Perseverance-late night ramblings

Romans5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God thorough our Lord Jesus Christ.....
Romans 5:3 -4 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Ever have one of those days where nothing seems to go right? Yeah, my morning was going that way. You could possibly even say it started the night before with my oldest getting hit twice in baseball which was then followed by a sleepless night for me.
It was a rough morning as well. Just the little things that add up. I left the kids with my parents and drove up to the city to finalize my school plans. I wasn't twenty minutes up the road and my mom sends me a picture of my youngest. If you are on facebook then you know what I saw. He had some major road rash on his face, concrete isn't too kind to the skin as he fell off his trike. I wondered if I should turn around then it hit me. All this stuff going on was attacks. I was under attack. Here am I, trying my best to stay strong for my kids, myself and remain faithful to my Lord. It's not an easy time in our lives but at the same time we have been blessed in many ways.
Guess what, the enemy doesn't like that. Doesn't like it when you remain faithful, especially when all you know is changing and you feel like your life is falling apart. Remember Job of the bible? Remember all he the lost? What do you remember of his faith? Do you remember how he was blessed in the end? Maybe it is a time in your life when you should go re-read the book of Job. See what lessons he has to share with you. Remain faithful in good times and especially in the bad! He is the same God and has the same truths no matter what you are going through.
After I realized what was going on I prayed. Prayed for the safety of my family, for myself during this trip. Does that mean everything went swimmingly after I prayed. Why no, in fact, it doesn't. In fact things didn't go as planned at all. I would later joke that I should have also prayed for my father-in-law to have a winch(one thing was a car break down). You see, not everything continued as I would have like but I was able to laugh at things as they happened instead of cry because it was all in the Lord's hands. I'd given it to him. In fact, I know he did take care of me because the things that happened really were just speed bumps, slowing me down for a minute instead of road blocks, completely stopping me.
A change in perspective, a change in attitude and a willingness to run the race.

clean your face

Sometime in March I ran out of the usual facial cleaner I used and didn't see it in this new area I'm in. I had come across this recipe and thought I'd give it a try. I can't give credit to whom I got it from because I can't remember! I know it was in a comment on someones blog, the recipe was simple enough for me to remember-which is saying something for my scattered brain these days!

Facial cleaner for normal skin.

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Castor Oil

Mix and place in a small container. Rub gently on face and rinse off. Great for removing makeup, although I tend to use in the morning shower.
If you have dry skin use another Tablespoon of Olive Oil.
If have oily skin use another Tablespoon of Castor Oil.

I sometimes use this on my legs as well, helps make them more silky smooth :-)

If you are looking for something new, less expensive or more do-it yourself-give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

jelly bean flavor of the day

"Mom I smell a jelly bean!" said #3
"Oh you do? What flavor is it?" I ask(a little afraid of what the answer could be)
"It's coffee flavored!" said #3
"No, silly that's not a jelly bean, that is my coffee." I say
"No Mom, it isn't your coffee it is a jelly bean!" said #3 He was very insistent on the fact this didn't smell like my usual cup of coffee.
"Hmm, well I do have creamer in my coffee this time. I guess you think coffee flavored jelly beans taste like hazelnut coffee smells!" I said

ps I got the creamer for free for being a vocal point member. If you haven't signed up with them you should-it's always fun to try free things! The creamer was very yummy! A nice little treat at the end of the day for me:)

week in review

`Mothers Day. Had a baby dedication for sweet baby boy. Though he didn't smell so sweet at the time! Nothing like filling a diaper right before you have to stand in front of everyone! Such a wiggly boy he was too, but with so many baby's being dedicated it did take a while. He has the distinction of being dedicate at the church his mother grew up in. We did this with the older two at our church in Maine with Pastor George. He had a lovely wife and I believe six children. My first real life introduction to homeschooling was there. Then the two middle boys were dedicated at our church in Hawaii,two different pastors and a lot of O'hanna! I pray that the pictures, letter etc from these events just add on to what they experience in daily life. That they know they are loved, thatthey have a family heritage that have the Lord in their lives and that they too chose to give there lives to Him.
~Ball season has started around here, with the older 3 being involved. Looks like we might be lucky if there is a day of the week someone doesn't have practice! #3 got to his first practice and then changed his mind about going-a hard time with change he has! But we were able to calm him down and he ended having a great time!

~This past Sunday we visited a new church in the town we are looking for something to rent. When we got inside #3 says "Is this an airport?" Silly boy! Yes, it is a huge church, but no airplanes around:) They all enjoyed there classes and would like to visit again. One thing is for sure, I will get a work out dropping/picking up kids in the different areas there!

~Accident prone #4 managed to cause a 'log' to fall on his hand. Sliced part of a (gag) wart off. Lots of blood and crying but all is well now. He had been playing on a freshly cut pine tree and was completely covered in tree sap. No, he was not suppose to be there but it was too resistible for him!
****edited to add****no sooner did I post this today and #4 came into the house with black hands and dripping blood. Well, he stayed away from the newly fallen trees; this time he hurt the other hand digging for worms! *sigh* he does keep things interesting :-)

Book Club

If you note the new picture to the right I am very excited to start the summer book club/bible study with the Good Morning Girls! It's not too late to join up with us-next Monday we will start the week getting to know our groups and the next we start the book Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson. Looking forward to getting to know some wonderful ladies as we study Gods word!

What would you do?

If you to eat this big, fat worm I'll give you ten dollars.

Will YOU take the challenge?

I would not.

But guess which kid took Grandpa up on this offer (much to his dismay!)


Do you know? I bet the Longfellow family knows the answer to this, maybe you do to.

Yes, it was ...................................................................


The Girl!!!

eeeeeewwwwwwwww!




Another pop quiz, this time not slimy.

What kind of bird is a hammock bird?

Clue: They are small, fast and hum.

Answer: hammock bird is #5 speak for humming bird.

Summer study

`So far we have managed to not float away in all this rain. Geesh! we go through rainy season on the island(ok, admittedly not bad this year) and then come to a super duper rainy season in the midwest-we must be nuts!
`I am hoping to toss any leftover Easter candy tomorrow because sugary kids stuck indoors does drive a momma a little batty! We did get to see the sun all day-I was so happy!! But once night fell, so did the rain again:)
Anyway, the true reason for the post: I wanted to share a link for some summer reading. I had been seriously thinking about this book already then came across a post from a blog I visit.
Would you like to join the Good Morning Girls in a summer study? If you'd like to you'll have to grab a book as the giveaway is over(sorry for my slowness in sharing!) Email me if you'd like to be in a study group with me, but feel free to join the group or do the study on your own!
Click on the link to find out more information but the book is Sally Clarkson's Ministry of Motherhood!