Prairie Flower Cottage

Busy Busy...

2011-12-14T13:39:00.000-06:00

Christmas time.. a time that is suppose to be for relaxing and enjoying the company of your family and friends. NOT. I find that Christmas has become a huge money making event for the retain industry. How sad that people are hurt, mauled, or sometimes even killed over material items. Where are we as a people?? What happened to the true meaning of Christmas?? Where did we turn that corner and head the opposite direction?? Don't get me wrong ... I love Christmas.. I always have. But this year I noticed that as I was doing my everyday shpping, the items around me reproduced. The music over head changed to Christmas music. Those little "gifts" like the hot cocoa sets and beard trimmers started showing up in October. You know those things you don't even know exist until the Christmas season roles around. With a big sigh, I vowed to NOT shop this year, but as Christmas day is getting closer, I feel the pressure. HURRY! Gotta finish that LAST MINUTE shopping... ugh. I also noticed that people lose all sense of civility. I was coming out of a store last week, and this lady literally ran me over just to get inside..... and it wasn't even Black Friday. Something else that is difficult to understand, is the gift giving of "friends and family" whom you see maybe once a year....because you have to. What's with that?? If I never buy another Christmas gift it will be ok with me...
The bottom line is..... Jesus is the Reason for the Season!
Sorry for my attitude, but honestly, we have lost that focus.

What An Experience!

2011-11-28T12:00:00.000-06:00

JPDC TO HIGHLIGHT PLAZA LIGHTING SHOW!

That was the email we received back in October. Maggie's studio had been invited to perform at the world famous Kansas City Country Club plaza lighting ceremony. The show would be broadcasted around the world. So, needless to say, the next several weeks were spent practicing, practicing, and did I say practicing? The kids were so exhausted after the show, that my own daughter slept for literally two days. She missed Black Friday shopping (which she has not missed in years) and literally fell asleep singing once. Too bad I did not have a camera to take THAT photo. As a homeschooler, I love the fact that these kids were given the opportunity to see how much work goes into producing a television show. They were able to meet a famous actor and work with directors. They all had to work together as a team, to turn out a wonderful show. The entire week was given to rehearsals. Maggie and I spent the week in Kansas City. Thanks to my brother for letting us camp out on his living room floor. After all the lights were turned off, the crowd had gone home, and the actor was shuffled to his limo, I asked Maggie how she liked it and if she would do it again. The verdict came in... "Mom, it ROCKED! I loved it! I want to do it again and again!!" I guess I need to find me some really good vitamins and a car that gets incredible gas mileage.

For what it's worth, I loved her in the Rockettes part of the show.

What a great time we had as a family sharing this experience together. It was a great way to start the holiday season.

The Day the Sky Fell...

2011-11-14T12:35:00.001-06:00

November 22, 2011 will mark the sixth month anniversary of the Joplin tornado. It has taken me several months to get to the point where I can write this post. I have been dealing with a lot of PTSD, as have many. I feel it necessary to make this entry to give praise to my Lord for what he has done thru this tragedy, and to pay honor to the people of Joplin. Their resilience, determination, and faith has been encouraging.

My family and I were preparing to visit friends and enjoy a nice time of food, fun, and fellowship. As we drove to their house, little did we know that the lives of everyone in the area was about to change. As many know, unless you have lived under a rock, an EF5 tornado hit the town of Joplin,Mo on May 22, 2011. The rest is history. We were about ready to sit down to eat together, when a son of our hostess called telling her of the tragedy. Tornado in Joplin! Ok. We can deal with that. In this area of the country, tornados are not a rare thing. We have several spottings a year. We were, however, not prepared for the reality of those three words. Turning on the television news, we found coverage immediately. Being a home health nurse in Joplin, I grabbed the phone and tried to contact my clients and friends. I attempted, for what seemed like hours, to get thru. The phone lines were either jammed or down because the tornado had taken out the towers.
I knew I had to go to Joplin. I had to find my clients and coworkers.   As I traveled down 71Hwy, police, ambulance, and fire rescue teams, from as far away as St. Louis, passed me. My thoughts were, "Oh, my, what will I find when I get there?"
As my boss and I entered Joplin about an hour after the tornado hit, I came to a very fast understanding that this was tragic. All I could see for miles were red lights flashing...not the street lights, as they had been taken out, but red light after red light from the emergency vehicles. As we tried to get down street after street, we found that all of the landmarks, including the street signs, had been removed. We looked around us and all we could see was vast devastation. I could not comprehend what I was seeing. Places I had known for years, were leveled. The high school that stood tall and proud, was leveled.   My daughter's dance studio, where she took dance for years, was also leveled. The reporters on the radio continued to tell of the injured. Stories of people walking blocks to get to their loved ones; strangers placing injured souls on doors and putting them in the backs of vans, onto trailers, or pick up truck beds just to get them help all resonated with the images I was seeing. As I stood in one spot, I turned in a complete circle. All I saw was complete destruction. There was nothing standing. All of the trees were either twisted or ripped completely out of the ground. Houses and building piled six and seven feet high. The force of the storm had picked up cars and crumpled them together where there were three and four cars in one large metal mass. "Oh Dear God", I cried out in my mind. All I could think, "There are people inside these piles." I could see men, women, and children standing on these piles, trying to dig out loved ones, or possibly beloved pets. My mind couldn't take it. My heart cried out in physical pain. "How?", "Why?"... those were the two questions I kept asking myself for days and weeks to follow.
As the days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned to months, stories of both horror and inspiration has trickled in. There are reports of children seeing angles, some called them butterflies, hovering over them. There have been reports of many pets being reunited with their owners, or being adopted out because their owners were no longer able to claim them. I saw many people from all over the country converge on the city of Joplin, just to help. One man walked to Joplin from across the country, just so he could help out. My heart was warmed at the outpouring of love to the victims. I had many friends from my past look me up and ask what they could do to help.
Now, six months later, the streets are beginning to clear, houses are going up, the Extreme Makeover Home Edition show has been here and gone, and life is beginning to reappear. Joplin will be alright. In all of this, I have learned that life it but a moment in time. We never know if we will see the next sunrise. We take our lives and loved ones for granted, expecting life to continue on like normal.
I want to take this moment to say THANK YOU ... thank you to all who has helped out with clean up, supplies, food, clothing, and other things. Your generosity does not go unnoticed. Most importantly, I want to thank my Lord, Jesus Christ for his presence in Joplin, during the storm and after.

The church failed!

2011-02-15T21:56:00.000-06:00

"Why did you leave the church?" I asked a friend of mine recently. I was not suprised by his answer. He told me that it was because he got tired of the "clergy" lying to the people. When speaking with his clergy it sounded to me like he didn't get much help. Again, it did not suprise me with his answer. I, like many Americans, grew up in an American church going thru the rituals, wearing the right clothes. We made sure we were at the church building everytime the doors were open. I learned the stories of Abraham, Noah, and Moses. I "walked the isle" many times, thinking that I had to continually pay penance to God, primarily because I had a preacher screaming from the pulpit that I was going to hell. I never had a sense of security. Fast forward many years and I am a married woman with small children. I walked into a new church one day and sat down. The minister opened up his sermon with prayer and then proceded to study a passage out of Genesis. As I sat and listened, I was amazed at how much I learned in those thirty minutes. I looked at my husband and said "I never knew that." "Why didn't they tell me that?" I was upset that I had set thru Bible story after Bible story as a child, but had never been informed of the meaning behind the stories. Since then, I have learned so much that makes the Bible come alive. That is not what I am wanting to get across here. I am wanting to say that there are large numbers of people leaving the church, because the church failed them. We spend so much time making everything look good, that we fail to see the reason for the gospel. Jesus did not say go out and make pretty little churches. He said go out and preach the gospel. So many Christians have the mindset that there is no tolerance for anyone different than them. We keep inside our little boxes, protecting our children from outside world. We want to be comfortable. The last time I read the Bible, it says in Phil. 1.:21 "For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Doesn't sound to comfortable to me...does it you??? What are we doing? We are to love one another. Carry each others burdens. Not judge because the color of the churc door is yellow, the carpet is brown, or that man on the street "looks" a certain way. I know I may make alot of people mad when I say this, but in my opinion, the church it at great fault for the exodus of people. Just saying.

Until next time~~~

"Deal With It" He said.

2011-01-25T17:59:00.002-06:00

Taking a deep breath, I begin this post. There has been so much going on in my life since the first of the year, that I don't know where to begin. It seems as though I get things in life lined up, sorted out, organized, and under control, then God will change the plan. I am looking at my blog with a bit of confusion, as I don't know where to take it as of now. It seems as though I am just blogging for myself. However, I have this small feeling that I am to keep it going. So, with that being said, I am trying to decide on what I am going to post about. Many of you who know me, know that my kids/husband are my life. I revolve around them. Many times, I blog about them. It is obvious that I am all about my family. But what does God want me to do with this blog? He really has not told me yet...so while I wait, I am posting about what I think God is currently doing in my life.
When I was growing up, alot of things happened to me that I decided not to deal with in life. After graduation from high school, I was done with those people, never wanted to see them again. Then things in college took place that left gashes in my heart as well. So, I buried them... under layers of dirt and rock. Every once in a while a weed or two would pop up and I would pluck it out, making my little rock garden look pretty and nice again. God and I had an understanding...we just would not deal with those things. They were to stay hidden.
God always seems to have a different plan. He has let me wallow in self pity long enough and you guessed it...those weeds are coming in faster than I can pluck them out. He has told me to take out the rock garden and plant new seed. For the past several months, He has brought several of "those" people back into my life. I have come in contact with more than several people from my past for it to be a coincidence. "Now what do I do?", I asked. "FORGIVE" He said. "Deal with it!" He said. "Let me help you. This stuff has to go. I have many plans for Brian and you and frankly, your past is in my way." All I can say is OUCH! Ok, so since I can't keep these weeds from popping up in rapid fashion, I have no other choice but to deal with it. So, I pulled up my boots, tightened my belt, and grab a hold of the reins. "Ok, God. Now what?" I had no more than uttered those words when God brought a person back into my life from my past that I just did not know what to do with. "What do I do with this, Lord?" "Tell him you are sorry and ask for forgiveness." YIKES...What??? Forgiveness for what??? I had no idea what He wanted me to ask forgiveness for. After all, I was just 14 years old when my path crossed with this person's path. So after doing what He told me to do, I found out that there was a lot of "stuff" ....junk...baggage out there that needed to be cleaned up. I have had a couple of conversations with this person and I am in awe at how much of the old has been removed. He is such a nice person who has alot to deal with. Way more than I ever thought I had. He has many burdens that he is bearing. He is someone I really never knew, because I didn't take the time to get to know him. I was too involved with myself at 14.
So I thought I was finished and decided to crawl back to my own little shell." "We are not finished, my child." UGH!! Have you ever seen a child throw a tantrum when he didn't want to do what you told him too....well I almost went down that road. "Now what? I did what you told me to do" "There is more to get ride of." Then God gave me a list, that I will not share here... man is He ever cleaning house. Ouch..ouch ouch.
I should be upset, mad, embarrased...what ever words come to mind...but I am not. I am truly blessed that my Lord cares enough for me to remove those old scabs off those old wounds and heal me.
I know that this might not be pertinent to your life and you may not even care, but I know that God has been teaching me lessons on opening up myself to become vulneralbe. For those who know me know....THIS SCARES ME TO DEATH. I have spent many many years building up a nice, tall, four walled bunker to keep my feelings safe. Guess what...it doesn't work, I am finding out that I may be able to keep people at an arm's length..but I can't keep God there. He comes in and starts peeling off the wallpaper of my little pit I built.
God has shown me that life is short. It is not about me. It is about continuing the kingdom..
Oh man, I just have so much stuff reeling in my head that I could literally write forever. But I must come to a close as time does not permit me to continue. I hope something I have written in this post has been an encouragement to you. If not, that is ok. Just keep looking up and may God bless you and keep you until next time....

A New Year blooms....

2011-01-05T21:49:00.010-06:00

Well, praise the Lord, 2010 is over. 2010 was a very, very hard year for our family and am hoping that 2011 will bring some wonderful renewal. Hoping to trim down on the weight of clutter, stress, and busyness that life can deal out when you are not looking.

As I look back on last year, I am reminded that God is in everything. He walks with us day by day, never leaving our side for one minute. He never tires and is always ready to carry us when we can't walk on our own. This last year has been full of joy and sadness for our family. In Feb. we said goodbye to my grandfather, as I have already posted on. He was a strong spiritual force in my life as I was growing up and I miss him. We were blessed to go on a couple of trips. In July, we took Maggie down to Branson, for her national dance competition. I am so fortunate to have such a beautiful daughter, who loves the Lord and dances her heart out, using her talent God has given her. My boys are just that....BOYS. Always loud and obnoxious, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Their father has brought them up tbe men...and men they are becoming. October brought us a once in a lifetime trip to Washington D.C. As we spent time visiting our nation's capital, we were thankful for our forefathers who went before us to set forth this great nation. We visited all the regular tourist spots that most people visit and then some off the beaten path. I was so excited to see my kids putting the pieces of the puzzle together from our studies in history and other subjects. It made me feel that yes, we are doing the right thing by raising our children in the ways of the Lord. One of the highlights of our trip, was visiting Mt.Vernon, home of President George Washington. What a beautiful, majestic homestead, set right on the Potomac River. It was so hard to believe that we were walking in the footsteps of great leaders of days gone by.

As the holidays approached, andwe were busy with the hustle and bustle of holiday life, forgetting what exactly the reason for the season was, we were hit with yet another major event. On December 14, 2010, my brother in law, Mike Miller, went to be with Jesus. Even though he was not well, it was unexpected, and everyone thought he/we had more time together.

unexpected. Life came to a screaching halt, as we made several trips up to help my sister in law and be with her and the kids. We had spent time with Mike over Thanksgiving, which is a time I will cherish forever. He was a person who struggled with his spiritual walk up until two years before he died. He made the decision for Jesus, and was not the same. He was someone who was real...not animated. You always knew what he was thinking. He had a special place in my heart, even though he didn't know it, until the last. He had so much to give to anyone who would sit down and listen. He was married the bride of his youth, and together they raised two strong kids. Hannah and Keefer are such a joy to Brian and I. We are looking forward to spending more time with them in the future. We said good bye to Mike on Dec. 3oth, in a pack filled church, with not a dry eye in the house. Looking back over his life, it is such a loss we here on Earth have experienced, but will joyfully see Mike again in Heaven walking along side my larger than life, beloved father in law, Keith Miller and my grandfather, Don Finley. God was so good to deliver Mike from the hands of Satan, and for that I will praise my Lord.

So, with a deep breath, a pair of muck boots, and my Bible in hand, I start off on this journey of finding out what this year will bring. I am so hoping that I will not be reporting any deaths this year, as three deaths in 18 months is simply too much for one soul to handle. I pray Lord, keep my eyes on you and my feet moving forward.

May your upcoming year be filled with the blessings and joys of our Lord and Savior.

Until next time....

Saving $ with Coupons (Part 2)

2010-09-06T16:50:00.010-05:00

In my last blog entry, I started my posts on my findings on saving money and using coupons. I am still posting on the info. I found on http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ Yes, you are able to go to the site and read the articles for yourself, but me posting them is helping me learn the concepts. Thanks for reading.

4. Shop with Cash: You will very likely see savings on your grocery bill if you shop with cash. It forces you to stick to your budget. If you don't have the $ in hand, then you can't spend it. Using a debit or credit card gives you a leeway to go over that $2 or so each time. If you go over just a few dollars every time, that will not seem like much at the time, but will add up by the end of the year. It could be as much as a $100 or so.
~Use the envelope system to put your cash in.
*Guidelines: 1. Commit to only spend what is in your grocery envelope for the next three months. 2. Go to bank and with drawl cash in the amount of your predetermined grocery budget. 3. Leave your credit/debit card at home. 4. Calculate purchases on a calculator as you add them to your cart. (Be sure to note last entry amount each time, just in case you accidentally hit clear. Speaking from experience. ) 5. PAY WITH CASH.

5. The Buy Ahead Principle: One of the biggest successes to grocery savings. NEVER PAY RETAIL.

--if you are patient and observant, you can buy most items at %0% or more off.

---How To Build a Stockpile;
1. Designate a small portion of your grocery budget to building up your stockpile. - $5- 10/wk on deeply discounted items.
2. Designate an area in your home to store your stockpile.
3. Determine when enough is enough.

6. Shop at more than one store. Take time to scout out the stores nearby and pick a few stores which have the best deals and sales.
~make a list of all the stores in your area.
~visit your stores and record prices of 25 items you routinely buy.
~find out what your local stores coupon and mark down policies are. - double coupons? limitations? expired coupons? store coupons used in addition to manufactures coupons? competitors coupons? reduces produce, dairy and meats on regular basis? when?
~determine which stores regularly have the lowest prices and best values?

7. Everyone should use coupons - coupons are available for all foods, not just processed foods. Use coupons wisely..wait for items to go on sale and then use your coupon.

8. 10 ways to get free coupons:
~1. ask friends or relatives for their extra coupon inserts.
~2. stop by Starbucks/McDonalds on Sundays... people will throw away those inserts.
~3. make friends with someone who delivers papers.
~4. trade coupons. Try http://www.hotcouponworld.com/
~5. Join a coupon train.
~6. check your library for those inserts. The library does not keep the coupon inserts.
~7. dumpster dive: some of my friends have been able to get great deals this way.
~8. pick up coupons at the stores.
~9. print coupons online.
~10. write the companies and ask to be put on their special mailing lists.

Ok, there you have part two. This last weekend, I bought my papers and am currently in the middle of the huge mountain of coupons to organize. Tomorrow evening I will be going to the store and purchasing some items. I will post on how I did. Wish me luck.

Until next time...

Saving $ with Coupons...

2010-09-06T15:06:00.004-05:00

Like I posted in my last blogpost, I am learning about saving with coupons. I have spent some of the day reading everything I could on how to cut your grocery budget. Things I have learned have not been extremely suprising, but I thought I would pass it on to you. I am using mostly the website http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ The site has an abundance of information on saving $. The article I read is called 31 Days to a Better Grocery Budget. There are several posts in this article, but for the sake of time, I am hitting the highlights. You can find out more info by visiting the site and reading the article yourself. Here we go.

As stated in the article..
1. Stop Making Excuses and commit to a Change.
2. You Need a Budget. This one is self explanatory,but a budget keeps you on track. Without a budget, bargin shopping and couponing is not going to save you money. To start your budget, start slow....average your grocery spending for 4-8 weeks. Be realistic in your goals and set a goal for 5% at a time.
3. Menu Planning Saves Your Sanity and Your Budget. This is a MUST. By having a menu, you save numerous trips to the store. It also saves you the stress of that 5 o'clock "What am I going to have for dinner?" issue. A little planning will save you time and money.
--Shop your Cupboards- look in freezer, refrigerator, and pantry. You may find the "beginnings" of a yummy meal. You can use the Ingredients Search page from http://www.allrecipes.com/
--Consult Sales Flyers- plan menus based on what is on sale at your local stores. Check out those flyers in the newspaper or find them online. The hottest deals of the week are listed on the front page. These items are called "loss leaders", which means they are items that the stores are breaking even on or losing money on. The items are used to lure you into the store to get you to shop.
--Survey Your Coupons- pull out that coupon box and match up your coupons with items on sale. Be sure to use "high value" coupons and "free items" coupons. Put these coupons on the There will be times when the pantry is bare, the budget is weak, and the sales are down. At these times, try checking out your favorite food blogs, such as http://www.tammysrecipes.com/ or www.orgjunkie.com/menu-plan-monday These sites may give you some ideas or recipes to use. There are tons of recipe sites out there to help you work with small amounts of ingredients. Try a method that works for you when it comes to menu planning. Pre-established menu ideas are a good way to take that "work" out of planning. Ideas that I have found are: Monday-pasta, Tues-Soup/sandwhiches, Wednesday-stirfry, Thurs.- crockpot, Fri.- pizza, Sat.-something new, and Sun.- something easy. This idea came from the website www.simplemom.net/a-monthly-menu-plan-for-the-spring. There are lots of recipe ideas on this site.
This is only #3 in the 31 Days article and because there is so much, I plan on taking sections at a time to talk about. The last thing I would suggest is find menu planning forms to use. You can find them at just about any menu planning site, but I found some at http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

I hope this is helpful and as always, please feel free to post your thoughts, suggestions and ideas that work for you. Thanks.
~Until next time,
Gayla

Couponing....

2010-09-05T16:49:00.002-05:00

I was at church this morning and I spoke to a gal who has recently started couponing. She gave me several websites to check out. I am sending them your way as I think everyone needs to have this info available. I have not "couponed" in the past, because I thought I needed to stick to what I would always buy. She told me that I needed to be willing to buy what is on sale and then schedule a menu around what is on sale. I am new to this concept of couponing and am looking for any advice one could give me. Please feel free to post a comment on here ro email me at prairieflower67@gmail.com I will attempt to post what I have learned as I go along. Starting a new adventure...exciting.

Here are the websites she gave me. Please feel free to post any you find helpful.
1. www.iheartcoupondeals.blogspot.com
2. www.krazycouponlady.com
3. www.moneysavingmom.com
4. www.totallytarget.com

~Until next time.
Happy Blogging

Hello Little One!

2010-09-05T16:36:00.002-05:00

INTRODUCING...ROXIE.

Ok so for those who follow my blog, you will notice that I just posted that we had to put down our pet, Miss Kitty. We we have since purchased a new little kitty from the pound in Pittsburg, KS. What a cutie. She was posted on the SEK Humane Society website. She had two sisters that were also available. After some discussion, Maggie decided that she "wanted to plug the hole in her heart" that Miss Kitty left behind. We met the little kitten and were instantly smitten with her. She is such a cute, spunky cat and had already brought great joy into our home. After bringing her home, I saw my daughter smile for the first time in over a week. I decided then that we had made the right decision. So....we are all having fun getting to know this little kitten. She loves human companionship and play. She loves to jump up on the bed and get right in my husband's face. Her name is Roxie and we think she has some Russian Blue in her.

If you are ever in the market for a new pet, I would seriously consider the local pound in your area. They were very polite and willing to work with us... We have not been disappointed.

~Until next time..
Happy Blogging

We said goodbye to a dear pet...

2010-09-05T16:02:00.002-05:00

Sadly, we had to say good bye to a wonderful family pet. Miss Kitty came into our home in 2003 as a gift to our then 6 year old daughter...she was quite the wild cat at first, but after many years of work, Maggie was able to tame her down. She was a Russian Blue cat and was beautiful. We enjoyed watching her race up and down the long hallway of our house. All we saw was this grey flash going by. She had quite the personality.

We noticed that she was not eating her food back in July. After several attempts at getting her to eat, we took her to the vet. She was at the vet's for three days, recieving I.V. therapy. After bringing her home and trying to get her to eat still, we realized that she was jaundiced and confused. We had to make the decision that she was not going to get better, without putting a feeding tube down her. So, with great tears shed, Brian took her back to the vet where they did the duty of putting her out of her misery in a humane way. We will miss Miss Kitty greatly.

GOODBYE DEAR PET...YOU WERE LOVED.

New life on the prairie

2010-07-24T23:44:00.003-05:00

Today my husband took me and three of my friends out to see the bison herd. When we got out to the herd we saw this little bison laying under his mama trying to get out of the sun. He must have been born in June or maybe even early July, as he is not very old. I thought he was so cute and I wanted to share....

Gayla

Family Fun in the city.....

2010-07-04T13:11:00.006-05:00

We headed up to Kansas City to spend time with my brother and his wife for the holiday. We have had some much fun just being together. After a quick trip to one of the many fireworks tents, we headed home with the anticipation of shooting off our purchases. We have several boys in our group and I have learned that boys love to blow up things. So, after about an hour of loud pops and screams, loads of smoke and the smell of sulfur, we headed inside. Our bbq is in progress and hopefully tonight we will head to Parkville, Mo. and see their show. We plan on taking some professional pictures today of the kids. The weather man says that it is undoubtedly going to storm, but we are hopeful that he is wrong. Even though the radar shows a huge chance of the storms happening, we are praying that the rain will go north. I will have to post more later and let you know how we did. Maggie is enjoying her smoke bombs... who would have thought a smoke bomb would keep kids entertained as long as they do....Well, enough for now. I hope you all have a great holiday. Please be safe and praise the Lord for your freedom.

Until next time... Happy blogging.

America the Beautiful

2010-07-04T11:51:00.003-05:00

Oh Beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grace....

Wow, I love July 4th. I love the fact that we are free to celebrate our Lord and Savior as well as our freedom living in a republic state. I can home school my children; I can worship openly; I can carry my Bible in public. I wish I could go up to EVERY soldier who has fought for my freedom and thank them personally. I think of my papa, who fought in WW II to keep me free. I think of all those soldiers at Normandy Beach who lost their lives for my freedom....but most of all, I am thankful for the freedom I have in Christ. I am thankful for Jesus willing to die on the cross for my sins. I am free for eternity because I am free in Christ. What more could anyone want?

The Journey

2010-06-21T19:18:00.002-05:00

I have not done this in the past, but I recently was told by a good friend to check out this blog.....It is AMAZING. Go to www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com or click on the link I have in the blogs I am following.

My heart goes out to the people of the thirdworld countries. I was blessed by God to go on a mission trip with my husband to Honduras in 1996. My oldest son was two years old. I have never been the same. I hope you enjoy reading the pages of this blog and get as much out of it as I have. Please send me any comments you would like...I would love to know your thoughts.

gayla

If you love them, turn them loose.....

2010-05-26T15:00:00.004-05:00

I couldn't believe it. Life had hit me right in the face. My little Hannah (my niece) who I held in my arms just last week, was graduating from high school. Where had the time gone? When did she grow up in to a beautiful woman? As I sat there and watched the class of 2010 recieve their diplomas, I was reminded that I would have a graduate in two years. The tears flowed then. I couldn't stop them...."I don't want him to grow up Lord." "He is mine," replied the Lord. Wow, I am still trying to wrap my thoughts around the fact that my kids, biological and "adopted" are growing up. I praise the Lord for giving me my kids. It is so hard to let them go.... to turn them loose in this big bad world. I have two years to plan my escape route, but something tells me that I won't be able to avoid the ineveitable. It is so hard being a mom sometimes, and yet, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Until next time....

Gayla

A Visit with the Potter.

2010-05-25T17:22:00.002-05:00

There was a couple who took a trip to England, to shop in a beautiful antique store. They were celebrating their 25Th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, especially tea cups. Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked, "May we see that? We have never seen a cup quite so beautiful." As the lady handed them the cup, the little cup spoke, "You don't understand. I have not always been a teacup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me, pounded and padded me over and over. I yelled out 'Don't do that. I don't like it. Leave me alone." But he only smiled and said, "Not yet." "Then WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and I spun around and around. 'Stop it! I am getting dizzy. I'm going to be sick', I screamed.

But the master only smiled and gently said, "Not yet."

"He spun me, poked and prodded me and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled, knocked, and pounded at the door. 'Help, get me out of here!' I could see him thru the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, "Not yet."

When I thought I couldn't bear it one more minute, he opened the door. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'Ah....this is much better,' I thought. After I cooled, he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. "Oh please stop it!" I cried.

He only shook his head and said, "Not yet."

Then suddenly he put me back into the oven. It was not like the first one. This one was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I was convinced that I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf where I cooled and waited...and waited.

An hour later, he handed me a mirror and said, "Look at yourself." As I did, I said 'That's not me. It couldn't be me. It is beautiful. I am beautiful.'

Quietly he spoke, "I want you to remember then, I know it hurt to be rolled, pounded, and padded, but had I just left you alone, you would have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was disagreeable and hot in the oven, but I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you would not have survived for long because the hardness would have not held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'

God is the potter and we are the clay. He will mold us and make us and expose us to just enough pressure of just the right kinds that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good and perfect will.

So when life seems hard and you are being pounded, patted, and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you feel like you are in the fiery furnace of trials; when life "stinks", try this: Brew a cup of your favorite tea in your prettiest tea cup, sit down and think on this story and then have a little talk with the Potter.

Beautiful 13!

2010-05-19T16:02:00.003-05:00

My beautiful baby girl will be 13 tomorrow. I can't believe how time has flown by. I remember bringing her home from the hospital and asking God to give me what I need to be her mama. I felt such joy in having a baby girl. I already had a boy. I was going to teach her how to be creative, how to cook and can and all those other domestic things that we as women do. I wanted her to be a great mama some day. In those 13 years, I have been blessed with a beautiful spirit within my daughter. Many times I am amazed at how calm she is, (when her mama isn't). I am amazed at how beautiful she is too. She is an amazing, talented dancer and I love watching her. I decided to treat her to our favorite place, The Shady Gables Tea House in Versaille, Mo. We have been going to it since she was four. So, off we went, and some of the other women in her family joined us. In the picture above we have two great aunts, two grandmothers and an aunt. We were missing a lot of other women, but the day was great. I was so glad to have all these great women there. The lady directly behind Maggie on the swing, is her great Aunt Debbie. Aunt Debbie was the first to introduce Maggie to tea at age three... Now granted, that tea service was Cheerios andKoolaid. Maggie LOVED it. I am so looking forward to the future as I watch my little girl (who isn't so little anymore) grow up into a beautiful young woman.

Happy Birthday, Maggie.....I love you!

19 Years and Counting....

2010-05-18T10:01:00.003-05:00

Today I am celebrating 19 years of marriage to a wonderful man. I wouldn't change a thing....well, maybe more time and two more kids...Not enough kids. We were able to get away for an overnight visit to Springfield, Mo. We went to the Botannical Gardens yesterday and today we are heading to Wilson's Creek Battlefield. What a great getway. I am so excited to see what God has instore for our next 19 years.

Great Fun Had By All...

2010-04-27T18:19:00.010-05:00

Last Friday Brian and I went to the homeschool conference in Springfield, Mo. I was so excited because we would get to see our good friends, the Solis. They are venders and travel around to the homeschool conferences selling wonderful books. They own Lifetime Books and Gifts. We have known them for several years and look forward to seeing them every year. This year was a treat....not only did we get to see them at the conference, but they came and stayed with us for a couple of days. They invited a new family to join us and what a great time we all had. Between the three families, there were 14 kids. I loved it! On Sunday, April 25th the gang started showing up around 5pm. There were four very lively boys in the bunch with anticipation of the arrival of the rest of the group. Immediately, my boys were drawn to these guys. They were

BOYS... if you know what I mean. They were dressed in boy dress and loved playing with guns and just boy stuff. By 7pm, the rest of the group came. My daughter was excited, because there were girls in that group. Mia who is 6 and Isabella who is a baby...but hey they were girls and that was all that mattered. We set up the Guy and Shirley's motorhome and got Laura settled in the onsite camper. A bonfire was started and dinner was on. I found out that my dear sweet friend, Shriley, had never had roasted hotdogs....the things we Missourians take for granted. Shirley is from Ecquador and Guy is from Columbia...they live in Homested, Fl. Never had roasted hotdogs....I couldn't wait to show Shirley what to do. Needless to say SHE LOVED THEM...We had the gammit...hotdogs, chips, and ofcourse roasted marshmellows. It was great. The weather was cool, so if felt like it was a fall evening. After talking into the night, we all settled in to our beds

with the great memories of fellowship still realing in our minds. The next morning, the boys were up and gone by the time the rest of us got up. We were blessed with a beautiful morning that was quite and breezy....then....the boys ( all of them) came back to camp to eat. As I watched this wave of hungry testosterone, I was amazed at the sounds that were coming out of these boys. Grunts, yelps, and growls. "Not to worry." I was told. They were just bonding. I had to laugh. Needless to say the muffins and juice went fast. After breakfast, the kids took off to play "war" in the picnic area. All I could see was a sea of camoflauge with airsoft guns and two girls in for the adventure. After making sure everyone had on their goggles, it was time to see them off and clean up breakfast. It was so wonderful to have my special friends with me. I kept thanking God for the precious time to spend with them. We piled into the back of the pickup truck and headed out to see if we could spot some baby bison. What treat when we actually came up on the herd and there were several new babies to see. The little kids in the back were taking it all in. The bison mamas were ever watchful of us as we drove around the herd looking at all we could see. On our way back, we came across a beautiful meadow of Indian Paintbrush, the beautiful bright orange wildflower that blooms this time of year.

At lunch time, Shriley made us a wonderful Central American meal of lentils, sticky rice, and burgers. Wow, it was wonderful. I tried to watch her cook everything, but am not sure if I will be able to recreate the tasty food. She told me that she is going to make a cookbook of Central American meals.

The day went by way too fast and soon it was time to say our goodbyes. We promised each other to write and to keep in touch. We will see each other again next spring. As they pulled out of the drive, I was reminded by God at how small our world really is. Who would have thought that we would meet a family from southern Florida, much less become friends. God always has His hand in everything we do. We are so blessed to have a saviour who loves us and enjoys giving us those little surprises along the way in life.

Our new addition to our family....

2010-04-25T11:37:00.003-05:00

On March 16th, Bryce Alexander was born to my sister in law and brother in law. We have been anxiously waiting for this little guy to show up for a long time. He is such a cutie. The kids and Aunt Gayla are very excited about the new baby. We have made plans to play with him, spoil him, and just love him.... bunches and BUNCHES. I am so amazed at the miracle of birth. Those tiny little fingers and toes... that little nose that seems too tiny to do the job has given it to do... how small these babies are and to think that will grow up to be wonderful men and women hopefully serving the Lord. I am so excited to get to know my newest nephew... I will have to keep you posted.

Gravity Has No Effect on Poetry!

2010-03-30T11:19:00.005-05:00

WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING......A BOASTING MOM REPORT IS BELOW....

Ok, I just had to post the warning so you can leave my blog now...but....if not, I warned you.

Maggie did it again!!!! I am so blessed to have such a beautiful, graceful daughter. How did I get such a wonderful daughter???? We went to her competitions this month and she did a great job. She has blossomed into a beautiful young lady. I love watching her leap accros the stage with little effort. She makes it look so easy. I have trouble just jumping rope. She recieved first place points in Kansas City with an invitation to the Dance America Nationals in Orlando, Fl. this summer. She also was awarded an Elite Top First in Talent on Parade with a trip to nationals in Branson Mo. We will be going to Branson.... it is closer... I am one proud mama right now....Thanks for reading.

Until next time...

Happy blogging.

Grandpa is with Jesus now

2010-02-24T18:45:00.005-06:00

Donald C. Finley

June 24, 1919-Feb. 16, 2010

On February 16, 2010 my grandpa went to be with Jesus. He is now walking the streets of gold singing in his beautiful tenor voice I have heard so much about. He is not hurting anymore and can breathe. I am sure he and my wonderful father in law are sitting around talking about geneology. I know what my father in law is telling him too...he is saying, "Don, I told you that you were Scottish. You kept telling me you were Irish, but I knew that wasn't right. I did all the research on the Finley family." If I know those two great men, they are just smiling at each other sheepishly not willing to concede. Maybe Grandpa is walking with my little sister, Kirstine, getting to know her. She was taken away from us all when she was just a month old. Or maybe he is reuniting with his parents, brother and sister. Who knows...but I am sure he is having a great time.
The funeral was actually nice (if you want to call a funeral nice). Grandpa told my husband that he didn't want it to be about him. He wanted it to be about Jesus. The week before he passed away he was asking my husband to pray with him. Brian had the chance to pray with him.

It still hasn't really hit me yet that he is gone. I still keep thinking that I can pick up the phone and call him. One day I know I will accept the thought and then try to pick up where I left off. Right now I just sit and think about what I wish I could say to him... or tell him. I have my times where tears well up in my eyes. I know that I will see him again, but I was not ready (nor would have ever been ready) to give him up. Even though we didn't always see eye to eye (that is that Scottish temperament) we loved each other and I felt safe around him. He always took care of me when I was little and then at times when I was older.

So, like everything, life must go on. Spring will come and the birds will sing...the flowers will bloom and new life will begin. The circle of life will continue. I just wish it wasn't so hard for those of us left behind.

I love you Grandpa and I will miss you!

Until next time ~

A Generation passing...

2010-02-14T16:44:00.002-06:00

This week has been one of the worst weeks in a long time. Last Saturday (Feb. 6) I received a call from my mom that my grandpa was in the hospital again...and he was not doing well at all. So off to Oklahoma City we go. After driving for several hours, we arrived around 8pm on Saturday evening. As I walked into his room, I was hit with the reality that a man I have always known as very strong, was very weak and brittle. He was sitting up with a mask over his face, struggling to breathe. He looked at me and smiled a weak smile and said hello. I was stunned by what I saw, but I knew I had to keep it together. We were told that it would not be long. One day turned into two which turned into three...by Tuesday he was better. The hospital staff was stunned at how strong he was at his age....my grandpa is 90 years old. Amazing!

I started thinking back on the memories I have with my grandpa. I remember being at his house (I was about 4) working in his garden. He introduced me to rhubarb and green beans. I remember sitting on his porch with a big bowl of beans in front of me. My grandma showed me how to snap the beans and put them into the "good "bowl. Grandpa sat and read to us from the Bible while we worked. I remember the time that he was watching my brother and I. We were suppose to be taking a nap. I was a curious child (I am getting my just desserts, as I have a child just like me) and I picked up what I thought was a pen. It turned out to be a tear gas pen. I found that out when it went off and my little brother was crying because I had shot him with tear gas. I remember the time that I took one of his metal drinking glasses and ran it thru the can opener. My grandpa would just look at me a smile. Later in life, he gave me that glass. I still have it. As I sat there watching my precious grandma take care of him, worrying about him, and trying to help him in any way that she could, I was reminded of the legacy he would be leaving behind. My grand parents have been married 67 years. I have watched their beautiful dance for 43 of those years and have been amazed at many things. I have learned so much from both of them. They have two children who have families of their own. My dad and sister both have wonderful marriages with beautiful families. All of whom are Christians. Grandpa's legacy doesn't end there. He is a very strong, proud Scotsman who has given of himself over and over again many times. He has told me about the survival of living thru the Great Depression. He has told me about what they ate during those times. I am amazed at his spiritual strength as well. It is his strength that keeps us all moving forward.
So, right now, it has been a week...he is still in the hospital and we have been down there twice this week. He has had good days and bad. But sadly, I think it will come to an end very soon. He is starting to weaken even more. He is having more trouble breathing and is on as much oxygen that he can handle. There is so much more that I could write about him....but for now, I am just thanking the Lord for putting such a strong man in my life. He has been the backbone of our family for many years....even when his very opinionated self (and if you are Scottish, you would understand) has gotten in the way or made someone upset. I am thankful for his spiritual strength that he has shown me.

I must close for now, but I will keep you updated.

Until next time....
Gayla

Chocolate and coffee...what more could a girl want?

2010-01-23T13:55:00.003-06:00

We have four family birthdays in the month of January. My husband, mine, and my two nieces. So this year we decided to head up to Kansas City to spend the time with my brother. Thanks to a wonderful sister-in-law, we toured two of my favorite places.
We went to the Roasterie Coffee Factory. Wow, that was fun.

We were able to walk the "green mile" which is the place were all the green coffee stored until it is roasted and ready to ship out. They showed us how they roast the coffee after cupping it. The cupping process is where they decide how much to roast each type of coffee. The coffee they buy is litterally all over the country (south of the equator.) Then it was off to packaging, where they showed us how to choose a good coffee. You

always want to look for that little "bellybutton" on the front of your coffee bag. That lets out the gases that build up after packaging.

After the coffee house,we headed to Crown center where we enjoyed a demonstration of how chocolate was made. It was a great time watching the man flip warm liquid chocolate into the air. He was cooling it so that he could form it into a wedge of fudge. That was a great time. The weekend was spent with lots of laughter and a wonderful family meal, where my parents came over to share. Spaghetti. yum yum....I had a great birthday and I think the others did too. It's not so bad sharing your birthday with other loved ones

Until next time..

Gayla

My Sweet Gavin is 10!

2010-01-23T13:46:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that the little baby I brought home from the hospital in a Christmas stocking is 10 years old. I woke up the morning of the 21st of Dec. and it hit me...."I don't have any more kids in single digits." Where has the time gone? Just yesterday he was toddling around in his footie pajamas, with a sheepish grin on his face as he reached for something he wasn't suppose to have. He would ( and still does) flash those big blus Finley eyes and say say, "Mommy, can I have a cookie?" I just love his gentle spirit. He is such a go getter. Eveyone knows when he is around. After watching him recently, I realized that he is not only a very social person (I don't know where he gets it) but an encourager as well. God has some great plans for this little guy. Maybe some day he will be an inventor of something mankind can not do without or maybe he will be a pastor, reaching out to the lost. In any case, I am having a blast watching him grow up. I love you so much Gavin. You are such a precious part of our famiily.

love,

Mom

Winter Fun 09

2010-01-23T13:30:00.004-06:00

I couldn't let this winter get by and not post about our sled riding. On Dec. 27th, we decided that since church had been canceled, we would go sledding. It is amazing what you can make a sled out of. The boys found the lid to a metal trash can and tied a lasso rope to it. The other end was tied to the ATV. Off we went flying down the drive way. The snow was cold, but not too cold. It was just perfect for sled riding on metal can lids. There is a certain snow type that you need for metal sleds. Did you know that? No, just kidding. I think all it takes is a lid, some snow, a rope and three kids willing to break their necks as they scream "Faster....go faster, Dad!" I love snow and I love to get my kids out in it. We just don't always get a lot of snow...sometimes we don't get any snow.

Bruce decided to get into the act, until he ran up the gravel road and Brian had to go after him. He was put on the chain after that. Our little dog, Sadie was quit put out when she had to stay inside the house. You could hear her yelping from the yard. She is such a drama queen. Gavin went first and was such a trooper. He was thrown this way and that way. He crashed into the snow banks and just laughed. Maggie got the award for most graceful dismount. As you can see in the third picture, all those dance classes have paid off. She is still pointing her toes even in the midst of a crash. Matthew was Matthew. The more extreme the better. It became a competition between dad and son to see who could go the fastest on the machine and who could throw who off the worst. It got a bit hairy there for a while. But, Miller men will be Miller men. They are the most extreme in just about anything. That's what I love about them. As you can see in the last picture, there are ice cycles hanging off Gavin's eye lashes. The boys were getting ready to ambush their dad. Poor guy.... I had to act like I didn't know what was about to happen. They look pretty serious don't they? After hours of fun, we headed into the house for some hot chocolate and a warm meal. The day had been a great day. One that I will remember forever.

Until next time...

Christmas Happenings...

2010-01-23T13:10:00.007-06:00

We had the best Christmas holiday this year. To start it off, we woke up to a white Christmas morning. It was great. I can't remember the last time we had snow on Christmas morning. We were so excited to see it. Our dogs loved playing in the wet, white snow. The night before we had a house full of company over to play games and just hang out. It meant a lot to me to have my family and close friends at my home. We enjoyed a huge taco salad and one of the girls brought baclava for dessert. Yum.

After a long wonferful Christmas morning of opening gift, we had our traditional breakfast of biscuits and gravy. Then we played with our new games and toys for the better part of the day. I was so excited because I was given a Cricut for Christmas. It is a wonderful scrapbooking tool, for those of you who don't know what a Cricut is. It is so exciting to think that next year we will have a new baby join our Christmas holiday. I am getting a new baby nephew in March!

After a couple of days at home, we headed up to Harrisonville, Mo.to see my side of the family. What a great day! We enjoyed giving gifts with them, but after a wonderful hot meal at the old family dining table, the kids headed outside to play in the snow. What a cold day it was, but you couldn't tell those kids that. After getting Uncle Craig and Papa to start up the ATVs, there was no stopping them. They came back in with ice cycles hangning from their noses. This year has been one of the best ones I can remember just being with family and enjoying one another's company. I hope you had a memorable holiday seaason. May God bless you and your family in 2010.

~Until next time....

Gayla

Greetings.

2009-12-02T11:19:00.003-06:00

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We were blessed with having my parents, brother , sister in law and niece down to our house. It was a great day. On Friday my dd and I headed out early in the morning to grab some deals for the upcoming Christmas season. Many times that day, I looked around me and saw people shoving not one, but several "on sale" items into their carts. I couldn't help but wonder if this was all a muse to get us to spend spend spend. After getting only the things on my list (it was hard to stick to that) I headed home to grab a nap, before heading out on a three hour drive up to Lake of the Ozarks to spend some time with my friend on her birthday. What a great time was had. I so enjoyed just sitting quietly in our favorite little tea house just listening to the music and enjoying the company. I decided that I don't do that enough. After a wonderful visit with friends, I sadly had to head up to the hospital in Clinton, Mo. to see my brother in law. Please put him in your prayers.

Well, I hope all is well with you. Please keep in touch when possible. Remember that this season is not about gifts and bing, but about the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

~Until next time.
Gayla

Thanksgiving ...

2009-11-25T23:40:00.002-06:00

By now many of you are already arriving at your destinations... enjoying the evening with family or friends. Or perhaps you, like our family, are enjoying the holidays at home. In either case, I would like to pause for a moment and ask this question..."What does your family do for Thanksgiving? What are your traditions?" It has been pretty quite on here lately and I am hoping to generate some conversation. Please send in your comments...I would love to hear what you have to say. Who knows, your tradition could become a new tradition of ours.

~Gayla

The True Arthur by Matheson Miller

2009-11-06T12:12:00.002-06:00

Although many of you think that King Arthur was a good king, you are wrong. He actually was a ruthless ruler. You will see in the story to come. It all began at the round table on September 13, 1120 a.d. A man named Malcolm "The Giant" was at a gathering at the round table to discuss the peasant uprising problem when it was suddenly interrupted by Arthur's right hand man, Seymour Bartholomew. He whispered into Arthur's ear and the gathering was cut short. Malcolm left and headed to the cave (which was the secret meeting spot for "dokulkastande", a group started by Arthur's step brother Charles Schmidt.) As he reached the front of the cave, he stopped at the door to say the password (while moving your pinkie, say hello). He entered the meeting which had already started. There was a man who was saying he had seen Seymour and Arthur leaving the meeting. Malcolm followed the two all the was to the center of town, where there were many peasants screaming, "Lower taxes!" Arthur pulled out his dagger and stabbed the man in the heart. The crowd became silent. Arthur yelled, "Let that be a lesson to you all", then he got on his horse and rode off. Suddenly a loud cry echoed through the cave. "Arthur is coming!" Every one was running out the door and into the woods. I made it to the tree right when Arthur got there. Unfortunately, Charles didn't. Arthur caught him and ordered him shot down. A man to the right of Arthur shot him in the back with his crossbow. Then a man came out of the cave. It was Malcolm's best friend, James. He shook Arthur's hand and rode off with him. So now Malcolm's friend was a trader. Arthur had found out about "Dokullkastande" and Malcolm was probably banned from the round table and if caught, he would be killed like Charles. So Malcolm blew his horn (which meant all men in the club were to meet at the giant stump in the middle of the forest). It was evening when they finally met. Malcolm stood on the stump and said, "My fellow brothers, I blew the horn today because we are in drastic times. We need to protect our people from this ruthless ruler. We need to stand up and stop being cowards. We must fight! Fight for our women and children! Fight for our pride! So who is going to fight with me?!"Not a single person stood. "Then you are all cowards. You can all play dead like an opossum or run in your holes like a ground hog. I will fight and die doing it!" Then he got on his horse and rode toward the castle. As he reached the gate, he stopped and said a prayer before meeting his death. When he was done he looked down the trail and saw Arthur, Seymour, James, and some other men. As they drew close, he picked up his crossbow and shot Seymour in the head. Then the other men got off there horses and charged towards him. He quickly slew them. Next, James swung his mace at him. He cut his arm right off, pulled him off his horse onto the ground and lunged his sword through his chest. Arthur suddenly started galloping toward the gate screaming, "Open the gate!" The gate started to open. Malcolm shot him in the shoulder and he made it through the gate. As Malcolm noticed he was missing a finger and bleeding everywhere, he fled toward the north to his homeland. As Arthur made it into the castle with an arrow through his shoulder, he yelled, "Follow that man and kill him!" A group of about one hundred soldiers on horses headed toward Malcolm. When the king recovered, he ordered that the history documents be changed and Malcolm was wiped out of it, and Arthur written to be a good king. Malcolm was never seen again and no one knows whether the posse got him or not. Well I am glad that you know the truth now and I am glad you heard it from a man who was there. My name is Malcolm, The Giant McMullen. It is September 13, 1180 and I thank the Lord to be alive.

written by Matheson B. Miller - age 15

They Made It -- Could We? Part 2

2009-11-06T11:25:00.003-06:00

I finally have a chance to sit down and post the second part of Grandma Fern's article. Enjoy.

They Made It Could We?

Part Two

Some of the finest ears of field corn were "nubbed" and put through the corn sheller in the barn, taken to the mill, and ground into meal for cornbread and mush. (Hominy was also made from corn.) The dark, sweet smelling pantry under the stairs always had strings of red peppers, sage, dill, marjoram, sassafras roots and bark, and various bags of seeds hanging there. Also great sacks of onions, pickles in brine, and sweet potatoes.

I remember going to the root cellar in the yard with my young aunts on autumn Sunday when Grandma had company. Stamped on my mind are the many jars of fruit, vegetables, pickles, jams and jellies - the well filled potato bins, the big shelves of pumpkins, winter squash, carrots and turnips in baskets of clean sand, and bags of onions hanging from hooks in the ceiling. We then went into the smokehouse above the cellar to cut thin slices of ham from a brown-paper-wrapped sugar cured ham. Besides the cured pork there was corned beef in a covered twenty-gallon stone jar, as well as sacks and baskets of nuts, more onions and peppers, herbs, and more pumpkins to be used before they froze. The squash, pumpkins, and onions had a heavy piece of old carpet spread over them. Apples were in the garden in straw-lined pits.

Grandmother loved flowers, also, but feeding her family always came first. She was, of necessity, a very practical person. All along the base of the house she grew flowers. All the flowers about the house were mulched. I never remember any bare ground showing unless she dug to give one of her "girls" a start of some beloved perennial.

A wide porch extended the full length of the south and west sides of the white house. She had the boys put up strips of chicken wire at intervals from ground to eaves. She trained woodbine and wild morning glories up these wires until, by hot weather, the porch was a cool, shaded oasis much used by all with time to rest. Metal cots and homemade benches and chairs were used by young and old. The older children gave the porch floor a fresh coat of paint every two years. Many happy hours were spent on this porch, helping hull peas, snap beans, hull green butter beans, look over and wash wild or tame greens, or stem gooseberries.

Two big silver maples shaded the south yard; a beautiful spreading ash, the wed yard. A rope swing hung from the limb of the ash. Family reunions on Sunday afternoons in summer will never be forgotten by the grandchild.

Next to the high back fence of the yard, Grandma had a three-foot-wide flower bed with a two foot wire fence in front to keep the big collie dog from lying in the flowers. At the farthest corner she grew her perennial vegetables - asparagus, rhubarb hills, and horseradish, sage, dill, and other herbs here and there through the flowers. The flowers I remember were bleeding heart, phlox, purple iris, white lilies, tiger lilies, peonies, self-sown larkspur, poppies, four-o"clocks, sweet rocket, French marigolds, and a few wilding. Violets grew as a ground cover in spite of the mulch.

Thinking back, I know I gained a rich heritage from visiting my grandparents. I feel so sorry for my own nine grandchildren when they visit us, and it is necessary to say, "Don't go in the street! Don't get in the neighboring yard!" I try to provide entertainment for them, but my heart aches for what they are missing.

My grandparents made a living for a big family on eighty acres. Could it be done today?

After reading this article again, I am reminded, that I am married to one of those grandchildren she mentions in the last paragraph. I wish we could tell her that her worries were in vain, as several of those grandchildren have a connection with the land around them. We are passing down that love of the land to her great grandchildren, teaching them about God's great creations, such as birds, flowers, trees, animals, etc.... She has left her mark on her family that she will never know about.

~Until next time,

Gayla

Here's another story from Grandma Fern....

2009-10-27T17:10:00.005-05:00

I had alot of compliments about my last article written by Grandma Fern. Thanks to every one who responded. I love to look back at what life was like when it was "easier". So here is another article....it is very long and I will put it into two parts, but I feel is worth the read....Enjoy!

They Made it - Could We?

by Fern Christian Miller

Part One

My mother's parents had twelve children. They owned an eighty-acre farm near a small town in central Missouri. I am sure they lived modestly, but they reared ten of these children and sent them to high school. In fact, two daughters got their Masters' degrees from college. The youngest, near my age, is now teaching small Indians in Arizona. All married. None were divorced. The years I remember are from 1912 to about 1926, at which time they moved to town to retire.

How well I remember when, as a very small child, I stayed a week with Grandma during the summer. This was the first of regular summer visits. Grandpa ran a small dairy and truck patch. His customers came out from town for milk, cream, home-churned butter, cottage cheese, buttermilk, eggs, honey, fruit in season, and fresh vegetables.

In autumn, the woodlot and trees along the creek furnished walnuts and giant hickory nuts. Cull trees furnished wood for the big black "oak" range in the kitchen and the huge round wood stove in the living room. The doors were arranged so the two downstairs bedrooms were warmed (somewhat) by heat circulating through. The two slant-ceiling upstairs bedrooms were warmed by registers in the floor over the stoves below.

Grandma and Grandpa were organic gardeners and farmers, although they wouldn't have called themselves that. They just called it taking care of the farm. The manure spreader and horses that pulled it were an important part of that small farm. The soil was rather sandy. Humus was added regularly in the form of horse, cow, hog, and chicken manure, and also straw and haystack "bottoms". Crops were rotated regularly in the cultivated fields. Two long, fenced hog lots, each with it small pond at the end, were rotated also: hogs one year, truck patch the next. The truck patches were planted to Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, and crowder peas. As the sweet corn came up, pumpkins were planted between the stalks. First cultivating was done with horses, but as the vines grew, the older children worked with hoes to keep down the weeds.

The chickenyards were managed in the same way. I don't know whose idea that was, as it is the only farm I remember seeing managed this way. A tall, regularly mended, woven-wire fence surrounded two plots, with the chicken house and brooder house set in the fence between. A small pen was put up annually for the young chicks. Grandma raised only enough chickens for fryers, and pullets enough to supply her family and customers with eggs. (She also raised geese in one end of the big cow pasture, but that's another story.)

Naturally all the children were taught to help as soon as possible. All hen house manure, leaves raked in the yard, and other materials available were spread over the chickenyard and plowed under in the fall. After the last vegetable was harvested, the door at that side of the chicken house was opened and the chickens moved. After they picked over everything, all plants were pulled and tossed over the fence and plowed under. Turnips and carrots and parsnips were left to cure, for chickens didn't dig them out. Later they were stored in a pit.

The pasture was along the creek and included the woodlot and small bit of timber. The big spring-fed "swimming hole and fishing hole" in the creek never went dry. This was called permanent pasture, never was plowed, and reached by a lane between the meadow and the hog lots. The meadow was pastured after the mowing and sacking of hay, thus allowing the regular pasture to "rest" until it got a start in the spring. Seldom was any crop sold. It was used to feed the livestock on the farm.

The yard itself was large and well fenced, with a white gate at the front next to the drive. (What fun it was to jump out of the "surrey" and dash up the brick walk to hug my grandparents and young aunts and uncles.) As I remember, the fruit trees were mostly in the yard: pear trees in the back corner, apples trees at the side front, cherries at the other back corner, peaches and red and damson plums at the end of a field next to the yard, and grapes over the well house and along one fence. Wild blackberries and gooseberries and persimmons grew along the creek and were harvested in season. Wild cherries, wild grapes, and elderberries were used for jams and jellies mixed with other fruit juices (usually apple) to make them more tasty. Grandma never bought "store pectin". She seemed to know which fruits naturally had an abundance, and saved juice (often canned) to use with the mild ones. The dwarf wild plums ripened along the roadsides in September. They wee sharp and bitter, but mixed with mild peach juice made delightful pink jelly and jam.

Along under the fruit trees and flowering shrubs and old-fashioned bush roses, Grandma had her beehives. She tended them herself with a veil over her sunbonnet and half-mitts on her hands. She was never stung, but Grandpa couldn't go near them. A small well tended strawberry patch was in one part of the yard. As the children married, they were given "runners" to start their own beds.

A three-cornered patch near the creek was planted to cane. Each fall the stripped cane was hauled to a neighboring sorghum mill. The neighbor made sweet, thick sorghum molasses on the shares. He sold his share, but Grandfather took his home for his family. A few gallons were sold to customers who had asked ahead. A "square" of popcorn was sown at one side of the vegetable garden with big winter squash between.

The cane, popcorn, and sweet corn were separated to keep the seed from "mixing" because they saved own seed. The same was true of the big winter squash, the pumpkins, cucumbers, muskmelons, and watermelons. These were rotated between garden spots to prevent ruining next year's seed.

Part two coming soon......

What is God doing?

2009-10-22T10:25:00.002-05:00

We recently headed out on a much needed vacation..we were looking so forward to it. Last Friday my husband came home and said "I have had a bad day!" I asked what happened and he told me that there would be layoffs come Monday (the first day of our vacation). Two people from our office would be affected. What do you do? Cancel your vacation? Under most circumstances,we would have done that, but we had already paid a lot of money to cancel. We would loose it all. So, after talking to his boss, Brian was encouraged to go ahead and go. Monday came as we waited by our hotel room phone to get the news. Around 7pm that night, the call came in. Over 100 people had lost their jobs. One was in our office, with the other job hainging in the balance. The rumors have already started flying about this and that and it is so hard to know what to say. It seems like life is squeezing us all. What is God doing? What is He preparing us for? I ask these questions, not expecting answers, but just throwing it out there. Please be in prayer for all those people with State Parks who have lost their jobs. Keep in mind also that there are many rumors flying around, so you may not get an entire story.

~Sad, but pressing on

Keep them young just a little longer Lord

2009-10-13T18:01:00.003-05:00

My youngest came up to me and asked if we could go on a walk yesterday. Of course I would go with him. I spend a lot of time with my daughter, but not much time with my sons.... so off we went. WOW... what a wonderful treasure. I had the best time just walking with the boys, listening to them chatter back and forth about this and that. I noticed my oldest one has grown considerably tall and handsome. He has muscles that I never noticed before. This, I'm sure, will bring around those pesty females... so I'd better get me a big stick. My youngest one is so full of life. He loves to look around and see the good in EVERYTHING. We were walking down the main gravel road just looking at stuff. Boys do that... they look at stuff. Well, there were tracks galore..... opposum, racoon, bison, dog and boy tracks. The boys were down, with their faces looking at these tracks. Was is a opposum track? Was is a racoon track? Some of the tracks had been washed some by the rain earlier in the day. Then they took me to the cattleguard crossing to see if the Black snake was still there. Thankfully, no snake. Then we headed back observing the paths that had been left by all the wild animals who had traveled across the road and down into the woods. "How can you tell that," I asked. They showed me how the grass had been broken over and the ground had been disturbed. I just stood in awe at everything these guys knew... the 9 year old was very well versed in outdoor skills, as well as the older one. Theire dad has done a terrific job with them. It makes me wonder at times... if they need me at all. heheheh It was a great afternoon of reconnecting with my boys.

Until net time...
~Gayla

Nothing like home made applebutter!

2009-10-09T20:15:00.005-05:00

Last weekend was a wonderful day. It was cool and crisp, with a hint of fall arriving in full swing. Early Saturday morning, my mother-in-law and myself went into Lamar to take my oldest son to soccer, for he was a referee in the morning games for the local league. While we waited, we headed over to the famous Lamar square, where the Apple Days Festival was just getting started. What a great morning of just walking along the sidewalk, around the large courthouse, stopping to talk to many friends and acquaintances, as well as making new friends along the way. I will post more on that later. I just loved looking at all the wonderful wares that people had put their hearts and souls into. I met a wonderful local couple who makes their own soaps and balms. It is wonderful. You can check out their information by looking at my list of blogs I follow... it is under Peaceacre farms... I bought my MOPS discount card. Now I can head to the local Dairy Queen and buy a small blizzard and get one free. It pays for itself in only two visits. I love ice cream and have a friend who loves it just as much as I do... in fact, we usually try to get our husbands to buy the ice cream before the meal when we are on a double date. Anyway, back to my post. After feeding my 15 y.o. son after the games, we headed home. Earlier in the week the kids and I had ventured over to the east side of Barton county and bought three bushels of apples from a local Amish farmer. They were great apples. We pulled out the table we use every year, attached my NEW Pampered Chef apple peeler/corer/slicer ( I have already gone thru one of them), and started in. Everyone knew their places. My son loves love loves to peel the apples, while the two others cut the slices into fours. My mother in law carts the apple slices into the kitchen and I pummel them in the food processor. After getting the apples to the perfect consistency (they say I am picky), I put them in a pot on the stove with sugar, spices and water to cook down. After a while, we then ladle the mixture into hot jars and wha lah.... hot apple butter. The kids love to eat the peels as they come off the peeler.

I started this tradition purely out of intrigue one year when the kids were really little. I had been watching Martha Stewart Living one day and she was making applesauce. I thought if she could do it, then why couldn't I. Little did I know I was starting a well loved family tradition. We look forward to this special time every year. I never dreamed that my kids would be in their preteens and teens and still love to help me with it. Don't get me wrong... they love to eat it. It goes very fast.... this year, however, I made 40 quarts. I sent quite a bit home with my mother in law, as she had gone in with us to purchase the apples. I think I can make it for a while with what I have. There have been times when I have had to put a lock on the apple butter door. hahahahaha....

Until next time...

~Gayla

Fall is here!!

2009-10-01T12:24:00.003-05:00

I love autumn. It is such a wonderful time of cool weather, beautiful color outside and just a repreive from the hot summer sun. Autumn brings about a busy time around our house. The tea pots come out and scones are baked for a hot cup of tea in the crisp morning. Yum! One of our favorite traditions that I started when the kids were little, is to make applebutter. Each year we shop around for the best priced apples and buy usually two to three bushels. This year we bought three. I am planning on dehydrating some apple slices for a winter treat. I used to take the kids to a pumpkin patch before we moved here. I realized last night that we had not visited one in a long time. I looked up a place on the internet and found that it was close by, so we will be visiting one hopefully next weekend. Another tradition (that my dd and I have not been able to attend in a couple of years) is a large extended family Harvest Party. All the aunts and uncles as well as the cousins and their children get together near Springfield, Mo. and enjoy a day out. There usually is a theme. This year it is Superheros. I am thinking about going as Van Mom... since I am in the van driving down the hiway so much. Not sure how to pull that one off. Not sure I want to, but anyway the day is quite a blast. Our kids can spend the time with thier cousins. The day also has an archery contest and a weiner roast. So.... the windows are open, there are chocolate chunk cookies in the oven, apples drying in the dehydrater and after school is finished, I will clean for dinner company. That always brings about a wonderful smell of a clean house. Oh, did I mention that the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice is always on when I clean. My boys just love it.....NOT!

Until next time....

What a great treat!

2009-09-20T00:55:00.007-05:00

Friday my dear sweet husband surprised me with a secret trip away for the weekend. "Where are we going?" I asked. He would not tell me. My kids knew of the plot but they would not budge either. After a morning of anticipation, we headed out towards Kansas....then turned south and crossed into Oklahoma. I was completely stumped. There was nothing in the area that smelled of civilization. I thought he was taking me camping. So, after about two and a half hours and one small town after another, we stopped in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. I was very surprised. It was not a place I had ever thought about visiting. We checked into our hotel and headed out to get ice cream. We didn't make it very far before we heard the sounds of drums beating. We parked the car and headed towards the noise. Wow, we were surprised... there were crowds of Native Americans dancing in their tribal dress. It was the Oklahoma Indian Summer Festival. We sat down and just watched and listened to the music and the dancing. This morning, we headed out for breakfast and found a wonderful coffee shop. It is called Judes Coffee. I had a Carmel Truffle. YUM YUM.... I loved the taste and I can tell you that this girl has NEVER had froth art on top of her coffee. It was so pretty that I just had to take a picture of it. We had a wonderful day of exploring the town of Bartlesville. We went thru the museum as well as visited the home of Frank Phillips, founder of Phillips Petroleum. We, then headed out to a small town close by called Dewey for the Western Heritage Festival. There were gun fights re-enactments as well as long horn cattle that were herded down Main street. If you are ever in the northeastern part of Oklahoma, stop in and check out Bartlesville. It is quite a happening place. What??? You are wondering about the blue bison sculpture? It is a project being worked on by a local artist to raise money for a local foundation. There will be a total of 15 bison. Right now there are only five completed. Well, thanks for reading.

Until next time ~

I feel like an ant.

2009-09-17T21:29:00.004-05:00

Today we were up early and headed out to a local Amish farmer who had picked us 50# of beautiful Roma tomatoes. We pulled into the farmer's house and met his lovely wife and Trigger, the little Jack Russell Terrier. He was definitely guarding the house. The young woman just smiled and apologized for her little dog. I told her not to worry because I love dogs. I tried to make friends with this little guy, but he would have none of that. After paying for the tomatoes and beautiful red pepper that she also had for sale, we packed our items in the trunk and off we went back home to start putting up these vegetables in preparation for the coming winter months of soups and spaghetti. Looking at our two boxes of tomatoes, I realized that 50# of Romas are quite a lot, but I knew that it would make up several quarts of tomato sauce, so we started in. It was wonderful to work together with my kids. It was like the ant, preparing for winter. My oldest son spent most of his time coring tomatoes, while my youngest son chopped tomatoes in the processor. I remember working up produce with my mother and grandmother. I am so glad I am able to do the same with my kids. I just wish we had a lot more to do. Maybe next year.

Until next time,

~Happy Blogging.

An article by Grandma Fern

2009-09-14T20:27:00.003-05:00

I recently had someone tell me that they would like to read one of Grandma Fern's articles, so I decided to post on of my favorites. It was really hard to choose just one and I might just post another one sometime, but here is one that I really enjoyed.

I Remember Grandma's Kitchen *

Fern Christian Miller

All we grandchildren loved Grandma's big farm kitchen. Partly it was because we were always made entirely welcome by the smiling face of our little grandmother herself. But, no doubt, it was also, the fragrant, delicious foods she prepared that provided a part of the kitchen's come-hither magic!

I think of those custard, rhubarb and raisin pies in the early spring; cherry, blackberry, strawberry and gooseberry pies in the early summer; peach, apple, apricot, damson caramel, cream and chocolate pies of the later summer and autumn; then, as winter came, pumpkin, squash, dried apple, mincemeat and canned fruit pies of all descriptions. For our gentle, small grandma was noted for her delicious pies. The grandchildren were her most appreciative tasters.

Then the bread and cakes! It makes me hungry just to remember the fragrance of that brown, yeasty, light bread. The warm "heel" spread with sweet home-churned butter was surely the best taste in the world. And the cinnamon rolls and fresh gingerbread with milk! Remember? The applesauce and carrot cakes spread with thin caramel icing, the black layer devil's foods, the tall fluffy angel foods, the mincemeat and fruitcakes were quite out of this world. (No wonder Grandpa was a bit heavy!)

Besides the baking, the meats produced on the farm were always being cooked either in the oven or in a big black iron pot. Grandma didn't think too much of fried meat, unless it was chicken in deep fat, or young squirrel in the spring, or sausage or bacon for breakfast on a cold winter morning. Vegetables and chow chows, piccalilli and apple butter were all cooked to perfection on the big black range. It was a wood- or coal-burning stove called Round Oak. Many were the festive dinners eaten at the long dining room table that were prepared in that beloved kitchen.

Actually the big northwest kitchen was quite modern for that day. A large gray enamel sink with a drain, and a pitcher pump (which had to be primed each morning to bring the water up from the cistern well just off the back porch), stood against the west wall. A long shelf was above the metal-topped kitchen cabinet with its flour and sugar bins and its pull-out breadboard. On the shelf stood the family lamps, a clock, a matchbox, a neat row of cookbooks, and the clipped recipe box.

The stove had a warming oven, trivets for the flat irons, and handles, an a large water reservoir, which was always kept filled. Painted cabinets for dishes and counters were a light, clean sand color, and the linoleum was blue and tan checked. On the west and north were windows with narrow, starched, white curtains tied back to give sun and light to cheery house plants. By each window stood a comfortable hickory chair with bright patchwork cushions and back pads. Grandma always sat down while she peeled potatoes or apples, or cleaned vegetables. Her knitting bag hung on one chair post, and a box of mending sat under the house plants. Grandma knitted, mended and rested while she kept an eye on her cooking.

Opening off the kitchen at one side of the north window Grandpa had built a lean-to pantry. It screened ventilator vents left open in summer, closed and covered with old pieces of rungs in winter. This dark, cool little room was used to store supplies other than those kept in the cave and meat house. Under the eaves of this unsealed "magic closet" hung strings of onions, red peppers, dill, sage, tansy leaves, sassafras bark and root, and cheesecloth sack filled with dried apples, corn, peaches and raisins.

Big covered stone jars and crocks held dill pickles, corned beef, fried-down sausage, honey in the comb, and sorghum molasses. Canisters with tight lids sat in a row on a shelf, all labeled in Grandma's neat writing: rice, cornmeal, flake hominy, popcorn, oatmeal, coffee beans, brown soup beans, navy beans, crowder peas, and brown sugar.

This aromatic lean-to was kept tightly closed except when Grandma opened it for supplies. She kept mouse traps set in the corners, although I never saw a mouse in her home. On very cold winter nights she banked the range fire, and opened the pantry door a crack so the onions wouldn't freeze. Milk, cream, butter and cheese were kept in the ice chest. Apples, potatoes, turnips, extra pumpkins and squash, all canned food were stored in the cave. The yams, or sweet potatoes, kept best scrubbed and wrapped in newspaper, and stored in the warm attic over the kitchen. A stepladder enabled one of the boys to scramble through the attic door in the low kitchen ceiling. This attic had been partly floored and sealed for extra storage.

The other grandchildren and I loved best of all to sit on the high-backed bench at the long table in the kitchen's center. We missed nothing of the talk or food preparations here. The oilcloth was white with blue clusters of flowers. Usually a blue bowl of apples or other fruit sat in the center. Here the family ate when there wasn't company or "hands". Here all the good food was dished up before being taken to the dining room on festive occasions. The older grandchildren often ate at this kitchen table when the entire family gathered. Here, after all the dishes were done in winter, we youngsters played checkers, dominoes, jacks or Flinch, colored and cut pictures, depending upon our ages.

Yes, I remember Grandma's kitchen. It was important in my learning, for Grandma loved being a woman and making a home just as I do. When I read articles on women's liberation I feel slightly ill. Perhaps women's place is in the home; otherwise, what is going to become of homes?

I just love this article, because it is a wonderful example of how a kitchen is the center of the home/family. I can't think but wonder what she would think of the American home today. So many kids coming home to quite homes with out a mom there to greet them. The family dinner table is a thing of the past in many homes. That is why it is so important for me to keep my dinner table a very important part of the day. Again I am blessed for having these articles to pass down to Grandma Fern's great grandchildren. Thank you for reading this article. I hope it speaks to you as much as it spoke to me. My only regret is that I never got to meet Grandma Fern. She definitely has a presence in her family to this day.

*This article was written in the Kitchen Klatter magazine May 1972.

Her legend continues

2009-09-07T22:58:00.008-05:00

Many years ago while spending time with my husband's family, I learned about my father in law's mother, Fern. She has such an incredible legacy that it is as if I knew her personally. I have spent many hours listening to stories about this woman, all from admiring children and grandchildren. She was a descendant of people from the Isle of Mann,which is a little island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. My husband and I took an ancestral trip a few years back and we were blessed to visit there. We were able to see the actual place where the ancestor was martyred and we stood on the land that belonged to him. It was an amazing trip... but that is another story. My husband's grandmother loved to grow flowers and garden. She raised six kids, east of Windsor, Mo. In her young years, she was a one room school teacher. She was also a writer, and wrote for the magazine Kitchen Klatter. We have a few of those articles, but not many. Sunday a lady at my church came up to me and told me that she had several magazines that I could look at. I took them and found five articles written by Fern. What a treat! It is wonderful to sit and read to your children words written by their great grandmother about things she remembers from childhood. Tonight we read an article she wrote talking about an era that I only wish I could be experiencing. It was titled I Remember Grandma's Kitchen. In it she talks about when her grandmother would bake pies from the berries in season. She described what her grandmother's house looked like on the inside. She talks about family gatherings at the house... it was just a wonderful walk down a lane of family history for my children. How many people can say they can read about what their great -great grandmother did or how her kitchen looked? It was a time of hard work and a wonderful sense of accomplishment. There was one thing she did say that I found to be profound. She closed her article saying, " Yes, I remember Grandma's kitchen. It was important in my learning, for Grandma loved being a woman and making a home just as I do. When I read articles on women's liberation, I feel slightly ill. Perhaps women's place is in the home; otherwise, what is going to become of homes?" I want to raise my daughter with the same beliefs that her great grandmother had. As a strong woman who is very resourceful, yet gentle and motherly. I want her to see the importance of being a mother and wife. She needs to learn that she will have to go against the grain of society, because society will tell her that she has no credibility as a mother, and be a woman of virtue. I want her children to rise up and call her blessed. I pray the Lord will continue to show me how to do this. I have wonderful stories about my own grandmothers but I will write about them at a later date.

Until next time...

~Happy blogging.

It is finally finished!

2009-09-07T22:32:00.005-05:00

Well, after a long rehab period, we finally finished my daughter's room today. She was so proud of it. The pink flowers are gone and the chice pink and brown toile is in. We put the fabric with a brown and pink polka dot. The vallance has this really cute beaded trim... that was as much as the fabric. OUCH! We painted, we stenciled, we sewed, we glue gunned, and we hammered. Everyone got into the action. All that is left is hanging some ballet pictures and putting up her tea pot collection. We started out painting this very large wall chocolate brown color. Then we stenciled this pink swirl on that wall. The pink was PINK! I had to tone it down a bit by feather duster painting a lighter pink over the base coat. We decided to add a little bit of green into the pallete to give some contrast. Too much pink is not a good thing. It is amazing how a can of paint can change the look of a room in just an afternoon. Now I have a list of rooms that are needed to be renovated. Seems when you start one, the rest follows. I have been asked by my boys to paint their room and paint a wall in a camo motiff. Any suggestions?

I am so blessed!

2009-08-30T18:38:00.003-05:00

Over the last four weeks, things around here have been rather CRAZY. It started four weeks ago when my oldest 147#, 5ft. 10in. son came to me and told me that his throat hurt and that he had a really bad headache. That started a looooong bout with a really nasty virus. After a week of him literally on the couch, he felt better. Then with in two days, my 12 y.o. daughter came down with it. I knew that I was coming down with it because I had been running a low grade fever with a sore throat as well. As I have already posted, things went wacky with some extended family issues as well as several items broke or quit working as well. I was literally afraid to walk outside. Last week, when I was still sick, my husband made an appointment for me at the doctor's and my son, who recently got his permit, drove me to my appointment. I must say that I was not in agreement to do this, because I did not want to spend the money on myself. Anyway, after the appointment, I had a diagnosis of pneumonia and had to rest. So, that is what I tried to do. My kids jumped in and helped with the house as well as working on their school work. I HATED not being able to teach them. It killed me. I am a mom that gets involved with her kids learning and I take it very serious. My 9 y.o. had surgery this last Friday for an ear problem. He was not able to hear out of his left ear at all. After a tonsilectomy, adnoidectomy and a tube placed in his left ear drum, he could hear.

So...these are the things I am thankful for:
1. My Saviour Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for me
2. My husband who did the work of three people while I was down.
3. My kids who are just awsome kids.
4. My freedom to school my children at home.
5. My abilitly to pick up the phone and call my doctor when I or my family is sick.
6. The great strides that have been made in medical science, to be able to restore my son's hearing.
7. Family - my mother in law and my husband's aunt (who lives near Springfield) came to be with us while my son was in surgery. Even though I was not able to talk with my aunt much, it meant the world to me that she came by. The rest of our family were unable to come due to work or other obligations.
8. Friends who come up beside you when you are down and make you laugh or just love you. We had a good friend come to the hospital also. He prayed with us for my son and then took my oldest with him to run some errands while in town. Another friend watched my daughter during that day. It was wonderful to know that people were there for you. Also, those crazy gals in Carthage that are so much fun to be around... thank you all for your prayers. Laura... Thank you so much for the prayer you posted. That really meant a lot to me.

Well, I could go on and on, but I need to stop for now. I thank everyone who has been praying for my family during this last month. We have felt the wonderful prayers going up.

Thank you Jesus for all these things that you have blessed me with. I am truly grateful for all that you have given me. Thank you for guiding the surgeon's hands during the procedure and for bringing Gavin thru the surgery.
Amen

Until next time....
~Gayla

Sometimes LIFE just happens!

2009-08-14T17:25:00.003-05:00

Isn't it funny how when you think everything is going great and you have things planned out, God just throws a monkey wrench into it just to see what you would do? Well, let me tell you that certainly happened to us this week. I am the mother of three kids ages 15 - 12 - 9. My life is pretty status quo now. No diapers, sip pee cups, temper tantrums, etc.... Oh I am not saying that I wouldn't want more of that, but I am saying that since our youngest is 9, things run fairly smooth. Well, actually for those of you who know my youngest, things run smooth most of the time. Anyway, I am going along this week, started my home school year this last Monday, the 10th. We were doing great... first day no problem. Well, Tuesday morning I started running a fever with sinus stuff. Yuck. Several of my family had already had it so I knew it was coming. Ok, made it thru Tuesday and on to Wednesday. Oh boy....Wednesday came. Around 12 NOON I received a couple of phone calls and by 1 pm I was on my way to pick up my sister's two small children......uh..4 hours away. Fever at this time was 100 degrees F. I can make I said. No problem. My oldest went with me. Getting home around 10pm... we put all the kids to bed and fell into bed ourselves. Well, Thursday (yesterday) we had to go to Springfield for an appointment for my youngest because of his hearing.
My husband took off in one vehicle to take my oldest to a job interview and I started out with the car with the other four. Making it into town, I made a couple of errands and went to drop off my oldest two at a friend's house. It was then that I found out that my husband had a flat tire on the way. So off to WalMart we go to have the tire fixed. Leaving the van at Wal Mart, we headed out on our 1 1/2 hr. trip to the doctor's appointment. Getting there in plenty of time, we pull children out of car seats (I have not had to do that in several years) and we head into the giant five story building to the doctor's office. Checking in, we were told that the doctor was running a little behind. A LITTLE? Our appointment was for 3pm and we finally saw the doctor at 5:15pm. We found out that our son will need surgery and we will need to call back the next day to schedule that appointment. UGH! So, needless to say, we had three very tired little boys with us. To sit in a doctor's office for two and a half hours is outlandish for adults, much less small children.
But it got me to thinking... #1. several of my friends have four or more kids and they do this everyday. I stand in awe at them. My hats go off to them all. #2 God is the one who has the plan...not me. I had spent several weeks getting my school year planned. That was my first mistake. It is great to have a plan, but life happens. I sometimes forget that... in fact I forget it alot of the times.. Then I get upset when my plan is messed up. It was more important for me to spend time with my nephews this week, than try to do school. With everything going on in their home at the moment, they needed a place to feel safe. I thank God for my wonderful husband who has been there thru this whole week to help me AND continue to keep the state park running. I am hoping to look back and see seeds that were sewn this week that will last a lifetime. The Dr. appointment was non-negotiable, but the rest of the week is.
My fever? Yes, I still have it, but I also have three wonderful kids who are helping me take care of these little guys. Did I mention one of them tossed their cookies at breakfast this morning? Toddlers... you gotta love them!

Until next time please be in prayer for my sister and her husband as well as my family. I really apprecitate it.

Happy blogging~

Whole Wheat Thins

2009-08-07T19:39:00.002-05:00

I was in my kitchen yesterday cooking up dinner and I ran across this recipe. It was given to me last year by a friend. I recently looked at the price of Wheat Thins in the store and quickly decided that I did not need them that bad so I put them back on the shelf. When I found this recipe in my recipe box I was excited. I made them up and guess what? My family LOVES them. I couldn't keep them out of the crackers. As I would pull them out of the oven, the kids were standing at the stove with their hands out for more. So gals here is the recipe for you. I hope you enjoy them.

Whole Wheat Thins

3c whole wheat flour
1/3 cup olive oil or coconut oil. I used olive oil.
1c water
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. You can add other spices or herbs. (I added homegrown dried oregano and garlic powder.) Knead as little as possible to make the dough smooth. Roll very thin on a lightly floured counter. Cut with a pizza cutter and place them on a cookie sheet. Prick each cracker with a fork, then sprinkle with salt over them. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins. or until golden brown. Let cool and eat plain or with peanut butter on them.

I cut them into one inch by one inch square. Kinda like cheeze its. I am thinking that parmesean cheese placed in the flour mix would be good. Have fun with these great little crackers.

~Gayla

A neat site that I found...

2009-08-07T13:06:00.004-05:00

I was visiting with a friend about a month or so ago and she told me about a great place for us book readers to check out. It is called Paperback Swap. It is a website that you go on to and post all of your books that you are willing to trade with others. You post them and then people will request your book. Wrap it up and send it out to the person. Then with every book that you send out, you get a credit for a book of your choice. It is a neat place to get rid of some of those books that have been sitting around and to pick up some books for yourself. Check it out when you have time. You can find me at www.prairieflower03.paperbackswap.com.

Gearing Up for School

2009-08-05T12:17:00.003-05:00

August is here and that means that Wal Mart has moved out the July 4th decorations and moved in the school supplies (usually on July 5th) in their place. Families are taking their last summer vacations before school starts. (That is why we wait until the fall to take ours... not as many people to contend with). Anyway, for the past week I have been working on my school year plans. Making out lesson plans and such. I thought I was finished when I realized that I did not have a "World History" lesson planned out for my oldest. The think about it is he has been studying world history since he was 9, but the State of Missouri says that to graduate, he has to take a World History class. So I thought, "Shoot, now I need to go to Springfield and buy a history book for him". As I was talking to my husband about this, it hit me... just because the class says world history does not mean we must cover everything the "text book" would have us cover. I didn't need an actual histsory book. Out came the Time line of History book that I bought years ago. We started looking at main events in history and decided to hit on those and cover WWI and WWII this year. What a concept!

I have been homeschooling for over 10 years now and I still sometimes find myself conforming to the institutional ways of thinking, keeping me bound up in a textbook style of teaching. This does not give us freedom to learn what God wants us to learn. We put God's plan aside. Sometimes He remind me of that. OUCH. Am I the only one who does this? I am getting excited to see what God has instore for our upcoming year.
~Gayla

Saying good bye to the pink flowers...

2009-08-02T21:15:00.008-05:00

The hardest thing is to watch your little girl grow up into a preteen. I have watched my daughter become a very beautiful young lady who is very skilled in homemaking and cooking. One of her passions is ballet. She has been taking ballet since she was four. She is twelve now. She came to me one day and said that her room needed to be updated. She said that the pretty little flowers were not really what a girl of her age wanted in her bed room. The purple on the walls also had to go. So, after some grieving on my part (I loved those pink flowers on the border), we sat down and decided on what to paint her room. My best friend, who also has a twelve year old girl ( who is my daughter's best friend) told me that her daughter was wanting to change her room. We decided that it must be a twelve year old thing, you know transitional times. So, her daughter was wanting teal and brown (well sorta) and mine decided on pink and brown. I could handle that, because I LOVE pink and brown. We went shopping and have found the absolute prettiest fabric that will be perfect in her room. It is a pink and brown toile...I LOVE TOILE. Today we started moving furniture and getting ready to paint the room this week. I had to say good bye to those pink flowers, which was hard but I made it through the first tearing. After that I couldn't go back. This will be an ongoing project as it takes money to completely change a room and school will be starting in a week. I will continue to blog about this project that she and I are embarking on. Until next time....

Basil Pesto----A Family Favorite

2009-08-01T17:45:00.003-05:00

Nothing makes my family smile quicker than to tell them that we are having spaghetti with pesto for dinner. That being said, my husband makes sure that he plants plenty of basil every year right next to the tomatoes. So, this morning I told him that I had the ingredients to make pesto and could he please bring me in some fresh cut basil. Man.... I wasn't expecting what happened next. My daughter came packing in FOUR bags of basil. We started picking leaves off the stems and we picked and picked and picked. I had huge bowls of it. We put up pesto for several hours and still didn't get it all finished. We just got tired. So, after all this, I thought I would share my recipe with you. I have found the best basil to use is the Genovese Basil. It is the basil that has the large leaves.

Fresh Basil Pesto :

2c lightly packed fresh basil leaves

2 cloves of garlic

3 TBS walnuts or pinenuts

1/3c Parmesean cheese, finely grated

1/3c extra virgin olive oil

Place basil, garlic, nuts and cheese into a food processor. Chop on high for about 20 seconds or

until chopped well. While the processor is on, slowly infuse the olive oil. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated well. Serve on toast or pasta. Enjoy.

Prairie Day Camp 2009

2009-08-01T17:09:00.004-05:00

Yesterday the kids and Brian went up to the park office for the annual Prairie Day Camp. The theme this year was A Night On The Prairie. They spent the day learning about animals that come out a night. They went looking for insects. Gavin found a cricket and a small spider. Matthew found a spider and placed it on Sam's desk. Shhhh.....don't tell Sam. They worked on their shirt, decorating them with glow in the dark paint. They played a game where they were coyotes and went looking for food. The night was ended with a story around the campfire. I think they had a great day. I know they came home and fell into bed. All three were asleep very soon. If you live around Prairie State Park, you really should check out all the programs they have for the public. Just give them a call.

They like us to dress up

2009-07-30T15:56:00.005-05:00

I was getting ready for a date with my dh tonight, when I looked at what I was wearing. Ugh...I had on a comfortable shirt and a pair of shorts. Just plain comfortable clothing. I thought about when my husband and I were "dating" and I remembered back to how excited I used to get when we were going out. I would spend an hour curling my hair, putting on makeup, making myself look "cute" for him. After 18years of marriage and three kids, I thought about how much time I spend getting ready for a date now. I must admit, I have not put much thought into it. I was just thankful that my kids were old enough to stay at home with out a babysitter (Halleluiah sp? ). I would just throw something on, pull back my hair and out the door I went. I have gotten so caught up in being a mother to my kids including their teacher, that I forgot about him. I wonder what he thought. Sigh...so ladies, a wise woman once told me that we need to dress up for our dh because they LIKE it. I am not pointing fingers, I am telling on myself. And I hope he will notice when he gets home... I will let you know. By the way... I would like to hear your thoughts about this topic. Thakns.

More "green" recipes

2009-07-30T11:34:00.004-05:00

I found a great magazine with super recipes, both food wise and cleaners. I thought I would share some of them with you.

Lemon Dish Soap
2 cups liquid Castile soap
10 drops lemon essential oil
5 drops tea tree oil
Combine all ingredients in a squeeze bottle. Works well as a hand soap too.

Soft Scrub
1/4 cup baking soda
2-3 TSP liquid Castile soap
Combine ingredients and mix until smooth. Apply with cloth and wipe clean.

Oven cleaner
1 small box baking soda
liquid Castile soap
Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven and cover with baking soda, avoiding heating coils. Sprinkle more water over soda. Let sit overnight. Wipe up in the morning, used a scrup pad. To remove residue, put a bit of Castile soap on a damp cloth and wipe clean.

Carpet deodorizer
1 cup Borax
1 cup baking soda
10 drops essential oils
Combine all ingredients and sprinkle over carpet. Let stand 20 minutes, then vacume up.

Toilet Bowl cleaner
1 gallon water
1 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup baking soda
Combine all ingredients and store in a spray bottle.

Dusting spray
1 cup distilled water
2-3 drops essential oils
Combined in a spray bottle. Spray onto cotton cloth and dust away.

Castile soap is a type of soap make with olive oil rather than animal fat or synthetic substances. It is known as the mildest and most moisterizing of all soaps. Look in your laundry aisle of your local grocery store.

*this information taken from the Aug-Sept 2009 issue of Mary Janes Farm.

Nature is calling....

2009-07-30T10:58:00.006-05:00

Hahaha.... I bet the title conjures up some intersting images in your mind. That is not at all where I am going with this. I am currently reading a book called The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. It is a book about the changes that have occured over the course of a decade or so on where our children play. Here is a couple of quotes that caught my eye when I opened the book, please note the huge difference between them.
The first one says "There was a child went forth every day, and the first object he look'd upon, that object he became, And that object became part of him for the day or a certain part of the day, Or for many years or stretching cycles of years. The early lilacs became part of this child, And grass and white and red morning glories, and white and red clover; and the song of the pheobe-bird, And the Third-month lambs and the sow's pink-faint litter; and the mare's foul and the cow's calf,..." ~Walt Whitman

The second one says, " I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are." ~A Fourth-Grader in San Diego.

Wow, what a difference. My first thought was "Is there really any truth to this?" The answer is YES. This is really happenening to our society. The kids stay inside and stare at a box or play with their games (not board games mind you). The television has become a babysitter. Ouch! A very good friend of mine did a survey with the teachers in a local town. The teachers sent home instructions for the students in their classes to simply write down every time their feet touched grass. The results were scary. I don't remember the exact numbers, but a majority of students touched the grass with thier feet once every two week. Yes, two week. For some of them, it was every three weeks. Which meant that the students went from home to school by way of the garage to the car to the school parking lot to the sidewalk and in to the school.. then visa versa. The same went for things they did out of school. THEY NEVER PLAYED OUTSIDE. I was amazed to hear that.

As a child I remember going outside with my siblings and playing ball or running..... just running. I never stopped to look at the flowers or trees, and I never learned much about nature, but I knew what poison ivy was and I knew that there were bugs, ants, spiders, SNAKES (unfortunately I had to coexist with the copperheads) all around me.

Since marrying Davy Crockett (that's another blog and no I really didn't marry Davy Crockett, just someone who loves nature) and homeschooling my kids, I have learned so much about the outside world. We started nature journaling, becuase I had a very dear friend who loved to do that, so she taught me. My kids and I love to journal. It helps their knowledge of God's world as well as their artist abilities. I must stop and say that there are times (just like a few minutes ago) that I realize my kids have spent too much time inside. So, I have to remind them and myself that God's world is waiting for them just beyound the front door.

If you and your kids are interested in nature journaling, I suggest you check out your local art supply store or nearest Missouri Dept. of Conservation office for some nice journals. You don't even have to do that; just take several pieces of printer paper (hey, when did we stop calling it typing paper?) and fold them in half. Glue or staple the seams and then your are on your way. Have your kids decorate the front of their books, give them a pencil or colored pencils and send them and your self outside. My good friend, Gladys, suggests not giving them erasers. That was a hard one for me, because I wanted to be perfect in my drawings. It taught me to really stop and look at what I was drawing and to accept what I drew. God makes no mistakes.

I hope you all have a great day getting yourself and your kids outside and learning about the great big world God has made. It is amazing what you will learn. You can see God in every corner of nature. Have fun!

~Gayla

Home made laundry soap

2009-07-29T22:43:00.002-05:00

Home made laundry soap ...

My husband became allergic to commercialized laundry detergant, so after some research I found this recipe. It works great and smells WONDERFUL.

1 bar Fels Naptha soap, finely grated
1 1/2 cup Borax powder
1 1/2 cup washing suds

Mix together and store in an air tight container.
Use 2 TBS per load.

I'm a proud mama!

2009-07-29T17:46:00.002-05:00

Ok, I just have to boast. Sorry, but sometimes that is the only thing a mama can do. I was looking at someones blog spot (thanks Laura) and really liked how she had the cutest backgrounds. So I found the little website :www.thecutestblogontheblock.com from her blog site. My son and I sat down and started trying to figure out how to get the background that I had chosen to wind up on my blogsite. After a few times.... he was really good at this stuff, I was able to change my blog background. We also added a cute blinkie. I am so bad at this computer stuff, because growing up, we didn't even have a computer in our school, much less in our homes. I am a homeschooling mom and I love the fact that my kids have taken it upon themselves to sit down and plunk around learning how to use this little box sitting in front of me. I SEE HOMESCHOOL HOURS ahead of me.

Until next time~

Just Hanging out in Texas

2009-07-21T16:30:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday afternoon, my family and I headed down to Gainsville, Texas to see some great friends that we have known for a long time. I am so thankful for how God has intertwined our lives with Mark and Amy. They have three boys that are great kids. Their kids are the same ages as our children. Stephen and Matthew were in the nursery together at Osage Hills Baptist Church in Osage Beach, Mo. We have spent many MANY hours enjoying each other's company.

While in Texas, we have been enjoying INCREDIBLE food. Amy is such a great cook. The kids have played hours and hours of football. Maggie has hung out with her mom, as she is greatly outnumbered here. We just returned from a short day trip to Denton, Tx. Right now the kids and Amy are at the lake enjoying some sunshine and water. Tonight we are heading to the clubhouse to play some bingo.

As I sit here and think about our lives, Brian and I are truly blessed to have such great friends that we can talk with and spar off each other. We have walked thru the trenches together. Mark and Amy have been there when our two younger kids were born.

When I think of the fellowship that Christ talks about in the New Testament, I can't help but think that he was talking not of organized worship, but fellowship at kitchen tables reading the Bible together, discussing biblical topics, etc...

We look forward to many more years of making memories with the Bakers.

~Until next time,

Gayla

Have you read it?

2009-07-04T15:10:00.008-05:00

I thought that it would be a good time to post the Declaration of Independence. I am not sure how many of us actually know and understand what it says and what it does not... Please take a moment to go over it. Ponder on what freedom means to you. I feel that is very important to teach our children what this document really says and what people had to do to gain freedom for the United States.

The Declaration of Independence
In Congress, July 4, 1776, THE UNANIMOUS DECLARATION OFTHE THIRTEEN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
John Hancock, President
Attested, Charles Thomson, Secretary
New Hampshire:Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts-Bay:Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut:Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
Georgia:Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Maryland:Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison,Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
New York:William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
Pennsylvania:Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer,James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware:Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
North Carolina:William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina:Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
New Jersey:Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson,John Hart, Abraham Clark

So as you can see, we live in the most wonderful country in the world. May God richly bless you and your family as we celebrate this most important holiday...

Until next time...

~Happy blogging.

Memories Were Made Today!

2009-05-11T21:33:00.007-05:00

Today my kids and I headed out to the local nurseries to find the best flowers for our yard. We are having a church picnic at our house on Memorial Day, so we are cleaning up around the place and planting flowers. We went to the local Amish greenhouse and found the most beautiful haning basket of geraniums. Then it was on the a nursery on the other side of the county to find more geraniums and impatients. LOTS of Impatients. As we loaded them in the car and said hello to the owner's two dogs, we decided to go looking for some Basil and tomatoes. Those were found at the greenhouse in town. After heading to Wal Mart and then back to the Amish store, it was onward towards home. We planted those beautiful and delicate flowers in large pots and put them in strategic placed in the yard. What a difference it made. My yard went from just green to splashes of green, red, pink, purple, orange, rust, and white. It was beautiful. It made me stop and think about the little things that God gives us to enjoy Him. The flowers, the birds and butterflies... these are all just God's paintbrush. It is like God is saying, "Look what I can do." I enjoyed spending time with my children as we went looking for the flowers and then planting them. I am sure this has been the best spring season in a long time, just because I was able to spend the time with my kids. Memories were made today. Take time to stop, smell the flowers and listen to what God has to say to you.

Until next time...

Major Storms

2009-05-11T20:57:00.002-05:00

This last Friday morning, May 8, 2009, I awoke to a very scary storm. As I laid there, I heard the sound of a very loud "train" coming OVER the house. I felt God saying, "GET UP NOW!". I jumped up and found my family still sleeping. The DISH network was out so I could not look at a radar picture. Something just said to get everyone in the hall. I woke my husband up and said that we needed to get in the hall. Pulling the kids out of bed, we grabbed the animals and took cover. As we prayed, we heard the sound of cracking wood and close lightening strikes. WOW, what might power God has. Our power went out about ten minutes after that. When it was over, we ventured outside and found a lot of damage....trees or tree limbs down, water WATER everywhere....poles and lines down... amazing how wind can make.

We found out that the damage was wide spread and that we were the lucky ones. I am so thankful that God was protecting us.

Dryer Fabric Softner

2008-11-11T12:04:00.002-06:00

A friend sent me these recipes. I have not tried them yet, but wanted to share them with you. Let me know if you try them and what you think about them.

Dryer Fabric Softener #1

1/2 cup baking soda
1 TBS cornstarch
1 TBS arrowroot powder
2 drops of essential rose oil (optional)

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Place a small amount in a small cloth bag that can be well tied or secured with a drawstring. Place it in the dryers with a load of laundry. Be sure the bag is well sealed or it will become a bit messy.

Super Soft Fabric Softener

1 TBS of unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cup boiling water

Dissolve above ingredients. Add the softener to the final rinse after the washing cycle is completed.

Funny Animals

2008-11-11T11:41:00.003-06:00

Recently I was not able to find my daughter's cat, Ms. Kitty. We looked everywhere for her. Well, as you can see, we found her resting quite comfortably in my large potted plant in my entryway. She was enjoying the warm sun that was coming through the window close by. We just had to laugh. At first I didn't want her in there, because I was afraid she would knock out a whole bunch of dirt onto the floor. She didn't move even one inch of dirt. In fact, we took all kinds of pictures of her as well as just stand and laugh at her. She did not move an inch. There was no way she was going to move from that spot. Cats are so funny. They are very agile on their feet and very clean. At first I didn't like the cat, but after a few years she has grown on me. She can be very lovable and is far easier to take care of that our dog.

Until next time...

Happy Blogging
Gayla

Scotland the Brave!

2008-09-22T13:18:00.004-05:00

Scotland the Brave!
at the 2008 Renaissance Festival

Yesterday our family went to Bonner Springs, KS to the Annual Renaissance Festival. We had a good time. We met some good friends up there. All of us have Scottish roots so we thought it would be a great time to see some of the "highland games" being presented. Matthew came in fourth place to the Haggis throwing contest. There were some games, but not as many as we thought there would be. There were a lot of men in kilts. One of the things that the boys did was taste haggis. Haggis is a traditional Scottish food that is basically the innards of a sheep, mixed with spices and cooked inside a sheep stomach. Yuck. Two out of three liked it. I didn't even try it. It was really nice to hear the bagpipes playing in the back ground. Even though it was a somewhat nice day, (it was great to see good friends), I think we will be heading to a different type of Scottish Highland Games next time. In the state of Missouri, there are literally hundreds of festivals available to enjoy. Until next time.....
~Gayla

New Shoes

2008-09-06T14:48:00.002-05:00

It has been very exciting at our house over the last two months. In August, Maggie got her letter from her ballet teacher, stating that she was ready to begin pointe class. What an exciting time in a little girls life. Before embarking on this journey six years ago, I never realized just what a milestone this was. We went up to Kansas City and had grandma (my mom) go with us. Mom had been a dancer when she was younger and she and Maggie were able to share in this experience. She started her class today and I will have her post her experiences later on. Way to go Maggie. ~Love Mom

Our Vacation

2008-07-25T22:15:00.005-05:00

This year we went to Branson, Missouri for our family vacation. We went to a conference, called Defending Your Family Faith Conference with several great speakers to listen to. We really enjoyed what the speakers had to say. It was great just knowing that how you believe is within the will of God. Ken Ham, from Answers in Genesis, spoke about creation evagelism. Doug Phillips, of Vision Forum, spoke about the family and the father's role in the family. Dr. Voddie Backam spoke about the validity of the Bible.
We also went to see the Titanic Museum, which was very interesting. As you went in, you were given a passport of an actual passenger. You followed your passenger thru the museum and at the end, you found out if you survived or not. There were some actual artifacts from the ship itself. We went out to eat with friends and then we all headed to the gocarts. What fun that was. Our conference was concluded Friday night and we headed out to St. James to see some old friends of ours that used to live at Lake of the Ozarks when we lived there. It was great to see them again.

This week our niece is here visiting and we leave tomorrow for Lake of the Ozarks to spend some time with old friends again. Boy I can't wait for school to start back up again. I need to stay home. I need to go back to church. I hope they remember me there.

Until next time,
Happy Blogging-
Gayla

SUMMERTIME!

2008-07-12T17:59:00.010-05:00

-This summer we are having so much fun just enjoying family time together. Each week we head to the library and then to the pool where we swim. My favorite part of the pool is jumping off the diving board. My mom has been challenging me to flip off the board, but the last time I tried I back flopped and it HURT! The pool is a neat place. We have never been there before. When I get home, I start reading again, so I can get another pool pass the next week. ~~~Matthew

This is Maggie.... my summer has been really fun. We have gone to the pool every week as a reward for reading. The pool is really fun because it has four slides, a really big pool and a lazy river. My favorite part of the pool is the really fast slide. You go really fast down this steep slide and when you hit the water, it makes a big splash. We are going on vacation to Branson. I can't wait to ride the go-carts. We are going with friends of ours from our church. My cousin will be coming down when we get back and I am going to get to see a friend of mine that lives in St. James that I have not seen in a while. I am going to go to another friend's house at Lake Ozark and to grandma's house before we head back to school in August. Talk to you later.

From Gavin~~~ My summer is a lot of fun. There is a pool in Pittsburg that is really fun. It has four slides, and two diving boards. You can jump off the edge of the pool and there is a really wide slide that you can fit three people. We have a summer reading program at the library that we can get a pool pass every week. My friend Mitchell came to stay for a week. He brought his paintball guns down with him. We played paint ball all week. We are going on vacation. I can't wait.

I have enjoyed being home with my kids this summer. We spend so much time running in the school year that it is hard to have that quite time together. As you can see we have had fun at the pool. That is what the kids look forward to every week. What kid wouldn't? My garden is going gang busters. I have TONS of green beans that Mags and I have put up already and they are just getting started. I have a new plant in the garden this year... squash. Boy, it is going crazy. I will have so much squash that I won't know what to do with it. Well, I must go pack for vacation. Talk to you soon. ~~~Gayla

I have carpet!!

2008-06-05T21:24:00.001-05:00

One month ago the septic system failed and well let's just say that the carpet got WET. Yuck. It went thru most of the back of the house. We spent most of the night sucking up water to no avail. Our friends came from town to help. Finally we just pulled up the carpet after moving everything into the entryway, garage, and schoolroom. The five of us spent the next four weeks sleeping in the schoolroom. Life was just a bit hard at times, but we did manage. Well, as of this Tuesday, we had beautiful new carpet put into our entire house. PRAISE THE LORD. Now we just have to unpack everything. It is taking some time, but I have some friends coming tomorrow to help me get things back in order. It is amazing what we appreciate when we don't have it. I never thought living on concrete would be so cold and hollow. Everything echoed. It just seemed things were not complete. So, now I am enjoying my carpet as I watch the next batch of torrential weather come in . Tornadoes and hail on the way. This will be the fifth or sixth this season. Hey, how do you like my carpet dance that I am doing in the above picture?

I remember...

2008-06-05T21:01:00.001-05:00

When I married my husband, I acquired a wonderful set of in laws. My father in law was tops in my book. He really made me think outside the box about many things that I had never even considered. He was always challenging me with different things. One of the things that he introduced me to was the beauty of nature. I remember helping him plant Iris and other plants. He was always patient with me and answered all of my never ending questions. I helped him weed his many flower beds. He was just a great teacher in all areas and always looked out for everyone. I remember a time when I was wanting to spray paint something. I was pregnant with my first child. Keith gently walked over to me and asked to see the paint can. He read the back of it and then told me that he didn't want me painting. He had someone else do it. He was concerned for my health and the safety of my unborn child. I had not even thought about it. I figured that I was outside and that it would be ok, but he was really insistent about it. I talked with him for hours and hours at a time. He never ceased to amaze me in his knowledge about almost everything. He helped me find out about my ancestoral history. I grew up thinking that I was Irish, but found out that I am actually Scottish. No wonder I never wanted to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. hehe. The picture above is one of his roses that he planted. This year it was absolutely beautiful. I had to capture it in picture. We had to say good bye to Kieth in 1994, just 5 months after my first child was born. Keith went to be with Jesus. Even though he has been gone for 13 years, it is still as if we lost him yesterday. What a priviledge I had to have six wonderful years with him. I miss him and can't wait to see him in Heaven.

Fun In the Sun!

2008-06-05T20:25:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday night I had my Chase Dance Academy recital in Lamar, Missouri. It was really fun dancing with my friends- Margaret, Maddie, Molly, and Courtney. My teacher, Rebecca did a great job with our dances. We did a dance to Fun in the Sun; Car Wash (Shark Tales); Oronoco Flow and Hot Hot Hot. My favorite was Car Wash.

Car Wash

Margaret, Maggie and Maddie are practicing before recital.

My teacher, Ms. Danielle, from Carthage Dance Studio was also at the recital. My mom help put up the set. The set was really cool. Grandma Marilyn, Grandma Rindy and Papa Ron, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Steve, Daddy, Matthew and Gavin all came to see me. There were people from our church there also.

Afterwards, we got ice cream from Dairy Queen and while we were there, the tornado sirens went off. We went over to my friend, Margaret's house and sat in the basement until we could go home. My next dance recital is June 7th and 8th at the Carthage High School. This one is for The Dancers Studio in Carthage, Missouri.

(created by Maggie)

Our new toy

2008-05-10T16:56:00.000-05:00

My daughter and I have a great friend who has had a clothes line in her back yard for as long as we have known her. The other day she had messed up her back and we went over to help her hang laundry out. My daughter said that it would be neat if we had one. So, that is exactly what we did. We went out THAT DAY and bought a clothes line with some clothes pins and a cute little bag to hold them in. We went home and had my husband put it up in the yard. We put up our first load outside last Tuesday and have not been able to get one dry since. It has rained and rained almost all week. In fact, our septic tank backed up on Wednesday and soaked the carpet... we are currently living in our living room and school room. We had to pull up all of the carpet after spending hours trying to soak up all the water. What a mess. We are waiting for new carpet, but it will be several weeks before we can get it in. Oh well, I am thankful for the new carpet and the clean house. No organisms growing in my carpet to worry about or mold growing up the wall. God is truly good, because we have no money in the resident budget to do this, but my husband's boss said "Do it and let me worry about it." I am so looking forward to dry weather. How are things around your house?

Until next time,
~~Gayla and Maggie

All American History

2008-04-18T11:44:00.000-05:00

We recently finished all of our World history curriculum and needed to start American History. The problem was, we couldn't find a curriculum that suited us. All of them were either bibliography only or a typical textbook style. There would be only a paragraph or two over the important things such as Washington. Go figure?! Two paragraphs on Washington. Well, let me tell ya, I have found an AWSOME history curriculum. It is call All American history. Volume 1 covers the explorers to the Jacksonian Era. There are at least 100 pagers per unit over the information. Did you know there were two Massachussetts colonies? I didn't. Each colony is covered at length. We have been having a blast learning about our history.

Something else that I like about this curriculum is that it is ACCURATE! It actually has the Bill of Rights in the back that is pretty close to word for word.

We have been supplementing the study with documentaries from Netflix. We have watched shows on Jamestown and we just finished Colonial House, which was a PBS publication. There is so much you can do with this curriculum. We will be posting our progress so keep watching for updates.

Matthew and Maggie say "We love it!"

~~~Gayla

LIFE!!

2008-04-02T13:03:00.001-05:00

You have heard the saying, "I am having a bad day", but actually I seem to be having a bad year so far. It all started in January when my son came down sick, then I got sick at the end of the month and stayed sick until last week. I just kept getting this nasty crud over and over again. Sinuses and congestion issues were the culprits. During this time, BOTH of our vehicles went on the blink. We have been trying to get them fixed, but are still having trouble. We thought our car was fixed, but Sunday I got in it to head to church and it died on me as I was pulling out of the drive way. We have replaced spark plugs, wires, fuel filters, fuel pumps, and coil packs. Still not running right. We have put shocks and struts on our van, still not running right. Then there are other things that keep popping up.....ARGH!!!!!!!!!!! Will it ever end? I feel as if we are under an attack from Satan and it is not letting up much. The little guy up there is laughing... which is the only thing I can do at this point. Crying doesn't seem to make anything better.

I have been trying to keep myself busy with other things, such as decluttering my house. I have been given some home made cleaning recipies to make. I have made them and I love them. Here they are:

Homemade Laundry Detergent:
6c water
1/3 bar Fels Naptha laundry bar, grated
1/2c Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda)
1/2c 20 Mule Borax
1 1/2gallons, plus 1 pint hot water

In a large pot, put 6c water and grated soap. Boil until dissolved and turn off heat. Pour in soda, Borax and the rest of the water. Mix well and let sit over night. It will gel up as it cools. Put in containers and use 1/2c solution for moderately soiled clothes or 1c for heavily soiled clothes. I love the smell of this soap. A friend of mine does not make this into a liquid. She uses 1 1/2c Borax, 1bar of the soap and 1 1/2c washing soda. Mixes well and use 2 TBSP powder soap per load.

Homemade Glass Cleaner:
Mix in a spray bottle the following,
1c rubbing isopropyl alcohol
1c water
1 TBS vinegar
1 TBS ammonia

This works better than Windex. It does not streak. You will love it!

Strong All-Purpose cleaner
Mix in a spray bottle the following:
1 TBS ammonia
1 TBS laundry soap (Era or the soap you already made)
2 c water
if you want, you can add cedar oil or pine oil to make it smell like Pine Sol.

Natural Fabric Softener
2c white vinegar
2c baking soda
4c water
Carefully combine all ingredients (the vinegar and soda will fizz), pour into a plastic bottle, cover and shake. Use 1/4c in your laundry's final rinse or in a Downy ball.

Homemade Comet:
1/2c Borax
1/2c baking soda
several drops of wintergreen oil

Thanks to Rebecca for all of these little goodies.

I am going to keep my self thinking upward. If we can just get the van fixed, we will at least have our main vehicle to use. We are hoping to get it paid off as soon as possible.

Hurrah for the Hound!

2008-02-13T17:18:00.000-06:00

Finally! The Beagles have arrived!! This year in the 2008 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, a very prestigious show, a hound won Best In Show. For the show's 100 year history, the coveted award went to poodles, terriers and those other small ankle biting dogs. In fact, it wasn't until a few years ago that the Beagle was even allowed to show in the WKC show. Look at this dog.... isn't it the most beautiful Beagle you ever saw? Uno, short for a very, very long name was also in the American Kennel Club show, but only place best of Breed. The thing that I think is so funny is that most of the other winners were very "proper" behaving animals. Not Uno. He could be heard "baying", which is a Beagle bark across the room. He was/is a fiesty hunting dog that took the crowd by storm. When he came out, the crowd went wild. He was on the national news this morning and they said that he was retired. His puppies will be thousands of dollars to buy. I love it. I am so excited... I have watched this show for years and always had to walk away defeated because my favorite dog in the whole wide world lost.... because he was not proper acting enough. Westminster is in England you know.... hehehehe

I have a Beagle myself. Which of course is why I am so excited. What do you think... should I start training her? She could send my kids to college.

Rough Legged Hawk

2008-01-22T12:19:00.000-06:00

We had such a neat experience today. We have been watching this hawk living here on the park this winter. The only problem is that we were not able to identify it. It was always too far away and all you could see was the white breast. We knew that it was not a Red Tailed hawk because they don't usually have a white chest. We kept seeing this silly hawk perched everywhere. It was like he was teasing us.

On the way home from piano today, we started to pull into my drive and my 8yo said, "Mom, Look!" I looked up and right in front of me was this hawk. I was really excited. We sat there for a while and watched it. it was like he was posing for us. I ran home and grabbed my camera. I also got the bird books, binoculars and my husband. We sat at the top of the drive and watched this bird. He moved around and I was able to get several different views of him. After quite some time, we decided that it was a Rough Legged Hawk.

We were excited that we finally figured out what this bird was. Now we need to go home and draw it in our nature journals. When I look at birds and flowers I can't help but think that when God created them, He was saying "Look what I can do!" He didn't have to make the birds and flowers so beautiful. He could have made them bland and just functional. He could have put them on Earth just to do their jobs of pollinating or rodent control, but He didn't. He gave us something to look at and to study. What a mighty God we serve. Thank you God for everything you have created. How majestic you are.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-20T18:51:00.000-06:00

I know that I am REALLY behind, but I wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone out there. I hope and pray that you have a great year in 2008. We started off the year sharing it with good friends. We are so blessed to have the support group that we have. Thank you God for your blessings.

My Friend, Heather

2008-01-20T18:43:00.001-06:00

This Christmas my good friend, Heather came with her family to stay with us for a week. She got me a present and I got her a present for Christmas. We played with our presents alot as well as had lots of tea. We put on a play for my mom, her mom and Mrs. Vaught. We missed a whole part of the play while we were preforming it. We washed my dog, Sadie in the tub. Since I love to teach and I love to dance, I taught her some dance moves like leaps, turns and the splits. She needs more practice. We had fun spending together. We have known each other since we were three years old. I miss her sometimes and it is good when we can be together.

Dance Baby Dance

2008-01-20T18:23:00.000-06:00

On December 15th and 16th, Maggie was in The Nutcracker Production in Carthage. She did great. She has many friends and family members come to watch her dance. There were several times during the performance that I cried. She was so beautiful. You keep dancing my little princess. Dance for Jesus.
Mom

ICE!!

2007-12-09T12:28:00.000-06:00

We woke up this morning to a severe ice storm. There is about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of ice on the ground. The birds are scampering around trying to find food at the feeders. Luckily we had prepared for the storm and have enough food in the house as well as in the feeders. The kids bounded out of bed and headed outside BEFORE breakfast. They grabbed their sleds and headed up the hill. The boys had races down the hill to see who could get to the bottom first. Maggie enjoyed just being outside on the ice. They had to come in when it started to sleet and rain again.

With all of the power outages around the area and in Lamar, church was canceled. We had a wonderful church service in our home.

We are holding our breath right now however, because we are still getting rain and the temperature is below freezing. Hopefully we will not loose power. If we do, I have a very large crock pot of chili on.

I am thinking that at this point a nice pot of hot tea is in order. My favorite at this moment is Blueberry Vanilla Cream. Yes, I think hot tea and a movie sounds very good right now. Until next time, stay warm.

The True Meaning of Christmas

2007-12-09T12:12:00.000-06:00

This year we wanted to focus ONLY on the real meaning of Christmas for our family. We have some friends who started a tradition this year called an Advent Wreath. I was very interested in what exactly an Advent Wreath was so I read up on it. An Advent Wreath is simply a focus on Christ and his birth. We have daily or nightly Bible readings which lead up to the birth. We will probably make this an annual event.

A Great holiday

2007-11-25T15:34:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful holiday. We had the best Thanksgiving ever. Maggie and I made all kinds of yummy food for the boys, including German Chocolate Pecan Pie and a huge apple pie. There was so much food to place on the table we have been eating on it for days. The day started with Brian reading from William Bradfords Plymouth Plantation. We have been reading this wonderful book for about five days before. We currently are up to the part where several colonies of people have been started.

Here Brian is reading Bradford's book. Gavin looks on intently.

After a wonderful dinner of all the fixings, we made a HUGE apple pie and headed over to some friend's house for fellowship. We played games, laughed, talked and in the evening, had hot chocolate and whatever we wanted for leftovers. It was such a wonderful time of fellowship. We felt so blessed to have friends like this. We did not get home until 1am the next morning.

Amanda and Maggie love being together

God's Incredible World

2007-11-24T22:28:00.000-06:00

This week it turned cold several nights in a row. One morning Maggie and I got up and headed to the campground close to my house. We were in search of the inconspicuous, very fragile winter flower that makes its appearance in the middle of the night like a secret agent. This flower is called the Frost flower. I have been looking for this flower for quite a while. Little did I know that all the while, it was under my nose the whole time. It is not really a flower at all. This winter beauty happens when the night air gets down to freezing and the inside of the plant starts to ooze out of the stalk. There are beautiful sculptures that can be made in many different forms. I was awed at how amazing God is. Even the ice can be formed in to works of beauty for us to enjoy. God truly wants us to be happy with nature around us. The next time there is a cold morning, grab the kids and head out to an area where tall plant stalks still stand and try to find these amazing configurations.

Thaksgiving Tidings

2007-11-19T11:03:00.000-06:00

We are so excited to be celebrating our first Thanksgiving AT HOME, this year. For over 16 years we have been at a family member's house. We love our family, it was just an idea that I had to share the holiday with our children. Our oldest will be going off to college in five years and I wanted him to think of home when he thought about the holidays.
What are your plans for Thanksgiving? We have started at lapbook series on Thanksgiving. We will be diving into the scripture to see just what being thankful really means to God. We are also planning on reading from The Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford. We borrowed that book from friends, but we plan on purchasing one for our home before next year. It really gives you an understanding of just what the pilgrims had to endure to gain freedom from England. For those of you who don't know, William Bradford was one of the pilgrims who traveled to the new world. Every home should have a copy of this book for their homes. Especially if they home school.

On another note, Maggie and I have been busy getting ready for the holiday. We planned the menu, (well, there is not a lot of planning that goes into it - except the boys wanted everything that they would get a grandma's house), then we went to the grocery store and bought the food. We have made the home made noodles already. We will make a pumpkin pie today. The turkey is in the fridge. (Thanks Rebecca for giving me a heads up... it would still be in the freezer). We have a huge spread planned. Wednesday we will be cooking up a storm. After dinner on Thursday, we plan on visiting some friends in Liberal. I am going to bake a HUGE apple pie in a skillet. That will be for the evening meal.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Please tell us what your family is doing... what are your traditions?

From the Millers to you, we wish you the very best Thanksgiving holiday. Please be careful if you are traveling.

Gayla

I am sleepy

2007-11-11T10:00:00.001-06:00

Last night Gavin was helping with the deer when the day got to be too much for him. He laid his head down on the table and fell asleep. The guys just finished up what they were doing. Then we carried him into the house and put him to bed. I had to take this picture. It was so sweet to see him. He had just been racing thru the house helping his dad with the deer. He was so excited about it. I was amazed at his innocents. He is only seven years old and I want to keep him seven for the rest of his life.

Trophy

2007-11-11T09:31:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my dad and I went hunting. We were sitting in the stand last night when this HUGE buck came walking by. Since I had already got a buck this year, my dad was trying for one. He was able to shoot this 8 pointer. It was very exciting. My friend Tony and his parents came over last night to help us get it in the freezer. It took until 11 o'clock. We were tired, but still excited about the day. I have one more tag, so we are going back out today. This was the biggest deer my dad had ever got. It weighed about 300#.

A Great Day!

2007-11-10T16:57:00.000-06:00

Today I had a great day. I went to a baby shower. I had tea and scones also. My big brother Matthew and my dad Brian went hunting today, but my little brother Gavin went with me and mom to the shower. I had a great day!
Maggie

A Knight in training

2007-11-10T11:15:00.000-06:00

Hi. My name is Matthew and I am the oldest kid in the family. I am 13 years old and in the "8th" grade. We don't really put grades on ourselves, but the curriculum says 8th, so I guess I am in that grade. I will be starting high school next year. My favorite things in life are: SPORTS! ( I love the St. Louis Rams and the St. Louis Cardinals. I really don't like any of the Kansas City clubs. I don't think they are very good. ) I love swords and guns and catapults and anything that is boyish. My brother and I love to have matches with each other or my best friend, Tony.

I have a black Labrador Retriever named Robert the Bruce. We call him Bruce. I named him that because Bruce is one of my favorite historical people. Two others of mine are General Lee and William Wallace. I love the movies Braveheart (even though my parents have not let me see all of it) and Lord of the Rings. Gandolf is really cool.

Last year my parents bought me a 1966 Ford Mustang to fix up. I LOVE it. I am going to paint it silver and black. I can't wait to be able to drive it. I need a job though, so I can fix it up. I love to hunt. This year I killed a 5 point buck. I was so excited. I jumped down out of the stand and screamed. My dad was excited too.

My favorite subject in school is Science. I plan on being a Lepodopterist. What is that you ask? Well, it is a person who studies butterflies. I love dragonflies, too. I am planning on writing a book about dragonflies where I live.

This year was my last year playing soccer. I have played since I was four years old. I think I am going to help coach next year and eventually when I am 16, I can referee. That is cool because I can get paid for that.

Ms. Mags

2007-11-09T13:26:00.001-06:00

My name is Maggie and I am ten years old. I am in the 5th grade and my favorite subject is Science. I also love to dance. I dance ALL the time. I am currently taking dance in two studios. I am in a pre-point class in Saturdays and I have rehearsal for The Nutcracker on Fridays. I am a party girl in Act 1. I am having a lot of fun learning all of the dances this year. I have currently finished Grade 1, 2 and 3 in Checceti ballet. It is a very detailed theory class that you must test for at the end of the year. It is hard, but very challenging and fun. My mom and Ms. Kelly helps me with it. My good friend Margaret is also doing the same kinds of things in dance that I am doing. We have a lot of fun together.

This summer my mom took my to Chicago with another good friend of mine, Heather. Heather's mom and my mom are good friends. We had a lot of fun seeing all of the sites. We got to stay in the Hancock building on the 79th floor. We had a lot of fun walking along Navy Pier and watching all of the birds landing on the pier. My favorite thing that we did in Chicago was go to the Amercian Girl Store. My mom bought me the doll, Nikki. I love it. She is so pretty.

My favorite color is purple. I love purple. I could live in purple.

Little Bear

2007-11-09T13:06:00.000-06:00

Hi, my name is Gavin. I am seven years old and I love to do all kinds of things. My favorite hobbies are hunting, camping and soccer. I also love to play Upward basketball at my church. I have a big brother and a big sister. The best thing to do is to bug my sister by using her doll as a football outside. The bad thing about that is when the doll breaks, Iget into trouble and I have to do her chores for a week. Yuck. I am a very fun loving kid, who always has a smile on my face and a laugh in my heart. My favorite subject in school is Math. I also like to do lapbooks. I am doing a lap book right now on the Old Testement. I just finished a lap book on Ancient Egypt. I love to study about Egypt. Did you know that they use to bury people's belongings in their tombs with them? That is wierd.

This weekend is deer season. Yeah. We are going to our grandma's house. She always cooks a big pot of chili during deer season. It is a lot of fun. For Christmas, I am asking for a Lincoln Log set. I think it would be fun to build stuff with it. I also want a sword and a gun. I always want those things though. You can never have too many "weapons" to play with. I act out with my big brother like we are ancient warriors on the battlefield, or that we are soldiers in the Civil war. I am always a confederate.

I play the piano. This is my first year to take lessons. I really like it and I like my teacher. She is really nice. Sometimes I get confused on my lesson, but my brother helps me with it. He has been playing piano for several years and he is really good.

My favorite movie is the Cars movie. I love - Love- LOVE Mator. I got to meet him and Lightening McQueen last year at Disney World. I loved it. I also got to meet Mr. Incredible and Elastagirl. That is another movie that I like. My favorite character in that movie it Dash. He is just like me. FAST.

Three Highlanders

2007-11-09T08:40:00.000-06:00

Hello. A friend of mine showed me her blog and I thought it was such a good idea, that I decided to start one for my kids. We are a very close family of five. We live on a 4,000 acre prairie in Missouri and have a herd of bison. Yes, I did say bison. Sometimes they get in the way while you are driving, but other than that, it is pretty cool. We have three children, Matthew 13, Maggie 10, and Gavin 7. We are all of Scottish origin, and we are very proud of it. Too much, according to some of our friends. We have home schooled since preschool and have not intentions of quiting. Well, unless the Lord says otherwise that it. We have a wonderful church of like minded people to fellowship with.
This blog is for my children to be able to post things for their family and friends, as well as to work on their writing and typing skills.
So sit back, relax with a cup of coffee and enjoy the antics of everyday life in a home schooling family.