We haven’t had much of an internet connection until my brilliant brother in law got here but now we’re up and running. So guess where we are?????
And a whole 10+ days of it!!
Alive and IN HIM!!!!
Slip N Slide
OH What fun to get wet in the sun….
And then at last….
Shake your head fast…
Then run side by side….
It’s a fun ride….
on the slip-n-slide!
But baby sister with the broken arm and rat’s nest in her hair is so sad she can’t join in…
But Praise God that after Tuesday she’ll be right in there with them!
Cast comes off, pin comes out and she’ll have “an arm like other one”.
Thursday Blessings to you all!
Baby Girl is 5 today…..
….and this is what homeschooling is looking like now!
We took these shots last night. We really weren’t in the middle of school.
But Baby Girl is so happy about her birthday she was dancing on top of her desk. And of course Boy #3 who is the sneaky one in the family was having fun while I was shooting with my friend, Rod’s brand new Nikon D90.
Oh, it’s sweet. Enough to make this Canon user think twice. He was kind enough to let me borrow it for a few days and his lenses are out of this world sweet. One’s so heavy I have trouble holding it still. But the color is definitely different than a Canon. I love the skin tones with the Nikon. They are much smoother. Reds and Greens are a little muted but that’s about it.
I’m thinking about keeping his camera and moving to Alaska (don’t tell him).
These photos are completely unedited so you are seeing the real deal with the Nikon.
They really do love each other!!!
Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!
09 Flag Football Champs
Last night our two younger boys won their championship game and had an undefeated season! Yea guys.
The Gift
Last Saturday we enjoyed one of Picken’s County’s finest events. The jockey lot!
It’s like a giant yard sale. GIANT.
Normally the jockey lot operates on Wednesdays and it’s just begun to open on Saturday and Sunday.
So last weekend we packed up and went “jockeying” on Saturday morning.
There were not a lot of vendors there last Saturday because, well, it’s just catching on.
But we were there for a purpose.
We just didn’t know it was a divine purpose.
Walking down the aisles looking at treasures such as knives, bread, homemade bird houses, used toilets, and tons of glassware we stopped to look at a table with a hodge podge of things including a really cool looking wood inlaid guitar.
Our oldest son plays and loves the guitar. He actually has one electric guitar we bought and one that someone gave to us. So we’ve been blessed already with one guitar.
But he was admiring this beautiful guitar with an asking price of $200.
Since I was not interested in thus said guitar I moseyed on down a couple of tables to look at a somewhat clean but beautiful used toilet.
Yea, just kiddin’.
A few minutes later here comes my son with a guitar strapped to his back with a look of excitement on his face.
“Mom, that man just gave me this guitar!!”
WHAT??
“Yea, mom. Really. I was just looking at it and he said I could have it.”
So like any well intended young (ha ha) mom I asked if he had thanked the man.
And he responded that he was so excited he forgot. So he went back and thanked him while I held the guitar.
When Rocket Man returned from taking Baby Girl to the bathroom he got the story. So the excitement began again.
Now, one strange part of this story is that neither Rocket Man nor I had paid much attention to this man. Couldn’t tell you what he looked like or the other things on his table. But my oldest son can! Neither of us were a part of thanking the man. It was all just between my son and the “guitar man”.
We continued walking around the Jockey Lot talking about how God provides for us. My oldest has a very generous heart and gives freely. He’s always blessing someone with his allowance or money he has. We talked about how God sees our hearts and blesses us when we least expect it. This was also a good lesson for my second born son because he struggles more with giving (like his mom). I battle within myself over giving the smallest things at times. It’s a place God has been working on with me for years.
When we were about to leave the Jockey Lot our first born decided he wanted to go thank the “guitar man” one more time. So Rocket Man and I waited while he walked back down the aisle to thank the man.
When he returned we asked him what the man said and he responded, “He told me that he wanted me to have it and to use it for the Glory of the Lord.”
WHAT??
WOW!!
Being the visual person that I am I’m picturing this big warrior angel whispering in the man’s ear, “Give this child the guitar.” And I’m thinking of how I would have wrestled with that request. And I’m wondering if that man did. I think he was immediately obedient.
So that led me to begin to thinking about Jesus smiling down on his servant’s trust and obedience. I’m thinking about what immediate obedience sets in motion. The lesson my oldest will never forget, the memory that we’ll carry with us as his parents, the lesson to my second born, and all the people’s lives HE will touch as my son tells the story, as we tell the story.
I remember how blessed we felt tithing my husband’s severance package.
And I pray that God will bless the Guitar Man.
And that one day when I get to heaven he’ll be there beside Jesus and I’ll see him and get to thank him myself.
Photo taken on my cell phone on way home from the Jockey Lot.
Please pray for Fred, the rather large cat.
When I returned home from my weekend away I noticed Fred was acting strange. His stare was weird and he wobbled when he walked. I immediately checked him over thinking he was hurt or maybe had eaten something poison. A quick call to our friend who is a vet told me that it probably wasn’t life threatening but he needed to be seen the next day. We were at the vet’s office at 9:30am yesterday morning. The diagnosis?
Vestibular Syndrome or Dizzy Kitty.
It’s believed that it’s an imbalance in the middle ear. I guess it’s a lot like our vertigo. They are not sure of the cause but it can go away as quickly as it starts. If it doesn’t it is often cancer or something else.
Since Fred is only two I’m hoping the diagnosis is correct and he’ll be back to his normal self soon.
In the meantime he can not go outside and we are watching him walk into walls, stumble and look at us like he’s on some good kitty drugs.
It’s sad.
I’m ready to see this personality back in his face.
Please pray for him.
A very full day and a little redecorating
Today I’ve accomplished a little cleaning a little schooling, decorating, ebaying, cooking, and spray painting.
I’ll have to tell you I’m worn out.
We’re all battling a nasty cold here and I’m trying to stay busy so I don’t think about how bad I feel. School was reading and phonics today. That’s all.
My good friend over at Miss A La Mode has been helping me with a little decorating and I’ve almost gotten the guest bath finished.
None of these photos are post processed because, well, I’m just too tired.
But here’s a preview, almost finished, photo gallery.
Anybody have any suggestions?
Here’s the room I painted blue. Love it. Most do or they hate it. Either is ok. I love it. It’s the only blue I have in my house.
My dad made those shelves for me eons ago. I spray painted them. The plate was one of a set of 7 at the thrift store (7 for 1.50). The little basket was .25 cents and the frame (Creative Memories) I already had. The paper in the frame was .35 cents and the pictures I already had. It needs something a little more but I’ll find that later. The basket of towels I already owned and the fringe on the two were samples I bought for .78 cents each. The tassel I splurged on for 1.99. Can you say DEAL??
Here’s the cabinet in that room to the left of everything you see above. The vase was 7.00 at Wallyworld and I had everything else except the el-cheapo candle inside the not-el-cheapo candle holder.
The room with the sinks or the vanity is brown. Here’s a piece I already had and spray painted white. The plate was part of that set for 1.50. The reeds I already had as well as the frames that need to be spray painted something besides gold. Everything else was from the thrift store for .75 or less. I love that bell. It was .25 cents.
Here’s the vanity. Across from the cute little shelf. I still have a few things I don’t quite like here either but will change them as I find things I love.
Here’s my favorite thing of all. This tassle. I paid 3.99 for it. I’ve got the lamp finished too. It has two blue ribbons around it now.
And I started on the master bath today….
See the Soft Scrub? I actually cleaned the tub today.
Whew!
What do you think?
Who ME?
Monday seemed like the day I couldn’t keep my kids from eating half of the snow that fell in SC. Whether they were licking it off of shovels or eating it off of pick up trucks, they were eating SNOW!
As hard as everyone (else) was working at making snowmen our youngest was working just as hard at eating them.
When I yelled his name this is the expression I got:
The oldest was enjoying his share of the white stuff too but at least he ate it with his hands and not right off the snowman.
Today it’s almost 60 and tomorrow’s forecast is 70.
Time to find the shorts.
Taking time to talk…
Yesterday I got to chat with a friend of mine via telephone who is also a stay-at-home homeschool mom. Her hubbie is out of the house a couple evenings a week and she’s the sole parent for 24×7 some days. When RocketMan traveled I was the sole parent some days too. It’s a hard job and my hat goes off to all the single parents out there. I don’t (and I really don’t) know how you do it.
At one time I could think. And I could complete sentences without the thousands of interruptions I have in a day.
At one time I cared about what happened in other family’s lives and I could do something about that desire to help.
At one time I ministered outside my home.
I cooked meals.
I took bread.
I babysat.
But now is a different time in my life. My ministry and every single ounce of my energy is taken up at home. I still care for others. But not at the level I once did. I still want to help. But have no energy for it. I have four little ones and a husband that take all that I am. My life is poured into them.
It’s a strange thing, this stay-at-home mom thing. It’s wonderful, it’s wonderous, it’s frustrating, it’s confusing and it’s blessed.
In my conversation with my friend the other day I realized how much we need each other. I offered a listening ear if she ever just needs to call and scream, then hang up. Don’t you wish you could do that sometimes? Just know that someone else outside of your four walls knows that it’s a tough day? That someone else can hear you scream?
And as I type I remember God hears. He see’s my “I’m the absolute worst mom in the world” days. He sees my frustration when teaching/loving/caring for my kids.
And though I know beyond a doubt that He hears. It’s nice to have a human ear that hears too. One who doesn’t judge me when I’m beyond myself with frustration. One that can listen to me vent and tell me tomorrow will be a new day.
Thanks, friend.
You know who you are.
WHAT IF? or WHAT IS!
Have you ever thought about the difference in those two phrases?
Just one little letter….an f or an s?
Which do you think about?
What if?
What if the moon dropped on my house?
What if the kids got really sick?
What if my husband left?
What if I stopped homeschooling?
OR
What is…..
(reality, that is!)
My husband loves me.
My kids are great.
My life is full.
My house is blessed.
My 8 year old and I have talked a lot about What if and What is lately. He’ll sometimes ask me at night…
"Mom, what if I never go to sleep?"
"What if God really isn’t there?"
Deep questions.
"What if" questions.
So I thought about how many times I think about "what if?"
Yuck.
I’m sure God would rather me think about what is than what if.
What if just takes us nowhere, leads down a dark path, makes us worry.
That is unless you are trying to change the world. Then "what if" really works, doesn’t it?
Pondering life…
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