I cannot believe that I have hit the one thousand mark. To celebrate this milestone I am having a giveaway because what other way is there to celebrate, right? I will only be running the giveaway for 5 days and the opportunity for entering will end at midnight (Monday) December 7th, ALASKA time. The winner will be announced on December 8th. The giveaway includes 5 different titles. They are listed below with photos of exactly what you will receive.

Full package includes:

• Considering God’s Creation Set

• Children Just Like Me

• Missionary Stories with the Millers

• Heaven’s Heroes

• Marvels of Creation – Magnificent Mammals

Now the rules: There are several ways to enter.  You can have just one entry or up to four.

1. Leave a comment here mentioning what you like most about this blog (1 entry) if you do any of the following for additional entries please let me know in your comment.
2. Subscribe and become a follower of this blog (1 entry).
3. Blog about this contest and link our blog on it – and don’t forget to give us the link below in the comments! (1 entries)
4. Add a badge (found on the link buttons page) to your blog and post a link in the comments below (1 entries).
5. Existing followers and those who already display a badge count as entries, as long as you post a comment (with link if applicable) to let me know!

Not for additional entries but I would be thrilled if you would consider tweeting this giveaway and any other blog entries by using the tweet buttons at the bottom of each blog post!  Thank you and good luck on the giveaway!

Can it really be November already?  It seems once again my blog has gone by the wayside.  I am continuing to find it difficult to put in the time it takes to maintain a blog.  I even missed posting on Reformation Day!

Well, there are several reasons that this blog has suffered in recent days.  We are now in our fourth week of illness at our house.  It really isn’t anything major but a fever here, an ear infection there, a cough and a sniffle, and as soon as we think we are all better it begins again.  I will be thinking differently about a child who says they do not feel well when they only have a 99.5 temp.  Those low grade fevers are just enough to make one feel yucky!  I can say this because that has been me for the last week.  I have been teetering between 99.5 and 100.5, just enough to remove any little bit of motivation to do anything!  Prayfully, we are on the mend and hopefully for the long term.

On another note, I have a bunch of great ideas floating around in my head for some blogging fodder.  I do not feel like I have the energy or time to make them into a finished post thought.  The few I have thought of working……well……let me just say that I am a bit gun shy at this point.  There are things I have seen floating around the blog world lately that I would just LOVE to comment on. I am not sure that I am willing to be trusting enough to take the possible backlash!  I have been there and done that and I am not sure I am ready to go under fire again.  Nevertheless, the thoughts continue to roll through my mind and I may yet take the time to type them up.

There have been other things that are happening.  There are things to ponder, trials to live through, others to encourage, homeschool to teach, and the beauty of fall to enjoy.  I just need to make a point of posting about those I suppose.  I hope you will overlook the fact that I have let the blog suffer some neglect.   I will try harder to make it here.  Sometimes we just get in a rut and have a hard time climbing out.  That seems to be the case with me lately.    I will to attempt to do better!

Ok, so if you have stuck with me this far, I have a few discussion questions for you.

• Have you ever found yourself in a blogging rut?
• What did you do to overcome that?
• How much time do you spend a day writing your blog posts?
• What is your most favorite thing about the month of November?

It is that time once again. It is time for the Homeschool Blog Awards. There are 25 categories for which you can nominate your favorite homeschooling blogs. Pop on over and take some time to get your nominations in for your favorite homeschooler blogs.

It is that time again!  Time for the 2009 Ultimate Blog Party.  This year it snuck up on me and I am just now getting into the party mode.  I will be blog hopping and meeting new friends.  Why don’t you join in on the fun.  There are lots of moms to meet and great prizes to win.  I think my three favorite prizes are the Gobaby Outmat, the $50 gift certificate from Happy Pandy, and the $50 gift certificate to Hatley.  There is a whole boatload of other prizes to win; for a full list visit The Prizes Page.  Click on the banner to get in on all the fun!  The party runs from March 20-27.  Don’t miss out!

For those of you stopping by for the first time I would like to introduce myself. I am a Christian, a minister’s wife, and a homeschooling mom of nine. My hubby is currently serving in the Air Force as a chaplain and we are living in the Last Frontier of Alaska. I blog about all kinds of things but mostly about my family, my faith, homeschooling, living a quiverfull lifestyle, and living in Alaska. I also started my own meme on Mondays called Ponderings. I post about something I am pondering or question to think about and ask you to join in with your thoughts. I hope you will take some time to get to know me, browse my blog, and hopefully even come back for more than just a party intro. You can subscribe in a reader, via email, and twitter using the links at the bottom of the sidebar. Even if this doesn’t become a place for you to hang out; I am so glad you stopped by! Enjoy the rest of the blog party!

Next month I will be hosting the Modesty Carnival.  I am looking for submissions.  If you would like to write a blog post on the topic modesty to be included please send me the url by using the  form on the contact page.  I am excited to see what you all come up with and the great discussions that are sure to develop because of them.

Maybe you noticed that something strange was going on here. Yesterday, somehow when I went to publish a post every page and blog post was deleted. They are back now and I am so thankful! The Lord answered my prayers and I am so greatful that He answered the way I hoped he would. It looks as if everything is back and running! I didn’t know blogging could induce panic attacks! LOL Just kidding but it was a sad and stressful 24 hours of praying that my blog would be restored!

Since Monday around here is my “Pondering” day it is a good thing that I sat here pondering what to write. I decided to go to my blogline reader which I have not been reading in over a week. I was hoping to catch up with my blogging friends and hoping that it might spark some ideas. Where do you start when you have over 800 entries to read? I came upon an entry of an individual who has been a blessing to me and someone who always seems to leave some good comments with good content. He is having a bit of a blogging crisis; one which I have often struggled with. Am I really making a difference with this blogging thing and what is the point. You can read his post HERE.

I have come to realize, that maybe what I do here on my blog really doesn’t matter and no one would notice if I stopped. I have to be ok with that. God often does let me know that in some small way there are people out there that have been touch and God has used this blog to do that. I am awed and so grateful for that fact. God can and does use what seems to be so insignifigant. I long to have one of those “popular” blogs with robust discussion that has an impact that is evident to all. Then I realize that the focus is on me when I think that way. As long as I am seeking to glorify my Lord and Savior then that is all that matters. All the rest is just icing on the cake.

What is your purpose in blogging? Is it just a hobby? A way to document your family life? Do you view it as a ministry? How do you overcome the “what do I write” or the “it needs to be crammed with substance to be good” roadblocks when you really have nothing to give that day? How do you keep your focus? How do you justify the time you spend blogging? Do you, or have you ever struggled with this yourself? Can you lend us your encouragement or share your struggle?