Things I Love About My Children

5 things about each of my children that I admire, love, notice, etc...



Our daughter:
1.) She's the most beautiful young lady I know
2.) She's a talented artist
3.) She's a VERY talented photographer
4.) She's a social butterfly and loves people
5.) She's a gifted pianist






Our son:
1.) He's compassionate and cares about others
2.) He's a talented soccer player
3.) He's brutally honest
4.) He's disciplined
5.) He's determined


These are just a few things that I know about my children. God has given them to me for only a short time and I shall enjoy every moment with them that I am able. My father is always telling me "It will go by quicker than you can ever imagine."

For the Beauty of the Earth

The photos in this post were taken by my daughter, Erin.

They were taken last year from our own yard.

I think she is a very gifted photographer.

Who knows what the Lord has in store for her in that area?

Enjoy the photos!

We fill them with soil. In each we plant a seed. Each day we spend time watering them. They sit on our dining room table next to a window so they can get some sun. They are the heirloom seeds that we purchased from http://www.rareseeds.com/ several weeks ago that we planted in starter containers. We have planted tomatoes- cherry and slicing, sugar snap peas, collards, and peppers- bell and pepperoncini. The collards and the sugar snap peas have already sprouted and showing signs of actually making it. Will the others?

It's quite amazing to me how these tiny seeds become the foods that we enjoy. Well, the kids will not enjoy the collard greens but the rest of the family will. Through this creation, we have life. Seeds that grow into foods that we eat, trees that we sit under for shade, or flowers that bring butterflies or birds. All of these are the great work of our God.

Scientist like to explain how these things happen. I, on the other hand, just knows it's because God ordained it to happen. I don't have that yearning to learn "why" like some folks. I probably should, and will re-learn some of what I should already know as I teach my children. But, sometimes, I am satisfied with the fact that it just IS!

The beauty of the earth is the Lord's! It is ours to enjoy!

Frayser-Millington Mom's Dinners

Since before I started homeschooling I have gone to Mom's Dinners. It started the year before Erin started kindergarten (she is in 7th grade now). I had NO IDEA what I was doing or going to do, so I went to a dinner to talk to other moms about getting started. That was the Frayser-Millington Support Group out of Shelby County, TN. Even though we have moved to Mississippi, I still like to get together with them.

There are many reasons I like my Fray-Mill ladies. Liz Gallina, the support group leader, is one of the most talented, creative women I know. The ladies I meet at these are very sweet. There is always the presence of the Lord. Granted we goof around and have fun but it is good, clean fun. I don't hear these women complain too much. I don't hear these women gripe about their husbands. They don't talk or gossip. It's constructive criticism with love. It's encouragement when you need it. It's the kind of Christian homeschool support group you like.

I live an hour away so it is difficult to make it to every dinner but I do try to make it to other activities. They have a Valentine and a Back-to-School Skating party. I try to make it to one of those. But there is one Fray-Mill Mom's Dinner that I really try to make it to and that's the Stay-As-Long-As-You-Like Mom's Dinner which happens to be tonight. It is usually in January but we have had some crazy snow/ice weather so it was postponed. These nights are usually the same as the others but you just stay a little longer. We eat, we "shop" at the "flea markets," we listen to a particular topic, we play games and whatever else the Lord leads us to. I am expecting to be encouraged and refreshed when I leave. OK, so I might not be refreshed if I stay up too late. But, I will be by Monday!!!!

Liz and Ladies, I don't get to see you often. And you may never read this post on my blog, but I will NEVER forget you! Thanks for making my first years of homeschooling more fun and memorable than I could imagine.

May the Lord continue to bless your group with many more years of leading and encouraging!

Michele

Speaking of Chickens

This is just one of our chickens sitting upon the head of our daughter, Erin. This particular chicken is a Buff Orpington and we got her when she was just 3 days old. Her name is Fethard, named after a city in Ireland, since we have Irish descent. This chicken belongs to our daughter so she got to name her. At least we assumed it was a hen. Only time would tell, which it has. We can now safely say that she is a hen.

We got Fethard in 2009, in late autumn/early winter so we kept her inside. Her home for 6 weeks or so was a laundry basket in the hall bath with a light for warmth. Because she was inside, Erin spent a lot of time in there. Any time we couldn't find Erin, I knew to check the bathroom. So, Fethard is quite tame. She comes up to you looking for food. All of our chickens think that you should bring them food EVERY time you walk out the door. Why else would you be coming outside? When the weather permits, I LOVE to sit outside with them. I will take a book out there and just sit in a chair among my chickens. It's a feeling only someone else with chickens can feel I guess. I'm a bit attached to my chickens. Probably more than I should be. I don't mind getting up to feed them or let them out, or going out into the cold to make sure the run is closed.

We have had our chickens for almost a year now. We have 4 Buff Orpington hens (that includes Fethard) and 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks (one hen, one rooster). One of our Buff's became broody, which is just a fancy word for she was sitting on some eggs. We did not have any fertile eggs at the time (that's a whole other story if you don't know the difference in fertile vs. nonfertile eggs), so a friend of mine gave us some eggs she knew were fertile. We had 1 duck egg and 4 chicken eggs for her to sit on. We ended up with 2 of the chicken eggs hatching. The others did not make it, which is actually pretty normal. Two out of 5 is pretty good odds, I hear. The 2 that hatched are Americauna chicks.

We have only killed one of our chickens and that was a rooster. He got aggressive and attacked our son 3 times. I was already ready to "take care" of him, when he tried to attack me. That was the last straw! Some friends of ours who also have chickens was going to have a day when they were going to kill some of their chickens and asked if we wanted to join them. Curious George, as we called him, became Chicken and Dumplings.

Sorry, PETA!

At least I know where my food came from that day.

Moon Rooster

Today, Caleb and I read a book called, "Moon Rooster." It's about a rooster who crows up the moon. It was sort of strange because tonight after we got home from soccer practice, I needed to go close the door on the chicken coop run. While I was walking back toward the house, our rooster, Chase, was crowing. I told him the moon did not need any help rising as it was already in the sky. I thought about the book and couldn't help but laugh.

I Should Have Known

"We're not going back to that church. Tomorrow morning we will visit ----. " I don't remember exactly how the conversation went, but I know we were attending a non-denominational church then, and we started going to a Presbyterian church that very next day. We were only there for about 2 years when God began a work inside my husband. To tell the truth, we did not discuss it then. I think it was because he was not sure what to think of this new calling. I remember him mentioning "it" to me but I dismissed it as him being crazy or something of the sort.

When 4 years passed and that "feeling" only got stronger, we discussed it in more detail. Now, we would talk about it every now and again, but it never became clear to us exactly what God had in store for us. Not until we moved to Mississippi 4 years ago.

My husband has the kind of mind to remember things. Stupid things, facts no one else knows or at least I think no one else knows until I stand there and listen to him carry on a conversation about these facts "that no one else knows!" He is one of the smartest men I know, my father being another person with knowing these useless little facts. My husband retains information well. Always has, even when we first got married. I should have known then that something would happen.

We have journeyed through several churches. Several denominations. As I have said before, we were not sure what work God was leading us to. When we moved to Mississippi, we attended one particular church. We thought that God was calling David to pastor there. It became clear that that wasn't it when they called another man to be their pastor.

We moved on to another church where David had the opportunity to sit under a very gifted preacher/teacher. We enjoyed our time with this church but never "felt" at peace with being there. Were we supposed to stay? Were we supposed to be content with where God had us? There were so many questions that we needed answering. I can't truly remember how we decided, but we ultimately decided to church at home. Now, that doesn't mean we were a home church, it just meant we were going to have church in our own home, since we are the church.

So, we started churching at home. For several months, we churched at home. Then, one day, David's father decided to come down to "church" with us. Before long, God blessed us with the friendship of another family. That friendship has blossomed and I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate them. They joined our fellowship.

We are a small congregation, with a total of only 3 families worshipping with us at this time. David and I agree that we would rather be faithful and obedient in our journey and let the Lord grow our church. Our church is not interested in numbers. We are interested in speaking and teaching the Truth, fellowshipping with others, spreading the Gospel, and raising Godly children. These are not our ONLY goals but just to name a few.

If you visit our church, you are not going to see a church building as we do not currently have one. We are meeting in a hotel room conference room, which suits our church's needs just fine right now. So, if you visit, you are not going to see individual classrooms. We worship together as a family, parent and child. We Sunday School (we call it Equipping Hour) together. We train the fathers so that they may go home to teach their families in the Ways of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I love my husband. I am grateful that God has called him to the ministry. It has made us who we are today and I do not believe we would be where we are had it not been for His calling David. David is a gifted preacher and teacher. He is a loving father and homeschool dad who takes those roles very seriously. He is a wonderful provider. I pray the Lord will help me to be just half the person my husband is!

My Life as a Pastor's Wife

"God has called you to ...what? Are you sure?" I asked my husband, as I was really thinking, "You've got to be kidding me!" There is NO WAY God has called ME to be a pastor's wife.

That was almost 4 years ago. And you know what? I AM a pastor's wife now. Through all of the struggles, trials, selfish desires (I still struggle with those) God closed all doors to attending a church and opened the opportunity for us to start a new work in His name. What does a pastor's wife look like anyway? I think there's a stereotypical idea of what we look like, how we should act or behave. I know that I am not what I imagined as a youth what a pastor's wife looked like, but here I am! Maybe that's another area in my life that needs to change as well.

One thing I do know is that God convicts me-- DAILY! God teaches me through my personal bible readings or my husband but mostly through my children. I am especially convicted through my daughter who acts just like me. What am I teaching her? What legacy am I leaving behind for her to carry on? I see her do things and think, You just did that same thing, Michele! The children see me do things or NOT do things and imitate that behavior. I have changed many things because of that.

Because of this new path in my life where God is convicting me daily, I have made some new goals. Some are mundane daily work and others are spiritual/personal goals. But, I hope I am able to accomplish these in the next month:

*Get up early to pray and spend time with my husband before he leaves to go to work
*Stay up to spend time with the family (those first two will happen when I get my blood sugars under control)
*Get my blood sugar under control so it does not interfere with my daily activity and health
*Manage our days to accomplish as much in our day as possible, including doctor's appointments, babysitting, grocery shopping, library trips, gardening, etc.
*Plan our school week on Sunday evenings
*Help w/ Garden work

I think I will start with that! I will let you know how it goes as I journey on this path that God has me on.

Michele

Moms

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, my mother is living with us. She shares a room with our 13-year-old daughter. They get along well enough, but I know both of them want their own space.

I grew up in Texas and did not get to spend as much time with my grand parents as I would have liked. Growing up, it did not matter and I did not see this importance. But, now that I have children the idea of my children getting to know their own family is something I want to make sure happens. Not just my side of the family, but their father's as well. I am not that close with my husband's side of the family and they are not the "get-together" kind so my kids will just have to get to know my side.

I pray my children will see the benefits of the amount of time they get to spend with their grandmother. I know sometimes it feels like they have 2 moms. Although my kids tend to not always do what Mama Lynn says. I have told my mom that they don't really have to listen to her, just respect her. I will make sure they do the things they are supposed to do.

My mother cannot stand dirty clothes. So, she contributes to the household by doing laundry, which is just fine because I would rather scrub a toilet than do laundry. I have not used the washer or dryer in almost 4 months! I love my mother!

And, it's not just because she does our laundry! My mother is a great cook. She makes the best breads, biscuits, and cornbread. I am hoping to pass along some kitchen skills to my daughter! My mom helps in other ways but I am just glad she is healthy! She has lost some weight and is "healthier" now than she was when she lived alone. I know she'd rather have her own space (which is something we will try to take care of at a later date) but right now this is where I believe God has her and our family.

I believe that biblically, we should live as close to our family as possible. We don't live in tents or anything like nomads but as close as possible. My prayer is that my children will not wish to live very far from us when they grow up and have their own families. I don't want to shelter them too much or push them away.

Lord, I pray that I will be the best mother I can be. That I am able to teach my children to love You, worship You, and know Your Word by heart. I pray that I am the daughter You want me to be. That my mother will see that I love her even when I don't say it. I pray that Your will be done in all areas of my life. Lord, You have blessed me with health, shelter, and a Godly husband who leads our family in Your ways at home and as our pastor. Lord, help me to see my sins and to want to repent from them immediately. Lord, please bless my feeble attempts at this prayer. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen!

To Schedule or Not to Schedule- That is the Question

I am not a very tedious scheduler or planner. I like to organize stuff, but for some reason, that organization seems to elude me when we are at home. I can organize everybody else's stuff, but cannot seem to figure out how to fit in a schedule or plan our days. We get school done, but sometimes it feels like I am failing as an educator. I know the kids are learning, but I keep asking myself if we should even have a schedule.

My son thrives on a schedule, while my daughter is like me and prefers to do her own thing in her own time. However, she also does better when we have a schedule. I guess I am the one who needs to just bite the bullet and do it.

On top of all this, we babysit our next door neighbor's 2-year-old grandaughter. That means a preschooler in the mix. I have not tried to educate 2 children while there was a preschooler on the prowl. I have researched and found many resoureces for keeping her busy but some of what is suggested is more for older kids and she's not ready for those activities yet. I guess if we had a "schedule" then it might be easier to plan our school subjects and activities.

My problem is not every day is the same. My mother lives with us and needs us to take her to doctor's appointments and such. We volunteer some, babysit only 2 or 3 days a week, library and grocery shopping somewhere in there and will soon be doing to our own (dentist) appointments. How do you schedule all that? Not all doctor's are in the office on certain days. There are only so many Fridays in a month! Or whatever day I choose to use as "errand" days. I just don't know how to schedule days when they change daily and weekly.

So, if you have any tips on scheduling I would love to hear them. Feel free to comment.

New to Blogging

Welcome to the blog of Michele McCrory. I am the wife of a wonderful man whom God has recently called to ministry. My husband, David, is the most brilliant man I know. He is knowledgeable in many areas, not just theology. He currently pastors a small flock in Olive Branch, MS. Our church is Christ Covenant Church and we have been in the area for about a year now.

We live in DeSoto County, MS with our 2 children. Our daughter, Erin, is 13 years old and in the 7th grade. Our son, Caleb, is 9 and in 3rd grade. They turn 14 and 9 this year. We homeschool them and have since the time they started school. And, plan to continue their education until graduation.

I am going to use this blog to write my feelings, my goings on, and whatever else I feel like. I do not know what I am doing on this, really, but am going to do my best. I hope you enjoy the ramblings of our family!

Michele