A Celebration of Marriage

National Marriage Week

There’s a lot of attention being given in the media this week to National Marriage Week. That gets our attention.

At Franklin Springs Family Media, we’re pleased that people around the world are giving heightened consideration to what constitutes a strong, healthy marriage – and to the resulting benefits when a marriage functions well.

We have the privilege of meeting families across the country where there’s a strong resolve to build marriages to the glory of God. It’s a beautiful picture. While we’ve yet to meet a family that is not facing their own array of challenges, we see what happens within a home when a husband and wife love and serve each other well.

While we all know that the institution of marriage is under attack, we are encouraged on many fronts. We’re grateful for the work of our friends Alex and Stephen Kendrick and their 2009 landmark film Fireproof. We watched it again just the other night, and were so thankful for the unabashed stance the film takes in defense of marriage.

We’ve been pleased over the last few years to produce several films that include portrayals of well-functioning marriages. If you haven’t seen them, we hope you’ll consider adding these films to your DVD library this week. We’re offering them at a discounted price throughout National Marriage Week:

A Journey Home

Full House of Blessing

Pull Up A Chair

We hope we’ll all take time this week to consider anew the incredible importance of marriage. And our prayer is that throughout the week people across the land will be driven into the fifth chapter of Ephesians...

- The Team at Franklin Springs

Who Will Win The Hearts of Your Children?

It took me years to discover answers to many questions that I knew God cared about, such as the family and how to raise my children. Through your ministry I have learned . . . what the Bible actually says about topics that I never thought the Bible spoke to. Thank you . . . for your ministry, I truly can’t express how important it [is] to me and my family. —A Grateful Parent and Customer


Who will win the hearts of your children?

This question should be the passion of every parent. If we do not constantly re-evaluate where our children are before Christ, and consistently nurture and know their hearts, then someone else will most certainly lead them in our stead.

The world is out to steal our children’s hearts. Whether it’s the latest fashion trend, teen pop sensation, or sports icon, the culture of the world is constantly vying for their affections. Rather than identify with Christ, who bought us with a price, the world would have our children identify with its own customs and ideals. We face nothing less than an identity crisis.

What’s more, the prevailing cultural immorality and identity confusion can warp the vision and taint the character of those children raised in even the finest Christian homes. The “best” families are not immune from the world’s influence.

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Yet we must do more than fight a defensive battle against the ways of the world. We must actively build a culture of godly, principled manhood and womanhood and instill a sense of hope and purpose in our children’s hearts. We must rebuild the foundations if we are to see our children succeed.

Now Vision Forum is pleased to offer a special collection of resources that will help equip parents to do this — The Family Foundations Toolkit. These teaching tools are designed to help strengthen and equip you in raising up your children to identify with, and to glorify, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to treasure His ways in their hearts. They are designed to aid you in laying the critical foundations of a big picture vision: to encourage your children to be about something far beyond themselves — a work that seeks to transform the culture and advance Christ’s kingdom.

These four books, five CDs, and DVD will help you disciple your children and cement in their hearts a love for Christ. And through February 13, we are pleased to offer this set at a special 40% savings — only $74 for the entire collection.

The Family Foundations Toolkit includes:

When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling (book)

Fathers & Sons: Stand Fast in the Way of Truth (book)

Family Driven Faith: Doing What it Takes to Raise Sons & Daughters Who Walk with God (book)

Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do to Stop It (book)

The Centrality of the Home in Evangelism and Discipleship (CD)

Fathers and Daughters: Why Every Father Is Leaving a Legacy (CD)

Identity Theft: Why Our Children’s Identities Are Being Stolen by the World, and What We Can Do About It (CD)

Toxic: Seven Poisons that Threaten the Health of the Homeschool Movement — and Their Antidotes (CD)

How to Pass on Convictions to Your Children (CD)

Homeschool Dropouts: Why the Second Generation is Now Headed for a Spiritual Wasteland (DVD)


Learn More and Purchase the Family Foundations Toolkit

Sale ends at midnight on February 13, 2010 (CST).

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today, I am giving thanks for God's provisions. We have started the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover. God has provided Michael with some overtime to help get us started. We wanted to take the Financial Peace University course and it is being offered in a nearby town. Since we already have the materials it is free. Also, many of you have used the links on my page to make purchases from the various businesses which has added to our funds. Thank you for taking the time to go through my links to these businesses. I am looking forward to see all the ways God will help us come up with funds to be debt free.

Wonderful Snow!!

Well, I did go out in it. I did not stay long as it was over my muck boots and I kept getting snow in my boots. :)

I love this picture of Star. She is standing in front of the snowman, but it was so bright, everything but her is just white.

Here is that buggy wheel propped up against the fence post.

Anyone care to go down the slide?

It was really deep. This picture does not show the reality of how deep.

Here is my muck boot down in the snow.

The garden was so pretty. My bean trellis became a snow tunnel.

The sheep were not too anxious to go out in the deep stuff.

The front sheep you see is the Katahdin ram. He looks so different than the Shetlands. His wool looks like it was already starting to come off.

This is the unused side of the sheep shed.

The chickens did not venture back to the coop once the snow got deep. They camped out in the sheep shed. Michael had to put feed and water in here for them. Some were still in the coop though.

I love this picture. You can click on it and make it bigger. It shows the beauty of the snow.

More Winter Wonderland!!

These next pictures were taken around 5:15PM. Michael got home safe and sound.

He wanted to take me on a short drive to see how beautiful it was. Here are some pictures from that little jaunt!!

This is our road.

This is the top of our driveway as we turned in off the road.

Here is what I saw when I went to get out of the car.

These next 2 pictures were taken around 6PM.

Here is what we woke up to. It has stopped snowing finally, but it was still snowing until around 11AM.

That is our grill which we had not put away under the shed roof yet. Look at the snow clinging to the side of the fence post there by the garden.

That is a 55 gallon barrel on the right hand side of the picture.

This is the snow sculpture I see looking out my front window.

Another shot of the picnic table. You can also see the snow is pulling my clothes line downward.

I am getting ready to go out in it and get some more pictures.

Winter Wonderland!!

We were told to expect 6" to 12" from this storm. Many times when they say that we get just a little bit or it misses us. So, I am not sure what we will get from this storm, but I am hoping we get a lot. :) My brothers have commercial snow plow jobs when there is a snow and they can all use the work right now. I plan on taking pictures at different times through out the storm.

Here is my first pictures that I took at 12:30PM. You can see the lump in this first picture that is the remains of the great Snow Monster.

These next 3 pictures were taken at about 3:15PM. We had gotten quite a bit by then.

I heard noises outside and went to investigate. Yup.... the Wonderful Neighbor children were over making snowmen in my yard. Don't ya'll wish for such Wonderful Neighbors?!?!? Just to the right of the snowman in the picture is what was left of the other snowman. They made me a snow sheep. :)

Isn't she cute.

Trying to put his nose on. This is another BIG snowman!!!

I am not sure how this guy managed to get so much snow on his hat. He was eating the snow as well. Look at all those missing teeth!!!

He was making a new pile of snow for other creations.

I thought this bush was really pretty.

This is a snow cat up on the fence post. There is a snow dog below it looking up!!

You can see he even has a tail.

Here is the snow dog looking up at the snow cat. These WN Children are SO creative.

Here is the finished product!!!

Here are my buddies. They are very special to us. They help us out in so many ways and are always thinking of ways to show us their love. We love them!!

I will put more pictures in other posts as the snow continues.

Give Away over at DIY Dish!!!

Watch the video below and see how you can win one of two Janome sewing machines. The ladies over at DIY Dish are excited to share this opportunity with you.

Happy Ground Hog Day!!

We had a fellowship meal on Sunday. The Lil' Neighbor loves to drink out of a straw. They asked me if I had a straw. I actually have a whole box of them somewhere, but the only straw I could find had a pig snout connected to it. It worked fine and she got her drink, but the rest of us got a chuckle.

Today, it might actually get up to almost 40. That will be really nice if it happens. It is currently around 24 so that is a heat wave of sorts. We got that short period of a January thaw and it made me long for Spring. I know that winter is not done yet. I wonder if that old Groundhog will see his shadow or not today.

Last night was the annual Coon Supper in a nearby town. It is a family tradition in Michael's family. I have never gone, and hope to never go. :) Normally, it is just the men who go, which is fine with me. Last night, my Father-in-law and both of his brothers went, my husband and his 4 brothers went, his sister went and some cousins went. I stayed home. The Wonderful Neighbors came over to milk and Mrs. WN came over to visit with me. After they left I did some knitting. I am working on a toddler sweater that I started last winter. I got the body done up to the armpits. I have one sleeve almost done. Hopefully I will have some knitting time today.

We still have not gotten a final yeah or nay on the last people who looked at the farm. They did ask some more questions last week. If we hear that they are not going to buy it, I need to start some seed planting and order some chicks. I have not gotten any new layer stock for the last 2 years because we thought we were moving.

We had our first Financial Peace University class this week. I think it is going to be a good thing for us. We started our budget last month and it really makes you think about what you spend. :)

I am going to be looking around for more things that I can sell. I will probably go back through my books and list some more of them.

I hope you have a great day today. Spend some time with the Lord. Pray for your neighbors and friends. Pray for this family. Read the first post as they tell of their precious daughter crossing the finish line into eternity today. Wow, what a perspective. I could see the crowds and the cheering.

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today, I am so grateful for my sweet husband. God has really been drawing us closer over the past few months. Not that we weren't close, but in a different way. Our communication has been so sweet and wonderful. He is a hard working man who gives more than 100% at work even though times there are really hard right now. He gets up so early and does so many things here on the farm. I am truly blessed to have him and I am so grateful to God for him.

They are DONE!!!

I finished my socks!! I can't believe I did it. I would love to be able to show them to my Mom.

I had started a toddler sweater last winter. It is for no one in particular, but I wanted to make a sweater and figured I had a better chance of getting one done if it was small. I have started back up on it. I will keep you posted.

It is bitter cold again. We woke up to right around zero one morning and around 5 another. We missed all the snow, but that is OK. We still have snow on the ground.

Hope you all had a great Saturday and that you have a blessed Lord's Day!!!

What is Happening Out Here!!

Life on the farm is slower this time of year. There are not as many chores and it is so cold, that staying inside is my top choice. :) My house can get cool in the corners, so I have a rocker right by the wood stove. My Bible is there, my knitting is there and sometimes there is a good book there. My dear sweet husband is doing all the outside chores right now. I am so grateful for him and all that he does around here.

Neither Michael or I were raised in the country or on a farm. We were both city slickers. :) We made the move into country life in increments. It is a good life and we feel extremely blessed to be able to live this life. We have never felt threatened out here in the country. We know many of our neighbors and especially the Wonderful Neighbors next door to us. There is crime out in the country though. One of the most common things that seems to happen is something I have never understood. Some of the country young people like to ride around in the evening or in the night and bash in people's mailboxes. I guess they think it makes them cool, but I think it makes them look stupid. It makes picking out a mailbox a bit interesting. You can buy a really decorative one or in our case we bought one of the big rural mailboxes and I painted it. However, you take the chance of something happening to it. We have had ours smashed, but we just banged it back into shape.

We have also had a crime wave out in our area that is hard to believe. There has been a string of burglaries and break ins. A man was beaten up, another shot in the chest (he did live). There was a big drug bust and even a murder right before Christmas. We are being more cautious and watchful, but praise the Lord we have Him to watch over us. I have been listening to the Otto Koning's Pineapple Story CD's again. If you have never heard them, they are well worth getting. Your children will love to listen to them with you as well. He was sharing about Job. He reminded me that satan could not get to Job without God's permission. It is the same with us.

We are hoping that the sheep are all bred by now. We will keep the ram awhile longer to make sure though. Our layers are not doing so well. They have really slowed down on production. I hope to get new laying chicks this Spring.

I am feeling better, but still have some symptoms especially when I am not faithful to drink my water. The Wonderful Neighbor children are doing a tiny bit better, but they are still battling this respiratory thing over there. We did go help celebrate the Lil' Neighbor's first birthday. She was so cute. She ooooh'd and aaaaaaah'd over each gift. This is her "Aren't I Cute" smile. :)

She enjoyed her cupcake (or at least the pink icing) and was ready for a bite of ice cream.

I wrote an article (for want of a better word) and have hesitated putting it on here. I get comments that people think I am shooting arrows at THEM. It is something God is showing me though. Hmmmm. My friend Ginny said I should put it up. She said every time a preacher gives a sermon, someone feels that way. We shall see. :)

I am getting an opportunity to test a product for a company and then review it for you. :) I am excited about this. One of the websites that this company runs is Mailboxes.

I am also getting together a prize for a give away so stay tuned for that as well.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

The Monster Still Lives but He Ain't purty!!

Our January thaw is over. It is snowing today and we expect more tonight. The Monster Snowman is still visible although he has shrunk considerably. :) This morning it was 43 degrees and it is down to 34 and falling. So, the rest of him will probably stick around. :) I need to get his hat and scarf and bring them in.

The snow came down in little pellets. It reminded me of perlite (potting soil additive).

It was very light and did not sting when it hit you or anything.

Somebody asked how I was feeling. I think I may be over it. I am still watching what I am drinking though. I want to be sure it is gone.

Please continue to pray for the Wonderful Neighbor children. They are still fighting this respiratory virus that is not going away.

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today the blessing I am counting is family. Many times I get very disjointed from family because we all have busy lives. I have been trying this year to be more mindful to not let that happen. We are not promised a tomorrow with them. Yesterday, my baby brother and his wife came over and had dinner and spent the afternoon with us. It was a good time of visiting and sharing.

Also, I have Joshua and Brittany really close by and get to see them often. I try to talk to my Dad on the phone several times a week. I am blessed.

New Items in the Store!!!

We have added some new items in the store. Come on over and check it out.

We added some bamboo spoons. The Wonderful Neighbor girl told me I was going "green" with getting bamboo items. :) Bamboo is an eco-friendly, sustainable wood. It is durable and moisture resistant, sturdy and lightweight. It is safe for nonstick surfaces. Won't impart or absorb flavors. It is also heat and stain resistant.

We also found a wonderfully HUGE stainless steel wide mouth funnel. You could put a very large ladle into the top of this funnel with no problem. It will make it a breeze when you are canning!!

We already carried a stainless steel cookie sheet, but we added a larger one. This one is 16" X 12"

Keep checking back as we are going to be having another give away coming up soon!!

The January Thaw

We have had a week or so of above freezing temperatures. Most days it did not hit 40, but it did a couple of times. This caused most of our snow to melt away. There is only a trace here or there in little pockets.

It is amazing that the grass is still green in some places. I guess the snow really acts as a great insulator. :) However, the warmer temperatures also brought about something that is totally gruesome and sad. If you have a queasy stomach at the site of ugly things, I would scroll no farther down.

Here is a dead snowman. He was a brave fellow that was built by my little Florida friends. As he started to lean, his arms went out behind him to try and keep him upright, but alas, the warmth has done him in.

However, the MONSTER lives!!! :) The HUGE snowman that the WN children built for me is still out there, although his head is in a rather odd shape. :)

I am feeling a bit better, but I am still not over the UTI. That is not normal for me, so I will keep hitting it hard.

I have completed the heel on my second sock and will hopefully finish it up this week.

What is Going On Here

We had people come and look at our farm on Sunday. They are coming back this week with a friend who is a realtor. We are leaving it in God's hands.

I have been down all week with a horrible UTI or kidney something. I am still not back to myself, but much better than I was on Monday. I have not been on here much.

Today is co-op day and I don't really feel up to it, but I have no choice. I do think the WN boy is going to be able to help me unload the truck. I sure hope my yogurt comes in. I am thinking it will be a good thing for me to be taking.

Hopefully I will be back with more later this week.

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today my blessing is the weather. :) Yesterday it rained a good bit of the day, but it was in the high 30's which feels like a heat wave. I was able to go to town and to church with just a sweater. My house has stayed warm without electric heaters. I have not had socks on or had to wear leggings under my dress. :) I am sure we will have some more cold weather, but I am so thankful for this reprieve.

Another wonderful blessing, I found my earring this weekend. Thank you Lord!! It was on the ground not too far from the front door. It must have fallen into the snow and sunk. With the warmer temps some of our snow has melted and praise the Lord, it uncovered my earring!!!

What is your blessing today?