A little update from Granny BearSC...bearly :)

Hello Everyone!

It's a beautiful spring day in South Carolina! Sun is shining, the birds are singing and.....well......all the E-Bears are sleeping (wonder if they are related to E-Bay and if that's a hybernation place)? Well, I don't think they are really hibernating, although I think their sleep is akin to that. They are "Bearably" tired :) and "Bearably" able to pull themselves out from under those nice warm, cozy covers! Well, that's almost true...the two smaller baby bears seem to keep on a runnin sort of like the battery commercial!

Anyway, since the E-Bears don't have internet yet, Granny BearSC will try to give a little update.......

Here is the simple version: The E-Bears arrived day before yesterday with their van, car and U-Haul. The fully loaded moving truck arrived yesterday along with wonderful helpers to assist in getting everything off the big truck (Papa bear, Mama Bear and all the little bears had already unloaded the U-Haul the day of arrival). Sounds so simple and without complications! So, there should be nothing more to report. I could log off and eat my delicious breakfast, right?

Well,.....there are just a few things that happened...just a few incidentals (Just in case Mama Bear should read this I want to assure her that they really were incidentals) :) Lets see.....they drove in, everyone was anxious to get out of the van and begin unloading. The cheering, the smiling, the hugging was all wonderful! (You know how Grannies are...everything that has anything to do with children or grandchildren is wonderful! And, she has to tell all about it. :) Anyway, of course the wonderful meal was waiting for them that some new friends had made so everything was thought of and set. They could unload the U-Haul, relax and enjoy their new surroundings. (I think this is where I left off above in the short versions).

So, Granny bear left to go back to her temporary den. Everything was under control, the bears were all active doing what bears do to unload, and settle in.

Just as supper time was arriving and all the bears were thinking about all that good food (Granny had also gotten a nice salad and nummy cupcakes for desert)....Granny bear was wizzing back to her temp den abode in her trusty Old Lizzy. As she rounded a corner there was a noise that had not been present before. Oh, something hanging down possibly? Something caught under Old Lizzy? Even with the new noise happening every so often, Old Lizzy kept on a rolling at a normal speed (don't think bears (or ladies) know much about these things :) Another slight curve though and the noise got much louder every time the wheel was slightly turned...there it was again. What could it be? So, Granny pulled trusty Old Lizzy over to the side of the road. As Granny walked around her trusty vehicle there it was....the right front tire FLAT as a pancake!! Old Lizzy had continued on, (what a trusty car) right around those curves and turns with a FLAT tire! How loyal can you be?!

Well, after assessing the situation, it was clear, Granny was a lady (or is that bear) in distress. Wonder why that isn't spelled Destress....as in De stress? There Granny sat thinking about how busy all the E-bears were, hating to disturb their fun. :) However, after calling another friend to find her husband was not home but working late, Granny bear didn't have anyone else to call. So, she made that fateful call to silb (that's son-in-law bear for anyone that is wondering)

Silb was ever so responsive and flew out to help gid (that's granny in De Stress). He flew out so fast that supper didn't even occur to him. He also brought 2 of the oldest bears along so they could learn how easily and quickly you can change a flat tire. (That's the way flat tires are supposed to work I think)

After making the phone call and sitting back in the drivers seat to take a little siesta, something dawned on Granny Bear. The spare was nicely hidden away "UNDER" everything in the trunk. See Granny had traveled, just like the E-Bears, from a far away land and had loaded everything she could squeeze into Old Lizzy's trunk. Have you ever seen a bears den unloaded by he side of the road? Good thing that the spare was small, it took every muscle to hass (is this how you spell hass?) it out of the bears den holding tank. Oh, I mean trunk...

Not only did Granny Bear look like a lady (or bear) in De Stress....she looked like a Gypsy Lady in De Stress! Car after car came by "Can I help you Mam?" (I am sure they just wanted the side of the road cleaned up) "No, I kindly said, my sil is coming very soon". So comforting...I could just relax, however...

While waiting I also realized that my gypsy belongings would look much better "inside" the car than laying by the side of the road. Even though I thought (notice I said thought) they would be going right back into the trunk when the tire was quickly and easily changed. (notice I said quickly and easily). Let me just say, it was a good thing they got moved "inside" the car.

Well, the knights in shinning armor came. Or is that bears in shining armor? Or is that shining? Well, please forgive my misspelled words, just a granny.... They swiftly undid everything that gets undone when you change a tire, put Old Lizzy's trusty spare on.How sinple, right? As I was thinking how really simple this had been and that I could have really attempted this myself something looked very similar to the tire they had taken off. (did I mention that it was still light all this time, but was quickly becoming dark?) The similarity was that the spare was also FLAT! I guess living at the bottom of the bear den for more years that I can even figure out (lets just say Old Lizzy is not a new car, by any stretch of the imagination) one would not even think about putting air in it, right? Do people really do that, check the air in their spare tires I mean? Well, onto plan B....take Granny's spare off and put silb's on. Hmmm....lug nuts don't seem to be coming off too well....actually one not too well at all and I hear silb say "its ruined, totally ruined". The little bears are now commending Papa Bear for being over 200 lbs (their perception :) because they thought if it was Granny bear "standing" on that wrench to try to loosen the lug nuts it wouldn't even budge. It was at this moment that I realized that changing a tire is not really meant for women, no...not at all....not even to think about it, its a man thing, totally a man's thing.

Well, after hassing (think that means putting "all" your weight on) the lug nuts they all came off and sinlb's spare was tried. Yeh....it matches up, were almost done. This will work, we will be on the road in no time. Yes, its pretty dark by now, flashers going, silb's car's head lights are on so they can see. But, the lug nuts are having trouble again, something is really wrong. Oh, no....one of those things that you screw the lug nuts onto just broke off. (Granny's aren't supposed to know their name). Wonder if you can drive with only 3 of those things, I thought....Then, another one got ruined somehow or was that before the one broke...actually by this time, sinlb had ascertained that when Granny bears snow tires had been taken off about a month earlier something went wrong and those things that Granny bear doesn't know the name of, got ruined. I heard him say tow truck several times about now and something about not being able to drive on only 2 of those things Granny Bear doesn't know the name of.

So, there it was, pretty dark, empty stomach bears (remember they weren't able to feast on the delicious hot dish that had been lovingly prepared and sent to them by a friend), had to contact Gramps bear to see if Old Lizzy had some sort of bearable towing policy. Oh, and in here somewhere is the part where one little bear and silb went to the fire station to put air in one of the two FLAT spares. I think it was just before the second thing Granny bear doesn't know the name of got ruined.

Oh, and I think this was also about the time that Granny bear got a phone call from Mama Bear saying the youngest baby bear had somehow found a permanent (yes, not washable, but permanent) marker and created a collage on the entire hall way of their new rental home. :) Lets just say that Mama Bear needed to be reminded at that moment that stress is dessert spelled backwards. :) Just "HOW" does this bear cub find a permanent marker when everything is still in boxes? Baby bears affinity with markers is uncanny!

After filling in silb about the art work that baby bear had done, we re-arranged their trusty car (that runs out of gas when you don't fill it up), so that we could all fit inside it (well, sort of) . Then the LARGE tow truck, actually it was more like a Papa Bear picking up his cub bear) came and swooped up Old Lizzy for her ride to the place that would repair her legs. We made an emergency run to McDonalds where they turned off their lights to close as we drove off. After dropping off Granny bear the E-bears headed back to their new den. Granny bear crashed into bed, very thankful for her comfortable soft den bed. At 1:40 a.m. Granny got a text message from faithful silb reminding her to contact the place where Old Lizzy had been taken first thing in the morning. He mentioned he was going to bed at 1:40 a.m. Hmmm what would silb be doing until 1:40 am.? Oh, Granny knows....scrubbing the art work off the ENTIRE hall of the new Bears den!!! They told me later this was painstakingly slow, but they were successful. That all markers belong in a vault, even the ones you don't know are hiding!

The night went fast, yesterday arrived and things were running more smoothly. The fully packed ABF moving truck arrived that friends helped unload. It was a heroic feat on the drivers part to back the mammoth truck through the twisty turns. As it arrived little D Bear said "There's the ABS, can it climb trees Mommy?" He was very happy when Mommy explained to him that it was a truck and all of his toys were in it.

The U-Haul left, and then the U-Haul came back! It came back with a big surprise for the children inside. Granny won't spoil it by telling you what was inside, Mama Bear can do that when she has internet access again. Lets just say, Granny wants a turn too! :)

So, another day has dawned today and Granny bear is going to take a little run in Old Lizzy out to see and help the E-Bears. Actually (phone rings),.....Granny just found out her services are greatly needed right away (I am being told this as I am typing and laughing!!!) to go on a heroic mission to get an adapter for the dryer plug. You see after a week, the laundry (I am now being told) is about to take over and come alive and eat all the E-bears. They slept well, after collapsing into bed. Mama Bear unloaded the entire kitchen, except for a couple of boxes hiding somewhere.

From Mama Bear herself: "We're having fun, it's kind of like a corn field maze in here. I mean some of the rooms are hilarious! There are windows somewhere! We hardly remember when the last time was that we worked so hard. But, we love our new place. The other night Papa Bear called Mama Bear outside to feel and hear all the sounds of country life again. We can really tell that we are close to the mountains. When you step outside with the smell of the pine trees and the sounds of the wipperwills, you feel like you are in a retreat camping somewhere." End of Mama Bear Quote....

Granny Bear SC is off to get ready so she can get the part so that "Faithful Dryer" can once again serve the E-Bears!

Part Two-The Eight Bears

The next morning the 8 bears awoke to a new day. After breakfast down in the den of their inn they were off, well kinda...Papa Bear needed to try and find a part for the trailer, since the lights were not working. Off to one dealership, then on to an auto parts store. Awhile later, with the lights still not working well, they continued on. At least now Papa Bear had blinkers, just no brake lights. He told Mama Bear to just be attentive right behind him. So there she was again, staring at the back of the UHaul, still thinking that an I Spy design on the back might be nice. Ok, well at least a Highlights hidden picture or something. But, this time Mama Bear made sure to watch the fuel gauge and they actually did stop and refuel Grits the Wonder Car once today.

On they plodded over the countryside. And then there they were...MOUNTAINS and rolling hills-Beautiful! They even went through a national forest.

Many stops occurred throughout the day, one being to get Wendy's Frosties for a treat. For the record, Mama Bear's Weight Watchers is on hold...Papa Bear said, right now they were doing "State Watchers".

Papa Bear also got a call today from the trucking company telling him that their furniture would be arriving to the city tomorrow and ready for him to call to have it delivered to their new place on Friday. This was good news indeed!

As the afternoon wore on and they entered the outskirts of Atlanta, Mama Bear was beginning to wonder if Papa Bear was doing his best to cause her to enjoy her first gray hairs. What a drive it was! Rush hour in Atlanta NOT where this little country girl (oops, bear) wants to be! 14 lanes of traffic going at a speed that make the Beverly Hillbillies look like molasses in January. When it was all said and done (well, the first leg that was) Papa Bear exclaimed "Never knew a little girl (ahem..bear) that couldn't find her way to Sealy could drive through downtown Atlanta!" (The Sealy story is for another time, let's just say Mama Bear is not so great with directions.)

The bear family thought they had it made in the shade when they pulled up to the hotel, that is the first hotel. But, as Papa was starting to unload, Mama went to the room. Immediately her keen sense of smell "new" something was not right. That's right, upon inquiring at the front desk the hotel had just been renovated and everything was brand spanking new. That had the capability of doing Mama Bear in, and since Papa Bear preferred to continue the journey with Mama Bear at his side, they decided to go with Plan B. So, off the caravan trekked back to another place of abode. But, upon entering into that hotel room, Papa Bear declared a definite thumbs down. It was in a bad part of town, was run down and musty smelling, and besides Papa had "reservations" about it. By now it is late and the baby bears were very hungry. Papa and Mama's stomach was "growling" too. A nice dinner at Cracker Barrel was in order. Then off to Plan C. Now mind you, if Mama Bear did not get that gray hair earlier, driving down the big blood vessel of Atlanta at NIGHT would do the trick. Have you ever felt like a red blood cell?

After arriving at the 3rd and final destination, the baby bears are now snuggled down into their nests and Mama Bear and Papa Bear will soon have their nightly hibernation.

So in summary, I guess you could say it this way. "There were once 8 bears looking for a place to stay. The first place Mama Bear said "This place is tooooo new!". The second place Papa Bear said, "This place is tooo old!" The third place, Goldilocks (or rather the three little goldilock bear cubs ) said, "This place is just right!"

The bear family has just a few hours left and hope to reach their destination midday tomorrow. Since Mama Bear does not know how long it will be till she has internet connection again, we will say for now....THE END

Now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging....

The Story of the 8 Bears

Once upon a time there were 8 bears. Papa Bear, Mama Bear and 6 squeezable, lovable baby bears. Well ok, some of the baby bears were getting to be bigger cub bears, but still just as squeezable and lovable...

The eight bears were making a journey of a lifetime. You see, they were moving from the West country to new territory out in the Carolinas. It was so exciting! There first day was not without trials, being that their tire was low on their trailer, but after the proper care things looked much more promising. Yes, after a slow, but cheery, start their caravan was headed on it's way. This time with less wiggle and waggle from the back end.

Well now, Mama bear was tooling along behind Papa Bear and actually was on the phone talking to big ole' Papa, when a big truck passed by her. As he passed by, she thought...he sure is making my car do funny things and was in the middle of warning Papa Bear about his coming. But, then Mama bear realised that her car had died. Yup, D-E-A-D. She heroically steered the car to the side of the road and told Papa Bear to pull over. Great was the imagination of Mama Bear as thoughts of transmissions and dead batteries danced in her head. Papa Bear came to the rescue as he sat in the drivers seat and assessed the dire situation....it's uh......

Out of GAS! Mama Bear, did you know that a car can not go from Texas all the way to the Carolinas on one tank of gas????? Papa Bear had been dutifully filling and refilling his tank all along, but no one had a second thought about poor old little grits the wonder car (that's the name Papa Bear had given it). How did this happen anyway? Well, maybe we could blame it on the fact that Mama Bear had been so focussed on staring at the back of the Uhaul all the way (she pondered how boring those back doors really are and contemplated how an "I spy" arrangement back there would be very nice). Or maybe it was the fact, that Papa Bear was always so protective of Mama Bear that she hardly ever thought about filling up the car with gas. Or maybe we could blame it on her brain type...you know ENFP's can sometimes be "in the clouds" :) Mama Bear also thinks that bells and whistles should go off instead of just a dim little tiny light on the dash.

So, after piling into the van they all dashed off 4 miles ahead to the nearest gas station. Papa Bear so heroically bought a gallon of gas and they all headed back to Grits the Wonder Car. After having to pass the car another 2 miles to turn around, Grits got the drink he had been waiting over 400 miles to get. Another stop to fill up the tank and let the baby bears stretch out their legs and they were off again. Papa and Mama Bear both ringing with peals of laughter. Papa declares in all his ancient years he has never run out of gas before.

So Papa and Mama Bear with their 6 baby bears headed out into the sunset, that you could not see due to a Mississippi storm, which had Mama Bear very stressed. As they traveled Mama Bear was sure the big ole trucks were trying to see who could drown her the most as they passed by. But, one truck looked familiar...Papa Bear called her and said, "Did you see that? That might have been our furniture!" Yup, a truck just like their moving truck came racing by. Maybe this is a race of the tortoise and the hare. At the pace they are going they might not get to the Carolinas till it is time to hibernate again, but they are heading in that direction. To be continued.....

Day #1 Day of Trials

10:41 pm...about 12 hours since my last post. Wow! What a day and are we ever tired! I am typing this in a dark hotel room as my children are finally getting settled and sleeping. S is downstairs waiting to hear from the emergency road service to come and put on a new tire on the trailer. Yes, you read that right. :)

It all started out as planned this morning. Packing, loading getting things ready to go. After I posted on the blog we finished up and locked up the house..one last picture and we are ready. We headed over to my sweet neighbor's house (Hi A!!) and she had lunch prepared and ready for us. She had watched the children and let them play over at her place all morning...so great for us getting ready! So, she sent us on our way with full tummies. After another goodbye --more tears, we drove away from our home of almost 2 years. I must say, I really have loved the community we were in. The Lord gave us some wonderful memories there.

So, here we are...on an adventure. Daddy and children in the big van with the cartop carrier on top, and pulling the trailer. But, wait....something is not right..the trailer is fishtailing left then right, then left then right! When I call S to tell him, he is battling to keep the thing on the road. Now picture, Houston traffic (6 lanes!) six children, having to use all your might to keep your vehicle on the road, and your wife calling you from behind on the cell phone...she is panicking wondering what is going on! Is the trailer overloaded? Is something wrong? S has to slow down to a crawl (ok, it was a fast crawl, but compared to other Houston drivers..) to keep everything in control. Now picture a crawling caravan with Mama coming up behind with the flashers going. :)

I had noticed that his tires on the trailer looked low, so we pulled in to get them air. The man who checked the tires declares "This tire is bad!" What? The tire is about to go. So, we call Uhaul and are told where the next place is we can get it switched. When we arrive in that town and give the place a call...they are closed! Are you laughing yet? Well, you either had to laugh or cry.

At this point, S thinks we can make it to where we will stay for the night. Putting the air in the tire really helped and he felt like we could make a go of it. So, on we plodded. We pulled in to our hotel and finally landed to roost overnight here in Louisianna. After a dinner at IHOP the children are settled down and mama and daddy are "TIRED"! S just came up and said that someone will be here within an hour to change out the tire.

So, we may not have made the best time today. We may not have had things as smooth as WE would have liked. But, it all has been exactly according to how the Lord would have had it. The day has gone perfectly according to his plan. And we are all safe, healthy and in a nice warm hotel room. Now...to "RETIRE".

Beverly Hillbillies?

And they're OFF!! Well, almost. :) It is 10:30 am. With some nice starbucks mocha coursing through our veins S and I are loading up the last minute items in the van. Well, right now S is loading and I am typing. :) S and I have both been out on errands this morning, first him than I ran to Walmart for a shower head replacement. The children are next door playing one last time with the neighbors. (I just took a break, cause another of our dear neighbors just came over to say goodbye. Hi, L!)

So, hopefully within an hour or so, we will be off. We will be quite a caravan...S with the van that has the car top carrier on top, pulling a big uhaul trailer. Me coming behind with the small white car. And if you see a big ABF truck on the road, wave to our stuff! :)

Beverly Hills....I mean, South Carolina here we come!!!

They that sow in tears....

Yesterday was a sweet day of fellowship and tears as we said goodbye to our dear church family. We lingered until 4pm with those at church. Then, we went over to the R families house for over an hour as we enjoyed our last bit of time together for awhile ( not too long though, right K? They are coming to see us soon! BWG) K and I did well though and did not cry as we parted. Love ya, Sister!

Then we went back over to the H family and spent the rest of the evening there. We did not leave until after 10pm. As we said goodbye the tears flowed freely. We were especially broken up when we saw their oldest son (one of J's best friends) crying as he was hugging us. What a dear family that we will miss. So, there we were, pulling out waving to our brother and sister in Christ...E was crying and saying, "I don't want to move!" But, this family too has assured us of a visit maybe even this fall. We will be counting the days P and R!!!

To our dear church family, we want you to know how much you have blessed us and how we will miss you. May the Lord bless this little group here in Texas and richly reward your love toward the brethren. You all have a special place in our hearts.

Update

Hello All,
I do not have time to blog--no more IMST. :) So, I am just going to post what I wrote to my family last night with a few revisions...


It is 10:34pm and we are absolutely exhausted...S is blowing up the air mattresses and we are SOOOO ready for some quiet. It has been a FULL day! S went at it straight ALL day long and night. We had alot of help--the A family, Nona and Papa, TR, RH and JT even was there. THANK YOU each one of you for all your help...what a blessing! Everything went very well BUT....it didn't all fit in the ABF truck. So, tomorrow bright and early S leaves to rent a U-Haul trailer for the rest. So, it looks like Monday the truck will be driven by the driver, S will drive the van towing a lg uhaul trailer and I will be driving the little car. That was not what we were hoping to do, but it is what the Lord has for us. We will see, we might need to take even slower days getting out there, since I am driving all the way. We will have to play it by ear. It's not a ton of stuff left, but enough that we need to pull the trailer, there are still all of S tools and a good bit in the garage, etc. So, tomorrow starts another day of loading, trying to wrap most everything up. Tomorrow night we are hoping to go to the H's for dinner. Rest on the Lords Day. And pull out on Monday. We are so tired, but the Lord has been so merciful to us, we have much to be thankful for. We are camping out all together on air mattresses in the living room tonight. The children think it great fun!

Creative Creations

I forgot to mention one thing. At S's lunch yesterday each time someone leaves the company they give the person some sort of creative gift. For S they did something really special. He had invented an important part for one of their tools, he named it for a french butterfly. I can't go into details about it because of the secrecy for his company, but it was a wonderful invention. He could have gotten it patented with his name, but did not want to go through all the headache to do so. :) Anyhow, they took this part and made it to be part of a touch lamp in the company color...it even has two butterflies on it. Then the team all signed it on the base. What a great idea and a keepsake for S.

Today Nona and Papa are on their way. They hope to arrive around 5. Busy day for us as we try to button things up around here!

Last Day of an Era...

No, I really don't have time to blog, but thought I would quickly dash off an update. We are definately to the countdown now...

Today was S's last day at work. They had his goodbye lunch at Texas Land and Cattle. A dear friend from church babysit so I could go (Thank you PH!) It was really, really nice. Let's see-- Onion strings and nachos for appetizers, bread and butter, caesar salad, steak and lobster tail, garlic mashed potatoes, and cinnamon applecrisp with ice cream on top...YUM! I am very glad I went and weighed in at weight watchers last night and not tonight. (BTW, made that second five pound star!)

They said some very nice things about my dh, and he also gave a speech. And then, he had them all give ME a round of applause! Wasn't that sweet? It was a very wonderful time. I especially thought that it meant alot when a couple of the men commented on how S had taught them in the area of fatherhood. THAT is more important than any career achievement. Afterwards, I went back with S and we picked up his last things and said the goodbyes before heading off into the sunset (ok, not really sunset, but it sounded romantic!) :)

So, now on to the busyness--tomorrow and Thursday is all we've got. Friday it sounds like it is shaping up to be when the "big load" will be. Lot's to do before then, but first we are going to have a relaxing family night with the children.....

Oprah Winfrey

Wow! I just was at a blog that I follow often. There is a very thought provoking youtube on the new teachings that Oprah is spreading across our world. It is very dangerous and very sobering to consider the impact she is having on our culture. To see the video click HERE
Jesus Christ is Lord of All!

Bubble Wrap Dog...or MOM?

FYI: Did you know that when you are in your mid-thirties, you feel things more than when you were...well, you know...young. Yes, then engine just doesn't rev as fast as it used to. I watch my dear young helper here today (did I tell you how much I have appreciated her?) still have vim and vigor after lots of packing, and I am ready for a hot bath! :)
BTW, if I disappear from blog world for awhile, it because I got packed in a box. Yes, by this time I think I should be breathing, dreaming and maybe even IN a box. Just be sure to leave a little air at the top, mark it in big letters FRAGILE, and make sure it gets on the right truck. Oh, yes, put master bedroom on the outside of it, so they will know which room to unload it in. Then, you can unpack me and wake me when everything is unpacked and settled in the new house...how does that sound???
Actually, would you believe my whole house is almost DONE? All I have left for now is the laundry room. Then, it is just stuff that will need to wait till the last couple of days. Oh, there are some curtains to take down too. Today A and I packed everything on the walls, and the living room, including even the table lamps. Now it really looks like we are moving. The poor children wander around aimlessly...what can we do? A few legos, a few dollys, some saved out books, some paper and pens is about all that is left. We still have the trampoline left up too. Today they have been having fun playing with the new handtruck that S got. They have been driving all the children around in a big bin on top of it. It is very sturdy, so they can't hurt it.
Tonight is our goodbye get-together with our dear church family. We will see them a couple more times, but this is the last hurrah. It is hard to say the goodbyes, we love these families so much. But, we are hoping they will make some visits to SC. :) Right, Kelly?
Monday I have my last WW meeting until I get to SC (I am hoping to get my 10 pound star. :) )Tuesday is S's last day of work, and his goodbye lunch. Wednesday, Nona and Papa are coming.
Friday the truck arrives and loading begins! Don't forget that box marked "Mama"!

Like Mother, Like Daughter?

I found this picture while packing...

Science Fair Slideshow

IMST (remember that's, in my spare time) I decided to put together a quick slideshow of the children's science fair a couple of weeks ago. They had such a good time and it was a great experience! In the slideshow you will see each of the children giving their presentations to their classmates. Also, some of their classroom time. W and B got to make a prairie sod house--fun! At the end they are giving out the prizes for the science fair. Each participant got a certificate to Baskin Robbins..yum!

Moving right along...

Well, a friend of mine asked if I had lost my sanity amongst the boxes? LOL! Actually, we are doing very well. Yes, it is stressful just the sheer amount to be done, but we are really making progress! I have a very sweet girl from our church with me this week, which is a HUGE help! She has been doing mega loads of laundry, cooking for us, helping with the children, taping and helping pack boxes, etc. etc. Did I say what a wonderful blessing it is to have her? Thank you the A family for sharing her!

A big part of our house is packed up, amazingly. The boys room, girls room, our bedroom, dining room, both bathrooms, the 5 closets in the house are for the most part done. Of course there are always a few things here and there. Tomorrow I am going to tackle the kitchen and only keep out what we will need for the next week. There is alot of stuff in there I can do without for the next few days. Then we have all the wall hangings, another cabinet, the laundry room and the living room left. S has taken down his workbench and peg board, and packed up most of his tools. We still have to finish the garage and then hit the....ATTIC (gulp). :) We also have to take a couple boxes to take my sister's storage, take down the trampoline, take apart the basketball hoop, and so on.

So it's coming along. We are making lots of progress and we are excited as the time draws nearer.

Saturday

Whew, did we ever have a productive day! S took a LOAD to the toxic waste dump and got rid of a bunch of stuff that we have had for years (old paint, etc. etc). He cleaned the yard and made it tip top...THAT was work, cause there was alot that had accumulated over the months around the corners and in the tucked away places. He took down our satellite dish (used for Bob Jones Homesat), and took down the boys tree houses (can you say LOT of nails???). I made pancakes for everyone, spruced the house up again (in case of a house showing) then I went grocery shopping and stocked us up on some things for the next several days. After that we worked in the garage and got a bunch of stuff dealt with. So tonight we are feeling very happy with all we got done...and tired. :) We only have one more Saturday before the big loading day.

May you have a blessed Lords Day!

J's final report

This is J's final report for the year in writing class. He is presenting this written and also giving an oral presentation of it this Monday. Thought you might like to see it...


General Thomas Jonathan Jackson

Everyone probably knows about the Civil War, but less people
have probably heard about one of the most famous generals in our
history. His name was Thomas Jonathan Jackson. He had many
nicknames, but the one that he mostly used was "Stonewall". One
time in combat, when he was fighting very courageously, one of his
followers looked at him and said, "Look at Jackson. There he stands
like a stone wall!" Let me tell you more about this famous man.

Jackson was born on January 21, 1824 in Clarksburg, West
Virginia. His father's name was Jonathan, his mother's name was
Julia. He had one brother and two sisters. After his father died, his
mother married a second time in 1830. His step-father was
not very rich, therefore Jackson was sent to Uncle Robinson, a
former slave. Later on, when Jackson was seven years old, his
mother died. He was given to Uncle Cummins, his mother's brother.
Warren, his brother, now a lad of 14, persuaded Jackson to leave
home.

Stonewall went to Westpoint Acadamy in 1842. He stayed
there four years. After his training, he was sent to fight against
Mexico. Eventually, his career as a soldier would bring him to
be a general in the Civil War.

Jackson greatly loved the Lord and sought to follow Him
in all ways of scripture. He had much trouble speaking and
praying in public. But, he felt that it was his duty to pray before the
congregation. Thus, he kept trying for several years until he became
one of the best speakers in the church. Jackson led a colored
Sunday School, which when Stonewall was at war he missed greatly.
Before he left for the Civil War, he and his wife read the fifth chapter
of 2 Corinthians together.

When Thomas was at war he always started the morning with
prayer and worship with his ranks. Additionally, he had prayer and
thanksgiving after a victory had been won. One of his most famous
quotes on praying without ceasing was this: " When I take a draught
of water, I always pause, as my palate receives the refreshment, to
lift up my heart to God in thanks and prayer for the water of life.
Whenever I drop a letter into the box at the post office, I send a
petition along with it for God's blessing upon its mission and upon
the person to whom it is sent. When I break the seal of a letter just
received, I stop to pray to God that He may prepare me for its
contents and make it a messenger of good. When I go to my class-
room and await the arrangement of the cadets in their places, that
is my time to intercede with God for them. And so of every other
familiar act of the day."

When he was wounded he trusted the Lord to take care of him.
He said he would not have his arm restored, unless it was his
Heavenly Father's pleasure. Lieutenant Ewell, Jackson's able helper
said, regarding Stonewall's Christianity, "If that is religion, I must
have it."

When he was able to go back to war, his own loyal men
tragically shot him. It would be his last time on the battleground,
where he had fought so many attacks. One of God's providences
was that the drs. told him that he would die on the Lord's Day. He
told them he had always wanted to die on the Sabbath. A few
moments before he died, he cried out, "Order A.P. Hill to prepare for
action! Pass the infantry to the front rapidly! Tell Major Hawks'--"
then he stopped. But his last words were, "Let us cross over the
river and rest under the shade of the trees;' and then his spirit went
to Zion, the eternal Jerusalem. He died on May 10, 1863, at the age
of 39 years.

Stonewall Jackson was a godly man who was thoughtful
and brave. He was one of the special people who loved Jesus with
all of his heart. He did what he could to keep our nation from
corruption. Jackson was a good example of being a follower of the
Lord, even in troubleous times. He was a special man with a
specific purpose. General Thomas Jonathan Jackson was, and still
is, an example of true Christian religion to us all.

Joining right in the fun!

Flash news update...

You should have seen it a little while ago. Boxes were flying, each older child had their own tape, productivity was HIGH! The girls were in packing their dollies and stuffed animals, the boys were taking care of their treasures, Mom was in the packing front room books, D was taping whatever he could get his hands on, and H was walking around with a two knitting rings around her neck. Well, it may not be the "just so" ordered way, but it lets them feel involved in the move...the girls even packed their bookshelf (well, it is almost done).

BTW, did you know that you don't know how many BOOKS you have, till you go to pack? Especially, in a homeschool family, where a home library is very important.