Wow, I did not realize how far behind I was. I was doing so well and then the vacation came up. I had great plans to keep up the blogging while on vacation. With news of the deployment I went kind of in a downward spiral. Things just got away from me as I dealt with packing and the deployment news. I have determined to get back on track. Bear with me as I catch up on my joy dares. There are quite a few so I am thinking about dividing them between several posts. I don't want to overwhelm anyone, including myself. So here is the beginning of the catch up posts. I have 22 joy dares to catch up on.
3 Gifts in the Kitchen
196. My rice cooker. I put off buying on for years thinking they were just a frivolous tool. I got one on sale for $10 at Target and I fell in love. It made my dinners so much easier because I did not have to babysit the rice. I just turned it on and went on with other things.
197. My green Correll dishes. I got them for my wedding and they have held up to eight kids and 15 years of meals. The kids have dropped them on the floor and they are fine. I love the durability of them and the kids think it is cool that I got them as a wedding present.
198. My sweet Tirzah girl and Caleb boy asking me to dance with them. I like to put on music when I am cooking or cleaning the kitchen. Caleb or Tirzah will inevitably come to me and ask to dance to the music. How can I resist there pleas. It does my heart good to twirl them around the kitchen.
3 Gifts Loud
199. Uh, my life. With 8 children and a husband it is rarely quiet. Ever. It reminds how blessed I am to have the family I have. My husband has a saying for our family. Embrace the chaos.
200. The birds as they come out in the spring. When I walk outside sometimes it is all you can hear. How wonderful it is to live in an area where we have multiple birds come to our yard.
201. The singing of the saints together on a Sunday morning. It makes me look forward to one day singing with all the saints who have gone on before and my dear Savior.
3 Gifts Carved
202. Willow Tree figurines. I love to look at the few ones that I have. They each hold a special meaning for me.
203. The birdhouses that my dad makes. It means that he is healthy enough to build them. He loves to do it and it keeps him busy. I especially like the one he built with wood from our old house in Baltimore.
204. Archers Monument in Utah. How awesome that God carved used the wind and rain to carve those beautiful archers. It was magnificent and a wonderful display of God's power and creativity.
3 Gifts in Christ
205. Life. Through his death and resurrection, we have life. That is the ultimate gift.
206. Peace. With him by our side we know that whatever trials come our way that he will use it for our good and his glory. He promises us that peace.
207. Comfort. When we are discouraged and broken he carries us and comforts us.
3 Gifts Read
208. The greatest book ever written. The Holy Bible.
209. My mother who was the one who taught me how to read. She instilled in me a love for the written word. She writes frequently and I love to read anything she has penned.
210. The letters that my sweet man wrote to me while he was deployed to Kuwait in 2004.
A Gift in Wind, Water, and in White
211. The cool breezes in Florida as we vacationed. It kept the temperatures down and the kids happy. It was great to feel it on your face.
212. The pool at the campground and hotel in Florida. The kids loved swimming in them. Riding the boats to the park was awesome.
213. The white of the Tae Kwon Do uniforms my kids and husband wear. I am so thankful that we have an opportunity to have the family participate in the program. I am thankful it is a christian based program that glorifies God.
3 Gifts Round
214. The picture I took in Epcot of the big ball with the flag flying in front of it. It reminded me of how blessed we are to be living in a country where we have the freedom to worship God, for now anyway.
215. Our trampoline. The kids have gotten so many hours of enjoyment from it. It has been such a blessing to the whole family.
216. The round pencil holder on my school desk. It reminds of the awesome job I have in educating my children. What a wonderful thing it is to homeschool.
This seems like a good place to stop for now. Tirzah is up from her nap and the kids are wanting a snack. I better go monitor that and start dinner.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Silence 3/14/13
Three Gifts in Silence:
217. In the early morning hours the silence is broken by my sweet man getting up and ready for work. He tries to be quiet to let the rest of the house sleep. Some mornings he is successful. This morning he was not. The troops awoke as he did. I am thankful though because the breaking of the silence in the morning means he has a job. How blessed we are.
218. The blessed silence in the car when I look back and realize that all the children are either sleeping or reading. Those moments are rare but a blessing.
219. Praying in the middle of the night when the house is quiet and everyone is resting.
217. In the early morning hours the silence is broken by my sweet man getting up and ready for work. He tries to be quiet to let the rest of the house sleep. Some mornings he is successful. This morning he was not. The troops awoke as he did. I am thankful though because the breaking of the silence in the morning means he has a job. How blessed we are.
218. The blessed silence in the car when I look back and realize that all the children are either sleeping or reading. Those moments are rare but a blessing.
219. Praying in the middle of the night when the house is quiet and everyone is resting.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Broken and Beautiful 3/6/13
A gift bent, broken, and beautiful
193. Bent - I have a cutting board in my kitchen. I love it for two reasons. The first reason is that it has a lip on it so it fits on my counter top and does not move around. The second reason is because my father made it for me for Christmas. He does woodworking and he loves to build his girls things (he has four daughters). It is so special because it is well used and actually bent from all the use. It still works great and I will keep using it until it breaks. Every time I look at it I think of my dad and the special man that he is.
194. Broken - My heart at the thought of not seeing my sweet man for 9 months. May the Lord give us both strength and protection for this upcoming separation. The military may have him for 9 months but he is mine for a lifetime.
195. Beautiful - My little boys love for their mama. My Caleb was playing on my bed this morning and I asked him to give me a kiss and hug. He started charging at me and I had to throw my hands out for protection and say "Gentle kisses and hugs." He obeyed and we enjoyed some snuggle time, for about 10 seconds, before he was off again. I love my boys, all six of them. It brought joy to my heart to start off the day.
My sweet man just called. He has been busy lately with a lot of things on his mind. He has been thinking about all the things that come with his deployment. We have not had a lot of time to talk as he has been up late every night. When he comes to bed I have fallen asleep, not out of disrespect but out of exhaustion. I told him this morning that we will have to find some time to talk about things soon. When he called he said he was arranging for a babysitter this evening so we can go out and talk. Oh, how I love that man. He brought tears to my eyes.
193. Bent - I have a cutting board in my kitchen. I love it for two reasons. The first reason is that it has a lip on it so it fits on my counter top and does not move around. The second reason is because my father made it for me for Christmas. He does woodworking and he loves to build his girls things (he has four daughters). It is so special because it is well used and actually bent from all the use. It still works great and I will keep using it until it breaks. Every time I look at it I think of my dad and the special man that he is.
194. Broken - My heart at the thought of not seeing my sweet man for 9 months. May the Lord give us both strength and protection for this upcoming separation. The military may have him for 9 months but he is mine for a lifetime.
195. Beautiful - My little boys love for their mama. My Caleb was playing on my bed this morning and I asked him to give me a kiss and hug. He started charging at me and I had to throw my hands out for protection and say "Gentle kisses and hugs." He obeyed and we enjoyed some snuggle time, for about 10 seconds, before he was off again. I love my boys, all six of them. It brought joy to my heart to start off the day.
My sweet man just called. He has been busy lately with a lot of things on his mind. He has been thinking about all the things that come with his deployment. We have not had a lot of time to talk as he has been up late every night. When he comes to bed I have fallen asleep, not out of disrespect but out of exhaustion. I told him this morning that we will have to find some time to talk about things soon. When he called he said he was arranging for a babysitter this evening so we can go out and talk. Oh, how I love that man. He brought tears to my eyes.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Update and Changes 3/5/13
Some of you may have heard a rumor about our family. No, I am not pregnant. Carl got news this weekend that he is going to be deployed in June for 9 months. We knew this was a great possibility. We have been dodging the bullet for years now. He has been slated to go but has always been taken off the list for some reason or another. This time it looks like there is no getting off the list. We are busily preparing for his departure in 2 1/2 months. I spent the first two days going from crying hysterically to fully trusting God. I know that He is perfect and he never gives us anything that we cannot handle. It is tough though. I will basically become a single parent for 9 months and Carl will be bombarded with the unworldly things that go along with being away from his family and support system. There are many temptations that he will face and I will too. I will be tempted to be angry and bitter and let discipline go with the children. I will be tempted to just give up and let the kids watch TV all day. I know this because this is what I was tempted with last time he was deployed. At that time we only had four kids and we had just started formal homeschooling so it was easy kindergarten stuff. Now we have 4 more kids and are into pre algebra, writing assignments, geography, and much more advanced things in addition to doing kindergarten stuff with a few of the littles. I am apprehensive about the whole thing. I know that I am going to need help but I do not want to go live with my mom. I know that she would be willing to let us stay there but I cannot take football and Tae Kwon Do away from the boys. I am just still processing it all. Two things that I just keep repeating over and over in my mind come from a sermon I heard this weekend and a song that has been really special to me.
1. Never doubt in the storm what God has taught you in the calm.
2. Every gift that I receive God determined just for me.
Carl and I are going to need a lot of support over this next year. Please keep us and our children in your prayers.
Three gifts found.
190. We have probably over 5,00 books in our house. They are everywhere. I have no idea of all the titles and authors. Every once in a while I will be looking for a particular book that I am pretty sure that I have. It never fails that I will pray about finding it and within 10 minutes of looking for it, I have found it. That is just God.
191. I went out this weekend to look for some clothes for me for our upcoming vacation. I knew what I needed. I had some time by myself and went to the thrift store. I found exactly what I needed the first place I looked. Most everything I picked out and tried on fit. Each thing I purchased was no more than $10 with most being $3. What a blessing it was.
192. I have found a peace over my husband's deployment. Yes, there will still be many tears shed. Yes, I will miss him greatly. I know that God is in control and this is his perfect will for us right now.
1. Never doubt in the storm what God has taught you in the calm.
2. Every gift that I receive God determined just for me.
Carl and I are going to need a lot of support over this next year. Please keep us and our children in your prayers.
Three gifts found.
190. We have probably over 5,00 books in our house. They are everywhere. I have no idea of all the titles and authors. Every once in a while I will be looking for a particular book that I am pretty sure that I have. It never fails that I will pray about finding it and within 10 minutes of looking for it, I have found it. That is just God.
191. I went out this weekend to look for some clothes for me for our upcoming vacation. I knew what I needed. I had some time by myself and went to the thrift store. I found exactly what I needed the first place I looked. Most everything I picked out and tried on fit. Each thing I purchased was no more than $10 with most being $3. What a blessing it was.
192. I have found a peace over my husband's deployment. Yes, there will still be many tears shed. Yes, I will miss him greatly. I know that God is in control and this is his perfect will for us right now.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Behind Again 3/4/13
Three Gifts Green
181. The green grass that is starting to poke through again. I love it when the weather turns warm again and the flowers and grass return after a cold winter.
182. The green shirt I am wearing today. It means my husband has a job and is able to easily provide clothing when we need it. Yes, we need to be careful with our finances and I am always looking for a good deal, but we have clothes to wear.
183. The green curtains in my schoolroom that blocks out the astonishingly bright sunlight right now. It reminds of the awesome privilege I have in homeschooling and the fact that I have a house that I can raise my children in.
Three gifts wore.
184. My coat that I can wear during this unseasonably cold weather in North Carolina.
185. The long denim skirt that my mother gave me. She ordered it for herself but it was too big. Instead of returning it she offered it to me. I love her unselfish spirit.
186. The glasses that I absolutely need to be able to see. I cannot function without them and am useless when I cannot find them.
Three gifts hard to give thanks for.
187. This has been a tough weekend as we found out that my husband is being deployed in June for 9 months. I have really struggled with this all weekend. I have gone from trusting to sheer panic. Being a single mom of 8 kids for 9 months is not something that I thought was in my future. I have to give thanks for this because it is in God's perfect plan. He never says oops and this is what is best for us right now. We are safer in his will than out of it. So, thank you Lord for my husbands upcoming deployment.
188. Carpet. I know it sound petty. My children have done a number on our lowest contractor grade carpet. It was not put in properly in some places and it looks awful. I have area rugs covering most areas. I would love to put in hard wood floors. But, right now, at this point in time we have carpeting. So, thank you Lord for the carpeting in a house that you have so richly blessed us with.
189. It is hard to give thanks for all the preparations for this deployment. There is so much to prepare for from finances to house preparations. The list just keeps getting longer and longer. Every time I think of something that needs to be done my heart breaks a little thinking of the time spent apart from each other. But Lord, I thank you that we have 2 1/2 months to prepare. My husbands last deployment was sudden and we had two weeks to prepare. This is a blessing to have this much time to get ready.
181. The green grass that is starting to poke through again. I love it when the weather turns warm again and the flowers and grass return after a cold winter.
182. The green shirt I am wearing today. It means my husband has a job and is able to easily provide clothing when we need it. Yes, we need to be careful with our finances and I am always looking for a good deal, but we have clothes to wear.
183. The green curtains in my schoolroom that blocks out the astonishingly bright sunlight right now. It reminds of the awesome privilege I have in homeschooling and the fact that I have a house that I can raise my children in.
Three gifts wore.
184. My coat that I can wear during this unseasonably cold weather in North Carolina.
185. The long denim skirt that my mother gave me. She ordered it for herself but it was too big. Instead of returning it she offered it to me. I love her unselfish spirit.
186. The glasses that I absolutely need to be able to see. I cannot function without them and am useless when I cannot find them.
Three gifts hard to give thanks for.
187. This has been a tough weekend as we found out that my husband is being deployed in June for 9 months. I have really struggled with this all weekend. I have gone from trusting to sheer panic. Being a single mom of 8 kids for 9 months is not something that I thought was in my future. I have to give thanks for this because it is in God's perfect plan. He never says oops and this is what is best for us right now. We are safer in his will than out of it. So, thank you Lord for my husbands upcoming deployment.
188. Carpet. I know it sound petty. My children have done a number on our lowest contractor grade carpet. It was not put in properly in some places and it looks awful. I have area rugs covering most areas. I would love to put in hard wood floors. But, right now, at this point in time we have carpeting. So, thank you Lord for the carpeting in a house that you have so richly blessed us with.
189. It is hard to give thanks for all the preparations for this deployment. There is so much to prepare for from finances to house preparations. The list just keeps getting longer and longer. Every time I think of something that needs to be done my heart breaks a little thinking of the time spent apart from each other. But Lord, I thank you that we have 2 1/2 months to prepare. My husbands last deployment was sudden and we had two weeks to prepare. This is a blessing to have this much time to get ready.
Friday, March 1, 2013
3 p.m.
Three gifts at 3 p.m.
178. Getting a chance to go out and be by myself for a few hours. I love my children dearly but every once in a while I just need a break.
179. My wonderful mother who watches the kids for me every once in awhile so I can go out. She loves her grand kids so much and looks forward to spending time with them.
180. The Durham Rescue Mission Thrift Store. I love going there. They are so organized and I always find what I need. I went in today to look for shirts for our vacation and I found exactly what I wanted. It also feels good to support an organization that helps people so much.
178. Getting a chance to go out and be by myself for a few hours. I love my children dearly but every once in a while I just need a break.
179. My wonderful mother who watches the kids for me every once in awhile so I can go out. She loves her grand kids so much and looks forward to spending time with them.
180. The Durham Rescue Mission Thrift Store. I love going there. They are so organized and I always find what I need. I went in today to look for shirts for our vacation and I found exactly what I wanted. It also feels good to support an organization that helps people so much.
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