First Day ~ Back to School!

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Here they are!!  Our First Day - Back to School! - photos, as promised.

Caleb, 5th grade - Aubrey, 3rd grade and Jayne - 1st grade!!!

Prayer of Blessing!

Boarding a packed Big Yellow - 29!

You only get to do that "first day" one time... so, I suppose by hanging onto these photos for a day, or so, and sharing them later - spreads out the moments, right??  For our family, our First Day - is extra special in that we have entered the doors of a BRAND NEW, to us, SCHOOL!!

That's what happens when you move to a new location.  Our kiddos seemed quite nervous about it. Trying to imagine life at a "new" school.  Missing their old friends and well-known faces... 

 But... as the summer wore on and we ventured out to different community events (ie; VBS and Kids Kamp, etc.)... they were then able to interact with other kids and well, guess what??   They now have "new" friends at school, and some, even in the same classrooms!  Kids they met out and about over the summer!!   I knew it.  I tried to tell them. :)  This is, though, one of those things they have had to discover, on their own, and excitedly share with you - once they get home!!

I tell you what!!   As a mom, its a blessing to get back into some semblance of a routine. Because, as you can imagine our summer was just a tad bit "different"... then normal.  Oh sure, there are still bumps in the road, to be hurdled.   We had quite a few, just this morning... but, we chalked it up to "we're still working out what this new routine is going to look like".  We're used to being out the door by 8AM... here it's more like 8:15.   So, we have time...a few minutes, at least... to create some healthier habits.

We always have a time of family devotions in the evening before bedtime... but, it is my goal and prayer to add in even some MORE of God's Word... to our normalcy. 

Sitting to the breakfast table is part of that and a good place to start.  Hopefully, we have everyone's attention, right??

So, yesterday... beings it was the 28th of August, I pulled out two verses from Proverbs 28 to share with the kiddos.

I'd like to share them with you, too.. because of what keeps being mentioned ever since.   I love it!

Proverbs 28: 19-20

He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies 

will have his fill of poverty.

A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager

 to get rich will go unpunished.

 You might be wondering how, in the world, do these verses fit in with a first day of school scenario??  Well, after some dialog, here is my son's deduction from these verses...

C: I get it.  So, working my land is like me doing my school work.

M:  right!!

C :  If I get distracted and don't pay attention I will become "poor".

M: right!

C: So, if I don't do my job (like, school, for me, right now, is like Dad going to work!) then I won't get paid.  Because, my pay is my education... ??

M: (proud moment) YES!!!!!

***
Let's just hope and pray this "new attitude and new thought" sticks
- all year long!!!!

My Place :: home!

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“It's sad if people think that's (homemaking) a dull existence, [but] you can't just buy an apartment and furnish it and walk away. It's the flowers you choose, the music you play, the smile you have waiting. I want it to be gay and cheerful, a haven in this troubled world. I don't want my husband and children to come home and find a rattled woman. Our era is already rattled enough, isn't it?  ― Audrey Hepburn

***

Thinking about my place in the home!!!  There is this... 

It's this chair that's become my space and place!!  A quiet evening, an early morning... while on the phone, talking to a friend or checking messages.  Sipping on a cup of coffee or a pink drink... sharing a moment with one of my kiddos or hubby... just talking!

This is a place to say "I'm at home".

And, then.  There is the rest of the place that is mine!!

The rest of the home!!  And, what an opportunity - to resemble Jesus in this Place!! 

~ 

Switching gears, here, for a moment.  Bear with me!

 Oh, the tears began to fall this morning.

Another place... I want to talk about is here... Treasured Up and Pondered.

Through a small series of events - an old blogging friend and I recently reconnected.

As I logged in to view her blog and "catch back up" on and in her online space...

the tears just filled my eyes.

When you have soul sisters... who without even really "saying" anything - simply minister to you!!

You know?   And, then through that, following along... I stumbled across an old Part 1 and Part 2 (two different posts, of my own) that I had truly, truly forgotten about.  Stories that I personally had shared, with my kids, a couple of years ago, from my childhood-past, that tied into the present of today - and were life-lessons that I had totally and completely forgotten about.

 I NEEDED TO READ THEM AGAIN!!!!

God knew this...

People!

This is why I love being a stay-at-home-mom!!

Having a Place!!

Having a heart and home for serving others.

For listening.

For helping.

For being available.

Is it always easy?  No.  And, I have my moments where I want to get off the train.

(though, those are getting less and less) :)

But to be able to have this place for journaling, for me, is a salve for my soul. 

So many times... I have been able to sit and re-read something the Lord has laid on my heart - completely written in the past - that is so very vital for my present reality.

It's moments and times like these that un-rattle me!!!!

In other words.  I'm undone!!

***

 

- linking with fiveminutefriday.com .  Prompt word is: Place.

Of toy army men, pretzel nuggets, devotions and plastic containers. All part of an answer to prayer.

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 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  ~ Matthew 6:25-34

***

One afternoon, since our move, my son found yet another box to unpack. The box housed Lincoln Logs and about 30 or so little plastic army men.  We hadn't seen them in awhile... and well, he found it kinda fun to play with them again.  Completely understandable.

As he was cleaning up ... he declared he wished he had a plastic container to put them in.  Something like a peanut or cashew container.  Something clear, with a screw-top lid.  "Sorry, bud", I said. "I don't have anything like that right now... and I don't plan to go out shopping anytime soon.  I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you."

The next morning.  I head downstairs, for the day, and there are on the counter sits a container!!  Just like the one my son asked for... except it housed peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets. Okay... this works, but WHAT?!?!

Not sure where it came from.  I asked my husband.  Of course...he knew!!!

Backing up a bit... 

You see, the night before, Scott (my husband) had been out helping my Brother-in-law, do some work around his place and getting home after we all were in bed and then out, the door the next morning for work..we had to catch up over the phone.  This is what I found out.  Because he (John) is a service tech for broken-down trucks, out and about... the story goes that if there is/was an accident or such... and a pallet gets broken... the merchandise gets dispersed and so that is how a WHOLE BOX of peanut butter filled pretzels wound up at our house (mind you, lots of containers!) because what is my brother-in-law going to do with but so many boxes... but share?

Yes!!  6 plastic containers. Not one!!  But, six!!

So - I thought about it and asked Caleb, once he came downstairs, if he had prayed about his need?

"No", was his response. "I wished for it, but I hadn't prayed about it."

We sat down to talk.

I assured him, it was okay... but to listen to me.  I reminded him of our devotional the other evening... when we read from The Jesus Storybook - the passage and story from Matthew 6... about God caring for the birds of the air, the flowers of the field.

And, how that sometimes and more than we realize - even if we don't ask... God still cares enough to meet our needs!!

"You may not have asked GOD for a container, but HE still heard your heart's cry... and through the circumstance of events he provided for you..."

It was really neat to see these words sink into his little heart and mind.  He really pondered this one for awhile...

 *** 

Truth is.  I needed the reminder, just as much.  I still get the chill-bumps; the smile on my face, the comfort in my heart... knowing we have a good, GOOD Father... who cares and meets our every single need... no matter what!!!