Bleah!

Dearest Montezuma, Flu, the crud, the plague, or whatever has grabbed us. 

You are evicted.  Right now.  Post Haste.  Don't let the door slam you in the rear as you leave. 

And a very happy birthday this last Monday to my dear husband!  He turned 50!  We managed to surprise his with 50 gifts for his 50th and ordered a cake from the cruise ship to be our dessert on Monday night!  It was a fun day!

Just got back about 2 hours ago from our fun vacation.  The first few days were awesome! Amy and Will had a blast.  I've got some great pictures to use for their Senior Pictures.  Amy loved the sun, sunbathing, and chocolate frozen yogurt ~ and dressing up for dinner every night.  Will loved the water slide for the pool.....really loved the water slide.  And he is by far, our most adventerous eater.....frog legs anyone (fried would have been better, but we all tried it just to say we did)

We went on a 5 day cruise from New Orleans to Progresso, Yucatan and Cozumel.

Yesterday the storm that hit the southeast, hit the gulf.  We are still feeling the rolling of the boat. 

I will post pictures and type more later. 

Its hard to type with a fever and shakes.

I am blaming Montezuma.

Vacation Time

Its here!

We are packed.  The kindles are loaded with books.

The cross stitch projects are packed! (they go everywhere)

The kids are up and ready!  Well, Amy's still half asleep ~ she is not a morning person.

Bye till Thursday!

Oh, last night Mom, Amy and I went to a ballet performance at a local church put on by Ballet Magnificat.  Oh, my, goodness ~~~~~ they were awesome!  Fantastic costumes and dancers.  And the messages were great ~ all to bring glory to the Lord!

Book Review for Booksneeze

"Every Perfect Gift" by Dorothy Love

This book is set in the Deep South in the 1880's.

Unlike many books, this book started out intriguing and stayed that way throughout ~ beginning to end.  The main characters the plotline wove around were Sophie and Ethan but there were many subplots throughout to keep you guessing and wondering what was going to happen.  One of the mysteries surrounding Sophie, concerned her lineage in the Old South & whether the mystery of her family or truth of her family,  would affect her has an adult like it did when she was a child. 

I can't say too much more without giving away details that you need to read.  I haven't read a book lately that was hard to put down ~ but this one was hard to put down.  I read it cover to cover in 2 1/2 days! 

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17


*I was given this book in exchange for my honest review from Booksneeze~a Thomas Nelson affiliate.*

You Hear alot when you Eavesdrop!

Have you ever sat in a restaurant and suddenly something peaked your interest from another table?

Maybe it was a word or a laugh or something that caught your attention.

This happened to us Wed. at Chick Fil A.

Will, Amy and I went to eat lunch and run a couple of errands ~ 2 men in suits were sitting at the table right beside us.  And they were talking about different things.

Then I heard the word homeschooling.  Ah ha ~ a passion of mine.  Let just say they were totally ignorant of the families, education, lessons, etc.

According to one of these "experts"

we are over protective (duh, yes)

we live in our own world (doesn't everybody)

our kids never have any outside activities (this is about where I was choking)

we don't do school ~ its just an excuse (Amy wants to live there, cause I didn't get that memo)

its a fad (18 years is a little long for a fad)

we stay home and do nothing (again, severe choking going on)

we are unsocialized ( bahahahahaha)

the children don't live in the real world (I guess he meant the one where you sit in a classroom with 30 other people your exact same age and do the exact same things everyday)

homeschool parents don't expect anything of their children (again ~ Amy wants to know where that family lives)

At this point my tongue is bruising because I am biting it.  It was all I could do not to barge in and straighten this expert out.  I don't know where his info came from but it was WRONG.  

We finally deduced that these were school board officials, or something similar, maybe with the county.  Amy said when we got up to get our drinks refilled before leaving ~ they looked startled and stared at us.  

YES, we heard.

YES, you are wrong.

And YES, we managed to get out of the restaurant before I clubbed them over the head with my purse ~ but I guess that was my unsocialization oozing out!

So to Amy, Will, Katie, Allen & James

I am sorry that ~ I expected you to do schoolwork ~  that I had you involved in Scouts, church activities, dance, 4H, Keepers,  missions, and neighborhood friends ~ that I took you out in public instead of locking you in the house ~ that we rounded out our educational experiences at National Parks, Historic Places, Epcot & Disney, field trips, Civil War Reenactments, trips to Wash DC ~ 

that I made you get up every morning and get dressed & not lay around in your pjs ~ that I expected you to behave, use good manners, and be considerate ~ that I expected you to act like ladies and gentlemen ~ that I didn't let you experiment like some of the kids in public schools do.

Please accept my humble apologies!

And if I had it to do over again.......I would!

Reward

Many years ago, Greg got hooked on Dave Ramsey ~ and started following his guidelines/procedures, etc. to get out of debt and remain that way.  For many years, we didn't have a credit card. We do now, but its paid off every month.  We budget, give, save, plan, plan & plan!

On Sat. we get a reward.  We are going on a vacation with my mom ~ Sat. - Thurs.  We are excited!  The kids are excited!

Sat. - Thursday, we get pampered....our beds will be made, our meals prepared, our dishes washed, and the sun will be shining!  Amy will get her beach day that she has wanted for several years!  We are headed way south!

This trip is to celebrate Gregs 50th birthday (its Monday), Amy & Will's highschool graduation (grad in May), my homeschool teacher retirement (18 years) ~ And mom is going to keep the rest of us in line!

I am ready for sun, sea air, taking pictures, scrumptious food, lazy times, family fun, relaxation!

Then next Thursday afternoon its back to real life!  But thats great too! 

The Rewards are sweet!

A Visit from St. Louis!

We haven't seen our Bryant, Katie and Robert since Thanksgiving weekend ~ that is way too long for this Mom & Grandma.  They came to visit us this weekend!  We packed as much fun into Sat. as would fit~  Greg cooked us a great breakfast...omelets, bacon & toast.  Then we just visited & watched the guys get some work done.  Amy showed Katie how to spin.  And Katie worked on some wood cut outs for her kitchen ~ then us girls & grandboy went to a Mosaic Studio with our friend Angel for some crafting time...

Sat. night bathtime in Grandma's new kitchen sink!

Grandma pulled out the tupperware cups for dumping water!

trying to figure out how to get the little cars out of the bucket

watching a WWII movie with Uncle Will

playing with my pig from Granny ~ the snout is not pink anymore!

chewing on my new bowl from cousin Sandy

bouncing & dancing in Grandma's lap

Hey cousin Bobby ~ I got Cars jammies!

we were having fun!  Grandma's arms got tired!

ok, time to crash!  And grandma loved being my pillow!

Robert is almost 7 months old.  Likes to put everything in his mouth.  Pulling hair is a favorite hobby.   Sitting up is fun.  Teething is not fun ~ he has one tooth and very swollen gums. Loves to bounce up and down.  Is the little baby love of our lives!

Got Lots to Think About....

Lots of thoughts running through my mind today....

wedding gifts

bridal showers

shower favors (found a cute one today)

rehearsal dinner

 menus

decorations

clothing

etc.

Vacation (8 days and definitely counting)

Weekend visit from our St. Louis Family

lots of hugs & kisses for our Grandboy

menus

Girly, craft time with my daughters & a friend

budgets

Greg's 50th birthday (10 days & counting)

Stuff to finish

 

S*N*O*W!!!!!!!!!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled day of school, chores, and work for snow!

Just interrupt not cancel (I am NOT the county schools)

Here is the south if the weather hints of snow ~ folks start panicking ~ I am sure Kroger is soldout of bread & milk (not a joke).

And school is called off....but hey, it only snows here once every 2-3 years and will probably only last a day, at the most.

I crawled out of my nice cozy bed this morning to open the blinds and watch it snow.  Huge, wet flakes ~ it was gorgeous.

Then there is the bang on my door ~ and the sweet 16 year old demanding my camera ~ she did say please!

So we present our snow show!

Greg workshop

birdhouses

Can you identify those tracks........?

Amy & Bluebelle (the mischievous rabbit)

Bluebelle on the loose ~ she led Amy on a merry chase through the snow ~ took about 10 minutes to catch her.

Will checking out the snow!

who wants to lounge by the pool today?

Amy's tabletop snowman!

He's about 10 inches tall!

Greg got to go to work late today!

Now onto Geometry & Zoology!

Thank you Lord for the beautiful snow for us to enjoy!

Did ya guess Chihuahua for the tracks?

Rainy Day in Mississippi

It started raining here on Saturday afternoon ~ Monday afternoon, we had some sleet mixed in with that rain ~ now its Wed. afternoon and still raining!  I try not to complain too much about the rain because I will be wanting the rain in the spring and summer for the garden.  But, right now its just gray, dreary, rainy, cold, and yucky.

Here are a few pictures from around the house/yard

the Camellia is blooming!  And is loaded with more blooms!

Chip & Hershey in their favorite napping spot ~ the back of our sofa.

the pool is reaching flood stage

Its rained so much that our bird feeder food has sprouted in the feeder.

Amy, the kindle, and Licorice

I got the family, love, and home signs at Michaels last week for .25 each!

Cross stitch I finished.

We are getting lots of inside stuff done.  I've got several projects that are now in the finished category.  I got a quilt top, backing, and batting basted together yesterday.  Cut out and pleated a dress to smock.  Fixed the straps on Amy's sundress.  The kids are getting school work done.  Puzzles are being worked on.  Comfort food is being eaten.  Books are being read.  The treadmill is being used.  I got the invites to my future daughter in laws kitchen shower emailed/mailed yesterday.  We are figuring out the menu for the rehearsal dinner we are catering/hosting in March.  And straightened out a couple of shelves in my closet.  This afternoon looks like a good time to sew or cross stitch.  Then Bible Study and Choir at church tonight!

I am linking with ~

http://www.tillysnest.com/2013/01/down-home-blog-hopnumber-20-and-suet.html

and

http://mysimplecountryliving.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-country-homemeker-hop.html

and

http://raisinghomemakers.com/2010/new-homemaking-link-up-share-your-own/

Book Revue

I received this book for free from Booksneeze to review over a year ago.  The title is "Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World" by Dr. David Jeremiah.  When I read it a year ago, I did not like it.  I can't remember all the exact reasons, but I am remembering that it was boring.  And since I didn't want to do a negative review, I put it on the shelf and forgot about it.  At the end of 2012, I was going over the  list of books I had read and scanning my bookshelf, I remembered this book. Then the guilt set in because I had gotten the book, agreed to review it, and not done it.  So I reread the book.  Here is the 2013 version of my "take" on the book.  Some of the review will be a repeat of this paragraph~

Book Review for Booksneeze
"Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World"
by Dr. David Jeremiah

"I have read this book twice in the last year, before writing this review.  The initial time I read the book, I didn't like it ~ maybe because I was hopeful that the current events would change and we would not have to deal with what is described in the book.  Upon reading the book for the 2nd time, I realize that the world is still heading in a one way direction toward destruction, especially the United States.  There are so many different philosophies being preached as Truth, that are very far from Biblical Truth.  In the STAY CALM chapter, the author very clearly points out the Biblical truth for Salvation referencing Matthew 7:14, John 8:24, Acts 4:12 and 1 Timothy 2:5.  These verses are not the ones you will hear being preached by most of the tv preachers, but they are Gods truth. In another chapter we are encouraged to STAY CONNECTED.  On page 112, the author writes 'The church is not a building.  No, it is not even the people.  It is actually the living presence of a holy God in a fallen world.  It is the tangible evidence of an invisible hope, dressed in the skin of all the people who have found that hope.'  Wow!  Each chapter of the book starts with the word Stay ~ as Christians we aren't to waver in our faith, hope, love of Christ.  We are to STAY, CALM, COMPASSIONATE, CONSTRUCTIVE, CHALLENGED, CONNECTED, CENTERED, CONFIDENT, CONSISTENT, COMMITTED, CONVINCED."

I recieved the book for free from Book Sneeze in exchange for my review.

To-Do for this week

Our schedule is back up and running again after taking a December break.

Monday ~ homeschool, laundry, menu planning, dance
Tuesday ~ homeschool, dance
Wed. ~ homeschool, prayer meeting & bible study
Thursday ~homeschool,  laundry & dance, mens meeting at church
Friday ~ home ec day (clean the house), K,B & R come for the weekend

Breakfasts will be cereal (hot or cold), eggs, muffins, etc.
Lunches will be leftovers from night before dinners, soup or something similar

Dinner Menu's

Monday ~ homemade vegetable soup, cornbread
Tuesday ~ steak fingers, mashed potatoes & gravy, vegetable
Wednesday ~ Homemade Mac & Cheese & vegetables
Thursday ~ Red Beans & Rice for Mens Meeting at church
Friday ~ Fish, Noodles, & vegetables
Saturday ~ Lasagna, garlic bread

My goal for the next 2 weeks is to eat from what we have ~ fridge, freezer, and pantry.  We will need some stuff at the grocery store, but hopefully not much.  By the end of next week, there may be some very interesting dinner combinations~

I am working on Amy Kate's wedding shower, a wedding gift, cross stitch for a birthday gift, organizing, reading books on gardening, and hope to finish learning the Greek alphabet.

My sister gave me a great bag full of books that I want to dive into also....
right now I've pulled out and mostly read "Foods that Harm & Foods that Heal" ~ very interesting, what to eat or not eat for certain illnesses and chronic diseases.

And we are thinking/talking about graduation for Amy & Will and "life after homeschool".

Right now, the weather outside is frightful ~ much colder temperatures, rainy, and stormy.  We are staying home today until time to drive to dance.
 

Busy Saturday

We've had a busy day so far. 

Part of the busyness is from a sale we hit last night at a Walmart store......Greg wanted some Tulip bulbs.  And was willing to pay $4.99 for a package of 14 bulbs.  There was a sign sitting in front of them that read they were .02!  So we scanned them to verify the deal....and they were 2 cents a package.  We walked out with $1.07 worth of flower bulbs...includes the .07 tax.  We have been giving away bulbs and planting many in our own yard. 

This morning after breakfast, we went to the County Co-op and bought packages of green beans seeds, pea seeds, potatoes to plant,  a blueberry bush, a fig tree, and 2 thompson seedless grape vines.  Then off to buy compost/manure and soil (Greg says if you pay for it its soil not dirt).

We've planted about 10 packages of tulips at different places in the front.  Planted the fig tree.  Pruned a bunch of our fruit trees.  Spread pine straw.  Cut the back yard. Cleaned the bunny hutch.  Cleaned out 2 chicken feed buckets that had gotten wet inside and fermented the food.  And now the guys are buying wood to fix the walkway in the back so all the boards are secure.

We are going to reconfigure some of our planting areas.  Expand our raised beds.  And try some new things.  I've pulled out my Square Foot Gardening Book and am reading up on it!   The only planting is the trees and bushes ~ the seeds will wait till the end of March. 

And did I mention....its  80 degrees outside today!

Spinning ~ Day 2

Jane offered to give Amy some one to one spinning help & teach her knitting too!  So we jumped at this opportunity and she spent the afternoon at our house yesterday.  Not wanting to miss any of the fun, Will and I joined in. Amy learned how to card wool.   W & I  both learned how to spin on a drop spindle and Will & Amy both learned how to use the small spinning wheel (I took pictures!) Then it was onto knitting....it was different, it was fun, and I have a little knitted square that I made.  Now we have to remember what she told us and how she told us to do everything.  We ended our day with the boys eating catfish, shrimp, fries and hushpuppies. The best news....she is coming back in a couple of months!

I don't have any pictures of the knitting ~~~~ its hard to do both at the same time!

Spinning

Yesterday we had the awesome opportunity to hear a great history lesson on Spinning from our new friend, Jane.  (Janes husband Jim & Greg have worked together & known each other for 17 years)

Jane and Jim live near Atlanta, and its taken us a while to get together ~ yesterday was the day and we had a great time.

We arranged for Jane to speak/demonstrate/share/encourage our girls at our Keepers meeting.  She came loaded with lots of goodies and all the girls that wanted, got to work with whatever she brought.  

Here are some pictures from our funtimes...

Amy came home with a bag of fiber and a spindle to keep trying.  She is planning on searching Amazon for an inexpensive drop spindle.  Her goal is to make a weaving of a small mat to enter in the fair ~ "why yes, this is rather small....but I spun the yarn myself from alpaca & llama fur".  The absolute softest fiber she brought was a combination of alpaca & silk ~ someone described it as cotton candy!  Pure white and gorgeous!

Amy's other goal....to get her daddy to buy some land and alpaca's.  I knew she and Jane would get along great when I saw Janes email address.....janeszoo.

Today, Will and I get to learn.  We were just helpers/toters/observers yesterday!  Everyone had a great time and Jane was wonderful!

This post is linked up with...http://raisinghomemakers.com/2013/homemaking-link-up-105  
and  http://www.tillysnest.com/2013/01/down-home-blog-hop-number-19-winter.html and http://mysimplecountryliving.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-country-homemaker-hop-49.html.

Missionary Prayer Guide for AIM

We got a Missionary Prayer Guide for AIM today ~

Please pray for ...

Protection ~ from Satanic Attack

Enablement ~ in life and ministry

Flexibility ~ in relationships

An Attitude ~ of servanthood

Compatibility ~ with fellow workers

A Heart of Love ~ for all men

Boldness ~ in preaching

Fruitfulness ~ in service

Filling ~ with the Holy Spirit

Understanding ~ of culture

Discipline ~ in devotion life

Proficiency ~ in use of languages

Patience ~ with others

Safety ~ in travel

Courage ~ in danger

Health ~ in soul and body

Support ~ adequate for needs

Wisdom ~ to maintain finances

Family ~ home life

Children ~ at school

We pray daily for my nephew Billy.  He got to Africa safely and will begin his missionary work tomorrow (Wed.).  He is 8 time zones ahead of us.  He started a blog which is listed on my sidebar ~ Bearded Missions.  We are all thankful for the communication he has had with the family through facebook. 

Pinterest Article

Last week I read a blog article that was posted on Pinterest entitled "Are you a wife thats easy to love?"  I clicked on the link (http://joleneengle.com/are-you-a-wife-thats-easy-to-love/) and read the article.  I thought it was very well written, thought out, researched, and backed by scripture.

The Lord did set up a plan for families, with each member more gifted in some areas than others. And different tasks for each member.   In Genesis, when the Lord created Eve from Adam, He said "I will make a helper fit for him". 

We are our husbands Helpers.  For each family, that could look very differently.  That is something for each family to decide on and seek the Lords guidance on. 

This article was written by a Christian woman to Christian women who desire to love their husbands as instructed in scripture.  There are many blessings in being obedient to the Lord.  And many blessings by having my husband fulfill his role of provider, protector, defender, leader, etc. 

I enjoy cleaning the house he works hard to provide for us,  I enjoy fixing his favorite foods, I enjoy the benefits of travel with his job (we get to go too), I enjoy his "nerdy" side in working on the budget ~ tracking his retirement days ~ lining up the puzzle pieces, I love when he prays for me ~ our family ~ our friends ~ situations, I enjoy his spiritual leadership for his family, I love knowing that he appreciates my efforts to keep our family moving and on track at home, I love his generosity, I love his "granting" my wishes & fulfilling my hopes, I love being on the straight & narrow path with my best friend~

We love to travel together, have adventures, raise our children, encourage each other, experience new things, laugh at tv shows (we just started watching Duck Dynasty last week ~ hysterical), work on home projects, try new recipes, learn together, etc.

 What has been laying heavy on my mind, has been the comments I read after her post.  Some agreed with her, and some didn't.  But ultimately, it isn't whether you agree or disagree with a person ~ but whether you agree or disagree with Gods word. His word is clear but both sides of the issue will try to use it to say what they mean.  If you are a Christian ~ just read what the Word says, pray about it, discuss it with your husband or if not married, your parents.  If you are not a Christian ~ then none of this will make sense and it will seem "weird".  But, your opinion is just that ~ your opinion.  Venomous words aren't going to change anyones mind.

Read, pray, think, decide, act.

Praying for Billy

Many months ago, my nephew Billy told us he was called to Missions work.

Many months ago, Billy told us he was called to Uganda through AIM (Africa Inland Missions).

Many months ago, he had a goal of how much money to raise.

Many months have passed.

Billy was accepted as a missionary to Uganda through AIM.

Billy has raised/earned/saved enough money for his mission term.

Yesterday, an anonymous donor matched his funds raised in the last several days.

Tomorrow is THE day.

Billy leaves for Uganda on Friday & will serve there until the end of July.

Prayers for Billy & his missions will be greatly coveted & appreciated.

Prayers for Billy's family in GA will be appreciated too (Billy's mom is my sister) And pray for his Granny too!

I know he has been prepared for this experience.  But I also know that hearing about it and actually being there are 2 different things.  This is also for 7 long months ~ sometimes it will seem like forever to him and sometimes it will seem like the time flew.

Billy will be very noticeable in Uganda.

He is tall ~ red headed ~ and a sturdy fellow.

He won't blend into the scenery!

We've given him "helpful" instructions of ways to communicate via FB or email when he has the opportunity ~ mostly it was of things not to say...

It wouldn't be a good idea to update his status with ~

"Oops"

"That didn't go well"

"That didn't work out like I planned"

"Oh man, what a disaster"

etc.

Knowing Billy as we do, he would do this and think it was funny ~ he's a comedien!  

We are praying the Lord will pave Billy's way into Uganda, that He would work in and through Billy, that Billy would see where the Lord is working and be able to fully participate in His work, that he would stay healthy,  that the Lords work through Billy would be accomplished, that many Ugandans would be drawn to the Lord.

Here are 2 pictures taken on New Years Eve of Billy and his younger brother Ben! They were grilling peppers and onions on the back porch for our Mexican dinner.

We love you Billy!