We're Moooooooving!

We are preparing to move in the next few weeks and it is CrAzInEsS here : ) We have boxes everywhere already. I am on a good pace to get packed without too much fuss. Starting next Wed, we will be on the ANTI- green plan (unfortunately). Meaning, that we will be on paper plates, cups, etc until we get into the house. There just isn't any easier way to do it.

I made this really great "system" for labelling boxes. I printed our solid colors on shipping labels with the name of the room printed on them. Each room in the new place has it's own color, etc. It has been going great except that Ella has figured out how to take the labels OFF!!! So, we will fun sorting out the boxes when we get moved in.

I don't know how much I will be able to blog over the next two weeks, but I will be back when all is settled...CORRECTION...when we get tot he new house. "Settled" is not something I am looking for anytime soon : )

Be encouraged!

7 Things About ME Tag

My SIL (Heather) tagged me, so here goes. I am not sure if there are 7 things about me that most people don't already know...

7 THINGS ABOUT ME YOU MAY NOT KNOW (& MAY NOT CARE TO KNOW)!!!

1. 6 years and 3 months ago, I had never even changed a single diaper in my life. Since then, I have probably changed over a million. The first diaper I ever changed was my own sweet Graycen's in the hospital when she was born. 6 years, 3 months, and FIVE babies later, I think I would be considered a pro at it : )

2. I love to make one-of-a kind cakes for my kids' birthdays. It is a creativity that my Mom says I get from my Aunt Sandra. I love to ask them what kind of cake they want and then make it. So far, I have made a straw hat with flowers, a pirate map, a clock, a construction hat, a report card (for Nathan actually at the kids' request) and more! This June I will be make a SUPER HERO cake for Coop. I need to get working on that design!!

3. Although I have never had a single ticket issued to me, I had 8 car accidents from the time I was 16 until I was 21 (totalling 3 cars) and haven't had another one since. My first accident happened 15 minutes after I got my license!!!

4. I don't like ice. I love a cold drink and I love ice cream, but I really dislike ice in my drink. I don't really know why. It is just one of those little things about a person that make them unique I guess.

5. I am married to the EXACT person that God intended for me to be with. If you have ever heard the song,"God Blessed The Broken Road", that is my song. Through so much heartache, God delivered me to the precise man that He created me to love, serve, and glorify Him with. I was just thinking this morning that there isn't another soul on the planet that gets me the way Nathan does and loves me through it all. He is my protector at all costs and that is something that I very much needed in my life. He was born to be a Daddy to five little ones. He is the perfect man for the job.

6. I love to drive! I just like driving in general. (I know that sound funny in light of #3) When we go on road trips, I am usually the sole driver. When we drove to Buffalo, NY last Easter, I drove the whole 17 hours, both ways!! It was beautiful and it is therapeutic for me. There are two places that I hope to drive in the next two years at some point. To Neenah, Wisconsin (to visit family there and stop at many interesting places along the way) and to New Mexico (also to visit family and stop in at interesting places & with family along the way).

7. I don't fly. Obviously, I don't have wings, but I don't fly in planes either. I have flown before, but I hope to never (ever, ever, ever) do it again- not without major medication anyway. The last time I flew was to NY to visit my very dear friend. I was so excited about going, but the flights there and back nearly killed me. It isn't your average, "ooh, I don't like to fly" scenario here. I HATE to fly. On a few rare occasions when I have talked myself (or been talked) onto a plane, I have tried to leave once the plane starting moving at all. I am not scared of death. I have faced death before and I am okay with it, really. I know where I am headed and have full confidence in that knowledge. I don't , however, want to spend my last 30 seconds plunging violently to the ground from 30,000 feet. Good thing I love to drive right?

So, there are 7 things about me that you may or may not have known : ) Some are silly, I know. It is the best I got on a Friday. Maybe an 8th thing would be that I don't get much done on Fridays. By now each week, my brain and my body are tired and I just relax with the kiddos and play all day.

Who would I like to see answer these questions?

-Brandon (my BIL) Now you have been tagged twice!!
-Erin
-Allison
-Ginger
-Jennifer W. (my cuz)

Mmm-Mmmm-GOOD!

This afternoon when Nathan got home from work, our house was a BUZZ with the smell of fresh bread baking in m new....

ZO!!!!

Nathan got it for me this week and I couldn't have been more excited. My first loaf of bread (made with wheat I had just ground in the Whisper Mill I got for Christmas) turned out really well. It was yummy and the kids couldn't get enough. I ground some more wheat this evening and set up the machine to have fresh bread for us again in the morning. You can't beat that.

Why do I grind my wheat and make fresh, wholesome, wheat bread for my family? Read this article written by Sue Becker, of the Bread Beckers of GA, to learn more. I first heard of this process from the Titus 2 woman who taught the Bible study I took on The Excellent Wife . Back then I thought it was way too much for me to tackle. Then my SIL got into it and she made it seem easier and more doable. So, I thought about it and decided that one day I would try it. I read and read about the healthy attributes and FINALLY I decided to give it a try. By the time I got the mill for Christmas this past year, I had been "studying up" on what I wanted to do with it for about a year. Nutritional aspects aside, it is the best tasting bread I have had.

Before I got my Zo, I had already ground my own wheat and hand made things like dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, pizza crust, etc. I am looking forward to experimenting more with my ZO and making all sorts of yummy creations once we get settled at our new place. I am also planning to make a couple of loaves a week to share with a neighbor or someone that the Lord puts on my heart. I am hoping that, as I wrote about in my last post, this too will become an opportunity to share more than just my home baked bread : )

Have a SUPER WEEKEND!!!

A Sign Of The Times

I was checking Nathan's school email account last night. (I do this, with his permission, to make sure I get housing notes and info). As the emails loaded from the web server, I noticed one of the subjects read "Active Shooter Scenario" . I sat there for a little over an hour SOBBING as I read and re-read the "what to do's" they have recommended for us and the other students should the unthinkable happen here on this beautiful, christian campus. As I read the things that we should do and say if an armed person enters a room we are in, I couldn't get VT victims out of my mind . I couldn't help but think about how scared they must have been and how devastated the parents, spouses, and/or children of those people must be now. I know that some of them knew the Lord, but for those who didn't...how hopeless.

I am so sad that we even had to get an email like this. I am angry that this evil exists and that it can create the pain that it has created in the lives of those left to heal unhealable wounds!!! As someone who struggles with fear, this terrifies me as to what my children will have to live (or die) through in their lifetime before our Father comes for us. I am grateful that the seminary is thinking and trying to be as prepared as one could be for such a horrific event. After all, we aren't in an indestructible bubble here. I am just so sad that this is even a reality in this world.

Thinking through this, I am reminded of how, so many times, people huddle together and pray for the people affected by these tragedies in the hours following the event itself. Then as the days and weeks pass, life goes on for those of us not directly affected by them. I hope that we will all continue to pray for those affected directly. Both those that lost loved ones, those in the community will carry this pain for along, long time.

In the email we recv'd, the final point listed under the heading "If Armed Individual Enters an Office or Classroom" says, "• Continually pray silently and ask for God’s wisdom." That is advice that we can all be using right now. As we pray each night for that faithful hedge of protection to be placed over our little ones, maybe we should also take a moment to pray for that lost, sad, person in a dark place somewhere who is preparing to storm Hell and end the earthly life of anyone he can when he does. How many people has God brought into my life, not in an assault or ambush, but in a supermarket or a waiting room that I could have shown light to? Instead, I bury my head in a book or claim "ME time". It is so easy for me to be too busy sometimes to answer God's calls on me to act now and reach out to someone that may be in so much need of His love and salvation. My first calling, to my family, is my most important, but it is not a reason to selfishly ignore other calls God gives me to fulfill His great commission and to tell others about the grace and mercy I have been given.

Lord, I am so sorry that I haven't been a better steward of the time you have given me here. I want to draw others to You so that they may have and know Your love the way I do. I want to seize every opportunity You give me to spread the good news that is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Your son, Jesus. I get so wrapped up in my world, Lord, that I lose track of the fact that so many are living lives without You. They are miserable and sad and lonely.

Lord, please continue to be with those affected at Virginia Tech. The families that have lost so much need a comfort that can only come from You. I pray that they will turn to You for peace and will stand together against the evil that robbed them. Heal their wounds Lord.

Father, help me to not fear the future for my children, but to look forward to seeing them follow an example I want to give them of a person always ready to stand in the way of darkness for light's sake. May they not only learn their need of surrender and Savior, but also learn to desire nothing more than to serve You by going and telling of You. Lord, should my children one day face this evil eye-to-eye, I would give MY LIFE to know that they are secure in the knowledge that Jesus is with them and that they can claim victory over any death through His blood.

Thank You again and again Father for the family you have loaned me. Thank You for the gracious hand and hedge you place around them to keep them safe each day and night.

I love You Lord.

THIS IS HAAARRD!!!!!

THERE!! I SAID IT!!!

Seriously though, I think I have had a problem admitting that in the past. When people would look at all of my children and find out their ages and then GASP, I would comment, "It isn't as hard as you think" and "Well, we get by without a hitch!" and comments like that. After reflecting on it for awhile now, I think that somewhere inside of me I felt I HAD to do everything I could to make this look easy or people would doubt God's conviction for us to have this family. More times than not, I failed at making it look easy and then I felt SUCH guilt about it. I believe that I thought that if people thought my life was hard, they would think that God hadn't given it to me. Does that make sense? I KNOW that God gave me my life, don't get me wrong. He blessed me with each one of these healthy children and I KNOW that to be fact. It is just that every time we announced our pregnancies, more times than not, we got these looks that weren't so joyous. Most of the time, we were met with horrified looks that saddened my should-be joyful-to-overflowing heart. Sure, people cared for us and meant well. They were concerned and worried for us, but the looks and the lack of enthusiasm still hurt. So, I set out to show them (Ha, Ha right?) I would show them that this wasn't so hard and that I could do this easy as pie.

WRONG! What that did was that it had me always searching for a non-existent Golden ticket of sorts. Some miracle system or way that made this life easier. Nathan and I were always trying methods of discipline and/or organization that touted an easier, maybe less-chaotic way. Even though some were more successful than others, all in all I can tell you that there is no "Happy Meal" way to parent a large family or ANY size family for that matter. There just isn't. These systems are tools or resources that can be helpful, but it is still a hard thing to do; parenting.

So with Annagail's birth came that "ole familiar feeling" again. Except this time, I let myself ask for help. I allowed myself to accept and understand that this life that God has blessed me with is H_A_R_D. I am seeing that there is no shame in it at all. The fact that I can tell someone who asks "How do you do it?!?!" honestly with the answer, "Day by day and it is hard!" is okay. In fact, I sort of feel that it is even more of a testimony to God, because as hard as it is, we get by fine. We sleep REALLY well when we sleep and we are always blessed with a new day to do it again.

I don't think I ever tried to give the persona of perfection. That isn't me. However, I did try to make it seem as if I didn't always struggle with it. I DO! It isn't easy getting up early, after a long night of at least one child waking, and then going full speed until the kids are in bed and I pass out in my own bed. Then waking up the next morning to do it all over again. IT IS HARD! But by God's sweet and ever renewing Grace I am doing this. I have FIVE CHILDREN under the age of SIX!!! I almost can't believe it myself!!! This is hard! I am tired, but I am so very happy. My body hurts, but I am so overjoyed with my life right now. I feel so good about what God has granted me that I can admit that it is hard and STILL be an encouragement (hopefully) to someone feeling the same conviction I did years ago. Acknowledging that I what I do is very difficult and trying has freed me from pressure that I was putting myself under. It has opened up a whole other level of patience with my children that before I had bogged down with expectations that were probably unrealistic for them. I am a better teacher to my young-ins now than I was before, because I can wait for them to learn. I can let them mess up without pressure, but with truly loving correction. Does that make sense?

I took my crew to the mall today all by myself! We had a great time and nobody looked at as if they felt sorry for me! I had to stop many times and correct one of my children, but I never lost my temper and the kids did very well for their ages. On the contrary, I took the kids to church SOLO last night so that Nathan could get some studying in before his finals. It was difficult and I think a few people did look at me with pity, but oh well right? They don't know what I know. They don't know that, even though they may see chaos-they miss the hundreds of kisses and hugs I am getting in any given day. They also don't get the joy in their hearts that I get when I am driving down the road and my four older kids are signing "The Days of Elijah" at the tops of their lungs. I have so enjoyed these 7 weeks since Annagail's birth, because I feel free to be just the Mother God intended me to be them, no more and no less.

This morning, Cooper got in my lap and hugged me tight. He said, "Mama, I am having so much fun lately!" I believe that God sent that message through Cooper for a reason. That spoke so much to my heart. He is my only boy and, a lot of times, my hardest sell on any new idea. The fact that he too has enjoyed this time we have had since Annagail's birth is a blessing to this Mama's heart.

Nobody said it was going to be easy and it probably won't be. However, God's grace is new each day and, HALLELUJAH!, He will see me through.

Father God, thank You for my life! Thank you for my sweet, rambunctious, often-chaotic, often-very loud children! You are the giver of life and you have SO blessed me even though I am so unworthy. Thank you Father that even though this life is hard, You are gracious to me each new day. Thank You for the rest that You provide me when I feel that I might just give out sometimes. Thank you for the laughter You start between Nathan and I when we need that release the absolute most. And thank You Lord for the courage You provided us to follow this conviction you put on our hearts so many years ago. As hard as it has been and will continue to be, had we not listened, we would be lacking so much of Your blessings now. Each one of these children are their own joyful addition to our family. Each of them, I pray, will grow to serve You with all of their life and in their own unique ways. What a blessing that is to think on!!!! I love you Father!

Resurrection Rolls

To understand the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ this fun recipe uses crescent rolls and a disappearing marshmallow!

*Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients: Crescent rolls, Melted butter, Large marshmallows, Cinnamon, Sugar, crescent rolls, Bible

Read Matthew 27:57-61 1.
1.Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus.
2. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.
3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body.
4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.
5. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb - pretend like it was three days!)
6. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)

Now read Matthew 28:5-8
Explain: At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid. No one had taken Jesus' body, but He Had risen from the dead! The angel told the women to go and tell the disciples what they had seen, that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were so excited, they ran all the way home to tell the disciples the good news! He is risen from the dead! Alleluia! After that Jesus appeared in person to Peter, then to the 12 disciples and after that, to more than 500 people. Jesus' appearance to eyewitnesses, those who saw Him with their own eyes, would give support And prove that Jesus rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). By rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He was the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, and the Lamb of God. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no other had ever done before. As both God and man, He overcame sin, death, and hell.

* This recipe was sent to me by a friend from church : ) The kids really enjoyed it and were AMAZED by the end result. The younger two especially took to it.

Homeschooling- Murray style!

We had a much less formal "school" while I was pregnant and unable to be out of the bed for very long. Now that we are getting back into the swing of things here, I am going back to the beginning of our curriculum, as a review for 1st grade for my older girls. It is really funny though and I have had to keep myself from laughing at how it would sound to someone listening in on us. Imagine teaching your 6 & 5 yr olds while your 2 & 3 yr olds are playing and you are holding your 3 week old on your shoulder. It sounds like a circus doesn't it? It sort of is.

This is how homeschooling SOUNDS in our house; or at least how it sounded THIS morning.

Mama: Okay, so we know that the sun is a star, but what is it's purpose?
Maryevelyn: It gives us light!!
Mama:That is correct! Very Good! Cooper take the rescue hero off of Ella's head please. Graycen, what else does the sun do?
Cooper: But Mama, Ella is the mountain that the rescue hero is climbing!
Graycen: It shines beeee-uuuuu-tifully in the sky, so that we can see little flowers.
Ella: NO,NO COOPER! I NOT NO MOUNTAIN!! (whack!)
(Cooper crying now)
Mama: Ella NO! Cooper, she doesn't want to be a mountain. Graycen that is correct, but that is a lot like what MaryEvelyn said isn't it? The sun gives us light and that light helps us to see. Can you think of something other than what she said?
Cooper: Can I go upstairs and play?
Graycen: Well...it...well...
Mama: Yes, Cooper you can play upstairs.
Ella: ME TOO!! ME TOO!
MaryEvelyn: Can I play upstairs too?!?!?!
Mama: Yes, Ella you may go upstairs, No MaryEvelyn you may not until after we finish these few things.
(Annagail crying now & Mama bouncing her to get her back to sleep)
Graycen: The sun makes everything grow in Spring!!!
Mama: Yes, it does! What about it make that happen?
MaryEvelyn: But I am done, why can't I go upstairs?
Graycen: IT...
MaryEvelyn: Mama, Mama, Mama, I am done now.
Mama: Please don't interrupt your sister MaryEvelyn.
Graycen: It gets hotter.
Mama: That is correct Graycen. The sun give us heat and like it says in Genesis, the sun and moon are there to help us mark the seasons.
-Graycen and MaryEvelyn high five.
- Ella comes running down the stairs holding Cooper's Thomas the Tank Engine with Cooper hot on her tracks.

And so it goes...

Life here is never boring! That is for sure! The good news is that learning IS happening in some form or fashion. Yesterday, we blind folded each other and experienced darkness. Today we set some grapes out in the sun to see how long it will take to turn them into raisins. I am not sure that Ella won't find a way to get those grapes, as she can't for the life of her understand WHY we would put perfectly good grapes on the grill out back. LOL!!

Have a good Tuesday! Happy Learning!