Book Club

"I belong on a farm. I'm never lonesome here like I used to be in town. You remember what sad spells I used to have, when I didn't know what was the matter with me? I've never had them out here. And I don't mind work a bit, if I don't have to put up with sadness." --excerpt from My Antonia, by Willa Cather

Barn Raising

Quote of the Day: "If the Teen Room goes into the hayloft, then I can ACTUALLY say that I was raised in a barn." (cole, age 12)

Eat Plants, Be Healthy

LOVE this! I get asked sometimes how having a large family DOESN'T prove to be a drain on resources. My stock answer is that we have to grow as much as our own food as possible due to budget restraints, and we use VERY little fuel as we don't fit it a vehicle and can't go anywhere! Our latest venture has been to move to a mostly plant-based diet, eating meat only for a hearty Sunday Dinner. This author shows just a little glimpse into the economy of eating healthy plant foods!

$1.50 a Day Challenge 

Rosh

Last year, we spent Rosh Hashanah with the Zollitsch family, who had been unemployed for nearly a year with no end in sight. We invited our friend Maria to join our table, and when she called me with her regrets, she said excitedly that she had "met someone". I cooked dinner slowly, very pregnant with what I was sure was our seventh son. We broke bread and thanked the Lord for His everlasting goodness, praying blessing and sweetness over these three households and the year to come. Today, the Zollitsches are employed and living in Texas, Maria is a happy newlywed, and I am ironing a dress for my daughter's first Jewish New Year. What a difference a year makes! All thanks to the Lord for his provision and care!

The Burnin' Ring of Fire

Henry just walked past me singing Johnny Cash. Thank you, 18-hour road trip!

Prison

Justin: Look at that little bus over there! Now THAT'S the kind of car we need!

Me: That's a prison work van.

Justin: Well...yeah. But wouldn't it be great to have one of those cyclone fence dividers? We could dress the kids in little worksuits that are all the same color....it would make laundry so much easier for you. And we could have a WARDEN--I mean, a nanny--sit in back there with them while we're driving. Don't you think?

School Planning

Boxes of books for the boys are starting to arrive every day in the mail, so it is time now to make a Back To School list for Mama. On my list this year: A devotional, a watch, a coffee pot, a juicer, and a trip to the chiropractor. They are coming out of the school budget, because I'm pretty sure I won't make it through the year without them!