Category: Uncategorized

It’s been about 2 1/2 weeks since I’ve blogged. A lot has happened in that time, and I’ve been keeping pretty busy. We had a good week at Church Camp. Scott taught the High School and College classes. He gave them lessons that were very pertinent to what they are going through. He taught on being committed to their future spouses, and to God. Pretty much admonishing them to keep themselves pure from life’s temptations.

I taught the 3rd and 4th Grade class. I had good students as well. We learned about the lost sheep in Matthew 18 on Tuesday. Wednesday we made Bracelets and several verses about Salvation and describing the colors of the Bracelet. Black for sin, Red for Christ’s blood being shed for our Sins, White showing that we are forgiven and washed clean by His blood, Blue after we are saved we are then able to show the world that we are followers of Christ, Green stands for our Growing in Christ, and Gold stands for the time when we shall meet Jesus in Heaven. Then on Friday, I taught the Lesson on the Mustard seed from Luke 13:18-19. I even brought mustard seed for my class to look at and take home. I had a lot of fun teaching and no one was stung by bees this year!

Last week I took up quilting. I had been wanting to learn for years. I finally asked my Mamaw, if she would teach me how. She agreed. So after Scott gets home, mainly on Tuesday’s and Thursdays, I’ve been going over to her house and visit with her while working on a quilt block. I’ve completed one block, and will have to put some pictures of it on here. I just hadn’t taken time to get any on my computer. As soon as I get some pictures on here though, I’ll be sure to post them.

You may have also noticed my Domestically Challenged Corner. I don’t know how many people actually read my blog, and I don’t know whether your domestically challenged, as I like to term it. However, in my years of working hard reverse my domestically challenged state, I have happened on some hints and tricks to make life and clean-ups easier. So I decided to start my Domestically Challenged Corner where you can see what hint I come up with from time to time. And I have some really basic ones, which some folks might laugh at. But believe it or not I at one time, really didn’t know some of the things I’ll put on here. It took trial and error many times to figure it out. I mean there was even a time that I didn’t realize dishes rinsed in warm water dry faster than those rinsed in cold water. 🙂 Oh well, some of us have to learn it the hard way. But at least we learn. So that was where I came up with that corner of my blog. Check there often for interesting and maybe painfully obvious tidbits that might help someone like me, who may be out there, struggling with how to get that stubborn stain out.

However, for now, I better get busy cleaning before my dear husband gets home. I’ll put some pictures of some of my quilting, as soon as I can. I changed the look of my blog a bit and hope everyone likes it. I may play around with it some more, until I like the look of it. Check back often for more Thoughts from Stacie.

Jonathan is doing better with his new tooth. He had a bit of a rough weekend but his tooth is finally through and he has been a lot more like the cheerful baby he was before. However we had a bit of a fussy baby on our hands for a few days. I bought him some cold teethers and kept giving them to him. Those made him happy for a few minutes at least.

Scott had an interview on Monday. He doesn’t like being treated like a number and so he picked up some more applications. Then he got a call from the Manager of the store he had his interview at and they wanted him to come back. So he should be going back for another interview with the main manager this time. If not Scott will have the other applications filled out to turn in with his resume.

I took the kids to Vacation Bible School at a church in town. They really had a good time. It was an evening VBS and so Scott was off work. He was home when I drove up and he came over to the car and sat in the passenger seat and we sat there for a half hour trying to decide what we want to do while the kids were gone for 2 hours. It was just us and Jonathan. Then we drove around trying to decide what we wanted to do. Then we decided to go to Herschells and have a snack. Then by the time we did that it was time to get the kids.

When we were all back home, the kids asked what we did. I told them that we mostly sat around and drove around trying to think of what we were going to do without them. So during our nightly prayers Joshua prayed that God would help us think of something to do while they were in Bible school today. After we all finished our prayers, I told Joshua that his prayer was already answered. I told him that we already knew what we would do while they were in Bible School today. We’ll be in Church!

Now Thursday is the day we’ll have to figure out. I told Scott since we had short notice on our Tuesday date, maybe we can actually think of something to do for Thursday.

Friday Scott and I will be packing to leave. We’ll probably be leaving late on Friday night after picking the kids up from VBS. So another late night will be upon us. Maybe I’ll eventually catch up on all the missed sleep.

I have a lot I need to finish today. I better get back to work.

Our homeschool group had a Scholar’s Exhibit and Recognition Night last night. It was a lot of fun. It is really great to see that many homeschooling families and to see the imagination that each of the students put into their Exhibits.

Joshua did his exhibit on different creatures. He has a collection of different bones and skeletons. He has a perfect tree frog skeleton and a coyote’s skull. He also has a snake skin, a horn beetle, a turtle shell, and a sea snail shell. It was a really cool display. We even had a picture of him holding an anole lizard. He wrote a paper about the lizard and what it eats and about how it loses it’s tail.

Ruth did her display about musical bottles and how you can pour water into them and make different notes. I printed a piano keyboard off for her to write the notes on the keys and on a music cleff. It was really neat as well. Scott helped her with the water pouring and the tuning. She held the tuner as he blew into the bottles so she could see the note on the tuner. She even wrote a paper on how the bottles work and the process used to make the music with them.

We were real proud of both of them. I let them pick what they wanted to do for their displays and I was impressed with what they chose. I probably would not have thought of musical bottles. I kind of figured Joshua would want to do something with his critters as we call them. As they were preparing their exhibits, I wanted them to do the majority of the work. I was just their for consulting and if they found themselves in a bind. But they did real well on their own.

I really like the homeschool group and when we move, I am determined to find another group to join. I like the friendship and encouragement we get from other homeschool families. I also like the opportunities for the kids to do things with other children under the supervision of parents who care about each one of them. I am looking forward to another year of homeschooling. I know that some parents give their children a break for the summer and I usually give them short breaks here and their but I will be continuing to homeschool through the summer months. Of course with plenty of breaks.

Scott bought me a copy machine/ fax/ printer. It is really neat. I am able to make posters from small pictures and everything. In just the one week I have had it, I have been able to do so much more. I was able to print in just seconds a whole pile of worksheets. It was great! I have so many reproducible homeschool workbooks that I have been wanting to use and now it will be easier to use them. Normally it took a whole day to print what I am now able to print in seconds. Yea!

Well, I better get busy. I have quite a bit to get done today before the wedding rehearsal tonight. The kids are all excited that they will be in the wedding tomorrow. They have been asking me about every time we get ready to go in the car somewhere. We’ll take lots of pictures and I’ll try to put a picture on here of us all dressed up.

A few weeks ago our laptop’s cord quit working. So I felt a bit out of touch. I’m back now, and will try to catch up on events.

We just got back from a week and a half trip northward. We visited a church in Indiana, Michigan, and Arkansas. It’s amazing the distance a preacher and his family will travel seeking God’s will. This trip we used as a chance to visit Scott’s mom as well. We had not seen his family in 2 years and they had not met Jonathan. We had a wonderful time. Joshua can ride a 4 wheeler through the woods by himself. It surprised me that he had gotten that big. He was so careful that we even let Ruth ride behind him. He ven took me for a ride. I told Scott that it takes a lot of will power to allow your 9 year old son to control the vehicle you are riding on. He did it though and didn’t hit any trees nor flip the thing over at all. We’re proud of him. He has sure been growing and maturing.

Uh oh, I have to change a diaper right now. I’ll have to save the rest for later. Check back soon.

I had a wonderful visit with two of my cousins yesterday. We had all gotten together at McDonald’s so that the kids could play in the play place while we all visited. We had a wonderful time. We had one fun discussion that I thought was interesting. I was holding Jonathan while my cousin was holding her baby. We were having fun talking about what all they are able to do at their different ages. She was looking at Jonathan and asked “His eyes look so far apart.” Scott and I just found that so funny. We told her that all our kids eyes were that way. They have different parents than her kids had. Scott popped out a baby picture of Hannah and she said, “Well, I guess so!” It was so funny! Then I was looking at her baby a little later and leaned over to Scott and said, “Isn’t her baby’s eyes a bit close together.”

I guess we all look at things a bit differently. Just imagine how much differently God’s view on our lives must be.

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

It’s all a matter of perspective. We should strive to see ourselves from a little more of God’s perspective.

These were the verses that were on my mind today as just about everything I had planned went awry. I had so many things I told people I and my husband were going to do this weekend, and then today Scott told me that we weren’t going to be able to do everything like I had planned. Yes I was a bit disappointed, but I also realized that I had overplanned again. I keep thinking that I will get everything done, that I plan. I go about telling people the order I plan to have everything done in and then to find out there is a glitch in the plan. I guess I go on overload sometimes thinking I can make everything work out for everyone and make all the plans fit together so everyone can be happy, yet I miss something somewhere and Scott has to stop me and say “Whoa, wait a minute.”

This verse came to mind today because I thought I could get everything done that I told people we would do. And when Scott had to make a change in my plans, I thought, but I just told everyone… So I had to explain to all those I told, including our children why plans have changed. I’m glad that God understands my mind and has made it to where a wife can be submissive to her husband and yet not found guilty for the promises she made ignorant of the problems that might insue. I would not be a submissive wife, if I had to force my husband to help me keep all the things, I said we would do.

I kept one part of what I said I would do this week. Scott did not tell me I couldn’t so I was able to do that part. But the part that he voided, I was not able to keep. I would have sure bent over backwards trying but Scott told me that we couldn’t do things how I planned.

It is always interesting when I live out an example in the Bible. It makes it more clear to me, why God would say that the wife is not responsible for a vow that her husband voids.

Num 30:3-16
(3) If a woman also vow a vow unto the LORD, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth;
(4) And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.
(5) But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the LORD shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her.
(6) And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;
(7) And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
(8) But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the LORD shall forgive her.
(9) But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.
(10) And if she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath;
(11) And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.
(12) But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the LORD shall forgive her.
(13) Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.
(14) But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
(15) But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity.
(16) These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father’s house.

Well, today is Valentine’s day. Today is the day that most people spend the most time thinking about the one they love. So I want to dedicate today’s blog to my dear husband who I love very much. Here are just a few of the things I admire about my husband, Scott.

I admire how he works hard to provide what he can for his family. He is not afraid of hard work. He is willing to work as much as he needs to provide for us, even working extra hours to make sure all our needs are met. If I wanted him to, he would even take on an extra job in order to provide more. However, I told him I would rather do without many things than to have him gone all the time. So he honors me with his time. He also has to do without some of the things he would enjoy, in order to have more time with his family.

Another thing I admire about my husband is his ability to lovingly discipline our children when there is a need. He is firm when he needs to be firm and caring when he needs to be caring. We work together in the discipline of our home and when one decides something the other backs it up. If a situation arises we are able to talk about it and determine what the best course of action is for our children’s sake. I love his firm but caring leadership in our home.

I love his willingness to communicate. We have found that the most important thing in our marriage has been communication. We are able to talk and discuss any issue that arises in our home, family, church, life, anything. If we have troubles figuring out something, we talk about it. If either of us are having a bad day, we are able to talk about it. If there is a misunderstanding, we resolve it by talking about it. Communication has become a vital part of our marriage. You can’t be selfish when you discuss things, or else it turns into an argument. Proper communication comes when we both listen to each other.

Another thing I admire and love about my husband is his friendship. We are best friends. He knows more about me than anyone else. He is not critical of my thoughts and feelings. He knows who I am and what I want in life. He may lovingly tease me about some of my interesting terminoligies and idiocyncrisies. But it is always in fun. He doesn’t mind me teasing him back. We are friends and as such we have fun. We play music together. He even bought me a nice Ukulele since I liked them so much. We play games together. I enjoy occasionally beating him in a game of chess. I say occasionally because he tends to beat me more than I him, but I enjoy giving him a run for his money. 🙂 I enjoy our at home dates. With four children, our dates are pretty much Frozen Pizza and a movie at home, after the kids have gone to bed. But as long as we spend the time together we have fun.

I also love the way he guides our family spiritually. He is careful and steady in spiritual matters. He is able discuss the Bible with anyone without getting offended at opinions and beliefs that may be different than his. He is well read in the Bible and has many verses memorized. If I have any question about the Bible he helps me search it out, even taking me through the Hebrew and Greek if I need it. He doesn’t just let me fall back on just his own thoughts but lets me think for myself as well. He teaches me and our children how to look at the context of passages. He is willing to admit when he doesn’t have an answer, and is willing to spend time researching it out.

Finally, I love his commitment to me. Before we married we agreed together that we would never leave each other. We know that if we ever have a problem that we must work it out or just be miserable for the rest of our lives. We quickly learned how to work out our disagreements. Now I couldn’t ever imagine life without my dear sweet husband. We also have guarded each other’s trust. We know that it doesn’t take much to lose a persons trust, so we set up boundaries for ourselves from the beginning of our marriage, so that there would never be a problem with us trusting each other. Marriages fail many times due to jealousies within the marriage and so we guard against such problems. He will always be faithful to me and I to him. We will always belong together for the rest of our lives.

I love my husband and am glad that God saw fit to give him to me.

Pro 22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Mar 10:7-9 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Col 3:18-24 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. (19) Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. (20) Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. (21) Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. (22) Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: (23) And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; (24) Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

We had a pretty busy day today. I took Joshua and Ruth to their Irish Dance class today. They are real proud of the stuff they are learning. Today when we Scott got home they had to show them some of the stuff they learned. They do need to practice more. I would love to take the class with them in order to help them practice but I have my hands full in the hallway with Hannah and Jonathan. So I stay out in the Hallway with some of the other mothers and watch through the windows. I really enjoy visiting with the other mothers though, so I have fun too.

Joshua and Ruth both have a loose tooth. So today they both have been spending a lot of time with their fingers in their mouth wiggling their teeth. Joshua is a little more experienced at pulling teeth than Ruth, so I think he will probably lose his tooth first. Ruth is trying to give it a pretty consistent effort though. She doesn’t have any teeth popping through behind her baby teeth this time so hopefully she will be able to pull it on her own. Maybe her brother having one loose will encourage her to try harder as well. He’s been giving her tips and tricks to tooth pulling so we’ll see. I just hope Hannah will not get any ideas in her head and start trying to pull her teeth to soon. So far she hasn’t seemed to notice them much, so maybe she’ll keep her hands out of her mouth. We pay the kids for their teeth, but I may have to pay Hannah not to pull hers. Hmm… That might get expensive so maybe just talking with her will keep her from trying.

Scott has another preaching appointment this Sunday. So I need to pack and get ready for we are leaving tomorrow.

Ok, I like to end my posts with a relative verse but the only verse I can find is out of context and well it is about losing teeth but not exactly what I had in mind. However since I now have y’all’s curiosity up I’ll post on here anyway. If anyone can find a more relative verse please leave a comment and I’ll check it out.

Psa 58:6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.