Reederbunch

6 Months

2012-03-01T10:22:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Philip was 6 months old. He is 17 lbs and growing like a weed.

Pipe

2012-02-20T10:18:00.006-05:00

I was a little nervous to do a post on my husband's pipe, because I know smoking is suppose to be bad for you, a dirty habit, right? Ever since I've known my husband, he has loved the smell of pipe tobacco. But, with his asthma, he never gave it a try. Then 2 years ago, he finally gave it a try. To our surprise, the pipe actually helped with my husband's asthma, because it helped to relax him and his lungs, actually helping him breath.

My husband doesn't smoke every day. Nor does he NEED it. But it's an enjoyable pass time for him, some say an art. Yesterday, Sabbath evening, Chris decided to smoke his pipe contemplating his day at church. He looked so handsome to me I decided to take his photo.

Handsome

Sophisticated

By the way, the pipe shown in these photos was a pipe given to Chris by my mother. It was found among my grandfather's things. Although we never knew my grandfather as a pipe smoker, it still feels special.

Just for fun, I decided to add two other photos I found in our archive.

First time Chris smoked my grandfather's pipe.

Last summer, after a long days work.

My Most Basic Act of Worship

2012-02-16T12:41:00.004-05:00

Lord, I'm Yours. Whatever the cost may be, may Your will be done in my life. I realize I'm not here on earth to do my own thing, or to seek my own fulfillment or my own glory. I'm not here to indulge my desires, to increase my possessions, to impress people, to be popular, to prove I'm somebody important, or to promote myself. I'm not here even to be relevant or successful by human standards. I'm here to please You.

I offer myself to You, for You are worthy. All that I am or hope to be, I owe to You. I'm Yours by creation, and every day I receive from You life and breath and all things. And I'm Yours because You bought me, and the pice You paid was the precious blood of Christ. You alone, the Triune God, are worth to be my Lord and Master. I yeild to You, my gracious and glourious heavenly Father to the Lord anesuswho loved me and gave himself for me, to the Holyu pirit and his gracious infulence and empowering.

All that I am and all that I have I give to You.

~Author Unknown

The Beauty of Homeschool

2012-02-13T23:53:00.010-05:00

Isn't this a beautiful site?

I have taught 3 of my 8 children to read, but my 4th child lacks the self confidence to read out loud. I have worked with her, and when asked to read an individual word she most likely can figure it out, but when asked to read an entire sentence, she will get scared.

Daddy has decided to help out.

By reading through Philippians together, she is learning how to overcome the fear of reading out loud, hearing the word of God, and having precious time with Daddy.

Today when Daddy called her over to read, I couldn't resist, I snapped these shots.

This is the beauty of Homeschool!

Lord's Day

2012-02-13T09:58:00.003-05:00

Here is a quick photo I snapped of Caleb before leaving for church. I can't believe how quickly he is growing. I am looking forwards to doing his photo shoot, however, it seems we have hit a bit of a cold streak here in SC. So once again photo shoot on hold.

Hard at Work

2012-02-11T17:19:00.008-05:00

Today we were happy to have the boys home from their trip to Raleigh. This morning after I put Philip down for his morning nap, I decided to go do the pruning of our fruit trees. I could do this myself easily, because the trees aren't that big, yet. I guess trimming trees is contagious, because Chris decided to do some trimming of his own. In the process of Chris trimming one of the children's climbing trees, we found something that excited us all. A new hen nest! Yay!!! I was so excited, because for some reason the hens stopped laying in the nesting box and we have been looking for this nest for 2 weeks!!! This is one of the problems with free ranging your chickens.

So tonight for dinner we're having eggs!

I also wanted to share a photo of our cat pumpkin. The children love her and I guess she loves us too, because she has left us two dead mice in front of our door in the last 24 hours. Good Kitty! I thought you'd rather see a photo of her than the two dead mice!

It's good to know our animals are doing their jobs!

Rock Candy

2012-02-10T12:36:00.007-05:00

Rock Candy... otherwise known as sugar. Chris and I love to share childhood memories with the children, as we make new ones with them. One of my childhood memories involves making rock candy at my church. I know what your thinking, yes, it's a lot of sugar. But it's a memory that I wanted to share with my children. And when I wanted to do one last fun thing with the girls before the boys returned home, this was it. I had bought all the ingredients a while ago and we found them in the pantry, so it was perfect!

Here is our finished product. Strawberry on the left and orange flavor on the right.

Here Abigail is stirring in the flavoring.

The girls waiting on the sugar to boil.

While I was in a sugar comma, Mary Kate got herself into trouble.

My Pantry or The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2012-02-09T08:33:00.000-05:00

This is my pantry. Okay, okay, so this is how I "WANT" my pantry to look. It's my Dream pantry. Some women dream of careers, I dream of an organized pantry! haha...

Isn't it beautiful. A girl can dream! This would be "The GOOD".

When we moved into our house over 6 months ago, I had plans for something "BIG", I had no clue that my plans, weren't exactly what the Lord had in store. It takes A LOT of time and $, to get everything, exactly how you want it. And this is how my pantry looked yesterday morning. I know, can you believe I showed that on the internet for all the world to see? It's what happens when you don't have shelves and no organization! This would be "The UGLY".

I could not take it anymore! The girls and I got to work, clearing everything out. I wasn't even sure what we had in there! On our last trip home from the store, I believe it had gotten so bad we just threw everything in there, literally threw it in there! After a day of hard work, it's something I can live with again. I'm going to title this photo "The Bad", but seriously, I am very thankful that I have a pantry at all, that my hubby lent me his industrial shelving until his gets his shop, and that there is food in there none the less.

So there it is, The Good ,The Bad, and The Ugly... My pantry.

Pretzels

2012-02-08T09:58:00.004-05:00

The girls and I have been having lots of girl time. Chris took the boys on a road trip to Raleigh to help a friend work on his house. The girls and I have been de-cluttering, singing and dancing, and cleaning house, but at night we have been having fun girl time and relaxing. Last night, the girls and I attempted to make some yummy pretzels. My good friend makes some really yummy ones (Meghan), but it's been years since I've made them. Here are the photos from the girls making their own. They weren't "THAT" good, but it's because they were 100% whole wheat, without butter. The ones you get at the mall are made with 100% white flour and a ton of butter. Regardless, it was fun and the girls enjoyed it. But the real highlight was drinking tea.

(Sorry, no photo of that.)

First thing in the Morning

2012-02-07T10:17:00.003-05:00

This is one of the first things I see when I wake up each morning. I thought I'd share it with everyone. The girls love to come in and get Philip, he is super happy in the morning. This morning the sun was shining thru my bedroom window and I snapped this shot.

Photo Shoot on Hold

2012-02-06T11:49:00.006-05:00

This week there is rain in the forecast. I have three more children to take photos of, but in the mean time, I'm doing a little de-cluttering. I have been wanting to frame an old photo of my dad's family and found the perfect frame among stuff I already owned. Don't you just love when that happens! Anyways. Check it out, I think it looks very nice.

My Dad was 1 0f 9. He is the young man in the front left.

Abigail

2012-02-03T16:40:00.013-05:00

Grace

2012-02-02T17:48:00.005-05:00

Today I went a little over board with taking photos. Chris tells me that I need to stop taking so many of each child. At this rate, I will have like 50 photos of which ever child goes last. haha..

I had a lot of fun with Grace, she loves to have her photo taken, she is such a ham and a joy to photograph. She is growing up so quickly, I am so happy that I decided to take these photos.

Tomorrow is Abigail's turn. At dinner tonight she was excited talking about what she was going to be wearing for her photo and how she would like her hair done, she can't wait.

Hannah

2012-02-01T14:20:00.017-05:00

Hannah with Curtain.

Hannah Hiding in Curtain.

Hannah in front of Curtain.

Curtain B&W

Hannah in the Meadow #1

Hannah in the Meadow #2

Hannah in the Meadow #3

Hannah in the Meadow #4

Hannah in the Meadow #5

Hannah in the Meadow #6

Hannah Walking Along the Log.

Hannah Taking a Break

Hannah Peeking Around the Cedar Post.

Hannah hears a noise.

Hannah on compost bin.

Hannah Playing in Leaves #1

Hannah playing in the leaves #2.

Hannah Peeks Around the Tree #1.

Hannah Peeks Around the Tree #2.

Hannah Laying in the Leaves.

Hannah Excited to Find a Worm in the Leaves!

Hannah Proud of Her Worm

Photo Shoot Over

Today was Hannah's turn for her very own photo shoot. The two of us had such a good time just the two of us. We took a few shots near our first clearing with the girls bedroom curtains! Then we took a walk back to our small meadow and ended our photo shoot playing in the leaves. I took more photos of Hannah than the first two children combined, which goes to show I was having a good time. There are so many great shots,

Philip

2012-01-31T13:49:00.005-05:00

Today I decided to photograph Philip, our youngest. He was a lot harder to photograph than Zoe. He had a lot of fun eating leaves. Which is your favorite?

Zoe

2012-01-30T18:16:00.003-05:00

Today I got in the mood to take pictures.

I grabbed my camera, a child, and headed out to find some cute shots on our property.

Which do you like the best?

Daydreaming

Zoe with our cat, Pumpkin.

Zoe with eggs.

Zoe with basket.

Zoe collecting chicken eggs.

Zoe in the field.

Zoe in background.

Street Preaching

2012-01-06T21:21:00.002-05:00

Every Friday our Pastor does street preaching downtown Greenville, SC.

Keep listening, after awhile the traffic sounds goes away, and you can totally hear the gospel.

Dog vs. Turkey

2012-01-04T17:14:00.004-05:00

Here is a short video taken yesterday of our dog and turkey playing ball. The turkey was not as aggressive as normal. He normally chest bumps the dog. Still, this give all our family and friends an idea of what I'm talking about when I say, our dog and turkey play ball together.

Street Preaching

2012-01-03T14:29:00.002-05:00

The Friday before December 25, the streets of Greenville, were crowded! The weather was beautiful and the people were out. We enjoyed as always listening to pastor as he did his street preaching. We were delighted to see a few of our fellow church members come out to hear pastor preach the gospel on the street. Here are a few photos...

I snapped a quick shot of this girl as she rejected the word of God by covering her ears as she walked by, while Pastor was street preaching.

Friends. Here I am with two of my good church friends.

The guys. Here is a quick shot I took of the guys as they talked after the street preaching.

A Holy God

2011-12-27T17:07:00.003-05:00

If you want to hear a great sermon that explains why our family has chosen to not celebrate December 25, this is it. We hope it helps our family and friends understand our deep love for our savior Jesus Christ and our desire to obey his commandments.

Forefathers

2011-12-26T22:55:00.006-05:00

As I started to think about decorating our sons bedroom, I gave thought to what might be some ideas for a theme. We did not want to go with sports or super heros as most young boys do these days. We decided to surround our sons with photos of men they could look up to. As my search for men of honor continued, I started to think about the 5th commandment. Honor thy father and thy mother. Then it hit me. That was it, our forefathers! Here are the photos that we have chosen to hang in our sons bedroom. Our forefathers...

Chris' Grandfather Carnes

Chris' Grandfather Reeder

Chris' Father Reeder

Kara's Father Mathna

Kara's Grandfather Mathna

Kara's Grandfather Edmonson

Candy Making

2011-12-22T12:49:00.002-05:00

We made some unhealthy candy treats for our friend

Mrs. Moline's birthday here are the photos.

I melted the chocolate (so it wouldn't burn) and the kids did the rest.

They had a lot of fun.

New Project

2011-12-20T22:26:00.002-05:00

From 80's ($1 Yard Sale Walker)

To Fab (Spray Paint and a little fabric)

This project cost me around $3 total.

Doesn't he look happier with his new wheels?

PA Trip

2011-12-08T15:44:00.002-05:00

Wow! What a trip to PA. I'm telling you.... "The Lord rained blessings upon the Reederbunch." Not only were we able to spend an extended amount of time with family in PA, but we were blessed beyond what we could image. I can't even begin to tell you all the gifts that were given to our family. The biggest was a very nice Suburban and Trailer, which left both Chris and I speechless. I know... none of you can image me speechless right? Well, believe it. haha...

Chris' Grandfather and Grandmother sold their home after all these years and moved to a retirement community. As they downsized their estate, they rained blessings upon family members. We were blessed with not only a Suburban and Trailer, but it was loaded with lots and lots of blessings from their farm, which we will be able to use here as we establish our own. Thank You Vic and Betty for blessing our family!

Along with these amazing blessings, Chris was also given his uncle's Pickup truck. It will be a farm truck, not able to drive too far from home, but perfect for an old farm truck.

Also, as my mother finishes cleaning out my Grandparents estate from their passing, we were rained even more blessing!

Our family has never seen such blessing Praise the Lord and Thank You all!!!

10 Weeks

2011-11-11T08:48:00.004-05:00

Here are a few snapshots of Philip at 10 Weeks.

Girls Room

2011-11-10T13:01:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I know there are some of you who would really like to see some photos of our home right? I know, I have kept it a secret for way too long! Well... here you go....

The girls new room!!!

Before.

New Windows and soon to be new Drywall.

Yes, that was the room I delivered Philip! Before it was done!

After

The girls didn't want their bunk beds anymore, they asked if they could share beds...

like "Little House on the Prairie".

This is one of my favorite prints, under it is the passage, "James 5:11".

The girls night stand.

The basket holds their pocketbooks, they have a night light, and a cute clock.

Here is Mary's bed, which she now know how to climb out of.

We still need to install hardwood and trim, but it feels more like home.

The girls are super excited!!!

2011 Family Photo Shoot

2011-11-07T08:22:00.006-05:00

Here are a few of the photos from our 2011 Family Photo Shoot.

I love my little girls expressions in this one.

This Photo was so fun.

Chris in action. This is totally Chris. He is such a good daddy.

I love this photo of us.

7 weeks old

2011-10-20T08:51:00.004-04:00

Our little man is growing! It's amazing how quickly time goes by. Philip is now 7 weeks old and he is delighting us more and more every day! There is always a pair of hands willing to hold and play with this happy little guy. Here is a photo taken of him this morning.

Philip's Animal Photo

2011-09-28T09:13:00.003-04:00

A little over a month ago, I took some photos of our children with their animals. My Mother-in-Law, ask for a photo of Philip with an animal, so it was time for Philip to have another photo shoot! Here are the two photos we were able to get. Philip and Mr. Hoppy.

Philip's Baptism

2011-09-18T20:03:00.003-04:00

Today was Philip's Baptism. We praise the Lord for our covenant home!

First Family Photo with Philip.

Taken with a camera timer, amazing that everyone is looking!

The children ready for Church.

All Dressed up ready for Lord's Day!

Daddy and Mommy w/ Pip

My handsome men.

Father and Son

Home Photo Shoot

2011-09-16T13:30:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I tried doing my own home photo shoot of Philip, here are some of my favorite.

Last Days of Summer

2011-09-15T16:34:00.003-04:00

This summer we spent a long time working on our house. This past Tuesday the children got to enjoy a little bit of summer before it's about to end.

Philip Victor Reeder

2011-08-31T11:26:00.003-04:00

We are pleased to Announce the birth of our new son... Philip Victor Reeder. Born August 29, 2011. Weighing in at 9 lbs 5 oz, 21 1/2 inches long. He was named in honor of his great grandpa Victor Carnes. He is a very health boy. Mommy and baby are doing great!

Baby vs. Drywall

2011-08-26T06:11:00.000-04:00

We were just informed that the drywallers are able to come THIS Saturday to hang our drywall! This is what I've been waiting for!!! But, baby boy Reeder #8 is overdue and hasn't arrived! And I'm not sure which I'm more excited about, haha...

Okay Baby, you just stay safe and sound in my tummy for a few more days... This is baby vs. Drywall...

Still Pregnant

2011-08-23T08:29:00.002-04:00

Just wanted everyone to know, Yes, I'm still pregnant.

I am READY to meet this little man.

It's strange because months ago I was so happy and content to have him stay safe and sound in my womb, but now, it seems like our life is on hold until he arrives.

I feel huge, and Chris tells me he thinks my belly is larger than it's ever been. Here is a photo.

Due Date

2011-08-19T01:36:00.001-04:00

Well, I have reached my due date. I am VERY ready to meet baby #8. I pray the Lord will bless us soon with a quick and smooth delivery.

4 days...

2011-08-15T12:09:00.001-04:00

It's almost time. I am ready to meet our new son.

12 Days....

2011-08-10T10:58:00.001-04:00

Today I had a midwife appointment, I asked her to check me. The baby's head is in my pelvis and she said she can't move it at all. I am enfacing, but only 2 cm dilated. It is only a matter of time until our new baby boy will join us.

14 Days to go...

2011-08-08T07:48:00.001-04:00

I'm hoping the baby stays put for another two weeks, Chris is sick. Hoping be able to spend some time on the blog page soon.

18 days...

2011-08-04T05:48:00.000-04:00

18 days to my due date!

Just Ordered My Birth Kit

2011-07-05T10:40:00.002-04:00

Time is ticking. As my due date approaches, we continue to work on our new home. I have become content with the Lord's providence that my house may not be complete before the delivery of our new child. It is amazing how the Lord is sanctifying us. As a friend said this past Lord's day, it is exciting, because the Lord is using this time to mold and shape our family. The Lord loves his people, he loves the Reederbunch. And he gives us the strength to go through the challenges that he sets before us. So if some of you out in internet world are thinking, I could never go through that or do that. If you had to, the Lord would give you the strength.

We praise the Lord for this time. It is these times we will remember most.

Our New Bathroom

2011-06-09T12:17:00.019-04:00

I am super excited to share this post with you all...

Bathroom Before

Demo

New Insulation

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Chris cutting tile. Messy work.

Chris installing Permabase on the walls.

Preparing the floor for Permabase.

Chris spreading Thinset.

Tiling Class 101

Team Work

Exciting Progress

And the most exciting pictures of all...

AFTER

There are a few things that need finishing up, from adding crown molding to ironing my shower curtain, but the majority of the work is done! I praise the Lord from which all blessing flow!

Pictures coming soon...

2011-06-07T09:58:00.002-04:00

The bathroom is almost finished!!! It is very exciting to see the progress in our new bathroom. Pictures coming soon...... Got to go work....

Our Garden

2011-05-23T12:11:00.004-04:00

Our garden is growing and we are very excited. Here are a couple photos of our garden.

Blueberries

2011-05-23T10:24:00.004-04:00

One of the things we have done on our new homestead is plant a small orchard. Including white and yellow peaches, nectarines, pears, plums, a bunch of different varieties of apple trees as well as blueberries, black berries, and grapes.

The small blueberry blushes we planted earlier this spring are already starting to produce and everyone is excited. Here are a few photos.

Living in a Construction Zone

2011-05-13T20:27:00.002-04:00

Hello Internet world. We are occasionally able to access the web. Today was one of those days. I thought I'd update everyone on the Reederbunch.

Things have been BUSY lately. We have been working daily to get this house finished, but things move slower than you want them too. It is nice to finally be living on our property and we dream of the day the house is complete, but it's been an adventure for the time being.

While Chris has been working on the inside, I have been busy on the outside. I was able to plant our fruit trees and our garden. As well as build a nice temporary chicken brooder. Yes, we have chickens now!!! As well as a few other feather friends. We have been enjoying seeing deer occasionally and Caleb can't wait to go hunting this fall with daddy.

I hope to update you all better with photos soon!

Moving

2011-04-12T13:36:00.002-04:00

This week is crazy!

We are packing and moving our stuff into storage. We will be camping out at the new house until things are finished. Next week is drywall, then painting, and then the floor. I could care less about trim at this point. Just walls would be nice!

Got to get back to packing. Chris is keeping the internet up here at the rental until Friday! Back to packing! Let me know if you want to help.

It's a ....

2011-04-09T05:11:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone, I am home with the little ones as we do a little packing and a yard sale today. We have been blessed to have friends come to work on the house, Chris and the wonderful Lynam men are hard at work, while I do my thing, with the children at the rental house. This past week I was able to have my ultrasound. We wanted to share with everyone...

It's

BOY!!!

Reeder Update

2011-04-04T16:50:00.003-04:00

Chris is no longer working at Skanska as they had to lay him off. They finalized a restructuring plan while continuing to downsize. His position was dissolved while much of what he oversaw was moved out of Preconstruction and in to IT. Everything ended very positively. His boss gave him great reviews and offered to help in anyway possible including being a reference for future employment.

We have a great hope, especially in such times. Christ is sovereign and His word states, "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Because of these recent events, we will be moving into our new home sooner than expected. It will involve us "camping out" with construction going on around us, but it will save us some money and allow us to be 24/7 to work on the house. 95% of our belongings will be in storage until the construction is complete.

Also, this may be one of my final blog posts, at least for a while. I am in the mist of packing and trying to help Chris finish the bathroom before we move in. I am not sure when we will get internet hooked up at the new house.

Good Bye for now!

Homemade Skirts

2011-04-02T21:40:00.002-04:00

With our girls wearing skirts mostly these days, I decided to do something with their pants so that they would get worn. Here are 3 of the girls modeling their skirts, made from old jeans.

60th Wedding Anniversary

2011-03-28T22:28:00.004-04:00

The happy couple. Vic and Betty Carnes

(aka Great Grandpa and Grandma)

Welcome

Cut the Cake.

Grammy Mathna and Mary Kate

Sisters. Aunt Vickie and Grandma.

Grandma and Papa Reeder

Papa Reeder, Chris, and Pappy Mathna

Great Grandma visiting with friends.

Great Grandpa visiting with friends.

Great Grandma and Grandma

Great Grandpa and Chris

My favorite photo. Great Grandma walking with Mary Kate.

Great Grandma and Mary Kate

Great Grandpa and Grandma with the Children.

This past Saturday we made a quick trip to PA for Chris' grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary. It was great seeing everyone and get a chance to celebrate such a wonderful accomplishment. We love you Great Grandpa and Grandma.

$2 Fun

2011-03-28T22:23:00.002-04:00

On a quick to trip to the store, I found some major clearance items, one of which was this $2 playhouse. I waited until there was a rainy day and the children couldn't go outside.

Mary and Pumpkin

2011-03-28T22:18:00.001-04:00

I buckled the baby in her car seat, then ran back in the house for something.

When I came out, this is what I found.

Where have I been?

2011-03-22T14:02:00.003-04:00

I know, I know... my blogpost have been lacking these days.

What have I been doing???... I have been sick, redoing a house, going to the homeschool convention, taking care of my little ones, day dreaming about our new property and trying to plan a garden!

Can you say BUSY!

I wish I could do a blog post on all the events that have happened these last few weeks, but my mid-wife will be here in the next few minutes. I can't wait to listen to our little babies heart.

By the way... April 6th we find out if it's a boy or girl!!!

Abigail is 10

2011-03-14T08:20:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it! I have been a mother for 10 years!!!

Our oldest daughter Abigail celebrated her 10th Birthday this past Friday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABIGAIL!!!

Tile it is!

2011-03-14T08:16:00.002-04:00

I got an overwhelming response for tile. And we are happy our decision.

This past week, I was able to purchase all the materials that will be needed to remodel the children's bathroom. We have new EVERYTHING!!!

I am so excited to get started on this project!!!

Tile or Wainscot?

2011-03-07T10:48:00.003-05:00

The last few days, I have been planning out our children's bathroom in our new house.

It has been easy so far making choices, I'm a girl that knows what I like. Until, now.

We are doing our house in farmhouse style.

Which would typically mean wooden bathroom floors, but let's be real. We have 8 children. Wooden floors in bathroom, I think not! So, this past Saturday, I pick the porcelain tile that will be going into the bathroom.

Then, came my hard choice. Do I do a farm style wainscot or do I continue the tile half way up the wall?

The wainscot I would paint white and the tile would be the same as the floor?

I think the wainscot would look better, but will I go crazy with white walls? Remember dirty kids will be going into the bath to get clean.

I would like to know what my readers think? Please post your comments below.

Mr. Scott

2011-03-02T15:15:00.003-05:00

The Reederbunch wants to say a special "Thank You" to Mr. Scott.

The last few weeks Mr. Scott has been joining us as we work on our new house.

Thanks for all your help!

Organizing Clothes

2011-03-02T14:56:00.004-05:00

As we prepare for spring and the move to our new home, we decided it was time to go through children's clothes. The girls and I spent yesterday afternoon sorting through the girls clothes and putting away outgrown items.

I took a photo of the us in the middle of us sorting, it was an organized mess.

We picked out some spring outfits for the girls and figured out what we will need to buy. Abigail was super excited as there were no clothes for her which means shopping!

My only concern is finding modest summer outfits for a soon to be ten year old girl.

Happy Birthday Mary Kate!

2011-02-28T07:53:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday was Mary Kate's 1st Birthday.

We had a sleepover at the new house the night before and spent the day working, but we did have time for a little birthday treat, as well as, a new toy for Mary.

Here are a few photos of Mary's Birthday Treat.

Mary Kate

2011-02-28T07:31:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe, but this past Saturday Mary Kate turned 1 year old!

Here is a video of her first days of life...

Heritage Gate Farms

2011-02-22T08:32:00.004-05:00

All of our attention these days have been on the inside of our new house. There is still a lot of work to be done. And we are on a time schedule to, Lord willing, be in the house by June. That's basically 3 months to go and I'm starting to feel the pressure... tick tock tick tock.

In the mean time, the weather has been beautiful and I am so excited, dreaming of finally living at Heritage Gate Farms. But, I'm learning patience. I recently went for a walk around our property, thinking about about our future and wondering what the Lord has in store.

Here are a few photos I took. Remember it's a lot of raw land, and we have big dreams!

The view from off our back deck. Which is slowly falling apart.

One of the many paths trampled in the ground.

One of the paths lead to a beautiful clearing.

This is my favorite clearing. It's so quiet out here.

Another picture of the large clearing. The kids love to look at all the animal tracks out here.

Beyond the clearing there is a lot more woods. But I've only gone back there once. It's very thick and their are lots of thorns.

The children have enjoyed the property, exploring it and finding lots of little treasures. The whole family is so excited to finally be at Heritage Gate Farms.

Sickness

2011-02-22T08:22:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. We were sick! All seven children and mommy. Our temperatures hovering between 101 and 103 and now ending in a very annoying cough. I am blessed to say we all got the sickness at once, that way we can all move on together.

Caring Children

2011-02-16T16:03:00.005-05:00

Today it was a beautiful day, and since we were at the rental house, I decided to take the children and puppy to the park up the road. (I can't wait until we are living on our 6.5 acres and the kids can explore any time.)

As I sat back and watched the children play, I could see the closeness of our children and their kindness/love for one another. These are not posed photos, simply our children in their normal behavior. Sharing and Caring with one another. I feel very blessed to have such close children. What a blessing from the Lord!

Puppy Bath Time

2011-02-16T15:52:00.003-05:00

Today Lady got her very first bath.

Here are a few photos that Caleb took of me bathing Lady.

Electrical and Duct Work

2011-02-14T18:17:00.004-05:00

Before the new ceilings go up, wiring must be done.

The children's bathroom in the new house was lacking lighting and I wanted a heater in the bathroom so the when the little ones get out of the tub, they can be warm. I found this bathroom fan, light, heater combo that was perfect!!! Here Chris and I are in the process of installing it.

New Wiring.

Chris doing the wiring.

More wiring.

Caleb Runs the Mitre Saw

2011-02-14T18:11:00.003-05:00

Here are a few photos of Caleb using the Mitre Saw. Not sure why Caleb is wearing tinted safety glasses. Mama is just glad he is wearing them... My little boy is growing up.

Random Pictures

2011-02-14T18:06:00.003-05:00

Here are a few random photos of the kids from the new house....

Work and Play

2011-02-07T14:22:00.004-05:00

This past Saturday, our friend Michael, came to help out at the new house.

Here are a couple of photos. I label them Work and Play.

Ceiling Going Up

2011-02-07T14:18:00.003-05:00

I am happy to announce that we are no longer in the demo stage!

This past weekend we began to install our new tongue and groove ceiling. My goal is to turn this place into a true farm house.

New Washer and Dryer

2011-02-07T14:14:00.001-05:00

This past week, our dryer went out. Upon examining our washing machine, we decided to go ahead and get a new matching set. I am so glad I did! Here is a photo of our new set. They are Maytag. The picture was taken with Chris' phone.

Lady's First Trip Downtown

2011-02-07T14:05:00.002-05:00

Lady had her first trip downtown. She enjoyed getting out and hearing Pastor McCurley doing open air preaching while the children handed out church business cards inviting people to our church.

Crazy Busy

2011-02-03T00:56:00.001-05:00

Hey there.

I just wanted to pop on here real quick and let everyone know we are doing well. Things have been crazy around here the last few days. Busy, Busy... Especially with a new puppy.

There are posts coming soon....

Mary and Lady

2011-01-28T09:55:00.003-05:00

All of our children have already been able to pet and be sniffed by Lady, except Mary Kate. This morning I wanted Mary to have a chance to meet Lady. Here are a few photos of baby and puppy!

A change in the puppy plan...

2011-01-25T13:49:00.002-05:00

Just got a call from the breeders...

we will be getting our new puppy this Thursday!

Puppy Name

2011-01-19T18:19:00.004-05:00

This morning, our family finally decided on a name for our new boxer puppy.

Her name shall be....

Lady Smith

Yes, like the gun. Since we are getting her for protection the name seemed perfect. For short we will be calling her Lady.

Playful Pup

2011-01-18T22:23:00.005-05:00

A few years ago, Chris did research on different breeds of dogs. He wanted to figure out which breed would be best for our family. The breed he felt that would be best for us was a Boxer. We wanted a dog for protection, but the timing wasn't right.

Then after our recent house purchase, the idea was raised again to get a dog. We had a friend that was selling Boarder Collies, and I thought it may be the perfect dog for us, because we are planning our farm, but Chris didn't think it was the right timing, since we didn't have any animals yet.

A few more weeks had passed and the idea of getting a dog was brought up, again. We asked ourselves why we wanted a dog? Once again, the answer was for protection. We decided that a boxer was still the right dog for us. So, the search began.

I found a breeder that had pure breed registered puppies. They wouldn't be ready to leave their mamma for another three weeks, but we would be able to have first pick of the litter. We knew we wanted a girl, not to shy, not to aggressive. Just a middle of the road playful pup. Tonight after a two hour visit with the pups we finally put a deposit on our pup of choice. Here are a few photos of our new pup. We have three weeks until we can pick her up. In that time, we need to decide on a name and get her supplies.

Baby News!

2011-01-18T10:39:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to update everyone on my pregnancy.

Chris and I wanted to have a home birth when we lived in NC, but it's illegal. Now that we live in SC, we are legally able to have our first home birth! This morning, I officially choose the midwife that will be delivering baby #8. Her name is Elizabeth Randolph. Chris and I are both extremely excited. It was neat to think that we will be delivering at our new house come August!

I also just started wearing maternity clothing. Here are a couple of photos of me from this past Lord's Day. I think the outfit makes me appear larger than I actually am.

Demo Update!

2011-01-17T23:51:00.003-05:00

The demo phase is coming to an end.

Chris pulled off the last piece of drywall today! Yay!!!

Here are a couple of photos of our demo work...

Chris pulling off drywall.

Our stud walls.

The only thing left in the demo phase is to get the rest of those awful staples out, which Chris said will be finished soon.

A penny per staple

2011-01-17T23:29:00.004-05:00

Last week, we decided that we needed to tear out all the drywall in our new place. There are several reasons why, but Chris and I decided it was best. So, the drywall is coming off!

The thing is, when drywall comes off, it is revealed that being cheaply made, it isn't screwed on, it's stapled on! Ugh! The STAPLES!!!

This has been a "family" project all along, but to help motivate our children, and to get these staples out, we made it a little more fun for them.

A penny per staple!

We plan to weigh their bounty when we are finished and figure out how much we owe them.

Here are a few photos of this project.

Ugh! This is what I'm talking about... STAPLES.

Whoever install the drywall was staple gun happy.

In order to clean up the wall for the new drywall, which we will be screwing on,

we must first pull out the staples.

Abi pulling out staples, she is on a ladder.

Abi's bucket after an hour on the job!

Caleb on the job.

Since his sister has the ladder, Caleb gets creative in order to reach more staples!

He was also using the best tool, so he got some serious amounts of staples out!

Grace also doing her best.

Only on the job for a short time and things are starting to add up.

She had the worst staple pulling tool!

We will keep you up dated with the children's staple pulling progress.

Cabin Fever

2011-01-12T17:37:00.003-05:00

We have been home since Sunday and our family is starting to have cabin fever.

Here is a video to remind us all that summer is just around the corner!

Hot Coca and Cookies

2011-01-12T14:29:00.002-05:00

Being snowed in for a few days, I decided to make a special treat for the children. Home made Almond milk coca and cookies. The cookies were a huge hit, because I don't normally make stuff like that.

Making Rolls

2011-01-11T15:13:00.001-05:00

Snowed In

2011-01-11T13:58:00.004-05:00

In SC, there are no snow plows, so when it snows, you have to wait for the snow to melt. The Reederbunch were snowed in yesterday and today we are more iced in. When it snows in SC, everything shuts down, so we have been hanging out at the house. Here are a few photos of the children playing in the snow today.

SC Snow

2011-01-10T12:30:00.004-05:00

Yes, SC was hit by snow again! Here are a few photos that I took...

Our Van

The Rental House

Our Holly Bush

Pretty

Our back door

HVAC

2011-01-07T11:52:00.004-05:00

And we have heat and air. It's nice to finally have heat in all the house. And I know this summer I will be very thankful for the air. We put into our contract that we would like a new air conditioner as well as heat pump. And the contractors were finally able to make it out to the house. Here are a few photos of the installation.

The contractor was very nice and did the job 100%. He enjoyed seeing our family and invited us to his church. We shared that we already had a church. He also, shared the gospel with me several times, sharing the word of God, whenever he would get a chance. He also told me that he works as if he is working for the Lord, which was wonderful to hear, because I am sure he did his job 100%.

67 w

2011-01-07T11:00:00.001-05:00

We found this 67 w lightbulb in our new house.

We have never heard of a 67w, so I took a picture.

Exhausted

2011-01-07T10:41:00.002-05:00

The children work and play hard at the new house and with all the late nights that we have been putting in, the children have started to camp out. Here are a couple of cute photos of the little ones. Also, you can see how we have been heating our house. As part of our contract, we asked that they install a new air conditioner and heat pump, which the contractors will be doing soon, but in the mean time, we have been using kerosene.

The Dump

2011-01-07T10:36:00.004-05:00

We have been making lots of trips to the dump these days. And it's amazing how much stuff will fit into our old mini van that Chris uses as his truck. On this day, I had our household trash in my van and Chris was taking a load of house waste in his. Abigail was his helper this day, it's normally Caleb.

Our Helpers

2011-01-05T11:03:00.004-05:00

I want to say a special "Thank You" to our dear friends the Vernon's who came out to help with our demo work. Work is more fun when you have friends to chat with. Plus, it gets done in twice the time!

**Updated to say... An extra "Thank You" for a yummy lunch!

A Monstrous Pantry

2011-01-01T19:21:00.005-05:00

Today we did more demo work. Chris didn't need a closet in his office, but I thought it would be nice to have some extra pantry space, so... we busted out another wall. Here are a few photos from the demo work. His closet was right next to our pantry, so now I have a monstrous pantry! Woo Hoo!!! Demo work is fun!

DEMO

2011-01-01T00:21:00.011-05:00

Here are a few photos of some of the demo work that has been going on at Heritage Gate Farm. Before we move in, there are a few alterations to the house that we wanted to make. Including ripping out the gross ugly carpet and installing new floors. And yes, even tearing down a few walls! Just to name a few.

A pile of molding.

An odd wall, that we wanted to go.

Going...

Gone!

Tearing out gross old carpet.

Ripping up their fake tile.

A pile of sticky fake tile.

Ripping off trim.

Hannah exploring the house.

The kids help out in so many ways. Even babysitting is a job.

Happy New Year!!!

More Info on our new place!

2010-12-30T23:04:00.004-05:00

Just got in from a night of demo. Chris said no photos yet, you have to wait for before and after photos. Remember this place is a fixer upper. Not everyone can see our vision. haha...

Originally we were looking for land only, to build on. Then we found this place, land and a home to live in, while we build. It was a foreclosure, which was a bargain. It's not a beauty, but it will be a place to live for a few years until we can build. But before we can live in it, it needs a little fixing up. And if Lord willing we build our dream home, we will be living and being part of the construction, right next door! Unless the Lord has something else in store for us.

Oh, by the way, for those of you who don't know, our vision is a homestead/farm type property. We named our property about a month ago... Heritage Gate Farms

Check back for more... And maybe some demo photos.

Home Owners Again!

2010-12-30T11:03:00.002-05:00

Yes, you read the title right! The Reederbunch are home owners again. I still can't believe it. Our LORD is an amazing God who has blessed our family. This morning as of 10 am we are now the owners of a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, fixer upper, with 6.5 acres! We are excited about the fun projects ahead. Stay tuned as we plan to post pictures of our progress!

SC Snow 2010

2010-12-27T09:36:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure why Hannah is in a tub?

Sisters

Caleb giving Elijah a sled ride.

The girls wanted a photo with the cats.

Mary stayed inside, in the warmth, eating a banana and toasted oats. And yes, she is still in her church clothes!

This past Saturday it snowed in SC! Something that we didn't think would happen, but it did!!! On Sunday morning, as we prepared to leave for church, I over heard our children telling one another to pray that the snow was still here on Monday. In their own effort to not compromise the sabbath, they didn't even ask if they were allowed to play in the snow! I was very proud of them, while others in our neighborhood were skipping worship and building snowmen, our children took delight in public and private worship. In Isaiah 58:13-14, it says, "13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it."

Please don't take this post wrong, I am not saying my children are perfect. They need a savior just like everyone else. I am merely proud of my children, as another mother may be proud of her child making the winning goal in a soccer game. I am delighted that the words of God's mortal law, which we are teaching to our children, is getting to their hearts.

When our children woke up this morning, they were delighted that there was still snow on the ground. What a blessing! Here are the photos of our SC snow!

Lord's Day Visiting

2010-12-27T09:23:00.004-05:00

This past Lord's Day we had some of the Di Lella's over to visit. We had a nice time eating and talking together. Here are a few photos I took of our visit.

The Other Pantry

2010-12-23T11:12:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, we were delighted to make our first trip back to Raleigh, NC. We enjoyed visiting friends and had a opportunity to go shopping at some of our favorite stores, which I miss. One of those stores is Neomonde Bakery and Deli. For those of you who live in NC. It's located at 3817 Beryl Rd, Raleigh, NC. They have the best prices on Tahini Sauce and Dates, plus, you get 10% off if you buy the case, which we do. And because I took all my children with me, the guy gave me an extra 10% off because I have "a beautiful family". Yay!!! I also went to the Asian market to pick up 80 lbs of brown rice and some unsweetened coconut. I love stocking up my pantry! After I returned to SC, I went right to work straightening and stocking up our other pantry. Here are a few photos I took of pantry #2.

Pressure Canner

2010-12-21T19:41:00.004-05:00

Here is a photo of my new toy. A pressure canner. I was looking to buy a regular canner, but in doing research, I realized that a pressure canner was a better deal. I will be able to can even more things with it.

It all started by me wanting to can oranges. Yes, I said Oranges! Ever eat those small mandarin oranges? Well, my kids used to love them. Oranges have been SUPER cheap and I started thinking about how to preserve them, so I could have some delicious inexpensive oranges come summer, when they are expensive and taste bad. I found out if I do a little work now, I will have some sweet blessings come summer.

Plus, I love the fact that I will control exactly what will go into them. Tonight we canned 14 quarts of oranges, packed in orange juice, no sugar for the Reederbunch. The children were a huge blessing, as they rolled and peeled oranges, lots and lots of oranges. I think I only peeled 4, as the children kept me busy filling up the jars. More photos to come.

*Updated... here is a photo of our finished product. We canned 14 quarts of oranges and 7 quarts of pinto beans. Beans of course store perfectly fine dry, but sometimes I don't have time to cook them, this way, I will have some beans ready which could be eaten right out of the jar.

Guess What?

2010-12-15T15:00:00.004-05:00

Yes, that is a positive pregnancy test!

The line is brighter in person.

A Full Pantry

2010-12-15T11:22:00.002-05:00

Who doesn't love a full pantry?

After our trip to the store yesterday, my pantry looked so nice and full. I actually have two pantries side by side which is a huge blessing. But I won't show you the other. It's not as organized.