Now, We were late!

What is the new motivation? After the SAT's are a memory, she will take them again. But now she knows why I was griping about them. "Mommy, you never told me that they were important and hard." I did so!
I am used to being blamed for not striving hard enough with them. I have to get hot and bothered.
Today we were almost all late, because, I can't get psyched up to do what I have to do.
Wake up! Smell the coffee and clean up and get to work! Everybody made it to school, but just by the skin of our teeth.

Daddy loves Emily!

Today we took Emily to the SAT's. A day that I have dreamed about since she was born. Somehow it has lost its significance over the years. As giftedness proved in other areas predominantly, I have lessened my insistence that my children would strive to a perfect score on the SAT's. Not part of their plans, for sure. It seemed that I was kicking against the pricks on that goal. I am glad to have woken up to get her to the SAT's.
Ben was her compatriot on this day. I was there but not with bells on. We are part of the "regular joe" group. Not kicking any "buts" in the academic dept. Thats okay and we are still striving. God made my children with artistic talents and I can accept that now. I will continue to fight with the sinews of mental ability that they do have, but I am not going to kill myself drilling and drumming against their and their father's will. I would've dropped her off and sulked at my ineptitude in parenting not to have redeemed the time better. Not my husband, he is proud to be the father of a beautiful and loving family. This is so much better of a perspective. He walked her in there and represented, just like with Elyse.
I am the father of this beautiful and capable young woman. That is why they are so confident. They are accepted, with or without a perfect score on the SAT's. Beyond my imagination of love.
The only love that I can visualize is a love that disdains ineptitude. Striving is far more accomplishing and accomplished when acceptance is understood!
Halleluia, what a Savior.

Tonight is the debate!

The Vice Presidential debate is more intriguing, this year, than the Presidential. Here we have a real and rank "New"bean entering the national scene. This is always exciting. New blood and new ideas is a curiosity.
How will she handle the pressure? How will she speak about the things that she has no idea of? Will she crumble under the pressure of being asked to debate with an obviously far more qualified candidate? She looks pretty doing so. She is a little over confident in her abilities, as most youngsters are.
We will see tonight, God willing, will there still be respect for her tomorrow?

The finger of God is unpenetrable

My beloved slammed his finger in the door and although he didn't cry, his pain was excruciating. After the xray proved that it wasn't broken, the doctor had to put a hole in the nail to drain the blood out from under the nail. That part didn't hurt as much. The pain-killers that they gave him were strong and he slept and now we appreciate the facility of our fingers all the more because the pain in that one finger in the family incapacitated us all in one way or another. God is good to give us a family to bare our burdens with us. A painful season!

My, Oh My It was chocolate chess pie!

I meant to save a little piece of it for a picture on my blog. I went to Sunday school, prepared to keep my diet, as usual. But, of course, it is a day of rejoicing and rejoicing means feasting and trying to stay away from the table is harder on Sunday than on other days of the week.

A precious sister in the Lord passed me a plate of precious samples and MY, OH MY!...
Now the plate is empty and I can't even take a picture of it for my blog.

Once, In Love with AMY!

Always in love with AMY! I am so excited to see the ambition of my Amy-like, senior daughter darting in and out of our house and our lives. "Are you going to miss me Mommy?" Going places? Like Africa and Asia and Herzigovina and all over the world, if she's like my sister Amy, as she seems to be.
My sister Amy has 2 Emmy awards and I have an Emmy daughter and an AMY sister! I think I am twice blessed!

Everyday, my butterfly friends come to visit

Today, Ezra and Callie and I played tag with the butterflies who doted upon our butterfly bush!


Around and around we ran and each person who tagged one had to run around the house!









Simply delighful!









Thanks to Uncle Elijah, we also got our mums planted in the front yard!

The Autumn leaves are changing?

It seems a conundrum or, if you will, idyllic; for the temperatures to be still in the 80's and the leaves to be changing at the same time. I love the sweaters that we need in the morning hours and the chill of 75 in the evenings. Ms. Gellineau said to me that Australia had temperatures like that, except alot more extreme.
My first Autumn, I nearly caught pneumonia by going out to a class at the college without a jacket and short sleeves. I went into the class at about 5pm and was sweaty running to the class across the campus at about 85 degrees and when I came out, it was about 60 or lower. I was frost bitten on my way to find the car, not to mention that I had forgotten where the car was and it was DARK!
The campus at Davidson College was gorgeous in the daytime, but very ominous at sundown. I was shiverring from cold and from fear. Thank God for a good husband who talked me through the dark to the vehicle and I learned that there are no hoodlums in Davidson, that I could see. It is a quaint little town with beauty and history and I just love it there, before and after dark!
NC is the place I am and I am learning to love it!

All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray...
I went for a walk on a winter's day,
I would be safe and warm if I was in LA.
California Dreaming?

My Emily is midway through her Senior Year!

She talked about giving me a cartoon of herself taking the bus, in her Senior year. She is a new woman. She joined the choir and she's making new friends and she is not wearing as much make up as she used to. It is so hard to keep up with the changes in these children. One day it's about color and face stuff and the next day that is completely taboo. I don't do that anymore, Mom! Where did you go Emily?
You are a grown up and you are so comfortable with yourself, now. What happened to the oversensitive, self absorbed little girl that was the sophomore and junior. I am a Senior, Mom. You missed it. I didn't really miss it. But I do miss that little girl and now I have to put effort into getting to know the woman that you've become.
I don't think I will ever get that cartoon of my little Emily with 2 pigtails on the side of her head getting on the bus on the first day of Senior year. Oh, well...

Ezra is 5 and there is nothing else to say!

Blessings come in small packages sometimes!















It was just yesterday that he was born!















He is the completion of the quiver and Thank God he's here!


















When I think of the Goodness of Jesus!