Gracious Women

God has allowed my daughters and me to be surrounded by gracious women. We do not realize this privilege until someone comes into our lives who has a less than gracious spirit. This happened to us several weeks ago and it was shocking. The incident was not a big deal, but it caused us to see how truly blessed we are not deal with this particular trait on a regular basis. Many people in the world deal with it on a daily basis. It is an expected part of life.

A gracious stranger entered my life today. I made my first sell on E-bay. I set up the transaction with fear and trepidation due to the novelty of the situation. Last night, as the bidding time was ending, I realized I made an error on the description of the 3rd grade math book I was selling. I mistakenly wrote that the book was in new condition. It was in very good, used condition, but definitely not new. Try as I may, I could not figure out how to change the description 2 hours before the bidding was to end. I was horrified!

When the bidding was over, I sent the invoice, along with an explanation of my mistake and what I hoped would be a satisfactory compensation for the error. The gracious stranger wrote me a very kind note and a counter offer which turned out to be less in her favor but was how she wanted it to be handled. When I went to bed last night, I had decided to never sell on E-bay again. Today, I have changed my mind. I will sell to kind, homeschooling moms. I will have to write on the description, "Only gracious folk are permitted to bid!" The gracious stranger made my day brighter and my burden lighter. Is this not what all Christian women should see as their mission? Is this not what we should be training our daughters and sons to be as they are salt and light in a dark world. The gracious spirit shines.

To those of you who visit my blog and are the gracious women in our lives, we thank and bless God for you.

Happy Sweet 16 Caroline

Today is Caroline's 16th birthday! Life has been a lot like Caroline this past week- a whirlwind of fun. We have loved the times of fellowship and fun with friends during Caroline's birthday week. But, being home alone tonight gives us time to remember those family moments, 16 years ago, when we had a beautiful new baby and dreams of her future days with us. When Caroline was born, she had a one-year-old sister with whom she would be sharing a bedroom for years to come. As a matter-of-fact, she and her sister are moving their bedroom furniture around tonight to make room for the 16th birthday traditional gift, a hope chest.

What does Caroline have to put into her hope chest:


~ 2 silver serving pieces from Nanny


~ A Fenton candle holder from Aunt Mary Carolyn


~ A recipe collection book being filled with favorite recipes from family and friends


~ A copy of The Hidden Art of Homemaking from Mom


~ Pieces of taffeta and lace from Nanny's wedding dress


~A wrapped present from Daddy that is to be opened on her wedding day. This gift is a visual reminder of the precious gift she is. (This was a result of a father/daughter Bible study based on the book, The Three Weavers- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

Happy Birthday Caroline! We are proud to have a lovely daughter like you. It is a joy to watch you mature and grow in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Strawberry Picking Day

We're seeing red today. What can you do with 60lbs. of strawberries?

12 quarts of jam, 12 quarts put in the freezer, a pie, and a bowl in the refrigerator for eating.

60lbs. of strawberries were used up very quickly.

Narration Alternatives

Mrs. Happy Housewife has some narration alternatives for those of us who are Charlotte Mason "wannabes." http://www.mrshappyhousewife.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=769&Itemid=123

Sweet 16 Picnic: Lightning and Thunder and Rain....Oh My!!

It started out as a normal birthday party. Sure, the number grew to 70 people with teenagers, siblings and parents, but we just kept adding food.

Volleyball, soccer, ultimate Frisbee, water balloon volleyball
S'mores, nachos, tons of Chex mix, icies, etc...


The birthday girl

Water balloon volleyball

People huddled under the shelter when the storm hit. Lightning hit a tree very close by and God protected us.

It was a birthday party to remember. Our homeschooling circle seems to be having some really exciting, weather related parties. I think we are now having a competition to see who can throw a party with the most memorable scare.

Caroline had a great time with all of her friends and of course they all want to know when we can meet to do it again. I need at least a week to recover! Caroline's actually turns 16 in one week and she is asking when she can get her driver's permit!

Anniversary Addition

Yellow roses!!!! My absolute favorite!!!!

23 Years Together

My husband is a romantic. He has learned over the years how to make events special for me. However, I make things confusing for him! What was special to me 3 years ago may not be this year. I do love our anniversary and that has not changed. We don't need to have a long weekend away to celebrate, just a few hours is OK. I have to laugh about how we celebrated this year:

~ We were so busy on the 16th that Tom took the day off on the 15th to celebrate.

~ We went to breakfast at a fun little diner.

~ I took the kids to their last soccer day while Tom stayed home to paint kitchen molding (YEAH!)

~ We ate dinner at Burger King

~ We ran errands to pick up items for Caroline's 16th birthday party

~We went to the movies to see Oceans 13. We rarely go to the movies so this was a treat. Please don't ask me why I love the Oceans movies. It's not explainable :)

~Finally,there were several funny, sweet cards during the day

"We're still having fun and you're still the one"