The Week’s End Wrap-Up

It has been another busy week in our household.  Last Sunday, my oldest’s dog tore through a screened window while we were at church and we haven’t seen her since. We’ve spent a lot of time driving the country roads around our home, calling for Sadie and putting up signs.  We’ve put ads in the paper and have contacted surrounding animal shelters and humane societies.  We’ve prayed and prayed. Right now, Nico is going through an emotional time as it is, while her Mom is busy with business and she’s spending a lot more time at our house. Losing her dog on top of it all has been very hard.  If you could spare a few minutes to pray for this sweet girl and her dog, I would appreciate it.

 

This week, we also had to deal with the aftermath of someone hacking our bank card and charging hundreds of dollars to a few different overseas companies.  Thankfully, it looks like everything will be resolved and the fund put back in, but the process takes paperwork and time. We hear about things like this often, but this is the first (and hopefully LAST) time it has happened to us.

Our week was also filled with all sorts of activities.  Tennis lessons, swim lessons, basketball class, arts and crafts and story time kept us busy. On Tuesday, my good friend took my girls for a few hours and they were able to ride their family’s new halflinger, Freja.

On Thursday, we went to visit the residents at a nearby Continuing Care Center and then stopped over to my sister’s house for a swim and some fun on the go-kart.

On Saturday, we spent a few hours at the County Fair.  All of the girls were quite amazed to see their first Demolition Derby and they loved looking at all of the 4H animals.  We ended up staying until 10:30, riding the rides and checking everything out.

With all of the activities and excitement, I am pretty exhausted. While we’ve been having a lot of fun, the time that I spend at home lately seems to be a mad dash to catch up with the cleaning, the laundry, the paperwork and phone calls.  I try to keep my mindset of one of gratitude for all that we’re able to do, but at the end of the day my dogs are barking and I just want to put my feet up and breathe deep.

We’ve gotten a few letters from Compassion International this week, and those always give me a lift and bring joy to my heart.  Our letter from Yolanda in Guatemala came with a photo of her with her birthday gifts.  In the letter, she tells us that she loves us with all of her heart.

A letter from Precious in Ghana tells us that her parents are having some profit from the things they are selling.  She also says that she is praying for my husband’s business to prosper and that we will sponsor her always.

We also heard from Rodrigo in Bolivia.  He says that his family is very happy for the letters we send. The weather in Bolivia is turning cold and many of Rodrigo’s friends have colds.  They are worried about the H1N1 flu virus.  He tells us that he had to take a very long trip with his mother to the countryside to harvest potatoes and that he came back and studied for his school exams and did well.  We also learned that his mother was able to buy him some warm clothes so he doesn’t get cold or sickly.

A Beautiful Vision in Blue

Last month, in this post, I talked about a dream I had.  It was such a lovely dream, and felt so real that I have thought about it many times since.  Since then, I have found myself thinking of Yolanda in Guatemala when I see vibrant, sky blue and remembering the dream I had of meeting her.

Earlier this week, we had what I like to call a Good Mail Day and found a cream colored envelope from Compassion International. We are always giddy with excitement when we receive a letter from one of our children.  When opening the envelope, I caught a glimpse of brilliant blue inside and immediately thought of Yolanda.  Inside, we found a letter along with this picture.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Yolanda, holding her birthday gifts, and wearing a dress the SAME color as the one she wore in my dream. Even more amazing, the photo and thank you letter were put together the same week I had my dream!

With the $25 we sent to Yolanda for her 8th birthday, she was able to buy some clothing, a wool blanket and some new sandals. We are so thankful to be able to send a little bit of money to each of our Compassion children for their birthdays. We also love getting photos and letters to see where the money has gone, and to see our sponsored children!  Isn’t Yolanda just gorgeous?    I’m so glad she’s a part of our family!

This week, we read Abuela’s Weave, which is set in Guatemala.

It is a lovely story of a girl and her Grandmother and the weaving which they sell in the market.  The rich illustrations show details about life in Guatemala.  I also found a Unit Study to go with this book at Homeschool Share.  You can find it if you click here.

Summer = HOT!

This week has been sweltering. The temps have been in the mid-90’s and the air is thick with humidity.

This hazy shot was taken during yesterday evening’s trip to the lake.  I am SO thankful that we are just a ten minute drive and can end our hot days with a dip into cool water.

The humidity drains me and I feel like the last week has been a blur of damp towels, frozen grapes, sweaty hugs, and fans set on high.  We’ve had a lot of fun with Summer Rec, but the girls have also had their fair share of squabbles. The humidity makes everyone a little cranky at times.  I have been putting off the household chores until the evening, when it is cooler.  That means that I don’t have my three helpers to lend a hand and I am realizing just how much they really DO help on most days.

I am looking forward to tomorrow, when this heat wave is supposed to break.  I think temps in the 80’s with lower humidity will feel pretty nice!

For now, I will be thankful for lakes and fresh cold water from the faucets. I’ll appreciate our fleet of fans and freezer that keeps our ice bin full.  

Summer = Fun!

My husband *thought* he was building a shed behind our house. Little did he know, he was actually constructing a Mud Treat Bakery.

 

The sawhorses are actually counters and the scraps of wood are actually cookie sheets.

Mmm, cookies anyone?

Who can resist dark chocolate mud-cake?

This week has been a flurry of fun (and TIRING) activities.  I hit the pillow each night and have been sleeping like a log, so have the girls.  Summer Rec is such a blessing! My older two have decided that they actually LOVE sports. I am remembering how much I love tennis!  It has been many (many, many….) years since I played on our high school team, but I was excited to discover that I am still pretty good! While my girls have only been playing for a few days, I can see their potential and am excited to watch them progress and play with them!