Boxes and Boxes and Boxes of Blessings!

The last several months the food at the pantry has been a little thin, especially with the government shut down holding up the delivery of the prepaid items coming in from the North Texas Food Bank.  The good news is many of the public schools have food drives throughout the month of October and that food is beginning to come in to the pantry. 

On Monday volunteers from Metro Relief picked up at the area schools.  The haul of food was just amazing! In our spare time this week, we worked alongside other volunteers sorting cans of food, and probably only made it through 1/3 of the donations.  

Metro is expecting more donations in the coming week.  All of the food needs expiration dates checked and sorted by food types so that it can go on the shelves in the coming months.  It is truly amazing how the community is better equipped to meet the needs of their own than the federal government! 

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14

Weekly Visit to the Batting Cages

Our weekends have been packed with softball games meaning that during the week we have softball practice and batting practice; not to be confused with piano lessons, or speaker's club, or classical book club, or drama club or Bible bowl, or the volunteer work we do!  

Some days I wonder when life got so busy!   It is a blessing that we can drag the kid's laptops with us as we run from one event to another.  I do worry about the kids being too busy and having too much on their plate but there probably isn't a mom around who doesn't have the same concerns.  

For now I'm happy Abigail has a Christian coach on a team with a fellow home schooler.  I feel blessed that piano is taught by a Christian mom who has home schooled for years, and that most of their activities are by role models I treasure having in our lives! 

Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

1 Timothy 5:1-2

Dallas Symphony Organ Odyssey

If I was asked what is the greatest perk of home schooling, I suppose I might be expected to pontificate on the benefits of a customized education; or perhaps quote statistics on the achievements of home schoolers; but honestly, the greatest perk is the field trips!   Seriously, we study the fine arts at the Dallas Symphony, Dallas Museum of Art or the Dallas Opera.  We study political science at the Sixth Floor Museum or the Bush Library.  

Today we attended the student performance Organ Odyssey at the Dallas Symphony.  The program featured music written specifically for the organ. The Dallas Symphony's organ has 4,535 pipes and each piece was performed in tandem with over 90 musicians.  

A couple of the highlights were Johann Strauss II's Space Odyssey and one of Papageno's songs from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Magic Flute, which we saw last year at the Dallas Opera.  

And all the people went up after him, playing pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.  I Kings 1:40

Caleb is Driving

It seems almost surreal that Caleb could possibly be old enough to drive!  I'm not sure where the time has gone, it seems like just a few days ago he was pushing his Little People school bus around the pool table. 

Six months ago he got his permit and today at the six month mark he was able to take his driving test.  We did the online parent directed National Driver Training program.  It was really easy to use and he enjoyed it.  It is structured so that  the student must achieve a 90% mastery of the material before moving to the next section.  

Having completed his six months and one day with his permit and completion of the on-line program he went today to take the driving portion of the test.  Thirty minutes later he was an official licensed driver!  

Because that Frankie doesn't drive and for various medical reasons will never drive this was a bittersweet milestone to me. As today approached I was excited for Caleb and equally heartbroken for Frankie.   I did not share those feeling with Caleb because I didn't want to take away from his big day.  But being the incredible, amazing, awesome kid that he is, when we got home he asked Frankie to go with him on his maiden voyage without a parent to take her to Sonic!   She beamed the rest of the day!  

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Luke 6:31

Last Game of the Season

Last game of the season for fall ball, beautiful weather, and sweet girls calling out their goals for today's game as the go through their stretches.  These girls are such a super group, I love that before every game they take turns stating their goals, and saying what they really like about other members of the team.  The coach really keeps their chatter upbeat on game days.  

Today was another successful day at home plate for Abigail.  She had a throw down to 2nd and 3rd for two outs.  She had two at bats with a single and a double.  

She was catching for Julia and Sarah who were both throwing really well.  It is a shame that the season has come to a close because the team is really starting to play well together.  Ah, but there is always spring ball! 

I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

Ezekiel 34:26

Bible Bowl: Life of Moses

Bible Bowl is in full swing.  Right now we have 18 kiddos working their way with me through the Life of Moses. With today's class the Israelites are now moving out of Egypt.

I love the heart of these kids, they are willing each Sunday for almost six months of the year to spend an hour and a half learning Bible.  In addition to the time commitment on Sunday the kids spend an equal amount of time in personal study and homework throughout their week.

Keep my commands and you will live;
    guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 7:2-3

Glenn Beck's God, Guns & Giving

Today we joined hundreds of others in Dallas at Elm Fork Shooting Sports for Mercury One's "God, Guns & Giving" charity event.  It was a fabulous star-studded event including Glenn Beck, U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell.

Abigail was very excited to see Liberty Treehouse's Raj Nair and ex-CIA Agent and NYPD Intelligence Division Specialist turned Blaze Editor Buck Sexton.  We love watching Liberty Treehouse and The Real News on the Blaze.    

Frankie and Abigail participated the kids gun safety class.  As many times as we have been to the gun range and shot Frankie has never wanted to have anything to do with shooting.  She generally brings a book to the gun range, puts in her ear protection and stays away from guns.  The gentlemen at Elm Fork were amazing and gingerly walked Frankie through the safety and handling of guns.  She was so proud of herself that she went on through the course of the day to re-visit the kids range and shot three separate times.  What is amazing is she hit the target every single time.  We joked the rest of the day that she had super sniper powers! 

Glenn Beck puts on quite an event and the money raised for Mercury One's charity will do great things!  

Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.  Nehemiah 4:17-18

Canterbury Tales Drama Performance

This year our PEACH Drama Club has selected the Canterbury Tales for our Spring performance.  It is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century, during the time of the Hundred Years' War.

Caleb will be portraying the host, "Harry Bailly": The proprietor of the Tabard Inn where the pilgrims to Canterbury stay before beginning their journey. He accompanies the pilgrims on their journey. Harry Bailly devised the scheme of the tales, proposing that each tell two tales on the way to Canterbury, and he frequently mediates arguments between pilgrims and suggests who shall tell the next story. He has a bit of a class complex, and can be seen regularly toadying up to the upper-class and higher-status characters.

One of the characters Harry Bailly encounters is Chaunticleer, the rooster.  He is peerless in his crowing, has seven companions, the most honored of which is his wife Pertelote.  Abigail will be portraying Pertelote, the hen.  In this modern telling she is described as a Jersey girl with a bit of an attitude!  hmmmm, I can't imagine why she was drawn to that role!

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world." 

1 John 2:15-16

Trick or Treat

Our kids have arrived at that age where they are too old for Trick or Treating.  However, it is probably one of Frankie's favorite days of the year.  And really, what is not to like from a child like perspective?  You dress up in fun, creative costumes.  Every neighbor is friendly, out on their porches and handing out candy!  

Abigail agreed to dress up to take Frankie around, mainly to keep her safe.  Abigail dressed as Katniss from Hunger Games and Frankie went as Flo from the Progressive Car Insurance commercials.  Jon followed at a distance visiting with neighbors as they walked around the block.  

Caleb and I passed out candy and watched Dracula and the Bride of Frankenstein. 

I love our little family. I love that Jon is o.k. with walking around to make sure the girls are safe.  I love that Abigail eagerly helped Frankie put a costume together.  I love that Frankie can remember what kind of candy each house gave out for the the last several years and who was home last year.  I love that when I asked Caleb to watch a scary movie, he automatically picks the classics.  I'm fairly confident we are not normal, and for that I am most grateful! 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:2

Mi Poquito Gringo en el Sombrero de Koala

Both of the kids are taking Spanish, Caleb is in his third year of high school Spanish; and last year Abigail  completed beginning Spanish and is continuing with the Rosetta Stone program this year.  None of their classes have taught them as much or been as entertaining as working at the pantry.  

Many of the clients are Hispanic and speak very little English so the kids have had to speak conversational Spanish.  Several weeks ago Abigail learned the word poquito, meaning small.  It was easy to remember it's pronunciation because it sounds like mosquito.  Last week with Ms. Lizzie, Abigail used the word mosquito instead of poquito.  The rest of the day the other volunteers poked fun and teased her about it.  Today, the client she was working with when she said 'mosquito' brought her a hand written paper of how to say many of the words Abigail uses at the pantry.  

Ms. Lizzie had Abigail tell her the sentence she has trouble with, for example, "May I help you out to your car?" That sentence doesn't translate well to Spanish and ends up sounding like Abigail is offering to help them with their car, possibly change the oil? Ms. Lizzie translated sentences for her and then Abigail wrote it out phonetically so she could remember how to pronounce the words.

Buen trabajo mi poquito mosquito.  (Good job my small mosquito!)

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.

Genesis 11:7