Fish Tails

Don't you sometimes wonder what animals are thinking?

These three were eye-ballin' this cute, little innocent gull. Of course, we know that it's innocent because it's cute and little.

They were actually jockeying for position to catch the fish remains after the guides had filleted the fish.

It looks like the little one can hold his own.




And now he's had his say.

All this posturing was because my dad and my husband had limited out on almost every fish you can catch in the gulf and there were tons of fish tails to fight over.

I also caught three big redfish of my own...22", 24" and 26". They put up quite the fight and were really fun to catch. They are now in my freezer and heading for my frying pan.






The sunsets were amazing over the water.




It was a wonderful holiday.

Sea Joy

Sea Joy

When I go down by the sandy shore
I can think of nothing I want more
Than to live by the booming blue sea
As the seagulls flutter round about me

I can run about - when the tide is out
With the wind and the sand and the sea all about
And the seagulls are swirling and diving for fish
Oh - to live by the sea is my only wish.


Jacqueline Bouvier

We went to the sea this past weekend.



It was glorious.



The sun and the wind and the bright blue sky warmed us from inside-out. Miss G couldn't resist and jumped in clothes and all.



We loved hearing the peaceful sounds of the water breaking on the beach, the call of the seagulls and the wind pushing past the palm trees .



Those feelings, smells and sounds were so foreign to us.




What a joy it was to awaken those remembrances once again.

Faith vs. Belief

be·lieve - [bi-leev]
–verb (used without object)
1. to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.

–verb (used with object)
2. to have confidence or faith in the truth of (a positive assertion, story, etc.); give credence to.
3. to have confidence in the assertions of (a person).
4. to have a conviction that (a person or thing) is, has been, or will be engaged in a given action or involved in a given situation: The fugitive is believed to be headed for the Mexican border.
5. to suppose or assume; understand (usually fol. by a noun clause):

faith –noun
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.
2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.
7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.
8. Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.

We have been studying/debating faith vs. belief in our adult Bible classes. Some believe that they are the same thing. Our minister believes they are the same especially as used in the old testament. In Greek, both believe and faith can be translated as:

Pisteuo- (pist-yoo'-o) - Verb

1. to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in
- of the thing believed
- to credit, have confidence

- in a moral or religious reference
- used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul
- to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith - mere acknowledgment of some fact or event: intellectual faith

2. to entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity
- to be entrusted with a thing

Many in our class disagree and believe that faith and belief as used in modern-day language are different. They extend faith's definition to beyond its' classification as a noun and moved it into verb status. They believe that faith implies a relationship with God which requires action on our part. Many people believe in God but still do not have a relationship with Him.

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

It's the "I never knew you" part that is troubling to me. Sometimes I catch myself going through the Christian motions. I go to church. I go to church events. I participate in communion but am I really 'knowing' God? Am I spending time in His word? Am I spending time with Him in prayer? Am I listening for Him? Am I obeying Him? Sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes no.

I think we all have spiritual peaks and valleys. Our spirituality is in a constant state of flux. I think we are either moving toward God or away from Him. Hopefully, we are moving closer to Him the majority of the time. It's part of our walk to struggle and have hardship. It makes us rely on Him. Whether we think that faith and belief are the same thing or not, it pretty much boils down to this...

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Homeschooling Update

Shhhh....she's sleeping......and her lips aren't moving. She is, however, making noise. Yes, she snores. My, how I love that noise maker!

I thought I'd give you a little homeschooling update. We are several weeks into our fall semester and it is going well, although, Miss G will tell you she hates to "do" school. Once we get going in the mornings she really gets into it, going so far as to hug and kiss her "History" binder.

In my continuing effort to upgrade my level of organization to Miss G's advanced level, we have made great strides this week in our scheduling. I now know not only what we're doing for the day but more importantly, according to Miss G, at what time we will do these things and in what order. The main subject that Miss G is focusing on this school year is reading. We are using "The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading" by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington for our reading curriculum. Miss G is doing very well with it. I really like it too. The lessons are brief but thorough with reinforcement of previous lessons built into each subsequent lesson.

After we have concluded the daily lesson we also read short, mommy-made-up sentences to reinforce what we've just learned.

An example...

No! Grandma did not fib.

After Miss G finishes reading the sentence, we, of course, debate the sentence.

Miss G reads, "If I am six, I am big."

"Mommy, that's not true. You're not big when you're six. You have to be much older to be big. Jay (a little boy at church) is six and he's not big."

Next sentence, "The big hog bit him."

"Did it bite Daddy? Who did the big hog bite? I hope it wasn't Daddy."

Another sentence, "All the bad pigs bit all the good hens."

"Why would the pigs bite the hens? They shouldn't bite the hens. That would hurt them."

"Mommy fed the pig on the bed."

"Mommy! You shouldn't feed the pig in bed. That would make a mess. How would a pig get up in your bed? Did you pick it up? Daddy wouldn't like crumbs in his bed."

I'm not sure that Ms. Wise and Ms. Buffington intended to include debating principles into their beginning reading curriculum, but that's what happens at our house. Crossover curriculum....that's what I like to call it. Incorporating multiple subjects at once is a goal of mine....not really....I just made that up. Education is not a destination....it's a journey. (Does that sound better?) Oh well...we'll keep trudging forward. Something is working. Miss G is reading and that is NOT debatable.

Extrovert vs. Introverts

We're looking for some middle/common ground in our family and in an effort to better understand Miss G and ourselves, we took a Myers-Briggs personality test. Our blossoming daughter is an extrovert. I know you're all shocked. Mr. Reserved and I are.....surprise, surprise.....introverts. The test also labeled Miss G as a "thinker" and "judgemental".

I am one laid-back mommy. We don't have a set schedule. We don't even get up at the same time every day. Sometimes we eat breakfast when we get up, sometimes we don't. I don't even do her school subjects in the same order every day. We do them all, just not necessarily in the same order. In my world, the next book on the shelf is our next subject. I'm learning that although this works fine for me, it really bothers Miss G. She wants to know the exact time that we will do something and in what order. She wants to know what we're having for lunch...tomorrow. She wants to know who will be at tennis...next Tuesday. She is a planner and she is an organizer, although it's an organization that only she understands. She MUST know what is going to happen next.

Evidently extroverts get their batteries charged by going out and being with other people. While I treasure the days we don't leave the house, Miss G hates them. When I want to be quiet and relax, Miss G nags me until we are talking or playing or going.

It bothers my maternal side that she is so concerned with the details of our upcoming week and month. Why can't she just relax and enjoy the moment? Please let mommy worry about the time we need to leave to get to our next event. I'll remember to get my purse too....and my phone....and my keys....and gas for the car.

I am making an effort, which is VERY against my nature, to make our days more organized and structured. I am also trying to stay home only two days a week. She needs to get out and be with other people. I get it. Ughh...I'll do it....I mean I'd be glad to do it!

After all, watching her interact and play is highly entertaining.....even for an introvert.

Wii Fun

For all those unaware, I'm a Wii professional bowler. Yes........it's true. It's an achievement I'm REALLY proud of. Actually, our family does enjoy playing Wii together. Wii Sports is our favorite. We love to play tennis, bowling and golf. It's crazy fun. Something about those medals they give out keeps bringing us back for more.


Our family does a lot of trash talkin' too. Tonight as we were talkin' smack, Daddy said that he was going to beat us all. Miss G said,




"I'm going to win."


I said, "Not tonight, baby. Bring it on!"




Miss G, inclined to state the obvious said, "But Mommy, you have to TURN it ON before we can play!"


"It's on now, you little smart aleck. Ohh.....it's go time!"




That's her "YOU can't beat me" face.


Ahh....good times. Wii trash talkin' on a Monday night. What could be better?

Expect Goodness

My mother gave me a gift that I have only recently come to appreciate. Her gifts were that she had an unswayable positive outlook on life and that she expected goodness from everyone. She tried to pass both of these traits on to me but I only caught the later.

I try to have a positive outlook but I let things get me down too easily. I do expect goodness from everyone though and I'm genuinely surprised when people behave badly. I know what you're thinking...."She must not get out much!"....but I do. Although, in my old age, I have learned to surround myself with good people.

Today, someone I know well, was ugly to me and my daughter. Since I always expect the best out of people, sometimes I don't even realize what just happened until several minutes later. The full impact of their insult sometimes isn't realized for hours. I think, "They couldn't have meant that. Surely I misunderstood." The more I dwell on it, the more angry I become. Their hate planted a seed in my heart that grew into full blown fury. After much counseling from my husband and good friends and after many, many prayers, the fury subsided and God showed me that the problem isn't me or my daughter, it comes from the person that harbors hate in their heart.

It's upsetting when such occurrences happen to you. It's exponentially upsetting when it happens to your child. I think that is what bothered me the most about the scolding this woman gave Miss G and then ultimately to me.

This woman hates homeschoolers. I have actually heard her rant that anyone who would homeschool their children are "absolute idiots". I believe, at the core, this was the reason for her attack. My daughter, who was not in the public school system as she should be AND who was on the tennis court in the middle of the day, had the audacity to tell her that she was doing wrong. As this lady was exerting herself, she exclaimed, "Oh, my gosh!" In our household, we try really hard not to say that because we feel that gosh is just a slang term for God and we try really hard not to take the Lord's name in vain. Miss G, being shocked at hearing such language, blurted out, "We don't say that! You shouldn't say that." Unfortunately, I was on the next court over and didn't hear this exchange. The woman quickly told Miss G that she didn't say "Oh, my God." and that Miss G was not to tell her what she could or couldn't say. Miss G may not say that in her house but she could and would say that if she wanted to. Needless to say, Miss G was shocked into silence, which is rather hard to do.

I know all this because this woman kindly told me the conversation word for word and then scolded me for having a daughter who would dare to tell an adult what to do. I quietly listened to this woman not knowing quite what to say. The woman kept asking me what we teach in my house about "gosh" and "God" which I knew better than to get into with her. As she continued to rant and since I'm the world's worst debater, the only thing I could think of to say was, "You certainly have the right to say 'Oh, my gosh' if you want." But, I couldn't help think that Miss G also had the right to say what she wanted to. My daughter was standing up for what she believed in. She was standing up for God and for probably the first time, but certainly not the last, she was being persecuted for it.

The maternal side of me feels like I let my daughter down. I wasn't there when she was being scolded for her beliefs. My wise husband said that Miss G will have to face those kinds of people all her life and that we should be proud that she stood up for what she believed in.

Will I still expect good from people? Yes, I will. Will Miss G? I believe so. Although Miss G isn't biologically related to my mother, she caught both her optimistic outlook and her expectation of good. Miss G has a zest for life that can't be squelched by a woman whose heart is full of hate. I do believe that this woman has done some good. Miss G has survived her first defense of our Lord and has come out the other side unscathed and undaunted. I'm one proud Mommy!