Free Ebook...$15 value!...Check out Robin Sampson's wonderful offer!!

I just wanted to share something with everyone.  I have bought and read Robin Sampson's book "Heart of Wisdom" and loved it! It was very helpful in making some decisions on reading choices and choosing curriculum.  I have had her book "Biblical Holidays" on my wish list for a very long time!  She is offering a very good deal on Facebook.  If you share her link you get on of her books on Kindle..a $15 dollar value, for Free!  You can't beat that :)  Here is the link http://www.heartofwisdom.com/homeschoollinks/how-to-read-your-how-ebook-on-kindle/



We have been enjoying our homeschool year.  It is exciting and scary to be homeschooling in high schoolWe are still going slow on the algebra...but it shouldn't be too long before we finish everything else up!  We've got throwed some punches as far as being sick.  Sam had shingles back in December...and now has them again!!  Plus I've been sick a lot too..which isn't that abnormal for me....lol  But, the shingles are painful and not very much fun to have :(   We are hoping and praying that he will get over them, and feel much better soon!
On the homefront...Hubby Mark has started on our garden.  That is always a high-lite here at our house!  We had a couple of frosts come through..but we are hoping what he has planted so far wasn't damaged. I am looking forward to God blessing our garden and allowing us to have plenty for us and to share!!  I know I promised to be back to blogging..but, I've been having to deal with some ups and downs..and real-life roller coasters..as some might call them.  Life is hard and it deals us many unhappy doses of realilty...lol   I am feeling a bit better..(the garden starting alway helps to cheer us up!) and forging ahead.. This quote from C.S. Lewis says it best...."There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." 

I'm off for now....Love & Blessings,     Jerelene

My week and sharing the love on curriculum

Well, it's been a long week!!  After I posted last time I got really sick :(   With a lovely respiratory infection.  It was really upsetting to me because I felt like I never totally recovered from my bronchitis at Christmas.  By Friday morning I was coughing, hardly had a voice, runny nose and watery eyes and a very stuffed up head.  So, I had to call and cancel my going in to our co-op to teach my strings classes.  I felt so badly about having to miss.  Even though I was sick the day before, I had everything set out to try and go.  When I got up and could hardly walk or talk I knew that it wasn't going to be happening.  I continued to feel really bad until probably Monday.  Yesterday and today have been better but I still don't really feel back to normal yet.  I started getting a tooth ache a couple of days ago too.  I'm not sure if it's related to me being sick or just a painful tooth.  I am not enjoying it either :(   Sam has had it also, but not as badly as I did.  I'm glad because he is still having pain from the shingles.  That alone is bad enough for him. 

Since I'm back I would love to talk about what we are doing for school work.  Sam is in 9th grade this year!  So exciting!!  He is growing into such a handsome and kind young man.  For our math we are using teaching textbooks.  For science we continued from last years apologia on to apologia physical science.  For history we are using The Mystery of History volume II...the Early Church and the Middle Ages.  We are loving it!  A friend is letting us borrow hers and I can't say enough good things about it!  It is a very enjoyable history curriculum to use.  For Language Arts we are using "Jump In"...for reluctant or eager writers along with Easy Grammar Plus and I am hand picking literature books to read for this year.  As an example of that..for right now we are reading "The Hobbit," and "A Connecticut Yankee in King Aurthur's Court."  Both are really good and we are doing them as a read aloud because I love reading with him and being able to discuss the stories together!  You are never to old to enjoy an adventure or two together :)  I don't know about you, but I love talking homeschool curriculum!  Love, love, love it!!   If anyone wants to share with me what they are using this year I love to hear all about it :)   Of course, Sam is also playing in the strings ensemble at our homeschool co-op and he sings in concert choir.  We have an art book series that he is working in also.  We do our Bible lessons from our class at church also  So all in all we are having a wonderful year!  That is all for tonight.  Much love to each of you!  And for those dear friends who I have promised to pray for..I am praying for you and love you dearly!!  Please keep my sweet new grandbaby that is due in May..(but will probably come in April)..baby Elliana..in your prayers..and Maci too!   "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Colossians 3:15

With Love and Hugs,    Jerelene   

       

A beautiful day!

  It was such a wonderful day!  We had a little snow this morning..and then it melted into a beautiful and sunny day!  Sam and I took off for his weekly cello lesson this afternoon.  Then to my Mom and Dad's to stay and visit for the evening. Since yesterday was my birthday, my Mom had presents for me.  Lots of goodies but my favorite was a gorgeous Thomas Kinkaid Anniversary clock...it is just beautiful!!  We had a nice evening..visiting and talking and hearing my parents tell stories about my grandparents and great-grandparents. It was good to refresh my mind and it was nice for Sam to hear a lot of the stories that he had never heard before. My Dad had his pilot license for years and used to fly a 2 seater cub.  I used to fly with him when I was young.  He took off from a corn field at my grandparents home. It was so fun!  He had uncles and a brother that flew also.  It's funny, but Sam comes from a long family line of pilots.  On my husbands side..he is related to the Wright brothers!  Anyway, it was a wonderful evening.  We topped the evening off by stopping for a yummy blizzard from DQ on the way home.  Sam got a mint-chocolate blizzard and I got a turtle chocolate and pecan blizzard...yum-yum :) Well, I'm going to keep this short..it's been a long day!  

Love and Blessings,  Jerelene

 

I'm back! Yay!!

I am so excited to finally sit down and right a post! First time in such a very long time!  I had told myself I really wanted to do this again..so, as a birthday present to myself; I got busy playing around and tweaking it a little.  I am not done..by far. And to be honest, it has been so long since I've posted anything that I couldn't remember how to do some of it.  As an example, I had a horrible time trying to figure out how to change my background. Then I messed something up and changed my template and couldn't get the original one back!  So aggravating!!  For now I am just going to have to accept what I've got until I can figure out how I had it before..lol.
My hubby took us all out for a late lunch of yummy mexican food. That is my favorite, so it was awesome!  I haven't been out for mexican in a long time so it was quite a treat!  He also surprised me a little bad of donuts this morning...which I really didn't need..but the thought was SO sweet!
My sweet little grandbaby Maci is getting so big!  She spent some time with us this weekend.  She is potty training and doing such a good job!  I can't believe how big she is getting and how smart she is :)  She has been busy talking about her new baby seester that is coming this spring.  Baby Eliana is doing well. The last ultrasound showed her to be about 1 lb. and 15 oz.  I can't wait to see her! From the ultrasound pics I think she looks a lot like little Miss Maci!
Sam is doing well.  He had shingles back in December. He still has some residual pain in the area where the blisters were. They said the post-neuralgia can last a good while in some people. He has been exercising and working out and has lost probably 25 pounds or more. He is a lot taller now too.  He is growing up to be such a handsome young man.  He is in 9th grade this year. He is still playing cello..and doing SO well!  I am very proud of him.
I am teaching in Sam's homeschool co-op again this year. I am teaching and directing the strings class. I am blessed with wonderful and kind students.  Sam being one of them! We are busy working on music for our spring concert.  They are doing so well and I am proud of them all. They work hard on the music and it is challenging music at that.  "Rues Farewell," from Hunger Games, "Trumpet Voluntary", "Rondeau", "Allegro" and "Spring" by Vivaldi are the pieces we are working on. I feel very blessed to be able to spend time with these lovely young people every Friday.On the homefront,  Mark is staying busy.  He is still working as custodian at one of the local grade schools; plus he lays brick with friends and on his own when he gets calls for work. He still does the taxidermy some..but not as often as he used to. Mickey, Teddy and Peanut are doing well.  Teddy had a bit of a sick spell right after Christmas, but is doing ok now.  I can tell age is taking a bit of a toll on him. Mickey and Peanut spend their days begging for food and snuggling up with the nearest family member. I am hanging in there as far as my health.  I have good days and bad days. I treasure the good! After the last round of MRI's they finally diagnosed me with Occipital Neuralgia. It is from the bone spurs and bulges that I have in my neck. It causes severe neck pain and pain running up into my head and behind my eyes. At times on bad days it is so severe that I vomit. They have now given me phenergan to take at home to try to stop the vomiting before it starts. Between that and the ruptured discs in my lower back and the fibromyalgia and the fevers I run...it is a constant struggle to try to get everything done. I think my family is sometimes tired of me being ill..as I am also. All I can do is pray and have faith that God is with me and that everything has a reason....That our trials make us stronger!  I know that I am so much luckier than some that are going through so much worse of trials than me, by far.  God is good though..and blessings are plentiful.  Family, grandbabies, friends, all the beautiful things that God has blessed me with..those are what I focus on. I miss the interaction between my blogging friends.  Over the years I have found that those friendships have remained as strong as ever.  I am truly blessed by each of you..and you know who you are!!  Even though facebook has sort of taken over the blogging world..there is something so special about blogging :)  And on a happy ending note...A crocus has popped out in my flower bed!  It brought a huge smile to my face today. I am so very ready for spring and all the beauty that it brings with it! How about you?
  The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come.   Song of Solomon 2:12
 With much Love,    Jerelene

Turning 44..

  I turned 44 on Sunday! I definitely feel older. I've been trying not to think about that in 6 years I will be 50!  I guess that's not really a bad thing..but, I've always been the baby of the family..so it makes it a little harder for me to think about.  Turning 30 was hard for me too.  It seems to me that the older I get, the faster time flies. Is that just me..or is it that way for everyone?  At first I thought it was just the year, then it was also the week..and now lately it seems that even the days fly by.  I remember being a child and it seemed like time almost stood still.  I think the hardest part of seeing the time fly by as it does for me, is seeing my kids also seeming to growing older so quickly too.  It has also seemed to give me an urgency to make the most of my time here on earth..as if I want to be sure and do everything that God wants me to do. And, to also walk as closely as I can with him.
  2011 was a rough year, healthwise for me.  It was a huge reality check in getting older. I am doing ok though. The medicines that they have me on for the fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue and the arthritis/degenerative disc disease seem to be helping me some.  The ruptured disc still hurts me if I do certain things.  I have had to learn to work around it.  The medicines have also seemed to have numbed my brain somewhat..or that's how I feel sometimes. I think that they make me a little more tired than I already am... but I am pushing my way through the fog...and that's been a good thing. I am trying to keep myself busy so that I don't have time to feel sorry for myself,  and to keep my mind going strong too:)  Last fall I started teaching  at Sam's homeschool co-op.  I am the new strings teacher...and I love it!  I feel so blessed and honored that they asked me to do it.  It's such a great way to put the gift of music that the Lord blessed me with to work for the Lord. They are such great kids too! It's only on Fridays during the months of September through the first week of December.  Then they come back in Jan. and go through to the end of March.  We have a concert the first week of December and then a final spring concert at the end of March.  It's been such a good thing for me.  I am loving putting the music together and watching the kids learn new things, and then me learning to conduct..which I had never done before..was amazing!!  I just praise Yahweh for all the good in my life!!

The picture is of me directing the strings ensemble class in the December concert. Both classes did a wonderful job!!  I was so pleased that they asked me if I would be the teacher next year too..How awesome is that!! :)

I really want to try to start blogging regularly again.  I just seem to stay so tired.  That and the migraines that I have quite often really cause me difficulty when I try to sit down and type. The scrolling of the screen really does bother me.  I have also been staying busy knitting and doing lots of interesting learning with Sam. That's one of the really nice things about homeschooling.  I love that I am always learning right beside him.  It's funny how there are so many things that I've forgotten and am now learning over.  That and lots of new things too!  The 12 chicken girlies..:) keep me busy too.  We have had such a mild winter here that it hasn't seemed to slow their egg laying down much, if at all.  On average I usually get anywhere from 9-10 eggs a day. I think there may have been one or two days when I only got 6 eggs..and some days where I got a whole dozen!!

There are also some days when you get the nicest and sweetest of surprises.  Like this!!

As I end this post.. I am hoping and praying that this is just the beginning of many more.  A verse that we read in Sam's history lesson today comes to mind.  We were reading about John James Audubon.  The verse was Matthew 6:26.   "Look at the birds of the shamayim(Heavens) for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into storehouses, yet your Father of the shamayim(Heavens) feeds them. Are you not worth more than they?"   I had the privilege of having a dear friend that often calls me to talk and pray together; call me tonight.  I am so thankful for her calling, because I really needed prayer tonight.  Our prayers brought me back to this verse.  I went and got Sam's notebook and looked at his copywork of this verse.  It made me smile.:)  This verse means so much to me..I often worry and worry.  I really needed to hear it today and the Lord led me to it through Sam's lessons:) I am always thinking of my on-line friends. I can't wait until the day when we all meet in person together with the Lord. I keep all of you in my prayers. Please keep me and my family in yours.         I am praying that it won't be long until he comes back for all of us!

With Love and Hugs,      Jerelene

Apron Giveaway Contest

I LOVE this....you must go check out her page and enter in the giveaway:)  I LOVE her pink one:)
Jen at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven is giving away a Flirty Apron!

Go HERE to enter!

Thankfulness and friends...some of them furry :)

Hello to all my friends:)  Thank you so much to all of you that have been checking in on me..either here or on Facebook.  I actually did alright with the epidural steroid shots.  I felt rough for the first couple of days..but after that I have gradually felt just a tiny bit better.  I also went to see a new doctor.  He goes to church with us and so I knew him and his wife.  I know his wife better because he isn't always there with her.  He is often at the hospital with patients.  He is very kind and took lots of extra time to answer all my questions and discuss everything with me.  He did want to know what happened with the other doctor which was awkard for me because I know that they are sort of friends...so I treaded gently with the subject and was as kind as I could be and sort of chalked it up to not clicking with each other.  My new doctor suggested another couple series of epidural steroid shots.  But he won't be sedating me..and that makes me extremely nervous.  He is giving me valium to take before I have it done.  He said after we do these then he will get me in with another doctor in the office that deals with neck pain and migraines.  He said he would probably give me injections in my neck. That also scares me to death...but I would love to have some relief.  I think the steroids have lowered my immune system even more than it already was.  I've had a sore throat, eye infection and ear ache all week.  The dizziness returned this week with a vengence and the headaches as well.  My Mom has been checking my blood sugar.  It has been higher than it should be.  At one point this week it was lower than it should have been.  I had felt bad all day and couldn't figure out why.  My Mom had me drink some orange juice and that seemed to have helped a little.  I was suppose to get my glucose and potassium checked again after 2 weeks which was last week and I forgot.  So I will be making a call to the doctor's office Monday to set up a time to do that.  
My Mother is doing very well from her surgery.  I couldn't be happier:):)  She was sent home from the hospital the very next afternoon.  She went in for a follow-up with the surgeon on Friday and he gave her an excellent report..:)
I am so relieved...more than I could possibly put in words.  
My friend Diana also had surgery..she had both knees done.  I have been keeping her in my prayers as well.  She is a brave lady:)  I'm glad she will be able to do all the things she wants to without pain, when she is all healed up and done recovering.  She doesn't live to terribly far from me.  Maybe when she feels better she can meet me at our mall and we can visit and shop..and maybe have a coffee or tea too:) Diana,  I am keeping you in my prayers.
I have been having daily prayer...(if we're able) with my sweet friend Shelley.  We are recieving such a blessing from praying for each other and everyone on our prayer lists...
My sweet Mother gave me this beautiful mug before she had her surgery.  With me not feeling well..it gave special meaning to me.  It isn't just beautiful on the outside.  It is beautiful on the inside too..

It reminded me to be thankful for all the little things that maybe I've been forgetting about.  I think sometimes..speaking for myself of course..that when we feel badly..we just sort of forget all the wonderful things that God does for us on a daily basis.  The pain medicine of course has made me groggy and not thinking well.  But now since I'm not as medicated I have no excuses.  So many things have been jumping out at me every time I take a sip out of my sweet coffee mug.  I have a wonderful family...I have a roof over my head...I have food on my table..I have the most wonderful friends that a person could ever ask for.  Old ones, new ones, even ones I have never met...  But each one of them are precious gifts from God.  For each kind word,  and each loving prayer, I thank all of you :)  I am SO grateful :):)

I'm especially grateful for these little furry gifts from God.....I've had lots of good days,  and lots of bad...

And on the bad days, these little guys are busy loving and caring for their Mommy....And yes, Teddy is is here and loved too...he just doesn't like laying up close to me like these two fur babies...He has more fur and doesn't get as cold as they do...

Aren't they just adorable?  They are like little heating pads.  I just love them so much.   My family has been really helping a lot too.  It is so hard having to realize that some things I just can't do.  And that I am just going to have to make adjustments depending on how I'm feeling each day.
I go back in to see my rheumatologist on Tuesday.  Next week will be a busy week for me.  I'm hoping it all goes well.  
I've made a new friend that is suffering with such similar health issues as I am.  It has been so helpful writing back and forth...she gives me some encouragement which I definately need.  Thank you so much Tabby :)  If you have fibromyalgia like I do...her blog is full of information and encouragement. I am so glad to have met her:)
That's all for now.  I'ts been a long day and I am ready to head to bed.....
I hope everyone has a wonderful and rested weekend..
1 John 4:7 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” (NIV)


With Love and Blessings,
Jerelene