Almost fixed

I have the most amazing husband... I know... I say that a lot.  But it's true!
He has spent literally hours upon HOURS over the past few days working to fix my computer.  He has installed a new hard drive, done tons of stuff to get it ready to upgrade and is installing the upgrade to Windows 7 for me.
We've re-arranged some computer furniture, changed locations on some systems and he set me up with dual monitors and things are hopefully on the way to being more stable computer-wise here for a while.
We still haven't recovered the data off the other drive, but I found one of my most important files on our backup drive, so that is a HUGE blessing and answer to prayer.  God is good... and I am most blessed.

Re-boot. re-set, re... something!

Boy is returning from a marvelous vacation a challenge at times.  Especially when it seems God is nudging both Steve and I along a journey to simplify our lives in preparation for whatever He has planned next.

We returned home to find that my main computer system died... I mean... DIED.  The hard drive is dead for no apparent reason.  It was fine before I left and was turned off all week.  Very strange.
Steve has been valiantly trying to find a solution and even today is still working on some data recovery ideas.  For some unknown reason, our external back-up drive stopped backing up my files earlier this spring. *sigh*  All my files and data for months are now gone unless God grants us a small miracle.  I did manage to do a direct write backup of one major file just before we left - so that is a HUGE blessing.
In looking for how God may have orchestrated this for our good - I discovered that it is very possible that I was plugging along under my own steam relating to our home school and now will have to do a total re-set.  This will mean not plunging back into a lot of schoolwork next week as I'd planned. 
This could be good in a lot of ways really.   Especially as I now have  a new list of things to work on for simplifying and making some potentially significant changes in our home life.  The kids will have a bit more down-time/vacation.  Perhaps the house will become cleaner? :-)
God is pretty clearly telling us some things... I'm not entirely sure exactly what it all is just yet.  The really awesome thing is that Steve seems to be hearing/seeing a lot of the same things that I am hearing/seeing.  That God is moving us both in the same direction is an incredible blessing and makes the journey sweeter... not necessarily any easier, but absolutely sweeter.  My husband is pretty awesome and in the past few weeks I've seen so many more things that make me appreciate all he is and does on a whole new level.
So... I'm off today to find a good buy on a new hard drive and Windows 7 and whatever all else is needed for surgery on my computer.
Blessings on the journey~

I love this site

Ocean Vacation

We've been on vacation!
I love that we have the blessing of being able to take our children on family vacations.  We did that only very rarely when I was a child (once when I was 10 or so and not again until high school). 
I don't feel deprived about it or have any negative feelings around it.  I didn't know anyone who went away on vacations when I was a kid.  Dads worked, sometimes Moms too, we kids went to school, played outside after school and during summer vacations.  Normal kid life. :-)
We have taken some of our children on vacations far away (A went to NV/AZ/UT when he was 5) and all 3 went to FL a few times.  Normally our trips are pretty local - within a few hours drive.  Our most favorite vacation spot so far is Acadia.  We drive the 4-5 hours up to Maine, camp, play around in the ocean, hike and sight see in the National Park, noodle around in the shops and eat ice cream. It's great!

This year we did something different.  We have never done this before.  We rented a cottage right on the point - right on the water.  It's gorgeous and we love it. 
I think camping is going to be really a challenge after this experience. :-)

Time Management

Trying to find time to do all the "good" things in life is very difficult.  There are only so many hours in a day - the same for everyone - so no one has any advantage.  How we choose to spend our time is as varied as the number of people on the planet.
I am a wife, mother, home educator, home-maker and a host of other things.  The reality is that I simply can't do everything I'd like to do on any given day.  God sends His priorities for me and prayerfully I don't miss those for my own schedule or projects.  I'm working (and praying!) to be more aware of what He sets before me as well as my primary responsibilities that really must be ahead of any personal projects.
I am most blessed in that my husband never criticizes or pushes me about what I am doing or how I am spending my time each day.  He will even smile and laugh when I make a point to tell him some random and unseen thing I've accomplished - like cleaning and organizing underneath the bathroom sink or vacuuming the lint filter of the dryer.  No one ever knows when you've spent hours working on some seemingly ridiculous but necessary task, so I tell him... but only sometimes.  I don't think it matters, but maybe it does.
Maybe it shows my kids that the mundane and thankless jobs, the cleaning of things unseen and unappreciated, is important.  Service to others isn't always a showy thing.  Sometimes no one in your day-to-day life sees and comments when you just do what you should do.  That is okay.  None of us should need a pat on the back for being who we are and what we should be.
A pat on the back is nice.  A compliment is nice.  Kudos, gold stars and applause are nice.  However those are not the things that I want to spur my kids to do what they should do, what is right, what is honest, what is expected as part of a life lived for the Kingdom of God.  They are not why I do things each day.
God has given me gifts, talents, desires, responsibility and most importantly... opportunity.  He gives me a chance each day to CHOOSE how I will manage my gift of time to serve Him and others.  Bring glory to Him BY serving others - whether those others are my husband and children, the neighbor, someone at church or a stranger.
What an awesome thing.  I pray that I choose wisely today.

  Blessings on the journey~

Musing about life

I've been thinking a lot lately about life...specifically my life (and by extension my family's life).  I've also been doing a bit more reading than usual, even for me.  I have finished a few books in the last week or so, and am working through two different Bible study books right now.
I've also been spending some time poking around various blogs, some of the 'mommy' variety, a few homeschooling ones, the occasional sewing find, a bunch of 'frugal/money' type, and most importantly, several that are devoted to God's truth being shared for women specifically.
God is really speaking to me in a lot of areas right now and it feels a bit overwhelming and chaotic on the surface, but deep down in my heart I feel peaceful, loved and cared for ...like a small, beloved child being taught important things.
I have often felt that my life is sort of in a series of boxes.  Each related, but distinct and generally separated on some level from the rest.  I know this is not a truth per se, but just a general feeling of how things flow at various times and seasons for me.
I am first and foremost a follower of Christ.  Stumblingly, imperfectly, forgiven and starting again daily I seek to live in God's will for my life and bring Him glory.
This has not always been the case, even though I was saved (born again, redeemed, etc. choose your favorite term) as a child - I think I was about 8 or 10 years old - I have not always lived my faith.  This is not a fact I am proud of by any stretch, but it is a fact nonetheless.  By God's amazing grace and faithfulness, I found my way back about 9 or 10 years ago and have been blessed by a steady growth of my faith and strengthening of all I believe as I study the Bible and draw closer to my Savior.  I have also been blessed beyond measure to see 3 of our children and my husband come to faith in Christ during the last 9 years also.
Secondly I am a beloved wife to an awesome man and a (mostly) devoted mother to my terrific children.  These two roles are my highest calling and dearest ministry on the planet.
I also home educate our youngest two children, so I am a teacher.  I am a student in that I try to read/learn new things regularly.  I am a daughter.  I am a friend.  I am a quilter and seamstress.  I am an aspiring cook/baker.  I am the acting CFO of our family life.  I am generally the caretaker of the furry creatures that love us.  I am a less than stellar house-keeper (though I try to be better all the time).  I am passionately politically conservative and incorrect. I am a believer in absolute truth and see things very often in terms of right and wrong.  I am aspiring to become a better steward and more frugal in our finances and living.  I am a very slow and not very committed runner.
I am many things and yet I am just one.... me.
As random as all this may seem, it is all part of a process I am working through to attempt to un-compartmentalize (is that a word?) my life.  I don't like fragments generally.  I want to seamlessly live a life that is pleasing to God while fulfilling all the work He has set before me.   I don't want to miss His best for me because I am chasing loose ends flapping in the breeze of my life.
Much of my studies and reading lately have focused on truly trusting God...with everything.  I have a sense of being on the brink of something, yet have no idea what it may be.  Sort of like standing at a cross-road or at the edge of a staircase, but I can't see either road or step.  It's weird, exciting, terrifying, and yet I'm not scared.  I'm more anxiously excited to see what God is about to do.

I have learned a few things recently that struck me as profound.

• God has a perfect plan and it will not be thwarted by anything I do or do not do
• He can use me for His purposes if I am willing and obedient.
• His ways are not my ways and how He will accomplish something is probably not going to be the way I expect or would even choose.
• He can use something we see as dreadful to accomplish something wonderful.
• He sees what I will become and that is like Christ.  (How cool is THAT!?!)
• God loves me...completely... totally...unconditionally... now. (That one is really beyond amazing!)
• Jeremiah 29:11 is true even when I have no idea what is happening or will happen next.

 Blessings on the journey ~
  

Range of Emotion

I've been reading this site for a while ~ Holy Experience.  Ann makes me think, reflect, often cry.  God uses her words to strike deep chords that resonate.
Some people have such a gift with words.  There are so many words rushing about cyberspace and not all of them are worth the time to read, but Ann's words are worth the time and then some.