Journal: August

Outside: Too hot! My poor rose bush made it all the way through the summer....but it's really struggling with this last little bout of heat.

School: We are on our 2nd week and I think we are finding our groove. In all honesty, I couldn't imagine life any other way with my kids at home learning and me learning right along side them. I hated history in school, but am really loving the way it's laid out in The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. I use these with Hannah, Eli, Benny, and Charlie. Another favorite for Benny and Charlie is the Draw Write Now series of printing and drawing lessons. We enjoy the simple and easy illustrations and I am amazed at how well the kids' drawings turn out. So much fun! I could go on and on about other titles, but will stop for today;) As always, Math is my nemesis....especially high school math! Fortunately, Don is much better. We have also hired a tutor to help Noah occasionally when we all get stuck.

Crafting: I have been so frustrated with my unorganized overstuffed page protector bursting with all my recipes. I didn't want to spend much, so I took a 25 cent binder...(gotta love those back to school sales!!) and I printed out some free printable recipe cards,
grabbed some leftover page protectors from my CGS binder and made my own custom recipe organizer.
Not as cute as the $20 versions, but I am thrilled with the end result....and so is my kitchen!

In the Kitchen: trying to keep cool. We've been making lots of crock pot recipes, BBQ Chicken, Chicken and Rice, and Breakfast Casserole. Goodness, we have been making egg dishes at least twice a week. For Hannah's birthday party, she and her friends made pudding parfaits complete with whipped cream.

Out of the Kitchen:  If you are tired of cooking, you have to try Curly's American Diner!

Inside Curly's

Don's brother, David just opened a new restaurant at Harry and Webb. It's honest to goodness homemade tasting comfort food....and I'm not just biased;) Tuesday and Thursday nights kids eat for .99 cents. They have the best Chicken Fried Steak I have EVER had...and the prices are reasonable.Checkout the menu on their Facebook page.

The kids with Uncle David at Curly's

Summer Fun:Hannah, Jonah, and Eli took Hook a Kid on Golf  summer camp. They really had a great time, but didn't ever get to play a round because of all the rain. It's a really great program!

What I'm Reading: No Turning Back A Witness to Mercy by Fr. Donald Calloway. It's a true conversion story. I struggled through the first 10 chapters in absolute disgust, but the remaining chapters of the book really inspired and floored me. You can do a google search and find videos about the story.
I am also reading Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Father Jacques Philippe that I borrowed from my brother, Doug. Reading this book just gives me peace....I know it sounds so cliche, but let me give you an example,..."Consider the surface of a lake, above which the sun is shining. If the surface of the lake is peaceful and tranquil, the sun will be reflected in this lake; and the more peaceful the lake, the more perfectly will it be reflected."

What I am Praying/Thinking:I have been visiting a relative who is in prison. It hasn't been easy, and I was really terrified about it at first, but I had been praying for this person and I asked God to show me a sign of how I could help them...2 weeks later, I received a phone call from a prison ministry volunteer from our previous parish. My relative asked that person to call me and tell me that they wanted to see me. So I went. I didn't know what to do or what to say....I didn't even know what door to walk through and set off an alarm! I prayed that the Holy Spirit would give me the words to say....so I told my relative that I loved them and I would walk this journey with them and encourage them through their trials. My relative broke down and cried they were so shocked to see me...they never thought I would actually show up....everyone they knew had given up on them because of the choices they made. They pleaded with me to not leave them and they told me how very sorry they are for their choices and how it has affected the family. My loved one is not bitter toward their family members and they understand their frustrations...even their rejection.
 That was 6 weeks ago. I always wanted to experience prison ministry...I never expected I would be visiting a loved one. Please pray for this person, they are a child of God and they really want to change.....they really NEED to change, their life depends on it. Please pray for me as well, I feel so inept and unqualified, but I do know how to love....and pray.....and I will because my life depends on it.

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