A Lifetime of Love

I had the opportunity to attend a Ladie's Retreat at the Wilds  last weekend with ladies from my church. This was only my second time being able to go, and I had so much fun just laughing and sharing with friends. It was a nice reminder of how blessed I am to be able to have such encouraging, supportive friends in the women from my church. I hope I was just as much of an encouragement to them as they were to me. My pastor's wife, Gretchen, was the speaker for the weekend. She taught about having "intentional faith." My favorite quote from her for the weekend was personally very challenging to me. She asked us, "Are you a practical atheist (meaning we say we have faith in God that He will work in our best interest, even in difficult times, but our actions don't match what we say) or are you practicing intentional faith?" I know for me and some of the circumstances I've experienced, I have (wrongly!) doubted God and His goodness towards me. It was re...

We took a mini- field trip this week to get some hands-on experience with some amphibians and reptiles, which Th just learned about in science. Although I do not really like those type of animals, they are a reflection of God's handiwork and part of His creation.   The kids LOVED it!!!   Inside a baby alligator's mouth- plenty of SHARP teeth!! T.G. was in love with all the animals- not scared one bit! Teagan, on the other hand, was content to just sit, eat her candy, and watch from a distance (much like her mother!) =)

We are almost at the end of the school year and our first year of homeschooling. I can honestly say this school year has passed very quickly! Here are just a few things I have learned along the way: School is to be taken seriously, but I don't need to stress myself about it If Th gets a concept, I don't need to keep going over it just because the Teacher's manual says I do. At the same time, if Th needs a little more time with a concept, I don't have to move on until he has reached mastery. Flexibility is the name of the game Some days we get started at 8am and work straight until he's finished with all of his subjects, other days we start and he works for a bit, then we take a break and bake muffins or run errands or go to the park and simply finish later on in the day. I LOVE that about homeschooling! Along with flexibility, if Th shows an interest in something that I might not have planned to study in-depth (i.e. the Gold Rush), I can go ahead and allow h...

and a beautful tree was knocked down in our yard. I am thankful it wasn't one of the enormous Oak or Pine trees in the yard as one of those would have surely killed or severely injured someone. Storms like the one last night remind me how weak we are in the sight of God. I need a reminder every now and again! =) * The heavens declare the glory of God ; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. ~Psalm 19:1