Finally a Break

Starting today I am taking the next 3 weeks off of school. We are all needing a break. I have had no time to think. I have become an old grump. We are going to try to get some Christmas baking in tomorrow. Micah told me about the bags of pistachios for sale at his Bi lo for 1.00 a bag. So I went and bought 6 bags. I will put these in our Holiday baking. I want to spend time the next weeks playing games, catching up on house cleaning, and enjoying my children again. I might even think about school schedules. I will have to see.

Good Day

We had a great day today. Brendan and Maggie had their Christmas party at church this afternoon. Instead of a regular Christmas party they went back in time to the little town of Bethlehem. They got to visit a perfume shop, a bakery, a toy shoppe, a market and of course the stable. It was really neat. Then we went to the deaf college in Ringgold. The deaf college always puts on the neatest plays. It really puts Christmas into true perspective. This has become a tradition for us. The play is always in sign language with interpreters for the hearing. If you have never seen one of these plays you are missing on a fantastic treat.

How You Live

This song describes exactly how I would like my life to be. I need to take a few more chances in life. I love this song. My prayer is someday my children will live like this and discover all the wonderful things God intended for us as Christians.

Feeling Lazy

Have you ever just not wanted to do anything? I am so busy that I just don't feel like blogging, getting on facebook, staying in touch with friends. My sister has been all over my case for not calling or posting pictures. By the time I am done home schooling I just don't feel like it. Lately I have had to push myself to get any extra things done. I hope to get a second wind with the holidays coming up. I just feel burned out right now.

My Little Girl

This song is dedicated to Maggie. She is getting big too fast.

New Job

Micah started his first job today. He is working as a courtesy clerk at BILO behind our house. This is a nice way to say a bag clerk. I do not know what I am going to do without him around the house. We have never been a part every day. I thought I was the only one feeling a little down until Micah said, "Mom, it is going to be weird not being with you every day." I almost started crying. I told him in a few years he is really going to be on his own and now is the time to start making good choices. Also to remember everything that mom and dad have taught him. This is just the start of the empty nest. I am proud of him but also sad.

Jacob

Today Jacob turned 15. Time flies so fast. I remember when I found out I was pregnant with him. I had to go to the emergency room because I was having a panic attack. Micah was only 5 months old and already so busy. I thought Lord I cannot do this again. I also prayed he would be an easy baby. The Lord heard my prayers. Jacob was the best baby. He would just sit with his big blue eyes and look around. Jacob has always been so easy going. He evens Micah out. Jacob is my right hand. Anything I tell him to do most of the time Jacob will do without complaining. He always makes everyday things fun. Jacob is a natural leader. Most people notice Micah over Jacob because Jacob is so passive and prefers it that way. All little children love Jacob. You will usually see Jacob with a whole line of children behind him. Jacob is also a wealth of information. He loves to read. I know the Lord is going to use Jacob in a mighty way.

I've been tagged

I don't really know seven weird things about me. I will try to think of some.

1. I have to wear shoes at all times. I do not like feeling anything on the bottom of my feet.

2. I cannot stand for an animal to be on my bed or to sleep with me.

3. I do not like to talk very much on the phone. I nearly have a panic attack if I have to call someone new.

4. I do not like anyone upset with me. I know this is not realistic.

5. I do not like to see anything crooked. I drive my family nuts always telling them to straighten something.

6. I do not like to have my hand held or to be hugged. I feel like I am being smothered.

7. If I smell or see anything disgusting I will start heaving. I could barely change dirty diapers or wipe noses.


I am supposed to tag seven people but all I can think of is my friend Angie.

Date Night

David and I wanted to see Fireproof really bad tonight. We did not have the money to go. Micah wanted us to go really bad. He wanted to give us the money to go but David and I did not feel right about taking our sons money. Within a few minutes of our conversation with Micah we received a phone call from our neighbors. Their church had rented out one of the theaters. Our neighbors were going to go but they were sick. So they gave us their tickets. The Lord had heard our prayer. So David and I went. If you have not gone to see this movie I cannot say enough good about it. If I had the money I would rent out the theater for everyone I know. It will renew your commitment to one another. I want my two oldest boys to see this movie. I am sure it will make an impact on their future marriages. I loved that this movie came from a man's perspective. I get so tired of seeing movies that are geared mostly for women. Everyone in the theater was crying. It is a keeper.

A Song for My Children

This is by one of my favorite singers. I wish I could keep all of my children with me always. This is my prayer for them.

Vacation

We are on vacation for three weeks. Last week we spent with my sister Jamie. We always have a good time when they are here. We really hate to see them leave. I have been working with Maggie every day because I started later with her. I love this new way we are homeschooling this year. I woke up this morning and it was still pitch dark outside at six. I thought to myself I wouldn't trade places with any mom who has to get whiny kids out of bed to go to school. My mom told me that my sister Melanie's kids cry every morning because they are tired. I think that is sad. I enjoy being able to go back to bed and snuggle with Maggie. She is so warm when she is asleep. You only have your children for so long and they are gone. I also thought this morning how sad that moms are missing this special time with their children. I am going to use the rest of our vacation getting different projects done that I normally cannot get done. We went to the zoo today. Because it was so cool out all of the animals were very active. Once again I was counting my blessings about homeschooling. We would not have been able to see the chimps eating watermelon or Micah dancing in front of the iguanas and making them bob there heads if my children were in school. Everyday the Lord is making me grateful for this path He has set before me.

My son

Micah turned sixteen on the nineteenth. I do not know where time has gone. My mom used to tell me this all the time and I never believed it. At the time I was just trying to survive. Looking back now I wished I could do a lot of things over. All in all Micah has turned into a fine man. He is a trial some days but a blessing a lot more of the time. He had to be special to put up with his mom. I receive compliments on him all the time. Micah is very sensitive toward the things of God. He is a real hard worker. Micah also does not complain a lot. He does what I ask most of the time with a good attitude. Micah is going to do great things in life. Micah does not like to have his picture taken like his mom.

Kittens

These are our two new kittens. Xena is the gray one and Pheona is the white one. It is amazing how God can give one back what one has lost. Xena acts a lot like Phoebe and Pheona is a love bug like Lolly. The expression "Curiosity killed the cat" sure does apply to Xena. She loves to follow you from room to room. Then she will put her nose in everything you are doing. Xena especially has a fascination with water. She was watching Jacob load the washer the other day and fell right in. A person will be taking a shower and she has to jump right in. I also have never seen a kitten jump so high. Xena and Pheona love to be in the school room with us. They are a bit of a distraction when we do school. We love to watch them play.

Life

I have not posted in a long time. We did not have our computer for a while. A lot has happened since I posted last. Our heat and air ran out of freon twice in two weeks. I started school back up with the kids. This is the first year I am homeschooling four children. I am so busy some days I have no time to think. Brendan and Maggie take up the most time. The two older boys are doing all right on their own. We also had a tragedy as most of you know all ready. Going on two weeks ago both of our cats died from poisoning. We put flea medicine on them and they had a reaction to it. They went into seizures. There was nothing we could do. The Lord has since blessed us with two more little cats. The all grey one is Xena. The little white one with blue eyes is Pheona. They are so fun. Xena loves water. She also is very smart. Xena can figure just about anything she wants out. She loves to sit on the beanbag and watch us homeschool. The other news is David is going to go back to school to be a nurse. He has always been interested in being in the medical school. The Lord is opening all the doors so far. Just keep David in your prayers. Well that is all for now.

Trip To Jamie's House

I just got back from my sister's house in North Carolina. I had not been there for nine years. It was fun to be with my sister for a few days. I just wished she lived here. We like so many of the same things. We both home school so we were able to share what works for us and what does not. Jamie and I are complete opposite. I am not a morning person and she is not a night person. We seem to even each other out. Jamie loaded me up with a ton of books. I hope I can read them all. We went and seen the fireworks at her church which was a lot of fun. We went to a couple of cemetery's. I know a lot of people think this is morbid but we find it fun to read people's gravestones and wonder what they were like in real life. We also visited a couple of antique stores. I needed a rest more than I thought I did.

Laugh A lot

The Bible says laughter is a good medicine. One of my absolute favorite comedians is Tim Hawkins. I just laugh and laugh every time I see his comedy routines. I seen him for the first time at a Chanda Pierce concert. Tim Hawkins is known to do parodies of different songs and groups. I hope you enjoy this parody as much as I did.

Schedules

I have been trying to make schedules for the last two days. We will be starting a little earlier this year. So I thought I better get on the ball. This year I had the boys sit down with me to help plan their schedules. I hate to hear every year why do I have so much to do. I told them to make sure that this is how they wanted their schedules because it will be their fault if it is too much. Of course Jacob was trying to do everything in three days so he could have two days off. I told him that was not going to work. I also let them help me pick their curriculum this year. I am getting excited about school. I love the smell of new books and supplies. Plus since we are starting early we will be taking more breaks. Last year was really hard because of all my surgeries and we did not take hardly any days off. I will be homeschooling four this year. I am a little excited but more scared. The boys basically are on their own. I do check their work every day. We plan to use log books this year for different things we do not necessarily have books for. I plan to focus the most attention on Brendan. He is having trouble with a few things. I am trying to do a lot more with his learning style. Maggie pretty much should be done within a half hour. I do plan on doing extra things with her. Just keep me in your prayers.

Christ Strengthens Me

This video is an excellent reminder of how I can make it every day. Jesus is my Heavenly Father who guides me every day. When I cannot make it in my own strength Jesus comes behind me and carries me in his strength. I have the confidence that I will win the race because My Redeemer lives and cares for me. Just like this father cared enough for his son to help him with his life's dream of running a triathlon My Redeemer cares for me to bring me to the end of the race of life. I hope this video blesses you.

New Passion

I have found a new passion in life. I started learning to swim last May. I have been swimming on and off for a year now. I really like it. I can almost swim a whole lap without stopping. This might not sound like a big deal to a lot of people but I am scared to death of the deep end. I almost drowned when I was little. I have been frightened ever since. I am also heavier than I should be so I run out of breath pretty fast. I am learning at this point to be a more proficient swimmer. I have been sleeping better at night. Also I am not sore like when I walk or exercise. Swimming also gives you a better workout. You are not only working on the outside but also your heart and lungs. I just feel great after I am done swimming.

They're Back

Well the boys came back this afternoon. What a blessing it is to have them back. All the kids were running to hug their mom's and dad's. Of course my boys did not. I told David they must be secure in knowing that their mom loves them. This is the joy of being together all the time. They know Mom and Dad are always there for them. They do not need to feel insecure. I know hugging your Mom and Dad is not a sign of insecurity but for my boys this is just a sign that they are secure. Micah did finally hug me before he went to bed. David said on Saturday morning as the boys were getting ready to leave that he told them he would miss them. One of the boys looked at David and said "Will you really miss your boys? David said yes he really meant it. David said the boy looked at him and said, " I have never heard anybody ever say they would miss their children." Is this not sad? Micah rededicated his life at camp this year. He said the Lord has called him to christian ministry. Micah met a girl at camp. Her name is Katie. She is from Panama City, Florida. She is also home schooled. Micah said they hit it right off. They were both sitting on the same row at camp. Micah said he and she were the only ones praising the Lord. Micah said he doesn't understand how people weren't moved by the service. I am so excited for Micah. I have always thought the Lord has something wonderful planned for him. Jacob is the life of the party. I think Jacob goes just to have a good time. I know the Lord will have a special plan for Jacob too. He does not say a whole lot. I am truly blessed.

2 less

Well the oldest boys are off to camp till Wednesday. It feels so strange to just have two children at home. I realize how sad it is going to be when they are gone for good. My mom has always said children grow too fast. Enjoy them while you can. My mother in law just gave me a picture of Micah and Jacob when they were Maggie's age. It literally feels like just yesterday they were that little. When you are a young mom and in the midst of raising them you do not realize how fast time is really going. I will always be glad I have home schooled them because of all the time I have had to spend with them. I hope one day they will say the same about me.

New Baby

We have a new baby at our house. Lolly is six weeks old. I know most of you will think we are crazy how can they have so many pets at their house. I feel like the more children are exposed to caring for something the better they will care for others in their lives. I want my children to understand responsibility. We are very good to our animals and love each one and no my house does not smell like a barn. I think if most people who would come over would find that it doesn't seem like we have that many. Anyway Lolly is part exotic persian and?. She is so cute. We are all already in love. She will make a great playmate for the puppy.

Baby Sophie

have not published a picture of my baby in a while. Sophie is seven weeks old. I will be able to bring her home in two weeks. She is the only one who can climb on the huge bag of dog food. I can't wait till Sophie gets to come home.

mini vacation

Last Thursday our whole family went on a mini vacation. We have not been anywhere in 4 years. We had the best time. Thursday afternoon we left Chattanooga with my parents to meet my sister Jamie and her family in Pigeon Forge. We arrived about 4 o'clock Thursday afternoon. We stayed at a wonderful motel that Alisha Doolittle recommended. I had not seen my sister since Christmas. We ended up being right next door to each other. After putting every thing in the room we set out for Dolly wood. My sister and her family had paid for a year's membership. So as a part of this Jamie gave us free tickets to Dolly wood. We arrived at Dolly wood in the rain. Nobody was there so we all got ride on the rides with no waiting in line. We stayed for two hours and then went to get something to eat. We ate at a little diner called Mel's Diner. The food was okay. After we all went to the motel, we took the kids swimming. It was so fun. It had an indoor heated pool. The next day we got up early and ate breakfast. We then went to Dolly wood again all day. The lines were a little longer but not to bad. We then headed home. Thanks Jamie and Anthony for a wonderful vacation. We all needed the much needed rest.

Play

Here are some pictures of Micah, Brendan, and Maggie. They were in a play at our church called "Acorn to Oaks." Micah was part of the weed and pest control. He had to carry out one of the weeds. They all did such a great job. The play was so cute and a huge success.

swinging

Maggie just learned how to swing all by herself. She is so proud of herself. Maggie will sit for awhile just swinging away. I remember when I first learned how to swing. It felt like I was flying. I would dream I was going to different places. Sometimes I think it would be wonderful to just stay a child. We lose the wonderment and enjoyment of being innocent so soon.

School year

We are finally done with the majority of school. Jacob has a little bit science and history left. This has been a really tough year. With two surgeries, physical therapy, and recovery I thought we would never finish. I told David I will be doing some things different this next year. I am going to be homeschooling four this next year. Yikes!!!!! I am thinking of starting back the middle of June and taking more weeks off. I have also learned each of my children's learning styles. So I am getting curriculum to match what is best for their learning. It's amazing when you learn their learning styles that you know why they are how they are. I hope this makes sense. So I am hoping this school year will be a lot better.

I was tagged

What I was doing 10 years ago:
We were living with my mom and dad. David had just gotten out of the service. We were also looking for a house to buy.

Five things on my to do list for today:
1. Iron Maggie's summer clothes.
2. Home school the boys.
3. Organize swim things.
4. Go over Brendan and Maggie's songs for church.
5. Help in the library at church.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Pay off all bills. Help family out with bills. Give to the church for the building fund.

Three of my bad habits:
Bite my tounge.
Lose my temper
Play my nintendo ds.

Five places I have lived:

Wyoming
North Dakota
Colorado
Minnesota
Tennessee

Three jobs I have had: I changed this because I have not worked very much.

Babysitter
Worked at Hardees (I hated this)
Daycare

This was a lot of fun.

Great Evening

We went to the Prison Prevention Ministry banquet tonight. You never know what to expect when you go to these things. It was free and Larnell Harris was going to be singing. So we decided to go. Let me tell you we had a wonderful time. The music was fantastic. The fellowship was great and the different testimonies were outstanding. Prison Prevention Ministries is an Christian organization. They hold bible studies for prison inmates around Chattanooga and Georgia. PPM also brings mentoring and prison tours to local middle and high school students. What a wonderful ministry this is. It is great that Christ is changing lives. The boys loved to hear Larnell Harris sing. He has a wonderful gift from the Lord. We had such a good time.

New Puppy

Here is some more pictures of Sophie at 3 weeks old. I can't wait till she is old enough to come home. We brought Peanut and Clancy to meet their new sister. Clancy was not interested at all. Peanut seemed to like her a lot. Peanut tried to lick her over and over. Sophie is the biggest of the litter. She already is a little stubborn. She does not like to be held on her back. Sophie is already a nosy little girl.

Another Year

Today is my birthday. I am not sure how I will feel about being 38 years old. I just do not feel my age. David and the kids gave me a puppy for my birthday. She is not ready yet because she is only two weeks old. I have decided to call her Princess Sophia-Sophie for short. Sophie is a red poodle. I received good news yesterday. I do not have to go back to the doctor for one year. I am so excited. I have gone to the doctor now for a solid year. I am so glad I feel so good. I just have to get over all this crud that is going around. I am so glad the Lord has been so good to me. He has restored my health and my outlook on life. Thank you Lord for your loving kindness. Here is Sophie at 3 weeks old.

Trying Days

I have had an awful last few days. I had three teeth pulled on Thursday. My mouth is still hurting quite a bit. I have some huge canker sores all on my left side. Why is it when you feel your worst your kids just don't want to cooperate? I have very good kids but on the days I do not feel good I wonder where they have gone to? Who are these children that have come to stay well I am sick? I guess I am just so tired of being sick all the time. My children probably are wondering what happened to their strong mother. My children just do not handle stress or changes very well. I guess they learned real well from me. I have had to keep asking the Lord for strength and self control the last few days. I hope this will be my last surgery for a long time. The Lord is really good to me. He has brought me to great doctors that have the wisdom to know how to treat me. Satan knows right where your weak points are and loves to get you down in the dumps. I was reading in my devotions today that Satan does not care if your a Christian or not. He cares if he can ruin your Christian testimony by snuffing out the light we are called to be to a dying world. I battle him every day over this issue especially with learning to curb my anger and ruining my testimony. The Lord is gracious and keeps forgiving me and loving me. I just hope my children will do the same.

Ready for Easter

Here is the children dressed for Easter. We had the best time in church rejoicing in Christ's resurrection. We went and ate at my parent's house afterward. God is good and gracious to our family.

Getting Ready For Easter

David and I try to do something with the children for every holiday. For Easter this year we decided to make Easter cheeps and Resurrection rolls. We had a great time doing this. We do not always see eye to eye on how to make things. I just hope the children remember having fun together.

new blessings

It has been a long time since I have blogged. I could not figure out how to work my blog. My smart hubby finally figured it out. The Lord has been so good to us this year. I have been needing an extra vehicle for so long. The Lord just seemed to close the door every time we looked at a vehicle. It was getting way too crowded in our little station wagon. It was also getting hard depending on people to bring you somewhere and no one ever could fit what I needed to get done in their schedule. David was losing a lot of time at work with all mine and the children's doctor appointments. David and I had determined to get our finances in order this year. This has been a burden on my heart for years. My husband on the other hand was very determined it was his responsibility to take care of the bills. This was just not working out. Finally he decided I could give it a try. Well that was our first blessing. We hardly fight anymore. We also do not have a lot. The Lord has taken a little and has stretched it farther than we ever could. Our second blessing was on the way in the Lord's time. We had only a certain amount of money to spend on a van. We researched to get the best van for our money. Everything we looked at was way more than what we had. We had several people tell us that their was no way we could find the van we wanted with the money we had. Finally on February 15 God opened the doors and gave us the van He had in mind all along. The van we have is a 1998 Nissan Quest with only 113,000 miles on it. It has had regular check ups done on it. It is a dream to drive. The Lord also gave me the confidence to learn to drive again. It is not always easy for me. The Lord's mercies are new every morning. I have to keep reminding myself that I have something to drive now. Satan was not happy in the least but I will share that a different time.

opposites attract

My little dog Peanut and our cat Phoebe love each other. I think Phoebe loves Peanut more than Peanut loves Phoebe. Every night Phoebe has to sleep with Peanut. Peanut looks at me as if to say "Oh Brother". I just think these pictures are so funny.

A Look Back

We had a wonderful Christmas. The Lord was so good to us. He kept providing until the first of the year 2008. My surgery was December 27, 2007. The Lord gave me grace. He is still providing grace every day with my recovery. The year 2007 started out horrible. Our house was put into foreclosure, my brother in law resigned from our church, my husband lost his second job, we also had to put our dearest pet to sleep. I thought what are you trying to do, Lord. The Lord wanted to see if He could test us further. My son was accused of things that later came out to be not true. This has caused my family to be broke apart. I am still waiting for the Lord to resolve this situation. Through it all the Lord was with us. We do not see it at the time but the Lord shows himself in the little things. The Lord blessed us with a great new church, new friends, a great homeschooling group, a new little kitten and a precious little dog. The Lord also resolved the relationship between my mom and her parents. This has been a matter of prayer for two years. The little dog the Lord gave to us has been the greatest blessing to me with my two surgeries, countless physical therapies, and bladder treatments. Peanut has stayed by my side through it all. The Lord brought to my mind that He was teaching me to realize that He is in control and I need to learn to give Him that control. I am your typical woman always trying to fix things. I just wanted to give the Lord all the glory and praise.