Curt's informed me I've been bad - not having blogged since the 14th. Bad, bad me.

Highlights from the past couple of weeks:
It snowed here this week. Snow showers, nothing to stick to the ground, but snow flakes, nonetheless. When Benjy saw the flakes falling as we got to preschool at 7 a.m., his little jaw just dropped in wonder. "snow!!!!" he whispered in amazement. Yup, snow. It was beautiful just seeing it through the eyes of a three year old boy.

Camden has his yellow belt in karate. He was so darn proud. I keep trying to upload a picture, but it's not working tonight. I'll try again.

Wednesday night Food for Faith meetings at church are really interesting. The discussion group I go to is a comparative study of the world's religions. We've spent the last two on Islam. Scary stuff, when you dive in and examine it. Hopeless and mean. How could people have faith in such a desperate and cruel religion? I suppose that with your life at stake, it might be easier to give in. Truly, we don't all worship the same God. Allah is definitely not the same as my God.

I've got a pile of magazines to go through this weekend. Better Homes & Gardens, Country Sampler, Scrapbooks Etc., Redbook, Blueprint. I love magazines. They appeal to that "gotta get it done fast so I can cross it off my list" sensability. And tonight, when I turn off my computer, I'll dive into The Kite Runner. Wow, that's a powerful book. I'm about half-way through, and I'm so sad at night when I'm just too tired to read anymore.

Curt's folks are coming up tomorrow for several days. They're excited to pass out Halloween treats on Sat. while we take the kids around the circle for Trick or Treat. Darth Vader and Annakin Skywalker will lead the way. Nothing like following the dark side.

I'm still in love with my school, my students. It's such a blessed place. I am happy each morning to start with our devotions at 7:10. Early, yes, but what a fitting way to start the day. Our director had the most interesting words of encouragement the other day. The jist of it was that we have a CHOICE to walk in fear or walk in hope. It's our CHOICE. God has provided a way for us to live without fears, without the anxiety that eats at our hearts. He tells us we can lay our troubles on Him, trust in Him, and He will take care of it all. But we cannot waver. We simply must TRUST and BELIEVE that He will guide us through these times and that our character will be shaped in the mold of Jesus as a result if we only trust and believe. That's what faith is all about. I had been so scared driving to school for a few days - afraid that a deer would dart out in front of my van and cause a crash. But I don't have to live with that fear. The enemy would like me to be afraid, but God doesn't want that. He wants me to feel joy and peace, to glorify Him through that. So my prayer partner and I prayed that God would take that fear away and protect me and Benjy as we drive to school on that windy country road. Sure enough, I am not driving in fear anymore. Cautiously and carefully, yes, but not fearfully. I had a choice to make - allow the enemy to let me live in fear, or allow God to comfort me and grant a peace to my heart. What a wonderful thing to be able to CHOOSE joy! Yes, I know I sound like a real wack, but I'm OK with that. I'm OK with having peace in my life. I simply don't choose the alternative. I hope you don't either.

I just posted this on the 3Scrappy Boys board - a summary of my day.

Beautiful sunny day here with cool temps and a nice wind to blow a few leaves around.
Too bad I spent it cleaning,
rearranging,
picking up toys,
organizing toys,
giving away toys,
and taking an entire van load to Goodwill,
and then - to top it all off - going to Walmart. I HATE Walmart. absolutely detest the place. But, being the saint of a mom that I am, I joined my family on its pilgrimage to the center of hell.
I felt I deserved a break when I got home.
Then realized I hadn't typed the powerpoint service for church tomorrow, so I did that.
Then I took a hot bath behind my locked door where I had to listen to Benjy bang and plead, "MOMMY I NEEEEEEED YOU NOOOOOOWWWWWW." I took a short hot bath.
Then, I ate my dh's awesome chili - two and a half bowls - and cornbread, and scrapped.
Yes. I actually scrapped one page tonight.
With paper,
not my computer.
So I guess the day wasn't a total loss, huh? 8) :lol:

Hiking

Yesterday was just beautiful. Blue sunny skies, warm - in the 70s, and a Sunday to boot. We went on a hike on a nearby nature trail. It was slooooow going, as any hike with children is bound to be. It absolutely kills me to walk s-l-o-w-y. Even Curt walks to slow for me. But the boys (all three of them) forced me to a snail's pace. and I wound up enjoying it. My heart wasn't racing and my blood wasn't coursing through my veins. But my soul was at peace. This trail is so wonderful - clean, natural, relatively flat for Pa., clear paths that wind through the woods. So many old-growth trees and some new ones trying to mature. Bat boxes were placed here and there to help our bat friends. (I love bats - they eat mosquitoes!) We walked for nearly two hours, ending our hike with a self-guided tour of the flower and herb gardens near the parking area. The boys seemed so happy. Pleasantly tired, we drove the windy roads of western Pa. back toward home. We were relaxed, living the simple life. Grateful for our time in the woods. Then we saw Toys R Us. And the world came crashing back like a tidal wave on the beach. Of course, we stopped. But we didn't buy a thing. I swear it. (Well, a milkshake at McDs, but that doesn't count, right?)

The strike is over. Camden and 6600 other students in his district returned to school today. The upside - he loved it. The downside - he has a spelling test tomorrow. The upside again - he knows his words.
Here are a few more things I'm thankful for:

* Gobs - for the uninitiated, a "gob" is a cookie-sized cake bottom and cake top sandwiched around yummy icing. I've never heard of them till this week when Carri brought one into me. YUM!!! The one I had was not chocolate, but more pumpkin-y. I gotta learn how to make these. :) (Darn, I wish I had a picture!!!)
* I got my hair cut - walked into Fantastic Sam's and didn't even have time to sit down before they called me. I love the cut.
* Little prayers count - I'd been feeling a bit down because I haven't had my quality quiet time to pray and think since school started. And then I realized that God hears our quick prayers, too, and He knows our hearts. So, sometimes that's good enough.
* My birthday has come and gone and I feel just the same inside and out. I'm a year older, they say. But I'm really just a day older than yesterday and even younger than next week. So there! (Still, glad my Avon came today.)
* Mom, Dad, Michelle, Brandee, and Hokie. I miss them. And I am thankful for them. I could have been born into any family, but God picked them for ME.

This was shared at our staff devotion time this a.m. Thought it was pretty powerful.

Mark 6:31 - Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, "Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

A management company in Pittsburgh computes that in a life span of 75 years the average amount of time spent sleeping is 23 years; working, 19 years; in amusement activities, 9 years; traveling, 6 years; eating, 6 years; waiting in line, 5 years; cleaning the house, 4 years; preparing meals, 3 years; returning telephone calls, 2 years; searching for misplaced items, 1 year; opening junk mail, 8 months; sitting at red lights, 6 months; worshiping, 6 months; and praying, 19 days.

Our Lord set a day aside for us to rest and to spend time in His presence, giving Him thanks and praise. Christ took time to separate Himself from the daily routine for rest and prayer. Look again at the list of how we spend a life's worth of time. Prayer comes out at the bottom and Bible study not at all. We don't have time, we complain. We have time, it would seem, for less important activities. And if we followed Christ's example, we would make time by carving out a space for prayer and study and by arranging a significant time to be in the Word.

After all, time spent in prayer and with our Bibles is when we come face-to-face with our Redeemer.

PRAYER: Dear Christ, lead us to spend our time with You. Amen.

I want 2 mommies!!!!!!!!!

Benjy says he wants two mommies. This is his new tactic for getting what he wants. Problem is, it's not working. Here's how it goes. He says he wants candy/lollipop/peanut butter sandwich/a new toy/a Star Wars "gum"/a later bedtime. You get the picture. I say "no." He says, "I want TWO MOMMIES!!!" I say, "You've only got one, me." He says, "I want TWO DADDIES!!!" I say, "You've only got one, Dad. And if you did have two daddies, they would both say NO." He says, "MOM, YOU CANNOT SAY THAT!" And I let it go. He gets the last word. But I get the point because he still doesn't have candy/lollipop/peanut butter sandwich/a new toy/a Star Wars "gum"/a later bedtime. The end.

I am a teacher

I really believed that I'd never go back into teaching again. I swore I would not. But then teaching found me and brought me back to the fold. And so I'm a teacher today. And I'm so blessed to call myself that. Not only do I get the satisfaction of seeing my 12 smiling students Monday through Friday, but I also get to see them when the light goes on and they realize they've truly grasped something. They're learning! They're wrapping their minds around new concepts and understanding them. That's the gift of teaching - witnessing this unmistakable a-ha moment and pushing them onward - past it and into a realm of new understanding. Sounds hokie, yes, but it's really something else to experience.
Here's a layout I put together last night for 3 Scrappy Boys last night. It was for a challenge called "All About Me".

Tomorrow I take Camden back to school with me. His teachers are still striking for more pay. Goodness knows I could use more, but you'll never find me on strike for it. Children are being hurt by this. There's no reason for them to be stuck at home or in day care or on the streets looking for something to do. Thank God my school director is so open to letting Camden come to school with me. Otherwise we'd be paying at least $150 to find a safe place for him to stay during the work week. And that wouldn't even guarantee that he'd be learning anything! I pray the teachers and board can come to an agreement QUICKLY. Sometimes you do something not for the money, but as a vocation. I've found mine. Maybe the teachers haven't found theirs.