And, So It Begins...

 Every year when the weather starts warming up, Joshua and Caleb test themselves against Amanda. They know they have to beat her before they can take on Brandon. Usually, it is both boys testing their strength against their very good-natured sister!

 Last week, Joshua decided to go one on one with a "sword" battle.

 He's looking pretty fierce! He had her on the run a lot!

 She still got in plenty of strategic shots!

She was in trouble when her "sword" broke!
You can see victory on his face!
(You can see part of one of Joshua's swords flying past Amanda's raised leg.)

If they try to take her down in a mud puddle again this year, I will do my very best to capture it on film!

Shoot, I may even challenge them to go after her ;-)!

An Aggravating Cat and Acts of Love

 I put the birds outside when the weather is nice so they can enjoy the fresh air and sunshine too. It always attracts the cats though. That kitten has big aspirations!

 This is the infamous Miracle's kitten "Minnie Mi." She stared at that cage the whole time it was outside. She never found a way to get to it though.

Do not fall for that innocent look!
This cat is trouble! :-)

 Miracle (who is a miracle) and Minnie Mi in Brandon's lap.

Brandon with Miracle and Mini Mi.

Miracle is eight years old and is the most aGgRaVaTiNg cat we have. She will run into the house and get into my trash or any food that has been left out. She usually makes a terrible mess! She has also cost us a lot of money by getting into meat I have had thawing on the counter. During trying moments, I have threatened to give her away. There have been many trying moments with Miracle. Now, she has self replicated! Ack!

But, my boy loves her; therefore, I love the cat.
When Brandon is in school or at work, I look out for the "old lady." I make sure the dogs leave her alone and take her treats. I pick her up and pet her since he's not here to do it. If her back legs look stiff, I take a few minutes from my day and massage them for her. When someone is putting her outside, after she's charged through legs to get in, I remind them to be gentle with her. If I see her searching for "her boy," I let him know she was missing him. I take pictures of her and text them to Brandon. I put up with the cat because it shows my son I love him in a way that says love to him in a tangible way.


Love is an action verb. You have to live it out. Words have no meaning without action to support them. How are you living out your love for others? Can they look at your actions and find proof you love them? Do you understand what they see as love? You can show them you love them according to your thinking all you want, but if it doesn't speak to their heart*, they won't see it. 

What about your love for the Lord? Are you obeying His commandments? That is what He asks from us. The wonderful thing about His commandments are that they are designed to protect us. He is asking you to obey what He has established to protect you to show your love for Him. That's the love of a parent/Father!

1 John 3:18 
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.


John 14:15
If you love me, keep my commandments.

* One exception is when someone is self abusive. You do not give a drug abuser drugs or money for them. It's a common sense thing, but I felt it needed saying.

A Year Later

We are still trying to get our lives settled from the barn fire that happened a year ago February 19th.We have a lot of building, organizing, and arranging to do in all of the sheds still, but we'll get it. We need to run water and power to some of them. This is the most difficult shed because it holds the most stuff and will be used several times daily. I am trying very hard to get this shed fully functional before spring.It's not helping that Clint keeps sticking his stuff in there (ahem!). :-)

In the top picture, you can see ways we have created additional storage space in the sheds. The lofts Clint put in store things we do not use often. The boards he put up under the framing make perfect places to store games and wrapping paper.

 There is usually a lot going on around me, and this shot has captured one moment in time. Hannah was talking to me as I sorted books until she turned to see why I had grabbed the camera. Caleb is testing his strength on the home gym while a mischievous Brandon holds the weights down. Emily is testing Brandon's shelf. That is not even 1/4 of the books we own. Homeschooling moms LOVE books!

 Look at Caleb's face! See Brandon's?! Ha! It didn't help that his little sister (Emily) had just pulled that weight like it was nothing! We have a lot of fun here!

Brandon putting up the bookshelves in the shed.

Hannah is testing them!
We hope to one day insulate this shed. I dread moving all of those books again!

Playtime!

 Miss Em

 Hannah with the short hair!

 through the playhouse

 Maggie gets jealous and shows off when I am taking pictures of the children.

 sandbox

 Sandpie!

If you look close, you can see how uneven Hannah's hair still is.
Emily went right to the skin with some cuts.

Sisters

Daffodils at Contentment Acres in February

We have enjoyed the warmer weather this winter.
The children joke that winter is on vacation!

Texas Roadhouse

This is for Jonathan, the Texas Roadhouse waiter. As you can see, we really do have seven children and very little phases us! :-) Now that you are family, drop us an e-mail contentmentacres@yahoo.com so you can plan a day for a visit! Tell your mama "No more orange hair!" :-) We hope work is going better than it was for you on Friday.

Forgiveness

Someone Prayed For Us

We do not know who, but someone out there prayed for something very special for Clint and I. It happened! Thank you!

Do Good Anyway

Anyway
by Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Flash Card Storage Ideas

I was asked by a reader if I had any ideas for storing flash cards "since the boxes do not last very long." She is right about the boxes not lasting long. I have had many boxes tear as I opened the set because they were packaged so tightly.

What I normally do is cut out the label, throw away the rest of the box, put a rubber band around the cards, and store them with the label on top inside plastic sandwich bags. I put those together in a gallon sized plastic freezer bag. This is simple, cheap, waterproof, and everything needed is already in the house. I can easily see through the bags and know which set is which. It adapts to different sized cards very easily. It doesn't look the best, but I put mine in a desk drawer out of sight and reach of little hands.

Here are some other methods I have come across over the years:

You can use one of the hang on the door shoe organizers inside a closet. Just pop the cards into one of the pockets.

You can put rubber bands on each set and store them in a plastic shoe box.

Repurpose empty baby wipe containers to store each set.

Use plastic reusable food containers (sandwich size) to store the cards.

Buy pencil zipper cases with the clear front  when school supplies go on sale and use those.

Find recipe boxes and store them in those.

Find clear cosmetic bags with zippers at the Dollar Tree and use those.

The sheets and pillow cases I buy come with a fabric bag with a snap. If you sew, you could make smaller bags with snaps, zippers, a button, or a drawstring to store your cards.

On Pinterest, I recently saw an idea using plastic index card boxes inside of a plastic shoebox. This looks very neat and organized.

If you have another flash card storage idea that would work in a homeschool setting, please send me a description. Include a picture if you like. I will post it here, and give you credit. 

If you are a homeschooling mother, I am praying for your success and well-being. Remember to look to the Lord for answers as you teach your children.

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. 

Host an Orphan in Your Home Through New Horizons for Children

I learned about this ministry though Above Rubies. The cost is $3,000 (an easy amount to fundraise) and a home safety study by a social worker is required.

"Welcome to the New Horizons For Children Website. We are a Christian based, international hosting program, which brings over orphaned children from Eastern Europe twice a year to share with them the love of God and the love of a family."