IEW camp leader

... that's me.  For three days.  Next week.  Starting Monday.  Morning! (normally those are reserved for weekend recovery)

IEW is the Institute for Excellence in Writing.  It's a great program that I've used with my own kids.  So I'm the likely substitute found to fill in for some sweet lady named Diane who is with her father because he just had a stroke and is not recovering (so pray for her too please).  I'm guessing Mr. Pudewa himself wasn't available if they thought to ask him.  We'll (40 kids aged 9-13yo) watch some DVDs of Mr. Pudewa teaching the "Student Writing Intensive" -- then in between I'm supposed to play the helpful teacher and encourage them and challenge them to improve their writing skills the IEW way.  While their parents are in a different room learning more about Classical Conversations.

I have three days to get a game plan -- and some sleep -- and plan/prepare some meals for my family.  You know, the normal stay-at-home-mom stuff.  Plus maybe pick out some flooring, order cabinets, sleep (did I already mention sleep? You might notice I did not mention ironing.)  Sooo this blog is gonna be quiet most likely. And I'm going to learn what it's like to GO to work all day, and get up and GO again... and again.

My girls will come home Monday while I'm gone.  Tim's nephew will come Monday while I'm gone.  Life WILL go on at home while I'm gone.  And when I'm home in the evening I will still need to be the Mom/Wife -- and get ready for the next day.  Oh, and I'll need to call the chiropractor back and reschedule for later in the week...

What did I tell the CC state manager Erica today when she asked if I needed to think about it a little longer?  "Think long; think wrong."  Ha ha.  I didn't want to think about how much work this will be.  Because Tim had already said, "Yes."  Because I'm going to get paid.  And help my real life friend Jennifer out of a tight spot.  Maybe I'll even make some more new friends!  I'll surely be sharpening my I-35 NASCAR skills.  And when my DDs get home, they'll have an opportunity to be the keepers at home.

God will have a great opportunity

to show Himself strong on our behalf.

Sorry, yet another post without a photo  :-(

But thank you for praying!  

~ ♥ ~

whew

I think I need a nap.

Miss Artist and her aunts and cousin made it here last night (we met them at church, so I fed them supper after).  This morning was French toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast since yesterday's late batch of bread was forgotten in the oven... praise the Lord I got it out before we left for church!   The Computer Geek cooked lunch today -- 4 pounds of burgers on the grill  :-)  Tim's sister Janice was in the early misery of a cold, so I gave her a box of new school books to skim this morning (Notgrass American Gov't and Economics, Apologia's elementary Human Anatomy - yum) - she's a school teacher as well, so we both like to talk/look at books.  And SIL Colleen helped me clean out several kitchen cabinets.  I'll have the Popper help me finish the others another day... maybe.  My folks stopped to deliver some groceries and see Miss Artist (and the others) -- they stayed for lunch too so we had thirteen at table -- Love it! 

Good news:  my dad said his shoulder is feeling better just with the exercises they gave him to do  :-)  His rotary cuff is "torn beyond repair," so the effort is to avoid a replacement.  The doc said if he gets a replacement, it comes with a 25-pound limit for lifting -- so that's more motivation to avoid that option.

The Cowgirl decided to join her older sisters for the trip to Wisconsin to see cousin Christy graduate from college on Sunday, so the Popper is feeling a bit left behind.  But she and the Cattleman are out with Tim this afternoon, so I expect she's having a good time at the creek or something.


House progress:
The lighting order is officially ordered today.  We're still waiting on the sample door to come in at the lumber yard before we make the kitchen cabinet order.  Bruce thought it would only take a few days, so not sure what's up with waiting a week for a door from a company about 80 miles up the interstate.  Tim has been shopping for flooring online -- guess we need to go to a showroom/store when we get the sample door to see what looks good together.  We're hoping Tim's nephew, who should arrive here Monday, will be able to lay some tile in the bathrooms next week before he has to move on to his summer job.  First we need the electrical finished/inspected so he can help hang drywall...

Speaking of drywall, I should go take a picture of the PILES of drywall that the five kids helped Tim unload on Monday (since I didn't have the camera to record them while working).  200 sheets of drywall.  I was in a supporting role  ;-)  helping move the first stack off the trailer, then helping straighten the last pile as it was stacked in the garage... Then I came home and cooked supper... how's that for a supporting role?  But the kids were pretty amazing -- even the Popper was carrying a lot of weight... again and again... and again.  

Hmm, that reminds me that we could all use a chiropractor visit when the girls get home next week.  Guess I should go and call Vickie  :-)

~ ♥ ~  Have a great weekend!  ~ ♥ ~

daybook 12

The Simple Woman's Daybook is posted every Tuesday ~ here.

 

FOR TODAY

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Outside my window... it's foggy after last night's rain, the grass needs mowing ...still  (the mower has been giving my men some trouble)


I am thinking... I need a Battle Plan for all that I need to do this week (and the next...)


I am thankful for... my husband ~ I enjoyed spending Sunday with him, even if we spent the afternoon on a trip to Menards  :-)



I am praying for... our little friend Ada who is having a nasty bout with the flu this week  :-(
... my folks who are traveling today
... Tim & myself~ that we both might be like the righteous man of Psalm 37 ~

³⁰The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
³¹The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

From the learning rooms...trying to wrap up our year, sort of.  ;-)  The Cowgirl is still working on The History of the Horse; the Cattleman is continuing with math and language; the Computer Geek just has Algebra 2 to work on; Miss Music Box finished grammar yesterday and is 'done' with geometry (!), so anatomy will probably occupy her today; the Popper is taking a break from math ~ she needs to learn more multiplication facts before we go farther with division; hopefully Miss Artist is reading some history while traveling home this week.


From the kitchen... yesterday I made two batches of bread, banana bread/tea cake, and some Cookie Mama Cookies  :-)  The roasts I cooked last week for Mother's Day are still feeding us ~ last night we had fajitas.  Not sure what to serve tonight yet.  Tomorrow I think will be chicken enchiladas since they are a favorite of Miss Artist who should be HERE for supper :-)

I am creating... a list of light fixtures to order this week

I am going... to SCBP (the lumberyard) to see our final quote on kitchen cabinets and hopefully a full-size door in our chosen finish

I am reading... mostly the Psalms.  Someday I will pick up one of those other books on my reading list again!

I am hoping... God will continue to work things out with the house process in spite of all of the continued unwanted setbacks

I am hearing...  the birds are singing this morning; the CG is tapping at his laptop (and I at my desktop); the Cattleman turning pages as he reads a book; the girls are strangely quiet upstairs  ;-)  (late night for us with a 3-hour movie ~ The Diary of Anne Frank)

Around the house... I need to switch laundry and rally the girls to breakfast... and make that Battle Plan for the next few days!

One of my favorite things... time with my hubby  ♥

A few plans for the rest of the week:  My SILs want to work for me while they stop overnight here this week, so I need to decide just what we should focus on (since there are no walls yet to paint...).  Sweeping up construction messes inside and out?  Packing books?  Cleaning kitchen cupboards?  Packing?!  (It's difficult to imagine moving into a house with studs for walls, wires hanging out, sawdust and foam crumbs laying about, piles of building materials...)

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
Tim brought home this maple tree on Saturday to plant at the new house  :-)

Thanks to Peggy for hosting the Simple Woman's Daybook ~ Find more daybooks here.

advice for the bride

In appreciation to those of you who offered your own two cents of advice in my preparation of a devotional for Jenna's bridal shower (I think I promised each of you a penny in return)... And to encourage all of us to think biblically about our marriages... Here's what I said to Jenna on Saturday...

...I have several "Be's" for you to think about as you prepare for this important occasion.

The first is BE COMMITTED.

Consider the example of your parents and your grandparents, and determine to commit to your own marriage for the rest of your life.  Marriage vows usually include promises to love each other "for better or worse." That's because marriage isn't easy; you usually have to work at it.  Marriage isn't a 50-50 think; it's about each of you giving 100 percent even when you don't feel like it.

God says in the Bible that...

 ⁹Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
 ¹⁰For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
 ¹¹Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?
 ¹²And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 

(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Secondly, BE RESPECTFUL.

This is probably the number one thing you can do for Chris and your marriage - and ultimately for yourself.  You need Chris's love; he needs your respect.

The Bible has both positive and negative examples from which to learn.  Are you familiar with this from Proverbs?

⁹It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house. 

(Proverbs 21:9)

Actually there are several verses in Proverbs about the brawling, angry, or contentious woman.  Do you think that might be the natural bent of most women when things don't go our way?  But as we seek to be like Christ and allow His grace to work in us, we can honor God and our husbands.  Here's another verse from Proverbs:

 ⁴A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. 

(Proverbs 12:4)

Jenna, you can be a lovely crown to Chris by showing him respect in private and in public.


The third "Be" is BE KIND.

The Bible says in Ephesians:

 ³¹Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
 ³²And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

(Ephesians 4:31-32)

My last "Be" is also found in this passage:  BE FORGIVING.

God's forgiveness is available to each one of us through Jesus Christ.  This is why we can and should be willing to forgive others.  We all mess up. 

By God's grace you can be committed, respectful, kind, and quick to forgive.  This will enable you and Chris - when life is "better" or when life is "worse" - to enjoy marriage at its best for the rest of your life.

The hostesses chose an ISU tailgate theme since Jenna & Chris are both ISU grads and fans.

let them eat cake

(maybe that's not such a good quote to be repeating?)

But here's some of what we're up to...

Miss MusicBox baked three half-batches of chocolate cake on Wednesday to determine which was the perfect recipe for this weekend...  Yesterday she baked 6 layers of cake (for 2 of 3 cakes) - strawberry and the chocolate (Hershey's deep dark chocolate?).  Today she baked 3 layers of "Miss Grace's" carrot cake recipe... and then another layer after one was damaged  :-(   (I'm saving that one layer for Sunday ~ Rom 8:28 ~ yum!)  AND we've had debate upon debate and discussion of just how to decorate them all...   :o  Her plan was to decorate two cakes today and the third tomorrow afternoon (between bridal shower and graduation party). 

After supper Tim saw she needed some encouragement with the frosting... so he put his abilities with trowel frosting spatula to work.  Can you tell he used to do finish work with concrete?  :-)

And this pic to show the beautiful antique cake stands that belongs to my SIL...

Meanwhile Miss MB worked on the second cake...

She's saving the chocolate cake decorating for tomorrow...

Congratulations, Rhys!

~*~*~*~*~*~

And, in other news... I went to see Bruce yesterday about the kitchen cabinets.  Here's the 20/20 version of the plan from early this week.  It's pretty close, but we've also added and changed some things.  He doesn't want to place the order before a we see a full-sized door in the finish we've chosen... just in case.  And he came out to the house today to do his own measuring - even without the drywall and amidst the current work.  So he and Tim were able to discuss some things on-site ~ very helpful!

I don't think I want to count the number of weeks until June 30...

I'll go check on Miss MB and her cake instead  ;-)

a ten-minute post

Can I do it?!

I should have shut this off a half hour ago... but instead I'll indulge in a quick update and then shut it off.

Tomorrow Tim & I shall order our kitchen cabinets - Yay!  But the real yAy! is that we'll be at the local lumber yard to do it!  woot woot!  No, Woodharbor didn't let me decide their May special ~ they still haven't decided!  But our local retailer for them didn't want me to get my kitchen from Menard's.  Bless his heart, Bruce called me with a lovely quote today, and I'm doing the happy dance (okay, only in my mind) ~ I'm so thankful to have this little desire of my ♥!  God is good ~ He would still be good if we had to order from Menard's or RTAs from Connecticut... But I'm so excited to have this bright spot in our week (okay, year!)

{the photo above is just to give you an idea of what our cabinets might look like... almost, but not quite}

Also on the house front, the electrical inspector is to come on Monday.  And the dry-wall hanger.  Praying!


Friday, Miss MusicBox needs to bake three 3-layer cakes!  :o  My nephew graduates from ISU this weekend, and my SIL requested cakes by Miss MB -- and Miss Artist isn't here to help and join the fun.  I decided to buy groceries tonight on the way home from church, so we can all stay home on Friday and get in her way be of some assistance.

Saturday morning is my niece's bridal shower that I'm to do the devotions for... instead of shopping at our city-wide garage sales.  (I've decided God is protecting me from additional s.t.u.f.f. to move this summer ~ what else can I do?)  Saturday evening is the graduation party.

Sunday the calendar says is Mother's Day.  My folks are still in Arizona due to Dad's surgery, so maybe we will have a quiet day of just us?  But likely the afternoon will be busy - Tim has an unending list to accomplish with house and cattle...

I'm sure Monday will follow... possibly with us trying to sweep up the mess at the new house.  I saw it today.  Ugh.  Think shredded styrofoam peanuts all over the place.  Mr. Electrician has been cutting into the ICF walls ya know...

Ten minutes is LONG gone and soon it will be tomorrow!  Good night and have a blessed weekend!

daybook 12

FOR TODAY

May 4, 2010

Outside my window...

• the sun is shining in a blue, blue sky
• the wind is seriously blowing
• the dandelions are proliferating way beyond our NPT agreement

I am thinking...

about electrical outlets and switches, kitchen cabinets, etc. {See that the eyes have glazed over...}


I am praying for...

• many health needs 
• Marissa and family who lost Grandma/Mom/Wife recently ~ married 68 years ~ Isn't that great though?!
• patience and a sweet spirit in me in spite of construction stress ~ this will be a 'prayer and fasting' need for God to work (thankful for that verse Sunday and the new realization of what it means)

I am thankful for...

• a good report after my dad's surgery this morning to remove a small superficial tumor ~ No further treatment planned, just frequent check-ups ~ Thank you, Lord!

• Sunday morning message:  "Yes, but GOD IS ABLE."  God's sovereign power ~

"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."

Mark 9:23  

(Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.)

From the learning rooms...

• the Popper is beginning multiplying by 3 and enjoying learning cursive writing in penmanship
• the Cattleman is mastering division with 2-digit divisors and working with fractions
• the Cowgirl finished her Easy Grammar today with the post-test (finished math weeks ago)
• the Computer Geek is working with quadratic equations in Algebra 2 and the final module's study guide in physical science (and deserving lots of 'demerits' for chattering with siblings this morning)
• Miss Music Box is determined to conquer the last of her geometry lessons (I think she much prefers her anatomy course)
• Miss Artist is under supervision of Aunt J. yet this week, but should also be finishing her physical science module and progressing in math lessons.  
• And we finished our current chapter in Carson this morning, "A Second Radical Reconstruction, 1960-1975," reading about 'The Revolt against Authority' and 'Constitutional Reconstruction.'  Next chapter is called "The Conservative Response," but I will wait another couple weeks to begin that - when we have everyone home again for a while.  We have a whole volume covering 1985-2001 to read after we finish with this one -- hopefully we can be done before September!

From the kitchen...

leftovers for lunch, with leftovers still leftover!  Corndog muffins on the menu for supper, but I didn't ask Tim if that meets with his approval (I expected him to be in the field, thus the kid-friendly/easy for Mom menu plans)... Not sure what Plan B might be.   Can't remember the plan for the rest of the week.


I am creating...

a recipe book for niece Jenna for Saturday's bridal shower (I could/should be printing pages while I type this...Hurrah for multi-tasking.)


I am going...

crazy


I am reading...

the Psalms

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalm 27:14

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Psalm 28:7

I am hoping...

to get an answer from Woodharbor soon.  It's May 4, and they haven't decided what their May special on their cabinets will be.  I could be happy to decide for them.  ;-)  Meanwhile, I'm resolving myself to be thankful for Schrock from Menard's or Conestoga all the way from Connecticut.


I am hearing...

the wind ~ now that the Cattleman is finished at the piano and the printer is finished with the requested job
Actually, now that it's taken me several hours to accomplish this post, I hear the water running now and then as the kids enjoy a water fight outside.


Around the house...

it could be worse  (It has been recently!)


One of my favorite things...

buying jeans for my boys for $6 each at the outlet mall  :-)

A few plans for the rest of the week:

• ordering the kitchen cabinets
• decluttering in earnest
• more construction cleaning after the electrician finishes drilling and before the drywall dust begins...

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

in the form of two photos ~ gotta love the combination ~
Do you wonder what the cattle are looking at?

Ava tackled the Cowgirl  :-)
Here she is playing in the cat's water dish  :o  Yes, I washed her hands with soap immediately!

Link up and find more daybooks at Peggy's blog, The Simple Woman's Daybook.