Hello!
I'm Barb Shelton and I'm so glad you're here! I'm 70 years old (young!), but I'm anything but "out to pasture"! Not me! I'm too busy enjoying the "summer" of my life, which I hope to stay in till I graduate to Heaven! I am enjoying much sweet-as-honey fruit, and am using up ~ to the last drop ~ the gifts God gave me! Here's more about me than I'm sure you need to know, but that I think will at least amuse you...
my hobbies
I love creating ~ beautiful things, specifically cards, ceramics, fused glass, mini-scrapbooks. Plus hostessing and making people feel valued and special.
my specialties
Redeeming things! Plus I enjoy making fun, unusual and creative gifts, especially in jars; organizing and bringing order to anything lacking in that quality; and editing is something I do without trying ~ as in for fun!!!
my
marriage
I've been married for 41 years to Dave Shelton, and am hoping for as many more as God will give us. Dave is truly my best friend and is "the wind beneath my wings"! He encourages me in my dreams, gives consolation when I'm discouraged, and advice when I'm stuck! And he makes lots of yummy dinners!!! More on him...
my (wonderful) hubby
Dave is an always-productive guy who also knows how to relax and have fun! He's known for his witty and delightful sense of humor. And this man has SKILLS!! He builds stuff, fixes stuff, hunts, cooks, and smokes stuff, including the fish he catches! AND he is NICE!!! And HANDSOME!!!
the hard season
Our marriage hasn't always been good. Our first 17 years had many "rocks" in our Garden of Not-So-Paradise, leading to a 6-month separation. (I'll be sharing parts of our story here in the Hive.) Bottom line: There is hope with God! Nothing is too hard for Him! (Seriously!)
our family
I am "Mom" to 6 awesome grown kids (3 by birth; 3 by marriage), and "Gramma" to 4 amazing boys. Our widely-varied skills include: pastor; police officer, carpenter, choreographer; dance studio owner, dance teacher, a sewist, computer gurus, musicians, song writers, worship leaders, authors, and speakers. ... Our kids are obviously quite different from each other, so grace, appreciating our differences, and investing in our relationships are priorities. And quite worth it!
We homeschooled from start to finish for 24 years. I dubbed it the "real-life approach" because we utilized anything and everything God brought into our lives. The only reason we made it to the Finish Line, (graduation) was my willingness to be Holy Spirit-taught, as *I* had much more to learn than my kids did! (Flexibility was also huge.) But worry not; the kids learned plenty too!
our
homeschool years
(24 of 'em, start to finish!)
(One of the rare pictures with me in it as
I was always the one behind the camera!)
I was an inadvertent ~ reluctant, actually ~ homeschool pioneer, as expressed in the 8 books I wrote and the many workshops I created on a variety of real-life topics and shared at homeschool conventions around the country.
my speaking &
writing
God has blessed
me beyond anything
I ever hoped for or
deserved,
(the nature and wonder
of GRACE, eh?)
and He has redeemed
much in my life!!!
It's a joy and a delight
to share my legacy
of blessings
here in this blog!
Let's stay in touch!
