Being Faithful in the Little Things

Edited to Add today's accomplishments
to bottom of post.

I am challenging myself to something.

I need to slow down.

The merry-go-round has been going too
fast and I need to slow it down and pay
attention to some necessary details.

We have six weeks off from our homeschool
co-op. Of the kids,only Mikey is working right now
so that commuting craziness is done.
I am still in the midst of actual daily
homeschool and candlemaking but those are
responsibilities that I am willing to
continue.

My home has been neglected lately as I have
been overcommitted to this and that.
It is time to be faithful in the little
things around here.

So, my commitment to myself and my family
is to take some time and get back to basics.

Of course, this hits at exactly the same time
that Chelsea wants to put up the Christmas tree
but that is fine. We can do both things at once.
It is nice that she wants to help.

It takes a little while to notice but those daily
tasks like dusting, vacuuming and floor mopping
really do make a huge difference in how your
home feels.

There is a fine line between the comfy feeling
of a "lived in" home and a neglected home.
Mine has crossed the line in some areas.

I am discontented here, of late, because of the
lack of attention I have given my poor house.
My house just seems tired.
Do you know what I mean?
It needs to be freshened.

So, I will let you know how it goes.

Goals:

List a bunch of homeschool books on eBay.
Reorganize the candle mess in the kitchen.
Buy more Vacuum Bags...its a Kirby so this is a chore.
Sort and give away or throw away anything that is not needed.
Clean out the refridgerator.
Mop all hard floors.
Dust.
Use a spot remover on hallway carpet.
Clear out coat closet of all coats that are too small.
Create a menu for next week and shop accordingly.

That should get me started...don't you think?

It is not being out there in the world doing
great things that will make me great in the
eyes of my children. It is being faithful in
the small things of life that impact them
daily.

It also makes for a cozy environment for my ever
patient husband to come home to.

So...I am off...to tear into this list.

Blessings on your day!

Becky K.

O.k. so here is what I got done...

1. Listed 5 auctions of Homeschool material on eBay.
I have about 10 more auctions to list.

2. Freecycled 3 bags of outgrown Chelsea clothes
and a set of dishes that were hanging out in the
garage for a yard sale that didn't happen.
They have been picked up already.

3. Talked with two financial clients and did the necessary
things for them.

4. Taught two subjects of school. They worked on their
own for the rest of it today.

5. Let Mikey drive me to his work....yay!

6. Swept the leaves out of the garage.

7. Sorted a huge pile of paperwork that has accumulated
on the chair beside my/our desk. Threw a LOT away.

8. Went back and let Mikey drive me back home...we made it!

9. Made the usual meals and did dishes.

10. Got groceries.

11. Put together the bulletin and all the music for
this week's service. Pastor Mike usually does this...but I
fill in for him once or twice per year if he is away.

12. Made a PowerPoint slide as per Pastor Jack's request.

13. Am heading for bed soon.

Church Update

It would be strange for me to never blog
about our church since it is such a huge
part of our lives. I do try to keep my
thoughts and opinions about it to a minimum,
though, so as to not bore you.

People I run into in "real life" do not get
away so easily...poor things.

When we moved into our current building
June 1st, there were about twenty of us...
and that may be generous.

We had 40 chairs and they were spread far
apart to look like more. You remember the
chair sagas? Yes, there was more than one
occasion that someone had to run and meet
the truck, the last one being when they discovered
at the truck station that they had
one more of our boxes. I am so glad they found
it because we had not yet missed it and it held
all of the screws for putting the last 50 chairs together.

In the past couple of months God has
blessed us with families and individuals
who are genuinely seeking God's own heart.

To date, there are 48 who are committed to
this church family. Others are still making
decisions and new visitors come weekly.

What a blessing!

Just this week there was an article printed in
our local weekly free paper. Everyone receives
it by mail on Tuesdays. It was a great article.
There has been an instant response to it from the
community.

I also designed the children's page for our web site
this week. I am excited about keeping this fresh
for the young kiddos in the church. I want it to
be a place that they can look to prepare for Sunday.

This week I defined apologetics...since this will be the
first week of our class series on the subject.
Granted I gave them a simplified definition, but
it is a jump start so that they will not feel lost
in the conversation. Hopefully, if they prepare
for the class they will be interested in hearing
and speaking what they know.

I will put funny photos on this kid's page as well
as stories, games and puzzles. My Mom is going to
assist in this venture. You can see the page
here.

This is a picture of the new sign that Pastor Mike
designed. He and Warren had a good time installing
it. I would not have thought of the color combination
but it really looks great when the sun is setting and
there is a rosy glow on the sign.



I took this picture while the sign was being installed so all of the dirt was not yet back in its place.

The ladies have ongoing discussions about the urinal in the only bathroom available to us at this point. One of our ladies thinks it would make a great Italian fountain design and would like us to fill it with this...lol.


We have laughed a lot about this poor urinal.

It actually is an issue. Funny, isn't it? I grew up in a church that for the longest time had an outhouse. Now we are frustrated because the bathroom facilities aren't aesthetically perfect. I am guilty too.

A lot has been accomplished in the little over two months that we have been in the building. God is blessing us with fellow worshipers. It was such a blessing to have Miss Paula(Gathering of Friends) and her family visit with us on Sunday.

If you think of it, just keep us in prayer that we would not get our eyes off the main thing, the Word of God and our relationship with Him. It is so easy to get caught up in the "work".

Lord, keep us wanting more of YOU!

Your friend,

Becky K.

A Stretch and a Sigh...life is good!

Did you ever wonder
if this was all there was...
is it enough?
If you were doing what
you were meant to do?
Occasionally, I pause to
wonder...am I on track?
Do I serve those I love
with joy and grace?

Today was the kind of day
that I truly enjoy.
Filled with family and friends.
First a phone call from my
dear mother
who is enjoying a sweet
visit with her brother
and his family.
It was good to hear her
happy voice.
I have become very used
to having her nearby
and miss her when she
is away.

The kids and I trekked
off on an adventure in
a shopping center on
our way to homeschool co-op
today.

We found a pair of shoes
for Chelsea and a
game system for Mikey...
he has been looking for a
Wii and they are all sold out.
We have called
many a store and
researched web pages
galore!

In the end, it was not
a Wii that came home with
us, but a PSP.
I don't know much about it
but the picture on the
screen is nice...
Mikey earned the money and
was willing to spend it on
this system instead of the
other.

Chelsea and I meandered
through our local
Goodwill and managed
to find a leotard for
her gymnastic dreams.
I'm looking through our
budget for the
cash it will take to
allow her to attend organized
weekly classes.
$3.75 for the
leotard was not bad.

We made it to co-op just in the
nick of time.
The joy of being greeted
by
Moms and young folk alike
is sweet!
The fellowship in the
Mom's room is absolutely
a precious gift to
enjoy.

The students in music
worked so hard today!
The songs are coming along
beautifully
...in spite of me!
Having great helpers is a very
good thing!
I overheard two girls at the
end of the day congratulating
each other on the accomplishment
of finally "getting" the timing
on one very difficult part of
a song.
Delightful!
I long for these girls to
grow stronger in their
relationships with
each other and for the
competition and cliquishness
to be at a minimum...
there is progress
on that front!

A spontaneous trip to the
bowling alley...
with dear friends and
students!
It took four games but finally
a respectable 142
was reached by this obsessed
bowler.
Watching my 16 year old son
bowling on a lane with
four sweet girls caused an
internal giggle on my part.
He owes me - big time!
Ha!

Home to whip up a quick
Tuna Noodle Casserole...
enjoyed by all but
my picky son...Mikey.
He is on his own -
Ham and pepperjack cheese
will fill his belly this
evening.

A quick peek on some of my
favorite blogs and reading
messages from new found
but already dear friends,
and one well established friend,
Mrs. Rabe.
What a blessing all of
your messages
are to me. Thank you!

Time with my sweet husband,
who's opinion I value so
much.
Questions asked of him
and answered helped my
aching head feel better.
Sometimes, I just wonder...
am I overstepping my boundaries?
Why do people ask me what to
do next?
Where do I fit in at church?
...at co-op?
In the homeschool
community at large?
Even at home..sometimes.

Just another day of
striving to serve
my Lord by serving His
children and those He has
entrusted me with.
It is enough!
I am blessed to be
right here in the
place that He has put me.
This is me stretching, sighing and
being content in this little
corner of the world.

May God bless you, richly and
give you satisfaction in the
daily journey He has for you.