More updates from us...

Where oh where to begin...

I have been so busy this summer writing curriculum. I couldn't find anything that I really wanted for Language Arts or Bible so I decided to write my own for both! It has been no small undertaking but it has been both fun and rewarding and I have learned so much in doing it! I am very proud of myself for attempting to do this and for actually completing it. Now I just hope the girls get as much out of using it as I did in creating it!

I only wrote one course for Bible and I actually titled it Spiritual Studies. Both girls will be doing the same thing--studying through the book, Beautiful Girlhood, learning character traits through fun activities, Scripture memorization, reading through the four gospels and studying different religions and denominations.

But I did do two separate Language Arts programs since one girl is in 6th and one is in 8th. I believe Donna is thinking about letting Abby do the same program as Kayti so I'm really exciting about that, too. The older girls will read Great Expectations, The Diary of Anne Frank, What Child Is This?, Lyddie, Tom Sawyer and Tales from Shakespeare. They have Spelling, Grammar and writing assignments as well as literature connections to the Holocaust, women's rights and 19th century England plugged in with all of that. Brooke is going to read The Breadwinner, Parvana's Journey, A Christmas Sonata, Heidi, That Girl Lucy Moon and Yankee Girl. She will be learning Spelling, Grammar, Handwriting and have literature connections on Afghanistan (which has become very near and dear to my heart), Switzerland and the Civil Rights movement.

I am just so jazzed about all of this, can you tell?

I've also begun getting my classroom ready for the Fall. I'm so excited to be back in the classroom and even though my favorite boss in the whole world ever has left the Academy and everyone is apprehensive about the changes that will inevitably be coming, I'm trying to keep my eyes focused on the Lord and not the water (He got through to me on that one when I was reading to the children about Jesus walking on water but Peter being unable to do it because he was watching the water and not Jesus!)

We are still surviving with no TV and actually loving it, though I will have to get the cable hooked back up soon because I will need the internet more when school starts back. Merc is still hanging in there. We got the window fixed at least. Jeff's hours have been cut back to 30 a week until mid-August but fortunately, he has enough vacation time saved up to see us through on that and hopefully, the work they are getting from the stimulus package (the one that naysayers say isn't working you know?) will kick in soon. They've won the bids, they are just waiting for the projects to get finished in the drawing phase as I do pretend to understand. All I know is that beginning sometime in August, I will supposedly not be seeing much of my husband.

My sister got her first ultrasound at 6 weeks 2 days. It's definitely a baby in there! I could not be more thrilled!

Dylan spent a few days at the beach with my cousin and her family. He had a blast and came back sporting a tan! As soon as she sends me pictures, I will post some.

We are feeling once again led to leave Clearview. This probably doesn't come as a huge surprise to some of you since we haven't been in a while and it doesn't have anything to do with anything or anyone there. I will always consider it my "home" in many ways. I just don't feel it's where we belong anymore. I do not know where God wants us but I do trust that He has a place already picked out and is just waiting to reveal it to us.

That's about it, I think! Blessings to all for a great week!