What on earth??

Well, almost a year since the last post...what do you expect from a busy homeschool mom? This year has flown by. Teaching Spanish classes along with all the other stuff, not to mention knee surgery in December with all the rehab that continues even now, has meant an abundance of activity. Nevertheless, there was time to take time off with Dave and go to Louisville, KY last week for the Together for the Gospel (T4G)conference. It was a lot of fun and inspiration. 5,000 pastors gathered to be inspired and edified in God's word. And the sightseeing was fun too. We saw the Louisville Slugger museum, a baseball game (triple A Bats), and toured Churchill Downs and the surrounding neighborhood of restored 19th and early 20th century homes. It was a trip to remember.

Phozi Photo!

Dave found a cool website to use with a webcam. Hana and I tried it out!

A New Year

My blog was rapidly becoming a dead end. I need to post more often. Add that to the short list of new year's resolutions, along with having a consistent devotional time and a consistent workout at the gym! Sorry to anyone who may have checked and seen nothing new for three months...such is the life of a busy homeschool mom!

I have been reading the Sermon on the Mount tonight. Jesus has so much to say to us there...there is just no squirm room at all! "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Now, THAT's one worth living by! "...why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?" Ah, another new year's resolution: remove plank from both eyes! I need to put that at the top of my to do list!

As the years roll by, it becomes increasingly clear how many and varied and ingrained my sins are. If it weren't for God's grace, it would truly be overwhelming...and sometimes, when I am weak, it is overwhelming. Those are the times when I wonder what possible use God could have for me, a filthy sinner, a liar, a complainer, a malcontent, an idolater. Then I remember that His plan is all about redeeming, changing us from the inside out, placing in us a heart of flesh and not stone. It is not about us making ourselves perfect, though we are called imitate Him in all we think and do. It is an impossible task, and yet it is in the process of trying that we are redeemed. I admit, I can't understand it all. But His Word continues to ring true and to guide without fail. So, I can look forward to what HE will accomplish in this, His new year.

A Typical School Day

Here is Gabe in his favorite studying place (the couch) with his favorite food (dry toast!) Lately he has been getting up at 6:20am in order to finish by noon. Gabe does not like to study in the afternoon!
Here is Elijah at his favorite study spot, the computer desk. He has new glasses; we think they are really neat.
Here is Hanako at her favorite place to study, her own desk of course! For those interested in interior design, she helped build the desk, and the color on the walls is Benjamin Moore "Neon Celery". The girls picked that color!

I am trying to add more pictures here with the help of my trusty computer assistant, Hanako! So, here is a fairly recent picture of me and Anastasia doing reading time on the porch. We love our porch. I call it "my office".

A Little Bit of Heaven

Yesterday was a little bit of heaven at church. We officially installed Anthony Kidd as our senior pastor and had a big celebration meal as well. What a wonderful day of fellowship, music, and food! It doesn't get much better. We are excited to see what God will do now!

A Movie to See

Here is my current recommendation for a must-see movie: Why We Fight, a documentary by Eugene Jarecki. I won't say much except that it is the clearest exposition of the modern American situation as concerns our military involvement worldwide. Excellent, and right along the lines of all I learned in graduate school. In fact, one of the main interviewees is one of my professors from UCSD, Dr. Chalmers Johnson (ex-CIA and Asia scholar). I highly recommend this film, and would be interested to hear back from anyone who views it and would like to share discussion about the issues it raises.

World Literature Notes

The funnest thing about this year is teaching literature. It is a lot of work, granted. But well worth the reward of listening to teenagers mulling over the deeper meanings buried in a work of beautifully written poetry or literature. I had forgotten how much I loved reading...now I have an excuse for spending all my spare moments reading! I know, I should have been doing that anyway, but without the necessity of it, something else has always seemed to edge its way in. There are only two in the class, Hanako and her friend Soren from academy. But they are right at the same level and are able to really challenge one another. And it helps that neither is shy about reading aloud, a necessity when it comes to really appreciating literature and poetry! Soren is a working actor in Hollywood, so it should be interesting to see what he does with Shakespeare later this year! Today they turned in their first essays (on Farmer Giles of Hamm by JRR Tolkien), and we did peer editing in class. They were right on target, noticing what was missing in an essay or what needed to be edited out. I am really looking forward to seeing where things go by the end of the year. Is it a crime to have this much fun??