Honduras

I know that I should tell you guys all about my awesome trip to Honduras. But, I can't. I can't write these things down for the whole world to see. I know that right now, the only people that really read this blog are the people I know, but my thinking is that if you want to know about this trip, come talk to me. I'd love to tell you all about it! So instead of telling you about the trip, I'll tell you about the transition home.

If any of you have been on an over seas mission trip, you'll know how hard it is to come home. I came home completely content, until I started seeing people, tv, talking to people, and getting a glimpse at the 'American life'. I was in a constant conflict with my self. "Were people always like this? Has America always been so indulgent?" I came to realize that Americans didn't change, I did. While I'm not someone that's about to go sell everything to raise money for whatever, I am still shaken up.

When I finally got home and got settled, I wanted to go back. I wanted to go back to the smiling, friendly, spanish-speaking people of Honduras. But, I know I couldn't. Atleast until the next trip in August 2013 =]. I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things here, which breaks my heart even more. I don't want to forget and get swallowed up in the consumerism. So I constantly look at pictures, reread what I've written in my journal, and continue to write in my journal.

One of the biggest and most joyful lessons I learned while in Honduras isn't that the people live in poverty, anyone could tell you that, it's a bit more juvenile. Laughter is a universal language. While in Honduras I couldn't speak with the children very much. I could ask what their name was and if they had siblings, but once they heard that they thought I spoke the language. Oops! Anyway, what I could do is play with them and take turns teaching them English and having them teach me Spanish, and most importantly laughing. When they see me laugh, they can't help but laugh and vice-versa. Whether you speak Spanish, English, Creol, Italian, or any other language you can be certain that laughter is universal.

~ Jessica

Ooops, I did it again!!!!

I have a confession to make.  I changed around some rooms last week.....specifically the school room (gasp!!).  I know, I know, I was smack dab in the middle of a tour of that space but I just couldn't help myself!!  The force was too great and I could not ignore it any longer.  I'm sorry....well, actually, I'm not!!  I couldn't be happier with the change!  

 

 

So here ya have it.....our new school space!!!!

 

This is one of our smaller bedrooms.  It was most recently the boys room.  It's a tiny space and they were squished in here, which was crazy to me.

 

The huge desk fits in here perfectly, and it's big enough for all three or four of us to work there at the same time! I was even able to tuck a little desk into the closet, just in case we need some extra work space. 

 

 

I love the bright cheery yellow on the walls and that certainly helps to make up the fact that there is only one window in this room.  The boys already had a bulletin board up, so I was able to just transfer my things over.  I grabbed the bookcase from Joe's closet and it works perfectly there just inside the door.

 

I've been tossing around the thought of doing this for a long time. I thought it was silly for the boys to have such a small bedroom and for me to have such a large school room.  It just didn't make sense to me.  So I changed it!

 

 

 

The second small bedroom, which was supposed to be Jaysen's room but ended up just a space for stuff, is now our "library/media room"  

 

 

I love the warm brown colors in here.  The turquoise curtains go beautifully and the little chippy dresser actually has some pretty turquoise spots showing through.  This used to be Joe's dresser, now it houses movies, math manipulatives, markers and scrap paper.  Our kitty, Nelson, loves that little padded stool.....he sleeps there, alot!!

 

The closet holds science kits, binders and other supplemental supplies.

 

Our cubes or "library" fits perfectly too!  I love the open floor space, perfect for piling lots of pillows and blankets for movies or reading.  I still have a little bit or work to do decorating the spaces but that may or may not happen.  As for now, I'm done.  It's time to enjoy the space and see how it all feels.

 

So for those of you who are shaking your heads at me, I know!!  I am crazy but I can't help it....I really don't want to help it.  I absolutely ADORE creating new spaces!!  I love to take multiple spaces and re-create the same use over and over, each space offering something new and different.  A friend said that God was not going to give me a mansion in Heaven, but one small room!  I told him that that would not be Heaven, but Hell instead!!  He has created me to be creative and I doubt that He will stifle that in Heaven!!!  So there :P  take that "friend" ha ha!!

 

All kidding aside, I struggle with feeling ridiculous that I "need" to change things so much and loving it, knowing that this is how He's created me!  I am pretty sure that I am done moving rooms and furniture around....my body isn't as young as it used to be and it sure takes a toll!  But I make no promises :)

 

<3 Lorraine

 

 

 

Midweek slump

Hey gatherers!!!  How are you all doing?? 

It's been rainy and hazy and humid around here and let me tell ya, it's not helping my outlook!!!  Saturday night a sore throat came upon me out of nowhere!!  It hasn't progressed but it's leaving me very tired and weak and well, just kinda achey!!  Seeing that I don't really have the time to nurse a cold, I have been pushing through and not doing a bad job at it either.  But today, well, that's feeling like a different story....it's gonna be a tough one!  I'm leaning hard into Jesus, giving thanks anyway and looking for the blessings, but I'm weary.

one of the first things I saw this morning as I came downstairs....Smokie

  He's looking a bit weary too!!

 

I'm still going to push on and school the children and I will muster up some strength to shower and go to youth group later - because I love it!!!    I have the opportunity to spend time with some of the coolest kids and adults that I know - so nasty little cold is gonna have to take a backseat, cuz I'm goin!!!

 

So here's just something little for your midweek slump -if you're having a slump that is........I went to the Christian Bookstore on Friday - something that I don't get to do very often at all -and I picked up these little cuties!!

 

"Almost Amish" looks to be a very good book about slowing down and finding the blessings that come with a slower paced life - Yes Please!!!

 

"The Story" is the bible in, you guessed it, story form!!  It's condensed into 31 chapters and reads more like a story book. 

 

 I haven't had a chance to look at either book yet, well let me rephrase that.....I've been "looking" at the books since I brought them home, what I meant to say was that I haven't had the chance to READ either one of them!!  I can't wait!!

 

I hope that you have a blessed week!!!  Remember that each and every day is a gift, no matter what the wrapping looks like!!! 

 

Happy Wednesday!!

<3 Lorraine

 

Oh hey!!  What are some of your favorite reads....new or old??  Share them, please :)

 

 

 

 

School Room Tour - Part Two: Their Space

Hey welcome back to the tour!!!!  Today we're heading into kid territory!!!  Otherwise called "Their Space"!!!!!  I showed you this pic in the last post:

 

 

So let's dig in and see what's goin' on over there, shall we??

 

So, their desks came from a Habitat for Humanity - Resale store and they are actually drawing desks.....the desktop can be raised up on an agle for better drawing.  I always try to keep them in the up position with the hope that "stuff" won't accumulate on top, but it never works out!!  They also have two shelves to hold their books and pencil boxes.

 

They were both supposed to have that red basket on their desk, which holds things to do in case of extra time, extra math workbooks, flash cards, etc.  Of course, now that we are three weeks into school, if they finish an assignment early, I've been telling them to move onto something else in their schedule.  So we don't typically use the "Things to-do" baskets, but it was a good idea!!

 

They each have a square chalkboard from Five Below and I've taped a copy of their weekly schedule on to them.  Jaysen likes to draw and tapes his pictures up around his desk and Julia has a magnet board that I made years ago out of a cookie sheet, scrapbook paper and some Mod Podge.  At this point though, the board is gone because it always fell down!

 

Both desks look incredibly clean and well organized in these pictures, and let me assure you, that is not always the case!!!  See here:

 

That's real life!!  Right there for all to see!!!

 

Okay, back to the tour :)

 

So we have the desks, now onto the area in between:

 

So here we have one of the bookcases from the craig's list desk set and that sits on top of an old drop leaf table.  Behind that notice branches.....it's a large tree that I painted last year.....my plan was to make it a Missionary tree, which I sort have accomplished, just not completely the way that I'd planned.  We have pictures tacked up of our missionary friends from around the world.  My overall goal is to have the pictures in nice frames "hanging" from the branches.....maybe one day!

 

On the bookcase we have more things to keep them busy, and yes that actually translates into, more things that we don't use :/  Yeah, I have a lot of that!!  I've been slowly working on downsizing my stuff....getting rid of the items that I know we are never going to use and unmasking the ideal for what it is.......something that really can't be achieved in one certain way.  I've always tended to look at the "ideals" that the world shows and then end up frustrated that I can't achieve it in my own life.  Never realizing that the magazines are just that....magazines; staged, pretend pictures of what "could be"!  Yeah could be if no one lived there, if you were a maniac slave to your home and didn't let your children breathe in a room.  I'm kind of over that know, but still have the residue from a time long gone.  Sorry about the tangent, that's for another day and post!!

 

In the basket are drawing books and math games.  To the right of that are Nature's Friends magazines, Birds and Blooms and a series of workbooks about the United States.  Plus a small series of children's encyclopedias. 

 

On the bottom shelf:

 

Extra Science books and math manipulatives......they actually do get used!!

 

Well that covers "Their Space", a bit of psychology on what is real versus not and a pinch of my journey to living out the "less is more" philosophy.

 

Join me again for the rest of the tour!!  We'll be covering the library (a.k.a. Ikea bookcase)  and the media center. 

 

<3 God Bless

Lorraine