How About a Quick Catch Up...

I hope all of your Thanksgivings' were blessed! And that you are facing the Christmas season with hope and anticipation. Lots to share around here and each day, at the end of the day, I think, I should write my blog readers, but I AM SO TIRED!!! So, instead, I shall awake early and send a little note of hello! Almost all of my house is snoozing still. Just the little man is up with me-absorbed in playdooh that his big sis made for him yesterday.

So let's back up a bit. Last Wednesday was my first official Dr appointment for this new babe. But that doesn't mean I am 12 weeks along like most women are on their first visit, I am just 4 weeks-my babe is only the size of a poppy seed;). There are 2 reasons they are seeing me early, one my age( I am now considered OLD for carrying a child-35-really!!) and also my history with the illness I have during pregnancy always means setting a plan in motion early for treatment when it arrives. My Dr is in a new building-quite nice I may say, and things are done a bit different-much better I must admit!! My nurse was a sweetie and was fantastic with getting me up to date with all of the new pregnancy do's and don'ts. Then I had my blood work done to check on the progress and everything looks awesome! Yeah! I got the phone call Friday evening from the nurse to say all is well. That phone call was the final "you can be excited-this is really real."

Wednesday night I got pretty sick from a reaction to the flu shot, but after a good nights sleep, I was back to myself-whew! I never get flu shots, but after actually having the flu type A last Christmas, I gave in to the nurse. I am hoping I made the right choice.

Matt and I enjoyed cooking all day on Thursday and our family arrived around 4 just as the last of the dishes were placed on the table. I remembered to snap a picture before the meal but completely forgot to take one during dinner.

Our time with family was awesome. We played games, talked, prayed, did a little thrift shopping(the whole crew of us descending on these shops was probably quite a sight), and went on a great walk. My mother and father in law took the time to pray over me, they have been one of my most faithful prayer warriors and when they seek the Lord, mountains always seem to move. Their excitement was a true gift to us and gives strength for whatever may lay ahead.

How am I feeling is the question from most friends? Well, I am still getting up, still keeping meals down, and still keeping up the important things. I am sooo tired though, I think I crawl into bed at least 3 times during the day to recharge, and as much as it frustrates me, I have no choice. I am experiencing a queasy stomach and aversions, which leave me a bit discouraged about the road ahead. But each time my mind starts despairing about those things, I attempt to give it all back to the Lord. I am realizing, when I look at the whole pregnancy, it seems tireless and hard, but if I look at the next hour ahead, it seems manageable with the Lord's strength. So, hour by hour we shall go with lots of sleep;).

And on the most exciting news this past week. Madison, the oldest of our daughters was baptized yesterday. It was a precious experience for she and Matt. One of the most blessed perks of Matt being a pastor is that he can baptize our children when they are ready to make that step of faith. We were thankful that my folks could make it out to see her in this important time of her life. After going through some tough things this year, she has a true desire to draw near to the Lord and the plans He has for her. There is nothing more important to Matt and I than to see our children grow in their relationship with Jesus.

I Must Count My Blessings....

As you may have read in one of my latest posts, we just found out this week that we are expecting our 6th child! A pure joy surprise!! As most of you may not know since I did not start blogging until after our 5th was born, is that my pregnancies are very difficult. I have Hyperemesis Gravidarum. There is still little known about this condition, but health care professions are starting to understand it better and at least begin to help treat it, unfortunately not cure it;(. In the simplest of terms, it is a never ceasing, very overwhelming version of morning sickness. That in itself is quite icky, but as you can imagine, after facing that for weeks to months without being able to hold down any food, the lack of nutrition and fluids become the real issue and can cause, if not treated, other complications.

I have had it with each pregnancy, and with each pregnancy, it gets worse. My pregnancy with Noah, the "morning sickness" lasted until 6 months. I had a surgery to place a PICC line to deliver 24 hour fluids and medication. Fortunately I was able to, with the medication, eat just enough to not need IV nutrition thankfully! I had a home nurse that checked in with me as often as needed to deal with the bandage changes from the PICC line, check on my vitals, deal with medication changes, check on Baby:) and teach me how to deal with changing fluids, meds, and I was even taught how to put a catheter in my leg each day when my PICC line had to be pulled for complications. I had 3 separate PICC lines placed during that pregnancy due to the risk for infection that they bring with them. Migraines unfortunately are a problem come about my 11th week, which I assume have something again to due with the hormone changes compounded with the lack of good nutrition. This always lands me at the Drs to get a shot to finally break the migraine.

I did not have good care with my first three, the diagnoses was not even whispered, I am sure because of insurance reasons. This ended up causing multiple hospitalizations due to dehydration. So, even though, it is difficult to go through all of the treatment, and it doesn't really relieve the most obvious miserable symptoms, it keeps us together as a family, the baby healthy, and hope for getting through the nine months.

Now, with that said, I know, many people wonder "why in the world would she go through that over and over" That is very simple-all I have to do is look at the miracles each of my children are, and there is no question of "is it worth it?"-IT IS!!

The other question might be, "why dwell on all that difficulty, especially when you are most likely about to relive it?" The answer to that is kind of why I am writing this post. Remembering those valleys in our lives in turn reminds us of how God was faithful to get us through it! I can also see fruits that came from those times, especially in my children. They learned at a young age the blessing of helping one another, as well as the gift of life-how precious it is-what it is worth! I am also going to hopefully face this time with a chance to hang on to the simple blessing each day has. Already, we have begun to prepare for the worst, but pray for best!! I want to share that journey with each of you!! This will probably change a lot about this blog. At some point, if I do in fact go through this illness again, the shop may have to take a back seat, creating all together probably will. We are usually in a very basic survival mode around here, because I am bed ridden for a portion of the pregnancy. What I am hoping is that I can, at that point, at least muster enough mental power to connect and share about God's faithfulness.

So with this in mind, I want to share a few praises...

As some of you know, I was diagnosed with a heart condition 3 months ago. The medication, unfortunately is not safe during pregnancy, but my Dr believes that my heart issue has resolved itself-WOW!!! We are in the waiting period of no medication to make sure-how cool is that!!! Only three months and I thought forever!!!

Matt and I went out last night to look for a few things that the kids needed, and I was feeling the countdown quite overwhelming and the need to take care of it before I physically can't. I needed winter boots for Madison and found a super good pair at the thrift shop for pennies-Thank you Jesus!! Along with a few other needed pieces of clothing for the other kiddos that Matt will not have to worry about.

I was able to cut Noah's hair today and feel confident he will not need to have it done at a barbers, it can be done at home making less errands for Matt who becomes Mr Mom.

I was able to start a special family cookbook for the kids, who already know how to cook quite well. But this specific book will have recipes that are easy, cost efficient, and ones they enjoy and will not have to spend time hunting down. I am hoping to make a few new recipes in the coming weeks to test before I can't be around food. I have a few funny titles I am working on for this family crisis cookbook-to be announced;)

Madison made breakfast this morning-homemade doughnuts-YUMMY!! And yep-the kitchen is a bit dark but that is changing-yeah!!

Matt and I ventured out to the Re Store today and were blessed to find the light we needed for our kitchen at a fraction of the cost we thought we would be spending. Instead of saving until after Christmas, and Matt having to wrestle with home repair while being Mr Mom, we were able to knock that big need off our list today(and bring a little light into the kitchen for making Thanksgiving dinner) I will share pics when it is installed

We picked up a mini vacuum for hard wood floors to help with upkeep since i will not be able to keep up daily with the beloved dog hair, glitter, crumbs-ya know!! I remember that being such a silly but seriously aggravating problem during my pregnancy with Noah-isn't that funny! But even Noah loves using this new little vacuum, so we are set;)

I was able to move our antique guest bed up into our living room yesterday to use as a daybed. It will be a blessing for me to be able to rest in bed while being out with the kiddos instead of isolated in my bedroom.

I finished 6 pairs of mittens for the shop( I won't overwhelm with pics of all of them) and enjoyed it as a gift to sit at the machine.

I am trying to enjoy the preparation instead of feeling the pressure. I am working to soak in the moments and give thanks. I am replacing thoughts of fear with thoughts of Hope from the Lord, and I am just a bit giddy about the miracle that I will feel a wee one in my belly again!

Money Does Grow On Trees...

I am sure many of you are feeling the pinch of the pocket book too. But it is a good lesson most of the time to be good stewards of what we are given. To treat the blessings we have with care. Being frugal is always a good thing and there is always something new to learn in that area! But to say that I do not worry about the finances would be a lie. The fact that is more and more difficult to make the dollar stretch to cover the basics seems to be causing my focus to dwell on money all to often. And it rears it's ugly head more often and in more ways than I would like to admit. And while I have been working at using this time to teach the kiddos how to be frugal and how to care for our gifts, I have also actually found myself saying to the kids "do you think money grows on trees?!" in moments of frustration and stretching. And here is the proof that the kids have heard it loud and clear! But humor is a true gift from the Lord, isn't it?! It can allow us to relax and laugh and remember that the Lord is taking care of us even when the kids may think that money does in fact grow on trees! My daughter Madi decorated the tree with this little gift of humor and said very proudly with a fabulous smirk on her face, "see mom, money does grow on trees." I found myself grateful in that moment for the fact that, even though my frustration comes out at the kids sometimes, they know that I love them and are not afraid to joke around with me. I know they are all working at the lessons we are teaching them, but they are also teaching us how to find joy and laughter in everyday life. I then told Madi to keep working at it, I would prefer it to be real money on a real tree while she's at it! Haha.

Nothing Better Than Peanut Butter and Chocolate...

I mentioned earlier today that we decided to use the afternoon for baking. And that we did! I too, have found a deep appreciation for Pinterest after hearing so many rave about it. It is a great place to store all of those inspirations, decorating tips, recipes that you just must try, solutions to those great cleaning dilemmas, funny pictures that just make you smile, storage ideas, books you want to read, etc etc. I find that in those minutes that come every once in awhile during the day, when I am sluggish, uninspired, or in need of a solution for around the home, I can take a quick stop at pinterest and get some ideas to move ahead. So today, we tried another recipe idea I had found there. The recipe came from this fabulous blog-baked to perfection. Cole and Madi both helped on this one today. They are a type of peanut butter brownies-YUM!

We made some in mini muffin tins and the rest in regular sized tins.

We all enjoyed one before bedtime as we took turns getting our baths for church tomorrow. The recipe was one I had pinned on my board and have now tried with great success. However, beware-one is more than enough to bring on a sugar rush-WHOA. I think we will stick to the mini muffin tins next time!

Warm Banana Bread on a Chilly Day..

It is a fresh and chilly fall day. We have had a bit of a "hard- to -get- going" kind of day around here. But we decided to spend the afternoon baking since our cupboard was bare and and our plans were too:). I just pulled some warm banana bread from the oven. I used an old favorite recipe of mine from a cook book that came from the first church we served in. The book is hardly recognizable any longer since I was quite fresh to being a wife and mama when we moved to our first church. That book and all of those sweet women helped feed my family with all of their shared cooking and baking experience! Here is the well worn recipe...

The Boy Can Sew!!!

The kiddos have all learned how to use my machines except for Noah. And Noah has been begging for over a year to learn how to use the sewing machines(which means since he was just 3) I was anxious for him to learn, but I have been waiting until I saw a bit of patience emerge in him, not to mention a good sprinkle of caution as well, which does not come to quickly in little boys;). Back in May, on the morning of his 4th birthday, he was laying in bed with Matt and I studying his birthday card. The conversation was about how he was 4 now, he was older and bigger, and he exclaimed with all the excitement he could gather, "I AM BIGGER-I CAN SEW NOW!??" OH Yes, you can imagine how much my heart swelled with pride-how could I not be touched by that. I still giggle when I think back to that. Since I sew for a living, it makes me think that the kids see I love what I do and it is contagious. I never wanted to teach them to sew out of obligation, I wanted them to love doing it.

Well this morning, while Bell was sewing and Noah was intently watching her, I decided to set up my old faithful, simple as pie, machine for Noah to learn on. You can imagine the delight when he realized I was going to teach him! And here's the thing, for a 4 year old boy, he is not looking to make barbie clothes like the girls or a quilt, to him, it is a cool machine, he is mesmerized simply by watching it work! So, letting him sew lines in fabric is all he needs to be completely excited about sewing! Here are some of the pictures...

Keeping those little finger clear of the needle.

.....................................pure joy....................

This one makes me giggle...not even tall enough to reach the peddle...I keep meaning to build a little box for all of the little kiddos for when they sew. Reaching the peddle is always an issue.Bell was working hard at making doll clothes, so Noah is happy to finally join her at the table.

My Walk With the Kids....

Matt had to run out to a meeting tonight after dinner, so I took the kids on our evening walk and took along my camera this time. There is always so much going on with the five kids on a walk so I thought I would share some pictures from tonight.

Bell started out keeping me company while the others ran ahead to play on the trail...

Joslyn found this nasty spider and we just had to get his picture...

I asked the kids to stop for at least a minute so i could capture all of them together-they attempted to cooperate:)

Joslyn spent the time picking wild flowers...

Madison was walking Ellie but stopped to add a few to the bouquet...

Sun just about to set behind the trees...

Joslyn and Noah kept a steady pace a bit in front of me.

Cole was wild man running across the field in order to beat all of us...

The girls had these flowers already in jars upon my arrival at the front door. It was another good evening walk...

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That....

Well, I am just about a week out from finding out I had a heart condition. Still have to pause when I say that... or type it... or think it... I have been on the look out for the villain called "side effects" from the new medication I am on and am happy to say, not only my heart agrees with the help, but so does my entire body! No tantrums here-I have refrained from driving just to be safe, which was okay timing because my mama van needs some real mechanical love right now and is parked just as I am. I was analyzing moods-which never works out too well-but nothing seems out of the normal realm of ups and downs;) Even after a ho hum day yesterday, I was still able to begin school with my youngest two(and have fun), get a few new mittens done, and work up a new recipe in the kitchen. The little ones were home with me last evening and we had some fun playing learning games and basketball outside in the cool fall air that has swept it's way into town this week. The garden is still growing, although certain plants have quit yielding, others are just starting, fun to see the change. I am loving the cooler weather but a bit sad for the end of swimming, planting, and laid back school days of summer. We camped in the back yard over the Holiday weekend, had a glorious fire, took some great walks,played badminton as a family and took down an eyesore fence in our backyard. Here are some pics of the week.

Our first fire of the season...oh how wonderful it felt to be slightly chilled and warmed by a fire!

The little ones enjoying their work on the first day back to school!

Had some mittens designed and cut out ready to be sewn up. Yesterday when i was feeling rather uninspired and sluggish, it was good to have these ready to go at the sewing machine. Always good to prepare inspiration for the times I am uninspired!

Did some Bug hunting today with Joslyn-which is why we call her Josie Bug. This fellow was a fun one to chase-he has it all...jumping, flying, camo-pretty cool!

And we planted the sunflowers later this year so that we could have something blooming at summers end. They are soo tall this year! Matt and I were chatting this morning about how cool it is to watch the sunflowers turn their faces to the sun! They will always be such a charming flower to me. They just seem to ooze imagination, don't they. I hope someday to live next to a field of sunflowers-just one of those tiny dreams of simple pleasure.

And last, I am trying a new recipe-feels perfect for the cooler weather. It is a chicken tortilla soup. I cooked up the chicken last night in a cumin, chili powder, salt, and garlic powder mixture and stored it in the frig overnight-yummy! Noah and Joslyn hanging out with me while making the soup today. I am not our main cook normally, Matt usually does the cooking, but I am the "step-in-and-add-new-recipes-when-we-are-in-a-rut" kind of cook. So, it is just one of those times that we are needing some new flavor in our lives:) I will experiment with new recipes, and we will decide as a family what wins and it will then go in the "Matt's cookbook" for future mealtimes. Whenever this time comes along, I am finally ready to really enjoy the process. This time comes when I needed to slow down and not be multi-tasking. I would have to say that my energy level is still pretty low, but I do not expect that to change rapidly, it will probably gradually return to me. I have changed my sleeping habits quite a bit-and I am removing almost all caffeine from my day because stimulants aggrivate my heart, so it takes some adjusting in many ways. Anyways, making the soup today felt good-I always love when I get to use so many fresh foods-God's foods!!

And Joslyn decided that when cutting onions, it is best to wear goggles-WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!" Love kids minds!

I used a recipe from a fabulous blog-called the Pioneer Women if tortilla soup sounds good to you!

Quiet Saturday...

We have had a quiet Saturday. I got up at 6:30 and was able to get in a few hours of work before the sleepy heads awoke. A good old thunderstorm rolled in around 9am and I grabbed all the clothes off the line with Matt's help when the storm began. Here I thought I had done so well getting the clothes washed before 8 and hung to dry. Yes, I knew it was supposed to rain and figured if I hung the clothes out, it would most definantly rain( I am a "crazy about storms kind of gal"-thunderstorms are my joy) . The kids played out in the rain once the lightning had ceased and that gave me a chance to clean up in the garage a bit while watching them race boats down the streams on the street.

The girls tent was drenched so what do you imagine that pile of whiteness is at my sewing machine? See, I had alternative motives for having a clothesline built in our backyard-it is the perfect fort structure of course!! I had collected a bunch of white sheets from my thrifting for this very purpose! The tent cost all of $6.00!! I figured making an all white tent was a little less of an eyesore for our neighbors as well. I will of course steal it from the girls when I need it for a photo shoot backdrop-can we say multipurpose!

************I think this is a good place for and afternoon nap!******

Before lunch, I was able to finish up a fun fabric basket. It is a bigger one that I will be using for toting around the items I need to get listed in the shop, helps to be mobile-and let's face it, there is always a pile waiting for me-so it mine as well look pretty while it sits!

Well the sun finally peaked out and brought the heat with it so the kids are cooling off in the pool while I am writing:) I will probably join them in a bit-looks soo GOOD!

Oh yes-I almost forgot! There was some more toad hunting going on today! Here is the new Mr Toad....

Noah's Temptation

We have a new Hydrangea Bush to put in this year. I am still waiting to figure out exactly where I want it and our little Noah, who is 4, has been very taken with it. He asks me quite often if he can pick some flowers from it. He is always loitering around it out in the back yard, studying it and commenting on it design. I continue to gently tell him no and that if we pick them, we won't be able to watch them grow each day.

But this afternoon, all of the sudden Noah comes in the back door just sobbing, all upset, hardly able to get the words out. Yep, you guessed it- Temptation had gotten the better of him. He had picked some- and the girls' had been nice enough to remind him of how much trouble he was going to be in-thus the sobbing. But when I saw him and how incredibly upset he was, I couldn't help but feel his pain. There are some tears that are shed because of the trouble and consequence that is going to befall them and then there is the tears that come because they are truly sorry and are distraught over what they did, that is what Noah was feeling. I could hardly blame him, they are quite entrancing and are just begging to be picked. So, he handed me the flowers with those tears rolling down his cheeks and we went to the kitchen so I could show him how we could enjoy them for a few days. I must say, I do like having them to enjoy inside.