More to Be Grateful For

Within a couple hours of my last post Boo decided to do what he usually does--run, jump and "explode." Well he exploded a little to much and landed wrong. Ouch!!

He's sporting a walking boot now to accessorize his buckle fracture on his left foot. He's received good and proper sympathy from our sweet friends Miss H & her daughter E. He got many well wishes, prayer and attention this evening while he audited (read: sat and took notes) his ballet class, because...I've already paid for it...and you just can't dance in that stylish footwear. Doctor's orders.

I've spent the last two days with him in doctors' offices, and radiology offices. We've met some awesome, incredible health care professionals. What could have been a miserable experience has been at least made bearable by kind and gentle people who have been very sweet to my youngest boy. I have been blown away by the quality of care. His teachers and the director of the dance school have been quite helpful, solicitous and encouraging. My friends K and C have listened to me vent, whine and boo-hoo. And offered priceless advice.

God is good--all the time. This could have been so much worse, he could have been hurt worse, the care could have been less. We could be without such a marvelous support system of good friends.

We've dragged our schoolwork with us for the waiting areas and Boo has been a trouper about getting it done!! But my other praise is that our wait times have really not been too bad. Roo has been able to stay home with my telecommuting husband and has been so good about staying on task by himself.

While I am praising for all this wonderful care we've received...I am praying to be bored silly tomorrow! I am behinder (it is too a word) than I was--and that was bad--on my blog visiting. Looking forward to calm...Okay, I'm not holding my breath.

Grains of Gratitude

Why do we (or at least I) always fall out of the good habits and fall into the bad ones?

One of my best habits was Grains of Gratitude. Is it really possible that my last "Grains" post was in July??? Really? Shame on me. There is so much to be grateful for.

We are one month into 2010, I am grateful that my husband doesn't mention the Christmas decorations that are still up. Yes. Really. Usually I leave them up until the Feast of the Presentation of the LORD, but can I just be honest and say...ummm...likely it may be a holly, jolly Valentines Day. So there's some green with all the red...really who's going to notice? It has just been too cold to deal with the garage and opening it up--the way the decorations come in and go out. What this really means, is I am grateful for a husband who puts up with my faults and silliness.

I am grateful that Roo has had a good time auditioning. Boo was going to try an audition, but we decided where we are going and now are on the "actively saving for summer" program. Yes, this is all about ballet. Again. Ballet moms have two seasons. Nutcracker and Summer Intensive. Everything in between is a whirlwind of trying to catch up. Did I mention the Christmas decorations are still up?

A new van has found its home on my driveway. I am grateful we were able to swing that. I don't know if I mentioned, but on New Year's Day my car went kaput halfway between home and my father's house. I limped it back home to be met with two trips to the mechanic. It still is in the driveway, but will be limited to in-town driving. The new van will allow me to go visit my father and to head east for five weeks this summer. It's not fancy, but it will do nicely. I don't need "fancy." I just need "works."

Friends are always something to be grateful for. My mom friends who listen to my parenting concerns and my friends from way back who remind me of where I come from. Friends are certainly a gift. Always something to be grateful for.

I could go on and on, but I need to do some work and focus on getting ready for a new week. I am grateful for blogging friends who visit and share their time and joy with me. Getting back in the grove has been slow, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm grateful for this little blogging place. Christine at Brady's Bunch was the originator of Grains of Gratitude.

What are you grateful for?

Count it all joy!

Julie

Notes From the Sofa

Well, January has been more difficult to accomplish school, or anything else for that matter, than I planned on. There has been flu, malaise, inertia, and much frustration (to be quite honest). There have been auditions for summer intensives and much angst over going to summer intensives. And there has been drama...Oh yes, most of it was me.

The Nutcracker that Ate Christmas consumed seven days a week from mid-October until the end of December--past Christmas. We had a car crisis New Years Day and are still trying to recover from that. As a result, the house is stacked and piled high. I am, as I said the other night, "overwhelmed and spinning in circles." I am living in the crisis of the urgent--everything being urgent. But it will sort itself out, I am sure...okay, I am praying.

But amidst all of that, some schooling did get done. Some decisions have been made. And some directions have been changed.

I am surrounded by organized homeschoolers. They are working vigorously on their lessons plans--for next year! When I am still scraping by on my duct tape and baling wire approach to this year (which I'm still pleased with the results of--amazed, but pleased).

It appears we have acquired a piano teacher for Roo. Roo has been so out-of-my-league and over-my-head for awhile we needed a teacher, but we were looking for someone who would not take a cookie cutter approach with him. The gentleman we've approached is not a piano teacher per se, but a a professional who is going to take some time and assess and direct Roo's progress. A quick five minute conversation last week to discuss some details gave Roo more direction than I've been able to for a long time. It really was time to let go of those reins. I hope and pray this is something that will work.

There was a complete math overhaul for Boo. The results have been astounding. As in, "Why did I not do this, sooner?" We switched from a more traditional format to Miquon. We are going to back up a little and refocus, regroup and then go into the Keys to...program. Hopefully this will be a good direction. It seems to be so far.

Roo finished his essay and I assisted him with writing a resume for a dance scholarship he is applying for. He has been creating a video audition tape with the help of two of his teachers who are graciously donating their time. Anyone with suggestions to say, "Thank you?" One teacher is a woman and the other a man. Advice welcome!

Boo is doing some piano of his own. Besides the traditional workbooks (Bastien is what we use here) I've assigned him the task of adding to a song we both like. I've heard him do some improv with it and I asked that he make his own variation. He seemed to think that might be a good piece of homework.

Most electronics have been banned this week for the boys from Monday morning until Friday at about three p.m. I'm allowing computers for necessary schoolwork, texting while we travel in the car, and MP3 players when schoolwork is done. Bedtimes have been earlier and amazingly they have seen just how tired they are. I know this is normal for a lot of families, but we are bad habit night-owl-ers and everyone was getting cranky.

On that note, I need to close up shop and get myself to bed. I'm trying to regroup with my exercising in the a.m. It is getting back up to speed, but a little more slowly than I would like.

Have a blessed rest of the week!

Count it all joy,

Julie
This is where I found that Tiger-sofa.

Not Enough Coffee Today

Up until 2:30, last peeked at the clock at 3 a.m. There is not enough coffee in the world, right now. But I am also not foolish enough to drink more than my usual morning jolt, lest I repeat the scenario again tonight; switching to tea, shortly.

In the absence of brain cells, but in trying to get back in the posting habit I give you the two big questions on my mind at the moment:

What Kind of Coffee am I???

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Yeah, I am plain...my husband will attest to the fact I am much more low maintenance than my friends. Not that I don't offer my share of quirks and complications, but he says he'll keep me.

Question 2: Where is the perfect shade of green?

A few days ago I was on the knitting path trying to find the perfect shade of green for a scarf. What do you mean, "Did I bring a color swatch?" That takes the challenge out of it. How many shades of green could there be? Well...this and that take a stab at the answer...sigh...Yes, I am getting that swatch.

You Are Mint Green

Balanced and calm, you have mastered the philosophy of living well. Your friends seek you out for support, and you are able to bring stability to chaotic situations. You're very open and cheerful - and you feel like you have a lot of freedom in life. Your future may hold any number of exciting things, and you're ready for all of them!

What Color Green Are You?

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

Mint? Really? I was thinking Basil or Sage, maybe Oregano...hmmmmmm...mint...This is like the Purple question.

The Trouble with Tribbles...

Space: The final frontier
These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise
Its 5 year mission
To explore strange new worlds
To seek out new life and new civilizations
To boldly go where no man has gone before...

Cue the Star Trek music...

The Trouble with Tribbles
Episode Summary

Kirk must defuse a Klingon scheme to destroy a grain shipment...and cope with a seemingly benign creature known as a tribble, which reproduces at amazing speed.

Well, space is the final frontier at my house. Making space, creating space, finding space...daily goals of mine.

When we moved into this tiny duplex, it was with the largest U-haul truck and our mini-van. Our living room furniture was a futon and when company came we set out lawn furniture. Yep, really.

So what does that have to do with Star Trek? And tribbles?

Well, there is a law, kind of like the law of gravity or Murphy's law, or the law that says if you only have one pair of pantyhose it will get a run in it before you leave the house...I digress...this law says people's possessions will increase to fit their available space. I tried to Google that one, but couldn't find it exactly. But I know it's a law. I am sure.

Anyhoo...we've exceeded our "five year mission" and stuff has accumulated. And I think I mentioned once or twice or maybe a few times..."I am a packrat A-hem...crafter. And 2009 was an especially good year because I learned to knit!!!

Ahhhh...and here is when we come to the point of the knitting needle...

I have accumulated a stash!!!!

And let me tell you Space IS the final frontier and my room has become the space where no man (read my husband) wants to boldly go.


My partner-in-crime knitting mentor and I went to the yarn store recently and I was petting stroking drooling on admiring some beautiful faux fur yarn and I announced to her at the top of my lungs (she was across the store and I admit I was a wee bit wound up) "TRIBBLES!!"

Being the good friend and having the same sad background of being a Star Trek junkie, she knew immediately what I meant and we were both rolling on the floor LOLOLOL...Okay...we did manage to not really roll on the floor, but you get the idea. The salesperson helping her really did not see the humor. Sigh...

After I wiped the yarn off, I realized the price was such that, if I bought it we would not be eating anytime soon. And while that might be okay for me, my husband and children do not survive well on a steady diet of yarn. So I put it back and bid a sad farewell to the lovely skein.

I swear it purred at me.

To my delight, Hobby Lobby (my husband calls it "Rob-me Lobby") had a sale on yarn this week. Low and behold I found a furry friend for the cost of a cappuccino or mocha latte (which I no longer consume).




The lovely, little creatures jumped obediently into my cart and snuggled in the sack all the way home. They are now purring contentedly amidst the more sedate non-furry yarn awaiting my inspiration to create something with them. Or they might just be objects d'art if I fall under their charming spell and name them.

Laryngitis of the Blog

I lost my voice for a while.

No, I didn't really have laryngitis. At least not the vocal kind (although, perhaps my children wouldn't have minded a bit). I've experienced what some might call "writer's block" but it was that and more. It spilled over into a lot of daily living. The outcome was that I've not been visibly "around" much here. In all honesty, I have been on FaceBook and Twitter, but those are so different. They can consume a lot of time--but they are different.

A couple things happened. Around October I was continually getting a sense that the LORD was telling me that I needed to take a break from my blog. Really? I didn't want to hear that. And I didn't want to announce I was taking a break, because I kept thinking I would "get better" and/or I wouldn't really be able to take a break after saying I was.

One problem with naming your blog "Joyful Days" is that there is a perceived (and maybe only by me) notion that my post should/will be positive. Naming my blog "Joyful Days" however was a challenge to myself. I wanted to start finding "joy in all things" I wanted to see joy in the tiny blessings as well as in the huge miracles. I still believe joy is a choice. I've seen what happens to people who choose to be the antithesis of joy--grouchy, depressed, angry, obstinate...in a word--me.

I've been hesitant to talk about my health issues--certainly not large and devastating, more of the chronic and persistent type...just annoying really, and in the grand scheme of things, very manageable. I didn't want to talk about them much because I didn't want my blog to go that direction even though those things are very much a part of who I am. I didn't want to define myself that way then.

But I have found joy is easier when you are addressing your health issues. My diagnosis of hypothyroidism was a blessing. Depression comes in many forms. I was experiencing sometimes debilitating depression--the depression that took all the energy I had to get out of bed. That kind and other depressions that are caused by chemical imbalances are not depressions that involve choice. But after my blanket of gauze was lifted I saw patterns I had allowed to creep into my life..."Poor me, life is unfair, people are mean..." Well those things are true sometimes, but the better choice is to see the "blessed me." I know I don't deserve all of the blessings I have and I've seen most often people are so kind.

Pre-diabetes has become part of my vocabulary. And when it did I finally chose to lose weight however I could get it off without surgery or medication (other than my thyroid medication, I guess). I've been hesitant to talk about my weight loss, but last year I lost 50 lbs. I've been worried lest I say anything and every last ounce will jump back on my body. My choice of diets has been debated in "real life" and while it is a choice due to my health issues, most people don't like the idea. My choice of exercise has taken a few hits too. Those two things combined with a few others molded my health choices last year. In all likelihood, now that I am a little more comfortable with them, I can share a little more.

My blog found some new readership and I had to decide how much personal information I can allow out here--both my personal "stuff" and my children's and the stuff that belongs to others in my life. I've been hesitant to talk about anything controversial or potentially offending.

Apparently I can be controversial and offending without intending to.

I've been hesitant to post about the reality of my days lest I sound like I'm boasting or worse whining--that "joyful days" thing again.

So, what have I been up to?

Exercise and diet. The road to "healthy" has helped me choose joy.

I found myself slipping a lot in my witness. Asking myself the "What Would Jesus Do?" question more often; asking myself if my action is "Christian" helps in finding joy--it is oftentimes inconvenient and takes a little extra thought--but the reality is liberating.

One more joyful thing is that I've been sleeping more. Part of my research shows that as you age you should get a certain amount of sleep. For quite a few years I worked overnights and still came home to school the boys during the day. That kind of lifestyle catches up with one sooner or later. So four or five nights a week I am in bed before eleven, which for me is huge.

I've pushed my children in ways I said I would not. I've allowed my children things I thought I wouldn't--still surprised when I realize how culturally deficient we are--why do I feel the need to apologize for that?

Driving lots of driving

Sitting and waiting.

Knitting

School--although I daily feel inadequate, and humbled by the children God has given me.

Trying to keep clothes clean and food on the table.

Facebook, Farmville, Farm Town, and Twitter.

Hopefully hitting "Publish Post" will help me blog again. I miss my blog. I miss my bloggy friends. Maybe I can get back on track...

Count it all joy,

Julie

Happy Thanksgiving

Glitterfy.com - Glitter Graphics

Blog Book Tour--The Swiss Courier

by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey

I received an offer from Revell/Baker Publishing Group to join the blog book tour forThe Swiss Courier a while back. There were a lot of very positive reviews out there. Since I am a huge fan of historical fiction and this was an era that I didn't have fiction from, I agreed and looked forward to reading the book.


From the publishers: Award-winning authors Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey join forces for the first time with the release of their thrilling World War II-era fiction novel, The Swiss Courier.

Set in Switzerland during August 1944, The Swiss Courier whisks readers into the height of World War II as Nazi threats mount and governments race to develop the world’s first atomic bomb.

Gabi Mueller is a young Swiss-American woman working as a spy for the newly formed American Office of Strategic Services (the forerunner to the CIA) close to Nazi Germany. She is asked to put her life on the line to safely “courier” a defecting German nuclear physicist—who’s working on the atomic bomb project—out of Germany and into Switzerland, sending her into enemy territory to keep him (and his secrets) safe from the hands of the Gestapo.

As Gabi takes on this do-or-die mission, the fate of the world rests in her hands. If she can lead him to safety, she can keep the Germans from developing nuclear capabilities. But in a time of traitors and uncertainty, whom can she trust along the way?

This fast-paced, suspenseful novel takes readers along treacherous twists and turns during a fascinating—and deadly—time in history. Well-researched, The Swiss Courier includes true historical events to give the story greater authenticity. Danger, suspense and romance abound in this engaging page-turner.



Revell/Baker Publishing asks that as a member of the book tour I post my own review and I've had little problem with enthusiastic endorsements about the books I've read prior. This review has been a little harder; maybe given the seriousness of the subject matter and the era that it addresses I had higher expectations. While I thought The Swiss Courier was a good book, I'm not sure it lives up to the kudos I had read about it. Perhaps it is the limited size that limited the detail of the book.

It was pretty fast paced, but the characters were lacking in dimension. The main character Gabi Mueller is definitely sweet and likable. She is certainly a naïve young woman with limited vision. There were some rather stereotypical descriptions of secondary characters that included barmaids' bosoms and paramours that seemed unnecessary and interrupted the flow. If one were to only read this book as an account of the underground movement that defied Hitler, the reader might believe that only non-denominational Christians were the only members of the brave people who rescued, hid and transported to safety, the Jews who were brutally annihilated by the Nazi regime.

All in all it was a good book. If I were given to "stars" or "bookmark" ranking systems, I would give it a three and a half out of five. There are definitely some surprising twists and if you are looking for a Christian romance this would be a book you would enjoy.

Thanks to Revell/Baker Publishing for the copy of The Swiss Courier. Available October 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

I Will Never Be the Same Again...

I Will Never Be the Same Again
by Darlene Zshech

I will never be the same again,
I can never return, I've closed the door.
I will walk apart, I'll run the race
And I will never be the same again.

I will never be the same again,
I can never return, I've closed the door.
I will walk apart, I'll run the race
And I will never be the same again.

Fall like fire, soak like rain,
Flow like mighty waters, again and again.
Sweep away the darkness
, burn away the chaff,
And let a flame burn to glorify Your name.

There are higher heights, there are deeper seas,
Whatever you need to do, Lord do in me.
The Glory of God fills my life,
And I will never be the same again.

Fall like fire, soak like rain,
Flow like mighty waters, again and again.
Sweep aways the darkness, burn away the chaff
And let a flame burn to glorify Your name.

Fall like fire, soak like rain,
Flow like mighty waters, again and again.
Sweep away the darkness, burn away the chaff,
And let a flame burn to glorify Your name.

I will never be the same again,
I can never return, I've closed the door.
I will walk the path, I will run the race
And I will never be the same again.
And I will never be the same again.
And I will never be the same again.

Freedom Is Never Free

Never forget that freedom is not free.

Thank a veteran today.
Thank a veteran's family.