it is finsihed (and a weird shopping spree)

Tada!!!!

The school room. is. finished! Uhh, minus a curtain and wall hangings. 

Yes, it's small. But it's ours, and we feel at home. The colors I chose keep us calm. You know ... so that during those schooling moments where frustrations are running high, I won't do anything drastic. Like ground kids until they're 56!

Where was I?

Oh yes. Decorating. I started thinking about what I'd like to work on next, and decided on my bathroom. Then I found http://www.become.com/. My bathroom is rather drab, and one of my goals is to get my bathroom looking perky. So when I found these floral bath towels: http://home-and-garden.become.com/floral-bath-towels I knew I needed them. Yes. Need. I neeeed towels that are off limits. Ones that just hang on a towel rack, looking pretty, but have absolutely no function or purpose at all. It's really quite imperative to my happiness.

Then I saw this double shower head: http://home-and-garden.become.com/double-shower-head but I don't want people suspicious that I may in fact take showers with, you know, someone else? Or that I have two heads. I mean, perhaps I do take showers with someone else (or have two heads), but I tend to equate these types of things with having mirrors on your canopy bed. And I'm just not sure I want to make those types of announcements. I know, I know. Such a prude.

And I really liked the idea of little shower stool: http://health-and-beauty.become.com/shower-stool. Yeah, yeah. I'm not even 40. Still, I know all too well that 60 (70? 80?) will creep up before I know it. Until then, it's for shaving my legs, because I get ... tipsy. Besides, it's much cheaper to buy it now than wait 20 years when inflation has bumped the price twice as high.

I don't know how I end up on these weird shopping sprees, and now I've gone and dragged you (drug you? have dragged you? druggest thou?) along in the process.

I'm mainly here to tell you about the school/sewing room, and will be waiting patiently for your shower of compliments (no pressure, of course).

Speaking of school ... it's time. Fairwell, my friends. I will be in that office until mid-afternoon, quilting little stars on the table runner you see, and helping Andrew with his seatwork.

One great day .... comin' up!!

photojournalism - little flower girl

This week's photo challenge from I Heart Faces is photojournalism. I will not spout any useless information, only the photo and the story. Here we go!

This is my great neice, Naya (makes me feel old saying that!). We were at a family reunion (see more pics two posts down), and her and her mama were about to leave. But before leaving, she just had to show "Aunt B" (that's me!) her pretty hair flower. As you can see, she's more than just a little proud of it. :) Her and her brother love to have their pictures taken, and are more than happy to pose for me. But she did this one all on her own, with no prompting from anyone.

What a ham.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it! Now I'm going to hop on over to a few other entries to read a few more stories and see a few more pics. If you'd like to join us, simply click the I Heart Faces button above! See ya' around! 

Boomerang Kid

Last April, this pretty lady took flight. She's no longer nestled under my wing ... under my watchcare ... in my nest. But in a sense, she'll always be mine. And even though I miss her sunkissed freckles and her ocean blue eyes, I know she's where she ought to be.

In the meantime, I'm choosing to think of her as my Boomerang Kid. Because she'll always come back to me.

Kids do that ... 

Right? 

 

**Feel free to join in the "Boomerang Kid" discussion over in My Community in the sidebar, first BlogFrog widget.

the chosen faves

I promised you some pics from our family reunion, so viola! Here they are. These are not all of my faves. More to come later!

I'll explain as I go along ...

This is my mom, and her Uncle Paul. He's one of nine kids. My Grandma was the oldest of the kids, he's second oldest. He just had a stroke and isn't doing too well. :-(

My brother Larry, his Emily, and me. He's a studly, unmarried guy by the way. You know ... just in case you know someone who might be interested. ;)

My niece, Bree ... and her chewin' gum.

Paul, my cousin-in-law, if there is such a thing.

Aunt Carrie and I

Mom and Bree. And yes, she's my real mom, even though we look nothing alike! At least I think she is ... Hmmm ...

Nephew, Hayden (Bree's son). He's a ham!

Second cousins, Solomon Sam, and Maggie Mae

Getting ready to pray ...

Praying mightily....

"Amen" in sign language.

She prayed, and then left. Sometimes I think if I would just pray, and then leave it with God like she did, I'd be happier.

My Mom and her cousin, Myrna.

To be honest, I have a ton more, and some of the cutest ones are yet to come. But I didn't want to overwhelm you with my awesome photography. Ha! I'm totally kidding. What I mean to say is that I didn't want to bore you. Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my family. We're all as crazy as they come!!

my calling

I don't have a career.

And in my (almost) 21 years of marriage, I have never had a career. I've done a few odd jobs ... provided daycare for a few months, cleaned a few houses ... but I've purposely tried to focus on raising a family.

In five years, it'll all be over. My youngest will be all grown and well on his way to becoming independant.

I can't say I've never become distracted from my goal. I've volunteered too much at a few churches. I've spent too much time with friends. I've been selfish with my time. But as a whole, Shaun and I have kept our eye on the goal. The bullseye of us raising our kids, and not the school system or the babysitter.

As the school year starts once again in a few weeks, I've been reminding myself of our goal to stick it out until the end. Homeschooling a teenage boy can be God's #1 tool for sanctifying me. But I've come to realize that it's worth every second. I don't want to raise a kid that blends in well with the crowd. I want to raise a kid that sticks out because of his unusual, but healthy dose of character. A boy whose Christian beliefs have taken root and have changed the way he looks from other kids.

Of course it's not just homeschooling that keeps me home. I know without a doubt that all the laundry, cooking, cleaning, and loving my husband would go out the window if I were to pick up a career and run with it. I'm simply unable to physically keep up with working outside the home. Granted, that may be because of my health issues. But that simply strengthens my resolve to be a keeper of the home. I know my limitations, and I am simply reminding myself of them as I step into another year of homeschooling.

My limitations are something I've learned to embrace, and not fight against. And if that means less money, and thereby windows without frilly curtains, driving a few clunkers, and limiting our eating out ... then so be it.

I know I'm doing the right thing ... my life's calling.

How 'bout you? What is your life calling? Are you sure of it? Do you rest in knowing you are in the right place, doing God's will for your life, even if all the little details aren't what you'd like them to be?

home from vacation

We just returned from a last ditch attempt to have some fun before school starts. And guess what? It worked! :)

The number one reason we went? Family reunion. Family reunions are big news in my family, because ... well, because we all like to talk, and our family is huge. My grandmother was the oldest of nine children, and that makes for a lot of cousins, second cousins, aunts, uncles, and lots of people I've never seen before but am related to. Weird, I know.

In addition to the family reunion, we mainly just visited close family. I loved seeing my brothers and mom again. It's been about eight months since we were all able to sit down and have a real visit. A real visit, to me, consists of talking about serious issues, laughing, being goofy, and then taking a nap! I did all of the afore mentioned activities ... and I'm not sorry!

I have many really good pictures, but my computer screen is being funky with me, so I'll have to wait to post them for you. But you have my word that I will.

For now, my laundry is 90% done, I'm unpacked, my house is clean enough to be livable, and my groceries are bought, sorted, and put away. Now if I can just figure out how to get rid of the ants in my pants pantry, I'll be good! Lots of them ... baby ones, crawling around, mostly in my cracker boxes (of which I've thrown out or removed). I thought they were all gone once I did that, but every time I go back, there's more. I'm hoping someone out there sells ant traps!

Seriously ... is there such a thing?

Please say yes!

believe it or not

Sharing a post with you today that I wrote on my writing blog. I struggle with knowing how much content from over there to share with you here. It's because I'm crazy and I don't know what I'm doing. Anyway, here's the post. Hope you enjoy it.
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Courtesty of Photobucket

Do you ever feel like Christianity isn’t working for you? Do others seem to flourish spiritually, while you sit idly by, struggling and not feeling the love and security they are obviously in tune to?

I’ve been there for long periods of time in my life. It’s like seeing people sing … without the ability to hear the joyous melody or the soul quenching lyrics. Like watching people eat, while sitting by and only dreaming of how a warm brownie and ice cold vanilla ice cream melt in their mouths. Or being on a ride at the fair. The ride tech does everything in his power to make the little spinny teacup ride as enjoyable as possible, but as I spin around and around, the laughter never spills over. Because I’m so void of joy that the simple pleasures of life are no longer pleasures. They’re annoyances. And it seems as though spiritual life becomes a joy and satisfaction meant for others only.

That’s not how God wants it, of course. He wants us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Has he not given us all things richly to enjoy?

In my soul searching, and studying, I’ve come to realize that the missing ingredient to joy is usually belief. Or you might say faith. It’s one thing to read God’ Word and agree with it. It’s another to believe the promises that are clearly laid out.

Does having a double dose of faith mean that all of my life’s circumstances will turn out for the better? Does it mean I’ll never lose a child? Never get sick? That my kids will always make good decisions?

Of course not. But expecting those things (wittingly or unwittingly) will wreak some serious spiritual havoc.

I’m not going to claim that I understand why one person has trials and not another. Or why the jerks of this world seem to get much further than the godly. It truly does not make any sense to me, and it seems as though the evil flourish while the righteous perish at times. But am I going to believe that God is in control, and that all things work together to those that love Him? Will I choose to believe Psalm 1 when it says, “For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish”?

It’s evident to me that true joy and happiness are determined in which belief I choose.

I can believe all things work together for my good. Or not.

I can believe He loves me with an everlasting love. Or not.

I can believe He loves my children more than I do. Or not.

I can believe every hardship placed in my life has a purpose, and He is working. And pruning. And refining my heart. Or not.

I can either be tossed to and fro, like a ship on a stormy sea. Or I can be rooted, grounded, and peaceful …

like a tree

Planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper. (Ps. 1:3)

It all depends on what I believe.

Or not.

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24