in case you were wondering...

There is an ever growing wave of rebellion that has become my daughter. She's gone from my sweet child to lying about her school work and failing classes for neglecting to turn in finished assignments while giggling about a certain boy and obsessing about how her hair could be straighter while she's wearing a wrinkly shirt she previously balled up in a drawer instead of hanging up like she told me she had done.

I respond with much love by putting her on restriction. I tell her if she's bored with school not to worry. She can bring home her books and I will create extra assignments to keep her interested. I explain in great detail the effects of lost trust and the methods in which she can earn said trust back. I even with much love require her to join the running club which is currently training for a marathon. We have update discussions, encouragement, and prayer.

FINALLY! I see the shift. She's not seeing me as the enemy anymore. I think she's finally come to understand I'm really on her side. She grasps the concept of working towards goals, and is slowly starting to work closer to trust and farther from restrictions. I ease off just ever so slightly, talking about how proud I am that I can begin to trust again.

Then it happens. Teacher stops me in the hall. There are five unfinished assignments this week alone. The major report that was due last week never was turned in, even though I asked her 3 times if she handed it in. It's dropping her 97% average down to 68%! Now understand, SHE DID THE REPORT! She just didn't turn it in, and now seems to have lost it...While the teacher is giving me the news, she is in the hall smiling and giggling at a certain boy as he twists his pinkie finger to point at his ring finger - a cool trick of course. I send her to the car, she goes, but comes right back to talk to her friends.

The phrase "where did my little girl go?" runs through my mind, but I remember how much I hated when people said that to me at her age. I remember how it made me feel like I wasn't good enough. I was supposed to be myself, but I didn't quite know who I was yet...

The cycle has been repeating itself. Just as I think she's getting better, she delves back into deception. Then the other daughter starts to lie about her math assignment...

I realize I have but one choice - pray. It was Jesus who died for all the mistakes I've made. It's His blood that saves me from the punishment I deserve. It's Jesus who made me a new creature, who washed away the old me and gave me a second chance. If He can drag me up from the ditch and not only dust me off but make me a bright shining light for Him, just think of what He can do for my children! I can't wait to see how He turns this difficult time into something to glorify Him!

Maggie wrote the following as an assignment in school. As usual, I've not made any corrections. Enjoy!

Watchin tv can have disadvandiges and advantiges. some disadvandiges are if you watch to much tv your brains will turn to mush.

some dvantigus are that if people watch tv they can see what the weather is, what tempitchure it is outside, and see wich schools are closed in the winter.

You can also see cool sites on tv. I like watching tv but not to much. I like watching the news. do you?

I was just going through some of the writings from this past summer by the girls. Here are two of my favorites and as usual, I'm not correcting anything...it's more fun that way!

CREATIVE STORY BY GRACY:
In this story, Gracy was given the first line and had about 3/4 of a page to finish the story.

Leave the cooking to me and this is what you'll see...
A huge feast of nothing but foods from China! Such as: Tea, egg drop soup, crabmeat rangune, and fourchen cookies. Also we will eat with none other than chop-stiks! It will be so much fun we will decorate the house like China. After dinner we will have CAKE! (ok, so cake is not from China I made it myself.) It will be double chocolate! (chocolate on the inside chocolate on the outside) So I have One question for you. Do you whant to eat at my house?... ...What? Your alergec to Chines food? Oh! Okay, we could make grilled cheese instead! Hey where did you go?!


WRITING PIECE BY MAGGIE:
Directions on page read (and no, I did not add emphasis): Think of a shape. Write a paragraph describing it without telling what shape you chose. Have a friend read your paper and guess the shape.

It is black and wite and eats grass and is lion's food to hunt for. And its on Madagasgar.

(at the bottom of her page she wrote something upsidedown...it says "Anser: zebra"

Maggie has always been that kid that asks funny questions. She's asked me things like, "Do I have a birthday EVERY year?" and "Mom, when you were little were pencils invented yet?" or one of my all time favorites, "Mom, did you have cars when you were little?" Sometimes I think she's outgrown this stage. Then we have a conversation like the one this evening during Social Studies homework...

Maggie: Momma, were you born yet in 1607?

Me: No! Why?

Maggie: That's when Jamestown was settled.

Me: Were you wondering if I was around when Jamestown was settled?

Maggie: Yeah.

Me: What did you want to know? Maybe we could look it up together.

Maggie: I dunno.

I try to make an effort to include the girls with the preparation of supper. It's not always easy and usually takes more time. But the time we get to spend together makes it worth it. This year school has been a bigger deal than either of the girls were ready for, requiring extra time spent on homework and less time in the kitchen with Mom. But today I decided to give them a mini break from homework to help out with dinner. Here's what we concocted today:

1/4 c butter
1/3 c chopped onion
1/3 c flour
couple dashes of salt
couple grinds on the pepper grinder
1 box (16 oz) fat free chicken broth
3/4 c milk
2-3 cups (a small Ziploc freezer bag full) of leftover turkey
1 cup carrots (we cut ours like coins)
1 cup frozen peas

Saute onion in butter, salt & pepper. Stir in flour. Add 1 c broth & milk until bubbly and starts to thicken. Stir in turkey, carrots, peas & remaining broth. Heat through (I think it took 15 minutes or so because our turkey was still a bit frozen).

We enjoyed our "Turkey Stuff" (yes, that's actually what we named it) with Gracy's cornbread muffins. I was wishing I would've stopped to pick up salad ingredients, that would've made it perfect!

After a snowball fight with some of the neighborhood kids and some hot chocolate, we put up the Christmas tree this afternoon. It's our standard fake we've had since the girls were little bitty. It's the old school kind where you've got to put each branch on individually and fan them out. And the tree stand...it throws me over the edge each and every year - which is why I begged Cherie to put the stand together this year :) Every year I consider throwing it out instead of packing it back up. But honestly, aside from it being a pain, there is nothing wrong with it.

This year the girls asked if they could make the ornaments for the tree instead of hanging up the stored ones in the boxes. So, we gathered every arts & craft supply in the house and invited a couple of neighbor girls over. The girls and Ben went to town creating all kinds of ornaments. I am happy to report the fake tree is about half decorated at this point. It has been draped in ribbon, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, beads, noodles and aluminum foil.

What can I say? I've always wanted a themed tree. I just didn't expect the theme to be "art supply drawer"!

Gracy went with her dad and step-mom to Kentucky this week to see her uncle, cousins, and grandparents. Maggie also spent Thanksgiving with her dad, step-mom & family, only they got to stay in town. I'm excited for them that they were able to go and have fun with family. But I really missed having them around. Holidays without my kids never quite seem like holidays. Yet somehow I have a feeling that by Tuesday it'll feel like I need a break! Ha ha! :)

You need to get dough, tomato sauce, a spatula to spread the sauce, an oven to bake your pizza in, a pizza tray and any toppings you like. (Except candy) You need cheese. Step 1, open the can of sauce, form the dough to a pizza form. Step 2, spread the sauce on dough, sprinkle toppings on sauce. Step 3, put pizza in oven and wait until pizza is done, then you can and should wait until pizza cools off. The End.

P.S. Ask your parents to tell you the temperature for the pizza.

By Maggie

Having the girls in a Christian school means lots and lots of fundraisers. I am thankful that their school goes through extra effort to keep the fundraisers varied and semi-exciting. This fundraiser was awesome. The kids collected pledges for a walk-a-thon. Any child that was able to collect $100 got to throw a pie at the principal. An additional $25 or $50 earned a 2nd pie for a teacher of the student's choice. Needless to say, the girls got on the phone right away and hit up everyone we know. Thank you to all who donated. While the "prize" of getting to throw pies at school teachers is an awesome treat, the fact that you all helped support their awesome school is the true reward. Oh, and the added bonus...the school raised enough collectively that the principal will be spending the night of November 9th on the roof of the school! I have to say, his level of commitment is impressive...Sleeping on the roof in this weather...no thank you!!!


Gracy clearly enjoyed her pie!


Maggie's smile says it all!


Even Pastor had a few pies thrown his way!


Mrs. M...Way to hang in there!!!

It was the first year for both Maggie and Gracy to play volleyball. The season started out a bit rough...but they did win a couple of games in the end. How awesome is it that both of the girls had the honor of serving the game winning point in the 2 games they won!

Gracy was quite outgoing, and was faithful in yelling "READY!" before each serve. She also yelled, "OUT!" whenever she thought it might be out - even if she was on the other side of the court and the ball was really in... :)

Maggie...well...in the beginning of the season she had some trouble remembering she was playing. She would sometimes daydream while on the court and let a ball or two land at her feet. Eventually she figured it all out and came out pumped up and ready to play.

And can I just say WOW! about their coach! He has got to be the most patient person on the face of the earth! I don't know how he does it! A girl would try to serve - toss the ball in the air and miss it. I mean miss it completely as if she were swinging at something else. And he would say something like, "Great job! You kept your arm straight that time!" I would be thinking WHAT?! How did you even find something positive to say?! As I told him, this is why God made him the coach, and me the parent biting her nails in the bleachers. I couldn't do that. He is amazing. I'm in awe. As encouraging and positive as he is, the hormonal 4th and 5th grade girls still managed to break out a few tears now and then. Poor guy. He had to explain that coaches need to tell the players how to improve. He deserves some sort of high honorary award thingy.

We went apple picking back in September. We had fun trying all the different varieties in the orchard. I'm happy to report that this is the first year I left the orchard with less than 50 lbs of apples. I think I'm finally getting that whole moderation thing...


Maggie likes to climb the trees to be sure she gets the perfect apples



Yes, Gracy is actually talking on a cell phone while in an appletree...someone needs to tell that girl she's not a teenager yet! haha! Actually, she was talking to Pop-Pop, so we'll let her get away with it this time...




My sweet pumpkins!

Maggie & Gracy's little friend Anna had a birthday party a while back (yes...I'm behind on the posting...) and boy did they have fun getting the rockstar treatment! Hair, nails, dress up, dancing, oh my!

Perhaps Ms. Cindy spent too much time with the sunflowers this summer....

Ben gives his approval to the sunflower house


This sunflower came out of the ground...let me just put it back in here...


Playing inside the sunflower house is THE BEST!

This one looked like it had a heart in the middle

Check this out...I'm actually standing by the sunflower house...

More beautiful sunflowers...

While I wish I would've taken the time to post these when I first took the pictures, I sure am enjoying remembering the warm sunshine on my face and the bright blue sky...

I took an online quiz...that's proof enough for me! Someone alert my kids! They need to know this stuff!

You Will Be a Cool Parent

You seem to naturally know a lot about parenting, and you know what kids need. You can tell when it's time to let kids off the hook, and when it's time to lay down the law. While your parenting is modern and hip, it's not over the top. You know that there's nothing cool about a parent who acts like a teenager... or a drill sergeant!

Between all the adventures as of late, it's been a l-o-n-g time since we've been to the pool. The girls were pretty excited to be there. As the time to close drew near more and more people left. Finally, the girls and their two friends were the only ones left in the whole pool! There was a lifegaurd for each of them! They swam around as if they owned the place, having the time of thier lives.