boys and sticks

"/>

I'm linking up with Katharine again this week with a Thursday is for Simple Things post.  Choosing something simple this week was extremely easy.  We have spent the last two Thursdays at the Clinton Nature Center with our home school group.  I am planning an entire post about what the kids have done there over on my other blog, but here I just want to share a couple of pictures of the boys and their favorite collectors' items from the nature center.


JW and his friend J



D looking tough with his stick

D and Max "working"

 One stick and a little boy's imagination can create many useful tools:

knife

gun

sword

bat

walking stick

building material

fuel for a fire

It really is simple:

boys and sticks really do go together.

appreciation and clarification

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the comments and e-mail regarding my earlier post.  Just knowing that so many of you understand my emotions and are praying for us helps tremendously.

I do want to point out that, in my overly dramatic rant, I may have made our situation seem worse than it really is.  Nothing actually changed today, except that we now have an even greater confirmation that the opportunity for advancement is virtually non-existent as long as he continues to work for his current employer.

We aren't sure exactly what we need to do with this new information, if anything.  For now, we will continue to move forward and trust that the hand of God is leading us ...

keeping it real

I'm not even going to try and fake anything today.

I am frustrated. 

I am angry. 

Mostly, I am discouraged.

For nearly eleven years I have watched my husband go to work almost every week day.  He works hard.  He doesn't complain (at least not at work).  He is the only one left of the three people (other than his boss) who worked in the department when he started.  They never replaced the other two after they quit.  Do the math ... three positions, one person doing the work.  The only reason the company could get away with this is because Ronnie came in and quickly realized that the work could be done much more efficiently if they used the computers that were already sitting on their desks for something other than e-mail.

Over the last several years the company has changed hands several times.  Unfortunately, one of the co-owners was the infamous thief of World Com.  About the time Bernie got his fingers in the pie, things started going sour and what was once a good company to work for has become a place for the "good-ole-boy" system to thrive.  The honest, hard working guys twist in the wind while others manage to work little, talk a lot, and still get promoted.

This isn't the way it is supposed to work ... at some point in time, hard work is supposed to be rewarded.

But, today is not that day.

Yes, I am frustrated and I am not feeling much like the kind of person that I profess to be. 

My heart is heavy as I feel the war inside of me.

I know the answer, but to be completely honest, I am not ready to give up my anger yet.

I suppose, it would be better to keep this venting of frustration to myself, but I am sharing because I am asking you to pray for us as we make decisions about our future.  We seem to have reached a crossroads and in all honesty, we don't know which direction to choose.

simple things

"/>

When I read about Katharine's new Thursday is for Simple Things, I absolutely loved the idea.  Our world tends to be way too crazy busy and I know that I am guilty of focusing on the problematic parts of my days and ignoring the everyday blessings that are the things on which I should be focusing (Philippians 4:8).  So today, I am going to share one of my most favorite simple things.  When you finish reading this post, I hope you'll take a moment to visit Katharine and maybe even join in with your own simple thing.

Nothing reminds me more quickly of why I love homeschooling than my time with the kids in the morning.  It doesn't happen every morning, but on a fairly regular basis one or more of my children will end up on my bed as I wake up D (who still sleeps with us on a regular basis).  Now, D is my very best cuddler ... this child loves to be held, hugged, and snuggled in just about any setting.  And, I love to be the one holding, hugging, and snuggling him any chance I get, so I take advantage of his sleepy times in the morning and cuddle with him on my bed.  As soon as the other two realize what is happening, they almost always come join in the fun.  At this point the cuddling usually turns into a time of tickling and giggling and pillow-fighting.  I love this time because the children all love it and it rarely ends in any kind of argument until I tell them that we must stop and get on with the day. 

On the surface, there is nothing profound about this time together, but in a way that I cannot completely explain, this time is the fuel that I need to get through the frustrating times in the day when one kid or the other doesn't want to do their work or they are fighting or someone (often me) has a bad attitude.  I am so often reminded of how quickly these children are growing up and I am so thankful for these few moments every once in a while that help me to relax and enjoy homeschooling and, I think, allow the kids to relax and just enjoy being a family.

So, what about you?  What are the simple things that you are thankful for this week?

wishes . . .

Happy Birthday

to two of my favorite blogging buddies!

and

Happy Belated Birthday

to another blogging buddy!

September is a busy birthday month and I hope that I am not missing any other of my friends whose birthdays are this month ... but, if I missed you, happy birthday to you, too!

For the ones I am sure of ... and who just happen to be my friends in the real world as well ...

Marie @ Just Call me 'Rie
Donna @ Mississippi Mama
and
Betsy @ Handwoven Dreams
who, coincidentally, loves birthdays more than any other adult I know ;-)

I hope you ladies have (or had) a wonderfully blessed day!

another hymn for another week

A few weeks ago, our church held a dedication service for our new hymnals.  I was skeptical when I first heard that Lifeway was coming out with a new hymnal, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the excellent mix of old and new.  Today we sang several of my favorite hymns, but the one I want to share is a new one we learned in choir tonight.  If you haven't heard the song, you can listen to it here.

I don't know what else to say, except that as we sang tonight I just found myself praying these words and thinking how appropriate they are for the beginning of a new week.  I hope it speaks to you, as well.

Holy Spirit, Rain Down

Holy Spirit, rain down, rain down;

O Comforter and Friend,

How we need Your touch again.

Holy Spirit, rain down, rain down;

Let Your power fall, let Your voice be heard,

Come and change our hearts as we stand on Your Word.

Holy Spirit, rain down.

Holy Spirit, rain down, rain down;

O Comforter and Friend,

How we need Your touch again.

Holy Spirit, rain down, rain down;

Let Your power fall, let Your voice be heard,

Come and change our hearts as we stand on Your Word.

Holy Spirit, rain down.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

No mind can know what God has in store;

So open up heaven, open it wide

Over Your church and over our lives.

Holy Spirit, rain down, rain down;

Let Your power fall, let Your voice be heard,

Come and change our hearts as we stand on Your Word.

Holy Spirit, rain down.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,

he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,

whatsoever I have said unto you.  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you;

not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled,

neither let it be afraid.  John 14:26 & 27

Words and Music by Russell Fragar ~ Hillsong Publishing ~ from the Baptist Hymnal

i am afraid

Friday is LB's 11th birthday.

But that isn't why I am afraid.

I struggled last year as she entered double digits, but 11 is not so bad. 
Certainly not like 10 was or, I am sure, that 13 will be.

No, this fear stems from a much more tangible source and I really think that you will understand where I am coming from.

On Friday afternoon, seven ... yes 7 ... girls will descend on my Mama's living room for LB's first pajama party.  The My original plan was for 2 or 3 girls, but after much discussion with a distraught  overly dramatic child and a moment of temporary insanity, I caved and agreed to allow her to invite 6 of her friends.  In the back of my mind, I have been hoping that at least one (or better yet, 3 or 4) would be out of town or otherwise occupied, but alas ... they all said yes. 

YIKES!

The upside is that LB is thrilled and even though our little house won't accommodate that many girls, my parents happen to have an empty living room in a house that isn't attached to the rest of their house, so basically, the girls get their own private party house.   We are still negotiating the menu, but I think that I have the activities pretty well in hand and LB and I will have a meeting of the minds about the menu before I make a trip to the grocery store on Thursday.  It is unfortunate that we aren't allowing any boys 'cause my Daddy makes the best hamburgers anywhere on his Waffle House style griddle.  Oh well, we'll just have to settle for pizza (my vote) or sandwiches (LB's choice).

To be honest, I didn't do sleepovers much as a kid and when I did it was almost always just one or two girls.  The only time I had more was for my 16th birthday and there were four of us ... me and my two best friends and then the other girl who begged to come so that she could spend the evening flirting with my older brother ... but that is a story for another day.  I guess the point is that I have no idea what to expect from seven giggling girls.  This may be our first and last sleep over, but we shall see.  If I survive it, I promise to post about our experiences sometime next week.

In the mean time, any advice would be appreciated!  Oh, and any ideas for appropriate movies would be helpful, too.  I haven't seen a kids' movie since Charlotte's Web came out 4 years ago!  I am so completely out of touch that I don't even know where to begin!

Maybe we'll just skip the movie and do a puzzle instead!