Beach Jewels

It has been 4 years since we had a family vacation..... with Daddy.

We discovered treasures around every corner. 

 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 12:34

God’s jewelry... accessories that adorn precious grains of sand in numbers only He can count....

A big beautiful orb bedazzling a new crimson sky and glamorizing the earth...

God's creatures....

Porpoises gracefully embellish the ocean and flirt with the pier.

Crabs decorating the tidal pools...

And the birds.  Oh how delightful they are!

Funny, little things, They like to watch the sunrise too and share lunch....

Made in His image, we love to adorn the earth too...

with help from Memaw...

Sand Sculptures only captured in photographs and our memories as the tide races in and waves carry them off and erase the beach as if they never were.  They are made even more special in their brevity.

As we load it all back up and haul it all home, tired and weary,
in a good way,
I think about my jewels.
A Mama's jewels,  entrusted by Him. 

He must really adore me to trust me so.

“Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.” (NIV).

Thank you, William and Marilyn for blessing our family!

"The best day of my whole entire life."

Beach trips can do that.  Each day seems better than the last.  The gift of time is priceless. 

Grateful journal entries #1117-#1137

Feathers in their hair..

Hermit crabs to watch...

Rolling around in an old fashioned skating rink...

to familiar songs on 45's...

And the sweet old couple that was around when Hurricane Hazel came to town in 1954.

Long walks towards sunrises...

Sneak peeks at sunsets...

And an audience to watch with...

Time to...

for a new high schooler, a new jr. high schooler, and a new kindergartner...

Relaxing in a spa on the beach....

Splashing about....

Cracking up...

Bringing 'being silly' to an art form.

As we waited for Hurricane Irene,

the waves crashed bigger

and the wind's breath louder, stealing words.

Boards went up...

And messages in bottles sent...

But the one thing that made it "the best day of my whole entire life",
according to my 5 year old,
was riding the waves...

Photo by Tracy W.

Little surfer, little one, made my heart come all undone. Do you love me, do you surfer girl?  

The Beach Boys

Getting organized~ Give-a-way ~

"But all things should be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14:40 (ESV)

Isn't this a great book cover?!?!?!

GIVEAWAY: One blessed reader of AKA Homeschool mom will win a copy of Glynnis Whitwer's book,  I Used to Be So Organized: Help for Reclaiming Order and Peace
 
 In battling clutter, I am determined.  But I have not arrived.  Glynnis's book gives much insight in how to do this practically.  It is presented in a way that makes it an easy read.  Get your highlighter ready!

This is what her website says about the book,

"Glynnis' newest book, I Used to Be So Organized addresses the frustrations many women feel when they can't handle their lives.  They know, deep in their hearts, they should be able to manage things.  After all, they used to be organized...ten or twenty years ago.  By now, life seems to hand them on distraction and challenge after another.  Combining spiritual encouragement and practical application I Used to Be So Organized presents a balanced approach to finding order and peace for today's overwhelmed woman.  This book contains 23 chapters, each short enough for a busy woman to read during a lunch break.  Every aspect of life come together in this one easy-to-read guide."

As a homeschooler, I find this frustration even more acute.  School is everywhere, projects are everywhere, and our life is everywhere.  This book presents excellent tips and strategies to streamlining your life while taking care of your family.

Here are some of my tips for staying organized...

• Have a painting party with your friends.  Serve pizza and provide supplies.  Ask your friends to help.  This is a great way to fellowship and get to know your girlfriends.  It really does make painting fun.  Painting really isn't difficult and it makes everything look clean.  Talk to someone at Home Depot or email me!  I find it therapeutic!  I have found top quality paint at Wal-Mart that is inexpensive compared with the bigger chains and they can match it to any color you want. 
• Move 'school' to another space as you work on different rooms.  Ask kids to help. 
• One of the best pieces of advice I got from a realtor when selling our home was to get everything off my kitchen counters.  Toaster, blender, etc... goes in cabinets.  We didn't use them every day anyway.  It looked so good, I now keep all appliances in cabinets. 
• Get rid of knick knacks you do not love to dust.
• Have a yard sale.  Get kids involved.  Let them keep the $ from the stuff they sell.  Have them take everything off the shelves, toy boxes etc... before organizing them back.  Holding an object in your hand before deciding if you really want to put it back on a shelf is more helpful then just rummaging by hand through your belongings to see if you really want them.  You can't really 'see' it that way.  Take ALL your clothing off your rack before putting it back on the rack.  Set aside a pile to try on.  Keep nothing out of guilt and trust God to provide in the future what you will need. 
• Have kids do this in their closets and discuss why they didn't put certain items back on their rack.  I have learned a lot about what my kids like doing this and saved money in buying their clothes.  One child didn't like red and it didn't matter how much I bought of it, she wouldn't wear it.  Another was sensitive to certain fabrics, etc...
• Organize closets first.  Group sheet sets and towel sets together.  Look at the rest and decide if you really need/want it.  Organize junk drawers when you talk on the phone.  I have cleaned out all kinds of things when talking to a girl friend.
• Rearrange furniture so there is more floor space.

What is your best organization tip for your time or your stuff? 

Here’s how you can enter to win!
To Enter {Up to 4 Entries}:

{1} Leave a comment.
{2} Follow my blog and leave a comment telling me you did.
{3} Share a link to this post on Facebook, then come back and leave a comment.
{4} Sign Up for FREE email updates.  I will never share your email. Leave a comment and let me know you are a subscriber.

*Leave a separate comment for each entry.  Also, be sure to leave a way for me to get a hold of you, either linking to your blog or with an email. I will randomly choose the winner on September 5th. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Girlfriends

August 5th marked our 4th annual Adventure Group Mom's Weekend at the Beach.   I escaped with 4 amazing women {names have been changed to protect the guilty innocent} ☺.....

Pep, who is so full of energy, she pulsates; the Princess, who is reinventing herself and her life; Pollyanna, who believes the best of everything and everyone; a Practical Planner, who is the queen of details; and me.

Rain drops drizzled on the windshield as we pulled in and noticed the welcome sign.
Sigh.   {Good sigh.} Pollyanna thinks of everything!

Although we hoped for good weather, no one really minded.  We had made it; arranged child care, transportation, and actually left our homes (a feat in and of itself).  Left for a time to relax, refresh, rejuvenate, and unwind.  No one to clean up or cook for except each other.  It is like being purposely unplugged.

Coming here stops the electricity of our lives; phones  (well, all but one of us :), computers, laundry, etc.. for a spell.  It is like a hiccup once a year.  Catching a breath in the craziness of who we are, homeschooling, and life.   The timing made perfect as school is about to start.

The rain allowed time for thrift store shopping.  You really get to know about your girlfriends when you do that.  The thrill of the hunt made for an entertaining morning.  It deepens relationships the more we spend time together without interruptions from kids.  We laughed ourselves to tears.
Over the years, we have prayed for and encouraged each other.    I value these women.  We sharpen each other.

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

And then the sun came out...
I can't remember the last time I read a novel cover to cover, uninterrupted.  Lounging on the beach and listening to the surf was calming.......  Harmonizing my breath to its coming in and going out. 

Inhale.  Exhale.

Not having to watch ever so closely to little ones near the waters edge was freeing.   I could just close my eyes....

We played in the waves and heard the whitecaps and foam utter, "SSSSShhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh".  It's like the sea was in on it too, this rhythm of slowing down.

We walked and talked, the pier the prize.

And then, just as quickly as it came, the weekend was over.

Saying goodbye to the sand, surf, and sisters was hard!  We were tired (a good tired) and made the 4 hour trek back to our families, responsibilities, and things to do lists.

Absence made my heart grow fonder.
I departed for home with renewed strength, a fresh perspective and an improved attitude of, "Bring it on!"

WE

NEECIE (and Jeannine)!  

Thank you!

"You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."
Charlotte, "Charlotte's Web"  - E. B. White

✝

Ecclesiastes 4:9–12
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble....... Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

To infinity and beyond....

Okay, well maybe not infinity.....  but 237 days ago, 1000 might as well 

have been infinity.  It was daunting, attempting to write down 1000 

of God's gifts.  But like rolling away a film on my eyes, I discovered His 

gifts are freely given all the time.  It has changed my entire perception 

of how to pay attention. 

In teaching a class about discontent for our Keepers 

at Home group,  Ann's book generated the foundation for the instruction 

in contentedness.  

Daring tweens and teens to begin their own gratitude journals and 

instructing them in how to acknowledge the small and seemingly 

insignificant is catching on.  It is like paying forward the blessings.

God gives good gifts.  

Noticing changes everything.  Moments are affected.

It all begins with Simple Praises.

Thank you Ann for inspiring me to open my eyes, unclench my

hands, and wake up my heart.

I am blessed.

#1000-#1009

Ann Voskamp's book 

A double rainbow

Butterflies

Blossoms

Basil (can you smell it?)

Ruth, The Most Beautiful Woman I Know

Her story 

Rolling in clothes all warm and fresh out of the dryer

Meeting Ann and thanking her in person.  (What a great way 

to start the next 1000)

Now, on to infinity! 

"In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive 

than we give, and life cannot be rich without such gratitude. " 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Rising Above

The name Ruth comes from the Hebrew origin and means: Companion; friend; vision of beauty.   I must have intuitively known this when I wrote  The Most Beautiful Woman I Know,  a year ago, last summer.  She is a vision of beauty.  Not by the world's standards, but His.  More than ten disfiguring surgeries have carved out a diamond in the rough as Michelangelo carved masterpieces out of stone.
 
This cruel, unrelenting cancer keeps coming back.  This time it is untreatable.  Her sister, Susan, wrote on Caringbridge, "It’s very sobering to stop fighting the tumors and just treat the pain.  Many have prayed for a miracle of healing.  While that would be a welcomed circumstance, Ruth continues to ask, 'Which is the greater miracle? ...temporary physical healing or God's gift of peace that surpasses understanding, working in and through us by changing hearts, and ultimately bringing glory to Himself?'”

Sunday morning Ruth and Susan sang, My Lips Will Praise You. (pause music at top right)

Chorus
My lips will praise You
For You are holy
My voice will ever rise
Before Your throne
My heart will love You
For You are lovely
And You have called me
To become Your own

I held my breath as she poured out her praises.  My eyes burned and I thought my heart would burst.  My children watched and heard her lips praising God, all while knowing (but not really) what she has endured these last 12 years and what has been taken from her.   We see the evidence of God's love and witness his sovereignty.  And what a beautiful example of adoration. 

 "I will sing praise to my God as long as I live."  Psalm 146.2

Authentic courage.  Inspired awe. This is how she has lived.   How I long to be more like my dear friend.

She has taught me how to find joy in the rain, praise in the pain, and faith to move mountains.  I see her Rise Above her circumstances and find solace in her story.

I cannot truly imagine the dark places she has moved through..... is moving through.  Yet she offers thanks because God still chooses to use her.  She is a living example of shining a light in dark places.  It is humbling to see this kind of beauty in a day when vanity and what the world deems beautiful is so often glorified.  And her response is to glorify Him.  Despite everything.

How fitting one of the closings hymns this Sunday was,

Blessed Assurance   (pause music at top right)

Refrain:
 This is my story, this is my song, 
 praising my Savior all the day long; 
 this is my story, this is my song, 
 praising my Savior all the day long. 

And this is  her story.   

The brochure , of her testimony, reveals a Phoenix rising from the ashes.  

Rising above.

"We must learn to regard people less in light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

 

Ruth is currently embracing life and pursuing speaking opportunities to make Him known with the time she has left.   If you would like to know more about this amazing woman and Bright Hope Ministries, in donating, or to hear her words pierce your heart...you can contact her here.

She is available for speaking engagements for women's groups, retreats, conferences, schools (assemblies/classrooms), churches, youth groups, luncheons, homeschool groups, etc...

Twelve years of extensive medical bills have, as you can well imagine, become a burden to Ruth and her family, hindering her ability to do all she desires.  Donations are greatly appreciated.  If you are interested in donating to her ministry, click here at Bright Hope Ministries (address is at bottom) or make checks out to Bright Hope Ministries, mailed to the address below.

If you are interested in blessing the Moran family with a personal gift to help with medical expenses, please make check out to Ruth Moran and mail to:
Ruth Moran
230 Sunset Lake Road
Stanfield, NC 28163
May God bless you as you prayerfully consider.

My heart is heavy as I write this. 

Please pray for my dear friend, her husband, her two boys, 

and her family. 

Brown's Floor Covering on You Tube!

Our First You Tube video! 
(Pause music at top right)




Brown's Floor Covering
http://www.brownsfloorcoverings.com
704-596-0900

Brown’s Floor Covering is our locally owned family business that has been serving Charlotte, NC  and the surrounding areas since 1975.   We can meet your flooring needs of carpet, hardwood, laminate, and tile for residential, commercial, and faith based institutions.

We understand what it means to value honesty, reliability, and integrity in a business.  As a result, we have a high percentage of repeat customers and referrals.  As a 25 year veteran in the floor covering industry, starting out as an installer, Richard Brown knows this business from the inside out. 

Our mission statement is :  “Quality products from knowledgeable people at reasonable prices.”

Most all of our advertising comes from word of mouth and referrals.  We thank you for your business and for your recommendations.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,..."  Ecclesiastes 9:10