School, Fall, and Remembering

SCHOOL~Our school year has officially started...R and D have been in school for over two weeks and things are going well! We have had the smoothest start to this year. God has been so good to us!

While R does her DVD's upstairs, I work with D and S in the basement (S is only two, so you can probably figure out how much she "works"). Our schedule is structured, which I LOVE, but we are also doing some fun things throughout the week.

• Monday evening, we visited a local state park--what a gorgeous evening!
• On Tuesday, we had our first homeschool meeting and had a great turnout (9 families in all!) 
• Our church is preparing for Missions Conference next week and it is the highlight of our year
• Aunt Beth, Caroline, and Quinn came over yesterday for a fun lunch visit

FALL~I think fall has arrived, although the calendar says it won't arrive until next week. Last night was COLD! It was raining and cool, and guess who forgot to take her jacket with her when she went out? me! We had the heater on in the car and everyone loved it! When we got home, the kids wanted their warm PJ's, but the only one who got them was S because R and D's are still packed in storage containers. It might be time to pull those bins.  :)

I have placed all the fall decorations and they are so pretty! Did you know that I love this time of year? ;) I will be creating a new fall wreath for the front door and found some really beautiful accessories for it at Hobby Lobby. I'll post a picture once it gets finished.

REMEMBERING~Today, September 16th, would be my nephew, Darrell's 21st birthday...how time flies...He has been in Heaven since July 2005, and I know my brother and sister-in-law miss him terribly. We all know we will see him again! Thank You, Jesus, for the promise of eternal life in Heaven!

Thanks for stopping by today...here's a picture from our state park visit...we stayed until the very latest possible. Right before we left, Hubbie captured this beautiful shot. Now that I see it uploaded, he captured the "Blue Hour".   :)  Have a wonderful day!

One of My Blessings

One of my goals for this blog is to count my blessings. The following post is just one of many blessings the Lord Jesus has given me. I am not a superb writer, but what I do write comes from my heart. I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!

When I was growing up, I went to a Christian school. I am so thankful for the foundation that was laid during those years. I was influenced at school to go to a Christian college (which I did), and I had so many great teachers! They inspired me to become a teacher myself. One of my favorite teachers was my third grade teacher, Mrs. Meyers. Such a sweet lady and I have such good memories of her. I wish I knew where she was now.

When I was a junior or senior, my principal encouraged me to major in education when I went to college. I started out as a History Education major with an English Education minor. I did not enjoy it at all so I changed majors to Elementary Education, with a History minor. I loved it!

I graduated from college in May, 1996, and in the fall, I began teaching second grade. I taught second grade for four years, took a year off for the birth of our oldest daughter, then went back to teaching. I taught third grade for three years~I think third graders are wonderful! They are independent enough to not need you to tie their shoes, wipe their noses, etc., but they still love to give and receive hugs!

After those teaching years, I stayed home with our children. It never crossed my mind during those years of being a schoolteacher that I would ever homeschool, but that is what I find myself doing...and I wouldn't trade these days for a million dollars! (maybe two million...just kidding!) Yes, there are "those days", but the joys of having the children at home far outweigh the "days" when I struggle...

We have plenty to keep us busy~home school group, church, library, family night~and plenty of opportunities for the ever popular argument of "socializing".

So, for this Thankful Thursday, I am thankful that God has given Hubbie a good job so that I do not have to work outside our home. Which, in turn, allows us the opportunity to school our children at home. I do not know how long we will homeschool, but I treasure the time I have...

From a 4th grade reading book

Of all the subjects to be held during the school day, Oldest Daughter absolutely loves reading class! In her spare time, if she has a book, she is one happy gal! Books are friends, and she can go anywhere in the world! From where does she get her love of reading?!?! Hmmm...I wonder. :) Sweet Hubbie calls both of us (lovingly) bookworms.

This little poem is in one of her readers, and I thought I would share it with you.

Little Words of Kindness

Anonymous

A little word in kindness spoken,

A motion or a tear,

Has often healed the heart that's broken,

And made a friend sincere.

A word, a look, has crushed to earth

Full many a budding flower,

Which, had a smile but owned its birth,

Would bless life's darkest hour.

Then think it not an idle thing

A pleasant word to speak:

The face you wear, the thoughts you bring,

A heart may heal or break.

Dear Lord, help me today to speak kind, helpful words!

THANKSGIVING Acrostic

First, let me say thank you for your kind comments about my weight loss. It's a journey that Hubbie and I are on...but it's so much easier with a partner! Now, on to my post.

When I was teaching elementary school, I loved November, probably more than any other month! There were so many great Thanksgiving ideas and activities for my students. I never had enough time to fit them all in! :)

One of my very favorite things to do the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving, was to have the kids write down their Thanksgiving acrostic. So, during this wonderful season, I thought I would share mine with you.

I am thankful for:

T~ teachers
H~ Heaven
A~ apple butter :)
N~ Nanny~my mom
K~ Krispy Kreme donuts~yummy
S~ sweet hubbie and children
G~ God's faithfulness~new every morning
I~ Indians who befriended the Pilgrims
V~ Virginia~a beautiful part of our country
I~ intuition
N~ nativity scenes
G~ gratitude~especially when my children show it

So, that's my Thanksgiving acrostic. Today, we have a doctor visit, library visit, and a birthday party for a 5 year old boy. Plus, we have to fit school in there somewhere...Hmmm...I guess it's time to get busy. ;) Have a wonderful Thankful Thursday! I appreciate you stopping by today.