Monday, April 14, 2014

 I'm on the upswing. Why? I don't know. Perhaps the medicine from the ER visit, perhaps from the Sulfurzyme and Ningxia Red I am taking regularly. Perhaps just time to start feeling better?? But I believe it is prayer. Thank God for prayer. Literally. Thank Him. Right now.

This is what I'm working on.  It is a Zentangle in honor of March and also Easter. Still in progress, obviously.






Saturday, April 12, 2014

long time no see

It's been a long time. A long, long time. Time enough to wonder if  I should come back to this blog or just start another. Or even continue with the other one I already started.  God said begin here. I'm here.



this is me right now. Hopefully I'll be writing more and you can see my journey from falling apart to fully living in God's abundant life. (John 10:10)

I know I'm not the only Christian going through depression and physical problems.  I have a good friend right with here with me. I know that I need to take baby steps. I can't figure out what the steps are. One day I am convinced if I just take a shower every day, things will get better. As I bet you can guess, it doesn't work. So, of course, out go the daily showers. (I don't think I stink, at least no one has mentioned it)

I'm pretty darn sure sitting here and crying all day/night isn't helping either.  I'm trying to praise Him in the rain but sometimes I lose my grip on His hand as I fall into the valley.  This is one of the biggest valleys I've come across.



I appreciate you listening. Sometimes it's hard to put these things out there. But I think this may be part of my healing.




Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Week 4 of school

Ethan is loving Kindergarten! We are doing the same Kindergarten book with him that I did with Brittany. It is a bittersweet feeling knowing he is the last in line to do this curriculum.

We had to take some pictures of him for an "All About Me" book


here he is with his favorite toy


Here he is with Mommy!


Kaedra working on some math


Brainy blocks. The kids love these!


Another favorite toy!


Teaching Emily how to play chess


with the rain we had, we found a big frog


Ethan holding the froggie



Our church had a big baptism bash called Lifestock.  They had blow up games and music and lots of baptisms! Ethan wanted to do the rock wall. He has never been up one....




He took a running start


He gets a little confused about the rocks...


He doesn't realize they are the part he is supposed to climb...


so he just uses the rope



but he gets all the way to the top! I was so proud of him... he actually got into the white part. 


we put all of our timeline figures on our timeline.

Another fun week of school! 

Kaedra wants me to end this blog post with 
"The End"


Great week of school

I want to post some pictures and tell about a great week of school. No, it wasn't this week, not last week, and not even the week before. I know, I'm late in posting this. but it has been on my to-do list!

This year we have changed some things up.  The biggest and most dramatic change is that we brought Brittany back into the house. Although she was still homeschooling, she was doing it with a co-op and most of her school stemmed from them.  Although it was a great co-op with great people, she really wanted to do things with the family again and we definitely wanted her home with us!

We are doing The Mystery of History Volume 2 (Middle Ages) as a whole family.  We are loving doing it together. Brittany, obviously, does it at a higher level than the rest of the kids. One of the things I like most is the ability to do it at all different levels.  While Brittany is writing essays, the kids are making cardboard lyres.

We are meeting every Friday with a friend and doing some of the bigger projects with him as well as the map work, games, and tests.  They will also be doing some oral presentations to give them practice with that.  We are doing literature together as well.  April is helping Brittany with Grammar and I am helping Edge with his writing.

I've been taking pictures so I would remember the great times we are having.  It will be great to look back on the pictures and remember the year!


Brittany doing algebra with help from Arwen



Kids cutting up newspaper for paper mache


working on timeline


Brittany learning about world views 


copywork



Em and Ethan doing copywork



drying out our "Dead Sea Scrolls"



starting the paper mache volcano



paper mache volcano fun


goofy Ethan with paper mache volcano



after 1st coat of paper




using clay to make village of Pompeii



walls of Pompeii


coliseum of Pompeii


marketplace of Pompeii

Monday, March 12, 2012

Rise Up

I always get words from God at the beginning of the year.  Last year was Refresh.  This year I have been struggling with getting the word.  I have had a working motto of "Intentional".  It hasn't been quite right and I've been working too hard on trying to get it to fit.  It just wasn't quite *it*.

The other morning, I woke up after singing a song all night long throughout my dreams.  I knew the words but thought the title was "Rise Up." Went online and searched for "Rise Up," found out it was by Chris Tomlin, realized I owned the song myself and went to listen.  Well, it was "Rise Up" but not the CORRECT "Rise Up." Back to google, added a few more words I remembered, and came up with the right song: "Rise" by Shawn McDonald.




That led me to one of my other favorite songs  "Rise Up" by The David Crowder Band



I wasn't even looking for a word anymore. I thought Intentional was the one that I was going to just make stick.  Like I said, it wasn't perfect, but I thought it fit.  However, it was ALL me.  Me trying to get the word to work.

Pretty soon, God was whispering in my ear... "pay attention, my child. Pay attention to this song. Pay attention to the words. Pay attention to what I am telling you."  I did a cursory search on my iphone to see how many songs I had with the title of "Rise" in it.... 37 titles.  THIRTY SEVEN. I think He is talking to me.

So, next step, I went to the Bible... found many verses, but this one is my favorite:

Micah 7:8

Do not gloat over me, my enemy! 
   Though I have fallen, I will rise. 
Though I sit in darkness, 
   the LORD will be my light. 


I'm not yet ready to share all the things that Rise Up mean to me.  So very many.  I will be posting them as the year goes.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Most of my family is sick...

Because of that, at least in part, I have become obsessed with spring cleaning. I haven't done spring cleaning in years! I used to do it every year, but made a cleaning schedule to keep me going through the year and discarded the spring cleaning idea. Now that I haven't been keeping up with the schedule, we've all been sick, the house is somewhat trashed and we haven't even 100% moved in yet, I really want to do it. Oh, and did I mention my parents want to come sometime? That really isn't the driving issue, but it sure does give me extra incentive.

Although I want to do lots of actual cleaning, I also have some other things I want to do

  • hang up pictures
  • empty boxes
  • organize attic
  • add flooring to attic
  • organize garage
  • redo my pantry/laundry room including adding shelves
  • do a oamc session
  • add a plug to downstairs bathroom
  • hide cords in living room
  • paint the front door 
  • install a peep hole in the front door
  • organize junk drawers (make ONE junk drawer)
  • plant flowers
  • get more lighting for school room 
  • purchase bookcases for FAITH library and catalog library
  • put screens up for non-screened windows
  • put window coverings up for all windows

I'm sure I'll be adding more the list. I know I am forgetting things here but I wanted to get them down while I am thinking of them.  I am planning on spring cleaning taking the whole month of March. Just hoping I can get it done in one month.  

I know, I know... boring post. It's mostly for me anyway. :-P

Thursday, February 09, 2012

Psalm 6

Psalm 6:1-10 NASB

"O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed. And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O LORD-how long? Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness. For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks? I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries. Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD has heard my supplication, The LORD receives my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed."

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Ps6.1.NASB




Blessings and Joy,
            -:¦:-   ¸.·´¨¨))
                .·´   -:¦:-Kahri ★
        ((¸¸.·´


Good night?

I reckon it's time for me to go to bed... It's after 3 in the morning.

I don't want to go to bed. It's an admission of defeat:

"Okay, this day got the best of me. I give."

And I don't want to give.

But tomorrow (aka in a few hours) is a new day. And joy comes in the morning.

Let's see.

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Unplugged?

I had a blog for many years called: Our Peculiar Life.  It was started to document Kaedra's miraculous life and keep people informed about what was going on with her. After she stabilized and our life became more "normal" the blog morphed into just some this and that about our family. Most of the posts were still put through the filter of who I knew was reading them.  I frequently deleted or never wrote things that I really wanted to because of my audience. They were expecting something out of me, and I didn't always have that something.  Eventually, I gave up on the blog and the pretense that was going on while I was writing it.  It was literally too much work to keep up with keeping the readers happy.

This blog isn't about that.  This is all me.  I'm still peculiar (1 Peter 2:9).  My life is a giant adventure.  I am sitting next to Jesus on a honkingly huge roller coaster and switching between holding on to Him for dear life and raising my hands in the air and whooping with Him.

But this is me unplugged.

un·plug   [uhn-pluhg] Show IPA verb, -plugged, -plug·ging.
verb (used with object) 

1. to remove a plug or stopper from.
2. to free of an obstruction; unclog. 

3. to disconnect (an appliance, a telephone, etc.) by removing a plug: to unplug a toaster. 
4. to remove (an electric plug) from an outlet. 


I am removing my stoppers and freeing myself of obstructions. I am no longer clogged by trying to make others happy.  This is me.  


There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anais Nin