My Garden...

I have been blessed this year with a beautiful garden. I can't take the credit, we've received an abundant amount of rain, lovely warm days and rich soil. All I've done is work the ground, plant the seeds and try to control the weeds!!

My peas are producing like crazy. The boys have been greatly enjoying the freedom to pick and eat whenever they please. I am putting some in the freezer, as we aren't keeping up with just fresh eating. My beans and potatoes are blooming, as are my tomatoes. So lots of work is just around the corner. And I'm so thankful most of my weeding is done for the summer. I do need to go out and do some light weeding in the corn rows.

Mulch---My favorite gardening 'tool'. I have seen lots of questions floating around about how to do it, and if it works. So I thought I'd share what I do and what I have found to work best for me.

Most years I have just used old hay. Some people find it 'weedy', or I should say, sprouts lots of weeds. But I've never had a problem with it. Now straw-I have gotten weeds from that!! And I was not impressed this year to say the least. My hubby gave me some wonderful yellow straw. It was finely chopped, so was very easy to use. BUT it sprouted LOTS of grass. Thankfully I had laid newspaper down first, so I would go out about once a week and just shuffle it around and loosen the roots that were attaching to the newspaper. And so far that has worked for me.

This year was also the first that I used grass a lot. And I really like it!!! It's small and very easy to lay out. I like mulching soon after it's been cut, so it's still damp. Then it dampens the newspaper and holds it all in place better. Our large yard, is on top of the drain field of the septic system, so you can well imagine it grows grass like crazy!! We have a lawn sweeper that pulls behind the mower, so it works great for picking up the grass and hauling it to the garden. You do need to mulch thickly with grass, as it can backfire and grow LOTS of weeds for you.

As I mentioned, I lay newspaper down first. It is a great weed barrier. And works really great. It's easy to use, just not on a windy day!!! I use 2-3 layers, then put the straw/hay/grass on top and you won't have to pull any more weeds. (Hopefully)

Yes, that is weeds in the foreground. ( I didn't say my garden was weed free.) It's actually along the front edge of the garden, where we plan to put it back into yard. The black plastic, is another experiment for us. And it has worked out really good. Although I will plant things closer together. I put all my mellons, cucs, and squash out on it. Maybe it will all fill up yet, we'll see. (It is left over plastic from the silage bags. See being married to a farmer has it's benefits.)

The only places I don't mulch are my corn. And that is what is needing some weeding right now. We plant corn for 2+ families, so there are 12 LONG rows and 5 short rows. Plus I planted 4 rows of popcorn. Yes, I was industrious this year. Maybe it's because last summer I only planted 6 tomato plants. And this summer was ready for a real garden again. Although I didn't miss the work last year. I had decided with having a newborn in May, my hands were full enough. And I don't regret that.

So now you know what my summer will be full of...

Linked to Works for Me Wed.

Homemade Noodles

I did a first the other week-made my own noodles!! Thankfully, I had Bev's expertise to help me. We actually went together to get the noodle maker. So now we'll probably about always make them together, which of course is way more fun then doing it all by yourself. And for me, I get babysitting services for free. (She has 4 girls who are a great help with my boys and there are 2 boys to play with as well.)

Now for the recipe...

Homemade Whole Wheat Egg Noodles

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Cup All-Purpose Four

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

3 Large Eggs - Room Temp.

1 TBS Cold Water

Mix in stand mixer, until ball forms. Add more water or flour depending on need.

Then mix by hand, adding flour, until no longer sticky. And you can put through roller on the noodle maker.

We put ours through twice to get it to our desired thinness.

Then hang to dry-but only partially. The noodle maker can't cut it freshly made. Hanging them outside on a wooden clothes rack made for fast drying. Well, that is until it began to rain. Once inside they took much longer to dry.

This was the fun part!!!

And yes, we had to try the Spinach Noodles, MUCH to our husbands dismay!!!! But it was worth it, just to hear their stammerings and sputterings! I haven't tried them yet, mostly because I've been threatened that when I do, he'll be 'heading to town for supper'.

Let the noodles dry overnight, then store in an air tight container. We store most of ours in the freezer, and only keep some out for using before long. 

Oh, before I forget, we made many of batches of noodles. One batch makes 2 of those strips hanging on the drying rack, about enough for one meal for us. And what I love about this recipe is that it uses the whole egg, not just the yolks.

I LOVE homemade noodles. There is just nothing like them. And it just makes soups so much better.

Making Noodles is FUN!!!!

I had to add this picture... he was having fun with all the flour!! And somehow got a spot on his nose.

Linked to -Tasty Tuesday

                                    -Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
                   -Tuesdasy Tastes
                                 -Mouth Watering Mondays

                           -Tuesdays At the Table

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You might be a Mother...

I seen this on a friends blog and had to share!! I love these days of busy Motherhood, and it's so nice to know there are other Mother's going through the same things.

You might be the mother of many small children if…

…you have 60 or more finger and toenails that you are responsible for clipping.

…you have the stretch marks and bladder control to show for your MLP (Many Long Pregnancies).

…there is sand in your bathtub.

…someone at the pool asks you if you run an in-home daycare, and you respond, “Yes, for my own children.”

…there is Play-Doh in your carpet.

…you can’t give anyone a ride anywhere because your van is full to the hilt with car seats.

…when your husband says, “I have a really sexy idea!” you secretly hope it has something to do with you sleeping in or him picking up milk, because that sounds sexy to you.

…you may as well own stock in a diaper company.

…when talking about your children, you use fractions. “Well, half of them are sleeping,” or “One third" of them take swimming lessons,” because it’s simpler that way.

…there is a toddler on your kitchen table right now.

…when you do laundry, it’s about 8.2 seconds before there are enough size 2T pants and miniature underwear to already make another load.

…you can recognize the phrase, “Boy, you’ve sure got your hands full!” in twelve different languages.

…you dream about playing Memory and Connect Four.

…you don’t introduce your children to chocolate milk, because you know that once you do, making it is all you’d ever be asked to do.

…you lie awake at night thinking about how much peanut butter is left in the jar in the pantry.

…you own grubby sweatpants. And nice sweat pants. And maybe even church sweat pants.

…if you harvested all the dirt from under your children’s fingernails, you could plant a small garden.

…your fantasies include getting a new outfit or at least a nice pedicure. For yourself.

…at the checkout at the grocery store, when stocking up for your family for the week, the clerk asks you, “You havin’ a party?” and you respond, “Yup, every day.” { I have SOOO had this conversation!!}

…if you had a penny for the number of times you were asked “Are they all yours?” you could buy China. But you’d probably use the money instead to buy Desitin and baby shampoo.

…when you overhear another mother say to her child, “What, do you think I can just pull cheese out of my pocket?” you have to laugh. Because it’s funny. And because you’ve said something similar before.

…you commonly find small underwear, wet or dry, laying on the floor near the toilets of your home because someone didn’t want to go through the effort of putting it back on.

…your husband can get away with not mowing for longer than your neighbors can, because Many Small Feet trample the lawn down in your yard.

…your friends at church can’t remember which child of yours is which. And sometimes you can’t either.

…you’ve had to get over your dislike for worms, frogs, toads, mice, slugs, ants, snakes and beetles with claws.

…you’ve masted the art of pretending to be sleeping when you hear small footsteps coming into your room at 6 am.

…it’s not uncommon for you to look out your window and see at least two children of your streaking through the sprinklers in your backyard. When you thought they were reading library books in their rooms.

…you can’t hold all of your children in your arms at once, unless they are all piled on you on the couch, which happens on a nightly basis.

…when reading to your children at the library, other parents and children join you because they think it must be story time.

…you wish you had a penny for every time you had to shut the door behind a child. This time you'd probably use the money to buy pacifiers.

…you have so many babies, that when you hear one crying on the baby monitor, you don’t even know who it is until you go check.

…your oldest son embarrasses you by asking another mother, “So, you only have two children!?”

…your family goes through more than a gallon of milk a day. Sometimes two.

…seeing nude youngsters on a wet trampoline doesn’t scare you at all.

…you are so accustomed to noise that when visiting a construction site, you wonder why everyone is wearing earplugs.

…there is more love in your heart than you could ever have imagined.

What about you? How else might you know that you’re a mother of many small children??

Do share!

Cousin Fun...

What do you get when you add 3 + 2 ???

                                                    ... = 5 and loads of cousin fun!!!

Last weekend my Brother from CO came to visit. He has 2 little boys, add them to my 3 boys and we have quite the row of active boys. But they have SOOOoooo much fun together, along with the squabbles and fights.

I can only imagine ALL the fun they will have in the coming years!!!

Jevan and Brandon

5 mths apart in age... the 'Best of Friends' and 'Worst of Enemies'.

2 wk. old Bradley

All the laughter & tears,

tractors and trucks.

Cookies and crackers,

juice in the cups.

These boys are growing up,

they won't stay little long.

Tho they are 'trying',

they are growing up strong.

But oh, the JOY they bring

as they jump,

giggle and sing!!!

Link to For the Joy of it.

Reflections of Me

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God has blessed me with 3 little boys!! Little ones He has given me to raise, to guide. I have 'Hearts to Nurture', to train and teach. God has given me a responsibility in these souls He has placed in my hands for a few short years.

Why then is it, that I feel like I am the one being taught?? Why do I feel like I am the one in the 'School of Hard Knocks', so many days?? How is it that they are teaching me???

When I ask them to do a job, why do they so often grumble and complain?? Do I grumble that much?? (I know it is partly a childish, sin nature.) When I hear their bad attitudes, their fights and squabbles, when I see them hurting each other, in listening to the tones of their voices... I realize they are picking up things from ME!! They are a reflection of WHO I am!!

I know parents who are soft spoken, slow to respond, and just calm in nature. Their children, more often then not, are the same way. But those who respond quickly and with sharpness, will have children who respond the same way. And when you multiply that by 2, 4 or 6, what does your house sound like?? I know for myself, just having 2 in the talking stage and 1 in the squealing 'until-I-get-what-I-want' stage, it doesn't take long and the house can sound a very unpleasant discord!!

My desire is to teach my children to be loving and kind, soft spoken and slow to anger. But for some reason, it seems they are teaching me more then I am teaching them. So I guess we will learn together!! Oh, that I can be a Reflection of God to my children.

Blessing Our Husbands

Father's Day, a wonderful time to bless the Father/Husband in your home, as well as the Father of your life. What a great opportunity to do something special for them. Many times I try to think of something creative... and this year was no different. (I did splurge on my man this year!! {He just doesn't know it yet.} And I can't wait to see his face!!)

But another way to bless the Husband/Father/Provider of your home maybe simpler then you think. And it may bless him in more ways then you could ever know.

A couple weeks ago, my cousin, posted on her blog this post. And it got me to do some thinking. {Not a new experience, by the way. smile} But at looking for ways to bless my husband in ways that he notices, understands and feels.

There are many books & writings out there on 'How to love your man', 'How to honor him, respect him', etc. Now don't get me wrong, they have many good things in them, good points and things to consider. But there are times I have noticed, that my man didn't fit the 'text book' kind. He didn't feel loved the way they said a man would. Do all of us as wives feel love in the same way??

What 'shows' your man you love him?? After taking Shy's question, "If the entire Big House Estate was in a state of chaos, and the mistress had time to rectify one thing, what would you hope it to be?". I took it to heart and began thinking about it-hard!! I decided to ask my own Husband the question, but I reworded it my own way. And pretty much point blank. 'If I had only 10 min. to clean the house, what would you want me to clean up first??' After talking a bit about it, I found out he likes the kitchen counters cleaned, dishes washes, and table cleared. The toy littered floors don't bug him nearly as much as I thought it might. Or maybe I should say, as much as I thought it sounded like he should from things I've read. I guess, eye level things are more important to my man.

So this year, I've commited to keeping those areas clean(er). I know not every day will be perfect. Dishes are not my favorite thing to do, and I'd rather do them on a once a day basis. So it will take more time on my part to wash them 2 or more times a day. But I must admit it is wonderful to walk into a cleaned up kitchen, free of dirty dishes. The counters are clean and clear, everything is just ready and waiting for another project to be started there. (I say project, because I make everything from lotion and laundry soap to breads and desserts.


I've been feeling blessed, just knowing I'm blessing my Husband in this simple way. He may not say much about it from here on out, but in my heart, I know he cares and is appreciating it. 
 

A marriage takes communication. I think it is one of the most important keys. I just happened to read this post, after following a Works-for-me-Wed. linky. And was blessed. There are still couples working hard on their marriages, when Satan wants nothing more then to ruin them. A wonderful, loving marriage does not happen overnight. And I'm so thankful for this journey of love I'm on, that started a long while ago. If I would have known all the things the past year would hold, I'm not sure I would believe it. But God is good, He can take the rocky places and make them into stepping stones. We just need to allow Him to do it. And I am blessed because of it.

Sweet Shot Tues.

My blonde haired, blue eyed, bouncing, baby boy!!

For more 'Sweet Shot's' visit 'Life with my 3 boybarians'.

Linked to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Mom's Chili Soup

My mom makes the BEST chili soup- Hand's Down!!! I maybe a bit bias, but I've tried many, many so called 'Chili Soup's', and they just don't come close. She got it from the Rose Dale Bible School in OH, for those that care to know.

Soup may seem a bit strange to be posting in the summer, but as rainy and cool as it's been around here, it's just seems a 'soupy' kind of day!! It's simple and fast to make. I often make a full batch, as it makes a lot for my little family, then freeze the extra for another meal.

Mom's Chili Soup

2lb Ground Burger
2 TBS Chili Powder
1 C. Flour
1/2 C. Onion Flakes
5 C. Water
4 C. Ketchup

1/2 C. Brown Sugar (or less)
1 can Kidney Beans

Fry burger until brown, with Chili Powder and Onions. Drain fat.
Then add flour, make sure kettle is away from heat.
Return to heat and slowly add water, while stirring.
Bring to a boil, then add Ketchup and Brown Sugar,
and kidney beans. Simmer until ready to eat.
Enjoy!!!

We also like to eat this with shredded cheese, or corn bread or freshly baked bread or rolls.
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Linked to-
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Benefits of Vinegar

Another 'Laundry Tips' Post.

I've been wanting to do another 'Laundry' post. But it always seems to get pushed off. Or I have something else I'd rather post. So today I'm going to do another one. (Not sure how many more I'll have.)

A while ago I started using Vinegar as my liquid Fabric Softener. And it works wonderfully!!! I read about it here.

Get cleaner laundry! Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew.


 And then later I read somewhere, but forget just where right now, how it works to not have to use fabric softener/anti-static sheets in your dryer, if you use Vinegar in your rinse water when washing. So I tried it, and YES, it WORKS!!! I have not purchased any dryer sheets for along time now. And I NEVER have any static in my clothes when I dry in the dryer.

My washer has a cup holder for putting the liquid fabric softener in, so I just put 1/2c. or so in of Vinegar, fill the rest of the way with water, and let it come out when it is suppose to. -During the rinse cycle.-

Did you know the lint in your lint traps, on your dryer, are bits of your clothes being chewed up by the dryer?? I never really gave it much thought before a man came to our place to do a water test and we were talking about our water and the hardness, ect. And he was saying how a dryer actually is very hard on our clothes.

So hanging your clothes to dry is the best thing to do. For one it saves wear and tear on them, (They get enough wear and tear just by being worn.) in the winter it adds much needed moisture to the air, and it will save you lots of $$ by not using your dryer. And less you think I only wash on sunny days, and never use my dryer anymore!!! Remember-we are FARMERS!! We have to do wash on an almost daily basis, I don't have that option.

::More benefits of Vinegar in your Laundry Room::

• Keep bright colors from running. Soak clothes in full strength Vinegar for 10 minutes before washing.
• Get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again. Add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring it to a rolling boil and drop in the articles. Let soak overnight. (I haven't tried this one, but I want to.)
• 
  Attack spaghetti, barbecue, or ketchup stains with a white distilled vinegar and water solution.
• Forgot that you left wet laundry in the machine and it now smells moldy? Pour a few cups of white distilled vinegar in the machine and wash the clothes in hot water. Then run a normal cycle with detergent.
• Eliminate manufacturing chemicals from new clothes by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water.
• Remove deodorant stains by lightly rubbing with vinegar then washing as usual.

It works great for me. What ways have you found to use it in your Laundry Room??

You can find more tips and uses here.
1001 Uses for Distilled White Vinegar
131 Uses for Vinegar

You can use vinegar for MANY more things then just the laundry room!!! Just google it and you will be amazed at the things you can fine. From weed killers to being used as a medicine.

Linked to Works for Me Wed.

Commentary on Psalm 23

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The Lord is my Shepherd ~ That's relationship!
I shall not want ~ That's supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures ~ That's rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters ~ That's refreshing!
He restoreth my soul ~ That's healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness ~ That's guidance!
For His name's sake ~ That's purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death ~ That's testing!
I will fear no evil ~ That's protection!
For thou art with me ~ That's faithfulness!

Photo Credit

Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me ~ That's discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies ~ That's hope!
Thou anointest my head with oil ~ That's consecration!
My cup runneth over ~ That's abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life ~ That's blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever ~ That's Eternity!!!

My mom found this at my Grandparents place the other evening while we were there. I didn't read it 'til a couple days later. And it just spoke to me. Often Ps. 23 is read at funerals, and knowing my Grandpa will be passing into Eternity any time, made it hit home really hard. My Grandpa has lived a full, and long life, but it doesn't make it any easier to say 'Good-bye'. He is leaving behind a wife, of 60+ years, 11 living Children (my namesake, died at 11 mths.), 60+ grandchildren and 90+ Great-grandchildren. (I'll get exact counts later.) I am so Thankful we have Heaven to look forward too!!

Garden Tea

There is nothing so refreshing as a tall glass of ice cold, freshly made, mint tea!! And I am so thankful to have an established tea bed here. Freshly made tea on a warm summer day... what could be better?? Not much. But it is great having tea all winter too. 

I use to dry the stuff. But it always took a while, it took up room and was messy. A cousin gave me a wonderful tip. Just freeze them. When they are frozen, they crumble up nicely and you can keep smashing them down and adding more to the bag as you go. It's amazing how much you can get in a bag. I had 2- 1 1/2 gallon size- bags, and that is what I am still using now. It lasted me ALL winter. So I have a feeling I will have plenty again this year.

My very willing 'Harvester'.

Full laundry basket and that's only half of it.

You can just cut the stems, throw in a bag and freeze that way. But I don't like all the stems, as they don't crumble into such little pieces to fit in my tea maker. So I just strip the leaves off the stems, which is really easy. I pick off any bad leaves, then hold it about an inch or two from the top and pull down. Most times it works great, but the longer the stems sit, the limper they get. And some stems are just plain weak. I don't wash my leaves either. Just stuff them in a bag and freeze. It works wonderfully. And it's great being able to make refreshing tea, all winter long.

Linked to Finer Things.
               Feel Good Friday

Homemade Body Wash

I had forgotten a cousin of mine requested this recipe a while ago, and I had told her I'd post it. Sorry, Marilyn.

Castile Soap Body Wash

2 Cups Castile Soap-1 Bar Grated

Add 1/2 gallon of Water

2 TBS Glycerin

Mix in large pot, over low heat, until soap is melted. Transfer to jars and cover tightly. And let stand over night to set up.

You may add water later to make as runny as you want. I didn't add water, as it is runny enough for me. I just shook it up a bit.

I made this batch in Nov. of last year. And I jusy opened my last bottle. So it stores very well. And lasted a long time for us.

I got this recipe from a friend of mine.

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Healing Touch for Diaper Rashes

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...What to do for Diaper Rash/Yeast Infection...

As I mentioned before in this post, my boys are very prone to diaper rashes. And when they get them, it gets BAD fast, if I don't do something right away. Most time's I can keep it under control, but now and then I can't. And last week end was one of those...

It started out very mild, but different and he had 'the squirts' along with it. So I took him in to the Dr. and she prescribed a very basic cream. 'Athletic's Foot Cream'. You know the kind you put on 'Athletic's Foot'. 'Though this was 2% strength and the over the counter stuff is only 1%. And right away I was thinking 'Duh'. I remembered in '08, we were in CO. and Jevan had gotten a really bad rash, so bad it was bleeding. And I didn't know what to do. So I finally went to Walgreen's and asked them. (It was a Sat. so clinic's were not open and I really didn't want to take him in anyway, out there.) So I just asked a Pharmacists what to do and right away, she told me to use 'Athletic's Foot Cream'. On my baby's, it takes only hours to see a difference!!

I know the 1% strength works!! I forgot the prescription stuff when we left on Fri. for the Cities. (Don't know how or why, but I did.) So I bought the Terbinafine Hydroloride 1%, and it did not work. So Sat. evening I bought Clotrimazole 1%, and gave him a baking soda bath. By morning there was a huge difference. Not sure what all worked, but I was so thankful he was feeling so much better!!

:: So I thought I'd share my tips with you::

• Soak them in a Baking Soda bath. {Yep, another use for Baking Soda.)
• Allow time in the air. Yes, my baby ran around in underwear for a while. {Scary I know.} And keep the diaper area as clean and dry as possible.
• Use cream every time you change diaper. Not only 2 times a day like it says on the tube.
• Use Clotrimazole 1% -over the counter, or Miconazole Nitrate 2%-prescription, as an active ingredient. The Terbinafine Hydroloride 1% did not work for me.
• Give them lots of Probiotic.
• Love them and comfort them!!

I also found out he had Campylobacteriosis. So that explains the abundance of messy diapers. I went through a 31 pack of pampers in little more then 24 hrs!! And that contributed to the rash problem. So after giving him a dose of antibiotic, he got better. A brief bit of info on Campylobacteriosis, it is a bacteria from chickens, pigs, cows, cats and/or dogs. He obviously picked it up here on the farm somewhere. So far no one else has gotten it, and I'm hoping it stays that way.

Trash Can Tip

You ever get tired of emptying the trash can?? Tired of pulling out bags and putting a new one back in?? Here's something I have been doing for a while now. I read it in the book, "Time-Saving Tips For The Busy Mom" by Carrie Grubbs- Life Changing Seminars.

Whenever I take out the bag, I add 3-6 more trash bags, one inside the other, until I can't get any more in. Then on days I am in a hurry, there is another bag waiting. All I do as I am putting the trash bags in the trash can, is poke small holes with a pin along the top, to let out air. It will take a bit to get all the air out of the liners. But once the first bag is full, the next is waiting, fitting snuggly to the side of the trash can.

Another thing you can do is just place your box of bags or even a handful of them, on the bottom of your trash can. Then you are not wasting trips to get a bag from where ever you store them.

I find it a great time saver, as I don't push off changing the full bag, because all I have to do is pull, tie and throw out.

Wimpy Woman or a True Woman??

::This is the first in a series of posts on the book "Voices of the True Woman Movement" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. She had put a notice on her FB site that I could order her book, if I blogged about each chapter in the book. I have always appreciated Nancy's radio talks and her books, so I jumped on the chance for a 'free' book. I just have to post them before Sept, so I'll be posting a couple times a month.::

Have you noticed a changing trend in our culture? Have you ever thought of the change in women?? As in the past few generations. While most women would not think of it in the terms of 'Wimpy', that pretty much sums it up. We are believing lies and following the crowds of unbelievers. And going against God's ordained plan for Womanhood.

As John Piper wrote in his chapter 'The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood' 'Wimpy Theology does not give a woman a God that is big enough, strong enough, wise enough and good enough to handle the realities of life in a way that magnifies the infinite worth of Jesus Christ.'

So often the Woman of today's generation are not allowing God to work in their hearts, to be put in the place He desires to them to be, whether single or married, etc. etc. We are 'standing up for our own rights'. We want to be leaders and do a Man's job and live in a man kind of world. Many are no longer wanting to stay home and be the Keeper of the Home. They are missing the role God has called them to fulfill. And obviously, if you are not married, your role will be different, but you can still be in the place God calls you and be a 'True Woman'.

God has made two distinct roles- Manhood and Womanhood. Gen. 1:27 'God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them.' God wants to display His glory in us. Another quote from John Piper, 'The meaning for true womanhood is this: It's a distinctive calling of God to display the glory of His son in ways that would not be displayed if there were no womanhood.' We have a distinctive calling!!

So many woman today are trying to be men. They feel they are being put down and are 'lesser' then them. But that is just where God has placed us and how He planned it. We are called to be 'Keeper's at Home'. There are so many lies out there that Satan has us believing to be truth. The ladies at our Church have been studying the book 'Lies Woman Believe' by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. (I highly recommend the book.) I am amazed at just how many lies I have been believing. And that is just what Satan wants. He has fudged and smeared the truth that it's hard to tell the right from wrong. He has us on a slippery slope and we are not even aware of how really bad it is.

But how wonderful it is to know Jesus forgives and He gives us strength to be the True Women He has called us to be. I am so glad I have the power through Him to become the True Woman He wants me to be.

Stuffed Suitcase??

Luggage

This past week-end we had the privilege of going along with a few families from our Church to do some street ministry and spend time witnessing in Soup Kitchen in the Twin Cities. As always, with 3 boys, I take plenty of clothes along. (Or at least try too. I forgot some shirts for Jevan.) Over the past couple of years I have been experimenting with packing, and what the best way is to do it with the least amount of space. I don't like having any more pieces of luggage then I have to to haul in where ever we are spending the night. Not to mention saving space in the van as well. (We were VERY loaded this week-end. I needed a stroller, snacks, breakfast foods, pack-n-play, as well as all the other things that go with when traveling.)

I was able to pack all the boys clothes in one duffel bag. They each had 4 sets of clothes, extra shorts, pj's and a bag of pampers, plus the usual socks and underwear. {I was going to take a picture before I left and I forgot. So maybe the next trip, which there aren't any plans for, by the way.} I have learned the best way to pack clothes is fold them in half, for the boys and 3rd's for Delvyn and I, and then put them in accordion style. The fold up, and each child has his own row. You can easily see what each item is, without looking to the bottom of the stack and messing every thing up pulling it out.

I have heard of Mom's putting the child's things in a paper bag and cutting it even with the suitcase. But I take way more clothes then a paper bag would hold. Maybe I over prepare, but you never know with children!! And I don't like having to do wash, if possible. One Mom puts a set of clothes for each child in a bag, one for each day or each child a Ziploc bag. To me it seems like a waste of bags, but I can see the benefit of that too. It would make it easy for Dad to help with finding clothes, they are presorted and ready to go. I've seen suggestions for rolling your clothes, that makes for fewer wrinkles and less bulk. I've not noticed fewer wrinkles or less bulk.

I still like my accordion style. Something I just thought of is packing accordion style, but also putting a set of clothes together, the pants/shirt/underwear/socks, then you are not looking for things to match or a sock missing some where. I might just try that next time. Also Delvyn can easily grab a set of clothes, if you put them in the order needed.

Something else I have learned, is not to wear light colored clothes on a child while traveling. They get so dirty so fast and you don't always change clothes as you go from place to place. Dark colored clothes hide lots of dirt, on Mom and child.

This is something I have found that greatly helps me, maybe you have something that works better. Please share your tips in the comments.