February - Basketball, Moments, Basketball, Memories, and More Basketball!

 

Championship Game! That’s where we found ourselves on Saturday as we watched the JV Boys Basketball Team compete in the Championship game for the second year in a row! This probably wouldn’t be so exciting for me, but Wyatt and Travis played on the JV Basketball Team this year, so it was very exciting! Wyatt has really had a great season, in my opinion, and he has become a much better basketball player in the three years we’ve been in N.C. Travis played on the Middle School team this year and the JV Boys Varsity Team. Travis got a lot more playing time on the Middle School team, but unfortunately they lost several games due to snow days and bad weather, but Travis did enjoy playing on the Middle School team. As Travis says, “I was a good water boy to Wyatt on the other team.” Haha! He didn’t get as much playing time, but he did seem to enjoy the season, and he enjoys watching the team play. On Saturday, 2/15, the Championship game was held in Newport, NC, which is a bit of a drive from our house. But we were excited to watch the boys play in the game. The team was actually playing the exact same team that they played last year for the championship game. Wyatt and Travis had to be there early for the game, so Emma and I went to visit a thrift store instead of sitting in the gym. My friend, Tamela, is always up for visiting thrift stores too, so she came along. It was a good way to spend a few minutes, and the thrift store was having a sale of certain tag items for .49- now that’s my kind of a sale! We came back to the gym to watch the girls championship game, which went into overtime, and then it was the boys game. The game wasn’t as close as I would’ve imagined it to be, but it was fun to watch the boys team play. It was a long day, but a day spent with family and spending time together. 

Roger’s brother, Dale, came to visit for a few days. It was good to see him and to catch up with him for a few days. Roger was able to get off a little early on Friday, so he went golfing with the older two boys and his brother, Dale. The weather hasn’t been exactly warm, but at least it wasn’t raining! Chandler was able to golf with Ava, and while it was an interesting Valentine’s Day for Roger and I, we are at the place where we are happy to go get flowers on the day after Valentine’s Day when the flowers are 50% off! I know that’s not the way everyone would choose to do it, but it’s worked for us for many years now. I’m thankful for Roger as he expresses his love for me every day in many ways. He’s willing to help pack lunches, do dishes, help with chores, make coffee, bring me coffee when he can, work hard and he loves me. I am very, very thankful for him, and I am so very blessed. I was at the game watching the JV Boys in their playoff game, so we weren’t together for most of the day, but ya know, love is an action that we need to express to each other every day and not just on special occasions. 

Last Saturday evening, Chandler and Garett went to a teen activity. It was a “Thrift Shop” dinner where you’re put in pairs. One partner goes to one thrift store and one to a different thrift store, and they buy outfits for each other. I wasn’t sure how the night would go, but both of the boys said that they had a really great time. The pictures from the event are absolutely hilarious, and it’s a memory for sure! Travis spent all of last weekend sleeping on Aunt Jen’s couch! He asked Roger to take him over to Aunt Jen’s right after his JV game last Friday night. He ran a fever all weekend, and thankfully Jen offered to keep him at her house for the weekend. His fever finally broke on Sunday, and he turned a corner to start to feel better. It’s very unsettling to see Travis so still, so I am glad that he is feeling better. I had suggested that he stay home from school on Monday since he was just starting to feel better, but he really wanted to go to the basketball game on evening. He went to the game, but he sure did look pale! Wyatt told me after the game, that he wasn’t feeling too great, and his throat really was hurting. Wyatt stayed home on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Travis stayed home again on Wednesday as he was running a low grade fever on Tuesday night. Thankfully, both boys seem to be feeling better, and no one else has gotten sick! We are praying that it will stay that way! 

These last two weeks of school have felt really long to me. I think it’s because the weather has been kinda chilly and damp, the nights of basketball are long, there’s a lot of big upcoming events in both art and library, and it feels like a long time til spring break! But there’s always something to be thankful for in each and every day. Every day gets us a little closer to Garett’s senior trip, and we are all looking forward to that. Garett has been praying and thinking about what to do when he graduates, and we would appreciate your prayers for him.

Emma has been doing some academic testing to try to figure out how to best help her learn. Is she learning? Yes! Is it slow and painful at times? Yes! I am concerned about her progress and how we can best help her learn, develop and grow. I would’ve never have chosen for three of our five kids to struggle with school, but it definitely helps me have compassion on my students that I teach that don’t “get it” the first time around. Garett is a young man who doesn’t always “get it” the first time around, and I can say that for the most part, he is becoming a fine and capable young man. He really works well with younger kids, he has lots of patience with others (just not his brothers), and he has a general idea of what ideas he wants to pursue after college. Hard work and character will get him far in life, I’m sure. I used to think that I prayed a lot when my kids were toddlers, but these teenage years have proven to me how shallow my prayers were back then! So. Much. To. Pray. For! 

This week, in my art classes, I spoke about God’s love as we approached Valentine’s Day. It’s so easy to quote John 3:16, and almost everyone knows that verse. But, it must be real and personal to each one of us. We have to acknowledge that “For God so loved Sarah, that he gave his only begotten son, that if Sarah believeth in him, she would not perish but have everlasting life.” I am so thankful that eternal life in Heaven is mine. I also shared my personal salvation testimony with my Middle School Art classes, as it’s good to talk about what God has done for me personally. I hope I never lose sight of God’s amazing grace, and His love for me. What an amazing God we serve! 

Started on 2/5/25 

Ya’ll be amazed because it’s only been a little over a week since the last post! I feel like so many things are happening in our lives so quickly these days that it’s hard sometimes to keep up on a daily basis much less a weekly basis! 

Last week we had a short week at school due to the Marriage Retreat that our church plans every year. Roger and I had planned to leave early on Friday morning and make the most of the day, but that’s not what happened. Roger was called to a fire on the Western side of the state on Thursday, and then on Friday morning, he had to go into work. We had hoped that he would be able to get off early, but he didn’t get home until around 5:30pm. While it wasn’t the way that I would’ve picked for the day to go, we did get a lot done around our house. The boys went golfing, and a friend went with them. They spent a good chunk of the day outside as the weather was beautiful! (It’s hard to believe that we had two and 1/2 snow days the previous week, and this week the temps reached into the 70s!)

 I wondered if we should still go to the marriage retreat since we had missed the whole day, but we decided to go anyways. It was already paid for and Myrtle Beach is only a little over two hours from our house. Now that Garett can drive, he was able to take his siblings over to Aunt Jen’s for supper after golfing. Emma, Travis and Wyatt stayed overnight at Aunt Jen’s, but Garett and Chandler came back home. Roger and I got on the road a little before six pm., and we made it in time to go out to ice cream with some of our friends after the session! :) It would’ve been nice to hear the session, but I”m not a fan of coming in late and then having to sit on the front row! We checked into our room, and then met up with some friends after the session was over. It was good to visit for a bit before heading back to the hotel. 

Roger and I got up early on Saturday to take a walk on the beach before breakfast. I do enjoy the sound of the ocean waves! We ate breakfast with Tamela and Stephen, and then we had the last session of the marriage retreat. The speaker was good, and I did prefer his speaking over last year’s speaker, but I do wish that sometimes more practical ways of how to actually do things would be discussed. There were a lot of stages of marriage discussed in the session. But, I already know that we are in the trenches of marriage. I know that we are in some hard years of parenting kids and that kids take time. But how do families decided between the “good” and the “best”? I know what works for one couple may not work for another, but sometimes it’s good to hear success stories on how others made their marriages or families stronger. I also know that most people don’t have four kids in four years and then another one three years later! But, I also know that I don’t want “good kids”. I want Godly kids that will love and serve Jesus, and the outcome will be “good kids”. And it’s not enough for us to just influence our own kids, we’ve got to think about upcoming generations.  There are two things that I’m really concerned about right now in our own kids lives. Those things would be “entitlement” and “apathy”. Whew! Those are some big and powerful words right there! I tell our kids often that you don’t have to have a lot of stuff to be entitled as it’s an attitude of the heart. I can tell them to do their devotions in the morning, and that they must read the Bible before anything else, but I can’t drive apathy out of them. Oh, how we need Jesus! 

After the marriage retreat was over, Roger and I visited a few thrift stores and puttered around in the Myrtle Beach area before heading over to Conway. Roger’s aunt and uncle recently moved to Conway from California, and we’ve been wanting to stop by and visit with them. I hadn’t seen Uncle Bob and Aunt Carole since Chandler was a baby so that was almost 17 years ago! We visited with them for a bit, toured their beautiful home, and then we went to supper with them. It was good to sit and catch up (or try to) on each other’s lives. Of course, I forgot to take any pictures of them, but still, we did have a really good time! 

Our friends, the Hardison’s, had also gone to the marriage retreat. Tamela knew that we weren’t planning on being home until later on Saturday evening. She invited the boys to come over to their house to watch the Duke basketball game. The boys were excited to go over to their house to watch the game as they also have three boys. The boys had a great time, and Roger and I were able to get in a visit with Uncle Bob and Aunt Carole. It was a good weekend, and it’s always to get away with just the two of us. 

Greenville, SC & A Trip to the Mountains & lots of Work!

 Summer break is flying by, and with the majority of our family working this summer, we are working hard to cling to the moments we have together! The early years of raising children is hard work, and it can be monotonous and overwhelming. Then they become teenagers! Life is no longer monotonous, but we need a family calendar to keep track of everyone!! 

Earlier this summer, we were praying that Chandler would find a job. He was able to work with me at the Farmers Market for a few days, but he was still looking for more of a full-time summer job. Well, he now has a job with more hours, and he still gets to be outside a lot. Thank you for praying that he would find a job!  Chandler is working for a farmer/produce stand near Roger’s work. Chandler has been working 7:30am- 6:00pm, and he is shucking a lot of corn, selling fruit, working in the fields, and getting an introduction to welding. He’s been busy, but God is so good. God provided this job for Chandler, and it’s about twelve minutes from Roger’s job. Roger has also been working long hours due to the lack of rain, so he drops Chandler off at work and then picks him up. 

Garett continues to work with the gutter company, and he likes it. I’m pretty sure that his favorite thing is going to lunch everyday, but he does like his job. He’s been getting up and going to work around 5:30am due to the heat this week. 

Wyatt and I are working at the farmer’s market. I try to work about three days a week, but it all depends on what’s happening with the other kids, Roger’s job, and other activities. Most of the time, Wyatt comes with me to work, so he’s been able to get some employment this summer also. 

Travis and Emma stay busy with helping take care of Aunt Jen’s chickens, cutting grass, and going swimming. We are thankful that Aunt Jen is willing to have two sidekicks this summer. Currently, Travis and Emma are in Wisconsin with Aunt Jen visiting with my parents. I’m thrilled that they have the opportunity to do that, and I know that my parents were excited to have them come visit. 

In the past two weeks, we’ve worked and played. Last week, Chandler and Wyatt attended basketball camp at Bob Jones University, while Jen and the two younger kids spent a few days in Greenville, SC. Roger and Garett stayed behind and worked, but then met up with us in the mountains for a few days of fun later in the week. 

Last Monday (6/17), we left for basketball camp with two of our boys that were attending as well as two of the Hardison boys. They were all excited about attending basketball camp, and I’m glad that they were able to work on some skills and drills that should help them in the future. While Bob Jones camp was okay, I think the boys will be returning to PCC next summer to try one of their sports camps. I know that I can be OCD about communication and spending time wisely, but to be honest, BJU should’ve done better. Camp should be looked at as a potential student visiting the college (in my opinion). These are 9th-12th grade boys coming to visit the college campus and a little bit more of a “best foot forward” approach would’ve been greatly appreciated by this mama. I also would’ve appreciated a more serious and dedicated approach to spiritual lessons and growth. I know that I’m in a minority and that’s okay, but I really want Jesus to be first and foremost in any activities. I personally feel that sometimes we get so worried about “kids having fun” that we fail to prepare them for eternity! (I did personally call the college to express some of my concerns as well.) So what did BJU do well? Like I said, I appreciated the emphasis on improving skills in basketball. Both of the boys said that they felt like they learned a lot, and they were thankful for that. I’m thankful that this opportunity was given to them, and now they’ve had an introduction to BJU. It’s really too bad that it wasn’t a better experience because I know that Bob Jones does present some top quality events for educators, and I’ve been a recipient at those events.  

While the two boys were at basketball camp, Travis, Emma, Jen and I spent a few days in Greenville. Greenville has a beautiful downtown area, and we walked down there several times. The hotel we stayed at offered breakfast, snacks and drinks and supper- all included in the price of the hotel! That was an amazing blessing as we were able to spend time just watching the kids swim in the pool, eat, read, and soak up some sunshine and relaxation. It was good to get away for a few days, and if I ever go to Greenville again, I’m going to be looking for the Drury Inn and Suites hotel again! A highlight of the trip for Emma and Travis would be going to Smoothie King and trying the Dude Perfect smoothie! 

Basketball camp ended on Thursday at noon, so I picked up our two boys and headed for the mountains. Jen headed back to her home to check on the chickens, and get ready for her trip to Wisconsin. 

We met up with the Everett’s in the mountains on Thursday afternoon. Roger and Garett met us there and everyone went golfing in the afternoon except Emma, Laura and I. Thursday was Laura’s birthday, so we were happy to celebrate her birthday. I had purchased discounted tickets for Anakeesta and the Titantic museum for the few days that we were in the mountains. We went to Anakeesta on Friday, and it was a hot day! The chair lift up to the top of the mountain was a lot of fun, and Anakeesta offers some nice views of the mountains, beautiful gardens, tree walk ropes course, and lot of playground space. We did enjoy it, and I’m glad that we did it. However, I felt like it was more suited towards kids Emma’s age as there was a lot of playground space, slides, and ropes courses. For teenagers, Anakeesta offers two mountain coasters and zip lining (all of which cost extra $$), so for that reason, I don’t think we’d do it again. The boys didn’t complain about not doing the coaster or zip lining, but the playgrounds and slides were a little below their level of interest. However, it was a fun day spent with family and friends, so it was a day well spent. 

Saturday morning was set aside to visit the Titanic museum, and everyone really seemed to enjoy that. There was lot of information to take in, but they did offer headphones that would read the highlights to you as well as a kids version of the highlights. I think I can say that everyone did learn something, and that was a good experience. It was money well spent in my opinion, and I’m glad we took the opportunity to do that museum. 

We also played some game that Justin came up with. It was the adults versus the kids, and the adults did win. We didn’t win by a lot, but we did win! It was a lot of laughter and fun, and then we decided to take a trip to the Smokey Mountains park and get in the creek. We ended up finding a spot with a waterfall, and while we only planned to go wading, everyone was pretty wet by the time we were done! 

A few other notes to remember from our trip: we really enjoyed “Steak n Shake”. It was a restaurant that reminded me of Culver’s hamburgers, and it was fairly cheap. We tried to go to Cades Cove to see some wildlife, but we didn’t realize quite how low we were on gas, so that ended up being a bit of a flop. I guess we will save that for another trip! We had coffee at the Black Rifle Coffee Company, and that was a fun time. We enjoyed s’mores around the fire pit, and the mosquitos weren’t too bad! The cabin was practically straight up a mountain, but it was a memory for sure! We treasured our time with our friends, the Everett’s, and it was a fun few days in the mountains!

We left the mountains on Sunday morning, and I met up with Jen in Newport, Tennessee. She was headed to Wisconsin and rather than come all the way back to Eastern North Carolina, we met up with her in Tennessee. Emma and Travis hopped out of our van, and into Jen’s vehicle. Emma was a little sad about going on Saturday night, but by Sunday morning, she was happy to be going to visit Nana and Papa. Travis kept asking if Wyatt could come with him to Wisconsin, and originally we had planned on that. But when Chandler got his job, then Wyatt could work with me, so Wyatt decided to stay back and work. I think Wyatt would’ve liked to have gone along also, but he was also happy to be going home. Our friends, the Harrison’s, kept Sam from Thursday thru Sunday, so we picked him up on Sunday night. I think Sam was happy to see us, but he really doesn’t seem to mind hanging out with the Hardisons’ dog Marley. We were all happy to be home on Sunday night, and when we sat down for family prayer on Sunday evening, I was like “okay, who’s going where this week and working where?!” I’m thankful that the sun sets later these days, as we are frequently gathering around the table around 7:30/8:00pm for supper! (Everyone still likes to eat!) I’m thankful for employment, memories, family, God’s grace, sleep and clean clothes! (I’m thankful for a lot more, but those are the ones that are on my mind!) 

Travis and Emma will be coming home with Jen tomorrow, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them! Roger has been crazy busy with work also. Typically the standard fire season is over by early June as the humidity rises and we get more rain showers. However, this summer has been very hot and very dry, so Roger has been working quite a bit. The district that he flies for has only received about .5 inch of rain in the past 31 days. Most of the crops are gone, and only the farmers that have some type of irrigation will get anything off their fields. The cucumber harvest is about 90% dried up, and peas will be in short supply as we just haven’t gotten enough rain. Please pray that God will provide some rain for much of the eastern side of North Carolina. We are thankful that Roger is able to gain some extra hours as this will help him be able to take off in the fall when he is coaching the soccer season, but we also really, really need a nice soaking shower of rain. 

Amidst the business of all the working schedules and summer activities, I’m also constantly reminded that Garett will be a senior this fall. I’m not ready! We’re trying to soak up the memories, moments, and pour into each of our children their need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Garett has talked with us a little about his plans for after high school, but he needs a lot of direction and prayers at this point in time. We are capable of hard things, and God provides what we need every step of the way. I know that this also holds true for our children. I’m thankful that while the world erupts in chaos and disorder, we serve a God who has never relinquished His control. He holds us in His hands- and I’m thankful for His presence. 

Competitions, Birthdays, Memories, and More!

 

We have five weeks left in the school year, and the days are flying by! Every year after spring break time seems to pick up speed as we wrap up the school year. Spring sports, awards banquet, spring music recitals, competitions, and warmer weather are all indicators that the end of the school year is right around the corner. 

We enjoyed a few days of warmer weather on spring break, but then the weather turned quite cool. However, we did get down to the beach one of the days on spring break to catch a few rays of sunshine. The boys enjoyed several rounds of golf during spring break, and golfing has become one of their favorite activities (it’s also fairly cheap if you’re a minor, so they need to golf while they’re young!). I didn’t get a whole lot done on my to-do list, but we did enjoy time together as a family and that’s important. 

Last weekend, (4/12) we had our friends the Everett’s down for a few days. Garett and Savannah attended the Junior/Senior banquet. I think they had a good time, but it was a lot of work, money and effort for an event that lasted less than two hours! That was also a crazy Friday as Garett was dismissed from school early due to the banquet, Travis had soccer practice for his rec team, and trying to get everyone where they needed to be on time- but it all came together. We also enjoyed strawberry picking while the Everett’s were here, and a round of golf, and lots of food! 

Last week (April 15-19) was a bit crazy. We had art classes as normal on Monday, but then found out that the art room would be used for the high school competition later in the week. I do not mind sharing the space at all, but we had 29 art projects in the room that were in the final stages of preparing to enter for the elementary students next week (April 22)! My art assistant, Kaycee, has been great this year, and she helps with whatever wild schemes I dream up. We arranged to move all the elementary art over to the science lab to set it up there for the next few days while we finished up the paperwork and helped a few students with their final details. We did art as normal last Tuesday, and then spent the afternoon cleaning, re-arranging, and moving things over to the other building. I spent a lot of time on Wednesday and Friday helping students complete their projects for the art competition. I had asked for the art projects to be brought back right after spring break, and while I got a lot of them back, some of them needed some “fine tuning”. I am amazed a how little parental support some of my students received, and it makes me a little sad. But I’m thankful for teachers who are willing to let me take their students to receive some direction  to help their art projects. All in all, the elementary art did come together, and it was all dropped off for competition on Monday morning! Praise the Lord! Now, we are just waiting to see how the students placed!

Our school hosted a high school competition last week (Wednesday-Friday), and Garett and Chandler were in a couple of events. The choir sang on Wednesday, but Chandler spent all of Tuesday night throwing up as in practically every couple of hours. On Wednesday morning, he had a low grade fever and was still throwing up. I texted his choir teacher and said that unless Chandler was desperately needed, he would be staying home! So Chandler stayed at home while the rest of us went to school. I’m not a huge fan of this competition because I feel like a lot of kids spend their time sitting around and not cheering on their classmates, but rather just wasting time (I hate wasting time!). Garett was in choir on Wednesday and the Ensemble. He didn’t need to be at school until around noon, but since I go into school at 7:30am, he had to come too. But Garett is a pretty good sport most of the time, so he helped with a few odd things here and there, and worked on some school work. The choir sang in the afternoon on Wednesday and the ensemble shortly afterwards. We actually got to come home a little earlier than normal so that was a pleasant treat! Chandler wasn’t feeling 100% on Thursday, but he was healthy enough to go. Wyatt had a migraine though so he stayed at home! Thankfully, Wyatt is too young to be in the competition, so he didn’t miss much! Garett sang in a mixed quartet on Thursday, and while he struggles to hold his part, I’m thankful that he is always willing to try. He will smile and give it his very best. After the quartet, Garett had to hustle out to the soccer field for the soccer kick shoot out. We did terrible in that event (usually how it goes when no practice is involved!). It was a warm afternoon, so we were all happy to go home with that event was over. 

Friday brought about the final day of competition for the high school events, and Wyatt still wasn’t feeling great. Travis offered to stay home to take care of Wyatt and the dog. Wyatt and Sam had been just fine the day before, but Travis was an eager beaver to volunteer to stay home. Roger and I think highly of education, but with the competition going on, the junior high classes had been having a lot of substitute teachers and irregular schedules, which Travis does not handle well. We decided to let him stay home and you’d have thought we had given him the moon! It’s hard on me to have him ask me every single day if I will sign him out of school, does he have to go, or will I pick him up early. For whatever reason, God has allowed Travis to have another challenging school year. I surely don’t know the reasons, and I tell Travis often that I don’t know what God is doing, but I know that He does care about each one of us. We pray hard and we pray often that God will provide Travis with one special friend. Having the chickens to take care of and Sam has helped some, but Travis still could use a friend at school. 

Anyways, back to the competition at school. On Thursday night, Chandler asked me if Eli could stay overnight at our house. Normally, we don’t have people over during the school week, but since this week has been a little different, I agreed.  I can’t remember the last time Chandler asked if someone could sleep over, but it was a fun afternoon.   The boys tromped around in the woods, went fishing, played basketball, watched a movie and ate a lot of supper! Roger didn’t get home from work til after 9:00pm due to a fire, and he didn’t even notice that we had an extra boy in the living room! I think the boys had a good time, and I was thankful that it worked out on the spur of the moment idea. 

Chandler competed in the mile run on Friday morning. I was able to watch him compete, so I was thankful for that. Chandler ran his mile about nine seconds faster than last year. Last year he placed first, and this year he placed fourth. The kid that won the mile won by a long shot! Chandler didn’t seem terribly disappointed as he was just happy that he had ran faster than the previous year. It meant that Chandler did not place in any of the events that he competed in, but he said that next year he’d like to participate in a few more events. As for all the teachers, we are glad that week is behind us! 

Wyatt’s 15th birthday was on Saturday (April 20th). I can’t believe my smack-dab-in-the-middle-child is 15!!! Time is flying by! He was feeling a little better on Saturday and asked if Roger would take him golfing for his birthday. We had lunch together at a Mexican restaurant early in the afternoon, and then Roger took all the boys golfing. I think they had a good time, but Wyatt was exhausted when he came home. He showered and laid right down on the couch. I don’t remember the last time he was this sick for this long with just a constant low grade fever and headache (sounds like Covid). He went right to bed on his birthday, so we will have to celebrate with ice cream cake another time. 

It’s always nice when someone makes a meal or invites us over for dinner, and Jen invited us all over to her house on Sunday afternoon. Our church was hosting a singing group from a college, so all the Sunday school classes were combined. We had just sat down, and the students were singing their first song, when Wyatt broke down. I asked him what was the matter, and he replied that his head was hurting so badly and the music was making it worse. So Wyatt and I slipped out, and I took him to Jen’s house. He crawled right into bed, and I went back to church for the worship service. After church, we all went to Jen’s for lunch, and Wyatt still was looking pale. He didn’t eat much (a true sign to every mama of teenagers that something is not right), and when we went home in the afternoon, he showered and laid back down on the couch. Our family had already made arrangements to go over to the Hardison’s house for supper and fellowship, so Wyatt stayed home. Wyatt started to make a change for the better on Sunday afternoon, but we decided to have him stay home anyways- no one else wants to be sick! We had a good time at the Harrison’s, even though it was raining. They also have a fairly young pup, so Sam had a great time getting all dirty out in the yard with Marley the pup! We enjoyed conversations, food and fellowship, and we are thankful for friendships. 

Monday morning was the morning of the big event for the elementary art competition. I get nervous that I’ll have accidentally missed a direction or did a step wrong. The last thing I want is for any of our art to be disqualified! All the art had to be dropped off at ten am, so I spent the morning checking and re-checking the directions, the paperwork, and having students sign the paperwork. I gave a huge sigh of relief when it was all safely delivered! 

On Tuesday, Kaycee and I had to re-arrange our normal art schedules. Since the competition this week is for 3rd-6th grade, we had art classes for kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. I would’ve loved to have had art with everyone, but there are not enough hours in the day! I decided that kindergarten, first and second grades needed the art specials more as they won’t be getting out of school for the competition. I don’t always do it perfectly, but I do work hard to try to make sure that the teachers get their specials for their classes. 30 minutes of planning can and will make a big difference to a teacher! Having taught in the classroom, I know how valuable those planning periods are, so I try to make it happen. Since the art room was being used, we had art classes in the back foyer of one of our buildings. It’s a fairly big space, but it’s also a walk-through area for students going out to recess, lunch, bathrooms, etc. It was a crazy Tuesday, but by the grace of God, we made it through! I am also very thankful that we don’t have to do it like that every week! 

Tomorrow will be a big day for our elementary students as they compete in many events. I’ve been working with our Bible Sword Drill teams, and I’m ready to have this behind us as well. I certainly don’t mind helping out with these students, and I’m thankful for the opportunity. But between art, Bible Sword drill and my own kids, I am thankful that this competition will be over this week! We have a 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade team for Bible Sword drill. My friend, Jennifer, and I have been working with the students for several weeks trying to prepare them for this competition. The younger grades get 10 seconds to find the Bible reference and the older grades get 7 seconds! That’s not much time when you’re trying to find a reference in 66 books of the Bible! However, they’ve worked hard, and we are praying that all that hard work will come to fruition tomorrow. 

It’s hard to believe, but in four weeks from Friday, school will be over for another year! The boys have been busy trying to get jobs lined up for the summer. Garett’s boss from last summer said that he might have some work for Garett, so please pray that will open up for Garett again. Chandler applied for an internship job through a local community college. He had to complete a hefty online interview and then this past week, he was called for a face-to-face interview. I took him to his interview on Tuesday, and they said that they would notified the students that would be hired by May 6th. This would be a fantastic opportunity for Chandler as it’s an internship with some class time as well as hands-on learning, and he would be paid. However, they’re only accepting 12 applicants, and there were about 45 that had face-to-face interviews. But we will pray and see what God does. 

In closing, I really should go back to writing on the blog once a week! So much happens in two weeks that it’s hard to keep up with all the details! Garett had a bit of a rough week last week, and we spent much time in prayer and talking with him. If he’s brought to your mind, please pray for him. I’m thankful that God loves our children so very, very much. Garett will also be running for Student Body President next week, so I know he’d appreciate your prayers for that. He is very excited about the opportunity, but also a little nervous. I’m excited to see him campaign. :) 

Chandler and Wyatt will compete in their final golf tournament on Monday, and I am trying to work out the details to go and watch them play. Garett’s baseball season is wrapping up next weekend (first weekend in May), and Travis will start his soccer games with a game on May 10th. He’s excited about playing, and we are hoping that perhaps God will also provide a friend on his team. 

God is good. We are waiting on God for some answers regarding schooling for our children next fall. It’s always hard to step out in faith, but God is always faithful. For whatever reason, God gave us several children that really do struggle with school. (I’m thankful that Jen helps out with tutoring Travis and Garett in some of their subjects!!) This doesn’t mean that these children are not smart, responsible, and respectful,  but it does mean that as their mama, I have to stay on top of things a little more than with some of our other children. It can be tiring, exhausting and overwhelming, but I’m so thankful for the precious gift of each of our children.  Christ’s  mercy is more than I can imagine, and when I am overwhelmed, His mercy is more…

New Life, New Memories and Moments!

 

(Started on 3/29)

Praise the Lord- spring break is finally here!!! It’s been a long time and coming, and I am looking forward to a bit of reprieve over the next few days. We are looking forward to celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday. Our church is having a Good Friday service tomorrow night, a community outreach event on Saturday morning, and services on Sunday. We are looking forward to the opportunity to reflect on what Jesus has done as well as point others in our community to Jesus through our community event. Also on Saturday our oldest boys are coming home as well as my sister and my dad! Yay!!!! 

My parents arrived in North Carolina last Monday evening, and while my dad has been in the Dominican Republic, my mom has helped with getting the boys where they need to be, reading with Emma, and enjoying time with her family in the western side of the state. Last Tuesday afternoon my parent came to watch Garett play in his baseball game. However, Garett had said on Monday that his arm was hurting him a bit. By Tuesday afternoon, he was in quite a bit of pain, and he was unable to play in the game. That was disappointing to him and my parents, but clearly he had strained something in his arm. Hopefully he will have some time to rest his arm over spring break, and be ready to return to baseball after break. 

Last Wednesday my parents checked the younger three out of school a little early to take them to lunch. Whenever Papa is around, things happen! Jen and Travis have devised a plan to raise some chickens for eggs. Jen suggested to Travis that perhaps she would get some chickens after the missions trip. However, by the time Jen and I arrived home from school, the chicken coop was built and the chickens were in a tote with a heat lamp! The plan is for the chickens to live in Jen’s backyard, but currently, we are babysitting half a dozen chickens. Travis has done very well with taking care of them, watering them, cleaning out their pen, and even helping to find a different pen for them as they are growing quickly. The chicks cannot be outside yet, but thankfully, they’ve been moved to the shed at our house. Originally Travis had the chicks in the tote in our mudroom, but I told him the chickens were smelly. He replied, “It’s fine, Mom. They don’t smell that badly.” Um, son, the chicks are moving out! 

The boys stayed overnight at Jen’s house on Thursday night since they were leaving at 2:15am on Friday morning. Chandler did not want to miss his last golf practice, so I told him I would finish his packing as long as he didn’t care what he was wearing. He replied, “Oh, I already packed most of my clothes. Mr. Hardison (our athletic director) gave us some old jerseys and shorts. I’m just going to wear those and then leave the clothes there. Then I have less to pack!” However, in every picture I’ve seen of him on Facebook, he’s wearing the same orange shirt and gray shorts! I finally sent my sister a message and asked if he’s changed clothes this week. She said that outfit was his painting and concrete work outfit as he doesn’t want to wreck his other clothes. But he has showered and changed clothes this week- thank the Lord! They’ve been busy with moving lots of dirt, mixing and pouring cement, helping with Vacation Bible School, and a lot of other things. I’m sure they’ll come home exhausted, but we are so very thankful that Garett and Chandler have had this opportunity. We are praying for them to be a blessing and get a blessing. Missions trips can change your life. 

Emma has been praying about getting a dog for about a year now. She’s been praying specifically for a German Shepherd. Roger and I have been saying that God will provide a dog in His perfect timing. I couldn’t imagine adding a dog into our lives, but guess what? Here we are! A co-worker of Roger’s mentioned to him last week that she had a friend that was trying to get rid of some puppies. The puppies were pure-bred German shepherds, and they were selling them for $1,000 a piece! Um- no thank-you! However, the co-worker continued on to explain that this family had two (14 week) puppies that they just wanted to give away to good homes. I was pretty sure that I didn’t need a 14 week puppy in my life, but the pup would be free, and it was a German Shepherd- should we go look?! So on Friday, March 22, we went over to see the puppies or we tried! They had let the puppies out to run off some energy, and the puppies were no where to be found! The pups had run off with the two older 6 month dogs and there was one puppy left to see! The pup that was left at home had a hernia, and we knew we didn’t want to start off with vet visits. We decided that we would come back on Saturday to see the other puppies. Wyatt, Travis and Emma were thrilled with the thought of getting a dog, Roger thought it would be a good idea for our family, so I was the one holding out! We went back to see the pups on Saturday, and there was Sam. Sam was one of the 14 week old pups, and we could’ve chosen one of the six month old dogs, but at six month they’ve already learned a lot of bad habits. Sam was the one that we picked out, as he seemed calm and collected. Sam came home with us, and while the trip home was a bit rough as Sam got car sick, we made it home. Sam was very reserved the first few days, but he’s been a good change for our family. Roger has worked with Sam a lot, and Wyatt and Travis are very good with Sam. Emma loves Sam, and he puts up with her. God answered Emma’s prayer, and I hope that she never forgets that! 

My mom came back from visiting her family on the western side of the state on Tuesday, and we surprised her with showing her Sam! It was nice that my mom was around this week as she could take the boys and Emma right home after school to check on the pup, and the boys and Emma were excited to get out of school a little early twice this week! Also, since my mom has been in town this week, I asked her to come to read to my library classes. She was willing to read, and my assistant (Jen) and I were happy to have her read! It’s always nice to have a guest reader in the library, and I’m thankful that my mom was willing to read. 

(Continued 4/2) Friday was our first official day of Spring Break! It was a day of lots of activities as we prepared for guests in our home for Easter Dinner. The boys began their trip back to the U.S. on Friday, and arrived home on Saturday afternoon. Our church had sent out an email saying that there would be a baptismal service on Easter Sunday. Emma has been asking about baptism for a while, so we contacted Pastor. After the Good Friday service, Emma went to talk to Pastor Powell. Roger and I went with her, but she talked with Pastor Powell on her own. She cried a little as she talked about her salvation and how she knew that Jesus had died for her sins. After a short conversation, she asked about being baptized on Sunday. It was arranged that Emma would be one of the four to be baptized on Sunday. She was so excited (and nervous), but she wanted to surprise Papa, Nana and Aunt Jen. We tried to surprise her older brothers too, but Travis let the cat out of the bag on Sunday morning! 

Saturday morning found Emma and I back at church for a community event for Easter. I had been asked to face paint (something, I’ve never done before!). I was completely nervous for most of the time while painting faces, and I passed on anything harder than flowers and hearts to my friend, Kaycee. Yes, I teach elementary art, but it’s different when I’m following along to written directions, have practiced the art project, and it’s not on a person’s skin! Whew! We made it! I’m thankful for my friend, Kaycee, who was willing to help with the face painting. There were quite a few of us that were face painting, and there were a lot of kids that wanted their faces painted!! Emma enjoyed the morning playing with her friends on the inflatables, participating in the egg hunt, and enjoying the beautiful day. God blessed us with a beautiful day for the event, and there were a lot of people that came out for it. 

After the morning event, Emma and I went home to get Sam and Travis. Wyatt decided to stay home, but Sam needed to go to the walk-in clinic at Tractor Supply to get a rabies shot and a check-up. I wasn’t thrilled about the amount of time we spent waiting in line, and neither was Sam, but we made it! Sam now has the shots that he needed, and he probably won’t want to visit Tractor Supply again any time soon! On our way back from the clinic, we stopped at Jen’s to pick up Garett and Chandler. Yay! Both boys were completely surprised that we had gotten a pup while they were away, and it was a good surprise. Sam has been a good dog so far- he’s calm, gentle, and gets along with all the kids. I didn’t want a puppy, but Sam has fit in quite nicely. 

Sunday was a full, tiring, but great day! We were going to be having about 40 people over for lunch, which dropped to about 35, but still a full house! We had been praying that God would give us beautiful weather so that everyone could be outside, and He did! Our friends, the Everetts, came down on Saturday evening, and Laura and I were up early to prep and cook. We surprised ourselves with everyone being ready for church super early. Emma and I needed to be at church by 9:15am as she was singing with the kids choir. She was a little nervous about the baptism, but also excited. Emma and I headed to church, and the rest stopped for coffee before church. It was a full service with lots of singing (I love that part), the baptism, and preaching. It was a great service! 

Around 1:30pm, we had Easter dinner at our house. Our house was full, but so were our hearts. There was PLENTY of food, and it was all delicious! We had my parents, Jen, Everetts, Harrison’s, Tamela’s parents, Carrillos, and the Lee family over for lunch. The kids spent the entire afternoon outside with basetkball, golfing, and playing together. The adults fellowshipped together and kept track of little ones and puppies! The Everett’s had their dog, the Harrison’s had their pup, and we had Sam! The Hardison’s dog, Marley, and Sam wrestled and played together for hours and then would flop over for a nap. It was fun to watch them play, and the kids enjoyed holding the chicks, walking the dog and being outside. We are so thankful that God blessed us with a beautiful day, and I am thankful for Ressurrection Sunday. Food is good, fellowship is great, memories are wonderful, but the most precious and awesome part of it all is that Jesus Rose Again! What a day to celebrate! Death was defeated and Jesus conquered the grave! Praise the Lord! 

We are looking forward to a few days off of school! These first few days are supposed to be warm and beautiful, but then it’s supposed to turn chilly again. We will also be working on a few school projects that need to be finished up before we return- such as a science project, animal notebook, and fine arts project- never a dull moment!

In closing, God is good, so good. I’m starting a devotional book on the names of God, and the first one in the book is God- Elohim, meaning the Strong Creator. How much we have to be thankful for in this life! Looking at the choices of those in leadership in our country and what’s happening around the world, would cause me to be depressed in a hurry! But we can rejoice that our confidence is in God and not in mankind! 

Almost...Almost!

 Trying to find a quiet or spare moment to write on the blog has been challenging at best, and when I do have a spare moment these days, my brain is going 500 directions! This week we have mid-quarter reports that need to be prepared, kindergarten screenings for next school year, pet-sitting for some friends of ours, Patriotic program practice, teaching gym class to some students, plus just the normal day to day activities in our family. But...we have only 20 days of school left! We are in the home stretch, and I think both the students and the teachers are feeling it! 

We’ve been pet sitting for some friends of ours, and while I miss my own bed, it’s been a good experience for the kids. The pond in their yard is an attraction for all our kids, and a lot of time is spent looking for frogs, turtles, and seeing who can fall in the most times in a day! It’s a little farther from school than our house, but we are making it all work. 

Sunday was Mother’s Day, and it was a blessing to be back with our church family. We went out for lunch after church, and then a quick stop at Lowe’s for a Mother’s Day present. Travis picked out my Mother’s Day present. A few weeks ago, I had seen a yeti cup that keeps your can cold. I had admired it because I like sparkling water and Diet Coke, but I’m always drinking it at room temperature by the time I finish it. I had mentioned it to the kids, and they decided to get it for Mother’s Day. Travis picked out the color of the cup, and it’s a beautiful teal color. He said, “I know you really like pink, and they had a pink cup there. But I know you like teal too, and if I get to use your cup, I’d rather it'd not be pink!” Alrighty then! I do enjoy the cup though! All our kids created cards for me too, and that was very special also. I love reading homemade cards. 

Last week was teacher appreciation week, and I found myself on both ends of the spectrum as parent and teacher! I worked with several moms in our parent group to help create some special events for our dear teachers. I ordered Amazon gift cards on behalf of the parent group and wrote out the thank you notes to our staff...didn’t write myself a note though! Tuesday the parent group handed out the teachers favorite candy bars, and I had my kindergarten class deliver those to the teachers. They really enjoyed that! Wednesday was a teacher’s luncheon. It was a special time for our teachers to enjoy lunch and visit together. Thursday was thankful Thursday with notes from the students to the teachers. And Friday we had coffee, fruit and yogurt for break time. My amazing friend, Bethany, coordinated some parents to help cover morning recess for the teachers. I made the teachers some blueberry muffins on Tuesday evening but I failed to tell my children that the muffins were not for them! Guess what? We did not have any blueberry muffins to take to the teachers on Wednesday morning! Instead we made more blueberry muffins on Wednesday evening and the kids took some to their teachers on Thursday.  Roger came to help out with playground recess on Friday as well handle some matters with the school board. He’s been working about three full time jobs with his regular job, the school board, and our family, as well as helping with teen group on Sunday nights.  We are waiting patiently...actually, I’m not waiting patiently, but I’m trying...as we continue to wait on God’s perfect timing.  

Last Sunday afternoon, the neighbors barn burned down. It was a fairly large fire, and we are thankful for the Lord’s protection. The family and pets are all safe, but it was quite the afternoon of excitement. Garett and Chandler have been hired by our neighbor to mow the grass once a week, so they started that job last week. They are very excited about their job, and the neighbor man told them that he was impressed with the boys mowing skills. He didn’t think that they’d do as good of a job as they did. Ha! I remember when Garett was about eight years old. I was trying to back my dads zero turn lawn mower out of the garage, and it wasn’t going well. Garett says, “Mom, I can do this. I’ve helped Papa (my dad) lots of times”. So I let him get on, and he proceeded to back it out carefully and correctly. Since then, I’ve never gotten on a riding lawn mower again as the boys just do it all. Now if it’s a push mower, I’ll do that because that’s great exercise! 

As with every year, we are faced with changes and challenges in our little Christian school also. It can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, but I am so thankful to rest in the promise that God goes before and beside us. Our administrator had her baby last week, and I snuck away from school today to go see the baby. Travis was having a very rough morning today and told me that he wanted to be done with school and that he didn’t like it at all. We chatted for a bit, and he told me that he just feels like he can’t get away from the difficult people in his class. I’ve really been trying to do better lately about LISTENING to my children instead of offering them a quick reply. I also recognize that I am WAY better about listening in the morning than I am in the evening! Anyways, I told Travis that I would take him with me to see the baby, but he would have to come back to school as I have kindergarten screenings. He was so excited about the opportunity, and he told me that he’d love to see the baby but he couldn’t hold the baby. I said yes, well the baby is really little. He said “That’s not it, mom. We boys had a playoff golf tournament to see who would get to hold the baby first, and I didn’t win.” This baby is so loved by our children already! It cracks me up that they created a way to see who would get to hold the baby first! 

While the week has been long, there is always something to rejoice in every day. I’m thankful for my salvation, my family, my spouse, my kindergarten class, our church and school. We are blessed. 

School, Soccer, Fish, and Blessings!

Chandler caught a bunch of minnows in his homemade minnow trap! 

Our school soccer field is right on the ocean bay- its a beautiful spot!

Saw these deer in our driveway! 

Our own children also enjoy the kindergarten room! 

The fish tank! 

Rough moments but sometimes we have to do things we don’t really want to do! Life! 

 We will be starting week #8 of school tomorrow! God has protected us in a mighty way, and He has put a hedge of protection around our church/school property. We pray daily for His continued protection, and I know that many of you pray with us- thank you! 

We thought that last week was going to be the last week of soccer.  But since a team forgot to show up last Tuesday, we have one more game this week! The boys certainly don’t mind that they get to have a few extra soccer practices and another game. And while I am very, very happy that the boys had the opportunity to play, I’m looking forward to being able to come right home after school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday! 

Last Monday we had a home game. The team did not have one of their better playing experiences, and it showed in how they played together. They lost the game, but it was another opportunity to learn something. No soccer game has every been won by one player- work together! On Tuesday we were supposed to have another home game, but the team forgot to show up! Apparently they had forgotten to put the game on their schedule, so they did not show up to play. It was disappointing, for sure, but we got to go home a little early- yay! 

Wednesday was an early release day for the students. We have an early release day once a month where the students are released around lunchtime, and the teachers get an afternoon to have a staff meeting and work on classroom stuff. We always can use more time in our classrooms! Our administrator has three young kids, whom our children adore! All of our children were happy to spend an hour in the kindergarten room eating pizza, playing with the toys, and visiting with each other. I’m so glad that our children enjoy spending time with our administrators children, as that is just an added blessing! Roger was able to pick up our children around 1:30, so that meant that I had the opportunity to do some additional preparing and planning for the school week. I even managed to update one of my bulletin boards- hooray!

Thursday marked the day for an away soccer game. The game was going to be played about an hour from the school, and nearer to a larger city. Since this city has a Sam’s Club, Target and other shopping places, I had planned to leave after my morning kindergarten class to run a few errands before the game. When I mentioned my plans, I was surprised to hear that all five of our children wanted to come with me! Garett told me that he really didn’t want to go shopping too much, but since I was leaving at 11:45am, and the rest of the team was leaving around 2;15pm, he wanted to come with me. That’s a Garett statement right there! The boys asked me if they could invite Austin to come with us on Thursday, so I ended up taking five boys and one little girl with me on errands. The boys were happy to have a friend along, and I am so very thankful that Chandler has Austin in his class. Austin is a good friend to our boys, and it was fun to hear them laugh and visit together as we wandered through Sam’s Club, Walmart, Five Below, and Dick’s Sporting Goods. It was a fun afternoon, and I’m glad I brought them with me. We arrived at the playing field just as the soccer team from school pulled into the parking lot! Perfect timing! The team ended up winning the soccer game on Thursday, so that was exciting for the team. I am very thankful that I’ve been able to be a part of being involved with the team. Due to Covid, we can’t take the team to McDonalds or some fast food place after the game, so my friend, Ashley, and I have made up sack suppers for each away game. Honestly, it’s worked out so well that I think I’d want to continue doing it this way even after Covid. It saves so much time (and money) to just hand a sack supper to each player after the game. The suppers include a sandwich, piece of fruit, bag of chips, dessert and a Gatorade. I’m sure that some players could do with a more substantial supper, but it’ll hold them until they get home! 

Roger has had a few more days off this past week due to weather and scheduling. I asked him if he was working at all this week, and he replied that he was working his “normal” work load of four days a week. It’s been since June 29th that Roger has had a four-day week, so no wonder we wondered if he was working! Last Sunday Roger was able to come to church with us which was the first time since mid-June. I think it was one of the first times that he wasn’t wearing a work uniform or going out to the airport since the end of June! It’s been a long summer (actually a long year!) but now that the float plane is done for the season, we may be able to get a sense of some type of “normalcy” again. We were/are happy to make sacrifices for the good of the company, and we will continue to do so. It was also nice to have Roger around a bit more. Because of the work schedule this week, Roger was able to go on a hike with the junior high boys on Friday afternoon. I never thought we’d be the kid with a child that didn’t want to go on a hike, but we had one this past week. Chandler did not want to go on the hike. I know it was largely due to personality differences, but guess what? Difficult people are everywhere and at every stage of our lives. Roger and I had several discussions with him about the hike, but at the end of the day we had to force him to go, tell him that he was to have a good attitude, and he was to do his best to work with the people that were challenging to him. I was in tears as much as Chandler, but Roger and I both knew that we needed to make him go. And since God worked out the details that Roger could go on the hike, that was even better! I think both Chandler and Garett ended up having a good time, and it was a good experience for the junior high boys to climb a mountain on Friday afternoon! 

The school board recently hired another person to help out at the school. This person does maintenance, tutors students, helps with lunch and recess duty, and so much more. This man is a member of our church, and he has been such a blessing to our boys. Mr. Waugh has worked in a Christian School in the past and also with junior high boys. Mr. Waugh helps with students that may need additional learning help, and Garett is one of those students that will benefit from that. Wyatt asked me this week what he needed to do to get to have a conversation with Mr. Waugh! I was like what?! Wyatt replied that he liked Mr. Waugh, and he would like to have some one-on-one time with Mr. Waugh too. (Wyatt’s grades indicated that he is doing just fine in school!) It was a blessing to hear though that our other boys like and appreciate Mr. Waugh, and they treasure their time with him. I am so thankful that God brought Mr. Waugh to the school. We’ve been needing some more positive male presence in the school, and we are rejoicing in what God continues to do. 

Chandler caught me some minnows for the fish tank, and the kindergarten class is thrilled with their fish! So far, we’ve kept them all alive, and that free fish tank has been such a blessing! I love how God provides little things along the paths of our lives to encourage us, strengthen us, and bless us. What an amazing God we serve! 

Yes, we’ve been busy with school, church and family activities. We’ve also been in fervent prayer for our nation, as I trust you have been also! Much of our nation is living in fear, confusion and chaos. I am so thankful that as believers we can leave all of that at the foot of the cross! God promises that He will raise us up on wings as eagles. He promises that he will hold us in the cleft of the Rock. He promises that He holds tomorrow! Let us pray, fast and ask God to work in a mighty way! 

Day #Thankfulness

                                  Photo credit: my friend, Allison

Thankfulness! Today I am thankful for blue sky, a bit warmer temperatures, friends who love and pray for us, a warm house, food to eat, and clothes to wear- and that is just the beginning of things we have to be thankful for in our lives.

As the Coronavirus strides forward, I’m hearing more and more about fear about what comes “after” the corona virus. How will this affect churches, small business, the economy, small Christian schools,  the election, and on and on. I’m hear to say that the God that is all-seeing and all-knowing is already there. The Bible states clearly that we have no reason to fear as God is still in control. Oh, it might not seems like it from our perspective, but that’s why it’s called “faith”. We just keep on praying and doing the next right thing. For me today that included feeding my tribe, laundry, a bike ride, quiet moments, and solving our children’s problems...doesn’t sound very glamorous, does it? The truth of the matter is that much of our Christian life isn’t glamorous, it’s one step at at time doing what we know to be right. Rest in that tonight.

Roger worked today, so Garett and I were on trash duty. Every week it changes, so we never know what to expect. This week they were only allowing two vehicles into the dump yard at a time. They only had one dumpster and everything went in the one dumpster regardless of what it was...no recycling or sorting again. The yard workers were wearing masks today, and Garett and I were both happy to leave. We got the job done!

The kids spent much of the day outside, except Chandler. He woke up with a migraine, so he ended up heading back to bed. He was feeling much better by later this afternoon, so he went outside for a while, and he ate supper. I’m guessing he is fine again! Garett managed to kill a chipmunk with his pellet gun, so he skinned it out, and is treating the hide. He is writing and collecting for one of his assignments for school. I hope his teacher isn’t shocked by all his “treasures”. I don’t think she will be as she’s a great sport and a good teacher.

When Roger came home from work, he brought along a large box from his boss and his wife. We are so blessed to work with such a wonderful couple who also love and invest in our children. The box was full of goodies, art supplies, games, crayons, paint, paper, modeling clay, and other things! It was a wonderful surprise, and we are so thankful. It will keep our children happily entertained for a while as they try out all the surprises in the box.

Maine news: Maine is up to 456 cases of Coronavirus with ten deaths in the state. We also have had 120 people recover from the virus so that would be the good news. The virus is found in fifteen of Maine’s sixteen counties. Around America...I feel that it is almost impossible to know what is actual truth, so I don’t really have a comment to add there. We just keep on praying that God will do great things, and that we will wait patiently as He is working.

                                                    Our surprise packaged from Kevin and Terri

                           Clearly, this girl has brothers as she is posing next to a dead chipmunk!

The song I’ve chosen for today is one that I had the privilege of singing with a few others at a special event at church many months ago. I love the fact that “through it all, He is Lord, Lord of all.”

April Showers

                                                               Art Lessons

Reading with Daddy

                                                              Muddy Fun!

Emma’s outfit choices continue to add humor to our day 

Welcome to day number ...oh, wait, I can’t remember! Oh well! I’m guessing that the majority of you are in the same boat!


We finished up our third week of  “at-home” schooling today, so that makes the week successful, right? I don’t consider it homeschooling simply because if I had chosen to homeschool all our children, I would have pick curriculum that would have been specific to teaching five kids at home. I will say that I think our school teachers have done amazingly well with trying to meet the needs of the students and not overwhelm the parents. It’s a difficult balance! Our kids spend a lot of time
outside every day, and today they cut down a brush pile. I am thankful that God saw fit to bless us with this house almost four years ago. The yard is a messy, muddy, sloppy place but it’s a space that represents freedom, creativity, imagination, and fun for five kids. I am thankful.

What else am I thankful for today? Well, it was windy and dreary, but it wasn’t raining. That’s a praise! Roger was called off of work today due to the windy weather conditions and visibility over the islands. It means that he will only get in two days of work this week, but in a small business we all must make sacrifices to help the business get through this. We are committed to helping and serving in whatever ways that we can. Roger has a great boss and wife, and we pray for them daily, as well as miss them dearly!

I”m pretty sure that Garett has continued to grow taller in the last few weeks! His pants are starting to get short again, and I’m guessing he’s getting close to six feet these days. Chandler continues to be wiry and muscular...and fast. We haven’t been able to do much running this week as I wasn’t feeling great at the beginning of the week, and the weather has been quite dreary the last few days. Wyatt and Travis continue to be able to wear the same size of clothes, and they are often mistaken for twins when I am out with all the kids (which we haven’t been for about three weeks now). Emma continues to grow as well, and she loves to wear my clothes! I know that she has worn my heels and dress shoes more than I have lately! All in all, I think our kids are weathering through this all quite well, and I trust the Lord to continue to protect and uphold them. We have our moments, don’t get me wrong, but God is faithful and provides grace for the moments.

Having Roger home is always nice for the kids, and today he was able to give Garett an art lesson. It was fun to see them sitting at the table together drawing and talking. I am thankful for all the time that Roger invests in our children. He’s a good, Godly example to them, and I am blessed.

We continue to put one foot in front of another, as do you. I had the opportunity to talk to several older people this week, and I am amazed at their spirits. They are happy and not worried at all. Granted these are our church folk, but I was certainly blessed by their spirit. We had an older lady in our church call to let us know that she was doing grocery shopping for some of the other folks in the church. She sweetly offered to get groceries for our family, and that was such a kind gesture. We have been getting by, and I’m sure I’ll be getting creative about using up our pantry stores and then making a trip (preferably in the morning) to our grocery store. When your family goes through four or five gallons of milk, 3 dozen eggs, several pounds of cheese and butter, yogurt, and lots of fruits and vegetables, you kinda have to grocery shop more often than others. We had thought about investing in an extra refrigerator, but now doesn’t seem to be the time to be finding one. God carries us through, and He continually provides.

What are your blessings from today?
* I took a nap this afternoon. I can’t remember the last time I took a nap, and it was wonderful.

* I’ve been able to do a lot more reading lately as Amazon has offered a kindle membership free for two months! It means that you can “borrow” books to read on your device, and you don’t have to pay for the books. I’ve enjoyed that a lot, and it’s been fun to do some reading for fun.

*Even though the weather was dreary, the kids played outside for several hours building and creating- and not squabbling!

* I am thankful for Godly friends who also encourage me, pray with me, and remind me that this is not forever.


God has not forsaken us. Pray fervently. Pray believing. Pray without ceasing, but let us be patient as we wait for God to do His work among us (I am speaking to myself! I am not the most patient person ever!). Rest in the Lord.


Song for today: