Our Family

Have you wondered why I have not written any recent posts? Well, it has been a couple of weeks now that I have been holding in some news that has hindered my thought process. Along with extreme fatigue and bit of nausea I have tried to carry on with my regular schedule. But the time has come for me to just let it out. Yes, by now I'm sure you have guessed it. There will be yet another addition to the Shand family. I am realizing that God's plan for our family is bigger than what we had anticipated. John and I are trying to accept the idea at this point. I have struggled with feelings of depression this time around and the unknown element of what the future holds. I am not one of those women who particularly likes being pregnant. I struggle with first trimester sickness and the gain of much added weight. I'm trying to figure out if I will be able to continue to teach zumba through this pregnancy. All the particulars that stress me out and yet trying to sit back and accept this gift. I know that children are a gift from the Lord. We look at our other children each day and are in awe of them. The picture that is added to this post is our recent attempt to capture the girls for the yearly Christmas card photo. Now we are realizing there will be another little person in our photo for next year.

Anna and her dog

We are in Tennessee visiting family and friends for Thanksgiving this year. We took a trip out to dad's property to visit him and more importantly for Anna to see her dog. She had a great time running around with Jake and his dog friend Charity. The kids have a blast just getting dirty and playing in the woods.

The Pumpkin Patch

I do not usually like to veer from my schedule too much, especially when I have my lesson plans already written for the next several weeks. But this week, I felt the need to just do something out of the ordinary. Wednesday we splurged on a matinee to see High School Musical 3 at the movie theater. We went with some friends, the girls wore their HSM t-shirts, and we had a lot of fun. Today we went on another outing to Patterson's Farm. With the whole agrarian tour - barns, animals, wagon ride, pumpkin patch, playground, corn silo, hay bails - we did it all. Tomorrow being Friday, which is usually our "light" day for school work, we have yet again some fun things planned. I've made sure to incorporate a little school work into each day but realize that the teacher (being me) needs a break every now and then too. I am trying to convince myself that one math lessoned missed or a couple of chapters behind in their readers isn't going to hurt. So to all you other homeschool moms out there - take a break, do something fun, it's OK!

Carolina Balloon festival

Today we went to the Carolina Balloon Festival here in Statesville. It was a really fun time. My Dad is here visiting with us, so he got to enjoy it as well. We walked through a field where balloons were laid out all around us, going up in mass ascension. We had fun taking pictures, running around, watching the balloons wobble back and forth before getting off the ground, and of course ice cream and funnel cakes too.

Blessings in Disguise

Well, here it is, the pictures of John's truck. It has been totalled out by the insurance company. Of course, plenty of jokes have been made at his expense, especially related to why he couldn't see the boat in front of him. But we rejoice that he is fine and no one was hurt. We have decided to put the insurance check towards some debt and possibly a new washer and dryer. We have gotten the eagle talon back (which John was driving before the truck) from some dear friends. We were able to give them the car last year when they were in need of one and now they have returned the favor and given it back to us. Thank you so much, Ben and Erin!! I know John is going to miss his pickup truck, driving the back roads of NC with the windows rolled down, arm hanging out the window and the country music blaring but he is willing to sacrifice that for a while. For once, we are trying to play it smart and not jump into another car payment again.
All things work together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purposes. Romans 8:28

An Eventful Day!

Well, this morning I was planning on spending the last few hours with my mom. She had come to NC for her first visit with us. We had a good time showing her around the place, having her meet our friends and attending our church. The time went by way too fast - Especially today!
John called me a little after nine o'clock this morning and says, "Yeah, I need you to come and get me from Rowan (that is pronounced, row-Ann, with plenty of country twang) County off Hwy 152." My immediate reaction was, "Why, what happened?" John replies, "Well, I just rear-ended a boat and think I may have totalled the truck."
So I left the kids with my mom and off I went to retrieve him. It was about a 45minute drive from where we live and of course I got a little lost on the way because Hwy 152 takes several turns this way and that. I ended up in the middle of nowhere which is exactly where I was supposed to be, just a few miles in the wrong direction.
I finally made it to the site of the accident where the officer was still finishing his report. The little lady who lived on that road came out to offer everyone a cold mountain dew. She made a point to tell me that "we come into this world with nothing and will leave this world with nothing" and to be glad that my husband was alright. I was tickled by her attempt to share the gospel with me. A mechanic who just happened to be traveling to work at this time offered to tow John's truck to his shop which was literally two blocks away. He seems to be an honest guy and has offered to repair the truck at a fair price - of course this will all go through the insurance agency too.
So out of it all, we can see ways in which God has provided. It is very evident to me yet at the same time, I still wonder why. And it goes back to the verse that I was intrigued by on Sunday morning. 1 Peter 4:12-13 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
So I've come to the conclusion that: Yes, I live in a fallen and sinful world where I will experience yucky stuff yet, I am a child of God who will also experience His provision and joy, so that one day I can join Him in heaven and live forever and never again experience hardships.
This reminds me of that country song - "Lord I want to go to heaven, but I'm not ready just yet". I like this song, it has a catchy tune and I find myslef singing along when it comes on the radio. In fact I think I've lived most of my life feeling this way. I wanted to go to heaven but there were still things I wanted to do here on earth, like get married, have babies, see my kids grow up, travel the world, etc.. But now I'd like to change the lyrics to: "O Lord, I want to go to heaven, and I am ready right now!" Guess it probably doesn't rhyme as well but the older I get the more I see of my own sin and the sin around me and realize that this world doesn't have as much to offer as I thought. So Lord, I'm ready!

To BE (friends) or Not TO BE (friends)

Okay, so you know how you have those friends that may call you and say, "my child has been running a fever, not sure what's wrong, better not come over". And then you may have other friends that don't tell you until you get there. Well, I've never been really bothered by either one. I'm not overly cautious about germs, I figure my kids are going to get sick every now and then. But I do want to make sure that I respect other people's space.
Well, you may have friends that invite you over, but then break the plans (because a child may be sick)but then call you at eleven o'clock at night with other friends at their house, laughing, and asking when you are coming.... What do you do?
I mean, my children had been asking me all day, "has Mrs._______ called? Can we please go." What do I tell my children - "Well we weren't invited this time." I guess we know who are true friends are now.

For those of you reading, who think I have lost it, this is just a little joke on our good friends, at least I think we're still friends:-)