Fall 2012

Its been so long and I have been so busy... but I wanted a new post in 2012, so here goes.   I am still living.. Homeschooling is eating my lunch... and we are in our final year here (we sincerely hope!) because its looking like my dear sweet hubs will finish the PhD in 3 years (miracle made possible only by the grace of God...).  We are eking every last bit of enjoying North Carolina out of our seasons - we picked more blueberries this summer than I know what to do with, we picked apples, went on hikes, and enjoyed all kinds of stuff only available here.  We are hoping to get some snow this winter, in case we end up in a place where snow doesn't fall (I really hope we end up with at least a little snow, but who knows!).  Exercise has become my new best friend. I love it.  I look forward to it.  I need it to help me manage stress.  The girls like it too - even though I think they think 1 hour of bike riding at a local park while mom walks listening to books is a little much... they do it.

I am hoping when our life settles and my sweet hubs has a job that I won't feel the stress so much, but in the meantime, we plod on, trusting the Lord, watching Him provide, care for and keep us.  He is good and we are needy.

Welcome fall!

Becoming Moms... Adopted and Naturally

This week we have had our friend come visit from Texas.  She was a lifeline for me when we dropped everything, quit our jobs, and relocated from Kansas, 10 years ago.  She had children who were grown, a husband who was retiring (and changing types of work - now he travels all the time) and loved to love people.  So, we filled a small empty spot that had formed in her life... and she filled a spot in ours.  We had so many things in common - we both stayed home with our kids, loved to craft and sew (she is SO MUCH MORE ACCOMPLISHED than I am at all that), and both have hearts to serve and love Jesus.  Over the last 10 years she helped me see the end of the tunnel of grad school (that first go round was tough!) and reminded me that babies aren't babies forever.  She watched our sweet girl when her first sister came along (and that was at Christmas time!) and made personal quilts for each little one.  She has stuck with us through moves and moves and moves... and this week she came to visit here in North Carolina and stayed with us.  We had a night out (she babysat the girls for us so we could get to dinner and smile at each other over a dimly lit table!) and she trekked all over town seeing the sights with us.  The funny thing is, she has become like a mother to me, in some ways, and I am so grateful for her wise council, ready help, and eager encouragement.  So she goes home to Texas today, and I feel sad because we haven't formed those kind of bonds here yet, and she has a unique quality to love that I wish I could learn better - and I think I will - but only after years of practice at loving people.  This visit brought with it the hope of some exciting news for my friend - and who knows what the next year will hold - but now that she is going home, I am missing her already, knowing that one of my spiritual mothers is heading back to her nest.  I am praying, as I write this, that I will be that kind of a mother to my girls when they are grown - an encouragement, an easy laugh, and hugs and wisdom, all with the space allowed so that they can be who God wants them to be, and shining in the light of the love and acceptance we have for them.... mostly because of the ability to trust a Father (sovereign and all loving, perfect and heavenly) who loves them more than I do to care for them better than I ever could. 

1 down 2 to go!

It has been a full year since we moved (well - almost).  We drove away from our apartment last year on July 22.  Here we are the next July and I can't believe it.  2 more years until hubby completes his degree (PhD) and we find out what the next step in our journey is.  What has changed this year?  Our oldest has gotten taller - she is past my shoulder and encroaching on my ear.  It is exciting and a little frightening all at once.  The only frightening part is that her tallness indicates we have less time with her at home... and that ends up being more sad than anything.  But we work hard to treasure every moment and trust God with all of it!  We have learned that a strict budget allows us to be creative - so when fish is on sale... we have fish for dinner!  We have also learned to value the wonderful programming of our local library.  This summer our limited budget has kept us from spending money to do things - so we are enjoying free writing classes for kids, art days, and science days at the library, as well as throwing ourselves into the joys of just being at the library (with its air conditioning, comfy chairs, and free computer access!).  The librarians are great gals (of all types of ages) and we are enjoying getting to know them.  Today I brought up the idea of them getting a die cut machine (which isn't really that expensive) to help them with the programming they do for kids.  I hope they get one - I would love to use it!  We have started all the kiddos in school - so we have a 1st grader, a 2nd grader and a 5th grader!  (I can't believe we have a 5th grader!)  The joy of having them is one of our favorites!  We have only one child in night time panties - another thing I was wondering if we would EVER have (there are days, with toddlers, that you wonder if you are going to get out of diapers... EVER).  This year our family has added a nephew (from Russia with love).  We have added a passle of new friends (something we weren't sure would happen!) and a new church (we love Christ Community Church).  Most of all our family has grown closer, we love each other more, and we treasure each day.  Tonight I sang "God is So Good" with my little one at bedtime... and He really is!

I'm Dreaming....

I love Christmas.  Let me say that again.  I love Christmas.  I love the smells, the tastes, the songs, the cookies.  I love Christmas trees and Christmas presents.  I love wrapping gifts with the expensive ribbon because even the least expensive thing seems better when wrapped with a lovely, poufey bow.  I love the Manger Scene, and Baby Jesus.... I love that we have a Jesse Tree and we faithfully place the ornaments (or the children do!) each day from December 1, onward.  I love Christmas lights - a reminder of the Light of the World who came to be WITH US here. 

This Christmas was full of love, handcrafted gifts, and numerous gift certificates!  I think my favorite gift given at our house was a regifted, previously falling apart diary that my first princess lovingly repaired and then passed along with care to the second princess.  The second princess (unbeknownst to us) had been secretly longing for her own diary.  She unwrapped the diary, said with big breathy words,"Oh are you sure you want ME to have THIS?" then looked into her loving sister's eyes, they both smiled, and a warm and extended embrace was shared.  *sigh* It warmed the cockles of my heart. 

This was also the Christmas of LEGOS!  Thanks to a number of family members (you know who you are, but we don't want to make anyone blush) our girls went from Legoless (sounds like one of the characters from Lord of the rings.. oh.. I am wandering off..) to abounding with Legos!  After opening all of the gifts (and the pile was simply brimming over) the girls colored, stuffed their new handbags with goodies, put on a swipe of new lipgloss, paged through new books, and deconstructed toy packaging of a number of things.  Then we sat down, all 5 of us, together on the floor (beside the bag of wrapping paper leftovers that the King of the place collected and tied up).  Then we set to work.  E and I worked on the Bus, while L and Dad worked on the pizza parlor.  After a little instruction on how to read the directions (and by the way, Lego is GREAT with their directions!) everyone was putting pieces of Legos together and the beginning of a small town came together.  A was moderately interested in the Lego project, but found her new exciting Littlest Pet Shop toy MUCH more interesting. 

After that we had a short drive over to our new friends, the Perry's, home.  They had a passle (over 40, I think) friends and kids all together.   We ate and talked and laughed and had a wonderful time.  We had only planned on staying about 1 1/2 hours, but we were there for almost 4!  (Time flies...)

Upon returning home, the Lego projects were completed, we had a bite to eat, then the little ones were shuffled off to bed.  Mom and Dad sighed relief, looked outside, and it had just begun snowing.  Who could ask for anything more? 

Another wonderful Christmas here at the Happiest House on the Block!  Blessings to you and yours on this wonderful holiday!  May the peace of Christ be with you!

A Christmas Miracle, or The Camera Was In The Trash

We were sad when we went to bed.  The camera was lost.   Our girl was turning 7 in the morning.  There would be no record of the waking moments when we give her gifts and she enjoys her breakfast and presents.  It was sad.

Then this morning, at 5:30 am (which is BEFORE my children wake up, but not MUCH before) I had a thought.. and inspired thought.. that we had looked everyplace BUT the trash.  We had discounted the trash as the hiding place for the camera because the trash guys had come yesterday morning.  BUT I had cleaned up the living spaces in preparation for the birthday celebration... and I distinctly remembered dumping the trashcan by the desk.  Even though it seemed crazy - and we all know how disgusting the thought of trash digging is for everyone - I decided to don my sneakers, brave the cold, and dig through the trash.  It seemed unlikely, but I was there, in my pj's and sneakers, contemplating things and praying, while I lifted the smelly lid, considered which bag to open first, and dove in.  I only had to open one bag.. it was the heaviest one.. and there, with the papers and used up glue sticks... WAS OUR CAMERA!  Thankfully we have an acceptably good case, so it didn't have any "garbage residue" on it.. and I happily walked back to the house.  I IMMEDIATELY cleaned off the case, then sprayed it with Lysol spray.  Then (after it had dried) I extracted the camera (did I mention THOROUGHLY washing my hands... twice)... and it worked just fine, no worse for the wear, just a little chilly from the freezing weather conditions.

So we have our camera.  And we have our cat.  And I think Dennis summed it up nicely by saying,"Maybe that isn't the best place to keep the camera." Duly noted.  The camera needs a better home.  Let's put it far, far from the cat.  And her tuckus.  And the trashcan.  *sigh*

Once upon a time there was a lovely family who cared deeply for each other.  They gave up half of everything they owned to go on a long journey across a broad land.  They crossed mountains and valleys, met new friends and faces and experienced new and exciting adventures.  Along with their cat. 

One day, while living in the new country, the family went to collect their small and functional, but not fancy, digital camera in order to capture images of their child turning 7 years old.  They searched high and low, dug through drawers, crawled under beds, cleaned out the car, looked behind books on the bookcases, searched the bathroom cabinets, moved furniture... no stone was left unturned (they even went outside to see if they had somehow left it there when taking photos of the children playing in the snow... for the first time ever... in their lives...).  Then they began to recall how, upon the arrival of the Christmas tree, their cat had gotten nervous and taken up residence behind the computer... on the computer desk... where they kept their digital camera... right next to... the trashcan.   The cat was famous for clearing surfaces before resting on them because of the extreme size of her... ahem...tuckus...They were beside themselves. It did not help that the trashmen had come and collected all of the household trash the day before.  So there was no trash to look through... or analyze... or even bother with...

The Culprit

Because it was a week before Christmas they put out a plea to the community at large - would any kind soul offer their digital camera for this poor family?  The rest is yet to be known...

Come on in... welcome home...

We moved to Durham at the end of July.  I have resorted to telling people it was August, because it is easier, and those first few weeks were more like camping, so they don't count, right?  But I digress....

I was looking online at a post about how Americans are less connected to each other, their communities, and the social world in general.  No, we are not imagining it.. it is really happening.  Where once we knew our neighbors and sat outside on summer nights watching the kids play ball in front yards or in the streets in front of our homes... we now sit inside, alone, watching movies and playing video games.  We bowl, but not in leagues.  And we go to church, but don't know people there.

That wasn't how it was intended to be.  We weren't made to be alone.  Connection is what God puts us here for - in families, in churches, in communities.  God wants us to be connected - to forgive, to love, to know each other.  You can't do those things alone.  "Bear one another's burdens"... what does that look like?  I have to say, we were part of a wonderful group in our former location... they did bear each other's burdens.   Someone had cancer - he told the group.  We prayed for him.  But we didn't leave it there.  We cooked dinner if the family needed it.  We called to see how things were going.  We checked up - "How is treatment going".. we laughed when he laughed and were concerned right alongside of all that concern.


When babies were joined to a family, we cooked food, brought diapers, and commiserated about the fatigue that every new family feels.  We celebrated with gifts and cried when little ones were lost, no matter how little they were.

We had potlucks - at least once  a month.  Everyone brought food and shared it.  We took turns making breads, salads, main dishes, and sides.  Recipes were shared.  Waistlines were broadened.  We joined Weight Watchers together and counted points, side by side.  

We shared books, and book recommendations.  We played games and went camping.  The boys chased the girls with sticks and the girls talked in groups, spinning in their beautiful dresses and examining their shoes.  Our children knew each other's names, some of them went to school together, and all of the children had parents who loved them and were involved with them... both their own, and other people's. 


When we moved, they came and carried our heavy stuff with us.  They helped us clean our place.  They brought books on tape for our kids to listen to in the car as we drove to our new location.  And as we drove away, we cried because we knew the treasure of what we had left behind was just that.. a treasure.

*sigh*

So now we are in a new place and looking for that same thing.  As I look back I remember that when we moved to the LAST new place, we didn't find that group immediately.  In fact, we spent a long time searching for that group.  We visited numerous classes, went on outings, had people over to our house, had birthday parties, and had more than one invitation ignored, forgotten and rejected.  (Or were we ignored, forgotten and rejected?  I can't remember which it was because both things happened...)

We found that group, but they were just beginning and they hadn't formed a solid identity.  They were hoping to be outreach focused - "bring them in" was kind of an unspoken thought.  But people are drawn to what is wonderful... life giving... where they can laugh and cry and "where everybody knows your name... and they're always glad you came..." I hate to make the parallel, but Cheers had something to teach us.  Community is good.  Community is worth the effort.  Community takes time.... BUT once you have a community and it is open and receptive, warm and inviting... you can't keep people out because we all crave that connection.  And this group became that community.  And although that group seemed hidden away... it is a group that all types of people are drawn to... and they are coming in.

So we are here.  And they are there.  And I keep seeing the smiling faces on Facebook... and missing my dear community.

But I know we can have it again.. we might have to help build the walls and construct the roof, but community is something we have had and we can have it again.    How to get there?  There are a ton of ways, but some folks have saved me a bunch of time by creating a list! Follow the link to 150 ways to Build Social Capitol.  It is all related to a book called "Bowling Alone" in which the authors discuss the fact of America's decline into loneliness.  There is a whole blog relate called Better Together where you can find articles, discussions, and the list of ways to Build Social Capitol.. or just make friends! 

Now, where did I put my phone book?  I need to call up a new friend and plan to meet for tea....

Veritas Press - Online Classes

We have had the joy of using Veritas Press as our curriculum provider for the last number of years.  I love the recommendations they make for reading, they have wonderful literature guides, and I appreciate how I can pay them to plan my year of academic work for me! (Bless them!)

This fall they offered us (and anyone else, for that matter!) a chance to try out their online Scholars program of classes, for 30 days.  We took them up on the offer, so my 1st and 2nd kiddos worked their way through the self-paced courses.  L did "Explorers to 1815" and E did "OT and Ancient Egypt" online. 

What we found was wonderful.  The videos were entertaining and attention grabbing... the course was full of stories, quizzes, games, and a ton of review.   They used all types of interactions between the material and my children - and they drew so much more from the history (and Bible, too!) than I can with my limited time and knowledge.  I loved it when I had to fold laundry and got to listen in!  If I had the $250 to enroll my children in the courses I would do it.  If you are in need (or just want) some more support - these online courses are wonderful and I have to recommend them.  For those of the classical/chronological history persuasion, these courses are ideal.

 They are self-paced.. which was great, but meant my kids just wanted to do history all the time for the 30 day trial!  (How many things can you say that about?)

I have to give Veritas Press 2 thumbs up for these courses.  I look forward to seeing what other online offerings they plan for the future! 

Sweet Things - Thankfulness...

It is this time of year that we all begin to think about what we are thankful for.. in our house that means we cut construction paper into strips and begin our Thankfulness Chain.  I place our basket of supplies (pens, pencils, stapler, construction paper strips) in the middle of the dining room table and we all take a little time each day to write some of the things we are thankful for, on the strips.  Then we make our chain and the color and the thankfulness decorates our home.  It is a gentle reminder of all the blessings we have - from our pets, to each other, to a place to sleep and food to eat.. the list is endless and I am so grateful that we have saved the chains from previous years to read.. It is such fun to read about the baby being thankful for her bottle, or the big sister being thankful for her dolly... In all of this thankfulness I love that I pause and consider the many ways that God has blessed us.  We have a home.  We have enough to eat and a warm place to stay out of the cold.  But in the middle of all of the "things" we are thankful for, I am reminded again of the simple gift of walking with God.  That simple gift cost Jesus so much - and it is a blessing I am thankful for every day.

The chill in the air and the color of the leaves....

I went back through my photos to see what exactly DID happen to October... and it is clear that we were so busy ENJOYING ourselves that we just didn't stop to record what was happening.  There was a ton of fun.


L made her own (very small) Native American Long House! 



E and A were busy learning about Hatshepsut - the first female Pharoah... they think she was the one who found Moses in the bulrushes and brought him to a life of priviledge.... They made Hatshepsut hats and wore them everyplace! 

The girls also studied the Code of Hammurabi and practiced making their own cuneiform  writing with playdoh "tablets"...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a great time at the Pumpkin Patch, too!  The weather was beautiful! 

Then we made Egyptian Paddle Dolls (they were named Julianne and Emma!)... and L made a horn book!

Finally, we studied Moses and made baskets...

Lest you think all we do is have fun around here (and we try to have fun, believe me!)... we did get some meaningful study in...

So now you know what happened to October!

What happening around the happiest house on the block...

I just realized my last post was in September and here we are in November.  I don't know what happened to October, but I sincerely hope we did something good with it!   I just had to share about our new friends here in NC where we have been for the last about 12 weeks (give or take a week... see, that's how October got lost!). 

We are so grateful for our new friends the Gould's.  They moved here about the same time as we did and have been finding their way through the maze of moving into a new location, almost in tandem with us.  They have 3 sons and 1 daughter and their kids are about our kids ages.  We had a wonderful dinner with them last night - potato soup, salad, bread and pumpkin dump cake - YUM.  In a time when we have felt like we are the newbies everyplace we go - they made us feel like friends and we so enjoyed them.  I hope I can extend that same hospitality and kindness back in the near future - we enjoyed them so much! 

Birthday Fun!

Our A had her birthday this last weekend - Wanted to post some photos of all the fun we had.  The day starts EARLY with all the presents being opened at breakfast (why not!?)..The FIRST present is always the BEST present ever given our our little ones' birthdays... a photo of them as babies.  They are the best gift and we want to be sure they know it!

L made some lovely slippers for sister.. she wears them every night and says "They keep my feet SO WARM!"   They are made of flannel, with fleece (like what you use for quilts) inside, and flannel lining.  Very warm and soft.  Highly popular.  \

E made a lovely bracelet and necklace set for sister.. mom and dad gave her a jewelry box, so they fit nicely inside the new box!

There were many other lovely gifts - clothes, some fun stories and toys, some cash (she's saving for her American Girl doll), a fancy little Strawberry shortcake doll, some hair dodads, fun cards, and things for horsin around... She felt very appreciated!  Thanks to all!

Then we headed out to church (where they sang Happy Birthday in BOTH children's church and Sunday School) and we had lunch at home.  The afternoon fun began with a scavenger hunt for the girls (thanks to Daddy!)... that ended up at goodie bags - can't have a party without goodie bags!

Then everyone came inside for pizza, soda, cake and ice cream (and yes, we all did have stomach aches afterward!)...

August Homeschooling Fun

We have started the year with a BANG! L is studying the Explorers to 1815 in History and E and A are starting at the beginning, together, doing Old Testament and Ancient Egypt.. and our accompanying crafts show it!


L started off with a salt dough relief map of the world, tracking Magellan's trip around the world! She did a top notch job!


E and A studied THE GREAT FLOOD and E built an ark and floated it in the sink! It actually floated!

With the younger 2 girls, they made some very nice Pharoah Menes hats representing his rule of upper and lower Egypt.. Notice their Pharoahish scowls!

Then E and A had a LOT of fun (har har) making LOT'S wife from salt dough, too! They had a great time using the leftover salt dough from Magellan's map to make dresses for Lot's wife. After they baked in the oven they were amazing and hard as rocks! I love the surprised look on Lot's wife's face in these sculptures.

Finally - we also studied Hagar and Ishmael... and the girls made "animal skin" water bottles (from cloth and yarn)... they wore them all day. It was so much fun!