Merry CHRISTmas!

Last night we had a special family dinner and dumped out the contents of our "Jesus Stocking". Benjamin was so cute. He was holding his $100 bill and we asked him who he wanted to give it to? He said very decidedly, "I want to give it to the children who don't have a mommy or daddy in Africa." It's so cool to see how this little tradition is training the hearts of our youngest children to think of others when the culture is screaming to think of ourselves. It blessed my heart!
Then, we took the children to look at Christmas lights and ended up surprising the Strang family by carolling on their front porch. (Sorry for scaring the living daylights out of you Eden!) We drank coffee while our children learned to square dance in the basement. (Thanks for the great "9-whaa-whaa" Christmas carol too. Love you Strang family!)
This morning I woke up early to make my traditional orange rolls, cut up fresh pineapple and clemantines. The children should be up soon to sing "Happy Birthday to Jesus" and receive their last Christmas gift..handmade wooden airplanes for the boys and Key Word Bibles for the girls with journals. Enjoy your day of festivities!

Another Nail in the Coffin

I woke up this morning to read that just one hour ago the Senate passed nationalized health care. What a sad, sad decision. You know that I am all for helping the poor, but forcing all Americans to have health care is going to cripple the healthy, hard-working middle class who will have to pay for this $871 billion dollar bill. I'm sad for our children and all the mandatory taxes they will have to live under. Did you know they added 400 pages to the bill over the weekend of a snowstorm and took the vote at 7am on Christmas Eve?! Underhanded and dirty schemes at work! (The last time they did that was in 1913 when they started the Federal Reserve Bank, nothing good comes of forced votes right before Christmas!)
Well, start saving and getting used to working more and getting less on your paycheck. If you think Kaiser health coverage is bad...just wait! Teach your daughters that they will have to deliver their babies at home with a midwife because they won't want to go to a government hospital. Scary! ("This is your second child? Well it's time for us to tie your tubes. The American people can't pay for you to have any more children!") What a sad way to start Christmas!

FYI: Nourishing Traditions Blog

Kim Knoch will be writing about the experience of making each recipe and giving a rating for it based on her family's taste buds. Her goal is to eat as close to Nourshing Traditions as possible and stay away from processed foods. The challenge is: Making 700 of the 771 recipes in the book prior to December 31, 2011. That is about one recipe per day for two years.


The blog is NOT for profit, but for the experience, learning and commitment of eating the NT way. This is also a way to connect with fellow NT eaters and get support in making a more permanent transition to the NT way of eating.

The Nourishing Cook
http://thenourishingcook.com

Patience with the Faults of Others

I love this wise advice from Francois Fenelon (1851). It can be applied to marriage or parenting...

"One must accustom one's self to look for little from men; it is the only way to avoid disappointment. One must take that which they are able to give, as we take from a tree the fruit it bears, though indeed some trees bear nothing but leaves and caterpillars. God bears with and waits patiently for imperfect men, and is not even repulsed by their resistance; we ought to imitate this loving patience, this merciful forbearance. It is only imperfection which is intolerant of what is imperfect; the more any one has advanced towards perfection, the more patiently and quietly he will bear with though not foster, the imperfections of others."

"We, who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself..." Romans 15:1-3a

Ouch! That hurts in a good way doesn't it? This really convicted me regarding my lack of patience with the faults and immaturity in my children. I need so much grace in this area! God, help us to be like you: full of merciful forbearance!
(This quote taken from "Dialogues of Fenelon Vol II" by Lamplighter Publishing.)

It's a GIRL!

Everyone will have a play mate in the Knifong home! Girl, Girl, Boy, Boy, Girl...Girl! YEAH! Ain't she cute?

Sights of Christmas

A few memories I wanted to remember...

Mary Beth with cousin Isabel.

The Jesus Stocking

(I've posted about this tradition of ours in years past, but wanted to include it again for those who missed it.)

We stopped filling stockings as a family a few years ago because they typically are filled with unnecessary small items that drive me crazy. We came up with a use for one of those stockings and labeled it “The Jesus Stocking”. The idea is that anyone in the family can slip bills or change into the stocking during advent and it will remain a mystery how much is inside until we empty it on Jesus birthday. Christmas Eve we discuss and decide what He would want us to do with it. Weeks before Christmas my children pour over the Gospel For Asia Gift Catalog, imagining what they can buy for the poor. It truly takes their eyes off of what they want for Christmas. All they think about is how they could earn more money to give away! We could buy a sewing machine to give a woman a trade in India, buy a missionary a bicycle, chicks or goats for a starving family...the possibilities are endless. This year we will be focused on helping those we know who have been unemployed as well as missions projects. This has become our favorite tradition at Christmas and what our celebration is centered around…giving Jesus something for His birthday. Give it a try!

Advent & Devotions

An old friend (who now lives in Scotland) sent me this incredible advent calendar that goes from Nov 30 to Jan 6. It includes a booklet with daily readings about different saints during church history. She sent us the community sized one that is 17" tall, has 6 sides, 40 doors to open, and looks like a medieval cathedral. It's SO COOL! We can use it year after year too. It's called "Fling Wide the Doors" and you can google to find one.

On Wednesday night our monthly women's meeting topic was on family devotions. Four women shared what they do and use to teach Biblical truths to their children each day. One of the women uses advent to kick-off their year of devotions. After Christmas they study the life of Christ up until Easter. After Easter through Pentecost they study the early church/Acts. From Pentecost until school begins they study missions or Paul's letters to the churches. When the school year begins they study the reformers until Reformation Day on Oct 31. They end the year by studying the Pilgrims life & the Psalms up to Thanksgiving and the circle begins again. I'm starting to really see the wisdom in living according to the seasons God created and this idea ties in. I used to hate winter because it was so dull and ugly, but now I see at as a time of rest from hard outdoor work, and a time to enjoy reading and learning in earnest. Beautiful spring will come, and with it a host of jobs to do, and we will miss the lazy evenings by the fire learning new things. I am fully embracing what winter brings and it is very good to be content with it!

My Cup of Tea

My favorite time of the day is at 2pm. Little ones are sleeping soundly, a cup of tea in reach, and a great book to read aloud to my older daughters as they crochet by the fire...this is bliss! Since our new school year began in September, I've read quite a few books that we've enjoyed together. We alternate between reading a book on a certain time period of history (starting with ancient history, now we are in medieval) and a character-building book (usually from Lamplighter publishing). We have enjoyed all of them! For our own records I'm going to list them so we don't forget. (I was having a hard time remembering even now!)

Pilgrim's Progess (unabridged)
The Hidden Hand (Lamplighter, just for fun!) ++
The Cat of Bubastes by GA Henty (life in ancient Egypt)
Exiles In Babylon (Lamplighter on the life of Daniel)
For the Temple by GA Henty (the fall of Jerusalem) ++
Rescued From Egypt (Lamplighter on the life of Moses)
In Freedom's Cause by GA Henty (life of Wallace & Bruce/Scottish history)
The Lost Clue (Lamplighter mystery)++
Otto of the Silver Hand by Pyle (life during middle ages)
Sir Knight of the Splendid Way (Lamplighter allegory of Christian life) ++
Currently reading... Adam of the Road by Gray (life during middle ages)

Books the girls have read on their own that they really enjoyed:
The Golden Goblet by McGraw (ancient Egypt)
Twice Freed by St John (early church) ++
Monks & Mystics by Winthrow
Flame Over Tara by Polland (historical fiction of St. Patrick)
Sundar Singh by Benge (YWAM missionary biography)++
Star of Light by St John ++
And the Word Came with Power by Shetler (Wycliffe missionary biography)++

(NOTE: All of these books are very good but ++ means GOT TO READ IT/AMAZING)
So if you're looking for some good reading this winter or a gift idea, get any of these titles and you will not be disappointed! I'm toying with the idea of starting a book club for young ladies & mothers because it's more enjoyable to be able to discuss a great book with friends. Maybe I'll do it in the summer when everyone is done with their own curriculum choices. So it will be simmering in my mind....now go and have a cup of tea!

A Dream Coming True...

My girls are becoming musicians! We're starting to see the beginnings of our own worship band in our home! (The boys can play a mean drum too!)Learning an instrument takes lots of time and money (can I emphasize LOTS!) but after 4 years of violin & 3 years of piano lessons and practice, I can see it will all be worth it in the end. There are lots of skills we can choose to have our children spend their time learning from sports to acting, but having the ability to play music is a skill I know they will use all through their lives to bless others. Keep it up girls!

'Tis the Season to Give

I just have to share about 2 ministries that could really use some holiday generousity. One is The Rancho de Los Ninos in Mazatlan Mexico, an orphanage run by a family for unwanted children with disabilities. The other is Pastor Leadership Development in Zambia, giving pastors in the slums of Lusaka a top notch Bible education. If you feel the urge to help those less fortunate than yourself this Christmas I highly recommend both of these ministries who are very short of funds this year.

Thanksgiving Memories 2009

This was one of the best Thanksgivings ever! We had time to relax, feast and celebrate with my family. My parents drove my grandparents (89 & 92 years old) down from Seattle to feast with us at my sister's. The day after, we had everyone over to cut down Christmas trees and celebrate my younger sister's birthday. Here are some photos of our cute children!

So Thankful!

Wow! What a year we've had! The biggies were going to Zambia and contemplating moving there and now expecting our 6th baby. (I got to hear the heartbeat yesterday and I can feel it moving now that I'm 17 weeks!) We have been anticipating Jason being laid off work in November and because of that we didn't replace his commuter car when it died back in September. My husband drove a 1993 Honda Civic ("Zoomie" or "Dad's sports car" as the children called it) for 16 years. Well, 2 days before his job ended the president of the company called for him to run his own job down in Corvallis and they gave him a company truck and gas card! YEAH! Two answers to prayer in one day! Then, my parents called a few days ago and said that they wanted to bring us their fancy BBQ (ours died on the 4th of July) wrapped in....their 2006 Chrysler Town & Country deluxe minivan, for us! WOW again! (The Lord knows I hate buying cars and He has spared me!) But I really am thankful for the little things that make such a big difference in life like firewood to keep us warm, a roof that doesn't leak, cupboards full of food, 5 healthy children, a hard-working husband, supportive family, a fantastic church and shelves of books to read during the long winter.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good....Bless the Lord O my soul!" Psalm 103

MY MISSION FIELD

Here's another thought from Nancy Campbell that blessed me, especially now that we aren't going to Africa to be official missionaries.

Matthew 9:37-38, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest."

Do you sometimes hanker to be doing some great work for God? You feel as though you are wasting your life in your home. You would love to serve the Lord in some harvest field. Yes, it is true, the harvest is great and the laborers are few. But why are they few? Because mothers have not understood God's purpose.

Are you looking for an easy path in life in life or do you have a heart to serve God as a missionary? Dear mother, you are already a missionary. God has chosen your specific mission field for you. It is your home and family. You are employed by God to train laborers for His harvest field. You don't raise children and then send them to Bible College to prepare for service. You train them for God's service from the time they are little. They should be ready to labor in the harvest field when they come forth from your home.

Is a missionary's work easy? No, it takes sacrifice. Is motherhood easy? No, but it will be worthwhile. It takes everything you've got--all your resources of time, energy and strength--but you will influence nations. It takes sacrifice--many mothering days are exhausting and overwhelming--but you will receive the fruit of your labors and an eternal reward. It will take committed prayer and intercession, but your prayers will be answered. Remember, you are not on vacation; you are on the mission field!

Maybe God has only given you one laborer to prepare for Him--that is His plan for you. Maybe he has given you six, or even twelve! Wow, would twelve be too many? Jesus trained twelve disciples who impacted the world. Are you going to train laborers who "turn the world upside down"? (Acts 17:6) You are already in the midst of an important mission... so get to work!

Blessed Beyond Measure

I just returned from my third Above Rubies Retreat. Here I am pictured with old friends and new around Nancy Campbell. The weekend was so invigorating and refreshing to my soul! Not only did I get my own room to rest in, but I got to hear Nancy speak for over 7 hours plus eat 2 meals with her! She is one powerhouse of a woman! I typed up 2 pages of my notes to share with anyone who would like them. Just email me or comment to this post and give me your email address and I'll send it to you. Here is just a taste of what she talked about...

THE HOME IS THE WOMAN’S SPHERE
“Eden” meaning delight, was the first prototype of home. God created Adam and then he created the garden home and then he created the woman. The home was necessary for the woman. Our homes also should be a place of delight. Most women try to find somewhere else to spend their time. This was not God’s best intention for women. God created women to be managers (1 Timothy 5:14). Lots of women work outside the home because they don’t have enough to manage inside their homes. With a small family and the children off at school they find themselves staring at the walls and that’s not much to manage! God’s plan is for us to be fruitful vines (Psalm 128:3) where we are busy raising warriors (arrows) for God. Home is the place where you will impact the world! You will accomplish much more from within your home than from without. Don’t listen to the world’s lies, you can change the world right where you are!
Also, God instituted the home before the church. Church activities should not take us away from our families and homes. Yes, we need to be with the fellowship of believers but don’t let the church take over your family life!

Treating Swine Flu

My friend Angie and her family just recovered from swine flu. She just wrote a fantastic post on her blog about how to treat swine flu naturally. I highly recommend you read it to equip yourself and to pass on to others who are suffering. Here is the link.

Welcome to the Farm

Here is a poem by Brie Ella I found and had to share. It's very idealistic but it's from her heart and I think it's sweet.

Welcome to the farm where hens cluck happily, roosters crow merrily and rabbits hop around joyfully.
Welcome to the farm where children are happy and everybody lives in harmony.
Welcome to the farm where birds chirp merrily and honk in the nearby pond.
Welcome to a joyful place where everything is fun!
Welcome to the farm where beautiful flowers grow and bloom, everything is beautiful, and everyone has a job.
Welcome to the farm where everything is peaceful and everyone is happy.
Crying is not allowed and neither is fighting.
Welcome to our farm!

Family Memories

When my children look back on their childhood I don't know if they will remember wood cutting with fondness, but they definitely will remember it! I'm glad that we have a wood stove because it makes for good old fashioned hard work as well as warmth. The girls are looking forward to the day when their brothers can go to the woods with Dad to do the hauling. For now, the boys help with stacking, which is a good workout for them. One thing we want to instill in our children is to be hard workers and to enjoy working. This does not just happen, it is trained into them. I love seeing my family working together. Ah the memories....

Bunnies for Bibles

The girls decided upon raising Dwarf Holland Lop Rabbits, aka: cute little bunnies with floppy ears. Meet Charlie who is getting a lot more attention than schoolwork or housework by the girls these past few days. (His house is looking very nice though.) Still looking for a cute female...we'll keep you posted.

A Bicycle Built for Two

I love this story by Noel Piper (wife of John Piper) about what she learned about marriage from riding a tandem bicycle with her husband.

What it Means: "Follow Your Man"

Sunscreen on, helmets buckled, pedals in sync, and we were on our way. After a few minutes, Johnny called over his shoulder, “You’re doing pretty well for your first time on a tandem.” Without a thought, I replied: “I guess all these years of marriage have been good practice.”Here are some random lessons learned last week riding along the Cannon Valley Trail behind my husband on a bicycle built for two:

•If I throw my weight around, we wobble and swerve.
•My initial “seasickness” eases when I quit resisting and let him lean the bike into curves and turns in the path.
•I often feel as if I’m not really adding much to the effort. But I must be doing my part, because if I lift my feet, he feels it and asks, “Are you still there?”
•My instinct is to press harder on the pedals to make sure I’m carrying my share of the load. But when I do, he says, “Slow down. Don’t push me so fast.”
•Looking over his shoulder, I can see a lot of what he sees, but not what’s immediately in front of us. Good thing he’s the one steering, braking, and changing gears. On the other hand, I’m more free to look around and point out the mile markers and the turtles basking on a log.
•I can’t brake or steer, but I do have the power to stop the bike and ruin the ride. If I stand still on the pedals and refuse to move, he can’t make them turn.
•I love it when we’re on level ground and using a gear that sets a slow, steady pedalling that surges us forward. But I need warning when he changes to a setting that requires fast foot strokes. When I’m caught off guard, my feet are slung from the pedals and it’s a trick to get them back in place without snarling the progress up a steep hill.
•When I realize I’m gripping the handlebars, I have to remind myself, “Let go! You’ve always wanted to ride ‘no hands.’ Now you can!”
•When I’m ready to turn back, he’s aiming for one more mile marker. When I’m ready to finish easy, he says, “Let’s see if we can beat our record.” With that kind of encouragement, I do what never would have happened if I’d been on my own.
•Near the end, when I see one more hill, I open my mouth to say, “Let me off. I’ll walk up.” Then I realize how foolish we’d look, me plodding alone and him trying to keep the bike going by himself. So I shut up and keep pedaling.
•And I discover that, when we pedal together, impossible inclines become possible.
Perhaps the 19th century songwriter was wiser than he knew when he created a marriage proposal that said, “You’ll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two.” It makes me think of what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:22-24: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”

Doing Hard Things For the Kingdom

The other day my girls came to me and said they wanted to start a business.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because we want to raise money to translate the Bible into the Meeto language in Mozambique and we don't have a way to make money."
"What kind of business do you want to start?" I hesitantly asked.
"We want to raise dwarf bunny rabbits and sell them to the feed stores!!"
"Oh. I don't know if your father will be too excited about that idea. But if you could find a way to sell all the bunnies you raise then I don't think it will be a problem."
So, my girls got out the phone book and called the feed stores to see if they would be interested, and they are! They will get $3 a bunny and the store will sell them for $5. You can guess what kind of inspiration this is for them. They are waking up at 6 am to start their school work so they can build and repair bunny cages. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in our home this week!
Then yesterday our friends at Dolan Creek Farm called and asked if Jaime Lyn could work 4 hours on Wednesdays to help out around their farm with projects. Now she has another way to raise money. These girls are an inspiration because they don't have any desire to buy anything for themselves, only the one passion to help other people have a Bible of their own in their language.
Your children can participate in the One Verse project through Sonlight too! They estimate that i costs $26 a verse to translate the New Testament. Check out more at www.sonlight.com/oneverse.html or start saving now for your favorite charity for Christmas.

Inspiring Messages!

I was listening to a very powerful message this morning. It is an exhortation to not become complacent in your Christian life. It was given at a Youth Bible School week by Denny Kenaston. The message is titled: There Remaineth Much Land to be Possessed Click on the title to go to their website and listen online, download or have them send it to you for FREE!

Another great message for girls ages 10+ is The Attitudes of a Princess by Dora Esh. She has a thick midwestern accent, but her wisdom is worth it!!

I think I've already mentioned this ministry before on my blog but I wanted to highly recommend their most popular series of messages (29 of them) called The Godly Home.
Once again, they can send you all the messages on one CD in mp3 format for FREE or you can listen here. These are the most incredible messages on vision, parenting, Christian living and marriage I've ever heard! Give Brother Denny a try! Here are the titles of the messages:

1. The Holy Art of Training Children
2. The Foundation of a Godly Home
3. The Eternal Value of a Child
4. A Vision that Motivates
5. A Godly Heritage Today
6. Bible Pictures of Promise
7. More Pictures of Promise
8. Whole-Hearted Households
9. The Key to Obedience is Blessings
10. The Hearts of the Fathers Must Turn
11. The Rod is Love
12. A Sacred Exercise
13. The Training of the Will
14. The Bondage of Foolishness
15. Father: the Anointed Teacher
16. Train Up a Child
17. A Quiet, Ordered Life
18. Three Mysterious Influences
19. A Dwelling Place for the Living God
20. Father: The Watchman
21. The Hidden Woman (Part 1)
22. The Hidden Woman (Part 2)
23. Where Are the Men?
24. Fighting for the Next Generation
25. Godly Men Have Radiant Wives
26. Joining the Next Generation
27. Youth: Anointed Disciples of Jesus Christ
28. Households on Fire
29. Overwhelming Blessings on the Second Generation
30. Family Verses and Songs

Civil War Reenactment

We just spent the weekend camping with our church and it was great. We happened to be camping 10 minutes away from a Civil War Reenactment and I've always wanted to go! Jason watched the wee ones while I took the big girls to see a battle. It was LOUD! It was very impressive! Our favorite part was walking through the rows of tents set up with period furniture and costumes. Everyone was so friendly and happy to tell you all they know about history. I felt like I had walked out of a time machine and steppped right into the 1800's...highly recommended! Unfortunately this was the last one of the year, but you can plan ahead for next year by going to http://www.nwcwc.org/ for their schedule.

If you want to see a YouTube video of a battle click here.

Simple Tomato Sauce

Cut a whole bunch of tomatoes in half, slice up 3 onions, 3 carrots, some celery, a big handful of parsley and another of basil and 10 or more cloves of garlic. Layer them in a big pan (I used my roaster) and bake at 325 for a couple hours, until you SMELL it! Everything should be softened and the flavor oozing out! Then ladle it into a blender or food processor and blend to your desired chunkiness. (When the blender is full I add a teaspoon of salt and some pepper.) Ladle into jars and either freeze or water bath can for 30 minutes. DELICIOUS!!! You cannot mess this one up!

The More the Merrier!

Knifong baby #6 is coming the end of April 2010! I'm feeling great, just need a daily nap.
(My parents sent 2 dozen roses in celebration...thank you Mom & Dad!)

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3-5

"Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord." Psalm 128:1-4

In God's eyes children are a blessing, a reward, our heritage and our weapons against evil to change the world. I believe God!

Biblical Feasts of Israel

Tonight we celebrate the New Year's Eve of the Jewish calendar. The Hebrew name for this fall feast is "Rosh Hashana". It is a time to be thankful and celebrate God's goodness as well as soberly prepare for the next holiday to come in 10 days: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year. We will celebrate by eating my most memorable dish from my time in Israel...falafels! It is traditional to eat sweet food to in honor of the sweetness of God and the hope of good things to come this year. And of course we will dance!
On Sept 28th we will celebrate Yom Kippur with a day of fasting and prayer. In the days before the temple was destroyed, (fantastic book to read aloud to children 8+ on the fall of Jerusalem, "For the Temple" by GA Henty) this was the only day the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the temple to sprinkle blood on the alter to atone for the sins of the nation. It was also the only day of the year in which anyone heard the Name of God spoken. Only the High Priest could say the Name of God and he would say it 10 times during the ceremony. Everyone who heard it would fall down in worship. Wow, we've fallen a long way from that! (Most often you hear God's name as a curse.) We get to celebrate this day with even more meaning because we have a Great High Priest who entered the heavenly temple with his own blood to atone for all sin once and for all! Hallelujah!! We will spend this day in repentance and thankfulness for what Jesus did to make us right with God. We will also pray for the peace of Jerusalem who has not seen peace for 2000 years and counting!

Above Rubies Retreat 2009

Now is the time to sign up for the annual Above Rubies Retreat coming to Salem Oct 30-Nov 1st. Nancy Campbell will be bringing her talented daughters, Serene & Pearl, to sing and share with us too! It's $135 for the weekend. All details can be found at http://www.aboverubiesretreats.com/

The theme of her talks will be "Changing The Nation From the Heart of Your Home". Nancy is one of a kind! I hope you can make it!

Catching Up

Sorry for the lack of posts, this is a productive time of year around here! In the last month we celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary at The Rendezvous, went to the State Fair and our annual family camp at Camp Morrow, celebrated Brie Ella's 10th birthday at Cannon Beach & with a campfire s'more party the night before. (She got a full size keyboard for her birthday!) We've dried close to 100 pounds of plums and made yummy fruit leather with pears added in.

Home education never stops around here, but we have picked up a few new interests including: studying and celebrating the Biblical feasts of Israel (tomorrow is the Jewish New Year "Rosh Hashana" which we are celebrating tonight...more on that later), the human body (Jaime Lyn wants to memorize all the bones & muscles..a big task), reading and discussing Pilgrims Progress and Brie Ella is becoming our resident baker with lots of yummy practice! My job is to keep this hub of activity running smoothly and efficiently with as little squabbles and scraps as possible! Being available to settle disputes, pray for a forgiving heart and exhort to staying on task is not a small job. I love seeing them learn and grow and change right before my eyes. On the first day of school I was praising God as we picked plums together that I have the freedom to keep them home with me. Thank you Lord!!

Some snapshots to enjoy....

Celebrating a birthday with the Garveys & Rory, Dysingers & Wells.

A day at Cannon Beach in honor of Brie Ella. Very special.

Camp Morrow memories: making uncle Alex's famous bisquits for 100 people!

Ben found his home at the State Fair.

Cousin Colton helped dig up potatoes.

Crazy Cousins

Had to share these from Hogen's birthday party. Ben is potty trained now but he forgot something in this picture.

18 Months Old

Well, you know your baby is getting older when she starts to say "What!" when you call her and then "Why?". Mary Beth is getting a little mind of her own these days. I'm trying my hardest to train her to obey everything I command her to do. She gives this big grin when she wants something..hard to resist, especially for Daddy. Oh, she knows how to butter up Daddy already! We know what you're up to Mary Beth or "Bobbins" as Daddy calls her which has evolved from Mary Be-Bobber to now Be-Bobbins....I know... we're nutty.

Garden Update

Ready to make spaghetti sauce!

Hogen is hoeing before breakfast. On a farm you work first, then you eat.

Carrots, broccoli and squash with corn in background

Since we started things early in the greenhouse this year we've had early tomatoes (July 19!) and our corn came on last week. We harvested wheat for our chickens with the Schwartz family's help. I've been busy learning how to make my own tomato sauce (18 quarts done) and blackberry jelly using a steamer. It's all going great...especially my squash plants. I've never grown squash before and it's so fun to see them getting HUGE! The one in my greenhouse is taking it over at 40 feet long and 15 feet wide!! (Gotta see it to believe it!) God's bounty is so amazing! (Picture me as a country mouse storing up things for the winter.)

Sewing Circle

Once a month my daughters gather with other girls to learn to sew. We call it "Sewing Circle" and it has been a real blessing for the past 3 years. Jaime Lyn just completed her own dress all by herself! One of the older daughters (20 years old) has started her own sewing label and is selling the dresses you see in this photo at "Kris Krafts" in Gresham. She can also make your daughter a custom dress with her or your fabric. She has great prices too ranging from $22-28 a dress. Email me if you want Karina's phone number.

SURVIVAL

Here is a great article from the latest No Greater Joy magazine by Michael Pearl. I love his practical insights to prepare for hard times ahead.

I say again: The best resource against hard times is knowledge. When you add to knowledge a convenient environment to put that knowledge to work, you will be a confident and happy survivor of any local or national disaster.


Survival, the most powerful instinct of all, recently awakened by the financial crisis and the threatening political climate, is the primary concern expressed in the many letters we are receiving. It is not a new experience for me, because I remember many similar awakenings in my 63 years. In the fifties and very early sixties, there were many businesses advertising the construction of your own personal nuclear bomb shelter. Schools and businesses had regular drills on how to protect oneself in the event of a nuclear detonation. Then came the sixties with all the civil rights unrest, and an all-out race war seemed imminent. Nuclear weapons proliferated, and Vietnam revealed that we were not all powerful after all. Hippies, drugs, and secularism spelled the end of society as we knew it, and “God is dead” was the state philosophy of the universities.
Many of you can remember the seventies and eighties, marked by decreasing respect for morality and the Bible. Killing babies became common, and God made his own statement with AIDS. The government responded by making Sodomites a protected species.
The prosperity of the nineties ended with the fear and then the fizzle of Y2K. Many were left feeling silly, sitting on their five gallon buckets of pressure-sealed dried foods surrounded by a garage full of bottled water. This century started off in fire and blood and has brought growing disunity and distrust of government.
But none of this has been as alarming as the present political climate, first launched during the previous Republican administration and now being unbelievably expanded under President Obama. We know that Christians, homeschoolers, and conservatives in general are now in the crosshairs of government assassins, right along with terrorists and anarchists. There is a strong sense amongst us that we are being increasingly isolated by the reigning world philosophies. It all makes us feel that when the time is right, they will feed us to the lions in the name of liberal morality.
Christians and people concerned about keeping their hard earned money are fleeing California like fleas from a dead dog. “Where can we go to survive the impending collapse?” they cry. “What can we do to prepare ourselves to survive?
My response is short and simple: “Bring it on!” When I was younger, these things affected me much more. I don’t know if I have responded to the cry of wolf so many times in the past that I no longer believe the warnings, or if it is simply the fact that now I am in a much better position to survive extreme adversities than I was when I was younger. I truly feel that I am able to weather the worst storm and, if necessary, be the last man standing. Which finally brings me to the reason for writing this article.
I want to help you to achieve the same confidence I have gained. My confidence is not in stored gold or silver—I have none. It is not in food and other consumable supplies securely laid away. Nor have I placed my confidence in defensive weapons or fortified compounds. My confidence is in two things. First and foremost is the fact that I know my God is in control of all things, and that he is working all things for the good of those of us who love him and are called to be part of his purpose on this earth (Romans 8:28). I don’t say that so as to sound spiritual. I truly find peace in the knowledge of him as my sovereign God, and, if necessary, I’m willing to accept his purposes in the midst of suffering.
But I will admit, without the arsenal of natural means that I have acquired over the years to weather adversity, I would have to pray much more and be more resigned to suffer with the rest of society when it all goes up in smoke. As it is, I am equipped to survive—and fully expect to. And all of my equipment is carried in my head—acquired knowledge and the skill to use it in any circumstances. It is far better to possess knowledge of how to gather food from the wild, or even from a vacant lot, than to have a storehouse of food. It is more comforting to know how to build a shelter in the city or in the wilderness, than to own a remote and well-equipped retreat. It is better to know how to make and use tools, than it is to possess the things a man thinks he might need to weather adversity. Confidence in one’s own resourcefulness cannot be stolen or denied by a hostile government or a rogue gang.
Think about this. If I had two years worth of food stored up and people around me were hungry, would I hoard my food and eat while others starved? I would not. I would share my food. If I had food and desperate men with starving children tried to take my food by force, would I shoot them in defense of my store? No, I would not. I would share what I had.
For that reason, I see no sense in depending on nonrenewable resources beyond a temporary crisis, like a power outage, or a temporary interruption of food deliveries to stores, or an economic collapse that produces chaos for a few days or weeks. It is always wise to have on hand enough food and water to weather a three-month emergency, plus a little more, knowing you will probably want to share with those who have no reserves. Raw grains, beans, rice and nuts are to be preferred—more food for less money and simpler to store. Three hundred pounds for the average family should see you through—all for less than three hundred dollars. Rather than maintaining a fancy storage unit after the emergency has ended, eat it or throw it out every year, and then refresh your supply.
Now, there is an obvious advantage to living in the country—a big advantage! Out there you are much less likely to have to defend your food storage supplies. You will be far removed from the urban violence that is likely to occur. Well water or purifyable groundwater are available even if utilities are not functioning, and, best of all, you will be close to the land where your foodstuffs can be renewed.
You may be one of many who are disturbed because you live in a big city. You almost feel trapped: Your job is there, and with the dire economic conditions we’re presently in, this is no time to be changing your vocation or looking for a new job. Many of you, if you did move out into the country, would be helpless, poor, and destitute when your money ran out. If you fit into this group of families, please consider this very practical and workable suggestion, one that is both affordable and is almost guaranteed to be fun for the whole family.
This weekend, take a family trip out into the country outside your city. Fifty to one hundred miles should be about right. Find a farm with an old abandoned shack on it. Locate the owner, and introduce yourself and your family. Make sure the kids are with you and at their most courteous—“Yes, Sir,” and “Thank you, Ma’am.” Tell the owner that you work in the city and are concerned about the troubling political and economic climate we’re presently in. Tell him that you would like to have a get-away out in the country, but cannot afford to buy a place. Offer to lease his old shack for something like $500 a year, or less, on the condition that you make some improvements on it—possibly new windows and doors, insulation, etc. You can replace windows and doors for about $100 each. If you cannot afford to do much improvement, you can buy a roll of clear all-weather clear vinyl that can be stapled over the windows in time of need.
Tell him that your family would like to vacation there as you work on it weekends and summers. Volunteer to help him on his farm (if he has one) for the knowledge you will gain. I am sure he will be willing to plow your garden, and cut the weeds around the place with his tractor. In time, you will accumulate all necessary tools and the knowledge to use them. Learn to garden by starting with a small plot no bigger than your living room. There is an abundance of good books that will provide you with the basic knowledge you will need. Knowledge is power, and the skills learned to apply that knowledge produces confidence.
Following this very workable suggestion, you will be able to continue living in the city where you make your living, but you will also have all the advantages of living in the country. Always keep enough gas in the car to get there, and enough food to last you until the next harvest season, and you will be all set for any worst-case scenario.
On a small scale, you can learn the old-fashioned ways to store potatoes, pumpkins, turnips, cabbage, and beets. You can practice canning and drying food. Out there in the country, you will be able to locate experienced old-timers who will love to share their knowledge with you. Harvest wild nuts and berries. Learn the land and what it has to offer. Get comfortable with the outdoors. Hike. With the owner’s permission, cut your own firewood. Install enough solar panels for lights at night and to recharge electric tools.
This can be the most bonding experience your family will ever have. The kids will love it if they see that you are relaxed and are having fun. And, be sure to not drive them too hard. Let them paint their own rooms. Visit the local swimming hole. Find the best places to fish. Make it a point to go hunting there in the wintertime. Learn to identify local plants that are edible. You can eat about half of what grows wild, but you must make the effort to know “which half.” Visit the local churches and get to know the people. Let them know what you are doing, and they will not only appreciate your effort, they may step in to help.
By putting these suggestions to work, you can be a commuting homesteader without the burden of being helplessly in debt. And let’s face it, most of you are not cut out for country life with its long winters and humid and sticky summers. A little dose can be fun, where a total change in lifestyle can become a burden too heavy for you and the whole family.
I say again: The best resource against hard times is knowledge. When you add to knowledge a convenient environment to put that knowledge to work, you will be a confident and happy survivor of any local or national disaster. Then you can grin and join with me in saying, “Bring it on!”
The following is a suggested list of good “how-to” books that we have used and accumulated over the years. Many can be found at BulkHerbStore.com.

- Just In Case: How To Be Self-Sufficient When The Unexpected Happens.
- The Green Pharmacy
- The Encyclopedia of Country Living
- The Have More Plan
- How to Grow More Vegetables

Homeschooling Results

I thought this study on homeschooling to be very encouraging and interesting. Take a look at the results....

Drawing from 15 independent testing services, the Progress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics included 11,739 homeschooled students from all 50 states who took three well-known tests—California Achievement Test, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and Stanford Achievement Test for the 2007–08 academic year. The Progress Report is the most comprehensive homeschool academic study ever completed.

The Results
Overall the study showed significant advances in homeschool academic achievement as well as revealing that issues such as student gender, parents’ education level, and family income had little bearing on the results of homeschooled students.

National Average Percentile Scores
Subtest Homeschool vs. Public School
Reading 89 50
Language 84 50
Math 84 50
Science 86 50
Social Studies 84 50
Core a 88 50
Composite b 86 50
a. Core is a combination of Reading, Language, and Math.
b. Composite is a combination of all subtests that the student took on the test.

There was little difference between the results of homeschooled boys and girls on core scores.

Boys—87th percentile
Girls—88th percentile

Household income had little impact on the results of homeschooled students.

$34,999 or less—85th percentile
$35,000–$49,999—86th percentile
$50,000–$69,999—86th percentile
$70,000 or more—89th percentile

The education level of the parents made a noticeable difference, but the homeschooled children of non-college educated parents still scored in the 83rd percentile, which is well above the national average.

Neither parent has a college degree—83rd percentile
One parent has a college degree—86th percentile
Both parents have a college degree—90th percentile

Whether either parent was a certified teacher did not matter.

Certified (i.e., either parent ever certified)—87th percentile
Not certified (i.e., neither parent ever certified)—88th percentile

Parental spending on home education made little difference.

Spent $600 or more on the student—89th percentile
Spent under $600 on the student—86th percentile

The extent of government regulation on homeschoolers did not affect the results.

Low state regulation—87th percentile
Medium state regulation—88th percentile
High state regulation—87th percentile

HSLDA defines the extent of government regulation this way:

States with low regulation: No state requirement for parents to initiate any contact or State requires parental notification only.

States with moderate regulation: State requires parents to send notification, test scores, and/or professional evaluation of student progress.

State with high regulation: State requires parents to send notification or achievement test scores and/or professional evaluation, plus other requirements (e.g. curriculum approval by the state, teacher qualification of parents, or home visits by state officials).

Generations Radio

I just discovered this great radio program hosted by Kevin Swanson. Click here to go listen to any of the daily programs. Kevin was in Vancouver last weekend giving a tremendous conference on family reformation, having a vision for the future, redeeming the arts etc. I've been listening to the cd's from the conference and they are blowing my socks off! Listen to any of his interesting radio shows to see what I mean.

Also, today the email came out about the "Sola Scriptura" conference in Cincinnati Dec 10-12. Paul Washer and Voddie Baucham and Kevin Swanson and Doug Phillips and Ken Ham etc etc, will be speaking on the sufficiency of Scripture, my new favorite topic. I can hardly contain myself! We want to go SO badly, but it's hard to justify the airfare and days off work, but still!!! It's going to be so good I can almost taste it! Check it out here.

Welcome to the United Socialist States of America

If you think we live in a Christian nation where there is liberty and justice for all, you are terribly mistaken. Due to many factors, primarily the dumbing down of America by way of mind-numbing entertainment and government schools, our nation IS socialist but not yet in name. We have socialized education, socialized manufacturing & unions, socialized banking and now we will soon have socialized health care. Have you ever heard of the Nazis or the USSR (United Soviet SOCIALIST Republic), America's former worst enemy? Ironically in less than 100 years we are voting to become like them. WHAT IN THE HECK ARE WE THINKING!!?? (we're not.)
"Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it. But you said 'we will not walk in it!" Jeremiah 6:16
This verse spells out part of our problem. We have forgotten history (or re-written it to our liking) and have turned up our noses to God's "old fashioned" ways. There is no respect for God, history or our elders. We think we can do much better on our own, thank you very much! As far as I can see down the road, things are going to get BAD. People talk like things are bad now, NOT EVEN CLOSE! These will be considered the good 'ole days in 10 years. We are headed for inflation of prices, interest rates, gasoline, energy and health care AS WELL AS an increase in taxes to pay for all these fantastic new programs like Cash for Clunkers (what a joke!). Wake up America! All these fancy programs the government is creating out of thin air will be paid for out of your pockets! Duh!!! And stop blaming everything on Obama. I'm so sick of hearing his name! He is not the reason for this mess, we the people, are the reason for this mess. He was VOTED into office remember? He is the figure head of the typical American: greedy, selfish and power hungry for more, more MORE!
So what should we do? Well, we should have been doing something a long time ago but first you need to pray and repent for your own part in this mess, even if it was unconscious. Pray for this nation to repent and go back to fearing God and his commands. We need to "live upright and godly lives in the midst of this perverse and wicked generation". We need to be the salt and light of the earth. We need to pull our children out of the government schools (while we still can) to educate them to THINK for THEMSELVES and to learn from the past, learning history from a Biblical worldview. We need to show the world a different way. We need to be courageous reformers. We need to stop putting our hopes in a man, a government, an economy, a political party or the overthrow of a party. We need to put our faith, hope and trust back in GOD! We need to be people of character, more concerned with pleasing God than having everything we want. We need to not be so SCARED to be persecuted for righteousness. If we are no different than why should anyone listen to the answers we have? Even when this nation is judged we want to be found obeying God and teaching our children to be faithful. And one more thing. DON'T WORRY! We are to be "clothed with strength and dignity and smile at the future". Stressed out women are ugly! So say a prayer, put a smile on your face and strengthen your arms for the tasks ahead!
(Good thing I don't get the newspaper or I'd really be fired up!)

River Rafting with Daddy

Grandpa & Daddy took the girls to Eastern Oregon to raft and fish over a 4 day weekend. What a beautiful trip with lots of catch and release. Each girl caught around 14 fish each! Thank you Grandpa & Daddy for such a delightful time in God's creation!

BIG 5

My firstborn son, Hogen Daniel, is now 5. What a little cutie! I've got lots of work to get him to manhood!!

Snap Shots

Gotta put some reality in here!

Here are some recent highlights of our summer so far...horseback riding lessons, picking raspberries in the mornings, the Coose's visit from Idaho, worship team debut. It's been hot and wonderful! And we're reading a book we can't put down, The Hidden Hand !

Mortgage Calculator

I found this fantastic mortgage calculator that Dave Ramsey designed. I've never seen one this good before. You can play around with it and found out how much sooner you can pay off your mortgage debt by how much extra you want to pay daily/weekly/monthly. It's kinda fun, but I like this kind of stuff. Try it out here.

I've really been convicted at how apathetic I've been regarding mortgage debt. Most financial experts will tell you that this kind of debt is good because you can avoid taxes and invest your money in other things. Dave Ramsey is the only financial guru I've heard that says otherwise and it sits really well with me. Honestly, wouldn't it feel great to own your house? To have all the money you spend every month toward that debt to be available for other things? How many people do you know that wisely invest their money some other way and then pay it off? Rare. I say, set up an automatic weekly payment from your checking account to your mortgage company online and then you won't need to think about it anymore. You will slowly but surely be chipping away at the mountain of debt until your feet are living on your own green grass. We hope to pay ours off as soon as possible so we can help save up money to help our sons buy homes of their own with as little debt remaining as possible for their brides to be. I imagine them working and saving up with their Father to buy their first house...well, it's fun to dream!