Video Fun!

We were able to start school last week, so everything has started feeling "normal" again.

  

I know I'm behind on getting our house pictures online...but they will get here...one of these days!

The kids have been having a blast making funny videos.  They are actually made to look like old silent films, from the 1920's.  They are a hoot! Here is one for those of you who didn't see it on facebook.  You can also go to our Away Down South You tube Channel to see more if you'd like.  And remember, these are videos of kids, done by kids, so enjoy!

My Heart Overlows...

Don't you just love those mornings where you actually get up before anyone else?  I know I do.  My day seems to run just a little smoother as well.

2 weeks until Christmas.  Actually less than.  Am I finished with my Christmas gifts?  I was supposed to be, BUT.... I'm not.  That's not to say I haven't been busy.  I feel like I'm becoming one with the sewing machine, I have been in front of it so much here lately :).  I do have to say though, I think I have more done now than I did last year at this time, if that is any consolation.  But that doesn't help me get done any faster....I was supposed to already BE done!  I really enjoy making things, it's just the stress of "am I going to have everything done in time" that stresses me....  :)

I have been finding ornaments on the Christmas tree in "clusters".  Liberty LOVES the tree and the ornaments, she's just not supposed to be touching them.  So it is amusing when I find ornaments clustered in groups of 3 or more on the same twig.  Her excitement puts a smile on my face.  I received a gift in the mail yesterday and I put it under the tree {the first gift under the tree} and Liberty laid on the floor on her belly with her head in her hands and kept looking at it.  She's only 16 months and even though she had her first Christmas last year, this one will be even more exciting!

I was reading over my girls' blogs {3 of our daughters have them} and it hit me real hard this morning how much they have grown.  I see it every day, 3 of them are as tall as me {one of them slightly taller....but I'm not going to admit it} but when it hit me this morning, it was a different feeling, one with mixed emotions like melancholy, sadness, I'm getting old, ... but also joy in seeing them become Godly young ladies.  They make me so proud.  I am so proud of all my children.  God has blessed me FAR more than I deserve.  When I was my oldest daughter's age, I said I didn't want ANY kids... in those words.  But God in His love and mercy changed my heart and gave me 8 beautiful children, I am so unworthy yet so thankful!  I am so thankful that God doesn't see me as me, but sees His son, Jesus Christ.  Where would I be today if not for His love.

Have a Blessed Lord's Day!

Random news...

 You ever get the bloggy blahs?  It has been one of those weeks for me, as you can tell.  It has been a WEEK since I posted!  

Summer is here and that means FAMILY visits!  We are looking forward to several of our family members visiting us this summer.  My sister-in-law is first on the list and we are looking forward to a great week with her. 
Also this week, our oldest daughter will be turning 16.  16.  Am I getting old or what??  Life is passing by in a BLUR. 

My husband and brother-in-law went to a mini conference at American Vision last weekend and they had an great time.  They also made contact with some new people!  That is a PLUS!!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far.  Ours has been good, and of course, extremely HOT! 

Yep, I'm one of Them...at least I think I am...

Do you know that when you really set your mind to thinking....even if you have a mind like mine that wanders, and wanders... and still wanders some more; you know, it seems that the older I've gotten, (and I'm not like old, OLD...yet) that I can't seem to keep my mind focused on any one thing for more than a few minutes at a time (sometimes seconds) and it is just about to drive me bonkers!  I'm THAT woman.... you know, the one with ADD.  :)  Anyway, what was I saying?  Oh yeah, when you really concentrate on what your thinking about, then you will realize there is so much to be thankful for... yeah, even my fuzzy, wandering mind.  I guess I should still be thankful that I have a mind!  I could start typing right now, and still be typing next week about every seemingly insignificant thing that I have to be thankful for!  I live in America, in the great state of Georgia!  My belly is full, I just won't tell you that I have been sneaking into my chocolate stash... I am warm, I have children snoozing in their beds, I even have a husband who is so sweet that he brought me flowers today!  My point being in all this rambling drizzle is that we tend to over look so many things that we take for granted on a daily basis.  The fact that God sustains us with food, clothing, a roof over our heads, and the daily necessities of life that if we didn't have them, then where would we be?  I am also blessed with a mother and father who love me and brothers and sisters that are close to my heart.  I have seen the hand of God this week in lives and it amazes me still how much grace and mercy God gives to His children.  How much He cares for and uplifts those who rely on Him.  Only a true child of God can experience loss and yet see God's providential care and blessing on their lives!  I am so thankful for this life that God has allowed me to live at this place and this time in His-story.  His love is amazing, steady and unchanging; His love is a mountain, firm beneath my feet...

Pardon my mess...

As I'm sure you've noticed...I have changed my blogs around quite a bit, BUT I think I am done, and I am pleased with how they turned out.  It was a lot of work, and it was quite time consuming, but I'm thankful that in the end, it was worth it!  Now I just wish my house could be de-cluttered.  Oh well, that's another subject for another day...did I just sound like Pa Kettle?  Anyway, I've had questions about how I did it...let me say it like this....Have you ever had a recipe where you just dumped in the ingredients and you never even gave the recipe a name and someone asks, "mmmm, how did you make this?...I want the recipe", and all of a sudden you don't even know what you put into it.  That's sort of how I feel..... but I will try to explain it the best I can to those who really want to know.  :-)  Thanks for puttin' up with me!!

Spring is in the air!

Don't you just love spring?  It's a time of warm weather, new beginnings, fresh flowers, and birds filling the world around us with their beautiful song.  One of the things I love about Georgia, spring comes quicker than it does, say, in INDIANA!!  (sorry to all my relatives in Indiana who have to endure winter for a little while longer...)  Today is a beautiful day, take time out to thank God for the love He has bestowed on us, for the wonderful creation He has given to us, and for LIFE that He so graciously allows us to experience!

Rambling....something I'm good at!

2010!  Where did 2009 go?  It was here just a few minutes ago, then disappeared.  Yet so much has transpired in the last year, that I don't know if I can pen it all.  I still may do a photo post to recap 2009, we'll see.

We did enjoy a wonderful Christmas holiday!  Our good friends from Indiana stayed the week with us and we enjoyed their company along with my sister and her husband and kiddo's.  We had a total of 16 kids in the house!  Almost a Duggar Family Christmas!!  We did more baking this Christmas than we ever have before!  I think we had more desserts than we had food!  (but desserts are food, aren't they?)  I am so thankful for family and good friends!  God truly is good!

As I said earlier, so much has happened over the course of 2009, I really don't know where to begin.  So much, that it would be so easy to sit down and question God about what He is doing or going to do in our lives.  It has been a trying year in many ways, yet we can still see His hand at work and know that He has not forsaken us.  Time is nothing to God, yet to us it can seem like an eternity!  Many of you know we are trying to start a church, and it can wear down even the most committed of people, so please keep us in your prayers as we seek to follow God's will in our lives.  So many times we think that if we aren't being blessed financially then we aren't being blessed at all, yet there are so many other ways God blesses our lives, that we tend to overlook them when we are having money troubles.  But God is so good to us in spite of ourselves!  "But I am poor and needy; YET the Lord thinketh upon me..." ~ Psalm 40:17 (emphasis mine)  I am so glad that my life is in God's hands and that He knows and has planned every step that I take!  To Him be the glory!  May we strive to bring Him glory in everything we do through out this New Year!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Its been 1 year!

I know its been awhile. Things have finally started to slow down.....a little. We have had a very busy summer, and year for that matter. The Lord has blessed us with 1 year at McDonald Baptist Church, and I pray that we are blessed with many more to come. It has truely been a great year!

The kids started school in August, and we sent them to Trinity for the first month, but unfortunately we were unable to keep it up. So, we are back to homeschooling again! It has really been an eye opener for me though. I thought that taking them to school was going to be a help but it turned out to be rather hectic. I am actually enjoying homeschooling again! I didn't realize what a joy it is to be home! The kids have taken it pretty well too.

They took the CAT test last week, and they did very well. Rachel actually scored 10th grade level on all subjects and College level in Language! Overall, I was very pleased! I thank the Lord for the wonderful kids He has given to us!

This month is World Hunger month. It is hard for us to fathom in our land of plenty, that there are actually people in the world who are starving. I pray that this month would make us more mindful of other's needs and that we would put others before ourselves as Christ has commanded.

James will be preaching revival at Little Horse Creek Baptist Church at the end of this month. We are excited! This will be his first revival since we moved to Georgia, and we are looking forward to it. James preached an excellent sermon Sunday morning stating the effects that revival will have on our lives; it will cause us to seek after God, seek to make Him Lord over all,

By the way, there is a new show on Fox News Channel on Saturday and Sunday nights at 8 pm EST. It is the Mike Huckabee Show. We watched it last night, and I am glad that he is able to be on national tv and express his views. Keep up the good work, Huckabee!

I hope everyone gets the chance to see the new movie Fireproof. It will have a dramatic effect on your life, I promise you that! If you know of anyone who is struggling in their marriage, please take them to see it, because I believe God is going to use this movie to change lives. It is a must see!!

~Sonya