April Fool's On. . . . . ME!

I should have seen this one coming.

After a difficult decision made and accepted*, and a relaxing, wonderful beach trip with dear family, I was ready. "April," thought I, "do your worst."

Pride goeth before a fool. An April fool.

Last night, upon arriving home, I opened my email. Email #1: "Heather, where is the worksheet you usually post for science on Tuesday? It's not online!" Urgh. Forgot.

Then I open the next email, "Heather, what time is the field trip in the morning?" Field trip. Field trip? FIELD TRIP?!!!??? Oh, yeah. The field trip at 9 in the morning, with 50 homeschoolers, that I'm in charge of AND COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT. Nice.

Emails sent, Apologies offered, Arrangements made. I'm golden.

April 1st dawns bright and cheery. Except for my girls, who would rather stay in bed than go on a field trip. Oh, well. We scrounge breakfast and head out. The docent at the Botanical Gardens is lovely, but a sub. She makes do quite nicely, and after the tour/trip I head to the library there to check out some books and teaching props for my plant lessons.

"Your library card has expired." Of COURSE it has. Paperwork, process, $50 lighter (we pay an out-of-county fee for using our WONDERFUL library), we're now 30 minutes late. Hannah has a piano lesson at 12:45. . . .squeal through the drive-thru, grab a bite, run home. She practices for 9 minutes, we zoom out for the lesson, arriving only 3 minutes late. "Not bad," I think, and start claiming victory over April. . . . .

No piano teacher. 15 minutes later? No piano teacher. Phone rings. She took an unexpected trip to Florida and forgot to tell me. Of COURSE she did. Alrighty then. Back home it is. (Hannah celebrating all the way ;) )

Home with 45 minutes to spare before the real estate appraiser shows up. Clean, tidy, scurry, hurry. . . . we finish as he pulls up to the front door. (Because, doncha know, a clean house adds at least $10K to the value. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.) Let him in, answer a few questions. Check.

Time to call the mechanic. No, the car won't be ready on time. Of COURSE it won't. But I'm welcome to come and sit. Use Kathryn's car, run Hannah up to ballet. Back and forth on the phone, arranging costume fittings and discussing rides home with the neighbor.

Home for 15 minutes. On her way to teach ballet, Kat drops me at the shop. (Local peeps: Christian Brothers Automotive in Hoover. Love. Love.) Find out they received the wrong brake pads. Of COURSE they did. Hang out for a little over an hour. (Side benefit; had a great visit with the shop owner, who is a friend. Awesome.) Get car, head to Wal-Mart for a few emergency groceries and sodas for tonight's Scout Event.

Home for 10 minutes. Nathaniel in the car, take him to Scouts. Return home, throw the younger 2 girls in the car. Take them to meet Yurii at Scouts. Realize . . . . I forgot the sodas. Of COURSE I did.

At this point, I'm pretty thankful that tonight's event is only 3 miles from home. Return home, grab the soda. Head to church, grab Emily from ballet, return to Scout Event. With the infamous 2-liters in hand.

I'm home. About to type up my science worksheets. And you know what?

I may just let them spend 45 minutes launching balloons tomorrow.


Because if this is what the rest of April looks like?

I'm in for a doozy. Of COURSE I am ;)



*more on this one, later!

Full and Overflowing

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dream.
 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.” 

The Lord has done great things for us;
    we are glad.

Psalm 126:1-3

How can I express in words the joy that is welling up in my heart, has welled up in my heart, in the past few days?

To see family, friends, so dear.
Hearing the word of God preached, so faithfully, from a dear and godly pastor.
Joining in worship the company of the saints.
Old friends with new babies.
Grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, embracing and laughing and rejoicing.
Watching hearts knit together, memories made.
Trying to capture it all in a moment, in a snapshot,
Freezing time for the days to come.

Christmas is truly, a magical time.

Rejoice! A King is born!

Merry Christmas, all.

Blog Vacation - Kind Of

I know I've promised you, my dear loyal readers, a peek into Tapestry of Grace's wonderful curriculum.

But I've vowed to put all homeschooling thoughts away from me - far, far away - for these few precious days of vacation.   As Monty Python famously said:

"And Now for Something Completely Different!"

Vacation pictures.

Just a few of my favorites.  That's all.  Enjoy!  I sure am. . . . . .

Amy & her Dad at the beach

Sisters hanging together

Kat was pressed into service reading - and gathered a crowd around her

Emily's passion - sorting shells

Cute nephew action!

Drawing in the sand, looking for hermit crabs

Sweet Mo brings Auntie Heather a present - a Tar Ball!!!!

My favorite shot so far :)

(And don't worry, I'll be back to my regularly scheduled, witty, interesting homeschool blogging. . . . . . . soon.)

Resurrection Sunday Sentiments: The Last and the First

It was almost an offhand comment, really.

In the middle of the sermon, in the middle of corralling the 6-year old wiggle-worm (how many times can she drop her stuffed puppy on the floor???), but it stuck in my mind and resonated all morning.

"They were the last, and they were the first."

The women, that is.  The women who loved Jesus, followed Him, listened to Him. . . . they were the last to leave the tomb on Friday night, and the first there on Sunday morning.

Isn't that just like us?  Us women, I mean.

Look.  Here I am, up late, doing the things that need doing for my family.  (Editor's note:  Yes, I know.  Blogging does NOT count as "a thing that needs doing".  Except for my sanity. So there.)  Tomorrow morning, Lord willing I will be up early, getting the day started, doing all those mom tasks that just must. get. done.  Often, I am the last to bed.  I'm not often the first up (hubby beats me there most days!), but I'm often starting my day's tasks early.

Just like the women who loved Jesus.

However.

Unlike those women who stayed late at the cross, and went early to the tomb - and here's the confession - I am all too often found grumbling.   Allowing self-pity at "my lot in life", grumbling at the work set before me.

To my shame.

And it struck me this morning.  It was a privilege - a privilege, I tell you!!! - for those dear saints, sisters in the Lord, to be the last and the first.  Because if they weren't, they would very likely have missed the miracle, the honor, the blessing of being the first to see the empty tomb.

So I started wondering.  Am I missing the miracle, the honor, and the blessing of serving my family, of serving Jesus, through my sinful attitude?

I'm afraid I am.

So let me live as my sisters of old, being the last, being the first.  Serving and loving.

And living in Reality of the Resurrection.

Sunday Sentiments: When the Answer is "Yes"

Many, if not most of you have heard already.

Dearest Kathryn received a Presidential Scholarship to Samford University here in Birmingham.  While it won't cover all of tuition, the award she received, along with her University Fellows scholarship, gives us enough confidence that the Lord is indeed directing her steps there.  (Although she's still in the running for 3 more scholarships - so keep praying!!)

But that's not what this post is about, ultimately.

It's about what happens to a dry, parched, and withered heart when God pours the wellsprings of "Yes" to water the thirsty ground.

Many, if not most, of you also know that our family has been on a 3+ year journey of God deepening our faith through. . . . . . unanswered prayer.  It's not much of a secret that we've been in what Paul Miller* calls 'a desert experience' - a desert where it has appeared there is no way out, we don't know when it will end, and there's no relief in sight.

But while we're in the desert, we've clung tenaciously to the belief that God has not abandoned us - although it has certainly, to our human frailty, appeared that way sometimes.  We're stubbornly believing that God is weaving a story in our lives, one that will ultimately bring Him glory and honor.  In the words of Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."  (John 6:68)

Which doesn't make it easy.  I've written before about my latest temptation - the temptation to give up hope.  Lately, though, God has allowed hope to spring in my heart - a tender, frail seedling of hope - rooted in Who He is, not what He will do for us.

And so.  When this "Yes" came, this much desired, prayed-for, hoped for "Yes". . . . . .

I bawled.  Like a baby.  Thankfully, in private. 

It was as if the waters of grace came spilling down from heaven, nourishing the seedling of hope, and overflowing in my heart.  And I am so thankful for a God who not only cares deeply about me knowing Him, but also for a God who cares about our situation.   A God who doesn't withhold blessings, but can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

All praise to God, who is writing the story of our lives.  May we watch, wait, and wonder in eager anticipation as He enables us to participate in His glorious kingdom.



*Remember how I told you to go find Paul Miller's A Praying Life?  I wasn't kidding.  Go read it!

Overheard in My House, Episode 8

Sitting at the school table, Amy comes out with this gem:

"Mom, I want to have a dazzling intellect."

Huh?

Like one of our friends says, she should have her own YouTube Channel.

Random Happenings in Pictures

And now. . . . a picture heavy post to catch you all up on the various happenings from the last week!

(and my apologies - some of the pictures look a little wonky- don't know what's up with that, and I'm too tired to fix it)

Science Class!  

Just because this was a fun picture. . . an experiment on dissolving substances; Hannah and her friend Anna Kate were working together

Farm Day Field Trip at the Bailey's

Amy got tired of walking, so Evan carried her - I was thankful!
Evan was thankful too, once Amy got her hands off his eyes and nose!

The Bailey's Barn

Mike Bailey, friend and farmer extraordinaire

Christmas at the Caroline House

Kathryn and her friends danced for our church's outreach  (she's the 2nd from the right on the bottom row)

 

 

 

 

 

 Thanksgiving with the Prewitts

It was wonderful to spend Thanksgiving with my Dad's side of the family - no one was up to any cooking, so a big thanks to my cousin Lisa for the invite!

Mom gets to hold Linley, my cousin Allisha's 3 mo. old cutie pie

Cousin Nathan and his wife, Megan - I told them to pose, but Nathan was more interested in the pie than in his wife!

Amy had fun playing with Ali, my cousin Jessica's daughter.  Girl time!

Hannah took on Logan (Nathan's son) at the pool table - I think she kept him honest!

Believe it or not, this was only PART of the crowd!  I think there were 32 of us there!

Uncle Frank and Dad - posing with Amy's tiara. Classic!

Precious

Dorothy Bingham Ward

Jan. 17, 1919 - Nov. 19, 2010

I miss you already, Grandma.

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints."

Psalm 116:15

Sunday's Sentiments: The Gift

This past week, I was given a precious gift.

The gift of time.

I was privileged to spend over two days with my grandmother, sitting and watching and listening and praying. 

Sitting holding her hand as she slept.

Watching as my mother and my aunts cared for her with dignity, grace, and selfless love.

Listening to her precious voice, as we talked of heaven, of cooking, of caring for our families, of no more pain or sadness.  Sharing our love for each other.  And saying. . . . honestly. . . . I will miss you.

Praying.  Prayers that God would ease her suffering.  That He would bring her home soon.  Prayers of thanksgiving for having this woman, this strong, amazing woman in my life.

In all likelihood, I was given the gift of seeing my grandmother one last time, and knowing it was the last time.  The gift of saying all that was on my heart, and receiving her love in return.

It was hard, bitterly hard.

And priceless.

14 Down, 12 To Go

. . . . first days of school, that is!  Yes, I am officially past the half-way point. . .this is our 14th "First Day of School", and as Amy is starting Kindergarten, I've got 12 left.

You can start praying for me now.  Thank you.

*Warning!  This is a picture-heavy, grandparent-friendly post.  If seeing pictures of my kids drives you crazy, read no further.  You've been given advance notice. **

We usually have a special breakfast each year, and this year I took Amy to our new Dunkin' Donuts.  (Yes, I'm still a Yankee at heart.  I prefer Dunkin' to Krispy.  There you have it.)  She thought the donut balloons were cute, and got her own chocolate donut in a bag.  Happiness.

My big Kindergartener!  Emily made her own school box. . .  it's purple, there in the picture.  She's got her favorite bug, and is ready to go.

Each year, I make the kids fill out a "First Day of School Questionnaire".  Yep, I still have the one Kathryn did when she was 4!  This is Nathaniel measuring Amy, to see how tall she was for her to write down on her paper.

And now. . . the Cast of Characters!

Amy, Kindergarten.  Ready to go!  I can't believe how big she is. . . . sniff. . . . .

Hannah, 4th grade, age 9.  She's going to be my big science helper this year - she'll be helping Amy by teaching her Sonlight Science K each week, with my supervision.  Should be fun!

Emily, 6th grade, age 11.  Why do they grow up so fast?  (And. . . would you believe she's excited about learning Latin?  Yay, Emily!!)

Speaking of growing up . . . .this boy will be 14 in two days.  Entering high school.  Wow.  He's embracing his new work load - I'm so proud of him.  He wanted to move his desk back downstairs, said it was too lonely & quiet up in his bedroom.

Excuse me while I get a tissue.

*tears up*

Kathryn.  Her last year.  I'm having a moment. 

She was actually pretty funny about this picture.  She wouldn't let me in until she had it arranged - and she piled ALL her school stuff, plus her laptop, on her desk.  Check out this picture:

(play I-Spy.  See the driver's license/learner's permit in the picture above the camera?  And the knitting?  She'll be busy, I tell you!)

The whole gang, posed on our front steps:

And a funny picture, because they wanted to:

Couple more random pictures/happenings:

The look on her face says it all.  She's Pretty. Excited. about school starting!

This is Amy.  While I was helping the older girls with their math lessons, she snuck into her book basket, pulled out Go Dog Go, and read it.  Unfortunately, that book was planned for her to read in, oh, March.

I guess we can skip that part of the reading curriculum, eh?

Finally:  If you've read this far, I've got a story for you.

During lessons this morning, Amy spent a LOT of time drawing on the white board.  (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of it.  Boo.)  She kept saying she was drawing her "paper city", and insisted I make it with her today.  I had NO idea what she was talking about.  At all.  But kept placating her to get lessons done.

Finally, it was the hour of decision.  Amy became almost frantic, because no one seemed to understand what the paper city was.  Enter Emily.  Somehow she listened, understood, and helped her little sister make this creation:

It's an almost exact replica of a city scene from our Wii game, entitled, "I Spy".  THAT is what Amy had drawn, and then dear sweet Emily replicated it.

I could kiss her.

And that moment, that "my-big-sister-understood-me-and-made-a-paper-city-for-me" moment, is reason #2,396 that I homeschool.

Onwards and upward to Day Two. . . . .

The Ballet Ain't Over. . . . .

'til your husband plays God!

Only kidding.  Kind of.  Here's a great shot of my sweet, wonderful family dressed in their costumes from Lucinda's Heart, this spring's allegory ballet:

I think it should have been illegal, I was so proud.

Hannah danced as a "Redbird" - her very first year in the story ballet.  Emily danced her first year in the pre-professional division, with two roles and an (itty bitty) acting role to boot!

Yurii was cast as the Heartmaker (the God character), and the jokes were flying fast and furious all weekend.  ("So, what's it like to have breakfast with God. . . . ?")  I also think he will be a very distinguished gray-headed man ;)

Kathryn danced in her 4th ballet with Briarwood Ballet - and this year, she had a solo role as the "Cake Mistress."   She also was part of the unbelievably amazing "Shadows" dance - I'll try to get a picture of that up later.  Think Lion King meets The Island of Perpetual Tickling Man meets Grim Reaper.  With glowing eyes.  Awesome.

Really, though, I was most proud of the Bible studies Kathryn wrote to go along with the ballet.  This was her second year to do this . . . . she took the ballet story and turned it into a Bible study and coloring book, explaining spiritual truths and giving the audience the chance to look into the story in a deeper way.   I watched her pray, and serve, and write, and give, and love. . . . and dance.  It was a joy.

My brain and heart are full of so many things; not the least of which is exhaustion!  I've been pondering the nature of the arts, how to use them for the glory of God, the impermanence of it all, the portrayal of evil vs. goodness, the toll the schedule takes on our family, the joy of seeing children using their gifts. . . . . . . . . . . I think there are about five blog posts buried somewhere in there, and they may or may not ever be written.

We're moving onward and upward to the next few months, to finishing school, planning camps and vacations, and watching our lives unfold under the kind direction of our great God.

But one thing's for sure - I have watched my children (and husband!) dance for the glory of God.

They will never be the same.

And, I pray - neither will anyone else who was there.

I TOLD you I can't make this stuff up. . . . . .

Really.  I can't.

And in case you didn't believe my last post . . . . .

The kids have become recently re-enamored with the game of Life.  Remember that one?  You choose a career, move around the board in a little station wagon, pass paydays, get married, have kids, retire. . . .

Well, apparently there have been a few - shall we say - adaptations made to our board.  Turns out, the kids decided there just weren't enough spaces for adding kids to your family in this game. . . . so Emily covered over some spaces with white-out, and wrote on them "It's a Boy!" or "It's a Girl!" and even on one - GASP! -

TRIPLETS!!!


I think they solved their problem rather creatively.

I also think that we need to start saving money now to fund Christmas with the grandkids.

Looks like there might be a lot of them.

I Can't Make This Stuff Up. . . . .

I swear, I just can't make things up that are this funny.

Riding home from church yesterday, Nathaniel chimes in with this beauty:

"You know, I'm thinking I need a list of holidays written down where I'll be expected to get my wife presents."

Me:  "Really?  What's on your list?"

N:  "Well, let's see.  There's her birthday, our anniversary, Valentine's Day. . . ."

Yurii, highly amused, gets in on the act:
"You'd better NOT forget Valentine's day, buddy!"

N:  "Easter. . . . "

Me:  "No, you're good on Easter.  No presents there."

N:   "Oh, that's good.  Then there's Mother's Day, and Christmas. . . . "

Me:  "Don't forget the 'Just Because' days.  And the 'I'm sorry you've had a bad week' days. . . "

Y:  "I have clearly failed to make a list."

N:  "This is getting complicated!"

Y:  "Tell me about it, son."


The conversation went on and on - but you get the picture.

Overheard in My House, Episode 7

Amy:  "Mom, tonight the kids were having an argument.  I told them Jesus was watching them."

Me:  "You did?  That was a good thing to say, sweetie."

Amy:  "Yes.  I was kind of in charge.  I was half of helpful, like a grownup."

She was beaming at the thought of actually being "in charge" of someone.

I was beaming, that she is beginning to show a responsiveness to the truths of Scripture!

Overheard In My House, Episode 6

It's Saturday morning. . . . . . the family is happily munching away on oatmeal pancakes, when I notice that the usual meal chatter has been replaced by an eerie silence.

I venture a comment:

Me:  "Everyone must be hungry this morning- it sure is quiet right now!"

Nathaniel:  "It's not in my head."

Emily:  "WHAT?"

Nathaniel:  "I'm talking in my head."


(If you know my son, you'd know that out of our five children - including 4 girls - you'd know that he is by far and away the most talkative of the bunch!  Which was why the silence was truly eerie. . . . )

With Apologies to Clement Clarke Moore

Twas the night before filming, and all through the house
Only Mommy was working; all alone without spouse

The props they were placed through the rooms with great care
In the hopes that the actors would use them with flair


The directors were nestled, all snug in their beds,
While schedules and movie scripts flashed through their heads.


The puppy's in her crate, and I'm in my jammies,
Getting myself ready for weekend calamities.

I'm watching and waiting and praying, my friends,
And realizing this sweet time of movies shall end.

They work and they laugh and they argue a score,
Planning this project's become quite a chore.

But it's music to this momma's ears, that's the truth,
All too soon they'll be living out from under my roof.

So I pray as I sit here and stare at my blog,
With nary a whisper, just the sound of a frog,

And ask that the Lord keep them close to each other
As they plan their adventure.

With love.
A proud mother.

Wordless Wednesday

The Last Days of Summer

Just returned from a quick trip to Indiana - primarily to visit with Audra, Bimi, and Mo, in from Nigeria - but also to see Grandma (who's not been well) and enjoy one last bit of summer. Some of my favorite pictures. . . . .

At the Indianapolis Children's Museum, Bimi & Amy just loved the dinosaur area! Bimi (the dinosaur) and Amy (the nonnern, her imaginary creature) growled and growled at each other. Hilarious!

Great Grandmother Dorothy Ward (age 90) meets Atticus "Mo" Geronimo Prewitt, her youngest great-grandchild, 10 months old. We had a cookout at her house Wednesday night - roasted hot dogs & marshmallows over a fire on the farm.

Here's a picture of the whole gang on the farm. Do you know how hard it is to get 7 children to smile at one time? (Pay no attention to the woman behind Bimi! It was the only way we could get him in the picture!)

Of course, nothing says "summer" like swimming in the lake. After last trip, where Amy (age 4.5) would barely get in the water, I nervously agreed to let Bimi (age 3) swim with the kids. Ha! I shouldn't have worried! After about 2 minutes, the boy was jumping in the water like a kamikaze pilot.

Grampy and Mo, Mo and Grampy. What more is there to say? From day one, Mom said that Mo went to Grampy - reached out for him and would cry for him. Cute as the dickens, that little boy.

(Ok, for those of you who are cranky that your picture is not here - hint, hint - I've got to head out for the morning and Blogger is uploading slowly. I'll add more later, I promise!)

A Dad Like Mine

What was my dad doing 40 years ago today?

(no, he was not sailing a boat, nor coiling a rope. I just like this picture of him.)

He was holding me in front of the television. All 3 weeks old, I was. Why? So I could say I had seen this. . . . . .



Because you know, he's that kind of guy.

I love you, Dad!