Friday Fun

For those of you that cannot see my slideshows I thought I would put up a few pics of the house. It is pretty obvious, but they are of my kitchen, master bedroom and living room.
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Today we went into our closest nearby town (I guess if it was the closest, it WOULD be nearby, wouldn't it?) It is just up the road about 5mins away. We went to the thrift store and had fun shopping. The two older boys were each thrilled to get some socker cleats (is that spelled with a c or k?) and all three boys got some church shoes. H even got a cute pair of tennies, and E found some church sandels. I found a dress, a shirt and a blouse. A couple of other items and we were set!

We then went over and ate Little Caesar's Pizza, ran to the post office for my mom and then took her back home. After dropping her off, we headed back out to the library. We had not been yet and wanted to check it out (excuse the pun). It was a cute little library and each child got to sign up for their summer reading program. Even H has her little paper for mommy to fill out for her. J, W, B, and E all got their OWN library cards, which they were very happy about.

So, off we went with our books, videos and summer reading stuff, plus the juice boxes they got for signing up. But, once we were home I realized a bag with MY card and three videos was missing. I called and sure enough, we left it at the library. Soooo, I am going back into town in just a few minutes to get it.

There were some former homeschoolers there at the library, so I felt right at home. I was asking them about some contacts for the area. They gave me the name of a lady whose family owns a cafe there in town. They said she even had the upstairs somewhere with desks in it for homeschoolers! Not sure the whole story yet, but I plan on exploring that lead for sure!

Mom and Dad are having an outbuilding delivered here today or Monday, since Dad is coming back from Co with their stuff and they need a place to store it all. It's a nice building that they rent to own.

We are having one of the seminary students at our church over for dinner tomorrow night. Our pastor is moving today, so S is calling to find out if they need his help tonight or not. They have been working all day, so most may be done by now. Pastor has been commuting from Georgia, so it will be wonderful for them to be only 15 mins from the church!

So life continues to move on and we settle in more as each day goes by. Oh yes, I am attempting to potty train H. I bought her cute little Dora panties. She's a smart little cookie, so I just need to convince her that she CAN do this. :) Patience, patience. I think potty training is alot like teaching a child to read...it take patience.

Update: Since starting this post, I went back into town and talked with the lady that her family owns a small cafe in town. They homeschool and there is planning for a homeschool coop this next fall above their cafe!! We will see as time goes on if it is something we want to do, but it is exciting to hear about the opportunities so close by. There is also a homeschool P.E at the leisure center there.

Mountains and Memories Slideshow

Our Home

D's party

D had such a wonderful birthday! He was so excited to have so many over to celebrate with him. And what a cutie! He would give these big smiles and sweet thank-yous over everything he got. When he saw his cake, he thanked me. When he opened a gift, he thanked the person it was from. He just was such a dearie. Enjoy the slideshow!

Memorial Day Memories and Mountains

For Memorial Day we decided to go out on an adventure. We invited the A family to go with us up into the mountains, just a short ways from us. We were headed to a place called Jones Gap. Our landlord told us it was the best kept secret around. Would you believe we did not even get to Jones Gap? The Lord has other blessings for us in store and what a day it was!

We started out by meeting the A family and leaving their car at Walmart so we could all ride together. Then off to the mountains we went! But, as we were nearing Jones Gap, Mr A asked us if we wanted a little side excursion. We were so excited about everything new and it was so beautiful all around us we were drinking it in. As we turned and pulled into a church parking lot, Mr A led us down the most beautiful path. We walked and walked and then could begin to hear water. Pretty soon the most breathtaking waterfall was seen through the trees. The hiking at this point became more challenging as the daddys had to help us all go down some s-t-e-e-p areas, but it was so exhilarating to be enjoying such beauty all around. As we got down to the bottom this paradise was before us! The water was crystal clear and the stream bottom was soft sand. As we basked in the pure loveliness of it all, we felt as though just this stop was worth the whole trip. The A family has been there swimming before and it so great because the depth is perfect for the children.

So up we hiked back to the van for another adventure. By now our tummies are growling after such fresh air and hiking, so we determine it is best to head to Jones Gap and set up to grill right away. But, when we got to the gap, the park was already full. We thought about waiting till someone left to go in, but found out there were not grills there to make our hamburgers on. So, we decided to go to Table Rock Mountain not far from there. We pulled up there and told that we could pay to come in (15 dollars for the van) but they were very full as well and could not guarantee us a spot. Also, THEY did not have any grills either! By now, I am thinking maybe we are going to end up at McDonalds? Mr A called ahead to Caesar's Head Mountain to see if THEY were full and they were not. So the two daddys went in and bought a little travel grill and we headed off to Caesar's Head. We went up that mountain, and you should have seen the switchback roads. The children were all in the back and with each turn to the right or left they would say "Woaaahhhh" and were giggling and laughing. So up we came to the top of Caesar's Head and what a view it was. 3,500 feet of loveliness awaiting us. We ooohhhh and awwwed at the lookout point and then started trying to figure out where we were going to grill. So what did we see there next to the picnic table? A GRILL! (laughing!)

We went ahead and tried to start the grill. Mrs A had bought a lighter but it would not work, so Mr A went to the little soveneir shop there and bought some matches. After some coaxing and prodding the coals finally got started. And after much patience our burgers were sizzling away. Matthew Henry says "Hunger is the best sauce" and we sure had it by then! You can't get much better for a lunch than sitting in the fresh mountain air with fresh grilled burgers!

By now it was about 3pm and the children were really wanting to swim. The cove that Mr A had brought us to first was so lovely that we decided we wanted to all go back there and swim. So back down the mountain (Whoaaaaa with every turn) and over to the cove that we have fondly named after Mr A. We spent the remainder of the afternoon having the best time swimming, laughing, splashing and exploring in the streams. You will see in the slideshow that S enjoyed battling the falls. He got all the way under them and let them pound down on him. Even the youngers down to H had a blast! What a blessing from the Lord.

Tired and refreshed we hiked back up to the van and then we heading back. The A family invited us back to their house for dinner and we watched a movie together. We arrived back home around 11pm. What a full, fun day! The Lord's creation is so breathtaking! What a majestic, mighty God we serve! I am going to be posting a slideshow, but blogger is not liking my connection speed here. I will try again, but I may have to take my computer in tomorrow when we go into town, and sit at a Wi-Fi place to upload it. I have been able to limp out these other two slideshows today, so we will see.

Happy Birthday D!

Happy Birthday to dear D! We love you sweet boy. It is hard to believe you are four years old! May the Lord cause you to grow up to be a man of courage, integrity and a heart for Him. Kisses to our favorite 5th born child!

Friday Ramblings...

It's Friday again and what a beautiful day it is here. We LOVE springtime here. I am enjoying the windows being open so much. Yes, the A/C goes on throughout the day sometimes, but we are able to enjoy such nice cool breezes and the windows up alot as well. The other day we took a hike down a dirt road that runs parellel to our road. We walked and walked wondering what the road would take us to, when what should we come up on....the RIVER. It's just a bit from us! We were so excited at this discovery. S came home last night with a rafting boat so we can go on explorations! You should have seen us all sitting on the ground in our new boat with our paddles last night!

Tomorrow is D's bday, and in honor of that we have invited everyone over that helped us in our unloading and move. There will be around 30 of us, we think. So today we are preparing...making sloppy joes, cleaning the house, etc. Tonight I am meeting S for some errands and a date night. Mom and Dad have told us that since they are now living with us, they can be built in babysitters for us for date nights. :>) I think we will be going to Applebees cause they have weight watchers menus. :)

I am starting to contact homeschoolers in the area to try and get plugged into the homeschool community. I have already found a band as well as a teacher that will give the boys lessons again this fall, if we choose to go that route. It all feels so new, starting over in a new state with the homeschooling, but it sounds like there are some good options and opportunities it looks like. Things will come in to focus the more I talk to people I think.

Our move from Tx to Sc

After several tries, I was finally able to get this up on the blog again. (We are still having problems with our satellite) We slowed down the pictures so you can enjoy them more. You will see our dear church family helping us on the Texas end, and then our new church family helping us on the South Carolina end. As time allows I will try and get pics of the inside of our house and make a slideshow of that as well.

Enjoy!

retry slideshow in next post

I had trouble uploading the video last night and had a couple of you mention that it was too fast. So I have edited it and am going to try and reupload it in the next post. Let me know what you think. Missing you all!

The Natural Beauty of the Shoals

This is about 5 minutes from our house... (Can you Texans tell I am trying to hurry up the promised visits??

Right after this fun exploration we found out that it is private property and we can't hike around in there anymore. :( Well, we can enjoy it from the road. S drives past it to and from work everyday and it is the highlight of his commute.

Slideshow of Family Fun Day

Grandma, since you can't see the slideshows I thought I would post a few pics here for you. Love ya!

Saturday

We had a safe trip to NC and had an enjoyable time with our family. We were so glad that we were able to go. Aunt H was really loved by many people. After the funeral, she was buried on a family gravesite just down from where her home was. It was something to see all the cars traveling to the cemetary. There were many people there that loved S's aunt. She was a very special lady and will really be missed.

The afternoon was spent together with all the family, playing outside, visiting, talking and laughing about old memories, etc. We headed back late, getting in close to 1am this morning.

Today we went to the family picnic for S's company. I am putting together a slideshow which I hope to put up maybe even still today. For those of you who don't already know, after you see the slideshow, I will let you guess what company he works for (wink).

On the way home we stopped by one of S's favorite places. SC has so much natural beauty and this is only about 5 minutes from our home. I also have put together a slideshow of "The Shoals".

Life is busy, and as we were reminded yesterday is hastening by. We must be looking beyond today to those things that truly matter. One generation is passing away, and another comes behind it. Where will our children be in a few short years? How needful it is to redeem the time in following the Saviour.

Trip

S's Aunt on Papa's side passed away yesterday, so we are making a quick trip to NC tomorrow. The funeral is on Friday at 11am, so we are planning on leaving after S gets off work tomorrow and getting into the hotel late. It is only a 5 hour trip, so it should not be too bad of a drive. Then after the funeral and spending the day with the family we plan on driving back home late Friday night.

We still hope to go to the big company family day that S's work is planning for Sat, since this is rare event. S thinks it will be a good opportunity for us to see where he is working, etc. Then, early next week S's parents will be coming over for a couple of days on their way back to Arkansas, after being in NC. It will be nice to have them see our new home and also walk the property of SpringMeadows.

So it will be a busy next several days. It reminds us how brief our life is when one that we love is gone. We pray we will be a blessing and comfort to our extended family during this time. Please keep them in your prayers.

Motherhood

The following is from Doug Phillips blog
http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/blogs/dwp/

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Motherhood: Motherhood Will Triumph
There is an important reason why motherhood will not be defeated — The Church is her guardian. As long as she perseveres — and persevere she will — motherhood will prevail.
The Church is the ultimate vanguard of that which is most precious and most holy. She holds the oracles of God which dare to proclaim to a selfish, self-centered nation: “Children are a blessing and the fruit of the womb is His reward.” Psalm 127:3.
The Church stands at the very gates of the city, willing to receive the railing complaints of feminists, atheists, and the legions arrayed against the biblical family, and she reminds the people of God: “Let the older women teach the young to love their children, to guide the homes.” Titus 2:3-5.
It is this very love of the life of children, this passion for femininity and motherhood which may be God’s instrument of blessing on America in the days to come. As the birth rate continues to plummet, divorce rates rise, and family life in America dissipates to the point of extinction, life-loving families will not only have an important message to share, but thy will have an army of children to help them share it.
Posted by Doug Phillips on May 11, 2008 Permalink

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Motherhood: Only Women
Only women can be mothers. Have we forgotten this fundamental?
Only a woman can carry in her body an eternal being which bears the very image of God. Only she is the recipient of the miracle of life. Only a woman can conceive and nurture this life using her own flesh and blood, and then deliver a living soul into the world. God has bestowed upon her alone a genuine miracle — the creation of life, and the fusing of an eternal soul with mortal flesh. This fact alone establishes the glory of motherhood.
Despite the most creative plans of humanist scientists and lawmakers to redefine the sexes, no man will ever conceive and give birth to a child. The fruitful womb is a holy gift given by God to women alone. This is one reason why the office of wife and mother is the highest calling to which a woman can aspire.
Posted by Doug Phillips on May 11, 2008 Permalink

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Motherhood: The Cost
Once a lady went to visit her friend. During the visit the children of the friend entered the room and began to play with each other. As the lady and her friend visited, the lady turned to her friend and said eagerly and yet with evidently no thought of the meaning of her words: “Oh, I’d give my life to have such children.” The mother replied with a subdued earnestness whose quiet told of the depth of experience out of which her words came: “That’s exactly what it costs.
There is a cost of motherhood. And the price is no small sum. And if you are not willing to pay this price, no amount of encouragement about the joys of motherhood will satisfy.
But the price of motherhood is not fundamentally different from the price of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. In fact, Christian mothers see their duty as mothers flowing from their calling to Jesus Christ. And what is this cost?
Christian motherhood means dedicating your entire life in service of others. It means standing beside your husband, following him, and investing in the lives of children whom you hope will both survive you and surpass you. It means forgoing present satisfaction for eternal rewards. It means investing in the lives of others who may never fully appreciate your sacrifice or comprehend the depth of your love. And it means doing all these things, not because you will receive the praise of man — for you will not — but because God made you to be a woman and a mother, and there is great contentment in that biblical calling.
In other words, Motherhood requires vision. It requires living by faith and not by sight.
These are some of the reasons why Motherhood is both the most biblically noble and the most socially unappreciated role to which a young woman can aspire. There are many people who ask the question: Does my life matter? But a mother that fears the Lord need never ask such a question. Upon her faithful obedience hinges the future of the church and the hope of the nation.
Posted by Doug Phillips on May 11, 2008 Permalink

Peter Marshall on the Challenge of Modern Motherhood
The challenge of the twentieth-century motherhood is as old as motherhood itself. Although the average American mother has advantages that pioneer women never knew—material advantages: education, culture, advances made by science and medicine; although the modern mother knows a great deal more about sterilization, diets, health, calories, germs, drugs, medicines and vitamins, than her mother did, there is one subject about which she does not know as much—and that is God.
The modern challenge to motherhood is the eternal challenge—that of being a godly woman. The very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We hear about every other kind of women—beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career woman, talented women, divorced women, but so seldom do we hear of a godly woman—or of a godly man either, for that matter.
I believe women come nearer to fulfilling their God-given function in the home than anywhere else. It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife than to be Miss America. It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel filled with filth. It is a far, far better thing in the realm of morals to be old-fashioned than to be ultramodern. The world has enough women who know how to hold their cocktails, who have lost all their illusions and their faith. The world has enough women who know how to be smart.
It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need woman, and men, too, who would rather be morally right that socially correct.
Posted by Doug Phillips on May 9, 2008 Permalink

Back to Blogging!

Just when you thought I might have dropped off the side of the earth (the east side of the US, that is)...I'm back! Yes, after calls and orders, patience and more patience we now are "modern" again out here in the boonies. We have satellite service! :) Giggle--our nice little (actually larger) dish up here on a pole in the yard takes all our info and sends it back to..you guessed it, HOUSTON, and then back here. Sure hope it does not take the signal as long to get here as it did for us to get here. :) No actually, it may not be the speed of lightening, but it is jeeessst faaayyyynnn (that's the southern way of saying just fine, in case you were confused). So, here I am trying to catch up on over two weeks of being "out of the loop" (excuse the pun).

We are LOVING it here! We are actually getting to enjoy a real springtime, with cool nights and low humidity days. Now, don't get me wrong, we are still in the south, and the a/c is on today, but it is nothing like the humidity of the gulf coast. It's really pretty here too. One of the first nights we were here, S took me out on the front step to listen....owls, whipperwhils, the sounds of country quiet. And the aroma! You step out on a cool night and take in deep whiffs of the pine trees all around and you feel like you are a kid again at summer camp. It's really lovely here. Now, the roads are very interesting for my big white passenger van to get around. Lets just say maybe our big Moby needs to go on weight watchers with me! These little two lane roads twist and turn back and forth, and roll up and down. Did I mention that it is beautiful out here?

Our house is really such a haven for us too. Tucked away where no one would ever guess this crazy family of 8 lives. We love it. The boys and girls each love their rooms. It's been fun to set them up. S and I have a nice private master suite off the other side of the house, it feels like such a retreat for us. There is even room for my mom and dad who are with us now. They are still trying to get settled in, as my dad arrived Thursday. My Dad bought my mom a cute little airstream travel trailer which he is going to be renovating to make mom a really safe haven for her, free from all her chemical sensitivies and allergies.

Every view from my windows is so lovely, with the pine trees and foliage, there are horses that our landlord owns that graze right behind the fence outside. Did I mention that we are really enjoying it here?

I will have to say, this Mn girl is having some culture changes to go through though. There is country (which I am very used to) and then there is COUNTRY. People here take life at a new pace, a ssslllllooooowww pace. My comic relief phrase now is, "Yaaaahhhhh", but you have to say it in kind of a singsongy way. No one is in a big hurry here. My pace (which I thought was rather laid back) is very city-fied. But, these are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. They would give you the shirt off your back. We thought Texans were friendly, and they are...but it takes you back when a complete stranger at Walmart offers to help you get something in your cart that you are struggling with, or 9 people stop to offer to help when you have a flat tire.

So, after a little over 2 weeks we are beginning to feel settled in. There are a few more things to do, hang this, or organize that, but for the most part, we are done. It feels good, after weeks of seeing boxes and bubble wrap. S is out today pruning and clearing and making this place look mighty fine (you have to read that with a southern drawl). We are going to take my dad out to see SpringMeadows this afternoon, he has not walked the property yet.

S is enjoying his new job more and more every day. He loves the new projects he is working on, and he really likes his boss. There is a company picnic next Saturday which we hope to go to. It sounds like great fun, and we will get to tour the facility and see where Daddy works.

We are looking forward to tomorrow. After all that I have said though, I must say, the highlight of our move is our new church. We are feeling so blessed to be a part of this work here in SC. The sermons that the Lord is giving us through our pastor are absolutely full of richness. We have been coming to the end of the Lord's day feeling so abundantly fed. We have truly feasted of the bounty that comes from heaven. It makes every sacrifice that we have made to get here worth it.

Let me also say, that we miss our dear friends back in Texas. We would so love to share all of these experiences with you as well. So that being said...We are ready for guests whenevery anyone wants to come. Just let us know and we will do it up southern style. :)

Before I end this blog post, I am going to have a little mini series that I might add to once in a while. It is titled...

"You know you are in the South when..."

You know you are in the South when:

~Someone that is younger than you (barely out of highschool probably) calls you "honey"

~Your children have a pet lizard that they walk around on a dental floss leash (they call them "Geikos")

~When you ask for directions on where a store is located, the reply is "Wherever it is!"

~Your children get the have the childhood dream of owning a real go-cart (yes, it's true S found one for them!)

~When you have a flat tire you get asked 9 times if you need help

~Your two year old's face can be so dirty that she is hardly recognizable, but you know she is having fun.

~When Ma'm becomes a a two syllable instead of one syllable word (you know, mayaam)

~You see confederate flags flying here and there

~You talk to someone who actual is still a part of the KKK (oh, no! Yes, S talked to a man who was proud of it)

~You actually cook FRIED okra! (ok, it was prebreaded, but still...)

~You feel like you are HOME.

(Sigh, ok I feel back in 2008 now that I have blogged again)

Granny's Update!

Mama Bear has asked me to tell you that....

She is currently in a "Time Warp" without internet!

Actually, I do remember the days "before" computers...and actually Mama Bear was a baby....hmmmm What did we do with our time? How did we communicate? Something about a stamp and paper, if I remember correctly...

Anyway, she says she is fine (and she is :) but VERY busy (and she is!)!!!

Lets see....their transmission went out on their van. YES, I think it might have had something to do with the WEIGHT of their overload DEN CONTENTS (that's the stuff that wouldn't fit in their moving truck :) They pulled it behind trusty Moby in the U-Haul all the way to South Carolina (Good thing he waited to have his stroke until "after" they got here, thankfully!) (You just can't believe what was in there?! Shhhh, don't tell her I said that :)

...Their anniversary came and went without much celebration because of the move, but that will happen at another date, just a little delayed.

...The order actually went in today for the BIG Dish in the sky so that she can connect again with all of you. Something about it being shipped, then someone coming out and hooking everything up within 24 to 36 hours making sure it faces South and, well.....

Welcome to the world of country living, away from all the hubub of traffic, the noises, terrible pollution, AND... normal internet access! :) "No wireless available at this address?" "Are you sure?" "How does one get on the internet then?" "A what?" "Did you say DISH?" "As in food, and meals?" "And, did you say we have to have one for our history channel and another for the internet?" "Hmm, maybe we can use it for outdoor picnics too!"

Well, Granny Bear better leave the rest of the E-Bear Family catch-up for Mama Bear when she is back into the world of computers and internet-instead of boxes and bubble wrap!