We made it to the end of another week. Not a major accomplishment as it is going to come one way or another...but, if you look back at how many things transpired over the past 5 days, I am always amazed. School completed, laundry in check, meals created, bible read, work, presentations, computer time, well, you get the picture.

My husband and I have had the wonderful privilege of teaching Living by the Book for our adult Sunday School class since last September. It has been such a journey of growth, discovery, inspiration, and now, application. We are in the part of the study in which we are working on ways to apply the biblical truths in our lives. This part is the most exciting, and certainly, the most challenging. Dare I say, it is also frightening. We know the Lord has some changes on the horizon for us - we are trying to be open to them, despite where they may lead. Will they be life changing? I have no idea...we are simply trying to spend time "listening" to his direction and being obedient.

One of the people in our class had a wonderful insight this past week. She asked if we had been persecuted this past week for our faith. While that may seem like a weird question, the application part of it is that if we were not, it may be because we have not stepped out of our comfort zone and shared the Lord as we are instructed to do. In the same breath, we should look at whether we have grown in our Christian walk over the past week, month, and years. Are you further along today than yesterday? Great thoughts to ponder...which is what I often do. My problem is taking it beyond pondering to put into action. I pray for strength and courage to do so.

My kids are growing up so fast. TJ has all but mastered her bike riding, so with a bit more practice, she'll be riding like her brothers. Problem is, this mom is in no shape to be running after her as she learns!

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend, so I'm off to put some things into place to be able to relax and unwind a bit. I pray that Palm Sunday will be one of reflection and anticipation of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

Well, sort of. I make no promises. ;) I can't believe I haven't posted since January. Life has flown by. I literally have no time in my day to blog, but would love to carve some back in, if possible. I miss writing, miss the conversations, miss the creative outlet.

I could bore you to tears with what has been going on, but it basically can be summarized in one word - life. Life is going on...and I'm trying to stay on the ride! Late December and early January hit me hard with the realization that I needed to really change some things with how we were schooling. I felt like my oldest child wasn't really doing the work up to his potential, so the freedom I had given him was reigned in a bit, which essentially means that I need to have my hand in his subjects more than I had. My second child, who is also doing 6th grade work, is keeping up pretty well, but I want it to still be fun for him. Vocab and advanced Earth Science make him work, which is good because everything comes easy for him. So, we're working on study skills and slowing down a bit with vocab (I don't even know some of these words, and I fancy myself a bit of a wordsmith!). Finally, Miss TJ is plugging away at a first and second grade combination, so there is plenty of hands on time for her. So, what I am trying to say is that my hands-on teacher time has increased dramatically since Christmas due to some schooling changes, so my daytime hours are completely filled with school. While I still love teaching my kiddos, I feel more time invested than ever before, and it is oozing into other areas, leaving little room for extras. :)

Anyway, I have so much to write, but I make no promises as to when I will do so. I admire my fellow blogging friends who are able to get something down each day. I'd love to do the same, but we'll just take it one day at a time.

To close for today, in honor of my niece, I am posting a few pictures of her...She reminds me here and there how long it has been since I've posted something - so, surprise, Martha! You are a beautiful girl, inside and out. You are so special to me! Thanks for your patience!




Have a great day!

We've survived Christmas, New Year's, broken furnaces, and a major snowstorm, and I want to tell you all about it! But, first, I have to get through some important "to-do's" on my list - mainly payroll and a couple of presentations. Then, I can share all the fun "goings-on" that we experienced the past few weeks. I'll be back soon (I hope!)

To all my blogging friends - I pray you all have a very Merry Christmas, filled with love, laughter, family, and friends. May the joy of Jesus live in your heart, not only through this holiday season, but throughout the entire year. We will be celebrating with the kids tonight, and, weather permitting, with Brad's family tomorrow evening. We will get together with my family next weekend.

Blessings to all of you this holiday season!

I've had this button on my sidebar for a couple of months and have tried very hard to keep this family in my prayers. Andrew joined the Lord yesterday and lost a courageous fight against cancer. But his victory is in Jesus.

His life has touched me profoundly as I have a soon to be 12 year-old. Days are short, my friends. Love on your family as much as you can.

In Him,

Sarah

Yesterday, our beloved dog, Baxter, passed away. He had been failing slowly over the past months, but took a big turn on Saturday and before we could stop the downhill slide, he died Sunday afternoon. Thankfully, he was in our house, in a nice warm environment, and we don't feel he suffered too much. He was a beloved fixture for the past 11 years, and I already miss him more than I thought I would. I told my sister that it is the "familiar" and "routine" things that I miss...him scratching on the door to come in the house, his happy greeting when we drive up the driveway, even his howling when he wants to make his presence known. Most of all, it is sad to see your kids grieving the loss of a friend. While they are handling it well, they question if they gave him enough love and attention over the years - a great lesson for us all that time is fleeing and we need to love our loved ones in the here and now.

We are still figuring out how we will lay him to rest, but today we are looking at old pictures and reminiscing on our fun times together.









Thank you, Baxter, for the eleven years of joy and fun you brought into our lives!

I just can't believe how time is flying by. In less than three weeks, TJ will be Gladys Herdman in six performances of The Best Little Christmas Pageant Ever. In four weeks, it will be Christmas. In six weeks, it will be JD's birthday. In ten weeks, we will be going on vacation. From my experience, those ten weeks are going to FLY by. My goodness, it takes my breath away just thinking about it! It's going to be hairy! (Sorry, I couldn't resist)


Kind of like this past week! Here's a summary:
-Enjoyed time and work with my mom, who came out for Thanksgiving
-Hosted 14 people from Brad's family for Thanksgiving dinner - yummy!
-Played, ate, and relished the company of my sister and her family from Friday until Sunday
-Eased my sore muscles after flag football with my mean old nieces and nephew
-Took two walks as the weather was gorgeous
-Put up the tree, decorated outside and in
-Watched the Vikings win
-Thought about Christmas shopping
-Contemplated Christmas lists

Seems like more, but that is the nutshell. Now, we are in the push to Christmas. I don't want it to be a push. I want it to be a gentle stroll with lots to look at, enjoy, and ponder along the way. It's going to be a challenge with all that we have going on, but I'm bound and determined to not let Christmas pass us by. We're still going to have school, but I'm going to significantly limit my computer time. As much as I like to blog and write to have an outlet, I will PLAN on having it be intermittent over the next few weeks. That way, if I plan to be intermittent, I won't have an expectation to get 'er done, kwim?

So, I'll be hopping back on here now and again, so don't completely forget about me. :) In the meantime, I pray you can focus on the true meaning of Christmas and take time to enjoy the season.

Until next time...

(Oh, and I didn't forget about my promised Proverbs 31 follow up...thanks to all of you who responded! I will definitely be posting my thoughts someday soon)