My family was invited to visit my brother-in-law’s family’s ranch in Llano, Texas.  It is known as the deer capital of Texas and for good reason.  Thousands of deer call the area home.  We saw many as we visited along with a grey fox, a bald eagle, and wild hogs.

My sister-in-law said, “The way you spend the New Year is a predictor of how the up-coming year will turn out.”  If she is right, then we are in for a great year.  Visiting, playing games, enjoying the outdoors, and eating great gluten-free meals as a family is a great way to welcome the new year, if you ask me.

When I began schooling again, I asked my children to set some goals for 2011.  I explained that the goals should be attainable, not lofty or intangible.  I was proud of them because they really put some thought into it.  As with most assignments I give my children, I do them too.  I have decided to share my goals for 2011.

Begin selling my goat milk soap on Texas Homesteader.  I wanted to do this last year, but it never got off the ground.  I already sell my soap to friends and family, who have encouraged me to make my soap available online.  I hope to have this ready in two to three months, so look for it.

Purge my attic.  Last year I began purging my home of unnecessary items.  We have donated bags and bags of clothing, given away furniture and other items, and made several trips to the dump.  My house is less cluttered and easier to clean, but the attic is one of the last frontiers. 

Become more creative.  I wrote an article called, “Resolve to be Creative,” with a much longer explanation of what I mean by this statement.  But essentially, I want to take more time to explore my interests.  I want to paint more.  In December, I began designing jewelry.  I would like to design at least five original sets of jewelry.  My daughter also shares this interest, so we look forward to accomplishing this goal together.

One of the reasons that I asked my children to share their goals with the rest of our family is so that we can hold each other accountable.  We can encourage each other throughout the year.  Likewise, I am sharing my goals for 2011 is so that you can hold me accountable.  You can encourage me to accomplish my plans.

If you have a goal or goals for this year and would like to share them with us, then we can all mutually encourage each other.  If you would rather not share your goals with the world, then I highly recommend that you share them with someone you trust.  Being held accountable is the best way to actually accomplish what you want in 2011.

I wish each and every one of you a Happy New Year.

So on this Black Friday while shoppers frantically try to find good deals for Christmas and our stomachs are still full from yesterday’s feast, I wanted to share some of my favorite Bible verses.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all you ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Psalm 119:105

How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
When you eat of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house,
Your children like olive plants around your table.
Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
Psalm 128: 1-4

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
I Thessalonians 5:16-18

I can do all things in Him, who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13

Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will renew their strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not grow weary.
Isaiah 40:31

Set your minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, they you also will be revealed with Him in glory.  Colossians 3:2-4

If God is with us, who is against us? Romans 8: 31b

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  1 John 4:7-8

 Months ago I started copying my favorite verses in a small journal.  I was amazed at how many verses I loved.  I would copy one and then go “Oh, yeah, and…”  Pretty soon the pages in my journal were filling up.  I carry it in my purse.  When I have a few minutes like sitting in the car while my husband is pumping gas, I take it out and read God’s word in my handwriting.  I always find it encouraging.

The above are only a small representation of my favorite verses.  I guess you could call them my most favorite Bible verses.  Because of its length, it did not include Proverbs 31. It is a portrait of the woman I strive to become. 

National Bible Week runs through Sunday, November 28th this year.  I welcome anyone to send me their favorite verses.  Add them to a comment and hopefully we can encourage one another.

In addition to the family farm and its responsibilities, my husband also manages my father’s ranch.  It is a cattle and horse ranch.  There is always something to be done on the ranch.  Fences need to be repaired, cattle worked, calves to wean, pastures shred, etc.  Horses have to be fed, too.  Their feet need to be trimmed every six weeks.  They need to be exercised and ridden.  They need training.  Everyday is different in this line of work.  You never know what the day will bring.

Two and a half weeks ago my husband had an accident.  He had rebuilt a transmission for a pick-up truck.  As he was moving it on the jack, my husband tripped and fell.  Unfortunately, the transmission fell too.  It landed right on his fibula bone.  Fortunately, he did not break anything.  He bruised the bone badly and possibly tore his muscle.

He cannot get around very well.  He still hobbles around almost three weeks later.  His leg swells everyday.  My husband tries to take care of it.  He elevates his leg, applies ice, etc.  I keep waiting for it to get better, but it hasn’t.  It needs to heal.

My kids and I are picking up his slack not just on our farm, but on the ranch as well.  We decided to take off a week from schooling because we could not find the time to add it to our day.  We have done a variety of chores and jobs.  Of course we feed and water all the animals.  We have separated out the cull calves from the keepers and taken them to the sale.  We have watched a horse chiropractor and ferrier work on our horses.  We have ridden and worked several horses.  We have put out hay to the weaned calves.

At first I was happy to help.  I knew it was a temporary set-back and that soon my husband would regain his health.  Weeks later I am still happy to help, but I am much more tired.  I am so grateful that he will return to his old self as soon as his injury heals.  We are lucky that nothing more serious happened, but it makes me think.

It makes me think of the women in the past who were left behind during wartime to hold the fort down.  They had to do it indefinitely as they did not know when the war would end.  Some had to continue carrying on when their husband did not return from the battlefield.  It makes me think of men and women both who have left to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan today.  They have a family somewhere picking up the slack.  It makes me think of all the spouses with an ill partner.  Whether the illness is terminal or not, they are happily picking up the slack at home.

These men and women are true heroes.  They faithfully work harder and keep the family home and business running.  They are tired.  They are weary.  They are true servants in the Christian sense.  If you know anyone who fits this description, please take the time to encourage them.  A word of encouragement as simple as it sounds really does have an impact.  If you want to do more, offer to help.  Fix them dinner, wash the dishes, mow the yard, or give them the night off.

So for all the men and women out there holding down the fort and/or picking up the slack, thank you.  Thank you for keeping your family together.  Thank you for being a great example to your family and others.  Thank you for doing what we all would like to think we would do in your position.  You are an inspiration to us all.

I met one woman who was a retired public school teacher who had been volunteering to teach at a home school co-op.  She remarked to me that homeschoolers don’t think the same way as most people so she came to find out how we think.  She was so inspired by the speakers that she purchased CD recordings of their workshop and is encouraging her son to now home school.  It was truly an inspiring weekend.

If you have not attended a homeschooling conference, there are 5 reasons you need to soon.

1. Encouragement-  I don’t care who you are, you are going to need encouragement every once in the while to stay the course.  The speakers at the conference offered up encouragement throughout their talks as well as the fellowship with other homeschoolers.  It is even encouraging to just watch other families engage with each other.  I found it greatly encouraging to see all the couples participating in the conference.  Homeschooling is a family lifestyle; it is not just about a teacher and her students.
2. Inspiration- This might sound too similar to encouragement, but it is a little different. Encouragement is needed for one to choose to stay the course of the homeschooling lifestyle.  Inspiration, however, speaks more to change.  Feeling inspired to try something new whether it be curriculum, methodology, or some change within your family’s day.  Attending a conference enables you to learn about new products and/or hear different ideas from other homeschoolers.  You can easily be inspired to try something new.
3. Products and Deals- The first floor of the convention center was filled with vendors from all over the country offering everything from automobile insurance to curriculum in a box.  It is an opportunity to actually hold a book that you have only heard about.  I look forward every year to being able to see the different activities open to homeschoolers like theatre, band, robotics club, etc.  You learn a lot just walking and browsing the booths in the convention center.
4. Fellowship- Sometimes it is easy to feel like the only ones homeschooling.  My son often thinks he is, which is why the Teen Program was so good for him.  He participated in the program with hundreds of homeschooled teens from all over the state.  It is wonderful to be surrounded by like-minded families.  The one lady was right when she observed that homeschooling families think differently.  It is nice to be with families who think like you even if only a few days.  Simply sitting down and watching the people pour out of the conference rooms into the very crowded hallways amazes me.  The numbers of homeschooling families has grown and my guess will continue to grow.  You walk around saying to yourself, “All these people home school?”
5. Support- THSC acts as a legal defense on the subject of homeschooling on behalf of its members.  Each time the state government convenes some try to erode our right to home school.  THSC is on top of the issues, proposed bills, etc. and lobbies on our side.  It does not cost much to join THSC.  They have your back if and when you ever have problems with school districts, CPS, etc.  If you don’t live in Texas, there is a national defense association called Home School Legal Defense Assoiciation (HSLDA).

I greatly encourage you to find a convention in your area to attend.  The Homeschool Mom has a listing by state of the conventions and conferences in the United States.  They usually have them in large cities.  Make a vacation of it.  THSC also offers vacation add-ons.  If you can make it next year to The Woodlands, maybe we will see each other.  Mark your calendars it is set for July 29-31, 2010.

Last Tuesday we played what we thought was our last game against the Rangers.  My son, Jake, plays machine pitch baseball for the Mets.  This game was the championship game.  Coming into the game, we had won our first game against them, tied the second, and we ended up losing this game.  Since we were tied for the season, we had to play another game Thursday evening.  Winners take all, if you will.  I guess you could say that the Mets were the underdogs as the Rangers had all the momentum.

I have some great team pictures, but did not get permission from each parent to post so here is a picture of Jake playing catcher.

And, the Rangers started off to a great lead.  Their players are really good.  They consistently hit hard and run fast.  Defensively they can catch and throw accurately.  Their second baseman was awesome.  He executed many great plays.  Almost as soon as the game started, the Rangers were up by three.  At our turn at bat, we hit great but they fielded faster than we could run.  We only scored two runs.

In the next inning the Rangers kept up their winning streak and scored two more runs.  The Mets were starting to get down.  They started making errors.  Our guys began to think that they had already lost the game.  When we got our turn at bat again, their attitudes changed.  I don’t know what the coaches said to them, but they were a different team.  They realized that they had not yet lost.  They began cheering for each other, encouraging one another at bat, and saying “good try” if a child struck out.  The Mets were having fun again.

Before you knew it, the game was tied at 5-5.  Fans on both sides were standing up.  The Mets were still at bat, but had two outs.  It was my son’s turn to hit the ball.  If he was nervous, he did not show it.  On the other hand, I was a ball of nervous energy.  I could not believe how intense the game had become.  Under my breath, I repeated, “Please let Jake hit the ball. Please let Jake hit the ball…”  He did!  He got a base hit!  By the end of the inning, we were still tied.

Apparently we really take this championship title seriously because to the dismay of the parents in the following game, we went into an extra inning.  Under immense pressure, the Rangers were unable to change the score.  I felt sorry for one boy who burst into tears at his second strike.  The Mets continued to cheer for one another and keep up their spirits as the first batter struck out.  Then we began getting base hits.  The Rangers kept up their great defense and one of our batters was called out at first base.  So with two outs and two boys on base, a young Met comes to bat.  He lets the first pitch go.  Strike!  He makes contact with the next pitch, but it is foul.  Strike!  The next pitch was bad.  Ball one!  The very next pitch he hits it and runs as fast as he can.  He barely makes it to first base before the ball is thrown to the first baseman.  The ball hits off the top of the first baseman’s glove and he runs to get it.  Our player keeps running to second while our other boys on base are trying to make it home.  We did!  We won the game.  We are the champions!

As great as it is to win and the be champions, the most important thing to me was that a) the boys had fun, b) they played with good sportsmanship, and c) they did not give up.  What a metaphor for life!  It is easy to have fun when things are going well.  But when the tides turn, it is so easy to get down and stop trying to succeed.  It is easy to blame others for your situation.  I am sure you have heard comments like “the umpire gave the game away” because someone didn’t like the call the umpire made.  It is also easy to quit.

Since Jake is so interested in baseball and really loves to play this game, my husband and I really wanted to encourage him to pursue this interest.  We like the fact that he can learn life lessons while playing a game that interests him.  We would not make him play against his will.  Doing this would defeat the whole purpose.  It would not be fun and the only lesson he would learn is how much he hates the game.  As a homeschooling family, baseball also offers a way for Jake to develop friendships with boys his age under adult supervision.  Our coaches were great with the kids and good role models.

This game in particular was such a great opportunity for these children to learn teamwork, the importance of encouragement, and what it means to work toward a common goal.  I am proud of both the Rangers and the Mets for playing so well all season.  They have all really improved since February.  I am looking forward to next season as Jake will have more opportunities to learn more life lessons from baseball.