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Welcome to the Raggedy Cottage and Garden. As an effort to promote home style creativity and genuine old-fashioned character, I have starte...

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Isaiah 54 and some reflections on our eternal protector


These are a few verses I had read at my wedding. Such power in these words.

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
(Isaiah 54:1-17)

Reminder.....the enemy is out there and loves to devour the following......

body (1st and easiest target for enemy to strike) .....this is why modesty and dependence on God for "medical" assistance is essential. Be careful what doctors you visit for various cares. If he can't get through this wall....he hasn't got a chance. Keep close watch on that tongue.

soul (2nd and most crippling target for enemy to strike)......this is why constant study of the word and being around believers is essential.......enemy loves to twist scripture. We must make sure we know it.

spirit (3rd and most deadly target for enemy to strike)......when he's got your spirit in false and deadly religions and cults......sometimes those religions could be the most popular "Christian" organizations in da world.....eeek Hypocrites love organization and power....eeeek X2.

Current Craft Projects




Today I pieced together a very large tote-bag. I plan to use it when I make errands around town and as a diaper bag for the new baby as the one we currently have has turned into scraps and needs some repair. The pattern for the tote bag can be found here.


Also I have been working on a crochet project for quite some time. It is an advanced pattern I found at our local library in a crochet magazine. If I were to sell this piece, I would probably have to sell it for a lotta dough! It seems to take me at least 2 hours or more to make one round. And there are 51 rounds to make. That leaves over 100 hours of stitch time to make a piece such as this. I never really work on the pattern straight through. I typically pick up the crochet work when ever I feel inspired to work on it.....which may be ever 2 months or every day....depending on the mood.

You may learn how to crochet quickly by watching here. There are several more examples on You Tube.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Birth and Bible relations


Here are a few verses associated with the positive decision to have a birth at home and without the assistance of man:

Genesis 3:16

" 16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."

Please note that in the King James Version (the most accurate and complete version) it does not indicate that women would succumb to pain but rather sorrow! How many women are decieved to succumb to pain simply by reading a bad version of the bible!

*************************************************************************************

Exodus 1: 19

"19And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them."

In other words the Jewish women delivered without the assistance of any medical professionals. It was the Egyptian women who needed assistance from professionals ;) !

*************************************************************************************

Leviticus 20:10

10And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Numbers 5:28-30

28And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

29This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;

30Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.


Leviticus 18

1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.

3After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.

4Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.

5Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

6None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.

7The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

8The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.

9The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.

10The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.

11The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

12Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.

13Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.

14Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.

15Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

16Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.

17Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.

18Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.

19Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.

20Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.

21And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

22Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

23Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

24Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:

25And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.

26Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:

27(For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)

28That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.

29For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.

30Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.


Notice in the last three segments how uncovering the nakedness of any women that is not one's wife is considered adultery! This is inclusive of pregnancy conditions as well!

For obvious reasons we are not under the law....but that does not mean we are to avoid it....we as Christians are to fulfill it through Christ's strength. ....faith without works is dead......

It seems to me when a Christian women chooses to trust her doctor over her husband she is choosing to submit to the doctor's wishes rather than her husbands.....as the scripture says, wives submit to your husbands.....not to your doctor!


And remember Christ was born in a manger.....unassisted by "professionals" :)


Monday, February 23, 2009

Beggining Home Prenatal Checkups




As I read through many of the main stream pregnancy forums it seems that many women/girls who are pregnant immediately run to a doctor to check the condition of their 5-12 week old unborn child. Although we have advanced significantly in technology, there is little that man can do to assist these women. I do believe they are seduced to pay doctors X amount of money because the health insurance companies are big business and they are taught to follow the norms of society despite the mindlessness that goes along with their mind-numbing practices associated with consistently reaching into the doctor and hospitals for every little problem that occurs. I don't necessarily condemn any women who is so eager to see an unborn child that they immediately run to the nearest physician to see what a little pea like creature looks like in an ultrasound machine. It is neat to see 4-D imagery ;) Also I do know that some pregnancies are high-risk so I can understand the case.

However, back to reality, women in biblical days trusted in God to help them deliver their children. They did not need all the excessive technology. Sometimes technology interferes with our trust in God and reliance on our savior Jesus Christ. My husband and I have chosen to have a home-birth with our next child, which is currently on the way. We may or may not use a midwife.....preferably the latter. Because of my husband's experience in the medical field, I have no fears about what could happen in case of an emergency (prolapsed cord, transverse lie etc.) In those cases a c-section is actually needed. We will hope and pray that we will be able to birth a healthy child on our own.

Furthermore, I have begun my own at-home prenatal checkups. I have recorded all the typical events that occur at a typical hospital checkup and have created my own "medical records." Using a combination of my husband's nursing books and a midwife book by Ina May Gaskin, I compiled a list of things to check for. Although, if I do encounter any problem, I may have to resort to herbal remedies to cure the problem. For example, I had slight anemia with my last birth, which created dizziness on my part, so instead of running to the doctor for a prescription, I know that there are a few remedies with herbal treatments and vitamins available to assist with these problems.

The biggest concern that most folks have with deciding to go at it alone is problems with society's assumptions about childbirth. Yes, women died in the past and neonatal death rate was pretty high as well.....but many are not considering the nutritional factors associated with such a high death rate. Furthermore, many of these women lived in fear....causing them to succumb to the anxiety associated with pain and birth trama in childbirth. If a pregnant women can overcome anxiety and pressure in childbirth.....she can overcome a lot. Often times resisting the body changes associated with birth are what causes the pain. Being surrounded by strangers in a strange setting causes the pain in the first place.

Furthermore, statistics in hospitals are very misleading. Hospitals claim to save many lives of babies and mothers but in reality more babies are snapped out of existence in hospitals and by abortifactanct drugs before the rest of the world even knows of their conception! Think about it, if hospitals truely catered to birth they would not offer prenatal tests to check for disabilities so that the mother could "choose" to abort her unborn child right in the hospital. As a result only 1 in 6 pregnancies actually come to full term with complete hospital care! This statistic could be much higher and we may never know how many unborn children are denied the gift of life right within the doors of our "friendly" hospitals! Because of this startling statistic, it is imperative that a Christian seriously think twice about funding our local hospitals! By succumbing to the pressures of society to have a birth in a hospital, you are saying that abortion is ok, the birth control pill saves lives, and other rediculous research methods are the solution to societal problems. Yes I do admit....c-sections save lives. But if we keep our focus on the Lord and not on all the problems truly associated with pregnancy and birth.....which is like 1% given proper conditions....we should have no fear in birthing our babies on our own.

Here are a couple of sites that have great books that help a person interested in taking charge of their own children's birth: birth junkie, unassisted childbirth. Keep in mind the latter site contains more new-agey types of views, so Christians beware. Some are rather eyeopening.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Psalms reflection


The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
(Psalms 24:1-10)

Thank-You Lord for being the wonderful creator! Thank you for saving us when we go astray and destroy your people and your creation. Lord teach us to keep our eyes on eternal glory, keep us ever in thy presence. Fill us with the knowledge of you oh Lord and let not the world take us away captive to its deceptions and lies. Lord I want to seek your blessing and your face. Keep us ever in your holy presence. Amen

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Digging Your Own Well




Here is a link that instructs a person how to dig their own well. Digging a well with a specialized company can be expensive... It can be upwards of 12,000$ or more. Around here land is between 3,000$ to 5,000$. My husband and I hope to own a small piece of property one day. If we happen to build a simple cabin without running water and electricity that would be perfectly fine with me. I'm a fan of simplicity ;)

Starting Seeds Indoors


Today I started seedlings. I know it is early but I am so eager to get out side and garden its ridiculous. Right now I only started about 5 pots per each seed packet I received from Gurney's but I will soon be adding more to this mix. I saved a few seeds from last year, purchased some seeds from a local farm store for about 0.10$ per packet and I plan to check out local nurseys to see what they offer.

Books for kids: Part 2

I recently created mini books with the computer and printer that we own. It is a very simple process. I found these neat vintage books on-line. You may also create a mini vintage book of your own from any website that offers post-copyright books online. All you will need is a good printer, a word processing program and a sewing machine. You may also use either card-stock, clear duct tape, leather or anything you choose for the cover. Here is an excellent site that describes how to piece a book together on your own. I plan to use more of these methods as I create books for our home school.


Here is the simple process I used to create some mini books:
To begin I, formatted the word processing program to accommodate book-fold setting. I did this by going to the page setup location on MS Word and changing Multiple pages to book fold. Also I changed the margins so that I eliminate excess white space. After changing that I changed the page size to 5.5" X 8.5"

When I was completed adjusting the margins and page settings I copied the pictures from the site onto the word processing program. When all the pictures were copied I printed the entire document on my printer. I had to use the flip method to make the sheets double sided and properly aligned because our printer does not automatically print double sided.

Below is an example of some of the printed sheets. In the picture I used a page diving method to evenly divide the pages. It was very difficult to arrange the mini-pages properly on the word processing program with this method. It is much easier to use the book fold method.

After I printed the pages I trimmed the edges with a Fiskars paper cutter. I love using this tool for creating nice cards and other paper crafts.


After the edges were trimmed I fit the pages together. In this case there were about 8 sheets or 32 front-back numbered pages. I folded the pages in the middle and used a plain sewing machine to sew down the fold of the pages. Be sure to check the tension as you are sewing so that the seams are even.

To create this book there were two sections or 64 front-back pages total. If I would have taken the time, I could have hand-sewn the two sections together with a needle and thread. Instead I simply covered the outside with clear duct tape to give the mini book a laminated effect. The Tape it self held the two sections together.


I created a another book with the same method. My dear son loves to read these mini vintage books ;)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Menu Cards

Today I have been working on developing a simple menu system for our home. It is quite simple and makes shopping easier. To begin, I developed a simple menu card. Essentially it is an index card cut in half and labeled with a simple menu plan for each meal. At times our home does not flow on a typical three meals a day plan, but knowing that a pre-made plan is created really takes a lot of pressure off of deciding what to make each day.

Here is a sample of what a typical menu card may look like:
To begin with I decide what meal the menu will be B/L/S (Break fast Lunch or Supper).
Next I choose a main dish (MD). Then I choose a side dish (SD) and bread (B). The (D) may represent either a drink or a desert or both.

After choosing what basic foods I will be serving at the meal, I indicate where I received a recipe for the dish. The box on the far right has a location for that purpose.

Following that, I indicate how long each dish takes to prepare. That way I can easily glance at the card and plan my days accordingly. On the right side of the arrows I have a location that indicates how much "hands on time" I have to dedicate to the dish in order to prepare it.

Finally at the bottom of the card I have indicated which foods I may need to make in advance a day or two and/ or have the option of doing so.

After the entire front side of the menu card is completed, I compile all the recipes I will in include in the meal and then I create a "mini" shopping list on the back of the card. That way I know what ingredients I will need for the meal.

Here is an example:
On the back of the card I would create a "mini" shopping list. For example this menu card would include : Lasagna noodles, Spaghetti Sauce, Cottage Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Ground Beef, Beans, Sugar, Yeast, Honey, Dry Milk Powder, Oil, Salt, Flour, Milk, Garlic Powder.

After I have completed several menu cards I can easily use the cards to create a weekly menu plan. As long as all of the cards contain favorite meals....I should not have to worry about complaints at the dinner table.

My weekly menu plan can be developed easily by using a simple envelope system (yet to be completed) or hand written. I can then glance at the back of each menu card to develop a shopping list by comparing what is already on the"mini" shopping list to the big shopping list and to what we already have in the cupboard. Following the creation of the shopping list I can create a day to day plan for food preparation so that meals are not late or spread out and all the good dishes may be served at each meal.

Note: I do not indicate amount of ingredient needed on the shopping list so that adjustments can be made for larger family sizes as God chooses to bless us ;)

In the future I hope to have a simple list of ingredient cost....so that I can create more cost effective meals. Also, I hope to develop a computerized mini program that helps me add recipes, create menus and shopping lists easily and effectively. That may take some patient timing.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Early Marriage (pre 20) good or bad for a society vs. Christian view


Has our society improved with the help of statistics....I doubt it. In fact I think over-reliance on anything of intellectual nature with out seeing through the eyes of scripture really puts a damper on a society as a whole. Here is an interesting study that shows how our US government developed ways to set limits on the marriage age. Although I have studied statistics in college, I can faithfully say that extending the marriage age did not help our society at all. For one thing, from a Christian point of view, pre-marital relations increases because marriage ages are extended past the age of full physical development, and girls are pressured to enter colleges and become literal prostitutes all in the name of getting a "good" job and high paying career after college. She literally sacrifices her self to the god of money. Women are increasingly treated as objects for pleasure in marriage rather than as good housewives and mothers because the marriage age is extended. Career becomes first and family second. Not only are women increasingly pressured to put career first and family second, but her own children concieved (mostly out of wed-lock) are litterally swiped away before society even recognizes them via the birth control pill or abortion. Although the article states that later marriages promote better economies.....I would beg the author of the article to take back his point. His statements are false and very misleading. Reducing or eliminating the number of children born into a society because a women believes she may concieve in "sin" does not promote betterment in an economy. The American economy in and of it self is behind. A peasant with no debt living in a shack in Zimbobwae, and has 5 kids, is 10 x's richer than a person with 100's of thousands of dollars of debt and working 60 hour weeks at an industrial office cheating people out of their wages with a divorced husband and no kids. Sure the peasant in Zimbobwae doesn't have as much to give to the government and was married at the age of 14.....but at least she knows her future.

So what is the solution for the next generation? Number one, we need to be feeding our children the scriptures! Help them memorize key verses, understand the patterns of scripture in historical and spiritual context, and develop healthy habits of prayer and bible reading. Number two, keep our children close by our side from birth until marriage....that includes homeschooling (basic understanding of core-secular principles is all that is necessary) as non-optional in a Christian home. Number three, teach the patterns of courtship and encourage it, in order to keep their bodies physically accountable before the Lord. If your son or daughter has difficulty talking with the parents or spiritual leader of the person he or she wishes to marry then your son or daughter is not ready for marriage. Number four, keep your son or daughter occupied with household tasks and daily conversations with parents so that he or she is not tempted to join the band wagon of other teenagers who are leaving the accountability of marriage in the dust. Number five, give your son or daughter alternative means of receiving a free or cheap education that is not linked to the modern college atmosphere when he or she has passed the educational level of a high school senior. Number six, help your son or daughter learn ways to be financially responsible and giving to the church first and society second as a whole. Number seven, love your child and be with your child on a daily basis until God calls him or her to marriage. Remember God calls some people to singleness and that is OK ;) We as Christians need to stand firm in our faith and defend righteous in Christ.

Weaning: A western culture disaster.

I am currently still feeding my 1.5 year old mother's milk. In other cultures (particularly India and indigenous regions) it is normal for a toddler or child to nurse well into their 3rd year of life! In America and many western cultures nearly 80% of babies who haven't even received enough nutrition and proper bonding from momma and poppa are weaned before 6 months of age! That is very sad. Although it is possible for the child to survive physically, we may never know what problems early weaning causes to the child's spiritual growth and bond to the parent until it is to late.

I recently read an article that stated that there are actually amino compounds that are relaxing to the baby and toddler. Thus, when the child has temper tantrums, the milk produced by the mother will naturally calm the child. Although our country has laws in place that protect a nursing mother, it is too obvious that there are too many inconspicuous onlookers who do not view nursing a child or infant as a natural part of life but only view it as sexual or unnecessary for survival (especially in a "modern" society). Thus, it is particularly embarrassing for mothers with toddlers or young children to nurse in public. It is sad to know that there are folks like that in our society today. They would rather see a mother feeding the children man-made formula from a bottle rather than subjecting to the fact that it is in fact cheaper and naturally necessary to feed a baby directly from the mother. Not only for the purposes of nutrition but also for the purposes of bonding and discipline of the child. The child must come to the realization that he or she was not put on this earth with out the necessary bond of both parents.

Speaking of the churches.....we should be ashamed of ourselves. Often mothers leave their children in the nurseries and run away to go listen to a "good" sermon. In fact, they are doing more damage to the child's spiritual growth than may be realized. Mothers who drop their babies or even toddlers off at nurseries and let strange nursery workers feed them, are setting them selves up for judgment. The best way for a child to grow spiritually starts at a young age. The child is subject to the PARENT for spiritual guidance and NOT someone else. Giving our children over to others is building the stage for rebellion later in life.

An ideal church would be accommodating to mothers who actually wish to nurse their toddlers or young children. I know this statement is highly rejected by many so-called Christians who don't actually study the word. Although I know that toddlers can be trained to drink from a sippy cup at that age.....it isn't possible to keep a child perfectly calm in a church setting unless he or she actually has physical access to mothers milk. The milk that has the natual calming sedatives. Rambunctious children are a cause for many church problems to begin with.

How could the issue be solved on nursing a toddler in the church until he or she is actually ready to be weaned?....separation of man and women in the church! Yes it is good and neccesary. The feminists would hate the idea that all the women must sit in the back of the church or be seated on a separate side of the church simply because the children are naturally rambunxious without mother's calming effect. Long before feminism crept into our church men and women WERE separated! This was good and neccesary to keep families in tact and focused on the word of God and none else.....No focus on roudy children, if you may. Don't even ask my opinion on women pastors or nun's for that matter......that is an issue of religion.....and NOT pure religion.

For us personally, I have only been feeding my 1.5 year old son before sleeping (night and naps) and if he awakes at night (usually once or twice) Thus the total number of feedings he may get in a 24 hour period is anywhere from 2 to 4 feedings. We recently went away for the weekend and little to my surprise, my son did not take well to being weaned abruptly. It was painful for me and for my son. I thought I could "survive" with simply cutting off the milk supply immediately and he would instantly forget that he needed mother's milk to fall asleep.....boy was I mistaken. Advice from "worldly" people who were able to switch over to bottles or other sources for comfort (reliance on idolatry) did not take into consideration mothers who co-sleep with their babies or toddlers and who do not agree with letting babies or toddlers "cry-it-out." Feminism and western thinking does a lot of damage to our children's spirits. More than many people actually realize.

Here are some bible verses on weaning (notice how none of the verses state the actual age of weaning. It could be anywhere from toddler age to school age.....we do not know)

And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
(Genesis 21:8)

But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.
(1 Samuel 1:22)

And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
(1 Samuel 1:23)

And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.
(1 Samuel 1:24)


And the sister of Tahpenes bare him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house: and Genubath was in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh.
(1 Kings 11:20)

Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.
(Psalms 131:2)

And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
(Isaiah 11:8)

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
(Isaiah 28:9)

Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
(Hosea 1:8)

Also we must take into consideration verses reguarding milk and meat of the word:

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
(1 Corinthians 3:2)

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
(Hebrews 5:12)

For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
(Hebrews 5:13)

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
(1 Peter 2:2)

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Fasting and Prayer

Today I have chosen to take a day of fasting. It is a great way to revive my spirit and get in touch with God. I feel as if I am cleansed by the holy spirit every time I fast and I really enjoy it. I feel the power of God's word lifted out when ever I fast and it is so refreshing. I hope to fast at least once a month and possibly even once a week in the near future. Not only does fasting cleanse the body, it sharpens the spirit.

Here are a few verses from the bible on fasting:

2Sa 12:21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

1Ki 21:9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:

1Ki 21:12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

2Ch 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

Ezr 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

Est 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

Isa 58:3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

Isa 58:4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Isa 58:5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Jer 14:12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

Jer 36:9 And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

Joe 1:14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD,

Joe 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

Jon 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

Zec 7:5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

Zec 8:19 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.

Mat 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Mat 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Mat 9:14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?

Mat 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Act 27:9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,


As we can see.....Jesus does not want us to be mornfull in our fasting but he wants us to be joyful ;)

Friday, February 6, 2009

A Day in the Life of my 1.5 year old...


So what is the day of my Toddler (and myself) usually like? I try to keep it pretty routine so that he doesn't get confused from day to day. (Name has been eliminated for internet safety reasons)

8:00-9:00 He wakes up and has a little breakfast
9:30-10:00 He might have a bath if we fill up the tub he loves to jump in
10:00-12:00 I usually start to make lunch, so he may help if he feels he must; otherwise play time
12:00 Lunch (We usually try to squeeze in family devotions and bible reading around this time)
12:30 Clean-up and then Nap
2:00- 3:00 Wake up from Nap and have a little snack
3:15 Go out side (weather permitting). He loves to splash in the puddles because the snow is melting now. He also loves to ride on the sled.
3:45 Come inside and read a good book, do a craft activity or other learning item
4:00 Play time and free time
5:00 I start to make supper
6:00 We take supper to daddy at work
6:30-7:00 We come home and clean-up supper mess
7:00 Read another good book or play time and free time
8:15 I try to start getting him ready for bed some times this may be latter depending on work schedule
8:30 Bed time....he usually likes to jump around, before he gets tired.

Unfortunately his schedule does get a little hampered with when I am scheduled to work at a nearby nursing home. However, I will have a lot of debt paid off very soon. This will allow me to cancel my day shift work hours.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Around the home


We live in a small two bedroom apartment. Over 100 years ago it was typical for the average family to live in a home under 1000 square feet and yet have over 5 kids! Also many of the small cabins were built by the family and not by a specialized construction company. It is so great to know that a person can live happy and comfortably without going to great efforts to live in a large house. Although it seems "boring" to live in a small home, it really allows a person to expand his or her horizons.

This is a beautifully designed home of only 382 square feet! I hope to expand my creativity and fill my home with beauty and love ;) Pro 9:1 Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

Here are some mini pictures of our apartment:

Songs of Love and Hope