First Fest 2011

Here is a cute "scrapbook" I made of the pictures I took tonight of my kids. Samantha made costumes for her and Jennifer. She did Jennifer's hair and makeup, too. They both look awesome! What fun!

This photo album made with Smilebox

Until next time...blessings to you.

Dolphin Tale Unit Study Part Three

For the last part of our Dolphin Tale study we made little flip books with the information that we learned from our study. We didn't have a very large group that week but it was fun anyway. 

They had to work to find the words to fit into the blank spaces in the book. 

We loved seeing smiles on their faces as they worked together.

We even had some coloring pages for the younger kids if they wanted to do that, too. 

That's our progress report for today. Thanks for stopping by. 

Living Today

Do you ever get lost in tomorrow? Do you ever catch yourself living for tomorrow and what you hope to have? I have to admit I have done that for the past 8 years, if not longer. It has robbed me of the joy of today. Not completely but I can look back and see how it did effect my daily life.

In 2003 we started "dreaming" of moving to Colorado. Other people move where they want to live so why not us? Surely we could find work there just as easily as here. We spend years looking for work, applying for jobs, even looking for homes. We went as far as to purchase land in Colorado with hopes of building a house on it someday. A friend drew up plans for that dream home. We lost that land to the bank after paying on it for 5 years. We kept the house plans and maybe someday... 

In 2009 we started down a path of discovery in the mission field overseas. We became excited to find the people group we were to GO to and live among. We began to dream and plan how that would be and what we would need to do so that our children would flourish. We began training for ourselves and our children to prepare us. Doors opened for training and for a huge trip across the world. We fell in love with the people there and the idea of living there and working to help them have water and a better understanding of Jesus' love. Then the doors began to close. Our hearts are willing should the doors open. Maybe someday...

But what about the here and now? Do you know some of the things that I did because of those dreams? I didn't put pictures up in the hall of my children. It seemed like such an effort for something that I was going to have to take down and pack away. I stopped paying attention to making my home better in little ways so I would enjoy it more. There are things I want to do in my kitchen that are small things but it would look so much nicer. I stopped planning things for the long term HERE. I just kept thinking "we might not be HERE for that". I have packed away my Christmas things more than once thinking "I need to pack these well so they will travel safely" instead of just packing them for the season and knowing I would get them out again in the same house. I have NOT gotten out my fall decorations for years because it just seemed like too much effort. (I have missed my fall angels.) 

I am so done living life this way! I am going to enjoy my life TODAY and let tomorrow come as it may. I am going to enjoy each season to the fullest. I am going to do the things with my family that are fun and make memories to last a lifetime. I am going to focus on doing little things each day to make THIS house a better home for our family. And if the time comes we have the money to build our home or buy a new one that is in a better location in Arlington, then I will be excited and work hard to make that the best it can be. (If we stay in Texas, Arlington seems to be where our family is going to live.) IF one day the doors open up to move to Colorado, we will make that move with excitement. IF one day the doors open up to move across the world to drill water wells and share Jesus with others, we will go with excitement! But no more living for tomorrow. I am living life TODAY and enjoying it. 

The birds are singing loudly outside as the breeze blows through the trees. The sun is shinning and the air is cool. God has blessed me with so much; a home, a wonderful husband, four great kids, some "adopted" kids whom I love as much as my own, grandparents who loved me enough to raise me when my own parents weren't able, sisters (and a brother who is now in Heaven, I pray) who though I didn't grow up with them was allowed to "find" them and have them in my life, other family members who I love dearly, a wonderful family in the faith, and lots and lots of great friends all over the world. I am so blessed beyond imagination. And God continues to bless me daily. Yes, there are the downs in my life, I have had many. But Jesus has carried me through them all. I trust Him to continue to do that throughout my life here on Earth. And when it is all said and done, I will live forever with Him in that heavenly place He has prepared for me. My prayer is that all of those who have touched my life will be there with me. 

Until next time...blessings to you!

The Flybaby Returns Again

Have you ever heard of Flylady? I would be surprised if you hadn't. She has been around since 2001. If you have never heard of Flylady let me explain just a little. Flylady helps you to not be overwhelmed with housework and other areas in our lives. It has branched out in different directions and also has things for our children and teens to help them, if they so choose to use them. 

I started using Flylady after my youngest daughter was born and loved it. But I let life get in the way and got bogged down in stuff again. I tried to start again a few years ago but never really put my heart into it. I signed up for the emails again a couple of months ago and didn't do anything with them. But I refused to let myself unsubscribe this time. I knew I wanted to get back on track. 

Today is THAT day! I got up this morning and shined my sink! I am taking baby steps so I won't get overwhelmed. That is what they tell you to do, take baby steps. I am starting out by getting my morning routine and before bed routine down. I am also doing the Zone 4: Mission #1 Monday. Zone 4 is the master bedroom. Today I just have to gather things from my bedroom that don't belong and put them where they do belong or throw them in the trash. I can do that!

I do have other things I have to get done because I am on a time frame but if I do these small things daily along with the big things I have to do, once I am done with the big things I will be in the habit of doing the little things to keep my house clean and in working order and it will seem easy because I will have less to do. The big things I have to do are home repairs and organizing to accommodate a home preschool. But at the same time, it is a part of our declutter and downsize mission. I will be cleaning OUT things and getting rid of unwanted and unnecessary items in my home. I know that I will have less to clean up if I have less stuff. It is just a matter of getting it done. PLUS, a matter of thinking through each purchase after this. Thinking: Do I need this? Do I have room for this? Will we use it? Will it enrich our lives? If the answer is no, then I should not get it.  

The kids have the option of printing off a control journal for themselves. It just helps them keep their room clean and helps them to make sure they have their things picked up from around the house. Jennifer has printed hers off. Jonathan is still thinking it over. That is fine because it is up to them to make this choice to do it without me having to tell them what to do each day. 

Until next time...blessings to you.

Preschool Room Redo - Wall Border Removal

I haven't posted this information on here yet but I am re-opening my Kid Care & Preschool as soon as I get the preschool room fixed up. I am really excited about it. The kids are excited, too. They were not happy when I closed it a year and a half ago. 

The first thing we are doing is painting the room. Before we can do that I had to take down the wall border that ran across the top of the room. Eleven years ago when I bought that wall border I loved it! Mostly, I just wanted something other than white walls and I was going for a very floral look to match some pictures I had gotten from Home Interior. But as we changed this room into a playroom for my business it just didn't look right anymore. Yet I didn't feel like I could change it at the time. Now that we are in a transition from being closed to opening back up this is the perfect time to get things fixed up. (We painted the walls pink to match the flowers. This year we started to paint the walls white but leave the border but it just didn't look good so we stopped at this one wall.)

At first John wanted to just paint over the border because he thought it was going to be really hard to take down. I did a search on painting over wall border and found out that is a HUGE no-no. I also found out some simple ways to take the border OFF! 

Step One: Pull the border off the wall. I tried to get it in as large a piece as I could as I pulled it off. Most of it came off just fine in one big strip but other places it tore in strips and I had to work a little harder to get it off. The yellow you see under the border is the glue.

Step Two: Spray the paper/glue with either Windex or warm water. Both work, in fact, I used both. Coat the area and let it sit there for a couple of minutes. Use a sponge to keep the water from running down your wall. You can also use it to pat the water into the paper to help it soak it up. The more water that soaks into it, the easier it comes off. If you start to scrap it and it doesn't come off easily, spray more water on it and let it sit for another minute. Waiting those few minutes make it easier.

Step Three: Use a scraper to peel the paper off in long or short strips. I used my scraper that came with my cooking stones. Those things come in handy in many areas of do it yourself projects. If you have the paper good and soaked, it should come off in long strips. If there is any leftover glue on the wall, spray the wall with the Windex and use your sponge to get it off. You have to make sure there isn't any left on the wall or when you paint it there will be problems. 

And that is how you remove wall border without buying other products that might or might not cost a lot of money. I did this on Monday afternoon. My daughter helped me by picking up all the border that I scraped off the wall and vacuuming the rest. I am so excited to get to the painting part AFTER John finishes patching and texturing the parts of the wall that need it. 

Until next time...blessings to you.

My Favorite Season?

Fall just might be my favorite season. I really do love fall, for many reasons. I think I would love fall even if I didn't live somewhere that had 100+ temps all summer. But let me share some other reasons why I love fall. They are much sweeter. 

Getting up in the morning and putting on my socks and sweater so I can stay warm and enjoy the coolness in the air at the same time.

Watching the leaves turn brilliant colors right across the street from me. I often dream of driving through the New England states to see even more brilliance than we get to see in Texas. God's handiwork amazes me.

Sitting on the front porch enjoying the coolness of the afternoon as the breeze blows the trees.

Getting our my fall decorations, like my Fall Angels. I got them a few years ago and just love them. I collect angels so it was perfect when I found them.

There are still warm days mixed in with the cool days but they aren't scorching. 

Carving pumpkins with John and the kids. Last year was our first year but they had so much fun so we will make it a yearly tradition. They picked out their pumpkins on a home school field trip. Fun, fun! 

Baking cookies and muffins to fill the house with warm scents that remind me the holidays are near. 

Having a fire going in the fire place and curling up on the couch to read. This HAS to be one of my favorite ways to read. 

Drinking pumpkin spice flavored coffee. It usually comes out in September and I try to stock up and enjoy it way past winter. 

I get to wear my warmer clothes, hoodies, sweatshirts, sweaters, jackets and coats. 

Leaving the doors and windows open for the cool breeze to come in. Our electric bill drops greatly!

Watching my kids bless the neighbors by bagging their leaves for free. That tradition started out several years ago and continues. I am proud of them.

Participating with my family on Thanksgiving Day delivering turkeys to the families through Mission Arlington. Every Thanksgiving morning our family heads up to the mission to get our list of families requesting dinners. We deliver them and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Spending an afternoon at the park with my family. On Saturday or Sunday we take our lunch to the park and enjoy the time together at a slower pace. 

Getting to do fall crafts with the kids, here at home and at church. There are some great fall projects that don't cost much to do. 

Attending the fall festivals with my family and friends at church. Our church puts on a city wide festival. Everyone is invited! We have so many people come. What a great time of ministry.

Taking the families from our apartment church to the Mission Arlington  Harvest Fest. We have a hay ride, games, face painting and food. Smiles on the kids faces outshine it all.

I am sure I could come up with many more but for now, this is my list. Are there some special fall things you treasure? Share them with me. I would love to hear about them and maybe add them to my list! 

Until next time...blessings to you.

AAHE Mission Day - The Voice of the Martyrs

AAHE decided that we would focus on Missions in the month of October this year. I personally think that was a GREAT idea. My family focuses on missions every month, since we are missionaries right here in the DFW area. Many families in Arlington are very mission minded. I think one of the reasons is because we have Mission Arlington to help us realize how important it is, even in our own back yards. 

For our meeting we asked a representative from The Voice of the Martyrs to come and share with us about their ministry. Our guest speaker was Bob Sweely. He had a slide show with pictures of martyrs across the world and explained their story. I think it was great for all of us, young and old, to see these pictures and make it real for us that there are those out there that suffer greatly because of their love for the Lord. We all KNOW that but we don't really THINK about it in a way that it hits home sometimes.

Bob shared with us the many ministry avenues that VoM has. It is amazing. One of the ministry avenues is the Action Pack bags. The vacuum bags are filled by people like us and sent to Christians in restricted nations who have been ostracized by their family, friends, and village because of their faith. Those items are a welcome expression of Christ's love and yours. The items that are needed to fill the bags are everyday things like shirts, socks,hats, foam balls, bars of soap, a blanket, toys, school supplies, etc.

If you would like more information on The Voice of the Martyrs you can check out these different resources.

http://www.persecution.com            http://www.kidsofcourage.com/     

Telephone: (918)337-8015   

Orders or contributions: (800)747-0085

Ministry information: (877)337-0302

E-mail: thevoice@vom-usa.org

Bob Sweely, Area Representative

(972)255-3628

sweely@juno.com

If you want to have him visit your group, give him a call. He is a wonderful man to talk to with a heart for Christ. This ministry is one of the best out there. Support them where you can.

That is our progress report for today. Thanks for stopping by.