Why is this so hard for me?

You would think that if I really wanted to blog that would actually do it. I have stopped and started more times than I care to admit, but here I go once again.

Some changes have taken place in our family since I last posted. We are expecting a new baby in November (hopefully, mid-October). We will welcome a sweet little boy into our fold. He will be our second son and 12 years younger than our first child. Talk about starting over! We are very thankful for the Lord's blessing and pray for his safe arrival.

I will also be teaching elementary art this fall, with a short break when baby comes, at our Christian School. Looking forward to exploring this new venture and a little nervous about juggling it with the baby coming--please pray!

Well that's the 15 second catch-up with the Smith's and hopefully I will see you soon.

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Swim Team

This past Saturday, the girls competed in a district GRPA swim meet. Swim meets are truly the longest days ever! I read a slogan on a T-shirt that said: "If today is my last day left to live, let it be at a swim meet because they last FOREVER!" It's so true. It is a very long day, especially in 100 degree heat and 100% humidity.

Holly and Hannah did very well and will advance to the state meet in Tifton at the end of July. It was Hannah's first meet after only being on the team for a few months now. They have worked very hard and greatly improved their strokes and their times. Competition in Holly's age group is fierce, but she is holding her own and proving herself along the way. I am super proud of their dedication and I love all the great exercise they are getting. It is such a good sport to exercise all areas and not mention the great cardio vascular benefits. There is a saying: "If you think your sport is hard, try doing it holding your breath." It doesn't matter to me whether or not they want to participate in the meets, but I do see the benefits of being part of a team and learning how to compete and be a good sport. And the best part of swimming competition is: "Winning is beating your own time." Whether you come in first or not is not the goal, it's all about doing your best and seeing the small improvements along the way.

Seeds

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.

~W.E. Johns, The Passing Show

I have started the first seeds of the spring and summer growing seasons. I planted basil (can't wait for this year's round of fresh pesto), grape or jelly bean tomato, Roma tomato, chives, sage, zinnia, sweet pea, and lavender. I love the idea of seeds, taking something so tiny and of seemingly little value and watching it become a full grown flower or fruit producing wonder. It is always amazing and surprising to me when my seeds spout and grow. Last year, my herbs really flourished and we enjoyed the flavors of the season on many lovely dishes. I hope to expand the garden this year adding some other things to the mix. I have started with these few things, as not to be overwhelmed with too much to plant at once. I will plant new seeds when these reach germination.

Gardening is sort of new to me. I began herb gardening in containers in an effort not to pay the ridiculous prices for pitiful quality and quantity herbs in the grocery store. I also wanted to make sure my herbs and veggies were organic. I kept a dutiful eye on my perennial plants all winter making sure they stayed warm and healthy, so I don't have to start completely over with my herbs. My neighbor, who loves to garden, has been a great encourager. She gives me advice and babysits my seeds or plants if I have to be out of town. It is such a blessing to share tips with each other.

I am also a sucker for all the beautiful flowering plants. I love all the bright colors and wonderful smells. Flowers make me smile. I hope to spend more time this spring on creating some nice flower beds as well as tending to the veggies and herbs.


Even though I am not a particularly skilled gardener, I do enjoy the fruits of my labor and the satisfaction of the hard work that comes with the task. It is a real joy and makes me think of the scripture verse from I Corinthians 3:6 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." I pray this truth for my garden and my life.

Holly Sews

For Christmas, I bought the girls a sewing machine, nothing fancy, just a simple machine to teach them how to do something very useful that I love. They are both taken with all sorts of crafts and most homemaking endeavors, so I thought it fitting. They love to use the machine, much to my delight! Holly made, for her first project, a bag or purse that is really cute and she did a very good job. Today, she made a fabulous apron. It was much more challenging than the bag because of the curves and she had to make bias binding. I helped a little more than I had to with the bag, but she did all the sewing herself. I helped with the ironing and pinning. I am proud of her work and so is she! So cute, good girl.

Knitting

This is my friend's precious new little girl and the sweater and bonnet she is wearing is my latest creation. I am fairly adept at most sewing hand arts such as cross stitch, smocking, embroidery and the like; however, I had never learned to knit. This past summer I decided to teach myself to knit. A friend and neighbor who knits got me started and let me borrow some books and needles and I was off to a great start. Knitting is fun and very addictive. I made some scarves, nothing very hard, and then decided that I wanted to make my friend a knitted layette for her sweet baby girl. Baby things are fun to make because they don't take quite as long and they are so darn cute! It turned out quite well, even if I do say so myself.

Heading in a different direction....

I am going to return to the blog that I have started and restarted a hundred times. I am working on revamping my ideas and changing my perspective about what I want this blog to feature. I am thinking of more of a home/sewing/cooking/gardening theme....more to come soon...I hope. And with this new direction, I need a new blog title...any suggestions?

Hannah is Eight!

Today is the day my little middle child was born. She came into this world on a Friday evening at 7:21. She weighed 8lbs. 5oz. and was absolutely perfect. She was given the the name Hannah Katherine. Hannah was a name that I had always liked and Katherine was a name from both sides of our family (my maternal great grandmother and Chris's maternal great aunt). She has been a great joy to us with her creativity and independent spirit. She is quite and thoughtful and determined. Hannah tends to have a stubborn streak, but let's face it, she gets is honestly. I am truly blessed from our heavenly Father to be her mother. Happy Birthday Hannah and God bless you.

Fall

Even though its not exactly Thanksgiving yet, I decided to go with this new background because it was so adorable. I love fall and Thanksgiving. I love fall decorating, fall foods, fall activities, fall weather, fall sports. In fact, I would dare to say it's my favorite time of the year. Don't get me wrong, I adore the spring when new things are blooming and growing and the cold days of winter are over, but there's something about fall. Maybe I enjoy it so much because it's a cozy home time or maybe its the smells of fall that comfort me: pumpkin, cinnamon, spices, chili, camp fires. Maybe it's because I use candles alot in the fall or I tend to decorate my house more. I'm not sure why, but I love it. I love Christmas, too, but it's such a short time period and I get tired of my Christmas decorations after a while. Fall is fabulous and I'm glad it's just about here. The air has that feeling that the seasons are changing and that is always exciting to me.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted...

We just got back from a restful and fun beach vacation in Pawley's Island, S.C. It was great to take a week to slow down, play, read, rest, and enjoy God's creation. It was a perfect uneventful week with lots of wave riding, castle building and bike riding adventures.

When at the beach, I am always reminded of a chapter in one of Max Lucado's books about sand castles. He says that children understand that at the end of the day the castle will disappear into the waves and we should look at our lives with this childlike perspective. We should work hard to do the tasks that we are given to do, and then applaud when the end comes and take our Father's hand and go home. Sometimes, we hold on too tightly to the things of this world and forget that it is all temporary. Children, for the most part, aren't tainted by the hustle and bustle of this life and can accept when the castles fall down and even find joy in it. Should that we have such faith too.

SVT

Remember this?...

This picture was taken two years ago at Walt's cardiology checkup (He hates EKGs), after he had been on his current SVT medication (Sotalol) for about a year. He has been doing great, so great in fact that I forget that he has a heart problem (except for the fact that I give him meds three times a day everyday). I was curious what would happen if I backed off his meds just a little because it had been so long since his last run of SVT. Well, my child proved to me today that he is indeed medicine dependent and has not "outgrown" this condition just as his cardiologist said that he would not. He had an episode that he himselft caught while playing over at a friend's house. He went inside and told this friend's mother that his heart was beating too fast and she, in turn, promptly gave me a call. I didn't think he knew what he was talking about because sometimes he says that his heart is beating too fast when in fact it is beating a "normal fast". When I got there and hooked him up to the monitor, his heart was clipping along at 233 bpm--indeed in SVT. I had to get the ice and try to get him to flip out of it. I hate icing him. It seems so mean, but it worked and no ER---yeah! No more experimenting for me, but it does beg the question...when will we consider ablation?

I've been following this blog for a couple of weeks. It has become fairly famous in blogdom and has caught my special attention because the writer has a small son with SVT that has been in the hospital for five weeks and undergone ablation surgery that was unsuccessful. He is home now and on the medication Sotalol (wouldn't you know it). It is helping him like it has helped Walt and hopefully will continue to until he is big enough to undergo ablation again--maybe with a successful outcome. It was weird that Walt had been so long with no episodes and then, bam! I had been reading about this little boy and hoping the doctors could help him too and thinking the whole time--Walt hasn't had an episode in forever.

I know that the day is coming when we will need to decide how to proceed. Our doctor wants to wait as long as possible for ablation to procure the best outcome and I agree, but that day is coming. I have decided to begin praying now for that DAY, whenever it may be, for God to watch over my son and guide the doctors hands and heal his heart. I want to commit and bathe that request in prayer. Want you please pray with me?

Camping

Over spring break, we took the kids camping in Northeast Georgia at a state park. It was a lot of fun. We also had some excitement during the trip---a severe thunderstorm. Yes, we tent camped through a storm which produced rain, lightening, thunder, wind and wait for it------hail. All was ok until the sirens in town sent us to the cement block bathhouse to wait it out. Thankfully, the storm passed quickly and we went back to a dry and still standing tent. It was an adventure and one I'm sure the kids won't soon forget.

New Clothes

My girls love playing with their favorite dolls, The American Girl Dolls. I love that they love playing with dolls. I want to keep them interested in this type of play for as long as possible. Recently, they've decided that their dolls need new clothes. I'll admit that from time to time I have and will purchase clothes from this company; however, they are pretty expensive. They average around $30 plus shipping for an outfit. I rarely spend that much for my children's clothes. Of course, I justify it by reminding myself that the dolls don't ever get any bigger! As I look through the catalog, I tell myself--you know that you sew and can make all this! So, that is what I have started doing. I bought many patterns for 18" dolls at Hobby Lobby (all their simplicity patterns are $.99 every other week) and set to work. I have made some modern clothes and some "vintage" using what I know about heirloom sewing. I modified patterns to make the dolls and my girls matching outfits. It is so much fun! Doll clothes come together in a snap and they are so darn cute!!!

This is my third grade class, minus a couple who were absent, on dress up day during Spirit Week. They had a lot of fun coming up with outfits for each day's theme. It was a little wild, but fun for them. I have been looking at these pictures and thinking about how much they have already changed since the beginning of the school year. It's amazing how quickly they grow up. Third grade is a big transition for children. They have to become more independent and responsible for their work. Many adjustments have to be made from the days of the teachers holding their hands through it all. It's a really hard grade. They are doing well, some better than others (of course, that is to be expected) and I am proud of their progress.

Today, we said goodbye to one of our classmates. Rithvik (boy--last on right) is moving back to India with his parents. His father has a new job there and they must go. I will miss him. I have thought alot about him this week. They are Hindu and will be returning to a place where it is doubtful they will hear any more about Jesus. I took this seriously this week as I took opportunity to pray out loud with and for him. I realized that I might be the last person to speak the name of Jesus to him. Thankfully, his parents chose to send him to our Christian School (I'm not sure why). He has heard the truth of the gospel day in and day out for the past four years. I trust that God's word will not return void. Pray for Rithvik, that he will remember everything he has learned about Christ and that the seeds so carefully planted will take root and yield fruit in due season.

Why Can't I Blog?

I don't know why, (I mean I've tried and tried to begin doing this) but I can't seem to get it going. I want to. I love reading others. I have things to say. I'm pretty organized. I like it when I sit down and actually do it. Am I just not a writer? Am I afraid of others reading what I write? Have I spread myself too thin between teaching, mothering, wifing, bookkeeping, projects, etc. to have the time? I don't know, but I need to make some space in my life to do things I want to do before I regret not doing them.

Gran's 87th Birthday

We recently celebrated my grandmother's 87th birthday! The family went out to dinner at one of her favorite local restaurants to eat fish and then back to my house for homemade ice cream and chocolate cake. We are so blessed to have the best grandmother in the world. She is amazing. She is the best cook and Sunday lunch at her house is still the best part of the week. She does all, I mean all, of her own yard work and takes care of her home excellently. I hope that I am going to be like her when I am 87, although, to be like her I need to start doing my own yard work now! Happy Birthday Gran! We love You!

Herb Garden

I do not have a green thumb, in fact, it is pretty black. I tend to kill everything. My husband even asked me to please not buy any more plants, but I can't help it. I really want to have one of those beautiful magazine gardens. I've now decided to start small with some containers. I love fresh herbs to cook with and since those small packages at the grocery store are about $4.00 a piece, I decided to start with these type plants. I bought some good soil, peat, and vermiculite. I mixed the soil and planted some in strawberry pots, and some in a clay pot. I love the strawberry pot. It's so cute. I planted thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley and in a separate pot some mint. I wanted sage, but in the whole town I couldn't find any sage plants. I put these pots on my back deck in a mostly sunny place and now the praying begins. I hope I don't mess up.

Pawley's Island

We went to Pawley's again this year. It was wonderful. The children played all day and had fun in the sun. We relaxed and enjoyed the time off from the duties of home. Chris even caught flounder. Aaahh, nothing better than fresh seafood! It was a great vacation and great time with our family.

Crazy, Sporadic Posting

I just cannot seem to post very often. Wow, it's been five months since my last post. I read blogs all the time. There are some I frequent everyday. I'm not sure why I don't post more, but I think it has to do with being a fairly private person. I want to open up and I am transparent to close friends, but it is that ''Who is going to be reading this?" question in my mind that makes me freeze up. It's the same with commenting on others posts. I don't want a lot of people reading what I wanted to say to the author. So why have a blog you may ask? I originally started this blog to share pictures and events with family who live far away. After reading many other blogs, I see how these women use this tool to share their thoughts and feelings and even their ideologies with the world. I like that idea. It's a sort of release or avenue put it out there in the open. I even believe it can be a therapeutic catharsis. I want my blogging to be more personal and more weighty from time to time. I am not going to turn every post into flowery philosophy, but I would like to speak more on the things of which I am most passionate. Don't worry Mom, I am still going to post pictures of the kids :).

I took this picture for a Valentine's Day card that went out to some family members. Its not exactally what I was going for, but it is very hard to get three small children to all smile at the same time and not be goofy. This will have to do! Happy Valentine's Day!