The Start Of Summer! (and a rambling post to prove it.)

 

 

Well... it's officially Summer 2013.  So far not too hot, but the mosquitos are eating my alive and I remember why Fall is my favorite season and not this hot ole mess that we can barely breathe nor walk or function in! 

 

First thing I want to talk about on this random blog post is my kids doing this:

 I think it may be the most annoying thing in the world to here the words "whhhaattt?"  followed by that crazy face - although the minion above looks really cute while doing it, right?  The age old question of "what?" is sometimes even replaced with "why" or "how" and that is no better.

I can feel the gray hairs growing as I type. 

 

Onto my next rambling post photo... I wish that I could tell my sons this everyday and they knew, without a doubt, that I meant it:

 

Blaze has been showing some major signs of depression or low self esteem and I just wish I could show him who he is in the eyes of the people that love him.  Who he is in CHRIST.  But, as his mother I simply cannot.  That is something he will have to figure out on his own in his own time.  For now, all I can do is boost his self esteem, praise his work ethics and endurance, and teach him what my parents never taught me - that vision plus energy plus faith equals success. 

 

What will be the next random post photo on this post.. well here it is:



I would like to sell or trade the following books if anyone is interested.

I have books for Pre-K through second grade and I am looking for books up to fifth grade.

Contact me via ashleywilsonjackson@gmail.com if you are interested. 

 

 

Next random photo... we "skipped" our homeschooling lesson for the day when we heard that the Titans were in town.. just one of many pros to homeschooling I suppose!

 

And next on my random list are these books that I would like to giveaway to one lucky winner.  If you are interested in winning this prize pack, please email me, FB, or tweet me before July 5th.  I will choose a winner on July 6th.  Some of the items in the giveaway are Quick Math Quiz drills for third and fourth grade, a teachers notepad that sticks of your fridge, a large Science Is Fun book for ages 7-12, a Math Unit book for ages 6-8, a Reading Connection book for 3rd grade, the new children's book by Tiki Barber, and this ugly hotel bedspread! Okay, just kidding on the bedspread..

 

If you are still reading this long, crazy blog post then THANK YOU.  Now it's time to talk about something very near and dear to my heart (and a lot more serious than above.)  This little girl below is my precious angel of a God-Daughter named Karissa.  She has brought such joy to my life as well as my husband's.  I have been around her since she was born and I love watching her learn and grow - but as we watched her, we realized that she was not progressing like most little girls here age.

 

Her mother, my dear friend Tiffany, took her to a specialist who sent her for futher testing and diagnosed her with Lissencephaly AKA Smooth Brain.  It has a horrible prognosis and very large death rate with the average age of death being 3 years old and the longest anyone has ever lived with it being 22 years old.  Obviously, this is a devastating blow to all of those who love her.  We would really appreciate prayers and support as we walk this journey with her mom and the rest of her family.  I just know that if anyone can kick butt it's Karissa and I have faith that God's mighty healing hand will help this little girl have a happy and healthy life. 



So, as my random but wonderful blog post comes to an end, I want to leave all of you with this.  Please never change who you are and let people love you exactly where you are at in your life.  We can never be perfect, there is no such thing as perfect people... but good news! There is a perfect God, he loves you, and he sent his son to die so that you would have everlasting life.  My challenge for you this week is to stay positive, read your bible, pray, and just smile a whole lot.  I love each and every one of you and I would love to pray for you too! Leave a prayer request in the comments and I will lift you up in prayer this week. 

 



 

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present or things yet to come. nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the Love of Christ! - Romans 8:38

A New Direction For My Blog...

 

 

Over six years ago, I ventured into the wide world of blogging.  The day I started it was snowing and I had been stuck in the house for eight days straight - with a screaming baby, two kids I was babysitting, and a 4 year old with the attitude of a 20 year old.  I sat down and the words just flowed.. and flowed.. and flowed.  As I wrote, I had people come to me and tell me how their words lifted them up or helped them through a time in need.  To say that I have wrote everything from tragedy to triumph would be an understatement.  I had to write about my daughter's death, the disconnect between my family including my in laws as well, and even the rumors that can hurt when you live in small town America.  I had to tell my readers about the death of my Nana, then of my grandmother, and then for DJ's Granny.  But, along the way I felt that I was touching others.

 

It wasn't until I met a lifelong friend Courtney, all over a blog post, that made me realize just what the blogging world has done for other people - and what it does for your soul to write it all down.  I wanted to start this new blog with the new chapter in my life of homeschooling, so I shut my other one down and put my personal writing aside.  Since then, almost daily, I am asked why I no longer blog about personal stuff and only share my homeschool life now.  The answer is that I felt I was violating other people's rights and feelings or invading their privacy by sharing my stories.  Some of the things I said really hurt the people that I wrote about - but unfortunately, it was my story, the truth, and couldn't be edited to fit in the box certain people liked to keep themselves in. 

 

Today, however, I picked up my journal and began to write and somewhere along the way God put it on my heart to share my stories again - the good, the bad, and yes, the ugly but truthful.  Ashley's Little Classroom won't just be about my homeschool life anymore, but also about my real life.  The real, very unperfect life, that will be featured in the book I plan to release in 2015 titled "Picture Un-Perfect: From Tragedy To Triumph."  This book will include a lot of my blog posts that are featured on my old blog beautifullifeofashley.blogspot.com.  You are more than welcome to go to that link and read the words for yourself.  They are very deep and very personal, but have helped many people sort through their own emotions and for that, I am very grateful.  God does a beautiful thing when he gives us a gift and I truly believe that it's a slap in the face to him if we do not use that gift for his glory so I will not let my gift go to waste anymore. 

 

I'm looking forward to this journey and to writing again.. and to meeting and sharing with a lot of you what life is really like behind my closed doors.  Hope you will be there to read along the way...

 

See Ya Soon.