If you have a moment today . . .

would you mind sending up a prayer for my brother-in-law, Chris? He is undergoing open heart surgery to repair a faulty valve at 8:30 this morning. He is in a wonderful hospital with great doctors, and more importantly, is in the hands of the Lord, who will be guiding and orchestrating everything that goes on.

Thank you! I’ll update when I know more.

***UPDATE – Chris is out of surgery and did very well the doctors say. They had to replace the valve, but he did great and his blood pressure is good. Thank you for your prayers, and if you think of him, keep him lifted up to the Father, as he has a long road of recovery ahead of him. ***

Blessings,
Nancy

Checking in . . .

Sorry to be so lax in my posting this week ~ it has been a bit busy. This last week has seen us in the emergency room with Anna (5 stitches), celebrating Jeff’s birthday, an evening visiting with a friend from church, Ladies Bible Study, Ice Skating lessons, cookie baking (see picture above), and monthly stock-up shopping.

I’ll be back as soon as I can catch my breath!

Blessings,
Nancy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ November 9

Good Morning! Here is my Daybook entry for today ~

Outside my window. . .a wonderful blanket of leaves covers the front yard.
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I am thinking. . .about starting my Christmas shopping list – just ideas for now.
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From the learning room. . .Pilgrims and Thanksgiving reading, art of N.C. Wyeth, along with our basic studies.
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I am thankful for. . .a hot shower on a cool morning.
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From the kitchen. . .Chicken Stuffing Casserole for dinner tonight with a green salad, and gingerbread.
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I am wearing. . .pink t-shirt and lt. blue jeans.
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I am creating. . .school plans for the rest of the semester.
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I am going. . .to be helping Sarah finish up her “Cookie Baking” badge this week – she still needs to bake 2 different types of cookies, which should make for a sweet-smelling house this week!
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I am reading. . .Thanksgiving books with the children.
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I am hoping. . .to get a booklist up in my sidebar soon ~ books we’re reading at the current time.
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I am hearing. . .outdoor noises through the open window – crows cawing, little birds twittering, traffic noise on the highway nearby; and inside noises – Michael talking and humming, “Spongebob” dvd playing, and various children conversing.
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Around the house. . .A few less pumpkins on display ~ we cut open a few and roasted the seeds this weekend ~ I then roasted the pumpkins to freeze and use for pies, breads, etc. ~ We still have enough pumpkins outside and in that are continuing to provide decoration for the Thanksgiving season, but whose time will come soon enough!
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One of my favorite things. . .Land O’ Lakes French Vanilla Hot Chocolate ~ I slipped a few into my grocery cart not long ago and will soon be enjoying my first delicious cup of the season . . . yummmm!
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .helping the kids finish up their Keepers badges for the year, first skating lesson for Tommy and Sarah, shopping, basketball and cheerleader sign-ups and evaluations for Michael and Anna, and celebrating Jeff’s birthday next weekend.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

A lovely place to rest on a beautiful Autumn afternoon at the natural science museum we visited last Friday.

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To read more Daybook entries, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook,
and have a wonderful day!

Blessings,
Nancy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ November 2

Here is my Daybook entry for today ~

Outside my window. . .a bright sunny day with blue skies and perfect temperatures in the low 70’s.
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I am thinking. . .that this is a most lovely time of year.
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From the learning room. . .last day of work on our Harvest lapbooks today and then back to normal studies the rest of the week. With the rain finally gone this week, we will be able to do all of our leaf studies in the yard that have been postponed for too long due to the weather.
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I am thankful for. . .God’s strength when I am weak.
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From the kitchen. . .Cindy’s Cashew Chicken with rice and egg rolls for dinner tonight. Fortune cookies for dessert.
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I am wearing. . .navy t-shirt and lt. blue denim jeans.
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I am creating. . .working on the October block in my quilt – “Be forgiving”.
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I am going. . .for a walk later in the day with the kids.
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I am reading. . .Philippians, Autumn stories with the littles.
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I am hoping. . .to spend a lot of time outdoors this week.
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I am hearing. . .insects chirping outside my open window, birds singing, a quiet house (for the moment!).
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Around the house. . .lots of candy from the Fall Carnival and Reformation celebrations over the weekend, too many empty candy wrappers laying around, a very muddy front porch, and kitties sitting in open windows.
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One of my favorite things. . .November – I love this whole month filled with thankful thoughts, the culmination of Autumn beauty, special times with family, and the anticipation of the holidays around the corner.
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .voting, roasting pumpkin seeds, baking Fall cookies, a day at the Fall Festival in a nearby small town, and celebrating Anna’s 6th birthday.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

Roasted pumpkin seeds – a once a year treat!

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To read more Daybook entries, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook,
and have a lovely day!

Blessings,
Nancy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ October 19

Good Morning! Here is my Daybook entry for today ~

Outside my window. . .a gorgeous sunny fall day in store today! The leaves are starting to make a blanket across the lawn, and the squirrels are scampering about.
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I am thinking. . .what a blessing technology is . . . and what a burden, as well (printer troubles again).
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From the learning room. . .a little change from our normal routine this week. We will be working on Harvest lapbooks, along with the basics of reading, writing, and math. A field trip today to the Pumpkin farm will include learning about farm animals, as well.
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I am thankful for. . .the nice weather and break from the rain that we had this weekend.
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From the kitchen. . .Pulled Pork Sandwiches in the crockpot. We will have these with french fries and a platter of raw vegies with Ranch dressing. Peanut butter cookies for dessert.
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I am wearing. . .white shirt and blue jeans.
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I am creating. . .my Christmas Card design for this year – just ordered some of the supplies I will need to make them.
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I am going. . .on a hayride today!
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I am reading. . .I just got a bag full of Christian fiction novels from a friend at church that I am looking through – trying to decide which one to start with – possibly Lori Wick’s “The Princess”.
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I am hoping. . .that Anna will get used to sleeping in her new room soon. We rearranged some beds this past weekend, and Anna and David are now in bunk beds in a room together – which is farther away from Mommy than she wants to be – even if it is only across the living room.
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I am hearing. . .David singing, cat bells ringing, dogs barking, the house waking up.
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Around the house. . .I am on a mission to get this place cleaned up! (to my standard, anyway ). Is there such a thing as “Fall Cleaning” as a cousin to “Spring Cleaning”? Anyway, I am going with the urge (while I’ve got it) and will be working on Fall Cleaning my house some this week. And I am shamelessly bribing my children to help me in the cause. I have purchased a big bag of candy, and have promised them a pick from the candy basket for each completed job that I assign them.
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One of my favorite things. . .Bread Pudding on a cool autumn evening. (my mother’s recipe coming soon!)
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .cleaning, Ladies Bible Study, Pumpkin Farm, shopping with the girls for winter clothes, Homeschool seminar, and celebrating the October birthdays in our family.
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

Brach’s Autumn Mix – a staple every Fall.

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Thanks for visiting! To read more Daybook entries, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook,
and have a lovely day!

Blessings,
Nancy

Thank you for your prayers

Thank you for all of your prayers for my Dad. Saturday night he took a turn for the worse and we were all called to the hospital Sunday morning. He went home to be with the Lord around noon. I thank God for my Dad – for his life, his faith, and his great love for his family. Please pray for our family, especially my Mom, as we work through our grief and all of the details that are to come. I will be taking a break from the blog for a bit.

Blessings,
Nancy

Please pray for my Dad

My Dad has been in the hospital since Tuesday morning. He has pulmonary fibrosis and has been on oxygen for a number of months now. Tuesday morning he was having a lot of trouble breathing and my Mom called the paramedics. They are giving him antibiotics and oxygen to try to fight whatever is causing the problem – possibly pneumonia. Please pray for him and for his doctors.

Update – Dad is still in the hospital. While the doctors are still unsure about the source of the problem, they are treating him for all possibilities. An oxygen mask is keeping his oxygen level good, and his heart rate has improved while he has been there. Thank you so much for your continued prayers for him!

Thanks so much!

Blessings,
Nancy

Happy Birthday Anna!!

Today our sweet daughter Anna is turning 5 years old! I can hardly believe it – I guess I have to stop calling her my baby girl! (Never!)

Anna is our eighth child, third daughter and youngest girl in the family. She is a sweet and gentle-natured girl who is sensitive and concerned for others. She is a girly-girl and loves the color pink and loves to wear skirts and dresses (especially pink ones!)

Anna spends alot of time twirling to music and it amazes us how she can twirl so long without getting dizzy!

She is shy (like her mother), but enjoys joining in as soon as she feels comfortable.

Being the eighth child, many people would expect her to not know how to spend time alone, but she seems to love those rare and special moments when she is. I have sat on the porch many days and watched her roaming around the yard, talking to herself, smiling, and perfectly enjoying whatever imaginary role she is pretending to play.

Anna loves to work in the kitchen with Mom and wants to go with me every time I leave the house. We enjoy bedtime cuddles with stories every night – a time I cherish – and slow, relaxed mornings waking up to a new day.

She is always reminding the household to “remember kindness”, taking to heart a lesson she learned this summer at Vacation Bible School.

Anna is such a sweet blessing to our family and I thank God every day for letting me be her mommy!

Happy Birthday Anna!

I love you,
Mom

Thankful Thursday – September 25

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Here are some simple thankful thoughts for today -

1. I am thankful for busy days – filled with children, teaching, cooking and growing together.

2. I am thankful for the sun shining in my window, waking me up with a smile to greet the new day.

3. I am thankful for a nice hot shower every morning (or sometimes afternoon!).

4. I am thankful for being able to watch my children grow and master a skill or concept that they previously struggled with.

5. I am thankful for Andy Griffith at lunchtime.

6. I am thankful for the smell of clean laundry as I fold it.

7. I am thankful for sitting on the porch, watching the children play, and observing the glory of God’s creation.

8. I am thankful for time spent in the kitchen cooking and baking for my family.

9. I am thankful for quiet(?) evenings at home together, even when we’re all doing something different.

10. I am thankful for the many blessings every day that I overlook or take for granted, and I pray that the Lord would make me ever mindful of them.

“This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118: 24

To read more thankful thoughts, click the button below to find the list of participants in this week’s Thankful Thursday.

Blessings,
Nancy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ July 28

Here is my Daybook entry for today ~ July 28 ~

Outside my window. . .the gentle breeze blowing through the trees looks deceptively cool and refreshing – it should be another 100+ degree day here. Jack has had his morning dip in the pond and is snoozing on the front porch.
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I am thinking. . .how much I am going to miss Ryan when he’s gone, how much I wish he’d stay home, but at the same time, knowing that it’s right for him to grow up and leave home.
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I am thankful for. . .all of my children and the blessing that they are to me (I’ve been especially tired and cranky lately, so I probably ought to go and tell them this in person!).
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From the kitchen. . .I will be boiling 3 chickens today to make meals for the next few days, as well as some chicken to freeze. Tonight’s dinner will be Chicken Spaghetti, Green Salad and Italian Bread, and I will use some of the broth to make Tortellini Soup tomorrow night, which will help use up some of our zucchini harvest.
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I am wearing. . .navy capris and a white t-shirt.
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I am creating. . .a summer scrapbooking package to giveaway in the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival this week!
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I am going. . .to teach the girls at our Keepers Club this week the art of cross-stitch (please pray for me!)
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I am reading. . .Philippians and Romans.
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I am hoping. . .that we get rain soon – it hasn’t rained here in almost a month and the temperatures are creeping into the 100’s. A nice, rainy day sounds heavenly!
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I am hearing. . .little footsteps on the stairs, Robotz movie on the television, cat’s collar bell jingling in the bathroom (her new favorite place to play and sleep), children discussing whether to wear the Barney costume or the Baby Bop costume (there is already one dressed in the Superman costume), and Anna singing VBS songs from last week.
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Around the house. . .much to do after last week’s VBS left my house and laundry in a sad state. Bags of brand new school supplies are sitting on the dining table waiting to be stored away until needed (of course, some of the children have decided that they are needed right now and have already been digging into them).
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One of my favorite things. . .Bloggy Giveaway Week!! (Be sure and enter my giveaway for a chance to win!)
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A few plans for the rest of the week. . .spending way too much time on the computer, visiting new blogs and entering their giveaways, moving Ryan out, moving Matthew upstairs, moving toys out of my bedroom (yay!), a dental appointment, our monthly Keepers Club meeting, the long-awaited library book sale (yippee!) and trying to clean up my house and catch up my laundry in the midst of all of it. (I’m afraid I can see the handwriting on the wall).
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Here is a picture thought I am sharing. . .

My front porch, which I haven’t spent much time on lately – too hot to be outside! I’m looking forward to Fall and cooler porch weather!

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Please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman for more Daybook participants this week, and have a lovely day!

Blessings,
Nancy