Grains of Sand

I found this book on the bathroom floor and it warms my heart.  The book was left there by my soon to be eleven(!) year old, Logan.  There are days when I get upset that the kids leave their toys and other miscellaneous items laying around the house.  However, when it comes to books, the more the merrier.  Why the tolerance of books?  Well, I remember teaching L how to read.  I remember the long, painful process.  I remember teaching him the word 'the' on one page and turning to the next page and he couldn't read the word 'the'.  Just a few seconds later!  I remember crying to my husband (many times) that I may not be cut out for this homeschooling thing after all.   I remember all the hours, extended patience and lack thereof.  I remember all the tears, frustration, anger, and doubt.  I remember it like it was yesterday. Today, Logan can read.  In fact he is a voracio...

FOR TODAY January 23, 2012 Outside my window...  two morning doves sitting on the birdbath enjoying a moderately cold, gray rainy morning. I am thinking... that my computer is doing some really weird things this morning.  Couldn't be user error could it?  :) I am thankful... for God's patience and steadfast love as he waited for this girl to come back to Him. In the kitchen... the dishwasher is working, the coffee pot is finished brewing my morning cup of coffee, the counters are relatively tidy and I can still smell bacon from last nights dinner. I am wearing... a charcoal gray Old Navy shirt and striped pj pants. I am creating... a list and the beginning's of a few homemade items to give to five facebook friends. I am going... to wish my brother-in-law a happy birthday today and then start planning for Ethan's birthday which is only seven days away. I am wondering... when this puppy of ours is going to sleep longer than six hour...

The birds are back!  Yes, maybe it's because I put food in the feeder.  But it's also because the hawk is gone.  We have a Cooper's Hawk that haunts the neighborhood looking for innocent birdies to snack on.  Once the hawk shows up, the birds disappear for a good three days or so.  I'm sure the hawk will return once it realizes the birds are back, but for now I'm enjoying the activity in the yard.

You open the drawer and it's empty.  There is no toothbrush.  Where could the toothbrush be?  You figure you left it next to the kitchen sink or in another bathroom because you frequently multi-task while brushing your teeth.  No, not by the kitchen sink or the other bathroom.  Maybe the laundry room?  As the sweaters get thicker on your teeth you are running out of ideas for finding the missing toothbrush.  You decide to brush later. Time to get your toddler dressed for the day.  Shirt drawer.  Pant drawer.  Sock drawer & toothbrush drawer?  There's your toothbrush.  Nestled nice and cozy next to a pair of socks.  In your wildest imagination you can't think of how you could have left your toothbrush in the sock drawer.  Oh well.  At least now you can brush your teeth. You decide to brush your teeth while standing still in the bathroom so as not to lose your toothbrush again.  In walks your cute 15 m...

.... does it take to screw in a lightbulb? How many homeschoolers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?  (I took this from a friend who posted it on facebook.  It made me chuckle.) Before commencing, mom contacts HSDLA to see if there is a legal loophole to change a lightbulb without first asking the local department of education. She then contacts the co-op to see if there is enough interest to have a field day to watch the changing of the lightbulb. The co-op then forms a committee to determine whether this is a homeschooling or unschooling type of activity. Then, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life. Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles. Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they’ll g...

FOR TODAY January 10, 2012 Outside my window... the sky is dark and clear and the moon is very bright. I am thinking... of the first time I made a daybook entry way back on April 6, 2009. I am thankful... for all that God has given me.  My faith, husband, children, family, house, employment and health just to name the top seven. In the kitchen...  there is no box cereal for the children's breakfast so we will be having toast.  Amish cinnamon bread batter waiting to be baked. I am wearing... my favorite blogging outfit.... my jammies! I am creating... a plethora of craft ideas on pinterest and hoping to tackle at least one per month. I am hearing... my husband getting ready for work and the coffee pot brewing a morning cup of enjoyment.  I am going... to print some of my favorite pictures from last year and fill an album with them.  I will do this by the end of January! (Giving myself a stern reminder and pep talk) I am wonderi...

When I'm going through 'something' whether big or small, I tend to be quiet.  I pull it all in and digest it, roll it over in my mind and ponder it.  Most often no one hears much about it.  I've been told that some people would want this method, that those people often come out with it all and wish they wouldn't.  Then I think of all the times I suffer and no one knows.  All the times when I wish I could say something but can't articulate it.  All the times that it festers inside until the small grain of sand turns into a large obstacle.  I would rather be out with it.  But how do I start?  I've had years of practice at keeping it inside.  How does a person begin to let it out? I'm learning that I need to let it all out to God.  This may seem like a 'duh' moment to most, but this is an 'aha' moment for me.  Let it out to someone who is going to listen, not judge, not yell or condemn.  Someone who loves me unconditio...