Not Me Monday: NOT Nevada

While traveling to Uncle Marc's two weeks ago, I took note of the states on license plates we saw to keep my mind off traffic. Not that I'm jittery or anything. Not me! No way! I don't need distractions while traveling.

Here are the states I "collected":

Notice most of the states are colored green. Green represents the plates I saw clearly. I have no doubt that I "found" those particular states. White represents those I did not find.*

What's that?

Why is Nevada shaded pink?

Well, to explain that, I will have to share another Not-Me moment.

We had passed all the major cities on our route and were traveling along a peaceful, scenic strip of interstate when a white van came up an entry ramp onto the road. We were in the left lane about five feet behind it initially. My mind must have been in left field at the moment, however, because I did not realize there was new license plate potential until we were passing the van. I only got a quick glance at the plate.

I was pretty sure I had seen a sunset with a cowboy in the far left corner.

Sunset!

Cowboy!!

That must be Nevada!!!

I did not bounce up and down in my seat and yell, "Michael, Nevada! Nevada! Nevada! I think we just got Nevada!"

He did not look at me like I had flipped out.

Poor man, only a few hours earlier I had not nearly ripped his arm off after I had not freaked out over the traffic and construction in Atlanta. Now, I was not asking him to slow down on the interstate so I could get a good look at "Nevada".

Being the nice husband he is, he tried to slow down but couldn't, and "Nevada" got way behind us… until we reached THE MOUNTAIN.

THE MOUNTAIN is near the towns where he and I grew up and is notorious for accidents, particularly the kind that involve out-of-control trucks crossing three lanes of traffic to access the emergency ramps dug into the side of THE MOUNTAIN. I was always told that if I did not drive with extreme caution on THE MOUNTAIN I would surely die.

So as we cautiously drove up the winding incline, "Nevada" took off and passed us like we had lead tires. He moved much too fast for me to get a clear view of his plate.

That had me convinced. He was not threatened by THE MOUNTAIN and drove like I would imagine someone from Nevada would drive. Surely our Appalachian hill would not intimidate an experienced western driver.

Convinced as I was, I did not encourage Michael to speed up and catch him. I did not start cheering "Go, Daddy, go! Go, Daddy, go! Catch Nevada!" I would never do that. No way! Not me. I am far too cautious and would never ask my husband to speed, especially on THE MOUNTAIN, just so I could see a license plate more clearly.

Therefore, it only makes sense that we never caught up to "Nevada".

That did not bug me. Nope, not even a little. I did not wonder if I would ever see another Nevada plate and be able to confirm my sighting. I did not plan to search the internet as soon as we returned home. I did not think about Nevada during every spare moment of our trip. I did not see that sunset in my mind as I drifted off to sleep each night, and the cowboy did not taunt me in my dreams.

Then, during our return trip, I saw this license plate.

You've got to be kidding me!

I had seen a sunset alright, or maybe a sunrise, but not a cowboy.

It was a dolphin!

From Florida!!

I was not disappointed. Not a bit. I don't see Florida license plates where I live on a near daily basis.

This did not mean that a Floridian, who lives where there are no mountains, had smoked us on THE MOUNTAIN!

Hoping I was wrong, I did not bother to look up Nevada's plate when I got home.

If I had, I would not have seen this.

So there is a sunset on Nevada's plate!!

But no cowboy.

How disappointing.

I'm not bummed. Not bummed in the least!

But I did color Nevada in pink on my map. After all that effort, I think it should at least sort-of count, don't you?

*image from http://www.worldatlas.com

90 Day Challenge: Week 2

This was the second week of our reading challenge but the first week we had a reading assignment every day. Michael and Orville did great! They read every assignment on time. I was unable to read half of the assignment for the day twice this week, putting me essentially one day behind.

As I type this update, I am suffering from sciatica pain. I can only sit semi-comfortably in our recliner and have very limited mobility. It seems today that the Lord would have me literally be still and know that He is God, so here I sit doing a little typing in between reading. I am almost caught up.

We finished Genesis early in the week. The history of Joseph and his brothers, the reunion with Benjamin and Jacob, the reconciliation, the provision for God's people… it's just one of my favorite sections of the Bible. Reading about Joseph's life always causes me to reflect on God's sovereignty and on his providential care. What a loving, merciful, covenant-keeping, and great God we serve!

We also read all of Exodus. Michael and Orville finished yesterday, and I finished today. Once again, God's power, sovereignty, and providential care jump off the pages. He is holy. He is just. He is merciful. He deserves the richest of worship, as He has mandated and not as we see fit. He leads us by day and by night. He provides for our needs and gives us a day to rest, worship, and reflect on his mercies. He is good, and we are blessed to be His people.

I am about to begin my reading in Leviticus. By next Sunday, Lord willing, we will have completed Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. I must admit these are books I find difficult to read thoroughly. I am praying for the grace to read attentively, for a mindset of valuing all of God's Word and not just the parts that "move" me, and that I will continue to see God's goodness and faithfulness as I finish the books of Moses.

Happy Reading!

Dawn

Give-away: Progresso Soup Gift Pack

It is that time of year.

The time when the majority of Americans list their resolutions for the new year. Losing weight tops most lists. I know it is at the top of mine.

Progresso wants to help us achieve our weight-loss goals and has provided Olive Plants readers the chance to win a gift pack of Progresso soups and to enter a contest for a make-over trip to New York City.

Three grand-prize winners will be chosen in the SouperYou Contest and will receive airfare to NYC, accommodations for 2 for 3 days and 2 nights, a head-to-toe makeover from a stylist, and a $1000 wardrobe shopping spree. Pretty exciting, huh? You cannot enter the SouperYou Contest here at Olive Plants. Instead, visit the SouperYou site for all the details and to enter.

What you can win here is a fabulous Progresso gift pack. One Olive Plants reader will receive two cans of Progresso soups, a digital jump rope, and a large Progresso mug, perfect for your 100 calories or less lunch!



As the hostess of this giveaway, I received 15 cans of Progresso soups, along with the jump rope and mug, and have really enjoyed the package. There are so many 100 calories or less soups to chose from. 40 to be exact. It makes for a warm, filling lunch that only uses 1 of my diet points, sometimes 0! If you can't wait to give Progresso Light a try, you can find coupons here.

To enter the give-away I am hosting, comment on this post with your best diet tip.

You can earn additional entries by:

• following me on twitter (@Homeschooldawn)
• tweeting about this give-away
• posting about this give-away on your own blog
• subscribing by email to Olive Plants
• following Olive Plants

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and provide links to your posts.

This contest ends on Friday, January 15, 2009 (11:59 p.m. EST). I will use random.org to select the winner on Saturday, January 16.

Happy Eating, Commenting, Tweeting, Posting, etc.!

Dawn

I received the Progresso gift pack from Progresso through My Blog Spark for free in order to review the product, promote the SouperYou Contest, and provide one gift pack for my readers. I have received no other compensation and have provided my honest opinion of Progresso soups and related products.

You know you live in the South...

When the network news runs a story on how to avoid hypothermia after the weatherman predicts a half inch of snow is coming your way.

When talk of the half inch of snow begins days before it is due to arrive and everyone is REALLY excited.

When Wal Mart is busier than it was the day before Christmas because everyone has to have plenty of milk, bread, and other staples in case we are snowed in.

When schools announce closings twenty four hours before the half inch of snow is due to arrive.

When your neighbors who used to live in the North are wearing light-weight jogging pants and a t-shirt while you don layers with your heaviest coat over it all and you are still shaking and thinking the humid days of summer aren't so bad after all.

An Olive Plants Christmas

The Olive Plants family had a very merry Christmas!

Michael and I always host Christmas Eve dinner, with my parents as our guests. We enjoyed a Little House meal with recipes from The Little House Cookbook. We ended the evening singing Christmas hymns, and Orville accompanied us for the first time.

Orville playing on the keyboard he received for his birthday

On Christmas morning, we opened presents at our house. The boys received new toys, clothes, books, and treats. I think they liked their new Webkinz the best.

Yes, Wilbur is holding an opossum! He is a southern boy, after all!

Orville has a bluffadoodle???

Michael seemed to enjoy the packaging the best!

Nohnie, Papaw, Michael, and I all gave and received gifts. The gift that received the best reaction was mine to my mom. I had the picture I took for this post enlarged and framed.

Dad knew beforehand what I was giving her. He said she would cry and enjoyed being right!

Can you tell she loves those little hands and the boy they belong to?

Then we travelled to another state where we celebrated with Michael's parents, brother and his wife, and sister. We had fun playing a lot of games, enjoyed a lot of good food, and made a lot of special memories.

The older cousins playing Phase 10

Orville and Wilbur received WWII gear from their paternal grandparents. We will study this time period soon. Orville had to add a little drama to our gathering, of course.


This is Michael's brother, Marc, with four of his children.

This picture was taken when we celebrated Christmas with Michael's family in 1999. Orville (in blue) and his cousin who is two days older than he is (in pink) were only 2 months old.


Here they are 10 years later. I thought Orville's cousin had been propped on him in the original picture and I posed the re-creation that way. I had it backwards... oops. It's still cute to see how they have grown.

We returned home on January 1 and travelled through the town where Michael grew up. Our trips to and from the family's house were filled with adventure. I have more stories to tell about that… later.

Product Review: Bertie's War from Kregel Publications

Bertie's War, written by Barbara Tifft Blakey, is set in the fall of 1962 when Soviet missiles were pointed toward the United States. The Cuban Missile Crisis had many Americans scared witless, and the story illustrates how "the world went crazy- and took a young girl with it". *

The main character, Bertie, is a seventh grader facing many difficulties. Her father is a stern disciplinarian. In Bertie's opinion, his rules are ambiguous, so she lives in fear of being unintentionally disobedient and having to visit the woodshed. Her mother is distracted and flip flops between being permissive and harsh. Her siblings tease and provoke her or lead her into trouble. She is terrified of the missiles and overreacts to every perceived threat. Her best friends are the ones she imagines, and she spends most of her time escaping reality through imaginative play and internal dialogue.

Stylistically, I think the book is good, and it had me emotionally involved. Bertie's war is not waged against the Communists in Cuba but is a war of internal conflict in which she struggles with her thoughts and feelings. I cannot imagine reading this book without being drawn into her emotional state of being.

However, I was disturbed by her behavior. Over and over again, she belittles herself and struggles with a cycle of wrestling with temptation, succumbing to it, and berating herself afterward- all while trying to figure out how to survive the impending nuclear fallout. I felt trapped as I read Bertie's War, trapped in a troubled world that I could not wait to exit.

Near the story's conclusion, her father accompanies her to the woodshed. There is mention of sin and apologizing to God, but it was never really clear to me who the characters believe God is. I think the reader is to assume the God of the Bible. However, there is no talk of Biblical repentance… no mention of Jesus, the cross, or grace. I think in striving not to come across "preachy", the religious lessons are vague and leave too much room for interpretation.

Before the story concludes, Bertie learns that "Love" controls the wind and war. This along with her desire to replace selfishness with "Love" could have made for a great ending. However, without knowing exactly who Love is, what He accomplished for His people on the cross, and that grace is His free gift to be given, not earned or accomplished by the recipient, did Bertie really learn the right lesson?

I don't think she did and for that reason I also think Bertie's War misses the mark. I give it two thumbs down and do not recommend it.

Bertie's War is available from Kregel Publications for $7.99.

I was provided a free copy of Bertie's War for the purpose of completing this review. All opinions expressed in the review are solely mine. I have received no other compensation and have given my honest evaluation of the book. Please visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog for more reviews.

*quoted from Bertie's War, front cover

Giveaway: Winter Nature Study Ebook

Barbara McCoy, better known as Harmony Art Mom, has completed an ebook. In Winter Nature Study, she provides 10 Winter Outdoor Hour challenges as well as notebook pages, artist and composer studies, and more.

She is holding a special giveaway, and you could win a copy of the complete winter challenge ebook. Click the picture of her book above to get all the details and to enter.

Not Me Monday: I Am NOT Jittery

I am holding my hand parallel to the floor.

Can you see it?

It's not shaking. Not a bit.

Because I am not jittery. Not me! No way! I am a model of composure.

This can best be explained by telling you a little about our trip last week to my brother-in-law Marc's house.

We have to travel through Atlanta to get to Uncle Marc's. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, please note that Atlanta is in a perpetual state of road improvement.

I think our state flower is an orange pylon.

So about 20 minutes into our trip we hit THE TRAFFIC.

CREEP FOR TEN SECONDS. STOP.

SIT IN ONE PLACE FOR 20 MINUTES. STOP.

ROLL 2 INCHES. STOP.

COMPLETELY WATCH RATATOUILLE BEFORE TRAVELING 20 MILES. STOP.

Finally, we entered an area of the interstate where traffic was flowing but flowing in between large cement construction walls. The other drivers were zipping through like it was an open field. I felt like we were in an Autobahn-like tunnel with no ceiling, a move-as-fast-as-you-can-or-be-crushed situation.

But, like I said, I am not jittery, so this did not bother me. Nope. Not me.

It bothered me so little that I did not hit my air brake at least once per minute. I did not wear a hole in the floorboard carpeting.

I didn't add nervous sound effects to the drive, like Oooo... Eeek…. Yikes… Waaaa…! Why would I do that? I am always so calm, after all.

I didn't smack the dashboard and ask other drivers to explain themselves. Never, like I said… model of composure.

To truly understand how not jittery I am, you need to know that Michael has named me the family navigator. I think it is because of my proclivity for coping in stressful situations. I am so adaptable.

Case in point… while traveling through Autobahn tunnel, I realized we needed to get on the "loop" and avoid downtown. As soon as I had this realization, I looked up to see how far we were from the exit to the loop and noticed the airport to our right. Those of you who know ATL, know WE MISSED THE LOOP!

Now, if I were not so calm and controlled, this would have sent me into a panic.

But I didn't yell. Not me! Composure, I keep telling you.

I didn't start saying things like "What? That can't be! Oh, not downtown. NOT DOWNTOWN!!!"

Every time a car came within two inches of us, I didn't squeal and grab the door, my arm rest, Michael's arm rest, or Michael's arm. He did not need bandages by the time we reached Turner Stadium.

Sensing Michael was getting a little edgy (from the traffic, of course, and not me) I didn't try to distract myself by taking in the sights.

Oh look, Zoo Atlanta! Isn't that the whole town? HA! HA!

AHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Oooo… that's where the Olympics were held. I would love to go to the Olym….

PIIIIIIIICCCSSSSSS!!!!!!

Georgia Tech… you know about half the men in our church went the….

EEEEEEERRRRRRRRE!!!!!

CNN, Ted Tur…

NNNNEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!!!!

AAAAHHHHH!!!!!

GET ME OUT OF THIS PLACE!!!!!!

See, I'm calm. I'm cool. I'm totally collected.

And my husband…

He does not deserve a medal for putting up with me.

90 Day Challenge: Day 1

Today Michael, Orville, and I began The Bible in 90 Days Challenge.

You may have already heard of the challenge at Mom's Toolbox. I read about it at Kimberly's Raising Olives and will be linking in our updates there.

The official start date was Jan. 1. Because of my commitment to take two weeks off from blogging and because of our holiday travels, we just began today. If we keep our commitment we will have read the entire Bible by April 2.

Would you like to join us? If so, you can print the reading schedule here. We started late, so don't be discouraged that you missed the official start date.

Each Sunday, I will post an update on how we are progressing. Today we read Gen 1-16. We took a few notes and had a brief discussion afterward. We researched a couple questions we had which took about 1o minutes. If we come across any big questions along the way, we will seek out answers to them after the end date of the challenge. I hope that at the end of it all we will have a good list of questions for further study, but for now, we want to read for the big picture.

Today, Michael and I both recognized that our reading was influenced by our studies of Answers in Genesis publications. AIG's Ken Ham wrote Already Gone (with research conducted by Britt Beemer on the underlying causes of people straying from the church). He stresses the importance of teaching the Genesis account of creation and presenting the book of Genesis as history, not as a sequence of stories. It was interesting to approach the reading of this very familiar book with the renewed interest and perspective AIG has given us. Our children's faith is a gift, but sound understanding of the book of Genesis will equip them (and us) to defend that faith. It was refreshing to read together about our mighty Creator and His faithfulness to Adam, Noah and Abram, knowing that He remains faithful to His people today.

Lord willing, by next Sunday we will have read the rest of Genesis and all of Exodus. Join us if you like.

Happy Reading!

Dawn

Resolutions

I am back online from my two-week hiatus. I stayed off the computer almost every day except to send a few necessary emails and to read a couple of my favorite blogs. The break was refreshing, and I feel ready to jump into a new year of blogging.

We had a really great Christmas break and celebrated with both my parents and Michael's family. I have pictures to share and stories galore to tell but will save those for another day.

Today I want to share my goals for the new year. Like my friend Heather, I want to post goals, rather than just one resolution. Having a list of specific tasks to reference throughout the year will help keep me productive and focused on what is most important. I have broken my list into categories.

First are my PERSONAL goals:

1. read through the Bible
2. find Scriptural response to a particular issue I regularly encounter
3. pray for grace to respond to above mentioned issue in a Christ-honoring way
4. continue to lose weight (I am not setting a specific amount. I just want to keep losing)
5. exercise 3x per week
6. teach flute weekly to current student and have six students total by year's end
   
   

My HOUSEHOLD goals:

1. continue to freezer cook
2. meet a particular financial goal by saving on groceries
3. improve my soap-making skills and earn enough money from sales to fund our gift giving
4. clean window exteriors
5. complete a cross-stitching project
   
   

My SCHOOL goals:

1. encourage Orville to complete his first cycle of catechism memorization
2. encourage Wilbur to complete half of his first cycle of catechism memorization
3. encourage daily Scripture memory- set regular goals for each boy
4. encourage daily instrument practice- continue with 100 day goal found on Kathleen's blog
5. complete project for International Festival
6. complete art pieces for HSLDA competition
7. prepare boys for YBC
8. complete 20th Century unit by May
9. complete 1/2 of Ancients study by Dec.
10. continue to workbox
11. incorporate more hands-on work for Wilbur
12. provide more one-on-one time for Wilbur
13. incorporate more independent study/research for Orville
14. find next step for Math to be used in 2011
15. finish Chemistry study by March
    
    

My HOMESCHOOL ASSSOCIATION goals:

1. fulfill my responsibilities as president with a servant's heart
2. lead monthly moms' meetings that will encourage and equip us in our roles as keepers at home/homeschooling moms/helpmeets
3. seek out quality resources for above
4. find someone to coordinate Spotlight Night
5. raise $100 for our association library
6. find an assistant coach for Mathletes
7. determine how to share Mathletes responsibilities
   
   

My BLOGGGING goals:

1. honor God with my words
2. support and encourage fellow homeschool moms
3. complete my Crew responsibilities
4. finish the Birding 101 series by March
5. move Olive Plants to wordpress by August
   
   

Phew! I got tired just writing that. It seems I have a lot to do in 2010, so I better get started! :)

Lord willing, I will let you know how I did next year. I am sure there will be some successes and some failures, but what is most important is that whatever we set out to do this year, it all be done for the glory of God.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31

Happy New Year!
Dawn