Thursday, August 27, 2009

Homeschool Books For Sale!

All books are gently used and in very good condition. Covers and spirals show shelf wear. Prices include postage and books will be sent via media mail. US addresses only. I prefer PayPal but will accept personal checks.

BJU 4th Grade Reading I Met You in a Story TE - $35
















BJU 5th Grade Reading Pages in My Head Hardcover Student Text - $20
SOLD!!!















BJU 5th
Grade Reading Pages in My Head TE - $35 SOLD!!!













BJU 4th Grade Science Hardcover Student Text (second edition) - $15















My Fun with Reading Set - $15

Book 1 - Stories About Animals
Book 2 - Stories About Plants
Book 3 - Stories About World Cultures
Book 4 -Stories About Careers
Book 5 - Stories About Space and Earth Science
Parents and Teachers Guide

Friday, August 21, 2009

Welcome to the Woodward Hospital

Wednesday was the dreaded wisdom teeth removal day. It was scheduled for 2 PM. John took the day off. I had forgotten to tell Hannah to take the day off as well so that she could stay home with Holly. I suppose that I could have stayed home and let John take Gabriel but I felt like I needed to be there and sit in the waiting room. Don't ask why, that's just the way I am. That hour went by rather quickly as Holly and I watched HGTV. Then we went back to where Gabriel was in recovery. They told us to try and wake him up. Well, little did they know that when Gabriel is asleep, he is ASLEEP. Even a tornado wouldn't wake him up. (That happened once but that's a story for another day.) So there he was sedated and they expected us to awaken him. Right. We did eventually get him awake enough to walk out to the car.

He woke up Wednesday around 6 PM and except for a bit of pain seemed to his normal self - cracking jokes (with gauze still in his mouth), getting too easily irritated at Holly, and asking for food. We had decided that John would stay home with Gabriel while the girls and I went to church. John is a much better nurse than I am, at least when it comes to the gross stuff. We were getting ready to go when Holly twisted her ankle. She was wearing a pair of shoes that someone had given her- kind of a platform shoe I guess. So she stayed home with John and Gabriel and kept ice on it. The swelling has gone down some and now it's a nice shade of blue. She's hobbling around OK so I'm guessing it's not broken. There would be much more pain with that.

Gabriel hasn't had any difficulty. A little pain. The pain medicine makes him a bit dizzy but he's up and about - He's watched movies, we've played Risk, and he's always asking what can he eat. (Soft foods just can't fill up a teen age boy). We are approaching the 48 hour mark and he doesn't seem to have a lot of swelling or bruising. He is very impatient with the healing process. While he loves movies and video games, he's no couch potato and he's ready to get back to his normal life.

During all of this, Hannah has also had a busy schedule with work and a movie night at a friend's house. That leaves me without all my household helpers. I feel like I've got toddlers again - feed them, clean up after them, entertain them . . . and I'm doing all the housework. I am ready to get back to our "normal" life too!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

My Life in a List - Brief Highlights of the Last 25 Years

1984 - Finished college at Liberty Baptist College

1985 - Hired to teach 3rd and 4th grade at a small Christian school in Richmond, VA
- Gradation ceremony at Liberty in May

1986 - Still at Christian school
- Summer job as a DJ at a Christian radio station - Most favorite job ever - should have majored in broadcasting
- Met John in August - we were engaged the following month

1987 - Married in April

1988 - John was hired by Virginia State Police

1989 - We moved to Oilville, VA - lived in a small rented farmhouse

1990 - Bought our first home in Goochland, VA

1991 - Our first child and only son, Gabriel was born

1992 - John is called into the ministry
- We moved to a house in Richmond
- Hannah was born
- John resigned from Virginia State Police

1993 - Moved to Alabama
- John began working on a degree in Biblical Studies

1994 - Bought a house in Decatur, AL

1996 - John graduated from Louisiana Baptist University
- John and I took a survey trip to Romania

1997 - Moved to Brasov, Romania as missionaries

1998 - Holly was born (in Alabama)

1999 - Returned to Alabama

2000- Began considering a ministry in Constanta, Romania

2002- Moved to Constanta, Romania as missionaries

2007 - Returned to States in March and sought God's direction for the next step
-Moved to Virginia in June for John to be rehired by Virginia State Police
- I began substitute teaching

2008 - John was finally hired by the State Police in December

2009 - Waiting to hear where John will be stationed



Saturday, August 15, 2009

50 Years Ago

Today was my mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary. We were blessed to be able to go to their celebration with many friends and family. My older brother took their photo album and made this video. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad. May God richly bless you with many more.


Friday, August 14, 2009

The Intention to Deceive

This week I have been guilty of telling some half-truths. According to dictionary.com a half truth is "a statement that is only partly true, esp. one intended to deceive, evade blame, or the like." My intention was not actually to deceive but to surprise, and that caused me to avoid telling the whole truth. So what was so important that would cause me to stoop to such a level? Tomorrow is my mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary. My older brother and his wife (mainly his wife, I'm sure) planned a party to celebrate. At first, I didn't know how we could make the 680 mile trip and rearrange a full calendar. So I told my younger brother that we wouldn't come. But John encouraged me to go and I was able to rearrange our schedule. He was able to work an earlier shift on Thursday and we (John, Holly and I) departed at 3 PM. Our surprise was a success and my parents were thrilled to see us, even if we did wake them up at 2 AM central time. Gabriel and Hannah, who have already asked off work for two weeks this summer, didn't want to take more time off so we left them there. They have plans to go to a friend's house and won't be alone for the entire weekend. I am looking forward to tomorrow and seeing more family and friends.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The People Upstairs

I was looking through a book of poems to find one for Holly to memorize and I came across "The People Upstairs." I thought it was rather prophetic of Mr. Nash concerning our new upstairs neighbors whom I have yet to meet. This is a poem about them.

The People Upstairs

by Ogden Nash

The people upstairs all practice ballet
Their living room is a bowling alley
Their bedroom is full of conducted tours.
Their radio is louder than yours,
They celebrate week-ends all the week.
When they take a shower, your ceilings leak.
They try to get their parties to mix
By supplying their guests with Pogo sticks,
And when their fun at last abates,
They go to the bathroom on roller skates.
I might love the people upstairs wondrous
If instead of above us, they just lived under us.


Monday, August 10, 2009

The Busy and Blazing Summer

This has been a busy summer. Quite uneventful however unless you count the soda explosion last week. I was putting some cans of soda in the fridge when one dropped. It hit the floor just right. It all happened so fast. Suddenly coke was spraying everywhere - the floor, walls, cabinets, ceiling, inside the pantry because the door was still open, into the dining room, on the carpet and some clean clothes yet to be put away, and all over me. It was only one 12 ounce can. How could that make such a mess? For once I was thankful for my tiny kitchen. It took me a good two hours to clean everything up. Then I needed a shower. I even had coke in my hair.

Gabriel is having his wisdom teeth out this month, eventually. For one reason or another his appointment has been postponed. I am not looking forward to that event. I am not sure that I can endure the pain, the emotional pain. I know. Many
have gone through this sort of procedure before. It's just one of those things that you wish you didn't have to do. One of those things that you wish were already done and in the past.

The most exciting event (well, except for the cola incident) happened this morning when I checked my email. I WON THE QUILT!! The girls and I are ecstatic. I can't wait to get it and will post pictures of it on Holly's bed.

Meanwhile, the baking, blazing, blistering, burning, scorching, searing, sizzling, sweltering summer continues. Gabriel and Hannah are going to a nearby theme park for the day. I'm sending them off with plenty of sunscreen and Gatorade. I know they'll have a great time. The rest of the week I will be working on homeschool plans. Our 2009-2010 school year begins on Monday. I cannot believe that my oldest two are seniors and I don't have any elementary students. Holly begins 6th grade.

How's the weather in your neighborhood?

Friday, August 7, 2009

Gorgeous Quilt Giveaway

I have been looking for the perfect quilt for Holly's bed and I've found it! Now all I have to do is win it! You have a chance too. Just enter this easy contest at Marie-Madeline Studio. They are drawing a name tomorrow - August 8th! Check out the detail here.