Beautiful Weather, Small Struggles, Life!

What a beautiful week of fall weather we enjoyed this week! We spent lots of time outside after school working in the yard, cleaning and playing and getting ready for the colder weather as it will be coming!

Monday was spent teaching music classes, helping to supervise lunch duty, and a few errands in the afternoon. Emma and I went to visit one of the elderly ladies in our church. She doesn’t get out much, and my friend, Allison, had mentioned that this particular lady was lonely. I don’t know her very well, but it was good for Emma and I to visit her. We didn’t stay very long, just about half and hour, but the lady seemed like she certainly enjoyed the visit. Truth be told, I don’t feel like I “have time” to visit with people, but if ministry is about touching people’s lives for eternity than I firmly believe that each believer has a responsibility to “make time” for visiting with others. My dad is one of the best people I know about making time to invest in others so I grew up with a great example of that. It’s also important to me that our children see us make the time to invest in other people’s lives be it by having them over for dinner, visiting them in their home, making a blessings basket, or just simply trying to meet some of the needs of those around us. Hmm...that was a bit of a rabbit trail, but oh well!

The boys also had soccer practice on Monday afternoon, so that made for a bit of a long day.  However, it so nice to be outside just playing with the other children during this week of beautiful weather. Tuesday  morning was spent visiting with another mama and her little ones. Roger was  working so after dropping off the boys at school Emma and I headed to a play date. It was a good   morning spent enjoying Bethany’s company and watching the little ones play. We didn’t stay very  long as I needed to get home. Emma and I puttered around the house the rest of the day working on    laundry and getting out clothes for the colder weather.

The boys were very excited about school on Wednesday, well at least the older two were excited! Their teacher had a field trip planned for Wednesday morning, and the boys were looking forward to it. Roger had the day off today, so he was able to join the boys on their field trip. The class went to a Transportation Museum in our area. The class has been studying about Orville and Wilbur Wright, so one of the volunteers at the museum spent some time discussing them. Then another volunteer showed the class around the museum. I don’t think the volunteers see a whole lot of action/people at the museum, and this particular guide was a bit lengthy with his words. However, the class did a good job of paying attention and trying to participate. This particular guide also seemed to have a very small personal space bubble and he didn’t mind being in other people’s space. It was actual a bit humorous as he would ask the kids a question and be standing about eight inches from their noses. It gave me a laugh and it’s a memory from the field trip. The kids seemed to have a good time, but of course they would, after all it was a morning spent outside the classroom! After returning the boys to School and picking up Emma, we decided to take a walk on one of the local trails. It’s been such unseasonable warm weather that we have been soaking it up as much as possible. We had a good walk together and then returned to the school. We had brought two vehicles into School that morning so that one of us could stay for soccer practice while the other went home. I took Emma and Travis home with me to prepare supper and get ready for the next day, while Roger waited for the boys to finish practice. Travis must’ve had a rough day as he was a basket case on the way home. The day  before he had spent some time after school cleaning out the truck. He had done a great job, and Emma had dropped some trash on the floor by the time Wednesday afternoon came around. I could  not grasp why Travis was having such a meltdown over a few pieces of trash that could be easily fixed, but eventually I realized that this was actually just the straw that broke the camels back. He realized today that he wasn’t getting very good grades in class and that he wasn’t on the same reading pages as the rest of the class. (It’s not something I’ve been hiding from him, I just haven’t felt the    need to remind him that he is struggling in school.) And also he wasn’t chosen to help with anything special for his class chapel on Friday, and he didn’t understand his Bible verse, and the truck was a mess, and he didn’t really like School! Oh dear! That was a long list of struggles for a small boy!  After sorting through many of his struggles and listening, he moved on with his afternoon. He spent much of the afternoon out in the back yard just playing in the sandbox and playing with his farm  stuff. My heart hurts for this little boy, but I know that God understands Travis’s feelings and  emotions far better than I do. I’m just trying to be a mama that encourages him, listens to him, and points him to Jesus.

Thursday was spent working on a variety of projects with Roger. He had the day off so we spent some time clearing out stuff that needs to be taken to the dump. It was a productive day of hard work, but we both felt like we accomplished some much needed chores. We took several trips to the dump, and got rid of a lot more stuff than we would’ve had the kids been around. And so far, none of them have mentioned that anything is missing. In the afternoon, before picking up the boys, Emma and I went to visit Mrs. Welch. She is a local pastors wife, and a friend of ours. I try to visit at least once a month, but sometimes time gets away from me. We enjoyed a good afternoon talking about many topics. After school we took the boys on a hike. One of the big cruise ships was in the bay today, so we hiked out to one of the lighthouse perches to see if we could get a better glimpse. We didn’t get to see the cruise ship...we could not see it at all actually. However we had a good time hiking, finding sea glass, and enjoy8ng a beautiful afternoon. When we returned to the truck, we realized that although Roger had locked the vehicle, one of the doors as left wide open! Thankfully, nothing was missing, but it was certainly  a reminder to be a bit more careful! Thursday was also the day that I prepped for hot lunch and made haddock chowder. Roger was given haddock at work, so I made a chowder with it. It must’ve been good because everyone had two helpings. I didn’t bother to mention that the broth was puréed cauliflower and cottage cheese, and those “potatoes” were actually radishes! No need to mention anything about the nutritional value to them, but I certainly took great delight in their lavish reviews of the chowder!

  

 

Friday is always a long day. No matter how prepared I try to be, or how much I try to plan out the days it’s still just a long day. Hot lunch today was meatballs, garlic bread, noodles and sauce, salad, and cookies. I brought my nesco for the meatballs, and my crockpot for the sauce. Pastor Mark has been lighting the stove for me on Fridays as I’ve become a bit intimidated by it since I almost lit my  hair on fire a few weeks ago. Overall hot lunch has been going very smoothly this year. We are staying in budget, the kids and staff are enjoying it, and it’s becoming part of the Friday routine. After cleaning up from lunch, Emma and I took lunch out to Roger, picked up another gallon of milk (something we do often!) and returned to the school. I spent some time in the afternoon working with the older class on some of the music for the Christmas program. That thing (the Christmas program) lurks in the back of my mind on a daily basis, and I find myself thinking about it often. I’m glad for the opportunity, but I’ll breathe a sigh of relief after December 8th! After school, two of the boys had piano lessons so the rest of us just waited and played outside in the beautiful sunshine. We do need some rain though, so that is a prayer request also. It was a long day, but a good day. We were all thankful for come home, eat supper, and watch a movie together. Well, Roger and Emma fell asleep during the movie, and I ended up working on a grocery list, but it’s nice to be home all together without any plans.

Saturday dawned as another beautiful day here in Maine. Roger and the boys gathered up things in the yard to put away, and then Garett and Roger had the opportunity to go fly together for a bit. Flying is Garett’s all-time favorite thing to do, and I’m thankful that the opportunity presented itself. After their flying adventures, we met up at a fall fastival at one of the local churches. How things have changed in a year! A year ago, we were still adapting and adjusting and trying to make friends, and this year we attended the fall festival at another church with the opportunity to see many of our  friends from School. We didn’t stay real long as Saturday’s tend to fly by. Roger took the kids home, while I went now grocery shopping...by myself! Hooray! I certainly don’t mind taking them with me, but it’s soemthing that I can think better about when I go by myself. This week the kids will be having plenty of yogurt in their lunch boxes as that was on sale!

We spent Saturday evening taking a hike up Beech Hill. The Philbrook’s invited us to climb up the hill with them. So we both packed up sandwiches and kids, and we enjoyed a beautiful hike in this gorgeous fall weather. The evening was a good mix of fun, exercise, fellowship, and enjoying God’s creation. I’m thankful for these opportunities and we need to make these informal outings happen more often...but life is busy!

 

Pumpkin Races, and More!

This week was a bit slower paced, so that was a much needed reprieve after last week’s craziness! I’m just going to cap on a few highlights and include some pictures from the week. Simple and easy!

On Monday the boys had off of school due to Columbus Day and so did Roger. We spent the morning working in various projects, but then decided to take a trip to one of the local towns and watch the pumpkins races. I will say that these Mainers are very good at capitalizing on the resources near them. In this particular town they gather up these ginormous pumpkins, people carve them out and equip them with either paddles or a small outboard motor. Then they have pumpkins races in the bay and basically you win if you can get back to the start without sinking! The weather was rainy and damp, but there were still a good number of people out for the event. We enjoyed watching some of the races as well as looking st the pumpkins carvings on Maine street. Even though we ended up soaked, we had a good time together.

   

I taught music classes on Wednesday since we had a holiday on Monday. The Christmas program is  progressing nicely but I am a bit worried about it coming together in eight weeks! But we will keep working on it!

Thursday provided the opportunity to take a walk with Allison, which is something we haven’t  managed to find time to do for a few weeks! It was good to catch up and spend a few minutes reflecting in the past week and looking at future events. We had a good discussion on holiness versus grace. These are two topics that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately, and I’ve had discussions with several close friends about holiness and grace. Both are a very important part of the believers lives, but I wonder in our Christian society if we haven’t become so focused on grace that we forget about God’s holiness?! I want to give my kids grace (I probably err on the side of too much grace) but I also want to point them to the holiness of God. God is SO holy and if I can teach my children to grasp onto the holiness of God their lives will reflect that, right? Sometimes it seems that as believers we want to focus so much on God’s grace and His love, but we don’t spend the same amount of time proclaiming that we serve a Holy God! Don’t get me wrong...I love grace and love. I also want to make sure that my children are aware of how Holy God is and how much we need to respect that holiness. Both of my friends, Allison and Jenna, had to endure my thoughts on these topics. I so appreciate Godly friends that will engage in these spiritual discussions with me! I need that!

 

Anyways, Friday was filled with chapel, a quick date with Roger, hot lunch, piano lessons, and going home! Hooray for the weekend!

May your weekend be blessed by the fellowship of believers on Sunday, and time spent worshiping our holy, gracious, and loving God!
Love, Sarah

Prizes! (And a few long days!)

It’s been an exciting few days around here...although I can’t remember the last time we have not had some type of excitement!

The boys had their first soccer game/scrimmage on Monday. They had two practices last week, and then their first game this week. Chandler and Garett were so excited about playing on the team, and I’m glad that God brought them this opportunity. Not everything is roses, but there are many things that I can appreciate about this experience. Roger was able to sneak away from work for a little bit so he could watch the game, and I know the boys were thrilled to have their daddy there for the game. Our school team played another local school team, and although it was a rather informal game, the boys team did win! They were so excited, and we were happy for them too! It did make for a short evening as we had to go to the game directly after school, played the game, and then came home for supper, showers, Bible time, and bed! Whew! I’m thankful for crockpots and easy meals!

I also taught music class on Monday. It’s hard to believe but I’ve been teaching for a month now. The kids are progressing both on the music for the Christmas program and the handbells. I’ve been a bit challenged by the handbells groups, and I’m having to find some different ways to communicate what I’m looking for. I want them to learn to read notes, but for now we are working on following my lead, playing the bells together, watching for your specific color on the music, and did I mention...following my lead? We are making progress though as I can now recognize the song we are  playing, or else I’m just really optimistic about it! We only have about nine weeks until the actual Christmas program, so I have a lot to pour into these young minds in a short amount of time. However, I’m pleased with their hard  efforts and willingness to try what I ask them to do. It’s been a fun and tiring experience for me.


Tuesday was one of Roger's days off of work. It’s interesting to me that we are already in our
sixth-week of school, but Roger has yet to be off on a day when Emma is in school and we can have a  REAL date. Surely, it will happen sometime this year, right? Not that I mind having Emma around as she is growing up so quickly. She learned a song about creation at school, and she has enjoyed singing it for us...a lot. The boys finally told her “We know that song! Did you learn anything else at school?” She replied, “No, I like this song.” (And perhaps she gets great delight out of annoying her brothers!)

 

Last Saturday I was able to spend the day with Hannah,  my sister. She came down to our house for the day, and it was so good to see her and spend time with her. Time gets away from us as we are both busy, but I do treasure the memories that I have with her. Of course, I also forgot to take any pictures from the day! Oh well.

Last Sunday Roger had to work which makes the day a bit longer and harder for me. I also taught Childrens church on Sunday, and worked in the kids program on Sunday evening. It was a lot for one day; but I don’t teach Children’s church that often, so it was doable. I’ve been working with the  preschool age group during our Sunday night kids program along with my friend, Allison. We have a good time with it, but it is definitely a lot of work. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that it is much better to be over prepared than underprepared!

Wednesday brought about a meeting with the parent group, grocery shopping for hot lunch, and another soccer game for the boys. It was a bit of a crazy day with a meeting in the morning, taking Roger lunch, picking up Emma, grocery shopping for hot lunch, picking up the boys, running home, browning ten pounds of meat for hot lunch, participating in the soccer game for the boys, and then  our evening habits to prepare for the next day. It was a bit of insanity, but it was only in preparation for a very crazy day that was to happen on Friday! The boys did win their soccer game so that was fun, and I was thankful that I was able to get the meat browned for Friday’s hot lunch which was tacos.

On Thursday Roger had a day off...hooray! I took the boys to school and helped with a mailing that we are doing in preparation for our fall auction. Roger took Emma to get her hair cut. She enjoys this daddy/daughter date very much, and I love coming back to hear her talk about all he adventures with daddy. After finishing up the mailing, I headed home to get chili ready for Friday night. Our parent group has been planning a harvest dinner for Friday night. It’s an informal event, but an opportunity to mix and mingle as well as take up a love offering for the school board’s expenses. I knew that Friday would be a really crazy day with chapel, school pictures, ladies Bible study, hot lunch, decorating for the dinner, and helping the dinner to run smoothly. There would be no time for chili making on Friday! I had also planned to make an apple dessert for the harvest dinner, but Chandler said that he wanted to make one after school. So I agreed to help him with his recipe after school. After school we picked up the boys and went to visit an older couple from our church. It’s good for the kids to visit people, and I’m happy to have the opportunities to visit on the days that Roger has off  of work. I’m glad we did it, but it did make for a bit of a longer afternoon. By the time we got home, I needed to finish putting the rest of the white chicken chili together, Chandler wanted to make his apple desert and it was about time for supper. I’m so thankful that Roger is willing to listen to reading, help with spelling words, and always thankful for simple meals like soup and sandwiches  even if it’s twice in one week! Chandler worked hard on his apple recipe, and although it was a simple recipe, it was a new one, I rarely make recipes as they are written, so we did some tweaking to this recipe too. It looked and smelled delicious after it was done baking. Roger offered to take my huge nesco of chili over to the church since it wasn’t going to fit in the fridge. Since he was going to church already, I sent him with my crockpot full of taco meat, and a bunch of other stuff that we would need for Friday. He drove very smoothly because none of the chili spilled out of the nesco...thank the Lord!

And then there was Friday....I have been both looking forward and dreading this day all week! I told my friend, Allison, on Sunday night that it was going to be a crazy week and maybe we should skip this week all together. Of course, that’s not possible, and thankfully Allison and I managed to get through the whole week! Roger was working on Friday, which meant that the day would present more challenges than usual. I started off my day as I usually do with a cup of coffee, prayer and my  Bible. The devil brought many disctractions along this morning, but I’m thankful for a moment to quiet my heart before the craziness.

After we arrived at school, I headed to the kitchen to plug in the crockpot with taco meat and figure out what needed to be done by lunch time. Did I mention how thankful I am for crockpots?! I headed up to the sanctuary to practice the piano for the chapel songs. Today was a day where I truly was grateful and thankful for the opportunity to play the piano. I always enjoy it, but sometimes the music seems to flow out from within me, and this morning was such an experience. It gave me another  moment to meditate and think on the Scriptures, and to ask God to use me today. I did sneak out of chapel before it was over to head to school pictures. As the music teacher this year, I needed to have a picture for the year book. I arrived early to pictures so that I could be one for the first to be done with that. I then left school to pick up a few items I had forgotten for the event for tonight. Allison reminded me that the Patriots had won the football game the night before so it was “cheap coffee” day st Dunkin’ Donuts. Awesome! I really needed coffee today. I did the errands I needed to do, and made it back to school in time to catch some of the ladies Bible study. I was actually excited about  going to the Bible study as I Knew the day would be busy, but I can also recognize that sometimes we can get a great blessing out of things we don’t want to do. And what a blessing it was to sit, read, and discuss The Word of God. I had to sneak out early so that we could be ready for hot lunch. The kids really seem to enjoy taco day, so I knew that most of the students and staff would be eating hot lunch. The mom that works with me for hot lunch is great at seeing things to do, pitching in wherever needed, and helping hot lunch run like a well oiled train. We also have a lady from church who comes faithfully every Friday to help with the lunch. Generally, I do a lot of the prep work at home, we heat it at school, serve it and clean up. Lunch is at 11:30 and we are usually cleaned up and ready to walk out the door by 12:20...it’s a very smooth production!

Lunch time was done and cleaned up by 12:20, and it was time to work in getting ready for the harvest dinner. The lady from church, Sharon, watched Emma while I took tacos to Roger for lunch. When I got back from that we finished setting up for the evening. The decorations were simple,but festive. It all came together very nicely, and I’m so thankful for all the moms that helped decorate, make food, prepare apple desserts, and work together.

Since the boys have piano lessons on Friday, I knew that it wouldn’t be worth our time to go home. They had piano lessons while I finished up some last minute projects for the harvest dinner. We went up seating for about 85 people, and God brought people to fill those seats. It was truly a blessing to see families, church members, and people from the community come together to visit, share a meal,   and perhaps give a donation to the School. We had about twelve different apple desserts in our apple bake off contest. Each person was given the opportunity to sample three of four that looked appealing and then place their ticket in the basket for the one they liked the best. It actually worked out smoothly, but I did have a moment of panic as I wasn’t sure it was going to come together. However, every one really seemed to enjoy themselves, and Chandler won the dessert contest! That was one excited boy! He won a basket with an apple peeler, a gift card, a Taste of Home magazine, a pie dish, and some dish towels. I mentioned to him that the mother of one of his friends was looking for an apple peeler, and Chandler decided he would give the apple peeler that he had won to her. We already have one at home, and it was nice to see him be so generous with his gift. The funny thing is that the  basket and the magazine had already come from our house, but as Chandler was examining his treasures at home, he remarked, “Mom, this is a really neat basket. I like this!” I didn’t tell him that it had come from our house to start with!

 

The event started at 5:30 pm, and we were on our way home by 7:30! People stayed to help clean up and many hands made light work. I was thrilled to be home so early, and I was actually quite tired! Roger made it to the harvest dinner a bit late, but he was able to come. We had plenty of food, but not an exorbitant amount of leftovers. The planning and preparation paid off, and I’m thankful for all those that worked to make this event happen. (I’m also glad it’s behind me!)

Travis’s Bible verse this week was the following: James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but he giveth grace unto the humble.” It’s been a good reminder for me  this week to as I interact with my children, try to point them to Jesus, and practice the verse with  Travis. I’m thankful for God’s everlasting love, abundant mercy, and never failing grace. We are so blessed!


I apologize that the days are a little out of order, but I couldn’t figure out how to fix it quickly!
Love, Sarah

Soccer? Swimming? School? Oh my!!

Garett announced to me today that this week went by really quickly! I can only nod my head in complete agreement!

We started off our week with soccer practice for Garett and Chandler. The Christian school that they are attending has started a soccer team. We are a little behind the eight ball in getting this off the ground and started. However, I'm not coaching it and it's free for the kids to play! Therefore, I am not complaining! Roger had off on Monday also, so he came along to watch the practice. Wyatt, Travis and Emma enjoyed just running around outside as it was a beautiful day. It was actually hot where we live, but the boys soccer field is right on the ocean bay, so it had a nice breeze. I spent the hour while the boys were practicing walking around the soccer field. The pastor's wife from our church was there also, and she walked with me. I enjoy exercise by myself, but it's certainly more fun with a friend! We spent the hour talking of many things, ideas and dreams. I was thankful for the opportunity to interact with her, and sometimes I think it's easier to talk about different subjects when I'm moving and thinking! The boys thoroughly enjoyed the soccer practice and they were looking forward to the practice on Wednesday as soon as they were done!

I also taught music class on Monday. Monday was a full day for me! I'm enjoying teaching the kids and working on the Christmas program, but this is definitely not the easiest job ever! I find myself constantly thinking about the Christmas program, working on ideas in my mind, and trying to figure out how we can most effectively accomplish what we need to do! But, I like a challenge. So I will continue to figure it out and tweak it as I go!


On Tuesday we spent some time with some friends from Arizona. Well, they aren't actually from Arizona anymore, but that's where we first met them two years ago. One of the pilots and his girlfriend came up to Maine to visit the fall colors, and it worked out for us to visit with them for the afternoon. The fall foliage is actually still coming, but we enjoyed the visit with them. We had supper with them, Roger took them on a flight, and we visited with them until much too late on Tuesday evening!

It's been very warm here the last few days, and I am not feeling  like making pumpkin dishes, going apple picking or sipping on hot cider! I know the weather will change soon enough, but the boys actually went swimming in the creek on Wednesday. Wednesday was an early release day for the kids from school, and they had soccer practice immediately following. I spent the time at the playground with the younger children, and I did manage to get in a walk with one of my friends. Soccer practice has helped me get in some extra exercise as of late! After practice the boys invited one of their school friends over for the afternoon. Josiah has become a good friend, and the boys enjoyed the afternoon playing on the dirt bike, swimming in the creek, and laughing together. Also everyone was very ready for bedtime that evening!

 

Today was another busy day for Emma and I. We dropped off the boys at school, and then went out to drop some lunch off for Roger. I had planned to go immediately home after dropping off Roger's  lunch, but he had a few open seats in the plane to go out to one of the islands. Emma was not crazy about going for a plane ride, but since we didn't ask her opinion, she adjusted! The weather was beautiful, the trees hold a tint of color, and it was good to spend time with Roger. We enjoyed the flight out to the island, dropped off the mail at the post office out there, took a quick walk, and headed back. On the return trip we had an extra passenger and a dog. Emma was definitely not crazy about sharing the plane with a dog, but the dog was well behaved. Emma warmed up to the dog by the time we landed, and she even told Roger that "it was good a time". So after that adventure, Emma and I went home. I try to spend Thursdays at home, and it was good to catch up on laundry, cleaning, and getting ready for hot lunch on Friday. I find Friday to be a lot more enjoyable when I have hot lunch all ready to go on Thursday and it just has to be reheated on Friday morning. We made pancakes for tomorrow, and guess what we had for supper? Pancakes! I'm thankful that the boys certainly don't mind having the same meal so close together, but food is food!

We will be getting the mid term report cards soon, and it'll be next nice to have a clearer idea of how the boys are progressing. I am thankful for the hard work that they put into school, and I pray that they will see some clear evidence of that on their progress reports. We also had a special unexpected blessing this week as someone anonymously contributed to our school bill! This is always such and encouragement and blessing to us, and I am so very thankful to so many others that help us with our decision to put the children in the Christian school.

We appreciate you all. Have a blessed day!

Roger's Job

We did have a busy week, and perhaps I will have time to write more about that later. However, I wanted to take just a few moments to write about Roger's job. Roger is gifted at flying, and although I will admit to being biased about it, I hear enough comments from other pilots to know that he really is good at piloting the plane. Roger has been with the company for over a year now, and we've seen some ups and downs as the company navigates the tricky waters of being a small business, but also a needed and necessary business as they service the islands.

I wrote back in June about a plane crash that had occurred. Thankfully no one was injured, as that could've dealt a devastating blow to the company. However, it was still a struggle throughout the summer as the company was a plane short. The good news is that the plane involved in the crash will be able to be repaired, and it will eventually be back in service.

Roger is a hard worker, and he was asked to take on the job of assistant chief director earlier this summer. While the job has its challenges and difficulties, as does every job, Roger has jumped into the role and tried to do his best to encourage and assist the company.

 

So, why is Penobscot Island Air a needed company for this area? Not only does the company fly  passengers back and forth to several islands off the coast of Maine, they also provide mail delivery, FedEx delivery, and UPS services to the islands. Last summer Penobscot flew 300,000 pounds of mail; 10,200 people; 66,000 pieces of UPS; and over 10,000  pieces of FedEx! That's a lot of work for a company run by a handful of people!

Roger's boss (Kevin) has been a great employer to work for and Roger has a good friendship with his boss. I'm thankful that God provided Roger with an employer who is honest, fair, and of good character. The boys have been able to spend time with Roger at his job as Kevin recognizes that this is important. Kevin's wife, Terri, has become a good friend to our family also. It's a special job that allows us to enjoy having the boss and his wife over for dinner in our home, inviting them to the boys school events, and making memories with Kevin and Terri. We are truly so very blessed. We would also appreciate your prayers on behalf of this company that they will be able to grow and that the next year would be a bit easier for Kevin.

 

I don't think I actually had any preconceived ideas about Roger's job when we moved out here, but God abundantly blessed us in providing this job. I remember our first trip out here directly after we left Arizona. We had dropped off children at my parents in Wisconsin, and then Roger and I drove out here to see the job. God directly orchestrated all the events to come together smoothly and for Roger to make a good impression on Kevin. We knew when we left Maine in November of 2015 after our brief visit here, that moving to Maine was probably what God was directing us towards. And now Roger has been with the company for about a year and one-half! God has been faithful and patient with us every step of the way.

I sometimes wonder if our adventures are over for a while. We've spent several years across the country as we've followed the path that God has laid out for us. We traveled to Alaska to fill in for a missionary, I stayed home in Wisconsin while Roger pursued his aviation training in Florida, we moved to Arizona for a short time so that Roger could build the hours he needed, and now we are in Maine! Don't get me wrong...I'm happy to be here and stay put for a while! I just wonder sometimes what else God might want us to do in the future. For now though I am plenty busy with being involved at the school, serving in our local church, being a wife and mama, and learning to rest in the Lord. Our children are at the top of my list in my priorities. I tell them often and frequently that I want them to love Jesus. Everything else in their lives will fall into its proper place if they have a right view of God. Yet...oh, how often I stumble at giving them a good example of loving Jesus. Giving grace, yet providing correction and chastening. Offering words of praise is my desire...yet sometimes I must seem like a barking seal as I instruct them impatiently and inconsistently. I'm thankful that while  God has given me the challenging task of raising them for His glory, His mercies are new every morning. I pray fervently for our children as I fear that if they have me for an example of who God is their view may be very warped indeed! Yet God constantly gives me new opportunities to minister to their souls, to love them, to direct them, to challenge them...and oh how I love them! Please, please put my children on our prayer list as I endeavor to raise them for His honor and glory.

I've rambled on a rabbit trail for a bit, and I want to close up on this post. I'm posting a few pictures from Roger's albums that he's collected this summer. Chandler had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with Roger on one of the islands on Saturday, so those photos are from their afternoon together.

Our love, Sarah

Just Doing "Life"!

Good Evening! Another week is about to begin, and we are entering week four of school! The days flew by during the summer break, but the days seem to be only picking up speed as we continue into the school year. The boys are adjusting to the routine of school days, a 7:30pm. bedtime, practicing piano lessons, and using their time at home wisely. Roger is still having some long days at work, but the days are slowly starting to be shorter.

We spent the last week doing school,  having music class, painting the school library, helping with hot lunch, playing for chapel, attending a birthday party, having supper with Roger at the airport, hosting a family for a dinner meal, and all the other things of life. It was a good week.

Monday was the first day of music classes, and it was a whole morning of teaching! I have five different music classes back to back on Monday mornings. There is no time in the schedule for a bathroom break, but it's intentionally done that way so that I can be done when Emma is done with preschool at eleven thirty. We had a good first week, but it was a reminder that time is fleeting quickly as the date for the Christmas program is right around the corner! I'm excited about working with this group of children, and I'm looking forward to a great year.

After music classes, I helped with lunch duty. Emma enjoys the days that I help out with lunch because she gets to have lunch with the boys and play outside some more. I'm also discovering that it makes more sense to not go home on Monday afternoons. By the time we are done with lunch, and have cleaned up the music room, there's enough time to go visit Roger at the airport and bring him some lunch. It makes for a bit of a long day, but it also saves on gas. It just means that I have a good reason to just drop of the kids on Tuesday morning and come home to give our house some attention!


On Tuesday Roger had the day off of work. We dropped the kids off at school and then ran a few errands. We spent most of the day at home, taking care of trash, cleaning and working on various projects, and I even got in short run. The boys enjoy having Roger pick them up from school, and it's nice to sit down all together at the dinner table as a complete family.

Wednesday was my shopping day for hot lunch at school on Friday. But first Allison and I went on a walk, visited and laughed the whole mile and one-half walk. It was great! Then I ran to get the groceries we would need for hot lunch, picked up Emma, stayed for lunch with the boys, and came home. By the time I arrived home, my eyes were so red from wearing my contacts. I want to wear my contact lenses as I enjoy wearing them, but not when they hurt my eyes. Maybe my age is catching up with me, and there will be no more contact lenses in my future. I don't know. I just know that my eyes were happy when I took them out! Roger was working in Wednesday, and he didn't get home until just after the boys were in bed. It was a long day for everyone.

Thursday was painting day at the school library. It was a project that had been started over the summer, and it needed to be finished. Roger had made plans several weeks ago to go with a pilot friend up to northern Maine. This pilot lives up there and has been asking Roger to come all summer. That meant that I had Emma...and a painting project! We had asked for other parents and friends to help also, but everyone is busy. When I first started painting, it was just Emma and I. Thankfully, Emma grew tired of painting really quickly and went in the music room to play with the bells and eat her snacks. Another couple came to help, and they brought their daughter, Ella. Ella is two, and she and Emma are good friends! I am so thankful that they played together so nicely while we painted. The three of us were able to finish the project before lunchtime, and I'm thankful it's behind us. Painting is not my favorite thing to do, but it's done! Emma and I were happy to go home! On the way home though, I started thinking about hot lunch the next day.  We were having baked mac n cheese, fruit, and dessert. Another mom had already made three big pans of mac n cheese, but I was worried that we wouldn't have quite enough. So I whipped up another pan of that just to be sure we'd have enough food. (I'm glad I did as we used half the pan the next day!)

Friday was a very full day...too full, but it was necessary. I played the piano for the chapel service,  got things set up for hot lunch, and then ran to do a few errands before hot lunch. I came back to help with hot lunch and clean up. We had a good group of ladies working on Friday because by 12:30 pm., the kitchen was clean, the tables were wiped down, and we were done! Emma and I went out the the airport to visit with Roger, and I also spent part of the afternoon in the music room working on some things for next week. After school, Chandler and Travis had their piano lessons. I took the other kids outside while they had lessons. Following piano lessons, we picked up pizza and brought supper out to Roger at the airport. It was good for us to enjoy some time together at the airport. We left the airport to head to a birthday party for one of the kid's classmates. The kids had a great time at the party playing with their friends, enjoying cake, and being outside. Roger and I had a good time fellowshipping with the adults. We were the first family to leave the party (as usual) and sometimes that makes me a little sad as the party is still going strong when we are leaving. But over the years, Roger and I have also learned to pay attention to each other's needs and our children's needs (I'm not always good at it, but I'm learning!) I recognized that our kids had had a long day, and that neither they nor Roger had been home all day. Although it was an early evening as in around 8:30 pm, it was time to go. I'm thankful we were invited, and it was a good time for our family.

Saturday was a rare day off for Roger,  not rare as in he had a day off, but rare as in he had off on a Saturday. We spent the day cleaning up the yard, fixing something on Rogers car, grocery shopping, and get ready to have company for dinner. It was a full day, but a good day. We had a family from school over for supper, and we enjoyed getting to know them better. I'm thankful for friendships that are growing both for Roger and I and our children. They brought us some lobsters that were already cooked and a recipe to make with the lobsters. I was thankful for the recipe as we haven't come across a way to eat lobster that we absolutely love. However, if it's given to us, we  are going to eat it!

Sunday...praise the Lord! We can worship together with other believers! Today was an enjoyable event for me as I sang special music with the pastor's daughter. Singing is something else I enjoy, and I haven't sung special music in a long time. After church we had the pastor's son over for the afternoon. The boys thought it was hot so they convinced us to take them to the lake. The water was way too cold in my opinion, but the five boys got in and even Emma got wet. We enjoyed soaking up the sunshine and spending time with our children. After Sunday night church, the pastor and his family took us to McDonalds for ice cream. That was a fun and special treat! We had a good time of visiting  together and getting to know them better. On the way home, Garett remarked about how tonight reminded him of the time in Arizona. That was an event where the pastor and his wife invited us out for ice cream after church, and Garett remembered it. I'm glad Garett remembers such events as they are a reminder of good events that are associated with church and fellowshipping with other believers.

A cruise ship that came into our town...it was a big ship! 

Monday marked the start of another school week. We are working with the kids on so many school things like spelling lists, Bible memory verses, and other papers. Please pray that God will make  education a bit clearer for our children that are struggling. I taught music class today, and while the classes went really well, it is tiring! We are working on handbells (that sometimes produces a headache), various drama parts, and singing. It's a lot to cover in a short amount of time! I am enjoying the opportunity though I do appreciate your prayers as I continue on in this endeavor.

I must go as lunches need to be packed, laundry put away, devotions done, and children to get in bed! Have a wonderful week!

School, Skunks, and Music!

Skunks! That's really what we did this week, we trapped and got rid of skunks. I realize that skunks help keep down on grubs, insects and mice; however, Roger is not a fan of tip-toeing to his car in order to not scare the skunk! We've seen a few hanging around our house, and Roger had a few close encounters with one this week. So the kids and Roger set a live trap for the skunk. In the morning, we had one in there. The boys were so excited that they had caught something, and I was wondering how we would get rid of it now! Roger is a great at marksmanship, and he did eliminate the skunk. Unfortunately, as with most dead things, when something dies, it releases it's body functions. Any guesses as to what our yard smells like?! We also had a short lesson on skunks as the boys were very interested. Did you know that a skunk sprays only a tablespoon of stench at a time? And they can spray up to six times before they run out of stink? Then it takes the skunk ten days to refill his scent gland, but you have no way of knowing which day he is on in refilling his stink!! Later this week, Chandler filled the trap again with some leftover food, and we caught another skunk. This time Roger had not placed the trap though, so getting a good shot was a bit more of a challenge! We actually hadn't realized that Chandler had set the trap, so when he came dashing into the house on Sunday morning, we didn't realize why he was so excited! Thankfully, he had snuck up on the skunk! Chandler had also had put a mouse trap in the live trap, so the mouse trap was stuck on the skunks nose! (Why did he put the mouse trap in the live trap? Um, we have no idea!!)  So, just a few days ago our yard smelled like skunk, and the stench was starting to wane. But now we are back to having a stinky yard! Oh well!!

Roger worked last Monday, which was also Labor Day. The kids and I just spent the day at home. It definitely wasn't the most exciting day ever, but I didn't feel up to going anywhere without Roger. Besides, the boys were completely content to stay at home and make trails with the dirt bike!    

Tuesday we returned to school! The boys are adjusting back into the routine, and this week seemed a    bit easier. Emma wants to go to school every day, but she also enjoys the more personal time with Dad and Mom! After we dropped the boys off at school, we visited with Pastor and Mrs. Welch. He is the pastor of a church near our home, and visited at their church several times. They are getting up in years, and they enjoy it when we stop by for a visit. The summer was so crazy that we didn't get over ther much, and I'm trying to do better now that school has resumed.

 

On Thursday we had our first Parents group meeting. I have been praying diligently for this group over the summer, and I know that God is going to do great things! I'm excited about working with these parents, and I'm praying for continued unity and spiritual growth. We could also use some physical growth, as in more parents to come and join us! I also spent part of the day prepping and preparing for hot lunch on Friday. We are attempting to have hot lunch every Friday, so we will see how it goes. Again, we need a few more sets of hands to lighten the load!
Friday was a long day for me! Emma had school in the morning, and I played the piano for chapel. It's an opportunity to serve the Lord and to refresh my own spirit. After chapel, I spent the morning getting ready for hot lunch. I wasn't able to be there for the actual hot lunch, as I had a meeting with a few of the teachers and some others to discuss one of our children. Definitely not one of my favorite meetings ever, but it was necessary as we seek wisdom and direction on how to help this child  succeed in school. Education isn't everything, but it is important. I want to know how I can best equip  myself to help our children succeed. I'm sure there will be more on that later. Suffice it to say, it was a difficult meeting, and when one of our teachers found be afterwards and offered a hug, I willingly  accepted!

After cleaning up from hot lunch, Emma and I went to visit a couple from our church. They've had a few health problems as of late, and I wanted to touch base and talk to them. I also realized as I sat on their couch, that I was tired! It was good for Emma and I to visit with them, and I'm glad we did it. Then we headed back to school to get the boys. Garett and Wyatt started piano lessons today (Friday)  so the other boys hung out on the playground at school. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day today and perfect outside weather! Another mom came down to the playground for a bit also, so I enjoyedtalked with her. However, we were all more than happy to go home once the boys were done with lessons! Since we aren't able to afford for all the boys to take piano lessons, they are going to rotate weeks. Garett and Wyatt had a lesson on Friday, so next Friday it will be Chandler and Travis' turn to have a lesson. This way we pay for lessons for two children, but all four boys get two lessons a month. It's not ideal, and I know that they will progress slower. However, I thought it was pretty creative of me to think that plan up!! Something is better than nothing!

  

Roger worked on Saturday, but Garett and Wyatt were able to spend part of the afternoon there at the airport. They really enjoy hanging out there, but it's definitely not Chandlers thing! It is a blessing that it's a way that the boys can spend some time with Roger as sometimes time together is hard to come by.

Sunday was another day to worship the Lord and to fellowship with the believers. I'm glad that we have a church that we can hear the Bible preached, sing unto the Lord, and fellowship with other people. Later in the afternoon, I came back to the church to work on preparing for music class on Monday. I will be teaching music at the school this year, and I am exited about the opportunity. It's a big challenge, and I don't have a whole lot of experience with this particular field of teaching. However, I feel like I am ready for tomorrow. I have a Christmas program picked out, and we will be hitting the ground running to get it together for our program in December. I'd also appreciate your prayers for wisdom, grace, and direction as I teach these students about music.

Our love to you,
Sarah