February in Pictures

Since my last post was on February 1, I thought it would be appropriate to wrap up the month with a capsule of what we've been up to - it was a busy month, as usual!  Enjoy!

Mark's brother was deployed overseas this month and before he left, we had a family get together here at the house.

Mark's Dad showing Caleb some guitar tips

Mark and his brother, Lonnie

Holly and Grandpa playing a duet - I never even knew that he could play, but he did a great job!

Mark, Dad and Lonnie

Grandpa with 6 of his Grandchildren - MaKenna, Caleb, Holly, Trey, Jeramie and Courtney

Mark and I with Lonnie and his wife Kelly

Caleb and I went on a field trip to the Science Center with Joshua and his mom, my friend Sandra.  It was a homeschool lab day and we had a great time learning all about space together.

Learning about the sun and seasons, day and night

Discovering the distance of each planet from the sun

Lab reports!

Comparing the size of the planets using playdough

Discovering how telescopes and their lenses work

Learning about light and lasers

Later the same week, the girls and I went to see 'Pride and Prejudice' at the Shakespeare Theater in Orlando with Priscilla, Katie, Caitlyn and Megan (and Dawn!).  Great girl time!

Toward the end of the month, we had a scheduled and long anticipated field trip to The Holy Land Experience in Orlando.  We had never been, as long as we have lived here!  I did not get many pictures of things, though.  There were several shows, informational talks and many reminders that Jesus is God and that He shed His blood for us.  My favorite part was called The Jerusalem model - a miniature, to scale version of Jerusalem at the time of Christ.  A gentleman came out and brought it all to life as he showed various things, explained what they were, where they were mentioned in the Bible and what happened there.  It was so interesting to put it all into perspective.  As a bonus, they had a rock climbing wall for the kids.  Caleb had a great time trying and falling many times over, but he kept going again and again.

Hooked up and ready to go

Scaling the wall

Getting there - that bump was a huge hurdle that he never was able to get over.

Some of the girls waiting on the boys to climb the wall - Holly, MaKenna, Charlotte and Micaylah

Austin has joined Caleb trying to make it to the top.

Tyler and Austin

Garrett having a good time!

Cutie Patootie Abigail on the elephant

Camille and Holly, making memories!

My family with the Wiseners - such a treat and blessing to get to spend the day with them!

 Wrapping up the month was a combined Junior/Senior quiz trip in Tampa.  We took one Junior and one Senior team and had a great day.  What a great looking group of children who have already committed over 100 verses to their memory!

(Bottom to top):  Alexandria, Corbin, Erica, Melissa, Jilianne and Christina

All of those things took place, in addition to sickness, homeschooling, church involvement and activities, co-op, allergies, couponing to the max, etc!  We had an overall great February - how about you?

Homemade Magic Shell

Recently, I came across a recipe for making homemade Magic Shell ice cream topping.  I personally have never liked that since it always tastes fake to me, but the ingredients in this inspired me to try it out.  This is one that did not disappoint!  And, relatively speaking, it is good for you - at least better than store bought!  You should give it a try - all you need is:

1/2 c. coconut oil
1 bag of any type of chip you like - semi sweet, dark, mint, butterscotch, etc.

Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan on the stove.  Add the chips just until melted.  Allow to cool and then devour over ice cream!

This works perfectly because coconut oil solidifies when it gets cold.  Plus, you get the added benefit of the health goodness coconut oil offers.

Enjoy!

When life hands you lemons...

All plans for the evening fell through when major storms came through our area and we were told to stay at home if at all possible.  So, when the radar looks like this:

You do this:

 
We had a great night of playing game after game and never even noticed the storm raging around us!  That's the stuff great memories are made of!  Praying that everyone was safe through it all and that you were able to make some memories in spite of the storm, too.

New Year Check In and Random Thoughts

We are two weeks into the new year and I am wondering, how are you doing?  Did you make resolutions?  Have you heard of and are you doing the "My One Word" challenge? 

I read a church sign the other day that said:

"Many fail by never getting started."

Hmm, that is pretty deep and true!  Have you gotten started?  Then, on the other side of that sign it said:

"Make commitments, not resolutions."

That sounds like a good idea to me!  Resolutions seem to be something we do out of habit these days.  Not that we don't intend to do them, but many things are just thrown out there, often with the best intention, because it is the thing to do - but without full commitment to the thought,and without that, it is in vain.  (Trust me, I know from experience!) 

That being said, though, my family and I did make some resolution/commitments for the new year.  It is our prayer that by the end of the year, these commitments will make us better spiritually, physically and relationally. 

We are also taking the My One Word challenge.  That one is a toughy - choosing one word to summarize something you want to develop over the next year.  (If you want to learn more, you can go to www.myoneword.org)  It could be Faith, Discipline, Connect, Positive, Discover, Obey, etc.  Just a One Word challenge between yourself and God.  I haven't chosen my word yet!  I have it narrowed down to a few, but not quite there - maybe I am afraid of the full commitment to a word!  Maybe I'll let you know when I choose it! 

But, the bottom line is that at the end of the year, I want to be more of the person that God wants me to be and to give my best to Him - even if things are not how I want them to be!  

So, those are my random thoughts two weeks into 2011.  I will leave you with a story I read yesterday {and found to be inspiring} and then leave you to your thoughts!


I Am the New Year
~ author unknown ~


I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.

I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.

All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.

All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."

Holly's 17th

The older my children get, the easier it is for me to remember being their age.  I mean, I was just 17 like, what, about 2 years ago???!!!  It feels like it anyway!  Well, what a special day we have had celebrating Holly and the beautiful young lady she is becoming.  I remember before she was born all of the hopes and dreams we had for her - all of the prayers that we prayed for the kind of young lady she would grow up to be.  Everyday, I watch with amazement as those prayers are fulfilled in her.  

So, what did we do today?  Well, around here you get to pick your meals for your birthday.  Holly chose Lemon Blueberry Scones for breakfast.  Ummm, can you say YUMMY??  These were the most amazing scones - very flavorful, moist and delicious.

Oh, we topped them with just a dollop of lemon curd, to make them even more lemony than they were!  WOW!

Then, we talked, worked on some school for a little while and had a pleasant morning.  For lunch, Holly asked for my Corn Chowder and Spinach Quiche.  Sorry, no picture, but just take my word for it - amazing!

After lunch, we ran some errands and got home in time for her chosen dinner - my special meatballs, mashed potatoes and baby carrots.  Again, no picture but boy did they taste good!

Thursday night is Ladies prayer night and so that's where we spent the evening.  What a great way for her to welcome 17 - with 2 amazing ladies (and none were me!) with a heart for our young girls who prayed with my girls and spent time with them in God's presence.  I am thankful for their dedication and burden.

After prayer, we came home to have dessert - Banana Split Pie.  Holly is good at picking out  great food to celebrate her day!  I do have a picture of this one:

 Yummy homemade graham cracker crust topped with a special layer of goodness, bananas, crushed pineapple, chopped walnuts, cool whip and a cherry on top!  What a special way to end her special day.

I have to say, that even in my greatest imaginings when Holly was born, I couldn't have asked for a better daughter than the daughter that God has given to us.   I love you Holly and pray God's greatest blessings on your life!

No Excuses

My Pastor preached an awesome message today.  I can't even begin to put it into words here or to tell how it impacted me, but the basics were: We need to keep our focus on the blessings of God (as opposed to our circumstances surrounding us) because God wants to bless us.  He gives us a choice - choose life and be blessed!  Nothing can stand in the way of the promises of God - what a promise that is to kick off the new year! 

I am so thankful to start another new year knowing the truth, having forgiveness and living for Him with my whole heart.  I can't imagine living in this crazy world without Him!  So, all of that got me thinking, why in the world would you NOT want the blessings of God in your life??  Isn't that silly to think about? It made me remember an article I read a while back.  After searching for it and finding it, I reread it and found it just as fitting and thought provoking as the first time I stumbled upon it. 

The article begins by talking about the author's love of sports.  I'm not even sure why I kept reading, because I do not have a love of sports!  However, I read on and truly enjoyed the analogy.  The point of the article is that we shouldn't give more enthusiasm to anything than we give to God.  And so many times, we make excuses when it comes to God and church and commitment to either - so much so that we remove the blessings waiting for us on the other side- and we wouldn't consider making those same excuses for other things!  Here is an excerpt of the article:

"I've often wondered what would happen if people were as intense and committed and determined about church as they are about sports—or any number of other pastimes. This was reinforced some years back in a Moody Monthly piece that illustrated twelve excuses a fella might use for "quitting sports." The analogy isn't hard to figure out.

Every time I went, they asked me for money.
The people with whom I had to sit didn't seem very friendly.
The seats were too hard and not comfortable.
The coach never came to call on me.
The referee made a decision with which I could not agree.
I was sitting with some hypocrites—they came only to see what others were wearing.
Some games went into overtime, and I was late getting home.
The band played numbers that I had never heard before.
The games are scheduled when I want to do other things.
My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.
Since I read a book on sports, I feel that I know more than the coaches anyhow.
I don't want to take my children, because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.

I've come up with a few more:

The parking lot was awful . . . I had to walk six blocks to the stadium.
Nobody came up and introduced himself to me . . . very impersonal, also loud!
The public address and lighting systems don't suit me.
It's always too hot (or cold) in the stadium.

Enough said. Think it over."

What if 2011 was the year of no excuses?  What would God do for us if we were willing to worship Him and serve Him with the same enthusiasm we gave to our hobbies?  I for one am willing to stand on His promises and find out.  Who wants to come along on the journey?

Happy New Year!

2010 was an awesome and  memorable year for our family.  I can say that because God is good - all the time!  In the midst of our ups and downs for the past 365 days, He was right there with us.  Some of the highlights of our year were: 

*Holly turned 16 at the beginning of the year and we celebrated together with many friends and family. 

*Mark turned the big 4-0 this year!

*Homeschool Convention and Hadassah are ALWAYS highlights, every year.

*I took 2 college classes from January to May and completed both with a 99% A!  This enabled me to renew my Professional Teaching Certificate for another 5 years.

*We went camping and enjoyed some quality time, away from it all and together.

*God was our provider through many things - He never failed us once!

*We began a new homeschool curriculum and have experienced the trials, frustrations and joys of figuring it out and making it work for our family.

*Holly began playing the piano in youth services at church.

*MaKenna created many new little treasures that have amazed us.  All 3 of us girls have enjoyed creating through the year.

*Caleb grew more inches than I can count and is now about 3-4 inches taller than me and he is only 11 years old!

*We spent much quality time with great family and friends who brought meaning to all that we did.

*Our family grew spiritually as we read the Bible, prayed and fasted together in new ways.

I am sure that I left out many things that were just as important as the above!  These are just the few that jumped from my mind.

Goals for 2011, in no particular order, include:

*Growing closer to God in new ways, listening to His voice, seeing His hand and feeling His direction.

*Slowing down enough to enjoy the Here and Now. It is so easy to always be thinking about what comes next as we go through life.  I want to be able to enjoy each moment, while I am in it, and not be rushing to the next thing - even in my mind.

*Patience.  Yes, I just admitted that "out loud!  Waiting, patiently - whether for things in my life, my children, my husband, my family - waiting, trusting and doing it patiently.

*Learn, grow, accomplish, enjoy and BE. 

I am sure that I will add to this list, often daily.  Overall, the goal is to stay focused on my priorities:  God, my husband and my children being at the top of the list.  Everything else will bring added blessings!  I am looking forward to 2011 and all that it will bring for our family!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and yours!  May 2011 bring you many blessings as well!