"Do the Next Thing"

In my previous post, I referenced this poem. I decided to find it and post a copy for everyone to read.

A poem quoted by Elisabeth Elliot
Do The Next Thing

"At an old English parsonage down by the sea,
there came in the twilight a message to me.
Its quaint Saxon legend deeply engraven
that, as it seems to me, teaching from heaven.
And all through the hours the quiet words ring,
like a low inspiration, 'Do the next thing.'

Many a questioning, many a fear,
many a doubt hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from heaven,
time, opportunity, guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrow, child of the King,
trust that with Jesus, do the next thing.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer,
do it reliantly, casting all care.
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand,
who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on omnipotence, safe 'neath His wing,
leave all resultings, do the next thing.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
working or suffering be thy demeanor,
in His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
the light of His countenance, be thy psalm.
Do the next thing."

Now I'll go follow the good advice!!

HItting a Brick Wall!

Why is it that when I get an idea to really do something (like clean my house and purge some junk) that I seem to hit a brick wall. Friday I knew I had the WHOLE day to myself for doing just that (which is what I wanted to do). Instead I laid in bed much of the day with a migraine. I did get the kids' rooms cleaned up in little spurts throughout the day. Saturday, I was supposed to do a 5k run with Shane, Heather, and some others but was still struggling with the headache. I stayed home and slept some more. I was able to clean up the book cases bit by bit again. I was even able to work my books over well enough that I am moving one big book case to the garage. (YEAH!!) Shane also helped me move the desk.

Now I have 3 days to get the rest of the house in order...it is a big job and my enthusiasm has waned. I still have a headache (this is day 4) and a really short fuse. The kids got too much Easter candy and sweets and junk so they are a bit wired. I wish I could have gotten the start I wanted on Friday. I probably would have been more than half done at this point and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, I'm in the "looks worst before it looks better" stage and a bit disgruntled. :-(

So that is my happy post for this Monday morning! :-) I JUST had a thought...it comes from a poem I read a while ago. Instead of thinking about getting the WHOLE house in order I'm going to go "do the next thing." And maybe by Wednesday...the job will be close to being done.

It's Spring. It's Spring!

It just occurred to me it is also April Fools Day! That makes it a perfect day to stay at home. The boys aren't old enough to know about it so I have it a little easier. :-)

Anyway, we've spent a lot of time outside this week. We've gone on walks and had a great old time. Today I expect to be no different...except I want to work in my flower beds so the boys will just have to play around the yard.

What else does spring mean to me? Well, this year it has put me in the mood to purge!!!! We have so much stuff that we don't use, that clutters our house and our lives. That just collects dust. Since Spring cleaning seems to be an institution that began somewhere around the fall of man (when cleaning was invented as a part of the curse, I'm convinced), I figure now is as good a time as any. So today, I'm starting with the outside. Deck, patio, flower beds, and porch. I've given up on the possibility I will be putting in a new flower bed between the garage and the house...I guess that will wait another year. :-( I'm really kinda looking forward to getting the yard in order. I wish I had a big spring flag to hang on my flag pole but I don't...maybe I'll have to try to find one.

I also got lucky and tomorrow the boys are spending the day with Nanny and Pappy. That means they won't witness me cleaning out their toy shelves and bedrooms and try to veto my "pitch it" philosophy. There are some things that just need to go! They won't miss them if they don't see me throw them out. :-)

And next week is our Spring Break from school since I'm going to be out of town for the last couple days so I'll be able to get the rest of it cleaned up then. The kitchen was just emptied a few weeks ago since I'm planning to completely redo the theme (I'm going from wine country to 50's diner-ideas and donations accepted-HA!). It won't take long to get back in order. I'm afraid things without sentimental value or use in my house don't stand a chance. If it's not nailed down or necessary it is on the chopping block.

I've been thinking quite a lot about the "stuff" that we collect. I've never really been a collector of trinkets. Like those who collect Precious Moments, or teacups, or dolls, or whatever. I have a small "collection" of Willow Tree figures that I've been given commemorating events in our life- wedding, some anniversaries, birth of children, first mother's day, etc. But even without a big "official collection" we are at risk of being overrun by things. My one biggest problem are our books. They are out of control. I hate to get rid of any but I wonder if I'll really use them when we get to that subject. They are fairly well organized but I really don't know what I have and can get things from the library so easily. I can't imagine that I have it in me to get rid of them though. Maybe I should go through and try to thin them out a little bit...hmmm! I doubt it. That is one place the urge to purge isn't overwhelming. :-)

Off to get started on the day. The boys have finished their breakfast and are doing their morning chores (dressed, teeth, make beds) and I need to do the same. Then some school work before we head outside for the morning. It is a beautiful day!!! :-) :-)

Aiden at Awana!

Aiden's Awana teacher told me a story about him last night. Lat week they were telling the Bible story and it was about the widow who fed a man bread. But the man died. (I'm, honestly, not familiar with the story). Aiden raised his hand during the story. His teacher, Janelle, said they are always a little nervous when a kid interrupts the story. They just never know what is coming.

He said, "I know why that man in your story died after he ate the bread." The teacher asked "Really? Why?" with hesitancy I think. And Aiden said, "Because man can not live on bread alone. That's in the Bible. My daddy said so."

And who can argue with logic like that (of course, he was right...that is in the Bible).

Family Doctrine

In our household there are several truths that the children are learning. 1. Jesus loves you. 2. Jesus died to save us from sin. 3. Obey mom and dad. 4. Cubs rock! 5. Cardinals do NOT rock! (not necessarily in this order). These are all things they have been taught since birth....they are being hammered in their little heads so to speak.

We have been going to a Revival all this week that is being preached by John Blackmore. He is an excellent preacher and we are really enjoying his messages (I also think in his next life he may be a comedian-hehe!) He is a Cardinals fan. Maverick was sitting on my mom's lap the other night and she was trying to listen. He was causing just enough distraction to make it difficult for her. She said "Shh...I'm trying to listen." He pointed at her nose and whispered, "Nanny! Did you know you are trying to listen to a Cardinal fan?" Apparently, in Maverick's opinion, this seriously undermines John's authority as a minister. :-)

And I have one bonus story....
The basketball game was on TV on Sunday and Maverick likes the cheerleaders. The screen showed them at one point and Shane pointed it out to Maverick. Maverick's response "I'd like them better with their shirts off." !!!!!!!!!!! WHAT!!!! Where did he even get that idea? I think by the time they are grown it will be hard to surprise me.

Next time I'll tell some stories on the other boys...Maverick has just been on fire this week.

From the Mouths of Babes AND Eating humble pie!

Not only is this a two-for day with 2 posts but this is also a two-for post...mark it on your calendar.

From the Mouths of Babes

The other day we walked down to give Max some carrots and apples and get a little fresh air while the spring time lasted (it is cold and rainy now so I'm glad we did it when we could). Anyhow, we only walk about a 1/2 mile so I decided that Griffin could walk and did not take a stroller. (Note to self: this is NOT a good idea-Griffin walks really slow and stops to daydream). Anyway, on our way back Maverick tripped and totally fell down. He tore the knee of his pants and scraped up his hands. He was hysterical, naturally.

I had Aiden hold Griffin's hand and keep walking home while I walked with Maverick. Maverick was sobbing. In between sobs, he said "Mom, you shoulda brought the stroller so I could ride if I fell and got boobies on my hands." I started giggling, I couldn't help it. He said "Mom you shouldn't laugh when someone has boobies on their hands." I replied "Boobies, Maverick?" And he looked at me and said "booboo's mom, You knew that" with all the disgust in the stupidity of mom that a 4 year old boy could muster.

I, of course, ran straight home and called a friend and Shane to relay the story. (Maverick did not know this and I did get him bandaides first). They both laughed along with me and my friend raised a good point....most guys don't cry when they have boobies in their hands. :-) The whole thing still makes me laugh.

And now a story on myself called Eating Humble Pie!

The boys love to play computer games and we have a few CD's with games for them. They were taking turns today and I have to help switch the CD's and get them going each time. At the very end I came over to shut them down cause their time was up and all my minimized windows were gone. They have done this before and know they are not supposed to "X anything." I was angry and I asked who did it. No one would answer and then Maverick shrugged and said "Griffin?" So they got in trouble for not answering and were sent to their rooms. After a little while, I went in and told them that because they messed with things on mommy's computer they weren't supposed to they were not allowed to play computer games for 1 week. And that their punishment for lying was over and they could come out of their rooms. Then I sat down to get things going again...THEN IT HIT ME!!! To get one of the CD's to work I had to shut everything else down. It was ME! I had "X'ed" everything. Why had I not remembered that? So I told them that I made a mistake and was wrong and I had "X'ed" things. It was a good lesson in admitting a mistake for them and an even better lesson in controlling my anger and thinking before speaking for me. Luckily, they forgave me. As Maverick said "Yes, I forgive you, you are mommy." James 1:19 says "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." It is a lesson I would do well to learn!!!

Max the Horse...and more

Well, we were given an old horse from another family. He is a good ole' horse who is great with kids. We are in need of a saddle because he has a REALLY bony backbone but he is going to be great fun. The boys just love walking down and feeding him apples and carrots. He will be moving closer to our house soon.

A saddle would also have prevented the fall from the horse when Shane was trying to "help" me up. Max was walking in a circle and Shane was boosting me up. We were both trying really hard to get me up there when Max stopped circling and I went completely over. Aiden was already on Max and I took him down with me. I am glad neither of us was hurt because mom, dad, and Shane were all laughing so hard no one was running to help. Once I knew Aiden was out from under the horse and ok, I laughed too.

We spent an evening at the pond last week, fishing and having a wienie roast. I just love when the weather starts to get nice enough to enjoy. Of course, the rainy days make it hard to enjoy the warmer weather. I am trying to get outside EVERY day regardless of weather. Today I'm not taking the kids out. That is a great philosophy to have but it makes for A TON of muddy laundry.

I've been doing a lot of research for our school next year. It is so overwhelming and hard to decide. I want to make the "right" choice because most curriculum aren't cheap but it is so hard. A trip to the homeschool convention will help because I hope to actually get to see and flip through a lot of my current choices. I think I will have an "eclectic" selection next year which means I am picking and choosing for each subject rather than getting an All in One curriculum.

I've also been researching Charlotte Mason who was an educator in the 1800's and I like a lot of her philosophies. I've been trying a few of the more simple ones and they are really making a difference in our day. So we are going to try to implement some of her methods into the plans. Luckily, those who use her methods also suggest many of the curriculum I was already leaning toward for most subjects. :)

We are still plugging along on our garage construction. There are now doors on all the openings. However, we had trouble with the springs on the garage doors so neither of those will open...maybe we'll get those done this weekend.

We've been visiting new churches in 2010. There are such vast differences in services. We've gone to a church in Effingham that we really liked but are visiting a local church now. I feel like I am slowly moving in a direction that makes me, personally, able to open myself up to being comfortable at a new church.

I found a new blog that I just love. Here is a link. She is funny and seems to be a real person. I enjoy her menu planning (although I don't use it) and some of her recipes are great. I've made her English Muffins and her homemade bagels and they are SOOOOOO yummy! Some of the other blogs she links to are also quite good.

Gotta get going on the day. Bread needs to be started and it won't do that itself...so I gotta get off the computer. :-)