Month: September 2022

“I Broke My Leg” – and other shenanigains

“I Broke My Leg” – and other shenanigains

September 30, 2022 (timewarp from August 30, 2022)

To say that our home is never dull is a severe understatement; something funny, outrageous, interesting, or unbelievable is happening all day every day and if it appears to be calm, someone will make something happen!

At our gym over the last week, one of the coaches injured her leg. Theadora saw her with her leg all wrapped and she was hobbling. Thea wasn’t wanting to help clean up the next day and threw herself dramatically on the couch with paper wrapped around her leg fastened with a hairtie and wailed, “I broke my leg like Coach Courtney!” (Coach Coutney’s leg wasn’t broken. Looking at Thea’s tongue, you’d think she’s playing dead.)

Then there’s the day we were racing around trying to get ready and Lucas was super happy about a hand-me-down shirt from the girls’ most recent purge. “Look, mom!” He proudly puffs out his chest, “I have a gymnastics meet shirt with a boy on it!” Jillian couldn’t donate that one! Lucas wore it to his Thursday night classes.

Then there are crazy hair days seconds before we leave for church (fortunately, Dad talked him out of wearing this creation to kid’s church). He made “hair” in kid’s church the week before and had saved it. (The beads are threaded on pipe cleaners – I believe they were studying Samson, maybe?)

Then there are those who randomly leave selfies on my phone for everyone’s future entertainment… (yes, they were warned – if it’s on my phone, I can use it!)

Kimberly and Thea
Jaquline
Jaquline

Honestly, the one of Thea and Kimberly I love! – It’s from March when they wandered around and Kimberly took lots of pictures.

In our house, we never do dull. There is always something – or someone – a bit crazy, wild, and fun where our hearts live.

Hope this post made you smile!

Type at you later!

~Nancy Tart

Thankfulness 2022

This year it may be a little premature, but I’m super excited about the amazing things. #Thankful #Gratitude #PensacolaChristianCollege #EmbryRiddleAeronauticalUniversity #LifeJourney #Children #GoodNewsChurch #WGVGymnastics #Education #Thankfulness

Thankfulness 2022

September 27, 2022

Each year I try to reflect on what God has done in our lives this past year. 

This year it may be a little premature, but I’m super excited about the amazing things.  I love to brag on what God has done!

I’ve been working for WGV Gymnastics (dream job I wanted my whole life but didn’t know it).  Louis is coming up on two years of working for Heritage Funeral Home.  I am super thankful for our Christian work environments and Christian bosses. 

Christina is happily pursuing her dream with passion, determination, and enthusiasm.  She is still at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University full time, working at WGV Gymnastics part-time, and babysitting, dogsitting, and housesitting on the side.  She is an amazing big sister!  Her little gymnasts love her!  She serves in the nursery at Good News Church at least three times a month and loves “her babies” – yes, they become hers for an hour or so.  I am so thankful for Christina!

Becky has thrown some shocking curveballs at us and is away at Pensacola Christian College.  Same state, yes, but an hour earlier in time than we are.  (Different time zone, as she’s under Alabama on the panhandle – Lucas and Thea point out on the big map on the wall at church every morning when we get their lemon tea “there’s Becky!”) I am so proud of her!  She’s exploring and learning and growing – such an amazing young lady I am so blessed to be her mom!  Thank you, Jesus, for Becky!

Kimberly can legally drive… (REALLY???  I can’t believe she’s 15!)  She’s learning so much in schoolwork academically, in gymnastics physically, and in life with maturity as she grows and takes on so much responsibility!  Kimberly’s plans are impressive.  Her determination is a trait so many people comment on to me – as a youngling, it was labeled stubbornness, but now that she knows how to focus, it’s determination.  Kimberly is a competitive gymnast at WGV Gymnastics, a gymnastics coach part-time at WGV Gymnastics, serves in kid’s ministry at Good News Church at least twice a month, and dogsits occasionally.  (She is working toward her claimed goals of saving for a computer for college this spring and a car next fall.)  I am so thankful for Kimberly!

Jaquline is Christina’s twin.  Sometimes Christina’s gymnasts see Jaquline and give her hugs saying “hi! Coach!” which makes Jaquline smile proudly and Christina jealous.  “You’re stealing my hugs!” Christina has been known to say later.  Jaquline has grown in her relationship with Jesus so much in the last year.  She serves in the church nursery at least twice a month.  She occasionally volunteers at WGV – or works cleaning to “get Christina out faster.”  Jaquline continues to work toward her goal of team gymnast someday – she loves Beam and said she wished there was a Beam only competition.  Thank you, Jesus, for Jaquline!

Jillian is facing the challenges that come with entering double digits.  The want of being treated as an adult yet the want of continuing childish foolishness.  She’s maneuvering that with the cornerstone of knowing that Jesus can lead her through anything.  She loves her kid’s ministry leaders at Good News Church.  She loves her coaches at WGV Gymnastics (she’s a competitive gymnast).  She loves her friends and I see her making some lifelong friendships, if she can hold them.  She is leaping forward in academics!  I am so thankful for Jillian!

Lucas is an unstoppable force of limitless energy!  He is always running a one-man football game where he is the quarterback, receiver, kicker, lineman, and fullback all at the same time.  When he catches his own forward pass, I’ll have seen everything.  He begs me for a brother almost every day.  He is super thankful for his “gym brothers” and his “best friends.”  I am super thankful for these young boys and young men God has set around Lucas to help him enjoy being a little boy and slowly teach him how to be a young man.  Lucas gives 110% to everything he touches.  His passion and enthusiasm will help fuel his discovery stages as he grows.  He loves gymnastics.  He loves being strong.  He loves mud and football and big trucks and being like dad.  Thank you, Jesus, for Lucas!

Theadora is no longer the baby.  She is a “big girl” or a “young lady” all the time.  Though she loves snuggling (I’m so glad she hasn’t grown out of that yet), she is quick to say “I’ll do it myself!” and proceed to do just that.  Theadora has a bold confidence that comes from running the gym at the age of two.  She doesn’t care to keep up pretences, what you see is what you get – at times like that I think of her as “Becky junior.”  This confidence and determination will carry her far.  She “signs her name” as TTT and says, “see, I’m triple T,” they are left all over Coach Heather’s desk as “swips” for Coach Heather along with who-knows-what-it-should be doodles.  I am so thankful for Theadora!

I love the stage God has us in!  I’m so thankful to be here and alive and enjoying every minute of our time together and apart.  I love our family.  I’m so grateful to see our younglings grow and become young women (and eventually, a young man)!  Thank you, Jesus, for the honor of giving life and raising children!  I’m so overwhelmed with gratitude to you, Jesus, for my totally amazing family!

Thank you for reading.

Type at you next time,

~Nancy Tart

“Plans” Turn Into Stages

#LearningToMother #GoodNewsChurch #MakeResilientDisciples #ChooseGratitude #Ephesians6 #Thankful #Gratitude #HomeschoolFamily #EnjoyEachStage #WorkInProgress #Journey #LifeIsAJourney #WGVGymnastics #Dreams #Plans

“Plans” Turn Into Stages

September 24, 2022

Once upon a time, a girl sat curled up in her father’s big gray armchair in his study in her favorite house.  She was reading her favorite of the six or seven of Dr. James Dobson’s parenting books her father had on the shelf underneath all the amazing Lawhead and Brooks books with enticing names like “In the Hall of the Dragon King” and “Taliesin.” 

“Children at Risk” was her favorite because it focused on the parent improving their lives through Jesus’ help in order to pass their faith on to their children.  It was her favorite because for three years, she had been rereading it to help her understand how to pray for and lead her siblings.  One song when she was ten and her father’s comment of, “God made you their big sister just like I’m your father,” led her on this journey. 

Her dream was to be an author whose stories made people reach for Jesus.  Her purpose has been to pour into children. 

From as early as she could volunteer, she chose to be a volunteer Sunday School or VBS teacher.  She loved teaching and started with tutoring her siblings, friends, and eventually other children.  She tried to end up being a school teacher; life led her a different way.  Every twist led to the next turn.  It was the journey…

It’s true; no one ever returns from a journey. They continue into a new part of the journey. Trips you return from. Life isn’t a trip; it is a journey of mind, heart, soul, and spirit.

This stage of her journey is year twenty of being a wife, year nineteen or being a mother, year fourteen of being a homeschooling family, year four as a gymnastics coach – currently preschool, and year two of kids’ ministry small group leader. 

In each stage and with each passing year, she chooses to be thankful. 

Of course, “she” is me. 

I’ve learned to enjoy each stage as it happens.  This isn’t just with my children as they grow but with my “stages” as well.  I am allowing Jesus to continually work on me; I’m a constant work in progress.  My Daddy used to say if he ever stopped learning, his brain would go stagnant and he’d laugh.  I love that thought.  We are forever a work in progress!

Thank you for reading,

Type at you later!

~Nancy Tart

A Writer’s Character Secret

Writing is an outlet for emotional and logical discussions for me.  When no one wants to talk about what I want to work out in my mind, I write.  I write for relaxation. 

A Writer’s Character Secret

September 21, 2022

Writing is an outlet for emotional and logical discussions for me.  When no one wants to talk about what I want to work out in my mind, I write.  I write for relaxation.  It feels fun, challenging, and often makes me happy to be in my ”book worlds” I have made up. 

For me, my “book worlds” allow me to explore things I can’t in this life.  It’s like dreaming with my eyes open.  I switch from book in progress to book in progress – I am currently working on about 18 titles actively.  My mood in real life decides whom I want to step into in my brain.  I know where each of my characters are in the stories – I know where I left them.  Thus, I reread the last few paragraphs and dive in with whatever comes next. 

Like my teenage self – lots of writing done then.  I started when my father noticed I was “wasting” my school notebooks for stories, and he suggested I type them.  I had a shoebox filled with 3.5”disks containing three or four stories each! 

Imagine:

Her frustrations, emotions, dreams, adventurous spirit, and everything hidden deep within her as she worked her way through these books were laid out in her own stories tapped at a furiously increasing pace in MS Works on her father’s computer saved on a 3.5” disk.  Her first completed story was her take on a true abortion survivor story.  She became her characters.  Her characters acted out and solved the problems she was facing.  She talked and acted her characters and plotlines out while raking, mowing, or gardening in various locations.  She was Erakk.  Fighting to keep his character sound when faced with odd decisions he’d rather avoid.  She was Jordan.  Her desperate heart cry to be understood and learn how to teach bloomed from his soul in what was to become “Web of Deception.”  She was Kelly.  She was the girl struggling to lead and keep everyone together as their tiny band of outcast survivors developed a whole new world of peace and love.  She became Kelly.  The woman who mothers with an understanding she has gained from life and full dependence on Jesus.  She was Kalina.  She boiled with anger and frustration at not being allowed to do the things she desired with every fiber of her being and ended up learning that what she really wanted was only a small step in a journey back to what her elders had advised her to reach for in the first place.  She was Ethan.  An outcast in his own mind searching quietly for a sense of belonging he thinks he can make on his own despite the true reality that those close to him care deeply for him.  She was Jamie.  Facing challenges that feel too far above his age and making choices that defy the expectations of those above him; always choosing the answer of integrity and honor.  She became Philip.  Overcoming challenges in life that happened beyond his control yet bringing everyone along and pushing his family through to success in the end.  She was Jo.  Fiercely defending her sister from evils that trick the heart and destroy those close to her – blinding everyone except her.  She was Jason.  Defending his family from evils that weaseled their way into his family from years of incorrect choices by three generations behind him that build to forcing his father into being possessed into something he isn’t – now he has to choose to believe that the threads he holds onto are his father’s true self and force the evil away. 

The stories continue.  Some are finished.  Some may never be…

A writer puts himself into the shoes of his characters and wriggles his toes around.  We walk lifetimes in their shoes.  We put ourselves in each character we create. 

I always have a character in a book or series that I consider my shadow; sometimes it is the protagonist like Jordan in Web of Deception.  Sometimes it is a supporting character like Philip Duggar in Brantley Station Saga or Kelly in The Devonians. 

Oftentimes there are bits of me in each character.  Strange thoughts…

I know, crazy writer’s brain, but that’s what I feel.  That’s what it’s like to write for me. 

If you stuck through this one, thank you ever so much for reading!

Type at you later,

~Nancy Tart

Lucas, the Junior Cadet Member!

#LucasInUniform #SCV #SonsOfConfederateVeterans #HeWantsToBeJustLikeDad #PaperLikeDad #FamilyHistory #AncestryJourney #YesMyDaddysAncestorsWere Quakers #LouisFamilyHasBeenInFloridaForCenturies #Discovery #LearningFamilyHistory #FatherSonActivites #WatchingLucasWantToBeAMan

Lucas, the Junior Cadet Member!

September 3, 2022 (Timewarp story from August 15, 2022)

Lucas was bouncing all over the house.  “Mom! I repeated my oath!”  “Mom!  I went with Daddy to his meeting!” “Mom!  I am part of Daddy’s meeting people now!”  “I’m a cadet, look at my uniform!”  “I get to go to the boom place with real cannons that blow up!” 

And that was in the first three seconds after the door opened! 

Anyone who knows Lucas knows that since he could talk he was excited about stuff.  Anything he’s excited about, everyone else will know about within seconds.  From “BIG TRUCKS” to dressing up in Daddy’s shoes to baby-surfing and everything in between; Lucas does everything with a full engagement and excitement that makes me smile. 

Lucas became a cadet member of the SCV (Sons of Confederate Veterans) – Louis went on this discovery of our ancestors after getting Ancestry.com a couple years back and traced my father’s family back to Quakers in England who settled in Pennsylvania and refused on religious grounds to fight in any conflict until my Grandfather Pearson served the military as a baker and my Daddy joined the Air Force in the Vietnam War.  Louis’ family, on the other hand, goes back to serious stakeholders in Florida culture and to Pvt. Gadiart W. Tart of Company D, 25th Division in the Florida military when it was under confederate leadership.

Lucas is super excited!  Part of his “meetings with Dad” have been visiting battle sites, learning history, watching reenactments, and soon, (which Lucas is SUPER excited about) taking part in a reenactment – Lucas doesn’t know when, but “soon!” as he tells me.  His idea of “taking part” is probably about the same as he and Landon “took part” in the last gymnastics meet they were both at: having a friendly hour-long wrestling match while their sister and cousins, respectively, competed.  He does have a snappy uniform!

I’m looking forward to hearing all of the history he learns (even the girls remember the story of “the Flags of Florida” live presentation they saw at a family meeting where two ladies did a skit of two women following Florida’s return to the Union and they discussed each different flag that had flown over their land).  I’m looking forward to the father-son excursions they will go on. 

Meanwhile, he keeps coming in to our room to point out his paper that shows he’s a cadet member.  (This sits right over Louis’ paper) So the usual comment is “see, I’m just like Dad!” and that, is what really makes me smile!

Thank you for reading.

Type at you later,

~Nancy Tart

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