Let us be thankful

“If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.” ~ John Wooden

Do You Hear What I Hear? (Home Free) (Christmas A Cappella)

Hymns Mashup | Amazing Grace x Be Thou My Vision x Come Thou Fount | Ant...

Obviously it's been a while since I posted here. Snow is on the ground... and this morning it was -17 C. Inside we are staying fairly warm... keeping our furnace temp to 14-16 C so our electricity bill is lower. We are so thankful and blessed.

My Morning

It froze pretty hard last night (-7 C) and everything was covered with frost this morning. We're supposed to get some flurries today, but so far it's blue skies and no clouds with beautiful sunshine. :) 
This morning I'd sat on the kitchen floor while eating my breakfast and the kids congregated around me... after playing for a bit I did special time for each of them, encouraging the others to join in and help me be nice and gentle to each one. :) They all wanted to have 2 turns, but I had to feed Tabitha again and when I got done the boys were playing happily in their room, so I didn't disturb them. :)

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Are you lifting or are you knocking?

You know what's heartbreaking?

When a woman takes on something that can better her family and she receives zero support from her family and friends.

Do you know how much courage it takes for a woman to decide to take on an additional thing in her life? To actually better her family. Whether it be Plexus, Younique, Pampered Chef, or any business or other part time endeavor?

I have heard way to many times. How their spouse, friends or family have laughed at them. When they receive a commission of $15. They say what's $15 going to buy? Well it could buy a carton of milk, bread, cheese, and fruit which will feed her family. Or... $15 a month for 4 months could pay for a haircut she's bypassed for years because she can't afford it.

I bet you have no idea how amazing she felt when she received her very first commission of let's say $15. Don't take that feeling away from her. Support her. Give her props. Tell her "Nice job" but don't tear her down.

So if you're a friend, a spouse, a sibling, a parent, a neighbor, or an acquaintance of someone you know who owns a small business, send them a message RIGHT NOW and tell them how proud you are of them and really lift them! Right now is the best time! Just do it!

#SupportSmallBusiness
#Extraincome
#Liftnotknock

Did you forget your water today?

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Would you like some water?

Sharing this because I found it super interesting....I'm not judging those who drink cokes (or other sugar and caffeine drinks)... I've always been a water person, as sugary, caffeinated or carbonated drinks almost always give me a horrible stomach ache and headache.

From Brooke Hemingway!
💖💖 It's all worth the read! 💖💖
"Water or Coke? And I'm not judging because I used to drink Diet Coke 1-2x a day....but, this is eye opening. Maybe for you it's not Coke, but your crawling to your coffee pot or energy drinks, equally stressful on your adrenals.
WATER
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 30%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
And now for the properties of COKE ....
1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.
3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the “real thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
7.. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.
Now the question is, would you like a glass of water or coke?"

Due to circumstances and business I am unable to continue sending out the Ives family newsletter. Thank you for understanding. 

Does it surprise you to know that research shows that most people complain once a minute during a typical conversation?
Once. A. Minute.
Research also shows that repeated
complaining rewires your brain to make future complaining more likely.
Complaining and negativity comes in many forms but every one of those is an ungrateful slap in the face to God as He graciously provides all day every day (all day every day!!).

Look at the phrase below.
"Godisnowhere"

How do you read it?
"God is no where" or "God is now here"

God is now and always here. It doesn't matter if you dont know how you're paying your next bill thats due, it doesn't matter if you see a growing necessary home project list, it doesn't matter if youve been sick and unable to accomplish your work, it doesn't matter...stop fighting the stress and anxiety battle that only exists within your own mind. Be still...and know...you don't have to worry...or complain...or stress...or be overwhelmed...be still and know God is already here and already has a forward moving and successful plan of action.

God is now (and always) here.
Be still.
Be grateful.

Cloistered Homeschool Syndrome - No Greater Joy Ministries

Cloistered Homeschool Syndrome - No Greater Joy Ministries

As August rolls along

I've been canning lots of pickles, some green beans from one of Daniel's Aunties and we were blessed to purchase over 50lbs of peaches this year... I canned some unsweetened sliced peaches and then I made over 13 quarts of peach jam sweetened with honey. And of course we've eaten a lot fresh. 😊 Just a few days ago was Tabitha's 5 month mark... hard to believe that she was born that long ago. Breastfeeding has been going great... thanks to health supplements and a couple herbs that I still take I have plenty of milk for her. It's been such a blessing to be able to feed her... and not have to give her formula. I am so thankful that I didn't dry up with her like I did with our boys. 💖 😊
Our garden is well underway... the potatoes are beginning to die off, so they can be harvested later on... we just had our first corn on the cob for supper last night... it will soon be coming in in bucket loads as we planted a lot! But between the Market Garden on Saturdays and giving some to friends I'm sure we won't be totally swamped with it. 😊 

Peaceful moments

Last night I was laying watching the lightening out the window, listening to the thunder roll and rain fall steadily in the darkness, hearing Daniel's steady breathing, Tabitha's occasional stirs in her crib, the stirring/crinkling sound of our boys rolling over in their sleep. 
It's hard to explain the feeling. 
Happiness, thankfulness, feeling rather overwhelmed with how much I have been blessed, and feeling completely undeserving of the blessings. 
And so a whispered prayer of gratitude to God, a grateful session as He reminds me in the moment that no matter what I am going through there is still peace to be found.
I don't have "every thing together" every day I look at my short comings and see my mistakes, I see my failings and I ache for my husband and children who have to endure my humanness on a daily basis. Yet there are moments of quiet peace, where I can forget for a time the things that hurt and I am thankful for those times. <3

Long day

I feel that I accomplished a lot today... but our house is still a mess. :PWashed 3 loads of laundry, hung two on the line and had to wait for them to dry so the third load didn't get out on the line till this evening. 
Picked about a gallon of tart cherries, the birds and ants have a hay day (oh make that cherry days) when our trees start ripening... by the time they are ripe enough to actually pick at least half of the cherries on the tree are bird pecked or ant riddled... but I have enough for either two pies or some cherry syrup. :)
Made Coleslaw for me... tried to persuade the boys to eat some, but they figured I was trying to poison them... :P :) So I get it all to myself... :)
Then the boys helped me clean the pool out... We'd drained it
mostly last night as the algae was starting to slowly build up and the filter system was getting pretty rough looking... It's now sparkling clean again... after a few hours it was full, and I put a proper ratio of bleach in it and turned the filter system on again to get it circulating all night. :)
The boys again were very helpful with weeding... pulled random weeds out of the potatoes that had gone to seed, and also tried to get all the portulaca weed out... grrrr... I dislike that weed... look it up and you'll see why. :P It wasn't here when we moved here, we got dirt from two different farmers, one had portulaca and now we fight it trying to keep it from taking over our garden.
After we did the potatoes the boys helped me pull weeds near the onions and beets... after a bit they all left, and then Isaiah came back and helped me again. :) Matthew and Seth decided to turn over the burning barrel and begin playing in the ashes. :P I stopped them before they really did anything with the ashes though. :)
Throughout the day I fed and cared for Tabitha... she's such a content little baby, just like her brothers were. Happy as can be to be a part of our family, as long as she's fed and had enough sleep that is. ;) :D

What Legacy are you leaving your children?

I read this post in a mommy group I am a part of on facebook. It Touched me and I hope that you find encouragement from it as well. 

Yesterday I was emergency shoe shopping with Alea and Myles, and at the shoe store the young man at the checkout and I had this encounter:
Young man: "You look like the woman to ask. Can I ask you a question?"
Me: "I love questions. Shoot."
Him: "How much money should you have saved up to have a baby?"
Me: "You asked the right person but my answer will surprise you. See, I have NINE kids." (Waits for shock to wear off as I show him a picture). Kids aren't expensive in the way you think. You don't need all that crap from Toys R Us. Babies need a set of boobs, diapers, car seat, a few outfits, and loving arms. Other things like a swing, baby carrier (I was wearing Myles of course) pack n play- not a crib, and bouncer are nice. But all those fancy toys just take your money and space. Buy used whenever possible. "
Him: "It just always seems that babies are expensive."
Me: "Babies aren't expensive. Lifestyles are." (Mic drop moment)
Him: "Whoa"
Me: "We walk around with $700 phones in our pocket and $100 shoes wearing $50 jeans. That is expensive." I continue "How many couches did your grandparents own? What kind of TV did they have when they were in their 40s? What about the car your grandparents drove when your mom was born?"
He shakes his head, not knowing, but the girl next to him sees where I'm headed and starts smiling.
Me: "We don't pay attention to the material stuff of our grandparents because none of that matters. What matters is that they had your mom who had you and THAT is a legacy. Not stuff. People. So babies aren't expensive. They cost money, but we spend that money anyway. Babies should force us to allocate it into a purposeful spending instead of superficial. Invest in PEOPLE, not things. My nine kids means I may never go to Europe or have a fancy car. But it also means my life is dedicated to something higher than such fleeting materialism"
He stood there with his mouth wide open and said "I'm very glad I got to talk to you. I've never thought of it that way."
I smiled.
He smiled back.
#GodShot
#BeApproachable
#IJustSayItLikeISeeIt

Family time in the pool

This afternoon was one that I would have loved to go on forever... <3 :) We dropped by one of Daniel's cousins place after church like usual, bringing them a bunch of pizza for dinner and then stayed for a few hours before heading home. Daniel tinkered on the van a bit while I fed Tabitha and did some house stuff, then I headed for the pool, Matthew joined me, then Daniel, then Isaiah and finally Seth (Seth is terrified of water like his older brothers were and to some extent still are).
We played and played in the water for almost 3 hours, by the end Seth was willing to hold the side or our hands and try to walk through the water, and he would hang onto Daniel's or mine life jackets as we moved around the pool on our stomachs or backs, laying on us. :) That's really a big step for him as he didn't even want to be in the fenced in area with the pool when we first got it. :)
Matthew was actually floating and trying to swim, Isaiah was crouching down up to his neck and walking around the pool. :) I think the pool's a hit. :)
It was an amazing family time... Daniel isn't much of one for water, he stays out of it most of the time. But when we got home and it was so hot I didn't want to try to weed or pick cherries or anything really, I asked him if he'd come into the pool with me and he agreed... which not only was great for us as a couple and spending time together, but also the boys were more adventurous when their daddy is with them. :)

I'm still here!!! Yay!!!

So apparently all I had to remove was all the posts about the health supplements that I take... rather random but it is what it is.
I will now begin posting again... and hope to get back into sending out emails as well. I had to dismantle things a bit so it'll take me some time to get things back into tip-top running order. 😊
So please bear with me as I walk through this... technology is not one of my strong points but I will continue to do the best that I can. 😊

Removal of my blog

Due to apparent compliance issues (which I was unaware of till 2 days ago) my blog has to come off the web as it is not compliant with Plexus standards. I will be changing the blog address to:

www dot littleolmeandmyfamily dot blogspot dot ca

I will be removing all the current posts and leaving this last one for several days till I can create a new blog which (Lord willing) they will not shut down.
Thank you to my readers/followers who have been reading and watching me post for several months now. I hope to be back up and running soon.