She is with Him!

Shane's mom Toni, my MIL, passed away today. Praise God she is with Him now!

The first time I heard this song I knew it reminded me of her but I wasn't quite sure why. Then the day Shane and I were driving down to see her in the hospital, his dad called and said that she had prayed with the church pastor and had accepted Christ! I just cried! Then this song came on the radio and suddenly it made perfect sense!

It's called In Better Hands by Natalie Grant

Thank you all for your encouraging words, thoughts and most of all, your prayers!

So hard to say goodbye…

Sat morning, MIL had to be taken to hospital yesterday, her bp dropped and her breathing was really heavy. She was admitted to ICU and was very weak, they had a hard time finding her pulse. They stablized her bp finally this morning. Her dr came in today and said her cancer has progressed through her entire body and there is nothing more they can do for her but make her comfortable. So they turned off all the machines that were keeping her bp and heart rate stable. She has been sleeping most of the eve and was awake when I left the hospital that night, enough to tell hubby and his dad that she loved them. She is a fighter and she is not giving up. Please pray for our family's comfort during this time, it's been so hard on everyone. Knowing she is going and just waiting for her to pass. At 47 she is so young to be going through this!

But in spite of all the sadness, there is some great news! She accepted Christ yesterday! Praise God this is wonderful wonderful proof of His loving grace!!

I am at MILs house with the kids, hubby and family are still at the hospital with her. It's really hard being here at her house with all her stuff knowing she won't be coming home ever again. I may go back and visit with her later if someone comes here to keep the girls for me. Everyone at the hospital has been just wonderful, the nurses have been so kind and helpful. So many of the local pastors have been coming by to pray over her and that is a great comfort as well. Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers!
I love you all, my sweet sisters in Christ!

Back on schedule!

Last week we really took a break from everything...school, cleaning, even blogging. We were just too busy with everything else. This week should be pretty calm besides on Wed since the girls will be dressing up and attending the church's Harvest Party.

1. Bible Study/Devotions: Continuing on reading and studying through the book of Genensis.

2. Must Do:
- Print out this week's lessons
- Post Ainsley's 6-9mos. clothes on freecycle
- Finish my digital pet album and upload to shutterfly
- Design business cards for my new s4o business

3. Cleaning:
- Organize kitchen cabinets and put all groceries away
- Finish laundry, fold and put away.
- Organize desk and computer area
- Organize Emira's school area

4. Train Them Up:
- Spend more time crafting together
- Get info together for a lapbook
- Create our first lapbook

5. Menu Planning:

Monday- Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans
Tuesday- Chicken fried rice
Wednesday- BBQ Chicken with Mac & Cheese
Thursday- Leave me a comment - suggest something quick, easy and delicious!
Friday- Pizza night!

And now I must let you all know about a brand new kit available at ElementalScraps! This kit is a collab by myself and the wonderfully talented Iara of Baers Garten Designs! It's called Butterfly Garden and you can get it now for the introductory price of just $4.00!

Here is a layout by my ct member Nancy!

Also I would like to introduce:

Please let me know if YOU would like to be my Guest for December!

We’re Back – With News!!

We arrived home yesterday early evening. It was a beautiful service and I was overjoyed to learn that Pawpaw Jack had indeed accepted Christ and is now in Heaven! I also enjoyed meeting a lot of my husband's family members that I hadn't yet met, and talking to the ones I have and getting to know them better. However I am glad to be back home and am ready to get into the swing of things.

I have news! After lots of prayer and pondering (and some really good support of friends) I had decided to start homeschooling Emira next year. After I read a few books and researched what I think I need to know, I made the not-so-final decision. I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulder. Then God spoke to me and said "DO NOT WAIT!". So I'm not going to wait until next year, we are going to start on Monday!

So with lots of help from some great homeschool mom friends of mine I am ready to go! We are going to be using a lot of online free resources as well as our library. But I have also been offered some curricula and material from local friends. I will post more about our schedule and curriculum next week as I tie it all together.

I am really excited, so much in fact that I haven't been sleeping well. So much info and ideas running through my head LOL. So if I am not blogging as crazily much as I have been, you will know what I am doing Although we do plan to keep a good blogging journal of our homeschool journey.

I would like to thank my best friend Angela for all her help, prayer and encouragement and also my sweet dear online friend Connie Jean who has also been such a huge encouragement. And Meg as well, thank you for your comment and encouragement. It all means so much!

Homeschool

I want to finally post about something that has been weighing heavily on my heart for a long time now.
Homeschool

Last year Emira was in 1st grade. I met her teacher, very nice lady! In fact she may have been too nice.
Emira seemed to have some problems like not bringing her homework home, therefore not completing her assignments. Spelling
was always a big problem because she would lose her word list on monday, not get another one from the teacher til wed, and
then have 2 days to study for tests. These are just some examples of what could have easily been prevented if the teacher would
have reprimanded her for being so careless. I am to blame as well, I was pregnant and had a newborn during the last school year
and was so sick all the time. It was really hard for me to take part in any school activities. I kept saying this next year would be better!
Now she did rather well over all last year, she is very smart. She just needs a good push to get her going. I think she may have been bored
with school/ learning, (and I don't think she has add or adhd). She just didn't seem to be interested in anything school related.

Now all I can think about is homeschooling her. I have actually mentioned it to her and she seems to like the idea. Her cousins are homeschooled
and she has always been intrigued with that idea and ofcourse we have been involved in many of our church's homeschool group activities and events.

I know there are lots of books I can read to answer my questions about homeschooling, but I would rather have an honest up front opinion on some of them. I've been praying about this and here's what I need to know:

Can we really afford it?
I know God will make it happen if it is His will. However we are a family of 4 living on a very small income (>20k/yr) and we can barely afford to pay our bills as it is.

I know there are so many resources for homeschooling on a budget, but does it really work? Can you really homeschool and afford it?

Can I teach my child while still caring for a small baby?

Can we homeschool even though we live in a small home and have no extra room for a "classroom"? We would have to use the kitchen table, however Emira does have her own desk in her bedroom.

Will my child be able to concentrate with no special learning area and a baby in the same room?

What if we try it and we decide it's not for us?

My husband (and myself) worry about my patience with teaching our daughter. I have always said no to homeschooling because I never thought I would have the patience to teach, and because I felt my child would not take me seriously as an instructor after
attending public school. Are these issues that other homeschool moms struggle with?

What other feelings do homeschool moms struggle with?

If you homeschool, I would LOVE to hear your comments please
Thank you and God bless!