Hollinhead Hullabaloo

Playing Catch-Up

2012-03-08T07:19:00.005-08:00

As usual, I have been so mired in the actual hullabaloo that I have not had a chance to say a thing on THE Hollinhead Hullabaloo...heehee. Is it okay if I take just a minute to catch up on what has been happening around here the last month or so?

~ Irene's violin lessons are going swimmingly...she struggled a bit at first and still sometimes, with getting things "right" with it and even wanting to try, but she is coming along. She is working on the introduction to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. (side note: we love her teacher so much...besides being a very accomplished musician for her young age, she is a great role model for Irene!) We were able to go to a strings concert at Spivey Hall recently for a field trip and we are all amazed at what musical gifts God has given some people, and what can be accomplished with hard work.

~Rachel is continuing to work hard at Southern Crescent at her classes and debating on whether or not to take some summer classes. What she would really like to do is find a camp counselor position for the summer, so if anyone knows of some leads for that, we would love to know!

~ Matt is doing great, working hard on his Life Scout rank and almost there. I am so thankful that the Lord led him to a niche that is such a great fit for him and where he feels acceptance and is also stretched and challenged a bit. Academics are a whole 'nuther story ...

~ Abbie is doing well, just being Abbie! Sometimes I just look at her and have this overwhelming feeling of how much I like her. Obviously, I like and love all of my kids, it is not something more than how I feel about the others, I think it is just because she is coming out of being a little girl and seems to be acting more like a big girl in some ways. Mostly just expressions and things she says. As always it is bittersweet but I am appreciating what a gift and blessing I have now and will have in years to come in the companionship with my children.

~ Things to bore the reader, but are exciting to me...after 15 years of abuse by 5 kids and 2 rather messy adults, we are having new carpeting put in. TODAY! It has been a much bigger job than I imagined. It feels like we have basically moved. A full 2/3 of our house is sitting out in a portable trailer in the front yard (you've gotta love that portable trailer look, right?) And tomorrow come the new appliances. I am not complaining, in the least, but after 5 years with no dishwasher, and 6 years of bending down to light the pilot light on my oven every time I need to cook, I am SO READY!!!! I am so very very thankful. God provided this through a bonus from work for Mike. Although it took just about the whole thing, and I am fighting feeling guilty about that, I do feel like it was a good investment. Especially if we do decide to try to rent the house out, which is looking less and less likely. This will sure make it more fun to stay here!

~ My Aunt Jeannette passed away, and I took a very fast trip with my sister Karen and the two girls up to Michigan to go to the funeral. It was very sad of course, but good to spend the time with Karen and good to see my mom and two of my other siblings, Joe & Kathy.

~ That about wraps up all of the factual info about what has been going on, but I want to end by sharing the thing that I have not been able to shake free from my mind....the other day we were driving along in the car and we were listening to Amazing Grace, the one redone by Chris Tomlin that changes some of the lyrics and adds the "My chains are gone, I've been set free" part. The kids all know that song pretty well because we used to sing it at South Point quite a bit. Well, the part that warms a mama's heart is that I glanced up in the rearview mirror to check my move into the next lane on I-75 and glimpsed Irene...eyes closed, faced tipped up toward Heaven, arms spread wide and lips singing the words silently. We don't really ever truly know all of what is in our kids' hearts, and sometimes it seems like we mostly get to see an oversized portion of the selfish side. It is good, so good to see that she loves her God, and it shone all over her face. She wasn't expecting me to see, she didn't even know I did. I believe it was a gift from God to me that day. It was enough to encourage me to press on, press on...

Gifts 155-159

2012-01-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

Gifts I am thankful for today:

~Irene finally gets to start taking violin lessons, after three years of asking!

~I'm thankful for Abby...so glad to have you in our family! I know we can't be the easiest to live with but I am so happy that you're with us!

~ God's timing is always perfect. He knows what we need all the time, always before we do. He is in control of who the pastor of our church is, and He is in control of where I live, and He is in control of how many breaths I take in my lifetime...I am so glad that He knows all of these things and that I can trust in Him!

~cheap peanut butter at Publix this week....Abbie goes through some pb & j 's!!

~a warm cuddly bed to get into at night

Panola Mountain

2012-01-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend was nice...nothing very pressing to do. The weather was gorgeous on Saturday, and for the first time in a long time I felt the itch to get out into the woods. Matthew was spending the night with his friend from Boy Scouts, so I went with Rachel, Irene and Abbie up to Panola Mountain to hike the exercise trail. I don't know who came up with these exercises, but not one of us seems to have the know-how or athletic ability to do them correctly...we misuse every piece of equipment on that trail, but it still makes for a great Saturday afternoon!

I hope Rachel doesn't hate me too much for this one:

As you will note, I mostly just stood around with a camera and laughed at them while they did the exercises, but once in a while they were able to drag me out to "participate" in a very non-strenuous fashion.

And last but not least, I took a picture of this tree just because I thought it would be cool to mat & frame a tree that looks like an "H", to stand for....wait for it.....HOLLINHEAD! I would really like to try and get a bit more artwork to fill our walls, but I tend to be a little perfectionistic when it comes to that. What I mean by that is, I want to do it right, and since I feel like I am not very good at choosing and placing art on the walls and decorating in general, I tend to just not start. (Also, it is really expensive!) Pinterest has been giving me some good ideas for inexpensive decorating, and I am hoping to get moving with a few of them soon. That's really a totally irrelevant tangent, though!

In Honor Of....

2012-01-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

In honor of Rachel starting college, officially, this week, I am reposting an old post from her graduation...

Not only is this one of my my favorite graduation pictures of Rachel, it is one of my favorite pictures; ever. Some pictures capture a single breath in time that is symbolic of much more. I look at this picture and a flood of thoughts rush through my mind.

My Rachel is GRADUATING.
My mom looks so small.
Everything changes.
One day each one of my children will stand in that gown.
Years in this life fly past like seconds.
When she was three, the doctor said she may never talk.
That yellow Honors cord means so much more than Straight A's.

All of those things are true, but none more so than the last statement. I know that pride is a sin. But maybe there is a different kind of pride? Maybe it is better described as joy. But I can't help feeling pride, joy, and love well up in my heart when I look at the expression on Rachel's face, at the demeanor with which she wraps her arm around her Nana's shoulder. It is just so her, through and through. She is tender, caring, gentle, soft and sweet. Kind, generous, thoughtful, loving. She is an "Honors" student, but what means so much more to me is that she is a student of honor. She honors her father and mother. She honors her siblings and friends. I can honestly say that she is a young woman of character, faith, integrity and honor. Not perfect. Just willing for God to change her. Just willing to take up her cross and follow Jesus. I am honored that the Lord saw fit to let her come live and grow with us. Truly, I do not deserve her.
Thank You, Lord, for this one of many blessings.

Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

2011 in Review

2012-01-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

Whew! It has been a long time since I posted on this blog. We are already sailing headlong into the new year, and I have yet to put up any pictures of Thanksgiving, let alone Christmas. If this blog is supposed to reflect my real life, then I suppose it is fitting. Recently, there has been no time to document...life has just come at us too quickly. A quick look back over 2011, and just a few of the events that are worth remembering:

~A February snowstorm

~Meeting Henry (my very adorable nephew!)

~My first grandchild born, sweet Madison Renae !

~Took many, many field trips...to name a few: Museum of Biblical Antiquities, Spivey Hall Children's Concerts, Tellus Museum, Southern Belle strawberry farm, Nash Farm Civil War museum, Greenville Zoo, Southern Railway Train Museum among others!

~Rachel turned 19

~Rachel graduated from Veritas Classical School and homeschooling,

...so Nana, the aunts & uncles and the cousins came

~Irene turns 8 !

~Abbie & Irene's first ballet recital with Miss Anna's class

~Summer fun with friends

~Inside Out and Upside Down on Main Street !

~ We said a hello in our hearts to our sixth child, and then said goodbye until we meet our sweet baby in Heaven. If I could speak to our child now, I would say that you are loved every bit as much as your brothers and sisters, and we miss you greatly. We look ahead with rejoicing to the day when we can meet you face to face!

~Ben & Kayla's wedding

~Mike turns 40 !!!!!

~ Wished the Means family blessings as they moved ahead to the next chapter in their lives!

~ Matthew turns 13 !

~Matthew's FIRST CONCERT !!! (Third Day & Tenth Avenue North @ Macon Arena)

~Abbie & Irene send "baby Moses" down the river (that was funnier than a blog post can capture...one of the reasons I love my girls so much is because they think up crazy stuff like this!)

~Abbie turns SIX!

~Fall fun and festivals

~Trip to Covenant College and camping at Cloudland Canyon (Land of a Million Steps)

~Mickey, Abby & Madison come to stay with us for a while, just in time for Thanksgiving!

~South Point Youth went to Windy Gap Camp, in N.C.

~Went with Madison to go see Santa on the Square:

~Spending Maddie's first Christmas with her and her mommy & daddy was such a blessing!!

Goodbye, 2011...you were a good, crazy, terrible, wonderful year! Thank you Lord, for sustaining us with your grace through another year of life's joys and pains!

Gifts 149-154

2011-11-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

I have been filling my facebook statuses (stati??) up this month with things that I am thankful for in honor of the approach of Thanksgiving. You would think that the more you search your brain for things that you have to be thankful for, the more difficult it would become as you exhaust all of the usual topics. In fact, it seems to work just the opposite. The more you open your eyes to blessings all around you, the more you are able to comprehend how truly blessed you are, which causes you to see yet even more blessings. Here are a few more that I have been thankful for this weekend...

149~ a great fellowship with the lovely ladies from my church at a brunch. We exchanged our "favorite things", which leads me to my next blessing...

150~ thank you, thank you thank you Jessica! I am still so very happy and excited to be sporting a new cup that I am thrilled to dump Coke Zero into but am also hoping may help me become a better water-drinker. I LOVE IT so much!

151~ the discovery that there is free music available out there on the web...I have been getting a hold of codes for free downloads of some songs that I would probably not known about otherwise and am really loving. Love new (and free!) music on the Shuffle!

152~ a sudden and temporary boon in cleaning jobs due to the approaching holidays...I am so thankful for the opportunity to earn a little extra Christmas money!

153~ as I hear of more and more people who are becoming unemployed, I am reminded of how the Lord has blessed us with a stable job for Mike. Despite mistakes at work, the worst that he faces is a leave of absence. Thank you Lord for your favor with those who make these decisions!

154~ the sound of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on the pennywhistle as Irene continues to practice

Gifts 136-148

2011-10-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

136~ a safe trip to Lookout Mountain, Georgia and back (God provided for all that we needed when I had only $15 in my pocket for the trip up! Thankfully payday came before the trip back home.)

137~ We had such a fun time camping ...the first two days, that is. Rain came the second night and next morning. But most of it was a blast, when I managed to stop gritting my teeth and just enjoy! After hiking all day, I have never tasted anything as good as those hobo packets we made!

138~ Nature walk treasure hunt on a cool fall day

138~Rachel was accepted to Covenant College! Although we have decided after visiting that she will need to wait on the Lord to provide the right opportunities for her and she will not be going to CC right away, we are so excited and proud of her that she worked hard on improving her SAT & ACT scores to the point that they met CC's requirements. This is an accomplishment!

139~ Sound of geese flying overhead as they head south

140~ the scent of cinnamon in the kitchen from the cinnamon broom I smelled in Publix and just couldn't walk past!

141~ A board game from our food co-op that is about Exodus, which we are reading about right now. It makes me so happy that God cares about those details of our life!

142~fun making little "acorns" with Abbie & Irene out of Hershey kisses and Nutter Butter minis. So much fun for them!

143~ this one is old but deserves a belated mention...friends (you know who you are!) who so kindly let me into their homes for a hot shower when I had no hot water!

144~ In the same vein, still more friends (you also know who you are!)who offered their homes for food, showers laundry and you-name-it when our plumbing problem left us temporarily without water...thank you does not say enough.

145~my sister who is so good to me and helped me out of a tight spot...thank you!

146~ This crisp, cool (even cold!) fall weather feels so good!!!!!

147~ 50 cent corndogs at Sonic equals one CHEAP DINNER (it's the little things!)

148~ The Lord answering prayers for a job for Michael (Jr.)...he got the job with CSX. He is very excited, even about the location (Buffalo, NY). As a central N.Y. native, I am not sure he understands what he is in for in Buffalo, but I am so happy for him and know it will be an adventure. Thank you, God, for answering prayers and providing all that we need!

God Taught Me to Spell...

2011-10-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of a blog called "Old Guys" & Charles Spurgeon :

"I have known some that, at first conversion, have not been very clear in the gospel, who have been made evangelical by their discoveries of their own need of mercy. They could not spell the word ‘grace.’ They began with a G, but they very soon went on with an F, till it spelt very like ‘freewill’ before they had done with it.

But after they have learned their weakness, after they have fallen into serious fault, and God has restored them, or after they have passed through deep depression of mind, they have sung a new song. In the school of repentance they have learned to spell. They began to write the word ‘free,’ but they went on from free, not to ‘will’ but to ‘grace.’ And there it stood in capitals, ‘FREE GRACE’. . . . They became clearer in their divinity, and truer in their faith than ever they were before."

~Charles Spurgeon~

Gifts 129-135

2011-10-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

129~ Abigail Hope turns six (that's a whole 'nuther post!)

130~ coming to the Lord's table for a meal that lasts

131~ the learning of new things about my children all the time...even the hard things, so that I can pray for them and know how to help and guide them.

132~ a drive through a beautiful forest as we went to an afternoon class with a very gifted teacher

133~ bumping into a friend unexpectedly and getting a hug

134~ water, even if it's cold. electricity. indoor plumbing. modern medicine. television, computers, phones, ovens. Lord help me use these things as blessings, but not make them into my idols.

135~ the smell of coffee brewing in the morning. Most friends & family know I was a bit of a coffee addict. What you may not know is that I have not been able to drink it since my pregnancy. As always when I am pregnant, my stomach turned at the idea of coffee when I was pregnant. Although my baby is no longer with me, what has not gone away is the aversion to coffee. I have tried to like it again, so that I might feel a little more like the "regular me". I can't. I still make it sometimes in the morning, hoping that I will want it, and even though I never end up drinking it, I like that smell...it is the familiar and the comforting. It breaks me down to think of the ways we are changed by the hurts of this life...Lord, I give my brokenness back to You...please use it for Your glory.

a couple more read aloud books...

2011-09-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

A couple more books that we read a while ago and loved...

Little Britches, by Ralph Moody

The true recollections of his boyhood, moving out west with his family and beginning a life of ranching, I thought surely this book would be a great fit for Matthew. I read it aloud to everyone and to my surprise, Irene was the one who loved it the most. Despite some dated and politically incorrect names for horses, this book was a great story...full of adventures of childhood in a much more free and simple time. We loved it that the author was not shy about bringing his family's faith into the story. Very good book, and there are more in the series, which we have not read yet.

Heaven, for Kids...by Randy Alcorn

Irene asks regularly if we can read this book again. I think that kids hold an eternal perspective and fascination for thinking on what Heaven will be like that we lose as we get more entrenched in the ways of this world as adults. They are not so attached to all the trappings that we cling to, and they love hearing about what Heaven may be like. I learned SO MUCH from this book about what the Bible has to say about Heaven that I will definitely be looking for the grown-up version, which I have heard great things about from Dan Camp at Veritas Classical Schools. And, as a bonus, we were reading this at the same time we were reading the Narnia books, and Alcorn uses quote after quote from many of the C.S. Lewis books. It made it fun because most of the time it would be a quote that we could place from something we had read recently. This book made me cry in several places, which is admittedly easy to do, but is one I am sure we will read again in a few years.

Gifts 122-128

2011-09-21T07:01:00.000-07:00

It is not Monday, but that is just how this week is going...behind on everything! Thank God for new mercies each morning!

122~ a very unexpected card in the mail from my "long-lost" brother. His note brought me to tears and reminded me that we should never, ever, ever give up on people and relationships. There is always hope and we can't give up the fight, ever. Even with the crazy ones.

123~ modern dental hygiene and gum-numbing drugs. I love Anne of Greene Gables, Little House on the Prairie, and Pride & Prejudice, and I tend to daydream that I should have lived in that time, BUT... there's a lot I really like about 2011, too.

124~ our church youth group starting back up for the year...the energy , excitement and enthusiasm is good for my dry, dreary bones!

125~ finally feelings some results from our trips to the track. I have been sore for about two weeks but I can finally (don't laugh!) run a half a lap around the track. I know that is pathetic but it is a huge goal met for me, because previously I couldn't even run to the mailbox. My next goal is a full lap.

126~ the time I get to zone out with just me, God and my iPod shuffle on above mentioned trips to the track. Even if I do have to take one headphone out every fifteen or twenty steps so I can listen to the "cheers" Irene & Abbie made up for me while standing on the bleachers. They are so sweet, they cheer each time I go around and they run up to me with the water bottle!

127~ Mike finally being through with the long, drawn-out & expensive legal issues we were facing...OVER !!!!!! YAY!!!!

128~ So excited to head to discipleship group tomorrow night, oh how I have missed the girls!! Thank you Lord for such amazing Christian women to share my life with.

Gifts 113-121

2011-09-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

As always, so much to be thankful for:

113~ beautiful, round, gold harvest moon rising up as we ran around outside, laughing

114~ getting in a water bottle fight at the track with my 3 youngest. With as moody as 13 year old boys can be, it felt so good to cut loose and laugh and be silly, and watch him laugh too...what a great reminder that they love and need our attention so much, no matter how much they act like they don't.

115~listening to squeals (okay, maybe more like screeches) of little girls as they play hide and seek in the dark (in the living room!) at 10:00 at night

116~ safe travels of my daughter-in-law and granddaughter back to the east coast, with Michael soon to follow

117~ finally getting to the dentist after 20 years without a cleaning. I am sure nobody will be getting close to me to chat after that little tidbit of information, but rest easy, they have now been cleaned!

118~ my mom being healthy & happy at 80 years of age

119~ 21 years of marriage...the ups and downs, ins and outs, the good, bad and the ugly...all a blessing and all to God's glory.

120~ cool weather, and the hint that fall is around the bend (even though the weather has turned hot again)

121~ It may sound strange, but I am so thankful that I have become painfully aware of how quickly our family is exiting the "baby years"... it has made me acutely aware of the speed at which the years with my sweet babies are speeding by, and to grab hold of all of the todays I can and store them up in my heart, knowing that all too quickly I will be in a different season and life will move on. Very bittersweet but I am thankful for God making me aware of it.

The Chronicles of Narnia, and ROAR devotional

2011-09-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I posted anything about what we are reading. Mostly just for the sake of our own memories, I think I will spend a few posts remembering what we have read in the past year. By far, the most memorable was reading aloud the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, by, of course, C.S. Lewis.

I will not even attempt to "review" the Narnia series, there are a multitude of reasons why this is classic literature. Many times I had to continue reading through a lump in my throat as the symbolism of the kingdom of Narnia (symbolically God's Kingdom) and Aslan as it's ruler (Christ the King) had it's effect on me. It is not only fun, funny and entertaining, but deeply moving as well. It is full of gorgeous and inspiring imagery and I am certain we will return to it many times!
We used as a companion to the series a book that I picked up on a whim, called "ROAR! A Christian Family's Guide to the Chronicles of Narnia", by Heather and David Kopp.

There is a two page spread about each chapter of every Narnia book. We really loved this book. I loved that the authors were able to articulate thoughts that I had while reading that I meant to bring up after we were through with the chapter, but I would usually forget! The book really helped draw out many of the spiritual parallels that could be easy to skim past if you were not taking mental notes as you read. There were some fun little quizzes and meanings to unusual words, too. We really enjoyed using this. I wouldn't really say it was a devotional but sometimes we really almost used it that way because there were almost always relevant Bible verses to look up. It was a great addition to the books. Let me know if you'd like to borrow it!!

Birthday "Gifts" 105-112

2011-09-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

I know it comes across as a little self-centered to talk about your own birthday, but I felt so blessed yesterday that to not say how thankful I am would really be more selfish (that's what I decided in my head anyways!). The highlights of my day:

(More of the 1000 Gifts, even though it's not a Monday!)

105~Having three awesome, wonderful friends sing happy birthday to me, when all I did is show up in my sweats to pick up our food co-op goodies!

106~ cam home to so many sweet, thoughtful birthday wishes on facebook.

107~a phone call from my mom, who also sang "Happy Birthday" to me, followed by such a great, long chat!

108~ my kids calling me Queen, for the day!

109~ a long overdue date, dinner at Cracker Barrel with Mike, and he didn't even rush me while I looked in the gift shop afterward.

110~When I came home, I actually had presents, cake, balloons and streamers. I know you may be thinking that this would be normal, but alas, it hasn't happened in many, many years. Mike is usually gone, and the kids are, well, broke and can't drive! They really put so much effort in and I feel so blessed by their willingness to go all out to make me feel special.

111~When tucking Irene & Abbie into bed, I told them I was a little sad that tomorrow would be a no-birthday day. Irene said, "Oh Mommy, you'll ALWAYS be my birthday girl!" Love that girl!!!

112~ Thank you Lord, for another year with my family & friends...another year of imperfect but sweet memories. I may not have gotten anything into the scrapbooks, but we lived it !

Gifts 104-109

2011-08-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

Thankful for :

104~ reminder at a visit to a friend's church on Sunday...the pastor said that psychologists had found that it was impossible to feel depression while feeling thankfulness. Remind me, Holy Spirit, to be thankful!

105~ being a witness to the baptism of about 30 people of all shapes, sizes and ages, among loud cheers...just beautiful!

106~ brand new pack of pretty cards...I want to write more personal "old-fashioned" letters to family & friends.

107~ "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe...sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow!"

108~ that we live in an age where there is a plethora of books that help me teach the Gospel to my children (some "Bookshelf" reviews are coming soon!)

109~ Hearing Irene say in the morning "Where's my good morning hug?"

Gifts 94-103

2011-08-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

So many things to be thankful for, that I can only scratch the surface...

94~ new jobs, new homes, new starts for friends!

95~ meeting with the elders of my church, who let me spill my guts and still did not look at me like I was crazy. Thank you, God, for men who are still willing to serve the church and all of the crazy people in it.

96~ half-price root beer floats on Tuesday night...stopped and had some with the kiddos for no reason at all.

97~ a few minutes of total stillness, silence and solitude in the sanctuary. (I stopped in to drop something off and it was so peaceful I had to sit a minute).

98~ the good friends that God has put in my children's lives. Praying for one good friend her age for Irene right now.

99~ Matthew's successful 13th birthday party, complete with some of those good friends.

100~ a visit to the dentist that didn't turn out as bad as I dreamed last night, and people were actually friendly!

101~ maybe one of the last visits to the pool with friends for the season, and their good conversation. (Thank you Jess and Jess !)

102~ a morning out with Irene, who went to the dentist with me before we wandered around Target for a while.

103~ Classical Conversations starting tomorrow, looking forward to a new year of homeschooling!!

Gifts 86-93

2011-08-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

86~ the sound of the dryer running...doing work while I am not.

87~ the cooler temperatures today that made it feel like fall may still be coming after all.

88~ provision, just in time.

89~ actually making progress in small bits, getting my paperwork monster organized. Thanks to Jessica, I'm setting up a very handy notebook that she calls an HMG (not sure what that stands for) but I call a TLILMMBMTWHN ("Too Late, I've Lost My Mind, But Maybe This Will Help" Notebook)

90~ my snug little home.

91~ outrageously big and weird looking moths that we keep seeing everywhere, and keep getting a good laugh from. (It does not take much to entertain this crew.) Has anyone else seen strange looking moth / butterflies around? They look normal at first until you look closer and see their bodies are built like a Mack truck. Crazy. And funny when you're bored.

92~ my sweet daughter-in-law who sends me pictures of the cutest baby in the world to brighten up my day! Love you, Abby!

93~ answers to prayers. Including the answers that are still on the way. I can't wait to see what you'll do, God!

Gifts 76-85

2011-08-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

76~ Abbie beginning her prayer with "God, You are my Father"... I don't know; something about hearing your child say those words makes a parent more thankful than really anything else I can think of.

77~ A day in the sunshine. (An impromptu "let's go do something" remark led to my first day out in the sunshine in at least a week.) Watched the kids splash and play at Indian Springs state park and was overwhelmed once again with the recognition of all that I have.

78~ Remembering tonight that 21 years ago tomorrow I was a 17 year old girl, holding my first baby boy in my arms. I was completely oblivious to how the world worked, and how life would toss us around. I could not have imagined what the Lord had in store for my life or his, but I am so thankful that He knows all of our yesterdays and tomorrows. Happy Birthday, Mick !

79~ so fun watching Irene going wild for scrapbooking...I am happy one of us has time to do it!!

80~ a church meeting this weekend that reaffirmed to me how important it is that we BE the church. How important it is that the Gospel is the artery running through anything else we do.

81~ Electricity on ! (The power was out when we came home from Indian Springs).

82~ It needs saying again...can't be said enough. Friends. Who help you through the bad days. Friends that God sends, that love Him so much that they want to serve Him by loving me...it is so humbling.

83~ sisters who color pictures and mail them to your kids :) Thank you, Karen.

84~ my old quilt from Grandma Moore that is the coziest ever to curl up beneath, and remind me of when I was curled up beneath the very same one when I was 10, at her house.

85~ "To know and follow hard after You, To grow as Your disciple in Your truth. The world is empty pale and poor, Compared to knowing You my Lord, Lead me on, and I will run after You."

Gifts 69-75

2011-08-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

I need to thank God today, in everything give thanks...

69~ For friends who are literally the hands and feet of Jesus in their kindness and ministering to me.

70~ That my children are homeschooled...this for many reasons but specifically, how they were there (they were just THERE) to snuggle with me today.

71~ for Abbie and Irene telling me that Rachel gathered them all together while I was gone to pray for me.

72~ for my hubby doing almost all of the laundry today (which is quite a feat!)

73~ background chatter of happy voices playing superheroes (Irene: "Help, help !" Abbie: "What's that? Do I hear someone in need of help???" with their beachtowel capes on.)

74~ The words of a hymn stumbled upon today, by Mathew Smith:

All Must Be Well

Through the love of God our Savior, All will be well
Free and changeless is His favor, All is well
Precious is the blood that healed us
Perfect is the grace that sealed us
Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us
All must be well

Though we pass through tribulation, All will be well
Ours is such a full salvation, All is well
Happy still in God confiding
Fruitful if in Christ abiding
Steadfast through the Spirit's guiding
All must be well

We expect a bright tomorrow; All will be well
Faith can sing through days of sorrow, All is well
On our Father's love relying
Jesus every need supplying
Yes in living or in dying
All must be well

75~ For my Rachel...you do so much for me! I love you!!

Gifts 61-68

2011-07-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

61~ Mike, who turns 40 today but gets no fanfare, because he is out working. Working, working working....although it is hard to have him gone so much, I am deeply thankful for a husband who is willing to give his best to take care of us. Wishing we could give him a bit more celebration today... but he will find this waiting for him when he comes home in the wee hours of the morning:

A few of his favorite things!

62~ finding old, forgotten toys when we clean out the bedrooms that provide an afternoon of occupied kids!

63~ an hour long chat with my mom today, to talk about quilt patterns for a quilt she plans to make for Rachel

64~ new life! The hope and the promise and the joy that it brings. It boggles the mind that God thought up whom He would create before time began, and that we are part of that plan, part of bringing into the world someone that HE decided to create! It is a reminder of what things are eternal, and what will pass so quickly.

65~ Money Makeover class at church, that is reminding me that we need a plan, and encouraging me and inspiring me to get back after that old ugly financial monster. I am thankful for honest and real discussion that points me back in the right direction.

66~ too many books on the shelves, that I need to give some away!

67~ the way the leaves on all of the trees in the back yard swoosh around when the wind blows hard

68~ a little note from Abbie (she had Rachel write it for her) that says "Mommy, I love you SO much. But I love God more. But I still love you a lot!"

Gifts 54-60

2011-06-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

It is not hard for me to think of gifts or blessings today. Some days, I confess, I stare at the screen and feel like I have to work hard to "think of" something to be thankful for. I wonder how that makes God feel, when all around me there are blessings...everywhere I look? But the harsh truth is that all around me there is pain and hardship as well. It seems as though the more days I spend on this spinning planet, the more acutely aware I am of the contrast between good and evil, joy and sorrow; but at the same time, the more I also have have become aware of God's overarching Hand that guides it all. Today at least, I can choose to let the darkness show the contrast to the light. I can let the hardships, broken friendships, and other hurts that I see around me be a way to illuminate the blessings that we have in Christ. I feel every day a little more that there is nothing on earth, in this life, that compares to the riches of the love of our Lord. NOTHING. All else falls apart, disintegrates through time. All else ends up as dust, no matter how we try to grasp at it. I don't mean to sound depressing, it is not to me...it just points me in the right direction. My hope will never be here, in McDonough, Georgia, or anywhere else on earth. My hope is only to be found in the Lord, the newness of life that He brings by atoning for every wrong ever done to another, whether by us or to us.
Well I have rambled long enough!

#54- friends to have us over to swim in their pool and be such good company all morning!

#55- a job to keep a paycheck coming in and food on the table.

#56- the steadiness of said job that allows me to stay at home with my kiddos.

#57- Vacation Bible School at church where my kids learn so much more than just what is in the lessons...they learn how to serve others, by watching grown-ups who serve them. They are watching and learning all of the time, and I am so thankful to have a family at church that consistently models serving and loving to my children!

#58- "old lady" bathing suits with little skirts that hide, well, everything!

#59- the fact that I don't have to cook a dinner (except for the days Mike is home because he needs to eat too...) at all this week because we will be eating at church before VBS. That may seem silly but I am SO excited to have a break from planning dinner all week!

#60- that my girls love to paint pictures...I love the color their paintings add to our home!

Sorry Grammy's Late, Maddie!

2011-06-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

This post is so late that it is shameful ! What kind of Grammy am I, anyways? To tell you the truth, I think I have subconsciously put this off because it is so hard to think about all the things that I am missing in my first granddaughter's life. Her first smiles, babbly noises and laughs, probably soon her first time sitting up, and so much more in between it all. Maddie, if ever you read this some day... Grammy loves you so much and I haven't even met you yet. But I just KNOW that you are one special, amazing, beautiful little girl ! You are specially knitted together by God to be just like you are, so sweet and wonderful !

Our sweet little Madison Renae, born March 5, 2011, at 10:20 am
Weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces, and 21 inches long....

And here a little older, I think a couple of weeks old:

And a little older:

And a little older:

(NOTE: she has mastered the half-grin on the right side of the face, while her daddy prefers the half-grin on the left... )

And a little older:

And most recently, sunning herself (safely equipped, of course, with protective gear!):

Grammy is looking forward to many, many more pictures to come, and hopefully many of them will have your aunts, uncles, cousins, great grandparents, and well, of course, your grandma in them too! I love you, Madison !

A Thankful Return

2011-06-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a long sabbatical I have taken from my blog. In accordance with my New Year's resolution, I will not apologize to myself for this...("I'm not sorry, I'm not sorry, I'm not sorry....".) I will look backwards a bit in coming posts and try to catch up on the important stuff, but, I will just look ahead for the most part and be thankful for all of the good things that were happening while I was not blogging!

I return with a "thankful note" as Irene calls them, what better way to return?!

Gift #44... a new CD with new funky music to accompany me and keep my feet moving around the house. (If you are looking for some new worship music / Christian music, check out "Beautiful Things" by Gungor. It's a bit off the beaten path (which I like!) and although I didn't warm up to it very much on the first listen through, after listening about four or five times the songs have infected my brain. In a good way.)

#45...yummy toasty grilled cheese for dinner. Having to toss a whole batch after burning them reminds me that I still have not mastered this homemaking thing after 20 years, but I am still thankful the for cheesy goodness at the end.

#46...a happy, healthy, and thriving granddaughter and parents to raise her who love her so very much.

#47...two red tomatoes on my tomato plant, my ONLY gardening success to date (yes, EVER!)

#48...I am still enjoying my (sometimes) clean fakewood floors so much. I am not ashamed when someone comes to the door (although with all of the junk laying around, I probably still should be!)

#49... Cars that run! A friend's car trouble this week reminded me of a long stretch of about 6 months that I went without a car, and how thankful I was the first time I got back behind the wheel of my own van. I want to remember that, and be that thankful every day for the transportation I have that gets me to the store, church, Bible study, and all of the various activities the kids are involved in.

#50...air conditioning in this house that we live in. In 98 degree heat, what else needs to be said?

#51... that God sends encouragement through good friends who always point to Him. Always at the right moment, He lifts up my head.

#52... new office supplies. I am such a geek. After getting my first Office Depot Rewards check, I went and used it for magnets to make a chore system on the fridge for the kids. I had extra left on the rewards check so picked up a brand spanking new box of pop-up post it notes for the desk. LOVE Post-Its.

#53...Jesus. I would be lost without You.

Rachel's Graduation, part 2

2011-05-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Rachels' Graduation, part 1

2011-05-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here is the Veritas Class of 2011!

Rachel, Mike & I (Although you can't see it, I am the one who is blubbering):

With our good friends, the Mitchells:

The whole motley crew of us afterwards:

Rachel with beloved teachers Mrs. Camp & Mrs. Wetmiller:

And beloved friends, Jenna & Anna:

Getting Ready for Graduation...

2011-05-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Southern Belle Farms

2011-05-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

It was an urgent email. They needed our help. We HAD to go.
Southern Belle Farms was shooting a commercial to go on our local Henry County cable access channel, and they wanted families to come pick FREE strawberries, sample FREE homemade strawberry ice cream and pound cake, and be in their commercial. I don't know if we ever made it into the commercial, but we definitely helped them out on the rest of the list...

Seder Meal

2011-04-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

While at the Explorations in Antiquities museum, the main attraction was the Passover meal, or Seder. We participated in one of these several years ago, but would like to do one at least every few years so that as the kids get older, they will remember it. This one was beautifully laid out when we arrived, on a "reclining table"...I learned only recently that these were tables that were low to the ground so that people could lay down while eating. Thankfully, we had benches. (Sidenote: The kids let me know that they felt my previous instruction on the evils of eating in bed must have been very misguided.)

Unfortunately, I didn't get many good pictures here, it was a bit dark in the room. If you are not familiar, the Seder is the traditional Jewish meal celebrated during Passover, which Jesus would Himself have celebrated. The meal is eaten in tiny "courses", each symbolic of some aspect of the Israelites relationship to the Lord. I can't remember them all, but for instance the lamb bone (another thing to be thankful for: we used skewered chicken instead) represents the sacrifice of the lamb, made to put the lamb's blood over the doorposts when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. The "bitter herbs" symbolize the bitterness of their slavery. There is a thick fruit salad of apples, cinnamon and raisins that represents the mortar that they used to make the bricks while they were slaves in Egypt. It is very easy to see (especially once the guide explains it, haha) how all of the symbols are just as applicable, in a new way, to our relationship with Christ. The lamb now represents THE Lamb, whose blood was shed on our behalf. The bitter herbs, the sin that so easily entangles...you get the idea. It was not only very interesting but very solemn (except for the Hollinhead crew), and a very good thing for us all to experience. We will definitely do this again!

Explorations in Antiquity

2011-04-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

It seems like the field trips that I dread the most (and I dread most of them, because I am a crusty old curmudgeon) are the ones that turn out to be the most fantastic. This holds true for our field trip, organized through Veritas, to the Explorations in Antiquity Center in Lagrange. I dreaded it... because it was a Saturday; because it was so far away; because gas is so expensive; because I knew I would have to pack us a picnic lunch; am I starting to sound really lazy? I will stop there. I will just say, it is a really neat place with great exhibits, but most impressive was the guide that walked us through the exhibits. He was not only knowledgeable, but his enthusiasm for helping others better understand the context of God's Word was captivating.
Here is a replica of a crane that would have been used to build Herod's palace, stone by stone:

A grain silo like what would have been used during the famine in Egypt when Joseph's brother's came to him for help:

A battlement on top of a tower that was used as a defense against enemies:

My little wanna-be Isrealite tent-dwelling butter churner:

A real, authentic "hedge of protection"...looks quite safe for a sheep, doesn't it?

A cross that is as authentic as they think they can get to one like Christ would have been crucified on:

A well, just because it has a real rooster on it (the very same rooster that attacked and pecked Abbie on the back when she would not stop bugging him later. Add roosters to her list of odd phobias.):

Will post soon on the Seder meal...

Gifts 36-43

2011-04-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

36~ Squash plants that really came up this year!

37~ Making a little progress getting some household projects done...Matthew scrubbed down the front porch and painted the railing this week!

38~A beautiful day on Easter Sunday, spent relaxing with the kids and soaking up the fact that our Lord is risen, and has forever conquered death and the grave!

39~ "Momma Marigold" (Abbie named her) has a great big bloom!

40~ Carefree days at the playground, so mommy can actually finish my Bible study reading!

41~ Great friends to share a Good Friday meal with, hugs all around! (Didn't notice until Irene showed me, her & Grant are hugging in the background, didn't even see it when I took the picture!)

42~ Driving home from a fun flashlight egg hunt for the youth of our church on Saturday night, I passed this gorgeous sunset.

43~ Had to come back and add one more gift so that I could mention, my friend Carri let me leave ALL of the kids at the flashlight egg hunt (which explains why I could stop to see, or even notice a sunset!). I spent 2 glorious hours in quiet, which made me all the more thankful for the hugs I got when I came back to pick them all up!

Caterpillar Craziness

2011-04-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

Abbie is going through a "caterpillar phase", if there is any such thing. We were getting an enormous amount of them on our plum tree in the front yard. I saw a few and told Abbie about them, because I thought she could have fun picking them off, and thereby saving our future plums. Win, win...right? She started out putting them in a mason jar.

We all soon realized that no mason jar was going to hold the volume of caterpillars she planned on farming, so I told her to put them in the watering can. Now, I think a fuzzy caterpillar is as cute as anyone does, but I must admit that when I see a swarm of 18 of them (yup, really 18 !) crawling around inside a watering can, I got a little creeped out. I am not really a "critter" person anyways, (just ask my kids how I feel about lizards and frogs) so I made sure Abbie knew to keep it outside! Sadly, the next day the caterpillar home was littered with caterpillar corpses, but one lucky fella did make his way into the spout to build a cocoon.

Irene is very concerned that the emerging butterfly is going to be kicking himself (if butterflies could kick themselves) when he realizes that he has wedged himself into a great tightness (as Pooh Bear would say). We hope he can make it out, we will keep you updated! (I know you're on the edge of your seat!)

On Debt and People-Pleasing

2011-04-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

This post is a departure from my usual field trip and household mayhem fodder, but something struck a nerve in me so closely this morning that I had to put it down. You may or may not know that "people-pleasing" is a problem for me...I strive far too hard to make people happy with me . Not that there is anything wrong with pleasing and doing and giving to others, of course those are wonderful things and a fulfillment of our calling to love one another. What I am talking about is when I try too hard to make others think well of me, which is, at its heart (my heart) selfish. I was reading a note on a blog I follow about money management this morning. Strange how God can use any means to show something to us! He was discussing, basically, whether we should ever use credit cards. A quote from said blog:

Romans 3:8 says:
"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. "(Romans 13:8 NIV)
As such, we ALWAYS live our lives in debt and indebtedness. We are in debt to Jesus Christ because he paid a price he did not owe, one that we couldn’t afford. Since he made this payment, he bought me so I now serve him. I am now obligated to serve others in a debt of love. If I make another agreement or commitment to obligate myself to someone else, then I am violating my previous obligation or indebtedness to Jesus. (link to full article)

Now back to me (haha):
I was just so struck by the applications of this to my people-pleasing. Every thing I do for a neighbor can be traced back to one of two motives: I either serve others because I am so filled with love and indebted to Christ for paying the debt I had no hope of paying, OR because I feel obligated out of a false sense that performing a good deed will chip away at that debt, or make me look "good". Being a person who bears the image of my Creator means I ought to be out to make HIM look good. When I serve with any motivation other than love, I serve another master, and bind myself up and trample the freedom Christ bought for me.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

"

Rachel's Photo Shoot!

2011-04-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful for the friends I have through my church family. I don't know how people make it as "lone rangers", because I am so comforted by the fellowship I have with the people from our church! That is a side note, but the point being that I am so thankful to my friend Jessica, who so graciously volunteered (okay, more like said yes to my shameless pleading) to take senior pictures of Rachel. Besides the prices of professional photographers being out of my league, I have a beef with the policies most of them have about releasing your digital photos to you (after that high price tag!)...but most importantly, I know Jessica is very talented and has such a great eye for catching the right snapshot. She generously spent all afternoon with us, patiently working with us Hollinheads, who have absolutely no flair for displaying a natural "moment"...we are so happy and here are just a few (randomly chosen) of the many, many great shots! Thank you SO much Jessica!

Gems, Fossils and Dinosaur Bones

2011-04-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

We went on a field trip to the Tellus Museum in Cartersville, Georgia in early April. It was a great field trip, really a nice museum. I love field trips that let all of my kids still at home, aged 19 down to 5, enjoy something together ! I want to remember, imprint in my mind, that feeling of pure happiness that comes when I see them, not just in the same room, or side by side, but together. Sometimes, I will be honest, I forget the reasons why we homeschool. Not in a larger,philosophical sense, but just in the practical day-to-day. An example: on the days when I have not been able to get my coupons sorted and grocery list made because there is breakfast to make and clean up, then chores, then laundry to swap over, then school books to get out, always with the someone needing help with something (not just school, but where's my toothbrush, where's the odd sock basket??). And that is just on the days where they actually get dressed and brush their teeth. I don't mean that to sound like I am complaining, I say all of that just to illustrate why, when I actually get to the store and I see moms buying fruit snacks for their apparent offspring that are clearly not with them, and peacefully looking at produce...I ask myself WHY are they not in school???? Do I just enjoy inflicting pain and hardship on myself? But the clarity comes when the hubbub dies down...when I go to sleep at night knowing that I connected with each of them in different ways, where they had needs that day. And when we go places together like the museum and they enjoy being together, and they see that the whole world is truly their classroom, it makes my mama-heart stronger to face the next day. They are small moments of clarity in a sea of moments where I so easily forget, and sin so easily entangles me in the cares of this world, but God is so gracious and good to give them to me...always at exactly the moment when I am sure I have failed them all, He shows me we are exactly where He wants us!

Dear Diary...

2011-04-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

"Dear Diary, it's been 2 weeks since I wrote in here, I promise to get better about this...." blah blah blah.....falling so far behind on getting pictures up reminds me of all the years in high school and beyond that I tried to keep a diary and never had much success. Wasn't that my New Year's Resolution? Or was it that I wasn't going to beat myself up when I didn't get them up? Either way, I have broken it on both counts! So I'm going to catch you up on the end of March and early April, minus a few things that still deserve their own post which I will (hopefully) get to soon!!!!

A walk in the evening, looking at all of the newly blooming trees and flowers...

Abbie and Irene paint some masterpieces:

Some great bubble blowing, thanks to Lucy's mama, Ms Kelly ! Lucy turned four and had the sweetest, cutest fairy birthday party ever, and gave the girls these bubbles as they left...

And last but not least, just a typical Tuesday (anyday) morning: what you see is how it really is in the trenches, complete with coffee, coupons, math blocks, gross dog bowls and, as you can see, Irene is the only one doing her schoolwork. Thank the Lord that I have one that likes to learn or else it would be tough to keep going!!

You may wonder to yourself why on earth would Mary put up pictures that reveal her home in such a state of disgrace? I looked at the table and saw that what happened to be on there at that particular moment spoke a lot about who we are at this point in our family's life, so I foolishly snapped the picture and then realized once I saw it what a wreck the house was. Oh well, as my friend Jessica says, we're "keepin' it real". I am thinking maybe I will start a new theme...I need a "Us in Real Life" label...completely unstaged, unfiltered moments. Sounds scary, huh? Maybe I will call it "Hollinhead Raw". A little too much???

Field Trips

2011-03-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

This week was so packed with activities that I called any formal school off for the week. On Monday, Matthew went with Rachel to Veritas to take the ITBS tests,since Georgia state law requires standardized testing at the end of 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th grade. On Tuesday we went to another concert at Spivey Hall; this one was an Irish music and dance duo. We have seen them before, a couple of years ago, and really looked forward to seeing them again. I love Irish, Scottish and Celtic music, and Matthew...well...have I ever mentioned Matthew's folk dancing obsession? It is pretty well over with now, but starting from the time he was about 3, Matthew loved to do his own hilariously crazy version of Irish folk dancing / clogging. It was so funny, and I really wish I had some video of it. This lasted until around the age of 10...we were treated daily to a wild display of flying feet and flailing limbs. He definitely knew his reels and jigs! When we went to the Spivey Hall concert, the girl half of the duo was both a fiddle player and a ceili dancer. She was great, and I could see in Matt's eyes that it had rekindled his old flame...when she asked for volunteers his hands flew up faster than a leprechaun disappears with a pot of gold. He was sad not to get chosen to go on stage, just as he had not been chosen the last time we had come to their concert. I felt bad for him, but more than that, it warmed my heart a little and made me smile inside that he is still enough of my little boy (inside a teenager body) to not be ashamed to give in to something the little kid in him wanted to do. The Riverdancer lives on.
Wednesday brought a return to more manly activities for him, as he went to a "Wilderness Class". His teacher revisited some basics he has already learned in Boy Scouts, but that a boy can never really get too much of. He learned about making tinder for fires, using a flint, finding your way out of a forest when you're lost and other survival necessities. Because, as we all know, Henry county can be a savage and desolate wilderness.

A Trip to Greenville, and Gifts #33-35

2011-03-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

I seem to be getting in a habit of letting the week get away from me and then making a mad-dash flurry of scribbling down what I can remember of it on my blog. Unfortunately I will end up skipping the important things this way, but at least I will get some of it down! Hoping to keep up with it better next week, but if not....well, life goes on. SO here is last week in speed-reading format:

Abbie got sick, went to the doctor early Monday morning so that we could still go on the trip to Aunt Karen's. It turned out that she had a double ear infection. Went home, finished packing, went to Publix where I had to buy a giant styrofoam Crimson Tide cooler and huge bag of ice just to hold a teeny bottle of amoxicillin. Got on the road, made it to Aunt Krinny's (Krinny is the nickname everyone calls my sister Karen) safely (that's Gift #33). Goofed around in Aunt Krinny's yard.

There is just something about hanging around Aunt Krinny that brings out the very silly side of all of us!

Abbie was still sick:

Once Abbie felt better (gift # 34: antibiotics), we went to the mall. Aunt Krinny was amazed (and dare I say, disturbed?) that my kids have not been to the mall since the last time we visited her. We just don't do the mall. How sad for them.
They were so thrilled that they decided to pose as mannequins in the Coldwater Creek window:

We went to McDonald's for lunch, and then to the park to play on the playground:

We played lots (and LOTS ) cow racing on the Wii. I was very resistant to branch out from the cow game, but the kids did eventually convince me to try fishing and ping-pong. Believe it or not, this is the first time I have really used a Wii, even though we have had ours for a year and a half!
This is when I make my exit to go to the homeschool conference (which could be gifts # 35-50, but we will just say it is # 35). The kids continued to party down in ways that I will probably never know the full extent of, because that Aunt Krinny is a real wild card! (Aunt Krinny: loving my kids,ordering a 31 bag from my online party,sharing her Cokes with me: gift #36) I have heard, though, that they had a Just Dance dance-off,

went and bought a kiddie-pool to play in, and stayed up late to make s'mores.

Matthew had fun playing with my camera around the fire, maybe he has found a new creative outlet?

This has turned out to be much longer than a blog post should be. I have got to start keeping up!

A Recap

2011-03-11T06:16:00.001-08:00

How to recap this week? Well, technically, this week and a half? I don't honestly know where to begin. Life is so action-packed these days. You know I always love to quote Ferris Bueller..."You blink, and you just might miss it." Rachel and I were talking about the same thing on the way to our Veritas graduation meeting. We were listening to that song by Revive, whose lyrics say something like"It happens in a blink, it happens in a flash, it happens in the time it takes to look back. We try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time, what is it I've done with my life?" Anyhoo, I digress. This week was slam full of happenings. Things to pray for. Bad news, sad news, the most joyful of news. Things to be thankful for.

I will start with March 3, Rachel's birthday:

We had just a small celebration at home. I am holding back on too much gushing about Rachel, because as I mentioned before, graduation is coming... 'nuff said.

March 5, 2011:
Beautiful baby Madison Renee was born!

My wonderful daughter-in-law Abby came through in tough, strong military-wife fashion and gave birth to my very first grandchild this week. To say this is a happy, sweet, exciting time for our family is such an understatement; we are so thankful that it wasn't too hard on Abby, that Maddie was born perfectly healthy, and that she has such loving and capable parents to take care of her and love her! (Maddie deserves a post all her own so that will be forthcoming!)

Children are starting to wake and to stir so I will sum up more quickly than planned: This week was full of heartache for friends with very sick children, news of cancer, frustration over not being able to visit Washington, spraying pipes, a round two for the Literary Tea at Veritas,

(only got one picture this year, it was a little crazy that day!)

and so many other things, that it has all become a blur. Getting back to the first part of this post...it all flies by. In a blink. But day by day, God is making me more thankful, for the good but also for the bad. In ALL things we will worship Him, for there is no end to what He does to care for us, to nurture us, to teach us. With this in mind, I have some more gifts to thank Him for...

#25 that He answers prayers. That He bows down to hear even the prayers that we can only whisper.

#26 for beautiful, sweet, baby girls wrapped up in love.

#27 there are still people around who are compassionate, and are willing to cut you a great deal on a plumbing job!

#28 for a great school like Veritas, whose leaders and teachers are whole-heartedly, sold-out committed firstly to education centered on Christ, and secondly education that values some of those old paths that are "out of fashion".

#29 that the Lord is a comfort to those who are hurting, and that He knows how to take our hurt and worry from us even when we don't know how to give it up to Him.

#30 for amazing healthcare that allows us to know the nature of a problem within days, not weeks or months as it is in some parts of the world.

#31 Walks with my kids

#32 Flowers on the windowsill, freshly picked (from the neighbor's tree, haha!) by Irene.

So far this year...

2011-03-07T16:49:00.000-08:00

I am beginning to wish that I did blog more about our homeschooling...I am always trying to find a way to keep a good record of what we are doing and have done. I find that keeping the lists and the paperwork about who completed what curriculum is easy, but it is the memories that are difficult to preserve. We tend to so quickly forget, and even when I stop, close my eyes, and tell myself that I am pressing this moment into my memory to hang onto, it doesn't stay! So I thought I would stop in to give a super-fast, very cursory glance over what we have done this year. We are using My Father's World curriculum, their Exploring Countries and Cultures program. I say that loosely. Every week that they have scheduled ends up to be 3 weeks for us. If it isn't that we fail to get to it, it's that we get so interested that we aren't ready to move on yet. A brief (although a bit boring, I'm sure!) recap: First, we toured the U.S.,where we learned about, well that stuff we already know...apple pie, baseball and the Stars and Stripes. We made a quick tour through Mexico where we learned about deserts and then got on to the good stuff...a visit to San Diego's Mexican Restaurant for some chicken flautas and quesadillas. We then moved into Canada where we read about two dogs and a cat that make their way across Canada in search of home (The Inredible Journey), watched Anne of Green Gables (thanks to my dear friend Jessica ) and read Paddle to the Sea. After that, it was time to pull out the passports and head down to South America, first stop, Brazil. We learned about Pele, the rainforests, el Carnival, and read a biography on Nate Saint. We are now camped out in Norway. We can't seem to move on, I think that I must have a mental block and want to stay there since my ancestry is mostly Scandinavian. I am enjoying it, and the girls especially are too, since we got these nifty paper dolls...

who are affectionately called Karen and Eric-Lars around here. In this particular scene, it was harvest time. Says Irene. If you have made it this far, let me just say you must be a loyal friend! I just wanted to get these things down, so that I don't forget. Before I go, I would feel guilty if I didn't post Abbie's picture, too...they spent a lot of time staging these photos, which they took all by themselves!

Spivey Hall

2011-03-06T10:52:00.000-08:00

Last week we went on a field trip to Spivey Hall, to see the Atlanta Opera perform "The Pirates of Penzance". Now, before you start to think we are getting high falutin' (is that even really a word?) over here, bear in mind that this is an extremely cheap field trip (they regularly have kids' concerts of all types for $1 per person), and is also an attempt to make up for the lack of culture that sadly exists in our household the other 29 days a month. The kids LOVE them, and although Matthew is getting a bit too "cool" on the outside, he still enjoys going. As a bonus, it's always fun to feed the ducks and have a picnic afterwards!

We went down by the lake to a bench to eat our picnic lunch, which the geese, swans and ducks quickly caught wind of:

News travels fast in the bird world, and Irene looked across the lake and saw a flock of about 100 ducks swimming fast toward us,

so most of the kids high-tailed it on out of there! Abbie wasn't skeered...she waited for them to get there. It is only because her mother has previously been scarred from an angry quacking duck mob scene that she gave in and left before most of the the ducks got there.
We walked around the ponds a little bit more, acted goofy, and then packed it in for the day.

If you are interested, they have a couple left this school year, the next one we are signed up for is a Celtic music duo..http://spiveyhall.org/education/index.php?secID=3&subSecID=3

Blogger friends, help me...I tried to use the "insert link" function but the link never showed up in the actual post unless I just pated it in directly, thus with no "click-ability". What did I do wrong?

painting progress...

2011-02-28T07:48:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to update my progress with painting. The kitchen is done, except for behind the fridge and painting the trim, which I may wait to do until I have finished the living room and I can do it all at once. The color is really not much like the way it shows up in this picture, I couldn't get my flash to work. It is much more of a warm gold rather than yellow like it looks here. Even though I want to think about what to do next, I don't think I can because I am still trying to return my house to a semi-functional state just from taking a day and a half off from doing normal housework-y things.

Paint Has Been Purchased!!! (Gift 24)

2011-02-25T18:01:00.000-08:00

Glory be, praise and hallelujah, the paint, rollers, brushes, pans, painters tape, spackle & putty knives are all sitting in the back of my van, just waiting for the weekend to officially get here! My poor kitchen has been waiting many months to get the attention it deserves. I started a job that I could not finish back in October, I think it was, when I put the primer on the walls. Well, by now of course the primer has spaghetti sauce splotches and chunks of mysterious substances on it, but it's nothing my putty knife can't fix! (Can you FEEL my enthusiasm?) This is a HUGE gift, I am so excited. I will not be posting "before" pictures, because NOBODY wants to see that, but I will be posting "afters"! Hopefully the afters will come sooner, rather than later!

Nana Moore's Myrtle, Gift #23

2011-02-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

At first, it was nothing special. Irene and I wandered outside,mostly because it was just too lovely outside in that sunshine to stay inside in the dark house. We talked, and walked, and Irene picked the bark on the tree. Then, as she bent down to pick up sticks on the ground, I saw it...

It might not look like much there, but it is the myrtle I planted, from my mom's house. You see, I lived with my mom for about four years while Michael and Rachel were still very, very young. She had a log cabin in upstate New York. Both my mom and I agree, that those were some really good days. Tough days, and trying in many ways for other reasons, but I can't put into words how much I miss having my mom to talk to every day. Even still. After all of these years away, I still miss it {miss her} so much.

One year, shortly before she sold and moved out of the log cabin, we took a summer trip up to New York. While I was there, I told her how pretty her myrtle looked in the front flower bed, and she told me to take some home with me. I remember looking at her like a kid in a candy shop, and I set to work digging it up, and preparing it to weather the long trip back to Georgia in the summer heat. I planted it under the oak tree in the backyard when we got home, but it was a young and spindly tree that couldn't offer much shade. In New York, the myrtle likes sun, but it wanted to hide from this new kind of searing heat that it found in Georgia. I had picked a bad spot with not enough shade. I kept watering it, but it had died. For years, I have thought it was dead. Until today. Now that the tree has grown up some and filled out, the plant has found the shade that it needs beneath the oak tree in our own little Georgia backyard. Long after I had given up, God saw fit to gift me with a little piece of home to keep me company and remind me of my sweet mom. It makes me feel good to know that what we see is not always what is the truth. He can be growing a new plant right under our nose, but we just can't see it yet. THIS is what I am thankful for today!

a day off from school!

2011-02-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

We headed down to Nuna & Papa's yesterday to spend the day, and really had a great time. I had emailed Nuna (my mom-in-law) about an idea I had about making little Valentine bags from fabric that the kids could use as mailboxes, to give each other Valentines and treats in (and maybe I will slide a few treats in myself). I thought it would be fun for them to have something that they could save from year to year,since I have not usually done very much on Valentine's Day to make it memorable, except maybe bake some cookies. I think I have mentioned before that I am NOT very good at sewing. Nuna was kind enough to pick up some fabric for my idea at Joann's Fabrics, and invited us down to make them, have lunch and just hang out. Well, you can imagine my relief, due to the fact that Nuna spent many years as a professional seamstress. I thought I was home free! So I traipsed on down to Monticello, but when I got there Nuna said that she had the fabric all ready for me to cut out and sew. Uh oh. The look on her face when I asked her what to do first was priceless. Kind of like "Seriously? You don't know how to make a BAG?" Well, long story short, she kindly guided me and I DID IT !

After a long day of sewing, cooking and the kids getting plenty of outside playtime, we headed home, stopping off at Publix to pick up the fixin's for banana splits, which Abbie has asked me to include pictures of here:

What a fun day!

All About Spelling

2011-02-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

I do not post very often about our homeschooling curriculum. Before blogging, I never really talked about it much either. I just assumed that nobody would really be interested, since I am not producing any child prodigies over here in my tiny corner of Georgia. I also worry too much sometimes over offending others who are not big fans of homeschooling, which is something that I have worried less and less about in recent years. I have become much more secure in our choice over the years, and rest in knowing that God will lead us in the right choices for our family. Although it has taken me quite some time, I finally feel very confident that what we are doing is "legitimate", regardless of what the majority of the population may think about it! I have babbled too long, I only meant to say that even though I love to try new curriculum, I have found one thing that I know I want to stick with throughout the years, and it is "All About Spelling". I only wish that it had been available many years ago. There is such a plethora of curriculum available now, that it can be absolutely overwhelming to try and wade through the choices. (Walk through the curriculum hall at a homeschool convention and you will quickly understand!)

All About Spelling is great because it covers all years of spelling, it really serves double duty as a phonics/ reading program because it covers all the phonics rules but in a very painless way, it is very hands on and multisensory (unusual for a spelling program!), and it does not require any advance lesson planning for mom. Basically, after you do the initial set up which includes putting some cards in a filebox and putting magnets on the back of letter tiles, it is a "pick-up-and-go" program. Irene and Abbie love doing it because they love moving the letter tiles around on the whiteboard, and not even Matthew complains about it. It is said to be for ages from preschool on up through middle school. I am using it with Matthew as a remedial program, because I think he could benefit from the thoroughness of it. Last but not least, for those who are inclined, it fits very well with the classical education model.

The one drawback is that it is a bit pricey to get started, BUT, after the first purchase you should only need the next level books which is pretty reasonable. Keep in mind that you can re-use with subsequent children, and they resell quickly and at a good price. If you might be interested, feel free to check them out through my link. Well there you have it, my very first ever, unofficial curriculum review ! : )

Gifts 17-22

2011-02-07T13:38:00.001-08:00

I just realized that Mondays are the only days I seem to post anything anymore, and that they are all about the "gifts" ! I guess it is because every time I go to use my camera lately to snap up a picture of some "Kodak Moment", there are no batteries in it because somebody (Matthew) stole them to put them in the Wiimote. I truly don't understand how he can think playing Smackdown on the Wii comes anywhere near the importance of my being able to chronicle our happy, joyful, peaceful, loving, enriching (only in the photographs) homeschool days, but alas, he does it to me every time. So until I remember to get some new rechargeables, I guess my thankful list will have to do.

~those really yummy cinnamon biscuits I made this morning that were WAY easier than I expected.

~ Irene & Matthew playing checkers, now that Irene's tooth has stopped bleeding from when she whacked her face on Abbie's head this afternoon.

~ a note from my best friend since high school and sister-in-law, sister-in-Christ that encouraged me when I started out my day feeling kind of dreary and lonely. How thankful I am for the amazing people that God has put in my life!

~ Abbie's questions...she is so FULL of them, especially when I am trying to read aloud to the kids. She interrupts to ask things like "If you fall down and land on your eyeballs, what would happen?" and, "If a lightbulb breaks will it fill the room with poison and we all die?" and "If I rub my tongue on my gums long enough will it put a hole in them?" It makes read aloud time a little tedious but her questions always make me smile! (Unless it is the 5th time she has interupted in one paragraph. Any thoughts on how to curb this would be greatly appreciated!!)

~ My Rachel, sitting behind me folding clothes, without being asked. I could never deserve to have a daughter like her, she is a gift to me.

~Hooray for Matthew, he finally got the Boy Scout Promise and the Boy Scout Law memorized. YAY!

Gifts 13-16

2011-01-31T15:12:00.000-08:00

#13: Deuteronomy 30:19 -20 : " ¹⁹ This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. " I strongly feel that the Lord has brought this verse to my mind over the last week. I feel sometimes that it is a constant battle for me to "choose life". I constantly want to duck out of life, run and hide, stay at home where I feel "sheltered". As I remember this verse, I am asking God to help me choose life moment by moment, day by day. When faced with the choice to retreat or engage, that I would choose to engage; to serve, to love, to venture forth, to take chances, to live !

#14 "Secondhand Lions". I just love that movie. I love it so much that each time I put it on for the kids, it is because I have forgotten how much bad language there is in it. Then they look at me with the question on their faces "Is it really okay to watch this?"

#15 Having finally decided, after 12 or more months of deliberation, on a color scheme for my house. Yellow/gold, sage green, terra cotta and maybe a bit of colonial blue thrown in. Whew! One more thing off my "To-Do" list. Now if I could just get those colors INTO my house...

#16 merciful, sweet Jesus! I know that sounds too "easy" to include, but oh how I love His love!

Gifts #9-12

2011-01-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

After a morning where my old habits died hard, and I wasted an hour on the computer while my kids started their day off on the wrong foot and without me, I got up from the computer feeling grouchy, and irritated with my kids and (much more so) with myself. I quickly remembered why I had set my mind to developing that new habit in the morning, Scripture, prayer and breakfast together, to start our day off right. When we don't do that, I feel like I have lost the battle before I begin. Kids are scattered everywhere plugged into various media without even checking with me first, dirty dishes are stacked on the counter, and general mayhem prevails. (Mike & I love those car insurance commercials with the guy who calls himself "Mayhem"...the one where he jogs in tight shorts, or where he is texting like a teenaged girl...Well, we have a joke that Mayhem lives here, at the Hollinhead Penitentiary. Mike often jokes when he calls on the phone that the background noise sounds like a penitentiary, and Mayhem has broken out. I digress...)

That is how my day started, but it is not how my day ended, thankfully. The Lord in His mercy, woke me up to the fact that I am blessed in so many ways. Here are but just a few more...

#9 my marriage. Though it is far from perfect or even ideal, I know my hubby loves me. He tells me many, many times each day. Sometimes I even find myself thinking maybe he says it too much, and then I am reminded to be thankful, there are many women who would love to hear those words from their man every day.

#10 the internet. Though I abuse it, I am still so thankful for this amazing tool that allows me to scoop deals, find info and blog to myself and my 4 or 5 friends ; ).

#11 mayhem. Though the penitentiary effect may not be what I am going for, I love the sounds of life that are the constant backdrop to my life. There is nothing that compares to the sweet, contented feeling I get when I hear my kids laughing uncontrollably at something together. Of course, more often than not the mayhem is of a more combative nature, but it all goes with the territory, ya know?

#12 Abbie asking for her hair to put put in ponytails 5 different ways (literally) before she was satisfied with her "do".

an Abbie-ism

2011-01-18T11:25:00.001-08:00

We were reading in the Bible this morning, and talking about how God sent angels to warn Lot to leave Sodom & Gomorrah so that he would be safe from the destruction. I guess Abbie wanted to jump straight to the destruction part of the story because she asked, "So which half of the world did He explode?" I love that girl!

Gifts #6-8

2011-01-17T17:11:00.001-08:00

#6 Deep Dish Chicken Pot Pie...I love this creamy yummy comfort food. And it's what we had for dinner, so I am feeling very comforted (comfortable?) now.

#7 Netflix. I am not sure I could have mustered the strength to (re)cancel cable if it weren't for Netflix. Without cable we get NO channels, not even PBS. So Netflix is it, and tonight we are having popcorn and watching "The Endurance".

#8 Popcorn & movies with my kids. Love Netflix! ; )

Blazin' a Trail !

2011-01-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

I have had something on my mind for a week or so now, and it has to do with making beauty out of chaos. Really I think it has been much longer than a week or so, much longer. I feel like God has distilled it down to a pure form for me recently, though. I have always (always!) struggled with feeling that I am inadequate because of my seeming inability to organize, focus, complete a task, be consistent...(need I go on?) I shudder to think of all of the labels that would likely be placed on me if I were a child in a public school today. Or, maybe I wish they had had those labels when I was a kid and they could have helped me! At any rate, here I am today with these ongoing issues which makes it quite difficult to run a household and homeschool well. In the past I have made resolutions, cried, pled with God to change me, and done battle with my tendencies to the point where I have come close to giving up completely.

But the Lord has shown me a new thing.

He made me. He made me the way that I am. He chose to put these precious children that I love in my care during their stay on earth. He must have wanted to use us to shape one another. I promise I am coming to a point (I think). I have been so busy waging war against my weaknesses according to my own plans that I have forgotten to rely on God to use my strength to DO anything! I plan, plan plan everything and then don't do it. Because it's all my plan and I never asked God what should I be putting first? What is the most necessary? What is the MOST important in God's order of priorities?

Rather than make new commitment to overhaul my life and set an unattainable standard that I cannot reach, I am setting one goal for the next 100 days. ONE. To each and every day have breakfast with my children all around the table and not get up from the table until we have together read in God's Word and prayed together. It may sound like I am not asking a lot of myself, this is not a tall order. But my hope and prayer is that as I put God first in our day he will meet me in my need for Him to help me bring order to the rest, a glimmer of beauty to the mess and the chaos. Today for the first morning I blazed a trail that I pray will become a well worn path in our life, an act as familiar and comforting as bedtime stories. When that path is well worn, then I can move on to blazing a bit of a new trail, and wear that one down, too. Romans 8:37 tells me the truth : "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." I cannot, will not conquer my weaknesses on my own but I know that He can turn my mess into something beautiful!

On a purely practical note, a couple of resources we have been using that have been GREAT are:

This book has been such an awesome guide / devotional / Bible study (whatever you would like to call it!) We have been loosely following along as our pastor preaches and teaches through Genesis we follow up with this the next week at home. For the older kids it is a great review of the sermon and a way to dig out some more gems from a kids point of view. For the younger girls, they are usually hearing it for the first time because they were in kids' church during the sermon so it helps keep them up with what we are doing in "big church" too. The author definitely doesn't leave out any of the tough stuff, and I would say it is geared toward mid to older elementary kids but she handles it well and I am always surprised at how the little ones have been listening when I thought they were just playing with silly bandz.

And:
We were able to get this book through the PINES library system. I always like to get my hands on a book and look through it before I lay out the money (or Swagbucks!) for a copy, but I am thinking these are worth the investment. It comes with a CD, the lyrics to each hymn and a story about its author or origins. I have to laugh at myself because way back in the early days when I first became a Christian I thought hymns were so "old", and I wasn't at all a hymn type of gal. Well, turns out I am SO MUCH a hymn type of gal. Love this book !!

Four Snow Days!!

2011-01-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

I don't think I ever would have believed, on Sunday night, that the snow we were about to get would result in four whole days of down time. I am NOT complaining, mind you, because it gives me an excuse to be "relaxed", shall we say, in my homeschooling approach this week!!! Our activities this week could not, even in the loosest meaning of the word, be construed as "school". They were very fun days, though, and a great way to wrap up the holiday free time before heading back into a time of knuckling down to do a bit more hard work. Some things we did:

~ lots of sliding down the driveway in the laundry basket
~monkey bread and hot cocoa
~a knockdown, drag-out snowball (ICEball!) fight
~a two day Monopoly marathon that included, lots of laughing, yelling, crying, whining, and fun (really it actually was fun!)
~reading most of the book "The Incredible Journey" aloud. This is the only thing that really was part of school work, we are finishing up learning about Canada. Sounds like fun, eh?
~made homemade pizza
~another (yes, another) batch of monkey bread
~ventured over to the neighbor's house across the street to see if they had better ice than we do
~more hot cocoa
~went to our friends' the Roells to play the "homeless orphan game" in their play log cabin. I think my girls may have possibly watched Love Comes Softly, Anne of Green Gables, Annie, and August Rush a few too many times with me.
~got out to go to ballet with our friends
~Abbie made a mahhvelous chocolate cake with Rachel

That is all, so far. Daddy has been gone all week long, because he couldn't get home from the train yard. He comes home tomorrow, so hopefully there will be some more laundry sled action tomorrow with him, if the ice doesn't melt too early.

Oreo Cookie Cake (which is not a cake at all)

2011-01-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

My sister Karen has been asking me for this recipe, and since it is one of our family's favorites I thought I would post it here, in case anyone else is interested in a mind-bogglingly yummy dessert...

Oreo Cookie Cake

CRUST 1 pkg Oreos
1/2 cup melted butter/ marg
(crush cookies, mix with butter, press into 9x13 and chill)

MIDDLE LAYER:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
8 oz cool whip (or can buy 12 oz, see end)
(mix cream cheese & sugar w/ mixer, add in
cool whip and spread over crust. Chill.

TOP LAYER: 2 small pkg instant chocolate pudding
3 & half cups milk
(Mix up pudding, pour over cream cheese, chill.)

*If you bought a 12 oz cool whip, use the extra to spread around a little on the top and top with more crumbled Oreos. I skip this because I am lazy and just want to get to eatin'.

Not good snow for sledding...

2011-01-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

One Thousand Gifts, #1-5

2011-01-10T06:58:00.000-08:00

I found Ann Voskamp's blog because I am using her Geography curriculum, and I loved her ability to use words with such beautiful craftsmanship. I went looking around to see if she had a blog and, lo and behold, she has a beautiful blog that always says something that inspires me. Ann has a new book out titled "One Thousand Gifts", which is on my wishlist on amazon at this very moment, but I have not read yet. She is asking others to join her bandwagon with posts of thankfulness for the many wonderful gifts our Lord has poured out on our lives, so here begins my list:

1. A Snow Day, on which I do not feel the slightest bit of guilt or remorse to take the time to begin something new on my blog, sit a few extra minutes (hours?) in my pajamas with my coffee, and listen to my little girls chatter about plans for popcorn and hot cocoa after they come in from playing in the snow.

2. An overwhelming feeling of gratitude that God ever whispered my name in the first place. How could I have ever known this amazing Love that was in store for me?

3. Sisters. Not only biological sisters, whom I love very much, but my spiritual sisters who live life and love God alongside me. To understand that I will never know all of the times that prayers were offered up on my behalf is such a humbling thing, and to know that there is a whole legion of women who are connected to me because we share the same Father; a Father who has loved us so well that He has shown us how to open our hearts enough to love others a small bit like He does. It really and truly amazes me, and how exciting that I can even call my daughter my spiritual "sister" ! I am so thrilled at the idea that through God's faithfulness we will one day have a family legacy of generations of "sisters" who have loved God's Word and walked in His Spirit. Just to think of great- great grandaughters who will call on cousins and sisters to pray for one another and walk with each other through all of the mountains and valleys of life....amazing to me!

4. A twelve year old boy who still says good morning and gives me a hug.

5. Monkey bread ( no further explanation needed!) : )

I stink at blogging...

2011-01-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

I would love to know if there is anyone else out there that has this problem. Let me back up a little bit. The problem I am talking about is not as simple as the fact that I stink at blogging. If that were all it consisted of, I would be content to live with that. The problem goes much deeper than typing about our mundane adventures. The problem I am talking stems from the fact that I get behind (...very behind) on many (...most) of the things that I want to make a priority to consistently get done. Even that, though, isn't the real problem. The real problem, when I get down to it, is that when I get behind I give up. Instead of accepting that yesterday is gone and that today has enough worries of it's own, I constantly look over my shoulder at what I didn't do yesterday and how I can finagle (sp?) a way to get that done today. Looking backwards at my failures prevents me from seeing the goodness and the possibilities of the day that lays before me. I think it is almost comical how that struggle has manifested itself in a visible way on this blog. My posts abruptly stop when I am bogged down. A few weeks later I may spurt out two or three posts at a time so that I can "catch up" (as if there were some sort of ominous blog deadline looming ahead!). I follow this up with several more weeks of silence.
I know that all of this may sound silly, but I feel like this pattern is indicative of a deeper issue for me, a problem with letting go of yesterday and what I could have done differently. A problem with accepting change and that God is in control of my circumstances because He knows what I need. A problem with beating myself up over all that I have failed to do and how incapable I am. A problem with getting so mired in my hangups that I stop taking steps forward.
I am not big on New Year's Resolutions. I will inevitably have some failure at them and then beat myself up again. What I will be praying, though, that God will do for me this year is that He will help me to keep my eyes fixed on Him, and what He brings to me each day. I pray that when a week goes by and not a single math lesson has been done, I will simply thank Him that we are free to homeschool and ask Him to help us get done what we need to next week. I pray that when we get to the middle of the school year and we are still only on Week 7 of our 36 week curriculum, I will ask him to help me stop trying to make every little detail right in the weeks we missed, pick up the book and MOVE ON ! ( I could go on forever with examples here...when the laundry is so high I have to climb over the mountain to get to the shelves in the laundry room...when I have no memory left on my camera to take new pictures because I have three months worth of pictures that I need to get uploaded, blogged about and facebooked before I can move on to what is happening right now.)
If there is ANYONE left reading this out of my 4 or 5 readers...I will wrap up with this: I took my blog off of facebook feed so that I could write this to my real-life friends. Maybe you can help me to stay accountable to you with this. My prayer for the new year is that I take each day as a blessing from the Lord, make the MOST of it according to His priorities and not mine, and when it is over I lay my head down content that His grace is sufficient for me and His mercy will be new in the morning. If He can change this in me, I will be able to sleep well even if I only post on my silly blog about odd & random things such as this! Happy New Year, friends!

Christmas photo cards

2010-12-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

I am SO excited to have found out about the wonderful deals from Shutterfly on photocards for Christmas. I have ordered cards from themin the past and have been really, very happy with the way they turned out. It requires minimal effort and creative input from me, which is a HUGE plus in this very busy month! Check out the deals they have going on, there is something good there for everyone! http://www.shutterfly.com/

Here is the background I am thinking that I may use:

Monkeyin' Around

2010-11-13T17:23:00.000-08:00

First Aid... in the 6th Grade

2010-11-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

Matthew joined Boy Scouts this year. He has been in Scouts for 2 or 3 years before this, but we took a break last year. He switched troops this year to a homeschool troop and he is loving it. And I love it because it is the first thing so far in this school year that has caused him to pick up and read a book (Boy Scout Handbook) without me having to stand over him and threaten bodily harm (which is not so conducive to a relaxing reading atmosphere). In honor of Matthew reading a book, I present you with pictures of him giving us all a (very funny) seminar on proper administration of first aid for a nosebleed :

caring for a burn victim's wounds:

And of course, your standard, run-of-the-mill boo-boo:

He also enlightened us on how to care for bug bites, snakes bites, blisters and ingrown toenails (not really) and other various injuries common to rascally little kids like mine!

Don't Grow Up Too Fast

2010-09-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

One of my prayers for my kids is that I pray they don't grow up too quickly, and that they keep an innocence about them in regards to "worldly" things... I find that they are changing so fast lately that I can barely keep up, and some days I feel like it is all passing me by. But, for today, they are still my babies...

Matt's 12th Birthday!

2010-09-25T10:08:00.001-07:00

This year, Matthew had a sleepover with a bunch of friends (Noah, Chase, Nick and Christopher) for his main birthday celebration, so we were not sure what to do for his family celebration. I don't usually ever deviate from any established holiday traditions, but I guess I am learning to be more flexible...he asked if we could have a birthday breakfast with cinnamon rolls instead of cake. He even humored me by pretending to blow out candles on his "cake":

I thought this year was especially fun because his younger sisters were old enough to pick out and even help pay for the gifts that they picked for him!

I must say, the birthday breakfast was a lot more fun (for me) than the sleepover!

Fourth of July

2010-09-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

We went to the Fourth of July celebration at the Conyers Horse Park this year, along with Nuna and Papa Hollinhead. All of the kids swiped Papa's "country hat" (that's what Irene & Abbie call it) at least once. We found a nice spot under the trees to park our chairs,

and then wandered around to see what there was to see. We watched a dog agility contest (here we are, trying to see over the crowd),

looked some cars that I think Michael would have liked looking at, but I had little to no appreciation for their beauty :

Nuna and Abbie shared a funnel cake, while I hogged one all to myself,

and then settled in to wait (what seemed like forever...) for the fireworks to start.

We all got a little bit bored, and a lot silly....
see exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

Exhibit D:

and, Exhibit E:

All in all, it was a fun Independence Day, but it did make me long for the simple days of watching fireworks from Cazenovia Lake in my dad's beat up old Starcraft.
But then again, we didn't get any funnel cakes...

My Bookshelf: When You Rise Up, by RC Sproul, Jr

2010-09-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

I decided that I will start posting books that I have finished reading, mostly just because I love to talk about books. I don't have any great literary analysis skills, that's for sure, but maybe it will be useful information to someone looking for something to read. It also helps me remember what I have read because, believe it or not, sometimes I forget I have already read a book! I don't seem to find a whole lot of time to read these days, but what books my measly, puny reading list does include I will make a quick note of. A final reason for posting it is to let anyone who may want to borrow it from me that they are welcome to it, I have too many books on my shelf already!
Now that I am done explaining why I am telling you what I am reading or have read, I will say that I really liked this book. There was nothing really earth-shattering or ground-breaking about it, but it was a great reminder of the "why" of homeschooling. In a nutshell, it helped me to renew my resolve and to take a minute to stop and commit this school year to the Lord, to whom it belongs already. For someone still on the fence about deciding whether to homeschool or not, I will just say that Sproul comes on very strong in making his case. I personally agree with almost all of what he says here (at least in theory), but not everyone will. It is a fairly short book, and it is not a "how-to" book. If you are looking for that, it will come up short. Basically, the book is based on applying Deuteronomy 6 to the education of our children, and most all of the text flows within that theme. The one aspect of the book that I might say was a bit of a negative is that it is not very grace-filled toward those who see things differently, but in my case there was no problem there for me. All in all, it all boils down to...I liked this book!

My little seamstress

2010-08-25T21:10:00.001-07:00

Irene really loves to sew. I, however, am really not very good at sewing so I always groan a little when she asks if she can sew. To her, up until now, sewing has just meant making designs with yarn on those plastic embroidery fabric thingies, but when she saw me getting out a needle and fabric because I needed to make a couple of bean bags for an activity at VBS, she was right there. I ended up showing her a basic stitch and letting her go to town on it, her very first "real" sewing project.

So, South Point kids, your beanbag activities this year came courtesy of my little seamstress! Voila!

Uncle Joe & Brad come to town!

2010-08-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

My brother Joe and (his son) Brad came to visit us, late in June, too. Actually it was the same day that Hannah & Grant were here, so they met some of my family! They probably wondered what in the world was going on, the Moore family gatherings are always a little on the boisterous side, but they seemed pretty fine with it. Makes me wonder if their family has a boisterous crowd, too?

Joe has always had a way with my kids. Even as babies, they have all just always loved Uncle Joe. (Matthew has always looked up to Brad...and he couldn't have picked a better guy!) Abbie took this picture of Uncle Joe.

And then they started taking pictures of each other. If you wonder how long this went on, it was quite a while.... We had a great time with them, they had to go too soon!

Good friends, good times...

2010-08-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

I am woefully, pitifully behind on getting anything put on my blog. These pictures were taken in late June, when Irene and Abbie had their friends Hannah & Grant over to swim, play and eat a pb & j. Seriously, good times!
(It was so hot & humid out the lens kept fogging up, that's why everyone has that angelic glow!)

Powertime Camp

2010-08-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

Rachel & Matthew were so excited to be able to go to Powertime summer camp in South Carolina this year. They had a blast! I would like to think that they missed us and were ready to come home by the time we picked them up, because I know their little sisters were ready for them to come home!

Matthew's primary focus as he retold the events of the week were the recurring theme of hanging out with his awesome counselor, fun times on the "Blob", and the fact that he was the only camper not afraid of the driver of the boat that pulled the tube for the non-stop tubing action ("Dr. Death", aka Tom). Sorry for that horrible run-on sentence.

This was Rachel's last year to be able to go, and it was very important to her to be able to go and say goodbye to some friends. Truthfully, this was the biggest reason for making the decision to send them. As it turned out, none of Rachel's old friends were able to come, so it turned into a growing and s t r e t c h i n g experience for her. I believe that she still had a great time, and God helped her work through some things that had been weighing her down. It was definitely time well spent for her.

I love moments like the one in the picture below...taken before the bickering ensued over which one of them was going to listen to stories first on *my* iPod shuffle, and who should get the back seat, and everyone started moaning "I'm hot...", or "I'm hungry"... It is one of those rare moments when you know that your kids are truly, genuinely thrilled to see and hug each other. But all good things on earth must end (5 seconds later), so we get in the car to finish the road trip...

Just Do Something

2010-07-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

I was spending a little too much time on the computer this morning. I was blog surfing. I really like CJ Mahaney as an author (his book "Living the Cross Centered Life" is a favorite of mine) so every once in a while I meander over to his blog and see what's new. He had a post on there that struck such a chord with me that I had to re-post it, I hope that's legal! Here is a link to it, in case that makes it more legal:

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/post/Just-Do-Something.aspx The general gist of it is a list compiled by Kevin DeYoung (who wrote a book called Just Do Something) about not always needing to wait on God to give us some cataclysmic event or sign to prompt us into action, but using the brains He gave us and His word to guide us. I think this promotes living in an attitude of appreciating every day with it's "smallness" and seemingly insignificant details being a day that God gave us, and a day that can bring God glory in the regular things that we do. It resonated with me because I sometimes tend to seek after "fireworks" in the way I see God moving in my life and the lives of others, but this encouraged me to set my eyes to an everyday faithfulness in the small things, that aren't really small at all. Here is where my words end and Mahaney's begin:

Just Do Something
By C.J. Mahaney7/13/2010 8:23:00 AM

To close out his Next 2010 conference message, “The Church,” Kevin DeYoung gave a list of suggestions for how to be a difference maker in the local church. He said:

• Find a good local church.
• Get involved.
• Become a member.
• Stay there as long as you can.
• Put away thoughts of a revolution for a while.
• Join the plodding visionaries.
• Go to church this Sunday and worship in Spirit and truth.
• Be patient with your leaders.
• Rejoice when the gospel is faithfully proclaimed.
• Bear with those who hurt you.
• Give people the benefit of the doubt.
• Say “hi” to the teenager that no one notices.
• Welcome the old ladies with the blue hair and the young men with tattoos.
• Volunteer for the nursery.
• Attend the congregational meeting.
• Bring your fried chicken to the potluck like everybody else.
• Invite a friend.
• Take a new couple out for coffee.
• Give to the Christmas offering.
• Sing like you mean it.
• Be thankful someone vacuumed the carpet for you.
• Enjoy the Sundays that “click.”
• Pray extra hard on the Sundays that don’t.
• And in all of this, do not despise the days and weeks and years of small things (Zechariah 4:8–10).

I cannot recommend this message too highly. Please take time to download and listen to “The Church” by visiting the resource page at thisisnext.org.

There is one more message from the conference I want to highlight. We will do that next time

Going to Greenville

2010-07-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

We went to South Carolina in June, to take Matthew & Rachel to Powertime Camp. The kids had all been waiting for this day to arrive for so long, we haven't gone anywhere since last summer, and they were itchy for a road trip! Here they are, ready to hit the road (Irene wore her Mickey Mouse shirt for her little buddy Grant, who loves M.M. !)

After we dropped Matthew & Rachel off for their week of fun, we headed on to my sister Karen's house in Greenvile, SC. Irene & Abbie loved spending time in her neighborhood pool, they are like little fish!

We were able to squeak in a quick visit up to my sister Colleen's as well, she lives in Kernersville, NC. The girls have such a great time with her three girls, who are all teens and so good to my kids. Here are the three of us (Colleen, myself, Karen). One night was not enough time for three sisters to catch up!

It was so different to have just the two girls with me. It took a little bit of getting used to, but we really had fun together. My sister Karen ("Aunt Krinny") and the girls just love each other's company, they all love the same things...shopping, being silly, and more shopping! I have a hard time keeping up with the three of them...

Matthew's Baptism

2010-07-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

Matthew Scott Hollinhead (my baby!!)
baptized on May 30th, 2010
at South Point Church,
by Rev. Matthew Means

There is nothing that compares to the joy of knowing that your children truly love God!

Veritas Graduation '10

2010-07-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

This year I was so happy to go to my second Veritas graduation ceremony (the first one was Michael's graduation). Both times that I have gone I have left more inspired and encouraged than when I came in.

As I watched the graduates and listened to what their parents shared about their lives with these students I felt truly honored to be there, and to be part of a school like Veritas.

I have known Bethani (above) since she was just barely old enough to babysit, and yet now she has grown into a lovely and mature young woman. As I listened to her dad talk about how quickly she had grown, I relived Michael's leaving home, and wondered what it will feel like next spring as I say those things about Rachel?

I know it is trite, cliche, and all the rest...but my, how time flies!!

a few more air show pictures...

2010-07-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Airplanes!!

2010-07-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

Way back in May, we went to Mallard's Landing (a fly-in community in Locust Grove) for their annual "air drop". I am not sure if that's really what they call it, but every year they hold an event where everyone who lives in the community can fly their planes over and drop bags of chalk on a target mark. Our friends the Mitchells were so kind to invite everyone, and feed us, too! We had a great time!
McCulley Means and Abbie watching a plane approach:

Lots of friends to watch with! Here is Matthew, Noah, Nick, Abbie, Judson, Lucy, Irene, Addyson & Samuel:

Everyone racing off to look at the old war planes:

Irene's 7th Birthday!

2010-05-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

There is a story behind the VW van on the beach on this cake...it isn't an exciting story , but I will tell it anyways. Many of my friends might already be able to guess it, though. Let me start by saying that my theme for this year seems to be disorganization, lack of planning, and inablility to hold cohesive thought patterns. I am not sure what is to blame for this sudden turn of events (no snickering, please), but it has sadly affected my children, including their birthday celebrations. As we got closer and closer to Irene's birthday, we changed plans about 5 times. At first the plan was just cake & ice cream at home with family, then Irene had the idea to see Shrek Forever After with a couple friends, then we saw this adorable "Bears on the Beach" cake, so Irene was on to a new plan. "Let's make our own beach!" she says. Sure. Great idea. No problem. So we settled on a couple of friends in swimsuits, a kiddie pool and slip 'n' slide. But, I digress from the cake. We made plans for the cake, and set aside about ten teddy grahams for the floating and sunbathing bears. On party day, as I was decorating the cake (literally at the last minute while the kids played in the pool) I realized that someone had eaten the teddy grahams. This should not shock me. Why was I surprised by this? So I ran to the gas station (leaving poor Rachel in charge) to get some teddy grahams, and as I was checking out I saw this little mini-teddy-bear-sized VW van that immediately made me think of the blue LOST van. It was perfect! What beach is complete without a reference to LOST, even if it is on a child's birthday cake??? There was no blue one, so I settled on green. At first I felt guilty, because I thought I was being selfish, but Irene was just a s thrilled as can be (Sad, sad sad, I know)...

The girls all had a great time,

and the boys crashed the party, too!

So despite my lack of a good plan, I think it all worked out alright in the end! And I now have a picture of a birthday cake with a picture of a (green) LOST van to keep forever!

Memory Lane

2010-05-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

I love this picture, and let me tell you why. It isn't because we look particularly perky, or exceptionally exuberant, or any such superficial reason...it is because it was a real and true, and very emotional moment. My aunt & uncle (my dad's brother and sister) came to visit us back in March of this year, as they try to do every year. This time, my aunt had gathered some old photos that she thought I would like to have of my dad and my mom. I wasn't expecting it, and I am still amazed at how quickly the tears come when I am not prepared for seeing my dad's face.

The picture above was taken just as I was about to open up the following pictures:

Dad in Army boot camp, around 1955

My mom ( rt ctr) and dad (rt) on the beach with some friends on a double date:

And my mom and dad at their engagement party, in 1954:

I am so thankful and happy to have these photos, they will be keepsakes forever to hand down to my children and their children. When I look at my parents' happy young faces, it strikes me that they don't know that they will have ten children, and they don't know that they will tragically lose one. They don't know any of the joys or the sorrows that await them, just as none of us do. Thank God that He is beside us through them all. So although it was an emotional "moment", it was not necessarily a sad one...my parents have given me a lifetime of love, and though I miss my dad's presence in our lives I believe I will see him again. And my mom still has the same beautiful, sweet, joyful smile, and any time I am down she has the remarkable ability to lift me up. Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful parents you gave me!

Renaissance Faire Fun

2010-05-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Matthew was invited by some great friends from church, the Noonan family, to go to the Renaissance Faire with them, so naturally I swiped some pictures from Kelly's blog! Matthew enjoyed the jousting, and the fencing:

being goofy,

posing as Mona Matthew (or Matthew Lisa?)

and it looks like they were so busy that it tired Mr. Jeremy right out!

Thank you, Noonans, for including Matthew in an awesome day!!

Michael....married!

2010-05-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

A post on a blog hardly does justice to an event such as this...two souls joined together before God, now become one! It is hard to believe that the boy that the Lord has given us to share our lives with has so quickly moved into the shoes of a man, but I am so thankful for him and his lovely wife Abby.

As he graduated high school, just a short two years ago, his dad and I prayed this blessing over him at his graduation ceremony: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace", Numbers 6:24. We now pray this blessing over your marriage, asking that the Giver of all good things gives you many long years of good health, happy memories, love and laughter together. We love you both!!

Mother- Daughter Banquet

2010-05-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

A good friend recently invited me to go with her to the mother-daughter banquet that her church was putting on to raise funds for the mission trip to Honduras that her daughter will be going on. Her older daughters are friends of Rachel's, and her younger daughter is a sweet little carrot-top that both Irene and Abbie just love to tag along with. It seems that they just skip and sing everywhere they go when all three are together!

It is so nice that Abbie is getting a bit older now, and she can participate in events like this, and it is suddenly like having a "person" along, not a baby to tend to. I know that sounds negative, but I really just mean that I am enjoying this new phase with no babies, although I do miss it occassionally!

It is also hard to believe that Rachel is nearly grown up, she really enjoys doing mother / daughter kind of things with me, and this just makes me so happy! She has two very sweet friends in Candace and Melissa. (Melissa, in the center, is the one going on the missions trip.)

A fun time with good food was had by all!

A few final Easter pictures

2010-05-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

I just had to put this up, because it is so typical...Rachel was taking pictures, and Matthew was goofing off. Rachel tells Matthew to "be SERIOUS!", so he behaves for one shot and then just can't keep himself composed for another! Here is Matthew, Papa Hollinhead, and Mike:

And, so I have to include one of all the girls....Rachel, me, Mike's mom ("Nuna" ), Abbie & Irene

More Easter

2010-05-15T06:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of what we did on Easter, after church. We came home and cooked a nice meal, and Mike's parents came over to eat and have an Easter egg hunt in the back yard with us. Matthew did a great job of hiding all those eggs for his little sisters, and even found one for himself, in "classic Matthew" fashion!

Looking Back on Easter

2010-04-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted anything! My computer is not being very cooperative with photos lately, and it is giving me fits! I did want to put up a little something about Easter, though. We did try a few of the ideas in the link I posted earlier, and some were great while some were duds! I think the only two things I got pictures of, though, were the Resurrection crescent rolls (great!) and the natural egg dyes (fun, but DUD).

All three of the kids were genuinely, truly surprised and perplexed that the marshmellow (symbolically Jesus) that they had wrapped up in the crescent roll (symbolically the tomb) had completely disappeared when the rolls came out of the oven. In the interest of full disclosure and honesty, I have to admit that I forced them to "re-enact" their reactions for the camera, but they were truly surprised! This is just what I was hoping for, a tiny measure of the astonishment that Mary and the other woman must have felt as they saw the empty tomb!

The natural egg dyes...the reason that I labeled this a dud is because in order to get the eggs to be colorful I had to sneak in very artificial food coloring while the kids were looking the other way! Most of the eggs were still white after 30 minutes of soaking. The only ones that turned out were the ones colored with turmeric (the yellow ones), they are "au naturel".

As you can see, I still cannot seem to figure out how to get the pictures *where* I want them on here, so they are all just thrown on here. Maybe one of my long-time blogging friends can help me with that? Anyways, there is a little bit of our Easter!

My Amazon & Swagbucks Loot!

2010-03-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when the UPS man showed up at my house today that I just had to share the love! I had been saving up my swagbuck gift cards on amazon to use for getting an early start on Christmas gifts for this year, when I heard about this great book I HAD to get... ("Seven Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential", by Zan Tyler) Well, we all know it makes no sense to not buy $25 worth and miss out on free shipping, am I right?? So I had to add in a book from a website I love (StuffChristiansLike.net) The author is just so funny. I love how he can laugh at our Chrsitian culture while he still obviously loves the family of believers. I am not sure if you can see the captions on the cover but it shows item #106, "The Side Hug" , complete with 3 or 4 "blessing pats". I plan to keep this in the car with me so whenever I am sitting there waiting for one of my kids to come out of a store, or class, or a friend's house I can laugh a little instead of getting hostile! And the final book needed to bring my order over the magic $25 threshold is, "Honey for a Child's Heart" by Gladys Hunt. I actually already had an older copy of this book, which I forgot I had, because I have stacks of books all over my house in various corners and under beds. So Laura Beth, the other copy is headed your way when you get home from Alabama. Three great books for absolutely no money out of my pocket. Ya gotta love it! So, as you can see, my children won't be getting any Christmas presents this year, because apparently the swagbucks are all about Mommy! : )

(Last but not least, a shameless plug for anyone who may not already be signed up with swagbucks to sign up using this link and we will both be earning :

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/MaryIrene

Getting Ready for Easter

2010-03-26T09:58:00.001-07:00

I was sitting here doing my usual meal planning, circling stuff on my Walmart list (which I couldn't shop without anymore....I made a document with everything I could think of in each aisle and I circle things, rather than having to write everything. It saves lots of time backtracking on the day of the shopping trip) I was thinking about what I need to get this week for Easter. I felt the same dread that I sometimes feel as Christmas approaches and I want to do such special things for my family but it seems that finances always prohibit. I was again (for the hundredth time! ) reminded that what is special, when it comes to celebrating our Lord, is of greatest cost to Him, but free to us. I want to feel free to celebrate this holiday for its true meaning, without worrying that I missed out on the coupons for Nerds jellybeans, or I have no malted milk eggs. So I am on a quest so simplify our Easter celebration. My hope is to be frugal (in the extreme) but that the holiday will be more meaningful and richer because of it. I am planning to use a couple of ideas in this link

http://family-life.familieswithpurpose.com/2010/03/23/simplifying-easter/

I will post pictures post-Easter and let you know how it goes!!

Forget-Me Nuts

2010-03-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

I have no new photos lately, because we have lost my memory card, and I am still waiting for my son to send me the USB cord that goes with my awesome camera (hint, hint, Mickey!) So I have not posted anything lately, but this little exchange made me chuckle today, so I thought I would pass it on:

I say: "Look Abbie, there are some forget-me-nots!" as I look down at the pretty flowers in the grass.

Abbie says: "Oh they are flowers?? I thought forget-me-nuts were the kind of nuts you're not a-pposed to eat!! Ya know, cause you should just forget 'em !"

This all made perfect sense in her little head. You could tell from the look on her face that this was one of those bits of information that everyone should just know. Always just forget the forget-me-nuts.

A Downward Spiral

2010-03-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

It all started out so wholesome and innocent...we were reading aloud Misty of Chincoteague, when Irene got the idea that she would get her two little "horsies" which, I must admit, bear a little resemblance to Phantom and Misty. It is strange enough that this turned into a photo-op, but wait, there's more!

Irene then also decided that since she found the horsies, she also needed to be in the picture, in order to get proper credit for her find. Abbie will not be excluded, so she makes her appearance here, too. We have, however, run into a problem. Irene can not keep her eyes open when the flash goes off. I have (literally) upwards of 25 pictures that look quite similar to the one above as we snapped picture after picture, trying to get just one of Irene with her eyes open. Well, the silliness escalated....

...which meant that Matthew needed to get in on the fun. He gave the foal some mandarin oranges in her "trough", while Irene tried desperately to prop her eyelids open as she got sillier and goofier by the second!

Well, by this time the whole thing has degenerated (for me) into a maddening attempt to get a nice sweet picture, and a free-for-all good time for the kids! I, in my frustration, chunk the camera onto the couch and say, "Are we going to read the story or what ! ? " I sure know how to wreck all the fun ! :)

Rachel's Birthday

2010-03-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Rachel turned 18 years old today. I just can't believe it. EIGHTEEN YEARS since I held my first little baby girl in my arms. Eighteen years since Mike almost passed out on a gurney for the second time. Eighteen years since my mom & I cried in the delivery room when we saw how much she looked like Matt. I know how cliche it sounds, but to my friends with babies and toddlers...when you reach this day you will really wonder how it can be that the time passed through your fingers so quickly.

Rachel has been saving for a very long time for a laptop. As you can imagine, when you have 6 people in a household, and every one of them likes to use the computer, the competition can get pretty fierce. For a long time we have known it would be a help to Rachel to have her own computer so that she didn't always have to wait for someone to get off of the computer so that she could start a paper for school.

So she saved and saved and saved. Every week when she babysat for our community group at church she would faithfully set aside her pay toward a laptop. She often set herself back, though, because she would not let a friend's birthday pass by without giving a gift, or Christmas without buying something for her brothers & sisters. She made lots of progress, but seemed to be discouraged that she was reaching her goal so slowly.

Well, Rachel's birthday present was a laptop. She is a very, very, very happy girl. I suppose now I should say young woman, rather than girl. If it sounds like I am using this post to "toot Rachel's horn", I guess that is true. I can't help it. I'm her Mama, who sees the writing on the wall that another one of the children that the Lord has blessed me with is growing up. And I will have to learn to let go...again. But for now, I will count as a gift each day we have with her still at home, and I will enjoy watching her playing on her new laptop !

More from the Tea...

2010-03-01T14:30:00.000-08:00

I found a couple more pictures...here is Rachel reciting her poem with a big bunch of sunflowers right in front of her, and

waiting in line with her classmates.

Literary Tea

2010-03-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I will admit it...when I first heard that we were going to have a "Literary Tea" at Veritas, I rolled my eyes a little. I feel quite intimidated by events that require hostessing skills of any kind. Thank goodness I have a couple of friends who actually have china and know how to place it on a table! In this picture are the Roell girls, Rebecca Washney, and my Rachel.

Matthew scoffed at the idea of going to a "tea", but he was won over once he saw the food...the way to that boy's heart is definitely through his stomach! So you may be wondering where the "literary" part of the tea comes in. Each student, or group of students, had a poem, song, or selection of some sort to recite.

Rachel rearranged and changed around (to suit her ideas) the lyrics to the Liberty Kids theme song, and recited it as a poem. I really liked how it turned out. Unfortunately, I thought I was getting a picture and video of her speaking it, but I mistakenly turned the video off when I thought I was turning it on.

Matthew (here with Miss Jessica, his beloved teacher) had a stanza of "Where the Sidewalk Ends" to recite with his classmates. After I got over my initial worries about what to do and how to set the table and how in the heck should I cut up those little finger sandwiches, and we got on with the business of watching the students, I was very happy that we were there. I also feel very happy and thankful that my kids are part of a school where the director and teachers feel like some traditions and old ways are worth remembering and preserving. I also realized that it isn't all that painful to get a little "fancy" once in a while!

Pushing My Luck

2010-02-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

I think I am pushing my luck, changing my blog's name again. How many different names can someone get away with in the first month of "publishing"? I am afraid I may start losing large numbers of my readership...(haha). But my kids think the other name was too serious and sweet- sounding for us. Hullabaloo is really more accurately descriptive, plus it uses one of those literary devices...help me Laura Beth...onomontopaeia? Something like that. Anyways, I promise not to change it again. : )

Our Winter Break

2010-02-20T17:11:00.000-08:00

This week all of the schools are out on winter break, so I decided that we needed a break, too. So, we have been pretty much just goofing off this week. Abbie spent a LOT of time chopping up zucchini with a butter knife. (The butter knife accounts for the large amount of time with little results!) Matthew had his buddy Noah spend the night, here they are getting ready for Smackdown... (pause: another case of a mom getting soft and lacadaisical over the years. If anyone had ever told me that I would have a child that liked professional wrestling (I am not talking about real wrestling here, I am talking about the kind where grown men parade around in teeny underwear looking really angry and sweaty, and throwing chairs around) I would have NEVER believed it. I would have said that no child of mine would ever watch that garbage. Yet, here I am. With an 11 year old boy who LOVES wrestling. Really? How did this happen? God broke the mold after that boy. And I guess it just doesn't seem important anymore. Now I just smile and say "Don't throw each other off the top bunk bed, boys" Yep, I've gone soft.) Irene and Rachel have been around too, just hangin' out! So, that's our winter break. Some folks like Disney World, but us Hollinheads, we just hang around and wrestle!!!!

SNOW DAY ! !

2010-02-14T11:37:00.000-08:00

This Friday, we had more snow fall in Georgia than I ever remember in my twelve years of living here!And it was just the right kind, the heavy kind, perfect for making snowballs that give a satisfying "thunk" when you hit your target!
Matthew & Irene were the hardiest, they played in the snow all day, all evening until dark, and then got up and went back at it again in the morning. Abbie was not as crazy about the cold...that could be due to the fact that we were completely unprepared for snowy weather...her little hands were bright red after making 2 or 3 snowballs!
Overnight the temperatures went low enough that everything on the driveway turned to ice. Since our driveway is a steep hill, it made a perfect slope for a boy to fly down in a laundry basket!!

Remembering Who Made the Ocean

2010-02-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to say here, except the thought that is running through my mind right at this moment...when life rocks my boat, (and I know it will, many times over!) I can trust my loving Father, who made the crashing waves.

For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Romans 11:36

In the big picture, He uses every situation for our good and His glory. Since everything (everything!) is from Him, and through Him and to Him...that's really all I need to know! As a good friend told me recently, "Nothing takes God by surprise". My Father knows exactly where my boat is... because His hands are underneath it!

Plans for next school year...

2010-02-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this is the case with most home schoolers, or if I am just really peculiar. One of my favorite things about homeschooling is daydreaming about what we might do next! As I think about and evaluate what is going on this year, I feel very happy and blessed. Rachel is thriving at Veritas, Matthew is catching up on much needed skills in areas where he had fallen behind (a grateful shout-out to Mrs Harman!) , and Irene & Abbie are happily learning mostly through our everyday activities and "living books". Irene is coming slow and steady on her reading, and getting through her math just fine. I am happy this year, which allows me to daydream all the more about next year! I had already decided that it will look different from this year, because unless the Lord directs me differently, I do not think Matthew will be at Veritas next year. It has been such a wonderful year of progress for him so far, but I am really am feeling the "calling" so to speak to cut back and simplify, for reasons like finances, time, and emotional energy. I would like to refocus our direction toward home again, and put my greatest efforts in there. I have decided on doing a year of "traveling" around the world via an extended unit study on geography. Irene is unusually interested in the Holy Land (for a six year old!) so we will incorporate that into the mix, along with studies of a few countries on each continent. I will springboard as many subjects as I can off of that...I hope to read many missionary biographies, folktales and the like. I will incorporate our science into the geography by studying earth science, weather and habitats along with the corresponding lands. It isn't all firm in my mind yet, but we are getting there. Now, whether or not my aspirations will come to fruition is another matter. Usually my daydreams look so much prettier than real life in the trenches! But these are books I hope to use next year. I was able to get them for a song in a scratch & dent sale, yippee!

Plopdapus

2010-01-31T07:14:00.000-08:00

Plopdapus isn't a new friend, but an old friend. Last year, Nana (my mom) gave some bath toys to Irene & Abbie, and the octopus scrubber has been one of Abbie's favorite toys ever since. If we lose him for a while, bathtime becomes a sad time....but thankfully we have found him, and Abbie is happy once again to have "Plopdapus" (her name for him) hanging around !

Catching Up...Christmas 2009

2010-01-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone, and we are almost at the end of January. Since there isn't a whole lot going on here in January besides trying to beat the mid-winter blues, I thought I would play catch-up and post some Chrsitmas pictures. Here is the whole gang...

A spur-of-the-moment table decoration that Irene insisted was worthy of a photo...

All four of my girls...

Opening presents Christmas morning...

NOTE

2010-01-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

For the post below to make any sense at all, you should know that this morning I officially started my blog and named it "How Sweet the Sound"...later on today, I changed my mind as I am prone to do and renamed it! Just thought a little explanation may be needed! : )

My blogging "debut"...

2010-01-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it is a little bit ridiculous, but I will confess... I took over half an hour to pick a name for this blog. And in the end, I didn't even come up with my own name but stole from John Newton. I wavered between trying to be catchy, clever, serious, uber-spiritual, or making myself sound like a domestic wonder. And then I woke up, and remembered that people who actually KNOW ME might read this! Although my creativity is lacking in the name, it is descriptive of my life and thoughts on quite a few levels. First and foremost, in the context in which Newton wrote it...how sweet is the sound of the Word...of God's gracious love swooping down to set me free and claim me as His own. How sweet is the sound of my children chattering, playing and laughing. (lest you think I am trying to paint too rosey a picture, there is plenty of squabbling, too...but that is not usually a very sweet sound.) How sweet is the sound of the everyday... I hope it doesn't sound hokey, but I love the everyday sounds...the dryer running, the coffee-pot brewing, the dog stretching and groaning, the curtains flipping as the breeze comes through the window, the sound of my husband pulling into the driveway returning from work, reminding me of all the ways that the Lord provides for us. How sweet is the sound of music... I love music and especially music that stirs my heart in worship to the Lord. Which brings me around to the purpose of beginning this little adventure, which I doubt I will remember to devote much time to in any consistent manner...my reason for this blog is to share with my family & friends, both near and far, what is happening in our family's life. I hope that I don't get sidetracked from that mission and get wordy with my own thoughts ( I am off to a dubious beginning!! Hopefully in the future I will shorten it up!) One of my favorite hymns, Be Thou My Vision, has a line in it that says "Thou my best thought by day or by night". He truly is my best thought, and every other one that flits through my head once every 0.5 seconds pales in comparison to thinking on Him. My hope is that I will not use this as another avenue for myself to waste time by elaborating on my own thoughts (which is my tendency), but rather do a service to my family by creating a record of our days, the ways we are growing, and what the Lord is doing in our lives. (How's that for a long & wordy introduction!?)