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Blessings Overflowing

Faith~Family~Creativity

A Promise of Spring

Every year, for as long as I can remember, I have looked for the first daffodils, near a tree in our…
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jackiesblessings

My little 7 pound 20 inch baby boy, who didn’t c

My little 7 pound 20 inch baby boy, who didn’t cry as soon as he was born but first looked around to see what was going on in the world, is now a 6’2” handsome man. I truly never thought the years would go by so quickly, but here we are. James is 18 today.

There are so many words I could use to describe James: hardworking, dedicated, persevering, intelligent, funny, curious, kindhearted, dependable, respectful, and helpful. I could also expound upon his accomplishments, and I could tell you how great he is. However, I don’t love James for what he has accomplished but simply because he is my son.

I have been so blessed to be James’s mom, and I thank God every day for entrusting him into my care. I don’t know what the future will hold for him, but I know he will do great things.

For anyone reading this who is struggling with a tantrum throwing toddler, a strong-willed child, and/or a child who questions everything, I would like to encourage you. Look for the positive qualities your child possesses such as perseverance, dedication, and curiosity and build upon that. I will never regret the hard days of parenting because my prayers and hard work have paid off. Helping James reach his full potential and keep those qualities without breaking his spirit has been worth the effort.

Happy Birthday, James!

I’m not going to sugar coat it. Today seemed sur

I’m not going to sugar coat it. Today seemed surreal. It felt chaotic. Nothing was normal. We are all exhausted. However, it was wonderful to be with my students again after five months, and my own kids enjoyed seeing their friends. I don’t know how this school year will play out, but I am ready to go back tomorrow and try to make teaching virtually and in person work to the best of my ability. My students are worth the effort.
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James is a senior, and this was his last first day of school. Joshua is a sophomore, and Joseph is in 7th grade which means I have all three of my boys in the same building with me. Janna is in fourth grade, and she was very excited to be back at school. Julia will be a senior in college when she starts back next week.
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I am praying we all have a safe and healthy school year. I plan try not to think about the unknowns and what-ifs and take it one day at a time.

This morning I told four of my kids we were going

This morning I told four of my kids we were going to go on an adventure. (No, I didn’t leave one out of the fun. James played in a golf tournament with his dad. 🙂) Anyway, it was quite an adventure. It started with my vehicle telling me one of the tires needed air, but it must be a bad sensor because it was fine. Then I almost ran out of gas. I drove us on all sorts of country roads we had never been on, and I even thought I was going south when I was actually going north for like 10 miles. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It was very obvious I have not been many places since March.
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Anyway, Julia, Joshua, Joseph, Janna, and I went to @maxandhoneys where we took some pictures and picked a beautiful bouquet. It was really fun. After that, we went to Greencastle and then to Lieber State Recreation Area. We finished by stopping to do a few things in my classroom, and we made it home before it started raining.
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I am so thankful for a day of doing something fun and “normal” but out of the ordinary. I don’t know if that makes sense, but that’s the best way to describe it. Yes, we had to wear masks sometimes and practice social distancing, but it was still a good day.
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Here are some pictures from our day. The last picture is of James before he went to play golf. How is he old enough to be a senior? 😢 I am so thankful for my family. 💕 Also, kudos to Joshua and Joseph for being good sports about picking flowers. Their future wives will thank me. 😀

21. The number of credit hours she took this sprin

21. The number of credit hours she took this spring is also her age. Julia is ready for her senior year of college, but I can still remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. I walked off of the elevator and told the nurses I was in labor. They almost sent me home because I didn’t seem like someone who was in labor. 🙂 However, just a few hours later a beautiful baby girl was placed in my arms, and my life was forever changed.
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Watching my girl grow from a baby who would cry during an entire car ride if I didn’t pull over to comfort her (True story! 😀) to an adult who volunteers her time to help others has been one of the greatest joys of my life. To say I am proud of all Julia has accomplished in her life so far would be an understatement. I am not sure what I did to deserve to be her mom, but I thank God every day for the privilege. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for my intelligent, talented, kind, caring, and beautiful girl. Happy birthday, Julia!
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Note: Julia had to get special permission to take so many classes this spring. She actually took 23 credit hours, but she had to take two hours for no credit. She also maintained her A average. 🙂

Janna is following in her big sister’s footsteps

Janna is following in her big sister’s footsteps. This afternoon she participated in the 4-H Fashion Revue. This is her first year of 4-H sewing, and helping her sew has brought back so many memories of Julia at that age. Janna did a great job, and surprised us by winning champion of her division just like her big sister did. Janna loves sewing and has said many times that it doesn’t matter if she wins, it is just fun to get to participate. 💕 While the fashion revue looked different than in years past, it was still a fun experience for my little girl.

Sometime after Christmas, I talked with my parents

Sometime after Christmas, I talked with my parents about having an open house for their 50th wedding anniversary. My mom said that she didn’t want a big party. I told her that she didn’t have a choice in the matter because I wanted to throw them a big party. Well, my mom got her wish when everything shut down a couple of months ago. I guess that’s what it took for her to get her way. 😀 .

So, today we celebrated their anniversary with just the 13 of us. We watched a video my dad made with pictures from the past 50 years, and we also watched a video I made of Jeff and I interviewing our kids by asking them questions about my parents. Then we had supper, played a trivia game (Thanks, Jeff!), and enjoyed being all together for the first time in three months.
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While it wasn’t the 50th anniversary celebration I had envisioned, I believe it was even better. I am so thankful for the love my parents have shared over the years, the example they have been, and the family they created. It can’t have been easy (I mean, they had to raise me. 😉), but I am so thankful for them.

The past couple of weeks have been filled with out

The past couple of weeks have been filled with outdoor fun including many walks through the woods, mushroom hunting, baking, preparing our garden for planting, e-learning, playing games, and just enjoying being together. .

After an entire month of not leaving our property (at least for the youngest two kids and I), we drove down the road to my uncle’s woods to hunt for mushrooms yesterday afternoon. I don’t know if that really counts because he lives less than two miles from our house. I guess I have been taking this stay-at-home order pretty seriously. 🙂
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I have been so thankful for all of the memories we have been creating during this time. I don’t think any of us will ever forget the good times we have shared. I know not everyone has the luxury to be able to work from home right now, and I am thankful for the essential workers, especially the health care workers. Thank you! ❤️ .

P.S. I am not sure what happened to the second picture. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My sweet Janna is 9 years old today. I am not sure

My sweet Janna is 9 years old today. I am not sure how it is possible that she is this old. I know she is still little, but the years have gone by so quickly. Janna has been counting down the days until her birthday for the past couple of weeks. She has said things like, “I know it will just be the seven of us, but I know I will have a great birthday.” I am sure she will always remember her quarantine birthday. 🙂
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Janna loves to learn, and she often researches topics of interest and writes reports about what she has learned. She is such a happy girl who loves to laugh, read, play games, help others, and create with Legos/paper/craft supplies. I say it every year, but Janna has been a true joy. I am so thankful I get to be her mama, and I look forward to what the future holds for my little girl. Happy Birthday, Janna!

As my eyes popped open this morning at 5:30 a.m.,

As my eyes popped open this morning at 5:30 a.m., the time my alarm usually goes off for school, I realized we are beginning week three of social distancing and staying at home. While I have to admit that I was ready for a break due to the fact that January and February were two of the busiest months I can remember, it does seem strange not to be going back this week.
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I do miss my students and the normalcy that our going to school routine provided. However, I just want to say that I believe I have been given a gift. There have been so many times over the years when I have wished I could just freeze time. I have that right now. All five of my kids are home with me. I have loved the laughter and love we have been sharing, and I haven’t heard a single “I’m bored”. .

I have seen posts from parents who are not sure how they are going to "homeschool" their children during this time. Guess what? Parents don't have to try to recreate school for their kids. They don't have to try to be teachers of subjects they don't feel prepared to teach. Parents have been teaching their children since birth whether they realize it or not. Children will learn from their parents during this time. We have to decide what that is going to be. .

What I believe my job is right now as a parent, who is going to be working from home while my children will be completing school work from home, is to simply be present and to love my children. I will help them with whatever school work I can, but I have also, from a young age, given my kids the resources to do research and solve problems for themselves. What I will do is be an encourager and a sounding board.
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There are many resources available for kids and parents. My social media feeds have been flooded with ideas. If I see something that I think my kids will like, I might try it. However, I am not going to bombard my kids with activities. We are going to enjoy this slower pace and not make this time stressful. This is a scary time, but I sure don’t want to make it scary for my kids. We are going to laugh, go outside, read, play games, complete projects, do things for others, complete school work, and be thankful we have each other.

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