Many Hands...Turn a Corner

Yesterday, we turned a corner! It was a simple corner, and yet it came as such a blessing! I have a friend with six lambs in her flock, as Nancy Campbell would say. She visited the library once and may have only had five at the time, but she took only the youngest two. She came home exhausted and a bit exasperated and told me that going to the library with five was far easier than going to the library with one or two. Honestly, I'll admit that I thought that she was crazy, that perhaps growing five placentas had proven to deplete her head of each and every brain cell contained within. It could not be true that toting along five children could possibly be easier than toting along two. Surely there must be some law of physics that could disprove her belief! May I say that if such a law exists, it is a false law. Yesterday I took my four children to the grocery store to supply our pantry with food. Noah was the keeper of the pencil and clipboard with our grocery list on it. He crossed off things as we went and kept me informed of what we needed next. Kaleb kept Hannah company while Noah and I claimed various food items as our own. Hannah enjoyed his company as well as chatting away with me about the sundries of life. Sarah Grace snuggled sweetly to my back in the Ergo. We made short, and efficient, order of the grocery store. Then the potential chaos at the check out began. But, alas, the chaos was abated by helping hands emptying the cart on one end while I bagged groceries on the other. As we exited the store with a full load of groceries, a crazy thought entered my mind and a corner was turned on this journey called parenting: "That shopping trip was easier with four children that it would have been with only one or two!!!". Either there's truth there, or I, too, am brain-cell deficient. "Many hands make light work". If it's not a proven law of physics yet, it should be!

So to the Fabulous Four: thank you for being such a blessing to this one momma. You are a delight, an absolute delight.

And to Michelle: thank you! You were right:)!

A Gentle Shepherd

My goodness, was that retreat good!!! I am home now (we returned home Sunday evening) and would love to give you a good, hearty recap of the weekend. However, I am still chewing and chewing and chewing. Yes, it was that good! Nancy Campbell spoke on "Shepherding Your Flock" in reference to mothers. She made so many good, scriptural points. So very many! But the one, if I HAD to choose just one, that spoke to me loudest on first impression was that of being a gentle shepherd. She made the statement that a good shepherd does not drive his sheep but instead gently leads them. I understood completely what she was talking about. Sadly, I think I more often bulldoze my children rather than gently lead them. So many times she mentioned that we have the potential to reveal characteristics and attributes of God by the way we mother. God is not a bulldozer; He is a gentle shepherd and I want to reveal that part of God when I am relating to my children!
It was so wonderful to be with so many other mothers who are on the journey, as well. Mothers who are striving to grasp that motherhood really is a high calling; a world-changing ministry design by God. It was refreshing to dwell with like-minded ladies.
And so I return to laundry and math lessons and meal preparation and sibling negotiations and all the other details of this high calling. Praise the Lord that I get to do it with a renewed vision. If you ever have the opportunity to attend an Above Rubies retreat, I strongly encourage you to seize that opportunity!

Retreating, I Will Go

If all goes well, I will be attending the Above Rubies retreat this weekend near Silverton, Oregon. I am very excited and, honestly, a bit nervous. Craig and the kids will be fine, I know. And we will be staying with some dear friends that live near there so I will get to come home to them at night. But still.... I certainly would not mind your prayers, for a smooth sailing ship on the 'home front' and for those ladies attending the retreat (including ME!) that the Lord will work in our hearts. Nancy Campbell has said that she plans on speaking about "Shepherding Your Flock". Sounds fantastic to me!

Room with a View

As Craig continues to update windows in our house as time and finances permit, he proves once again that he CAN do almost anything, even with Baby in tow:

And Autumn's "Hallelujahs" from my back door. What a fine Creator He is!

Pay Day

Yesterday, I got paid. Now, nobody handed me a paycheck, nor did I receive a 'direct deposit'. My career is not one in which I earn an hourly wage and though it most resembles a salaried position, that doesn't quite encompass my pay scale and wage-earning capacities. You see, I am a mom. And motherhood is largely a 'sow now and reap later position'. However, occassionally a mother receives a payment in advance. That's what I got yesterday. It was personally delivered by a little 3 year old princess, complete with arms wrapped tightly around my neck and these words whispered in my ear: "It sure is nice to have a mommy in our home". Thank You, Jesus, for such a sweet reward!

Science Lab

I was cleaning my refrigerator this afternoon, listening to Simon and Garfunkel and taking a break only to watch the Rufous-Sided Towhees outside my kitchen window when I decided this: either I need an award for having one of the most extensive science labs contained within a home appliance or I should be prosecuted for being the world's worst homemaker.

The Yucks and Other Happenings

Well, it appears we are still dealing with the yucks around here. Craig came home from work yesterday feeling like he'd been run over by a herd of elephants, complete with fever and chills. Early this morning, Sarah announced she was not done being pukey and the realist in me is wondering who might be next! Sometimes Pollyanna takes a break, ya know?



Would you like to see what I gave Craig for his birthday? Ta-da!!!!!

Yes, being the loving wife that I am, I gave my husband approximately 2 hours of what he described as repetitive 'bee stings' resulting in something akin to a bad sunburn. However, he has this marvelous spark plug on in upper arm to show for it! Aren't I nice? Craig has himmed and hawed about a tattoo for years now. It was finally time to stop himmin' and hawin' and just do it. I might add that giving a tattoo as a birthday present was a little out of character for me! However, I really love this man and it was a delight to see his face when I announced his gift. It made that "I'm out of my comfort-zone" feeling worth it!

Just as a bit of a sidenote, might I say that I am smarter because I homeschool my children. Noah is doing Saxon Math 54 and I'll tell you, it is fine tuning my math skills like you wouldn't believe. I enjoyed math as a child but wound up with a lousy math teacher in the sixth grade and it all just went down hill from there. I was always able to pull off good grades in math, but it didn't come easily! I am finally grasping math concepts I'm not sure I've ever known before!!! A fringe benefit of homeschooling, I guess. We are also really enjoying our science this year. We are using one of the books from Jeannie Fulbright's Exploring Creation series. If you are homeschooling and not familiar with these books, can I add my recommendation? The series is based on the order of creation, however I allowed the boys to chose which one they were most interested in. They chose Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day and though we are not terribly deep into it yet, we have ALL learned things that have just amazed us. Things like the categorization of aquatic animals (do YOU know the difference between a benthic and a sessile animal? I didn't even know that 'benthic' was a word!!!!), what factors effect current, how tides operate, and the classifications of bodies of water. And I really appreciate the way she draws attention back to giving glory to our Creator for the things He has created and the way He designed them to all work together. I am very, very pleased with this curriculum so far.

In closing, here's a delightful little picture of Miss Hannah Joy. Such treasures these dear children are, each one of them! Blessings to you!