Prairie Oak Homestead

What a year this has been! There have been hard times, good times, stagnant times, and amazingly blessed times! I have gained a dad this year...probably the biggest blessing of the year. :) I had a long stent of feeling good for about 4 mos. :) My son turned 12 O_0, I started raising chickens, I butchered chickens, I butchered deer...lots of interesting things this past year... I look forward to what God has in store for me and my family this year. His love is so amazing that I am in awe so much of the time...I hope to grow closer to Him this coming year and closer to my family. I want to be a better wife/mother/daughter for Him. He deserves ALL of us. I want to surrender my life to Him even more this year. I usually don't have a lot of New Year's resolutions....they usually don't get fulfilled and then you just feel crummy...so I just set out to do my best for Him this next year and that will be that. :) Hope you all enjoy your evening and all be careful. I hope to...

Sorry I haven't been around for a few days...I've been sick. :( I've had a bad headache for 5 days now from sinuses. I went to the doctor because it started aggravating my Myasthenia Gravis. That is under control with a bit of steroids. :) It's just a severe sinus infection that has just thrown me for a loop. I have been in so much pain from the headache/migraine that it's been hard to sleep. I am hoping that today is the day it goes away! It is so hard to be a mom/wife and be sick...so much doesn't get done and it becomes overwhelming. My husband cooked dinner last night (steak) and dries the dishes for me...but there is just so much more to be done. I managed to dust and do the dishes this morning. I just have to do some laundry now. I was planning on going to the grocery store today, but I don't think that's gonna happen. I'll save that for tomorrow. I am thankful that I haven't been in this much pain for 4 months. This horrible p...

Here is one of my favorite scenes from LHOTP. It sums it up pretty well. ;)

No, not with the Jones'. :) With your housework.....Ugh. If you don't keep up with the work, it adds up and the task can become monumental. Here are a few tips to stay on track...so as not to feel like this... Get a schedule for cleaning...www.flylady.net is a good place to get tips for this. Pick a couple days a week to vacuum. Make a menu for a week or two and then take ONE day a week to go to the grocery store. That way you have more time at home to get things done. Recruit helpers...even small children can help in the chores. Give them a chore chart with little rewards like stickers or dollar store "bucks" that they can redeem. (Need to take my own advice here. It's easier for me to just do it all, but it wears me out so) Keep up with the dishes. I found saving them til after dinner and doing them once a day helps me not to be so weak. After I had help doing kitchen chores one night...I found that the following day when I woke up there were none to ...

I really like this time of year. Even more this year. I realize it can be overwhelming, sad, and lonely at times for some people. But, it can also be joyful, fun, and peaceful. It's a great thing to celebrate the birth of our Lord. He took on flesh and we have a high priest who can sympathize with us. :) It's also a fun time of year to be with family, eat cookies, sing, dance around goofy, play in the snow, drive around and look at the lights, and enjoy the peaceful evenings in the quiet of the house. Take time to relax and think on just what this season means. How much our Lord loves us...

Last night we celebrated Christmas early at our house with some special guests. They are wonderful people with big hearts and a love for God. I cooked ham, mash potatoes (with bacon, cheese, and sour cream), bacon green beans, and coconut cake. It was all really good minus the coconut cake. It was a little dry to me. But, hey, I ate it anyway. LOL. Here is Mama D wearing the apron I made her... This next picture I had to take to document this thing that had happened.... Dad and Ryan did the dishes! It was really nice to have them do that. I didn't know what to do with myself. LOL. I woke up this morning with NO kitchen chores to do...it was wonderful. :) It was just a wonderful time and I enjoyed spending time with them. You know, God loves me so much that He has blessed me in this way. Wow...and you know what? He loves YOU, too! He cares about us and the little things AND the big things like needing a dad. He is an amazing God whom I am glad to serve. I pray the experien...