.

This is pretty neat. As some of you know, we are a TV-free family. The only time the TV is on is for one rented DVD a week (maybe two on some weeks, but usually one). We have a TV set that my dh was given as a gift back in 1991, and of course it is analog, so we have to convert it to digital or else it will go black in the winter, as you all have heard by now.



So we signed up online for the coupon that our Government has agreed to provide, and a month later, we ordered the box online for a grand total of $2.99 plus $8.99 s/h.

For awhile, I just thought this was a black box that would just keep our TV useable after February. But upon reading my local paper, I discovered that there are digital channels that were available to us as no cost through the airwaves. Hmmm. Are we missing something? While at my friend's house this week, she mentioned that she heard the picture quality would be better, too.

We plan to break our 5 year TV fast in eight days. We want the children to be able to watch the Olympics. But we have no cable, no satellite dish, and no aerial antenna. All we have is a wire attached to the back of our TV and hung on the adjacent wall with a push pin. We never really worried about this, because we didn't need it. Oh, and we do live somewhat in the sticks. So, we have virtually no reception on any major channel except one, and a couple of UHF channels. But, who cared?

We thought we might need to go out and buy an indoor antenna to get the Olympics.

So, I said to my dh last night: why don't we install the black box, and see if it helps anything? So he did, and, what do you know? It scanned and found 32 channels (who knew?) and they are all crystal clear. Besides all the major networks, we get a channel for the local university, several public TV channels, various weather channels provided by the major networks, educational channels and several Spanish speaking and Christian channels. All this, with on screen program guide, parental controls, program descriptions, and much of the interactivity that used to be reserved just for subscribers to digital TV. Every channel is perfectly clear (with no antenna) and it is free!

So I thought that was neat enough to blog about. Although, it still ain't gonna make a TV addict out of me (because I've since become an internet addict) it is neat to have access to a couple of 24 hour weather channels now. So, if you've been meaning to order that black box, go ahead.

You may be surprised at the results.

p.s. This is a time for our family to be careful. Don't want to keep the TV going after the Olympics are over, ykwim? These past several years, the only time it ever went on was for space shuttle launches / landings, hurricanes and tornadoes, and presidential inaugurations.

I had a rare opportunity to get out of the house yesterday evening for a simple social get together with a lady from my church. We went to P*nera's and got coffees and chatted for two hours.

When I got home, my little son came over to me with a clipboard and composition paper on it and proclaimed "I got an early start on my reading questions, Mommy! I wanted to get done with school earlier tomorrow." He anticipated that he would have to answer six questions in writing, in full sentences, and figured he'd get a head start on the task. He had already accomplished three of them.

All I can say is WOW! My little son is getting to be a self-starter! If he keeps this attitude up about his work, he will do great in high school and college. (yes, I am already thinking that far out...I can't help it).

It is deep in the heart of summer, and temperatures are the highest they will get all year. Our porch had been neglected for awhile, but we are rediscovering its pleasant atmosphere, even during the dog days of summer. Our schedules are lighter, and there is more time to just sit and enjoy on those weekends that the grass doesn't have to be cut.

So lately, we have been making good use of our porch rockers. When other moms come for a visit, we chat on the porch rockers and keep an eye on the kids at play around the yard. I have been enjoying having my quiet times on the porch again, rather than indoors. Sitting on the front porch makes me feel more vivacious (caffeine just wasn't cutting it anymore..)

At first, when sitting out there in the morning, the air is close and humid and still. But after awhile, as the sunrise has its effect on the atmosphere, breezes begin to stir and cool and dry out the air and it feels great. And now my son has agreed to come out and do our morning scripture reading and discussion on the porch, instead of in the house. It makes us sit up, and be wide awake and alert and mentally and spiritually aware.

Just this Saturday, the guys (dh and ds) did some tractor repair work in the barn. They were there for awhile, and my daughter and I decided to spend the time playing Go Fish and Old Maid on the porch rockers. It was really nice, and the cool post-rainstorm air felt so relaxing. Later on, my son joined in on the card playing with her.

I enjoyed watching them have fun together. . . right on our front porch. I am thankful for a simple Saturday afternoon such as this was.

Well, the former playroom (that the children never played in) / toy room / overflow room has now been organized into a school room. I am finally posting some photos.

When you walk into the room, this is what you see, facing the south wall. The wobbly card table has got to go. We are looking for something a bit larger, and more STABLE!



This is the east wall. The easel is serving as our dry erase board for the time being.



The north wall, including the entrance. This photo features the "teacher's" special chair! As well as most of our book collection.

photo temporarily removed


Finally, some brand new shelving and storage cabinets for everything we need for school.....and play. This is the west wall. There is a desk to the left that one child works at while I work with the other child.

photo temporarily removed

We spent some of our "stimulus check" to get the cabinets and shelving. It makes me feel very good to teach in this room now. One thing that is missing is some of those Desk Appr*ntices from St*ples. I want to get two -- one for each child's materials, as soon as they go on sale again.

That's all for tonight. Have a great weekend! Thanks for looking!

It's been sitting on my bookshelf for some 23 years. I have packed it and unpacked it and packed it again as I moved from state to state, home to home. But I never read it. In fact, I tried to get into it a few times, and never got anywhere. I'm not sure why. But then I read an article recently by someone who rediscovered the book in her own life, and I thought - gee, I have that book! I think I'll get it down and read it. The name of the book is The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life and it was written in 1875, and revised in 1888 by Hannah Whitall Smith. I think there was a reason that I haven't read this book until now. At my age, after being a believer for over 24 years, perhaps it is just now that I can bring enough of my own life's perspective to bear on the contents of this book.

So now, I am reading it, slowly, and rereading many of the sentences over and over again as I go... partly to relish its contents, partly to let the message sink into my brain and heart, and mostly because my ability to concentrate in my reading has been at a low ebb these days (more on that in some other post..)

Ms. Smith had the ability to break spiritual concepts down in concrete terms, and this my concrete engineer brain really needs, always has. She wrote, initially, about how Jesus not only frees us from the guilt and penalty of sin in the future, but also from its power in the present moment. How too many Christians are not living the life of being delivered from the power of sin. She indicated how we must abandon ourselves fully into our Father's hands, as the clay to the divine Potter. We must lie passive in His hands, in total trust, and allow Him to work in us to make us a vessel pleasing to Him, and suitable for his purposes.

She used excellent word-pictures. I like the picture of us as children in the Father's house, running free and light-hearted with the happy carelessness of childhood. And how God's heart is grieved when his beloved children take such anxious care and thought about their lives, instead of resting in His care.

But most meaningful to me so far was the prayer of abandonment and trust by which the Christian can enter (or re-enter) into this life. I will paraphrase it here:

Lord Jesus, I believe that you are able and willing to deliver me from all the care and unrest and bondage of my Christian life. I believe you did die to set me free, not only in the future, but now and here. I believe you are stronger than sin, and that you can keep me, even me, in my extreme of weakness, from falling into its snares or yielding obedience to its commands. And Lord, I am going to trust you to keep me. I have tried keeping myself, and have failed, and failed most grievously. I am absolutely helpless. So now I will trust you. I give myself to you. I keep back no reserves. Body, soul, and spirit, I present myself to you, as a piece of clay, to be fashioned into anything your love and your wisdom shall choose. And now I am yours. I believe you accept that which I present to you. I believe that this poor, weak, foolish heart has been taken possession of by you, and that you have even at this very moment begun to work in me to will and to do of your good pleasure. I trust you utterly, and I trust you now.

What a refreshing and renewing prayer to pray at this point in my Christian life. I picture myself as that child running gleefully through the rooms of my Father's mansion. Knowing that all is well as long as he is keeping my life. He loves me, and he is my Father. He knows more than anyone what's best for me, and would never withhold His best from me. He knows what's best. He knows what's best. If we Christians can really grab hold of this meaning, then we should know true peace and joy in the here and now.

Sometimes I feel funny about admitting to other homeschool moms that we use Calvert. There have been times where I have seen such curricula referred to as "school in a box", which I assume is meant derogatorily. Others have also referred to Calvert as a blend of Charlotte Mason and Classical. I'm not so sure about that. I guess there are some such characteristics that would lead one to think that way.

But Calvert is truly a good fit for our family, and for me. I am determined to make it work, too. We have been using Calvert for five years, having used the Pre-K, Kindergarten, First, Second, and currently Third grade materials. Each year, it gets better and better. This is the type of curriculum that I can still implement just as well on my "bad" days, as I can on my good ones. What do I mean by "bad" days? I would classify as "bad" those days when I feel lazy, or excessively tired, or void of creative juices, or headachey, or hormonish, well you get the picture. Then there are the other, good days, when enthusiasm is up all around, I feel creative, we desire to explore and do enrichment activities, etc. The good thing about Calvert is that I can educate my kids just as effectively, on good or bad days.

Calvert fits my temperament and my personality so well. At the beginning of the year, I see that 160 lesson-days (already planned out) plus 8 review days, constitutes an entire year of quality teaching. I just plug along, a lesson a day, until the grade is completed. I never worry about my children getting enough. And occasionally, if the lesson is unusually light, and we get done much earlier than normal, I can rejoice in the fact that we have an unexpected mini-vacation ..... without worrying that I am not teaching enough. This peace of mind is priceless.

Now, over the years I have done some supplementing. For instance, for enrichment, we have done Mystery of History Volume 1, and Hey Andrew Teach Me Some Greek, and also Bible study and Catechism supplemental material. But really, supplementing is not necessary, as my children are truly getting enough with just Calvert. Not to mention that they are also really being challenged, as well.

I could go on and on about Calvert.

About 18 months ago, I had major surgery. I'm talking surgery where the incision is the length of the Mason-Dixon line. The kind of surgery where you are considered down and out for about 6 weeks. My dh was able to take two weeks off from work during and after my surgery. This was wonderful, but the day came when he had to go back to work. Then I was faced with the choice -- either keep allowing my kids to have "play days" when they tear up the house, and I don't have the strength to chase after them, or get back into homeschooling.

Now many moms would truly cringe at the prospect of doing school two weeks after major surgery. But I thought I would give it a try, since I felt it would be better for the children to have structured days, and the only way I could figure out how to do this was to homeschool. So, I got out the trusty Calvert lesson manual and started in. And you know what? I was able to do it, maybe not a full lesson every day, but we could do a full lesson every two days for about two weeks, and then a lesson a day thereafter. I had to take one or two breaks each day at first, and by the time lunch came around, I would collapse into an easy chair and let my son bring me a sandwich he made.

But, the beautiful thing is that I could keep up homeschooling after surgery! And my children had just as good a quality of teaching as before. This is all due to the lesson manual, which teaches me how to teach, and allows me to homeschool even with a lazy mind (and body). Now what does that tell you about Calvert?

In third grade, Calvert includes a subject called "Greek Mythology". Wow, this is fun for us. My son loves it; it is his favorite subject. And I am learning the origins of many words and literary illustrations for the first time. I feel more "educated" knowing mythology, and as a Christian, I can always bring in comparisons with scripture to fit the different themes we encounter. This has provided for many an interesting conversation.

My daughter is doing the new Calvert Kindergarten. It is so rich, and she is learning so much. One amazing thing is that she is learning to write insofar as she is getting opportunities to compose sentences either by arranging word cards, or by dictating them to me to write short "compositions". She loves this, and it is part of the genius of Calvert, and why it excels in teaching student to write well.

Well, I will post more about Calvert on another occasion, but right now it is late and I am going to bed. Good Night! zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Last Friday, I got to see my buddy. (that's her in the picture, wearing black. I'm in pink). We will call her L. My kids call her TTL. Sometimes I even call her U/B, but that's a story that is not for this blog. L and I met over 12 years ago, during a past phase of my life, when I was an electrical engineer for the utility company of a very large and significant MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION and WORLD FAMOUS THEME PARK in this part of our state. Anyway, we became friends rather quickly, not so much due to MY great personality, but mostly do to L's amazing ability to connect with people on a level that is beyond superficial in a short time.

It wasn't long before I knew from her, and from another work associate there (remember Susan H?), that L and her dh were very committed Christians who were searching out the Lord's purpose for their lives, and trying to live it. This resonated with me, because I was at a point where I was seeking to "put off the old [wo]man and put on the new" in my life as well. We clicked and got to be really good friends. Within weeks, we were meeting during lunch time to study the book of James together. This mini one-on-one bible study eventually grew to include others at our workplace, including my own supervisor. It was pretty neat to have this spiritual refueling in the middle of the work day. I know I really needed it there.

While I was working there, before I became a MOM, L and I had offices right next door to each other, and we were able to share so many of the details of our everyday lives, and the lives of our families together. Fast forward 12 years later, and we still do that, as much as we can on an extended phone call every week or two, but it is impossible to be aware of all the details that working together provided. I do miss that aspect of working, although I don't miss working there that much otherwise (L is still in that office part time now) since it could be very stressful.

L has two sons. One is little yet, like my dd, and the other son is medium going on big (very soon). Let's say, when L and her husband came to our home for dinner for the first time, back in 1996, her oldest son was 6 months old, and I remember L having to clean out his messy nose with Q-Tips! I still have a vivid picture of that.

Back in those days, she shared with me all she was learning about being a parent of an infant, then 1 year old, then 2 year old, etc. And I was going through the whole entire infertility / adoption saga that can span many long years, and she walked, with compassion, with us through that valley.

Well, my friendship with L is one of the big joys of my life. We have a good level of understanding and appreciation of each other that falls not far short of family. In fact, we have met, and gotten to know, each other's family and extended family, and they are a part of my heart, too, especially L's beautiful and wonderful parents (who I always would like to see more frequently!).

I can count on L to point the way to Christ in any situation that I share with her. In fact, when our children were baptized in our previous church, L and her dh were our sponsors, which means that we parents are accountable to them for bringing up our children as Christians. L has taken this role seriously, bless her, and to this day she has sincere and loving interest in the spiritual wellbeing of our kids. When our son "turned his back on sin" and trusted in Christ, L was the one to really celebrate that event with us.

I could go on and on about L, and this post would be way too long, but hey, it's my blog, and I can post endlessly if I want to! She is the person I have called when bad things have happened. When I was in New Jersey with my dad in the hospital, and he was in the process of dying from chemotherapy, L was the person I called and cried to on the phone for an hour. When I thought my son was missing, and a search helicopter was hovering over our neighborhood, L was the person I called asking for prayer. And L knows that when bad things strike in her life, I will be there to uphold and support her, as she upholds and supports me.

When I become a shameless bragger about my children's successes, she really and truly rejoices and shares heart to heart in my thrills and my pride. Not very many folks can do THAT!

As far as pointing the way to Christ, L has the ability and desire to speak the truth to me in all things, and has challenged me on several occasions to do the right and responsible thing. Whew! Scary!

So, last Friday was an opportunity for one of our summertime visits where we go to her house and she treats me like a queen giving me a delicious lunch and chatting about our families, our churches, current events and politics from our "enlightened" point of view, and well you get it. She even celebrated three of our birthdays with us, all at once. It does my heart so much good to see how excited my children get when they are going to her home and playing with her sons. Perhaps their family holds the central place in their hearts that it does in my heart. Time flies at TTL's house. Now, I hope that they can make it to our place on August 7th like we discussed, because it would truly be a double treat for us.

Here are some highlights from the past few days. My dd and I decided to bake bread the old fashioned way, without a bread machine (ha ha!). That's pretty major for us. My daughter participated in a lot of the work, including kneading the dough for a full 15 minutes. Then, the dough was divided and placed into two loaf pans.













Boy that dough did rise a bunch! DD couldn't believe it.













Here are the results after baking.. truly golden!



this bread turned out to be yummy!











While I am speaking of fruits of our labors... of the sunflowers we planted earlier this season, the first one bloomed on Sunday. Our son noticed it immediately upon our return home from church. See how big it is?
















And here are some regular visitors to our yard: a couple of sandhill cranes. They come by a lot this time of the year. They make a fair amount of whooping noise, and they ain't shy one bit. They walk right up to us. I noticed them from the window of the school room today. They are nearly as tall as our daughter!














Finally, daddy tried to design a squirrel stumper modification to outfit our "squirrel stumper" bird feeder. Prior to this design change, I'd say the squirrel was stumped for only about three days; then he figured out how to get to the bird seed. Will this ingenious engineering solution save the day?



We have had regular visits from a cardinal couple, a blue jay, a dove, and another bird my kids call a "hoppy bird" because we can't identify it.

That's all the news for today. Stay tuned!

Today I want to tell you about Miss S. She has been teaching our children violin for nearly two years, although we have been taking violin lessons now for five years. Miss S is 70 years old, and emigrated here from Russia when she was about 58. Besides holding a PhD. in Music, she has many credentials from her life prior to the US. She has about 45 private violin students at present. Over the years, her students have won numerous competitions, and some have even received full scholarships due to their violin abilities. She has very high standards, and can really lead a child to become accomplished in the violin. Her life is all about teaching.

We have never known or experienced a more dedicated teacher. We have experienced other violin teachers who have come and gone, and sadly, they were not always passionate about serving their students to the best of their ability. Miss S is different. She genuinely cares about her students, all of the time. We appreciate her so much. She is not the "warm fuzzy" type and she is not given to much small talk during the lesson. When you are with her, she is all business. She is completely focused on the topic at hand. She is gentle with our 5 year old, and is somewhat tougher on our 8 year old, from whom she expects a lot more. We have had a few "bad" days, when she has not had much patience with one of the children. What triggers the bad days is usually when one of the children's attitude is not what it should be. When he/she doesn't want to work at the lesson, or when he/she wants to be goofy or act like he/she isn't paying attention. Miss S puts 100% of her energy, physically and mentally, into every minute of her lesson. She demonstrates that she really values the lesson time. There is something about her attitude toward her students that makes you want to do your very best to please her, as a student, and as a student's MOM. We have developed a relationship of mutual respect and admiration. If you want a teacher who will raise the bar for your child, Miss S is definitely the right one. She is quite possibly one of the finest teachers of the violin in our state.

As parents, we have wanted to give our children the gift of being very good at something. We are totally not athletic, so we didn't see ourselves being that dedicated to any sport. But violin we could manage, although I don't have much of a music background. But we have committed ourselves to daily practice. Our kids don't even remember when they didn't practice violin every day. Practice is as routine as eating. The both started at age 3. My ds definitely puts in a half hour to 45 minutes of practice every day, and our dd puts in about 20 minutes a day of practice. It's a good thing our kids love violin. Our son, especially, enjoys it more and more each year. And every detail of the practice is orchestrated by me. I have to take detailed notes during the lesson, and then reinforce everything that Miss S says each lesson. So when we return to her each week, she can tell that they have really been practicing what she has asked. So, we benefit from Miss S's exacting nature and her high standards, but when it comes down to it, it is all about practicing the details daily.

Another thing that is significant is that Miss S is probably the first adult in our ds's life who has gained his total 100% respect. More than anybody. When he began with her, when he was 6, he seemed to have a problem with taking anyone, or anything, seriously. I was starting to really worry about him. When we began with Miss S, our son would take all these mini "vacations" in the middle of the lesson -- he would collapse on the floor in the middle of the lesson, and roll around, or he would walk over and look out the window or comment on his sister, or on the weather, or whatever. Now, he is totally focused on everything Miss S says and shows total attention and respect for her. I know that he has gotten older, but she has been able to derive respect and focus from him like no other person has. Our son's skills just TOOK OFF under Miss S's tutelage.

This past year, our son was the district concerto winner in his division, and his chamber trio took 1st place at state this year. He was in the first chamber trio (all boys!) that our local Suzuki school has ever had, and they won. We were so proud of all the kids this year.

We have already experienced violin teachers who were not very committed to their lesson times, not notifying the parents in advance that they wouldn't be at a lesson. But Miss S is the opposite. The only time she has had to cancel a lesson, she called me from a hospital bed to tell me! She really respects us and our time.

After our previous teacher announced she was moving away, she recommended Miss S. Lessons with Miss S were much different than they had been with the previous teacher, and it was an adjustment for us. I explained to my son that he would be learning to play violin BETTER than before, and he truly came to understand that in a short time. Fast forward two years, and Miss S has truly worked her way into our hearts.

The scariest time this year was a week back in January. She gave us our lesson one day while she was feeling very ill. She lives alone, and I didn't sleep for three nights worrying about her that she might have had a heart attack and died. I couldn't reach her by phone, and the violin school owner didn't know anything either. Finally on the third day, I was able to reach her daughter by phone and discovered that she had ended up in the hospital that evening (after our lesson) with an acute digestive condition. She was soon better, and was back to teaching us the following Monday. What a relief! It was then that I realized what a special lady she is to us. It was really special for me to see how much my kids cared about her. They drew her pictures and sent her get well letters (and "thank you for teaching us violin even when you didn't feel good..." notes) and I remember my dd praying for "Miss S to get all better". Recalling that time really touches me, even now. I know she really appreciated the kids notes and pictures, too. It was a good teachable moment for my kids' character training, because it gave me a chance to talk to them about a person's dedication even during illness, etc.

We appreciate every week we are able to see her for our lesson, and we hope and pray that we will have her as our teacher for ten plus years to come.

The Suzuki Method is all about love, gentleness, patience and persistence. Miss S has a good sense of humor, too. We have had many good laughs together during our lessons. The key is .... mutual respect. She has many students (mostly girls) that she has had for a long time - even 11 or 12 years, and you can see that those students have a really good relationship with her. I have seen them bring her flowers and gifts to honor her on her birthday, etc., and they relate to her very well. And she is SO proud of them, too, like they are her daughters. We cherish her. She is a treasure, and a person of great integrity.

I just have to get this off my chest today. We are being held hostage by our Congress, and certain environmentalists.

Consider exhibit A.






EXHIBIT A






These two vehicles each get about the same mpg. The silver one gets about 22 mpg combined city and highway. It seats two adults in front, and two young children in back. The blue van gets more - it gets about 23-24 mpg around town, about the same on the highway. It can carry 10 adults comfortably, plus they can stand up (and walk around) inside the van. At the same time, it can carry about anything you could need to carry. Inside, protected, in air conditioned comfort. The difference is that it is a diesel vehicle. Now can you imagine what the fuel economy would be if the silver car used diesel, too?

The fact is, there are diesel cars that get really great mpg. They have for a long time. They're driving Volkswagens in Germany that get 62 mpg. (see http://www.greencar.com/features/vw-polo-bluemotion/ ) They're diesel vehicles. They're compact, but much larger than the "Smart(?) for Two". Why can't we have this vehicle in the US??? This aggravates me.

Diesel is running cleaner than ever in the newer engines, with the ultra low sulfur mixture that's sold now. Yes, diesel costs about 20% more than gas does, but gee whiz - 62 mpg! And if you are really concerned about that all important CARBON FOOTPRINT, guess what? Burning fewer gallons equals less CO2 emissions. No sophisticated hybrids with hugely expensive batteries that will need replacement. No new technologies. Just simple diesel. And diesel engines last three times as long as gasoline engines. That engine that is getting worn out at 125,000 miles wouldn't wear out until 375,000 miles if it were diesel.

Sigh. I can't say this made me feel any better. Maybe someone will read it who can make a difference.

We interrupt this Wordless Wednesday to announce that ..... our daughter is reading!! She walked up to me this morning with Green Eggs and Ham in her hand, and told me she was going to read it to me. So up she went on my lap, and she began with "I Am Sam...", then "Sam I Am". Okay, so I figure she might have memorized that part, but she just kept on going, slowly and methodically reading the sight words I had already taught her, and sounding out the words that were new to her. She wasn't sure about a couple of words and asked me about them, but she kept right on, reading through to the very last page!!! There was much jubilation at that moment, and we proudly announced the news to Daddy when he got home. I knew she could handle the early Bob Books, and several of the very brief Calvert Kindergarten early phonics readers ("Cat Sat on a Mat" kind of stuff) but today she decided that she could just dig in and take on this entire book by herself, and she did!!!

Congratulations little girl!!! We are so proud of you, unlocking the door to reading by yourself!

Here is a photo of her reading a Calvert phonics reader to her brother a few weeks ago..

I had a good day. At a time in my life when I have been experiencing some burnout, today was a very good day. I have been praying for more help being patient, and finding joy in the small moments. Today it all happened just right. School went longer than normal, and I didn't get as much done with dd as I had hoped, but I relaxed about it and it turned out okay. We went to see our violin teacher, and she was having a good day, too. So there was more patience delivered to our children all around.

I confess that I don't know why I have been feeling the way I have. It has only been on some days, and usually only when doing school. I have been wondering if it has been hormones, because it feels like a mild depression. However, it isn't really so much about "doing school", for I realize that even if we weren't doing school, I would be feeling the same way. But the feeling comes and goes. It is here, as I recently told a friend, that I remember that I am helpless without God's help. I can be very dedicated and disciplined about the things I am passionate about. But I am helpless when I lose the passion about those things I believe I SHOULD feel passionate about. In fact, I have no control over my heart. I cannot keep my heart in the things I want to. Only the Lord can do this for me. I realize how important it is for us all to guard our hearts. It is the loss of heart which causes believers to stumble and fall. We are all walking on the edge of a precipice, and it is the simple loss of heart that can make us go over the edge.

So I am thankful for a day like today, when I feel like I didn't blow it. I remained patient. I heard someone say today that patience is not just being able to wait, but it is how you act while you are waiting. This really struck me. How do I act when I have to wait longer than I feel I should for my child to complete a task? Especially when I believe the cause is not inability, but simple dawdling. How easy is it for mommy to blow her stack over these things?

Another thing that has made me happy is that we have been doing a fair amount of decluttering in our house. A week ago, we painted the master bedroom, and took the opportunity to completely declutter the room. What a relief! Then yesterday, we decluttered our son's room, tossing out two wastebaskets of stuff. This evening, we decluttered the "playroom / overflow / soon to be school" room. Another two wastebaskets of stuff. Wow -- that feels good! And best of all, dh is allowing me to order two tall vertical storage cabinets and some corner shelving to place in that room, and truly tidy things up, so we can finally really use it for school. I am so excited about this! When the project is finished, I will post some pix.

Thank you, Lord, for such a good and satisfying day. Amen.

Our fourth of July began with my ds bounding into our bedroom and waking us up early with glee to exclaim how it is the Fourth of July and that means the Parade is Today, and he would be getting CANDY! I casually remarked that the Parade didn't begin until 10:30, and no amount of getting up early would make it begin any sooner!

So we went to the parade, which is, incidentally, the only bonafide Independence Day Parade in this central part of our great state, and I must say, they outdid themselves this year. It was by far the best parade yet. There were more amazing cars, floats, horses, than we had ever seen, plus our own village's Grande Award Marching Band, and a crazy camel (which flipped out mid parade and had to be removed from the procession). Plus it all began with multiple flyovers of 15 antique aircraft, plus 2 homemade aircraft. Not bad, for our little hamlet of ~2500 persons. Our kids collected massive amounts of candy in the bags they brought along for the occasion. Then, we finished off with the typical pony rides, country style kids' games, and our annual listening to the "violano" which has been lent to our community's historical museum. A violano is an antique coin operated mechanical juke box style musical device that is part violin and part piano. It is a large piece of furniture, and very intricate. You can see pictures of them at this link : http://www.millsnovelty.com/pictures.html and hear one at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNZBpcSDuV0 .

After returning home from the parade, we made our annual trip to the local S*nny's and had the Bar-B-Q Family Feast for four. We returned home and managed to escape rain long enough to fully cut and trim our grass (no small task around here!). After enjoying the early evening outdoors, we had watermelon and mint chip ice cream. MMMMmmmm -- mommy's favorite. After dark, we put on our own miniature family fireworks extravaganza with our $10 fireworks collection from Wal-M*rt. (Hey - It was pretty good for $10.)
A BIG thank you to all our American troops of today, and yesterday, who allow us to have the freedom we have today to do all these things. We must always keep them in mind and in prayer. All in all, it was the perfect July 4th for our family, and everybody went to bed happy, satisfied, and needing sleep!

So my son and I are having a discussion about Eleanor Roosevelt, and how she blazed new trails for the role of a First Lady. We talked about how she traveled on behalf of her husband, FDR, and met dignitaries and heads of state from many countries. Finally, I asked my son "Do you know who the First Lady is [now]?"

And his reply: "No, but I thought the first lady was Eve".

Guess I deserved that one!

My little girl, only 5, announced to me today that she can count to 99. "Want to hear me do it?" Sure, said mommy (me) and she proceeded to count from 1 to 99, just about flawlessly, with a big lilt of the voice at each number ending in 9 (a la "fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-NNIIINNEE.........SIXTY!!", etc.) - you get the picture? Anyhow, she did great, and she was so proud of herself. She must have just figured it out on her own, and wanted to "try it out" on me today!

In this picture, she is learning to do simple addition facts, by footsteps! I have always tried to emphasize that she is good at math, so that she never develops a phobia of math by thinking she can't do it. Because...

....Yes, she can!

It's July 1st. This is the anniversary of my mother's passing away from cancer. By the time it was discovered, it had become lung cancer, breast cancer, and brain cancer. Nobody ever knew for sure where it had started. I was 28 at the time. I was a working professional, but still living in my parents' home. My mom and dad were still my life, besides a few work and college friends. I had no marriage prospects at the time.

I remember clearly one day when it was obvious to me that mom was slipping away before our eyes. She was home at the time, all set up in the family room in a rented hospital bed. Her personality had already been drastically altered by the brain symptoms, so in that way she had already changed. But we were seeing other irreversible changes that really hit home one evening as I was sitting in my room. She would be really leaving us ... soon. An Amy Grant song was playing on my portable CD player, and as I listened to the words, it seemed almost surreal to me.

In many ways I felt like my life had just barely gotten started. I had marriage and family, yet, to look forward to. But it would all happen WITHOUT my mom. Could I visualize 17 years without her? Ten years? Five years? Heck, I hadn't ever gone a week without at least speaking to her by phone. It was all so inconceivable.

Somehow, the Lord gives us the grace to do it. The loss of my mom has changed me in immeasurable ways. Profound ways. I began to rediscover my dad, and become better friends with him. Everything up until then had been so "mom centered". (She really had been the hub of the family.) Dad retired shortly after my mom passed, and then we found ways to have fun with him, going on trips together and parties and things that we had never done before with Dad. So that was a good thing.

I began to make decisions -- big decisions -- more on my own. And within a few short years, I had met, and married, my dh, and began a new life in the South, in a different state, far from home. And the rest is my life's ongoing history.

And the Amy Grant song that was playing on my CD player that June evening so long ago can still be heard on the radio from time to time. It goes like this:

I WILL REMEMBER YOU (Amy Grant/ Gary Chapman/ Keith Thomas)

I will be walking one day
Down a street far away
And see a face in the crowd and smile
Knowing how you made me laugh
Seeing sweet echoes of you from the past
I will remember you

Look in my eyes while you're near
Tell me what's happening here
See that I don't want to say ... goodbye
Our love is frozen in time
I'll be your champion and you will be mine
I will remember you

Later on ... when this fire is an ember
Later on ... when the night's not so tender
Given time ... though it's hard to remember
I will be holding
I'll still be holding to you

I will remember you

So many years come and gone
And yet the memory is strong
One word we never could learn ... goodbye
True love is frozen in time
I'll be your champion and you will be mine
I will remember
So please remember
I will remember you.






This is Mom and Dad at their 40th wedding anniversary party, May, 1988. That was a great day!