Sunrise

I find myself heavy-hearted this Christmas season, praying for several situations, friends, family

members who have received tough news and are going through some dark days. I was reminded this morning that He came, not because all is well and idyllic and happy, and Christmas card perfect...but because this broken world, because I, because you, need a Savior, need to be restored and renewed. If your world and heart too are dark this Christmas Season, I hope and pray that Zacharias' prayer from Luke 1 (and the truth of the Promise already fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus and the fulfillment of His return yet to come) breathe a little hope into your heart:

"Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the SUNRISE from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

I hope you too know this Sunrise. It dawned in a manger with an announcement to shepherds in the middle of the night. It dawned 33 years later in Jerusalem on an Easter morning when He conquered death. It dawns in our hearts when we believe the promises. And it will dawn again when He returns and makes all things new.

We wish you a very blessed CHRISTmas!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving weekend was a treat for our family - getting to spend time with loved ones again. Reid's sister and her family came to visit as well as Nanny and Poppy. Poppy was very patient with Lillian's requests for book readings and Jenna's endless questions. Thankful for family! 

Thankful For These People!

My Dad keeps getting more and more elaborate with his Christmas lights each year! I think half the fun for him is watching his grandkids' eyes light up. And Mom's inside lights and decorations bring the fun right on through the front door. Omi and Opa's house looks like Santa and Mrs. Clause home! :) Since, as they say, a picture is worth 1000 words, I'll let the pictures do the talking as to Brasher activities this Thanksgiving. We're excited about the Isaacs' and Nanny and Poppy coming in to town this weekend.

I'm sorry Sharkey, I couldn't resist! 

Mom and Dad - busy bees in the kitchen!

Watching football together!

Ramble in the Woods

A few weeks ago we took off to explore Dupont State Forest and waterfalls. It's near Hendersonville, NC - and the pictures definitely don't do it justice (it was mid afternoon before we got started and early evening by the time we were done....not an optimal time to take pictures in a forest! :) )

Definitely worth exploring some more - the hikes are fairly easy even with a baby on the back (the kids described it more as a long, steep walk.....I like Anne of Green Gables word - ramble in the woods! :).

The drive there is as pleasant as the walk/hike!

I Have Time for You

The other day I texted my sister and asked what she was up to. She replied soon after with "waiting for you to come visit!" Do you think I felt welcome to her home? :)

When was the last time someone looked you in the eye and simply said: "I have time for you."

When was the last time you looked someone else in the eye and simply said: "I have time for you."

A few weeks ago in church the pastor asked a question I've been chewing on ever since.  When did business become a badge of honor?

I normally think a whole lot about how not to be so busy, how to simplify life. But there's another puzzle part....that part where we are called to love. And to truly love well, well that takes time.

I have some friends who start off our conversations by pulling out their cellphones and turning them off. It speaks volumes to me and is a very simple way to say "I have time for you. You have my full attention."

In this social media saturated world where everyone has a voice and no one is heard, the ability or willingness to truly listen to others seems to have virtually vanished, while the need to be truly heard has exploded exponentially.

Children often ask to be heard in ugly ways ....ways I sometimes don't recognize....with sullenness or that "leave-me-alone" body language. I need to pay better attention! It all requires a lot of grace....grace to hear those subtle and not so subtle requests to be heard. Grace to know when to say "yes" (because every "yes" carries 100's of little "no's" to other things with it).

Today, who in your life needs to hear the words "I have time for you!" ?

Maybe you need to hear those words from someone. Maybe you've needed to hear them from me in the past. I'm really sorry! I fail at that a lot, do you? I'm thankful that Jesus ALWAYS says to me "I have time for you!"

Cruso, Camo and Other Weekend Things

A weekend in NC with Nanny (now re-named Nini by Lillian) and Poppy was filled with the good stuff life is made out of....conversations about all the Jesus is doing, much good food, lot's of laughter, hugs and kisses, puppies and, of course, target practice. Even the rainy weather couldn't dampen our spirits and we got to sit outside and get in a good porch conversation (complete with warm sweaters! How I've missed sweater weather!). The drive home over the Blue Ridge Parkway was still beautiful even in November. Unfortunately my auto focus went bust on my camera and I'm having trouble manually focusing (obviously!). Several people were a little camera shy, but here are a few sweet moments and sweet people from the weekend.
Lots to be thankful for this November! May you too see the gifts the Father of Lights bestows on His children!

Life Messages

Ever notice how everyone seems to have a "life message?" You know, that topic a person keeps coming back to every time you have an extended conversation or hear them speak. Perhaps it's the area we know deep down we struggle with the most?

Seems it really starts taking shape in our late 20's and 30's and grows deeper from there with our life experiences.

It's obvious in our book choices and the things that animate us in conversation. I've noticed this in pastors, authors, bloggers, and speakers particularly (probably because they're the ones that so publicly articulate themselves! :).  It always make me chuckle when I hear an advertisement for a "new book" or a "fresh thought".... it's almost always the same message with new wrapping. Nothing wrong with that. It's just the way we are wired.

As believers, we'll find it's always ultimately Jesus (and I don't say that lightly!) -  but it works itself out practically in a myriad of different ways.

I have a friend whose life message is very obviously centered on health and healing. Another who always talks about our identity in Jesus. I think mine is finding (for myself) and pointing others to rest, peace, contentment, and joy in the ordinary, every day. Pilgrimage. Perseverance.

What's yours?

Cousins Trick-or-Treating

Well, today's trick-or-treat outing was successful I think. We had various bandits, cowboy/cowgirls, a duck, a 70's Disney Park attendee, a modern day teenager, a Pakistani pick-pocket (only because it alliterates) or female Jedi knight depending on your view point, and a Zoro-Cowboy-Batman! I know, right? We go ALL out for this sort of thing! :) 

They were cute and it was fun to trick or treat in Omi and Opa's neighborhood together with cousins, grandparents, and, of course, Fun-Aunt-Julie! :) 

We got to connect with a dear former Timberline student, Katy Swift, over a cup of tea this afternoon! What a treat for us! So fun to chat with someone who loves Timberline also. 

Ian and Reid are on their way home from an App State game where apparently App won by 3 in triple overtime. I can imagine what Ian will have to say about that when they get home! :) My Dad is cringing and watching Texas Tech grab defeat from the jaws of victory, and yes, overall it's been a pretty fun day! :) 

Driving home I was astonished at how many people are out trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Seems a shame we can't do this sort of thing more often, where houses are

open and people are out visiting and walking and meeting each other...well, on that note, it's off to bed we go! Night all! 

CS Lewis on Daily Interruptions

The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's "own," or "real" life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life - the life God is sending one day by day; what one calls one's "real life" is a phantom of one's own imagination. C.S Lewis - Letters of C.S. Lewis

What actually happened - A day in the life Part 2

- 12:45 - little ones get diaper changes, I take a few minutes to clean up their room, two year old goes down for a nap with books in the bed, I notice I forgot to make our bed (we all have our idiosyncrasies....I like for beds to be made at some point during the day :), the baby goes down for another nap.

- 1:00ish - Jenna reviews her memory work and starts on her Story of the World chapter, I sit down with another cup of tea to help Ian with Biology - another "least favorite" subject of his (Proteins and DNA have us all confused, so we work through it together, I'm thankful for the grace to be patient today). We learn more about Cytology (the study of cells) and God's amazing creation. No one has ever created life from a non-living thing; in order for cells to reproduce (or in order to clone something) we need a living cell to begin with - and so-called "simple organisms" like Protista and Monera, are actually extraordinarily complicated! What an amazing Creator we have!

J-J starts on her English essay on "Number the Stars." The little ones are quiet. It's an overcast day today, too warm for my tastes (it's late October after all),

I don't have the test booklet for Ian so I type up his Logic Quiz.

- 1:45 - the baby wakes up from her nap....too soon...so I lay down with her for a while and she goes back to sleep. In the mean time the older three come in and regularly whisper questions and updates...it's just the way it is.  I was sorely tempted to take a nap too, but had too much swirling around in my head. And those whispered questions kept jolting me back to life-awake! :) Some days I get irritated by these kinds of interruptions. I'm really thankful for His grace today to see it for what it is...part of the Mom-calling.

- 2:15 Ian struggled with Logic today, so we go over it and look at what he didn't understand. One of the pros of homeschooling is that you can make sure they understand the subject matter before moving on.

- 2:30 Jenna says she is done with her schoolwork for the day, which is unusual for her, but I check her assignment sheet and everything pans out, so she works on her chores (folding her laundry, unloading the dishwasher) and then gets time to read or play. I help J-J with her ANI chart....the invention phase of writing is her least favorite.

- 3:30 things are beginning to wind down...a little earlier than usual thankfully!! Ian is still working on his Latin lesson and studying for his biology exam next week. Everyone straightens up their room and the school room and then has down time to run around outside or whatever!

- 4:00 Lillian wakes up from an unusually long nap and I keep checking on Caroline to make sure she's ok - but she's sleeping soundly for now. There's laundry to fold, a kitchen to clean up, floors that need vacuuming, and I sneak in to FINALLY get a shower.

- 5:00 J-J starts working on supper, Tuna Pasta, a favorite for the kids. It's Thursday and Reid and I try to get out for a little while after supper, so the girls are looking forward to a Road to Avonlea
episode (and Ian makes plans of his own).

- 8:00pm bedtime for all the girls, and an hour to read, write, whatever for Ian, Mom and Dad.

- 9:00pm bedtime for us all...and I pray quietly for the grace to do it all over again the next day. I won't lie to you - today wore me out!

- 9:10 - lights go out and I breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

- 9:15 - (I'm not kidding!) -  I shoot up and out of bed and turn the lights on when I hear the baby gagging and coughing, .... sure enough, she has thrown up all over the bassinette...(turns out she may have a rice cereal sensitivity). It's gonna be a short night and a long day tomorrow...and then He reminds me that His grace is already waiting on me and is there all through the night.

What actually happened - A day in the life Part 1

So....Here is what actually happened Thursday, October 29th! :) I'm sure it's far more interesting for me to write than for anyone other than family perhaps to read, but I'll go out on a limb here and post it anyway (disclaimer - pictures weren't necessarily all taken on this day)

- 6:30 - baby wakes up hungry (like clockwork!), so that's when our day starts! :) Except for Reid who was up quite a bit earlier for some quiet time. Sure means a lot to know he's already prayed for our family and committed us, the day, and the work the Lord has given him to the Lord. I need to make a pot of tea!

- 6:45 - the lights go on in all the rooms, toddler and baby get changed and dressed for the day

- 7:00-ish, slowly everyone moseys downstairs. We eat breakfast and have our "quiet time." I do not believe in forcing kids to spend time alone with the Lord (how is that even possible?) but I do believe in providing what they need in order to do so....the time, the space, the quiet, the journals, the devotional books, pens etc. I've given them some suggestions and even a study sheet if they want to use it (not terribly aesthetically pleasing - but it works - if you want it I'll send it to you). But what they do with their time is between them and the Lord.

In the mean time I've had breakfast and have settled in a chair with my Bible, reading Psalm 57 today...three verses...then the toddler decides to hug the baby which the baby doesn't like very much....after that three more verses....then one of the kids wants to know where such-and-such cereal is....a few more verses, some journal thoughts....the baby yells again....cereal spills on the floor, the toddler wants to sit in my lap and point at Bible verses...one of my pages in the Bible falls out (the one the toddler ripped out last week, that I haven't taped back in yet)......the Lord is gracious and speaks anyway..."I will cry to God who accomplishes all things through me,"

-8:00 - Reid leaves for work and we all get ready to walk/run. One of the kids complains of "achy

toes!" I have to give her an "A" for effort...to get out of exercise for the day...but it doesn't work! :)  It takes a little pep talk to get everyone out the door....while we walk one of the kids needs a little attitude correction...The oldest runs, the other two walk-run with some encouragement, the younger two sit in a double stroller. The toddler always has her hand on the baby's ear when we walk in the mornings...precious. It's an overcast day today, too warm for my tastes (it's late October after all), but not like it was this summer. I thank the Lord for the grace to be consistent with walking/running - it makes all the difference in the world to our school day.

- 8:30 - we're back home, heart rates up, a little more awake; the kids ask me to make a pot of tea...

- 8:45 - the older three start with Math in the homeschool room while I clean up the kitchen, feed the toddler and nurse the baby again....I need to make that pot of tea

- 9:15 - the baby is tired and goes down for a morning nap, I pull out the toddler's "school work" (some notebooks/coloring books, various pencils crayons etc.) to keep her busy (right!) while I help the other three with math questions they didn't understand, or explain the lesson again....oh, I forgot to make that pot of tea....Math is Ian and Jenna's least favorite, so we get it out of the way. I'm thankful for the white board Reid hung up - it makes it easier to help Ian with his binomial theorem problems. I can't believe I now know what the binomial theorem is. I wonder if anyone's ever researched homeschooling as an Alzheimer's prevention method.

- 9:45 - I finally make that pot of tea the kids have been asking me for all morning and stop for a second to enjoy some PJ tips with milk and sugar, Ian gets a cup of coffee. Any little things we can do to put a little joy in the day...more math... and a load of laundry.

- 10:00 - Ian has moved on from Algebra to Western Culture (and we all breathe a sigh of relief!), J-J is now working on her science report (giant squids I think), Jenna is working on her spelling and handwriting, Lillian has lost interest in her "homewop!" and alternates between chatting up one sibling and then the other- they're usually pretty patient with her, but many days it's challenging to focus when your little sister wants your attention. We talk about how little kids need our patience and love, how it's hard to give it when you're busy and task oriented, how do you find a balance...

- 10:30 - the baby wakes up and then the phone rings...it's a friend I haven't talked to in a while. I normally don't answer the phone during the school day but make an exception this time so we catch up for a little. It's a much needed break and helps me feel connected. Bless that friend! The older three are busy with homework ...for the most part! :)

- 11:00ish - the baby is hungry, two year old is grumpy and needs to eat again. Julie-Joy is working Quizlet and
on her Geography, European countries and capitols (drawing Europe from memory each day and studying capitols on Quizlet). Ian works on reading four chapters from Tale of Two Cities, filling in the questions from Words Aptly Spoken for focus and comprehension. Jenna does her math facts drill and then works on a paper she's writing on the Trojan War. She's entitled it "The Night of Horror!" Seems appropriate for this Halloween week! :) My main role is cheerleader, encouraging each of them to "keep on keeping on," answering questions that come up, entering the computer password when needed for research (none of the kids know the password, and we have a rule that the computer has to be used in a public place by all), or keeping the little ones busy

- 11:30 - I sit down to work on this blog a little. I rarely do something like this anymore, but today it's unusually "slow" (I'm thankful there aren't too many "attitude adjustment conversations")... and writing is an outlet and gives a little space to breathe, to think. Of course the time is always filled with interruptions (No Lillian, you can't sit on Caroline's lap....did Caroline pull your hair? I'm so sorry! She doesn't know yet that it hurts.....No, you can't write in the book, you have to use paper!...) Everyone is busy, Ian works on his Logic exercises and studies for his afternoon test, Jenna is working on sentence diagramming, Julie-Joy is reviewing her note cards...I begin to hear a lot of "I'm getting hungry!"

- 12:15 - we break for lunch and watch an episode of the Andy Griffith show on Netflix, our daily lunch time routine.

A Day in the Life of Homeschooling

Every once in a while I go to the library and get a big stack of cookbooks. I count my search a success if I come away with just one or two new, usable, practical, simple recipes that I can add to our family's meal repertoire (Ree Drummond's books reads more like a blog and this one is currently laying on our dining room table in preparation for the upcoming holidays - the kids like it too).

I've had a couple of young Moms ask me what a regular day looks like, how we get it all done. And the truth is that no homeschooling day looks alike and every homeschooling family does it differently. However it has helped me over the years to read about different approaches. Most of the time I come away with one or two new ideas that I would like to implement or at least have something to mull over. But I'll also say that as a whole, most schedule samples don't work for me. Not that there was anything wrong with the schedule, it just didn't fit our family in that season. I still have found reading other schedule samples helpful over the years (and encouraging - no one has it down as a science and everyone has to figure out how to fit in "real life").

Here is our schedule in theory:

6:30 - wake up
7:00 - breakfast and quiet time
8:00 - walk/run (everyone)
8:30 - get dressed and shower
9:00 - Math for everyone
10:00 - Ian - Latin, J-J - Latin, Jenna - Spelling/handwring
11:00 Ian - Biology, J-J Latin/Grammar, Jenna - Memory work and Latin
12:15 - Lunch
1:00 - Nap time for Lillian, Ian - Western Culture, J-J, Geography, Jenna - Writing and Grammar
2:00 - British Literature for Ian, Writing for J-J, History or Science for Jenna
3:00 - Logic for Ian, Rhetoric for J-J, Reading for Jenna
4:00 - Chores
6:00 - supper
8:00 - bedtime for girls
9:00 - bedtime for Ian, Mom and Dad

Now tomorrow I'll post what actually happened today! As they say, you need a plan and tracks for your train to run on.....but this is a homeschooling-zoo-train we're talking about. The ride can be quite wild at times!

Teaching From Rest

"In the midst of all the doing, we forget the needful thing. We may sit at His feet; we may begin our day with prayer, Bible reading, and supplication, but is our teaching and mothering transformed by it? Do we really trust Him? Do we live each day from a state of rest? Our job is not to be successful...it's faithfulness He wants. God is good! He isn't going to let us pour out our hearts for our children only to be left choking on the dust of our mistakes....but we must approach the Holy Spirit every single day asking Him to lead us and to quiet our anxious souls so that we can really bless our children - not with shiny curriculum or perfect lesson plans, but rather with purposeful, restful spirits...

The daily mundane is holy ground because the ordinary tasks of a monotonous Monday are where we meet our Maker."

Sarah MacKenzie - Teaching from Rest

Cast Your Cares Upon the Lord

How many a child of God trusts Him with his soul, but not with his load. Yet if God has undertaken the greater, surely He may be trusted with the less. He has born thy sins, He can surely carry thy sorrows....whatever it be - the weight of a church, the pressure of a family, the burden of other souls - thy Father hath given it thee. Give its pressure back to Him, whilst thou retainest the salutary lesson of hourly patience and faith....

"Oh for the faith to cast our load, 

E'en while we pray, upon our God, 

Then rise with lightened cheer"

When you cast your burden, God will take it, and will do more. He will sustain you. He will catch up your burden and you, and bear you all the day long between His shoulders. 

From FB Meyer's Commentary on Psalm 55 in Our Daily Homily