Sunday, August 31, 2008

We are Wonderfully Made!

This is an excerpt from one of my favorite videos. Anyone who sees this and isn't left with a sense of awe and wonder at how God created our amazingly complex bodies, doesn't really 'get' it! Dig into cellular biology a bit - the complexity of the factories that comprise each and every one of the trillion cells in our bodies will leave your head spinning. It takes a LOT more faith to believe that we could have evolved by 'chance' than it does to be humbled by the words of Isaiah. Truly His thoughts are far above ours!
It is also amazing to me how our bodies can maintain health with all the toxins and unhealthy foods we subject them to. What is most encouraging is that our bodies CAN recover when we support them with proper nutrition!

I tried several times, unsuccessfully to embed the video. Even with DSL it is too big of a file to upload. So.... here is the link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?ty6dy06dulr

Sunday, August 17, 2008

can it get any crazier?

We still haven't moved the upstairs furniture back. The floors aren't finished. Either I will apply the finish coats tomorrow, or we'll have the professionals back on Wednesday. Either way, we have to prepare for vacation, and get stuff out from downstairs for that. In the midst of all that we have to get tires for the van, and have the air conditioner worked on. It is usually hectic just getting ready for vacation when there is nothing else going on. I can't imagine what this week is going to be like. The landscapers aren't finished yet either. We've had much needed rain, but it left us with lots of mud. They are supposed to be back tomorrow.
I'll be posting some pictures at some point, both of the house and the kids. Last night to escape the fumes we went out to eat. The whole family... A rare occasion as it costs us a week's worth of groceries to eat out, but it was enjoyabe. We ended up bringing home enough left overs to have lunch today. I don't know how people eat so much! No wonder we are the fattest nation in the world.

Monday, August 11, 2008

a few quick things

Life is crazy.
Thursday & Friday we are having the upstairs floor refinished, so packing has started in earnest. We packed up books from the loft/library today so we could move the stand alone bookshelves and desks out. I probably packed 20 boxes, and it looks as if we didn't make a dent. All the bedroom furniture will also have to be moved, and closets emptied. It will be a good chance for us to get the upstairs organized and cleaned up though.

Tomorrow the landscaper starts moving dirt around. The gutters went up last week.

My dad and his wife Alice were visiting for the past week, so not much got done. We'll be doing double time this week and next before leaving for vacation on Friday.

The deck and porch still have to be pressure washed and resealed. We're going to do that ourselves.

Jesse started sanding in the bathroom today. We are finally getting things done that I have wanted to do for years. Too bad we're doing it for somebody else to enjoy. :(

After the landscaper leaves we'll finish working on the flower beds, and I'll post some more pictures. Rachel, you won't recognize the front yard.

I wanted to take some pictures of Matthew today. He decided to 'pack himself' in a box. It was too cute, but the camera is missing. I expect there will be more opportunities.

We're making icecream tonight with the last of the fresh peaches of the season. While my dad was here we went to Dickies and got two bushels. They are packing a big cooler home with them filled with the frozen peaches we put up. We ate as many as we froze! I'll miss Georgia peaches when we move to Colorado!

Friday, August 8, 2008

More about our house

Many people have asked for more information about our house, so I am going to post specifics.
For a quick link to the pictures, they are here: http://luvmy12kids.blogspot.com/2008/07/pictures-as-promisedfirst-house.html
Location:
60 minutes to downtown Atlanta, 30 minutes to Macon, 5 miles from Forsyth, 3 miles off of I-75. Serenity in the country, but convenient for a commute.
Exterior:
The fenced areas are approximately 3 acres. Cross fenced to divide the larger pasture from a medium sized paddock, and a small connecting paddock. Loafing shed opens into the larger pasture and the connecting paddock. We have ponies and goats on the pastures. We have planted Bermuda several times, but every time the drought has taken most of it before it gets a good root system. This year I planted Bermuda with millet, and it is doing some better. If stalls were put up in the barn, and horses could be taken on and off the pasture, it could probably support two, maybe three with supplemental hay.
The rest of the property is wooded, and there is a small creek in the wooded area. There are also dog runs, and a chicken coop down by the barn.
Interior:
The house is 2764 sq ft finished with an additional 1024 sq ft unfinished in the basement.) 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, cathedral ceilings, open floor plan, with the great room, kitchen, & dining room all open. 3 bedrooms are upstairs, the master is on the main floor.
The master bedroom has 2 closests. One is a huge walk-in closet with a window (that I use as a nursery & closet.) There is a loft/library/office upstairs. Mudroom connects the oversized (676sq f) two car garage. Basement is partially finished -two rooms. My husband uses one room as an office/reloading (ammo) room, and the other room was built as a play room, but it is used as a bedroom currently. There is a small storage room, and the rest is open and unfinished. We use it as an exercise room and a school room for the older kids.

Built it in 1999. We just had gutters added, and are having some additional landscaping done as well as resealing the porch and deck. We replaced the upstairs air conditioning unit this year, new dishwasher, new stove. We are also redoing the upstairs bathroom, and having the floors refinished. It is completely wood throughout - floors, and walls, even ceilings (excluding the basement.) We share a private drive with my mom, and one other family, but we are at the end of the road so it is very secluded.

Email me at codeoflife@bellsouth.net if you want more information. We will be listing it with Martie Brown @ ReMax the beginning of Sept.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

internet rabbit trails

Tonight I was itching, and not wanting to go to bed. So I decided to spend some time catching up on emails. Dr. Mercola's latest headline caught my eye, so I went off to read about Gardasil (HPV vaccine) and teen paralysis. There I found a link to the 14yo girls website, and believe it or not, a similar thing happened to them that happened to Angie http://www.angie-rhoads.blogspot.com/ when they interviewed her last June. The family posted their full statement at http://www.jenjensfamily.blogspot.com/ and they are searching for comparables in hopes of finding the proper course of treatment. From there I went to Alex's site, and read her story http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/angelsforalex which is very similar, except that Alex has deteriorated much further. Then I went on to read Marcy's story http://www.everydayisprecious.com/home.html which led me to want to share their stories with others. I, of course, think there are natural solutions to most any health challenge, but their challenges are great, and much damage has already been done. I think about how Clay has complained with knee and neck pains, and I agonize at the thought of being in Rob's shoes. Life is so fragile. The Lord is so merciful to keep us hanging in the balance. If you have a few minutes, go and read these stories, pray for these families, and count your blessings.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Connecting the Dots

When you are an analytical person (like me) it makes life much easier to live if the dots we are supposed to be connecting are clearly labeled. Sometimes though, there are a myriad of choices and none of them offer clues. The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, but the journey God has in store for us is one that we would never choose for ourselves. I look back over the past few years, and wonder what would have happened if I had chosen dot A instead of dot B as a turning point for the tapestry my life is weaving. Every bend in the road gives us the opportunity to pick another path, start out on a different route, make radical changes...or even minor ones that will forever affect us.

I am grateful for the many blessings in my life, the infinite mercy showered upon me by my Heavenly Father, and the grace that helps me along the path, even when the going gets tough.
I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband who unconditionally loves me, and a quiverfull of blessings that God has entrusted me with. I can not fathom what life would be like without them.
As we stand at the fork in the road, my fervent prayer is that God will indeed direct our path. As I peer into the horizon searching for the next 'dot', I struggle to see clearly. To some readers, this may all sound vague. In its vagueness, it encompasses many of my current challenges. My soul aches for days gone by when life was simple, and suffering loss was alien to me. My childhood was far from normal, but even with a dysfunctional family, and all the warts that accompanied it, I had my needs met and I never felt unloved. Over the past 10 years, I have suffered much. God has taught me much, and I have learned to lean on him as my rock and my fortress. I remind myself that the pain I have endured doesn't compare with the sufferings of others, and I focus on my blessings. This is something I cognitively choose to do, else I would constantly be wallowing in self pity. Today I am distracted by a bad case of poison ivy which seems to be going septic fast. I have little dots popping up everywhere. The constant itching is driving me crazy. Dwelling on other things helps, so I thought I would write a bit today. Maybe it is the effects of the Benadryl, or maybe it is just the nostalgia I am feeling about lost fellowship with some of my dear sisters in Christ, but my heart is heavy and aching today.

Lord help me to know your will, and be in humble submission. Help me to die to self, and live for you. Give me the strength to continue the journey in my weariness. Lift me up and carry me, keep my head above the waters, and give me the faith to wholly trust in you.