A Time of Celebrating

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated our 23rd anniversary together.  I have to say I have had a swell of emotions. Remembering my parents 20th  Joining the ranks of other committed couples headed for a lifetime together. 

Special events make you look back, take stock, wonder what the future holds. I was doing lots of thinking  that night.  We went on a dinner cruise. (It was on my bucket list).  On board there was a wedding, an eighty ninth birthday, another anniversary couple and us quietly taking it all in with our 9yr old son.  

The food was so so, the music not too loud, the gulf breeze beautiful and the fireworks fun. 
Looking into the eyes of my husband and son priceless.  How do you thank G*d for something beyond all hope, dreams being lived?  It could only have been better if my son Sean was there. 

Marriage is work. We may be unequally yoked, but we have a good marriage because of what the Lord has done in it, through each of us.  We each have different strengths and talents and I think for the most part we compliment on another. 

We have each others back, through it all, till the end of our days.  ...If  G*d is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Thanks Mom & Dad I know it was hard and not perfect, but I am proud my parents were married till death.
Thank you Lord for the gift of my husband Eddie.  My love & respect for this man is deep & wide.

I pray you all appreciate your spouses through the good bad & ugly times in life.  I pray you seek the Lord in your marriage and keep the bond & vow with the Lord that you may bless your spouse.
I pray for kindness and tender hearts for you all, In Yeshua /Jesus .

A New Year in Schooling

Fourth grade. What an exciting time in life! Young enough to enjoy and old enough to try more things.  Delayed learning can be hard when you are waiting for you little one to catch on, but oh the joy to see those sparks!

This year, as always when I ask Joe what does he want to learn about, he rattled of WW1, WWll, weapons of this age, civil war, revolution war, and stars.  This is not surprising as my boys are gun lovin, bad guy, alien, and zombie killing kind of boys and their father is always watching Morgan Freeman's Though the Worm Hole or other such space shows.

So we started our adventure. We have already taken a field trip to the FL Holocaust Muse am, which I could not take pictures. However, after that sad place we went to a tea house which we had lots of laughs with our friends trying on different hats.

We also started our co-op classes and we are doing a mini unit on animals which what young-ling doesn't love? Our friend has been kind enough to host it at her house where there are chickens, goats, horses, cats and dogs. A dream for my son.

We visited Winter the Dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Center. The whole family came for that.

There's Winter! What a hot day, but it was good to have Grandma, Eddie & Sean with us.  Time is fleeting. I missed my dad that day as he loved to do things like this with us.

No back to school kick off would be complete without a trip to MOSI, our local science and industry museum.

Joseph also started piano this year. All I can say it's about time the piano Ed got from Miss Cheryl is finally being used the right way.

Lastly to this post all is not just fun and games, there are chores. If a man doesn't work he doesn't eat the bible says. Joe has taken on a few more this year and is becoming a helpful lil guy.  I need all the help I can get!

You may be thinking but come on where is the real school?  This is life, it is learning as we go.  It may not be what you think it should be or how you think it should get done, but every child is different and brings different challenges. Joe is no exception.  He is full of questions and full of laughter.
Here he is doing his math program, Teaching Textbooks. Mom loves this.  He is for the first time motivated to take charge of his day. He reads his daily bible first, then gets right to his math.

Next journey this year is for Sean.  He is officially a 2L.  That's a second year law student. It was heaven for me to have him home this summer, but as always way too short for the Mama.
This is the morning he left before the tears came rolling.  I am praying my daughter in love who ever she is can deal with me loving him so much and doesn't take him out of state! Not my will though Lord, whatever you choose.

It is really hard to take a good picture of yourself with a cell phone. Just sayin.

Becoming a Titus 2 Chick

My time has come. My roll is changing. I don't have a need to be sexy, to be skinny, to be the girl looking to keep a guy.  I am the wifeypoo who has been in love with the same guy going on 25yrs. 

All marriages go through ups and downs, mine has been no different. Except Jesus came and resides in my heart, my mind, and my marriage.  You may say, how can that be if your dear hubby is not a believer?  He lives in me. If I am living unto Him and not unto man, I am on the right side of life!

Living a selfish life does not make a good relationship saved or not.  I tend to be selfish in my mind, but my husband is not.  We have a good balance. We know our rolls.  In faith I treat him as a godly man.  Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.  

If you are married, and you are having a hard time, I hope to encourage you not to give up. You probably know God hates divorce, so why would you think about doing something the Heavenly Father grieves?  

I know  I don't know your story, but there is NOTHING new under the sun, and there is NOTHING to hard for God to change, even an unwilling heart can be softened.  Look up to the hills where your help comes from. He will meet you right where you are. Let Him comfort you through your trial.

 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things--  that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,  to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.Titus 2:3-5

I love them madly. I am so thankful for the gift God had given me in being the wifeypoo and mom.

A New Adventure Going into 4th Grade

We are trying a new approach this year. Ditching the traditional textbooks, some of you may say finally!

  

Over the summer we "unschooled". If you don't know what that means, it is mostly child led learning.  The concept of delight directed learning leans toward educating to a child's interest, whereas child led learning, the child is doing what they want and learning from life through playing games, exploring, other interests, tv, whatever means they choose. 

As I prayed and watched my son over the summer, I felt like there was not enough biblical training in this method. Even though we read the bible, and have a chore list in place.
I felt in my spirit that even though I want my child to play freely, I cannot let my biblical duties and desires to train up a child to be left into my child's hands. This is my responsibility. Just like I will not turn my child over the the school system, I will not leave him alone.  The bible says in Prov 29:15 But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.   There are many scriptures that speak of training children, so the idea of radical Unschooling is not for me.  
Educating children is the parents choice, the parents responsibility to chose the how, the what, the where.  I would hope you seek the Lord for what is best for your child and your family. God has given each child his own bent, prayerfully ask the Lord what is your child's bent and how to go about what works best in your situation.
With that in mind I was blessed by my local home school groups used sale and got Joe Teaching Textbooks Math. It is on the computer, and he loves it.  We are also doing some notebooking with timelines on the subjects he chose for 4th grade.  I will be at the library lots this year.   

 God bless you as your journey takes twists and turns. Enjoy the moments of unwrapping your children as the gifts they are.

She Makes Linen Garments & Sell Them

I feel like I don't have a marketable talent.  In this season of my life, me & dh have always felt while there are children in the home mom takes care.

I really don't think a woman can be everything to everyone, and also get what she needs, if she is burning out at both ends. G*d made us the weaker vessel.  We have to remember He is our provider. We have to trust He will give us what we need.

Are we wanting to get the "extras" to keep up with Jone's?  Does the Father want us to go through a valley to refine our hearts, to learn how to trust Him and NOT self? 

The P31 woman was NOT the provider, she was a helpmeet, she was smart, she did have slaves.  My tools help, but I still have to push the vac, dust, do the windows, etc.

They learned the skills of weaving and sewing because they needed clothes, she was talented enough and smart enough to sell also, while her home was cared for by slaves. 

If she was not a woman of means, with slaves, she would just be working at home to get the job done, she would never be hired. 

Her husband was known in the gates, I am sure his signet was upon her merchandise.

I don't think we can just say my husband is okay with working, if the Lord has convicted us in His word. If your husband said I hate the neighbor kill him for me, would we? No!

The Word says seek first the kingdom, we are the weaker vessel , we are to be chaste home keepers,  mans curse is to toil.  He made us different to complement each other, for two different roles.

Financial trials like all trials is to test us, for the perfecting of our faith.  To really submit to His will when everyone else says something different is where we have our victories in the spirit.

Where are we going to stand? 

I do believe we have different seasons in our lives where we are open to the Lord's teachings.

He will deal with each of us how He chooses in His time.  Once He gets a hold of your heart, you will be putty!

 

 

 

New Giveaway from Write Shop & Homeschool Giveaways & Freebies

It is so easy to enter. Do it here.

We home school moms know how expensive it is doing it all. So here is your chance to to lighten the load.  I always say if you win and it is not for you, bless someone else with it.  You don't have to move or send away anything. Email, Tweet, Like, Blog.  How easy is that? 
Thanks to all the sponsors. Today I am thanking  Write Shop .

Being the Crown of My Husband

Like no wife is perfect, no husband is either.
Marriage is hard if you have stuck around any length of time you know this. There are deep valleys along the way.

I try not to complain about my husband, especially to people I hardly know. Have you ever met someone who does nothing but air there dirty laundry?  I was shocked to hear this from a "churched" lady. I took note, never to do that.  I went through stages of thinking, now I just accept her and love her and pray for her. We all have issues.

When we lived in a big house on the water, everyone's free vaca spot. I tried to be a generous host, but there was one guy I was less then thrilled with. He came often. He got on every last nerve.

As I was walking through to my bedroom, I heard G*d tell me to "honor Eddie & his friend."  I said out loud no. Foolish woman! He said it two more times before I believed it was G*d.

I had to repent for telling Him no, then I made up the bed nice and served him like a king. MY heart was forever changed.

We can be crowns to our husbands if we lift them up when we are out with people. That goes along way for a mans ego, just see how his heart towards you turns. I lift my hubby up as much as I can to others, but I also tell myself always. It keeps me appreciative of the man he is, not to take for granted that I am a stay home wife n mom. Lots of people think women should work outside the home and put us down like dirt. That has never bothered me because I have learned this is the will of G*d, to be a chaste homekeeper to love my husband and children, even homeschooling and now I answer the phone for our family biz at home. I don't get paid. Some women think that too, if you work for your fam biz you should get paid. I am not one of them. I do this to be a helpmet to dh.

In The Excellent Wife she says to ask our husbands what we could do to help. Yes it will add to our load but He who is faithful will help.

Husbands have lots of needs, I really want to be there for mine so he doesn't want to find someone else who will.

I ask him lots of annoying questions. I am not a mind reader and yes after almost 25 yrs, I still want to know what he wants, what he hopes for, what he needs. Growing older is painful for us, our bodies have been banged up. I untie his boots and take them off for him when he is hurting. Some might think I am a doormat or crazy, I say, yes, I am crazy about a man that works that hard for his family!

 So I say thank you Lord, Eddie is known in the gates, he is a man of integrity & honor! You are his shield and tower of strength. I bless your Holy name, Eddie is a blessing to others. Thank you Lord with long life You will satisfy Eddie and show him Your salvation.

 I believe in Prophetic praise, I believe the word of the Lord is active and living.  I believe His word will not return void, but it will accomplish what He sent it to do. 

I want to be the crown of my husband, I want to be like Ester who believed well.

 This is my once dried up lake after TS Debby, this is pretty. Please consider prayerfully giving to my Pastor's daughter who is widowed with 4 children whose home was badly flooded.  He home was the only one on the block that was damaged.  We know this is a test and God will be glorified in the testimony.   Jenny is a dear sister in the Lord and a good friend who lives the gospel in her own giving unconditionally. Jenny home birthed all her children with her husband and I bore witness. Jenny also home schools, she is a stay home mom who works diligently buying and selling dresses to help provide for her family. Jenny knows G*d is her provider, she is resting in that right now has she faces this next trial. 

This was earlier in the TS when they had to leave, it got worse. FEMA cannot help yet as the Prez has to declare it a state of emergency, even though our Gov has, we still have to wait.  You can help by donating here.  

 

Reflecting on the P31 Woman -GMG Wk7

Reflecting on this woman, to me is daunting as I see the areas of my own lack. Becoming like her is not my goal. My goal in this study to see how her heart is right. I am never going to be a "Martha" type which the P31 woman looks like to me.
I am gleaning a heart of wisdom, to become more like Jesus, to invest my time correcting my heart and develop into His likeness, by incorporating some these things I am learning into my life for His glory as I do it to Him, and bless my family & others.

Me and the boys are going down for lunch with my mother, so I am praying I keep my big mouth in check and be kind and understanding...still working on my meek & quiet spirit : )

Oh Me Oh My, Woes to Me? Week 6 P31 GMG

Is this the cry of your heart as a help meet, home keeper, and mom?  I pray not.  

Are you busy helping everyone else and forgetting first things first?

I encourage you today, even the most mundane chores that you do over and over is a blessing to YOUR family, but not only to them but to the Lord.  When you have done this to the least of these, you have done it to Me. Matt 25:37-40. You may not think of your family as the least of these, but your children can't take care of things, they are in boot camp. You can't love your neighbor and forget the people you live with.

The acts of a loving wifeypoo and mother are those things that go unseen daily.  In my house I say,  "there are no lil green elves that clean up after you."  When I got angry, I used to scream out loud, then in my head I AM the lil green elf!"  Now I laugh about it mostly as I think this is a time to teach, train and love.


Last week was Joseph's 9th birthday and he didn't really want lots of stuff, in fact he only wanted one game. Yes I let my sons play video games- a whole other conversation.  I ordered the game and it didn't come on his birthday and bless his heart and to my surprise he was okay with it.  It was an older game so it was cheap, so I asked dh if we could get him another gift and go to the big red store after Chinese, for some reason Joe likes that one, red is his favorite color. 


So off we went, while we were there we were picking up some groceries and we came across ice cream cake that looked like the one we were going to get at DQ. Joe saw it and didn't care that it was not the one he wanted, just like the other man in my house. 


Home to finish the celebration. The best part of all of this to me is watching Sean, 22 play with Joe, 9,  It was a good evening.  


I am a thankful person by nature, but after reading Ann Voskamp's book, A Thousand Gifts, I feel gratitude deeper, I see so much more to be thankful for. I don't take moments of joy for granted. I don't take being the Wifeypoo lightly.

 Thank you Father for this gift. I pray as I serve them you are glorified.

 


 

What being unequally yoked looks like (a little) in my world

It is a sad lonely place for a wife who loves the Lord.  First she is always thinking of his salvation, an extremely heavy anvil on the heart.  I cry for him desperately to soften his heart to the one whose heart broke for us till his death; Jesus. 

The lonely part is not being able to share all the amazing things G*d does with this person you want to share everything with.  There is no excitement or joy when sharing a praise report. There is no empathy when I am concerned for a sister in the Lord. I certainly can't share those burdens. 

Our marriage is good. G*d has blessed it in so many ways. I try to live as 

1Peter3:1-6 states:

 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,  when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.  Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--  rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.  For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands,  as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.   Remember I said try. I am still working on that quiet part. This past couple of years I have been improving (though I know he doesn't think so).    Sometimes when I get angry and want to unleash the beast of my mouth, I call him Lord under my breath, to put myself in check, and pray for my heart to be right.  I have to die to my flesh. Have you tried that lately?  What does it take to die to yourself?  It means to put on love when you are being unloved, it means going the extra mile when you are already exhausted.

The gospel message is not just about how much this Savior loved us. It it about how we are to pick up our own crosses, how we are going to go through the trials of life, count it joy when it hurts, bless those who hurt us.
I am the kind who strikes back, this is what I am working to overcome.  I have had small victories, but someday I will be complete.  
When you are unequally yoked even in a good marriage it sometimes feels like you are sleeping with the enemy.  Simple disagreements can be devastating.
Now that I have traveled this road almost 25yrs, being with a man I am deeply & passionately in love with, who I respect & admire more than any man, I would still say to you young girls, please wait for a godly man who shares your faith.  When He tells us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers it is for your sake, He is not trying to be mean, he is trying to protect you. 

If you keep yourself from places and wrong people that will go a long way. 1 Cor 15:33 Do not be deceived:"Evil company corrupts good habits."
I wasn't saved before I married, I didn't know all of this. If you are a saved young lady and you knowingly get involved with an unsaved young man, there is still time to get out.  Seek an older trusted woman in the Lord and pray.    I am not saying your guy is bad, I am saying the Father says do not be yoked with him.   My children have to pray for their dads salvation. How sad is that? They know where he is going if he doesn't choose Jesus. A horrible burden to our hearts. 

     

Working on the Proverbs 31 Woman~Who is she, How did she get that way?

I dissect my whole life when I am deep in a bible study. This is not my first time going line by line trying to find out who is this woman, how can I grow into this role?  

I suppose when you have a paragon (a model of excellence), you can pick up some things.  My mother, is a good woman, but did not discover the bible while I was in the training years. She worked outside the home when we went to grammar school "trying" to help make ends meat.  When I look back, I see the beginning of feminism taking root.  My dad was an alcoholic, so she picked up his curse, and training daughters to be honoring of husbands was not a thought.

When I got married, I was furthest away from this woman of virtue I see today as the woman I want to be. I want to be her for G*d, for my husband, for my children, for my friends, and for people who yet to know the King of Glory, who makes all things new.

What does this mean to me in real life this go around?  Well for starters, my goal this week is to deal with what I struggle with.  I know you're itching to know. My on going problem has been rivaling him, in what he says.  I have searched my heart for a long time on this and I do know myself.  When you come at me with what my pink eyes see as hurtful, I strike back, I argue, I cry.

I do have moments of victory when I keep quiet and just take it, but my flesh & mind over react lots, it is an on going trial. I am grateful that Yeshua is gently moving me to a place of peace where I don't feel the need to fight back,
because He sees me whole, even in my weakness.

Let's face it, marriage is not easy.  I cherish my husband, he is worth all I give and more!

 

I have not abandoned the bloggy world

I have been in several bible studies with Good Morning Girls over the past few seasons, digging deeper into how I apply the Word in my life.
I have been battling a hormonal emotional upheaval with no end in sight. (Need all the Word I can plug in) 
We are finishing up third grade with my "special gift" thanks to UHSE 11 Special Needs Expo. Super filled with godly wisdom.  We also added a new addition to our home school clan, my nephew. He is almost 16 and what a smile on him! He melts my heart!

My mom continues to be a shopaholic, but as of today she is really sick with an infection that is impairing her mind. Please pray for her as the Lord leads.  We are trying to get her to live with us, but she wants to stay in her own home, which I can understand. I am just too far to take care of her like that on a daily basis- and gases prices beyond reasonable.

My number one son is finishing up his first year of law school (proud mom moment)  He came home for Christmas and Spring Break which was utterly too short and fast for me!  I can't wait for summer break!

We are finally doing some work on our yard after nine years. DH has a friend, yay!  We still have a list that I am sure may never get done, but trying to be like Paul, and be content...

Things are going well for our family biz "Paragon Plumbing", DH is working hard while he is in sever pain.  He is also trying to eat a more "vegan type" diet to control cholesterol.

I on the other had have discovered I am an emotional eater, grief lead me back to weight I had lost for my sisters wedding, so the new goal is for me to get back for my 25th yr with my dh. That is Nov. so hopefully restraint kicks in. Mean o pause is the devil's friend! Pizza is mine : )

I hope you all have a wonderful Passover/ Easter- May this be the year of your coming Messiah/ Yeshua has risen! Praise His Holy Name! Shalom.