Christmas Set Up

Katie hooked up the lights.
















Card and Bella set up the train

















Mama and Daddy did the tree

















and Jack laid around looking cute!

Organic Really Is Better For You....

A couple quotes:

The study found that organic fruit and vegetables contained as much as 40% more antioxidants, which scientists believe can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease, Britain’s biggest killers. They also had higher levels of beneficial minerals such as iron and zinc.

Leifert said the government was wrong about there being no difference between organic and conventional produce. “There is enough evidence now that the level of good things is higher in organics,” he said.

Read the whole article here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article2753446.ece

A sugar is a sugar is a sugar...right????

I have been doing much research on sugar. I have 4 (to date) reasons to research this topic.... In a few laboratory studies I have conducted (holiday meals) I have noticed that when my subjects indulged in the "treats" that abounded, they were very difficult to deal with for hours afterwards and then they fall into an almost drug induced sleep. I am thoroughly convinced that white sugar is the culprit! Here is some of my research findings to date:

A: Fruit sugar is not the same as refined sugar. Fruit actually contains the fiber and carbs that God intended to go along with the fruit sugar (also known as fructose). Amazing how God designed it to work that way!
http://www.newstarget.com/002038.html

B:Sugar is addictive (remember about the drug induced sleep I mentioned?) - I double dog dare you to abstain from sugar (this includes hidden sugar: ketchup, breads, meats, ALL fast food (reference link below), most sauces, dressings, condiments in general..... You will have a pounding headache in a couple days and be very difficult to be around. Is that not withdrawal???
http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/sugar_addiction.html

C:Sugar actually feeds cancer. Yep - cancer feeds on the sugar in your body. Everyone has cancer cells in their body - it is how you treat your body that is the deciding factor. You will either feed it healthy life giving foods or death acceleration foods.....your choice.
http://nutritioncancer.com/sugarfeedscancer.html

Some NATURALLY occuring healthy alternitives to sugar - if you just must have something sweet.
http://www.allaboutagave.com/agave-vs-granular.php
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=96

Note that all sweetners (i.e. agave, honey, etc..) will cause your bloodsugar to rise (not a HUGE spike like table sugar though) as they do not have the fiber to slow down digestion. however - since agave and honey both have enzymes (if they are raw) your body can easily digest them - no blood sugar spike! Not so with white table sugar........

Also look into the herb Stevia. I have not done tons of research on this as my hubby does not really care for it, but I would venture to say it is even better for you than agave or honey since it is an herb. Though I dont know much about the processesing. I have just read that raw stevia is better for you than stevia extract (the less processing the better!).
I am still researching to date - I will let you in on any other exciting facts :)

Oh yes, just a couple other interesting links I have run across,

surprise ingredients in your fast food......
http://www.newstarget.com/022194.html

have you looked at the ingredients list for your "healthy" fast food choices????
http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.categories.ingredients.index.html

Please Pray for Baby Kyle

Please pray for this precious little one and his family - he was born at 23 weeks gestation - 1 pound 5 ounces and 11 1/2 inches long.

http://www.prayforkyle.com/

Puppies Everywhere

Here are the pups with their Mum - we still have 3 available...any takers???

Pooh

My little Pooh bear.....

The Many Faces of Jack

I am not kidding when I say this is his typical dispostion...















The dimples are just too cute!!

Bella Mommy

Bella is nursing her babydoll. It is so cute, she gets a pillow and puts it on her lap, raises her shirt, and nurses. My little mommy is growing up!

Our sweet boy - November 12, 2007

See those dimples - hence the name Jack. His great-grandpa Jack in PA has those same sweet dimples.












This is his typical disposition.













Think he is getting enough to eat..........

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light.....

Contemplation

Soap makin time

Myself and two other ladies (Debbi Kuritza and Brenda) made soap this Friday. It was a fun time, even though it is a bit stressful dealing with lye.....
















Bubblin brew...fat that is...like the stuff attached to your hips....at least my hips

Somebody found their thumb...

Little man has found his thumb...

Kids

Katie and Bella in their aprons - Katie sewed this awhile back. The one Bella has on is actually a boys apron and is Card's, but he lets her borrow it....

















Jack involved in one of his two favorite activities....















Bella in competition with Jack....












The kids with their Great- Grandmother "Little Mom-Mom" .

Concrete!

Yea - we finally got the first portion of concrete poured! Now everything can be moved to this side and, Lord willing, soon we will be able to finish the other half. Now Will can start using some of the wood in the barn though - soapmolds, chairs, hope chest, etc....

Thank you Lord for Your provisions!!

These days...

We here at the farm have lots going on....



We are spending as much time as possible outside right now! It is so beautiful - the creek has running water, there is a fall crisp in the air, and we are enjoying every minute of it! When we are not playing in the creek we are "up the driveway" riding bikes. At the end of our very long driveway is a park with a boat ramp to the lake and a very long stretch of road that runs along the front of our property. This is the perfect place for the little ones to ride their bikes while Mama gets a walk in. They love doing this - so our homeschooling includes 1-2 hours of P.E. everyday and boy do we have a good time!









Dad-dad and Mom-mom came down for a visit- mostly because Katie informed Card that Dad-dad always brings a pumpkin to carve and we have pumpkin pie...funny, nobody else remembers this being a tradition, but it looks like it is now! If I could just get that pumpkin pie thing down...we had something more akin to pumpkin pudding..... well, I will just have to try again next year!




And the boys (Will and Dad) got the barn all ready for it's first coat of concrete...Yea - now Will can start on my soap molds and a whole list of other goodies...in his spare time that is.

Long time, No post

It has been awhile since I posted. I thought I would snatch a few moments to add a couple of pictures. I hear that my two toddlers are up though - so it will have to be quicker than I thought! We took these today - we actually ventured into the woods! I have really be taking it easy (you can all stop laughing now!) so it was nice to get outside and walk around a bit.



Katie - 9
Card - 3
Bella - 19 months
Jack - 3 weeks










Jack - 3 weeks

Jack Delbert Boytim - September 8th, 2007

Baby Jack has arrived! Born on September 8th, 2007 at 10:22pm. Weighing 7lb's 10oz's and 19 inches in length. This will be a fairly short birth story. Right after dinner on Saturday night I had a few contractions. Seeing how I have been having contractions for a week now (some of them really regular and getting close together) I just kind of glanced at the clock and figured them to be about 7 minutes apart. They started getting stronger so I sat down and timed a few of them - around 8pm they were 4 minutes apart and lasted about 40 seconds. I told Will that I would time them for an hour and see if they stayed the same. If they did, we would call Paula and ask her what she wanted to do. At about 8:15 Will asked if he had time to cut his hair - I told him to hurry. In between contractions I cut the back and sides for him. We had to do this right after a contractions and it was a quick 3-4 minute cut before I had to stop again to have another contraction. At 9pm the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart, but lasting a minute or more. Will called Paula and she was on her way. I am always hesitant to call and make her come all this way if it is nothing. We also called our good friends the Kuritza's to come watch the little ones. Then Will called the Harris's and Barnes to let them know- the Harris's headed this way, but I hated to ask Amy and Camille to come all this way if it was a false alarm . Ok- Paula arrived at 9:45pm and I was about 8 ct. At 10:00m Will looked at me and said "do you want to get in the pool"? I think I was worried about getting in the pool because I figured I would be in there for hours. I got in the pool at 10:08pm and Jack was born at 10:22pm - probably 5 contractions and 2 pushes in the pool and he was here! I was afraid to push because I was sure it was too soon.
So here he is- our newest blessing. Thank You Lord for a safe birth and wonderful new baby!
















Jack and Bella





















Katie and Jack
















Jack's birthday cake. I was going to make this the night I went into labor, figuring I would have plenty of time in "early" labor to do it! Instead, Will ended up making it Sunday afternoon and we had Jack's birthday party with our wonderful friends the Barnes!
















Thank you Jesus for another perfect little one. Praise God!

Generic

Card and Bella at Uncle Richard's 80th birthday party











Will took this picture of a beautiful church for me - I collect pictures of these chruchs and have them made into prints for my "decor"




























Katie took this picture of Card while we were driving down the road. He was shooting cows with his spoon.....












Bella acting like Marge Simpson.....

Card's 2nd B-Day

Card's 2nd birthday party was celebrated by Daddy, Mama, Katie, Bella, Papa, Mimi, Uncle Bobby and Aunt Barbara, The Barnes (Tommy, Amy, Gabriel, Harrison, and Elizabeth), and The Karitza'a (Paul, Debbie, Josh and Holly)
He got lots of tractors, some new Thomas The Tank Engine shoes (that light up!), and a cap gun (that he sleeps with at night!). Card had a great day swimming and playing with his favorite friends! He was dissapointed though that Baby Jack did not make an appearance. He came in first thing that morning and asked me where Baby Jack was and kept singing "Happy Birthday to us" :) Such a sweet boy!








Card's "trac-trac" birthday cake











One of Card's new tractors

Bella drinking some pool water

Another new tractor



















Card, Bella, and Harrison

My little ones

As I ponder bringing another little Boytim into this world I find myself wondering what the Lord will do with these little ones. I have times of such joy and yet sometimes I wonder how I will handle 4 little ones intrusted in my care. I still feel like a kid myself. Watching all my babies sleep tonight I am so touched by the deep love I have for them - what must the Lord feel for them? I pray that He lets me keep all of them for a long, long time. I am so very blessed by these little ones and my awesome, wonderful, and of course VERY good looking husband. I try to see ahead 10, 15, 20 years and wonder what He will do in our lives. Katie and I read a informative book on Noah's ark tonight and it made a statement about how intelligent the people in Noah's day must have been. The book supposes that those people were extremely intelligent and maybe even surpassed us in technology, engineering, etc.....
Why? Because these people lived close to 1000 YEARS! Can you imagine how much knowledge they obtained? I have never thought of it that way....

Ok, enough of my wondering thoughts tonight - my almost 3 year old just climbed in my lap. He is wondering if mommy is coming to bed anytime soon............

Some pics of my blessings....
















Beautiful Bella
















Corny Card




















Kute Katie (and others...)

This is it

Well, this is it, the last month. I have been having really good Braxton-Hicks these last few days. Hopefully they are helping out and I will be ready to go when the time comes! Night before last the contractions were every 10 minutes apart for 4 hours. I finally got to sleep and they were gone by in the morning. I could tell that the little one has moved though. He was posterior at the last midwife visit. but I think he has turned anterior. Please keep my in your prayers for a safe and easy delivery. I am feeling really good, not nearly as uptight as I was about the last delivery. Ready for baby to come and I know I can do it - I have done it 3 other times........ :)

Hope to see everyone soon.

Another family pic

Can you believe I have gotten Will to take TWO family pictures! This one is on the dock of the lake across the street from us. It is a "timer" taken picture -I thought it turned out really well considering that!

The Boytim family WIll, Bev, Bella (18 months), Katie (9), Card (2) and Baby Boytim has just one month (or less) left!

Uncooking today

Well we made some raw granola today (this is a normal Saturday thing) and Bella helped out. She is great at getting all the honey off the honey jar lid.....

Finger lickin good

Card is potty training one of Bella's babies......

I am so blessed to have such wonderful helpers. Katie put together all the granola stuff. She is in training for "after baby" so all mommy has to do is nurse and take care of little ones. She thanks me after days like this for helping her learn how to take care of her family (both the present family and the one in the future). Makes a mommy feel good, especially when she wonders if anything she is doing is making a difference and when she is looking at all the oats, seeds, nuts, etc... on the floor.......

Our sweet little eggs.....

Once upon a time there was a home schooling family that was building a farm. One day Daddy was clearing land and found a nest of eggs. Thinking this would be a great home school experiment; the family took the eggs, put them in a flower pot on the front porch, kept it moist and waited in anticipation for their little turtle eggs to hatch. Below is the result of that sweet little experiment….

Here is the flower pot - if you look to the right you can see the hole they all came out of. Yes, I said "all came out of", meaning there was more than one or two. We counted 5 that we saw - dont know how many had hatched and left before then. There were about 15 eggs...........

We still have one up for grabs if anyone would like it!!!!

Supercharge Me- 30 days raw....

This is the counter to Super Size Me... Super Charge Me! A woman decides to go 30 days raw....
http://30daysraw.com/trailer

Another video where 6 people go raw for 30 days to cure their diabetes... - both very interesting..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynXGA6fCEgU