Our baby girl (6 y/o) has been wanting to be a cheerleader since seeing the cheerleaders for her brother's football team.  She makes up her own little cheers and performs them non-stop.  She made herself some pom-poms last night out of strips of paper and colored a few of the strips. After a while her pom-pom fell apart.

When we got up this morning I saw her new and improved pom-poms on the kitchen table with a note that read "Sydney's Pom Poms".  Her daddy blessed her with those colorful pom poms before he came to bed last night.

He's so thoughtful. It makes me love him that much more.

...I can't decide if that was a compliment or not coming from my 14 year old.      

Yesterday (Sunday) we were at our church's "Trunk or Treat" event.  While Brian was off talking to someone else, I was standing around with three of my other children; one of them being my 14 y/o.

There were a few ladies that came up to me and made small talk, but nothing more than that. Then they were off chasing their own children.  That's when I heard, "Momma, you don't talk very much."  I said, "I don't have much to talk about and besides, those ladies don't have the time to stand around and  chit-chat right now."

Later last night I was thinking about that exchange and wondered why I don't talk much.  I'm really content in being an observer and if/when I do have an opinion or something important to say or add, then by all means I say it. 

Then I wondered..."Am I invisible to most people since I don't talk much?"  and "How do I improve my conversation skills (or first get some skills)?" Yes, I know that those are two extremely different thoughts, but that's the way my mind works.

I then remembered that I do have skills that I haven't exercised in a long time.  One thing that I remembered about relating and talking with others, is that the number one thing that people like to talk about is themselves. With that, I have to become sincere and genuine in wanting to listen to people talk about themselves. To remember the things that they say so that I can follow-up with them the next time I see them.

Yes, this is what I want...to make friends. That's what it all boils down to for me.  I don't always have to be interesting because that would exhaust me, but I do want to be interested -- in others. And you know; I still won't talk very much.

Veteran's Day is November 11.  This give me time to think of a way to thank my father and father-in-law for their commitment to our freedom by serving in the military.  My father in the Army and my father-in-law in the Air Force.

I have never said thank you to them.  Why? Unfortunately the thought just wasn't there. 

I will be soliciting the help of the children to pay tribute to our Armed Forces.  First teaching them the importance of the men and women serving the United States and then think of ways that we can actively protect our freedoms.

FREEDOM ISN’T FREE

Visit the Simcox Homeschool page to enjoy this too!

Autumn

Open windows, light breeze

Brrr…too chilly. Close it please

Hot coffee, flavored cream

Smell the aroma, see the steam

Color, color everywhere

To see God’s beauty, can’t help but stare

Day trip to the mountains. Lake Lure we prefer

We’ll savor the memories that’s for sure.

Intro: “Have It Your Way” (Burger King)  - As cooler weather approaches and the winter eases into our doors I like to lounge by the fire after a hot shower.  I love to make soups that are brimming with a rich and full flavor.  In our home there’s nothing better than a hot bowl of soup or and a hot cup of coffee or cocoa on a cold winter night.

Assignment: Tell us all about how your have “your” relaxing time, more especially how during the cooler months you take time to curl up with your favorite movie, book, Bible study, and what your favorite warm drink would be.

My quiet time probably isn’t much different from many other women.  I HAVE to have my nose in a book.  So, to relax, I put the kids to bed and sit on my favorite end of the love seat with my coffee next to me on the end table and usually a book that will prompt me to open my Bible. I like to have my journal, red pen, blue pen and highlighter handy. 

This is my very first time here and I have to say that this group is a breath of

fresh air.  There are Many steps that I need to take toward weight loss.  The first thing that IS changing is my mindset about who I am in Christ.  Then comes my body image, my attitude toward food, my water intake and my exercise habits.

I have known for a few years now that I need to shed several pounds but it wasn't until my husband VERY LOVINGLY asked me to lose weight.  We are continuing to find ways to do this together. Its wonderful that I am not alone and that I have a network of supporters.

Since finding Living Well last week, I have lost six pounds.  I am so elated!+1

I'm looking forward to growing with and learning from everyone!

Blessings!

Brian could always brag about never being "sprayed" by any of our children while changing their diapers.  This morning that record was no more!!

After 13 straight years of being dry, our three year old now has bragging rights. 

Brian had just put him into the bathtub this morning and Caleb felt the urge to relieve himself. 

Brian was very cool about it and we had a really good laugh about it all morning.

  http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/no-branch-can-bear-fruit-by-itself-remain-in-him/

Faithfulness

Robin is so gracious to put together such a meaningful meme.  It gets my growth in Christ in check.  It helps me to be mindful to be deliberate in my walk with Him.

The Lord has been dealing with me in the area of faithfulness. Specifically in taking care of others' things. My husband and I have rented since we got married. There were times during those times that I longed to own my own home. To have something to call my own.  But now, I am more than satisfied with our home.  We are allowed to paint and decorate any way we want.  Our landlord has told us to treat this home like our home.  So, we are taking him up on that.  This priviledge did not come without a price though.

Four years we lived in a house that I absolutely despised. There were 8 of us living in a two bedroom/one bath millhouse. The roof leaked, the floors had holes in them, only half of the outlets worked and even then we had to be mindful not to trip the breaker. We had no heat in the winter (other than the tiny electric heaters that we purchased).  We would actually see our breath in the winter time.

The reason we were there is that my husband was laid off from his job and he decided to start his own business.  When we agreed to move into that house, it was only to be temporary (maybe a few months).  I hated everything about being there.

I will fast-forward to getting out of there: I came across the above verses and realized that I was sinning by not being thankful that I wasn't homeless and that even though I didn't have the house that I desired, EVERY need was met.  There was never a day that any of us were hungry, without clothing, without transportation, without love for each other or without happiness and gladness for the little things.

I also wasn't being a good steward of what I did have.  I let my house become a total mess because I had gotten the attitude of "with the little space that we do have, whats the use of really cleaning when it wont even look like I've done anything."

I realized that if I wanted God to move in our lives and provide a new home, I was going to have to get a serious attitude adjustment. My mind and thoughts had to be set right. 

I started to clean my home as unto Him. He would never go back on His Word to bless me when I'm obedient to His commands. That's what I had to remind myself of everytime I saw something that needed to get done.

God provided mightily for us.  We are now in a five bedroom/three and a half bedroom home.

I still struggle sometimes with my stewardship, but I try not to let it get too out of hand.

I have noticed that my faith has not grown much lately.  I have become stagnant in growing through God's Word. 

My Father, Abba, yearns for me to learn more and more about Him everyday, every moment. I have neglected to let Him feed me.

I have a hunger to be hungry for God's Word

Today was a day of rejoicing and laughing at the enemy.

My husband, Brian, and I went out to run a few errands this morning then treated me to lunch. When we began eating our meal, Brian got choked up on his food.  This has happened before so I didn't panic.  He made it to the bathroom and came back out a little while later perfectly fine.

After finishing at the restaurant we finished our run and headed home.  We came to the four way stop near our home, stopped, and since there was no one else at the stop sign, we started rolling through the intersection. By the time we got halfway through, another car came barreling through the stop sign. They had to be going no less than 40 mph.  I think that I yelled "they're not gonna stop!!"  At this time Brian jerked the wheel to the left and the other car went into the yard opposite the stop sign.

Everybody was perfectly fine physically. We slowed down long enough to see if the passengers in the other car were fine, and they were.  We just kept toward home. 

I didn't realize the possible magnatude of the whole ordeal until later.  I could have easily been seriously injured because the car would have hit on my side had Brian not turned the wheel.  We believe that it was our angels working to protect us.

I have no doubt that the prayers of safety and thanking God for His hedge of protection are totally in effect in our lives. 

Psalm 91

Intro: M’m M’m Good (Campbell’s Soup)
The fall is such a wonderful time of year.  The beautiful foliage and cool, crisp morning air is such a wonderful change from the hot summer.  I also love the M’m M’m good smell of fall cooking and baking.  The wonderful fall veggies, fruits and Thanksgiving foods.

Assignment:  Post your favorite fall recipe/recipes to share.  I love trying new recipes, do you?  It can be baking, main dishes, veggies, dessert or anything else you can think of.  There are no limits.  Mmmmmm..I can’t wait to take a look at some of those recipes

Broccoli Bread

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix

2 sticks butter

4 beaten eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup chopped onion

1 box chopped broccoli

Blend ingredients.  Batter will be slightly lumpy.  Let batter rest 3-4 minutes before placing into greased 9x13 inch pan.  Bake at 400¢ª for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

 SORRY NO PICTURE :(

Favorite Verse:

The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy.  I came that you may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). 

John 10:10 (Amp.)

I was listening to a pastor's message today, about "Faithfulness".  Being faithful with little and being given much as a result. The pastor went on to say that if we haven't been faithful all along, God will forgive us of that and help us start over and to begin being faithful.

I'm thankful that God does allow me to "draw a line in the sand". To start afresh and be faithful. I'll be the very first to admit that I slack in a lot of areas in my life. 

Its almost like trying to keep the plates spinning on the long stick. I'd make a decision to change in one area, then another, then another until I get so overwhelmed with trying to spin/do it all.  At that point I just give up all together.

My goal is to get control over one thing at a time.  Those areas include (and are not limited to):

• The upkeep of my home
• Making sure that my body (God's temple) is properly maintained
• More intentional time with Him
• Being more active with my family
• Establishing and maintaining friendships
• I know their are many more than I can think of right now....

Today we decided that the puppies needed to go for a "real" walk. We checked Sydney and Josiah out of school early and set off to Lansford Canal near our home.  We don't know much of the history yet but I do know that the Spider Lilies are beautiful there in the summer. 

The trail was quiet and the ground was covered with multi-colored leaves.  The air was a little crisp; just perfect for a late afternoon walk. 

Aubrey and I took our time strolling as the puppies made everyone else run ahead.  By the time we caught up to everyone, they were all ready to jump the rocks to get to the middle of the river. 

The puppies were apprehensive of the water at first but Thunder quickly got used to it.

I ventured out onto the rocks, but decided not to go as far as everyone else. I "sat back" and observed my family.  Watching Austin and Josiah do what they do best, being curious boys, they were fearless and on top of the world. They were sure-footed and swift.  Caleb wanted to move as quickly as his brothers but his legs just weren't long enough to jump very far.  Sydney was a little wobbly on the loose rocks and chose her steps very carefully with arms out-stretched beside her to steady herself.  Briahna decided to wear flip-flops and that was totally to her disadvantage, but she made it out on the rocks okay.  Aubrey kept up with her daddy pretty well. It was the coming back part that she had a little trouble with. She lost sight of the path that she started out on and had to take a different path back.

At one point, Briahna was helping Caleb get from one rock to another.  That proved unsuccessful.  They both slipped and fell into the water.  Caleb was soaked from head to toe and Briahna was quite muddy herself.  I relieved Briahna of Caleb, while trying not to fall into the water myself. 

After several minutes I let Brian know that it was time to wrap it up and head back to the van to go home.

It was a really good outting for our family.  We enjoyed our time together and plan to do it again soon.

Don’t Leave Home Without It! (Marketing Credit: American Express)

Memory Verse: Matthew 28: 20 - Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.

Intro: Never Leave Home Without It (Marketing Credit:  American Express) Diapers, bottles, wipes, bibs, pacifiers, extra clothing, cell phone, PDA, ipod, iphone, credit or debit cards … what would you never leave home without?

Assignment: In the memory verse Jesus tells us that He will never leave us, not even at the end of the world.  He assures us in this verse that He will be with us and that means through everything we go through in life.  I thought it would be interesting to write about the things we would never leave home without.  For some it might be baby needs, others it might be a gym bag and bottle of water, and for some  it might be your Bible and a notepad or small journal, maybe even your son or daughters favorite blankie!  I’d like for you to write about something that you would never leave home without.

I never leave home without clear directions of where i'm going, my cell phone, a book or devotional to read, my Bible, journal and a CD series of sermons that i'm listening to.  I find myself mostly at football practices with a lot of quiet time to study. Boy, I love those times.

No Admittance
==============

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano,
a mother took the small boy to a Paderewski concert. After they
were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and
walked down the aisle to greet her.

Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert
hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way
through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE."

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin,
the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was
missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and the spotlights focused on the
impressive Steinway on stage.

In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the piano,
innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that
moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved
to the piano and whispered in the boy's ear,

"Don't quit. Keep playing."

Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand
and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right hand reached
around the other side of the child and he added a running
obbligato.

Together, the old master and the young novice transferred a
frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience.
The audience was mesmerized.

That's the way it is with God.

What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try
our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music.

With the hand of God, our life's work truly can be beautiful.
So the next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen
carefully and you can hear the voice of God whispering in your
ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."

Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are
playing the concerto of your life.

Remember, God doesn't call the equipped; he equips the called.

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach
of God's grace.

And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the
reach of God's grace.

Don't Quit – Keep Playing


~Author Unknown~

This is WACKY WEEK here at Blogger Friend School!  Everything is wacky fun!  This week YOU, the student, get to share something of your choice that is little “Wacky”!!!

Have you done something crazy in your homeschool?  Do you fingerpaint with your toes?  Do you let your children do your hair?  Do you wear your pajamas during homeschool?   Oh, the list is endless, but it’s up to you and how much fun you want to have.

To make it even “wackier” (not sure if it’s really a word, but hey, we don’t check spelling this week at BFS either!!!…..try and type some or all of your post sdrawkcab.  (backwards!)

!keew gnixaler dna nuf a siht ekaM

(…and forwards…Make this a fun and relaxing week!)

One thing that I think was really wacky is that my computer crashed this week. I've been without it going on day 2 now and i'm having withdrawels. I've been using my husband's laptop which is very awkward (not that's not a backwards word :).

But really, my daughters have been really wacky this week. Just laughing at the goofiest things, especially when its one or the other being goofy.  It is refreshing to hear the joy.

Our pastor's sermon this morning was a wonderful one.  His series was A Focused Life.  One point that he made today was:

"Sin is a like a disease. You can catch it".  "Holiness is like good health. You can't catch it".

Now it's time for me to continually live in good health.  I don't want any of my sinfulness to be contageous.

Its just something to selah (pause, and think on that)

Assignment: How do you keep energized so you can get it all done? bouncy music? treat it like a workout? Do you use a schedule?, a housekeeping binder system? luck of the draw system?.. or is this an area where you need encouragement? Do you need God’s help to keep order and beauty in your dwelling place? Take this week to tell us how You diligently keep going with your housekeeping chores.

I absolutely love the idea of calling my home a dwelling place.  That means security to me. A very stable place to rest.

My methods are kind of hit or miss.  Those who know me best would know that my skills need to be improved tremendously and I totally agree.  I am not the most organized homemaker and need encouragment and direction and motivation. 

I think alot of times, "what am I teaching my children by my actions or lack thereof". I am their first example here on this earth, which means that God's Word should be my first example

I've thought about inviting an organized friend into our home to help our family get on track, but I shoot that idea down because I'd be embarrassed that I don't measure up or that i'd be judged.  Yes, I know that thats something that I'll have to get over. I have to learn to accept good help.

Assignment: This week I want you to do something for someone else. Do you have a neighbor that needs you? Do you know an elderly person or single mom that could use you? What about the homeless? Pack even one single sack lunch and give it to someone in need. Do you know someone in blogland that is struggling right now and could use a note from you about how much you care? Pray about this. Let God put on your heart the perfect thing for you to do for another. Now, here is the kicker…I DO NOT want you to post about what you do. Whatever you choose to do is between you and God. Our rewards are in heaven, not here on earth, Mathew 6:1. I want you to post about how doing this “act” made you feel. Was stepping out of your comfort zone in this area as hard as you thought it might be? Could you see the gratefulness in their eyes? Hear it in their voice? Tell it from their typing? Do you think you might make doing things like this a more regular part of your time?  If this is an area that you are already active in, tell us how you feel this has impacted your life.

My family is so blessed to be a giving family.  I have to include my family because we do all work together. Whether it's input or actual helping hand, we all have our part. 

When we set out to help and bless others, we are more blessed.  We are glad to brag on what God does in the recipient's lives and in ours.  Many, many times we are blessed in return with something that we may need.  We find favor in the sight of God and man.

Assignment: This would be a good week to tell about your worst struggles with a lifestyle of homeschooling.  Tell about something you’ve struggled with and how God’s mercies gave us the strength to get past it.  Also, share any curriculum/homeschool methods that have been a relief to you, i.e., a particular Teacher’s Manual or Homeschooling method that’s been easier for your family.  Talk about how you felt when the burden was lifted and Oh, What a Relief it is!

Everyday is a learning experience. I learn new things from other homeschool moms and communities. God knows my need for direction EVERYDAY and He is more than gracious enough to grant it to me.  A blessing to me lately has been Belinda Letchfield's website lifestyle-homeschool.com.

I had been grossly neglecting my role to actively parent my children.  Yes, I'd provide their necessities and go through the motions of helping them get their assignments done, but that was about all I was doing.  God had a nice talk with me through the words and wisdom of Belinda and reminded me that I am created for a whole lot more than I was currently doing, and that I'd better get in gear and enjoy life with my children and stop looking for ways to "get alone" all the time.

My prayer is that of Prov. 31:27: She watches over the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. And also I Timothy 4:12: Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.