When I'm Feeling Sad...

"...When a dog bites, when the bees sting,

when I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my FAVORITE things,

and then I don't feel soo bad...."

A few things I DO like about Kansas~

>The sunny skies and beautiful clouds,

>Wheat fields and swaying corn

>My growing garden

>New friends

>Motivation to Exercise again

>Wholesome farms, fresh milk,
orange eggs(on the inside : ), raw butter

> 5 Year old Birthdays!!!

>Exploring new things and places

What are a few of YOUR favorite things?

Give Me BUTTER...Or Give Me Death!!!

Symptoms: headaches, dizziness, nausea

Duration: 1 1/2 weeks

Supposed Cause: Excess Kansas Heat?

Action Taken: drink mass amounts of water to rehydrate

Results: little relief.

Finally, one afternoon, I SMOTHERED a piece of our home-made bread with yummy, delicious, and MELTED BUTTER.

It was so delicious I had ANOTHER piece and after realizing, about an hour later, that my headache had subsided...I thought, maybe my body needed more butter! How EXCITING!

The last few days I have been putting butter on everything I can!

RESULTS?

The headaches-GONE!
Nausea-GONE!

Dizziness-GONE!

What an interesting cure! I guess my body just needed some good, old-fashioned, God-invented BUTTER!

HAVE YOU HAD YOUR BUTTER TODAY?!?

P.s. If you question whether or not REAL butter is healthy-check out the Weston A. Price Foundation! http://www.westonaprice.org/

First Sport!!!

Our very first Sports Game! T-ball!

What do YOU do???

Most days I am a much better "housekeeper" than I am a mother. Doing dishes, cleaning messes, folding laundry...I got that down.

Relating with my boys, having fun, playing, connecting with their hearts...

somedays I think I miss it!!!

I want the exact opposite...

well, to be perfectly honest (not realistic, but honest)-

I want both!

So, what do you do? When it comes to the end of the day, what did it look like? Did you connect with your kids...and let the dishes sit? Are you able to get everything done? How? If not, what do you "let go"?

I know we're not perfect, but some mom's have a good grasp on motherhood and somedays you know... "that" day, you made the right choices.

So, please SHARE.

The days behind Us

FRIDAY, MAY 21st-

It was a grocery day, sunny, relaxed, productive. Planted new seeds in the garden, worked outside, kept the doors and windows open, mowed the lawn, washed our produce from shopping and thought it looked soooo delicious drying out on the counter. I already felt like we had our weekend and it was just beginning. DELIGHT!

OH HAPPY, SUNNY, GOODNESS!!!

Justus lounging in hammock. Ben playing with hose.

YELLING FACES(in chronological order)-

Inspired and prompted by sir Gabriel...can you see his stitches???
Ben, could only be sweet (with his own gash above the eye).
Sigh!

MONDAY, MAY 17th-

Took Gabriel to Urgent Care to get stitches!

Not quite sure how, but he split his chin playing on/in Kie's car.

Justus' comment, "Umm, I can see INSIDE him....uhhhhhg"

We debated not getting stiches and just using a butterfly closure, but ended up going in.

If the option arises again. I'll opt for the butterflies!!!

Gabe was a champ though, and I treated him to SONIC!

He got a corndog and a peanut butter cup sunday....

he ate the sunday FIRST!!! : )

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12th-

Tornado sirens were set off...

so, I got myself and all sleeping boys into the bathtub with mattress over us!

The sleeping children however, did not stay asleep and were eventually all crying and sweating in one very crammed bathroom!

Next house...we're getting a basement!!!

MONDAY, MAY 10th-

Breakfast?!

Ice-cream with strawberries and peanuts.

We needed a little JOY to start off the day...

given the previous days circumstances(see Sunday post)

Ice-cream is just the thing!

Drove to Wichita to buy a matress.

Way home, drove right into a severe thunder storm!

Visibility? About 10 to 50ft(varying).

Radio? Giving tornado warnings,

telling people to get into storm shelters,

naming towns I don't know,

naming a county I might be in, but don't know!

First thought? "Stay Composed"... Second thought? "Pray!!!"

... Third thought? "Pray Harder!"...

Forth? " Don't cry!"... Fifth? "DO cry!"...

Sixth? "I want to go home...Oregon home!!!"

We DID make it home safe...no tornado encounter,

but had a very sleepless week!

SUNDAY, MAY 9th-

Happy Mother's Day!

Had a wonderful breakfast with my family...

took Kie to the airport : (

Had a rough drive home.

Forgot my purse. Kids were hungry.

Boys cried nearly whole way home (about an hour).

Lost my patience about 5min from home.

Didn't feel like such a great mom...

went to bed tired and discouraged.

SATURDAY, MAY 8th-

Planted my FIRST garden (or rather, half of it),

basil, oregano, thyme (Herb pot),

stevia, strawberries (dessert pot-mmm),

tomatoes (cherry and whole),sweet peppers and mint in the raised bed

(built myself : )

Also have plans for sugar peas, lettuce, corn, carrots and sunflowers....

pure DELICIOUSNESS!!!

Mother's DAY

Happy Mother's Day!



MAMA SHARY~

Just a simple (yet immeasurable) "Thank You" for instilling in me so many things I have never thought twice about and have even looked forward to during my childhood years:
Being a stay-at-home MOM

Having my children completely naturally and at HOME

Eating/Preparing HEALTHY WHOLE foods

Baking BREAD from scratch (I FINALLY figured it out!!!)

Allowing God to give me more children than may seem SANE or COMFORTABLE...but knowing HIS delight and BLESSING

BREASTFEEDING my babies


GROWING a garden (1st one this year)

Giving ANYTHING and EVERYTHING a try "If someone else can do it...I probably can too!"

Giving GOD's WORD authority in my life and over EVERY aspect of it



These are values I deeply cherrish and am so THANKFUL you gave them to me! They are making my life (and the life of my family) a GREAT joy!!!

I love YOU~
Melody Christiana

Beautiful Bread

Something I have aspired to do since I got married was to make homemade, whole-grain, DELICIOUS bread. Over the last 6+ years I have had a few near successes, but on a whole I am really GREAT at making whole-grain BRICKS. Worthy (though, not always) of bread pudding.

: (

Over the last few weeks I have made loaf after loaf of magnificent bread...some cinnamon rolls, hamburger buns, hotdog buns and only ONE batch of "bread pudding" bread. HELLO CELEBRATION! Here are some pics of my latest creations . YUM!

P.S. It only takes me about 1 1/2hrs from start to finish to make a batch of bread...and I even grind my own flour!!!