Thank You Very Much!

I'm trying something new today!

Here's how it works:

It's Free Therapy Day!! That's right, it's Thursday, which means it's the Thank You Very Much day. The way it works is that you post your little peeves that may have affected you in some way during the week and say, Thank You Very Much in a slightly sarcastic tone. 

To the people using the pool who went into the camp building that was off-limits, apparently because the open bathrooms were too far to walk, and dragged sand all over the floor and generally made a mess of what took me FOUR hours to clean the other day.....Thank you very much....because with summer season about to start, I have to time to go back and do it all again.

To my husband who has reawakened the bug to return to Alaska.....Thank you very much....Like I needed another big trip to plan!

 To my coffee, which I can't seem to start my day without....Thank you very much.

To my van....Look, I love you.  Would you please stop dropping parts all over the road?.....Thank you very much.

To my beloved kids who think they need a new, clean glass every time they want a drink and thereby fill my sink full of dishes on an hourly basis....Thank you very much.

*phew*!...well that felt kinda good!  

Give it a try!

 

HOW....did I get here?!!

Rural living has a way of sucking you into animal-ownership.  Empty space = room for critters.  It's as simple as that.  I recently took stock of our current situation and this is where we stand:

* 3 cats (about to be 4....more on that shortly)
* 1 dog
* 3 chickens (and 2 more coming next month)
* 2 goats

And that doesn't even include the 3 mice in cages in my sons' room......*sigh*

The other day my youngest son appeared at the front door with his hands cupped.....
"Mom, I saved a bird!" he proudly exclaimed.

He had found it floundering around in the water at the edge of the pond. It was a very young bird, but had enough feathers that we could tell it was a Chickadee. We went back to where he found it, but saw no nest in any of the branches in the area. The poor little thing was wet and cold, so we brought it into the house and I set it up on some fleece scraps and put it in a box under a desk lamp. It warmed up and dried off fairly quickly. I did a quick search with Audubon on-line and discovered it was most likely a fledgling....a young bird that had left the nest but really didn't have its act together yet! So, on their advice, I got a hanging flower pot, filled it with hay and a scrap of fleece, and went out to hang it up outside, like a "nest" for the bird. It was due to rain hard that night so I hung it up inside our pop-up camper, with the door open. The next morning the bird was on the floor, so I put it back in the "nest." The next day it was gone, so I have to assume it finally found its wings and went on its way!

Phew.....such drama!

But it's not over yet, my friends! Oh no. The night before last, my oldest son came home with a kitten.....

He found it up the road, in the road, and picked it up and brought it home. The poor thing was NOT well. It was sneezing and had a goopy nose and runny eyes. Never mind the horrible sore on the top of its head (I'll leave that one as-is.....trust me you don't want more detail!!!!). Yesterday hubby took it to the vet. I was ready for the worst (Feline Leukemia or some other awful, fatal disease). But it turns out he just has a bad upper-respiratory infection and CAN be treated!! Cat-sap that I am, I was thrilled. Not so thrilled with what this is going to cost me, but I couldn't just leave this poor creature to fend for itself out in the wild. He wouldn't have made it out there and the end wouldn't have been quick. Poor baby! So he spent last night at the vet to get cleaned up, neutered, and started on antibiotics. Should be ready to come home some time today.

Which brings us to 4 cats....

*sigh*

It's a good thing I love animals!....

.

It's official...

I am burnt out.  Completely.  On what? you ask....   Home schooling.

Awwwww.....not this again??!

Yep.  Every time I try to deal with some issue, or even just to try to get a schedule in place for the day, it's like my brain just wants to shut down.  It's at the point of just doing busy-work in the work books to make it "look" like we're accomplishing something, and so that I "feel" like I did something "school" that day.  In reality I'd like to toss in the towel for this year and call it done.  Kaput.  Fin.  But then I feel guilty and tell myself that the schools around here (public and private alike) all go until the end of May, and so should we.  But right now I'm trying to finish this week and cannot see how we'll make it that far!!

I need a WHOLE new focus for next year.  I think I still want them home, believe it or not.  We just need new curriculum, more of a schedule and more clearly defined expectations of what should be accomplished in a day, a month, a semester, etc..  I'm NO good at drafting our own plan.  I have proved that without a shadow of a doubt.  MOM needs the structure as much (more!?) than the kiddos!

Anyway, I just needed to say that. 

Carry on with your day!....lol!

Well this is just wrong....

Why can't I have a NORMAL cat?!!......LOL!!!!!  Oh the shame....

Another earthquake....

Is anyone else going through the "things that make you go 'Hmmm...." bit??  This is unprecedented, really - this many large earthquakes in such a brief span of time.

I'm not an alarmist, but as a Christian, you bet I'm keeping my eyes and ears open to what's happening in our world.  I believe we're seeing the "birth pangs" that Jesus speaks of in Mark 13.  You can agree or disagree, but I'm not afraid to say it.  This world is getting more and more secular.  It can't go on forever.

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Homeschool.....*ugh*

So today is definitely one of "those" days....It's funny, moms with kids in school usually say they can't wait for vacation weeks to be over.  I, on the other hand, can't wait for them to begin!!!  Because that means I get a break from teaching!!

This year has really been about de-schooling.  It's April and we're still trying to find our groove!  Yikes.   Well, the workbooks are nearing the end so I know at least they've been doing something.  I need to regroup and come up with a different plan for next year.

I am actually going to tour a local Christian school tomorrow.  No commitments, just to go see and talk with someone.  They are very affordable as private schools go, but since DH and I work in ministry, the paychecks are modest and it will really be all about the "bottom line."  Right now I can see my youngest being interested in going there.  I was hoping maybe the middle son as well, but we'll see about that.  Oldest is making noise about the nearby public school.  Since our zoned school district is very bad in every way, shape and form, we can petition to go to the next one over.  It's a very small district and is only comprised of an elementary school and a combined middle/high school.  I think the grades have an average of only 30-40 kids each!  That's grades, not classrooms.  I'm not into public [read: government-run] schools at ALL right now.  Neither is hubby.  But, oldest son will be 14 and in 8th grade next year and I feel it deserves a family discussion at the very least.  He would never, ever go for the private school option, so I'm not even exploring that.

But!  If youngest and oldest go off to a school next year, then that leaves me with just middle son, who I think might actually benefit from some real one-on-one mom/dad time.  So often that middle kid sort of gets lost in the fray, y'know?  He's the quiet type, too, so you never really know what's going through his head (that was me as a child so I can totally relate!).

At any rate, I do know that who ever is here for home school next year, we need a much more organized curriculum....I love the idea of "natural" learning but my kids just aren't catching on to it and we end up either arguing or doing not much of anything (outside of the workbooks for math and language arts).

It it something that will be getting lots of prayer!

Christ is risen indeed!

I just want to wish everyone a BLESSED Easter......  HE is the reason that we live!!

AMEN and AMEN!

So I bought....

a new computer yesterday!  That's a first for me.  All my previous computers were pass-alongs from my dad, except for the last one which was bought new, by him, for me.  He's a computer whiz so I fully trust his judgment on these things.

But alas, the time had come where I needed to put my big girl panties on and step out into this unknown territory alone!...lol!  Now, I'm not completely computer-illiterate.  Far from it.  Actually, years ago I worked for "PC Connection," which is a very large mail-order company.  Back then I could tell you anything and everything about computers.  But given that the industry changes almost faster than you can change your mind, it's hard to keep up once you get away from it.

My last computer I'd had just about 4 years.  It's not a dinosaur, but it's far faster and more advanced than the oldie that my 13-yr old son had.  And this son is an up-and-coming animator, I'll tell ya!!  He's really into making little movies (stop-motion, no less.....where is all that patience when we're doing school?!!...lol!) and he's GOOD at it.  But his poor computer couldn't keep up with the graphics demands and kept crashing or freezing.  So, I gave him my computer.....*sigh*

I had thought I'd use my laptop, but after one day I knew that wasn't going to fly for a long-term solution.  I wasn't looking to spend money on a computer right now, but since we use it so much for home schooling, I justified it as a "need" and plunked down the bucks.  But I actually got a good deal, and only plunked down a couple hundred bucks as opposed to many hundreds! ;)  It's not a top-of-the-line model, but it's made for home & student use and has everything I need and plenty of memory and a large hard drive.

I'll let you know how it works out!

Wordless Wednesday

Disney hiatus...it's harder than it seems!!

So I've put myself on a little break from all-things-Disney until after Easter.  I just feel my focus should be on this holy season and with my upcoming trip the The World, I was totally and completely preoccupied!  But let me tell you, it's hard!

I have also discovered that without all those Disney-related web sites, I don't have quite so much to do on the computer these days!....lol!

After Easter, I still have a month to go before my trip so there will be plenty of time to be excited and enjoy the anticipation, and I think at this point it will be all the sweeter, having been away from it for a few weeks.

But boy, am I ever ready for this little get-away....!

"The Choice"

The Choice
by Max Lucado

He placed one scoop of clay upon another until a form lay lifeless on the ground.

All of the Garden's inhabitants paused to witness the event. Hawks hovered. Giraffes stretched. Trees bowed. Butterflies paused on petals and watched.

"You will love me, nature," God said. "I made you that way. You will obey me, universe. For you were designed to do so. You will reflect my glory, skies, for that is how you were created. But this one will be like me. This one will be able to choose."

All were silent as the Creator reached into himself and removed something yet unseen. A seed. "It's called 'choice.' The seed of choice."

Creation stood in silence and gazed upon the lifeless form.

An angel spoke, "But what if he ... "

"What if he chooses not to love?" the Creator finished. "Come, I will show you."

Unbound by today, God and the angel walked into the realm of tomorrow.

"There, see the fruit of the seed of choice, both the sweet and the bitter."

The angel gasped at what he saw. Spontaneous love. Voluntary devotion. Chosen tenderness. Never had he seen anything like these. He felt the love of the Adams. He heard the joy of Eve and her daughters. He saw the food and the burdens shared. He absorbed the kindness and marveled at the warmth.

"Heaven has never seen such beauty, my Lord. Truly, this is your greatest creation."

"Ah, but you've only seen the sweet. Now witness the bitter."

A stench enveloped the pair. The angel turned in horror and proclaimed, "What is it?"

The Creator spoke only one word: "Selfishness."

The angel stood speechless as they passed through centuries of repugnance. Never had he seen such filth. Rotten hearts. Ruptured promises. Forgotten loyalties. Children of the creation wandering blindly in lonely labyrinths.

"This is the result of choice?" the angel asked.
"Yes."
"They will forget you?"
"Yes."
"They will reject you?"
"Yes."
"They will never come back?"
"Some will. Most won't."
"What will it take to make them listen?"

The Creator walked on in time, further and further into the future, until he stood by a tree. A tree that would be fashioned into a cradle. Even then he could smell the hay that would surround him.

With another step into the future, he paused before another tree. It stood alone, a stubborn ruler of a bald hill. The trunk was thick, and the wood was strong. Soon it would be cut. Soon it would be trimmed. Soon it would be mounted on the stony brow of another hill. And soon he would be hung on it.

He felt the wood rub against a back he did not yet wear.

"Will you go down there?" the angel asked.

"I will."

"Is there no other way?"

"There is not."

"Wouldn't it be easier to not plant the seed? Wouldn't it be easier to not give the choice?"

"It would," the Creator spoke slowly. "But to remove the choice is to remove the love."

He looked around the hill and foresaw a scene. Three figures hung on three crosses. Arms spread. Heads fallen forward. They moaned with the wind.

Men clad in soldiers' garb sat on the ground near the trio. They played games in the dirt and laughed.

Men clad in religion stood off to one side. They smiled. Arrogant, cocky. They had protected God, they thought, by killing this false one.

Women clad in sorrow huddled at the foot of the hill. Speechless. Faces tear streaked. Eyes downward. One put her arm around another and tried to lead her away. She wouldn't leave. "I will stay," she said softly. "I will stay."

All heaven stood to fight. All nature rose to rescue. All eternity poised to protect. But the Creator gave no command.

"It must be done ... ," he said, and withdrew.

But as he stepped back in time, he heard the cry that he would someday scream: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34) He wrenched at tomorrow's agony.

The angel spoke again. "It would be less painful ... "

The Creator interrupted softly. "But it wouldn't be love."

They stepped into the Garden again. The Maker looked earnestly at the clay creation. A monsoon of love swelled up within him. He had died for the creation before he had made him. God's form bent over the sculptured face and breathed. Dust stirred on the lips of the new one. The chest rose, cracking the red mud. The cheeks fleshened. A finger moved. And an eye opened.

But more incredible than the moving of the flesh was the stirring of the spirit. Those who could see the unseen gasped.

Perhaps it was the wind who said it first. Perhaps what the star saw that moment is what has made it blink ever since. Maybe it was left to an angel to whisper it:

"It looks like ... it appears so much like ... it is him!"

The angel wasn't speaking of the face, the features, or the body. He was looking inside—at the soul.

"It's eternal!" gasped another.

Within the man, God had placed a divine seed. A seed of his self. The God of might had created earth's mightiest. The Creator had created, not a creature, but another creator. And the One who had chosen to love had created one who could love in return.

Now it's our choice.



From In the Eye of the Storm
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado

A little inspiration.....

I found these this morning while browsing Light for the Writer's Soul.  Whatever you do, be it writing or something else, I think these can apply:

“Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” ~ Henry Van Dyke

“Go to the effort. Invest the time. Write the letter. Make the apology. Take the trip. Purchase the gift. Do it. The seized opportunity renders joy.” ~ Max Lucado

Good food for thought, don't you think?!

Texas Taco Platter

Made this for dinner tonight, a "first."  SO easy.  So YUM!

*2 lbs. lean ground beef
*Taco seasoning packet
*Can of refried beans
*10 oz bag of Fritos corn chips
*1 cup cheddar-jack cheese, shredded

Choice of garnish: shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, black olives.

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet (with a little bit of onion if you wish; I use a sprinkle of dried onion flakes).  Drain.  Add taco seasoning and water per package instructions.  Heat refried beans on low on the stove top, or in the microwave.

Place the taco meat mixture on a platter, leaving about an inch all around the edge.  Top with refried beans, then cheese, followed by your choice of garnish (or, if your kids are like mine, you put refried beans on only half of the meat mixture and no garnish what so ever!!).  Arrange the Fritos on the outer edge and serve warm.

YUM-O!  Eat your heart out Rachel Ray....  ;)

Beautiful Texas sky.....

I'm BACK!!...did you miss me?!!

Well, all 1.2 of you who actually read my blog....LOL!!! Hoping to change that. ;)

I know I went out with a great send-off back on Jan. 1st, but after all that I'm still not writing on paper, so I figured that blogging is at least writing, albeit on the 'puter. But I miss it. I miss my friends here. And I just miss having a place to post the odd and unusual things that seem to happen in my little life!

I'm trying to decide if I should link back to Facebook with this blog (Kim, if you have the time, could you tell me how you do that and how you manage the posts and all that good stuff??...is it easy or complicated?).

So, for what it's worth, here I am! Blogging again...

Good bye, good health, and godspeed....

It's a weird way to ring in a new year, but I've decided that it's time to close down this blog. I realized with some horror last night that I haven't journaled (as in writing down on paper!) since last JUNE! The computer is taking too much time away from things like that. I've stopped writing at all, and I don't like that. I find a blog a fun way to write superficial stuff, have fun and such, but it's not "true" writing for me. This year is time to refocus and reset some priorities.


May you all have a wonderful and blessed 2010!