Wonderful Daughters

We just came through a very wonderfully, productive week. And I have my daughters to thank for it. My awesome husband drove down to Southern California with our son, helping him to move down there for a new chapter in his. While he was gone, the girls and I decided to over haul the house. We literally cleaned every room and rearranged each one.

We first started with what had been our son's bedroom. We turned it into our new school room/sewing room/soap supply room. I was able to move ALL of my sewing supplies (which are MANY, and that is an understatement) out of the master bedroom and closet and hall closet. We moved a book shelf down stairs for the girls' school supplies and put their double desk (which their daddy built for them when we first started home schooling them 7 years ago) in the room. We moved all of the soap making supplies out of daddy's den and the upstairs hall closet. By emptying out the master bedroom of all of the sewing "stuff" I was able to make a wonderful haven for my dear husband and myself.

The next day, we worked on rearranging the girls' rooms. They decided that they didn't want their own bedrooms any longer and since they had a trundle bed we would be able to just fit the two beds in the same room. (there is about 6 inches to spare between the bottom bed, when it is pulled out, and the wall). We then turned the "extra" bedroom into their own little "living room". They each have a book shelf and their toys in their. They get to see what it will be like to be responsible for two rooms now, plus their other chores. They love the freedom to be able to sit in there and play, work on a puzzle, read or whatever they decide to do in their spare time (which isn't much). I found them the other day reading the Bible together and discussing what they were reading. It was an awesome thing to over hear. We also cleaned all three of our bathrooms and reorganized them.

The next day, we empty out all of our kitchen cupboards and the pantry, scrubbed them and reorganized. They even alphabatized our jars of herbs (which are plentiful).

The last day, we swept and mopped all the floors in our three level home (we have all hardwood and tile floors) and cleaned the baseboards. Then we spent the rest of the day baking for daddy and waiting for his call for us to come pick him up.

I am so thankful for daughters who are such hard workers. They didn't complain even a little bit. They didn't wish they were doing something else. The oldest one even said that it felt like we were having a retreat together with daddy gone. It just goes to show that you don't have to leave home to retreat with your family.

Keepers of the Faith

My daughters have been participating in a Keepers of the Faith group for almost two years. We have six families who participate. There are 31 children in our families. (but only about 15 are old enough to participate.)The boys have learned lots of skills that are important to Young Men. The Young Ladies have made lots of things and learned new skills, such as soap making, flower pressing, candle making, gardening, plastic canvas, baking, decopage, scrapbooking, sign language, rubber stamping, learned about trees and flowers, worked on the trait of cheerfulness and spend one day a month cheering up and playing games with the elderly in a nursing home. They have also memorized several portions of Scripture, as well as the Books of the Bible. This month they learned basket weaving. They really enjoyed this. Their Daddy even told them that they could make them and put some of their homemade soaps into them to sell them.

Hannah with the basket that she made

Alicia with the basket that she made

Our Keepers group ready to get started listening to children say their memory verses