My Heart's Desire

Overcoming Obstacles

My oldest son just finished a very special bike camp call Lose the Training Wheels. He has cerebral palsy and has been riding a bike with training wheels since he was 5 years old, (He will be 9 next week) He has been unable to get the balance thing down. We found this organization on the internet.... www.losethetrainingwheel.org . I highly recommend it! In 5 days (1 hour and 15 mins per day) Nathaniel was able to ride a two wheeled bike without training wheels!!!! It has given him such a sense of accomplishment. They are able to work with almost any child with disabilities, provided they are self supporting and ambulatory. They have an 80% sucess rate as well. Here are a couple of photos from the week long camp! I am so proud of all of his hard work! Go Nathaniel!

Marcia

Thinking outside the box with square foot gardening!

I am trying out the square foot gardening method this year. I am training my vining crops, cucumbers, melons and squash to grow vertically on a trellis. Well the other day I went hog wild and bought 50 strawberry plants. So I researched space saving ways to grow them. I combined my strawberry planters with my trellis. Take a look at what I came up with.

Here's how I did it!

1 - 10 ft  3" PVC Pipe

1- 10 ft 1 1/2" PVC Pipe

2 - 3" x 1 1/2" PVC T Pipe fittings

2 - 3" PVC Drain covers

Strapping and screws

Nylon Trellis netting

Zip Ties

I cut the 3" pipe into two 5ft lengths and drilled 25 1" holes into each Pipe. Capped clean cut end with drain covers and coffee filters to keep dirt in but allow for drainage. Fit T's onto rough end of 3" pipe. Strapped pipes to raised bed frame. Measured inside length between 1 1/2 T fitting and cut 1 1/2" pipe to fit. Insert pipe between fittings. Secured netting to pipes with zip ties. I will fill 3" pipe as I go planting the strawberry plants that are to arrive any day. Top of T pipe is open for watering. It can be covered as well if you have critter issues. TADAH! My trellis will not only hold up my vining plants it will be growing strawberries for me to eat and pick without getting down on my hands and knees.

Hope this gets you thinking of how to make things do double duty. I am growing 3 cucumber plants, 3 squash, and 3 cantaloupe in a 2x4 raised bed as well as 50 strawberry plants. Now that's what I call maximizing space.

Marcia

Busy as a Bee!

I have had a busy few days around here. My dear husband is still away for management training... but only 3 weeks left! We were blessed by a dear friend and his son who came over and mowed our very large lawn for me. It was just such a blessing to have that off of my plate. On Saturday we hit the local farmers market for the first time this year. We found some beautiful vegetable plants for 50 cents each, so I went hog wild! However, that meant I had to get busy with the garden plans. I had built a garden box out of scrap wood earlier this spring, so it finally got filled. It still needs to have the plant support  built and attached but that will not take long and can wait a few weeks.  I was determined to try growing tomatoes upside down so.....I had to get to work. I mounted hanging brackets, drilled holes in buckets, prepared my secret recipe soil and planted them upside down. I also bought one patio tomato. It is supposed to be self supporting and at 8 inches tall has half inch thick stock. Here are some pictures of the fruit of my labor. I even included a picture of my beautiful peonies that are blooming like crazy.

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk118/marseeyah/

There is much more to be done but at least I feel like I have a start.!

Marcia

Bible Memory Super Stars!

Just last week my boys finished their first year of AWANA. They were both able to complete their whole first book. They were able to memorize more than 40 bible verses and the books of the bible in order. I am so very poud of their accomplishments and so very pleased that they are treasuring the word of God in their hearts at such a young age. May the Lord help them to recall it in times of need or doubt!

Save Now! Get Forever Stamps while you can!

I just thought I would let everyone know about the rise in postage set for Monday! If you can go and get the "forever" stamps now you will be saving some money for the future. They will no longer be offering "forever" stamps! The "forever"stamps can be purchases at today's postage prices and used forever. I got a pack of 100 from Costco! These will help out come Christmas and Birthdays!

Marcia

Boy, I have done A Lot in my life.. How about you?

Copy and post on you're own blog.  What have you done?  I've borrowed this from another blog (with permission) and added a few things myself.  The highlighted ones are things I've done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
08. Said “I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
42. Had amazing friends
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
26. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Satisfying Saturday

We have sick here for nearly 4 weeks. My youngest son has mononucelosis, an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection. Whew! We all just had the upper respiratory. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. One chest x-ray, 3 blood tests, 7days of anitbiotics, 6 boxes of tissue and 240 Tylenol later we are finally feeling much better. My youngest is still quite weak and has lost over 8lbs (he was only 58lbs) but no fever for the last 48 hours!

I am simply satisfied that my boys are feeling better, that I am feeling well enough to get some laundry done as well as some basic cleaning, and that we are going to be able to visit my dear husband who is gone for eight 65 hour weeks of management training. So we are packing up a few things to surprise him! I am so blessed to have an amazing husband that would do anything necessary to provide for us and allow me to be home with my boys.

A Simply satisfying Saturday!

Marcia

Back Ye Beasty remnants of Vacation!

I have discovered that the only thing that contrasts perfectly with the beauty of a wonderful family vacation is the voluminous mass of destruction and cleaning that I must contend with once I am home from vacation. I am currently working on one battle at a time. Not only was there the mess from vacation, there was Hurricane Ray! My dear, sweet husband was preparing to leave for management training for two months. It was a bit like watching a chicken with it's head cut off as he is a bit anxious beginning this new chapter in his life.

I have managed to tame the laundry beasts! I have managed to clear the livingroom of laundry, suitcases, games and piles of mail! I am working on the kitchen and then on to the general cleaning! I will prevail! I will be victorious over the beasty remnants of vacation. Now if only I can get my mind and my children focused back on school.....ok......not everything at once! I leave you with a few pictures of the loves of my life from our vacation.

The love of my life and man of my dreams. (the one with the goatee)

Nathaniel

Ezekiel

I have missed you all!

This has been an extremely busy last month. My dear sister visited us from Maui, HI. I had not seen her for a year and my DH and kids had not seen her in 5 years. She had last visited KY 28 years ago. We had a full and wonderful week of visiting museums, family and the family's old home place that was sold over 15 years ago. It was bitter sweet. It has fallen into complete disrepair. We remembered a very different home filled with so much love and life.

My children have been very ill over the past 3 weeks. My youngest has had a fever for 15 out of the last 20 days.  Despite the illness we went on our first family vacation in 3 years. We were blessed with the gift of a week at a cabin at Rough River Lake. We had a terrific time! We medicated the kids and did a lot of fishing, hiking, game and card playing and little tick removal. It was the boys' first experience with ticks.

My DH leaves today for 8 weeks of manager training for his new promotion. We will be able to visit him occasionally during that time, but he will be sorely missed.

I have been behind on getting my garden put out and have been very upset about it, but God is good! We are expecting a freeze here tonight (It was supposed to be our frost free day)! I guess it all worked out for the best.  I look forward to spending a little more time blogging while my DH is gone. I have missed keeping up and all the great information and encouragement here with you all!

May the Lord grant you a terrific week!

Marcia

Happy as a pig in slop!

I am so excited! I have been hunting for a pressure canner all over! You see I really don't like to buy much of anything new (except underwear) due to the outrageous costs! I just found out that Goodwill has a web site and an online bidding system like ebay. I found a 22 quart Presto canner in terrific shape in MI ( I'm in KY) and it was purchased and shipped for $30.00. Yep! I cannot wait to begin by adventures in canning! Now if only spring would hurry up so I can get my garden going! AHHH! The simple things that can make this girl happy!

Marcia

Granola Recipe

This was a BIG hit with my whole family... even my 6 year old son.

Cinnamon Granola

4 Cups Rolled Oats (Not Quick Cooking)

1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans (0r any other nut)

1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds (Or any other nut)

1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries (Or raisins or other dried fruit)

1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 Cup Canola Oil (I have been able to reduce this to 1/3 to lower fat)

1/2 Cup Honey

Mix oatmeal, nuts, cinnamon and vanilla in a large bowl. Add oil and honey and mix well. Spread on lightly greased cookie sheets (or my lazy way...parchment paper on cookie sheets). Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes and stir, bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool and add dried fruit. When completely cooled store in an airtight container.

We love this with yogurt! Enjoy!

Marcia

Easy Mexican Chicken and Rice Skillet Dish

I have been trying new recipes and tweeking lately. Here is one that was a big hit even with my kids.

Mexican Chicken and Rice Skillet Dish

1 box  Spanish Rice

Amount of water required by rice (mine was 2 C)

1 can Diced Tomatoes (15 oz)

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive oil

1/2 C Diced Onion

1/2 C Diced Green Bell Pepper

1 can Small Red Beans, drained and rinsed

2 C Cooked, Cubed Chicken (0r leftover chicken pieces)

1/2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese (0ptional for garnish)

In oil brown rice, onion and bell pepper in a large skillet. Add tomatoes, beans and chicken. Add water and seasoning packet from rice. Simmer for 20-30 minutes covered. Serve with tortillas and shredded cheese. (There is just enough time to whip out a dozen flour tortillas while this mixture is simmering. Serves 4-6 depending on appetites.

Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Too much fun....pics!

Things have just been humming along here...mostly the same old stuff. However, last week the boys and I were on the front page of our local paper. We were interviewed and photographed for an article about homeschooling. I think I was an intriguing cadidate since I recently left my teaching career to homeschool my boys. The article was very well done and we are dutifully sending off copies to the grandparents!

I have been trying to figure out how to post pictures so I am going to give it a try and see if it will work. There are just a few of the boys having some fun!

Ezekiel preparing his Valentines!

Nathaniel reading to Ezekiel!

Sledding fun!

This snow is pathetic but it is the most we have had since 2004! I guess we have been busy having too much fun! Hope you all are doing well!

Marcia

The new All Bread Diet Revolution!

My family has fallen in love with homemade bread! I have inched my way along from boxed mixes in a breadmaker, to trying breadmachine recipes, to grinding my own wheat and making bread on my own. (OK true confessions I am still addicted to using my kitchen aid! LOL and I have fantasies of owning a Bosch Universal some day!) I did try to make bread with just my own two hands. Do you know how long 7-10 minutes of kneading is?..... About 4 hours in wimpy city girl arm time! LOL. Seriously, I understand why our ancestors had less of a problem with weight...you could burn nearly 5 million calories just making bread. Hey, that gives me and idea for a new diet revolution! The All Bread Diet Revolution, all you can eat is bread and you must grind all your wheat by hand and knead all your dough by hand....I could be a size 2 in 3 months flat! Do I have any takers? I think I could write a book, make infomercials and make millions!

Seriously though, I had a great day of making wheat bread, wheat roll and sweet dinner rolls. I am looking to expand my bread recipe collection if anyone whats to share.

Have a blessed Saturday, I will be up at the crack of dawn to take the boys into the city for Kid's Home Depot Clinic...we will be making football stools. If I can figure out how to add pictures I will post some tomorrow!

Marcia

Wild Wednesdays!

Wednesdays are wild for us! Besides the everyday stuff (cleaning, cooking, laundry, homeschooling etc.), my dh works a double shift on Wednesdays. So he leaves at 10am and gets home around 12:30 - 1am. My son Nathaniel has Physical and Occupational Therapy for 2  1/2 hours in the morning, we TRY (lol) to fit school in around everything. Our tradition is to visit daddy at the restaurant for dinner on his double shift days which mean 2 1/2 hours round trip. We practice for AWANA. Go from visiting daddy to AWANA (where I volunteer) until 8:30pm and then home for bed. I have become used to the Wild Wednesdays....but they can leave me gasping for breath. By the time we get home I feel like "I've been rode hard and put away wet" as Granny used to say. Amazingly enough, though tired, I never regret the business. Hope your day is a great one. I am off and running!

Marcia

Delightful non weekend Weekend!

We have had a terrific couple of days. After our day of rest Sunday we all were feeling much better...and Zeke even quit carrying around a box of tissues everywhere he went! LOL ( I wished I had enough sense to get a picuture.) Mondays and Tuesdays are our weekends due to my hubby's work schedule. Boy did we have a great weekend. We decided to treat the boys to a matinee movie (the 3rd one in their lives), we went to see The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (VeggieTales). We loved it. True confessions here my husband and I would buy and watch VeggieTales before our kids were into them. We love the good clean humor. If you ever used to dance to "Rock Lobster" you have got to see the video at the end of the movie! We also were blessed to procure (dumpster dive) some great wood for a planter box for our vegetable garden. We had no plans, no skills, and very little resources, but it is well on its way. It will be 48 inches by 21 ins. W x 14 ins. D. We accidently cut one of our 48 in pieces and so will have to "dive" for one more before it is finished. It may not be beautiful but it will be functional. We have terrible soil here, all clay on top of shale. You can only dig about 6 inches down before hitting lots of layers of rock. I was also able to clean bathrooms, some laundry, and clean out the boys' room. I will try to post pictures of our 1st little garden box as soon as we are finished!

Marcia

Day of Rest!

We have been sharing a nasty cold in our house this week. We made a decision not to share it with the others in our church and just stay home for a day of rest. And rest we did. Other than making meals and cleaning up the kitchen we have done little but rest. My boys spent more than 2 hours coloring in the school room while blasting classical music. Normally I would object to the loud music, however, it seemed a little strange objecting to classical music. LOL! I am hoping that we will be in better health for next week! I have so much I want to get done!

Blessings to you~

Marcia

The Hard Questions in Life

I have been blessed with one of the most tenacious, strong and courageous children in the entire world. Yet, I find it difficult to answer his tough questions. You see, at birth, Nathaniel died and was brought back. The damage to his brain caused Cerebral Palsy. Nathaniel has fought for everything in life. He has been in Physical and Occupational Therapy since he was 2 months old. Nathaniel had to be taught how to swallow without choking, sit up, crawl, walk, climb stairs, how to fall without majorly hurting himself. Everything that comes so naturally with most children was long delayed and hard earned. His heart is hurting right now because he is tired of fighting and does not understand why God allowed his brain to be hurt. The really difficult part is that he is cognitively very bright and fully understands that he is "different" than other kids. It is such a painful thing to watch your child struggle so. We have been feeding him regular doses of the truth. The truth about his condition (he first asked why when he was 5 yrs old), the truth of our love for him, and most importantly the truth of God's word! He is fearfully and wonderfully made. He is a child of God. God has a plan for his future and his prosperity. I know that we will face these questions again as he grows up, but it got me thinking.... How many times am I trapped in the questioning of God?  Why am I the way I am? Why did you let me struggle so? Why did you let someone I love die? Why? Why? Why? Are you trapped in the Whys? Feast on the truth of God's word. You are fearfully and wonderfully made! You (if a believer) are a child of the King! He has plans for you to prosper and future full of hope! His ways are higher than your ways! Rest in the truth, the answers to why will not change the present, and once we have reached Glory all our whys will be answered and the beautiful artwork of our lives will come in to complete focus!

Marcia

Sunday Morning Miracle!

DH were awakened by the sound of a moaning, crying child! Zeke (6) was having a stomach ache. This is highly unusual considering we have only had tummy troubles with our boys maybe 3 times since birth. I had him try to go to the bathroom...still in pain. He was curling up in a ball on the floor. He was unable to speak clearly for the pain interupting his speech. I quick grabbed a towel, (knowing for certain he was going to vomit) and carried him in to bed with me and snuggled him. The pain would not let up. I lightly pressed his little tummy and he screamed and cried in pain. He was in so much pain he couldn't even stand to be held. He curled up in a ball in front of me and whimpered, "Aren't you going to pray for me?" Well all that was going through this deeply spiritual mom's mind was how long to I wait before taking him to urgent care. I said, "Sure, I'll pray for you." I laid my hands on him as he writhed in pain and began to pray. I asked for the pain to stop and wisdom to know how to help him. Not 3 seconds after Amen, he rolled over and said "It doesn't hurt any more." He jumped up and said he was going to tell brother about that "trick". I asked, what trick. He replied the one that God just did when he healed me. He ran up the stairs laughing and giggling, smiling from ear to ear. He came back down 2 minutes later and I checked his tummy, pressing pretty firmly this time. He only laughed and said "It doesn't hurt, 'cause God healed me." My DH and I just stared at each other and both said if we had not seen it with our own eyes we would have never believed it! Not only that, we get to church and he wanted to tell his Teacher about his healing. Come to find out the lesson is on Lazarus being raise from the dead...healing! He share the testimony of what happened to him this morning! I am not one to see miracles at every turn, but praise God, He chose to heal a little boy with much faith! May He be glorified!

Marcia

Order begets order! Or "That ole dog jus' won't hunt"