FOR TODAY... March 30, 2010 7:04 a.m.

Outside my window... still dark this morning, but clear, with a full moon.

I am thinking and praying... the parents of my friend (illness), another friend's son (trouble in school), my other friend's niece (bulimia and rebellion) and for renewal and repentance within me and our family as we approach the climax of Lent.

I am thankful for... the work, presence, and promise of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Also thankful for no headaches, after enduring nine days in a row with annoying pressure headaches.

I am wearing... fleece pants and sweatshirt, as it is chilly once again this morning. What else??

I am remembering... the home I lived in from age 3 until age 31. It is in New Jersey, and its photo is below.

Also, remembering the nice quiet birthday celebration we had for Sweet Girl last week as she turned 7.

I am going... headlong into a cold, I believe. That's because I started a diet a week ago. Any time I start a diet, I end up with a bug a week later. I'm at the "scratchy throat" stage.

I am reading... Stott's Basic Christianity, Barrie's Peter Pan, Created for Work by Bob Schultz, and more recently When You Rise Up by R. C. Sproul, Jr. The Sproul, Jr. family have recently moved here to our church community. They homeschool and have 7 kids.

I am hoping... for a happy, memorable, and blessed evening this coming Thursday as Sweet Girl makes her Profession of Faith and takes her first Lord's Supper! Now our family is complete!

On my mind... the changes coming down in our country, and the agenda that the gov't has in mind for the spring. Not sure where it is all going, but I know two things. ONE: We're going to have to pay for it, literally, with real money, and TWO: God is still 100% sovereign over it all.

From the learning rooms... I cannot believe how many compositions Chips and Sweet Girl are writing these days for their Calvert curriculum. One thing I can say about Calvert, it really challenges them, makes them think, discuss, and work, and especially write. Writing, like touch typing and reading music, can only develop ease and fluency when one is made to practice it over and over again. I can see their skills developing before my eyes. I see Chips creating outlines of his history reading and then turning the outline into a factual composition. I know that this is developing good study skills for when he is older. I see Sweet Girl letting her imagination loose as she turns most of her writing projects into fantasy stories. She is loving writing, always has.

Noticing that... the cortisone injection that our dog, Beau, received last week has turned him into a different dog. He is loving life again! But we have to be careful that he doesn't overdo it, because he hasn't been used to it. Missing his younger days.

Pondering these words... Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11.

I especially want that undivided heart part.

From the kitchen... Italian Casserole with Caesar Salad for supper tonight.

Around the house... Self-Reliant Man is still making minor improvements to the roof. All I have to do is spot him and mind the ladder.

Also, cleaning up the breezeway after our dog decided to "mark" the entire thing when we were at church on Sunday. And that's all I'm going to say about THAT!

One of my favorite things... the smells of spring time, and that first whiff you get when you open up a window.

From my picture journal......


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March 29, 2010 11:19 p.m.

If you are ever driving behind a garbage truck, keep this in mind.

You could be happily driving behind it, minding your own business, on your way to work in the morning. It could be a major thoroughfare; a six lane highway, such as Alfalfa Trail.

The truck in front of you could pass by a stuffed garbage can, and not realize it until it has driven an addition 150 feet or so. The driver might not have any way of notifying you that it missed a trash can and wants to get closer to it, now, to pick up the trash. At that point, it could stop, suddenly, in its lane in traffic. After a few seconds, it could begin to back up. You might immediately honk your horn to announce your presence behind it, but the driver might not hear you. It might just continue to back up. You might try to shift your vehicle into reverse, but before being able to do so, the truck might have smooshed your front bumper and hood. Or even worse. At that moment, thankfully, the driver might realize that something is resisting his backing motion. He might stop, get out, and look behind the truck. Or he might have his buddy do it.

If this should happen, do not hesitate to call the police to the scene. And make sure the officer reminds the driver how he is required, driving such a truck, to refrain from backing up until he has sent his buddy behind the truck to make sure all is clear.

Yes, this did happen to Self-Reliant Man last week. And yes, the lowest estimate he got was for the repair was $3000. I am just so thankful that the driver realized his error when he did, and not later. I am also thankful that the business that employs these garbage trucks has good insurance.

This has been a public safety announcement.

March 27, 2010 8:18 p.m.

The judge wrote: "listen for the melodic line. Make the melodies more fluid & expressive -- not just correct...I look forward to your future development. You play very well."

The italicized words above were actually underlined by the judge.

There were two contestants today. Chips, and an older girl. They both played the same piece. Chips played flawlessly (as far as I could tell), and with plenty of artistry and expression, the likes of which we haven't heard from him until now. The older girl played well, too, although some notes were out of tune, her trills weren't always clean, and she actually stopped for a few seconds in the middle of the piece, as if she was having a memory lapse.

All the adults there who heard them both play agreed that Chips played it best. Actually, Chips was technically perfect, to the extent that my untrained ear can hear. And my ear is better than it used to be (it has to be, I've been a violin mom for seven years, now!) Our teacher, Miss S, was thrilled with his playing, saying that he played extremely well and that he even surprised her today. That's a lot, coming from her.

However, First Place went to the girl, and Chips took Second (loser) Place. Remember there were only two competing today.

So here I am again, singin' the same tune. Completely stumped as to why First Place is always so elusive. I know it sounds like sour grapes to ya'll, but we continue to be baffled by this. Nobody could understand it today, and the judge's decision is always final. Violin competitions, like figure skating and gymnastics, can be so subjective.

But it was a positive day. Chips himself said that he figured this was another one of those "character building" competitions. And since he played as perfectly as we ever could have hoped or imagined, we were happy to give him the $20 cash prize we had reserved for him for "winning" today, even if it was only in our imaginations. I so wish I could have videotaped him today to share with everyone; it was so amazing. He made it all sound so easy. But contest rules forbade videotaping. Had we known how it would turn out, we would have recorded it!!

Yes, times like these are discouraging. But we are just amazed at what our son can do. No matter, we are so proud of our son today!

And if you haven't seen him play this concerto before, it is six pages long, it takes nine minutes to play through, and of course he had to play it from memory. I posted a link to a video from early February, but he played it so much better today.

March 25, 2010 8:27 a.m.

The MSM (mainstream media) have done such a poor job of reporting. Of course we know it has been deliberate. It would have been impossible for anybody relying on the MSM to have any idea of what is really in the Health Care legislation, except for hints here and there about the candy to be dispensed to some. They have done all they can to make the bill appear palatable, but like the tasty pill pockets we use for our dog, the inside contains a bitter, expensive pill.

The PIC (Party in Charge) claims that they are looking out for the workers. The reality is that the working people will be footing the bill. It amazes me how few people would seriously ask questions like "but how is this going to be paid for?" Why was the answer so obvious to some of us, but not to the rest? Too late now.

We working stiffs (and retirees, too) will be finding out all too soon. Pardon me but I think I am going to be sick.




p.s. if for some odd reason the hyperlink doesn't work for you, the article is here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703312504575141642402986422.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion

March 20, 2010 4:20 p.m.

Would love for some like-minded folks to move in next door to us. Our neighbor is selling their beautiful home, and is motivated to sell. Anybody looking to come south and live in the country, while not too far out from towns and cities? Elementary school age kids? We'd love some new friends. How about our online friends in Kansas? Any takers?

March 19, 2010 1:26 p.m. (the feast of Saint Joseph)

I have a pet peeve regarding the way we speak. I say "we" because, although I severely dislike this way of talking, I self-consciously discover myself doing it much more often than I would like. Despite my age, I apparently was caught up in the first wave of those generations who, unfortunately, talk like this.

I am so sorry. I tell my children that I am sorry. I try to teach them to be aware of it -- to be sensitive to it -- so that they don't grow up partially handicapped like their poor mother. This is one of those many areas in life where I want my children to grow up better off than I have been.

Hopefully, my efforts to enrich their lives by reading aloud good literature, as often as possible, and making video and image-based entertainment as scarce as possible, will bear good fruit. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, I share this with you. I like this poem. I like the message.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 10:50 p.m.

I mentioned in my last post that my mind has been very scattered. So, I haven't been able to sit and concentrate deeply enough to write a thoughtful blog post. The only thing I can come up with is a smattering of scattered thoughts, much like the present condition of my mind.

So here goes...

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I went to the Mall yesterday to shop for Sweet Girl's seventh birthday next week. I usually don't go to the Mall. It is a strange thing, but whenever I go to a Mall, especially when I am alone, a strange depression comes over me. I feel completely out of my element. I feel like a visitor from another planet. I get clumsy, and I am in danger of making poor shopping choices so I usually just walk on by. There is nothing I see that I want. I avoid eye contact with anybody. I race-walk through the cosmetics department as fast as I can. I purchase, maybe, one thing, and then hustle out to my car. Then I go to complete my shopping at Mal-Wart, or Bull's-Eye, and breathe a sigh of relief. Here is where I feel at home. Weird, I know.

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Although I am not particularly tickled by the girls' clothing styles that prevail in stores today, I realize that Sweet Girl is getting older, and I reconcile myself to the idea of her wearing certain styles. I have come up with a new criteria: I don't have to actually like the styles, but they do have to be modest. This is the only way I am going to be able to buy her anything new and not have to rely on thrift stores.

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I am blown away by both my children's Calvert School advisory teachers. They put so much time and energy into grading my children's work. Chips' teacher is a man, which is a change for us, too. Sweet Girl got her second work packet back yesterday and got Straight 1s this time. She felt really proud, and so did we.

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We've been cutting back some on the violin competitions, voluntarily deciding to skip the scholarship competition this year. We just don't want it all to be too much. Both children are doing great, but we have enough going on this spring without yet another competition. As a result, this coming weekend should be somewhat normal. I think. And then, what will we do next year? Youth orchestra, or not?

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We continue to be completely satisfied with the richness and challenge present in the Calvert homeschool curricula. I say this after seven years of using it. I see the struggles and worries of other homeschool moms, and I am happy to say that I am at peace regarding the academic preparation of my children. I can hardly imagine their lesson work being any better.

Nevertheless, I do worry that as a homeschool mom, I will seriously drop the ball with one or both of my kids some day. Self-Reliant Man and I are so mindful of preparing ourselves for everything that might come down the pike in the future as our children grow older. But what about the unforeseen? Will we be blindsided by something that comes along that we are totally unprepared for? Will that one area of parenting where we tended to let things slip by a little bit come back to bite us one day?

I have noticed among conservative families of young children that the younger the children are, the more black and white their parents tend to see things. And then their children grow older, and life gets more complicated, and then the parents need to redefine their priorities. Or evaluate anew how they feel about the parenting issues of the day. Things start to become less black and white.

We have definite convictions about many different things regarding the upbringing of our children. Some we share with most of our friends. For some convictions, I have only found common ground in a few online friends. As my children near ages 7 and 10, I am questioning more and more our stance on certain things, like media usage within our home and family life. When our son is already asking for his own laptop, for instance, and his own Facebook account, we have to think long and deeply about our objectives. This is certainly a time to walk closely with the Lord, for every day that our children develop and mature. I am sure things have been relatively easy until now.

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A bright spot in our lives is the planning and preparation for our whirlwind trip out West this September. The trip is to be 23 days in length, and on the agenda are Mammoth Cave Nat'l Park (NP), Badlands NP, Black Hills, Needles Highway, Crazy Horse Monument, Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower, Beartooth Highway, Yellowstone NP, Grand Tetons NP, and Rocky Mountain NP. All in one big loop drive. It is amazing what can be discovered about potential campgrounds, sights, and stopover places simply through using Google Maps, Youtube, and R.V. Park Reviews. I can actually virtually drive by a place, and check out the surroundings. I can choose another campground if I don't like the looks of the area. I can check out a steep mountain drive and decide whether our van can make it over all the switchbacks. It is all rather amazing. But of course, the consistent flood of information across my field of view is probably the root cause of..... my........ scattered ............... mind!!!!

FOR TODAY... March 17, 2010 4:49 p.m.

Outside my window... overcast and cool. It never got out of the 60s today. You can tell winter is coming...

(That last sentence was meant to be a joke. I do very much live in the northern hemisphere.)

I am thinking and praying... for an extended family member who is fighting off sepsis right now.

I am thankful for... the saving faith of my children.

I am wearing... fleece pants and a sweatshirt. I haven't been able to wear anything else for the past 5 months!

I am remembering... what a beautiful morning it was last Saturday at the children's fishing tournament. We didn't get so much as a nibble, but plenty of fish were caught.

I am going... to see our children perform a number from The Sound of Music with the children's chorus at a fund raising dinner Friday evening. Dress rehearsal is tomorrow. I am thankful that they can enjoy these experiences. We have had happily singing children in our home for weeks now.

I am reading... Stott's Basic Christianity, for me, and Barrie's Peter Pan, to my family. Also, Created for Work by Bob Schultz as an after dinner read aloud.

I am hoping... that our dog's back leg issues improve without me having to spend too much more money on Deramaxx. Wow!

On my mind... Everything. My mind is so scattered these days. In fact, it has been difficult for me to keep it focused enough to construct a blog post. "Disjointed" is the best word I can think of.

From the learning rooms... I can't believe the children have learned 39 questions and answers from the Westminster Shorter Catechism. With all the work I have been doing with them, I have only learned one answer! New brain cells vs. Old brain cells.

Noticing that... this is a cool brisk Saint Patrick's Day today. The kind I remember from when I lived in New Jersey. The kind where I have to wear a green SWEATER, not just a green T-shirt, as I could have these past 15 years. This year is different. This year is the Endless Winter.

Pondering these words..."The joy of the LORD is your strength. [Nehemiah 8:10b]. Holy joy will be oil to the wheels of our obedience." quotation from Matthew Henry's Commentary.

From the kitchen... Mexican Chicken Skillet with yellow rice and sauteed zucchini. A friend introduced me to E-Mealz . This is something new for our family because for the past 3 years or so we have referred to recipes from Leanne Ely's "Saving Dinner" . We are in our second week of E-Mealz recipes, and Self-Reliant Man has enjoyed nearly every one. I can't say that the meals are healthier than Leanne's (they're probably not!) but they are easier to prepare and easier on the wallet so we will be using them here for a little while, anyway.

Around the house... Self-Reliant Man needs to make some minor repairs to our roof, but there is never a good day to do it. The weather simply won't cooperate on those rare Saturdays when nothing else has been already scheduled.

One of my favorite things... listening to my children pray each morning.


From my picture journal......



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March 10, 2010 8:32 p.m.

Sweet Girl loves to write. That's a good thing, because our curriculum, Calvert School, requires her to do plenty of it. Nearly every day, there is some form of composition in the works. Which makes it all the more amazing that she even happily writes during her free time.

The other day, Sweet Girl approached me with the following poem (see the image below). She specifically asked me to post it on the blog. I am obviously proud of her writing efforts, and I especially appreciated the illustration in the "sidebar" of her poem. Whenever Sweet Girl draws somebody, they are happy!

March 6, 2010 6:50 p.m.

Here are a few more drawings of various Winter Olympic events, courtesy of Sweet Girl. She certainly loves to draw! We haven't forgotten the Olympics here.

March 4, 2010 4:00 p.m.

Hey friends, I need help.


Would somebody please inform the State of Flor*da that it is MARCH, for goodness sake, and that 55 degrees, in the windy sunshine, in the afternoon, in MARCH is simply unacceptable?

This is the weirdest, longest, coldest winter anybody here can remember in decades.

What's going on????

I think we should enter a bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, what do you say?

March 2, 2010 7:09 a.m.

We are grieving the sudden passing of Jonathan May this week. Although our family had yet to be blessed by this man's talents and love for young people and music, we have several friends and acquaintances who already were. Our local music community has lost a very special contributor to its youth, and we feel sadness not just for the present loss, but for what might have been.