We are in the process of adopting Kate from Latvia. She is a handicap girl who dresses herself with her teeth. She will be visiting us during Christmas. The orphanage doesn't want her any longer. They were putting her through training courses to learn "independent living" so they could ship her out. She is only ten years old. How do you live independently when you can only use your mouth to dress yourself, let alone use the bathroom? Her fate is certain death if she stays. The orphanage complained that she was too much for them to lift any longer. Our hearts hurt for Kate. If you would like to help us adopt her, send a check in care of Kate to :
Open Door Adoption
PHONE: (229) 228-6339 EMAIL: opendoor@rose.net
P.O. Box 4 218 E. Jackson Street
Thomasville, GA 31799
Thanks!! This is a picture of her at eight years old. She is now ten years old.
My grandpa, my Papafather's dad, was a country vet. He had a little office off the side of the house where he did small animal surgery, and exams. He made house calls all around the country, some trips taking him an hour or more to reach the animal in need of help, be it cow, horse, sheep, or pig. Very often he would have one of his children in tow. He had 10 of them so there was no shortage of helpers. It all sounds very James Harriot like, and in a way it was. James Harriot's stories are popular with that side of the family and each story reminds them of one like it that grandpa experienced.
Grandpa's office was, as I said, just off the house. Just off the kitchen to be exact. My grandma had a dutch door put in so that she could just open up the top half to talk to him and yet keep the little ones inside. Think about that. A vet's office, just off the kitchen. Do you recall how a vet's office smells? That smell still lingers in that office to this day and it's been over 10 years since my grandpa died.
Aside from the smell, I never gave grandpa's office much thought. We would traipse our way through it on the way to play outside, to gather in the clothes from off the line, to pick grapes, collect eggs, or to find grandpa. The office doubled as grandma's laundry room so I suppose that's why it didn't seem like a room that needed much attention. I never spent any time in it other than to get from point A to point B. Which is strange now that I think about it, all those fascinating instruments, chemicals, medicines, and the like just within reach. I never touched them or was ever tempted to do so.
One temptation I did give in to was a special barrel out back that held two skunks. Grandpa would warn us to leave those skunks alone. My numerous cousins and I would stand around the barrel peering in, and those skunks would peer back. The lot of us cousins would look for only a moment and then run away as fast as we could before we got sprayed. I didn't find out until I was much older that those skunks couldn't spray because my grandpa had "deskunked" them. I don't know if my cousins were aware of this at the time or not, they ran just as fast as I did. Grandpa's warning hadn't been for us, he had been worried that we would torment the skunks.
Skunks actually make a great pet and are positively darling, if you can legally keep them. My uncle kept one for awhile. She was just like a cat, had a litter box and everything. Her name was Rosie, and then some, but I won't repeat that part.
We have a family story, told every couple of years or so I guess, about grandpa and one particular skunk he was de-scenting. While in the process of removing the gland that contains the hideous skunk musk, it was ruptured. It squirted all of its contents right in my grandpa's face. He came into the kitchen to clean up and the only thing he said was, "It's such a beautiful color." Apparently skunk spray is an amber color, and my God fearing grandpa could still recognize the beauty of God's handiwork even in a skunk's musk.
Funny, while my aunts and uncles roar with laughter about this story every time they tell it, I don't remember anyone talking about the smell lingering in the kitchen or what on earth my grandma said or did. I'll have to ask them about that.
After the laughter dies down, someone will always mention how my grandpa was such a quiet, gentle, and patient man. Oh he had his moments when a cow would stomp him, but how many men do you know who would take it from a skunk and only comment on it's beauty?
This year Rebecca decided to do math club. She is in high school now and so the math is TRICKY. She, being the perfectionist that she is, came out of class today in a rather foul mood. Methinks it has something to do with the review they had of a recent contest the team competed in. She was not happy on that day either. I'm just sayin' there may be a connection somewhere...
We have long since outgrown Trick or Treating and Halloween has become somewhat of an awkward holiday. It was never really a favorite of mine (although the loads of candy was cool) and now that my kids are all teens it's almost an annoying "holiday".
This year was a bit different, however, because the girls got to go to a dance! Rather than doing the costume thing and having a plethora of "thou shalt not's", the organizers decided to employ black lights and have a "who is the brightest" contest. It was soooo much fun!
The kids have recently become card game aficionados and the idea of dressing with a deck of cards theme was enthusiastically embraced. They spent a couple of hours creating their assigned/chosen card and this was the result.
Josh was supposed to be the jack of clubs, but he decided to hang out with some buddies instead.
When I was a young and silly girl I really wanted a certain record. Yup, I said record. They still existed even though cassette tapes were beginning to make their appearance. The problem was, I didn't own a tape player, I owned a record player.
I can't even remember now how this record made it to the top of my wish list. I'm guessing that what really happened was that I had seen it while digging through the records at the store and it called to my fickle heart. I trotted off to the nearest money source, which just happened to be my Aunt Sissie. I was spending a couple of weeks with her during the summer. Her children were all grown and possibly gone, that part of my memory is a little fuzzy. Anyway, I guess Aunt Sissie saw nothing wrong with indulging me and she bought it. Oh, I was a happy music lover! I listened to that album for years. Perhaps all of two-years.
I have no idea what my mother thought of this present. I don't recall her ever expressing it to me. I may have to ask her about that. I do remember that my aunt loved me and wanted to give me something simple, like a two week invasion of her home and privacy wasn't enough. She was just like that, quietly giving.
So what record sang to me and held my attention for so long? Irwin the Disco Duck In the Navy.
Groovy! Here are the popular titles on this record that I boogied to:
In the Navy
Macho Man
Y.M.C.A.
Music Box Dancer
Last Dance
Knock on Wood
Le Freak
Instant Replay
I Love the Night Life
Goodnight Tonight
What a horrendous track of songs! I think the only reason they threw in Music Box Dancer was to appease parents who thought the record might rot brains. I know it did mine, but at least I still love Music Box Dancer. Believe it or not this album was made by Peter Pan Records, a company that made records for children.
I'm sure it was that dashing figure of a duck in his sailor uniform that caught my eye in the first place. I wanted to join the Navy after all! As one of those grown cousins that no longer lived in the house was in the Navy, it was probably what tipped the scale in my aunt buying it for me. I wouldn't buy anything like this for my own children, let alone my nieces.
It is however a somewhat fond memory, mainly because of my Aunt Sissie. I can't ever hear Y.M.C.A. without thinking of this record, and I can't think of this record without remembering her.
Nov. 4, 2009 - The Common Thread that Weaves My Memories
"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." ~Erma Bombeck
That common thread, I know what it is. It's love. Not necessarily for each other, but for the same group of people. For instance, my sister and I are very opposite from each other, but our love for our mother is the only thing that keeps us together. We also love the same aunts, and uncles, and cousins, but it's our mom that keeps us in communication.
I pray that I will always remember the fun my family has had. I don't ever want to forget the good times. I'm going to be writing some of them down, more for my benefit then yours, but I hope that I write them well enough that you can enjoy them too. I want to weave my memories together on "paper" before my mind unravels. I'm not expecting that to happen anytime soon, but I've already noticed that a few strands have been pulled and the edges are wearing.
My mom keeps a box full of all the comic strips that made her truly laugh. She wants to read them when she is old and feeling unhappy. I want the same thing of my memories. In case I can't remember, I can pull one out and hopefully it will help me to remember and I can be happy because my life has been so truly blessed. I may even pull them out before I'm very old, because so often lately I do forget just how blessed I am.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 - ~25 Days of Gratitude~
Today I am grateful for~
~full days...filled with grace, love, hope and joy! Many activities and lots of smiles.
~daughters with tender hearts. Grace and Elizabeth came home from Awana's wanting to send their favorite stuffed animals in the Operation Christmas Child boxes. They have a shopping list started for what to send.
~faithfulness....a faithful God who always their to speak loving words to me. A spouse that is faithful in so many ways. Children that are faithful in their learning. Parents who are faithful and taught me responsibility.
Thursday, November 5, 2009 - ~Bright Ideas Press~TOS Crew Review~
As part of the TOS Crew, I received the following two books free from Bright Ideas Press, for review. The opinions presented in the review are solely mine.
Why take the time to “Crack the Code” of Classical Music?
• Music is from the Lord. He created it, and He created us with the ability to both make and appreciate music.
• “Classical” music is uniquely part of our Western civilization.
• Research suggests that both listening to and playing classical music aids brain development.
• Even rudimentary exposure increases one’s level of enjoyment and understanding.
This course provides a close-up look at famous composers, their music, and their times, with special attention to character traits and Christian testimony (or lack thereof). Even the musically challenged will enjoy this course! It’s perfect for grades 4–8 but is easily adaptable for younger and older students. Minimal teacher prep will return maximum enjoyment!
Within the book there are a variety of great learning activities to use within your home. Some of them include
• 32 Weekly Lessons
• 26 Bios of Famous Composers
• 6 Eras of Music Explained
• Easy-to-Use Comparative Timeline
• Easy-to-Use Maps
• Composer Info-Cards & Game Directions
Authors: Maggie S. Hogan and Melissa Craig did extensive research and writing to bring this great resource. They had music expert, Richard B. Pinkerton edit the book as well.
We've been using this great resource for over a month. At least twice a week I read through the detailed lesson with the girls. They take notes on their provided note-taking pages. Then we fill out a composer card. The composer card is a place to collect all the facts about each composer. There are also thinking questions to apply the interesting facts gleaned through the lesson. Then using the supplied map, we map where the composer was born. Each composer is divided by style of music and a great history of each music style is provided.
I like the way everything is self-contained for our Classical Music discussions now. I don't have to search for the perfect book to read, assemble the notebooking pages and make-up a timeline. The only thing missing for me from this curriculum is actual music to listen to. I want my daughters to also be able to recognize the composer's main pieces when they hear them. It is easy to find CD's or the pieces online though to add to the curriculum.
This is a picture of the folder that Jennifer has been putting together as we study Classical music.
Written from a Christian perspective, Hands-On Geography will get you excited about teaching an oft-forgotten subject. Includes specific instructions for many activities, games, and projects designed to be appealing to kids and easy for parents. An easy, yet thorough, introduction to a very important subject. Grades K – 5.
Written by Maggie S. Hogan.
This is a large paperback book stuffed with wonderful Geogrpahy resources. The beginning chapter has information about the National Geography Bee.
Also present in this book are directions for six homemade geography games for the early elementary years. Fun stuff that uses items you already have in your home to reinforce geography.
Included in this book is an extensive section of outline maps to copy. Then Maggie S. Hogan has a large chapter on ways to use these maps called "Maps Galore". Things like sticker geography, jigsaw maps and booking maps to name a few. There are sixteen projects in that chapter.
Jennifer did the chapter on Joseph's Journey, this is a detailed map and geography questionnaire to enhance her learning as we studied Joseph's life.
A chapter on nature geography was filled with tools on how to include nature in your geography study. A great guide to making your own field guide is on my to-do-list for the spring. We will be using her helpful pages on studying birds that live in our area this winter.
This is a valuable resource that is well worth the cost of $14.95
This is my personal quest....loveliness. The dictionary has the standard gamut of definitions for this word, loveliness, but the one that is near to my heart, reads: "Of a great moral or spiritual beauty: a lovely character".
This sounds simple -- and a surface level of loveliness -- really is fairly simple. I am a very giving and genuine person, so surface-loveliness comes naturally to me. This alone is not my pursuit. I've never accepted mediocrity in myself so this surface loveliness just isn't enough for me.
My goal is to be the kind of woman who is selfless enough to respond lovingly to someone who has wronged me. To be the kind of woman who is humble enough to recognize that when people aren't acting kindly toward me that, it is most likely, they who are hurting and that it is far more lovely to respond according to that knowledge rather than out of self protection.
It is important to me that I not make my decisions based on the actions or disappointments of others. I still need to be who I naturally would have been, regardless of what has been done to me. I, so very, passionately, strive for this trait in my life. I refuse to live a life that is based on reaction. Who does that make me? If I react to everything that is thrown at me....where am I? Seriously, that means that I would have defined myself based on what others are saying/doing and not proactively establishing myself! Wow, no thanks!
In Luke 6:32-33 Jesus says: "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that."
Well, wow! So, Jesus is calling us out here....basically He's saying: "Hey folks...being nice to your friends....whatever! Repaying kindness with kindness.....easy peasy."
The passage goes on to say in verses 35-36: "But, love your enemies, do good to them...... Then your reward will be great, and you will be the sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful just as your Father is merciful."
The part that stands out to me in bold is: Because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. If it is what HE does, then it needs to be what I strive toward.
Extending grace isn't always easy, in fact, when it really counts (that is, when it's not reciprocated), it is quite hard.
I often wonder if I'm any good at it at all, because while I often make the hard choices and do what is right even when it isn't what I'd rather do.....I feel like it pains me. I feel like a doormat sometimes. sigh. I wonder if that's natural and a part of it all? I feel like it breaks my spirit a lot of times.
But, in the end, I know that in being a woman of loveliness, I'm ultimately pleasing God and, possibly, allowing others to sense the love that God has for them. If I can put myself aside long enough to respond kindly in the face of acrimony, or even just simple apathy, -- then, maybe then, they will see a little bit of Jesus in me and determine to take baby steps toward dealing with what is really causing the issues in their own hearts.
And, quite honestly, I already know what happens when I give what I get. If I give back the same nonsense that is given to me......I'm not better (worse in fact), they're no better for it. Everyone suffers. ALL that this does is satisfy the selfish side of me that wants to set the record straight. It's fleeting. Once it's all said and done and everyone's gone back to their own camps, nothing positive is accomplished.
So, that is my heartfelt pursuit. "Whatever is Lovely", that's what I want to be the measuring stick of my character. I, desperately, want the overflow of my heart to always pour from my mouth in a manner of loveliness. Lord let it be so.
The daily, sometimes hourly, musings of a homeschooling mom of four surviving on prayer, friendship and lots of Starbucks. Some days my cup runs over and some days it all spills out the cracks...and I wouldn't have it any other way.
This is a picture of her at eight years old. She is now ten years old.
