Library Computer Classes

With a torn ligament and cast on her left arm, Abigail can't play softball. She can't practice the piano. But never fear, I found something fun for her day to feel the time she would normally spend on a Saturday at a ball field!  

What could be more fun than a computer class at the library?  The Plano Library system has classes on everything from basic operating systems, Word, Excel, Power Point, even 3-D printing!  She doesn't look quite as excited as I expected, maybe that's because the class started at nine a.m.! 

The student is not above the teacher,
but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
Luke 6:40 

Minion College Care Package

Time to send another care package to Lubbock!  For this one the girls and I chose a Minion theme from Despicable Me.  We filled his box with Twinkies, applesauce, apple drinks, gummy fruits and other minion merchandised food.  We looked for the minion Tic Tacs but the stores were sold out! 

The girls also made minion themed cards for their brother, one with a Doctor Who motif and the other with a Lord of the Rings reference. The boy loves Sci-fi so all references were appreciated.  

There are just so many fun ideas and you know the boy is loving the snacks.  Again, the lack of a constant abundance of food is his chief complaint about college.  The home schooled kid was spoiled by doing school work less than thirty feet from the refrigerator! 

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink
Matthew 25:35 

Teen Pizza Luncheon

Times change so quickly!  One of the primary reasons I began this blog was because our family was all in other states and I wanted them to be able to participate in the kids day to day activities.  Many times when Abigail was little, she was difficult to understand when talking on the phone to grandparents.  The blog created a great avenue for grandparents to see what we had done during the week and have a reference point when they spoke with the kids on the phone.

As the kids grew older they were perfectly capable to communicate with grandparents but something new morphed as they learned to read and communicate, they enjoyed reading on the blog about their own adventures.  It was at that time I began adding scriptures to each post because I didn't want to miss an opportunity to show them how God's Word can apply to everything we do. 

Now Caleb is off at college and I find myself posting pictures so he can keep up with what the family is doing without him and hopefully help him feel connected to friends who are still here.  So this is for Caleb and Richard, today was Teen Pizza, the first of the school year for our homeschooling friends. I stopped and asked the kids to smile for Caleb and Richard and this is the photo!  

Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,

    when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house. 

Job 29:4

Public Speaker's Club

Today PEACH kicked off our Public Speaker's Club.  It is formatted like Jr. Toastmasters and coordinated by an experienced Toastmaster International who has achieved the three levels Able Toastmaster.  

The kids progress through various forms of public speaking presenting before their peers. Today was the introductions where the kids presented a time when they were afraid, excited, or surprised.  Abigail presented Nina's story, or the Incident of 2015. 

Looks like they are off to a great year!  

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,    but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.
Proverbs 13:3

A Boy's Got To Eat

So what do you do when the boy comes home for college, well you feed him of course!  Jon and the girls have teased me for not cooking a full meal since Caleb left. But this weekend there were full course dinners every night! When I asked Caleb what types of meals he wanted his reply was, 'beef'.  With that we grilled steaks, grilled ribs and cooked a roast!  I did my best to pack a little meat on the boy! 

His biggest adjustment to college just may be the food! With homeschooling he ate all day, snacking while doing school work.  Now he has to trek across campus at specific times of the day to get food. 

I tucked a few goodies in his car for the road, you know, in case he needs something to snack on for the five hour car ride. 

When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.  Genesis 43:34

Star Wars: Force Friday

On December 18th, Star Wars:Episode VII The Force Awakens opens in theaters.  At midnight, Friday all the new merchandise for the new Star Wars movie hit the stores.  Kohls, Target, Toys R Us and many others opened up at midnight to let consumers get their first peek at the new movie. 

Our family loves the Star Wars movie franchise, even though we differ on which was the 'best' movie.  We found a store in McKinney called Order 66 Toys, which of course is the order Emperor Palpatine gave to the clones to kill the Jedi.  The store is filled with great Star Wars memorabilia, a lot of which the boy has in his room! 

It was such a spectacular event that Darth Vader, Clone Troopers, even R2D2 were on hand to celebrate!  It would be embarrassing to admit how long we spent in the store looking at all the toys from all six, soon to be seven movies!  Even better was sharing it with my favorite Padawan Learner! 

You who are young, be happy while you are young,

    and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.

Follow the ways of your heart

    and whatever your eyes see,

but know that for all these things

    God will bring you into judgment.

Ecclesiastes 11:9

He's Back!

The boy is home! He's off for the Labor Day weekend and decided to surprise the girls.  Needless to say the puppy was very excited to see her boy.  Padme' even slept in the hallway where she could keep an eye on all three kiddos. 

This momma bear is thrilled to have all of her cubs back together! 

Like a bird that flees its nest

    is anyone who flees from home. Proverbs 27:8

Drama Club 2015-2016

Our PEACH Drama Club started back up today.  This is a non-musical year, the club is made up of 9th-12th graders with college kids serving in leadership roles.  PEACH also offers a tween drama club for the younger kids.  

This year the group will be performing, 'Something's Rotten in the State of Denmark.'  It is a farce, a rehearsal of the original Hamlet in Shakespeare's time with many irregularities, like the ghost of Christmas past instead of the King's ghost!     

The group did a read through today and at the next rehearsal they will audition for roles.  It's exciting that this year we will be performing in an actual theater instead of on stage at the church! 

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,

    when it is in your power to act.

Proverbs 3:27 

A Time to Uproot

We have been in Texas for almost fourteen years.  About eleven years ago the Gungan family arrived in Plano. Our family was sitting in church when Ried, Donna and the boys came in and sat in front of us.  In the pleasantries exchanged in that first meeting we discovered we both homeschooled and had two sets of kids the same age.  

Who knew that would be the beginning of such a wonderful friendship. For the past eleven years we have home schooled, field tripped, Bible bowled, Drama Clubbed, Book Clubbed, Speaker's Clubbed and so much more together.  

I couldn't tell you at what point my kids began referring to their family as Gungans, but I'm pretty sure it coincided with a mutual love of all things Star Wars. 

Yesterday the movers boxed up most of the house and today they loaded the truck, tomorrow they head to Ada.  

It will be strange not to see them three and four times a week, but I know there will be trips to Ada, and trips to Dallas and meetups somewhere in between!  It is also very comforting to know Richard and Caleb are together in Lubbock.  

There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens: 

. . . a time to plant and a time to uproot.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Merely a Flesh Wound

Today I'm grateful for ten years of injury free softball.  As a catcher Abigail is pretty well protected but as with any sport it's not a matter of if they get hurt it is simply a matter of when. 

Two weeks ago Abigail was catching for a sixteen year old pitcher who was practicing throwing screwballs.  The ball didn't break until it got almost to Abigail's glove and when it did, the 60+mph ball took out Abigail's thumb.  

Jon took her to the pediatrician the day Caleb headed to LCU, however there were no broken bones.  We've kept it in a brace for a couple of weeks but it was not healing.  Today we went to the orthopedic doctor and found that she has a torn ligament. 

Abigail will be in a cast for three weeks and then will be in a soft brace for a few weeks.  This will put a halt to softball and piano for a few weeks! 

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;

    heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. Psalm 6:2