eleven random (or maybe not) things

One.

I am such a morning person.  I love to be up early and I especially love getting up early to pray.  I love to pray, too, but it's not always easy for me.  I actually have something I use to help me with that, but I'll save that post for a later date.  It seems like when I am up early, before I know it, an hour will have passed me by when I'm praying and reading God's word and journaling.  Lately, I haven't been able to stand my morning news shows that I usually watch, so when I'm done, I turn on K Love and come to sit at the computer with my first cup of coffee.

On a side note, I just offered to sing a morning song to Toddley, and he turned me down.  Can you even believe that?  As much as I love mornings, he is grumpy in the mornings.  Opposites attract, I suppose.

Two.

I am in the middle of reading four books right now, and it's eating at me.  And as much as it's bugging me, I'm already thinking about the other book in this genre by this same author, that I haven't yet read.  I love a good memoir, and I haven't read the one where she writes about her marriage.

I can't remember the exact title, but it's something about an antelope in the living room.  Have you read these books by Melanie Shankle?  They are so good.  Also, so is her blog, Big Mama.  Just go to the Google and let that lead you there.

Three.

I could change nailpolish practically every day.  It's ridiculous.  I love painted fingernails, but you already knew that.  I used to be the opposite.  I remember I went through this phase of doing a French manicure every few days, and it morphed from there.  I distinctly remember starting this habit at my mom's house one Saturday night.

Four.

I love teenagers.  I mean, I LOVE them.  Do you know they used to intimidate me?  Before God made me fall in love with teenagers, I was always kind of scared to be in youth ministry, even though it was something I wanted to start doing.  But these girls?  They are awesome.  Not all of them are pictured, this is just one I came to while browsing through old pictures this morning.  Though I love them, I'm not sure how I feel about seventeen yet, in the life of my oldest boy.  It's been a strange past month or so with him, and I'm not sure if it's him or me or both of us or a circumstance that is just making him that way.  I don't know, but I sure do pray for him, along with all my boys, every single day.  I pray for these girls, too, and the ones not pictured here.  I call them out each morning before God, in prayer.

Five.

I love Bible study.  I mean, I really, really love studying God's word.  I enjoy it because in studying, I draw closer to God.  I learn more about Him, and I fall in love with Him even more than I already am.  He shows me things through His word, and I feel like He is sitting beside me as I study.  I enjoy this so much that I have entertained an idea a time or two, thanks to my dad, about doing something to further this love when the boys are all done with school.  For now, they are my priority in life, and I won't do anything that takes me away too much from them during the week.  I'll save that for later, too...or maybe not, but I'll think about it.

My favorite way of studying the Bible is Precept Upon Precept.  I was introduced to this way of study four years ago at our homeschool group, Renewed Moms.  And that brings me to number six.

Six.

The church is part of the original Germantown Presbyterian, where we meet each week, and the picture of the boys is of their first day of classes this school year.  This is our last year at Renewed Moms, and I am dreading the last day.  We will end our classes in April and I know I will cry because we're not returning next school year.  I have prayed and prayed about this decision, and I feel like God changed my mind back in February.  I knew the boys wouldn't be returning, but the plan was that I would go...and then God started showing me that I need to stay at home with them and teach them how to study the Bible the way I love.  So on Thursdays next year, that is what we will be doing.  I already have a plan in mind on what we'll be doing for our first two studies, but from there, I'll have to pray.

I do not want these boys to reach adulthood and say that they don't know how to study God's word.

Seven.

Every year at this time, I start thinking about our next school year.  We have things that we love and things that we don't each year, and I always make adjustments for next year.  But this year, I have a dread in me that I usually don't~because it will be Graham's senior year.  I cannot believe, even as I type this, that he will be a senior.  Y'all, I don't feel like it's been that long since I'VE been a senior, but holy cow.  I seriously don't know where all the time goes.  Only God has gotten us this far, and it is to Him that I give all the credit and glory.  And I'm not done yet.  I am always asking Him for strength and wisdom in raising these future husbands and fathers.

Eight.

On a much lighter note, do you know that I love summer?  For a lot of reasons.  I love that it's relaxed and without much structure.  Although I always say that we might do some light work in the summer, I usually don't make them.  They do need to read more in the summer, though, and that's something they can fall asleep doing at least two nights a week.  Anyway, I also love summer because I love to swim.  I could do this every single day and am a really good, strong swimmer.  I'm the one who taught all these boys how to swim and they are all little fishes and have been since about the age of three.  I can tread water for a ridiculous amount of time.  I have never been the mom who never swam with her kids, or who never gets her hair wet.  I love it even more than the boys love it, because they tire of this activity...but not me.  I love doing this with my mom-in-love at her neighborhood pool.  Last year when we'd go, the boys would end up leaving us and we'd stay and exercise in the pool and get all caught up.

That was at her house last summer.  I hang the towels over my car to dry.  This summer I'm also looking forward to joining my friend Sunday at her neighborhood pool the next street over.

Nine.

I am horrible at keeping goals.  Remember my list from January?  Yeah...me neither.

Ten.

I wish we lived in a smaller home.  I mean, I love the home that we're in.  I love it and I am so thankful that God provided the means for us to have this lovely home, but we could use way less space.  I miss our little home that we lived in when we had just Graham and Drew.  I even really would love to live in a tiny home.  Todd and I talk about this all the time...how we could sell this house and buy three of those tiny ones for a fraction of the cost.  One for us, one for the boys to share, and one that could be our kitchen and living area.  We do like to dream.

Also, the smaller the house, the less to clean, amen?

Eleven.

I love being a stay at home mom.  I am so thankful to God and my husband for providing this opportunity for us.  We decided to give up some things to accomplish this, and sometimes it's tight, but we always get through.  I am so thankful that my husband loves his job and that it's a small family owned business.  I am so thankful to his parents for instilling in him a good work ethic, and how he is now passing that on to our boys.  My prayer is that someday, one of them will take over this business.
Well, have I bored you to tears?  I need to get moving on this day.  Love to all!