A Good Man

He came home. He sensed my anguish. He cleaned. May the Lord bless him a thousand times over.

After a day that was spent hopping from one task to the next, i.e. schooling kids, starting laundry, sorting stuff for a yard sale, fixing food for multiple meals - my house was just trashed and I had nothing left in me for cleaning. I was as mentally cluttered as my house was literally. He suddenly had an apparent influx of energy and just went to town on this house. I feel no shame. I feel so - much - better!!!

I love my Kurt!

A good blogger would insert a picture here. The one of him lying on the couch, his energy finally gone. A good wife would probably skip the part about the snoring. I lost my instructions about how to put a picture on here so I had to give the play by play.

Lovin'my husband,
Leisl

Thankful Nonetheless

What an odd Thanksgiving/Birthday.

Well it is 12:35 A.M. on Friday, November 28. I'm not asleep yet and can't seem to accept the fact that my Birthday is over. It was a big one. You know, one of those that ends in "0." Though I am not one of those people who refuses to tell their age, (I'll tell you if you ask me directly,) I just don't feel like splashing it out there in print. Well, it was kind of cool that it was falling on Thanksgiving. Kind of a distraction from the fact that I am getting older. As if.

Anyway, it turned out so weird because nothing at all went according to our plan. The day was just about over before I had a chance to even think much about the big "_0" part of it. See, we were supposed to leave yesterday, er, Wednesday to drive up to my parents house, a.k.a. "Papa's Farm," and be in place to go literally through the woods to my Uncle and Aunts house for the annual Thanksgiving Day tradition that is always such a good time. Instead, I finished laundry and packed while anxiously watching my sweet 7 yr. old as she progressed from "not feeling good," to hurling a trail that led from the living room, through the kitchen, all the way to where she stopped....right in front of the toilet. !

And so began the vigil, the fever...etc. My child is not the first to get a stomach virus. It was just the timing....So we let the family know what was going on and decided to give it another day and just drive up early on Thanksgiving morning. (Also, don't forget my Birthday.) Oh, and here is how my actual birthday began. At approximately 3a.m. ish---when she was calling out to me that she felt worse, the precious girl was trembling with chills. I decided it would be best for me to sleep beside her on her little twin bed. So, I put my head at her feet and my feet beside her head. (Hoping this might keep me from catching whatever she had.) Then it occurred to me that there was no toilet tissue in the upstairs bath and that if she threw up again this would be needed. (Not that it is not always needed.) Just follow me through all these endless details, there is a point. To obtain this needed toilet tissue meant I had to climb back out of her bed, go downstairs, and tiptoe across the very cold tile floor to the laundry room. Upon picking up the bag of toilet paper, I upset the broom with a metal handle. It fell forward and smacked me basically right between the eyes. ! Have you ever? I knew this did not bode well for the rest of my day. Funny how things pop into your mind but right at that moment, the moment where words I will not print and I am asking the Lord to forgive me for were proceeding from my mouth, it occurred to me that this was about the time of morning I woke my parents from a sound sleep lo those many years ago that end in a "0." Yep. My Dad has often threatened to call and wake me up on my Birthday at exactly that time as a kind of payback. I told him what happened, I think he felt sorry for me which I needed.

The rest of the day is kind of a blur. I did go back to sleep for a few hours, then began the dilemma of deciding do we stay or do we go. After a delicious Thanksgiving lunch of General Dollar Store brand chicken noodle soup, the kids and I eventually got out the door without the company of my husband who unfortunately had chills and nausea. He said he would join us tomorrow, er, today now...if he got over the virus as quickly as Alyssa did. We did finally make it to my Aunt and Uncle's house, the kids and I got to see the cousins and eat leftovers from the huge Thanksgiving Dinner. I got to blow out candles on my cake that end in "0," and .....well, just like that it was all over.

I'm glad it is not all about me. Nope.

• I got to hold the cutest little nephew you ever did see. He leaned out as soon as he laid eyes on me with pudgy little arms reaching.
• I saw the same cousin I used to carry around in my arms when she was a baby, with her brand spanking new baby and he is beautiful, just like she is.
• I saw the relief in my Daddy's face when we all finally got their safely.
• I saw the cool new bright red mustang that belongs to my second cousin who just turned 16. Precious, sweet girl.
• I saw every other aunt, uncle, and cousin, and got to talk and catch up a little.
• Played dress up with a four year old who dressed me up in some flower child/diva get up and then proceeded to parade me around the house for the "pageant" as she called it.

I could keep going for another 20 bullet points without trying very hard. The end of it all is this. Yes, I am older. It was "the big _0". Big deal. The bigger, much greated deal is that I am surrounded by blessings and wonderful, precious people in my life. And loved by a Savior who is faithful to me and never changes. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know who holds tomorrow in His hands, I know that I am His, and I am Thankful.

Praying for your Blessing,

Leisl

It's Cold Yall

Well, so much for my big yard sale plans. It just ain't happenin' down here on the gulf coast where it is forecast to be a hard freeze!!! And it is well on the way. Long term forecasts predict that Sat. Dec. 6th should be nice. I'll try again in a couple of weeks. I don't dare try for next Saturday. Oh, no. I must be in place on either the floor or the comfy couch at my Momma and Daddy's house for The Game.

Alabama vs. Auburn. I don't dare brag, I don't dare make a prediction, I just follow the traditions and goofy little details we have like....

• My Mom must be in her recliner or things start to go down hill for the Tide.
• I am usually doing stretches on the floor.
• My Dad, well, he pretty much just doesn't move and polices the rest of us to make sure we go in and out the correct door for bathroom breaks and the like.

We used to have even more traditions in their former home. We are still working on the new ones.

I would love to hear your own stories of funny little superstitions you have when it is your "big ball game" day. Come on, don't be embarassed, I know you've got some.

Love you and Roll Tide!

Leisl

Short Hello

So much to do today, not enough time. Just want to say Hi to any who check this blog.

I am trying to prepare for a big fat yard sale, which I don't do often enough and simply MUST do this weekend or BUST! Too much stuff, holiday season coming up, clutter trying to take over my soul and it, must, go.

My pooh-girl is going to be one of the Golden Geese in a production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory put on by our local homeschool 4-H performing arts group. How fitting....as she is such a funny little goose, anyway.

Gotta go get my children reading their school stuff, swap some laundry, make some brownies to take to the play......are you bored yet?

If you loved me enough to read this little post......well....just know that as my Granddaddy used to say, "I love you real good too!"

Leisl

This is Why

This has been the kind of day that a home educating Mommy dreams about. It was a cold morning, really the first of significance this season. With a fire crackling in the fireplace, warm blueberry muffins and scrambled eggs on our plates, steamy hot cocoa in our mugs, the children and I had a brunch picnic on a blue plaid flannel sheet that we tossed out over the rug. Luke made the blueberry muffins, Alyssa scrambled the eggs, and John Pierce carried the sheet out afterwards to dump all the crumbs outside. I was the overseer/helper/instructor to Master Chef Luke.

While the food prep was going on, it was discovered that we did in fact have some marshmallows, (after previously mourning the lack thereof). They were the little kind, best for putting in hot chocolate or on top of sweet potato casserole. Alyssa, however, had other plans for the mini marshmallows. She braved the cold (in her bare feet - AAAAGGGGHHHH!) to go find a very thin, long, stick with which she could pierce her marshmallows for roasting. Her brothers and I were very impressed, and the boys eagerly followed her example until everybody had little sticks with gooey, burnt, delicious little blobs at the tip.

With full tummies and toasty feet, we all sat back to discuss some scripture I had been reading in relation to a bible study I am participating in with some ladies from our church. We are going through the study Stepping Up: a journey through the Psalms of Ascent, by Beth Moore. Anyway, the scripture was from Psalm 124, and Romans 8:28-39. The point of this reading was to point out to the children that our God is “for us.” I wanted them to really get that no matter what is going on around us, or how alone we may sometimes feel, our God is ALWAYS for us, and nothing can separate us from His love. This acknowledgement led to the most amazing conversation in which we discussed everything from blood sacrifices, the entrance of sin through the deception by Satan in the garden of Eden, Abraham and Isaac, how Israel got its name, how alone Jesus felt on the cross and how he was still loving and forgiving until the very end. Somehow our conversation went to the Roman Empire, Nero, Alexander the Great, early names for Germany(Germania), England(Britania), and Spain (Espania). We discussed the fact that the Jews didn’t fully understand that Jesus, because he was the only human who was totally innocent and had never hurt anybody, was the final blood sacrifice, and that animal sacrifice was no longer necessary. How, even today, the majority of the people of Israel don’t recognize their own Messiah and are seemingly baffled by Christians who love them despite the difference in belief. I explained that we love them because it was through them that Jesus came, along with our salvation.

There was more that we discussed, and it was all so - very - PRECIOUS! I don’t know how much of this morning will remain with them, but my heart is full to overflowing. I do have the promise that the word of God will not return to Him void, without having accomplished His purpose for which He sent it. To be able to participate in that miracle alone is indescribable. The rest, is just icing on the delicious cake of being the one who presides over the education of my children. To God be the Glory.

Better than Chocolate

Today's post is about the joy of "girl time." Make that "grown up girl time." I had some today and it was so desperately needed.

A trip to WalMart and the Salvation Army Thrift Store.

It wasn't the places we went, it was the girltalk that fed my soul. The title of one book I saw at the Thrift Store was something like, "Chocolate for a Woman's Heart." I don't know anything about the book, but I loved the title. I like Chicken Soup when I have a cold. But I like a little chocolate, ....mmm....pretty much any and all the time. Just a couple of hours to talk about the things close to our heart, to connect, well it was better than a pan of double fudge chocolate brownies.

My precious children probably don't realize that when they say their prayers tonight, they should thank our Lord that Momma had some girl time today.

I will thank Him for creating chocolate. And girlfriends.

Amen.

Leisl

This is what's happening here

My husband is in the middle of a job that has taken him away for 10 days. He is getting some wonderful time with his Dad in the process, which is so great and so needed. We (the kids and I) are just fine. Short term single parenting I can live with, briefly. :)

So, the kids and I are just getting the school work done early so we can move on to the rest of our day which will include hanging out at the park with some other homeschool families. Wow. That was a really long sentence. Sorry about that.

Anyway, so I am taking part in this Beth Moore Bible Study about the Psalms of Ascent. It is really good and really awakening my Spirit in some ways. This particular day in the study reminds me to pray for the peace of my city. Not something I often think to do if I am honest. So I did.

It's interesting, because for two years we tried really hard to sell our house. We had two or three times that offers were made but contracts either fell through or were broken by others. We were trying to pay off some school loans and move closer to our church.....well, God had other plans. And here we sit. Same house, same neighborhood, different church since my Kurt got called to preach at one in a neighboring city. I don't understand why we are still here, but I don't have to. I do need to be awake enough in my spirit to recognize the needs around me and just trust my God.

So, in a little while the kids and I will head to the park.

Can I just add that I am particularly enjoying my children right now? Such precious, not so little ones, growing so very fast. I love to see their senses of humor blossom. They crack me up and I think I would be much older without them. Does that make sense? I also love those aha moments when they have them.

Right now, they are in my face wanting lunch and to get moving toward the park or whatever we do next so, that is all for now. The natives are officially restless and distracting. Did I mention I'm really enjoying my kids?

Later,
Leisl