Merry Christmas!

This Christmas seemed to come so fast but I did get some time for Advent reflections. I have so many opportunities where I live to hear great sermons and attend beautiful Masses. I feel so blessed.

Here are a few more recent snow pics. We still have a lot of snow on the ground for a white but icy Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

More snow pics

Snow Day

We had our first big snow today. We probably had 7 inches of snow!

Mikey really wanted to get outside and throw some snowballs. He threw one at me and said "Bull's eye!" He's been waiting to do this for awhile now!

The girls got out there too and went on the new tire swing while throwing snow at each other (pics to follow). I enjoyed the snow too although I don't have the proper snow gear yet (boots, gloves and warm coats to follow).

Mikey's 4th birthday

Mikey turned 4 on the day after Thanksgiving. He had a wonderful day and in the evening, some of his friends came over for his birthday party. We had a farm theme and he's really enjoying his new barn and the animals.

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Psalm 127:3

A Sentence...

Mikey spoke a sentence the other day (without prompting)
He said "Sheep...eat...grass."
This may not seem like a big deal to most but around here...
I am so proud of him and so glad he's moving beyond putting 2 words together. He's also become very good at computer games (Dad taught him how to use the mouse), memory games and he's singing a lot of songs.

Skyline Drive

Julia, Mikey and I took a drive up Skyline Drive on a beautiful, clear day. Mikey was thrilled to be back up on the mountain climbing rocks and he loves the museum there too. Unfortunately, we got there only a few minutes before closing and Mikey didn't understand that one. Here are a few pics from our outing.

Youngest and Oldest

I love these photos of Hannah and Mikey. I love how Mikey is looking at the camera instead of away. His eye contact is better and he's improving a lot lately.

Coconut Oil

My blog would not be complete if I didn't get on my soapbox about coconut oil!

Coconut oil has really helped my low thyroid problem and improved my energy level. I try to get around 2 T. a day of the oil and other natural coconut products. I originally found out about the benefits by reading an article in Above Rubies and through the Weston Price Foundation.

I think the coconut is one of God's greatest gifts to us (in the way of food). It's funny because I never liked coconut when I growing up because it was the fake kind! Once I tried the real thing, I loved it! My latest love in coconuts is the young coconut. They are super good for you. They different from the "old" ones. The young ones have more juice and the "meat" is soft. My younger kids fight over the "meat"!

Coconut oil is also great for losing weight because it speeds up your metabolism. The people in the world who still eat a lot of coconut and their traditional diet are some of the healthiest people on the planet! No cancer, heart problems etc.

My favorite way to eat coconut lately is with a little lemon or lime with salt. "Put the lime in the coconut ..."

Here's a recipe from Nourishing Traditions which I have used many times for an easy pie crust so I can get a good amount of coconut:

Coconut Pie Crust

1/2 C. melted coconut oil

2 Cups dried unsweetened coconut meat, finely shredded (I buy the bagged organic kind)

Mix coconut with the oil in a small bowl. Transfer to a buttered, floured 9 inch pie pan and press firmly and evenly against the bottom and sides. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool.

I fill it with homemade chocolate pudding. Yum!

Lately...

I'm currently without a working camera

so here's some old baby Mikey pics

Lately, I'm loving:

cooler days

lots of helpers with Mikey

going to my new workout place

lots of hummingbirds at the feeder

great times with the family

fresh eggs from the chickens

good friends

fresh goat's milk

chocolate (dark)

walking to 7:30 am Mass

time with the Lord

What I'm not loving lately:

bad bug bites all swollen, red and infected

when kids are quarreling

vet bills

other bills

Hey, the good outweighs the bad! :)

Birthday Getaway

Michael and I took a trip up to Bird in Hand, PA. to visit a Amish area for my birthday. We had a wonderful visit there and it was such a beautiful time of the year to visit! I love being around the Amish and they are so friendly and helpful. We bought honey, cheese and produce etc. I enjoyed going into Amish homes, looking at their quilts and seeing their gardens. They're amazing!

We found a great store run by the Amish called BB's. It's a discount store with "bents, bumps and a bunch of bargains". I could not believe the incredible prices. I would love to go there again!

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday, Michael!

I hope you had a wonderful day!!

Love always from me and the kids

P.S. Some of these pictures really remind me of Mikey :)

New words

I am real happy with how Mikey is progressing! He's been very interactive and seems to be picking up speed with his language. He's starting to put some verbs with all the nouns he knows. I'm so happy to hear "fox running", "lion swimming" and "Mikey's turn", etc.

He's repeating a lot of words that we say and recently went from "hippo" to "hippopotamus". He seems real proud of himself to say this big word. He continues to be fascinated with animals (especially wild animals from Africa).

I realized recently that he can sight read several words. I was writing some down and he started reading them off to me. He also goes around spelling words: fox...f o x .

I'll save the negative stuff he's been doing for another time :)

More Purple Martins

I visited my neighbor's purple martins today. What a thrill to see so many martins flying in the air! Now to get them over my way...

July Pics

My sister, Caryl, from Washington state came to visit me this past week! We had a great time (often talking until the early morning) and we enjoyed the 4th of July together. She's such a great sister and a help. She is like having my own personal Supernanny. She's helped me to see things with Mikey that I would not have seen otherwise. Thank you, Caryl, I love you!

I'm including some goat pictures. "Sweet-tart" is giving plenty of milk and I milk her twice daily. I took the pics when she was ready to be milked. She was telling me to stop taking pictures and get over here!

Marianna's birthday

Marianna turned 14 this month! Here are a few pics from Marianna's birthday party and a few other random photos.