Frogs, snails, puppy dog tails....BOYS!

I happen to LOVE my boys! ALOT! I do not however particularly enjoy their fascination with such gross things! They love to catch spiders, snakes, frogs, turtles, etc... They take particular delight in scaring me with them too! :D So I thought I'd share some pictures of all their "catches"! Hope you enjoy!!!

Blessings, ♥T

HE's Still Working On Me!!

Yes this is actually a SUNRISE!!! I was actually up early enough and awake enough the other morning to take a picture! LOL... Pretty isn't it?!


He's Still Working On Me

He's still working on me
To make me what I need to be
It took him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
'Cause He's still workin' on me

There really ought to be a sign upon my heart
Don't judge him yet, there's an unfinished part
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands

In the mirror of His word
Reflections that I see
Makes me wonder why He never gave up on me
But He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray
Remember He's the potter; I'm the clay

Blessings, ♥T

Always Tired...

That describes me to a "T"! I am ALWAYS tired. It doesn't seem to make a difference what I do. There are times when it's worse...ie once a month and during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. This is the story of how I became tired all the time. (I will be commenting on foods that I know are extremely bad for you. At the time I didn't know that, and seeing as it was 15 yrs ago I don't think they were as bad for you as they are now)

Around the time I was 14 I started to gain weight. By the time I was 16 I was around 190-200lbs. Not good. Towards the beginning of '96 I was doing ballet. We had practice 4 times a week. I was teaching ballet, and I started doing Escrima with my dad and brother. (escrima is sword and dagger fighting, using wooden sticks to train) I started losing some weight. By the time I graduated in May, I had lost around 20-25lbs.

I had my graduation ceremony on a Friday night. Afterwards I felt sorta sick, but mainly just a sore throat. Over the next 3 days I was VERY SICK! I spent it all sleeping and in that 3 day span I lost over 20lbs and continued losing weight over the next few months...'til I was down to 135lbs. During the beginning I had a sore throat and got a terrible cough. The cough hurt my chest SO bad, it was awful. I was so weak that I spent most of my time in bed. I would get up to use the bathroom and be falling asleep while in there, only to get back in bed and go right back to sleep. I couldn't eat hardly anything. I went from being able to eat a double cheeseburger, large fries and large drink and still be hungry to I couldn't eat more than 3 chicken nuggets. I developed an intolerance to dark colored sodas, but clear one's were fine.

During this time I also went from being able to tan and being quite dark to being white as a ghost and getting second/third degree burns from the sun.

A couple weeks later I got an UTI. I was put on antibiotics for that and towards the end of that developed an allergic reaction to it. I also noticed at some point that there was a large mass in my left side, right under my rib cage. I could push it back, but it would just come forward again.

I went to the Dr's several times. Had innumerable tests done. The Dr was actually so worried about me (we had a wonderful Dr at the time) she actually called my mom to see how I was doing. The tests showed absolutely NOTHING! The Dr was very concerned about the mass in my side as well, so I had to do more tests for that. They discovered that my kidney is turned and tilted forwards. What I can feel under my rib cage is the top of my kidney.

Over the course of the next year I slowly recovered. At least to the point where I was semi normal. I still was much weaker than I should have been. I started having awful kidney pains. The worse when I would eat too much sugary foods or sodas and not get enough regular food. I still could barely eat. Since that time I have MORE than recovered my appetite. I still have occasional problems with my kidneys, esp if I take Vit C or drink citrus juice. To this day I still am tired most of the time. My Dr now says it's just cause I have so many kids. (Because you know everyone with more than the average 1.8 children just must be exhausted!) She tried to put me on BP meds saying I have high BP (which does run in my family) only at my next visit the nurse told me what my readings were and they were no where NEAR high. So I remain in the dark to this day. I am trying some supplements and am hoping they will work for me. We are doing our best to switch over to whole, natural, organic foods. It's very hard though when you're exhausted to cook from scratch. I realize it would help, but sometimes I'm just too tired to care.

Why am I tell you this? I don't know exactly, but I hate for people to think I'm just a complaining, whiny baby. When I say I'm tired, I really mean it! Thanks for letting me "vent" :D

Blessings, ♥T

Vaccines

I do NOT vaccinate. After plenty of research, we have decided that it's not safe or beneficial for our children. We have several reasons for not vaccinating. The fact that they use aborted fetuses to grow the vaccine, the plethora of dangerous chemicals used in the vaccines, and the fact that most all the disease are treatable and not life threatening. With the exception of tetanus, which you can read about HERE just scroll down to "Some Horse Sense About Tetanus". There is a ton of other good info on there about vaccinations as well.

I realize that YEARS ago a lot of the diseases were severe or life threatening. Today that is not the case. I do not feel it is safe to risk all the possible side effects and complications from the vaccines to HOPEFULLY "protect" them from a disease that, while it may not be fun, isn't going to kill them. Think back 15-20 years ago, everyone I knew had chicken pox or were naturally immune to them. Never heard of one person dying from it. And yet with all the vaccines they're using that scare tactic. "If they get said disease they'll die or have serious complications from it"...I think there are more possible complications, side effects and danger of death FROM the vaccines.

Here are some more good sites for info...

HERE

HERE

HERE

I'm not saying you have to agree with me. This is just my opinion and the reasons for why I do things the way I do. If you feel that vaccinations are necessary to protect your children, that's your decision. But do your research. And I would highly suggest you do them on a very delayed and spread out schedule. I personally do not think it's just the ingredients of the vaccines causing things like autism as much as it's the massive amounts of disease bombarding the nervous system. The body can't handle it and starts shutting things down causing autism and other such things.

Blessings, ♥T

Modesty Article

LET'S TALK MODESTY

By Stacy McDonald

Ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy…

Leviticus 11:44



Joel and Marian joyfully stand up on the fourth pew at the church in which they were married 50 years earlier. Their two grandsons, 15 and 17, along with their parents, stand beside them. The oldest smiles at his grandmother and whispers, "Happy Anniversary" as he turns the pages of the old beloved hymnal, preparing to sing Marian´s favorite hymn, Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated. My, how times have changed in this old church since the day she married Joel. It used to be that young ladies dressed discreetly. Even if Christian modesty was not practiced at home, it was certainly respected in the worship service. Now today, 50 years later, she must cast her eyes downward, hoping her grandsons do the same, as the 3 young ladies in the pew in front of them wiggle their way to theirseats. Short skirts and tight clothing leave little to the imagination. When did immodesty and nakedness creep into the church? How was it that God´s people didn´t notice? Was it our complacency or our active participation?



"Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord to Thee…."



One of the most controversial topics among Christian women today is the topic of Christian modesty. Why is something that is commanded in Scripture even questioned by God´s people? How could we, as a "Christian" nation, have degenerated so far in such a short period of time? Less than 100 years ago women would have been arrested for wearing what some ladies would unflinchingly wear to a worship service today! To our degradation, modesty and femininity are no longer common, or, in many cases, even desirable.



There is much we could discuss concerning modesty and the apparel of Christian men and women. However, since I am a woman, I will simply address the issues concerning women. Although it is true that men should dress modestly and decently as well, I will leave such details for discussion amongst the men. Neither will I attempt to delve into whether or not it is lawful for a woman to wear pants. Instead, my desire is to challenge you, my sisters in the Lord, to reevaluate what God´s Word says concerning modesty.



Many times we seem to be asking, "How much can I get away with before it is considered sin? How many articles of clothing may I shed before it´s considered wrong? How tight is too tight? How short is too short? How low is too low?" Instead my question to you today is, "Whatis God´s best?" Let us reason together and see what God´s Word tells us.



First of all, the Bible is clear that God wants His daughters to dress modestly.



In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 1 Timothy 2:9-10



We as women love to adorn ourselves. Before redemption, many of us "adorned" ourselves in provocative clothing that was purposely intended to entice and seduce men. Some may have adorned themselves in costly jewelry or expensive clothing to pridefully flaunt their wealth or status to others. How does God say we should "adorn" ourselves? "In modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety…" We must honestly ask ourselves (and our husbands!) if this describes our current wardrobe. The Christian woman should not be "focused" on outward appearance. Men are attracted to the female form. If we´re showing ours off, purposely or not, we´re not being modest! Shorts show off legs. Plain and simple. Tight or low blouses show off other things.Pants can also show off the crotch area and the bottom. (I don't know how to say that more politely!)



Secondly, God wants us to dress like women and be delightfullyfeminine (the way he designed for us to be). In case you haven´t noticed, God made men and women drastically different! It´s a shameful crime when society succeeds in convincing little girls they should be tough, ambitious and masculine and little boys that they should be soft, effeminate and pretty. It starts out with a few "innocent"twists of God´s design for men and women. Then this same evil deception and perversion leads to those fools who are under the delusion that they are "women trapped in men´s bodies" and "men trapped in women´s bodies."



The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 22:5



Although I believe this Scripture is specifically referencing the Transvestite, what else can we learn here? Go to your local mall and watch the teenaged girls dressing and carrying themselves like gangster boys! Baggy jeans, t-shirts, short messy hair, pierced bodyparts! When we smudge the clear lines of the differences in the sexes, this is where we end up! Open a magazine that has women's business-wear in it. You'll see slightly feminized men's business suits. Even the shoes look like men's! If it's a business suit with a skirt, then the skirt is short and sexy and the rest looks manly! We have a wonderful medley of masculinity AND immodesty all packaged nicely for today´s modern career woman!



Thirdly, we do not want to be responsible for causing a brother to stumble. Sadly, few ladies consider their brother when choosing their attire. "It´s his problem if he lusts!" is the more common reply.


But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.Matthew 5:28


Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. Romans 14:13


It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Romans 14:21



These are all issues we need to seriously consider when choosing our wardrobe. It is clear God wants us to dress in "modest apparel." But does He leave it up to individual interpretation what"modest apparel" is? My neighbor thinks her leather mini skirts and halter tops are modest because she covers the important" areas. Does the fact that she *feels* she is being modest make it so? What about the pastor's wife who wears short dresses and sits at the front of thechurch playing the piano as her skirt rises higher and higher? If she has decided in her heart she is being modest, does it make it right? Is everyone supposed to decide what is modest for themselves or does God give us any guidelines at all?



There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. Proverbs 30:12



Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Isaiah 5:21



In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, (katastole) with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 1Timothy 2:9



What does the Greek word "katastole" (apparel) mean? In our modern society, the word apparel could mean a bikini! Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words tells us "katastole" is connected with "katastello," which means "to send or let down, to lower" (kata, "down," stello, "to send"), was primarily a garment letdown; hence, "dress, attire," in general (cf. stole, a loose outergarment worn by kings and persons of rank.) This describes a long, flowing robe-type garment.



The only time the word "katastole" is used is when it is describing how a woman is to dress AND it is a verse that is specifically addressing modesty. It describes a LONG, FLOWING, LOOSE, outer garment. All other references to "apparel" in the New Testament are gender neutral. They simply mean "clothing" or "to clothe." We areto understand that as women, our clothing should be long, flowing and loose.



According to the Westminster Assembly´s Larger Catechism: Q. 138. What are the duties required in the seventh commandment? A.The duties required in the seventh commandment are, chastity in body,mind, affections, words, and behavior, and the preservation of it in ourselves and others; watchfulness over the eyes and all the senses; temperance, keeping of chaste company, modesty in apparel; marriage by those that have not the gift of continency, conjugal love, and cohabitation; diligent labor in our callings; shunning all occasions of uncleanness, and resisting temptations thereunto. Q. 139. What are the sins forbidden in the seventh commandment? A. The sins forbidden in the seventh commandment, besides the neglect of the duties required, are, adultery, fornication, rape, incest, sodomy, and all unnatural lusts; all unclean imaginations, thoughts, purposes, and affections; all corrupt or filthy communications, or listening thereunto; wanton looks, impudent or light behaviour, immodest apparel… and all other provocations to, or acts of uncleanness, either in ourselves or others.



Although immodesty and nakedness is at an all time high in our country, it is not new to sinful man. John Bunyan preached against immodesty in his day as well! Consider his words:



"Why are they for going with their…naked shoulders, and papshanging out like a cow´s bag? Why are they for painting their faces, for stretching out their neck, and for putting of themselves unto all the formalities which proud fancy leads them to? Is it because they would honor God? Because they would adorn the gospel? Because they would beatify religion, and make sinners to fall in love with their own salvation? No, no, it is rather to please their lusts…I believe also that Satan has drawn more into the sin of uncleanness by the spangling show of fine clothes, than he could possibly have drawn unto it without them. I wonder what it was that of old was called the attire of a harlot: certainly it could not be more bewitching and tempting than are the garments of many professors this day."



My, my, wouldn´t John Bunyan be shocked by the "bewitching and tempting" garments of today´s "professors?"



From what we have found in Scripture, long dresses, long skirts, long robes, long and loose culottes or even pants [This is the only area I don't agree with, I don't believe you can find modest, long flowing pants, cullottes yes, but not pants]if they can be described as long, loose and flowing (and not sheer) would be modest and feminine. Can short or tight skirts be described as long and flowing? Can shorts be described as long and flowing? What about blue jeans? You might be able to describe them as loose but are you convinced they are long and flowing? Can you describe a skirt that is slit up higher than the length of a dress you could wear decently, as modest? If the dress is too tight to walk without a high slit, maybethe dress is too tight to wear!


Therefore we are certain that God commands Christian women to dress modestly, to dress like women in a feminine manner and to not dress as to cause our brother to stumble. We have also learned thatScripture is not up for individual interpretation. God´s Word is the final authority in all we believe, do and think. Don´t allow the world to set your standards of dress!



Dressing modestly will not get you to heaven. It will not make you a "better" person and it will not save your soul. What it will do is display obedience to the Word of God. It will reflect a heart thatis submitted to Him and a desire to dress "to the glory of God!"



Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, doall to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31


It is a sad day indeed when God´s chosen people flaunt their nakedness shamelessly all in the name of "Christian Liberty." We livein a day when His precious sons and daughters wreak of the world and resemble more the heathen, than the elect.



Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate…2Corinthians 6:17



But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1Pet 2:9



The feminist cry from our heathen society is, "But it´s MY body and MY choice how I dress!! I´ll do what I want!" Is the cry much different from our congregations? "But it´s MY Christian Liberty to dress the way I want! Legalism! I will do what I think is right!



"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20



What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace mayabound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Romans 6:1-2



Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness untosin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from thedead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Romans 6:13



Should we have the "liberty" to pick and choose what is worth obeying?



All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable fordoctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction inrighteousness. II Timothy 3:16



Sisters, let us repent of our arrogance and rebellion. Let us turn to the Lord with a humble and contrite heart and may the God of mercy grant us pardon for our worldly and selfish desire to dress contrary to the glory of God. If you haven´t honestly and earnestly sought God in how He would have you dress, then I urge you dear sisters to do so now! Ipray God gives you the grace to walk and dress as befits a child of the King. In so doing, you are considering your brother, loving your neighbor and honoring your God.



And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. II John 1:5



By the grace of Him Who saved me, may I seek to give Him honor and glory in all that I do…and yes, all that I wear. "Take my will and make it Thine – It shall be no longer mine!"


Blessings, ♥T

Happenings

This last month has been quite, well boring actually :) We haven't done much. Our school is going OK. I think we've finally gotten everything worked out. Hopefully! I've been sick, again. Sinus infections, ear infection, seasonal asthma and allergies. Wiped out is putting it lightly. I finally went to the Dr, it just wasn't going away. So I'm slowly feeling better now. Somehow I am REALLY backed up on laundry. Although I always have a ton of laundry to do, I usually am not backed up like this. Not really sure how it happened either. So I've been slowly chipping away on it every day.

James put up shelves in what is supposed to be the kids play room. I had intended to organize in there this weekend, but it's just not working out that way. But this week sometime I will be getting to it.

The kids have been playing outside, riding bikes and having a great time in all this warm weather we've been having. We have baby chicks, baby ducks, and bunnies! The kids love it! We also have geese now too! We ended up having to get rid of the donkeys. They wouldn't stay on our property and were kicking our neighbors calves. Somehow they figured out how to go through an electric fence! Still have the goats minus 3 we sold today. We aren't selling all of them, but are shrinking our herd a bit. Kathleen thinks Kessie is her baby, carries her all over the place. Don't think that'll last long though since Kessie is getting quite big!

My kids are so sweet. The girls were doing the dishes today and singing. It was so awesome and I wanted to film it, but the batteries died just as I started to!!! :( I was so sad. Emily said to me the other day "Mommy I love you! You're so clever. You're so smart at making dinner. You're pretty too!" LOL...(spaghetti is what I was making!) The girls were all shocked the other day too. I had cut my foot on something (couldn't find what) and had put it in the sink to clean it. They were all "WOW, mom you're so flexible! How are you doing that?!" LOL...I used to be called Gumbi growing up when I was in gymnastics. Then last night Makenzie says to me that I can't ride a bike...cause I'm too OLD!!! Can you believe it?! I'm NOT OLD! :D Silly girl! I love my kids! They make me laugh, they make me happy, they make my heart feel like it's going to burst!

I'm going to be finishing up a few more loads of laundry today and getting ready for church in the morning. I'm also going to start writing down all the things I want to do every day, every week, every month. I really want to get us back on a schedule. I think things just go so much smoother that way. In a large family things can get chaotic so quickly without one. I'm hoping to stop at the Dollar store tomorrow and get some poster board to use for our schedule. I'll have to get 2 to have enough room for us all though! LOL

I am reading through the Bible in 90 days. It's going good. I'm a couple days behind, but will catch up today and tomorrow. There are so many interesting things in there! Like did you know that Balaams donkey was a girl? Some of the"laws" are funny too. Or this Leviticus 15:33 And of her that is sick of her flowers... Or this Job 5:2 For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the SILLY one. And this Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God WINKED at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:...I just find stuff like this so funny! God definitely has a sense of humor!

Blessings, ♥T

Jokes

The Haircut
A young boy had just gotten his driving permit. He asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss his use of the car. His father said to him, "I`ll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study your bible more, and get your hair cut, then we will talk about it." A month later the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss his use of the car. His father said, "Son, I`m real proud of you. You have brought your grades up, you`ve studied your bible diligently, but you didn`t get a hair cut!" The young man waited a moment and replied, "You know dad, I`ve been thinking about that. You know Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair." His father replied, "Yes son, and they walked everywhere they went!" 
Who Scratched the Sky?

My 2-year-old watched out the window as I was driving. Suddenly he got very upset, saying "Oh, they are really gonna get now! Oh, are they ever gonna get it now!" Seeing nothing remarkable happening outside, I asked my son, "Who's gonna get it? What did they do?" Then, with all the seriousness of a 2-year-old, and pointing to the stream of vapor behind a plane in the sky, he explained, "The guy driving that plane up there! Look at that! He scratched the sky, everywhere he goes -- and is God gonna ever be mad!" Diane Dew, Milw., Wis.
Scientists
A scientist was not impressed by the way God had created humans.  He was sure if he studied, he could create a man just like God had. In his arrogance, he announces to God that he has figured it out and will be forming a man out of dirt, just like God had done with Adam. 
The scientist gets a small shovel and large bucket and heads outside. "Where are you going?"  God asks him. "To get some dirt to make a man," the scientist replies. 
To this, God says, "HEY!  Go get your OWN dirt!" 
Possessions
A man pleads with God that he really wanted to go to heaven but he wanted to take some possession of his from this life. He went around and around arguing with God and begging Him to be able to take one thing, just one, into heaven with him.
So the day came when the man died and he did go to heaven.  He arrived with his one thing that God had agreed to let him in with--a briefcase full of gold bricks. The man was grinning and walking down the street. He was glad to be in heaven and was feeling pleased that he had persuaded God.
Two of heaven's residents saw him whistling and walking down the street. One turns and says to the other, "What's with the guy walking around carrying a briefcase full of pavement??" 
At the Beach
A father was at the beach with his children when the four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore, where a sea gull lay dead in the sand. "Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked.
"He died and went to Heaven," the dad replied. The boy thought a moment and then said, "Did God throw him back down?" 
Look at Him Go
There was a huge nut tree by the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me," said one boy. The bucket was so full, several rolled out towards the fence.
Cycling down the road by the cemetery was a third boy. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you." He knew what it was. "Oh my!" he shuddered, "It's Satan and St. Peter dividing the souls at the cemetery!"
He cycled down the road and found an old man with a cane, hobbling along.  "Come quick!" he said, "You won't believe what I heard. Satan and St. Peter are down at the cemetery dividing the souls." The man said, "Shoo, you brat! Can't you see I'm finding it hard to walk as it is!"
After several pleas, the man hobbled to the cemetery and heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one..."  The old manwhispered, "Boy, you's been tellin' the truth! Let's see if we can see the Devil himself."
Shivering with fear, they edged toward the fence, still unable to see anything, but they heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me. And one last one for you. That's all. Let's go get those nuts by the fence, and we'll be done." They say the old guy made it to town 10 minutes before the boy! 
Pope and Moishe                                                         About a century or two ago, the Pope decided that all the Jews had  to leave Rome. Naturally there was a big uproar from the Jewish community. So the Pope made a deal. He would have a religious debate with a member of the Jewish community. If the Jews won, the Jews could stay. If the Pope won, the Jews would leave. The Jews realized that they had no choice. So they picked a middle-aged man named Moishe to represent them. Moishe asked for one addition to the debate. To make it  more interesting, neither side would be allowed to talk. The Pope agreed. The day of the great debate came. Moishe and the Pope sat opposite each other for a full minute before the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. Moishe looked back at him and raised one finger. The Pope waved his fingers in a circle around his head. Moishe pointed to the ground wherehe sat. The Pope pulled out a wafer and a glass of wine. Moishe pulled out an apple. The Pope stood up and said, "I give up." This man is too good. The Jews can stay." An hour later, the cardinals were all around the  Pope asking him what had happened. The Pope said, "First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity." He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there was still one God common to both our religions. Then I waved my finger around me to show him that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground and showing that God was also right here with us. I pulled out the wine and wafer to show that God absolves us from our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of original sin. He had an answer for everything. "What could I do?" Meanwhile, the Jewish community had crowded around Moishe. "What happened?" they asked. "Well," said Moishe," First he said to me that the Jews had three days to get out of here. I told him that not one of us was leaving. Then he told me  that this whole city would be cleared of Jews. I let him know that we were staying right here." "And then?" asked a woman. "I don't know," said Moishe,    "He took out his lunch and I took out mine" 

Miracles

A newly converted hippie was very interestedly reading the Bible while waiting for transportation and every now and then would exclaim, "Alleluia, Praise the Lord, Amen" and on and on as he read on.

A skeptic heard him and came and asked what he was reading. He answered "I am reading how God parted the red sea and let the Israelites go through--that is a miracle!" The skeptic explained.

"Do not believe everything the Bible tells you. The truth of the matter is that that body of water was only really 6 inches deep-- so it was not miracle." The hippie nodded in disappointment but kept on reading as the skeptic was walking away feeling proud that he had set the hippie straight.

All of a sudden the skeptic heard the hippie let out a big "Alleluia, Praise the Lord".

At this the skeptic came back to him and asked, "What is it this time?"

The hippie said excitedly in one breath, "This one is a real miracle, God drowned the whole Egyptian army in 6 inches of water!!!" 


Blessings, ♥T

Birth CONTROL part 3 the History

:D This will be the last birth control post, but I thought this history was interesting...

The birth control movement began during the women's rights movement in the United States during the 1910s. Leaders of the movement advocated women's rights to control reproduction and lobbied for public education and distribution of contraception, despite stringent anti-obscenity laws. It took more than 50 years until women could obtain contraception legally.

Post-Suffrage Movement

1. After the suffrage movement resulted in women gaining the right to vote in 1920, the women's rights movement began focusing on obtaining additional equal rights for women. According to the National Women's History Project, the birth control movement began as a way for women to gain freedom over their bodies, sexuality and lifestyle choices. The movement not only focused on public education about birth control methods, it also intended to prove that modern women could choose to live fulfilled lives without becoming mothers.

Comstock Law

2. According to the National Women's History Museum, the birth control movement was held up by an anti-obscenity law, the Comstock Law. Drafted by politician Anthony Comstock in 1873 as a way to curtail premarital sex and lewdness, the law legally banned contraception and deemed informational pamphlets on birth control as the distribution of obscene materials. During the 1910s, advocates of the birth control movement wrote articles and gave out information on contraception and were continually tried and convicted under the Comstock Law.

Founder

3. According to the National Women's History Museum, New York nurse Margaret Sanger is considered the leader of the birth control movement. Sanger published articles and pamphlets on birth control in the 1910s and opened a birth control clinic in 1916. It was open only nine days before Sanger was jailed for 30 days for distributing contraception. She founded the American Birth Control League in 1922, and the organization opened the first legal birth control clinic in 1923. It was allowed to distribute condoms and diaphragms only to married couples.

Eugenics

4. According to PBS's series "The American Experience," the birth control movement joined with the eugenics movement in the 1920s and 30s to gain support for the cause. The eugenics movement in America focused on selective breeding to maintain a perfect society and wanted to limit "unfit" classes, such as minorities and the handicapped, from procreating. Margaret Sanger publicly endorsed the use of birth control for eugenics, though she may have done so only to gain public acceptance of the birth control movement.

Supreme Court

5. Though the birth control movement began in the 1910s, the Supreme Court didn't make the distribution of contraception information legal until 1936, reports the National Women's History Project. In the United States v. One Package to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, doctors were given the right to inform patients about contraception. Although the first birth control pill was developed in 1960, it wasn't until the 1965 case, Griswold v. Connecticut, that the Supreme Court ruled that the right to use contraception was a constitutional freedom.

Read more: History of the Birth Control Movement | eHow.comhttp://www.ehow.com/about_5052080_history-birth-control-movement.html#ixzz1C1ZybqE5

Here is the history of the birth control pill:  The birth control pill was developed and tested in the 1950s by a team of U.S.-based scientists, whose work was funded by the women's rights advocate Katharine Dexter McCormick (1875-1967). The first human trials were conducted in 1956 in Puerto Rico, and resulted in approval of the pill by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1960. The freedom the pill provided to women by allowing them to control when and how often they became pregnant greatly influenced the women's rights movement of the 1960s. By the beginning of the 21st century, dozens of varieties of the birth control pill were on the market, and were used not only for contraception but also to regulate the menstrual cycle and to control acne.

Blessings, ♥T

Birth CONTROL part 2

"The only way it could be stated with certainty that contraceptive drugs are not abortifacient is if they completely abolish ovulation in every woman during every cycle. This is clearly not the case."

So yes, most contraceptives cause abortions. That includes (but is not limited to) the pills, IUD, the ring, depo shots, and patches.

" the RISK of death for cervical cancer was increased by as much as 200%, for cerebrovascular disease (stroke) an increase of 170% and circulatory diseases 120%. the greatly increased breast cancer risk (200-480%),  the risk of blood clots is 600-900% higher than non users of the pill across all age groups.

With the incidence of breast cancer, cervical cancer, blood clots, infertility and stroke with the use of the pill, the bald reality is that we are dealing with drug induced vandalism of the female physiology. The spin put on the results of this study by family planning advocates who encourage pill use whilst soothingly minimizing the dangers is a profound injustice to women."

Is the "RISK" really worth it? I personally don't see how. Besides the fact that you're controlling your family size, and possibly causing abortions, you're physically harming your body and putting it in great danger!

The other forms of control that physically alter your body are very dangerous as well...vasectomy and
tubal ligation

    Unfortunately the health ramifications of “messing with the plumbing” will last. Many studies have come out linking vasectomies and tubal ligations with a host of long-term health problems. A prominent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Giovannucci et al, 1993, “A Retrospective Cohort Study of Vasectomy and Prostate Cancer in U.S. Men”) demonstrated a 56% overall increase in risk of prostate cancer among men who had undergone a vasectomy and an 89% increase of risk among men whose procedures were 22 years old or longer. 

    Some of the other problems mentioned for vasectomy are: Arthritis, multiple sclerosis, migraines, allergies, impaired sexual function, kidney stones, angina pectoris and myocardial infraction, abscess of the liver and abscesses of the skin, recurrent sinusitis and recurrent virus infections, auto-immune diseases, hypoglycemia, and diabetes. 

    For tubals the list includes: severe cramps, heavier periods that are shorter or longer and irregular, dysfunctional uterine bleeding that can last for years, infections, abnormal hormone production and imbalances, painful intercourse, pelvic pain, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, hysterectomy, emotional imbalances, and auto-immune diseases such as lupus and fibromyalgia.

    Those who have experienced health problems usually attest to the fact that their doctor did not forewarn them that there was a possibility of physical complications associated with the procedure. Some were even reassured that no problems had ever been reported! 

I would encourage you to pray, search out what the scripture says about children, and do your research before using contraceptives or doing anything permanent.

Blessings, ♥T

Birth CONTROL!

Yes, Birth CONTROL, not talking about the pill or some form of contraceptive. I believe that all forms of contraception, (besides barrier, tubals or vasectomies) are abortifacient. Read the literature. (pamphlets from the pills, rings, IUD's, and shots, or the PDR, online etc) But that's not exactly what I'm wanting to talk about. I'm talking about the "control" issue. It's so sad that people regard children as a burden or a curse, when God says they're the exact opposite.

"Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Read that? The fruit of the womb is HIS REWARD! I don't know about you, but I want the Lord to reward me! People talk about the Lord blessing them in so many ways...financially, physically, materially, etc...But somehow when it comes to Him blessing them with children, it's no longer a blessing. They will say "I am trusting the Lord in this area..." (ie Letting Him control that area), but not, it seems, in the area of children. Why?

Why is it so easy to trust the Lord for finances, or healing, or health, or possesions, but not for children? I don't think I've ever heard any "excuse" for not having children that isn't a lack of trust or a selfishness issue. "We can't afford anymore",  "I don't like pregnancy because...", "I want to go to school, have a career, etc, first", "I don't want to give up...", "I'm too tired with the ones I have", and on and on it goes.

I think Matt 6:25-32 says pretty clearly that your needs will be provided for.

"1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and His strength, seek His face continually."

"2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said unto me "My grace is sufficient for thee: For my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ will rest upon me."

"Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

"Phillipians 4:13 I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

"2 Thessalonians 3:13 But ye brethren, be not weary in well doing."

"Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we will reap if we faint not."

"Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."

I think that should about cover tiredness or physical ailments, and there are PLENTY of other scriptures that show that the Lord will help you through ANYTHING. Including childbearing and raising children! Besides which, in the same scripture where He says children are a reward, He talks about sleep. Kind of ironic don't you think?! I personally take it as a promise from the Lord!

"Psalms 127:2-5 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."


"In the scriptures, the concern of godly women was not discrimination in vocation but rather, the barrenness of the womb. Women were not pining away, pleading the Almighty to be priests or phrophets. They were praying for the blessing of bearing children." ~ Dorothy Patterson

How true! "1 Timothy 2:15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." I will be SAVED in childbearing, NOT cursed!

"Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them."

"Deuteronomy 7:9,13 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; 13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee."

"Psalms 128:3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table."

It was a blessing to be the mother of many! What a blessing to receive on your wedding day! "I hope you have many children!"

The word Fruitful is used in reference to children 20+ times!

"Don't you see that children are God's best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
Like a warrior's fistful of arrows
are the children of a vigorous youth.
Oh, how blessed are you parents,
with your quivers full of children!
Your enemies don't stand a chance against you;
you'll sweep them right off your doorstep."

For sure, God meant children to be a blessing! Somehow we've strayed from that.

How can we as christians, say NO, to God when He tries to bless us? Would you say no if that blessing/reward were money? If the Lord offered you a million dollars would you refuse it? And yet what is money? It will be consumed. It does not last. I'm all for soulwinning, but how is it that soulwinning is more important or better than, bearing children? Every soul that you bring into this world for Christ will live on in eternity. Whether by birth or by soulwinning! We are in a spiritual warfare. We NEED more soldiers! Our numbers are dwindling because of our lack of faith and trust in the Lord controlling our family size. The Lord opens and shuts the womb. Allowing Him to control your family size doesn't mean you will have a child a year. I know many people who have never done a thing to control their family size and ended up with 1 or 2 kids, some even none!

Then there is the timing issue. "I'm not ready yet", "this or that needs to happen first". Don't you think you can trust God to know when the timing is right?

Basically what it boils down to is...If you have faith and trust the Lord, you need to trust Him in EVERY area of your life! If you use any form of birth CONTROL you are not trusting Him, you are trusting yourself, hence the word CONTROL!


Blessings, ♥T

Keepers AT Home!

"Titus 2:4-5 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers AT home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

Notice that it says "AT" home, not of the home. How can you be keepers at home if you're not AT home? Leaving the home for an occupation is blaspheming the word of God according to Titus 2:4-5. We live in a sad state in this day and age, where people no longer want to be home, but prefer leaving their children or home to be taken care of by someone else.

"Of course, much of the world would agree that being a housekeeper is acceptable as long as you are not caring for your own home; treating men with attentive devotion would also be right as long as the man is the boss in the office and not your husband; caring for children would even be deemed heroic service for which presidential awards could be given as long as the children are someone else's and not your own." ~ Dorothy Patterson

We are living in a world that pushes women to "go out" and succeed...at something other than that which the Lord made them for. How sad that families in America are deteriorating and it all started when women went to work.

"Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands."

"Proverbs 31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

The Bible makes it very clear that the MEN are to be the provider...

"Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

"Proverbs 28:19 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough."

"Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured."

"1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."

Our purpose in life as women is to be wives and mothers...

"1 Timothy 5:14 I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."

"1 Timothy 2:15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

Somehow our focus has gotten off our God ordained vocation, in which there is true happiness, joy and blessings. It has turned to a self-gratifying, me-oriented outside the home vocation seeking focus. All of which is linked to the explosion of feminism and women entering the workforce.

"No woman should be authorized to stay at home and raise her children. Society should be totally different. Women should not have that choice, precisely because if there is such a choice, too many women will make that one." ~ Simone de Beauvoir

"Being a housewife is an illegitimate profession...The choice to serve and be protected and plan towards being a family-maker is a choice that shouldn't be. The heart of radical feminism is to change that." ~ Vivian Gornick

We shouldn't be authorized to do what God made us to do? We shouldn't have that "choice" because too many of us might choose it? A housewife is an illegitimate profession? And yet these are the women who have shaped our culture.

"In the scriptures, the concern of godly women was not discrimination in vocation but rather, the barrenness of the womb. Women were not pining away, pleading the Almighty to be priests or prophets. They were praying for the blessing of bearing children." ~ Dorothy Patterson

And now today we are a society dedicated to watching the children of women who should be at home taking care of them.

"Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:"

"Deuteronomy 6:6-7 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

How can we do a good job of teaching them the law (the Bible) if we're not at home with them? How can we obey Deut 6:6-7, if we are not home with them at all those times?

How can we as mothers, be OK with someone else instilling their values and beliefs into our children? God gave us OUR children for US to raise. If he had wanted that "babysitter" or daycare worker to raise your children don't you think He would have given the children to THEM?



Let's quit blaspheming God's word and be Keepers AT Home!

Blessings, ♥T

Another Curriculum Review

Today I'm doing Rod and Staff.

I don't remember exactly why, but I ordered their science for my son. After using it, and liking it, I decided to order the whole curriculum for all my kids.

I absolutely loved the fact that not only is it from a biblical perspective, EVERYTHING was referenced or related back to God. It wasn't just, God made the world...this is how this works. It was God made the world and this is how it works and this is what scripture says about it. Like the weather for instance. It was talking about how God made the wind, and how the wind works and affects nature, and then it quoted the scripture that talks about how the wind works. Ecc 1:6. I read it and was amazed! God made the wind to work the way it does! It wasn't just by chance that it blows the way it does! I hadn't realized it was in the Bible though.

All of the work was like that! All centered around God and building their character. For that aspect I thought it was wonderful! To have the Lord woven through all their work was awesome! No worries about immodest pictures. All KJV scriptures. No weird "magical" stories. I didn't find or have any doctrinal issues either. I only  used it for a year though.

I did think it was kind of silly that all the pictures of people were "Mennonite". It was funny seeing Abraham and Joseph, etc looking like Mennonite men, instead of Jews! But not a problem in any way. I did have to disagree with their interpretation of "1 Timothy 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;" I do not agree with their interpretation that it's saying you can't braid your hair, wear gold, pearls or costly array. I believe it was talking about not adorning yourself with those things instead of with modest apparel, shamefacedness and sobriety. I think Pro. 31:21-22 makes it clear that she was wearing costly array and that it was good. There are other things I could cite, but this isn't a post about the way you dress, it's about the curriculum. (it's fine if you disagree, but my opinion☺) So when my son read that in his health book, I simply told him that we disagreed. But we do agree that women should be modest, just have a different opinion on what modesty entails. Not a big deal at all.

The main reason I don't use Rod and Staff. It is very similar to Abeka and Bob Jones, in that, it's a LOT of work. The kids have the workbooks, quizzes, drills, activities and tests to do and to me that's just too much stuff to do. I want my kids to learn, but as homeschoolers, I don't think we need to be spending the 8 hours a day that public/private schools have to, doing school work. I'm sure if I took the time, I could figure out how to cut down on the work load. I guess I'm being lazy, but I don't want to. I'm not at a time in my life where that's feasible.

In addition to that. It still has a lot of teacher prep and teaching time necessary for them to understand what they are supposed to do. You HAVE to use the teachers guides for them to understand their work. Not something I have time for with 6 kids doing school. It already takes me quite a bit of time just answering questions, correcting work and helping the ones learning to read. I don't have time to "teach school" to 6 different grades. It wasn't just a matter of helping them to understand the concept either. You really had to use the guide to help them know what they were even supposed to do on the pages. Some pages didn't even have instructions on them. So for that I did not like it.

Blessings, ♥T

Giveaway

I haven't ever done this before, but this book looks like one I most definitely need! So if you wanna see go over to HERE and check out the give away she's doing. If you decided to enter let her know that I sent you over! :D

Blessings, ♥T

My Favorite Color

Can anyone guess what my favorite color is? :D

Some April Fools Day Quotes just for fun...


The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. -- Mark Twain

Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed. -- Mark Twain

It's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and leave no doubt. --Mark Twain


Blessings, ♥T