First Day of Kindergarten August 29th 2011(Homeschool)

So today was Faith's first official day of her homeschooling for the year 2011-2012. Some things proved the need of being caught up on. One thing that didn't lack was her sounds of letters and blends! YAY!!! That is a huge deal! The main things that needed refreshing was writing her letters and numbers but she caught on quick and said "This is easy Mom" That encouraged me because I know it is going to get harder as the year continues on. She is actually a quarter of the way through her kindergarten curriculum so we should be moving on to 1st grade by mid-March if not sooner! But for right now we will take one day at a time and Praise the Lord for the progress everyday!

All dressed up and ready to get started

Her desk that fits her just right.

She is such a good girl staying on task.

Chip in the mouth but this pictures just screams I AM 5!!!

I will continue you to keep you updated as I know it will be new to some of you that read my blog. I hope the updates keep you encouraged as Faith shows her ability to learn in her home. I will also try to add pictures of her outings for school whether it be to the library for new books, the AVA Art Center, seeing plays at the theater, going to the Lakeway Learning Center, visiting our Planetarium,  4H Clover Buds in October or homeschool group get togethers. We have plenty planned for this year and Faith is already looking forward to seeing her first play of the year. Unfortunately our theater is having the first one in November but she will be thrilled when she gets to see Charlottes Web! I am hoping to get some kids and their mother's together in September for a Harvest Festival Day. Coloring, Apple craft and much more! I will post more as we progress through the first year!

Accomplishments of a housewife hehe :)

So Faith's school is approaching it is just around the corner! I am getting really excited for her. I spotted a desk at a garage sale and was able to pick it up for only $15. Faith is really excited to do her work in her desk. I just need to buy some sliders for underneath it because it will need to be moved quite a bit.

So anyway apart from that I have been getting geared up for the winter months. Doing meal lists and grocery lists. All sorts of things to help keep me on track but also to make meal planning a lot easier on me. Meal planning is about as daunting as laundry is to me! So Cherie and I made a list of dinner ideas and then on my own I made a list of breakfast and lunch ideas. Life is going to be so much easier! I don't know why I have not thought to do this sooner!

Apart from the meal lists and all I have been stocking up my freezer! I have fresh frozen peaches all sliced and ready for winter when we wish we had fresh fruit! They are so yummy! Also I had a ton of green and burgundy beans from the garden. I washed cut and blanched them all. Then put them in freezer bags. No more having to buy beans in a can. My girls love those beans. I opened a can of beans the other night and Faith said I want to garden beans! HAHA she used to not even eat her beans! I organized my freezer all up today so that way I know what is where. So I have all my freezer stuff and then all my new canned stuff that I was able to do with Laura. I feel pretty set for winter actually more than I ever have. I am hoping to buy beef with the money I make from my pampered chef show this next Monday then we will be set! I am hoping Scott goes hunting with Mike this winter and is able to get an elk. I like elk meat a lot more than deer. I grew up on deer and it makes me gag when I smell it!

Anyways I was just really excited because I feel like I have already had a very productive day already and feel really good about going into the next two weeks knowing I have all the grocery shopping done for meals for only $102.00. On top of that we have creamy crock pot chicken in the crock pot so dinner is on it's way to being done! Tomorrow we get to have dinner with friends from church and then on Sunday we will be having pork roast! Yum one of Scott and I's favorites! We haven't had it all summer long! Anyways I am pretty tired from all that I got done today so I am going to rest now. Hope you have had a wonderful day!

New experience~ Canning!!

This was my first experience canning and it was such a good time! Lots of cooking and plenty of waiting time on the actual canning process. But we had plenty of recipes to keep us busy. The bags of things were fresh corn on the cob from Idaho and fresh blueberry pie filling. The small jars are strawberry freezer jams. Next to them are Maple Walnut Syrup! YUMMY! The 12 jars in the back are Spaghetti Sauce. The two next to it are a House Salsa. Then the two on the end are Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling. Lots of work but plenty worth it. I enjoyed myself call me strange if you like :) My friend Laura and I worked on it from 10 AM to 6 PM. It was alot more enjoyable doing it with someone. We both like to do homebody things and this was a new one to add to both of our lists :)

Most important

We all have areas where we come short maybe even fail at them. Realizing we will never be perfect is essential in life. I am not saying we don't strive to be our best in the areas the Lord puts on our heart. Putting things in perspective is so important otherwise life becomes so frustrating! We feel as tho we are always spinning our wheels and never getting anywhere! But are you just really spinning your wheels or is it that God has you exactly where you are at this place and time in life. Nothing takes God by surprise in our life not even the upsets that we experience. God knows just what we need in life to shape us into the person He would have us to be. So we struggle through life trying to make sense of it all. Most of the time thinking that change will be the answer to our problems. God doesn't work like that all the time. Sometimes God wants us to simply seek Him. To look to His Word and have personal prayer time! To take the time out of a busy day and listen to some solid preaching! Some preaching with some meat (the kind of preaching that doesn't just stir you, the kind that changes something in you for life). This is the change that God desires for us. Not that of a earthly thing like a job change, better financial freedom through making more money,  a new home, a new puppy or pet, a concert to go to, and you name it the list goes on and on of ways we try to make our own changes in life. To feel as tho we have attained to a different level of peace and freedom from the daunting tasks of life. There will always be the daunting task of life that we have to face day to day but what is most important is Who we face those challenges with! Are you facing your everyday life without the help of Jesus. I know I can say there is definitely times in life when I do. Life is so much more difficult without the Lord. My husband and I were discussing situations last night and we both came to the conclusion that there will be areas we fall short in or may even feel as tho we have failed in. The example I have seen today in my husband is that if you seek the Lord what else really matters!?! My husband and I will both have areas we will fall short in but what matters most is....will we on God to help us through. Will we TRUST the Lord to get us through. Will we seek His face. Will we continue to be soft towards God and able to mold. Will we trust His perfect will. My prayer is that we continue to seek the Lord and not let life get us down! God is bigger than any situation we will ever face!

Little Suzy Homemaker :)

Burgundy Beans, Green Beans and Butter Crunch Lettuce

Butter Crunch, Spring Blend, Baby Romaine Lettuces and Carrots

Peppers Peppers and MORE Peppers!

Steak Tomatoes and Roma Tomatoes!

Behind them are Snap Peas and Cucumbers big and Pickling Cucumbers!

My Watermelon plant and YES there is one growing!

And my amazing Zucchinis.

My sad sad Corn and the other is suppose to be a melon but I think we got Morning Glories instead :)

My one flower that has lived this summer!

Washed up just some of my beauties out of my garden!

Silly lady she is adorable! Selling our produce from our gardens.

 My friend Ashley and I at the farmer's market!

I blew this picture up because she looks so pretty I on the other hand not so much!!!

I am so blessed to have this girl in my life she has been my neighbor for the last year and we have become great friends! I am so blessed to have a great christian friend and to have had her so close for the last few hard months has made all the difference! I know she is praying for me during the hard times! I love her so much for all that she is to me! Yes Ash I do love you!

If you have talked to me at all this summer you have heard about my garden whether it be that I need to go down and water or weed or pick some of my fresh veggies! I am in love with Gardening! I mean produce, flowers still not my specialty. I have had such a great time with it! It's alot of work but I am hooked I could totally see myself having a garden of my own one day! Thankfully here in Gillette they have a community garden area where anyone who pays for the lot can garden! I absolutely love it! It has been hard work being pregnant but it is such a blast to see the results and to get to have fresh produce whenever! I am very pleased with my garden this year and am so excited for next years now that I have had a season of learning! Hope you enjoy the pictures! I had to share because I have talked people's heads off about my garden and they hadn't seen it still! Thanks for always being excited for me Mom :)

Cousin time and clean up :)

Tonight the girls we able to be at my house they got a free night with their cousin Madilynne! They screamed up and down the hall while I made dinner then they ate and Faith help Mau finish so we could go to the park after! They played on the slide and swings but eventually my girls tired out of it and were whiny so they ruined it for Mau and we came home. I put them all in the bath so they would be ready for church tomorrow. Scott and I had talked this morning about Justice's out of control hair and he said I should cut her some bangs. So tonight we did and they look adorable. She looks much more polished and not so ragged. She has had the name Rag muffin most her toddler years because she always looks so undone..Well no more of that!!! Enjoy the pictures!

Feeding Mau

All done! So proud Faith!

Cousin love <3

Before bangs and a bath, still adorable I might add!

Sucking that thumb but she did decide to potty train finally today!!! YAY!

There is that smile we all love with bangs that look adorable!

Cousins they are so good together! Justice and Mau like to disagree more often than not!

Watching a movie after bath very relaxed :)

Baby #3 :) 4 months along :)

4 months

Sorry about the quality had to take the flash off.

My bump

I felt the baby's first really good kick on 8-3-11 during VBS!

A New Birth

We have been enjoying Vacation Bible School this week at our church and it has been such a blessing the teaching and preaching has been amazing! The Holy Spirit has shown up and done a great work in the hearts of the children. I have counseled with two girls so far and one was still a bit unsure so I showed her some verses and prayed with her for understanding and then the other girl shared with me that her cousin (who was just saved a little before or at camp) led her to the Lord three or four days prior to going to VBS. What a blessing to see the witness of a child! I shared some scripture with her about assurance of salvation and she went on her way with peace again. So God has been so good!


Well last night I had went back to counsel with that girl and didn't see that Faith had raised her hand! No one took her back to talk to her because they thought that she was too young to understand. I have had her on my heart a lot before this week almost a crazy amount! Myself and Scott have been praying extra for her this week. So Scott had seen she raised her hand and asked her why. She said she didn't know why and again I prayed Lord give her understanding! As we got settled into the car to go home Faith said "Mom Do I have to go to hell?" I said "I don't know Faith do you?" She said "I think so." I said "Why would you have to go to hell Faith?" She said "Because I sin." I stopped her there and I said "Honey we will have a talk when we get home with Daddy." When we pulled into the garage at home I said "Alright lets go in and get ready for bed" Faith said "I need to have my talk with Daddy." Thankfully we had friends over here to help with Justice and Scott and I both were able to go in with her to talk to her. Scott talked with her I stayed quiet and just witnessed. I observed her coming to the understanding that if she asked Jesus to save her she would go to Heaven and not to Hell. More than anything she realized that her sin made it so she couldn't go to Heaven without Jesus! Praise the Lord my little 5 year old bowed her head and folded her hands sat still and asked the Lord to save her. The neat thing is while we were talking to her Scott and I both actually saw the moment she believed in her heart. Her whole sense of being changed she had been quite busy before we got near the end of talking to her and then the moment she believed she literally lit up and was so full of joy! True joy the only kind that can come from the Lord. Scott and I both talked about it and we both agreed that we could tell when she believed in her heart. Amazing truly amazing, best feeling in the world! Before I knew Faith would go to heaven because she wasn't completely understanding now I know that my little girl Faith Pearl Clem is a "Blood bought child of the King"!!! Believe me there is a difference in the heart of a parent!  I am Praising the Lord that Faith came to the understanding of trusting Jesus to save her!