Cul-de-sac Homestead

Papple the Turkey - video

2011-11-22T16:48:00.001-05:00

Papple the Turkey and the story of Thanksgiving.

Just a note: If you would be so kind as to scroll down to the bottom of this blog and pause the music player, then it will be easier to hear the sound on this video.

Thanksgiving Show

2011-11-18T14:58:00.000-05:00

Highlights from Papple's big performance. Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.
People often ask me where Papple gets her personality. There's a photo of daddy turkey....I'll let you draw your own conclusions. ;)

Lake Canasauga

2011-10-11T13:57:00.002-04:00

Weekends are for connecting. With each other, with nature, with God. With our own internal compass that points us true north.

Weekends are for friends and slow conversations. For wandering and imagining.

Weekends are for sharing what we know - and maybe in the sharing, enrich the walk of ones that follow behind.

Weekends are for conquests and climbing - not just higher, but differently. Conquering new things, for the sake of feeling the strain and thrill of the contest. Because our mysterious bodies love the exertion and the strain - and need the struggle in order to grow stronger.

Weekends are for jammies and for a relaxing of all the pedestrian decorum. For the chance to just run and feel the strength of crisp autumn air. And to smile.

Weekends are for noticing and watching and discovering. And for remembering we are all small. Smaller than the majestic beauty of a quiet lake crowned in Autumn's glory.

And best of all, weekends are for spending time with each other - uninterrupted by responsibilities and practicality.

Tea Time

2011-08-31T21:13:00.001-04:00

Pomme in the Sun

2011-08-29T21:12:00.000-04:00

It is very quiet here when Papple is in school.

Still plenty of activity, but just a little lower volume.

Empty Hallway

2011-08-12T18:56:00.001-04:00

Papple gave me a big scare this week. Pomme and I arrived to pick Papple up from a kids club meeting at church. I had my arms full - holding a fussy two-year-old and our bags while trying to sign Papple out of the class. Papple was saying goodbye to a friend from class when something went wrong. The two children frowned deeply, turned away from each other, and walked in opposite directions. Papple walked right past me and headed straight for the double doors leading out of the room. I finished signing her out, hefted my toddler back onto my hip and walked out after her. As I passed through the doors and looked to my left I fully expected to see Papple standing in the hallway, but what I saw was an empty hallway.

My first thought was something like this: oh great, she's mad at her little friend and has decided to make a dramatic statement. Perfect.

I called her name and walked down the hallway, looking. Calling and looking.

I opened a few doors and checked into rooms that were filled with children, parents and volunteers...but not my child.

I walked all the way down the hallway checking into rooms as I passed. Then around the corner and down the next hallway. It was at this point that I started thinking: maybe she went the OTHER way.

Our church campus is large - imagine losing your child at the mall and you'll get a pretty good idea of the scope and size of our campus.

I turned around, lifted Pomme higher in my arms, and walked faster. By now, my walk changed from cool and confident, into a pace that was more athletic and serious. I walked and opened doors and called her name, still no Papple.

Five minutes have passed by now. I hailed one of the administrators with a radio and asked her for help. "She's five, shoulder-length brown hair, green shirt and shorts". The description went out over the radio. I expanded my search perimeter. Down the next hallway, down the stairs, through the artium....calling, looking...no Papple.

Enlisting help from friends as I passed them. I've lost Papple, have you see her? No one had seen her. Ten minutes into the search: I headed down another hallway and broke into a full trot - which technically counts as a sprint since I was still carrying a twenty-five pound toddler (who is laughing happily and enjoying the ride, by the way).

"Papple!!!! Where are you?!" Checked the bathrooms. checked the stairwell. Then I had this horrible thought - what if she went into the parking lot?

Fifteen minutes in: Pomme and I busted through front entrance doors and ran along the sidewalk to the side entrance of the building. No Papple. But the parking lot is HUGE. She could be anywhere.

Suddenly, I had this terrible thought. What if someone took her? That's all it took...just that one little thought and the tenor of this whole experience turned dark. Tears welled up in my eyes as fear filled my mind. I rounded the corner and burst through the side entrance...heading back upstairs to retrace my steps.

I passed a friend who stopped me with the news that she had seen Papple upstairs on the second floor. I raced up the stairs, Pomme in one arm, bags hanging off the other elbow....threw the door open to the second floor and saw my Papple waiting with a fellow mom, my friend Marsha.

I put down the baby, picked up Papple and burst into tears. It was one of those rare moments when I didn't care who was watching or what they were thinking. And there were a LOT of people watching. But when your child is lost, nothing else matters. In the twenty minutes she was missing, I aged ten years. So, in fairness, I'm thinking of grounding her for ten years.

To share or not to share - - that is the question:

2011-07-05T12:02:00.000-04:00

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them.

OR!

Just avoid the whole messy business by buying a third set of blocks - one set for each child.

Actually, Pomme's Grandparents sent these blocks and they are a BIG HIT!

(Luckily they are made of foam, otherwise it would hurt.)

Pomme is the smallest one in the house.

She is naturally easy-going and calm - except when Papple tries to take her blocks!

The trouble with being the younger sibling is that someone bigger and stronger is forever taking away your stuff.

Not naming any names, but....

We now have three sets of blocks - one for each child.

And playtime is oh. so. civilized.

Here's Pomme giving a brief talk regarding the effects of Roman architecture on modern structural designs.

Let's listen in....

".....and THAT is why today's architects use the arch instead of the cupula."

hee hee.... :)

Bringing civility to playtime,

-Georgia Peach

Summertime is Free

2011-06-25T15:36:00.000-04:00

Turn up the heat and bring on the sunshine....I LOVE SUMMER. Winter has snow and Thanksgiving, but nothing compares to the sweet goodness of summer sunshine. And we are getting LOTS of it!

Summer and water go together like peanut butter and jelly. Just ask my girls!

Pomme is a water baby....and I just love that about her.

Splush!! Water in the face...she laughs!

Doh!!! Water in the eyes...and she runs back for more!

Follow me Papple!!

whooo hoooooooooooo!

EEEEEEYYYYYYYES!!!! Water is awesome!

Seriously, I couldn't ask for cooler kids. ;)

Here's hoping your summer is full of sunshine and sprinklers!

-GP

2011-06-22T17:58:00.000-04:00

Took the chicks outside for some sunshine.

The Fisher Price Barn was Papple's idea. Not sure the chicks were too keen on it, but it WAS pretty cute.

Placing all the chicks inside the barn took finess.

MOM!!! It pooped on me.

Yes. Yes it did. ewe.

Tee hee...still trying to get all the babies inside.

Holding lesson.

No squeezing, please.

Obviously, we need to review the "No Squeezing" lesson.

no, no really Pomme....little less squeezing please.....

much better.

sitting quietly.

friends.

Finding a Quiet Place in a Loud House

2011-06-13T13:38:00.000-04:00

It has been a long time since I last sat to type out words and give a voice to what is in my heart. There is so little time for reflection and even less for writing.

Today it seems like I am just hanging on - from the moment my feet touch the ground in the morning until I fall into bed at night.  Parenting young children leaves little time for quiet reflection so I learn to give thanks as I go. The cries and struggles and highs and whoops of excitement - we go from one to the next and sometimes all at once. Our house is a loud place. And, today I miss quiet spaces.

Today's word from Proverbs 13 stings and challenges me to guard my words carefully. There is never a shortage of guilt in any mother's heart. My guilty heart answers back: Yes, but raising children would be easy if it weren't so important to me to raise them well! And shouting isn't always a symbol of sloppy parenting - sometimes it is passion uncovered and raw.

I close my bible and approach the Throne of Grace, my heart heavy and repentant. A rare, quiet moment befalls our usual chaos. I am reminded of the words of Isaiah (40:11) "...he gently leads those that have young."

He gently leads.

Gently.

I so needed to hear that. I needed to hear one less message about how I am not disciplining my boisterous five year old enough, or not potty training my two year old effectively enough.

I so needed a word of encouragement in a world that loves to pass judgement.

And I think that all mothers (and fathers) of young children could be refreshed by that word. Father God knows that parenting young children is hard. And He makes special provision all of us in this short and wonderful and challenging and LOUD season of life - He leads us gently.

+ Alison

Today I am grateful for:
1. pink, green, and yellow night-nights and the way Pomme relaxes when she holds them
2.  gluten free bruchetta that won rave reviews from my man
3.  swimming fears conquered and the joy of accomplishment that radiated from Papple
4. poolside chats with girls long-grown into women but still connected by our past
5. the way old friends always see each other in the light of the strength and audacity of youth
6. pepperjack cheese because it's sp-I-cy!
7. a moment to connect with a dear friend to hear testimony of a life now gone, but well lived.
8. sleeping babies
9. puddle footprints on hardwood, tracks from summer fun
10. sprinklers and giddy screams from happy girls
11. the big shady spot on my back porch
12. pink and purple petunas exploding from clay pots
13. Yorkie Poo pup sleeping at my feet

Where is the US during End Times?

2011-04-07T10:44:00.000-04:00

My morning readings took me to Deuteronomy 28. Deuteronomy is described in the NKJV with this paragraph. “With the Nation of Israel poised at the entrance of Canaan, Moses seized one last opportunity to prepare the people for their new life in the land of their inheritance. Since Moses would not be entering the land with the people, he wanted to make sure that the nation did not forget its covenant with God. Moses’ careful review of the laws of God is recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy.”

I offer God’s word as food for thought and how it may pertain to the USA. I know you have all heard a person from Washington use the term, “Land of Milk and Honey” to describe the USA. Of Course God used that term to describe the land He was going to give to the people of Israel after He rescued them from Egypt. Let’s look at what God said about obedience:

If you are obedient God says this in 28:12-14 “The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”

What if you do not obey? 28:43 “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, buy you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.” 28:49-51 “The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you.” 28:63 “And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.”

It may be too late for an entire country, but thankfully we individuals can come and surrender to the Christ Jesus and know where we will be when this world ends.

Big Apple

Chalk Drawings and Remembering Creativity

2011-04-05T10:06:00.000-04:00

Chalk drawings cover my back porch now.

Gorgeous work.

Kept my little artists working all afternoon.

Sweaters covered in dust - all needed washing.

We were made in God's image - and He creates.

Is it any wonder we love to create?

Seems to me, maybe we were made to.

Sometimes as adults, practicality steals our creativity - and everything goes brown.

We want our artwork to be sensible or perfect or useful.

Children know how to create without judgement.

Without judging others and without judging themselves.

I watch over my children as they learn to draw and paint

because they need protection from critique and judgement.

So their creativity can grow unhindered and wild.

Because creativity is wild.

So, let me loosen up today.

Let me care less about keeping things tidy and care more about sitting on the floor playing with my girls.

As I show them how special they are to me, maybe they can remind me how to create.

Ideas Needs Time to Grow

2011-03-24T11:08:00.003-04:00

Malcolm Muggeridge said, "There is no new news - only old news given to new people." Today's constant deluge of information sends thurderous streams of welcome and unwelcome ideas into the mind of postmodern man. We live in a carnival of ideas and choices - some attractive, some transformative, some gruesome, some repellant.

I hear so much information that it is impossible to digest all of it. This creates a climate where even good teaching can get lost in the noise. I need time to consider what I hear and read.

Time to decide if the idea has merit and if it is based in truth, and then to consider the implications to my own life. Is it something that I should stand for, or stand against. This must be one mark of maturity and certainly the mark of wisdom - this discernment of the good from the bad and the willingness to respond.

Time and solitude give the good idea a chance to grow roots and bear fruit. It freely invites the Holy Spirit to teach and reveal truth. And it happens when we leave the noisy traffic of new ideas and get alone with a single truth or a small basket of truths - so that there's time to fully understand, to digest, and to espouse. So that we become a people who understand our convictions and live by them. And maybe those ideas we nurture will begin to bear good fruit.

"Today if ye hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Hebrews 4:7

Top 10 Rules for Financial Freedom

2011-03-11T04:25:00.007-05:00

10) DO a Budget and stick to it.

9) DO a Cashflow it helps you know when you can spend your money…for many this is more important than the budget.

8) Track what you spend your money on; if you don’t you will never know how much money you waste.

7) If your rent is $800 and the mortgage payment of your dream house is $800. It DOES NOT mean you can afford the house. Houses have taxes, maintenance, yards, insurance, higher utilities, etc.

6) Create a “yearly fund.” This is a budget for things you do no pay for every month. Examples:
a. Christmas
b. Car tags and taxes
c. Vacation
d. Mulch for yard
e. Auto Maintenance
f. Clothes
g. Doctor bills
h. Gifts (for birthdays). Very important if you have kids...all their friends have birthdays too.

5) Live on 70% of what you make. 10% goes to God, 10% goes to your savings & 10% goes to your yearly fund.

4) Change your choices, financial problems are seldom financial problems but rather a problem of poor decisions made by you.

3) Read your Bible, especially Proverbs – God knows how to handle money. If you can only remember 1 remember Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.”

2) Prayer – It really does work

1) SPEND LESS THAN YOU BRING HOME!!!!!

Big Apple

2011-03-06T20:43:00.000-05:00

She seems so big to me as we go about our day, but when I look at these pictures I see she is still so little. I thought of how neat it might be to return to this location every year and take a series of photos to compare how she is growing. I'm posting these mostly for our Grandma T who loves these candid shots. Mom, let me know if you want me to print any of these for you. :0)

Wise Sayings of Solomon

2011-03-04T05:41:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 10

1 The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son makes a glad father,
But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.

2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
But righteousness delivers from death.

3 The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish,
But He casts away the desire of the wicked.

4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

7 The memory of the righteous is blessed,
But the name of the wicked will rot.

8 The wise in heart will receive commands,
But a prating fool will fall.

9 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.

10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble,
But a prating fool will fall.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.

13 Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding,
But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.

14 Wise people store up knowledge,
But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

15 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

16 The labor of the righteous leads to life,
The wages of the wicked to sin.

17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction goes astray.

18 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
And whoever spreads slander is a fool.

19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.

20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.

21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of wisdom.

22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.

23 To do evil is like sport to a fool,
But a man of understanding has wisdom.

24 The fear of the wicked will come upon him,
And the desire of the righteous will be granted.

25 When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy man to those who send him.

27 The fear of the LORD prolongs days,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness,
But the expectation of the wicked will perish.

29 The way of the LORD is strength for the upright,
But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

30 The righteous will never be removed,
But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
But the perverse tongue will be cut out.

32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.

My morning readings that I just wanted to share with you all

Big Apple

The Cross in the Clothespins - Commonplace Miracles

2011-03-02T13:48:00.001-05:00

The rewards of motherhood come softly. Progress when raising children comes softly, too.

My five year old is learning how freeing it feels to complete her chores with a good attitude. She agreed to the job because it is her job to do, but today she tried to enjoy it.

She looked for the spots and scrubbed them up. Each one that came up, left behind a shining kitchen floor - and brought with it the sense of accomplishment and joy that only comes from doing a job well.

Pantry done, on to the next room. Steady mopping up the kool-aid and milk and a thousand other nasties that land there during the days. Children are messy! I hear her say, "Littles! Next time keep your drinks at the kitchen table!"

I laugh a little - it's strange to see this small person suddenly understand the why. Maybe some of the rules are there for a purpose. (the heaven's part and the angels sing!)

Shining and clean. She smiles at me and shows me where the tough spots were. I smile at the shining floor. She is a contributor and it feels different - something about this feels better, bigger than she did before. I can see the big-ness in her demeanor - she knows what finishing a job well feels like and she is filled with the simple joy it brings.

We clean chairs - chairs that get grimy from all the little monkey meals. Children can be messy - did I say that already? This chair is my favorite. It bears the mark of the booster seat that both my children used. Wood forever peeled back by the friction caused by happy toddlers enjoying meals.

I could repaint it, but who could paint a better design than this?

My oldest offers a lengthy prayer at dinnertime. Daddy is working late tonight and she is moved by compassion for him. As she raises long prayers to a listening and attentive Heavenly Father I find my own attention wavering.

The food - it must be getting cold by now.

The prayer goes on. Steam rises from the gluten-free biscuits. I'm always fussing over those biscuits, the flour is expensive and I am so careful with it. Here they sit as the steam leaves them cool - still she prays on.

Praying for colds now, healing please. And for a boy at church who has a hard time, bless him please. And for Mommy who made our food. And for Jesus. And for GiGi.

And on it goes. I shift in my chair and look over at the younger one. My eyes expect to see her eating by now - up to her elbows in the dinner that was spread before her.

But she sits quietly listening. Her hands folded, eyes closed. A long shadow casts on the wall behind her. I think of the afternoon sun and the way it's warm rays are warming us on this winter day. My breath stops and I can't breath. My heart swells wide and full with the beauty of that long shadow and the sweet, tenderness of tiny hands folded.

I have a quiet camera and it's never far from my hand. What a precious memory, captured.

Eucharisteo, a life of thanksgiving:

#1 ...a helpful heart

#2 ...a job well done

#3 ...youthful prayers, long and compassionate

#4 ...tiny hands folded patiently

#5 ...steaming hot biscuits, after all.

#6 ...chairs worn bare by the shuffling feet of growing children

Tax-Time Shortcuts Just Don't Pay Off

2011-02-25T07:43:00.000-05:00

Good Friday All!!

Want to share an article from Dave Ramsey as we get closer to tax time.

http://www.daveramsey.com/newsletters/online/edition/personal-finance-newsletter-march-2011?ectid=1102cnl_6#feature

Big Apple

Did the housing market cause the Great Recession?

2011-02-13T00:04:00.002-05:00

Headline a couple of years ago

“US Housing Market Crash to result in the Second Great Depression”

Story after story talked about the housing market causing all the problems today. To all those people who say this I hate to break it to you but it had nothing to do with the recession. The housing market is not the cause but a symptom of the cause, a vehicle for the cause to use. The real reason there is/was a recession is GREED.

The American public is to blame or maybe better said the American public’s delusions of grandeur are to blame. They deserve a house, a bigger house, a nicer car, and better vacations. They bought houses they couldn’t afford, it is that simple. If they were in a house they could afford they took the equity in the house and added a room, redid the entire inside, bought a car or went on a very nice vacation.

The desire for worldly things has taken over this country like no other. The funny thing about it is that so many only think that the problem lies with the big ticket items mentioned above. So many of the families I work with on their finances the problem comes from smaller items: eating out at expensive restaurants, multiple mini vacations, impulse buying of wants over needs and the biggie is Christmas. We just overspend and overspend until it explodes.

During this past recession I was truly hopeful as I read articles and heard stories about how people were saving more and paying down debt at the same time. This was good news, flash forward to today and with the recession “over” and the economy improving credit card debt is back on the rise. When will we learn?

Why do so many Americans feel that they deserve something? Why are we never satisfied with what God has given us? Do we forget that all things are a gift from God?

I cannot answer any of these three questions but what I can do is share some gospel. If you do not know God and our Lord Jesus Christ I pray for you often. If you do know our Lord and Savior maybe you are Paul in Romans 7:19, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil that I will not to do, that I practice.” Pray helps this.

Utlitmately as a Christian you are to lead a life represented in 1 John 15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (who says that a book written thousands of years ago can’t be applied to today’s world?) is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forver.”

Big Apple

Living as a Woman of Worth in an Upside Down Kingdom

2011-02-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

Not long ago a precious mentor asked me and a few of my friends to begin two lists....

List who we are "in Christ" according to Ephesians.  Identify every instance of the words "in Christ" and what the bible says about who we are under that identity.

List who the enemy tells us we are - and prepare to pray, accept, believe who we are "in Christ" over who the world would say we are.

....after that last one I thought I would write an example. Something concrete that would stir my memory so I would be sure to get it right when the time came to do the assignment.

I wrote the first lie that came to mind. I wrote "worthless".

Then I looked at at the word I had written.
Instead of "worthless" my pen had written "worthy".

Did I write it...yes.

Did I intend to...absolutely, not.

Can you IMAGINE IT!

Immediately my mind reached for explanation.....maybe my pen was seized by the side of my brain that refuses to accept that word: worthless. But considering how often my heart rests in that identity - that explanation seems unlikey.

How sweet is He who guides me so gently. He who would not even let me write that word - He who makes me worthy, wants me to see my worth.

Wants me to take up my blood-bought, and therefore rightful, place as a woman of worth.

I try to let those words sink in.

A woman of worth.

And still, my mind is restless with questions. How do I have worth when I fail to measure up to so many standards of worth?

A moment later the question comes...whose standard? Whose standard measures the worth?

If the world sets the standard, then talents are for personal gain.
If God sets the standard, then talents are for Him. For His use and for His glory.

If the world sets the standard, then we can measure our success by how high we climb,  If God sets the standard, then success is measured by the fruits.

Fruits called:
Love
Joy
Peace
Forbearance (patience)
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control

When allegiance to Christ runs in opposition to your standard of worth - joy is the first casualty, then good judgement, then the other fruits begin to wither on the vine. Be ever vigilant to guard your heart and mind in this issue. Your worth and my worth is found in Christ, the standard, we need only to stand and claim our rightful place.

Georgia Peach

Here Am I! Send Me.

2011-02-04T03:00:00.005-05:00

This past Sunday at church an unannounced event took place that makes you realize that if you follow Jesus you are blessed.

As you all know there are a lot of people out of work still and many more in financial troubles. So on Sunday Pastor Johnny Hunt, the greatest pastor there is, delivered a sermon called, “Difficult Times: God’s Promise Based on Hope.”

Pastor Johnny read James 5:7-12 and it teaches us to look in all directions (why, because you never know where God is going to send the help from, it might just be that person you are sitting next to in church) with:

1) Look Upward
2) Look Inward
3) Look Backward
4) Look Forward

He mentioned 4 Don’ts:

1) Don’t focus on the situation, or you will be filled with anger.
2) Don’t focus on yourself, or you will be filled with self-pity.
3) Don’t focus on someone to blame, or you will begin complaining.
4) Don’t focus on the present, or you will miss the point of what God is wishing to achieve in your life.

Instead:

1) Be Patient (James 5:7) – Proverbs 25:28
2) Stand Firm (James 5:8-9) – Genesis 50:20
3) Be Aware (James 5:10-11) – Hebrews 11:36-38
4) Be Careful (James 5:12) – Matthew 5:34-37

The sermon was great as always but it is what happened next that just simply made you believe that God was in the building that day and smiling down on His children of Woodstock. Johnny asked that all those people who lost a job or were having financial difficulties to stand up. Many stood but Johnny knew that pride kept many more from standing and we would soon learn that pride did keep a lot of people I their seats. But with those that did stand Johnny asked that those of us around the people who are standing could we lay hands on those people and pray for them. You all need to know that 4,000 people stood and looked for somebody that could pray for. I prayed with a gentleman that was standing behind me. I had my hand on his shoulder, there were hands on both my shoulders and although I did not look I promise you that there were hands laid on those shoulders too. We prayed and there was much crying being heard in the church.

When we finished praying me along with a couple dozen other men went down to the front of the worship center. We went down because Johnny then asked that all those who stood could they please come to the front of the church and go to another room with these counselors so that the church can learn their needs and to see if we can help them. Remember that pride thing; well I guess that 50-75 people stood during the service. But when Pastor Johnny asked all those to come forward several hundred people stood up and walked to the front of the church. The same thing happened in the second service. In fact so many people came forward that we had to move them into the gym. For many of you, you are probably thinking so what, that would probably happen in many churches and sad to say you are probably right. But it is what happened after we left the service that makes this day a blessed day.

When we left Pastor Johnny talked about the responsibility of those that were left in the worship center. He talked about prayer, time and money that could be given. I have heard that he didn’t even get through his message before 2 members handed over checks for $10,000. Others asked how they could help, was there going to be an offering taken? Pastor Johnny asked the deacons to go back and get the offering plates. For one section of the church that wasn’t fast enough because they found a box and started passing that around, another family told me that after today they will never come to church again without their checkbook.

I feel blessed because of that day and honestly as I type this I have tears in my eyes. Some 250 families came forward that day and in one God moving moment within minutes of seeing a need God’s children spontaneously gave well over $250,000.

Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Thank you my Brothers and Sisters in Christ that stood this past Sunday and said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Jason & little Ben – I continue to pray for your precious family.
Arty – I pray your interview went well on Monday and your knee is better
Mark & Amy – I continue to pray for a job and your family
David – I pray for you to continue to seek God for your young and challenging life
Susan – I pray you find work and I pray for you this Sunday as you teach your first Sunday School class.

Big Apple

PS Teach your children about giving, show them by giving yourself. You are never more like Jesus than when you are giving.
PSS Our friend Mike is heading to Haiti and we have a jar for the little ones to put some change in for Mr. Mike. This week our Papple was given her commissions for her work and normally we split that commission into Giving, Saving and Spending. However, this week Papple announced that she wanted to give all her money to Mr. Mike so he could help the kids of Haiti...here come those tears again.

Dancing Queen

2011-02-03T08:34:00.001-05:00

Petit Pomme loves a beat....ANY beat!

I so wish you could see this whole routine in motion.

WHOOO HOOO....she's really going now!

To Refund or not to refund, that is the question

2011-01-28T03:10:00.005-05:00

Tax season has started and you are probably like me just hating the idea of sending countless hours going through all your records...wait that is a whole different post. If you are like me when doing your taxes you watch that number in the corner of the web site to see what your refund or what you will owe is going to be.

The question asked and debated is: Is it better to get or owe come tax time? Most people tell you that it is great to get that big check in April becuase that is what the family uses for ________. For the 97million tax payers who got a refund last year the average check was $2,683.

Is that really a good thing? Well what it means is that you loaned the government $2,683 for free. That doesn't seem that good does it. Of course with interest so low at banks you are basically loaning money to banks for free but again that is another post. Just how much is $2,683? Well if you get paid biweekly that is $103.19 more in evey paycheck.

So the real question is, do you want $103 more in every paycheck or do you want to wait a year and get $2,683?

There are people out there who will tell you that you are crazy for loaning the government free money. They will tell you that for some a little each paycheck is not missed and most people would just blow the extra money and they would never to able to do _________.

I am in the camp that you should not loan the government money and you should take that extra money and invest it or just save it for that big purchase. I would just rather control my money than the government. If you want to argue that it is the only way you can save money, then go ahead and let the government use your money for nothing I promise I will not yell at you.

If you are interested in having the government take less out of your check and you don't get that refund you can calculate what your withholdings should be. Just click here and you can visit the IRS web page and you can calculate what your withholding should be. One you calculate that visit your HR department and change your withholdings.

Remember what Jesus said in Luke 20:25, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

Render wisely both to Caesar and more importantly to God and your year will be blessed.

Big Apple

let it snow!! (don't hate me for still loving snow!)

2011-01-24T13:18:00.001-05:00

Snow has become a regular occurance for us...just saying those words sounds all wrong. Growing up in Georgia, I learned to guard my heart whenever the weather 'caster suggested snow because it hardly ever materialized...and if we saw a few pellets of sleet a grown up would always point out that it wasn't going to stick! (booooo!)

Every few years we would get an ice storm that would result in a day or two off from school, but it was never really snow.

And to think of snow on Christmas was unheard of! But this year, it snowed in Atlanta for the first time since the 1800's.

The snow started coming down and our phone started ringing! My mom, my sister, my aunt and my grandmother all called to discuss the snow! And whether or not to head out for bread and milk!

We were all guarding our hearts, because that's what we do....."does it look like it's going to stick?? Someone said, no the ground is too warm (I hate hearing that!).

And then, it DID start to stick. AND, it kept coming down, all day long and into the night. Snow piled up softly outside while the girls and I stood vigil at the windows.

Just before lunchtime Papple and Pomme went outside to play in the snow dust that was gathering on the back porch. (sticking!!!) Even snow dust is an EVENT! Papple tried making a snowman in the most ineffecient way possible....scraping up small hills with no hope of forming a good base. It's so cute to me watching her mess that up. You can always tell the kids who have spent time in snow - they know how to build snowmen. The person in our house best aquainted with snow stayed downstairs and groused, "it's not deep enough yet, not wet enough, not heavy enough" We heard his advice, but continued scraping up our snow hills....just a little more and maybe we can start to roll it!

More and more snow. It kept coming down and piling up out there.

We kept tireless watch at the windows trying not to miss a single moment of the strange beauty of our snow-covered landscape.

If you can imagine it, we have had TWO snow events since that white Christmas day....three snows in one year! And I guess, if we're honest, we are getting just a little weary of snow. We don't have a fleet of snowplows and salt trucks to clean up the roads - so it can get treacherous out there.

But still, there is snow forecast for tomorrow, and, even though I know it would be practical of me to grouse about it, I can't help being a little excited. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!!!

Awaiting Frozen Precipitation,

5 now 17 soon.

2011-01-21T08:35:00.000-05:00

This is my oldest angel and she turned 5 this week. I know that I am the Dad here but honest to goodness she is a beautiful girl and I know her daddy is in trouble in a few years when the boys start courting her (do they even call it that today?) So as I was looking at this picture my mom was standing next me and said, "What are you going to do when she is 17?" This single question ruined my day. Honestly I don't know how I am going to handle it but I have noticed that I slow down now when I drive by the gun shop/shooting range by our house.
I listen to the news and hear about shootings at schools, or about an elected official getting shot and I think this country is out of control. I read an article yesterday about a show on MTV called Skins that is so bad that there is talk about filing charges of child pornography. It is just scary out there.
So I don't know what I am going to do when she is 17 but today I turned my car around after leaving for work and driving 5 miles down the round because my angel called me crying because she wanted to give me a hug before I left for work (I leave around 6-6:30, normally before anybody is awake.)
For now, Praise be to God that she has a mother that loves her and spends her days with her. For me, "The best thing you can do for them? Make sure that, every day, they know how much you love their mother."
I know that one day there will be greater influences on her than her mommy and daddy but until then Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" shall be my comfort.

Big Apple

Feed the Pig!!!

2011-01-14T07:24:00.000-05:00

I have recommended this site before but in case you haven't visited it yet I though I would post the email I received this past week.

Lifelong Financial Literacy

This month many people are working hard to implement their New Year's resolutions, and finances are a popular focus. But do you have the knowledge to turn your goals into reality? If you're trying to get in shape physically you need the proper equipment, gym membership, diet plan, etc. Similarly, you need the right tools and resources in order to effectively manage your finances. The most important: financial literacy. You may already be budgeting and have your bills all in check, but being financial literate is much broader than that. For instance, how much do you know about our economy? You know times are hard, but do you know exactly what's going on? Do you know how it affects you? Try out a few of these tips and whip yourself into financial shape.

Face Your Fear. Finances are a commonly disliked topic, but in order to increase your financial literacy, you must view your finances in a positive light, rather than as a nuisance. Think of it like going to the doctor. It may not be your favorite thing to do, but you know it's good for your health, and you may even learn something from it. Like the doctor helps you understand how manage your health to prevent disease, financial literacy helps you understand how to manage your finances to prevent debt.

Stay Informed. The financial world is constantly evolving; whether it's the passage of laws, the introduction of new products or services or national global events. Take a few minutes every day to scan the finance/business section of the news. This will help you gain a better understanding of how global and national financial developments may affect your personal finances.

Pace Yourself. You wouldn't enter a marathon during your first week of conditioning, so make sure to pace yourself when it comes to increasing your financial literacy. Learning takes time. Make a list of the financial topics that you would like to know more about and tackle them one at a time. As you learn more about each one you may come across more topics to add to your list.

Remember, learning something new doesn't happen overnight, it takes time and patience. But stick to it and before you know it, you'll have a new sense of understanding and confidence in your finances. Check out 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy for articles, tools and more.

Visit http://www.feedthepig.org/ for more money-saving tips.

Big Apple

PS. Please let me know if you have any topics you would like me to write about and I will be happy to do so.

Sound Box: Preschool study of sound

2011-01-12T05:11:00.000-05:00

In our preschool (homeschool) we are examining the sense of sound. Papple, our five year old, is visually-oriented so working with sound has been interesting.

I blindfolded her to isolate the sense of sound a little better. With her eyes blindfolded, I made sounds and asked her to identify what they were - paper tearing, door closing, water running etc. She seemed to really enjoy listening and it was surprisingly easy for her to pay attention with the blindfold on. I wonder if we can use that every day. (kidding!!!!!!!!)

We built a simple device called a sound box (instructions below) to begin discussing sound vibrations. I will use the discussion of vibration to lead into tomorrow's discussion of the tempanic membrane (ear drum). And hopefully a discussion on Friday of listening for nonverbal communication cues (signs, crying, excitement). But today was all about the fun of working with or hands to produce sound!

Here are instructions for how you can build a simple sound box.

Supplies You Will Need:

Shoe box (a capri sun box works well)
Several rubber bands of varying sizes (I used large rubber bands and tied them at varying intervals to shorten the length of the band.)
Knife
Two Pencils

Steps to Build your Sound Box:

It will help if you imagine the design of a guitar as you work through these steps.
Cut a small hole in the middle of the box.
Stretch the rubber bands over the hole.
Make sure the rubber bands are different lengths. This will change the quality of sound they mak
Stop there and listen to the sounds the rubber bands make.
Thred the pencils under the rubber bands so that each pencil lays on the side of the hole. Pencils should be on opposite sides of the openning.

Some questions that might help discussion:
Why do the rubber bands make sounds?
Do the rubber bands sound different?
In what way are they different?
Can we control the way they sound? Can we make the pitch higher or lower?
What other instruments can you make.

Then fade out of the way and see what happens.

Hope you find this useful,
Georgia Peach

ps...you can find a link to this post and lots of other interesting links at "Works for me Wednesday" a blog carnival hosted by We are THAT Family! Cheers!

CLOSED!!

2011-01-10T16:27:00.000-05:00

Closed due to snow storm in Georgia!!! Ok we are playing outside in the snow, we will return soon.

Stocks for 2011

2011-01-07T05:53:00.000-05:00

I often get asked, "What stock should I buy?" I normally do not give actual stocks unless I know the person and give the disclaimer to them that I am not an expert. However, because I get asked I thought I would give you my top 10 stocks for 2011, with a short blurb and the closing price on 12/31/2010. We will visit this post at the end of the year and see how I did.

With that said here are my Top 10(+2) Stocks for 2011

+2) INTC (Intel-$21.03) & VZ (Verizon-$35.78) (Hello IPhone))

10) MSFT (Microsoft) – I’m a PC, plus $40B+ in cash and short term investments (12/31/2010 closing price $27.91)

9) BA (Boeing Company) – Return to flight, great new demand for leasing planes ($65.26)

8) C (Citigroup) – Government is selling all their shares (Own by Cul-de-sac Homestead) ($4.73)

7) BAC (Bank of America) – writing off Country Wide junk will help a lot, won’t get back to $50+ as in 2006 but should get close to $20 (Own by Cul-de-sac Homestead) ($13.34)

6) CVX (Chevron) – Oil’s big comeback, will see $100 this year ($91.25)

5) CAT (Caterpillar) - One of the best stocks for 2010 and with worldwide growth nobody does earth moving better ($93.66)

4) HPQ (Hewlett Packard) – Just love this company and that it has a majority of their income overseas, 76% own by institutions which is the highest of this group(Own by Cul-de-sac Homestead) ($42.10)

3) SBUX (Starbucks) – Closed a lot of stores and really cut down their expenses, will open new stores in better locations in 2011. ($32.13)

2) APPL (Apple) – Have you heard of this company? Not sure if they are #1 will take over the world first. Seen 12 month projects as high as $438 which is 20x earnings, which I think is about the max but you can ride this one for at least another year. Can be #1 if Verizon and IPhone works ($322.56.)

1) GOOG (Google) – Chrome, Android, Google TV? This company can walk away from China and have it make sense. I think the Android takes some away from Apple and makes it #1($593.97)

If you bought 10 shares of each stock at the end of the trading day on 12/31/2010 it would have cost you
$13,437.20 (wacky because of Apple and Google) so we shall see were we are in a year.

Top 5 Dropping stocks – These should drop in 2011 (maybe you can short them)

5) AGO (Assured Guaranty) – Insures $30B in Municipal Bonds each year. Market Cap of 3.2B - Upwards of $150B shortfall in states budgets…see the problem here? ($17.70)

4) MELI (MercadoLibre) – EBay of Latin American trading at 76x trailing 12 month earnings, yes that is not a typo 76TIMES!!!! ($66.64)

3) POT (Potash Corporation) – Stock shot up from $105 to $147 in August on the idea of a takeover, the Canadian government blocked the deal but the stock is still ended at $154.83. It just isn’t worth that much.

2) FFIV (F5 Networks) – Started 2010 at $53.35 and ended at $130.16. 14X last quarter sales are just too high. Technology for networks seems too skittish to stay on top with every other company able to deliver similar products.

1) NFLX (NetFlix) – Loved this stock last January at $50. Hit $205 in November and ended the year at $175.70. #1 in streaming video but when the cable providers and Internet providers catch on they will realize they control Netflix's fate and will charge higher rates, come in with a better faster way and will easily take market share away.

If you bought 10 shares of each stock at the end of the trading day on 12/31/2010 it would have cost you

$5,450.30 so we shall see were we are in a year.

Not a stock and I am going against the grain here but my 2011 bubble bust is Gold ($1,421). People see the recovery happening and will take more risks in the market.

News of the first week: Facebook worth $50B!!! Really??

Big Apple

Disclaimer - Although I was once professional at this I am no longer and therefore if you take my advice (as great as it may be) you do so at your own risk.

What's the matter Daddy, don't you like the classics?

2011-01-04T14:56:00.000-05:00

Papple's least favorite time of the day is dinner. Because she hates everything on the menu - almost without exception.

Hamburgers...hates them.
Spaghetti...hates it too.
Pizza...ditto (unless it comes sans sauce and toppings).

She hates any kind of red sauce and any kind of meat except for chicken.

And to be honest, she really wants only the chicken that comes in a perfect square shape and is prepacked in a freezer bag. sigh.

Unfortunately for Papple, we require children to try everything on the plate. Because we are mean. But also because we are working to expand her taste buds beyond cereal and cheese.

Knowing this, Papple always seems to find a reason to get up from the table. Thinking behind this: if i get away from the table maybe they will not make me eat anything ....parents are nodding here because you KNOW she's trying to weasel out of dinner. And for a while we fell for it!

Papple: Mama, I need more tea - can I go get it?

Papple: Daddy, I need to go get a tissue.

Papple: Uh oh, I dropped my fork...I need a new one.

But one day we realized we were being played! And, now we have stricter rules about staying in our seats. But we left one loop hole - trips to the potty are still allowed. but they have to be fast.

Papple: Daddy, I need to go to the potty.

Big A: Ok Papple, but make it quick.

Papple leaves the table. She is gone for several minutes. We hear the sound of water running.

Then we hear....singing.....

Papple: "it's a small world afffffter all. it's a small world afffffter alll.....it's a small, small world..."

This goes on for a little longer than would be normal for washing up and I can mentally picture what's going on in the bathroom. Papple is looking into the mirror and watching herself sing. I have seen her do this a dozen times. She's forgotten all about the water running and she is putting on a show now. She's performing. There's a pretend audience and she is the star! She get's louder - I can hear by the intonations in her voice that she's doing hand motions now. Hand motions can be taxing. The song goes on and on...

Big Apple: OK, Papple, that's long enough. Come back to the table!

Papple: What's the matter Daddy, don't you like the classics?

We: BUST OUT LAUGHING! I'm laughing now just thinking about it. Hilarious. It was a totally disarming come back, especially coming from a four year old! I so love that kid.

Anyway...she got the message and came back to the table. Maybe she came back just to see why we were all laughing. Who knows?!

I can't remember what happened the next night, but we are still working on finishing our dinner. Now we have a "potty before dinner" rule and I think we have covered all the loop holes for now!

And, at least, she doesn't do THIS!

~ georgia peach

2011 - Raises For Everyone (Sorta)

2010-12-31T04:47:00.000-05:00

Thanks to our government for 2011 we are all getting a take home pay raise. If you haven’t heard Congress agreed to extend the Bush Tax Cuts for 2 years. Part of the bill they also agreed to cut the Social Security tax from 6.2% to 4.2% for 1 year. So basically you have the opportunity to bring home roughly 2% more each pay period.

How much is that exactly? Well let’s say you get make $30,000 a year and you have $100 taken out of your check every 2 weeks for insurance (Pre tax deductions). You will see $21.08 more in each paycheck…I will pause for the celebration.

What are you going to do with that new found money? Before you answer I will tell you what most Americans will do with it…no idea. That’s right it will be spent on items that in a year they will have no idea where it went or what they spent it on. Don’t be that person. Make a plan and be sure that plan is automated!!!

Option #1:
Invest it in your 401K. Under the scenario listed above if you invest 2% of your income in the 401K your take home pay will actually increase by about $1.85. In other words you will be bringing home the same amount as you do now while putting money away for retirement. $23.08 would be put away every 2 weeks or $600 by the end of the year. Well that doesn’t sound like a lot to retire on. But it can be. My 2 favorite words: Compound Interest!! If you were to make 12% each year and retired in 35 years you would have over $28,000! If you continued to contribute that $600 every year in 35 years it would be $162,615!!! If your company matches say at 50% on that $600 you would have $374,350 at retirement. So before you get excited about the opportunity to go to Starbucks a couple more times a week, think about what that coffee is really costing you.

Please contact your HR Department to start contributing to the 401K or to increase what you currently contribute because this week is the deadline to start contributing next year for many companies. If your company does not offer a 401K you can start your own ROTH IRA with Vanguard, TRowe Price, etc if you do the automatic investing.

Option #2:
Although I like Option 1 the best, because you shouldn't have debt, but if you do have debt that needs to be paid off. If you choose to go this route automatically have your extra money put directly on your debt every two weeks. If you have credit card debt setup a payment to be taken from your checking account for that $20 or whatever your amount is on the day you get paid. Yes you do not have to wait until the due date to pay bills.

Don't waste this opportunity to see your investments go up or your debt go down while keeping your take home pay the same.

Big Apple

Whatever your canvas, use your giftedness and share the joy.

2010-12-29T11:35:00.000-05:00

For me, words come in seasons. Some are short seasons of fitful writing as my heart burns with a message that must be shared. But there are other seasons where the words do not come. Those are quiet times of learning and observing. It would be dishonest of me to craft any kind of message during those times because my creative side needs to flex in a different direction.

It is essential, for me to give way to that natural ebb, in full expectation that the flow will come again and it will be strong and revived from resting.

My heart is craving a quiet place to process the fear and frustration that came when my sweet Gandmother was recently diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer. She comes from a long line of hearty, healthy men and women who live well into their ninetes. My family and I fully expected to be caring for her as she walked gracefully to the finish line that lies some thirty years down the road. But, unless the Lord intervenes in a mighty way, her finishline is much closer than any of us would consider before. It may be years away, but still, the news that our strong matriarch is just as mortal the rest came like a blast of icy water. That was when the words left.  They just evaporated.

And then, a few weeks ago, I found my paintbrush.  It had long been lost in the clutter of mothering and practicality of daily responsibilities. I found it lying just as I had left it, stored in a box with dozens of small tubes of paint. As I looked through the supplies the creative energy that usually flows as words regrouped in my mind and shifted into colors and shapes.

I pulled out a few of my favorite brushes. One has a sharp pitch and short, silky bristles - it lays down the most beautiful shadows. Another has long, smooth bristles that form a graduating stroke that begins wide and glides into point.

I test out a few strokes and marvel at the simple joy of gently brushing silky lines of color onto smooth wood.  It refreshes me.

But the painting lacks purpose blank until I think of a friend. Then the images flow freely as I paint something to encourage her. Then another to encourage my mother, and another for my sister, and finally something for Grandmother. And still more as names and faces rush in and I am reminded of the joy that comes from sharing!

Most of you who read these words are busy with the work of raising up little ones. And when children are young there is precious little time for personal things. But I want to encourage you, whatever your canvas, use your giftedness today and share the joy.

Your soul will delight in flexing the gifts stored therein - almost like there is a purpose in the sharing and the flexing. Could it be that as we use our giftes we delight the maker who bestowed them in the first place?  Who else would structure a heirarchy of needs with such irony - the giving, brings the filling.  The flexing brings the strength.  The sharing, brings the joy.

Yours,
Georgia Peach

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2010-12-25T18:17:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!

Love,

The Cul-de-sac Gang

Lord of pots and pans and things...

2010-12-20T06:38:00.000-05:00

Today I whisper a prayer that is four hundred years old. The words first came from the heart of a seventeenth century monk who lived a quiet life in service to the Lord.

His single focus was communion with God. His days were filled with the pursuit of His presence.

His words....

Lord of pots and pans and things
make me a saint
as I make them clean.

The words remind my heart and restless mind that a quiet life can have value in the eyes of the Lord. As I lay my life down for my small mission field, I whisper the words. They connect me to a loving Lord who is ever watchful.

My culture questions, "Don't you want more?"

I whisper the words again - low across the syncapated melody of children playing and dishes clanging. He hears. He hears!

I exhale the words and He answers with His deep peace. I breath in His peace and He lifts me to a new height.

I stow the clean dishes in the cupboards and move the children to the next morning activity. The little ones bang blocks and slam their kitchen doors.

Papple, the oldest, sits quietly at the table coloring an elaborate design across white drawing paper.

I watch her intensity. Lips pursed. Eyes fixed on the page. Crayons and colored pencils lay in chaotic mix. Her canvas is now splashed with color and secret meaning.

My heart grows heavy. It is not easy being the firstborn. I no longer wonder why biblical parents are seen giving the firstborn a double blessing. My first child deserve the double portion because she bears the toll of my mistakes.

I sit next to her. While the two littles play around us, she tells me about the world she has created on her page. These are unicorns and these are rainbows. Here is a dirt bike (hee hee) - and mommy this one is you.

My heart lifts. I smile at her and on the inside too.

The littles open a cupboard in the next room and I hear sippies topple onto the kitchen floor. Two small girls carry empty cups to the refridgerator and look up at the door. I take the cups, fill with water, and return them to thirsty little ones. They drink until they are satisfied, ahhhh...

"Cups to the sink, girls." They dutifully march to the sink and plunk empty cups into the basin.

"Thank you."

We all settle into the rhythm of our commonplace day. My heart cries out...

Lord of pots and pans and things
make me a saint
as I make them clean.

School begins. And with it, the protesting. I soften my voice to lighten the mood.

It helps.

We settle into a routine - lessons get done at Papple's pace. I sense a quiet confidence building in Papple as she recognizes her gains in competency. This is the quiet reward of teaching. And it is a gracious plenty that fills my cup to overflow.

I tidy up and set out the next activity. We press on.

Lord of pots and pans and things....

Continuing through the short lessons. First math, then reading, then storytime....always the same pattern.

My aim is to slowly instill habits through our routines. It is a long process. But it is good work and my heart is satisfied in that.

In teaching these habits, I find myself settling into them too. My mind is so full of ideas and stories that I get distracted. Those are the days when my keys wind up in the trashcan or the coffee cup stays in the microwave all day long.

I need the routines to keep me sane - to keep things orderly. And within order there is a freedom to breath.

As I move through the day, I breath the words of that simple prayer and my work becomes an offering.

Watch Come See The Lamb

2010-12-17T13:43:00.000-05:00

In case you missed the show.

http://www.fbcw.org/media/on-demand-media/

Click on "Come See The Lamb"

BIG APPLE

Come See The Lamb

2010-12-10T17:33:00.000-05:00

Sorry for not posting today but have been at rehearsal all week and working every minute not at church. If you are in the area please come see this wonderful presentation this weekend. If you can not make it it will be online at http://www.fbcw.org/ starting Sunday night. It will be worth it, I promise.

Big Apple

brief update

2010-12-09T22:12:00.000-05:00

I am so very tired tonight, but I thought I would take a few minutes to post some thoughts here. My grandmother received a difficult medical diagnosis last week and it sent shock waves through every member of our family.

She is one of the pillars of our family - always strong, always opinionated, and always fixing things.

When my sister and I were children, she made sure we had a roof over our heads. My mom was a single parent and, although she worked hard, things were always tight.

Grandmother made sure I understood that high school graduation was just the gateway to college, and her high expectations set a pace that challenged me to press on.

One summer in college, she came up with the extra money I needed to buy a plane ticket to Europe and a train pass. That trip and others like it opened my heart to people and cultures outside of my own small world, and ignited a passion for travel and discovery that still burns in me.

Her encouragement, her example, and her insistence that I keep thinking forward have afforded me opportunities I may not otherwise have had. I am humbled as I remember all the times she intervened for my betterment.

I guess this is why I have stopped posting. I am mentally whipped. Now, I have a job to do. To encourage the one who always encouraged me. To listen and support the one who first offered those endearments to me. What a priviledge to walk this road. And, as she recovers, what a joy it will be to see her standing strong again.

Tax Cuts or Tax Increases?

2010-12-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

As you all know the “Bush Tax-Cuts” are set to expire at the end of this year. It is very interesting to hear how the parties are spinning the tax cuts from 10 years ago.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded that she finds it incredulous that Republicans are calling for tax cuts for the wealthy.

While Republicans are saying things like, “House Democrats will vote to raise taxes on American families and small businesses.”

So who is right, Democrats with their tax cuts (or not tax cuts for the wealthy) or Republicans with their tax increases? Well both are. What? How is that possible? It is weird but because of their spin and a great use of words both can claim to be correct. My opinion is that Democrats are right in the technical sense and Republicans in the “real-world.”

What does that mean exactly? Well technically speaking the Democrats are correct…and it is a very minor technicality. The tax cuts expire 12/31/2010 at 11:59:59. What the Democrats want to do is that they want to implement the same tax rates that are currently being used so in essence they will be offering up tax cuts 1 second after the tax rates increase. Their other argument that they are not raising taxes on the wealthy because technically speaking taxes are not being raised but just returning to the rate prior to the Bush Tax Cuts, seriously it is their argument and technically speaking they are correct.

The Republicans argument is that the taxes will be raised because you will simply be paying more in taxes next year as opposed to this year. If you are paying more it is an increase. Simple and correct argument. They also do not talk about cutting taxes because if you are paying the same taxes next year as this year how can there be a cut. This is the “real-world” argument.

When talking to a friend about this I explained why yes the Democrats are technically right, here is why I think it doesn’t hold water. Here is what I said:

Let’s assume you rent an apartment for $800 and your landlord comes to you and tells you that for the next 10 years you only have to pay $750. The first few months you tell everybody you know about how great your landlord is because of the rent cut. As the years go by you actually forget that you once paid $800 and when people ask what your rent is you tell them $750. Now 10 years pass and you walk into your leasing office and hand over your rent check for $750 and the office tells you that your rent is $800. Your reaction is anger that they are raising your rent but they explain that they are not technically raising your rent just returning it to the level it was before. So did they raise your rent?

I tell you this story because your taxes will probably go up in January. I believe that Congress will ultimately keep the current rates and will be retro to 1/1/2011. However, because Congress moves so slowly you may start the year with a lower pay check so just beware when doing your budget.

Tax cuts or tax increase? I think my friend summed it up best, “Call it whatever you want but if my check goes down it is going to stink.”

Big Apple

"Jesus Christ said more about money than about any other single thing because, when it comes to a man's real nature, money is of first importance. Money is an exact index to a man's character. All through Scripture there is an intimate correlation between the development of a man's character and how he handles his money."
Richard Halverson

Blessing Jar!!!

2010-12-01T19:52:00.000-05:00

This past Thanksgiving our family did something very simple and wonderful I wanted to share it with you all.

On the top of our refrigerator there is a jar, it is our blessing jar. As things happen during the year we write down why we were blessed that day (no there is not a slip of paper for everyday.) We might put one in each week or maybe every 2-3 weeks. Just whenever you feel blessed with what is happpening in your life.

On Thanksgiving day take the jar down and read each one. It is a great time because you talk, laugh and praise God about things that happened over the past 12 months. You might not even remember all of it, which makes it even better. My favorite part was reading some of GP's blessing because I learned different ways that I blessed her and I now know how important some of the little things are to her.

The blessing jar is a blessing and I encourage you all to give it a try.

Big Apple

PS..My new year's resolution is to write down more of my blessing and put them in the jar:)

aren't you afraid your children are missing out??

2010-11-22T14:44:00.000-05:00

I have a few minutes to gather my thoughts while the girls rest upstairs. These blessed moments of silence help restore my strength and clear my mind from day's challenges.

I am turning over a question I was asked this weekend. It was a why question and it came from another mother. "Why do you homeschool?" she asked. And then came the real question: "...aren't you afraid your children are missing out on what the other children their age are learning." Softened by, "there's no way I could teach my own children."

I answered her as best I could, and then spent the next day or so replaying my answer and wondering to myself if it was an adequate response.

I am playing that conversation in my mind as I prepare the children for a walk in the woods behind our house. ...three sets of socks and shoes and a jacket for each child. A visit to the potty before we head out (just in case). Oops...then one more diaper change. Finally, Papple grabs her collection bag and we are set free into the crisp autumn air.

I help one, two, three little sets of feet clammor up the rock border at the edge of the lawn. Footsteps steady when we reach the woods, our feet settle into a smooth rhythm on the soft, beaten path. Fresh air fills our lungs with freedom.

The little ones leap over low hanging vines and balance on the large rock formation that looks like a partially buried stegasaurus. The imagination ignites and a playful spirit leads us on a pirate adventure.

Canons fire and sharks loom in the waters beneath. Then the wind changes and we drop anchor near a monsterous, fallen oak. One, two, three little sets of feet balance on the massive trunk only the littliest one reaches a tentative hand for my help.

The jolly pirates storm the beach in search of treasure. One brings a handful of bright, red leaves - the brightest I have seen all season. The other brings two pockets-full of acorns. The third, falls behind. Content to hold her blanket and stand by me.

The chilly air and hungry tummies drive us back inside around lunchtime. We have stuffed Papple's bag completely full with treasures. And after lunch we pull out each item and take a close look.

"Acorns have little hats, mama"

"Mama, do we eat acorns? ...who does?"

"These brown leaves are crunchy, the red ones are soft."

We begin to add our finds to the fall collage that hangs in the hallway. I pull it down and we look at the leaves we added last week. We talk about timelines and life cycles and then comes the question I didn't ancipate.

"Why did God make trees that way mama? Why didn't he just make them so they could keep their leaves all year."

We talk about evergreens and deciduous trees - their differences and similarities. We talk about why deciduous trees shed their leaves and why some trees are dormant for the cold winter months. But I still haven't answered her question. To be honest, I'm stalling. Searching for a simple answer. How would a teacher answer this? We ask more questions...

What does the Bible say about the Garden, Papple? Did the trees shed their leaves in the Garden?

...a long pause and some more leaves are glued into place.

"No, Mama. They didn't. Because it was not cold in the Garden. Remember those people were not wearing any clothes...they would definitely wear clothes if it was cold."

"You are absolutely right, Papple. But, what happened after Adam and Eve sinned?"

Papple: "They put on clothes."

....long pause....

"I guess that is when it started to get cold."

"I guess the trees lose their leaves because Adam and Eve sinned?"

That started the whole process, Papple. Everything was perfect in the Garden, but Father God knew that it would not stay that way. He made the trees with a coping mechanism to handle the world as it became cold. Trees that grow and thrive know that they have to retreat from the cold every fall and remain dormant until spring - God in His great mercy created them that way because otherwise all trees would have died out in the first winter. Even nature testifies to God's great mercy.

We glue the last leaves into place and put away our supplies. The reading station sat waiting at the kitchen table. I send Papple and Pomme over to begin the reading lesson while I finish cleaning up.

Papple works through the simple lesson while Pomme looks on. We are still in preK so these lessons are easy and fun for Papple. After I finish cleaning I walk around the corner to find Pomme still sitting next to Papple. Both girls listening as Papple sounds out a story with the help some phonics she knows and some supplied by the click of her mouse. We don't always do phonics like this, but it is working for today.

My heart fills with joy as I watch these little sisters working together. Papple leading the way, Pomme quietly looking on. I keep my distance and let them work.

My mind goes back to this question about why we homeschool. And also to the deeper question of whether I worry if they are getting the same education as the children in traditional school. And before the worry can rise up, my mind settles into the rhythm of cleaning my countertops while the girls play "reading" at the table. And as the storm clouds of doubt begin to break up, the answer to the question is resolved in my heart - no, I am not worried.

What Does a Trillion Dollars Look Like?

2010-11-19T07:41:00.000-05:00

All this talk about "stimulus packages" and "bailouts"...

A billion dollars...

A hundred billion dollars...

Eight hundred billion dollars...

One TRILLION dollars...

What does that look like? I mean, these various numbers are tossed around like so many doggie treats, so I thought I'd take Google Sketchup out for a test drive and try to get a sense of what exactly a trillion dollars looks like.

We'll start with a $100 dollar bill. Currently the largest U.S. denomination in general circulation. Most everyone has seen them, slighty fewer have owned them. Guaranteed to make friends wherever they go.

A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2" thick and contains $10,000. Fits in your pocket easily and is more than enough for week or two of shamefully decadent fun.

Believe it or not, this next little pile is $1 million dollars (100 packets of $10,000). You could stuff that into a grocery bag and walk around with it.

While a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive, $100 million is a little more respectable. It fits neatly on a standard pallet...

And $1 BILLION dollars... now we're really getting somewhere...

Next we'll look at ONE TRILLION dollars. This is that number we've been hearing so much about. What is a trillion dollars? Well, it's a million million. It's a thousand billion. It's a one followed by 12 zeros.

You ready for this?

It's pretty surprising.

Go ahead...

Scroll down...

Ladies and gentlemen... I give you $1 trillion dollars...

Notice those pallets are double stacked.

...and remember those are $100 bills.

So the next time you hear someone toss around the phrase "trillion dollars"... that's what they're talking about.

Big Apple

(First posted on pagetutor.com)

KIDS EAT FREE!!!

2010-11-16T19:47:00.000-05:00

I am frugal and with growing kids who feel like that have to be fed everyday it can get costly. We try very very hard to eat each and every night as a family at the table. But there are times when Geogia Peach doesn't want to cook Watching 3 kids all day while doing homeschool too I don't know how she does as much as she does) and I am getting home to late to cook so we eat out. Tonight I had only a few minutes to before I had to get to church for rehearsal so we did what a true frugal person does. We ate where the kids eat for free. This maybe the greatest promotional campaign out there.
Sometimes there are catches because you have to actually dine in but at Chick-Fil-A you do not have to. So I swung by and got 2 adults meals and 2 free kids meals...I love typing the word FREE. Of course Chick-Fil-A (went to the Dwarf House tonight) is the best because they will make us grilled chicken nuggets for Pomme and the fries are gluten free and they usually get some cool educational games in the meal and if you missed one of the cool games you can even go to their website and buy the ones you missed. (Side not if you need gluten free do not ask for grilled strips as the strips are marinated in a sauce with gluten, so says the manager.)

Want to know where your kids can eat for free? There are many sites but I like this one:
http://www.kidseatfor.com/
It gives you each day of the week and where you can go. It also has details for most all of the deals. So when you need a night off from cooking why not be frugal and go where the kids can eat for free?

Big Apple

Our New Cat

2010-11-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of our new cat.

Isn't she a cutie. :)

Pomme has really taken to this little tail.

It goes with her everywhere.

hee hee...so cute.

I will worry if she naps in the window seat.

that's all for today!

hugs,

georgia peach

Financial Counselor

2010-11-12T00:27:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday thru Saturday I was at a training class. The class was called Financial Counselor Training By the Book. The Book of course is the Bible so you know this isn't a class you are going to find at your local community college. It is also a class that is not going to start with numbers (although I thought it would have been funny to start with a Bible verse from Numbers, but that is just me.)

The program is set up to deal with the actual financial troubles of the counselee but it has a main focus that is much different than a "normal" financial counselor.

The four areas of interest are:
1) Attitude
2) Relationship
3) Ownership
4) Stewardship

1) Attitude is the first and sometimes the hardest part. The people that need the help must have a willingness to change. If a person's attitude is wrong they will never allow God to work in their life.
Proverbs 2:6 "For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding"
2 Timothy 3:16-17 "all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work."

Main question: Why are you here and what do you expect from me?

2) Relationship with Jesus Christ is the next step. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? If not let me tell you about Jesus. If you do tell me about your relationship. Man's greatest need in the world is not to find answers to all the problems he might face in life, not to find out how to manage money or resources, but Man's greatest need in life is Christ.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"
Matthew 11:23-30 "Come unto me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full"

Main question: Tell me about your relationship with the Lord?

3) Ownership - Psalm 24:1 "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it." You must understand that the Lord owns it all and you are just a steward of it. If you truly understand who owns it and who has entrusted you with it you will do well with it. This is a hard step because when you ask people about their money they seem to always tell you about how hard they work to get it, to get the house, boat, sports car etc. So few Christian and non-Christian start by telling you what the Lord has blessed them with to watch over for Him.
David's praise in 1 Chronicles 29:10-11 should be all of ours praise each day.
"Praise be to you, O Lord,
God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom:
you are exalted as head over all"

Main question: Who owns the resources you have?

4) Stewardship - a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others. This is where we get into the numbers and if you are solid on items 1-3, this becomes a lot easier to deal with. Yes there is a lot of tithe talk here and rightly so because it is a lifestyle for a lifetime.
1 Cor. 4:2 "Moreover it is required in Stewards, that a man be found faithful"

This is a very short version of 20 great hours of training. If you would like to know more please ask me or call FBCW 678-494-2681 or email Eddie Hobbs at eddie.hobbs@fbcw.net

Big Apple

PS So I do not disappoint here are some numbers:

Shortest chapter in the Bible Psalms117
Longest chapter in the Bible Psalms119
Chapter in the center of the Bible Psalms 118
There are 594 chapters before Psalms 118 and 594 chapters after Psalms 118
Add the chapters before and after and you get 1188
So what is the center verse in the Bible? Psalms 118:8
"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

PSS Attitude is a choice. Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or I can be gald that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Gotcha!

2010-11-09T16:24:00.000-05:00

Busy cooking lunch but not too busy to notice the erie silence.

Something is not right.

I wash my hands and walk around the kitchen wall into the playroom. Papple is painting at the table, but no littles...

I drape the wet handtowel over my shoulder and turn to check the girls rooms.

A faint rustling sound rises from inside the girls' tent.

The door flaps are pulled down securely.

Scratch. shuffle. rustle.

I pull up the door and find these little sneaks sharing a bag of tostitos.

(I am secretly happy they found something they can share.)

Guess they were tired of waiting for lunch!

Pomme, my sweet compliant child reaches up and pulls down the flap.

Close the door, Mama. We're sneaking chips in here.

hee hee,

Just Put That Anywhere Pomme

2010-11-05T14:17:00.000-04:00

The rule is: Try everything on your plate.

Every. Blessed. Thing.

Those peas with the black spot, try them!

The tiny potato squares...those too.

The green leafy stuff...yes, that is included.

The rule is NOT: CLEAN your plate.

Because this can happen....

And then...

And...this.

(is it me, or is she enjoying this?)

Notice the absence of a bib.

Why bother with a bib?

If you need me I'll be mopping the kitchen floor...again.

Girls

2010-11-04T19:15:00.000-04:00

When mama carries a camera everywhere children learn to avoid the lens. My own children are my toughest subjects. But once in a while I have my camera ready at the right moment and sneak up on them.

Papple and Pomme turn their heads...they are on to me.

Love this one of Pomme cracking up.

There are more, but there is so little time.

I'll try to post some more next week because the Grandmas so appreciate seeing these.

Love,

Georgia Peach

Let Nothing Come Between You

2010-11-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

He said, "Never let your children sit between you and your wife." He is a friend and has been married twenty years (and counting) to a sweet friend of mine.

Kind words to encourage and advise my husband. I was not there to hear the conversation, but I reap the benefit of their wisdom. There are powerful conversations between men - words spoken in private between men who are concerned about things that are unfashionable in our culture. Words of sacrifice, and duty...of marriage and abiding love...of honor and humility before God and men. And the ripple effects of those words can be felt by a sensitive soul in a quiet home awating.

Never let your children sit between you.

Big Apple shared those words with me not long ago.

And we trust. We trust that a man and wife who have been down the road further than we know the best way.

And we try. We try to remember that our children are given to us, but that the core of our family resides in the blessed union of two joined before God and by God - to live as one.

We love our children, fell in love the instant we laid weary eyes on them. They belong WITH us, but not between. Because the place between us is sacred ground.

And so we try. And we trust.

Trust Father God to continue to build up what he has joined together. And we try to protect the sacred ground that is between.

And when we fail, and in our humanity we do fail...we try and trust more. And we guard the space between, protect it and we glorify a merciful God in heaven who is the giver of all good gifts. That God in His mercy would give such a special gift to two such as we - and then guide us each day to protect the gift.

God is so good. Today praise is not a sacrifice - for rest assured, sometimes it is. Today praise is as natural as an autumn breeze and it flows freely from a cup overflowing.

May God's matchless grace reach you today and leave you forever changed.

~ Georgia Peach

Is Your Economy Getting Better?

2010-10-29T11:22:00.000-04:00

From Dave Ramsey - thought I would share

Depending on which cable network you watch, you hear a different message every day. One talking head says the economy is getting better. Another talking head says the economy is getting worse. The only thing that seems to be clear is that many people are confused about the whole situation. Who can you believe?

Honestly, if you've got a job and you're doing things the right way, the economy shouldn't affect you. Now, if you're sick and tired of the same old nonsense from Washington, then use the power of your vote this Election Day and let your voice be heard. That's the best way you can make an impact on the national economy.

But the powers-that-be in Washington move at a snail's pace. If you wait on them to fix your personal mess, you're probably going to wait a long time—as in, forever. That's why you'll have a lot more success if you take matters into your own hands.

You've got to make your own personal economy better, then you'll be able to stand tall no matter what's going on in Washington. The national economy won't affect you that much because you'll be insulated from all of the chaos that has the media talking heads worked up into a frenzy.

What does a healthy personal economy look like?

First off, it definitely doesn't include credit card bills and car loans. We're talking about the basics of personal finance that Dave stresses every day: no debt, a full three to six months emergency fund, and college and retirement savings underway.

What created the recession in the first place? Borrowed money! Sadly, many people think the only way to get out of a hole that was created by borrowing money is to borrow more money! That's like saying the only way to beat a drug addiction is to take more drugs.

If our country focused less on borrowing and more on saving and investing, imagine how we could help ourselves and each other—which would help the economy! Let the media and the talking heads worry about whether or not the national economy is getting better. Your concern should be saving $1,000 for your baby emergency fund and getting that debt snowball moving.

You can't change the past and you can't predict the future. If you want to change your financial life, you've got to focus on where you are and what you're doing right now, today. Work your Baby Steps, and the national economy will take care of itself. Make your personal economy the best it can be!

Big Apple

Petit Pomme meets the ocean

2010-10-27T06:01:00.000-04:00

We walk down to the water's edge. Petit Pomme struggles with fear a little less each day. And by the last morning she is tries walking on the packed sand.

Big Apple waits patiently by the water. It is a quiet morning and the water seems less threatening as it ebbs away from the beach, but then it changes its mind and surges forward unexpectedly.

Pomme pauses - unsure of herself or her footing in this new and unpredictable environment. Big Apple waits and watches. We all do.

A few more steps bridge the gap and bring her toes into the warm water. Even this late in the year the water feels warm. Or maybe the air just feels colder. She stands behind Daddy - it is safe there.

But not safe enough. Unsettled, she worries about a change in the water.

The ocean moves in a way that seems, to me, so predictable, but I already know the mystery of water. Pomme is thoughtful in this regard and mysteries loom like giants before the magic can be explained away.

Daddy leans down and whispers encouragement. I cannot hear the words he uses - the message is only for her to hear. There is a private language between Fathers and Daughthers, a language of strength and reassurance.

Daddy is here. Peace settles the fretful heart and all is well.

"But me He caught - reached all the way from sky to sea; He pulled me out of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but God stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved - surprised to be loved!"

Psalm 18:18-19 THE MESSAGE

"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'"

Matthew 11:28 NLT

Blessings,

Georgia Peach

beach photos

2010-10-25T12:50:00.000-04:00

It's been too long since we last went to the beach. The birth of our children, and moves, and job hunts have been perfectly spaced to make beach trips really difficult. But this year we finally dusted off our sand toys and dug out swimsuits for a family vacation to the beautiful shores of the Florida's Gulf coast.

Oh how I love those white, sandy beaches! But this post isn't about me. It's about grandparents. Because Grandparents have been asking to see photos of the girls from the beach. I'll post a few here today and more on Wednesday. So you'll just have to come back!

I may as well mention that I have not perfected taking photos with me in them!

Set up the camera....set the timer....tick, tick, tick....run!!!

Sit!!!

Look Natural!!!!

Papple, please ....look at the... * snap * ...camera.

I love that Petit Pomme is the only one looking at the camera!

Isn't the littliest one supposed to be the one looking away?

We try again, with more success.

Except...I guess the sunlight is just too overpowering for Papple.

Pomme was terrified of the ocean and annoyed by the unsteadiness of shifting sand beneath her feet. She screamed to be held whenever the water or sand came into view. Ever tried to carry baby/child gear down to the beach while holding a twenty-five pound powerhouse who does not want to cooperate? No one in that situation retains a shred of dignity, take if from me. By the end of the trip she was willing to touch the water, but was still really frightened. She would play in the sand a little. We count that as progress - for baby steps are all that is asked when you are so small.

Papple using her shovel.

The beach in October is a little chilly in the morning and evening, and still blazing hot in the middle of the day. Awesome contrast! ...but somewhat difficult weather for which to pack. Which might explain why I took a dresser full of clothes for the three girls (including myself here).

I packed clothes for every season for each female on the trip...plus toys, camera stuff, first aid stuff, car gear, beach gear, diapers and more diapers, swim stuff, sun stuff, reading stuff, naptime stuff, bathing stuff, food, drinks, snacks....on and on and on.

SIDE NOTE: Big Apple packed a douffle for himself with swim trunks, toothbrush, shirt, flip flops...done. A minimalist to the core. I used to be a minimalist, but when it comes to children luck favors the prepared.

Papple and I found a species of crab I have never seen before. Sorry I didn't have my camera handy to take a photo. It was gray with a hard shell. It's four sets of legs tucked into the shell. The shell was smooth and a skinny oval shape - long and skinny, not short and squatty. And it dug it's head in the dirt when I put it back into the water. If you know what it is please tell me. It was about the size of a tube of chapstick, but not as skinny.

Not many photos came from this trip. Big Apple and I were busy holding sweet, timid Pomme and chasing after our fearless Papple. Our oldest, Papple, made friends with every child on the beach. Pomme was content to watch from the security of my shoulder. Each child conquered new terrain and new experiences on their own terms, at their own pace.

Big Apple and I, gently guiding and praying for wisdom to know how far ahead to allow our fearless one run - and how long is too long to hold the timid one. Our children are so very different - I just love that.

Beach trips with small children are a lot of work. TOTALLY WORTH IT, but it's hard work nonetheless.

More photos on Wednesday.

-Georgia Peach

Love Loud

2010-10-22T05:13:00.000-04:00

If you are reading this on Friday October 22, 2010 or Saturday the 23rd the family is participating in the largest mission field you can imagine. 3,000 plus people from our church will be descending in to our local counties and loving on those that need our help. In some ways this event is awe inspiring to think that so many people give up so much to help. In other ways you have to ask what about the other 361 days this event doesn’t take place. For many the goal is to try to make this event a spring board to continue to help those that need it. For many others this is the one or two days a year that they give of themselves to help others. And that is ok, in fact that is great because we live in a world that is always asking, “What’s in it for me?”

What if we didn’t ask that question and every person you know just gave up 1 day a year to do nothing but help another person or family?

For this event I am leading a construction team of 11 wonderful, God loving people. For many this event is so much more than 1 or two days. People like Mark & Dena who are leading our entire Sunday School class’ effort have spent months and countless hours getting everything together for the individual leaders. The time it takes for Kynda and Penny to prepare food for the crews working and making sure when we leave the families have a stocked pantry and clothes for the children. Patrick and his team that will make these families outside look beautiful so that when they come home they are greeted comfort not stress. His team will allow those families to walk a little taller and smile a little more. For Yvette and her team that will turn the houses on the inside to a place of love and comfort. And for Ed who without him I could not have completed all the tasks before me.

I am taking back what I typed earlier about not asking, “What is in it for me?” Go ahead and ask yourself that question if you like, because I will answer that question for me. Earlier this week I went to visit the home of the Marden family. The purpose of my trip was to look at their home and see exactly what we needed to do and if anything else had come up. My inspection took 20 minutes, I stayed 90. Vic and Dottie are in their eighties and have lived an amazing life serving their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe that I am a changed man because of this 1 hour visit. Their love is so infectious that you cannot leave them without a smile on your face, hope in your spirit and love in your heart…I believe that no matter what I do for them this weekend I am getting the better end of the deal.

“Love never fails....And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” As I type the paragraph about the leaders my eyes filled with tears because we live in a world of such negativity and hate that when I look at by brother and sisters I am filled with faith, hope and love. The greatest is love, love for a God that blesses me for my obedience, love for my brothers and sisters in Christ for their obedience and a love for the families we are about to help.

This weekend after you rake your lefs walk down the street to the elderly couples' house and rake theirs. If you are making dinner, make a second one for your neighbors that had a job lost. If you have a single parent near you offer to watch their child(ren) for a couple of hours so they can have some quiet time. You don't need 3,000 people to make a difference (although it is nice) you only need yourself. I promise you this that if you do this with love in your heart your life will be changed for the better.

Undeserving but blessed child of God,

Big Apple

Story of a Shadow and the Path that Leads Home

2010-10-19T15:44:00.000-04:00

I went home this weekend. For most people home brings up images of family and of a familiar driveway that leads up to a homeplace. For me, I'm part of a smaller group of people who have more than one place to call home.

Home was a small town that nurtured my youth. But there's a shadow cast over that town. Bad choices that led to regrets that would stretch over the years. Even now I struggle with guilt that washes over me as I drive down the streets of my childhood home. Obedience means more to me now because I know what lies ahead of a disobedient heart.

God in His great mercy offered me a second home. A fresh start. A place to learn and think free from the pressure to be noticed. Old habits die hard and it took nearly all four of my years there for my heart to retrain.

One friend came alongside, a precious friend. A wonderful ray of sunshine that pointed the way to a clearing in the sky. And then another. Another. And another. Quietly, patiently and with the steadfast strength of pillars of stone they taught me about the strength that comes from acknowledging weakness. They pointed to the precious words of the bible - that leather bound book that was always tucked into my belongings, but seldom consulted. And slowly my broken heart began to heal. My list of important things flipped end over end until it's right side was up, and then slowly a new home came into view.

Home is inside that leather bound book. It is painted for me in the black letterforms I consume every morning and every night. Its truth, HIS truth has become my truth. My heart heals a little more, the scars will always remain, I guess - there are always consequences after all (isn't that why it is so important to teach children about them). I will always have these dull edges brought on by a sin-filled past, but the scars have healed strong and I am restored to a new walk in a special home. Set apart, on a hillside in a nameless town.

Healed, but scarred. Home. And grateful. So deeply grateful for the home I have been given. A home that is mine because it was given - no more reasons than that. It wasn't earned. It wasn't bought - at least not by me. It was given and I am grateful. My cup overflows and I wonder if Father God will be able to use this broken, sinful heart - scars and edges and all. I know He must have a plan because He wakes me everyday with breath in my body and a job to do. The important job of sharing this truth with the little ones He trusts me to raise up. To share with them that Grace and Mercy are real things, but not to be toyed with because God in His wisdom grants grace as He sees fit, but usually allows the consequences to flow where they must. Because there are lessons to be learned and sorrow is a teacher - a stern but effective teacher.

I am years down the road from those sinful mistakes of my youth, but they left a mark in my heart that reminds me of God's grace and mercy and gives birth to more grace and mercy in my own heart.

I walk the campus of my old home, the one from which Father God so patiently called to me. And through the dim reflection of my memory I see the struggles from my past. Only now, those struggles reside with younger women. I am humbled and broken by the shear number of women who are walking away from the light. Women who would, as I once did, toy with God's grace. And I am left alone on my knees to pray for them. Every face I can remember and more that I, in my weakness and humanity, have already begun to forget. Father God has not forgotten them though. He is strong and I am weak. He is strong and we are weak.

The way home for all of us begins there - with that one confession. The road winds through contrition and repentence and then change, leading ever homeward. Up to a home that is set apart. Isn't that the very thing that young women fear - being set apart and alone. But being set apart isn't being alone, it is arriving (for some like me it is arriving finally) at the place we belong and belonging is what we truly desire.

WE MAKE LOANS!!

2010-10-15T05:45:00.000-04:00

In today's economy and political environment we have heard about how bad those big banks are. Each day we hear about foreclosures and bank failures and we probably all know somebody that has been foreclosed on or worked for a now failed bank. I don't agree with all that has been said about those banks but one thing that has happened for sure is a dislike of banks. If you don't believe me go to Google and type in "bank name sucks" and you will bombarded with thousands of results. However, the Community Bank seems to be making a comeback, why? My guess is that they actually have people you can talk to. But instead of writing my opinion I decided to go to my local bank and ask some questions.

Today I am talking with Matt Hames, President and CEO at CNT Financial, LLC a subsidiary of First Cherokee State Bank

Q: Can you tell us just a little bit about your bank?

A: First Cherokee State Bank is a 20 year old, $240 million community bank with branches in Woodstock, Canton and Marietta, GA. We were founded in 1989 by a group of local businessmen who wanted to open a local bank to serve the community they lived and worked in. In 2001 CNT Financial, LLC was formed as an operating subsidiary with trust powers with the intent of providing comprehensive wealth management services to customers of First Cherokee and the clients of The Henssler Financial Group. CNT currently has roughly $375 million in assets in custody. Although not immune to the pain of economic downturn, particularly related to real estate, First Cherokee has been able to persevere and looks forward to brighter days ahead.

On September 16th Bloomberg Businessweek had a story that has gotten a lot of play on the radio and talk show about a gentlemen looking for a $1.1 million small-business loan and he was denied 17 times (most of those denials were from bailed-out banks.) The owner had a credit score of 769 and $185,000 in a checking account. This would seem like a great person to loan to but all the big banks said no. The business owner ended up getting a loan from a small bank ($164 million in assets) for $850,000. This story is not unusual as reported by the National Small Business Association in July that a record 41% of small business owners say they can’t get adequate financing, almost double from 2 years ago. Yet recently as I drove by your main branch your marquee had “WE MAKE LOANS” on it.

Q: What is your demand right now for loans, compared to recent history? What types of loans are in demand right now?

A: Loan demand has clearly decreased over the last 2 years. As the recession has progressed there has been a paradigm shift in many ways resulting in a desire to have less debt, not more. The bulk of the loan demand is related to the refinancing of homes, needs for re-structuring of balloon-type amortizations and challenges stemming from the deterioration of collateral value. The biggest inhibitor to getting a loan today is the appraised value of real estate, to the extent you need to use real estate as collateral.

Q: Are you making loans? What type?

A: Yes we are. The bulk of the loans we are making right now are either mortgage loans or small business loans, in many cases those being made through SBA.

Q: In your opinion why is it that small banks make 60% of the small-business loans?

A: It is my opinion that the big banks have a methodology behind every policy and limit they have in place as it relates to credit, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Small banks have those same checks, balances and constraints. But in many cases it is difficult to get a big bank to listen to why your particular loan need may not fit in their box and thereby justify a second look or some critical thinking and creativity. The big guys are interested in volume and when volume is your goal, exceptions to rules and things that do not fit the cookie cutter only inhibit efficiency in building that volume. They are not interested in making it work for the customer as much as they are interested in being sure it fits their model for the way they manage their balance sheet. Community banks just tend to listen better. Of course that doesn’t mean the community banker will always make the loan, but they will be more likely to try and work something out within reason for the borrower. Much of that is helped by the fact that it is much easier to get to a real decision maker in a small bank who can effect change.

Q: What do people and small business’ need today to get a loan?

A: It is much the same as it used to be: Credit; Collateral; Repayment Ability; Character. If you are a small business, you need a solid business plan. Although I will say that the regulatory environment is much less concerned with character these days unfortunately.

Q: With small banks failing at a rate of one every two days and new regulations what are your biggest challenges?

A: The biggest challenge facing a community banking beyond survival is identifying how it is going to be a viable institution going forward. So many community banks in the major markets in the south have been heavily levered to real estate. They built their business model around that and made a great deal of money at it. Going forward there will have to be more diversification on the income statement and many small banks don’t know how they are going to do that both from a talent perspective as well as risk management. In our case we are uniquely positioned to transition to less of a community bank and more of a community financial services company that has banking as one of its core competencies. Having the ability to generate more fee income in ways that do not necessarily raise fees, but actually add value in what we offer our customer is a key differentiator.

Q: Have you heard of the Move Your Money Campaign?

A: I have.

Q: Do you have an opinion about the campaign?

A: I like it! There are not many things that Arianna Huffington and I agree on, but this is one. I think she is capturing the core emotion that many have toward big banks and the lack of trust that has developed for those large institutions. I am obviously a big proponent of local financial services.

Q: Final thoughts, what should people remember most about First Cherokee State Bank?

A: That we are honest and sincere; that we have felt the pain of this recession like many of our neighbors and friends, then reinvested in our company for the purpose of continuing to invest in people, businesses and our communities everyday.

Thank you for your time today. It has been a pleasure getting to know First Cherokee State Bank

I am convinced that if you offer true customer service your product does not have to be the best or the cheapest. If you offer the best customer service you will be a profitable and successful business. Stop in a take a look at First Cherokee State Bank or your local community bank and see what customer service is suppose to be.

Big Apple

Drinking from a water bottle...not as easy as it looks.

2010-10-14T09:20:00.000-04:00

Drinking from a water bottle can be intimidating for the first time, but it's really very simple. I have had lots of practice, so don't worry if your experience is not as smooth as this tutorial. Just keep practicing.

First thing you wanna do is ....start off like this:

Then take one B-I-G sip....

....(pause to savor it).

Then, "AHHHHHHHH, delicious."

mmmm..

One more sip here.

"Ahhhhhh"

Mmmm...this is good water.

Hang on a sec...let me just get one more little sip ...

...sometimes it helps if you get down low...

Yep, that hits the spot.

...and one more....

Done.

See. Easy Peasy. I hope you found this tutorial informative. Mom says it's time to go now.

Until next time! -Pomme

Reading

2010-10-08T05:22:00.000-04:00

This week I decided to share with you some of the articles that I have read this week

Savings - Poor Kid on Block Gets Fleeced by Elderly

Is a 'Gap Year' Before College a Good Idea?

U.S. bank industry entering new crisis: analyst

Great News on Credit Card Use

10 Great Banks

Vanguard lowers fees

Liverpool Agrees on Sale of Club to Red Sox Owners (Ok so I love the Red Sox and the owner of Liverpool is our Chairman)

Keep reading. You never know what you will learn.

Big Apple

Packed and Ready!

2010-10-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

Sitting at the top of our stairs are two backpacks and one small pink suitcase - they are packed full, zipped up, and ready to go to the beach. They have been sitting there for the past two weeks.

Two weeks ago I told Papple that our family is going on a vacation to the beach soon. She was so excited that she reached in her nightstand and pulled out her Hello Kitty notebook and started making a list of things to take on vacation. She doesn't read and write yet, but that didn't seem to matter. She wrote several pages of notes on the spot.

The next morning she picked up the notebook and continued making notes through breakfast! When breakfast ended she went downstairs to the playroom and there she stayed for a long time.

Half an hour later I heard a THUMP...THUMP....THUMP on the stairs.

Followed by silence. Then an audible sigh that could be heard 'round the house.

Then, THUMP....THUMP....THUMP...

I leaned over the stair railing to see what required such effort! Papple was wearing (not one, but ) TWO backpacks over her shoulders and dragging her pink suitcase behind her. THUMP...THUMP..THUMP.

Me: Papple? ...honey, what are you doing?

Papple: I'm packing for the beach, Mama. THUMP...THUMP...THUMP...

Me: Well...do you want some help with those bags?

Papple: No. I got 'em. THUMP...THUMP.

Me: Papple, we are not going to the beach for several weeks. Remember I showed you on the calendar how far away it was?

Papple: I remember. I just wanted to be ready.   THUMP.

Me: (hiding a wave of laughter)   What did you pack?

Papple hung both backpacks on the banister rail - our staging area for car rides. She laid the suitcase flat and unzipped it to show me what was inside. And, oh my gosh, ya'll....it was impossible to contain my laughter when she opened that bag to reveal a careful assortment of books, ponies, barbies and other essentials!

Papple: I'm ready to go, mama. My bags will be right here when we leave!

That was two weeks ago.

Those bags have been sitting at the top of our stairs for T-W-O weeks. Every so often one of the Littles will try to open the bag and Papple shoo's them awy. She has opened them a few times to make adjustments...adding a toy she forgot or removing something she would rather leave home. But other than that they sit as silent Sentinels at the top of the stairs...waiting.

Dying to Self

2010-10-04T06:10:00.000-04:00

One thing is certain, when I pray about homeschooling my children I am always filled with a deep sense of peace and purpose. That is my first clue that I must be on the right track. The second clue is in how difficult homeschooling can be at times. I have no doubt that homeschooling can be a God-honoring pursuit and that is my goal. But it is also the kind of pursuit that challenges a selfish heart, like mine, and the difficulty lies therein.

My brain seems hard-wired with a need for words of affirmation, but this homeschool gig provides very little of that. I also have a gut level desire for achievement, but that is not the point of homeschooling. So I am forced to move on to a different level of maturity and that process is difficult. It demands that I put myself further down on the priority list than is equal to my comfort level. And it requires that I put the needs of others ahead of my own needs. In short, it's like motherhood on steroids, for lack of a better phrase, and there's no end in sight.

But, I do not want to count my blessings as burdens. There is a light side to this whole process and my assessment of lighter side is completely counter-cultural so brace yourself. My own educational upbringing and the culture I live in presses in on me to find an outlet, find time for me, put myself higher on the priority list, get a job, get a life! ..etc, etc. But those no longer settle well with my soul. I think we have the idea of our purpose here on Earth all wrong. My time here is not about getting all I can get for me. In fact, it is about becomming less of me.

As Christians, we're called to give ourselves to God as a "living sacrifice." The Apostle Paul helps us understand this truth in his letter to the believers in Rome:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)

So, how do we truly present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice? In a nutshell, we must die to our former selves. This concept is wonderfully presented in this anonymous poem called "Dying to Self". I first read it years ago in college and it has served a reminder of the standard ever since.

Dying to Self

When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting or hurt with the oversight, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ;

That is dying to self.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinion ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence;

That is dying to self.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any annoyance; when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus did;

That is dying to self.

When you are content with any food, and offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God;

That is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or record your own good works or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown;

That is dying to self.

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances;

That is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit, inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart;

That is dying to self.

-Anonymous

Am I there yet? Heck no.

Am I closing in? Still no.

But I have a different standard than the one my culture presents. I am aiming for a different mark. I am not aiming for self-aggrandizement, I am aiming to impact my mission field in a powerful and God-honoring way. And that mission field, at this time in my life is right here at home.

-gp

Side note: I have to say that there is one thing in the second stanza that bugs me ...namely the spiritual insensibility that is to be endured as Jesus endured. This makes me think of the day Jesus overturned the tables in the temple and I'm pretty sure he set a different standard for dealing with some forms of spiritual insensibility.

A Sweet Reminder

2010-10-01T13:06:00.000-04:00

These two thoughts were sent to me by a sweet friend and made me pause for a moment to consider. I wanted to pass along these words as a reminder that the most important work we will do today is to enjoy this beautiful October day, feel that crisp autumn air, and share it with our family.

"I’m convinced that busyness is the archenemy of spiritual maturity. Why? Because it keeps us from reflecting. It destroys our ability to think critically about the important issues in our lives—God, relationships, purpose, goals, service."

Bill Hybels, Honest to God?

"When we allow the tyranny of the urgent – the ever-increasing demands – to siphon our tank of energy and interest so that the family is left with nothing but the fumes of broken promises and empty dreams, we are laboring in vain! We are substituting the artificial for the authentic. And that includes Christians who are so busy in “the Lord’s work” (?), they don't have time for the home. What a sad contradiction!"

Charles Swindoll, Come Before Winter

We are, in many ways, made for work and admonished to work with all diligence. But there is a time for all things - be sure you find uninterrupted time for your family today.

Love,
gp

Counting the Cost

2010-09-29T06:39:00.000-04:00

As one family friend after another sends their little ones off to preschool I grow more keenly aware of how divergent our homeschool path will feel.  For me and also for my girls. I remember preparing for new classrooms, new teachers, and new experiences as exciting. I recall the first days of school as some of my fondest childhood memories. The rush to meet the teacher, see my friends, and open my fresh new box of supplies was exhilarating! I want my children to know the excitement and anticipation of good things that each new school year brings, but that is a real challenge when the classroom is downstairs in own home.

Beyond that fear, I worry that super-social Papple will resent us for choosing the homeschool route.  I have a friend who is a practicing family counselor and has a Doctorate degree in that field. Years before I had children she shushed my query into homeschooling by confiding in me that, in her opinion, most homeschool children have the personality of ser_ial k ill_ers. Even now, some seven years later I still have no idea how to respond to that ridiculous assessment. But her words still rattle around in my head when I start to doubt out choice to homeschool. My Papple's best asset (in my humble view) is her personality...could I monkey around with her best asset and do her a disservice by homeschooling?  That confession is too harsh for print, but it seems dishonest to leave it out.

This year we are attending a wonderful program that meets for classroom instruction once a week. The teachers are inspiring to my young Papple and she has made friends with a few sweet girls from her classes. The day we attend that program is the highlight of Papple's week! Which convinces me almost completely that classroom training will be part of Papple's school experience.   The real question left is which classroom that will be. Will we continue with one day a week? Will we try out one of the local co-ops that meet twice a week or three times a week? Will we apply for her to attend a school that meets twice a week for full-day classes and sends assignments home for the other three days? Or will we choose enrichment programs that meet in different locations through the metro Atlanta area for a completely customized (and exhausting) approach? And which program will work best for our family, our vision for homeschooling our children, and our budget?

As we continue to figure out what homeschool looks like for our family, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. My biggest goal is to sheild Papple from all this confusion that goes on behind the scenes. She is still young and I have some time to get these kinks out before things get serious.

-gp

POST SCRIPT
.....and then, I followed my heart to a familiar homeschool blogspot and read words written by a friend I have never met. She shares her own fears and vision for their school, and her calm words of experience shine a light of wisdom on the ebb and flow that every homeschool mother (or father) must feel. I relax a little and stretch my arms heavenward with a grateful heart.  I am grateful for the encouragement. And grateful for the perspective that some days are stretched thin, but my children and my family and even I are worth the effort it takes to raise up my little ones right here in our home, where they belong.  As I always note, we are still "practicing" homeschool and my Papple's schooling is not rigorous....but playful and experiential. This year is about disciplining my own heart to the rhythm and pace for schooling that lies ahead. This morning, I am inspired, encouraged, and ready. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1

Dinosaur Unit Study

2010-09-27T09:06:00.000-04:00

We are working through a really neat creation-based unit study on dinosaurs. I adjusted the curriculum, reading list, and expectations to match Papple's PreK level and it is working beautifully.

Papple is a kinetic learner (she learns best by doing) so I introduced sculpting models of each dinosaur. Usually I let Papple do all her own sculpting work, but with this assignment I help out to make sure each model is in scale to the other models - that way when we finish we can compare each dinosaur's size. I plan to help Papple make a model of a person as the last figure we sculpt...that should REALLY help put things into perspective! If you introduce sculpting models, I recommend starting with brachiosaurus because he was the tallest.

Here is the link to this wonderful study.

As an aside, we are taking an extra step by placing each dinosaur on a large world map so we can keep track of where each species lived. It is also a wonderful way of reviewing the seven continents and basic world geography. Here is a link to a printable world map. If this one doesn't work for you, then I'm sure you could find a suitable substitute through Google.

Savings For College

2010-09-24T04:19:00.000-04:00

Question this week:
We are looking to start some sort of savings for our child’s future. Any insight is greatly appreciated?

First thing is to remember that you should be investing for your retirement and doing at least 10-15% of your income before you start thinking of your child’s education. Not sure when it happened that parents started to feel that they are obligated pay for their child’s education (and even a car at the age of 16, seriously it is happening.) You can spend a couple of dollars and invest in a book "Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents." There are also billions of dollars every year in scholarships for young people...there are not any for retiring people.

However, if you are in a position to invest in your child’s future (aka education) there are 2 real options that offer tax breaks to the parents.

There are 2 types of plans:
529 College Savings Plan vs. Coverdell ESA

Similarities: These college savings plans both have contributions that are non-deductible and grow tax free. Withdrawals are also tax free for qualified higher education expenses. 529 Plans and Coverdell ESAs are viewed the same for financial aid purposes. They are considered the assets of the custodian (the person who opened the account), and withdrawals by the beneficiary are not considered taxable income when used for college expenses. Both plans can be transferred to another beneficiary without penalties or fees.

How do I decide which one to use? There are some major differences in the plans and based on your situation please think about the differences before you invest. What are the differences:

Types of accounts:
• 529 Plan: Two – Prepaid college tuition (this is an option that you should NEVER do) and savings plan
• ESA: Only one

Control of account:
• 529 Plan: Account holder controls when withdrawals will be made and for what purpose, and can change beneficiaries at will. There are no restrictions regarding when funds must be used. If there is money left over in the 529 or it is not needed the parent(s) can withdraw the money for their own retirement. There are some ways (scholarship) you can do this without incurring a penalty but you should consult a tax expert on this when/if you get in this situation.
• ESA: Account holder can change beneficiary at will. If money is not transferred to a new beneficiary or used for higher education costs, then the beneficiary receives the assets when they turn 30 and the account will be assessed taxes and penalties.

Age limit for contributions and withdrawals:
• 529 Plan: None.
• ESA: Must be under 18 to receive contributions (this mostly means that once a child starts college no more savings can happen), must use assets before age 30.

Contribution limits:
• 529 Plan: Between $100,000 and $350,000 depending on state
• ESA: $2,000 per year from all sources

Income limits for contributors:
• 529 Plan: No income limit.
• ESA: To qualify for the max $2,000 contribution, your AGI must be less than $95,000 for single filers and $190,000 for married couples. Contributions will drop to $500 per year in 2010 if Congress does not extend the current limits.

State tax deductions or credits for contributions:
• 529 Plan: Maybe, depending on state plan and residency.
• ESA: No.

Uses for plan assets:
• 529 Plan: Higher education only.
• ESA: Through 2010 (maybe extended by Congress) assets can be used for K-12 and higher education.

Investment options:
• 529 Plan: Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs. Can only change investment allocation 2 times per year.
• ESA: Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs. No limit to changes in investment allocation.

Georgia Peach and I invest in a 529 Plan because it is a more versatile plan, especially if you will have other people contributing money toward your child’s education (talking to you Grandparents) – the $2,000 limit for ESA contributions is more difficult to track when there are multiple people contributing.
The Coverdell does have several advantages, including the ability to use the funds for K-12 (through 2010 unless extended), make unlimited changes to asset allocation, and ESAs may have better investment options, depending on the state in which you open your 529 College Savings Plan.

The good news is that you can have both plans for your children and you can roll a Coverdell ESA into a 529 College Savings Plan. These plans have a lot of small print and conditions, so I recommend reading the details for your state 529 plan or reading more about the Coverdell ESA before opening an account and making contributions. In most plans, your choice of school is not affected by the state your 529 savings plan is from. You can be a CA resident, invest in a VT plan and send your student to college in NC.

Happy Savings,
Big Apple

If you do not have a broker or investing account that you can start a 529 with you can easily go to Vanguard and set one up. Vanguard is just one of many companies that offer these plans so investigate others if you would like.

Frozen M&M's for Less Mess

2010-09-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

Here's a simple way to teach a preschooler with a sweet tooth to slow down and savor a sweet treat. Try freezing your chocolate treats first. Then when you offer a small bowl of frozen m&m's or frozen peppermint patties (our favorite!) eating them takes a little longer. There is also a lot less mess because frozen chocolate doesn't stick to fingers...at least not until it melts. Be advised, when it starts melting it gets messy fast so serve small portions. It's working for us ~ hope it works for you!

Love,
Georgia Peach

Is A Half Truth A Lie?

2010-09-17T07:46:00.000-04:00

Unless you have been away for the past month you should know that one of the big topics in Washington DC and around the country are the Bush Tax Cuts. I think in the end all but the top tier will be extended and this is where my question about come into play.
The top tier of this tax program is for families making over $250,000 a year (single over 200K). I was listening to Hannity the other day on my drive home and I must admit I just cannot take him anymore. I am hoping for a nice victory for the Republican Party in November, not just because I am a Republican but also because I just don’t think one party should have all the power (including the Republicans). Hannity’s points on increasing the taxes on the families earning over $250,000:
1) It will kill job growth and destroy the small businesses of America. What people do not understand is that small business owners have to put the revenue earned by their company on their personal income taxes as income.
2) Reagan (man crush alert) lowered taxes and he created 20 million jobs and doubled the revenue of the government. Obama should follow Reagan’s policies.

Truth.
1) Do business owners put the revenue earned by their companies on the income line of the 1040 forms? Yes however Sean always seems to forget the other part of the tax code with says that: Business owner/taxpayers can deduct most of what they spend in the course of conducting their businesses which makes an enormous difference in their final tax bills. The IRC (Internal Revenue Code) allows business owners and investors to deduct the costs of conducting the business from their GROSS INCOME. What remains is the net business profit, the amount subject to taxation. So if a business earns $1,000,000 (that millions) in revenue and they are good at what they do they will have a profit margin of 25% or $250,000. So that means their taxable income is $250,000…wait a second they also get to deduct their home mortgage interests, car taxes, kids, etc , etc. So as you can see it really will not hurt that many small businesses. Who will it hurt than? It will hurt the Sean Hannitys of the world. If your taxable income is $1million dollars (Hannity is rumored to make around $40 million a year) you will pay about $46,000 a year more in federal income taxes. Probably won’t feel good I am always a little weary of a person talking about the people who will get hurt the most when in fact the person doing the talking will get hurt the most. It is a good strategy because if he gets enough people upset about it he could save himself a couple millions dollars in taxes.
2) Yes Reagan lowered the taxes on the wealthiest from 70% to 35% and he did create a lot of jobs but according to the WJS it was around 16 million. I will give him some credit towards Bush’s 2.5 and may stretch it to some of Clinton’s 23.1 million job creations (never hear that on Sean’s radio show). In reality there were 3 major factors in the 1980s that cannot or should not be duplicated today.
a. First off Obama cannot cut the tax rates in half. Our current GDP relies on about 70% of it coming from consumer spending (which is really sick if you think about it.) So if the wealthiest people all of a sudden have an increase of 100% in their disposable income would it not make sense that you would see a huge increase in consumer spending?
b. Federal Funds rate was 20% in May of 1981 and it dropped to 9.5% by October 1982. Today that rate is .025%...I don’t think the FED can cut it lower
c. Household debt. Household debt to disposable income was 47% in 1980 and rose to 65% in 1989 while 71% of the increase came from mortgages. Business mortgages doubled in the same time. Although Obama may be remembered as one of the worst Presidents ever and the debt to disposable income is now around 130% the tools that Reagan had to mask the horrible behavior of the public is just not available to Obama and because of this we are where we are.

Conclusion:Do you own research!!! Don’t rely on the media as they each have their own agenda. The government of this country seems to always look at the wrong side of the equation. A drug addict is always looking to see how they can score their next hit, never realizing that it makes more sense to stop using the drugs. In other words, stop spending so much. It is far easier to cut spending (although the most unpopular thing to do) then it is to increase revenue, just ask an American family. Stop the whining about how the millionaires wont's be able to buy their kids a new BMW every year now.
"I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell." Harry S. Truman

Big Apple

The best thing you can do for them? Make sure that, every day, they know how much you love their mother.

Reunions and Stinky Baby Goats

2010-09-16T13:13:00.000-04:00

I love reunions! My college roommate was in town this weekend, and she drove up to meet us for lunch. There is something very special about friends who connect you to your past...it is a fountain of youth. My friend J is a mama of two, wife, career gal, ridiculously talented designer, etc, etc...but to me she's this wonderfully silly person who laughs easily and likes to decorate the dorm room.

Just look at that brood of sweaty children. They were not happy to be called down from the playground to pose for a photo - so we were lucky to get ONE shot in before everyone bolted!

Why do sweaty children smell like baby goats?

Before they go outside they don't smell at all, then the go outside in the heat....and...BOOM!...baby goat.

Pomme was feeling a little grouchy so I only got a few photos of the "big kids" playing before I had to stow the camera back in my bag. But, I did manage to capture this sweet series from the bottom of the slide!

And then just like that the reunion was over. We packed up and headed home for naptime. I wish we could have spent a little more time, but, to quote the philosopher M. Poppins, "enough is as good as a feast".

Give Back

2010-09-13T14:14:00.000-04:00

Can we talk? The phrase “give back” is driving me nuts. For the thousandth time over the past week I heard a radio ad from American Express where the speaker says that “he was raised to give back to charities.” Great guy, really, he is. He uses 500,000 points from his AMEX to help build a house for a single mother taking care of 14 kids…I will leave that one alone or maybe for another post. However this guy and all those famous rich people out there that talk about “giving back” to the community drives me crazy.

Why you ask? Because they are not “giving back,” they are GIVING! To give back means that the person or persons you are giving to at one point gave to you. I doubt this guy with his 500,000 AMEX points ever got anything from the charity. I give $5.00 to the cashier and she/he gives me back $1.50 in change that is giving back. My buddy lends me $5.00 for lunch and tomorrow I give back the $5.

I know it is only a four letter word but adding “back” to the word “give” is just wrong. Georgia Peach and I want to teach our kids to give. By saying you are giving back is it really a sacrifice? I mean you didn’t have it before, somebody gave it to you and you gave it back, and you probably are only giving a portion of it back. However, if you teach your kids that you should make sacrifices and give to those that need help, isn’t that a better lesson for them to learn?

Don’t get me wrong because I truly believe in “giving back.” If somebody or some organization helps you and later you are in a position to return the gift you should, you really should “Give Back.”

In fact there is one time when everybody should be taught to "Give Back". When is the most important time to teach your kids about “giving back?” Church! You should always teach your kids that all they have is a gift from God and they should give back a tenth in the form of a tithe. This simple lesson is lost on the Christian faith today. Is it a sacrifice to give back what isn’t really yours in the first place?

Big Apple

PS – Shout out to my buddy Curtis for a great weekend. Played in a golf tournament with him this weekend.

Insurance Went Down

2010-09-03T08:04:00.000-04:00

It is that time of year again when our yearly motorcycle insurance, home insurance and our semi annual auto insurance is due. Needless to say September is not my favorite month. I mean this I hate insurance because it is the one item that you must spend money on that you hope you never ever get back...unless you own a 1996 Grand Am and then you kind of hope a tree falls on the car while you are not in it. When you spend money you always expect to get something for it. Imagine if you could take your yearly insurance and pay down your home loan. It would knock 9 years off your mortgage and save you over $70K in interest. Are you starting to hate insurance like me? I do hate it but I also know I need it.

With that being said I actually am doing ok this September. Why do you ask? Our insurance went down!!! WooHoo!!! $138 every 6 months. Of course I was happy but was it as low as possible? So the premiums went down on the auto insurance and we get a 17% discount by paying in full each 6 months...yes I said 17%, but that guy on TV says that the good hands people save on average $436 a year on auto insurance for people who switch from my current company, Flo:) I contacted the good hands people and after a short conversation they ran some numbers and told me that their hands can't touch Flo's prices for our family. Cool, the premiums went down and I feel like I now have the best possible insurance at the best possible rate. I could have called the little green British(?) guy but I already switch from him and know they can not get my prices.

I tell you this story because we too often just pay our insurance without shopping. So even if your premiums go down shop your policy to see if you are getting the best deal possible. And do this each year. Hope this helps you save a couple of dollars.

Big Apple

60 days left, have you registered to vote yet?

Yer a Real Cowboy, Ain't Cha.

2010-09-01T14:01:00.000-04:00

The rodeo came to town and I got to get really close to the action. This is the catch the calf with a rope and then tickle him until he surrenders event.....and it also had something to do with ropes, but I couldn't quite make it out.

And after a few sad cowboys failed to catch the calf this cowboy busted out of the gate and showed everyone who was boss.

OK.... if no one else goes crazy over photos like I do, then I'll understand if you are bored right now.

But I just love this one....so much movement! Notice that the horse is stopping, but that cowboy is still heading forward. Doesn't look like a good combination from where I'm sitting.

Just look at this horse!! He drilled his back legs into the dirt and pulled up full-stop in a matter of seconds. The cowboy sails off (pretty sure they have rehearsed this) and runs toward the calf.

This part was a little epic....

He launched into a peppy pas de bourree followed by two pirouettes and a grand jete'...

Not sure what this move is called, but it was surprising to see a wirey cowboy flip that fiesty calf into the air.

Then he held the calf down and tickeled him.

Until the calf surrendered because he couldn't take anymore.

Winner...cowboy! Yay!

Setting a Good Pace for the Best Outcome

2010-08-30T14:24:00.000-04:00

Have you ever run in a road race? Something like a 5K or even a longer event? At the start of a race there is so much excitement! Everyone at the starting line has pooped three times, double checked their laces, and tweeked their watch so it's ready for timing. And everyone is nervously waiting for the starting gun to go off.....then CRACK!! Off goes the gun and the runners blast out of the starting gate.

stop. right. there.

Be honest here....have you ever sprinted at the start of a distance run? Maybe not a dead sprint, but something like a wicked fast run for the first leg of the race.

Let's assume you are running in a small event, not a big one where there are so many people packed in at the starting line that you had to walk the first mile. In those small events, how long does it take you to settle into your natural pace? ....thirty seconds? ...couple of minutes?

Runners at the starting line for a three mile race or a six mile or even thirteen....whatever.... when that gun goes off the sprinting happens. It happens everytime, and it always cracks me up! Every runner takes off like they are a world class sprinter! Even after years of running (I run much less now than I used to) I still feel that exilaration that comes at the start!!

Just one problem, in long distance running sprinting is the wrong tool. Inexperienced runners will wait too long to slow the starting line sprint into a comfortable pace. I see them highstepping past me at mile one and I can't help thinking, "How long can they really keep that up?"

The reality is, even a slow recreational runner like me can often times catch the inexperienced runner because somewhere along the way they will fizzle out...then slow and steady turtle passes right on by.  There is a natural rhythm that carries the distance runner over the miles of a long run. They know how feet should sound as they strike terrain...one, two, three, four...one, two, three, four....one, two, three, four.... And the breath falls into a similar rhythm. After some conditioning, the body's systems learn where they fall in the pattern and the work of running becomes natural and relaxing.

But, if you upset that natural rhythm then the body works ineffeciently. And I think this is one of those truths in running that is true in almost every area of my life.

In regular life, if I fail to manage my schedule with an eye toward pacing, then I end up sprinting through the day. Just like in running, it is exillarating at first, but over time the speedy pace becomes exhausting and an ineffecient use of my energy. I can't complete my daily tasks with the same competency because I'm trying to do more than I can do. I'm pushing at a level that is not natural for me.

Sometimes I imagine that I am bigger and badder than I really am, and I push harder than I should. I take on commitments that require more time than I can spend. The end result of this is just like the inexperienced runner....I slow down and I accomplish less than I could if I had paced myself from the beginning.

That brings me to where I am right now.

I have made the rookie mistake of setting an unreasonable pace. My days are full of activities and commitments above and beyond my "race pace".   I love to work and I love being part of things as a worker, but the reality is that I only have a certain amount of energy, time and attention.

Unfortunately, when I take on too much work, ALL of the work suffers. I can't do ONE thing well because I'm trying to do twenty things, and there's just not enough time in the day to do all I have agreed to do. I lost sight of my natural pace and shifted into a distance sprint.....talk about unrealistic expectations!

So, I have come to the uncomfortable realization that I have to slow my pace and quit a few things.

Nope...scratch that... I have to quit a LOT of things. And that's what my goal has been over the past couple of weeks: find a way to tactfully walk away from some of these ancillary committments.

Ugh...I hate that.

It seems that I am still learning the lesson of pacing.  But, to help prevent this from happening again I have come up with a sensible idea.  Before I agree to take on a new responsibility, I will ask for time to consider the request. And maybe, with a little extra time to consider the commitment, I can better evaluate whether my natural pace will be able to keep up with the new demand.

Have you ever overestimated your natural rhythm? How did it work out?

Will the experience of pacing my schedule ever feel as smart as pacing on race day? (Not sure about that, but I'm hoping it does.)

- Georgia Peach

Financial Friday With Big Apple

2010-08-27T06:49:00.000-04:00

Welcome readers to Financial Friday. Today I am going to write a couple of answers to questions/comments I gotten over the past week.

First one: “We're on a strict budget so naturally I need your advice. Not because I think you are cheap or anything (I AM), but because I respect the way your family manages its money.
With me going part time, our income has been cut in half…Our biggest needless expense is food and eating out.”

As some readers know I lost my job about 3 years ago and took a job that pays much less and soon after Georgia Peach left her job to stay at home with our girls. So over a 1 year period we lost $50,000 in yearly income and added a month to feed. So yes I am a cheapskate. This is not a bad word because when it comes to the important things you don’t have to be a cheapskate. For example, we have a lawn service that comes every week and cuts our lawn, prunes the trees, pulls weeds and all that stuff. This isn’t cheap but it allows me to have my Saturdays to spend with the girls because otherwise I would be outside every Saturday doing yard work.

Back to the comment: I love that you are on a strict budget. However, it sounds like your budget needs a makeover. First thing to do is list the most important things for you and your family. Saving for the future, family time, food, clothes, motorcycles, you know whatever it is you list it out because it becomes a guideline for your budget.

Simply start at the top with your income and write under it the items you have to pay out each month. These are the fixed costs you have each month such as giving to the church, mortgage/rent, and car payment (ouch), insurance (pay semi annually or annually and you can save a bunch of money.) Then list the variables out gas (simply drive less, instead of running to the store wait until you have more than 1 thing to do), heating and air (changing the temperature a couple degrees really does make a difference in the bills and when you can open the windows and turn the air off. Invest in a programmable thermostat.) Cable (do you really need 500 channels), cell phone (think of moving to a prepaid phone instead of a post paid phone), internet and phone services (how fast do you really need a page to load and drop the features from your home phone that costs money, do you really need 3 way calling?)

Now the biggie, food, this is not a needless expense (pretty sure you need food) but what you buy is where you have to look. We here in the Atlanta area have a few very large farmer markets which is a great place to save money. Cut out snacks and sodas or as I like to say, budget and waistline busters. When you cut out snack food you tend to eat all your dinner which is normally healthier. And use your leftovers. We had chicken the other night with some left over; Georgia Peach used that chicken in our next meal. A great thing that Georgia Peach does when she grocery shops is that she gets each one of us a treat for the week. All the girls love and I mean LOVE Peppermint Patties and for me she might get a Fiesta Jam from the farmers market or something else just for me. I love it because it lets us know that mom loves us and was thinking about us.

Stop eating out so much!!! You can buy meat, buns and fries at the grocery store for the entire family for less than 1 burger and fries at … Eat at home for 2 reasons it saves money and you get time with the family. In the restaurants there is always noise and somebody is always stopping by to see if you need anything else Eat out once a month so that it becomes a special night for the family. Of course you can always save moeny going out to eat when you visit your favorate restuarant on the nights kids eat free.

Second One: What stocks should I buy?
This is a tough one for sure, because the market is just crazy. The market is down something like 3 hundred points this week and we dropped below 10,000 and more importantly the S&P is below 1,050. Bad numbers keep coming out about the economy that sends the market down, why? Why is this shocking to people on Wall Street? The economy is growing, sure not at the rate we would like but it is growing. I had a conversation with my financial advisor about 8 months ago and I wanted to buy NetFlix (NFLX). I really wanted to but he convinced me not to buy it and with his track record I gave it…boy that one hurt. It closed around $50 a share that day, yesterday it closed at $125.84.

Yesterday when we talked I mentioned HPQ (Hewlett Packard). Back in April this was a $54 share. The CEO left and they are making a play for 3Par and the stock has dropped to $38.22. This is a company that makes $30BILLION a quarter in revenue!!! They will have the pick of the litter for a new CEO and it gets something like 60% of its revenue from outside the US. It is near it 52 week low. We are going to buy HPQ.

So what should you buy? Buy stocks of companies that you use their products. You have to do research, look at their earnings and dividends. And pay attention to who owns the stock, you can follow the institutional investors or just copy what Warren Buffet is doing…just on a smaller scaled:)

Keep sending in your questions or comments.

Big Apple

What if...

2010-08-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

One seemingly innocuous question that actually causes a fair amount of harm is: "What if ?"

Have you ever heard a baseball announcer say something like "what if he had caught that ball in the fifth inning? Then the other team wouldn't have gotten those runs and the whole outcome of the game would have been different?"

It sounds so sensible. But it's totally and completely baseless. It is ridiculous to think that one error caused the outcome of a game. Unless it's the last catch of the game.... and even then there were other events that led to the eventual outcome.

Here's where I'm going with this.... In asking the question, "what if" the temptation is to start making connections that are baseless and discouraging. However, if we are careful to steer these thoughts, then maybe something good can come out of this kind of thinking. Next time you find yourself asking, "What if ?" try this:

What if I had .....(fill in the blank)

Then I would have.....(acknowledge the loss)

And now my life would be..... (here's the interesting part)

If you're stewing about what life should have been then maybe it makes more sense to tackle the real issue. Stop looking to the past to cast blame and realize that today's challenge is pointing you somewhere, and that's enough information to make a real difference. And that's good news!

And who am I to speak with such authority? I'm a mother. This job has taught me a few things about human nature and about carrying on when you just want to sit it out. So next time you find yourself in a "what if" moment....follow the train of thought for a while to see where it's going. Then before the thought process takes you somewhere dark and depressing.....get off and chart a course for where you need to go. Notice I didn't say necessarily "want" to go. If you're struggling with the difference between need to and want to...then, as a mother, let me kindly suggest you grow up and come back when you're ready to read with a clear head. If you're charting a new course, I would really like to hear about it...so I can cheer you on!

Georgia Peach

Family Photo Shoot...what worked

2010-08-24T08:26:00.001-04:00

DSC_1811ccedsmall, originally uploaded by AlisonMutton1.

Here are my thoughts on what worked at this photo shoot.

1. I brought candy! M&M's can be very persuasive. :0)

2. I brought ice cold water! It's August and very, very hot out there.

3. I let the brother who LOVED posing for the camera set up some of my poses. We traded off ideas. We would shoot one of his ideas, and then one of mine. Once the creativity energy started flowing there was not shortage of enthusiasm or ideas!

4. I brought along my SB800 on a tripod and it added some extra light when we needed it. That allowed me to shoot on a slightly faster shutter speed.

5. I picked the place. I shot some photos at this same park last week with my girls as models and played around with apeture and shutter speeds while no one was looking. So when the family arrived I could relax and just have fun.

What didn't work.

1. The SB800 in some cases created a glare off of their glasses. I learned a great way to avoid that glare is to shoot with the sun slightly behind the subject in the soft light of late afternoon. I had to adjust my exposure in PS, but it was worth it to keep the glasses neutral.

2. These little guys wanted to take some photos from the moving bridge. But, shooting the family on a "moving bridge" in mottled sunlight is a tough combination to expose accurately. I Love, love love how the experience of trying to pose on that crazy bridge really opened up their personalities. I want to try that shot again and see if I can make it work. Maybe focusing on different lengths and showing a single person in focus.....in the context of playing with their family.

Also, I accidently underexposed a few images in this series and I loved how they turned out when I corrected them in post. They were messy and bold with a lot of noise....and the energy and experssions were awesome.

Pomme Gets a Job

2010-08-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

Pomme brushes her teeth like it's her job. Several times a day, she wanders off to the bathroom, steps up on the footstool and turns on the bathroom light. That's usually my first clue that she is planning to stay in there a while. She is barely tall enough to reach the far side of the sink where her toothpaste and toothbrush rest, and not without a lot of struggle and effort.

(Please overlook the mess because I'm about to post photos of a messy bathroom.)

If you look really close you can see that the top is on that toothpaste. She hasn't figured out yet that you need to take the top off - so she just mimics the motion of putting on paste. That is so cute to me. Just seeing that tiny girl standing there carefully putting paste on her brush and then scrubbing away the sugar bugs just melts my heart.

Maybe it's just because I'm her mama.

I'm totally willing to admit that I'm head over heels for this baby.

Go Pomme! Get those teeth clean, baby!

Just look at her get at those molars in the back.

They're NEW, by the way....just got them a few weeks ago.

hmmmmm, I should put some dental floss in her bathroom too ...just to see what happens!

Ok, this is the last one, I promise!

I guess she needed a liiiiiiiittle more toothpaste. There, that should do it.

Just look at that sweet face.

Now that she has mastered toothbrushing, I might teach her to wash the peanut butter off her cheeks.

Happily working myself out of a teaching job...one lifeskill at a time.

-Georgia Peach

My First Lesson on Budgeting & Living Debt Free

2010-08-20T06:45:00.000-04:00

My first lesson on budgeting came thirty some years ago...did I seriously just write that, how did I get this old? Sorry ya'all I need a moment.

Ok, I'm back. I will start with a little background. When I was young we had these things called convenience stores. Yes I know we have a QT, BP, and Exxon etc on every corner now but that is not how it use to be. These convenience stores were owned by individuals (mom and pops) and they sold only a few things, milk, bread, eggs, tuna & sugar. In our neighborhood in north Utica we had the "little brown store" and the "milk store" which always had the best milk prices in town. This was a time when your mom/dad would give a kid $1.00 and send them to the store. We would walk or ride our bikes to the store and buy the eggs...can you imagine doing that today? These people who ran these shops were very smart because the other item they sold was penny & 2 cent candy. They knew that the kids would come down with their dollar, buy 90 cents of eggs and of course the kids would pick out 5 pieces of candy to spend the remaining 10 cents. Nobody sells that stuff anymore because today the parents drive to the store and buy the stuff with a debit card. Ah, the good old days.

Back to my lesson: when I was 7 we lived in Rochester NY and my grandparents lived in Utica, which is about 2 hours away. When we visited our grandparents my grandpa would give me a dime and sometime 15 cents to go to the store and get some candy. I still remember this because my grandpa had this rubber thing that he kept his change in. You all know what I am talking about. It was slit open on top and you would squeeze the ends to push the opening wide and inside was your change. The one thing that I did besides eat candy was I collected football cards. A package of cards cost 25-30 cents each at the time so one day I asked my grandpa for 30 cents to buy football cards instead of the normal 15 cents. He said, no. I don’t think he ever said no to me before. He told me that I shouldn't buy something if I don’t have my own money to buy it (sound familiar?)

He told me that if I really wanted something that I did not have the money for I had to save up money to buy it. He explained to me that if I kept the 15 cents he would give me on that day I would be able to get football cards next time I came because he would give me 15 cents during our next visit. I was 7 and this was brutal. I had to watch my brother and our friends go to the store, buy (and even worse) eat candy…my brother is older so of course he didn’t share. Remember that we lived 2 hours away so I didn’t know when we would get back to their house.

Well I saved that money. I did this mostly because I thought my grandpa was the smartest man in the world and if I came back to his house without my money he would have been disappointed and that would have killed me. When I got to his house for our next visit I showed him the money and he gave me the other 15 cents. I ran to the store and bought my football cards. When I got back to the house I got to show him the cards I got. At this point a lesson was taught to me that has stayed with me for my entire life. He sat with me looking at the cards and said (not an exact quote), “if you had bought candy it would have been gone by the time you got back to the house. But because you saved your money you now have these cards that you can share and look at for a long time.” He followed this with the true lesson, “sometimes you have to put off today what you think you want so that you can get what you really want tomorrow and not owe somebody else for it.” I don’t remember exactly what cards they were but I bet you I studied the stats on the back of the cards all the way home in the car. (Side note, I kept my cards for 25 years until I finally sold them).

Today we call this “delayed gratification.” 30+ years ago I had really no idea what my grandpa was saying because I was enjoying my cards. But somehow this has stuck and I have lived my next 30+ years with this mentality and with only a few exceptions have I ever bought for instant gratification and gone into debt. Today we live debt free…thank you Grandpa!!

Big Apple

The Life of Pomme

2010-08-19T14:06:00.000-04:00

It's not National Geographic, but it's a moment from our commonplace day.

Petit Pomme enjoys a leisurely drink after her bath.

Then pauses to savor the moment.

drink.

savor.

Then pour what's left onto the table.

And wait for someone else to clean it up.

This is the good life.