1,000 Gifts: 67-87

Blessings I counted this week:

67. Gooey chocolate brownies

68. A trip to the thrift store to donate some things that were cluttering up my life.

69. Chicken fettuccine alfredo

70. The honking geese that fly over my new place on their way to a nearby pond.

71. My little boy's artwork on the fridge.

72. A spirit-filled Sunday church service.

One of my favorite stores.

74.  Hot, steamy showers that open up every pore in my body.

75.  The opportunity to try to make the best of every situation.

76. A steaming cup of mint hot chocolate on a cold night.

77. Italian food.

78. Warm toboggans.

79.  The "I love you the most" game my little boy and I play together.

80.  A hug from a lady at church, and her words of, "We're so glad you moved here."

81.  Holding Hubby's strong hand at visitation.

82.  A furry face that wakes me up in the mornings by licking my toes.

83. Chocolate mint yogurt that's only 100 calories.

84. A bible with wide margins, so I can take notes.

85. Diet Pepsi.

86. Teaching myself to use the reciprocating saw.

87.  Working on The Manor with my teenage son.

1,000 Gifts: 46-66

Blessings I counted this week:

46. Pinterest (my new, current addiction)

47. The cool new buttons on the right (my facebook page, pinterest, e-mail, etc.) that my friend Nancy made for my blog.

Reading my favorite magazine at my own kitchen table in the Manor.

49. A rare, peaceful weekend with nothing to do.

50. Laughing until my cheeks hurt while watching America's Funniest Videos.

New (old) bunk beds for the boys' room at the Manor.

52. Country music.

53. Christian radio stations.

Boys at work

55. All the beautiful cardinals I keep seeing on my way to work.

56. Clean, freshly folded laundry.

New faucets in the bathrooms in the Manor.

58. Warm gloves on a cold day.

59. Lavender scented lotions.

The fact that I have things to smile about.

61. Thrift stores.

62. My cell phone, so the kids can reach me anytime even if I can't be with them every moment.

The boys' excitement at putting some of their things in their room in the Manor.

64. The sound of Hubby's voice during our once-a-week phone calls.

65. My snow boots, that keep my feet warm in the winter even if it hasn't actually snowed yet.

(Wo)man's best friend.

1,000 Gifts: 25-45

Blessings I counted this week:

25. Found some much needed pants for Adam at a thrift store.

26. The kids and I are never without enough food to eat.

A lost dog now found.

28. A 4-year-old laptop that continues to work well.

29. Public libraries.

Freshly baked cookies.

31. My friend and Savior, Jesus.

32. A mechanic friend who only charges for parts.

The wonder of God's natural creations.

34. The opportunity to visit Hubby every week.

35. Duct tape.

Three little boys playing Army.

37. A thick quilt on a wintery night.

38. Small town country life.

A part-time job that provides a little income for the boys and I.

40. Feather pillows.

41. Blog friends who encourage.

A feline who brings comfort to a little boy by determining to sleep with him every night.

43. Ice makers in the fridge door.

44. A body free from diseases or major health problems.

The occasional uninterrupted nap.

My child is being refused a public education

Adam checks out the Revolutionary War memorabilia during a homeschool field trip in the fall.

Sometimes, we have to make absolutely monumental decisions in our lives. Our lives fell apart two years ago, and we are still facing the consequences of the event that led to the changes. Because my husband isn't with us right now, I have to fully support our family myself. There is no child support, no extra money coming in from other sources. I currently work three days a week, but am looking for a full-time job. Without a full-time job, there is no way I'll be able to pay the bills.

When I started working, I was determined to be Supermom and homeschool, work full-time, and run a home completely on my own. But the truth of the matter is that although I can do it, I can't do it very well. I am spreading myself too thin already, and one of things that is suffering most is Adam's schooling.

I thought we could do it at night and on the weekends. But Adam is a morning person. He doesn't do well doing school in the evenings. And buckling down to school on the weekend is hard when you also have to do laundry, grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc. Justin, at 16, takes many of his courses on the computer. As far as his other course go, I simply assign the work before I leave in the morning and check it and answer any questions when I get home at night. But Adam is young, and needs hands-on instruction.

And so, after much thought, prayer, and receiving of advice from my elders, Adam and I decided that he should try public school. In the end, we decided to start him immediately, as there is only a little more than four months left in the school year. By the end of the school year, we should know if it is working better than trying to work and homeschool at the same time as a single mom is.

This was huge decision for us, and one that I have constantly obessed over. On the one hand, I feel like I am going against the things I believe in, like being responsible for my own child's upbringing and education. But on the other hand, I want to give my child every educational opportunity available. Adam has never stepped foot in school before, and the adjustment will be extremely hard for both us, I think.

But today I bit the bullet and Adam and I went to our local elementary school to enroll him. They were having a teacher workday (or in-service as it is apparently known in this state), and we figured we could enroll him today and let him start next week. I called and talked to the guidance counselor yesterday, who set me up with an appointment with the principal today.

When we got there, I fillled out a bunch of paper work before seeing the principal. Since we hope to moving into our new mobile home as soon as I find another part-time job to supplement the one I already have, I put the new address down on the paperwork. Then the woman noticed the address on my driver's license was different. Not thinking anything about it, I was honest and told him we were living with another homeschooling family while our new home was being fixed up and made livable.

And then.... they refused to enroll my son in school. Apparently, some obscure law in this state says that you can go to school if you are homeless, or if you rent or own the home you reside in. So despite the fact that I lived in this state for a year and a half, because we are living with another family my son will not be allowed to attend school. I was told at the school that the only way I could enroll him while living in a friend's household was if I turned over custody of my children to the owner of the home. I love my friend, but I am sure as heck not giving them custody of my children! (Not that they would want that anyway, lol). And to top it off, the principal wouldn't even come out and talk to me! She sent someone else out to give me that message.

So I can't give Adam a proper education and work at the same time but the public school system refuses to give him an education, either. Talk about slipping between the cracks! Well, so be it. God will point me in the right direction, I'm sure.

Alternative mobile home underpinning

In order to get the power turned on, we were required to have the Manor inspected. In order to have the Manor inspected, we had to have certain things. One of those things is underpinning. Brick or stone was way out of the question because of the price, and vinyl was going to end up being more than I could hope to get anytime soon.

My "adopted" father, Buck, is really good at coming up with ways to do things cheaply, and he came up with the idea of using tin as underpinning. Not only that, but he found a man in a nearby town who sells reclaimed tin, and he bought it for me. I love this idea. Using recycled products keeps them out of the landfills and is better on the budget as well - a lot better.

Cutting a hole in the tin underpinning for a vent. The sparks were flying as the metal was cut, and we didn't realize until we saw the photo that there was a full gas can close by.

On top of that, I think the tin was a better idea for another reason. The dogs will be in a fence right off the back of the manor. They would have broken vinyl underpinning in a matter of weeks, but the tin is strong and will hold up. It will also hold up much better against the weedeater during the summer. And at any time later, if I want to paint it, I can.

The tin came in 20-foot sections, and we simply bolted them on. Easy peesy. We cut out access doors and holes for the required vents, and viola! Simple is better!

I am linking this post up to Simple Lives Thursday.

His Steadfast Love Thomas Nelson (November 1, 2011) by Golden Keyes Parsons



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Golden Keyes Parsons writes historical fiction for Thomas Nelson Publishing, and is also a popular retreat/conference speaker. Her highly acclaimed Darkness to Light Series chronicled the journey of her French Huguenot ancestors in 17th century France. Her newest novel, His Steadfast Love, a Civil War novel set in Texas, just released November 2011. Golden lives in Waco, TX, with her husband, Blaine, where they enjoy their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and are avid sports fan of their alma mater, Baylor University.




ABOUT THE BOOK:

It isn't until the Civil War comes to her doorstep that Amanda Bell must choose between love and family.


It's the spring of 1861 on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Amanda never thought she would marry because of a promise she made to her dying mother, but her attraction to Captain Kent Littlefield is undeniable.


When Texas secedes from the Union, her brother Daniel aligns with the Confederate States, while Kent remains with the Union troops.


Her heart is torn between the two men she is closest to and the two sides of the conflict. Amanda prays to God for direction and support, but hears only silence. Where is God in the atrocities of war-and whose side is He on?


Amanda senses her life is at a turning point. She must trust God to deliver her family through the chaos of war with her heart and her faith intact.


If you would like to read the first chapter of His Steadfast Love, go HERE.

The manor (yes, I've decided to give the old trailer we plan to move into a grand name!) comes equipped with a furnace which runs on propane.

The furnace

Part of starting over on my own is experiencing new things, and propane heat will be one of those new things for me. The only heat I've ever used before is natural gas or a heat pump. I started calling around to see about getting a propane tank and filling it up, but the cheapest quote I got was for $539. Too much!

Our new heating system

But if country people are good at anything, it's coming up with creative ways to do things. My "adopted" dad, Buck, came up with cheap system. He came up with two old propane tanks (possibly previously used on grills?). The system is that I fill one up and it sits until the other one runs out. Then I'm supposed to switch the gas line to the other tank and go have the other one filled up. Honestly, I'm not sure how that will work when we actually move in, as I don't feel very comfortable messing with the gas line. But it works great right now, as I'm only turning it up when we are in there working. When nobody is in there, I leave it at about 50 degrees, which is as low as the old thermostat will go. This keeps the pipes from freezing.

The duct work under the trailer was in pretty good shape, thankfully. The vents inside were a different story, however.

Can you imagine this on your kitchen floor? Yuck. Needless to say, I took them up. So now the vent holes in the floor look like this.

I found vents for $6 each, but every dollar counts right now. So I decided to just buy one or two as I have the money. So far, I've gotten two. The new vents look like this.

Much better, don't you think?

The Captive Heart Bethany House (January 1, 2012) by Dale Cramer



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dale Cramer spent his formative years traveling the world as an Army brat, then settled in Georgia at the age of fifteen when his father retired.


After high school he became an electrician, a job that took him to places as diverse as power plants, stadia, airports, high-rise office buildings and a hard-rock mining operation.


Twenty-five years of experiences in the trades provided him with the wealth of characters, stories and insights that populate his novels.


When he married his childhood friend, Pam, in 1975 he had no way of knowing they would not have children until fifteen years later.


In his early forties, when Dale left his job to become a stay-at-home dad, he suddenly found himself with time on his hands, so he pursued a lifelong dream and taught himself to write.


Using an online writer’s forum as a training ground, he wrote his first short stories in 1996. As his writing skills improved he turned to novels, publishing his first book, Sutter’s Cross, in 2003.


Since then, Dale has published four more novels and garnered a measure of critical acclaim with two Christy Awards, a listing among Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2004 and numerous other Best lists. Dale and his wife Pam live in Georgia with their two sons.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Bandit troubles intensify as Caleb Bender's family tries to settle into their new life in 1920s Paradise Valley. When El Pantera kidnaps Rachel and leaves her brother, Aaron, for dead, Jake Weaver and the Mexican native Domingo pursue the bandit leader to his mountain stronghold in a hopeless rescue attempt. Jake and Domingo manage to escape with Rachel, with the bandits hot on their trail. In a desperate attempt to avoid recapture, Domingo puts himself squarely in harm's way, giving Jake and Rachel time to get away. This is not the quiet life Caleb Bender envisioned when he led his family out of Ohio. What is a father to make of his daughter's obvious affection for a man outside the fold? And how will a pacifist Amishman like Caleb respond to the events that threaten his family and their way of life?


If you would like to read the first chapter of The Captive Heart, go HERE


MY REVIEW:  This is the second book in the Caleb Bender Daughters series, and I think it was better than the first! I wouldn't normally think of Amish stories as being adventurous and exciting, but Dale Cramer knows how to do it. From bandits to forbidden love, The Captive Heart isn't a book to be put down. I held my breath through the whole novel, waiting to see what would happen next. Cramer made it interesting to, in that many in this particular Amish village are struggling with their belief that violence, even to defend oneself, is a sin. It's an interesting subject and I look forward to the next installment already!

One Thousand Gifts: 1-24

This year I have decided to pay more attention to the theme of my blog - living a life of contentent. It's not an easy task to be content with your life. In an effort to do so, I have decided to join Ann Voskamp, author of "One Thousand Gifts", in counting 1,000 gifts (or blessings) from God. It is my belief that anyone who has been given 1,000 gifts can not help but be content with life. Counting one thousand gifts in a year equals out to about three per day. So without further ado, here are the gifts I have counted this week:

A little boy's excitement at receiving a gift from Mawmaw

2.  The concept of new beginnings that comes with a new year.

3. The relief of finally telling the blog world why my husband isn't around right now.

The bond between a boy and his dog.

5. Finding a long lost sister on Facebook

6. Friends who pray for me

My two adorable autistic nieces, and the love they share with my boys.

8. Hugs from my 16-year-old son, who has to bend down to hug me now.

9. The anticipation of knowing we are very close to moving into a home of our own.

A little boy and his Teddy.

11. A sweet hymn sung in church last week that focuses on hope.

12. To-do lists that keep me sane.

A fat, soft, furry cat that will let me hug him every now and then.

14. The opportunity to forgive others as I have been forgiven.

15. Fresh starts

Good friends who make sacrifices for me.

17. The smell of fresh ink on a brand new book.

18. A heating pad to bring warm release to tired back muscles.

The innocence of a children's Christmas pageant.

20. Spell check.

21. Good books that I can't put down.

A Christian couple who is always willing to take in strays like me.

23. Those quiet moments after all the kids fall asleep.

24. A tomorrow that is always fresh, with no mistakes in it.