What's New

In between the everyday stuff - working at the church, doing school with Kara, Michael going to work and fishing, Bible study, chores, etc. - these are other things we're up to:

 * I am working to find a new history curriculum.  Our current curriculum is so wonderful.  It's called Story of the World and the author did a wonderful job making world history read like a book.  For whatever reason, ancient history was very interesting to Kara.  Maybe it's because there aren't too many countries to keep track of yet.  Anyway, as people spread out and "world" history started to mean more than a handful of countries, Kara started losing interest.  She read the books, but retained nothing.  Including geography.  She stopped being able to follow where countries are, she was mixing up who the leaders are, and we weren't looking forward to history anymore.  So, I am going to switch to American History.  Looking for a new curriculum is challenging and overwhelming.  I start by googling what I know I want:  literature based american history curriculum.  You see, Kara doesn't learn best by watching documentaries (like I did), she doesn't learn best by doing fun crafts and projects, she is not a kinesthetic learner, not an audio learner.  She is a reader.  She LOVES reading books and learns best by reading.  What a wonderful pupil!  So, textbooks are boring - we all know this.  (For now) I do believe textbooks are necessary for subjects like math and science, but not for history.  At 8 years old, hearing history for the first time, we're going to do something different.  The Charlotte Mason method of teaching uses "live books," which I think just means literature/historical fiction/interesting books that make the subject come alive, and that's what we're going to try for history.  My hope is that as we read through historical fiction books, the stories will help the history part of it stick in her head.  Actually, this works really well for me.  I read a book that took place in the dustbowl and will never forget it.  I also read a book about the gold rush in Alaska and won't ever forget that either.  Maybe I'll learn a thing or two with Kara as we read these books!  Of course, there are a zillion options out there that use the Charlotte Mason method for American History.  I am praying over which one is for us and I think I'm close to finding it.

* The ground breaking in Alabama has been delayed again.  While the old me would have been so disappointed and crying and having nightmares and felt defeated, I'm not.  I wish it wasn't delayed, but I feel so "normal."  Most people must take bad news like this all the time.  God bless medication and therapy.  You know I'm a huge proponent for both.  Anyway, the rain pushed us back a month and a half, and now we are waiting for the "best" team to do our foundation.  Also, we heard the first set of foundation plans weren't good enough, so they were sent back and will be much stronger now.  Did I tell you we have to do a crawl space instead of a slab?  That was a bummer, but I told Bert all the reasons why we wanted a slab instead of a crawl space.  He said he would make sure all those issues were covered so I would be happy.  Great!  Well, one of the reasons was I wanted a very solid floor.  As my 78 pound 8 year old runs across the floor in our current house, furniture shakes, and the light fixtures in the ceiling below her shake.  I hate this.  And it's loud.  (It doesn't matter whether it's ceramic tile, carpet, or hardwood, by the way.)  Imagine what it's like when *I* walk across the floor!  I weigh a smidge more than 78 pounds.  So, Bert said he knows how to do super strong joists and will make sure that's what is in our house.  Hence the sending back of the first set of foundation plans.  This is a huge lesson in quality is worth waiting for.  If we are going to live in this house the rest of our lives, Lord willing, we want to make sure it's done right.  And an extra week and a half will be worth it in the next 70 years to come.  (Apparently I'm not dying until I'm 104.)

* Michael has a business trip planned for Alabama in a few weeks.  His job stuff is still all over the map - huge things happen (there have been 4 major steps forward in the last week or two), then nothing for months.  God is in control, so I don't have to worry about that!  Things that were out of my control used to stress me out (and some still do), but I'm working on feeling relieved that there is nothing I can do, so I should REST in that.  Hmmm.  It's definitely unnatural for me, but with hard work, I like it.  Anyway, the minute I heard he was going to Alabama, I said, "I want to go!"  So, the company will pay for him to drive down (he wants to drive, not fly), and the company will pay for a hotel.  I can hitch a ride and just pay for my own meals.  Kara too.  :-)  We invited my parents to come down for a day or two to finally see our new town and our property.  That should be really fun!

* Our calendar is FULL.  Last year this would have had me freaking out, but I'm doing okay.  I have super bumped up my time in the Word, which is the #1 reason why.  The rest is hard work through therapy and meds!  Remember, my therapy was 100% Bible driven, which I love so much.  Thank you, Lord, for that great resource.  We have trips planned, company coming, and much more.  This is how busy I am - I am using my travel purse daily instead of switching back and forth, and I keep a toiletries bag packed at all times (no unpacking and repacking).  All I have to do is pack clothes and throw my computer into my travel purse and I'm ready.  Yep, that's a lot of traveling for this girl - I never fully unpack.

* I met with my doctor about my xanax intake and asked her if she thought I need to get off of it.  Not only did she say it isn't something she likes to give out long term when she first put me on it Dec 2012, but remember I tried to stop back in January.  (Looking back, that was dumb.  With the move and house stuff, a lot is going on and trying to lower anxiety meds now is a little stupid.  But I still wanted to try!)  Three weeks of misery later, I decided my body couldn't go from a baby amount of 1/4 of a mg to 1/8 of a mg.  Anyway, at my appointment this week, she said she only doesn't like people to stay on it if they aren't working on their junk.  Since I worked on stuff and am doing so well and have lowered my intake considerably, she thinks the rest of what's going on is purely chemical imbalances in my brain.  So, she's happy to keep me on it.  She said she only has 2 patients she does this for because she is a huge believer in dealing with stuff instead of medicating.  And she believes I am a perfect candidate for 0.25mg a day.  (People with PTSD take 5mg a day.  My anxiety is mild compared to them, so my 0.25mg works for me.)  So, instead of hating that I *need* medicine and can not *rise above it*, I am accepting that something in my brain is broken, so I take medicine for it.  I have zero side effects, it works 100%, and I thank God for it.  But, I'm still me.  When we get settled in the new house and don't have so much going on, I still plan to try weaning off of it again.  My doctor said I can try if I want to, but not to feel like I have to.  I appreciate her so much for saying that.  I'm not a bad person.  I'm not a bad patient.  I'm not a bad Christian.  I just have broken chemicals.  And I'm here to say, God is putting people in my life who desperately need Christian therapy and meds and He is using me to help them.  It's all worth it!

* I have an appointment for my first dermatologist mole scan.  I am a very fair skinned person in my 30s.  It's really time.  I have a few large moles I'd like removed because I don't like them (they are large and stick out and get caught on things!  lol.  Gross.  But they get caught and bleed and hurt.  They need to go.).  And I have a few new things that can be moles or not.  My friend told me she has what I do and her dermatologist says they're warts because they spread.  Mine don't spread, but should probably be checked out anyway.  They're like colorless moles.  Anyway, my poor skin has been fried to a crisp too many times in my life to not go to a dermatologist regularly.  Like I said, I've never been before, so I'm a little nervous, but it's important I go.

* Speaking of skin - do you remember how Kara had issues with her skin?  When she was 2, she broke out in a rash of bumps/pimples on her bottom and she was unofficially diagnosed with a staff infection.  They weren't sure if it was MRSA or not, but it was a hot issue button back then, so they didn't push it further and officially diagnose her with anything.  She would get abscesses every once in a while too.  We found that if she used Hibiclense, which we call "second soap" every day, it kept them at bay.  So, we've done it for years.  It used to be that if we skipped one day, some bumps would show up.  Now, Kara is managing weaning herself off of it on her own.  Back in the fall, she stopped using it for several months, then came to me saying her bottom hurt.  I saw what looked like a giant diaper rash.  I treated that for just a few days with good old neosporin and Hibiclense and it went away.  She just told me the other day that she hasn't used Hibiclense since then and she is fine.  The doctors said she could outgrow this, which I was sure hoping for.  Now I wonder if it's some kind of allergies after all since it only seems to show up certain times of the year?  I am also wondering if it has to do with Kara still needing pull ups overnight, since she is just now (at almost 9 years old) sleeping in undies and is dry most nights.  I don't know.  I just know that Kara is in charge of it while it's fine and she is doing well managing it.  Good for her.  I will step in when needed.

* Michael's dad still has melanoma.  The immune therapy was working very well for a while, until it wasn't.  They are playing with his medicine to figure out what will work best, but his tumors are growing incredibly fast for now.  This is very scary, especially since they just found tumors (plural) on his brain - I believe they said 1/4 of an inch in diameter.  Not good.  But, God can do anything.  I pray His plan is to miraculously heal him, but trust Him if it isn't.  This is a fallen world, full of imperfection and sickness and disease.  One day we will be in heaven and won't have those things!

* As far as the house and my lists go, I am done getting rid of stuff!  I spent about 6 months doing this, and it feels good to look around and say, "okay, I think I'm keeping all of this."  Now I work on talking with a realtor and getting things around the house fixed.  It's funny how long we live with broken stuff and it's perfectly acceptable.  Then when we get it ready for someone else, it is a big deal.  Anyway, I'm just working my way through my spreadsheet of lists and this is the next step.  I can't really pack until after the house sells because it still has to go on the market and be staged all nice and pretty.

Well, all of that is kind of boring, but it's what's going on.  I bet I lost you a long time ago, but if you're still here, let me say this....hang on, I've been practicing.....bless your heart!