Multitude Monday

{0053}

God gives us such multitudes to be thankful for.

Our home...I am grateful for shelter from cold and excessive heat. For places for each of us to sleep, for a large table that fits all of  us to eat...and another large table where we do a lot of our school.  For 3 bathrooms with as many as use them! We live here 24 hours a day, and are in more than out. Everything gets used and used well. Thank you Lord we have a place to gather and have rest.

 

{0054} Psalm 1 tells us

1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

                         What a blessing it is to have Bible's in our homes in freedom, unlike many other parts of the world.  What a blessing to be able to sit in our family room and memorize scripture each morning, to hide God's word in our heart (Psalm 119, that we might not sin against thee).

 What a blessing that God openly rewards us for memorizing and meditating upon His word. What a blessing it is to being going through a trial and have His word come to mind...reminding us of truth and His continual and abiding faithfulness to us.

               Books ...ahhh, books can be wonderful things. From devotionals, growth in my Christian life, cookbooks, scrapbook idea books, large family help-books, storybooks to read to my children, books on herbs and plants as medicine....books indeed are wonderful. I love to learn and such a wealth of knowledge is to be beheld...thank you Lord for the multitude of books you have put in my path.

{0056} God is so good to put the solitary in families. Here I am an only child...with 12 (almost 13) children.

Quiet? Seldom. Blessed? Yes.
So many personalities, likes and dislikes, gifts and talents...that put us together like a puzzle and make us fit.

          God in His infinite wisdom knew who to put here and at what timing, to create the birth order. 3 boys didn't come until after 8 girls. He has this as part of His plan, part of the tapestry of our lives He is creating. He makes all things beautiful, in His time.

Thank you Lord...for our puzzle,  our lives, our plan that you are unfolding each day. I am grateful...even amidst the noise, busy-ness, laundry, dishes, toys and mess. There is no better place to be than in the center of God's will for your life.

                                                                 {0057} Many terrific  and up and coming chefs in our home. I am super blessed to have a great cooking staff of daughters.

     They prepare all the meals (sometimes with a little help if learning new techniques or recipes, and sometimes totally alone) Monday through Friday. 

Some show an enormous amount of diligence and are in the kitchen by 6 am making our breakfast and then want a 'real' recipe for lunch and not leftovers. So we save nicer lunch menus for her and keep the leftovers for our other chefs who are grateful to not have to make 3 'from scratch' meals a day. 
                                                                  Thank you Lord for help with kitchen and hospitality responsibilities. What a priviledge it is to serve alongside the girls as they cook and learn. What a wonderful ministry they will have through their whole lives serving others in the area of cooking. No matter what your job or calling, us ladies usually get the responsibility for nourishing the ones we love with meals.

{0058} A dear older Mom who comes and helps us each week encouraged me in my 'food gathering' practices. She mentioned how the Proverbs 31 woman brought her food from afar, and as she was reflecting on the meaning of the verse, she immediately thought of me.

Which brings me to why I am thankful to God. As I read (see books ☺), I learn about what our family should and should not be eating...and that motivates me to do the very best I can for them, to give them the best possible health.  I am so grateful that God has put in my path, places to go and buy healthy food at good prices that I know is better for my precious bunch.         
                                          
                      We are blessed to live close to Amish country and I have several kind Amish friends who sell their milk from their cows to us. We also are able to get fresh farm eggs each week...from multiple local sources. The beef we get each year is from a homeschool family we know that raises it (and then on top of that, God has provided a gift each year for the past 4 years to pay for it...no small expense).  I belong to a organic produce co-op and a health food co-op where I get great prices for well grown and processed food.

 Thank you Lord for opening doors and windows to show me where to gather our food 'from afar'. Even so, we are one sure reason our Wal-Mart stays in business. ☺

{0059} Love...a wonderful thing.

    I have a super husband that absolutely loves snow! So this picture if perfect for him.

Love...God is the author of it. And what a mighty fine job He did of showing it to us.
        John 3:16; for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.

Other thoughts that come to mind when I think of love...3 young adults from our church that have been in courtship relationships have all gotten engaged in the last 40 days. So wonderful to see these happy engagements and how the Lord is working in their lives.

                 Love. I remember when I was younger and read the paper (time?), there used to be a little comic that I believe was precious moments. Each day it said "love is..." and had a cute picture below and the rest of the saying. I cut those out ALL the time, I just loved them. Now where they are today...probably long lost in the trash.   Anyway, those little comics come to mind as I think on "love is"

Love is...going to sleep with little baby James next to me having to hold my hands(I am his blanket ♥). When he is sleepy he climbs on my lap and grabs for my hands and lays his head down on my chest. Aren't babies the absolute best ever?

                  Love is...secret servants. In our house around Christmas time, we start drawing names for secret servants for each week. You never know what you'll find done for you; hot tea made and left on the counter with a sweet note...your bed made with a cute picture and piece of candy on your pillow (who needs fine hotels?)...a note on your pillow with a poem leading you all over the house on a scavenger hunt that winds you up at an empty 5 gallon brown rice bucket (yes, we buy brown rice by the 25 pounds) with a pair of 'fuzzy socks' in it...the very think you *really* wanted. Secret Servants has helped us get our eyes off ourselves and thinking of what would be a blessing to those we live with and how to make them smile.

Love is....a wondeful husband and daddy who goes to work each day so I can be a stay at home mom managing the very full household we have. And being understanding when (even as frugal as he is)  sometimes a mom just needs ice cream or oreos for survival. ☺

               Love is...a darling firstborn son who draws me an endless stream of pictures. Most of them are him and I. And an equally darling 4 year old son who also loves to give me pictures and sweetly asks "mom, is it okay if you don't have one of your arms and James doesn't have a leg?"
*smile*
                                            and finally....Love is...this super 16 year old daughter who keeps my blog going by continually taking, editing, and putting pictures on it for me and then says "mom, it is minimized on your computer so when you get time you can go write"

 
                                                                                 {0060} I am grateful to God for Hannah being able to go work in Chicago for 2 weeks a month for a Chiropractor who treats her scoliosis in exchange for her work, and the for the wonderful family who takes care of (and pampers) her and lets her stay in their home when she isn't working. I am also thankful she is willing to do the hard work it takes to help, putting her school work to be done late at night or on the weekends. God always provides and has so much to teach us along the way. I know this is valuable training for Hannah in many areas.

Multitude Monday

                                



 0045

I am grateful for our Keepers at Home group. We have participated for 10 years, since Kelsey was 9. Hard to believe how much we have learned and how much fellowship we have been blessed by.  Here are Kelsey, Kate, Mary and Emily at "The Chocolate Thimble" in Churubusco, Indiana for a chocolate making class. They made caramel and chocolate dipped apples, white chocolate pretzel drops, and white chocolate dipped oreos. What a fun day.

0046

Tea Sets lots of lovely little tea sets. My dear mother-in-law gets each child a tea set around their 3 birthday. We have a beautiful collection of them. To make sure they get used and enjoy the blessing she has given us, we have each child's birthday breakfast be a "tea party breakfast". The child picks whose tea sets we will use in addition to their own (since it takes several to 'tea' us all), and which foods they would like the most. Then we hang up their birthday flag (another gift made by mother-in-law) and make the special breakfast with lots of tea (and lots of sugar). The tea pot above is Valerie Hope's, who just celebrated her third birthday with homemade caramel rolls and homemade turkey sausage (thank you chef Emily).  Thank you Lord for many tea pots, many children to have tea parties for, and many good chefs to make the meals special and unique.

0047

Byron Thanksgiving. Our church meets in a nursing home named Byron, at state run nursing home with many severly handicapped people as well as elderly . Each year our church makes a super sized Thanksgiving dinner and serves it to all the residents in the activity room of Byron. It takes two nights for us to feed all the residents. What a blessing we receive in serving these special people. I'm guessing most don't see relatives for the holidays and they show such joy at the big meal they are served. It is a blessing for our families to sit in their midst and share in their joy as we serve them. It is our hope that they will see the light of Jesus and learn how very much He loves them and how important they are to Him.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40



      

0048  The best daddy ever...the leader of our wonderful 'cheaper by the dozen'. He deserves way more numbers in my multitude Mondays than one. He loves all the children, great and small, and always welcomes another with great delight.

 He doesn't mind the noise (and very much helps create it), the commotion (well, he helps with this too), and the work. He is seldom in the door before being requested for many different things-and they even meet him at his car at times..."dad, will you hold the baby?", "dad, can I have water?", "can we go to the park?", "did you hear what I did today?", "look at my bruise, scrape, bump, etc...". And he smiles, and is glad to be home. He puts on his comfy clothes and shoes and gets ready to be messy, if needed (with 4 six and under this is often). Since Mommy is often tired and tapped out, he willingly jumps in and helps. He is even patient with us when he gets home late from work and the many eaters have eaten it all and didn't save him any (sometimes the table clearers will munch on what remains, forgetting some haven't eaten).
         
He is a great husband too. In 19 years, we've had 12 children. That means lots of morning sickness and tiredness for me. In my early pregnancy he offers 10pm runs to subway or pizza hut or whatever place he think will help me to feel better and forget the yuckiness. And he willingly puts everyone to bed so I can get in bed myself sooner.  He doesn't act like a tornado hit, when indeed it does look like one did at times.  I am blessed and I am loved. Thank you Lord.

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:17
 

   0049Fall, leaves, sunset. God's creation is a work of art in every season. Beautiful handiwork. Hard to describe His infinite-ness with our tiny little comprehension. But...none the less, I am grateful. And He is good, all the time.


To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

     0050 many, many, many Tomatoes! Our amish friend called and offered me 5 bushels of tomatoes for $5 a box. I said "Doug, what do I do, I'm deathly ill with morning (all day) sickness?" to which he replies "$5 is a really good price, and we do love salsa". SO...with children still groaning, I picked up our tomatoes, peppers and onions and away we went. The children and our friend Anna made the work much easier than the days when I did it alone. We made one fresh batch of salsa to eat all day as we made our canned salsa (fresh salsa is incomparable, you absolutely must try it sometime). We cored, peeled, chopped,  and mixed our tomatoes into a delightful salsa potion in our most giant stockpot. And we munched, and filled jars, and canned them outside on our turkey propane burners in canning pots.

 Yum, and whew, and wow, my tongue is on fire, and can you believe how many bags of tortilla chips we have eaten today, and isn't God good to get me through this with many able daughters and a very sick stomach. What a beautiful day of hard work and more of God's amazing creation to enjoy all year long. Now where on earth are we going to put all these jars?

 

  0051

I am so grateful for my Grandmother Carmen. She is wonderful,and this is the shore of the lake she lives on, right by her dock. She lives 'up north' in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

She is one of my favorite people ever. Energetic, a server, fabulous cook, caring, creative, resourceful, quilter, knitter, crocheter, woodworker, gardener, nurse, cross-stitcher, needle worker, outstanding mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She is one of the most hard working people I have ever met. If she isn't working really hard with her hands she is sitting in her chair, with her lap desk, drafting ideas, jobs, plans, quilts, etc... Amazing, and a true Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 woman.  I love you Grandma and am so grateful God put me in your family.

The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31

0052

Alaina J...10 years old. Big smile, the only child of mine that looks like a 'good, hearty Italian', like her heritage. Did I say big smile? She is silly & crazy and loves to play outside with all the things most people throw away (and *should* throw away, thank you). She takes odd scraps of wood and leftover containers from restaurants and cottage cheese containers and big swiss miss cartons and builds what Doug calls 'shanty homes' all over our back yard. The littles all adore her, who wouldn't....a big sister who helps make a mess ☺. Oh yes and the mud, I didn't mention the mud pies and cookies and ...well, you get the idea. She is darling, and I love her to pieces. She is also a big help in the kitchen, and with James and at doing her school. We have definitely decided to keep this one.  Thank you Lord for our dear Alaina.

Multitude Monday

0031

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

Fall...what a wonderful time of year. I am grateful God gives us a change of scenery 4 times a year. What a blessing to see the leaves changing colors and falling from the trees, and knowing God has a purpose in it all. What a good reminder, that no matter what we go through in our lives, God has a purpose in it all.

0032
One of my favorite times in our daily schedule is at 9 am. We gather after our quiet time, breakfast and morning chores for our Bible memory work and hymn sing time. We start with the oldest, and let them pick the hymns, and work our way down to the youngest who can read or sing. If time doesn't allow for all to pick songs, we let the next one be the first to pick the next day. We were abundantly blessed a few months ago by a local church with several boxes of hymnals they no longer used. We were thrilled!  Not only enough for us and when we have large families over, but enough to share with 2 other families and still have a few extra to use in our visual journals, tore up. Thank you Lord!

  

0033

My precious Hopie girl, sweet sissy bear, I love her so much. She is almost 3 and not to be intimidated by having 2 brothers above her and 1 brother under her in the birth order. She can hold her own, and if you didn't know her family, would think she was a first born. She talks, and talks and talks. In beautiful little chatter. I'm quite sure she will grow up to be one of the biggest helpers I've got. We recently found out she has a heart murmur and are praying it is nothing serious and that God would heal her.

0034

Oh what a beautiful sight home canned peaches are. And they taste even better than they look. We had the blessed privilege of having Mrs Prentice help us can our 3 bushels this year. She is such a diligent server and blesses our family beyond measure with her help each Thursday. God provides in so many ways, above all we could ask or think.

0035

Here we are...on Resurrection Sunday at Grammy's house. I am grateful for our large family, with both hands full. I am grateful for in-laws willing to have us over for a wonderful meal and filling more eggs than any other human ever has in order to hide them for the children. I am grateful that we have many bouncing, jumping, running legs in our family. I am also grateful that no one got smashed in our jumping pictures. ☺

 

0036
Paul, darling, charming, busy, hungry, loud...repeat. I'm quite sure there has never been another like him. He is an original. Which makes every day with him new and exciting and...well...busy, and noisy. I no longer carry on phone conversations in the house. I go to the garage. You never know when a pirate, a policeman, a fire truck, an indian, or some other 'thing' will erupt into loud whoops and hollers in our home...so to be safe, I just go to the garage. And if you have ever seen our garage, well, you know that he must be very loud for me to spend any amount of time out there. ☺

Multitude Monday

0021.Oh how very grateful I am for our precious first born boy. Isaiah. What a wonderful, splendid young man he is. The first boy after 8 girls, we never thought we'd see the day. We are sure glad we did. He is a delightful 5, almost 6 year old. He loves being with Mom. He also loves playing with his playmobil, his little brothers, little sister and all the big sisters God gave him. Everyone who sees him says he looks like his daddy. He looks remarkably like my dad as well.

0022.
I am so abundantly blessed by all the hand-me-downs that people have given to us. Our little James is wearing a hat and jacket given to us by friends. We have probably spent less than $50 on our 3 boys total in their lives on clothes or shoes. Isn't God good to provide for all of our needs?

0023.The first little flowers to poke their heads up in our front bed are crocuses. We have a few colors, but I'm partial to the purple ones. Aren't they beautiful?

0024. Coffee beans...beautiful little coffee beans ☺. They are the perfect pairing for chocolate. Actually chocolate, ice, milk, chocolate chips and a little Hershey's syrup...all blended together. My daughter, Kate, ground 2 pounds of beans for me to make espresso for frappuccinos at the older church kids volleyball/ultimate frisbee party a few weeks back.

0025.I have this wonderful Grandmother who is gifted with so many skills and talents. Gramma Carmen is so willing to share new things with us and even teach us to do them when we come to visit. This past fall, when we went 'up north' to visit her, she taught all of us to make hand-sewn pin cushions. Some of my daughters surprised me with how they liked/disliked hand sewing. My daughter with a custom sewing web-site HATED the hand sewing. My daughter who isn't usually patient enough for much sewing, LOVED it.  Live and learn ☺.

0026. Being the mom of a super-sized family, I get the extra blessing of the many adoreable faces the kids make. 2 year olds seem to make especially cute ones...who needs tv?

0027.Thank you Lord for "chef of the day". At our house all of the girls 11 and up get a day of the week to be chef. Today is Kate's day...thank you God for Kate!

0028.Modest swimwear. I am exceedingly thankful to be able to have all my daughters go to pools and public places in modest swimsuits. One of my favorite companies is http://www.wholesomewear.com/ . They are comfortable and you actually feel dressed while swimming.

0029.We have been so blessed to attend our church, Keefer Creek Baptist Church, for 11 years now. We meet in a state-run nursing home as a ministry to the patients. This has given all of us an appreciation for all the people God has made...we are all creations of His. I am so grateful also for our Pastor and his humble, teachable spirit. He is always willing to learn from God and share with us what the Lord is teaching him.

0030.Last year at Christmas our children were all wonderfully blessed by a surprise box in the mail that contained new jammies for each of them. God gives us so much more than we deserve.

One Thousand Gifts

If you haven't been to the Holy Experience blog, I highly recommend it....fabulous...encouraging...inspirational.

One Thousand Gifts....a wonderful thought.
God has given me abundantly above and beyond all I could ask or think. I will be listing 1000 gifts from our Heavenly Father each Monday
beginning today.

0001. wonderful, beautiful, darling, handsome, oh-so-very-chubby-light-of-my-life, 8 month (today) old James...my most honest child ☺

0002. being a homeschool mom...I'm so blessed, it is hard to keep socks on.

0003.my wonderful, 15 year old, chef of Monday's in our home, Kate, friend to all creatures, great and small....today's culinary specialty from Kate will be broccoli cheese soup.

0004. God's love for me...and His Holy Spirit which enables me to pass that love on to others, by His grace.

0005. I'm so grateful for spring coming. What a blessing it is to have seasons to enjoy and a change to look forward to. Our God is infinitely wise in giving us this special gift of changing seasons.

0006. God's word...Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

What an incredible, unspeakable gift.

0007. Chocolate...isn't it grand...so many fabulous forms; hot cocoa, brownies, cookies, frappucinno's, Dove brand dark chocolate promises....you get the idea

0008. It is only fitting that number 8 should be my dear 8 year old Esther...who is daughter number 7. She loves books, books, and more books and has a silly sense of humor.

0009. Princess number nine (Do you remember the king of eight from Sesame Street? If you don't, we found it on a you tube search)

She has the sweetest grin, and loves it when we take her picture. She is 2, and as you can tell from her face, she loves chocolate like her mama. She is usually one step ahead of us...so we make sure we keep a close eye on her.

0010. A smile, a smile, it makes life worthwhile, a smile, precious smile Jesus gives me.