Joy Dare::February

*All the birthday posts will be coming soon!* I had this post ready on Tuesday and thought I had published it! Oops!!

6149. Life giving conversation
6150. Safety driving on snow
6151. Individual snowflakes frozen on the windshield
6152. Smoothies and Aliza time
6153. Busy supper table.

 6154. Talking plans with Brian and Meghan
6155. SuperBowl talk time
6156. Playing around with our digital house model
6157. Sun, bikes, warmer temperatures

 6158. Started an outside cleanup project
6159. Several projects moving forward
6160. Schoolwork outside

 6161. Hearing the girls singing
6162. When Aliza's day takes a turn for the better
6163. Prayer and encouragement
6164. Night time smooth drive to WV
6165. Vising a little this morning
6166. Talking all day with Christie
6167. Really nice table mates
6168. Helping a vulnerable lady
6169. "Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right." Spurgeon
6170. Encouraging speakers
6171. Cheesecake Factory
6172. Better sleep
6173. Safe traveling day
6174. Hearing everyone's stories from the weekend
6175. Early morning empty grocery store
6176. Being able to pray
6177. Worship leading went so much better
6178. Grandad's stories
6179. Valentine family evening
6180. Marriage work=Starbucks date
6181. Goal setting
6182. Extra motivation to get school done
6183. Josiah said he couldn't have had more fun gaming with friends tonight
6184. Banana bread
6185. Rescheduled appointment
6186. Somehow getting everything accomplished
6187. "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay." Ravi Zacharias
6188. Isaiah so excited about his "big" bed
6189. A little big of snow=home all day
6190. How much the children enjoy Superbook DVDs
6191. Watching the flock of robins in the yard
6192. Mineola Tangelo oranges straight from Florida
6193. An actual art curriculum
6194. Picking up groceries--so easy!
6195. "If my Bible is collecting dust and my conscience is being hushed, then my heart is in danger of being crushed." Lysa Terkheurst
6196. Time with Janell and Aliza
6197. Buying a dress and shoes for Aliza's birthday party
6198. A spontaneous slumber party
6199. French toast breakfast
6200. Afternoon hours with Jeremy
6201. Raspberries cooking for raspberry cordial
6202. My favorite t-shirt

 6203. Slime for Anna
6204. Making lists so I can think straight
6205. Letting our afternoon be quiet
6206. Anna did almost all of her schoolwork by herself
6207. Celebrating Josiah
6208. All his favorite foods
6209. He had such a good day be didn't want it to end. 

Happy 13th Birthday Aliza!

You wonder what these teenage years will hold, but I am only excited about the next years hold for you. Your faith is strong, you think for yourself and have a clear sense of right and wrong. We are going to make lots of memories and have fun in the process! I'm so honored to be your Mom and have a front row seat in watching you become the young woman God created you to be. 

Happy 11th Birthday Josiah!

Always and forever I will love you MORE!

Life Currently

The last couple weeks I have been relishing the feeling of the mundane routine. That routine doesn't lend itself well to blog posts, but after a very little bit of snow today and listening to rain while the children fell asleep, I'm ready to document a little slice of life right now.

• I'll start with school. It takes up a big chunk of my energy. Aliza is so amazingly independent and responsible. She sets up in my room every morning about 8:00. I check on her here and there, but I basically don't see her until lunch. Josiah told me this week that he had the ability to do his schoolwork on his own. My jaw dropped and he quickly added that he still very much likes me sitting with him. Maybe there is hope!? Anna is in the thick of 2nd grade which means whining, complaining and general bad attitude about school. When she decides to have a good attitude it is delightful to work with her. Isaiah knows a handful of addition facts and likes to quiz us frequently. He also makes up his own random answers. He will definitely be starting kindergarten in the fall.
• Josiah had his first gaming with friends night this week. He, 2 friends and Jeremy played Fortnite. Josiah does not get to play that game often and to have it on the computer (for that night) that he uses regularly was a treat. I asked him if he had fun and he answered that he could not have had more fun. 
•  I finished reading Becoming by Michelle Obama. I don't spend emotional energy on politics but it is interesting to have an inside view on current history and the living in the White House. Her story is fascinating in its entirety. 
• I have some new opportunities with representing BJU Press this spring. I've got a handful of trainings on my calendar. 
• A new responsibility that I have is taking phone calls for orders for a food ministry my church is involved in called Share Food. More on that later! 
• Anna is going to the eye doctor and she is nervous. I told her she would have to read letters off the chart like she has done before. She said that makes her so scared because she doesn't want to get any wrong. Yes, my sweet daughter, that is exactly why I hate going to the eye Dr. too. 
• I'm pretty sure I lose the balancing act of screen time every single day. Some people find screen time to be a very black and white issue. For me, it is gray. Maybe the gray weather makes the issue gray. I'll hope so for now.
• I'm reading the last book in the Penderwick series to Aliza and Josiah. (Anna can't sit still long enough to listen. lol) All 3 of us will be sad when it is finished. 
• I'll be Mom to a teenager in 10 days!
• There are lots of bright sides to having an almost teenager, but the most recent bright thing was that Jeremy and I left Aliza in charge at home and had an hour long date at Starbucks. 
• If you find yourself thinking that life has lived up to your expectations, I highly recommend It's Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa Terkheurst. 
• Isaiah fell asleep while I was rocking him tonight. Be still my heart. Time needs to stop. 

Friend Weekend

I met Christie way back in the early 2000s, before we even wanted to have children. In fact, we attended a Bible study together where the leader was pregnant and her horror stories convinced us that pregnancy was not going to be for us! I'm thinking it was 2003 when Christie moved to Maryland with her Coast Guard husband from Oregon. She didn't know anyone, but was working with one of my Mom's friends. This friend knew that Christie needed a friend and that I knew about Oregon so she invited Christie and I to a home decor party. It was a garden flag party to be exact. It took us about 2 seconds of talking for me to ask her what town in Oregon she was from and I wish I had a picture of her face when I said I knew exactly where Newport was. We attended the same type of private school, in fact, playing sports against each other. I knew of her pastor's family. Needless to say, our friendship was destined from the beginning. Now that Christie and her family are back on the East Coast in the same town as my in laws (!!!) we see other on a semi infrequent basis, but rarely have extended time to really talk.

Last weekend that extended time happened. We went to Raleigh, NC for the Girls Club Getaway conference with Sally, Sarah and Joy Clarkson. The speakers were good, but, honestly, the real fun was the time we got together. The more than 5 hour drive to Raleigh, NC from Martinsburg was non stop talking.

We arrived a little late and missed the official registration time so we marked ourselves off the registration list and picked up the papers and then walked all around the conference room to carefully choose our table. We chose the table with vintage hankies and a handmade pouch for purse kleenx.

Actually the colors are very much Christie's colors. Everyone gathered at 6:30 for chocolate and fellowship. We thought we were going to be served some kind of chocolate dessert and then realized that the chocolate was whatever foil wrapped delicacy the table hostess provided. It was yummy! We had a good laugh at ourselves anyway.

The real luxury was spending a second night after the conference was over. We walked around mall until our Cheesecake Factory carry out meal was ready and ate a macaroon to tide us over.

And then we watched HGTV and ate our Cheesecake Factory dinner and talked until 11:00. We did listen to a few podcasts on the way home as our conversation was slowing down. lol.

Joy Dare::January

6067. Crisp, new calendar on the wall
6068. There's nothing quite like shopping with Anna
6069. Aliza and Laura made some pretty good Nutella Rice Krispie truffles
6070. Easing back in to the school routine
6071. Working on the puzzle

6072. Janell ordered seeds for us
6073. Thinking about creation pointing to the Creator
6074. So much more is possible with big kids--like a quick fast food lunch with no drama before an appointment
6075. Hair cut
6076. Post holiday quiet grocery store
6077. Aliza loving reading for fun
6078. Starting the Anne of Green Gables DVD marathon
6079. The headache didn't last too long
6080. Cleaning up and organizing
6081. "Let the name of Jesus be written so deep into me that my heart could explode and His name would be found on every shard." paraphrase of quote from Ignatius
6082. Isaiah was cuddly this morning
6083. Cookies
6084. Extra hugs
6085. Every range of emotion
6086. Making my kids stretch and grow
6087. Embarking on an adventure
6088. The thrill of flying
6089. Sunset from the sky
6090. Working hard for a cause
6091. Aliza assures me that everyone is doing well at home
6092. Sleeping on the correct side of the bed
6093. Stopping to watch the butterfly that coordinated with the colors of the house
6094. Experiencing New Orleans
6095. So much good food
6096. Jazz music
6097. Learning more about slavery
6098. Laughing
6099. Walking a swamp trail, spanish moss and fog
6100. Coming home with a full heart
6101. Hugs---lots and lots of hugs
6102. Amazing grandparents who love our children so well
6103. Enough snow to feel cozy
6104. Readjusting
6105. Finding balance
6106. Survived the earthworm dissection
6107. Isaiah announced his favorite color--magenta
6108. Isaiah loving doing "skin the cat" off my legs
6109. Easing Josiah's fears and his good attitude
6110. Flexible friends
6111. God's provision for help
6112. Hot water
6113. Feeling better
6114. Choir went so well for Josiah
6115. A couple really encouraging things in the works
6116. Afternoon tea
6117. Reconnecting with Maria
6118. Scrapbooking
6119. Bathtub inspirations
6120. Relaxing
6121. Wearing a new dress
6122. The coldest day and we didn't have to go anywhere
6123. Working from a laundry basket

6124. Aliza sharing her love of reading with Anna
6125. Visiting with Chrissy
6126. Aliza finished 8 books in less than a month

6127. Children old enough to help when I'm sick
6128. A shooting star
6129. Everyone well enough to be at the supper table
6130. Delivering breakfast
6131. Brave enough to make some calls
6132. Anna had so much fun at a birthday party
6133. Saturday morning and everyone slept in
6134. Hoverboard scooter thing and laughing so hard
6135. Received a used classroom quality microscope
6136. Walking and fresh air
6137. Library trip with Anna
6138. Weekend sleeping
6139. Cautiously optimistic
6140. Aliza survived the frog dissection
6141. Reading with Anna
6142. A normal week
6143. Dance Mom time with Janell
6144. Seeing goldfinches during lunch
6145. A heated house
6146. The kids lunch conversations
6147. Aliza finished her 12th book for the month
6148. Mom's potato soup on a really cold day

Flying

Flying is a big decision when you leave your children at home. I know it's supposedly "safer" than driving, but it doesn't feel safer! It was hard to say good bye. But once I was in the air I remembered how empowering it is to fly. You can go anywhere and see anything! And then and there I decided that my children have to fly.

 We came home to a couple inches of snow and 4 children who were very happy to see us. They had really good times with both sets of their grandparents. Aliza told me that she realized how blessed she was to have 2 wonderful grandmas, a grandad and a grandpa and so many aunts and uncles. And that realization made it worth saying good bye for a couple days and pushing the kids out of their comfort zones.