Day # Packet-Pickups...and other life stories!

My favorite new shirt from a dear friend! 

                   School Work!

Worm Hunting! 

Six feet apart...but smiling! 

Sunshine! Glorious Sunshine! This morning dawned bright and cheery, and in spite of not having power this morning, the sunshine was beautiful!

Roger was scheduled to work today, and we are very thankful that he is still able to be working. Times are hard for so many families, and we are thankful that God continues to provide for our needs. He is so very faithful!

We did not get our power back until around noon time today, so this morning we were running on our generator again. I am thankful for the generator...did I mention that yet?!  It was a crazy morning as we tried to use the hotspot on my phone to connect to several different google meets! We managed to hook up my iPad to the hotspot, but we couldn’t get the computer to connect. Garett made it to his google meet on time, but Emma missed her classroom meet this morning. We weren’t the only ones that were having technical difficulty, and it is what it is!

The school packet pickups were originally scheduled for yesterday, but due to rain and wind, the packet pickup was moved to today. Today was a much better day for standing outside and handing out packets! Because Friday was Good Friday, and today was originally the packet pick up, the kids had all their schoolwork done. So they’ve actually had a few days off of school- mom was probably more excited than they were about no school! When I went to check all the kids packets, I realized that Chandler had missed some math assignments. It was a matter of not counting correctly as he thought he would need to do one math paper a day, but there was more than one math paper that needed to be done per day. Thankfully, his teacher was very gracious about his mistake, and we will do better going forward.

I was excited about packet pick up today because it meant that I would get to see people! Hooray! I’ve enjoyed praying with the staff on the phone, but face to face meetings are always best. I’ve missed our preschoolers and their families, so I was looking forward to just a wave and a smile. I am thankful that our kids are old enough to leave at home for short periods of time. We met as a staff to pray at 2:30, and packet pick up began at three. It’s very humbling, encouraging and uplifting to hear eight staff ladies lift their voices in prayer to the King as we ask for Him to give us wisdom, watch over our students, uphold the parents, and to heal our land. While it often seems like our prayers aren’t being answered, I have to trust that God sees the bigger picture. For today, we just do the next right thing...packets for our students and lots of prayer!

While the spirit of the parents in the pickup line was positive, I did see a some tears and watery smiles. This is hard for everyone, and the novelty of “at-home” learning has worn off. Our parents are also weary and concerned, and sometimes it’s hard to be “bright and shiny”! I’m thankful that God is never caught off guard by our emotions, but instead He whispers, “Come unto me”.

One of our teachers made masks for each of the staff. But there weren’t quite enough for everyone. I quickly volunteered to go without a mask. I told Renee that she had to wear the last one because she was the teacher and I’m just the aide!  Don’t tell anyone, but I was secretly glad that I didn’t have to wear a mask. Something about it makes me claustrophobic, and I feel like I can’t breathe. Clearly, you can breathe through a mask, but my heart rate increases just thinking about putting something over my mouth and nose.

So now we have fresh school packets, and back to “at-home” learning we will go tomorrow!

Maine news: Our governor extended the “state of emergency” for our state until May 15th. I could’ve actually cried as it’s so discouraging! We are still two weeks out from the end of April, and already we have an extension! Ugh! It is what it is! Onward we go! We are up to over 700 cases of corona in Maine. We have 734 cases, and one additional death has been reported. So, we continue to pray. We continue to try to wait patiently.

Day #Power outage! (Again)

Our power went out again tonight, and I am writing this using my phone data. That being said, this will be a short update!

It was rainy today...all day. The wind picked up this afternoon, and the power is out again. I’m guessing that most Mainers are hoping and praying for sunshine tomorrow. I know I sure am!

It was a bit of a long day due to the weather and dreariness. I was thankful for the moments to pray with two of our staff ladies. I also was able to text with my friend, Allison, this afternoon. After I spent some time whining about cooking, cleaning, laundry, the weather, at home schooling, we were able to laugh and move on! It’s good to have laughter in our lives, and friends that can encourage us to just laugh and move on!  I tell my kids that whining doesn’t solve anything, but sometimes I find myself doing it too! Attitude check for all of us! However, God is good and faithful, and He brought us through another day.

A highlight of my day was a package in the mail to me. My friend, Rebekah, sent me a shirt that says “He gives me Peace”. I’ll take a picture another day, but it was certainly a blessing to me heart.

We are plodding along, as are you all. Stay faithful, keep praying, keep the faith, love others, and do the next right thing!

Our love,
Sarah

Power outage....making shapes on the wall. 

Resurrection Sunday- 19 Meals!

Resurrection Meal! 

                                                     Meals to go!

Resurrection Sunday!

This morning Roger and I woke up early to join in a sunrise service on our church grounds. What a special blessing to be a part of such a special service at the cross! There were only a few of us (must have less than ten!), but it was wonderful to see some of our dear church folks in person. Usually the sunrise Easter service is overcast or rainy, but this year it dawned beautiful and clear. It was a chilly morning, but it was a special time of worship.

Roger helped me finish up the cooking for the meals we would be delivering a bit later in the day. At one point in time, I think every counter in our kitchen was covered with either food waiting to be plated or dishes waiting to be washed. There were a few chaotic moments, but overall, it went very smoothly! We had all the plates ready to go by ten, and then at 10:30am., our family sat down to Easter dinner. We tried to watch our church service online, but the internet was very, very spotty. It’s hard to watch a service when the internet keeps saying “error”, “error”! We will be sitting down to our Easter Service instead tonight.

Our children were very excited to go deliver meals to folks. As Wyatt said, “I am so glad to be going ANYWHERE!” We had eleven stops to make with the last stop being at my sister’s house. The kids did a great job hopping in and out of the van, getting the cards and plates together, and knocking on the door. The older folks seemed so glad to see a smiling face, and even through the door, they were happy to see the kids. Terri (Roger’s bosses’ wife) made our kids a whole pan of treats...brownies, Rice Krispie treats, chocolate, fruit snacks, etc. The kids were thrilled! Our kids have come to love Kevin and Terri so very much. Emma hopped out of the van, ran up to the door and gave Terri a hug. Travis came scrambling up behind her yelling at her for “breaking the rules” and “what are you doing?!”. Emma looked so baffled and confused, and then started crying in the car about how she just wants to hug the people! It was a few moments of crazy confusion while we tried to sort out the whole thing! Travis is a rule follower, and his way of handling the situation is not always with the most grace and compassion! We also took a family selfie and Travis yells out “Coronavirus!” He keeps us on our toes!

Travis and Wyatt were delighted to take a meal to their school teacher, and I know that both boys were happy to see their teacher. Mrs. Wheelis made me a delightful goody bag with a coloring book, colored pencils, candles, and soap, and a delightful card. I am so blessed.

Another dear lady in our church had made whoopie pies for the children. Really, we had not expected anything in return, but clearly there are others that also enjoy giving gifts. It really was a special afternoon for our family. We had a quick visit with my sister and her husband when we dropped off their meal. She gave the kids a box of treasures as well, and also some eggs! I think my kids ate the entire way back home!

Would I do it again? Absolutely!  It was a lot of work, lots of dishes, coordinating groceries and a menu, but truly, it was a special blessing to us.  Making the meals and delivering those meals would have been a challenge on a typical Resurrection Sunday with a sunrise service, Sunday school, and morning worship service. However, this year was different...and that’s totally okay. God still provided an opportunity for us to serve others, and I pray that others were blessed by a meal and a smiling face (from six feet away)!

Maine news: 633 cases of the corona virus have been reported.  266 people have now recovered. Maine ranks 34th in percentile of the virus and 7th highest in recoveries. No new deaths have been reported today.

So, we continue to pray and to wait. Let us not be weary, but let us come boldly to the throne!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Delivering meals! 

Day# Power- Thank you, Lord!

Resurrection Sunday is tomorrow, and I imagine that the majority of us are gearing up for a totally different type of celebration than in years past. However, that’s not what is really important. What IS important is that tomorrow is the day that we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! We have reason to rejoice that we serve a LIVING KING, which is a reason to celebrate every single day!

We still did not have power this morning when we woke up, and we were without power for most of the day. The power was restored about 5:00pm, and we are thankful for that. However, I am very, very thankful that we have a generator to power our house for days like the past two! Without the generator, it would have been a bit of a stressful day as turkeys and hams do not cook without heat! Our generator powers our whole house, so as long as I’m not running the dishwasher and the washing machine, we can usually get by. I cooked turkey, hams, made deviled eggs, fruit salad, two cakes, lemon bars, jello fluff, and rolls today! It was a full day of cooking and baking, but I think I have almost everything made that can be made ahead of time.

Yesterday the snow was exciting, and today it was not nearly as exciting for our children! They are ready for spring also! The sun was shining today, so we are thankful for that. We went for a walk, but the wind was rather chilly. I’m thankful for a warm jacket! Emma and Travis spent much of the day cleaning up the basement so that they could ride their bikes and scooters down there. It’s not ideal, but sometimes you have to decide if you really need to tell your child “no” or is it a preference? Sometimes, I have to ask myself that when my child is singing loudly or making a mess (in my eyes). I have to stop and ask “Is this something I need to speak out and correct, or is this something that I can let go?” As the days run into each other and staying at home is not as fun, I need to be careful with my answers and responses to things also. It’s not just the kids that are struggling-sometimes, it’s the mama!

We have nineteen meals to deliver for Easter Dinner tomorrow, and I am praising the Lord for that. Some are church folks, some are neighbors, some are friends or family. We will have about eight stops to make as some stops we are dropping off two meals at one spot. I am excited about the opportunity for our children to see perhaps a different type of Resurrection Sunday, but that it is still an opportunity to serve others. Please pray that we will be a special blessing as we drop off these meals. All of our kids lives, we’ve told them that it is so rude to knock on a door and run away...and what are we telling them this Easter?! “You can drop the meal off on the steps, ring the bell, and then walk away!” I’ve been explaining to them that we have to “social distance” ourselves from others, but that doesn’t mean we don’t serve others. I’m praying that tomorrow will be a memory for them as a year that God provided them a special opportunity. To God be the Glory!

                                                       Photo credit: Pinterest

Resurrection Sunday- what does it mean to you? A day to rest, a time to reflect, moments with family,  lots of food? What stirs in your mind at the words “Resurrection Sunday”? Even unchurched people would probably say that Easter has something to do with Jesus...but what? Why did a sinless man choose to die a horrific death on a cross 2000 years ago? I’ll tell you why. It was for your sin and mine. You can be as good as a person as you can be, have good moral character, love others, and still be lost and without Christ. The Bible tells us that the only way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ. Romans 3:23 states that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Again in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” I John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We cannot be “Good enough” to get to Heaven. You can go to church, live a good life, do the rights things, and not be allowed to enter into Heaven. My friend, the ONLY way to Heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You need to admit you are a sinner, believe that Christ died and rose again -for you, and confess your sin to Him. Do not pass through this life wondering if you are on your way to Heaven. Believe on Him today and rest assured that you can have a home in Heaven. Only one thing in life is certain and that is death. I am totally confident that if I died today, I would be instantly in Heaven. If you have any questions, I would love to talk to you.

Maine News: Oh, let’s see... 256 people have RECOVERED from the virus! That is up almost 30 people from yesterday, but the media wants you to be fearful, so they probably won’t say it like that. We are up to over 600 cases, (616 to be exact). We are at nineteen deaths from COVID-19. Good news seems to be lacking in our nation, but I would challenge to observe the news carefully. There are a lot of fake news stories circulating, and the facts are often difficult to separate from fiction. I am still praying and preparing for God to do a miracle, and I’d highly recommend that you pray the same way. He is able, oh, He is ABLE! Take heart, God is still on the throne. 

Day # Ten Inches of Snow and No Power!

Snow! I have a lot more pictures, but I had to write on the blog using my phone tonight- the photos can wait! 

Photo credit: Pinterest 

Good Friday! As we anticipate the arrival of Resurrection Sunday, we have to first acknowledge that Christ died, was buried and rose again! Out of all the miracles every recorded, the greatest miracle was Jesus rising from the dead. And that my friends, is why we celebrate! The grave is empty and death has been conquered!

In a world that seems to have taken complete leave of all sense of reason or common sense, I have never been more thankful that my hope is in Jesus. I will keep on praying, and I trust that you will also.

We woke up this morning to snow! Not just a dusting of snow-this was like ten inches of wet, sloppy snow! The yard was blanketed in a beautiful white covering, but I’ll admit that my response was not one of great joy! We lost our power around ten pm. last night, so we knew that we needed to get the generator going. Roger and the boys went out to start the generator, and it kept on having fits running smoothly. A bit frustrating to say the least! However, Roger’s boss was able to lend us a smaller generator to get us through the day. Garett and Roger spent the afternoon taking apart our generator and putting it back together. It is now back together and working smoothly! It was a good experience for Garett to work with Roger on tinkering with the generator, and I’m glad that Garett had the opportunity to do that.

My staff prayer partner, Renee, sent me a message this morning to see how I was doing. I explained that our generator was not working well this morning, and I was a bit overwhelmed as I a lot of cooking and baking for Easter Sunday. She immediately replied that she would be happy to bake a dessert for me. That was so sweet and thoughtful! Around noon we had a generator going, and I was able to start on my baking and cooking. I managed to make a good start on my menu for Sunday, and the kids made cards for those we will be taking meals to on Sunday. There are a few spelling errors on a few, but the cards are made with love!

The boys spent the day coming in and out all day and switching gloves and coats. There has been a lot of water on our floor today, but oh well! This morning, while Roger was trying to get the generator going, Wyatt, Travis and I walked down the road. We had nowhere to be, and it was a beautiful walk in the snow. It might not have been what I wanted when I woke up this morning, but it sure was beautiful. God knows what we need, and we will continue to rest in that.

Maine is up to 586 cases of Coronavirus and 17 deaths recorded as a result of the virus. 227 people have recovered so that number does keep increasing also- a good thing!

I really struggled today with the whole “social distancing”, missing church fellowship, school days and events, and just people in general. God created us to be a social people. He created us for His honor and glory, and He did not create us to be creatures of isolation. I feel that we have sacrificed many freedoms and privileges for the name of “safety”.  Thank Heaven that we are not without the resource of PRAYER! We must utilize it fully- everyday, every hour, moment by moment! Don’t give up and don’t quit. We must pray.

Benjamin Franklin once said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."  

Day #Spring Yesterday and Snow Today!

                                             Supper....always a favorite time of the day!!

                                                    Emma’s lesson

Snow again! 

Is it Thisday, Thatday, Someday, or Whatday?! Actually, here’s your reminder for the day- it’s Thursday, April 9, today! Today we put in extra effort into getting the school work lessons done as everyone would like to have a break from the regular studies tomorrow on Good Friday. Travis is behind on his reading, and when I asked him about it, he dissolved into tears. Solving that problem before dinner seemed like a bad idea at the time, so we will conquer that tomorrow when he’s had a good night’s rest! Sometimes the best thing to do is just to wait for another opportunity!

This morning was a bit crazy and chaotic as I worked on uploading the right preschool videos for the right class, helping Emma get set up with her weekly lesson, and then having a preschool meeting with our preschoolers. It was a busy morning! Emma seems to look forward to her weekly visits with her teacher, and she really does do her best to pay attention and concentrate. I know it can be distracting with brothers around and noise, but she did very well. I am thankful for her teacher.

Renee and I had a google meet with our three-year old preschoolers, and we had 100% participation! I was thrilled! It was crazy and chaotic, but they really seemed to enjoy the opportunity to “see” each other. There attention span is much shorter than our four-year old class, but it sure was a special blessing to “see” their sweet faces. We’ve received good feedback from our video lessons, and knowing that our students are watching them makes the recording process all worth it. I sure do miss all our preschoolers, and I’m still praying that we will see them again this year!

The boys and Emma played outside for much of the morning even as the temperature started dropping, and it started raining. But even the rain didn’t slow them down much as they just put on another coat and headed back out. I’m so very, very thankful that they enjoy outside play so much. Wyatt has been working long and hard on conquering a front flip on the trampoline, and he’s almost mastered it.

Roger needed to go to work to pick up his paycheck to take to the bank, so I decided to go along. He dropped me off at Wal-mart while he went to pick up his check and go to the bank. It’s always weird to stand in line to get in the store, but I will say that the cashiers and greeters are very friendly and helpful. Wal-mart was surprisingly well-stocked (thank you for those that prayed about that!), and it was actually a very pleasant experience. I only had to make about two substitutions for things on my list, but nothing that was major. Being in Wal-mart with only 100 other people is a weird experience in and of itself, but it was a blessing to get my shopping done for our Easter dinner. I think we are set on all the ingredients, and I will be baking and cooking on Friday and Saturday! I’m looking forward to it, and I am especially glad that the children are caught up with their school work.

I also managed to make a dairy free, gluten free, and refined sugar free lemon curd today! I wasn’t sure if I would be able to manage all of that, but I did...and it was delicious! It’s a bit tarter than typical lemon curd as honey is a different substitute, but I’m happy with how it turned out. A few of the meals on Sunday need to be gluten free, so I wanted to experiment beforehand!

Maine news: Maine is up to 560 cases of Coronavirus, with 202 recovered. We have 23 more cases of corona than we had yesterday, but also 15 additional recoveries compared to yesterday. I wish that the media would  celebrate more of the recoveries and less hype and fear about the new cases. Caution? Yes! Panic and Hysteria? No way!

I hope that you remembered to pray today for our President, our nation, our states, our communities, our churches and our school. We must not neglect to pray! I know it seems sometimes that our prayers aren’t reaching any further than the air that comes from our mouth, but let us not be weary in well-doing. The promises of God have not changed even though our world has changed drastically! I don’t know about you, but that gives me great, great comfort!


This is one of my very favorite songs, and I hope you enjoy it also!

Day # Despair and “Burden Bearing”

A fort that Chandler built

                                                                 Outside play

Garett doing his schoolwork 

Wyatt is very diligent about his studies

Meanwhile, Travis is in the living room with a box and a knife!

School work in a box! 

Weariness- it’s a real and heartfelt emotion. There are two definitions of weariness. The first definition is one of tiredness or fatigue. The second definition refers to a reluctance to see or experience anymore of something. I am referring to the second definition for today. God gives grace to deal with the weariness and often it’s on a moment by moment basis.

I woke up to news that the Maine CDC was/is recommending for schools to not re-open this year. Since our year is slated to go until June 19th, it seems a bit outrageous to me to be calling the rest of the school year! (But, what do I know?!) However, it was disappointing news to hear this morning. When I called Mrs. Wheelis, who is my 6:30am. prayer partner, she sounded so tired and defeated that I thought I had the wrong number! (Not a feeling you want to experience at 6:30am!) We both shed some tears and expressed our disappointment. Also, it’s hard to say what this means for a small Christian school as it’s not technically mandated...but. Neither Mrs. Wheelis nor I were ready to say good-by to our students, and we both want more of the year. We miss our students so much.
This whole remote learning thing is not a cup-of-tea for anyone, and the novelty wore off long ago! I think I am really learning the meaning of “bear ye one another’s burdens”. I am thankful for the blessing of prayer and the opportunity to bow in the presence of our Heavenly Father. I think we both walked away from the conversation and time of prayer with encouraged hearts.


This is a huge burden on our nation and I’ve never prayed so consistently and fervently for God to move than I have in the case of this virus. I want Him to remove it and to do it mightily! It’s disheartening to see our economy slid further and further and for fear and panic to be ruling in the lives of people, Which is all the more reason that we should be looking to share love and joy with others! Maybe it’s just a smile at the grocery worker, or a wave to the neighbor, or a note or email written to someone. Jesus is still the giver of life and offers rest to the weary.

The rest of the day was fairly crazy for me. Two of our kids had a google meet. Then I had a google meet with our three-day preschoolers. My sister, Hannah, was working today, and she told me I could come up by her to get some eggs. I was thankful for the opportunity to see her, and she thoughtfully gave us almost two dozen eggs. She had managed to find some flour (25lbs), some oatmeal, and even a few packets of ramen noodles. I know that ramen noodles aren’t the most nutritious choice, but everyone can make them one their own, except Emma. I was very thankful for Hannah’s thoughtfulness, and twenty five pounds of flour will last us for a while!

Renee and I recorded a few more preschool lessons this afternoon also. Now that is exhausting! She’s teaching to an empty room, and I’m trying to not mess up the recording! It’s a bit more stressful than I think either of us would’ve envisioned, but I think it’s been good for our preschoolers. Although the videos are totally optional, it gives our students to still experience some of the things that they would at school. I am thankful for Renee’s willingness to do the lessons, and that God provides us with laughter along the way.

Roger and the kids spent most of the day outside. Other than doing the schoolwork that needed to be done, they played and worked outside. Our kids got all the Vitamin D they needed for today, and Travis is even a bit red from sunshine! Chandler spent the day building a tree fort, and he managed to get it up in a tree. He also put a roof on top. He was busy today working with his machete, moss, skill saw, hammer, nails, and all kinds of scraps! I so appreciate the sunshine as the more time that our kids spend outside then the less time they spend squabbling. (I know it’s hard to believe, but they do fight! Ha!)

While I was at the school recording some lessons, I had the rare opportunity to see my friend, Allison. While we kept our six feet social distancing, it was good to see her in person. It was even better to have the opportunity to pray with her. I am so thankful for friends that pray with me. I’d encourage you to find a friend that you will commit to pray with at least every few days. Prayer is what is in the power of our hands to do, and it’s our most valuable tool. So we need to use it!

I’m leaning into Jesus tonight, and I’d encourage you to do the same. Jesus -what a wonderful name!
Let me know if we can help or encourage you in anyway,
Sarah