Country Roads

Red Sox and Checkers

Well I just need to say.....WOOHOO!!!!  My Sox have made it to the championship!  I hope they can come out as the AL Division champs and go to the World Series again.   Time will tell.  Tampa Bay is going to be a tough team to beat.  I am grateful to be able to go to bed early tonight.  That 12 inning game was a doozy and I ended up falling asleep on the couch.  Sorry boys   Last night was much more doable.  Although they had me wondering if we were going to have to go into extra innings again.  Way to pull it off in the 9th!

Speaking of games.....my 6yr old wanted to challenge me to a game of checkers tonight.  That is one of his new favorite games.  He is very much like his father in that he really thinks his moves through.  He thinks mine through for that matter.  It amazes me that he is so good at such a young age.  He actually beat me fair and square tonight.  I need to find someone to teach him how to play chess, because I think he will do really good.  I am clueless as how to play, and I'm not sure if hubby knows how.  That is pretty sad now that I think of it.  I've been married to the guy for almost 10 years and I don't know that fact.  HMMM?   Any way I just wanted to post that.  Now that the kids are all tucked into bed, I gotta go clean up the kitchen and put my jammies on.  I'm going to make a cup of tea and lay in bed and read for a bit and then hit the hay!!!  YAY!

Evangelism

The secretary at the school in our town, invited us to a wonderful event her church was doing.  They  called it the Apple and Pumpkin Festival.  From 11-3 they had pumpkins for the kids, a moon bounce, games, prizes, crafts, pony rides, food, face painting, and clowns making balloon animals.  And get this...it was all FREE!!!!!!!! I'm sure it cost a pretty penny to put it all together.  They had a booth  where they were giving out free gas cards.   Who wouldn't jump on that one right?  Well when you went over to get your gas card they asked if they could ask you a few questions.  Now if any of you have seen the Kirk Cameron evangelism videos on God tube, you know what they asked.  Are you a good person? Have you ever lied?  Stolen?  If you were to stand before a judge would you be found guilty of these crimes?  Would you go to heaven or hell based on that?  I can't remember the whole spin but it was a great, non threatning way for them to talk to people, see where they are coming from and share the gospel with them.    They also had some people walking around with some great optical illusion tricks that went right into sharing the gospel.  I think that church is doing a superb job with fullfilling the great commission.  My girlfriend and her two kids met us there and we made a day of it.  The kids never got bored and they had a blast.  Here are some pics of our day.

THE NEXT TIGER WOODS!

KALEIGH AND BLAKE WITH CHARLIE BROWN

PARKER"S PONY RIDE

FACE PAINTING

BLAKE GOT A STRIKE!

PARKER IN THE MOON BOUNCE

Why I love Jacoby Ellsbury

So many books....so little time.

As many of you know, I love to read.  But this time I feel like I have gotten myself in way over my head.  You see I started a book from my friend over the weekend called 90 minutes in Heaven by Don Piper.  My friend said it was an awesome book that really changed her view of worship.  So far, so good.  I'm a little more than half way done with it.  Then over the weekend I purchased Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen Taylor,  for my daughter.  We spend time everynight after her younger brothers go to bed reading.  I think we both cherish the time together.  So I figured, what better story to experience together than this.   Well it is so good that I find myself reading ahead a couple chapters.  I want to ponder and pray about our discussion of the book as we read it.  I have to point out the analogies throughout the book and guide her as to what the true meaning behind the story is.  I think she is starting to catch on.  Then I began a bible study this Monday.  The book we are doing is The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry.    We have devoted ourselves to two chapters a week.  So I have three books that I have to keep up on all at the same time.  Four really......if you count the daily Bible readings that I do through Word of Life.   Wish me luck.   I'm gonna go see if I can finish at least the Don Piper book tonight.  It is very doable if I stop blogging and get to reading.    

Camp Berea

I just got back from a marvelous weekend up in the mountains of New Hampshire.  It is a time that I look forward to so very much.  It is a time to get away from the never-ending responsibilities homemaker, wife and homeschooler, a time to get alone with God and hear from Him, a time to gather with Godly women who share their lives, tears, laughs and needs.  This year a dear friend joined me for the retreat.  It was her first time and I believe, she too, fell in love with Berea. 

The theme was Living Water.   But those who drink the living water I give will never be thirsty  again.  It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.   God even sent us some of his water in the form of rain Friday night and Saturday night.  He did however give us just enough time on Saturday morning and afternoon to enjoy all that he created in the nature outdoors.  I was able to take a hike and sit by my bubbling brook.  I found this last place last year and I LOVE it.  It is so peaceful and allows me to really feel close to God.  I also did the rock wall and rang the bell at the top.  I have a scrape on my elbo to remind me of my experience.

Our speaker, Renee Swoop, was fabulous!  What a speaker.  She is funny and down to earth.  She is someone I could really relate to.  She spoke openly and honestly about struggles she has faced in her walk with the Lord.  The Lord used her to speak to women's hearts and at least 7 women accepted Jesus as their Savior.  She has a major role in a wonderful ministry called Proverbs 31.  I can't wait to check out her website.

As always the after dinner program was a hoot.  We had two special performances.  One by Camp Berea's own bell choir.  LOL!  The staff had service bells that they would tap with whatever song was playing at the time.  They had routines and moves and were just hilrious to watch.  Our second surprise was a comedian from California.  She was a young Christian mom who used her experiences to make us laugh.  Hey Tanya....wanna come over for some quackadillas?!?!?  My girlfriend Tanya thought her mom's mispronouncion of words was so hilarious she was crying.....for like two minutes....the comedian was already on a completely new topic and there's Tanya.... STILL laughing about the quackadillas.   Gotta love that girl!

Any way I hope to have some pictures up once my Berea babes email themto me cause I FORGOT MY CAMERA!!!!!  Hint Hint......You have got to see some of the outfits that we had with the whole Living Water theme.  They were GREAT!  I did not dress up this year.  I know I'm boring.  But hey 4 out 0f 5 years isn't too bad as far as statistics go.   

A social issue?

My daughter did three years of girlscouts and really enjoyed it up until recently.  My kids are funny they get bored with doing the same things year after year and that is what was beginning to happen with girls scouts.  So Kaleigh decided to move on and try something new.  She is again doing horseback riding lessons with another homeschool friend, continues to go into the public school for art, as well as takes a homewchool writing class.   She has Sunday school class and youth group on Thursdays.

My son attended Kindergarten in the public school, my daughter attended 2nd grade and my other son did preschool.  Now my two boys go to music in the public school.  They go to Sunday school on Sundays, Youth group on Thursdays, and take a class at the Mystic Aquarium for homeschoolers on Fridays.  Are they not getting enough socialization????

The reason I am asking this question is because we signed up our son for cub scouts and he will cling to his father, cry and not participate at the meetings.  Where is this coming from?  Is it a result of homeschooling?  He doesn't have these problems in the other settings....but then again....his parents aren't around to use as a crutch in these other settings either.  We just drop and go.  When I try to talk to him about it he says .....Cubscouts is boring and he just wants to be with his siblings.  I am all for the family, obviously, because I homeschool.  In fact I want my kids to have such a tight bond that peer pressure and some of the stupid things that today's youth are caught up in,  they don't desire.

There are tons of homeschoolers here, so I guess I'm asking for your opinions and experiences.   I am encouraged to know many grown adults who were homeschooled their entire lives.  They have graduated from college and are quite normal.  They are not freaks that don't know how to live in the real world as mom mom likes to tell me.  She thinks I am screwing my kids up.  Hahahaha.  No more than she screwed me up I suppose....LOL!

Anyway, what are your thoughts on the whole cub scouts antics? 

Connie

Blake's Birthday Bash

On Sunday we had Blake's 5th birthday bash with family and friends.  Here are some pics of his Cars themed party.

A simple game of 'Don't let your balloon hit the ground'

Bean bag toss in tires

The cake

Hulk hands he got from Grandma to box with his brother....he has already gotten one bloody nose and fallen down and hit his head on the bed frame with them being in his possession for three days....The gloves are now on a shelf in my closet having a 'timeout'.  They will have to play with them outside next time.   I don't need any trips to the hospital this week.

My Baby is 5

Today my youngest child turned five.  It was kinda a sad moment for me.  He is no longer that little baby who needed Mommy's help for everything.  Why just today he took the key to my mom's house and went next door,  unlocked the door himself, and grabbed his toy that he had left over there earlier in the day.  I watched him as he went over thinking to myself....."I better go help him there is no way he's gonna be able to get that door open by himself"   I had to chuckle when I went over there to 'help' and he was on his way back out.  He needed no help from me and I think that is becoming a common theme.

In our family, we have a tradition that the birthday person gets to choose their meals for the day.   Blake had his whole day planned out.   The wanted crapes for breakfast, chinese for lunch, and chocolate chip star pancakes for dinner.  He also had his heart set on going fishing with his Daddy.  As far as I know they did catch a few.  So he is sound asleep and of course when I asked him what the best thing was about his birthday was, he said his new batman car.  Gee and here I thought it was going to be my pancakes....LOL! 

My little fisherman!

Canning

Well I finally did it.  I took 55 tomatoes and canned my little heart out.  I had never canned tomatoes before but it is amazing what you can do whenyou have the internet and a knowledgeable family member.  I was able to get 7 quarts and 8 pints.  Next time I wanna do sauce.  Here are some pics Kaleigh took.

CLA and CFC picnic

As some of you may know, this baseball season was a busy one for us here at the Sharp household.  My husband played for his team CLA and also coached our church's team ....CFC.  I coached my son's T-ball team and played for the women's CFC team.  So needless to say we lived at the ball field.  This past weekend we had a picnic at our house for both the CLA and CFC Men's teams.  There were probably over 40 in attendence.  We had volleyball, basketball, wiffle ball, a pitching machine, water slide and trampoline for all to enjoy.  I think everyone enjoyed themselves.