Beauty....

So, Fep and I have began our journey through her birthday book Uncompromising: A Heart Changed by Radical Love. The first chapter was on Beauty and all that encompasses including looks and weight. And I was very surprised at the conversation it spurred between Fep and I. I've known of her own insecurities with her looks, but I was surprised as she began to share with me of her friends insecurities as well. Cause good Christian girls should be confident in who they are in the Lord, right? Foolish my thinking. Good Christian girls are real girls.

It's not surprising that I have know and have known several adults, friends and family, that have succumbed to plastic surgery in some form or fashion. To be honest, I have my own struggles with body parts in this aging 41 year old body! I have to constantly remind myself of Proverbs 31:30. And I know. I know it's all vanity.

Where does it stop? When will our society's focus on beauty end? When we all, even us good Christians, start focusing on what true beauty is.

"Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear-but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."

1 Peter 3:3-4

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Proverbs 31:30

Thirteen....

The Bob calls an infant carrier/carseat a "baby basket". And it always makes me smile when I hear him say, "Fep, I can still remember the day we brought a little dark hair baby girl home in a baby basket!" Believe it or not she had head full of almost black hair when she was born. And today that little blonde haired girl turns 13. Today she turns 13? Really? It seems like just yesterday that we brought her home in a baby basket. All the time in between seems to have passed just that quickly...from yesterday to today. And I'll blink my eyes, and then she'll be 18. It hurts my Mom heart to see her grow up and away, and at the same time, I can't wait to see the woman that the LORD fashions her to be! Why is watching your children grow up so heart filling and so heartbreaking all at the same time?

She's changing so very fast. Her own thoughts, her own opinions, her own ideas. Sometimes I like her budding independence. Sometimes I want her to be 7 years old again. I miss the days of My Little Ponies that have now been replaced with with an iPod. She's in between really....one minute she's playing with Legos and the next minute she asks me at what age can she wear makeup? The makeup question...it blindsided me. So, over the next several and very short years, I hope to continue to expand on teaching that we started when she was just a little little girl. The purity book we've read since she was just a little girl was The Princess Kiss, and now she's ready for a "big girl" purity book, and we'll read over the course of the next several weeks Uncompromising: A Heart Changed by Radical Love. Purity, Modesty, Real Beauty, Biblical Womanhood... all so very lost in our society. I'm so grateful that she truly has a heart for the LORD and she will continue to embrace that teaching, I believe.

Today she turns 13. So, we will celebrate today with family and friends and gifts and cake. There will be lots of excitement and lots of laughter in this day. There will also be lots of love.....and to be honest there will be a corner of my heart that aches just a bit as I try to soak it all in......

The better part...

I had been thinking about her. She's growing so fast...probably only about 5 years now before she's leaving the nest. Five very short, blink of an eye years. I had been thinking about her and how so very much like me she is. Shy. Introverted. And unfortunately...moody. But then I thought about her spirit...tender, soft, moldable. She's so much more than I was at her age. If you took her tender age of almost 13, it took me another 10 years to my life to yield what the Holy Spirit is creating in her. And then I thought, "She's the better part of me." And then life happened and she argued with her brother and had a moody moment and the better part of me seemed to be not so much better.

Days later, she was exerting a bit of a pre-teen, growing pains kind of attitude, and it really got next to me. As her little body is already in puberty, and hormonal changes abound, I thought, "This is crazy. She has got to be close to getting her monthly visitor!" There were tears and a lot of them, but I knew I was right, and I would not be swayed by her pre-teen tantrum. I left her to herself to gather herself and regroup. I went a while later to check on her, and she opened her bedroom door with big eyes that were obviously still wet. I thought to myself, "You have got to be kidding me? Are we still not over this?" And I asked her, "Are you still crying?" And then that better part showed up. In a blubbering mess of her little self she said, "I am so sorry! I am so embarrassed by how ugly I've acted. That's why I've stayed in my room. I've been too embarrassed to come out because of how I acted." I scooped her up with a big hug and a kiss on the head and told her all was forgiven. She's definitely the better part. Definitely. So much more tender to the Holy Spirit, humility, and repentance than I ever thought about being at her age. I wasn't really taught those things though as I didn't grow up in a Christ centered home. But nevertheless, she's me, and she is the better part....

The blue balloon...

We had been coloring. Fep reminded me I had not colored with her in several years. But a cute Winnie the Pooh coloring book in the dollar section at Target compelled me to dust off my Crayolas. And I sat there with her. She admired my coloring thinking me the queen of the Crayola. And I soaked in her love.

The next day Fep was back to coloring on her own, and she colored a picture of Christopher Robin handing Pooh a balloon. The balloon was blue and I immediately thought, "Not sure that's the color I would have chosen." Moose followed that thought with, "Fepper, why did you color the balloon blue. It's supposed t0 be red." And then we all had a big discussion on the color of the balloon in the Disney Winnie the Pooh that first aired in the late 60's. I agreed with Moose that it was red. Fep insisted it was blue. Moose dug through the old VHS's and found that first Disney made Pooh. On the back of the box was several pictures from the movie...one of Pooh on his blue balloon. I said, "Well, it may be blue on the back of the box, but I really think that's just on the box and it's red in the movie."

A night later, we piled in my bed, coloring book, Crayolas, and a bit of excitement in hand, and watched that Pooh video. And what do you know, but the balloon is blue. I asked Fepper if she looked at the box or if she just remembered it was blue. She said she just remembered it. And for some reason that filled my heart. I think it's that Fep is going to be 13 this year and to know that as she's growing that her little girl days are still in her memory and in her heart makes my heart filled with it all.....

Out of the mouths of babes....

(photo credit: www.icanhascheezburger.com)

Something we are constantly working on in our house is with Fep and Moose. Moose lives to get on Fep's nerves and Fep lives to boss Moose and correct him. It's a vicious cycle...and it can be very draining on my little nervies. Fep is first born...and is everything that goes with that. Everything. However, when her first born status gets in the way, The Bob will jokingly tell her that she has "First Born Syndrome". I don't believe that's a real diagnosis, but I think maybe it should be.

The other night Moose was talking about his history book and how boring it was ,etc., etc., etc. (and I do admit, he's in an extremely boring section right now...we may just pass over this chapter) The Bob told him that maybe they could do it at night together and that might make it more "fun". For some reason, Fep has a melt down and insists that the only time a school book should be used is during school. Where she pulled that from I don't know, because she has often looked through her science book for the pure enjoyment of it? The Bob laughs and asks her if she's worried her little brother will get smarter than her. And then Moose pipes up and says, "Fep!! You just have First Sinner Syndrome!" Ummmm...not quite Moose...but close enough ;)

Her turn...

It's funny how different your children are. And it's funny how different your reactions with them can be. When Moose left for camp, I cried like a baby. We dropped Fep off for camp on Sunday evening, and I only teared up a small bit. You'd think it be the opposite....Moose went for only 2 1/2 days to a kid's church retreat. Retreat. Fun, fun, and more fun. Air conditioned bunk houses. Fep is going to camp. Camp. Learning, learning, learning, and a little fun. No air conditioning. None. That is so important to note because our highs for the last 3 days have been in the triple digits. Fep went to an Audubon Ecology Camp. She will learn so much...and before we even left the bird instructor was already impressed and smitten by her. When it's all said and done she will have been gone 5 nights, 4 days. The longest 4 days ever. I'm only 2 days in and it's already been an eternity. So while the tears may not have flowed like they did for Moose, the longing to get my little Fep back is definitely there. I thought about her a gazillion times each day and prayed for her every time I thought of her....Lord let her make a friend...Lord let her be safe...Lord guard her mind and her heart...Lord let this be a great time for her...Lord keep her safe....Lord guard her mind and her heart....over and over with every thought of her. My last image of Fep was her about to cry when it was time for us to leave. I keep thinking of that and it just makes my heart sick. And that really is a good description for my feelings. Though the tears may not have flowed like a faucet...my heart has been sick with the absence of my Fep. I cannot wait to get her back!

Oh Lord, keep her safe....let her have a good time...guard her heart and mind...

Fep's Feathers....

Cause when Fep grows up, she wants to be like Ms. Jen :) All photos taken by Fep. And we are not clever enough to think of captions for every picture like Jen does, but we've put them where we could....

Where there's a will, there's a way...

Hello, Mr. Bluebird!

The Bluebird is The Bob's fav...

A face only a mother could love...

Ummmmm...I got nothin' here. No caption. Again, I'm no Jen.

The goal is not just good choices...

I had the privilege of going to a Mother/Daughter type conference with Fep yesterday. The speaker was outstanding. She had three children: an oldest son in college, and daughter in her first year of college, and her third son in his senior year in high school. She said that when the first two were teenagers, starting to branch out on their own, able to leave home and go do stuff, stuff with their friends, that one of the last things she would say is "Make good choices." And then with her 3rd she realized was that the goal? Good choices? Because even the world's best choices are not necessarily even "good choices" for a Christian. So with the last son still at home, but ready to branch out, she tells him before he leaves the house, "Remember the Cross". Remember the Cross. Mmmmmm. I love that. Because if we remember the Cross in all we do, we will not just make "good choices". We will, hopefully, make "His choices". So, when my children are of age that they are branching out, I can already see them walking out the door, with my voice reminding them to "Remember the Cross."

You can find out about the speaker at our conference here.

And with this being Palm Sunday, read Dawn's post here. I thought it was lovely. Embrace Passion Week with your family this week!

Fep's Feathers...

All photos by Fep :)

For Aunt Heather and Mrs. Jen. By the way, Jen, we really missed Feathers on Friday this past Friday!

Not a feather...just for you, Jen ;) Photo also by Fep :)

The longest day...

This was my yesterday:

6:45 - I'm up late. I should have gotten up at 6:00 to make my 8:45 doctor appointment.
7:00 - Wake kids before jumping in shower.
7:30 - Out of shower, curling hair. Moose asks, "Where is Fep?" She's not up! "Fep, please get up. I woke you up 30 minutes ago, and we have to leave soon."
8:00 - Leave for Dr....running late...it takes 35 min. to get to his office. Just for the record, I used to work at a doctor's office. Just because your appointment is at 8:45 doesn't mean you walk in their door at 8:45. Arriving 20 minutes ahead of appointment is always appreciated. Ummmmm....but I didn't make that today.
8:00 - no gas in car. Will have to stop. Lovely. This will make me even later.
8:05 - stop for gas. Click the pump handle in the little slot thingy that allows you to pump without holding onto the pump. Go in store to get kid's breakfast. Come back and pump is broken and the release did not click off when tank was full. Gas is spilling out all over my car and all over the ground. Probably pumped about $10 worth of gas onto my car and the ground.
8:15 - Keep thinking gas is not good on a car's paint. Pull into another convenience store and buy 5 bottles of water to rinse off gas. Sheriff deputy hanging out at register makes comment I must be really thirsty. I fake a smile. I'm sure they really thought I was nuts if they saw me pouring the water on my car. I'm embarrassed and feel like the whole parking lot is looking at me. Oh, and I'm really late for Dr. now.
8:45 - Sign in at the Dr. at the exact time of my appointment. I'm late, but not late all rolled in one. It takes the girl at the front desk 15 minutes to load my new insurance into the computer. 15 minutes...
8:30 - Listen to lady in waiting room talk on her cell phone. She's disputing a bill. Nice.
9:50 - Nurse calls me back after we've been in waiting room for one hour.
11:00 - Ready to leave Dr. after being told that I have Strep. Fep was diagnosed with Strep on Friday. Strep is very contagious so I ask about Moose and The Bob. They'll have to see Dr., too, if they want antibiotics. Make Moose appointment for 12:30.
11:10 - Leave Dr., get lunch, run to Target, and go back to Dr.
12:15 - Back at Drs. office for the 2nd time. Already feel like I've been there all day.
1:00 - Moose does not have Strep, but they are putting him on antibiotics anyway.
1:20 - Waiting at Pharmacy for meds.....find some yummy Weight Watchers candy for the diet that I'm now on....oh wait, it's not a diet.....it's my new way of life.....
2:20 - Home. Finally.
5:45 - Leave to take Moose to guitar lessons...another car ride and I'm ready to sing, "On the road again..."
7:10 - Moose's lesson is done. Head back home....
7:45 - Walk in the door and finish dinner....
8:00 - Eat dinner while watching 2nd half of The Biggest Loser.....really glad I'm having healthy Black Beans and Rice or I'd really be feeling guilty....also have the urge to go get on the Treadmill after watching the show....but I don't, instead I....
9:00 - Watch Chopped on Food Network. One of my very, very favorite Food Network Shows...
10:00 - Rush kids to bed. Give Moose medicine. Fep took hers earlier.
10:15 - Look at the dosage on everyone's antibiotics. It makes sense that my dosage is a bit more than Fep's cause I'm bigger. But why is Moose's dosage more than Fep's and as much as mine and he doesn't even have Strep??? Will call Dr. tomorrow....and find that this day is now running into tomorrow.....Bah.
10:45 Can't remember if I took my medicine. Have to count out all the pills to see if I did or not. Nope. I didn't take it. So, I take it now.
11:00 - Now that I think about that gas spilling everywhere....I was more concerned about my car than the gas on the ground....what if when I left someone dropped a cig or something....I should have told the lady in the store....Ugh.....

I don't know why, but this was the longest day. Not a bad day, but just loooooooong.

The Little Things....

I'm not sure when it happened? I'm not sure when I stopped doing the little things? You know the little things...the things that don't cost money, but make memories...the things your children will talk about when they get older. And that's true you know. The things I talk about from my childhood and growing up usually never involves what we did that cost money. Being that I grew up on the poor end of the scale and the fact that we didn't have money anyway is no never mind. If I talk about my childhood from a poverty perspective, it's usually that I'm grateful. My memories are that my Mom fixed the best ham ever on Christmas and Easter. And I fix that ham today at Christmas, and my mother-in-law tells me it's the best ham ever. My memories that my Dad fixed the best pancakes ever. And they weren't really pancakes, but flapjacks. There's a difference.

So, I used to do these things that made memories. The Bob did, too. Like when he would fix Green Eggs and Ham. Like when I used to set the table nicely for occasions or events.

On any given day, this is what our dinner table looks like...

It doesn't look like this every day, but any given day. Can you see the laundry hanging over the doorway and over the chairs? Fep's bird puzzle she's been working on here and there for weeks. Lovely, isn't it?

So, Saturday was Valentine's Day Eve. The meal plan was Pioneer Woman's Lasagna (which she says is the best ever. While it is absolutely the best recipe I've ever had to make at home, I find the best ever lasagna belongs to Avellino's Pizza in Mississippi...just in case you're ever in the area and want some Italian ;) ) Creamed Spinach, Garlic Bread, and Turtle Cookie Bars with Ice Cream for dessert. Yum. It was to be our Valentine's Dinner as Sunday yielded itself too busy with Church and stuff to think about creating such a meal. I walked into the dinning room, and the above scene just wouldn't do. I have not set the table nicely in forever. Years maybe? So, I started digging through the China Hutch to see what I could use. And this is what I came up with. Simple. Very simple. But so much nicer than the above, don't you think?

And it looked even nicer with the candles lit. Cause candles make everything look better.

Fep walked through after I was finished and said, "The table looks so nice!" Moose walked through and said, "WHY IS THE TABLE ALL DINNERY?" (and please say that loud and with a heavy Southern accent). Moose is a grammar lesson waiting to happen. And when The Bob got home for dinner he was quite pleased. Quite. I have not taken the time to do this in forever. And my time and my thought was all they needed this Valentine's Day. It's the little things.

I was so pleased with myself, too. So pleased that I gave myself a thumbs up and took a very cheesy picture....

Cheese. I'm full of it :)

The little things are worth unwrapping

December 2009....

This has been a busy month. And it's held more activity than just my return to work...

Christmas card photos...

Local missions Christmas Party....eyes blackened for protection of the children...the children at the party were neglected and abused and they just don't need any other trouble....but I can tell you that little fella' was the cutest little shepherd I've ever seen!


Made and ate more Christmas treats and goodies than my waistline can handle...and this may not look good, but trust me. It IS veeeeeeeeeeery good. Golden Graham cereal, pretzels, pecans covered in melted white chocolate bark. Mmmmmmmm. Yummy. I may have to loosen my belt just thinking about it....

Fep was in a wedding....


Christmas weddings are just sooooo pretty. Don't you think?

Christmas was spent with some of our favorite friends...

Love, the love of Christ, family, friends, and food. What more could you ask for?

The Sickies

The last several days in our home was spent battling the sickies. Fep came down with the flu on Wednesday and Moose and myself on Friday. Swine Flu or H1N1, take your pick, is running rampant in our part of the country and it found our way into our home. We were blessed in that it was very mild and very short lived. By Saturday, Fep was back in full swing, and that was my "sick day" which had me in the recliner watching Little House on the Prairie on The Hallmark Channel aaaaaaall daaaaaaaay looooooong. It was a long day, full of Pa, Ma, Laura and Mary. At the end of the day, after Fep and The Bob made dinner, Fep brought me this....


And this is what it said inside:

Dear Mom,

Thank you so much for caring for me while I was sick. I'll do the same for you. Just tell me what you want and I'll do it. You really mean a lot to me, Mom, and I want you to know that. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for your support. I love you =) I will always be there for you, too, Mom.

Fep =)

She really put those smiley faces in there. There were other treasures found over our sick weekend. Illness forces you to slow down. And we did slow down. In that we found time together, good family time. And I found even in the midst of the Swine Flu that I had treasures to unwrap.

Milestones...

All the reasons The Bob gave me that she should not do it and that it was too soon. These are the reasons The Bob gave that made Fep have to wait 4 to 5 years before permission from Daddy...

*Just because her friends did it doesn't mean we are letting her do it....
*She is too little....
*Then what's next?...
*You do this then it's makeup....

He finally gave in. A bit against his will. What could possibly cause such a commotion in his emotions? Just this...

Do you see it? At the beginning of this month, Fep got her ears pierced. Just another milestone that goes right up there with her first tooth and her first step. This a little more painful in that we see our Little Fep isn't so little anymore...she's becoming a young lady. A beautiful young lady. So much wrapped up in her growing up. I see her growing in the Lord. I mean really growing in the Lord. She is more spiritually discerning than a lot of teenagers I know, and she's eleven. For that...Thank You Jesus. But then....there's the pull, ever so slight, from Mom and Dad. She's starting to form her own opinions. I'm not near as "cool" as I used to be. Yes, I have been known to embarrass her on occassion lately. She's eleven and soon we enter the preteen years. Then we enter the teen years. So much to unwrap in her growing up.

The many faces of homeschooling...

This is a typical day.....

"I have to finish this worksheet before break."

"I just read this. What is the answer?"

"Aaaaugh! The pressure! Can't. think. of. answer."


"Oh yes. I have it now. Break time here I come!"

And we go through this almost daily....

I'm a Foodie

Hello. My name is Kat. I am a Food Network addict. You watch American Idol and like the sharp tongue of Simon Cowell, you say. Not me. I never watch that. I watch Chopped and like the sharp tongue of Alex Guarnashelli. You don't even know who that is, do you? I adore Bobby Flay, Barefoot Contessa, and Duff. I think you know that you have Food Network on a lot when your children take up the art of plating their food. Plating your food is an art, you know. You know plating it...plating food requires creativity and makes food lovely and attractive....so that you want to dig right in. Sunday, Fep was put in charge of fixing lunch after church. Moose requested a PB& J sammy no crust with chips on the side. When I come into the kitchen, this is what I see....

Yes, Fep is taking up the art of plating your food. I think she's a Foodie, too.

A Day in My Life (Part 1)...

There are a couple of blogs that I like to visit that will from time to time take you through their day in words and pictures. I really like that. I don't know why, because it's just everyday stuff? But I like it. I like it a lot. I've always wanted to do "A Day in the Life of Me" post, but I knew how much time it would probably take. And I was right. So, my daily life will be done in two parts. I'd also like to add that when you do this it makes you extremely mindful of how you are spending your time and your actions. Extremely. So, I've found this to be a beneficial little experiment of sorts. So, here we go....oh, and these pictures are so blurry. One day I'll have a nice camera.....

7:15 am - Rise and shine little lady. You're getting up late!!! (I should get up at 6:30). Have coffee, swing with Fep on the front porch, make hummingbird feed for their feeder, and start laundry...

8:00 am - Go to my room for personal bible time and devotion which I always do in my unmade bed...

While I'm doing this the children are working on their morning chores and stuff...

8:30 am - Look for something to wear - this took 15 minutes!!!! I knew I'd end up in a picture so I was trying to look my best. It didn't happen, and it took 15 minutes because I've gained 14 lbs., and my clothing options are very limited at the moment. (Sigh) I also reboot the laundry.

8:50 am - Clothing picked out, I get in the shower, then dress, put on make up and fix my hair. I'm high maintenance, and I always fix my hair and put on makeup. Always. I'm high maintenance, plus I need it. If you know what I'm sayin'!

9:33 I'm ready and I decide that my bed will have to wait and we need to start on school.

We go to the front porch swing to start school off with our Bible lesson...

Then, I started Fep on English and Moose on Math...

After I got them started, I made my bed, folded laundry, and emptied the sink of dishes....
I had to stop mid fold on the laundry and help Moose with his next subject...you can see he takes it very seriously ;) The pile beside me was the laundry I'd been working on....

Moose finished up his morning school work. He worked from 9:30 to 11:00 he did Bible, Math, English, Reading, and Science. Fep did not get finished until 12:15, and she did Bible, Math, English, Reading, and Science also. Moose is in the 3rd grade and Fep the 6th. She has quite a bit more work than he does. At 12:15 we stopped for lunch. The kids had frozen pizza, and remembering that it took me 15 minutes to find something to wear, I had a Weight Watchers friendly sandwich and pretzels...a 7 point value :)

Are you tired of this yet? I just about am...but part 2 will come tomorrow :) There's more school, more housework, some errands, and just.....life.

First Day...

Today was our first day of school. Moose. That little fellow can be so full of life and love...and such a handful all rolled in one little 8 year old boy. That face looks innocent enough. Our first day of school didn't go so well. Moose took forever to complete the simplest task. Too long to do his math. Too long to do phonics. Too long to do spelling. Moose is a piddler. A dawdler. A daydreamer. And dare I say...a bit lazy. He has a tough time in our home, because nobody else here is a piddler, dawdler, or (sigh) lazy. By lunch he was in tears, and I was contemplating why I homeschool.

At the start of the day, I took pictures to commemorate the first day. Making memories as The Bob would say. Fep, always compliant and a real people pleaser, took her picture without fault...

Moose on the other hand...



And...



Oh my....


At the end of the day, when the books were put away, and the talk was had over why it's important to be diligent, I looked at these pictures, and they made me giggle. And I needed a giggle. And within that giggle and laughter, I was reminded why I homeschool....