Branson Family Blog

the truth about dave

2012-01-08T14:35:00.000-06:00

In honor of our 12th Anniversary, I am revealing all of Dave's deepest darkest secrets...all of the stuff he doesn't want you to know...

First of all, I have to tell you honestly, no matter how much fun I have in chiding him, I am married to the best man I know. I would say, just ask him, but the truth is, he is a very humble guy, and very patient in enduring criticism (he is married to me, so enough said here). And for all of the good things he has to say about himself, he has more to say about the Giver of those gifts.

Second, He is patient in just about everything. He has patiently waited the last 12 years while his wife figures out how to develop the skills needed to keep a house in order. He has patiently waded through unemployment, working under very difficult superiors, and supervising difficult employees. But where I am ready to throw in the towel after a week, he has waited months for change, and had grace far past where I would have been willing to give it. And after growing up in a home ruled by boys, he has learned how raise girls by listening patiently, defusing emotions and instructing gently.

Third, he is buff...seriously. But more than just in physical strength. He is a very, very strong person...just ask his mom...she frequently tells people how many times she had to read "The Strong-Willed Child" while raising him. He has enough strength to spend his day hearing from upset customers only to come home and deal with girl drama. He has the strength to quietly stand up for the right thing each day and lead a team of employees...and then come home and patiently lead a family full of girls who think they know everything. And yet even greater strength to declare where that strength comes from.

And in conclusion, I am a very blessed woman...who can even break out a five paragraph theme when needed, again, thanks to my husband (self-declared lover of the five paragraph theme). Thanking God for 12 years with this guy, and thank you Dave for spending 12 years with me!

A Day in the Life: Life with Hannah is never dull

2011-11-01T12:27:00.000-05:00

Hannah was more than happy to have me post this, Sarah is the proud cinematographer. Now back to the insanity...

A Day in the Life: Quiet Time

2011-10-26T13:58:00.000-05:00

This new series is a glimpse into the fun-filled, action packed life we lead (please read with rich sarcasm). I am having a bit of writers block when it comes to writing about how Dave and I met. Part of this stems from the fact, that to me, the whole thing was utterly romantic, but when I put it on paper, rather dull. So I am waiting for inspiration. In the meantime...some of the uber exciting things that make up our typical day...

Beginning with...the beginning of our day. Quiet time. After eating breakfast, this is the first thing on our schedule. We started this a few years back, just because Mom needed a few minutes of quiet first thing in the morning, but we have all grown to enjoy it. We each say one thing we are thankful for, then read a Bible or devotional for 15 min. Annie still doesn't read, but contents herself to look at the pictures. Every few weeks, we go to the library to get new Children's Bibles, which makes for a nice variety, and the packet that Stephanie is doing below, is a devotional that our church gives to the kids every month. I try to keep it casual, too much structure and I start loathing a thing. But we still love this time, and therefore, love sharing it with you.

And let's be honest, a lot of mornings, quiet time is not so quiet.

how security lost its luster...

2011-10-18T12:46:00.000-05:00

So many of you, my friends, have spent some of your life living in transition. Many of you are missionaries, military families, or just have husbands that would like to be in school forever. We have moved more times than I would have liked, and a couple of the moves involved me throwing a tantrum.

With that in mind, I am loving reading Karen's blog this month, about Living in Transition. This post, Invite People In, has especially inspired me. Invite people in to your life, no matter if it is for an hour, a year, or your lifetime. So true. Very true. She talks about Jesus' ministry as an example, great example of the impact that can be made in a few short minutes, or a few short years. It changed the world, people loved harder, cried deeper, and stood stronger...and it is still happening to this day.

There are hundreds of people that have impacted my life in such a powerful way, and some I never met, I just observed from a distance and some I have known my whole life.

This week, I had a friend that I have known for just a few months tell me that I was family now. I feel like her family, like she is a part of my family...like I have known her forever...

And tears stream down my face as I think about the possibility of missing out on the friends I now have here in Evansville, the friends that I didn't know God had in store for me and my family, that I told Him I didn't want...I wanted security instead. Security is totally overrated.

What Came Next...

2011-07-13T15:20:00.001-05:00

So, a year later, as I was feeling that God didn't want me to ever get married or give me the things my heart desired, I had this revelation...not audible, but from God's mouth, definitely. It was Fall again...my sophomore year, and I realized that God made the person I was going to marry...if indeed I would marry. God knew my heart's desires, and although He didn't have to give me what I wanted, He could. He's God. It seemed like a dare almost..."pray for whatever you want in a husband." I knew that it was an invitation to see God work. My list was short that day...off the cuff, I didn't write it down or add to it later, I just put 4 things on the list. It didn't feel like it was supposed to be a list with character traits, just a list of almost silly things my heart desired. So here is the list:

1. He be over 6 feet tall
2. He like math.
3. He like softball (and I definitely should have clarified this one...softball and not fantasy baseball...that is what I meant to say). ;)
4. He would take walks with God, talk to God personally (I had a roommate that did this, it was inspiring to me).

I asked, and then forgot all about the list, until a very strange day in May...

Some more gratitude from the past...

2011-07-12T01:32:00.000-05:00

So I wrote before about a boyfriend from the past, and if you are female and didn't know me at the time, then you are might have a small part of you wondering about this relationship and where it went wrong. I mean, you probably didn't even remember it until I just said something, buy now you are really interested (or maybe it is just me that sits up way to late reading about other people's love life's. Or possibly not, but anyway, I am going to tell you about how grateful I am that another college student agreed to share a little piece of her life with me one day in the SUB in K-ville MO. But even more than that, she agreed to share her intimacy with her Creator...it changed my life.

{cut back to Fall 1997, a few months in to my freshman year of college}

I never took myself as one to be "homesick." Really, I was all about adventure and had been waiting for college and living on my own for years. I was normally all about making new friends...which had been relatively easy up to this point, basically because the friendships consisted mainly of shopping and talking of boys and the like. It was very easy to find other people excited about those things. But that last year of high school things changed a bit, and I became a Christian...life became more meaningful, and with that, so did my relationships. Two in particular were very hard to leave, number one, the guy I was dating in the previous post, and my dear friend Megan, whom had become a mentor to me, even though she was 2 years younger than me, and therefore still in high school 2 more years. I learned so much about life from her...I still do. Anyway, I missed these two people especially, and it was hard, I didn't know it would be so hard because I really didn't have that depth of relationship before. So after a month in Kville, I was ready to call it quits and move back where my friends were. I wanted to quit because life was hard and I was lonely. I am sure everyone was lonely those first few months, but I whined about it more, no doubt.

During these lonely months, I met this girl, Mandy, at the campus ministry I was hanging out at, and I am not sure how it came about, but we ended up setting a lunch date a few days later to get to know each other. I was very excited, as I would be spared thinking of my loneliness for a few hours. When the day finally arrived and I sat down across the table from her, and I was pretty shocked by the words rolling out of her mouth. She was engaged as of last night. She was marrying a guy she never dated, but God had "spoke to him" and made clear to him that he was to ask her to be his wife. At this point you probably think I was thinking she was crazy...but at that point in my life it sounded completely amazing, romantic in a "set apart" sort of way. Absolutely foreign to the dating regimen I had come to know quite well. As her story unfolded I sat amazed, listening, seriously amazed. She spoke of God as if He were right there next to her. Like hearing His voice was like taking an anxiously awaited phone call. I hadn't ever experienced God like that, first hand. At the end of the conversation, this Josh guy sounded like he was probably mounted on a white steed, but God sounded even higher...yet lower, more real, all at the same time. It was truly an amazing story. But what happened next was not so amazing.

As I walked back to my dorm room, the weight of the whole thing hit me. The idea that God really knew more than me, that He wanted me to trust Him in the dating area of my life. As that thought sunk into my being, I began to see what He did want from me...why He had put Mandy in my life on that day and at this stage of my life. He wanted me to trust Him. And with a whole lot of reluctance and a very, very small dose of excitement (at what God had in store), I broke up with the guy I had been dating. I knew it was what I was supposed to do. There was not a single doubt in my body. It wasn't something he or I had done, it was what God had planned, and thankfully, He cleared my head that day to allow me to follow Him.

The days that followed were, of course, harder than the homesick days from before...I wished I could be back in KC with Megan, or on another planet where that guy I had liked so fiercely didn't have a phone number. But I can say with absolute gratitude that other people came into the story, they loved me when I was a mess, and God pulled me through to see the beauty of following Him. I look back on that day as the day I learned to hear His voice...it wasn't audible, but it was clear...It didn't seem sane at the time, but His plan was better...not easier, just better. Thanks Mandy for letting me peer into your story and you relationship with God...that day I embarked on something bigger than me.

On fearing God

2011-05-26T14:50:00.000-05:00

I've been learning about fearing God lately. And thinking a lot about fear. Tornado sirens do that to me. God's power is pretty amazing, scary really.

When I first started reading the Bible, one of the questions I asked, was about fearing God. What did that mean exactly. I have no idea who I asked, but whoever it was tried to explain that it was more of a reverence, like a respect than a fear. It isn't a bad explanation at all, but it has taken me a while to get it.

I have been learning that the way I fear God is a litmus test for how much faith I have...or how much I trust Him. If I don't trust Him, then the realization that He has the power to destroy everything I hold dear, scares the living daylights out of me. It leads me to all kinds of emotions that I don't even want to admit I have, and ultimately panic, and sometimes bitterness.

On the other hand, when I am at a place of peace and trust with God, I am able to acknowledge His power...respect His power, but without being scared. I mean, pain is scary, and unknown pain scares me even more, but when I am really in a place of trust, then I know that even those unknowns are taken care of...that I am not in control, and that is a good thing.

I am learning that "fear of God" depends entirely on my perspective.

Song of Gratitude: Part 2

2011-03-27T19:28:00.000-05:00

After yesterday's post, I don't want anyone to get the impression that I grew up in this terrible home. That isn't true at all. My parents were always very supportive...and still to this day, I go to my parents to hear those words of support. But Christ was not the center of our home...mostly because my family didn't know Christ. But despite that, I grew up in a loving home, with parents who cared deeply for their children. We spent lots of time doing fun family things, taking family vacations, going on fun outings, my Mom used to make elaborate cakes for my birthday...a tradition passed down. My Dad carted us from sporting event to after-school activities, even if we did have to listen to Car Talk on the way. :) Not a bad childhood by any stretch of the imagination.

We also went to church my whole life...but that church didn't recognize the Bible as authoritative. I think they did in the denomination's doctrinal statement, but when it came to reality, not so much. Being a good person was what was important.

I don't want to speak for my parents here, but I'm going to. :) My Mom would say that she didn't become a Christian until after I did, and my Dad had heard and accepted the gospel earlier in life, but didn't put Christ first until about that same time. My parents had began to study the actual Bible at a study at the church we attended, and eventually left to go to a church that did hold to the authority of the Bible. Then what happened next is pretty astonishing. After a couple of years attending that church, they attended the Missions Conference held at the church and knew God was calling them to the mission field. And a couple of years later they left and went to Bolivia, and today, are in Southern Spain today ministering to the North African population.

As an adult, I have had the privilege of witnessing the spiritual growth, and sacrifices they have made for the Gospel. Not a lot of grandparents are willing to let their grand-kids move away (without a fight anyway), let alone being willing to move to the other side of the world, only seeing them for a month a year. I watched them sell most of their belonging at a series of garage sales, and the house that they had spent quite a while saving to buy. Now, I get to hear the amazing stories of the North African church prospering and becoming independent, and I am so glad my parents get to be a part of that. I am sure that if my parents could reverse the clock, they would wish for another chance at raising a family, but God uses all things to His glory, and the transformations in my parent's life has definitely brought Him glory.

BTW--I have kept from using proper names for the privacy of the first family and the security of my parents...It would be great if you would make sure to do the same if you comment. :)

A Song of Gratitude: Part 1

2011-03-26T12:53:00.000-05:00

The new church we are attending has asked me to do a short bio for their monthly womens newsletter. It is because I am the newest woman in the church, probably, and no one knows much about me. Anyway, I am trying to write two paragraphs summarizing my life up to this point. As I attempt this short-winded feat, I am constantly thinking of all the people who gave of themselves so I could be where I am today. I have gotten to be loved on by some pretty amazing people in my relatively short life time. So I'm going to spend today telling you about one family...in hopes to follow it with others.

My Senior year of high school...a pretty selfish time in the life of Katie Branson. Katie mainly cared about one thing...Katie. I did some "good" things that year...and even hung out with the "good" crowd most of the time. I can not say this is any of my doing though...I just really wasn't interested in partying. If I had been, I'm sure that is where I would have been. But this isn't about me. :)

Calculus class...senior year. After the first few weeks I began to notice a guy in class. I couldn't have told you what it was at the time, but looking back, he had peace. I'm sure he also cared what others thought of him, but not like most people. It didn't seem to be ruling his life. He had something that I didn't and I wasn't sure what it was...I just knew he was different.

A few months later as I was talking to him and he asked me where I was going when I died. Going to church my whole life, but never cracking the Bible, my view of God rested on I'm not sure what, but anyway, I was somehow sure that a loving God wouldn't send people to hell. He responded in a very strange way. He told me that the Bible didn't say that. Interesting thought, having an authority outside of yourself. As the conversation finished and he explained what the Bible did say, I remembered hearing that same thing at a Baptist youth event I had gone to in Middle School. "Oh, yeah, I know that." I can't remember the exact wording, but it was something like that, because, I knew everything then.

As life progressed and I did crack the Bible, I did start learning what it actually said, and I also began dating this guy. Now if I'm his parents, this is not a desirable situation to be sure...I am not cream of the crop here, and I am pretty much as selfish as people got, but I am immensely grateful to them. I am in tears I am so grateful to them. Not for letting me date their son, but for letting me glimpse into their lives. For the first time in my life I got to peer into the inner-workings of a functional family. A family where the kids respected their parents, and the parents respected their children. In fact the entire time I knew this guy, I never heard him speak even a slightly bad word of his mom or dad. They spent time together...the Bible really was their authority in life...and they genuinely loved others. This stuff was all foreign to me, I really didn't know families could actually function that way.

Today, I'm sure their family is much the same as it was, healthy, loving people, loving God. And I know that this side of Heaven, they won't see any reward for loving on me, and allowing me to be part of their lives, but I am immensely grateful...and my family is too. Without them I wouldn't even know what a family living for God would look like. But today I think of their example regularly, praying for the strength to love like that. It is also unlikely that they will read this, but if by chance they do, Thank you.

Chief of Sinners

2011-02-25T16:28:00.001-06:00

Some of the deeper ponderings now...

I was rereading Acts 9 last week. It is the account of Saul's conversion. I was struck anew by the section.

I once had a friend once tell me that after reading through the Gospels, he was convinced that if there was someone not to imitate, it was the Pharisees. It is true, really, Jesus doesn't even give them the time of day most of the time, and when he does, he ends up exasperated. It's like talking to someone who always knows better...it is a frustrating experience (please no slighting comments on the irony of me writing those words. :)).

So the question I was asking myself last week was why Paul. He seemed to be the exact opposite of the typical disciple mold. He was hardened to the point of killing disciples. Proud of his own zealousness. Perfect in regard to the law as far as he was concerned. This person sounds more like the assemblies of religious zealots that questioned Jesus, but got no answer, than a man after God's own heart. His pride...really, that is what struck me. But God chose him.

So this all got me thinking to the passage where he refers to himself as the chief of sinners. I always thought he said that about himself because he had killed disciples of Christ, or he was just being humble, thinking himself worse than he really was. But it occurred to me, that he was the chief of sinners. He had served himself, his pride and his own god (the law). Not the true and living God, but one he created. He was the worst of sinners, a man with a hardened heart towards the true God. But as Paul himself says in 1 Timothy 1, it was to show God's perfect patience. The fact that despite being the furthest from needing God, God came to him, and by His mercy changed him.

And then I began to think about sin...my perspective on sin. I have ranks on sins, even if I don't want to admit it. But I always thought pride should go closer to the bottom, because everyone struggles with it. But I'm pretty sure I was wrong. I think pride tops the list, and although pride leads to many other sins, it also manifests itself in the form of being better than those sinners. I spend my day teaching my children to work hard at all they do, make healthy lifestyle choices, and develop self-discipline, but if I don't spend even more time showing other mercy, understanding the perspectives of others and humbling myself before God, I am just encouraging my children to become the chief of sinners.

To be more blatant...I often worry about my children being promiscuous, lazy, or ending up in prison; but I never think, "what if my child ends up being arrogant". I mean, I know it is a bad character trait, but I always thought it would be better than the alternatives. Apparently not.

God is good

2011-02-05T20:26:00.001-06:00

Well before letting loose one of the heavier topics that I have been mulling over this last month, I thought I would just do a little update on our life.

The title is apt...God is good...but He would still be good without the blessing upon blessing we have received these past few months. And sometimes when I receive, I forget to say thanks...or acknowledge the Giver. This time has been so different. I seem to awake each morning with a contentment that I am just giddy about. I mean, I don't deserve a darn thing, and yet my life is so comfortable. I love, love, love my house, and at the risk of spending the whole post telling you about every nook and cranny, I will limit myself to just two things.

I have the most beautiful tree outside the living room window. It is a ~~Linden tree~~ Crabapple I believe, and it was pretty when we looked at the house, but now that it has lost it's leaves, it is covered with red berries. The branches form a ceiling for our front walk that is just perfect, and I can sit by the fireplace, enjoying the snow-covered limbs every morning with a cup of coffee. It is pretty perfect.

And the second thing is the kitchen sink. The kitchen is not spectacular, just ordinary laminate countertops, and oven that is a bit smaller than I am used to, and a basic fridge, but the sink...the people before us went all out. It is solid stone so I can't stain it, and sooo deep, plus I can lay my biggest cookie sheet flat in the bottom. On top of that , the faucet is also a sprayer and I just love it. I mean, I do spend a good deal of time at the sink, but I never thought a sink could be so wonderful. Quite silly, really, now that I have written it all out.

And on to the more important things in life. The week we moved in, the girls met a neighbor girl who, we soon found out, has 3 sisters. These 4 girls are pretty much the same age as my girls. They are over about every day to play. It is pretty incredible really. It was the thing that I prayed for more than anything else...friends for the girls, and already we have managed a birthday party for Hannah with a house full of friends. The neighbors seem just as excited to have us in the neighborhood, and it is all quite overwhelming...not the girls...the blessing. Actually, the house runs much smoother with 8 girls than 4. Guests seem to encourage polite behavior towards sisters, and so the house is even more pleasant with more. Anyway, I could keep going about the blessings, for a few more years, but I will spare you. I'll just say I feel blessed beyond measure, and then some.

Traditions

2010-12-04T13:02:00.000-06:00

Last year I started a new tradition for New Year's Day. I made a 30 min slideshow of the year, put some of the music that we listened to most that year in the background, and added in a few of the funniest videos. I used the movie maker software that came on my computer, and it wasn't nearly as difficult as I had anticipated, except I never figured out how to get it to a format that would play on a DVD player (help would be appreciated here), but we watched it on the computer and loved it. The girls have asked to watch it over and over this year.

Today I'm trying to stuff some of my favorite pics in a folder, so I don't have to do it all the week after Christmas. I'm also running down the playlist, trying do decide which Taylor Swift songs I want my grandchildren to have to listen to. :)

A sampling of some of the pics that will be on our 2010 slide show...

Written by Hannah, intending to keep all boys away except Dad...

What is a favorite family tradition of yours?

It's all perspective...

2010-12-01T14:19:00.001-06:00

So after I posted yesterday, I talked to my Sister, and she said I was being funny about posting the picture. She had already seen a picture and was convinced the house was not extravagant. Well, if you consider that I now have more living space, and nicer living space than about 98% of the world, then it does seem extravagant. But I guess it is just perspective. If you compare it to neighborhoods in North Dallas, yes, it would be in the very modest category. But anyway, it isn't a marble palace, but like I said, the nicest house I have ever lived in. And here is the picture...

I had thought about posting more pictures...maybe some interior, but I thought, you know what Katie, you could use this to your advantage...so instead of posting pictures, I'm extending the invitation for you to come in person to see the inside (which really isn't that spectacular...I don't want to get your hopes up too much...I really just want you to visit...).

Vacancy begins in March...let me know. :)

Only a day away...

2010-11-30T09:18:00.006-06:00

We close on our house tomorrow. In light of that, I have thought about posting a picture of the house, and I am a little hesitant, and I will be frank, it has everything to do with my pride. Yes, I am extremely proud of my humility. It is a funny thing to come to terms with. I know that the house we chose was the right house, but it is nice, no, it is really nice. The nicest house I have ever lived in. I'm having trouble with that. I like my modest townhome. It makes me feel humble...even when I am not. Funny how that works.

The second option, I had come up with in my subconscious, was to post a picture and then explain about how it isn't as nice as it looks and really talk it down. I do that a lot too, it makes me feel more humble, not sure why.

And all this brings to mind a story...about a car...

When we lived in Seminary housing, and everyone was dirt poor, there was a lady who lived there, she might have been a nice lady, but I didn't take the time to find out. She drove a beamer (bmw). That was all I needed to know about her. I frequently said, as I walked by it in the parking lot, that she could give us some money if she had so much extra lying around. Quite proud of myself in my dark green aerostar of weakness. It was a terrible car, it really was, but I was quite proud of its ugliness. I looked for pictures for about 10 minutes. Apparently I wasn't proud enough of it to take pictures. Anyway, as God would have it, I would get to be set in my place a couple years later, when Dave bought this...

Now, there was a good reason, of course, and I gave that good reason to everyone who would listen...my justification. But just to drive myself crazy, I'm not telling you why he chose this car. I'm not justifying myself to you. It kills me to do it, but there it is.

I will say, that Dave endured criticism and down right hurtful remarks on a regular basis when he parked it in that same Seminary parking. But I certainly can't blame those people, I am one of them.

So here's to all of us that our proud of our modest means. May we live to let others live the way God wants them to.

BTW, I know I just ended the above with a preposition, Dave, but I liked the way it sounded, so too bad.

And tomorrow, I just might post pictures of my beautiful house, if my pride will allow it.

math...helping without doing it for them

2010-11-24T06:40:00.002-06:00

If you are like me, you are tired of hearing the same questions over and over because your kids forget how to do a problem, or just don't get something. It is so much easier to just say, "it's take-away," than going through the why behind it. But, of course, like everything else in child-rearing, easy in the short-term means more work in the long run. Two of the things we are struggling with these days are word problems and area/perimeter.

Word Problems

Stephanie is doing word problems that are mixed addition and subtraction, so she was always asking me whether it's plus or take-away. When I was in school, my teacher taught me "clue words" like "difference" and "total". This really confused me more than helped, because if the problem didn't have one of those words, I was out of luck. So instead, I try to make the problem simpler for Steph.

Lets say, for example...we have 119 pumpkin scones and 320 cranberry scones. How many more cranberry scones do we have than pumpkin. Stephanie is immediately overwhelmed because it says hundreds. So I change the problem and ask her out loud...we have 1 pumpkin scone and 3 cranberry scones, how many more cranberry scones than pumpkin. Then when she says 2, I ask if she added 1 and 3 to get 2 or subtracted. That way she has figured it out on her own. She has just now gotten to the point that the hundreds don't overwhelm her, but it was a long haul.

Area

Sarah is doing area and perimeter right now, and I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot with formulas. Dave loves formulas, and most of the time doesn't know where the formula came from, or how it actually works. I think this is just memorizing and not real math, so I automatically shun this type of math. But it has worked pretty well for Dave thus far, so you can take this or leave it. I have stopped with the formulas, and we have started using graph paper. You can print this free graph paper, if you don't have any. Counting squares has helped with understanding, and also with labeling...lines are labeled in cm, where as squares are labeled in cm2 (imagine the 2 floating in the air).

That's all, I hope this is helping someone...part of me feels like I'm the last person to figure this stuff out, because I normally am the last person to realize things, but maybe a someone will find this stuff helpful. :) Feel free to insert encouragement here...

Oh, and now that I have you thinking about scones, I was given a completely awesome recipe for pumpkin scones yesterday...I'm going to make it one more time and change a couple of things then I will share. :)

define me

2010-11-23T11:29:00.000-06:00

I'm still making my way through this incredible book by Susie Larson, the uncommon woman. I am convicted every time I read it. I thought I would share again today...my pride took a hit...which is a great thing.

Unfortunately, we have a harder time extending grace toward those who struggle with areas that happen to be our area of strength. If we're good with money, we tend to look down on the one that doesn't have the savvy instinct that we possess. If we are generally healthy, we feel sure that the chronically ill must be doing something wrong.

If we're honest here, most of us at some time or other feel subtly proud of our strengths when we're around a weakling. For the most part, we try not to judge them, but wonder why they can't get it together...[she makes and exception for the more godly people she knows]

It is interesting, though, to note how subtly we take ownership of and credit for our areas of strength. If we aren't careful, we will come to believe that these strengths define us. We start to trust in the gifts instead of the Giver.

Today I'm thinking about what defines me...

a few firsts...

2010-11-22T00:30:00.000-06:00

First, Harry Potter, without the spoilers. Deathly Hallows comes in first place for Harry Potter movies. Half-Blood Prince last. Deathly Hallows first. Half-Blood Prince last. Not sure how the rest go, but these are firmly in place. Seriously, I can't even watch Half-Blood Prince, it just makes me cringe way too often. But I'll shut up about that now, it has been a year, I'll try and let it go.

First time I stepped foot into a Menard's was today. We don't technically have Menard's in Kansas City, the closest one is about 20 miles outside the Metro area, I think, so I have heard about it, but never entered one. They have one in Evansville, and it is my new favorite store. If you don't have one by you, think Home Depot on steroids, with better prices. I told Dave that he shouldn't let me go back without a chaperon. I was half joking.

First time I visited this website was this week. Coupled with the Menards experience, this could be really bad. Bad for Dave, that is.

First Taylor Swift album I own, was given to me this weekend. A couple of weeks ago, I read this post by Kat, and listened the The Best Day. Kat warned me, but was right, it induced the ugly cry. I mentioned to Dave that I listened to the song, and really liked it (I hope to eventually be able to listen to it without crying), and ended up with the whole album this weekend as a gift...something to listen to on the car ride home. I'm officially a fan...of Dave...and Taylor.

And one last...last month Dave and I will be living in a different states, started yesterday.

status update

2010-11-18T22:40:00.000-06:00

I've been fighting a terrible internet connection all week. I am hoping that this will actually post.

It is 1 1/2 hours until people will begin watching Harry Potter 7. I am not one of those people, and I was a bit bummed by that, but will be seeing it tomorrow night with my fanatical husband...I wonder if he is going to dress up. :) So basically, no internet, way too much laundry, I just got unpacked, and I am packing again tonight. Such is life. I will let you know how HP goes. You probably shouldn't read that post if you don't like spoilers, or don't care about Harry Potter. I also will let you know that a movie that is a book adaptation will never meet my expectations, so my review will most likely be negative...but since HP6 hit rock bottom, and all they have left is to move upwards, I'm hopeful.

mischief managed.

math...a brief history and the power of ten

2010-11-13T17:22:00.000-06:00

In my own very limited personal experience, I have found that the subject that is most intimadating to most moms is math. So I offer my small amount of understanding, in hopes that it may encourage some of you on to love math...okay, not to hate math. And just to keep it real, I can't spell and I am terrible at grammar, but maybe you could help enlighten me.

A History

Let's start out with the terrible measurement system that the US and Britain still use. Inches, feet, yards, etc...it is really enough to drive you mad with all the memorizing that is needed just to use this silly system. But there was a good reason for the system, hundreds of years ago (not today). Mankind did not always understood the decimal point. The decimal point revolutionized math, and then 10 became the easiest number to use, by far. Just move the decimal. That is why the metric system is so stinking easy to use. But before we understood decimals, we just used whole numbers and fractions. The number 6 is the easiest whole number to use, because it can be evenly divided by 1,2,3, and 6. The number 5 is only divisible by 1 and 5. The number 12 is divisible by 1,2,3,4,6,and 12. Where the number 10 is only divisible by 1,2,5, and 10. All that to say, that 10 is the number of choice for the day, but don't hate 12, it had it's purpose.

The Power of Ten

Ten is the number for today, so now that we know that, what do we do with that in homeschooling? I am proposing that the most important thing you can teach your Pre-K children is the 10 number bonds...what sets of numbers make up 10 which are as follows...1 and 9...2 and 8...3 and 7...4 and 6...5 and 5. This is the single most important concept for mental math later in life. More important than multiplication tables. Having these memorized before looking at a single math workbook will give your kids such a huge headstart, whether they are homeschooled or not.

This is why. When you do a subtraction problem, like 15-7, you are most likely to think about the numbers 3 and 5 and add them together. You get the 3 from the ten number bond, that is 7 and 3 make 10. Then 15 is 5 more than 10. So you add 3 and 5 together to get the answer 8. This becomes increasingly more important the bigger the numbers become, as you start thinking in 100s instead of 10s. So 759-298...you can do this in your head by adding 2 to 298 and subtracting 300 from 759. Then adding 459 plus 2 to get your answer...461. All of this revolves around the fact that you know those ten number bonds...really, it does. Think about every multiple digit addtion and subtraction problem you have ever done...carrying borrowing, etc...all needing to know these 10 number bonds.

How-To

So how do you teach your children ten number bonds. Anytime you are counting things in groups of ten, you are teaching this principle. Kids are curious, they will notice these groupings automatically. A few things we do are:

Pick up toys 10 at a time.

Disperse candy 10 pieces at a time.

Set a timer for 10 minutes until something special, and watch the time tick off.

Allow 10 books to be checked out from the library at a time. "How many more can I have", will inevitably be asked, which becomes a great teaching moment.

This is all really basic once you think about it, but I have found that most people, including me, weren't taught the why behind math, just how to memorize and do it. I hope it has been helpful, and if not, please don't feel the need to read the next post, which will involve helping your younger elementary kids with math seatwork. It might or might not be on Monday. We will see. :)

about my pity party

2010-11-12T16:58:00.000-06:00

I was going to tell you about my breakdown the other night, but first, I have to share about my experience last night at our new YMCA. This is Dave's second home...next to work. He is actually at the apartment less than those 2 places. If you count sleeping, it may be a toss up. And for the record, I go to the Y twice a week, mainly because the girls have PE there, and it looks bad for me to read the whole time. So I do a 15 min weight workout and then read for 45 min. Anyway, the point is, I do use weights twice a week. So back to the Y last night. I have never used the weights in this Y, and they have completely different systems, complete with a separate handle to change the weight increments by 5lbs, which I still don't get. So I go and ask the employee that works the weight room for help. Apparently you have to make an appointment for the full tour of the weight room, but he had 5 minutes to spare to help me out. I listened attentively and asked a few questions, and at the end of the 5 minutes, he encouraged me to make an appointment for the full tour. And then, with a serious, yet concerned face, he tells me that the tour normally lasts an hour, but in my case, more like an hour and a half. Thanks. Very nice.

So with that in mind, my week has been somewhat rough. The littlest things have been pretty major, as I don't know anyone here, and have had to relearn about everything it seems (and have been so disappointed with the service at both Starbucks, I'm thinking of giving up coffee...no, not really, but the service has been terrible).

This is going to be very long, I'm seeing that now...sorry.

So last week (history is appropriate here), I was planning on visiting Dave only Thurs thru Sunday of this week, that way the girls could go to their regular AWANA. But Sunday night, I decided that the better plan would be to come earlier, and have the girls go to AWANA here, that way they could get to know a little about the place we are moving, and Dave and I could have 90 minutes by ourselves...the latter being the main reason for coming earlier in the week.

So yesterday afternoon I talked to Dave and mentioned that I would go ahead and feed the girls so we could leave right when he got home. And so I was feeding the girls dinner when he called. He reported that he was going to be home later than he though...I'm thinking still before AWANAs, but when I ask how late, I quickly realize he has no idea. He then proceded to explain the reason to me for his delay, which I heard none of, because I basically started sobbing immediately. I probably wasn't very nice, I will admit it. But he was ruining my plans.

So at this point, I am taking the girls to AWANA, by myself if you didn't catch that earlier, and since I have been blessed with a GPS, I wasn't thinking about the possibility of getting lost. But as we get nearer to the church, I am seeing a lot of road closed signs, and then my turn is closed, and as I begin making a mile wide circle around the church, I realize that the road that the church is on, is the one that is closed. So I make my way past the road closed signs, and yes, I'm crying again (I talked to the pastor of this church the day before, and he didn't mention anything about construction) and our 15 minutes early has turned into 5 minutes late. I'm considering turning around, but really, the sole reason I didn't turn around was that then Dave would win, and there would be no free babysitting and that he stood me up wouldn't matter anymore. Yes, that exactly how my brain was working. So I pushed on, and drove about 3/4 of a mile on a packed dirt road, dodging man holes that were 4 feet high, in the dark. And we did finally make it to the church.

My eyes are red and puffy at this point, and my main goal is to get the girls into the church, sign them in, say as little as possible and go find a coffee shop that doesn't have horrible service. I do my best to sign the girls in with one word answers (horrible first impression, I know) and after 15 minutes of showing me where all the girls are going and where I'm supposed to pick them up, I am heading out the door. But as I'm leaving, one of the Sparks leaders stops me (she probably detected the red eyes) to tell me a little about the church, find out a little about me, and was really as sweet as can be. I talked with her about 20 minutes, and then proceeded back out to the car, in a much better mood.

As I'm pulling out of the parking lot, Dave calls and says that he is ready to meet me at this unfound coffee shop with better service...which ended up being Panera (they have a Panera here, I love Panera). Our date did get cut to about 15 minutes...not what I had hoped for, but I did later realize that if Dave had been with me to drop the girls off, I probably wouldn't have met this very sweet woman, and gotten to begin a relationship with her. I kind of think God knew all this, but I am still reluctunt to admit this because it would let Dave off the hook, and now that he has actually started reading my blog, I feel that admiting that it was probably God's perfect timing is about as much as I can give. Sorry Hun.

The end...less on my life, more on math and homeschooling tomorrow.

some diversions

2010-11-11T09:03:00.000-06:00

I'm going to stop being grumpy now...and you won't have to hear about any more showers...sorry about that.

Yesterday afternoon, we found Dave's computer stocked with Brit Nicole, which has been a great diversion, unless you are the lady downstairs. It has been a continual dance party. I can't hear whining or crying over the music, either.

Diversion #2...Furniture Assembly 101. The girls helped assemble these stools, so we have some place to sit. Dave appropriately noted that they are now more advanced than he is in the realm of furniture assembly. Yes. They absolutely are. At least he knows his gifts.

I will leave the story about how I spent most of last night crying for a later date, when I can process and maybe even laugh a little at myself. We are off to invade the library...Have a great day.

a shower of epic proportions

2010-11-10T09:07:00.000-06:00

We are now in Evansville visiting Dave. The girls have been bouncing off the wall excited. I have been grumpy pretty much the whole time. :(

Dave has this 2 bedroom apartment...which would be a wonderful place to live if you are single, but without furniture it is on par with a cave. A really echoey cave. A cave above a nice unsuspecting woman and a dog, who shouldn't have to be subjected to us...hopefully she can hold out a few more days.

First mistake was not bring my coffee maker. What was I thinking?

Second, I really didn't figure in the psychotic, hyperactive spirit of 4 girls who haven't seen dad in 8 days. Seriously...you would think he was Justin Beiber or something...and you're right, I might be a little jealous, which probably adds to the irritation.

Third, I didn't bring my bundt pan.

So anyway, enough with my moaning...but I have been pretty much that miserable to be around these past 24 hours...then this morning, after the first run I have taken in weeks, I got into the shower. It is one of those showers like a hotel that you can only adjust the water temperature, but not the pressure. So I turn on this water, and I have never seen this kind of water pressure in my life. I am thinking that it might actually bruise me. But I have no options, so I proceed with the pelting water and after about 30 seconds I concluded that this was pretty much the best shower of my life. I felt like I had my own personal masseuse. I could feel the tension draining from my body. I couldn't even hear the girls doing gymnastics in the living room. It was completely wonderful, and I began thinking about staying in the shower all day. But then, the obvious happened, my shower turned to ice. It was sweet while it lasted. Maybe even enough to outweigh the disadvantages of the cave for the rest of the week. We'll see.

Becoming a Blessing

2010-11-07T23:48:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking more about this Susie Larson quote, that I posted here a couple of months ago.

How do we know if we are held captive by others' opinions...When our goal is more to impress than to bless.

As I try to fit in with my peers, I'm often thinking about how to appear laid back and without cares. It is a prized character trait in society today. Not getting too worked up over anything, and not caring too much about any issue or person for that matter. Maybe I'm off base from your perspective...I'm just saying this is how I see things going down.

At Life Group tonight, some of my friends were talking about the same type thing...that we, as women, tend to let other people call us, other people befriend us on facebook, or more simply put, let others make that first move. It ends up, though, that lots of women end up feeling lonely and isolated.

I also buy into the thought that people don't really want to know me...people don't look at me as a friend...people certainly don't look up to me. The thing is, it just isn't true. Not everyone thinks about me in a positive light, but most people are just as insecure as I am. And with the Holy Spirit residing in me, I have something else for people to see...to want...to look up to. I remember how I felt when I met the person who eventually led me to Christ. I thought, "He's totally different, I wonder where that peace comes from." I respected him for that peace. Bottom-line...my insecurity is a bad excuse to be stand-offish about relationships.

So, in light of my goal to bless more than impress, I'm going to have to start making the first move, going beyond the cool, laid back persona, in order to really bless others. I'm not saying I need to start attacking people, but that my insecurities are holding me back...holding me back from God's blessing in my life...holding me back from becoming that blessing to others.

In case you need something to do...

2010-11-06T00:14:00.000-05:00

It is now completely obvious that I have way too much free time on my hands...I have posted about everyday this week...and I am restraining myself.

I have also had so much fun catching up on some blogs...so in case you needed something to do...I thought I would share. :)

But first...

I walk into the bathroom to brush my teeth this morning, and this is how I find Annie's toothbrush.

So on to things to do with your free time...

I am loving this blog. You can read about Caroline and her "dangerous moves" here, and better yet, watch the "dangerous moves" here. Caroline is in 2nd grade...don't worry, it is a family friendly experience.

One of my friends, Sam, moved to the Netherlands a few months ago, with here new husband Dan, and her chronicles of her adventures are so much fun to read...and they make me SO glad to be living here, in the Midwest.

At Inspired to Action, Kat has this video that is so moving...making me want to be the Mom that my girls wish I would be...the Mom that God wants me to be. So great.

And last but not least...I was also wondering why I've Been Cleaning My Home All Wrong? But whatever the reason, it is going to stop. :) Hope you all have a good night.

a monument

2010-11-04T23:12:00.000-05:00

There are days when I feel like I will never change...that I'm stuck being the person I am today...that my striving is all in vain. I figured out a while back that I need a monument for those days. I need somthing to remind me that I'm not that same person I was ten years ago. I need something that I can't second guess myself on...something pretty concrete.

My monument is my house...well, the cleanlieness of my house. If you talk to my parents, my college roommates or my patient husband, you would know that my house is not what it was 10 years ago...it is not even what it was a year ago. If I were a little more humble, I would post pictures demonstrating this, but as it goes, I'm not quite reconciled completely with the filth I lived in for many, many years. Neither am I defined by the filth or the cleanliness, but I am encouraged by the transformation. I have transformed in many other ways too, but it is so much easier to second guess myself on things that can't be recorded in jpeg format.

So on days when I feel utterly discouraged, I remember, I have the Spirit of Power, that has transformed me, and is transforming me. Do you have a monument?

Cowgirl Fun

2010-11-02T22:15:00.003-05:00

I stayed up entirely too late reading this last night. Do Not click on this link unless you have 2-3 hours to spare or you have greater will-power than I, when it comes to whirlwind romance sagas. You've been warned.

To go with the above theme, the girls all had some cowgirl fun at the Red Barn in Weston, Mo last week.


I maybe should have checked the helmet instead of worried about pictures. That doesn't look like it will do a thing. Also, I realize you can't see Annie's face, she won't leave a ponytail in her hair...it's enough to drive you nuts.

Annie on the pony.

This is such a great picture (if I don't say so myself).

Hannah on her way out of the Prairie Grass Maze. For optimal enjoyment, you will have to enlarge the picture and see the pout on her face.

This is an attempt at fake crying, which will be laughing as soon as she starts talking. :)

It's all about this tiny cut on her hand...which doesn't really hurt, because she has the pain tolerance of a solid rock, but she just wanted a little sympathy. I can do that.

This is Sarah in absolute bliss. She is my animal lover through and through, and no amount of talk about how much work and money pets are has yet to sink in...looks like she will have to learn that lesson the hard way.

So cute. This is pretty big stuff from the girl who used to be afraid of everything.

I had to add this one, I love the way the helmet totally envelops Hannah's petite featured face.

passion

2010-11-02T01:06:00.002-05:00

We are getting back to normal here...sort of, it is past midnight, and I am still up, but soon things will be normal. :) School has been a bit sporadic lately (we did school through half of the summer for those who are counting), anyway, the great part about sporadic school is seeing more passion in the learning process. We bought Sarah a protractor this week...at Walmart...where the lady that helped me find this needle in the haystack told me that they don't sell protractors much even during school supply pandemonium. She attributed it to the fact that kids don't use them in school anymore. I told her that this could not be, it is sacrilege and got me a little worked up, but I decided to drop it, as she was set in her belief. But I still don't believe it. Please tell me that your children or nieces or nephews or anyone you know in school are learning to use a protractor. Anyway, this has nothing to do with the whole passion thing. Sarah got to use the protractor, and was still doing math after dinner, and finally asked if she could take it to bed with her, as she wanted to do just one more page. A child after her mother's heart...well, not really. This is a first for her, and I really always felt that way about math. Oh, well. So a month of math devoured in a night...that is something anyway.

Afternoon Coffee made perfect...

2010-10-27T13:32:00.002-05:00

Jeana's recipe for Martha Stewart's Apple Bundt Cake has inspired me into thinking about afternoon treats, which make coffee that much better. :) I'm seriously considering buying a bundt pan, but in the meantime, my favorite coffee compliment...cranberry scones.

I got the recipe off of allrecipes.com and have altered it to make me feel a little better about eating them so frequently...the picture is also from that site. Just trying to give credit where credit is due.

So on to the recipe...

The Best Ever Cranberry Scones with Orange Glaze
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)
1 egg

1 cup dried cranberries

2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons orange juice

In a small bowl blend the sour cream and baking soda and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350. (I use a pizza stone, and put it in the oven to preheat now)

In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, bp, cream of tartar, and salt. Add oil and cut in butter. Add the egg and sour cream mixture and stir just until moistened. Mix in cranberries.

Turn out on lightly floured surface and knead a few times (just to get it to hold together). Form into 3 rounds about 3/4 of an inch thick. Slice the rounds into 6-8 wedges each. Place wedges 2 inches apart on the preheated stone and cook for 12-15 minutes. (I normally have to do two rounds in the oven). They should be slightly brown when done.

Mix powdered sugar and enough orange juice just till it runs off the fork. Drizzle with glaze (not pictured above). These are best warm. I have also made them with raisins and a plain vanilla glaze. They are great without the glaze too, but pretty much to die for with the glaze.

I'm hoping that Jeana and I are going to inspire you to post recipes...lemon poppy-seed bundt cake pleeeease!

Insanity break time...

2010-10-25T18:18:00.000-05:00

Dave has been gone a good 24 hours...so the insanity has set in. This is not the insanity that some of my more normal friends seem to experience when their husbands leave...we have our own brand here. I just realized that it is 6pm and that we should probably think about dinner, but the fact is, none of the girls will eat because we had lunch less than 3 hours ago. Yes, this is how days go when we don't have Dad here. I throw all scheduling to the wind just because...I can. We have been painting basically all day, and doing various other craft projects that make a huge mess, that won't get cleaned up until Friday. I'm okay with this for a week or so, then I will realize that I have to be the grown up, because no one is going to tell me to go to bed before midnight, and that our house doesn't have enough space to hold an additional art studio. I have moved up in the world a little...all the dishes are done and the bedrooms are clean...today anyway. But if you are in the area, please call before you stop by...especially before noon...I can pretty much guarantee that I will still be in pjs.

On a more serious note...we have had so many people ask if they can help with something because Dave is gone, and I am so appreciative of all the offers for help. The girls and I were thinking about that last night, and we concluded that the things that Dad provides can't be replicated by anyone else, except for maybe providing for the family, and that he is doing from afar. But we will miss wrestling and cuddling with Dad...the girls will miss watching Disney movies with Dad, because mom really doesn't do animated features. Hannah will miss her punching bag...the problem with volunteering for that position is that Hannah doesn't really punch anyone but Dad, plus, she is pretty strong now, and it actually hurts. Pretty much everything else I have the time and the energy compensate for. Obviously not the discipline, but the ability at least.

We will be Hoosiers...

2010-10-23T16:16:00.001-05:00

Dave will officially be working in Indiana on Monday. Can you say whirlwind? Evansville, Indiana is going to be our new home, and Dave flies out tomorrow afternoon.
We went house hunting the week after we heard, and have a contract on a house that the whole family easily agreed upon, complete with climbing tree for Sarah and fireplace for Hannah. I will post pics when it is actually finalized which will hopefully be mid-December. So the next 2 months will be long, but will at least have some semblance of order and routine. We can finish up stuff here before Christmas and start the new year fresh in our new locale.

God has been very good. All the wheels have been turning smoothing to get all of the logistics worked out. There are too many praises in this area to mention all of them, but the biggest one is that I don't have to pack. It is all going to be done for me. So know I just have to figure out what to do with myself the next 2 months.

Lots of crying here today, as everyone is going to miss Dad. A trip to Chuck E Cheese here in a few hours will be the culmination of his time here, which should be loads of fun.

I feel like I should feel more and say more, but right now I'm still processing.

That's Nuffing

2010-09-27T17:21:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to Paradise Park...a completely awesome place for kids to play creatively...not to mention Mom and Dad have to be creative to figure out a way to pay for it. But anyway...lots of creative fun.

After we are there for an hour Annie begins the potty dance. "Annie, do you need to go to the bathroom?" I say casually. "No, No, I'm just dancing." She replies. Two minutes later I force her to the bathroom. After we get to the bathroom, she goes in and comes out of the stall twice, saying that she tried to go potty both times. It doesn't occur to her yet to wait a few seconds so I might actually think she could have tried. So finally, after pulling her pants down myself, she is on the potty, the door is closed again. I hear the tinkling sound, and immediately Annie's voice saying, "That's nuffing." I try to hold back the roll of laughter, at her futile attempts to hide the obvious from me.

A couple of weeks later, I'm thinking back at this incident laughing again, and it occurs to me how often I say that to God. "That's nothing."

I'm only yelling this one time because I have a really good reason. That's nothing...

I skipped the the bible reading time this morning because we didn't have enough time. That's nothing...

I ate that whole plate of cookies because I really wanted them. That's nothing...

Ironically, the reason I wanted her to go to the bathroom, was so she could play more. Obviously we would be going home early if she decided to wait too long. But God is also wanting what is best for me...and it isn't nothing to Him.

BTW, Annie doesn't have to go potty in the picture, she just grabs her crotch when she is really excited...I think she tries to hold herself together...afraid she will explode with excitement.

things I don't want to know about me...

2010-08-27T12:21:00.000-05:00

Stephanie posted this very real and convicting post a couple of days ago, entitled 25 things i don't want you to know about me.

That post was in response to a post she had read with the same title. Also very convicting.

I began to think about what I wouldn't want other people to know about me. I mean there are hundreds of things, but I have this sinking feeling that the things I really don't want you to know about me, you already know. The worst part is, I think I might not know them. I have such a lovely bunch of friends who are all too gracious to tell me this, and even a husband that almost always talks to me and about me in a positive light. I'm not sure this is entirely good for me, but it is how it is, so I will just be glad about it.

The main reason I think this, is because when I read the list Stephanie made, and then Kat's list. I do so many of those things, and don't think about them. I really appreciated Kat saying that she looks in store windows for her own reflection. I have always done this, but it didn't occur to me until I read her words. I am vain...so very vain. I could be looking at my beautiful family, the window display, the people surrounding me, but no, I always look at myself.

Fittingly, I'm reading a very great book...if you haven't noticed, I'm always reading really great books (that was an attempt at sarcasm)...anyway, this really great book I have been reading in the mornings, kind of like a devotional...paragraphs at a time. the uncommon woman by Susie Larson. She writes: How do we know if we are held captive by others' opinions...When our goal is more to impress than to bless.

I don't want you to know that, most days, I am more interested in impressing my friends (you) than I am talking to God. In trying situations, I am more likely to run through a rough draft of a blog in my head than talk to God about it. It irritates me to no end, and recently I have been so annoyed that I choose not to blog at all.

Well that was pretty much a downer of a post, but freeing in a sick sort of way.

Nine Months Pregnant

2010-08-24T00:14:00.000-05:00

Those who have had that feeling can probably relate. I'm not nine months pregnant...in case you were worried...and I will most likely never be nine months pregnant again. One of the reasons is because I hate being nine months pregnant. I hate that waiting, uncomfortable, I can't sleep, I can't eat, I don't want one more person to ask me what my due date is, or say how I must be having twins because one baby couldn't take up that much space, etc., etc. Those are all the negatives, of course the positive is that you have a beautiful baby in your arms, but the waiting and all the other stuff is enough to drive you mad.

I feel like I'm nine months pregnant right now.

Reason #1 I'm waiting, waiting, waiting to find out what is happening with our life...where we will move. In the meantime I am tempted to hibernate, so I don't have to tell anyone else that I have no idea where we are moving, that it is in fact difficult to not know, that I really have no guesses, that in fact I have no clue, and that I am sure the world will know via facebook and this blog the second I find out.

Reason #2 I am nesting. I am not sure there is another word for it. I am sorting and organizing everything...deep cleaning nooks and crannies that might not have been cleaned since the construction of the house. I am getting every single task done that might need to be done in the next 6 months...planning a party for my sister, making Christmas presents, etc. I feel like I'm planning to put my life on hold...as if it could be on hold any more than it is now.

Hopefully this is the up-side to the whole post.

Reason #3 I feel like I'm waiting to meet this new life, new friends, new neighborhood, new church. I have waited so long this move that I have had time to anticipate all of these things. I have a lot of excitement for this new life, but also a lot of fear, because I can see the hard work and sleepless nights ahead. It will be worth it. Not as exciting as meeting any of my baby girls, but a faint shadow of those same feelings.

Oh, and in case you didn't catch it...I have no idea where we are moving. :)

Forgotten God

2010-07-26T22:43:00.000-05:00

So I'm on to the next Francis Chan book, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. It might just be better than Crazy Love, but I don't think a blog about which book is better would really be profitable, not to mention interesting. I don't really claim to hold anyone's interest anyway, the only people who read this blog, do so because they have some sort of relationship with me, not because of my awesome writing or deeply interesting posts. But if you do want to read some awesome writing with some serious depth, you should read Stephanie's blog. It is really good stuff.

So back to this book being good, I'm going to just share one thing.

I guess I always assumed that I would be better at following Jesus if He was right beside me, and I saw Him everyday. You know, I would have that immediate accountability and the relationship right in front of my face. But that isn't what Jesus thinks, at least, it's not what He told His disciples. He told them that it was better that He left so they could have the Spirit. Now that I am writing it, it seems very obvious, like I should have know this. It's like Rosetta Stone Language learning vs. a native Spanish speaker. That native Spanish speaker is going to be completely competent at teaching you Spanish, but they can't be with you 24/7, so that is why Rosetta Stone is the bomb, because you can listen to the same words thousands of times without having to bother someone. This analogy is pretty poor really, actually it is really poor. I think I should just quit now and let you read what Jesus has to say about it.

"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."

"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you." John 15:5-15

Crazy Love

2010-05-28T10:51:00.000-05:00

Thirteen years ago I picked up the Bible and read through the Gospels (the books of the Bible) in one sitting. It transformed my life. I kept reading until I had read the Bible from cover to cover in a matter of a year. I thought I had things figured out. Some things I did have figured out, things that seem so difficult to me now. Other things I had no clue about...it didn't occur to me that I might have read the Bible in a way that skewed things toward my way of thinking. Emphasizing some parts and skimming over others. I assumed my perspective was the right one.

Eight years ago I read the book What's So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey. It transformed my perspective. I read the Bible and saw people entirely differently because of that book. It isn't the Bible, but it was the most important book after the Bible that I had read to date. It caused me to understand the Bible as a whole and the person of God in a way I had never expected. Most of all, I was taught to open my eyes to allow my perspective to continue to be changed.

Last month I read the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I am going to have to group this book with the two previous books. I am reading it again, and again, so I don't have a good idea of what God is doing with this book in my life, but I know that this is a changing point. It is very exciting and scary at the same time. I guess the point is that this is one of the 3 most important books I have read in my life. It is probably on the front shelf of every Christian book store in the country, and for a good reason, it is worth all 205 pages of reading time and the $10 to buy the book. But I warn you, your life might never be the same.

Dave's New Job!

2010-04-20T00:46:00.000-05:00

The job hunt is finally over! Dave starts at Terminix in 2 weeks...as a branch manager. The job seems to be just what Dave was looking for, and perfect for his gifts. He will be in training for about 6 months, then they will let us know where his branch will be...in other words...we are probably moving. But more on that when the time comes.
We are just completely amazed by God. The last seven months has been difficult in some ways, but financially was not one of them. I am not sure how that can be, as we are not independently wealthy, and we did not save up for 7 months of unemployment, but here we sit.
I will probably get reprimanded later for this...so don't tell Dave I said this...I am pretty sure he doesn't read my blog, or any blog for that matter, so I will take a chance. We had tossed around salary expectations, and come to some agreement between the two of us...but they decided to offer him considerably more than either of us had fathomed, and more than he made at his last job, or any job for that matter. For those that get offended when others go into financial detail, you will have to excuse me. It think it is too cool not to share. It is just overwhelming.
We have been completely blessed by the whole unemployment experience, which is weird, but wonderful. I know that God has things under control, but there is nothing like experiencing it first hand.
Oh, and one last thing, I am a complete whiner, so if you think that my gratefulness is a testimony to me, then I hope to set you straight. I don't feel like we have experienced a hardship...I have definitely experienced hardship in the past, and I have whined about it, fretted about it and all the normal human stuff. But this situation is a testimony to God alone, He chose to make this whole situation easy on us, for some reason, so I don't have any reason to whine. If I could think of something to whine about I most certainly would. :) But today we are full of peace, and not by our own doing.

Random Homeschool Thoughts Part 3: Where to Start

2010-02-21T13:54:00.000-06:00

I got a call this week from one of my best friends. She wanted to know where to start. She thinks she is going to homeschool, but how do you decide on a curriculum. She told me that some other friends told her that you just jump in and figure out what you like and what you don’t. It is true, that will work, but first, you have to have a goal. What is the reason you are homeschooling, or more importantly, what do you want for the lives of your children. I recommended this article, because it helped me more than any other to determine my priorities. Of course, it worked its magic on me as well, because I use Sonlight, mostly anyway. But before I decided on Sonlight, I did write out a philosophy. Some of the things I care about most (in no particular order)…

A Global Perspective--Americans are not the only people God cares about. I don’t know where in the world anyone in my family will end up, so I feel it is irresponsible to spend most of our time learning about he United States when we only make up a small corner of the globe.

Natural Learning—Learning is easier and more effective when it is engaging, hands on, or in the course of everyday events. Books that engage are more memorable than textbooks that give facts. Dissecting an animal makes reading about its innards relevant. And using math skills in the kitchen is better practice than writing answers in a workbook. And most importantly, most of the knowledge used as an adult will be in a natural environment. I don’t remember anything about Calc 3 because I haven’t used it since I took the class. It was worth taking the class, but it wasn’t as memorable because I don’t have cause to use it yet. It will come back to me when I need it, like many other facts I learned in school. That is why I am not a believer in un-schooling. I think there are many things that should be taught that will maybe never come up in everyday life or used, and I don’t want to decide my daughter’s fate by not teaching them. Which leads me to my next goal…

Love for Learning--I won’t be able to teach everything that my girls will need to know the rest of their lives, but I can allow a love of learning to develop but giving the girls a high quality of materials to work with, and allowing freedom in exploration. Again, there are some things that are easier to do by rote memory, but my goal is to keep those things to a minimum.

Humility/Focus on Relationship—If these were in order of importance, this one would be at the top. I wish I could sear this one in the front of my mind, but it is the one, though the most important, that gets forgotten about in the day to day. In choosing a curriculum and setting up a schedule, I have tried to give this first place. First of all, humility and focus on our relationship with God…then our relationship with each other. We do our Bible reading first, so it doesn’t get left out because of time or any other excuse I can think of. The one thing that separated Sonlight from every other curriculum was their focus on understanding people. Below is a quote from their philosophy that shares my objective exactly:

Sonlight actively seeks authors who can speak authentically and authoritatively for other groups whose perspectives are different than our own. Why? Because we can only speak persuasively to members of other groups if they are convinced that (1) we have listened to them, (2) we have understood what they are saying, and (3) we have empathized with their perspectives. Then, if we still hold a different perspective, it is despite our obvious understanding of and empathy with who they are and what they have said.

Open-minded Scholarship—Throughout my adult life, I continue to become more skeptical, as I feel more lied to by teachers from my past. Most of the teachers did not intentionally lie, and of those that did, I am pretty sure they were thinking it was in my best interest. But now that I feel lied to, I strive not to lie to my children. I personally don’t think that God needs to be defended. He does a pretty good job of that Himself. So if I can’t explain dinosaurs in the context of Genesis 1-2, I am not going to say they don’t exist. I will leave that without opening any more cans of worms. I also want the girls to have exposure to death, cruelty, and other truths of this world that hopefully they will never have to deal with first hand. I am not going to leave out the part about how we (meaning white North Americans) massacred Native Americans and forced them into the most desolate part of the entire country. On that note, I also hoped to find a curriculum that was Christian based that did all of this…maybe not an easy feat, but after reading this article by the founder John Holzmann, I realized I was on the same page as him.

High Quality Materials--As I said earlier, I wanted to give the girls the best start on life long learning, and the best way I could see to do that was to give them materials that started that spark. I do some research, but I don’t have the time to research every single book, workbook and program out their. Sonlight highlights quite a few of these in their catalog, and I have found some from other sources as well, but it was important for me to go with tested, well researched materials.

Flexible Schedule—This is the only area where Sonlight didn’t do it for me. Their instructor’s guides are laid out in a daily format with a week on each page. Here is a sample. I like the freedom to not do something one week and do twice as much the next. I don’t know why I am like this, but I get claustrophobic when I think of doing it just like someone has lined it up. So I use a checklist where I just list the whole year of all the books I want to read, the workbooks I want to finish, the activities we would like to do, etc. I check and date things as we finish them. Then I have a daily schedule. I stick to it more often than not, but I like the fact that I can take a day off and not be in-between pages on a schedule or on Week 10 on history and Week 5 on literature. That completely has to do with my undisciplined personality though. I have just learned to accept it.

I really hope all of these ramblings have helped someone besides me. I enjoyed going back through my priorities and motives. Thanks for listening!

Hannah's Seventh Birthday

2010-02-20T15:59:00.002-06:00

A very belated Happy Birthday to Hannah. Here are some pics of the Peter Pan/Tinkerbell party (there were boys invited, so Tinkerbell had to share the stage). It was lots of fun, and Hannah had a great time...no blizzard this year.
The mass of kids in our living room is Peter Pan Bingo (thanks to Megan the Kindergarten teacher for that idea). Then the kids tried to find each others shadows, which were outlined in butchers block paper on the wall. Hannah and Stephanie were the only ones to guess all of them right. And I had fun making the most elaborate cake yet...which really turned out pretty well. Lots of friends and family made it an all around great day.

Quick Employment Update

2010-02-20T10:16:00.000-06:00

Last time I wrote, Dave had started a temp job. After about 6 weeks it became clear that it was not a good long term option for us or them, and so Dave has been home for the last few weeks looking for jobs, doing interviews, watching the girls so I can go into hiding and read the Hunger Games (and the sequel). Stephanie recommended this book, and I, knowing full well that it was fiction, started it on Thursday night...finished it on Thursday night, and started the next book, Catching Fire, on Thursday night, and actually took a break to do school on Friday (that is quite an accomplishment with my track record), and finished it last night. All of that to say that my husband is wonderful to let me read for 2 days straight, and I feel much more relaxed (but no more fiction till this summer). In fact, the whole household feels much more relaxed since Dave doesn't have a job. Since it has now been 5 months, we are all getting very used to it, and it is going to be tough when he goes back...well not financially, but I and the girls will miss seeing him so much.

Actually, I can't complain about the finances, because God has provided just what we need when we need it. I can thank Jeana and this post for reminding me that God has provided enough. But He has actually done way more than that...He has provided more than enough. We continue to think about what things we should cut out, some things were cut immediately, but we keep saying that Homeschool PE for the girls will have to go next. But the budget keeps saying we have enough to continue. It makes me feel so loved and cared for. I am not sure why that particular thing is such a big deal, but He knows just what I need, and the reminder that He does is very welcome.

So I guess the only update is that Dave continues to have interviews each week, and we will let you know as soon as something pans out.

Hannah and Molly

2010-01-21T13:55:00.002-06:00

As requested...Molly in her new bathing suit. Hannah turned 7 yesterday, and this was one of her presents (the bathing suit, Molly was a Christmas present).

Random Homeschool Thoughts Part 2: Handwriting

2010-01-15T11:45:00.000-06:00

Unlike Reading, the subject which has a thousand different books that all say the same thing, I do have a decided favorite curriculum for handwriting. Handwriting without Tears has a very unique, highly effective method of teaching beginning handwriting.

If you ever took a drawing class, then you probably remember the assignment of upside down drawing. You were instructed to turn the picture you were drawing from and your paper upside down and draw from what you saw. That way your drawing wasn’t clouded by your own presuppositions of your subject. It turned the picture into just lines and shadows for your brain to transfer to the paper. I remember being amazed by the results.

In a similar way, HWT has developed a system to help children put together letters with their hands before putting them down on the paper. A Child that knows what an S looks like still has trouble drawing it when there is a picture of it right next to them. So they have developed a method to help the brain break the letter into pieces to be able to put those pieces together in the right way.

The method uses different manipulatives, but my favorite is a set of wood blocks (or you can make them out of cardstock like us) that consist of 4 different shapes. Together these shapes make every letter in the uppercase alphabet. HWT website has printable downloads of all the letter formations, but they aren’t too difficult to figure out. You need 2 big curves, 2 small curves, 4 big lines, and 3 small lines. Below is the actual wood letters you can buy from HWT.

Here is the letter formation chart available on their website.

We just worked on writing letters on blank paper until we made the switch to a different handwriting program. We switched because I thought that their letters looked funny and would rather my girls learn to write with the traditional ball and stick. I think this is just a matter of opinion at this point. But we switched to A Reason for Handwriting. Here is an overview and why we chose it:

Their “K” (Kindergarten) workbook has letter practice on one side of the lesson page and a coloring page on the back. The first “A” sheet has an alligator on the back and so on. We used this program to try to instill a pride of workmanship by asking for their very best work on both sides of the sheet. They tried very hard to color inside the lines on the back side as handwriting improved on the front side.

After their “K” workbook, RFH uses a week long assignment method we also like. During days 1-3 students work on individual words (that are in the final Bible verse) on the practice worksheet. Then on day 4 students do a practice sheet of the whole Bible verse. On day 5 students chose a border sheet that they can then do the final version of their Bible verse on, and color the surrounding border. I like the fact that they are copying Bible verses and the pride of workmanship that the border sheets help to build.

A Reason for Handwriting has Samples on their website.

One more thing and then I am done with this overly long post. 2 teaching tips:

1-Let the student tell you what they think is the best and worst part of their assignment for that day. They normally see the mistake, but don’t know how to fix it on their own.

2-Only help the student correct one thing a day. Leave the other stuff for another day.

So now I am looking for a great typing program...any help?

Random Homeschool Thoughts Part 1: Reading

2010-01-14T01:00:00.000-06:00

If I say Part 1, then there might be a Part 2 to follow. Oh, and I am not claiming to be an expert in homeschooling. I have just taught 3 girls to read, read about 50 books on the subject, so I thought I would pass on some knowledge.

Teaching your child to read 101. Three step method. Okay, maybe 4, but step 4 is obvious (okay, once you read them, they will all be obvious).

Step 1: Read to the child when they are young (and old). Pick books with varied vocab, as this is very helpful later. It is always nice for the child to know the word they are trying to sound out. Beatrix Potter is very helpful, as are original Mother Goose nursery rhymes. You don't need to explain every word, but exposure is very helpful. Good books are also very helpful.

Step 2: Make letter sheets. These consist of writing the letter in the middle of a blank page and then talking about and drawing objects on the page that start with that letter. A small basic picture dictionary is helpful if you aren't very good thinking of words on the fly. Start with consonants that have one sound, they are so much easier. We have yet to finish all 26 letters before finishing Step 3, but it gives the child a visual start to learn to read.

Step 3: Let the child read to you. We like the Bob books and Seuss, but any easy readers set would work. Associate one letter with one concrete word. B is for "baby". It is always "baby" while they are learning. Short "E" for "elephant", long "e" says its name. This part requires patience. Let the child work at sounding words out. Let them read the books they master over and over again, along with the harder ones.

Step 4: Know your child and help them pick books they are interested in. Sarah likes fantasy. Hannah likes comics. Stephanie likes cereal boxes. They all read other stuff now, but no child wants one more chore (well mine don't), so I don't make my kids read stuff they don't like (right now). Which leads me to my reading list combine with my perfect book outlet. www.sonlight.com I have never had a complaint about any of the books on their readers list (and we have only missed the Sonlight controlled vocab books). They are all interesting and very enjoyable and mostly available at the local library (my super fantastic book outlet). But then I have a super fantastic local library. Oh, and just order a catalog from Sonlight. The webpage makes it buyer friendly, but not as "hijack your book list" friendly.

If this method doesn't work, then most likely your child is not ready to read. Children seem to have a "get it" age anywhere from 3-10 years old. I am not making this stuff up. I read it in a book. Actually about 10 books.

I hope you enjoy your free time, now that you don't have to read those 50 books, but if you are like me, you probably will anyway. Hopefully my next post won't contain as much of an attitude. Sorry, I am having a grumpy day, and I think it is reflected here.

Winter Pictures

2010-01-13T10:51:00.003-06:00

I might as well just admit that I am now only posting once a season. So here's your winter post. You might not want to expect anymore until spring.

Dead Down Wind

2009-12-10T14:12:00.000-06:00

That is the name of the company that Dave starts a temp job at on Monday. They sell stuff to keep you from stinking...mostly for hunters. It is temp to hire...maybe. The best part is the location. It is in the KC area. So we are super glad for something. Ironically, it is the first job he applied for. He still has more interviews lined up and has been in interviews all week this week. I will everyone know when he has a permanent job, but right now we are praising God work!

Thanksgiving Pics the easy way...

2009-11-28T10:29:00.001-06:00

My brother-in-law took lots of pictures and some of them are here!

Staying

2009-11-24T15:33:00.000-06:00

So after much prayer, frustration, and a little bit of sadness we are not moving anywhere at present. I am very glad, but Dave is still without a job, and for that I am not glad, but patiently waiting. He decided to turn down a job that just kept getting worse the longer he communicated with them. He didn't get the other job. So back to square one. I have had a very good week though. God has changed some of my mind on some things. I am more at peace than I have been in a really long time, and I am really going to miss Dave when he does find a job (as opposed to the "you are driving me crazy" attitude I had last month). Life is really deeply good. And God has provided. We are still good financially, and that is pretty amazing. Anyway, thought I would share the joy.

Still Waiting...

2009-11-20T13:59:00.000-06:00

Glad to be learning patience...

uprooting

2009-11-17T12:08:00.000-06:00

It looks certain that we will be coming to a city near you, but which city is still to be determined.

We have been traveling around the state of Missouri this month looking at jobs and places to live. We have been traveling the web looking at thousand of different little things that play a part when you move. I am getting worn out, and I am wishing that we could just stay here. But I also think back to the other times that I followed God, even though it wasn't what I wanted to do. It has definitely ended up for the best so far. It is easy to know what the best thing to do is, but putting on the happy face...no, really being happy about it is another thing. I want to tell my girls that this will be the last move, and that they will get to keep these friends close for the rest of their childhood. But I am not God. I want to tell them that...I really, really want to tell them that, but I don't know what will come next. So I tell them that God knows. That is all for today...I am off to pack boxes.

Halloween Candy and lack of job update

2009-11-14T20:48:00.003-06:00

There is no job update, if you are following that saga.

The girls are all enjoying their Halloween candy...a new reason to eat yucky stuff for dinner. The best part of Halloween candy, though, is watching them share. They don't really share with each other...that would be called trading, but Mom and Dad don't have a stash, so we get blessed by the sharing. Sarah is wonderful at sharing. She knows exactly what Mom and Dad prefer. Mom wants chocolate and Dad sugar. She is very thoughtful and gives us our favorites. Then their is Annie. She is so cute. Her absolute favorite is Laffy Taffy. So she gives everyone else her Laffy Taffy. I feel so bad eating it because she loves it and I can barely get it down, but of course I love the fact that she is willing to give what is most precious to her.

Coming to a city near you...

2009-11-09T15:11:00.000-06:00

...or so we think. Of 100 applications now sent 90 have been for jobs in the Kansas City area. The only serious interviews have been from those other 10 applications. So it would look like we might be moving. Not too far, but moving all the same. Oh, how I love moving! I am still waiting to pack, but Dave does have a final interview where he is the only candidate later this week. I'll give you the scoop if/when one of them is a sure thing.

more waiting

2009-11-05T11:08:00.000-06:00

Well, Dave got a call back from the first interview finally. They said that they will make a decision and call back before Thanksgiving. AKA more waiting. He is still setting up interviews and waiting to hear back on other interviews. Waiting for phone calls for interviews. Waiting to see what God is going to do.

Waiting

2009-10-28T21:48:00.000-05:00

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting...

That is all I have to say.

Job Update

2009-10-24T12:06:00.000-05:00

The first good news of the job hunt came yesterday, as Dave has 2 first interviews on Monday. We'll keep you updated!

In a weird twist of events...

2009-10-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

Dave is now jobless. We keep hearing that upper middle management is the most dangerous place to be in a company. Well we can now vouch for that. It is weird though, because a month ago I posted about how much I love my life and how normal things were. But the weirdest part is that Dave actually had an employer let him go. He is borderline workaholic. He gives about 200% and is scarily robot like in his ability to perform in a workplace. I don't think Dave has ever had a job where he went more than a year without a promotion. Dave isn't perfect, but he is pretty much an ideal employee. I take that for granted. But more importantly I have realized that I have relied on Dave for our income (instead of God).
We can also verify that the job market is bad...really bad. Dave has applied for about 100 jobs in the last 2 weeks, and has yet to get one call for an interview. This is just weird. I know it is becoming normal, but as it plays out in front of us, it is a little strange.
Mostly we have peace...disjointed by momentary panic stricken moments...but mostly peace. There is a little bit of excitement on my part, as I have no idea what God is doing, and what will come next. I think their might be some pain to come before we get there, but I still look forward to what God has for us next.

To Be Continued...

Birthday Musings

2009-09-15T10:42:00.000-05:00

I turned 30 on Friday. I don't feel any older (maybe a day), but it did cause some reflection. It was quite nice actually. Ten years ago, if you asked me what I wanted to be doing in 10 years it was exactly what I am doing, with the exception that I wanted to be doing it in a foreign country. I am not sure how that would have been anyway...I lived in Dallas for 5 years, and had trouble dealing with that culture shock, so maybe I really didn't know what was good for me anyway. So other than that bit, I really I doing what I want I dreamed of doing. Staying home with my kids, homeschooling them, and happily married. Not too many people can say that, so I feel very grateful. I feel even more grateful when I look at how I got here. Left up to myself, I wouldn't have gotten here. The last 10 years have been very bumpy and at times I found myself going in the exact opposite direction of my goal. But God knew. He knew that those things would lead me here...that most of them needed to happen so I could be here today...it is pretty amazing really. I am completely overwhelmed with gratitude.

On top of my wishes for the future, I began to think of the things that I had not wished, but that I love about my life. First of all, my daughters. My oldest daughter, Sarah, is the antonym of me. She is disciplined, scheduled, organized, and loves to do the same thing 100 days in a row, just as long as she knows what is coming. I love this, because I am not like this, and if I didn't have her to please, I probably would still be the unscheduled mess that I have been most of my life. Hannah, on the other hand, hits a little closer to home. She would love to procrastinate her life away, well, she would regret it later (I know), but trying to get out of anything is her specialty. She is a complete fire ball, so hilarious, and so witty (I didn't get that trait unfortunately). She is so much fun, but it is like pulling teeth some days to get school done. Thank God for Sarah. Stephanie doesn't really care what the activity is, is all that matters is who is participating. She loves relationships, so much that she has trouble not hugging and touching everyone around her. I am not sure who she got this from...someone unrelated to us, but it is wonderful to watch, as long as she isn't poking out the neighbor's baby's eye. She is also the most dramatic...well, I almost don't want to call it dramatic...she isn't playing. She is very sensitive, and I have never seen her cry for effect. She is truly hurt by the smallest things sometimes, and becomes so upset that she can hardly breath. Annie, well Annie is the baby. She knows she is cute, and she works it very well. When she is in trouble she looks at you until you laugh, she will perform for almost anyone, and expects everyone to dote on her. I suppose this won't last her whole life...I am hoping. Right now, she even has her sisters under her spell. Everyone stands up for Annie, and she is the baby, so she seems to always be in the right. Gladly, her parents aren't as fooled, but she is cute, no doubt.

Well this was supposed to be about my birthday, instead you get a psych analysis of my kids...

The other thing I was going to say, is that I love where I live. I just love it. There is no way that 10 years ago I would be wanting to live in a townhouse in Independence MO, I probably would want to live on 10 acres. But I don't like to work that much, and I love living close to great parks, an awesome library, and having a house where I am not responsible when something breaks. Praise God!

Thanks for letting me share some of the blessings in my life. Have a wonderful week!

Trip to the Lake

2009-09-04T16:16:00.003-05:00

Some pics from our recent trip to the lake. Since blogger has gone all html code on the uploads, I am not going to even try to put captions next to pics. You can make your own captions if you want, but exclude comments about Dave's farmer's tan...he is a bit sensitive. You will notice there are no pictures of me. :)

Currently Reading

2009-09-04T15:29:00.000-05:00

Some of the Books we are currently reading...

The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong
This book is long, but great. Set in Holland turn of the century maybe, or before. This is a fabulous story about a little school of 6 children that come together with a goal...eventually the whole town gets involved. The relationships and personalities are wonderful...the old and young find things in common and become friends, and the little town of Shora changes.

The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess
We just started reading this storybook for science. After the first chapter Hannah wanted to keep reading, and said that we could read this everyday for Science. That is enough right there. She is the hardest to please, so I checked out several other books by the same author, and we are going to go with it as long as we can.
The Book reads like a storybook about characters who happen to be birds, but the introduction of different species of birds gives insight to individual birds habits and personality. It is the best kind of book, one that is enjoyable and doesn't lead on that you are learning anything.

No Man Knows My History by Fawn Brodie
This has been my nightstand book for the last few months. It is not a page turner, but an excellently written biography of the life of Joseph Smith. Interesting doesn't do it justice. This lady talks like she knows him intimately, and she probably does with all of the primary source research she did to compile this book. It is not boring by any stretch of the imagination, but it isn't Harry Potter either. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, but it is worth reading.

Sunflowers

2009-08-13T15:00:00.002-05:00

Sarah and Hannah planted these sunflowers in our backyard. The girls have been so excited to see them grow taller than Daddy.

Jars of Clay

2009-08-13T14:42:00.000-05:00

We were reading Nine Days to Christmas today, and it got me thinking about jars of clay. In the book, Ceci is so upset that her first pinata is going to be broken. Her brother Salvador says that pinatas are made to be broken. It was profound in a simple way. We, too, are made to be broken.

7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. II Corinthians 4:7-12

We are fragile. Our brokenness means wholeness in a weird sort of way.

I have gained 10 pounds this year. I think it is mostly because I am getting older and my metabolism has slowed down. I have never gained weight without being pregnant, so I have been annoyed by it, and have gone through several different "diets" to try to remove this extra baggage. I tried counting calories. I always felt like I was starving myself. I tried training for a 5K. I kept having stupid injuries (like a really bad stubbed toe and then weird pain from a tick bite). So I gave up several times. Then a little over a month ago, I started praying about it, how I thought it was mastering me, and I didn't want to be mastered by anything. I continue in prayer, but God has given me wisdom this time to take steps in discipline that I will be able to keep up long term. I pray for continued discipline each day, but I don't feel like I am starving myself, and I have enjoyed running consistently but moderately. So this week, the scale finally said that I have lost all 10 pounds. But I am more glad for the life changing that God has been working in me. He gets the glory, I am just the broken vessel. Praise God.

Tomato Thoughts

2009-07-29T14:17:00.000-05:00

First, a really good read. Very encouraging.

As we begin to get tomatoes, I am starting to think of what I am going to do with them.

Sarah informed me today that Cherry Tomatoes are better warm. I agree. A bowl in the middle of the table is the best spot for those...if we ever have any make it inside, that is.

Grilled Cheese Veggie Sandwiches--these are the best. We just started doing this a couple of years ago. But basically you make a grilled cheese sandwich, open it up while the cheese is still melted and pile on veggies. Our favorites are tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and some form of lettuce. This is our summer PB&J.

Another great option is grilled Mozzarella sandwich with tomatoes and pepperoni. I love this, but the girls won't eat it, go figure.

BLTs sound good too, but we haven't done these in a while.

My grandma always cut up tomatoes and put a little salt and pepper on them and served them with dinner. I also think these are best at room temp.

We used to make salsa with them, but I haven't been that brave, or had that much extra time in a while.

I am going to try some new things this year, like maybe tomato soup or pizza sauce.

Any ideas or recipes would be very much appreciated!

ReStart

2009-07-28T10:12:00.000-05:00

It is time to restart this blog. I started it at homeschoolblogger.com, and mostly posted about school stuff. Well, the way we do school, it is pretty much our whole life. We have sit down workbook time, but most of our learning comes from good books and hands on experience. So I am not planning on giving you the play by play of what we are doing each day, but maybe a few cool things we are learning.

The girls are doing a VBS at my Grandma's church, and I went to an adult class they are hosting last night. It was on Luke 18:1-8 (below text is in the ESV thanks to biblegateway.com).

¹And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought^A)">(A) always to pray and not^B)">(B) lose heart. ²He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who^C)">(C) neither feared God nor respected man. ³And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' ⁴For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself,^D)">(D) 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" ⁶And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷And^E)">(E) will not God give justice to^F)">(F) his elect,^G)">(G) who cry to him day and night?^H)">(H) ^I)">(I) Will he delay long over them? ⁸I tell you, he will give justice to them^J)">(J) speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,^K)">(K) will he find faith on earth?"

I realized that the point of this passage was not that we need to be persitant in our prayers to get what we are praying for. That might be true, but the point seems to be in the first and last statement. Are we persistant in our faith? Will we be like the widow in following God...willing to always pray and not lose heart, continue in our faith until the Son of Man returns. The point isn't the prayers being answered, but in the praying being glorifying to God because we are relying on Him.

I was encouraged to pray continually. To bring God glory by my persistance in faith.

P.S. I do believe that God answers prayers, but how and when I don't always get.

Jo

2009-07-20T14:39:00.004-05:00

While on the subject of pets, here is a picture of yet another pet Sarah collected from our yard. This one's name is Jo, because Sarah didn't want to give it a gender specific name. She is so considerate. :) It is a baby American Toad, and is sitting in the towards the top of the picture. Sarah got this book for her birthday, and this is the first pet we have had in her jar. I convinced her to let it go to free up the jar for some other pet we might find. That, and she was getting tired of collecting bugs for it's food. I have some pics of Annie's Birthday, but I am going to wait to post them until I get the ones my mother-in-law took, which are probably much better and more plentiful. :)

Mr. Claws

2009-07-20T14:09:00.003-05:00

Mr. Claws is the turtle we found in our back yard. He is a false map turtle who seemed to be feeding off of the mosquito population in our flooded sandbox. Since we dumped the sandbox, he doesn't have an aquatic environment anymore, so we decided to take him in and watch him a few days. I think we might drop him of at a conservation area instead of in our back yard, but we haven't decided yet. He is pretty fun to watch, so I included a video. Annie especially enjoys it. We read later that map turtles dive into water when they are scared...so he pretty much does this every time we enter the room.

Sarah Turns 8!

2009-07-03T10:49:00.002-05:00

I am still shocked, but Sarah turned eight in May. I really can't believe she is that old and will be in third grade this year. It seems like she has made the jump from a little girl to a young woman...or maybe the jump has just started. Anyway, we had a "Little House on the Prairie" Party. Instead of a cake, we made Laura's little Maple Cakes, thus the one candle and the small cupcake looking thing. We also made butter from cream (Hannah is demonstrating), made homemade lemonade (Stephanie and Annie are demonstrating), had a watermelon seed spitting contest, and a three legged race. Lots of fun.

Stephanie's 5th Birthday

2009-07-03T10:18:00.003-05:00

Stephanie turned 5 a few weeks ago, and we had a Strawberry Shortcake party, with some fun outdoor water games. Happy Birthday Stephanie! :)

Camping Trip

2009-06-10T14:09:00.009-05:00

We went camping last weekend near St. Louis, and had lots of fun (with some complaining and fussing, but mostly fun).
We took a tour of Fisher Cave, which was on the campground, and was very cool.

Stephanie trying out Mom and Dad's bed.

Annie and Steph in the girls "room."

Dave taking it easy.

All the girls spent some time drawing...Annie draws happy faces over and over again. Sarah was drawing a wild flower she found.

On Sunday we got up early and packed up to avoid a thunderstorm and the possibility of packing up a wet tent...yuk.

So we stopped in St. Louis and went to the zoo on Sunday. We got to see a Capybara (the largest rodent in the world), which was pretty cool, since we read this book about a family who took one in as a pet. I had never seen one in person.

Annie is pointing out that the elephant has a mouth...pretty amazing stuff for a 2 year old!

Susan Boyle

2009-04-20T16:31:00.002-05:00

In case there is someone who hasn't heard of Susan Boyle, I thought I would post a link to her performance on youtube. What a beautiful wake up call for all of us who judge so much by appearances.

Easter Pics

2009-04-14T15:59:00.002-05:00

Some pics of the girls in their dresses. It is cold outside, in case you don't live in MO and realize that they are doing a really good job of looking normal when they are wanting to shiver. Hannah can't stop laughing, which is what she does when she doesn't want to do something...and she did NOT want to come outside.

Spring Fun

2009-04-14T15:47:00.001-05:00

Between kite flying and rollerskating...we have had a pretty fun couple of weeks.

Hannah Turns 6

2009-04-14T15:31:00.002-05:00

Some pictures of Hannah's Sixth Birthday Party in January! It was a tea party, and she got an American Girl Doll, which she named Julie. We had lots of fun...I think...it is kind of hard to remember. But better late than never!

Still Doing Fine

2009-04-06T22:45:00.002-05:00

We are still doing great, trying to get the school year finished up, and caught up on some projects...actually I started one too many projects, and now I am trying to finish them. Dave and I just had an awesome weekend in Omaha where we got to listen to Catherine Levison give an all day presentation on homeschooling. It was really practical and very helpful. Dave and I also enjoyed the time away together, and got a chance to talk a lot about homeschooling, along with lots of other stuff. I have pictures of lots of stuff that I need to post. I am hoping I will get to it soon. In the meantime...we are doing fine.

Some Christmas Pics

2009-02-12T11:37:00.002-06:00

A little late, but here are some Christmas pictures...the towels pic is of Christmas Eve, and the pic of Sarah is holding her new Samantha American Girl Doll.

Pictures of Jamaica

2009-01-23T11:52:00.003-06:00

I just figured out that I can see pictures of Dave on the trip through this website. If you click on the link right above the group picture, you can see lots more. The two below are of the whole group and of Dave and some guys laying a foundation.

Dave posts on the Jamaica Blog

2009-01-21T22:51:00.001-06:00

Dave posted today on the Jamaica Blog. A link to his post is here.

Dave in Jamaica update

2009-01-18T19:22:00.003-06:00

I am assuming that no news is good news. They were supposed to arrive around noon, and I know that they got on their flight in Houston. At this point, I won't have any way to talk to, or get a hold of Dave, so the blog, which is linked in the last post is my only source of info. The girls and I are getting ready for a full week of craft projects and visitors. Fun, Fun, Fun

Dave in Jamaica

2009-01-17T21:20:00.002-06:00

Dave is going to Jamaica for a week...he flies out tomorrow morning. It is hard to call 4:15am morning, that is really more middle of the night, but that is when we are supposed to be at the airport. Anyway, if you want to follow his trip, this is the blog. He is building houses and doing work...don't be too jealous. It sounds like it is going to be an adventure.

My Favorite Things

2009-01-16T12:57:00.006-06:00

I just finished watching this BBC version of North and South (for the hundredth time), and thought I should share that it is the best movie of all time. It is 5 hours long (in 4 parts), but never the less, it is the best movie of all time. I am unwavering on this, so I challenge you all, to post your all time favorite movies. I will begin watching them and come up with a conclusion, I already know what that conclusion will be, but that is okay. Oh, and the only criteria I have for best movie, is that you have to be able to watch it over and over again.

And a very close second goes to this version of the Importance of Being Earnest. This is just hilarious. You will be rolling, really. It is only 100 minutes or so, so you don't have to devote a week to watching it.

Thanks to Stephanie this is my new favorite blog.
It is called Cake Wrecks, and is devoted to very badly done professional cakes. There are sometimes posts with extraordinarily intricate cakes, that are just amazing. But the posts of wedding cakes that were ordered one way and turned out another are my favorite. The most recent one is here.

Then to top it off, my favorite picture storybook. The girls love this storybook. Okay, I love it too. From the Stinky Cheese Man to the Story of Ferdinand the somber bull to the classic Goodnight Moon, it will not disappoint you.

Now it is your turn, please share your favorites...

The World Through Annie's Eyes

2008-12-17T08:30:00.002-06:00

Take a mental picture...Annie, who is 2, was watching me brush Sarah's hair this morning, and Sarah was cringing, as she normally does, trying not to whine. Then Annie says, "Mommy, Sarah pooping." Annie, it might be time for potty training...

Stephanie on Princesses

2008-12-16T12:49:00.004-06:00

Stephanie was getting dressed for church a few weeks ago, and we had a conversation that went something like this...

Mom: "Stephanie, put pants on it is freezing outside."
Stephanie: "But Mommy, I want to be a princess."
Mom: "Princesses don't always have to wear dresses."
Stephanie: "But how do they find their Prince if they are wearing pants?"
Mom thinking: We are definitely not watching Enchanted again for a long time.
Mom says: "But Stephanie, I met Daddy, my Prince, and I wasn't wearing a dress."
Stephanie: Looking at me like I have no idea what I is saying, and trying not to laugh, then finally, "No, Mommy."

The concept was too much for her to handle. She is all girl, and will eventually become our own fashion police. It is a good thing my sister Meagan lives in Dallas, so we actually have a vacancy for the fashion police position.

Annie's Swimsuit Fetish

2008-12-16T12:30:00.004-06:00

Annie's favorite clothing item for the months of November and December...swimsuits. The last picture shows the 4 inches of show outside, and if you look very carefully you can see the icicles on the inside of the door (which is hopefully going to be replaced very soon). The first picture is probably of Annie running away from Daddy who is telling her to get some clothes on. She is such a funny little girl. The second pic is a very typical "I know I am cute and I am trying not to smile," Annie face. So funny. She is 2 1/2 now. I am hoping that her fascination with swimsuits doesn't last 2 more years like Stephanie's dress/princess fetish.

I wish I could go to school Mom...

2008-12-10T10:07:00.005-06:00

...so I didn't have to go to school today.

I love Sarah's logic. It is a snow day here, and she wishes that she got off school as well. It doesn't matter that on Friday we will take the whole day off to go and watch a play and spend the afternoon at Crown Center, or that she gets a whole week off at Thanksgiving, and 2 at Christmas...the prospect of other kids not going to school while she does is disappointing. So maybe I am a mean Mom, but she is inside doing school work, hurrying to beat the sun...the goal, of course, to make it outside to play before the snow melts. Poor Sarah.

Thanksgiving Thought

2008-11-24T12:25:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine posted this on his blog, and I had to share.

Tagged and Thankful

2008-11-20T08:39:00.000-06:00

I was tagged this week by Coffee Mom, and my friend Megan has inspired me to make a list of things I am thankful for. So, I am going to combine the two.

1. God never changes, and He loves me more than I can imagine.

2. My husband, who loves me and is very patient with me, especially when I take time to dream of the future (about every 15 minutes).

3. Sarah, who is very giving, and loves to be able to help anyone in need.

4. Hannah, who is a very loyal friend, and deeply cares about others.

5. Stephanie, who is a beam of sunshine, always ready to entertain others (of course I am only looking at the positive).

6. Annie, who is still a constant source of comic relief and cuteness.

7. I have a warm house that has plenty of space, hardwood floors, and costs almost nothing.

8. I have neighbors that take the time to talk to me and each other.

9. The ladies in the bible study at Sherwood, who encourage me to grow.

10. Our Life-Group at Gateway church, which is constantly stretching me, in a good way.

Well, that wasn't even difficult, I will have to continue on to a hundred in my journal. I hoped you learned something new, and your are also encouraged on to thankfulness. If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged. Please share what you are thankful for!

Stephanie Singing at Church

2008-11-10T08:35:00.003-06:00

Stephanie is the one next to the end on the left, wearing the denim jumper. I didn't have enough space on the memory card, so it cut the last bit of the song...sorry.

Springfield Visit

2008-11-10T08:16:00.004-06:00

We visited Dave's Grandma in Springfield this weekend, and took a side trip to Mansfield, Missouri to visit the Little House on Rocky Ridge. Sarah is reading this book for school right now, so it was perfect timing. She is also reading Little House in the Big Woods on her own, so she knew a bit of Laura's childhood as well. This will be a great place to visit in a few years when we have completed the series, and all the girls can enjoy it. The white house is Little House on Rocky Ridge, and the stone house was a modern house given to Laura and Almanzo Wilder as a gift from their daughter. They lived in it 8 years before returning to the original house. We couldn't take pictures inside either of the houses, but the original house was wonderful. Everything was completely customized to Laura, and it really spoke volumes of their passions. I really enjoyed it.

Believing God

2008-11-07T09:39:00.000-06:00

I am doing this Beth Moore study right now with a group from my church. I have read a few Beth Moore books which were good, but I had never heard her speak before. I am probably in the minority here, but if you do get a chance, this study (the video teaching part especially) is excellent. It is very basic, but then the last few weeks especially have really challenged me to become an extraordinary woman of God. I remember Howard Hendricks saying once that the best book was the one read at the right time. That has got to be true of this Bible Study for me.

Roller Skating

2008-11-06T16:54:00.003-06:00

We went roller skating today with some other Homeschoolers. We go on the first Thursday of every month, and my girls enjoy it so much that they start talking about it a week before the long awaited date. I love to roller skate, so I am always very excited too. But it is funny that I am one of the only moms that skates. I remember going to skating parties at school, and parents didn't skate. But I am wondering why. Is rollerskating not as much fun to the rest of the world as it is to the female portion of my family, or do the other moms look and me and think I am a fool for skating. I am not sure why, but I just finished skating, and I find myself looking forward to next month. It should be for the conversation or so my girls can skate, but really it is because I love to rollerskate.

Oh, and I should have taken some pictures, but I was too busy enjoying myself.

Halloween

2008-11-04T17:39:00.004-06:00

My girls, dressed up for Halloween...
Hannah as a black cat (which is a great color for her).
Annie as a flamenco dancer (thanks to Grandma and Grandpa).
Stephanie as a ballerina.
Sarah as Felicity, the American Girl. She has my favorite costume because it took the longest to make. It does look pretty cute, I have to admit.
They had a great time trick-or-treating with Dad and Papa. Mom had to work, and Ouma was in South Africa, so the guys got to have all the fun.

Deanna Rose Farmstead

2008-11-04T17:09:00.003-06:00

This is one of the really cool free places in KC.

The Branson Family Blog

2008-11-04T16:10:00.002-06:00

It's basically about these 4 girls, but every once in a while, it is also about Dave and I (Katie). And sometimes you get to hear rants, but mostly I reserve that for my other blog. If you are here reading about us, you probably already know us, so I won't do a whole bio or anything. It is just a blog about our life with these 4 girls God has blessed us with.

Prayer Jog

2008-10-10T06:33:00.000-05:00

In March of 07', I began running for the first time in a few years. It started out as a group effort with some of my friends, but soon I was running by myself again, mostly because my friends and I were all at different levels. I enjoy running, it is good exercise, but my main reason soon became to look better. I wanted to be thinner and more toned. It is no wonder that my efforts quickly turned to vanity, and although I did look a little better, my heart looked worse. I write this because I have begun running again this month, and this time my goal is higher. I have taken the opportunity to pray for my neighborhood while I run. I have felt a real sense of purpose since we moved here 4 months ago, and as I pray about that calling, I feel prompted to pray more. I have also been spurred on by my friends in Stolkholm who are a constant encouragement to me. I would love it if you would pray with me for the community I live in and my willingness to be used by God. I hope that this post will also be an encouragement to someone.

Kudos to the US Government

2008-09-23T22:45:00.000-05:00

With all the negativity, I thought I would try and add something positive. Isn't it great that our Country is not entirely dependent on who becomes president. This is a great comfort to me lately. I am really glad someone thought to set things up that way. And that is my attempt at being positive.

Stephanie's Haircut

2008-09-12T11:55:00.003-05:00

My beautiful 4 year old, Stephanie, got her first real haircut on Wednesday. Here is the before and after pics (I didn't take official before pics).

A Hundred Roses

2008-09-12T11:47:00.003-05:00

Thought I would add a picture of the roses in bloom (about 2 months late).

Dave sent me a hundred roses for my birthday yesterday. They were spray roses, so they actually fit in a vase. they are even fuller today. It was a wonderful surprise. Thanks Dave. (Oh, and for the record, I am 29, not 30.) So all old comments will have to be put off for another year.

Glubble

2008-09-04T00:10:00.000-05:00

Ironically I am posting this on the day after google launched their new web browser "Chrome." But if any of you use Mozilla's Firefox, I have just found the most amazing add on. Glubble. It is a parent filter. It comes already loaded with a bunch of kid friendly stuff, and some stuff I decided to disable. Each person gets their own user name and favorite sites. I am lazy so this is the extent of my review. But you should check it out, we are really loving it.

Sarah's Outfit

2008-08-25T07:34:00.002-05:00

Sarah insisted I post this for Aunt Meagan, as we went to buy these shoes with her. Unfortunately, She didn't get to show Meagan the cute outfit she dreamed up to go with them, so here is the pic.

A Quick Funny Story

2008-08-25T07:29:00.002-05:00

My sister, Meagan, was in town a couple of weeks ago. She works at Starbucks, so one of our first stops in the morning is to go and get her usual Starbucks. I like coffee too, but my order is pretty simple...coffee black. Her order is something that includes about 2 minutes of specific directions. So we order, and as we are pulling up to the window to get the coffee, Sarah asks, "What language do they speak at Starbucks?"

Tick Bite Trail

2008-08-18T12:57:00.002-05:00

If you ever run across a trail in the woods called Tick Bite Trail, you should take it as advice. It was named that for a reason. Of Course, I didn't, and encouraged the whole family onto the trail this weekend. I have had a few ticks before, and although they are no fun, I didn't figure a that we would be in any more danger there, than on any other trail in Missouri. I was, of course, wrong. I have now pulled out at least 200 ticks. It is not an exaggeration. I wish it was. Most of them were the size of a poppy seed, with about 10 of them actually big enough to see clearly. Had the 10 big ones not been there, I might not of known what the others were, but now that I am thinking about it, I definitely should have saved one to look at under a magnifying glass for educational purposes. Here is the approximate tally.

Annie-2 (only one to start with until she put the skirt on that Stephanie had just taken off)
Stephanie-80 at least
Hannah-40
Sarah-30
Dave-20
Me-lots, but I got most of them off on their way up my legs.

Other than this unfortunate event, we had a good weekend, and I will post pictures in a bit (not of the ticks).

Harry Potter

2008-08-13T11:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks Megan, for spurring me on to write this. I didn't read Harry Potter for a long time, partly because of controversy, and partly because I lacked the time. Why, though, is there any controversy over these books. We must be talking serious fundamentalist that began all this criticism. I just have to say that if you will read Lord of he Rings, then you should not condemn this book. It is not the same, but there is Magic in Tolkien's stuff, and that could be your only possible issue in my opinion. Or the fact that no God is mentioned or referred to, but that is not any different than Lord of the Rings. These are seriously great books. They encourage seriously great character traits, and they are very fun to read. Unless you are afraid of your child thinking that Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and the like are real places (you got problems already, then), then I can't understand what the fuss is about. If I wanted to practice magic, I would get absolutely no help from these books! It is not about that, it is fictional! I don't recommend that you read the later books to young children, obviously, because they are a little scary. But I also don't recommend reading parts of the Bible to young children for the same reason. So I think this had no flow or structure, and can officially be considered a purely emotional post. Read the books. They are great!

Another Birthday for Harry

2008-08-12T14:25:00.005-05:00

Well, I should be posting Sarah's party pics, but I was a really bad mom, and didn't bring extra batteries, and I only have a handful of pretty bad pics that I could post, but I will just let you know that we had an outdoor party at a local park at the coldest day I have ever experienced in May (plus it was sprinkling). It was fun for Sarah and the kids, but only because they are kids and they like being with each other. So no pics from Sarah's party, but we did have one more Birthday Party this summer for Harry Potter.

Happy Birthday Harry!

We had the Leaky Cauldron's Pea Soup with Pumpkin Juice (lemonade with food coloring).

The candles on the cake were in the formation of a lightning bolt for his scar. We had a trivia game that was pretty funny.

Dave was giving away silver sickles (york pepperment patties) for correct answers, and Annie was going around to everyone begging. Well eventually Annie figured out that if she answered the question right then that person would get candy, so she started repeating answers, and then holding out her had for candy. It was pretty cute.

Then they got to go shopping in Diagon Alley for wands and a magical creature.

It was a lot of fun. Dave just finished reading them the first book a week before the party.