Life's Accidental Journey

Monday, November 27, 2006

Good and Not so Good

We got the tree up and many of the inside decorations. It was such a fun family time. Even Jessica (19) wanted to be here with her boyfriend so we planned it for Saturday because she didn't work.

All (except 1) of the gifts that are here are wrapped and decorated and under the tree. I finished that while Mike and the boyfriend watched a football game after the tree trimming.

So I went to make a picture to put on on the blog yesterday and my digital camera is messed up.

: (

We took it to the shop, but even if they can fix it, it won't be for 10 or so days.

So...no pictures till then. I just hope it can be fixed. I passed by several good (and cheap!) digital cameras on my Black Friday shopping trip.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Lovely Week

Our Thanksgiving was so special. I think every year it just gets better and better for us. This was the first year in my great aunts "new" house. The one they had to move into because their "old" place was too much for them to keep up. : ( So we thought it may not "feel" right.

How silly of us.

It was more wonderful than ever. All of us there together. And it also happened to be her 80th birthday! Cause for a double celebration if there ever was one!

The food was wonderful and the whole day flew by in a flash.

Then a really good Navy buddy of Mike's was in town visiting relatives, so after we left my aunts we went to a local park on the mountain to meet up with his family. How fun!

That night the girls and I looked up all the sales and then got up at 4am to hit the stores. This is the first year the girls have done Black Friday and it went much better than I could have hoped! I didn't buy too awful much. I didn't need to. But it was the experience I was after and I'm *so* glad we did it!

I even got a *great* deal on a Christmas tree for my great aunt. We'll have to take it to her one day this week if possible.

Off now. Headed to Church!

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Thanksgiving Day

I've read many "I'm thankful for's" over the blog world and they all touch me. I too have much to be thankful for in my life. And then I came across one "I'm thankful for" that floored me. And caused me to look at this day in an all together different light.

It was a listing of the hard things in life. And I think I'll add a couple of my own.

I'm thankful that my mother had me so young that she couldn't care for me. It gave me many sweet years with my great grandmother and made me want to be the mother to my children that I never had.

I'm thankful that I lost some of the closest people in my life at an early age. It showed me how short life is on this earth, and to never take time with someone you love for granted. To love them today, because they may not be here to love tomorrow.

I'm thankful that I had adults in my life who never showed me how important I was to them as a child and only later told me so. It taught me that you have to not only love your children with all your heart, but *show* them every chance you get.

I'm thankful for the recent injustices that my family has suffered. It's taught me that we're stronger than I'd have ever thought and that we can make it through anything. And it's showed us who our real friends are.

I'm thankful for the fillings I have in my teeth because we couldn't afford toothpaste at the end of the month when I was a little girl. It's made me, to this day, appreciate that I can afford that tube of toothpaste every time I put it into the cart.

And I'm thankful for the blog I read that showed me to be thankful for these things.

And so much more.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Holiday Week

Jillian has school today! (Co-op.) I admit that I'm a bit miffed about it. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE her co-op. But one of the benefits of homeschooling is that we get to take holiday weeks OFF. And while the co-op is only meeting Monday...that happens to be when my baby girl goes.

And if that's not enough, they have a test today. So she really *needs* to go.

And if *THAT'S* not enough? The teacher that is giving the test isn't even going to be there. She started her holiday week yesterday.

I may have to talk to them about this one.

On another note, I didn't make it to Sam's last Wednesday. It was dreary and rainy and cold. So that means the big trip is today. And it's beautiful and sunny and freezing.

LOL

Wish me luck!

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Inside Outside (Upside Down?)

For the last several days I've been on the go. It's like that here from Sunday 'till Wednesday. I had planned to do a big Sam's shopping trip today after I drop Julia off at her co-op classes, but it's ***dreary*** and drizzly and rainy and chilly. I think it's a good day to stay in and get some of the housework done for the possible houseguest we may have in a couple of weeks.

: D

And besides, for some reason Sam's is a hard place to shop in the rain. I have no idea why. I suppose because you have to unload all the stuff you get individually? Or because the lot is so big that you have to park several blocks (heh) from the door?

I'll save the trip for Monday.

Probably.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

A Small Brag

I got *every* *single* *Christmas* Present* (that I've gotten so far for my family) wrapped last night. I've *never* gotten it done this early. I hope to finish up my shopping on Monday, and hopefully have it all wrapped and done by the end of next week.

Then, when we put up the tree after Thanksgiving, I can more fully concentrate on the things that give me joy. Baking. Spending time with my family. Doing the little "last minute" touches. Maybe entertaining a little.

My lists of everything seem to be helping.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Busy Times

Things have been so busy lately that I feel like I'm running on a treadmill about 12 hours a day! If the calendar proves to hold true, it looks like things will slow down a bit after Thanksgiving, but until then...

Saturdays have been full day Girl Scout activities for the last 2 weeks. This week is the third. I have opted out.

Sundays are full with worship. Both morning and night.

Mondays Jill has co-op and then we have Girl Scouts in the evening.

Tuesdays both younger girls have the YMCA homeschool group.

Wednesdays Julia has co-op and then both girls have youth in the evening.

Thursdays and Fridays are typically "my" home/homeschool days, but this week and next are dental appts and tonight is the mall parade!

And we also have some tentative company coming in from out of town in the next week or two. So I've been trying to get the house in tip-top shape.

Oh, and I've been *teaching* at the Tuesday YMCA homeschool group this session, and while it's a blast and better than I could have even imagined, it's *soooo* time consuming. I'm putting in approximately 10-15 hours a week getting things ready for that class.

I'm really looking forward to things calming down a bit! Until then, I'm still here. Just for a shorter amount of time. :)

Thursday, November 02, 2006

And on a More Serious Note

I want to start out by saying how much of a blessing it is to have finally found a place online where there are so many Christian women. I believe that what we surround ourselves with *does* matter. A lot. Even in online situations. Maybe even *especially* in online situations. :)

And so many of the women that I read are so inspiring. They exude so many qualities that I admire and want to emulate. They give me the added punch to take on my day with a different attitude. And I admire them.

And still there are so many Christian women online that appear to be extremely judgmental. This is something that I just can't rationalize. I know that we are to take a stand. But we are NOT to judge.

Again, I tend to find this more in the younger women as a general rule. And I'm not sure what this says about the collective "us" here.

Think about the recent Halloween blogs that have been written.

Judge not.

Simple really.

Mat. 7:1
Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Mat. 7:2
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

It's certainly something that I strive to apply in my own life.

Oh My Goodness!

Do you ever have so many thought swirling around in your head that you just have to write them down or you know you'll forget them? Or not be able to sleep because you keep thinking of all that you have to do? Or things that you need to get done and not forget?

Well...I started on my "list". And it ended up over three pages. Yes, pages. With teeny writing! No wonder I was feeling stressed!

Well, I still feel stressed. Maybe more so than before seeing all this stuff that needs to get done. But at least now I can *see* it. And don't have to just try to remember it.

And don't ya just love marking off your "to do" list with a big fat red line?

: )

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Because I'm Really Excited about Christmas!

Lindsey's New Christmas Blog

If you've never read Lindsey, you're in for a treat. She's down to earth. I'm really excited to see this new Advent Blog!

Friday, October 27, 2006

Halloween - YMMV

You know how it is when you're "new" somewhere and you don't want to say anything controversial? I've been here for a few months now and I've not posted a lot of substance because I realize that written words can easily be taken the wrong way. Particularly when it's matters that are dear to us.

I have many blogs that I read daily. And by "daily" I mean the days that I get to sit down and read blogs. ; ) A least a couple of times a week usually.

Some of the blogs are from women close to my own age (40) but many are women that are much younger. I'm not really sure why this is, except that younger people tend to be online more I suppose. I've searched for blogs of older Christian women, but the majority of blogs that I've found are younger women.

I suppose that at my age, I've learned that there is wisdom to be found everywhere you're willing to look. So I really enjoy many of these young women's blogs. There are sometimes in very different seasons of their lives and it brings back some sweet memories.

And many of these young women have some strong ideas on things. Strong ideas are wonderful. And I suppose I was very similar when I was their age. But we all have things to learn. None of us know the right answers to every question. And some questions may not even have "right" and "wrong" answers.

This brings me to Halloween.

I do allow my children to participate in Halloween activities. I always have. Most of the activities are either at our church or the church that we have Girl Scouts. But we also have a little get-together at our house every year where all their friends come and they go around the neighborhood together. It's a great Halloween neighborhood.

We do not dress in anything scary. We are not celebrating anything other than this kid holiday of dress-up, fun and candy.

We walk up to houses that have lights on, doors open, and pumpkins glowing. The elderly neighbors really seem to get joy seeing all the little kids all dressed with faces shining. The adults walk with steaming mugs of cider or cocoa and fellowship. The girls get an evening with their friends.

And let me say here, that I totally respect your right and opinion to NOT celebrate Halloween. Certainly if I (or my husband) felt convicted to not celebrate, we wouldn't.

And I wouldn't need any other reason. Not a single one.

But please understand that we don't go "begging for candy". We don't force people in the neighborhood to participate if they don't want to do so. We don't celebrate anything evil, ever.

So please, let your words (even the written ones) be gentle. You may feel in your heart that something is wrong for you and your family, but that doesn't mean that my family has the same convictions.

And it doesn't mean that either of us is wrong.

Monday, October 23, 2006

A New Week

I only have a minute, as usual, this morning. Jillian has to be at co-op in a little while and she has her second science test. She's studying right now. It's so sweet to watch.

Last week was our first week teaching at the YMCA. My girlfriend Brooke and I signed up to teach one of the classes for the LITs (Leaders in Training, which is the 11-16 year olds). We're teaching a class in Environmental studies and we have 5 more weeks (one hour a week) to define an environmental problem and solve it.

Heh.

I told them last week that we probably wouldn't be doing anything about space litter or anything on that level. It's amazing what kids that age want to accomplish when given the reigns. It's heartening.

Brooke, who is a certified teacher, was out of town on the first day. I had a bit of anxiety about teaching the class all by myself (there are 18 kids!) but it turned out *so* *incredibly* *well*.

The homeschool coordinator "sat in" (read: watched my every move) to make sure things went well. Talk about feeling graded! But the kids made it so much fun. The boys were great, and they're sometimes NOT great. The conversation flowed and we all learned so much! I had TONS more material than I could possibly get through, so that was good. Not much worse in a classroom setting than running out of things to say. They can turn on you pretty quickly! ; )

After class was over (and time flew so quickly) , the instructor came over to me and just beamed. Said that it was far better than she had anticipated and she was so pleased. And this woman is a bit stingy with the compliments if you know what I mean.

I was happy for the rest of the day.

Words...they mean so much.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Hmmm

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
195
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Unbelievable!

I know I've said it before, but it's worth repeating, I LOVE my church. How we got there is a story in itself, and I'll try to remember to tell it soon.

Today our preacher was out. He's an amazing man with a talent for speaking directly to the hearts of all who listen. His daughter got married yesterday out of town, so we didn't really expect him to speak today. We went to church anyway, though honestly, we'd have preferred to stay at home.

Once we sat down and opened the program, we were a bit surprised. Our speaker today was going to be Chris McDaniel. Formerly of the country/rock band Confederate Railroad.

So he got up there and started singing, and playing the keyboard and it was *amazing*. He was so good.

And then he started to speak.

He spoke of his life, his upbringing, his relationship with Jesus, his whole life. He told stories of life on the road and life as a child in a small southern town. He talked of his children with awe and love. He didn't hide the ugly parts of his life. He laid it all out. And told how God had welcomed him back home.

In between stories, he'd sing and play the keyboard. Songs that told us stories every bit as much as the words he spoke.

How glad we were to have gotten the opportunity to hear this mans great story. How humbling and inspirational. I only wish our preacher could have been there.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Tuesday

Thankfully, the girls are out of the YMCA program this week. Starting next week, I teach (I co-teach actually, my friend is teaching, but she's out of town the first week, so technically, I *do* teach next week) until the end of the year. We're doing an environmental studies class, which should be fun!

Last Friday we had a GS activity at a farm about 45 minutes from here. Mike decided to go with us. It was a really nice family time.

Here is Julia, Jillian and Mike with this creepy thing that was walking around and moving it's weird arms!

This is Jillian and her dad with a dancing something.

There was a campfire and they let you make smores. There were adults dressed up passing out little boxes of candy. And it was chilly! Jillian took my vest because I at least had on long sleeves. The place was set up pretty kid friendly. Not too scary. We don't like scary much here.

On another note, the weather is *fabulous*. Warm days and cooler nights. If it weren't for the allergies this time of year, I'd love it to stay this way for at least 9 months of the year.

Monday, October 02, 2006

My Julia (12) is such an amazing daughter. I can't even express what it's like watching her grow into the woman God wants her to be. She's at the age that mommy can't always "make it better", and that makes me sad at times.

She told me a story last night that was on her mind. I have no idea where she heard/read it, so if anyone knows please let me know so that I can give proper credit.

'Cause I'm gonna share it here.

A young girl was walking home one evening and it had gotten later (and darker) than she had thought. She had to go through an alley. She got a little way into the alley and saw the figure of a man on down the way.

She felt creeped out and scared. She had to go this way to get home, but she didn't want to walk past the man.

She started to pray. She asked God to keep her safe. She continued her walk and when she got close to the man he looked at her. She nodded and continued on her way.

After she was out of the alley she felt a little silly. She had obviously let her imagination run away with her.

The next morning her mother came to her and told her that a girl had been attacked and assaulted in that very alley that she had walked down the night before. Had she seen anything? She said that she had and so her mother took her to the police station. They had a man in custody and asked if she could pick him out of a line-up. She thought she could. And she did.

The police thanked her for her help in a dismissive way. She asked if she could speak to the man before she left. They said that was an odd request, but yes, she could.

She had questions that were bothering her. Why someone else and not her? She was alone, afterall.

She was placed in a small room with the man and a guard over by the door. She asked the man why he didn't attack her the night before when she was walking down the alley.

He said that there was no way he would have touched her with those two large men walking on either side of her.

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Beautiful Fall Saturday

I finally got the house clean yesterday! Top to bottom. Well, yesterday and what I had done the day before.

I really don't want to spend that kind of time on Thursdays and Fridays to get the house together, but I think I may have to do just that. I simply have no consistent time on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. It depends on what's going on with the day. The girls are at various school related activities (or church activities) and I'm sometimes needed. Or needed to hang around and play schedule catch-up. Or simply have a coffee with friends and be there for them. So it may be easier to just not schedule ANY cleaning for those days. I'm still pondering this.

We're home (usually) on Thursdays and Fridays. It's our big homeschool days. So why not get the work done then?

Our new church had their first youth lock-in last night. The girls went, but didn't stay the night (my idea). They had a great time and can't wait for the next one. I'm so happy about that.

It's an incredible fall day here in Tennessee. The air is crisp and the humidity is low. The doors and windows are open and it's so nice to hear the outside weekend noises. After very minimal cleaning, we're going to get out and enjoy!

Friday, September 29, 2006

Changes in Attitudes

For someone who is always talking to my girls about attitude and what it means/how it glorifies (or not) God, etc., you'd think *mine* would be different.

I spend a good amount of time thinking of what I didn't get done this day or that. This week or that. And I'm going to try to change my way of thinking.

So instead of focusing on the fact that I didn't get the bathrooms done yesterday, I'm going to focus on what I *did* get done.

I had a full homeschool day with both my girls
I made bread
I made a double batch of laundry soap
We went and got Jillian's Halloween costume
I cooked a nice big dinner
I put away all the bulk purchases that I've been meaning to do for a few days
I sat in the hot tub with Mike for about an hour
I did 4 loads of laundry, folded and put away
I did a bit of housework
I started a lovely paint kit with Jillian (9) and we sat with that for over an hour

And probably much more.

I'm really going to work on my attitude and self image. I *am* busy. I'm doing my best. I'm going to attempt to be happy with that.

If only there were about 8 more hours in each day. ;)

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Wednesday

Jillian felt good about her test Monday. We won't find out her grade until next Monday, but I'm glad it was a positive experience for her.

Yesterday the girls had their YMCA day. They take Spanish, Karate, music, etc. It's a pretty good program, especially for Julia (12) as she gets a high school credit for the Spanish. The only downside is that it pretty much takes up our whole Tuesday. I've struggled with trying to "fit it all in" with homeschool and balancing all the other things we do. So far it's ok, but it's a chore at times.

My friends (who also drop their kids off at the Y) all went out to lunch yesterday and then on a little trip to a cheese making farm. I was jealous, but simply HAD to get home and get some work done.

It makes me wonder if I'm not doing something right/well. Where do they find the time to spend a whole afternoon out? I *could* have went, of course. But I really had things that *needed* to be done at my home. Bills to pay. Laundry to do. Meals to cook. A house to clean.

It was definitely easier over the summer.

Our Monday's, Tuesday's, and Wednesday's are packed. We are out of the house every one of those days pretty much for the full day. Note: Anything past 3 is a full day to me. : )

That leaves Thursday and Friday to get our homeschool done (the stuff that *I* do with them, they are schooling each of the other days as well). And get the house together. And plan the meals. And all of the other things that go into running a home.

I'm not complaining. Really. I'm so blessed to be able to stay at home and do this with my family. I'm so incredibly grateful.

I just wish I were more organized. I wish that I had the time to go to lunch and to a farm. Not that I would go. But just that I had the free time.

Julia (12) has a math test today. So time to get going.

Monday, September 25, 2006

No Time Right Now

Jillian (9) has her first co-op test today and we're reading over the content. She knows it, but I'm not at all sure what kind of "school" tester she is, so this should be interesting.

And hopefully validating.

But I just wanted to say that I simply LOVE my church.

I love it.

More later.

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