Enjoying the Journey

two more days left of TESOL
2 more papers to write
homeschooling
one TESOL class to instruct
a sick child with fevers running upwards of 104
9 people (yes, we've increased again. But just for a couple of nights)
homeschooling
bills
guests coming in next week
my mom's birthday on Monday
house cleaning
food shopping
coupons to cut, organize and search for
homeschooling
laundry
catching up with family members
thank you letters
time with God
spending time with my husband
time with my boys
getting back in the pool at the Y
homschooling
and so much more....

These are the things that are on my mind these days. I'm looking forward to the last day of class on Friday and spending the last couple of days with my mom before she leaves. Then, I want to re claim my little life back, by enjoying time with my boys, homeschooling them, cleaning my house, chatting with the girls, sitting in my chair and reading my bible and praying and lots more.

See you next week - when I'm a little less bogged down!

BTW - found Facebook!

Posted in: Smiles on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at at 4:04 PM 1 comments    

Boy do I have about 10 posts to write on, pictures that I want to download and share, and great little stories. Plus, I'm feeling back to normal, cheerful and thankful for where I'm at right now.

BUT... I can't sit down and write it all out right now. At least not yet. It may not be bothering you... however it is killing me. I'm pent up with verbal goodness that just needs to be out on some sort of "paper."

In the meantime, I'm working on 6 lesson plans that are all due at some point in time during the next three weeks. Each lesson requires total detail, down to what I'd write on a chalkboard, so that my TESOL teacher understands my thought process.

Don't roll your eyes at me on this one... prepare yourself. I'm LOVING it! I really, really am. Make me lesson plan, make me teach someone, let me encourage and aid someone in learning anything... I get giddy with excitement!

So, hang in there a bit. Hopefully in some spare time (lol) I'll be able to share all my little joys of life right now!

Talk soon!

Posted in: educated, Smiles on Tuesday, October 07, 2008 at at 10:33 AM 1 comments    

This morning I woke up ........ on the floor. I'm not quite sure what the details included as to how I made it down there. We did have a huge thunderstorm that included losing all electricity for some hours. Of course the loss of light, brought a certain little 4 year old into our room for a secured nights sleep.

And so sometime in the middle of the night, I think I got a bit cramped with CJ's normal flamingo stance of sleep patterns and crawled down to the floor to sleep next to the warm thumb sucking, Z man. I think that is what happened.

The funny thing was, CJ, who woke up after a crash from Diesel's, the cat, mid night romping, to find his bride not in bed with him.

CJ: Bec - where are you?

Me: here.

CJ: Are you .... on .... the ... floor?

Me: (mumbled but sort of surprised too.....) yea, yea I am.

CJ: Why?

Me: I don't know. I just am.

CJ: Well... get back into bed.

Me: No, not yet. (snore)

I'm feeling a bit more sore this morning. I'm definitely dragging. I'm hoping for a cup of coffee and some Aleve. Oh, no ... I'm beginning to sound like my father.

Posted in: CJ, Smiles, Too Darn Funny, Z Man on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 at at 7:54 AM 2 comments    

Diesel (the cat) ate one of the butterflies for lunch yesterday. But shh...don't tell the kids. They haven't fully noticed it yet. It turns out one of the girls (living with us) found the said butterfly dec*pitated. Pour little guy!

We got 8 more cocoons in the mail today. My MIL is the one who is sending them to me. She planted milkweed to attract caterpillars. Then she captures the cocoons to give out to fascinated family members.

I'm passing on some of my bounty to a couple other homeschooling families around here.

So, far we are still hanging onto the turtle. But CJ left me a very concerned note this morning, worried that he was dead too. Jonah must have been sleeping... because I found him quite active this morning when Diesel was continuing his efforts in friendship.

Maybe when we are done exploring the turtle, we should pass him on to another family too.

Hmm... which gets me to thinking.... can I pass my cat on for a bit? Or how about the kids? Just for an afternoon or two or four....

Posted in: homeschool, Smiles, Too Darn Funny on Thursday, September 04, 2008 at at 1:17 PM 0 comments    

I am thinking of renaming my blog to "It's NEVER a Dull Moment in this House!" Okay, I'm not seriously going to rename it that, but if you would go through my archives or if you happen to receive our bi monthly newsletters, you would find that I tend to say that phrase alot. Because, well... its just true.

The fact is, having an interesting home is part of my make up. If I didn't get to enjoy people, personalities, kids, color, animals, food, and more my life would be sad. And frankly, I think I'd be depressed.

I'll have pictures soon, to prove the following. I just need to wrestle the camera away from my husband right now. He's in the middle of an intensive internship and his end project will include a picture display (or something along those lines).

So - what's the title have to do with this post?

Well - let's see. Right now, I am feeding the following in our home

7 people
1 cat
2 butterflies
random hummingbirds
and....

a turtle.

Oh the fun! We found a box turtle in the parking lot of our church. And because everything is a teachable moment in my mind, I persuaded my dear husband to bring it home with us. Currently, Jonah (named by the kids of course) the turtle lives in our upstairs bath tub. He is fed a healthy diet of green leaf lettuce, dandelion stems, grass and water.

He is quite comforted by the crazy sounds of our house, which include many loud romps to the bathroom by the kids and their friends. Diesel, the cat, has chosen to make friends with him, a decision that was not talked over in detail with Jonah. But, I think that the butterflies are relieved that Diesel chose the turtle over them! The hummingbirds are excited beyond words, as they were a bit tired of having the cat jump at the window when they were trying to drink. The nerve of that cat....

Who knows what will be next in our house. Unfortunately rodents tend to not really make it in our home, as I have a fetish with mousetraps. But large bugs, if kept whole when they die do make great lessons to teach on. Snakes are a definite no for me as well. I guess we could always trap one of the local bunnies that enjoyed the cabbage we grew in our garden this year!

Never a dull moment in our house..... never!

Posted in: homeschool, Smiles, Too Darn Funny on Tuesday, September 02, 2008 at at 11:34 AM 4 comments    

Overheard conversation between father and son this morning....

Z-man - Daddy, I just saw a dragonfly.

Daddy - Cool. What did it look like?

Z-man - well...it had wings. One here. One here. One here. One here. (pointing too the different areas of the body)

Seizing a great teaching opportunity .....
Daddy - So, Z-man how many wings total?

Z-man - Daddy, turtles don't have wings!

Me ..... giggle.

Posted in: Smiles, Too Darn Funny, Z Man, Z-man on Saturday, August 23, 2008 at at 2:57 PM 0 comments    

Posted in: EJ, Smiles, Z Man, Z-man on Thursday, August 07, 2008 at at 10:08 AM 3 comments    

Mom on a Mission, bestowed this cute little award to me the other day. Can I tell you, for a quick moment, what I am thankful for here??

God has been teaching me so much about friendship and what it looks like. He gave me the most intense relationships back in PA. So much so, that I can call on my friends, whom I haven't talked to in months, and pick up where I have left off.

Part of what God is teaching me is that friends come in all different ages, stages, and now countries in life!! He is shifting my mind set of what friendships used to look like to me, to a whole new world.

Sometimes, that takes some getting used too. And sometimes it just doesn't! I met Mom on A Mission during my trip to Mexico. I immediately connected with her, because she was a mom with two young kids, AND pregnant, living the life that I hope we will be doing in the near future! Of course anytime you go on a missions trip and connect with people, there is always that chance that you won't keep in touch.

As God would have it, Mom on a Mission, blogs! And I check or read her blog DAILY, sometimes, more then once. I love reading about her kids, how goose eggs can appear on foreheads, or dogs eating children's bicycles. I love to hear about the team down there and what they are accomplishing. It blesses my heart to see how they are as a normal family on the missions field.

Val, you and your family inspire me and encourage me that we too can do this family missions thing, someday. I am blessed by your friendship!

Of course, I get to pass this one on. And I could hand it out to about 6 of you, easily. But here is what my heart wants to do.... The Thrills of Being a New Mom.... I love you both in and out of the blog world! And I just wanted to bless you with this funny little award! Enjoy!

Posted in: Mexico, missions, Smiles, Thrills on Friday, April 25, 2008 at at 10:15 AM 2 comments    

Oh My Word tagged me for a new Meme last week. The goal is to share 7 wierd or random facts about myself. So, here goes nothing...

1. I've known my husband since kindergarten. Infact, I cornered him into a coat locker in Mrs. Fox's second grade class and kissed him. I sure did! Then in third grade I dumped him for Pat Corkle! Poor guy...

2. I was once a crazy liberal feminist, who was convinced that I should not eat meat, not shave normal body hair, and thought that the Indigo girls were the bomb! I wore patchouli, long flowered dresses, boots, and really wanted to join the Peace Corp and backpack Europe.

3. I have a small problem with motion sickness. I despise anything that rocks, twirls me around, or moves to fast. Yeah, I generally drive CJ and I everywhere.

4. Because of my motion sickness problem, I have an awesome story that includes a sail boat, orange soda, my nose, and feeding the fishes. You try to figure that one out!

5. When I came back from Mexico, in February, I was craving spinach. Now, I'm craving chocolate.

6. I've been a bit addicted to Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman lately. One of the girls living here, has both Season 1 and 2. She hasn't watched much of them at all. But, I'm considering buying her season 3 and 4.

7. I'm practically driving myself crazy with thoughts of wanting to go on another missions trip. If I didn't have to rely, listen, and trust God, I'd have booked another flight for May and made arrangements for help with the kids. sigh

So, I'm supposed to tag 7 people for this. However, I'm just going to tag Blue Eyed Babies and Mom on a Mission!

Posted in: Smiles on Tuesday, April 08, 2008 at at 10:00 AM 4 comments    

That I absolutely love this man!!!

Apparently, she finds him appealing too!

Oh my goodness!!!

What do you think? Can I take her on?

Yeah, its in the papers now, buddy!!!

Aaahh.... but in the end, he's all mine!! All mine, I tell ya!

Posted in: CJ, Smiles, Too Darn Funny on Sunday, April 06, 2008 at at 7:39 PM 5 comments    

Posted in: Encountering Him, missions, Sharing Jesus, Smiles on Monday, January 14, 2008 at at 2:55 PM 3 comments    

Yesterday the girls all returned, plus one visiting cousin. Our table was overflowing with a yummy dinner of potato soup, salad, and crusty bread. The noise level went up about 5 octaves, as everyone tried to catch up with each other. R's boyfriend, whom happens to be a good friend of ours, wrestled with the boys. And some of us exchanged simple belated Christmas gifts. There was much laughter in our home.


I sat back and took it all in. My heart was full of love and joy. A new trimester, a new year, a new season.

Our home is bustling, plans are being made for more visitors to come in this weekend. Meal planning has tripled in just one night as well as dishes and toilet paper. And school started back today.



This morning everyone left with heavy book bags, cups of coffee or hot chocolate and smiles. It's a new year and a new trimester at school. I have every expectation that God is going to do awesome things.



Routine is back. The vacation is over. And I am more refreshed this time, then ever before. I have more hope, more joy, and more laughter inside. I guess I am a bit more excited to be on this roller coaster ride. That's a good place to be.

Posted in: being real, House Mates, House Parenting, Smiles on Tuesday, January 08, 2008 at at 8:20 AM 3 comments    

Finals are over. Classes are out. And the Thrills household arrived this past weekend for a 4 day visit. Things are cheery and good here, in the Fire House.

CJ and I have been walking around holding Little Guy, playing with Princess, enjoying good conversations, eating good food, and laughing a lot. Relaxation has been the goal for all of us, with little hope of accomplishing anything big.

The kids are in their glory as they have been counting down the days until Aunt and Uncle Thrills joined our home. They have spent a lot of time saying, "Look Uncle .... at me do this. Or did you know, Aunt.... that I can do this now?"

There is something about having them in our home and knowing that our kids love them as if they were literally their blood relatives, that warms my heart.

We are blessed and deeply thankful to have them here.

Posted in: Giving Thanks, Smiles, Thrills on Monday, November 19, 2007 at at 3:29 PM 5 comments    

Posted in: Giving Thanks, Smiles on Monday, October 15, 2007 at at 2:28 PM 3 comments    

After spending almost the entire day outside wandering the NC Zoo, our van full of kids, students, and most importantly, friend Cobb, all headed home. We were tired, a little worn out, but still in good spirits.

Dinner was over, the kids in bed, CJ, Cobb, and myself sat on the couches and began yet another conversation. Around 9pm the phone rang. Standing at the Charlotte airport, with her entire family, was one of my bestest friends from PA, the Jones family. They were on their way home from a vacation and had the option to be bumped off their flight. "Should they take it," she was wondering.


Before I knew it, I was standing in my own living room, with Cobb, who he and his wife were the first small group leaders in which CJ and I met, the Joneses!!! All five of them were here in MY house, all the way down in North Carolina.

Oh, what a reunion!

All I could think of during those next 20 hours was how this was a totally sweet gift from the Lord... pure and simple.

Our home was a hub of activity during that night and day. The kids played hard, went down the big, big slide, and ate heartily. Mrs. Jones and I, spent a couple of hours by ourselves at a local coffeehouse, an even sweeter treat. Cobb sadly (for us only) returned to his friends house, after breakfast for a quick visit.

That afternoon, the Jones family, and the boys and I, went to Lowes Motor Speedway for a tour.


Up next... how On Fire gets her brush with fame over NASCAR!

Posted in: Giving Thanks, Smiles on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at at 2:13 PM 3 comments    

Posted in: Giving Thanks, going bananas, Smiles on Friday, October 12, 2007 at at 1:42 PM 3 comments    

There is so much to tell you all, I could write a book. I could begin with my FABULOUS weekend full of little trips, beyond excellent conversations, and the best of all.... friends. I could also tell you about the mother and son duo preaching/teaching, that EJ and I did this past Tuesday. Or maybe I could tell you about how I was supposed to be on tv, for ummmm.... NASCAR week.Okay...wait, I need to laugh for minute!

Still, back to the point of this post.

Instead of all that I think I will share about how the Lord provides for us. It's called the banana. Lots and lots of bananas.

I don't quite know how it happens or where it all comes from, but once in awhile a student comes to the school bearing a TON of food, usually bananas. And somehow in the midst of all his school, work, studies, etc, my husband realized that it was smart to take whatever was left over and bring it home. It's the lure of banana bread, I'm tellin ya!

We get bananas all. the. time. Usually they are just as you see them above. A little on the rotten side. Best for baking!

Now, friends, there are probably 50 or more bananas in that picture. I had already used 6 of them for smoothies that morning.

This time around, we weren't just blessed (and I mean that... word in its fullest) with the manna of bananas, but we were given a HUGE box of onions. This picture is after I spent the time going through them all, getting rid of the extra skin and packaging them up. Because, bananas are one thing, but what in the world am I going to do with 200 onions (no exaggeration!). So, I organized, cleaned them up, took what I need and am in the process of farming them out to the staff.

We also were given 6 limes and 5 pomegranates.

So, I made pomegranate juice. It looks much prettier then it tastes. Need to hone in on my pomegranate juice making.

Are you all laughing yet? Because honestly, I am! How in the world did I become Miss Betty Crocker?!!!

Truthfully when I saw all the bananas (again) I thought ugh... more bananas? And then I had this swift thought about the fact that we have been praying for the Lord to provide for our needs. He is! Isn't He?!!! So, I am thankful for our manna, the banana.

Here are some banana chocolate chip muffins I made yesterday! Now doesn't that just make your mouth water?

BTW -don't worry, I will be posting about this past weekend, my brush with stardom, and my 5 year old preacher in the next few days. Stay tuned!

Posted in: Giving Thanks, going bananas, Smiles, Too Darn Funny on Thursday, October 11, 2007 at at 1:11 PM 6 comments    

Have I ever told you that I am not a morning person? Probably so. Its a battle that I have been fighting for about the last 5 years, since the birth of my oldest.

Posted in: Freedom, Giving Thanks, Smiles on Saturday, September 08, 2007 at at 9:00 AM 6 comments    

I don't care what the critics have to say, I LOVED this movie.

Anne Hathaway is just so beautiful. And watching her write made me daydream about my own writings.


Of course, James McAvoy was just fine! (wink, wink)


Costuming was gorgeous and really the movie made me long for the simplicity of this era.

Personally, I think Anne Hathaway is one of the neatest actresses out there. She admits she is not a good "star" in Hollywood because she doesn't really do anything gossip worthy!!

I went with two other girls. We were the last ones out and all three of us were crying. Yea, it was a good one! I highly recommend it.

Posted in: Smiles on Friday, August 24, 2007 at at 10:25 AM 2 comments    

Here's a story about EJ and God, both of whom wanted EJ to play soccer....

One day a little while ago, EJ's mama had been thinking, praying, and planning on entering EJ into a soccer program. She thought she had researched all the possibilities out there. Before she knew it, the last day to sign up for soccer had arrived and in the pit of her stomach, she knew that he was supposed to play soccer, just not on a league. Between the already demanding weekly schedule of church, school, and ministries it was becoming tougher and tougher to find just the right soccer opportunity for him.

At the last minute, she found out that her local YMCA had a great program. She piled the kids in the car, raced over to the Y and signed him up for half the cost! A bonus in her mind. When she had called they told her that the teams were overbooked but to come in anyways and put him on the "list." Of course, God had other plans and when she arrived there was a perfect opening for him.

Or so she thought...

Soon after she was contacted by EJ's new coach, who informed her of the practice days. One night a week and Saturday mornings. But, wait... the evening practice was on the night of church. Oh no, could he switch to another team, please???

10 days of going back and forth with coaches, with no solution it finally appeared as though it would be either church or soccer, but not both.

So, EJ's mom, felt that God wanted her to talk with EJ and give him the choice of what he wanted to do. She sat down with him, told him the problem and prayed with him about it.

Confidently, EJ said, "Mom, I won't play soccer. I want to be at church. I feel as though this is what God wants me to do."

EJ's mama, was sad to see that he wasn't going to be able to play soccer. She knew deep down in her heart that he really wanted to. But she trusted God and she trusted that EJ was listening to Him.

Several hours later, a wonderful note was found in the family email. The first line said this, "You are a favored by the Lord Jesus today." It was followed with a note that someone could not be on the Monday night team after all and EJ was invited to replace them!

A shriek of happiness erupted in the house. EJ took it in stride, while his mama jumped for joy, because God cared so much, even about EJ's soccer team!

Posted in: EJ, Giving Thanks, Smiles on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at at 3:13 PM 8 comments