~Welcome~

     It is amazing how powerful one word is :  welcome.  

By definition it means:

1.  to greet hospitably and with courtesy or cordiality

2.  a kindly greeting or reception, as to one whose arrival gives pleasure: to give someone a warm welcome.

3.   to greet the arrival of (a person, guests, etc.) with pleasure or kindly courtesy.

     Have you ever felt unwelcome?  The feelings that come along with that are heartbreaking, I believe.  If for any reason I have ever made any of you feel unwelcome, I sincerely apologize.  I actually truly enjoy having people visit.  I wish our home was big enough to hold the multitudes!  Most of all, Lord God, You are welcome in this place.

 

                                                   

 

 

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

1 Peter 4:9

 

Share with God's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.

Romans 12:13

 

    

 

Love my Engineer

    You never know what the kids will come up with...

     After school work was finished today, Engineer headed outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.  I was washing dishes and looked up to see him carrying post hole diggers across the yard.  Hmmm.... what was he up to?  Big Daddy said he took his golf clubs outside and that he was probably making a hole for his golf ball.  He was right.
     Next thing I knew, Engineer was asking for tape as he was holding a "flag"  he made out of a stick and construction paper... hehe, smart boy!

     And then the whacking began...

Hole in one!  Whoopie!

     God gave him a creative brain, that's for sure.  And a HUGE praise... he has started reading CHAPTERS out of his Pathway Reader!  Can you say ecstatic?!?!?  Thank you, Jesus!

 

The Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:5





And She's Off!

Our Butterfly is driving!

 

Watch out!

 





Lesson Learned

     You never know when a life lesson is upon you~

     We have had a relaxing weekend with the girls as the boys are away fishing for the weekend.  We ran to Target yesterday to pick up a tube for Sweet~n~Sassy's bike and proceeded to mosey through the toy aisles with Mother Hen and Sweet~n~Sassy.  Of course, the "I wants" took over the rest of our browsing the toys.  We came to the Our Generation dolls, you know, the dolls that replicate the American Girl dolls at a fraction of the cost.  Because they receive the American Girl catalog in the mail, they had a heart attack when they saw the dolls at Target!  So, knowing they had Christmas money saved for a rainy day.......... they decided that this was the day to spend their money on their own doll!  Unfortunately, they left their money at home, so momma and daddy picked up the tab until we got home............

Introducing Mother Hen (with Katlyn) and Sweet~n~Sassy (with Emily)

     Mother Hen was quick to pay back her debt with no questions asked except "how much do I owe you?"

     Next was Sweet~n~Sassy...........

     As we began counting her money, she exclaimed, "I have a lot of money!"  We agreed.  We continued counting and laying out each dollar so she could visibly see $32.76. 

     And then, she realized that money was not hers anymore.  But that she had to hand it over to momma and daddy to pay her debt.

OH MY GOSH!

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z4KK7RWjmk

 

 

     You can see in the following pictures that Sweet~n~Sassy learned the value of a dollar today. 

 

 

     Poor girl~  Ahhhh, and so goes a life lesson.........

 

 

 





Proverbs 22:7The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.

 

 



    

Thank you, Charlotte

     As our school year starts to wind down, my brain is already skipping ahead to starting again in the fall.  Actually, we aren't going to take a summer break.  We will continue are lessons with a day off here and there.  I think it's what works best for us.  We will continue using My Father's World curriculum next year and Engineer and Mother Hen will be added to the cycle that Camo Boy is already using.  This year, he is studying exploration to 1850.  Next year, they will be studying 1850 to the present.  We are super excited about studying the Civil War and WWII as we have some history lovers in the house!
     I have to admit, my heart aches because my precious Engineer isn't reading fluently yet.  One day, I am secure in knowing that he will "get it" or it will "click" and then, the next day, I feel like a failure and that I am not doing my job as his teacher.   And yet, I know in my heart that it will happen in God's timing and that we must be patient.  I am currently reading Charlotte Mason's The Original Home Schooling Series and read this tonight.......

http://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-Masons-Original-Homeschooling-Series/dp/1889209007

      "Learning to read is hard work.-  Probably that vague whole which we call 'Education' offers no more difficult and repellent task than that to which every little child is (or ought to be) set down- the task of learning to read.  We realise the labour of it when some grown man makes a heroic effort to remedy shameful ignorance, but we forget how contrary to Nature it is for a little child to occupy himself with dreary hieroglyphics- all so dreadfully alike!- when the world is teeming with interesting objects which he is agog to know.  But we can not excuse our volatile little Tommy, nor is it good for him that we should.  It is quite necessary he should know how to read; and not only so- the discipline of the task altogether is wholesome for the little man.  At the same time, let us recognise that learning to read is to many children hard work, and let us do what we can to make the task easy and inviting."  Charlotte Mason  Home Education  Vol. 1

 
 ....... ahhhh!  Thank you, Charlotte!  Just to let you know, this momma will be a weepy mess when that glorious day comes and he is READING!

In the morning, oh Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.  Psalm 5:3

     

Removing and Replacing

     I am a blessed girl.  Really. My Daddy loves me so much that he has been removing relationships that are not healthy for me.  You know, the ones that weigh you down.  The ones that when you look at your phone and see that text or incoming call... you cringe.

     Instead of those "relationships", He is replacing them with relationships that are causing me to grow in Him.  He has made my path cross with some amazing women who are wise, who love me for me, who encourage me, who challenge me, and who hold me accountable.  I am thankful.  And also thankful for the One who calls me friend.

In the beginning...

     So, here it is, 12:43 am... and I decided to start this blog tonight... or shall I say this morning!  I have thought about doing this for a long time as a way to record our crazy, busy life!

     We are taking a few days off from school work as many of our friends are on Spring Break.  It is so wonderful to wake up and not have the day planned out.  To just do whatever we want to do.  Whenever we want!  We were thankful the sun finally made an appearance and the 3 littles could play outside all day.  Helping their favorite neighbor/adopted grandfather pick his dandelions for a dollar, chalk artwork covering the driveway, bikes thrown about the yard, friends coming over, Camo Boy leaving to spend the night,  Butterfly working today, throw in a little crying and tattling every once in a while... it makes for a good day :)