My life has changed! I got married in August to a wonderful, godly man who loves me so much! Dan has two adult children. His son Scott got married three weeks before we did, and now they are having a baby. We're going to be grandparents! We are praying about and ministry opportunities, and where to buy a house.
In the fall I did three months of schooling and became a Licensed Nursing Assistant. I did this largely because of Dan's encouragement, and I'm so happy I did! I have a wonderful job caring for a woman named Beverly. She has Alzheimer's, so it can be challenging, but it's been such a blessing!
Sid turned eighteen last month and just graduated high school. We had a party for her yesterday. It's bitter sweet for me. This wraps up thirty-two years of having kids at home, and twenty-seven years of homeschooling! I loved it so much, it's been such a huge part of my life! God has blessed me with the gift of raising five children. Even now, I love when we all get together and just hang out, go for a hike, play music or board games together. I'm so proud of all of them!
Looking out my window....the rain is coming down hard!
I am thinking...about how God never leaves us. I am always in relationship with God because of what Jesus did. It's my fellowship with Him that can get disrupted.
I am thankful...that He keeps drawing me close. He loves me so much!
One of my favorite things...is Ballet class! I'm thankful that since the Covid19 quarantine we've been able to switch to online classes.
I am creating...more bullet journal pages:
I am wearing...black leggings, purple top, and long gray sweater
I am reading...the Bible with my son, Christian. We are in the book of Jeremiah now.
I have been watching... Wife Swap and Bringing Up Bates on Amazon. I also saw two good movies lately: I Still Believe-Jeremy Camp's story, and The Space Between Us-a sci-fi love story.
I am hoping...that we can see our family for Sophie's birthday next week. She has been home for over a month because of the quarantine! My baby is turning 15!
I am learning...how to use Wordpress.
In my kitchen...I have been making shrimp stir-fry, granola, sourdough bread, and black bean brownies ( I tweak the recipe-I use 1/2 cup honey, 1 tes vanilla, 1 tes baking powder, and 1 cup of chocolate chips)
In the school room...Sophie is now doing English and algebra on Mon/Wed/Fri, and all other subjects on Tues/Thurs (Korean, history, health, PE, music. and geography) On Tues or Thurs she does another algebra lesson, so that she has four days of it. Over the week-end she also does some music and PE. So far she likes the change.
In my garden...I'm going to plant: green peppers, jalapenos, zucchini, parsley, Roma tomato, another tomato, cucumbers, cilantro, and green onion. I'm planning to get the beds ready next week.
A moment from my day
I haven't been able to see my older kid's for the last couple months, so on Sunday nights we've been playing games on Zoom.
Looking out my window...it's a beautiful Fall day! The colors are gorgeous
I am thinking...about our recent trip to The White Mountains with Andrew and Charles. Here we are at The Flume Gorge.
I am thankful...that I've been leading choreographed dances at church.
One of my favorite things...is going for walks with my friends. This was a spur of the moment nature walk with my friends Chris and Ann.
I am creating....two worship dances right now - Ever Be (which we are doing this Sunday) and The Blessing. The Blessing has been especially cool because there are four of us choreographing different parts.
I am wearing....black leggings, a white shirt with black hearts on it, and a sweatshirt. I'm going to dance class soon.
I am reading.... You Carried Me: A Daughter's Memoir by Melissa Ohden. It's about a woman who survives an abortion and was given up for adoption. She finds this out in her teen years, and later meets her birth mother. Good book!
I am watching...historical movies with Sophie. Last night we watched Hidden Figures. I haven't been watching as much YouTube lately - which is good. We've also been watching the series Once Upon a Time together some evenings.
I am listening to... monthly playlists I create on Spotify. I've had the free trial before, but I finally got a subscription and I'm so glad I did! This morning I listened to Bethel Music instrumental worship during my quiet time.
I am hoping...to start a new organizing job next week. I've already been given partial payment for it, and I'm looking forward to getting started.
I am learning....a lot from Beth moore at a weekly woman's bible study.
In the kitchen...last week I made lasagna. I put the leftovers in small portions in the freezer for quick lunches or dinners. I did the same thing with the banana bread I made recently. The fall weather is making me crave soup, so today I made chicken noodle. Not my favorite soup, but Sophie requested it, and it turned out great!
In the school room...Sophie's been taking live online classes on Outschool. She is currently taking Essay Writing and Creative Fall Crafts, and she will be starting a Diary of Anne Frank book club soon. We've also been getting out and doing as many field trips as we can this year. Last month, Andrew, Sophie and I enjoyed going to the Currier Art Museum.
In my garden...I had a good year. I got tons of tomatoes, cucumbers, and hot peppers! The onions and green peppers didn't do so well - I only got a few. This week I'm going to clean out the beds. I saw lots of bunnies around the garden, too!
A moment from my day...Sophie and I went for a long walk around Keene today.
Today was a snowy day and the roads were terrible, so we mostly stayed home. It was a pretty typical morning. We aim to start school at 9:30, but it usually happens around 10:00. Christian had work off because of the weather. I'm trying to cut out caffeine again, so today I mixed Coffig, which is just dried figs, with some half decaf and half regular coffee. It was pretty good, but not as good as Teeccino, and more expensive.
I had to go out for Laundry detergent and printer ink, but I was able to walk to the stores. I've been making sourdough bread about once a week, and today's loaf came out great! I told Christian he needed to take some classes or do some volunteer work because he doesn't have as many hours at Wendy's during January and February. He chose a free Greek course and a church history course, and he is enjoying both of them. Sophie found out today that the youth band is learning three new songs, so she got some practice in.
My parent's found Sophie this nice desk for free on Craigslist, so we do Algebra on the computer in her room . I've been watching the lessons and doing most of the problems with her, then we compare our answers before she types them in. It's kind of fun! There were a few other school subjects on the list for Sophie today, but she ended up watching a documentary with me instead. Sophie's voice lessons were canceled, but she still had youth band practice and youth group. Her youth leader, Sara, picked her up. After she left, Christian helped me with cleaning the floors and rugs, and then I made dinner.
I love that Christian and I set aside time each afternoon to read the Bible together. Today we talked for an hour about a chapter in proverbs, books he's been reading, and about life in general. We also played Cribbage. I normally have Ballet class on Thursday evenings, but that was also canceled. I used that time to practice for a dance that three others are doing with me this Sunday at church. After Sophie got home, she printed out pictures for her Kpop journal, and she worked on that while we watched the Wolfpack documentary. Then we all went to bed.
Looking out my window...it's a beautiful summer day! It's warm, with a nice breeze.
I am thinking....about how to cut back on spending and save more money. Once a week when my son Andrew comes over to visit, we are doing our budgeting together to keep each other accountable.
I am thankful...for my son Christian. He and I have been reading the Bible together everyday. It's nice to have that time each day.
One of my favorite things...is listening to my kid's play instruments and sing! Sophie is playing her Ukulele right now. When our family gets together, someone always breaks out a guitar (or keyboard, or drums) and it brings so much joy to my soul!
I am creating...bullet journal spreads.
I am wearing...colorful diamond patterned leggings and a long blue shirt.
I am reading...The Homemade Housewife by Kate Singh. I just finished Freckled: A Memoir of growing up wild in Hawaii by TW Neal -best memoir I've read in a while!
I am hoping...to go to the beach or do an overnight camping trip with all of my kids before the summer is over!
I am learning...ballet! I've been taking adult beginner ballet classes once a week for a year now, and starting in September I'll be taking it twice a week!
In my kitchen...Christian is helping me make salsa! The pic below is what I got from the garden today!
In my garden...I've been getting lettuce, spinach, jalepino peppers, cilantro, basil, and large and cherry tomatoes!
In the school room...I am busy putting together Sophie's eighth grade portfolio. She is getting ready for 9th grade! I think we are going to try something new this year. It's a free online curriculum called Easy Peasy All-in-One High School.
A moment from my day...well from last month. We are celebrating Isaiah's 23rd birthday.
Looking out my window.... the sun is out and the snow is melting. It's actually very warm for January. It feels like spring!
I am thinking... about how I've been slowing down and staying home more. This past fall/winter I was so busy working, helping friends, and just doing stuff away from home. My word for the year is simplicity.
I am thankful...for my kitty! We got Opie last march when he was about 4 years old. I had forgotten how good it is for the soul to have an animal to love. Christian ,Sophie, and I shower Opie with love everyday.
One of my favorite things...is homeschooling. I'm so thankful I'm still able to homeschool after 20+ years. I love learning right alongside my kids. I am truly blessed!
I am creating... a new dance to Michael W. Smith's version of Way Maker. My friend Kiara has been teaching me how to choreograph; four of us will be sharing the dance with our church in a couple weeks.
I am wearing...a flowy blue and white skirt, a navy blue shirt, and white, light jacket.
I am reading.. two books with Sophie right now: The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson and Streams to the River, River to the Sea by Scott O'Dell.
I am hoping...that Sophie, Andrew, and Isaiah have a wonderful and safe trip to New York City this week. They are going to see Stray Kids, one of Sophie's favorite Kpop bands in Madison Square garden. Sophie has never been to NY or a Kpop concert, so she is very excited!
I am learning... more about off grid, tiny house living. I don't know why I'm so drawn to this lifestyle, but maybe someday I'll be living like this-who knows?
In my kitchen...I've been baking bread and cooking from scratch. Since I'm home more, I can do this, and it's been relaxing, healthier and more economical. My son Andrew and I decided to go without sugar for 30 days-we have one more week to go!
Sophie making cookies (not for me, though!)
In the school room... Sophie started the schoolyear using Easy Peasy All-in-One Highschool online curriculum, but it wasn't going very well. A few months back we switched to Sonlight for history, and by the end of December she dropped Easy Peasy completely. She is now using a mismatch of curriculum: Sonlight, Total Health by Susan Boe, Algebra 1 Teaching Textbooks, Korean, and Time 4 Writing.
Looking out my window.... it's a rainy day-but we've had five beautiful days in a row!
I am thinking... about how God has answered my prayers for my son Christian. He has had a spiritual revival and he is wanting to know God, read His word and pray all the time!
I am thankful...that I got to celebrate my birthday this past weekend with all my kids in the White Mountains. We had a full day of hiking around the Flume Gorge and the Basin. It was wonderful!
One of my favorite things...is hanging out laundry in the summertime.
I am creating... a website for my organizing business! I had put it off, but I'm having so much fun with it; it's almost ready to publish!
I am wearing...jeans, a maroon T-shirt, and a blue hoodie that I got recently for 75% off!
I am reading.. the Impossible by Joyce Smith. I saw the movie they made about it called Breakthough. It's an amazing true story about a 14 yo who falls thought the ice and God raises him from the dead and miraculously heals him. .
I am watching....Dr. Who with Sophie and my son Andrew.
I am listening to... a lot of newer musicals with Sophie-Dear Even Hanson, Wicked, Hamilton, and Percy Jackson.
I am hoping... to finish my website by this weekend.
I am learning... how to run my own organizing business. I just got my certificate for finishing an online course! I got 59 out of 60 questions right on the test!
In my kitchen...I'm eating lots of veggies now that the Farmer's Market is in full swing.
Today's lunch-the lettuce, sprouts, strawberries, eggs and cheese are all from the farmers market.
In the school room... Sophie is still plugging away. She has finished English and Art. She is almost done with Math, just a few more tutoring sessions then she's done. She will still need to finish up history, science and Geography.
These last few weeks have flown by! I am starting an home organizing business and I'm currently taking an online professional organizer course. I've been spending a couple days a week helping friends and family get organized as practice. Also, since the start of the new year we've added some new things to our homeschool day-Apologia General Science, geography, and a mother/daughter devotional. Here are some pics from our week:
Here are before and after pics from one of my decluttering/ organizing days with family:
Looking out my window.... it's been raining hard -and it's been warm, yesterday it was 60 degrees!
I am thinking... about my friend Dawn's Christmas party that I'm going to tonight. I'll be seeing a few friends that I don't get to visit with very often.
I am thankful... for my life. I am blessed in so many ways! I love the town I live in, and I am a part of two great churches.
One of my favorite things... is Sophie's baking. The house smells so good right now! She made yummy gingerbread cookies!
I am creating... these cool reusable shopping bags out of feed bags. My friend has a farm and she brought me a pile of feed bags and taught me how to make these.
I am wearing... black jeans, a maroon T-shirt, and a long gray and black sweater.
I am reading... nothing right now, which is very unusual for me. We have been so busy with Christmas activities that we haven't been able to get to the library.
I am watching.... YouTube videos of people who were vegan for 7,10, and 15 years, and how it damaged their health. Years ago I watched some popular documentaries like FoodMatters, Forks over Knives, and food, Inc., and started believingthat being vegan was the best diet for health and the environment. I've since changed my thinking on this, but it's taken a long time. These videos were a good reminder for me not to go so extreme with my diet.
I am hoping... to take an online course on how to become a professional organizer.
I am learning... to be more confident when speaking to a group. Last night at a woman's bible study I shared my testimony about how I met Jesus. I was a little nervous at first, but after a few minutes I was very comfortable. This past year I've led six worship dance workshops, so I've been doing more public speaking than normal. I actually enjoy it, but I still get nervous beforehand.
In my kitchen... we have been eating really basic meals. Our dinners have mainly been meat and veggies, but we did splurge on some sushi recently!
In the school room... Sophie finished her online art class. I'm really proud of her; she put a lot into this class. We are taking this week off, but I like routine, so I'm looking forward to starting fresh after Christmas break!
Here is some fun stuff Sophie has been doing lately. Christmas break will be here soon!
Sophie's latest art project-a kitty collage
She made yummy Asian chicken rolls!
Sophie went to an all day gift making workshop that a homeschooling co-op put on. Here are a few gifts that she made (of the ones that she could show me):
tissue holder
candle holder
We had a community Christmas party at our small church and about 500 people came! Sophie set up the craft table and it was a big hit with the kids. They even had a sleigh ride!
