Can't Get Away

I've shared with you before how my Trenton loves music. Any instrument, most any song, he's singing it, strumming to it or drumming it. This week, he's been a little stinker-pot and he's about done me in. Today, he was headed to the bathroom for a sp*nking (not his first for the day and probably not his last). At the same time his crime was committed (throwing a toy and hitting other child in the face!), he also wet his pants. We were in the bathroom and I was trying to get him cleaned up and dressed, so I could administer his punishment. I was hunched over him, pulling on his pull-up and shorts...and he started singing...

"**Can't get away, can't get away, I can't get away, can't get away, I keep running into you"

These are the moments that keep a mom from tearing each strand of hair out of her head, one by one. The kid cracks me up. (By the way, he still got his sp*nking.)

**Rush of Fools

I am an arrow, I am a rocket
I am a river and nothing can stop it
Cause You are the target and You are the atmosphere
You are the ocean that keeps pulling me, You're pulling me here

*chorus*
And I, can't get away, can't get away
Can't get away, can't get away
I can't get away, can't get away...I keep running into You
(repeat)


I am a beggar, You are the table
I am so helpless, God You are so able
And when I get turned around You change my direction
You're so perfect, I'm so broken, here You come with arms wide open
Chasing after me down every road
You're always waiting there

*chorus*

bridge:
Even when I close my eyes, I can't help but see
There's no place that I can hide, You're such a part of me
I can't get away cause I keep running into You
I can't get away...

Crochet Coasters

I'm making some birthday gifts and found this pattern.
Hopefully I'll whip them right up and post a picture. :)

Here are some other websites I found for crochet coaster patterns.
Crochet Pattern Central
Craft Designs 4 You--cute sun shaped coaster
Crochet Me--crocheted coasters out of plastic bags; I'm going to have to try this!
Colorful Felted Coasters--this pattern could be used for any occasion/holiday

Okay, on to crocheting!

Homeschool Area Makeover

The long awaited unveiling of the Homeschool Area Makeover! Here is the before picture.


Hard to believe I'm willing to put that out there to the world. Our computer desk was ready to break and fall into a heap and we just needed some serious organization. As much as I've tried in the past, I still didn't have a good system. Bethany had constant and excessive paper on her desk. She couldn't ever use the desk part. And that's with me doing a "sort and pitch" about once a week.

Saturday morning after the girls and I returned from our trip, I was looking through mail. I came across the Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine. Rarely do I find a project that jumps out at me, however this one did! I quickly pitched the idea to my hunny who graciously said, "Okay, sure." Then I said, "How about today?"
Today?
"Yes, today! And can we be done by the time our company arrives?"
"Monday?"
"Yes, Monday."
Off to Lowe's we went. We changed the design a little to fit our needs and this is the end result. I love the towers of organization. I also like the fact that two or maybe three of us can sit at the table at the same time. I love the blue little bucket from Walmart ($1.98). It's the only one they had or else I would have bought more. I'm using it to store my pens, pencils, rulers, etc.

I'm getting all giddy just sharing the transformation with you!


Bethany's desk is under the table and it is serving as an extra support for the long board. She still has access to the drawers and uses the board as a table top. We still have some things that I'm not sure what to do with, but at least it's mostly contained.

I'm really thankful for my hunny, who helped me complete this project in two days. He certainly supports our family so well in so many ways.

Note: please visit Lowescreativeideas.com and click on the recent magazine (Jul/Aug.08). It's a pdf and I didn't have time to wait for it to load. There are some other neat projects in there. At some point, we must have signed up for a paper copy because we get ours in the mail.

House guests

We had some very good friends visit TWO times--once on their way through to another state, then again on their way back home to their state. What a treat for us! We've known these friends for 11 years or so and it was hard to watch them move back to their 'home' state 8 years ago. God has done a marvelous work in each of our families individually and together as friends. We are still very close and so are our children.

One day this week we had a total of 11 kids in the house and 5 adults (plus one dog, one rabbit and 2 guinea pigs). Amazing! Everyone got along beautifully even with me not able to get around. I had to let go of my want to be hospitable and settle for directing from the couch. No one else seem to mind--especially since there were so many people I was able to delegate without putting too much on any one person. Although, the husband is a wonderful cook and I did rely on him to make dinner. That was a real treat. The wife was a servant as well--getting drinks, napkins, cleaning the kitchen and a myriad of other duties. We also tried to get in some talking time (of course!:)

We miss them already, but enjoy keeping in contact through phone calls and emails. Hug yourselves R Family...we love you guys!

Homeschool Ideas

I've been catching up on some blog reading and saw this post on Little Acorn's Treehouse. In clicking on some of the Mr. Linky's I found this list of advice from a veteran homeschooler, Heart of the Prairie. I liked her advice about the pencils and erasers. I also liked her idea about the steno pads for spelling. I've used steno pads for assignment books, vocabulary notebooks and spelling notebooks. They are handy, although I seem to get confused when I start turning pages--I can't tell the beginning of the book from the end.

Soon I'll be posting our homeschool room makeover! It was very fun to do and not too hard. I'm very thankful that we did it before I hurt myself or else it wouldn't have gotten done. I still have a few things to find a 'home' for, but other than that, we are organized. :)

Please share your homeschool ideas, leave a comment or post it on your blog and let me know. I'm always on the lookout for new ideas and enjoy reading what works for other people.

What slows me down

• a traffic jam
• super hot weather...I think I wilt in super hot, humid weather
• an illness of some sort
• a torn calf muscle

I'm a do-er. I have trouble sitting down and doing nothing--especially when there are things that need to be done. Okay, I admit it, I'm a "Martha". Remember this post where I was running hard after Him? I said "God is good to continue to reminding me of what He wants from me." I really said that. (Boy, blogs have a way of keeping you accountable for your words!)

Now back to the list of what slows me down...the last one reads "a torn calf muscle". Yes, that's me, right now, since Monday evening. I've always said that exercising is hazardous to my health and now I've gone and proven it. I was just starting out my workout at Curves when I felt a pain in my calf similar to a 'charlie horse'. I tried to stretch it out and started working out again. Then I heard a SNAP. Then a pain I'd like not to describe. The snap was like a rubber band and that snap was my calf muscle completely tearing.

The doctor said no weight bearing (okay, good I'm tired of carrying this weight around anyway). I'll be recovering for at least 4 weeks. Of course, God is still good and I'm trying to learn what He has for me for the next month. It's been so difficult to be down. However, when I am up (like to use the bathroom) the crutches are going to do me in. I'm pretty much a mess--I've got pain all over my body from my head down to my toes. My hunny is concerned that I'm going to do more damage to myself (or someone else) with these crutches.

So, I'm slowing down--who am I kidding---I'm down. I start physical therapy next week and hopefully then I'll be able to put some weight on my left leg. My right leg is rebelling--kicking and screaming that it has to do all the work. And as for my mind, I'm trying to slow it down as well. To use my time wisely and focus on what I can do...read my Bible, write letters, work on lesson plans, etc.

My sweet kids are really pitching in and keeping the house in order. Marissa is doing a fantastic job with the cooking and cleaning. And, I'm trying not to be too much of a nag from the couch.

I've got more to share with you especially about our out-of-town friends who will be visiting; however I've got to go elevate and ice my leg. If you hear a big crash, it's just me on my crutches.

Seek and you will find

My Bethany is very sensitive and I've watched her sensitivity to the Lord grow over the past year. She has a sweet sincerity before the Lord that just melts my heart.

A couple days ago, she asked me where her Dora lantern was. Her great-aunt Sheron gave it to her and she wanted to take it to bed with her. I told her I didn't know and she said "that's okay because we learned in Sunday School yesterday that if you seek you will find."

She is applying God's Word in her childlike ways. She did find her lantern too. :)

(Note: I don't have any affiliation with the Dora lantern link--I just found it and linked to it to give you an idea of what Bethany was looking for. )