Swim in a Sea of Confusion NO MORE

Taft Beach, just south of Lincoln City, Oregon

The above photo is deceptive.  Anyone who's been to this beach knows that this is an enjoyable and walkable distance out to the rocks and back.  It's easier done when the tide is out, but still doable, just a little wet. 

I think the idea of home schooling looks like the above photo for a lot of Christians.  It invokes thoughts of fear, failure and an impossibility.  However, when you actually step away from the picture in your mind and enter in to the day to day reality, it can be done and is enjoyable. 

My husband and I attended the 2016 OCEAN Homeschool State Convention this year in Portland.  It was the breath of fresh air we needed.  We were reminded of why we set out on this adventure.  Yes, it's hard, but it is good.  Home schooling is good, but hard, as Todd Wilson reminded us.

I attended this conference when I first started home schooling about 12 years ago.  I was completely overwhelmed and had no idea where to start and was amazed at all the curriculum and teaching styles out there....not to mention....People....lots of people. 

However, my conference experience this year was awesome.  My husband and I were encouraged to be a team and work together at this endeavor.  We were given all sorts of tools for our box of home schooling.  It was worth the time, money and effort to get up to Portland for two days of encouragement.  I only wish I could spread it around throughout the year...so we purchased the entire session here:  http://alliancerecordings.com/
Dads, if you've never been, go!  Support your wife and be an encouragement to her and play on the same team. 

Playing on the same team, you say?  Here's some idea's:

Chemistry Class 101 with Daddy in the Kitchen

Yep, He's still got the same sparkle in his eye...19 years and counting!

 

This is a great place to stow away...

 My oldest son had a volunteer to be the weight in his "practice backpacking" venture.  Everyone in the family needs to have a team mentality to win at this adventure in homeschooling.  It's fun, enjoyable, and hard, yes, but worth it! 

GO TEAM HOME SCHOOL!

God's Mercies in Daily Happenings

Underground Wasp Nest

 One of our children was recently stung by a wasp...actually, he was stung 3 separate times within a week's time.  This poor child has had more bee stings in his short six years of life than most people have been stung in their entire life.  That's another Alaskan adventure story for another day...

So back to the present...or at least a few days ago to be more precise.... my oldest son dug up this underground nest after the bees had been poisoned with gas.  WOW!  We had no idea how large this wasp nest was.  We had hung a hammock not 2 feet away from the nest and the three small children had enjoyed many a lively swing; laughing and tipping upside down there.  To think of the danger that lay so close by...  my little boy who was mad about getting stung, soon realized how much to be thankful for. 

I was thinking how we adults react in much the same way...get mad or upset and then get thankful.  I'm not saying we should like getting stung by a bee.  I'm just saying when things don't go our way or we experience suffering, pain, or trials we often don't realize just how bad it could've been...like my sister-in-law always says, "It could be worse." 

Experimenting with dry ice in the chemistry lab aka Kitchen

 Here's a fun photo I took of my guys calculating the time it took for various pieces of dry ice to melt in various sizes of containers...Yes, we're always taking advantage of any moment of any given day to learn something new but don't necessarily call it "school."


Going for a hike with big brother...

 My older kids are preparing to go on a lengthy backpacking trip...their little sister volunteered for the job of extra weight...for practice.  So cute and precious to me, as a Mother, to see my 17-year old son enjoy his siblings in this way.  He always has time for them...even in the previous wasp nest picture, he took the time to show them the queen and point out the individual cells, eggs, and larvae stages.

 

Teaching Baby the art of cleaning up after oneself...

Somehow he managed to open a small Ziploc bag of cheerios in one fell swoop...I had no idea so many cheerios could fit in that little bag!

God's Grace has Always been in Place

A peppermint rose

 Just teasing...perhaps there is a peppermint rose somewhere but this is just a rose that my daughter swiped with a brush dipped in white paint.  For a minute, though, I stood open mouthed; thinking that my rose bush had actually produced a rebel rose...or an incredible rose defying blossom.  I suppose that would be like saying the same thing twice.. 

Well I had quite a laugh over that, but it did get me thinking about another analogy.  Real versus fake.  Because we're people we struggle with this whole just be yourself or be someone I think you'll like thing.  We want acceptance, we need validation, encouragement, and to belong. 

So we have grandiose ways of acknowledging our accomplishment's, our struggles, our triumphs, our victories, our desires, hopes, and dreams.  It's all part of being a human.  People have been doing it thousands of years in every culture.  Facebook and blogging aren't really new, just a different twist. 

So in our efforts to communicate one to another do you ever wonder why we choose to communicate the things we do?  What's important to me may not be important to you or vice versa.  We politely listen one to another...but there's only so much time and we each only live a certain number of days. 
We can only read so many books and learn so many things.  I hope that I put my time and effort into what really matters.  I don't want to be a painted rose.  I want to be real and smell nice while I do.  I'd like to be polite, but truthful.  I'd like to share my thoughts with those who care and not with those who don't.  When I started this blog, it was for the purpose of sharing with you about life in Alaska.  Then, it morphed into a wild ride down to Oregon and back up to Alaska and down to Oregon again sort of blog.  Now, more than a month has gone by since I last wrote...hmmmm

A bicycle built for two...

We recently purchased this tandem bike from our neighbors garage sale.  What a bargain!  I've always wanted a bike like this.  Think of the romantic places we could adventure on this one...oh, wait, my husband is still recovering from his broken ankle and we have a leaky tire...Nothing that can't be fixed with time and money.

BUT, I bet you couldn't tell that from the picture and the smiles on our faces?  It's a lot like what we Christians present to the world and one another every Sunday.  Behind every face is a real human soul.  Alive, with real hurts and real wounds.  We gather together to worship and pray and read God's word.  Sometimes we share our trials and struggles, and sometimes we're quiet.  But, let's be real and unpainted.  We don't have to pretend to have it all together because no one does.  It's time to let the facades down and serve one another in love, broken as we are, bleeding as we are, and healing as we are.  God only needs one yielded and obedient heart and the rest will follow.

Schoolhouse Happenings

 Things other than paint have been stirring in "The Ole Orchard Schoolhouse...."

Wrapping up a grammar/writing class in time for summer break...

 We've had several families join in a weekly class here.  Taught by a wonderful and dear friend, my children have learned a lot and I've been so encouraged to see their growth.  With my kids permission, I'd like to post some of their work.

Enjoying a new found Malaysian friend the same age as you are...

 We had a wonderful celebration last Sunday with our friends from Malaysia.  Their families flew over to witness them graduate from Linfield College.  Our children thoroughly enjoyed the cross cultural experience and look forward to life long friendships with these families.

Mom and Linfield Graduate Daughter enjoying an after grad celebration...

Enjoying our friends and family

Celebrating our little one's 1st Birthday!

Celebrating with our Linfield College Graduate "Friendship Student"

 

Mom's celebrating together a momentous occasion for both of us..

It was a very memorable day for me on so many levels....to get to meet the Mother and brother of our Malaysian friend was such an honor, as well as his girlfriends parents.  We spent the afternoon and evening visiting, eating, playing games, shooting a B-bee gun, roasting a marshmallow over an open fire and just sharing our lives with one another.  Celebrating life and enjoying these "firsts" together was so much fun for everyone and a real honor for us. 

As I celebrated the 1st birthday of my baby son, our honored Mother guest celebrated her eldest son's graduation.  We watched, together, our American and Malaysian 17 year old sons enjoy one another's company; laughing and talking and playing games.  It was all such a beautiful mix of love and laughter and new found friendships. 

The world really isn't such a big place.  Smiles and respect.  Words of encouragement and peace can span any ocean, any language and any soul. 

We are so thankful for the people that God brings into our lives.  We are so thankful to have an old schoolhouse and gym in which to celebrate birthdays and graduations and classes and sports nights and social gatherings. 

Tilling the Garden Plot

Ooops...probably should get this entry posted before May is over...

 

My Uncle brought his tractor to do the dirty work...

 This area being used for the garden used to be where the old Orchard School's swing set and playground stood.

Perched upon an old concrete hunk

 You'd think we could just pick a nice little piece of ground to till up and put a simple garden in... but, no, we found all eight pieces of old sawed off swing set metal encased in concrete buried throughout this little patch....

It was all fun and games until our little boy ran and jumped on the end of one...yes, another trip to the ER for a super glue fix on the bottom of his foot.  All is well, it healed wonderfully and he's as spry as he's always been. (After a week of bandages and hopping around...same exact foot as Daddy's...there was some male bonding going on around here)

Daddy, on the other hand didn't heal quite so well....he has a boot in place for a few more weeks on his left ankle and speeds around with a pair of crutches.  We have had a mix of emotions surrounding this unexpected turn of events in our lives, but altogether it has been a hard good.  I just don't know any other way to say it. 

We take for granted that our bodies will always work and do what we want them to do...until now.  Healing takes time and it cannot be willed to heal, it just happens slowly.

So, back to tilling the garden plot....there's a lot of analogy to preparing the hearts of others to receive the gospel.   Some seed falls on the rocks, some beside the pathway, some on rocks, some with thorns and yet others fall in the good soil and bring forth "fruit with patience."  Check out Luke 8

We Christians have a responsibility to respond to the work God is doing in our lives.  The whole tilling the soil bit....it doesn't happen easily.  Sometimes there are gigantic concrete pilings to dig up, sometimes blackberry roots that keep coming back, morning glory, or whatever the challenges may be but we cannot give up.  If we decide to simply throw seeds out on our garden and hope that with the right amount of sun and rain they'll produce, people would think we're crazy.....yes, a few might actually grow and produce but the majority of the seeds would die or be choked out with weeds.

RESPONSIBILITY....such a big word that holds weight.  God holds each of us personally responsible for the choices we make.  He also holds parents, churches, and governments responsible for their choices.  The law of reaping and sowing does not only apply to gardens......

How are you tilling and preparing the soil of your own heart?  How about the hearts of your children?  Are they stone?  Collectively, how are churches supporting the work that the Lord Jesus Christ wants to do as He leads them through these last and final hours of history as known to man?

The last verse of Psalm 31, "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD."