They Crack Me Up!

Hannah and Caleb found a frog today. Not my pet of choice, but they were thrilled and it was keeping them occupied and out of mischief so I was all for it! They built it a little home and got it all settled in. Lamar, the next door neighbour, told them it would need some bugs to eat and so they set off on their mission to find their new friend supper. They put their heads together and came up with a plan of action...

"Let's check all the windows in the house and find dead flies!"

For some reason that just cracked me up and I actually thought it was quite an ingenious idea. So off they went, container in hand, to collect all the dead bugs. It hadn't been long when I heard their exasperated tones and they announced, "There aren't ANY dead bugs in ANY of the windows!"

I snickered to myself, all the while patting myself on the back. I told Tim I guessed that meant my housekeeping rocks and I passed the impromptu let's-see-how-well-mom-does-when-it-comes-to-cleaning-out-the-windowsills test!!

Guess we'll have to head on into Winder to The Happy Hooker and get us some crickets in the morning! LOL! Ah, what a life!!

Spinning!

I realize I have been rather negligent in posting on my blog lately, but I have been sucked into a graduation vortex and am in immediate danger of being swept away by it all!! LOL!! Yes, our Rachel is graduating in the next few weeks and there sure is a lot to do for senior year when they are in school.

We went and found her prom dress last night. 4 1/2 hours and enough dresses to make our eyes blur and my girl has found a dress that she is stunning in. Almost made me tear up to see her in them, proof that time races on at an unimaginable speed and you blink and they are grown. She is actually going to 2 proms so we bought one dress and she is borrowing another. She could actually wear the bought one for both, but this way she gets to feel like a princess in 2 different dresses on 2 different nights! Not sure my heart can stand it. She tried them on today for the family and Hannah said, "Rachel, you are beautiful!", in a rather wistful and little-sister awestruck way! It was so sweet!

I am sorry you must wait a week and then another week to see pictures of her all dolled up but, trust me, you won't be disappointed! I realize I am a tad prejudiced, but she is a beauty!!!

We have a banner to place at the entrance to our neighbourhood and I can only imagine how strange that will be, driving in to our street and witnessing a sign that announces the passage of time so matter-of-factly. We have locker decorations, senior breakfast, graduation and then a graduation shindig that we are throwing for her. It's been a tough year and we are going to throwdown and celebrate, not only graduation, but her perseverance in not giving up! That is an accomplishment well worth celebrating.

As I contemplate my girl graduating, I am reminded of this passage of scripture...

3 John 1:1-4 ~ How truly I love you! We're the best of friends, and I pray for good fortune in everything you do, and for your good health—that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul! I was most happy when some friends arrived and brought the news that you persist in following the way of Truth. Nothing could make me happier than getting reports that my children continue diligently in the way of Truth!

May I get a hearty AMEN!!

Redemption!

This has been a tough year for Rachel, but Papa seems to have something up His sleeve for her this last month of school! Proverbs 16:7 (The Message) says, " When God approves of your life, even your enemies will end up shaking your hand." It seems that He is literally allowing that to happen in her life!

Last night our youth group led the youth service at another church. A girl from school came up to Rachel at the end and said she needed to ask Rachel for forgiveness. She said she had unfairly judged Rachel this year and she realized last night that she had been wrong! What a beautiful portrait of humility and forgiveness being extended on both sides.

3 boys have apologized to her and to Tim for the things they have done and said and I am starting to see my girl come back to life again. It is such an amazing answer to prayer. I have been praying specifically that Rachel's public humiliation would be turned around and He would allow her to be publicly restored!! He, in His wonderfully merciful way, is allowing that to take place!

Thank you to all of you who have prayed for my girl! Those prayers have not been in vain and we appreciate them so much!

Passion!

Taking pictures has become a passion of mine and I have had so much fun this spring! Of course, a good camera helps and, at the suggestion of my friend Jane, I got a Panasonic Lumix. It takes such great pictures and I don't even really know what I am doing with it yet! LOL!!

The picture in my blog title is one I took the other day while the kids and I were out and about around town. It just may be my favourite one I have ever taken! I had to search and find a blog background that would match and I thought this one looked pretty good with it!

It is true when they say it takes lots and lots of pictures to get just one special one. I sure I am glad I kept snapping because this one makes me happy!!

Helping Them Heal!

When our children are little and get hurt, it is fairly obvious what needs to be cleaned up and bandaged. When they get older, the hurts can get bigger and less obvious to the untrained eye because they are wounds of the heart! A Mama has an eye that can pick up on all the unseen hurts our children incur, though, and when they hurt...we hurt!

The problem arises when we are less sure how best to help them heal from these wounds of the heart. Ultimately He is the only One Who can dig down deep and do the necessary cleaning out of the infection that often inhabits the wound...infection like insecurity, unforgiveness and shame!

My baby girl has had a very tough year of slander and humiliation. Christian school is not always the safe place we envision it to be and the wounds of a friend can often be the worst to endure. She has persevered, though, and has shown great character in not giving up. Many days it was just because her Daddy wouldn't let her quit, but despite her humiliation she has sought the Lord through it all and even experienced some freedom in the last days that she has hadn't had all year. Must be why the enemy chose to attack her in such a sad way this week.

I know she will make it and these last 25 days or so will soon be a distant memory. I am asking Papa to minister to her in a very profound and powerful way in the coming days, though! I am asking the One Who rejoices over her with shouts of joy to elevate those shouts for all to hear, that she may be encouraged that her fight has not been in vain!!

I shared this verse with her today ~

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (Hebrews 12:2-3 The Message)

Please join me in praying that Rachel would be blessed in such a way in the immediate days to come that she would experience adrenaline being shot into her soul. Pray she will know that those who matter most love her and know the kind of girl she is! Pray that this Mama will know best how to minister to her girl and let her see our pleasure in the young woman she is becoming, too!!

Rachel, you make me proud to be your Mama!!

Thankful...In a Tired Kinda Way!

Well, Tim and I attended the Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati last weekend and we had the best time. My dear friend, Amanda Bennett, is the one who worked it for us to go and spending time with her and her husband was a highlight of the weekend for us. We talked, laughed and compared text messages on how our boys were faring at home in their baseball games!

It is a huge convention and so it was a weekend full of lots of walking and lots of conversations. I love to walk (as long as my shoes are comfy) and I am pretty good at conversing, but by the end of the weekend my feet were sore and my words were dried up and I found myself with only a few mumbles left for the ride home! Good thing Tim and I are at the point where we can ride for many miles with little said and the silence is comforting.

I met many amazing women who are all committed to educating their children at home and it was so fun to make new friends!! Our dear friends, the Bunches, made the trip, too, and time with them was special. Sad that we had to both leave Atlanta and travel to CIncy to have time together. (All that Atlanta traffic, you know! ;O) )

I got to speak twice while I was there and I really had a blast. I would look around the room before I started and think, "These are my people!" What a comforting thought ~ we were just a bunch of homeschooling Mamas and Daddies trying to encourage each other in our journey. The best part was, I didn't even get nervous once...really!! I know there were oodles of people praying for me and I am sure that helped make the difference. Finally becoming more comfortable in my own skin probably helps, too!

I spoke about my passion and entitled it ~ She Senses the Worth of Her Work. It seemed to resonate with lots of those who heard it and the feedback was so encouraging. This time of year we are surely worn down and need to be reminded of the intrinsic worth and value in what we do all day so we don't curl up in a corner in the fetal position!

Tim spoke 4 times and had an amazing response. He and our friend, Michael Bunch, shared together and ended up with a little band of brothers for whom their message resonated deeply. They heard over and over how refreshing it was to hear guys talk about their struggles unashamedly!

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend! It has taken me til today to gather my thoughts and process all that took place enough to blog about it. We must have done okay because they asked us about the possibility of doing 4 more of these conferences next year. Not sure how feasible that is with the kids, but we shall see!

So if you prayed for us while we were there...thank you!!! Your prayers were answered in a powerful way!!

Only One!

There is only One in history Who ever did this...

Matthew 28:1-10 (The Message)

1-4 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.
5-6The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

7"Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."

8-10The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."

Funny!

We are widening our driveway and Jesse, Hannah and Caleb have been outside working with the 2 hispanic men who have been doing a lot of it. They have been having so much fun and the guys have been VERY accommodating in letting them "help"!

I just heard Jesse in the kitchen talking to TIm and he said, "You know how we have thoughts and they are in English? Do hispanic people think their thoughts in Spanish?"

That just cracked me up!! Oh how a child's mind works!!!