Nov. 6, 2009 - The Rotten, Stinky Things of Life
Now that Halloween is past I see all of the 'pumpkin shells' or poor deceased jack-o-lantern fella's all about. Some don't even make it to the pumpkin gathering place a.k.a. the compost heap. Some just get thrown about by punk kids with nothing better to do. Then, after being thrown about they get mushed into the pavement by cars. Our pumpkins were put out to the curb this morning. The kids mentioned that it is a shame to have to get rid of them. I pointed out that they were stinky and mouldy inside anyways, so why keep them? Originally they looked beautiful, round and orange. Then we sliced them all apart and pulled out all of their guts. Isn't it interesting how wonderful clean pumpkins look on the outside? I must say that pumpkins are one of my favourite things in all of God's creation. They are just so cheery and seem to represent my favourite season 'in a pumpkin shell' instead of 'in a nutshell :)' Isn't that how we as people are on the outside? We do have our off days but in general we try to do ourselves up nice and hope that others will think we are pretty great. But God saw into MY grimy, slimy heart and He had to cut deep and pull out all of the filth inside. He has cut, poked, and prodded more since then. Instead of leaving me as an empty shell to rot once more He has nurtured and grown me to the place where I could be 'almost usuable!' I am so thankful that instead of going in a 'heap of rubble' which is all I was fit for that God had mercy on me. So now I don't have to just be a 'happy, cheerful looking pumpkin' but one that actually can be used for greater things before going on one day to 'the Great Pumpkin Patch' as Linus would say!
Oct. 31, 2009 - Halloween, fall, and other......
Happy Fall!
(I know, a bit late for fall!)
Here our some fall poem's....
The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.
by Emily Dickinso
Another......
In autumn when the trees are brown
The little leaves come tumbling down
They do not make the slightest sound
But lie so quietly on the ground
Until the wind comes puffing by
And blows them off towards the sky.
(I am not sure who this is by....)
And here are some Fall/Halloween pictures......
Well, Happy Halloween and Fall!!
Bye!
Swimmerbug a.k.a Laurel
Oct. 27, 2009 - The Pile is Migrating
Everyone has a 'pile' in their house of something or other. For example, paperwork and laundry. If you don't have a pile in your house then I will be forced to put your name on an honourary list called the 'Get Real Club.' Now, back to what I was saying..........
The place where everything seems to get shoved in our house is the bedroom. No, not the kids bedrooms but mine and my husband's. If there is a load of laundry that I wasn't able to get to, shove it in the room. Seasonal kid clothes from the attic not quite sorted, shove it in the room. Things that you can't quite say are dirty enough to waste precious water and soap on, drape it over something in the room. You get the idea. Finally, it becomes an insurmountable pile which blocks the end of the bed. This would be fine if you were an acrobat with a flying trapeze but I can tell you that my husband is NOT an acrobat and he sleeps on the far side of the bed. I will say that he rarely complains about the piles and is very sweet. He does however groan when trying to skirt around the pile and often resorts to crawling across the bed. I am pleased to say that I recently cleaned up this large pile! I didn't get to it right away but it is now FAIT ACCOMPLI! thank-you, thank-you, please hold your applause. It is glorious having that dealt with. Does this mean I have no other piles in my home now? Alas, no. You have only to go down to our workroom (we have no garage) to see another huge pile of stuff. This is a pile which might never be cured! It's kind of like arthritis. Once you get it you never know when it will flare up again, but it's always just lurking............
Oct. 21, 2009 - A Heart of Submission
Our ladie's group recently started a study on Esther. My historical knowledge of this book has been limited and I only knew the outer sketch of this story. I DID remember the part where King Ahasuerus sent for Queen Vashti because he wanted to display her beauty. I think I tucked it in my memory along with a thought like "he had some nerve." I learned lots of interesting tidbits from the first video by Jill Rhodes and ' Women Alive.' For instance...... Queen Vashti is historically known as not being a nice lady. The king took a liking to his niece apparently and the queen wasn't happy about this. She was responsible for the death of both the niece and the mother. Not a cheerful story. In Esther Chapter One it is mentioned that the King was having his 'party' outside and the queen was having her party in the palace. Traditionally the men and women would be united together, not separate. The palace was the seat of authority so the queen was basically taking authority over the king and she also was thumbing her nose at him. He had his party for a very long time and had shown off all of his riches etc. but decided to save the best for last. Perhaps it seems chauvinistic that he told his wife to come in order to display herself. It can be thought of differently though, he was saving the best for last. She was the richest treasure (or her beauty was, maybe not her personality). This is an example of NOT submitting. She was a very influential figure in the kingdom and the women who were at the party and living in the kingdom would follow her lead. Is it any wonder she was banned from the king's presence? I usually think of submission as 'to willingly follow out of love.' This is what I learned from a word study on submission in bible college. It isn't always easy to submit though, is it? Submittting to parents, submitting to authorities, submitting to husbands. But there is One who submitted to the point of death. I somehow fail to recognize that. Not only did Jesus make the ultimate sacrifice he also submitted saying, "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done." (Luke 22:42) There is no greater example of submission in the entire history of mankind. If Jesus can submit........shouldn't the answer be obvious that we can too. All by his strength.
Oct. 13, 2009 - Thankful for Thanksgiving
My husband had four days off for the holiday week-end. Hard life eh? His school likes to always add an extra day to each vacation (or an extra week for March!). Who would argue. With four days it seemed about right..... time for family, errands, cooking, exercise. I think we fit in all of the elements except for maybe..... hmmm, cleaning? Oh well. I'll catch up this week. (maybe) I am very thankful for a loving and little church, a sweet husband,good female friends, four lovely children, the ability to run, good books, great food, fun and a loving God! It was so nice to sit around and visit with family. My son was asked what he is thankful for and he said 'God.' His extended family said "oh that's a Sunday School answer." Way to shoot a kid down huh? What better answer is there? He provides all of our needs and gives us every breath for every second of everyday. Thanks be to Him!!!!!
Sep. 28, 2009 - Auditions (and other stuff)
Hey!! Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile!! (The poll doesn't count!) This weekend we were at my Aunt and Uncle's house.
Anyway, tomorrow I have auditions for a Christmas play!! I'm am so nervous!!
It's for a play about the man who wrote O little town of Bethlehem. We also have to sing O little town of Bethlehem!! Wish me luck!! 
Well, I was going to make a birthday post the day after my b-day and show pic's of what I got, but I never got around to it so I guess I'll just tell you now!!
1. Two t-shirts from rue 21 (Family)
2. A scrapbooking kit (Family)
3. 30 dollars (Family)
4. Earrings and a weird Candles ( Weird Brother)
5. Hannah Montana the movie (Other brother)
6. A pink chair (Friend)
7. A towel with my name on it and a pen (Friend, Dancerbug!)
8. A purse and braclett from Africa and chocolate (Friend)
9. A giftcard to target (Friend)
10. A giftcard to bath and bodyworks (Friend)
11. A giftCard to wal-mart (Friends)
12. Earrings, a braclett and a giftcard to target (Grandma)
13. Stacinary with my name on it
and.............
A purple ipod nano!!! (Family!!)
That's everything!!
I really don't have anything else to blog about!! Hmmm....... GIVE ME SOME IDEAS!! PLEASE!! Lol!
Well...Bye!!
Laurel a.k.a Swimmerbug
Sep. 28, 2009 - Time Marches On
My husband recently celebrated his 34th birthday. Every year he asks me how old he will be and inevitably guesses about one year younger. He is always encouraged when he thinks of me being almost three years older. He likes to remind me that I will be fourty first and has been known to say. " I can't believe that I have a wife who is "36" years old. Of course the number goes up one each year. I am quick to remind him that I might be older but I'm trim enough and not hard to look at (unless I have an angry face on maybe :) This year I told him he was turning 35. He paused slightly and was on to my game. I figure if you don't keep track of your own age then that leaves it as open season to be teased!
Another 'milestone' occurred at about the same time. My three youngest were at a grandparents house so we allowed our eleven year old son to stay home for the first time by himself. My husband and I went out on a date. I'm sure it was only yesterday that he was born fast and furious! Ah me, but good times were had by all!
Sep. 19, 2009 - A poll I made!!
I put it on my side bar too!!
Sep. 17, 2009 - On the Mountaintop
I don't think I ever wrote this blog about one of my favourite bible stories. It is found in 1 Kings and is written on my header. Elijah goes running off to the desert in fear of Jezebel. The Lord sustains him for fourty days and nights as he goes to Mount Horeb. When he is on the mountaintop God reveals himself to Elijah. The Lord says to Elijah "Go forth, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." A wind, earthquake and fire are all manifested but it says that 'the Lord was not in them.' Lastly the sound of a gentle blowing came and when Elijah heard it he wrapped his face and went out to entrance of the cave he was in. The Lord asked him why he was there and finally tells Elijah to 'go return.' I find this to be an amazing story. Elijah is such a cool guy to start with and then you add in a mountaintop experience. Just imagine how wonderful and terrifying it would be to witness and experience all of this. Elijah runs away to isolation and nature and while there he encounters the Lord of everything. He is asked 'why are you here?' Indeed, why am I half of the places that I go to? In my thoughts, in my viewing, in my reading, in my speaking. God is there. If I just sit down for some reflection I can hear his gentle whisper and feel him prodding me, breaking me, shaping me. I do live on the 'mountaintop' here in Hamilton but I can tell you that alot of the time I am 'slugging it out' in the valley. Sometimes I go there when I'm not supposed to and sometimes the Lord brings me there. The times on the mountain are glorious and refreshing but I can't stay. I have to 'go return' just as God told Elijah to. If I could only remember that He is always there waiting to be called upon. He is ready to offer me strength, courage, and nourishment for everyday. What a shepherd, what a friend, what a Saviour!
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