Mexico!!!

Hannah is completing her last minute preparations before leaving for Mexico. Her bag is packed! She's working on the last puppet - dear Abuela needs her hair.

If you haven't already, please check out the team blog at www.thriveyouthmexico.blogspot.com

This is not a vacation but a working trip. When you watch the video on the team blog you'll see that they worked hard. This year they expect that the work will be even harder, if anything. I am so proud of each one who signed up to go. They prayed long and hard before they made the commitment. I know a few of the sacrifices these young adults made to do this and I am in awe. I'm sure there are more that I don't know about.

Please keep them in your prayers - for health and safety, for eyes wide open to see and understand our amazing God, for team unity, for the work they do and the supplies they provide to make a real difference, for their hearts to enlarge and take in all people.

At our house we've been meditating on Mark 12:29-31. Jesus was meeting with some of the religious leaders and he was asked which commandment was the most important.

"This is the most important,"Jesus answered: "Listen Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."

Summer Reading

What are you reading?

I've got a couple of good books going. First is Good and Angry: Exchanging Frustration for Character in You and Your Kids! by Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller. This is the second of their books that I've read and I've loved both. In fact I liked the first one so much that we turned it into a ladies Sunday School class. This one is just as good.

I'm also reading/rereading When the Brain Can't Hear by Teri James Bellis, Ph.D. It's all about auditory processing disorders. Interestingly enough, it's written by a woman who is a professor of audiology and who acquired adult-onset APD as the result of head trauma from an auto accident. It is the best book on the subject I've ever read. Very nuts and boltsy.

I recently discovered that I can check out magazines from the library so I've got a stack of Florida Gardening magazines and a book called Natural Florida Landscaping. Those are my light reading right now.

Update on the Nest

I'm happy to report my nest is looking better and better. I spent an afternoon in the garage - cleaning and organizing. I don't know how, but I was able to fit an additional 4 tubs on shelves that already looked full. Now my schoolroom and foyer look much better - I can move around without sidestepping those big tubs!

AND the guys came Tuesday morning to put the siding/shakes on the front of the house and today they did a gable. More tomorrow I believe.

David told me to pick paint colors this week and we'll start painting this weekend!!!!




Here's a view of the house after the stucco and window were done but before the shakes were put on the front. Now the area over the garage and on the right side are covered in siding that looks like cedar shakes. It is a light tan but can be painted. It is really hard to choose a color for a large area from a little sample. If I had it to do again I'd pick a little darker color. I don't know if we'll paint them or just let them be and use coordinating colors everywhere else. The stucco will get a primer coat before the paint goes on.


You can see the front yard is looking pretty sad. After the septic system redo last year we didn't resod because we thought the other work on the house would be done soon. Also I want to put a little patio out in front and we wanted the work done before we started that. This side of the house faces west so it is shaded in the morning - a great place to have my quiet time with a cup of tea. We're going to put in a small patio with pavers and I'll add butterfly plants in addition to the bushes, etc. Hannah and I were also thinking of adding some roses - maybe some tea roses or a climbing rose if we put in a trellis.


But first - we have to get rid of some dirt. It seems to have multiplied during the septic activities. We asked the company that did the new drainfield to fix it. They came and regraded it but refused to remove any. The regrading helped - we were having drainage issues - but we just have too much dirt.


I'm itching to get to the planting part. But first things first - anyone want to come help me pick paint colors? Last time I chose green - those of you who know David well would realize why that wasn't a good choice. This time I'm thinking browns/tans. What will it look like to him? How will I know? Will the paint chip look the same as the real paint to him? He says blue is safe... It always looks like blue... except when it looks like purple.... oh, help me...........

My Nest is a Mess

I'm feeling very ... unsettled, in-between, soon gonna, gettin' ready to... and I'm getting tired of it! I know I'm to be content in every circumstance. But quite honestly right now I'm struggling with it.

Those of you who have kids and homeschool know it's a messy proposition - there is always stuff to deal with. Projects take over, interests come and go leaving debris in their wake. That is all the normal chaos of our chosen lifestyle.

But a little over a year ago, we started into a much different kind of chaos. It's sort of like a Give a Moose a Muffin tale but we still haven't seen the ending. First it was septic problems but to deal properly with that we had to remove a large tree. Between the tree and the septic redo, we lost a large portion of our sprinkler system that hasn't been replaced because...

We knew we needed to deal with the rot on the front and gables of the house. OK. We thought we had a plan and it would be completed before Christmas. Then we would fix the sprinklers, resod, etc. and be back to 'normal' by spring. HA HA HA!!!

Now we're in the middle of the house project - and stuck it seems in the middle, at the mercy of those contracted to do the work - with no grass. I'm not a big fan of grass anyway but we need Something to keep the dirt in place! We live in a land of swirling grit. It comes in with the kids and the critters - why does it never just go along back out? It's on everything! I used to think I would die of crumbs but now I think my death certificate just might read "cause of death: excess of gritty crumbs or crumby grit." Oh that I should be so lucky (to quote Josh H. ). No, I'll just have to live with it a bit longer. And deal with my attitude...

I love to putter in the yard. At least I used to. Today I found myself not wanting to trot across the also-dead-due-to-lack-of-water back yard to hang up a load of laundry. I didn't want to get my toes gritty! Me!?! How unDawn is that?

So then I did hang the laundry and the clothesline pole split! Oh, and instead of our nice neutral wood blinds on the front windows we have pink and yellow sheets - because the new window isn't quite right and so we're not putting the blind back up until we see if we need a redo. And it's the end of the school year so I've weeded curriculum and closets and I have bins to go in storage and bags to go to the thrift store but they're sitting in the foyer - waiting until someone strong can move them for me. And I spent a day rearranging the schoolroom but I'm not sure I like it. Wahhhh! At least it got clean for a day.

Anybody else feel like you're taking one step forward and two steps back? Should I just shut up? And yes, I am thankful that I do have a house. I do have a family. I have a husband who loves me. I have friends. I have critters and I'm thankful for each one - well maybe not the snakes so much... but the kids are. I have loved the cool spring and the dry air. My tomato plant is producing enough to keep us in fresh tomatoes regularly. We have an abundance of butterflies and birds. I have a great church family and the most amazing Sunday School class. I have dinner - and it's almost ready, if I don't burn it.

Gratitude works - every time. My attitude is better now. I love my grit ;-).

Birthday fun!!!

Today is my Birthday, so I thought I would show and tell you what we did on Sunday when we celebrated! After church, we came home, and had hamburgers, baked beans, chips, and iced tea. When we were done with lunch, Dad and I went to Michaels(a craft store) to get more food coloring. Hannah and Jesse wrapped presents while we were gone. When we got back, dad started decorating the cake, and H, Z, J, and I played settlers of Canaan.





















I think Zach was losing.

: ( : ( : (


























Widdle Benny Boo-Boo
(a nickname)



















Happy Jesse!!!! He did pretty well!!!




















I was surprised that he came in third!!!
Hannah won (as always). Zach was second, Jesse was third, and I was last. Jesse worked out some kind of deal that if I won, I got to open my present right away, if I was second, I had to wait an hour, if I was third I had to wait one day,and if I was last I had to wait three days. It was kind of confusing, but I ended up opening them in a couple hours instead of three days. And Zach kept "trading" sheep from me. He would take one, give me one of his, tell me he took one, then give it back about seven turns later. All in all it was a very odd game.












As you can see, I like to doodle...on me...like that time in church that I colored my whole arm...





Anyway, Zach started it by drawing on Hannah's foot with a pen, then continuing on my foot. He stopped, and I continued with markers. Don't worry it came off. Well most of it anyway...

Zach went outside to practice casting, Mom was sitting on the porch swing, and I brought Benny out with me. he sat on the swing with mom for a while, until Jesse got Shadow and was chasing the rubber lure on Zach's rod. Poosey snuck out as well, and very happily sat under the picnic table.

Look at Zach's face!!! : )


And....Tada! My cake! it was a very beautiful Quilt cake!!! The cake was supposed to look like a bed. Dad did a wonderful job!!!!!!! And look at the little girl candle on the pillows!!! She made a total of 14 candles!!!





Close up on the candles!!!




I hope you enjoyed the story of my birthday!!!




Love,
Bekah

No More Chiquita Bananas!

Or anything else Chiquita for that matter...

Why?

The leadership of Chiquita made a decision to protect their interests (and employees) by paying off terrorists! Instead of enlisting government help or even moving their company - yes at a great cost - they PAID TERRORISTS!!!!


I'm sure the situation was complex and difficult - but I believe in absolute right and wrong. And this was absolutely wrong! And in case you are reading this and thinking that it happened long ago and far away and therefore doesn't affect you, think again. Check out the links to the articles below - especially the second one - and see if you recognize any names.


I've read articles that said Chiquita self reported - meaning they fessed up to their dirty deeds and the implication is that we should just forgive and forget. Well, we all know that actions have consequences and sometimes they're unpleasant.


We are no longer eating anything Chiquita. Bananas have the stickers that identify them and the only other thing I've found is the Fresh Express bagged greens. There are alternatives. Both Dole and Del Monte sell bananas.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6999418.stm

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/us/17chiquita.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

A Winner!!!

We have a winner of the contest!!! The winner is Mrs!!!! she will be given her special prize (a hug) as soon as I see her next!!! I hope you all had fun guessing, and maybe I will use some of your ideas in future years!!!!!!! Congratulations Mrs!!!!!!!

Bekah

PS. Pics will be coming soon!!!

Contest about a Cake!!!

Hello everybody!!! I don't know if you all know, but my Birthday is this Wednesday(the 14). And, I am going to be...14!!! Every year my very wonderful mommy makes us our B-day cakes, and my very wonderful daddy decorates them. In past years, I have had two birds, a cat, a toad, and a lizard. I have had more than that, but I can't remember them. So this year only my family members know what I am having on my cake, and I am giving you the chance to guess what it is. You can guess as many times as you want, but you won't have much time!!! We are celebrating tomorrow, and my very wonderful mommy is working on my cake right now!!! I will put up pics in the next few days, and the winner will get the grand prize!!!! And the prize will be.......

...A HUG!!!!!!!!!!!!

(if you are out of state, I will give you an e-mail hug)

Enjoy!!!!!

Bekah R.

Last Tuesday, we went on an excursion to Merritt Island with the G's. The purpose was to take a field trip for biology class that Caleb and I were doing together this year with my Mom teaching (Thank You Mom!!!) and we were trying to see a variety of reptiles, birds, and mammals. I enjoyed every moment that I got to spend with my friends and family!



After crossing the bridge that takes you to Merritt Island, we visited the refuge's visitor center and took the boardwalk trail which leads you over two of the small ponds that they have there. We also noticed that they had some pretty big largemouth bass, but unfortunately you can't fish in the ponds so there was a bit of grumbling from me and Caleb. No we didn't say anything bad, just somthing that went like this "Dude, that fish was huge" (Me after sighting the largemouth Bass) "I Know" (Caleb, who saw the fish as well) "I wish they would at least let you buy a special permit so we could fish in here" (Me), some indistinct chatter, then "Uhhhhhhhh!" (Caleb, really wanting to fish in the pond), "Oh man, I really want to fish in there!" (Me, really wishing that we could go fishing in the pond). Well, that was only the gist of the conversation. There was more grunts and wishing to go fishing not only in the ponds, but in other places.



This is the first pond that you would see coming out of the building, and it was quite weedy, but
we enjoyed watching the turtles and fish swim in their natural habitats, and seeing birds, and butterflies.

Caleb and Jacob and I have been friends since we were like.... well I don't really remember. A long time anyway! And we continue to be good friends and I really enjoyed having them come along (Thanks Guys!).

We also went on a hike that was about a mile long so it wasn't too much for anyone (Especially for us big guys!), and we found an area that had apparently dried up recently so it was still muddy and the mud was cracking and opening up all over. But it still had water in certain places.

We found tracks in the mud - some were dogs and some were something smaller like a cat. And we also found gator tracks leading to the water, and they were huge!

For some reason unknown (maybe from being in the sun too long?) I kept offering everyone horseshoe crab souvenirs (dead of course) and when they rejected it, I would set it down and carry on. In the picture above, I was offering one to Hannah while she was walking in the mud, as you can see, I am standing right were most people would call it dry (the lighter color mud) and beyond that, well lets just say it wasn't pretty.

Oh and by the way, on that hike we ran into the endangered Scrub Jay! And we were able to get really close to them because we think that somone had fed them food, so they weren't really scared of us. But still it was pretty neat to see them that close, and one even landed on Mr. Gs head!

Then when we were done with the that we went and did one of my favorites, what else, FISHING!!! And boy did we have results!! Caleb caught several small fish and I caught two bigger fish! And we all had fun, it had been decided earlier that Me, Caleb and our Dads would go in the boats, while the rest went swimming at the beach. Now I like the beach, but personally, I find the lagoon funner to fish.

This is one of the fish that Caleb caught, sure they were small, but he had a good time, and the best kind of fisherman is one who can have a good time whether he has good results or not!



This is the Crevalle Jack that I caught, after I found a calm spot. Earlier I caught a stingray but the camera man was nowhere around, so I don't have a picture (I'm working on a plan so that doesn't happen any more). It was really windy so it was hard to find calm water where we could control the kayaks. And I did some searching and found an area that was surrounded by mangroves and they blocked the wind making it an ease to fish from the kayak, and I got results!



We also saw an alligator in one of the impoundments along the road, and we saw a boar in the woods, I guess we saw all that we needed to see for biology, birds, reptiles, and mammals. And if you haven't been to Merritt Island, then you really should see it there! And if you don't want to go alone, well no problem, just call the Rigelzoo and ask us to take you! And you are guaranteed to have fun because something exciting always happens when we go there - one time we saw four Bald Eagles flying together while birding, and another time we were in the lagoon and a manetee came and nibbled on Hannah's foot, and also while in the lagoon there were a few Dolphin swimming right beside us while we were in the kayaks and canoes in about three or four feet of water, and this time we saw more than six endangered Scrub Jays!! So if you want to hear more just ask us and we will be glad to tell you about Merritt Island!! Or maybe someone will post some more on the blog.

Special post by the Z-Man

(Zach)

A Name!!!!

I finally named Mr. squirrel!!!!


And his name is...


Drum roll please.....



Belochka Friz No Seeum Rigel!!!! (He has two middle names) : )

The lucky winner is everybody!!! Yay!!! I could not decide on one name, so I used some of everything!!! Thank you everybody for all of the wonderful ideas!!!! I had a hard time making up my mind!!! Maybe I will make him a girlfriend sometime. : )

Bekah