Almost There!

Just one more day!

Last night was rehearsal and setting up the tables.  I LOVE everyone's tables and how expressive they are of them.  The girls tables are full of pictures and frills and cutsie little tidbits.  The boys tables are mostly done by their moms.   I think having a girl graduate is much different than a boy.  Meg has taken hold of this herself to decorate and have things just so.  The boys are just there to get it done and be finished.

Tomorrow will be a fun day.  A BIG day!  And a day that was forever somewhere in the distance.  But now it is here.  And that sweet baby girl that used to read Hop On Pop to me is already finished with high school. 

I wish all mommas would realize what they are missing when they send their kids off to school all day every day.  I've had 18 years with her and most moms have only had 5.  I'm SOOOO blessed and thankful and can't even imagine who I would be today without her influence.   And as I was chatting with the moms at rehearsal last night that was the common theme of conversation.  None of us were sorry with the time that we invested.  We have received much more than we have given. 

Isn't this a good looking group?!

Happiness!

Friends!  My sweet besties.  And they are here with me even though they live so far away in CO. 
And then when I was in Colorado, my Wings came all the way there to see me!  Oh how I love them all.

And feel so loved by them. 

What is UP with the spell check?

It was gone.  And now it's back.  And what's with the yellow?
Is this going on with your blogs too??

Courtship According To The Momma Part 1

Here we are 3 weeks into Meg and Ethan's courtship.  It has been a whirlwind of emotion, let me tell ya!  I am incredibly blessed with friends that have walked this road before me and have humbly shared their life with me in the process of it all.  As a mom who had never been there, I soaked it all in.  I'm thankful for their transparency and I want to be able to be that for other moms who are not there yet or are unsure about this whole courtship thing. 

Something I was thinking about today was how humble and teachable these 2 young people have been.   Ready to learn, quick to ask questions, listening, and wanting to do what is right. 

Ethan's parents have done a phenomenal job raising him with a vision to prepare for his future family.   He is setting the standard in our home for all who are to follow after him.   And he has made me think of how we are raising our boys.  I hope to elaborate on that later. 

I remember how tiring the days could be when I was the mom of a bunch of littles.  It seemed like every moment there was a new issue to tackle and nobody big enough to really be a help.  But now I look back and I'm so happy we invested the time it took to be intimately involved in their lives.  Homeschooling, limiting tv, limiting influences period, has really paid off.   Those were NOT the things we thought up on our own, but the things that God laid on our hearts that were right for our family.   I'm talking to you moms of little bitties here when I say that it is all worth it...every minute!  Every time you turn off Sesame Street and read or talk or play outside.  Every time you have to say "no" when it would be easier to say "yes".  And every time you choose to keep them close to you instead of sending them somewhere else. 

I am humbled thinking that God has worked so mightily in our lives.  The answered prayers of many years and sometimes many tears.  In the meantime, He was doing the same for Ethan's family and the families of whomever is to come calling next.   Wow. 

I have spent the last 18 years keeping this sweet girl close.  And now I realize that all that time was spent to prepare her to be somewhere else and with someone else.   She won't be here with us forever.  But she's God's, not mine.  And I can not hold her in my tight fisted grip.  That one simple concept took awhile for me to work through! 

And here we are.  All grown up almost.  And I get to walk her through this, learning the whole way.  I do want to share with you some of the practical aspects of courtship we're working through later, but today my heart is full of thankfulness that I've gotten to be her mom, that I've had her home, and I've gotten to spend most of every day of her life with her preparing her for the next thing.

A Little Of Lately

~We found the cutest little turtle you've ever seen!  Walking with a friend at the park and there he was just wanting to be picked up, carried to my house, and tortured by 5 boys.  He was only about 3 inches with the tiniest little head and hands.  Awwww.....for a turtle.  I wish I had taken pictures.  We finally took him back home to the park and believe me, Mr. Turtle was thrilled with that idea. 

~Azure Standard is delivering to FSM!  Happy for me b/c I will getting my favorite health foods cheaper.  I do love a good deal.  This month it'll be 60# of organic apples for apple sauce and a case of sucanat..plus a few other goodies...but those are my favorites.

~Poncho died.  Who's Poncho?  The mexican jumping bean that Mr. Hartsfield gave LB.  So Lane took it outside to disect it and see what it looked like inside.  No tears shed over this one. 

~Lotsa fun at the Safety Fair at Immanuel Baptist yesterday.  The kids got to climb in a fire truck and police car, get finger printed, jump in the bounce around, take pictures, eat cotton candy, and win prizes.  Let me tell ya, when there's prizes involved and you have 11 tickets, you're bound to come home with something fun.  And when there's a cake walk...well, we tend to pretty much take it all. 

~In less than 24 hours we will be reunited with our Mabbs!  Our sweet CO friends are making the huge long tiring boring drive just for US!!  And oh, are we so thankful.  One week of wonderful. 

~Last night Honey took me to pick out my Mother's Day present.  I can't tell ya what it is b/c it had to be ordered and its not here yet and so I can't take a picture.  BUT, next week!!  So stay tuned....

~My garden is lovely and we're already picking lettuce and spinach. 

~My in-laws are here for a couple of more weeks.  Today Honey and the 9yo went fishing with my FIL.  He's hoping to bring home something for the goldfish pond. 

~We've hit the point in life when family dinner is rarely what it used to be.  We either have somebody missing or a couple of somebodys extra.  I like the extra better than the missing.  Sunday always involves extra so I'm coming up with a standard Sunday lunch meal.  I feel bad making the company eat the leftovers that the kids rejected all week.  Until I change it, it's whole chickens, baked potatoes, salad, bread, and some kind of dessert.  Easy b/c I can make it all in the crock pots and have some stuff made in advance.  My mom gave me her big turkey roaster thing thats like a huge crock pot.  I think I'll be able to get 4 chickens in there if I need to. 

~Tonight is church.  And the last Sunday night church for the summer.  I'll miss it. 

~I'll leave ya with this... Meg and Efum...as my little boys call him.

Eldest's Party

We had lots of Eldest's friends over last weekend for a party. Grilled some burgers, fried some eggrolls, and ate lots of chips.

I lOVE these happy faces!

A juggling lesson. I knew those bowling pins would come in handy!

Mad Gab! Fun game we picked up at a garage sale that morning.

Thank you G'ma and PawPaw for funding the fun! We love you!

Playing With Picasa

How do you upload more than one pic at a time? Anybody?

Ah, Lovely Dirt!

Recently we had new tile installed in the entryway, dining room, and in front of the back door.  Before the new tile, there was carpet.  White carpet. 

And on that white carpet there were muddy paw prints, spilled oatmeal, ketchup, and every kind of disgustingness imaginable. 

But NO MORE!!

And yesterday as I was sweeping (not vacuuming) I was rejoicing over all the dirt I was accumulating.  Dirt that is easily swept into a dust pan and thrown in the trash to be gone forever! 

Thank you God (and Honey) for my new tile!!!

EZ is 3

Whoopie!! Presents for a big 3 year old...

Today

Honey has been so sweet to give me the whole afternoon to myself.  He's in charge and I'm in my room being quiet, reading, scrapbooking, thinking, planning for next week, and well, blogging. 

It's been a week of newness, a TON of company, and an upheaval of emotion.  You see a fine young man came asking for Eldest's hand this week.  You can read more about it on Honey's blog.  But suffice it to say, he's all we've ever wanted for her and she's uproariously happy.

As for the other little Taggs, well they are a bit unsure of just what it all means.  And one in particular sheds many tears.  So as the Momma, I'm working on helping them to sort it all out.

It's good.

~Last night we had a big party with Meg's friends.  Lotsa fun and food and games.  Lotsa smiles and laughter and an overnight guest.

~Honey's family is in town!  I always learn so much from my mother-in-law.  She has the gift of knowing what needs to be done and then doing it.  She never says, "Let me know if you need anything."  She just does it.  I love that about her.

~The garden is planted!  And it's even raining.  Wonderfulness.  I'm praying God's bounty over it.   And I'm hoping to try pressure canning this year even though I'm a teeny bit skeered of it.

~I'm reading a new book titled, Fueled By Faith by Jennifer Kennedy Dean.  Chapter 3 and loving it!  I think she's going to be one of my new favorite authors.

~My little ones were in the paper last week!  The photographer from the paper was at story time taking pix and the librarian saved it for me since I don't take the paper.  Fun for the Momma.

~SOMEBODY'S been drinking out my potty!  BUZZ??!!   And stealing muffins off my bathroom counter.  I need to have words with a certain slobbery dog. 

Oh sigh....typing and being quiet and minding my own business here and Honey's phone gets a text saying that his friends are playing b-ball at 1:30. 

NOOOO!!!  I'm thinking.  I just wanna be here and not out there being in charge.  And if he leaves, I'll have to do just that.  And oh, I was looking forward to this Sunday afternoon.  Don't get me wrong,  I love love LOVE being the Momma around here.  But I was hoping for a little quiet time today. 

So I called him, yes I called him from his cell phone to the house phone even though I'm 2 rooms away.  And he's happy b/c he likes playing basketball of course.   He even works it out where big kids are available to take care of the house, littles, and even Meg and her man (b/c Ethan's wisely requested a no-touch or left alone courtship).  

Nice idea, but it doesn't really do it for me since I know that ultimately I would be in charge and I would feel the need to open my door and be available. 

And he comes back here to get dressed.  And the tears flow.  Wow, I was holding onto this afternoon a little tighter than I thought.   But he sweetly says that he'll stay home without even a hint of disappointment in his voice and kiss too. 

What guy I have!! 

And now I'm off to menu or lesson plan or nap or scrapbook or and eat chocolate...because I CAN!!  Thank you Honey.

2Cor 3:17-18

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into this likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 

Food For Thought

When I was first married, I didn't know how to cook.  We ate a lot of cereal, the sugary kind of course, and slowly graduated to Ramen noodles, and frozen burritoes.  As the years went by, I started to get more comfortable in the kitchen and branched out to make stuff like spaghetti and hamburgers. 

22 years later, I look back on those early days and I'm so thankful that things have changed, that I learned and grew.  And though I still make all kinds of disasters in my kitchen, I am pretty confident that I can tackle most any recipe, adapt it to our tastes, and even create my own. 

I started thinking about how this was similar to when I was a new Christian.  Just as I had no idea of how to put together a meal, I also had no idea of how to feed my spirit with God's Word.  Where to start?  And how?  And what does it mean? 

Just as I have taught most of my kids to cook, I decided it was time to teach them how to dig into God's Word for themselves.  I don't want them to have to be dependent on Beth Moore or Henry Blackaby.  I certainly believe that pre-packaged Bible studies are useful, but my kids also need to know how to chop their own lettuce, if you know what I mean. 

I've started teaching them the inductive Bible study method this week.   I learned this many years ago but had sort of forgotten about it until a friend reminded me of it recently.  It is perfect for learning how read your Bible all by yourself. 

You basically start with a small passage of Scripture, usually 3-10 verses.  Then you start asking questions..
~Who is writing or speaking and to whom?
~What is the passage about?
~When does this take place?
~Why does the author write what he does?
~How does this passage fit in with the context?

Here's some more..
~What are the commands or promises?
~What are the cause/effect relationships?
~What are the repeated words and ideas?
~What do I learn about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, myself, or mankind?

So I gathered everybody together with their Bibles...even the littlest kids.  We started in Genesis with creation since the babies could follow along with the pictures.  I had a young reader read to us what his Bible said as we all followed along either with our own versions or picture Bibles.  Then we dug in deeper with the questions. 

As time goes on, I plan to incorporate cross references, Bible dictionaries, and concordances for the older ones.  I'm also hoping for lots of questions and conversation starters!

Today

~We just celebrated the 4th b-day of the 5 b-day stretch.  My little man turned six.  I REALLY REALLY love this guy!

Look how's he's grown!  Oh I miss a chubby baby!  Anybody have a baby to give away for keeps?

A fun day of sunshine, friends, and chocolate cake. 

Funny thing is that when he was little, he didn't like chocolate cake at all!  Now it's his special b-day request. 

~I've been needing some more meal ideas so I checked out 2 books from the library.  One is the Southbeach Diet Cookbook and the other one is some kind of slow cooker cookbook.  Both are ok.  Neither are great.  But I did get a couple of ideas..including a new way to make applesauce.

~8 dentist appts today.  And it seems like we were just there!  Has it really been 6 months? 
Everyone is taking school work to do in the waiting room.  Eldest and the littlest kids will go first, then I will run them home and come back to wait for the bigger ones.

~I'm adding fill-in-the-blank Bible studies to the list of things I don't do very well. 

~I woke up this morning feeling like life is tangled mess.  I don't like mess.  And it'd be nice to just untangle it and know the outcome.  But I know that God is good with mess and He is the One to show me how awesome He is as He unravels it little-by-little. 

~Graduation plans are coming together nicely. 

~I need a walking buddy today.  Any takers?

~My in-laws are coming soon.  Like this week.  We haven't seen them since the fall as they have spent the entire winter in FL.  They are fun to have around!

~We put up the pool this weekend.  CRAZY!  It's not quite full yet but the kids have been in and out all weekend.  They come out with blue lips and shivering bodies and huge smiles.

~2 houses in my neighborhood are for sale...anybody?  Both were open yesterday so I took the open house tour.  Fun to see what other people do with their houses. 

~Next weekend: Garden planting! 

Today's meals...
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Hmmm, I hope we have leftovers.  If not..???
Dinner - scrambled eggs with spinach, hashbrowns, and fruit.
Snack - strawberry spinach smoothies

To Read Or Not To Read?

Last night I posed a question to my book study group.

If my family is playing outside, perfectly content, can I expect to be able to grab a book and sit on the porch and read?  What happens is, the minute I do sit down with my book a child runs up to ask for a popsicle, show me a bug, or "Mom, watch this!".    Is it rude for them to interrupt me when I'm reading even though I seem to look available?   Do I have the freedom to be unavailable?  Or am I constantly on duty until I tell them otherwise?  Should they have the discernment to tell the difference?

As I opened my Bible to read this morning, the Lord made my answer clear right there in my regular reading. 

"For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."  1 Cor 10:34

God's Word is alive and active!  And I can count on it to instruct me in the way I should go.  I don't want to seek my own good - what difference does that make?  But I want the good of others that they may be saved.  SAVED!  And in doing so, I'm participating in the work of Christ. 

Seeking the good of others goes against my selfish nature but I pray that the Lord will make me sensive to others' needs and open my eyes to the opportunities to seek their good. 

In this case, seeking their good is putting aside my own plans to make much of them. 

Not that my kids should have permission to be rude and interrupt, that's not what I mean.  But in this case, I wasn't doing anything particularly important and it wasn't officially interrupting (in my opinion).  And when I step back to look at it, I know that I want them to include me in their life and show me all the things that are neat to them at the moment. 

Like my friends told me last night, there will be a time when they don't do that anymore. 
How boring will that be?!

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye."  Ps 32:8

Meg's Formal

This is the homeschool alternative to prom.  All the juniors and seniors, along with their parents, dress up fancy and go out to dinner and bowling.  No dates, no drinking, no immodest dresses, or inappropriate behavior.  Just clean and fancy fun!

First...the dress.  Meg has had this in mind for over a year now.  We actually shopped for this in CO!  Time was running out and there still wasn't a dress in sight.  Then my friend, Alison, came to the rescue.  She had the perfect dress!  Sooo pretty. 

Meg and Emma

Meg and Bekah.  Aren't they lovely?

Nana and G'pa gave us some money for sparkly accessories.  Thank you G'pa and Nana!

All the girls!

And the guys!

Yummy dinner pix...

Don't you love all the smiles?

Then off to bowling!  Some of us changed clothes (like me!), and some didn't. 

Fashionable footwear at it's finest.

I actually have my very own ball with my name on it!  I haven't bowled in like 20 years but I guess I was keeping it for just the right time...like this!  Doesn't it add to Meg's beauty here? 

It was such a fun night and a great blessing to see my girl so happy.

I love you Meg!

Honoring Others With Words

"Honor one another above yourselves."  Romans 12:10
The NKJV says it like this, "giving preference to one another".

This is a portion of the passage my family is memorizing right now and the part that is stuck in my head at the moment. 

Showing preference to anybody other than myself is particularly challenging to someone as selfish as I am.  But these words keep coming to me, convicting and helpful.

I've always thought of that verse in relation to sharing or giving.  Like if there's one piece of pie left I should give it to him kind of thing.  But God is showing me that it's much more than that.

I'd be so embarrassed if anyone ever counted the words that left my mouth on any given day.  I talk all the the time.  Rather it's directions, corrections, questions, or directives, it seems like my mouth is always running.  And that doesn't even count e-mail, Facebook, or my blog!  Honestly there are times when I'm tired of my own voice. 

Unfortunately I don't usually consider the other person who is listening to me.  I just say what I need to say and keep going.  But God is showing me how to apply this verse to my conversation. 

Honoring another requires thinking ahead.  Considering how to phrase my words so they will be easy to hear, especially if it's something challenging.  "Seasoning it with salt" as Paul would say.  And while I don't want to water down something that needs the full effect, I also don't want to wound unnecessarily.  It's not about me blowing off steam, but about building up the other person. 

Do I need to start with praise and encouragement?  What are the ways that this person will receive it best? 

And most of all, I want my words to be honoring to God.  Praying over the measure of my words and asking him to fill my mouth or maybe clap a hand over it! 

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in  your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."  Ps 19:14

Today

I wish I could take some pictures of my new floors!  (Apparently we have some sort of storage issue with pix right now.)   So pretty and so much better than white carpet.  I love them.

~Wonderful beautiful weather and just right for airsofting at the Wings.  Fun day.

~I'm working on the clothes exchange.  There are clothes everywhere!  It is the biggest mess but I don't care.  At least not much.  You see I've been looking at the clothes situation for kids and thinking we'd probably need to buy quite a bit.  So I've been praying. 

I had my kids pull the spring clothes out of the attic and oh my!  So many things.  People are very generous to give us their hand-me-downs and sometimes they are clothes that will not fit anyone at the time.  So I label them and store them in the attic until the next season.  Of course by the next season I have forgotten what we have and it is like Christmas with all the "new" stuff.  I'm so thankful.

Mally is especially loving digging into her spring box.  I also had a box of dolls that I had packed away b/c we had too many out at once.  New clothes, new babies, the girl is happy!

~My mom had double knee replacement surgery today and the word from my g'mother is that she is doing wonderfully.  Praise God!

~Graduation plans are falling into place.  I cry every single time I watch the slide show of Meg's life.  How did we get here already?  So grown-up, so beautiful, and so sweet.  I'm so proud to be her momma. 

I'm happy for all the new things around the corner for her.  But I confess that there are moments that I feel like the rug is about to be pulled out from under me.  So many things will be changing in our family in the coming years.  Good things probably, but different things.  And I'm sorta fond of the way they are now. 

So I'm soaking it all in.  Enjoying looking at the full dining table, her little brother having a sleep over in her room, and her crowded closet.  I love my baby girl.

~It's time to start planning our garden.  I'm looking forward to it this year but thinking that next year will be better since we'll know the yard and growth areas better.  I'm also going to try pressure canning this year...scarry.

~I finished Romans this morning.  Good stuff!

~Typing this up and I just remembered that I haven't posted Eldest's formal pix yet!  Where have I been?!  A weekend blog project I think. 

Today's meals...
Breakfast - Cinnamon swirl
Lunch - Sloppy joes with the Wings
Dinner - Turkey spaghetti and salad
Snack - Animal crackers

Unbelieveable

My 13 year old son wants to work.  He wants to feed your dog, gather your mail, weed your garden, wash your car, whatever.  He made up some flyers to advertise his business and passed them around the neighboorhood. 

Unfortunately, and without my knowledge, he put them into the neighbor's mailboxes not knowing it was against the law.

A few weeks ago he and his sister tried going door-to-door offering their services.  That didn't go over so well as most of the neighbors were hateful to them stating they already HAD somebody who did that for them and gave the flyer back. 

Now I don't like solicitors either.  But never would I be hateful to someone else's child.  And it's not like he's selling over-priced cookies or wrapping paper for school.  The kid wants to work. 

Today as I'm working on school with my daughter, the phone rings.  It was a furious neighbor.  FURIOUS!  Telling me that he's going to have me arrested for opening his mailbox.   He didn't care that it was a mistake.  He didn't care that I said I was sorry.

And now what do I do?  I certainly can't have my son going back opening up people's mailboxes to take them out.   A door-to-door apology wouldn't be appreciated. 

Just wait for the next call I guess.  And stock up on Kleenex.

Joy and Peace Today

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit".  Romans 15:13

Overflowing with hope!  Imagine how our families, co-workers, school mates, and neighbors would be encouraged if we were actually *overflowing* with hope.  So much joy and peace that would naturally be reflected on our faces. 

Keeping our eyes on Him, our thoughts rightly related, and praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to do so. 

This is what I want today!! 

Be Encouraged!

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  2 Cor 12:9