Posted in About Me

Posted in About Me

If God brings me to mind, I'd dearly love your prayers.  I have two talks to prepare and deliver on Friday at the PA Homeschoolers High School at Home conference in Carlisle, PA, and they are not going as well as I might have expected. The titles of the talks are Blogging: Waste of Time or Wave of the Future and An Online Co-op? What's That?  A good bit of each talk involves my showing the audience things on the computer: different blogs, how to set up a blog, how to search blogrings, what phpBB2 looks like, and so on. When I've run through these portions to myself, they seemed okay. But yesterday, I ran through it to a friend and felt all muddled and scattered.  So, it's back to more writing.  The other talk isn't finished, although a thorough outline is done.  Thankfully, both handouts are done!

On a happier note, my dear friends from Ohio just left from a wonderful visit.  (Not happy that they left, but happy for the wonderful visit!)  They visited from Sunday to Wednesday, and I could have had them for weeks!  The kids had a great time (my five and her seven), and we had sweet fellowship.  I also helped her to set up a blog.  If you want to see who is in the other half of my bio picture, you'll have to visit LindaUlmer! 

Posted in About Me

You'll have to excuse my bedroom. Currently, there are twenty-seven books in two slightly untidy stacks beside my bed and spilling out of wooden bedside book holder. Meg Cabot perches on top of a biography of Richard Sheridan's wife, Elizabeth Linley, while A Tree Grows in Brooklyn cuddles next to the Louise Rennison novels. Nearby sits a large plastic bag of sixteen paperbacks borrowed from my mother, all thrillers like Dean Koontz or Michael Crichton. On my desk are fourteen more books--Christian biographies, Lamplighter classics, and some Pride and Prejudice sequels-- begging to be read.

In the CD player is the book of Isaiah, almost finished, with Ezekiel next in line.  The Bible study book for Sunday school sits in its bag, waiting to be completed.  The desk, where working on devotional studies is pleasant, is currently stacked with miscellaneous piles of things waiting to be filed, returned to others, or just thrown away. 

Oh, I didn’t make the quilt on the bed. It’s from JC Penney's.  But I did make some of the other quilts in the house decorating the walls.  The half-pieced sawtooth star with flying geese border in Amish colors hanging in the laundry room closet is a five year project still undone, but maybe I’ll get to it this winter since I won’t be teaching AP Language and Composition online this year.

Stepping over the massive piles of laundry in the laundry room, we can walk into the kitchen (where there will more than likely be some homemade chocolate chip cookies unless I've eaten all of them--again!) and then into the living room.  "Oh, have you read this one? Are you studying the Vikings? This is a good book."  If you escape my house without a book or tape or a recommendation for one, I must be having an off day. 

The living room also contains the computer, my link to many friends and more.  Should I check my email or my blog?  Should I work on that talk or write that recommendation letter for the former student?   Should I just shut the whole thing down and go write a letter?

The drawers of my desk are bursting with all types of cards and stationery. One drawer of my desk is stuffed with letters from friends and family, all tied up in ribbons and labeled with the names of the senders.  "Dear Linda, Dear Corrine, Dear Andreana, Dear, Dear, Dear..." Also in my desk is a drawer full of journals dating back to 1983, those awkward days of junior high.   The current journal lies somewhat dusty in the bedside book holder, neglected more and more as the blog entries have become more frequent. 

Would you like to come and see my garden?  Yes, those tall ones are weeds, but they're kind of pretty, too, aren't they?  These are daisies, those are Sunrise Coreopsis, Moonbeam Coreopsis, gallardia,  lamb's ears, snapdragons, carnations, lupine, scabiosa, dianthus, rudbeckia, Cupid's Dart, oh, those?  Those are wild blackberries that I planted in the middle of the garden, and they're spreading. There's just something about being able to pick blackberries in your yard.  Those are Michael's giant pumpkins and my four tomato plants. No tomatoes or pumpkins yet, but we're hopeful!

Would you like to walk around the neighborhood with me? It's a very peaceful two-mile walk to make the loop.  Or, we could go swimming in the pool.  I just vacuumed it, a chore I enjoy.  Oh, it's starting to rain. Why don't I just make us some tea (sugar and milk, please) and we'll sit and talk.  So, what are you reading lately?

Posted in About Me

Before I continue with the story of who I am, I have exciting news to share!  My son, Nathan (14), just took first place in the sitting position at the International BB Gun Competition in Bowling Green, KY!  In BB shooting, there are four positions: off-hand (standing), prone (lying on the stomach), sitting, and kneeling.  He took first place in the state competition in the kneeling position, and now he's got an international first place in sitting!  Is he thrilled?  No!  One of his 4-H teammates, a young lady, beat him by two points in shooting (which is what happened at the state competition).  But since he got a perfect score on the written test, his overall score beat her by two points.  Since this is Nathan’s first year of competitive shooting, we are more than thrilled!

Now, for a bit about me, the mother of the gunslinger...

I grew up in Curwensville, PA, a small town of 3,000 or so in Western/Central PA.  I loved school and did well in it.  I was also involved in all sorts of clubs and things: band, ski club, yearbook, newspaper, flag (silks) team, drama, and so on.  I graduated in 1987 and headed to Penn State where I thought I'd major in Chemistry.  After a disastrous first semester (1.67 GPA anyone?), I switched to English and the Dean's list! 

I really loved college and taking classes, so much so that I took a lot of them and wound up graduating in three years in 1990. That August, I married James, the cute mathematics graduate student who caught my eye at the Campus Bible Fellowship (CBF) meetings.  That November, I found out that we were expecting, and on July 25, our 9 pound 15 ounce Nathan "shot" into the world. (har har)

James (whom I call "The Good Doctor"  or "TGD" in blog posts) got his Ph.D. and a job in August of 1992 and moved his son, pregnant wife, and the contents of our basement apartment to Xenia, OH. For the next nine years, he taught at  Cedarville College (now Cedarville University).  David was born in 1992, Elizabeth in 1994, Michael in 1996, and Rachel in 1999. Paulie the parakeet came to live with us in 1998, and as he hasn't died yet--although he should have for a used bird acquired eight years ago--I'll list him as part of the family.

While in Ohio, I began homeschooling, was director of AWANA Cubbies (a preschool Bible club), and served as the meetings Vice-President of PEACH (Parents Educating at Christian Homes), a 200+ family homeschool support group in the area. I enjoyed speaking at a number of PEACH meetings.  I also taught Freshman writing at Cedarville College a few semesters.

In 2001, James got a job at Penn State, his and my alma mater, as director of the undergraduate math department. We moved back to State College, PA, back to the church we attended in college and in which we were married, back to good friends and family. 

In 2002, I began teaching AP Language and Composition online for PA Homeschoolers.  I really enjoyed the students and helping them to improve their writing and to succeed on the AP Language exam, but four years of teaching in addition to homeschooling has left me a little burnt-out. So, next year is my "sabbatical" from teaching AP.

I've continued to speak at a number of local meetings and state-wide conferences. If you're really keen to see/read my talks, you can check out my resume and the text of talks at www.marysellers.org.

I feel that I've just been dull again, and very little is still revealed about who I am.  But, I'll save that for the next entry.

Posted in About Me