The Internet Issue

Thank you, Michael! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

For more than 2 weeks, my Internet has been on the fritz, and my wireless has been non-existent. I didn't realize how much I depended on the Internet until I didn't have it. It is such a convenience that I have obviously taken for granted. So much so that I was almost lost without it. I couldn't pay my bills or check my email or finish my holiday shopping! Anyway, balance has been restored electronically in the Hall household. Thank you again, Michael! (That's my computer guy--my brother--the best!)

The Holidays are Here!

Wow! It's only a week until Christmas! I can't believe it! My last entry was about getting ready for Thanksgiving and now it's only a week until Christmas. Where did the time go?

Well, things are gearing up for Christmas around here. Presents have been chosen, gifts have been wrapped, the tree was decorated, and we're making Christmas cookies today! Then, this weekend we are off to Metter, GA to have Christmas with my daddy's family at Aunt Debra's house. The kids are so excited about this weekend...and beyond! For them, even though we know the true meaning of Christmas, it's all about the presents! And Dennis and I can't wait for Christmas Day, when we get to give them to them.

How is it that when you're little, it's all about what you get, and when you're an adult, it's all about what you can give? I think it's about more than just growing up--it's about maturity. The spiritual kind. This Christmas has been about following Christ and His example to serve and give to others, and I really like the feeling I have on the inside because of it. Thank you Jesus for being an example to me and for helping me to follow Your example! It somehow makes me feel all grown-up.....Naaah! There still a little girl in me with a long plaid nightgown, quivering with excitement as I wait for Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas to you all! And have a Blessed New Year!

Getting Ready for the Holidays

Well, it's the weekend before Thanksgiving. All this past week it has been cold, and we decided to have a light week with homeschool to gear up for the holidays. We decided to get started early on spending time having fun with each other instead of waiting until Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. That's what the holidays have always been about to me--having fun with family on a special day. So I started thinking...shouldn't that be more often?

When I think of all the blessings God has given me--my husband, my children, the opportunity to homeschool, family, friends, the list goes on and on--I realize that a celebration of those things shouldn't be set aside for only a few days out of the year. We should celebrate those blessing every day!! We should also set aside our work (and school) a little more often so that we can enjoy one another.

So we cut our school work down last week and started cleaning the house early. So this week, the week of Thanksgiving, the work is almost all done, and we will have more time for each other and the rest of our family. The Nashville Halls are coming to visit! We have been planning menus and sleeping arrangements and fun activities for when they are here. That is really what the holidays are all about anyway--family and fun, not the food or the fuss. Thank you Lord for reminding us that You came, not just so that we should have Life, but that we should have Life More Abundantly!! Praise God for His love and His abundance!!

Remember to enjoy your family, not just the holidays!!!

Cold

Wow! It's really cold--anyway for Georgia it's really cold. It was 35 out when I woke up this morning. That is something for this part of the country. Anyway, the cool, clean air and beautiful sunshine make it look like the beginnings of a gorgeous fall day. An outing was the first plan for today, but as cold as it is, we may delay that for a couple of hours. Hopefully, the weather has officially caught up with the season.

A New Roof

Yesterday, we had a new roof put on our house. During Tropical Storm Faye, we incurred some damage, and we had some leaks. So a new roof was called for.

So yesterday, beginning at 7:18 am, they started working. First they delivered the shingles in the big truck that goes "beep, beep, beep" the whole time they are backing up. Then with the big swing arm on the truck they put bundles of shingles all over the roof of the house, "bam, bam, bam." Then later we hear footsteps, "stomp, stomp, stomp." At this I make the executive decision that homeschool is cancelled for the day.

Later we hear, "buzz, buzz, buzz" from a saw. At this my eight-year-old looks at me and says, "Mama, I thought they were going to fix the holes in the roof not put new ones in it." Laughing (a little nervously), I say, "Don't worry, buddy. I'm sure they know what they're doing." (I later found out that they were cutting holes to fit our new ridge vents.) Finally, we begin to hear the "whack, whack, whack" of the hammers, along with the "bam, bam" of the bundles of shingles being moved and the "stomp, stomp" of the feet of the workers moving them.

While all this noise is going on, I think to myself, "Uhhh. Will the noise ever stop?" Then, very quietly, I heard a little voice say, "Are you really going to complain about the noise? Don't you remember who gave you the new roof?" Then, I said a little prayer, asking forgiveness and thanking God for His wonderful provision as I thought back to how we were blessed with this new roof.

As I said ,Tropical Storm Faye left a lot of wind damage, but to completely tell this story I have to go back a week or two. In the days before Faye, while they were forecasting the path of the storms, I said a little prayer during one of my quiet times. "Lord," I prayed, "I know that pretty soon we're going to have to put a new roof on this house. I know that I need to start saving up for that now, but I really don't know where that money is going to come from. I'm trusting in You to take care of this situation, Lord, of us needing a new roof."

The very next week, Faye blew through our little part of God's creation, leaving behind a damaged roof and interior ceiling. Knowing that nothing would come of it, we had the insurance agent come out to look. He told us to get an estimate and that they would compare it to what our deductible was. Then, an insurance adjuster called saying that he had been told to inspect our roof. What a foul-up, we grumble to ourselves, watching as he walked around the inside of our well-lived-in-homeschooling-child-filled-house and later hearing as he wandered around on the roof.

When he came down, I sent Dennis (who just happened to be home that day) out to hear what we were sure was going to be the grim news. He came back in, looking slightly dazed and said, "He said we need a whole new roof and that the damage is covered under our policy."

I started bawling. "What is it? They're going to pay for the new roof! What's wrong?" he says. "Nothing," I sob. "I'm just so happy!" To which he gives his classic I-have-no-idea-how-your-mind-works look. Then I tell him the history of the quiet time prayer. He finally gets it! Oh, and here's the kicker--we didn't need a new roof b/c of Faye; we got the new roof b/c of significant hail damage from a storm that happened last year!!

God is so good! He cares about every little thing. He knows what we need, even before we know we need it. He provides for us when we don't even know we need His provision. Thank you God! Thank you for all the noise on the roof yesterday! Thank you for a day of interrupted school work! Thank you for just being God!

By the way, right now as I type this new posting, it's raining!! Thank you again, God, for Your glorious timing!

Summer Flashback

Chandler is Five

It seems like only yesterday that I held her in arms, praising God for His safe delivery of our baby girl. Now she is five! I look into those beautiful green eyes, smiling up at me in mischief, and I realize that my baby isn't a baby anymore. She's a little girl--riding a bicycle, writing her name, learning to read, and growing up way too fast. I still can't believe it.

Her birthday was extra special. We had a busy day--haircuts, shopping, homeschool gathering, and a special birthday dinner. I made spaghetti with meat sauce (at her request), and Mawmaw and Papa, Mimi and Granny, and Granny Agnes and Ms. Lydia came to eat it with us. The highlight of her day came after dinner when she was presented with her new bicycle. Then, on Sunday afternoon, we had a little party with her cousins and her new best friend, Jordanna, where she had Little Mermaid cupcakes. Everyone loved the Ariel tattoos, the playdough table and blowing bubbles.

So, for now, she's five. For a little while longer, she's my little girl--but no matter how old she gets, she'll always be my baby!

A Mother's Sabbatical

How is it that motherhood can be the most rewarding and most draining thing in a woman's life? I ask myself this and wonder how I can love my family so much and yet feel the need to escape from them at the same time. I'm sure that every mother, whether she stays at home or not, asks herself that very same question every once in a while.

Well, last week, I escaped--for a few days anyway. I finished all the laundry, shopped for extra groceries, planned a few meals, packed my scrapbooking gear and left my family behind as I headed to the North Georgia mountains with my best friend (who was also escaping from her kids). We packed more scrapbooking paper than we did personal items, not to mention the photos, the embellishments, and all the other paraphernalia that goes along with that celebrated pastime. We stayed up late, ate whenever we wanted, and scrapped to our hearts content. And not once did we hear the words "Mommy" or "what are we having for dinner." It was wonderful.

On the last day, I woke up early and felt a small twang of guilt as I reached for my Bible. Was I just being selfish? Should I really have asked my husband, my mother, and my mother-in-law to take up my slack and care for my kids for three and half days just so I could go scrapbook with a girlfriend? With those questions still floating through my mind I opened my Bible for my truly quiet "quiet time" and the Lord led me to this passage in Matthew 14:"...And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray..."

When I read that verse, tears came to my eyes and thanksgiving filled my heart. I knew that the Lord was telling me that even He had needed time away from His family and friends to pray and rejuvenate. I knew than that it was okay to go away and be alone in the mountains. While we may not have prayed to whole time, we did seek His peace and share about His work in our every day lives. I also knew then that I would be ready to go home when the time came--that I would be ready to face again all the joys and frustrations of motherhood and homeschooling because I had been renewed in body, mind and spirit.

This short sabbatical was a learning experience for me. I learned that my husband and my children can survive if I am not there to tell them where the refrigerator is. I learned that I can still scrapbook, even though I had feared that the busyness of life had stolen the ability from me. I learned that I am still a person apart from being someone's wife and someone's mother and that I can enjoy being just me. I learned that friendship is something never to be taken for granted but to be cherished and nurtured. I learned that taking time for me can make me a better wife and mother. I learned that God cares for everything I care about--even about me taking a much-needed mini-vacation from my life. God is so good--all the time. Praise be to the Lord!

Ethan's Accomplishment

Everything is different for everyone, especially for children. Each one has his own strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, fears and dreams. Recently we were at an older playground where they had older equipment--like the kind Dennis and I used to play on when we were in school. Ethan was drawn to it at once because it was different from what he usually sees. It was one of those igloo shaped jungle gyms, and he decided to climb up. When he got to the top, he began to see that it was higher than it seemed, and he began to be afraid. Heights are not Ethan's favorite thing. He wanted to stop, to get down, to not go any further. So, to help Ethan not give up, Dennis climbed right up on the jungle gym with him to encourage him. Then Ander climbed up. Then Chandler climbed up. I yelled words of encouragement from the ground and took photos of this trial of childhood. Eventually, Dennis talked Ethan through his fear, helping him to climb down on his own. Tears and cries for help were interspersed with the words of encouragement from us all, but Ethan made it back to the ground on his own steam. He didn't give up! When he finally touched solid ground again we all cheered.

The sweat pouring from his face and the look of accomplishment in Ethan's eyes--those are the photos I should have taken, but I was overcome by the emotion of the moment and cheering for Ethan conquering his fear. When I looked at these photos today, I was overcome again with emotion. As I looked at them, I knew that they depicted what family is all about. It is about sticking together, encouraging one another through the tough times, and celebrating every accomplishment--big or small. Thank you God for my precious family! And thank you for giving our children a daddy who will walk them through every difficult hurdle.

Wednesday Morning

So, here we are on Wednesday morning. It's the beginning of the week for us. We're homeschoolers, and we've been on an adventure this past weekend. So we're just starting our school week today. We started off a little bumpy, but we seem to be on track now. This is one of the things about homeschooling that I love--having the freedom to travel without being tied to such a strict schedule, like a school schedule. We get all our lessons in, usually in less time. And we have so much more together time. I love it!

During our travels this weekend, we headed to Nashville, TN to visit family and to Kennesaw to visit friends that are closer than family. Dennis's brother and sister-in-law just bought their first house, and we went for a visit to check out the new digs. Very Nice!! We are so happy for them. All the little cousins played, and the adults talked and laughed. It was a great time with family, and a trip we'll not soon forget. Especially since on the way home, we missed a turn and took a detour. But the detour turned out to be pleasant enough. We were able to stop at a Scenic Overlook and see a beautiful view. Isn't God good? His Word says that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. So even though we lost a hour in traffic time, we gained a few minutes to view an example of His glorious creation.

And visiting with Heather and her family on Monday and Tuesday was wonderful! Like I said being with them is like being with family. We all felt so at home and had a great time catching up, even though the visit was too short! The kids had a fabulous time together. Now I'm not too sure about Allye--she was a little overwhelmed by the Pug Parade at the Pisanos--but she made it through and chalked it up to a growing experience. She told me that--REALLY!

The Beginning?

The Hall Family in Ga Home, School, and All is going to be about our family. Homeschooling will be a big part because that is a big part of our family and who we are. But it will cover all sorts of other things, too. Come along and join us in the advcntures of our life.