Adding a Little Color To My Life

 

Window Box’s are in. I combined flowers and some herbs. Nasturtiums will make a nice trailing appearance and I can throw them in a salad for a little flair.

I have been  so sick for the last 9 days. I started with a cold virus that my husband generously shared with me and developed into Bronchitis! I should be teaching my kids tonight but don’t have the energy and shouldn’t share my germs.

This week I interviewed for a job that I was sure was mine but, alas, I was wrong. I breezed through the interview with glowing letters of reference and an amazing educational portfolio. The interviewer even made remarks about me being impressive. I was more than qualified for the job but I didn’t even get a call back. A little deflating to say the least. After having Virginia Dept. of Ed. refuse to consider me for a license to teach because my degree was not regionally accredited I am a little winded.  Lord I know it’s not just about me! I trust that whatever you are doing in my life and the lives of those around me is for your glory.

Forgive Me For Being So Honest

We have officially begun the Summer. DS is now out of school. I am very proud of his accomplishments this year, he has worked hard. I say that with all sincerity because I don’t want what I say next to undermine that statement.

I have loved every year that I have had the blessing of raising my son and with each new year I would announce that it was the best yet. This trend, however, came to an abrupt halt when DS turned 11. Since then I have liked each year less than the last!  What is it with teenage boys?

I used to listen to all the comments about raising teenagers and see all the upturned looks and I guess I dismissed them as jokes. Boy did I have a surprise.

It is not easy being a teenager. I look back on my teen years with great remorse. It was a very difficult time for me. That period in between adulthood and childhood when we are pushing away from the supervision of the adults but not yet ready to go it alone.

This summer started off with some very tough boundaries and left  DS asking what happened to me. I am usually the passive and dismissive parent in the household but after only three days at home with DS it became very clear to me that I was not going to survive and neither would he.  So no more MR. Nice Guy! 

This mornings devotional made it very clear, ‘ Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account.  Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you’ Hebrews 13:17

We are to keep watch over our children’s souls. If we want them to walk in righteous we need to teach clear boundaries and consequences. This way they keep clean consciences and have peace before God.  So, dear Lord, forgive me for being passive and dismissive and let me lead my DS with joy.

Berries making an Appearance

If I was limited to what I grew I would definitely choose fruits. Look at these berries making an appearance. We have two raised beds just for fruits, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Can’t wait. The climate here seems perfect for growing. Warm and humid in the day with periods of rain. Everything looks so lush.

We have several beds for planting. Several with ground cover to keep off the weeds. This will definitely cut the labor down. One bed is for come-again greens and lettuce that we can poach all summer long. Another is devoted to tomato and pepper plants. Another plot for beans, which I have discovered I love, and the surplus gets canned to last the year. I put in butternut because the vine, flowers and fruit are so edifying. And last but not least we gave some room for flowers. Cosmos, sunflowers and Dahlias.

I keep thinking of the reception classes that I taught gardening to back in the UK and how they would love to get their hands on this lot. They would have a blast.

Remembrance

Marion Courthouse, Virginia.

What Label Are You Wearing?

 

Psalm 1, Children’s Lesson Plan

Hello on this beautiful warm and sunny Virginia day. Sorry to my non-Virginia friends, I am not gloating, merely expressing a grateful heart. It’s been a bit of an up and down week as life has pressed in on us this week but it is wonderful to lean on the word of God for encouragement. I have the main core of my kids away from RU tonight (Reformers Unanimous a discipleship ministry focusing on addictions) so I am going to break from the fruits of the Spirit schedule and do something else.
Having meditated on Psalm one this week I thought it a wonderful passage to look at with my kids. I Googled Psalm 1, kids and I was delighted to find a lesson on Ministry To Children. This site doesn’t have a huge bank of resources yet but it does have a healthy start AND it is very well organized which thrills me to no end. (there is nothing worse than the promise of good resources and then you can’t find them)
Here is there Lesson plan for Psalm 1.
Coloring book download also from the same site (even more thrilled)
For my craft I will draw a tree trunk with branches and then I will let the children finger paint the leaves and fruit. We will write the words I am blessed when I …
and I will write down the exhortations in the first verses of Psalm 1.
Resources:
Print out from Lesson on Psalm 1
Coloring book master print out for copying
Master drawing of tree base and branches
acrylic paint and paper plates
Master of label for tree craft. ‘Because I do not go the same way as wicked people or hang out with people who find fun in doing evil, and because I find joy in concentrating on God’s word at the beginning and end of my day.’

Irises are in bloom. I love their fragile beauty and they are gone so quickly.

Grape Vine Wreaths.

Last Christmas we had an awful time trying to find affordable Christmas wreaths within 30 miles of were we live. So when Pa trimmed the grape vines I decided to get busy and make some. Now I have plenty to decorate throughout the year.

They are so decorative and I love all the little curly cues that occur naturally on the vine. Now to get busy decorating.

Such a good little helper