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Conjunction Junction What's Your Function!

Do you remember this cartoon? I was teaching 3-D about conjunctions for english this morning and thought back to my childhood and had to find this cartoon to show him. The only thing I could remember about the cartoon was the jingle, “conjunction junction what’s your function.” Nothing else stuck. Isn’t it nice when you teach your kids at home - you get educated all over again!

"Bring the Rain" by Mercy Me

"I have been praying for just enough testing/trials, for you (me) to grow,
but not so many that you become discouraged. Also, for encouragement along
the way."

My mom sent this via email the other day. God really does answer prayer! And my Mom really loves me! What else would a Mother who loves the Lord and her children pray?

Love ya, Mom

Daddy'O did not get either of the jobs he applied for at his company! Very discouraging, but just as my mother prayed, He gave us encouragement along the way! Sunday I found an envelope with $50 cash in it-no one wrote a thing, so I have no clue who it is from. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Then later the same day my neighbor brought the kids cupcakes, two huge bags of frozen blueberries (my favorite and they are tiny and SWEET!)from her garden last summer, and $20 worth of gift certificates to Mike's Drive in. Then tonight Daddy'O was at some training for work and he called to tell me that he had won $150 worth of gas on a gas debit card. That is going to help tremendously!

I am keeping tabs on all these blessings so our family can reflect on what God is doing in our lives. The kids can't seem to wrap their minds around it. Master C was trying to fit our neighbor, who has been working on our yard, into a box that already exists in his mind. He just can't figure out why in the world she would want to help us.
Anywho...

Here is one of my favorite songs that goes along with my Mom's prayer. Enjoy!

How A Farm Store Chicken Came to Be

The kids have been talkin chickens for a week or so since they each bought one recently. I thought it would be fun to see how the chickens came to be. Oops, this was a little more than I bargained for.

I think the kids were picturing a nice farm somewhere with a hen laying on its cute little egg and then some nice farmer brought the baby chicks to the store-Not this tramatic entrance into the world.

Manna

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."
Lamentations3:21-26

I know you are going to start rolling your eyes when I keep telling you the blessings God has been pouring out on our family. But I can't keep them to myself. He has been so good to us. We are still struggling financially, but God keeps throwing out a life line that keeps us from going completely under.

I walked out to our mailbox and found a letter from a friend. I opened the letter and read the note. It said that her husband had worked some extra shifts and they wanted to share the blessing with another family. She said they had prayed about who to give the money to and God led them to us. They sent us $100. I was flabbergasted to say the least! I read it to my kids and we all wrote thank you notes to the family.

Everytime I turn around God uses his children to show me his love. I can't remember a time when we have been blessed more. It seems we are in a desert now, but God keeps showering us with manna.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

My Personal Gardner

I have the nicest (aka. crazy) neighbor! I asked to borrow her small rototiller the other day, but she said she would come over and see if it could dig up the soil herself the next day. I talked to her again that night feeling bad that she felt she had to do it. She said that she hates to be inside and because her yard was all done she needed another yard to work in. She said that if someone in our neighborhood didn't have something for her to do, she was going to go to her old neighborhood and work in her friends' yard. I just laughed and told her we would be home by 12:30 or so and I would see her then.

Fast forward to 12:30 the next day. We get out of the car and she is in her driveway. I say hello and she tells me that she was so excited to come work in our yard that she couldn't sleep last night. She said she had other errands to run, but didn't do those because she wanted to get ready to work in our yard. She had bought something to kill the moss in our front yard and then she was going to get to work in the back.

She worked a bit in the front and then went back into the backyard and started to pull the grass from around the fence line. She said it was rotting the fence out around the bottom. Then she cut the grass around the play structure, mowed the lawn, and pulled the dandelions out. The kids couldn't stay away. They were outside helping her. They got a ton done. She didn't get the rototiller done, but I'm hoping that will come soon. She did however forget to pick her grandson up from school. She was so enthralled in the process that when I asked if she had to pick up her grandson, she said, "what time is it?" I told her and she rushed off 30 min. late to pick him up. I felt sooo bad. The kids told me it was my fault. Of course I said it wasn't, but I felt bad anyway.

When I was praying for new neighbors a year ago, I never had a thought of how they could help me, I just prayed for a family that we could influence or help. But it has been an unexpected blessing on both sides of our house. One does my yard work and the other brings us ice-cream.

Sibling Generosity-Who Knew?

We had walked to a local bakery the other day in hopes to diffuse the events of the morning (baby chick died) when Ramona exclaimed that she wanted the large butterhorn donut. It was $1.25 which I found to be too much for one donut, so I told her she would have to pick another donut because I wasn't going to buy her a donut that cost that much. She threw a small fit and I told her if she didn't pick another donut we were going to leave and she wouldn't get one at all. I know, sounds harsh, but I have to set limits!

At that moment her 8 year old brother stepped in and asked me if he gave me a dollar could she get the donut. I just looked at him and wasn't sure if I should let him step in and do that for his sister or not (because she was throwing a small tantrum,) but in the end I couldn't deny his generous spirit, so I allowed him to. As we were walking back to the car I told 3-D that he had done a very nice thing. He said, "I just want our family to be happy."

It's moments like this one that make you feel like you are doing something right in raising the kids. Oh, and I only made him give me .25.

Pudgy Hands and Chicks Don't Mix!

Pudgy two year old hands and baby chicks don't mix!!! The LOCKED bathroom door was left open and I am sure you can only imagine what happened next!!!:(

Ramona came running to me early this morning yelling, CP "killed Butterscotch!" Of course I was in disbelief and doubted her story, but upon examining the poor baby, there was no question. I can only imagine that CP was loving it sooo much that he squeezed it too hard and the poor chicks neck got broken. The kids told me that CP brought the chick out to them in his open palm to show them.

Needless to say everyone was upset. Master C was mad, I think blaming himself. Ramona wasn't sad the chick was dead only sad for 3-D and 3-D was very distraught. They were very Stern with CP before I came out to see about the whole situation. He was sad and crying too when I saw him.

I explained that it was not his fault because he had no idea what he had done. He was just playing with the chick like they were and didn't know how to be gentle. And then proceeded by saying that that was the reason we had them in a locked room. So it was a little bit of all of our faults. Ramona got CP out of bed and did not watch him, the other boys or whoever didn't lock the door and I was not out of my room to supervise everyone. They all made amends, but were still very sad.

After some more comforting and forgiving I asked them if they wanted to walk to a local city landmark elevator and walk from there to a local bakery and get a donut. They all agreed that it would cheer them up and then we would go back to the farm store and get another chick for 3-D.

After getting the donuts and getting back to our car I commented to Master C about how different CP was acting. He was not himself at all. He was quiet, not smiling, and not chattering. Very unusual behavior for him. Master C agreed that it was strange and I said that I think he could sense that something was wrong with the chick when he brought it to them this morning. He was clearly distraught over the situation. I was so sad for the little guy! He clearly had no idea about what happened and yet he knew in his heart that the chick was not ok.

As soon as we got a new chick (looks just the same as the old one-a Rhode Island Red) CP seemed to perk right up. He probably thought it was the same chick. Everything restored. When we got home the kids dug a grave and 3-D buried Butterscotch in it and placed a grave marker. We said a prayer and told God that we were sorry for not taking better care of His creation.


The other two chickies seem to not know the difference. They all get along peachy!

Got Milk?

I snapped this picture the other morning. Wonder where he got an idea like that???

Three baby Chicks

Two have names: Freckles and Butterscotch