Preparing for Our Move to Georgia

The interesting part of contemplating a move is looking at all the houses to consider, that fit the needs of your family, present and future.  Right now, we're looking for houses with property.  With our budget, we need to find fixer-upper houses because with houses that need nothing done to fix them up AND property, they're astronomically priced outside of our price range.  So we need to be willing to work to fix things up.

The difficult part of seeing all these houses online is not being able to go see them "right now" because we're almost 1000 miles away.  We've been in contact with a realtor and we're gearing up for that trip here soon, but until that time, we work on our house.  I am certain that when we return from that trip, we will be putting our house on the market.

One of the things we've done in the past when we had sold our old house, is that we prayed for the new owner of our house.  We prayed that they would come along in God's timing, that our house would completely fit their needs, and that they would be blessed by our house.  Our house fire in 2005 REALLY blessed the new owner of our house with a completely new heating system, hot water system, new basement and many other things.  The lady who eventually bought our house was single and I'm sure the peace of mind in having a new furnace and hot water heater was a good thing for her.   So, we pray for the people who will buy our house.

We are gradually decluttering things here in our house.  With everything that has transpired here this year, the paperwork and filing needs have mushroomed.  I have been overwhelmed and have not kept up with all of it.  I have put myself on "autopilot" more often to just be able to deal with the needful things in our lives.  I knew that eventually the paperwork would get filed.  Right now, we deal with catching up and staying caught up with all of it.  Then beginning to weed through curriculum that we no longer need, books we no longer need, and clothes we no longer want to wear or are too small.  It is a welcome thing to see all the "give away" items to go to the Goodwill or to folks who might need them.  I have a box sitting not far from my front door to hold decor, household and kitchen give away items and when it gets full, I'll close it up and take it to Goodwill.

We will be meeting with the retirement system folks soon to get a final tally on what Mr. G's income will be and we can get our budget set up and get prepared for that.  We have found a couple churches to visit while we're down there in a couple months, and a Civil Air Patrol Squadron that the kids are excited to visit.  We're also going to join a homeschool group *before* moving.  Yes, here in about 2 weeks we'll join the Southwest Georgia Homeschoolers Association to get a feel for what activities they offer through their newsletter and groups.  I can't find that information out unless we join.  I'm not too worried about it though.  They have a very similar set up to the current homeschool group we are members of currently.

We're getting excited, even moreso as time goes on.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

God Bless,

Disjointed Catch-Up Post

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." 

(Rom 8:26-28)

When young folks are not feeling well, we can do all we can, holding them, nurturing them, to help them feel better.  When they have concerns, we need to talk them out, showing them their options, helping them choose their words wisely in a variety of situations.  When it comes to the ultimate Healer, there is a time to give Him the concerns by praying with them through each of their concerns.   

Sometimes their concerns are far beyond anything we can fix.  Sometimes we have to lay down our own pridefulness and give our children to God in unfathomable ways.  

We have done just that in this past year.  The gut wrenching experience is one that I do not care to repeat.

Now, we've established a new normalcy, complete with different expectations, different day to day activities, and lots of appointments for all of us.

My day to day activities remain the same, but I struggle to gain a semblance of order.  Without getting enough sunlight, and beginning the cloudy time of year, I know my Sensory Affective Disorder is going to kick in soon.  I work to try to find a way around the symptoms by exercising, going on walks--even on cloudy days--getting enough nutritious foods, but I struggle to get enough sleep each night without waking through the night for whatever reason.  Keeping things in check depends greatly on getting enough sleep.  Six hours, sometimes less, of sleep each night isn't enough though.  It is work to get enough sleep.  (Go figure!)

Through all of this, we are beginning to thrust ourselves in to getting ready to move to Georgia.  I would love for all the work to be done when I snap my fingers, but it won't.  We will be downsizing, purging, decluttering, pitching, selling, and eventually giving thing away so we don't have to move them.  We only keep things that we absolutely treasure and things that are absolutely necessary.  We will definitely have many yard sales beginning in May.  To begin, though, I am selling some of our home school books.  I am taking them to our local home school group meetings to sell a little at a time.  

It is amazing how much junk one accumulates! 

We've added a puppy to our home recently.  His name is Gus.  Before Gus, by about a month, we added an adult cat whose name is Pickles.  He's a good kitty who will make sure to take care of our mice problem.  We got him because the mice were getting smarter.  Now we have 4 critters to keep each of us (almost) company.  Biscuit has enjoyed sitting on my lap while Pickles goes with my husband, Gus has taken a very strong liking to JL and Rustie enjoys getting attention from anyone.  He is getting older and will probably be facing his final time through this winter.  That's why we have Gus now.

We've canned quite a bit more this year than we have last year and the year before.  This year we've made 2 batches of salsa--over 20 quarts--sauce, stewed tomatoes, and hot peppers.  We are looking at pumpkin next and whatever else we can preserve.  If we haven't eaten all of it by the time we move then we'll take it with us.  We plan to put in a garden next year just in case our house doesn't sell.  

Last week our kids participated in the Clarion Autumn Leaf Festival with the Civil Air Patrol.  JL is holding the rifle in the left front, HJ is right behind him holding the banner, and DA is right over her shoulder in the back.  They did a phenomenal job!

Now we concentrate on schooling.  I struggle with getting much in, so I'm working on that as well as the many other things mentioned above right now.  If you don't see me around for a while, that is why.  I may document my purging journey in all its glory--messes and everything.  In order to purge, you need to make a mess, right?  We've lived in this house for 9 years, so I'm sure the mess will be huge!

~Until next time~

God Bless,

Beautifully Productive Busy Days

Watching my young folks rock climb at Seneca Point....while holding my water bottle...can't forget that!  LOL

Thursday began with making breakfast for the family.  A breakfast of Momma's "everything" scrambled eggs is always yummy.  Well received is another story since a couple folks have a sensitivity to eggs.  I give them the option of trying them or not.  If they feel like it for that morning, that's great.  If not, they won't hurt my feelings.  I don't make that type of breakfast very often.  Usually we have yogurt, egg rolls, or cottage cheese for breakfast with an occasional weekly oatmeal thrown in for good measure.

At the breakfast table we read the daily chapter of Proverbs that corresponds to the date which moved rather nicely to our Civics lesson in God and Government.  We discussed and looked up scripture which supported the sovereignty of God.

After kitchen clean up was finished, the oldest got on to his schoolwork on the computer while the other two registered and began their Civil Air Patrol training online.

I started working on lunch which was hamburgers and a black bean, mexican diced tomato, olive and purple onion type of salsa.  Everyone but me had sandwich rounds for their "bun."  I didn't have a bun because I'm working very diligently to eradicate wheat from my diet (more on that later...ask me about it some time and I'll be glad to share).

After lunch was put away, we had to scoot out the door to take HJ, our daughter, to a Young Ladies' Book Club that was formed by one of the lovely young ladies in our home school group.  They are reading one classic a month and coming together to "report" on the chapters they were assigned.  It's usually 3 chapters, so the work isn't all that much.  They'll be having a sleep over and watching the movies that correspond to the books they've read and discussing the differences between the books and movies.  I love the opportunity for her to do this type of thing with these young ladies.

While HJ was at her Book Club, the young men and I went to the bank, then to Aldi's to get our snacks, produce, and some cheese.  They're going to a friend's house for an overnight stay and they're taking snacks to share.

Once those errands were completed, my wonderful chauffeur drove us back to pick up HJ.  We waited for about 45 minutes for her because we were done with our errands quickly.  During that time the young men read their Civil Air Patrol chapter on Leadership while I knitted on this head band.  We had an interesting discussion about Country Music, whether many are ballads, poetry or both; vs Christian Music and that  Momma no longer listens to Country/Pop/Rock Music because of the immoral messages those music types portray.  Because we're getting to an age with our young folks where they are beginning to challenge our reasons for doing things, we give more explanations for things, and we welcome those challenges.  When we discuss how things use to be when we were young, we are able to share our story of God's grace in our lives; how we're convicted to make changes and find peace when we do; because we're choosing to live a life that fills our days with listening to music that fills our ears and hearts with the love and grace of God.  That explanation was not only true for both my husband and I, but also so simply accepted that the challenge became simple acceptance.  What a blessing!

After HJ was finished, we went to Good Will to see if we could find some PT (Physical Training) shorts for the young folks for CAP.  There were no shorts suitable for them there, but HJ and I were able to find some clothes for ourselves. :0)  I found 2 nice long sleeved shirts, a corduroy skirt and a denim skirt.  It has been so very long since I've been able to find anything at Good Will that I just quit trying.  Then they rearranged their clothing racks by size and I can now find clothes!  It's amazing!  LOL

On those days when we're in town, waiting for the next thing to happen, we're trying to fill the time in between.  We decided to go have McChicken sandwiches for dinner.  I paid for all the sandwiches, while the kids paid for their own fries and/or drinks.  As hoped, having the young folks pay for their own stuff has caused them to become more careful about how they spend their money.  What a wonderful "natural" beneficial effect of giving them more responsibility for purchasing their own things!  None of them purchased french fries, but bought their own desired drinks.  Why didn't they buy fries?  They're weighing the benefits of having their drink of choice vs a smaller drink and french fries.  They're learning the value of the dollar!  Woohoo!  This is just one small way they're learning.  They are buying a portion of their own clothes and a few things for CAP and making them do this is causing them to rethink how they spend their money.  What a blessing!

While we ate our dinner, we discussed the rest of the month's activities, watched the news and talked.  Once we were finished, it was time for choir practice.  This week we had more people for choir which was such a blessing!  I love it when everyone is at choir practice.  It brings everything together and sounds so very beautiful!  I am praying for more gentlemen to join the choir so that my young men will not be alone singing their bass parts.  I know there are at least 3 more men, but honestly, we could use more.

The laughter and fun experienced when singing in the choir is spirit filled and exciting to my soul.  I know I say this often, but perhaps not often enough, I am so blessed!  God has placed me in this church with these brothers and sisters in Christ to serve Him, and serve I will, with every fiber of my being.  I've loved singing in the choir for so many years, it is hard to count.  I sang in 6th grade choir in Rapid City, SD with 1500 kids and I was hooked!  Every possible opportunity I've had since that time, I've tried to sing in a choir, regardless of public school, youth group, or church.  I'd love for my own children to experience the thrill of singing songs to God at the top of your lungs with many others who have the same love for God.  The experience is absolutely awesome!  I'm sure we've been so close to heaven's marvelous chorus on numerous occasions!

The exhilarating thrill coursing through my spirit stays with me for a very long time after practice, on the way home and well in to the evening.

What a God-blessed time of fellowship and singing praises to Him to round out a busy day!

Praise God!

In Him,

Time

My last post was about my day out with my husband, sans kids, which was about a month ago.  Wow!  I am surprised that it has been a month since I posted! 

In this past month, our lives have taken a bit of a different turn.  All three of our children have joined Civil Air Patrol (CAP).  During that time we've paid for all 3 of them to have FBI clearances done, spent a good portion of a morning with their Commander and Lieutenant to try on not only dress blues, but battle dress uniforms, combat boots and dress shoes that were given to them by their unit; we've kept our eyes out for their physical training shorts (like gym shorts) at Good Will so that they can do PT in the proper attire; and since their feet are bigger than the boots offered at the CAP warehouse, we've purchased 3 pairs of combat boots. 

Why Civil Air Patrol?  

We were agonizing about this decision for quite a long time.  We had considered boy scouts years ago, but something constrained us those years ago.  We believe that God's hand was on that decision, or the constraining of that decision for a reason.  As for CAP, there are a number of reasons we've allowed our young folks to join.  First of all, it helps to reinforce the lessons we have taught all their lives about obedience, respect, helping others, and advancing in one's learning/education. 

Second of all, it helps to promote healthy peer pressure to push young folks to learn and advance because those who are at a higher level than they are, are usually their sergeants or cadet commanders in charge of them.  This positive peer pressure in this light helps these kids to understand the need to stick with those who are going to encourage them to become a better person not just for their sake, but for the sake of the squadron.  

Thirdly, there is a camaraderie that is occurring with the kids that is a good influence on them.  

Last, but not least, the educational opportunities with CAP, after aging out as a cadet, are amazing!  With adults, there are senior member benefits of taking classes online for a variety of areas to not only benefit the squadron, but also for one's own advancement.  This type of schooling is FREE as well as a resume builder.  

Now that I've told you quite a bit not enough about CAP, I'll move right along.  

I am in the process of adjusting to this new bunch of activity in each of our calendars.  I am certain that all of the activity is worth the effort of getting all of us to not only the meetings, but additional activities, youth meetings, choir, young ladies' book club, piano lessons as well as home school co-op days and field trips. I was filling in my perpetual calendar earlier today and when my Mr. G saw it so filled with things to do, he said, "Wow!  This calendar is just too full!"  LOL   

This is my calendar without all the activity:

I love being able to plan my days with this as my guide.  It doesn't matter what is going on, I can look at this calendar, see what week we're on, look to the left and see which room to detail clean.  Along the bottom are the chores for the day.  Along the right side is kitchen chores to do.  I've changed those since I took this picture due mostly to changes in diets and needs for the family, but that is how things need to flow as a family grows and changes.  

Now, I know the question is resting on your tongues/fingers/minds, "What does she do while they are at all these activities?"  Well, I have numerous knitting projects in process.  I am currently making my own wool felted purse that I will line with some lovely and wonderful fabric complete with zipper pockets and pouches. Another project I'm working on is a knitted winter headband that covers the ears for outside play. 

It's about double this size now, but it will be nice and warm for my ears when I go outside in the winter.

 These are things I work on while waiting for my kids.  If it's youth group night, I attend an adult Bible Study while they have youth group.  If we attend a field trip, I usually participate in the activities.  Then we throw doctor visits of all varieties in to the mix as well and there are lots of knitting opportunities.  

I thank God for these learning opportunities for my young folks.  Seeing them now and how much they've grown in their knowledge and walk with the Lord does my heart good.  I am excited to see what the Lord does in their lives.  In the mean time, I perfect my knitting skills to glorify God in every way I can.  

God Bless!

In Christ,