I only have a moment, so I am really writing for my college girls who would like me to keep this undated better than I have been. Sorry girls! I am getting ready to head over to the school to pick up Lorien and Aleya. Lorien is working today at HyVee, and Kayren is already there.
I am closing out my classes at last - giving last chapter tests and trying to prepare students for finals.
I accepted a part-time position at DMACC as a math tutor, which I am excited about. I hope that it will help settle things down around here.
This morning, we read a snippet from Elizabeth Elliott about homeschooling. I have missed it. It was such a joy to get to be home all those years and be part of the children's school. The Lord has given our family lots of precious times.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
One down, four to go!
Yes, it has been nearly six weeks since I last blogged! The class that has been consuming major blocks of time is now finished! Can I even begin to express how excited I am about that?! I am sure that my students are as thankful as I am that it is over. The accelerated pace made it grueling for all involved. Anyway, the final is over and the grades have been submitted!
I am hoping to pick up lots of pieces of life that have dropped along the way, including trying to find place tickets to get Kyrie home for Christmas, working on some of the music for church, getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner and holiday, and of course, cleaning the house.
I am looking forward to evenings with the family again! I do not want to have another semester like this one. The price was too high.
The kids have youth group tonight at our house, though Tom and I will be going to Bible study at the church. We have lots of fun things going on in the next two weeks. We will surely miss Kesse and Kyrie Jo for Thanksgiving, but hope they have a wonderful time!
I am hoping to pick up lots of pieces of life that have dropped along the way, including trying to find place tickets to get Kyrie home for Christmas, working on some of the music for church, getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner and holiday, and of course, cleaning the house.
I am looking forward to evenings with the family again! I do not want to have another semester like this one. The price was too high.
The kids have youth group tonight at our house, though Tom and I will be going to Bible study at the church. We have lots of fun things going on in the next two weeks. We will surely miss Kesse and Kyrie Jo for Thanksgiving, but hope they have a wonderful time!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
We had a wonderful Bible study tonight on Ephesians. I love the blessing of a mid-week study that refreshes my soul in the middle of chaos. Ephesians has such a beautiful passage on the mercy and grace of God, who saved us because of His love for us, and not because of our own works. In the middle of a messy week, what a relief and encouragement to know that I am not on trial for all the failures I've already committed.
We talked about God's precious mercy and patience, and while we definitely do not understand all the mysteries of God's election, it is so comforting!
We talked about God's precious mercy and patience, and while we definitely do not understand all the mysteries of God's election, it is so comforting!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
October is here!
Friday is October 1 which means lots of different things. Fall is well underway, and the temps are dropping nicely to warrant sweaters and light jackets, coffee and hot chocolate, and more rain. Iowa has such beautiful weather in the fall. The colors are striking and the crispness in the air is a fresh relief from those hot summer days.
October 1 is also Lorien's and Uncle Max's birthdays. I won't mention Max's age, but Lorien will be 16! Wow. She will be able to drive and work. Kayren took Lorien out for dinner at the Olive Garden, and they stayed in to watch a movie together tonight. Sisters celebrating! It is so sweet to my heart to watch our children love and care for each other.
My fall/winter cold is settling in. Bummer.
October 1 is also Lorien's and Uncle Max's birthdays. I won't mention Max's age, but Lorien will be 16! Wow. She will be able to drive and work. Kayren took Lorien out for dinner at the Olive Garden, and they stayed in to watch a movie together tonight. Sisters celebrating! It is so sweet to my heart to watch our children love and care for each other.
My fall/winter cold is settling in. Bummer.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Satisfying Saturday
This is the first Saturday in ages when we didn't have very urgent and important matters to attend to. We rose lazily after sleeping in (yea!!!) which is a favorite "activity" of mine. We read things, drank coffee and tea, and mused about the day. We ended up accomplishing quite a bit, for which I am thankful, and I didn't crack a math book today. What a wonderful break!
I did get to experience the laundromat. What an interesting place! It's a whirlwind of activity, with special understood rules about who goes first, and which machines are off limits. Of course, I didn't know any of these rules, so Tom had to instruct me in laundromat etiquette. We were able to get 10 loads done in 3 hours, which was great, but I was just exhausted from the experience! Our washer is in need of a special gasket that won't be arriving for a couple of weeks. So, we will get to do the laundromat a couple more times.
Tonight, we grabbed a couple of the girls and wandered around the mall looking at things. It was such a nice family day. I missed our college girls, and Jathan was attending drill. Kayren was working too, but it was nice to have some time together with those who were home.
Tomorrow is the Lord's Day, and we are so looking forward to it! We are praying for Adam and Mary Kathryn this weekend! They are candidating in Iowa. I can hardly believe it. I can't tell you how excited I would be if they were able to move back!
Well, off to bed.
I did get to experience the laundromat. What an interesting place! It's a whirlwind of activity, with special understood rules about who goes first, and which machines are off limits. Of course, I didn't know any of these rules, so Tom had to instruct me in laundromat etiquette. We were able to get 10 loads done in 3 hours, which was great, but I was just exhausted from the experience! Our washer is in need of a special gasket that won't be arriving for a couple of weeks. So, we will get to do the laundromat a couple more times.
Tonight, we grabbed a couple of the girls and wandered around the mall looking at things. It was such a nice family day. I missed our college girls, and Jathan was attending drill. Kayren was working too, but it was nice to have some time together with those who were home.
Tomorrow is the Lord's Day, and we are so looking forward to it! We are praying for Adam and Mary Kathryn this weekend! They are candidating in Iowa. I can hardly believe it. I can't tell you how excited I would be if they were able to move back!
Well, off to bed.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Blessings of babies
This afternoon I had the beautiful honor of holding a very sweet, tiny little baby boy, born less than 24 hours ago. He was sleepy, but was making lots of very cute faces - pouts, smiles, kisses, and raised eyebrows. He was trying so very hard at one point to open his eyes, but just couldn't bring himself to get them open. What a precious and sweet reminder of God's goodness to us! I was remembering the days when my children were so small. There are some things in life that God has given us that fill our hearts so full that we cannot even begin to explain it.
How I have loved watching my own children grow and change and by God's grace become what they are today. I will pray for little Xander Lynch to know Christ and live for Him.
What a blessing!
How I have loved watching my own children grow and change and by God's grace become what they are today. I will pray for little Xander Lynch to know Christ and live for Him.
What a blessing!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Rebuked by my daughter
I have been rebuked by one of my daughters. She claims that I no longer blog. I would try to defend myself, but the evidence is overwhelming. So, here I am - finally. Sorry girls!
We have been frantically working on our house in getting it ready for an appraisal. The interest rates dropped again, and they are so low that it was worth it to try and get our home loan refinanced at the lower rate. The misery of course is that we have to get the house in tip top shape first, and our basement just recently flooded again! We had ten days. I am sure that my college girls are VERY glad that they weren't here. However, the basement is beautiful now! We hired a friend to come and cut the trim. He is a professional and he was able to trim the basement in about half a day. It would have taken me weeks! Anyway, we have doors and trim, painted rooms, new floors, and light fixtures instead of light bulbs sticking out of the walls. It looks finished and lovely. Lorien and Aleya are excited that they get to live down there now. It is really nice.
Appraisals are opportunities to fix all those little things that have been hanging over your head for a long time. I painted endlessly. Whew. Anyway, the appraisal was today and we won't hear anything about it for a couple of days.
I started my ten-week algebra class today. It is such a difficult class to teach. It is way too much information in such a short period of time. The students get frustrated quickly because they don't have the time to assimilate the information. I will do my best, but it is a very fast class.
Lorien and Aleya are enjoying school very much. They have good classes and lots of hard work. Aleya gets to start band tomorrow and she is very excited about that. She will be learning to play the flute. She was inspired by my cousin Rene and her daughter Jenna who played this past summer at the 50th anniversary party for my parents.
We are so thankful for God's goodness and mercy to us these days. We are thankful for our church family, and for Jody's preaching. You can hear him online at our church website - providenceurc.org.
We have been frantically working on our house in getting it ready for an appraisal. The interest rates dropped again, and they are so low that it was worth it to try and get our home loan refinanced at the lower rate. The misery of course is that we have to get the house in tip top shape first, and our basement just recently flooded again! We had ten days. I am sure that my college girls are VERY glad that they weren't here. However, the basement is beautiful now! We hired a friend to come and cut the trim. He is a professional and he was able to trim the basement in about half a day. It would have taken me weeks! Anyway, we have doors and trim, painted rooms, new floors, and light fixtures instead of light bulbs sticking out of the walls. It looks finished and lovely. Lorien and Aleya are excited that they get to live down there now. It is really nice.
Appraisals are opportunities to fix all those little things that have been hanging over your head for a long time. I painted endlessly. Whew. Anyway, the appraisal was today and we won't hear anything about it for a couple of days.
I started my ten-week algebra class today. It is such a difficult class to teach. It is way too much information in such a short period of time. The students get frustrated quickly because they don't have the time to assimilate the information. I will do my best, but it is a very fast class.
Lorien and Aleya are enjoying school very much. They have good classes and lots of hard work. Aleya gets to start band tomorrow and she is very excited about that. She will be learning to play the flute. She was inspired by my cousin Rene and her daughter Jenna who played this past summer at the 50th anniversary party for my parents.
We are so thankful for God's goodness and mercy to us these days. We are thankful for our church family, and for Jody's preaching. You can hear him online at our church website - providenceurc.org.
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