Celebrating With Friends!!!

 Classical Conversations Support Manager Celebration!

 My sweet friend, precious sister, and also my boss!  Lynn Doto is such an incredible Area Manager.  She loves her Lord, loves homeschooling, loves Classical Christian Education, loves Classical Conversations, and loves our community!

  We really are, "Better Together".

As we prepare to go to Orlando in a couple weeks for our annual training, Lynn treated us with a special day of pampering.  I will never forget how loved and cherished she made us feel!

Our beautiful scented candles!

We loved the fall decor.  
(Even though it was 90 degrees out, LOL)

Our yummy treat was sugar plum scones and Devonshire clotted cream.  

How much did we love it?

Check out my friend (and fellow SM) Laura's face as she slowly savors the creamy delectable texture. (Cue the music)

Laura, Mary Ellen, and Lynn

My peeps!

Oh My!  I just adored the ambiance. 

Another precious gift..... Jesus Calling Devotional with our names inscribed.  Thank YOU, Lynn.  I deeply appreciate your gracious giving spirit.  I'll never forget our day of pampering. 

Favorite. Salad. EVER!

As we prepare our hearts for another exciting year!

For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. ~ Isaiah 43:19

Loving Every Second Of Our Homeschool Journey!

 What to do on break when it's raining outside?  UNO Of course!

 Apparently, Logan had a pretty good hand!

 My girls look way to smug to let those boys just win!

 Colton, sharing his research report on Mollusks!

 Sweet Ciara, sharing her report, too!

 Ciara, brought a live example of a Mollusk.

 Sage, presenting her writing paper to her peers.

 Katie and Moriah, cheering her on!

 Malcolm's turn!

 Video of the students doing their catechims.

 Hovering and waiting for their tickets to win prizes for all their hard work!

 Logan and Terry enjoying Mrs. Arnold's donuts!

 My girls munching away!

 Our day ended with a house full of boys!  Welcome Sain and Geers children!

FREEDOM!!!!

My sweet forever friend Elizabeth and I!

The most life-changing event I've ever been a part of in my whole entire life is The Freedom Workshop.  This workshop teaches women how to walk close to God in the midst of huge trials.  This is not a one-time type workshop, but one that continually gets women to the Lord so HE can transform and change the way they think!  I believe it was 10 years ago that I walked through it the very first time.  It was that first time through that God revealed to me that I had been living my life as a double agent.

There was the good Mary and the bad Mary.  

The good Mary followed the rules, she said the right things, this good girl signed up to volunteer for everything.... because that's what good girls do.  

The bad Mary had intense moments of anger when she was treated unfairly or someone hurt her feelings, she became frustrated as she parented her children and they didn't fall right in line

The good Mary would pretend that hurtful things didn't affect her heart, but the bad Mary secretly harbored resentment. 

Can anyone else relate to any of this?

Then one day I stepped into this workshop and the Lord used Debbie Friley to show me in scripture how some of the greatest men of faith (famous men of the bible) struggled with all those same things I did. 

David is my hero because he messed it up so badly! (Adultery, murder, pride, greed)  Sometimes I would read some of the things he would say to God and it made me uncomfortable.  It almost appeared to be disrespectful to God.  Yet, God declared David a righteous man after his own heart.  

What was David doing that I wasn't?  He didn't hide from God in his sin.  He railed, yelled, cried out, and said horrible things, but he never hid from his God.  

I learned that my sin can't infect God.  He is God!  But when I come to God authentically he can do unimaginable miracles in my heart.  When I try to fix myself up on my own I turn away from him.

I gained understanding that it's not how I start, but how I finish!  David finished well!

My double agent status believed that I had to go through anger secretly (or with select friends) and that once I felt better I would go back to God and ask forgiveness.   


No!  The lie I believed was that "I" could fix my broken, angry, unforgiving heart and then ask God to forgive me for being upset in the first place.  Scripture tells us that we can NOTHING apart from God! (John 15:5)

The Freedom Workshop took me to scripture that showed me how to go to God while infected.  It taught me that only he can breath light into darkness.  



I began to see how much God loves me and how He is not up in heaven pointing his finger and shaking his head in disappointment.  Absolutely Not!  God is watching me run my race.  He's on the sidelines cheering me on.  He's my biggest cheerleader!  He breaks through the crowds when I fall down and picks me up to dust me off and get me going again. 

Mary, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature is urging you to do, for if you keep on following it you will perish, but all who are called by the spirit of God are children of God. ~  Romans 8:12-14

Change my heart God!  Let my life declare the glory of what God can do with a want-to!

Dessert & Discussions

Classical Conversations Challenge "A" Dessert & Discussions Gathering!

I am so blessed to be a part of a Christ-centered homeschooling community that encourages discipleship.  We are blessed that we do not walk alone.  Our Challenge "A" moms gathered together to share idea's, ask questions, pray with one another, and to set up our calendars  for fellowship and friendship!  

There was lots of laughter mixed in with our discussions

Scheduling our student and moms events!

Moms will be starting their own Strengths Dinner Club beginning next month!

Students will be doing Airheads, Gingerbread decorating gathering, Zip lining, and a Strengths workshop just for them!

Tonya, teaching all of us how she organizes her weekly latin lessons. 

 Don't you just love those side shots, LOL!

Sweet sisters in the Lord!

Turning My Date Book Into A SMASH book!

I love scrapbooking/smashbooking.  As I crop, glue, stick, and stow pictures onto memory books, it allows me to pray for the people in the pictures, while reflecting on God's faithfulness in our life  However, time seemed to always be the issue. 

After months on Pinterest I began to take bits and pieces of other peoples idea's and made up my own little system.  I will share it below:

1-  I start with my muchadoaboutyou datebook. 

2-  This last month I began journaling a snapshot of each day into the month-at-a-glance calendar.  My grandmother has done this since she retired in 1989 on her wall calendars.  I love how we pull them out to look back.

 3-  Next, I use my weekly appointment pages all month long, but when I'm done with the month, I simply turn those weekly appointment pages into my smashbook by adding cardstock, pictures, and journaling.  

 Why does this seem so much more doable?  Because I simply print the pictures I take one month at a time.  

What I am sharing in this post is memories from the month of August.  When October comes around I'll do the same thing with my September pictures.  

Here is our month of August!

 My hope is that one day this will be a beautiful legacy to look back on when my children are grown and gone, or maybe even a legacy for grandchildren after I'm gone?

My only concern is that it might make my book too bulky.  If it does, I will see if Office Depot can re-spiral my notebook to make it fit.