I love being a piano teacher. I started teaching as soon as I moved here after our wedding, and have only stopped once since. That was the year we spent in Indiana. When we came back to South Carolina, I reopened my studio and resumed teaching almost immediately. I absolutely love being a piano teacher, though I very rarely blog about it.

Things are about to change.

Several weeks ago, Stephen and I decided that it would be best for our family if I closed my piano studio for the time being. It was not an easy decision and honestly, I really struggled with it. However, since deciding it was something that needed to be done, I went ahead and started making the preparations to stop teaching.

I told my students one month ago. One student found a new teacher almost immediately. Last night and today, I heard from three more students that they have found teachers. Suddenly, I find myself with too few students to keep my studio open any longer.

My original plan was to teach until the beginning of October. My due date is mid-October, so we thought that would give me enough time to stop before worrying about going into labor early. However, since many teachers tend to follow school schedules, I ended up telling my students in June that I’d be stopping so that they could start looking for new teachers.

I knew it was possible that they’d all find new teachers right away, but I was not expecting that to actually happen. Guess I was wrong there. Now my last lessons will be next week, since most of my students are starting with their new teachers in August.

It really surprises me how things ended up working out. I never really considered having two full months of break before baby’s expected arrival, but I’m thankful for it. We started school this week here so it will be nice not to worry about overlapping schedules.

One student brought a scrapbook she made me to her lesson tonight. In it, she outlined her feelings and reactions to each year studying piano and how much she loves it. Her assignment notebook and theory book each had little notes scattered throughout: “Please don’t go,” “I don’t want to stop,” “I love you,” “You make music fun,” “I’m going to miss you.” The tears almost started right then. I have kept all the little cards and pictures from students over the years, but this is one thing I definitely treasure and she caught me off guard when she gave it to me.

I didn’t realize it would be this hard to stop when we first started discussing it. While I am completely confident that this is the right decision for our family for right now, I am definitely going to miss it.

Maybe someday I’ll start teaching again, but for now it’s time to concentrate on my family. It’s hard to let go of something I love so much, but I’m looking forward to having more time to spend with my children now because of it.

Our pastor’s sermon this morning was out of Ephesians 2 and was titled “Was I So Bad?”

Ephesians 2:1-10
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

I was dead, but God loved me anyway.

The whole time all I could keep thinking of was the night I accepted Christ. Yes, I was that bad that God had to send His precious Son to die for me. I was that bad. And He still saved me.

I love the way the song God Saves Old Sinners is written:

The drunk on the street, the rich in the palaces
The poor and unlearned and the men of degree
They all have a soul in need of salvation
And they all have to come by Calvary

I am so glad God saves old sinners
I’m thrilled and amazed how He sets them free
But the biggest surprise in redeeming old sinners
Is that He could save an old sinner like me

Was I so bad that I needed forgiveness
Was I so wrong I had to be redeemed
Well, I wasn’t a thief yet I lived in sin’s prison
So I was wrong as a sinner could be

I am so glad God saves old sinners
I’m thrilled and amazed how He sets them free
But the biggest surprise in redeeming old sinners
Is that He could save an old sinner like me

Yes, I was so bad that I needed a Savior. I’m so glad He chose to come and die for me, even though I don’t deserve it!

Last week we took a last-minute whirlwind trip to see my family in Michigan. It was wonderful seeing family again.

We got home late last night after getting stuck on the interstate for over an hour due to an accident. I’m just thankful we weren’t in that accident. We’re tired, the kids are too, and it is a lot warmer here in SC than it was back in MI. But I’m glad we went. My mom, sister-in-law, and I went to a bunch of garage sales, we took the kids to an Army band concert, Mom had a ton of extended family over, we had to take Anna to the ER (she’s fine now), and we visited the church I grew up in. It was a short trip but it was really nice to be back again for a little while.

Now. . .back to our regular schedule. . .and hopefully there’s some rest in it somewhere. Our garden is about to explode and it looks like there will be lots of canning needing to be done in the next couple weeks.

So. . .off to get more done before piano students start coming through the house. I am SO glad to be home!!!

Today there were two new books in the mail.

Large Family Logistics has been on my to-get list for quite a while now. Their website was very helpful to me several years ago, so I was looking forward to reading the book once it came out. A lot of the info seems to be the same as what’s on the website, but it is so nice to have a copy that I don’t have to be sitting at the computer to read.

Little Girls, Big Style. . . .This book. . .oh my. A friend on an online forum recommended it, and I LOVE it so far! The projects are so easy to understand – which seems like it will make them go quicker, and they are so CUTE! I am absolutely itching to start sewing some of the projects for Anna. It is also making me want to go to our local quilt shop, but I’m trying to postpone that trip because they have SO much in there it’s easy to spend a fortune.

The pictures above link to the books on Amazon. I’m not an Amazon affiliate or anything, but thought it would be easier for those interested to learn more about the books to do so that way.

Stay tuned for more about the books. . .I’m sure I’ll post pictures of any of the sewing projects, at least. . .

Caleb helping me in the kitchen. That 5-gallon bucket on the counter is our honey bottling pail – hopefully more on that in the future

This is going to be a totally random post, with random pictures. Hope that’s ok. I got a new camera last weekend, and wanted to share some of the pictures I took over the week. Most of them are pretty random though.

The week started out busy. I played for a choir concert on Thursday evening, and had rehearsals the first three days of the week. I arranged for a sitter and assumed everything would go as planned.

Caleb came down with some sort of throat bug the week before, and by Monday, he was better, but Samuel had it. Thankfully, Stephen ended up working from home that day so we didn’t have to expose our sitter to the bug.

Tuesday the kids were better, and I went to the rehearsal and taught piano lessons as planned. That night, we got an insane storm. According to the news, the winds were 60-90 mph. I believe it. I have never been so scared in my life. I honestly thought the wind was going to pick up our house and just throw it. I kept thinking of the recent tornadoes in Alabama and the nearby states, and kept praying that God would keep us safe, as well as the house and cars. He did.

We lost the last tree out front and it missed the house by about 6 feet. I am so thankful it didn’t hit the house! The kids like playing on the stump now though.

Our power went out in the storm, as it usually does in a lot of wind. We were shocked at the damage through our community though. There were trees and mangled power lines everywhere. The electric crews worked almost nonstop, trying to get the power back on. Ours came on two days later. My in-laws got their power back on Wednesday afternoon, so they let us stay there during the day on Thursday. It was so humid out that we were thankful to be able to crash there for a while. The concert was that evening. It went well, but it was nice to have it over with too. The power came on that evening, so by the time we got home, the house had even cooled down.

Friday my friend Sara came over again to help me finish getting the rest of the Groopdealz bracelets in the mail. I’d been working on them as much as I could, but just having another person to help was wonderful. Stephen has been helping as much as he could all along (what a guy!). It was one crazy day, and there were bracelets and packages everywhere. I was hoping to get them out sooner, but did the best I could. Stephen took the last set of packages to the Post Office for me on Saturday. I learned a lot about producing jewelry in bulk, and there are some things I’ll do differently to make things go faster if there’s ever a next time. I enjoyed it though. And I learned one thing – even after making 637 bracelets, I still love making jewelry.

As the kids have been outside playing, I’ve been playing around with the macro settings on my new camera. It’s a Canon Powershot, and is so much more of a camera than the little Fuji I used to have. Not that the Fuji was bad, but this Canon is everything I’ve wanted in a camera. There is SO much for me to learn. . .but it has been a lot of fun playing with it too!!!

Friday Stephen came home from work to tell me that we were taking his car to the mechanic immediately because the brakes had gone out. Saturday it was finished, so we went to pick it up. It started raining while I was on the way home, and when we walked in the house, we discovered the new roof we had put on last year was leaking. I called the company right then, thinking to leave a message for this morning, but they called me back almost immediately and said they’d be out today to come look at it.

They were an hour and a half early this morning. They were so early that the only one of us who didn’t still have pajamas on was Stephen! *Note to self, when expecting a service call, get dressed immediately upon waking.* You’d think I’d know this by now. . .

The good news was that the roof is still under warranty. They fixed in in about 15 minutes and we didn’t have to pay a dime. What a blessing.

Yesterday, Anna started a runny nose, and felt a little warm. The way she’s been chewing on everything, I assumed it was because she was teething. As of this afternoon, all three kids felt warm. I’m hoping it’s not another virus but it certainly looks that way.

Later this week I have a midwife appointment (LOVE her!) and an ultrasound. We definitely have things to look forward to, and many more things to be thankful for!!

I hope everyone’s Sunday was wonderful. Ours was a bit different, but not bad. Church was great. Then we spent the afternoon at Stephen’s parents’ house. The evening service at church was great too.

I had to chuckle at the irony this morning though. We try really hard not to let Sunday mornings get too hectic around here, so we can prepare our hearts for worship. This morning was a bit crazier than usual because I had to get up and make rolls for dinner at Mom’s. I actually tried to start them last night but pregnancy brain kicked in and they didn’t get made – I got the bread machine plugged in and then promptly forgot about starting the dough. But that’s beside the point.

Because of extra food prep, this morning was a bit more hectic than usual. As we were driving to church, I thought that here it is the one day of the year we should be the most joyful – celebrating the resurrection of our Lord – when instead, we were rushing around more and getting frazzled easier. Figures.

It ended up being a good day though, despite the rough start. I’m so thankful for a Savior who chose to die for me anyway – when He didn’t have to – just so I could go to Heaven with Him. I sure don’t deserve it. . .

Last Saturday we got quite the storm. It was one of the weirdest thunderstorms I’ve ever seen – there were several cells of severe weather inside it. We’d get hit with one, and it’d be over in less than 5 minutes. Then 20-30 minutes later, another would hit, and be over almost immediately.

One of the little storms sent hail. I’ve seen big hail before, but it’s been a very long time. We measured the bigger of these two hailstones at almost exactly 3 inches across. Amazing.

Our cars made it through the hail pretty safely, with only a few dents that weren’t too severe. When I drove my van yesterday though, I noticed many tiny little nicks in my windshield. I hope they don’t weaken it.

Today we’re under another tornado watch. After the tornadoes farther West yesterday from this storm, I hope we don’t get any!

About a week ago, I came across this post over at the Generation Cedar blog. I haven’t read much on the rest of the site, but thought the article on our perspective of children was interesting and thought-provoking.

Children: Heritage or Possession?

It feels like I haven’t blogged in forever. Why is it that when you try to stay off the computer to get more done around the house, things like blogging get neglected? That’s ok. I don’t feel bad about that reason.

We’ve been making a few changes around our home. Not a ton, and most aren’t big changes, but changes nonetheless.

One of those changes is how we homeschool. The way we were doing it just wasn’t working. Don’t get me wrong – I love A Beka and the content of their curriculum (and PCC is my Alma Mater, after all). But honestly, I cannot get it to work well for us. The lesson plan books and I just do not get along. Even though it’s mid-year, we’re making some changes with how much we expect Samuel to be able to do in one day, and we’re approaching it in a more laid-back manner. We’ve been using My Father’s World as well this year, and we’ll be leaning more toward that style of schooling than what we’ve been trying to do with the A Beka.

I was so bothered about the way school was going that I ended up meeting with our homeschool association leader about it. Funny thing is, most of the problems causing the stress are my perfectionist nature and that my expectations were too high. It was a humbling discovery. So we’ve pulled back a little bit and so far, things have been going much more smoothly. Interestingly enough, Samuel is doing BETTER on schoolwork now and that is one of the things I wasn’t expecting to see so soon. I am thankful for it though.

Another thing I’m trying is changing how we do laundry. The lady I met with last week is a mom of 7. It was so nice to talk to her about household management – to talk with someone with a bigger family than I have. Wow. It was so nice to get the perspective of someone who is trying to balance most of the same things we are.

So about the laundry. . .we are usually hopelessly behind. I try, but just don’t keep up with it well enough. So now my goal is to do two loads every day. So far it seems to be working well. We’ll see if I can stay caught up, but I hope so!

That’s my boring update. LOL! Not a lot to really blog about, just everyday life and how I’m learning to make household management work better for our family.

Yesterday, a lady came by to pick up something we had offered on Freecycle. We stood there talking for a while, and in the course of our conversation, she mentioned that her family was looking for a church.

She named a church in the area that they had visited. I’m familiar with the church and was curious to see what she had to say about it. Unfortunately, the first thing out of her mouth was, “I will never go back.” Why?

She said nobody welcomed her that morning. Nobody walked over to her and said, “We’re glad you’re here.” Not a single acknowledgment that someone was glad she was there. Nothing.

Church, we have a problem. Since when is it acceptable to ignore visitors? I don’t care what the person looks like or what their family life may look like – why do we think it is fine to ignore people??? So what if we don’t know them! Christ loves them and died for them too.

I am so sick of the “Us four and no more” mentality. It bothers me. It bothers me a lot. I think what bothers me more about this particular situation is this church is one that has a good reputation in our community. I was very surprised to hear that nobody welcomed her there.

It’s time we woke up and started noticing the people around us. Maybe there’s a visitor at church Sunday morning who came by herself and just looks unsure about being there. Go over to her and give her a big “Hello” and introduce yourself. It might just be a bright spot in her day. Who knows. You may be the one that gets to ultimately lead that person to Christ.

Don’t get me wrong. It takes a lot of nerve for me to go talk to someone I don’t know. But after having been ignored at churches we’ve visited too. . .I would rather get over myself and go say, “Hi” to visitors. Who knows, they just might become a new friend.

And while I’m on the subject – being friendly doesn’t just apply to visitors. Have you ever looked around the room and just watched people? Is there someone at your church who is shy or might be having a rough day? They just might need a hug or a bright hello too.

Step out of your comfort zone. Because if we don’t, who will?