I am so sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. We have been so busy. We had our end of the year tests and then wrapped up our school year. Which was a huge weight off of my shoulders. I have been feeling very overwhelmed lately. We found out that our homeschool group was dissolving. While this brought some sadness I really think it was for the best.  I know at least for me that it was one of the things that contributed to my feeling of being overwhelmed. I had already planned on taking a break from co-ops for at least a semester.

I am so excited to already have the curriculum ready for my oldest for next year. I am still searching out 2nd grade curriculum for my middle child. I do already have preschool ready for my youngest so I feel at least a little organized for next year. So that has helped relieve some stress.

We had our housewarming and I finally have my house pretty much in order. So that is another weight off of my shoulders. I have been playing softball two to three days a week. I have so enjoyed it. I am so glad to be active again. I don't want to stop. I will certaintly have to figure out something to do after softball ends.

My hubby has taken this summer off of school. He has gone the last three summers and of course two full years so I am glad to have him here and to have a break. It is allot of work to have the kids alone all the time with Dave working and going to school. I know he needed the break as well.  So hopefully this coming year is his last full year of school. I think we will both be refreshed and ready for the next school year.

So this summer I am planning on relaxing,gardening, spending some fun time with my family, and hopefully doing some camping. I will probably take a break from blogging until the summer is over. So if you don't hear from me don't worry. Look for me to be back when the school year starts. Have a great summer all.

Well one box at a time I am getting unpacked. I am determined to have a nice organized home when I am done. My biggest issue that I have run into is that I have at least 5 boxes of books and only one bookshelf. lol I do however have a big closet in the master bedroom. So here is my plan. I will put the books I am using for this years school in a plastic bin that I have along with my art supplies and pencils and just stuff you would use for school. So I will have a school in a box. lol This will be somewhat easier because allot of Tristan's work will be on the computer next year. So most of it will be 1st grade things for Lilly and preschool things for Olivia.  I have put the books that I am reading and my prayer journal and my to do notebook will be in a basket next to my bed(actually they already are) and then I also have a place to put the remote for my TV in our room so it doesn't get lost. lol That should at least eliminate some of the books. Allot of the rest of them will go on my one bookshelf. Some old books of David's such as his school books he wants to keep will be in the building because I don't know where else to put them right now. But eventually I am going to have to buy more book shelves. Of course as many as I can get will be going in the yard sale. Although it is tough because I HATE to get rid of books. I always feel I can use them someday.

I am open to any other suggestions. What does everyone else who has a small home do with their many books? I know you have them if you are a homeschool family.lol

It has been a frustrating couple of weeks with my daughters. I will be so glad to get into a house where we are all on the same level and I don't have to worry about packing things upstairs while they make a huge mess downstairs. lol

But that is another story. This is about something that happened Saturday. My oldest daughter got up and got herself dressed and got her sister dressed. Ever the girly girl of course Lilly dressed her and her sister in dresses. When they walked in our bedroom where hubby and I were talking about what we had to do for the day I saw just one little problem with their attire. Olivia my youngest was wearing her sisters dress. It was much to big for her. So I told Lilly what a nice job she did getting herself and Olivia dressed and then I said "but the dress you put on Olivia is your dress". To which she replied(this is the good part) " Mommy that can't be my dress anymore because it doesn't fit me. It doesn't go to my knees."

WOOHOO she gets it. Now at 5 she is already getting the idea about modesty. My hope is that if we lay the rules down now when they are little by the time they are teens it will be a habbit and we won't have to argue about it. I was just so thrilled with her comment and how she put it into practice.

Well after much searching and praying we finally found it. Here it is our new home. I am so excited. We just went under contract today. Finally a home of our own. I can't wait to decorate it and all of that kind of fun stuff. I am so releaved that we will finally have no more landlords. It is a nice brick ranch. Only three bedrooms but plenty of room to build on  and the girls can still share a room for a few years yet. Almost an acre of yard. Only bummer is that it isn't in Candler as we had hoped but we are only 15 minutes away which is much closer than we were before. I feel like I can finally settle down. No more gypsy life of moving every year or so because our lease is up. The first six years of my sons life we moved every year. Now I can really put down roots. I hope to live in this house until I am old and grey. Thanks to all who have been praying for us. I really feel like God led us to this house. So now comes my least favorite part packing and moving. At least I know I will not have to do it again for many many years, Lord willing. WOOHOO!!!

Wow. I googled those words into a search and was amazed at what I found today. Not one listing was about or by a truly Christian housewife. All of them either made fun of Christian housewives,put us down, or told us that we don't really have to submit to our husbands or raise our children to be Godly because that is an outdated notion.  I was flabergasted. I have to wonder(I guess because I am paranoid) is this some kind of statement by google. How do they chose what order things come up on their search engine? Or are we really that much of a minority. I find sometimes that even in our churches I myself at least feel outnumbered and outdated but I know that I am doing what God has called me to do. Is it really so archaic to believe in marriage the way God believed it should be? I believe I am happy and I have a happy marriage doing it the way God intended. Is that so amazing?

I was watching Dr Phil(which I usually don't do because it makes me angry) because I was bored and they were doing a show on engagement and wether or not some of these couples should get married. There were four couples. All of which had not waited until marriage to do the marriage act it was obvious. All I kept hearing from all of these couples was me me me me. It was all about them and what the other person could do for them. One woman constantly belittled her soon to be husband in front of everyone. SAD! I felt so sorry for this man. All I could say was NO NO NO none of these people should get married. The only one's I saw with any chance of making it was the young couple who were both 19. They had the best grasp of what marriage really was and were kind to each other and loving. This was my impression I did not watch the entire show. Of course they were being told that they had no chance because they were young. They were, I felt, belittled and made fun of because they wanted to get married at a young age but to me they were the most mature people on the show.

When did marriage become all about what the other person could do for you. That is not what marriage is about. Look around you people. It is not working. I see around me so many unhappy marriages just because 1. the wife will not submit to her husband. 2. The husband will not take his rightful role as provider and protector and spiritual leader. 3. No one is willing to give in the relationship because they only care what the other is giving or not giving to them. ME ME ME. I just want to scream at these people ITS NOT ABOUT YOU!!!

I am sorry if I am ranting but I am so tired of feeling like I am in the minority when maybe the minority has it right and I am tired of being bombarded by all this media talking about how I need more ME time and to do what I need. I can't understand why no one sees what this is doing to marriages and families.

Sorry for getting on my soapbox again.

LOVE, 1 Corinthians 13 Style
if I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of
twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls but do not show love to my
family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully
adorned table at mealtime but do not show love to my family, I'm
just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give
all that I have to charity but do not show love to my family, it
profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted
snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the
choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas
china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but
rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things.

Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be
lost, golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure

I saw this painting and it reminded me of my husband. This is what it looks like as soon as he sits down when he gets hom. lol I have been trying to teach my children to give Daddy a kiss when he gets home and then let him go upstairs and get his shoes off and relax a minute before they bombard him. But it is tough. He is working 40-50 hours a week and then 12 hours of school. They just miss him desperately. I am so grateful to God for giving me my husband. In this day and age allot of men out in the world don't feel they have to provide for their family. My hubby works very hard to provide for us so that I can stay home which from the moment we were married was always a priority. He also loves his children dearly. He is often at his most content surrounded by children. A rarety in some men.  Praise God for bringing him to me.

OK this may be silly to think about but it is something that has been on my mind. As most of you know, we are now unexpectantly having to move. So we have been praying about where the Lord wants us to go. Here is what I have been worrying about. What if the Lord is leading us back home to WV. Before we moved here our marriage was good but nowhere near as good and strong as it is now. You know how it is when you live close to family. Sometimes they can tend to meddle. Even though they think they are doing what is best for you sometimes it can cause problems. I know that David has become a much stronger christian but I worry that if we move back home around old friends that it will draw him away. Not that he has ever EVER been one to follow the crowd. So it is probably silly but I just worry that our marriage will suffer if we move home. Is that silly? It probably is. I just have to have faith that if God leads us there then he knows what he is doing.

I have been studying the Victorian era in an attempt to decorate my home. As I love history and antiques I just think it will fit me. Anyway I was reading about Queen Victoria for whom the era was named when I came upon an interesting fact. After her beloved husband passed away she continued to mourn for him for 40 years. She had the linens on his bed changed daily. She laid out his clothes in the morning and his shaving items along with a cup of warm water to shave with.

In this day and age we are told to get over things so quickly. You have 3 days of leave from work for a funeral if you are lucky and you can really only take these days if it is an immediate family member. I am very close to many people in my life who are not family but I would be devastated if something happened to them.

My sister called my grandmother the other day and she had changed the message on her answering machine. It no longer says you have reached Gary and Sue. It took her almost 2 months to change it. It made me sad to hear it. I liked it before. I cried when I had heard she changed it. I only hope she changed it of her own volition and not because someone told her she needed too. I know that she is sad and lonely, but I hope she will take time to grieve. I hope she won't rush anything just because someone tells her that she needs to snap out of it.

Tristan's Pappy lost his wife when Tristan was 4(he is almost 10 now) and even though it has been years ,every time I go to his home I notice that her purse is still in the same place. I am actually happy to see it still there.

I just think that we should give ourselves time to feel and grieve. I personally think the reason depression and anxiety are so prevalent in our day and time is because we don't allow ourselves to feel. What are we afraid of.