Simple Joys From this past week

~ The colors of Autumn, my favorite time of year (sneezes and all). In texas, these are some of the only red and orange growing things so far. I also have orange zinnias and marigolds. The leaves usually wait to turn until November-early-December.





~ Finishing up another book restoration for a friend

~ Reading about Literature with our youngest son, knowing that he is finally getting it!

~ Watching "Iron Man" with the boys

~ Playing a Spanish vocab game with our 17 yo daughter, helping 15 yo son with his Spanish homework

~ Helping teenager number three to learn how to drive!



~ Working with Hubby in the veggie garden; the sweet potatoes that are bigger than my foot! We have three more mounds of these to dig.





~ Thrift store finds that help make a house an organized, warm home. This piece was so unbelievably cheap and completely needed and useful. Cash only, baby ;-)





~ Talking to our oldest son in Omaha by phone, cause I miss our long conversations sometimes

~ Cooking cool-weather foods now that Autumn is settling in (*Winter Squash Soup and White Chicken Chili, just to name two of our favorites)

~ Teaching Spanish to my kids and their friends

~ Cooking for my kids' best, closest friends

~ Fresh ground, fresh-brewed coffee

~ hot chocolate with peppermint syrup

~ Making plans to help hurricane victims

~ Helping Hubby by working his after-school program this week while he is leading a freshman class trip.

~ Seeing my old, best girlfriend while at the school...she teaches there now in the lower school.

~ Planning for an art show with my kiddos and their best friends

~ I'm loving our schedule this fall. It is just about as perfect as it can be, just busy enough but not so crazy or stressful with wildly changing hours. We have plenty of room (margin built into the schedule) to have friends over, breathe, and live.

~ Since This is our daughter's Senior year and Hubby's life is so much more complicated than in all his years (18 now) of working and leading at the same school, it is more important than ever to make home a relaxing and inspiring haven to make every moment we all get together count, maximizing our time as much as we can. We do not regret any choices we had to make to accomplish this atmosphere of home and hospitality for ourselves and others. This is an important season.

How is your Autumn turning out? Any special blessings or plans? Leave me a comment and tell me about some of them.

Ciao for now,

Javamom

And the new year begins!

On New Year's Eve, we spent much of the day with some of our friends from church at their home, six families together in all. Just about every three months, the men and the boys get together for "Age of Empires" battles. We're talking a computer for every player; multiple hours, multiple games. We gals spend the time visiting, we watch a movie or two, and play "pass the babies." We had three babies to share this year! I made the customary espresso and cappuccino for those who wanted them.



After all the babies went home (before midnight) and our older kids went off to their lock-in or over to another family's home for their own New Year's party, we played "Pit." It was a vintage version of the game, too. Do any of you remember it or still play? Everyone trades one, two, three or four cards to get a full house of "wheat" or "corn" or "rye" etc. You only want the "bull" card if you have a handful of the same card and are about to win. You don't ever want the "bear" card. Twice I had both in my hand when someone went out. That meant -50 pts. for each of those cards. Somehow, I still won the game and was the first one to (almost) get to 500. They called it finished at 490. In between each hand, we all took a turn reading aloud to each other from the Gullah Nyew Testament. That was rich fun!

Here is an example: from 1 Thes. 5: 16-22

"Rejaice all de time. Neba stop da pray. Ain mek no nebamind wa happen, oona mus tell God tankya fa ebryting. Cause dat how God wahn oona fa lib, oona wa done come fa be one een Jedus Christ. Mus dohn stop de Holy Sperit fom do e wok eenside oona. Wen people da taak wod wa God pit een dey haat, oona mus dohn hole em cheap. Mus listen ta um. Mus look at ebryting good fashion fa mek sho weza e fom God fa true. Den ef e good, oona mus hole fast ta um. Mus stay way fom ebry kind ob ebil."

...and that is how we spent our New Year's Eve and early New Year's Day. How about you?

Javamom

part time work

Well, I've been hired by a homeschool mom friend of mine to stuff envelopes for metro pcs advertising. The nice thing about it is that 1) the kids get to help me out and earn money for their efforts, 2) we get to work at home in comfy clothes, 3) it will help us make ends meet each month, since insurance and other expenses have skyrocketed this past four months or so, 4) it will help us put money in an emergency fund again and if we can keep at it, a "fun" fund, as well.

At first, I was wondering how the driving would be, but the drive to pick up and drop off the materials is actually quite easy (though not real close), and our 13 yo ds is very motivated to come along and help out.Our 11 yo is a good helper when he wants to be, and our older two are pretty busy already. I think our dd will help when she runs out of babysitting money. She is without a consistent job now, as the family she sat for the most is trying to move closer to the Dad's workplace.

I'm still hopeful about having some consistent extra money coming in, and I'll let you all know how we do when co-op starts up again :-). I may want to pull my hair out then, but I hope we can juggle it all well and that the kids are motivated to keep at it. It is a good opportunity for them to learn some things about earning and saving money, keeping commitments, and being good stewards.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!!

Thank you, ladies, for all your input. Hopefully the Booksncoffeehaus will function better, now! I wish you all a Blessed Christmas Day. If you are going to Christmas Eve services tonight, enjoy...and let God's Peace reign in your hearts and homes. Here are the lyrics from a song I sang in both worship services today. It fit in with the Advent theme of "Peace."

Hallelujah
words and music by Darlene Zschech

He is here
The Saviour has been born
The One we've waited for
Surrounded by our praises

He is here
The promise of the King
To You our lives we bring
Let Your glory be revealed

Joy to the world
Peace to all who love Him
The Saviour has been born
And all of Heaven smiles

Glory to God
We bring an offering to You
Join with all the angels singing
Hallelujah

(Repeat)

Merry Christmas, y'all!!
Javamom

Long time no update

As you can see, I've not been able to update in a couple of weeks, so my blog has become very boring! We are about to have a brief fall break, from our hs co-op. The homework and grading continues through this week, but we won't have classes this coming Friday.

I will, however, be covering my hubby's afterschool program at school...so I'll actually be busier than usual. I am going to be one tired chickadee next week, from the driving, as well as from the work.

Oldest son finished his Starbucks training and started his "real" work this past week. He loves it. Now I pray that he can juggle his responsibilities well, and keep up with his schoolwork with a good, humble attitude.

We saw a huge flock of butterflies clustered in the trees around sunset, during their regular, Autumn migration south, and even went back to the park another time this week to take friends to see them.

My parents will be in town next weekend, and we get to celbrate my Dad's 70th birthday (which is actually in November) with some of my brothers and their families while Mom and Dad are here.

I won free tickets to see Manhattan Transfer, now I'm wondering if it's going to work out for me to go and take one of my kids or friends with me, since Hubby cannot go on concert night.

So, my to do list looks like this this week:

Sunday

~ Sing (Gals trio) for worship team this week
~ Run the afterschool program
~ follow up from parents of high school seniors meeting: make a phone call or two in planning for a couple of the activities for seniors (of which our son is one) in our co-op this year.
~ Edit and type up an old outline for new homeschoolers
~ Finish preparing speech to go along with above outline to be given on Oct. 18th
~ Send out quiz to my Spanish 1 class
~ grade Spanish 1 homework on Wednesday/Thursday
~ de junk a little in each room this week (15-30 minutes each day)
~ read for bookclub
~ shop, cook, clean-up and laundry as usual
~ celebrate a birthday


Things for which I am thankful:

~ anytime I get to see a humble spirit exhibited by loved ones, friends, or anyone in leadership
~ My family's efforts at learning to be patient with each other
~ the good friends that our kids have
~ cooler temperatures (well, it is staying in the 80's now, instead of the 90's!)
~ Bluebell icecream with caramel syrup!
~ good coffee
~ guitars and music
~ a van that runs well
~ grocery money :-)

New Year Pause

1. This is the calm just before the return to the regular, schoolyear [educational-type] activities: assignments due, grading to be done, classes beginning again. It's quiet in our home at the moment, with all of our boys visiting friends for the evening. Daughter and I are working through her Spanish lessons, trying to get her caught up on her homework. She slacked off the assignments for her Spanish teacher, which would be me :-/, hoping who knows what...that perhaps I'd go easy on her? I left things in her lap, so she'd feel the natural consequences of putting her work off. She chose to work sporadically on the language, which one just cannot do and expect remember anything well. Now she has to go back to lesson 10 and re-do almost everything. She should be finished with lesson 14 now, ready to begin 15, but she had too many holes in her understanding of the material. Hmphhhh.

2. The weather is strange. We hit an all-time record high (in 95 years) for our area today, 83 degrees! It is one of many records we've set in the last week or two. No wearing of winter clothes for us!! We have to keep shirtsleeves onhand, not pack them away in the attic in "summer clothes" boxes.

3. Pray for rain...Oklahoma and Texas need it *very* badly. Pray also that the wildfires will stop.

4. I wish you all a happy, productive, and blessed New Year, as you set your goals and plans in place, trusting in the Lord to help you accomplish those that you've outlined and set for yourselves and your families.

What are some of your plans or course changes for the new year?

Favorite Things

~ Sipping good coffee

~ spending time with old friends

~ spending time with new friends

~ lighting candles

~ the smell of autumn

~ watching butterflies

~ Claire de Lune played by James Galway on the flute

~ loading up and arranging new bookshelves with old favorites

~ waking up slowly in the morning

~ holding my huge, orange, teddy-bear-cat

~ foot stomping music, especially useful during serious house cleaning times, such as fall decluttering.


"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing."

~ Phyllis Diller

That describes life with our youngest (10 yo Andrewcles) to a "T." I keep stepping on little Legos with my bare feet!

Javamom

Fall Break

This week is "Fall Break" from the three co-op-type classes that I teach. I also help in two other classes, but that only takes a little time. Even though it is fall "break," that doesn't mean I can take a break from the coursework...just a break from actual class meeting time this week. I do, however, get to finish grading all of Spanish l class's book work and then write up their progress reports. I also need to score their Unit 1 tests. I have nine students, so that will take some time. Then I want to get ahead and stay one week ahead in lesson plans and printing/game planning, etc., so that I can have better use of time.

I have to get my students' books back to them later this week so that they can begin their lesson 6 work due on October 21. We decided to meet for a party this week, since I have to get their books back to them. I'm still trying to figure out the best time and place for that to occur, since we are from various metroplex suburbs. We need to find a central point, so as not to put any one family out too much on gasoline or time on the freeways.

This fall has been so different from anything we've ever experienced in our years upon years of homeschooling, but changing something every year keeps it interesting and exciting, even! There are times that it gets frustrating, but...it's not about what I want! It's about where God wants us, how He wants to use us, what He wants us to learn, and what my children need to keep them challenged and interested. But you know what? It is keeping us accountable to get our studies accomplished. He is also using our gifts and abilities for His glory!

Junior high Spanish class is also going pretty well, but I have five students who are newbies to a foreign language, and two who have had Spanish before. The challenge to teach and provide resources near each one's level keeps me on the ball. The things I've been able to give them from my bag of "tricks" and personal library seem to be working, so far. I hope I am serving them well.

In the meantime, I appreciate having this one week to be able to breathe deeply, to refuel, and to get ahead of the programs.

One thing that will help on the home front organization is that hubby and I are whitewashing several bookshelves we ordered to match another set we already have in the living room. Once those are stained and dried, we can assemble them and get boxes and stacks of books off of the floor in our library, family room and living room and into some order on these shelves. Yes, every couple of years we have to add more shelves. I continue to cull out the old, though, because our cottage is small. When I have some time, anyway...WHEN...when. That time is rare.

Nevertheless, we are blessed beyond measure by our Lord. We are where and how he has placed us in this life, for a reason. Now I hope that we are listening and following as *He* wills, not as *I* will!

Happy Autumn Blessings, all!

Home and Thankful to God!

My family was in a very bad accident with friends of ours while they were on a camping trip to New Mexico on Wednesday, July 27th. The Dad of the other family was driving and fell asleep at the wheel. The car went off the road and up a hilly area...then rolled three times. Our friend ended up being care-flighted with his daughter, who had neck fractures, to El Paso. Our son, Jordan was on the same side of the car they were on, and cut his head up. He got nine or ten stitches above his eye and has cuts all on his scalp. James, Kylie, and Andrew, and the other family's mom basically just got cuts, bruises, bumps. The mom later realized she also had a broken rib. The two other families that were also camping on the trip saw almost they'd wrecked, and came quickly to help them out. It took 45 minutes for help to show up, since they were out in the middle of nowhere. Some of the pictures of the wreck are posted on Kylie's website.

Flash forward to me and Jonathan (our almost 17 yo son) in the Yucatán...we found out through one of our daughter's friends that they'd been in a wreck, but not until late on the next Monday night...August first, and there were only a few details written on her website. Imagine how helpless we felt, not knowing much, and just having to trust that my husband had not told us about it through his e-mails because everyone was alive and doing better. If it had been worse, he would have called us home, but he did not want to worry us or mess up this educational and career opportunity for Jonathan and me. The Dad, Norman, is home and will be able to go to work for half-days starting today. When the roof of his car caved in from rolling, it basically scalped him. His daughter, Caitlin, has small fractures in her neck, but they will heal over time, as she keeps her neck-brace on. The Mom, Teresa, had a sprained arm and a broken rib. Our son, Jordan, already has his stitches out, but the emt guys cut all his clothes off...including his brand new and favorite pair of jeans! Jonathan and I are now home from Izamal, Yucatán, and are so thankful to see our family alive and well. I got sick on American food Saturday...went to church Sunday, but came home from lunch and slept straight through from 3:00 p.m. yesterday to this morning. I feel much better today, only needing an adjustment from my chiropractor!


~Jonathan and me in the courtyard of the Korean Mission House in Izamal, Yucatán, where we lived. You can view more photos of our trip on his site, linked at his name.

~ some of our students, walking the streets of Izamal to take photos


This trip was a humanitarian trip through Hubby's school (The WinstonSchool), but it became a mission trip for Jonathan and me...One of Hubby's students even came to church with Jonathan yesterday!! Pray for Mike to make a commitment and to grow in strength against peer pressure and against boredom. He says that's when he is tempted to do the wrong things with friends.
I'll have to tell you all more about the adventures, opportunities and blessings sometime. I'll be posting about it here as I decide to spend more time online. I have enjoyed the lack of distractions of being in another country and being on a mission.

Love and hugs,
Javamom, who missed the Ambleside Online Conference here, for which Jonathan and I were going to be helpers...and missed meeting Donna-Jean, Wendi, Leslie, see Lynn and family...and the other AO ladies in Texas only because God opened this huge door for our son and me in Izamal!

hs mom to four ages 10-16.5 who've always homeschooled