My Title-less Post

So my title could be:

Stuff I've Learned in The Past Week
or
God Is Always Enough
or
Why Don't my Leaves Blow Away Before I Have To Rake Them?
or
I Love/Hate Harvest
or
Why Mom's Must Get Up Before Their Children
or
Just How Crazy is a Home School Mom
or
The Work It Takes To Run a House
or
Why Don't These Mice Change Their Address?
or
My Over-Due Brain Dump

but...
none of these titles seemed quite right so I crossed them off one by one and left my post title-less. Don't say you weren't warned.

This has been an incredibly beautiful fall with lovely weather. Leon has been busy harvesting. I am so tired of packing lunches. He says he's more tired of eating them. Is that even possible? He has never enjoyed sandwiches and altho' I think I've been pretty creative, he still prefers sitting down at the kitchen table for lunch. Here are some of this year's options: ham and cheese, ham wraps, burritos, grilled hamburgers, hot ham and cheese, quesadillas, philly cheese steak, and BLT's. Add some fresh from the garden peppers or radishes, chips, an apple, maybe a granola bar......and well, it's still a packed lunch. That's alright. I love my meat-and-potato-man.

I helped my mom with a group today again. It takes a lot of effort to race out the door before lunch and hope that my students can take their work along and finish it there. I love to help her, but I really love to stay at home. Today I mopped all her hardwood floors and cleaned her bathrooms. My girls love using her feather duster and dust mop. Annika asked her if she would pay them. I was horrified. I don't want my children to expect pay from Grandma for doing stuff for her, but she nearly always pays them something so I'm having a hard time getting this across. I discovered one son took his wallet along today so he would have a safe place for his money when Grandma pays him! HELP! But all that cleaning and working away makes me come home tired and not wanting to do even one thing in my own house. It's raining and so when my farmer husband came home, I said to him, "The kids are watching a movie, I'm exhausted, there's nothing made or planned for supper, and welcome home."  Yes, those were my exact words. Judge me, if you will. He said, "Why don't I run to town and get pizza for supper and pick up that contact solution that you need so desperately?" I couldn't say yes fast enough. This is very uncharacteristic of him, but I'm just lovin' it!

I let the girls pick out knit fabric at Jo-Ann's last week. Annika picked out a fruity/flowery summer print. Would you or would you not make this into a long sleeved winter dress? Sigh. She has her heart set on it so I'll probably go ahead. Note to self: Do not let girls pick fabric unless you are really going to be okay with whatever they choose.

We have a mouse problem in our house like never before. I hate mice! Leon uses the BB gun on them if they dare stick their heads out. So far, he's killed 2 that way and it's been mess-free. I won't mention how many he just gave a severe headache to in his quest to kill but not to splatter. All I can say is, if we have mice, we don't have snakes. Oh, old house, how I love thee!

I deep cleaned my house the middle of July. I had several young girls come and help me for a few days. That works best for this home school mama. But now it's starting to look and feel dirty again and everyone else is cleaning and I almost feel like I should clean again but I remind myself that it's all done already. You cannot make me feel guilty, you cobwebs in the corner.

We were commissioned last month as youth pastors. We are actually part of a youth pastor team. It's been quite a journey....God has an amazing way of working. I would never in my wildest imaginations have dreamt we would do something like this. But the way God leads doesn't always make sense. After the initial overwhelming feelings of this job being bigger than us, (which it is) and questioning our own capabilities, (still do) we are actually starting to enjoy this opportunity a lot. We are still getting to know the youth group which has it's pro's and con's. They are still getting to know us as well. But it feels so good to be used by God and to hear His voice. Unless you've walked with us through the past number of years, that may not make a lot of sense to you.

My oldest son cooked our evening meal  one night this week. His menu was: Little Cheddar Meat loaves, Baked Potato Slices, and Cheesy Green Beans. He labored long over that meal and totally regretted having chosen such a detailed menu. At the table he said, "Wow, Mom, I didn't know you have to work that hard to make a meal for us." I'm thinking, "And that wasn't even hard. That's why I have you cook, so you learn how AND so you appreciate what others do for you."

If I'm growing in my relationship with God, and feeling His presence in my life every day, not to mention having prayers answered in amazing{little}ways, then how come certain relationships are just plain hard? A lot of thoughts like these went through my head recently. And it seemed like I heard God say, "Do you think these things are too hard for Me? " And I felt chastised. Really, God wants to be involved with every detail of my life. He cares about my relationships even more than I do.

Surrender. Been thinking a lot about surrender. Giving up. Leaving my agenda for God's agenda. Not surrendering so I get what I want in the end. Total surrender. Ouch.

Could it be that when I am the most judgemental is when I am taking my eyes off of the Grace I've been given? I cannot give something I don't have.

This seems like enough of a brain dump for one day. Boy, do I feel better. Even if nobody reads this, I sat down and put some of my thoughts into sentences. That is therapy for me.

Fall Goodness {Nature Hike}

I checked the forecast last evening and discovered that today is our last really warm day for awhile. So I brainstormed, cleared it with the principal, and put a plan in place. Now there are all kinds of homeschool mom's out there, some who are much more spontaneous than me. I usually fall in the category of being too rigid and too scheduled. So an impromptu outing like this is really taking me off of my normal path.

I announced before morning devotions that at 10 AM school would cease for the day and we would head to the woods. Spelling and Math were on the agenda for the boys and Annika had to do her Learning To Read lesson. We met our goals, grabbed a snack and a water bottle and we were off.

About 6 miles from here, right next to where Leon's parents live, is a 95 acre area of woods that belongs to the county. It is a public conservation area. Way back, Leon's grandparents owned that piece of timber. When his grandpa died, and left his grandma a widow after only 10 short years of marriage, with 4 children and 7 months pregnant with #5 (Leon's mother), and a farm to manage, Grandma did the only thing that made sense. She sold those 95 acres to the county. Leon and his siblings grew up in those woods and still like to think they kinda belong to them.;) That's where we were headed. (Excuse the family history bunny trail.)

The children and I spent a delightful hour and a half there this morning. The leaves are spectacular right now. Every so often as we walked along, it would suddenly begin 'raining' down leaves on our heads. Peaceful, beautiful, and totally refreshing. We brought some pretties home with us and now have a special centerpiece on the table designed by Jamison and Annika.

And I'm so glad this homeschool mom deviated from the schedule today!

Fall Goodness {Apple Fritters}

There aren't many foods that spell a-u-t-u-m-n quite like the apple. Recently I spoiled my family by making Apple Fritters and I thought I really should share the recipe here.

Apple Fritters

2 eggs
Beat with mixer.

2 T. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
Add and mix well.

1 c. apples, shredded
Fold in.

Heat oil to 375 degrees. Using a small cookie scoop, drop dough into oil. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, roll in cinnamon/sugar and eat!!!! It's hard to stop eating them after you start, so don't say I didn't warn you.

To Read Or Not To Read

One of my sons absolutely loves books. The other one only reads the first day home from the library or for Book-it. The non-reader gets sOOO frustrated at the reader for always having his nose in a book. Well, he came by it honestly. My husband and I are both readers. I remember whiling away the hours at home with reading. I was always sneaking in a chapter here or there, especially after lunch in the bathroom, when the dishes needed to be done. Leon remembers his just-younger-than-him brother getting so annoyed at him reading so much. Today that brother is a pilot and mechanic, while Leon excels in farming and dirt work. Neither one turned out to be a 'loser'. ;0

I hear so many moms say that they wish they could get their children to read. I have the 'other' problem.

I love to see my children read. But like anything else, it needs to have a balance. Our one son, an avid reader, is often told to do something many times, while his nose is in a book, only to have him say later he never heard you even once. I am almost convinced the house could fall down around his ears without him finding out. The other son skip reads, picks out random chapters, and calls a book 'done'. The reader remembers everything he reads and spouts off all that information at the strangest times, whether you wanted to hear it or not.

This morning we had yet another discussion with the non-reader chastising the reader because of an episode at Grandma's house yesterday in which Grandma repeatedly asked the reader to do something; but his nose was in a book and he never heard her. The reader admitted that it was especially wrong because Grandma deserves more respect.

I told the boys that neither of them is right or wrong. The non-reader has other passions and interests that consume a lot of his time, too much sometimes. We are all different. One of the best things about a family is that God puts the most unusual combinations together and you have to learn to get along...or die trying.;) I am learning that to be the right Mom to each unique personality is a job way bigger than me, and I often mess up. God does give me strength and many times after administering some kind of creative consequence, I think to myself, "Now where did I come up with that?" And I know it was inspiration from God. He likes mothers a lot I think.

I'm learning to make my reader put his book down and look me in the eye when I have something to say. I'm also learning that sometimes it's okay to make him put his book down and go outside and play football with his brother. It's also okay to tell my non-reader that the next hour is quiet time and you may spend it however you like. If your brother wants to read the whole time instead of playing Leogs with you, it's okay. I tell my non-reader in the Book-it season, that while the prize for reaching the goal is just a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut, the things we learn from pushing ourselves and reaching for a goal are very important.

Speaking of pushing ourselves and reaching for a goal, the ironing pile and messy office are enough to get me off my seat and get motivated. Even if there isn't even as much as a personal pan pizza for my reward.

Another Birthday Girl

6 years ago I became the mother of a little girl....mother/daughter relationships are unique, and I was thrilled to get the chance to 'mother' a little girl. I thought she would grow up to be like me, with similar interests and hobbies. She's only 6, but it has been so much fun to watch her develop her own unique personality. We have our similarities-we both 'fly off the handle' when our brother's tease us, (although hopefully I'm past that stage!), we love books, and cooking and keeping house. She's much more creative than me, and much more adventurous. She begs for a pink BB gun and loves to hold worms, which is very different from me. She is more reserved in a crowd and can actually be called shy at times. Somehow, that term never applied to me. She is a delight. A sweet little princess all wrapped up with lots of tears and giggles and drama and spunk. She's learning to read this year- almost effortlessly. What a blessing she is to our family!

Happy 6th birthday, Annika!

Breakfast in bed:



Birthday Party:

She planned the party. She invited her cousins Autumn and Alicia, their family, and her grandparents. She ordered spaghetti, breadsticks, peas, garden tea, chocolate cake, and ice cream.

Life is never boring with this little lady-in-the-making around!

Birthday Girl

She's my sunshine, she's my hugger, she's the one we all laugh at right now. She loves books, and dolls, and her sister, and simple clothing and hair-do's. She loves candy, sweet tea, and strawberries, and ice cream. She loves pink, and carousel rides, and her new pink scooter. She loves Daddy, cooking with Mommy, and watching Gigi movies. She's my baby, and she just turned 4.

She loved her breakfast in bed!

Her birthday menu of choice was:

broccoli soup

hotdogs

strawberry shortcake

sweet tea

Happy 4th birthday, Brooke!

We love you so much!

Sitting By or Sitting Under?

Criticism- it causes a wide variety of emotions to surface. I have been at the brunt of it, I've also been mixed up in it many times. How can I get a handle on this destructive habit?

In Luke 5:17, the Pharisees and the doctors were sitting by listening to Jesus teaching. How many times have I sat by the teaching of the Word, instead of sat under?

Matthew Henry wrote, " How many are there in the midst of our assemblies, where the Gospel is preached, that do not sit under the Word, but sit by! It is to them as a tale that is told them, not as a message that is sent them; they are willing that we should preach before them, but not that we should preach to them."

Criticism is tricky, deceitful and self-seeking. The Pharisees were sitting by, watching for a chance to criticize Jesus for something. They were totally missing the point of His message. They didn't hear Him at all.

How many times have I totally missed what someone was saying because I was drawing my critical conclusions in my mind?

This morning, my devotional by Beth Moore, Jesus, 90 Days With the One and Only, was so powerful! She said that the most merciful people are the ones who have been sitting under the faucet of God's mercy instead of sitting by with a critical eye.

Sometimes we are convicted best just after we've been criticized. In fact, being on the end of it where people readily find fault with you, opens your eyes to your own damaging judgements of others.

Francis Frangipane wrote," To inoculate me from the praise of man, He baptized me in the criticism of man, until I died to the control of man."

We go to town, take one look at someone, and figure they're on food stamps, because they certainly look too lazy to work.

We go to church, hear someone share a testimony, but discount it because of a glaring fault in their life.

We see the young teen, tattooed and pierced, and move to another aisle at the grocery store.

We hear about some one's call from God, but completely reject it, because they aren't in the right church denomination.

We see someone make changes in dress, and hear them talk about what God is doing in their life, and we figure it can't be the same God we serve.

She shares in Sunday School class, but she has so many issues, that we just feel sorry for her instead of challenged by what God is doing in her life.

And on and on it goes.

So help, me, God. I pray that I would care enough about people to give them the gift of understanding, mercy, and love. I pray that Jesus would be so real in my life that I could be Jesus with 'skin' on to those I come in contact with. I pray that I would hear first, love next, and always care.

Blameless people are rarely those who cast blame. (Beth Moore)

So what will I do? Will I sit by Jesus teaching or will I sit under His teaching, and allow it to change me?