A weekend of de-cluttering!

The anti-clutter bug bit me in the butt again this weekend and I had to do some cleaning out, throwing away and rearranging. I rearranged a few things in the living room, cleaned, reorganized, etc. etc. then I got hold of the girls' closet and drawers. I loaded three huge garbage bags full of old clothes, mostly too worn out, stained up and ugly to pass down to anyone I actually like. So it will be dropped off today. Hopefully somewhere somebody can get some use out of it (maybe as cleaning rags? I don't know. If I had any place to store all those "cleaning rags" I would keep them and recycle them myself! lol) I did salvage a pair of boots for Sarah Jane, now that she is doing horseback, maybe she can use them. Brooke only wore them a few times and then outgrew them.

After that was done, I cleaned out my craft box and sewing stuff and took a lot of it to my cabinet at work. Then I got my junk drawer and actually eliminated it. I found a place for everything that was in it. If only I could do that with Jeff's junk drawer!

I thought I was done writing curriculum but it turns out I wasn't. I had hoped to find some kind of art for the girls to do either on cd/rom or via dvd or a free class somewhere that fit into our schedule. But so far nothing. Then I found a book in Veletta's (one of my bosses) office while looking for arts & crafts for 4 year olds. Everything in this book seemed a little too advanced for fours (Veletta keeps a lot of resourced around for school age kids, too since she is very involved with ASAP) so I got Brooke to look through it and pick out about 15 or so projects that she was interested in. Kayti did the same but it turned out they like a lot of the same mediums. So I took what they wanted to do, created a little "art history" lesson around it, made an assignment to go with each activity and voila--we now have an art curriculum! It should take us through the entire school year.


Now Lord, can I please be done with writing curriculum for awhile? LOL Not that I haven't enjoyed it. But sometimes it's mind boggling!

Have I mentioned lately how great my little class is? LOL I am not kidding, they are definitely the best class I have ever had and the best class at the Academy (okay, maybe I'm partial). I wish someone would call their parents and tell them to make those children give me back my heart! It is so much fun and such a huge blessing being around them each and every day.

We are slowly but surely working all the kinks out of Dylan's old truck. The timing still needs to be adjusted. Jeff would normally be able to do that but is having trouble getting some kind of cap off something--don't ask me! They are planning to ask my sister's father in law for help this weekend. But he did drive it to work yesterday and it did fine--until he locked his keys in it! Oh well, we've all done it haven't we? Fortunately, Jeff had an extra set. We just had to go all the way home to Clay and then back to Leeds again!

Speaking of the Hendersons...I saw new ultrasound pictures of Baby Henderson last week. She/he is growing beautifully! We get to find out what it is at the end of September. I am praying for a girl! I LOVE boys and would be completely happy with another little man in the family but I'm so not liking the boy names she has picked out. I'd rather have a Bella!

Speaking of babies, my niece Kristin delivered Baby Tyler a few weeks ago via emergency C-section. Her blood pressure shot sky high and stayed high for a week after his birth. She'd had to take steroids while she was pregnant with him because she kept going into premature labor and they were trying to get his lungs to hurry up and develop. He was born a month early but still weighed in at 6 lbs 15 oz! She had such a difficult time that I fear he may be an only child for her but only God knows. I know she knows he was worth it, though. He is the love of her life (of course)! I still haven't gotten to meet him yet, but hopefully this weekend.


Blessings,

The news...

Finally got my camera software figured out so I could upload a picture of Dylan's new ride:




Preschool is still going great. I am a little disappointed that they aren't letting us do dance this year. I hated for the studio to lose all those kids and there were so many more who were interested because of how well it went last year. But God knows what's best.

The girls start school this week. Kayti has already started CORE and loves it.

Everything else is good!

Blessings!

What a great class!!!

Thank you, God! Thank you, God!

I got the BEST group of kids and the BEST group of parents EVER!!! I am SO pumped about this school year!

Orientation went great! We all prayed together for a great year and no one had any complaints, questions, gripes or unusual requests. All the kids were excited and continue to be very well behaved every day. Could there be any more doubt that this is what I'm called to do? If I wasn't where I'm supposed to be, I'm sure things would not have worked out like they have.

I think Dylan has found a truck. He went to look at it last night and really liked it and it seemed to be in pretty good condition for an old truck so they are going back tonight to get it if it's still available. Today was his first day of school and wouldn't you know, I was running late so I didn't get a picture! But I did make him some pancakes! LOL I can't believe my little man only has two more years of high school. You ladies with little ones better eat it all up while you still can. It goes by fast, let me tell ya!

Kayti already has work she's doing for CORE, which starts next week but we don't officially start our year until the last week of August and some subjects even after Labor Day. I'll never understand why public schools want to start in the middle of August. It's ridiculous. But it makes me so thankful to be able to homeschool my girls. I can wait and start after Labor Day, after the mad rush to buy supplies and still be completely and totally done by the second week in May! If that's not a big enough praise for homeschooling, I don't know what is. Not to mention, I get it all in before noon, too. I just can't imagine them going back to being at a desk for 8 hours a day. How stifling! I so wish I'd obeyed God sooner on that calling. But better late than never, I suppose.

Jeff is STILL on reduced hours and now he is also out of vacation time. I'm trying to stay optimistic but this is definitely one I need to pray over. Please pray for us as well!

Everything else is same ol' same ol'.

Stay blessed!

God is good! All the time!

All the time, all the time, God is good!

I could just keep singing!

Every concern I had about my job has worked itself out. I am SO thankful to the Lord for looking out for me and I am SO excited about this year! Every change our new director has made has been positive and I feel like a bridge is being built between the Academy and the church and that's the way it SHOULD be!! After all, we are a very important ministry--if not the most important--of that church. We reach into the community like no other component can--we touch children's lives!!! It is just such a great feeling to have to know that you're appreciated and that the work you do is taken seriously.

My classroom is just about ready. I have a few more things I want to do to it before orientation Tuesday night but it's looking good.

I got my class list Friday and I am very pleased. I got Drew and Gracie--two that I really wanted and I have no negative concerns about the others at all. It's going to be a great year.

Dylan is registered for his junior year at CCHS and has saved enough money for a trusty-rusty! We've been car shopping all weekend. Mother-in-law took him shopping for school clothes and he came home with four new outfits. Go MIL! I can never get him to decide on anything. He's just so nonchalant and easygoing about everything he can't ever make a decision! You think shopping with teenage girls is difficult--try doing it with a boy!

Brooke also saved a good bit of her money and went shopping with Hannah this weekend and she even spent some of it on her siblings! Sometimes my kids make me really proud!

I finished my curriculum for Spiritual Studies, English 6 and English 8. Donna got her books already for the Science we are going to use and it looks really good. I can't wait to get mine. Kayti has CORE orientation Tuesday morning and everything is just rolling right along.

Baby sis is a little sick but otherwise healthy and they just celebrated their one year wedding anniversary this weekend. Middle sis lost her job and I know she's depressed about it but she is so smart and so good at sales, I know she'll find another one in no time if she just doesn't let this little bump get her back down again. Please, please, please pray for her. She's had SO MANY setbacks this year. Some are her own doing but who among us is perfect? She really needs a break so she can get herself back on track again. Please, God, cut her some slack, would ya?

My niece is having contractions again so baby Tyler may be here VERY soon. She had her baby shower last weekend. I know she's ready to use all the stuff she got!

Jeff is still on reduced hours but they are having a meeting again this week. Hopefully it will be good news and we're hanging in there.

Going to try and get some swimming in next weekend if the weather will cooperate.

Have a great week!

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!

Things I have learned about myself from 4 year-olds...

1. No matter how many times I hear them, Bible stories STILL speak to me as I read them to children.

2. I can comfort and treat TWO bumped heads at the same time.

3. I can change 16 kids from clothes into swimsuits, slather them with sunscreen and take them outside to play in the water BY MYSELF!

4. And 30 minutes later, I can change 16 kids from wet swimsuits into clothes AND keep all their "stuff" together BY MYSELF!

5. I can fix 16 SEPARATE AND DIFFERENT lunches!!

6. I can get all 16 to take a nap!

7. I will go to the ends of the earth looking for "car pillow".

8. I can sing London Bridge 16 times in a row so that everyone gets a turn to be both the "bridge" and the "fair lady".

9. The words "dry erase" on a dry erase marker do not necessarily mean "dry" or even "erase".

10. Kids who happen to own the most expensive toys (we're talking 4 yo's with Nintendo DS here!) actually value a pair of old batting gloves in the dress up box enough to fight over them.

11. A laminator can actually swallow an entire 8 1/2 x 14 laminating sheet, complete with picture and you'll never see it again!

12. I need to repeat kindergarten and work on my coloring skills--I STILL color outside the lines (please don't tell Mrs. Wade--my kindergarten teacher!)

13. No matter how much flack I STILL catch from family and friends for leaving that lucrative job at the bank (yeah, whatever), I am totally blessed and completely happy to work where I do and do what I do. God has totally shown me that my mission field is young children. It may not be as dramatic as helping drug addicts and prostitutes or as exciting as serving in a far off land as a missionary but it is still important to God that I minister to families by taking good care of their precious children everyday.

Quick update...

Brooke and the ASAP kids got to dress up as cows and go to Chick Fil A! LOL



Hey, those costumes earned them all free lunch! She loves ASAP!!

I'll have to share more later, I'm almost out of computer time here at the library!

Blessings!