Two Traveling Angels

My dear friend Terrie sent this to me today. I have received it many time before, but for some reason today it felt different. I wanted to share it with everyone.

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, 'Things aren't always what they seem.'

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked theolder angel how could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die. 'Things aren't always what they seem,' the older angel replied.
When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it.' Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed,the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem.

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You just might not know it until some time later...

Some people come into our lives quickly go. Some people become friends and stay awhile.. leaving beautiful footprints on our hearts..and we are never quite the same because we have made a good friend!!

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present!
I think this is special...live and savor every moment.. This is not a dress rehearsal!

Sarah's HomeSchool Update!

Hannah isn't the only one learning at home this year. Yes, Sarah has been eager to read on her own! We conquered vowels a few months ago, but that has not quenched her thirst to read at all. So, Mommy invested in Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read for Pre-K.

I used Hooked on Phonics with Hannah in Kindergarten and loved how the program encourages reading in a fun way. Sarah quickly picked up how to play the computer games. She was a little bothered initially because she has never used my lap top before and was not familiar with the mouse. Yet, she quickly picked that up too! :)

She tackled the letters A - D. Honestly, she breezed through the letters A - D. She was extremely proud of herself and didn't want to stop "playing." Learning can truly be fun, exciting, and rewarding. It has been rewarding to me to watch my girls learn!

So, she will play the A-D games again tomorrow. And if she does well, will be rewarded with her first sticker on her reading chart!

December HomeSchool Update

The Fall of 2008 has come and gone. We are four months into our HomeSchool adventure now. The girls continue to thrive and enjoy being home. We all have learned alot through this great experience. Most importantly, the girls have a desire to learn! The primary focus these past few months has been reading and math. With the new year approaching and cooler days, I think that we will be spending more time outside and incorporating more Science. There are so many resources here in North Florida. One is the St Marks Wildlife Refuge. It is a favorite of Leonard's. He tries to get out there every chance he gets. He loves bird watching and fishing. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to venture out with him in years! Well, I was blessed with another Friday night off this week. So, on Saturday morning we all drove down to St Marks for one of their Families in Nature educational programs. The focus this month was on the Whooping Cranes. The girls learned about their migration here in an attempt to save them. Leonard says that there are only 70 left in the wild. Hannah made a "pizza" with all the toppings that a Whooping Crane would enjoy. Leonard was able to pull out his new binoculars that he received for Christmas and the weather was awesome (mid 70s)! The volunteers at the Refuge are awesome. They shared alot of educational material with me. I also learned that they offer free environmental education programs for children! We have been inspired to venture out into nature with the new year. Stay tuned,

The Christmas of 2008

Hannah & Fall Dance

This week was Hannah's fall parent observation day at dance. This is her fourth season. She is taking Ballet II, Jazz II, and Hip-Hop. That's three hours every week and three different pairs of dance shoes to keep up with! She continues to look more and more like a dancer every season.

Unfortunately, she did not make the cast for Alice in Wonderland. However, she is not broken. "Mommy, not everyone can be in the show," she said. Her instructor and dance director did recommend that she audition for the company. Being a part of the company would allow her more practice and attention to grow. Also, she would have more opportunity to perform on stage.

She enjoys sharing what she learns with Sarah after class. Some days she's not so excited about going to class. So, I have to keep on her and remind her that you just can't just give up...you have to work hard...hard work pays off every time! To keep her motivated, I am planning on taking her & Sarah to Atlanta in February for Hannah's birthday. The Alvin Ailey Company will be performing at the Fox Theater. I pray that seeing others like her dancing well will inspire her.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

The TLH Huff's Christmas Tree 2008

Can't pull out the camera without an ANTM photo shoot




I was blessed with a Friday night off. :O) What's the big deal? I work weekend nights! What does that mean? It means that I work every single Friday, Saturday, & Sunday night from 7pm to 7am. I am only granted two (yes, 2) weekends off a year. Therefore, I have to be very careful how I choose which days to take off. So, I was extremely excited when my job called & asked if I wanted to stay home! Yippee! Not working on a Friday night meant I didn't have to sleep all day Saturday before going to work. Leonard & I could actually sleep in together on a Sat morning and spend the day with the girls before I went back to work Sat night. So, we took this opportunity to dig out the Christmas tree from the garage. We haven't bought a real tree since we brought home our first cat, Tinkerbell. She goes crazy for the Christmas tree. Last year she crawled up into it every night to sleep. Great pics! The girls were really excited about decorating it. This is the first year that Sarah is old enough to participate and not be constantly told "stop, don't pull on that, get that out your mouth!" Of course, Leonard was the sour sport that he is every year and did not help. Oh, well. He did run out and get new garland and watched the girls & I decorate. I let them decorate however they want as long as they are enjoying themselves. Christmas' lists are long this year! I don't see how my Momma did Christmas every year with four girls! Our two are going to drive us into bankruptcy! Just kidding! We love shopping for our girls and watching their faces light up on Christmas day. Needless to say, the theme for homeschool this month has been the birth of Christ and what it means for our eternal life. Thanks to a dear friend, Cory, we have TONS of arts & crafts materials to utilized. Stay tuned for more great pics!

Sarah helping Mommy decorate the tree

"Sarah, they all don't go on one branch!"

Ms Sarah Frances is 3 yrs old!

Today our baby girl turned three years old! Cannot believe it has been three years already. She was very excited about the day and had been counting down the days with Hannah. Last year she celebrated with friends at Baby Power. This year we settled on a good old fashion backyard home party! The weather was great for December...low 70s! It was windy and a little cloudy, but all the kids had a great time. Incorporated some of Sarah's favorite activities. She loves playing with the hula hoops, bubbles, and balls at her mommy-and-me class and having her face painted by Sparkles the clown on Tuesday nights. So, mommy and daddy made it happen! A bounce house with slide was the hit of the day. She was surrounded by good friends and family. And we all had a great time!