Motivation/Spring Cleaning

 I love spring time! It's a time of newness and just very refreshing.   I was going to wait until school was finished a little farther to do my spring cleaning but just couldn't wait any longer! We doubled our work load in school yesterday and decided to do some spring cleaning now already and also enjoy the beautiful weather we have been having.
Today I worked on our bedroom. Cleaned everything top to bottom and then did the windows in our girls' room. One thing that can be motivating in this process is to challenge others to do their cleaning at the same time and then share before and after pictures with each other. I did this through my facebook page .
Here are some before and after shots:

 BEFORE

Sometimes it has to get messier before it gets better!

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

 Motivation in the home is a very big thing! I have gone through times I was not motivated and I also get so busy with other things that staying organized and keeping the home clean isn't always at the top of my list, but I do think we need to do our best with what God has given us! Having little children+ homeschooling = big messes. (especially with a  5 year old who has a ver big imagination! ) And so I have stopped expecting perfection. I think all that God is asking us to do is to  keep going. Don't procrastinate! (the act of willfully delaying the doing of something that should be done)

And then there are those who have totally different ideas!:) Glad he was having fun getting all muddy on the quad they borrowed, while I was working away! Ha ha!

Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

LILY~ 6 Months Old!

 Once again , I have to say... I can't believe how time flies! My baby is 6 months old today. We have so enjoyed this little bundle! She is always smiling and sometimes will laugh so hard at something, it makes us all laugh!

As you can see, she is learning to eat like a little lady :)

  She is starting to sit on her own, though I have some trust issues with this still!

One happy baby!

Sisters-in-the-Lord

                                             

 Here we are sisters in the Lord

Coming together in one accord

Singing and shouting together in praise

For our Redeemer our voices we raise

A family we are through God’s great love

How precious how pure a love from above

We bow and we worship before our King

We laugh and we cry but still we sing

Jesus our Saviour we will not deny

Coming together to testify

Of all the things which God has done

He made us anew through Jesus His Son

How precious how sweet, our sisters  are here

How great and wonderful a gift so dear

Singing and praising not one without the other

How grateful we are for our Heavenly Father

                                        written by Nancy Wall

Chunky Potato Soup

4 cups water

5 medium potatoes

1 chopped onion

5 tbsp. butter

5 tbsp. flour

6 cups milk

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

2 cups cubed cooked ham

1 tbsp. chicken soup base

1 tbsp. seasoning salt

ground black pepper

parsley (optional)

Bring water to boil in a pot and add the potatoes. Cook until tender.drain potatoes , reserving the cooking liquid. Set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan and add onions, cook untill tender. Add flour, soup base and seasong salt to pan and black pepper to taste. Cook about 2 minutes.

Measure 2 cups of the cooking liquid back into potatoes. (add water if you don't have enough cooking liquid.) Then add your onion mixture, cheese and ham to the potatoes. Simmer over low heat about 20-30 minutes.

Garnish with parsley which I didn't have at this time. You could also add some cooked brocolli instead of ham. I think I actually prefer that.

Wildlife Adventure

Have you ever taken your kangaroo for a walk?

  and then carried him when he got tired? :)

Have you ever been taught by an owl?

 Perhaps you have played in dirt before...

 But I'm pretty sure you have never held a tarantula!

But you may have milked a cow....

 

Have you ever climbed a mountain?

 And then came back down , full speed?

This was a school homeschool trip we had on Saturday. Got to see some neat animals, pet a snake, climb a wall and learn some intersting facts . Did you know a tarantula is not actually poisonous and they rearely bite?