I spent today  helping my friend Liz with her yard sale.  Liz is a lovely woman who is trying to let go of things, in order to declutter her home.  When I say "declutter" I'm serious.  She bought me a book about decluttering a few years ago and it has been a contest to see who could do it best.  I will say she did a great job today.  Not to brag but I've done so well that I only had 4 dressses, a picture frame and an extra ironing board to sell today. Her next door neighbor was having an 'estate' sale today and I avoided it.  That was really hard because I love to go to estate sales.  That is kind of odd, isn't it.  I even waited to look over the clutter Liz was selling until the end.  She kept saying "you don't need it".  She was right, I didn't.  I did leave with one of her dresses and curtains she made and a hamper.  I was proud of both of us. 

I would like to share a few praises:

1.  My little Maxwell has had amazing growth since being diagnosed with diabetes.  He has grown 2 inches and before that he had not grown an inch in two years.  The biggest growth has been academic.  A year ago, I could not get him to focus even for a few pages in Math.  He was struggling to remember his addition problems.  He informed me a month ago that he was bored with math.  He orally passed all his 3rd grade work, then his 4th grade in one day.  He is 1/3 the way through 5th grade.  He's still bored but I'm afraid to skip over too much.  He does  three lessons a day.  He has been reading and writing and just blowing my socks off.  I must admit that I was so scared for him academically.  Please praise God!

2.  When Steve left his job at the telephone company 8 years ago he gave bibles to 35 of his co-workers.  Dave, a man he ministered to many times, recently found Steve on Facebook and thanked him for the bible.  He said he has been reading it.  That is amazing.  Praise God.

Well, we move out of Florida in 3 weeks.  Don't ask where to, we don't know.  God is good and we have a few interim places.

Longtime no blog.

Here's my update:

We are here living back in Oviedo FL.  We are all going to our last little league game for this season tonight.  We have a choir concert on Sunday.  Normally these would indicate the ending of the school year but this year we are playing catch up.  Our time in Virginia put me behind a few months.  Jacob has 49 days of Algebra 1/2 left so we will work until that is done.  The good part about homeschooling is we can go all summer long, yet take a break when we need to.

While in Virginia I was in intense muscle pain and I was exhausted.  I thought it was stress.  Then Maxwell almost died from his diabetes.  I'm so grateful God allowed us to find out what was wrong with him.  God has been so gracious with us.  During this time I was just ignoring my symptoms.  When we returned to Florida I thought my symptoms would get better in the warmth but it did not.  I went to my doctor for aching ears.  He asked what else was wrong.  I started crying about my weight but neglected to tell him this list:

• Itchy skin when I eat wheat  (I have Celiacs disease now, just diagnosed)
• Weakness (I could not stand in the kitchen to clean for more than 10 minutes)
• Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight (I gave up sugar and wheat 1 month and lost nothing but gain 5 lbs)
• Coarse, dry hair (This was nasty, even my hair stylist was shocked) 
• Constipation
• Depression
• Irritability
• Memory loss (I can hardly remember...............oh I forget what)
• Abnormal menstrual cycles (UGGGGGGGGG)
• Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches

• Fatigue (I was falling asleep during teaching school, sometimes 3X a day)

I have Hypothyroidism.  I've been on the meds almost two weeks and I have had more energy and I've dropped 11lbs.  I have less pain and most my symptoms have lessened.  I'm truly grateful for medicine.  I thought I'd be happiest to lose weight but I'm happiest that my head is no longer heavy all the time.  I still have alot of memory loss but I'm working on that.

Steve still needs a job.  His job ends tomorrow.  He has a possible pastoral job but he also has regular job opportunities in Texas and New Hampshire.  Please pray for him. 

I often wonder how he puts up with my lack of faith.  I am a wretched sinner and yet his love endures forever. 

25 years ago I was hit by a car.  I have waited 25 years to say thank you to a young man who walked with me from class to class when I was hobbling along and trying to walk.  He walked with me when I was scared and tired.  Today on facebook I asked for prayer and he said.

Maxwell hates his diabetes and his shots.  He does not want anyone to know.  He is ashamed.  It breaks my heart so bad.  Today his blood sugar was very high at church.  We sat in the foyer and kept making him walk around but his sugar kept going up.  I'm all new at this and I did not know what to do.  I left my book at home that tells me what to do.  I am very confused.  I know it has only been a week and I'll learn.

Tonight I'm very sad.  I just got news that Maxwell will not be able to be in a clinical study in Gainesville Florida because we were too cheap to save our boys embilical cord blood.  I feel like such a bad mom.  I can't stop crying.  I know God is sovereign but that doesn't mean I don't regret things.  I regret so much tonight.  I wish we were near our families.  It is very lonely to be away from family during tough times.  Even if my family is off in good times, they are great during bad times.  I could tell my mom I'm scared and she'd hug me.  Sometimes it is hard to be a Christian because if you say "I'm scared", people say don't worry the word of God says not to worry.  Honestly I'm scared and I know God will care for my boy but I'm scared of what that looks like.  I know that sounds bad but I'm not looking to be perfect any time soon. 

-Please pray that Steve gets a job this week.  Kathryn has been fabulous to us and we are grateful but we need to be closer to either chattanooga, Baltimore or Boston for Maxwell's treatment. 

-Please pray that Maxwell be ok with his shots.

-Please pray for Jacob and Maxwell to be close friends.