BARN BURNER!

Stretching out
Rainy and slippery
Mom is staying dry inside the van

Mikayla's soccer team won yesterday, and here are some pictures. Not the best pics I have ever taken, but beggars can't be choosers. If you click on the pictures you can see them a bit bigger. Mikayla is number 7 and plays half-back, if that helps. It was rainy and the girls were all slipping and sliding around the field, but they played so well. It was a great game, or a "Barn Burner" as Terry would say. It was like watching a completely different team than just two weeks ago. AND...Mikayla had two assists and one shot on goal. YOU GO, GIRL!

Have You Ever??!! Just For Fun.

Here's a fun list that I pirated off the blog of a cousin that I don't know but wish I did. I think we would have a great time together. You can cut and paste it and then bold or italics the things that you have done.
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it!!
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the NorthernLights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment(I think this runs in the family)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (never quite brave enough for this one)
27. Taken an ice cold bath(Why would anyone!?)
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking!!
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing(Do rock walls count?)
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland( I wish!)
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - verbal not physical
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did (like inventing the dishwasher!)
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name -best day ever!( Are we talkin' marriage here?)
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating( I guess the hunter's safety course was a waste, aye?)
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours. (Most fun I'd had in a long time)
106. Raked your carpet(HUH?)
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people (I think there may be a few...)
109. Worn a mood ring ?that's an embarassing one to admit!
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156.Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous (Pres. Bush )
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale(again, why would anyone!?)
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog( well, duh!)
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course (of course)
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible( does a jeep count?)
198. Found a long lost friend( Thank God for Facebook!)
199. Helped solve a crime

More Blessings and Other Stuff

Well, here it is October already. The fall colors are very vibrant here in Maine this year. So beautiful!

Alana's cold is all better and she didn't have to be hospitalized with pneumonia. Although she did end up with a touch of it, it was treatable at home. I think I'm getting pretty good at knowing what to do with her and when. It would just be "old hat", so to speak, if it didn't WORRY ME TO DEATH! So far the doc's prediction that she will grow out of this has not come to pass. Maybe this will be the year.


I was able to attend a ladies retreat in Camden recently that was really great. I was able to bring along one lady from my church as well my niece, Jessica. We had a good time and it was nice to see where Jess lives and stay with her in Rockland.

Many things have been happening recently which has had Pastor Terry running out of town and here and there. All that gas has left us a bit short in the budget area, so when we headed out to piano lessons yesterday, I had it in my mind to ask our teacher if it would be alright to pay next week. We pay him monthly, and he has said before that if we pay by the second week it is ok, so I figured it would be fine. Before I could say anything, he told me that we were paid up for the next three months. I asked, "How did that happen?" and he said that he was not at liberty to say. WOW! Isn't our God good!?! He knows what we have need of before we even ask. But...how to thank this mystery friend? I'll have to think on that. Lanie's third lesson was yesterday, and she is doing quite well. She is taking voice as well as piano, and we are hoping that these music lessons will help her learn to focus better and give her a boost in her confidence. She has always been so shy!

Mikayla's soccer team won a game the other day. She was pumped to have finally won. All the girls played very well, and we are hoping for a repeat today. She also has a teen retreat this weekend that she is very excited about. It should be a blast with all the kids from all around the state coming. Nate can't wait until he is twelve so that he can go.
Speaking of Nathanael, he is heading off to the junior high school four times a week for either band or a trumpet lesson. He is progressing very fast. His teacher has put him in jazz band, which is actually an honor's band. Why they call it jazz band escapes me. They don't play any jazz as far as I can see, just a little syncopation. Monday is his lesson, Tuesday and Thursday is sixth grade band, and Wednesday is jazz band. If I wasn't so sure that all of this is good for him, it would get old really quick running him over there every day. He also works on hymns to play for church and has played several times for special music. He and a friend that also plays trumpet are working on a duet to play soon. We are so excited to be teaching these young people to use their God-given talents in His service. And what a blessing it is to everyone in attendance.

Frustrations and Blessings

We started school on the 26th of August the day after Terry's folks left to go back home to Michigan, but it was not the smoothest start that we have ever had, that's for sure. We have enjoyed using BJU Homesat for several years now, and I was excited to have placed our order early this year using our government sent stimulus check. I was confident that I had ordered everything needed for once( I almost always overlook something), plus I had found a great money saving site that had saved us a ton at the final checkout. I started to get the schoolroom cleaned out and reorganized before the Upcotts got here so that it would be ready the day after their departure. As I got all the books out for each kiddo, I realized that I was missing several items. I frantically went digging for the order form and found that several things had been back-ordered. I tried not to panic as I realized that it wasn't just one or two things that I could get along without, but several whole subjects. After talking it over together( finances are so much fun to talk over with your spouse;[ ) we concluded that there was nothing that we could do but pray about it. We had committed to a trip to PEI with his folks, and just didn't have the money to re order from the Press. We determined to have a good time in PEI, which we did. Then we waited for another payday to order these subjects. In the meantime, we went ahead and started school on the date that I had planned to, and started on these subjects as soon as they came in the mail.
Frustrating us further was the fact that Homesat announced to us that they were going to stop broadcasting in May 2009. We were sad about that, and immediately started praying about next year. Since we have already invested in many years worth of books, we felt that this was what we would use all the way through for our kids using the same books and DVD's for the next child in line. To use the other options that BJU Press has would mean paying out three times as much as we have in the past. May hap the Lord has other plans. We will just have to wait and see.
We have also experienced all sorts of frustrating malfunctions of our DVR, and have missed several classes. That means I teach them myself. Not a problem until now. Mikayla is in her first year of High School and her subjects are beyond what I am comfortable teaching. She has done very well doing the reading and activities in her text without the teacher, and I have been able to give help where needed so far, so that's a relief! Terry worked on the DVR, but these problems are ongoing.
We found out,too, that the satellite Homesat was broadcasting from was losing power, and they were having to switch to a different one. This meant that we would have to re point our dish. This has been a very frustrating ordeal in the past, so I braced myself for it. This time, however, Homesat provided us with very detailed coordinates and directions to help us out, and Terry got it done with only a small amount of frustration. We happily planned a day off for Labor day, glad that we would not have to worry about getting the classes recorded. We spent a fun day with one of Terry's long lost friends from High school days. But, alas, something went awry while we were away, and there were more missed classes. Happily, we have friends whose children are the same age and using this same system, and they burned a couple of extra dvd's for us. We had just helped them get their dish re pointed! Whew! Terry called the number for tech support and was able to get it working again.
The icing on the cake....drum roll, please...Alana has what I hoped were just allergies, but is actually a full blown bronchial infection. That puts me in what we call "no pneumonia" mode. Meaning, air purifiers need new filters, stuffed animals must be packed away, the house cleaned very well, and everyone must be very diligent about hand washing/ sanitizing. Lanie has to go to the doctor, have breathing treatments at home, and take a bunch of yucky medicine.
In the midst of it all, God has blessed! The kids have done very well with their schoolwork, soccer season has started and Mikayla is playing her heart out, music lessons and band have started, Chris was here for another two weeks and got some more work done at camp, and we have started Kids4Truth. Youth4Truth starts tomorrow and we are praising God for 15 children and youth who have promised to bring friends. My Dad's health continues to improve, and he is now able to walk down the street a bit and attend church again. Praise the Lord that He helps us through the crooked places in our paths, and even heaps blessings on us right in the midst of it all!