Thursday, December 27, 2007

Christmas ( and after Christmas) Blessings

We have been so very blessed this holiday season! Please understand, I don't say "holiday season" because I am opposed to saying "Merry Christmas". In fact, I said Merry Christmas as often as possible this season! But, I say we've been blessed this holiday season because the Lord blessed us with a wonderful Thanksgiving, a fantastic family trip to Pigeon Forge, TN, wonderful days with my sister and her girls prior to Christmas, and now, we are enjoying having my dh at home until next Wednesday!

I am thankful, or course, for all the "stuff" we were able to give, and for what we received this Christmas. I got my husband some clothes and other "stocking stuffer" items with the logo of his favorite college football team on them. He was blessed by other family members with some gift cards and some other great gifts.

I received so much this year! My hubby gave me 2 seasons of one of my favorite tv shows on DVD, some new jammies and new slippers( which is what I told him I wanted for Christmas) and some neat things in my stocking. My parents gave me new pajamas ( I love pajamas!) a new purse that I DESPERATELY needed, some wonderful scented candles for my house, some bracelets that my Mom made, and ~I am so excited about this one!~ a 3 year famly membership to our local children's museum!!! YAY!!

Both my sisters blessed me with gift cards to Barnes and Noble, which I LOVE, and my bil continued his tradition of giving me a unique baseball themed calendar every year. This year, it's a Baseball Hall of Fame Calendar. I love it!

One of the "perks" of parenthood is getting to play with all the cool stuff your kids get for Christmas. My kids are blessed enough to have a large extended family, almost all of whom insist on giving them gifts each year. They get gifts from me and dh, my parents, each of my 2 sisters, my aunt, and both my grandmothers, as well as my grandfather and stepgrandmother. They also receive gifts from my dh's parents, and his sister. And, yeah, I know that's a lot. :)

It would take me all night to list ALL the the kids got this year, but these are the things I'll be enjoying with my kids :)

DD (9)~a Nintendo DS with a Hannah Montana game, High School Musical dvd game, Deal or No Deal dvd game, Sleeping Beauty Storybook playset( this thing looks like a big story book but opens up to reveal Sleeping Beauty's castle with Polly Pocket sized Sleeping Beauty characters) Hannah Montana Backstage Closet and a singing Hannah Doll, several books, and lots of lip gloss and fingernail polish

DD(7)~a big Moon Sand playset with inflatable playmat and castle molds, a Nintendo DS with a Catz game, a Cheetah Girls guitar, several stuffed animals ( her passion!) and some books

DS(5) A "Cars" racetrack, a "Cars" beanbag toss game, a red tricycle, some books, a giant army tank, 2 helicopters( one army, one from the movie "Cars") and a Star Wars light sabre that lights up and makes sounds just like the ones in the movie. Oh, and his favorite gift, an XBox with a Star Wars game.

All these things are just a partial list of what the kids received. We spent today setting aside things to give away, and finding places to put thier new things. But these are not the things that I am most grateful for this holiday season. When I think of what I am blessed with this year, these are the things that come to my mind.

The fun my kids had not just counting down the days to Christmas, but counting down the days until they would see their cousins again. I am SO thankful that my kids are able to have such a close relationship with my sisters children!

The sweet time we had taking our 3 kids and my neice ( who is the same age as my "middle" daughter, to see my dh's grandmother and her room mate and best friend at the nursing home.. The staff there is wonderful, and the girls especially enjoyed seeing the 2 cats that roam the nursing home and are pets for the residents.

The fact that both my grandmothers were able to be with us for the "big" celebration at my parents home on Christmas Eve.

Our day shopping with my Dad. We NEVER let my Dad shop alone for my Mom's Christmas gifts. This year, the entourage consisted of Dad, me, both my sisters, my 16yo nephew, 15 yo neice, and my 9yo DD. We laughed SO much, and had so much fun!!

My sweet, wonderful, loving dh, who stayed home on our shopping day to take care of our 7yo daughter, our 5yo son, and our 7yo neice ~for 8 hours!!~

The evening that my sisters came to my house and stayed with all the kids so dh and I could go out and have a nice dinner and do a little shopping by ourselves. We had a great time!

The wonderful Christmas service at church on the Sunday before Christmas.

The great day that I had with dh and the kids yesterday when we hit the mall to spend gift cards and Christmas money. We shopped and had a nice lunch, and we had so much fun!

The fact that dh does not return to EITHER of his jobs until Jan 2, and does not have to go back to his second job until Jan 7! YAY!!

God is SO good to us!!! I can't explain it except to say that we are MOST undeserving, therefore all these wonderful blessings and great memories are a testament to the infinite love, mercy, and grace of a Holy, Great, and Almighty God. My feeble thanks are grossly inadequate, but they are all that I know how to convey here.

I am looking forward to spending New Years Eve at home with my dh and kids, eating hors douvers and finger foods that I will be making myself, and probably watching my dd's High School Musical 2 and Barbie as the Island Princess dvd's, and my Everybody Loves Raymond dvd's.

We are settling down now, and just trying to relax and enjoy being together. The house was a HUGE mess until today. We spent some time getting it under control, and will finish it up tomorrow, then spend the rest of dh's time off just doing "fun stuff" together.

My prayer for each of you this New Year is that you will come to truly experience and enjoy the love, the mercy, and the presence of our loving Heavenly Father.

Happy New Year!
Vicki

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Merry Christmas!!

I know it's a few days early, but my sister is coming into town tomorrow, and usually, once she arrives, there is just chaos (the fun kind!) at our house. So, I may or may not post again before Christmas.

I've just been sitting here thinking that the Lord has been so much better to me than I deserve. I am not at all worthy of the blessings He has given me and my family. No, things aren't perfect, and WE are not perfect, but we are so very, very blessed.

For Christmas this year, our Heavenly Father has given us health for ourselves and our children, a wonderful family, a wonderful church family, and so much more. He has filled our hearts with His peace, and His love, and His presence.

My heart is full tonight, wanting to plead with my Savior on behalf of so many who are not having a joyous holiday season. Just in my own small circle of friends and acquaintances, I know, or know of, 2 ladies who have gone home to be with Jesus in the last few days after battling cancer. Both of these ladies had children, and one of them was expecting a baby. Another friend had to undergo surgery today. She is going to be fine, praise God, but it is still a trial for her. Yet another friend had a cancerous polyp removed during a colonoscopy, and 2 days ago underwent surgery to remove a section of her colon to insure that the cancer did not spread. We are still praying for a good report from the biopsy of the tissue that was removed.
Yet another dear friend saw his 23 year marriage end today when his divorce became final.

I can only imagine what the Christmas and New Year holidays will be like for these folks. I"m reminded of the chorus of a song I listened to every Christmas since my childhood, because it ws on one of my Mom's favorite records~ we don't get much snow around here, but this song still touches my heart~

Give thanks for all you've been blessed with
And hold your loved ones tight
For you know the Lord's been good to you
On a snowy Christmas night.

Whether this Christmas brings you snow, rain, clouds, or sunny skies, I hope you'll enjoy your family, worship our Savior, and have a Blessed Christimas.

In His Love,
Vicki

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Overflowing

Iam just full to overflowing right now. God has been so very, very good to us, and we are so very, very undeserving.

First of all, God has kept us all safe and healthy. One of my 3 little munchkins has a cold at the moment, but we have, in the past, spent holidays dealing with illnesses MUCH more bothersome than that! So, I am thankful for our health.

I am blessed with amazing, bright, and so often hilarious children! Yes, there are days when I'd like to sell them to a passing band of gypsies, but those days, thankfully, don't happen too often.

I am married to a sweet, loving, Godly man who loves his wife and his kids and isn't afraid to show it. He works REALLY hard to provide for us, and never complains about it. Someday, when I grow up, I hope to be just like him.

We have struggled financially this year. We are trying to get completely out of debt, and we are making progress there, which I am also very thankful for. For a few weeks now, dh and I have thought that we were looking at a pretty "slim" Christmas for our kids this year, and that would have been okay. But, the Lord blessed us in a completely unexpected way, and now we can relax a bit and have a little more freedom of choice in what we can give our children and our other loved ones this year. I am SO thankful for this!

Finally, I just cannot stop praising God for bringing us "home" again. Cornerstone Baptisit Church officially re-opened it's doors on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007. Our church family is together again. We look forward to seeing God add to that family as HE chooses to do so. We had a wonderful service on Sunday morning, and a GREAT Bible study on Sunday night. We are doing a study on how to recognize false preachers and teachers. It's a really good study! The feeling of family was really evident on Sunday, even though we're not all blood relatives, humanely speaking. We ARE brothers and sisters through the blood of Christ though, and it is SO good to be home again!!

God has been SO good to me and my family. He is infinitely more loving and merciful to me than I could ever hope to deserve. I am TRULY....
Vicki

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Friendships

It seems I've heard a lot of conversation lately, in several different circles, about friends. That's where my thoughts were wondering today when I opened my mail. I was THRILLED to find a Christmas card from a dear friend, complete with pictures of her 3 beautiful daughters!

I am blessed with so many friends. I have to say that my dearest friends in the world are probably my 2 sisters, whom I love dearly, and couldn't do without. But, the Lord has blessed me even beyond that.

I have wonderful friends in my church family, who, by the way, I am SO glad to be reunited with! It was a dear friend from my church who introduced me to the wonderful homeschool group that I am blessed to be a part of. I have made many wonderful friends in that group, and I am so thankful for that. I have another dear friend that I was blessed to meet in a Mom's group when my oldest child was a newborn. This lady has been a friend to me for 10 years now, and I am thankful for her and her family.

The friend from whom I received the Christmas card today is someone that I grew up with. She and I met at the age of 14, and we've been the best of friends ever since that time. Jen has stood by me, and by my family, through a LOT of stuff, both good and bad. She is lilke a sister to me, and my parent's refer to her as their "other" daughter, along with our dear friend Becky, who is also a "daughter" to my parents, and who also gives a great haircut! :)

I love my family, and I think anyone who knows me knows that. I love them, and I am WAY beyond thankful for them. But friends are an extra special blessing, and I am so very, very thankful for every one that I have.

I am truly
Vicki

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Just For Fun Questions

1. Were you named after anyone? Yes. My parents gave me my first name after a dear friend of theirs, and my grandfather chose my middle name~I guess just because he liked it

2. When was the last time you cried? late last night

3. Do you like your hadwriting? Yes, I guess so

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Honey ham

5. Do you have kids? Yes, three of them

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Yes

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes, probably more than I should

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes, I do

9. Would you bungee jump? NO WAY

10. What is your favorite cereal? I don't eat cereal often, but Frosted Flakes are all right

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No

12. Do you think you are strong? Mentally and emotionally, yes, physically, no

13. What is your favorite ice cream? Mayfield or Baskin Robbins Peppermint ice cream

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Their eyes

15. Red or Pink? Both, but NEVER together

16. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I wish I was more consistent in certain areas

17. Who do you miss the most? My grandfather. I hate that my own kids never got a chance to know him

18. Do you want everyone to send this back to you? Sure

19. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Black pants, no shoes ( I never wear shoes in the house)

20. What was the last thing you ate? a chicken sandwich

21. What are you listening to? A southern gospel radio station that is mixing in some great Christmas music with their regular southern gospel music

22. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red

23. Favorite smell? Usually coconut, but at Christmas time, vanilla and cinnamon

24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My Mom

25. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Sure I do!

26. Favorite sport to watch? Major League Baseball, but my husband is turning me into a football fan as well

27. Hair color? Brown

28. Eye color? Brown

29. Do you wear contacts? Nope~glasses

30. What is your favorite food? Chinese

31. Scary movie or happy ending? Happy Ending

32. What was the last movie you watched? The Santa Claus 2 on DVD

33. What color shirt are you wearing? a light turquoise blue

34. Summer or winter? Fall

35. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

36. What is your favorite dessert? ice cream

37. What book are you reading right now? I just finished reading The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper aloud to my kids. Don't have time to read a "grown up" book for enjoyment right now

38. What is on your mouse pad? Disney characters depicted on the various rides at Disney World, which is where we bought the mouse pad

39. What did you watch on tv last night? we watched a Christmas dvd called Mickey's Very Merry Christmas

40. What is your favorie sound? quiet!

41. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Not a huge fan of either, but definitely Rolling Stones

42. What is the farthest you've been from home? less than a thousand miles

43. Do you have a special talent? Not really. I like to write, and I can sing, but I've never considered either of them to be a "special talent".

44. Where were you born? Rome, Georgia

Thanks, Jeannie, this was fun!
Vicki

Monday, December 10, 2007

A Jumble of Thoughts

I wanted to write a post today because today is our 13th wedding anniversary, and I felt like I "ought" to post something. But, my thoughts are all over the place today, so I'm having a hard time focusing on just that one thing. So, that leaves you, dear reader, with the jumble that is my brain right now :)

I am so thankful to the Lord for His goodness to us, and His blessings upon us right now. He blessed us with a GREAT weekend trip with my family, He has blessed us with some wonderful gifts for our children this Christmas that have cost us little, or in some cases, nothing. That has led us to a more stable financial "spot", and that is wonderful!

Today is our 13th wedding anniversary. I stand in awe when I think back about all that the Lord has brought us through, and all the miracles He has worked on our behalf, and all of his wonderful blessings. He has seen us through EXTREME financial difficulty, health issues, extended family issues and pressures, 2 years of infertility followed by the birth of our 3 amazing children, and the ensuing 10 years of the ups and downs of raising kids.

I love my husband more today than I ever have before. As a result of being his wife, I have grown and changed as a person. I am so thankful that God chose such a loving, caring, unselfish man as my husband. I am thankful that my husband loves the Lord more than he loves me.

Other thoughts bouncing around in my head......
Cornerstone Baptist Church will officially re-open it's doors on Dec 16, 2007. We will have an 11am worship service, and a 6pm "World's Greatest Bible Study and Fellowship", during which we will share refreshments and participate in a casual "comments and questions welcome" Bible study. The children will be in Children's Church during the morning service, but will be with us during the evening Bible study.
Thus ends our 2 year 'search for a church'. This is proof to us that you CAN indeed go home again. :)

I ran into a dear sweet lady that we attended church with during the time that Cornerstone was closed. I was heart broken to discover that this lady and her husband are ending thier 20 some year marriage. It's a sad situation for both of them, and for everyone involved, and it just makes me heartsick. It does, on the other hand, make me grateful to the Lord for blessing our marriage.

We are in a time of year right now that I just LOVE. We had a great time this past weekend, but that is not what I like best. What I like best is now. We bought some new ornaments from our tree during our trip, and I purchased a few gifts. I love adding ornaments to the tree, buying gifts for those I love, and wrapping gifts and placing them under the tree.

Today, I"m doing the laundry and cleaning the house. Dh went to do some quick shopping between his two jobs, and he found JUST the thing that our 9yo daughter really wanted for Christmas, and some things for the other 2 children as well. My sister will be staying with the children one day in the near future so that dh and I can go together to finish shopping for our kids. So, we're getting the gifts ready, my Mom is planning the menu for our "big" Christmas dinner, my kids are counting the days until my sister and her girls, who were with us this weekend on our trip, will be back for Christmas, and we are all looking forward to my dh having several days off from BOTH his jobs during Christmas and New Years. Like I said, I LOVE this time of year!!

Vicki

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Thankful For the Lord's Blessings

We are home from our trip to Pigeon Forge, and I am SO exhausted, but it was GREAT!! We had SUCH a good time!! We do this every year, and we always have fun, but it seems there is always some little "issue" that happens~one of the children eats something that makes them sick, or someone loses some money, or one of the little ones gets "overloaded" and has a "meltdown", something like that.

Honestly, this year, we had nothing like that! We had a great time, got a little shopping done, and made some GREAT memories!! I KNOW it is the result of prayer. We all prayed this year for everyone to stay healthy before and during the trip, and the Lord more than answered that prayer. He has been SO much for gracious to us than we deserve, and I am so thankful. I love my family, and I love my Savior. I am truly.......
Vicki

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Christmas Craziness....I LOVE it!!

Well, it's official, the Christmas Craziness has set in at our house. And I love it.

I think I mentioned in a previous post that we had been having trouble with our account with our cable/internet provider. I paid our bill over the phone, and they totally messed it all up. They ended up taking the amount they were due out of our checking account TWICE. NOT good. Then, after my repeated faxes to them showing proof from the bank that BOTH checks HAD cleared our bank, the second check STILL was not properly applied to our account, and they turned off our service 3 TIMES!!!! AARRGHH! So, on Monday, my dh finally reached the end of his patience with these folks and cancelled our service. We had new service installed this morning, and I am LOVING it!

My sister and her 2 girls will arrive tonight, and tomorrow morning, we are all heading for Pigeon Forge, TN. This trip will include 6 adults, and 6 kids, ages 16, 15, 9, 7, 7, and 5. We will shop, see the lights, hit the indoor pool, and of course, visit some great restaraunts. This is something we do every year, and it's always chaotic and crazy, and it's SO much fun!!

I'm seriously considering calling off our schooling until January, but haven't made a definite decision yet. I"ve got a feeling that any attempts to accomplish any school work other than our current unit on the symbols of Christmas will be pointless.

We have been SO blessed in recent days. My dh will receive his Christmas bonus on Friday, and we have all ready seen the amount. It is larger than we expected, and that is SUCH a blessing from God!! In addition to that, my sister is getting new appliances in her kitchen, and she has offered me her refrigerator and her microwave, both of wich are bigger and in better shape than the ones I have now. She has a dishwasher too, but I"m not sure we have a place to install that. This was completely unexpected, and I am just praising the Lord for all of it.

I"ve GOT to get off this computer and go pack for our trip, but I just HAD to take this opportunity to praise our amazning God for His wonderful blessings!!!!
In His Love,
Vicki

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Small Surprises

I have this one thing that I've been praying about for a while now, and we really need an answer from the Lord by Thursday, so as to resolve the issue.

I feel sure that the Lord is going to take care of this matter some how, some way. I confess though, to be impatient, and wishing that He would meet this need quickly.

Along the way though, He has blessed me with some small surprises that have encouraged my heart.

First, last Saturday, I FINALLY got a hair cut, and I LOVE it! And the best part? It cost me NOTHING!! Why? Because my hairdresser was none other than.....drum roll please.....MY HUSBAND!! He did a GREAT job! He put in layers and everything! He also cut our 7yo daughter's hair. This was her first hair cut aside from trimming, and she looks really cute!

Yesterday, I expected a hard time from the kids, since we were starting back to school after Thanksgiving break, but I got GREAT co-operation yesterday AND today. I"m sure it has something to do with the fact that we are schooling through December 5, then we are taking some time off. We MAY not start up again until January 7, but I"m not sure about that yet. We'll definitely start a break on the 6th though, because my sister and her girls will arrive on the 6th, and we are all going out of town for the weekend on the 7th.

So, I'm hanging in there. This one need that we have is weighing on me a bit, but I know that the Lord is in control, and that He has good things in store for our family. We are, and will remian...
Blessed Beyond Measure
Vicki

Monday, November 19, 2007

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

It IS beginning to look like Christmas at our house, and I"m a little surprised! My hubby enjoys Christmas well enough, but compared to me, he's just the tiniest bit of a Scrooge.

But not this year!

We've been watching our Christmas DVD's for a couple of weeks now all ready, and yesterday, he pulled out the Christmas music! Our van has only a cassette player, not a CD player, so he had our Christmas CD's playing in the house all day long on Saturday, recording them onto cassette so he could listen to them in the van.

I was a little surprised by both the movies and the music. Then, tonight, he pulled out some of the decorations! Usually, all our decorations go up on the same day, sometime shortly after Thanksgiving. Tonight, I have garland hanging in one doorway, and lighted decorations hanging in the living room windows, though they won't be tured on until Thursday night or Friday. And, our big outdoor candy canes and spiral Christmas trees for the yard are sitting by the front door, waiting for dh and the kids to put them up tomorrow evening!

I LOVE this time of year~especially when there are no Scrooges in the house!

Vicki


Friday, November 9, 2007

The Love of God

There is a beautiful song that says that the Love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. That is so VERY true. My thoughts today seem to be focused on the many (seemingly) small ways in which God SHOWS His love to each of us.

Certainly, the greatest manifestation of God's love toward us is in the gift of salvation through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. The fact that we have air to breathe, good health, food, shelter, and clothing are all manifestations of the immense and immeasurable love of God.

But today, I'm talking about those "little" things~those special things that might not be a manifestation of love to anyone else but you.

A gentle breeze when you're burning up while out working in your garden
The lullaby of a gentle rain shower when you really need a good night's sleep
An email or a phone call from a friend you haven't heard from in a while
Something unexpected that makes you laugh

I"m sure you have your own list of personal things that manifest God's love to you.

I once had a dear christian friend, an older lady, tell me that she believes that God loves her through her husband. I had often thanked the Lord for the gift He gave me in my husband, but I'd never really thought of it as God loving me through my dh. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed with what she said. I saw again how true it is earlier today.

Around noon today, I was really upset. Both my girls were giving me a really snotty attitude about a certain issue, and I just got sick of it. I repeated to them ( again) what the rule is in our house about this issue, and that they could abide by the rule, or deal with the consequence, it was their choice. They both were demonstrating some EXTREME ungratefulness, and I told them so. That hurt their feelings, and they both started to cry.

I told them that I was sorry that I had hurt their feelings, but that maybe hurt feelings was what they needed to keep them from repeating this behavior.

I felt like I had done the right thing, but I still felt AWFUL, like the meanest Mom in the world. Not really having anyone else I felt like I could whine to right then, I sent the girls into another room and called my dh. He listened to me pour out the whole story without saying a word. When I had finally gotten it all out, his only comment was "I love you, baby".

I was in tears, a thing that RARELY happens to me.

My wonderful husband reassured me that I had indeed done and said the right things, that the girls MUST be taught to keep their attitudes in check, and told me again how much he loved me. At that moment, I gained a deeper understanding of what my friend meant when she talked about how God loves her through her husband.

My hubby, by the way, ended this conversation by asking "So, what are we having for dinner?" He's a wonderful man, and a great husband and father, but still, he is SUCH a GUY! LOL!
Blessings,
Vicki

Monday, November 5, 2007

Something's Brewing......I think

I once wrote a post entitled "A Part of Something Special". Unfortunately, I think I forgot to transfer it from my old blog. It spoke of the small church my Dad pastored, and how priveleged we felt to have been a part of such a unique and wonderful church family.

My Dad announced to us last Sunday that he plans to re-open Cornerstone, the wonderful church that closed it's doors just about 2 years ago. There is still one small church in our area that is considering my Dad as their pastor, and in fact, they have told him he is the "leading candidate". The congregation there seems to love my Dad and his preaching style, and they are in agreement with our vision of what a church should be. Also, nearly every former member of Cornerstone has visited this church, and we all loved it, so IF they do call him to pastor, it should not be a problem at all to simply "blend" the two congregations. And, if the Lord places someone else in the pastorate there, then we will continue with the plans to re-open Cornerstone. Either way, it's going to be SO good to be "HOME" again!!

The other area in which it seems that God is "up to something" is our home. We discussed the possibility of moving during the summer. Those particular plans fell through, but that "inkling" that I"ve had ever since then that we are "supposed to' move has not gone away.

Now, we've found out that a really nice house right here on our street will soon be available for rent. We are currently buying our home, not renting, and many folks have shared their opinion that renting instead of buying is a bad idea. I understand their point, but my dh and I don't happen to agree with them. Our position is that our REAL home is in heaven, and so whether we buy or rent here makes very little difference. Besides, truth be told, the house we are currently buying is not in the greatest of shape. What is the point of ownership if what you own isn't worth having?

Now, please don't misunderstand me. Our home is adequate at the moment, and we are VERY grateful to the Lord for providing it for us. That said, we need more room. We have 3 children sharing one room, and we have only one bathroom in the house. Remodeling could take care of these issues, but we've gotten several indications lately that there is mold in the walls of this house. If that is the case, then the cost of fixing that would not be worth it, and we would be better off to just move.

But, nothing is decided yet. DH plans soon to talk to the man who is renting out the house on our street to ask him how much the rent would be. Just this weekend, my inlaws offered to help us with remodeling our current home. But, as I said, with the mold problem, we don't know that it would be worth it. We also have a very long and complicated list of reasons why we are hesitant to accept this kind of offer from my inlaws.

Either way, SOMETHING has to be done. The 3 kiddos can't stay in one room forever, and my husband and oldest dd have allergy/sinus issues anyway, so the mold situation is NOT good for them. So, I figure something's gotta give. And, these thoughts keep crossing my mind for no obvious reason~thoughts like cleaning out a closet and thinking "Oh, let's get rid of that, I don't want to have to move it" when we don't have any actual plans to move. These type of thoughts have been popping into my head at random moments for months now.

So, pray with me if you will, about all of this. God is up to SOMETHING, and when God's up to something, it's ALWAYS something good!!!
In His Love,
Vicki

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Holding It All Together With One Finger

I have NO idea what would have triggered this particular memory for me this morning, so I choose to believe that the Holy Spirit brought it to my mind to encourage me. I'll share it here so that it might encourage you too.

When my dh and I first met, we attended a church that averaged attendance of about 100 to 150 on Sunday mornings. We weren't really big enough to have both a teen ministry and a young adult or college age ministry. This church had a "family" atmosphere anyway, so the teens and early "twentysomethings" often hung out together.

My relationship with my husband began this way~attending the same church, same Sunday School class, and the same church activities even though we weren't "officially" together. He later told me that he had very little interest in most of the church "get togethers" that we went to, but he went anyway, just so he could flirt with me. :) But, I digress........

At one of these "get togethers", we played board games. Dh came and joined a group of us at a round table where we were playing Jenga. If you're not familiar with Jenga, it's a game that involves a tower of intricately stacked wooden blocks. The object of the game is to remove one block during your turn WITHOUT making the tower fall.

I began to notice that I was doing much better than usual at this game. I usually manage to knock down the tower on my first or second turn. This time, we had made 4 or 5 rounds, and the tower was still standing, even though I moved a couple of blocks that I just KNEW were going to make it fall.

Then, my dear, sweet husband ( though he wasn't my dh at this time) got caught. He didn't move his hand quickly enough when my turn was over. I saw him pulling his hand back, and I realized that during the whole game, he had been slyly reaching over with just one finger, holding up the tower of blocks so that it wouldn't fall on my turn. :) I think I must have been the only one at the table who didn't realize what he was doing the whole time! :)

I thought it was very sweet then, and when, for whatever reason, it came to mind this morning, I thought again that it was a very sweet thing to do . My very next thought was this:

Our life is, to put it plainly, a little bit of a mess right now. I mentioned in a post yesterday that we've had some things to tear up in the house lately, other things to just stop working, our van needs some repair work and new tires, and because of very tight finances, we've not yet filled our propane tank for the winter. But, we are managing. God has met each days needs as they have come.

God is doing for us just what my dh did for me that evening so long ago. God is holding up our block tower with just one finger. We may move the blocks. We may shuffle them around a bit, and we may choose to move the wrong ones, but as long as God has His finger on the block tower, it's NOT going to fall!!!

This is my prayer today:
Father, thank You for holding our teetering block tower together. You know every detail, Father, and You are in control of it all. Our needs seem great to us, even overwhelming, but they are not so to You. You are able to meet each need by simply speaking the Word. Our needs are not a surprise to You, and I thank You for that.
Guide me today, Father, in all that I do~in my words, my actions, and the use of my time. I ask You to touch dh today. Encourage his heart, Father, that he may KNOW that You are in control, and that You are moving in our lives at every moment. I ask that you bless us and our loved ones with health and protection today.
Thank You, Father, for meeting our needs, and for reminding me this morning that You ARE holding it all together with one finger.
I ask these things in the precious, sweet name of Jesus,
Amen.

Vicki

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Stay By the Stuff

From the time I graduated from high school until about 4 months before our first child was born, I worked "regular" job. So, I was used to adding to the income in our home.
Since I stopped working a paying job 10 years ago, my husband and I have experienced many financial hardships. I always had mixed feelings about this. First of all, it's frustrating to go through "tight" money times under ANY circumstance. Beyond that, I have often felt frustrated as I watch my husband work SO hard while I stay at home. This is because, since I left my last job, I have gotten phone calls every few months asking me if I'm interested in coming back to work. I allow myself to become frustrated because I find myself thinking "I COULD be working, bringing in a paycheck, then we wouldn't have these financial pressures, and money wouldn't be so tight all the time."

Then, I fall even further into thinking "I shouldn't be sitting here on my behind at home all day while dh works his tail off for us".
Now there IS a part of me that KNOWS how silly that is. I DON'T sit on my behind all day. Most days, I don't sit much at all! I cook, clean, take care of the bills, care for the children, and oh, did I mention that I also teach Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, and 4th Grade ?! Furthermore, my husband believes that as long as he is physically able to provide for us, it is HIS responsibility to do that, while my main responsibility is the care of our children and our home. I agree with that, and yet I still allow satan to whisper in my ear "Shame on you, staying in your nice warm bed while your husband gets up at 5am and heads out the door!"

But, Praise the Lord for that Voice of Truth!!! As I read my Bible a few days ago, I came to I Samuel 30:21-25. In this passage, David and his warriors have returned from battle and are about to divide the spoils among themselves. One soldier speaks up and says that the soldiers who actually went to the battlefield should receive a larger share of the loot than the ones who stayed behind to guard everyone's belongings while the battle was going on.

David said no to this. He told the soldier that those who fought would receive the same share of the reward as those who "stayed by the stuff".

The Lord used this to speak to my heart. That is what I do! It's what every Mom does who is called by the Lord to stay at home full time. We are "staying by the stuff"! I may not be out there on the front lines, facing the world every day like my husband does, but that is not my calling. My calling from the Lord is to be at home. I'm through listening to satan's lies. I consider it my duty and my honor to "stay by the stuff."
In His Love,
Vicki

Around the World Day 2007

Last Friday, we participated in our homeschool group's Around the World Day. This is our 3rd year to participate in this fair, and it's always a lot of fun. Looking back over our 3 ATWD projects, it's amazing to me to see how my children have grown and matured.

Two years ago, the children chose China as our project. Many of the ideas were theirs, as was some of the work itself, but a lot of the work was mine. I recall that we included some Chinese fairy tales in our display because that is the one thing we learned about China that interested my girls the most at that time.

Last year, they chose Australia. They did more of the work on the Australia project, but I was still very involved, and sort of "directing" the whole project. I wanted to encourage the kids to do what they were capable of doing for themselves, with help from me to include all that they wanted in the display.

This year, the girls decided they wanted to do seperate countries. I agreed to this, but I told them that the ONLY way we could make this work is if they were willing to display things that they each could do almost entirely by themselves.

Well, I have to say, they did it, and I am so proud of them! My 9yo chose Italy, and she did a great job. She included a salt dough map of her country, several pictures with interesting facts on them that she cut out of some old encyclopedias, did several drawings, and even did a poster about Christmas in Italy. She even painted her own version of the Mona Lisa! My only contribution to the project was to help her find information, and to do some printing for her because she was afraid people might not be able to read her handwriting. Our displays always include a food from our chosen country, and she made chocolate chip biscotti almost entirely by herself! I thought it was delicious, and it must have been pretty good because we didn't have any left to bring home!!

My 7yo chose to study and do a display about Panama. She is fascinated with Panama because she has often heard my parents and my 2 sisters share stories of the time they spent living there. They were there from 1967 to 1969 because my Dad was an Army MP in the Canal Zone.

My daughter did all her own work for her display, again with the exception of some handwriting work. She made posters, drew the Panamanian flag, and did most of the work involved in making her VERY yummy Panama Canal Cake!

My girls displays were not elaborate by any means, but they were "theirs", fully and completely, and I think they enjoyed this ATWD more than the ones they've done so far.

Incidentally, we HAVE decided to go back to having the whole family do just one country next year. We are, Lord willing, planning to visit Disney World this spring. So, we've decided to study one of the countries represented at Epcot. This will give us a chance to actually meet and speak to someone from that country, and to bring back some items from the country. Unless they change their minds, the children have chosen Morocco for next year's study.

I"m so thankful to the Lord for leaing our family to homeschool, for making it possible for us to follow His leading, and for giving us such a great homeschool group that provides opportunities like this for our children.

Also, I have to say that EVERY display at ATWD this year was GREAT! All the food was good, and at EVERY booth I visited, the children were eager to tell me what they had learned and answer my questions, and they all did a fantastic job!

Blessedbeyondmeasure

Monday, October 15, 2007

Confederate Roses and Flying Fairies

Sometimes we have the most fun when we are totally NOT planning it! We were all kind of "bummed" this morning because dh was off from his part time job all last week, which means he was home at 2:15 every day. Now, he's back to working until 7:30. But still, it was a good day. The children, much to my surprise, were willing and enthusiastic this morning about helping get the house straightened up. I think they are finally beginning to grasp the idea that if we clean up a bit each day, we almost never need to spend one whole day cleaning the house.

In the midst of that, I got sidetracked because someone at our mortgage company fouled up some paperwork and caused a problem, but hey, it only took me a couple of hours to straighten it out :)

Once that was done, we set to work on studying the countries we have chosen to present at our hs group's social studies fair. This is our 3rd year participating in this fair, and my girls just LOVE doing it.

Then, we decided to head outside to enjoy some of this absolutely gorgeous weather we've been blessed with! The kids are SO excited because the Confederate Rose bush that they planted 2 years ago FINALLY bloomed! The flowers are beautiful, and the kids love them because they bloom white, then, within a day or two, they turn pink! Right now, we have one pink, and one white. It's so cool!

Then, my oldest munchkin found an old board in the yard, and a really big rock. She laid the board on the rock like a see-saw, and the kids started putting things on the lower end, then stepping on the raised end to make the objects fly up in the air. The first few things they tried were too heavy and didn't go very far. Then, my middle munchkin got the bright idea of bringing her tiny little toy fairies out and putting them on the board. Littlest munchkin STOMPED on the end of that board, and those fairies went FLYING!!! This brought squeals of laughter from all 3 kiddos, and kept them entertained for nearly an hour!!

Now, dinner is sending out a wonderful aroma from the crockpot, munchkin #1 is in the shower, and dh will soon be home. My husband, who is often just a little bit of a "scrooge" around the holidays, has actually gotten into the spirit VERY early this year, and he and the kids watched The Santa Clause last night!!! Tonight, he promised that they would watch The Santa Clause 2 when he gets home. That will be fun for them, and it will leave me free to go into the other room and watch the MLB playoff games in relative peace.

Even in these "little" things, God's grace is so very evident in our lives, and for that, I am SO thankful.
In His Love,
Vicki

Friday, October 12, 2007

Are You Serious?!

I can't stand it. If you read that sentence and you know me at all, then you know that a rant is on it's way, so press on at your own risk, dear reader.

My family and I are currently visiting various churches. We actually began this "church search" in January of 2006. We had a brief "sojourn" in one church, but for the most part, we've been "wandering" for almost 2 years.

Since we've been at this for so long, I have almost made a hobby out of not only visiting churches, but also watching church services on television, listening to church radio broadcasts, and visiting church websites.

Today, however, I was NOT doing any of those things!! I am in the throes of baseball playoff fever, and I was feeding my frenzy by listening to ESPN radio. Imagine my surprise when I heard the following:

My name is XXXX and I'd like to invite you and your family to join us at XYZ Church. We are a sports oriented church with a Christian emphasis. We have softball for adults, and for boys and girls beginning at age 16. We have AWANA Olympics for the younger children. For more information, please contact me, XXXX, at this number......

Oh, come ON! This is a CHURCH advertisement for goodness sake!! Where's the location? Where are the worship times? Where is ANY mention of God WHATSOEVER??!!

Oh, I can just see it now. Where do you go to church? Oh, I go to XYZ Church. It's the SPORTS ORIENTED church with the christian emphasis.
Yeah. That's the testimony I want about my church.

For the love of chocolate covered cherries, you have GOT to be kidding me.

Vicki

Thursday, October 11, 2007

A Daily Rate

This is something that I've shared before, but I"m not sure that I"ve shared it here. If so, it was a long time ago. The Lord has brought it to my mind this morning, so I"ll share it again. This is a poem by Grace Livingston Hill from her novel A Daily Rate. The poem is based on 2 Kings 25:30 which says:

And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.

Charge not thyself with the weight of a year
Child of the Master, faithful and dear.
Choose not the cross for the coming week,
For that is more than He bids thee seek.
Bend not thine arm for tomorrow's load
Thou mayest leave that to thy Gracious God.
For daily, only, He says to thee,
Take up thy cross and follow Me.

I LOVE this, and pull it out a LOT to remind myself that I am a child of the King, and that I have an allowance from Him~a daily rate of not only physical provision, but mercy and grace enough for EACH day, EVERY day of my life. I often think that I need tomorrow's grace today, but I am finally learning that today's grace is enough, because the grace for tomorrow will be there when I need it, and not one moment before.

I am reminded of the chorus of an old song that I've heard in church for years~

There is grace for every need
Grace for you, grace for me
Keeping true, keeping free
Precious saving grace indeed
Flowing from the throne above
Grace to cover all my sin,
Grace to all who believe, oh this grace receive!
Full forgiveness ALL may win,
Yes there's grace in the Lord's perfect love!

In His Love,
Vicki

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

We took today off so we could....

Go To SCHOOL!!! LOL!
My kids have got to be the only ones in the world who take a day off from their work at home so they can go to school!

Both my parents work at a local elementary school. The students are on Fall Break this week, so we spent the day at the school with Grandma and Poppy. It is gloriously beautiful today, so we spent lots of time outside on the REALLY neat playground that they have there. Then, we had a picnic lunch, then went inside to play in the gym.

We played a little baseball and a little kickball, the kids had a ball using those great big bouncing balls with a handle on them that you can hold on to, and scooting across the gym floor on something called "turtles". We unrolled a mat that looks like a bowling lane, set up the pins, hunted up the ball, and had some fun bowling in the gym.

We ended our day with a "scavenger hunt" for candy. Many of the teachers in this school keep jars of candy on their desks~things like Skittles, Starburst, candy corn, etc., that they give as rewards to their students. My Mom led the kids through the "maze" of classrooms, and once they found the teacher's candy jar, they each got a piece or two.

What they were really supposed to be searching for was Poppy (their grandfather). They found him standing in the hall with the keys to the ice cream freezer, ready to open it up and let them each pick something out of it. Needless to say, the children had a GREAT time!!

Then, we came home and played in the front yard. Now, the kids are all happy because they've had a terrific day, Daddy's home early, (he's off from his second job this week) and we're all going to watch a movie together.

I am just so very thankful to the Lord for giving us days like this one.
In His Love,
Vicki

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

About the Title

I have titled this blog "I Am No Stranger To Grace". I chose that title because it's the name of one of my favorite songs. I'll share the lyrics with you here.

My first thougth this morning was of my great riches
What substance, such treasure the morning di bring!
There was joy beyond telling, and hope beyond failing!
I"m familiar with all these things.

I am familiar with mercy,
Know my share of victory
I'm covered with compassion every day along way
Of sweetest love, there has been plenty
Forgiveness when need be
And I am no stranger to grace.

Early this morning, as I tried to thank Him,
His peace fell around me, the same as yesterday.
Even though my tomorrows may have sadness and sorrow
I will still be no stranger to grace.

I am familiar with mercy
Know my share of victiory
I"m covered with compassion every day along the way
Of sweetest love, there has been plenty
Forgiveness when need be,
And I am no stranger to grace.

End of lyrics

I AM no stranger to God's grace, nor to His love, His mercy, His miracles, and the wonder that He is. I am more blessed than I deserve, and more grateful than I can say.

In His Love,
Vicki

Monday, October 1, 2007

The Purpose of the Church?

Recently, I had occasion to be in the presence of a group of 10 adults, 11 when I include myself. Each person present is a christian, and all have been saved for at least 5years, some as long as 40 years.

The question was asked: What is the purpose of the church? 5 people answered "to reach the lost".

This opened up a fanatstic discussion with a person whose opinions and thougths on Scripture I value very much. Out of this dscussion, I have drawn some conclusions. I'm sharing them here only to share my thoughts, and to see if, perhaps, they will serve as food for thought for someone else.

I think that the folks who stated that the purpose of the church is to reach the lost are wrong. That sounds almost surprising, until you take some time to look at Scripture and to really think about it.

Christ's command in Mark 16:15 to "go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" was given to INDIVIDUALS. The commands given to the New Testament CHURCH were to love one another, to exhort one another, to share with each other as there was need, to worship the Lord, and to teach and learn from each other.

We are EACH responsible to reach the lost for Christ. The CHURCH is where we go to become equipped to do that.

I see a lot of churches today that look just like the world. They want things to be comfortable. People often dress for church EXACTLY as they would dress to go to a movie or a ball game. The music in many churches sounds very much like secular music.

All of this is done so that the lost will feel "comfortable" in the church, so that they will come to church, and hopefully, accept Christ as their Savior.

All of that SOUNDS great, but I"m not so sure that was Christ's intention for the chruch. It seem to me that a lost person SHOULD feel uncomfortable in church. They should KNOW that there is something there that they won't find anywhere else. They should KNOW that the people there are different, and they should realize that they are missing something that these poeple have.

Now, I am not at all against evangelism. The church should most definitely be doing things like having visitation programs, missions trips, and other events that they invite the community to so that they can share the gospel with the lost. But we should never lose sight of the fact that the church itself is FOR THE BELIEVER~it is our home, our haven. It's a place for learning from other christians and growning with them, fellowshipping with them, and worshipping with them. This then equips us to go OUT of the church, into the world, and share Christ with the lost.

Think of it this way. If you want to catch fish, you don't go buy bait, pile it in your living room floor, then open your front door and yell "Here, fishy, fishy, fishy!" You go to the store and get your bait, then you take the bait to the lake WHERE THE FISH ARE, and you catch the fish.

In the same way, we do not need to turn our churches into a "haven" for the lost. We need to keep the church as our haven, our "re-fueling station" so that we can then go and share that "fuel" with the lost WHERE THEY ARE~out in the world~in the grocery store, in the mall, in the doctor's office waiting room, at the ball field, in the park.

There's nothing wrong at all with inviting the lost to church. But when they get there, they desperately need to see the difference.

Blessings,
Vicki

Spoon feeding and Spiritual truths

It seems that I've been hearing a lot lately about spiritual gifts, and the importance of discovering what your particular spiritual gift is. There are many christian websites that have quizzes that (they say) will tell you what your spiritual gift is.

I think those quizzes can be good indicators, but they are exactly that~INDICATORS. I think that the only way to truly discover your spiritual gift is to study the gifts in the Scripture, and spend much time in prayer asking the Lord, through His Holy Spirit, to reveal to you what your spiritual gift is.

I saw a preacher on television last week tell his congregation that they should put their name on a sign up list in the church lobby and he would then set up a time to meet with them, test them, and tell them what their spiritual gift is.

I'm sorry to disagree, but I simply don't believe that a pastor can "spoon feed" a thing like that to a member of his church. Certainly, he can share Scriptures with people, and perhaps even ask them questions that will give him INDICATIONS as to what their spiritual gift might be, but I believe it is misleading, and incorrect, for any pastor, preacher, or teacher, to tell another person that they can say with certainty "X IS your spiritual gift.

A pastor can spoon feed the "milk" of the Word to his flock, but discovering your spiritual gift is the "meat" of the Word, and to eat the meat, you have to be able to chew it for yourself. It can't be spoon fed to you.

On a similar but slightly different train of throught, I think that far too many pastors today are spoon feeding their congregations. But, that is fodder for my next post.
Blessings,
Vicki

Sunday, September 30, 2007

I think I"m raising a cynic....

or maybe just a realist. Either way, this struck me as funny.

There is a commercial running right now that advertises, I believe, a mortgage company. It begins with the statement "People are smart".

A few days ago, my 9yo daughter was sitting in the floor with a pile of Barbie dolls, and an even bigger pile of Barbie doll clothes, playing, and apparently having a fine time, but making no comment~at least, until she heard "People are smart."

Her reply?

Hmph. Not all of 'em!!!


ROFLOL!

Where did THAT come from?! :)

Vicki

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Thank You

It's time for some Thank You letters. So.....

THANK YOU

To My Husband
For being the wonderful man of God that you are, for listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit amidst all the other voices calling out to you, for being a wonderful father to our children, for working so hard at BOTH you jobs to support us, and for loving me as I am, faults and all.

To My Dad
For truly LIVING the Word of God before me, for working hard not only so you can provide for your own household, but so you can be generous with ALL your loved ones. Thank you for being willing to stand always on the Word of God, and for being not only willing, but HONORED to be allowed to contend for the faith. Thank you for being a wonderful Daddy, and an amazing grandfather.

To My Mom
Thank you for standing by Daddy through all the years, and through all the hard times. Thank you for being the Godly example that you are. Thank you for making all the holidays so special, and for making Grandma's house a place that everyone loves to visit. Thanks for being a great Mom, and such a fantastic Grandma.

To My Sisters
Thank you both for being my best friends. Thank you for being there to listen to me, to talk to me, to laugh and cry with me. Thank you both for being so great with my kids. Oh, and since I KNOW you both tried to do me bodily harm when I was little, I guess I should say thanks for letting me survive to adulthood!! LOL!

To My Children:
Thank you for all the joy you each bring into my life. Thank you for the countless things I've learned from you. Thank you for all the times you make me laugh. Each of you is truly a treasured gift from God.

To All the Wonderful Homeschooling Moms I Know
Thank you all for being such wonderful, christian ladies. Thank you for allowing your love for God, your husbands, and your children shine through. Thanks for all the questions you answer for me, all the times you sympathize with me, and all the times you make me laugh. Each and every one of you ladies is very special.

MOST OF ALL
To My Savior
Thank you for loving me, for saving me, and for blessing me as you have with all the wonderful people You've placed in my life. I am truly undeserving of Your grace and mercy, and yet You pour it into my life in great measure every day. Words could never express my gratitude.

With Much Love,
Vicki

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Stuff that Bugs Me :)

I sqashed a bug this morning, and it left a mark on my bedroom wall. The spray cleaner I used wouldn't get it off! Yuck!

I sat outside today watching my kids play, and I got two mosquito bites in the MOST annoying places!! My elbow, and the knuckle of my little finger! Yuck!!

Both my parents got some anonymous hang up calls, several over the last few days. These calls started the day after they received that anonymous letter. I've got no clue if the phone calls are related to the letter or not, but if so, I sure wish the person who is doing it would let it go, move on, grow up, and get a life.

So, anyway, if these things are the worst things that I have to worry about, then I am well and truly blessed. Our financial problems are being taken care of one by one, we are all in good health, my family is doing well, and we can truly see the hand of God in our lives. What could be better than that? :)
Vicki

Friday, September 14, 2007

Opportunities

We have a rather urgent financial need right now. And you know what? I can't do anything except praise the Lord for that!

Yes, this need makes me "uncomfortable", and I've asked our friends to help us pray about it, and I hope it is resolved quickly, but still, I can only praise God.

That's because we have been in situations of financial need many times before. Sometimes, those situations were our own fault, a result of financial mistakes that we made. Other times, the situations were not of our own making. The amazing thing is, in BOTH cases, whether it was our own fault or not, God has ALWAYS come through for us!! Not always as quickly as we would have liked, and not always in the way we would have liked, but He has always come through for us.

That is not to say that we can just "mess up" any time we want too, and God will always come and clean up the mess. What it means is that when we make a mistake in handling our finances, and we realize that mistake and come to God, confessing to him that we made the wrong decision, or whatever the case may be, He WILL provide for our needs. We won't neccessarily get our WANTS, but He will provide our needs. Each and every time.

This particular situation that we are dealing with now is not entirely of our own making. It is something that just "hit us' today. But, I can see how this situation would be a lot easier to handle now if we had made better money decisions in the past.

But, that is under the blood now. The Lord knows that Roger and I are doing our best now to make the best decisions we can with our money, decisions that are in line with His Word. Satan is not happy about that, and I think that our current situation is, at least in part, something that satan has "thrown in our faces" so to speak.

That being the case, I choose not to look at this as a problem, but as an opportunity for God to come on the scene, and to "show up and show off" as the old fashioned preachers used to say.
I don't know about anyone else, but I just love watching God show off.! :)
Vicki

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Sometimes I think....

that change is one of the few constants in life!



We were just getting used to Roger coming home around 2:15 each day, and now that will change. Actually, he will probably still come home at 2:15, but only long enough to say hello, maybe grab a snack, and head off to his new part time job. Then, he'll be home again around 7:15 or 7:30. It's going to make for some long days for him, but we are SO thankful for this job!



We are working toward becoming debt free. I am thankful to be able to say that we don't have credit card debt. We do not carry or use any credit cards. Our debt at the moment consists of some medical bills, and a car loan. We'd also like to make some "extra" mortgage payments. AFTER, and ONLY after all of that is taken care of, we hope to take a nice family vacation in the spring of 2008.



So, we have been praying about this, and we feel that this job is the Lord's answer to those prayers. Roger did not go out looking for this job. Instead, we got a phone call telling him that it was available and asking him if he wanted it. It is 4 hours per day, and since the job is at the local high school, he does not have to work when school is closed~so, no weekends, no holidays. Also, Roger will be working with people that he knows, doing something he enjoys~maintaining the football field and various equipment for the football team. So, if you have to have a second job, this is a great one to have. We are very thankful to the Lord for answering our prayer in this way.



We still have some other things that we are praying about, and I'd love to have others praying with us about these things. We are still looking for a home church, and my Dad is still candidating as a pastor for a couple of local churches. There is one church in particular that my family and I love, and they seem very interested in having my Dad as pastor. If it's the Lord's will, we would love for that to work out.



Also, my Dad will be having an endoscopy ( I think that's what it's called) tomorrow ( Thursday). He has Barrett's disease, which is erosion in the esophagus from years of heartburn/acid reflux. He has been on medication for some time that helps with the heartburn and is also supposed to repair the erosions. But, this CAN be a pre-cancerous condition, so he has to be checked every 3 years to make sure that the erosions are getting better, not worse. He is due to be checked again tomorrow, so prayers for him during the procedure, and for good results from the test are appreciated.

One more thing. The last time that my husband worked a second job was about 9 years ago, when our first child was just about 3 months old. At that time, my mother in law made comments ( not directly to my face, but in my hearing) that "Roger wouldn't have to work two jobs if SHE ( meaning me) would let somebody take care of that baby ( probably meaning that she wanted to keep our daughter during the day) and go get a job!!

Needless to say, this did not set well with me or with Roger. We are really hoping and praying that there won't be any kind of an ugly scene when my inlaws find out that Roger has taken this job at the high school.
Vicki

Monday, September 10, 2007

Brangging, The Travel Channel, and Hannah Montana

Okay, most of my IRL friends who read this blog all ready know this, but I simply cannot stop myself from posting it here.

My daughter Rachel, who is 9 years old and about 6 weeks into the 4th grade, recently completed her first standardized testing. These are her grade equivalent scores. For example, a score of 5.3 means 5th grade, 3rd month. Below are Rachel's scores:

Word Analysis: No grade equivalent listed
Vocabulary: 8.2
Comprehension: 5.1
Spelling: 2.9
Language Mechanics: Post High School
Language Expression: Post High School
Mathematics Computation: 5.0
Math Concepts: Post High School
Science: Post High School
Social Studies: Post High School

I actually started NOT to post these scores here because I feel like I'm bragging, and I feel badly about that. BUT, I also have family who don't live near us who like to read my blog, and Rachel deserves to have them know about this too, just like our "local" relatives and friends know about it.

Now, changing the subject~I just LOVE the Travel Channel!! My girls are studying Italy and Panama for our homeschool group's Around the World Day. So far, we have seen episodes of Samantha's Brown's show Great Hotels that featured 2 citites in Italy, as well as 2 or 3 episodes of her show Passport to Europe that have featured cities in Italy. This weekend, we just happened to catch her newest show Passport to Latin America, and gues where she was? Panama!!! VERY cool!

I STILL remember, from my childhood, an episode of Mr Roger's Neighborhood in which he visited a crayon factory. I've always wanted my kids, who LOVE crayons, to see that. This morning, I checked the Travel Channel's tv schedule to see what the topic was going to be for today's episode of Made in America, hosted by John Ratzenberger. I am so glad I checked, because we got to watch as he visited the factories where they make 2 things that my kids love~Crayola Crayons and Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup!!
Like I said, I LOVE the Travel Channel!

And now, a word about Hannah Montana. We are VERY selective in not only the amount of tv that our kids watch, but also which shows they are permitted to see. I have in fact been accused of being TOO picky about what our kids watch. Anyway, one program we DO allow is Hannah Montana. My husband and I watch this show with our kids, and we like that the characters are always decently dressed( at least we've never seen anything indecent) and while the kids do make some "smart" remarks, which we always discuss with the kids, we generally like the relationship portrayed between Miley/ Hannah and her Dad.
I was "won over" by this show durning one particular episode in which Miley and her friends had plans to go somewhere. Miley's Dad saw her report card and told her that if her science grade did not improve, the trip was off. When Miley's friends accused her Dad of being unfair, instead of joining with her friends in complaining about her Dad as the characters on many shows would have done, Miley told her friends that it was NOT her Dad's fault, that they had a "deal", that school had to come first. I really liked that.

So, now, my sisters and I have lost our minds. My 9 and 7yo daughters are Hannah Montana fans, as is my 6yo neice. My 15yo nephew and 14yo neice are fans too, though they don't like to adimit it.
There is going to be a Hannah Montana concert in November at an arena that is about 5 minutes away from my sister's house. So, we are going to "take the plunge" and take all 5 kids that want to go. My husband enjoys the television show, but he and my 5yo son couldn't care less about the concert, so they aren't going with us. Yes, I"m going to spend an evening in the midst of a multitude of screaming, hyped up teens and tweens. Heaven help me! LOL But I KNOW my girls are going to LOVE it! So what if I've lost my mind?! Sanity is over-rated anyway!
Vicki

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Do You Ever Wonder...

what God is up to?

I am a person who believes that God is in complete control of absolutely everything, and that there is a reason/purpose for everything.

I sometimes think of God as an artist, painting a portrait of our lives. Sometimes, we are able to step back and see the brush strokes He uses, and the colors He chooses, but we don't know what the finished picture will look like. But HE does.

There are a few unresolved situations in my life right now. I don't know how they will turn out. I don't know what the finished picture will look like. But I am honored to be the subject of a painting by The Greatest Artist that could ever be. HE knows exactly what the picture is going to look like, and because He is the artist, I know it's going to be beautiful!!

Vicki

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

An Open Letter To My Husband And......

all the other men who need to get a clue about their wives.

Dear Husband,
I truly, deeply love with you with all of my heart. I know beyond any shadow of doubt that God brought us together, and that He chose us for each other. You're a wonderful, Godly man, and a great father.

There are, however, a few things that I wish I could get you to really, truly, deeply, in your heart of hearts, KNOW.

1. It is not ALWAYS "that time of the month".

2. When I am in ANYTHING that you refer to as "a mood" whether it be sad, angry, pensive, or just "deep in thought", don't automatically assume that it's about you, or even that it has anything to do with you. My moods are one of the few things that I can truly call my own, so just let me have them, okay?

3. "Go ask your Mama" is NOT the correct answer to ANY question when said Mama is in the bathroom, cooking a meal, cleaning anything, working at the desk, OR watching a baseball game.

4. Camping is NOT a vacation. Camping is work, discomfort, dirt, bugs, and boredom. I can accept camping as a punishment for a crime, a form of torture, and for some, maybe, an activiity, but it is not in any way, shape or form a VACATION. To use the words camping and vacation in the same sentence is an absolute vile abomination.

5. Contrary to your opinion, the world should NOT come to a screeching halt for every college football game. It SHOULD, however, take a hiatus during the World Series.

6. YES, I NEED to talk on the phone that much, YES I NEED that long to get ready, and YES, I occasionally NEED chocolate.

Please committ these facts to memory. It will make both our lives SO much easier.
Love you bunches,
Your Wife

Monday, August 20, 2007

Thump, Thump, Thump, AARRGGHH!!!!

THAT is the sound of me banging my head against the wall, and screaming, because that is what I feel like doing right now!!

I went to a particular website that I often visit when I could use a bit of encouragement, especially regarding homeschooling. Today, what I found there was a discussion thread all about the misguided notion that homeschooled kids are "abused" because they are not "socialized"!!!!! AAAAAAHHHHGGG!!!!!!

Then, when I was over at the local elementary school where my parents work, I saw this sign on the wall in the gymnasium. This sign displays a list of the rules that must be followed by the children who arrive at school early, and must wait in the gym for classes to begin.

1. You must sit on the line designated for your class. ( this is followed by a list that reads: 1st grade on the blue line, 2nd grade on the red line, etc.)

2. You may speak ONLY in whispers, and ONLY to the person next to you.

3. No toys, playing cards, or collector cards (ie pokemon or yugi-oh) of any kind.

4. You must remain in your seat and with your class until your class is dismissed from the gym. Please walk single file from the gym to your classroom. No talking in line.

Um, okay. So, my children, who are obviously unsocialized, deprived homeschoolers, NEED to go to school so they can learn to SOCIALIZE? Oh, really? How? By being forbidden to play with toys or cards that they might possibly want to ( dare I say it?) SHARE with a friend?

By being forced to sit on a colored line with ONLY children their own age? Are they to learn to socialize ONLY in whispers, and ONLY with the person directly beside them? Will they learn to get along with other people by learning to walk in a single file line, at the sound of a bell, looking only forward and speaking to no one?

THIS is the "socialization" I'm supposed to WANT my kids to learn?

To me, it sounds less like learning to socialize and more like learning to BE a SOCIALIST.

Well, in that case, no thanks. We believe in getting along with EVERYONE of EVERY age. We don't believe in socialization.

Vicki

Getting There By A Different Route

For some months now, I have been following through the pages of Sports Illustrated magazine and nightly Baseball Tonight broadcasts, the inspiring story of Rick Ankiel.

Rick Ankiel was a pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals. He was a good pitcher, and he LOVED being in the Major Leagues. Playing Major League Baseball had been his dream since boyhood, and he was just happy to b there.

Then, things began to go terribly wrong. Suddenly, Rick Ankiel, the highly touted and talented young pitcher, could no longer throw a baseball anywhere near the strike zone. He had blown out his elbow, and his pitching days were at an end. So, it seemed, was his career in Major League Baseball.

On the day that he was formally dismissed by the Cardinals, Ankiel asked General Manager Walt Jocketty, "Isn't there ANY way I can get back to the Majors?" Jocketty's answer was a rather gruff "Sure, kid, just not as a pitcher".

Rick Ankiel took those words to heart. He determined that he WOULD someday return to the Major Leagues. He went home and worked hard, staying in shape and practicing hs swing. Soon, he asked for and received a chance to try out for a St Louis minor league team~as an outfileder.

No one expected much, if ANYTHING, from Rick Ankiel's attempt to return to Major League Baseball. I mean really~the only pitcher to ever successfully switch positions like this was Babe Ruth, and he didn't have an injury to overcome!

But, Ankiel was persistent. For 3 years he toiled in anonymity, and for MUCH less money, in the St Louis minor league system.

This week, that work and persistence paid off. Rick Ankiel was called up from the minors to once again join the St Louis Cardinals~this time as an outfielder. It was obvious to everyone in the stadium that night that Rick Ankiel was just glad to be there. Also obvious was the joy of St Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, who has been following Ankiel for all this time, and was thrilled to see him back in the Major Leagues.

Rick Ankiel walked to the plate for his first at bat amid loud cheering from the crowd. The noise grew to a deafening level a few minutes later when Rick Ankiel connected for a 3 run homer in his very first at bat.

Tom Hanks has a line in the movie "A League Of Their Own" that says "There's no crying in baseball!" But when Rick Ankiel crossed home plate and was greeted by his teammates in the St Louis dugout, there was indeed crying in baseball. Tears were being wiped away by several of Ankiel's teammate, and even his manager, Tony LaRussa.

Ankiel has, in the week since his return, hit 2 more home runs and has made some spectacular catches in the outfield. He has absolutely found his way back.

So, why am I sharing all of this with you? Because it inspires me, and I hope it will inspire you as well. What Rick Ankiel wanted was to be a Major League Baseball player. He's there now, he just didn't get there quite the way he thought he would. He had to find a different route. But, he didn't let that stop him. He found that route, and he worked hard to follow it, and now he is right where he wants to be.

I don't know what goal you have in mind that you want to acheive. I just want to say to you, don't give up. If you tried getting there one way and it didn't work, look for another route. My grandfather used to tell me "If that mule won't move, get off and ride a horse!" :}

So, if you're mule won't move, get off and ride a horse.
If you can't pitch, then learn to play the outfield.

Try a different route. You just might find yourself hitting a home run.

Blessings,
Vicki

UPDATE: Rick Ankiel has since been traded to my favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, so now I get to watch him on a regular basis. And by the way, the Braves pulled out a 5-4 post season win over the San Fransisco Giants last night, thanks to Rick Ankiel's 11th inning MONSTER home run :))

Thursday, August 16, 2007

This Could Be the Start of Something New....

That title is actually a lyric from a song from the new DisneyChannel movie High School Musical 2. My 9yo daughter enjoyed the first High School Musical, and is excited about seeing the sequel. With the Disney Channel showing promos for it during every episode of Hannah Montana that we watch, that song has gotten stuck in my head!! :)

Anyway, we do have some "new' things going on around our house. Roger, who has worked 8am to 4pm for all 12 and 1/2 years of our marriage (except for a brief stint working 4pm to midnight, UGH!) will begin working new hours tomorrow. He'll be working 6am to 2pm. He's not looking forward to getting up at 5am on a regular basis and I don't blame him, but having him home at around 2:30 every afternoon will be fantastic!!

The other change on our horizon is our church situation. My Dad feels that the Lord is leading him to pastor again. The last church that my Dad pastored was one that he actually started himself. He does not feel that is the Lord's will this time, so he has been "canidating" at churches in our area.

Roger and I are thrilled about the idea of my Dad pastoring again. In the last year or two, we've been exposed to a lot of the "junk" that goes on in churches that lack the leadership of a strong, Scripturally sound pastor. So, we think this is great.

The situation as it stands right now is this. There are currently 2 local churches that are interested in my Dad as their pastor. We have visited both of them several times. One of them is actually a church that Roger attended as a teen ager. We LIKE both churches, but we like one a little more than the other, simply because it has more people our age, and more children in it. Right now, it LOOKS like the OTHER church, the one that is not our favorite, is the closest to actually calling my Dad as pastor, though both churches are strong possibilities. We are just waiting, and seeking the Lords will in the whole matter, and I'm excited to see what the Lord is going to do for us, and through us.

Vicki

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Sweet Hour of Prayer

Yesterday was one of THOSE days.....

My 5yo had NO interest in doing anything remotely related to learning to read. His mission for the day was to annoy his sisters and disrupt our mornings activities.

At one point, during his "pitching a fit" because he didn't want to do something that I asked him to do, he manaaged to hurt his finger. I did not SEE anything that could have hurt his hand, so I have no clue exactly how he managed to hurt his finger, but he was very timid about using it for the rest of the day.

Our history for the day consisted of some review questions. Keep in mind that I said REVIEW questions. My 2 girls sat there looking at me as if I were a complete stranger speaking a foreign language and they didn't understand a single word I was saying!!!! Grrrr!

Thank heavens for time alone last night to read my Bible and pray, and time to do that again this morning!!! How I thank God for the privelege of prayer!!

Today, the girls had a much better attitude about doing their school work. I suspect ( sheepish grin!) that it's because *I* had a much better attitude today as well!! There was actual joking and laughter taking place during our schoolwork this morning!!! And during SCIENCE, no less!!!

Now tell ME that God doesn't answer prayer! LOL!

Noah's hand seems to be all right. It looks like it might be just the tiniest bit swollen around one knuckle, but that's it. He can bend it, and is only slightly favoring that hand a bit. I think he may have "jammed" his finger a bit. Anyway, praiase God, it looks like it's going to be okay.

Sweet hour of prayer
Sweet hour of prayer
That calls me from a world of care
And bids me at my Father's throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.

AND

Oh, what peace we often forfeit!
Oh, what needless pain we bear!
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.

Blessings,
Vicki

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Back to Bethel

I have had conversation with no less than 6 people over the last 3 or 4 weeks, all of whom mentioned that either they or someone they knew of was attempting to "get back" to a place in their lives in which they were much closer to the Lord.

There is certainly nothing wrong with that. In fact, we have an example of that in Scripture. Jacob has a time of being very close to the Lord while he is at Bethel, and later on in Scripture, he asks the Lord to let him return to Bethel.

I found myself asking the Lord for the very same thing. You know, sometimes, I believe that the Lord lets us have things that we ask Him for just so He can show us that we didn't really want that thing as much as we thought we did.

I thought I wanted a bigger church, one with more activities and more programs for us, and for our kids to participate in. The Lord gave us that. We enjoyed it very much, for a time. Then, we began to be so wrapped up in all the 'stuff" going on at church that the actual worship services became merely an interruption of all of our activities. Oh, how sad that is, and how ashamed I am of myself for having felt that way!

I believe with all my heart that the Lord led us to the church that we just left a few weeks ago. I believe He had several purposes for our being there. One was to allow us a period of "rest" from doing all the things that we did in our small church. Another was for us to be a testimony to some folks, and an encouragement to some folks. My Mom and I directed the VBS in that church just before we left, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God meant for us to do that. In the end of our time there, God allowed us to stand up and to "contend for the faith" when no one else would. That is truly an honor.

But, I also think that a part of God's purpose was to show us that we didn't really want or need a large "program packed" church as much as we thought we did.

We have spent the last 3 weeks in churches that had nice facilities, but not "luxurious" ones. They had VERY friendly people, and wonderful Sunday School and Children's Church for my kids, but not a program to keep them busy every second of Sunday morning, sunday night, and wednesday night. And you know what? It has been FANTASTIC!

We are truly WORSHIPPING GOD again, and learning about HIM, and isn't that what church is SUPPOSED to be about?

What's more, my husband attended this church many years ago, before we met. His time at this church was a time in his life during which he was very close to the Lord. There aren't many people still there now who knew him then, but there are a few. Another dear friend of ours has been visiting there with us, and she shared with me this morning that the altar they have in the church now is the VERY altar at which she got saved, and how very blessed she has been to be there again.

Incidentally, please keep this matter in your prayers. This church is currently without a pastor, and they are seriously considering my Dad in that position. We want the Lord's will to be done, so please pray for that with us.

I truly feel like the Lord is leading us "back to Bethel", and I am SO thankful!

I don't know where your 'bethel" is in your life, but if you feel yourself drifting away from a close walk with the Lord, you might consider paying it a visit very soon. You won't regret it.
Vicki

Because HE Said So!!

I used to think it was a "bad" thing for a parent to answer a child with "because I said so!". Since I"ve had children of my own, I now fully understand that there are times when child NEEDS to do something JUST because I said so. There is nothing wrong with answering a child's questions, or explaining things to them. but sometimes, when you need to, it's OKAY to say "Because I SAID so!"

How do I know this? Because as christians, sometimes we do things JUST because God says so! I heard an EXCELLENT sermon this morning From 1 Chronicles 13. David is attempting to bring the Ark of the Covenant back into the temple so that the people of Israel can worship. David was an intelligent man, and he has access to the Scriptures that had been written at that time. He KNEW of the specific requirements for carrying the Ark that God has laid out in the book of Numbers. The ark was to be carried on the shoulders of the priests, on poles that were run through rings on the side of the ark. When the ark was carried this way, it was not necessary for any of the priests to touch the ark. That's good, because God had said that anyone who touched it would die.

But David had a better way. He decided it would be best to put the ark in a new wagon, or cart, instead of carrying it on the poles. So, they put the wagon in the cart and had it pulled by mules. One of the mules stumbled, causing the ark to tip, and when Uzziah reached out his hand to steady the ark, he was instantly struck dead!!

But why??!! Wasn't Uzziah doing a GOOD thing? Wasn't David just doing what he thought was best to set up a place for the Israelites to worship God? What went so very wrong?

Simple. David disobeyed. He did not transport the ark in the way God had commanded, and as a "domino effect" of David's disobedience, Uzziah also disobeyed, and died.

Why did the ark NEED to be carried on poles and not in a cart? Well, the only answer I can find in Scripture is BECAUSE GOD SAID SO.

I have a tendency to want to know WHY everything. What I'm (slowly!) learning is that there are times when God will show me why He has asked me to do a certain thing, and other times He is simply going to expect me to obey Him because He said so.

Thank God that He gives us the grace to do that!!
Vicki

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Up In The Air~ A Place I Hate To Be!!

We've had 3 days of school now, and all 3 days have gone very well. You would think I'd be glad to be settling into a routine.

In a way, I am. But, we also have a lot of things that are "up in the air" right now. I can handle one thing at a time being undecided, but too many more than that mkes me tense and edgy.

Some time ago, we condidered the possibility of moving. Now, we've pretty much decided to stay where we are. My sister is planning to sell her house and build a smaller one on some property that she all ready owns. She will still be next door to my parents, just on the other side. So, my parents are staying put, and so are we. It is financially in our best interest to stay here and remodel this house rather than buy another one.

That is one of my struggles though~ I live in fear and dread of ANY remodeling project in this house!! Some of you will remember the fiasco we had a just over a year ago when we remodeled our bathroom. I am unable to drive, and was stuck here in this house for MANY days with 3 small kids and no bathroom!! I CANNOT go through anything like that again!

That one was the worst, but it seems that EVERY remodeling project that we tackle in this house ends up being more work, more expense, and more time than we originally thought. I hate the house being torn up. I hate not being able to use parts of my house.

I'd love to have the house remodeled, I just wish we could live somewhere else while it's being done! It will have to be done in stages because we cannot afford to do it all at once. Yuck.

We went to a small church last Sunday morning to hear my Dad preach. We liked the church a lot, and my kids LOVED it. They have asked my Dad to come back and preach again this Sunday morning and Sunday evening, so I'm happy about that. I'll be even MORE glad when we're settled in a church somewhere.

I'm also struggling again with in-lasw issues and could really use some prayer for that. I need a breakthrough there. By that I mean that I need for something to change. I either need the Lord to give me a "new" grace for dealing with them, or I need to not have as much contact with them, or SOMETHING.

I also want a vacation REALLY badly, and I have no idea when that will ever happen. We MIGHT be able to plan a vacation with our next income tax refund, but we won't know until January, and even if we CAN squeeze a trip out of that, we most likely won't travel until next May. Right now, that seems like a really, really, really long way off.

Gee, don't you just love reading my blog when I'm whiny? :)
Okay, I"m done now.
Vicki

Hank Aaron, King of Class

**IF you are not a baseball fan~2 things~fisrt, feel free to disregard this post, and second, shame on you!! LOL!


There is a great deal of controversy surrounding San Francisco outfielder Barry Bonds. There is much evidence that would seem to point at his having reached the "watermark" of 755 home runs with the aid of peformance enhancing substances~ILLEGAL performance enhancing substances.

While I do believe that folks should be thoguht of as innocent until proven guilty, I have to say that there is much evidence that indicates that Mr Bonds has indeed made use of illegal substances. Be that as it may, I do not dislike him for that reason. I find myself disliking Barry Bonds because, quite simply, he has no class.

He is often surly with fans and with the media, both of whom he NEEDS in order to achieve his desired fame and fortune. He is gruff to those around him, not at all friendly, and makes selfish demands of his employers~demands that his teammates would never dream of making.

Mr Henry "Hank" Aaron, who, in the hearts of many will FOREVER be the "home run king" has been asked MANY times to comment on Barry Bonds pursuit of the home run record, and the allegations that seem to hand in a cloud over Mr Bonds head.

Mr Aaron, who faced death threats, harrassment and untold misery during his baseball career and his pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run record only because of the color of his skin, has said NOTHING whatsoever about Barry Bonds that could be construed as negative. And still, Mr Aaron his been critisized. He's been critisized for not calling to congratulate Mr Bonds when he tied the home run record at 755, and for not being present at tongiht's game when Mr Bonds became the all time home run leader when he hit number 756.

But, when Barry touched home plate and the game was stopped, everyone was asked to turn their attention to the huge video screen. There they saw a wonderful message from Hank Aaron, who earned his record with NO questions about his integrity or character, congratulated Barry Bonds and VERY graciously stepped aside, thereby passing the torch to the new home run leader.

Chivalry is NOT dead.

Bravo, Mr Aaron. VERY well done. To me, you will always be the home run king, and you are absolutely the undisputed King of Class.
Vicki

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Well, son, Rome wan't built in a day!! :)

Yesterday was my son's first "official" day in Kindergarten. He was excited about finally having his turn to do the lesoons in what my kids call "the big yellow book". ( Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons).

We did his first lesson together, and a couple of workbook pages, then he ran off to play. A few minutes later, he came back and was hanging around ( literally, since he was hanging upside down in the recliner) listening to his sisters work on their lessons for the day. As I finished up with one of the girls Noah called out, urgently, Mommy!! Mommmy!! When I asked "What is it, Noah?" He replied, VERY concerned, "Mommy, I did the stuff in the big yellow book, but I STILL CAN'T READ!!!

LOL!!

I assured him (again) that he will be able to read when we get to the end of the big yellow book, and that satisfied him enough for him to decide that his toy cars were more interesting than his sister's schoolwork, so off he went. :)

It must be wonderful to be 5 years old. :)
Vicki

Monday, August 6, 2007

1 Down, only 179 to go!! :)

We've had a successful first day of school.

We had breakfast and devotions together, then the girls started on their copywork/vocabulary while Noah did his reading lesson and 1 page from each of his 2 workbooks.

I'm not a huge fan of "spelling word lists" for their own sake, but for copywork, which we use to work on handwriting, spelling, grammar, etc, I've put together a list of words taken from this week's science and history lessons. These are words that my girls are going to encounter as we study other subjects, so it will be helpful for them to be able to recognize and spell them, and know what they mean. So, they worked on that while I worked with Noah.

All of Noah's "work" takes about 20 minutes total, which I think is just fine for a Kindergartner. That certainly doesn't mean that he only learns for 20 minutes a day, just that he is only required to sit with me and focus on specific "work" for about 20 minutes. He did great today.

After that, I got Rachel started in Mad Libs while I worked with Alex on Reading and Math, and Noah went to play on the computer. Then, he went off to play with toys, Alex, when her reading and math were done, moved to the computer, and I worked with Rachel~going over the Mad Libs with her, working on reading aloud, and doing a lesson from MUS.

Then, we took our lunch break. After lunch, I gave the kids a brief "overview" of our science and history units for this year, read a chapter from a Mrs Piggle Wiggle book, and we were done for the day.

Wouldn't it be nice if EVERY day went this smoothly? Never gonna happen, but it would be nice! :)

We won't be doing science and history every day. Most likely, we will have history on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and Science on Tuesday and Thursday.

I'm VERY thankful for "smooth sailing" for our first day!

Now, Alex and Noah are watching cartoons, and Rachel is off to her first day at "work" with her grandparents. Both my parents work at a local elementary school, and they let my children take turns coming once a month to help clean up and straighten up around the school. Mom pays them each $10 for their afternoon's work, and they just love it!

We had a wonderful church service yesterday morning!! I felt SO blessed! I felt like I"d found an oasis in a desert! My Dad was asked to preach at a small church in our area. It's a small church, but it's newly remodeled, and it's beautiful. The people there were just as friendly as could be, and there truly seemed to be a spirit of JOYFUL WORSHIP in that church.

To my surprise, all 3 of my kids jumped right up and went off to children's church with the other kids. I knew Rachel would go, but I wasn't so sure about Alex and Noah. All 3 went, and all 3 came back with BIG smiles, and a goody bag filled with candy and new school supplies!!! Needless to say, they are hoping that we plan to visit this church again! :) I'd love to do that too, we'll just have to see how the Lord leads.

I"ve got lots of thoughts about many different topics floating around in my little brain today, so check back later. I may have to blog some more just to help sort it all out. :)
Vicki

Friday, August 3, 2007

My Husband is out on a date.....

with our 7yo daughter!! LOL!

I believe the plan for their evening was dinner at a place of her choosing ( I"d bet she picked McDonald's) and a movie at the "cheap" movie place.

My husband does this every so often with all 3 of our kids, though when he takes our son out, they don't call it a "date", it's just "hanging out together".

I'm so thankful for a wonderful husband who will take the time to spend individual time with each one of our children, and for children who are genuinely excited about spending an afternoon or evening with Daddy.

I know that not every child is that fortunate. I have a teenage nephew who spends time with his father ( his parents are divorced) becaue he "feels like he should", but it's NOT something he looks forward to doing. It's such a shame, and it just breaks my heart.

In other happenings around here, we are just about ready to start school again. We will officially begin on Monday. Rachel wanted to start last week, and I thought about it, but I wanted to do a bit more de-cluttering and organizing in the house before we "dive in".

Rachel is excited about getting started, and so am I. I'm not sure about Alex and Noah, but hopefully they will get excited once we get started.

We are still "up in the air" about church. It is looking like my Dad may be pastoring again soon. I think that would be great. I wasn't terribly excited about the idea of my Dad starting a church "from scratch", because we've done that before, and it's really hard. But, it looks like he might be called to pastor an all ready established church in our area. I think that would be great.

Until we went to that small church last Wednesday night, I"d forgotten how nice it was to be in a church that had a "family" feel to it, and where the focus is on listening to what God has to say to us through His Word, and worshipping Him, not participating in this activity or that one. I'm thinking it would be really nice to get back to that.

Recently, I was talking with a friend of mine about another lady that we both know. My friend made the comment that maybe this lady was trying to get back to a time in her life when she felt closer to the Lord. It has dawned on me in the last couple of days that this is exactly what I'd like to do!!

It's not that I'm "miles away" from the Lord now, but I CAN remember a time when I felt a particularly "special" closeness to the Lord. I would love, love, love to get back to that~not only for myself, but for my family.

I know that the Lord hasn't moved anywhere~it's ME that has "wandered away". How wonderful it is to know that He is always right there, waiting to receive me with open arms, no matter how far away I've wandered. Oh, how I praise God for that!!
Vicki