I have read "The Hobbit" only once, and that was over 32 years ago (I know because my maiden name, not my married name, is written inside).  I rarely read books twice, not because I don't love them, but because, as the saying goes, there are "so many books, so little time."  Yet I pulled this one off the bookshelf a few days ago and started reading it again. 

I love the opening paragraph...

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.  Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat:  it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

Who could resist that invitation to continue on?

So, of course, I continued on and am having a thoroughly heart-warming visit with my old friends.  I noticed something peculiar this time around, as pertains to a certain Bilbo Baggins.  It would appear to all who know me well, that the two of us could be related.  Consider these similarities... 

"There is little or no magic about them..." ~ That's me.  I'm a very ordinary, Plain Jane kind of gal.

"They are inclined to be fat in the stomach..." ~ True, lately, I'm sorry to say.  It wasn't always this way.

"We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty, disturbing uncomfortable things!  Make you late for dinner!" ~ What can I say?  I am Queen of the Homebodies and would be perfectly content to leave the house only once a week, if that were possible.

"Sorry!  I don't want any adventures, thank you.  Not today..." ~  It may look like a boring little rut to you, but it's mine, and I like living in it.

"He did not remember things very well, unless he put them down on his Engagement Tablet..." ~ Not only am I the Queen of the Homebodies, but I am also Queen of the Memory-Challenged, which, by default, also makes me the Queen of the Pencil & Paper Club.  I have a Teflon brain, and nothing sticks to it anymore.  Slides right off...

"He liked visitors, but he liked to know them before they arrived, and he preferred to ask them himself..." ~ Yep, yep, yep.

"Excitable little fellow.  Gets funny queer fits, but he is one of the best, one of the best -- as fierce as a dragon in a pinch..." ~ Like Bilbo, I can get flummoxed easily, but when push comes to shove, you'll want me fighting on your side. 

So, there you have it.  Bilbo and I are cut from the same cloth, and very nearly the same age, too.  I'm only up to page 31, but I am convinced that my roots trace all the way back to the Baggins clan (with a little wanderlust Took mixed in), straight around a winding branch, smack dab in the middle of a neither too-wet nor too-dry comfortable little hobbit hole.

Pull up a chair and have some tea.

Last night's closing ceremony for Camp Cadet was so moving.

To see all those state troopers and local police officers lined up and speaking the praises of the 52 cadets (boys and girls ages 11-14) for their tenacity and teamwork was just amazing.

Our 13 year-old daughter was chosen to carry one of the flags for her squad, so that was cool to see.

Throughout the week there were all kinds of competitions, and the three that earned awards tonight were for the wall climb, riflery, and softball.

There were six squads of about 10 cadets in each, and our daughter's squad won the trophy for the fastest wall climb (they had to get all the cadets in their squad up and over a 12-foot wooden wall based on their own plan) -- 1 minute and 14 seconds. Yay!

At the very end, the presiding officer had 1 girl and 1 boy from each of the six squads stand up as honor cadet for their respective squads, and our daughter was the girl chosen from her squad. Yay!

Then, the officer said that out of those 6 girls and 6 boys, just 1 girl and 1 boy would be named as the honor cadet for the entire camp. He also said that this year there was a tie for the girl's honor that wasn't able to be broken or resolved, so they'd be naming two girls for the award. When they said our daughter's name, I started to cry quietly. If I'd had buttons on, they would have been flying everywhere.

My ballerina bookworm, who has been telling us for four years that she wants a career in law enforcement but who was petrified the day we dropped her off at camp, will be going to the statewide Camp Cadet next summer for one week of really incredible programs (i.e. trip to Washington, D.C., and dinner at the governor's mansion).

I am so, so proud of her. We're all still riding high on the whole thing.

Right now she's soaking in a hot bubble bath, bless her heart. Then she'll plop in front of a the t.v. with some ice cream and watch a movie.

It's great to have her home again.

Wahooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I'm having a hard time cranking out the plan this summer because, even though I am older (definitely) and wiser (hopefully), I am also more tired, both mentally and physically.  How's that for a 'splaination, Lucy?  Heh heh.  A girl can only try, right?  ;o)

But here it finally is...

GRADE 8 SCHEDULE 

MONDAY:
Bible
Easy Grammar
Algebra 1/2
History
Total Health
Feed My Sheep
(ALC homework?)

TUESDAY:
Bible
Easy Grammar
Algebra 1/2
History
(ALC homework?)
Guitar lesson (if there's a spot available)
Ballet class

WEDNESDAY:
ALC (homeschool enrichment center)
Cooking/Crafting (alternating)

THURSDAY:
Bible
Of Places Literature
Algebra 1/2
Life Science
(ALC homework?)
Drama club (autumn only)
Ballet class

FRIDAY:
Bible
Terrestria Chronicles (book study)
Algebra 1/2
Current Events
Life Science
(ALC homework?)

This coming week, while our daughter is away at camp and my husband is off at work, I will hunker down and start making the folders, setting up notebooks, and typing up worksheets in each subject area for about the first month of school.

So, I'm making progress, albeit more slowly than I have wanted.  The Old Grey Mare, she ain't what she used to be, LOL.  :o)

This word that our daughter discovered a couple of years ago is coming in handy once again in our lives.  It is defined as "anything that is full of twists and turns" and so adequately describes what has unfolded in the last month with regard to our homeschooling plans.

Being somewhat of a veteran in the researching, planning, and purchasing stages of homeschooling, I had finalized the plan for the coming school year by early May.  I knew exactly what we would be studying and what materials we would be using, and all of it was sitting on the shelf.  I *LOVE* the feeling of being ready, especially of being ready early.  I was looking forward to a relaxing summer break.

Ha!  Poor, unsuspecting Miss Muffet.  Along came a spider that sat down beside her and frightened the homeschool stuffing out of her by saying, "I have a surpriiiiise for you!"  And it wasn't sugar for her bowl of curds and whey.  It was a completely new possibility for what the new school year could look like, and it didn't involve too much of what was already firmly in place.  Talk about toppled tuffets!

There is a Christian classical homeschool enrichment center in our general geographic area that offers an excellent program of study and that is nearly impossible to join because the headmaster keeps the number of students small on purpose, and people just don't leave (unless they graduate or move).  Husband and I have been praying for three years that, if it was God's will, He would open the door for our 13 year-old daughter to attend, but the door has always stayed firmly shut.  Until three weeks ago.

The headmaster e-mailed us to say there was *one* opening for an 8th grader for the coming year and would we be interested?  Thud.  (That was the sound of Miss Muffet falling off her tuffet.)  We needed to let him know as soon as possible, so over the course of two days, we prayed, discussed, prayed, discussed, prayed, discussed -- are you sensing a pattern here?  In the end, we felt that it was the open door we had been waiting for and decided to enroll our daughter in the program.

One day a week, September through May, she will be on site at a beautiful campground facility for classroom instruction in integrated history/literature/composition, Latin, lab science, music, art, and physical education.  Included in the course of study is a winter theatre production and engagement in the art of speech and debate.  I am more thrilled than our daughter is (who rightly discerns that she's in for a lot of work, LOL) and wish their was a program like this for homeschooling mommies.

As a result, my best laid plans have been turned upside down, and I have been feverishly revamping what our new school year will actually look like now that I have to weave the center's program/curriculum and our at-home program/curriculum together.  But I'm getting there ~ stay tuned.

In the meantime, beware of Crinkum-Crankum -- it's out there.  bwaahaahaa

Hubby and I attended a wedding and reception today for one of the fellows who worked summers for him during his college years.  Now that the fellow has graduated, he has decided to marry his sweetheart of the last three years and move on to the next season of life.

The wedding was simple and sweet.  The reception was simple and sweet.  This was the kind of wedding and reception I hope for someday for our own two daughters ~ simple and sweet.  The bride was bubbly and pretty, and the groom was serious and handsome; they really do balance each other out and "fill in the gaps", as Rocky so elegantly phrased it.

I loved that the bride's father spoke during the wedding; his message moved my hubby to tears.  I loved that the reception tables had photos of the bride and groom at various ages of life on them.  I loved that the groom had put together a slide show of the two of them when they were babies, kids, in college, meeting each other, falling in love with each other, engaged.  The groom had interspersed snippets of the movie "Shenandoah" showing Jimmy Stewart giving advice about women to Doug McClure and showing Dough McClure asking Jimmy Stewart permission for his daughter's hand in marriage.  It was priceless.  And I loved that each guest was asked to write down a fond memory or bit of advice for the newlywed couple to peruse when the dust settles. 

We were seated at a table with four young men, ages 21-23, all in different stages of life:  one had just completed his first year of teaching in a Christian school; one was about to begin his first post-college job as a Youth Director; one was seeking his first post-college job and getting ready to be married in August; and one was ready to embark on his senior year of college.  I'm not sure how they all felt about being seated with a middle-aged couple, but hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

After 31 years of marriage, it is always a special trip down memory lane for hubby and I when we attend a wedding and reception.  We are reminded of the love we had then that drew us together and the love that we have now that keeps us together.  Face it, marriage is full of both joys and struggles, ups and downs.  It is not for the faint of heart nor for the commitment-phobic.  It is for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday than to witness another sweet and simple tying of the knot.

My birthday was two days ago, but I guess it was asking too much for my family to take 15 minutes out of 365 days to buy me (or make me) a card.  Not my husband, nor our older daughter, nor our younger daughter thought it was important to acknowledge this joyous occasion that way.  One of them even asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I replied that I didn't want a present, but a card would make me happy. It isn't that they don't have the time or the money, because they freely spend time and money on other things. And it isn't that my wanting cards is anything new; it's been a tradition for years.  I'm feeling rather like Eeyore over this.

I'm trying hard to be content, because after all, dear husband did treat me to Chinese food, and he and younger daughter took my van to be washed by the high schoolers at church this morning. And older daughter called to sing to me (she has a lovely voice).  All of those are wonderful gifts, and I know I should just hush and be happy.

But there's just something about a personal card wishing me a happy birthday that warms my heart, that makes me feel important.

Thank you to my cyber-friends who did send me cards -- I very much appreciate your TLC.  And a shout out to my elderly parents for their remembrance of my special day.

Sigh.  Maybe next year. 

According to the Social Security Administration, these were the most popular names for boys and girls in 2007:

BOYS:

1 - Jacob
2 - Michael
3 - Ethan
4 - Joshua
5 - Daniel
6 - Christopher
7 - Anthony
8 - William
9 - Matthew
10-Andrew

GIRLS:

1 - Emily
2 - Isabella
3 - Emma
4 - Ava
5 - Madison
6 - Sophia
7 - Olivia
8 - Abigail
9 - Hannah
10-Elizabeth

Just in case you were dying to know...;o)

Researching and planning for Grade 8 are finally finished.  Hurray!  Here's what I've put together...

ART:
Art lessons at the studio (summer program)
Feed My Sheep (Barry Stebbing) (continued from Grade 7)

BIBLE:
I & II Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah

DRAMA:
A Celebration of Classic Poetry & Prose (fall program)

ENGLISH:
Easy Grammar Plus
Wordly Wise 3000 Book 8
Of Places Literature (A Beka)
Writing for 100 Days (continued from Grade 7)
Lots of independent & aloud reading

HEALTH:
Total Health (middle school curriculum) (continued from Grade 7)

HISTORY:
America:  Land I Love (A Beka)
Lots of living books
Current events

MATH:
Algebra 1/2 (Saxon)
Sudoku puzzles

MUSIC:
Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers
Listening to associated CDs
Guitar lessons

PHYS ED:
Daily calisthenics
Twice-weekly ballet class
Occasional biking/hiking with Daddy

SCIENCE:
Exploring the World Around You (Parker)
Exploring the History of Medicine (Tiner)
Exploring the World of Physics (Tiner)
Exploring the World of Chemistry (Tiner)
Nature journaling

Also, this summer our daughter will be attending the week-long Camp Cadet program run by the state troopers ~ a foretaste of a life in law enforcement (she wants to be in the FBI).  She's not very athletic, so this might make or break the dream.

In addition, we will be cooking and crafting together on alternate weeks during the school year, in lieu of attending Pioneer Club at church.  There are simply not enough hours in the day nor days in the week.

I think that's everything, at least for now.   

Now we just need to cross the finish line in Grade 7, prepare the portfolio, get evaluated, meet with the superintendent (my choice), and turn in our affadavit/objectives for the new year before we can blobbify for the summer.  This homeschooling stuff is serious business, LOL.

A few things I learned during my recent hospitalization...

1.  You will inevitably get extremely sick and need to go to the hospital the morning of the day you had planned to shower, shampoo, and shave.

2.  You will inevitably need to stay in the hospital just the right number of days to turn you smelly, greasy, and hairy.

3.  It takes eons (as in 7 hours) to get from the emergency room to the med/surg room even though they are only six floors apart.

4.  If you are a quiet hermit type, you can be sure your roommate will be the polar opposite (one had the tv on all the time; the other had a steady parade of phone calls and visitors).

5.  If you are admitted with severe stomach/intestinal nausea/pain, you can be sure your roommate does not have the same problem, and the smell of her food will fill the room to the point of causing you to be on the brink of hurling all day long. 

6.  There are some folks who are medical staff who should not ever be in direct contact with patients.  There are others who are angels in disguise.

7.  It is highly likely that your pastor and his wife will show up for a visit at the very moment that you are heading into the bathroom with just a thin, tell-all hospital gown on as a cover-up.  There is no escape.

8.  Visitors really, really, really should stay no longer than 30 minutes at a time.  It is exhausting to mentally participate in your roommate's steady flow of family and friends.  Bring earplugs. 

9.  Trust the kitchen; just trust the kitchen.  That unidentifiable mound of quivering something is food and is palatable, even though it looks like roadkill.

10.  There's no place like home.

It's Wednesday.  That means, for the creature of habit that I am, it is bank and gas station day.

Today was no different.  Went to the bank, enjoyed a funny and brief chat with two of the tellers (about 13-year-old moody daughters, no less), divided my money up into budget areas (groceries, gasoline, allowance, etc.).  Drove to the gas station to get my weekly $20 worth of gas.  Didn't recognize the young fellow who approached me.  The conversation between the two of us was flabbergasting and frustrating.

Young Fellow (very sullen):  Whaddya want?
Middle-Aged Mom (very pleasant):  I'd like $20 worth of regular, please.
YF:  $20 of regular?
MAM:  Yes, please.

He hooked up the gas line and stood there at the pump near the back of the van.  Now, 99% of the time, whoever is pumping my gas cleans the windshield while we're waiting.  I assume it's part of their "full service" benefit.

MAM:  Excuse me...I'm wondering if you'll be washing the windshield today?  It could really use it.
YF:  Why would I do that?
MAM:  Oh, well, because that's what the other attendants do.  Is Butch here?  (note:  Butch is the middle-aged fellow who pumps my gas a lot of the time, and he always cleans the windshield)
YF: Nope.
MAM:  Oh, well, I was just wondering, because he always cleans the windshield.  I was thinking that you might do that, too.
YF:  I might, if you asked me.
MAM:  Sure.  Would you please clean the windshield while we're waiting?

Young fellow proceeded to clean the windshield (with attitude), then headed back to the pump.

YF:  Man!  Did you say you wanted $20?
MAM:  Yes, I did.  Just $20.  Why?

At this point, I glanced at the reading on the pump, and it said $31 and some cents.  Gulp. 

YF:  Look what you made me do!
MAM:  Uh, yeah, I see that it didn't stop at $20.  I'm so sorry.  Is the manager here?
YF:  Whaddya want him for?
MAM:  I thought I could talk to him about what just happened, so we could figure out what to do.
YF:  Well, what *are* you gonna do?  It's your fault -- you distracted me by asking me to clean your windshield.
MAM:  I'm not sure.  Can you go get the manager, please?
YF:  Never mind.  Forget it.  Go.
MAM:  But I'm sure we can resolve this mistake somehow.
YF:  Just go!

He was so sullen and disrespectful toward me, that I actually didn't feel safe sticking around.  Although I wanted to resolve the matter then and there, I did leave.  What he doesn't realize is that if he had been polite and apologetic to me,  I would have gladly paid the extra money for the gas, even though it was his mistake., and even though I would have to take it out of the grocery money.  I would have extended mercy.  

The whole experience left me with a sadness in my heart.  I know I need to go back to the gas station tomorrow to speak with the manager about what happened.  Best case scenario is that he will assure me it was not my fault and will not make me to pay the difference.  Worst case scenario is that he will assure me it was not my fault and will ask me to pay the extra money for the gas I erroneously received (which I don't mind doing -- it's not the gas station owner's fault, and I did receive product).  Either way, I will be able to stand before my heavenly Father and hear Him tell me, "Well done."

UPDATE:  I went to the gas station this morning and talked with the manager, who was shocked and sorry that I had been treated poorly, insisted I didn't have to pay the over-run, assured me that cleaning the windshield is standard procedure, and said that he would bring the matter to the owner's attention.  I, in turn, thanked him for the option of not having to pay the extra money, but I insisted, sharing that I was a Christian and I believed it was the right thing to do.   It always does boil down to "what would Jesus do?", and though I know I'm not perfect, I can sleep tonight knowing that my heavenly Father is pleased with my effort.

Sometimes the chase is more exhilarating than the capture...sometimes the journey is more exciting than the destination..sometimes the climb is more energizing than the summit.

Am I the only one who loves doing all the research, reading, and investigating to plan for the next year's schooling more than I love doing the actual schooling itself?  It's that time of year for me, and I am just reveling in the process of scouring catalogs and websites as I try to figure out what we'll be using next year.

It's not that I don't love our daughter or homeschooling or homeschooling our daughter, because, of course, I do, or I wouldn't be putting so much time and effort into either one.  It's just that there is something so wonderful to me in chasing down the elusive curriculum, in journeying down the path of possibilities, and in scaling the heights of Mount Eureka.

Off to find my bow and arrow, my hiking stick, and my belaying rope.  Care to join me?

I have been awakened out of a deep sleep several times over the last six months or so due to a spiritual struggle I have been experiencing over a certain issue.  Last night, at 4:30 a.m., clarity resounded like a tolling bell on a crisp and silent night. 

There are two decisions one makes in life that are of utmost importance and that have the power to either bless or curse:

Who do you choose to believe in?
Who do you choose to marry?

John 3:16 ~ "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  If you choose to believe this in your heart, if you profess this with your mouth, and if you practice this in your life -- you will be blessed; if you choose not to, you have removed yourself from under God's protective covering, and His blessing will not be upon you.

2 Corinthians 6:14 ~ "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?"  If you are a believing, professing, practicing Christian, and you choose to marry someone who is not a believing, professing, practicing Christian, you have disobeyed God's command and have removed yourself from under His protective covering; His blessing will not be upon you.

As a mother of two daughters who have been raised in the Christian faith, it is my continuing and fervent prayer that they understand and obey both scriptures, that the blessing of God may fall on them always in this life and the next.

Do you think it's possible for a 13 year-old girl to be normal?  I don't think I've met one yet.  But then -- being incredibly, dramatically moody, sensitive, and hormonal *is* normal for that age, so maybe when my daughter tells me she's normal, there is a shred of truth to that. 

To celebrate her normality the other day, I wrote and sang this song for her...

I'm normal,
I'm normal,
At least I think I am;
I like to eat spaghetti
With lots and lots of jam;
I take my showers upside down,
I type with all my toes;
I do my breathing through my ears,
And listen with my nose.

And what is "normal" anyway?  If it's the opposite of "boring," then yeppers -- my daughter is as normal as they come. 

Some funny sayings that make me laugh (something that has been in short supply lately)...

*Forget world peace; try using your turn signal.
*Heavily medicated for your safety.
*I can't hear you!  Old age has some benefits.
*I'm not bossy; I just know what you should be doing.
*Danger:  Mouth operates faster than brain.
*Everyone has the right to be stupid, but you're abusing the privilege.
*Chocolate -- the catnip of the female world.
*If I'm talking, you should be taking notes.
*I see old people.
*Good Morning is an oxymoron.
*Can I get caller ID for the voices in my head?
*Life is a circus, and I'm stuck in the freak tent.
*Deadlines amuse me.

And last, but not least...

*My day isn't done until I've horrified a complete stranger.

Memorize a few -- they might come in handy some time.  :o)

My Christmas Wish List, pre-Thanksgiving:

*musical snow globe
*bathroom cleaned top to bottom
*bathroom light/fan installed
*bathtub newly caulked
*Christian, Celtic, Christmas, classical, choral CDs
*soundtrack CDs (Luther, POTC, Nativity Story, LOTR, etc.)
*Toyota RAV4 or Ford Escape
*stainless steel microwave
*picture window in kitchen
*page-a-day calendar
*sweetarts, coffee nips, chocolate parfait nips
*parmesan goldfish, pretzel goldfish, salted cashews, salted pistachios
*deep muscle therapeutic massage
*barn red t.v. cabinet
*cabin/cottage on mountain lake
*12-inch teflon pan
*anything homemade
*money

My Christmas Wish List, post-Thanksgiving:

*the pain and sadness in my heart to be replaced with the love and the joy of the Lord

hurting hearts still beat,
though the music is muted,
though the song has died... 

Another recent random conversation between mother and 13 yo daughter...

daughter (upon coming downstairs in the morning):  Ah, it's nice to see everyone is finally up.

mother (grinning):  Says the last one up...

daughter:  Oh, I've been up for a while, but I stayed in bed to read.

mother:  Well that doesn't count then, because you're the last one down.

daughter:  Oh, I was down earlier to use the bathroom, so I was up before you and Dad.

mother:  But you went back up, so that still doesn't count.

daughter:  Yes, it does ~ I was up, then down, then up, then down.

mother:  But since you're the last one down now, you are still the last one up.

This kind of verbal volleyball is a daily occurence in our family.  I guess it keeps us mentally sharp (or confused).  Do you think we'd make good trial lawyers?  LOL

Our 13 yo daughter was working on a vocabulary assignment today, and this is how a conversation went...

daughter:  Man, this dictionary is lazy!

mother:  What do you mean by lazy?  How can a dictionary be lazy?

daughter:  Well, I'm looking up a word that begins with 'un', and the dictionary doesn't list it under 'un'; it makes you go find the original word for the definition.  How lazy is that?!

mother:  Honey, if the dictionary listed every single word that could take the prefix 'un', it would be so big you couldn't lift it.

daughter:  I still think it's being lazy.

mother:  Just out of curiosity, what is the word you're looking up?

daughter:  Unmotivated.

At this juncture, the two of us just cracked up laughing at the irony of it all.  It's little moments like this that make homeschooling so meaningful, don't you think?  :o)