My curly haired girl....

"How beautiful you are, my darling!

Oh how beautiful!" 

Song of Soloman 4:1a

This is my girl....and she has curly hair. 

For some of you looking at these pictures, thinking "that's not that curly". 

You are correct. It's not THAT curly, but it is curly enough to cause tangles galor. 

I can't even begin to imagine having to manage super tight curly hair. You can just comment when I'm done and say what a gift I have and to stop belly aching about it. :-)

What you're looking at is actually after I have stuggled, she has cried, and it is brushed out as straight as possible and put into braids. I absolutly love her naturally curly hair simple left wet and air dried. However, so do the tangle monsters. They not only love it, they adore her hair. 

Plus she's a tosser when she sleeps so that doesn't help with the inevidable tangles. 

This is a picture of her after waking up and what her braids look like which means mornings still have the rebraiding process. Which is better than the detangling process, but somehow they still creep in. She was actually putting a pin on her great-grandma in this picture. It was so precious. 

Last night was a rough brushin out night....

She cried as usual.

I got impatient as usual. 

Nobody wins in the hair brushing process at our house. 

Am I alone?

I was actually thinking about the recent Little House we had ready

where it spoke of Mother loving brushing out Laura's hair before bed

and what a bonding time that was for them. 

It made me a little sad because hair brushing time is not a great mother/daughter time for us.

Reagan is such an AMAZING little girl that hardly ever needs correcting

or discipline at all. So I always feel terrible after I've verbally told her to stop crying over

getting her hair brushed. I do believe that she has a very sensitive head. But still....

Well, I want to try very hard to set aside time (?) that we can sit down and

turn this hair brushing process around. What a wonderful thing to have it 

be a loving memory of time together instead of tears (from both of us.) Just kidding...well, most of the time. :-)

"Your beauty should not come form outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gently and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful...."

I Peter 3:3-5a

She is a beautiful little girl...inside and out. 

After our difficult hair brushing time, I laid in bed with her for a long time just cuddling and talking. 

Hopefully, those are the memories that she will take away.

From the blessed/annointed fingertips of Ann Voskamp at www.aholyexperience.com: 

“Like the to-do list that isn’t touched and the read alouds I don’t read with children and the memories I’m not making and the intentions I don’t follow through on. Like the decisions I can’t make– and then do make. And wonder if they were the right ones at all?” I don’t have to look up. I know how she’s listening, how her eyes are simply waiting to hear, understand. A mother can always be pregnant – full of grace. She must feel it, me all stirring. “It’s about getting it all right?” Did she speak this softly when I wailed through the nights, when she held me and rocked? “No…” Why do I always have soul amnesia? Why can your head figure things out so much faster than your heart? Why is it that what runs through your veins learns so slow? It’s about praise, not perfection. The only right is found in His righteousness and grace is always the most amazing of all. Yesterday, I decided that making memories in December is far more valueable than doing math. I've always talked about taking December off of school, but I feel so guilty....like someone will find out. :-)  My heavenly Father already knows that December is super busy for us (as well as many others) and He's that one that I'm trying to please.  So yesterday we did NO school. Insert gasp here.... But we did enjoy family time and learning happened along the way. I'm not an unschooler by any stretch of the imagination. However, as I journey along this homeschooling path that God has called my family to, I discover that my own expectations and requirements sometimes (often) take away the joy of learning.  Sweet Girl showed her brother how to properly wrap a Christmas present. It was so sweet. He was struggling to get it right and she said that she used to be bad at wrapping gifts also but that last year I had sat down and showed her how to do it and now it was easy. She was then showing him. It was learning being transfered.  We cooked. Cleaned. Played with puppies. Cooked some more. Wrapped presents. Made gifts. Talked about family members. Shared stories. Had dinner together with Daddy. Practiced piano. Had good and bad moments. Read more of the Christmas story. Stayed up too late just loving on each other.  Yes.....that's a good trade off for Math. That'll come later. But yesterday.....I chose to LIVE IN THE MOMENT!  Blessings to you and your family as you capture December moments together!

Lord, help me continue to change

If you don't like IT -
 then change it! 
Change your attitude,
 change your heart, 
change your habits,
 change your mind! 
Every excuse is a lack of desire ... 
You are not a victim ... 
You are more than a conqueror through Him!!!


A friend's FB post yesterday....

it was a good reminder.

Should have read this earlier in the day...

I'm thankful!

Shepherds

Be shepherds
(provide, protect, direct)
of God's flock
(ownership, accountable)
that is under your care
(with a loving nature/loving/gentle/concerned)
serving as overseers
(doing what is right/best for them)
not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;
(right attitude)
not greedy for money
(not looking for the immediate reward)
but eagar to serve
(with humily)
not lording it over those entrusted to you
(not dictating)
but being examples to the flock
(but modeling)
and when the Chief Shephard
(Jesus is our pattern)
you will receive
(the reward is coming)
the crown of glory that will never fade away.
(it's permenant)

I Peter 5:2-4

An Almost Perfect Day!

"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

As I sit and write this, my husband is reading Mark 11 to the kids while they lay on the floor cuddled up with a pile of blankets. I am curled up in the rocker with a small quilt and a cup of coffee. 

Today has been pretty idealistic. 

Dinner was delicious. 

Fish, sweet potato fries, and corn bread that both the kids pitched in the make. 

Reagan set the table, Javon lit the candels, Dad came when dinner was announced. 

Hands held to share a prayer of thanks.

 I can hear the dishwasher running. 

The laundry baskets are empty. 

The main areas of the house are all clean. (Not every drawer or cabinet.) :-)

School was a dream. 

Not perfect, but better than other days. 

Well, it was actually pretty perfect. 

After a delicious oatmeal breakfast, we watched 

The Mysterious Islands by Vision Forum.

 It was shot on the Gallapogos Islands and is where Darwin formed many of his theories.

 But we know we have an amazing Creator and the Islands showcase that beautifully. 

Then came Math, English, and Lit for Javon and Math, English, and Phonics for Reagan. 

For lunch Javon had a chili cheese baked potato and acted like I was the best mother in the world for making it for him. Reagan on the other hand was at her happiest in the kitchen making her own lunch which was a turkey sandwich with lots of pepper. :-)

The sun was streaming in the dining room window as we sat enjoying each others' company. 

A quick call to check on Nana who we made sick over the weekend along with several piano pieces by Javon concluded our lunch break.

 Then we were on to Drive Thru History: The American Founders. 

Such valuable lessons to be learned from those who have gone before. 

Spelling came next, map work, and Social Studies for Reagan (who is doing fabulous on her reading).

 She just happens to be "reading" about the birth of Jesus which was a great addition to our day.

 I originally had written "learning" but changed it to "reading" because she learned about the birth of Jesus many years ago. :-)

To wrap up our school day, we read Mark 10 and prayed over our November requests.

 It was 4 p.m., but the day was so lovely we decided to begin a new book for family reading titled

 "Twenty and Ten" which is about hiding Jewish children in 1944.

 Then a 30 minute house tidy and dinner prep. 

It just felt like so many pieces all fell into place today. 

It was a normal home day. 

House work to do. 

Six puppies and two dogs to care for. 

Meals to make. 

School work to be completed. 

Discipline to be administered. 

Training to be done. 

Quiet time in the Word to be had. 

And yet, in all the normalcy of the day....it seemed absolutely perfect. 

Thank you Father for Your love and reminding me that this is why I do what I do. 

Days like today don't always happen, but when they do I am so much more aware of the blessings that I have been given. Blessings of children to train, a home to care for, a husband to love and serve. 

These are the things that are fulfilling. These are the things that make me whole. 

"But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 

I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me." 

Psalm 13:5-6