Chilly Mornings and Nature

THE FROZEN BEAR PRINTS ON THE PORCH!

A VERY COLD MORNING, HERE IN IDAHO

Hello Everyone,

The mornings are getting quite chilly these days and it will not be long before the snow comes! The other morning I found frozen bear tracks on my front porch where a bear had gotten into the crate of old apples I had there. It had eaten the whole box. It is always such a delight when I see God's creatures, or even just the evidence of them. He created each one distinctly, just like you and I, and God's Word says that "Everything that He had made was very good". I wish I had gotten to actually see this bear. They, and tigers are one of my favorite wild animals, so it would have been such a delight!

The same day that we got pictures of the bear prints, we also saw a beautiful bird on the banister. We love birds, and this one happened to show herself just when we were eating lunch, right outside our big kitchen window. I am obsessed with Birds, too. I don't know a lot about them, but whenever we do see a beautiful one, we look it up. This one was a female Northern Flicker. They are from the woodpecker family. Of course, we didn't get a picture of her, because we didn't have time, but it at times like those, that I love being alive! :) She was gorgeous, and very plump...ready for winter. It has been awhile since I have seen a bird so plumb, and even the Blue Jays (which always stay the winter here), are very fat, too. I just have a feeling we will have a cold winter. Probably not as much snow as last year, but colder. Hopefully, I have enough fire wood! Anyway, I heard from a friend, that he had heard that it would be a record breaking cold year (yikes, if it's true), but didn't hear how much snow was predicted. I always get a Farmers Almanac, as they are almost always accurate. I need to grab one for this year, so I will be a bit more prepared for things.

James is coming home on leave on November 10th through the 20th. We are so very excited to see him! I have so missed my love! And the kids are anxious to just see their Daddy after all this time. It will have been 8 months since he left, when he gets here. He will be back for good in April, which by the time he leaves on the 20th, we will have about 4 months, 18 days, to get through and we will never have to worry about a Korea hardship tour again!

I bought a puzzle for James and I to do when he gets home. We love to snuggle close together and put puzzles together and talk, after the kids have gone to bed...a little tradition we started last year, I guess. I'm sure James will want to take each child on separate little icecream or milkshake trips to town (Abbie loves to have a little date with her Daddy) and I'm sure James and I will do something special, as well, though we haven't figured out what, yet! :) Zane has to whittle a little race car for the AWANA Grand Prix car race coming up. So, they will probably go together to buy the paint and finish, and what ever else they want to get for the car. I'm not sure what he and Sheldon could do yet. Maybe just icecream. He hardly even knows his Daddy but I think he's old enough to understand what it means, to go with his Daddy and do something special. We'll see! :)

I am loving being an AWANA leader! It has been so fulfilling! I thought I would be exhausted but it is actually very energizing! :) I think the kids on my team are really starting to like me, too. James will get to go with all of us to AWANA and see what it's all about! Zane is so excited! :)

The dance classes for Zane didn't go well, and he definitely didn't like it! I didn't mind....I don't want to force him to do something that he doesn't want to do and doesn't like.

Well, I just have a few little piddly things on my to do list for winter. I am excited that I will be able to relax and try to enjoy winter. It is my most hated season, but it will be nice to just hunker down and get cozy! One thing I really need to do, is burn some pictures of Abbie onto a CD so I can get her Birth to 1 year, scrapbook done. Maybe I can get Sheldon's done, as well, before James gets home in the spring. I have a table now, just for scrapbooking that is very child proof. You have to sit on a stool to reach it, so Sheldon can't get up there *yet*. Abbie and I did a page the other day and I really liked the table, and how I set it up!

Well, that's all for now! I hope you are all doing well! Blessings!

Autumn Happenings

THE KIDS AND I, IN DONNELLY, IDAHO

MY IN-LAWS JIM AND SHERRI AND US AMIDST

THE BEAUTIFUL FALL COLORS!

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Fall is definitely here, for everyone. I don't know about you but I was not looking forward to it, at all. I hate cold weather but I do love the feeling of coziness that is creeping in. I sort of look forward to our yearly snow hibernation! We read tons of books, especially at night, make many trips to the library, go to bed early, and eat lots of richer foods. It would be REALLY nice if I had someone to keep me warm in my bed, at night, but 'til then I will have to settle for my Long Johns.

It froze last night and Hope had a somewhat thin layer of ice on her water trough. She is hanging around the barn area and not grazing much. She is acting paranoid, which she does when the weather changes, and also when we will get snow. I can usually tell by her behavior when a big snow storm is coming. For now, I think it is just the freezing nights that are making her anxious, and hopefully, I do not need to worry about snow. I do think we will have it in late October, or early November, though. We'll see I guess.

I am an AWANA leader now, for the little Sparks (Kindergarten-2nd grade). I am really enjoying it, and will be taking my friend Leeah's, kids to AWANA, since I can pick them up on my way. Conner is 5 and is friends with Zane. Tori is 8 or 9. Abbie is doing really well in Cubbies, and got her Hopper Patch last week. She is opening up to her leader and saying verses without much prompting. She is definitely opening up socially, as well. I use AWANA as part of our daily homeschooling. After we are done with our regular devotional time (Bible reading, prayer, singing, and a children's Bible story) we work on our verses, for the week and practice saying them to each other. I want to *possibly* be a certified AWANA Sparks leader, so I have certain verses I am trying to memorize,as well, for my certification. I admit, I am not as good as my own children at Bible verse memorization, and that has been a VERY weak point in my walk with God, my entire life. I especially forget references, so maybe AWANA will be a good thing for me. I desire SO much that God's Word be hidden in my heart and ingrained so deeply into my head that I can draw from it when needed. Zane loves the games at AWANA, and is very competitive, but a good sportsman, too. Some of the games he doesn't know very well yet (one in particular), so hopefully he can master that and get his team some points! :)

My awesome friend, Anne, called tonight to ask if Zane could be in her dance class. I guess they were short one boy, and Anne was having to dance with a little girl, who had no partner. Of course I jumped at it, so Wednesdays Zane will start learning .....yes, this is hilarious....Ballroom Dancing. They are starting the Waltz on Wed. I love dancing and Ballet, so I am looking forward to just watching it. Plus, what could be cuter than K-3rd graders doing ballroom dancing!? Zane could do any other sport, and I know he could do them well, but we are waiting until we get stationed to put him in Baseball or something else. For now, I think it's cool that he will learn to dance and possibly take an interest in it. I will get pictures of this, because I know it will be cute!

I have been getting sick of recipes calling for bread crumbs and then having to grate a piece of bread for it. I decided to save all my heels from store-bought bread. I do not like the heels from store bread and always throw them out. I do love the heels off my home-made bread, especially hot out of the oven, though. Anyway, for a few months I have been keeping a bread bag in my freezer and throwing all the heels in there, and some other pieces of home-made bread that got dried out. Yesterday, I had a whole bag full of bread and took it out of the freezer to thaw. When it was done, I tore them all into small pieces and ran them through a mini food chopper. It made wonderful bread crumbs, and now I will always have them on hand, and I can season them however I want. It worked really well, and will save time in dinner prep!

Our trip to Donnelly, Idaho went well. This is near McCall (two hours north of Boise) for those of you who don't know. My brother in law was supposed to get married but his fiance' decided to wait/bail out on him for the time being. So, he was left with a reserved, non-refundable beautiful town house on Tamarack resort. My in-laws had non-refundable plane tickets. So we all met at the honeymoon destination for a family reunion instead of honeymoon. It was interesting and Clayton did his best to not be depressed, I think. We went to the Hot Springs in Golden Fork or someplace, which I did not get pictures of. It was totally awesome and I will definitely go again, sometime. There were 6 pools all inlaid with stone. The water poured in from a spring and down over huge rocks. Beautiful! One pool was 108 degrees, and the rest of the pools cooler as they went down. There are all kinds of minerals in the water and it made our skin feel so great....it was the first time that I have ever felt my skin, truly moisturized! AWESOME! The kids loved it. I would love to go with my husband (alone) sometime. :)

My in-laws enjoyed seeing the kids and we all relaxed as best we could. My drive to and from was 6 hours and was very uneventful, which I was thankful and my Suburban did very well. It was our first long trip with it. We bought it in February, and had never taken it on a trip.

Zane is doing ok in Homeschooling. We have come to a sort of math book block right now. We had to stop totally in the book and work on some concepts that he was not getting. He can count to 100 perfectly fine, with a little help on the 30, 40, 50....etc. But when I ask him to show me a certain number or ask him what a certain number is, he cannot tell me. I repeatedly have to keep telling him. The number 20 is especially hard for him. I ask him what number it is, and then tell him....ask him two minutes later and he doesn't know again. Frustrating! And we cannot continue in the book until he knows them. So, who knows how long that will take. I am using flashcards, an Abacus, a hundreds chart, dot cards, etc. I know he will get it, eventually. I have decided to just work on something different, and drop it, because I am getting frustrated, and he is getting burned out. I will try again in a few weeks, and maybe his brain will be ready for it then. We are a little ahead of schedule in his math book, so it won't hurt to stop, but only for two weeks at the most, otherwise, we will be behind. Anyway, all his other subjects are wonderful. His handwriting is gorgeous, and I can almost say "perfect"! :) He does really well in that.

My Bible study is going well. I have learned a lot and it has actually been very painful at times. Faith is never painless! ....and Beth Moore is just so right! She said it might not be fun! It hasn't been but I am hopeful that it will be well worth it!

I am desperately missing my husband right now. We have talked about him coming home for R&R next month, but haven't made a decision yet. It might be worse for our finances than it would be worth, in the long run. I would so love to have him home, though. I would pay a thousand dollars to just see him and hold him for one day, I think! I am almost at the point that I cannot stand it, and I cannot sleep some nights. I think I will get over it, if we decide that he shouldn't come home. We'll see. Today is actually our 6 month point, and we have exactly 6 months left to go, until he is home and we can get on with our lives!... Won't that be nice, after 3 years of hell?

I can't think of much else that is going on, recently, so this will be it, for now! :) Get nice and cozy you guys....winter is coming, especially for us northern folks! Blessings!

Are You Prepared?

One of my best friends, Colt, is my sharer of economic doom and gloom. He explains to me what is going on in the economy. He answers my questions when I read the stuff in the news and I don't understand it. Mentally, I have a hard time understanding economics and I can't tell you much about what is going on, because I just don't really know, but I do know it is bad. I know our economy is crumbling. I think everyone has known this for awhile, but how many of us are prepared for it? I know that most of my blog readers, including myself, would not be ready in a crisis. No one wants to think about this...not even me. No one wants to think about long term power outages, which would be the worse case scenario, in this situation. Even I know that America is going to fall. We don't know when, but it could be soon.

We all live in this country and feel it is the strongest and wealthiest, but it's not. We are billions of dollars in debt. Most of our soldiers are overseas, when most of them should be here on our grounds. They can't keep us as safe, if they are not here. The media covers a lot of it up, so we don't realize how bad it is. We can't continue to live with this false security. We have to stop being so naive. At the same time, those of us who are Christians, must have faith in God for our provision AND meet Him halfway, at the same time. I am not saying to go all out crazy like during the Y2K scare. Even Backwoods Home Magazine said Y2K probably would not happen. I am not saying something terrible is going to happen, tomorrow. At least with Y2K, people had a time-line to get ready for the possible power outages. With this, we have no time-line. Eventually, I think our country will fall, just like Rome and countless other countries.

I occasionally read www.survivalblog.com It has some good stuff on it. The thing they are talking about right now is threats of Bank Runs. This is where people run to the bank to get their money out ....their fake money, that is, but they can't because it was never real in the first place. So, the first thing you should all do is go to the bank and get a lot of your savings out, go home and hide it in your house. Leave some in your account, depending on how much you have in there in the first place. This week, I am going to get half of our money out. Please don't hide it under the mattress, you guys! :) The first place I would look if I was a thief would be there or in your dresser. Think of somewhere creative and put it there. Even Dave Ramsey (the financial peace/debt-free guy... www.daveramsey.com) says to keep your emergency fund ($1000.00) in your home, not your bank.

Some places in the southeast, are running out of gasoline, and those who have it are selling it for $5.00 a gallon, or more. Right now, there is a Global Lemon Shortage! I rely on Lemons for medicinal purposes, and I just like them, a lot! Did I know the shortage would happen? No! Would I have stocked up on them, and dried them, or froze the juice? Probably! My point? You do not know what tomorrow will bring! I know the Bible says not to worry about tomorrow, but at the same time, people stocked up for times of famine, in biblical times.

The second thing to have is at least one gun and plenty of Ammo. Unfortunately, for those of you who live in the city you cannot hunt for your food. But, you will have to protect your homes from raids. This will be hungry, in-sane people, who have been to relief organizations only to find that no one can help them. For the kids and I, we have 2 guns and not much ammo. We would need a lot more ammo to hunt, as we don't have any food stored up, unfortunately. We would need to protect our home, as well, but not to the degree that you people would need to.

I hate the thought of losing power, in a worst case scenario, where the economy falls, and eventually there is no power. Fortunately, we would probably have somewhat of a warning that power would soon be out. It's not like during a storm, where you suddenly lose power, or a tree falls on power lines and you have no knowledge of it and boom, your power is out. You don't want to be the ones driving around looking for food and water at Wal-marts or other grocery stores, just to find that it is all sold-out. I know when there is a storm, I always fill pitchers and the bathtub with water, in case the power goes out. Did you know, I read on survival blog that a woman didn't know that she could flush her toilet without electricity? All you need is water to flush the toilet! If your tub is full you could flush your toilet for awhile!

In Idaho, we have a lot of power outages during the year. I have some things I need to stock up on before winter. Affording it all is the problem. I have all my wood and hay in (for this winter, anyway). No problem, there. I have a wood stove for our main heating. We have a wood cook stove to cook on if we lose power this winter. The kids and I have to collect branches and kindling, before the snow comes, to burn in the cook stove, though. Other than that, the thing I worry about the most is refrigeration and water. No one wants to have pitchers of water setting on their counter all the time in case the power goes out. I have a nice water tank that was in our horse trailer, that I have on my to-do list to clean and fill and put down in the basement, for an emergency. We can't drink from it but we could use it for washing dishes, cleaning, etc. In the winter we can melt snow, but we have nothing for summer time. We are on a plateau, with water downhill from us, and it would be terrible to have to haul it up, but we would do it, to survive, obviously. I have nothing for emergency refrigeration. I wish I did.

Some basic things I need to stock up on are LOTS of: candles, matches, ammo, batteries, certain tools and food. The list goes on and on! I have two wonderful first aid kits, from the army worth hundreds of dollars, so I am good there. Are you? I need to stock up on basic herbs and things I know work for infection. Garlic Oil, Vinegar, Honey, Cayenne Red Pepper,Lemon, Cinnamon and antibiotic cream. Other than that, I need basic Chamomile, St Johns Wart, Echinachea, Dandelion, Mullein, Yarrow, and others that I regularly use. Unfortunately I didn't dry it this year. I should have but I got lazy. I can easily buy the first 8 things I listed, though.

WORST CASE SCENARIO:

I encourage everyone to learn about, identify in the wild, experiment for yourselves, and USE herbs. Read about them. Have a good basic book for identification with good pictures in it, of wild, edible and medicinal herbs and plants. Dandelion is the most abundant herb available to everyone! It cures, heals and it is highly nutritious. I would not go a winter without it in dried form. In a worst case scenario, what would you do if you did not know what herbs are poisonous, or even how to identify them? What berries? What mushrooms? Learn it and have books that you can have on hand to read in case there is a long-term power outage! Would you want to die because you were starving and ate the wrong thing? Of course not! Some good books are: Practical Herbalism by Philip Fritchey, The ABC Herbal by Stephen Horne (this is an herbal book all about children and I highly recommend it) and Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies by Linda Kershaw. She might have others for whatever region you live in. If not, find something else for your region. You need a good first aid book and medical book. Could you become pregnant after a long term power outage? I would have a good mid-wifery and natural child-birth book handy. Also, baby products....diapers, wipes, and things like that...use your head... Your best asset is your brain and resourcefulness! :) Have you ever thought about what women used for feminine hygiene a long time ago? What would you use after your supplies ran out? Have lots of old flannel sheets put away. Stock up on cotton material, and don't throw it away. Keep old towels for rags. I took a big stack of jean material (hot pink, red, black and blue) to the thrift shop and now I regret it...what would I use to make clothing once my kids ran out? Jean material is so durable! What was I thinking??? :[ Who cares if it's hot pink! Do you have enough thread and needles? I don't! What about when you have a cold and need to blow your nose? What happens after there is no Kleenex or toilet paper? Do you have washable handkerchiefs sewn up? I have about twenty of them made from old, soft, flannel pajama pants, flannel pillow cases, and old, soft shirts that I liked. They are a whiz to sew up and they last ages. We love them for when we are sick. We put dabs of peppermint, spearmint, eucalyptus, or clove essential oils on them, and keep them in bed with us to breathe better and blow our noses on. We never buy Kleenex. Do you have a favorite shirt that you don't want to throw away? Cut it up in squares, sew wrong side out leaving a hole, turn it right-side out and machine or hand sew the opening. I have about 10 or more ready to be sewn up, in the near future! Don't even ask what I would use for toilet paper....the indians used Mullein leaves and God knows what else....

I do not know how to make soap, which is something I would need to know. I do not have a wash board. A good initial stock of cleaning supplies, and hygiene products would be good, but what about after it's gone...would you know how to make soap? Shampoo? Laundry Detergent? I need a good soap making book...would you have the ingredients that you needed to make soap?

As far as food goes...I don't even want to think about it, because we have no reserve. I don't even care to think about the cost... same with gasoline. We could never afford what I know we would need but at least I know about wild edibles and can hunt. I know how to fire a gun! If you live in the country, two good animals to have are chickens and rabbits. In an economic crisis, these would be easiest to feed through the winter! No gas, no hay...larger livestock would probably die during the winter.

I know I am missing tons of things, that I could write in this post, but you guys get the idea, I hope.

I don't mean to scare anyone and I don't think you should go overboard unless you and your husband feel you need a 1-5-10 year supply of things you would need. I recommend this and wish we could afford to do it, but we can't. We have subscribed to Backwoods Home for a long time, and I know we should have been stocking up all this time, but we haven't. We need to start, though. The economic future looks very bleak and I am not one to freak out, but I want to stock up, and probably will finally start. It never hurts to learn things, either...like soap making, first aid, animal husbandry, etc.

My Little Girl is Growing Up

ZANE AND ABBIE HELPING MAKE LASAGNA FILLING
Unfortunately, these were the best pics...the rest were more blurry!

A BIG SMILE FROM MY LITTLE GIRL! SHE LOVES COOKING!

HERE SHE IS AGAIN!

I just wanted to jot some things down about Abigail, today! She has become quite the little home-maker, mini-mommy, cleaner/organizer and definitely a big joy in my life and our home! It's a little hard watching her grow up. She's only three but has always been very mature for her age, so she helps me a lot and really surprises me with the things she knows and can do! Of course, she would not normally be this way, to this degree if I had not diligently trained her and taught her how to do things and made her a part of my everyday life (every part of it). She has finally stopped disobeying all the time and that is mostly because I have worked one on one time into our schedule and she isn't restless during school time!

This morning and yesterday morning she made her bed all by herself, beautifully! :) I didn't have to ask her, spank her or force her to do it, like I have had to in the past 6 months. She understands why she has to do it. I have explained to her, that I do not have time to make it for her because I make Sheldon's bed and my own. She understands that Katie (our cat) might sleep on her bed during the day and if the bed is not made that cat hair might get in her bed and I will have to waste time and energy washing it. My cat is very clean, and doesn't shed hair much. In the fall she does and it's fall right now, so I explained this to her.

The other day Abbie totally amazed me! She asked if she could put a new bag in the bathroom trash can. I have never taught her this...I guess she just watches me, a lot. Anyway, she left and brought me the bathroom trash. I threw it away and then she proceeded to get a big trash bag out from under the sink. I didn't realize what she was doing with it. I was on the phone with my husband. She took it upstairs and came back with the Diaper-pail trash bag (it is just a trash can, not really a diaper pail, but we use it for one). She had taken the upstairs diaper trash out and brought the full bag downstairs to me. I just stood there with my mouth open! :) You guys, she is three years old! I told my husband and then I went to check in the bathroom and upstairs to see how well she had put the new bags in. I was amazed, again. The bathroom trash can had a new bag in it and the diaper pail upstairs was perfect, as well. I told my husband that I couldn't believe it! :) I had never taught her this... my boys would never be coordinated enough to do something like that, at her age.

Abbie has also learned very quickly, recently how to fold every type of laundry...that is pretty detailed for a little girl to know! :) I do the big bath towels and my clothes. She knows how to do it, but they are just bigger than she is, so I don't think she should do them, yet.

As far as cooking goes, she always cuts the butter in little pieces for me, for pie crust, graham cracker crust, or biscuits. She stirs everything and really does a good job helping me. A lot of times, her or Zane, keep the scrambled eggs moving for me in the morning, while I am doing other stuff, so they don't burn. They get cereal bowls, spoons, the cereal and milk out when they know we are going to have cereal.

This morning Abbie unloaded the dish washer, and then fed the cat, while Zane was playing upstairs. She thinks helping is more fun than playing in the playroom! Can you believe that?

Why am I writing all this about her? Just to show you that 2 and 3 year olds CAN and SHOULD be trained to do everything adults have to do. I see so many kids who cannot do anything and don't do anything, but make huge messes in the house. My kids clean their own messes up. I WILL NOT help them clean it up. Sheldon makes messes and I do help them by going through the house and putting things on the stairway, to go upstairs later. I will not clean the playroom for them. Our playroom is completely organized, meaning that every toy has it's place. Even Sheldon knows where they go. I will sometimes guide Sheldon through the playroom cleaning-up process. That's how he knows where things go. But, I will not help the older two to clean it up. When they tell me they are done, I go check it and make sure everything is put away right. If there are things in the wrong places, I remind them where they go, and I will usually put it away for them, while they watch me....or they do it.

Why do I go to the trouble of teaching them? It's so they become efficient in everything. It's so our home runs smoothly. It's so our home is orderly and thus glorifies God. God is a God of order! Look at the seasons, sun and moon, animal patterns and everything else that He has created. It is orderly....we know that winter is coming every year. In the winter we know and are comforted by the knowledge that spring WILL come! It will be warm again. It is the same for kids. They need order. It is one form of security that is tangible for them. They do not yet have the security that the Lord provides to believers. Kids need to know that they will eat, bathe, brush their teeth, clean/help/do chores, be a part of their parents life and not just a cute little accessory! That they will have shelter, and a kiss and hug from their mother and father. That they will be loved for who they are and trained to be useful, efficient, competent and prompt adults. Whatever you are, is what your kids will be. Train them to be better than you!!! Do the things that your mother didn't do for you. Teach boys and girls to cook, clean, organize, work with their hands, be creative and resourceful. To be frugal, selfless, loving, giving and kind. To minister to others, and to love serving the Living God. No parent is perfect but we can all strive to do things better for the next generation! If you lack order and organization skills, work on them...if you don't have time, make time. What are your idols? They are standing in your way. Don't bow down to them. I like my computer time. When I was in the camper, I didn't have a computer, so it was nice when we moved here, to have it. Sometimes, it is my idol, and that is so terrible. So, I have limited my time on here, and it works great. What are your idols? Are they television, trashy novels, the computer, shopping, eating and being a slob on the couch, scrap-booking, talking on the phone (for crying out loud....get off of it)...your kids are drifting away while you share the latest gossip, tidbits or whatever, and they feel like you ignore them. Why do you think they act up when you are on it? I know....I am on the phone quite a bit, but it is mostly with my husband. I really don't talk to my friends much on the phone, these days. I wish with all my heart that I didn't have to talk to my husband on the phone, but I have to. It sucks and I hate it. I really hate being on the phone. I know my kids hate it, too. I like talking to friends occasionally, but really, I have my life to live and I refuse to waste it away on the phone! :)

Well, that's my speal for the week, you guys! :) I love you all...........and now it is getting cold in the house and I need to build a fire..... :( Ugh, I really don't like when it gets cold. Spring comes every year, though, right? :) And dear friends, your kids grow every year, too....please re-evaluate how your time is spent. I have been doing that all summer and I can see good results in my life and my kids! :) Well, I hope this was encouraging to someone out there! Love Rachelle

Goings Ons

PAINTING WITH WATERCOLOR!

SHELDON FINALLY UNDERSTANDS THAT YOU DO
NOT EAT THE PAINT! :)

TWO OF THE JUICE LID SUN-CATCHERS
A SUN AND A BUTTERFLY

OUR LITTLE GRASS GARDEN FOR KATIE
THIS IS ON TOP OF OUR WOOD COOKING STOVE

Well, we have been busy here in the Phipps home. James went to the field (in Korea) for two weeks, so no phone calls for me or the kids to look forward to. Actually, this is the first time my husband has been to the field...they didn't do that stuff in the 160th... In case someone doesn't know what I am talking about...going to the field is where you go out and play war, paint your face up in cammo, and do other stuff like that...eat MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat), and get stinky and muddy...

The kids started AWANA (Approved Workman are Not Ashamed). It's a Bible club that is pretty popular here out West. They have it in the East but it doesn't seem to be much of a focus there. Kids around here love it, and my kids really seem to be enjoying it. They learn verses and play competitive games, etc. I bought each of my kids canvas totes for their books and decorated them with names in glitter pen, and appliques. On the backs I sewed on patches and name tags from my husband's old uniforms. The Army went to a new uniform design in 2007, so I had a lot of old uniforms down in the basement, to get the patches off of. I also put different Army pins on them. WAY cute!!! I will put a picture on here of them all.

In art, the kids planted some grass in an adorable pot that I got at a garage sale, and decorated the inside of the pot with fake cat-tails, silk flowers and two fake robins on sticks. The grass has come up...it will be nice to see it in the winter when we have 3 feet of snow! It is also for our cat, Katie, to eat/munch on in the winter, as she likes fresh grass. I know that sounds weird/gross, but she really is a super clean cat! :) We just put the pot up by her cat-food! :)

We also made juice-lid sun-catchers. You take old tin lids off of concentrated juice cans, place a pattern on top (we got the patterns out of the Art book we got from Christian Liberty), and then pound a little nail in all around it, wherever the pattern says to, with a little hammer. Then you put them on strings and hang them in the window! Cute, cute!

We are still doing well on our schedule. We have found that some chores do not need done weekly, but instead, by-weekly...such as dusting, and mopping (we take our shoes off, so it takes awhile for our floors to get mop-worthy).

I went into the ER last week with pain on my left side (which I have been having at certain times of the month now, for 6 months). I thought it was an Ovarian Cyst from the very beginning, and each month the pain got worse. I had read that cysts will go away on their own, so I waited. Well, this month, the pain was unbearable, and making me very tired and feverish. They ultra sounded it, and said that I had a cyst that had just ruptured, so hopefully I will no longer have pain when I ovulate. So, to say the least, I have not been getting up at 6:00am, like I like to. It's been 7 o'clock recently, when I get up, which isn't bad, but forces me to do my Bible Study, devotions and prayer some other time. I am really hungering for that time with my Lord, in the morning. Maybe now that I feel better, I can be better about getting up.

My neighbor, Leeah Davis, started a Bible Study. She lives just down the road. We are good friends already. We are doing a Beth Moore study called "Believing God." It is a real eye-opener and very thought provoking. She wants us not only to believe in God, but to BELIEVE Him. To believe that what He says in His Word is true...that He will and can do what He says He can do. It's a really good study, so far. There are five main points right now that she is trying to ingrain in our brain... 1) God is who He says He is 2) God can do what He says He can do. 3) I am who God says I am. 4) I can do all things through Christ. 5) God's Word is alive and active in me! I recommend this study if you have trouble believing that God loves you and cares for you, and has good plans for your life. I think sometimes that God's definition of "good" is sometimes not ours, and so, sometimes when we think something bad is happening in our life....to God, it is good, and is happening for His reasons and for His plans. I know, that is so hard...and I struggle with seeing the good in bad situations, too..........sometimes, I see NO good in the situation! I know God does, and He has higher plans than we do! See my post titled God's Plans, from June, for more on this subject. This study has been good for rounding out my faith. I sometimes feel that my faith is like a circle....and that sometimes it looks like a moon that you think is full at first, casual glance and then when you really look, you see that it is missing a large sliver...making it not full, after all. Sometimes my faith feels like a half moon....I think I am past crescent-moon stage, though! :)

Abbie is doing well in preschool. She likes to cut and paste, especially. I have a 12 inch stack of worksheets that we got from a preschool that was going out of business. Last week, I stapled them together in little stacks of 4 sheets. Each stack has a cutting and pasting sheet on it, a sheet to color, a sheet with number practice and a sheet with letter practice. She does these everyday, plus Bible with us and Art on Mondays (sometimes more). I am still not very good about loving art....so that's why we do it on Mondays....I'd like to start doing it Mon/Wed/Fri, so we'll see! :)

Sheldon spends his day getting into stuff, and I have been having a hard time making a time in the day to do something productive with him. He gets bored easy, and makes raids in the fridge, or the pantry, writes on Zane's school when no one is looking, or gets into stuff in the bathroom. He likes to find my eye-liner and write on the mirror with it. Yesterday, he found my eye-liner sharpener and found out what happens when you stick your fingers in there! I had three bloody fingers and you know how babies don't like band aids. It was a mess! I need prayer for finding things for him to do, and carving out time for one-on-one with him, since he is no longer nursing!

Well, that's our most recent news, I think! :) The weather is getting cold fast, and I know this week will be our last of warm weather. I am thinking that we will have snow by the end of October. Just a hunch. Well, take care and God Bless! Rachelle

Italian Hot Chocolate

ZANE AND ABBIE DRINKING ITALIAN HOT CHOCOLATE!

Have you been throwing your cold, leftover, coffee out? We discovered how to make Italian Hot Chocolate with the cold coffee left in the coffee pot! Even Zane and Abbie like it! I can't afford the roadside latte stands or Starbucks coffee, unfortunately, but this does the trick for me! :) You can also make iced coffee at home, I have heard, but don't know how to do that yet! :( I think they put Icecream in the Frappucinos, that I like. With Fall coming, though, the hot coffee/chocolate mix in this recipe satisfies my sweet tooth, and wakes me up! :) We really like the Kirkland brand coffee from Costco!

ITALIAN (MOCHA) HOT CHOCOLATE (Phipps family version):

3 cups cold coffee (use a measuring cup because the marks on coffee pots are not always accurate).
3/4 cup Ovaltine Powder, or other instant Hot Chocolate Mix.
3/4 cup half and half or milk
1/8-1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)
dash Cinnamon and vanilla extract

Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan. Whisk and simmer until hot. Ladle into cups, and top with Whipped Cream or a handful of Mini Marshmallows. Makes about 4 small coffee mugs full.

The Italians make a much thicker Mocha Hot Chocolate and thicken it with cornstarch, but us Americans make it much thinner, even at the Espresso stands! :) Enjoy!

Herbal Beauty

I love herbs, essential oils, wild-crafting herbs, and studying natural/herbal medicine. I especially love making my own little beauty recipes! Here are some of them:

CORNMEAL FACIAL SCRUB:

1/4 cup stone ground cornmeal
1-2 teas honey
2-3 drops Essential Oil ~ Rose, Lavender or Ylang-Ylang is nice. I use Aura Cacia essential oils, as they are 100% essential oil, unless otherwise stated on the label.
A dash of Lemon Juice
Enough water to make a nice paste

Mix altogether and store in a baby food jar. Keep refrigerated for longer storage. You can also add fresh, finely chopped, gathered (or bought) herbs such as red clover blossoms, wild rose petals, pineapple weed blossoms, or yarrow leaves (do not use Yarrow if your skin is sensitive to it).

Wet your face and lightly massage scrub into your face in circular motions, especially around nose and hairline. Rinse with warm water, dry your skin well, and follow up with a Bentonite Clay Mask.

BENTONITE CLAY MASK:

Bentonite is volcanic ash. Taken internally, it absorbs heavy metals, toxins, etc and is expelled out the body. Used on the skin, it attracts toxins through the pores and binds them to itself. If you have trouble with acne, you can use it to pull the toxins closer to the skin, faster than if you were to let them come up on their own. I love Bentonite Clay. I have trouble with hormonal acne and use this mask recipe every month to ease the pain caused by it.

I don't have an exact recipe for it...I just put the ingredients into a bowl and add little bits of water until it is perfect for a mask!

About 1/4 cup Bentonite Clay Powder
Water
A dash of Grapeseed Oil...I buy it from the health food store. It is very cheap. You can also use Sweet Almond Oil or Jojoba Oil.
A dash of Lemon Juice
1/2 teas or so of honey
2-3 drops Essential Oil...I like Rose or Clary Sage

Mix, adding water until it is a thick paste. Store in the fridge for longer storage. Spread on your face after you have washed and dried it, and let dry until just crinkly. Rinse with warm water. Your face will feel lovely. Do not use Bentonite more than 3 times a week if you do not make it with some sort of oil added like I mentioned above. It is a bit too drying for the face without a high quality skin oil.

I love to put about 2 Tablespoons Grapeseed oil into my evening bath water and 5-6 drops rose essential oil (my favorite). Use less of other essential oils. Most Rose essential oil is only 1/5 rose and 4/5 Jojoba Oil. Pure Rose Essential oil is $50.00 for 4 ounces!!! :[ So, if you can afford that, use only one or two drops! :) Anyway, after soaking awhile, I wash my face and skin with the cornmeal scrub, rinse and then dry my face well, and spread the Bentonite Mask on nice and thin and rub it in for 2-3 minutes. It will not dry, as your face will sweat some in the tub! :) I just rub it in good and rinse! You will feel like you have been to the spa! :)

That is my evening pampering bath! :) I love it....and a good devotional book and a few candles makes it especially nice! You can use any essential oil that you like in bath water! I have Ylang-Ylang, Rose, Clary Sage, Lavender, and I have used Orange and Eucalyptus when I am sick! Your local Health Food Store should carry a good variety of oils! Some are expensive, such as Pure Rose and Sandalwood. Others are more affordable! A good book that my husband bought me is The Essential Oils Book- Creating Personal Blends For Mind and Body, by Colleen K. Dodt

There are also other books in this series that I want...The Herbal Home Spa, The Natural Soap Book, etc. They are by Storey Publishing, and have a variety of other books by different authors!