A Weekly Digest

A continuation of organization took place this week, but it was not only David clearing the clutter.  Alexis became inspired by his efforts, and as he continued on, she went through her "stuff" and placed about 1/2 of her bedroom in give away bags.  Well, I do believe at this point their efforts became contagious, because I caught the declutter bug, and worked on going through some areas of the house that were a bit overloaded and needed tending to.  No, I have not, as of yet, tackled my monster closet.  That will be time and awe consuming.

My mother-in-law and I visited the new (to her) dentist.  I am sending \0/ praises to Him that all went as well as possible.  She was quite unhappy with the former dentist's hygienist due to painful cleanings, and made it known clearly to her family.  I am hoping and praying that she will remain at least satisfied with them.  I love that they explained everything directly to her.  I've noticed that most doctors do not do this.  They look at me, and talk to me about her - as if she were not there.  Although her eyes and ears are failing her, my mother-in-law's mind remains quite sharp.  She deserves the respect of being spoken to first hand. 

Alexis is preparing to leave for camp.  She is understandably excited.  This will be the longest she'll have been away from her family, but if she has to leave us, what an incredible place to go.  Church camp, full of praise and worship time, full of delightful outdoor entertainment, full of Christian bonding time with friends.  I'll be sad to see her leave, but I am so looking forward to hearing about her adventures when she returns.

Friday, Alexis and I had lunch with some friends.  It was really good to catch up with them.  Alexis' sweet friend came home with us and spent the night.  They had a great time swimming and being silly.

David will be leaving us in a few days too.  He will travel up to the location of his prospective job for a 48 hour trial period.  If he gets this job it will be completely challenging in a whole new way for David.  He will not only be responsible for himself, he will be responsible for a group of boys.  (Think instant parenthood on steroids.)  He will have to keep not just a work day schedule, but a 24 hour routine with a group of teens who need structure, encouragement, focus, and direction.  If David is hired by this organization, I believe that the Lord will stretch and grow him in ways that he, and we, never thought possible.  I love watching the Lord unfold His plans on my children.  I'm looking forward to seeing where He takes David this next chapter in his life.   May it be a blessing for my son and to His glory~


Today is my sweet sister' birthday.  I love her so very much.  Mary Lynn is a tenderhearted woman who loves the Lord and seeks to grow and serve Him daily.  Her gentle spirit is evident, always.  She's artistic, and loves to keep her hands busy as often as she can with some sort of craft project.  She adores her family, and is a loving and incredibly loyal wife, mother, sister, and employee.  I am so thankful to have her to share conversations and memories with.  We "get" each others soft spots and triggers, and pray for each others needs and hurts.  I pray that I will encourage her as much or more than she has encouraged me.   She is not only my sister, she is my dear, dear friend.

School pics of my brother Charles, my sister, MaryLynn and me - the baby...

Productive Week

It's that time of year!  We are fabulously blessed to have a sweet friend who is willing to proctor Alexis' annual testing - so this took up the majority of her week.

She did some practice testing at our dining room table, and was none too happy over it, as it felt quite stifling to be bound to an uncomfortable chair for hours.  We typically "do school" in the comfort of our family room - so she is not conditioned to sitting for an extended length of time in our not-so-cushiony dining seats with tapered wooden rail backs.  Alexis was admittedly thankful when she learned that our friend's seats are a touch cozier than ours.  Truly, that was a huge help in keeping her from going crazy while she tested.  I can only imagine that if Alexis were required to sit still behind a desk every day - she would feel antsy after awhile.  I think she knows how good she has it, because when talking about going to a "formal" school, she usually mentions that she's not sure she could sit still that long.  So glad she can at least be still long enough to get through her annual testing each year...  

While Alexis was busy testing on Tuesday, I took my mother-in-law to pick up a new mold for her hearing aid.  I'm praying that she is happy with it, as the last 3 have not pleased her at all.  David has seen her a few times this week, and was with her today shopping and doing the Mc thing - and said that she has not mentioned the mold.  That is a good sign!  I will be thrilled if this on-going problem is solved once and for all! \0/

Wednesday through Friday I spent much of the day preparing for an Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science co-op class  that I will be teaching.  I am in the process of making up notebooking pages for the On Your Own questions and the Study Guide questions.  Once I've completed those pages, I plan to post them on my blog for anyone to use.  I am hoping to finish them over the next 2 weeks, as I would like to have a break for a couple of weeks before co-op starts for the year.

Today while I cheered him on, David worked on purging his "abyss."  If my children read this, they will immediately know what I am referring to.  It is the top of a dresser in our bedroom which was heaped with mega paperwork clutter.  Okay, that may have been a bit of an understatement...  But I am proud of my husband for taking control of it and making a decision to conquer the chaos!  You go David!

For both of us, as the years go by, it has become increasingly more difficult to mull through pieces of mail, notes, and documents to muster up the fortitude to part with information that we might--- (even if it is extremely remote,) possibly, need again one day.  Although his piles can become massive,  I must confess, I too am guilty of collecting lots of paperwork myself.  Not to the point where I can claim having my own paperwork "abyss" though.

A second confession...  Did I mention that I have a very large closet in my master bedroom?  It holds my wardrobe, but is mostly filled (and I mean jam packed,) with an assortment of crafting items...  I won't discuss it further this evening, but let's just say it's an altogether different sort of situation.  Some would say that I've accumulated too much stuff, but I disagree.  You see, I don't amass these crafts myself.  They have babies...  All on their own...  Really!


One final important mention for today - It's my brother's birthday!  Happy birthday to my wonderfully supportive big brother!  You are the best brother in the whole world.  You are fiercely loyal, and from the time I was a little girl through even this moment, you've been incredibly thoughtful and generous to me, and our family.  I know I would only have to ask you if I ever was in need of anything.  You've always been there for me, no matter what, and I love you!!!