Psalms 104, (excerpts) Blessed be the Lord, O my Soul, O Lord you are very great...
You set the earth on its foundations so that it shall never be shaken... you cause the grass to grow for the cattle and
plants for people to use... O Lord how manifold are your works, In wisdom you have made them all... Bless the Lord!

Today

Today I went to storage and got my totes of scrapbooks. I've been spending a lot of time researching my family tree and wanted to get some more old photos to add to it.
I also went to Wal Mart and the Dollar Tree to get Easter goodies and printer ink.
The kids are looking foreword to Easter.
Friday,Emma noticed that there are Easter decorations all over the mall even though it's not Easter and wondered why. I told her that they want to remind us that Easter is coming and to celebrate. She added: "And for Jesus, he can save people you know." I love the simplicity and joy of children!
We had a great time that day. Teymoor took Isaiah for some guys only time, to play basketball and go out for dinner and Emma and I had "girl time" at the mall. We shared a plate of Chinese food, got her some new dress shoes, an Easter dress,a purse and earrings. We walked all over the mall looking and talking. Several times she said " I am having so much fun shopping with you mom!" I was having a blast too :)
Isaiah has been reading the Bible on his own lately. He read 17 chapters in Isaiah one day!
Hubby has been doing great at his new job. He finds it to be very rewarding and also encouraging to his faith. He is doing real ministry! Not the typical type of "ministry" that receives praise, like singing or watching undisciplined kids during service, but the kind that changes lives. The boys he cares for have been tortured, had parents kill themselves in front of them, beaten, hung in closets for days and all manor of evil done to them. They don't know love or compassion, but they are now asking my husband to read the Bible to them and pray with them every night. They want him to be their daddy because he is showing them that love is real and that Jesus wants and loves them. I am so proud of him.

Ancestry

My father in law has paid for a month's access to ancestry.com. It's wonderful! I have had such a fascinating time tracing my family lineage! I have gone as far back as the year 365 and have learned that I am a direct descendant of the kings of Wales and England. I've found photos of family castles and statues and am having lots of fun.
Uther Pendragon ( Father of THE King Arther) is a direct ancestor, along with many other famous royalty.
I even learned that the poem "Ol King Coel" is about an ancestor!
I plan to post various stories, so here is my first.


King Uther Pendragon
(c.AD 410-495)
(Welsh: Gwthyr; Latin: Uturius, English:: Uther)
Uther's story is first told by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his "History of Kings of Britain". As a one of the two younger brothers of the murdered King Constans, he apparently fled, at a young age, to the Royal Court of his cousin, King Budic I of Brittany and here he was raised. As a young man, Uther returned to Britain with his elder brother, Ambrosius, and together they fought for their ancestral rights, eventually defeating the usurping Vortigern and placing Ambrosius on the throne.

Throughout Ambrosius' reign, Uther was his brother's staunchest ally. He commanded the King's forces in Ireland when, with Merlin, he acquired the "Giant's Ring" as a memorial to the dead of the "Night of the Long Knives". Later, it was Uther who was victorious over the rebellious King Pasgen of Buellt & Gwerthrynion at St. Davids (Mynyw).

Uther took the crown under the title of "Uther Pendragon" after a dragon-shaped comet appeared in the sky at the time of his brother's death. Most of his reign was taken up with campaigning against Saxon and Irish invaders in the North of Britain, where he held court at Pendragon Castle in Westmorland. He was, at first unsuccessful against the Angles of Bernicia. Osla, allied with the Jutish Octa, defeated Uther's armies at York (Caer-Ebrauc). However, he soon turned the tables at the ensuing Battle of Mount Damen. Uther later travelled even further north to help the Kings of Strathclyde pacify the Scots.

It is at this point that the most famous episode in Uther's life is related. Returning to London (Caer-Lundein), he met Ygerna, the gorgeous wife of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall, and fell instantly in love with her. Determined to see her again he invited the Duke to return to the Royal Court, but Gorlois could see what was going on and flattly refused. The two quarrelled and Gorlois and his wife fled to Cornwall. Uther invaded the Duke's lands, but still impatient to be with his new love, he persuaded Merlin to use his powers to magic him into Ygerna's bed. Thus, while Gorlois was being killed at nearby St. Dennis (Dimilioc), Uther was transformed into his likeness. He walked straight into the lion's den at Tintagel Catsle (Din-Tagell) and seduced the lovely Duchess. Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte D'Arthur" claims that the price for this deception was that Uther's son, the future King Arthur who was conceived on that night, had to be given to Merlin to be brought up as he saw fit. Robert de Boron says Uther was responsible for the founding of the Order of the Round Table.

In old age, the sick and aging Uther was drawn into a renewed war with the Northern Angles. When his commander, King Lot of Lothian (Gododdin) was unsuccessful, the King was carried to St. Albans (Caer-Mincip) to besiege the Anglian Princes himself. He won through, but the Germans poisoned the water-supply and Uther, along with many of his men, died in the days that followed.

Despite the popular myth to the contrary, King Uther Pendragon was not created from the imagination of Geoffrey of Monmouth. He appears several times in earlier Welsh tradition, both in his own right and as father of King Arthur. In the 10th century poem, Pa Gur ("Who is the Porter?"), one of Arthur's companions is given as "Mabon ap Mydron, servant of Uthir Pen Dragon". A poem in the Book of Taliesin (some of which may date back to the 6th century) mentions Arthur and is named after Uther himself as Marvnat Uthyr Pen. Ymiddiddan Arthur a'r Eryr ("The Colloquy of Arthur and the Eagle"), a poem contemporary with Geoffrey yet showing a primitive tradition independent of him, identifies the eagle as Eliwlat mab Madawc mab Uthyr and a nephew of Arthur. Uther also appears in several early Triads of the Island of Britain and the personal name is known from other pre-Galfridian sources.

As an epithet, Pendragon can be interpreted as something like "Foremost Leader," "Chief Warleader" or "Chief of Warriors". In the Cambridge version of Nennius' "History of the Britons," there is an addition to Arthur's name of the line "in British mab Uter, that is in Latin terrible son, because from his youth he was cruel". This unlikely reference to Arthur's early character, has encouraged some researchers, to see Uthr-Pen-Dragon as a mere title (Terrible Chief Warleader) which should be applied to a King of another name. The most popular suggestion appears to be King Meurig ap Tewdrig of Glywysing and Gwent, as suggested by Blackett & Wilson and Barber & Pykitt.

Sources

Geoffrey Ashe (1980) A Guidebook to Arthurian Britain.
Peter C. Bartrum (1993) A Welsh Classical Dictionary.
Rachel Bromwich (1961) Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Welsh Triads.
Ronan Coghlan (1991) The Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends.
John Gwenogvryn Evans (1906) The Black Book of Carmarthen.
John Gwenogvryn Evans (1910) Facsimile and Text of the Book of Taliesin.
A.O.H. Jarman (1952) Llen Cymru II.
Thomas Malory (1485) Le Morte D'Arthur.
Geoffrey of Monmouth (1136) The History of the Kings of Britain.
Nennius (c.829) The History of the Britons (Cambridge Edition).
John Rous (c.1485) The History of the English Kings.



© Nash Ford Publishing 2001. All Rights Reserved.

Jer 6:15 (NAS) "Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush."

I have been feeling such deep amazement, disgust and contemplation at the state of today's "christian" raised youth!
Turn on the TV for 5 minutes and you will see something repulsive but when you see the same behavior coming from the very young people that you know it brings a deep feeling of grief!
There is no more shame for shameful behavior! There is no more hatred of sin!
I see pictures of friends, acquaintances and relatives that grew up in "christian" homes and churches behaving like the children of Sodom. They flaunt their drunkenness, and immodesty. They put photos of themselves on the Internet with only an arm and hand covering their nude body. They curse, smoke and "party", wear scant and provocative clothing and then go to "church" on Sunday.
And where are the adult Christians with their wisdom and reproof? They are ignoring and excusing behaviors that will ultimately kill and damn the ones that they claim to love. They are "winking" at sin in the name of youth and love.
They too have lost the awareness of shame.

1 Cor 15:34 Wake from this drunken fit; live righteous lives, and cease to sin; for some have no knowledge of God: I speak thus in order to move you to shame.

Happy Saint Pat's Day

It's been a busy week! Monday we went to the storage units and went through things for about four hours. It's never a fun job, as it's dirty and very hard to see all of our things getting ignored and often ruined. I got rid of 6 big bags of clothes and brought two totes home.
For dinner we drove through Freddy's and enjoyed the best fast food in town.
Yesterday I started going through some of the scrapbooking stuff and trying to recover the information on Emma's baby calendar. It got wet and all of the pages are stuck together so I had to tear each one apart and scrape of the paper. I printed off some calendar pages from the Internet and rewrote the whole thing.
I fixed oven baked chicken and my sisters recipe for awesome green beans and potatoes.
I've had an abscess on my gums for several days. It's very uncomfortable and draining it is quite disgusting. I think it's going away. Ugh..
Someone has changed my playlist song to profanity so if you heard it before I did I'M SORRY!
It's Spring Break for the public school students and Isaiah has been on break as well but I may have him do a bit of work today. It feels like we have to start over if he goes very long without practice.
I have quite a bit of cleaning and organizing to do today and supper to plan.
God is good ~

Thinking of Emily Today :)

Proverbs17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 13:20
He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harms.

Some of The Best Online Resources For Homeschooling (Free)

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search
This is a FANTASTIC site! Not only can you see the birds that you're learning about but you can hear their song as well.

http://animals.com/

http://www.insectidentification.org/

http://plants.usda.gov/

http://www.kansasnativeplantsociety.org/gallery.php

http://geology.com/

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question232.htm (Very extensive)

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/planetocean/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

http://www.pbs.org/

http://animal.discovery.com/

http://www.geography.com/

http://www.history.com/

http://www.besthistorysites.net/ (Very extensive)

http://abcteach.com/

http://www.kididdles.com/

http://www.sitesforteachers.com/ (LOTS of great links!)

http://www.math-drills.com/ (I use this every day)

http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/ekowalcz/math/elementary_web_sites.htm (interactive)

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_1st.htm (interactive math and language games)

http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/math/ (another great one)

http://www.literature.org/authors/ (FANTASTIC!!! Choose from many classic Authors and read or print entire books for free!)

http://www.classicreader.com/ (more great books)

http://www.rhlschool.com/english.htm

http://www.coloringcastle.com/state_coloring_pages.html

http://www.kidzone.ws/geography/usa/ ( I LOVE this site!)

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/kansas/

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiments/ ( A MUST SEE!!)

http://www.ushistory.org/

http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html

http://www.worldhistory.com/

http://www.everyculture.com/ (SO FUN!)

http://www.therainiervalley.com/recipes.html ( Recipes from around the World)

http://www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible.html

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm

http://www.booples.com/

http://science.discovery.com/videos/

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/plants-1.php

http://www.minerals.net/

IN lOVE

Marriage is such a wonderful thing! I have been thinking about the many seasons of marriage. There's the new love and excitement, the warm and cozy comfort of really knowing each other and there's the rough times when you wonder if it will work out the way it's supposed to.
We have had some VERY tough seasons; the death of babies, losing homes, losing jobs,losing family, family members telling one or both of us to give up on the other and even outright attacks. I think that many many people give up on their marriage during those really hard times. They think that the love is gone and without that "lovin feelin" there's nothing to look foreword to.
I'd like to convince people that even though the good feelings are sometimes replaced my pain and anger, that doesn't mean they should give up!
I have been with my man for 16 years and today I am so truly in love with him! I have those feelings of excitement, the warm and cozy feelings and the respect that comes from knowing that man will put up with me no matter what! I know what it means to be loved because love isn't just feelings, it's doing the right thing despite your feelings. If you do that, the wonderful feelings of a woman passionately in love and blissfully happy will become a very real part of your life.
Marriage should be forever and I am so glad that we never gave up, even when we wanted to.

Grandmas Recipes

I am planning to make a family recipes and traditions scrapbook so I asked my Grandma to send me her favorite recipes. I am so excited that she has sent me several of them and her directions for quick canning tomatoes!
I really love my Grandma Bonnie. :)
Here is one of her delicious favorites:
RHUBARB CREAM PIE
MIX:
1 1/2 CUPS SUGAR
3 TBLSP. FLOUR
1/2 TSP NUTMEG
1 TBLSP. BUTTER
ADD:
2 WELL BEATEN EGGS
3 CUPS CUT RHUBARB
POUR INTO ONE 9 INCH PASTRY LINED PIE PAN. TOP WITH PASTRY CUT INTO "FANCY" SHAPES.
BAKE IN VERY HOT (450) DEGREE OVEN FOR 10 MINUTES AND THEN AT 350 FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES.
ENJOY!

One of Our Favorites

Amazing Peach Blueberry Cobbler
COMBINE IN LARGE CAKE PAN:
2 LARGE CANS PEACHES, WITH JUICE
1-1LB. BAG BLUEBERRIES (OPTIONAL)
4 TBLSP. CORNSTARCH
½ CUP SUGAR
1 CUP BROWN CUGAR
¾ TSP. SALT
IN LARGE MIXING BOWL, COMBINE:
2 CUPS UNBLEACHED WHITE FLOUR
1 CUP WHEAT FLOUR
4 ½ TSP. BAKING POWDER
¾ CUPS BROWN SUGAR
¾ CUP SOFT BUTTER
1 CUP MILK
Drop dough by spoonfuls onto fruit mixture. Bake at 375 40-45 min.

It's another beautiful day! I rejoice for God's gifts of beauty and light! I am so glad that I can spend my days with my beautiful children and my wonderful husband!

PRO 12:4 A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a
disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

NOBLE: possessing, characterized by, or arising from superiority of mind or character or of ideals or morals

Character: moral excellence and firmness

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(Psalms 127:3-5

My Daily Dose of Pearl

A wise woman doesn’t take anything for granted. She is thankful to be loved and seeks to make herself more lovely.

My Daily Dose of Pearl

A wise woman sets a joyful mood in the household. She uses laughter, music and happy times to stir the children to a positive, joyful frame of mind. She knows this light-heartedness helps take stress off her husband.

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. ~Mark Twain

He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!
(Psalms 113:9 Holy Bible

TODAY

Today has been a lovely homeschooling day. After breakfast and coffee, Isaiah took his Abeka reading book into his room and read three different stories. He narrates a summary of each one so that I know how he's doing. He really enjoys reading. :)
While he was reading I laid Noah down for a nap an read six different books to Emma. She learned about creation, the flood and various animals.
After reading Isaiah came upstairs to watch Bill Nye. He learned about gravity an insects while I took Emma outside to ride her bike and blow bubbles.
Next we all walked to the park to swing and play.
When we got home I parked Noah on the porch and we cleaned the porch and front yard.
Hubby came home an I made hamburgers for lunch.
My recent order of books arrived this afternoon! I have read three to Emma already.
I also ordered a set of Music Machine Cd's and DVD and a Bullfrogs and Butterflies Cd.Listening to the new Cd's has been especially fun for me because I loved this music as a little girl.
Now it's supper time so I'd better get busy again.
I am so grateful for days like these!

Psalm 97:11-12 - "Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name."

My Daily Dose Of Pearl

"Wives must be careful not to feed the “feeling frenzy” by insisting that their husbands share their sensitive perspectives. Allow your husband to be a man without judging his spirituality when he acts out of objective convictions rather than touchy-feely sentiment. Do not interfere when your husband tries to make men out of your little boys. A good father must sometimes act a little bit like a Marine sergeant. If a child sees his mother’s hurt feelings, he will develop a chip on his shoulder and assume he is the victim and his dad is at fault.

The Bible recognizes the proper order when it says, “…speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things” (Ephesians 4:15). Truth directs love. Love, forgiveness and compassion cannot be indiscriminately given, or it will lead to injustice. To sympathize is not a luxury of truth.

I can see where some of what we have said can be taken out of context and used to justify the selfish responses of a husband and father. Nothing ever written is free from misuse. But a pure heart will see the wisdom and truth of the admonishment as it was intended. We call on you to resist this slide into the feminization of our culture, our churches, our homes, and most of all, our young men."

My Daily Dose of Pearl

"Show your daughter how wonderful life is by being an example of joy and creativity. Treat your little boys like men, and expect manly responses. Don’t demand that they be sensitive like girls. "

Vinegar Tips

Uses for Vinegar: Doing Laundry
by Christine Halvorson

Halvorson, Christine. "Uses for Vinegar: Doing Laundry." 16 March 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. 01 March 2010.

Vinegar is a veritable powerhouse when it comes to pretreating stains, softening water, and boosting regular laundry detergents. When cleaning fabrics, distilled white vinegar is preferred, but apple cider vinegar works just as well if that's what you have on hand.

This article includes a number of ways you can use vinegar to do a better job with your laundry. We'll start with the basics. (Please note: None of the tips listed here should be tried with dry-clean-only fabrics.)

Blankets: When washing cotton or washable wool blankets, add 2 cups of vinegar to the last rinse cycle. This will help remove the soap and make blankets soft and fluffy.

Clothes softener: Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the last rinse cycle of your wash to soften clothes.

Lint: Reduce lint buildup and keep pet hair from clinging to clothing by adding vinegar to the last rinse cycle.

Add some vinegar to the wash to soften your clothes.

New clothes: Some new clothes may be treated with a chemical that can be irritating to sensitive skin. Soak new clothing in 1 gallon of water with 1/2 cup vinegar. Rinse, then wash as usual.

Static cling: A good way to control static cling is to add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the last rinse cycle of your wash.

Special Fabrics

Delicates: If you're washing delicate items by hand, follow the garment's care instructions, and add 1 or 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the last rinse to help remove soap residue.

Leather: Clean leather with a mixture of 1 cup boiled linseed oil and 1 cup vinegar. Carefully apply to any spots with a soft cloth. Let dry.

Silk: Dip silks (do not soak) in a mixture of 1/2 cup mild detergent, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and 2 quarts cold water. Rinse well, then roll in a heavy towel to soak up the excess moisture. Iron while still damp.

As you'll see in the next section, vinegar can be used for special laundry needs as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cleaning Colors and Removing Stains

Vinegar can work magic when it comes to washing colored garments and removing stains. Here's how:

Colors

Any colored clothing item that has become dulled can be brightened by soaking it in 1 gallon warm water and 1 cup vinegar. Follow this with a clear water rinse.

Yellowing: When hand washing linen, wool, or silk, prevent them from yellowing by adding 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse water.

Removing Stains
Vinegar is a great ally in the fight against laundry stains. Here are a few examples:

Coffee and tea: For coffee stains or tea stains that have set, soak item in a solution of 1/3 cup of vinegar to 2/3 cup of water, then hang the garment out in the sun to dry.

A Vinegar-Based Rust-Removal Paste

Make a thin paste of vinegar and salt, then spread the paste on rust stains in fabric. Lay the item out in the sun to bleach it, or apply paste, stretch fabric over a large kettle, and pour boiling water through the stained area.

In both cases, allow the item to dry, then check the stain. Run the item through the rinse cycle in the washing machine, then check the stain again. Repeat treatment if any stain remains.

Grass: Removal of severe grass stains on white clothes can be helped along by soaking it in full-strength vinegar for a half-hour before washing.

Gum: If sticky spots remain after removing a piece of gum from clothing, soak gum stains in vinegar for 10 to 15 minutes. Launder as usual.

Ink: An older ink stain in cotton fabric may be helped by spraying with hair spray. Dab with vinegar to remove the sticky spray.

Juice: Dried red berry juice may be removed from bleach-safe garments by soaking it in a solution of 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 water. Then wash as usual.

Mildew: A mixture of salt, vinegar, and water should remove mildew stains on most fabrics. Use up to full-strength vinegar if mildew is extensive.

Pretreatment: For synthetic blends or old stains on natural materials, presoak the stain in ammonia before applying vinegar and water.

A basic mixture of half water and half vinegar as a laundry pretreatment can do the trick with many common stains on clothing. Keep a spray bottle of this in your laundry room. Spray mixture on the stains before washing to give an extra boost.

As you've seen, vinegar can be of great help when it's time to do laundry. It's certainly better than buying new clothes.

A Vinegar-Based Stain Remover
Keep this pretreatment solution on hand in the laundry room to use on virtually all tough clothing stains. Just combine:

•1/2 cup vinegar


•1/2 cup ammonia


•1/2 cup baking soda


•2 squirts liquid soap


•2 quarts water
Keep the solution in a clearly labeled spray bottle.

A Window into Emma's Mind ~

Emma to Daddy about him going to work:
"Do you have to go to that dark place? Can't you stay here with me in the Land of Rainbows?"
Have I mentioned that my Emma is EXTREMELY creative?

My Daily Dose of Pearl

"Are you a frustrated parent? Is your brow drawn tight as if pulled by draw strings? If parenting is not enjoyable, be assured, you have a bad attitude. When your children look into your face what do they see? They are not fooled. They know what you feel toward them. Your face is a graph of approval or rejection. Verbal “positive affirmation” is not enough; in fact, it is worse than nothing if there is not genuine delight in your heart. Children can see through a parent who is made of muddy water. If they see disappointment and criticism they will answer in kind. Discontented parents breed discontented children. Your attitude is the root of the family attitude tree. A bitter root cannot produce sweet fruit."
http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/general-view/archive/1996/january/01/bad-attitude/