School!

If you're putting together a school room, make sure you have book shelves AND cabinets. There's some stuff you just don't want to put out in the open.

How did I get so much STUFF?

What am I going to do with 50 lbs of clay? So, I haven't used it yet. I will.

That's the thing with home schooling. You have to hold on to everything! The things Tyler used are now being used by Kelly. Kelly's stuff is being used by Glenna (or will be). When Glenna finishes with it, out it goes!

I will be posting pictures very soon, because the school room is done and we have moved in! It has been pure pleasure to go out of the house, away from distractions, and get work done. We celebrated with cheers each time we needed an encyclopedia, walked two steps, and retrieved what we needed. I have our desktop computer out there for school projects. It's so nice! I'm sure the bloom will wear off the rose, but for now, why did we wait so long? I taught classes today and it was wonderful!

The rest of the house actually looks more open and homey, now that the school stuff is out. It's exactly as I had hoped. Bonus: there's still plenty of room for the band to practice. :-) Priorities, you know.

One last thing to move; the KONOS timeline. We've moved three times and I've taken it down and replaced it each time. It will now have a permanent home and NOT be part of my home decor. Don't get me wrong, the timeline is a great teaching tool. It's just. . . well. . . I'll have to take pictures to show you what I mean.

Coming soon!

Look what I found!

I opened my email and found these:

This is Beck the Speck, one of Glenna's closest friends. You can guess who she was talking to on the phone.


Gotta love Beck the Speck. She's all right. Now. The doctor says so.

Guest Blogger

Since I'm going crazy with the school room here (though I do see my dining room table and all six chairs again!), I thought this would be a great time to post something that someone else (unnamed) wrote.

I thought it was so well written and perfectly described the thoughts I had been having on the immigration issue. Anything written in bold is my own excited emphasis . . . I simply couldn't have said it as well. This was written after a conversation on this issue.

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I basically agree with everything that was said regarding illegal immigration. The problem really bothers me and I think that our government should do something about it, be it law enforcement, a wall or something effective (although I think people will always find a way when desperate enough). It annoys me to no end that illegals think and expect certain rights within our country when they know they're not abiding by our laws. It bugs me that they don't want to learn our language, expect us to pay for all their medical care, etc. All that, I agree with.

However, I've been convicted that, as Christians, our primary concern should be for the individual and not for the political issue at hand. I really feel that if Christ were here today, He'd be much more concerned about the spiritual and physical needs of an immigrant than He would be about their legal status. Yes, people shouldn't be enabled, should be held accountable, etc. but when I listen to Christians talk, myself included, I'm struck by how much we lack grace. I dare say that an observer, in comparing the way we talk to that of the liberals, would think that the liberals sound more "Christ-like" in some areas. That really bothers me.

By no means am I saying that we shouldn't have political views or be involved in politics. I will be more likely to vote for a politician who believes in smaller gov't, who has a good plan for border protection, who's tough on terrorism, etc. However, politics and the welfare of America are not our main priorities as Christians. In fact, I think that we should consider ourselves Christians first, Americans second and thus shape our views, or at least express our views, from that perspective. Our main priority is to reflect Christ, share the gospel and bring honor and glory to His name by the way we live and talk. We can't do any of that if we have such harsh, ungracious attitudes towards people.

On the broad issue of illegal immigration, we can naturally have our view that they shouldn't be here, they need to be sent back, etc. but how does that translate to the individual person who is here? Are we going to turn our backs on them and ignore their needs and refuse to reach out to them just because they're illegal? When we come across them, and we will, are we going to be unloving, resentful and complain (even if it's in our minds) that they're taking our jobs and bleeding our welfare system dry? How is that going to win them for Christ? Or, rather, are we going to see them as Christ would see them...lost people who need the Lord and therefore see it as our duty and privilege to facilitate that process? If our political views trump our attitude of love for the individual, then there is an imbalance that needs to be addressed. I find it ironic that as Christians we tend to be so adamant about following the law, personal responsibility, and consequences yet so lacking in grace. This coming from us, who have been the greatest recipients of grace ourselves! Regarding these issues, we need to reflect the balance between justice and love/grace/mercy that God demonstrates towards us.

Again, I'm "preaching" to myself as well. Please don't think I'm talking from a "holier-than-thou" stand point. These are concerns I have, not only for myself, but for any Christian who cares about political issues. Food for thought: I enjoy listening to talk radio but have found that it feeds my negativity and breeds discontent, fear, anger and hard feelings towards illegals, Muslims, Democrats, etc. I agree with so much that is said but there's no love, grace or mercy involved in their discussions. I find that I need to turn it off after awhile because it ends up becoming un-beneficial to me and the attitudes I should be cultivating.

One last thing. We also talked about the concern that there are so many Muslims, even moderates, here in the US and that we'd be more comfortable if they left, for safety reasons. It struck me the other day, though, that what if this is God's way of giving us a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with them? Maybe He has brought them right to us where it's so much easier to witness to them than it is back in their home countries. In the grand scheme of things, I really do think that God is much more concerned about saving souls than He is about the safety of America.

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Oooohhhh, that last line. . . . how many things can I apply that to?

I really do think God is much more concerned about saving souls than He is about:

My schedule
My agenda
My being first in line and someone cutting in front of me
My "me" time
My obsession with current movies/books
My wardrobe
My blog
My school room
My finances

On a lighter note, the band actually came home long enough to check out the progress on the school room today. They loved it and gave me great encouragement about the progress made.

Then, they huddled together and discussed how much room they would have if they practiced in there instead of in the house. I could see them plotting where the drums would be, where Zach would stand, etc.

It made me smile.

Too bad it wouldn't work right now. With a bare, cement floor, it would be incredibly loud in there (even for them!).

Drag

Things aren't going as well today.

Himself had to be gone all day.

Ty tried to go to work and his car broke down.

Where did I get all this STUFF??? Someone, come put a blindfold on me and throw it all away, will you?

I'm trying to keep things in perspective. I have this huge desk to move, and the only one around right now is the eleven-year old. The STUFF that was on my desk is now all over the house. We measured, and it won't fit through the side door so we'll have to take it through the front door.

Did I mention Himself is out of town?

Did I mention he'll also be out of town tomorrow? (Not his choice, believe me. He's just as eager as I am to get our home in order.)

Blogging break

The second coat of paint just went on the walls of our school room!

Today, after American Literature and before AWANA, I will begin moving in! Pictures to come!

Forgive my absence during this excitement. :-)

More Yutes

Recently, the high schoolers had a Beach Night. They decorate the sanctuary, haul in sand for sand castle contests, and come in (modest) beach attire.


Some of them came dressed as pirates.
It looks like Zach (center) is making a weird face, but actually he's "Arrrrggghh" -ing me. Maybe you're not supposed to smile or laugh in the middle of an Arrrgggghhhh.

I didn't notice until just now that Matt (yellow shirt) had a wooden knife. That may further explain the expression on Zach's face! Oh, and the other guy? Crazy looking? Preacher's kid.

This is another Matt with a much milder Arrrggghh and expression.

This, believe it or not, is a Spanish professor at a local university! Actually, she's a jewel. She came to my house for years to tutor my children in Spanish and Algebra. Te amo mucho, professora Sarita!

Ok, now this is funny. Here's my Kelly with Stephen G. I noticed they were dressed alike, hollered out "Matching!" and demanded a picture. They were less than amused to discover they were dressed the same. . . . again.

See, Kelly had this concert shirt that she adored from a band called Five Iron Frenzy. Every time she would try to wear it to a church function, Stephen was wearing the exact same shirt. It got to where Kelly would bring the shirt in a bag, wait to see what Stephen had on, then put it on if the coast was clear. Where are your pink flowers, Stephen?

I'm not sure why this Zach is smiling. Maybe because he finally pilfered the keys from his Mom, is 16, and therefore close to driving? Perhaps he won the sandcastle contest? Or maybe he sampled every dessert in the baking contest and is on a massive sugar high? Frankly, this is one kid used to having his picture taken. His family returned from a vacation with nearly 5,000 photos!

Hey. . . wait a minute. . . those are MY keys he's holding!!!!

Home to a Mess

I was at a convention on Thursday and Friday, hence the lack of posts. I honestly don't know how some mothers work part time and home school. I brought my girls with me and the first day they did some school, but I don't think either one did school on Friday. I'm also behind in my Bible study and I have 16 papers to grade before Monday.

Still, the keynote speaker was Dr. Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis, so I'm definitely counting it as a school day for both girls! We were in the same room as the keynote sessions and his workshop lectures, so Kelly and Glenna heard it all.

Well, Glenna heard most of it. What she mainly heard was there's a booth with a yard-long stick of gum for free, a booth with breadsticks and pizza for free, and a booth with cookies, cheesecake, and Smartees for free. I made her scrub her teeth several times when she got home.

We also starved the first day. I forgot to bring some protein snacks, but Jan H. had some almonds with her. The goal was to eat a big breakfast, I'd spring for lunch, then we'd eat dinner when we came home. That was before I saw they wanted ten dollars for a burger platter. Ten dollars!!! That did not include a drink! Then they wanted six dollars for a hot dog. A hot dog! Six D-O-L-L-A-R-S!!! We ate like crazy when we got home instead.

I mentioned my Bible study earlier. For Phyllis in Russia, here's a some pictures of the ladies in my Bible study. :-) Notice anyone familiar?

(Jaan, Raia, and Asya's Grandma is in this photo) Sorry it's not a better photo!

This photo contains a pastor's wife, a survivor, an incredible servant, an English woman who is fluent in Hebrew, and a missionary.

Mary Ann B, now recovering from back surgery. Next to her is another crazy home school mom. Next to her, believe it or not, is another grandmother!

Jimmie thought this would be a bad picture of her because she was eating. I took care of the "bad" part for her, don't you think?

Dancing with Kate

For all of you who've asked, I've downloaded AVast anti-virus. It was free and recommended by one I highly respect (Don T). I also downloaded it AFTER I had the Angry Monkey pop up on my computer. I used to have McAffee, but it expired and I didn't want to pay for it again. Sadly, I let too much time go by before replacing it. The firewall was still working, but not the virus scan. It's funny, because every month it would suddenly "work" again, so I'd do a quick scan, but that stopped happening.

On to better subjects!

I love our high school youth. I love spending time with them, playing cards with them, and listening to them. I even love camping with them!

Every other Tuesday, a bunch of them go to a facility to play with children waiting to go into foster care. These are children who have been taken from their homes (hopefully for valid reasons and for their protection) and have not yet been placed into foster care or returned to their parents. We go down there and love on them, play with them, and listen to them.

The last time we were supposed to go, the place called and said almost all the children had head lice and ringworm! Our youth pastor rightfully nixed the play time, so we gave them two weeks to "clear up."

Instead, we hung out at the church together and waited for prayer time at 6:00. I hope to show some pictures these next few days of our teens! I wanted to start with one so dear to my heart, Kate the Great.

Kate was dancing in the high school room. There was no music, but that didn't matter! I tried to catch her, but alas, my camera is mostly good for taking pictures of rotting stucco and failing paint applications. (Notice I didn't say failing paint? It's rarely the paint's fault, after all.)

All right, hold it, let me test the camera. . . .

. . . arrrgh! Too slow! Let me try again.

Spots on the camera! I should have wiped the lens.

Believe it or not, she didn't have to hold this forever. I was getting the hang of it.

Lovely . . .


. . . and lovelier!

The Angry Monkey

When I claimed Himself's laptop as my own, I put my own wallpaper on the background and selected the "sounds" I wanted for certain activities on the computer. The "Nature" one sounded sweet, so I selected that one.

When I boot up the computer first thing, I'm greeted by the pleasant sound of birds as if they were greeting the sunrise.

When I shut my computer down, I hear the mournful call of the coyote, probably sad because I'm leaving for a while.

When the computer needs to ask me a question like whether to save the changes on my computer or not, I get the wise reminder of a hoot owl.

BUT . . . .

When there's a warning, like an attack on my computer or I've just done something that could have adverse consequences, I get the Angry Monkey.

What a screech! If the computer is turned up loudly (as it is every time the band comes over and they listen to other bands on line) it honestly scares the bejeebers out of me. I couldn't even show you or tell you what a "bejeeber" is because I don't have any left.

The stupid virus, popping up every ten minutes, has this sound. I've dubbed it The Angry Monkey Virus.

I thought if I unplugged the internet from my computer while I was working, it wouldn't keep popping up. Wrong. It's pretty firmly implanted and pops up like clockwork.

I can see I'm going to have to call in the big guns on this one. Have you any idea how annoying it is to have The Angry Monkey pop up in the middle of Dancing With the Stars? The girls and I watch it on line together and it pops up several times.

If anyone out there has any idea what I'm dealing with here, your input is welcome! I'll pay in chocolate, brownies, spaghetti dinners, or whatever suits you!

Grrrr. . . .

Downloaded a new virus scanner. I have this virus that keeps popping up on my computer and there's nothing I can do (so far) to get rid of it! I had Jeremy (from Evangelin) on the case and even he was stumped.

So far, it's only annoying.

It makes me so angry to know there's people in this world who invent these things to rob and annoy others. I want to stick my claws out and scratch them!

On a better note, the school room is almost ready for texture and painting! It could be as early as this weekend! As soon as the walls are painted, I'm moving things in. Himself and I can't wait!

Well, Well, Well . . .

. . . Look who put their second song up?

Paddy, I hope you can hear it this time!

I Guess You Can't Call Me Abby

Abby Normal. (Which movie is that from, all?)

Dear MrsJLW,

We are pleased to inform you that the results of your recent mammography examination are normal.

Signed,
Interpreting Radiologist.

The Lecturn

I know, I know, the picture is in sideways. I can't deal with changing it right now.

I wanted to show off this fantastic lecturn Himself made for me!

My neighbor was having a garage sale several years ago and he had this fantastic wooden box. For two dollars, I snapped it right up. I didn't know WHAT I wanted it for yet, but I wanted it. It was moved around the garage several times by Himself; I prevented him from tossing it several times as well!

When I started teaching classes, he added a board across the top at an angle, with a lip at the bottom of the board so things wouldn't roll off. I loved it. I requested wheels for the bottom of the box so I wouldn't have to lift and drag it each time I needed to move it, which was several times per class.


Last month, he went one better.


Not only did I get wheels, but he added SHELVES! He also made a little frame on the top shelf for my pens so they won't roll around. I now keep all my teacher's manuals in the lecturn, plus reference books. As I sit and grade papers, I wheel my lecturn next to me and EVERYTHING is at my fingertips; paperclips, pens, books, and grade book. Then I use it during class as the lecturn.


Each time I sit to grade papers or help the girls with school, I thank God for Himself and this jewel he made! I can't wait (she says again) until the rest of the school room is as organized as my two dollar yard sale box.

Yuppie Produce

Remember Yuppies? I know it's a very 80's thing, but Yuppies were fun. Actually, they were fun for poking fun.

Himself's Aunt MA and Uncle B were/are yuppies. They used to receive gifts like "Yuppie Chow." If there was any trendy new kitchen appliance that only someone with expendable income would purchase, they had it. I'm sure they were the first in the family to have an espresso machine. They were probably the first to have an air-pop popcorn popper. Most likely, they were even the first to "go green."

After the Yuppies came the DINKs (Double Income, No Kids). The key here is you have a married couple, they don't have kids, ergo they must be loaded with all this extra dough. Back when Himself and I were DINKs, we did stuff like go to rock concerts in L.A. or San Diego on the weekends, or we'd go skiing up at My Dad's, or we'd take a trip to New Mexico for a few weeks. We'd buy stereos and CDs. We'd eat out in restaurants where the menu wasn't lit or on the wall.

I've been thinking of Yuppies and DINKs every Thursday morning, because that's when a very Yuppie/DINK thing happens at my house.

Organic produce is delivered. To. My. Door.

It's like Christmas every Thursday! A box arrives by delivery. We rush it into the house to see what the Produce Fairy has delivered this week! Sure, we could check the web site to see what this week's delivery would be, but that would ruin the surprise!

Sometimes we get food we're not so sure of, nor do we know what to do with it. Black Figs, anyone? We love kiwi, but could anyone tell me exactly the proper way to eat them? Until a few weeks ago, I had no idea what a Pluot was!

I've done the math -- the price is comparable to buying organic produce at the grocery store (Publix, yes. Walmart. . . do they even have organic produce? I no longer shop there, anyway). Still, it's such a Yuppie/DINK thing to have it delivered, don't you think? So, the box arrives, and when we open the door, this is what would greet us:

I took these pictures when Hobbs was still visiting. I guess I hadn't had the courage to admit all of this publicly yet, but I'm out with it now!

The delivery guy used to walk quietly to the door, leave the box, then walk quietly away. The only way I knew he was there was because Jack would go and stare at the door. Now the delivery guy sets the box down, knocks loudly to scare the bejeebers out of me, then drives away.

You can bet I wait for him to leave, too; I don't want him to know I'm still in my jammies. After all, it is Thursday, and I don't have any classes to prepare or co-ops to drive to or carpools to meet or anything. Jammies 'til 10! I'll say it again!


So we open up the box and see all the yummy goodness. First thing we do is wash the grapes - they're gone within hours. If I'm on my toes and not distracted, I wash everything immediately and have it ready to grab in the fridge (or on the counter, if it still needs to ripen).

Surprisingly, this is the exact amount of fruit my family will eat in a week. When I used to buy it in the store, I would buy too much and it would go bad before we finished it. Glenna's eating more fruit because she likes the whole delivery thing. I'm eating more fruit, too, unless PopTarts are on sale.

Thanks to my friend D for turning me on to Organic Delivery! You all should google it and see if it applies to your neighborhood! You know you want to!

Awareness!

If you are a woman; first, go and listen to this song:

Everything is Burning


Now, if the guitars sound the loudest to you, and you can (but you can't quite) understand what the vocals are saying, then it's time for you to get a mammogram! If the vocals sound fine to you, then call your Mom and grandmother and make sure they've gone this year.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

I just had mine today, my first, and I'll say that loudly from the blogosphere. It wasn't so bad, really, and I feel fine. Won't know results until tomorrow.

I've heard some places take 6 months for you to schedule an appointment. My Dr. recommended a place that just opened, and they got me in the day after I called! Of course, when I went there at 8 am the power was out in the entire town and I had to come back at 3 pm, but that was no biggie. I'm good to go for another year.

Evangelin!

They put one of their new songs up!

Check it out, everyone!


Everything is Burning

Strange Gen Thangs

So I'm at the grocery store with my daughter, and I begin to notice something:

The guys are checking her out.

There was the guy in the produce section, then the bag/cart boy. They speak to me, but they're looking at my daughter.

Kelly was oblivious (heh heh). I hope she stays that way. Don't read this, Kelly!


How weird is that?


The new Evangelin CD is amazing. I love listening to it, and since it's on my computer I listen to it often. I've noticed something strange, though.

All the people 40 and up say they can hear the guitar the loudest, and it's hard to understand what the lyrics are. All the people 39 and under say they hear and understand the vocals just fine, and they think the vocals are really loud.

Whoa! When did that happen?

Hmmmph.