I could not mention this before as Princess and I decided to surprise my friend Nicole and her daughter and show up at the retreat.  And that we did.  It was so fun!

I struggled with wanting to go to the Above Rubies retreat in Arkansas this year.  Oh it wasn't that I didn't want to go.  I didn't want to spend the money involved to get there,(even though Shane was not concerned)  nor did I want to spend 6 + hours in the car driving there.  But alas, Princess and I ended up making the trip afterall.  And it was well worth it! 

So Vange spoke this year for the first time in 2 years.  WOW!  She is like my Bubba and Sweet Cheeks together on steroids, jumping up and around all over the place... telling us what we needed to hear in no uncertain terms.  She talked to us about not belly-aching about motherhood!  And about Discipline. I bought her teaching set and can't wait to listen.  I also purchased Serene and Pearls newest CD, about marriage.  It's incredible... wonderful music to encourage us as wives to our husbands.  I was also able to get Nancy's study guide on the family meal table.  I have wanted for so long, Shane told be before I left to get it, so I did. 

Nancy spoke about us mothers being the Shepherdesses of our flock.  She had 13 points she covered and I must say that a little of each point touched me.  I can't say that one particularly grabbed me.  Maybe after I go back and review my notes something will.  The fellowship was wonderful and I was able to renew aquaintances and made new friends.  I have a feeling that some of the people I met will become great long distance friends (like Nicole). 

This was a weekend of confirmation for me:

Because Vange spoke we didn't have a time of testimony yesterday morning, but instead broke down to groups of 3-4 and prayed for one another... was that INCREDIBLE!  I was with 2 other ladies that were definately filled with the Spirit and Shabba spoke an encouraging Word of the Lord over me that I needed to hear.  Honestly, that was probably the most encouraging to me of the weekend. 

Through Christ, I am adequate in His Spirit to mother my children.  Shabba spoke the verse "Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord" I claim that verse for myself.  And I fully admit that I have been trying to do this on my own as of late.  Oh Lord Jesus let me rest in you to mother my children as you desire for me! 

Shabba also spoke the Word of truth saying that I am especially blessed as an adoptive mother.  You see sometimes I feel less than adequate because I haven't birthed my children in my womb.  I think of the curse of the barren woman and the Evil one begins to speak to me.  That is the one thing that bothers me at the AR retreats.  There is much emphasis put on bearing children in YOUR womb... it is especially hurtful to hear, "Wow, many times when you're adopting God blesses the womb, maybe you'll get pregnant too." (that was spoken to someone else this weekend, not to me, but I cringed as I thought of the curse that was spoken to this first time adoptive mother). 

Adoptive children are blessings too!  And quite honestly it takes just as much love or more to bring a child into your home that you have no earthly ties to and make them as your own. 

I am not a second class citizen because God has chosen to not bless my womb, but he has chosen to bless my heart--as that is where my children are born... This is the path God has chosen for me.  And I am proud to follow that calling for my life.

We also spoke to a friend about an opportunity we have been given that is in similar shoes.  God used her to confirm that we are doing the right thing.  So look for some exciting news in the near future (don't you just love that I'm leaving you hanging?????)

Psalmody braided Princess's hair for her (look for a picture soon) and Princess decided she doesn't like having a cold head, but she LOVES the updo.  She was almost giddy the entire weekend.  So fun to see her getting so excited over hearing Nancy and Vange's teaching, and Serene, Pearl and Meadow's singing, and fellowshipping with young girls and older women... praise God for his provision!  We are blessed!   

+++ We're going to DisneyWorld!!!  It is a complete and total surprise for the boys. :-)  We're not telling them anything until we get there... although I imagine they might figure it out when we get on the plane to Orlando.  David and I had talked about going for a while but thought it best to wait until Christian was older.  Y'know, so he'd actually have a shot at remembering it.  *sigh*  But there's no better time than the present (and the uncrowded week before Thanksgiving) to just do it. 

Is there anything that you've been meaning to do (big or small) with your kidlets (big or small) that you might just go ahead and do NOW?

+++ Voting is going on now at the Homeschool Blog Awards!  I am truly humbled and honored that some of y'all would nominate me for a few of the categories (Best "Live-What-You-Believe" Homeschool Blog, Best Cyber Buddy Blogger and Best Encourager)-- thank you!  Voting ends at midnight on November 21.  You do not have to have to homeschool or have a blog to vote!  SO GO!

+++ Save the date of Tuesday, November 25th for the Houston Homeschool Bloggy Joe-down!!!  Get it?  Like hoe-down and cup of Joe?  Okay then... so it's really just an uber-good time at Panera with the likes of moi, Sprittibee, Rachel, Semicolon (Picture Book Preschool), Kelly (sorry, I don't know your blog addy), and anyone else in the area that wants to come.  We're thinking about meeting down in the Westheimer or Galleria area around 10am.  If you're in the neighborhood, let me know and PLEASE come join us!

+++ And last but not leastly, my friend Angela will the speaker at Heartbeat Live tomorrow at 3pm CST.  She will be speaking about hands-on learning in a LIVE, online, interactive style. 

Fine Motor Manipulatives Around the House: Hands On Learning
Do you have a child struggling with fine motor skills? Has handwriting become a chore that you both dread daily? Join Angela DeRossett as she shares ideas on how to strengthen your child’s fine motor skills with items you already have while introducing you to ways to make this type of learning more fun.

It's FREE, it's fun and I hope you'll join in-- just hop on over there to register and get your login.

Allrightythen... it's 1:41am and I need to go to bed for our flight in a few hours.  Have a wonderful week, y'all!

Love,
Marshie

PS Thank you so much, dear friends, for all the e-mails and cards and prayers regarding Christian's birthday this past Wednesday.  It was a very good family kind of day!  We only cried a little that morning when we reminded the boys about it being Christian's b-day.  Then we prayed, ate at Denny's and watched Madagascar Escape 2 Africa at the theater (a rare treat for our Netflix kind of family).  God has given us so much grace at the perfect time... without fail!  But He's like that y'know... loving, trustworthy, consistent, all-knowing, faithful...

PPS  Have any of you read that book by Randy Alcorn called "Heaven"?  I've listened to the shorter abridged audio version and found it to be encouraging and very interesting.  I'm thinking about getting the hardcopy or perhaps the unabridged audio version.  Anyone have any thoughts on that book?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JONAH!!

Generous  Thrifty  Honest  Sweet  Kind  Happy  Exuberant  Joyful  Seeking God  Loving of his family  Giver  Empathic  Sensitive  Caring  Athletic  Basketball  Bike riding  Skate boarding  Legos  Hank the Cowdog  Sugar Creek Gang  Transformers  Super Heroes  Artist  Adventurer  Sea creatures 

The fabulous folks of Trivium Pursuit and Christian Logic have a special offer for their readers-- the opportunity to receive two free ebooks from Trivium Pursuit!

1.The 73 page ebook of the entire text of Chapter Twelve: Ten Things to Do With Children Ages Ten Through Twelve from the book Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn

2.The new 94 page ebook Ancient Literature: Significant Excerpts from the Books of Classical Authors Which You Can Use to Supplement Your History Curriculum - Volume Two: Alexander the Great.

You will receive both of these ebooks when you subscribe to the Homeschooling with the Trivium newsletter. This offer is only for new subscribers to Homeschooling with the Trivium and is good only through November 30. Go here to subscribe.

In addition, if you subscribe to Christian Logic's Fallacy Detective News you will receive two lessons from the logic textbook The Thinking Toolbox by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn (Lessons 12 and 13, along with exercises and answer key). This offer is only for new subscribers to The Fallacy Detective News and is good only through November 30. Go here to subscribe.

I am a huge fan of The Thinking Toolbox-- it really should be a must-read for every teen AND adult.

Have a wonderful day, y'all!
Marshie

So...two weeks ago the police closed down a meth. lab down the street from us.  I was so glad that the culprits were arrested, and felt much safer.  (As safe as you can feel when there is also a registered sex offender living almost across the street!!)

Today Jonah came running in the front door yelling about fire trucks.  We were getting ready to ride bikes (I watch/they ride), but had to evacuate!  The meth. lab blew up!  Four fire trucks, several police cars, the sheriffs department, ambulances, paramedics.

Mark was at work so I called him to let him know that we were leaving--the smoke and smell were horrendous!  And I didn't want him to come home and see an ambulance parked in front of our house.  He does not need any more stress. 

We were able to return after dinner.  There's yellow fire dept. tape around the perimeter of the yard, the home is gutted.  People have been driving down our street, stopping to take picts. with their cell phones.  It's a small town, so everybody's interested.

NO MORE EXCITEMENT!!!  NO MORE!!!  I want a quiet, BORING life.

Good Morning! Everyone!

It is a cloudy, rainy, windy morning here in the foothills of NC. It has been foggy and rainy for the past 2 days, but the wind has started blowing today. The windy conditions are causing leaves to rain down from their branches.

I love days like this. It is as if God is pulling a warm, comfy blanket over the earth and urging us inside. He is telling us, "Snuggle under My warmth, rest, relax, enjoying time with your family, leave the hustle and bustle behind. Glory in the works of My hand. See how I make the seasons change and the beauty within those changes. Take time to acknowledge My creaton."

Dear Lord, I do glory in Your creation. I thank you for the works of Your hand. Thank You, for the rain that replinshes and renews the earth. Lord, in these troubled times the beauty of Your world helps remind us who is in control. When we falter, start to fear, and forget that You are in control; help remind us of that fact. Lord forgive me of my faliures and sins. Wash me anew once again with Your grace, mercy, and love. It is Your Son's name I pray. Amen and Amen.

A Realization

As I was going about my work as a housewife this week I realized that I really love being a Keeper of the Home.  I enjoy cleaning, cooking, and baking. I enjoy taking care of my husband, my daughter, and our home. I am so blessed to able to stay at home and do my God-given duties.

I enjoy that feeling of accomplishment you have when you have finished cleaning a room or finished a project and you stop to stare at your hard work. I enjoy the sounds of my family eating and enjoying a meal I have prepared, whether it was the homemade chili beans, cornbread, and salad made from lettuce out of our graden, or the homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade honey whole wheat bread.  I relish in their appreciation for the homemade M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies I baked for them and they love so much.

I love as evening falls. Everything is picked up in its place. The lamps are on casting a warm glow all over the house and in the yard. Supper is on the stovetop or in the oven. DH walks in the door from a long day at work. Oakley is jumping up and down and barking, waiting for her greeting. DD is standing there waiting to tell her daddy the news of the day. And I am waiting there to get my hug from the love of my life, grateful for his love and hard work. All is well and comfortable in the home I was put in charge of to keep and guard. My duties are far from over but the love within these walls and the love of my heavenly Father gives me the strength to carry on with love in my heart and a smile on my face.

I wrote this in the Spring of 1997.  Thought I would share it here.  Hope you enjoy.

                                           Angel at the Alamo

I saw an angel at the Alamo. He was in disguise. My husband and I, with our infant son in his collapsible stroller, were walking on the sidewalk directly across the street from the Alamo. We had just finished a Mexican food dinner at Rio Rio with our friends. It was late spring. The temperature was warm but still pleasant. The sun was bright, still high in the sky.  I don't remember what I was wearing, but my son was dressed in a sweet little sailor suit. I remember because a lady at the five and dime said he was a pretty little girl.

The sidewalks were crowded; it must have been a Saturday afternoon. Locals in a hurry--shopping, leaving or going to work, busy. Tourists were ambling slowly, heads turning, looking, a bit in the way if you had a destination.

Traffic noise, exhaust fumes, red-light--walk–DO NOT WALK. Tourists waited patiently to cross while locals darted out if there was even a brief lull in the traffic.

Across the street at the Alamo Plaza, small groups milled around. It looked quieter, more serene than the business side of the street. There was a family taking pictures of each other. Japanese tourists talked quietly, each of them bedecked in the newest 35 mm camera and the tiniest camcorder. Men in shorts and dress socks and panama hats.

And then through the crowd, and completely unseen, walked a man with wings sprouting from his back, above his shoulders, beyond his elbows. His face was ordinary, bearded, almost rough. His brown hair short and messy. Sandals on his dirty feet.

I was instantly amazed, but not that I had seen an angel. My first thought was--"Doesn't anyone else see him?"

I stood still and watched him walk by. Crowds jostled around me and the stroller with my little one. My husband turned around a few feet ahead, "Belynda, are you coming?"

I turned, following the angel with my eyes as he continued walking past me. In my memory this moment is in slow motion. The crowds fade away, the noises cease, and then I see my angel from behind. He has folded his wings into a bedroll, tied to his back. His hair is now dirty and matted. He is a homeless person. The crowd swallows him up, and he disappears from my sight. The people around me jostle by, the traffic noises resume, I give the stroller a slight push and follow my husband down the street.

And I am left to wonder, what exactly did I see?

Yep, you read it right, Paul is officially laid off.    And to make matters a bit worse, instead of 4 weeks it could be 6 weeks.  They don't expect to ask him back until after the first of the year.  We wanted to apply for unemployment right away so it wouldn't mess up our budget too much, but they won't let us apply the same week that he's worked a full week.  We have to wait until he hasn't worked for about three days, Wednesday, before we can apply for benefits.  Which means that the money will start coming later than expected.  That will hurt a bit. 

OK, I'm done crying, I just needed to get that out.  The Lord is in control and this wasn't a surprise to Him.  I know all of that, but trusting is hard sometimes.  Now that it's official, and I know we won't be getting money right away, and maybe way lower than I thought, I'm feeling more stressed.  We have a little extra coming in that we thought would go to buying some Christmas presents for the kids, but now with this wrinkle in the unemployment date and amount, that might have to go toward bills.  I know the kids will understand, but not being able to get them even one gift, that will be hard.  We just have to leave it in the Lord's hands and know that He will provide what we need, but not always want we want.

OK, well, I'm not going to type much more, the more I type it and think about it, the more bummed I get.  Thank you all for your prayers, and if you can continue them whenever you think about us we would appreciate it.  I'll try and blog in a day or so when I'm feeling better.