Header Photos

Aravis has developed quite a gift for an eye behind the lens of a camera. I personally want to thank her for all the inspirational header photos we posted this past year on our family blog.

Thank you!

Is Your Dishwasher Detergent Safe?

Did you know that dishwasher detergents like Cascade, are made with cheap ingredients like chlorine, phosphates and other caustic substances? My point proven by the childproof caps and the warning label to call 911 IMMEDIATELY if ingested!

Did you know that phosphates are terrible for our environment that is why they are banned from all laundry detergents? Did you know 1lb of phosphates creates 300 - 700lbs of algae? When these phosphates enter our waterway systems they choke out the oxygen which can really throw our eco-system off! They really need to have a law where these are also banned from dishwasher detergents!

Did you know that when you open your dishwasher, the steam that rises out after a load of dishes is washed is actually chlorine gas? Did you know that the chlorine gas from just one load of dishes will stay in the air in your home for up to ONE year? Think about that! How many loads does the average home do each week? 5 - 10?

Did you know that chlorine gas can be a trigger for asthma attacks? Did you know that headaches, dizziness and fatigue are just a few of the other symptoms many people experience after running their dishwashers?

Did you know there is a safer alternative for you, your home and the environment that contains *no* chlorine, phosphates or caustic ingredients? It is so safe that there is no need for childproof caps. The patented dishwasher detergent our family now uses is not only safe but is very economical in price and it gets the job done without any water spots! Please let us know if you are interested in becoming a customer.

Healing Prayer at Bedtime

Lord Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, go back into my memory as I sleep.
Every hurt that has ever been done to me, heal that hurt.
Every hurt that I have ever caused another person, heal that hurt.
All the relationships that have been damaged in my whole life that I am not aware of, heal those relationships.
But, Lord, if there is anything that I need to do;
If I need to go to a person because he or she is still suffering from my hand,
Bring to my awareness that person, I choose to forgive and I ask to be forgiven.
Remove whatever bitterness may be in my heart, Lord, and fill the empty spaces with your love.
Amen.

Purity Prayer

This beautiful prayer was given to us by a dear Catholic friend. She recommended we pray it every morning when we wake up and every evening before we go to bed.... God Bless!

Dear Blessed Mother, I give my soul to your care. Let me always remember to be pure in thought, word and action. Protect my mind and my will so that all my thoughts and desires will be pleasing to God.
Hail Mary full of grace......
Dear Blessed Mother I give my heart to your care. May I love you with all my heart. Help me always to love my neighbor. And help me avoid friends who might lead me away from Jesus.
Hail Mary full of grace.....
Dear Blessed Mother, I give my body to your care. May I always be modest & pure in how I dress. Let me never offend God against the virture of purity.
Hail Mary full of grace....

Sporter Rifle Shooting

This year Jill advanced from BB rifle shooting to Sporter shooting. I wanted her to write up a post about this but her high school work has been too time consuming, so I will do my best.

Last year she joined a 4H shooting team. Since she was in 8th grade and had never shot a rifle before she wanted to start on the BB rifle team. Turns out she had a natural gift and she ended up doing really well. Her team ended up 6th out of 30+ teams in the State. Jill ranked in the top 20 BB rifle shooters.

Well this year since she has started high school she can no longer shoot BB so she has moved up to Sporter.  At this level, Jill was required to register with the CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) which basically means all her scores will be kept on public record. This form of shooting is a lot more common than the next level known as Precision shooting. Jill is hoping to move into this level by next year. Something we have to take slowly because it requires a huge financial commitment.  It is also at the Precision level that these kids can go all the way to the Olympics and or get scholarships into great colleges. Both of which Jill wants to make as her future goals in pursuit of a military career. Two of her current Precision shooting teammates are ranked in the top 20 nationally and one of the girls even attended the Junior Olympics!

A couple weekends ago Jill went to her first tournament for this year at the Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville TN. She was the only Sporter shooter for her team. This was a high school invitational only so there were no BB rifle shooters, only Sporter and Precision. I won't go into details on all the difference between Sporter and Precision but you will see many in the pictures below.  This was my first time attending a shooting tournament.... and what an awesome experience.  (Click pixs for larger image).

Since this was a high school invitational she was placed on the Etowah High School team. No homeschool teams. They had a lot of JROTC teams though.

Here she is getting her equipment assembled before entering the gym.

Jill is now setting up her equipment for her first relay. They actually had two gyms open for this competition. This was at an all boys college preparatory school,that had been established in 1867....very beautiful!

Jill was in lane #57.

Coach Bobby, Coach Lamar and Dave aka dad (soon to be a coach for BB rifle).

Jill was the only Sporter shooter for our team that entered the tournament this year. I was told there were over 200 Sporter shooters and only 80 Precision shooters at the tournament.

First position during the relay was prone.

Here Jill is laying next to her team-mate, who is dressed in her Precision shooting outfit.

They had unlimited sighter (aka practice) shots and then 20 record shots per position. After they took their first record shot they could no longer take sighter shots for that particular position

The targets were 10 meters away. We needed binoculars to see how they were doing :)

Check out the Precision rifle... and outfit for that matter :) The rifle has a longer barrel, bigger CO2 cannister, and is a heavier gun.

Next shooting position was standing.

One advantage to the Precision outfit, is that it helps the shooter to maintain each position better.

Final position was kneeling.

Unfortunately during the standing position Jill's CO2 canister ran out of air, so her rifle did not have enough power to shoot properly. Although she compensated really well, her scores were not very good. Fortunately her coach caught the problem before she started the kneeling position. Oh well we will chalk this one up to a good learning experience for her. We really are so proud of Jill and we truly look forward to supporting her on this journey in the up and coming years....