Thursday, May 28, 2009
Summer 'dos
The kids got haircuts last weekend. Don't they look nice!
Fun with a box
Who need toys when we have boxes? Each time we get something that comes in a big box, it's a struggle to get it to the recycling area because the kids want it to play. I guess Julian had more important things to do, but Kathryn enjoyed the box we got yesterday...who cares what came in it! I guess it does look pretty cozy.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Awana
The kids finished their Awana year last week. They both finished their book, and actually Julian was given his 2nd book for T&T a while ago, but the commander asked for it back when he found out. He said the clubbers are not supposed to start their 2nd book in their first year...so he gave it back and started working on the silver and gold sections (which was why he made the solar system model). I am so proud of both of them. I'm glad they are learning God's word and the truth of salvation through it. We were worried sending them to a different church than we were used to, but it was all for nothing. They did really well and even made some new friends.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Our weekend
Our 11th anniversary was on Saturday, and this in combination with my graduation made me really want to get away to celebrate. We decided to spend a short weekend at Biltmore in Asheville. I had been once before in junior high, and Jason had also been once, but I'm glad we went again. The house and gardens were beautiful, but there was a lot of walking. I'm glad for a day to sit at my desk and work; my poor legs need a vacation now. Here are some photos of our weekend:
Meanwhile, the kids were spending a nice weekend with Ronda, Evan and Emileigh. From what I heard, the kids were not terrible and Emileigh actually wants to dog-sit for us again, so I guess Lucy minded her manners.
Graduation
I graduated with my associate's degree on Friday! Woo hoo! This is the halfway point for me - hopefully my graduation with my bachelor's degree will be in another 2 years (but it looking more like 2 years plus a semester??). Regardless, it was a big day for me, and I am proud of myself.
I was so happy that my Dad was able to come, and that Jason's Mom and Dad were there for the ceremony. I also kept the kids out of school (still not sure if that is an excused absence or not...) Jason and the kids and I went for lunch with Dad after the ceremony before going our separate ways to do real life things - like pool cleaning and work. I had a chuckle when I thought of the differences there are between graduating when you're 20 and when you're over 30. Get the ceremony done and back to work!
There aren't a lot of photos, Jason had issues with his camera, but here are a few I swiped from his folder on our hard drive :
I was so happy that my Dad was able to come, and that Jason's Mom and Dad were there for the ceremony. I also kept the kids out of school (still not sure if that is an excused absence or not...) Jason and the kids and I went for lunch with Dad after the ceremony before going our separate ways to do real life things - like pool cleaning and work. I had a chuckle when I thought of the differences there are between graduating when you're 20 and when you're over 30. Get the ceremony done and back to work!
There aren't a lot of photos, Jason had issues with his camera, but here are a few I swiped from his folder on our hard drive :
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Time for a change
Really, I just didn't want my mother's day post on top anymore!
I have started my semi-annual process of clearing out the kids' closets and drawers of things they have outgrown and finding a place for things I shoved on the shelf until later when I had time to do something with it. Well, now is that time and I have huge piles of stuff and need to figure out what to do with it. Too bad our storage building is also nearly popping with things we shoved in there until later. My motivation for starting was the nudge I received last week from the lady who gives us a lot of the hand-me-downs for Kathryn. She emailed to say she has more and asked (again) if I have any to give back...
Anyway, I really enjoy these homey chores that I just don't have time for while I am in school. They give me an outlet and are something I can use to take a break from looking at the computer on these long work days. I know it seems a little weird to daydream about doing chores, but sometimes I do while I'm really busy with school and work things... I think about how things used to be when I had a lot of free time and how they'll be again some day. There will be a day again when if I want to indulge in my OCD tendencies of organization, I can. And I will!
I have started my semi-annual process of clearing out the kids' closets and drawers of things they have outgrown and finding a place for things I shoved on the shelf until later when I had time to do something with it. Well, now is that time and I have huge piles of stuff and need to figure out what to do with it. Too bad our storage building is also nearly popping with things we shoved in there until later. My motivation for starting was the nudge I received last week from the lady who gives us a lot of the hand-me-downs for Kathryn. She emailed to say she has more and asked (again) if I have any to give back...
Anyway, I really enjoy these homey chores that I just don't have time for while I am in school. They give me an outlet and are something I can use to take a break from looking at the computer on these long work days. I know it seems a little weird to daydream about doing chores, but sometimes I do while I'm really busy with school and work things... I think about how things used to be when I had a lot of free time and how they'll be again some day. There will be a day again when if I want to indulge in my OCD tendencies of organization, I can. And I will!
Monday, May 11, 2009
My mothers day weekend...
I don't like mothers day.
Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, and I love the thoughtful handmade gifts they give me each year.
But I don't like mothers day because I don't have my Mom. Some years I'm OK, but this year I have been teary and sad. I'll be glad when some time passes, and I get distracted again from thinking about what I don't have.
This year, we went to dinner with Jason's family Saturday night and then we went to church Sunday morning. Later in the day, we went on a long walk on a new trail we had seen that goes along one of our rivers. It was perfect. And of course I have pictures:
Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, and I love the thoughtful handmade gifts they give me each year.
But I don't like mothers day because I don't have my Mom. Some years I'm OK, but this year I have been teary and sad. I'll be glad when some time passes, and I get distracted again from thinking about what I don't have.
This year, we went to dinner with Jason's family Saturday night and then we went to church Sunday morning. Later in the day, we went on a long walk on a new trail we had seen that goes along one of our rivers. It was perfect. And of course I have pictures:
Happy Mothers' Day to all moms
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Graduation invitations
In my haste to get the invitations in the mailbox before the mail carrier came, I forgot to put my name on them!! So, if you get an invitation to a graduation of some unknown person in my county, it's me... And sorry for the anonymity - it was not deliberate!!!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
An anniversary
When facing big events in my life, I tend to get reflective. Does anyone else do that? Facing graduation, the uncertainty of the next couple of years in school, my upcoming anniversary (11 years!!), etc. I find myself looking back.... As I was cooking dinner last night, I was thinking about how different I am now than I was before Jesus saved me. I realized my "anniversary" of becoming a Christian is also here. It seems like it's been a million years, but it hasn't been quite that long...
14 years ago, when I was 17 years old, I attended a TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) weekend, which is a Lutheran run program for making disciples and leaders of teenagers. A couple of friends who had already gone asked me to go. It is a 3 day program, each day focusing on a major theme of being a Christian. The first day is DIE day - it focuses on the death of Jesus. It teaches how Jesus faced a brutal death on the cross - not for anything He had done wrong, but for what I had done wrong. The 2nd day is RISE day - it focuses on the resurrection and how Jesus conquered death to bring new life to those that believe in Him - even those that had committed the sins that put him on the cross. The 3rd day is GO day - it focuses on making a commitment to serve God and take what you have learned to the world around you. On GO day, there is a re-confirmation ceremony. All of the other kids had already gone through confirmation and were renewing their commitment to God. Well, I realized I had no commitment to God.
From the previous 2 days, I had learned of the sacrifice Jesus made for me (and you!) and the joy of his resurrection. I wanted to make a commitment to God! I wanted Jesus to know that I now understood what He had done for me - as much as I could at the time. He had died in my place. He had died for the sins I had committed. He took my punishment. In tears, I asked Jesus to help me know how to be His, and I consider that the first day of my Christian life. Through the years, Jesus has become more and more real to me and has become the One I can always count on, even when people disappoint me (and they surely will). He is the One that will never leave me - even if people do (and they surely will).
There were bumps after that. I didn't know what it meant to be a Christian and didn't really have a church family to help me out, so I struggled along for a few years with finding myself in Christ. I had a lot of doubt and a lot of anger at God and at the people in my life (and sometimes still do even now). I still struggle with trusting and following and submitting. I am still stubborn at times and say no when I should say yes. I still do the wrong thing when I know what the right thing is. I am still filthy rags compared to His goodness and holiness. But I am SO very thankful that He loves me anyway.
I just wanted to share my joy today and share again how thankful I am that God loved me enough to die for me and loves me enough now to forgive me when I do the wrong thing. For I truly believe life is hopeless and shallow without Jesus Christ as your guide.
Did you know he loves you that much too? It's true! The Bible tells it:
14 years ago, when I was 17 years old, I attended a TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) weekend, which is a Lutheran run program for making disciples and leaders of teenagers. A couple of friends who had already gone asked me to go. It is a 3 day program, each day focusing on a major theme of being a Christian. The first day is DIE day - it focuses on the death of Jesus. It teaches how Jesus faced a brutal death on the cross - not for anything He had done wrong, but for what I had done wrong. The 2nd day is RISE day - it focuses on the resurrection and how Jesus conquered death to bring new life to those that believe in Him - even those that had committed the sins that put him on the cross. The 3rd day is GO day - it focuses on making a commitment to serve God and take what you have learned to the world around you. On GO day, there is a re-confirmation ceremony. All of the other kids had already gone through confirmation and were renewing their commitment to God. Well, I realized I had no commitment to God.
From the previous 2 days, I had learned of the sacrifice Jesus made for me (and you!) and the joy of his resurrection. I wanted to make a commitment to God! I wanted Jesus to know that I now understood what He had done for me - as much as I could at the time. He had died in my place. He had died for the sins I had committed. He took my punishment. In tears, I asked Jesus to help me know how to be His, and I consider that the first day of my Christian life. Through the years, Jesus has become more and more real to me and has become the One I can always count on, even when people disappoint me (and they surely will). He is the One that will never leave me - even if people do (and they surely will).
There were bumps after that. I didn't know what it meant to be a Christian and didn't really have a church family to help me out, so I struggled along for a few years with finding myself in Christ. I had a lot of doubt and a lot of anger at God and at the people in my life (and sometimes still do even now). I still struggle with trusting and following and submitting. I am still stubborn at times and say no when I should say yes. I still do the wrong thing when I know what the right thing is. I am still filthy rags compared to His goodness and holiness. But I am SO very thankful that He loves me anyway.
I just wanted to share my joy today and share again how thankful I am that God loved me enough to die for me and loves me enough now to forgive me when I do the wrong thing. For I truly believe life is hopeless and shallow without Jesus Christ as your guide.
Did you know he loves you that much too? It's true! The Bible tells it:
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 10:9,10 "If you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
John 3:16 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him (the son) will not perish, but will have eternal life."
Monday, May 4, 2009
Big brothers....
Kathryn lost her third tooth last night after being kicked in the mouth by her loving brother (who swore to us he didn't kick her! Sorry, kiddo - the tooth on the floor proves you did!)... It's not often Kathryn gets paid for being abused by her brother - lucky her, now she gets a trip to Dollar Tree for a new toy (or a plain ol' dollar - but she has chosen the toy so far...)
Friday, May 1, 2009
2 things
...and I call them 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2"...no, sorry. Dr. Seuss on the brain...
Julian made this solar system for one of the sections in his Awana book:
Julian made this solar system for one of the sections in his Awana book:
And this beautiful iris bloomed yesterday. This particular plant had some sort of deformity last year and did not bloom. This is the first time I've seen these colors in an iris. This (and many others blooming at my house right now) are from Grandma Knight who shared with me when I told her how beautiful her flowers were. I hope one day my flower gardens look as wonderful as hers!
I had a wonderful half day off today. Not much work work, no school work. Great day!
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