The Importance of a Church Family

This post is not to argue against families that home church or anything. That is not what it is intended to be. And I know that sometimes for families, especially like ours, it is hard to find a church . But I want to talk about the importance of finding a church and having the church family. Since joining the church we have been at we have had several things go on. We have had two babies and have had recently 3 miscarriages. They have shared in our joy and also our sadness. During the last miscarriage I am not sure what I would of done without my church family, especially a few very special ladies. The importance of a church family is to encourage you in your walk with the Lord, to remind you of what is important, and sometimes to just know that I you are not alone in this journey. God wants his children to support each other, to encourage each other. I think the importance of a church family also means that the church needs to be small enough that members can fellowship, that you will know if someone is not there. I think that is also important. I just want someone who is maybe reading this that is hurting or going through a trial that you really need to find a good church. NOt only for times of hurting but times of joy. It is so beautiful to see how members in our church love our children almost as much as we do. I could feel the prayers being prayed for our family during this last storm in our life. Sometimes maybe when I just have no words , someone else is interceding for me in prayer. And just for everday life, the church is just so encouraging . Starting off your week with such encouragement,love, and faith of God's people really makes a difference in your week. I am so thankful God has led us to the church we are at, that we are at a place that there are so many that are so selfless that thinks of others first. It is very important to find a church and have that kind of church family. I think that is the way God intended his children to be. I am so thankful that we are a part of a church also that views life as we do. :) I ask that you continue to pray for me and for my family during this time. God gives and God takes away. God is good in all things!

God is still there!!

Well the past few days have been needless to say pretty rotten for me. I debated even writing this but I got to thinking that maybe it could actually help someone else maybe going through something similar. I do not even know where to start because all my thoughts and feelings are all in a mess right now. ONe thing that does not change is God though and for that I am thankful. A few months ago I was not feeling well and we experience a couple of early miscarriages but we found out my thyroid was way off ( I am hypothyroid)so we thought okay we get that straightened out and we will be fine. Started on meds and started feeling better. Then the wonderful news of another life on the way. I was careful at first not to get too excited but when my pregnancy test were definately positive and continue to stayed that way I allowed myself to get excited and starting thinking about our 10th child. And for a month I have gotten to be excited and to love the little one that was not to be. Tuesday night before I went to bed I got really nauseated and then throughout the night the nausea turned to terrible cramping. When I woke up Wendsday morning I was spotting but I thought okay there are several things that could cause this. I had what we thought was a UTI but now I think was just part of all the miscarriage. Anyway as the day went on it was clear that things were not right and a ultrasound confirmed my fears. Even though I had prepared myself on the way to the ultrasound it still was not enough I was so devastated. STill kind of am but I know the Lord is good and there are always reasons for things. Knowing that still does not really always make it much easier. Anyway, after testing it was found that my progeserone is really low. I mean really low. It was suppose to be around 20 and it was 1.6!! Hence why I cannot hang on to my pregnancies. I just want to say I have went through so many emotions. First I was just so angry. I told myself if I am gonna write this blog post I am gonna be completely honest and real . so yes I was mad, I asked God why he gave me this baby, let me believe everything was gonna be okay and then just took it. But God gives and God takes away and while I am still very sad I am very thankful to God. Thankful for all the things I am learning through these experiences. This all still cuts deep and I am sure there will be more tears. For me the more I carry a child the more I bond. Doesn't matter if I never see it or know it, I know it was my child. Sometimes in this journey I feel kind of lonely and then some sweet friend or maybe my sister or mom will call and I know the Lord is letting me know I am not alone. Being honest I do feel nobody else is affected by this more than I am. But I people have gone through much much worse. I am thankful , so very thankful for the 9 children he has blessed me with. I am thankful for the husband, family, and friends he has blessed me with. I am just thankful. But in that thankfulness I also am fighting sadness and hurt. It is a hurt that cuts all the way through. I am praying that I can find a good doctor that can help me with my hormone problems, not just for potential future pregnancies but also for my overall health. All of this is adding up now. I have not been myself for a few years now, and have not felt "well". Also I think some people get a different view on my belief than is really true. I do not or shall I say we do not (Billy and I) strive to see how many kids we will have,we ONLY WANT TO TRUST IN THE LORD. But losing a baby is HARD FOR ME no matter if I am 2 4 weeks pregnant or 7 or 12. I would ask for your prayers during this time and for wisdom to know what to do. God bless!

Sad news

IT is with a heavy heart I announce that our little one has gone to be with the Lord. I would appreciate prayers during this time. And prayers that we can find out what is causing this miscarriages.

Blogs - Looking into what seems to be perfect lives

I have been wanting to write this post and today seems like a pretty good day. I have had to stop going to some blogs but they started to downright depress me but then a good friend told me this: " you know people do not blog about the bad things in their lives, usually only the good days." I got to thinking how true that is for blogs and also for facebook. When reading about someone else we have to remember we are only seeing what they want us to see. I have always tried to be a open book because I feel that my failures, troubles, trials, etc.. could maybe help someone else by seeing they are not alone but I am not always so open about my life either. So here goes, this is what my day consisted of today. Woke us extremely thankful to God for the new blessing we have on the way and saying many prayers that He will protect this little one. Did several loads of clothes, made my bed, and all the things you do in the morning(nursed a hungry baby boy,changed diapers,got everyone ready) Took kids to town because I really needed to get some things and before we made it home one threw up in the car. WE have had a stomach bug for a week now, I thought we were almost over it and that I was almost caught up on laundry and then last night one of the little boys threw up everywhere and got all the blankets. Anyway, back to my day so she was throwing up and so when we got home I put her in the bed. WE (my oldest daughter and I) got the kids that were well enough lunch made and then I heard crying. The same daughter had diarreha and it came out of her pull up and onto the floor(and no this was not my hard wood floor but the carpet in her room). So.... got that cleaned up FINALLY. Used plenty of Lysol and then washed my hands and finally sat down to eat. After i ate I noticed my little man was smelled rough and picked him up out of the highchair and noticed his diaper had leaked through,yuck!! As I was taking him to get changed I slipped in dog pee( we have a new lab puppy who we are working with, and almost who got thrown outside today) but thankfully the way I fell Jericho kinda of landed in my lap. So then I finally get to changing him and then change my skirt since it had dog pee on it(embarrasing, but hey I am being real). Then had to finish my day which consisted of doing business stuff and putting it all on the computer. So there ya go , a day at the Ballard's. Totally praying we are well soon because at this rate I think I will never get caught up on laundry. Oh the joys of a big family. I WOULD NOT TRADE IT THOUGH!

Announcement:::::::::::

Blessing #10 is on the way :) Please pray, I really hesitate to announce this since my thyroid has been off I have had a couple miscarriages. God is good and HIs will be done!

Going at it without God

Well.... haven't wrote much on my blog lately. Just have not had the focus to be able to write and I do not know how far I will get with this post. But I do want to share what the Lord has taught me lately. But I have learned going through life without God is a total failure. As long as I stay in the word, have a steady prayer life, and just stay close to the Lord things flow smoothly but as soon as I turn my focus away from God my whole life is chaos, things seem to just crumble around me. Thank God for his grace and in my weakness He is made strong! Sometimes in the business of life we get so caught up in things we forget what or WHO comes first but it does not take me long to see how much I need the Lord in my life. To be the mother, the wife, the daughter, sister, friend, etc. I need to be. Life will not always be pleasant , it will not always be joyful but always remember that JOY COMES IN THE MORNING. :) God is soooooooo good and if you maintain your focus on Him He will change your life.

Feeding a large family and not breaking the bank(recipes included)

I am having friends, family, and acquaintances, etc.. asking me all the time how we feed our family, about how we cut cost, what recipes we use and so on. So I am gonna try to cover the questions we get. Also we also welcome any suggetions or recipes you would like to share with our family. Ways we save is by growing a garden, raising our own hogs(this is mostly so we know what is in the meat we eat), also we raise our own chickens for eggs. My husband and sons hunt , so we have venison. I used to say I would never eat it but fixed right and it is awsome. We use coupons as much as we can and I shop sales although I could probably do better if I had more time to really go to different stores and shop. I have had some health issues lately so meals have been kind of crazy around here but I am getting back to being able to provide my family decent meals. I love meals I can throw in the crockpot or meals I can cook ahead of time and freeze. WE eat what most people eat we just have to cook more :) I recently find a wonderful recipe on pinterest( a awsome place to find ideas!!) for Chic Fil A chicken bites, This is something good for adults and children alike. WE all love Chic Fil A but it can get a bit expensive if we eat there much and also we have to drive a little to get to one. Here is the recipe for these if anyone is interested, since I want to give credit where credit is due I will just post the link to the site- http://iowagirleats.com/2012/03/01/chick-fil-a-bites-with-honey-mustard-dipping-sauce/comment-page-1/#comment-1045866 Also a great thing to make and freeze is our famous chicken casserole. We kind of make it different that we used to and use poppy seed. This freezes great and you can make extra ones to freeze so you can have some in the freezer for a go to meal or if you need to take a meal to someone. Here is the recipe for that- Boil chicken, shred it and mix with cream of chicken add salt and pepper. Spread the mixture in a casserole dish. Crush up Ritz crackers and sprinkle on top, add pieces of butter on top and sprinkle poppy seed on top. Then cook at 350 until done. If you are freezing do not cook, just pop in freezer and cook it when you are ready. I don't have specific measurements of each thing because it varies depending on how much you are making. Another thing that is great to freeze is breakfast casserole and hash brown casserole. These are things that are great for breakfast and also for a breakfast supper. Which is a great way to cut cost is have a breakfast for supper. If I can find roast for a good price(which I usually can at Ingles) that is something I like to make in the crock pot that everyone likes, you can also add carrots and potatoes to make it a hearty meal. I used to do ham alot because we could eat it for supper and the next day do sandwhiches but it has gotten so expensive in the store and we have already used up all we had from the hogs we killed last year, we will be slaughtering a few very soon. Breakfast Casserole ______________________ 6 slices of loaf bread(trim off the edges) 1/2 lb. grated sharp cheest( I just buy shredded cheese) 1 lb sausage (cooked and drained) 5 eggs 2 cups of milk Line bottom of 9X13 dish with bread and sprinkle cheese over bread. Crumble sausage over cheese. IN seperate bowl mix eggs and milk. Pour over cheese and bread. Refrigerate overnight or freeze if using at a later time. Cook at 350 for approx. 30-40 min. Since we homeschool we have to do 3 meals here a day. I kind of cook what goes along with the sales that week but sometimes I just sit and make a menu plan and get what I need. I also make stir fry (with the stir fry meat,green peppers, and onions)and put it in tortillas , it does not cost much and fills everyone up. Another way to cut cost is to go meatless but we do not do that much around here due to hubby has to have meat and I have growing boys :) Now that I am trying to stay away from bread as much as possible( which is super hard to do-try it and see!!) I am trying to think of other ideas but bread helps to fill in , we make our own yeast rolls and they are very inexpensive and would probably also freeze well. If you would like recipe let me know. Also just have started making our own mixes like all purpose mix to make bisquits and such and our own brownie mix as well as making our own granola. This post is getting quite long so I will finish it up but let me know what other questions you might want answered. Please leave me comments on ideas of how you cut cost or maybe your fave recipe.