Happy Easter

Good morning. Happy Easter!

Jesus has risen, and because of Him, we have hope for eternal life with our Heavenly Father. That’s so awesome to know when we’re surrounded by the chaos of this world.

The verse I am sharing with you today is one that is dear to me. I’ve definitely written this one on my heart, and I access its promise over and over.

Have you ever been in a situation where you weren’t sure what to ask God for? I’ve been there many times: at the bedside of a sick friend or family member, during a crisis at work, during financial difficulties, during times of extreme fatigue, when I wasn’t sure I could continue on the same path that I was traveling on, when my strength was failing, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, when I didn’t know which road to travel….

The list goes on and on. I would guess that life has brought you many similar situations. Perhaps, you wondered about a promotion, or when that pregnancy test would be positive, or when you wouldn’t miscarry again, or if that adoption would go through, or if your marriage would survive. There are so many difficulties we face in this life. The thing is, we know to expect them.

Jesus told us in John 16:33, “….In this world, you will have trouble….”

It’s taken me a long time to really get that. When these troubles come along, I sometimes find myself not knowing what to do. I pray, but I’m not sure what to ask for. I just know I need help, and I usually need it fast.

Though it’s taken me years to understand, I’ve discovered one of God’s many gifts to us. As the verse above says, “the Spirit himself intercedes for us.” Not only does he go to God for us, but he intercedes “with wordless groans.” That’s an amazing picture in my mind. The Holy Spirit takes our pain, our yearnings, and our needs and translates those emotions of the heart to our Heavenly Father. That image of the Holy Spirit is yet another way that God demonstrates His beautiful love for us.

Next time you find yourself in a bind, and you’re hurting, afraid, or worried, take those emotions to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you to pray for what you need. God always comes through for us in His timing and in His way. We just have to ask. Having the Holy Spirit go to God for us is an incredible gift!

More of Denise’s favorite reads

In my last blog, I shared some of my favorite reads with you. Here are several more. Some of them have Christmas themes, but others don’t. If you want to hear a wholesome story with depth, humor, heartache, and human soul, these are for you. You can find them all at Amazon.com. Here’s the list:

The Bachelor Prince, by Debbie Macomber

Twelve Days of Christmas, by Debbie Macomber

A Bramble House Christmas, by C.J. Carmichael

Moonlight over Manhattan, by Sarah Morgan

Merry and Bright, by Debbie Macomber

The Ladies’ Room, by Carolyn Brown

The Strawberry Hearts Diner, by Carolyn Brown

The Mistletoe Inn, by Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas List, by Richard Paul Evans

Denise’s favorite reads

Good morning. A couple of days ago, I took pictures showing that Spring was on its way:

 

Here are a couple of pictures from our first day of Spring yesterday in Kentucky:

Several school closings are already posted today. If you have lived in Kentucky or the tri-state area for any amount of time, this weather is no surprise to you. Don’t worry, the spring weather truly is just around the corner. 

Since today is a good reading day for those of us inside, I wanted to share with you some books I’ve enjoyed reading. I tend to lean toward a good story line with a sweet love story intermixed. I like romance, but I can do without the smut that enters so many books. Here are a few of Denise’s good reads. You can also purchase these as audiobooks (which is my preferred venue, since I have a two-hour commute to and from work). A few of these stories are centered around Christmas, but if you don’t mind reading off-season, I’m sure you’ll love them. 

https://www.amazon.com/Noel-Diary-Novel-Collection-ebook/dp/B071RBQ9XQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521619484&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Noel+diary

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Noel-Richard-Paul-Evans-ebook/dp/B000JMKVLC/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521619484&sr=1-2&keywords=The+Noel+diary

https://www.amazon.com/Mistletoe-Secret-Novel-Collection-ebook/dp/B01CO34DGM/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521619484&sr=1-4&keywords=The+Noel+diary

https://www.amazon.com/Gift-Novel-Richard-Paul-Evans-ebook/dp/B000SEVWU0/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521620170&sr=1-3&keywords=The+gift+Richard+Paul+Evans

https://www.amazon.com/Guestbook-Madrona-Island-1-ebook/dp/B008VUR7ES/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521620573&sr=1-1&keywords=The+guestbook

Spring forward

Can you believe we're already past the first week of March? Although the temperature this morning is 23 degrees, with a high of only 47 degrees today, I can see hints of Spring's arrival.  So, as the first day of Spring approaches, I can't help but feel hopeful.  As much as I appreciate every season God has given us, I especially look forward to Spring.  After the stale, cold days of winter, I love to step out into the freshness of each Spring morning.  

Spring brings our senses alive: the smell of fresh air, the sight of flowers blooming and green grass, and the sound of birds chirping their sweet songs. All of nature is waking up offering renewal and hope.  

Isaiah 40:31 says, "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

I remind myself that Spring is one of the ways that God renews all of creation.  I'm thankful for the hope we have in Him, and I'm grateful that He shares such beauty with us.  Please take the time to enjoy the beauty of Spring and the fresh start it offers.  God offers us hope in many ways.  Don't forget to "Spring Forward" this Sunday, 3/11/18, by setting your clocks ahead one hour. Have a great weekend!

Homeschool

     My husband and I started homeschooling our second grade daughter a month ago. She had been enrolled in the same private school since kindergarten, and although we loved the school and the teachers, we wanted to spend more time with her.

Teaching new concepts to “the class”

   Mark works a night shift schedule as a Peds ER nurse, and I work several 24-hour shifts a month as an OB Hospitalist. He and I were both finding it difficult to find quality time to spend with our daughter because of our sleep schedules. Most of our parenting was revolving around evenings and homework.
     Aside from the safety issues in schools, and the fact that we wanted to spend quality time with her, we also wanted to be present as parents. Homeschool seemed to be the most logical solution to these issues.
     We have adopted a 4-day school week which extends our school year into the first week of July this year. If we keep this same schedule for third grade, we will do year-round school. That may not sound palatable, but it works out great. Our every day curriculum starts at 8:30am and usually ends by 1:30pm. The same structure is used every day:

0830 Bible (Lesson, prayer, Bible Verse, tests)
0900 Spelling (Writing words, worksheets, tests)
0930 Arithmetic (Lesson, review, doing problems on the board, worksheets, flash cards, games, tests)
1030 Lunch
1100 Letters and Sounds (Phonics lessons, worksheets, tests)
1130 Language (Lesson, worksheets, tests)
1200 Writing (Cursive Lesson, practice worksheets, journal writing)
1230 Snack/break
1245 Reading (Carpet time, reading from reader)
0115 Science/Social Studies/Music/Art/Health & Safety (rotate these weekly)


Some days we are finished earlier. Those days we have the option for a trip to the library, the science center, Barnes & Noble, or any desired field trip. This week we planted a “fairy garden” and learned about plants. We are starting to see the sprouts come up already. We have several science experiments planned, and we are gearing up for some fun art projects.
     I’ll be honest.  When we first started this, I worried. Would she get the proper education without getting behind? Everyone worries about socializing their child when homeschooling. Would she end up not liking it? Would Mark and I be too tired to maintain a school and the required structure?
     Since we pulled her out of traditional school mid-year, I’ve been able to keep in touch with her teacher to know what milestones she should be achieving. We are blessed because our daughter loves to learn. We are using the Abeka curriculum with a few substitutions. The curriculum gives you a daily work schedule that is quite honestly too aggressive. Despite the fact that we’ve slowed things down a bit, we are still ahead of schedule and having a fun time learning.
     As for socializing, our daughter takes swim lessons every week with a friend. We have planned tennis clinics. She spends time with her cousins as often as possible, and we have play dates with friends her age. We don’t have a regular homeschool group at this time, but we don’t seem to be needing one.
     Our daughter has “adopted” several baby dolls that she considers to be her children. Every day at school, she is allowed to bring two dolls to class as fellow students. They even have their own desks. They participate in class by asking questions, solving problems, and getting in trouble (I am their voices and personalities). This approach allows our daughter to take a teaching role every day. She likes to go up to the board and show them how to solve math problems, or how to write a word in cursive, or how to spell a word.
   

    This week after school we even had a spelling bee for her dolls. Our daughter made up the words herself. Homeschooling our daughter has been a little challenging, but it’s been so worth it. We love seeing her learn a new concept and be excited about it. We just love being with her, teaching her, and helping to shape her into the person God wants her to become. If you are considering homeschool for your child/children, be sure to look up your state’s laws for homeschooling. There are many more specifics I can help you with if you’re interested (attendance records, grading, work portfolio, etc). We plan to homeschool until middle school. We will reassess putting her back in private school at that time.