Around Here: March 2014

Clint has recently spent time in our hometown wrapping up some business his company had there. I always looked forward to those trips because sometimes I'd take the day and ride with him so we could see friends. We will have another opportunity for a visit there soon. We are staying with friends the last weekend in April. We have a couple of things planned with people already, so let us know if you want to get together.

Clint and I just returned from a wonderful weekend alone together in Williamsburg. We hit some new hiking trails, cooked gourmet dishes together, soaked in the jacuzzi while watching movies, and did a little shopping too. We came back very rested and relaxed!

As our middle children grow and do more, we are on the go more. We recently saw friends in Kilmarnock and checked on a house for a friend on Gwynn's Island. We are slated to visit family/friends in Wiliamsburg, Harrisonburg, Kilmarnock, and Mathews. We have a family vacation planned on the Chesapeake Bay. We have several small fishing trips planned. Clint has a business trip turned family trip to Boston where his employer will pay for our gas and room expenses. We have our usual family biking and hiking activities. Clint and I will spend May 7 alone together in memory of our son, Isaac. We are going to Sterling area in June for one of our older children. We may also take a trip to Charleston since Clint is suppose to be sent there for yet more training classes. Thanks to Clint's good friend/work connection, we've been told we are going to get free NASCAR race tickets for Richmond. Then we have a week long family camping/fishing trip planned to Belle Isle for late September/early October since we enjoyed our visit there last fall. It's going to be another full spring/summer. That's the plan right now subject to change as quickly children grow.

Back in early December, the weather warmed up, so I decided to get some deep cleaning and painting crossed off my list. I put in long days knowing the warm up would not last long. I ended up over-using my wrist to the point of injury. I am still in a brace/splint contraption, but am seeing enough progress I can have limited use during the day. Someone complained about not seeing updates as frequently...that's why.

When it warms up, I am going to go through homeschooling books and will be offering some of them for free. If you want first pick, call or email me with grade level and subjects. I may also have some toys, furniture, and other items. Email addy is in the header. I'll respond to email first and then be listing them here and on Facebook, and finally will give the rest to the local women's shelter where Brandon volunteers.

Brandon has has more accomplishments. It's been an exciting time for him! We are very thankful. I can't elaborate yet, but God has been pouring out blessings on him. He has said he will let me know when it is OK to share. 

Amanda and Clint have a race going. There is a $500 incentive for whomever earns their degree first. It will take a while to see who earns it. It is entertaining for the rest of us to hear them ask each other questions to try to figure out where the other one is on their lessons. She also has something neat going on, but again, we have to wait a bit.

Joshua, Caleb, and Bethany are looking forward to building a new tree house this year. Over the winter, I recycled wood from all over the place for them. It will be interesting to see what they build.

Emily and Hannah are loving their My Little Pony computer game. I love sitting with them while they share what they are learning. Their opinions about the game often make me chuckle. 

Next month, the barn swallows return!! I have enjoyed their return to the farm for as long as we have lived here. I am looking forward to seeing if Chip and family return!

Free Kindle Books Frugality, Homesteading, Homeschooling, More

Check the price before you download. These were free when I listed them. Happy Reading!

The American Frugal Housewife 

Letters of a Woman Homesteader 

Education in The Home, The Kindergarten, and The Primary School 
  
A Tin Man (The Single Sound System of Learning to Read) 
  
Sight Word Sentences Set 2 - Lessons 1-4: 4 Books in 1! 
  
Home Economics for Homeschoolers Unit 2

Things Mother Used to Make A Collection of Old Time Recipes, Some Nearly One Hundred Years Old and Never Published Before 

925 Ideas to Help You Save Money, Get Out of Debt and Retire A Millionaire So You Can Leave Your Mark on the World 

Practical Suggestions for Mother and Housewife 

Recipes from the Kitchen of a Frugal Non-Cook 

The Quest of the Simple Life How to Save Money at Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to Cut Spending

How to Live on 24 Hours a Day 

The Book of Household Management Wrapped in His Arms: A girl's guide to high school, dating, friendships, and Jesus. 

Desiring God: 31 Prayers Seeking the Heart of God 

Desiring God: 31 Prayers Seeking the Heart of God 

The Daniel Fast Made Delicious: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free & Vegan Recipes That Are Healthy and Taste Great! 

Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes: The Complete Guide to Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and More (Every Day Recipes) 

Bacon Recipes: The Complete Guide to Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and More (Every Day Recipes) 

Jerky :The Ultimate Recipe Guide - Beef, Turkey, Vinison, Alligator, and more! 

Household DIY: Save Time and Money with Do It Yourself Hints & Tips on Furniture, Clothes, Pests, Stains, Residues, Odors and More! 

Simple Living: The Ultimate Simple Living Guide - How To Simplify Your Life, Declutter Your Home, Reduce Stress And Be Happier Living With Less (How To ... Stress, Eliminate Stress, Living Simple)

Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity 

The Modern Parent's Guide to Kids and Video Games 

Brush Me Floss Me Be My Friend. Welcome to Toothville: Learning Begins Here. A Kids Book About Caring For Their Teeth 

Attention all Struggling Students!!!: Practical Guide on how to use Effective Study Methods in an Emergency Setting

FInal Update for J. and Thomas

J. has healed quickly from the surgery and ....drum roll.... he is going home today! Thank you everyone who prayed. 

On my high school friend Thomas who tried to take his life, he has physically recovered enough to be resting at home with his family. The rest will come in time. Thank you for the prayers and concern you have sent my way on his behalf. Please keep praying for him. In the last update on this is an address in case you want to reach out to him with a card. I will remove that address very soon for Jen's privacy, so take a moment to copy and paste it somewhere safe now. Jen is trustworthy and lives very near Thomas.

I Don't Recommend Trying This

Brandon thought he'd be funny and threatened to eat all of the treats.
Then he walked off with them.

He had four siblings quickly pounce on him!

They retrieved all of them from him, but gave him one back.

purple: Emily
dark blue: Amanda
green: Caleb
red: Joshua
brown: Brandon

Twenty Reasons to Think Twice About Aborting a Baby With Anencephaly

11. Saying goodbye properly is important for resolving grief and achieving closure
Achieving effective closure after the loss of a baby is best achieved if parents are able to spend time with their dying, or dead, baby, saying what they would have wanted to say and treasuring the precious moments. Covering the baby’s head with a woollen cap may enable them to focus on the eyes and face which are usually normal to look at (see the story of Rachel). ‘Saying Goodbye’ is a charity which is running very welcome thanksgiving services for couples who have lost babies before or after birth.

12. Abortion for anencephaly can be profoundly damaging to a mother’s mental health 
Mothers who abort babies for fetal abnormality are highly susceptible to mental health problems afterwards. This is because the abortions are late, the babies were generally ‘wanted’, an emotional bond with the baby has usually been established and there has been no opportunity properly to say goodbye. There is a better way than abortion.

13. Pregnancy is the most intimate form of hospitality 
A mother’s womb offers protection, warmth, shelter, food and water within the body of one’s closest relative. There is no form of hospitality that is more intimate or more suited to one whose life is going to be very short.

Read the rest here. 

In A Frame On My Wall

I tore this out of a book and put it on my wall many years ago.

The comic strip is Family Circus by Bill Keane.

Free Kindle: Real Estate Investing Flipping Houses

Check the prices before you download. These were free when I posted them.

No BS Real Estate Investing - How I Quit My Job, Got Rich, & Found Freedom Flipping Houses ... And How You Can Too 

Real Estate Investing: How to Flip a House as a Real Estate Investor 

The Ultimate Real Estate Investing Blueprint: How to Quit Your Job in 19 Weeks or Less 

Flipping Houses Exposed: 34 Weeks In The Life Of A Successful House Flipper

Real Estate Investing: How to Find Cash Buyers and Motivated Sellers 

Make Extra Money Flipping Houses While On Vacation (A Secret Six Figure Society Real Estate Investing Presentation)

Free Kindle Book: How to Homeschool College: Save Time, Reduce Stress, and Eliminate Debt

How to Homeschool College: Save Time, Reduce Stress, and Eliminate Debt Click the title, and check the price before you download. It was free at the time I posted.

Storms in Life

Even in the midst of the greatest pain of our lives, we can still say, "Thank You, Lord, for Your mercy." It is only when we recognize, as best we can, how Holy He is that we realize even our greatest pain on this earth is still far away from what we truly deserve. It's been 10 months since I've held my baby son.

"At the timberline where the storms strike with the most fury, the sturdiest trees are found." Hudson Taylor

"Consider this, Christian; that all your trials and troubles, calamities and miseries, crosses and losses which you meet in this world are all the hell you shall ever have!!" Thomas Brooks

"The [wave] that distresses the ordinary swimmer produces in the surf-rider the super-joy of going clean through it. Apply that to our own circumstances, these very things--tribulation, distress, persecution, produce in us the super-joy; they are not things to fight. We are more than conquerors... super-victors, with a joy we would not have but for the very things which look as if they are going to overwhelm us... The saint knows the joy of the Lord not in spite of tribulation, but because of it." Oswald Chambers

SUICIDAL FRIEND: Please Pray NOW!!!!

"Fellow Rangers pray together." LaTonia U.

As you share publicly to update the concerned, please keep in mind his family's need for tact, compassion, and tenderness. Let's not make this any harder for them than necessary.

12:37 p.m.: A friend I have had since grade school and have reconnected with on FB has just posted a suicide note. Clint called police to alert them. Please pray with me for Thomas. My heart is hurting so bad, and I am afraid they will not get to him in time. 

They called Clint back and told him police were en route.

They told Clint they were on the scene searching for Thomas.

1:20 p.m.: Just a few minutes ago, although not confirmed as through official channels, I heard he was found unconscious, but breathing. Please keep praying.

1:24 p.m.: He is enroute to Sentara via helicopter. He is unconscious but breathing. Please pray the Lord will spare his life and also pray for his family. Father, hear my plea, touch Thomas and restore his body and mind so we can minister to his weary soul in Your Name. We missed how bad he was hurting. Please give us an opportunity to help him. In Jesus Name.

1:57 p.m.: Sentara could not take him. He was sent to Southhampton. They worked on him and gave him a CT scan. A report from a friend at the hospital says he is alive, but still needs prayers. 

5:17 p.m.: His condition is being reported as stable. He is still in the emergency room. Thank You, Father. They are waiting on test results before making a prognosis. Please keep praying for total healing. 

6:00 p.m.: He has been moved to ICU.

8:35 p.m.: Posted by a friend of the family: "I just spoke with xxxx she is with Thomas in ICU with the family. Thomas is a little more alert talking and had a little to eat and drink. Still a long way to go but it is a great start. Thank all keep all the thoughts and prayers coming."

3/9/2014: I have been away with my husband and have just returned home. Thomas was released yesterday and went home to rest with his family. He is appreciative for the prayers and support. Thank you very much for praying for my friend during a very desperate moment in his life. 

I have been asked by several people if I would be willing to take up donations for him and his family. I am waiting on word to see what the needs are.

Several people have asked me since Kevin posted about Clint and I passing the hat to help out Thomas and his family. I love that our friends are so action oriented to show their concern and support. Because I live so far from Thomas, my dear, sweet friend Jennifer, who lives down the road from him, is going to take the reins. She says to send it to her, and she will get it to him: Jen March 4321 Vicksburg Road, Suffolk, VA 23437

Article: Matthew McConaughey is Not My Hero

"But, there’s one tiny issue with setting Matthew McConaughey up as our next great Christian idol. And, the problem is the movie he won the Oscar for. And pretty much every other movie he’s ever made.  (Anyone remember a little film called Magic Mike?) According to pluggedin.com, Dallas Buyer’s Club opens with McConaughey’s character having sex with two girls at the same time in a rodeo stall.  That’s only the beginning of the explicit sexual content in the movie.  In addition to the nudity, masturbation, and pornography, the film contains over 100 f-words and God’s name is used as a curse word over 20 times. 
...
We have got to get over our obsession with celebrity and start making connections between what people say and what they actually do.  It is never going to be a good thing for Christianity for us to hold these celebrities up as examples of what a Christian should be.  If we want to show the world examples of Christianity that should make us cheer, it’ll be our faithful pastors, our grandmothers who have lived quiet sacrificial lives, our friends who would lay down their lives for us, the teachers who go to school every day and live out the commands to love the unlovable and to value every life." Read the rest of this post here from Your Mom Has a Blog

and her follow up to the criticism:

"Yesterday’s post was not about whether Matthew McConaughey is a Christian. It wasn’t about whether I am better than him or worse than him. It wasn’t even about him thanking God in his acceptance speech. The post was a reaction to what I was seeing on the internet in the hours following his speech. What I saw was Christian people reaching up to that stage in Hollywood to cling to Matthew McConaughey’s nice tuxedo jacket, to hang on to his coattails and excitedly exclaim that he is one of us. That he validates us and he makes our God more acceptable, and if Matthew McConaughey is going the praise the Lord, then that must make our faith worth more. I didn’t want us, as Christians, to feel like Matthew’s speech somehow legitimized our trust in Jesus." Read the rest.

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

While none of us are perfect, we, the redeemed who make up the Body of Christ, can speak up for the truth and identify what is helpful and harmful to the church. God gave us the Word. He expects us to act it out in our own lives. Don't get me wrong. I am glad Mr. McConaughey acknowledged and gave thanks to God, but seeing everyone hold him up as a 'Christian role model' because of he merely mentioned God disturbs me. I'd give him credit for being a role model if he stood out as an actor and encouraged Hollywood to make God honoring films by refusing to participate in anything less. That would get my attention and earn my respect the same as Melissa did by speaking out so bravely. 

Article: Gold medalist Jamie Anderson's mom: I didn't push my kids 'to read and write'

Homeschooling mother of eight and mother of two athletic champions did not push academics on her children. Now her Olympian daughter Jaimie says she plans to do the same with her own children: 

“It brings tears to my eyes, how much I feel that same vibration that kids should be kids. I think it’s sad how much time kids have to spend inside nowadays and I have so much gratitude for how my mom and dad chose to raise my family,” Jamie said while giving her mom a shoulder rub after she won gold. “I look now at how successful we all are — and I believe what my mom says that kids are naturally driven to learn and progress.”

Read this encouraging article here.

Prayer Need: Update on J.

3/5/2014:  J's surgery has gone well. He is out and in recovery. They will soon carry him back to rehab and are asking for prayers for as little pain as possible during the transport. This is the last big hurdle he had to cross. Let's pray for fast healing/recovery so he can go home in a couple of weeks.

3/4/2014: Let's pray them through the final round of this hard fight! Update from M: "We are officially 26 1/2 hours away from the elusive skin graft surgery we all have been waiting for. Tomorrow at 10am, the rest of John's open wounds will be closed. The doctor said he could literally be home within a couple of weeks!! As soon as the skin grafts have healed completely, his therapy and dialysis would move to an outpatient basis, and he would get fitted for his prosthesis. Please pray for no complications, no infections, no rejections, no more hurdles lol, and for peace for J and I both. Thank you all for the continued thoughts and prayers. We love you all so much!!"

2/17/2014: After a day of more challenges and another failed attempt at dialysis, J was taken back to the main hospital. After being examined by the infectious disease doc, he was admitted to ICU who feels J should have been admitted long before now with the infection in the ashe cath. Please keep praying. Initially, his bp went very high with a sudden high fever during dialysis, but then it dropped very low. They have not been able to get it to come up since. The nonchalant attitude at rehab has been replaced with a sense of urgency from the main hospital's ICU staff. The infectious disease doctor is running several tests. Please keep praying for J, for his girlfriend, M, and for his family. This is a hard, hard journey they are on.

2/16/2014: J has still not had the surgery for the skin grafts to close the big wounds he sustained when he accidentally shot himself. There has been a mystery infection causing high fevers and elevated blood pressure. He still needs dialysis 2-3 times a week but there has been improvement, so he needs prayer for his kidneys too. Here is the latest update and prayer needs: 

"Over the past few days, the crazy cat and mouse game has continued. Friday during dialysis, J started vomiting, his fever spiked and his blood pressure skyrocketed to 220/160. They called off dialysis early and later they drew cultures straight from the ashe cath that is used during dialysis and boom, cultures started growing. So we know the cath is contaminated. We just don't know with what yet. All weekend, we've been lead to believe that since the infection isn't in his blood, just in the cath, that there was a chance that surgery would still go on tomorrow. We even came very close to having preparatory dialysis this morning, on a Sunday, to make sure his fluid and potassium levels were acceptable for the morning labs. Then the Doctor came in. He had called the plastic surgeon at home and when they talked about the blood pressure numbers along with the fever, naturally the decision came back to hold off on surgery. 

J's first words after the doctor left the room were, "I'm never going home...".

He's napping again right now while i'm writing this. It's probably the best thing for him to do right now, to cope with the disappointment."

Please pray for J. After so many setbacks and such a long stay in the hospital, he is understandably discouraged.

Thank you!

Our Recent Additions

Sampson

papered Russian Blue

Tyson

Nubs

a papered Russian Blue who is also brother to Sampson

These are cats we recently rescued. Now we have more "fancy cats" on our humble farm! Amanda heard what happened to them and asked me if it was OK to bring them here. (She already had one in the car!) She crawled under a home to get two of them. They show their gratitude to her through an incredible amount of affection. They were indoor cats previously, but now they live outside and enjoy the comfort of a heated doghouse.

Free Book: Backyard Chickens for Kindle

Check the price before you download, but this was free at the time I posted.

Answered Prayer!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

"BREAKING NEWS!!! The Romeikes can stay!!!

Today, a Supervisor with the Department of Homeland Security called a member of our legal team to inform us that the Romeike family has been granted "indefinite deferred status". This means that the Romeikes can stay in the United States permanently (unless they are convicted of a crime, etc.) 

This is an incredible victory that can only be credited to our Almighty God.

We also want to thank those of who spoke up on this issue--including that long ago White House petition. We believe that the public outcry made this possible while God delivered the victory.

This is an amazing turnaround in 24 hours. Praise the Lord.

Proverbs 21: 1 "The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord, He guides it wherever He pleases."-from Mike Farris

Plecos and Turtles Warning

We lost our sweet Magalie in early December. She was a beautiful captive bred diamondback we had been given and was so sweet and entertaining, we all fell in love with her. It surprised and hurt us to lose her.

We were perplexed as to what happened, but chalked it up to one of those things that comes along with having pets. Then, we lost another turtle that was in the same 100 gallon tank!! We went over all of our husbandry with a fine tooth comb. We could not find anything amiss. Then we lost yet another turtle...what in the world was going on?!!

Then, up late one night, we observed our plecostomas, "Tank," attaching itself to the back of another turtle and pulling her down to the bottom. The turtle would manage to get away, and Tank would go after it again and pull it down. This was repeated several times until the turtle was worn out, and we rescued her from the attacks. That's when we did some research on plecos and turtles. We found we were not the first to have losses due to a large pleco. The advice we initially received about them cohabitating together was well intended and accurate for a young pleco, but not sound for a pleco of Tank's age. I don't want others to go through what we went through, so I am sharing it here.

Tank is over eight years old. Once a plecostomas gets older, they become very territorital and aggressive. There's no way to predict when that will happen, so if your pleco has some size, I'd advise separate tanks. We moved Tank to a set up where he/she can live alone with guppies we are breeding. We have had no more losses. Clint found our family another turtle, and we hope to be as attached to her as we were to Magalie soon.

Early March Snow Storm

These were taken today:

sleet

The pictures above were taken at 10:30 a.m.
The pictures below were taken at 12:30 p.m.

They were digging for the seed I put out before the snow.
I went out and put a handful in each hole they had dug and before I could get inside, they were already returning to it. I asked Amanda to purchase more seed for them before she left work.