10 Comments?!

Wowzers!!! How fun to get 10 comments all in one day on one post! That's what blogging used to be like back in the good old days. In this instance, "the good old days" is all of about 3 years ago. Ha!

I woke up yesterday feeling GREAT. I've been struggling with some things for a while now and praying and seeking the Lord for deliverance, but it's like I just couldn't seem to break through. I kept expecting some glorious "wow" moment in prayer. You know, when you finally reach that place and you know that God has just set you free and you can feel the victory flooding your soul. I never could really seem to get there, no matter how many good and rich prayer times I had. And I went into Youth Convention hoping and praying that perhaps it would happen there. God really blessed me there and I had some wonderful times of prayer, but never that zinger thing that I was waiting for. But I was able to talk to my brother (ever so briefly!) on the last night and somehow I think God used that to help me. Confession is good for the soul, right? Just to let somebody else know that you're struggling is such a help. And it's like the victory seems to be coming for me through that, and through simple obedience rather than a moment of prayer like I had been expecting. God knows how to answer our prayers, meet our needs, and realign our lives. Crazy how we always expect it to happen a certain way... as if He has only one method of working. He's GOD! He can do it any way He likes! And I'm sooooo thankful. God is so good and so loving and so patient--all of the things I don't deserve. I'm just sooooo grateful for His help in my life.

Anyway, I woke up yesterday feeling a peace and joy that I've been struggling to find for weeks now. It felt sooooo good! I felt free and happy and... kind of like partying! ;-) So the kids and I spent the morning just doing some light work (laundry and minor cleaning), then goofing off. I put the last puzzle away and got out a new 1,000 piece-er. 1,000 piece puzzles are GREAT now that I have a puzzle table to leave them out on where they won't be in the way. They don't seem overwhelming because there's no rush to finish them and put them away so you can have your table back. Still have no intention of doing any of those crazy scenery ones with 400 pieces of blue sky 530 pieces of blue water and 70 of a lighthouse. Sooooo not fun. ANYWAY... we had a nice, relaxing morning.

In the afternoon we sat down to do school. Last week Katie had sat down with her schoolbooks and done a bunch of extra work--and actually finished two of her books. Well, when I started grading them yesterday I got to a certain page where the directions were a little confusing and the assignment itself was no easy task. I had to think real hard to figure it out. But Katie had completed it and everything was correct and she had never even asked for help with it. Wa-a-a-a-a-ay too suspicious. "Katie... did you cheat on this page?" I am truly thankful that she didn't even try to lie about it this time. (She has had a bad habit in the past of lying to cover up something she knows she'll be in trouble for.) "Yes, Mom. I did!!!" And then she burst into tears. ~sigh~ I questioned her further and discovered that she's been cheating for quite some time... possibly weeks now. There is an answer key in the back of the books and I knew that at some point I should probaby remove them, but since I'm there almost all the time when they're doing school I really didn't think it would be a problem. But apparently the kid has been cheating right under my nose and I never suspected a thing! She wasn't cheating on all of her work, but she's got two or three books that we have to go back through and re-do. Although it's not really RE-doing it since she cheated and didn't actually DO it the first time! I was quite disappointed in her, of course, but also so very, very relieved that she came clean and told us the TRUTH and went through each book and showed everything she had cheated on. And she was sooooo devastated over it... but I could tell she was relieved to have it out in the open, too. I really think and hope and pray (!) that it will be a memorable learning experience for her; something that will always stick with her and remind her of how terrible it feels inside to be dishonest like that and to cover things up... and how much better you feel when you make it right. Maybe it'll keep her on track a little better in the future! (By the way, she would die if she knew I blogged this--so don't mention it to her!) ;-)

James went to town yesterday and managed to find some truly fantastic deals on office furniture. He had sold his desk before we left Andrews and needed one NOW so he could continue moving in to his newly completed office out back. He had been shopping for one for several days, but just wasn't finding what he needed or what he was willing to pay. But yesterday he went to just one more store and found two desks, a large one and a small one, and a matching drawer unit that had all been display pieces and they were on sale for nearly 1/4 their regular price. Praise the Lord!!! And they work just right in the office. AND they didn't have to be assembled--that's the BEST! :-) So we got those moved into his office last night and he stayed out until about 11:00 working on moving in out there. This also means that the very last of his office stuff that has been in my house is on its way out very, very soon. Wa-Hoo!!!

We had chicken pot pie for dinner last night (it was quite good this time; worlds better than my last flop) and had time to get two of the smelly kids showered before bed. The third had to wait until tonight.

Today I've been working on cleaning the house up, but it seems like I'm having a hard time accomplishing a whole lot! James had gone back to town for a few things this morning and he was able to find a really great little desk for me! We're desk happy this week. ;-) I was hoping to find a little desk to go under the window in our bedroom. There was enough space and I could really use a desk. Especially since my computer has just been sitting on the floor in there! Ha! Anyway, James found a desk and chair at the flea market super cheap--and it's really cute and rustic and just the perfect size. Wa-Hoo! I'm always amazed at how God provides for us.

The kids had horse lessons today and they both did really good. Katie was all excited about being able to canter for the first time, but that only lasted for about 5 seconds before she was losing her balance and freaking out! Ha! It's probably what everybody does the first time they canter, but she was just expecting to immediately be a pro at it and took it rather hard that it wasn't as easy as she thought. Joe's been dying that the teacher was going to let KATIE canter but not him yet, so he worked super hard today at showing her that he's ready, too! He did some great trotting with no stirrups (just holding on with his legs) and it was like he had been superglued to the saddle--he stayed in perfect form and did fantastic! The teacher and the Mom were both quite impressed. :-) Both of the kids are doing really, really good. And Katie will probably do much better trying to canter next time now that she knows what to expect.

As for me, I should be ironing right now. There's a pile of clothes on the chair next to me. I hate them. I look at them and just hate them. Or should I say, "I highly dislike them." The kids aren't allowed to say they HATE things, so now they all say that they "highly dislike" whatever it is. Either way, I know I'll like the clothes much better once they're nice and crisply ironed, and folded in a drawer or hanging in a closet. ~sigh~ I hate laundry and ironing after Conventions! There's sooooo much more work to be done than usual. Especially when some kid sitting behind you pukes all over your sleeve!!! BLEAGH!!! Ooooooh, it gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it again! I didn't get a whole lot out of whatever happened to be going on in service that night, I assure you! Ha! ANYWAY... I go a-ironing. Or a-puzzling. I can't decide. ;-)