Good News For The Duggar Family~

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*Remember to silence my play list~


The Duggar family is still in need of our prayers! So lets keep praying!

Blessings,
Georgiann

Postive Discipline~

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We practice positive discipline in our home.
We believe in gentle,active parenting.
Being consistent is really key to making it work.
We teach Love and Respect using scriptures and have meaningful talks with our kiddos daily.
Our children know what is expected and the consequences that will follow for their bad choices.(we do not spank in our home)
My children are not perfect but they are pretty darn good if you ask me! (or others that know my kiddos)


Peace,Love & Joy,
Georgiann

Our Family Art Studio~

Our family art studio is in the dining room of our home! The kiddos and I love to express ourselves through art~

Last week the youngest 3 kiddos painted bird feeders and houses. What a fun time~

Blessings and Love,

Georgiann

Happy Birthday Hubby~

My to do list before hubby gets home~

• Put away 5 baskets of laundry~
• Wash 3 loads of cloths~
• Make Daddies cake with the kiddos~
• Remind Jarett to do the dishes~
• Remind Jacob to take out kitchen trash~
• Remind Nick to take out the recycles
• Clear away the clutter off the dinner table~
• Have Noah paint his pinewood derby car for the race tonight @ cub scouts!
• Give the dog his pills ,he has had a mishap....I will post about our poor Beagle soon~
• Figure out what is for dinner?.....maybe we will just have cake tonight? EEEEKKKK!
• Make a meal plan for tomorrow:)
• Play math game with Noah~
• Tidy up the living room ie: put away the clutter~

Blessings,

Georgainn

What Makes You Happy?

I would like to thank Kari at http://moosaidthemama.blogspot.com/for giving me an award!

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Due to my lack of computer time these days I will not formally pass this blog award on. If you come by my blog and would like to take this award be do....here is what you would need/should do if you decide to take this award:

1. Thank the person giving the award...(me)

2. Write 10 things in life that make you HAPPY and post it on your blog~

3. Give the award to 10 people*

4. Post the award on your sidebar if you wish~

* When giving the award to others you usually put in links back to the blogs you choose, so your readers can enjoy your favorite blogs.

Then after you post on your blog you must travel to the blogs you chose and tell them of the award and how to claim it. (this does take a bit of time)

Oh~ also if you decline a blog award it is proper to still thank the giver.

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My Happy List~

• Nursing my toddler~
• The smell of fresh bread baking in the bread machine~
• Snuggling in my comfy bed after a long day with my Hubby and all my kiddos to watch a movie~
• Sipping tea with a friend~
• Watching the kiddos play in the back yard on a HOT summer day as the smell of food on the BBQ waifs through the air~
• Digging in our large garden on a warm day with my kiddos~
• Going to Mass on Saturday~
• Sipping tea in my favorite chair with a good book~
• Looking at Old Victorian houses with my realtor friend~
• Going to dinner at the Olive Garden with Hubby & the kiddos~
• Watching the birds eat at the feeder in our back yard~

You can also read about my happy book I started a few years ago!
There are so many things in my life that bring sheer JOY to my heart and make me utterly Happy that I have a book to write them down!

Blessings.
Georgiann

God Answers.....

a little girls prayers!



Back on December 6th of this last year my 4yr old daughter Jackie won a VERY large pink and white poinsettia from my Hubby's Annual Family Christmas breakfast/potluck held at his work place. Jackie was beaming from ear to ear when they called out her name to take home this humongous beautiful pink poinsettia.(her favorite color)
The plant was so huge it barely fit into the front seat of my mini van. (I no longer drive my Astro.....the door still does not stay on good after my teenager kicked it...read more on it here.)

I knew the mammoth Christmas rose would not live long at my house. I also knew that I would not have room for it....with Christmas guests coming to stay for the holiday and a tree soon to be crammed in our house.....the walls would start to close in! Plus I knew that it would get broken...this was a huge plant! I bet it cost about $40.00!
So..... I made the executive decision to donate the ginormous plant to our Church on the way home from the party.....we....I mean hubby and I thought it was a great idea!
Jackie on the other hand was not all to happy about our decision. But she soon came around and excepted the decision that was made concerning HER beautiful potted plant! The plant stayed in the back of church until Christmas......then it was front and center on the alter with smaller white ones surrounding it! We told Jackie that Jesus was proud of her for doing as mommy and daddy asked. And she could see the plant every time we went to church! Plus she would be sharing the Christmas plant and its beauty with everyone.

This story does not end here.........

In the middle of January our church held a international potluck....everyone brings a food dish from your families heritage. I'm Scotch/ Irish/ English (mom's side) and a small bit French and German (dad's side). I brought a Shepperd's Pie! (England)

Anyways.....back to the story!

Each family got a ticket to win a poinsettia......Yes, they were drawing tickets and calling numbers. If your number was called you could take a poinsettia from the alter. Soon I heard our number called and Jackie ran up to claim back her large pink/white poinsettia. Jackie was once again beaming and her face was just a glow! (Jackie did not hear others church goers complain that it was not fair that SHE got the big one!)

I turned to a friend of mine sitting at a near by table and quietly told her that Jackie had donated the plant and now SHE has it back. Now that Christmas is over we have the room for it.

And I will not ever forget what my friend said to me.....God answered your daughters prayer!

Then she started to share with my daughter Jackie, that GOD does hear us and HE does answer!

I know that this experience has stuck with her because she still talks about it! Her willingness to obey mom and dad giving the plant to the Church for good use and it was given back to her.....not by chance but from GOD!

Peace, Love & Prayers,

Georgiann

One Nation Under GOD~

Most weekdays and every weekend you will find our flag out!

Flying with pride!

The girls love to help Daddy on the weekends to put out the flag~

Peace and Love,

Georgiann

Cute~Cute~Cute!!!

Peace and Love~

Georgiann

A Cup Of Change~

The new year has brought about a few changes......my morning routine is one of them!
Instead of my one mug of very strong coffee (that equals the amount of 2 cups of coffee....but is the strength of 4.) I have switched to Chai tea and Soy Silk.
I'm trying to cut down on my caffeine and sugar intake. Yes, I know that the Chai tea has caffeine. Its not that I think caffeine bad for you but its that I have to put lots of high calorie,sugar loaded French vanilla creamer to tame the strong coffee flavor. So one might suggest as my hubby did.....don't make the coffee as strong thus the need to use so much creamer....but that has not worked for me. The morning experience was not the same. So now.....

I have switched to a chai tea and vanilla soy Silk...... and then switched to plain Soy Silk...it has even less sugar than the flavored Silk . I will soon use Chai tea bags I bought yesterday instead of the liquid tea in the box. The liquid tea that comes in a box has sugar cane juice and I am trying to reprogram my taste buds....to desire less sugar. The liquid tea calls for 1/2 tea 1/2 milk or soy milk. I have been only using 1/4 cup tea and 1 full cup of soy organic soy Silk in an effort to wean off the caffine. The spice of the chai tea can still be tasted....I don't feel cheated. I now still look forward to my morning drink & feel good about drinking it! I will eventually switch to a oragnic decaf. chai tea bag.

I almost forgot to share with you what prompted the change! God had put it on my heart to make the change. Less caffine and sugar.... and I ignored HIM (not a good idea).....then just before Christmas I was wiping the counters and appliances down and accidentally knocked the glass coffee pot off the counter! It broke all over the floor!!!! I then made my coffee by way of heating water in the kettle and poreing it over my filter basket that had to be hand held and the lever held down to drain the water through! It was fun to do things by hand.....but knew that I needed to obey what God wanted for my life! What HE wanted ME to do.
I think GOD was trying to get my attention and HE did!

Well I'm off to make my morning cup of tea! .....And eat a small healthy breakfast!
(NO more skipping breakfast!)

Blessings,
Georgiann

Grapeseed Oil Giveaway....

....over @ Raising Arrows blog!
Hurry while there is still time to get entered......giveaway ends Friday at midnight!

Blessings,
Georgiann

Homemade Face Scrub~

Back to Basics Face Scrub

• 1/2 cup sugar....I use unbleached organic!
• 3/4 cup honey.....Raw is best but I did not have any.
• 1/4 cup olive oil.....you could also try another plant oil. ie: apricot, jojoba etc...
• Essential Oils (you can experiment....but do some reading first as some can not be used on the face or while pregnant!!!)
• Mix the ingredients well and each time you go to use it because the oils will go to the top.

I recommend making small batches of face scrub until you find what combo works well for you!
I used 5 drops Lavender, 2 drops Rosemary & 3 drops Patchouli! When I read in one of my books AFTER making my first batch a few weeks ago my book said rosemary should not be used on the face. I had no problem with it in my first batch so I added some to my second batch. (I love the smell).
You can use Tea tree, Chamomile or others......just do some reading on them first!




Many things we use to clean our face and use on our skin afterwards have many harmful things in them. I know many people that use baby oil on their body after a shower but did you know that baby oil is made with a petroleum product called mineral oil?
Mineral oil is what is left after processing crude oil to make gasoline!!!! It cost more for companies to "dispose of it" so they sell it cheap to lotion and makeup companies!
Many face cleansers, make-up, shampoos and conditioners are filled with very bad things including mineral oil and parabens! I have gone through and got rid of most of what I had in my bathroom cabinets. Oh the dumb stuff we spend our $$$$$$ on!!!!! I have lost the desire to spend money on things that clutter my bathroom and that are not good for my skin or hair! My body and pocket book thank me for it!

No wonder I have pimples and clogged pores!!!!!
You can go here to read more about the subject of mineral oil!

Skin care right out of my kitchen! Made with NATURAL ingredients....it has to be good! And it only cost me about $ 2.00 to make this 1 month+ supply of natural face scrub you could even eat it if you wanted!!!! ( though I don't recomend it).




Every morning and most evenings I wash my face with my homemade scrub using small terri-cloth & fabric pads I made.
I wish I had a serger! O well I was trying for the rustic look anyways...right???? No laughing at my sewing job!

• I now have a small pad for washing VS a large wash cloth each time. (I backed these small terri-cloth pads with fabric so I could find them eazier in the laundry!)

I have a even smaller one for applying my witch-hazel / tea-tree oil toner! No more need for bleached cotton balls or throw away cotton rounds!
I need to make a bunch more of these cool pads so I can use 2 each day... and some for my teenager with skin problems!

For a skin toner after washing I use Witch Hazel with several drops of tea-tree oil.

I rarely wear make up anymore! My face feels alive and my skin looks radiant...so why bother with make-up?

Peace and Love,
Georgiann

Peaceful Mama~

We recently rearranged the living room....yet again after taking the Christmas tree down.

Grandpa fixed the arm on one of my favorite chairs while he was here for the holidays. A bit of wood glue and a piece of a pencil did the trick! The arm now does not fall of each time someone sits down!
I love to sit in the newly fixed chair(thanks Grandpa) arranged over by the window. I get the simplest pleasure out of looking up from my book to my sip tea and see the green rose fabric on my other favorite chair that sits across. Just looking at my 2 old chairs draped with homemade quilts and my small round wooden coffee table nestled in between piled high with books, makes me feel warm and cozy all over! Both chairs were bought at the Salvation Army for cheap~very cool old style upholstered rockers!

I truly find my nightly routine to be a source of JOY after a long day. I love the sound of my tea kettle as it whistles for me. My body relaxes to the sound of it.....ok once I turn it off! I then pick my tea flavor and a tea cup for the night. Depending on the time, I either sit in my favorite chair or go up to my room to read and sip tea as I nurse the baby to sleep!

Drinking warm herbal tea that tastes like the earth, while nursing my toddler and reading one of many books feels like heaven! Sometimes I'm sitting in one of my favorite chairs in the living room, other times I'm snuggled in bed! (I hate when.... I'm all snuggle in bed and the baby is nursing.......then remember the book I was hoping to get back to reading is down stairs!)

• High on my list of books to read is the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding the 7th addition. (Required reading to become a La Leche League Leader.)When I have more time I will share with you something that happen at/after the La Leche League meeting last Friday!
• 
  I have also been swept up in the Duggars book 2o and counting. I have spoke to JimBob via the phone(Michelle was busy) a few years back and he was very encouraging and kind! The Duggars are regular people.....just like the rest of us! They are a gracious and grateful family! Very Humble!

I have recently made the tater-tot casserole recipe from the Duggar's web-site and ALL the kids ate it up! Which not only included my (6) kids but half the neighborhood kids as well! I resisted the temptation to add onions and other veggies! I think that is why everyone lapped it up!

Last week I also made their recipe of Homemade Laundry soap! (I will post some time soon)

Its getting to be bedtime around here and my books and warm tea are calling out my name.....ok really I just hear the kids jumping on my bed upstairs and someone is crying....so good night and God Bless! (I still find being a Mama of my many Blessings to be a Peaceful job and would not trade it for the world!...even during the times of chaos!!)

Blessings and Love~

Georgiann

Chopstixs and Tea~

Last Friday Hubby and I decided to take just the girls to our favorite Chinese restaurant. The food there is always just OK but the atmosphere is awesome!
We had fun looking at the place mats and reading what animal we all were. It was surprising that there were no two of us in a family of 8 that shared the same animal! The place mat said my Hubby (Dragon) was a good match for me (Monkey)! .....but I already knew that!!



There are koi fish in a big tank in the lobby.....along with a wishing fountain. The girls could stand there for hours watching the fish if we would have let them.
The girls were the only ones to go with Hubby and I out to eat. Our other 4 children were gone two by two! The older 2 boys (the "J"boys) were/are gone to a church retreat this weekend and come home today! The boys in the middle(the 'N"boys) went to a kids night out at a local church for a few hours. ($10.00 per kiddo from 5:30-9:30) Many church youth groups and sports teams use this as fund raiser.

It was funny......the girls did not want to eat/or try any Chinese food until I asked the waitress bring some chopstixs! The girls were really loving sipping tea......and eating the food with sticks!!

Did you know Chinese food taste better when you eat it with sticks!????


I hope you enjoy watching my little darlings eat with their sticks!

Have a blessed Sunday~

Peace and Love,
Georgiann

Never A Dull Moment~

From the computer down stairs I can hear Noah laughing upstairs and yelling "Mom come quick....you got to see this! Olivia looks like a WO-MAN!"

Olivia had a fun time getting into my lip stick yesterday morning while she was in my master bathroom. She was in there to go potty...and she did!even #2!!!
Jackie wanted to get in on the fun.....so while I was snapping pictures of Olivia she was in putting on a bit of lipstick!
This whole thing reminded me of when I first started blogging....I was downstairs trying to get my first blog page made.....Olivia was nursing on my lap (as she still does most of the time) but Little Miss Jackie was up in my bathroom and destroyed most of my make-up!

Eyeliners and lip-liners looked like awesome art mediums in the eyes of a very artistic 3yr old!

She took delight in crushing ALL my eyeshadow powders! Eyeshadow + Water = Paint

She really LOVED the assortment of brushes at her disposal! Jackie is a wonderful artist!

She destroyed about 5 tubes of lipstick and all of my liquid foundation! The bathroom was a total disaster....in my eyes. In the eyes of a child it was a true master piece!

I now use less make-up. Not that I wore a ton before this happened but I knew it was God telling me to use more natural products on my skin. Jackie was not yelled at or scolded for her art work....I told her to ask me next time if she wanted to use my things....that is the RESECTFUL thing to do.

I pray you all have a wonderful day....I'm off to the BIG city to attend a La Leche League meeting. The first three kiddos got off to school and Hubby got off to work.......

My house is quiet and my morning coffee is yummy......but now I must go wake my 3 sleeping kiddos and get them ready to go! I packed a healthy lunch for us all last night so we will not have to eat out.

Peace and Love,

Georgiann

God Gives Sunshine In The Morning~

This video clip is of Little Miss Jackie.....singing a song (The Ant the Bug and the Bee) this morning at the breakfast table.

The sun is shining warmly into the back kitchen window like.... "a gingerbread kid baking in the oven!" says Noah.

Jackie says, the warm sun feels good.....and gives her the shivers like a back scratch in just the right spot! (I give my kiddos back massages on a regular bases. A practice that has been in our home since they were infants.)

My kiddos are MY sunshine when the weather here in the Pacific Northwest is wet,dark and gray! Their smiles and funny songs make my mommy heart warm and melt like butter.

A side note: Olivia (2yrs) is most of the way potty trained! She now goes "poop" in the BIG toilet!.....and just now while she was in my master bathroom (where I keep what little make up I do wear) Olivia discovered my red lipstick! Not a good idea to leave them in the bathroom to long to do their stuff! LOL Stay tune for pictures tomorrow~ So utterly cute who could ever get mad!!!! Noah said...."Come look mom you got to see this! Olivia looks like a woman!!!"

Peace and Love~
Georgiann

Its Happened Again~

My community is is need of real prayer! My Heart is heavy!

• In September we had a police officer shot and killed while at a routine traffic stop...by someone in the bushes.


• In November 4 police officers were shot and killed while having coffee together before their shift.


• In mid December 2 Sheriff Deputies were shot and badly injured (one ended up being pulled of life support and has died) while answering a domestic violence call.


• Over the Christmas holiday a teenager riding a skateboard was hit by a car and killed near my house.

My 15yr old was best friends with the daughter of one of the slain officers.....and now this last tragedy has left a boy in my sons fifth grade class without a Dad! (and another high school girl)

My kids that go to school have many friends with police officers or Sheriff Deputies as parents! Its really hard to make sense of it all.

The pass two years has been filled so many deaths and tragedies locally. Some have been the death of children my kids know from school. My kids and I have many talks about life....and death and the importance of being ready to meet God at anytime.

I want my blog to be a HAPPY CHEERFUL place but also one that is true to life.

My community is truly grief stricken and we all want to know when the senseless slaughter will end!

Please keep us in your prayers. Keep these fatherless children and widows in your prayers.

Also for the 15yr old daughter of the gun man......she went to my sons High School. (she transferred out). Her dad had also been violent towards her.

Blessings,

Georgiann

The Time Is Right~

Well I'm back to my on-line journal after taking a break! I pray everyone had a safe and healthy Christmas and Holiday!
I don't really believe in New Years Resolutions as I try to improve myself ALL year long with Gods help! Letting God direct my path!
It just so happens that over the past few months I have been feeling called to start my journey towards becoming a La Leche League Leader.

I was an official member about 12 yrs ago when was nursing my second child. I went to meetings on and off and was thankful La Leche League was there. Even after the birth of my 6th child and as a well seasoned breastfeeding mom I need the love and support of a few meetings. I still continue to nurse my 2.3yr old daughter and will let her decide when she is done.

I have breastfed for almost 16yrs with small breaks in between usually last 5mo of each pregnancy.....except one in which I nursed for the entire pregnancy of my 3rd child and then tandem nursed my 2nd and 3rd born! It was planed but I don't want to do that again unless I have twins or something!

The LLLI chapter(20 min away) I once attended is now closed due to lack of leaders. So I will travel to the BIG city (45min away) as we call it to attend meetings and do the required things to become a leader.

Please keep me in your prayers as I embark on this wonderful and exciting journey!

Here is a bit of history about how La Leche League got its start and its name!Remember to silence my play list before starting the video!



Blessings,
Georgiann

Opening the door~

on a new year!

Happy New Year!

I have missed all my blog friends this past week! My in laws have been here almost 2 weeks and it has been a JOY to have them. My hubby has had the week off and the kiddos are all home.....so the rhythm of the house is different.....NO COMPUTER time!!!
Soon things will be back to normal and I will share some pictures of all we have been doing!

Blessings,Prayers and Love,
Georgiann