Knapp Family Journal

G.O.S.P.E.L.

2012-02-06T16:59:00.000-05:00

Sex, Marriage & Fairytales

2012-01-31T16:17:00.001-05:00

2012-01-20T17:09:00.000-05:00

Spring

2011-05-24T12:57:00.004-04:00

Well, it is only natural to start with something so sweet. Miss Hannah strutting her stuff as she helps in the garden. She is an excellent helper for being two.

Don't forget Susanna! She will be turning six in June and she is usually doing something outside and avoids school at all cost.

Dylan is 12 and he is pure boy. He helps our neighbor on his farm. Yes, he does smile all the time!

Abigail is very unique. We are pretty sure that Troy has his next engineer in training. She dislikes making bread and would rather read. She can memorize Scripture within a short amount of time and puts the rest of us to shame.

Brookelyn is differently my right hand. She is always willing to help and often times I do not even have to ask;unless, she is reading a book. Being 14, she still thinks guys are gross.

Here is a scary picture of Troy trimming a tree. He did not have any major mishaps but we did have to remind him to watch the blade!Because Troy has cat like moves, he did make it out of the tree without breaking his neck.
Preparing the garden is a family affair. No slackers here! You must work or you don't eat. The strawberries are doing great. We only have a few more things to plant. Our neighbor left a spot to the north of our house and told us we could plant there since it is too narrow of a strip for the tractor to be able to maneuver it well. We will need to till it. I plan on planting sweet corn. potatoes and sweet potatoes in the additional space. I feel that we have a great responsibility to lay up food in the summer. It is a lot of hard work but were else can you work together as a family and instill character into your children and teach them to work?

Ross is 16 and I sure do like having him home to do the work of a man when his dad isn't home. He does the work without me even asking. He sees a job and he gets it done. Plus, he is hoping that Dad will take them fishing on Saturday since all of the work is done. Grace is just delicious. She is 8 and she is always wanting to snuggle or have a story read to her but we are noticing that she tends to be the family clown when she is not giggling.

Who's in the Chicken House?

2011-04-19T14:08:00.002-04:00

Susanna and Hannah

History, Science and Writing

2011-04-14T12:33:00.002-04:00

You have been very patient with my lack of diligence to post. Thank you.

Ok. My top picks for history are Mystery of History, Story of the World and lots of books from the library! I think MOH, and SOTW are both very good but too brief so we fill in the gaps with library books. Plus, I think the children get a better view of history when they read it from different view points so they can use some critical thinking skills. Example.. reading about slavery from the perspective of a slave, plantation owner, Abe Lincoln's perspective, and a Quakers ( who, by the way, aided in the underground railroad) as you can see it opens their eyes up to equality, ethics, social structure and unity.

If you like the unit study approach Beautiful Feet guides are an excellent resource. If you want a complete program look into Sonlight.

Here are some other history resources we use A Basic History of the United States by Clarence B. Carson for a conservative view, A History of Us by Joy Hakim for a liberal view and Genevieve Foster's books for another world perspective. Plus numerous historical fiction.

Science. I love science! But I am probably one of the few parents who dislike Apologia. I think the elementary Apologia science is excellent but the high school books make science a bore ( my humble opinion). We have used Apologia all the way from elementary to tenth grade so far. I have all of their high school books except the Advanced Physics. My solution for next year for the high school level is co op. I think a group setting may make it more fun.

I do not like the module approach. Little tiny sections over abstract thoughts and facts. I think a more integrated approach would be the best way to teach science concepts instead of isolating each topic.

Apologia is also heavily creationist based which as a christian is good but for your future scientist they better know evolution inside and out so they can handle the college science classes without losing their faith. Our young people need to know that not everyone agrees with our views but that does not mean that our view is wrong.

We like the series Exploring the World of... written by John Hudson Tiner to help make science fun.

Writing. We use the Institute for Excellence in Writing by Andrew Pudewa. We really like it and the children enjoy his entertaining lessons. The price is hefty but worth it if you have multiple children. If you have a child or two look for a co op that uses the program or consider Writing Strands. We have used both programs but we like IEW the best.

The downside to IEW is it is time consuming and requires involvement. If you are pressed for time consider Writing Strands. Writing Strands is also non consumable,but it requires very little involvement.

Here are a few books, off the top of my head. I I have read numerous books over the years but these books are the ones I always refer back to.

Educating the Whole- Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson
The Well- trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola

Feel free to share your favorite books with the rest of us. We are always looking for good books:)

Vocab, Penmanship, and Math

2011-04-04T13:33:00.004-04:00

On we go through my little world of personal opinions about books. Remember each family is unique so find your grove and press on. If you can relate to my personality these little tidbits may help you and if you are the opposite of me just reverse my opinions in your head and use the product!

I like Wordly Wise for vocabulary. I like WW far better than Abeka's spelling and vocab program. Wordly Wise has a wonderful website with pronunciation, definitions and games. Another plus is that the children do it by themselves except for reading me their words.

We use Italic writing for penmanship.

I have used a few different math programs over the years Mastering Mathematics, Rod and Staff, Developmental Math,the sacred cow, Saxon and Teaching Textbooks.

Mastering Mathematics did not work for me because it was not my teaching style. It required more work on my part to do the games. Good program but not my style. Another down side was that I lived in Ohio at the time and had to be "evaluated" yearly so I had some guidelines that I had to follow. Since MM focused on one concept at a time ex. adding from single digits all the way to adding multiple digits before moving on to subtraction I would have to do a lot of bouncing around in the books to meet the state's requirements. The program did provide a guide to help direct the parents but I did not want the hassle.

Rod and Staff is a wonderful program that is very inexpensive and comprehensive. Their books from first grade to second are consumable but from third grade on they are hardback books. Just write your answers in a notebook. It is very economical and simple to use.

Developmental math is a good program written by an Egyptian. If you know anything about Egyptians, they know numbers. My husband, being an engineer, really liked the beginning books. He thought it helped the children to understand numbers instead of just concepts. Troy did not care for the more advanced books so that brings us to Saxon.

After much resisting, we switched to Saxon. Troy teaches math from fourth grade to seven grade using Saxon. He really likes it and thinks it does a very good job teaching math. I use Saxon from first grade to third. I have to be honest, Rod and Staff is better for 1-3 grade but it lacks hands on manipulations so that is why I use Saxon for 1-3.

For eighth grade on, we use Teaching Textbooks because of convenience. Troy doesn't have the time in the mornings to adequately teach the more advanced math subjects (I surely don't want to!) so we elected to use Teaching Textbooks. The older children really like the program and the younger children look forward to graduating into the computer based program.

We are planning on using Jacob's Geometry Seeing ,Doing Understanding after Algebra 1. We also purchased Sketcher's Pad to use with it. We will skip Teaching Textbooks only because Troy loves geometry and would like to do it with the children. He can't get Ross or Brookelyn interested in trig and he is eager for a fellow trig lover!

Now, I am not a math person so this is what works for me but Troy, being an engineer, loves geometry and trigonometry. He does not feel that Algebra is needed to take Geometry but we do it anyways, because he thinks algebra helps with abstract thinking skills. We do not demand mastery but a general knowledge. Also, we do not feel like we have to do every problem in any book, ever! I do not weigh the children down with numerous problems everyday just so I can say " we did math today." Again, it should be fun and when things are hard that is the time to do "extra" problems not when they understand a concept.

Next up writing, history and science.

Grammar and Spelling

2011-03-28T12:16:00.002-04:00

I have used many grammar programs over the years including the Easy Grammar series, Rod and Staff, and Learning Language Arts Through Literature. I have decided this year to do things different. I needed a program that covered all the bases for me and required no prep time. I decided to go with Abeka. I have been very pleased with their elementary grammar program. Abeka is very repetitious and very detailed to the point of overkill if you are not trying to produce English majors. I use it use a guide and I like to skip exercises that are repetitious or what I personally think is not needed. My goal is to not bog the children down with tedious class room exercises( Abeka is not homeschool friendly for it was designed for class room use) but to introduce them and encourage mastery on the basics of grammar. I use their middle school and high school grammar also but I do find them very repetitious from year to year. There is a lot of repeating. We school year around so I do a light review and spend more time on the more difficult things.

As for spelling, I love Spelling Workout. I have used it consistently since Brookelyn and all of the children are great spellers.

Ross is not a good speller and we tried Spelling Power but to no avail. I wish I would of started him in Spelling Workout when he was young but I messed him up. He is a good reader but a horrible speller. Ross is currently using Beyond Phonics . He likes it and he is not frustrated with the program which is a big plus. The old saying that if they are good readers they will be good spellers is a lie. I have not found that so in this family. I did not introduce Ross to spelling thinking he would learn it by reading but that did not happen and so now I have a frustrated 16 year old who hates spelling so start spelling as soon as they read.

Phonics

2011-03-23T13:19:00.004-04:00

My top pick for phonics is the Victory Drill Book. It is a non consumable book that is very simple to use. It requires no preparation on my part which is a big plus for me. I taught five children how to read from this book and I have never finished the book. VDB offers worksheets that can be reproduced for home use if you want some extra reinforcement. I have used the worksheets twice! Spelling is done from the reading list. Very simple. I want to point out that the VDB is under $15.00 which is a great buy!

I must admit, I fell for the hype for Sing,Spell,Read & Write. The songs are catchy and the games are cutesy but it is overkill for this gal! The price is a hefty one $195.00. If you hate dawdled don't buy this program. The worksheets are very repetitious. If you love games and music and have lots of time to spare go for it! Susanna currently uses this program under Brookelyn's tutelage. Because I am not a big fan of SSRW, I make Susanna do the VDB when she is in a good mood. I will not be using it again or finishing Susanna in the program. Any buyers?

I also have Abeka's Handbook for Reading. The cost is $10.25 and you do not need to buy the teacher's book. Abeka is a solid program but it also tends to be to class roomish. You could spend a small fortune buying all the "class room" helps.

Once again, these are my opinions feel free to post your own ideas if you disagree. Each mother has her own style. There is not right way but there is a wrong way. The wrong way is when the mother and the children hate "doing" school. Revamp your style and lower your expectations. Do what ever it takes to establish a relationship with your children. Instill a love for learning in your children.

Homeschooling outside Someone Else's Shadow

2011-02-28T13:46:00.005-05:00

There is no right way to homeschool and most homeschoolers I know use a variety of styles to uniquely make their own technique. What works for one family may not work for you. Often times, we foolishly compare ourselves to someone else's strong points and lose heart that we are not as creative or disciplined or organized but the truth is that we are NOT to be a shadow of someone else.
I want to encourage you to bloom where you are planted. You need to realize that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Find your strength.

This school year has been my hardest. Six out of the seven children are doing school and the little suckle pig just wants to suckle. On top of all that, my oldest does not like book learning which makes it hard on mom to find his niche. He focuses more on delight directed projects in addition to my requirements. The rest of the children enjoy book learning so they are easier to teach. I continue to critique our homeschool every year. Depending on our family needs,I either lighten the load or go full steam ahead. I am not a hands on type momma. I do not like crafts or art so that determines some of the products we use. There are a lot of good products out there but not every product will work for me.
Next time I am going to share with you my current schedule and what products I like and what products I wish I would of not bought.

Dinosaurs

2011-01-02T22:52:00.001-05:00

IT IS FINALLY HERE!

2010-11-03T14:22:00.005-04:00

The Way Home Beyond Feminism Back to Reality by Mary Pride is back in print. Originally written 25 years ago you can now get your 25 anniversary edition for $12.99 at http://www.home-school.com/catalog/detail.php3?code=TWH.

So you are wondering why I am ga ga over this book. It changed my direction as a woman,wife and mother. I will leave you this description from www.home-school.com

"This 25th Anniversary Edition preserves the original book's text, so you can see for yourself how accurate its social predictions were. You will also find a new Preface and Afterthoughts dealing with such topics as

- Home Business (what kind NOT to start)
- TV and the Internet (the latest research and some suggestions)
- Fruitfulness (why "trusting God for your family size" is not a "baby derby")
- Modesty (it's important, but it's not about skirt lengths)
- Where the Patriarchy movement has veered off-course (starting with its name!)

Just as thought-provoking as the original edition, the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Way Home brings the Bible's message on family and social roles to an entire new generation of Christian women. Buy one for yourself, and more for your daughters!"

This book and Created To Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl are two of the best books for women. You can buy Created To Be His Help Meet at this link http://nogreaterjoy.org/blogs/createdtobehishelpmeet/.

Dylan in the John Deere

2010-10-09T09:23:00.002-04:00

Judgment Seat of Christ

2010-10-06T14:14:00.003-04:00

Here is snippet from Leonard Ravenhill's sermon The Judgment Seat of Christ.

Do You Know Leonard Ravenhill?

2010-09-21T15:42:00.002-04:00

Is it just me or are you sick and tired of playing church and want to be the true church? Here are some of my favorite speakers.

If you are not familiar with Leonard Ravenhill you are missing some depth in your Christian walk. I would encourage you to read his writings and listen to his sermons. Here is a sample.

You need to be familiar with two big names in evangelism; Ray Comfort and Mark Cahill. They will get you motivated to share the gospel. They will also give you some good tips and confidence in evangelism. Here is a video from Ray Comfort. How many times have we heard that excuse
" but I am a good person" or " I don't do what so and so does so...." His website is livingwaters.com. Livingwaters has some of the best tracts.

Mark Cahill has some good books on evangelism. Here is the link to his website. www.markcahill.org. Also, if you live close to Winona Lake you may want to stop by and hear him in November.Here is a sermon by Mark Cahill.

Well, that is enough meat for today but please take the time and fill yourselves up with a hearty meal of the Word and then go walk it off while sharing the good news with others.

Daddy's Girls

2010-09-18T16:23:00.008-04:00

Troy with his girls.

Busy Summer

2010-08-12T14:12:00.002-04:00

I am not sure where the summer is going but I am hanging on by a thread!

So many things going on here and a few changes that have been easy and hard for this old chick.

One of the hardest things this summer has been seeing my oldest son who is 15 work like a man. He is working 40 hours or more a week learning skills that will help him the rest of his life. One of our goals for coming home was to get Ross established as an apprentice.Well, we have lucked out. We did not want just any person influencing our son. We have invested a lot into his training only for it to be destroyed by a mere man. We have an eternal goal that is more important than the earthly goal of employment. Ross started out doing kitchen and bath remodelling and installation but know has moved on to his favorite thing which is new construction rough framing. We couldn't be happier for his growth spiritually and physically. We are so thankful for the godly men who are investing in his life. We are proud of his diligence and determination. That is what separates the boys from the men. Pray for your first born! I mean fight the devil off with everything in your prayer closet! No time for pansy praying! Get in there! While you are in there, pray for all of them.

Dylan has been busy helping neighbors and family with odd and end jobs. He is the man in the family now that Ross is working outside the home. He has excelled in the garden. I can vouch for his delectable and juicy muskmelons!

Brookelyn purchased her first sewing machine. A wonderful Janome that she is mastering. She is more mechanical than her mom. Her goal for the coming school year is sewing and knitting and selling her items at farmer's markets.

Abigail will be starting sewing this year. Grace and Susanna are very busy being into everything. Actually, Grace and Susanna have really stepped up to bat. They have become great babysitters to Hannah when the rest of us are busy canning.

Oh, canning! So much canning. I will take a picture when we are all done for the season to give you an idea what is involved with our canning. There are plenty of families who out do us but we are adding more each year to our list of things that need to be canned.

That is just a glimpse of our summer.More pics soon!

I Couldn't Resist

2010-06-16T22:31:00.002-04:00

Do you have a song in your heart?

Forever Gone or For A Season

2010-04-27T10:52:00.005-04:00

Well, I am not sure which it will be. I have felt such a conviction about the Internet lately. I have an obsessive personality which translates- things can control me more than I can control the urge to do something. Not everyone is obsessive. I benefit from many who have the balance but I am not one of them.

A couple of thoughts before I go. I have struggled over the years with wanting to be a nurse-midwife. I want to tell you what the Lord has done for me about this issue. He truly has set me free! Over the years the root of the career woman has never been completely pulled. I will share with you how HE pulled the root of individualism and independence from me.

2 Samuel 2

¹⁸And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.

¹⁹And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

²⁰Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.

²¹And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.

²²And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?

²³Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

What does this mean, you ask? It means. That I need to be like Asahel. I need to stay so focused on my goals for my family that I do not turn to the left or the right. No compromise! I need to pursue after the Lord and my family like Asahel. I need to be on guard against little foxes that spoil the vine. You know what I mean. Things you let in to your life that months ago you would NEVER of allowed. Or you are living a life that you never thought you would be living because the Deceiver came and told you some lies that you believed. I substituted my name in a verse so it would make the scripture more personal to me so I read it like this

¹⁹And ESHELL pursued after JESUS ; and in going ESHELL turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following JESUS.

God wants us to remain diligent. He wants our full affection and time. He wants us out sharing the GOSPEL and living a consistent life that glorifies HIM. He wants us to be without blemish.

²⁷That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Eph. 5:27

As I was meditating on Asahel I had to go to town and on the way home I saw a visual aid. There was a Charity family outside working together in their garden with their many children. I felt a sense of " that is my goal. A family working together for the Kingdom of God planting seeds of Christ in the hearts of men. Living a holy life. Weeding sin from our lives so we can have lasting fruit. Sprinkling grace and love around us so the world can see Jesus in us."

I don't desire to look like or be like the world in my heart. I just needed to be more diligent at keeping my heart weed free from the lies of the Deceiver. God' s Word says very simply in the Amplified version

Titus 2

¹BUT [as for] you, teach what is fitting and becoming to sound (wholesome) doctrine [the character and right living that identify true Christians].

²Urge the older men to be temperate, venerable (serious), sensible, self-controlled, and sound in the faith, in the love, and in the steadfastness and patience [of Christ].

³Bid the older women similarly to be reverent and devout in their deportment as becomes those engaged in sacred service, not slanderers or slaves to drink. They are to give good counsel and be teachers of what is right and noble,

⁴So that they will wisely train the young women to be ^a]">[a]sane and sober of mind (temperate, disciplined) and to love their husbands and their children,

⁵To be self-controlled, chaste, homemakers, good-natured (kindhearted), adapting and subordinating themselves to their husbands, that the word of God may not be exposed to reproach (blasphemed or discredited).

In the King James version

Titus 2

¹But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

²That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

³The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

⁴That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

⁵To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

I want to point out that a keeper at home also means a stayer and guardian of your home. We all know we need to guard what we allow in our home but what about staying at home. I know there is a lot of good stuff out there to do like homeschool skating, co op days, library day and sports. Can I challenge you to stay at home for awhile? Just test me on this. I can bet that you will have better control over the environment of your home if your feet stayed home more. You will like your children better and they will like you better after they get over being told no. I hear so many stories from mommas who are burned out from running to this event to this event and then they wonder why the children are not content being home or why they don't want to serve their families. It is because they are selfish. Their hearts are full of themselves. If you want children to be more peer dependent than God dependent keep putting them with other foolish immature children and dare I say some adults?

Proverbs 22:15 (King James Version)

¹⁵Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Examine your home environment. Do you like your children's music? Do you know what they are listening to? Are they servers? Do they spend more time talking about sports heroes than God? Scripture makes it clear that we are not to emulate?

Galatians 5

¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

²⁰Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

²¹Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Emulations or to emulate means to strive to be like or to imitate. Are your children trying to be like fallen sports heroes? peers? musicians? the world? We tend to over look their heart and just watch for outward signs of rebellion instead of watching what comes out of their mouth. Be a guardian and a stayer at home. Limit what activities you do. We have the power to say "no!" Be diligent in guarding your flock!

God's Word is the FINAL AUTHORITY. We should not try and justify things by the way we feel, or try and fix our situation by rushing ahead of the LORD.

Jeremiah 17:9 (King James Version)

⁹The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Ask yourself if you have been diligent in keeping your heart and life in accordance to God's Word?Don't just read it; live it!

Remember we have an enemy.

1 Peter 5:8 (King James Version)

⁸Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

John 10:9-10 (King James Version)

⁹I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

¹⁰The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Student loans, jobs outside the home, personal debt are all traps that hinder your purpose in life. They are snares. Let me say as someone who is working on getting out of debt. It is never ok to go into debt. If God wanted you to do it; He would prepare a way for you to do it. If the devil wants you to do it it will require a signature on a unsecured debt that you will sell yourself into slavery to pay off.

Proverbs 22:7 (King James Version)

⁷The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

If you want an abundant life; follow the WORD. Receive it's teaches, believe it, walk in faith to live it and then do it! God's way is always contrary to our way. God's way is the way that leads to the Prince of PEACE.

Love to you all!

Healthy Recipes, Laundry Soap and Dishwasher Recipe

2010-04-21T11:00:00.003-04:00

When you say "healthy" it usually means tasteless but "healthy" doesn't have to be tasteless.

Now for two vegan recipes that actually taste good and are simple. I am not vegan but I like to try new things:)

Brown Rice Delight

2 cups cooked brown rice
1 chopped apple
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together and eat. Be creative add nuts or more fruit!

Skillet Teaser

This one is little harder to give exact measurements so I will tell you what I do.

In your skillet coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil then add 1 diced small onion,1 diced bell pepper (I use orange, red or yellow), 2 chopped large mushrooms( I use large button mushrooms), 1 shredded large carrot ( use two small if you don't have juicer size carrots) and 1 or 2 shredded medium potatoes. Cook until tender. Then season to your taste.

Feel free to adjust each recipe to your personal taste add more or take out things you don't like. Live on the edge and experiment with your food.

Happy eating! Now on to our homemade soap recipes for the washer machine and dishwasher.

Here is our laundry soap recipe. There are lots of recipes out there but this is what we use. Check out Plain Pam's recipe at the side bar for another alternative.

Arm and Hammer washing soda ( not baking soda)
20 Mule borax

We use 1/3 of EACH for a large load. Adjust the measurements to find out what works best for your family.

Also, for the dishwasher we use 20 Mule borax. We fill one disperser and that is it. We do buy Seven Generation dishwasher detergent to run occasionally to keep the hard water stains in check.For those who don't know dishwasher detergent is VERY toxic. If you have had cancer or if it runs in your family DO NOT use commercial dishwasher detergent. Research it out for yourselves.

Blessings!

Hannah's Explosion

2010-04-19T11:53:00.002-04:00

I dread Monday. I don't really have a good reason to loathe Monday. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad if I adjusted my attitude. Well, today finally convinced me I should of stayed in bed this morning.

All I need to say is Hannah. Oh, that little girl is full of it.

So I will back up a bit. The day started out typical. Milked the goat, decided to torture myself and do T-Tapp www.t-tapp.com

My thighs were on fire! After my shower I came down stairs to get Hannah ready for the day. She smelled bad. So that was no big deal until I saw it in her hair and her back and her belly and her little paps! Oh, Lord! She was loaded and over filled. Crisis mode set in. Where do you begin? I gave up on baby wipes and went with a stand up bath. I have never seen so much poo. In order to give you the full picture I started the Daniel fast yesterday http://daniel-fast.com/about.html
We went to a farewell party for some friends. There was some much yummy food that I wanted but I was good. Then this morning my bowels were rebelling and then Hannah's explosion.

Oh,Lord. I knew I needed help but I didn't realize it would be all about food and poo!

Some of my Favorite Things

2010-04-07T13:11:00.004-04:00

If you just started to sing a song from Sound of Music then we are kindred spirits.

I thought I would list some of my favorite things for you today.

Homemade stink stopper aka. deodorant! Thanks to Trisch for the recipe that has saved us a fortune in odor control at the Knapp household.

1 tbs. baking soda
1 tbs. cornstarch
5-10 drops tea tree oil
5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)

We double the recipe and store in little glass bowls from Pampered Chef. I mix with a Q-tip and apply with a cotton ball. Yes, it really works.

For my homeschool moms. I love Teaching Textbooks. They are worth every penny! Just take the price tag and divide it by how many children you have to convince yourself to pay the price. If you have only 1 child see if you can find it used. I highly recommend it. Teaching Textbooks offers free placement tests. www.teachingtextbooks.com

These are a few of my favorite things.

March Pics

2010-03-31T15:17:00.003-04:00

Miss Hannah taking a break after a long day.

Abigail reading instead of working.

Susanna and Grace enjoying the tire swing.

Miss Annie the milking Togenburg. She was a great deal. She has personality. I am sure that she is going to be the Queen Goat.

Ross tilling the garden.

Do I really need to say anything? Mr.Knapp trimming the cherry tree. I am just glad that a chain saw was NOT used. Can you imagine the risk factor?

More Pics

2010-03-21T07:57:00.003-04:00

First I will introduce you to my mom's newest English Bulldog,Sissy. She is 6 weeks old. Does she look relaxed?

Next up, are 3 registered Oberhasli goats who think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

Troy (my husband) managing Hannah(10months) and my sister's baby,
Dane(7months).

My sister Allie. You can't see you big bling on her hand but I can tell you it is there. She is working on her LPN and wedding in June.

Hannah with Sissy.

My mom, Danett with Sissy.

Sissy striking a pose.

One of our new roosters.

I will post some pics of Ross's dwarf Netherland rabbits soon. He was blessed with free rabbit cages this weekend. Did I mention that the stock panels and fence post were free too. All we had to do was put the sweat into it and haul the three goats home in the back of my van:)

Happenings

2010-03-19T14:17:00.003-04:00

We have two roosters now. Hopefully, they will do what they are designed to do and help my hens to become mothers.

The boys have been very busy blessing and learning manly skills. Ross and Dylan has learned how to do quotes for construction jobs, butcher a pig, burn ditches, recycle steel for cash, pound fence post, clean chicken coops ( not ours), rake stones and many other odd and end jobs. It will be a busy spring and summer. The good thing is that it is all free labor in exchange for skills. We do a lot of trading work and bartering. That is how I got two free roosters, over a dozen stock panels, fence post and pallets. Unfortunately, the goat is not free but she is pregnant! I will introduce her to you in 12 days when we pick her up. Here is a hint..she is a registered Swiss Alpine.

I just got done cleaning the laundry room. We do not have a mud room so the laundry room becomes the mud room for 9 people! If you want to see my laundry room clean you need to get here quick before the boys get home:)

The weather is perfect. Clothes flapping on the line and yard cleaning. I think it is time to bring out the grill.

Some Spring Pics

2010-03-17T11:34:00.002-04:00

Dylan riding his bike.Abigail
Ross with his two labs.
Susanna and Grace
Hannah
Brookelyn

Spring Fever

2010-03-04T16:01:00.002-05:00

The skies are a beautiful baby blue and the sun is shining. We have been waiting for this day for a long time!

We have a lot of things we are hoping to get done this summer. Forty baby chicks will be arriving on the 6th of April. The baby chicks will be added to our one year old laying hens when they feather out. We are currently looking for a used stock trailer, horses and goats. Troy's projects are adding to the little hen house, fencing, wood shed, new front steps or at least rails for our older friends, stone pavers out front and stones for the drive ways. That does not include fruit trees, strawberry plants, grapes and the garden. I am tired just looking at the list! Hum.. I wish money grew on trees. Well, at least we have a project list. We will see how much gets done:)

Ross is looking forward to helping our friend in Antwerp, Dylan had five teeth pulled and is busy getting his teeth straightened out, Brookelyn is a happy lark because she was asked to make a birthday cake for a friend and she got her cow girl boots, Abigail just talks a lot, Grace is reading, Susanna enjoys school on Wednesdays with Grandma Danett and Hannah has finally cut her two front teeth! She is up to 4 now.

Ross has his 15th birthday coming up and I heard something about getting a canoe. Troy will be 36 in May and he wants some thing that plays his music from his Ipod through his car speakers. Hannah will be one in May and she just wants mom and any thing that makes her naughty!

Hopefully, I will get back in the grove with posting updates and pics so don't give up on me yet!

The Ten Cannots

2010-01-12T16:03:00.002-05:00

The Ten Cannots

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.

You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.

You cannot build character and courage by destroying men’s initiative and independence.

And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves

William John Henry Boetcker (1873–1962) was an American religious leader and influential public speaker.

To Busy to Blog

2009-12-23T10:59:00.005-05:00

Well, It has been a long time since I posted an update. We have moved....again. We are enjoying our new home and it is a huge blessing to be back in the country with no close neighbors. We are not city folk nor do we desire to be. We are pure country hicks and proud of it!

The children are growing rapidly and it always amazes me how fast time flies. Ross is taller than me and wears size 12 shoe! He will be fifteen in three more months. Brookelyn is a pure delight and a wonderful loyal daughter. She will be thirteen in a few weeks.Dylan is full of energy and farm ideas. He turned eleven in November. He is looking forward with some fear his upcoming orthodontic work. Abigail is truly our gabby snail. She talks all the time and she is full of giggles. She is nine and full of joy. Grace is fast approaching seven in January and she still is our snuggle bug and thick. She has become an excellent house cleaner this year. She is very detailed. Susanna is four and she is lively. Ok. She needs spanked more but she is so sweet when she is sweet and so bad when she is bad. We just love her. She really likes to be called Sue Anna. Hannah is seven and half months and is spoiled rotten. I make no apologies for it either. We all have had our hearts comforted by her and it feels so good to have a sweet baby in the house again. Our hearts would be so empty without a baby. God is gracious!

Troy's work is doing wonderful and it truly has been a blessing. I am anticipating spring and a huge garden and a horse or two and maybe a milch cow. Lots of activities planned outside.

See you next year!

Sunday Sickness

2009-11-08T21:12:00.003-05:00

Mr.Knapp has managed to catch another cold and pass it along to Hannah,Ross and me. Yeah! So Troy feels rough or at least he says he does. I can never truly tell because he likes attention. So I give him plenty of herbs with a 1/4 tsp. of cayenne to keep his baby-ness in check. The rest of us don't feel that bad. We just have a typical head cold.

Our weekend was unproductive but the next couple weekends are hectic. A trip to Kokomo this Sunday and then the week of Thanksgiving we will make two trips to Antwerp and a trip to Auburn all within the same week! So the non productive weekend has been a blessing. I hope everyone feels better before the Thanksgiving rush.

Have a great weekend. Here is a pic of my five girls.

Shawl Give Away

2009-11-03T10:49:00.002-05:00

Hey, who wouldn't want a beautiful homemade knitted shawl? Trisch did a beautiful job and she is giving it away. Enter to win and you can give it to me or keep it for yourself. Here is the link http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/neveradullmoment

or click on my side bar for Never A Dull Moment. In case you don't know she is a mother to nine and it is truly never a dull moment at her house. Just recently she had two of the youngest toilet paper bandits (her 2 boys) throwing tissue paper and toilet paper out the upstairs bathroom window!

Do I Really Need to Say Anything?

2009-11-02T15:38:00.000-05:00

Silly Little Girls

2009-10-29T12:50:00.002-04:00

Susanna says" Mom, Mom, watch!"

Mom really wasn't watching because she was reading a review in a homeschooling magazine.

Hannah was squealing in pure delight while playing with Susanna until I hear Susanna say" she likes it when I lick her feet!"

That got my attention!

Another goofy Knapp moment came when I was listening to Grace read. Yes, I was listening!

Grace read the word "hump" and I put it in a sentence. The girl has a hump on her back because she doesn't sit up straight. Pure indoctrination at its best about proper posture. Grace being Grace says" just like this" pointing to Hannah's bottom. "No," I said "that is called a rump." Grace says "Oh!" and giggles and so does Mom.

Silly little girls make the day brighter.

New Song at the Bottom of the Page

2009-10-28T12:12:00.002-04:00

I occasionally post a song that I like but I can't figure out how to add it to the post because Troy isn't here to do it for me so you will have to scroll way down.

I am Still Here

2009-10-25T11:25:00.003-04:00

Not much is going on right now well...at least nothing that I need to blog about because it makes my head hurt.

Fall has arrived. The leaves are stunning this time of year. I have been enjoying the smell of damp leaves.

I do not enjoy listening to the furnace kick on though. I miss the warmth of a woodstove and the smell of burning wood.

The chickens are laying well... almost to well. I have 19 laying hens and we are getting 14-17 eggs a day. We are so sick of eggs.

Troy's job is going well. He even had a Mennonite man wanting to invest in the company. Who would of ever guessed that?

Dylan found a salamander the other day and the rumor has been making him the new stunt toad. I heard something about a buckeye helmet. I just ignored the whole conversation. Sometimes as a mom it is best not to know.

The latest craze at our house has been ping pong. Ross bought a little table tennis set that mounts to our dining room table and so everyone has become a little fanatic about ping pong. Since it has been such a hit we are hoping to buy a real ping pong table soon.

I think we had a dessert every night last week for supper. A house full of girls can be deadly but the other day the girls didn't make anything and Ross aka..Sugartooth asked to make something. I have failed when it comes to moderation but I have excelled in passing along my love for cooking and baking even to my boys. Troy reminded me that my spiritual gift is cooking and baking and his is eating. I am not sure about this but that is Troy's justification.

Isn't life wonderful? Everyone one of else are so blessed. Have you counted your blessing today?

Nanner-licious

2009-10-15T20:49:00.003-04:00

Nanner is simply delicious. We are all having the time of our life loving her. She melts all of our hearts. Here is a picture of her sucking her thumb.I think she tries to make me jealous!

And chewing on her fingers.

Well, then there are this hot pink pants that she wears under her dresses to keep her legs warm. Ross is hold them in the picture so you can get the full affect. Just imagine her chubby thighs in these.

What I didn't tell you is these hot pink pants make her laugh hysterically. Ross video taped Troy wearing the hot pink pants ( on his hands ) and making them dance for Hannah which made her go bananas.

As you can tell we are once again easily entertained. Hugs to you all!

Recipes

2009-10-12T19:31:00.002-04:00

Well, as most of you know I love being in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I don't spend as much time in the kitchen anymore but that is ok because my children enjoy it and have taken over the kitchen especially Brookelyn. A true sign of a mom working herself out of a job is when the mom has to ask the daughter where some unknown item is in the kitchen:)

Mock Steak

3 lbs. ground beef
1 c. fine saltine cracker crumbs
1 c. cold water
1 T. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of water

Mix all ingredients except last two. Press mixture onto a cookie sheet at least 1/2 thick. Refrigerate until chilled. Cut into squares and roll each square in flour. Brown in oil; layer meat into roast pan. Combine cream of mushroom, water and pan drippings; pour over meat. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

***special notes

You could skip the browning and just put the meat in a roasting pan or I use a crockpot. You can add a dry onion soup mix to the cream of mushroom and water for a richer gravy. I like to decrease the salt too. I double this recipe for my family of 9.

Lil Cheddar Loaves ( the only meatloaf or as Troy says"feetloaf" he likes)

1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tea. salt
1 pound of ground beef
2/3 c. ketchup
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tea. prepared mustard

In the bowl, beat the egg and milk. Stir in the cheese, oats, onion and salt. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 8 loaves; place into a greased 13x9. Combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard, spoon of the loaves. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes.

*** special note
I quadruple this recipe for my family of 9. You can skip the sauce if you like but we love this recipe. It is an all time favorite. Freezes well too. Reheats great.

We have so many favorite recipes I really should make a family cook book sometime. I will post my apple dumpling recipe soon. It is absolutely the best.

Toady Takes A Ride

2009-10-07T07:58:00.002-04:00

Go to Troy's blog for the next toad adventure! http://sheepandgoats.blogspot.com

One of Those Days

2009-10-05T17:12:00.002-04:00

Shouldn't your birthday be stress free? We have a rule that the birthday person picks out their own supper meal. Usually this plan works out that Troy makes my meal but this year was different because he doesn't get home until six so I decided to make my own meal. I chose mock steak, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, oatmeal rolls, apple dumplings and ice cream. Everything is made by scratch! So the first problem was getting the baby to cooperate which then led to numerous interruptions by the other children who were not busy. For example

Grace-"Mommy, smell my nose right here."
Mom-"Why?" as I was bending down to sniff
Grace-" I smashed a ladybug right there. Doesn't it stink?"
Mom- "Yes, it stinks. Go outside."

Shouldn't it all smell like roses on your birthday?

Imagine Dylan having a complete tizzy and screaming something about Susanna cutting her hair. As most of you know we have longer hair so I was imagining the worse. I walked in the bathroom and didn't notice any big chunks. Susanna was crying. She knew she was naughty and Dylan was shaming her for cutting her glory! No punishment from mom; Dylan did the job.

Shouldn't the day be peaceful?

During the food preparation we use a lot of electricity. Crock pots plugged in, dishwasher running and the oven on. So the power kept shutting off. So down the stairs Ross goes flipping breakers until he finds the right one. Well, we plugged the crock pots in the living room so far no more tripping breakers.

Shouldn't your birthday be stress free?

Did I mention that I even managed to make an apple pie too? As I am sitting here I just remembered that my neighbor lady dropped off a present for me and I haven't even looked at it yet!

Well, Hannah is nursing and I am typing one handed and waiting for Troy to come home. All I am asking for is a long hot bath tonight without interpretations. Is that a ridiculous request?

My 34 years are getting fuller every year. Without this crazy family of mine I would be nothing. The children and Troy truly complete my life in God. I am wonderfully blessed!

I Want a Birthday Week too

2009-10-01T08:01:00.004-04:00

My 34th birthday is fast approaching so I thought I would reflect a little about my life. I am hoping that Troy has pity on me and lets me have a birthday week so I can be just like Mrs.Siefka. After all am I not worth it? Here is the whirlwind edition of my life. Born in 1975 with a herniated diaphragm only 1 and 1000 babies survived in 1975. Good thing my mom was paying attention to my difficult breathing or the doctor would of just let me die! The doctor just thought she was a dumb teenager without a brain. I was one of the first babies at Parkview's NICU. Contracted meningitis after the surgery. Had a blood transfusion in a time when blood wasn't tested well and God protected me. Lived most of my childhood in the country and had numerous accidents. I wasn't graceful or as I would like to say maybe to daring. Met this geeky guy when I was 15 going on 16 in 1991 when I switched to a Christian school. Married the geeky guy now known as the bagel lover in 1994. Since 1994 I have either been pregnant or nursing! I have always home schooled our children and don't plan on doing anything else for the next 18 years or longer depending on how many more little Knappies come along. So if I plan this right my arms will always be full with either my babies or grand babies and hopefully great grand babies! So that concludes my little life without picking any scabs and opening up old wounds.

The fruit of my labor.

Twilight Craze

2009-09-29T14:07:00.005-04:00

Here is a lengthy article about Twilight.

http://carylmatrisciana.com/x2/content/view/81/1/

It is wonderfully put together and I back it 100%. The article goes in to a lot of detail. I can't possibly do it justice. Here are some direct quotes from the article if you don't have time to read it all. This explains how she "received" her story. She is a practicing Mormon.

"A housewife named Stephenie Meyer “received” the story of Twilight in a dream on June 2, 2003. The vision she had of a vampire and mortal as lovers compelled her to start writing the story immediately. She says she couldn’t resist the drive to write down her dream (a similar scenario to J.K Rowlings, author of Harry Potter). Meyer gives a summary of that first dream: “I woke up (on that June 2nd) from a very vivid dream. In my dream, two people were having an intense conversation in a meadow in the woods. One of these people was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire. They were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that A) they were falling in love with each other while B) the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her immediately.” Within three months, she had the entire novel written. Within six-months, it had been dreamed, written, and readied for publishing."

This second paragraph reveals her experience with "Edward" and how he was displeased with the author.

"Scaringly, Meyer's fictional character Edward took on the "terrifying" form of "real" spirit when it leapt from the pages of her saga and communicated with her in a dream. She says she had an additional dream after Twilight was finished when her vampire character Edward came to visit and speak to her. The Edward who visited her in the night told her she'd got it all wrong because he DID drink human blood, and could not "live" on ONLY animal blood as she wrote in the story. She said, “We had this conversation and he was terrifying.”"

Friends, this is a work of satan and is contrary to God's word! So many Scriptures speak against this.

“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD.” (Deut.18:10-12)

Deception appears as light and Satan comes as an angel of light. (2 Cor.11:14)

Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

As parents we are to invest in eternal things. Why set a stumping block? Why open them up to find occult activity interesting instead of terrifying?Remember we are a temple. I can't imagine Jesus being pleased with glorifying satanic activity.

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,think on these things.

Seven Sister's blog

2009-09-28T11:12:00.002-04:00

If you look on my side bar you will find Seven Sister's blog link. They are having weekly give aways to celebrate their one year anniversary blogging. This week is a beautiful jumper size 10. Enter to win and you could get a new jumper for your daughter, sister, niece or friend. Head on over to their blog and see some godly girls sharing about their life and adventures. My favorite adventure lately has been Jessica getting run over by stampeding goats because their lively dog King was chasing their goose named Repeat in the goat pen.

Enjoy!

A Week of Pictures

2009-09-22T11:32:00.005-04:00

We had a wonderful time with Troy while he was on vacation. I don't know if he felt like he had a vacation because we kept him pretty busy:) So to start off we will begin with Troy riding the carousel at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. As you can tell he has his cheesy smile on because he was riding a peacock with Susanna. It looks like he is ruffling his feathers.The zoo is great and I could easily fill the whole blog with it's pictures so to just give you a sample here our a few pics.

Next up is my sister Libbie. This is a wonderful picture of her before her shower. Did I mention it was already afternoon when I saw her beautiful face? Libbie is a freshmen in college this year. She is 18 an unavailable.

Since we are talking about beautiful faces here is a picture of my other sister Allie.
I am holding her chunky monkey named Dane and she is holding Hannah. Allie is 19 and unavailable. She is a sophomore in college this year. Of course, she does not get any encouragement from me to stay in college:) Just look at Dane who could leave him! By the way, Dane is 2 months and three weeks younger than Hannah.

We went hiking this week in a mosquito infected woods. Beautiful place but the mosquitoes where a nuisance. Hannah and I went back to the van while Troy and the children did more exploring. By the time we left everyone was scratching. Even bug spray didn't work.

Turkey butchering time. Here is one picture of the big tom. Check out his breast! He was so big he didn't fit in our roaster.

To end this post watch this wonderful video of the giraffe's tongue.

Desi, this is for you!

2009-09-09T16:00:00.002-04:00

Troy recorded the boys having some fun. Ignore the fuzzy image and press on to the end.

We are Easily Entertained

2009-09-08T10:47:00.004-04:00

We are an easy crowd to please. I would say that Troy provides the best entertainment. This is my ode to Troy. You will notice the white nob hanging from our ceiling fan that he decided he could kick with his legs.

Here is a picture of my five girls. I would post pictures of my boys but they refuse to pose willingly.

Everyone is feeling better but mom. I have a head cold and Troy's allergies are bothering him. We are looking forward to Troy's week off of work next week. We love having daddy home!

Two Years Ago

2009-09-01T16:52:00.005-04:00

September 2nd marks two years since we lost Isaiah Nathanael Knapp. His brief ten hours has left an eternal impact on all of us. We can still say It Is Well even though we ache for him. The God of ALL comfort has met all of our needs.

Scroll way down for a Dottie Rambo song that I enjoy.

Funeral,Amish and Peaches

2009-08-28T21:39:00.008-04:00

Today was a busy day. We went to Troy's grandfathers funeral in Kokomo. I was thankful that I was able to go. Praise the Lord that the children where feeling better. It was really nice to see Troy's extended family. We haven't seen them in years. I wish I had a picture of Troy with his Uncle Chip (Ray). There is a lot of physical similarities between the two. I wonder if Chip's son will look like his daddy as he ages? We often say that our Isaiah looked like Grace(Troy). I wonder.....

Sue was telling us that Marge's sister was asking her if we were Amish. Obviously, she isn't very familiar with the Amish or she would of realized that we don't dress Amish or wear caps or a million other things like no buggy or horse but we are conservative as Troy's mom explained it to her. A little weird..maybe. Simplistic..YES! We are just Jesus lovers with no label.

I was very humbled when family mentioned this blog. I have to say that I was surprised. I started this blog a year ago after losing Isaiah as a way to share with Troy's family and mine about our life in the U.P. I wanted them to see the beauty of the U.P. and share with them about our daily life. I go off every so often with some rant( just ask Sue) but I usually just share about random things. I try to leave the controversial subjects to Troy and his blog ( The Sheep and the Goats. I have a link on the side bar.) Troy is the best writer out of this family. He expresses himself infrequently usually after some issue gets him in a tizzy. He will vent for a while then he will post something again in about 8 months. I keep encouraging him that he would make millions if he would finish his book about the Knappinghams.

After we arrived home today we went and picked up 2 bushels of peaches to can tomorrow or early next week. I plan on getting apples in two weeks and Troy would like me to can grape juice this year too. I think pears sound good also. We need to buy another freezer though because I have the extra freezer full of blueberries ( about 80 pounds worth; is that excessive?), turkeys, and chickens. We have beef coming in about two weeks and pork in two months. I am not sure where I am going to put it. I need to be checking craigslist for another freezer. We use to laugh at our friends for having extra freezers and extra refrigerators but now I understand.

The house smells likes peaches and all is quiet. Troy will be going into work for a four hours tomorrow and I will be canning peaches probably and running down to Gilead( south of Akron) to pick up some groceries. Life is good.

Blah

2009-08-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

Well, Brookelyn is ill with a bug that won't go away which has altered our planned trip to the Defiance County fair this week:( I am just hoping that no one else gets it especially the baby.

We managed to survive goat chores for a friend this weekend. My hands did not cramp has bad this time so I must be getting use to milking again. Our friends are keeping my hands in shape by going on vacation often. Troy even squeezed a goat once this week. He was not very fond of the buck's musky order though. He also had a few good jerks from a bossy doe. She wanted to eat now and not wait for the gate to be closed.

With Brookelyn ill, it will be a light school week so it should be a slow paced week.

Ramblings

2009-08-18T15:47:00.006-04:00

Ross's cello case arrived today from Knapp Music ( no, we are not related) as did Dylan's and Grace's new violins because they out grew their other ones.

We love Knapp Music and recommend them to everyone. They are a full service music store. You can rent or buy instruments. They are cheaper than Shar and their customer service is definitely superior. I get all of my stuff from them like books, CD's, music stands etc. I love supporting Christian businesses. They have been extremely good to us:) So there is my plug for Knapp Music www.knappmusic.com.

Ross's faithful dog Chelsea. She is the best dog!

Brookelyn's chicken was being hen pecked so she rescued her from the nasty cannibals. I am not quit sure what the problem is because they are in portable pens and are moved twice a day and have plenty of food. We have never had a problem until now. The chickens ate her comb off and scalped her. She looks pathetic but she did lay and egg today!

Here is a picture from Beauty and Beast.

Grass Fed Beef

2009-08-15T16:11:00.002-04:00

I quick note about Providence Farm's offering of all grass fed, all natural, no hormone, no steriod or no GMO's,organically finshed Black Angus beef. It is now available for $3.50 a pound including standard processing.

If interested let me know soon. It will require a deposit of 40% and then the remaining 60% at pick around Sept. 18th. It is flash frozen and is available as quarters, halves or whole. Also, you can buy 100 pounds of steakburger for $350.00.

Great bargain!

My Bawl Baby Song

2009-08-13T16:43:00.004-04:00

Alright, I know that not everyone likes bluegrass but this acapella. I love the words to this song. The words comfort my heart. My Grandma Connie went to school with Ralph Stanley and she did not like him and when I told her that he is a famous bluegrass singer she was not impressed. LOL!

Thank God that we all have the option to enter in the narrow gate. I look forward to being with my baby and I am sure that if you have lost a loved one too you will weep a few tears or maybe it is just me!

As for Ralph Stanley's singing ability well.. it is unique. It is the words of the song that can be verified by the BOOK.

Scroll way down for the video.

What color is my toothbrush?

2009-08-12T10:19:00.005-04:00

Do you ever have one of those mornings that it seems you hit the floor running? To start my day off Troy let me sleep in. Now remember I am a morning person and so to sleep in means 7:00am. Well, that just rushed me around. I managed to get a shower while Brookelyn watched Hannah. I did not get to brush my teeth, comb my hair or put deodorant on at that time. Hannah needed milk! Dylan and Abigail were being very loud and not studying their spelling words so I gave them their spelling test immediately while nursing Hannah. I was hoping to teach them a lesson about not studying but between the two of them they missed two. Who taught them how to spell? Then it was Brookleyn's turn and she missed one. Well, at that point school was in session. Even Miss Susanna was demanding her name to be written on her paper while I was working with the others so Dylan stepped in to help. Thank God! I was losing my mind which explains the next dilemma of the day.

I locked myself in the bathroom so I could at least brush my teeth, comb my hair and put deodorant on and if I was lucky go to the bathroom. All was good until I noticed that the toothbrush did not "feel" right in my mouth and I glanced at the toothbrush holder and realized that the purple toothbrush was still there. Humm. My toothbrush is purple. I pulled out the toothbrush. To my horror it was Troy's! I could foresee a problem. Troy is a neat freak when it comes to his teeth. The man goes through a new tooth brush every two months. He wears the bristles down. Well, should I tell him? Absolutely ! I knew he would have a hissy fit so I love to get him going! So I called him at work and to my delight he went bananas something about buying him a new toothbrush or boiling the toothbrush. To appease him I told him that I would tell him that I boiled it just to make him feel better. His gum massagers on his toothbrush really do work. My gums feel squeaky clean today!

Well, with all of that said my mouth stills feels dirty and clean all at the same time but my hair is done, deodorant is on, school is over and Hannah is fed so life really is good.

By Popular Demand the Zucchini Alfredo Recipe

2009-08-07T08:19:00.001-04:00

Zucchini Alfredo

INGREDIENTS
1 (12 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups shredded zucchini

Sauce:
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
•
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Mix in zucchini, and cook 10 minutes, until some of the moisture has evaporated. There will still be zucchini juice in the pan.

3. Pour the milk into the skillet, and stir in cream cheese until melted. Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve over the cooked
pasta.

I doubled the noodle recipe and make the sauce with two cups milk and two bricks of cream cheese but we are a large family. I also did the sauce in a separate pan and when the cream cheese was melted I added it to the cooked zucchini.

Also,Troy does not like zucchini but he really liked this dish and is even taking the leftovers for lunch today. It is a miracle!

Enjoy!

Dane, Hannah and Family Pics

2009-08-03T07:48:00.003-04:00

Introducing Dane Allen Ewers!

Dane and Hannah. Hannah was showing off her very long legs to Dane. Hannah is 12 weeks and ten pounds and Dane is 4 days and nine pounds.

Aunt Eshell loving Dane.

Dane's beautiful momma, Allie. Dane loves his momma.

My dear friend Ruth and me.

Grandma Lee ( Sue's mom). We went to her 80th birthday party Saturday.

Our favorite Aunt. Sandy is Sue's sister.

Steve and Sue ( Troy's parents) who just recently celebrated their 42nd year of marriage.

Our family pictures.

Can Troy Dance?

2009-08-02T20:22:00.002-04:00

I am speechless. I will leave it to you to decide.

Would Your Children Say This About Your Home?

2009-07-30T17:03:00.003-04:00

An ideal Christian home ought to be a place where love rules. It ought to be beautiful, bright, joyous, full of tenderness and affection, a place in which all are growing happier and holier each day. There should never be any discord, any wrangling, any angry words or bitter feelings. The home-life should be a harmonious song without one marring note, day after day. The home, no matter how humble it is, how plain, how small – should be the dearest spot on the earth to each member of the family. It should be made so happy a place, and so full of life, that no matter where one may wander in after years, in any of the ends of the earth – his home should still hold its invisible cords of influence about him, and should ever draw resistless upon his heart. It ought to be the one spot in all the earth, to which he would turn first, when in trouble or in danger. It should be his refuge, in every trial and grief.

J.R. Miller

Homemaking, 1882.

Why This Body Is Not What It Use To Be

2009-07-30T08:56:00.004-04:00

Well, the obvious reason would be that I have had eight babies. That I have spent 5.4 years pregnant. I have spent 11.8 years breastfeeding so far out of my fifteen years of marriage. But what is the purpose of this body?

God created women to be life givers that job is uniquely ours. No man can give birth or breastfeed. We are to nurture and nourish. The Bible says we will get a new body so why fret when the curves are all in the wrong place? T-Tapp can only do so much. It may get your beautiful shape back but it can't mother. There is a wonderful balance between staying fit and being healthy and being a mother. As believers our first priority is to clean up the inside or we are Pharisees. Talking the talk and not living it is damnation. Focusing on external and giving no heed to the spiritual is vanity. We will return to dust.

Keep the balance. Spend time letting God transform your mind and then work out.

Aunt Eshell

2009-07-29T12:41:00.003-04:00

Doesn't that have a nice ring? Aunt Eshell. Well, Allie has had her chunky monkey. Dane Allen Ewers was born Tuesday July 28, 2009 at 10:57 pm. He weighed 9 pounds and is 20 3/4 inches long. I will get lots of pictures this weekend so you can see Mr.Dane. Allie and baby are doing well after a loooong hard labor that resulted in Dane being born sunny side up. Ouch!

I can't wait to hug them both.

What Do Sisters Do When One Is In Labor?

2009-07-28T22:32:00.002-04:00

What do sisters do when one is in labor?

1. get kicked out of bed because they they text instead of sleep
2. text like crazy to the other sister who is at the hospital
3. don't sleep
4. eat a row of brownies ( I think that is called stress eating)
5. pray, pray , pray!!!
6. pace the floors
7. feel sick to their stomachs that it is taking so long. It started Monday evening after supper! So far it has been 2 hours of pushing as of 10:21pm.
8. stress eat some more because they are getting tired
9. wait by the cell phone for a text or call
10. blog

Happy Knappie

2009-07-26T15:12:00.001-04:00

Hannah at 10 weeks and weighing 9 lbs. 14 oz. She is starting to fill out.

Great Day

2009-07-24T10:54:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful day yesterday. Troy's parents came up for a visit since they are on vacation from work to celebrate their 42 years of marriage. They would be the first ones to tell you that it hasn't been easy but the committment to marriage and family has been worth it. Of course, I am pretty fond of their son!

We had a wonderful meal of cucumbers, kohlrabi, salad eggs, dinner rolls, green bean casserole, company potatoes, little cheddar loaves, blueberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream. What fun it is to cook for family. I take pure delight in making food for loved ones. I just blossom in the kitchen.

I was going to take a picture of Steve and Sue but I forgot. I will get one and post it so everyone can see it.

Enjoy your weekend.

Food For Thought

2009-07-22T17:39:00.000-04:00

The standard of practical holy living has been so low among Christians that very often the person who tries to practice spiritual disciplines in everyday life is looked upon with disapproval by a large portion of the Church. And for the most part, the followers of Jesus Christ are satisfied with a life so conformed to the world, and so like it in almost every respect, that to a casual observer, there is no difference between the Christian and the pagan.

Hannah Whitall Smith

The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life. Christianity Today, v. 32, n. 11.

If you here stop and ask yourselves why you are not as pious as the early Christians were, your own heart will tell you that it is neither through ignorance nor through inability, but purely because you never thoroughly intended it.

William Law

What a strange kind of salvation do they desire that care not for holiness… They would be saved by Christ and yet be out of Christ in a fleshly state… They would have their sins forgiven, not that they may walk with God in love, in time to come, but that they may practice their enmity against Him without any fear of punishment.

Walter Marshall

Quoted by A.W. Pink, The Doctrine of Sanctification, Bible Truth Depot, 1955, p. 29.

Kitchen Day

2009-07-21T12:07:00.002-04:00

Well, it is baking day. We have managed to bake six loaves of bread. We used a new recipe today that was glorified white bread since I am trying to stay away from wheat. Brookelyn was in charge of making the bread. Abigail was in charge of making banana bread since we have an abundance of ripe bananas. It was a very simple recipe that taste delicious. As the two girls were working on the breads I was working on cooking to whole chickens up for chicken and dumplings tonight as Troy requested chicken and dumplings. So tonight he will get that with green beans and potatoes cooked together then drained with lots of butter, salt and pepper added to make one of my favorite hill billy foods.

The boys helped a local farmer today. They helped unload a straw wagon and stack it in his barn. They will be off to work again tomorrow. He also said he would need some help picking up big stones in a hay field. I am glad to see the boys working since Ross has been eager to work. I am thankful that they are sent out two by two. We feel there is more safety and accountability when they have a sibling with them. After last week helping butcher chickens and loading hay for the Richardson's I am pleased to hear good reports back about their diligence :)

The Richardson's are doing some sewing for us since my machine can't sew for long periods of time without getting hot and jamming up. I am hoping that Troy will buy me a new sewing machine by next year! With all the sewing in this house going on we are looking for a high quality machine that all of the girls can use. The Richardson's are going to have the tedious task of teaching me some of their patterns since I do not do anything complicated. I stay within my comfort zone but since it is time to expand my horizons and skills I get to learn something new. We will see how my low frustration level likes to be taught! It will be easier for Brookelyn since she likes trying new things and is not intimidated by the unknown.

I am reading an awesome book that I highly recommend called The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. It was written in 1978. I am learning so much and it keeps confirming to me the importance of holy living. If you want to be challenged and motivated get the book!

Here is a passage from the book just to wet your spiritual appetite.

God has called every Christian to a holy life. There are no exceptions to this call. It is not a call to pastors, missionaries, and a few dedicated Sunday school teachers. Every Christian of every nation, whether rich or poor, learned or unlearned, influential or totally unknown, is called to be holy. The Christian plumber and the Christian banker, the unsung homemaker and the powerful head of state are all called to be holy.
This call to a holy life is based on the fact that God Himself is holy. Because God is holy, He requires that we be holy. Many Christians have what we might call a "cultural holiness." They adapt to the character and the behavior pattern of Christians around them. As the Christian culture around them is more or less holy, so these Christians are more or less holy. But God has not called us to be like those around us. He has called us to be like Himself. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God.

What is that Smell??

2009-07-20T13:50:00.004-04:00

Here is a question for all those Christians out there. What kind of aroma are we producing?

I guess in order to answer that question we need to look a the attitude of the church goers but before we get into that I want to list a few things I look for in a church. Hey, lets remember that church is for the believer to be edified and encouraged so all of the emphasis on seeking the lost should be done during the week. Sunday is for the believer.

I look for:

1. what the youth look like. Why? Because they will influence my children good or bad.

2. what the minster and wife look like. Why? Because they will influence our family. Personally, I feel young ministers lack spiritual steadfastness. They often lack spiritual discernment and base decisions on contemporary ideas.

3. the attitude of the church. Are they trying to be contemporary? I am not interested in the
compromising church. Are they legalistic? I am not interested in man made law. Stick to the Word.

4. unity. If they are not unified then the world can not recognize them as followers of Christ. No schisms.

All that said. As followers of Christ we need to have a relationship with Jesus not religion. All the programs and lack of programs do not produce a personal relationship with Jesus Christ if anything all the busy work tend to produce a luke warmness in people because they don't spend personal time in the Word because they are to busy doing instead of actually living it. Remember what busy stands for

B- being
U-under
S-satan's
Y-yoke

We are still visiting and we are mostly smell rot. What ever happened to the Word being taught with no apologies and reverence in the House of God which causes us to have godly fear about our music, speech and dress? No apologies here. You can keep all of this world's churches but give me Jesus!

Blueberry Picking

2009-07-18T11:36:00.004-04:00

Well, yesterday we decided to try a local blueberry patch because it was a cooler day. Last year when we went blueberry picking in the U.P. the wild blueberry bushes are low to the ground and the berries are small so it takes a long time to pick. Since we are home we went to a cultivated patch with high bushes and we picked 79.85 pounds of berries which gave us 43 quarts of blueberries. We would like to have a hundred pounds in the freezer for the year. Hopefully, we will try another patch early next week to see which one we like best. The price this year is $1.50 a pound unless you pick 100 pounds then you get a discount bringing the price down to $1.35 a pound. Here are some pictures.

Here is Cassia Richardson enjoying her job of gutting the chickens.

The famous intestine jump rope. It is easy to make just braid together three intestines and jump.

Troy's cat Moses with a herb poultice on his injured leg. The herbs worked. He was able to walk better the next morning.

Food for Thought

2009-07-17T15:20:00.000-04:00

If lustful looking be so grievous a sin, then those who dress and expose themselves with desires to be looked at and lusted after...are not less, but even more guilty. In this matter it is only too often the case that men sin, but women tempt them so to do. How great, then, must be the guilt of the great majority of the modern misses who deliberately seek to arouse the sexual passions of our young men. And how much greater still is the guilt of most of their mothers for allowing them to become lascivious temptresses.

A.W. Pink

The Sermon on the Mount, The Law and Adultery: Matthew 5:27-32.

What is all the buzz about?

2009-07-15T07:30:00.002-04:00

We had an exciting day yesterday going to the Wilson's house to look at a bee swarm. A bee swarm is when an old queen bee leaves the hive and all of the workers follow. We had an educational field trip watching him get them out of the tree.

The Wilson's are a lively family with eleven children. We had dinner with them Sunday in which the almost three year old went missing in the corn field. Plenty of neighbors showed up to help in the search. So watching the bees was stress free after the corn field episode. Here is a picture of the bee swarm in the tree.

This is the branch Mr. Wilson cut off with all of the bees on it. Do you see all the bees?

After Mr. Wilson but the bees in the new hive all of the other bees that were left outside of the hive did the famous bee march into the hive.
This week has been busy with Troy and the three oldest helping the Richardson's butcher chickens and turkeys in the evenings. As they help I get to visit with Trisch which is always fun. I will post some pictures of the great chicken massacre and the infamous Richardson intestine jump ropes! Yes, you read that right. Wait until you see the picture!

Here is a picture of Hannah comforting herself as she feel asleep.

Face of Vengenance

2009-07-11T14:15:00.001-04:00

A picture is worth a thousands words.

Thanks, Kelley for the pic.

One of Those Days

2009-07-08T10:35:00.002-04:00

I am on a mission to find a milk goat for a friend and it is always interesting to see what the Lord can do in these situations. For my non- goat people let me explain that finding a good quality, healthy milk goat is like finding a rare jewel. There are plenty of goats in the world but a good milker is rare. The prices run anywhere from $250.00-450.00. Before you cringe, let me explain that the prices are high but to find a disease free healthy goat is hard. When you are drinking the milk in its raw state you want a healthy goat! As you can see finding a quality milker under a hundred dollars is hard. But can the Lord find me a goat for my friend? Yes! He can. The calls are in and now we wait on the Lord.

Which brings me to a topic of interest for me. I feel it is the parent's job to have a network of friends and families that we like so our children can have a greater pool of future spouses to choose from in the future. We visit our "circle" at least twice a year for those that live a distance away. In this circle the children can play and talk to other "potentials" without realizing it. They always come away from these visits with opinions of these "potentials". Some opinions are good;others are not but they are weeding through different personalities and finding out what they like and what they don't like in a non threatening and a no pressure environment. In time we will see how this will work out. Let me be bold for a moment and say that I don't want my children to just settle for any lame duck because there was nothing available. It better be for the right reasons and not out of desperation. If I don't want them to jump ship or live at home forever because they were not called to singleness; I had better provide a pool of "potentials" for them out of our "circle." I want grandchildren! I provide the "circle" and God does the rest.

An update on the goat hunting. The Lord provided. Thank you to the Burkey family for being lead to sell a milking goat. Isn't God good?

Busy 4th of July

2009-07-07T10:17:00.008-04:00

The Dennis family throws the best old time 4th of July party. We had a wonderful time. I watched Troy be dunked in the water tank, run a race and win the apple bobbing contest. I knew that big mouth of his was good for something! Ross had a good time dunking Mr.Siefka. Don't worry those Siefka's are God's vengeance in the flesh! Troy suffered under their hands in the dunk tank.

The children enjoyed the tug of war games, running races, spike pounding, arm wrestling, sack races, three-legged races and marathon racing. You name it they had it. We left before the volleyball,camp sing and fireworks!

Yesterday, our neighbor lady brought over a spotted salamander for the children to play with. After a close examination we saw it had five legs.

Well, that is our weekend in a glance. I will end with the Siefka matriarch smiling.

Where in the World are the Knapps?

2009-07-02T11:17:00.002-04:00

Sevestopol is a little cluster of houses at a four way stop. Once upon a time there where two brothers who did not get along and so one moved closer to a railway forming Mentone and the other stayed in Sevestopol. Mentone has no stop lights but it does have a Dollar General! As for Sevestopol it is very quaint. This little corner of the world is still very Leave It To Beaver-ish.

We are settled in and doing well. Troy enjoys going to work everyday and Hannah keeps me restricted to her daily needs which are many. My first fussy baby is high maintenance. The rest of the children are enjoying summer and Ross is looking forward to working hopefully a little this summer.

Moving Again

2009-06-09T18:03:00.003-04:00

Here we go again! I am beginning to think that my body could not function properly without stress. In order to meet the Indiana resident requirement for Troy's job we found a house in Mentone.

Later I will tell you the details on the house just know that God has opened the door and we are excited about it.

For right now we are busy packing with the hope of moving this weekend. Insanity is the name of this game.

I will fill you in soon with all of the juicy details! Give me a week or two and hopefully we can start doing pics again!

The Days Are Flying

2009-06-01T13:58:00.002-04:00

Time flies when there is a new baby in the house! I spend my days tending to Hannah. Which is a joy but she consumes all of my time. She has finally figured out her days and nights and has turned out to be my best baby when it comes to sleeping. She will sleep five to six hours straight at night. She is the happiest when she is being held which isn't a problem since everyone wants to hold her but only one can let her nurse:)

As a side note, I love my cloth diapers. We use Bum Genius and Fuzzy Buns. Bum Genius are my favorites so far. I like how they fit and are quick to put on and are smaller so they do not interfer with the belly button. I have heard that the Velcro can wear out so I also got some Fuzzy Buns which have snaps and adjustable leg elastic. By the way, Bum Genius and Fuzzy Buns offer all in one diapers which I have. That just means you can use them from birth to potty training because they adjust. Both are easy to use. You just but an insert in the pocket and fasten. When you change the baby you just take the whole thing off and rinse. If you don't like to rinse poop buy the little paper sheets that our flushable and just lay them on the diaper so all you have to do is remove the paper with the poop on it.

Troy's job is going great and he is loving it.

Our spinach and lettuce are prolific and the summer garden is looking wonderful. I can not wait for the melons!

I have been busy planning for school next year. Ross will be in ninth grade so I have had to break down his school order because it is outrageous. We have to buy a microscope this year. I am planning on using the software from Inga Cannon for transcripts. We don't push college but if they want to go we will have our bases covered and it would be easier for them. I am looking forward to having a high schooler. I can't wait! I also am looking forward to using Training Our Daughters To Be Keepers At Home with Brookelyn. We were torn between that or Far Above Rubies curriculumn but after buying the sample for $5.00 online we thought TODTBKAH was more our sped but I got unit one from FAR and plan on using it as a reference. Brookelyn is taking a cake decorating class(once a week for 4 weeks) this month so I am anxious to see her develop her skills. There are four levels and are offered through Michael's for$27.00 a piece.

The ducks, turkeys and hens are all doing well. The 10 ready to lay hens should be blessing us soon with some free range eggs.

If you are looking for a tasty summer dessert that is healthy go to www.suegregg.com. Try her yogurt pie. I doubled the recipe for a 9x13 and omitted the sugar for the crust and I kept the honey at 1/4 cup(I didn't double it.) Enjoy! It was a big hit with all of my sugartoothes.

Hannah Praise Knapp

2009-05-10T10:49:00.002-04:00

As I sit here holding my dear baby on Mother's Day I can't help but reflecting on the miracle of life. Life is so fragile. To be a good mother means laying down your life to serve others; actually as Christians this is our mandate male or female. True contentment comes from resting in your God- given position as a wife and mother. Hannah is just an extension of Troy's and I's love for each other and our love for God. Looking at my history with pregnancy many think we are irresponsible. In human eyes and thinking, I could agree but we have different eyes, spiritual ones, we got new eyes when we started walking by faith and not by sight.

Trust. A simple word but hard to do. God is the Giver of Life who am I to reject His blessings? Premature births,the death of our son and high blood pressure all are our crosses but faith sees us through each time not ourselves. If the Lord has called you to do something that seems crazy to your reasoning can I encourage you to walk in faith and see what the Lord wants to do in your life. He has never failed us nor given us more than we can bear even though we have felt like we were close to the edge. Trust Him.

Hannah Praise was born on May 8th at 12:15am at All About Women &Babies birth center with the best midwife in the world, Jeannie Stanley,catching her. Hannah weighed 7lbs.3oz. and was 20.5 inches long. As for the labor it was interesting. I saw Jeannie Thursday at noon and she broke my water due to my blood pressure still being high 185/100. My labor did not start really until 10:30 or 11:00 pm that night. Then everything went fast thanks to Castor oil. YUCK! My contractions were fast and furious with no real break in between. I did not feel in control at all. Jeannie checked me around midnight, I believe, and said something ridiculous like only 6-7 cm! My response"you have got to be kidding!" pure despair. I felt like I needed to push. I had to go pee and with some help made it to the bathroom just in time to give birth on the toilet to my midwife's surprise. Jeannie has the best skilled hands in the world Hannah didn't even get wet! All is well that ends well:) Hannah is nursing well and is a pure delight to ALL of us.

Here is Trisch's perspective of the birth on her wonderful blog.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/neveradullmoment/686907/

Here is the pics that Trisch took since our camera's batteries were dead.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20955081@N03/sets/72157617797402201/

Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20955081@N03/sets/72157617797402201/

Busy Weekend

2009-05-04T15:35:00.002-04:00

I am loving the weather right. I soak up the rays as much as I can.

Well, the weekend was different. Early Saturday morning I was having contractions which resulted in a trip to the birth center only to have awaken everyone for NOTHING! It seems evening primrose oil works really well on my cervix causing strong contractions. Jeannie recommended a few days off of the evening primrose oil so the uterus would not be hyperstimulated since I am a VBAC. My blood pressure is still high but has come down a little. I will have another blood pressure check today or tomorrow. I do not have toxemia so we are very thankful. I have pregnancy induced high blood pressure so I am monitored closely and Jeannie talked about stretching my membranes later this week to relieve the high blood pressure and stress on my body and baby's body even though the baby is just fine with excellent fetal heart tones and growth rate.

Troy and the boys built a beautiful chicken tractor for our chickens Saturday which was his 35th birthday. I would post pictures but we are on dial up right now and it would take to long to upload the pics. Troy also caught 31 fish ( all little ) this weekend from our pond. He was very pleased since he has not caught any fish until this weekend and all of the children would rub it in since they have all caught numerous fish. Troy is done eating humble pie and is now making the children eat it.

My garden is looking beautiful and we are hoping to plant some flowers this weekend if we are not laboring:) In about two weeks we will plant the summer crops so we all excited about the excepted harvest.

God bless!

Four Days and Counting

2009-04-27T19:32:00.002-04:00

Four days until Troy arrives home! He will be surprised to see the trees leafed out and that the yard needs to be mowed:)

Some of my projects for this week are getting insurance rates so far the one company that gave me a quote made Troy and I giddy. Michigan is a no fault state so the car insurance is outrageous! We paid $2400.00 a year just for car insurance. Our quote from Ohio today for a triple policy including car, renters and term life insurance was $860.00 for a year! You can understand why we were giddy. We are waiting for two more quotes to come in but so far we are very pleased. Also, this Friday I am hoping to take my Ohio written driver's exam which requires me to study. You want to talk about intimidation. First off, I have to study. Second, I have to take the test at the Ohio State Patrol office. I am just dreading it! This is where Michigan wins hands down. When we moved to Michigan we just turned in our Ohio license and received a Michigan license. Simple. No testing!

My garden is sprouting. I see the beginnings of peas, lettuce, spinach, carrots and beets. The warm weather and rain has had more success than my indoor seedlings!

I went to the midwife today and was a little disappointed. My blood pressure was up. I didn't even have the children with me! My blood pressure has been low 112/60 to 128/60 until today which was 160/90. I had no protein in my urine which is excellent but I will be increasing my protein intake this week and have a follow up appointment Tuesday. So you are asking what does this mean? Well, this is a first time occurrence which is good meaning it has not been a problem at all so it could be a coincidence and nothing to worry about all. The concern would be placenta abruption. Since I have already had one I am at a higher risk especially if the high blood pressure continues. High blood pressure is the number one cause of abruption. I did not have high blood pressure though with Isaiah. I have had increase swelling and nosebleeds the last two weeks which are signs of high blood pressure. I will see Jeannie next Tuesday and hopefully everything will be normal again. If not Jeannie said we will work on natural induction meaning castor oil. YUCK! Jeannie can safely deliver me as early as this Wednesday so I feel very comfortable with her care and discernement. The goal is to deliver a healthy baby before an abruption has a chance to occur. Please pray that my blood pressure goes down before next week and for Hannah's safety.

As a side note, I feel fine and not stressed out right now. Actually, I am feeling very excited about Troy's arrival home and I have been taking it pretty easy around the house. Pray for me to not give in to fear and hold on to the promise that the Lord gave me about the baby. I will not let the devil rob me of my peace and faith in the Lord's healing hand. I have this victory through the One who "heals all of our diseases." Ps.103 and who healed me through His stripes.

Marching on to victory with my head held high!

Six Days and Counting

2009-04-25T22:20:00.002-04:00

We are looking forward to Friday! Six days left!

We have had a busy weekend. We got to see Libbie all dressed up for prom today. Of course, she is beautiful. I will eventually add some pics to the web site but I am waiting for Troy to upgrade me back to high speed Internet because it takes forever for dial up to load. Troy was right once you taste DSL you will never want to go back to dial up.

My midwife was busy catching a baby Friday so we did not have our appointment but we did have a wonderful visit with the Dennis family. I will reschedule for this week.

We stopped by to visit Troy's parents on our way home from my dad's house. It was a nice visit.

We are enjoying the eighties. It sure doesn't take long for the clothes to dry on the line when it is that warm and the wind is blowing. I can't wait to see sprouts in the garden. Most of the trees have buds and some already have bright green leaves. Everybody is busy mowing their lawns and today we saw tractors in the field a sure sign of spring.

Blessings!

Counting Down the Days

2009-04-23T11:04:00.002-04:00

I am loving the sunshine! After talking to Troy earlier this week I am thankful I am home and enjoying the spring time weather because he had snow this week. The last I heard they had almost 20 inches of snow this week accumulated over two days. He told me that so far this year they have had 20.5 feet of snow.

We are counting down the days until Troy comes home. He will head home next Friday at noon.

We are keeping busy with sewing this week. Friday I have an appointment with the midwife and Saturday we will go to my dad's house to see Libbie in her prom dress. Baby sister will graduate from high school in May.

I was able to order baby's cloth diapers yesterday so she is all taken care of now.

I have been teasing my sister Allie about the sex of her baby and telling her that it is a girl and not a boy based on the old wives tale about fetal heart rates. Her baby has a high heart rate ( girl) even though the ultrasound tech at 15 weeks told her it was a boy. All I can say is the heart rate has always played true for me. High for girls and low for boys:)

Saturday I will be officially nine months. This pregnancy has been the best I have ever had and we are all anxious to meet her. Like Troy says" how we can we love her so much without even seeing her?" I can answer that easily she is our comfort baby and our victory baby. Her role in our family will be unique. Little does she know the ministry she already has in bringing healing.

Get out and enjoy the warm weather and sunshine. I can't believe how much the children and I have already tanned! Poor Troy still is a pale face:( Pray for his coloring.

Blessings to all!

Home Sweet Home

2009-04-16T20:36:00.002-04:00

Almost a year later everything has finally fallen into place. Troy's last two weeks at Pioneer will start tomorrow with a start date at Sites Medical May 4th. I do believe this has been one of the most challenging situations Troy and I have had to face. God truly tested our patience and faith. We lived by "in the next two weeks" for a year. We are glad that it is finally over.

Troy should arrive home just in time for Hannah's birth! I will be 37 weeks when he makes it home. I think Troy would like a little girl for his birthday on May 2nd. My official due date is the 23rd of May but I am measuring a week earlier so we think around the second week of May.

We have all of our spring crops planted. We will start preparing the ground for the summer crops tomorrow. I love seeing the clothes flapping in the wind as we work in the gardens. Have I mentioned yet for my UP friends that tomorrow we will reach the 70's?

I purchased ten chickens and two ducks this week and we are loving them. We will be ordering more chicks later this month. I am looking for some milk goats. I would like two. Do you know anyone? I know Troy is anxious to get his pigs again. We also have thought about doing some meat rabbits. Also, if anyone is looking for ALL grassfed beef let me know. Our dear friend will be selling some in the fall. This is premium beef no GMO's. Her farm is certified organic but she is not certifing the beef so she can keep the price down so she can get it into the hands of real families with real budgets. This beef is affordable!

Thank you for all of your prayers during these last two years. Many life changing events have happened that has caused us much heartache and growth. We still covet your prayers as we transition back to life at home which brings with it different trials. Please continue to lift us up. Blessing to you all!

Daily Grind

2009-04-14T21:08:00.002-04:00

Just a quick run down of my days without Troy. It seems that some people are wondering how I survive. I set little "rules" on myself in order to structure my days. If you are wondering where I am and why I am not visiting it is because it will mess up my schedule.

Rule #1 - In order to eat lunch I must have school done. That is a big motivation for me!

Rule #2- Nap time every day at one.

Rule#3- Bible time before bed time. I can not put the children to bed until we have read five chapters of the Bible. Bed time is at eight.

All laundry must be done and folded before naps. All inside chores are done before play time in the afternoon. Afternoon time is usually spent doing some outside chores like preparing the gardens or yard work.

I survive each day by taking each day at a time. God has strengthened me and comforted me during this long period of time. Lucky for me I have been able to spend months at a time in the UP with Troy. Since the house has sold Troy comes home every two weeks. His weeks in the UP are numbered and hopefully by Friday I can fill you in on the exact date of his arrival home.

Back Up and Running

2009-04-12T12:56:00.003-04:00

Finally we have internet service again! This will be a brief post just to let you know we are back. Hopefully, by the end of the week, I will find some time to fill everyone in.

Farewell;So Long

2008-11-16T13:42:00.003-05:00

I can finally answer all the questions to what is going on? We have dear friends coming to our house all the way from Hillsdale on the 25th to help us move. We have been able to find a rental in the country. The whole rental looking has been dreadful with lots of ups and downs. We have signed a lease for a rental in Convoy,Ohio. I have only seen the pics via email but Troy's parents will see it this week. The location is perfect for now. Troy will be able to hop on 30 to loop around to 14 ( Illinois Rd toward Columbia City.) Troy will be meeting with Greg over Thanksgiving weekend hopefully,to finalize the offer. Our house here will be listed with the top realtor in the county Monday and we are praying for a quick sale.

So back to the house. It is a manufactured home(not a trailer) with 3 beds and 3bath, pond, 40x40 barn, 3 acres, 2 car attached garage and a self contained apartment that can be used as another living quarter. Oh, and it is the only house on the road. YEAH! The owners do NOT have a problem with pets, kids or me putting in a garden. We will be 20 minutes to New Haven and about 25 minutes to Antwerp and 35 minutes to Hicksville for church. Troy will travel about a hour to work based on estimates but we are hoping that he will be able to work from home at least a day or two.

We plan on pulling out on Thanksgiving day and Troy will return to the UP on Sunday or Monday hopefully, putting in his two weeks notice if all goes well when he meets with Greg.

As of Friday the 21st we will no longer be having internet service or phone service so this is my farewell until we get everything up and running back home. We will not pursue a main line or internet service until after Troy moves home.

As a side note please pray for our safety as we travel. Lots of snow and a big moving truck and a full size van on a ten hour trip just has the making of stress. Pray the deer stay away and NO snow storms or ice storms as we travel. Hopefully, we will arrive home by late afternoon and at the lastest in the evening on Thanksgiving day.

Thanks for your prayers!

Family Ties

2008-11-12T13:40:00.002-05:00

I am so thankful for the wonderful family I have so I thought I would gush about them for awhile. So it is only fitting for me to start with Troy. So here is our little story. I met Troy when I was 15 while at school. He was a geek:) I think his own mom called him "a hog face!" Troy is ornery but very smart. I loved him for his brains and because he really paid attention to me. I married the geek when I was 18 and have NEVER regretted it one bit even through the bad times which ALWAYS pass and are NEVER as bad as you make them. Troy is my very best friend. I prefer him over everyone. We are one on everything. Now for those that just think that I married a good guy pleassssssseee! He is a sinner too and so am I but Christ is our ROCK. We have been changed by Christ not by one nagging the other. Even though I tried the nag part; it worked but Troy did the opposite of what I wanted. I don't recommend nagging. It slows God down just pray for them daily. I love Troy because I know HE follows Christ and seeks the WORD to live by and he takes it serious. He is not a casual coffee house christian. He is a true believer living his life by the authority of the SCRIPTURE and raising his family to do the same.

As for the children I will group them all together because we always move as a herd. I love each one even the ornery one. I love their personalities even the squeaky voice one. I love their creativity even the one that likes wild colors. I love their resourcefulness even the one that digs in the garbage to make toys out of trash. I love their appetites even the one that ALWAYS ask me for food. I love their hugs even the one that wakes up in the early morning to spoon mommy. Can you guess who is who?

I am truly blessed. I hope you have good words about your family. Remember a good marriage is based on serving without excepting to be served:)

Ramblings

2008-11-11T15:56:00.002-05:00

The weather is cold and snow is in the forecast. We currently have about four inches of the white powdery stuff. The girls just got down making sugar cookies so the house smells great. The homemade chicken noodle soup is simmering on the stove and my mouth is salivating . Ross is working on a wood project outside and Dylan is listening to kids radio programming on our local Christian radio station. All is well at the Knapps.

Megz viewpoint on Mothering

2008-11-06T12:48:00.002-05:00

I thought I would post a view point from a friend who lives in Minnesota. I met Megz at a DONA doula training seminar. Megz is expecting her first baby any day now. She is happily married to Baris who is from Turkey and she has a fat cat named Cheddar. They worked hard for four years so she could be a stay at home mom. Four years! Also, Megz is not a Christian but she understands the impact of mothering. We have women in our churches who don't get this! Megz, I am so proud of you for going against the grain and you will surely be blessed by obeying this universally principal. You reap what you sow. Laying down your life to serve your family is true liberation. I once heard a women say" that once you decided to have children it is NO longer about YOU but all about them!"

Megz view point:

I don't condemn working women at all either, but I think that in these days when the women's rights movement has given us the freedom of choice, what it has really done is made women believe they are lesser if they do not work and choose to stay home to raise a happy healthy family. I firmly believe that it was meant to be this way, that women were meant to be home caring for their children and husbands. We're made to do it right? :-) I get flack about staying home, but it's what I've always wanted to do. Which is remarkable considering no one in my surrounding family has ever stayed home, has ever breastfed, has ever cloth diapered. I came about this perspective because it feels right, it's so natural. Will I work again? Yeah, sure, I plan to become a CPM, but in the mean time, the most important work I have to do is to raise my children, oversee their spiritual and intellectual growth, and care for my husband and home. I cringe when I hear women say "well I have a real job." In all actuality, is there a job more real than being a mother? Is there a job that has more impact on our world? Is there a job so demanding, sometimes thankless, and so rewarding? No. I know that circumstances put people in these situations, but I hear so much from them that I don't have a real job. I wish all women had this choice. Baris and I planned very carefully so that we could do this for our family. This is what I wanted to be when 'i grew up.' My mother made poor choices, and a big part of me wants to make up for those choices as I raise my children. I want them to know security and safety like I never did. I want them to feel like it's normal to sit down to the dinner table every night. I don't want them home alone and scared, or in a daycare all day with all sorts of weird influences that I may or may not approve of. I should be responsible for their personal growth, not a stranger paid minimum wage to keep the diapers clean every two hours.

Now I italicized and bold faced one sentence because I think she nailed it on the head that even nature its self teaches us that we were created by a Creator with a specific purpose; to mother and be a help meet to our husbands.

Another Beautiful Day

2008-11-04T12:21:00.002-05:00

Who can complain about living in the UP when the weather is like this in November? Absolutely gorgeous. The children are taking full advantage of the weather. After lunch they ran outside to play in the woods with their handmade swords, weapons and battle axes. We may skip nap time today:)

I love seeing the creativity in my children because if you really know me you know that I hate any type of craft or artsy project. Seriously. Now don't get me wrong I can be creative in the kitchen but pass the stove you will not get much in the artsy department. I appreciate art and love music but I am an observer not the creator. I had a wasted youth. Playing sports never taught me one thing about being a mother or a home maker. It just taught me independence. It didn't teach me discipline nor team work but rather how to be competitive. To this day I regret my wasted youth because I lacked vision. I had no vision for family or serving others it was all about me. Now in my thirties I wish I would of learned some home making skills that would of blessed my family. Oh, don't get me wrong again anyone can hang pictures or sew simple skirts but the art of making a house a home takes creativity and talent. I am not one of those women who are natural home makers. I guess that explains why it is of the utmost importance for my girls to learn those skills. I look high in low for godly women to teach my daughters those skills like knitting, embroidery, skilled sewing and music. I can't wait for the day when each of my children excel in all that they set their hands to do. Maybe that is the reason I am so passionate about women being keepers at home because who is going to pass on the vision for family and home making? Lets be real most of our moms worked(mine did) and most of our grandmothers worked(mine did) so that is why we have a whole generation of women devoid of home making skills. If there is no vision for the home then the skills are not passed on.

To answer one quick criticism about training our children these skills. I can already hear the complaining but my children don't want to learn or one argument that my mom would use would be that I didn't want to learn. Now not to slam my mom or any of you I have to point out the key to teaching. You have to enjoy being at home in order to teach another person to be. I have got to express joy and thankfulness to my children if I want them to see home as a haven. If I don't have a passion for home how could I teach them home making skills? If you are excited about something then your children will be excited about it. Let us pursue putting the heart back into the home while passing on a vision for the family.

Simple Journal

2008-11-03T11:33:00.003-05:00

Outside my window.... blue sky with no clouds in sight! Sunny with a high of 59. Perfect day for a fall walk.

I am thinking....of a a possible foster placement this week.

From the learning rooms... math drills and cultural studies pertaining to their missionary country. We need to go to the library.

I am thankful for..... God's peace.

From the kitchen.....not sure yet. Meatloaf and potatoes?

I am wearing.... a khaki jumper with a blue striped shirt.

I am reading.....nothing currently.

I am hoping.... to find a real bargain on bunk beds.

I am creating.... well trained children who are self efficient while depending on God as their strength

I am hearing.... children's non stop chatter while they are working

Around the house... nap time is fast approaching and cleaning time is about done. The children will be working on cleaning up the leaves around the front of the house this afternoon before free time.

One of my favorite things.... no morning vomiting

A few plans for the rest of the week....a trip to the library and other daily adventures.

Something to chew on......

Mothers, don’t let anyone ever dupe you into thinking there’s anything ignoble or disgraceful about remaining at home and raising your family. Don’t buy the lie that you’re repressed if you’re a worker in the home instead of in the world’s workplace. Devoting yourself fully to your role as wife and mother is not repression; it is true liberation. Multitudes of women have bought the world’s lie, put on a suit, picked up a briefcase, dropped their children off for someone else to raise, and gone into the workplace, only to realize after fifteen years that they and their children have a hollow void in their hearts. Many such career women now say they wish they had devoted themselves to motherhood and the home instead.

John MacArthur

Successful Christian Parenting, Word Publishing, 1998, p. 195.

In contrast to the wise woman, the foolish woman is not content to be a keeper at home. She is not satisfied with where God has put her. One of the things the feminist movement has done so successfully is to stir up discontent in women with being homemakers and to convince them that other pursuits can increase their sense of self-worth… Fueling discontent and pushing women out of their homes in search of greater meaning and satisfaction has resulted in off-the-chart stress levels for many women who can no longer survive without pills and therapists… The greatest spiritual, moral, and emotional protection a woman will ever experience is found when she is content to stay within her God-appointed sphere. This does not mean that she never leaves her house, but rather that her heart is rooted in her home and that she puts her family’s needs above all other interests and pursuits.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Biblical Womanhood in the Home, Crossway, 2002, p. 91, 92.

Corn Bread Recipe

2008-10-29T14:27:00.002-04:00

I thought I would steal an idea from Trisch and post a family favorite recipe. So today you will get our corn bread recipe.

Buttery Corn Bread

1 cup butter ( 2 sticks) softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs

Cream together then add:

2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cup milk

Mix altogether. Pout into a 9x13 greased pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until done.

Enjoy!

Family Relationships

2008-10-27T14:33:00.004-04:00

This will be a heartfelt topic for me and one that may make some angry. While talking to the children the other day about family traditions I started to reflect about the importance of family relationships. I will be addressing immediate family relationships not extended. Troy and I have always wanted a different family environment then what we grew up with. A family centered on the Lord Jesus Christ and relationships built on communion with one another not just co existing in the same house. I guess that is what initially led us to No Greater Joy ministries. But this is not a plug for NGJ ministries. This is not about child centered training either. I am totally opposed to child centered training. No family should be controlled by any child in their home. If you have a controlling manipulator or little dictator you have created it by your poor training which usually is a reflection of yourself and your bad traits. Children are simply mirrors of their parents.

Family togetherness starts with parents that enjoy their children. In order to enjoy your children you must train them. No one enjoys a bad dog and no one enjoys untrained children. If you can train a dog; you can train a child. I guess it boils down to which one do you love more the dog or the child.

Relationships take work and there is a natural law of reaping and sowing. Investing in your relationship with your child will produce a life time of fellowship with that child. If you don't invest in your relationships with your children then you will have a life time of regret and many lonely nights. You get what you grow. If your children where a hindrance to you and you always shoved them off to the side then when you are older don't except a close relationship. How do you invest in your child? You must make time and learn to like what they like. It is not asking a bunch of annoying questions. Like how was your day? Let's be real. I have had to learn things I personally could care less about like forts, guns,wars,stamping up,crafts,tractors etc... You get the idea. Just about everything they are enjoying is not of personal interest to me. I could easily push them aside for that would be my natural inclination. I desire family fellowship, therefore;I must do these things.

Someone asked me how the children felt about another baby. They reflected the same way Troy and I feel about it. Excitement. Babies are a part of this family and they all desire lots of babies. If I trained them to hate babies then that would be the response I would of gotten. I train my children in our ways. Notice here that I said I train. I train 95% of the time because I am with them 100% of the time. I train them according to Troy and I 's ways but I am the one who carries out the training most of the time. Troy just reinforces it when he is home.

Friends, we reap what we sow. You get what you grow. Don't think for a minute you can pull something over your children's eyes. They can see right through you. If I am cranky they know it. I don't lower the standards in my home to make our children comfortable but I do get down on their level and encourage them to desire something more than the typical American family has to offer. To many lonely children sitting in sterile houses while everyone is working and the children are left to themselves while their parents are out selfishly doing their own thing. Of course we all know it is for the children. I challenge you to ask those children if they would rather have a mom home spending time with them or another designer outfit? I can guarantee you in every human their is a need for fellowship and belonging and it doesn't come from children being left to themselves or in someone else's care. You will produce another human that pursues earthly riches over eternal relationships. One day we will all stand before the judgement seat of God and will have to give an account of our lives. There will be no excuses on that day. You will reap what you sow.

Snow

2008-10-27T08:40:00.002-04:00

Snow. That pretty well sums it up. Upon waking this morning and hearing the screeching of children before rising out of bed I knew that Mr. Winter threw a kiss at us. I just looked at Troy and laid in bed. My dilemma was if I stayed in bed the snow will eventually melt or get up and look at the dazzling snow on the pines and hilly landscape. I chose the latter. The first snow is always beautiful. UP winters are beautiful. Being from Ohio where the winter time is drab and dark and depressing the UP wins hands down. Sparkling and sunny. Beautiful whiteness against green pine trees and usually bright blue skies and sun. Also, the winter temps are mild compared to the bitter cold of Ohio. Plus the snow is amazingly light and fluffy and not the wet heavy snow of Ohio.

With all that said I still would rather be in the dreariness of down state. If you noticed I did not specify a state. Even though winters are ugly at home 95% of the time they do not last as long as the UP's.

On a side note, every time I look at the snow it reminds me of the scripture where it talks about our sins being like scarlet and God washes them white as snow. To think that the blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all of our sins just makes me grateful and gives me confidence to know that I have peace with God. We are saved thru grace by faith in Jesus not by our works. If we could be saved by works then Jesus would of died in vain. Living by faith generates good works. It is a natural outflow of true faith. Works in themselves will leave you damned.

I am feeling very well with the pregnancy. I would say that this has been my easiest pregnancy so far. It took eight! God knows what we need and when we need it the most. I am nauseated but so far I have been able to manage it well. Lots of rest and snacking. As long as I stay on schedule I do well.

All of the children are doing well and we are very healthy which has been a blessing. We have no big plans for this week except for sitting in front of the fire:) A typical winter week!

What is that in the laundry?

2008-10-20T08:27:00.002-04:00

Well, in the last five days we have had two people look at the house. We are hoping for a follow up showing this week with at least one of the couples.

In other news Moses caught his first mouse. Yesterday he killed the mouse and when Troy went to throw the mouse outside it was gone. Then the question was did he eat it or bury it. Well, Sunday afternoon Moses started vomiting. I went a little bananas. No, it was not mouse parts but chicken parts from the garbage. Needless to say, Troy was busy cleaning up his cat's mess. Brookelyn was in the laundry room this morning and announced very calmly that she found the missing mouse. Moses buried it in the dirty laundry basket. Ross came to the rescue and tossed the mouse outside. All I can say is the cat is high maintenance.

Down on the Farm

2008-10-10T18:29:00.002-04:00

Hee Haw! We had a chance to visit a local organic farm today with a group of homeschoolers from our church. Troy took off half of the day so he could hob- nob with the local crunchies. Actually, he went so he could talk to one of the owners about his straw/cordwood house. The verdict on the house is straw bale. A lot of complaints about the cordwood shrinking even though it was well seasoned. Alternative housing and organic farming is a family dream after we get totally out of debt.

The farm was wonderful. Totally grass fed beef with no grain feeding so you don't have to worry about GMO in the feed. They raise Scottish Highlanders because they are hearty and can withstand the UP winters and require no shelter during the winter. We watched a documentary called The Future of Our Food. If you get a chance you can watch it through Netflix. I highly recommend it.

The farm has slowly added to their business based on customer demand which has saved them tons of money. The farm started 12 years ago and practices Community Shared Agriculture. The consumer pays a monthly fee or yearly fee for a box of produce weekly. They started with15 families in the beginning and it has increased every year to 45,80,120 to 150 CSA customers currently.

We had a busy day with a quick stop into Kohl's on the way home so I could run in and pick up some clearance maternity shirts. I spent an average of $6.00 per shirt. I love clearance!!! Kohl's has the best clearance sales. I didn't even go over to look at the sweet baby clothes.

I also picked up some motion sickness bands this morning. I am hoping they will help with my all day sickness. I usually start getting sick at nine weeks but it is starting earlier this time.

I am hoping my client has her baby this weekend. If she goes much longer I don't think I can be much help to her if I am struggling with all day sickness.

We have a busy weekend planned. We need to prepare for the house showing this week. Lots to do!

I posted a new link to a blog. If you get a chance visit Amy Johnston's blog. We went to school with Amy and she is sharing their journey with domestic adoption. They recently have been blessed with a beautiful little boy.

Yes! I am Pregnant!

2008-10-07T15:27:00.005-04:00

It would be an understatement to say that the Knapp household is on cloud nine right now. We are very excited about the baby. So lets back up and I will start from the beginning. First off, my cycles are very irregular so for all of you who believe I knew for a long time you are WRONG! No conspiracy theory here. My cycles are anywhere from 28 to 43 days so I don't get excited until after 50 days. Because I am cheap when it comes to buying those outrageous pregnacy test from a box store I order them from a company called anotherblessing.com. I can get two test for $1.70 and free shipping. The down side is that they are based in Texas and I live in the far north country. So it took two weeks for me to get my test. I had a suspicion that I was pregnant but it was not confirmed until yesterday. The children knew I was waiting for the test strips so when Ross got the mail yesterday he saw an envelope from Texas. Ross immediately told me to take the test. I looked at him and said "I don't have to pee." He looked at me and said"why do you have to pee?" Then I started the science lesson and explained to him( and the five other little Knappies) how to take a pregnancy test and what the test strips check for and why I needed to pee. Ross was not impressed. I explained what the lines would mean. One line is negative and two lines are positive. I decided to squeeze some pee out and closed the door and took a deep breathe. We have been wanting a baby so bad so I did have some anxiety. I took the test and just beemed myself right off the potty. I praised God and then opened the door to 12 eyes! Everyone of them was standing at the door. So I showed the test to Dylan and asked him how many lines he saw. Dylan replied "one." I said look again and then Ross looked and literally yelled "we are having a baby!" There was pure choas at that point and many screams of delight. I am a hero right now. Then they all said "call daddy!"Troy was delighted and we all rejoiced again when Troy came home from work. Now my belly is a lucky charm and gets rubbed often. This baby is being loved beyond measure! I do believe firmly that it is a girl. As a side note, in September we mourned our Isaiah during that time we conceived. Our God knew our heart's desire for a baby and while we where remembering a sad time He blessed us. I often say Isaiah is my child of sorrow and now God is giving me a child of joy. God truely turns our sorrow into joy. I am at perfect peace with this pregnacy. I feel strongly that she will be born safely at home or a birth center depending on where I live. Oh, that is for another time. Knapps moving?. HUMMM.

My Birthday

2008-10-05T17:12:00.004-04:00

Troy did a wonderful job for my birthday. He made the lasagna and carrot cake from scratch and had a little help from frozen garlic bread and pre mixed salad greens. Delicious! He even milked my goats for me this morning. Granted, Troy does not love my goats and has never milked these does before but they all survived. I do believe the girls were happy to see me tonight and by looking at their bags I am sure they feel relieved now.

My birthday gift was another food chopper because Troy always break them so he is always replacing them.

I had a wonderful day and I am looking forward to another great year serving the Lord.

Fall babies are the best!

2008-10-03T16:22:00.003-04:00

Now that I have your attention! I will restate that fall babies are the best. Why would I say that? Well, because I am a fall baby. On Sunday, this fall baby ,will be thirty-three. That is right 33. Wow! Just think I meet Troy a few weeks before I turned 16.

I do thank my mom for choosing life! Since my mom was a few weeks shy of her 16th birthday when she had me. As I understand it my birth was a long ordeal for her. Straps and all! Then she had the stress of a baby born with a herniated diaphragm. Lucky for me she noticed that I was breathing funny before the doctors did! So a my start was rough but I am a survivor. Gee, it seems that the devil is always trying to kill me off. Last year, Troy got to watch me hemorrhage a month before my 32nd birthday.

I don't regret the ride of life at all. I have been blessed with six living children ( one precious one in heaven:) and a wonderful husband. So for my birthday I look at all my blessings and just thank the Lord that He is sustaining me and refining me. I thank God that He holds my life in His hands. I can't wait to worship Him in Glory. Death is not the end but the beginning. As long as I live I will serve the Lord.

Quick Update

2008-09-30T16:07:00.002-04:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted but things are hectic at the Knapp household. Hopefully, soon I will be able to share everything that is going on. Give me time to get all the information gathered and then I will spill forth what the Lord is doing.

The weather today is cloudy and rainy. The temp is 50.

At 4:30 I will head out to milk my lovely goats and finally start supper. Lasagna tonight.

We have been busy doing light school and heavy cleaning. The week of the 12th the man from Florida will be looking at the house. We are praying for a buyer.`

Grace has lost two teeth! So she is busy showing us her new smile.

Everyone is healthy so no complaints!

The leaves are a pure delight to look at right now.

I hope you are all doing well.

Fall Fun

2008-09-27T13:31:00.003-04:00

I am done with my ranting so back to the trivial things of my life. First up is watching the men of the house chop more wood. What a dreadful chore. I am so glad that I am not of the masculine persuasion.

Ross has safely arrived back home after spending two nights with an older lady friend helping her clean up her family home in Iron Mountain. Ms. Vikki had lots of work for Ross to do.

We spent most of the morning racking leaves and chopping wood. We did have a pleasant surprise when we were moving wood into the house. Brookelyn found a bat and we all got to see it shiver and squeak. Can you image looking into the face of seven people who have 14 eyes combined? We scared the daylights out of the poor fellow.

We made a trip to the feed store for more feed for the chickens and goats. We will work on cleaning out the stalls this afternoon.

The man from Florida is coming to look at our house the week of the 12th. We are busy raking, raking, and raking! That is the down side to living in the woods. I will have the house immaculate before he comes. Which means the next two weeks I will be sorting through lots of stuff and downsizing. Fall cleaning! The men will take care of the outside work and the lady folks will do the inside.

This week the temp is going to drop to the fifties throughout the day and into the mid 30's and mid 40's in the evening. I am sure we will have the wood stove going during the day.

What Ever Happened to Faith?

2008-09-26T13:58:00.003-04:00

I have tried very hard not to get into a Biblical discussion on our family blog. Troy usually handles that on his blog but I have had a couple of things said within the last couple of weeks that need to be addressed.

So this will be a discussion on birth control and faith. The first issue is abortifacients. An abortifacient means a substance that induces abortion. I know the church has really dropped the bomb on protecting life. The church protest abortion while many of its female members are aborting babies while sitting in the pew. Here is a list of baby abortors.

BIRTH CONTROL METHODS WHICH CAN CAUSE ABORTION

Copper T IUD (Intrauterine Device) - A small, copper-containing device that is shaped in the form of a "T." and placed inside the uterus by a health care provider. The copper arms prevent fertilization by keeping sperm from entering the fallopian tubes. If fertilization does occur, the IUD would prevent the fertilized egg from implanting in the lining of the uterus.

Progestasert IUD (Intrauterine Device) - A small plastic device that is shaped in the form of a "T." and placed inside the uterus by a health care provider. It contains the hormone progesterone, which causes the cervical mucus to thicken so sperm cannot reach the egg, and so that a fertilized egg cannot successfully implant into the lining of the uterus.

The Mini-Pill - The mini-pill only has one hormone, progestin, instead of both estrogen and progestin. Taken daily, the mini-pill reduces and thickens cervical mucus to prevent sperm from reaching the egg. It also prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus (womb).

Emergency Contraception - Consists of taking two doses of hormonal pills taken 12 hours apart and started within three days after having unprotected intercourse to prevent a potentially fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.

Oral Contraceptives - Also called "the pill", delivers hormones orally through a daily pill.

Implant (Norplant and Norplant 2) - This product was taken off the market in July 2002, delivers hormones via "rods" that are placed under the skin.

Depo-Provera - Hormones delivered through injections, or shots, in the buttocks or arm every three months.

The Patch (Ortho Evra) - Hormones delivered through a skin patch worn on the lower abdomen, buttocks, or upper body.

The Hormonal Vaginal Contraceptive Ring (NuvaRing) - Hormones delivered through a ring that is inserted the vagina for three weeks at a time.

BIRTH CONTROL METHODS WHICH DO NOT CAUSE ABORTION

Continuous Abstinence - The only method that is 100% effective at preventing pregnancy and disease.

Periodic Abstinence or Fertility Awareness Methods - Being abstinent on the days you may be fertile.

Now with that said, let me point out that if you claim to live by faith and are using abortifacients you are living in hypocrisy. So what is a woman to do if her husband wants her to prevent pregnancy? Simple. Pray and obey your husband. God can work on your husband better than a nag can. I believe that all Christians should NEVER knowingly use abortifacients.

Part two of my rant. Faith. I am so tired of people limiting God. I wonder if they even know Him. Since when do people know more than God. Read 1 Corinthians chapter 1. We are foolish compared to God. God feeds sparrows and we think He won't be able to provide for us. God knows the number of hairs on everyone's head and we think doing things the worlds way is best. Hey, if you don't have faith you better believe God won't hear you. God doesn't hear those who already have the answers! Stop using God as a crutch. Get right with God. Here is a news flash for all the people out there doing their own thing. Look at your life it is a mess. Keep doing what you want.You will get your reward. You may have a nice job and a nice house but you will have a sucky marriage and a lonely life. Go ahead invest in your careers but look around you and see the people in your life who did it their way; don't they look happy? Come on people, we NEED GOD and less of ourselves! When we live for GOD it doesn't matter what others think because we know we are pleasing GOD. I know people don't believe the WORD anymore but can I tell you that the BIBLE is true and if it says that debt is wrong; you better believe it? If it says the Lord hates divorce; you better believe it! If it says the just shall live by faith; you better believe it. If it says that without holiness no man shall see the Lord; you better believe it. If it says that the Lord opens and closes the womb; you better believe it. If it says women are to be keepers at home; you better believe it. I could go on and on but you get the point. Read the WORD and stop asking the creation(people) and start asking the Creator. You don't think you are here because of coincidence do you? GOD has a plan for you and HE wants to use you but you are to busy doing your own thing. He wants you to know HIM.

I don't know about you but I want GOD's best. I want to live a holy life before Him. Am I perfect? NO WAY but I am willing to learn and to yield to GOD. I want to serve Him and have Him refine me so I can be presented without blemish. Are you with me?

Troy's Dinner

2008-09-23T19:55:00.003-04:00

I knew you would all be wondering if I made Troy chicken and dumblings tonight. Well, not only did he get his chicken and dumblings he got greeen beans, mashed potaotes and strawberry cobbler. A meal fit for my king.

Simple Journal

2008-09-23T12:33:00.003-04:00

Outside my window.... beautiful blue sky with a gentle breeze. Perfect for drying clothes on the line which we are doing.

I am thinking.... of coming home.

From the learning rooms... children are reading the Story of the World volume 2 and 3. They like it better than The Mystery of History.

I am thankful for..... beautiful fall colors and healthy children.

From the kitchen.....Troy wants chicken and dumplings but what he wants and what he will get tonight is up to me:)

I am wearing.... a khaki jumper with a blue striped shirt.

I am reading.....nothing currently.

I am hoping.... to sort through stuff and downsize.

I am creating.... a schedule for organizing.

I am hearing.... the ringing of goat bells.

Around the house... boys are splitting wood and the girls are working on training our male goat Cody on his driving harness.

One of my favorite things.... a refrigerator full of food and a stocked pantry.

A few plans for the rest of the week.... organize and wait for my client to go into labor. She is due today. Music, art and Chinese lessons tomorrow.

Some exciting things are happening at the Knapp house. I will fill you in later when I have more time. Until next time, chew on this quote.

The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are at opposite sides of the same coin

A.W. Tozer

Leadership, v. 12, n. 4.