the countdown has begun and is almost over!

I've been baking awesome pound cakes all day today in between cleaning. I'm tired. I'm ready for Thursday to be here...except the floors aren't done, the bathrooms are not scrubbed....what else...oh the presents are not wrapped....I'm tired..DId i say that already? the little boys' room is NOT clean and is gonna have to be "seen" due to new paint and curtains...ugh...I don't WANT to clean it! IT's a wreck! I just wanna close the door and clean something else!!! AAAARGH! >..the den's a mess, but not too bad, but hey..other than that stuff and the fact that all the CHRISTmas cooking needs doing, HEy I'm ready!
Can I collapse now?
Did I mention I just did a sleep over for 5 teenage girls at church w/a friend of mine? Oh, did I mention right before that I lost my mind? ;)
We had a blast...with 3 sons I never get to do girlie stuff...well, I got to SUnday night! We stayed up horribly late, watched "Hairspray", did glue on nails w/funky colors and stickers, we did make0overs and ate lots of junkfood . Not to mention the really cool devotional on purity. We felt some seeds were planted and were totally amazed at the openness of the girls. How cool. God works in some really cool ways!! ANyway, ....I'm still tired from that and it's TUes. nite!!! LOL!!!
Ya'll have a great CHRISTmas and all...enjoy family and friends and FOOD!! : )
J

The greatest motivational act one person can do for another is to listen. Roy E. Moody

Carter and Roger in Santa's lap at MacArthur mall in Norfolk, VA. All three being photographed (one against his will)...and our living room tree.

Oh...the food playground is GONE! Walled off!!! What a disappointment...I'm assuming they're just redoing it...you know, something different...I hope.. Kids were very disappointed. My holidays do not contain the joy they should...i'm working on it. Right now I'm sick...sinuses and headache...largely due to the ups and downs in temperature. One day it's in the 30's for a high, the next it's in the 70's. Ugh. Doesn't work for me at all!!! Keep Rob and I in your prayers...most of you know why. Enjoyed our trip on Sunday into central VA...nice church, nice people. PRAY!!!! : )

Love you all! Julie

More photos....

These should be new pictures of the dog...Mikie....and maybe one of the Christmas trees? Nope...they're pictures of Rob and Roger being weird last May. LOL! More another day!!!

photos...i hope

Okay, hopefully, my photos are downloading...no, uploading and will be posted here shortly. I think they will be in no particular order....my Brother in law Danny on the last Christmas we had him....Rob and the boys around our Christmas tree the same year (2007) oops, that one's sideways, and Branche reading the funnies at Fram's on T'giving day this year. I am so horribly over whelmed with all the stuff I'm supposed to do today that it has manifested itself in an inability to do anything about it...hence, I'm posting photos on my blog. Tomorrow we go with my mom and dad to see Santa. This has become an annual pilgrimage to Norlfolk...santa, lunch out and playing in the "food playground". I'll take photos and you'll understand...those of you from around here already know...MacArthur Mall.

Oh yeah, I forgot this too...

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. Charles R. Swindoll

I forgot....

i had a cool thought, then I read Luke's sonlight blog and forgot!!! Ilaughed so hard, I forgot...just goes to show, brains are best baked, not fried. LOL!! Okay, nobody but me and Luke got that...and that's if he actually comes over here!! Ha!
Oh yeah!!!! I went Christmas shopping for the boys yesterday online...Rob is working so much, we have not had and will NOT have time to shop together before Christmas...not cool. Anyway, so, I was given the debit card and monetary limits for the kids, and went to town!!! Cyber-town! Ha! Anyway, one really cool thing I found for my oldest excited me greatly. He's always wanting Guitar Hero for the Wii or whatever and it's T rated, so the answer is NO!!! The rating is for lyrics...DOUBLE NO!!! So, I found on Christian Book Distributors website (if the link doesn't work, look in my links box and you'll find it there)....Guitar Praise!!! For the computer. It's all comtemporary chrisitan music!!! It even comes with the guitar. I'm SO excited!!! Wahooo!!! He'll even know some of the songs since that's all we listen to in the car etc, as opposed to the stinky Guitar Hero which is full of inappropriate music, lyrics etc. that he is not allowed to listen to anyway...so he doesn't even know that music! HA! <>>>
I want to post some photos...I got my old camera back, I'm just having trouble w/the upstairs computer and haven't gotten it done yet...it'll happen!!!!

Updates....

Well, we've had a horribly busy and stressful couple of weeks. I am at that point where I just want to cave in. I am not in the mood to do my school...I'm not in the mood for the boys' school...nothing. I just want to fiddle around and do what I want, not what needs to be done. I
am starting to move all my sewing and crafting stuff upstairs which should help with the clutter level downstairs, but it's still horrible at this point. We do have a line on a wood burning fireplace insert, so that's great. ****gotta love them friends****. Had a blast at a baby shower can't wait for the baby!!! I got to renew old friendships, just chat lots with friends and not worry about the kids, or school, or really anything. It was a wonderful, intimate sort of party! Our new Sunday school class is doing well...we have 8-10 people in there every Sunday. I think it's really serving a need...there are a few more who could benefit but aren't coming, but maybe they will eventually...anyway, it's nice. I have been sewing pants for Carter. He doesn't do button or zippers or snaps well, so elastic is the way to go. Unfortunately, elastic pants in a size 8 are not that easy to find besides just Walmart sweats. Well, I got a ton of really cute fabrics from a friend and have been busily making pants for Carter. His new motto is: "No pickles on my burger, and no buttons on my pants!!" LOL! It's cool. I love that I have been able to give him his self-sufficiency in a small thing that adds to his dignity and abilities and he can still look cool too!!! Tons of dinos ***gotta love those friends!****
Isn't it cool how God just pumps us up when we get down??? I was all depressed about money this past week, and man, God stuck someone right in front of me that I could help. ..it helped me clean out my closet of clothes that don't fit me, fill her (and several other people's closets) with clothes that do fit her, and help me feel better to boot. Things like that will give you some perspective on your level of need too. Oh well.
Hope ya'll's week goes well, i'm planning on mine going better. Tomorrow we tie-dye!!! Woo hoo! I'm gonna make T-shirt with a cross tie-dyed on them!!! How cool, right??? Also gonna do some onesies for my friend having the baby! Cool! Little hearts dyed on onsies...can't wait. ***yea friends!!***
Love ya'll! Keep praying!!
J

Voting your values

As this historic election day goes on and the ads go on and the mailings go on and the lines go on......lets all remember to vote our values. If you are Christian and wondering what your values should be check out a really good book...the Bible. That's where God outlines for us what we are to believe, to stand for, to be ready to fall for. The Bible has some pretty straightforward things to say about topics people want you to believe are "gray areas." Morals are not gray areas, and morality is NOT relative. Human life is valuable. One candidate stands firmly against the sanctity of human life. Please, don't vote to give people the right to kill their children. I'm sure some of you are deeply offended by that ...but that's what abortion is...choosing to kill your child before you meet them...it's easier and currently legal whereas meeting them first and then killing them is not. Hmmmm. Weird, right? Well, I'm sorry if you're offended. I'm offended when legalized murder is not only allowed, but encouraged and now THAT candidate, he wants our taxes to pay for it. I can't help but feel deeply passionate about this. I really don't mean to offend you, but I also don't mind stepping on toes when it's important. If it makes you uncomfortable to discuss abortion, then at least stop and think before you click on someone who will support all forms, all times, always available, FREE abortions.
Let us also remember...Kings rise and fall according to God's will and plans. Pray for the country, we are moving in a horrible direction and I don't want to learn someone else's lessons over and over.
J

Great Post

My buddy Jessie put up an awesome post. If that link doesn't work, follow the link to her blog under my bloggy friends thing...she's leannotuntothineownunderstanding or something like that. Anyway, her post addresses something we all need to consider as this election gets under way next week. One candidate is pro-life, one is decidedly not (or as someone close to me puts it, "pro-death" not pro-choice as the opposite of "life" is "death" not "choice"). I choose to vote for the value of human life above all else. If we let this issue slip, then as Christians we are not doing our duty. To slide down that slippery slope of beleiving that us little humans get to "decide" when life begins is BAD. Did you know, that just because you personally "decide" something, it doesn't automatically become true?? someone needs to tell those "pro-death" people that.
Love you guys, go read Jessie's post. : ) As someone I know puts it, "it's a post of note."
J

GO Flames!!!

Well, we snuck off to the Liberty University Homecoming football game on Saturday. What a blast. The boys loved it. There are flame throwers at the end of the field that they set off everytime they score and it was so cool. THey won like 40-something to nothing, so the boys got their fill of flames!!! LOL! They saw Sparkey the eagle who is the mascot and Carter ran up and "gave him a big 'ol hug" in Carter's words. Ha. Cute. Why no camera???? AAAARRRGHHH! They got big foam fingers and everything. Cute. Roger had to take his into church today. Ha! He entertained everyone at the game after he got bored. He played air-guitar for the ladies behind us who thought he was the cutest thing ever...he ate it up.

Ever feel dumb? No? Go to grad school. I just wrote a post for a discussion board and went and read the one other post because I had to respond to someone. Man. His work made mine look like 3rd grade. Ugh. Oh well. We can't all be that smart all the time....Apologetics is HARD, man!!! I'm missing the logic gene or something. Ugh. I don't even know why I took this class...I didn't NEED it!!! Rob tricked me! : )

I just ate half of a bag of Sam's choice peanut butter cups. ick. Somebody stop me!!! I wish I could say that the generic ones had less calories, but.....

Saw gas for 2.29 a gallon today. Thought it was sad that I thought that was cheap. So I ate a half a bag of peanut butter cups....that was the first half.

I made 3 more aprons today for the craft show a friend and I are going to go do. These things better sell, or everyone I know is getting an apron and a cup towel for Christmas. No joke!!

If I drink a gallon of water will that wash all that chocolate and peanut butter out of my system?

Will a diet soda or 3 counteract all those calories??

If left to its own devices..will dirty laundry do itself....or just walk away?

how 'bout dishes? is it okay to let a dog lick them clean or should you actually still send 'em through the washer? Ha!

I don't have much time. ....I need some day extensions. Wish they were are easy to get as hair extensions.

THink I could talk God into doing for me what he's done for others? You know, that sun-stands-still thingy? It'd be nice, but He probably will just know I'll use all that time to eat peanut butter cups and won't do it. : )

I need to go to bed now...Ya'll take care, keep praying, and love each other!!!
J

Please Pray...

Just suffice it to say, that we need your prayers. I know I must say that a lot, but sometimes when you're seeking God's will, it's hard to tell what is from yourself and what is from God. We have decisions to make, stuff we just don't know what to think about...I've been banned from talking on here about my husband, by my husband...so I just can't really say....if you know me and wanna call I can fill you in with details, but on here, I just can't...so please, Just pray that God's will is obvious to us...to be covered with prayer from you buncha prayer warriors would really help. we've seen the results of prayer, we know God is working in our lives, we know change is immiment and it doesn't seem to be what or how we thought it was gonna be...man, this is sounding mysterious, I didn't mean it to....just...I'm so confused and scared and confused!!! I just don't know what to do besides pray. So, thanks in advance .
J

Read, follow, or ...not!

Okay, I'm with Luke. I know there must be people who read my blog, but don't "follow" it. I know I mostly talk about my kids, myself, and other stuff you may not find interesting, but could you just humor me and click that little button down and to the left and "pretend" to follow my blog? Maybe I'm wrong...maybe only Luke reads this...Ha! If so, Hey Luke! How are you this morning? I'm still waiting on an update on your kids-to-be! : )
Ya'll have a good day...I'm short one kid, so I'm only teaching 2 grades today! it's almost like a day off! LOL! Yay for grandparents!!! WOoHOO!!!
Love ya'll!
J

God's working overtime...

Sometimes I really feel like God is working over time on me. As you may, or may not, know I'm in seminary through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Really cool. So's my husband. Well, this is my first semester and I'm taking Introduction to World Missions. So, my big paper this class is a 15-20 page paper on an unreached people group. I need prayer. I've chosen a people group in Turkmenistan. We have to come up with a plan of how to reach them. As some of you may know, I've never been exposed much to missions, missionary work, etc. until the past 3-5 years. Really cool. I'm totally taken with it. I have read several great books, I pray for missionaries regularly, whatever...BUT. I'm still very naive and un-knowledgeable (is that a word...I should've just said 'ignorant') about this stuff. Even after reading two texts for this class. Now, I feel like having some book knowledge, I'm just gonna sound stupid in this graduate level paper. SO. I need your prayers...one of mine was answered in that the teacher has already given the entire class a two day extension until Sunday. ..and I found out more than a day before the paper was due! LOL! BUT> I need, I covet your prayerful support in this. I know God is working on me with this, because of all things...a missionary and his family was at our church this past Sunday. No, not from Turkmenistan, that would've been way out of this world bizarre...but this wife uses the same curriculum I do with her four kids that she homeschools in Cambodia. Really neat. I got to talk to them for just a minute or two after the service, but I know God put them there. Just for me. : ) I think I start getting these strange ideas about what a missionary must "look like" or "be like" or "they're not like me" "they're different". But you know what? That family was so much like mine it was a bit scary. I am trying to be so open to God's leading, but it's hard! God could tell you...it's literally taken Him years to just get me to be open to moving around the USA according to His call. SO. I covet your prayers, for me, for my family, for my paper!

Field Trip

Yesterday we went to the Parks Bonsai Farm. I hope that link works. Anyway, we had a blast. Mrs. Parks is great. Even though we had 9 kids 11 yr old and younger and one 14 yr. old (and 2 adults), she was wonderful. She was not even particularly bothered by my 7 yr. dev. delayed kid screaming his head off for the first 20 min. or so. She just said, "Wow! You're a big boy to be crying like that!! Mommy can't tote you!" LOL! Carter just looked at her and said, "NO!" He finally settled down and we all had fun. We picked out a couple little trees and she showed us how to trim them into bonsai. So neat. She said to come back in a few weeks and bring our plants and her husband will teach us how to repot them into proper bonsai pots since that's the most important part. I can't wait. She has the coolest range of plant material I've ever seen and I worked in a nursery for years!! Man. If you have any interest in bonsai, or have kids that are...go. She's wonderful! Call ahead so she knows you're coming! I feel that the kids learned lots. I know I did as well. I love homeschooling just because of that! I no longer feel that my brain is atrophying. I also really love Sonlight...because this bonsai thing was all their idea! In the Eastern Hemisphere Explorer you "choose your own adventure" for each country. Well, we've just started Japan and "train a bonsai tree" was what my kid picked! How cool! He's loving it...entirely. Also, it's cool, because my little ones are being exposed to all this early, and by the time they get to this core, they'll have what... 5 yr. old bonsai's of their own??! HA! Well, one day, I'm gonna get a new camera or actually visit my friend Val to get the one back I left at her house what, 2 yrs. ago?? I sure wish I could post photos of our trip cuz it was awesome.
Love you guys. |
Julie

Journey

I just wanted to say this:


Homeschooling is a journey, not a race. Why do some people get so wrapped up in our kids being done exactly at the same time as their age peers in public school? Why do we get so concerned about "normal." Personally, I was NOT ready at 18 to become responsible for myself, my education, or picking out my future career path. I botched all of that. Why would we want to force decisions on our children that they are not immediately required to make or even really well equipped (in a lot of cases) to make. I say, hey, enjoy the time your kids are with you. Stop pushing them out the door, because you're gonna be crying when they move out!! : )
Childhood is so short. Let all enjoy teaching and learning with those God has entrusted to us.
J

Hmmmmmmm.....

I think my husband reads my blog....he said "Yo ho ho and a bottle of tums" last night...or the night before...I don't know. It is possible he came up with it on his own...we do love pirates! Ha. Anyway, dearest, if you're reading this, I'm probably asleep over there behind you.... Love ya!


Tomorrow, me and the boys and friends are going on a field trip to a "bonzai farm". Can't wait. Branche is starting Japan in his "Eastern Hemisphere Explorer" and the project he picked was: "Get a bonzai tree". So, I couldn't just let it go at that....I called and set it up with the lady who runs this thing. I'll let you know how it goes after the fact!!! can't wait!


We've had a busy week, but I can't remember doing what?!! I do remember Friday night! I so highly recommend "Fireproof." Take your spouse, get a sitter and go!!! Rob even cried!!! ususally it's just me! That was the most incredible movie I think I've ever seen!!! Man, those people at that church in Georgia are awesome. It's made by the people who did "Flywheel" and "Facing the Giants". Just the most moving, life changing, gospel-rich movie ever...and Kirk Cameron to boot! LOL! GO SEE IT!!!

The boys loved their babysitter. Carter hugged her told her "I love you!" : )
He even turned the TV off the first time she told him to!! Miraculous!

I started reading a new book. It's by Beth Moore. It's called something like, "90 Days with John" ??? SOmething like that. It's a day by day 90 day study of John the disciple. You even get to write in it! WOohoo! I love "workbook" type Bible studies, but this is the most beautiful book you've ever seen, I almost didn't want to write in it, but then I thought how cool it would be 10 yrs. from now to read it again and be able to read my responses! My sweet husband gave it to me just because! how cool is that?! He also got me a book shelf!!! WOWIE!!!


oh, do any of you get the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter? I highly recommend it if you want to be shocked by the level of persecution of Christians in the world. It's really added to my prayer life. It's free. Something to think about.

Anyway, love you guys. Keep on prayin'!!
J

AAARRRGGHHHH! AVAST!

Aaargh! Avast, me mateys!! Walk the plank! Scurvy dogs! Ok. There you go. It's out of the bag. I'm a closet pirate...and today is TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY. Let's all give it a try! It's fun, it's safe, let's go!


Yar! Yo ho ho and a bottle of tums! (Ok, I'm nearly a middle aged pirate, har har)


J

Scripture

Okay, I changed my scripture quote this morning. It struck me, as I was reading that portion of scripture just how cool it was. Doesn't Paul do a wonderful job exegeteing Old Testament scripture and applying it to the New Testament world he lived in?? I love it.
Okay, next. Yesterday, I slammed on brakes and picked up a cool eastern box turtle that was hoofing it across the road. I brought it to my friend's house (she was babysitting 2 of my kids w/her 6) and we had a little science lesson! Pretty cool. Her kids had never actually experienced a turtle up close. It was really neat. They were surprised how fast he was when we put him down on the rug and let him run. They thought turtles were slow...well, anyone who's seen a box turtle in a hurry knows that while we can easily catch up with them, they're pretty quick! Well, she was supposed to email me some of the photos she took so I could post them here...but so far, no pictures!!! One day, I'm gonna have a camera again and this time NO ONE will step on the LCD screen! ARGH!
Next, Anybody want a puppy? These two we have need homes. We cannot handle them anymore! They are really cool dogs...fixed, up-to-date on shots...mostly potty trained. Lemme know if you want one...really! : )
My Mom and Dad returned from their trip to KY and Oklahoma yesterday. No, Tuesday. Glad they're back. The kids 've been missing them! They had fun seeing my sister's 4 kids in OK. They found a tarantula in the back yard while there. Man. I didn't even know that tarantulas live in OK. Tornadoes and tarantulas...don't think you could even give me house in OK!! LOL! Of course my Dad being who he is (nature man) caught it and they kept it in a shoebox so the kids could check it out a while. He picks up snakes, whatever. No worries. He's 71. Thinks he's like 40. Ha. Love that I have those genes. Of course, his Dad had his 100th birthday this past January....it's cool. Grampa still lives in his own house...has cool women that come and cook for him and do laundry etc. But, he's still able to do for himself mostly! He sharp as a tack mentally too. Knows all my kids by name...despite the fact that they're 3 of like 19 great-grandchildren and he has 2 great-great grands also! Nothing like family!!!
Well, time for school. Ya'll have a great day and keep on prayin'!!!
J

Field Trip

Alright. Yesterday, my friend and I and her kids and my kids and her teenage helper-person all went on a field trip! Woo hoo hoo!! Talk about a group---she's got 6 kids, I have 3, plus the teenager, plus my friend is pregnant!!! That's nine kids 11 and under. HA! We get such looks when we go out, because no one can ever decide who belongs to whom! lOL! Anyway, we went to the Casemate Museum at Ft. Monroe in Hampton, VA. It's really cool and I recommend it for anyone near enough to go visit. It is still an active military base, so you need to make sure everyone over 18 has ID and your car has it's registration etc. But, that said, for those of you who may not know, this was a Civil War fort. Robert E. Lee helped design it when he was a Lt. And Jefferson Davis (confederacy pres.) was held there as prisoner. You can see the VERY room where JD was held (our kids noted that his cell was much bigger then any of their bedrooms AND he got a desk!). And you can see where R.E.Lee lived. We also learned that Edgar A. Poe served there while in the military. They have COOL exhibits. We were shocked to find that our heada barely fit through the arched doorways. There was thing that said the average height of soldiers when it was built was 5'8". Wow. Anyway, if you're taller than that...you're gonna duck a lot! We also walked along the top of the walls which are now a "memorial garden". Pet cemetary...not sure if there are people up there too, we only walked a short distance of the over 1.5 mi. around walk. Lots to see. We only did some. Oh---cool gift shop too!
Later (after lunch) we went to Petsmart where a friend is a vet and we got a "behind the scenes" tour of the vet clinic that's there. We even got to see an X-ray of a pregnant bulldog who's carrying NINE, count the heads kids!9 puppies! Woof! Really neat. Let's see....the adults' favorite part was a quick trip to a really great thrift store nearby Petsmart. I spent about $75 and managed to outfit 3 boys with TONS of jeans (NICE ONES!!) and shirts for winter. Not to mention, for middle child who doesn't do well with buttons/zippers, I found a TON of elastic waist pants!!! WooHOO HOOOOOOO! Anyway, if it were not for thrift stores, my kids would be nekkid!!! LOL! So. We had a blast. Even lunch at BK was a big hit!
Hope your weekend is great! I'm doing laundry, and hope to clean out the truck!!
J

Okay--the coffee's kickin' in!

I am totally excited, because I ordered MathUSee for Carter yesterday. I wasn't happy with his response with what we were using and I think the kinesthetic-ness of MUS will be a great help for him. Also, I think there's some videos? He'll watch anything on video and remember it all....like Mathtacular. ha. That's a really cool DVD available at and made by Sonlight that has a funny guy up there explaining math concepts in a way kids will enjoy and understand. There was even a section where this young man was being Mr. Rogers and I bet I'm the only one who got it! (Cuz I'm so old). He came in the house, put on a sweater, changed into slippers, it was so funny. Anyway, I'm excited. I also ordered the rest of the curriculum stuff C's gonna need around maybe Christmas whenever we finish up the core we're doing now. So, I am eagerly awaiting my boxes! ALSO, yesterday, my hubbie was off, so we went to Books-a-million so he could pick up a couple resources for his latest seminary paper, and man...my whole family is addicted to books. Branche got one by Ted Dekker...who is a Christian writer who we just discovered is the son of missionaries we just read about in a book called "Torches of Joy" really great book. Anyway, he apparently grew up in Papua New Guinea while his parents were there being missionaries. Man, Sonlight sure directs us to some great books. Anyway, let's see....Carter got a new Scooby-doo book...Roger got two dot-to-dot workbooks that he's ecstatic about. One even came with a computer CD so you can make your own dot to dots...can't wait to try that out. Rob of course got like four or five books for school and one "just for fun" about learning Biblical Greek. What's wrong with that man? Who studies Greek for the "fun" of it???? LOL! Oh, that's right, the same one who took Statistics as an elective for an "easy A". Ugh. What else....Oh, while we were in P'burg which is like an hour from home we went to the Parable Christian Book Store there. We LOVE IT! We go every chance we get, because they have a HUGE music (CD) section. I got an Ernie Haas and Signature Sound CD I've been wanting..it's kinda big-band, gospel cool. I got the new (?) Gaither Vocal Band Cd...can't remember the name AND a Robin Mark best of CD called...."Days of Elijah". Really cool. Irish instrumentation worship music. Anyway. Oh and Roger got a shepherd and sheep to go with his Jesus and the angel and the tomb set. Ha. He's so cute. He's gonna be a preacher... i just know it...or maybe a missionary...a guerrilla missionary...HA convert or else! HA LOL!!Sorry. It is early and I get goofy.

Do it! It's FUNNY!!!!

Alright. THis actually made my kid and I laugh out loud. Do it and post your sentence. Here's mine: I kicked a squirrel because I think I need some serious help. Branche: I love an ipod because I can't control myself. Carter: I yelled at a surfer because I can't control myself. Dad: I kicked a birdbath because I'm cool like that. Rog: I jumped on a noodle because I'm sexy and do what I want.

I copied this from: www.macandcheesechronicles.com (I hope that is the right address...that's the name of the blog anyway!)


So tell me, what’s your sentence?

Pick the month you were born:

January——-I kicked
February——I loved
March——–I karate chopped
April———-I licked
May———-I jumped on
June———-I smelled
July———–I did the Macarena with
August——–I had lunch with
September—-I danced with
October——-I sang to
November—–I yelled at
December—–I ran over

Pick the date (number) you were born on:

1——-a birdbath
2——-a monster
3——-a phone
4——-a fork
5——-a snowman
6——-a gangster
7——-my mobile phone
8——-my dog
9——-my best friends’ boyfriend
10——-my neighbor
11——-my science teacher
12——-a banana
13——-a fireman
14——-a stuffed animal
15——-a goat
16——-a pickle
17——-your mom
18——-a spoon
19—— - a smurf
20——-a baseball bat
21——-a ninja
22——-Chuck Norris
23——-a noodle
24——-a squirrel
25——-a football player
26——-my sister
27——-my brother
28——-an ipod
29——-a surfer
30——-a llama
31——-A homeless guy

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White———because I’m cool like that.
Black———because that’s how I roll.
Pink———–because I’m crazy.
Red———–because the voices told me to.
Blue———–because I’m sexy and I do what I want.
Green———because I think I need some serious help.
Purple———because I’m AWESOME!
Gray———-because Big Bird said to and he’s my leader.
Yellow——–because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars.
Orange——–because my family thinks I’m stupid anyway.
Brown———because I can.
Other———-because I’m a Ninja!
None———-because I can’t control myself!

I love my husband!

You know, sometimes, crying half the night away with your husband just totally is a good thing. Rob and I laid in bed on Sat. night and cried and cried. It was the one year anniversary of his brother's home-going. Man, but we miss him. I thought (and he did too) that he was doing great Saturday. WEll, I went to bed just a little ahead of Rob and almost immediately started snoring. He came in and woke me up...which he NEVER does and we just started talking. Man. He cried and cried. I hated it. He NEVER cries. But wow. I've never felt so close to my sweet husband. Sometimes loss makes you pull closer to those you still have. This past year, Rob and I have spent so much time just being us. We just continue to grow closer and closer and closer. I can hardly believe that our 10th anniversary is coming up in January. It seems like yesterday sometimes and others it seems like 30 or 40 yrs...in a great way, I mean! :D
Anyway, I'm just reveling in the love of my husband and my Father (that one in heaven). I just feel so blessed. ROb and I have always just KNOWN that God put us together. It's actually kind of a funny story that I'm not gonna tell right now, but we knew we were gonna get married within a month or two of meeting. Anyway, just feelin' the love and thought I'd share!
J

Halloween

Okay. I will apologize in advance to anyone I shock or upset. It is not intended. I just read a post by someone else, somewhere else about Halloween. While I didn't read when exactl she posted it, or who exactly she is....nor did I read every single word of her post, I was struck with a thought. Why is Halloween such a big deal? Why do some churches try so hard to fight it? My kids trick-or-treat! I don't let them dress up a little demonic things, or particularly scary things....just like ninja turtles, knights, dragons, dinos, Hoboes...anyway, I really don't see the harm. No matter where Halloween got it's start, pagans, satanists, whatever, what's the big deal? We don't sacrifice anything but chocolate and skinny pants! We don't worship any body or anything on that particular day or at least in conjunction with it. So many churches now how "Fall Festivals" instead of "Halloween Parties" to try to counteract Halloween, but really, they don't even do them on the night kids trick-or-reat! (If you did, you wouldn't have half the participation!LOL!) BUt hey, what's the big deal? I mean really, we hear now how Easter was a pagan holiday the Christians usurped. Who cares? I celebrate my risen Savior that day....not the chocolate bunny I eat before church! Is this hurting something because my kids think some big bunny leaves them candy and few small presents? Hey, we even started finding chocolate crosses! Ha. Why all the fuss? As long as we do the right things, worship the ONe True God, and live in a way that our hearts, minds, words and actions serve God...what's a little candy hurt? Why is it bad to dress up and visit neighbors? Our neighborhood has a blast! I found at Answers in Genesis I think this past year, little cards with Dinosaurs and stuff on them and a gospel track FOR KIDS on the back and handed them out with the candy. COol? YES! The kids loved them! My one kid still carries them around. I definitely made sure the teenagers bringing littles around got one. Let's use these things to our benefit and stop griping and complaining and fussing about stuff that surely doesn't affect our salvation. Love you guys. J

Hanna and stuff

Okay, as I sit here early on a Sat. morning, I'm listening to the rain on my window. It's Hurricane Hanna. No big deal, we've had worse summer thunderstorms. A lot worse. We'll see what happens as the day progresses but this should be all done by late afternoon. We'll probably be stomping in deep puddles, but that's about it. The wind's not so bad, we're expecting minor flooding, but out here we get that with any rain. The water runs out of peanut, and cotton fields and covers the road....creeks run over their banks into the road...not a new thing. Of course, the bored weather men are making a HUGE deal. That's all the news has been this a.m. Not even a mention of anything else. We love to over-react to every hurricane. It's like a statewide pass-time in Sept.
I'm avoiding writing a paper for my seminary class. It's on "theology of Missions". Man, I'm not even sure I understand the topic!!! LOL! I've read like 200 pages a week for 3 wks for this class and I STILL don't know exactly where to start!!! HA! Let me just say, seminary is definitely a step up from undergrad. I feel like the dummy in class,like I must be the only one sitting here shrugging, going...."huh?" HA! I know I'm not...I get good grades, I can intelligently discuss stuff on discussion boards....I just feel dumb. It'll be ok. I'm great at procrastination, I'm practically a professional...I write wonderfully under great pressure and duress........are you buying it? I am! I work very hard to maintain my thought processes in this manner! :)
Ya'll have a great day and pray for me!!
j

A Good Day

SO. We had a good day. Carter decided to impress me today. We've been listening to "addition songs" CD for a few days and he refused to admit he was listening and would NOT sing along! Well, today, Daddy came up to the school room and little brother sang the "test" where there are blanks for the answers. Got them all right!! GO ROGER! (It was the 1+ _ =_ song. Like 1+1 is 2. 1+2 is 3 and so on to 1+9 is 10). ROger is 5. Good job. Well, Carter could NOT let his little brother upstage him and sang the WHOLE SONG!!! WOOHOO! I knew he knew it, just sometimes I need a little proof!!! TO top that off, Carter does NOT like science. He won't actively listen. (SOrry I'm heavy on quote marks...I just like them!) He will NOT do the activity sheets that come with the Sonlight science program though they are not particularly difficult, and very appropriate...just a few questions a day. Well, today, he listened to like 3 days worth and then ANSWERED ALL THE QUESTIONS!!! I mean he knew it all!!! He knows all about "invertebrates", which pictures were and were not, life cycles, everything!!! I was SO excited!!!! YEA CARTER!!!! ANyway, small steps,great progress!!! I'm cheering loudly!
J

who knew!

This made me wish I liked apples more...it made me want to go buy a bag of them!!! I copied this from an email I got...








Prevents heart disease
Apples contain quercetin, a natural, anti-inflammatory phytonutrient that reduces the risk of coronary heart disease.

Relieves asthma
Recent studies showed that children who suffer with asthma and consume apple juice daily wheeze less than those who only consumed apple juice once a month. Another study revealed that children have lower rates of asthma when their mothers ate a regular diet of apples during pregnancy.


Lowers cholesterol
Apples contain pectin, which lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol as much as 16 percent in people who eat two apples per day.

Protects bones
According to French researchers, phloridzin, a flavanoid found only in apples, may increase bone density and protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis. Boron, which is also found in apples, is known to strengthen bones.

Prevents lung cancer
In a study of 10,000 people, researchers believe that those who ate the most apples had a 50 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer due to the high levels of flavonoids, naringin, and quercetin found in apples.

Prevents colon cancer and other intestinal disorders
One five-ounce apple provides the human body with more than three grams of fiber, which is ten percent of the recommended daily intake. This high fiber content prevents life-threatening colon and rectal cancer, as well as other disorders that involve the intestinal tract, such as inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and diverticulitis.

Manages diabetes
The pectin found in apples supplies galacturonic acid to the body, reducing the body's need for insulin. Since apples naturally regulate blood sugar levels in the body, many diabetes patients have found that regularly eating apples reduces, and even in some cases, eliminates their need for medication.

Increases weight loss
Weight loss is increased by the beneficial fiber content in apples. Plus, the polyphenols found in apples have demonstrated the ability to regulate fat metabolism. In fact, according to data collected and analyzed in the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the government's largest food consumption and health database, Dr. Victor Fulgoni said, "We found that adults who eat apples and apple products have smaller waistlines that indicate less abdominal fat, lower blood pressure, and a reduced risk for developing what is known as the metabolic syndrome."

Prevents Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
According to recent studies on mice at Cornell University, the quercetin phytonutrient found in apples may protect brain cells from the damage that causes Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Although the same vitamins and minerals found in apples could also be found in any daily multi-vitamin, the combination of minerals, vitamins, and other plant components working together seems to be what "keeps the doctor away" when eating an apple. More than just an all-natural snack, apples just might be the perfect fruit. Not only do they look appealing and taste great, they also provide a variety of health benefits that God designed to help keep the human body strong in order to serve Him.

Babies....

Everyone I know is pregnant. Now today,I read a blog by a guy who (with his wife) is adopting kids...internationally. I really feel that we should be adopting. We started this before and had to drop it. I'm REALLY wanting to start again. I am not sure my husband would not blow a gasket right now....but. I don't know. I'm tired, I want a baby...or a kid....I don't know. I just feel this pull. I don't know what to do with it. Why doesn't somebody just drop their baby on my porch? I'd keep it....I keep all the dogs and kittens and lizards....whatever that people seem to leave!!! Lol! I'm sorry. Inappropriate humor. It's that time of day. Pray for me, for us. We're a bit discouraged in this church search thing and it's causing discouragement to float around in other areas of my life too. I'm ok, just need a boost.
J

Today, Branche and I watched "Amazing Grace". It's a movie about the life of William Wilberforce. More than being just about his life...it was about what he did, what he sacrificed, how he managed what he did. It was truly amazing. I wanted to cry several times. While we are all at some level familiar with the deplorable conditions of slave ships, and the way that slaves were treated in general, that movie made it all the more blatant. It was really unbelievable. Watch it. I truly beg of you. Watch the movie. It is life changing. Branche is 11, he understood it. This is movie than stands to change your life, your views, it challenges what you think you know. Let your kids watch as they get old enough. This is one of those history things that we cannot let be forgotten. If for no other reason than there is still to this day slavery going on in many parts of the world.

Also, on the subject of movies....."Fireproof" is coming out in theaters soon. Supposed to be wonderful. I think it's made by the same church that made "Facing the Giants." Supposed to be wonderful, clear, presentation of the gospel in there. Would be a good place/movie to share with unsaved friends.
J

school bus

I gotta say, I just participated in what for me has become a yearly (if not more often) ritual. I always watch the kids get on the school bus the first day of school. I get such joy from sitting on my porch, drinking my coffee, and reveling in the fact that my kids are still sleeping, I didn't just have to drag everyone out of bed and rush them around getting ready and finding things to "not miss the bus". Ha! I love just watching that big yellow thing roll by, waving at the driver, looking at all the sad little faces in the windows...ok, not the sad faces...I'd like to call all the mom's and make them watch so they'd pull their kids out too! HA! BUT, I AM glad, it's not MY kids' sad little faces in the windows!! ANyway, I sit on my porch drinking coffee a lot during the year, therefor often see the buses go by, but it's always a bigger deal on the first Tuesday of September. Also, I find it cool that we're beginning our fourth week of school this week! ha HA! We're ahead of those poor kiddies just going back to start a month or more worth of review!!! ha HA! We might've already learned something NEW!! : )
Oh well, onward and upward....I will have kids swarming me for breakfast any time now!!! Love ya'll! Keep praying!
J

Hope I Got This Quote Right!!!

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that others won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. Its not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson

Do the Next Thing...

Okay, in an email I got this morning, there was a poem I really liked, so I'm sharing it!


Do The Next Thing

"At an old English parsonage down by the sea,
there came in the twilight a message to me.
Its quaint Saxon legend deeply engraven
that, as it seems to me, teaching from heaven.
And all through the hours the quiet words ring,
like a low inspiration, 'Do the next thing.'

Many a questioning, many a fear,
many a doubt hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from heaven,
time, opportunity, guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrow, child of the King,
trust that with Jesus, do the next thing.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer,
do it reliantly, casting all care.
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand,
who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on omnipotence, safe 'neath His wing,
leave all resultings, do the next thing.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
working or suffering be thy demeanor,
in His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
the light of His countenance, be thy psalm.
Do the next thing."


Second, I saw a story on the news this morning that just really upset me....This little mailman in Apex ,NC was stressed out and started burying people's junk mail in his back yard...now he's in trouble. I ask...WHY??? Shouldn't the man be getting a medal?? SHouldn't we be putting the people who SEND that junk mail in jail instead of the poor little overworked post man?? LOL! Wow> What a world we live in!! Have a great day!
J

We're back....

Okay, so we went to the church, we loved it. It went well. Please pray. We so want to serve Him fulltime. Rob's current work schedule is not cool. We hardly see him because he goes in at noon and isn't home until we're all asleep. Before work he is doing school or sleeping. So, basically, we don't see him. This is hard on the boys and on me! We had no indication from his current employer that it would be so many late hours. It's just bad. The church we visited yesterday was wonderful. Two couples took us to lunch and we had a blast. Roger followed the one man all over like he was his grandpa! Ha. They were all so nice and friendly and welcoming! Several people said, "We hope you come back!" or "Please consider our church!" We were like, hey, just call us---we'd be happy to come!!! It was cool. The area was beautiful...rolling hills, views of the mountains. So nice. The church is really old, too which of course Branche and I love...you know the History buffs we tend to be! Icing on the cake, right?

Well, onward...I was doing my BIble reading this a.m. and actually laughed out loud...no, scripture is not usually funny to me, but this verse hit me so funny...

"Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with a contious woman" Prov 21:9

THen I kept reading and found...

"Better to dwell in the wilderness,
Than with a contentious and angry woman." Prov 21:19

Funny...
Again in Proverbs 25:24 the first verse is repeated...

Do you think one or more of Solomon's myriad wives was contentious and angry??? Gee, if you had to share your husband with hundreds of other wives...wouldn't you be???

Let this be a lesson......if you're a wife, don't be contentious!!!
If you're a husband...stick to one wife!!!!


Ya'll have a good day and keep on prayin'!!!

J

Prayers please!!!

Hi all! Just found out at 10pm this evening that Rob will be preaching Sunday at a prospective church. It is in an area we would love to be in!! Please pray for God's will and help in this! We're getting weary of the hoping, the traveling, the crazy scheduals, keeping up with who is who and where they are. It's so hard. Hard is fine, we are just so ready to move on with our ministry!!! Rob will certainly appreciate any prayers for strength, wakefulness, clearness of thought...he's writing a huge paper for seminary and will have to come up with a fabulous sermon as well! That's all for tonight! J

Yee-haw!!

Well, we made it through the first two days of school!!! YEA! It's really unbelievable. This is our 3rd year homeschooling. Branche is now a 6th grader...eeek! You just don't know how thankful I am that I do not have to even contemplate what this year would hold if he was still in public school. I shudder to think!!! Truly!!! I am so thankful to God that he MADE me homeschool my boys!!! Our first two days have been fantastic in a couple ways and predictably hard in others. First, the hard way...Carter. Being "on the autistic spectrum" he's my special challenge. Mostly he's my special sweetie....in school however, he's not always so sweet! He's spent a LOT of time screaming, but hey....it's truly just the change. He does NOT deal with upheaval and scedual changes well. So, the first week or so will just be torture!!! I know it'll get better. Now, the good stuff!!! Branche was my real challenge the past two years, being that he did NOT want to be homeschooled, hated math, and language arts. THIS year, I made some changes....we discovered "Teaching Textbooks" math program...done on the computer, he LOVES it!!! I don't even have to grade his math...it's on the computer, so it's automatic!!! yahoo! Also, I switched the language arts program to "The Latin Road to English Grammar". Yahoo! He hasn't even gotten mad or yelled about it or asked to skip it! WoohOO! ALSO!!! He loves the new art program I got him, it came with a cool backpack full of supplies...he's in LOVE! ALSO, I love Sonlight...he's so excited about the new books we get to read this year. We're studying the Eastsern Hemisphere and the 10/40 window. Really cool, considering this is the part of the world about which I know the least! Also there's this notebook thingy they invented called "THe Eastern Hemisphere Explorer" . It's directed research that he does primarily with the World Book encyclopedia CDs. WHich by the way, I HIGHLY recommend!!He absolutely loves it. I thought he was gonna complain endlessly about it because every week you pick a special project to work on as well as your normal research stuff....so it seems like "extra" work. That's his favorite part so far!! LOL!!!! MAn, I'm lovin' it this year! I know, I know, we're two days into it. But trust me....it's not always this good even or especially the first week!!! I kid you not!!! My first week of homeschooling ever was a real ordeal. I had a headache every day by lunch. I cried evey afternoon. I just wanted to call the public school and say "Hey, I made a mistake...my religious beliefs definitely include giving you my kids for 12 or 13 yrs.!!!" Ha. Anyway, that's gone. That was for those who may be considering homeschooling or have started it and it hurts.....it'll get better. It would be hard for your first experience to be worse than mine!! HA! ANyway, I need to go to sleep...I'm worn out from all the excitement! HA! J

Noogie Bars

Here's a good recipe from a friend of mine. They're like homemade granola bars, add stuff like you want to, like peanut butter, or chocolate chips or nuts or raisins, whatever your family likes. They're really good, it makes a bunch and they're very easy to make, good for breakfast or a snack and somewhat better for you than regular cookies, but my kids don't even know the difference! Oh....the name (noogie bars) comes from a child's inability to say "granola" ha. Here goes:

1 stick butter
2 eggs
2 c brown sugar

cream above together (easiest in a stand mixer) until creamy
Add:
3 c uncooked, regular oatmeal
3c bisquick or other baking mix, (I use Jiffy because it all natural and cheaper)

plus anything else you want

spread in a greased,shallow, big, baking pan....the one I use has like a 1" edge....like a cookie pan thingy? really big. and bake at 400 degrees F, for about 20 minutes. I'm eating some now that I made and added molasses, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves...takes like Christmas! We made peanut butter ones last week...YUMMY!!

At Long Last.....

, First, for any of you who may still check occasionally to see if I actually posted...thanks! To those of you who don't....well, you won't see this...so too bad!!! LOL! We have had so much happening, I just couldn't seem to sit down long enough in front of the computer to do this. I have been on the computer, just not for this! I have been entering volumes of information into homeschool tracking software. Planning our school year, that sort of stuff. I love homeschooltracker.com by the way. Awesome support if there's ever a problem...way more capability than I could ever dream of using or need....great stuff, anyway. There's my ad for the night! I did just finish a great book that I highly recommend. It's called "The Shack". Have some tissues handy, you'll need them at some point, but man, what a testimony of a man's relationship with God. What a perspective altering, heart-rending, life changing book. Really cool. Read it. ALso, I've been reading Branche's readers for the year. Since we use Sonlight Curriculum, the reading is novels, the History is novels, real books, not excerpts, not pieces and parts. I love it, he loves it, but....in order to discuss it with him, I need to read the books too! It's cool. Even if you don't want to use Sonlight, you should get the catalog and you can pick (very easily) great books for any age, whether you want to read to your child or have your child read to themselves....they have picked the best (by far) of literature available. Use this stuff for free reading or to add to whatever you use. The books are guaranteed to generate deep thought, great discussions and lots of introspection. Many are even out of print and only available through Sonlight. I am so looking forward to starting Branche's school. He's going to be studying the Eastern Hemisphere. We'll be concentrating on the unevangelized people groups and nations. This is an area I know little or nothing about. I can't wait. Poor public school kids missing out!!! : 0 D Carter will be starting first grade and Roger will be officially starting kindergarten!!! I can hardly beleive it!!! My BABY!!!! Kindergarten!!!!! I need another!!! Ha!
Besides getting ready for their school, I'll be starting seminary in two weeks. EEEEKKK!!!! I'm a little afraid! It's kinda intimidating, you know?? Pray for me!
We've been doing major home improvement for the past month. We painted Branche's room, he picked a dark teal. The little boys picked PURPLE!!! EEEK! We put new flooring down in the both of their bedrooms and the kitchen. It's that laminate that looks like wood....you know, it snaps together? Well, it looks awesome. I love it. Now we need a single bed mattress-boxspring set for B, but who knew that new ones cost so much????? Unbeleiveable!!! AND, the thrift stores have NONE!!! Ugh. Oh well, one'll show up somewhere sometime!
I wish my camera wasn't broken so I could take pictures...the puppies are big...like 30 lbs. each now. They've been fixed....and after 7 yrs, the town of BOykins finally figured out I have a dog...so I have to go buy licenses for them all...ugh. We've had at least one dog here constantly for 7 yrs.....how could I not know I need this?? It's apparantly not a new law!!! LOL!!!! Man, am I clueless or what???
News flash....I got caught up on laundry...then everyone changed clothes! Ha!
One puppy thinks he's a hounddog, at least he barks..yells...like one. That's a little annoying.
Rob has two churches waiting for him to preach....now if he could just get a Sunday off! ugh!!

WEll, I'm out of time, my printer won't recognize that there is paper in it,....gee today is really starting great!!! LOL!
Pray hard!
Julie


!

Run screaming....

If you just saw someone go running screaming and babbling down the street in front of your house, it was probably me. This is one of those days...maybe weeks. I just spent like 20 minutes yelling at a kid who oughtta know better. I'm so over disobedience, and just blatant disrespect. He is now on electronic restriction until at least Sunday. He just can't shut his mouth!!! Yesterday in Walmart, Roger decided to throw an all out, lay in the aisle and scream kinda fit. It took me about 15 or so minutes and a spanking trip to the bathroom to get him back in control. Thankfully, God had put some good people in WMart who gave me the nod, and a "You're doing the right thing" to support me. I mean, at this point, I'm really wondering what on earth is going on. Two days in a row...two kids. I guess it's Carter's turn tomorrow. ugh.
well, we're still searching for a church. Rob started at Lowe's on Monday and I don't think I've seen him longer than 5 minutes since. I'm always asleep. He's behind in school, overworked (already), I hardly know what to do for him other than pack him a lunch and wash his clothes!
My digital camera got stepped on...ruined.
I did start a prayer journal this week (Monday), so maybe that's the right thing to do I am subsequently being forced into spiritual battle. Ugh. I really hate that! :0)
I just finished reading an excellent book. It was one of Branche's school books. It's called "Bruchko". It's about a missionary to the Motilone indians. Really amazing, and it sure has a way of putting our little problems in perspective. Also recommended by me are : "In Search of the Source" (About Bible translators...really COOL. Another school book for B), "Deep Water" (I think that is the title) By Robert Whitlow which is Christian fiction kin to John Grisham stuff.
We did have a fun little vacation in Natural Bridge. ALso spent one night in Harper's Ferry, WV. LOVED IT!! Really neat little historic town. Learned lots.

Love you all...Keep on Prayin'!!!!
J

Life has been so crazy recently. We have this past week been dealing with sick people. Roger and Branche got some virus or another that caused a high fever, body aches, headaches, general crabbiness....Ick. Then...Rob caught it. Horrors! He's been sick for like 4 days now. I'm OVER it!!! LOL! Real high fever, horrible, horrible headaches...so hard for him to get a thing done. Not cool. We're trying desperately to be well this coming weekend for our trip to MD. Can't wait. Pray for us. Real hard, for clarity, discernment, all that. This is gonna be the first (next?) step in the next big part of the life of our family. We're excited, but you know that kinda scared feeling you get too? I really don't like big change, I REALLY don't like big change delayed!!! I'm willing to go, I just wanna get it over with!!! The puppies are doing well, I'm not the best house-breaker..but there is positive progress in that respect....they're getting big and are oh-so-sweet. They've got nice thick lab hair. None of that long fuzzy stuff thank goodness! We love to take them for long walks in the morning or late evening. Branche and I especially...nice mom/son time. Good exercise!
My poor babies are still slugging through the end of school. We wound up and had lots of sporadic time off this year, so summer's getting cut a bit short. I think I'm gonna call it "DONE" at the end of June. I'm tired. Branche will probably do math straight through to catch up on that. Of course, he's doing geometry in 5th grade with this curriculum, so I'm not sure how much would really be "catch up", right? LOL. WEll, I need lunch. I'm starving.
J

Frances Kershaw Steinbach

My Gramma died yesterday. My Dad's mom. She would've been 96 June 12th. I cried off and on all evening. How lucky has my Dad been...he'll be 71 in Aug. and has had his mom all this time. I am worried for my Grampa, he turned 100 this past Jan. I'm really worried for him. They still live at home with help, I know he's gonna have a really hard time. What an understatement. What a hard time for our whole family. My Dad has two older sisters, there are tons of grandkids, great-grandkids and even two great-great-grand-kids. Amazing. I remember staying with them in the summer...getting snowed in for a blizzard one winter and getting to stay like 3 extra days...I remember her teaching me to sew...teaching me to knit...treating me like an adult when I wasn't. I'm really gonna miss her.

Life marches on....

Here's some pic's of Mikey playing tug-o-war with me one morning. He's so cute! Oh yea, one of the boys and thier dogs and one of my new iris that's blooming.

Welcome Bowser and Mikie....

Here are our two new babies. Branche is holding Bowser...his own personal baby. And the other is Mike or Mikie. ...You know, like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?? Don't ask... He's Carter's.
Wish us luck!
Julie

prayer request

Anyone reading this, please put my friend's husband Mike on you prayer list. He is the father of 3, beloved husband, and pastor. He was in a bad car accident this past week with numerous injuries. Lift the family up in your prayers, his recovery will be long and difficult.
J

Redneck Gardening at it's Best...

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. All the boys helped, we used stuff laying around. ha. These are old...I just got around to posting them. You should see it now...everything is huge and blooming so pretty. I'm gonna give it another few weeks and take another picture so there's time for the vines to get up on the back and start doing stuff. ANyway, look for an update one day. Rob's flying to TN today for his second interview with Lifeway. I don't like him flying, but I'm excited about the possibilities!!!
That's all for now. Julie

one more day....

Okay. I had to take another cat to the vet this past Wednesday. He was constantly gagging/coughing/hacking. All day. Our vet normally has afternoon hours, but had something going on. A mean woman working the desk (only mean one out of about 4 girls that work there!), almost made me cry acting like, well, I'd just have to let my kitty gag for another day. Well, I wound up and went to a different vet in Suffolk (hr. ride) on the advice of a lady at buying dog food at the vet. They were nice, but no help. X-ray, exam, an arm and a leg later, and all I got was a shrug and "keep him isolated for a couple days, see if he's eating/drinking/peeing etc." Great. Two days later (Friday) I go back to my normal vet who cringed when she saw me (thought it was spider bite kitty again) and she was amazed they did nothing. She gave him an anti-inflammatory shot and pills to take for 5 days. Apparantly, kitties can retch so hard they can give themself esophogitis. He's doing better, still gags some not on the medicine (sometimes I forget), but not so bad, so I guess he's getting better. Anyway. Ugh. I love my vet, but wouldn't mind seeing less of her for a while!! I know at least one of you can identify!!
I'm almost caught up with my school. (that's good). Rob got written up twice at work other day for things he cannot control (like labor hours when he's on a week's vacation). It's not cool. He's not only applying to churches at this point, he's putting applications in everywhere. He's not happy, I'm not happy...well...not with his current job. On the other hand, our week out in the woods has done wonders for our relationship!!! We sat one night and talked and talked and talked about all sorts of stuff. It's surprising how hard it can be to just get the chance to talk at home. We hashed out some things we'd both been carrying around. We're happier, closer, all that great stuff!
Rob went and got our tent from the rendezvous site yesterday. It was still wet so we currently have a huge wall tent and fly up in our backyard....considering the size of our backyard....it's all tent! You go out the backdoor, take two steps and you're under the fly! LOL! We grilled hamburgers last night, and while we did, we sat under the fly and Rob played his guitar and I sang (horribly) with him. The neighbors may not have liked it, but we did!!! We did "Days of Elijah", "Here I am to Worship" and some others I can't seem to remember!
We're hoping sometime soon to take our kids and some of my friend's out to my aunt's farm to teach them about fire starting (with flint/steel/tow), and loading and firing blackpowder rifles, pistols, smoothbore. I think I need to talk Rob into it a little more....it should be fun.
well, time to start my day! Oh....my homeschool tracker is still not working...I hate computers sometimes!!!
J

I wanna cry!!1

Pictures first: One is me getting ready to go shoot at Rendezvous. One is Rob at 'vous, and one is me and the boys on Easter morning!














I tell you what. Yesterday and today have been too much. My kitty's foot is still hurt. Another trip to the vet with the dog along for company who's hair is falling out in clumps. Ugh. Another zillion dollars we don't have for all that. All that after coming home from a week in the woods with no bath to find no draining tubs!!! Plumber came today and that cost another arm and a leg. Ugh. Not good. Of course we couldn't go with no potty (it flushed into the tub), no shower (we were stinky), so we went to a motel we couldn't afford. Oh well. Oh...did I mention I'm like a week behind in school because I got NOTHING done while camping?? GReat!!! Yea!!! What a great start to the week!!! Oh, no food in the house. Hungry kids. No money...the plumber and vet got it all! AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH! Do I have permission to sit and cry a while before I start writing my two papers due by midnite?? Did I mention I have two books to read before I can start writing?? I'm not happy.

Bad news good news

Okay, which do you want first??
Good news:
We finally got a new mouse that actually works! It's really cool.

Bad news:
Our cool new mouse apparently caused a total computer crash! By crash, I mean crash! We've lost like most everything! We've had to like reload everything...which involves finding our disks and their million digit key codes. Man, the real problem is....we can't find all our disks!!!! AAARRRGGGHH! Plus, what about all those "update" downloads!!! Hey, did I mention we have dial up , so all downloads take literally HOURS!! ARGH! Hey, what about those things we bought on-line and just downloaded....no disk??? I'm sure we could re-download them for hours on end....if we had the codes! I might cry. I hate computers right now. Rob has threatened to LITERALLY throw this one out our 2nd story window. Oh dear!!
Pray for us!
Julie

So little time!...

WEll, it's been a while since I posted and I know the two or three of you who read this have been terribly disappointed! : ) Rob's been doing stuff to the computer because one of his two last classes as an undergrad is an information technologies class (he took it for an easy A ha!). Unfortunately, it requires specific software which he tried to download...boo for dial-up....then wound up and had to buy the CD and have it sent. Meanwhile, here I sit, with no computer time! Whaaaaa!!! Here comes the WHaaaaaaaaaaaaaambulance! HA! Anyway, we now have Office 2007. I can again, find time to use the computer! Well, I started a new diet and workout thing. I'm starving!!! My muscles are sore!!! But hey, I've lost 5 1/2 lbs!!!! YEA!!! Oh, one thing, I DID post the response to the "tagging" I recieved, but it's not here!!! I must've posted it on someone else's blog! LOL! Got no idea where it is or what happened...I remember writing it! Well, the Living room is officially done. I cleaned it even and was gonna take a picture of it clean and newly painted...but, by camera needed charging. So it waited a day...by then the kids had trashed it again. HA! Oh well.
Our newest drama...one of our three indoor-outdoor kitties (Polka Dots) has a boo-boo. He limped on one of his front feet for a couple days then stopped using it. We took him to the vet, she said he had a wound that had probably abcessed and it was draining, so gave us an antibiotic and sent us home. Three days later, it looked even bigger. We took him back. $87 , a soaking, and an x-ray later, she said, his foot was very purple, draining from several spots, she soaked it in Epsom salts, lots of ick came out, she gave him 2 antibiotic shots, a shot for pain/inflamation, a second antibiotic for me to give and sent us home! Well, 24 hrs. later, kitty is greatly improved. He'll actually let his foot occasionally touch the floor. He's not happy about the meds....but oh well! Sorry I'm so good at it, Polky!!! Okay, the pictures are Polka Dots. His boo-boo foot is the one one he's holding up. It's so much better this morning, I'm amazed!! you can hardly tell it used to be twice that big just yesterday! Anyway, he sure looks happier, yes? : )
Oh, only 5 more days til the 10th anniversary of my 29th birthday!! : )
Love ya'll!
Julie

Tag! I'm it!

Okay, I'm a dork, so I don't know how to link stuff on my page....and I don't have enough friends w/blogs to do this right...but I can at least post the weird stuff....
I was tagged by Jen
( I think I just figured out the linking thingy!!!)


1. I'm the absolute worst housekeeper in the world...ok, maybe not the worst, I'm mean I do occasionally clean and pick stuff up and all...not a scary housekeeper, I just don't like it.
2. I love homeschooling my kids, no matter how hard-headed they are, it's fun and I learn a lot about them, myself and all sorts of stuff I never learned in public school.
3. I love rainbow sherbet.
4. I want a daughter.
5. I love to play in the dirt.
6. I love primitive camping...you know, pre-1840 kind of primitive camping. No bath for a week??... as long as I have a bowl and a fire to heat water on...I can do it!!! : )
7. I like to shoot stuff with my very own, hand-made (by my dad and husband), left-handed, flintlock rifle....that just happens to have my name engraved on a piece of bone on the thumb piece. (Maybe I'll post a picture for any mountain men that may come on this site! yeah, that's gonna happen!LOL!) Stuff that blows up like bottles of water and skeet and little pumpkins and stuff.



Okay, I only have 3 friends with blogs and one of them tagged ME! so...oh well!

Here's the rules that I violated:Here are the rules -1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Branche's birthday!

How could I forget/?????!!! My oldest baby is 11! Here's a picture of him at IHOP (his choice) with his cool "born 2 ride" motorcycle cake!!! HA! Cutie! oops, loaded the wrong picture, too lazy to change. This is actually Branche looking at a magazine he got at IHOP....at his party. I'll load the cake one tomorrow after church.
BYE! J

End of the sub-term!!!

Yea! Yesterday was the official end of the subterm, we have one week off and then start our last round of undergraduate classes!!!! YEA! Rob and I will hopefully be attending our graduations this May at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA!!! WOW! You may never know how excited I am. Rob, the brave soul is starting seminary (grad school) this summer. I am waiting til fall, let him get his feet wet first!!He's going for a Master of Arts in Religion w/a concentration in Pastoral counseling. I'm gonna (I think) go for a Master of Arts in Religion w/a concentration in Church Ministry. I'm gonna take my time, of course Rob's gonna bolt right thru it with a like 3.8 gpa. Ha. He wants to get an M.div. after that and I think the silly wants a doctorate before it's all said and done, so I guess he'll be in school for ever. We'll have to all call him "The Right Reverend Doctor Rob" I guess. Ha!
Well, I got tired of waiting today and painted my living room. I'm gonna post a couple pictures, but you can't really get the full effect, because all the trim isn't done, no mini-blinds, no curtains, furniture still everywhere, junk all over. BUT, you can see the color of the walls and I tried to exclude unpainted trim. The worst part is you can't see my rug which is where the color came from. It's a woven indian thingy. It's super cool.
Anyway, keep us in your prayers for us finding a church in which to serve and you will all be in ours.
JUlie

Praise the Lord!

Well, I've gotta say, we had a blast going to Knotts Island. Rob's sermon was awesome if I do say so myself!!! We laughed, we cried....it was great! He and the head (?) deacon got along wonderfully. I got to meet the really nice woman I had spoken to on the phone (head of the search committee). It was like we'd known each other for years!!! COOL! R's parents actually got to come too, which is nice, and we weren't sure they'd get too, because Bob got re-sick Sat. afternoon. Hmmm...think someone was trying to distract Rob from his purpose??? I tell you what, that satan is one tricky dude. We had problem after problem this week. Rob had to work like 16 hrs. Friday, and he had been planning to finish up writing his sermon that night. If it could go wrong it did. That's ok. we made it, it was wonderful, God's word was spoken. We worshipped Him. We loved it. Now, the waiting starts!!! Ugh! Hope they liked him/us as much as we did them! It was like going home somewhere you'd never been before! Ha!
Well, keep us in your prayers and we'll keep you in ours!
Julie

Shirley Plantation

Today the boys and I went to Shirley Plantation. It was really cool! Not everyone gets to go tromping around on ground that has such a long history. It was(I think) like the first land granted in VA? In the new world really...pretty cool. Once, Union troops camped in the front yard. The Carter women took great care of them despite the fact that they had their own men fighting on the other side. Because of this, the plantation was protected from both sides during the Civil War. We looked in the smoke house, the ice house, the store house, the stable. We saw goats, chickens. Really beautiful place. Unfortunately, i was in a huge rush this a.m. to leave and forgot my camera or I would post some really cool pictures!!! HA! Hatin' it!!! Oh well, I highly recommend it. Lots of great info, and very educational. Would've been nice if it wasn't so bloomin' cold outside!!!
We plan on visiting a couple more of the plantations in the next several weeks.
Hopefully I'll remember my camera!
Julie

Quickie!

Okay, we have several countdowns going on this week. First off, my wonderful oldest boy Branche is turning 11 on Thursday. I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday that I was laying in the hospital thinking, "Oh man, now what am I gonna do with this????" Now, that little squaling bundle is a big squaling bundle(HARHARHAR) and I still don't know what to do!!! Oh well! We're having fun, right??? Our other count down is until Rob's sermon on Sunday. He's preaching at a cool little church we want to serve, you know, and I can't wait to get down there and check it all out and meet everybody and all. I really really am excited and scared about this!! It means lots of change for our family in all sorts of ways, many welcome, some probably not!!! We're not big on moving....it's a lot of trouble!!! BUT, it's a good way to clean out, right?? HA! Anyway, keep on prayin' for us and we will for you, whoever you are!!! : )
Goin' to throw something in a pot and call it dinner!
Julie

Photos

Okay, Roger sleeping in his chair...he fell asleep while playing the PS2. How do you do that??? I though Video games were supposed to be exciting! The indian village was a history project the little boys did. I think it turned out cool and they had a blast! Branche is showing you the lunch he made for everyone out of his "The Young Man's Handybook". It teaches boys how to cook, clean, do laundry, tie a tie, build a log cabin. Lots of cool stuff. Highly recommended!! (By me, of course!) The lunch was a yummy tuna/egg/pickle/cheese /olive mayo thingy...hard to explain, had to chop lots and bake. Really yummy! He was very proud and so was I! Well, my Mom and Dad are coming this afternoon to visit and bring dinner, so I better go! Julie