Summer

Well, I just went to the homeschooling convention in Orlando for two nights with Sweat Pea. We had a lot of fun. It was so strange to go out of town without the Prince and the boys. We missed them, but it was a true vacation... However, the convention was challenging. By the end of the convention, I did not want to go to another convention again. I am sure by next year I will be ready to go... but it was overwhelming... it really inspires you to be in control of teaching your children and how and what. There are so many great choices out there. I am usually so "black and white" so I want to choose the BEST curriculum. Truly you can ask 10 people what is the best Math curriculum and you would get probably 5 different answers. There are some curriculums that are more commonly used, and the one a person is using seems to be the BEST in their eyes. So, it is a wide road, and hard to choose which path we will be on. I have chosen next year's curriculum... I have heard it seems I might be doing "private school" at home... and I am sure I will be. I want all my children to have the best education, and I do think that she can have that.. but being home will have so many more benefits for our family. We will be blessed to get to teach her ourselves. We won't miss those moments. I am so excited to start. We actually will be starting slowly this summer.

Math - Purposeful Design (published by American Christian Schools) and Abeka timed drills

Spelling - Purposeful Design

Reading - Bob Jones & Abeka readers

History - Abeka Our Histoy 2nd grade and Veritas Press timeline cards with Classical Conversations

Bible - Bob Jones

English - English for the Thoughful Child and Bob Jones

Art - How Great Thou Art book and Classical Conversations studying specific artists

Science - Classical Conversations and some different experiments including Abeka and ABC

Health - Abeka

Spanish - Vocabulary building - journaling

* Classical Converstaions on Fridays and Memory work daily

We kicked off summer with a day at the beach on Sweet Pea's Last Day of School Party with her class. I don't know if you can see how much sand is in Squash's hair... lots and lots... and this is Pumpkin with a face full of sand (it was the best picture I got of him)... they were way too busy to pose for pictures.

We are thanking God for a bountiful harvest in our garden. These zuccini's were huge... we kept finding them hidden... it was not our intention to let them grow so big. Yes, they are better small in my opinion. Notice all the corn and squash in the little red wagon. I got some great pictures of all the kids pulling the husks off the corn.

Sharing...

Sometimes I get so caught up in seeking God that I forget to SHARE Him. I am so interested in learning more about God... studying the Bible... talking to other Christians... I was not always this excited about God... somehow it became about the motions... going to church, carrying my Bible to church, acting... then God changed me. I can't say it was a specific sermon or book or prayer or moment... just remembering I asked God to be wise (kind of like Solomon in the Bible) and to know Him. I made a list some time ago of friends and family that I wanted to see come to know God. I realized the people on that list had not changed... and it has probably been about a year... and I realized I had not really been doing my part about simply talking to them about God. Why is that so hard? I think it is hard, because it is so personal... because God is so convicting that people can be really resistant to hearing about God. Plus, there are many who call themselves "Christians" who simply are not children of God.

What made me excited about God again? Reading the Bible. Is is easy to read the Bible? No. You have to commit to do it. You have to choose to read the Bible over something else (doing dishes, watching t.v., being on the computer...) But I am doing it. I am reading through the Bible... and I am now in Isaiah - I wrote down the date of starting in Genesis last July... and I think that is when I really started to change. Actually, I think God started to change me.

Sometimes I get so caught up in talking about God that I forget to TALK to God.

Sometimes I pray so much about what I want that I can't HEAR what God is trying to tell me.

Today, I stepped out in a leap of faith... I did my part. I sacrificed. I cried. I prayed and pleaded with God. I obeyed. Did I want to? No - not really... I looked for excuses and reasons to do it differently.

Today, I asked friends who I knew were prayer WARRIORS to pray for my leap of faith. I did my part. I feel at peace now. Until I acted, I felt uncomfortable and uneasy. Now, I have let it go. God will work now. God will water the seed.

Only God can draw someone to him... Draw near to me and I will draw near to you.

Each individual person can choose to follow the narrow path and choose God... or they can go with the crowd down the path to destruction.

I'll have to tell you about my leap of faith later... but if you are a Prayer WARRIOR... I did go to the post office today.

So, I am off to pray over my list of friends and family who do not know Jesus... I talked to Rachel and Luke a bit about that tonight... how sad to not know "Amazing Grace" or "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" or "Jesus Loves Me"... in those early morning hours of rocking babies, nothing soothed my soul or theirs as much as singing "Amazing Grace" - So, I am off to Pray... and get a little closer to finishing the book of Isaiah... oh, that is - after I finish cleaning the bathroom...

p.s. If you read this, I would love to see you comment. Just click on the comment button, and leave a message. You can comment "Anonymously", but please sign your name. Thanks. Someone must be reading this... right? Is anyone out there?
p.s.s. If you are a serious Prayer Warrior - let me know - I would be happy to share prayer requests with you... I will pray for you... you can pray for me... we're a happy family!!! (oops! That sounds like a Barney song!)

Sad - Goodbye "Baby"

September 26, 1992 - May 7, 2009

Adopted November 7, 1992

In college... I went once a week with a good friend or two to do "pet therapy." We went to the local animal shelter, and took puppies to a local nursing home. It was really hard to give those puppies back. I always fell in love with the dogs and really wanted one. Growing up I had an outside dog, but I really wanted one inside that would be a real companion. Well, one day I talked my roommate into getting a puppy together. I think our neighbors told us about the puppy that was at a local flea market. Well, it had fleas all right. The puppy supposedly had "papers" and was a registered Cockapoo. He was black and cuddly, and had white down the front. He was so soft. Of course, getting two girls to agree on a name was challenging. My roommate liked Harley Davidson bikes, so he became Baby (my name) Harley Presley (he lived in a room with a felt picture of Elvis).

Did I mention having a dog was against our lease? We had to pay for that later. We hid the dog, but eventually someone told on us... he lived hidden under our staircase in a closet for his early weeks. Then, he was moved to a sorority sister's boyfriend's house (well, you can't find too many people willing to take in someone else's puppy)... So Harley moved in... he stayed much of in the time in an empty bedroom that was covered in newspapers... you can imagine it was not too clean. So, those early days of hiding him in closets, and living in someone's back room led to him never quite getting the idea of going to the bathroom where he should.

Harley never liked grass, and probably had an allergy to it. He would bite his feet after walking. He would just as well go to the bathroom on the sidewalk...

Harley got into my Hershey Kisses, and we panicked when he was a puppy. The foil came out alright.

I lived with the same roommate for 3 years until we graduated. She was getting married, and I took off to graduate school. I was more attached, or at least I was the one who took him after college. Harley was my "baby" in every sense of the word. I had to live in apartment complexes that allowed pets. I found really good vets and even bought pet health insurance for awhile. I really loved him. He was my child. I spoiled him. I walked him daily, and slept with him. I talked to him during my management years when I lived alone and was very lonely.

He was with me for 17 years. Being a fan of older people,I equated and still do putting "animals to sleep" with euthanasia. I really don't believe in it. I felt that I made a commitment to this animal, and it was my job to care for him even if he was old and not very fun.

As he aged, he got arthritis and had bumps (little growths) all over his body. He hurt his spine several times and went through steroid treatments. He became blind, and probably only saw shadows. One eye was almost white with cataracts. He could not hear. Last Friday, he got lost in the wooded lot next door, and he sat down and barked. I think he was disoriented and could not see to get back. For the last several years, he has lived in the garage due to a persistent cough he developed and incontinence (or lack of ever learning to tell us when he had to go outside). So, I found him two days ago barking in the garage (which he did not do very much). He could not get up, and appeared paralyzed. But this time, he could not see his water bowl or food bowl. I had to help him go to the bathroom, and his kidneys and body were shutting down. We called the vet. I knew it had been "time" to say goodbye for years. Honestly, I had prayed he would die naturally at home. But truthfully, for years, I had literally prayed he would live to be very old.

He was a good dog. I loved him very much. He was loyal and protective. My dog Harley loved me unconditionally. I said goodbye at home, and my Prince took him to the vet for me. Prince even stayed with him until the end. I could not do it. I feel cowardly about that, but I could not watch. I know that he could not see me today or even hear what I said to him... but if dogs get to go to heaven I hope God lets him in.

The children asked if he was in heaven. I told them that there would probably be animals in heaven which is what Revelations says, and some passages in Isaiah. I guess you can question whether an animal has a "soul" - dogs do know right and wrong. I basically told the kids that "I don't know". Sweet Pea wants to know if she can have a fish now. Pumpkin is really curious and wants to know why we were putting him in the ground. The Prince actually buried him at home after the kids were in bed. They were not attached to him. Harley was old when they were born, and was jealous. Harley was not fond of the kids and would snap at them. He probably reacted that way since he was in pain due to the arthritis.

Anyway, I am sad today... and I miss my dog. He lost "baby" status when I had my own children, but he really made my life better. He was my first "baby."

Taking a fun blog design class online... so I have been playing with the design... not done yet... a work in progress.