tonight

We survived today's carnival.  I have to say 'thank You' to the Lord here~He gave us the perfect day.  It was overcast and cool with an awesome breeze that would blow from time to time.  The sun peeked through the clouds a couple times, but the rest of the day was overcast.

It literally rained all around us.

This is a HUGE answer to prayer!

See the clouds?  They were all around us and were the perfect cover!

Drew hung out here all day, doing this:

He had the greatest job, as the one who was in charge of laser tag.  ;)  He didn't mind it too much.

We had a worship band that entertained us, and here's my oldest rockin' out at the drums:

Contrary to what his face looks like, I assure you, he was having the time of his life.

Here are some of the amazing kids that make up Gen SC~our student council.  {This is the generation of those who seek Him.  Psalm 24:6}

I wish there were adequate words to tell you how much I love and admire these kids.  They're awesome.

And just for your viewing pleasure, I give you this:

My heart melts at the sight of this kid.

After the clean-up of the carnival, we came home and kids showered.  I took a nap.  We ate an easy dinner of leftover pizza and sandwiches.

I washed and dried one more load of clothes for the boys to take to camp and assisted in the packing of said articles of clothing.

I showered and now here I sit.  The boys are all bringing their stuff down and I'm watching High School Musical 3.  Don't judge~I love these movies.

And in two and a half hours, Jonah, Noah and I will say goodbye to Todd, Graham and Drew until late Tuesday night.  Tomorrow we'll be celebrating by swimming with Mimi at her neighborhood pool.  Then, Mimi graciously offered to let Jonah and Noah spend the night with her and Papa.  And that means that I get girlfriend time!!!  It's been way too long since I've seen my best friend, and I don't care if we sit in the car and catch up for two hours, I am dying to see her!

It's going to be a great weekend.  And I get to catch up on my shows!  It's the small things in life, people.

That's our night.  How was yours?

Love to all.

gettin' things squared away

I've been busy, so the blog has been neglected this week.  Plus with Monday being a holiday, it's throwing my week off.  Todd, Graham and Drew are leaving for camp tonight~they're boarding the buses at 11:30 and driving all night to Panama City Beach.  I've been trying to get laundry done and things bought for this trip, so you can see my dilemma.

Yesterday Graham went to GPC to help our homeschool group get cookies made for today's huge carnival. They made 583 cookies!  Whew...almost makes me sick to my stomach.  My amazing friend Lori shuttled Graham to and from this...and I so appreciate her.

Jonah and Noah spent some time at my favorite neighbor's house.  I know they enjoyed not having to shop with Drew and me.

Drew and I went to Walmart and bought things for camp.  Things like snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses, a beach towel, shampoo and body wash...you know.  Things like that.  After our trip to the store, we came home and got him mostly packed.  He is so OCD about some things, and us being gone allllll day today was really bothering him.  He likes to be prepared, which is why he wanted to get packed yesterday.

Well.  I need to finish this last cup of coffee and get out the door.  I am so thankful that the Lord has given us beautiful weather today for our carnival!  If you are looking for something mostly free to do (all is free, except for drinks, candy and food) come out between ten and two to Germantown Presbyterian Church!  There will be bouncy houses, laser tag, a petting zoo, face-painting, and some pretty amazing kids leading worship...Graham is playing the drums.  I hope to see you there!  Also, if you homeschool, you can register to join our group for this coming Fall semester!

I will leave you with a picture from Tuesday night:

Love to all!

what Summer looks like

Our weekend kicked off Summer with a fun start.  I know I've mentioned on here how thankful I am that God brought the boys and I to our homeschool group, Renewed Moms.  A really sweet friend from the group, Kim, invited us over to their house for dinner and game night Friday night.  I was so thankful that she invited us, because even though we didn't know them well going over there, as a result of our time together Friday night, I know we will be friends with them forever.  Even though she and her kids are leaving Renewed Moms and moving, they're not moving too far away.

Plus, our kids get along fabulously.  We had a yummy dinner of lasagna that her daughter made, salad and garlic bread.  While we talked, the kids swam.  And we never got around to playing games...we sat and talked the whole time.  My hubby had to leave by ten, and both of us hated to go, we were enjoying ourselves so much.

Saturday was spent on the run all day.  ;)  The Gen SC kids (student council) from our group had a social at Putt Putt Golf and Games...and talk about a flashback.  That was my hangout in the Summer months back in the day.  For those of you who might be local to me, have you heard about Super Saturday?  For $7.50, you can have unlimited putt putt golf, two outside attractions (go carts or bumper boats), a small drink and popcorn and $8 worth of arcade money.

Needless to say, fun was had by all.  I thought I would share some pictures:

After being at Putt Putt for several hours, the older boys had a car wash fundraiser here in The Ville.

While they were having a blast washing cars, Todd and I took Jonah and Noah and Evil Knievel to Costco.

See?  Isn't Noah adorable in this?  Todd and Jonah were inside Costco.

After this picture, I went home to cook dinner.  We had a really yummy Mexican chicken casserole, with fresh lettuce and tomatoes as a garnish, served with rice and black beans.  Yummmm.  It was delicious.  I took a picture, but forgot to save it.

Sunday morning was spent at church.  The boys and I went to my mom's and Bill's for dinner.  Well, Graham, Drew and I~Todd had a camp counselor meeting at church, and Jonah and Noah spent the night with Andy.  It was a quiet evening with a yummy dinner.  Look at what we saw on their back patio:

Baby birds!  So precious, and so miraculous.  :)

The sunset driving home was brilliant, too:

It reminds me of Chris Tomlin's "How Great is Our God".  Sigh.  He is.

We stayed home on Monday.  I love this shot of Noah and Zander:

They were working on their tans, I suppose.  How funny are they?

We ended up cooking out with our favorite neighbors, Travis and Katie.  Any chance I get to hold this sweet little thing, is a fun time:

Even if he did pee all over me.  ;)

It's been a while, what can I say?  I forgot how fast you have to move to cover up those little boy parts!  He was also cooing and smiling at me...if I didn't know better, I'd think he was laughing at the oops we had.

It was an amazing weekend.  I pray yours was, too.

Speaking of praying, may I pray for you?  If you would prefer to email me with a need, please do.  My email is allboys@gmail.com.

Love to all.

Happy Memorial Day

Today is a different kind of Memorial day for me~we usually spend the morning part of this day at a ceremony at a military cemetery with my sweet dad and stepmom.  They are out of town, though.  We were going to go, but it turns out that Todd had another camp counselor meeting this morning. 

So here I sit. 

I'm a little sad that we're not doing our tradition.  I'm such a stickler for things like that, ya know?  If I veer off that familiar course, I feel like something is wrong.  Add to that the fact that Jonah and Noah aren't here, and it's just a weird morning. 

Speaking of my dad, though, I thought I would share a little about him.  He is eighty-two years old and served in the Navy.  He was a hospital corpsman during the Korean war...and he thinks that his part was insignificant.  I have to disagree, though.  Without him, more soldiers would have fallen ill and more would have died.  He had a huge part during that war, and I am proud of him. 

I am thankful that he was kept safe, too.  I cannot imagine what people are feeling today as they remember their loved ones who weren't as fortunate.  My childhood friend's sister is one of those moms~her son was injured in Afghanistan, and later died.  He was only in his early twenties, and was still a newlywed. 

My heart goes out to them today~and to all the other families who have lost loved ones.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you.  It is because of them that we have freedom in America. 

"There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."  John 15:13

Will you take a moment and join me in praying for our soldiers today?   Thanks, and love to all.

conversations from my car

So all week, Drew's had this friend over.  Well...almost all week.  Last night Drew spent the night with this friend, then today we all went to lunch with my mom.  The sweetest conversation took place in the car, and I thought I would share it.  {This will make his friend's mama feel proud, too, because he said some amazing things about her.}

It all started when Drew's friend asked him what he was good at.  Drew didn't really know how to answer, so I piped up and said that Drew was really good at researching and learning how to do something.  He used to love to sit and watch a YouTube video on how to make origami, then make whatever it was he was trying to learn.  He has a box full of creations upstairs in his closet.

Drew also loves to draw, and is super creative.  I have this "mom book" that I keep, which is nothing but a huge binder full of stuff they've made for me over the years.  I also have our beloved Mr. Paul's funeral program in there, and some pictures with him and the boys, along with letters from students I've gotten over the years when I worked at our local elementary school.  I also rotate "fridge art" that way...when something new goes up on the fridge, the old stuff goes in the "mom book".  {That's a lot of "quotations".}  I keep everything inside page protectors, which, in my opinion, are the greatest creation ever since sliced bread.  If you have a lot of "stuff" that you get blessed with by your kids, you should try my method of saving it~it's super easy, and it's really handy.  I keep it in one of my kitchen cabinets, so I can always pull it out.

Back to our conversation in the car:

Drew's friend said his younger sister was really good at volleyball, and that she is smart.

I shared that Graham is really good at speaking/singing/praying in front of people.  And he is...he has never met a stranger, and there is not a shy bone in his body.  I wish I'd been that fearless when I was his age!  At fourteen, I was shy and bashful...I know...you would never guess that now, right?

Jonah shared that Noah is really good at gymnastics...and that he's really strong.

I shared that Jonah is a really great hard-worker.  For example, one Saturday we got out to my mom's house early, and Jonah noticed that Big Daddy was picking up shingles that had blown off their roof during a storm one night.  Jonah jumped right in and started helping him.  He might be small, but he is mighty, and is the hardest working child I've ever seen.

Drew's friend shared that his mom was wonderful at encouraging people...for instance, she might say, "I know you don't think that this can happen, but with God, ANYTHING can happen!"  {Is that not the greatest compliment ever?}

Drew shared that I was good at memorizing Scripture, and that I knew a Bible verse for anything.

Noah said that I was great at drawing.

And Graham shared that he thought I was good at encouraging people.

Whew.  Y'all, my heart was blessed today.  This sweet friend of Drew's {I know I keep calling him that instead of his name, but this blog is public, and I'm not sure how his mom would feel if his name was on here.} is a gift to my son.  I am not even kidding...and to be so young, he's seen his precious mom suffer with illnesses.  But he is full of faith, is smart, pleasant to be around, full of amazingly good manners and is just a joy to be around.

I can't say that about everyone, but I can this friend.  I can promise you that this conversation started completely on its own~the only thing I did was answer when he asked Drew what he thought he was good at.

It's nice to encouraged every once in a while, though, isn't it?  I think all my kids needed to hear this today...I know I was blessed because of it.  And right after Graham said that I was also great at crying, I seriously teared up over the love I felt in my car.  I felt God's presence all around us, and I think He was blessed, too.

May I encourage you to have a conversation like this with your kids?  We all can get kinda down-in-the-dumps, and I think it's very important that we all uplift one another.  I cling to Ephesians 4:29:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful in building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Precious and wonderful mama's~build, build and build up your kids some more!!!  I know that God alone should be our confidence, but at a young age, all confidence should be taught to them by their parents.  They should hear your praise often.  It doesn't take long~have a conversation in your car, or around the dinner table tonight, or write a letter to them {that is one reason why I write on this blog and why I journal~I consider that my "letters" to my family}...it doesn't matter how you go about doing it.  Just do it.  It is one of THE most important things you can ever do for your kids.  They're only young once.

If I come across "braggy" in this post, please accept my apology...I assure you, that was not my intention when writing this.

As the Scriptures say, "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord."  {2 Corinthians 10:17}

Thank you for reading!  Love to all.

If you were a fly on my wall...

...

you would see that my house may appear "clean", but usually is not.  Footprints and fingerprints abound.

you would smell the strange dinner I just made~eggs, sauteed mushrooms, Red Lobster's garlic cheese biscuits and bacon.

you would hear me listening to Cornerstone by Hillsong over and over and over and over again.

you would be looking out my backdoor and noticing how beautiful and eerie it always looks after a storm...but how beautiful is my God, that He would give us such artistry to enjoy?

you would know that Graham is catching up on a show I recorded that he would rather not talk about.

you would see that in just a little while, I am going to be watching either The Voice or the season finale of Dancing With The Stars.  ;)

you would see me in my pajama's.

you would hear me crying at the end of the book I just finished, the seventh and last installment in Neta Jackson's Yada Yada Prayer Group series.  The ends of her books get me very single time~not because they're sad, they're not at all, but they reflect on the goodness of God.  And that makes me bawl my eyes out. I've gone through so many tissues in the last couple hours.

you would know that the book I just finished was the sixtieth book I've read in less than a year!  I started keeping a tally on the books I read back on May 28th of last year.  I'm about to start #61...a series that spans off the Yada Yada series.  This series is entitled House of Hope, and the first book is, "Where Do I Go?".  {Think of the lyrics from the old song, "I go to the Rock that is higher than I!", and you'll get the gist of this series of books.}

you would have felt my pride in our church tonight...tonight kicked off the kids' summer series called Midweek Mania.  Ice cream was involved.  Lots and lots of ice cream.  The kids had fun, and it is always such a joy to serve alongside our amazing leaders.  :)  I love them all.

you would know that Todd is watching Deadliest Catch, and I'm doing this.

you would know that it's almost my bedtime...and this book beside me is calling my name.

Love to all.

{I started writing this post last night, Tuesday, and finished it tonight after church.  I don't know why that it's important, but I felt the need to tell you that.}

~when there are no words~

Psalm 121

 I lift my eyes to the hills~where does my help come from?

 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

 He will not let your foot slip~He who watches over you will not slumber;

 indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 

 The LORD watches over you~the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

 The LORD will keep you from all harm~He will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

*****

Be their help, Lord.  Be their strength, their peace, their comfort, their Rock.  Let them cling to You during this time, Lord.  Surround them with Your love and Your Holy Spirit.  Be with those who have gone to help in the recovery, Lord.  Guide them and direct them to the places where life may be found.  I ask this in the precious name of Jesus.  Amen.

Love to all.

weekend goings-on

We spent Friday with my dad.  We had planned on going to the zoo, but we woke up to a rainy, drizzly day.  And the rain never really went away.  We decided not to chance the weather and went to CiCi's Pizza.  You know that's my kids' favorite place.  I think because they can eat all they want.

Before we got our day started, though, I did this:

I got to be the first ever person to keep this little guy!  My neighbors didn't really want to get this little man out in the rain, so he stayed with me.  And was held the entire time he was here.  Notice the different outfits...by the time the second picture was taken, he had spit up all over himself and Jonah.

And look at my dog.  He was so stinkin' jealous of this kid.  He sat and did this the entire time I held him.

Friday night found us at our friend's new home and the kids doing this:

That water was sixty-five degrees!  Brrrr!

Saturday was spent at home.  We had a movie marathon in the first part of our day, then went to my mom's for dinner.

Yesterday was spent at church.  I love our church!  I don't think I can say that enough.  It only took us two years, but two years later, we have found a group of people to belong to.  It's such a great feeling...may I encourage you for a minute?  I don't know where you are in life, or if you go to church, or maybe you've changed churches or are thinking about doing that...but be patient.  Finding a church home is a long and tedious process, but it is worth the effort.  I'm not saying to change churches...or not to ever go to another church...but if you're mostly happy where you are, stay there.

We went from one church to this one, and the difference is night and day.  In our previous church, as much as I loved it, I was the only one who loved it.  We needed to change.  And two years later, we've met so many amazing people.  One of my dearest friends goes to church with me here, and if not for her, I would have never joined the amazing homeschool group we all attend on Thursdays.

I'm also not dissing our old church~God had us there for a reason for the amount of time we were there.  I would never trade that time spent attending there.  But now, He has a reason for us to be part of another amazing church.  I've seen Him do some pretty awesome things...and I know He will continue.  It's exciting to be in the will of God~whoever thought being a Christian was boring couldn't be more wrong.

We were talking about our Summer plans at church yesterday...it'll be busy, but it'll be fun.  I always look forward to the long nights spent with friends over and fun traditions, like our Sunday night swim and cook-out with the neighbors and the fireworks at Bellevue.

Well...I need to go start my dryer.  I didn't do laundry this morning, and I have got a small mountain in the laundry room.  I hope you've had a great day so far!  Love to all.

Mimi's Birthday Party

I have a really sweet family who loves to give birthday parties...and because of that, I love to give birthday parties.  Todd is one of two sons that his parents had, and his brother Tim lives near Nashville.  Because of that...we're pretty much all his parents have here.  So, I tend to make a big deal out of birthdays. 

Tonight was no exception. 

Noah was home alone with me today.  Jonah went to work with Todd, and Graham and Drew were at a student council thing in Germantown all day.  He was a huge help to me today!  We made brownies, wrapped a gift, and he hung streamers to his little heart's content.

 His little creative juices were flowing.  The gift was not store bought, but a "blessing book" we made for her.  It's the first one I've ever done for someone, and as much as a labor of love it was, it was worth every second.  {It will NOT be the last one we do, I assure you.}

After eating a yummy dinner of grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, asparagus, and bread, Mimi opened her gift.

 I love her face in this picture...some of the words were written in bright yellow, so Todd had to illuminate the pages so she could read those. 

 Unfortunately, in this family, a party isn't a party until Mimi goes down.  Tonight's unfortunate mishap took place in the man cave, where Mimi was coerced into sitting in a new bean bag chair.  When Graham and Wiley helped her up, she came up...and kept on going over, where she very {un}gracefully fell. 

She also might or might not have knocked over the shelf in the boys bathroom...but some things are better left unsaid.  ;)

It was a fun day and night, and I am so thankful for all the help my sweet Noah gave me.  :)  Love to all.

what not Wednesday

We had a first today~we went to a strawberry patch and picked 4 quarts of strawberries!  They are so good...we came right home and washed them off and sliced some to mix around with sugar.  I'm thinking about going super domestic and attempting homemade jam for the first time. 

The choir's still out on that one.  I'll keep you posted.

Here are some pictures from today:

 My one mandatory picture from every outing.  ;)  I've become quite the master at getting them all to look pretty decent in one shot. 

Noah's hands.  {above}

Jonah's hands.  {above}

Graham took a couple of pictures of me, since I'm usually {always} behind the camera.  ;) 

 For my friend, Shari.  ;)  I sent her this picture in a text while we were there...we had been texting about this place before we went this morning.  Thanks for your help, sweet friend!

 I would loved to have heard what they were talking about.

 Here's a few of our strawberries after they were all washed.

 And lastly, these two stood and cut the rest of them up so I could sprinkle a little sugar on them.  They used my new kitchen knives I got for Mother's day.  :) 

How was your day? 

Love to all. 

pictures from my phone

I still cannot get over the song Cornerstone.  I'm listening to it as I write.  The lyrics resound deep within me...wanna read them?  {It'll work best if you listen to the video I posted last night and read the lyrics while you listen.}

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus name

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus name

Christ alone; Cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Savior's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all

When Darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
My anchor holds within the veil

Christ alone; cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Savior's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all
He is Lord
Lord of all

Christ alone
Christ alone; Cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Savior's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all

Christ alone; Cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Savior's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless stand before the throne. 

Is that not beautiful?  I can't help but worship my awesome God every time I hear this...and I cannot even begin to imagine how it will be when I see my sweet Jesus for the first time.  I can only imagine...sounds like a song, right?  

;)

Speaking of seeing Jesus...a friend from our old church went to be with Him today.  I loved this sweet man and his dry sense of humor.  His wife and I did several Bible studies together, and I am praying for her, their children and grandchildren.  He wasn't all that old, but Jesus decided that Mr. Ernie had completed his work here on earth.  

Friends, there is so much time being wasted.  We don't know the hour or the day when our Lord will return, but are you ready to meet Him?  If He were to call you home right now, where would you go?  Do you know Him?  Serve Him and walk in His ways?

If you don't, can I challenge you to start?  Pick up the Bible and start in the book of John.  Read about who He is!  If you ever want to talk...or comment...or email...comment or email me and I will talk with you!  It would be a pleasure to pray with you...because we all need praying friends.  I'll be yours.  

The rest of our day looked a little like this:

Drew and I ran to the post office this morning and passed the shop where my mom works...I had to take a picture, because it's so beautiful.  It's Cottage on Main.  They sell furniture, home decor, dried florals, knick knacks, candles...I could go on.

Oh, this child.  He's been looking forward to this day for months...when he went to the park with a cleaned-out mayonnaise jar with vanilla ice cream inside.  Does that not look disgusting?!  Y'all.  This made his day.  It's all about the little things in life...I always say that, do I not?

 Come four o'clock every afternoon, this is where Crash sits.  He waits {im}patiently for his master to come home...and he watches his boys play in our front yard.  Is he not adorable?  It's a good thing.

 And last, but not least...I re-did my nails today.  My sister Debi bought me a new color while she was here~Jade Is The New Black.  Love!

That's about it.  Thanks for reading!  Love to all. 

(If you read this often, will you "join" my blog?  That's what you see on the side with the little pictures of my friends.  I would much appreciate it.)

 

"Cornerstone"

From Wikipedia~"The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure." 

Ephesians 2:20~"Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself."

My newest favorite song...listen and be blessed, my friends.  

Love to all.  
  

not many words Monday

We planted today.  In memory of our beloved Mr. Paul.  You can read about him HERE.

I've been looking forward to and dreading this time of year because of him...I still can't talk about him without crying.  I was dreading this time of year because I knew the boys expected to plant their veggie gardens...and that would require us talking about him.  And, still, here I sit crying and typing.

Lord, please help me not be an emotional wreck!

Moving on...here are some pictures from our day.  (I would also like to thank my sweet Mom, who bought them their plants in memory of Mr. Paul.)

Jonah planted concord grapes.  That I'm certain we're going to have to dig back up...maybe she'll come help us?  ;)

Graham planted cherry tomatoes, lemon thyme and lemon balm.

Noah planted okra.

And Drew...well, he did this.

He's going to plant his tomorrow before he cuts the grass.

After they were finished with the planting, I planted my herb packets.  :)

That's about it for the day.  How was your day?  Love to all.

moments from today

My emotions have run the gamut today.  I've been happy, sad, full of joy at seeing the sister I haven't seen in almost a year, full of awe, frustrated and weepy.

Sometimes it sucks being a girl.

I've also been busy today.  I had to run to Goodwill to drop off some stuff from my clean-out sessions this week, then I had to run Graham and Drew to Germantown for praise band practice.  After I dropped them off, I went to the hospital.

Before you freak out, here's why:

My sisters, Lisa and Debi, are my half sisters.  Their elderly daddy took a bad fall over the weekend and was taken to the ER on Monday.  He has been there ever since, so on Tuesday, Debi flew in from Denver to help Lisa.

I'm so glad she got to get a break and come home, but this wasn't the way I'd imagined it happening.  {I had just told her last Friday that I desperately missed her and hope she could come home for a few days.}

So, after dropping the older boys off, I took her a diet coke and her daddy a milkshake from Chick Fil A.  That's where the happy and full of joy part come in~it was so good seeing her!!  I'm also always in awe of her beauty, and today was no different.  Her eyes are this insanely gorgeous shade of blue.  Here's a picture of my sisters and I from last summer.  The young one in the front is my niece, Erika.

Left to right is Trish, me, Lisa, Debi {under Lisa}, Erika {my niece} and my beautiful Mom.

This picture makes me want to go back to the beach!  But only with these people.  Sigh.

And about going to the hospital today, y'all...it is so sad to see someone elderly decline.  Especially when it involves memory loss.  It broke my heart seeing our other "Papa" like that.  My boys always called him "Papa", just like his other grandkids.  ;)

I was also frustrated today because of some drama that went on with my older boys, but all is well now.  I love life lessons, and today was a good one.  It was about apologizing, and how sometimes you have to be the one who starts it.  I also told them that sometimes, even though people are wrong, they might never apologize.  Some people are just like that, though I'm happy to say that everyone involved today apologized.

I see God in every single little area of our day to day lives, and He is so good.

The weepy part came after dinner.  My sister sent me a text saying how hard it was to leave her daddy in the nursing home today.  {They discharged him from the hospital, but he went straight to a nursing home here in The Ville.}  My heart breaks for them, because I cannot imagine leaving my daddy in a place like that.  Not that it's bad, it's not!  It's just so, so, so sad.  I remember when my Mom and I had to take my grandmother there when she lived with us.  It was right before Todd and I got married, and it broke my heart when it came time to leave her there.

And so here I sit, typing this and boohooing.  I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone.  Please pray for my sisters, Lisa and Debi.  They're going to need lots of comfort and peace in the next several days, and I pray that God gives them peace of mind, as well.  I know that someday Trish and I might have to face this with our precious Daddy, and I don't look forward to it.  I pray we never have to~I just pray that the good Lord takes him before he gets to that point.

Well, I didn't mean to unload on here, but I'm kinda glad I did.  Thanks for reading.  Love to all.

what~not Wednesday

This was given to us by some friends last night.  It takes up half the man cave.  Seriously.  I think we're going to get rid of the couch and buy four huge bean bags to replace it.  We'll keep the leather recliner that's in the corner.

We had an afternoon of science experiments.  My window sill is filled with bags of rainbow beads and super balls.  :)  Gotta love homeschooling!

I'm on this cleaning out and reorganizing binge, and in cleaning out my kitchen junk drawer, I found all our pictures from our mission trip to Iceland.  Even though I'm risking death at the posting of this picture on here, I love this picture of my man!  I especially love him when he's all scruffy.  :)

I also de-cluttered and reorganized our school shelves.  I took away all the stuff we weren't using and put some things in different spots.  I told you~I'm going to get my entire downstairs all nice and neat and de-cluttered before long.  My next mission is the hutch in my dining room.  It stresses me out just thinking about it.

He's the only boy of mine who will willingly pose for my many camera shots.  I was playing with the settings on the camera on my phone.  I love his expressions.

And since we're a family divided tonight, we all ate different things.  This was what I had.  It was so good.

How was your day?

Love to all.