Blah day....but still full of God's Beauty.

Today was a blah day for most of us. 4 of the 6 of the Whitfield fam has a stomach bug. So most of the time we laid around and SLOWLY did homework. As a matter of fact, starting school around 1 makes for a long day. Even though we were not pushing. It just seems longer.
God turned our day around and let us have a little pleasure and dreaming. We are really enjoying our history with Sonlight. We are studying the Pacific Islands. Chloe has designed a resort on her very on island, shaped in a "C" of course! Nate is making fact cards on FIGI and loving all the cool places to visit. Now, if we could only get there. Talk about a field trip! Never over 80 degrees. Perfect weather.
Sarah is much better today. She carried LULU's picture around less and mentioned her less. I think I miss LULU more that she does at this point and that is good.




THis summer we went to Smith Lake thanks to some family friends. We had a wonderful time. This family offered us to come for a weekend, just us.The six of us, "just us." So, I took them up on their offer and took Jerome for Father's Day in late July. He didn't care when we went. It almost killed to wait and find out what I had planned for him! He was like a little kid waiting on a Christmas package! "What did you buy me? When's it coming? ?" ON and on he asked. The children kept the secret too! Which is a huge feet for any child, let alone 4 of them!!!! We arrived early Saturday morning and swam in the deep waters and fished in the late afternoon. It was so pleasant to sit and listen to the lapping of the water and the "whirring" of the fishing rods as they flew out across the water. Even Sarah and Sam got to where they could toss a lure way out into the water. An evening I never want to forget.

Loss of a dear family member

This Sunday our dear sweet kitty passed away. Last summer we were blessed with a second generation gray kitten. Sarah got to keep her for her very own and named her "Lucy." Lucy was a perfect cat. Beautiful, loving and forgiving to little hands that carried her roughly. We are not sure what happened to Lucy. Our neighbor Annie spotted her lying under the trampoline Sunday morning sunning and by Sunday night she was "gone." It has been hard on Sarah, 4 1/2, I wasn't sure she would understand what being dead meant. This is the first experience that any of our children have had with death. Chloe was very supportive with her. She printed off a picture of LULU and put it in a frame for Sarah to carry with her so she wouldn't forget LULU. Then she took her to the school room and made a card for LULU. This is what she dictated to Chloe:"Lucy, Sarah's Cat: I love you. Charlie take care of Lucy. I will miss you. Good Bye. P.s. You will get better in Heaven. Love, Sarah.(I had a white cat that passed away when I was her age. I thought it might comfort her to know that I had lost a pet too. Now she ask if Charlie is taking care of Lulu.) Today she is better. She hasn't cried. She still talks about her and carries her picture. We buried LULU in her favorite corner in our back yard. We hope to make a cross for her grave and paint her name on her head stone rock. Now, to keep Sam, 3 at the end of the month, from digging up LULU to pet her!!! Pray for Sarah's feelings of sorrow.

I'm so excited!

I know some of you have seen my school / play room and think that I am set. But, when that room is turned upside down by my 4 children and toys are astray you can't walk across the room. Problem being is that most everything is at my two youngest children's level. I have ample organizational equipment, but they can still reach it! This is the perfect-to-be room where I can send them down to play and be entertained and not be fearful of the mess to come. But for now, I wait. Everyone has said that the room looks "fine" or "great." Through my eyes I see (screech-screech-screech (horror music)) when I can't open the door despite the toys or the pillows or the baby mattress strew across the floor for movie watching I have to do something! My bookshelves are sagging, the cubbies are overflowing and Everything is in EYE site. I can't work with this mess taunting me. Some of you might think I need to clean out. Well, I do that all the time. I love to loan out my stuff so that it doesn't just sit. I sale, I donate and I trash all the time with the stuff that we accumulate. I'm not afraid to let go. "Fly be free! Let someone else enjoy!"(My husbands motto on junk.)
I have to do something. So, being me, "a home for everything" kind of gal, I have been searching for a way to install closets or cabinets or something that would hide the stuff that we have and need. I finally went into the Habitat for Humanity and found a great deal on 2 above the cabinet units and one pantry "closet" thing. The unit will hide "behind closed doors" and I will still have my, no longer stuff but has now become, my home schooling supplies. Pray that I get it today. It will become so peaceful and not so stressful to be in the room. My supplies will be safe from my younger ones' hands and easier to stay even more organized! and at PEACE.
"FOR GOD IS NOT A GOD OF DISORDER BUT OF PEACE." 1 CORINTHIANS 14:33
The calendar will be for the next posting.

Oh, my goodness! We had the best time with the Sharits this summer. They invited us to go to their lake house for the day and treated us to awesome boat rides! Chloe, Nate and Sarah got to ride the "Tube" and loved it! Imagine the beatings their little bottoms took from bouncing over the waves! And their teeth chattering from the vibrations! They came out of the water grinning ear to ear!

Getin' Organized

Well ladies,
It is time to get our homes organized. Remember that our Lord is not the lord of chaos. He wants us to care for the things that He has given us. So, lets start in the hub of the home...the food source, both tummy wise and spiritually... the kitchen. The Lord gave us so many wonderful foods to enjoy! We must keep our kitchens tidy and clean because our little ones, families and friends come to our home to eat and to share their hearts with us. This is our mission field, for those of us to stay at home and nurture. When someone comes into your home you need to remember your five senses! How does is look? Clean, tidy, and welcoming? or a disaster? Now, I am no June Clever, but a tidy sink makes the world of difference. It also makes a difference in the morning when you get up if you don't have to look at last night's dirty dishes! It is always a good idea to put what ever dish you just used in the washer right then. Don't leave it in the sink that just calls the germs to a feast! A clean sink is a welcoming site! Those Clorox wipes are wonderful. 1 quick swipe and don't forget behind the faucet the place is all spiffy!
I'm in the process of teaching my 2 oldest to clean the sink, not just clear the dishes from it. It is a try-try again story. One day when they are out on their own, their sinks will be clean and their doors will be open to who ever the Lord sends to sit at their tables.

I survived

I made it through! With no nap! After last night's spend the night (some girls stayed up til 3 am) I wasn't sure that I would make it through! Especially when my little ones went to bed many hours earlier than I did. It was a beautiful day. I spent a few hours in the hammock reading a homeschool magizine. Sarah and Sam both came to lay with me. Sam kept placing sweet kisses on my cheek while Sarah talked about last nights party. She was so tired last night when I put her down in her own bed at eleven! She just cried and cried. But this afternoon, she had forgotten all the aguish of going to bed "early" and was thrilled that the girls were still here when she got up this morning. It was really fun. I stayed with the gang most of the night. I decided it might be best, especially with so many. The volume was a little loud, but Jerome never heard a sound! Nate is having a few boys over from church on Saturday night. He is looking forward to it. They will be going fishing on Saturday with the church men and then camping out in our backyard. We have a great tent that has hosted several spend the nights, but never once been used for "real" camping. Children are such a blessing. I love spending time with each of the groups and watching them grow.

One long Night

Wow, what have I done! There are 12 girls, between the ages of 7 and 13 at my house for the night! God bless them! (and me too!) We are celebrating end of the summer with a Big Sis-Lil Sis spend the night. They have laughed, painted nails, watched movies and painted hand print serving trays. This is a house full of future wives, mothers, evangelist, ministers, Sunday School teachers, oh the list goes on (especially with 12 of them!) It is a blessing that our downstairs is full of young girls that are witnesses of the Truth, and the Way.
Thanks Moms for sending your girls over! I hope to send Photos home!