Bless the Name of the God of Rain. We had nearly a full day of rain yesterday, and an inch of rain the day after Christmas. Thank you, Lord. -------------- #2 received a letter from Santa as part of his Christmas present. It was addressing his request for World Peace for Christmas. The letter said that there are many things Santa gets asked, but that he can't give, like jobs or finding lost parents. But the gift #2 asked for was already given many years ago in the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Santa followed it up by saying that he tries to be a peacemaker by being kind and generous. Other people have tried to make peace in other ways, like Martin Luther King, Jr. And Santa hopes that #2 will be a peacemaker as well. The letter came with a movie, The Nativity Story, and a book on King. My aunt read the letter and said she disagreed with the ending. She would not call MLK, Jr. a peacemaker. She said she remembers watching the news and being afraid at what was going on at the time. Marches and riots were scary and she didn't understand why they had to go about it that way; it was definitely NOT peaceful. I wonder if that is what people said about Jesus. He upset the balance of communities. He overthrew tables in the Temple. He lead great crowds of people around the countryside. He certainly looked to some people to be attempting to overthrow a government. Perhaps the Prince of Peace was the Tyrant of Terror to some. Yesterday in Bible Study class we were looking at the book of John and two healings. Jesus heals a man who had been crippled for 38 years and a man who had been born blind. The Pharisees could not "see" Jesus, who he really was, like other people could. It occured to me that God had never been to Earth before, except for visits with Adam and Eve or in the form of an angel. To have God come and live with us in the form of a man, and have to do everything that a man has to do, well that was incomprehensible. It was blasphemy. It was breaking the very Law of God. To bow down and worship a man was strictly forbidden, remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? I am glad I am on this side of the Ressurrection. It is much easier for me to believe something that has been tested through 2000 years of history. I just can't feel contempt for the Pharisees; I don't know that I would have recognized God in the form of a man who was causing trouble either.

We are back! What a lovely trip home for the holidays we had. We saw all, ALL, of the families, and managed a little time for a movie and shopping. Poor #1 got very sick Christmas Eve and was up all night. That put a damper on his excitement for Santa's arrival and opening presents, but #2 enjoyed himself. Now I am unpacking while the kids play with their new things. Hubby has headed off to work. So I guess we are back to the routine. We took the dog with us on this trip since she is the biggest problem when it comes to our leaving. She did well in the van, but by the time we got home last night she was ready to be here. She travelled a lot while in WV since we couldn't leave her anywhere. The other animals are doing well, thanks to my little 4-H helper while we were gone. Darkie is need of a man, so I am hoping to borrow Clyde, the billy next door, this evening. She was up all night crying for him. The best Christmas present I got was a canner. Now I can make soup and can it for our lunches! I can't eat chicken from the store, so I have sorely missed chicken soup. By the way, the hog didn't get butchered, so the chickens will soon be in the freezer. So much for their savior.

Merry Christmas! Today is Christmas Day at our house; last night was Christmas Eve. We went out for Chinese and then a little shopping. Then we drove around and looked at lights, came back, lit the Advent candles, and watched a Christmas movie. This morning we opened presents around the tree and had chocolate chip pancakes- a House special- for breakfast. Now we are spending the day together at the gym and a movie- Alvin and the Chipmunks. Later we will get everything packed for our trip home. I think I am going to like this Christmas. I have always wanted to have Christmas with just my family and this seems to be doing it for me. My screwball of a husband was unwrapping presents with us when he picked one up that said to M from M. Then he thanked himself and opened it. He said he kept leaving a coupon around the house and I never took it, so he went and got what he wanted and wrapped it up for himself. He got juggling pins and a video. Look out next year at the Holiday Banquet and Talent Show! The boys got air rifles. They have wanted them since we moved here and theirs were lost in the move. So now they are running around like hooligans shooting at each other. I got chocolate. What could be better?

I have decided on the perfect gift for a child who asks for World Peace---Jesus. So he is getting The Nativity Story DVD and book. That is if I can FIND it in the stores around here. I looked until 10:00 last night and no luck. There are a couple of stores to try today still, and we can always call WV and have them check there. I also got him a book about MLK, Jr. I think Santa will write a letter to him about how Jesus is the Prince of Peace and here is an example of how to live that out. World Peace starts one person at a time. ---------------- Speaking of world peace...My children have been having trouble getting along with kids in 4-H. It doesn't seem to be my kids' fault. I know that sounds like the parent talking, but this is coming from other children, not my own. Anyway I have contacted one of the mothers of the problem children and am waiting to hear back. I hate confrontation. ----------------- We have joined a gym and yesterday learned how to use the weight machines. My worst fears were realized. Those machines are torture chambers. Don't they just look like something from a war movie? Like they will tie you to it and start stretching you, like they did to witches. Probably shouldn't tell them #1's enjoyment of all things Harry Potter and dragon.

#2 has a little more trouble with the Santa letter. He constantly changes his mind. So a few weeks ago, maybe a month, he wrote Santa asking for an MP3 player and "lots of books." Then, last week when #1 sent his letter to Santa, #2 decided he would send one as well. He sealed it up and didn't tell me what he asked for. A couple of nights ago he came into the kitchen yelling, "Commercialism, commercialism! It's all turned into commercialism." He was speaking of Christmas. So I said, "Well you have turned it that way too. What did you ask Santa for?" "World peace." That was it. He asked for world peace. Hubby said they were coming home from Guys' Night Out the other day when #2 said he would like to have a couple of things. I believe they were a knitting book and a dragon book. #1 said, "You can't ask for that. I asked Santa for that and you can't get the same thing. What did you ask Santa for?" "World peace." "No, really." "I asked for world peace." "Well, what else did you ask for?" "Nothing." "Too bad." "Why?" "Because you aren't getting what you asked for." It seems we have a realist and a dreamer at our house. --------------- As hubby told me that story, he was reminded of it because he was taking the dog out. She did #1 and #2. I want to put a disclaimer here: In no way do I think of my children as processes of elimination. That thought had never occured to me, only to their father! I am ONLY speaking of birth order when I call them that. It is only for their protection and safety that I do thus, and in no way describes how I feel about them.

My 10 year old- almost 11 year old!- wrote his letter to Santa last week. It took him a long time because he can never decide what it is he really, really wants. I did not suggest that he write to Santa. I am so pleased that he still has the innocence to believe. He wrote the letter, addressed it, and took it to the box. I couldn't be trusted to take it out. Here is what I recovered: Dear Santa Claus, How is your wife? Did you have a nice summer? I know I haven't been perfect, but I hope I can still be on the nice list. So I hope I can still get some presents. Here is a list of things I want: Harry Potter DVD Interactive Game, Charmed Knitting, How to Draw and Paint Dragons, Marvel Superhero Fact Book, Transformer Action Figure, as many magic tricks as you can find, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2 disc DVD. Love, #1 ------------- I will share #2's letter tomorrow. Today was spent finishing up 4-H projects, and we are DONE! Tomorrow is our last meeting for the year and we will really be done after that. We joined a gym last week and I had to drag myself and 2 kids there this morning. I worked out in the pool and it really seemed to help stretch out my back. Tomorrow we train on some of the equipment.

He's my kill the spiders and roaches man, catch the mice and chop the rooster man. He's my pick up heavy things man, wait in the car man, cry on his chest man. He's my humorous man, my academic man, my juggling and jokester man. He's my complete the taxes man, forgive my ignorance man, my live on a farm when I'm a city boy man. He's my goose me, grab me man, he's my angry kiss when Rodriguez goes to Michigan man, he's my staring at a beautiful woman (me) man. He's my Lover, my Great One, my Friend, and my Brother. He's every man to me and he's mine for 18 years today. Happy Anniversary Sweetheart.

Oh how the time is flying. I planned our school calendar to have all of December off, but just knew that we would still do some school during the month. Guess what? Nada. This afternoon and evening the boys and I did manage to get quite a dent in the 4-H year-end requirements though. That is a relief; I was getting worried. I did however take the time to go to the beach yesterday. The weather here was so beautiful this week. I really wanted to go on Monday- it was supposed to be 79 degrees and sunny! But it just didn't work. I have to say yesterday was perfect. It was about 72 and the sun was shining strong. The kids managed to get wet, even though they were in jeans! We took some friends with us and dug in the sand, walked, looked for shells, played frisbee, and just relaxed. I felt a little guilty knowing that there is so much at home to do, but it is supposed to be a Winter Break and so I broke loose. Last evening the temperature started dropping and about an hour ago the rain started dropping. We are about 18 inches short on rain this year and we are hoping to get 2 inches out of this tonight. It won't make a whole lot of difference, but we will take what we can get. My parents were surprised a few nights ago when I told them that we got a salad out of the garden. It has been so warm here, but we really should get some more salad if this rain comes through. I had my first shopping trip this week with real coupons. I guess I did well, but it was more than I had really wanted to spend. I had to tell myself that you can't really shop by the week, but have to look ahead. I was able to get some things for 4-H co-op lunches in the spring, and some sodas for #2's birthday. I got some Betty Crocker brownie mixes for 20 cents each and Cheerios for 50 cents. When I got back from the beach I found out hubby had sold one of the goats. Millie was our oldest goat and the one that had had the kids the last couple of years. A hispanic family stopped on our porch and were knocking when Hubby came home. He was able to understand the spanish for milk and told them she didn't have any and isn't pregnant, but the spanish for "tie her legs together" was eluding him. My father thinks he should brush up on his spanish in case he needs to preach to someone in spanish. Hubby said he doesn't think "tie her legs together" is going to come up in his preaching! Tomorrow is our 18th wedding anniversary. It has been a good trial period. I think I will keep him.

I was counting my blessings this morning. There are so many I don't know if I can count that high! I was talking with my dad last night and saying how blessed I am to have been raised around people who know how to do things and how to live on less. There are so many people who don't even know how to cook! He agreed that more and more people are not cooking- said with a smile in his voice as Mom brought dinner home! I also am blessed that I didn't have children outside of wedlock. A cousin just had a baby this week with a girl he barely knows. She got pregnant, it would seem, the first night they met. Pregnancy is a wonderful experience that is also full of non-wonderful changes. I can't imagine going through that with a guy you know can't keep it in his pants. Now they have to figure out how to live with each other and with a new baby. There are a lot of strangers in that house right now. I am also blessed that my husband is still here. A friend is moving this week and there is a lot of turmoil involved with closings, builders, inspectors, banks, etc. When life gets stressful for me I always have hubby to help me through it. Somehow we never seem to melt down at the same time, holding the other up. This poor friend is alone. Yes, she has friends and family, but it isn't the same in the middle of the night when you can't sleep. I have filled out a lot of medical paperwork lately and it has made me realize how blessed we are in that realm as well. I don't have prescriptions, my kids are healthy, we haven't had to go to the doctor in quite a while. (Except for Sunday when #2 had unexplainable hives. He is fine now.) Some other friends are looking for work, but are being unsuccessful because of criminal records. They made mistakes in the past that are still haunting them years later. I am very blessed that my stupid mistakes were not illegal blunders. Of course there are blessings of friends, family, hearth and home. But I have a feeling there are other blessing I don't even realize at the time. Thank you God for all of the known and unknown blessings.

We had our annual Progressive Dinner last night with our congregation. The appetizers were at our house. The boys went to stay for the evening with their best friends. How that was a punishment I am not sure, but they thought they were being "sent away." It greatly offended them that it was an adults only event. I guess they never figured that out the other years. Anyway they had pizza, watched movies, and played with friends- wish I could be "sent away" some time! The Dirty Santa gift exchange at the end of the night is always fun. I ended up taking a piggy bank that farts when you put in money. I told you I've been with males too long! I can just see my brother-in-law laughing, though, when I give him that for Christmas. The friends who watched the kids thought it was funny too. Now I am home with #2 who got up this morning not feeling well. He went in the bathroom and yelled, which means he is vomiting. Actually this time he yelled in order to overcome it and NOT vomit. I know the feeling. He is covered in a rash that is spreading, so we will be heading to the Urgent Care at 10:00. Hubby thinks I planned it because I was having trouble waking up this morning. ------------ Hubby tells me I am hard to shop for because I don't care for jewelry or clothes. The fact is I very much like clothes- I wear them every day, for goodness sake! I have told him what I want for Christmas, but he never remembers what I say. (Maybe he just doesn't like what I say I want.) So I wrote my desire on a post-it note the other day and stuck it on my forehead. Then he took it and wrote it on his calendar so he won't forget. I want someone to come and clean the house in March. By then my schedule is so busy I start to get stressed when I can't keep up with the house. Of course, after he wrote it down, I started having guilt spasms about being a stay-at-home mom and needing someone to clean my house...I certainly do struggle with pride.

11:54 p.m. I woke to hear the bleating of our goat, Darkie. She was obviously upset, and I went to see if there was a goat thief or coyote or something bothering her. No, she is just hankering for a man. She was at it again at 6:30 this morning. I guess she will get her second chance soon. -------- When we had our boys about 10 years ago, a lot of friends were also having boys. When we would attend different churches around the country I would notice their classes were filled with boys. I once remarked on it to an older woman and she replied that it is a sign of coming war. Sure enough we went to war. But this whole thing of being with guys so much of the time could give me a complex. I counted 13 people in my home yesterday, and only 3 of them were women- myself included. Women of the World, please forgive me if I start to saunter when I walk and speak while belching. I may even start to punch you in the arm when we meet, but it is all a sign of the company I keep and not disdain for the feminine. ----------- My friend was over yesterday to help with the coupon and smart shopping lesson. It appears that CVS is actually a good place to shop. Who would have thought? Anyway, I am now part of a coupon shopping group, and am hoping to reduce our bill by $100 a month. We'll see how it goes.

The boys finished art class at the university this week. They always have an art show of what they did all semester. We were disappointed to hear that our favorite professor will be taking a semester off this spring. I am sure we will continue to take art, but this lady was good with the kids. #2 actually took 2 classes this fall, so we had 2 shows to go to this week. Then yesterday we went through all of the art projects from the last couple of years and decided which ones really need to be kept. I will be heading to the recycling center this afternoon. ----------- Last night we were discussing "religionism." That is religion that you become addicted to. For instance, some people must be given communion by a priest before they can go back to work on Monday. I tried to think of how this affects me. The only thing I came up with is silly. I know it isn't true and yet I still have trouble with this. Soon after I was married, I wrecked our car. I had just stopped singing Christian music and was singing a secular song. I felt like if I had kept my mind on Christ, then I would have been protected from the wreck. Even to this day, I sing secular songs in the car only when I am very alert. Crazy, but true.

Yesterday was interesting. My husband told me on Monday that he would really like to have a date with me this week. I guess he is missing me; how sweet. Well the only time that worked was yesterday morning. So I arranged for a friend to keep the kids for the morning. He told me he didn't care what we did on our date, that he just wanted to be with me. So we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Then we went to Sam's to fix a flat tire, to Target to buy a can opener and some birthday gifts, to Globe Hardware for Christmas gifts, and then home so I could get ready for the 4-H meeting. Hubby said he had a nice time. He must have been desperate for a date! ----------- #1 was running for President at 4-H yesterday. He had to have a campaign speech, and he did a good job explaining why the kids should vote for him. He has been to all but 2 meetings in the last 3 years, he has been to every County Council meeting this year, he knows his leaders, etc. He was unopposed at first and then another kid decided to run. His speech was not prepared and so not nearly as good. The other kid won. Now, this is coming from other parents- not the parent of #1- it seems that one of the kids in the club incited the others to vote against #1. This kid has a problem with my boy that mostly has to do with a girl, jealousy, and too much testosterone. After it was over the kid that won said he really didn't want to be President and declined to accept the election. I was very proud of how #1 dealt with it all. He was obviously disappointed not to win, but he didn't say or do anything bad. He didn't cry or pout. Then when he won, he felt badly for the friend who was taken out by his mother and reprimanded. When I questioned #1 about it, he said he will just have to work hard to prove to those who didn't vote for him that he is the right man for the job. Very grown up in my opinion. ----------- The dog was on the couch this morning. She needs to die soon.

The Scrooge Family has the tree up and some decorations on the mantles. Just thought everyone would want to know. The boys put up the decorations on Saturday. #2 didn't feel the need to have them up since we will be gone for Christmas- my sentiments exactly! But #1 wanted to get them out. The truth be known, he didn't care about the decorations, he just wanted to get the Christmas movies out. -------- I kept track of everything we spent in 2007 and added and averaged on Saturday, and found out we did pretty well. I had thought we would need to start using the envelope system and watch more carefully, even start cutting our spending. But actually we did ok. We spent more fixing the house and not much at all on savings or retirement, but the equity in the house is probably a good idea. I did come to the conclusion, though, that some things could be cut. We will be eating out less, and a friend is coming this week to help me learn how to take advantage of grocery coupons. However, one of the biggest problems has been the animals. They really are a liability right now. So we will be getting rid of the rabbits and 2 of the goats. One of the goats is getting a second chance to produce a kid, but if she can't then she is out of here. I am in the market for a good dairy goat though. It would save us a lot of gas money to be able to milk our own instead of driving to the farm for fresh cow's milk. As far as the chickens go...they are being saved because they do occasionally offer me an egg, and because we are getting a butchered hog for Christmas and I won't have room in the freezer for the chickens too. So the hog's death is saving their life. --------- Speaking of the chickens...There is one that I have to put in the coop every night. She really likes to hang out in the manger. Last night I picked her up to put her away as usual, and she started purring! I thought for sure she couldn't be, but I looked it up and YES chickens do purr! She has become a sort of pet after all of the picking up at evening, so I guess she finally felt like showing me some love. She pushed against my chest, held my hand, and put her head against my shoulder in the crook of my neck. Who says chickens are mean?

We went to the Morehead Planetarium on Thursday. It is on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. We actually had to drive up a hill to get there! Boy, I haven't had to drive up a hill for a long time. I took 6 kids in my van, and that was interesting. The conversation of homeschoolers is different than most kids. They had talks about new laws that are being considered, about democrats and republicans, and about their campaign speeches for the upcoming 4-H elections. Of course there was the normal talk too about super heroes and Garfield. It was a good day, and the boys liked the ending of it. We were on our way to pick up a pizza as we pulled back into town, and they thanked me for a good trip. I asked if it was a good last day of school. They were stunned and greatly pleased; they were supposed to have had school on Friday and then be done. They have enough days in and I didn't want to start a new section in anything, so we are now on Winter Break. Yee Haw! We will be hosting the appetizers portion of our church's progressive dinner next week. I signed us up for it, but somehow it never entered my brain that that means I need to decorate the house for Christmas. Hubby reminded me; he's so sweet. So I think this afternoon the boys will be putting up the tree and other decorations. I guess it is ok since it is now December. We have watched a few Christmas specials on ABC already. My shopping is done and the boys have just a few more things to get, so let the season begin! ---------- I have often complained about having to go back to WV for Christmas. I really would like to have our family open gifts from Santa on Christmas morning under our own tree. I remember my Christmases as a child so fondly and I want that for my kids. Hubby has tried to tell me that the kids have a different tradition and that it is ok. They LOVE going to the grandparents for the holidays: being with family and all of the excitement. Well, I finally have gratefully accepted that as our tradition. The other day a friend was saying that they will be staying home for Christmas this year. It is their turn to go to her mother's house, and the mother doesn't really care if they come or not. She said she would rather they visit in the summer when the weather is nicer and there is less stress. My friend said that is the advantage of coming from a family that isn't loving and closely knit. There are no expectations to see each other or to have to be cheerful. I was surprised that there is an advantage. I decided I don't ever want my kids to think they came from an unloving family, and if it means going to someone else's house and having a great time, then that is what we will happily do. -------------- #2 receives a subscription to Ranger Rick. The subscription is about to run out and he has been getting concerned about whether or not he will get another one. He told me the other day, "Mom, PLEASE! You have got to get me another subscription. I was reading this story and they left me on a coat hanger. They won't end the story until next month!" "That's a CLIFF hanger dear."

Most of you know I hang laundry on the line to dry. There are several main reasons that I do this: 1. To use less electricity, thus helping the environment. 2. I love the smell of the fresh laundry when I bring it in. 3. It saves money. 4. It gives me a chance during the day to be outside. I often look around at how the landscape is changing. There is a barn in the field next to us that is hidden by trees and at this time of year it reminds me of home. The leaves change colors and with the sun shining through them it looks so much like Nestor's back home. Then there are the goats and chickens to watch, and Kelly and Leo give me some entertainment as well. About a week ago I was hanging laundry and looked up to see a bald eagle about 20 feet above me! There were 4 of them flying around the water tower. They came back several times over the next few days. It was really great. So I guess I would add #5. Enjoying the wildlife. However, as I was ironing shirts today and stuck my hand up the sleeve of hubby's shirt, I no longer enjoyed the wildlife. There was a bee in the sleeve from hanging on the line yesterday. It got my pinkie finger and really hurt. That doesn't happen when you use the dryer! ------------- I have been trying to think of ways we can save gasoline and tried an experiment yesterday. I wrote down all of the places I needed to go, and since it was a day that included picking up or dropping off children 3 times in one afternoon, I tried to accomplish all of my errands in one afternoon. I thought that way I wouldn't have to go out the next day except the one time to pick up children. So much for that experiment! Hubby had to have his car inspected so it was run to the shop this morning to leave the car and then run back this afternoon to pick it up, plus picking up children. I did try. Perhaps the carbon police will let me slide this once.

Cassie, Neener neener neener! I have begun the Christmas calendar. Just had to throw that in there. I have a tradition of making a calendar for our parents every Christmas. I think this is the 9th year I will do it. I make a scrapbook page for each week of the year. It is fun to look through and see what we did that year and how much the kids have changed. It is also sad to look back and see this is the year that Grandma was gone for the whole year. Anyway, I spent way too much at WalGreens this morning getting pictures printed. I really get frustrated with the digital camera. I know it saves in film, and it's great to have the pictures stored on the computer, BUT it seems I don't ever print them until Christmas and then WHAM! ------------------- So how do you talk to an unbeliever about prayer? Mostly, people think of prayer as asking God for something--health, safety, a home, children. Certainly to speak to an unbeliever the discussion would start there. You aren't going to start by talking about "listening" to God or they may call the "Looney Wagon." But how do you come to terms with the family that prays for a child and never receives one, while others never ask and all they do is multiply like rabbits? Or when one family loses a mother to cancer and another is miraculously healed? I don't have a good answer, but I am leaning toward a parental answer. My children ask me for things that sometimes I grant. I may allow them to do something or I may buy something for them just because I am in a good mood and want to see them happy. But there are sometimes that I say no. Often they understand the reason I give for the negative response, but sometimes it is just a simple, "I am your mother and you will just have to trust that I know best." That answer from God is hardest because I don't actually hear Him say, "I am your Father and you will just have to trust that I know best." He doesn't often give me reasons for negative answers, but if I wait long enough I usually figure the reasons out. I guess the greatest part about praying to my Father is that He doesn't get tired of my constant questioning and begging. If the boys were to pester me so much I know I would huff and puff and blow them down. Thank God that He is a better parent than I. Now that is a good prayer!

We took the family on an outing yesterday. We have been wanting to go to Ocracoke for quite a while and everyone's schedule finally allowed it. We drove to a ferry and rode 2.5 hours to the island. It was a very windy day and the ferry was really rocking. We ate a snack, played yahtzee, looked around, had lunch, and watched dolphins off the ship. Finally we arrived and took off to see the island. I really think we would have enjoyed it more without the biting wind in our faces, but it was still a lot of fun. We found shells, a bat, the skeleton of a stingray, and several shells of horseshoe crabs. There is a British cemetary that has 4 sailors bodies. They were patrolling off the Outer Banks during WW2 when a German U-boat torpedoed them. It was amazing to read how often that happened. I hadn't heard about that before. We also took a different ferry over to Hatteras Island. We were looking at lighthouses for hubby to photograph. He got the one on Ocracoke, the Hatteras lighthouse, and then also the Bodie lighthouse at night. I hope those come out- the full moon was behind it- neat. We ended by eating at Big Al's in Manteo and the boys picked a song on the Jukebox. -------- Today we headed over to a stock auction to see how birds are selling. The prices were about the same I get here at the house, plus you have to pay the barn. So I think the best way for me to sell ducks will just be to put a sign in the yard. If worse comes to worse, I could try to sell them there in a large group. I will go back a few more times to see if maybe today was a bad day. I was also looking for a Nubian goat to buy for milk, but they didn't have any. There is a guy staying with us for a few weeks, though, and his wife's grandfather raises Nubians a couple of hours from here. So maybe I will find one that way. I bought milk at the store today and nearly fell over when I saw the price. I have been getting milk from a farmer but I have to drive so far for it that I didn't this time. I have decided the price is right, even with the drive, since I can't drink store milk without getting sick.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We live not too far from the original site of Thanksgiving, and we hope to visit it within the next year. The thought of being so close has made me think about what the original must have been like, and just what exactly I am thankful for. I am thankful that I do not have to cook for that many people. I am thankful for what I am cooking that I have an electric stove, indoor heat, a grocery store, good pots, pans, and bakeware. I am thankful that I have indoor plumbing and do not have to travel to get my water. I am thankful that my family is all alive and healthy, and that with a quick push of some buttons I can talk to all of the family that is still far away. I am thankful that should someone become sick, they will likely recover, that we do not fear for our lives, that no one is starving. I am thankful that we will gather with friends who have these same blessings. Mostly, today at least, I am thankful that my country still takes time to be thankful. May we all see our great abundance and give thanks to God.

The Great Confusion is ocurring on the north side of our house. We live next to a water tower and main water line. The area here is growing like gang busters, so they are doing work on the water lines. The problem is they have been working on it all year, ok, at least since early summer. The workers are out here at least once a week digging up the area, burying something, and then coming back to dig it up again. They come with big equipment, generators, and lots of men. I have come to call it "The Great Confusion" since they don't seem to know what is going on. Perhaps (hopefully) it is only I who am confused. ------------ I had high hopes that our insurance rates were going to go down soon. A university within our religious movement worked out a national group plan with Blue Cross/Blue Shield. But for the options available to us, it will be about $1,000 a month. Our current deductible is much larger, but the monthly premium is about half that. Certainly the coverage they are offering is better, but we can't afford 12,000 for insurance a year. This is a topic I will be watching closely in the election year ahead. I live in a country with the best medical knowledge and services in the world, but I don't get to use any of them. They are reserved for the rich. Yes, if something extreme happened, we would be offered care, but at a price that would make us wish it weren't available. That isn't much of a choice.

The in-laws just left, the dishwasher is running, the laundry is started, and I need a shower. There is no school today for us, and we are all loving it. I get the "extra" kids at noon, 4-H this afternoon, and #2's art class. I am trying not to focus on all of that, and just enjoy the slow morning. We saw Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium last night after dinner at, where else?, Golden Corral! The movie was great, rated G, yet deep and lovely. Not an ounce of ugliness or impurity, just plain wonderful. The idea that you can only see life as magical if you believe it to be magical is one to never forget. Now if I just had a magical nose to twitch this work done.

Saturday was busy, but great. #1 had soccer playoffs that whole day. They do it all at once to get it over with, but for those with more than one child playing it must be sheer torture! Anyway, our inexperienced team won the championship!!! He was happy, but really was so tired that there wasn't as much celebrating as I thought there might be. We told the boys we were going out for dinner to celebrate, but didn't tell them that their grandparents would be meeting us at the restaurant. It was the perfect ending to a great day. So the in-laws got here Saturday evening, and are staying until tomorrow. Hubby and I got a date last night and went to see Beowulf. I liked it; he did not so much. It was intense, which is unusual for me to like, but the story is good. And the special effects are amazing. The way the artists thought of every detail and animated it is just remarkable. Today we went to a little town nearby to get some fresh seafood to cook at home. Then we walked around looking at the boats and wildlife. It was a gorgeous morning, leaves changing, sun shining, cool breeze. Just like fall should be. This evening we are all going to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. There is no school this week for us, and we are all enjoying the break.

The Iraq War is a big issue today, in this age. Yesterday the 3 year old told my boys that we started Iraq. They were confused thinking he meant we started the country. It was something his father had told him, and he was just repeating what he had heard. But the issue is so big now that you don't even have to add the word WAR to it. The issue is hard to discuss without strong words and strong feelings pouring forth. I don't have strong words or feelings about the issue. I think I see both sides of it. I do think that Sadam was a threat to the world, many Kurds would agree. I think that oil policies were part of the decision. I think terrorists will continue to attack as long as no one counter-attacks. I do not want to lose my sons in war. I also do not want to tell my sons that it is ok to treat women like dirt, that women and children have no rights, that you should ignore the plight of the poor and helpless. There are some who say that this is a religious war. Others question how God could endorse war. I guess I say there is no answer to those questions. God must surely greive at the behavior of those who attack, and at those who ignore the hurting. I can not pretend to know what God would want from this. I do think, however, that he would like both the war and the ill-treatment of his creation to end- at the same time. That will only happen in the next age.

The conference was nice last night. I learned a couple of new things, and got some free resource books, AND had a nice, free dinner out. There were 4 homeschool teachers there and another registered that didn't make it. I saw statistics recently for NC home schools, and was flabbergasted. There are 68,700+ home school students in NC. It is nice to see us making a good impression on professional teachers and college professors. -------- Yesterday was a good day because I got a lot done in the morning, nothing out of the ordinary happened, and I had the evening to look forward to. Tuesday was not so great. I thought I would take the boys out to get their Book-It free pizzas before picking up #5 and then they could eat that for lunch. #1 went out to wait in the van only to come back in and tell me the doors wouldn't open. I had left the dome light on Monday evening and the battery was DEAD and more than 6 feet under. So Hubby had to come give it a jump and I went straight to pick up #5 and then to SAM"S to get a new battery. So we ate at SAM'S and that threw everything off schedule. Then I picked up #3 and #4 and took the kids to play at a playgroup so I would not have to waste gas going back and forth to town since #2 had art class at 4:30. I was glad to get home. I suppose all of that made me appreciate yesterday even more.

After reading my post yesterday, my husband informed me that he had gone to bed at 11 and the kids hadn't gone until 10:00. I guess the time change is just affecting the old woman of the house! I made it to 8:50 last night. -------- Back to the atheists...A debate that I watched between an atheist and a Christian had the atheist saying that a God who would allow such horrible things as this one evidently has should not be worshipped---pain, hunger, war, disease, and especially the crucifixion of his son. I can see his point. It certainly does sound like a horrible God when looked at that way. The Old Testament God often sounds like something I would not want to worship. But if I had to worship, were given no choice, then that would be a dictatorship of a God. Sometimes dictators work well, but usually they turn into tyrants. I think anyone could see, if they looked honestly at it, that a God who gives free choice is a better one to worship, even if it means he allows bad decisions, like war or destroying the planet and causing hunger. A God who will give his son over to death does seem harsh. But a God who loves me enough to even give his son for me, now that is a God I love to worship. And Death did not hold that son, and both he and the Father knew it couldn't. So how can that be bad? Again a lot of that is taken in faith, and therein lies the difference between an atheist and a Christian. --------- I have been thinking for a while about what I will do after the kids leave home. Recently I wrote that we have had to decide that life is different now than when we were children and I will not be going back to work soon like our mothers did. But at some point I need to make some money. So I started thinking about carpentry or electrical work, then yesterday I saw men working on a house at the community college and realized with the way I have messed up my back this year, that is not an option. So then I had to think about where will I be in the future. The common theme was that there will likely always be a small college nearby and with a Master's Degree I could probably teach at the college as an adjunct faculty. So now I have to decide what I would like to have a Master's in...I do NOT want to teach again in public school or private, but maybe education is an option, or history, or government, or speech and communications, or linguistics, or English Composition, or, or ,or Anyone want to offer an opinion? How in the world do we expect 18 year olds to make this decision? ---------- Along the same vein, I will be attending a conference this evening given by the local university. I have gone the last couple of years and enjoy being a "professional" again. We will be discussing education in the global community.

The time change has greatly affected my family. Night before last I went to bed at 8:00 and last night I barely made it to 9:00. Even my husband has been going to bed earlier and he is a night owl. I do wake up a little early that way, but I enjoy lying in bed and slowly entering the day with time to think and pray. In Texas the time change wasn't such a severe change in our lives because you are so far west, it is like being an hour early anyway. Here we are so far east that the change makes a big difference. I was thinking this morning that we have been here three years now. That has always been the mile-marker for a place to feel like home. 18 months to not be homesick all of the time, and 3 years to feel like it is home. I have to say it did not take that long this time. We love this little town and our home so much. We made friends so quickly and this is such a great place to home school that we really didn't take long at all to fit in. But now the three years are up, and I have to say I do notice now being at home here. I don't feel like I need to go see someone from my past or my family, if we stay here for holidays or weekends, it is just fine. I also know how to get just about anywhere from anywhere and that is a major sign that this is home. Home Sweet Home!

I have been confronted by atheism several times recently, and have come to the conclusion that atheism is very similar to theism. Both believe remarkable things, all in faith- there is no hard "proof" for either argument. To believe that this world and, all that is within it, just happened over time is quite a statement of faith. To say that there is a God who made it all and put it into motion is also quite a faith statement. But considering both of them, I would rather be a theist. An atheist who is confronted by disease, poverty, hunger, war, and death sees no hope and becomes bitter. But a theist who is confronted with the same things, sees a God who wants to welcome him home and gains great comfort. I enjoyed this piece of an article on the subject: "So if we open our minds as Bloom would have us to do- or perhaps, open our eyes- we can see that it is not true that contemporary American individuals are merely civilized animals. They are refusing to do what nature intends them to do, and no other animal is self-conscious enough to do that. And it is not true that they are unmoved by death. They want to avoid death so badly that they have refused to generate their natural replacements. Our individuals seem to know as well as the philosophers that existence is basically biological and that one's death ends all, so they work hard to stay alive as long as possible. But that self-centered work has been very hard on their friends, families, nations, and even their species. Our extreme individualism would raise the spectre of our species' disappearance if it were not for the fact that so many non-individualistic peoples remain on our planet, peoples who have not been remade by the philosophers. Individualistic Europe's likely future is not depopulation but Islamization, which probably won't be good either for philosophy or for Enlightenment." Peter A. Lawler

We had a busy Saturday, yesterday. #1 had a morning soccer game- won 4 to 0- and then we headed to church for a fall cleaning day. We threw away a bunch of junk, and that always makes me feel good. I like to declutter. Then we had a history expo in the late afternoon, and the boys did a presentation on the Renaissance: Leonardo da Vinci. He was a really neat man, so very smart. He designed a submarine, helicopter, airplane, and so much more. Most of his inventions were never made, but one was a lion that he presented to the king. When the king would tap on its nose, lilies would pop out of its chest! This was in the late 1400's!! Of course there was his paintings, too. The reason so many people were naked in the portraits at that time, was that they were just starting to understand anatomy and how muscles work. It wasn't a ludeness as much as an excitement about how the body works. Da Vinci would cut open cadavers to explore the muscle system. He was one of the first anatomists---this word was often written by my boys as atominist. So we had a talk about atomic war and how very different it is from anatomy! ----------- Today we had church and went out for lunch. Now we are home for the day and enjoying it. Tomorrow the boys go to a day camp in the afternoon and hubby and I get to go to lunch together. It is good to have co-op and the history expo done.

#1 received his first college information in the mail this week. He is in 5th grade, so it isn't something I expected. We have talked a lot about college, what he wants to do, where he wants to go, etc. But actually getting something in the mail was a bit of a shock. I figure we have 3 1/2 years before we have to get that serious about it! --------- #1 also had a bit of trouble with his writing this week. He had written what he thought was a finished biography on Leonardo da Vinci. After I checked it, it became apparent to him that he was not finished. The tears started after I had checked off quite a bit. I assured him that that was ok; his friends had been in tears recently for the same reason. My husband had heard the exchange, and at dinner brought it up. He told the boys how he used to write a paper, check it, then hand it to me and I would mark a bunch of stuff on it. Then he would rewrite, give it to his dad and HE would mark stuff. Then he would rewrite, turn it in, and the professor would mark things anyway. The boys wanted to know, "Why is it always HER that marks things?!"

We had a contractor come to give us an idea about what we can do with the attic. The very least is $10,000. He is going to draw up some ideas and give us a few options. But now it comes down to deciding how committed we are to what we have decided. Do we continue to live the way we have because we believe it is best for our family, or do we change our lifestyle, look for a job for me, or something else? It is time to put our money where our mouth is I guess. ---------- The ducks are officially setting now, at least I think they are. I guesstimate the ducklings will hatch around December 11.

A friend is going through misery with her daughter. Not that the girl is terrible- she isn't on drugs or running around with older guys- but she is causing stress by not following the plans her mother has made out for her. She isn't completing her school work and is looking at failing the ninth grade right now. Her mother has such high hopes for her, and the daughter is letting her future fizzle. It reminded me of God saying He knows the plans He has for us, plans to help and not to harm us. And still we let His plans go unfulfilled. We must stress God out, too. ------- The boys are working on a project about the Renaissance. They are learning about THE Renaissance Man, Leonardo da Vinci. So this week I told them they could either paint a portrait or a Biblical scene. They chose the latter, and #1 is painting his favorite Bible scene, Revelation 12 and 13---DRAGONS! He told #2 that he couldn't copy, so #2 had to pick another battle, of course. Anyway, he chose the scene where Elisha sends his servant out only to report back that they are surrounded by the enemy. Elisha asks that his eyes be opened and he sees that they are also surrounded by God's army. So #2 is painting looking through Elisha's eyes. In one eye is reflected what the regular person saw, and in the other eye is the spiritual scene. I was so amazed I didn't have the heart to tell him that that would not be a Renaissance painting. He is in a whole different realm.

A bird flew through my house last week. It was just a little bird. I actually wouldn't have recognized it, except that it visited the week before and told me its name. It said it was an ugly bird and really shouldn't visit, but it had been seen around and thought it would drop in for a bit. Then it showed up the next week, most unwelcome. I told #5 (who is 3 years old) that it was time for his nap and he told me it wasn't. In a stern, but loving voice, I assured him it was time for his nap and he would be taking one. That's when the bird flew into the bathroom. #5 was going through the routine of potty before the nap, and he wasn't happy about the situation, so he invited the bird to visit me. I was of course stunned, and wouldn't have thought a thing about it except that I now knew that he knew what he was doing. Now tell me when it started that a three year old should know this bird. He learned it from school; kids in an older class-- grades 1-3! ---have been inviting the bird to land at school. He saw it and learned how to call the bird to come when he wanted it. I was so glad that my boys are not in school to learn such things. Then they went Trick or Treating and saw a word written on the road. The fathers tried to move them along, but it had caught their attention. Someone had tried to change the word so it wouldn't be so offensive. Now #2 thinks the word is f-g-i-k. It quite confused his friend when he told him he knew the "f word" was fgik. I was STUNNED that he knew there is an "f word." I am pretty sure I was in high school before I heard that there was another word. That one does seem to be the big one. They know damn and hell, but really they hear those at church. So they know there has to be intent in those words. But the others- that they don't know yet. Ugh. I am sure it will make me vomit when I hear my babies start to use those words. And that bird just better stay away or I will get my butchering knife out!

I turned the heat on yesterday. The weather outside was pleasant, but the nights have been cold enough long enough that the house had gotten cold and wasn't warming up. So I did make it one month without ac or heat, but now the bills start again. But the change in weather has reminded me how little sense my children make. #2 spent the whole summer in long pants. He wore shorts maybe 3 times all summer, and always told me how cold he was. Now that the weather has turned cooler, he wears shorts and complains of the heat! Right now both boys are topless in the other room watching some movie on the computer. My husband wants to know why I'm not more like them! ---------- The new month has me thinking that we are so close to break. "Just hang on! It will be here soon!" I plan on taking December off when I make our school schedule. Not that it is really taken off; that is when we finish up all of the 4-H things and catch up on anything that has fallen behind. It is also a time to clean and clear out, and that is what I am looking forward to. The living room has to be repainted because the paint has peeled. The boys finally knocked some of it off the wall, and so it can't be ignored any longer. Teacher workdays mean a whole different thing when you home school!

I read a blog yesterday that was very emotional. The woman writing is going through morning sickness with an unexpected pregnancy, fires in CA were near her house, her parents are divorcing, and she found out her dad had had this friend for a long time. She was angry, frustrated, and tired. She was taking it out on God. She is feeling like she has been in a deceitful relationship with God, because he didn't protect her from these things. I understand her feelings. When everything starts falling in on me, it is hard not to blame God or just to blow him off. But I just can't imagine leaving God. Yes, I yell at him. I tell him I don't think he is doing his job right. I beg. I cry. But I don't leave or push him away. Even in my times of distress, I know deep down that God is in control and will do what is right. Of course even as I write this I wonder if I am jinxing myself to get some trouble and see if I push him away! ----------- The heat isn't on yet. I looked at the weather for the ten day forecast and we may have to give in on Tuesday night. I wasn't home enough yesterday to notice the heat, or lack thereof. I heard it may snow in Maine today. It isn't nearly that cold here!

I finally heard back from my uncle about the ducks. It seems they will lay about 40 eggs before they start to sit, so I should have been collecting eggs to eat for a while now. I don't know how to go about that now, since they have laid so many I have no way of telling which ones are new. Next time I guess. I did look online to see about buying ducklings for eggs instead of chicks. Ducks are just so much nicer than chickens, especially drakes over roosters. If you get to come back in the next life definitely pick a duck over a hen. Our rooster, Ugly, treats the hens like they are a fly and he is the swatter- quick, fast, and hard. Moe, our drake, is so gentle,slow, and easy- much nicer if you are the female, I am sure. Anyway, I digress. I was unable to get Khaki Campbell ducks at this time of year. They are good egg layers and don't get broody. I have to wait until March. They only hatch them March to October. So I was a little late. But this gives me the winter to figure out how I want to go about the change over. Yes, I remember that I recently said ducks are dirtier than chickens, but the nice thing is winning me over. If I can get a couple of pools to put out in the field I think I can overcome the dirty goat water issue. --------- I took the boys and a friend to see a farm today. They are learning about soil conservation in 4-H this year (#2 and his friend), and I have a friend who is a farm consultant. So we went out to see how no-till works and what other techniques farmers have to save the soil. Then we came back and worked on the presentation they have to give about it. Afterward I took them to see the Bee Movie. It was really cute and funny. Now I am back to make cheese and butter. What a day!

Last night was fun; it always is. I think Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love the dress up and candy. Last night the dads took the kids out and the moms stayed at the house and passed out the candy. That was a first. As we sat there talking about this and that, it came up that there is a 23 year old who doesn't know how to cook or do laundry. It reminded me of when we were in campus ministry and the students were clueless. One didn't know how to make orange juice from a can. All you do is read the directions and add 3 cans of water! Then I started thinking about my own kids. Last week I had #1 make brownies from a mix- not something that happens often here. He put the eggs, oil, and water in the bowl, mixed it up, and declared it done. I looked at him like he had lost his mind. He didn't add the mix in the box! So Iguess my kids will go to college knowing how to cook from scratch, but don't expect them to make a mix.

Another restless night and so I am trying to catch up on my personal things. I can't believe it has been a week since last I blogged! This is the last day of October and I have to say I am glad. It has been such a busy month; I am ready for a little slower schedule. Sunday was our church's Trunk or Treat. We always have fun with it, and the kids look forward to it, too. This year I was a wood elf and served the hot apple cider. Hubby was Jonah and our trunk was decorated as an underwater scene. The kids had to "fish" to get their candy. I have a feeling the winning trunk was the one decorated like a castle. The hosts were dressed as princesses. Jonah just couldn't compete with that when the little girls came around. Yesterday we took the 4-H club to Raleigh to the museums. They took a couple of classes at the science museum, and then after a lunch in the parking lot, we went to the history museum to see a special exhibit on The Lost Colony. We went in August to see the musical, so this was an interesting addition for us. The kids really enjoyed it, and I enjoyed seeing the original pictures drawn of the area. Then, I took my kids and a friend and her kids who were riding with us to the art museum. We have been studying the Rennaisance and I wanted the kids to see some real art from the era, not just internet and book pictures. They actually really enjoyed the art museum! So today the chore will be keeping the kids' minds on schoolwork. After so much fun recently and Halloween to look forward to, they will likely be day dreaming quite a bit. Halloween has become a fun tradition for us here. We go to a friend's house and eat, go out to T-o-T together, and then the kids all trade their candy. This year's feast has been planned by the children to complete a 4-H project book. Should be fun!

It is one of those wonderful mornings when you stay in bed and enjoy being cozy there. The rain fell this time on us! It seems to be dropping at different places around town. You may get a gully washer and a mile away they don't even get a sprinkle. But now it is our turn, and the pattering on the tin roof sounds so nice. For the first time all week I have slept through the night and I feel like doing it again. Perhaps a cup of tea and a warm biscuit would perk me up. I often forget to mention to people that we have ducks. They arrived this past summer from my uncle in CA, and they make so little noise and really don't require work, that I often forget about them. Except that they are very messy; their feathers fall out all over the place and they like to get in the watering tub and get it filthy. Anyway, they have finally reached adulthood and are laying eggs. I am leaving them out there in hopes that they will start to sit soon and give us a new meat source. We have about a dozen eggs so far. They usually lay 10-18 before they set, according to the internet sources. A friend let me borrow her butter churn- she wasn't using it, can you imagine that!- and I have been making butter from the cream I skim off the farmer's milk. The first time we did it, before I borrowed the churn, we shook the cream in a jar. That was hard work and mind numbing- your head shakes with it! So now we have fresh milk, butter, and buttermilk. I will have to try cheese soon.

Is there a difference between honesty and truth? Can I be honest and not quite truthful? If a woman asks me how I like her dress and my response is that's a great color on her- which it is- then have I been dishonest in neglecting to tell her that it is too tight on the hips? I was reading about honesty this morning to prepare for my discussion group tomorrow. The chapter was on honesty and describing how dishonest most Americans are. But I came up with some situations like the one I just described that I am unsure about. Yes, God has commanded us to be truthful in all we do and say, but is holding back to save someone's feelings ok? What if it is more than just a dress? What if it were about an action someone took, that now no longer matters, but might change the way you think of someone? For instance what if someone did something terrible, like sell drugs, but no longer is dealing. Would it be dishonest not to discuss that when you are meeting her parents? Is there some truth that is ok to hold back for just certain people? I am coming to the conclusion that honesty and truthfulness might be situational. But I don't want to tell my kids that just yet!

I awoke at 2:30 with my arm tingling asleep, and just couldn't get back to sleep. My mind started racing with all of the things I should do. Guilt hits me hard in the middle of the night. I start thinking of all of the people I should write or call, the projects that are incomplete, the deadlines that are looming...It all seems so dark in the middle of the night. So here I sit at the computer trying to finish up my work. I did manage to get the bills paid and some work-related issues taken care of. Now I am at the stage of questioning if I just stay up or try to get an hour of sleep in before the kids get up. The owls are hooting outside, looking for a last minute supper I suppose, and cars are starting to pass as commuters head to work. The windows are open at night now that the air is cooling down. I have had a dread lately of the world as I know it coming to an end. Actually I think it already has, I am just now noticing. I was talking with a friend yesterday about the news story that a middle school is now offering condoms and birth control pills, because their 11 year olds are having sex. That is so beyond me. I still played with dolls when I was 11!! I didn't know what sex was and if I had it would not have been something I wanted to experience. I don't think human children have mutated so much in the last 20-30 years that they now are sexually inclined at age 11. My sons have friends that age, granted who are homeschooled, and none of them seem aware that sex is anything other than a question on their testing sheets. If the topic is brought up their response is, "I don't want to know!" So somewhere our society has gone wrong. I am not blaming the public schools; it is just that there is where the public sends all of their kids, and kids will tell what they think and do. So those kids who don't want to know are now in the position of having to know. But what has happened to those who do know and want to know? Media- movies (even children's movies), tv, commercials, magazines, magazine covers in the check-out line, radio, music, billboards- have forced our children to see and hear what they never should have seen or heard. Children naturally imitate the older people around them. This is what they have seen and heard and now they are imitating- and our society is paying the price.

I asked God to come into our presence in a special way today at church. I had no idea that the service was to focus on the presence of God. The song leader asked us, "What would you say if I said God is here in our presence?" It seemed so silly to me, because of course God was there. He had been invited. Then while we were singing an old hymn, the words struck hard at me. "Though the darkness hide Thee..." I couldn't get past that. There is an older gentleman in our congregation that has a wife who is going blind, in fact has gone blind except for seeing light and dark. She was the one who was forced to my mind. It seemed imperative that I pray for her. That even though she may be in the darkness, God has not hidden Himself from her. I was so overcome I had to leave the room. It seemed that I was to pray for her and her husband. While I was praying with all of my being, it just didn't seem to be enough. "Everyone needs to pray," I kept thinking. So I wrote a note to one of the elders and asked him to pray for her. Perhaps God coming into our presence today was for the benefit of Betsy. To hear us beg of Him on her behalf may just be what she needed and what God was listening for. Whatever comes of it, I know God was there and listening. And I was worn out; wrestling in prayer, even for a short time, is exhausting.

Remember I was trying to get old tv shows for my kids? Well the first has arrived, Land of the Lost. It was on Saturday mornings in the 70s. Marshall (the dad), Will, and Holly are on an expedition when a violent earthquake takes them to another world. There are monkey people, mean dinosaurs, and alien type things called sleestak. I remember that it was kind of scary to me as a kid, so I told them I would watch it with them at the start to make sure it doesn't bother them. All they did in the first episode was make fun of me. "You thought this was scary? That looks like playdough!" Ok, the dinosaurs don't look so scary now because of what we are used to seeing at the movies. Then the second episode introduced the sleestak. Now they were jumping in their seats! But then I was the one who had a bad dream last night, so maybe I am just more cowardly than my kids. ------ The rain finally came yesterday and I think it is going to rain more today. We stood at the door and cheered for God- we need it so badly. Last night when I went to feed the frogs were croaking and singing like it was springtime. All of creation was rejoicing!

Our 4-H club went to the NC Zoo on Tuesday. It is a 3 hour drive for us and so we don't go often. We have had zoo memberships in other cities and loved going often, but here we have had to enjoy the whole day at the zoo and hope it lasts for a couple of years. We left the house at 7:30 and got back at 10:00 pm. It was 5 families with children ranging ages 2 to 15. The bear got about 10 feet away from us and I think he was begging for food. The giraffes were standing about 50 feet away eating from trees. And the monkeys, oh, we stayed there for a long time watching their antics. My favorite was when one walked up to another and gently took the other's arm. They looked like they were greeting each other and shaking hands, then suddenly the first one reached down and bit the other in the upper arm. Then off he ran and the other in full chase. They were just like children! Then I got home and hubby told me the fleas were back. He had gotten some stronger fogger this time, so yesterday we stayed out of the house the whole day and hopefully the buggers are gone for good. I think this was the first of the eggs hatching from earlier. It meant we packed up everything and had school at the library, ran errands, had outdoor recess with a friend, and then came home to air the house out for a while before we could come in. So I have had 2 days away from home and today I plan to stay right here!

A friend has a daughter that has moved to a commune. It looks on the website to be a christian commune, and really not much about it raised any concerns for me. In fact, I thought I would enjoy living there but my husband would go nuts. He needs alone time to function. I guess the part that bothered me is that we are to live in the world. It has the feel of a monastery or convent, but allowing families. People that see them living that way must just think, "Stay away from them. They are a cult or a bunch of loonies." I can't imagine that it has helped spread Christianity in their part of the world. -------- I have been paying a little attention to the plight of immigrants in our country. I recently heard a story about a high school senior that isn't a citizen. His parents brought him here illegally when he was 4 years old. Now he has been brought up in the USA, but can't partake as a citizen. Certainly at 4 years of age he had no say in the matter. He has a younger brother that was born here a couple of years ago. The brother will be afforded all of the privileges of citizenship; just doesn't seem fair. Then I heard another story about a man who came here illegally about 15 years ago. His 3 children were born here and all are citizens. He is afraid he will be sent back to Mexico if he is caught driving, but he doesn't want to lose his kids or take them back to Mexico with him. It certainly would be a difficult decision. I don't have an answer.

Recently I was speaking with a new friend and she made an odd comment to me. She was surprised that I am a Christian because I am kind of earthy, granola-crunchy. I told my sister-in-law about it while were on vacation and she was surprised. She is from the Mid-West and Christians there are commonly granola-crunchy people. The difference in the South is that being a Christian is traditional. They aren't often life-changing Christians. Christianity is just something they do, like changing your oil every 3,000 miles or going to Grandma's for Christmas. The first question you are asked in the South is for your name. The second question is where you attend church. It was just in a book I was reading about bread. There was an article on Southern Biscuits and the author was on a plane with other Alabamians who would ask each other where they go to church. I think that makes it extra difficult to attract people to Christ. It is assumed that if you name a church of attendance, then you must go there regularly and be in a "saved" condition. It doesn't so much matter that your speech is smattered with profanity, that you are living with your boyfriend, that you get drunk on the weekends; what matters is that you can answer the second question of the South, "So, where do you go to church?" My husband and I were walking on the beach and a woman stopped to chat with us. The first question was do you have a church. She didn't even bother to get our names. We didn't go into detail about my husband's pastoral position or his education, we didn't even get asked a thing about Christ. As long as we had a church she was happy. I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to be a Christian in the North, where being a Christian means something, even if it is distasteful to many.

Finally cooler weather has come to us. Thursday morning it was about 70 degrees and my children were sitting on the porch with their sweatshirts and sweaters. #2 even had a scarf wrapped around his head. They were contemplating whether or not it would snow! That is how hot it has been lately. ------- The flea situation is greatly improved. We still see a couple a day, but that is bearable. I keep thinking about the Middle Ages when people lived with animals. They had bedbugs, fleas, lice, flies, you name it, all living in their house with them. I do not think I would handle that very well. -------- Yesterday at co-op I spent most of the time with a friend who has a 2 1/2 year old. He wouldn't go to the nursery because he needed to be with his mother so badly. I don't think I would have the energy for that. My kids did that every now and then, but it never lasted more than a couple of days. It reminded me of the time we went to Nashville when the kids were 3 and 1 1/2. We were at a Christian conference and the kids were in child care. #2 was so excited when he saw #1 go to his room and all of the fun he was going to have. But when I took #2 to his class, I was quickly called back to pick him up. He was crying and very upset about being in there. That was so unlike him that I kept him with me the rest of the evening. That night, back at our room, I was telling him tomorrow you will go to your class. I remember I was changing his diaper and he said, "Big kids, please!?" It was his first semi-sentence. So the next day I asked the attendants if we could try it for a little bit and if it didn't work he could go back to the 0-2 years class. They let him stay in the older class and he did better than his big brother! He colored and did arts and crafts, played, listened to books, just had a great time. #1 did fine, but he just wanted to play with cars. Neither one of them cared if I was around after that. Sometimes that was disappointing, like when other people's kids cried for their moms and acted like they couldn't live without them and mine just headed on without even waving good-bye. But really it was such a relief that mine didn't need all of that extra attention and I could go do "Big People Things" now and then.

Well, as I washed all of the things yesterday in hopes of killing fleas and their eggs, the washer stopped working. It won't drain after the rinse cycle and then spin. So I took the water out bucket by bucket and tried again. Still it didn't work, so I drained it bucket by bucket again. Then Hubby and I went to work taking it apart. I had washed pillows and one came open so I thought stuffing might be trapped in it and stopping the drain. Our washer and dryer are in a tight space in the pantry, so I got the joy of climbing in behind them to figure out the problem. Spider webs, lint, and mouse droppings were not adding much to the "joy." There were two screws to get out of the back so that I could pull the hose out and try to drain it and look for fluff. It was dark and shadowy down there and I couldn't tell what type head screwdriver I needed. One screw worked with a Phillips head, but the other wouldn't work with anything. I told Hubby I thought it was a nut and so he handed me a "ratchet" to try and get it off. I kept turning the driver and he kept repeating to me, "It's a ratchet! It's a ratchet!" I at this point am hot and dizzy from standing on my head, and I guess I was beginning to melt down. "I don't know what that means." "It means you turn it." "I AM turning it." "No, you twist it." "I AM twisting it!" "Let me show you." So he proceeds to show me how to turn the screwdriver. It looked like what I had been doing, but he assured me it wasn't. It seems he didn't want me to take my hand off of the handle; it would go faster, he said. Well it seemed to go faster for me just turning and not having someone tell me over and over, "It's a ratchet!" So anyway, I got the screws out (One was filled in, that's why it didn't seem to be any type head.) and drained the washer and did not find a bit of fluff. So I got it put back together and tried it again after church last night. It will drain after the wash, but not after the rinse cycle. Now I have to drain it out again. Ugh. So today I have to call the handy man and see what he says. It is a two year old washer and should not have this problem! So that $50 dog is costing me more money again!! Sometimes I wish I had fleas and could just stay outside.

My second home as a married person was in an apartment complex. I was very vigilant as a new wife and housekeeper. My house was always clean; in fact my grandfather-in-law told me I vacuum too much. So imagine my horror when we started having cockroaches! The neighbors next to us were not at all good housekeepers and the roaches moved in. When the apartment owners would bomb the apartment next to us then all the roaches moved into our apartment. When we left there I said the most important thing in the next home would be no bugs. It has been an issue with me ever since. When I was growing up the only bug problem we had was spiders in the bathtub. I would have my mother look in the tub before I showered and problem solved. Other bug issues are not so easily solved. We bombed the house again yesterday, put Borax on everything, vacuumed, washed, mopped--you name it. I am still washing pillows. Then I have all of the dirty laundry to do, just in case the buggers moved into the hamper while we were bombing the place. So far I haven't had any complaints today, but it may be that everyone is afraid of my flying into a rage if they mention the "f" word---FLEAS!

I am trying hard to fight depression. I seem to be falling farther and farther behind and things are piling up. The house doesn't look a thing like the house I left a week or so ago. I have pulled things apart, while at the same time trying to continue with regular life, and I just can't keep up. I wouldn't be in such despair, except that everyone keeps finding fleas. #2 has bites all over him. I just want to leave or burn down the house or shoot the dog; I don't know. The heat isn't helping things either. I don't want to close up the house and turn on the ac because there is so much poison in the house right now, but it is getting unbearably hot in here. And all of this in the middle of OCTOBER!

I am back after a lovely vacation. We went to the beach for a week to celebrate Hubby's 40th birthday with his family and my parents. My parents were only able to stay a few days, but the rest of us were able to be there the whole week. The weather was great for the first week of October, though I hear it will be even better this week. Wish we could have stayed longer. The wind was a bit high the first few days, so a trip to an island had to be delayed until after my parents left; too bad. We visited a fort that we enjoy, the aquarium, and an island that has wild ponies and is uninhabited by humans. Of course there was just playing at the beach and later seeing sharks in the water we had swam in! Being with our family made it even better. Those cousins love to be with each other! I cleaned the whole house before we left so that I could return, unpack, and be ready to get back into the routine. When we got back, however, the house was full of fleas! So right away we had to bomb the house and leave. Then it was an evening of cleaning and washing and scrubbing the house and dog. We are still dealing with some fleas, but it is much better than it was. A dear, sweet friend told me last night that the eggs will hatch in 2 weeks and I will have to do it again. The dog is fast becoming a disagreeable trial in my life. She is now relegated to the sunroom and outdoors only. If she ends up at the neighbor's house then we will have to get rid of her. ---------- Speaking of great beach weather in October...When my parents got back to WV, my dad had to feed the cows hay, because it is so hot and dry there that the grass hasn't grown enough to feed them. My dad said he believes the environment is changing, because the last several years have been very different than when he was younger. Things better change fast around this world or we are all in trouble.

School today is going to be a math test and lots of home economics lessons. I have had a stomach bug for 2 days and now the house has fallen apart. With leaving town next week and the whole family coming for a day, I feel like I have to get things in order today. Tomorrow is co-op and we are always gone all day long with that. We love it, but it does make a long day. Last night's discussion was about sexuality. The author was stressing that purity is a response to Jesus's life, not because you don't want to get pregnant or get a disease. It was interesting to hear the view from my friend the doctor. For her, though it is about God's plan, it is very much about disease protection. She said she sees patients who say their sexual history is small- maybe 10 partners. That sounds big to me. The other part of the author's view was not to be shocked by the world's perception of sexual behavior. I suppose if what you are looking for is touch and comfort, then 10 partners isn't much. But if you are looking for intimacy, it is way too many. The world may know a lot about sex, but intimacy and lovemaking is another thing.

I happened to be thinking the other day, "What if I had married someone else?" My children would not be here, I would be somewhere else, my life would be completely different. Today is my Sweetheart's birthday. I am so glad that he was born, found me, and made my life wonderful. Happy birthday Lover. The boys and I are taking him to lunch today and then on Saturday we are going to the beach for a week. We have been looking forward to it for a long time. The boys are marking days off on the calendar. Hopefully the weather will be great for us.

I checked out a few DVDs at the university library on Sunday. One was called The Children's Hour and starred Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, and James Garner. It was made in the late 50's, I believe. #1 wanted to watch it with me last night and so we did. I had no idea what I was in for. It is a movie about 2 women who run a boarding school for girls. One of the girls is nasty and she tells a lie to her grandmother about the women. The lie is evidently that the women are lovers. The lie ruins so many people's lives. The school is closed down, it is in the national papers, the women lose everything, the fiance of one of the women loses his job by association, and in the end one of the women kills herself. I was shocked by the movie. I didn't turn it off because I knew there wouldn't be anything "shown" that I couldn't deal with; it was all discussion. I thought this might be one of the easiest ways to deal with a topic that I know is going to come up soon: homosexuality. We had a good talk about what it is, why it is wrong, and how no sin is worse than another. The girl's lie, the way people treated the women, the homosexuality- all are unholy in God's eyes.

I went to a friend's house a few days ago to borrow something and ended up staying four hours!! The conversation turned to religion and I had to stay and visit. She has been checking out churches in the area, and has found them wanting. One was way too charismatic for her tastes, and the others that were what she is used to were not friendly. She said in one church no one at all spoke to her, and in other churches only the ushers spoke. As we were talking, the subject of our home school support group came up. She said it doesn't seem to be very accepting. I asked what she meant by that, since I have heard several people say that recently. She said that it is advertised as a Christian group that allows everyone to participate. But, she went on, they make it clear that they are going to try to change your view on religious issues. That may seem like we are being accepting, but people of other religious viewpoints would not want to come based on that. So in actuality you are separating yourself from everyone else. My problem with the group in the past has been that they are unaccepting of all Christians, choosing to judge for themselves whether or not someone is a Christian. I have tried to say that a home school support group is not a place to argue theology; can't we just accept Chirstians based on their belief in the Christ? But now I am thinking more about my friend's comment. Is it even a possibility to talk to a non-Christian in a Christian group that accepts other people? I am thinking it isn't, since I haven't met any non-Christians there. I am left wondering if perhaps I need to try a different group...

We had a good discussion last night about being Christians in the world. The author was saying that we should not be shocked by the world's behavior because it is not Christian. We should not expect the world to behave by Christ's standards. But, I was asking, when did that happen, because when I was a kid the majority of people did act like Christians. They dressed modestly, were honest, upright citizens, took care of family, talked civilly, etc. Was our country more Christian then, and what has made it change? Our conclusion was not that our country is less Christian now, but that it was culturally Christian then. People were not true Christians then; they were just acting out what their culture demanded. Media has changed us a lot because you used to only know the immediate culture around you. Now you know about the nation, even the world. So now when you see someone behaving as a Christian, they likely are a Christian, not just someone acting out the norms of their culture. So maybe it is better now for us. We can tell "true Christians" by their relationship with God instead of assuming by their behavior that they are Christians.

I haven't tried it yet, but a friend told me yesterday about a new way to make omelettes. You put the mixture in a freezer bag and then put it in boiling water for 13 minutes. It comes out perfectly. That way you can do several omelettes at one time. She said it is important that you use a freezer bag- the others explode! --------- Yesterday was interesting. We had a 4-H meeting and all of the mothers had been having a rough several days. One had been at the dentist that day for 3 hours with 4 young children- that would definitely be a bad day! But the others of us have prepubescent boys and we seem to be having the same issues. So last night a few of us got together to commiserate and share ideas. I was remembering before I went to meet them that I once heard a mother of 6 sons talk about how to discipline boys. She said do not physically strike them or put them in time out, even grounding can be rough. Those punishments just show them how powerless they are, and often put a female over their maleness. Instead, she said, have them do physical punishments, like running or push-ups. So for several years now we have done that. Just a couple of weeks ago I had them doing 15 push-ups each in the freezer section of Food Lion. It does seem to give them time to think about changing their behavior and also giving them some physical release. Today the hard labor is to scrape paint on the front porch. I guess we will skip the gruel today.

I asked my husband the other day if he thinks I am strange. He said he does. He brought it up again last night; he thinks I am strange. He picks out some of my behaviors as if they are foreign to the world around us. "You grind your own wheat, make fresh bread, milk a goat, buy raw milk from a farmer. You are a rabbit rancher, goatherd, chicken raiser. You hang laundry on the line when you have a dryer sitting in the laundry room!" My response, "I am saving the world. One load at a time, I am saving the world." I do not find these behaviors "strange" because in the world in which I grew up, these were normal behaviors of those around me. My mother still kept a garden this summer and last weekend was canning the last of the tomatoes and green beans. She also hangs her laundry on the line. Her mother continued to raise a garden until she couldn't walk to the garden any longer. It seems to be in my heritage to enjoy the fresh bounty of the world God gave us. Perhaps saving the world is a dying art, but I am keeping it up, even if I am strange.

I have discovered what to do when the children can't get along: hard labor. A friend said gruel is also helpful. We worked on the yard Friday for several hours, then had school until it was time for the boys to go to 4-H. There they had to help clean up a park as part of their community service. #1 told me on Saturday that that was the best he had slept in a long time. I worked them again on Saturday, and even yesterday I kept them hopping a bit. They have also been asking me to move the van from under the hoop so they can play basketball. I think the cooler weather is helping them want to be outside again. Today we head to the garden to try and recover it from a month of despair. I do have a few things growing, but the passerby would never know. I have some green beans, potatoes, okra gone wild, swiss chard, and eggplant. After the recovery, then we have school. They also have their first art class this afternoon and #2 is supposed to cook dinner. So it looks like another "hard labor" day. I am making Cream of Wheat for breakfast, perhaps that will be called gruel. Better go wake the inmates!

I often spend time on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings in prayer for my husband. I ask that God will speak through him to those in the audience, that they will hear God speaking to them. Today someone stopped and told hubby that she felt like he was talking right to her. It's nice to hear a prayer answered- at least I hope it was God that she was hearing. Answered prayers, noticeably answered prayers, are not a common occurence. I have prayed for years that my brother would give his life to Christ; he hasn't yet. I have prayed for more children for at least 6 years now, and God has given them to me in other people's children. I have asked for 15 years that God would provide a teaching position for Matt at a college. He sometimes gets to teach at the local community college, but he doesn't have a "teaching position." I prayed for about 3 years that #1 would sleep through the night, perhaps I wasn't specific enough. I do believe that God hears my prayers. I also believe that he wants the best for me, and that he does truly want me to be happy. I know that I prayed children to be in our backyard at the last house and we were overrun with children. I prayed for a farm here and land for the kids and dog to run. We certainly have that. I once prayed for #1's leg to grow- it was shorter than the other- and it did grow by the next doctor appointment. God has answered prayers for material things, relationships, illness, peace, patience, guidance, and more. I guess that is what keeps me praying. I know that he hears me and loves me. I know that he is able to do so much more than I ever expect. So I continue to pray for the future wives' of my sons, that they will serve God every day of their lives. I pray for a healthy nephew and easy delivery for Polly. I continue to ask God for children, for a teaching position for Matt, for Todd's salvation. And that God will be heard speaking to us on Sunday, even every day.

I spent some time on my queue at Netflix recently picking out old television shows. I know you all think I am down on television and have probably hated it all of my life, but that isn't true. I actually have some fond memories of television. I remember running home after school to watch Little House on the Prairie. I remember going to my grandparents every Saturday on the other side of the county to have dinner and watch television together. On Sunday afternoons my dad and I would watch football together, basically I took a nap. On Saturday afternoons in the winter we would watch cowboy movies together. Friday nights I watched Dallas with my mother. Of course, Saturday mornings were saved for cartoons until bowling came on at 1:00. Television used to be something you could watch as a family. HeeHaw, the Carol Burnett Show, Lawrence Welk were all appropriate for the whole family. I don't know when it happened that tv was no longer appropriate for everyone, but I think it was in the early 80s. I remember Three's Company causing a lot of trouble because of the homosexual innuendoes and the "free sex" lifestyle of the characters. MASH also had some risque behavior. Though Dallas was visually free of sex scenes, you knew what was going on behind closed doors. I guess that became the "slippery slope" that allowed us to get where we are today. The commercials are so bad that even if I would let my kids see a show, the commercials stop me. We have recently discovered that you can see Nickelodeon shows on the computer without commercials! What a wonderful concept. I know that commercial television is what pays for the shows, and that without it I would have to pay for cable, but why do the commercials have to be so sexually oriented? I don't plan on having sex in my car, so why use sexuality to sell it to me. I have never had an orgasm while washing my hair. I don't tell my children when I am having my period. I choose not to drink alcohol, but if I did I am sure scantily clad women would not make me want to buy it. You see where I am going with this. So we will be enjoying all of the old shows from my childhood soon. We will watch them as a family and provide happy memories for my children without the commercialism of the world smacking us in the face. In the famous word of Gomer Pyle, "Gaaaww-lee."

I have joked the last couple of days that I wish the yellow bus stopped at our house. The boys have been at each other's throats lately. They are full of testosterone and competition. The problem, however, is that they can't stand to lose and so end up in tears several times a day. I suppose it is this instance that I would tell my sister-in-law that girls are better. Of course, I think girls end up in tears over things that don't matter- boys, clothes, just because- and I don't think I would like that either. The boys have competitions over who is better at Math, shooting hoops, Latin, memorizing piano pieces, remembering Scripture, turning off the television, etc. I suppose this has some greater good in the future; preparing them for the life of a CEO or future President. But I think I will have them memorize my favorite verse: Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you to, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 Thes 4:11 ------------ I let Kelly out this morning and the air had the smell of autumn. It is a little cool out, not chilly, but I think I will go out and have some hot chocolate on the porch. Sorry to those in the North who read this.

My eyes were dilated today. The boys loved it; no school. I couldn't see to read anything, not even the place to sign my name on the payment! #1 asked if we can have eyes dilated every day! He and I both had check ups. His Rx changed a very little bit, not enough to mess with, and mine stayed the same. Good news there. -------- I am done milking Millie. This was the last morning for it. I put Milky Way in the coop yesterday at 5:00 and Millie still didn't have enough milk to mess with at 8:00 this morning. It is the strangest thing that she tried to wean the girl, but never the boys. I have no idea when Darkie is due. She is getting bigger, but there isn't any milk sack yet. She may not have gotten prego until we got rid of Elvis. I will wait to see what kind of milker she is and then decide what to do about the goats. Right now they are a liability. The chickens only gave me 2 eggs yesterday and they stayed in the coop the whole time. They are becoming a liability too! I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that it scared them out of producing when I clipped their wings, but they better pick up soon! Better start sharpening that axe. ------------ I have a nephew on the way! Hubby's s-i-l is having a boy after 2 girls. She is a bit nervous about it, not knowing anything about boys, but I assured her that is silly. Boys are no trouble at all, except when they stick copper wire into outlets, hang themselves by a rope from a tree, throw rocks at each other for a war, jump off the roof, etc. She said that's no different than a girl, they just wear a dress while doing it! So see, she should be fine.

I took the boys swimming for an hour yesterday afternoon. We went to a friend's house nearby. The sun was so strong that I actually burned while we were out. I can usually go a couple of hours without sunscreen and be fine. It was supposed to be the last of the HOT days so I was trying to take advantage and swim. We leave for the beach in a couple of weeks. We are all looking forward to the beach. My mother is counting down the days until we go. She has been counting for quite a while now. My husband says she needs to retire this year; she agrees. ------ I cleaned out the chicken coop last night. We are supposed to get rain the rest of this week and wet chicken manure really stinks! While I was doing that I clipped the chickens' wings. This morning they were all still in the coop. I have been getting 1 or 2 eggs a day because they hide them so well. I know they are laying more than that because I have found some now and then. So hopefully they will stay in the coop until they lay their eggs and then I will let them out in the afternoon to eat the bugs.

Boy do I have a temper! I read an article on-line last night that flipped my lid about why girls should not expect to go to college, but just to plan on being a wife and mother and stay at home. My husband correctly calmed me and did not allow me to respond to the article. After thinking about it through the night, I was able to respond in a much less biased state this morning. I seem to be wigging out a lot lately. Maybe I should try some valium. ------ I have found the secret to great bread made with freshly milled wheat: Lecithin! It is a natural soy product that gives the bread a soft texture. It is so wonderful that now we can have peanutbutter and jelly with bread that will stick to the roof of your mouth. I have missed that. ------ The results are in and I am not an old woman! I do not have a thyroid problem. Of course that leaves me with the question, "What is wrong with me?" It could be viral and will go away in time, or it could be an iron deficiency, or it could be something else. So for now I am planning to take an iron supplement for a couple of weeks and see if I perk up. I also have an appointment for an eye exam on Thursday to see if something is going on there to make me lightheaded. My father was so kind last night as to point out that I am middle-aged. Thanks, Dad.

I went to the doctor this morning and had some bloodwork done. I do not have a sugar problem and my hemoglobin, though low, is ok. I should eat more iron and take a supplement and get lots of rest. I have been sleeping 12 hours a day so I don't see how much more I can rest. If you were to look around the homestead you would think I sleep 24 hours a day! Anyway, there is one more test that they won't have results on until tomorrow, so a little game of waiting is going on now. Recently a friend was questioning when was the last time we took a vacation without our extended family. I was surprised to realize it has been so long ago. We all enjoy our families and like spending time together. I suppose part of the problem is that we live so far from home that vacations are time to visit family. But it isn't that we spend all of the time together. The grandparents keep the kids some so we can go out alone, the grandparents go off by themselves to see a show or something, the men go fishing and the girls shopping...We all kind of do our own thing. It works well for us. In light of that I was thinking about a couple of situations I am aware of right now. The people need to call someone to help and they have no one to call. I just can not imagine being so alone in the world that you have no one to call but a stranger. I have always been a part of a church and so if I had no family or friends around, at least I could call a church member. That is God's idea of a family I suppose.

I had another yard sale with a friend yesterday. She mentioned to me on Wednesday that she was having a sale Saturday and I took advantage of it. I only made $38.50 this time, but at least a lot of stuff is out of the house. What was left I took to Goodwill. I still have some homeschooling things in the attic to go through. I think I will do better selling them at a home schooling function than at a yard sale though. I have held onto things so long, thinking I will use it surely, but it is more likely that I will find something on-line or at the library. So I hope to bless someone else with my things, and allow them to bless me by helping to pay off the furniture! Well my mother told me yesterday that I can be having hot flashes. She was 39 when it started. I am a few months away from 38, so it is still a little early, but I guess possible. I think I will try to have some blood work done this week though. I am having dizzy spells and hot flashes. That could be a lot of different things. I am going to try the eye doctor as well. I had a flash at a baby shower today, and the hostess turned the fan up for me. I do believe that is the first time in my life that I have needed a fan turned up at an event. So now the whole room knows about my "problems." It reminded me of when I was pregnant with #1. I would stand in the back of the church and have hot flashes from pregnancy while Jackie Staten would stand in the back having a mid-life hot flash. How quickly the tables have turned!