Thirty-one days of intention...

So...

I wasn't going to do this.  But the Lord keeps tugging at my heart. There is a large group of bloggers like me who juggle many, many, hats. They are coming together in October to write for 31 days straight. Their topics are widely varied but the commitment is to tell the story of life based on their chosen theme for 31 days straight. I have to tell you, committing to publishing something readable for 31 days straight scares me. However, God keeps nudging. His small voice saying go on, you can.

Okay "I can."

My 31 days topic is intention. As a homeschooling mom, as a christian, as a wife I want to live with intention. I want to stop drifting through my days and possibly accomplish something.  I want to be intentional and aware of my actions or non actions. I want to be aware of my tone when speaking. I want to be intentional about my relationships. Yesterday's post detailed our long summer hiatus, full of activities and travel. Those things were for the most part planned, lived, and enjoyed with abandon. Now we are returning to a routine that we are still defining. I am asking the Lord to give us clear direction on the wheat and the chaff in our schedule. That we may be wise through His guidance in the use of our time.

Day 2 Today my focus is intentional school. As a home schooler it is so easy to allow morning to drift quietly by and accomplish nothing. Then we are still doing spelling at the dinner table. ugh. Today I got up with my alarm, had a few minutes of quiet with the Admiral before he left for work, and I am now ready to wake the girls. I feel peaceful and prepared to face the day. It is a good feeling.

Caite

Hiatus

Time flies...

Just about five months have flown past between posts. What a packed five months it has been!

I find it interesting that my last post was about savoring time together with my spouse and now I am writing about taking a break. I hadn't planned to take a break from Whisper. Life got really busy and I lost momentum. So here is a brief synopsis if my hiatus.

*** We finished our first year homeschooling. WOW! I really enjoyed the school year. I am excited about our upcoming year! We are adding a couple of subjects and planning some fabulous learning trips.

*** My folks came for a good visit. Always a good family time.

*** Trip to Goodlettsville, Tennessee for the Annual Gathering of the Advisory Council and Board of Directors meeting of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries. This trip is always a little like going home. A two day meeting interspersed with prayer, worship and family time.

*** We did costuming for a local theater group. All For One Productions is a faith based theater company that does great shows. I was privileged to work on "Emma" in January. Then in I also did a costume for "Women of Lockerbie" in April. I enjoyed working on both shows and look forward to future collaborations. This coming season has some amazing shows.

*** "Life in the Spirit Seminar" is a weekend, local church, renewal event. It is one of several such events that are facilitated by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries. I got to serve on a team that went to Woodstock IL in late April. I always go on these teams wanting to give of myself and whatever the Lord is telling me to share. I always come home blessed beyond my imaginings. I love doing this!

*** In May ... Unplanned Surgery. Sigh. I woke up early one Monday morning and my chest burned whenever I would breathe deeply. Off to the Doctor, then from there to the emergency room. You know when your doctor is offering to call an ambulance, you freak out slightly. We arrived at the E.R. and the Doctor there listened to my complaints and said "I think it is your gall bladder." My first thought was " I haven't had tummy troubles?" But sure enough the sonogram showed gall stones and major inflammation. Admitted to the hospital and scheduled for surgery. WOW did that throw me for a loop. Suddenly I cannot even get off the couch without help. Mom came for a week and helped out. I am so blessed by my mom and hubby. They took great care of me, helped with the girls, and generally helped me cope with the upheaval. So for six to eight weeks I was on lifting restriction. Pixie ran around saying " Mama! Should you be lifting that?" " Mama, I need to carry that for you!" "Mama! Put that down!" So I had no chance to push the envelope, I had to behave. UGH.

*** July brought kitchen renovations, Aldersgate conference in Charleston, WV, Mystic Mountain Summer camp for the girls. Camp Blast for T while Pixie went to Camp Powtowatami here in town. Then our friends from Vienna Austria arrived for a few days stay. The next thing we knew it was August.

*** August was full with a trip to Aunt Linn & Uncle John's for the girls and softball tournament for me. I am so glad I chose to play softball with my church's team! I learned a lot and I am looking forward to next season. We also participated in our only living history event this summer at the end of August. Hopefully we will get to do a few more events next year.

*** September rolled in with a roar! A visit from Busia and Grandpa - the Admiral's folks. A sprinkly day spent at terrific air show. Then the next week we left for vacation. which you will hear more about in the coming week.

As you can see it was jam packed summer full of planned and unplanned adventures. Through it all I can say that Jesus walked us through, providing what we needed as we fielded each curve ball. Reminding me along they way of how incredibly blessed we are and how fortunate. We all have hurts we carry, dark valley's we walk through, people we care for who are walking through dark valley's of their own, we can turn to Him. He will carry us through. We can trust Him in every situation good, bad, and ugly. We can give him our pain, frustration, and uncertainty and He will return to us our joy!

Lord help me to turn to you everyday with the small things as well as the big, Help me to trust that you see the big picture and know what is best for my life. Thank you for providing before I even know we have a need. Thank you for giving comfort in the midst of seeming chaos.

Caite

Vacation Day One

We are now home from vacation and settling back into our routine. I am getting pictures and my journal processed enough to share with you. Enjoy!

YAY!

9/7 -8  Vacation is here yippee and hooray! 

Miss T snoozing

Pixie woke bright and early!

We did something a little different this  trip and I think I liked it! We left home late evening and drove through night taking turns. The girls slept most of the way and were not as worn out or grumpy as usual when we arrived.  I like travelling and arriving early day or mid day instead of late. This meant we had time for an adventure before dinner as well. 

There was a wonderful sunrise as we drove through Virginia. We arrived in Kill Devil Hills North Carolina in time for lunch with our friends. Then we hit the beach!






The ocean always amazes me. I live my life day to day and pretty much feel confident in my own ability to handle 80% of what life throws at me. Then I visit the ocean. It takes my breath away to watch God's creation and know that the ocean's awe inspiring power is minor is the face of Almighty God. This humbles me. our friend Larry and I braved the waves, but not for very long. The surf was rough and roiling. The girls played in the waves rolling up the beach. There is a small beach bird that I found out later is called a Sanderling. We called him a "hurry, hurry bird." When the waves would recede he would run down the beach and drive his beak in the sand over and over looking for food. When the next wave would crash in the little bird would turn and hurry, hurry away up the beach so as not to get caught by the wave. He was so much fun to watch. I will write more on him later. Returning from the beach we found that Grandma and PapPap had arrived YAY! We helped them unpack and then went for a beach walk. The girls and Grandma returned with lots of fun shells.

What a great way to start vacation!

Respite...

     It has been roughly five months since you've heard from me. I was shocked when I looked and saw how long it had been. So my apologies dear friends. Yet, as I listened to my pastor last Sunday preaching about rest, I realized it had been a very busy spring and summer. I've needed the rest, now I'm ready to begin.  We have rolled through some serious challenges, through it all God keeps meeting us where we are and carrying us through. So this period of respite has been busy, calming, and yes even restful.

     Returning from my writing respite finds us headed out on our family vacation. In fact I am writing this on my Droid as the Admiral drives to the sounds of Beauty and the Beast. This app that lets me write on my phone is pretty cool. This the first time I've tried it. The rain is cascading down creating a soothing cadence with the wipers. I'm reveling in having finished ninety-eight percent of the laundry, all the dishes, and the fact that my house is reasonably neat. It will be welcoming when we arrive home again.

     I feel a little strange beginning to write again now as opposed to after vacation or three weeks ago when we started our school year. But there is no time like the present. God has taught me much this year about rest, trust, and listening. I cannot wait to share my stories.

    We began our homeschool year in late August. It has been a very good three weeks. The girls have grown so much. Pixie is reading everything she can get her hands on and T is reading a lot and creating her own compositions on the piano almost every week. I was/am so excited about our homeschool this year. Last year I think I was too nervous to be excited. This time I am much more relaxed. I am also more confident with a year under my belt. I'm looking forward to sharing our adventures with you.

    Over this week I plan to write a bit about our adventures during the past five months as well as chronicle our vacation. Upon our return home I think my goal would be to post to you 2x per week. That could be a tall order. Yet I think it is a good goal. I am asking for you to let me know what you think, give me feedback, and most of all keep me accountable to the goal. In advance- Thank You.

Caite

a blink of an eye........ Poof!

This year marks some milestones. We set aside some days as special...class reunions, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. As I look back at my anniversary ( Jan 17th - 14 years) and forward to my upcoming class reunion I am surprised, overwhelmed and shocked. Can it really have been 20 years?

 I have now lived in this place longer than I lived at "home". Part of me still feels like that foolish eighteen year old trying on the new grown up me that I was inventing in my first year of college. Part of me is very glad I am not her anymore. The journey is important. Each day brought me to the place I am today, I would not give them back. If I had just blinked and gone from there to here She, from 20 years ago, could not handle my life today. She would not have the history & experience to function.

I am so grateful for God's hand on me, preparing me for the challenges I will face.




I look at my daughter's face and wonder where the baby girl went. *Poof!* There are these people with strong opinions and individuality. When did that happen? I mentioned this to my mother. She quipped " How do think I feel when I look at you?"






The strange reality of life is we keep growing, changing, discovering. God designed me for this. Who I am today is not who I was, nor is it who I will be.



I think what I want to say is everyday is a milestone in some fashion. Marking some days as special does not mean the others are less than special. It mean we are choosing to remember, choosing celebrate life and that is  good. Do not write off any day without thankfulness for it. Because *poof!* it is gone forever. Look for Him in the ordinary. Seek Him and know He is with you for the whole journey, not just the mountain tops. Be Thankful.

Top Ten Reasons to Get up and Moving

I have been lollygagging... What I mean is I have been getting up, eventually. Then put-zing around and eventually making breakfast. We might start lessons before lunch- maybe. These are my top ten reasons to get moving.

#1. Less confusion. When we get going in a timely manner in the mornings my girls know what is expected of them. This is far less confusing than playing for awhile, then doing a little bit of work then off to make believe. Then getting "rudely" called back to lessons. This is the way our days have been going when we do not get a solid start. We just sort of float along. Not good.

#2. More Momentum. Starting early or on time gives us good momentum to accomplish much throughout the day. Starting late means playing catch up all day.

#3. Different Energy. I have observed that when I am up and at 'em and have school pre-planned. I am able to stay positive even when the girls are frustrated with a lesson. I am excited about teaching and can give them excitement about learning. Not so much when we are behind.


#4. Better Attitudes. When the girls know what to expect there seems to be less shove back, less arguing. Their attitudes are more positive and we have WAY more fun!


#5. More time.  I know everyone has the same 24hours. However our best work gets done in the morning. If we do not start until eleven... we run out of quality focus time.


#6. More Fun. IF we get our book work done, there is time to make cookies, do extra science experiments, make special arts projects. Getting moving means more things that make Home school a blast!


#7. Flexibility.  Planning ahead allows me to have the flexibility to plan special days, or more relaxed days.


#8. Better eating schedule. I am working on eating healthier. However I am rarely hungry when the girls are especially when we eat breakfast late. This is a challenge. Getting up and getting breakfast earlier really helps me keep a healthy food schedule.

#9. Sense of Accomplishment. When I am on top of things and we get our schoolwork done with time to spare I feel like we have conquered something. We have accomplished the goal I set out. That is a terrific feeling.

#10. I feel better. Satan likes to beat me up when I "fail". Let's face it I beat me up too. He just encourages it. So my number ten reason to get up and get going is it makes me feel successful and not overwhelmed by the bigness of the job.

Getting up and getting moving, Just do it.

 

Random Questions

So My friend, Aurie, at Our Good Life did a random questions list. I thought this was fun. So I am in :)


What is your guilty pleasure? Today - Homemade Caramel Popcorn with Cashews 



If you could speak another language besides the one(s) you already know, what would you chose? WOW I don't know. I would love to know Spanish, Hebrew, Greek, Gaelic. 


What one area of your life do you wish you could hire someone to do for you? Cleaning. I'd much rather make the mess! Create, Play, Cook, Sew!


When’s the last time you wrote a snail-mail card to someone when it wasn't their birthday? I wrote my Mom and my Grandmother this month. I like making cards I do not always use them. I like writing letters I just don't do it very often.


Do you prefer active (traveling) vacations or lazy (stay at home) vacations? I like both. It feels more vacationy when we travel. But home is good too.


Would you rather watch television or read a good book? Sigh. I like crime shows. but I absolutely LOVE to read, but I am irresponsible with books. I get sucked into a novel; the dishes go undone, children fend for themselves, I get no sleep. Reading is a wonderful outlet. One for which I am thankful. It is also one I must be wary how often I engage in. Short answer: Good book


Which do you prefer, large shopping centers or small mom 'n pop stores? Mom 'n pop stores all the way. Yes, many things are cheaper at the bigger stores. I have come to believe that paying the extra price is an investment in local business. In my hometown the local grocer contributes to all three churches youth groups, the Girl Scouts, the band, the Lions club, the Boy Scouts, and the little league, as well as others. Supporting this business man supports our community.


Which did/do you like better, math and science or arts and crafts? Arts & Crafts, anything creative. Math is confusing. Science is interesting but takes math. History is wonderfully full of stories.


Which do you prefer, online or real flesh and blood friends? Friends are blessings, regardless of distance.


When was the last time you did a special deed without sharing it either off or online? I rarely share ... God leads I try to follow.


Do you like or hate brushing your teeth? Brushing is cool. Flossing not so much. Both serve their purpose.


Here are some extra questions I thought up.


What hobbies do you cherish engaging in? Bible study, Living History, edged weapons, reading, sewing, scrapping, cooking, and singing.


What is your favorite book of the Bible? I am study Proverbs. We are using it as our copywork for homeschooling. Right now I have to say it is my fav. There is so much wisdom there. I understand it better now that I am grown up. I am also working to translate each verse into language my girl's get. This helps get the verse ingrained in my head.


Dishes... wash 'em a little at a time or wait til there is a full sink? Wait till there is a full sink. I'm not sure why. I'd rather do it all at one time. Same with Laundry. I can see the wisdom in doing a little at a time but I rarely manage to do it that way.



Now that you know a little more about me - I'd love it if you'd answer one of the questions so I learn more about YOU!
Happy Saturday!!