Photo Hunt #125 - Beautiful

All things bright and beautiful...

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful:  the Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors, and made their tiny wings.

The purple-headed mountains, the river running by,
the sunset and the morning that brightens up the sky.

The cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden:  God made them every one.

God gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty, who has made all things well.


God's beautiful creation...

A video of photos taken by myself put to music by Michael W. Smith

Friday Fill-ins #87

1. When I'm sick I'm miserable and usually like to be alone.

2. When I take a walk, I think about how much God loves and cares for me, and how little I deserve that love!

3. Money can't buy happiness but it can destroy, rip families apart and cause greed to fester!

4. Cotton makes me feel cozy and warm and leather makes me gag - I can't stand the smell!

5. My favorite colors these days are warm earth tones because they are soothing and help me to relax from some of life's stresses!

6. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to completing the video I'm creating about the life of my Dad, tomorrow my plans include doing school with the kids as usual, and Sunday, I want to go to church, worship the Lord and feel his arms wrapped around me, cause goodness knows I need it!

First Skating lesson!

Today was Sweet-Pea's very first figure skating lesson. Did it start off well? Nope. Did it end well? YES! If it weren't for such a wonderful coach, Sweet-Pea would have given up before she even started.

Sweet-Pea was thrilled to get her skates. She was excited to go skating, but once she had those skates on in the building and walked over to the entrance of the rink, fear took over. She was PARANOID to say the least! She cried for a good 5 minutes. I had my skates on (yeah, a true sight to behold!) and was trying to get her and Lionel on the ice, but neither wanted to try it. Sweet-Pea managed to get onto the ice, but not without holding on to the side wall for dear life! Lionel attempted it but got only one foot on the ice before saying "forget it". I've never seen either of my kids so afraid of anything!!! At that point I knew I wouldn't get anywhere by pushing them, so we decided to sit and wait on the side for the coach to begin Sweet-Pea's lesson.

Here they are waiting on the outside of the rink.


The time finally came and Sweet-Pea had to begin her lesson. I was nervous by now because I thought she wouldn't go on the ice at all. Suddenly, dollar signs danced through my mind thinking this was all a waste...waste of money for skates, money for lessons, money for rink time etc. etc. all out the window! Fortunately, Sweet-Pea's coach is a total miracle worker! She not only got Sweet-Pea on the ice, she got her to go around the entire rink!! I was SO proud of her!!! (If I didn't have my own skates on I'd have danced for joy!)

She taught her how to walk on the ice, how to glide and how to do the swizzle (where your feet go out and in at the same time). I was TOTALLY surprised at how quickly Sweet-Pea picked up on things and learned to relax and have fun. She was still nervous and held onto the sides a bit, but she had total trust in her coach and she listened to what she had to say. At one point she was learning to dip in place on the ice. She not only dipped down, she added a little hip wiggle movement in with it. Her coach said she could tell Sweet-Pea was a dancer. Too funny!!

Here is Sweet-Pea and her coach. Next week I'll get better photos. It was hard to skate and take pictures...next week I won't skate, I'll just take photos and wear a proud smile.



Here are the first US Figure Skating skills patches she got for starting her lessons. How exciting!


When her lesson was over, Sweet-Pea's coach felt so bad for Lionel, so she spent a good 10 minutes teaching him how to get over his fear! She managed to get him on the ice and taught him to walk a bit. He still was worried, but at least he got out there. When all was said and done, I was so glad he didn't leave feeling like he couldn't do it. Maybe he will build up more courage for the next time, and he'll try it again.



I always encourage my children to try their hardest, to put 100% into everything they do. Today they did just that, and I'm so very proud of them both.

Now...back to school!

Say nothing

"Next time a sunrise steals your breath,



or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless,



remain that way. Say nothing and listen as heaven whispers, "Do you like it? I did it just for you!"



From Max Lucado's book entitled "The Great House of God"

If my plate is going to be full....

then I want to eat off of THIS plate!!!

I think I've been living life in a bit of a fog these days. There seems to be so many things going on lately. Yes, we began school 3 weeks ago and we're doing well in that area, but there are other things in my mind which are starting to consume what little space there is left up there in my head...and believe me, there's not much space up there!

My Dad isn't well. They don't know how long he has to live, but he certainly won't be around that much longer as hospice is helping to care for him. On top of that, I got a phone call yesterday from the nursing home where my grandmother is. She is my Dad's mom, and she turned 100 this past April - amazing huh? The nurse called to say that my grandmother isn't going to live long since she's no longer eating or drinking. The whole thing boggles my mind. I'm trying to process the whole thing with my Dad, and now my grandmother is going to die as well. I have to be honest...I was never that close to her so emotionally I'm not as upset as you'd think, but it's just one more thing dumped on my plate! I am the youngest grandchild and I am the one who is having to deal with her on top of being solely responsible for my Dad. Makes total sense doesn't it?!?

Besides those major things, I haven't even thought about much else. It seems from my blog that all is well and we're doing great, but frankly it's not all fun and games. I try to post the fun things we do because it makes me feel good and it keeps us on track. Knowing that through all of these trials around us, we are trying to live a happy 'normal' life.

One of my best friends had a baby 2 months ago and I've hardly had time to see them. I also am the president of our homeschool group and I'm not yet mentally prepared for this school year. We had a leader's meeting and are planning for it, but I have to try to get through things with my own family before I can totally be on board for these other moms.

Anyhow...I just got to thinking about all of this today as I was in the nursing home feeding my Dad some lunch off of the big white plates they use. (He managed to eat 6 spoonfuls before giving up. That was a good meal for him.) I looked at the plate and thought "How sad it is that at the end of their lives, these dear elderly people have to eat off of cold ugly looking white plates." That's when they should be living it up and celebrating the life they've lived. Their meals should arrive on fine china and beautifully patterned dishes. No, it's not practical, but it sure does sound better.

One verse that is really getting me through all of this is:

'But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ' II Corinthians 12:9

Photo Hunt #124 - Wrinkled

As much as I can't stand feet (yuk!), these wrinkled feet are a result of too much time in the pool, and they fit the theme perfectly!

Show 'n Tell

Those who know me well, know I love to scrapbook. I have been doing it for a while now and have several albums for each of the kids, and a few for the whole family. It's a wonderful (and often therapeutic) hobby that Sweet-Pea is now learning. She recently purchased her own scrapbook album (8"x8" size) along with some supplies, and is scrapping a page each day.

Here's her album:


Here are a few of the supplies she just had to buy while at the store. I told her she could use the gazillion supplies I've managed to stock up on over the years, but she insisted that she start all on her own. Hmm, I wonder who she got that from!?!


Her first page was, of course, about her and her brother. She loves him SO much and is constantly following him around the house in hopes that he'll find time to play with her. Her words say "I love _____ so much that I can kiss him 10 times!"
(His name was where the yellow spot is)


Her second page was about ballet. She's still a bit sad that she won't be dancing anymore...at least for now, but she does have figure skating to look forward to which makes her very happy. Her words here say "Ballet is fun. I wish I could be a ballerina." I told her that she is a ballerina and that God may have plans for her to dance again, but for now, she must lay it aside.


Since I showed off Sweet-Pea's scrapbook, I thought I'd post a photo of the shadowbox I made for her today. These ballet shoes are the ones she started out with 2 years ago, and the photo is of her wearing those shoes. I can't wait to hang this in her room!


OK, I feel like I've left Lionel out of so many posts lately, poor guy. He has been hard at work with school and the violin, and there's not much new to say about those things that I haven't already said, so I'll post a photo of one of his drawings. He loves cars, and drawing them is what he does for fun when he's not working or practicing! He's an avid NASCAR fan and between he and daddy, they can tell you the make and model of just about every car you pass on the road, especially the older ones. The apple didn't fall far from the tree in this area. Daddy salivates every time we pass by a vintage car. Too funny.

Here is the drawing Lionel did for our craft fair this past spring. He won an award for it. The details are so much better in person, but this is the best I could do online.


As you can tell, Edward and I are proud of both Sweet-Pea and Lionel. They are creative and they love to learn. Once they found out what they were passionate about, they ran with it. I pray every day for them and ask God to guide them every step of the way. I hope you pray for your children often. It's so very important and worth every moment!!!

Friday Fill-ins #86

This is the first week I'm adding these Friday Fill-ins on my blog. I found them on a friend's blog and thought it was fun. Sometimes these mindless activities are just what I need!

Here goes (my answers are in red, where the blanks used to be)...


1. The last time I went swimming I nearly froze.

2. When I drive I love to sing, but only if I'm alone.

3. I saw a squirrel standing on the edge of our pool.

4. Give me coffee, give me sleep, give me strength.

5. Next week I am looking forward to the neighborhood kids returning to school.

6. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to scrapbooking, tomorrow my plans include more school and a visit with my Dad and Sunday, I want to enjoy the Sunday School picnic I'm going to with my family!

First school, then the pool

One thing we love about homeschooling, is the freedom we have to plan our day any way we see fit. There are no school schedules defining our time, telling us where we have to be and when. We generally do our schooling first thing in the morning and finish up just after lunch, because it's easier and the kids are more alert in the morning, but sometimes we change things around. Today was one of those days. We did most of our schooling before noon, but when we had to go outside to perform an experiment, the pool was screaming for us to jump in!!! I told the kids that they had to do their math first, then they could go swimming. Tomorrow we will make up the one subject they each missed...no biggie!!!

The experiment I mentioned was for Sweet-Pea. She's learning about the sun in science, and has been looking forward to her first experiment. Today was the day! We had to go outside and use a magnifying glass to literally set fire to a dry leaf. How fun is that!?!?! We all got in on the fun! Mention destruction and fire to kids and they're all over it...why is that?!? ha ha Anyhow, we went outside, grabbed a dry leaf and placed it on the blacktop. It only took seconds for the sun to burn a hole in the leaf - it was hot outside today and the sun was very bright! Of course the leaf wasn't enough to satisfy the kids...we ended up burning sticks, paper and even popcorn! Gotta love it!

Here is the first leaf we burned. You can see the bright yellow spot in the center, that's the flame!


Our attempt at popping popcorn with the sun...


It almost popped, but instead it just caught fire and burned up. It was fun to watch though, and it smelled pretty good!


The kids finished school (quickly!) and then we headed outside to enjoy the pool. Swimming outside will soon come to an end, so the kids try to take every advantage they can to hop in. The water was a 'balmy' (said sarcastically) 70 degrees! YIKES it was COLD!!!!!! Usually the water is in the 80's when we swim, but today it was frigid. We did manage to go in and get totally wet...but it took a while.

Here's Sweet-Pea lying on her favorite raft.


Yeah, I put an UGLY photo of myself here on my blog, and I'll probably regret it as soon as I hit 'publish'. The dolphins are cute though, aren't they? Hmm...who's that in the back?!? Lionel...being silly, as usual!


Edward didn't even think of going in the pool, so he sat outside with Cody...who I bet would have loved to hop in with us!


We've never put him in the pool though because we don't want him to rip the liner. Maybe next summer we'll get him his own kiddie pool. For now he enjoys the nice cool grass.


Edward took this great shot of Cody...notice what the pool tube in front of him says. "Doodles"...Cody is a goldendoodle, which are generally called Doodles. Great shot honey!


Well, tomorrow it's back to school to play catch up. We are almost done with 3 weeks already. WHERE is the time going?!?!? Kids in our neighborhood don't start school for another week and a half. We'll be ready for a break by the time they just get into it.

Have a great day!

Got Skates?

Woo hoo...Sweet-Pea got her skates today! We found a great shop in town that specializes in figure and hockey skates. Since 'real' skates are not cheap, they sell used ones for a great price which you are then able to trade in for a larger size when needed. It's a great idea since kids grow so quickly!!

Knowing me though, when Sweet-Pea needs a new size, we'll just go buy another pair since I'll want to keep her very first skates. Yeah, I'm guilty when it comes to being a sentimental sap. I have her first ballet shoes ready to go in one of those display boxes you hang on the wall. I just need to find the time to actually put it together.

Anyhow, here are her new skates...the guy at the shop even sharpened them and got them looking like new for us. Whoever had them before, hardly ever wore them!


Sweet-Pea was fitted in the store, and was able to walk around in them very easily...she surprised me, but Edward said that after all taking ballet, he knew she'd have great balance! Once we got home, she of course HAD to try them on again. She can't wait until her first lesson!! Here she is putting on her new skates.


Her first lesson is on Thursday, so I'll update with photos if I get some good ones. Lionel also purchased a pair of hockey skates so he can skate around the rink while she's having her lesson. He is excited to have that fun free time.

Well.....since the kids are going to have fun skating...I decided (with a bit of encouragement from the peanut gallery) to get my skates (from the 80's!) out of the basement and try them on. Guess what...they fit!!! They even look great, so maybe I'll be out on the ice with the kids a bit this year. I think I'll keep the hospital's phone number in my pocket though - just in case. hee hee I'll keep you posted!

The results are in!

We're off to a great start in school this year! Both kids have already taken 2 tests each - unbelievable for only 2 weeks of school, huh?

Lionel's tests...

Algebra: 100%
Vocabulary: 90%

For algebra he uses Saxon math, and vocabulary he uses Wordly Wise 9. He realized he made a silly mistake in WW, so maybe next time he'll ace the test!


Sweet-Pea's tests:

Math: 100%
Spelling: 90%

For math she is using Horizons Math. Her spelling test is from Abeka Spelling 2. She too made one silly mistake. Instead of spelling lack the correct way she spelled it l..a..c..h. One letter caused her to lose 10 points. Bummer huh?

I thought it was funny how both kids got the same grades on their first 2 tests! Lionel is in the process of doing his WriteShop right now. He is on lesson 20 where they teach you how to write with exaggeration. He has to write up a vacation brochure on how 'nice' and 'wonderful' the place will be. I immediately thought of the hotel we stayed at in Newport - where they told us that there was a great pool and you got free breakfast each morning. The thing they failed to mention was that you had to actually leave that hotel and walk accross a busy road to another hotel to do those things!!! Not very convenient and in my eyes a BIG exaggeration in their advertising. I can't wait to see what Lionel comes up with!!!

Changing shoes...

I posted about Sweet-Pea's ballet/tap issues here already, but unfortunately things never got 100% resolved. The girl at church who said she teaches ballet, is more of a contemporary dancer who specializes in interpretive dance. She adds some ballet, but it's not her specialty. When Sweet-Pea heard that, she shed some tears and ultimately decided that it was not the route she should go.

I tell you, this girl has a huge heart and a good strong sense of how the Lord leads. She told me that she absolutely loves to dance, but that if there isn't a good place for her to go and learn how to dance that is pleasing to the Lord, she wouldn't do it. We all felt that God was closing the doors for her today. Maybe in the future, she can try again, but for now, she is hanging up her ballet shoes. It brings me to tears as well, as I loved watching her dance each week at practice and often at home. I loved seeing her beautiful spirit reflected in her dance. She is graceful and very feminine...the perfect combination for a dancer.

So...where do we go from here? Well, we've come up with a happy alternative, something where she can use her ballet skills, and yet won't have to compromise.

Here are her new shoes....
Yup! Figure skates!!! She is going to begin figure skating lessons this fall. We thought that with her background in ballet, she will have a head start on learning to skate. She will probably have a hard time at first, but if she catches on and decides that it's something she wants to pursue, we will back her up on it 100%. She will be taking private lessons, so there won't be any pressures or compromising on her part. I'm excited about that!

For Lionel, it was easy for him to find his niche. He loved basketball and played for years before laying aside the ball for his violin and bow. He doesn't regret it one minute, and I believe his decision was a wise one that will pay off for a very long time. Sweet-Pea is already playing the flute, but she wanted something more. She wants to continue with the flute, but I believe her desires to dance are still very much a part of her. With skating, she will get dance and skating all wrapped up in one. It's difficult as a parent to lead a child who isn't sure of what he or she wants. There are almost too many options out there. As long as our children are following Christ, and they are working hard at what they are doing, we are there to encourage them and help them along. If figure skating doesn't work out for Sweet-Pea, then we're confident that God will open up another door for her! In the mean time...pray that she does well, learns a lot, and that we don't go broke in the process. Ballet was costly, but I believe Figure Skating is much more. We are excited though and are looking forward to what God has in store for our little Sweet-Pea!