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a few tips to help you, when you move…(things I am learning)

July 20, 2012Written by Joy

Since we found out a few weeks ago that we would be moving across country, I have learned a few things since I began packing. I thought I would share a few of those things with you. You know, for when God tells you that you need to move. 😉

The first tip I have for all of you is to start purging now. You know, get rid of those things that you really don’t need. Like that pile of Christmas wrapping paper sitting in the corner of your bedroom. {ahem} Or those clothes that you keep thinking you will be fitting back into, one of these days. If you don’t need it to live, then it isn’t necessary to keep. Yes, I am figuring this out.

My next tip I have for you, especially if you are homeschoolers, go ahead and box of your curriculum and books. Be sure to label exactly what is in the box so you will know which ones to grab first when you get to your new home.

The next tip I want to share with you (which I am finally learning to do), is ask for help. You know when your friends ask if there is anything they can do to help you? Yes, take them up on it. If they ask if they can watch your kids for you, do it! If they ask you if they can bring a meal to you, take it! It has always been hard for me to ask for help, but I am finally getting the hang of it now.

My last tip for all of you mom’s is to get plenty of rest. Yes, I said rest. I know that you have a lot on your plate right now. You are trying to get estimations on moving companies, locate a rental for you and your family to move in, keep up the basic housework every day. There is a lot to do and it will still be there tomorrow. However, if you over do it, you can hurt yourself or even get sick by not getting the proper rest. So please take a break every now and then, drink plenty of water and most of all get plenty of sleep at night. Don’t be up writing posts at midnight, giving tips to help others out. 😉

2012, family, Uncategorized 2012, children, family, moving, tips, traveling

so thankful and blessed… #926-941

July 16, 2012Written by Joy

Since I shared a couple of weeks ago about our upcoming move, we have been busy going through our belongings, seeing what needs to be packed and what needs to be purged. We have been busy tying up loose ends and spending as much time as we can with friends. In two short weeks, we will be pulling out and heading to Golden, CO. Even with all of the emotions that go along with a big move and all of the excitement that comes with a new adventure, I still do get a little scared and nervous about this open door that God has set before us.

Isaiah 41 talks about fear and how God is always with you. The one verse in that chapter that sticks out the most is verse 10.

¹⁰fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

So as the next 2 weeks pass us by and we say our goodbyes for now, I will be praying for God to take this fear of unknown away and to prepare me for the door He is opening for us. I will continue to pray and to thank Him for all the many blessings that he continues to give us.

926. supportive friends and family of our upcoming move.

927. an amazing homeschool support group I had the pleasure of being the leader of for the past 5 years.

928. a special mom’s night out with the homeschool moms to say goodbye to.

929. the beautiful watercolor painting of the mountains, from the group, so I would have something to remember them by.

930. the sweet and kind words that they spoke of me, that I do not feel were deserving.

931. the precious pool party that the homeschool support group planned for our families, so our children could say goodbye.

932. the thoughtful notebooks that a mom blessed my children with, with words of encouragement and sweet goodbyes written.

933. the many hugs that were shared among everyone.

934. an awesome evening celebrating the 4th of July at our church.

935. grandparents coming to visit and to help us pack.

936. friends offering their time to watch my children so that I can get some packing finished.

937. an amazing week of VBS at our church.

938. all of the workers who helped at VBS for the week.

939. the 5 decisions made for Jesus by children at VBS this past week.

940. the help of friends in Colorado to help us find a place to live.

941. seeing friends accept the call to a church of their own.

So many blessings this past two weeks. I am looking forward to see what more blessings God has in the future for me and my family.

I would love for you to join me and the others linking up at A Holy Experience. We would love to see how God has blessed you and your family.

2012, blessings, multitude Mondays 2012, blessings, family, multitude Mondays

moving to Colorado and putting our homeschool on hold for a few weeks…

July 14, 2012Written by Joy

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moving to Colorado and putting our homeschool on hold for a few weeks…

If you haven’t heard yet, our family is moving. Moving across country. 1500 miles away from were we are at now. We will be moving to Golden, CO and this will be happening in two (very short) weeks.

My life right now is boxes and a lot of them.

When we first found out my husband had the job, the first thing I packed up was our school books. I knew there wouldn’t be any dedicated time for book learning until after the move would be complete. There is so much to learn that can’t come from a book. You just have to experience it. My kids will be going through a lot emotionally, and I know that what we would have covered from the books, would not be retained in their minds.

kids playing with play-dough during their sleepover.

All my kids can think about at this time is spending as much time as they can with the friends they will be leaving behind. Besides all of the purging of things that we do not need nor want, I am playing chauffeur to my children and letting them be kids and have a short summer with their friends.

Sarah and a friend from church.

I have had people ask why we decided to move if we were happy where we are at now. Well, sometimes God opens a door and you just have to go through it. You have to go where God needs you to go. I think you can sometimes get too comfortable in a place.

Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God knows where we need to be when we need to be there. We just have to be able to listen and obey when He calls us to move on. God will also take care of His children when we listen. He knew that we were open to relocating, if necessary. God provided the job and now it is time for us to obey and move on.

Is it going to be hard? Yes! Have I already shed tears about leaving so many friends and our church family? You betcha!! God never promised us a life of ease.

James 1:2-4

² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

While I don’t really feel like this is a trial as in a bad thing happening, I do know that I have to have faith in God and know that if we listen and obey, He will take care of us no matter where we are at. He will provide us with a new church to help and serve in. He will provide us with like-minded folks to fellowship with. Yes, He will even find my children friends to help ease the the hurt of missing old friends.

So while our homeschool is on hold for a few more weeks, I am hoping to be posting about our journey west to Golden, CO. I am hoping to be able to write and tell about our fears of moving and even our excitement of a new journey that God has in store for us.

Once we are settled, I will then be changing the name of my blog to “A Journey of Joy”. No, not all journey’s are full of joy, but it will be my journey and I will be writing about our life and our life of homeschooling and us doing our best to have joy in all we do.

Please keep us in your prayers on our new journey.

2012, family, homeschooling Colorado, friends, homeschooling, moving

berry picking during the summer months..

July 13, 2012Written by Joy

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berry picking during the summer months..

I have really enjoyed this Summer Bucket Series I have been a part of this week. I am very thankful to Honey for inviting me to be a part of it and have enjoyed getting ideas and being inspired by the other bloggers that joined in on the fun. If you missed my first 4 posts, you can check them out here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4.

One of our favorite things to do as a family every year is to go berry picking. We love to go to a local farm to get our strawberries. They have a strawberry festival every year. My husband has helped them before with their music part of the festival. We have missed going this year to pick strawberries, and I am hoping once we move that we will be able to find another farm out in Colorado.

Another place we love going to pick berries, is the Blue Ridge Parkway. They have blueberry bushes along the side of the roads in an area close to us. Every year, towards the end of July – beginning of August we pack up a lunch and head to the mountains. We have our favorite spots that is very safe to pull off the road and to pick the fresh wild blueberries. You do have to be careful, because you aren’t the only ones who are picking berries. We have been told that some people have come across bears and other wild animals eating berries while they were picking as well. I am thankful that we have never shared an area with a bear picking while picking blueberries!

Blackberries is another berry that our family loves to eat. There seems nothing better than a freshly baked blackberry cobbler with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. We have a lot of blackberry bushes along the side of our road that we live on. The kids and I have taken buckets and just walked down the road and have come home with enough berries for several cobblers.

We are blessed to have a lot of local farms in our areas that do allow you to come and pick your own berries. While I do love going to a local farm, I still think it is great to be able to step out your back door and to pick berries from the mountains.

As we are packing up to move across the country, these are memories that I am thankful I have of this area. My children and I have grown and learned so much about living in the mountains and respecting the mountains and the wild animals that live here. We are also looking forward to the new adventures that await us when we move out to the Rockies in Colorado.

Do you have local farms that you are able to go and pick fresh berries, fruits and vegetables? I would love to hear about your adventures that you have had!

Be sure to stop by the others who are participating in the Summer Bucket List series to see what fun they have been up to!

Honey @ Sunflower Schoolhouse

Tonya @ The Traveling Praters

Jeniffer & Melissa @ Sisters ‘N Cloth

Lisa @ Creativlei

Nancy @ Proverbs 31 Jewels

Jennifer @ Teaching Boys

Kelli @ Adventurez In Child’rearing

2012, family 2012, berry picking

trips to National or State parks…

July 12, 2012Written by Joy

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I am truly enjoying sharing fun ideas from our Summer Bucket List. I have also been enjoying seeing what others have been doing as well. I hope that we have been able to give you some ideas and inspiration to start a bucket list or even add on to your bucket list you already have made!

Something else our family loves doing together is going to state or national parks. We are blessed to live in a state that has several in our area. Our family is just minutes from The Great Smoky National Park and The Blue Ridge Parkway.

One of our favorite places to go is the Mountain Farm Museum in Cherokee, at the Oconoluftee Visitor Center. A couple of times a year, they have this wonderful Mountain Farm Life festival. They have volunteers dress in period clothing and they give examples of how folks lived in the late 1800’s. You will see women standing over open flames with a huge kettle on top making lye soap. You will also see women making apple butter, too!

There are always men and women showing the the guests how to make brooms from corn talks and tassels.

They have the house open so you can see the simple life that people had. The kitchen is usually warm with women baking cornbread and beans in the fireplace. They also bake cookies as treats for everyone who comes by.

One of my kids’ favorite areas to visit is the games area. A gentleman brings his toys that he has collected and made over the years for every to give a try. It is so hard to get the kids to look at other things when they see this area!

I love seeing the area set up at the Apple barn. They have a tent set up where they are making molasses the old way. The mule is walking around in circles at the grinder, pressing the juice from the cane. They then take it to an area that has a huge shallow pan where they pour the juice from the cane. Under it is a fire that keeps the juice boiling to burn the water off. What is left is the syrup from the sugar cane.

Next to the molasses tent is the apple press. They take the apples and slice them up in a big bucket. They then have this press that they use to mash all of the juice out. What you get is fresh apple cider! It is so delicious!

We were able to attend the Mountain Life festival this past September, but missed it this past Spring. I am hoping to at least get one more trip to this beautiful area before we move in a few weeks.

Do you have any National or State parks in your area? There is usually a small entrance fee to the parks, but it is well worth the money. I know I always enjoy a trip back in time to these beautiful places!