The Kingdom of Heaven 6

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a tree of hybrid fruit. Many types of fruit grow on the tree, but its main branch is always the same. God welcomes all of the fruits of the world, as long as we all attach ourselves to His Tree. (Made you laugh with that one, didn't I? There are several fruits living in this house with me!)
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Finally, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a checkers game. There aren't many rules, just keep heading in the right direction. There is an enemy that will try to ambush you, but the King will always come to your rescue.

The Kingdom of Heaven 5

And again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a Squirrel Gathering Nuts. The squirrel knows that hard times are coming, and he stores up precious nuts in preparation. The Squirrel is the citizens of Heaven who still abide in this foreign land. The Nuts are the Words of God that will help us survive our winter here. God is the Giant Oak who provides the precious nuts and even a hole in the tree for rest and protection.
Let the Ancient Words impart.
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The Kingdom of Heaven is a rainbow without beginning or end in sight. Its beauty directs our eyes upward, away from ourselves. It goes on unendingly.

The Kingdom of Heaven 4

The Kingdom of Heaven is like the First Robin of Spring. After a long, cold, bitter winter, the Robin hops through your yard and announces the arrival of Spring. Its cheery song reminds you of better things to come. Its bright red-breast sends happy thoughts through the recesses of your mind to clear out the cobwebs of winter.
The long, cold winter is this life filled with its troubles and heartaches. The Robin is the Holy Spirit blowing its warm breeze across your cheek, and Spring is Heaven itself, always new, bright, refreshing.
He who has eyes to see, let him see.
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Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a Family Christmas Celebration. It is warm and welcoming, light penetrates every dark corner. Good food abounds, gifts are given without reserve, and love can be felt in the air. It smells good, looks good, tastes good, sounds good, and feels good. IT IS GOOD. Welcome to the Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Heaven 3

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a kicking, screaming child. It is best not to be ignored.
Probably not my best one, but it works in some odd way.

The Kingdom of Heaven 2

I borrowed this one from Preacher Man, but I am extending it a little.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a woman who cleans out her attic and then visits Antique's Roadshow. She pulls out her junk from life, never expecting it to be worth anything to anyone, and she is told it is priceless. Ecstatic, she rushes home to insure her prized property and to tell all of her friends.
The Antique's Appraiser is God, and He knows worth when he sees it. He looks each one of us over and proclaims, "Priceless!" Then asks His Son to cover the cost so we can join His Collection.
So clean out your closet, attic, garage, whatever it is, and run to tell the neighbors of the amazing welcome you received at the King's Antique's Roadshow.

The Kingdom of Heaven

Preacher Man spoke from Matthew 13 Sunday. Jesus told the crowds about the Kingdom of Heaven using everyday, ordinary objects or events. It sounds confusing, even sacreligious, to describe the Kingdom in that way. He said the Kingdom is like a mustard seed, yeast, warring kings, construction contractors, treasure, well maybe that one sounds ok.
Then Preacher Man challenged us to look around this week and describe the Kingdom of Heaven in ordinary terms. It didn't take my goofy mind too long to start a list, and then I thought, Why not blog this? So for the next week or so you will be reading about the Kingdom of Heaven "Angel" style.
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The Kingdom of Heaven is like a perfectly roasted marshmallow. On the outside it looks hard and difficult to break into, but the crispy outside is easily broken and the soft, sticky sweetness is Heaven on a Stick! The Kingdom Ruler is not hard to serve, but He loves us with warmth and sweetness. Once His Kingdom touches a part of your life, it starts sticking to all of the other parts of your life. The more of the Kingdom you eat, the more you crave its goodness. Yes, the Kingdom of Heaven is a perfectly roasted marshmallow. He who has ears, let him hear.

Goofy Again

And here is one that happened last night at dinner...
#1 and I were discussing his History project to be shared with the club today. His assignment was to find a fairy tale story during the historical period he is studying and share why this story was popular. He is studying Ancient Greece currently, so he chose the myth of Pandora's Box. I asked him what the moral of the story is and he answered, "Curiosity killed the cat."
"No it was wine and a bad liver," said #2.
"Who would give wine to a cat," snorted #1.
"Someone with a vineyard and a bad batch," I responded.
And then quietly and very soberly Hubby says, "Well you have to marinade them first you know."
I nearly shot tea through my nose! He is always so understated in his humor that it catches me by surprise.
Just another family dinner at our house. What is that they say about the family that eats together lasts longer? I guess that doesn't include the family cat!

Crazy, Goofy, Odd

I don't know how to describe some of the conversations that go on around here, but my family keeps me in stitches. I always think I am going to remember things to post later, and then of course I can't remember how they go. Here are a few:
I was walking past #1 not too long ago and noticed that there was a bulge under his shirt. I picked up his shirt to see that his pants' waist was hanging several inches out in front of him.
"You need a belt!"
"I'm an 'after,'" he joked.
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Hubby and I went to a funeral last week. The funeral was in another town and was at night. We left the boys at the house while we went to the funeral. When we came back, #1 was in the livingroom watching tv and talking on his computer.
"Who are you talking to," his dad asked.
"Susie (not his real answer)."
"Susie," I exclaimed.
"Yeah, he's really sensitive about his name," he piped right back.
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Again with #1. He poured some milk in the kitchen and walked into the diningroom with it. He spilled the milk in the kitchen and continued walking to the diningroom, dripping milk the whole way. His father remarked on it, and he said he would clean it up.
"I already caught most of it with my sock," he replied.
"Maybe that explains why my foot was sticking to the floor this morning," Hubby went on.
"Wow. How did you get sticky feet?"
"From the orange juice you spilled in the morning."
"You should wear socks," said #1.
"Yeah, when I was packing my bag for the retreat I found a dirty pair of milk catchers in there," Hubby exclaimed. #1 had used Hubby's bag on one of our trips and had left a dirty pair of socks for the next bag user to enjoy.
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I really can't think of any silliness from #2 right at the moment, but he does keep me laughing too. Sadly, though, he is at the age where everyone thing is about him, and everyone intends to "dis" him. So he spends a lot of time sad at the way his brother has treated him or because we have laughed at him. I remember #1 going through this a couple of years ago, so I guess it is a normal stage.
#2 is such a more optimistic kid than #1 that I am hoping it won't be as extreme as it was a couple of years ago. I am only getting older, you know!

Friday Night Lights

Friday night was a sad night for my husband. WVU lost in a really bad way to Syricuse. Hubby had rushed home after his class in order to see as much of the game as he could. He had the computer hooked up to the tv so he could just turn it on as soon as he got home. Those Friday night lights weren't shining on happiness for him.
There were some other Friday night lights shining around here that did make some kids happy. We hosted the home schoolers' Middle School Hangout. We were showing an Alfred Hitchcock movie outside with a projector, and we had a fire going to warm up by and roast some marshmallows.
About 15 kids showed up and they ran all over this place. I think I should not set up movies unless the kids pick them out. They never seem to stay put for the ones I pick out. Not to worry, they still had lots of fun. The funny part was that they never stayed wherever the parents were.
Two parents stayed here with me, I had told the parents they could stay and hang out or just drop off the kids, and if we were watching the movie, the kids weren't. If we were by the fire, the kids weren't.
They ended up walking down the dirt road to chat and visit with each other. That seems to be the favorite pastime: talking and visiting. I am glad my boys have such nice kids to talk and visit with on a Friday night.

Only in Eastern NC

My parents came for a visit a couple of weeks ago. They brought down our yearly beef ration. Yum Yum! We eat very well thanks to them. The beef filled a whole chest freezer and should last us until next year. I love filling the crock pot in the morning and smelling the delicious aroma all day.

We also butchered NINE roosters while they were here. My dad is so much better at it than I am, so when he comes for a visit I try to get some help with the chore. I didn't realize I had so many roosters. They are free range and I hadn't counted them. I just knew that when I looked out he bedroom window I usually saw dinner crossing the road.

My dad brought his chainsaw to help with clearing up after the hurricane, too. We chopped up a lot of the tree that split, and I asked if we could keep the chainsaw until Thanksgiving when we see them again. He said yes, so now Hubby has some clearing to do in the next few weeks!

My mom likes to eat at Dixie Queen when she is here visiting. It is a local fish restaurant, and the food is good. Of course there is a reason it is good, and it is best to only eat there on special occasions, like a visit from the parents.

It is a local establishment and therefore it has a local flavor. There is a bulletinboard in the waiting area where you can put up your business card. I think they draw for a free meal once a month or so. Anyway, Hubby and I were looking at the board and found a couple of funny things.

One was an advertisement for a barbering magazine. It was so funny I took it off the board to save for a blog post. It's ok. The date had passed on it.

"Its going down! No magazine like this has ever been released in G---, NC. History in the making!! Platinum Barbering Magazine Release Party...and on it goes. It featured "Tyler Perry's Barber and Madea's Stylist" There was even a $25 registration. Funny.

The other funny thing was this poster of a jackass. Hubby didn't get it at first. He thought they were selling the jackass. "It would be illegal if it was a human," I told him. Then he saw the part about breeding. Yep. They are selling rights to breed with this award winning jackass! Step right up!! Too funny.

 It was a great visit with my parents. We got a good bit of work done and also enjoyed playing together, too. Hubby and Dad watched some football together, and Mom and I went over to Washington for a walk around the waterfront. The weather was perfect for a change, and we had no rain. It rained for a week after they left of course. Goodbye Sunshine!

He's My Kid

Here is another irritating example of why I didn't care for the Driver's Ed Instructor. The last afternoon that I dropped off #1, the instructor said he would be done at 8:30. He was supposed to be done at 7:00.
"8:30!?" I asked, quite startled and annoyed.
"Is that a problem?"
"Well yes. He was supposed to be somewhere at 7 and was already going to have to be late for it."
"Then he can be done at 7."
"Can you drop him at the other high school? That sure would help me out."
"Sure. Whatever."
Sounds nice, huh? Just wait.
So the other kid gets on the phone to ask if her mom can pick her up at the other high school. The instructor says you can't drive with a phone in your hand, so I say- thinking that I am helping- "Well he can drive first so you can start. He doesn't have a phone."
Now it starts...
"Well he has to have a phone when he starts driving."
"No he doesn't."
"Yes. he does."
Now I am wondering is there a law I don't know about? But I am fairly certain that they can't MAKE you have a phone when you drive. There are even laws AGAINST using a phone in the car.
"He doesn't need a phone. I drove without one for twenty years."
"Yes, Dear, but they don't have phones with coin slots anymore."
"He'll be fine."
"I bought a phone for my wife to drive to Goldsboro. It's just safer."
Ok Folks, Goldsboro is about 45 minutes away. I used to drive from Texas to West Virginia with two babies and no other adult, and guess what, NO PHONE EITHER!!! But I managed to bite my tongue and make a feeble concession that if he needs to use a phone sometime he can always take mine with him. Of course if he does that I can't rescue him since I evidently can't leave the house without a phone. Oh my word.

Socialized Science

The Driver's Ed Instructor really irritated me. He evidently doesn't appreciate homeschoolers. The first day we met, he asked #1 if he liked homeschooling. "Some parts of it are ok."

"You're learning twice as much as those kids in that school," replied the instructor. "That's what he doesn't like about it," I said. "He has to work harder." "Well don't worry about socialization," he went on. "You'll learn more in college than you would ever learn about in high school. You'll get socialized just fine then."

"We weren't worried at all about socialization," I responded. "He is in 4H, Geography club, History club, Smiles and Frowns, Student Government, and more." Later when we were trying to figure out times for us to get together for the driving he found out how social my son is. It took quite a while to find an empty evening for him. Even then we had to cancel other events to make room for it.

Here he is learning about hard and soft water in Environmental Science. Poor little homeschool boy closed up in a tower by himself just hoping to learn a little something. Phooey!

BTW= Behind the Wheel

Remember back in July and August when #1 was taking Driver's Ed? Well he finished that the first week of August, and then he had to wait his turn to take the "Behind the Wheel" portion. His time finally came a couple of weeks ago. You have to go out three separate times with a professional instructor. I had no idea it would be such a long ordeal. You have to drive at least two hours each time, but you aren't allowed to drive alone with the instructor. That means you have to find a kid who can drive the same evening, and you are out for 5 hours!

 #1 had to leave from a high school that is on the other side of the county from us. I made sure to have him over there nice and early. The first day they drove around and afterward #1 told me that the instructor, a very large man, keeps the car frigid. The second afternoon after I dropped #1 off, I realized his jacket was still in the van with me. I knew where they were headed, to the high school near us to pick up another kid (yes, after I drove him way to the other side of the county!), so I followed him.

 It wasn't so much that I was following him as it was that I had to go that way to get home anyway. But my baby is freezing in that car, right?! So he needs his mommy to rescue him from the Frost King Driving Instructor. What else was I to do but follow?

 I followed him all of the way into the high school parking lot and around the lot twice! He was very, shall we say, embarrassed. I tried to take his picture while I was there but he was very adamant that I shouldn't. So I took his pretty driving partner's picture. She didn't mind at all. After all, I wasn't HER mother! The stunning thing about her is that she is from MORGANTOWN, WV!!! Is that not wild?!

I did manage to capture this dash into the car. See that jacket? I saved his life. What are mothers for?

Shotgun Affair

While we were home in WV for the holiday last month, my dad took the boys out in the field for a little target practice. #2 is planning to go hunting with my dad this fall over the Thanksgiving break.

So they loaded up the gun and sited it in.

Tiny Pap gave them some pointers.

And then POW!! That sure was loud.

#2 did pretty well. If it had been a deer it would have been dinner. I hope he is as lucky next month!

My dad did his best to prepare #1 who isn't as "gun ho" about the whole thing.

Poor guy had his face too close to the site and smashed it against his eye when it kicked back. He didn't care to shoot anymore after that. He wouldn't be hunting anyway. He is too soft hearted. You should have seen him trying to kill a bug in the shower this morning. He better marry a strong stomached woman is all I have to say.

Sorry about the picture, Mom. I didn't see that you had your eyes closed or I would have taken another one. These are my parents and my favorite boys in front of some very beautiful sunflowers. My parents' garden is much more productive than my own.

I love WV. It is definitely Almost Heaven.

What's That Dirt?

#1 has had a dirty smudge on his lip for a while now. See it below? Yeah, neither did I.

 He has been irritated by this little dirt for several months, so I finally gave in and let him "wash" it off. His dad tried to show him how, but of course we weren't too sure of his dad's abilities to remove the dirt since Hubby's whole face has been dirty for years!

 You have to get hot water and wet down the "dirt". Then you put on this creamy soap.

 Finally you wipe off the dirt with a double-blade knife. Sounds dangerous!

 Now there's a fresh, clean looking boy! He goes through this ritual once a week now, whether he needs to or not.

Nature Pix

Several years ago our 4H club was working on a backyard habitat program. Each family in the club was supposed to make some sort of a backyard habitat in their yards. Our project turned into a rather large project. We ended up asking the club to come and help us. Each habitat should have a source of water for the wildlife. My boys decided to dig a pond. By hand!

 There is an area of our property that stays wet most of the time, so it seemed perfect for a pond. During our Environmental Science studies we have discovered this is what you call a vernal pool. It only has water part of the time. The last couple of years we have experienced bad summer droughts, and the little pond often has nothing but weeds in it. But after this fall's deluge, it has held water for a couple of months now!

 Vernal pools are great places for amphibians and reptiles because they don't have to deal with predator prey issues as much. No fishies to eat them up, you see. So our vernal pool is full of tadpoles right now. I mean FULL.

 After we dug the pond years ago, I dug up bulbs that were around the house. They come up in the fall after we have a lot of rain, usually the third or fourth week of September. I don't know what they are called, but they really are lovely. They grow all around the pond now, and from the house the circle looks like it is on fire.

 My garden is a laughing affair. I really wish I could put more time to it, but alas, we all know that story. The okra has taken off though. I love the flowers, they are so pretty. I am the only one in the family that eats okra, so a lot of it goes to waste. What a shame.

 Fall means these purple weed-looking flowers bloom in the front of the house. They were here when we moved in, and I don't know what they are either, but I enjoy them. Evidently the autumn butterflies do as well.

 This is the Bradford Pear tree that split during the storm. It sprang back to life as quickly as it could. New sprouts are all over the broken pieces, and FLOWERS appeared as if it was spring!

I have to spend the weekend getting out winter clothes and sorting through what fits and should be kept and what should be passed along. I know it will soon be chilly, even if the pear tree doesn't.

Science Lab

I am teaching three classes this year. Whoo Boy is it pushing me. You can probably tell from the absence of posts for a while! I am teaching Middle School Creative Writing, High School American Literature, and Environmental Science for both Middle and High schools.

I really like the Environmental Science class. I assign the readings through the week and they also have some video clips to watch about environmental issues. Then we meet once a week for a short review of what they read and a lab experience.

This particular day we loaded in the van and took off for a local park. I was hoping it would go ok since it could have still been flooded from all of the rain we have had the last couple of months. It turned out to be a lovely day for it.

These are kick nets, and you are supposed to kick the bottom of the stream into the net. Then you look for macroinvertebrates and compare them to macros on a dichotomous key. You can then determine if the water quality is poor, moderate, or good. We discovered the water quality was very, very poor. No big surprise after all of the flooding we have had. It was a fun lab, much better than sitting in a classroom!

Birthday Boy

Hubby celebrated his birthday a few weeks ago. My goodness how time flies! Quite honestly I don't need to ever go through another hurricane in my lifetime. And this one was not even horrible! It just seems to take so long to get everything back to normal.

 Anyway, Hubby had a birthday. He loves pie better than cake, so I made his favorite Blackberry Pie. Notice the age cut into the top? Yep. Forty-four!! He sure did rob the cradle when he married me.

 Our family celebrates birthdays together by eating out. Hubby chose Red Lobster. He used to choose the Japanese steakhouse, but he has stopped that. I told him if he wants to go there he has to go alone. The boys and I don't care for the food, and once you have seen the show a couple of times you really don't care to see it again. So Red Lobster it is.

 My guys sure are goofy. Below is the face of the man I love, even the older version of it. (Love ya, Sweetheart!)

 And this is me and the other goofy man in my life. I am very blessed to have these three hooligans.