Planting with Sarah Faith :)

On Friday, Sarah Faith and I went outside so she could plant seeds of flowers in the precious little ceramic pot she had decorated months ago from Michaels Craft Store.

We had such a great time!!

She has all of her items gathered and ready to go!

Here she is planting her seeds... oh we can't wait for them to sprout!

Now, she's putting a thin layer of soil over the top.

Typical Sarah Faith putting "candy" on her little pot.

I love that each girl has one she's decorated.

Proudly finished!

Now, we're hoping for a sprout soon!

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Random :) lol

I was tired and didn't feel like fixing dinner Friday night.  So I made Sloppy Joe's or Manwiches, whatever you choose to call them.

I say *I* made them but actually Madi Grace & Sarah Faith did.  Madi browned the meat and Sarah put in the sauce.

So easy!

Dollar Store cuties to decorate the table simply!

We think it's cute and it's less cumbersome than our usual huge set of flowers and candle sticks.

Here are my girls enjoying their manwiches.  Yum!

Just a simple time together!

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We love to read!

We all love to read.  I have loved to read since I read Lurlene McDaniel when I was about 13 years called, "I want to Live" and the first one, "Six months to Live".  I moved on to books by Danielle Steel.  I read them nonstop.

I still read, but it's my Bible and Christian books about being submissive, being a homemaker, being a better mother, etc...

My girls are learning to love to read also.  Since we homeschool I have a "reading class" where they read 30 minutes straight on a book of their choice - tho they read other times of the day on their own.  I'm very thrilled about this.

Hannah Joy loves books!  While the girls were reading, she and I rounded up about six books for her to read.  I found 4 more at a garage sale today for 25 cents each and got them.  She picked 2 more for the same price so she came home with six more books!  She was super happy!

Sarah Faith reading during her 30 minute "reading" class.

She enjoys it also!  Never a complaint!

Madi Grace is really into a book her Dad told her about that he read when he was young.  It's huge and tiny, tiny print but she's about half way done with it and loving it.

Thank God for books!

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Mommy/Daughter Time :)

After I got much cleaning done, we took some time and I painted each girls fingernails.  We used easter colors.  We all enjoyed it!

It was a nice little break!!  And, a great way to connect for a bit with each of my girls!  :)

Hannah Joy & Sarah Faith chose a golden yellow!

It looked so cute!

Here are their lovely nails after they were painted.  :)

Madi Grace chose a pale aqua blue.

It has little sparkles in it as does the yellow the younger girls chose.

I put my hand in with hers to take a pic of our hands together.  (I had to hold the camera with one hand, lol)  

It was a sweet time as we visited one on one as I painted each child's nails.  Just a short time but not a rush giving us all a break for a bit!

A Thankful Mommy,

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Making my babies Happy!!!!

After a fun-filled day, the girls used chalk from my friend Tamara, and drew all in the garage.  Afterwards, they used the bathtub markers to have fun getting clean and drawing in the tub.... forevahhh!  lol

Before they got in the bath, they had been mentioning throughout the day they were craving boiled eggs.

So, what would a Mom do in a situation like that?  :)

I made them their eggs!  :)  Please excuse the tea stains in my "once" pretty pink bowl.  My husband uses it to make my tea.

Eggs are peeled and ready to be eaten!  :)

The big girls jumped in to eat them.

I asked Hannah as she peered in the bowl, "Do you want one?"

She said, "no.  they're BAD!"  I said, "no honey, they are GOOD.  See Mae Mae & Pae Pae are eating them.  They're good."  I guess she thought I meant they were BAD as in BAD/GOOD.  So she said, "No, they're Bad,  Mama, they're BAD!!  They taste bad!"  LoL!

So she needed a treat too.  This is terrible but I gave her...

diet coke!

See, happy now!!!  :)  LOL!

Then, Sarah Faith decided she didn't like them either and wanted the rest of my diet coke.  (can)  So she finished that off.

Now, she's saying she'd like to try the eggs again.  Uhhh Huhhh, I got her trick down now!  LOL!

Oh how my children are a blessing to me!!!!

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Home: a guest post by Mrs. Renee Stam

Home is more then the place you live in.


Have you ever try to explain to someone that you are a homemaker and what you do all day.

Some thinks that a homemaker is a domestic engineer, she cleans and cooks all day and her house looks like the "Better Home and Garden" magazine pictures. But lets face it, most of us (with young children) do not have that type of "well put together" home, and if we compare our house with those magazine, of course we feel like we don't measure up, that we failed as a homemaker. But reality is, life happen in our home, children have toys, they makes spills and write on our walls, and that is ok. We might not be the best housekeepers out there but that shouldn't stop us from being a HomeMaker.

Other view a homemaker as the one who is hospitable, who open her home to grand parties, with sophisticated food,  color coordinated table setting, she is the perfect hostess and people love attending dinner at her home. But really is she showing hospitality or is she entertaining her guest?

Showing hospitality means that the homemaker is seeking to serve needs of her guests.

If her guest needs food or a place to lodge, she will be willing to joyfully be at service, the food might be as simple as macaroni and cheese and a couch might be the place to rest for the night, but offered in love, in Christ love, this will have a greater impact. Maybe her guest needs to talk, to share his/her trouble, being there and willing to "really"listen to your guest, to pray for and with them, to share their burden, sorrow, pain and joy, all of this is part of showing hospitality.


What is a homemaker? what does she do? what would making HOME look like?


Making home could look different for my home then your, God each does give us gifts and different skills, to use for his glory. Making home does not need to cost us lots of money, nor should it be time consuming. Home should be a place where the people who are in it, either living there or just passing by, feel the love of Christ. Where they feel they can be open to share their pain, and joy, where they are welcome to eat and have fellowship, where they know they are prayed over.

But how can I make my home more ready to show hospitality.

• Keep a easy routine to keep certain area visitor ready, not asking to clean your home top to bottom, but dedicate a room or two that will be company ready, no clutter or toys etc, your children can help.
• Have a spot, kitchen table, couch etc... a place you can make comfortable to sit and have ~tea, coffee, juice, cookies ...~ where you can sit comfortably and be free to let you children, husband, guest open their heart.
• Get dress, do your hair, you never know who will pop up, be ready
• pray for your family, pray for your guest that are on their way, pray for opportunities to serve their needs.

Above all have cultivate a servant heart and spirit, share Christ love and smile lots.


Ps the pictures where taken at my mother inlaw home, I love the way she is maker her house a home, what a beautiful example of a homemaker. I love her.

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The love of Creating Home

I am finding the TRUE love of creating HOME.

I've "done the deeds" and kept house... but that's not what I'm talking about here.

I'm talking about a true passion for Creating Home.

Many of us do not have a lot of money to spend on our homes but that's not what matters either.  You can use what you have and make it work.  Plus, a simple look is a very tidy, neat look if you keep it clean.  

I love keeping home for my family.  It makes them feel good to live here, proud to invite friends over and gives all of us a relaxed feeling to be here.  I am enjoying that if company knocked on the door they could view every bit of my house but that's not it either.

Creating Home - is just that.  Making your house into a HOME.  Make it inviting to your family, let them know it's clean and tidy for them to play in and teach them the diligence and self control to put things back when they are done with it.  You can do this guilt free because you are doing your part.  Make it cozy - a place that they can feel warm in their hearts.  One thing I think that adds to that is having pictures around of them and loved ones.  We keep a throw blanket that I adore (Thanks Renee!)  on the sofa along with a throw pillow.  If someone is feeling tired or not well, they can lay there peacefully.

Creating home means putting GOD FIRST.  Are you teaching your children scriptures?  If not, I encourage you to help them hide His word in their hearts.  We learn one scripture a week.  I am going to start today memorizing an additional scripture for myself each week.  The more of His word we get into ourselves, the more God can make His home in us.

Creating home is making memories.  Special memories the children will remember and they can be such simple ones.  They love spending time with Mommy.  Bake some muffins together.  Draw together.  Things like that do not cost much money.  The muffins can be eaten for snack or the next morning's breakfast and I'm sure you have some paper on hand to draw.  Sit and tell stories and listen to them tell stories.  We love to sit and sing Amazing Grace together.

Creating home, for me, is much more than just the clean, tidy home you live in - it's what you do there.

I hope this has encouraged you to do more at Creating Home in your and your families lives.

Blessings!
 

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A Wonderful Day

Today, we had a lot of fun!!  :)

We did several fun things and just enjoyed each other!

Here goes ~

Here the girls are making LEIs!

They are also making a frog pinwheel.

Each girl does part of the frogs and Madi did the flower center.

They were having a great time.

I love to see my children smiling and enjoying life!

Here Miss Sarah Faith is showing her lei!

She did a super job on it!!

Here's Madi Grace being silly as she strings up her lei.

She is such a HOOT!

Then our gifts to them for their baptism arrived today!

Their Bibles!!!  Sarah's cover was too small so we're going to go exchange her cover tomorrow.  :)

Madi already has hers in it's cover.  Sarah Faith is holding her Bible up so we can see.  It is a NIrV early reader for God's Princess.

They are both the same.  :)  Pretty too!

My Bible also came in but I thought it was going to be a small one to put in my purse - bought it online - and it's full size.

King James version and I had my name put on it.

Nonna & Popaw would like this one.

Hannah is eating some of the Sweetarts they brought them when they came for their baptism.  Hannah accidentally got Sarah Faith's.  They're all the same so I just told Sarah Faith to eat Hannah Joy's when she's ready for some!  lol  Hannah Joy helps herself around here!

The other three shared fruit cocktail together.

(our friend Brittany was here as you can see)

I put the pinwheel outside by the privacy fence when they were finished.

Here it is upclose.  They did a great job!  I love it!

Brittany took turns painting everyone's toenails.  Including MINE!

The girls got theirs painted gold and I got mine red!  She is such a sweet friend and a really good girl!  We enjoy her company!

The girls wanted to take a picture OUTSIDE of them wearing their LEIs.  This turned out cute, I think!  The sun was so bright!

Daddy came home and gave the girls their allowance.  This is the first week we've gone to allowance.  They do chores and help me so much and they get $5 each per week.  I'm taking them tomorrow to see if they find something they want to buy with it.

Hannah Joy got hers too - right in the middle of eating!  LOL!

Each girl gives their BEST so each girl gets the same amount.  We do not think it's fair to pay according to age as long as the child is doing their best to help also.  Hannah Joy fights to keep her pile of towels to fold.  She helps unload the silverware (other than knives, OF COURSE) out of the dishwasher.  She helps clean up.  She takes things to the trash when I ask her to or to the laundry basket when I ask her to.  And she's SO excited each time she gets to do something.

We had a great day and plan on another great day tomorrow!

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