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Life get chaotic sometimes, even agonizingly horrific as loved ones betray, and friends fade away. 
Since I've last blogged:

• divorce  (not my idea)  traumatic for my 3 kids
• full time job 
• dating
• new job
• move to a new city
• ex-spouse moves cross country, leaving kids again
• remarriage
• left church of 35+ years attendance 
• pregnancy
• had to leave job
• summer visitation, aka no kids for several weeks
• finding new places to worship
• new baby

Life has been way too crazy, difficult and painful to blog about. And all the lovely exciting wonderful hopeful things have been happening are keeping me too present in the moment to stop and reflect much.   

Today is our 1st anniversary, and I am so very very thankful for my husband Mark. He is a loving, kind, God follower, and we are battling the enemy together, as well as reveling in the everyday gifts that our good Father sends to us.  

Evie is a sweet addition to our family as well.  It is such fun to have a baby again!   Things are really different since the last baby around here.   :) 

Spring Cleaning, Part 1 School space clutter

I've been bitten by the spring cleaning bug!   Actually, for me it's more of a spring ORGANIZING bug.  I rearranged my living/school area.


Before :

I had problems to solve: No home for the backpacks, school items in separate areas of the house, no boxes for Mark, office supplies spread out, bulletin board too hard to see or get to, and no space to get around the table easily.

I had also decided that I need to SEE where things are easily, so I placed the other 2 bookshelves within view of the workspace.  I also reorganized the small kidlet supplies and activities into boxes. 

After:

See the pink backpack box?   LOVE this.  Our home is old, and has no coatcloset, and the coat hooks in the narrow entryway are FULL.  We co-op once a week, and love to dash out the door with books sometimes, so backpacks are a necessity for us.

Sterilite boxes are great!  I like to organize my activities with lots of bits in those.  I had done Activities in a Bag, and I really like to concept, but was getting irritated by the ziplock bags in plain sight.  So, I tried shoebox size boxes from Walmart.   That worked really well for the few sets I tried, so I went back to get more.   It turns out that you need to BUY MORE than you need right now,  since if you like the boxes, finding the same boxes later is almost impossible, they change the lines far too frequently. 


I also was able to finish getting my workboxes up.   It's too expensive to buy these all at once, so I've been doing it slowly, over several months.   The drawers hold 12x12 x3 items, so almost all their schoolwork goes right in. On days that I know will be rough, like Mondays, I like to prefill the boxes and just let the kids go for it, so I don't have so many questions or arguments to deal with.
I have my printer, laminator, and their accessories here as well.  

While doing all this I discovered that great way to keep a board from falling down behind the shelves is to put something behind it, like a chunk of marble.. or a brick.  Yes, it took me years to realize this... :-P

Baking Mat Givaway!

So, Y'all know that I love to bake right?  No, these haven't been actually cooked yet, but I offer them as proof that I do, indeed love to bake.  :-)  When they  emerged from the oven, full of numminess, I was too busy eating them to take another picture.

   If you too, are addicted to bread and cookies, you might be interested in Kristen's blog, Sage & Chocolate.  She's giving away a professional silicone baking mat. (aka silpat type thingy)  Hop on over there for a chance to win!

Summertime Amid the Storms

I was going about my daily toil last week, and it hit me all of a sudden,    .......I'm happy...  WHat???

Yes, I was surprised by joy.   The funny thing is, I thought that I was doing fine before last week.   I guess when the storms of life become almost constant, you turn off your expectations for a while.

We have had a lovely month or two.  We have gotten work done, and handled stresses that have happened with love and peaceful responses. (Yes, even the attempted break-in at our home)  I feel a bit more comfortable in our daily routine, and I am finally getting a grip on teaching Shurley English.   The kids are doing a bit better, and Mark is starting to play funny little pranks.  When he climbed on the changing table facing left hand instead of right, he laughs "Look Mom, I'm the wrong way!"  HAHAHAHhahahhaaha!  

Levi is starting to take interest in his history reading, and I caught him reading the Book of Presidents for fun last night.   Miss Charlotte is a delight,  has loved learning to cook ala Anika, and she is burning through her history reading with speed and comprehension.  My wonderful super-hubby has been so patient with our school messes, and has been happy to help pile the half finished school grading off the table for dinnertime. 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."


But look what's in front of that verse!

"This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. "

This is written to a people in captivity, not in their own place, not at home, torn between what they wanted, and what God in his merciful providence had given them. They weren't going back, nope, not for 70 years.  Their kids might go back, but not them. 
 
Sinning spouses, bratty kids, disease, birth defects, robbery, poverty, house fires, friends who turn out to be enemies in disguise, injuries, unidentifiable long term pain, church tearing wolves, a nation in unrepentant sin, death of those we love

EVEN THEN........  "I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not evil."    

 A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple.^[b] Of David.
 ¹ I will exalt you, LORD,
   for you lifted me out of the depths
   and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
² LORD my God, I called to you for help,
   and you healed me.
³ You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
   you spared me from going down to the pit.
 ⁴ Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
   praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
   but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
   but rejoicing comes in the morning.
 ⁶ When I felt secure, I said,
   “I will never be shaken.”
⁷ LORD, when you favored me,
   you made my royal mountain^[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
   I was dismayed.
 ⁸ To you, LORD, I called;
   to the Lord I cried for mercy:
⁹ “What is gained if I am silenced,
   if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
   Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me;
   LORD, be my help.”
 ¹¹ You turned my wailing into dancing;
   you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
¹² that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
   LORD my God, I will praise you forever.