We Need A Little Christmas, Right This Very Minute!!

I am taking this opportunity to thank God for giving me the perspective that I've needed over the last week or so.

There have been so many things that could have really left me "down in the dumps", but God is merciful, and He has instead allowed me to be encouraged, rather than discouraged, with recent circumstances.

I would have been really upset about the election results, but God graciously led me to a few Scriptures that encouraged me, including Jeremiah 29:11, reminding me that God has plans for me, and that His plans are for my good, not my harm, and Romans chapter 13, wich speaks of the fact that our leaders are placed in their positions BY GOD and can be used by Him as a minister for our good.

My husband has also been out of town for the last few days. He does not have to travel very often, and I HATE it when he does. The kids seem out of sorts, and everything just seems harder. It didn't help that he ended up having to stay one extra day all ready, and may have to stay even longer. But, God has used this time to remind me once again how much I appreciate my husband and all the things he does for me, for our kids, for our family. My husband is God's gift to me, and I will be SO glad when he is home!

I was even a little bummed about the holidays, and that is NOT like me at all. Then, God once again used His Word to encourage me~this time in the form of the Peanuts character Linus, who recites Luke chapter 2 during "A Charlie Brown Christmas'.

I had been wondering how in the world we could celebrate anything with finances being tight, and the country, in our opinion, going down the tubes. Then, as I sat and watched A Charlie Brown Christmas with my kids, it occured to me~this year, we have more to celebrate than ever!!

Of course, we have the "usual" things to be thankful for~my husband and I have a wonderful marriage that is the greatest treasure we possess, next to our salvation. We are blessed with 3 wonderful children, who are all healthy. I've been blessed with the calling to not only parent them, but also to homeschool them. We may not have everything we want, but we have everything we need.

As for the state of the country and the world, I am hopeful, looking forward to watching God bless and prosper His children regardless of their circumstances or surroundings. I am more thankful than ever that we have a soon-returning Savior who is going to take us out of this wicked, sin cursed world, and then return to rule and reign with the truth and justice that we all long for.

Knowing that, how can I do anything else BUT celebrate Thanksgiving, basking in all that He has done for me, and then revel in the joy of Christmas, celebrating the birth of my Saviour, who is in ultimate control, and has GREAT plans for me.

Even if you feel that you have nothing else to celebrate, let's celebrate Our Savior!!

So, let me be the first to say,

Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! and Happy New Year!

Vicki

They Just Didn't Know Any Better

I have often said that I am thankful for the fact that I attended Chrsitian schools, and that's true. I attended various christian schools from grade 1 to grade 12. My only experience with public school was in Kindergarten. And I AM thankful for that.

I am thankful for it because it gave me knowledge of the Bible that I would not have gotten from a public school. I was also taught subjects like science, history, and even math from a perspective that included God. That would not have happened in a public school. I also had less exposure to drugs, alcohol, and the like than I would likely have had in a public school. The christian school from wich I graduated was not free of those things, but they were less common there than in ps.

Still, my husband and I chose NOT to send our children to christian school. Furthermore, my own parents tell me now that if they had it to do over again, they would have chosen to homeschool me and my sisters. But, as my Mom says, they "just didn't know any better." My parents never heard of homeschooling and did not realize that there was such a thing until after I had graduated from high school.

In all honesty, I could not financially afford to put my kids in a christian school even if I wanted to. But the fact is that even if money were no object, I still wouldn't do it.

WHY?

Because the label "Christian" doesn't mean that every student, or even every teacher in that school is necessarily going to behave like a christian.

Don't get me wrong. I know that no one is perfect, and that everyone makes mistakes, including christians. But, my dh and I chose to keep our kids out of the school environment because .....

I was repeatedly made fun of by another student for being overweight. . .in a CHRISTIAN school.

I witnessed one girl being teased, hurt, and made fun of ALL through Junior High and High School. . .in a CHRISTIAN school.

I was repeatedly belittled, insulted, and once flat out accused of lying by a TEACHER. . .in a CHRISTIAN school.

I went to the principal about this teacher, and was told that *I* should change my behavior so that the teacher would no longer have cause to speak to me as she did . . .by the PRINCIPAL, in a CHRITIAN school.

My parents wrote a letter to the principal regarding the situation with the teacher, and it was completely ignored. . . in a CHRISTIAN school.

Sadly, it wasn't just me. I saw it happen to friends too. I had friends who violated school policies (sometimes unintentionally) but even after sincere apologies, were not extended any grace or mercy, and others who were disciplined IN school for behavior that took place OUTSIDE school. . . in a CHRISTIAN school.

I'm afraid those reading this blog post are going to assume that I"m bitter. I can assure you, I"m not. I truly AM thankful for the education I received, for the good teachers I had ( and I did have SOME good ones!) and for the friends I made in school. But I thank God every day for introducing me and my husband to a homeschooling family, and for leading us to make the choice to homeschool our own children.

To any one considering educational choices for thier own children, I urge you to learn all you can, consider carefully, and pray about your decision. Don't just assume that because a school has the word CHRISTIAN in it's name that it's the best place for your children to spend the majority of their waking hours.

I know beyond any shadow of doubt that my parents made the best choice available to them at the time for my education. But now, my Dad is a pastor and a homeschooling advocate, and my Mom is homeschooling my nephew. They both will tell you now that they wish they had done the same for me. They just didn't know any better.

Blessings,
Vicki

Sometimes, That Still, Small Voice Is Really Loud!!

I am having a tough week. This weekend, my husband in being sent out of town to work on a special project for his full time job. That means he's going to miss a day on his part time job. So, he's working EXTRA hours at his pt job this week, to cover the housrs that he'll miss there on Friday. On top of that, we found out that we will have to pay the travel expenses up front, and be re-imbursed by the company later. It's nice that we'll be re-imbursed, but that meant we had to do some "budget juggling" to come up with the cash dh will need for the trip. UGH!

And, the cherry on top of all of this is that dh has a new supervisor on his full time job. Dh currently works 6am to 2pm. The new manager is considering the possibility of changing their hours to 3am to 11am, or 5am to 1pm!! Ugh, Ugh, and UGH!!! But, that isn't definite yet, so we're praying the new guy will leave the 6am to 2pm thing alone.

I am not able to drive, so dh being gone more than usual this week, and the fact that he will be gone all weekend means I've been doing a lot of schedule juggling, and jumping through hoops to arrange transportation to places we needed to go. So, I've been a little tense. Not TERRIBLY so, but a little more tense than I would normally be. Yesterday morning, I was absolutely ready to hang my 6yo son from the ceiling fan by his toes!!!

He not only balked at EVERYTHING I asked him to do, but he was CONSTANTLY underfoot in the kitchen asking if he could help with the cooking that I was trying to get done. I let him pour and stir a couple of things, then tried to "shoo him off" again. It didn't work. Finally, in frustration, I said to my son "How come you're so eager to "help" me in the kitchen, but you won't do the things that I actually ASK you to do?!" He gave me his silly grin and mumbled something about helping in the kitchen being more fun, but I barely heard him, because as soon as my question left my mouth, I could hear the still, small voice of the Lord in my ear. But this time, it was more like a shout, saying, Yes, that's a GOOD question!! Why DO you want to help in the ways YOU want to help, but you balk at doing what I ASK you to do?"

Whoa. How right on is that? How often do I find myself thinking"Oh, sure, I don't mind going to church to worship the Lord, and I don't mind tithing, and I'll even sing in church, but Lord, I am so tired, and I sure wish it wasn't my trun to teach in Children's Church today!" Or, "Lord, I don't mind tithing, but I sure wish you'd give me liberty to work outside my home so we could have more money. Other people do it, Lord, why can't I?"

I am, put simply, a spiritual whiner. I WANT to serve the Lord, and I WANT to be faithful, and I WANT to bring glory to God, but the truth is, I want to do it the way *I* want to do it, not neccesarily the way God ASKS me to serve Him.

I expect my children to help me by doing ALL that I ask of them, not just the things they WANT to do. God expects NOTHING LESS of me. Wow. That still, small voice really shouted this time. I need to take stock and be sure that I'm doing all that He asks of me, and not just picking and choosing how I serve Him. I want to OBEY, not just pick and choose how I will serve the Lord.
In Him,
Vicki

Goats, Horses, and Donkeys, Oh My!!

I was going through old post on my blog, from before the time I started importing them to Facebook, and I thought I'd repost a few of my favorites. I'm reposting this one for my friend John, who loves my goat stories, but wanted some new material~so, here ya go, John, I"ll throw in some donkeys and horses for you :)

When I was 17 or 18 years old and moved with my parents from the city to the small town in wich we now live, I used to say that it felt like living in Mayberry, like the Andy Griffith Show. Lately, it feels more like Green Acres! Or the Beverly Hillbillies!!

Yesterday morning, around 11 or so, I am talking to a friend on the phone. I actually had to interrupt the conversation to say to my friend "I'm sorry, I"ll have to call you back. I need to call our neighbor around the corner and let him know that HIS DONKEYS ARE IN MY YARD!!

Now, you must understand that growing up a "sophisticated city kid" as I did, I NEVER thought I would EVER be saying to ANYONE "I'll have to call you back, there are donkeys in my yard!!"

This was around 11am. Around noon, the 2 donkeys wandered up our neighbor's driveway and disappeared behind thier house. I don't know WHAT was back there, but we didn't see those donkeys again until about 3:30 or so. Then, there they were again, across the road in our neighbor's driveway.

At this point, Fred, our pet goat, is having an absolute FIT, either because of the donkeys wandering around, or maybe because my kids were out in the yard keeping watch to see what would happen, and proceeded to yell and carry on every time the donkey's wandered to a new spot.

These donkeys belong to a man who lives behind us, but he keeps them on his grandfather's property, wich is right behind my parents house. When my kids are at my parents, or at my sister's hosue (sis lives next door to Mom and Dad) they would often go the fence and pet the donkeys, feed them, etc,. so they feel rather attatched to these donkeys, and my 8yo was scared that one of them was going to get in the road and get hit. So, I spend my afternoon dealing with excitable, hyped up children, and an agitated goat. Then, around 4 or so, the REAL entertainment began when several guys showed up to try to wrangle these donkeys and get them back where they belong.

I swear, it was just like an episode of the old Gree Acres tv show! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!! There were 2 men, a woman, and at one point, a teen aged boy all out there with ropes, trying to corral these donkeys. I think they also had a bag of carrots, with wich to entice the donkey's to come to them.

I was trying to make dinner, so I couldn't just stand there and watch the whole thing. But, I watched when I could, through the picture window in my living room. At one point, I look out the window and I see a man leading one of the donkeys by a rope, so I'm thinking, "Good, they finally caught one of them!" The next time I look out the window, that same man is once again chasing that SAME donkey up the road!! ROFLOL!! The next time I look out, there are NO people in my sight, but in the neighbors driveway stand the 2 donkey's AND A HORSE!! LOL!! I STILL have no clue where that horse came from!!LOL!

When I left my house at 6:25 or so to go to a Bible study that meets at my sister's house, I think one donkey was still loose. When the Bible study ended about 8:30 or so, my nephew reported that both donkeys were FINALLY back inside the fence where they belong.

I tell you, I"m still not sure if I live in Mayberrry or Hooterville ( or whatever the name of the town on Green Acres is) but whatever you call this place, it's certainly never dull!!!

Btw, if you find yourself entertained by this story, take a look through my blog archives for "Our First Goat Adventure" and I"m sure you'll laugh yourself silly!
Vicki

Good Grief, Christians, GROW UP!!

2 Peter 20, 21 ( KJV)~Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in the old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.


Why, oh, WHY dont' more christians read, and GET these verses?

About 2 years ago, I discovered an online forum composed largely of christian homeschooling Moms. Since I am a christian homeschooling Mom, I was thrilled to find this forum, and to be able to go there with and get advice on various questions and concerns. I visited the foum quite a bit and read a lot of the messages, though I didn't post very often.

Then, I messed up. I had the NERVE ( please note the sarcasm here :)) to say that while God has called me to be a full time home maker and homeschooling Mom and I am thrilled with that calling, perhaps He has not called EVERY Mom to that same thing. This statement caused a bit of a firestorm on the board, and I see this morning that the entire thread has been removed. Whatever!

Let me be clear here. I think EVERY mother's priorities should be God, Family, Church Family, then Job or Activities, or whatever God has called her to~in that order. I just happen to believe that it IS posible for a woman to have her priorites in that order and STILL work outside her home. I"m sure it's hard, but it IS possible! I , personally, don't think that *I* could do it, but I know that if God calls a woman to a job outside her home, HE is much more than capable of equipping her to do that job along with all the other things He has called her to do.

Sadly, the "tone" on the board I used to visit was one of "Mom's who work outside their home can't possibly be the Moms they should be" and "Mom's with outside jobs can't possibly be in the center of God's will". There were only a couple of instances in which things like this were actually said, but the whole tone of the board supports this view.

I'm sorry, but these people need cut some spiritual teeth, and do some growing up!!

Yes, Titus 2 tells women to be "keepers of the home"~but why insist that one can't work ouside the home and still keep her home as a haven for her family? Why sell God short and say that He can't enable a Mom to do this? Yes, it's HARD, but who are we to say that God can't give a Mom the strength to do it?

Since this discussion began online 2 or 3 days ago, I have read and re-read Proverbs 31 many times. I believe the Proverbs 31 woman worked outside her home. The King James says that she "considereth a field and buyeth it"~ well, she can't very well consider a field if she doesn't go see it!! It also says that she "bringeth her food from afar" and that she "sells girdles in the marketplace" so she must be going somewhere to get her food, and she must be going to the marketplace, and spending time there selling her wares.

The comment was made on the discussion board that buying and selling fields, making and selling girdles and gathering food were all things that this woman could do at home. I just don't see that. How can she "consider a field" at home? How can she sell in the marketplace if she's at home? That just doesn't make sense.

I"m just going to be blunt, since I'm here on my own blog, and say that what happened is this~a few ladies who feel that the call God has placed on THEIR lives MUST be the same call that He has placed on EVERY mother's life have fallen into condemning working mothers.

I am not a working mother, at least in the sense that I don't work outside my home. A good many of my friends are NOT working mothers. But some of them are, and you know what? They have handled their need to work skillfully, and with much prayer, and God IS enabling them to work and still be great Moms! Some of them are even working Moms who homeschool! Both my sisters are working mothers~one because she is a single Mom and has no choice, and the other because her dh insists that she work, so she also has no choice. They are NOT out of the will of God, and they ARE great Moms.

I choose to be a stay at home Mom. I WISH that all Moms could be stay at home Moms. But atht is NOT God's calling for EVERY woman, and I hope and pray that I never fall into the lifestyle of condemning other christians because they make choices that are different from my own. I wish that every christian could see that God doesn't lead every one of His children down the same path.

Believing that everyone is supposed to do everything YOUR way is a sign of spiritual toddler-hood. It's time for a lot of Christians to put down their bottle of milk, take a few bites of some meat, and start growing up!

Vicki

So Long, Skip~

There are many things that I considered blogging about tonight, but since I've devoted other posts here to some of my baseball heroes, I couldn't let the night pass without paying homage to a genuine "character", Atlanta Braves broadcaster Skip Caray.

The soundtrack of my childhood includes the sounds of many, many Atlanta Braves games on television. My grandfather was a huge fan, and he passed that love of baseball along to, not his son, as most would assume, but to his daughter in law, my Mom. Some of my very earliest memories include the sound of a ball thumping into a cathchers glove, the crack of a bat connecting with a ball, and the voices of Pete Van Wieren and Skip Caray on TBS, and on Braves radio.

Those two voices, so very familiar to me, were a comfort to me the way a lullabye or a familiar song is a comfort to some children. In the "old days" when the Braves team of broadcasters would call half a game in the tv booth and the other half from the radio booth, my Mom and I used to watch half the game on tv, then, for the second half, mute the sound on the tv and turn on the radio so that we could hear Skip and Pete for the whole game.

Skip's sarcastic humor and dry wit could make even a rain delay, or a Braves loss, fun to listen to. When the Braves weren 't playing, I could always flip over the WGN and listen to Skip's Dad, Harry Caray, calling the games for the Cubs as only he could do. I loved listening to Harry and to Skip because I knew that they would make me smile.

I was surprised and saddened to learn that Skp Caray passed away in his sleep on Sunday afternoon, leaving behind a wife, four adult children, sevem grandchildren, and thousands upon thousands of fans.

I am not generally an "emotional" person, and I'm definitely not one to put my emotions on display. I am not a person to whom tears come easily. Even so, I couldn't help having to wipe my eyes when the Braves broadcast of tonights game, during wich they did a fine job of paying
tribute to Skip, ended with Skip's smiling face on the screen, and his deeply familiar voice giving his trademark sign off of "So long, everybody."

So long, Skip.

Vicki

This was originally written 2 years ago, when Skip Caray passed away, but I see on Facebook this morning that many folks are responding to Chip Caray's Fathers Day tribute to his Dad, so I thought I'd repost this :)

My Turning The Tables Fantasy

I would never do this to anyone in real life. It just wouldn't be nice. But, in recent weeks, I have had the misfortune to be around people who think it's okay to give me flack about the fact that we homeschool our kids.

If you've ever homeschooled, you know what I"m talking about. The questions and comments like "Don't they want to make friends?" "What about socialization?" "I couldn't stand being with my kids all day." "How can you teach high school courses?" "Are you STILL homeschooling?" and on and on it goes.

Just once, just ONE time, I would LOVE to be able to walk up to a person whose kids are in traditional school and say "Oh, you're kids can ONLY make friends at school? What a shame!" Or, "Oh, my, how difficult it must be for your children, since they only know age-segregated, artificial socialization! I don't know how you cope with that!" Or, "Oh, you don't enjoy being around your children? How very sad!" Or, "Oh, you mean you DON'T learn along WITH your children?!! Really?! Imagine that!" Or, "Oh, your children are STILL in school? Aren't you going to homeschool this year?"

I won't ever do it. But it surely would be fun!! LOL
Vicki

Masterpiece in Progress

The young man was a hometown hero. He had a passion for the game of baseball, and was blessed with athletic talent to go along with it. In high school, he was the "wonder boy"~an amazing athlete, destined for the Big Leagues. His family, his coaches, and indeed his whole hometown celebrated when the young man was chosen in the first round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft.

But, the young man had a secret that no one knew. By 2001, his promising career had fizzled, and he had dropped out of baseball all together. Why? The stronghold of drug and alcohol addiction had squeezed everything else out of his life.

By 2003, the young man had given rehab a try, more than once. He even met a girl, and got married. But there was something important missing from those rehab programs, and they didn't "take". In 2004, his wife left him. The couple did not divorce, but the young man was forbidden to see his wife, step daugther, and his own young daughter until he could "get his act together."

Then, in 2005, an amazing and wonderful thing happened. The young man finally found that "missing piece"~he met the Lord, and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He has been clean and sober since that day, has re-united with his wife and children.

Fast forward to July 14, 2008. The young man's baseball career is not only back on track, but flourishing. He is a full fledged memeber of a Major League Baseball team. He's having a GREAT season, and has been chosen by the fans to represent his team in the All Star Game. He has also accepted an invitation to participate in the 2008 Home Run Derby, a home run hitting contest that raises money for charity.

The young man is Josh Hamilton, rookie outfielder for the Texas Rangers. Last night, he set a new Home Run Derby record by hitting 28 home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby. He will have the honor of being a starter for the American League All Star team, and has a good shot at being the 2008 Rookie of the Year.

When asked by a reporter if he had any parting thoughts after last night's derby, Josh replied, "I just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for making it possible for me to even be here tonight. I am amzed at the work that God has done, and is doing, in my life, and I hope that I have brought some honor and glory to Him tonight."

How much easier my own life would be if I simply lived in light of the realization that I am a work in progress. God is the ulimate artist, so I can rest assured that when He is done, His work will be a Masterpeice.

My job is to bring honor and glory to Him from down here on His potter's wheel.

Dont give up. Don't throw up your hands and quit. You are a work of art. You are being molded and formed into His Masterpiece. Praise His Holy Name!

Vicki

What Is Your Parental Batting Average?

It's a shame that we can't all be professional baseball players! Why, you ask? Well, think about this. If a baseball player goes to the plate 10 times and only gets 5 hits, that's a .500 batting average, which is absolutely UN~HEARD OF!!

The best hitter in the Major Leagues right now is Chipper Jones, third basemen for the Atlanta Braves. He currently has a .400 batting average.

A .400 batting average means that Chipper gets a hit 40% of the time. That, of course, means that he does NOT get a hit 60% of the time. THAT is why we should all be baseball players! In what other job can you mess up 60% of the time, and still be the best in your field?!

But, I"m not a professional baseball player. I"m a parent. I wonder what my "parental batting average" looks like in God's record book?!

I"m not saying that we, as parents, should aim for .400, mess up 60% of the time, and be content with that. But, we will all have a lot more joy and peace if we head to the plate realizing that we are NOT going to bat .1000.

Don't throw the bat away in disgust and knock over the dugout cooler when you strike out as a parent. Just go to your manager ( God) and ask His advice ( through prayer and Bible reading) then, when you head back to the plate, take your cut and swing for the fences :) You won't bat .1000, but you'll get enough hits to keep that average up there! :)
Have a great day!
Vicki

A Letter To Me

I heard a song recently, in which the singer speaks of what he would say if he could write a letter and send it back in time to himself at age 17. I was inspired to give it a try.



Lets see...my 17th birthday fell on the last day of school of my Junior year in high school, so my 17th year included my last summer between school years, and my Senior year of high school. Looking back now, I would say....



Dear Blessed,

You have absolutley no idea how truly blessed you are!! But, you are also completely unable to see that right now.



This terrible thing that happened to your family, the lies that caused your whole world to change, WILL pass. I promise, it WILL get better. Just trust the Lord. Stay in your Bible each day, and pray. What God has in store for you and your family is so much better than what you have lost!!!



Now, on to more practical things. Be thankful for J. She is a TRUE and dear friend, and her friendship is something you will come to treasure throughout your life.



PLEASE don't be a mouse. Give that guy who insults you when he sees you in the halls at school a piece of your mind. DON'T let anything he says bother you in the least. He has absolutely NO character. It shows now, but his adult life will bear this out even more.



?? IS an adult, and your teacher, so it's GOOD that you show her respect because of that, but PLEASE understand, her opinion of you does not have to be, and SHOULD NOT influence your opinion of yourself. Her opinion is just that~an opinion, and nothing more. Trust me, once you graduate, every day you will care less and less what she thinks, and you will know that the words she said to you mean nothing.



Say thanks to RJ and JC. Their wonderful influence on you will be there throughtout your life.



Don't trust any person more than you trust the Lord. People will fail you. HE won't.



Skip the Junior/Senior Banquet. In a word? LAME!!

B doesn't seem like such a nice guy right now, but when he grows up, he actually GROWS UP for real, and he's a good friend. Be sure to smile and say hello when you see him.

Give E a little more of your time and attention. She really needs a friend.

A lot of people will tell you that these are "the best years of your life". Trust me, they are SO NOT!!

The Lord has chosen a wonderful man to be your husband. It will take some patience, but when you find him, you'll KNOW.

Don't take that first job that you are offered. You would be better off never to have had the other people who work there in your life.

Take it easy, enjoy today, and don't sweat it. These may not be the BEST years of your life, but they'll be full of some great memories that will bring you smiles later on.

Oh, and by the way, DON'T rent Dirty Dancing when you invite the kids from church over. Daddy WON'T take too kindly to that! :)

Love,
ME

One More Story About My Nana

I just have to share this story. I was there when this happened, but I had forgotten about it until my Dad told this story during Nana's funeral yesterday.

If you know me IRL and have met my Dad, you know that he is quite "a character". He loves to amuse and entertain people, and he LOVES a good practical joke. But, when it comes to practical jokes, my Dad met his match 18 years ago when he met Nana.

I'm not sure how it all got started, but during the first 2 or 3 years that Papa and Nana were married, my Dad and Nana got into a little friendly competition of sorts, trying to see who could give each other the WORST Christmas gift. They would buy each other the cheapest, ugliest, most worthless thing they could possibly find, wrap in something awful, like the label off a can, or some toilet paper, and present their gifts to each other every Christmas.

I think the "object" of this game was to get the other person to FINALLY say "Oh, my word, that is the UGLIEST thing I have EVER seen!" or " Where in the world did you go shopping, the dump?" but neither of them would crack!
Nana would give Daddy the ugliest tie on earth, or a hideous hat, and he would put it on immediately, and wear it for the rest of the day. Daddy would give Nana some trinket that looked like it had been run over by a truck, or a wall hanging that looked like a pit bull had used it as a play toy, and Nana would exclaim that it was beautiful, and immediately put it on display. Neither one would "give in" to the other.

Last year, 4 or 5 months before Christmas, Daddy lost his favorite jacket. My Daddy loses things quite often, so none of us were terribly concerned about his jacket, as we asssumed it would turn up somewhere, sooner or later. But, Daddy really like this jacket, so he looked for it EVERYWHERE. He turned his house upside down, and even looked at my house and my sisters house. He tried to remember when the last time was that he remembered having the jacket, and attempted to retrace his steps, but he never did find that jacket. Finally, he gave up, and bought another jacket, but every time he wore it, he complained about how he just didn't like it as much as the one he'd lost.

When Christmas came around, we went to visit Papa and Nana. Nana opened Daddy's ugly little present for her, and proudly displayed it on her living room shelf. Then, she slipped out of the room. The children continued opening their presents, with much oohing and aahhing, but everyone got quiet when Nana walked back into the room with a big, beautiful box.

This box had been wrapped in gorgeous paper, complete with ribbon and bows. It looked lovely! Daddy, having expected something wrapped in toilet paper, was, for once, speechless. He began to open the box, looking quite confused. Then, he opened and looked inside, still not saying a word. No one else could yet see what was in that box. It seemed that Nana had finally "gotten" Daddy by letting him present her with his piece of junk, then giving him a "real" present!

The look on Daddy's face was priceless as he stared into that box and said "Well, Jeanette, I don't know what to say! What a nice jacket!"
Nana had a huge grin on her face and looked as if she were about to bust.
For my part, for just a minute, I was disappointed. What on earth was up with Nana giving Daddy a "real" present? That's no fun!

Then, Daddy slowly began to lift the jacket out of the box and hold it up for everyone to see. The room erupted in laughter as we all took a look. And we laughed even harder when it took several minutes for Daddy to be the last one to realize that he was sitting there holding HIS OWN JACKET, that he'd driven himself crazy over for the last several months!!! LOL!!

He'd left it at Papa and Nana's house, and instead of returning it, she decided to keep it and wrap it up for Christmas. Daddy had no choice but to admit defeat. Nana had gotten him, and she had gotten him good. I know she relished the moment when he stood and bowed to her, and decleared himself conquered by the joke master.

I don't know if the Lord ever lets His saints see what's going on down here on earth once they are in heaven, but if He ever does, I KNOW Nana was grinning again as Daddy told that story during her funeral yesterday.

You got him, Nana, and you got him GOOD! LOL!

Vicki

A Few More Reasons to Homeschool

If I want to, I can call a "snow day", whether it's snowing or not!

We have a school holiday on OUR birthdays, and not necessarily on the birthdays of past presidents or other political figures.

Vacations in May and September are WONDERFUL!

The only time my children raise their hands is when they are trying to reach something on a high shelf.

My children are allowed to go to the restroom without announcing to the whole class that that's what they need to do.

Bugs that you find in your front yard are WAY more interesting than pictures of bugs in science text books.

I get to be teacher, lunch lady, guidance counselor, AND recess monitor!

I get to talk to myself and call it a "parent-teacher conference". :)

Vicki

Ya Gotta Love This Guy....

Even if you're not a baseball fan!!

Last summer, I wrote a post on this blog titled "Getting There By A Different Route". In it, I shared the story of Rick Ankiel, a former St Louis Cardinals pitcher who blew out his elbow, lost his spot on the team, then went home and worked hard to re-invent himself as a hitter. The following season, he re-joined the Cardinals, this time as an outfielder. He brought a lot of folks to tears when he hit a home run during his first game back.

I've watched Ankiel since then, in part to see if he really is going to "make it" as an outfielder, or if last season was just a "fluke".

Well, this is no fluke. This guy has a determination that is just amazing, and it seems to show in EVERYTHING he does! Last night, he fought off SEVENTEEN pitches from a Milwaukee Brewers pitcher before finally taking a walk to first base!!

If you're not much of a baseball fan, you may realize the significance of that. A walk, aka a free pass to first base, is given to a hitter when a pitcher throws him 4 pitches out of the strike zone.

Many times, a hitter will swing at a ball and foul it off. After 2 strikes, these foul balls no longer count against the hitter, so a hitter can "stay alive" in the at-bat by fouling off pitches.

A good hitter will do this when he gets a pitch that he knows won't go very far, but he can't just let it go by him, or he'll strike out, so he has to at least "get a piece of it" and foul it off. It is not unusual for a pitcher to throw 6 or 7 pitches to a hitter before the hitter either strikes out, gets a hit, or is walked. A 10 pitch at-bat is pretty unusual.

A 17 pitch at bat like the one Ankiel had last night is EXTRAORDINARY, and shows great patience and determination on his part. He simply would not give up! He worked a walk to first base, and a few minutes later trotted across home plate when one of his team mates hit a double.
The Cardinals won the game.

After the game, in answer to a reporter's questions, Ankiel said, "I just didn't want to strike out. Striking out doesn't help my team, and helping my team to win is what I'm here to do."

Even if you hate baseball, you gotta love this guy!!

Vicki

Your Math Lesson Is Done, So Stop Jumping On The Bed!!

Yes, I said those words to my son this morning, and when it came out, it sounded so odd, I just had to laugh. My son, who is in K, is practicing counting to 100 without stumbling over a few of the numbers, as he does now. Simply asking him to count to 100 usually leads to a battle of wills between the two of us. So, instead, I told him he could jump on my bed, and we would count the jumps together.

He was more than willing to go along with this, and both his sisters asked for a turn as well, so he got to practice counting to 100 3 times instead of just one!

I've been letting my daughter re-inforce her grammar lessons by using Mad Libs. Today, I decided we would do this together. When my daughter does these alone, she tends to "cheat" and read the whole story before filling in the blanks. It still helps to re-inforce grammar and parts of speech, but the game isn't as much fun that way.

So today, I held the Mad Lib book, and simply took turns asking each child to give me a noun, verb, adjective, etc., THEN we read the funny stories. I"m not "trying" to teach my Kindergartner grammar just yet, but he did NOT want to be left out of this game, so now, as a "bonus", he has learned what a noun is, what a verb is, and what an adjective is. A good time was had by all :)

Dh has changed his work routine yet again, but only a little bit this time, and for the better. He doesn't come home at 2:15 every afternoon anymore. He has gotten permission to clock in at his second job one hour earlier. This allows him to go straight from his first job to his second job, and get home each evening at 6:30 instead of 7:30. That allows us to have dinner a little earlier, and gives us a little bit more family time in the evenings.

In another 6 weeks, dh will have a 12 week break from his second job. We are all looking forward to having him home at 2pm every day during the summer!!

That may seem kind of silly, and maybe it's corny, but I miss my husband when he's at work! I"ll be glad when he can have a break from having to work such long days. I'm very thankful that after almost 14 years of marriage, I still miss my hubby when he's at work :)
Vicki

Thank you, Lord, For The Weekends

In light of my last 2 rather whiny posts, I thought I"d share something good. Actually, I thought I'd all ready blogged about this, but I don't see the post here, so I must be thinking of the email I sent my sister.

Anyway, the Lord blessed us with a wonderful time this past weekend. We thought dh was going to have to work on Saturday, but he ended up getting the day off. We spent a pleasant morning at home, with dh playing with the kiddos while I got a few things done.

Then, we decided to go and eat somewhere before heading out to the circus. We tried a new Mexican restaraunt, and for the first time in a long time, we actually ate at a place that all 5 of us really liked!! Nice atmosphere, good service, GREAT food, and not too expensive! We will definitely be eating there again soon!

We had some extra time before the circus, and we were very near where I lived as a child, so we took the kids by to see the where I used to live. I made an interesting discovery there about a patch of monkey grass, which I will write about in my next post.

We headed off to the circus, and found a great parking space, very near the gate where our seats were located. The children got to take an up close look at the animals during the pre-show, and we all enjoyed the show VERY much. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful time, and some great memories. I am so thankful.

This weekend, we are looking forward to (hopefully) a day off from BOTH jobs for dh, and an evening out with friends. We hope that Saturday will be a day we can just spend together at home as a family, and we are looking forward to an awesome worship service Sunday morning, and a great Bible study Sunday evening.

Don't you just love weekends? :)

Vicki

Quote of the Day

Never let schooling interfere with your education.
~Winston Churchill~

Isn't that the truth?!!


Vicki

Thank you, Hank!!

I want to tell you about my friend Hank. Hank is 86 years old. He is a father of 2, grandfather of 4, and proud great grandfather of 1. Hank loves to talk about his children, his grandchildren, his beautiful little great granddaughter, and his beloved wife Betty, who passed away about 5 years ago.

But, those aren't the best parts of Hank's story. This afternoon, I had the blessing of being able to spend a couple of hours talking with Hank, and listening to his stories.

Hank is a former Prisoner of War. He was held captive by German soldiers for 4 months during World War 2. His survival is a miracle any way you look at it, but ESPECIALLY when you consider the fact that Hank is Jewish.

I don't mean that Hank has an ancestor somewhere in his background that was Jewish. Hank is absolutely, 100%, a direct descendant of the tribe of Benjamin. Six million of his Jewish brothers and sisters did NOT survive World War 2. The fact that Hank did is a miracle. But, as you listen to Hank tell his story, he will assure you that his survival of WW2 is NOT the greatest miracle he ever experienced.

Hank will tell you, quite enthusiastically, that the greatest miracle he ever experienced happend when, at the age of 83, he accompanied his son, daughter in law, and 2 granddaughters to church. As the preacher preached that day, the words suddenly began to make sense to Hank. The words from that King James Bible, given to him by a dear friend, that he's been reading at home, suddenly became very clear to him. When the pastor gave the invitation that day, then asked anyone who'd like to be saved to please come forward, Hank jumped up, shouted, "I want to be saved!" and RAN down that aisle!!

I got to hear the story again today~about the German stalag, the awful prison camp where Hank spent 4 months being beaten and starved. About all the ups and downs of life that came to Hank after that. And finally, about the glorious day when the Lord saved Hank's soul. I haven't enjoyed anything that much in a long time.

So, I just want to say thank you, Hank. Thank you for walking, for four days straight, with no food, and a German soldier pointing a gun at your head. Thank you for the four days you spent crammed onto a boxcar, one of 60 crammed into a space meant for no more than 40.

Thank you for those days when you got nothing but canned soup and a piece of bread. Thank you for those days, and there were many of them, when you got no food at all. Thank you for the scars you still carry from the beatings you took. Thank you for the 4 months you spent watching your friends die, and not knowing if you would live from one day to the next.
Because of the sacrifices you made, I have grown up in a free country. My children have never had to watch their father go off to war. We will all sleep safely tonight, because of the sacrifices you made then.

Thank you for hanging on back then, in spite of the fear you must have felt. Thank you for sharing your story with me now. Thank you for ending your story with your salvation experience, and for the absolute joy you show when you share it.

You make me proud to be an American, Hank, and even more proud to be a Christian. Thank you, my friend.

Vicki

Our First Goat Adventure

So, our baby goat finally arrived today. He IS cute, and my kids loved him immediately. For all of about a half hour.

The gentleman who gave him to us brough him over today, and put him in the pen my husband built. There was some concern that the spacing in the fencing material that my dh used may have been too big, leaving spaces big enough for the goat to get out. So, our friend Tony, ( who does great yardwork for us, by the way) stuck around for about 20 minutes, watching the goat, and telling me how to take care of him.

During that time, the goat pushed his head through some of the spaces in the fence~this happened no less than 4 times, maybe more, while Tony was still here. EVERY time, Tony would watch him and then say "I believe he'll be all right. I don't believe he can get out of there. He's done got too big to get out of there." Yes, Tony is as redneck as they come, and proud of it! :)

So, after Tony left, the children and I stayed out by the goat's pen and watched him play for another 15 or 20 minutes. Then we came inside. After only about 10 minutes, I realized that I could no longer hear the goat. He had been bleating constantly up until that point. So, we went back outside. NO GOAT!

But, Tony said that he would probably sleep soon, and he is little, so I just assumed he had laid down in some of the brush that we're hoping he'll eat, and gone to sleep. The children accepted this explanation, but they were still uneasy about the possible whereabouts of their new pet.

I called my dh at work and told him that I wasn't sure the goat was in his pen, and I was going out there to have a look. Dh said if the goat wasn't there, to call Tony back, and if Tony could find him, have Tony take him back until we can fix a fence that the goat can't get out of.

So, I go outside and check the pen. NO GOAT. My kids, who were hoping that the goat was just asleep, realized that he was actually gone and started to get upset.

I herded the kids back into the house and turned on the tv, hoping to distract them, all the while grumbling to myself about all the awful things I'd like to do to my dh for bringing this dad~blasted goat here in the first place. I call my dh back and tell him that the goat is DEFINITELY not in his pen.

Then, I heard what sounded like a car stopping outside our house, so I opened my back door to see what was going on. A car has stopped in the middle of the road, a little way up from our house. A woman gets out of a small car, and has a conversation with another woman who happens to be walking along the side of the road. I have no clue what this is about until I hear one of them say "Is it your goat?" and then "Well, at least it's out of the road now".

I'm now standing in my backyard, yelling, and waving my arms, trying to get the attention of either one of these women, but they don't hear me. The lady in the car gets in and turns in to a nearby driveway, and the other lady continues to walk along the side of the road, walking away from my house.

My dh calls back and tells me that since we cannot find Tony's phone number anywhere, he is going to call his friend Harold, who lives near us. He's thinking that perhaps Harold can ride around a bit and see if he can find this blame goat before it gets run over.

While I"m still on the phone with my dh ( and still mulling over the possibility of doing him bodily harm when he gets home) my Dad pulls into my driveway with my 16yo nephew AND my 86yo grandmother, both of whom want to see the baby goat!!!

A minute later, dh's friend Harold also pulls into the driveway. I introduce my Dad to our friend Harold. I guess my Mama taught me well, because even when I'm stressed and plotting my husband's demise, I still remember to politely introduce the two of them.

So, Dad, with grandma and nephew in the car, drives up and down the road a bit to see if he can see the goat anywhere. I explain to Harold about the car I had seen that stopped in the road, and the general area where the car turned into a drive way. There is someone up there that has goats, I know, because we hear them from time to time. Harold agrees to go take a look.

About 20 minutes later, there is a knock on our living room window. I look up, and there's our little goat, safe and sound in Harold's arms. As we all rush outside so that the kids can pet the goat and I can offer my thanks to Harold, I reach up to pet the little pain and realize that he's wearing A COLLAR!!

I asked Harold, what in the world is he doing with a collar on? Harold, who finds this entire situation VERY funny, said that when he pulled into the lady's driveway to ask her if she'd found a goat, she was on her front porch with the GOAT ON A LEASH, and her phone in her hand, calling around to ask various neighbors if they'd lost a goat!!

She is indeed the owner of the goats that we ocassionally hear when we are out in the yard. So, at least the silly goat went to the right place!!

Harold very kindly offered to return the goat to Tony for a day or two until my dh can fix the fence so that the goat can no longer get out of it.

All I can say is, it's a good thing for that dang goat that IS so stinkin' cute, or we'd likely be having barbequed goat for dinner tonight!! :) :)

Goat or no goat, I am, as always,
Blessed Beyond Measure

They Say That When Life Hands You Lemons.....

you should make lemonade. I have a bit of a twist on that.

When someone give you a goat, make a unit study!

Yep. That's right. I said a GOAT. A friend of my dh's asked him if we'd like a goat to eat up some of the brush on our property, and dh said yes!!

My comment was "Oh, good grief, why don't you just paint a big ole sign that says REDNECKS LIVE HERE and hang it on the house?" My Dad said " He IS putting out a sign~he's putting a goat in the yard!'

My Dad finds this entire situation hilarious! I"m glad somebody does! :)

I am less than thrilled about the idea of having a goat in our side yard, but the children LOVE the idea, and it WILL make an excellent science study!!

That's the lemonade that I'll squeeze out of this particular lemon :)

In His Love,
Vicki ( who married a redneck, loves him infinitely, and wouldn't have it any other way!)

Preparing My Fields For Rain

One of my all time favorie movies is Facing the Giants. My favorite scene from that movie is the one in which we see an older gentleman walking the halls of the school, praying for each student as he passes their locker.

He stops to talk with Coach Taylor. Coach Taylor shares with the man that he has been praying, but feels like God isn't hearing him, or isn't answering him. The gentleman shares with the Coach this story:

Once there were two farmers, both battling their way through a drought. Both farmers prayed for rain. However, only one farmer went out and tilled his field so that it would be ready to RECEIVE the rain. Which farmer had the greater faith?

I've asked the Lord for a lot of things lately. Last night, the Lord brought this story to my remembrance, and I began to wonder if I had prepared my fields to receive the rain that I've been praying for.

I've asked for healing for a family member with some medical issues. But do I worry, and doubt that the healing will come?

I've asked for financial relief~but do I follow God's plan for handling our finances?

I've asked for greater self discipline in certain areas of my life~but do I strengthen the mite of self discipline that I have by actually USING it?

A side note here~I cannot say that I have NO self discipline whatsoever. No christian can honestly claim that. If you are saved, you have the Holy Spirit. If you have the Holy Spirit, then you DO have the fruit of the Spirit within you. Part of that fruit is self control, or temperance, as it's called in the King James. It is THERE. God's Word says so. But it's up to each of us to take the self control He has given us and strengthen it by exercising it.

So, what do my fields look like?

Well, in the area of the health of my loved one, I simply pray for healing, telling my Heavenly Father, "Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief". I believe very strongly in praying Scripture back to the Lord.
Last night, I felt tremendous peace about my loved one's health. This morning, satan has tried to creep in again with doubts and fear. Praying and quoting this verse back to the Lord is restoring that peace.

To prepare our field to receive the Lord's financial blessings, we are tithing, and daily seeking God's direction in the use of our money. We are seeing wonderful blessings in this area. Yes, we still have some needs, but God has shown Himself faithful, and will continue to do so. For instance, we recently paid off our van~we are praising God for this more than you know~but we still have a need there, as the van needs about $2000 worth of work done on it! So, it looks like we will have more opportunities to prepare our field and wait for rain in this area.

In the area of self control~what I'm looking for here are the establishment of better habits for the health of myself and my family. We need healthier eating habits, certainly, and we need to be more physically active. Those areas are part of what I'm praying about. But, I"m also praying about establishing habits of spending time with God FIRST each morning, and teaching each of my children to spend time alone with God in addition to our family Bible reading and memorization. I need to teach my children to prioritize their work and other activities so that the most important things get done first. I believe it's best to teach by example whenever possible, so I am asking the Lord to help ME establish the habits that I need to have in place, and then to pass them on to my children.
For me, preparing my feild in this area means opening my Bible each morning BEFORE I read any emails. It means reaching for a bottle of water FIRST, and then maybe a can of Diet Coke later. :) It means eating ONLY out of physical hunger, and asking the Lord to show me when I'm eating for any other reason~boredom, sadness, or just plain old indulgence.

HE WILL send the rain. It's time for me to prepare my fields to receive it.

In His Love,
Vicki

Because Inquiring Minds Want to Know...Apparently

I've gotten several questions on the "10 Things...Just For Fun" post from a couple of days ago~so, here are some brief explanations.

My 8 trips to Walt Disney World~I visited the Magic Kingdom( the only park they had at the time) with my aunt when I was 6 or 7 years old, and I fell in love with the place. I visited there again at about age 10 when I tagged along with my Dad on a business trip in Orlando. That day at the Magic Kingdom with my Dad is one of my most treasured childhood memeories. I visited WDW again at about age 14, with my parents and a friend of mine. The next year, I went again, with just my parents. Then, dh and I spent a few days there on our honeymoon. We returned the following year, just for a couple of days. Then, in 2003, we spent a week there with our 3 kids. We did that again in 2005. We thought about going there again this spring, but we've decided to take a trip with my family to Myrtle Beach, SC instead.

A shrink wrap machine is the machine that seals things like cassette tapes, harcover books, and cd's in plastic before they are shipped to the stores.

I thought dh was a lot older than me because he's had gray in his hair since high school, and I thought he was married because the first time I saw him, he was with a girl, and I could have sworn I saw a ring on his hand~but that girl turned out to be his sister, and he wasn't wearing a ring.

It was my Mom who dared me to wear white high top tennis shoes under my wedding gown

The woman threatening to jump from a 3rd story window was a lady who was staying in the homeless shelter that my parents operated for 15 years. The night that happened, my Dad was out of town preaching somewhere, and my Mom was in bed, reovering from surgery.

The title of my Dad's book, Monkey Grass, came from the grass that was growing outside the office of the homeless shelter that we operated. The kids stomped on that stuff, yanked it up, trampled on it, and who knows what else, but no matter what, that stuff would NOT die! It just kept coming back, springing up out of the ground and growing, no matter what. Our family is like that too, doing our best to stand for the Lord, no matter what.

And there you have it....the rest of the story. :)
Vicki

POSITIVE Media Influence

We all know about the dangers we and our kids face from the media. It's so easy to watch seemingly "innocent" tv show and movies, and read what we're told are "good" books, and still have our minds filled with trash.

But not all of it is bad. There IS good media out there!! So, have you ever seen a movie, or read a book that REALLY stuck with you~ in a GOOD way?~ Here are some of mine:

Movies:
Facing The Giants
Flywheel
The Natural
Remember the Titans

Books:
Me? Obey Him? by Elizabeth Rice Handford
A Daily Rate by Grace Livingston Hill
The Book of Romance by Pastor Tommy Nelson ( based on Song of Solomon)
All 3 volumes in the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers

So, what about you? What books or movies have truly had a lasting, positive influence on your life? Leave a comment and share them with me.
Vicki

Fishers of Men

I heard yet another message this morning, from the pastor of a Baptist church, telling his congregation of the great need for change in the church~the need to become "relevant" so that the lost will come into the church, and thereby come to know Christ and be saved.

I understand what this pastor is trying to say. I just think he's misguided.

I am firmly convinced that winning the lost should NOT be the main goal of the church. The church's MAIN goal should be to edify and equip the believer to go out WHERE THE LOST ARE, and show them Christ, leading them to Him.

I think one reason that more people aren't being saved is that so many christians think that it's up to the church to win the lost. They seem to think that as long as they show up for worship services and participate in all the appropriate programs, they are doing their part to win the lost.

That is so sad. Jesus never called "the church" to win the lost. He called INDIVIDUALS to be "fishers of men". The christians who came together in the churches in the New Testament came together to WORSHIP and to ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER and GROW each other, so that they could go out and share the gospel with others through their daily lives. The Word of God tells us that HE "added to the church daily, such as should be saved". That indicates to me that they were saved first, THEN added to the church.

I feel strongly about this because I've seen the effects that this "the church must do whatever it can to bring in the lost" mindset can have, especially on children and young adults.

A church that I used to attend had a nice little youth group. The young people did things together~they went on outings, and they had a youth Bible study, and they fellowshipped together in the church's gym and game room. The thing that stood out to me and my husband about these young people is that they always looked nice~some of them wore jeans and t-shirts, but they were clean, neat, and always appropriate. Then, a new youth pastor took over. This youth pastor was, and is, a fine young man, who truly loves the Lord, and has a heart for ministry to teens. But, he had fallen under this misguided notion that the church, and particularly his youth group, needed to do "whatever it took" to bring in the lost so that they could hear about Jesus.

Soon, the youth activities and outings took on a much greater importance than the Bible studies. At first, a FEW young people came in in ripped, baggy jeans and dirty, wrinkled shirts. A FEW girls wore tight and/or revealing clothes. Before long, ALL the young people were coming in to church on Sunday morning looking like they had dressed in whatever clothes they had thrown on the floor on Saturday night. Soon, the young people stopped attending services in the main auditorium at all, and instead held seperate services in the youth area. It became like 2 seperate churches. It was really sad.

There were a few young people saved in the youth services, and I praise God for that. But what about the damage done to the other kids in the youth group? What about those who lost any reverence for the house of God, and who began to view church as a social activity, rather than a time to worship God? Would they not have been better off to be taught how to go out and share Christ with their friends, THEN invite them to church, rather than turning the church into a teen hangout just so the lost would "feel comfortable" coming there?

It is my conviction that a church full of saved people is the LAST place where a lost person should feel COMFORTABLE. They should come there NOT to feel comfortable, but to see what it is that these saved people have that is missing from their own lives. The church should be DIFFERENT enough to make them wonder about it!

It's just really sad that so many churches have become so conformed to the world that they don't look different any more.

Vicki

10 Things.....Just For Fun.

Someone asked me this in an email, but I thought I'd post it here, just for fun.

Name 10 Things You've Done that People Might Not Know About

1. I have visited Walt Disney World in Florida a total of 8 times.

2. I used to work as a shrink wrap machine operator.

3. I once worked as a Wal Mart cashier...and I HATED it!

4. The first time I ever saw my husband, I thought he was a lot older than me....and married! He was neither, by the way. :)

5. I was a bridesmaid for both my sisters, whose weddings were 4 weeks apart.

6. I got married wearing white high top sneakers under my wedding gown....on a dare.

7. I once talked a woman down from a 3rd story window, where she was threatening to jump.

8. I was voted Most Dependable in my Senior Class.

9. One of my favorite books to read is my Dad's unpublished autobiography, Monkey Grass.

10. I gave birth to our first child on the 5th anniversary of our first date.

Vicki

I Don't Want it Anymore, Lord!!

I have, for SO long, paid lip service to the fact that myself, and all that I have, belongs to the Lord. While I've always SAID that, I don't know that I"ve really, truly, deep down, BELIEVED it.

It's a fact that our actions will follow our beliefs. Our actions will not necessarily follow what we SAY we believe. They will follow what we TRULY believe.

I know, on some level, that all that I have belongs to God, and that He is in ultimate control of everything. But, there MUST be a part ofme that doesn't truly BELIEVE that, because I continue to stubbornly insist on trying to control things myself. And you know what? It's exhausting! And? I"m done.

Lord,
I"ve paid You lip service for too long. My life belongs to you, yet I try to control it. My money belongs to You, yet I try to manage it myself, then ask You to fix it when I screw up. My body is Yours, yet I abuse it by not caring for it as I should. Your Word tells me that the power over my body belongs to my husband, yet I give almost no thought as to whether he is pleased with it or not.

I decide what I want, then I plead with You to give it to me, and then I pout when you don't. The truth is, I"ve wanted control of everything, including what You do or don't do in my life!

I"m done, Lord. I'm so tired. I don't want that control anymore. It's not mine, it's Yours, and I was a fool to fight You for it. I want to present myself to You anew, Father, a living sacrifice, which is nothing more than my reasonable service.

I surrender my life, my body, my marriage, my children, our home, our money, our loved ones, my time, and my thoughts all to You, Father. I've been carrying a burden that I placed on myself, and I don't want it any more, Father. I ask You now to take it from me, and to let me rest in Your Arms, under Your control, and in Your loving care.
In the precious, sweet, holy name of Jesus I pray,
Amen.
Vicki

Yuck!!

Once every year, I get hit with this MONSTER cold that just knocks me flat! Well, guess what I woke up with this morning?

Mind you, I felt just fine when I went to bed last night. This morning, I awoke feeling like I'd swallowed sandpaper and a lit match! I had the headache, the nasal congestion, and a hideous cough, but, thankfully, no fever. My daughter seems to have it too, though not as bad. So far, my two younger munchkins are fine. I, on the other hand, feel like I got run over by a truck!!

That's not the only thing that I find "yucky" at the moment. Yesterday, while listening to a christian radio station, I heard a sound clip of Oprah Winfrey saying that God only cares about what's in our hearts, not whether or not we call His Son by the name Jesus.

WRONG!! First, God knows what is in our hearts, and He told us in His Word that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked! And, as I all ready said in an email to my hs group tonight, God's Word also tells me that there is NO OTHER name given among men whereby we must be saved. So yes, God cares what we call His Son!

Sadly, Oprah Winfrey long ago ceased to be a talk show host and since become a spiritual guru of sorts. It's a shame, because she is blind, and is leading the blind. It's obvious though, that she's searching. I hope she continues to search, and that one day she finds that Jesus, and He alone, is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Imagine the influence she could have for Christ!! But in her present state? Yuck.

I would write more, but I feel yucky.

Even so, I am....
Blessed Beyond Measure
Vicki

Happy Birthday!!

My Firstborn is 10 years old today!! Wow!!

I am so blessed. She's such a great kid! I know, that's what I'm supposed to say because she's mine, but there's more to it than that. Do you have any relatives that you love, but if that person was a stranger that you met, say a church, or at work, you wouldn't necessarily choose that person as a friend?

As I've watched my oldest daughter's personality develop, especially in the last year or so, I can honestly ( and proudly!) say that even if she were not my firstborn precious child, I WOULD be glad to have her for a friend!!

The Lord granted me the special, unfathomable blessing of being the one to lead my firstborn to Christ~during, of all things, a History lesson in the midst of our homeschool activities. She was in Kindergarten. The Lord gave me a gift in allowing me to be the one to lead her to Him, and I will forever be grateful for that.

This year, for the first time, we celebrated her birthday with a "big" party. We've always celebrated it, but our celebrations usually consisted of cake and ice cream shared at our kitchen table with just family. This year, she really wanted to share her birthday with family AND friends, and have games and such. So, we found a community center big enough to accomodate what she wanted, and we put together a fairly simple, but fun party for her. She REALLY had a good time, and I hope all her little friends had fun too.

She seems to be enjoying herself today too. The children of our church are learning about life in Biblical times during Children's Church. All 3 of my children are really enjoying this! Tonight, we will finish up a Bible study on recognizing and dealing with false preachers and false teachings within the church. It's a VERY interesting study!

My daughter, of course, is dying to go to the mall and spend her birthday money/gift cards. That, I'm afraid, will have to wait for another day. :) She'll survive :)

I'd like to share some thoughts from the study we've been doing, but I think I'll wait until the study is finished before I do that. Stay tuned! :)
Vicki

I Just Don't Want To Go There

Yesterday, I overheard a political discussion among 4 people~people who I believe were 2 married couples. I do not know these folks personally. I was at our local community theater waiting for my daughter's rehearsal to end, and quite frankly, I was more interested in the book I had brought along than in the conversation these folks were having~at least at first.

Then, I noticed that the tone of the conversation changed from friendly chatter to short remarks made in a snappish tone. In another minute or two, the reason became obvious. The 2 couples were discussing the candidates in the current presidential race.

You must understand, I wasn't actually TRYING to listen to this conversation. But, since we were all in the room together, I couldn't help hearing it. I was AMAZED at how quickly and dramatically the tone of the conversation changed when one gentleman stated that he and his wife were supporting a particular candidate, and asked the other other gentleman how they felt about that same candidate. Obviously, there was a difference of opinion! :)

This is not the first time I've witnessed a pleasant conversation becoming unpleasant at the mention of politics. At one time, I worked at a place where just about EVERYONE loved to discuss their political views. They also loved to discuss wich translation of the Bible they read, but that is another matter. Anyway, working there was like spending 8 hours a day in a war zone.
Probably because of that experience, I now don't discuss my political views with anyone outside my family. It's not that I'm "ashamed" of the candidate that I support by any means. I just choose not to discuss it because it opens doors I'd rather not walk through.

I sat yesterday evening listening to this conversation, and the thing that jumped out at me, aside from the QUICK change in the tone, was that the two men were arguing with each other, saying things like "If X becomes president, then he's going to do this, this and this, and it will be awful!" To which the other gentleman said "That's better than what will happen if Y becomes president!"

No one knows what will happen except God. The person who becomes our next president will be the person that God places in that position. There is no such thing as a perfect candidate. I don't believe that there is one single candidate with whom I would agree on EVERY point.

So, if that's the case, where do I cast my vote? Does my vote matter?

I believe the answer is yes, my vote absolutely DOES matter. I believe that voting is not only a right, but a responsibility given to each American.

I believe I also have a responsibility as a christian to look at each candidate as closely as possible, and to see if what they say and do measures up against Scripture. None will measure up perfectly, but chances are that one will come closer than the others. That person will have my vote.

WHOEVER next occupies the White House will have my prayers.

In His Love,
Vicki

Good Reads

Over our Christmas break, I did something I haven't done in a long time. I read a few books that were fiction, just for entertainment. I read a LOT, but lately I've read mostly devotional books, and books read for informational purposes.

I've heard a lot about Francine Rivers and Karen Kingsbury, both writers of christian fiction. I confess, I have loved to read for as long as I can remember, but the only christian fiction I'd ever read was a series of Janette Oke books I got from the library of my christian high school. I found those books to be very sweet, and somewhat enjoyable, but a little, I don't know, dull or something. So, I'd never read Rivers or Kingsbury. Then, I was given some Barnes and Noble gift cards for Christmas. I decided I'd try one of each, so I got "The Scarlet Thread" by Francine Rivers, and "Even Now" by Karen Kingsbury. I LOVED them both! You would especially like The Scarlet Thread if you enjoy historical fiction.

I loved Even Now too, and I'm excited because I just found out that there is a sequel called Ever After. I can't wait to read it! I've also read excerpts from Karen Kingsbury's "One Tuesday Morning" and "Beyond Tuesday Morning", and I'm looking forward to reading both of those.
My sister has loaned me Francine Rivers " A Voice in the Wind" and it's sequel. I"ve almost finished it, and am looking forward to the sequel. So, if you're looking for a good book, check out some of these!
Vicki

Comfortable Slippers

My husband gave me wonderful Christmas gifts this year, and I love them all, but I think one has become my favorite. He got me a wonderful pair of slippers that are absolutely the most comfortable things I have ever worn!! I would wear them everywhere if I could get away with it!!
I love the cozy, comfy feeling I get every time I slip my feet into them.

This got me to thinking about a lot of things in my life that I'm grateful for~things that give me the same cozy, familiar feeling as comfortable slippers.

I missed my prayer and Bible reading time for a few days during our Christmas break. When I finally did sit down again, when everyone else was asleep and I was on my favorite spot on the couch with a blanket, I opened my Bible and started reading, and I got that warm, cozy feeling~Just like comfortable slippers.

One of the things I am proudest of about our marriage is that I truly believe we are not just husband and wife, not just parents, not just servants of God together, and not even just 2 peole in love~we are truly FRIENDS. Night before last, I, as I so often do, let my mouth go into fast forward while my brain was still in nuetral, and I said some things I shouldn't have. In my defense, I DID have a valid point to make. Even my dh says so. It was the WAY in which I chose to make my point that caused tension between us. I hate when there is tension between us. But, the Lord gave me grace to apologize, and opened my dh's heart to accept that apology, and we had SUCH a good time last night, watching a football game together!! That won't sound so odd to you unless you know me well enough to know that I am not much of a football fan at all. But, being with my dh last night, watching him enjoy something that he loves, watching him be glad when his team ( thank goodness! ) won, and the easy, comfortable, conversation that passed between us was just like slipping back into your favorite pair of slippers.

I am thankful to my Lord and Savior for all the "comfy slippers" in my life!
Vicki

Rethinking Some Things, Part 2

Continuing my thoughts from my previous post:

FAMILY MATTERS
I'd like to "tweak" some things within our family, mainly just to help establish and re-inforce some good habits for my children. I also need to re-arrange some things so that I can give my husband more of my full attention when he is home. He certainly deserves it.
As it stands right now, my husband gets up at 5am on weekdays, and leaves the house by 5:30 or so. He has no interest in eating that early, so I make him something for breakfast the night before~something he can take to work with him, like oatmeal in a Tupperware bowl, or toaster pastries, something like that. I also make him a lunch every day.
Anyway, he leaves the house at 5:30am, and we don't see him until about 2:30pm. This is just a "visit". He comes home from his full time job, spends a few minutes with us, grabs a snack, and sometimes checks his email or his fantasy football team, then he heads out to his part time job, where he must be by 3:15. He isn't home for the night until 7:30.

Usually, when he stops by in the afternoons, he plays with the kids for a few minutes, but I'm usually busy doing things. I need to plan a "break" during that time, so that I can spend a few minutes talking with him, or join in whatever he and the children are doing.

His schedule is another reason that the kids bedtime isn't until 10pm. I try to have dinner ready as soon as he gets home. I know 7:30 is late for some people to be eating dinner, but having dinner together is very important to our family. Letting the kids stay up until 10 gives them some time with Daddy in the evenings, which is SO important. So, I"m not planning any changes there.

HOMESCHOOLING MATTERS
There are just a couple of things I want to change about our schooling routine. First, both my girls need more work on grammar and spelling. The main thing though, is that I want to "carve out" a definite time each day to work with each child individually on math, reading, writing, and grammar, while we continue to do Bible, Science, History, and Read Alouds together.
I've been contemplating outside lessons and activities for the children. We went through a season last Spring and Summer during which we were involved with a LOT of stuff, and it just became TOO much. Our family time all but disappeared, and it wasn't long before we were all miserable. I do NOT want to go there again, so now we are SUPER picky about committing to lessons and activities. I think that for now, the problem has pretty much taken care of itself. My oldest DD is involved in a play at the local community theater that will keep her busy through the first of March. My middle DD has not expressed any interest lately in any outside activities, and my son is content to just plain PLAY OUTSIDE. So, we're not looking for any activities right now, although I confess that if I could find a convenient, affordable science class to which I could send all 3 kids, I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat! :) Science is the only subject that, given the choice, I would NOT teach!

So, those are some things I"m mulling over right now. Whatever 2008 brings, I will be, without a doubt,
Blessed Beyond Measure
Vicki

Rethinking Some Things

I have never been one to make New Year's Resolutions, and I don't plan to start now. But, it has been my habit for years now to take some time at the start of each New Year to reflect on the past year, and to set goals for the coming year. We've been so busy this past week that today is the first time I've really had a chance to do that. As is typical of me, I have to sort of categorize my thoughts in order to clarify them. I use this blog for that a lot, so if you're brave enough to venture inside my head, then read on! :)

SPIRITUAL MATTERS
2007 was a year of tremendous spiritual growth for me. A lot of things that I have been taught all of my life really hit home and became 'concrete' for me in 2007. For Example:

I have been told that sometimes God lets us have what we THINK we want, so that we can truly SEE and KNOW that we didn't want it or need it as much as we thought we did. I KNOW that now, in a way I never really knew it before. God let me have some things in 2007 that I thought I really wanted, even thought I NEEDED, and I found out that things aren't always what they're cracked up to be.

My Dad is a preacher, and has been since I was an infant. Because of that, I have met and known MANY preachers throughout my lifetime. I know that preachers are not perfect, and that they all make mistakes, stumble, and some even knowingly preach things that are not the truth, or they preach only "selective" truth. It was not until 2007 though, that I actually experienced a preacher who said all the right things, but then did not live those things out at all, and I have seen how devestating that can be. I think many church members don't realize how much trust they place in their pastor, or how much they look to him as an example, until they see him stumble or fall, and see how deeply it affects them. It's hard enough when you are hurt by someone who claims to be a christian, but when the person who deeply wounds you is someone who has asked you to place yourself under his spiritual headship, that wound is devestating. I also learned though, that God can heal even those devestating wounds, and give you a heart to pray for the one who wounded you.

Another thing I've heard said since childhood is that often times, Christians can be the most vicious people in the world. I saw a bit of that during a situation that occured when I was a teenager. I witnessed a group of christians turn on a brother in Christ like a pack of wolves. But, being a teenager, I was still living at home with my parents, and was somewhat shielded from the full impact of that viciousness.

This year, I was able to look back on a situation that happened a year or so ago, and looking at it as an adult and as a christian, I could again see the viciousness of some of those that call themselves christians. I saw false accusations fly, I saw evidence "trumped up" to support those accusations, and I saw how it devestated one family. I know that family is in God's care, and that He will heal their hurts as well, but it has taken me a little longer this time to get over the fact that all of this hatred and visciousness took place smack in the middle of a church. What an absolute disgraceful shame!!

I learned, in 2007, that time spent DAILY alone with God and His Word is as important as air to breathe. I also learned that while many people feel compelled to give God the FIRST part of their time each day, I choose to give him my BEST time each day. For me, that is NOT first thing in the morning. When I was having my private time with God first thing in the morning, I found that it was often rushed and "foggy" because I am NOT a morning person. That is definitely not my best time! So, instead, I wait now until everyone else in the house is in bed. This often means going to bed at the same time as my dh, but then get back up after he goes to sleep. It's a WONDERFUL way to end the day, and I've found that I sleep better when I do this too! :)

MARRIAGE MATTERS
What I've discovered about my marriage in 2007 is that I am a very, very lucky woman. I'm not bragging on me or my husband when I say that~I'm bragging on God. This year, I have seen marriages, both christian and non-christian, that are miserable. I've seen wives suffer with controlling, verbally abusive husbands. I've seen supposedly christian couples who snap and bark at each other like stray dogs; and others who seem to just ignore each other completely. Both are very sad to see, and I am just so thankful that my dh and I have the relationship that we have. We are very blessed.

I have some thoughts on Family and Homeschooling matters too, but I'm going to have dinner with my family now, so those will have to wait for a "Part 2" post.

In His Love,
Vicki

Vandalism?!

Iread an interesting conversation on a homeschool message board this morning, and I'd like to hear what others think about it, so feel free to leave a comment if you like.

A group of homeschooling Mom's was discussing the practice of leaving gospel tracts in stores and other public places where it has not yet been forbidden.

One lady mentioned that she often leaves tracts with salvation messages stuck between the pages of library books. Another lady mentioned that on a recent trip to the library, she saw several "pro-homosexual" books in the children's section~books with titles like "One Dad, Two Dad, Red Dad, Blue Dad" and "Heather Has Two Mommies". She took these books and slid them behind some other books so that her own children wouldn't see them, as she felt her kids were not ready for the answers to the questions that these books might invite. She did NOT put the books back before leaving the library.

I was AMAZED at the reaction to this by some of the other folks on this board! Some said that leaving tracts in or on items in stores is sin because the store is not our personal property! Another person said that leaving tracts in library books and moving library books was vandalism!!!

WHAT?! VANDALISM?? Oh, COME ON!!!

Now honestly, I"ve laid books face down in the library before because I didn't want my kids to see them. I"ve never actually moved or hidden any, but I can't imagine calling it "sin" or "vandalism"!!

As for the tracts, what's wrong with leaving one inside a book? The person who finds it will either read and be blessed, or be annoyed and throw it away. What's the harm?

I am fine with the fact that some folks are not comfortable leaving tracts around, or moving offensive library books. But to call it sin and vandalism?! Good Grief, people, get a GRIP!!

Okay. ( Deep Breath). I feel better now!! :)
Vicki

Welcoming a New Year

What Was SUPPOSED to Happen Today:

I was going to lay on the couch and watch the DVD's my husband gave me for Christmas while the kids played with all the neat stuff they got for Christmas, then I would read a book while dh watched a football game on tv tonight.

What ACTUALLY happened today:
We got a phone call this morning from my mil. Her news was this: My husbands aunt, J, who lives in Florida, suddenly and unexpectedly lost her husband this morning. We think it was a heart attack. J herself is very sick with what MAY be lung cancer, but we are not sure yet.

My dh's uncle, R, who has suffered with cancer for some time now, is much worse over the last couple of days. He is refusing to see anyone except his wife, his father, and my dh. Dh tried to go see him today, but he has recently moved, and dh could not find his house.

Dh's grandfather suffers from prostate cancer. But, because it is slow growing and Papa is of an advanced age, it has not been treated aggressively. It appears that the cancer may have spread. Dh will be taking his grandfather to the hospital for tests tomorrow.

Because my mil will be leaving in the morning to be with her sister in Florida, my neice, who usually stays with my mil when she's not in school, will be staying with me. She's 11, and I'm sure my 2 girls will be glad to have her here. And, my son will have one more girl to contend with, but he'll be okay :)

I feel so burdened for my dh tonight. He dearly loves his aunt J and uncle E( who passed away this morning) his uncle R, who is so ill with cancer and unsaved, and his grandfather, who is also sick. All this, and he has to get up at 5am tomorrow after being off since Dec 21. Yuck!

On the upside, we've had a wonderful time together as a family this holiday season. Even today, though it's been hard, has had it's nice moments. We even enjoyed our time together taking down the Christmas tree and other decorations. We have the peace of knowing that aunt J, uncle E, uncle R, and Papa are all in God's hands. Dh is going to try again to go see R tomorrow. So many times, he has seemed SO close to accepting Christ as his Savior. Please pray with us that He will come to know Christ before he leaves this life. All indications are that his time is short. But, we know that with God, all things are possible.

We also have birthday parties to plan! Our oldest child turns 10 in January, our youngest turns 6 in February, and our "middle" child turns 8 in March.

I"m also putting some thought into exactly what we will cover in our second semester of school, and how we will cover it. I want to make some changes to what we did during the first half of this year, but I"m not certain what those changes need to be just yet. Dh goes back to his "main" job tomorrow, but he doesn't return to his second job until Monday, so we probably won't start school until then. There would be no point to my trying to do any lessons with my neice here anyway, and she may be with us the rest of this week. So, I"ll be using the rest of this week as "teacher inservice" time for planning and organizing.

On a completely different note( my brain is random like this sometimes!) I read 2 FANTASTIC books this week! I am probably the last adult female in America who had NEVER read a Francine Rivers or Karen Kingsbury book before. This week, I read Francine Rivers book The Scarlet Thread and Karen Kingsbury's Even Now, and I LOVED them both!! Now, I'm reading Francine Rivers A Voice in the Wind. It's okay, but I"m not enjoying it as much as I did the first 2 I read. I can't wait to get my hands on some more Karen Kingsbury books!!

I've had tons of thoughts running through my head today about the New Year~how the Lord blessed us last year, and what goals I'd like to set for this year. But, I'm a bit too worn out tonight to organize those thoughts enough to post them. So, that will probably come tomorrow.

For tonight, I hope you all have a happy and blessed New Year, and that you will hold tight to our Heavenly Father's hand through whatever 2008 brings you.
In His Love,
Vicki