Volleyball Camp and Mission Bay

A Changed Attitude

In response to yesterday's post on my bad morning, I'm going to post things for which I am thankful.

1.) not getting up to my alarm - I woke up on earth this morning.
2.) to having to wash last night's dinner dishes in order to cook breakfast - I had a wonderful dinner at home with the family
3.) to having children underfoot while cooking in a bad mood (thanks, Glen, for rescuing me from that quickly) - having L help me with making waffles (she wanted to learn how to use the waffle iron)
4.) to waffle mix and blueberry stains on the counter - all stains were washed away with a little OxyClean
5.) to waffles stuck to the iron - no waffles were burned in the process
6.) to hot and sticky can't move from my chair to let the family into the dining room - I have a large comfy house to live in
7.) to tears on the pillow - there was a soft bed, pillow, and teddy bear to cuddle with.

It's all perspective!

Dealing with Frustration

Okay, a very rough start today. It started with not getting up to my alarm, to having to wash last night's dinner dishes in order to cook breakfast, to having children underfoot while cooking in a bad mood (thanks, Glen, for rescuing me from that quickly), to waffle mix and blueberry stains on the counter, to waffles stuck to the iron, to hot and sticky can't move from my chair to let the family into the dining room, to tears on the pillow.... All before 9AM.

So after my cry-fest, what do I do? Go on the computer and in my email is this article: Dealing with Frustration Time to buckle up and get off my pity party and change my attitude!
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Getting It All Together

August has been the month of putting things back together - getting back on track. I have been neglecting the blog this month in favor of Facebook and limiting my computer time to attend to household items and homeschool. As of today, we have completed five days of homeschool. This has been hard for L because she still wants summer and no structure. We're progressing though. This afternoon is her first day of volleyball camp (it only lasts four days).

We've also started a new nighttime routine. Both children (and parents) have gotten into bad habits and are starting fresh. We are trying to get M to go to sleep in his bed and stay all night. Our trip east through all sleeping habits into a tailspin. We've instituted room time where the children stay quietly in their room. The other habit to break is that Mommy and Daddy are no longer staying in the children's room until they fall asleep. M and L are to fall asleep on their own. The first two nights of this experiment worked well - the children earned all their hearts (our incentive chart reward). The last two...well, let's say they're close but not 100%. We shall continue and persevere through this and the children (and parents) will be happier for our faithfulness to the program!

I honestly feel that all I ever do is try to catch up: on laundry, on housecleaning, on paying bills, on discipline, on organization, on ministry, on everything...Will there ever be a day when it is all said and done? The answer is YES! When I'm in heaven with my Lord and Savior! Until then, I shall continue through!

Take Time to Praise!

Psalm 81:1-3

Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.

The Man in My Life

Eighteen years ago today, I married the man of my dreams. For those who don't know my story, the guy who I dated in college and planned to marry left me the day before the wedding (complete with all the bills). I was devastated. I did not know God's plan for my life. He sent me to Washington, DC, to meet my future husband. Two years later, Glen walked into my life and I wanted nothing to do with him; he and my ex look a lot alike. I remember even turning around and walking a different direction because Glen was walking toward me. We met at Summit Lake Camp in the summer of 1990. Glen was persistent and even fell at my feet a few times (literally fell down). He wrote me a note that told me he loved me. We sat down to talk and I asked him where he felt this relationship was going to go. He told me that we would be married the next summer. I still remember sitting there in the rain by the lake with this conversation. We were married the next August and now have been married for 18 years. I can't believe it. It feels like yesterday. I wish I had a scanner to scan a wedding photo for you. Maybe I'll go to CVS and do that later today. So, thank you, Glen, for 18 wonderful years. I love you with all my heart!

Thank you, God, for one of the greatest blessings in my life! Thank you for meeting and exceeding all my dreams. Ephesians 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us

Family Ties

Family ties are never broken. Here's my two sisters, Nancy on the left and Nanny on the right. I'm standing in the back. This was at our annual family reunion.

This is my niece, Jennifer, and her daughter, Heather.


This is Jennifer's sister, Linda, and her two children, James and Anna.

Then there's my nephew, Charles, and his boys, Charlie and Logan (Anna, L, and James are in the photo too).

Although I didn't want to go home and see my family for the reason I did (my brother's funeral). I am grateful that I had a chance to do so. It was a week of friends and family. We saw lots of family and spent some great times together. Guess I'm feeling a little lonely out west and away from them all...

Busy Day

Yesterday was a greatly motivated day. I rearranged the furniture in our front living room/dining room area. I returned the table to the dining room area, brought a love seat out the family room, gathered miscellaneous tables, took the rocking chair out of M's room, and created a small front living room. It was really nice to sit and chat with friends in the front room. It also helped with the cleaning and unpacking. I still have a few areas of clutter to put away but for the most part it's done. Now why would I do all this you ask. For homeschool! What I found last year was sitting at the dining room table working with L for long periods of time hurt my back. So I thought if I could put some comfy chairs and have a choice of where to sit, we would be more comfortable and accomplish more. We'll see how that goes.

I really need to get pictures downloaded off my camera and onto the computer for Facebook and the blog (oh, and printing too - for scrapbooking). I can't even take pictures of my new living areas because the memory card is full! Maybe that's what I'll do next.

Thankful Thursday - Hope

Thankful Thursday is being hosted by Grace Alone this month. Today's topic is Hope.

With the struggles of grief, hours of driving, emotions run amuck, and the craziness I feel my life has turned into, I know that my true hope rests in the Lord.

Isaiah 40:31 - but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

I am thankful for the strength God gives me every day. I am thankful that when I feel totally alone and useless, God is with me and tells me I am of value to Him. I am thankful that when I feel lost He finds me. I am thankful for the opportunities to share His love with others as I wonder through this life. I am thankful for the time He has given me with my family. Someday I will soar as an eagle. CAN'T WAIT!

TSMSS - Trading My Sorrows

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - In honor of my brother who passed away last month - I'm trading my sorrows for the joy of the Lord. It is my Savior who sees me through each day, trial, sorrow, joy, and happiness.



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A Long Week

It's been one week since my last posting. What a long week. The kids and I left Pennsylvania on Saturday to meet Glen in Ohio. We spent the next two nights with Paul, Julie, and the kids before leaving on Monday. Monday night we made it to Springfield, Missouri, with a stop to visit the Gateway Arch in St. Louis (pics to be posted later). Tuesday's travel went from Springfield to Amarillo, Texas. Wednesday found us from Amarillo to Holback, Arizona. Thursday was more fun - Holback to San Diego with two stops - Slide Rock Park in Sedona, AZ, and Phoenix, AZ, for lunch with Glen's cousin, Dawn. We arrived in San Diego late Thursday night and have spent the last two days unpacking, doing laundry, and trying to put life back to order. It's been a long week. Now to catch up on my blog reading....

California Here We Come...

Right back where we started from... Okay, this morning I left Western PA and my sister, my sister-in-law, my niece (and her children), and numerous cousins behind and began the trek west to sunny CA. As we passed the cemetery where my brother is buried, I admit to some crying and a heightened sense of loss. I know that I left a chunk of my heart behind again. Many more and I don't know if I'll have any left of my heart. Definitely hard to leave this time.

Nevertheless, leave we did, the kids and I (my sister drove us to Columbus to meet Glen who was attending the GBC National Conference). Then we transferred our belongings into the van and continued to Indiana to Glen's brother, Paul, and his family. We arrived safely and are getting ready for dinner. We'll leave Matthews on Monday morning and continue west. Stay tuned....