We are moved in!!!

Yes, we are really moved in! It is very hard to believe that after living in a little house (760 sq ft) for two years and building (and the stress and choices with that) that we are in our forever house! Yeah.

We now have the Internet.
We now have a dishwasher.
We now have a microwave.
We have more than one bathroom.
I can kneel beside my bed as it's not on cinder blocks. (Because clothes had to go under the bed because there was no room for a dresser).
I have all our books up to read as we desire.


We plan on having lots of parties.  (The first one is on election night.  Please come!)
We plan on reading lots of good books.
We plan on laughing and giggling lots.
We plan on praying, praising and singing to God.

We have named our land/house: Telaret.  This translates to: give God the complete praise.  See the hearthstone below. Huzzah!

Please visit Olivia's/Liberty's blog to see some pictures.  She will get a picture of the front of the house soon.  Here is a picture of the library though. It is one of my favorite places in our home.

Blessings~

Boston and Our Home

We have been having a great time in Boston.  My daughter has done a great job of posting about our trip on her blog.  There are a lot of pictures on there  Check it out here.

Here are the latest pictures of our house.  Kudos to my mom for taking pictures while we've been gone.

House Building

Just wanted to let everyone know our house is being built.  They broke ground for it this past week.  My hope is to be moved into it by October General Conference.  We are excited.  I would show you a picture but our digital camera broke.

That's not a picture of our house.  It just reminded me of a hobit house.  So I thought I would at least post a picture of someone's house.

P.S. Mr. Patriot and I had a lovely trip to Hawaii a couple of weeks ago.

Yummy Sorbet!

I finally broke down and bought the family a food processor.  I am excited.  The boys weren't as excited as I was....

I hope to make all kinds of amazing foods.  Liberty christened it by making a yummy sorbet.  She added in lots of frozen fruits (that we always get from Costco for our morning green smoothies) with heavy emphasis on the Marion berries.  She added some flax seeds and viola a yummy dessert.  I'm not a big fan of ice cream but this raw food treat was super yummy.

Our Schedule

Below is our Monday thru Thrusday schedule.  On Friday the kids get up early and we have scriptures and breakfast at 6:45 AM and then head for classes and hour a way.  Saturday and Sunday are much like the begining and the end of the days listed below.

  M-Th Daily Schedule

7 AM        Get up

                Core

8 AM        Breakfast

                Family Scripture Study

                Goals

9 AM        Family Work

                Personal Learning

NOON       Lunch

                Read a Loud

                Family Work

1 PM        Exercise

Free Time

                Free Reading

                Service

                Visit Family and Friends

6 PM        Dinner

                Narrations

                Family Work

7 PM         Family Activities

                Service

                Free Reading

                Free Time

8 PM         Journal

                Free Reading

9 PM        Prayers

                Lights Out

Helping Kids Journal

I have been a pretty faithful journal writer since at least high school.  Sometimes I went in spurts and wrote only every couple of months, but for well over ten years I have been pretty faithful about writing nearly every day.  I love journaling and I think that it is important for emotional and spiritual health. I’ve blogged about it on my other blog several times.  I am grateful to my mom who taught me to write in my journal every Sunday.

Liberty is also a faithful writer.  The boys in our family struggle however.  I feel it is important for them to learn to do this regularly though, especially since President Kimball encouraged it so much.  Through the years I’ve tried to help them get into the habit, but it hasn’t been successful.

The main reason they don’t like journaling is:

1. They don’t like to physically have to write anything more than they have too.  I think this is a boy thing?
2. They don’t know what to write.

I guess the first one they just will have to get over, but for the second one I’ve determined that when they write helps solve the problem. So for the last two months or so(?) we’ve struck upon another idea that seems to be working out better than the other ideas.  On days when it is possible they are in bed at 8 PM.  They then write in their journal.  Then they can free-read until 9PM.  After that personal prayers and lights out. On nights when we are out later (mutual, scouts, basketball practice, ward activities, etc.) we just head straight to the prayers and the bed part.  In the end they journal about four times or so a week.  This is a much better average and it isn’t as painful for them. 

But back to the what to write. I encourage them to either write about their day or to list five blessings they are thankful for that they saw that day.  I find they have a lot more to write about and they do it more willingly at night then in the morning as part of their “school work.”

Again creating the habit is the most important part and then the testimony of it will come and they will seek it out to do it on their own, and in their own way.

I Am Not Afraid of the Pressure Cooker...I Am Not Afraid of the Pressure Cooker....

I really want to learn how to can.  I think it is very important.  I also have a very irritating daughter that wants to sew, can, make butter, milk a cow, gather eggs from our own chickens (which she hasn't talked us into YET) and other annoying things like making homemade cottage cheese.  I would just rather sit on my laurels and read a book, but noooooo she takes the prophet literally about being self-reliant. I would prefer just to study about it.

So here I am trying to "teach" her how to do all these things that I don't know how to do. Of the many things she's twisted my arm into doing I have found that I just might like canning.

We did a bunch of peaches, pears and tomatoes this fall and it was kinda fun. Kinda.  It still required work and I'm not sure I'm into that.  (Although I know I really, really need to be.  I am getting better).

So this winter I've decided it's time to practice using the pressure cooker.  I admit I am slightly afraid of it.  But I swallowed down my fears and processed 3 batches of potatoes-of all things.  I have plenty of them-like 500 pounds plenty- so they were a good thing to practice with. They turned out fine. I won't win any fair prizes for them, but it's a start.

I have 200 empty jars and I figure it's time to fill them. Next on the list: stewed chicken, carrots, kidney beans and pinto beans.  I'll let you know how it goes.

In the meantime...."I am not afraid of the pressure cooker.....I am not afraid of the pressure cooker....."

Because He Can

Leader decided to make himself a hammock off of his bunk bed.  He's a silly kid.  Here he is writing in his journal before bed. 

They are on count down.  Only 10 more months until the four kids don't have to share a room any more!

Determination Turns 12!

Determination turned 12 recently.  He was able to be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood by his father and lots of family standing in.  The same day it was a baby blessing for my niece.  It was a neat day.

Determination has enjoyed doing is duties so far.  Today he went out and collected fast offerings (free will money donations from people in the community) with another deacon and their leader.  When he came home he had really big eyes.  I laughed and said, "What? Did you get chased by dog while you were out?" I was totally kidding.  He responded, "No, two actually."  He laughed and told us a very funny story.  I think that is only the beginning of  the very many adventures he will have as a priesthood holder.

'Like' the Kendrick Brothers

Technically I have a facebook account. I haven’t accessed it in over 14 months and I have no idea what the password is.  (Obviously I can get that, it’s just a convenient excuse).  However, I secretly loathe facebook. 

Anyway, I’d like to say that I had a point with the above paragraph, but I don’t think I really did.  I get sidetracked when I start thinking about facebook.  Here is the point though:  Our family really, REALLY, REALLY likes the Kendrick Brothers.  I am sure they have a facebook page so if someone could go on and “like” them on behalf of our family that would be great. 

So who are they anyway? I mean the Kendrick Brothers not facebook. They are the writers, directors, producers, etc. of the following movies,

Flywheel (not very well known)

Facing the Giants

Fireproof

Courageous

Their movies are part of the outreach of the Sherwood Church in Georgia.  The Kendrick brothers learned that the public, and especially the youth, were more influenced by the media in regard to choices and morality than any other way.  So they got the wild idea to start making movies to reach people.  At first it was just for their little community, but the response was so positive that the movies starting reaching out farther and farther.  What’s amazing is that in these movies everyone involved is a member of their church.  Everything is donated.  Most of the actors (or camera men) are just people from their church with no real training.  The later movies have included professional actors like Kirk Cameron though, but I think everyone is still on donated time.

Kudos to the Kendrick Brothers for their ministry efforts.  If you enjoy watching movies I invite you to watch their movie trailers on the links provided and see if one of their movies is right for your family.  Each movie's production quality gets better with each one.  It is amazing to see what they have done with the resources they have.

They have positively impacted my life and my family’s life.  They have challenged me in my faith and caused me to ask some tough questions regarding whether I believe, “that through Christ all things are possible.”

And they are just soooo funny.  I invite you to also watch the special features, because that is where you get to know all about them.  If you watch all the movies you can catch spoofs of their other movies inside the new movies.  Also many of the actors are in all the movies and so it’s fun to find people “you know” from previous movies.