didn't know that would happen

Yesterday when we got home, there was a letter in the mail from Cedarville University. We visited the campus a few weeks ago to see if that is somewhere Kate would want to attend. She loved it. We met some really great people while we were there. She had applied before we visited, but wanted to visit to get a feel for the campus atmosphere. So we have been waiting to hear from them. She had to work last night and didn't get home until 10:45. We held the envelope up to the light and all the usual attempts to see what it said without opening it. Mary Ellen called her to tell her the letter was waiting for her and poor Kate could hardly concentrate all evening at work. I went to bed but woke up when I heard her run into the house, plop all her stuff down, tear into the envelope, and started sobbing...yes we are a little emotional in our home. I thought, "oh no!" Kate came up and showed me the letter. It was a "Congratulations! You have been accepted for the fall semester of 2010." I just couldn't believe that my little girl's name was on that letter with those words. Wasn't that just yesterday that I got that letter?? Now my daughter is spreading her wings and getting ready to fly! I just looked at it and read it over and over. Tears came...I had such a mixture of emotions. I am so proud of her and all her accomplishments. I am so happy for her to have more opportunities to learn and grow. If she chooses to go to CU, I will be happy. (she has applied to three other schools). I will miss her so much when that time comes. I couldn't sleep last night thinking about all the things going on in my life and the changes we face as a family. I was wondering what it will be like for us next year without her around and what it will be like to go visit....all kinds of thoughts. I finally fell asleep around midnight...happy, thankful, knowing and trusting my Heavenly Father.

first snow

Saturday was our first snow of the season. I was at a Christmas tea. It was perfect...all Christmasy inside and big fluffy flakes coming down outside. I am hoping for a few good storms this year.
I had an "ah ha" moment today....kinda. I was teaching my first graders the lesson about the spies going into the land of Canaan and coming back scared and getting all the people scared. They had forgotten the promises of God and how He had taken care of them and promised to take them into the land and give it to them. To them, taking over the land of Canaan looked impossible! Joshua and Caleb didn't forget and knew that God could help them conquer the land. They probably had no idea how it would happen, but they were confident in God's promises to them. Halfway through the lesson, I felt like I was preaching to myself! The lesson was for me! The Holy Spirit was convicting me as I was speaking. Sometimes when God calls us to something and takes us through difficuties it is scary. I become fearful and try to control the situation so that it will work out to my liking. I remember when God was calling us away from my beloved Willowdale. I was scared. I loved my church, my friends....my life in PA. What if God took all of that away!!!?? What would I do? He did (except for the friends) because he wants me to trust Him and love Him more than ANYTHING!
I was so afraid that we would have to move far away and how hard that would be on the kids. God has a way of bringing us to the point of surrender, rest and trust. You know the verse, "In repentence and rest is our salvation..." it's my theme. :) So now after wandering in the wilderness and going through more trials and struggles, I see my sin...my pride, stubborness and now I don't care where we end up. I just want to be wherever God wants us. That's what happened to the Israelites too. They had to wander around and realize that God's promises are ALWAYS true....repent,rest, repent, rest, repent....God is faithful and always forgives and loves.

my very own Amelia Bedelia

This week at lunch Mrs Baumann was telling the 1-6 graders about our next fundraiser. She told them that we are going to be selling magazines. Later that evening I found Jacob collecting up all my magazines I had laying around the house. He said, "Mom, we need to sell all these magazines to get money for our school!" I tried to explain that Mrs. Baumann meant you buy a subscription to have magazines sent to your house or you get your friends to buy subscriptions. He said very seriously, "Mom I went up to Mrs. Baumann and said,'So you want us to sell magazines to other people and she said Yes." I was laughing so hard by this time that he started laughing and said "your laugh is making me laugh!" What a funny kid...you never know what there little minds are thinking when you are telling them something. They think so literally.

A Saturday at home

I am loving being home today. It has been cold and rainy since Wednesday. I haven't had a whole day home in about two weeks. So today was cleaning day. I love the feeling of a clean house, coffee is brewing, cookies are in the oven...life is good. :) This week flew by for me...not sure why. I am getting ready to take Katelyn and her friend to go visit Cedarville University next week. We will be driving out Thursday afternoon, leaving school around noon. They have a science fair at school that day so we have to wait until after that to leave. Hopefully, we won't have any car trouble. Pray for us if you think of it. We went to a college fair a couple of weeks ago in Philadelphia and talked to their representative. His sister goes to The Kings Chapel in West Chester, Ohio...the same church I went to during my summers in college. We had a great conversation about all kinds of stuff. I feel like I have said all this before...hmmm. Anyway, we are going to visit his church as well to see if that would be a good church for Kate if she ends up going there. He said there are two good reformed churches in the area.
Yesterday, I drove to Philadelphia with Mary Ellen's class to go the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We had a tour guide who was very smart and brought out so many points about different art that I wouldn't have known....very interesting tour. I was so proud of our students and how they engaged with her, answering her questions, asking questions and making good conversation. She asked me if I was a mom and I told her I was but I also teach at the school. She said, "They are really smart!" :) I confess, I had a little proud moment...even though I don't teach any of those kids. They were great and so polite and kind. I want to go back because there was so much we didn't get to see. I think it is free on Sundays in Jan. or Feb...I bet Jeannette knows.
A funny thing happened in first grade about a week ago. I was beginning my Bible class and one child says, "Mrs. Stover, what's wrong with your hair?" You gotta love first grade....brutal honesty. You would never get that in the older grades. Of course, then they all had to comment, "Yeah, it's kinda big." another says, "like an afro"....no one has ever said that to me. The other teacher in the room just cracked up....definitely a first grade moment!
If you pay any attention to sports you know that the Phillies were in the World Series again this year. One of my first graders is one of the most devoted Phillies fans I know. We were working on a project, making a book about the life of Joseph. I was helping him with some of the cutting and glueing. As I looked closely at his Joseph and Jacob characters, I noticed something unusual about them. I asked him, "Grant, are Jacob and Joseph Phillies fans?" He replied proudly, "Yep, and one of Joseph's brothers has a Phillies tattoo!" Teaching is never dull! :)

opening day and other things

I really need to post some pictures on here. The new Chick Fil A store opened this past Thurs. It's in the mall (about 2 minutes from our school). David is one of the managers there and one of our students is working there too. We are getting to know all the Chick Fil A people around here and enjoy them so much. I told David I feel like having them all over for dinner and get to know them better. Kate and David work with some really wonderful people. I'm sure they are kinda sick of seeing us hanging around all the time.
Saturday Mary Ellen, Jonathan, Jacob and I went up to Newtown Square, PA to see our friend Nathan Taylor in his middle school play. He was Smee in Peter Pan and did such a great job! He is such a great kid...love him! He and Jonathan have been friends for awhile. We stayed with him for two weeks while his parents went away on their 25th anniv. trip. He got to find out what it is like to have a little brother and big sisters to pester! :)
Sunday we were back up to PA for church. We made a whole day of it. Left the house at 7AM and got back at 7pm. We had a baptism service in the morning and an ordination service in the afternoon. Our friend, Peter Doerfler was ordained into the PCA. Both services were absolutely wonderful. God once again reminded my weary soul that it is ALL him. His gentle proddings of grace and love warmed my heart as we sang and heard the stories of God drawing His children to himself. One young man said, "It was like I was wandering around not knowing what direction to go and God just reached down and took my hand and said, 'This is way to go. Come with me." I thought that was so beautiful because isn't that how it is with all of us? God reaches down and rescues us from ourselves, takes us by the hand, shows us the path of life, and walks with us.

November!!

It's November already!! I am at home this morning for the second time this week. I just pulled some pumpkin scones out of the oven to have with my coffee and share with my friends at school. I put this yummy spiced glaze on them. They are so good. David took the kids to school or should I say the kids took David to work and then Kate drove over to the school. They have to leave a bit earlier than usual (is that spelled right??....looks weird).
It's almost time for Christmas music!!
It is a beautiful fall day and I am so thankful for the opportunity God has given to me today to enjoy Him and His beautiful creation.

so many things...

I have a hundred different thoughts that I would like to write about. Some of them I think, "oh dear, better not write about that or some might think I am completely whacky."
I am so excited about Kate's race tomorrow. Actually, I am way more excited than she is! This is it for her, unless by some act of God she decides to run in college. She could do it, but she doesn't think she wants to...which is fine (as Diana would say). This is the league championships and she has a good chance of placing 1st or 2nd. She doesn't think she has a chance at first. Mary Ellen is going to take pictures. We will post those on FB.
Next topic, am I just a paranoid parent or will I ever get used to my daughter driving on these crazy highways by herself! I breathe a sigh of relief when i see her pull in the driveway. You should hear me preach to myself! I am so glad they changed the laws in DE so Mary Ellen has to wait an extra year!
Next....I love those seniors at our school. I got to sub in one of their classes today and they are just the best!!! They totally crack me up! I want to have them all over to my house and just be a fly on the wall and watch them interact with each other.
Next....I love food. I love cooking it, baking it, serving it to my family....it loves me back....nuff said. I think it has become an idol in my life....pretty sure about that.
I just started reading Tim Keller's book Counterfeit Gods....It's awesome.
David preached the best sermon EVER on Sunday. He had me in tears because I saw so much of what God has been doing in his heart over the past couple years as we have been in the "wilderness". I love him so much and God has been working on both of us....He promises to do that and to work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. The gospel just becomes more and more real to us as we struggle through this life.

sad.....but feasting

I was just reading through my summer blogs and now I am sad that I haven't taken the time to do more blogging the past couple months. Oh well....I'm back.
I have been contemplating (while eating my warm apple crisp) about feasting on Jesus. What does that look like practically in my life. My pastor preached on it a few weeks ago and we had a good conversation about it the next day. While he was preaching, I kept thinking of the song that Chris Rice sings called "Come to Jesus". I posted it on my FB that day or the next. Piper talks about how we fill ourselves with the white bread of the world so we aren't hungry when our Father spreads a wonderful feast before us of wonderful, tasty, satisfying food. Jesus wants us to come to the table with nothing but hungry hearts and souls ready to filled by Him. He says to come to him, you who have no money. Come and buy and eat. Sometimes I try to bring things to Him...my good works, performance. So many times my sinful heart wants to be filled with other things (which may not be bad things), but they will never satisfy me. . I find out because I get frustrated, fearful, controlling, prideful, etc....the list goes on and on. Then I come running back to Him and he is always there....ahhhhhh yes once again I find His love to all that I need and want! Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling!

a couple months

I knew if I started a facebook my blogging would stop...and it did. David signed me up on FB and since then I just haven't felt like blogging. It's just easier to write a sentence or two on facebook.
Tonight was a beautiful fall night. David and I went for a run which hasn't happened in awhile! The sunset was absolutely glorious and the trees are just as breathtaking!
We are coming to the close of our fall sports. Mary Ellen was playing volleyball. The boys were playing fall baseball with our Little League and Kate was doing cross country. I was helping coach cross country. This is our last week! I am so happy because my schedule has been brutal...another reason why I don't write much. I am pretty much brain dead by the end of each day. I am a little bit sad about cross country being over because this is Kate's senior year and it will be different without having her on the team....my star runner! When she first started, I beat her all the time. Now she beats me all the time! She is waaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of me! It was a really good sport for her. We have league championships this week and I am pretty sure she will do well, Lord willing.
I am working at the school. I'm usually there all day even though I only work in the afternoons because I have to go up with the kids. David leaves the house around 5 am to go to work with one car and then we leave around 7. Kate drives now, but even if she drove everybody up I wouldn't have a way up there. David and Kate both work at Chick Fil A. It has been a great place for both of them. Kate looooves her job which has been wonderful for a first time job experience. The owner is a really great guy and Chick Fil A is a great company. We always have Sundays off and we treasure that day now more than ever! The end of the day is coming and I have to get ready for my week! That's it for now!

get ready

We are getting all geared up for a new school year. The first day is tomorrow. Backpacks are all packed, lunches made, uniforms cleaned and ironed. We have a short week because we are going to SC. David's high school is celebrating it's 40th anniversary and his sister is turning 40 as well!
We are so excited to be a part of all the festivities. I don't feel like writing a lot so that's it for now...I need to go enjoy my last evening before school starts.

the Browns

Bunker and I are relaxing on the deck after canoeing on the lake.


Aren't they cute?! I love this couple! We were on our way to the lake to go canoeing and kayaking.

David and Herb chatting after breakfast Sat. morning on the screened in porch.

I love, love, love this fireplace. It is double sided. This side faces the kitchen and eating area and the other side faces the living room.
We had so much fun this past weekend. The Brown's home is like a little haven for us. We start relaxing as soon as enter into the neighborhood. It's therapeutic. We have known the Brown's for about nine years. We love Herb and Susan and there daughters. We have shared our ups and downs in life and walked along side each other. I pray I am half the blessing to them as they are to us! Our weekend was all we hoped it would be and more! It came at a perfect time. Thank you to all who helped with our kids, the Hesses, Taylors and Foggy's. You were a huge blessing to us as well.

my funny kids and other randomness

Kate thinks she is a big, fat, white whale! hah!
I can't wait to get her senior pics from Nick to prove her wrong! I think she is beautiful and I know I am right about that one!
It is the beginning of cross country season and so being out of shape is really beginning to be noticed and discussed a lot around here. I think we all could use some butt whuppin'! We are going to have to crack the whip and start working out more!
The boys started fall baseball this week and Mary Ellen started volleyball. I'm so glad for the opportunities they all have been given to participate in these activities. It has been so good for them. Kate has this quote on her wall that I love about cross country that says, "Our sport is your sports' punishment." good one, huh? Maybe Meredith could make her bumper sticker with that on it...hmmm could be a Christmas present.
I got to come home to today to a nice clean house and dinner! I feel so blessed and so rich! God has blessed me beyond anything I could imagine with a wonderful family and His bountiful grace and mercy which is new every morning!
Jacob helped me clean the fridge yesterday. I hate that job and I don't think I had done it in over a year. So it was pretty gross. Then today all the Stover boys worked while Kate and I were out gallivanting around the country.
I am actually looking forward to school starting now and fall! I am always ready for the change of seasons and I LOVE fall. I love pumpkins, leaves changing, cooler weather, Aunt Melinda's pumpkin pie, football and all things fall! It's coming...............after at least one more trip to the beach!

new job

David just got a new job at Chick Fil A. It is a great company to work for and it is closed on Sundays. So he can still help do church planting with our church. It isn't as much pay as he originally thought. He will have to work a lot of hours in order for this to work. But he was doing that with teaching and then bringing the job home! It seems like a great company and great people to work for. We know some of the people already and Katelyn has been working there all summer.
It has been a great experience for her as well. On to the next adventure...I wonder where this will take us in our journey.

family friends

This picture was taken this summer on our trip to Iowa. The lady on the left is my mom's friend, Liz. I was thinking the other day about Dan and Liz and how much we enjoy being with them. It is so nice when your parent's friends become your friends as you get older. We always loved being at their house. Dan and Liz were my parents best friends and their kids were like our cousins. We took trips together and spent many Sunday nights at one family or the other's house. It is rare, I think, when both the husband and wife of one family are both best friends with another couple. I found in my married life that usually I will be close to the wife of one couple and David will enjoy the friendship of a husband of another couple. Not that we don't get along with the other spouse...it's just not as close a relationship. It is rare to find friends like Dan and Liz were to my mom and dad. We lived close to each other until I was ten and then we moved two hours away.
So tonight I am excited about having dinner with Dan and Liz at my sister's. :)

end of summer

I can't believe the end of summer is upon us! Yesterday was my first day back at work. It was good to see some friends. This year I will be part time again,working in the afternoons teaching 1st grade Bible and 2nd grade science and doing some tutoring. David has done some serious job hunting this summer. It seems like every time he gets a job it is through word of mouth...someone we know, knows someone else, etc. Being jobless is a scary time and I feel like it has consumed our lives for the past couple of years even though he had a job teaching last year. By March he knew he didn't have that job anymore. Being jobless takes you to a whole new level of trust. Do I really believe what I say I believe that God will provide, that he loves His children and always has their best in mind; that He will never desert me when I am faithless; that everything he brings into my life is from the loving heart of my Father? So "yes", "yes" and "yes" to all the above. He holds me and my life in his hands and nothing I do can change who I am and nothing can change how my Father feels about me. The things my heavenly Father brings into my life don't always look good and it is hard to understand why certain things happen. But the great thing is I don't have to understand, I just have to trust. I don't have to figure it all out! I just follow. I'm sure I have written about all this before. But I need to preach it to myself over and over.
So a new school year is upon us. School starts Aug.24. Some of my kids are more excited than others. Mary Ellen can't wait to see her friends. This is a big year for Kate, of course. We have been looking at colleges and applying for scholarships. Jonathan moves into the upper school (7-12 grades). So he gets to go on the retreat this year. Jacob is in 2nd grade and gets to have his mom for his science teacher. He actually is pretty excited about that! He has great friends at school and enjoys his class very much. He will have a great teacher this year, Mrs Brunson. I love her. She is so thoughtful and does so many little things to make the kids feel special.
Well on with a new day. Today Mary Ellen has her class party and we are going up Lancaster to my sister, Melinda's to have dinner with them and some friends from Iowa.

Jenny

Happy birthday to my sister, Jenny! We just got back from our trip a few days ago. We spent time with our family in SC, KY, Iowa and IL. All of my siblings live in a different state and we got to see 4 out of 6 siblings and all of David's family as well...not bad. Jenny is the youngest and such a sweet sister. She just loves Jesus and her family. What a blessing to have biological sisters who are also my sisters in the body of Christ. While were out in Iowa, my kids loved hanging out at Dan and Jenny's with all their cousins (they have 6 kids). One night David and I took the older girls out to the movies and on the way home the girls were talking about how old their parents were when they were born. It was mentioned that Uncle Dan was 19 when Hannah was born. One of my daughters said, "Really?! 19?! Wow, no wonder he is so much fun!" Uncle Dan is one of the best! We have a joke in our family that we love the in-laws more than our sisters or brothers....well, maybe it's not a joke... :) Anyway, you done good, Jenny! Have a great day today! You are such a sweet mama, wife, sister and daughter!

switched roles

Tonight I was putting Jacob to bed and he told me that he had a rip on his lip. So I took off with that and made up a whole story with words that rhyme with lip. I went on and on and was laughing so hard. Finally, he said "Mom, stop! You need to be quiet! It is bedtime not speak time." Then I just laughed to myself and thought, "that's a switch! The little boy is telling his mom to stop talking so he can go to sleep!" ...what a funny boy :)

who are you?

Just curious....who is bluekoala that commented on my blog??

Baltimore

We went to Baltimore last week for Kate's birthday. She wanted to go to the Inner Harbor, to the National Aquarium and out for dinner. This had been the plan for awhile but is it got closer and closer the weather wasn't looking very good. It was cold, windy, and rainy. We still had a great time at the aquarium and at the Cheesecake Factory where we ate dinner. However, we do want to go back on a sunny day!

group time

I love my little women's group on Tuesday morning. They are the most real women I have ever met! They speak the gospel into my life all the time! I love that it is a safe place where I can be honest about myself and they will always love me and point me to the cross! Most of them are farther down life's road than I am...I love that I can glean from all their wisdom! Everyone needs a group like this in their life. They can love, forgive, and extend grace because they have experienced all that through Jesus Christ. As was said by one of my friends this morning, "It's good to have a group of women in your life whom you have known for awhile and know your struggles and always believe your side of the story." :) I loved that.

another first

Sometimes I really feel sorry for the firstborn child. She is like the guinea pig. As parents, it is the first time we go through all these things with her. We are all fallen sinners in need of God's grace every day. So we are going through having a driver for the first time as she is learning how to drive. When she was little, I homeschooled and of course did so many things I now regret. As the next couple of kids came along, I learned to relax more and enjoy the process. (Although I'm not sure the words "enjoy" and "homeschool" were ever in the same sentence for me :) )
Today was another first. Our firstborn is gainfully employed. I couldn't ask for a better place for her to work. She is working at Chick Fil A. The owner goes to a PCA church in the area. The managers are Christians and the other young man who was hired with her goes to Wilmington Christian School and knows a bunch of kids that Kate knows. So I am hoping that this is a good "first" for Kate.

my girls

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATE!

So these are my June babies.

She made me "mama"

She was so beautiful...born with a full head of hair, beautiful skin, etc. I couldn't get enough of her. I just kept looking at her and told my friends, "She is really beautiful and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mother!" She still is beautiful! She is my firstborn, Katelyn Grace. Happy 17th birthday, Kate! One of my favorite things about Kate is her singing. I love to hear her sing. When I am singing with her at church, I just want to stop and listen to her beautiful strong voice. I think she was born singing! We have lots of videos of her when she was little singing her heart out! I would post one of them, but she would be appalled! She is looking forward to her senior year this year and then who knows what after that. I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up working in an orphanage in Africa somewhere along the way!

Happy anniversary!

June is such a busy month! The Stovers, Petersons, DiBernardos are celebrating somebody's birthday or anniversary all time. Today my sister, Celeste, and I are celebrating our anniversary. She was married six years before me and also married a David. She is celebrating the big 25th anniv. this year. She mentioned to me this morning that it used to be old people that were married this long! :)
Today David and I celebrate 19 years. I am so thankful for the grace and forgiveness of God. If it were not for His unfailing love and mercy towards us we would nothing to celebrate today.

storm fun

We love watching thunderstorms roll in. I remember as a kid we would sit in our screened in garage and watch those wonderful Iowa summer thunderstorms. After the storm the other night we had a magnificent sunset. Enjoy the pictures Mary Ellen took!

love cup

Jacob just burst through the front door, walked over to me and gave me a big smooch! I said, "I love you!" He said, "I love my mama and my love cup is over filled!" I thought I better write that down so I can remember it forever!

better pic

This is a better picture of the happy couple! How sweet...Congratulations, Emily and Seth!

Strawberries!

Last Tues. I bribed the kids and told them that if they would come with me to pick strawberries, I would take them to the beach the next day. We picked and picked....8 full buckets. I love the picking part. THEN you get home and have to do something with all those strawberries. The plan was make lots of jam and freeze some. I made 60 jars of jam and NONE of it firmed up like jam...it's all syrupy. It tastes really good on our ice cream, waffles and pancakes. Probably some of you will see it when I come visit you this summer, or if you come visit me! :) I used a different fruit pectin, bought in bulk at the Mennonite/Amish grocery store.
We did have fun at the beach the next day. I was exhausted and fell asleep to the warm breeze and the sound of waves...ahhhhhhhhhh! None of us brought a camera to the beach, so I don't have any pics for you....but I do have a picture of some of the jars of strawberry SYRUP I made.
Come over and have some with me!

weddings and stuff

Mr. and Mrs. Seth Trader! What a beautiful wedding...beautiful couple!

My HANDSOME young men...


crazy young men...:) We had a big day yesterday. Katelyn took her SAT test in the morning, then we had a wedding (Emily Cathey and Seth Trader) and then graduation party. We were so happy to get in our comfy clothes when we got home last night! The girls and I went to get a movie. When we came out of the movie store, we got in the car to come home and the key would not turn in the ignition. I was thinking, "okay, I got here with these keys, what could be the problem?" They were the keys to David's car, not the van, but somehow they had worked on the way to the store! Isn't that weird?!
Back to enjoying this beautiful evening with a mojito and brats off the grill...

Mare Bear--

Our birthday girl...


...with her best friend, her sister.

....with her classmates


...with her cousins,siblings and Gaga's red hats!

....with her cousin Meredith. :)

That's what we call her...Mare Bear, May May or Mary Ellen. Happy Birthday, sweetness!

My sweetness

Today is my sweet Mary Ellen's birthday! Fifteen years ago right now I was getting ready to go the doctor for my weekly checkup and boy was I READY to have that baby! I wasn't getting much sleep and sat in the doctor's office and cried to my doctor. He was such a good, kind and patient doctor. He was a Christian and me and all my friends went to him. Later on that day I found out why I was so uncomfortable. Even though she was 9 days early, Mary Ellen came flying into the world at 9lb and 4 oz!
Mary Ellen has brought us so much joy and laughter with her free spirit! We look back pictures from when she was little and chubby with her pretty blonde curls down in her face and can't help but smile! She was such a funny kid and still is. She is the nurturer...the little mommy. When Jacob was little she would read to him, hold him and kiss him...even at two weeks old. Jacob has always been her little buddy. She loves being with kids and they love her too. It was once said about Mary Ellen that she were a shape she would be a heart (Mrs. McGehee--forgot how to spell it). I wonder how God will use Mary Ellen. She is such a special gift from Him to her family and her friends. We pray that you will always know your great need for the cross and the great love of your Heavenly Father. We love you, Mary Ellen!

created a monster

Yes, I have created a monster. My daughter is turning out like me in that she wants to have a party alllllllll the time! She is relentless! So tonight she was supposed to have a party with friends from school and then found out that the guest of honor can't come! I know how disappointing it is to plan a party and be so excited about having friends over and then it all goes up in smoke. So I told her she could have a FEW friends over. She keeps trying to make more than a few! I am brewing tea and only have a few minutes to write....oh, I hear it, gotta go! :) Happy partying!

almost done

Teaching is the best job for a working mom, especially if you teach at your kids' school. We are all on the same schedule. This week is the last week and we are sooooo excited! I have lovely in service days Monday and Tuesday of next week. Right now my girls are looking for jobs for the summer. If anyone wants to hire them to come and help for a day just let me know! They can clean, babysit, cook (well Mary Ellen can cook) whatever you want them to do.
We are looking forward to trips to the beach, Iowa, and SC....Lord willing.
Katelyn and the other Jr. and Sr. that went to Mexico are doing a presentation at school this morning.
BTW, these juniors and seniors were absolutely amazing at presenting and defending their theses last week. I was soooo impressed and wanted to discuss further many of the topics they presented. I think you can watch them on You Tube. Good job TOCS Juniors and Seniors! I was so proud of them....smart kids! gotta get on with my day...

some fun pics

This was this past winter sometime before our friends, Scott and Meghan left
for Peru. This is such a cute picture of Jonathan with their little girl.

This is fun picture. I'm not sure if I posted it last year or not...my crazy kids!

An oil painting Kate was working on in art. It turned out great! Now I am
going to frame it and put it in my kitchen.

More crazy pictures....:)

Memorial Day

Mom was here last year on Memorial Day and we had about 30 people over for a picnic so they could meet my mom. It was so fun. This year we are just relaxing and taking it easy for the day. The girls and I might do something later. My dinner is ready, except for the grilling and shucking the corn. The boys have some nerf gun game going on with Glenn outside. The girls are studying for their finals tomorrow and I am enjoying the latest issue of BH&G and Southern Living.
Can I just say that I LOVE cilantro! I love making stuff with cilantro, the smell, everything. I made some homemade salsa this morning to snack on today and it smells soooo good. We could eat that stuff by the bucket! Speaking of buckets...I am hoping to pick strawberries this week and make lots and lots of jam! I'll probably freeze some too. We just used the last of the jam from last year a couple weeks ago. I LOVE picking strawberries! I'll pick them for you if you want me to...let me know. :)

Isaiah 61:1-3

I love this passage. It puts wind in my sails!

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion---to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that HE MAY BE GLORIFIED! Hallelujah!
It doesn't end there...they begin to rebuild what was destroyed by generations! This gives such hope for me and for others! No matter what your background is, God died to bring life and restoration for His glory! It is a sure thing. We can count on it!

the power of the cross

Tonight was our spring concert. Katelyn and Mary Ellen sang the song "Mighty is the Power of the Cross". It's a Chris Tomlin song. (I love him). There friend, Emery, accompanied them on the guitar and they all did such a beautiful job. It really is special to watch and listen to them sing praises to the Rescuer of our souls and know the power of the cross in their own lives. It is really hard to keep the tears back... but I did! Aren't you proud of me??!! :)
They both have seen the power of the cross in their own lives in restoring brokenness just this week. God is all about restoring. I see brokenness all around me and would get overwhelmed with it but for the power of the cross. We have to keep coming back to the cross and see its power.
In one of Keller's sermons that I listened to last week he quoted J. Newton, "Everything the Father sends is necessary. Nothing He withholds can be necessary." Sometimes I don't understand what he sends and could think of a better way to learn the same lesson, but as a wise, godly woman once said to me, "We don't have to try to figure it all out and understand it. We just have to trust and rest." This is a woman who has gone through some serious pain in her life. She just had to trust and rest...that's it. That is where she found the strength of the Father. I love the verse Isaiah 30:15...In repentance and rest is our salvation, in quietness and trust shall be your strength". I'm not sure if that is the exact words...but it's close.
God, help me to trust and rest, laying down at the foot of the cross....it's a powerful place.
Thanks, girls, for pointing me back tonight to the power of the cross. I love you!

beautiful girls

Friday night was Protocol (for an explanation see last May's blog post about it).
Next year David and I are hoping to go and Mary Ellen will be going.
It's for 9-12 graders.
Kate with her sweet sister and wonderful friend, Jess Foggy.

The junior class

My beautiful girls. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Kate's dress. She
looked so beautiful. They went to the Grand Opera House in
Wilmington for dinner and the opera...The Marriage of Figiro.
Kate absolutely loved the opera. I was kind of surprised by that.

Baseball on a Sunday afternoon

Here's the pitch......


the swing.....

He's out!

Mary Ellen is flying the cool kite that David got for Mother's Day!:)

Enjoying the warm sun on Mother's Day with my family and the DiBernardos. Who is that hot mama??!! :)

baseball boys

Jonathan..playing third base.



Jacob just hit a big one...He and his coach are watching the ball. It
didn't quite make it over the fence. He came really close twice tonight.
We have been enjoying watching our boys play baseball this season. It's fun for David and I to sit together on these spring afternoon and evenings and talk while we watch the boys do their thing. They are really enjoying it as well. Jonathan's team had a bad night tonight and he came off the field with a migraine at the end of the game. He hung in there until the end and then just broke down as he came off the field. He's had a rough week.

Prayer of Repentance

I read this on my friends blog....actually in the comments. So many times our prayers of repentance our ME centered and we need to repent of our repentance. My friend had posted this in the comments of my friend Emily's blog.

O GOD OF GRACE,
Thou hast imputed my sin to my substitute
and hast imputed his righteousness to my soul,
clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe,
decking me with jewels of holiness.
But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;
my best prayers are stained with sin;
my penitential tears are so much impurity;
my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin;
my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance;
I need my tears to be washed;
I have no robe to bring to cover my sins,
no loom to weave my own righteousness.
I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,
and by grace am always receiving change of raiment,
for thou dost always justify the ungodly,
I am always going into the far country,
and always returning home as a prodigal,
always saying, Father, forgive me,
and thou art always bringing forth the best robe.
Every morning let me wear it,
every evening return in it,
go out to the day’s work in it,
be married in it,
be wound in death in it,
stand before the great white throne in it,
enter heaven in it shining as the sun.
Grant me never to lose sight of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding righteousness of salvation,
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace.

Kate's trip

Here are a few pictures from Kate's trip...They are all on her Facebook as well.
This is one of the cenotes where they went swimming. You can look up cenotes at Chichen Itza online and find some really cool pics of where they went. They had to climb down a ladder to get to one of them and the only light came from the hole (like a manhole) they climbed down. They were pools in caves underground...beautiful.

Kate and her friend having fun.

I love all the color in this. I thought I loved color!
Mexico has a love affair with color.

The yellow one was Kate's bed the first few nights.

dinner

I know that you want to know what I decided to do for dinner. I found a GREAT recipe for shrimp and grits. It was SOOOO good and I had everything I needed to make it. You could close your eyes and imagine the streets of Charleston! I cooked the grits in milk and chicken broth and they were so creamy and then you put the shrimp and cajun sauce over the grits....oh man! I even had leftovers of the shrimp and sauce! Of course it was a Southern Living recipe.
Then I made a mojito for my after dinner drink. That was yummy too.
If you come to my house this summer, I'll make you one. :)
Glenn was here to enjoy it all with us. :) We were all happy to see him...our "little" buddy.

this week

We have had such a busy week. I am so ready for school to be done and have a more relaxed schedule. Monday Kate got home from Mexico! We were so excited to have her back home and sat listened to ALL the details of her trip. She took some fun pictures and videos. It's too bad that her trip has been overshadowed by this flu stuff. I think people are WAY overreacting to it all. People die in the US every year from the regular flu and we don't even hear about it. So that's my two cents worth. Instead of being asked about her trip she gets asked if she is feeling okay...
Anyway, she had a WONDERFUL trip, and I think it has strengthened her desire do more mission trips. She was bummed that her first stamp on her passport didn't even show up! She said the stamp pad was dry. We had standardized tests this week in school and then today we had our annual 5K fundraiser. It was little rainy, but that it's okay. It wasn't cold. I'd rather be a little wet than suffocatingly hot, like last Sat.
What's for dinner tonight?? I just finished watching the movie No Reservations...LOVED IT!! I want to go buy it. Last weekend I was making black bean salsa and thought, "this is beautiful food!" It has so many different colors in it. I'm in the mood for some really good Italian food, good music, and good wine....and good company. What can I come up with? Does anyone want to join me?
Another subject...baseball. Both boys are playing this year. This is Jacob's first time playing Little League. The little boys in the outfield get tired of standing out there waiting for the ball and so some of them just sit down, until the coach yells for them to stand up. It's so funny.
Jonathan's is a little more serious, but also sooooo much fun to watch. They are pretty competitive and exciting games. I wish his grandparents could see him play. He had a game on Tues. night and it such a perfect evening as far was weather goes. They lost the game, but David and I enjoyed sitting in our chairs watching the game, feeling the warm evening breeze. Jonathan really loves baseball and has now become a Phillies fan in the past few years. His father tried to warn him about straying away from the Braves telling him that they have lost more games than any other professional team in any sport. He warned him that he would get his heart broken over and over, but the son would not heed the wise counsel of his father. He listens to the games every night and gets on the computer and keeps up with it. Jonathan ran his first 5K this morning. He didn't even practice, just went out there and did it! Bravo!
Well, better go fix some dinner!

love letter

I have been learning so much about the love of God lately. We have been talking about in first grade as we are at the death and resurrection of Jesus in our Bible survey. I am reading to them from the Jesus Storybook Bible...my favorite Bible story book. I also have been listening to Tim Keller every morning on my way to school. The sermons are the perfect length for the drive up. I have been listening to the series on the Attributes of God...awesome! It breathes life into my soul every morning, gets me out of the pit and puts my mind on the cross. Yesterday, he talked about the love of God and his text was Hosea. This is such a heart wrenching but truthful story of God's pursuit of us. I was undone by the picture of God's never-giving up love for me. Then I was reminded of some of the simple love letters God sends to me all the time that I get so used to and don't give him the glory for them. On Sunday, I was at Longwood Gardens with the boys. We were only going to be there for about an hour and a half...walk through the tulips, and the children's garden and go to the treehouses. However, there was kite flying going on in the big green field at the entrance (which I have always wanted to run through). Usually people aren't on that field. Sunday it was filled with families, strollers, little kids running around and lots of people flying homemade kites. Of course, my boys wanted to make a kite and fly it, but I was sure there was a fee involved so I said "no, we can't". As we were leaving, Jacob said, "PLEEEEEEEEASE, can we just ask if we have to pay?" So I said yes (because wouldn't that be bad if it WAS free and I didn't let them have the fun of flying a kite on the big green field at Longwood?? yes...I would have felt horrible) So we went over to the tent and asked. Yes there WAS a fee but it was such a popular event that now they were handing out free store bought kites. The boys got one with Iron Man on it! So we called Dad (who was supposedly grading papers in the car) because he LOVES to fly kites. He is the expert and we got it all the way up as far as the string would go and had a blast! It was so fun. Yesterday, I thought, "Thank you God for showing your love to us on Sunday. It was such a special time together and HE made that happen!" What a wonderful gift and act of His love toward us...His children!

It's the birthday month

The birthday boy a "few" years ago!

Beautiful Calhoun women!!

Meredith's display of affection toward Mary Ellen at Mere's birthday a few years ago!


My family has a lot of birthdays this month...that is my extended family. Meredith, my niece, is one of them and she always celebrated the whole month. It was always the birthday month! Yesterday was her birthday and she was born the day after her dad's (my brother) birthday. What a wonderful gift she is to him and to so many of us. Her smile has lit up my day many times. As most of you know she lived with us for a total of about 2 1/2 years when we lived in PA. So she got to know us...the good, the bad, and the ugly. We also got to know her pretty well. Meredith is not only my niece but a special friend. I love you, Mere. Happy Birthday!