I seem to have run out of interesting things to post about. I figure everyone is tired of the chess updates ;-)

SO...it has been a few weeks since I posted and I'm still at a loss of what to post. Bear with me. :-)

I was thinking of how some very small changes can really be effective. And they are usually the least-expected or the opposite of the solution we were looking for. For example, I've been continuing to learn about different hair updos. I've done quite a few new ones and they all come out pretty good except for one SMALL thing--I cannot seem to get rid of the "sag" underneath my buns. This has been driving me crazy, so I finally did a google search and found the simplest answer to my problem. In an article/video about "how to make a ponytail" I found the answer to my much more complicated updos. When pulling the hair together and smoothing it toward the place the bun will be (or where the ponytail would be), I simply have to lean my head back. That's it! And it works. No more drooping under my buns. Now why couldn't I figure that out?

Another example of something small that has changed my life lately is my hate-hate relationship with dusting my house. I really, really do not like to dust. Sometimes I consider getting rid of every decorative knickknack in the house because it is not worth it to me to have to dust the thing! Of all the household chores, it is definitely the lowest on my list.

However, I am convinced that we all have things that we do not necessarily enjoy but that are part of our duties, and we need to learn to just do them. So I've made myself dust and I've continued to dislike doing it. Until...recently I had an idea to divide my dusting up so that I do one room each day. Smaller chunks are more manageable and it is not something that I have to tackle all in one day...and it works! For the first time, I get my dusting done regularly (and more thoroughly) and I don't hate it anymore! Success!

There are a couple of lessons I've learned from these "small changes" and how they've helped resolve areas of great frustration for me. First, apparently, we will not think of everything on our own. Collective knowledge and knowledge sharing are good things that will save many hours of difficulty. Just think how much more that will be the case when it is God's wisdom that we take and apply to our lives! If we have an area of frustration in our lives (something of more import than our hairdo!), it may be that we cannot see or figure out the solution on our own and we need the insight God has into human nature and what is best for us. Read the Bible more. There are probably very small changes we all can make that will improve our lives and remove frustrations. Trust that God has the answers for us.

Second, the solution might be right in front of us, but we're so stubbornly set on *not* doing it that we find any excuse to not commit to doing it. But if we just break it down into smaller bites, it *is* something we can handle. We are commanded to do things that are against our personality or "out of our comfort zone." We are to rejoice, pray without ceasing, teach others...those are all things that might not come naturally. We are to study and make God's word the light we live by. Do we *want* to do that? Or do we stall and claim we aren't really "students" in that way? Do we leave it to someone more "suited" to in-depth study? Or do we break it down into manageable chunks and decide to get it done? How willing are we to find a solution to help us do what we know we should do?

Maybe these are bad analogies, but they are things that are helping me tackle things in my life, and maybe they'll help someone else. :-)

Have a great week and enjoy the spring weather (after your dusting is done!)...

Sharon

Quote from 5 yo Michaela (as she eats a fresh-baked cookie):

"Mommy, when I'm grown up--before you die...please give me this recipe!"




Glad I'm needed ;-)

Have a great weekend!
Sharon

Hey, just thought I'd brag on Justin's first-place chess trophy last night. It's his first "first place."

He played at the smaller Friday-night tournament that he had played a few times last fall. Back then it was a tough crowd for him. but last night he came away with the 1st place trophy!

At this tournament, we can sit or stand right next to his board and watch him, so it was fun to be able to see him in action. He plays with a lot of confidence. During one game he had to handle a situation where his opponent was demanding a draw based on something that happened early in the game (according to him), and Justin stood his ground and came away with the win. We're very proud of him!

(For those of you keeping up with his "rating"...he was up to 746 going into this tournament, and we are waiting to see if it goes up following this win. He was around 600 in December.)

Michaela didn't play last night, but she continues to do really well and is learning and playing great chess for a 5 yo :-)) She's hoping to get a trophy before the end of the schoolyear.

We are enjoying a full Saturday at HOME!!!!!!

Hope you have a great weekend!
Sharon

I remember when I once dreaded Monday mornings. When I had a paying job, that is. I never really disliked the work I was doing, but "going to work" and being stuck there all day when there were so many other things I wanted to be doing, or needed the time to do...and dealing with workplace politics and difficult people...those were never fun.

By Sunday afternoon, I would have a knot of dread rising in my stomach, knowing that my time was soon not my own.

Now I actually love Mondays in a way. Weekends are still better because they include more time with Toby and as a family, as well as time to serve God, but Mondays have their own charm. Monday represents a fresh slate for my schedule and to-do list. I can set the tone for the whole week by how much I accomplish early on, and I usually do fairly well.

So, today it is 11am, and I can say that I have already done the following:

- got up and had prayer and Bible study time before the kids were up
- did my yoga (about 40 min)
- fed the kids homemade blueberry muffins (from the freezer extras that we made last week) and fruit
- ironed white dress shirts and cloth napkins and hand towels from laundry last week while I "played dolls" with Michaela (making the dolls talk while she packed them for a trip to Colorado--hearing her role-play is such fun!)
- dusted and straightened up my bedroom and bath
- completed two loads of laundry
- fed and brushed the dog

- acted as "manager" for the kids while they got morning chores done (teeth and hair brushed, beds made up, room cleaned up, laundry taken downstairs, and collected trash from the small cans around the house)
- read a chapter of the Bible with the kids and discussed

Now I am taking a break and spending time on the internet (my worst time eater!) before we tackle schoolwork for the day. We have several days of the week that require us to do schoolwork in the morning and be finished early, but on my "at home" days, we've found it works better to tackle some of the household things and get off to a good start for the week and then finish school by mid afternoon.

So, the rest of my day includes schoolwork, dust the gameroom upstairs, bathe the dog and then clean bathrooms, fix and feed lunch in there somewhere (with a Bible story read over lunch), try to get out to walk on the trails before the bad weather hits tonight, fix chicken pot pie for supper, and clean up, spend time with Toby and hopefully have a little time to piece the kid-size quilt top that I finished the squares for yesterday (yea!!). And put out any little fires that come up throughout the day...

Whew! I'd better go get to work!

Hope your week is off to a wonderful start! And HAPPY MONDAY!

Sharon

We just finished a wonderful gospel meeting this weekend, enjoying uplifting and thought-provoking sermons from three gospel preachers. I am renewed and motivated to make the changes I need to "grow up" and make.

We enjoyed seeing the Watson family, and hearing a bit about the happenings at Benchley. Like most who move away, we always miss the congregation there, but we are thankful for the years of sound teaching and example we had while we were there.

We pray that God will continue to bless this nation for those who are righteous, that his word can continue to be proclaimed freely week to week in churches which are striving to do His work.

Thank you to all the brave men who are doing that work, and the wives and children who are walking along side them!

Have a great week!
Sharon