Sad for Those Being Left Behind

I am selfishly sitting here posting on my blog while my parents and other family members are keeping a bedside vigil for my Grandma Bestgen.  She is on her way to life everlasting.  She has lived such a long, beautiful life.  She will tell you that there are 145 in her family, though I'm sure the rest of us have lost count.  That number alone tells you what kind of legacy she is leaving behind.  I found a quote by St. Francis of Assisi that fits her beautifully.

Remember that when you leave this earth you can take nothing of what you have received, but only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage.

I said my good-byes to Grandma when I was in South Dakota last time knowing that it may be my last chance.  What a blessing to be able to have peace in my heart about her death.  She is on her way to such rewards in heaven. As Jesus said in John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled.  You believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house there are many mansions.  Were it not so, I should have told you, because I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again, and I will take you to myself; that where I am, there you also may be."  Her place in heaven is waiting for her with grandsons ready to show her the way.

I grieve not so much for the loss of Grandma, but grieve for those that are left behind.  So many of the 145 of us will feel her loss in our daily lives.  She very much had an active part in all of our lives from sending birthday cards to attending recitals to always taking time to visit when we stopped in.  If you pray for my grandma, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Please remember the rest of the family as well.  Prayer does help.

I am not worried though.

Our family is like a building of bricks and Grandma and Grandpa are the mortar holding us together.  The building was built on a strong foundation of love and faith.  There are support beams of trust, honesty, helping hands, strong shoulders to cry on, laughter, and deep-rooted traditions woven between every brick.  Grandma and Grandpa did such a great job of establishing those support beams that our family building will never fall down.  I would even venture to say that we will only become stronger and our building taller as time goes on.

To quote Christopher Robin (who isn't as special as St. Francis of Assisi, but carries just as much authority in this house of boys)...who says to Winnie the Pooh...

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.” 

Grandma will always be with us.  The things she taught us and the words she spoke to us will always remain in our hearts.  We will gather courage from her accomplishments, strength from her examples, and wisdom from her simple loving ways.  One life that impacted many.  She truly is taking with her a full heart and leaving behind hundreds of hearts she has filled up.

God bless you Grandma Bestgen.  I love you.  I will miss you.  Pray for us.  And say Hi to Mark for me.

If You

If you leave your camera down for everyone to use you will find pictures like this.

 A blurry Blase with the arch. "But Mom we have NEVER made an arch before."

One of my moments of happiness today came from the fact that they must have shared the camera.   I know they worked together to build the arch, but sharing picture taking duty is priceless.

Its That Time Again

Time for fun.

Time for learning.

Time for school.

Though we have been working on school here and there for the last couple of weeks - this is our first official week.  In other words, we officially turned in our Intent to Homeschool papers to the school district.

So far I have heard all the grumbling that accompanies a new school.  I'm hoping after we get a routine in place those will cease the fun times can start.  So far we have "stinky" math books (pink stinks) and "stinky" grammer books (there again, pink stinks).  The bigger boys are slowly getting into the swing of things.  I am impressed with Blase and his diligence to his school work.  He probably has the hardest subject work and yet can complete his work before anyone else.  We have found which subjects are going to be arm twisters (Bible study) and which ones they beg to do first (math).  

I still feel like the ring master of a 6-ring circus.  The Gianna sideshow is keeping me busier than ever.  She NEEDS her own books and pencils.  She has been stealing workbooks and scribbling with anything she can get her hands on.  I'm glad she wants to be a part of our school, but none of us will have any hair left if she keeps this up.  Even her brothers are "pulling their hair out" over her eagerness.

Over the next couple of days I plan to give you a look into their subjects and required work.  Please keep us in your prayers as we start out on our continuing education journey.  I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

Vacation for Me

I'm on a homeschooling retreat with a great group of mothers. Think of this like summer camp for moms. I'm having a wonderful time meeting new people and catching up with an old friend. I will be here until Saturday evening. We are learning about teaching science using the. Charlotte Mason method. I am super excited. Poor Darren is home with all the kids. I hope they are having a good time without me. I don't really miss them yet. Brech was sad and wanted to come. He said I wouldn't be able to find him and would miss him. Sniff, sniff. This is my first vacation without Darren or any children for four years. It's been a long time coming.

Captivating Audience

 What could possibly have these kids so captivated?

Movie??

Magic show?

What?

 A piano tuning.

We had front row seating for our very own piano tuning.  The kids actually learned quite a bit (so did I).  The whole process was very interesting.  Our piano was SERIOUSLY out of tune.  Now it's back in tune and I still can't make it sound right.  :-)

Still watching, still listening, still captivated an hour into it.

Cut, Color, Build

This week I have been preparing for school to start.  Its been a laid back, low stress kind of week.

 Cormac and his dad built his fighter jet wooden model he received at Christmas.  He's super happy about it and couldn't wait for the glue to dry.

 Brech has been building planes out of Lego blocks.  He always gives his inventions to either Dad or Mom when he's done.  You have never seen a more proud inventor than Brech.

 This was Rex's first attempt at coloring with oil pastels.  That is Darren hunting a bird. The sign says "BIRD SEASON".  I think he would have used up all the oil pastels and my paper if I hadn't put a stop to it.

This is my new haircut.  Last night I decided to go clothes shopping.  I bought 5 skirts and 2 shirts.  As I was walking by the Regis I decided to get my hair cut too.  It was all very random, which is odd for me.

Stay Tuned

There is nothing worth posting going on around here.  That in itself is a blessing in today's world.  I count my blessings one accomplished task, one full tummy, one messy diaper at a time.  So stay tuned while we count our blessings and live this beautiful life - boring as it is lately.

I did update our monthly prayers at the bottom of the page if you are interested.  This month we are praying for the reparation of our sins, uniting our prayers with those of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  We are also honoring the Blessed Sacrament.  Have you visited the Blessed Sacrament lately?  Neither have we.  That is a MUST DO on our list this month.  God's blessings on you and your family this wonderful month of August.