Beyond The Red Door

Welcome to our family's blogging home - where I share life beyond our red door! I hope that you will enjoy your visit with us.

Today's Verse

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Things That Make Me Smile

Seeing the kids reading their Bibles on their own
Hearing the ocean
Smelling a cake baking
Remembering our wedding day
Singing in the church choir
Shopping for my family
Feeling good
Reading in the tub
A quiet house
Watching a funny movie with the kids
Seeing my kids playing a game together
Ron's little finger dance
Hearing my kids being excited about church
Watching Ron play with Faith (our dog)
Hearing Ron snoring beside me after he has been gone on a long trip
Chatting with special friends
Feeling hot sand under my feet on a beach somewhere
Game night with Brian & Kim and kids
Spending one on one time with Kim
Double Dating With Brian and Kim
A clean house
Sitting on my front porch in my new rockers
Walking on a cool evening with my family
Losing weight
Seeing my kids make a great play on the soccer field

About The Hunters

My dear sweet hubby, Ron, and I have been married for 20+ years. We began dating during my freshman year at Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville. He is my college sweetheart. We have ministered together in various ministries during our lives together. We pastored for 10 years in Florida. We moved to TN in 2000 to Co-Pastor with some friends of ours. The Lord has given me a fabulous provider whom I love more than any words I write could ever express. He is now the CEO at our denomination's publishing company, Randall House Publications. I am honored to support him.

Our oldest child is named Michael. He is now officially a teenager, although I don't think I'm old enough to have a teenager. He is a very sweet and considerate young man. He is my thinker and my reader. He absorbs every piece of new information that he comes across. He loves playing soccer, riding his bike, skateboarding, reading, watching the History Channel, the Military Channel, ESPN and any documentary on TV. I am privileged to be his Mother.

Lauren is our youngest child. She is just 15 months behind her brother in age. She is wise beyond her years. She has a sharp-witted tongue (which sometimes has to be tamed), a quick sense of humor and a heart for people and animals. She loves organizing anything and everything. She loves being with her friends, singing, talking on her cell phone and playing soccer. I am blessed to be her Mother.

Just the knowledge that a good book is awaiting one at the end of a long day makes that day happier. - Kathleen Norris

On My Nightstand

When I Lay My Isaac Down by Carol Kent
Esther: It's Tough Being A Woman by Beth Moore
NIV Life Application Study Bible

Back On The Bookshelf 2009

~Beyond The Red Door~

Feb. 25, 2007
BFS Assignment #19 - On the Drawing Board

Posted in Blogger Friend School

This week's assignment is to share a picture of one of the kids drawings/projects. My kids are getting a little old to do drawings so I decided to share a picture of a school assignment that they had to do last school year. I have already shared these pictures before. But I can share them again.

We read a biography of Thomas Edison. The kids had to make a poster and give an oral report. This is Lauren's poster.

Here she is working on it.

Here is Michael working on his.

And this is Michael's finished product.

It was a fun project for them to do. They had to do research and take notes - the whole nine yards. It's been a while since they've had to do something like that. I think I will add that to the agenda of things to do before the school year ends. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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Feb. 9, 2007
BFS Assignment 17 - After School Snacks

Posted in Blogger Friend School

Our Assignment this week is to share our after school snack ideas. Well, since we homeschool we have before/during/after school snacks. I don't make anything special to have on hand. the other day I made that Banana Coffee Cake - which was really good, by the way. I said I would let you all know how it turned out. Since it was sweetened with honey instead of sugar it was much healthier. It had a very mild taste. I didn't like the topping on it. Thankfully I just drizzled it over the top because it was kind of thin - since I didn't put in the nuts or coconut. I really liked it. I will make it again - for sure.

Anyway, the kids snack on chips or pop tarts. And we always have some kind of fruit on hand. Michael and I like apples. Lauren likes pears. We all like bananas and plums. We've stopped buying grapes because they instantly turn to sugar when you eat them. I love grapes. So, we have kind of decided to not have them around anymore. I miss eating them. But it's better for me to have very little access to anything sweet.

You might notice that I have skipped a couple of assignments. I am about 3 assignments behind and was really starting to stress about them. So, when I saw this assignment I decided to just pick up here and not worry about the others anymore. I hope that's ok, Tamara - I mean "teacher".

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Jan. 3, 2007
Hits and Misses for 2006

Posted in Blogger Friend School

This week's assignment for BFS is as follows:

As we being the New Year 2007, let's look at what were our Hits & Misses for 2006. This could include anything at in your life. Perhaps you tried a new curriculum, a different approach to discipline, a new cookbook, a better (or worse) way to organize your time. Maybe, you joined a new group, or tried a new class.

The assignment for this week is make a List of "HITS" and a List of "MISSES"!

This will take some thinking. But I will try to think "on the run" as I type. I will start with the hits - my attempt at being positive.

1 - Our new house. We didn't start out the year planning to build a home or even to move. But by spring we had decided to "give it a go" and see what the Lord had planned for selling our home this time around. We tried the whole selling and moving thing in the summer of 2003 (I think it was 2003). I home spent weeks on the market without a single nibble. So, we decided it wasn't in the Lord's plans for us and took it back off the market. After thinking everything through we decided to try again. It wasn't until a couple of weeks into the search that we decided to build.

2 - A Heart Like His Bible study. It was the smallest group I have ever had in a Bible study but the study was excellent.

3 - Brian and Kim moving just up the street. I know the whole experience that brought them back to Nashville was traumatic for them. But I love having them here! I wish they had come under better circumstances, of course. But they are here - and I'm grateful for that.

4 - Adding some Charlotte Mason touches to our school days. The kids probably wouldn't agree that this is a HIT but they don't see the benefits and successes that I see. Michael's handwriting has improved drastically because of the copywork. The notebooking has helped to reinforce what they have learned. I'm loving it!!

5 - The new pain medicine I have been taking. I have found something that works. I don't necessarily like that it's a narcotic. But it works - and I love that!!!!!!!

6 - Our new TV. When we moved into our new house we bought a flat screen TV that hangs on the wall. There are little quirks that we don't like about it. But we are loving it over all.

7 - Finding out that Lauren needed glasses. And now she enjoys reading!! That was a definite hit. I love walking by her room at night and seeing her reading a book/Bible or doing devotions. She always said that she didn't like reading. She has read more books since she got her glasses then she read from the time she learned to read until then.

Now for the misses:

1 - ACE 8th grade Social Studies. HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT. Got the message?

2 - Losing weight. I started out the year planning to lose weight. Instead of losing ANY I gained 36 pounds. What's up with that?

3 - Taking a year off from singing in the choir at church. I did it because I HAD to for my health. But I hated not being in the choir. And starting this coming Sunday I'm going back. Kim is coming with me! Woo Hoo!!!!!

4 - Our new table and chairs. We bought a new pub style table when we moved into our new house. We live the table and chair STYLE. But this particular table scratches sooooooo easily. It's brand new (well, 3 months old) and the table top is so scratched up.

5 - Taking on the job of collecting all the women's Bible study leader's studies for the new semester. It's like pulling teeth getting that information from them. I love our women's ministry at our church. But I regret saying yes to this job.

Well, I'm not sure if this is exactly what Tamara had in mind for this assignment. But I kind of enjoyed it. Thanks, Girl!

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