First a howling blizzard woke us
Then the rain came down to soak us,
And now before the eye can focus-
Crocus.
Lilja Rogers
March 13, 2009
March 9, 2009
The Nature of the Beast
A few months ago my oldest son described my spiritual state of being in not-so-glowing terms. I know he didn't mean it the way it sounded, but being the female that I am, it was only natural that I twist his words into something he didn't quite mean and turn them into something that has bothered me ever since. (Which, by the way, proves his point....)
Here's what he said, "Mom, you are like the ocean. At the bottom of the ocean all is calm, quiet, and steady. Unchanging. Dependable. But, when storms hit, the surface is choppy. Confused. Chaotic. It's easily moved. That's how you're relationship with the Lord is. Underneath it all you trust Him and I know nothing will pull you away from Him. You're solid deep down. But when you go through hard things your emotions take over and pull you and push you all over the place."
Well, I've chewed on that description ever since. I'd now like to say something on my behalf. I've been thinking about the ocean, and have come up with these observations:
-You can't bodily move the ocean. Any ocean. They stay put, right where God planted them, no matter how much they storm and rage and fret on the surface.
-You can't drain the ocean.
-The ocean is teaming with life. Some of the creatures are harmful, or scary. Some are lovely. Only about 3% of the ocean has been explored. That means there are probably all kinds of lovely and not-so-lovely things yet to be discovered.
-People respect the ocean, just the way it is. The depths as well as the tumultuous surface.
-God made the ocean to be that way on purpose.
-Most people love the ocean and some spend their whole lives either living on it, or wishing they could be near it. ( Don't go there. I know there's not a waiting list of people outside my door longing to be near me. My point is, most people are at least not repulsed by the ocean.)
-If the surface of the ocean were made of glass, solid and unmovable, it would shatter when the storms hit.
-Jesus walked on the water of a stormy sea and a bit later calmed the raging waters.
That last observation is the sweetest of them all. It's only when I let Jesus walk through the circumstances of my life and submit and trust Him that I become still. I often forget to do that when winds start to blow through my life. And sometimes, I must admit, I enjoy a good storm. I'm a stubborn, mule headed person who wants her way. Even if it's not the easy or best way. I often, and foolishly, don't give up the fight until I'm exhausted.
So, having said all that, let me ask you a question. What animal, vegetable, or mineral are you? If you were an object in nature, rather than a person, what would you be?
Here's what he said, "Mom, you are like the ocean. At the bottom of the ocean all is calm, quiet, and steady. Unchanging. Dependable. But, when storms hit, the surface is choppy. Confused. Chaotic. It's easily moved. That's how you're relationship with the Lord is. Underneath it all you trust Him and I know nothing will pull you away from Him. You're solid deep down. But when you go through hard things your emotions take over and pull you and push you all over the place."
Well, I've chewed on that description ever since. I'd now like to say something on my behalf. I've been thinking about the ocean, and have come up with these observations:
-You can't bodily move the ocean. Any ocean. They stay put, right where God planted them, no matter how much they storm and rage and fret on the surface.
-You can't drain the ocean.
-The ocean is teaming with life. Some of the creatures are harmful, or scary. Some are lovely. Only about 3% of the ocean has been explored. That means there are probably all kinds of lovely and not-so-lovely things yet to be discovered.
-People respect the ocean, just the way it is. The depths as well as the tumultuous surface.
-God made the ocean to be that way on purpose.
-Most people love the ocean and some spend their whole lives either living on it, or wishing they could be near it. ( Don't go there. I know there's not a waiting list of people outside my door longing to be near me. My point is, most people are at least not repulsed by the ocean.)
-If the surface of the ocean were made of glass, solid and unmovable, it would shatter when the storms hit.
-Jesus walked on the water of a stormy sea and a bit later calmed the raging waters.
That last observation is the sweetest of them all. It's only when I let Jesus walk through the circumstances of my life and submit and trust Him that I become still. I often forget to do that when winds start to blow through my life. And sometimes, I must admit, I enjoy a good storm. I'm a stubborn, mule headed person who wants her way. Even if it's not the easy or best way. I often, and foolishly, don't give up the fight until I'm exhausted.
So, having said all that, let me ask you a question. What animal, vegetable, or mineral are you? If you were an object in nature, rather than a person, what would you be?
March 6, 2009
Friday's Fave 5
It's Friday! I can't believe another week has gone by, nor can I believe we are well into March already!
This has been a good week overall and I'm thankful for so many things. I have no idea how I found this blog, but I'm so glad I did. I really need to focus on the many blessings in my life and Friday's Fave 5 is a fun way to do that. Five of my favorite things this week have been:
1. Coffee! But not really. I've managed to sneak out of the house 3 times this week for coffee with friends! It is so fun to be able to get together with friends and talk until we actually want to go home. It's not very often, especially in a family full of men/boys, that I have the chance to do that.
2. Apologia Science. I love their curriculum! My 7 year old son and I have been using their book Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day this year for science and have been having a blast with it! I'm learning as much as he is and have even started my own nature journal as a result.
3. Philippians 1:6 I've been feeling very discouraged lately with where I'm at spiritually and who I am. I've been praying that the Lord would "revive my heart" and my passion for Him. This morning I decided to read the book of Philippians. It is a book filled with reminders of what our thoughts should be on and where our focus should be. Philippians 1:6 encouraged me because it reminded me that my spiritual growth is not dependent on me or my efforts. Jesus is working in my life (and boy does He have His work cut out for Him) and won't ever quit. In case you're not familiar with what that verse says, here it is:
....being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
4. Good cook books. Yesterday I found a short clip on Youtube by a 93 year woman who had lived through the great depression. She had made a series of videos in which she shared her depression era recipes and how to prepare them. I watched a few and then thought, pffft! I've been cooking like that for years! I'm so thankful for the cookbooks I've collected over the years. I've learned how to feed our family without spending a fortune on groceries-healthy, tasty meals that are even cheerfully consumed by our 7 year old. I wouldn't be able to cook like that on my own. I have to "follow the recipes" or else.
5. Hungry deer. No, I'm not really glad the deer were hungry. I'm just glad they were hungry enough to find our yard and our bird feeders! The other day 6 deer meandered into our back yard and proceeded to consume all the birdseed they could sink their little teeth into. It was so fun to see them standing there in the softly falling snow....I wanted them to "freeze" so I could get out a pencil and sketch a picture. I had to satisfy myself with a photo.
Here's the link again if you'd like to participate in Friday's Fave 5.
February 25, 2009
Birds of a Feather
It's been a quiet week in our house... some reading, a little crafting, and a lot of learning! Our 7 year old son is still fascinated with birds. All day long, nearly everyday, he watches them, reads about them, feeds them, draws pictures of them and wants to listen to them. I was going to start a unit on the weather this week, but he asked me if we could continue our study on birds.
So, now we're making a bird lapbook. If you're not familiar with lapbooks, here are a few links that might help explain what they are and how to make one:
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/backyard_birds_lap_n_note.php
Youtube even has some videos with lapbook examples and how to make one. If you have a child that loves to craft or scrapbook, or loves hands-on learning, this would be the way to go!
The other morning my little ornithologist woke up and stumbled into the kitchen. He found me sitting there with my bible, a concordance, and a notebook. He recognized the bible, and the notebook, but had to ask me what a concordance is. I told him it's a book that lists words and then lists all the verses in the bible where that word appears. People use a concordance when they want to study a certain subject in the bible.
He went over to the bookshelf and found another concordance and then got his bible; he sat at the table with me and proceeded to look at a word in the concordance, then try and find all the bible verses listed for that word. He was fascinated with the whole thing and spent about 20 minutes looking at both books.This was wonderful for me-I was able to continue on with my study while he did his.
Well, this afternoon, after a full morning of school work, I went into the kitchen to load the dishwasher and bake some bread. I noticed Barrett (my 7 year old) sitting at the table, again with a concordance and his bible. This time he had a tiny notebook layed out next to the bible on the table and was writing furiously. Wanting to let sleeping dogs lie, I did not ask him what he was up to. I loaded the dishwasher, threw 2 loaves of bread in the oven, de-cluttered the counters and the table, and then went on to straighten the livingroom. He followed me, lugging all 3 books and his pencil to the couch where he continued his study.
Finally, after a long time of sweet silence, he chirped, "Mommy? What other birds are listed in the bible? I wrote the verses about sparrows in my notebook, but I want to write down the verses about other birds too."
I should've known his bible study would have something to do with birds! But as he sat there writing, reading, and thinking, I realized something. That boy is learning so very much right now!
-he's practicing his handwriting
-learning about alphabetizing words ( I had to help him with this a few times)
-learning where the books of the bible are and what their abbreviations are
-learning about birds and what the Lord has to say about them
-practicing spelling
-the Word is being absorbed
-he's taking his first tiny steps into studying the bible
I have a feeling it's going to be very hard to keep one step ahead of this boy.....
So, now we're making a bird lapbook. If you're not familiar with lapbooks, here are a few links that might help explain what they are and how to make one:
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/backyard_birds_lap_n_note.php
Youtube even has some videos with lapbook examples and how to make one. If you have a child that loves to craft or scrapbook, or loves hands-on learning, this would be the way to go!
The other morning my little ornithologist woke up and stumbled into the kitchen. He found me sitting there with my bible, a concordance, and a notebook. He recognized the bible, and the notebook, but had to ask me what a concordance is. I told him it's a book that lists words and then lists all the verses in the bible where that word appears. People use a concordance when they want to study a certain subject in the bible.
He went over to the bookshelf and found another concordance and then got his bible; he sat at the table with me and proceeded to look at a word in the concordance, then try and find all the bible verses listed for that word. He was fascinated with the whole thing and spent about 20 minutes looking at both books.This was wonderful for me-I was able to continue on with my study while he did his.
Well, this afternoon, after a full morning of school work, I went into the kitchen to load the dishwasher and bake some bread. I noticed Barrett (my 7 year old) sitting at the table, again with a concordance and his bible. This time he had a tiny notebook layed out next to the bible on the table and was writing furiously. Wanting to let sleeping dogs lie, I did not ask him what he was up to. I loaded the dishwasher, threw 2 loaves of bread in the oven, de-cluttered the counters and the table, and then went on to straighten the livingroom. He followed me, lugging all 3 books and his pencil to the couch where he continued his study.
Finally, after a long time of sweet silence, he chirped, "Mommy? What other birds are listed in the bible? I wrote the verses about sparrows in my notebook, but I want to write down the verses about other birds too."
I should've known his bible study would have something to do with birds! But as he sat there writing, reading, and thinking, I realized something. That boy is learning so very much right now!
-he's practicing his handwriting
-learning about alphabetizing words ( I had to help him with this a few times)
-learning where the books of the bible are and what their abbreviations are
-learning about birds and what the Lord has to say about them
-practicing spelling
-the Word is being absorbed
-he's taking his first tiny steps into studying the bible
I have a feeling it's going to be very hard to keep one step ahead of this boy.....
February 18, 2009
50 Ways to Love Your Lover
Not really, but that title did grab your attention, didn't it?
Actually this post is about just one way to love your lover. Or a friend. Or your kids. Or your parents. Or your nasty little brother....you get the point.
My husband and I have been married nearly 25 years. That's one quarter of a century! And after that many years of marriage it's become very easy for us to take each other for granted. Being married to my husband for that long is like having a very old, comfortable, cozy favorite pair of shoes. (No lovey, if you're reading this, you are not old. Our marriage just feels that comfortable. Honest.)
Anyway-I wanted to do something special for my husband for Valentine's Day, but I couldn't think of anything unique. It also had to be frugal. I could think of thousands of things that cost money, but I didn't want to spend any. Finally, last week I found this blog post and ran with it.
Just in case you don't pop over there, I'll tell you what I did. I cut out over 50 little hearts from scraps of construction paper and scrapbook paper I had laying around. Then on each one I wrote one thing I love or appreciate about my husband. I scattered them all over the house; my husband had to search high and low to find all of them, but he did.
Some of the things I listed were:
-you keep me in chocolate
-you pray with me in the middle of the night when I can't sleep
-you're willing to rearrange furniture again and again and again....
-you listen to me
-you want to grow in your friendship with the Lord
-you encourage my creative efforts
-you never complain about the strange things I cook
-you let me warm my icy feet on you
-you let me take up more than half the bed
-you forgive me when I hurt you
-you have never lost your temper with me
-you watch chick flicks with me, and seem to even enjoy them
You get the idea. I'm glad I took the time to do this. It meant so much to my husband, but it also blessed me. It helped me slow down and think about, and appreciate, what a wonderful, giving, loving, tenderhearted man I'm stuck with.
Like I said before, this would be something you could do, not only on Valentine's Day for your husband, but maybe as a gift for a friend on her birthday. Or your toady little brother's birthday. Or any old day you feel like blessing someone......
Actually this post is about just one way to love your lover. Or a friend. Or your kids. Or your parents. Or your nasty little brother....you get the point.
My husband and I have been married nearly 25 years. That's one quarter of a century! And after that many years of marriage it's become very easy for us to take each other for granted. Being married to my husband for that long is like having a very old, comfortable, cozy favorite pair of shoes. (No lovey, if you're reading this, you are not old. Our marriage just feels that comfortable. Honest.)
Anyway-I wanted to do something special for my husband for Valentine's Day, but I couldn't think of anything unique. It also had to be frugal. I could think of thousands of things that cost money, but I didn't want to spend any. Finally, last week I found this blog post and ran with it.
Just in case you don't pop over there, I'll tell you what I did. I cut out over 50 little hearts from scraps of construction paper and scrapbook paper I had laying around. Then on each one I wrote one thing I love or appreciate about my husband. I scattered them all over the house; my husband had to search high and low to find all of them, but he did.
Some of the things I listed were:
-you keep me in chocolate
-you pray with me in the middle of the night when I can't sleep
-you're willing to rearrange furniture again and again and again....
-you listen to me
-you want to grow in your friendship with the Lord
-you encourage my creative efforts
-you never complain about the strange things I cook
-you let me warm my icy feet on you
-you let me take up more than half the bed
-you forgive me when I hurt you
-you have never lost your temper with me
-you watch chick flicks with me, and seem to even enjoy them
You get the idea. I'm glad I took the time to do this. It meant so much to my husband, but it also blessed me. It helped me slow down and think about, and appreciate, what a wonderful, giving, loving, tenderhearted man I'm stuck with.
Like I said before, this would be something you could do, not only on Valentine's Day for your husband, but maybe as a gift for a friend on her birthday. Or your toady little brother's birthday. Or any old day you feel like blessing someone......
February 5, 2009
An Interview With Mom
I found this idea for a post over at:
http://bloggerfriendschool.com/
Our 16 year old son finished his "interview" first. The second set of answers came from our 7 year old.
I think I'm going to have to have a chat with him......
WHAT DOES MOM ALWAYS SAY TO YOU? You’re eating again?!
WHAT MAKES MOM HAPPY? When I give her a hug. Chocolate Doves.
WHAT MAKES MOM SAD? Grey skies, economy level. When she doesn’t hear from Ben and James for a long time. When we’re sick.
HOW DOES MOM MAKE YOU LAUGH? Dry, Rinella humor with a sarcastic twinge.
HOW OLD IS MOM? Barrett says older than dirt.
HOW TALL IS MOM? A little shorter than me. ;)
WHAT DOES MOM LIKE TO DO? Scrapbook, get outside, go hiking, read and cook.
WHAT IS MOM’S JOB? What doesn’t she do?
WHAT IS MOM’S FAVORITE FOOD? Pizza Hut pizza.
HOW DO YOU KNOW MOM LOVES YOU? Constant care. Hugs. She tells me to that she misses me and to crawl out of my hole. My “hole” as she so endearingly calls it, happens to be my bedroom. Plus, she tells me that she loves me often.
WHAT DOES MOM ALWAYS SAY TO YOU? I love you.
WHAT MAKES MOM HAPPY? Me cuddling.
WHAT MAKES MOM SAD? When Daddy doesn’t bring Chocolate home.
HOW DOES MOM MAKE YOU LAUGH? Tickling.
HOW OLD IS MOM? Older then dirt.
HOW TALL IS MOM? This big *
WHAT DOES MOM LIKE TO DO? Eat chocolate.
WHAT IS MOM’S JOB? She doesn’t have one.
WHAT IS MOM’S FAVORITE FOOD? Chocolate.
HOW DO YOU KNOW MOM LOVES YOU? Don't ask me.
Barrett. January 2009
http://bloggerfriendschool.com/
Our 16 year old son finished his "interview" first. The second set of answers came from our 7 year old.
I think I'm going to have to have a chat with him......
WHAT DOES MOM ALWAYS SAY TO YOU? You’re eating again?!
WHAT MAKES MOM HAPPY? When I give her a hug. Chocolate Doves.
WHAT MAKES MOM SAD? Grey skies, economy level. When she doesn’t hear from Ben and James for a long time. When we’re sick.
HOW DOES MOM MAKE YOU LAUGH? Dry, Rinella humor with a sarcastic twinge.
HOW OLD IS MOM? Barrett says older than dirt.
HOW TALL IS MOM? A little shorter than me. ;)
WHAT DOES MOM LIKE TO DO? Scrapbook, get outside, go hiking, read and cook.
WHAT IS MOM’S JOB? What doesn’t she do?
WHAT IS MOM’S FAVORITE FOOD? Pizza Hut pizza.
HOW DO YOU KNOW MOM LOVES YOU? Constant care. Hugs. She tells me to that she misses me and to crawl out of my hole. My “hole” as she so endearingly calls it, happens to be my bedroom. Plus, she tells me that she loves me often.
WHAT DOES MOM ALWAYS SAY TO YOU? I love you.
WHAT MAKES MOM HAPPY? Me cuddling.
WHAT MAKES MOM SAD? When Daddy doesn’t bring Chocolate home.
HOW DOES MOM MAKE YOU LAUGH? Tickling.
HOW OLD IS MOM? Older then dirt.
HOW TALL IS MOM? This big *
WHAT DOES MOM LIKE TO DO? Eat chocolate.
WHAT IS MOM’S JOB? She doesn’t have one.
WHAT IS MOM’S FAVORITE FOOD? Chocolate.
HOW DO YOU KNOW MOM LOVES YOU? Don't ask me.
Barrett. January 2009
January 23, 2009
Ten Months
Pastor John Piper has a son named Abraham. Abraham has a blog called: 22 words. Each post he writes is 22 words long. Being a female, I don't think I've ever been able to say anything with only 22 words.
The last ten months have been extremely hard for me. It's affected my relationship with Jesus, my schooling, my wifing, my mothering, my friendships, and even my blogging.
Just for fun I'm going to try and sum up the last ten months in, you guessed it, 22 words:
emptying nest:
missing
not needed
purposeless
counting down
stressed marriage:
1 Corinthians 13
mother-in-law passing:
heartache
America changing:
nervous, sad
God:
convicting, dissecting, challenging= 2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5
The last ten months have been extremely hard for me. It's affected my relationship with Jesus, my schooling, my wifing, my mothering, my friendships, and even my blogging.
Just for fun I'm going to try and sum up the last ten months in, you guessed it, 22 words:
emptying nest:
missing
not needed
purposeless
counting down
stressed marriage:
1 Corinthians 13
mother-in-law passing:
heartache
America changing:
nervous, sad
God:
convicting, dissecting, challenging= 2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5
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