Very Full... plate....life....hands....and heart

So much on my plate, sometimes I feel that I'm going to drop something and something else will fall off also and when it's all say and done I will have nothing left.  I will have miss appointments and let people down.  Forgot to do something or many...  I'm running around with my head cut off a lot of the time it fills like.

I'm getting ready to leave the house and trying to remember what hat I need to have on and where I was going.... It's Wednesday.... right?  Grab what I need for a long night of dance and a church meeting that is at 7.  Get things around and getting ready to walk out the door to remember that it's Tuesday and I need to run to the church to grab the office hour bag, and because Matthew work late I need to take Eammah with me.  Because we get out of office hours at 4 and she starts dance at 4!!  And it's 2:25 and I need to be to office hours at 2:40 and still run to the church.  I'm going to be late!!  But that's been a theme with me lately and I dislike it so much.  My whole week has been running like that.... I'm it's came to the point that I'm lost I'm going nuts... I'm not sure what to do... I turn to God, ask for help and know that last time he put something on my heart I did not listen...  This time I will listen to every letter.

It's all started maybe a month ago... and just kept piling on... one things after another.  And God was talking to me... but I was to busy with other things to listen.  I was ask to do something, give of my time for a year.  I have been ask before and have said yes... and when the voting came about I never made it.  This year when I was praying about and asking for prayer about it... I knew I should have said no.  I'm honored that you ask and where thinking of me... but at this time I need to say no.... that's what I should have said.  What I said was yes... I would love it... ( Because I never get pick as it is)  Well this pass Wednesday night I was voted in, as much as I'm looking forward to working with a great group of ladies and serving my church... I know this means I will have to give up something it may mean missing dance classes, or a track meet...I know that God will help me, and I will learn from this and from not listening to him.

Homeschooling is still a top priority for us.  And even years into doing it and we are still finding things that work better for them, or things need to be change with Jessalla being in 6th grade.  Some of the things we were using only went to 5th or 6th grade.  So we knew it was coming, and are very happy with what we are using this year.  And feel like this set up will last us awhile.  Things are going well this year and we are enjoying what we are using... most of all they are loving learning, and that is a big goal for us.  We want them to love to learn and not stop when they are done with school, keep on learning their whole life.

Taking a little time to look over the list of commitments I have and praying about them.  And I may need to step down from something.  I do not want to burn myself out or not be able to give what I need to do the job or task at hand.  Making a list of my priorities will help me, and remembering JOY. 
                                                                 Jesus First
                                Others Second
                                Yourself Last
It's so easy to remember the saying and the word JOY but sometimes its so hard to put it in to action.  And not saying that you need to be so last that you never have time for you or are running yourself sick.  I'm also not saying that the things on my plate are bad and I should not be doing them.  More of is this what God wants my time on?  Is there someone else who could be doing what I'm doing.  I have fallen back in to my old ways of just saying yes, whatever you need.  I need to stop back and say let me pray about it.

It hit me hard when I had someone say to me, I was thinking you would want to do this because you do not work.  I smiled and said I do work.  They went on to say no like a real job.  They almost got me to say yes, but at the same time I was mad.  I do work, I do have a real job.  And the more I was thinking about it, and trying not to get mad.  I could see how God was using this to help me stop and think about what I was doing. 

Life gets nuts some time, we feel overwhelm and want to cry or hind till it of done with.  Had a teen from our youth group say they would cry if they had to do all that I do, it's just all to much.  I'm not saying all this to have others feel sorry for me or anything like that.  But for me to have a remember of what is important at this season of life.  I have young kids at home, it's a priority for me to be at things that they are in.  Not some place else.  It's important for me to teach Awanas and help out with the youth group.  Those are the kids that my kids hang out with.  It's just as important for me to give back, but not over do it.  And to have my kids see that. 

If you are reading this thinking this is me, I have way to much going on.  It's not to late to stop and regroup what you are doing.  Make a list, step down from a few things if need be.  Not to always say yes to everyone.  And by saying no, you are giving someone else the chance of letting someone else be a blessing.

Over halfway done and making changes

We are a little over halfway through our homeschool year. We made some changes to our curriculum that we have been using. We are about two weeks into using our new subject and we are loving them. Emphasis on loving!

Our first big change was science. We were you here God design for science. As much as we loved it and fouled all that we believe. It does not fit with how our girls learn best. And it was hard for them to want to do science and take out of it what I wanted them to get. So after struggling two get through our science for the last few years. A friend uses apologia for science and I was able to look at her book and new this is what we needed to be doing. After much debate about switching mid-year and the money that was wasted on the other science curriculum and the money that would go out and pull it one I decided that it was worth it.

That decision mean nothing to you all unless you know a little bit more about each curriculum.  

Let me step back and tell you why I like and why God designed in the first place. I knew we would have more than one kid to homeschool at a time. And this one allowed me to teach the all at the same time. It had project at the end of each book. Kind of like a final project which gave me hope that it would have more in the book. It did not, unless you wanted to take and find your own. I was also drawn to the fact that it was biblically based. The first year of using it was great the girls were young there time to be able to sit with shorter so the short lessons worked well. But as they grew and wanted more the short lesson were too short. And some very dry. Now that they are older I feel that we are just scraping the surface with those lessons.

Now to the apologia we have only been using it for 2 weeks now and the girls ask for science. So I think even if I hated it I would still do it knowing that they love it. I have to say I do love it more our style. If you have not looked into the apologia book they come with a teacher book that you read from the lesson. And based on the age of your kid you get them the journaling book that coordinate with the book that you're studying. There are two different level and the Young Explorer Series, there is a junior notebook, in a normal notebook. With our girl we did one of each. The junior notebook has coloring pages vocab game and worksheet for the first lesson. Oan copy work of a Bible verse. The normal notebook seems to have a ton more work pages, the vocab games 4 lesson 1 is a crossword puzzle. So not too bad. She also has copy work of a Bible verse.

  Both girls love that during the reading time there are times that we have to try it. It gets them up and moving, get some trying what we just read about. And at the end of each lesson there seems to be a project. At the end of lesson 1 in the study of the body we get to make a edible cell. How cool is that! They are already planning what we will study next! And for that I am grateful.

We also got word ladders that the girls have been working on. Eammah has the book for first and second grade and in doing really well with it. She enjoys figuring out the clue and filling in the puzzle. I'm sure we will be done with it by the time we start 3rd grade in the fall. Jessalla is doing 5th and 6th grade book, and having more of a harder time with it. The ladders are longer the clues are harder and the word are bigger. It's making her think a little different which is good. She is getting it just not moving through her book as fast. Which is great because she'll be going into 6th grade next fall. She will finish it next year.

We got a phonic program and a reading program also. Pathway to phonic, we are starting at the beginning and it seems really slow, and boring. I have looked ahead and feel like we will like it once we are past what we already know. This was mainly for our youngest who was

struggling when I bought it. I have seen major growth in her reading in the last few weeks. We are still going to use it. And I actually plan on doing it with both girls. My oldest is a very fluent and advance reader but I feel she will gain something from this. If nothing else it will be great review. The reading program is for reading fluency. So it has little reading job for them to do in each lesson. And again it is something that I will you with both girls. We also picked up English from the roots up. We may not start with one till fall maybe this summer. It has the Greek and Latin root in it. I may add the flat card to our morning board. That way we could practice them each morning with our other memory work.

Are other main change was how we were doing Bible. We bought overall a book for how to study your Bible. And it gave them different colors for Mark above different word and can make symbols, circle thing, draw pictures. So far they really seem to be liking it a whole lot more work than we have been doing. A five-day course​ with long lesson for each day

February reading basket!

Sorry this is a little late!!  But it's here it is...
Jessalla is keeping her books in the basket for March also because she did not read them like she wanted. We were redoing our books and she kept finding new ones. ;) And I did not do a good job keeping them out. So I have no idea what they were. But she did read.

Eammah on the other hand did well with her books and did more than what was in there. So on to her picks...

1- Pinkalicious School Rules! By: Victoria Kann
2 - The Berenstain Bears' Neighbor in need. By: Jan & Mike Berenstain
3 - The Bravest CAT! The True Story of Scarlett. By: Laura Driscoll
4 - The Berenstain Bears and the BAD DREAM. By: Jan & Mike Berenstain
5 - Disney Bunnies Thumper finds an egg. By: Laura Driscoll
6 - Disney Pixar Wall-E By: Laura Driscoll
7 - Stuart Little Stuart at the Library  By: Susan Hill

She did read more but some how the books did not make it back into the basket like they should have. If we come across any of those that did not make it on the list I will post them.
Her goal is to read a book a day for the month of March! She is well on her way to make that goal.

Letting her down, hurts me so!!

Went to bed like most night and was a sleep in no time!!  Come about 1:30 something woke me up and had a hard time getting back to sleep.  About 3 I was all most back to sleep when Jessalla woke up crying that her ear was hurting her.  :( I knew right then what she had.  And there was nothing I could do for her at that time.  She would have to wait till I could call in the morning.  About 4:30 she moved out to the living room to watch a movie.  And I went back to sleep.... knowing that in 2 hours I would have to get up.

6:30 am and Eammah and I were getting up so we could be at her appt by 7 to have her tooth looked at.  Jessalla was still awake and watching youtube!!  lol funny girl!  But still was in a lot of pain.  Eammah and I leave to go to her appt.  Make it there with her ducky in hand... we walk in to the office.  And we check in, and they ask if I would like to take the appt right after hers that way I would not have to come back at 11.  Well yes, yes I would.  They take us back right away, and Eammah gets in the chair, with a death grip on ducky.  Dr Z takes a look at the tooth and ask if she would like him to pull it out.....  Well, she loses it and hides behind her ducky and says no.  She gets out of the chair and it's my turn.  He does what he needs and we try one more time with Eammah I get her back in the chair, tell her I will get her a milkshake.  She is not happy at all crying and telling us she is afraid.  Dr. Z has out the jelly to let her see it.  Puts some on her lip and still nothing is working.  I'm talking to her about camp and how she was afraid about that and how it came out okay.  Telling her how big she is.  Still nothing is working.   And now she can not fill part of her lip.  He tells her that it will come out and he will let it be.  And tells me to have her eat an apple.  I can feel myself getting mad.  Eammah and I get our things around and walk out to the truck and by the time we got out there she could tell I was mad!!  We got to talking...  And I was getting all the same answers that I get every time.  I do not know, I am not sure, because....  All the ones that make me nuts.  And now she crying more because I told she was going to eat an apple when we got home.  I'm sitting in the truck telling her it will be okay, we just need her tooth out.  It's been like this for a month now!!  Then it hit me I was not mad, I felt like I let her down, nothing I was doing was making things any better!!

It's now almost 8 am and we have made it home.  Jessalla is back to sleep!  I'm glad about that.  Eammah and I head back to the bedroom and she reads to me.  I was able to call and get Jessalla in this afternoon.  And then the next thing I remember we both were waking back up from a nap!  :)  Jessalla was awake again and we needed to get up and around for her appt.  Jessalla came to have an ear infection x2 just like I was thinking at 3 am this morning!

There was nothing I could do or say to make anything better for either of them today.  Both for different reason.  But as much as I wanted I could not.  It was the first time in a long time that I could not make things all better!!  And I felt like I let her down this morning.

2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Psalm 32:8 The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.

It may not have been the best night of sleep, or what I hope would take place at Eammah's appt this morning.  But knowing that my girls know that having The Lord in their life is to have it all makes it a great day.  And this morning I got that remember with Eammah when that was nothing I could say or do to make things better.  She always needed a more loving and calm way about going about things.  And I believe whole wholeheartedly that God has use her to help me to more loving, and softer spoken.  It may not always be that way.... but I always try.  

January Reading basket

How can we be down one month in 2017 already.... hard to believe.  We we have done a reading basket for a few years now... I'm just now getting around to posting about it.  And I hope to do so
each month so you know what we are reading.  So here what was in our basket it past month.

Let's Go, Froggy!  By Jonathan London
Teasing Trouble By Valerie Tripp
Pooh Just Be Nice... and get ready for bed!  By Shelagh Canning
Pooh A Perfect Little Piglet  By Rita Balducci
Skippy Jon Jones in the Dog House  By Judy Schachner
I was a Third Grade Spy  By Mary Jane Auch
Barbie Girl's Best Friend  By Rita Balducci
Prayers For Children  By Jane Werner Watson
101 Dalmatians Proud To Be A Pup  By Ronald Kidd
The Adventures of Andy Ant The Swimming Hole Disaster  By Gerald D. O'Nan
Seven Blind Mice  By Ed Young
The Ant Bully  By John Nickle
The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Forest By Stan & Jan Berenstain
The Little Goat  By Judy Dunn
A Big Fat Enormous Lie  By Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Lamb Chop's Fables You Can Do It, Lamb Chop!  By Shari Lewis
Winnie The Pooh's Thanksgiving  By Bruce Talkington
A Winnie the Pooh First Reader Pooh's Halloween Parade  By Isabel Gaines
The Mitten  Adapted By Jan Brett
Thabo & Kanoni  Apart of the Tales From the Serengeti
Disney Winnie the Pooh How Do You Hop So High?  By K. Emily Hutta
Daisy Dare  By Anita Jeram
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever  By Steven Knoll
The Dog Who Had Kittens  By Polly M. Robertus
Barbie Shooting for the Stars  By Karen Stillman & Victoria Saxon
Sheep Trick or Treat  By Nancy Shaw
Pooh Just Be Nice.... To your little friends!  By Caroline Kenneth
Gregory, the Terrible Eater  By Mitchell Sharmat
Take me out to the Ballgame  By Maryann Kovalski
Commotion in the Ocean  By Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz
Sesame Street The Count's Number Parade  By Norman Stiles

This month the girls will be filling the basket!!  I think it will be fun to see what they put in and want to read.

Christmas books!!

It was the last day in November and I sat for an hour wrapping up books just so the girls would have something to unwrap each day till Christmas.  All but two of the books they have seen and read many many times before...  They love it and love not knowing what book they will get to read that night.  :) I do not pick out a read aloud for the month of December, but we just enjoy reading all our Christmas books that we gotten over the years.  Here is a look at the books we have enjoyed over the month.

Tallulah's Nutcracker By: Marilyn Singer
God Gave Us Christmas By: Lisa Tawn Bergren
Where is Baby's Christmas Present? By: Karen Katz
'Twas the Night Before Christmas By: Clement C. Moore
The little Engine that Could and the Snowy, Blowy Christmas By: Watty Pipper
Guess Who's Coming to Santa's for Dinner? By: Tomie DePaola
Coca Cola The Night Before Christmas: A Family Treasury of Songs, Poems, and Stories
Who is Coming to Our House?  By: Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolff
The Christmas Unicorn: A little girl, a magical friend, a perfect Christmas  By: Anna Currey
Rudolph's Second Christmas  By: Robert L. May
Mary's Baby   By: Jane Chapman
The Christmas Snowman   By: Rand McNally
Sesame Street Merry Christmas Elmo!
Fun to Read fairy tales The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Biggest, Most Beautiful Christmas Tree  By: Amye Rosenbery
A Christmas Sonata  By: Gary Paulsen
Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia   By: Peggy Parish
Jingle Cats  By: Michael MeDermott
Treasury of Illustrated Classics The Night Before Christmas and other Holiday Tales
How Santa Got His Job  By: Stephen Krensky
Mickey's Christmas Carol  Based on Charles Dickens' Classic Story
A Night in Santa's Great Big Bag  By Kristin Kladstrup and Tim Jessell

This years books:
Minions Snow Day  By: Brandon T. Snider
Shopkins A Merry Shopkins Christmas  By: Meredith Rusu

And for added fun because our girls have ask question and like to learn new things.
My First Kwanzaa  By Karen Katz
I Have a Little Dreidel  By: Maxie Baum

We love books and to read.  I have made list of the books that we would read for the month and posted on here.  And then we end up doing something different.  So this year I'm going to try something a little different this year.  I'm going to keep a list of the books that the girls read and the ones that we read aloud.  At the end of the month I will make a blog post with the list and a few words on a few of them.  I hope that works better for me.  :)

We would love to hear what your favorite Christmas books are.

New Years word is Health....

With New Years Eve less than a week away, I have been thinking of all that I would like to get done next year.  I hope that we have a better year than we did this past year.  For the past few years I have seen friends pick a word for the year, and I have never did it..... till this year.  :) 2017 word of the year is going to be HEALTH!!  I can not wait to see what this will do for me and my family.  What will it mean to spend a year on the health of myself, my family, my relationships, my house keeping, and even the health with my Lord and my Bible.

I have taken steps to start now, and setting people to check in with... because I know I need someone to keep me going.  When we think of Health we all most all think of fitness and food.  So I will start there.  And this year I do have goals of a healthier eating and getting out more.  My sister-in-law and I will be working on the food thing together states a part.  She will make one week of healthy meals and I will make one.  We will get the 2 weeks of meals for only a little of our time.  I hope to post some of them on here for you all to see what we will be eating.  I'm not sure what she is thinking, but I know for us we will have 1 meatless night each week.  And will try to get lots of fruits and veggies in each day.  Should be a fun way to help each other out.  And two minds are better than one.  I will be tracking my water intake.  I will not say NO ________, I want it to be something that I can keep doing.  I do not want to it to be a diet, but a way of life.

As for fitness and health I myself will have a been working on a plan and have a great friend who is really full of info and has given me some great workouts that I have done for a while now.  And I have plans to sit down with the girls and have them help me with a plan for them and things that we can do together as a family.  I'm sure as the year goes on if not right away Lottie and I will talk and bounce ideas off each other.  I know one of the goals that the girls have is to ride 500 miles on their bikes this year.  Jessalla has been wanting me to take her running, but that means that I need to run with her.  I'm praying about that, I would love to do that with her.  I'm just not sure if I have it in me to take up running, at my age.

I want and need to take time with my friends and family.  I will do my best to work hard and keep my relationship healthy.  Take may mean I have to say no to people sometimes.  And that is okay and will be the best for us all in the outcome.  Having play dates, and sending birthday cards are part of the plan.  Sending notes and text letting them know that I'm thinking and praying for them is more of the plan.  I will work hard to keep my relationships health and to remove the unhealthy ones.  My relationships go down to my kids and impact them also.

My house and healthy..... Just stay with me.  :)  I will take the whole year, yes all 52 weeks to clean out and decluttering  my house.  I have a friend doing this with me.  I hope to be able to keep up with it and have a happier and healthier house at the end.  I also will be coming up with a cleaning list for myself and the girls.  This is something that I have been working on for years and need to find a plan that works for me.  A few months ago I got a book from a friend and I have been working on a few ideas that I got from the book and guess what.... it is working!!!  :)

My health with my Lord and my Bible time!  This one puts a smile on my face ever time I think about it.  But yes I need to work on it.  my health with my Lord is less than what I would like.  This area has a few area within it.  My prayer time, Bible reading and understanding, study and worship.  I have a prayer book and use it well.  But I could be better at prayer.  Reading my Bible is a down fall for me I love reading it but at the same time I reread the same thing over again all the time.  Not that it's unhealthy but it could be healthier and my understanding would be better if I would read more.  So I'm looking hard and praying about what and how to study it.

What is your word for the 2017?  I would love to hear and how you will use it.  And I pray that you all have a healthy 2017 in many ways!!!

2016.... looking back at all the good times!!

Looking back on 2016....

Eammah's birthday gift from Papa and Grammy
Having the day with them, and Art with Mrs. Shelby
and Aunt Taylor

   Man ooo Man where to start??  What about January....  We bought in 2016 at a friends house with some of our church family.  We had a great time just talking and hanging out.  It was a cold winter, and we tried to stay warm hanging out inside.

Birthday dinner with the mouse

What a great show!!

 Eammah turn 7!  7!!  How did that happened?!?!  I'm not sure!  But she is, and this year we did not do a big party, but at Christmas Santa had bought us all Disney on Ice tickets.  And the show was just a week after Eammah's birthday so we spent the day down in Grand Rapids.  Let her pick something out at the mall and we ate at Chuck E Cheese!  And the girls had a great time playing games.  And the show was great!!  We were right on the ice no one in our way!!  She had a great day and loved the time we poured out on her.  A few years back I ask her how she would like to give back and for the most part it's always been the same thing, but I'm okay with that.  She is thinking about others and that is what I'm wanting. This year again we did something for the staff at church.  I have had a hard time getting cards in the mail the last few years so we miss a few birthdays this month.  I hope that I can get back at it and remember to get them in the mail.

February is here!!  It's the month of love!  RED WHITE AND PINK!!  Really the Disney on Ice show was this month but it's okay!  We had a low key month it was still cold and winter outside.  The girls were enjoying being out and playing in the yard. We did our normal things over the month.  Had some time with friends and family.  The girls were able to make and race their cars again with the other Awana kids at church.  And are looking forward to doing it next year in just a few weeks.

the upstairs 

March had so much going on!  One of the best things is that I was able to spend my brother's birthday with him, have not done that in years!!  It was so nice to have that time with him.  Even with all that was going on.  Easter was in march this past year and we were able to make the rounds to see family and whatnot.  We went to church Easter morning and then down to my grandma Bills' to be with all the family.  We had closes on our house in town earlier this month, and the day after Easter we were working on the house taking down walls and cleaning it out.  That is when I got the phone call to come home.  My sweet Mama Beth would go to be with The Lord that night.

April -  We started off this month getting our feet back under us and getting ready for Matthew's birthday at the end of the month.  My days were laid out a little different now but I still had the girls and they were dancing.  And had a show coming up in June!!

Jessalla's Birthday treat
out to Papa and Grammy!

May - Was another big month for a Landers girl!!  Jessalla turned 10!!! She is so sweet and loving!  Again we did not have a party.  But just spent the day with her.  We sign the girls up for camp this month and they would go at the end of June and the start of July.  Eammah would be going for a mini week!!  Her and I were not sure about that.  But I did not show her that!

June - OOO man!  It's summer and we are in dance show mind 100%!  It's going to be a great show.  And then I got yet another phone call.... My sweet Grandma Jean had passed away.  I remember that day and it was nuts, yes we live in Michigan and the weather is nuts.  But that day we had hail that day.  😲 So the same day that we said goodbye to one of the people that was a big part of my world, the girls also dance at their show.  I'm so thankful for our dance family.  I was able to walk into the school were my dad and Sharon met us with food and feed us and Sharon came in the back with me and helped me get things set up for the girls.  Another mom that I have known for years now... her and her daughter came and did the girls hair and makeup in no time.  And I was just able to sit.  I love them, they are a sweet family and love that our lives are crossing path again.  Jessalla went to camp at the end of the month and had a great time!!  She would go the full summer if she could.  Matthew's parents Phil and Dixie came in and was able to pick up Jessalla from camp.  So we stay up there a little longer showing them around and letting the girls tell them what it was like.

July - started with us dropping Eammah off at camp.  And me crying.  And a few days later going back up to get her.  She had a great time!!!  We got to see Dixie's side of the family and spent the day at a camp ground with them all.  Riding this fun bikes all over, spending the day talking and hanging out.  Matthew's grandma could paint!!  Well, very WELL!!  One of Matthew's aunts bought some paintings that she had done and ask if there was one that we would like.  So now we have a snow covered barn hanging in our living room!!  LOVE it!!  While Phil and Dixie were here for 3 weeks they were able to help on the house and we got lots done.  It was just great!!  The girls are doing 4-h and had their first show ever!!  They loved it!  And it was also Matthew, Phil and Dixie first show!  lol!!  They were not a 4-h family so it was all new for them.  It was a little new for me just because they do not show horse but Llamas!! They are a great show and loved it!!  Jessalla got Grand Champion!!

#18 for their favorite Youth Pastor!!

Eammah fish for the afternoon
she was a little sad that Layton would
not cook them up for her.

August - A week of fair at Evart, was not as much fun as it was as I remember it as a kid!!  lol  They had a great time we were able to be up there and see some of the teens from our youth group show their animals.  Take in some rides eat some treats and show their llamas!!  They had a great time at the fair and can not wait till next year!!  We had an over night with the youth group at a cabin out at a lake.  They had a great time, swimming, fishing Bible study!  Eammah spend one time we were having lake time just fishing.

September - We are now back into school for a month and going strong!  We are homeschooling again this year.  Awana is starting back up, and so is youth group.  We got some great bike rides in.  Not as many as we would like, and will try harder next year to get more in.  The girls had their last show this month.  It was just a weekend long.  And all I will say I'm just glad this was not their first show.  I'm so Thankful for the help I have this year at Awana!

October it's fall!!  This year is flying by in many ways and going so slow in others.  This is the second year that the girls have loved on both of our pastors for the full month!  Each day they did something for them.  I'm glad we are back in town.  Cards, baked goods, homemade things.  The girls were back dancing for a few weeks again, after having the summer off.  And we got two old dance outfits for Halloween!  They went as pink ladies!!!  I love that movie!!  We spent a lot of time raking, and raking and when we were thinking we were done we raked some more.  We only have 8 to 10 tree but they are BIG trees.

November it should be cold, right?  It was so nice here in Michigan.  Birthday dinner, family time, and more dance.  We have a very full birthday month this month!!  9 birthdays!!!  And I still did not get them all!!  I got most so it's all good!!  The girls wanted to both dance for the Christmas show for we had extra dance this month to work on that.   Our church does mission month also so we have different missionaries in each week to talk and let us know what they are doing.  It's so much fun and we all enjoy it.  This year we had a family come that we just click with so well.  And have been able to stay up with each other.  And they home school also and use some of the same things we do.  Just a nice gift from The Lord that I needed.  Thanksgiving week our church does a big dinner on Monday!  It's always a great time just to sit down and talk with people that we see each week but may not have time to talk to, or get to deep.  Thanksgiving was dinner at my Grandma Bills.

December was still nice out till about the 11th!!  Then we got a snow, and I think it will stay around for awhile.  On the 10th we had our first Christmas of the year!!  I know so early, it was back down to my Grandma Bills.  The girls love have that time with family.  I need to work hard to get them together more.  We have only 1/2 a tree this year.... the girl's papa Scott gave them a kitten who has made it her life goal to kill the big green monster that has taken over her living room!!  So this years Christmas tree is a hot mess.  lol!!  We are okay with it for the most part.  Other than that we have nothing up and it's the 16th!!  Phil and Dixie will be in tomorrow till the 26th!  I hope to get some things up before they get here. TOMORROW!!!  LOL!!  Who am I kidding!! We have 1/2 a tree!!  We have kinda full week why they are here... I tried not to make it so bad it just did not workout that way.  On the 18th our church is doing it's Christmas play with the kids.  And both girls are in it.  We have plans to give back at a store around here.  The girls have speech class on Tuesday, Dance on Thursday and also Art class then.  Friday we are going out with our church to sing. Christmas eve we are at home but have family food chop going on with dinner that night. Jessalla will be reading again this year on Christmas eve.  We are planning on opening a few things Christmas Eve.  Christmas morning we will get up and open up whatever Santa leaves us and make it to church by 10:30.  Both girls will be singing Christmas morning.  I know we will get some good time in with them.

Not sure where we will ring in the New Year.

Eammah - is 7 and in 2nd grade.  She went to camp this summer over night!  That is big for her.  She is growing so much trying new things with camp, showing llamas, and even new dance class this fall.  She is doing great in school!  She started off 2nd grade not reading much at all and now just a few weeks in reading so great.  Pickup any book she can and just reading it.  Can not wait to see what is to come for her this next year.

Jessalla - is 10 and in 5th grade.  She went to The Springs Camp 2 times once over the winter for an overnighter and once this summer for a week.  She is getting so tall and becoming a beautiful young lady!!  She takes a full load of dance, taking all she can and asking for more!!  We both love that her dance teacher is willing to help her grow, as a dancer, a young lady and in The Lord.  She is doing great in school this year and working a head in some places.

Matthew - is taking college class at Baker, still working for the USPS.  Looking at another job, we hope to know more on that in the new year.  And working on the house as much as he can.

As for me.... I keep myself busy.  With school for the girls, running them to 4-h, church, and dance things.  I teach cubbies at church on Sunday nights over the school year, and help with the youth group as much as I can.

This year has been a hard year, we lost 9 people in a short time, we made a move into a house that we are working on.  We are not all into Christmas this year with good reason.  But even in all the bad we had going on.  God showed us his love, and the love of others.  God has given us the people we need to help us make it.  We may have felt all alone but he never left our side.  He is FAITHFUL always!  As we close out this year we pray for each and all our friends and family that you have a great 2017!  We look forward to all the good that God has planned for us each and as a family.

Grandma Jean 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years from Our Home to Yours!!

Me and Mama Beth summer 2015

 Both will live in our hearts always!

If this is your first holiday without a love one, our heart and prayers go out to you.

not easy to talk about....

I wanted to take sometime to share some things that I have been dealing with for a long time, and it's anxiety.  And not just that it comes with panic attack, over thinking everything!  It's something I have been dealing with for years and have found ways to not have them take over.  But in the last few months it's been much more, and harder for me to deal with.  It can be something that has nothing to do with me that will set me off.  Here a few things.....

Facebook - I like that I can keep up with friends and family all over the world but at the same time it's hard for me.  When I write to a friend and with facebook telling you that they seen it and when.  But they have not wrote back.  I start to think of what I could have done wrong.  Should I not have ask how they were doing?  I have work myself into being sick.  Sometimes it's their kids that see it and not them, sometimes it maybe that they just happened to have it pulled up when I wrote but never did see it.  And I can tell myself that, but it does not always help and lately it's been harder.  A facebook post can do the same thing, when a friend post something about being upset with a friend.  I can be mostly sure that it has nothing to do with me.  And the same thing will happen.  And if it's the same person that does both things, I can work myself up into a mess where at times my life has to stop because I just can not move on.  All in fear of making friend more upset than they already are at "me".  Even if it's not me at all.  But I do not want to do anything that would add to it.  And I feel like I need to fix it.... even if it's not anything to do with me.

Another things that is a big trigger for me is when I feel unappreciative.  But I do not get mad, I go into thinking what did I not do, what could I have done better!  And even if I know they are appreciative and thankful for all the work I do.  But I sometimes over think it.  It leads me to asking more questions.  Or maybe taking on more things.  I know it's a little backwards but I'm very much a people pleaser.  I want to make everyone happy, and will do so even if it makes me unhappy.  

As much as it used to happen I would work it out and keep on going.  But this year has been long and hard on us.  At some point in it I think I stop dealing with what was going on, so now I'm dealing with anxiety, panic attack, and much more now and it's harder for me to deal with.  I'm not sure why it's so much harder to deal with outside of the fact I just stop dealing with things.  There is much more that I should deal with that may help.

But I say this to you, because I'm not the only one that deals with this.  Maybe the only one that handles it the way that I do.  Here is the thing We have a great God who loves us!  If we remember to give it all to him.  Thanksgiving was yesterday and I was having a hard day, and was able to sit and have sometime with God before the rest of the family got up and around.  As much as it was a hard year God has always been with me.  He showed me how great he is!  He gave me people that I can turn to and ask for prayer. People that help me and build me up.  Help me grow in The Lord, they walk with me and help me.  Even in times of anxiety and panic attack God is great all the time and all the time God is great!  And even in those times I can give Thanks to God for all he done, and know that he will use this for his good!

Mom of the year!!!..... well maybe not!

If you would have ask my daughter last night she would have told you that I was going for mean mom of the year!! I would have told you I felt like I was also. It was what we have come to call a somewhat normal Tuesday in October. Which means the girls have something to give/do/ say to our pastors at our church, and we could have a soccer game. Which we did last night. So we spent the morning like we do every other weekday doing school and the girls had pick to make muffins for our Pastors that day. So we were getting that all done. We ran things over to the church only a few blocks from our house, but we still feel the need to drive. In part due to that fact the girls are home-schooled I still feel funny having them out and about during “School” hours. Even if we had finish for the day, or more. But we did drive over and handle out their muffins and the girls were able to help with a job that they have come to love. Folding pizza boxes. I know, right! But there is a Pizza Place here in the town we live that if you bring back in 10 pizza boxes you get a medium for $2! So needless to say our youth group is glad to take pizza boxes off the hands of those in our church. We left the church 45 minutes after getting there. Which for us is a fast trip and I was able to drop the girls back off at the house with their dad to eat lunch and have their reading time. I was off to have lunch with a friend and just talk about life. I was back home 45 minutes later and helped the girls with their Awana verse and clean up from lunch. We were all outside helping Matthew with some yard work. That’s were we spent the rest of our afternoon. Matthew left for class and the girls and I stay at what we were working at and finish a few things. Before we knew it it was time to make dinner and get around for the soccer game.

That’s when things went from normal to bad! You see we have moved into our house this summer back in June, and have been working on it so we are only living in part of the house and still have boxes. We will just say that it is less than ideal. I ask Jessalla to go and get her soccer things around and get them on so we could leave after dinner. An hour before she needs to be at her game, she tells me she can not find her shirt. Dinner was almost, so I sent the girls in different ways looking for it and I finish dinner. Then I went behind both girls looking again once dinner was done. Checking the wash, dressers, and any other place I could think of. An hour of looking we are in the truck, with no dinner, no soccer shirt and a kid that does not want to go and is crying about being late, and not having what she needs. And mad at me that I’m making her go! I fully understand how she was feeling and wanted more than anything to say okay we do not need to go. But I did not, I made her go, telling her all the way that she needed to do this because her team was counting on her, even if she could not play. They needed her to cheer them on and support them. Most of all they needed to know that they could count on her. We made it to the game just as they were starting, and as we got out she started crying again and with a hug and one more little talk we walk to the fence and I sent her on her way.

On the way home things were better and we were able to talk on the good things from the game and whatnot. It maybe years before she see the full picture but most of all she knows that it was done out of love. And as I was writing this she was still talking about how hard it was for her to have to sit on the sidelines why all her friends were playing and how sad she felt. She was able to able to look at 1 Corinthians 10:31 which read: Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. We all have things that are hard for us to do, or things we just do not do because it’s to hard. Ask God to hold your hand, and PRAY! Just like the WWJD bracelets from the 90’s.

She has one more game this week on Thursday, and she found her shirt. We all walked away with a better understanding of what it is to give glory to God in all that we do.

Mother's day wonderful wisdom

Mother's Day......

   Mother's Day is this Sunday, and I have been very lucky to have so many special ladies in my life to help me come the person I am today.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7New International Version (NIV)

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

When you see this verse you may think of a wedding.  But I have many ladies in my life that showed me this verse outside of the wedding and in life with everyone.  

Love is Patient ~ I have seen around me for many years clam ladies.  I watch things happened that were not planned and seen them turn to The Lord in Prayer right away.  I have learn by watching not to yell at my kids, or ones that I'm working with.  But when they are acting in a way that is not okay for what we are doing to keel down to their level and talk to them quietly.  And pull out of the Bible as much as I can. 

Love is Kind ~ I have seen people come in early, stay late, miss out on things because they maybe working in the kitchen.  Hold the door open for someone who hands are full.  Take a meal to a working mom and dad just because.  And from that we now have love on them days where we just show up at the church with a little goodies for them. 

Love does not envy ~ I have learn that it is great to be happy for others.  And we are called to do that. But we are called not to want what others have.  I'm thankful for the ladies in my life that help me remember not to envy others.  When the time comes and is needed to call me out on it, remind me.

Love does not boast ~ I learn that you do not run around doing good things and yelling about it to everyone to get pats on the back.  I have a hard time with just saying Thank you when someone does say something to me.  I try to brush it off.  

Love is not proud ~ I learn to do things not because it make myself look good or feel good.  Not to be happy for all the "GOOD" that I do, and how it makes people feel.  Or what people will say because of what I have done.  I'm not saying that you should not do things, but watch why you are doing them.  

Love does not dishonor others ~ I have learn not to gossip about others.  It so easy to get talking over coffee, and just like a wildfire so much can be lost.

Love is not self-seeking ~ You do not run away looking to what you will get out of this.  You put yourself a side and look at what you can a give, what others can get out of it.  How you can glorified The Lord.  You come in early and stay late.  You stay up all night with a kid who can not sleep.  You shovel your neighbor walkway just to make them smile.

Love is not easily angered ~ You do not yell and tell people what you think.  I learn and seen people seek wise counsel. That you should turn to God in prayer. And remembering  Proverbs 15:1                                                                                                        A gentle answer turns away wrath,                                                                   but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Love keeps no record of wrongs ~ I seen forgiven first hand, and what it should look like.  I seen second and third changes with no mention of pass wrong doing.  Maybe just as big if not bigger if you are the one that's done the wrong, right it and ask for forgiveness.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth ~ I have said many times to my kids, " I will not be mad, as long as you tell me the truth"  I praise others for going out of their way for others.  And at the same time of rejoices I learn to give thanks to The Lord.  

Love always protects ~ I learn that you do this but doing everything else from above.  By taking the extra time to make sure the car seat is in right, to stop the gossip.  To call and check on a friend after a hard day.  

Love always trusts ~ To be able to handout tasks to others and not checkup or go ahead and do it myself. I learn to watch myself and ask myself if it's about losing control.  If it's not about that then I have to go back to all of the above. 

Love always hopes ~ I seen others want nothing but the best for others.  Like a parent, wants nothing but the best.  But I'm thankful for all that have help me learn that as much hope as you have you need just as much if not more prayer.

Love always perseveres ~ I learn that you never give up, that you never walk away.  You keep going!  There are three ways to get out of the trial that you are in.  Pray that it goes away, pray that God will take you from it, or pray that God will get you through it.  

By all means I do not have it all together, and I'm still learn as I go.  This is just a small part of what I have learn from my Mom, Mama Beth, Sharon my step mom, Dixie my mother in love, My sisters, My Grandmas, my Aunts, my friends and many ladies from church.  Sometimes a lady from the store.  These are lessons that I have learn and hope to pass down to my kids.  Behind each lesson are memories, there is laughter, some tears, and more laughter.  There are memories that we will pull out when we teach the lesson to someone, or when we need the reminder our self.  We will remember they smiles, that saying that they always said.  And for that I'm so grateful for.  Thank you for all that have left their mark on my life.  I look forward to passing on all I have learn.

No more walls!

It's taken longer than we had hope, but the walls are coming down in the upstairs and things are moving along.  And as soon as next week we will start putting back up the new walls.  There is still a lot that needs to get done before we are able to move in, or even paint the upstairs but it's coming along.  Here is our list of order to come.

1. finish taking down the old walls
2. Clean up
3. Move and put in new pluming
4. Put in new wire and outlets, lights

It does not look like a lot but most likely will be the next few weeks of work.  And it's gotten so nice here in Michigan that we have been able to clean up the yard and start thinking about what we want to do out there.  We also have gotten news that Matthew's parents are coming this summer for a few weeks so we have a count down going with the girls and making a list of things that we want to have them help with when they are here.  Lots of fun things like getting layers and layers of paint off the doors and trim.  :)  I hope we will be painting some by then.  Some craft things for the girls rooms.  But who knows by then the list could have change 100 times and have something different on it by then.

But here a few things that we have learn in the last few weeks about working on this house...

1. When taking down lath and plaster it's better to take it down one at a time.  And not all at once.  It makes clean up a lot easier than having to pick it apart.

2. To have a good vacuum is helpful when dealing with dust, plaster, and insulation

3. That you can reuse almost all the things coming out of the house for something else.

4. A flat pry-bar has worked best for taking the lath and plaster down.

That is all for now, I hope the next time we give an update that it will show new walls with wires and little blue boxes all over the place.

We have some news......

   We had started a new chapter in our life and some big for the whole family.  Something that we will love and make memory with and around for a long time coming........ We bought a HOUSE!!! We have found a home church here in town and now we will be around for awhile we hope.  Our life is still in God's hands and things could change.  But back to the house!!  We will have to move back in to town...and leave our land that we have now.  We have a yard that we will be able to to play in, but no chickens for us.  And we are okay with that for now.  The house is need of some work....well some maybe a little off.  But we knew that coming in and are happy to do the work as we go.  It's an older house and has great details in it, and we would love to bring them out and add a little of us with the old.

          ( the front of the house was covered with bushes and last week when it was nice we work on them.  Haft way done I remember to take the pictures.)
  When you walk in the house, it is out dated in all things.  Flooring, wall paper, lighting and more.  And there are some odd things that come with the house like having to walk through the bathroom to get from one side of the upstairs to the other.  We would like to see if we can work it out so that is not needed when we are done.  We would also love to get the paint off the wood, and in time remove the wall paper.

  We have our plan to start upstairs and work our way down.  I feel that we need to give the girls back their place and make this as easy as we can for them.  We have been working outside already, picking up sticks and taking out bushes that we did not want, and now we can see the house.  And it looks so much bigger.

 We were able to get some work done outside and still have a little more work to do in the front yard to open it up a little more.  And hope to get somethings planted this summer with a little color.  But loving how it looks from the street now!

Loving our lazy Saturdays

Today is Saturday!  Our Saturdays over the years have look different and changes when needed.  But what our Saturdays have become.... a day of laziness in the best of ways.  Not to say that we do not do anything.  But over the last few months we have not made big plans, no big time frame.  We may have a play date with some friends, or do some shopping if needed.  It's just the girls and I at the house on Saturday, Matthew is at work.  

   It's come my day to clean the house and do anything that did not get done over the week.  The girls and I do not set a time to get up on Saturdays but are still up early and will eat around 8:30.  We may or may not watch a show.  The girls may plan something to do.

  Here is what our Saturday may look like:

8:30 - up and eating and the TV is on

9:30 - Cleaning round 1 - girls room, bath room and start the wash

10:00 - Jessalla picks out 30 minute fun thing  ~ her pick TV show

10:30 - Cleaning round 2 - Living room and more washing

11:00 - Eammah's picks out 30 minute fun thing ~ her pick TV show

11:30 - Cleaning round 3 - Kitchen and more washing.

12:00 - Lunch and I put on a music.  May need to rethink cleaning the kitchen before lunch!  Why would I do that.  

1:00 - The girls have free time and I'm on cleaning round 4 - our bedroom and more washing if needed

1:30 - Cleaning round 5 - girls are back helping and we are cleaning the school room and we all put our cleaning cloths away. 

A little after 2 we are done with the cleaning and have the rest of the day to hang out do nails play games.  

Please note that this is our big cleaning day, but does not mean we do nothing all week.  We pick up all week as needed.  I sometimes forget about the washing because it's in the basement, out of sight out of mind...  :)  It's may not look like a lazy day, but it feels like one for me.  I do not have to run to town, I can get away with PB&J for lunch, and I can stay in my PJ's all day if I wish to.  

  I do this not because it's my job, or because I have taken Proverbs 31 to a point where people ask if it's gone to far and if I'm okay.  I do it for my family and for my girls.  We all do better when we can start the week off well.  I'm teaching the girls how to clean, and that it can be fun.  We have a great time talking and working together and it's goes by fast.  I help them with their things and ask them to help with the family areas of the house.  And most weeks they help me with our room.  

I would love to hear what your Saturdays look like, and what your cleaning list looks like.

Hope you all have a great weekend

It's my Christmas!

Working on this summer plan, and wish list....

       We will finish up this years "school" work. Not that we are ever done with "school" but hope to finish up our book work with in the next few months.  I have already started looking at our new things for next year.  It's like Christmas for me!!  :)  For the most part we are staying with everything that we been using.  As the girls get older we will need to change things up here and there.  I been looking in to different things to add and replace some of our older things.  Some of the things that we use, only go up so high.  And I do love what we are using, I still want to make sure they have a great understanding of it.  To give you an idea of what I'm talking about.  We use Hook on Phonics and it works so well for us.  The dvd, work book, little books to read and games on line!!  The down side to it is that it only goes up to 2nd grade.  We will be using it again this coming year for Eammah for 2nd grade.  We have not put anything in when Jessalla finish, but am looking at finding something that we can do to review once a week or so.  She dose great reading but just to keep up on it and whatnot.  Still not 100% what we will be using.  Or if I will find anything that I like enough to buy it.  We may just do a game on the internet.  We are dropping one of Jessalla's math books and adding on Teaching Textbooks for her.  We feel great about this choice and how it is working for us. We are finishing up all her books this year and next year will not order 180 Days of Math.  But Eammah will keep 180 Days of Math for 2nd Grade.  On top of our math books we play lots of games and will keep them and add a few I'm sure.  I'm just not sure where we will put them.  Like I said before we will keep most of what we have been using but there are a few things that I want to look in to and some little things to add in.

    With that said for the last two years we have not had a good Bible curriculum that we loved.  We have used the girls Awana.  And we love Awana and the girls have a great time studying their books.  But I just wanted more, so I have spent many hours over the last few months looking at different ones.  I think I found one that I want to try.  The one that I'm looking in to runs for 35 weeks, and has a colorful fill in book that goes with it.  I think it will work great for us, and I hope that they will enjoy it and gain lots from it.

We also started looking at summer studies also....What does summer looked like for us.  We will keep up with Bible I pull things off line and other books that we have.  We also keep up with reading daily, and reading out loud.  We love to pick books that have been made in to movies so we can watch them.  And end up writing something up, I find something that I think they will like. I find fun ways to keep them writing.  We have one workbook that we work on in the summer do a page a day and by the end of summer we are done with it and the girls like them.  There is also a book list in them, and a place to make goals.  Then our big thing for the summer is a theme.  One summer it was stars, this year is not nailed down as much has I would like but we are getting there.  We will read on it, do art if we can and lots and lots of hands on things.

  In the next few weeks I hope to have the summer out lined so I have my goals outlined.  I do not write down day to day things.  I will have goals for the summer and the months and may do the weeks.  Lots of fun!!  Then once that is done I will start on next years school year.  And I have the girls and what they will be using I have not found something that works for me.  So I hope that sometime with pinterest and I will.  I do not need anything big and fancy.  When I come up with what I hope will be the last one that I have to try I will post.  I will do the same with the summer theme and next year study.

 

church, voting and so much more!!

  Tonight we had our yearly business meeting at church.  What a night it was!  Let me take you back a few weeks almost a mother ago.  There was a meeting to nominate new people for the opens that we have for this upcoming year.  I prayed for those in the meeting before leaving the church that night after Awana and did not think much of it till my sweet friend called me and ask me if I would like to be a deaconess.  We talk and I ask what it would mean and what would be ask of me.  We had a great talk and she let me know that I had a few weeks to let her know.

   I got off the phone with her, and was able to think and pray about it.  Man ooo Man!!  What this has nothing to do with kids...and just in case you do not know I mainly deal with kids, it's just were I feel called.  What did they see in me that I was unable to see....  I spent many hours in prayer over it and ask others to prayer for wisdom for me.  And talk to a few that I knew would give me Biblical words of wisdom.  I came to a point that I knew what I was going to say.  I wanted to talk with one more person.  I had said that I would help them and wanted to make sure I know what they wanted from me and to make sure that they would not feel like I was unable to uphold what they were needed from me.  The time had come and I needed to give them my answer.

  My answer........ Yes!!!

  That brings us up to tonight, we needed to vote in 6 new deaconess there were 11 names.  I did not get voted in.

  I learn so much over this past month.  I was able to see how much I have grown, in the past I would have just said yes.  And not taking the time to pray about it, or even talk about it to others.  God also use this to show me that he can use me in other areas.  I could not have seen it!

 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 

 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

                                                       Proverbs 3:5-6

This verse is one that I have always had a hard time with.  How can I trust with all my heart, and not myself.  But come on, sometimes I need to know now, right?  No, the best timing is his timing.  And trusting in him with everything and not your own understanding, because we can not see the big picture.  We see the here and now, but not life times.  

I can say that I will be praying for those who did get voted in, and will keep helping out where and when I can.  I'm so thankful that I was able to take Proverbs 3:5-6 and use it in my life.  And can see the different that it brings in my life.  I'm so over joyed, that people seen things in me that I did not see.