Getting Back on the Horse

They say that if you fall off (or get bucked off) a horse, you should get right back on...that was you won't freak out about it and never be brave enough to try again...well that relates to my blogging, only I couldn't get right back on.  Here are some of the things that have caused me to fall off the blogging horse, if you will!
We have been through a very crazy season since I last blogged!  The biggest event was Esther developing pneumonia from the upper respiratory bug we had running through our family.  Everyone in our family came down with this bug, with the only exception being Rachel, who decided that chicken pox was better to have (at least we think it was chicken pox, still not completely sure).    
The pneumonia put Esther in the hospital for 5 days (4 nights) and this was while I was at my sickest with a sinus infection!  We just holed up together in bed almost the entire time!  
Then it was our yearly testing time, and since we had taken an early spring break it was perfect timing to get that out of the way before we went back to our normal school days.  And since then, I have been slowly recovering and getting back into a more normal routine.  I have been working more lately, cutting for the new line of products, but we have also been trying a few new things - like soap making and home making techniques.  
I borrowed Large Family Logistics from my dear friend, Jennifer of Squaw Creek Ranch blog (who is also my inspiration for home made soaps...you have to check out all her great blog posts about soap and home made recipes for things like cleaners, lotions and even deodorant!).  So I am working to put some of the things in that book into practice around here.  Many of the things in the book I already do, and some of it has a flavor of The Fly Lady, who I learned a lot from, but found was just not practical with a large, homeschooling family with a full-fledged home business!  So far it is really making things run smoother around here, especially the laundry (but I must give thanks for Renee of Baker's Dozen Blog, for her tips on sorting laundry into loads of boys, girls and towels - that has been such a blessing! I am devouring several other books at the moment, like Emotional Purity: An Affair of the Heart, Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family, and I am going to dive into Fix, Freeze, Feast:  starting this week!  Jessica and I worked to make a quadruple batch of meat loaf (11 pounds of hamburger), so today we now have 2 meals in the freezer, at one batch last night, and have another batch in the fridge for lunches this week!  Yeah!
I also place the first seed order in years, from Territorial Seed Company, and included two seeding sets so we can do starts in the house starting this week!  I am so excited to get this going!
I need to keep this short, but I know photos are so much fun, so I'll show you some things that have been happening since we have been healthy enough to take photos again!

Rebekah got her purity ring for hte 16th birthday (Rebekah on the left, Jessica's on the right)

on our way to the petting zoo and Jennifer's house!

the boys enjoying the little chicks...so soft!

cuddly bunnies are the best!

Esther LOVED the rabbits!

And the chicks too - she was so gentle!

Elizabeth enjoyed the chicks and bunnies too!

Elizabeth with her best buddies!

Our first picnic!

my new soap cupboard - everything in one place, and safely out of reach!

doing "melt and pour soap" - fun for all!

Jessica is grating some soap we got from Jennifer  - we tried "rebatching" and it turned out OK, but I am going to try this again but next time in the crock pot!

Jessica's pink and white melt and pour soaps

My creation!

And lastly, I have a new inspiration for blogging - sharing our His-story!  I want to start compiling the stories of when God's has moved in our lives...how He has shaped and molded us through good times and trials and miracles...I hope to start this very soon, starting with the story of my birth!