His Grace Alone

Change of Address

2011-12-30T15:15:00.005-06:00

I would like to cordially invite you to visit me at my new address, beginning January 1st, 2012 I will be blogging at Mama Leisha Ministries. I have been tossing around some ideas of changing a few things for a while now and the ushering in of a new year seems to be a most appropriate time to initiate those changes. So please ...come see me...it would be so very lonely without you!!

Can You Help a Girl Out??

2011-11-30T11:18:00.008-06:00

I need you.....my neighbor needs you.....her daughter was clearing out a junk drawer in the kitchen and came across this handy little device/tool/gizmo. She took it to her mother (my across the street neighbor who is a wise wise woman in her early 70's who could run circles around me with her knowledge of all things home and hearth) for identification purposes. They spent some time trying to figure it out and came up empty, then the other day when WonderBoy ran some bananas I had picked up for her while I was getting groceries, she sent him back with this......

I know one of you knows, maybe even has one in your kitchen drawer at this very moment. We have our theories and I am so curious to see if we were anywhere near right. I personally think it is a butter thingie for slicing and serving and the little notch on the end works to knock the butter slice off the blade and make serving easier. I know I have seen one of these somewhere, but cannot recall where or why.....help??...please;-) My plan is to wrap it up and run it back across the street with what ever it needs to function and see if she can figure it out then. I'll keep you posted ;-) Oh and one last thing - her daughter 'thinks' it is an old Pampered Chef product if that helps......Thanks so much in advance! You're the best!!!

God's Wisdom For Mother's by Jack Countryman

2011-11-14T08:33:00.012-06:00

The title of the book immediately got my attention - as a Mother I daily feel the sometimes overwhelming need for God's wisdom! I received a complimentary copy of this lovely little book through Booksneeze to review....It is what I would term a devotional/gift type book. It is small and compact, easy to pick up and pull nuggets from when you have a quiet moment, something to keep in the car, by the bed for a free minute or two of refreshing or encouragement opportunity presents itself. The book is divided into sections which include; God's Wisdom, The Crown of an Excellent Mother, God's Wisdom with Children, God Teaches a Mother to...., Walk by His Word, God Delights in Mothers Who Are..., God Walks with Mothers, God Encourages Each Mother to..., God Teaches a Mother How to..., and God Gives a Mother....Each section contains scripture that relates to the theme of the section, this could also be used as a study tool or daily devotional which is how I used it in going through the book and it worked well in that application for me.
Designed to encourage us in our spiritual calling of motherhood, this is a sweet tool to have at the ready and would make a lovely gift for mothers of all ages and stages!

One Thousand Gifts......I Dare You

2011-07-14T13:40:00.009-05:00

I had an amazon order to place a few months back and needed just a few more dollars to qualify for free shipping, of course it was a no brainer there was something that I needed to have and a book had to be it!! I had been hearing and reading some wonderful rumblings about One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are so couple that with the fact that dear Ann is a Canadian gal, well my choice was made. The book arrived several months ago and I am only now reading it. I met a woman in church this past Sunday who happened to be sitting next to me and we were politely chatting prior to service beginning, she was in town visiting from Kansas and when I mentioned something in conversation about being originally from Toronto, she perked up and said "Oh I am reading a book by a Canadian woman" she could not recall the name but I knew instantly that it was the same book I was reading and asked if it was the one with the woman holding a bird's nest on the front? "Yes! That's it!" I told her I had started it a little over a week ago and was reading it as part of my quiet time each morning - "Oh wow! That is exactly what I am doing too!" Well worship started and the conversation was forced to end.....
I am less than halfway through the book, but already feel myself changing and am up and out of bed each morning looking forward to the insight and vision that Ann shares with such raw grace and beauty. I have started my list and am opening myself in a new way to the Lord each morning, expectant, grateful and awestruck in ways I have not been for a very long time. I am not yet sure what this will look like or where it will take me but I have a sense of excitement in it that I can't quite put a name to. This is already a renewal and a joyous refreshing to my soul!
You know dear ones, that I am not inclined to keep good things to myself so rather than wait to finish this book, which truthfully I am in no hurry to finish, I am enjoying the savoring far too much to rush it, I had to share it now and encourage you, get a piece of paper right now and write #1 on it and begin......I double dog dare you!!

Have you read this book? Do you have a list? What number are you on? I would love to hear about your experiences......also if you want more take a minute to stop by Ann's blog where is all began.....A Holy Experience is a whole other adventure!

Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:30:00.008-05:00

Like Mother's Day, Father's Day brings much emotion for many people, regret, sadness at the passing of a lost loved one, for each of us it means something different. I am so blessed to have a man in my life now that I can honor on Father's Day. I do not know my father, have never met him and know only very little about him so this is not a day that I have childhood memories or traditions built on. I could ramble ad nauseum about how wonderful and what a blessing The Principal is to our family and my son in particular. I will spare you. I did want to take a moment to publicly thank my sweet husband for the man he is and the living example of what a godly husband and father looks like in his daily walk with God. Thank You Lord for giving The Principal to us that WonderBoy and I might know what it is to have the love of a good man with a kind and humble heart in our lives.

Sweetheart, thank you for taking on the role of father with such grace, character and honor.
Happy Father's Day
I love you deeply!!

Ten Years of (Wonder)Boy Joy!!

2011-06-17T09:33:00.024-05:00

May 1st, 2011 WonderBoy turned 10 years old. We were without power due to the storms that came through our area April 27th. For that reason and lack of a properly functioning computer, I was not able to do a post for his birthday as I would have like to, so this is that post....Happy Belated Birthday Sweetie!!
The words whirlwind, wow!!,tornado, one man show and full steam ahead all parade across my mind when describing my sweet boy. He is FULL to overflowing with life, energy, curiosity and a live life large spirit! I was recently blessed by my sweet husband with a new laptop for Mother's Day and in the process of going through files on the old laptop and transferring and cleaning out files I had a very teary eyed stroll down memory lane. The 21 Days of Prayer for Our Sons is just about halfway completed now and I thought this was an ideal time to share with you some of the moments from the last 10 years that will be forever etched in my mother's heart of the gifts that WonderBoy has brought to my life. I am so grateful to Brooke for this prayer challenge by the way - it has given me new vision and perspective that I knew I needed just wasn't great at getting in my own efforts.
Everyday as I pray, I see new ways to pray, new areas that would benefit from prayer and even where prayers of the past and been answered and where God is moving in WonderBoy's heart. Beginning with Day 1 I prayed that God would give me His eyes to see my son through - what an amazing view and perspective I am seeing emerging, my heart is being softened and I find I am not as quick to pounce on some things as I may have been in the past - just being real ;-) I pray that God will continue to work in me as I lift WonderBoy to Him in prayer, afterall a learning, growing and healing mom is a blessing to any son!
Take a minute with me if you will and allow me to share some of my favorite moments from the 10 years that have moved as he does - in a flash!
Dear God, Thank You for these 1o years of motherhood, these 10 years of love, laughter, tears, craziness, confusion, struggles and triumphs.
Thank You Father for guiding us through the dark places when our flashlights were out of batteries.
Thank You for the heart of joy that you have given this child. Thank You for his good health and for his infectious smile!I pray Lord that he will know you and seek you all the days of his life.I pray that your ways will become his ways.I pray that Your approval will be the only approval he will come to seek in this world.I pray that he will know and hear Your voice and allow it to be his guide all the days of his life Father.
I pray he would honor you in word and deed and seek to be a man of honor always.
Thank You God for my son - Bless him today and always in the name of your precious son I pray.Amen.

I'm linking up with other 21 Days of Prayers for Our Sons moms here, take a minute and visit some of them if you can!

Matters of the Heart

2011-06-10T07:31:00.014-05:00

I just completed my morning quiet time of prayer for WonderBoy. This is Day 3 of the 21 Days of Prayer for Our Sons that I am so excited to be part of. Today's prayers are centered around Avoiding Foolishness. This is good stuff - meat and potatoes that you can sink your teeth into prayer! I am loving it!!
Day 1 started things off with Obedience - is there a child (or adult for that matter) that does not struggle with issues of obedience? Nature of the human condition regardless of age and why prayer in this area is SO important - only God can change hearts.
Day 2 was a logical progression from Obedience to Submission to Authority. This dear readers is a hot topic in our home! It continues to amaze and confound me how this whole thing works. Let me give you a little history/insight....curtain is down on this, this is the real deal raw truth. My sweet son has some pretty major issues with Submission to Authority. My husband and I have little to no challenges in this area of our lives, we have our share of issues in other areas rest assured and I intend to be as transparent as I can be about those too in the interest of full disclosure ;-)
As you may or may not be aware from reading my ramblingsin the past, I am a survivor of divorce. WonderBoy's dad and I were together for the better part of 10 years all total, our marriage dissolved right at a year after WonderBoy was born. The reasons and gory details of all that are best left for another post entirely which, by the way has been brewing in the background of my thoughts for a while - so far I'm so sure how to put it all together - but I am thinking a series of posts about marriage (feel free to pray for me on this one).
Onward. Dad is not an ideal role model of Submission to Authority on any level but does provide many excellent examples of the consequences of what being out the God's Will in this area of life will produce. So how is it then, that the people you spend the most time with, the ones that are training and guiding, the ones sowing seed and watering growth, encouraging, sacrificing, grooming and doing all they know to be what a child needs to grow to the man of God they are called to be, have the least amount of influence? It leaves me downright flabbergasted. Onward. This is an area of prayer that we need to meet on our knees in full battle gear on an ongoing daily basis. The thing is that until WonderBoy's heart is changed little of what we do or say will have any desired impact. Only God can change a heart of stone.

Ezekiel 36:26-27
New Century Version (NCV)

26 Also, I will teach you to respect me completely, and I will put a new way of thinking inside you. I will take out the stubborn hearts of stone from your bodies, and I will give you obedient hearts of flesh.27 I will put my Spirit inside you and help you live by my rules and carefully obey my laws.

This whole issue of Heart has been coming up so much that it cannot be ignored. It is, I believe, the very root of where our battles must be waged from. The Principal is currently working through Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp (a wonderful book that I highly recommend) with his men's bible study lunch group each Wednesday and gaining wonderful insight in this area. We are constantly talking about issues of the heart. I am curretnly reading The Five Love Language of Children by Ross Campbell and Gary Chapman (another worthwhile read, which mentions time and time over about these issues of the heart. I am thinking that this is the road - the narrow road I am to follow. Would you be inclined to agree? I have been praying for years that God would show me how to 'get through' to WonderBoy and I no longer believe in coincedences. The timing of all these things is in His design for a time such as this!!
And if all this is not enough, WonderBoy asked if we could spend the day painting recently, so yesterday we gathered together our supplies and with a vision and a plan, this is what my son produced......

Ok Lord, gotcha! ;-)
This post is part of a blog hop in which I will be participating each Friday during the 21 Days of Prayer for Our Sons. I am on a team being led by Jodi at Granola Mom 4 God. Please take a minute to visit Jodi and some of the other Mom's on my team and share in what God is doing in and through them throughout this journey.

What's a Mom to Pray For?

2011-05-31T10:25:00.006-05:00

So I decided to let WonderBoy in on what I was doing in participating the 21 Days of Prayers for Sons. Truthfully, he didn't seem too impressed, not nearly as impressed as I would be if someone was praying for me for 21 days straight - such is my lot to bear....anyway, I thought perhaps it would be interesting to ask him what he might like me to be praying about. So here in no particular order is WonderBoy's Top 10 Prayer Requests

1. His relationship with his dad (not The Principal)
2. His self worth (a direct result of #1 - again not The Principal)
3. His writing (he is a creative sort...hmm wonder where that comes from?)
4. His time with God (this one makes my mommy heart smile)
5. His relationship with The Principal (see #1..are you seeing a pattern here?)
6. His creative pursuits and abilities.(this is where his passions are no question)
7. His ability to start and finish things.
8. His ability to choose good friends.
9. His pen pals. (he really has a tender heart - makes a mom proud)
10. His desire to learn and enjoy homeschooling.

What a marvelous start! Some of these were certainly on my mental check list, but it is interesting to see where he feels a need for prayer. I am honored to be able to take these requests before our Amazing God on behalf of the precious son He has given into my care. How can we not be driven to worship and praise when we have such joy and abundance of blessings in the treasures our Heavenly Father gives us?
Are you thinking about special prayers for the boys in your lives yet?

Calling All Mothers of Sons......

2011-05-31T08:55:00.013-05:00

As mothers of sons we have a life long job and joy that comes with the birth of these amazing gifts that God entrusts to us. It is a big job that brings with it big joys. I recently in my borderline blog addiction, came across a wonderful resource to assist in the big job of being a boy mom.

Brooke at Warrior Prayers has begun something and some place wonderful to gather with other mothers of sons to support and gird our boys in prayer. Brooke has a book available to serve as a guide for a 21 day prayer journey for our sons which we do with other mothers around the country and world via the Internet - what a fantastic idea!! We all need encouragement from time to time! This is a marvelous way to do a few pretty spectacular things in my humble opinion....
#1 find accountability to pray fervently for your son(s)
#2 connect with other mothers who share your joys/challenges
#3 pray for your boys futures in a deeper more focused way
#4 grow closer to God while interceding for your son(s)
......and those are just random and off the top of my head - of course there are many more. What if you have only daughters? Well, they are likely to marry boys right? So.. pray for the men who will be in their lives, the men who will provide for and care for not only them but your grandchildren! Everyone can do this, grandmothers, aunts, teachers, all women have a boy or know a boy somewhere in their lives I would venture to say. If you have no children of your own, commit to a young man you know and pray for him, a neighbor boy, a boy from a family at church, or even a child who has touched your heart through a news story or magazine article - he and his family will be blessed by your prayers.
This event begins June 8th and you can read about how to get involved here. The cost of the book is minimal at $5.97, skip a coffee or 2 and invest in the lives of the generation of men who we will hand things over to....seems like a no brainer to me at $5.97!
I have my book, have signed up to join an online group and I will be posting about the process throughout the 21 days of prayer for WonderBoy, I hope you will consider joining me by committing to pray for someone special over the 21 days starting June 8th, or at the very least, check in and see what God does in our family.
My prayer is that this be used of God to encourage us in our higher calling as mothers!

I Have to Ask......Did You Know?

2011-05-24T07:46:00.008-05:00

This past Saturday I had my hair done, I came away with more than a new do and happy roots. I left with knowledge that has somehow evaded me for almost 47 years!! I cannot keep this little nugget to myself, but it's more than that....I have to know -did you know this?? I did a little research of course and aside from earning 8 swagbucks I came up empty, not a single website that I visited said a thing about it...I was beginning to think this was not accidental!
The story goes something like this....Jill was just about done with me and giving me a once over when she noticed a little more highlighting than she was happy with on the top of my head, so she double dipped a few strands and I hung out in the corner to cure while she started with her next client. They caught up on the obligatory how is the family things and somehow the conversation led to OCD behaviors, I sat quietly (I really did) and followed along. Talk of the tag in the bottom left corner entered the conversation and I had NO clue what they were talking about, but apparently, they both had tag in the bottom left corner issues?? Ok....inquiring minds and all - I HAD to ask....they looked at me a little confused and said - on the fitted sheet. OK...??? Well apparently, the way to ensure that your bed is properly made is to place the corner of the fitted sheet that has the tag on it, on the bottom left corner of the bed. I had never given this even a fleeting thought, not to mention I probably didn't know for sure that a tag even existed on a fitted sheet to begin with never mind where it should be located. I was a little surprised to think that this was common enough knowledge that 2 women on the same day at the beauty shop could bond over an OCD related tendency!? So when I changed out my bedding yesterday I looked and sure enough, there was a tag there!! Would you like to guess where I positioned it? Bingo - bottom left it was, because of course I now had the inside scoop don't you know!
The more I thought about this the more I wondered - was I supposed to know this? I was not reared in a domestically ideal setting so getting this nugget there was unlikely, but still....then it occurred to me that perhaps this is a Southern Thing and I had entered the inner sanctum by nothing but blind luck - you know while curing quietly in the corner ;-)
I cannot tell you all the trouble this could have saved me over the years if only I had known - I am not keeping this to myself....I will tell anyone who will listen and feel blessed to save even one the frustration of the 'did I get it on right the first time' guessing game that I have been plagued by for so many bed making years!
Ladies, I beseech you, tell your daughters, tell your sons, your neighbors, this secrecy must stop! Mention it at your next Bible Study, Girls Night Out or even during a casual phone conversation - do it without fear!
So, I have to ask.....did you know and if so, who told you?
Just one last thing....is it the bottom left when facing the bed or laying in it?

A Mother's Prayer.....

2011-05-06T09:28:00.006-05:00

I have not forgotten I have a blog, computer issues continue to keep me from posting....good news to follow....
Mother's Day is probably one of the most difficult and happiest days of the year for me.....I don't even know where my Mother is if I wanted to send a card or make a phone call I could not - that of course is the difficult part. The other side is the joy and blessing that comes when I reflect on the gift that God has given me in Wonder Boy. My Mother's heart is easily overwhelmed!! I wanted to share this with you and wish you all a gloriously Happy Mother's Day.......you might want to have a tissue near by - I'm just saying ;-)

A new laptop is on the way as I type for Mother's Day......be advised .....I'll be back!!

Builders, Take Heart!

2011-04-01T09:22:00.014-05:00

I was taking a few minutes to go through old emails in my inbox this morning when I came across this gem and realized quickly why it remained there almost a year later....

If I remember the story correctly, a friend gave a mother the gift of a book on the cathedrals of Europe with this inscription:
"To _______, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."
The book pointed out how the craftsmen who built these great edifices usually didn't see them completed in their lifetime.
And there is the story of one craftsman who was carving a bird on top of a beam and was asked why, because no one would see it.
He replied that God would. Wow!

It was almost as if the woman heard God whispering to her, "I see you, ________. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."
"I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder."
"As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right, and one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women."
Have realistic expectations of yourself. Instead of comparing yourself…, recognize your own gifts and talents, your limitations, your specific family circumstances. It's no mistake that your children got you as a parent – it's by God's design!
Recognize spiritual warfare for what it is. The mind is the enemy's battlefield. I had to be reminded to take captive every harsh thought about my children, every selfish thought about my own entitlements in life, every self-pitying thought about being a less-than-perfect homeschool mom. I learned that the enemy really can't take away my joy, but he sure can influence me to give it up! If you are committed to raising warriors for God, your family is a target for battle, and you may want to take inventory of your Ephesians 6 armor.

Recognize the source of true joy. When I am spending time in God's presence, I can choose to be joyful, to speak gently and cheerfully, and to recognize that I am blessed to have this season with my children.

Be encouraged by this today Dear Sister Friends!

Glitches, a Sign and TMI

2011-03-31T06:56:00.010-05:00

I have missed you!!! I have been lost in a tangle of computer problems that have had me pretty much locked out of my own blog. I hesitate to claim a return just yet(this post is far from posted) as I am still using the same offending laptop and if I don't stand on my left foot and tilt to the right while humming Amazing Grace I am not sure I can post successfully. The good news is there is talk of a shiny new 'if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy' purchase in the future ;-) And.....speaking of purchases.....guess what is in our front yard??

Can you believe it?? I can't! It seems like we have talked about it for so long that it probably would never really happen. We have zero prospects that we are really leaning toward so without a doubt this will be the house that God provides. This is as it should be and truly I would not have it any other way! Now if you are in our area and know of a piece of property, you could be used of God to lead us that way perhaps so feel free to contact me.

Now that the update of sorts is taken care of I thought I would try something a little different today. As an avid blog reader I really enjoy getting to know the women behind the blogs I read - who they are, what they do, where they came from, that kind of thing. I certainly do not flatter myself to claim the status of being an overly interesting person, however, I do think we all have something that is worthy of sharing that on some level is of interest to others and so in that spirit I want to tell you a little more about me. Here's how I think this may work....I will get it started and you dear readers are invited to question me about anything your little hearts desire. I am typically a forthcoming person so I will not place any limits on the questions, I will however state a right of refusal if it may cause harm or discomfort to others.
Let's begin then shall we? I am 46 years old, I know I don't look it or act it most of the time, but it's true - I will turn 47 in October. I was born and raised in Toronto and moved to Alabama in 1994. I am a Southern Girl - Toronto is located in Southern Ontario, just a few hours from the US border in case you were unsure ;-) In my misspent youth there, I once touched a Bay City Roller outside of CHUM Radio in a mob when I was crushed up against the limo they were there leaving in....for those who are interested it was Les (who just happened to be my favorite...check out his site he is still around!!). He stuck his finger out of a crack at the top of the car window - I promptly passed out and made the front page of the paper that evening, tartan clad and happy.

Several years ago - about 4ish I began a journey to live a more traditional life. Why? God was leading me that way is all I have by way of explanation, it certainly was not the way I was raised. In the time that has passed between then and now I have acquired some skills and there are now things that I will never do the way I used to. I very very rarely buy store bought bread of any kind. My first piece of equipment/traditional living tool was a grain mill and there has been no looking back. I have made some down right awful bread over the years, but those loaves made bread crumbs or croutons and I moved on. I seldom have crouton bread now unless there is a nub of a loaf on the stale side and then it becomes a good candidate. I would never b-u-y croutons either! I also make yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla, ketchup, BBQ sauce, salad dressings, laundry soap, deodorant, soap, and the list goes on. I have begun growing and harvesting herbs and have been playing around with making teas and home remedies and using the herbs to scent and 'flavor' our soaps. There are so many homemaking skills that I want to pursue and will, one by one. I have boxes of old clothes (blue jeans and dress shirts mostly) that will with some favor become a quilt for our home in the country. I have also saved many of Wonder Boy's sweet little boy jeans and t shirts with the intention on making a quilt for him as well.
I struggle with my flesh daily and am so far from the woman that God has called me to be, that it is only when I reflect on where He has brought me from and how by His Grace Alone that I am where I am and blessed to be who I am doing what I am doing that I can find the stamina to not give up several times a day. There are plenty of stories that have woven together the tapestry that has become my testimony along the way.
In the interest of not prattling on too long. I will end here for now. Please leave a comment with your questions for me of email me if you prefer. I will continue to stand on my left foot and tilt and pray that I can find a way to get your answers to you!

Essentials for Life.......A Giveaway

2011-03-09T07:54:00.013-06:00

I have the privilege of receiving complimentary books of my choosing from Thomas Nelson from time to time in exchange for my thoughts and reviews of those books. It occurred to me that it would be lovely to 'pay it forward' and share those books with you once I have fulfilled my commitment.

These are my impressions, thoughts and reactions to Essentials for Life by Marcia Ford. First and foremost, this is a book that is wonderfully suited to a daily devotional type read. It is organized in such a way that you can open it and go when time is not laying out endlessly in front of you. Concise 2-3 pages chapters like Extend Grace to Everyone, Catch a Glimpse of Eternity or Enlarge Your Sphere of Influence are wonderful ways to give your heart something to process as you go through the day. It is rich with scripture references and quotes to get you thinking - I love it when the written word compels me to dig, search and seek things of God on a deeper level, don't you? The book is subtitled 'Your Back-to-Basics Guide to What Matters Most', which is does an admirable job of getting your focus on. This is a book filled with little gems that you can take out and enjoy in your quiet time each day, but that will stay with you well beyond that portion of your day. Throughout the book each chapter includes a sidebar entitled "Interesting to Note...One of the most important steps you can take in dealing with your past is forgiving yourself. Numerous studies on forgiveness have shown that people who forgive themselves heal more quickly from emotional trauma than those who do not. That includes victims, who seemingly have no need to forgive themselves." Each of these entries are paired with a scripture, in this particular example Psalm 74:12 AMP reads Let now the downtrodden return in shame; let the oppressed and needy praise your name. Each chapter concludes with "What's Essential" and goes on to list 2 do's and 2 don'ts that apply. This is a wonderful book to have in your quiet time place and to work through as the Lord leads you.
If you would like to have my copy in your quiet time place, please leave a comment for one entry or follow me for an addtional entry and I will draw the winner randomly a week today on March 16th.
Bonne chance mes amis ;-)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Who's In Charge?

2011-03-07T07:42:00.017-06:00

If you read this blog with any kind of regularity, I think it would be safe to conclude that family matters to you, so with that in mind, please allow me to step out of that polite place of hospitality for a moment and get a little political with you if I may ;-) Remember, I love y'all, really, in fact, it is because I love you that I am sharing this today. The American family is in danger! Really. If we are not diligent to guard against what the enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy the American family as we know it will become merely a part of our history. I use the term 'American' not as a distinction exclusive to those living in the United States of America, but to also include those who live in a cultural climate like the one we have here. It stands to reason that our beloved neighbors (neighbours) to the North are absolutely part of what I want to share today - in fact if you don't know - I am one of you ;-) My first 30 years were spent North of the border in Toronto ;-) Ok so now that we have all the clarification out of the way, let's move on shall we? ;-)

The Child, a documentary that airs tonight seeks to address the decline and crisis of the American family.......

About The Child

What happens if our children's future is taken into the hands of the government? Watchman Cinema's 85-minute documentary The Child: America's Battle for the Next Generation unveils a quiet attack against the deep bond between parent and child in American law and culture. A new wave is gathering force: the belief that parents should not have the final say in the upbringing and education of their children.

What does this mean for America? It means that parents' rights and responsibilities on behalf of their children are gradually being taken over by the government. Parents have less and less freedom to opt their children out of sexual education in public school, make medical decisions for their children, or teach their children their most deeply held religious beliefs. Parents are even being arrested and prosecuted when their choices conflict with what government authorities think is in the best interests of their children. This also means that children can no longer trust that their interests are being represented by parents who know and love them, but instead by strangers from the government.

But a diverse group of concerned citizens is fighting back: lobbying for a Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In the words of parenting expert John Rosemond, this is "a cause that protects the liberty of every American."

The Child presents a sweeping and sobering picture of the child-parent bond in America, along with what we can do to protect this fundamental relationship. Parental rights are no longer viewed as they once were in our society and that my friends is dangerous ! It is time that we get our heads out of the sand and open our eyes to what is going on around us. Our children deserve that, our grandchildren deserve that and our Father in Heaven requires it! The organization Parental Rights does a great job of keeping up with issues around the nation and I would certainly encourage you to explore their site, sign up for their emails and by all means support them if you feel led. There is much we can do, we may not can fix the world, but we can surely begin to work in that direction by making efforts in our homes and by spreading awareness of an issue that has become disguised as acceptable in our culture today. It is our job Mom and Dad to raise our kids, not the government, any government.

The decline of families is so prevalent these days that we are anesthetized to it and that is truly heartbreaking!!

I implore you - gather your family together tonight and watch this program. My family has not seen it and we will watch it tonight - join us.......please!

You can get the broadcast through a number of sources, Sky Angel will air it on channel 126, on DirecTV NRB is channel 378 or neither of those options are viable you can watch it via live streaming right here. Ok, that about wraps it up for now, still love me?

Six Years Ago Today.......

2011-02-28T08:13:00.007-06:00

Six years ago today with my toes in the sand on a beautiful beach in Ocho Rios, Jamaica I made a covenant of marriage with the man God had chosen just for me. These have been six years truly filled with love and magic. The Principal is a true treasure in my life, a gift and always a blessing. We had no idea what lay ahead of us as we said our vows six years ago. If we could have predicted I know we wouldn't have even been close!! To say it has been quite an adventure is an understatement. To say it has been my joy and privilege to be Mrs. Principal these past six years doesn't even come close to what is in my heart.
Darling, you are my prince, my joy, my heart, my best friend and I thank you from the very depths of my being for being such a wonderful husband and father. You are a man of true honor and grace, rare in this world today and I count myself so incredibly fortunate to know what it is to have a husband who leads with that kind of character.
Every year of our marriage, I have woken up to roses on the pillow beside me - one for each year of marriage, this morning was no exception. The bouquet was stashed away in the garage and checked on periodically over the weekend - seems like they did pretty well considering weekend temperatures hovered around and above 70 degrees. The Principal told me over coffee early this morning that next year our anniversary will be on Tuesday so the roses will be fresher ;-) I can only imagine what lays ahead between today and a full dozen!!
SHMILY XOXOXOXOX

Language Arts and Trivia Fun

2011-02-24T11:40:00.014-06:00

I came across something fun today that I thought would be a fresh way to hone your childrens skills for trivia by some fun teaching them about the English language all at the same time.

Stewardessess is the longest word in the english language typed scrictly with the left hand.

Lollipop is the longest word in the English language typed solely with the right hand.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.

Dreamt is the only word in the English language that ends in 'mt'.

The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy brown do." uses every letter in the alphabet.

The words, racecar, level and kayak are the same read left to right or right to left - these kind of words are called palindromes.

There are only four words in the English language that end in 'dous', they are; tremendous, horrendous, stupendous and hazardous.

There are two words in the English language that contain all five vowels in order, they are - abstemoius and facetious.

Typewriter is the only word in the English language that can be made using only letters located one one row of a keyboard.

In the general fun trivia category here are a few offerings...... teach on of these a day or maybe make a game out of it and do "Trivia Tuesday' part of your weekely schedule.....

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but both our ears and noses never stop growing!!

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A goldfish has the memory span of 3 seconds. I must be part goldfish some days!!

A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time measure for 1/100th of a second.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

A snail can sleep for 3 years. Ok so apparently I have some snail blood flowing through my veins as well ;-)

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.

Babies are both without kneecaps. They do appear until 2 - 6 years of age. Weird!!

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

If the population of China walked crossed in front of you, 8 abreast, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

Leonardo DaVinci invented the scissors.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite!! Who knew??

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated. Wonder if Helouise knows about this??

Thea average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

The cruise liner QE2 moves only inches for every gallon of diesel it burns.

The microwave was invented after a reseracher walked by a radr tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagra Falls froze solid. Glad I missed that one!!

Winston Churchill was born in the ladies room of a dance.

Women blink nearly twice as often as men. Ladies go challenge your son of husband to a staring contest and see who wins!!

There are more chickens that people in the world. There are so many things I could say here ......I like chickens ;-)

Ok...well that is all I have for now. Hope you enjoyed these and find some wonderful creative way to use them. Please check back and leave a comment to share with the rest of us if you do. Thanks Tiffiny for sharing!!

Instructions Not Included.....

2011-02-21T10:06:00.012-06:00

I am going to take a rather tentative step onto my soapbox - tentative because I have no idea what kind of response I will receive once I get there and speak my peace, but here goes....first of all, the disclaimers.... I am not a perfect parent raising a perfect child, the truth of the matter is that we are both so far from anything in that realm that it truly is laughable. SO keeping that in mind allow me to proceed. Those of you who know me personally know that I struggle from time to time with behavior issues - not just my own - Wonderboy can be a pill ;-) We have tried many of the 'techniques' commonly prescribed as well as a few of our own creative invention. Some have worked better than others, some for just a season and some were nothing more than a waste of effort and brain cells. Rearing offspring is no easy undertaking and certainly not for the faint of heart - at least not in the this household. There are as many parenting theories and approaches as there are kids to try them out on it seems, kind of like eating trends there seems to always be some new trend that is bigger, better, shinier. I tend to be an old fashioned kind of gal - you know the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' school of thinking. This has more or less served me quite well overall. I have to confess however that there have been times when the 'shiny new thing' has captured my attention and wooed me away from good old fashioned common sense. Sadly, this has been true in my parenting journey.
Well after many tears, MUCH prayer and countless days of feeling alone, hopeless and quite honestly ready to turn in my Mom card, I finally reached a point where I had had enough and the line was drawn in the sand. Failure was not an option, so I did what any self respecting Mother does in this day and age - I did a web search. It was during that process I came across the book that I am currently 4 chapters into, It Takes a Parent by Betsy Hart. Betsy is my kind of girl - a no nonsense, common sense, straight shooter who says it plain and doesn't sugar coat it - I liked her right away and knew that she had something to offer in the pages of her book. Now keep in mind - I am only 4 chapters in and I have another 9 to go, but I like what I have read so far because it makes sense. She makes no promises, no get rich quick schemes and in doing this puts some power and authority back where it belongs - in the hands of the parents!! Imagine that? The big light went on for me when she shared an incident where she was getting some less than desirable attitude from her one of her daughters and the interaction that followed....this was where my moment of ah ha came in "And one thing I didn't do was to ask her why she was behaving the way she was. Kids almost never know why they do the upsetting things they do. Let's face it, that's true for many adults too. It's often up to us parents to help interpret for our kids what's going on in their hearts." I sat there and saw a slide show of countless conversations that had taken place in the past few years in which the question was asked repeatedly.....why?? Why did you lie? Why did you disobey? Why this, why that....and you want to guess what the number one and still reigning answer is and has been - drum roll please......"I DON'T KNOW" !!!! Much to our continued frustration and angst!! Imagine that - he may have been telling the truth all this time - he really doesn't know!!! I've had a hunch about this once or twice because I know the looks and saw the heart behind those looks - he really doesn't know, this is not just a pat cop out answer to shut us up - well not all the time in any case ;-) I could go on and on and on, for now I have said all this to say this.....we need to know our children, lead their hearts and teach them right from wrong. This is not a popular parenting mantra of late, but look at what is going on in the world around us - I am not raising a child for society, I am raising a child for God and I am the one who will have to answer for what I take the time and effort to teach and what I allow to root and grow in his life. Is it easy? No way, in fact it is without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever done - but he is worth it!!
I am taking my stand here on this soapbox and in my home - I love my son too much to leave him the way he is and allow what society says is ok to be ok. I am raising a boy to become a man, who will be able to lead his family, to love his wife and teach his children in the ways of the Lord. I am raising a man, one who will reflect his Father, my Father, your Father and bring Him honor in all he does and says. I will no longer tolerate the rolling eyes, the irritated grunts and sighs, the lazy behaviors, the sub-standard efforts, the lying, the disrespectful words, action or behaviors because I am weary and have no tidy little solutions. I owe it to my God, my son, my future daughter in law and grandchildren to raise a man who will be a man of character and honor and to myself, because God chose me to do just that!
I am rolling up my sleeves, digging in my heels and persevering to the end, the outcome far out weighs the effort in value. Betsy Hart has given me some hope along the way that I needed pretty desperately when I came across it - accidental? I think not - God is into the details remember ;-) SO.... I wanted to share this today, in case you may have to travel some of the same roads we do on occasion and could use a little encouragement, some refreshing and a much needed dose of perspective and common sense in this crazy world in which we live. Betsy has a blog which I have not yet had much time to poke around, but look forward to seeing what other nuggets are there that I once knew and have foolishly cast away for the bigger, newer, shinier nuggets that the latest snake oil salesmen were selling....

Practicing Hospitality Gets an Upgrade

2011-02-16T09:51:00.004-06:00

Sometimes you come across things that you just have to share - this is one of them. I had a conversation this past Saturday with a mom from Wonderboy's basketball team, during which she mentioned that she was having a hysterectomy later this month. I immediately offered a meal, this has become something that I love to do to bless others - I love to cook and know what a help a meal is when things are out of whack in the daily routine of life. I was very curious when she told me that a woman in her Sunday School Class was organizing meals and she would send me a link. She mentioned something about a website I could sign up on....hmm...wonder what that's all about I thought. The email came yesterday and this is just too cool to keep under my hat!! Take Them A Meal has this whole bringing a meal thing all figured out and and presented in a very user friendly way that simplifies the process and eliminates the need for many phone calls, second guessing your choices and all the concerns that are pretty much normal fare when getting a meal together for anyone in need. You pick a day from the calendar and sign up for what you are bringing. The address, contact info, directions, likes/dislikes, food allergies, restrictions and general preferences are right there for you to help you decide the best meal to share. What I really love about this site is that you can identify what they have been fed before and after your slot so they are not sprouting feathers from chicken dish after chicken dish. There is even an option to send a meal to those who are not local. There are menu suggestions, transportation tips and even recipes. I think this is a truly inspired idea!! I only wish I had known about it sooner - but rest assured if you need meals and you are in my sphere of influence I will hook you up!!!
I have not yet signed up for the basketball mom meal because it is too far out at this point for me to plan now, but I will and I will report back on how the whole thing play out.
I was equally pleased to notice a button on the site for a sister type site called Perfect Potluck - again, another fantastic idea!! Makes me want to plan a gathering just to try it out and see how it functions first hand....any takers?? Shall we plan some food and fellowship?

I have to end this by asking - has anyone used either of these sites? If so please share what your experiences have been....I am certainly not wishing anyone sick, but will be pleased to have this tool in my toolbox when it is needed!!

Building Faith

2011-02-02T08:04:00.002-06:00

I have not fallen off the face of the earth dear ones ;-) I just wanted to take a minute today to encourage you.....

The Snowy South

2011-01-10T16:00:00.015-06:00

We have had more snow here in North Alabama since Christmas Day than we have had combined since I moved here from Toronto in December of 1994. It almost has me feeling Canadian again ;-) The snow we had on Christmas Day was beautiful, big fluffy flakes that started falling about 6:30am while we were opening gifts. It made the day magical. It was Wonderboy's very first white Christmas and although the snow was short lived and not ideal for snow play it was a big treat to us!

We went to bed last night with snow falling and the forecasters predicting anywhere from 6"-10" depending on who you listened to......I don't know about where you live , but here in the Tennessee Valley, I believe it has to be one of the only places in the world that the meteorologists can be continually wrong and remain employed. I was sceptical to say the least! When we got up this morning there was a thick blanket of beautiful white fluffy snow everywhere - no grass, no road, nothing but pretty white stuff all around!! I went out and filled our bird feeder and have been delighted all day today by the steady stream of visitors that we have had. I was thrilled when I sat down in the study at the front of the house with a cup of white peony tea (oh sooo good) to look out the window and see a big fat saucy Blue Jay in the birch tree in our yard and then as I was watching him jump from branch to branch a red headed woodpecker happened by for a spell - they both looked gorgeous against the backdrop of fresh snow.

The street came to life a little while later, schools were closed and most people concluded that getting out on the roads was not a good idea (except for The Principal - but I won't go there....yet), not to mention The Governors of not only Alabama, but also Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina declared state wide emergencies (did I mention that The Principal did not think staying home meant him and he went to work? Guess what? The only other guy in his office that was there walked!! Imagine that - I expect the rest of them decided to listen to The Governor and stay off the roads huh??). Most of Huntsville was closed today - no mail, no banking, however according to an anonymous source who had to drive past Wal-Mart to come home greed is alive and well in snowbound Huntsville - there were cars in the parking lot!

Kids and parents and grandparents were out on our street walking and throwing snowballs, in front yards building snowmen, chatting with neighbors where the sidewalks were buried. We have had an all day parade of four-wheelers, one even pulling a young lady about 10 years old on an inner tube who looked to be having the time of her life!

When The Principal came in from work around lunchtime and shovelled the neighbors driveway .....they are in their 70's - he really is a good guy even if he did think the road rules didn't apply to him ;-)Once the work was done it was time for some family fun. WonderBoy has never made a "Real Official Make Your Canadian Mama Proud" snowman. It took a little patient instruction on how to roll the snowball, don't include the dried up grass, try and get it rounded and before you know it - voila! A snowman in the yard!! It was fun - this is the good stuff, the good memories of childhood.....remember?? Turns out the snowman was not enough I had to heat the soup up for lunch 3 times before the 'structure' was completed enough for my budding architect to come in and eat. He was beet red from head to toe and grinning like a mule eating briers - a good day here in the snowy south!!

Hope Lights the Way

2011-01-09T14:55:00.009-06:00

I want to share a word with you, a plain and simple four letter word......there are countless four letter words in the English language, very few evoke the power and healing that this one does. Every year for the last 3 or 4 years now God has given me a single word just prior to the change of the calendar which He speaks to my heart as what He has for me in the year ahead. My 'God Word' for 2011 is Hope. Merriam-Webster's Online dictionary defines hope this way.......to cherish a desire with anticipation; trust; to desire with expectation of obtainment; to expect with confidence. There is most assuredly plenty resting on those four plain and simple little letters wouldn't you agree?

I would be most honored if you will consider joining me as I share my journey into Hope with you in the year that lays ahead. I plan this year to dig a little deeper than I have in past years and really focus my heart and mind on all that God offers when He whispers these things to me. At this point in the process I have no idea what this will look like, other than I will explore the scriptures as they relate to and speak of hope and see where that takes me, because as we both know - it will take me somewhere.

I have a new NJKV that I am reading through, I have purposed to read through various translations one at a time, so although it is likely that most of what I share will come from NJKV, I will also explore what the other translations have to say and offer in regards to hope. There are an abundance of study materials available today, but I have to be honest and tell you that I am a little intimidated/overwhelmed by them. I don't have a clue what a good place to start is so I am going to forged forward without much of a plan other than to listen and dig, listen and dig - perhaps that in itself is a plan after all ;-)

I would love (another wonderful plain and simple four letter word) it if you would share your thoughts and reactions. If you prefer not to leave a comment I invite you to email me anytime! It really is my heart's desire for this humble little blog to be a place of encouragement and exchange, it may be my blog, but it is not for me......ultimately it is for Him and those He draws here.

The scripture on the mug picture above reads........

And his name will be the hope of all the world.

Matthew 12:21 (NIV)

It seems so obvious to those of us who know, love and serve Him, that He is our only real hope. The sad truth is that more of the world lives in darkness than in His light. As Followers of Christ we are called to share His light and let it shine into the darkness. Where there is light darkness must flee.

There is a worship song that I love that comes to mind as I think about shining His light into darkness and being filled with His hope.......Praise Him today because you know Him, because He is The Light and The Way and because He is the source of Hope in your life!!

Oranges Poranges.......

2011-01-03T09:48:00.007-06:00

Happy New Year Dear Ones!!

We have been out of town and are getting settled back into our groove - I should have all my laundry caught up by sunset today (can I get an hallelujah?!). We spent a wonderful time of fellowship and refreshing in Buchanan, MI at a family camp retreat event called Resolution hosted by Life Action Ministries. What made our time there even more special was that WonderBoy and I were able to meet 2 of our pen pals in person!! We were so blessed to be able to spend time, share meals and fellowship with our friends - so much so that it was a very teary goodbye! It is so wonderful how God knits our hearts together in friendship - our families share a new bond and for that I am so grateful.

So.... we are home and working toward getting organized and on track for 2011. I LOVE a New Year and all the promise it holds. The Principal and I have been having some wonderful conversations over the past few days - 20 hours of driving time over 3 days makes that very possible! There are many things I will share with you as they unfold, but for now let me just say that I am so excited and anticipating all the amazing things that God has for our family for 2011!

Today what I really wanted to share with you was a fun and easy peasy craft/gift giving idea. It is frugal and natural to boot! It is orange season - we just purchased a 40 lb. box of organic Texas oranges that are so sweet and delicious we are going through them pretty rapidly. I was very pleased by an email this morning that our buying club is trying to put together a second order - count us in - all that wonderful fresh organic vitamin C is a great way to keep our family healthy and ward off the winter bugs that are rampant (if you are local and are interested let me know I would be happy to order a box on your behalf - email me for pricing and details).

On to the craft......the Principal scored another bulls eye in his Christmas gift giving with the latest Homestead Blessings DVD - The Art of Crafting. If you are not familiar with The West Ladies and their wonderful ministry Homestead Blessings I am thrilled to be the first to send you to their site and introduce you to them - you will love them - I promise. Their DVDs are a treasure trove!! Last night we watched the Art of Crafting and I was thrilled with the segment about making your own potpourri - I have at least 4 gallon sized freezer bags in the garage filled with dehydrated apple peels, cores, peach pits and orange slices that I had dehydrated for that very purpose - making potpourri...... once I figured out how. I am now one step closer ;-) I will do a separate 'how to' post when I do actually make the potpourri but for now you can get started and prepare along with me - get some oranges, eat them, enjoy them, build your family's health and save the peels!! You can do this one of 2 ways - slice the oranges in rings or quarter them, after you have eaten all their yummy goodness twist your peels and set them in something pretty, add a candle or some pine cones to jazz it up and let air dry. They look great, they smell great and once they are dry they will be beautiful in a wonderfully fragrant potpourri made by your very own hands! This would make great hostess or thank you gifts......for now get twisting sister........I have to be honest and tell you - this kind of thing makes me almost a little too happy ;-)

Meet Victor......

2010-12-29T09:12:00.006-06:00

It is with great pleasure and almost unrestrained giddiness that I introuduce you to Victor......Victor Vita Mix for the sake of formality. Victor arrived under the Christmas tree this year by way of my loving and wonderful husband aka The Principal.
Oh Victor, I have dreamed of the day when you and I would meet together in the kitchen.....and now at last here you are!!!Tall, dark, handsome and Oh! SO Strong.....what more could a gal look for in her kitchen ? I have no doubt not even for a moment that you and I will become quite a pair making beautiful healthy edible delights together ;-) Perhaps I have y'all a little concerned .....you need not worry dear ones, all is well with my soul (and mind too for that matter - well mostly)......if you question me, you have never met a member of Victor's family. I would suggest you do - you will understand.
We name things, it is a quirky family thing that we get way too much pleasure out of, so yesterday morning while I was preparing a spectacular green smoothie breakfast for WonderBoy and myself and he commented that we needed to name the Vita Mix it took me mere seconds to dub our new acquisition "Victor". Indulge me while I explain....Victor is short for Victory which I plan to have this coming year over health issues, weight issues, lousy energy levels and not settling for less than God's Best!!! Victor is just one tool in the arsenal which will aide my family and I to walk in the Victory that Our Father's Word promises us.
Victor's arrival is perfectly timed with a new year on the horizon, a 21 day church wide fast beginning January 10th and most importantly an overwhelming desire to get things right and claim God's promises for my life and that of my precious family.
I LOVE a new year, a fresh start, a clean slate and I am so excited about what 2011 will hold. Every year for the past 4 or 5 years God has given me a single word in prayer which represents what He holds for me in the year to come. I will share more on that with you soon, but for now I will tell you this - my 'word' for 2011 is awesome and one that we all need so I am going to resolve to do what I can to share it with you dear ones in the year ahead.
We are going to be adventure bound for the next few days and it is very likely that this will be my last post in 2010. I pray that each and every one of you have a blessed and prosperous New Year filled with God's marvelous grace, abundance and provision......
Come back and see me next year won't you please?
Oh one last thing........Sorry Charlie ........

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T16:02:00.003-06:00

I've noticed more and more photo cards in the mail each year......I love them. Here is one of the original models from 1966. The cards are very different, but the message is the same.......
Merry Christmas;-)

Weed Whacking 101

2010-12-18T23:26:00.007-06:00

Can you believe it ? I found my way out and had to think for a moment until I remembered my password to log in and see how much Blogger had changed in the last month and then some. I feel funny with this window in front of me ......I started to head here many times in the past month and a half but something stopped me every time - that feeling of being overwhelmed mainly. Not that that is a unique feeling at this time of year - I just started a little early I suppose - must be the over achiever in me huh? lol

Are you even a little bit curious about how I found my way back out of the weeds? Well I can't claim to be completely free of them in all honesty, but I did make it this far and the fine looking piece of machinery pictured above had nothing to do with it. My greatest tool, weapon, piece of equipment, etc. was quite simply where I should have looked from the get go and where I should have been all along, for if I had, the weeds would have been nothing more than passing scenery...............simple right? Obvious I know, BUT......how bad did things have to get before I was clutching in desperation to the instruction manual I needed from the Maker of my soul? They got bad , and they didn't get better right away either. I was running on fumes, fumes of fumes perhaps. I don't even know how or why it started I just know that I wasn't aware of it until I was pretty far gone - not the point of no return, because if we are in Him there is no such place - PTL, but I bet I was a block or two away.

When I did some soul searching and followed the advice of a reader by laying it all out to God and asking Him which things He would have me do, some things no longer seemed as critical, I was able to draw a deeper slower breath on occasion.

I was still praying and getting in the word sporadically, but not every day, when I made the commitment to do just that - every day, when I humbled myself and laid it at His feet every day, that was when I felt the shift and the change taking place.

We know what we need to do and I have asked it out loud more times than I could count - Why is it so hard to do the things that we know are good for us ? I don't have the answer other than to say that the ruler of this place in which we dwell is the enemy of our soul and he does not desire our best, he will in fact do everything he can to steal, kill and destroy John 10:10.

For now, I am giving Thanks, I am working on getting filled, refueled, recharged and ready for the excitement and blessings that the next few weeks of Christmas and New Years will hold.

May I make a suggestion.......don't allow yourself to fall prey to the busyness and pressures that are rampant at this time of year - make time for Him and with Him every day, you will find that if you do, He will make sure you have time to do all you need to and maybe even a little time for some of the wants as well ;-)

In The Weeds.....

2010-11-02T20:46:00.005-05:00

Several years ago now a woman who worked for me part time was going through menopause which she described as "being in the weeds", although I am certainly at an age that makes me potentially eligible for that wonderful time of life, I don't claim it, I do however admit to being in the weeds.......that's where I have been as some of you have emailed to ask. I don't know what happened - one day everything was going along at it's normal pace of chaos and then BAM! I found myself tangled up in the weeds!

Does this ever happen to you? What do you do to get out ? I have been struggling to keep up....... school, blogging, parenting, taking proper care of myself, taking proper care of my sweet husband, books on loan from the library to read, letters to be written and just my responsibilities in general, not to mention the long long list of things I would love to have the time to pursue.

So....... I am physically weary and emotionally drained and feel defeated before the day really begins because my 'To Do List' is longer than I have time to really read and process. I would love to tell you I have it together and will be back up and running and you can look forward to a myriad of wonderful posts in the days ahead......I really would love to tell you that....here is the truth......I have lots of pictures taken and have lots of things to share. I have been baking Artisan Bread - WOW is all I can say about that right now. We have been on more field trips, we took a civil war train ride this past weekend, bought a new to us vehicle the weekend before that which we went to another state to get. I had a wonderful phone call from an old high school friend the day after my birthday which is still giving me cause to smile, I survived my birthday and yesterday we celebrated The Principal's birthday, did I mention I have been baking Artisan Bread?? (btw - has anyone ever had a Pampered Chef Pizza Stone crack in the oven while baking???) I have been cleaning and cooking and running errands and being a wife and mother and neighbor and friend and I am running on empty. Through it all I have to remember that I am a child of the King and in Him I live and breath and have my being and in all of this there are some wonderful stories of victory which I also want to share.....God is good - SO GOOD and without Him I would have nothing but defeat to share. I have a testimony over fear to share and plans for Thanksgiving in Virginia with family to prepare for and a giveaway to post and on and on.

So tell me, where shall I begin? What do you want to know about most, see pictures of and what wonderful pearls of wisdom can you offer.....oh and I have a new to us vehicle to name!! Cars in our family must have names, this is mandatory. We have had this vehicle over a week and she/he remains nameless - we have tried a few out for size but none are sticking......Bella didn't work, Pearl was not the one, Lily is next on the list.......Lucy and Chuck are in the driveway patiently waiting for the name of the new white big shot that just took over the garage......the list goes on.......oh and by the way....can anyone recommend a good non-toxic weed killer??? ;-)

Your Patience is Appreciated

2010-10-19T08:54:00.004-05:00

Friends, Bloggers, Followers, Lurkers and anyone else who is here, please forgive my rather sudden drop off from the face of my blog. I have much to share but time right now will not afford me the luxury of sharing it all. The enemy has been hard at work to steal, kill and destroy - I am standing in my victory!!!

Adding to that I spent Sunday and Monday at the hospital with a very dear friend who had a heart attack and is making arrangements to have open heart surgery - your prayers are appreciated ;-)

On the brighter side.....I have the giveaway figured out and need only the time to catch you all up and get organized. I love you all and seek your prayers as I walk through this round!!

Oh and by the way....Happy Birthday to me ;-)

Birthday Week - Day 2

2010-10-13T19:14:00.009-05:00

Yesterday, I eluded to something wonderful that happened and promised that I would fill you in on it today. Those of you who know me personally or have been following my blog for any length of time know by now that my heart is in the country and anything relating to it. I have spent the last few years training myself and learning skills that I hope will help my transition to country living a little easier when at last we have a rural address.

To that end, this year we are doing 4H Club, this I think will be great for WonderBoy in getting him acclimated a little to what to expect in the country and for me well it really is a bonus as I get to hang out during the class and tag along on the field trips ;-) We spent yesterday afternoon at a farm just north of the city learning about how the farm functions day to day as well as being introduced to the animals that live there. They had lots of cats and dogs, chickens, a friendly rooster, sheep, an angora goat, horses and cows!! I love cows!! They have those big sweet soulful eyes and they give us wonderful milk and delicious beef. Those cows were mooing up a storm - it made me smile from my toes on up! But what really did it for me, what really put me over the top was this.......I got to milk a cow!!! A real live cow, real milk in a real milking bucket and everything!!! And I did it!! I was nervous at the thought but knew that I needed to suck it up and fight the fear - I mean how will I ever be a 'country girl' if I can't milk a cow!!!! And so I did ;-) I had a little shaky start until I got a feel for it as it were - I was pulling where I should have been squeezing - sorry Mrs. Cow, you were very gracious and patient with me. WonderBoy also gave it a go without any thought of hesitation - although he did not control his excitement as well as his mother. This is a skill that will come with age I pray ;-) The puppies were a big draw - let me tell you this boy needs a dog and we have promised one when we get moved. He is so crazed to have a canine side kick that I am pretty sure he will be asking when are we going to get his dog before the moving truck is unloaded!! The Principal is having good fun being sweet and showering me with Birthday Week attention - a girl could certainly adjust to this daily show of love and affection ;-) This morning he woke me again (he gets up earlier without an alarm daily, I love to get up early but need a little assistance which my dear husband is kind enough to supply), lots of sweet soft kisses to wake me (I know it's a little TMI - but that is what he did!!) and while the restroom was clear of surprises - this was waiting on the island in the kitchen. I know what you are thinking - a basting brush?? I was thrilled, truly! I have really wanted one of these swanky silicone types - and it's red - my favorite color, and it's shiny - shiny makes me happy too!! And another sweet handmade with a lots of love card - I am so grateful for this man!! I am certainly one of the lucky ones!!! Perhaps this will further explain my delight........ That pretty much wraps it up for today. There is no telling what Day 3 of Birthday Week will hold in store, but I will certainly check in and let you know as the week progresses. Thanks for dropping in and sharing my week with me!! Be sure to stop back in before the week is over - I am working on a giveaway, after all I can't be the only one getting goodies this week, I feel the need to pay it forward. I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing yet and when it will be ready, but it's looking good for the 19th though ;-)

Birthday Week Begins ....... A Testimony of Victory

2010-10-12T07:55:00.015-05:00

Birthdays are supposed to be happy, joy filled, celebratory times right? That is what I have always thought, a time to celebrate and honor, to embrace those we love. I LOVE to make a big deal over the birthday of a loved one, but oh no - not mine - do not make a fuss over me!! So it has been for the majority of my adult life. My birthday which is a week today has been a season of much stress, anxiety and sadness in my home for many years. My poor husband has tried and tried and tired to get it right. He didn't know and for a long time, I didn't either that he was doomed to fail no matter what he did. Stay with me, the story has a happy ending, but I need to dig a little deep to get there.

A few weeks back I posted Laying the Foundation this was the beginning of what I hope will be many more getting real and exposing the darkness to light posts. There is no question that He is calling me out of the darkness and into his marvelous light that I may proclaim His praises(1Peter 2:9) and give testimony to His goodness and powers of transformation in my life!!.......I'm going to bare a little here so if you don't want to know more than you already do.....this is a good stopping point ;-)

Several years ago now I began a wonderful journey through a ministry that I was introduced to at our church. Elijah House Prayer Ministry Training, brought me to an opportunity and a place in my life that I had never been before. Through the prayer counseling/training I was in a safe and loving environment where I felt the freedom to confront things that I had kept safely buried and hidden for in some cases most of my life. The healing that took place each time I attended a retreat/training weekend was unlike anything I had ever experienced. One weekend in particular we had attended the Friday night sessions and it was during one of those talks that something was mentioned relating to birthdays and sadness. Well my radar was bleeping big time!! My internal metal detector was deafening. The speaker talked about how some people struggle terribly around their birthdays and so we should know to ask questions like - What were the circumstances surrounding your birth? Was it planned? Happily anticipated? What kind of pregnancy did your mother have? What were the circumstances of your conception - relate these to the time of year they took place etc. - you get the idea. Due to of all the sad, secretive and just plain unpleasant circumstances surrounding my birth, I knew that this was something I needed to examine and have broken off me, and ultimately seek healing for through prayer. Well, I know now, that I must be one of His favorites, because that very same evening after most everyone had turned in for the night, the ministry house was quiet and myself and one other woman were the only ones still up. We talked and through conversation ended up discussing the sadness and struggles that I had always felt around my birthday. I was not planned, not wanted, nor was I happily anticipated - no wonder I had such a hard time embracing the whole "it's my birthday, let's celebrate me" mind set. This dear lady asked if she could she pray for me and with me, I was grateful for the opportunity to address this issue so soon after the light bulb had gone on. One of the things that had been suggested in the talk earlier in the evening was that, when working with someone who had issues surrounding their birth, to join with them before the Lord ask Him to show the person where He was at the time of their birth, what was His perspective of things. While she prayed a picture began to form in my mind, there was a painted cinder block wall in the delivery room, which Jesus broke through and He walked directly over to the delivery table and took me from the Doctor, cradled me in His arms out in front of His body and He was smiling the most marvelously brilliant smile I have ever witnessed, He sang to me , but not in words, more in emotions - it was stunning!! He slowly and joyfully and effortlessly danced around the delivery room with me in His arms, looking into my eyes with more love than I have ever known . I was so filled with His joy and love for me. I wept and wept but not from sadness, I immediately felt the absolute love and joy and knew the healing that had taken place through this prayer vision was what I had been seeking without even knowing I needed it!!

This experience was in the early Spring so when Fall rolled around, I was anxious to see how I would handle myself as my birthday drew nearer. I prayed and prayed and called out the enemy telling him in no uncertain terms that I was worthy of celebration and that he would no longer rob me of the joy and pleasures associated with turning another year older. He had the first 44 years, birthdays 45 onward belonged to me and my Creator!! So it was this time last year, a week before my birthday and I was armed with knowledge and healing and the joy of the Lord was my strength, the enemy was not invited to my party. I even did a little extra celebrating, starting about a week ahead with a good old fashioned night out with the girls dinner with my Mama Leisha Girls and several other events as the week went on. I did well and was happy and having fun!!

I am pleased to report that my 45th birthday was delightful!! I spent the day in Tennessee with The Principal and WonderBoy, we went to Falls Mill, letterboxed in and around Lynchburg, TN where we had a wonderful lunch on the square in at a neat down home BBQ spot. We drove around the countryside and even stopped at a place on Hwy 64 in Belvidere, TN called Swiss Pantry - I love to go there and get home baked Amish Cowboy Cookies!! We stopped on the way home and picked up some yummy deli salads, olives and crusty bread and had a picnic at home for dinner, we did gifts and my guys got me a cake that said Happy Birthday Princess/Mom on it - of course I cried!! It was a fabulous day.

Well this year, The Principal is excited that he can celebrate without fear of repercussion or certain failure, so much so that we have been joking about "Birthday Week" for sometime now. This morning, he woke me at 6am with a sweet kiss, told me the coffee was ready and a cheerful "Happy Birthday Week Honey" and after we made up the bed he said he would see me downstairs for coffee. When I walked into the restroom to do my morning business, this is what I found.......one of my very favorite things in the whole wide wonderful world is when my sweet husband makes me a card (especially if he draws a picture or scene of some sort- they are my favorite of the favorites) or writes me a note, so all by itself the note/card would have put a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. The fact that I am out of good body lotion and dry skin season is ready to jump into high gear is a fabulous bonus. And I have to tell you.....something almost as wonderful as this happened later today, but I'll wait and share that with you tomorrow - Birthday Week has begun ;-) I'm celebrating that My Father in Heaven loves me and regardless of what the circumstances were that gave me life, He celebrates me and that is more than enough good reason for me to put on a smile and join Him!!

Psalm 27:10 tells us ....

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.

...... and He did ..... with a joyous smile, pure love and we danced ;-)

Homemade Laundry Soap Tutorial

2010-10-02T10:21:00.026-05:00

This is one of those posts that I have been meaning to get around to for some time now, the delay has been that I don't have to make laundry soap often and so, the window of opportunity is small. One of the many wonderful things about homeschooling is it offers so many opportunities to teach Life Skills on a daily basis. So while I set WonderBoy loose to make his first batch of laundry soap I was on hand to oversee and guide and captured the process to share with you ;-) I have to admit, the idea of making my own laundry soap was for a long time, intriguing but a little bizarre and even intimidating. I have not purchased laundry soap now for 2 plus years and cannot imagine any reason why I would at this point. The benefits of making your own laundry soap far out weigh any reasons to purchase it for me. I know what is in it, I can add the fragrance I like to the degree to which my family enjoys it, I reuse the same containers over and over again and it costs pennies to make as opposed to the $15 per bottle I would be paying at the store for the same amount or less - pretty much a no brainer!! For me the most difficult part of making homemade laundry soap is finding a store locally that carries the ingredients. I can sometimes get borax at Walmart but have a hard time finding washing soda, when Kroger had it last week I bought 2 boxes - I am good to go for a while now.

Ingredients

1/3 to 1 whole bar soap

(this is preference - I have used as little as 1/3 of a bar with good results, but I tend to use a whole bar most times - I live with guys who work and play hard - any kind will do)

1 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax

3 gallons/4 cups warm water

Directions

1. Begin by pouring 4 cups of water into a medium sized pot to boil.

2. While waiting for your water to boil grate as much soap as you plan to use, this can be done by hand or in a food processor - your choice. If using a hand grater watch your flesh!!

3. By the time you are finished grating your water should be boiling, add grated soap to pot and stir until dissolved fully. This will take a few minutes and some pretty consistent stirring, the smell can be very strong at the point so if you are sensitive to that kind of this you may want to seek the aid of a designated stirrer ;-) The mixture will be cloudy and milky looking when all the soap is dissolved.

4. Now using a small pail or drink pitcher add 3 gallons of warm/hot water to a 5 gallon bucket. The bucket we use is perfect for this job and used exclusively for laundry soap - it has measurements on the bucket and a foam grip to make moving the heavy full bucket no big deal - look for one like this - you will be glad you did. We probably got it at Home Depot, maybe Lowe's.

5. Now add your pot of soapy brew to the 5 gallon bucket. You will have a bucket of milky soapy water, not to worry this is how it should look - the magic comes later ;-)

6. Next, add 1 cup of washing soda and stir for 2 minutes with a large long handled strong spoon - you need to get the bottom of the bucket and edges in the stirring process so a small serving spoon won't work.

7. Once your washing soda is dissolved and well mixed in, add 1/2 cup of borax and stir for 2-3 minutes to dissolve and mix well.

8. At this point you can add your fragrance if you so desire. We love good smelling things at our house and so I like to add a little extra yummy smell - this time I chose a sandalwood amber fragrance oil that I got at the Dollar Tree - you can use essential oils but that would drive your cost up considerably - for something like this I am perfectly happy using Dollar Tree fragrance oil - it's up to you ;-)

9. Give it one final really great and wonderful stir.

10. Pop the lid on tight and let it sit overnight.

This is where the magic happens. In the morning you will open your bucket to 3 gallons of gelled glop - it will smell great, it will clean your clothes but the consistency will be a little watery and a gloppy - that is perfectly ok!

I transfer mine to a pour spout container that I keep above my washing machine for easy peasy dispensing when it's laundry time. Use 1/2 cup per load or the measure out in the plastic cup that came on one of those expensive store bought laundry bottles that you will never have to buy again - they work great ;-) I have used the same one for years and take great satisfaction in knowing that I will never buy another one again!!

So there you have it! Easy as can be, fun to make and best of all it's frugal and it works....what are you waiting for? Check your hair, jump in the car and run out and get the ingredients that you don't have on hand now!! If you have what you need to make this you should not even be reading this part!!

Busy as Bees

2010-09-29T19:49:00.022-05:00

We have been.....busy as bees. We have been on the run and out and about the past couple of days - field trips!! After our field trip yesterday we truly understand just what that means too!! We spent a lovely fall (yes it seems to be here at last!!) morning in Hazel Green, Alabama with our 4H club learning about beekeeping from a sweet as honey beekeeper and his protege.Our tour began with a lesson on the life of bees and it was nothing less than fascinating. Mr. Dalton and David did a great job of making it make sense, they only just scratched the surface but left us wanting to know much more!! The Principal and I are always looking for potential revenue producing adventures that might be a good fit for our 'life on the farm days' post retirement......this just may be the bees knees ;-) There appears to be some 'sweet' potential ;-)

Have you ever tasted honey right from the hive? David scrapped a bit of wax away and let me have a taste - wow!! That is good stuff let me tell you!!

Next they walked us through the process of extracting the honey from the hives, cleaning the honey by putting it in the 'hot box' to warm the honey and allow any wax and debris (wings, legs, etc.) that might be in the honey to float to the top. The honey is then put into a large vat type apparatus where it is filtered further and ready for bottling. It is a pretty straight forward process the actual processing side of things that is.
The bees themselves are where the mystery, intrigue and fascination comes in. Mr. Dalton told us all about the habits, roles, life cycle and personalities of these amazing little creatures. I couldn't help but make the connection between the bees and the Character Building for Families study that we are doing in our devotional time, specifically the unit on Orderliness - God's hand is so incredibly obvious in the day to day lives of little wonders. After walking us through each step in the processing side of beekeeping we took a short stroll down a picturesque tree lined path to the back end of the property by a pond where the colonies are kept and maintained. David donned his beekeeper garb and showed us how to daze them a little with smoke so that he could get in the hive and show us the inner workings a little. The smoke tends to slow them down and create a 'groggy' state which allows for more ideal conditions in which to go about your bee business.
David was kind enough to pose for a photo to show off what every stylish beekeeper is wearing this fall! Our tour ended on The Dalton's back patio where Mr. Dalton answered questions and told stories while we were treated to Honey Tea and Cookies which Mrs. Dalton aka 'The Boss' was gracious enough to prepare for us - that is true southern hospitality y'all ;-) A sweet man, a beautiful fall day and homemade goodies, us homeschoolers have it made!! The wall hanging on the back porch of the Dalton's home sums it up.....

Speechless Cinnamon Rolls

2010-09-27T07:59:00.013-05:00

I have test driven a few Cinnamon Roll recipes over the years and have never found one that made think I needed to stop trying others - this is the one ;-) It is a keeper and sharer for sure and for certain!!! WonderBoy crowned these 'Scrumptious' and I have had to keep a close on him around them lest they disappear quicker than they ought to !! AND if that is not enough it doubles as a hamburger bun recipe too and I would imagine with the right shaping could also lend itself to hot dog buns or submarine/hero sandwich type rolls as well (I have not yet tried these options - let me know if you do!)
Ingredients

4 to 5 cups flour ( I use 1/2 unbleached white and 1/2 fresh ground whole wheat)

2 TBS yeast

1 cup milk

3/4 cup water

1/2 oil

3 TBS honey

1 tsp salt

Cinnamon Rolls will require these additional ingredients......

1 stick or 1/2 cup butter

brown sugar

vanilla

cinnamon

cinnamon sugar

powdered sugar

milk

Directions

Mix 2 cups of flour with 2 TBS yeast in a large bowl. Heat water, milk, oil and honey in small saucepan until very warm, but not boiling. Pour into flour mixture and combine well. Start adding remaining flour until dough becomes soft and ready to knead. Knead briefly and let rest, covered with a damp dish towel for about 10 minutes. You now have 10 minutes to decide if you are making Hamburger Buns or Cinnamon Rolls - you really could do both if you want a smaller amount of each. This recipe would make enough for about 4 servings of each or 8 servings of one. You choose....

Hamburger Buns

Roll out dough on floured surfaced to a 1/2 inch thickness cut out buns with a large mason jar lid ring and let rise for 30 minutes on a greased baking sheet (get your damp dish towel out to cover again). Bake at 400 degrees for 12- 15 minutes or until nicely browned. If you wish, you can brush with a little melted butter and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds before you pop them in the oven.

Cinnamon Rolls

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a large flat rectangle. In a small saucepan, melt a stick of butter and add enough brown sugar to create a paste type consistency - probably less than a cup but more than a 1/2 cup. Add a splash of vanilla if you like - we like so I do ;-) With the back of a large plastic spoon evenly spread the mixture over your rolled out dough right up to the edges. Sprinkle cinnamon ( as much or as little as you like) over top of butter/sugar paste. Roll dough across so you have a long roll and using a piece of thread - I use fishing line ;-) Slide the thread/line under the roll, cross over the top and pull for perfectly sliced rolls. Fill a greased pan and cover with dampened dish towel and allow to rise 30 minutes. Sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar on top right before they go in the oven, if you like before baking at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges.

If you like, you can make a little sweet goodness to drizzle on top of the cinnamon rolls when they come out of the oven......in a measuring cup or anything with a pour spout add about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and about 1 TBS of milk - a little milk goes a long way- it will not seem like enough - it is. Whisk together until smooth and drizzle over your wonderful hot and yummy cinnamon rolls - grab a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk and prepare yourself for quiet - there will not be much conversation taking place once the eating begins !!!

Prayer Box Sunday - Orderliness

2010-09-26T16:55:00.005-05:00

It is a blessing to have the windows open today and the temperature below 90 degrees again!! I am sitting next to an open window and enjoying a slight breeze more cool than warm - Fall is teasing us here in North Alabama. Woo Hoo!!

This morning we shared our prayer time with some wonderful homemade cinnamon rolls (I will share the recipe soon - they were fantastic - I ran a plate across the street to a neighbor while they were still warm and they called in raves reviews a little while later), on the patio with a cup of flavored coffee, while several flocks of geese made themselves known as they honked and flapped on by - glorious!!

Last week WonderBoy was tasked to pray for my self worth - did you feel the shift that took place this week? It has been a little bizarre how it has all played out, but I seem to have found my 'voice' and I have to credit at least some of that to the prayers my sweet boy has been praying on my behalf!! This week......... look out Micheal H. you are the recipient of WonderBoy's prayer focus! The Principal has a fantastic prayer mission this week - he is seeking God to guide our family in the words we speak and how we speak them - wow we could rest on that topic alone for an extended post! As Christians, it is crucial that we have hearts that are soft and pliable and open to the teachings that will ultimately bring us in line with God's plans and purposes for our lives, this week my prayers will be directed at petitioning God on behalf of my family to give us hearts that willingly embrace His commands, hearts that seek to please Him.

Our family prayer this week is for a special neighbor friend of ours, a single mother who was diagnosed with brain cancer at the beginning of this year. She had surgery shortly after the diagnosis and then went through many weeks of radiation and chemo treatments that were necessary following. She still has weeks of chemo, but is now back at work and able to drive again after being restricted from doing so for 6 months. I spent a great deal of time with her and her mother during this time as their 'driver'. It is my prayer that she will one day be able to say she enjoying life as one of the healed of the Lord !

Our Character Building for Families has taken us on a journey of Orderliness this week. We have enjoyed our discussions about all the ways that God values and requires order and planning in our lives. We see miraculous orderliness all around us - how would it have been if on the first day of creation, God created the fish of the seas but had not yet created the seas that they needed to survive? We are to be good stewards of all He gives us, our time, resources, finances, talents, blessings, we should not ever squander nor hoard what the Lord provides to us in abundance. We are not promised tomorrow so today should be treasured and spent wisely - every day really is a gift!!

If you are new here and want to know more about Prayer Box Sunday - visit this post which will explain the game plan. If know the game plan and want to add your contribution you can do so by linking up below. I would not know what to do if that actually happened - LOL~!!!

By the way - stay tuned this week for a new giveaway announcement as well as the likelihood of Chapter 2.

I love you guys - thanks for stopping in, hope you have a BEAUTIFUL week!!

Laying the Foundation - Chapter 1

2010-09-24T07:10:00.007-05:00

I continue to pray for His leading in regard to what I am to share here and am committed to keeping my hands off this as much as possible. I have a strong sense that I am to share my testimony and that God will guide me along as it unfolds. So, with that in mind, it would seem the best place to start most things is at the beginning, so let's go back about 47 years then shall we? I will begin just prior to my arrival in the world......

My mother was the 2nd of 5 children raised by Depression era parents in the Toronto's west end. They were a typical Catholic family who attended church and Catholic school and observed the teachings of the Catholic church. Fish was served on Fridays and certain things were just not ever spoken of - there were many 'unwritten' rules. My grandmother's younger sister was a nun and the children were expected to walk the straight and narrow both at home and at school because the nuns had a network and news spread fast!! Being reared in this environment, certain things were expected of young men and women. Getting pregnant at 18 yrs. out of wedlock was not one of them!! My impeding arrival was not happy news.

My mother kept her secret for some time, but as you know there are some secrets that tell on themselves - I was one of those. My mother was 'sent away' to nanny for a family at a safe distance from possible detection and family shame. Much of the story I am telling you has been pieced together here and there from various sources over the years, this was not something anyone cared to talk to me about much and I never knew why until about a year ago, but I'm getting ahead of myself. SO.....off she went to be cloistered away until the blessed event. My father was not involved at this point. My mother always told me that he was very jealous and controlling and because of this she did not reveal her condition to him, rather, ended the relationship. She feared a forced marriage and so his identity was not public knowledge either. Time passed and during a Thanksgiving gathering at the home where my mom was entrusted she was busily assisting the lady of the house with various hospitality related tasks when she became aware of pain that continued most of the afternoon. It wasn't until the guests were gone and clean up was under way that the "Mrs." was aware of the pain my mother was having which she correctly diagnosed as labor and my mom was taken to the hospital.

This is where the story gets a little confusing, not all versions line up. I will tell you the one my mother told me and then we can move on from there....sound reasonable? OK - Good. After my birth my mother and I went to live in a rooming house where my mother was allowed to stay as the resident housekeeper in exchange for our room and board. We stayed here while 'the family' figured some things out and made some decisions. Several months passed in this manner and finally it was decided that we would return to my grandparents home with the understanding that I would be introduced to family, friends, neighbors and everyone in general as a 'Foster Child' that the family was taking in. I know - hard to imagine but it happened all the time in those days. My mother and I moved home and daily life resumed. My mother was working so my care fell to my grandmother and aunt, who was still in high school, while my mother was at work. As the story goes, my mother was not at all happy about the big lie that she was being expected to live. It was not uncommon for her and I to be ushered out of the house on Sundays when visitors would frequently come calling. One Sunday however it seems a little Divine Intervention took place and it just so happened that my mother was feeding me at the kitchen table in a clear line of sight from the front door when my great grandparents arrived unannounced. Great Grandma Amy took one look at me and said "Oh Anne, she's beautiful ! Whose baby is she?" In a moment of unbridled defiance my mother looked her straight in the eye and said simply "She's mine". "Let me finish feeding her" was all my great grandmother said and that was it the secret was out! I can only imagine some of the conversations that took place behind closed doors in the days following!!

This is my beautiful Great Grandmother, Amy - she was a real lady born in England no less and known far and wide for her 'naturally wavy hair' - she was proud of it ;-) Also in the picture are my uncles, Peter is the eldest of the 5 children and Gerry, the youngest who is just 10 years older than me - he was more like an older brother for me growing up. This picture was likely taken on a holiday gathering of some sort, very possibly Christmas and I was just a little over a year old here.

I will continue on from here next time and absolutely welcome any questions or comments. If I am missing something and not piecing things together clearly please call me on it and keep me straight - this is going to be an emotional journey and I may miss some things that would seem obvious. By the way - just to pique your interest there is much drama that will unfold in the chapters to come!!

I will say this much, when I look at the sweet little girl in the picture above, I ache for her, I long to comfort her through what lies ahead and see so clearly as I look back from this day to that one how wonderfully and graciously God's hand has been on her, protecting her and guiding her along so that I might draw from all the experiences, trials, joys and pain and potentially help just one........

Chewing On It

2010-09-23T07:29:00.005-05:00

I haven't posted for the last few days because I have been chewing on what I want to say and how to say it. I don't think I'm there yet, but I want to try to articulate at least a little of what is going on between my ears. Here's the thing.....I feel like I am being pulled in a new direction, one that is way out of my comfort zone and I'm not at all sure how to start or how it will be received - by you. SO...I thought today I would share a little of what is rumbling around in my spirit lately and try and get some feedback from you dear readers.

I desire to be transparent and pull back the curtain that I have been hiding behind (that I think most of us hide behind), you know that one I am talking about, the one that is more flattering to our unsightly bulges and less than appealing flaws - let's be real - we all have them. I think by keeping them under wraps I/we are giving them way too much power and I think it is time that I/we learn to take some risks and be real with each other. News flash - alert the media - I struggle !! Ok - take a deep breath and get a hold of yourself - it's true I do. I struggle to hold my tongue, I struggle to keep a loving attitude at all times, I struggle to do what is right and good, I struggle to be the kind of wife and mother that I really want to be. I struggle to find the good in others at times, but mostly in myself at all times. I struggle to feel I have value, that I do anything well and the list goes on. I understand the reasons behind some of these struggles, for many of them have been my companions for many, many years, but of course knowing does not always lead to immediate healing, it is a journey.

For me it has been a long one - 46 years in just a few weeks. I have some things surrounding my upcoming birthday that I would like to share as well, that will come in another post or maybe even a mini series (that makes me smile) of posts.

I will still post a recipe, offer a homeschool thought or share a letterboxing adventure, but I am thinking about introducing a new element that I have only touched on briefly here and there. Getting real, getting personal and talking about hard things, tender topics - all the things that are the real reasons behind the name of this blog His Grace Alone. It is by His grace alone that I am able to sit here in my comfortable home, while married to a wonderful man and homeschool my only son and share anything with you at all. I am scared of what you are thinking right now, curious if you will even respond and very hopeful that there are a few kindred souls out there that feel the same way I do, who will step forward to join me.

I would LOVE IT if you would leave a comment if you took the time to read this far and give me your honest thoughts and ideas, topics of interest etc. I really would love for this to be more of a blessing to others, than therapy for me!!

India Bound!!

2010-09-20T12:03:00.006-05:00

Have you ever wanted to travel with your children but for a variety of reasons, finances, logistics etc. it is just easier to stay home and put it on your 'to do' list for down the road some? Me too.....however, the other day I was fortunate to find out about an opportunity to visit India with WonderBoy without even worrying about passports or packing !! I thought this was such a wonderful and unique opportunity I had to share it with you!!
Mission India is teaming up with Sonlight Curriculum to impact the nation of India with the Gospel. Passport to India is an invitation to families to participate in a 5 week adventure into exploring India in a close up and personal way, as well as blessing to be a part of something unique and wonderful. Sonlight has promised to match donations up to $167,000 to help bring the Bible to the children of India. I was stunned when I read the number of 400+ million people in India being unreached!! In our happy little Christian community here in the the United States that is hard to even get your head around isn't it? Well, it didn't take me long to figure out that this was an opportunity that I didn't want to see missed. Mission India and Sonlight are asking participating families to collect their loose change during the 5 week journey and for every dollar collected one boy or girl will attend a Children's Bible Club where they will have the incredible opportunity that our kids take for granted on a daily basis - to learn about the love of Jesus!! This is win win win. I have already signed up to receive our Welcome Kit and am thinking about what kinds of things we can do between now and then to prepare in prayer and otherwise. Every time I look at the site I find myself in tears (it's not hormones). God has placed this tenderness in our hearts for His little ones, those that know Him and those that need to know Him - especially those that NEED HIM!! We are to be His hands and feet and we can use our mouses and loose change to do it!!

Passport Trailer 1280 from Josh Visser on Vimeo.

I am going to find some wonderful jar, bottle, box (here I go with containers again??) and make sure it is ready in time to begin October 5th. Pray about this and consider joining us......we all have spare/loose change and it really could change lives!!

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son andof the Holy Spirit,

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28: 19-20

I will be sharing more as we go along this adventure- I really hope you will consider joining us in blessing these precious little ones!!

Prayer Box Sunday

2010-09-19T15:17:00.004-05:00

Another Sunday.....another prayer box post. If you want to know more read about what it is and how you can participate here. This Sunday we have a mixed bag or in this case box of prayers. Our family prayer focus for the week ahead is for The Principal's job - a blessing that in this day and time and economy we do not take for granted!! We are conscious to thank God and ask for continued favor in the marketplace on a continuing basis, our prayer focus this week will cause us to delve in to details and dig a little deeper into our prayers.

Speaking of The Principal, his prayer focus this week may be a bit of a challenge for him, but he will rise to the challenge of that I have no doubt and be found faithful in what he has been tasked to do - he will be praying for the family of my former husband (WonderBoy's dad)....God has such a great sense of humor doesn't He?? ;-)
WonderBoy is praying for me this week - some of you who know me may be shocked and surprised to know that I have struggled with self worth over the years (keep the laughter down to a dull roar girls - you know who you are). WonderBoy has pulled the slipped that says 'Mom's Self Worth' so that is his prayer mission for the week - big project for a young man - I have faith his prayers will be a huge blessing to me!!
And last but not least, me - mom.....my prayers this week again focus on people we know - I am seeing this pattern weekly lately. I will be praying for my dear sweet wonderful sister friend Jess and her family in Virginia. This will be a pleasure and an honor for me. It may even get her to participate in this little adventure with me.....pressure huh friend? ;-)
Well that wraps it up for the week. Our devotional/bible study Character Building for Families continues to be a time we are looking forward to several times a week. We have completed the unit on Obedience (waiting for the harvest on that seed!!!) and have just today begun Orderliness - this one is going to be great - I am really looking forward to digging in deep on this topic.
Before I run I wanted to take a minute to share a post I read last night from a sweet sweet woman I had the good fortune of meeting at the CHEF (Christian Home Educators Fellowship) Conference in May of this year. Marsha's post about the not so often talked about side of parenting opens up a topic I have been thinking about lately and was considering delving into a little here...I'm curious to see if there might be an interest in opening up some dialogue...let me know if the comments section - oh and while you are on her blog, be sure to check out some of her wonderful recipes. I have tried several all with great results!! Thanks Marsha for being transparent and a good cook!!
Alrighty, I guess that about wraps it up for me today. Go and pray with your family and come back and link up with us and tell us all about what God is doing!!
Yay God!!

Bacon Onion Cheese Bread - Oh My!

2010-09-15T07:39:00.003-05:00

I recently discovered a new site with an absolute mother load of amazing recipes- enough to make your head swim and just in time for fall baking ! Woo Hoo!! Mennonite Girls Can Cook is loaded with beautiful pictures and a fantastic selection of wonderful recipes. I have tried a few recipes and all have been top notch! This particular one was a last minute addition to dinner last night because it just needed more than what I had planned - one bite and WonderBoy declared it a keeper ;-)
This is the Onion Cheese Supper Bread recipe I started with.....here is what I actually did

Bacon Onion Cheese Round

Ingredients

2 cups flour (1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 unbleached natural white)
1 TBS baking powder
3/4 tsp salt (garlic salt)
1/4 cup mayo ( light)
3/4 milk (1/2 of this was buttermilk)
1 egg
2 TBS melted butter
1 small - medium onion sliced thinly
splash of olive oil
1 cup shredded cheddar
5 slices cooked turkey bacon
1 sprig fresh rosemary finely chopped

Directions

Cook onion with a little olive oil in your favorite skillet.
Mix dry ingredients together and add milk(s) egg and mayo.
Mix in cheese and bacon.
Place dough in a well greased 9" round pan spread out to even level with back of spoon.
Top with sauteed onion, rosemary and a sprinkle or two of seasoning - I used a little "Johnny's Garlic Spread" - go with your mood and what's on hand and by all means feel free to add more cheese on top as well ;-)

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until brown and wonderful around the edges.

This lends itself wells to what's on hand and can easily be played around with to compliment whatever you are serving it with - think olives, thinly sliced tomatoes, parmesan cheese and a pasta dish , or go rustic and think soups and stews - easy peasy and oh so good !!

The Love of Words.....Gratituesday

2010-09-14T08:11:00.007-05:00

It's Tuesday and that means it's time to get your mind moving in grateful mode and look around and see all your blessings - choose one today and join us at Heavenly Homemakers to share what others are grateful for.
I love words, written, spoken, sung, you name it. I always have. Some of my earliest memories are of writing poetry for my Grandmother. As a child I had pen pals - fellow Bay City Roller fans (if you are still out there - email me and we can reminisce!!) and others ;-)
My Grandparents were 'Snow Birds' they flew the coop of the Canadian north every fall and spent the cold Ontario months in Florida. I wrote, they wrote. The letters from those days are among some of my most cherished possessions.
In college I made friendships with people from other areas and during summer breaks we would write letters and keep in touch - this was before email of course - college kids don't do that now I would venture to guess. These 'mail relationships' continued in some cases for many many years - it was over 20 years ago now my college days......sigh.....
Well in recent years sadly, there has not been much letter writing. That was until about a year and a half ago when I was trying to come up with ways to get my 'reluctant writer' writing. Every kids loves mail and so I set myself about the task of finding WonderBoy some pen pals. It worked beautifully - in fact he is always on the look out for more - he has even adopted one of mine!! But I am getting ahead of myself a little......in the process of getting him up and running in his new hobby I reflected on how much letter writing had always been a part of my life and how I missed it. I decided to try and find some kindred souls and ignite the love of letter writing in my life again.
I am so grateful I did. I have about an handful of faithful and wonderful letter writing friends who have brought so much joy to my life in the past year or so! There is Cathy in Illinois - WonderBoy has adopted her as 'Grandma' even though she is just a 'Spring Chicken' ;-), Lynne in Maine is a sweet and dear kindred spirit, Rebekah in Wisconsin is a lovely young lady who makes me smile, Kathy in Tennessee has taught me much about soap making and goat raising. The friendships that have grown between letters is a blessing beyond mere 'words'. A phone call last week from one of these dear ladies lifted my spirits for days when they were low and that was the purpose of the call ;-) We exchange laughter, recipes, tips and funny stories, books, tea bags, photos, bookmarks, crafts, ideas, instructions, encouragement but most of all love - for that I am so very very grateful.
Want to know more about finding a pen pal - let me know.....it is a lost art that the world would be well served to revive!!

Homeschool Housekeeping

2010-09-13T07:06:00.004-05:00

2 posts in one day??!! I know, but this will be quick and only because I love y'all so much and I hate for you to miss out on anything free or wonderful!! Don't forget to stop by Heavenly Homemakers today and browse the list of curriculum being given away - all you have to do is email the person giving it away, get your name in the hat for their drawing and be willing to pay shipping - pretty easy! I have been over there myself this morning and there is certainly lots to see! I even have a few books on the list - sharing the love - it is a great idea I think ;-)The other thing I wanted to let you know about is this great freebie that came to me and I want to pass along to share with you. An Amphibians Unit Study - available as a download - PDF and also an Adobe Flash interactive version -choose one or both! I have no idea how long this will be available - so go now and enjoy later ;-) Ok that about does it for my housekeeping. I pray for a blessed and wonderful week in all your homeschools :-)

Fwonderful Flowers

2010-09-13T06:00:00.004-05:00

I have been feeling the crafting urge pretty strongly and repeatedly in recent weeks - there is only one cure for that in my experience - make something !! I have had a fabric fascination for many years, fabric makes me happy and what would make me even happier is to find something fabulous to make with it. One small problem rears it's ugly head time and time again......alas, my skills are limited. I so want to learn and make gorgeous, adorable aprons like I one I posted earlier this week, I want to quilt and embroider and be magnificently skilled at all things fabric related. I have the desire and willingness to learn, in fact even at the time of this writing the complete collection of Homestead Blessings with The West Ladies are making their way to me - I cannot begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to receiving and watching these DVD's. I will post more about them as I view them - I already know they will be wonderful!! Included in the set The Principal purchased for me are two sewing related DVDs, The Art of Quilting and The Art of Sewing. I need the help but in the mean time I have gotten started a little on my own......I made these fwonderful, happy, fabric flowers ;-) The Principal keeps asking what I am going to do with them. Well for now, take a few pictures and just look at them because they make me happy. Once I get my looking fix in I will have a decision to make - here are some of my thoughts - make a recycled denim pillow fabulous , cutie pie an apron, adorn a shopping or tote bag or maybe use them as a little happiness on a plain brown paper gift bag. What do you think? I would love your to hear what comes to your creative minds......

Prayer Box Sunday - Obedience

2010-09-12T12:34:00.004-05:00

If this is your first Prayer Box Sunday - welcome ;-) I hope you will be encouraged to make time to pray and grow together as a family as I share each Sunday what God is doing in our lives through our family's devotions and our Prayer Box Sunday time together. If you would like to participate and link up with us on Sundays to sharing what your family is doing you can read about the plan here.

We are currently working our way through a devotional/study called Character Building for Families . The first character in the study is obedience - wow what an opener! We have been doing this three times a week for several weeks now and it has been great! If you are looking for a good family study/devotional , I recommend this. We have been reading this week from 1 Samuel 15 about King Saul and how he partially obeyed God, because King Saul chose to obey the way he wanted to rather than exactly as God instructed he lost his kingdom. God values our obedience above sacrifice 1 Samuel 15:22b reads; to obey is better than to sacrifice. God wants our obedience - bottom line, no questions asked. I have mentioned previously that we are focusing on character training/building in our family on a greater level than we have in the past. As parents, it is our calling to make sure our children know right from wrong and that we lead them and guide them to be and do what pleases God. Through family time spent studying what God requires and why, we break down the barriers that the world places between us and God to destroy the relationship that God desires to have with us. Ultimately what God desires most is to be in relationship with us. If we are not obedient to His ways and laws for our lives we cannot ever have the kind of fellowship that will bring wisdom and blessing to our families. The enemy works hard to lure our focus away from God and ensnare us with worldly wants...if we can teach our children to listen to the Holy Spirit and allow him to guide them the enemy's stronghold is destroyed - PTL!

Several times this week I have heard myself reciting the same thing "son, if you will learn to be obedient in the small things, it will become much easier to be obedient in the bigger things" Stewardship is everywhere!

The other side of this obedience coin is that as parents we must be obedient to God in our actions, words and deeds if we ever hope to see the fruit in the lives of our children. I won't bore you with the conviction I have undergone as I strive to give WonderBoy a foundation in this area - there is much for us all to learn ;-) Our Pastor's wife has an expression about obedience that I loved the first time I heard it and have used many many many times since- Obey right away, all the way and in a cheerful way. Pretty simple but this is truly what God wants from all of us.

Our Prayer Box this week held the following prayers for the week ahead. As a family, we are praying that God will help us to be obedient to live in His will for our lives !! I love how He always finds a way to let us know there are no accidents ;-) The Principal is praying for our desire for a home based business, something that we are hopeful to begin when we move and establish over the years between now and his official retirement in about 7 years time. WonderBoy is praying for our family time, this is something that needs to be continually nurtured and covered in prayer lest it be taken for granted or forbid- fall to the wayside. My prayers this week will be for my Aunt Jean in Toronto. I have so many wonderful memories of time spent with Jean growing up, it is an honor to lift her in prayer this week - love you Auntie Jean ;-)

Just by way of clarifying should you be wondering and especially if you are doing this with your own family - we put all our prayers back in the box each week. We feel that if a prayer is drawn again this is because the Lord desires us to pray further in this area so in those circumstances we add those repeated prayers to the new ones for the week. This week for example, The Principal again selected the slip of paper to pray for my writing, so he will, along with praying for our home based business desires. When WonderBoy was selecting our family prayer he drew generational curses and family mission opportunities both of which we have had previously so these will be added to our prayers of seeking God's help to be obedient to His will for our lives.

It really is wonderful how these simple steps are weaving our hearts together as a family who is drawing closer to God and celebrating His many blessings in our lives!

If you would like to share what you are doing in your family, please link up below. As always, have a wonderful and blessing filled week, Prayer Box Sunday is only 7 days away - get ready this week and join us next Sunday won't you?

And The Winner Is.......

2010-09-11T09:48:00.007-05:00

GINA!!!

Lucky number 7 was chosen by Random.org

This first giveaway has been so much fun, I can assure you this will be the first of many giveaways ;-)

Gina please email me at: hisgracealone at bellsouth dot net and let me know where to send the soap!!

Training Him Up.......

2010-09-10T08:15:00.014-05:00

God gives them to us and commands us to raise them for Him. A daunting task, some days even a desperate one that I often feel ill equipped to complete on any level much less with any measure of success. I have pleaded out loud and only half jokingly on more than one occasion "why didn't he come with some kind of instruction manual ?" Truth is he did - we all did, unfortunately, my concordance does not have sass or back talk in it, does yours ? Those ready answers in the moment are the hard part.
WonderBoy came plowing down the stairs like a herd of small elephants early this morning with a dazed look and tear filled eyes, didn't take an award winning Mom to figure out there was a problem. A bad dream. So I tucked him happily on the love seat across the room from me with the favorite soft and cozy teddy bear blanket and went back to what I had been reading. It never ceases to amaze me how incredibly sweet, innocent and borderline angelic they look when asleep.... He slept sweetly for about an hour when he woke again, bad dream long forgotten, at this point it was time to start the day. One of the things that I love best about homeschooling in the flexibility it affords us each day. If there is a sinus headache or friend in need we are able to work around these things - it is such an amazing blessing, especially after being a single mom with zero options of flexibility for several years I appreciate it so deeply!
This year we are focusing more on training and character building than we have in the past. The academics are as important as ever, but truthfully I feel for our family right now at the season in which we find ourselves character building is what Father God is calling us to. So how does a parent go about building the character of an often less than co-operative 9 yr. old into something that brings honor and glory to our Heavenly Father ? Well honestly, I haven't got the foggiest! After all, I'm still working on many many aspects of my own faulty character!!
This is of course where listening and observing come into play - God gave us 2 ears and 2 eyes versus 1 mouth for a reason.....see I am learning a little here and there ;-) So I have been instructing and then stepping back and waiting to see the fruit of my labors. Fruit is an interesting thing, at times it arrives ripe and juicy right in season and at other times it shows up when you expect it but has a rank odor that tells you that something is not quite right. Then there is the fruit that arrives unexpectedly, out of season but is fresh and lovely and a true surprise and delight............
After many efforts to teach sorting and other associated laundry tasks, one day a laundry helper arrived unannounced in my laundry room, with an eager and willing heart to serve. He has continued to return now on a weekly basis. I don't have to tell you how wonderful this is !! We have verbally praised all his efforts and encouraged further participation. You've heard the expression "strike while the iron is hot"? Well that is just what I intend to do.....have I ever mentioned that I do not like to iron......to me unless you happen to have some wonderful room sized closet, ironing is a waste of time in advance because everything just ends up all creased again in the closet (ask me how I know this - I once thought it best to get it all over with at one time - wrong!)....So ironing is next on the list and PTL there is an interest already surfacing!!! God really does know the desires of our hearts ;-) After that, well the possibilities are endless but I do have a few ideas.......see the soap on the top of the tank....it says "Blessed" and let me tell you....I will be when someone else is cleaning this ;-) The brush is conveniently located and everything - this will ensure a daughter in law who doesn't have me put in a home down the road wouldn't you think?

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Isn't this part of the instructions after all? ;-)

Quick item of housekeeping - midnight tonight is the deadline for entries on my very first super fabulous wonderful minty root hugger soap giveaway....scroll down and leave a comment or become a follower of my blog either or both will get you an entry - I will post the winner tomorrow!!

The Great Curriculum Swap !

2010-09-09T07:33:00.005-05:00

Homeschool Friends,-I have to share something wonderful with you today! Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers is hosting a remarkable event this coming Monday, September 13th that I think is such an inspired idea! For all the details of how to get involved read Laura's post about The Great Curriculum Swap and join the fun. I have a box of books that I am no longer using and love the idea of contributing to another homeschool home for the primary purpose of being a blessing. It occurs to me that even if you are not a homeschooling household that there are likely some 'good and worthy' books in your home that would allow you to participate and share the love! So what are you waiting for...go ahead and get on over there!!! The deadline to get your books on 'the list' is tomorrow (sorry for the short notice). Monday is 'shopping day' so get your wish list ready and visit Laura on Monday Septemeber 13th.

Random Dozen

2010-09-08T07:49:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since I have participated in Linda's Random Dozen at 2nd Cup of Coffee. These are always so much fun .........

1. Describe the best sandwich in the world according to you. It would be on thick fresh Italian bread with a generous slathering of peanut butter, creamy of course and medium to thin crisp sliced English cucumber!! YUM-O

2. Which inspire you more: a good conversation, a song, a book or a movie? Nothing beats a good conversation but a book can run a close 2nd many times - Beth Moore comes to mind - like conversation in book form!!

3. What is your favorite board game? Oh...this is a tough one for me - it is a mood thing - I LOVE trivia, especially music (70's) trivia, Trivial Pursuit is on the top of my list for that reason, but I also love Scrabble and Cranium - again depends on my mood ;-) Anything that gets my thinker thinking!

4. As you grow older, are you more or less patient with small children? This one might best be answered as the last one was- mood plays a big part in this one - that and how much my not so small child has been behaving on any given day!

5. Name one item you never let yourself run out of? COFFEE .......and toilet paper is important but coffee gets the #1 spot ......sad perhaps but true.

6. Do you agree with Tennyson's assertion, "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all'? Absolutely - cannot imagine living and never having loved - that is so much a part of who we are - there are many kinds of love to consider here too.....hmmm

7. Name one national treasure or monument that you have visited. Because I grew up in Toronto, I visited Niagara Falls many times - the Canadian side really is much nicer y'all, but doesn't hold a candle to The Grand Canyon - breathtaking!! I would really love to see Mount Rushmore and visit Yellowstone Park just FYI.

8. What is more painful, to be disappointed in someone else, or to be disappointed in yourself? For me it has to be to be disappointed in myself and what's even harder than that is disappointing someone I love.

9. What makes your kitchen uniquely yours? The love notes inside my cupboards ;-)

10. Are you a crafty person? I try to be - at some times more successfully than at other times.

11. What if your favorite traditional picnic or bbq(cookout) food? Ribs and potato salad (with dill pickle, English peas and bacon)

12. Name one leisure activity you enjoyed over Labor Day Weekend? Letterboxing after many months ....Who-rah ;-)

Every Day is Labor Day

2010-09-07T17:09:00.008-05:00

It's Tuesday and let me share what I am grateful for.......take a minute to visit Laura at Heavenly Homemakers and see what others are sharing today as well ;-)

Happy Labor Day to me ;-) We spent Labor Day letterboxing and adventuring and just generally poking around in the hills of Tennessee. It was to my great delight that we ended up in Etheridge, TN where there is a relatively large Amish community. I love all things Amish, of course I love electricity and being able to express myself a little too much to ever be Amish, but I have what some might consider an odd fascination with the people and their customs and ways. Needless to say I was giddy when we saw buggy after buggy making their way along the road - neat stuff - for me it really is all about the little things......anyway.....I am pretty sure that the Amish do not take a day to observe and rest from their labors other than of course Sunday which is not a special occasion thing but a weekly observance we would all do well to think about more often (see what I mean about expressing myself?). We stopped at a place to get some goodies and I found something that made me want to spend money - very few things have the ability to do this........I beckoned The Principal to come and see what I found......and he smiled and said "It's yours" what could be more fitting on Labor Day I ask you?? I for one see nothing wrong with looking cutie pie while laboring - well I may not be able to pull that off entirely at my advanced age and weight BUT every little bit helps right?? I did take a few pictures actually wearing the apron with the help of my staff , however in the interest of the cutie pie illusion - this one made the final cut.

Prayer Box Sunday

2010-09-05T14:23:00.004-05:00

Are you ready for another episode of Prayer Box Sunday Adventures? We had a sweet time of prayer and devotion this morning on our patio after breakfast, the weather here in North Alabama has been absolutely spectacular this weekend. Yay God!!
I am still hearing rumors of others who will be joining me here and linking up to share what the Lord is doing in their families. If you are new to Prayer Box Sunday - click here to find out how to get your household involved.
This past week our family prayer was for Jeison, the 9 yr. old boy that we sponsor through Compassion International in Columbia. This past Friday, as if in answer to our prayers we received a letter from Jeison - we are always so delighted and blessed to get a letter from Columbia! ;-) Our family prayer this week focuses on our own family - more specifically our desire to live a simple life. We will seek the Lord's guidance this week as a family and give ear to His leading in this area for our lives.
The Principal has a weighty prayer focus this week.....parenting - wow - a week is not enough - this is a daily cry to the Father for me ....if only they came with manuals! Speaking of.....WonderBoy is praying for friends currently living in Vietnam in the week ahead. Last and certainly not least, I have the honor to be praying for The Poplar Family, treasured friends that we do not see enough of - unless you count running into Melvin at WalMart or Sam's Club on his lunch break!! ;-) I really could use some Toya time - hint hint nudge nudge.....I'm just sayin' ;-)
Life is good we are blessed and I for one am so grateful to live in a country where I can freely and openly share the Love of my Lord & Savior with those around me without fear of persecution -
Thank You Father for the freedom to worship and pray and post blogs about You and how You are moving and teaching and guiding us along this path called Life.
May God's abundant blessings surround you and yours this week ;-)

A New Look & A Giveaway !!

2010-09-04T10:36:00.012-05:00

Can you believe how much fun my blog is now??!! Lisa at My {Trendy} Blogs did such a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious job!!!! One friend suggested sound effects - a moo moo here and a cock-a-doodle doo there - ok that might be a little over the top - but I may consider it for special occasions or something......

So.....Welcome to my fabulous new - my heart is in the country blog!! This makeover marks a change in more ways than one.....you will notice a bigger bent towards all things country from this point forward. We are getting ready to make our move, honing our skills and giving ourselves over to the country dream. I will be posting more about homemaking skills, frugal and simple living and going a little deeper in my walk with God than I have in the past.....I hope you will hang around and join me!! And please by all means - suggestions and ideas about what you would like to see are most welcomed!!

It is an absolutely gorgeous day in North Alabama.....71 F currently - I just shut the a/c off and threw open every window in the house - there is a beautiful breeze and I have laundry drying on the patio - life is good!

In my last post I mentioned that I was going to be doing a giveaway......I have been so blessed by Lisa's generosity that I have decided it would be only fitting on my first post with my 'new look' to do a giveaway of my own - a 'pay it forward' gesture in a manner of speaking. To stick with the theme of all things homemade, country, simple and down right wonderful let me share something with you that The Principal, WonderBoy and I have been dabbling in over the past 6 or so months....
Here The Principal prepares the brew......any guesses?

OK...here's a clue....mint tea - brewed from fresh spearmint in our garden.........think you know? A peek in the pot will surely solve the mystery........
mint tea pudding......not quite......
ah ha!! Soap!! Mint Tea Soap to be exact.......cold pressed and made with love and all kinds of giggles along the way! It reaches it's 'cured date' tomorrow and I would love to share some with you to try ;-)So from now until midnight, Friday, September 10th if you become a follower or leave a comment I will put an entry in on your behalf and a week from today I will post the name of the winner selected with the aid of random.org of a bar our latest brew!!

Ladies & Gentlemen......

2010-09-01T23:36:00.002-05:00

Please stand by as this blog undergoes the final prepartions for the next act.....get ready......the change is coming.......and a giveaway too !!! Stick around this is going to be big fun!

Learning as I go,
Leisha

Quiet Time, Coffee & Butter Churns

2010-08-30T09:25:00.004-05:00

WonderBoy may very well be the King of Random.....allow me to elaborate. This morning while I was 'trying' to have my quiet time, after interruption 16.5 I asked WonderBoy if he would mind filling up my coffee. He sweetly brought the pot into the study where I was sitting and as he was pouring me a fresh cup said "Hey Mom, would you like a butter churn for your birthday"?

Learning as I go,
Leisha

Prayer Box Sunday

2010-08-29T12:27:00.004-05:00

Sunday, specifically our Prayer Box/Devotional time is quickly becoming a much anticipated and treasured time for our family. I can feel God weaving our hearts to Him and each other and it just blesses my socks off!! Really - I am honestly barefoot! If you are new here and would like to know about Prayer Box Sunday pop over here and get caught up.
We are really digging in to our current Family Devotional, Character Building for Families and have been enjoying digging deeper into God's word together each week. Three days seems to be a good schedule and is working well - if anything more would be better than less.
This week's prayers are focusing on WonderBoy more than anything else - I love how God orchestrates a theme of sorts each week! The Principal and I are both praying for WonderBoy. My prayer is for his future wife! Do you pray for your future sons/daughters in law? I have done this for years - after all she will be the woman who captures his heart and raises my grandchildren - she will be the woman to whom I hand over the baton in a sense ....and truthfully - I KNOW she will need my prayers!! Better to start now right? ;-) In all seriousness, I feel very strongly about this kind of prayer. God hears prayers from a mother's heart for her family and they can change future generations!! This is one of those prayers in the box that is a given in my opinion but at the same time a good reminder of how we can bless our family by paving the way for them in prayer.
The Principal has a rather fitting prayer task this week. A little background is necessary here. For those that do not know me and my family personally - we are a family brought together by God - The Principal became WonderBoy's Dad when we married 5 years ago. WonderBoy still maintains a relationship with his 'Daddy' however it has it's share of challenges and struggles for him. SO.....this week the Principal is praying for healing in the relationship that WonderBoy has with his 'Daddy' - how cool is that? One Dad blessing the other in prayer!!
WonderBoy is praying for a dear family who moved away from the area several years ago that we used to attend church with, The Beasley Family. Sending love and prayers to Kentucky this week for The Beasleys ;-)
Our family prayer this week is one close to my mother's heart. We are praying for Jeison. Jeison became a member of our family several years ago now when we began sponsoring him through Compassion International. Jeison is just 2 months younger than WonderBoy and lives in Columbia. We have been delighted by the relationship that has grown with him over the years. If you have ever considered sponsorship through Compassion or any other organization, let me encourage you to move forward with it, what a wonderful way to grow a heart for the nations in your own children, by reaching out and loving others around the world!!
Again this week you will find Mr. Linky available for you to link up your post if you feel so inclined. I have heard from a few of you that you are getting ready to join in - I will be so thrilled to have you share your Prayer Box adventures with us whenever you are ready.
Have a wonderful week......see you next Sunday!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Things Around Here Are Gonna Change!!!

2010-08-25T18:49:00.005-05:00

.........And I am more excited than I can begin to tell you!! I have WON a blog make-over from Lisa at My Trendy Blogs!! I never win anything - I am thrilled!! I couldn't believe it when I saw my name in big bold letters on her blog ;-) SO....out with the old and in with the new - always good to have new scenery once in a while. Timing couldn't be better either - I have been fiddling here and there around here and hoping to try and figure a few things out - now here comes Lisa to the rescue !! In fact this winning thing is so much fun I may have to look into a way to pay it forward......hmmm........stay tuned!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Prayer Box Sunday

2010-08-22T11:12:00.009-05:00

Well - I feel a little like Mary Tyler Moore......you remember she used to have these parties and they ended up being duds? My great anticipation for a wonderful outpouring of Prayer Box participants was....well, let's just say ended quite sadly. Alas, I will not be discouraged, this is not about how many people connect to the post or even how many choose to participate, rather sharing what God is doing in this time together each Sunday in the hopes of being a blessing and encouragement to just one. SO in the spirit of sharing and encouraging I will press on.....I will continue to post the Mr. Linky each week just in case someone does want to share their post and also because I spent the money to make it available so why wouldn't I do that right? For those of you who are not yet familiar with what Prayer Box Sunday is you can get the details here. Get your Prayer Box ready and join us!!

Today we had a wonderful devotional time as we dug into a new resource that we hope to use a few days a week and will include in our Prayer Box Sunday time as well. If you are looking for a good straight forward tool for Character Training may I suggest Character Building for Families. A dear friend in Maine sent me her copy of Volume 2, a ' pay it forward' act of kindness with the intention of blessing our family the way it had been a tool of blessing to hers. I ordered Volume 1 which is reasonably priced and it came very quickly! This is a great resource which can be used any way you want to use it. It is ideal for families of any size and can be used as a daily homeschool curriculum or as a devotional tool, which is how we plan to use it -as many or as few days per week as you chose to use it. I would love to hear your thoughts or experiences with it if you are familiar with it!

SO......on to what the Prayer Box held for our family this week. We have some great prayers this week and I am really looking forward to what God does with them!! Our family prayer focus this week is directed at me.....we will all be praying for my character (feel free to join us - I welcome these prayers as God helps to mold me into who He has called me to be!!), The Principal is praying for me too as his prayer is to pray for my writing - a deep rooted and long dreamed of desire which coincidentally I just this past week committed to on a level that I have not done in many many years. Are you seeing the pattern here? My character, my writing, all on the Sunday of the week that I made a commitment to myself and my writing. I used to believe in coincidences - I no longer do - God is the Master Weaver, He knows every thread He weaves, He knows where it will go and what it will look like when all the threads are woven together! This will be a tapestry I will look forward to seeing the results of ;-) WonderBoy has a pretty awesome prayer focus for this week and it will hopefully get him thinking outside the 'traditional' prayer request mind set just a little. He is praying for Generational Curses this week. We spent a little bit of time talking about what that meant and how it can manifest in families and individuals. My prayer for the week really blesses my heart, I am praying for our Family Time ;-) I love to have my family together sharing an activity, game or project so this is something that I will roll up my sleeves and jump into gladly!

Please feel free to share what was in your boxes, bags, old lunch boxes or any other prayer holders you may have used. Mr. Linky is here and I would be tickled if you used him!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Prayer Box Sunday

2010-08-15T12:12:00.006-05:00

Welcome!! I am so excited about the journey that lays ahead for each of us and our families as we venture forth with our boxes, bags, jars, hats or whatever else creative genius inspires, filled with prayers that will draw us closer to each other and our Magnificant Creator !!!

So..... let me just jump right in and tell you about our devotion and prayer time. We talked today about 'Jesus Love' the kind of love that loves even when it is hard and not what comes naturally. We talked about how we all know people that we have a hard time being nice to and feeling much love towards and then we talked about how we can show that 'Jesus Love' to them even when it's hard or we just flat out don't want to. The good news here is that the more we purpose to be like Him the more we draw oursleves to Him!! Go ahead and add an extra prayer to your regular prayer time for someone who in the flesh you have been hurt by or for whatever reason just do not like - I dare you! If you will commit to consistently pray for them for a period of time say one month, I would venture to say that you will no longer feel the animosity and disdain for them that you did when you began praying for them - in fact - I would go so far as to say that your heart has been softened to them and that you are loving then with a 'Jesus kind of Love' !!

Our prayers for this week are varied. WonderBoy is praying for my family in Canada, The Principal is praying for Peace & Harmony in Our Home (sorry if you were under the mistaken illusion that we have that at all times - we don't, but we sure love it when we do so praying for more seemed like the logical thing to do), I am praying for Our Public Servants - Military, Police, Paramedics, School Bus Drivers & Crossing Guards and anything else that the Lord brings to mind this week. As a family we have another great one this week!! The Lord seems to really bring those to us to share each week and I love that! We are praying for Our Relationship with Him ;-) Both as a family and individually, isn't that a great Family Prayer?? ;-)

WonderBoy did a wonderful thing this week by reaching out in love to a boy in his Wednesday night class at church who tends to be a bit of a bully to the other kids. This plan was formulated during our time together last Sunday, when we talked about Zacchaeus and how unepected kindness is a wonderful way to share the good news of God's love. WonderBoy chose to walk out an unexpected kindness and he was the one who ended blessed by it. This is the fruit we seek for ourselves and our children - this is the fruit that brings a sweet fragrance and a smile to the face of the One who made us!

I will leave this up for whenever you feel led to participate -please link your post here and share what your Prayer Box had for you and your family today!! We all need to encourage each other in our journeys, you never know when what you have to share may be just what someone needs! God is just like that!! ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Gratituesday

2010-08-10T07:27:00.008-05:00

It's Tuesday - what are you thankful for? Visit Laura at Heavenly Homemakers and see what others are counting their blessings for today.......
It is so easy to get caught up in the yuck and struggle of day to day, far better off are those who can find a smile in the pleasure of the ordinary and simple. I have purposed to become with God's help a seeker of the ordinary splendor in the blessings that surround me each day. This morning while enjoying my quiet time and wonderful rich cup of coffee a flock of Canada Geese - about 30 of them honked their way above the house. We have been in a flight path apparently in the past week or so and they are so wonderful to watch as they just barely clear the roof tops and happily announce themselves. This is the kind of ordinary splendor to which I am intentionally tuning my radar.....and this......

..... sweet unexpected smiles, silliness, a home filled with love and a family who delights in random acts of love and goofiness that put smiles on each other's faces. That is what I am thankful for today - and everyday.

By way of reminder - I hope you are working on having your prayer boxes, bags, jars, hats or whatever you have in mind to use ready to help me launch Prayer Box Sunday this week!! If you have not read my previous post - take a minute before you move on and do so - and then get ready and join us this Sunday! I am excited to see what God will do with this - it was His idea after all so you know it can't help but be wonderful!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Prayer Box Sunday

2010-08-08T13:19:00.007-05:00

Allow me to share something with you that our family has been doing for about a month now. It is my hope that by sharing this I will be able to encourage and inspire you in your walk with God to help build stronger families and memorable family time together.

A little over a month ago The Principal and I were talking about the spiritual climate of our home and our desire to grow our family a little deeper still in our walk with the Lord. During this conversation the Lord downloaded an idea that we have given legs to and been enjoying ever since. A Prayer Box. Here's how it works.....first the whole family spent about an hour or so talking about all the things we feel we need to and would like to pray about. I recorded these prayers on slips of paper and folded them in half and put them in a lovely wooden box that I bought at Hobby Lobby several years ago - use your imagination here - anything that holds slips of paper will work! The plan is to add to the box as inspiration and need dictate.

Every Sunday now, we gather together with our Prayer Box and each of us will draw a slip of paper which will determine our individual prayer focus for the week ahead. Then one of us (usually Wonder Boy) will draw a second slip of paper which will reveal our family prayer focus for the week.

Let me share with you our prayers for the week ahead....The Principal is praying for his co-workers, Wonder Boy is praying for family members in Virginia, I am praying for Our President and our family prayer focus for the week is ministry opportunities (how awesome is that one?!!). So each night we will come together and pray as a family at bedtime and then remember these prayers as well in our individual prayer time. Next Sunday we will meet again to select new prayers for the coming week at which time we will pray our prayers from the week just past as well as the week ahead. This is also a great time to talk about anything else that may have a special need. We also use this as a lead in or wrap up to a family devotion which typically ends up being a great time to talk and share and plant seed with Wonder Boy.

Today as we were praying I was thinking how special this time was and how wonderful it would be if I could share it with others so in that spirit, I would like to invite you to join us. This has quickly become a favored and anticipated time for our family each week. I would love to know that others are also coming together and sharing this wonderful family and faith building time.

Between now and next Sunday, get your box, jar, bag or any other paper slip holder and your slips of paper ready and I will, in the mean time figure out the whole how to add the linky thingy to a post (feel free to email me with help if you know how) and we can share and encourage each other - sound like a plan?? Great! See you then - it's a date!! Please feel free to invite anyone you think would be interested to participate - let's link arms (posts) and encourage and inspire each other to build our family in faith for Kingdom Purpose!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Not For The Faint of Heart...

2010-08-01T13:23:00.010-05:00

Chocolate Gravy!! Oh My!! I have lived for 45 years and never had or heard of Chocolate Gravy.....until yesterday. I don't considered myself to have led a very sheltered life in any way shape or form, but apparently my chocolate education was lacking - was being the operative word - I feel that it is now complete.

We had a lovely breakfast today of biscuits and gravy..... Chocolate Gravy - Oh My!! I cannot possibly keep this gem to myself - I know that there have to be others out there living in Chocolate Gravy Oblivion as I was - be free!!! Get your biscuits in the oven right this minute and a pot of the stove - do not wait, the time of day does not matter. Do it!! Really!! You will thank me........

Chocolate Gravy.....Oh My!!

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar (I will use a little less next time)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional - I used it)

1/4 tsp cayenne (optional - did not use)

2 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBLS butter

Directions

Mix sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon & cayenne if using together in a sauce pan. Add milk and whisk over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and butter and serve immediately over biscuits, croissants, waffles, thick sliced french toast - the possibilities are wonderful ;-)

Top with chopped pecans, hazelnuts, cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar or anything else that floats your boat.

Oh and by the way, although we did not have any, it was unanimous that strawberries would be a very nice side nibble.

This is destined to be on the 'special breakfast' menu - Birthdays, Valentine's Day, Arbor Day - you get the idea ;-)

Bon Appetit!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

School Starts Monday - 4th Grade Line Up

2010-07-16T07:42:00.004-05:00

Yes, we are starting early this year. We did this in 2nd grade and it worked out great. I am always interested to see what other families are using, what they like and what works for them, so in that spirit I wanted to share our 4th grade plans.....

Language Arts

We will use Language Arts Through Literature for the first time. This is a complete program with reading, grammar, writing etc. but I do plan to supplement with Spelling Power, which will only take an additional 15 minutes per day and will be so worth it if I turn Wonder Boy into an ace speller!!

Math

Singapore Math 4A & 4B will be out math curriculum this year. We used Singapore for 2nd grade and Wonder Boy and I both loved it. We took an SOS detour for 3rd grade and are going back to what suits us better for 4th grade.

Bible

We will continue on with Bible Study Guide for All Ages. This is a great flexible program that you can work at your own pace and go as deep as you desire. They sell activity books that correspond with the lessons in various levels to make the program work for various ages at the same time. We use this in a modified approach and make it work for us. We will also be doing Charlotte Mason's Scripture Memory System - this is a whole family not just school element.

Character Training

From a Mom perspective I am very much looking forward to the learning and growth of character that will take place as we begin our journey through The Book of Virtues by William Bennett. Netflix offers the video adventures which we will use and I found a great resource for f-r-e-e (f-r-e-e- that spells free - sing along won't you) - a complete unit study with lesson planning done for you.

History

Wonder Boy and I are both pretty pumped about our new history curriculum - The Story of the World, Volume 1 Ancient Times. I wish we had started with this as it looks fantastic and seems to be a great fit for us.....I will report back later ;-)

Geography

This year we will focus a little more specifically on geography as a separate subject than we have in the past where it has been typically tied in with history. Our 2 areas of focus will be individual state studies which we will do by working our way through each state in order of statehood, and then individual countries of interest. This will be a relaxed approach that will be 'delight driven' and will continue throughout our homeschooling journey.

Science

This is probably the one thing we are most excited about this year.....we will be doing Apologia Science for the first time Exploring Creation Zoology 1 Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. Wonder Boy loves science and this particular curriculum has a companion notebooking activity book - big fun!!

Music

Wonder Boy is continuing piano lessons with Miss Jenny. We loved the Folk and Hymn Studies that we did with Ambleside Online and are looking forward to getting that groove going again. We also use a modified version of the Composer Study.

Art

Life is art - or at least it should be and we continually get caught up in the urge to create. We do not have one set resource for Art. We will pull from life and work on various handicrafts and hobbies. We will paint, draw, build, do papercrafts with our Cricut and be inspired where inspiration finds us!!

Nature Study

Our love of nature will continue this year with a subscription to Nature Friend Magazine. The monthly publication comes with a study guide feature that we have opted to try - looks like another fun resource!!

American Sign Language

Wonder Boy has taken an interest in learning to communicate through sign language so while this will not be a structured daily study it is our intention to have a working skill in this area by the end of 4th grade!!

OK - that about wraps it up - I don't expect that we will be bored often and hope that I have put together enough variety and hands on fun to keep Wonder Boy interested, learning and growing into the amazing young man God has called him to be!!

I would love any thoughts or input you may have ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Funnel Cake Mommy Points

2010-07-12T21:20:00.008-05:00

Summer is all about fun and good childhood memories right? Well in the spirit of summer fun and making good childhood memories I earned a little leverage in the eyes of my 9 year old yesterday when the lunch menu was Funnel Cakes & Watermelon. I had never had Funnel Cake growing up, so sadly my memories are vacant in that regard - it may have made it's way to Canada by now, but it was not "fair food" in my day. I was introduced to it many years back after moving to the South in 1994 and several years ago decided to try my hand at making my own......we love it - and personally I think it is better at home than anywhere - but that may be just me ;-)

Give it a try and earn yourself some easy Mommy Points.........

Funnel Cake

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup flour ( I use 1/2 unbleached white and 1/2 fresh ground whole wheat)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt (I use sea salt)

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup milk (buttermilk is good if you have it)

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

oil to fry (I use coconut - yumm)

confectioner's sugar

Directions

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Snip the bottom corner out of a quart size freezer bag and poke cake decorating tip through the hole. Pour batter into bag and seal. Heat oil in cast iron skillet or electric frying pan to 350 degrees. We do ours in a cast iron skillet on the side burner of our grill - this way the house stays smoke free ;-) Pipe batter into pan in squiggly funnel cake style lines and brown 2 minutes per side.

Remove from pan onto paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Dust with confectioners' sugar and enjoy warm.

Odds are pretty good that this will likely earn a few Good Wife Points - it's win win the way I look at it ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Peach of a Treat ;-)

2010-06-09T21:40:00.007-05:00

Peach season is under way here in the sunny south and it never hurts to have one more recipe to help enjoy the season ;-) This recipe calls for canned peaches, but could easily be adapted to the sweet juicy delights that are going to be available in abundance for the next little while - save a little juice and use fresh peaches instead!!

Peaches & Cream Cake

Ingredients

3/4 cup self rising flour *see note*

1 small package instant pudding cheesecake or vanilla (I used cheesecake)

3 TBLS butter softened

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 large (28 oz) can sliced peaches drained, reserving 3 TBLS juice for topping

8 oz package cream cheese room temperature

1/2 cup sugar or splenda

1/4 tsp cinnamon mixed with

1/2 tsp sugar/splenda

Instructions

Mix together first 5 ingredients and spread in lightly greased (deep) pie plate or 8" square casserole pan.

Arrange peaches over batter.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and 3 TBLS peach juice for about 2 minutes until smooth.

Spread cream cheese mixture over peaches leaving a 1 inch border.

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over cream cheese mixture.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven until edges are golden brown.

Cool, refrigerate and chill before serving.

Not too sweet, reminiscent of cheesecake and oh so good!!

Enjoy ;-)

*note* to substitute all purpose flour in any recipe for self rising flour add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt for each cup of flour used.

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Tree in the Trunk

2010-06-09T07:17:00.007-05:00

I don't think I have openly addressed my burning desire to live in the country here in this particular forum. Those of you who know me personally, know that it is a daily part of my existence. We are s-l-o-w-l-y making plans and working to that end. I have 4 books waiting for me at the local public library right now that are going to help educate us about raising chickens and cows - I know it's goofy isn't it? I grew up in a city of 3.5 million people and I want to live with chickens and goats? But can I tell you how it makes me smile.....it makes me feel connected to things I have spent the majority of my life disconnected from and it makes me feel alive.

I get giddy making soap, yogurt, grinding my own flour and preparing wonderful yummy things with it! I love this time of year when I can pop out the back door to the garden and snip some fresh dill and chives to put in my mashed potatoes like I did last night for dinner. It all just makes me happy..... nature, old fashioned traditional cooking, simple pleasures and handcrafted goodies all whisper come, come. I have so much to learn but the amount I have to learn is nothing compared to my desire to learn it - a good starting point wouldn't you say? The list of things I want to tackle grows every time I get a chance to poke around on some of the fabulous blogs out there ;-) I want to make root beer, ginger beer and rose petal jelly and a gorgeous patchwork quilt out of Wonder Boy's old blue jeans (which by the way I have been saving for years now for just that reason), I want to cross stitch and crochet and make potpourri, I want to raise chickens and hang laundry out in the breeze (grounds for disciplinary action in our sub-division) and that is just scratching the surface......

For now our weekend farm hunting, country exploring drives will have to sustain me and for now they do, old barns and happy grazing cows and a beautiful old mailbox covered in a multitude of buttons of every size, shape and color and this........I really don't think it gets a whole lot better than this!! If you happen to have an old jalopy that needs a home, maybe we can talk after the move........

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Coon Dog Adventures

2010-05-26T07:39:00.010-05:00

Our letterboxing adventures have landed us in many places that we would never have discovered or explored otherwise. One such place we visited almost a year ago now was the one of a kind Key Underwood Coon Dog Cemetery located near Tuscumbia, AL. We stopped here on our way to Ivy Green where another letterbox and adventure waited, but that is a post for another day.

Growing up in Toronto, I knew very little, it would even be fair to say nothing of coon dogs. When I saw an inconspicuous sign - you know the standard non-descript green and white marker type signs, on the highway on our way home from a previous trip, my curiosity was piqued. I did a little research and when I found out there was a letterbox there, I knew it was only a matter of time before we would make a visit there.Coon Dog Cemetery grew out of one man's love for his faithful coon dog named Troop. It is truly a unique place with a wonderful story that is rich in area history. While we were there we met a couple with a miniature poodle visiting the area from California (no coon dog cemeteries there either).

Recently we stumbled upon a movie about coon dogs and given our adventure last year were anxious to see it. Where the Red Fern Grows is based on a book by Wilson Rawls. We discovered the movie first and it was fantastic ! You can get it through Netflix. This is one of those great movies that has it all - values, morals and character all tied into a great story line that is tender and inspiring - watch this one with your kids !! Or better yet, read the book aloud then enjoy the movie with a big bowl of hand-cranked popcorn curled up together for family movie night.

You know, for us homeschoolers, this might just be a great summer break unit study - just a suggestion ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

What the Teacher Learned.....

2010-05-21T07:27:00.009-05:00

Last weekend I attended a conference with a sweet friend from church. We are about to begin our 5th year of homeschooling and this is my first conference, but is should come as no surprise that the timing was exquisite!

I have talked with moms who have gotten wonderful unit study plans and ideas, been inspired by new teaching methods and come home with a trunk load of great deals on new curriculum. I did not have my mind directed to any one path and was anticipating that God would meet me there at my greatest point of need - which of course He was clearer on than I was ;-) Well, I was not at all disappointed! I did come home with a few books - none of them curriculum mind you. I came home refreshed by the wonderful fellowship that we enjoyed and feeling that I had made some new "mom" friends - can never have too many of those. I came home tired and a little weary - sleeping on a camp bunk bed was not restful in any way shape or form. The thing that I came home with that took up no space in the car and cost nothing but that I believe will transform our homeschool experience from this day forward was completely unexpected but was of course what I needed more than anything and didn't realize it - FREEDOM!! A big beautiful, customized just for us, tied up with a gorgeous bow, dose of FREEDOM!!

Now let me tell you a little about me and my homeschooling methods, I am by nature, a rule follower - always have been. If a worksheet has 30 math problems we should complete all 30 regardless of how easy/hard they are, and we are not done or ready to move on to anything else until all 30 are done. Cross those T's and dot those I's - I am all about do it right and do it well!!

My paradigm got an extra large and less than gentle shift and oh my - Wonderboy could not be happier ;-) When I left to attend the conference we had about enough work to fill a week left to complete, when I arrived home Saturday night I announced that 3rd Grade was officially done, much to the delight of all involved parties.

Let me share with you the simple truths that brought me to this glorious place called Freedom. The beauty of this is in it's simplicity. Light drives out darkness. What matters most to us as parents who are raising our children for God is who they are not what they know right? Success in our eyes as Christians does not look the same as it does to the rest of the world. Sure, I would love for Wonderboy to excel at his chosen path and earn a good income, have a good life and not live in want, but more than that, I want him to be a man of godly character and wisdom, a man of heart who reflects Jesus in all he says and does - this is not any measure of success in the world in which we live. In the United States today, we educate based on a system that was/is designed to provide an abundant, compliant workforce that would bolster the economy and keep the machine operating at maximum capacity. We are not producing thinkers, we are telling our kids what to think. For more on this - and there is more, I would challenge you to read Dumbing us Down: The Hidden Curriculm of Compulsory Education by John Taylor Gatto.

Andrew Pudewa was one of the keynote speakers at the Annual CHEF State Conference. I found him to be an engaging and inspiring speaker with an ability to cut away all the excess and get right to the meat of things. A homeschooling dad of seven, he is well equipped to share from many places within the homeschool journey and provide living examples of what he was 'ministering' to the audience. I always trust someone who has walked it out and can sight real examples over the long haul -several of his children are now grown and functioning adults. One of the things that he talked about that hit me smack up the side of the head was that if we are having character issues with our kids that we should deal with these before any academic training takes place. He spoke of one of his children that was struggling in various areas and how they chose to put all academics on hold while they focused completely on getting the areas of character where they needed to be. The result he says is a child who is self motivated and has a God given desire to learn because they want to learn not because they have to. This was a remarkable idea to me!

The idea is this - pray for your child and seek God's will for their life, allow Him to birth and direct their passions and be obedient to encourage and facilitate them. By allowing our children to pursue what they love we equip them with a love of learning that will last a lifetime and extends far beyond what is considered to be 'school'. This was huge freedom to me - and yes we will still do bible, math, science, language arts, history and geography BUT we will do it with passion and pleasure and not the 'have to' mentality which robs all joy from the journey.

Somewhere recently I heard/read that as we seek God and home educate our children that we walk completely in the center of His will. I want to be there and lead by example that this will be the way of life without question for the generations that follow.

Wonderboy is a complex and wonderful child, God has privileged me beyond words by trusting me with his care and upbringing. I so want to bring a smile to His face and be told "well done, good and faithful servant" when I answer to Him for our homeschool years. Seeking Him and allowing Him to guide our steps is the key to it all and although that is not new, the perspective is - Freedom Academy is now open with an enrollment of one.

That Saturday night when I returned from the conference, I told Wonderboy I had one last assignment for him to complete 3rd Grade - a list of things that he would like to learn about in 4th Grade. He sat a moment and launched into a list which I told him he would have to write down (you understand - it's an age thing ) the list included - Lewis & Clark, Sacajawea, The Titanic, China, The Salem Witch Trials, Slavery, Klu Klux Klan and several more that escape me at the moment.

I am so looking forward to 4th Grade - I certainly have plenty to learn!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Random Dozen

2010-05-18T09:36:00.015-05:00

In keeping with my desire to get back in my blogging groove and re-connect with the community of bloggers that I have missed, I thought it would be fun to participate in Random Dozen hosted by Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee. So without any further adieu here is this week's Random Dozen......

1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart, "go-to" meal to fix in a pinch?

The first thing that comes to mind is spaghetti, however that is not the only one - I don't use recipes much at all - I am a mood cook :-) Look out when I am angry - lol. This list would not be complete without pizza, soups, salads, stews and casseroles all based on whatever ingredients are on hand - the possibilities are endless!!

2. What is one item you won't leave home without? (Purse and license do not count) Cell phone, sunglasses - however both of these are usually located in my purse so they may be disqualified by a technicality......hmmm....typically WonderBoy is always with me - "My Trusty Side Kick" as I affectionately refer to him, but even he is not a for sure. Oh I KNOW!! I never ever ever go anywhere without wrapping myself in the love, protection and promises of my Lord and Savior, without who I couldn't begin to function in the least!

3. What is one place you never tire of visiting?

The country - rural America - the 'off the beaten path' places. This is where I am most content and at peace.

4. Share one factoid of your family's history.

My grandmother on my mother's side was a librarian. She was college educated which in her day was rare. She had 5 children including my mother but none of them had any post secondary education. I was the first of my generation to pursue any education beyond high school.

5. Complete this sentence. "Once upon a time I...."

dreamed I would marry my prince. I believed fairy tales could come true. Then for many years my dreams were shattered and I believed that fairy tales were just rose colored tales that never really happened. I am now married to my prince and know that fairy tales really do come true ;-) Of course that is only becasue God is good ;-)

6. If you could win one year's supply of anything, what would it be?

I would have to say groceries - how wonderful would that be ???

7. "One quirky thing you may not know about me is...."

I really like the smell of skunk......I know....but I do! Some of you like the smell of gasoline - that is my eewww!

8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy?

A cookbook at a yard sale or some other equally as wonderful treasure in book form.

9. "One thing that always makes me laugh is...."

Old episodes of Leave it to Beaver and I Love Lucy ;-) You know back when family entertainment really was for the WHOLE family and it was actually funny!

10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal?

Treat myself with love, patience and kindness - seems that should be a no brainer but that is not always the case - I am getting better at it though!

11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else?

Begin to get a letter/package ready to send Jeison, our sponsored child in Columbia. He is having a birthday soon!

12. What is one thing you're looking forward to soon?

Our move to the country - at least I pray it is soon ;-) Yes Darling, I added that for your benefit - lol.

Remember Me?

2010-05-18T07:44:00.003-05:00

Well, well, well, she lives!! I have no single good reason for my extended absence. The best I can honestly offer is these four simple letters when combined explain a whole lot....L-I-F-E.

In any case, I have felt the stirring recently to take up keyboard and re-connect with you - so here I be.

How are you? What have you been doing? PLEASE leave a comment and let me know you came by! I have a desire to make some changes and breath some new life into this place of mine here and I really would love your input. What do you want to see when you visit? I have an amazing story to share about a personal victory but that is not something I am prepared to do today....soon.

There are all kinds of adventures going on around here as usual. We have baby bluebirds!!! Some of you may remember the beautiful blue eggs of a spring now past and the sad fate that they met.....well God is faithful and as Matthew 6:26 teaches us - He cares for all living things. It has been a joy to watch these sweet birds build their nest, lay their eggs and now we are enjoying the symphony of little ones as they are fed continually all day long.

We are within days of finishing 3rd Grade - it has been a rough year ! I recently attended a homeschool convention not too far from home and was so blessed and encouraged with some timely words and fellowship. I feel so ready and equipped to begin planning 4th Grade now I almost hate to take a summer break - I did say almost. I met some wonderful homeschool Mom's at the conference, one of whom I see has already stopped by for a visit ! You know who you are ;-) It was a real pleasure meeting and talking with you and I would love to stay in touch but as I was not forward thinking enough to get your information please make sure you send it my way. I want to come and visit you too!!

So, back to the task at hand - tell me what you want - encouragement, homeschooling, cooking, crafting, daily life, how to's, sustainable living, frugal living - do tell !! Input, ideas - bring it on!!

I have missed this point of connection and look forward to re-establishing it.

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Plain Pursuit by Beth Wiseman

2010-02-15T10:56:00.005-06:00

Time for another book review friends...... Plain Pursuit, A Daughters of the Promise Novel is the first by Beth Wiseman that I have read - it is unlikely that it will be the last. I love a good Amish story and this one certainly met the standard of a "good Amish story". Although somewhat predictable in places, which I guess happens after reading too many Amish works of fiction, it brought pleasant mix of modern day life and old time Amish ways and wove them seamlessly into an enjoyable read. There were a few unexpected twists and turns which always earn extra points on my scorecard ;-) The characters are real and believable. I found myself cheering them on and celebrating their victories as well. This book is the second in the series but stood alone well enough that I did not feel I was missing anything critical not having read the first in the series.

An easy, enjoyable read, I would recommended this book for when you just want to read something to enjoy that does not require a whole lot of effort on the part of the reader. And of course if you like a "good Amish story" all the better!!

And by the way - there are a few recipes at the end of the book just in case your feeling Amish ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

These are a few of my favorite things.......

2009-12-24T06:13:00.008-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve !! I am up alone this morning - a rare treat ;-) I have a freshly ground cup of Jamaica's finest here beside the tree and just wanted to take a minute to wish you the best of the season.

We are having our family meal today around one-ish so I have plenty to do this morning other than coffee drinking and tree gazing, but there was one thing I promised I would do and I strive to keep my word as much as possible.

A few weeks ago I had dinner with the two original "Mama Leisha Girls" to celebrate Jenny's birthday and to exchange our Christmas gifts. We took a road trip to Nashville in November to start our Christmas shopping and had a little too much fun - who knew trying on hats could be so much fun!! I share this picture only because of the fun factor - it certainly isn't to show off how good I look in a hat !!

Forgive me, I digress, it was during this fun filled adventure that I got the idea of what I wanted to do for my girls for Christmas. We looked at several cute aprons and I thought that would be a great thing to build a gift around - so I came home armed with my plan. I found some cute festive aprons and made some homemade goodies to go with, found some monogrammed recipe cards and I was ready. The night we met we opened our gifts from Hannah first - a cookbook, a monogrammed Christmas ornament, Christmas kitchen towels and....an apron!! How fun - I LOVE aprons !! ;-) Next we opened the gifts from Jenny - decorated with a beautiful rhinestoned monogrammed ornament (hmm...) we opened our boxes at the same time and went into fits of laughter - monogrammed aprons !! Well needless to say when they opened the packages from me we were just plain silly- everyone went home with two new aprons !! The best part of course is knowing that we are like minded and obviously know each other pretty well!! Jenny really went above and beyond in her apron giving by having them embroidered - she told me she wanted me to post a picture on my blog of me in my apron so.......notice the "H" over my shoulder.....hmm. Can I tell you how much I love this apron?? I mean it has polka dots for goodness sake - big ones!! And I have to be honest with you y'all - in the midst of all the girlie giggling - I was choked up - I love my girls so much and this apron really blessed me because I felt the love that was put into giving it. Jenny Pooh I will never put this on with out being reminded of how blessed I am to have your friendship!! It is truly an honor to be your "Mama Leisha" - one I pray that I will enjoy for many years to come!!

So a few of my favorite things......my girls - those mentioned here and those who are not - you know who you are and I LOVE YOU SO MUCH - can't imagine where I would be without each and everyone of you!! Thank you for allowing me to be Mama Leisha in your lives (boots and all). The good looking cake I am holding is our dessert today - Italian Creme Cake - another one of my favorite things. And last but not least aprons - did I mention I love aprons!?! This one has one more feature that you MUST see......

a ruffle.....it has a ruffle - I am pretty sure it doesn't get any better than that !!

On that ruffly note, I bid you adieu and wish you all the very Merriest of Christmases - hug your loved ones and treasure the moments of memory making - count your blessings and you will feel rich regardless of the recession - The King is still on the thrown!!

Thank You Jesus for all you do in our lives and Happy Birthday Eve - I love You like crazy!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

ADD/ADHD - I have something to say to you.......

2009-12-17T07:46:00.006-06:00

OK......I am wound up. It has been a long time brewing but I think I have hit that magic 212 degree number and I am ready to let off some steam - join me won't you ?

I have not spent much time on here discussing the struggles in our home with Wonder Boy and those letters that I have always preferred not to use in connection to my son. First let me say we have no "official" diagnosis - it is unlikely that will ever happen to be honest, I just don't see the need. However, for the sake of quick/concise explanation those letters will help you to better understand where we are.

Now here is my confession - I have been an ostrich. My head has been firmly planted in the sand and I have been unwilling to pull it out and look this problem square in the eye (if the eye would stay still a minute that would be easier, but I'll manage). Well NO MORE - my head is out, I have shaken the sand off my curly locks and I am rolling up my sleeves to deal with the adversary that has intimidated me for way too long !! Can I get an Amen Sister from someone out there - a gal in battle needs a little encouragement I dare say!! By the way have you ever seen an ostrich fight?? I'm just saying......

The purpose of this post is to make myself accountable and transparent even - a scary thing to do - but it is time. I have a loving Father who guides and protects me and I shall not walk in fear of things over which I have no control, in fact, I have gladly turned this over to my Lord in prayer and the answer I have received is that I am to fight - Ephesians 6 equips us with a battle plan. The other thing I am intent on doing by opening myself up here is to shed some light on the darkness - living with the challenges and struggles that we have over the past few years has caused us to stay in the shadows - darkness cannot exist in the light, it is time to expose this to the light and send the darkness packing!!

I have read a little here and there and we have tried various "techniques" over the years to manage the challenges that we have faced. Sadly, I cannot report any great success for the long term. Many things worked well for short periods of time but overall nothing has "stuck". With each failed attempt, I have accused myself of being at fault and failing my son, oh the enemy has been having a hay day with us!! SO......I wanted to take a minute to invite you to join us for the journey that lays ahead. I have no idea what the points of interest will be along the way, but one thing I am pretty certain of is that it will be filled with adventure and intrigue!

In my quest for understanding, I have been continually disheartened by the lack of support out there for families walking through this valley. I want to offer to be that kind of place - if you know someone who is going through these kind of struggles in their family - send them a link and ask them to stop by. If we link arms perhaps we can make the road a more direct route for those coming behind us - wouldn't that be awesome? I really don't have a clear plan or direction right now and that is why I wanted to start this now, there are so many families that this issue touches, I would go so far as to say we probably all know someone. The figuring it all out is part of the challenge and journey we take as parents - I will share some of where we have already been and be open and honest about where we are. It is my prayer that this be a blessing to just one ;-)

For today I want to share this.....I stayed up late last night after church to start a book that I have been reluctant to read Ritalin is Not the Answer by David B. Stein. I read only the foreword and first chapter, but have to tell you that my gut instincts about not medicating were so validated that I continually thanked God for his leading on this hot button issue as I read some things I had never really been aware of previously. We have chosen to not medicate, we did considered it very briefly at one point in time, but never had a peace about taking that route. I am so thankful that we listened to the still small voice that was guiding us! I am excited at the prospects of what this book may offer......for now - it's out there and I will keep you posted. Prayers as always are welcomed and please please please - get involved - lets be that example of iron sharpening iron!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Fresh Start by Doug Fields

2009-12-09T08:02:00.005-06:00

Doug Fields, teaching pastor at Saddleback Church invites us to accept "God's invitation to a great life" in his most recent book Fresh Start, a straightforward honest look at how we struggle in our walk as Christians. Fields hits the hot buttons head on as he honestly examines the places that we find our greatest challenges and through it all offers real life practical ideas to get ourselves "unstuck" and lead us to the fresh start God has for us.

I struggled to get through this book. Fields humor which is a little on the "smart" side was a turn off to me. I wanted to get what he was offering but had a hard time overlooking comments that I felt were not at all appropriate or even border line off color. There was plenty of meat to chew on and for me that was the saving grace. He offers good insight into how we get stuck in destructive cycles and how to work our way out to the freedom God wants us to have. There is a transparency in his writing that made the book very readable despite my struggles.

The practical, step-by-step examinations and solutions that Fields puts on the table are do-able and user friendly to the masses.

He concludes this project with a journal and small group guide to work through the book one chapter at a time - I love this. Many books offer "ideas" with little follow up, Fields delivers the information and gives us legs to walk it out with.

This is a worthwhile read for anyone - we are all stuck and in need of a fresh start in at least one area of our lives!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Meet Annabelle.........

2009-11-27T08:03:00.004-06:00

This is Annabelle - a sheep who lives in West Virginia. I have loved Annabelle from afar since I met her online at Chicken in the Road . This is my very favorite blog - I visit it everyday - some of the best things that are made in my kitchen come from Suzanne's blog.

I made her Old Fashioned Cornbread Dressing yesterday and The Principal asked me to make it for a potluck at work in a few weeks - it was that good. SO.....why all the talk about chickens and sheep and cooking ?? Suzanne needs our help......yes......yours and mine. Suzanne is a single mother of 3 who is doing the best she can to live out a simple life in the country (oh....sigh) anyway - she is a writer and her blog is just one way she supports her family - she has entered a contest with SAM-e for a 6 month writing position that will pay well and help her out significantly.

She needs votes - it takes less than 5 seconds...click once to the site and once when you are there and that's it - done !! You can only vote once a day until December 7th -bookmark her till then -(that's 5 seconds a day for the next 10 days - 50 seconds of your time - less than 1 minute!!)Suzanne is currently about 2000 votes away from 1st place. Suzanne's blog is a joy each day - beautiful pictures, great recipes, hilarious stories - you never know what you are going to get, but it's always good - make her a morning stop like I do when you fire up your computer for the day. The Principal and Wonder Boy are on board with me - won't you join us? Help her out would you please......for me??

There are animals that need her and teenage mouths to feed!! There is nothing in this for me (or you) outside of doing something good - that and being grateful for the wonderful amazing recipes she posts!!! The recipes alone are worth the time!!

Visit her and vote for her just because it feels good to do good!!!

You guys are wonderful and I love you ;-)

Let the Traveling Begin.....

2009-10-12T12:47:00.011-05:00

It is time to unveil one of our new favorite homeschool discoveries/activities........Flat Travelers. Birthed out of the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown about a young boy who gets squished flat in the night when his big cork bulletin board falls on him, the adventures that follow are what started the Flat Stanley Project. The adventures of these traveling 'flats' have become a wonderful way for the homeschool community to exchange information as kids around the world learn about other places by exchanging 'flats' with other homeschoolers. I found a Yahoo Group for Homeschoolers that was our starting point in this adventure and we have been enjoying it ever since. The idea is to exchange or swap 'flats' with other families who will host your 'flat' while theirs visits you. During the visit which usually lasts 1-2 weeks you take your visiting 'flat' with you as you go through your activities and capture in pictures the things you do with your guest, ideally visiting things unique to your area's geography and history. We have 'Flat Fred' visiting this week from the Yukon and I wish the rain would stop long enough for me to get some pictures of Flat Fred in some Alabama Red Clay - right now it's all mud!! If anyone knows where I can get a shot in some kudzu without a long drive by all means let me know ;-) Yesterday we make a quick trip over to Scottsboro, AL to get a letterbox hidden in the cemetery behind the almost world famous Unclaimed Baggage store (which incidentally is closed on Sunday) and took Flat Fred along for the ride - don't you just love his mohawk ? ;-)

Welcome to the Alabama Fred - where local Christian families spend beautiful Sunday afternoons searching for hidden stuff in grave yards....poor Fred will never be the same - then again he comes from a homeschool household too so it is likely he will understand ;-) When the time comes to send the your visitor back home, the flat is packed up with photos (which can also be emailed if you prefer), goodies from the area - brochures, post cards, magazine, anything of interest and any other kind of fun you wish to include - this part is not necessary - but what kid will not enjoy a little treat from a new friend far away. I am trying to come up with some kind of candy/sweet that says Alabama - no thoughts on that so far - again if you have one please let me know!! Yesterday afternoon we spent about an hour making some new flats to prepare to send out - take a look and see if you can guess who made each one. Now all we have to do is get a logbook ready to send with each one and someone to volunteer to exchange with us and we'll be ready for a new flat traveling adventure!!

One final word on this - you obviously do not have to be homeschoolers to participate in this - you don't even have to have kids - it's just plain fun regardless of age or educational preference - we highly recommend it and by the way - it's a great accompaniment to letterboxing too!! Does it really get any better than that I ask you??

In this house it seems more and more that it is all about the adventures.....stay tuned - there will be more !!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Sweet Memory

2009-09-24T13:33:00.003-05:00

The date stamp on the camera is wrong because Wonder Boy wasn't born until 2001 - but when I came across this picture today - I was instantly back on the porch where it was taken and I could smell the sweet rain on the flower with my little man......no wonder he stole my heart, sweet butterball cheeks and all.........

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Are you ever going to blog again?

2009-09-20T14:22:00.016-05:00

Someone asked this question recently and you know I wasn't entirely sure how to answer it. I was a little worried that Blogger would not accept my sign in and that I would just hear a laughter sound track looping in the background - but nope - it let me in without any guilt or condemnation. Life has been busy, priorities shifted and in the effort to keep my eyes from permanently crossing I have been blog absent. I won't say that I am "officially back" or anything so committed, but I will say that it is likely that I will be around more.....lots of things brewing here in our little world that I suspect I will want/need to share. For now here are a few pictures from our summer......Of course summer would not be summer without Baseball - we were able to take in a Braves game - it was Wonder Boy's first Major League game .......and baseball and dogs.....well that's just like bacon and eggs don't you think ? We have recently discovered the world of Flat Traveling - more on that later ;-) This is Flat Dylan, visiting from Westminster, MD helping us out during Herb Harvest here in Alabama. You have to know that there were some letterboxing adventures thrown in for good measure.......you never know what you'll see on these outings - huge metal chickens with circulating eyes, Indian carvings in the forest - it's really anybody's guess! A big portion of our time this summer was spent in the garden - oh how we loved it and the fruits of our labors have been awesome. In this picture Wonder Boy is showing off our very first harvest - one radish ;-) And of course being homeschoolers we had to get into some kind of off the wall project......our first batch of soap was overall a success, but there are a few things we need to work on.....good suds and smells great - mmmm lavender Tybee decided it was time to get back down to his fighting weight and took command of the Wii Fit......he really is looking good don't you think ? Every little boy dreams of growing up and becoming President right? Here The Principal, tries out a podium and a beautiful venue for size ;-) And last but not least - Mama Leisha's Pizza Kitchen is now open for business - I did not take the summer off completely - after many failed attempts and nasty "Friday Night Pizzas" I finally tweaked a recipe to what we are now looking forward to each week - the herbs from our garden put it over the edge. That concludes our tour of summer....thanks for hanging in and waiting on us.....please let me know if you are still out there and who knows - maybe I'll get my groove back sooner rather than later.

Learning as I go,
Leisha

Meeting Jesus.....Again

2009-06-19T09:56:00.013-05:00

The journey continues as I participate in Pursuing Wellness with Elisa at Extravagant Grace. Through my study time this week in First Place 4 Health's Begin with Christ, I have spent time getting to know Jesus better. This is what Week 2 looked like or me......

1. What was your take-away for this week's worth of homework?

I feel like I inherited a Big Brother to lean on this week - I have always known that with Jesus I am a co-heir in Christ, but this week that really came alive to me in a new way as I wrote 2 different letters to Jesus in my journal and shared my heart with him as to a big brother ......never had one as an only child and loved the way it feels!!!

2. Did you meet Christ for the first-time?

No Thankfully I met him some time back ;-)

3. Were you introduced to Him from a new perspective?

I was - I have a Big Brother that I didn't have last week ;-)

4. How did the I AM verses and You Are homework change your life this week?

I realized through listing the I Ams and the YOU Ares that I do not allow him to be those things to me and rely on him as fully as I should. HE IS - the Gate, the Good Shepherd, God's son, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the True Voice and a King.

Luke 20:9 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Sweet Jesus, I say......

You are My Brother, My Shield, My Savior, My Help, My Ever Present Friend, My Guide, My Warrior, My Righteousness, My Salvation and The Lover of My Soul

5. Are there any fears or doubts that are keeping you from declaring that Jesus is the Risen Savior?
If there are I am not aware of them ......only resolve to know him more ;-)

Accountability Questions
1. How did you do in terms of your wellness goal from the last week?
It has not been a great week for me in terms of success - I hurt my back on Monday and have not exercised all week because of it. I have a burden on my heart relating to a situation with my son and that has had my spirits low, and if those two things were not enough my crampy, grumpy little friend arrived for a few days as well !! In spite of it all - I ate better this week than what I had been doing and am more aware and tuned in to my health overall.

2. What goal have you set for this coming week?
This week I am claiming this over my life....
Psalm 40: 1-2
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
I know that the enemy works to defeat us before we gain momentum and I think that is part of what has been going on with me this week. I will not allow his shallow schemes to undermined the victory that is already mine in Christ!!!

3. If you want to share, what is your weight loss goal / how much did you lose?
I jumped on the scale this morning, well actually I sort of snuck on it .......no change from last week at all....I am ok with that - it was not a good week and there was no gain.....Next week however it will be a lower number - that is my goal ;-)

By way of quick summary - it has been a lousy week, but I am confident that I am on the path to where I want to be and that keeps me focused on the outcome - good health inside and out. I am thankful for a supportive and encouraging husband who is by my side through it all and that I have everything I need to achieve my goals - victory is a word that God has been whispering to me all year throughout many different situations - this is a victory that will be very sweet!!
If you feel led to add me to your prayers - I would ask that you would join me in petitioning God to give me guidance and direction in dealing with the situation with Wonder Boy that is weighing so heavy on me right now. I had a friend pray for me yesterday and she sought a quick answer and confirmation.....your linking arms would be most appreciated ;-)

Learning as I go,
Leisha

Thank You Father For My Son.......

2009-06-16T10:27:00.013-05:00

Laura at HeavenlyHomakers.com hosts a weekly feature called Gratituesday that I have decided it is high time I participated in. I have been blessed in so many areas of my life and truly am grateful for the abundant blessings I have - so here is my first contribution to what I hope will be many Gratituesdays to come ;-)

This morning Wonder Boy is at VBS, it is very quiet here now, but before he left he wanted to read to me......he read 2 books to me , Mama Loves You by Carloine Stutson and Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. I have read both of these to him many many times since he was a wee thing, but now he's a big boy and reading to me - needless to say I slobbered all over myself as he read Love You Forever - that book made me cry before I had a son - now - well - forget it resistance is futile!!

I am so grateful and my heart is filled to overflowing today for all the precious treasures that my Heavenly Father gave me when He blessed me with a son ;-)

Mama most surely does Love You Wonder Boy -
Bushels and Bunches XOXOXOXOX

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Getting in the Swag.......

2009-06-15T15:17:00.007-05:00

Bloggy friends - I have come across something too wonderful to keep to myself.......Have you heard of Swagbucks? Not to be confused with Starbucks, although you can buy Starbucks with Swagbucks ;-) It is a search engine that lets you earn while you search and if you are a seeker of things like I tend to be - this is big news!! You can earn Swagbucks to purchase gift cards for Amazon.com, Starbucks, Target, Barnes & Noble and iTunes just to name a few. There are many other Swagbuck spending options and it is all f-r-e-e ;-) This is the coolest!! I have checked it out before posting here and from every source I have come across this is one of those things that is as good as it sounds.....maybe even better ;-) They really won me over when I came across the Go Green options to earn Swagbucks by recycling old cellphone and video games and game systems!! I signed up last night and have not had much time to do anything yet as I have been cleaning house all day and I have already earned 10 Swagbucks by doing a few quick searches - there are plenty of other ways to earn Swagbucks as well so by all means take a look and see what you can start earning your Swagbucks to save up for !!
If you choose to sign up (and why wouldn't you??) to start earning as you search please do so by following one of the links you find here and send a little Swagbuck love back my way - I am planning on earning curriculum for free!! Maybe even a Kindle....sigh.......so go - what are you waiting for - get Swagbucking!!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Becoming What We Pursue

2009-06-12T07:50:00.008-05:00

Our Pastor did a series a while back on becoming what we behold and though I have looked for my notes - I cannot locate the notebook with the "meat" from that series - it will surface at some point and I will share it with you then ;-) (If you have notes and you know where they are - Buffi?Lisa? - please feel free to help me out with the details I am missing). Anyway........one of the main points he made was essentially that what we "behold" we "become". In thinking about that as I was preparing to start the Pursuing Wellness 12 Week Bible Study at Extravagant Grace I was struck by the thought that what we pursue we become as well. When we pursue laziness and excuses, things of this world, when we put our physical and spiritual needs on the back burner continually to take care of things that are more important we reap the results of those choices and we are ultimately pursuing a life of failure, stress, disappointment and misery. We must seek Him first in all we do and become who He has called us and knit us in our mother's wombs to become !!

I know that my Savior lives and loves me and wants what's best for me - I also know that if I seek Him and His ways that I will find the peace and wholeness that I seek. So the big question for me then becomes why is it so hard to do that consistently for any period of time ? You know what I'm talking about - we start out great and lose our foot hold somewhere along the journey.

I will be posting each Friday about that journey that I am embarking on and keeping myself accountable to you my sweet readers as well as to the other women who are taking the journey with me. I would love for you to join us if you feel led - you can start at any time and jump in as you are ready. If you choose to just observe for now I would ask one thing - I need your encouragement and prayers so if you take the time to read the posts - please please please take the time to leave a comment - it will help tremendously ;-)

I am not ready to publicly post the nasty number on the scale, but I suspect I will be at some point.....just not there yet ;-) I know you understand!!!

It is my prayer that these 12 weeks that lay before me hold some keys that I have been missing (along with my notebook) that will unlock some long unanswered questions about self defeating behaviors and feelings of not being deserving in many areas of my life.

I will warn you now - this may get raw and at times perhaps even a little raunchy - but God can't clean up what is already clean now can He?? So I hope you will hang in there with me and hold my hand a little here and there as I jump into an adventure that I pray takes me to a new level of relationship with the One who made me and a new level of health and vibrancy that I have been missing for too long now.

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

I want to be His delight and make Him smile because I finally "get it".

IT IS TIME.

Learning as I go,

Leisha

It's Crackers at Our House

2009-06-10T10:26:00.007-05:00

Our dinners lately have been light and easy as it has been getting hot and we have been enjoying what I would call "Summer Buffet Meals" - they are mainly an assortment of goodies - nothing too filling and everyone helps themselves. I made some salmon spread and tabbouleh (with parsley, fresh mint and lemon balm from our garden...yum!!!) this week and we had watermelon, strawberries, olives, hoop cheese from a trip to Tennessee's Amish area recently and assorted veggies with homemade Ranch Dip. Add in some pita bread and tortilla chips and you have a feast fit for any appetite. Last night I still had plenty of tabbouleh and salmon spread and I had some twice baked potatoes in the freezer that I made a big batch of a few weeks ago but I had no more pita bread and was not in the mood for tortilla chips so I took a trip over to visit Laura at Heavenly Homemakers as I remembered seeing some kind of cracker recipe on her blog a while back. I found this recipe for Crispy Cheese Crackers and Wonder Boy and I set about our mission.........
I love using cookie cutters to make things more fun ;-) These were very easy to make - the hardest part was doing it with the cookies cutters rather than cutting the crackers in squares from a rolled out sheet of dough as the recipes instructs (I have a hard time ever following a recipe exactly) - in other words not hard at all ;-) They were quite good, for our tastes I would add more cheese next time - we are pretty cheesy folks in this house. They were healthy and easy and not over time consuming - win, win and win.

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Don't put all your eggs in one nest.......

2009-05-28T11:29:00.006-05:00

It's a sad day at our house.........this morning as The Principal was having his quiet time and morning coffee on the back patio, he noticed the door to the Bluebird house sticking out a little at the bottom......he walked to the back of the yard to investigate and what he found has brought the Happy Dance to a screeching halt ..........We have no idea who the culprit was and our hope now is that Momma Bluebird has at least one more egg left to lay......look at poor Papa Bluebird this morning on the fence......

he looks a little blue don't you think?

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Wonder Boy is Blogging....

2009-05-27T14:28:00.003-05:00

Hey Y'all.......just wanted to take a minute to let you know that we officially have Wonder Boy up and running with a blog of his own. The Adventures of Wonder Boy is going to be part of our curriculum for 3rd grade as we begin learning computer and creative writing skills. Stop by and leave him a comment, he will be thrilled ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

The Happy Dance.....4 Egg that is !!

2009-05-26T22:01:00.014-05:00

A gentle spring rain fell tonight as we enjoyed dinner on the patio beneath the ceiling fan ........ a wonderful meal of buttermilk cornbread, pinto beans, potato salad, fresh sliced cucumbers and of course sweet tea. The good life doesn't get much gooder than that or so we thought ....a stroll to the back of the yard after we ate revealed a reason to re-vamp the happy dance just a little.....Let the 4 Egg Happy Dance commence !!! Is it just me or did the blue get bluer since yesterday ?

Be like the bluebird who never is blue,

For he knows from his upbringing what singing can do

- Cole Porter, Be Like the Bluebird, 1934

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Real Estate is for the Birds.......

2009-05-25T16:05:00.005-05:00

For several springs now we have watched the bluebird house at that back corner of our yard become home to several different birds, but not a single bluebird has even flown near it....till this year. We were thrilled to see Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird hanging around and checking out the real estate. The Principal especially likes bluebirds - we all have our favorites I think. We have been so excited to watch them flying around and perching on the fence nearby until along came Mr. Mockingbird, running them off every time they got close to their potential abode !! Come on Mr. Meany - you can't even fit through the front door......back off and let the sweet blue couple about their business......for days now we have been on heightened bird alert and mockingbird patrol. We were away for a few days on a camping/letterboxing trip and noticed that Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird were now the ones doing the chasing. It got us thinking that we may have missed something while we were away so, while we were out working in the garden this afternoon we decided to take a peek in the bird house and look what we found...........
....... truly a sight to behold -we are doing the 3 egg happy dance......join us won't you ? Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird will hereafter be known as Mommy & Daddy Blue- take that Mr. Meany Mockingbird !! Blue has never been so beautiful ;-) The 3 egg happy dance continues.......stay tuned ;-)

Learning as I go,
Leisha

Remembering Shiloh.....and wondering.....

2009-05-24T22:57:00.007-05:00

In April 1862 over two days of what is known as the bloodiest battle in US history up to that time, nearly 24,000 men were killed wounded or missing on the battlefields at Shiloh.

As The Principal, Wonder Boy and I walked through Shiloh National Cemetery located at the battleground site yesterday I was struck by the incredible sacrifices made by these Americans for their country. Having been born and raised in Canada, this is not something that I grew up around and quite honestly it chokes me up every time. This country is so rich in heritage and history and it is an honorable and godly heritage and history. What really weighed on me yesterday as I walked through this place where time stands just a little still was this......what would these soldiers who gave their lives for love of country think if they could see what is going on in modern day America?

I can only imagine what heaviness it would bring to their hearts to see the recklessness in which our nation functions on so many levels. Unborn babies dying, drugs rampantly taking lives, marriages dissolving in record numbers, families being redefined in ways that God never intended, hatred insidiously infecting how we treat each other and families trading time with each other for time surfing the web to feed addictions or pursue activities that are not at all family oriented. Can you imagine how devastating it would be to them to see what we have done with the country that they fought and in many cases died for ? Now I understand that this was a civil war and that even in that there was in fighting, but none the less it made me reflect and where my thoughts took me made me wonder......have we advanced or retreated ? For though we clearly have moved forward in many areas in our advancement have we been blinded? Fooled? I for one think yes, without question. If we look at the simple lives that people lived in 1860's we can see that much of what I listed as modern day "life" was not even something that polite, well mannered people would have spoken of in those days.

We have come a long way and we have an even longer way to go to get back to the values that were the very fabric of the lives surrendered on the battlefields of war in a time before the minds of a nation were polluted, poisoned, diseased and deceived.

2 Chronicles 7:14

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

God Forgive us and God Bless America !!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Spiritual Space

2009-05-11T07:30:00.010-05:00

Today At the Well we are getting into each other's space, sharing with our sisters the details of the spaces where we spend our quiet time. A veritable tour of Spiritual Spaces if you will. Make yourself at home and allow me to give you a peek into where I spend my time with Father God, my entrance to the Secret Place. Several years after moving into our home we talked about the fact that we never used the room that was designated as the dining room - the location is lacking to be useful as a dining room and because we have a good sized eat in we found that we seldom used this room so we made the decision to re purpose it and make it our "study". We gave the room a paint job and bought new furniture and it has become our favorite room in the house. This is where we now pray, read, talk, play board games and we do most of our read alouds for school here as well. This is where I come each morning to sit in "my chair" to read and pray.

The cushions get relocated and I sit with my feet on the ottoman or criss-crossed with a pillow on my lap as a make shift desk while I journal. I have everything I need within reach or quick access in the room.

On the end table beside me I house everything I need to use during this quiet time each morning. In my stack of books this morning I have my well loved bible, my journal, my prayer journal, Becoming the woman I want to be by Donna Partow, The Love Dare and my cute Dollar Tree pink and green flowered composition book that is my surrogate brain - this is where I keep up with myself. I remember some years ago my Pastor's wife sharing about how the enemy would try to distract her when she was praying or reading her bible and she decided to turn him into her secretary - she would jot down each interruption and she said by the time she finished her quiet time she often had her to do list completed for the day. I loved this idea because I am so very easily distracted when I pray and so have adopted the idea and used it ever since - cute notebooks make it that much more appealing - don't you know that every time I make a note in my cute book the enemy cringes!!! On the lower shelf is a box of tissue which I can reach with a quick grab of my right hand without even looking ;-) On the floor in front of the end table is a basket which holds devotionals and notepads, extra pencils, pens just kind of back up stuff - the odd random magazine , that kind of thing and then the orange binder is where I keep my lists and schedules, this is my attempt at a more organized life - I keep it handy for the same reason I keep the cute notebook - works well ;-)

The there is my laptop, just in case I need to resource something online - which you will notice today is placed on a lap desk which was a sweet gift from Wonder Boy and The Principal for Mother's Day yesterday - I am sitting in my chair using it right now as I work on this post and it is working out great!!! Thanks guys ;-)

Finally is the corner is our bookcase which holds all manner of resources and delights. We keep the books we are currently reading as well as those that we access on an ongoing basis here. It's filled to the brim as you can see - I love books!!

That concludes my tour - thank you for visiting I hope you enjoyed yourself - please come back again anytime - I love having guests too!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Challenging Moms in May

2009-05-06T14:56:00.004-05:00

In my continuing adventures poking around blog land, I found recently discovered a wonderful blog Extravagant Grace. eLisa is hosting a 28 day challenge this month for us Moms, based on The Love Dare principles to do a dare a day for 28 days challenging us to love our children in ways that bring the glory to our Father. I know I can benefit from the challenge and I am sure Wonder Boy (if he knew about it) would agree whole heartedly!! I am a few days last getting started, but I am operating on the premise that everything comes right on time - so join me won't you ? I dare you!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Who Am I ??

2009-05-04T09:30:00.010-05:00

Is that a loaded question or what?? I try daily to figure it out!! The Principal probably ponders it about his bride from time to time to I imagine ;-) Well ladies and gentlemen - today at The Well the plan is to get to know each other better - this is my contribution. For those coming from The Well - welcome - pull up a chair and make yourself at home - I'm Leisha, wife to The Principal and Homeschooling Mom to Wonder Boy who just turned 8 years old this past Friday. For those who frequent here from other parts you know the drill and may know some of the things that I am about to share but I hope that you too will learn some new things about me - and for that matter - take a few minutes to visit The Well and make some new friends too , from what I can gather they are a wonderful bunch of gals and so far none have bitten ;-)

So here now without further adieu in no particular order is a little bit of who I am.......

*I am a child of the Most High King

*I am an only child to my earthly parents - I have never met my earthly father and have been out of contact with my mom for several years now ( that's a whole series of posts)

*I love the rain and a good thunder storm is a wonderful thing - I find the rain romantic and poetic and love how God nourishes the earth by providing it

*I grind our flour and make our own bread and am continually striving to provide my family with healthy whole foods the way God created them

*I have been making yogurt for my family since the first of the year and will likely never buy store bought again

*I love to find ways to save money and be a good steward of the resources and provision which we are blessed with

*I don't sing well but I love to sing

*I took piano lessons as a child and don't remember much - I am hoping that some of it comes back to me as Wonder Boy begins lessons

*My favorite color is red

*My favorite perfume is Angel by Thierry Mugler - I know it has to smell like this in heaven - The Principal loves it too ;-)

*I married my prince- he is my best friend and truly the one that God had for me

*I have been married before - Wonder Boy is the blessing from that marriage - and a little wisdom too I suspect

*I like myself a little more with each passing year

*I want to write more

*I love books, reading them, having them around me and collecting them

*I have been blessed with a good portion of silly

*I have always wanted a Papillon but have never had the extra $600 + to own one
*I miss my Grandmother more as I age and wish she was here to teach me many things

*If I could have one wish granted it would be to be living on a small farm and spending my days growing closer to God as I care for my family

*I love aprons
*I enjoy old black and white and western movies

*I love being a homeschooling mom and being home to be constantly learning to be the wife that The Principal deserves

*After many many years of taking my coffee with cream and sugar I now drink it black

*I have to watch the amount of time I spend online reading blogs - hours get snatched away too easily sometimes

*I love trivia games

*I am planning on working toward getting better organized before we begin 3rd grade ( any wisdom or helpful resources are most welcomed!!)

* My favorite scripture is Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God

*I would love to go to Italy and Greece

*I love words

*I want to learn to sew more usefully, quilt, paint beautifully

*I love to listen to podcasts when I drive

*I love to cook

*I love to make people laugh

*I don't have to shave my legs often they just aren't hairy - I know I know....just lucky ;-)

*I count my friendships as blessings

*Frogs make me smile

*I have been delivered from an unnatural dependency to shoulder pads - PTL

*I am ticklish

*I love the smell of skunk

*I love to letterbox

*I want to be who God has called me to be so that I can truly say that is Who I Am !!

Hope you learned something - I would love to hear your reaction - please let me know you came by ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Becoming Mama Leisha

2009-04-27T07:36:00.007-05:00

Today At the Well they are talking about mentoring in the spirit of Titus 2 and it made me think about a phone call recently from a sweet younger friend....one of who have fondly become known as my "Mama Leisha Girls". Our lives have been busy and we have not had much opportunity to spend time together in the last few years so in a quick catch up call after seeing each other at a function earlier that evening at church we talked briefly. Her life has recently taken a new direction and she is walking out a dream in faith and I was telling her how I am so proud of her and that I get amazed when I look back and she how she has grown. God is doing beautiful things in her and the fruit is a joy to see. She mentioned something about me and my "Mama Leisha" calling - this has been an ongoing grin/smirk/giggle for several years now, the thing about it ........now it really does seem to be more than a grin/smirk/giggle. She has called me Mama Leisha for most of the time we have known each other, but said she always felt that I was too young to be called "Mama" (I told you she was a sweet friend) however, she said that the last few years have changed me as I have walked the path from a full time working Mom to a full time homeschooling Mom - she says I have gained wisdom and grown into the "Mama Mantle" that God has placed on my life. WOW - can I just tell you how that humbled me?? I love and value this young woman of God and consider it an honor that she would see those things in me.....me?!!??

God can use anyone ......and He does, because as I look around my life, there are a few handfuls of young ladies in my life who come to me for advice, counsel, friendship and yes....mentoring. Some want to know more about being a Mom, some about being a wife and others about walking with the Father - none of these things do I feel qualified or worthy to advise them on - but God continues to deliver them to my doorstep so I press forward in obedience and honor to Him regardless of my shortcomings - He is sufficient and He dwells in me - so I am enough in Him. We can always be sure that we are doing what is pleasing and honoring to Him if only we will tunr it over to Him - keep our hands off of it and allow Him to be the Potter - He creates more beautiful works than we could ever even imagine.

I have a sweet friend who comes for coffee each Tuesday morning before she goes to school (sadly that is about to end and we are going to have to find another time), I have another dear and yes, younger friend who phones me on her way to work once or twice a week so we can catch up and I can get my steel toed boots out for her when she needs them - she tells me I am the only one who can get away with that. Then there is my sweet sweet original Mama Leisha girl who lost her precious Mother to breast cancer several years after the Mama Leisha jokes began and who now just this past weekend introduced me to someone as her "Mama Friend" (I am 12 years older). There is my beautiful 2nd Mama Leisha Girl, who touched my heart when she asked me to be a bridesmaid last July- telling me that she could not imagine walking down the aisle without her "Mama Leisha" and Iwas stretched beyond belief and as I spent time with the other 11 beautiful, thin under 30 gals in the bridal party for 2 days - did I mention I was stretched there ;-) !! What started as a joke in a hospital ER because of a confused nurse has grown and become what I really believe is God calling.....I am honored and humbled and blessed beyond words by the love and friendship of these young women who trust me to mentor them and guide them as they encounter life. So as they continue to come into my life, my prayer is that the Lord will continue to grow me up and use me to minister to them and mentor them as he sees fit.

I have come from much brokenness and God is so graciously allowing me to use that brokenness to bless others. A pastor friend of mine once told me when I shared some of my testimony with her that people trust people who walk with a limp. I have found this to be so comforting and so very true. Thank You Father, in you all things do come together for the good of those who love you.

Girls - you know who you are - I love you and thank you for the abundant blessings you give me by allowing me to be a part of your lives and watching you grow and mature in who our Awesome Father has called you to be - thank you for sharing a part of your journey with me !! I can't tell you how much I love you and how grateful I am that God chose to deliver you to my doorstep!!

Learning as I go,

(Mama) Leisha