~Life~

Hey y'all

It has been much much too long since I have written. Not that I haven't had anything to write I have truly just been so busy about my home and spending time with dear friends that I haven't had the time. The Lord knows when things are to be done and I think that the season of not writing was honestly just a much needed break that I was suppose to take. I am sure some of my post would not have been edifying. It's been a wave of change these last few months and with me and change well lets just say the testing is long sometimes!

So on to reality we go. What's been going on with our little family. Well we started school back at the beginning of September. It's going much better than I thought and I really am so glad the Lord led me to the ACE curriculum this year! It has seemed a bit slow but I can tell it has really helped Faith sharpen some of her skills in a way I wouldn't have known what to do.I am so blessed to give my children a christian education at home.

Justice is very busy and almost 4 years old. She will celebrate her birthday in November. I have tried to keep her occupied while Faith does school. She participates in the Bible story time. I am slowly easing her into more activities at the same trying not to distract Faith's learning. She is enjoying her coloring and learning how to write some letters. Today I will be printing out more worksheets for her to practice the letters in her name. She is a little bundle of energy but very very intelligent.

Zane is pulling himself up on everything and scoots around the house everywhere! I know before I can blink he is going to be walking! His personality is showing through that he is going to be busy and happy. He is a very very good baby!!!

Scott has been taking it a bit easier since our pastor has come. It's been such a blessing to have a pastor here and Scott and I look forward to sitting under his ministry until the Lord leads us to do otherwise. He is a great preacher/teacher. It's been incredible having him here even for a short time. Scott is still working at the Yes House and the run for City Council came to an end and we believe it was the Lord's will both for Scott to run and also for Scott to not continue on. We trusted Him for everything concerning being elected. God has His perfect plan and I am thankful  for it!

As for myself I have been homemaking, homeschooling and recently started helping a friend with her China business. She sells China on EBay and has a successful business. I love helping her pack, ship, and unpack the China we receive. It's like Christmas!!! :) I am hoping we get more organized for the months to come. I think if we both had it our way I would live out there and work 24/7 until it was completely organized so our lives would be so much easier! I am really enjoying it and it's great because it doesn't interfere with homeschooling and I can work around the kids. Scott is getting more time with them. All the while the extra income I am making is going strait towards getting our finances in order so we are able to live completely debt free!!! A great desire of mine and Scott's a debt free life.  In May the plan is that she is going to England while I stay back and do the business for a month. We as a family will actually live at her home and take care of her springer spaniel  and I will continue on with the demands of EBay  while she and her husband are away. I am happy I can do this for her because she hasn't been back for 20 years and that is way to long to be away from family and the place you were raised. God is good all the time!!!

So this is the catch up and next time I might be able to just write for fun. Love you all and God Bless

Chelsie~

Investment....

You know so many things can take from the true investments that we ought to make! Debt is one of them that steals so much from us! My husband and I are working on being completely debt free! We are seeing small steps being accomplished and since then we are seeing bigger ones and it so encouraging! We will have a bigger debt paid off the end of this month and we are so excited about it! Then we will have even more money to throw at our bigger debts such as our vehicle payment! We paid off the van two months ago and what a weight lifted!!! So that is something new that has been going on. We are also planning a big family vacation to Walt Disney World in Flordia by the time Zane is old enough to remember...without accomplishment on paying off debt we would never even dream of it!

But what I really wanted to write about was the investment as a wife and mother! Oh the Joys and I say that with no sarcasm! Seriously what a joy it is to be a wife and mother when you have your life in order! I can't tell you the joy I have knowing I am able to make my family meals ever night, the laundry that is clean and put away everyday, the cloth diapers that I put on my sons tushie, the dresses I have sewn for my girls, knowing my husband is coming home to relaxation and not chaos, lighting a candle to give the fragrance of home and a welcoming for him, taking my children to the library, park, or on play dates! I seriously can't tell you how blessed I am in this moment as a wife and mother!

God has shown me the importance of investment in my family. Setting the tone for the day and making life not so complicated. I haven't gotten in to slowing down completely. That is difficult with all the priorities with the church and ministries we are involved in.  With that said it is all for God's glory so if those ministries are things He wants me involved in; then they are worth the time they take to do them!

So as I sit here today trying to catch you up on the life  of the Clems I tell you this....Invest in your husband, invest in your children, invest in your life that the Lord has blessed you another day with! I could tell you many ways I have invested in my family different than I did in the past but these few I will share with you.

Start your day with the Word of God and your husband if he is available.
Stay ahead of chaos by making sure the laundry is started in the morning.
Never leave dirty dishes for yourself in the morning: it's added stress to your day!
Take time for your children...listen to what they have to say its really important to them. (If you have a talker like I do then allow them the time to tell you whats going on thru their little mind)
Encourage your children to do their best in everything and praise them when they do a great job.
Read to your children. I just recently purchased a chapter book to read to Faith and Justice at night to get them excited about the adventure in stories.
Pick one day a week and tackle the time consuming things of the home but light the candle first and put on some quality christian music. Try not to spend more than two hours for your kiddos sake.
Put the kids to bed at a decent time so you can take quality time with your husband even if it is watching your favorite show together holding hands and eating popcorn :)

It's important to have a clean peaceful home but more importantly is the investment of time you take with your family! Be Blessed! Here are a few new pictures for you...this is what we have been up to!

There skirts made by mommy!

Drying Zane's diapers

Justice can peddle by herself this spring!

Picnic in the park just Mommy and the kids!

It was beautiful and smelled wonderful with the trees in bloom!

Feeding the squirrel.

Playing at Curious George!

Homemade Detergent!!!

As a stay at home mom I am always trying to find away to be more frugal with our finances...So my newest way that I thought I would try would be to take on cloth diapers I was given! Yes given Praise the Lord they can be very expensive to buy but a wonderful friend of mine gave them to me! I am hoping it goes as planned and I am able to use this set up at least until he is six months. Then I might be able to get some from my nurse at the pediatrician office! She and I were talking and she said she would give me hers! God is truly so good to us! Ok so my newest thing apart from using cloth diapers was to make my own laundry detergent! Yes you heard me right....the detergent you are told to buy for cloth diapers is soo expensive $17.00 for detergent I think not!!! So here it is: and below I listed the recipe for it if you choose to make it yourself!

So I am no expert I checked out other sites. Some say to use borax but I didn't Walmart was out and I heard baking soda does the same thing plus it is gentler on the skin. Since I am mainly using this for my cloth diapers here is what I did for my own soap I think you could tweak it any way you wanted just using these ingredients.

1/2 bar fels naptha soap (97 cents)

2 cups baking soda (around $2.50)

2 cups super washing soda (around $3.00)

Depending on how it cleans I might add more of the bar soap but I don't want to make it harsh on Zane's skin and since I am the one making it I figure I will make it more gentle the first go round. I will up date you!

Most sites that I found use this recipe:

1 bar Fels Naptha Soap

1/2 cup borax or baking soda

1 cup super washing soda

or

Equal parts of these three ingredients

Super Washing Soda

Borax or Baking Soda

Sun Oxi Clean Powder

Life is uncertain

In life we see daily that things can change in a moment and we realize we have no control over reality. This last week we were told a young girl who's dad goes to our church lost her daughter to SIDS. Devastating! How do you wrap your head around that? I will be honest with the blessing of our new son I can't honestly begin to put my thoughts there. In fact Scott and I tried to talk about it and I don't think either of us could stomach it. As I talked with Scott all he could really say was God gives people grace. I know this unfortunately I can't wrap my head around it all. I have been in fervent prayer over this young girl and this sorrowful loss. I've been asking the Lord to give her the grace to continue on.

In saying all this what I am wanting to share most is that your faith in all things has to be put in the Lord. There is no guarantee in life, in love, in finances, in relationships, or any other thing that may come your way. I could share so many life experiences with you to show you how the Lord has tested my faith. If I began to write on my own personal accounts I would have you here all day reading!  By the looks of it it might feel as though you have read all day long by the time I get done with this post.

With all life's uncertainty there are many many circumstances that come your way to test your faith. I know many who have thought that the love that they shared with their mate was unfailing but then they were faced with hard times, their love was turned into bitterness and then to hatred. Before you know it their focus was off of Jesus and they were separated. As we have all seen with the economy you could be some big shot bringing in the big bucks at one point and within a matter of  months you could have lost your job and house and be visiting the soup kitchen for your next meal. In life we as people must see that our fate is not in our own hands and ultimately the Lord does have complete and utter control over all that happens in our life.  We on the other hand have free will to make choices. We cannot blame the Lord for bad things that happen in our life it might be a result of our own sinful choices. Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. In sharing that verse with you be careful you don't blame the Lord for all the bad things that happen in your life.

Now on the upside of all this there is good news.  In the Psalms 37:23 the Bible KJV says: The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. A person could reflect on this verse and draw many applications from it. Some bible versions particularly NIRV says, If the Lord is pleased with the way a man lives, he makes his steps secure. How sad to see God's Holy Word changed. Read them both over again; compare the two. Do you see a difference? I see no "if" in the KJV. The Lord is so clear in the KJV I like this verse especially because you can clearly see the difference! There are many many more verses in other translations of the Bible that have been changed that ultimately do damage to a christian because they are not truly the same meaning as the KJV. The Lord didn't say if at all. He said the steps of a good man ARE ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way.

Sorry so easily sidetracked I can get. I am very passionate about the KJV being the inspired word of God and truly believe other versions of the bible are bringing about moral decline among believers because so much of it is distorted, watered down, and creates gray areas whereas the KJV keeps things simple and very much black and white! That was all free right there! HAHA!!! In sharing that verse with you I am trying to show you that even though our circumstances in life can be uncertain you can still put your faith that the Lord knows the path you will take and He will order your steps. You can trust Him in directing your path.

The reason these things happen is ultimately so God gets the glory in our life because without Him we could not persevere through a lot of these trials. Thankfully not all trials that come our way have to be burdens. In all things you can look at them in two views. Are they really a burden or is it a hidden blessing. Is God molding you through these circumstances better question are you allowing God to mold you? With the loss of my pastor and my dad Richard this last year I thankfully can say I allowed God to mold me in that time. I didn't push away from the Lord and try to direct my own path. No, on the contrary I clung to Him and had Him literally putting one foot in front of the other. Unfortunately until we are completely broken in life sometimes we don't see our need for our Saviour in our everyday life. How sad we trust Him with our eternal souls being kept from Hell but we are unable to see our need of Him in the small details of our life. Remember all those small details in life add up to the bigger picture of who we really are in Jesus Christ.

So dear reader if you are struggling in life please take time to reflect on your life. Are you reaping what you have sown? Are you allowing the Lord to direct your steps? Are you truly trusting Him 100% in the saving of your soul? Can you think of a time when you know you asked Jesus to personally forgive you of your sins, then turned from them, and asked Jesus to come into your life because you know what He did on the cross was for you and that nothing in and of yourself can get you to heaven apart from the blood of Jesus shed on Calvary. If you can't remember a time I urge you to seek yourself out and get alone with God and ask Him to forgive you and cleanse you and thank Jesus for His sacrifice on the cross!

Friend if you are a believer in Christ are you trusting Him daily with the small details of your life? Your testimony is precious; guard it and treasure it! When we are weak in our faith what does that say about our God? It sends a mixed message to unbelievers so I urge to keep in the Word and walk closely with your Saviour seeing Him in all things big and very importantly the small things. Have a child like faith see him in all things because really when it comes down to it He really is in every facet of our lives.

God Bless~ Chelsie Clem

A scheduled life makes a happy life



Hey y'all

You know how it is so easy to obsess over having a tidy home and not only that but come on I mean a clean home! I can do tidy but this not clean thing is driving me batty! Some may say I am nesting but I know honestly this is a routine thing that I want to keep. It is so easy to get behind and feel so overwhelmed so from now on dishes are done and laundry is sorted! These two basic things can make your home feel like a train wreck happened! I want to continue on in this routine so my children and I can really focus on the important things in life! Not mommy being a crab because she feels behind and shuts the kids out so she can catch up!

So why start a morning/midday routine for chores? For one it keeps structure for the kids and the home. Two it keeps me accountable to not spending all day cleaning and having my kids play in their room all day or soak up countless hours of cartoons or movies! Yes I will admit it this is a failure of mine as I am sure is of so many mothers of young ones.

It is so easy to tell ourselves that our little ones will just be in the way well I disagree and I intend to have my children help me with our household morning chores. Every morning my girls will have a basic routine for themselves just like I do! Get up, make bed, get dressed, hair done, eat breakfast and brush teeth. Kids thrive on structure and they love it because then there is less surprises of them not understanding of why they are getting scolded for something they didn't know was not to be done at that time. If they know what is expected they will aim to please and accomplish the task. Plus as a parent it gives me a great opportunity to praise them for their great work!

So last night I finally got to it and made a chore chart for morning/midday chores. I have been meaning and meaning to get a list made up but kept putting off. Well because of that this last week had felt so hectic and pointless all at the same time no matter how much I got accomplished. Yes I am sure you know and have experienced that same feeling! So I made a list of my basic things that need to be done every week so that by Saturday and Sunday my home is in order for any guests or if we should leave for the weekend it is in order upon our return.

Some of the things I included to be done are: Morning routines; Dust and Vacuum main living area, Sweep and mop, Tidy dressers, night stands and hot spots(places where clutter seems to accumulate), Vacuum bedrooms,  Guest bathroom wiped down and laundry sorted, All laundry put away and caught up on. My midday routines: Make a menu and shopping list every two weeks, Errand day, Library, Clean out cars and church bags, Purge and take out trashes, Clean out fridge and stock freezer for next weeks meals.

I split these up all on days according to what works best for me and I am sure as time passes I will switch them to a better day that will work but the basic is that my home will be in order most of the time. I will also know that weekly I have accomplished some of the tasks that would otherwise be left undone because I have not given a scheduled time to accomplish them.

Time management oh speaking of another thing I am doing with these chores is not allowing my self to obsess over them but to get them done in a timely manner so I will be using a timer so my girls and I can get on to the next task at hand. Which will be Faith's school and any other activity I might have planned for the girls to do. Some may say crazy to care so much about scheduling chores and managing your time like a your in the army but the way I see it is how many of us has said there is just not enough time in the day! Hope this helps and motivates you to become and better steward of the things and most of all the time that the good Lord has given you.



God Bless~ Chelsie

Crock pot crazy!

I am turning into a total crock pot crazed lover! I have used my crock pot nearly everyday for the next two weeks of meal planning! It's not only easy but it's actually really great to have a warm, tender, flavor filled meal waiting on you at the end of the day not the other way around! You waiting on your meal and racing around the kitchen to beat the clock at the end of the day! I love how you can get things so tender and have amazing filling meals for your family with less stress of a dirty unorganized kitchen! The crock pot has brought peace to our home even today I wasn't feeling that well and decided I would still throw my crock pot chicken and dumplings in and I will have a wonderful hearty meal for my family tonight! My husband and kids are loving it! Faith calls me the crock pot queen! I will share these few recipes with you and I am sure I will share more after I try them.

Taco Stew

1 lb. Ground Beef
15 oz Pinto Beans (Drained)
15 oz Ranch Style Beans (Drained)
10 oz Rotel (Diced Tomatoes with green chilies)
14.5 oz Diced Tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn (you can use frozen or one can drained)
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
1 Packet of Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and cook on High for 4 hours or on Low for 6+ Hours. Top with sour cream, shredded cheese, and fritos! YUMMY, AMAZING, Seriously a must try!!!

The Most Amazing Pork Chops Ever

4 Bone in/Thick cut pork chops
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 envelope dry pork gravy mix
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

First place the pork chops down in the bottom. The remaining four ingredients will be mixed in a mixing bowl and then poured over the top of the meat. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours. Such a tasty, simple recipe… ENJOY!

Chicken and Dumplings:
Feel free to substitute any ingredients you wish, and increase/decrease amounts for the size of your family!

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons of butter
1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of celery soup
3 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 onion, finely diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
Chicken bouillon seasoning or cube
salt & pepper
*As for the dumplings… You can make your own dumplings, or use 1 (10 oz) package of refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces
1. EXCLUDING THE BISCUITS put all ingredients in…
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
3. About an hour (give or take) before serving, remove chicken and pull into pieces and return to the soup mixture, place the torn biscuit dough in and cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

You can also check out this website it's what got me started! www.crockpotgirls.com  Enjoy they share a new recipe every Monday!

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 :)

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 :)

More than Bountiful Basket!!!

If this is what you get count me in again and again and again!!!

This is the basket it varies every time but I am more than satisfied with this time!

Pictured is a 3lb bag pink lady apples, 3 mangoes, 1 Romaine, 7 big ears of corn, 10 sweet onions med size, 3 cucumbers, 1 green pepper, 3 artichokes, 9 roma tomatoes, 1 cantaloupe and 1 pineapple! More than impressed! All that produce for 15 dollars! 

This is the Mexican pack oh my this was huge!!! So much stuff!!! All this for 7.50.

This bag took up a quarter of my huge table!

 Included avocados, jalapenos, chives, cilantro, 2 hot onions, garlic, mini limes, tomatillos, and long green chilies

 12 (6 oz) blackberries ($16)and 2 lbs amazing granola ($10)

Ingredients: Oats, honey, canola oil, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, vanilla.

Beautiful berries!



I cannot more highly recommend taking advantage of bountiful baskets! I took the afternoon prepping my produce. I washed and froze alot of the the berries. I will use most of them in smoothies of on top of cake or dessert toppings. Shucked the corn and froze half of it. Cut up the lettuce. Made a greens sauce with the mexi pack and froze it for further uses like enchiladas. Scott made a salsa at the YES House for the kids. I plan on making another salsa with our other tomatoes or a homemade sauce for pastas. Mango salsa with some of the mangoes and Mexican ingredients. Oh and I am excited to try to make my own homemade spinach artichoke dip :) I am overly excited about produce! haha! I hope you come to enjoy it yourself if it works for you and your family!