I Love My Life

Another fun day of  school. The younger two are really liking Famous Men of the Middle Ages and  Arabian Night Tales.  Nolan is figuring out his new High School Routine. Arielle is keeping us all in line. ::snort:: 

The older three went out of an early morning run. My knees just don't like running so I settled for a step workout....We got a kick out of Yuuki stretching with everyone at the end of working out. 

When Arielle was done stretching, Yuuki was determined to get as close to her as possible. ::snort::

I  love how well the family room is working for us. We've never had one that we could use for "family" gatherings...and I like it. We did our table school in the family room...didn't have to pick it all up at lunch time...it's the little things that make one sing. 

I pulled out the "treasure chest" which came with Sing Spell Read and Write. I've debated long and hard about "rewarding" children to learn....knowledge, pride of learning should be it's own reward...but this came along with the kit and since our youngest is eight...I better use it now or send it to the thrift store. I let her pick out trinket.....I told Zander he could pick something too.

 

Which led to this...and the gleeful observation, "I love my life." I'm not so sure Arielle loves his life. It's a gekko and she's developed a really over-the-top fear of the things. Yes, I talked to Zander. 

After lunch we rode bikes over to the purple park to meet Stephanie and her three darlings. It was GREAT to have adult conversation. Nolan rode over when he was done with school. The weather is cooling off and it was pleasant...a bit hot...but pleasant. It was nice for the kids to run off energy and fun for Moms to have adult talk. It felt like "home"  - at the park with a young mom and her kids - reminded me of my gals in Misawa. I love my life too.  All my other park photos  turned out blurry - guess this is the Arielle post.

I had just enough time to get dinner ready before Michael got home at 6:00 p.m. Brussel Sprouts, Stir fry, Pasta, Salad, Watermelon....I had no clue what some of the things were I threw in the stir fry. I tasted raw and figured if I didn't keel over it was probably good for the stir fry.  Yuuki sits right under my feet while I cook...every.night. I'm telling her here she does not like Brussel Sprouts.

When Arielle keeled over at dinner, I began to worry  maybe something WAS poisonous...but no one else keeled over.

Michael is after the birds....it's a bit ironic to read about God's wonderful, intelligent creation of BIRDS - while they fly into our windows.

Choosing Joy! 
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Farm Fresh

Fresh - picked in the a.m.; delivered early afternoon! Organic. Non- GMO. $20 a week. I was won over with the flowers (though the flowers is what made me wonder about the basil as it was packaged together).

 Michael is not so impressed with the teeny, tiny squash. I ran a produce co-op. I will admit I was thinking much more produce than this, we could probably eat 4 boxes a week...BUT this is FRESH, ORGANIC and non GMO - and came right to my door. *I* didn't have to go the terminal, pick it up, sort it...hassle out the prices.....I may still look into the produce terminals around here...see if anyone is interested in a co-op because a laundry basket full of produce is more what we need.....but I'm happy to have found Reeves Farm.  I think their variety will go down as the season ends...that may be the time to look at more conventional co-ops over CSA...but I'm going to stick with this and see what happens. I can always fill in the gaps. It's certainly less of a culture shock than going to the Linda Walmart.

There are three kinds of squash I've never cooked here...butternut (blush), delicata, and patty pan...and I'm not sure what the baby ones are. ::snort:: One bite sized watermelon and one snack sized watermelon, several kinds of zucchini, Armenian cucumbers, 2 kinds of tomatoes, basil, peppers. I've no idea what to do with the peppers...anyone want some?

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

We're Off! 2013/2014

Another school year out the starting gate in a blaze of activity! We started with a rolling start last week, but today we hit it hard. I think it's going to be a good year. We're covering Year 2 in Tapestry of Grace.  We're all doing Japanese: the high school  students with a tutor; the younger ones and I with our flashcards and maybe this site. Everyone is doing math and science at their level. The younger two will be doing Zoology 1: Flying Animals this year. Neither of them remember it well from our run through it when they were younger. Works for me. The older two are doing a variety of add-ons (electives). Speech, Logic, Health, Cosmetology, Movies as Lit...because obviously eight English Credits would not be enough. ::snort:: 

We've had such a nice long break that I knew we'd have a fair bit of review to do this month.  I noted our snap memorizer wasn't doing so well at reading random things around town. Some informal quizzing confirmed the program we were using allowed her to memorize words and then read it "perfectly twice" and move on. I unpacked Sing Spell Read and Write and suggested we do it as a review...and wow is that helping. I can see her already picking up decoding skills after just two weeks.  Zander hated Sing Spell Read and Write and has done well with I See Sam....each child is different. *I* had hoped I would never have the SSRW songs drilling into my consciousness at 0330 again...but it's not about me. ::snort:: I'm telling myself this is precious - she's the very last to use the program and we had a workbook and prizes waiting since we shifted gears for  Zander.

The younger two were thrilled to see me grabbing books about  knights and castles. However, I think our history channel clip about Clovis the Barbarian and the Visigoths may have been a bit too much for Stacia. She has gone on and on about them slamming his arms in a box...seems to have missed they followed that up with killing the man.  She came down after lunch and suggested we use this book instead. ::snort:: 

I do love this little gal. She shared with me  this is letters from a REAL KING and  they would be wonderful to read together. I agreed to read them with her each day, AFTER couch school with Zander is done. 

I am still on the hunt for an Apologetic course for Arielle.  Honestly, Tapestry is full of Apologetics, but if she wants more....by putting this here our resident theologian will eventually read it if I forget to ask him for some suggestions. ::snort:: 

These two were more than happy to help me implement "Operation Shine" (sounds better than "Operation Conquer the Neighborhood"?).

This silly monkey said, "Um, MOM, the cookie sheet is full and I already scooped this up. What should I do? Should I eat it?"  NO. ::snort::

All in all a good day of school. Everyone was done with everything by 4:00. It's 5:00 p.m. now - dinner for the family is in the oven. I have 30 minutes to put on some make up, and get to the chapel for LiFT (Ladies in Fellowship Together - PWOC monthly event).  ACK just realized I forgot to make something to take - maybe we'll shine a bit less in the hood. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

The Green Machine

We drove to Davis. I drove home from Davis alone. I nearly had a HEART ATTACK driving in six lanes of traffic, overpasses, swirly bridges....but I knew if I had a heart attack I'd wreck the van...and Michael was right behind me. That wouldn't do at all. I kept reminding myself to breathe deeply.  I finally saw our exit and thought, "I'm home free now."   I couldn't BELIEVE all the insane drivers driving towards me in my lane...oops....maybe THIS will be the last time I drive in the wrong lane of traffic.....in any event, I'll soon get more practice on American roads, with American speeds in the 15 pass van because today we purchased this commuter for Michael.  The kids and I will no longer be house-bound, though school has begun. 

It's ugly (top and hoods need painted) but it's SWEET....rides well, immaculate maintenance records, one owner (verified)....it may be ugly but it's PAID for and way under the budget we'd set for a car....$500 under blue book. I'm going to start getting quotes to have it painted "soon." We can hopefully find another economical ride all of us will fit into and still stay within the auto budget. If we don't find a second car we are WELL under budget and that's fine too...but we're spending about $80 a week on gas in the van. OUCH.  The salesman we dealt with will call us if someone turns in a mini-van before it even goes to the service department. Thanking God for this little car...and a fun car salesman. 

Michael  said he couldn't even tell I was nervous driving home. I wasn't driving like I was petrified....somehow he was far enough behind me when I exited the freeway that he didn't see my lane issues. ::snort:: 

Renée S. Suen via photopin cc

We celebrated at Chipotles. Oh.my.heavenly.word. I love their vegan menu and everyone but Zander seemed to enjoy their meal. Zander separated all the food into piles and then ate the chicken pile. He doesn't like restaurants that "mix food" - but from time to time the rest of us like to eat dangerously. 

BTW I was told, by someone "in the know," our little town has the highest Sikh population in America. I was then told that is why there are so many vegan restaurants in the area. I need to go find these restaurants!!! Anyone want to go exploring with me? I have a 15 pass van at my fingertips now. LOL  

We explored historic Marysville after dinner. Ellis Lake is a man-made lake that has been the centerpiece of Marysville since the 1930's.  

Ellis Lake is home to all sorts of geese, ducks and birds. We noted these ducks (as opposed to the rather stand offish ducks in Northern Japan) are more than willing to preform for food. 

Arielle got to "Skype" with Alicia and Emily today. They didn't get the video working but could at least talk....That was a very good thing.

Yuuki welcomed us warmly when we got home.  OH, she howled again when we got home from buying the car. Poor thing...watching the kids is wearing her out. LOL  She still had energy to play kill the pink flamingo! ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Hypothetically Speaking...

I went to work with Michael this morning. The highlight of the day was meeting Diann, "in real life." We've known each other online for 15 years. She and her husband, Tim, met us at the club for lunch. Michael had to rush back to work, but at least we met. ::grin:: It was fun to sit and visit...and I look forward to more visits in the time we are in CA. I visited a bit longer with Tim and Diann and then headed off on errands - mostly unsuccessful - But I WAS OUT OF THE HOUSE!

We continue to try to track down why our insurance all of a sudden will not cover Nolan's meds...our military insurance...the same insurance we had when we began treatment in Japan. Still no resolution. They insist the drug he takes is not on the market. I assure you, it is. Please pray with this about this. I'm actually fairly upset about it. He needs to finish the course of meds he was on...and he has less than a week of pills left. We've been trying to get this taken care of for two weeks. 

We have a couple of leads on commuter cars...maybe we'll have another car before the weekend is over? 

Yuuki took seriously her role as "watch dog" while Michael and I were both gone. She spent her day roaming from one child to the next. When they went out, she insisted on going out (and she doesn't like the heat). When we walked in this evening, she looked at me, sat down, and HOWLED. She'd never done that before. I think I look the same some nights when Michael comes home. I assured Yuuki I know how she feels. 

Stacia posed a "hypothetical" question to Zander today. 

"Hypothetically speaking, who is your best sister?" 

Wow.....there's a no win situation. He explained he has lots of sisters and couldn't choose between them. ::snort:: 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Routines....

Oh yes - getting this routine down! Another year is off to a good start.

Stacia and I worked out again. I miss the elliptical. I don't like being 25 min from a gym. I won't let this stop me from working out. We're doing a different DVD each a.m.  We did Body Gospel today. I may never be able to sing in church again without doing some unique moves. ::snort::

We are switching a few things in a few courses in school and doing some review with the younger two to see what summer ground we need to reclaim.

Must get more creative in here....

I've got lots of ideas for the kitchen board. This makes meal planning easy. 

 I simply chose a meat (ground turkey in this case), selected a couple entrees and let them vote. I noted the two nutritarians and the herbivore abstained....but then our choices were firm. LOL

The kids went to the "Red Park" today. I waited for Michael to get home. We met another neighbor!!! Then we headed to the park to visit the kids. I had to bring Stacia back right away, which worked out well as I needed to cook dinner. Michael grabbed a few shots of the kids.

Showing Stacia how

 

Jump STACIA! 

The kids made their first "neighborhood kid contact" today. Unfortunately, they were riding bikes home from the park and some boys yelled at Zander, "Nice helmet, Lady." I guess he had Stacia's helmet on his handlebars. He is greatly offended.

My boyfriend suggested we soak in the hot tub....great idea...ease the aches of that Body Gospel stuff. ::snort:: Arielle joined us and it was sweet to visit for a bit.

This is better - I followed Stacia's lead

Good day...and tomorrow...I get to meet a friend who is driving in from NV for the day.

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Seasonal Race?

We're spending this week establishing new routines. I'm making the kids go to bed a bit earlier and get up earlier. We're eating regular meals. I'm discussing chore rotations for our new home. We've begun a bit of school and we've all started working out again. Michael is in the middle of a base exercise...though it does seem more low key than exercises in Japan. Yes, life is settling into "normal." 

Family circle, games and connecting with friends are our evening norm. 

A few days ago, during my personal private time with Jesus, I was thinking about the seasons changing (it's only 80's now instead of the triple digits of earlier weeks).  As I sat on the patio there was even a nice WIND...it felt like fall.  As I continued to think and pray I sensed  the season changing spiritually for us, as well.  God is doing something new in our family (and I didn't sense it was just for the 6 of us in CA)....I want to be alert and watchful. I want to join Him in the new season and not assume the new season will  look like past seasons. I also believe there will be a fresh wind of His spirit blowing through our midst.   One thing I know beyond a shadow of doubt - He is faithful, He is good, He is God in each and every season.  

A friend sent this video when I mentioned on Facebook that a new season had arrived. "I will offer thanks for what has been and what's to come." Beautiful song. 

Of course, those who know me are going to laugh right out loud at the next sentence. I began to wonder if "spiritual seasons" are even Biblical. Possibly, a better analogy would be our faith life is a "race."  I came up with many passages to support this line of thinking. Many. It fits my personality better. I like the analogy...run to win. I get it.   I'm still contemplating...maybe it's a "seasonal race." What are your thoughts? 

I am laughing at how God keeps putting verses in my path about "seasons." I seriously think He likes to play this sort of "game" with me.  Is that heretical?  In any event there is Ecclesiastics which was quoted in a FICTION book I'm reading.  There was a verse yesterday talking about showers of blessings and showers in their seasons (Ezek 34:26).

ginnerobot via photopin cc

I'm reading the Bible chronologically this year and today read  from Zechariah. Zech. 10:1 says, "Ask the Lord for rain..." It jumped off the page. Really, God? Ask for RAIN? I dislike rain. I love the sun. I kept reading...and my mind kept going back to "rain."

I read four more chapters. Did I mention I dislike rain?

"Ask the Lord for rain...."

It IS a new season and I suppose you do have to have rain to get rainbows. I did learn two years ago to Dance in the Rain.  I don't see how rain can be NEW really...have had a lot of rain in the past few years....

 "Ask the Lord for rain..."

It would be o.k. to dance a bit longer in the rain. Well, o.k. I'll ask the Lord for rain when I'm done reading.

And then another nugget in Zech 14:17. Those who refuse to worship the King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts, will not receive rain.

I prayed. I listened. I realized rain doesn't always signify "storms" and "trials."  It brings new life. It nurtures seeds which have been planted in past seasons.  I also recognized God was illuminating obscure phrases and I needed to listen. I began to sense He was speaking to me about seasons again.... a season of refreshing and blessing; not just faith strengthening trials.  I did a few Word Studies (because I always want to be rooted in the Word) and there it is......

Rain - #4306 matar - watering the earth in season, blessing from God (Deut 11:14,17; I Kings 8:35,36), replenishing the earth, refreshing for God's people (Deut 32:2, Job 29:23), can also refer to hardship where God is our refuge from the storm (dancing in the rain - my note).

A season of replenishing, refreshing, watering.....seeds continuing to germinate and sprout.....and if the rain gets overwhelming -  because too much blessing can feel like a storm...and sometimes blessings  present themselves as trials. I'll keep dancing. He's my refuge in the storm.

But those who refuse to worship - to surrender, to bow before their superior, to humbly beseech the King will not receive the rain (Zech 14:17).

Worship and rain....

I'm asking the Lord for rain in this new season. I'm asking for myself, my kids, my husband, our extended families....refreshing times of replenishment...and if we face storms....I'm believing He's our refuge and will give us the trust to continue dancing in the rain...as we continuously live a life of worship.

Just some thoughts I'm having....

 (Worship def based on #7812 Shachah)

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~

Living all of life before the face of God...