Merry Christmas!

I have been very busy cleaning, wrapping presents, sending out cards, making homemade tamales (a family tradition) and baking...boy am I tired! I enjoyed doing it all for my family. I love to prepare yummy food and make special days like Christmas wonderful for my family.

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! May you have a blessed day, filled with love and joy. Good food and laughter. And peace for our Savior is born...

May God bless you all,

12 more days until Christmas...

And I am having Internet problems...ugh!

We live in such a small town that most of my shopping is done online. So, I have been very stressed with not being able to get 'online' to order gifts. This has been going on for the last week. Sometimes the Internet is working early, early in the morning, like at 5:30am. I know this because that particular morning our baby was wide awake and ready to start the day...unlike her mama. LOL

Other times it is only late in the evening, like tonight. During the day it is hit or miss...what does one do about this? Do I call our server? What can be done about this? I admit that I am not computer savvy at all. So I have to call someone to help me out. Now it is the weekend and the call will have to wait until Monday. Oh well.

I admit, I am happy to be without Internet for the most part. It helps me stay on task with the domestic duties I have around here. When I know the Internet isn't working I don't think about it and I am so much more productive. I think I'd really be okay with not having the Internet, except for when I need to order something from a store I like but don't have in my little town. Yeah, I'd be okay otherwise.

I think the Lord is preparing me for not having Internet. I hope I am passing His preparations...

Farewell November...hello, December!

Does it amaze you (like it amazes me) that the month of November is over? Really, is time just passing by faster and faster or am I not savoring each day enough? I believe it is the latter. I am simply not taking the time to enjoy each day. I get so wrapped up in the 'what needs to be done now' that the day is gone and another begins. I know I will regret it one day. My children will be grown and gone before I know it. Then I will cry because I let the precious time of their childhood slip through my fingers... So, as we embark on a new month... I vow to savor and celebrate each day with my children.

Our sweet baby girl turns 5 months on December 1st isn't she adorable? She has been a wonderful addition to our family...we thank the Lord for her.

Until next time,

Wow, long time no blog.

I have been quite busy these last 2 months unpacking, painting rooms, organizing my pantry closet...loving on my baby girl. You get the picture. Busy is what I've been and to be honest, I don't think my home looks all that put together! EEK!

I've added a Favorite Recipe section on the right side. I will be posting some of our families favorite recipes. I really love to cook and I love sharing recipes so it was a perfect addition to my blog.

My baby girl turned 4 months old Saturday. Four months, I can't believe it has been four months since she was born. Life goes way to fast if you ask me. Isn't she cute? And oh so kissable...

Election Day is tomorrow... I am not excited but ready for all of the TV ads, mailers and emails to just go away. Enought already! I have had enough! I am praying the Lord's will be done and I am confident it will be. No matter which way this election goes we will all be okay who rest in Him. Blessings...

Moving day is upon us...

A big day is upon us...yay! We are moving into our new home and boy are we ready!! It will be a busy week, that's for sure.

We had a successful garage sale but we didn't get rid of all the clothes I was hoping for. Looks like I will just be dropping them off at the Goodwill.

I will be offline for two weeks...eek! When you move out to the country or to just any small town it takes on average ten days for your Internet to be hooked up. Well okay, that is been my experience. So, I am choosing to look at that as a blessing.

No Internet will mean that I won't get tempted to surf the net, which wastes alot of time. I should be able to get my home in order and begin the new school year homeschooling my Middles and Littles. I expect lots will have been accomplished in the next two weeks...I am looking forward to it!

See you in two weeks...

Preparing for a yard sale.

Folks, I am up to my eyeballs in 'stuff' for our yard sale! Baby stuff, toys, kitchen items that are never used, out grown clothes...up to my eyeballs, I say!

Just de-cluttering before we move. Making a little money from selling it all would be good too! Well, back to work I go...later.

Preparing to move...the excitement is building!

In just 6 short days we will be moving into our new home. I am SO excited! It has been 2 years since we've owned our own home. And then we only lived in our old home for 1.5 years out of the 3 we owned it. That is because my husband was in the Air Force at the time. We moved to Florida 14 months after we bought the home. After we sold the home we decide to just rent.

I love to decorate my homes so the excitement of getting to do 'whatever' I want is building. I have been picking out paint and window treatments. Surfing the Web for wood flooring. Basically, looking at everything you can think of. I can hardly wait to get started! I am a seasonal decorator, which means I change my decor with the season's. My favorite season happens to be fall so imagine my glee at getting to break-out all my fall decor for our new home!! WooHoo!!

We don't have a lot of packing to do for this move. We have mostly been living out of boxes the last 7 months because we knew this rental was temporary. But boy will we have a lot of unpacking to do! Which will mean a lot of donating. We really have way to much stuff and we are really wanting to 'simplify' our lives.

I will talk more about simplifying our lives later in the week...

Two months old...already!

Here she is, our newest addition. Two months old on the 1st of September. How the time flies. She is the sweetest Little Lady. She keeps me happily busy throughout the day. And what a cute little quizzical brow she has.

Our other children are also enjoying their newest sibling. That pleases me so. It is always a concern for me if our children will "like" their newest sibling. We have been very fortunate that we have not had any problems bring a new baby into our home. Thank you, Lord.

As our Little Lady gets older I hope to be posting more. Thanks for reading my blog.

40 weeks and 5 days pregnant...PATIENCE is needed.

I have always believed I was a PATIENT person. During trying times in our lives, I have always been the calm, positive, PATIENT person in a situation. Well, I am not anymore. The length of this pregnancy is taking a toll on me and my PATIENT attitude. I know many have gone longer than I. I am sure they were not very PATIENT, either. Now, my sweet husband has taken up my role as of late. He is the calm, positive, PATIENT person in our home right now. He is the one being very PATIENT with ME. I am becoming more and more discouraged about our Little Lady coming at the Lord's perfect time. It is my desire that she comes on her own, without medical intervention...inducement. Still, the thought of getting a little medical help to get things going is appealing to me. I am that ready to have her. After all, I am approaching 41 weeks!! I have never in all 7 of my pregnancies gone this long. Never. That probably sounds a bit selfish...I am being selfish. My body aches in places that makes doing normal day to day things difficult. I am physically and emotionally tired. Waking up 5 times a night to use the bathroom makes one very tired. PATIENCE is what I need but no longer have.

As I go through today with some contractions and feeling her squirm, I will be praying for PATIENCE. For the Lord's time to be now for her to come into this world. She is anxiously awaited for by all of her siblings. Who are also losing PATIENCE. They have been awesome and have really stepped up to the plate to help me around the house. They are quite a bunch of special kids. I am very blessed.

A little more PATIENCE...just a little more.

40 weeks pregnant...

I hit my due date yesterday when I firmly believed I wouldn't. See, I haven't gone to 40weeks since our 2nd baby. The other 4 arrived between 38 and 39 weeks. It is very sobering when things don't go as you believe they should. God has His own timing when it comes to precious babies.

I admit to being tired, achy and frustrated. I want to cuddle and nurse this little heaven sent angel. For me I am ready. Now I wait until she is ready. She will come. She will not live inside me forever. I know all this. Still, I am anxious.

I feel her squirm because her living quarters are to small for the acrobatics she once did. With each little squirm the thought of her getting bigger and bigger as each day passes brings a little bit of fear. I've never had a 9+ lb baby. My largest babies were #3 and #4 who both weighed 8lb 6 oz and they arrived at 39 weeks! I have never had a small baby. My smallest was 7lb 9oz...that was my first. The rest have been bigger...8+ lb. After the first 2 weeks my babies look like infants. The newborn stage doesn't last long in our home. I think that is why I have always longed for more babies. I love babies. I love the newborn stage. I always feel cheated that it is so short lived here in our home. I will certainly treasure each day of the newborn stage I have with this Little Lady...

Now, I pray for her arrival to be soon...if it be the Lord's will.

A New Blog has been created...

I went today to update Michelle's Gathering Room (I know it has been a long time) to realize that it needed to change. When you look at my life, it isn't just Michelle's life. It is the lives within my life that make up MY life. Eight other lives that fill my life with much love and joy...



So, I thought...why not create a new blog that includes those very special people in my life? It seemed like the perfect and natural thing to do as I sit here and wait for the arrival of our 7th child.



The Journey of 9 Lives is about me, the love of my life and our 7 children. Being a family of 9 is wonderful and there is always lots going on in our lives. Most things are typical family issues. Defiant child, potty training woes and lots of giggles! Some things are sad and some are happy. Where is life taking us and what forks in the road have we come upon? Decisions being made about many different issues. When you have 7 children there are always decisions being made in one form or fashion. All of this makes us a family. Our journey is never ending as we grow as a family and as we grow in Christ.


I welcome you to join us in The Journey of 9 Lives...our lives.