.

She will work on it for about 10 minutes, get frustrated and then have to put it down. I’m OK with that, I want her to enjoy it. The key right now is mechanics.

But the best part of doing this is that it forces time to be still with us, even when I may not want to. I have to sit with her and help her untangle her knots, or show her AGAIN what direction to go in. It gives me a perfect opportunity to teach her patience and the importance of details and diligence. I am learning just as much as she is, not in the skill of sewing but rather in patience and diligence in my parenting, in nurturing our relationship.

I even started my little Peach on these.

I used Styrofoam trays and poked holes in them.

Then I taped the yarn to the foam to be used as a knot.

We use a single thread so they can be used over and over again…

and un-knoted easily.

She thinks she is making something great! She is learning the same things, just bigger and slower. If she messes up the trays it’s no big deal, I’ll just make more. These are also great to keep her busy while we do school work. I even numbered her holes so we count as we go.

Boys like them too, but sometimes they find other things to do with the string!

Here are some other easy beginner projects:

Cloth Napkins

Tea Towels

Hair Scrunchie

Fiber art is anything that includes stitching, weaving, quilting, sewing, rug making, crocheting, knitting, spinning, etc…

Each Monday we can share ideas, patterns, finished projects and ask questions about fiber arts in the comment section.

You can also link up to your blog post or photo account that is related to fiber arts, I just ask that you link back to the most current Fiber Arts Monday post. Just leave your post link in the comment section and tell us what it is.

Liberty

“Yes, we did produce a near perfect Republic, but will they keep it? Or will they in their enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of their freedom? Material abundance without character is the surest way to destruction. I tremble for my country when I realize that God is just.” ~Thomas Jefferson

All LIBERTY comes with the heavy price tag of RESPONSIBILITY.

Whether concerning your liberty as a citizen or as a parent, if you are not willing to fight for and preserve your liberty then you don’t deserve it.

Just like birthing a baby is the easy part,

it’s the diligent parenting that is the hard part!

It All Sounds Good on Paper

It’s usually easy to come up with a plan. I personally love developing plans because I am a visionary by nature.

Plans are necessary if you have a goal and want to obtain it whether it be:

and so on…

And then…

comes reality…

the part where you roll up your sleeves…

and you start chiseling away at your plan…

it is usually dirty work, painful work, but necessary work.

This is the nitty-gritty of life.

This separates the dreamers from the doers, the idealist from the realist.

It’s great to dream, it’s great to plan, but if you do not get up and start working the plan you will find yourself accomplishing a whole lot of nothing.

I cheat on my diet occasionally, but at least I have a goal I am sloooowly working towards and not just sitting with Little Debbie every day (actually Little Debbie is NOT welcome in my house because she does not play nice).

We have a family chore chart hanging, we follow it the best we can…never perfectly, but at least everyone knows what is expected of them each day.

My lesson plans really look good on paper, but it rarely works out as I planned, but at least I know what direction we are heading in…we get there each quarter, each semester.

Our garden doesn’t look anything like I envisioned it to, but we are reaping some harvest! It’s better than last year’s, and maybe next year it will be even better! Gardening is hard work but the flavor of the food is so much better than store bought!

God has brought our desire to care for orphans to pass. This is HARD work, maybe a bit ~~harder~~ more complicated than we thought it would be, but we’re not quitters. We know the tasks set before us as a family, is an important one, an eternal one.

Family life makes for great pictures, but unless you are serious about the relationships in your family and all the behind the scenes loving and training then it is all in vain.

You may dream of being:

a missionary
married
a mommy
a successful business owner

The point is we can make anything look good on paper…

or a computer screen (especially with a good photo editing program),

but unless you are willing to carry out the details,

the daily hard work to get it done,

then you are nothing more than a dreamer!

Don’t waste your life dreaming and planing…be a doer!

This does not mean that every plan will succeed, many won’t, but at least you are moving…learning…DOING!

So often it is what is learned on the journey that is more valuable than the destination!

Life Lessons of Working Along Side Your Children

If you want to know someone, to see what they are made of, roll up your sleeves and work along side them. Nowhere is this more true than with your family, especially your children!

Whether doing daily chores or working for pay outside the home it is your duty to train your children to work diligently!

Some Things to Think About

-When doing chores or anything else at home with your children it is easy to let things slide and not expect their best each time, but when someone else is paying you (and them) to do an excellent job, you can’t let anything slide.

-The first several months the girls and I were cleaning other people’s houses I would point out what they were missing, often they would act as if I was being too picky. I would make them go back and re-do it. One day I received an e-mail from one of our clients pointing out a few things that were not done completely. This particular day I was not feeling well and did not have the energy to inspect their work. I let the girls read the e-mail. The girls were embarrassed and felt bad about the whole thing. In response to the e-mail I took responsibility for the work not being done completely (the buck stops with me) and offered the client a reduced pay for the next cleaning. In the long run it turned out to be a great life lesson because the girls realized that it really does matter that they do the job completely and that Mom is not nit-picking for no reason! Since then they have really improved on their quality of work, which makes it easier for all of us.

- One day while tackling a big job, one of my girls had an especially bad attitude. She made the whole day misery for her sister and me. When we got home her Dad gave her a stern talking to and we docked her pay. From that point on her attitude 100% improved. When you are providing a service for someone else you can not have a bad day. Remember you are training them to be a responsible adult.

Life Lessons Learned from Our Cleaning Jobs

-To Appreciate the Service of Others- Anytime you do service work it makes you appreciate the work of others. After working as a cashier and waitress in my younger years I truly appreciate the worker on the other side of the counter. Cleaning for people will give that same appreciation.

-Learning to Deal with Difficult People- This has been especially good!!! Some people are very hard to work for, whether it is a personality conflict, unreasonable expectations, a gossiper, etc… I am able to take each situation as they come and help my daughters learn how to respond or when to overlook an offense. This takes a lot discernment that usually comes with experience. I am so thankful they are getting this experience under my watchful eye and from our world view.

*People are a Witness to How a Family Can Work Together- a sight rarely seen these days, unlike the old days when it was common for children to work in the family business as they grew up, learning hands on skills and people skills.

There are so many things that are taught in a family, but it all gets kicked up a notch when you have to work together to please a client, this is when your family’s true character comes shining through; the good the bad and the ugly.

Not everyone will be excepting of having young people clean their house even if their parent is present.

Our current culture views 14, 15, 16 years old as irresponsible and not capable of quality work. We have encountered this many times; but with time you and your children can earn their trust and respect, just as we have.

We NEED more families working together. We need to be expecting more from our young people and it all starts in the home, with the parents setting a good example!