Transitions and Progress or the lack there of...

I recently found this beautiful blog called Out of the Ordinary. The link is the latest post about her son who is off to college once again and she reflects on her younger children who are in middle and high school.

I can really relate with my oldest in college for the 2nd year and my baby in middle school. A year ago when it was very hard for me with Cayla leaving home and going to college, it happened that I needed to go back to work. I went back to being a bank teller, (after 19 years). I had to work harder to get to my devotionals which I needed more than ever and to make time to read to my youngest who I wasn't home schooling any longer. Lizzy going back to public school presented new challenges for her that were never there before.

Things that are very helpful is  being in a sound church and being a part of that church, really. I mean being that church for Christ when no one is looking. Am I doing that? By trusting in God's word and sovereignty for the future and for the now, for that matter is what has made a difference in my life. Reminding my very forgetful mind regularly by reading the bible has renewed my mind, a greater help has been in memorization.... then when I hear something at work or at the grocery store or on the phone with a friend and there is bad news I can have hope with the heaviness instead of it just feeling despair.

Transitions are hard at times and joyous at others. I want always be there for my girls and husband, as long as God gives me breath to do so. My own progress or regression always seems to be up to me even though, the ugly side of me wants to blame others. Thank God we have a choice and have people in our lives to point that out. Its not what happens, it how we respond to what happens.

Eph 4:25 - 31
²⁵ Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. ²⁶ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. ²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³² Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Providential Dog Walk

The other night I was annoyed to be walking the dog because I thought it was my husband's job. Along the way a little boy of 10 was on his way home and a car was following him. He asked me to walk him home which I did. Pretty quickly my attitude changed. Will God use me when I feel inconvenienced? Would my attitude been different to begin with if I knew I was going to run into a little kid who needed help?

This got me thinking that our effect on others is monumental... can be monumental.God knows our every step and thought. (Proverbs 5:21a) My attitude should have been very different. Its hard to be kind and tenderhearted (Eph 4:32) when my heart isn't right. That night with the lil boy, it wasn't hard to be kind and tenderhearted b/c I clearly saw that he needed help. I don't always see that people around me need anything... I clearly see now. I hope this helps me to be content whether I'm walking the dog or doing something I think my boss shouldn't have asked me to do b/c "it's not my job". Sometimes it just is my job this time, so, why be upset about it, I need to be doing all things as unto the Lord. It's truly a small thing in comparison to what Jesus did for me in dying for my sins on the cross. I was reminded of this daily this week by thecatholic friends I work with had mass everyday leading up to Easter. It really blessed me to hear them explain why we should be grateful for Jesus did for us.

New Best Friend

I'm debuting my new best friend. I love that it vacuums the pool for me every time I ask! It's an EZ Vac. I should name her though :)

Soap

With many of my family having perfume allergies I never saw more use for pretty soaps except to display them and treasure them always. But as you can see the jar is half full because our littlest loves to use them. You never know what your children will love. I am grateful to have the soap from a dear friend. She is helping to make memories.

Style

It is fun to see they styles your preteens like  :)

Beloved Gretchen

She will be missed greatly. She was with us for 10 years and with a lot of health issues, but nothing stopped her from being lovable and kind and eager to please us. We are sad but thankful we had her for as long as we did. We had to put her down on July 15 after she couldn't walk anymore for a few days. This was causing other issues and because of her age they couldn't do anything for her.
The drs said that after 8 years with large dogs everyday may be their last. But isn't it true of all of us. We aren't promised tomorrow anymore than a pet is.

James 4:14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Phillipians 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling

Tea anyone?

Join me for some tea... :)

Seems like the world is right to have some snow. It's funny to hear people complain about it because it has been a few years since we had any accumulation.

I have correspondance on my mind. I heard from a few people through Christmas cards. And so January is usually when I write back to them. I think it is great when we can keep in touch, even if only once a year.

Story Time

This is a sequal to Sarah, Plain and Tall which is a good book for readers beginning chapter books. It has a Lexile Level of 560, is 58 pages long, and is intended for ages 8 to 10. Caleb's Story has a Lexile Level of 290, has 116 pages, and is intended for the same age group. If you've never heard of the Lexile Level and want to check it out you can click on it above.

The Lexile Measure is a reading test to measure a childs reading level. I have no idea what Lizzy's is exactly, but I have used the website to find books that are in the similar ball park of books that are challenging and fun. I use 2 other resources: One is the Charlotte Mason Twaddle Free List which is a list books that combine good morals and full body content. My other resource is to ask friends and their kids :)

In Caleb's Story you learn that Papa's father abandoned him when he was Caleb's age who is maybe 12. It is around the age my father abandoned me and my siblings and also around the time my mother remarried, which followed alot of abuse for my my siblings and I. In this story Caleb has a great relationship with his father. At a certain point Grandfather comes back to town and Papa has a hard time forgiving him. Here is the exert:

"My birthday is coming," I said.

"And I don't want books or tools or even a horse of my own for my birthday."

Papa looked up, surprised.

"You've always wanted a horse fo your own, Caleb."

Not this year," I said. "What I want this year is something different."

"Different?" repeated Papa.

I nodded.

"This year I want most of all for you to forgive Grandfather. I want you to forgive Grandfather so I can grow up and be just like you," I said.

Papa stared at me. He said nothing. He lay back on the bed, and, after a moment, I went away. I closed the door behind me.

(Caleb's Story, Patricia MacLachlan)

Random

We are in the process of getting a new furnace and heating system. We are doing most of the work ourselves. I am thankful for a husband who knows how to do things like this. We are going with coal furnace because we live in the Antracite Coal Region of the US; so why not. We'll be paying 1/4 of what we have been paying in oil which is not found anywhere near our region nor state. When I'm not helping with school I have been helping hubby with this big project :)

Homeschooling is going well, though we have our challenges. I'm learning alot about the girls and I would never discover (their challenges) if they weren't home. Tonight my oldest and I had a long chat about her responsibilities. Honestly I was almost at wits end with not knowing how to get through to her. God was gracious in helping us both to communicate and come up with a plan. Looking back I wished we had prayed together though, I'm still learning and will give thanks to God tomorrow morning.

I've been saved for 2 years now and so for most of my daughters' lives I had not been saved. Before Christ I was an angry and unhappy woman. I wasn't worthy of God's forgiveness and yet he chose to save me. It is only by the grace of God that I can do anything good. God has been so merciful in helping my girls and I to grow spiritually. I am so thankful that both girls (16 & 8) who enjoy going to church with me and all three of us have a testimony of faith in Christ. We continue to pray for daddy.

I took a lil break from writing to check my email. My youngest now has a penpal from a lovely family. Oh I can't wait to tell her tomorrow morning :)

Last week was very cold and we had a little snow, but, so far this week it has been in the high 60's. Ladybugs are in the air!! :)

When was your first day of snow?

Today was our first snowy day. This is our dog Gretchen wearing a sweater my oldest daughter crocheted for her. The picture was taken last year because I didn't get outside to take a picture and didn't even think of it :) ... but wish I did :) By the way,,, we only had flurries so far.

When was your first day of snow?

Summer's End

This is Gretchen and her typical pose when she is outside. I thought all dogs crossed their legs but my friends say differently.

Labor Day weekend started with our dog getting a stomach virus sort of thing and her getting sprayed by a skunk at 4 in the morning. Instead of using tomato juice for this problem, I tried something new on her. This remedy can be found online. It's simply 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and dog shampoo. If there's a next I'll use a squirt bottle.

A day later Gretchen was smelling better and feeling better!

Peaches: I love them and can't get enough of them :)

Today we closed our pool. We didn't have much of a summer in the northeast this year because it was cool and rainy for the most part. Nevertheless Labor Day cannot be avoided and since it's the last 3 day weekend for a while, it's a great weekend to close the pool. Last year we were late getting a cover for the pool and ended up closing it when it was freezing and windy outside in early October. Don't want to ever do that again.
We did alot of yard work this weekend getting ready for Autumn and I needed a quick dinner to make. Since we don't eat out much and hardly ever eat meals like this, it was a nice change for the palate. The only thing missing were pickles.
My girls worked on making owls last week. They turned out really cute, so I thought I'd share them with you. That Artist Woman is where you will find the owls. Gail Bartell is That Artist Woman and has tons of great crafts you can do with your kids.

Happy Labor Day!

Dog days of summer

Our dog Gretchen, the rottweiler, (left) had the weekend of her life this past weekend. She is 9 years old and every year we can, we take her camping where she gets to roam free for 3 days outside. The other 362 days a year she is an indoor dog.

As always she meets up with Spot, the German Shepherd, who is 13 this year. He belongs to my sister-in-law's family. They get along well.

Spot and Gretchen are getting up in their years and I want to remember times like these about them.

This year was a little different because my mother-in-law got a puppy a few months ago. They didn't stay all weekend but visited with Tracker (on the right) for a whole day. They followed the puppy around almost all day and when that lil dog left our old canines laid under the pavilion for hours almost motionless. It was funny, we all knew it would end that way.

BTW, Tracker didn't look that white when he left. Gretchen and Spot love the water and finally Tracker gave it a try :)

My daughter aka Klazane took this photo, and most of my pictures :) Thanks sweetie.

E18 Code

What does E18 mean? It means your little girl dropped the camera face down with the lens extended. So, we are looking into the Canon Loyalty Program. We found it through fatwallet.com . I don't think Canon advertises this program. It is an upgrading program for refurbished cameras. Klazane has a nice camera, so in a pinch I could borrow hers and we also have our first Canon (2 mega pixels).

Three Things Meme

I have stolen this meme from Kim.

Three

…… places I’ve visited: Puerto Rico, OBX North Carolina, Indiana

.… cars I’ve owned: '64 Chevy Chevelle (that was a cool car!), '78 Impala, '95 Beretta (my husband's cool car from the 90's!)

.… foods I love: chocolate, brownies, mochas (see the theme?)

… jobs I’ve held: Mc Donalds, US Army Mailclerk, bank teller

… authors I love: T Davis Bunn, MacArthur, Beverly Lewis

… places I’ve lived: southeastern Pennsylvania, Virginia, northeastern Pennsylvania

… favorite hobbies: crocheting, sewing, Facebooking

… bones I’ve broken: zero

.… TV shows I watch: LOST, that is all I watch besides Fox news

… songs that make me turn up the volume: depends on my mood

… favorite drinks: WATER, tea, water

… fun board games: Parchessi, Yahtzee, hmmm Parchessi?

… stores I could spend a whole day in: Christmas Tree Shoppe, Williamsburg Pottery, The Crossings

… chores I put off as long as possible: bathroom, dishes, laundry

… chores I kind of like: cleaning the pool, cleaning out the garage, putting the kids to bed, I love that time :)

… things I would rather chew glass than do: argue, ask for donations (fundraisers), getting all huggy and kissy, I'm not usually a physically affectionate person, so if I hug you spontaniously then you know I am feeling the love, ha ha

… reasons I hate attending parties: I don't "party" unless you mean kid parties, and those I don't mind

… favorite dog breeds: Rottweilers, that is what we have, but will probably never get another because she has had many health issues, I'm more of a cat person anyway

… things I just don’t get: my daughter's math homework (calculus), God's mercy and the fact that he forgave me of all people

If you decide to do this, let me know, I'd love to read your answers!

It's June

I remember sitting like this when I was little. It no longer looks very comfortable to me :)

Lizzy received a little book in the mail a week ago and wanted to fill in every page to show how excited she was to get a piece of mail.

It's beginning to feel like summer after 2 months in the 50 and 60s.

Grass in growing where we had work done in our yard. I'm actually excited about that, but then again it doesn't take much to get me excited.

One more week of school left for the girls... tomorrow we're going on a field trip to an amusement park :)

Laura Ingalls Wilder

We have been reading the Laura Ingalls-Wilder's books and have really been enjoying them. When I was a kid no one in my family liked watching the series on tv. The books are amazing to read with children.

A lap afghan and a mini quilt for Fluffy

I started the white crocheted afghan back in October and hoped to finish it in 6 weeks. Now I know better... it took 6 months :) I can't wait to send it.... which will be very soon. The ity bitty quilt is for my daughter's stuffy, Fluffy. Lizzy is going to quilt it tomorrow after church so we can remove the safety pins. It'll be fun. :)

Here is an update on things: My diet is going well. It's a life change and I think things are going well. I was in a stall last time I blogged about the diet. That lasted about a week and a half. I needed to begin an exercise program and needed more fiber. Boy, those 2 make a big difference.

I began Phase II which is closer to normal eating. I am eating grains, but usually only whole wheat. I have weak moments where I indulge with the chocolate, but, I've gotten back on track each time.

I want to be more consistant with asking God for guidance in all I do (including eating and exercise) every morning.

There's no garden yet... I'll blog about that another time... I have about 3 weeks til I can plant those things that can't be planted til after the last possible frost... I have friends who are going to let me borrow their tiller, which is an amazing thing because they are expensive to rent. I am so thankful for this. I hope to get it soon. I'll let you know more when I get to start tilling :)

Another Jeannette who has daughters and a calico cat

I found a lady named Jeannette (that is my name) and she has a calico (as do I) and she is a Christian (as I am) and she has 2 daughters (as do I). What are the odds? And what are the odds that we find each other? I don't know, but I marvel at this.

I found a "mister linky"on a blog full of ladies who were showing off their quilts. One was named Jeannette, and so I clicked. Below and to the left is Molli, our cat. Molli is 8 1/2 years old, we got her when she was 8 weeks old. She is an indoor cat only and we love her dearly. She is a petite calico. We also have a rottweiler who is the same age. Molli plays with the dog and teases her often. Every single night when everyone goes to bed she sneaks up on the dog and scares her. The dog barks back at her alarmed... or maybe by now she expects it and puts on a show for me to laugh at when I am falling asleep.

And here is Phoebe, who is the other Jeannette's cat. I think Phoebe is still a kitten, isn't she cute?

Update

We've been working on the yard lately and haven't been taking pictures. I'm sure I'll post something soon. We are putting redrock around our pool, a project I started last year.
I'm in a stall in my diet. I'm not too discouraged, it didn't take a month to get heavy so I know it'll take a while to lose it :) My oldest daughter (16) who is also dieting is looking awesome and I'm proud of her.
Not too many of my friends are posting either. I guess they too are enjoying the great weather :)

Fluffy

Fluffy came to our house Dec 2008. He's really looking his age for a dollar store stuffy. Fluffy was given to my youngest from her teacher in 1st grade. It's funny when you see what toys your children keep as important.