Girls Night In/Out

 I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Girls Night In/Out!  I'm sure that for some mothers this means going out with girlfriends.  Not for this Mama.  There is nothing better than spending all my time with my family.  God did not create women to need "ME" time away from the blessing of the home.  That concept is a worldy idea, not biblical.  What does that mean, you ask?  For us it means Mama spending really special time with my 4 daughters (and usually baby too!).  That does not mean I never see adult girlfriends.  When I do, I always make sure that it is something that includes my daughters.  Sometimes we do at home spa night with mani's, pedi's, facials, and hair do's.  Other times we go thrift shopping and stop for an appitizer at a favorite restaurant.  But recently Girls Night In/Out goes something like this ~ doing a mother/daughter study on being a madien of virtue.  We are going through a study on feminine loveliness.  It has been a wonderful blessing for all of us including Daddy and all the brothers.  They are all benefiting from what God is teaching the ladies of our home.  Our two oldest daughters and Mama are the ones doing the study but our twins love to sit and listen and be part of it too.  They actually are getting much out of it as they ask the cutest questions.  I am so thankful that all my daughters are loving this study.  It has opened up opportunities for wonderful heart to heart talks.  I highly reccomend it!  We have been learning about contentment (in all situations), modesty (of the heart and appearence), how to honor and respect their Daddy and brothers, vanity, purity, God's plan for women, and not conforming to the world ~  just to name a few!  In one chapter they were asked to write their Father a letter to thank him for all he does to lead, protect, and provide for our family and then read it aloud to him.  That was a very special night!

 

We often do our ladies study at home but this past week we did it at our favorite coffee, homemade candy, ice cream parlor!

Pouring everything I've got into my family is my God given role and I LOVE IT!!
 

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."  III John 1:4

Being Modest in an Immodest World

What is modesty?  The Webster's Dictionary definition is as follows ~ freedom from conceit or vanity ~ propriety in dress, speech, or conduct.

Of course modesty is about the heart as well as the outward appearance.  For this post we are talking about clothing because even though the heart is more important to God, our clothing and appearance is what is seen especially to men and boys who were made very visual beings by our Great Creator.

For our family it is about being obedient to the Word of God.  "Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control" 1 Timothy 2:9

The ladies in our home (Mama and 4 daughters) for the most part wear skirts and dresses.  But we are not legalistic.  From what we have studied we have not found anywhere in scripture directly forbidding the wearing of pants.  But the following scripture verse is totally appropriate for this.  "Everything is lawful for me, but not everything is profitable."  1 Corinthians 10:23  We know that we can wear pants we just don't see it as profitable for the following reasons:

Pants reveal too much of our feminine curves~ In my experience, pants are either tight and hugging the backside and hips, or loose and baggy and look frumpy.  Many pants and jeans today have sparkles and emblems to draw attention to the backside.  As Christians, we are responsible for not making our brothers in Christ stumble.  Yes, their are skirts and dresses that are extremely immodest but we are talking about below the knee length and not tight.  Is there such a thing as modest, feminine pants?  Yes, but usually they are not. 


Pants do not feel feminine ~ I feel really pretty when I put on a skirt or dress.  The way it flows when I walk makes me happy.  On several occasions I have experienced men holding doors open for me and my girls.  I have even heard a yes ma'am spoken a few times to me!!  Men show respect for ladies that dress like ladies.  Skirts help women and girls to carry themselves more like a lady should.  You are more aware of how you sit, bend and squat.  Skirts are so much more comfortable to wear.  Pants are constricting and usually unflattering.  Skirts are cooler in the summer as air can pass through and cozy in the winter with a pair of leggings underneath. 


Skirts set us apart ~  We live in a world where most people think men and women should share the same roles.  But that is not how God created us to be.  It is also a cultural statement.  Years ago styles were specifically masculine or feminine.  Today this has become very blurred.  As girls, we don't ever want to be mistaken for wearing masculine clothing.  I can't tell you how many times we have been out and people will come up to us and start talking about how we dress and that they appreciate it.  Many times we have had really good opportunities to share our faith with them.  Wearing skirts sets me apart from my husband and is a good reminder for me to be in submission to him.

You may wonder if wearing skirts and dresses is practical.  Even with very active girls skirts can be worn to do anything.  We live on a farm and our girls ride bikes, jump on the trampoline, climb trees, garden, cut grass and do farm chores including cleaning out the chicken coop all while keeping true to being modest.  Of course some activities require bike shorts or leggings under the skirt. 

Having 4 daughters to dress can be a hard task in this day.  We always pray together before we go into a thrift shop that God would help us find beautiful, modest clothing.  And we always do!!  God is so good!!  We also enjoy sewing skirts.  And we do buy a few items online.

Recently we were convicted about modest swimwear.  Even though we do not feel that going to a public swimming pool or beach is always appropriate for our family we do have opportunities to swim on occasion.  We had always purchased our daughters and myself what the world would consider "modest" for swimming.  In doing a mother/daughter study on being virtuous, we came upon a question that went something like this ~ Would you feel comfortable going over to your neighbors house in your undergarments?  OF COURSE NOT!!  How different really is swimwear?  Even the "most modest" store bought styles are skin tight, spaghetti strapped, upper back exposed, and the length of a mini skirt at best!  Not at all what we see as biblical modesty.  So we found a wonderful alternative.  Modest swim dresses.  Beautiful and stylish.  My girls get tons of compliments when they wear them.  We found them at www.katiemellas.com

How do we answer the following?

~  Do I dress modestly?

~  Does my clothing encourage men to think pure thoughts, rather than stimulating them to have sensual thoughts or desires?

~  Do I dress in such a way to draw attention to the heart and spirit of Jesus within me, rather than to my physical body?

First and foremost we need to be in submission to what our husband or father wants for his family.

"As the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything"           Ephesians  5:24.  

The Birth of Henry

Here is the story of Henry's birth.  A dear friend of mine came to the birth and her daughter did all the beautiful photos.

                   Follow this link to see the rest of the story unfold.

 http://miraclesdontbreakthelawsofnature.blogspot.com/2011/06/birth-photography-and-story-henry.html

The Blessing of Menu Planning

We love to cook and we LOVE to eat!!  We have planned out our weekly menu for years now.  As our family has grown it has become more and more of a blessing.  With 10 bellys to fill 3 times a day that is 30 plates of food to serve each day!  It is so simple for our oldest daughters to refer to the menu posted on our fridge and be able to either get things started or make the entire meal if need be.  We almost always have tacos on Tuesday (whether it be chicken, beef, or lentil), breakfast for supper on Wednesday, homemade pizza on Friday, and a big pancake breakfast on Saturday for brunch.  It makes things so easy to use what you have on hand and create your menu around it and then to pick a few things up at the store when we go into town.  It saves us so much money.  Right now we are eating tons of our meals right out of our huge garden!  We travel once a month to Woodman's Market that is about 1 hour from us and stock up on many things.  We also go to Costco that is about 1 1/2 hours away every 6 weeks.  We fill in the gaps with the Amish bulk store and also order organic staples in bulk quanities from Country Life.  The few times that we have failed to menu plan I always regret it.

My oldest daughter created this menu for our family.

                                       
                               Even little ones LOVE to be a part of meal prep!

                              

"Mom, you should really have a blog!"

Two years ago our family lived in another state.  Illinois. In the city.  A big city.  My two oldest daughters said that I should really have a blog.  I laughed.  "Maybe girls, if we ever move to the country and are living our dream", was my reply. 

Well, here I am in Themiddleofnowhere, Wisconsin.  So tonight I begin my blog.  Two years after moving to Wisconsin.  I know, kind of behind, aren't I?  I have good excuses.  Really, I do. 

July 2010 we moved our family of 9 from the city in IL to a farm in WI. Then a month later we found out we were expecting again!  PURE JOY!!  So after living in what I thought was a small town we then moved to our current farm in July of 2011 just 6 weeks after the birth of Henry Thurman.  This place is beautiful.  Amish country.  The kind of place where you have to travel to get to town.  So you see I have had good excuses.  I have been busy.  I am still busy.  But now it is time.  Time for my blog to begin. 

Please join our journey if you wish.