Back to school, back to Life

Happy 2009! 

We're back from our 2-week Christmas vacation with our families in Arizona--wow, what a wonderful time.  It was heart-satisfying on all counts, one of those "appointed" times when you know the Lord has had a hand in all the little stuff.  Weather was good, we stayed healthy, and most of all, our cups were filled with great family time and wonderful memories.  Thank You, Jesus!  You are the Giver of all good things.

I came home with a pressure cooker and an eagerness to cook again, something that has waned in recent months.  Yay for fresh inspiration!  I've tried a couple of recipes and I think it's going to be a boon for time savings.  Any great tips to share???

SweetPea surprised us just before Christmas by announcing that she had made the (momentous) decision to quit a horse program she's been in for three years.  This is a mounted drill group that takes a pretty big chunk of time and commitment to be in it.  We'd both been feeling the stress of "no margin" for some time, but I wanted such a decision to be her own, not influenced by me.  It was!  She wants to write and pursue other interests, and now is free to do so.  I was proud of her for having the courage to leave behind a good thing for something better.

So 2009 stands as an open door before us, promising all sorts of joys and delights inside.  Funny how the Lord works--one of my homeschool goals for SweetPea this year was that of writing, really getting solid in the basics before moving on toward high school work in a year or so.  And here it's just what she wants, something she feels God is calling her to.  So as we've begun school this week, it's been with a fresh excitement for us both and an assurance that the Lord is leading us into new things.