This little blog has been neglected of late.  Just two days after my last post, my father-in-law passed away. Both Mark's parents gone, just a bit over 3 months apart.  Now the flurry of activity to close up and sell a house that has been a home for so many for so long.

But it hasn't been all sadness, these last few months - there were two weddings in the family!  In addition to Steph and Kyle's wedding last March, a nephew and niece were married.  The next generation takes shape and life's promised hope comes.  All are occasions for family to gather and support each other.  That's truly what life is all about.

Typical... family and friends!

Tomorrow, our homeschooling year will begin.  It will be my 16th year teaching.  (Two have graduated, and two are still with me!)  What a journey this has been.  I'm so excited to get started.  There is something about the smell of new books and sharp pencils!  I've been longing to return to the comfort of schedule.   I've loved the freedom of summer, but every season is just long enough...

We are also arriving at the first anniversary of our community house.  God has taught us so many lessons on living and loving as a family.  I am so grateful!  I know God has a plan to use this house for His glory.  Lord, help me not be in the way!

So, what are the lessons I've learned during this season?  The "what ifs" of life are not the worst thing in the world.  I've lived through a lot of what ifs this year:  "'What if my daughter settles down on the mainland?", "What if Jean passes before Bob?", "What if there is conflict among those in our community?"  God is big enough for the "what ifs".  They don't take Him by surprise.  In every "what if" situation, God has shown us a new part of His character and provision.

There's the feeling in the air that we are turning a page. Only God knows what is ahead for us.  I take comfort in knowing He is there and will take care of the details.

Shooting in Paauilo - red-neck moments...

Family is expanding - Mr. & Mrs. Kauhane

New beach adventure on the Island of Hawaii

Cousins at the stables - cowgirls at heart!

Rock jumping at Kealakekua - not far from that "little grass shack"

Kealakekua sunset - perfect camping spot!

Cousins fishing off the rocks.

More sunset views at Kealakekua

Rigging the poles on Uncle Kevin's boat off of Kawaihae

Enough is enough... Really it is!

I've just spent the last couple of weeks pouring over curriculum catalogs and websites...  You'd think that after 14 years of homeschooling, I'd have made up my mind what to use.  The problem is, no two kids are alike and new materials are coming out every year.  But the biggest reason that I'm making a change this year is that I'm spending too much time planning each week.  It's not uncommon for me to have to work 3-5 hours on the weekend just to be ready for the next week.  Enough is enough.

As a recovering perfectionist, it always seems to me that there is more that I should be doing for my kids.  Planning their work and preparing just the right lessons had begun to consume me, much to the chagrin of my family.  I've  come to the point where I must admit, it's just not working for me.  I love my old curriculum, but at this season of my life, I can't afford the time it takes.  So the search began.  How to find a curriculum with the educational value I want, without all the hours of preparation?  I had to find the balance of "enough".  I've settled on something that will give my kids enough history, math, language arts, science and supplemental learning without ruining our life.

I don't know about you, but when I think about the word "enough," it has a negative connotation.  Maybe because it is often preceded by the phrase, "not good."  Enough always seems to be the amount that is just getting by.  A disappointed second place...enough.

e·nough

/ɪˈnʌf/ Show Spelled[ih-nuhf]

–adjective

1.

adequate for the want or need; sufficient for the purpose or to satisfy desire: enough water; noise enough to wake the dead.

–pronoun

2.

an adequate quantity or number; sufficiency.

–adverb

3.

in a quantity or degree that answers a purpose or satisfies a need or desire; sufficiently.

—Synonyms 1. ample. 3. adequately, amply, reasonably.

According to these Dictionary.com entries, I should be satisfied with enough.  It says that enough is "adequate; sufficient for the purpose..."  Perhaps I've fallen victim to the mindset that I must have more than enough, an over-abundance of something to feel secure.  Could the consumer mentality have crept in even here?  Maybe so.  If I have enough ingredients to make cookies, don't I end up with perfectly good cookies?  More than enough does me no good.  It may even be wasted.

In thinking about "enough," I've discovered that my subconscious aversion to it has tainted a well-known Christian song, Your Grace Is Enough, by Chris Tomlin.  We sing it quite often but I can't help feeling that old skin-of-my-teeth enough.  That's not the meaning of the song.  God's grace is enough; adequate; sufficient for the purpose..  The need of my sin was adequately met by the blood of Jesus. 

So in my journey to a more simple life, I must embrace enough.  I have enough possessions.  I have enough food to eat.  I have enough time to do what needs to be done.  And by the time my children leave my home school, they will have learned enough.  But most importantly, God's grace is enough to cover all my sin, all my failings, and all my need.  Jesus is enough.

So much to say, so little time.

I really don't know how all you bloggers get it done.  I know you are real people with real lives, and yet you all manage to post everyday.  Not just any post.  Beautiful, thoughtful, helpful posts. 

This week, I have so many new ideas I'd love to explore....but...  The girls have rehearsal for their ballet performance 4 days this week.  My FIL's 80th birthday celebration is this Sunday and besides replacing their kitchen counters, we've got to get their house ready for 40 dinner guests....  and decorate it for Christmas. 

Ususally, my house and Christmas tree are all decorated by now.  Today, the tree it sits with just the lights on.  (I quickly put them up yesterday before running out of the house for worship practice.)  And the Thanksgivng centerpiece is still out.  This is a first.

It will definitely be a different kind of Christmas.  No bad, just different.  I have managed to keep up with what's really important:  my own quiet time, schooling, and making sure the family has something to eat...  Other than that, regular routine is out the window.

Through it all, I have managed an Advent thought ~

It had been 400 years of silence when Jesus was born.  Seemingly, God had stopped speaking.  So life among God's people had settled into a routine.  And yet, God saw that it was time.  Christmas came. 

O LORD, please break into my life with Christmas.  I am so grateful for your timing.  Even when I life is rushed and busy, You come.  You rescue me from my routine. 

Listen to the words of the prophet Jeremiah, chapter 33:

14 " 'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

15 " 'In those days and at that time

I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line;

he will do what is just and right in the land.

16 In those days Judah will be saved

and Jerusalem will live in safety.

This is the name by which it will be called:

The LORD Our Righteousness.'

May the LORD Our Righteousness, this gracious promise fulfilled, fill you with His grace today.


I'll leave you with the view from our neighborhood park where Andrew had a homeschool P.E. class yesterday.  No matter how busy I am, the LORD always provides reminders of His glory.  Enjoy!

Adventures in Attitudes

I was in our church office today making copies for our worship practice and happened to look up at the bookshelf.  This title jumped off the book it was written on....Adventures in Attitudes.  I had to laugh.  That pretty much sums up the last few days I've had. 

I could make a lot of excuses like,

"I have three teenage girls at home..."

or "homeschooling is really hard..."

or "I just didn't get enough sleep last night." 

They are all true, but excuses don't change a thing.  The good news is that my attitude will eventually change.  Like my emotions, I try not to put too much stock into them.  They just aren't reliable.  Learning to ride out the ups and downs is a process.  Hopefully, I'm getting better at it.   To see attitudes as an adventure...that could be just the perspective I need.

It's Thursday...

Just another day of homeschooling.  It went like this...

Woke up late, 8:00a.m.  Brr - must be 72 degrees.  Fall is here.
Stumble to the kitchen to make coffee.  I love my coffee - even though it's decaf.  Guess I wont get in my morning run...Hubby is already out of the shower, and Steph gets in next.  They have to leave the house first, everyone else must wait.
I let Blue outside.  Even he slept in this morning.

By 8:45, we've all had breakfast and attempt to get to work.  A couple of kids get to their desk wearing their blankets around them.  Mark takes Steph to her class at the community college.  We hit the books.  Andrew goes to the computer for his math lesson, Rebecca heads to the family room with her literature book, and Rachael works on English lessons.

I love Thursdays because there's still time to get our work done for the week.  I still have hope my lesson plan will pan out for this week.  By Friday, all bets are off...

10:30 - everyone is more than ready for a break.  So far we've done spelling, attempted writing, and grammar.  I make a pitcher of lemonade and reach for my third cup of coffee... Oops!  Forgot to print the history questions.  Here they are...  Got to hurry, the two middle girls have ballet at 12:00....tick, tock, tick, tock....pressure mounts.

11:45... Oh no, get your stuff, time to get into the car!  We're LATE!  Now what?  Rachael doesn't feel well, and is going to stay home.  Okay, Rebecca, just you - in the car.  I've got to get gas in the Jeep before we get there....

Back home, Andrew and I do our prewriting on a history report, and then eat lunch.  After lunch we head out to the swing to read.  Beautiful, clear day.  The swing is a great place to read together. 

Rachael is doing her math on her laptop in her room.  Neighbor, Laura, pops in to say, "hi!"  They Skype a friend on the mainland for a few minutes.

Better get the chicken in the oven.  Want to roast it for use later...

1:47...Now it's time to pick up Rebecca from ballet.  Once she's home, I can help her with her science.  Steph is home now, too.  Thank goodness for my niece, Lauren, who gives her a ride home.  Steph practices on the piano.  This is the same piano that I practiced on as a kid.  Sure is nice to hear it being played again.

Time for cleaning up the place.  Looks like a tornado when through.  That's the thing about homeschooling...I never get to keep the house clean for long.  We are always hanging around, messing it up again! 

3:30...I go outside to water the plants, play ball with Blue and look and the mountains.  Steph comes outside to hang her laundry, laptop in tow.  It amazes me how she can hold a IM conversation and do her chores at the same time...kids these days...

4:30...Time to head into the kitchen.  I'll make dinner for my family tonight from a recipe I found on the Pioneer Woman.  It's Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes. Yum....  I'm also making a macaroni and cheese with chicken and mixed veggies for my friend and her family.  She teaches Steph piano, and I cook her a casserole.  Works for me!

With the food done, I think I can sit down.  Mark is home now, and all is well with my world.  But the day isn't finished yet.  Steph and Rachael go to youth group, and Mark is off to a church board meeting.  Oh yes, there's the Wii game due at Blockbuster...out I go again.

Finally, it's 9:30 p.m. and everyone is back home.  The cool night air is seeping in the windows.  And I sit at the computer to attempt a new blog...

Confessions of a recovering perfectionist.

Seems like the more you get to know someone, the more you realize what shapes them.  Struggles of the past leave their mark on the present.  Even when the victory has come, the victor's character is altered by the contest.  All that to say, that I am a recovering perfectionist.  Not that I ever attained it....  That's the endless treadmill of the condition.  But I have begun to recognize the marks still shape who I am and what I do.  For example, I tend to put things off if I don't have a complete picture of how I will complete them.  It may look from the outside like I'm lazy, but in reality, I can get exhausted trying to mentally conquor the task.  (Even as I write this, I'm tempted to delete it all and start over!) 

The further I get on the journey of this life, the easier it is to let myself off the hook.  I'm learning to jump in with both feet and figure out how deep it is later...  I'm learning the lessons of Grace. 

This video clip of Pete Briscoe is great.  I can totally relate to what he's saying. 

I Am Second

Today's attempt at being an un-perfectionist comes in the form of school schedules.  Technically, we should have another two weeks before a fall break.  But, with all the kids' friends off this coming week, I have decided to take a week off as well.  It takes everything within me to convince my self that it's okay.  After all, who's in charge here?  I want to live everyday giving the same amount of grace that I depend on myself.  The school work will be done.  We'll get our required 36 weeks in before summer.  It'll be one more way to keep the first things first - because I am second.

"Do not despise these small beginnings..."

I love this verse from Zechariah 4:10. It reminds me that my God, my Abba, "rejoices to see the work begin." No, I'm not rebuilding the Temple, but this is my intrepid attempt at starting something new. I've been so inspired by other blogs I've read, that I want to try one for myself. I did have a blog for the happenings of my family, but I didn't keep it up. I hope to be better at this one.

I hope to write a little bit everyday, or almost everyday about things that are happening in my life. It can get pretty crazy around my house. I've been married to (and am totally in love with) my high school sweetheart for 22 years. I have four amazing kids: girls 17, 15, and 13, and a boy that's 9. Yeah, three teenage girls. I home school all 4 of them. I lead worship at my church. I love to run to clear my head and try to quiet myself before the Lord. I live in the most beautiful place in the world - the Windward side of Oahu, Hawaii. I adore my 3 year old Bi-blue Sheltie. That's enough for now. As the days go by, I'll fill you in on other facets of my life.

If you are looking for a blog from someone who has it all together, you'd better just hit your back button. - this ain't it! I seem to learn best by trial and error. I'll just share what I've learned along the way. Perhaps it will encourage you and show you that most mistakes aren't fatal. Wisdom is learning from someone else's' mistakes, right?