Kentucky Journey - Homeschool Blogger

I have a new, all-inclusive blog...

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:34:00 -0500

here: http://www.adailyrate.blogspot.com/ - I will still post here, but the majority of my work will be there due to ease-of-use issues. Please, please come visit me there!

I'm drinking from my saucer...

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:06:00 -0500

'cause my cup has overflowed. Had you heard that before? I have a very foggy memory of it being sung before. If I knew the tune, I'd be singing it today! Perhaps I'll just make up my own tune - one with no rhyme or reason and just sing/hum/whistle variations of it all the livelong day! We were very privileged yesterday to have Captain Harmon Schmelzenbach deliver our message in Sunday's service. What a dynamic speaker with a blessed and rich history of ministry for the Lord. Captain Harmon is a fourth generation missionary in charge of the Nazarene Maritime Ministries program. He and his lovely family operate in and around Fiji. If you want a real blessing, visit the Fiji Boat website at www.fijiboat.org - you won't regret it! We were entertained, challenged, inspired and invigorated. As the minister of music said, "If that don't light your fire, your wood's wet!" Grammar aside (for it simply must be said that way), he was spot-on accurate. Thank you, Captain Harmon, for breathing a portion of your life into our church. We won't ever be the same again. Oh and by the way, if I'm not mistaken, the S kids are homeschooled. < wink wink > On the home front, we purchased a much-needed new couch this weekend. It's a lovely camel back with generous arms and firm, comfy cushions. Now to save for a new chair! Hyperkid leaves for church camp a week from today. Mama.is.not.happy. Don't get me wrong, it'll be good for him and he'll be fine and safe and have a blast and make new friends and learn about the Lord and maybe not get homesick and maybe forget mama's soft lap and maybe inch away from me a little and maybe I'm being selfish but I only have him for a few short years. And yes, I know that's a run-on sentence but it's been running on in my head for the past 3 days. And will for many more, I'm sure. < sigh > They will grow up, won't they. By the way, you can always tell when I post from work because the formatting is usually all off. I'll fix it when I get home.

God bless you - if it's convenient, that is.

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:30:00 -0500

As some of you know, I work part-time outside the home. Recently, though, I cut my hours from 30 down to 24.5 due to some family scheduling issues. Although it is a financial sacrifice, it's worth it to us to have the time together. Folks I work with, though, were less than pleased because it meant would be leaving early on our busiest day - Friday. Ooh, the thunderclouds were thick this morning. I must confess, though, that they were thinner than expected due to the peanut butter cookies I took in to soften the blow. Yes, I resorted to bribery.

When I sat down at my desk, I was in the best mood! I actually got up on time - and remembered to bring the aforementioned bribe. When someone asked who'd brought the treats, I said I did. Then I made an entirely true statement: "I made these yesterday when I got home early. I know y'all would be busy, so I made them with you in mind and prayed for you as I did so." The response? "We'd rather have had you here." sigh

I feel a lot of ambivalence toward me because of my choice to remain at home as much as possible, and I don't understand why. DH says a certain amount of it is jealousy - I can see that. I think they're convinced that I come home and eat bon-bons, have pedicures and sit by my private pool while being fanned by Paco the Pool Boy while they're being inconvenienced. That I laugh to myself as I take my afternoon nap and they are stuck in the office. Now if all that were true - I probably would never admit it to them! But, of course, it isn't. Any homeschooling family knows that it is taking on an extra job. A fun one most of the time - but a job nonetheless. We have all had our moments/days/weeks/months of questioning our own motives and abilities. There are days when I just want hyper-kid to take a breath so there can be 5.3 seconds of quiet. That's normal, and I accept that, and I absolutely don't dare complain because I've been so very blessed.

I think what it all comes down to it, it is a matter of contentment. There are days when my desire for a homestead is almost palpable. There are days that I wonder what on earth I'm doing. But deep down, under it all, I've been blessed with contentment. I never knew how utterly freeing that is until recently. And that contentment has a way of just bubbling to the surface!

It is my prayer that, whatever road they take in life, my co-workers will find peace and contentment. That they will realize that I've made the choices I've made out of a desire to be where God wants me to be. And that they will come to that same point in their lives. Despite petty quarrels and differences, despite prickles and jabs I have come to love each and every one of them. I hope God's best for them - whether it's convenient for me or not.

Is there ANYTHING p.b. cookies won't fix?

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 19:05:00 -0500

Especially ones this yummy and simple to make? Here's the recipe for the world's easiest Peanut Butter Cookies:

Combine 1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk and 3/4 cup peanut butter.

Stir in 2 cups Bisquick and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mixture will be very stiff...so will your arm after combining well. Roll into 1-1.5" balls. Roll ball in sugar and place on baking sheet. Mark with crosshatch pattern using a fork and bake at 375 for 7 minutes.

Be careful! Bottoms (of cookies) will caramelize quickly. Bottoms (of eaters) will expand exponentially!

And yes, I just happen to have a pic OF THE COOKIES of course:

He Was There All the Time...

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:02:00 -0500

Even this early in your reading, you're nodding - aren't you?! Because you just know who "He" is. And, like me, you "know" He's there. Right? Right.

Of course, there are times when "He" seems elusive, withdrawn, and all too trusting of our own faith in Him. Are you confused yet? Allow me to explain.

I've loved this site since I found it. I enjoy blogging and feeling the warm, cozy "atmosphere" of kindred spirits. But something happened in our lives that was so very difficult to entrust to the Master that I stopped writing altogether. Stopped creating. Stopped laughing. Had thoughts of stopping being. You see, our son was injured by another - a teenager who didn't resist when his sin nature came calling. The price was our child's innocence. And though I thought I had healed, I couldn't see "Him" nearby. Couldn't see how He could possibly be working in our lives.

Life got easier, smiling became less rare and one day recently I stopped by my blog. It was at that moment I noticed something. Look at the header closely. I'm a graphic designer and created it to look like flannel. I liked it enough that just felt it was done. It's not beautiful by any stretch, but it just seemed so complete. Now look at the avatar (about me) picture. As you can see, it is nothing more than a snippet from the header. Do you see it? Can you see the face? I didn't put it there. Really, I didn't. I just noticed it - plain as day. There's that face. It was there all the time. I just didn't see it.

Busy Hands...

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:50:00 -0500

I've found that my soul profits much when I take time to make something...this is for a lovely friend who collects birdhouses. It's not much, but I enjoyed painting it.

Indulge me? Please?!

Mon, 6 Mar 2006 09:45:00 -0600

My prolonged absence has been marked with intense joy and extreme sorrow, harried days and peaceful nights, and reading, reading, reading. For sanity's sake I'll go into detail and hope you, welcome reader, will indulge me.

Thanks to a concerted effort to deepen my walk with the Lord, most of my days are filled with emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. My newly instituted morning walk with worship music cranked has been beneficial to both body and soul and I can now report a total of 80 pounds lost and immeasurable peace gained. There's still a lot of work to be done on both but I have a fantastic Master Builder who's never let me down. Can you say the same? If you don't know Him, I would be glad to introduce you. Just contact me!

One day, in particular, was marked with extreme sorrow. On Tuesday, February 28, I received 3 bits of bad news:

The first - a friend and co-worker who is bravely fighting liver cancer was told it had metastisized to the bones. The next day though, a sheepish physician called her back and reported that the spots he'd seen in the bones were none other than . . . osteo-arthritis. Praise the Lord for He is great and worthy to be praised!

The second - a dear lifelong friend/father figure/mentor passed away at the age of 56. It was a rather crushing blow to everyone. You see, to know P was to love him. What a wonderful, Godly man he was! How he cared for his family and spread the love of God! A truly gifted musician, he was often heard to say, "I'm so glad to have been saved - but let me tell you about the day I was SANCTIFIED!" I remember that day. In fact, no one who was there could ever forget it. Most certainly not P! He could quote the sermon, scripture and the whole nine yards. He'd been saved at a young age, but lived mostly for himself. That day, a new man was born right before my eyes. He literally became God's instrument overnight. What a stunning difference it was! God did a mighty work in P's life that day, and every day thereafter. He leaves behind a family of the most wonderful people one could ever imagine. A beautiful wife, daughters, 'sons', and grandchildren. All of whom have dedicated their hearts and lives to God's work...some in the secular world and some on the mission field. What a legacy he leaves behind! I loved him so, and will miss him greatly BUT Praise the Lord, for He is great and worthy to be praised. Stated with a still-aching heart, but meant just as much.

And the third. Things WILL seem to happen in threes, won't they?! My precious mother may have cancer that has metastisized to the bones. The doctor said it looks as though she has cancer and that it has already spread. I asked for a percentage of certainty and he gave me 95%. *sigh* Please keep her, the doctors, and family in your prayers. And yes, I'll say it with tear-filled eyes and an aching heart, but "Praise the Lord! for He is great and greatly to be praised!" So nice to be able to say that even when your heart is breaking.

On the home(school) front, darling son is READING! Pretty well! He was a late starter, but thanks to Horizons Phonics and his "Legend of Zelda - the Four Sword Adventure" gamecube game, he's making great strides!! I know, please don't lecture me about the brain-rotting effects of video games. For now, it's really great for him. The dialogue the characters use is proper English and grammatically correct. It grabs and holds his attention and seems a lot more like fun than work. We're already working on fostering a love of books, but had to really grab his attention first. Not to mention the logical thinking skills he has gained solving the puzzles, mazes and the like built into the game. I actually enjoy it as well! ... Now if I could just find a way to justify the 15 minutes a day of the SpongeBob game.

I know, I know.....I haven't posted in a while

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:47:00 -0600

but man, life has been crazy lately! Until this evening when I'll be able to post again, enjoy this discussion. See if you can guess which one is me?! Here it is: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1580010/posts?page=12

Why do we homeschool?

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 09:01:00 -0600

Very occasionally, I myself wonder. Then I read this and was reminded of one reason. It harkens to a simpler era. I think everyone longs for the simplicity and innocence of days gone by, but homeschoolers seem to truly ache for it. And we're willing to make the changes necessary. Call me crazy, but I just feel better knowing for a fact that DS can go to the bathroom during school without being assaulted or offered illegal substances - or worse.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the deplorable state of public education. Here in the Bluegrass State when the cash register is broken at the fast food joint, you don't eat. You see, it tells the cashier how much change to give the customer. 9 times out of 10 I have had to assist someone counting my change. It's a good thing I'm honest. As I told DS the other day, it doesn't matter to me if DS digs ditches when he's grown. If God calls you to be a ditch digger, it's a terrible step down and backwards to be a king. I will, however, give him every resource possible to ensure he's adequately prepared for wherever God calls.

When DS was very small, his goal in life was to ride a school bus. humph. I know what goes on in those buses - I remember. And I've told him many times that even if he attended PS, he'd be a car rider.

Another very important reason we homeschool is TIME. My husband works second shift. He leaves at 2 and returns at midnight. If DS attended public school, it wouldn't be difficult for him to forget what his father looks like. As it is now, I'm able to work part time in the morning while darling hubby teaches a subject or two. Then he goes to work and I take over teaching the rest, making library runs, etc. It works out great. Not only do we have a little extra money coming in, darling hubby gets to be a huge part of son's life. I can't think of anyone I'd rather son have as a role model than hubby. He's a wonderful, intelligent, Godly man of which any woman would be proud.

No matter the impetus to make the leap into homeschooling, I think the very root of the matter is the same for us all. We love our kids. We like our kids. We enjoyour kids!

Gena said it best, there's no greater privilige than seeing those "lightbulb moments" in your child's life. Both intellectually and spiritually. Wow.

The Party Was a Success!

Mon, 2 Jan 2006 08:59:00 -0600

We ended up not playing games at all. By the time the chatter wore down it was 10:30! Everyone just really enjoyed sitting around talking and snacking. Then we ajourned to the living room and watched a Chonda Pierce video.
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If you are unfamiliar with Chonda, you should do your best to catch some of her work. She's a Christian comedianne and very funny. There's also always a lesson to be learned. We all laughed and cried, shared our resolutions and called it a night.
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I hope your New Year's Eve was as fun and safe as ours. May God bless you all richly in 2006!