Been awhile since I have been on here and VERY excited for the possibilities that God has been presenting in our lives. I find it so interesting that our plans are NEVER as good as the ones our Lord has for us, and so humbling! What a mighty Savior! May I always remember to be thankful and live each day as best I can in knowing that they are such a precious gift.

Life has been so busy (3 children in 3 years will do that! lol) and full. Crazy, delightful, tiring, invigorating, like a whirlwind! What joys and struggles come with parenting! Things you never expect when you get into this. I just love the quote (thanks Mark) "Parenting is at least half for the parents!" Really puts it into perspective that the Lord uses all things in our lives to shape and mold us into what he wants us to be and boy OH boy does parenting work on that! We have the fruits of the spirit posted all over the house and EVERYone in the family can look at that as we live together and learn and love.

Hope your summers are warming and delightful!!!!

pics of jane :)

Jane and I the morning she was born.
at home, 3 days old and so very sweet :)

my sexy hubby posing :) and the crew playing in my parent's backyard :)
Me with Jane in belly... days before she was born :)
The boys, post bath time, having their movie time before bed :)

Jane Elise Black

Well, Jane came about 5 days after her due date predicted (July 23rd, 2010)... and she was a lovely chubby 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 20 inches long. The boys and I had been staying in Wenatchee since July 1st, wanting to make sure we were close to the hospital and all... my parents were re-modeling their upstairs floors when we got there :) crazy for a little while!!! We went on walks every morning and enjoyed our time with gramma and grandpa immensely :) in the end, we were glad we were close since we labored less than 3 hours and were only at the hospital for maybe 2 of those 3! (Much better than being in the car and worrying about making it! :) goodness!) We had a midwife who delivers at the hospital this time and it was incredible. She was so wonderful and knowledgeable as well as helpful! Made the whole experience better! Jane arrived a healthy gorgeous little girl and we are SOOOO blessed by her addition to our family! She is such a sweet baby and at 1 week old is already in compliance with a sleeping schedule! Praise Jesus for His abundance on our family! We are soooo blessed and thankful! I can't say enough about how different it is to have a girl, and how much I am loving it... it even makes me love the boys more. I am just a lovey mess apparently :) We are so glad to be home and together as a family.

New baby and wintertime :)

us in disney world... at least we are all looking at the camera!
oh how they love mickey mouse!
my baby and honey :)

Well, we are officially over 4 months along with this little apple in my belly... and it is SO much work! :) I have to remind myself that I have 2 crazy little boys and that is one of the main reasons I am SO tired... yep tired :)
Denver is working nights right now- a big deal for us. Why is it that daytime is so much easier with kiddos and when evening comes it's a ton more effort? goodness knows we will be glad when he is back on a day schedule. But, we are VERY thankful that the Lord is blessing us with all of these things, a healthy new baby come summer, work that provides for us, and our salvation most importantly! What a blessed Redeemer we have, how tenderly He cares for us even when we are stinky whiners!
Hope all of your winters are going well, I will be glad to go out and play in the dirt come spring! :)

The quest for frugality!

My lastest and favorite homemade cleaning supplies right now are the all-purpose cleaner and the window cleaner I found... the recipes are from Mary Jane Farms magazine.

The all purpose cleaner is WONDERFUL! you can create the smell you want by trying different scents of liquid castile soap in the mixture... I currently am using a lemon/almond scent and I am LOVING it! (personally I think this stuff works as well as 409 or fantastic and it only costs 30 cents to make 12-16 oz!!!!)

1 TBS WHITE VINEGAR
1 TBS LEMON JUICE
1 TBS LIQUID CASTILE SOAP
1 TBS BORAX
1 CUP DISTILLED H2O
(ESSENTIAL OILS - OPTIONAL)

(MIX AND PUT IN SPRAY BOTTLE)

The window cleaner is also really nice, the small bit of liquid castile soap makes a glass conditioner of sorts (the old windows at the ranch are thankful for sure!) It cleans like a dream and sort of revives the glass itself! (Currently I am using a peppermint castile soap and it helps cut the vinegar smell,plus it costs 5 cents for 16 oz!)

1/4 tsp -1/2 tsp LIQUID CASTILE SOAP
3 TBS WHITE VINEGAR
2 CUPS DISTILLED WATER

(MIX AND PUT IN SPRAY BOTTLE... SHAKE GENTLY BEFORE USE)


so, hope some of you try these and enjoy them! I am having such fun! and saving money while getting a fabulous, natural product... how great!

Sweet Summer

Some summer sweets and funnies...

Boaz my sweet with his head bandage... he took a nasty spill into the corner of a wall! learning to walk is treacherous!
We laughed for a good 20 minutes at gabriel my busy bee after Denver encouraged him to get "really dirty" in the field one night. he was rolling and laying in the dust, this picture is AFTER we blew him off with the air hose. I practically had to deep clean the bath tub after he got out!!! :)
This is a regular face from Boaz... especially if tickled or if Gabriel does something funny :)
The harvest line up complete with the working men :) Daddy (Denver) and Poppy (Monty)


Harvest has gone well this year, the crops are not good for anyone, but we are still very thankful to our Lord and Savior for keeping us afloat! His tender mercies and abundant blessings are the RICHES in our lives! We are truly thankful and blessed.