This and that

The children enjoyed the movies last week.

We had friends stay over night. We made 2 huge sour cream coffee cakes.

I learned that I really can have self control and not flip out when flour is being sprinkled around my clean kitchen like pixie dust.  The  kids were so excited to have friends sleep over. I was so excited to imagine taking a nap later in the afternoon. (Notice I said imagine)

My Dad and Christian did their annual presentation at the Burden Iron Works.

Everyone was enthralled with my Dad’s replicas of Henry Burden’s horseshoe machines. It was a small but good group. One couple came from out of state and invited my Dad to do a presentation for their group.

Keith was configuring our Pastor’s new Blackberry after prayer meeting Wednesday so the rest of us played basketball in the parking lot.

 

It is not always rainbows and smiles in the Deno Family.

Here is the outcome of borrowing Little house on the Prairie on DVD from the library.

My mom and I went shopping for the boy’s suits for the wedding. We took a ride break. I think we spent $10.

Then I took the kiddos to the Chinese Buffet.

Keith is preaching tomorrow night at 6. We would love to see some old friends and new faces.

I love him.

Thanks for visiting!

Showers of Blessing

 

We had a surprise shower for my brother's fiancée Stefanie last weekend. It was lovely. Everyone pitched in to make it a stellar day. I was happy to see my neighbors and my mom’s friends plus meet Stef’s friends.  Stefanie is very special.

My inspiration for blogging

A friend asked me what motivated me to start blogging.

My answer?

I was chatting with another friend when she said “and here comes the amusing redhead” referring to me.  I knew that was the best blog name ever and I didn't want to waste it.  I enjoy blogging about the good things in our days, it helps me to focus on the lovely and good. I hope to never come across as braggy or haughty. Anyone who knows us in real life knows what a zoo it is and our many challenges.

  I record quotes I do not want to forget or want to discuss further. I also note ideas that I love and want to copy!! :-)

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog, it means a lot to me.

Love

To be loved equally is somehow to be loved less. To be loved uniquely-for one’s own special self-is to love as much as we need to be loved.

~excerpt from Siblings Without Rivalry; applicable to many situations

Silhouettes

I love silhouettes. Wouldn’t these bulletin boards http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/bulletin-board-templates-0809 be amazing in a school room or child’s room if you used their actual silhouette?? Someone please come over with a lamp and exacto knife.

1 Corinthians for Homeschooling Moms

Though I teach with the very best skills,

But do not have love,

I am just drawing attention to myself.

And if I have experience, and knowledge of all the best techniques,

and test results proving my effectiveness

But do not have love,

I am wasting my time.

And if I work hard, sacrificing all my money, my time, and my energy

But do not have love,

It adds up to nothing.

 

The loving teacher is patient with her children, allowing them to learn according to their God given temperaments and developmental rates.

She is kind, treating her children respectfully.

She does not compare herself with others.

She does not brag about her accomplishments, and is not smug about teaching her own children.

She doesn’t try to be like anyone else, but acts appropriate to how God made her.

She is not irritable and pushy and insistent upon making her children fit into her lesson plans.

She is more concerned with promoting truth and beauty than with criticizing those who don’t.

She perseveres in developing her own character, believing God’s ways are always the best. She is not a quitter.

Love never fails.

 

If there are creative ideas, they will be replaced.

If there are great curricula, they will be superseded.

If there are effective techniques, they will be improved.

All that we know now is only a part.

Only later will God reveal education at it’s best.

When I was a child, I had unrealistic expectations.

As an adult, I know better.

Now abideth  faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of  these is love.

~author unknown

She works with her hands in delight

I chose the title for this post from Proverbs 31, the description of the excellent wife, not because they describe me but because they don't. I have read it about 1 zillion times but today these 7 words bursted forth with fresh meaning for me. She worketh with her hands in delight.

I like to work. I didn’t always. I do not however delight in working without my family's help at the end of a long day. Think after dinner cleanup. Instead of asking for help, my insides go from 0 to 10 on the Richter scale very quickly. This is not good.

I am cognizant of this and asking God to help my attitude as it is contagious.

Ollie and I were folding laundry while Christian was helping with Sophia. Ollie asked something about having so much laundry to do and as I told him this, it hit me that it is true.

“ We have so much laundry because I am so blessed to have all of you guys to care for”.

A few minutes Christian and Sophie were on my bed and I saw Christian showing Sophie how to fold and saying in his high, sing song only for babies voice “see Sophie, we can bless our family by helping”.

Peaceful Evening

Last night Keith was so helpful. He helped me tidy and made, served and cleaned up from a quick dinner for the children.  After church I thought he was chatting. After a while I realized that he was outside, probably exhausted, waiting for me in the van full of tired kids. I went outside and was surprised  to see then van empty.  I looked over to the basketball court to see Keith playing ball with the kids. My cup overfloweth.  I went over and he told me to run my errand, then pick him up.  They played basketball for almost 2 hours.  Earlier in the day we went to the movies with some friends. Then they came back to swim in our swamp pool. It was a lovely day.

Summer Fun

Nothing says fun like a late evening swim.

The children thought I was kidding.  It all started when they asked if we could sleep on the deck. I am trying to say yes more to things that I can, physically and morally.

Nana D came over and watched the kids. She took them for ice-cream. Sophie gave her a big hug and kiss.

A treat arrived in the mail for me yesterday from none other than Aunt Ruth!  She included a collar she crocheted, a flag pin and thimbles that were my nanas’.  I think I am collecting thimbles by default. Another friend just gave a  a Norman Rockwell thimble with a boy studying, love it.

Doesn’t baby Carrie look so happy in her darling hat?

I found the perfect spot for the pin, by my picture of the Chessanni Family.

 

Monday was our last running club until the HS one starts.

Pa and Sophie at running club a few weeks ago.

Run Abby!

Sophie and Mrs. O

I turned around a few weeks ago at the nursing home to see a woman trying to feed Ollie her chocolate cake  :-)  We receive so much love.

We also went bowling the same day.

Christian planned a treasure hunt where we had to be blindfolded.

Digging for treasure

 

Natives are restless, farewell and goodnight!

Notes from Better Off Flipping the Switch on Technology

Many Hands make light work. Author Eric Brende says of living among the Amish “Gradually, as you applied yourself to your task, the threads of friendship and conversation would grow and connect you to the laborers around you. Then everything became inverted. You’d forget you were working and get caught up in the camaraderie, the sense of lightened effort. This surely must rank among the greatest labor saving secrets. Work folded into fun and disappeared. Friendship, conversation, exercise, fresh air, all melded into a single act of mutual self-forgetting. “

 

“ Perhaps this, then, was the secret to the Millers had kept to themselves and were too busy-and tranquil-to talk about: it was easier to do than describe.”

Encouragement and Precaution for Parents

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1685_An_Encouragement_and_Precaution_for_Parents/

Do not despair of the rebel, and do not assume the heart of the compliant child is with you.  Which means practically, pray like crazy for both of them.

Prayer

Sophie at running club

Loving Lord and heavenly Father, I offer up today all that I am, all that I have, all that I do, and all that I suffer, to be Yours today and Yours forever. Give me grace, Lord, to do all that I know of your holy will.  Purify my heart, sanctify my thinking, correct my desires. Teach me, in all of today’s work and trouble and joy, to respond with honest praise, simple trust, and instant obedience that my life may be in truth a living sacrifice, by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, my Master and my all. Amen.

Elisabeth Elliot

Making Every Day Special

How would you like to wake up to this face and sign Nanette started her day with?

The card says “Every day is a gift and everyone is special too.” The inside says “Dear Mom, I love you. You are the best Mom! Love, Gracie"

Grace made a beautiful fruit salad. Maybe she would share her recipe?

How I Feel

Abby-Lyn

I get it!

I am sitting here taking a break, catching a glimpse of my face in the mirror with green marker on my chin. I am working on an unnamed (don’t bother to try to guess and please do not ask me) project.  I have friends who do everything with excellence. If we are scrapbooking together they may get one page done or they may just plan while I fly through, stickers and adhesive flying as I bang out 6 pages. They will not be perfect, might not even be good, but they will be done.  As I am working on this project I finally understand the desire for something to be just as I planned. I put much thought, prayer, and work into this and it  will not be as I originally hoped.  I now understand wanting the end product to match the vision. It will be (Lord willing) close enough but now I see how those small details that are not “perfect” can be nagging.

Aunt Rum’s Blog

http://ruthrawls.wordpress.com/

Check out Aunt Ruth’s Blog, there are some familiar faces. Plus who doesn’t love the occasional “co-habitating guinea pigs” story.

Thanks for your patience

with my typos!  I am cracking up~ viola for voila.

I might just start saying viola (the instrument) for voila.

Kids and Chaos

Here is Gilli jumping from her swing

Hard to believe that this redhead was petrified of the pool summer before last. Now he is flipping into it.

Christian worked on a project for me. I had a bread box that was my mom’s but I put it in my “free” garage sale about 5 times and no one has taken it.  I hated to part with it. Christian took the screws out and cleaned it. Then I used a whole can of cream spray-paint on it (Thanks Nanette).  I think if I had a decorating blog it would be called “Screaming for Cream” (paint that is).  It turned out ok. i have not been able to conquer the art of spray.

I learned a little tip from my helpful Price Chopper Floral employee. I am not being sarcastic. This young guy at PC has helped me several times. He sold me “drop in greens”. You unwrap them, pop them in your vase and viola, you have a background. 

We have been attending VBS at a local church. It is total noise, chaos and candy. The kids love it.

Summer Goals

Relax and refresh~ We have a short summer this year. I do not want to start the school year and burn out quickly

Reconnect~enjoy spending extra time with my children

Reorganize~ Clean the house and make it more efficient.

Plan~ finish planning next year, write and submit IHIP and plan and prep my co-op classes.

How can I do this in a few weeks?  Keith suggested combining reorganizing and reconnecting by folding the children into my cleaning. It is a great idea but today was not the day. I had way  too much on my plate and was way too impatient. I was hairy scary. I enjoyed reading this blog post http://aresohappy.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/start-with-a-clean-slate/ tonight.  I normally can get on top of things but I am having a hard time. I would like the kids to be more responsible for the messes they make. I told them nothing comes into this house until they take better care of what they have. I am hiding the cute puzzles Leslie dropped off today for them (shhh).  I hope to have some clarity in the coming days on how I should be spending my time.

Sophie get a massage

 

Keep it Real

http://herdingducks.blogspot.com/2009/01/home-school.html

I love this!

Lemonade!

Christian is selling lemonade today for .25 a glass to benefit his piano teacher who is taking a missionary trip.