Dec. 18, 2007 - Christmas thoughts
I hate to admit it but Christmas can get away from me with all the busyness. (Fun things but often distracting.) I have been known to stay awake at night in my bed thinking of what I need to accomplish for this celebration - not exactly Christ focused like I would like to be. Don't get me wrong - I love Christmas and all the wonderful experiences associated with it. I just sometimes let my focus stray and stress build. I have had a couple of neat thoughts that God's given me this year to draw me back to Himself.
The first thought was shared with me by a dear friend of mine last month. She heard a speaker at church talking about how love is expressed by giving something. When we love someone, the ways we show them is by giving - hugs, words of encouragement, notes, gifts, etc. God knows this - He made us and remembers how we are made (Psalm 103:14). He loves us so much that He gave us something - John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Very appropriately I've felt the Holy Spirit reminding me of this truth this season.
Also, in mail I received from Insight for Living, he applied the story of Mary & Martha (Luke 10:38-42) to Christmas time. I'd never really thought about that application, although I know the story of Mary & Martha well. (Once, years ago, I was telling the story to the girls while driving in the car. As I was describing Martha, I heard a voice in the back pipe up "Mom, she sounds like you." 
Of course, I had to admit that I was just noticing the similarities myself. Praise God for His faithfulness & patience.) 
Anyway, the application of that story to the busyness of the Christmas season really hit home for me. I do find myself easily "distracted by all the preparations" & "worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed." Please Lord, help us to slow down and focus on worshipping you as the shepherds (and later the magi) did on that first Christmas. Thank you, Father, for Your amazing Gift - Jesus.
Wishing you a blessed Christmas and joy in the celebration.
In His love.
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Dec. 18, 2007 - Christmas poem
I wanted to share with you a poem written by my oldest. (If you visit her blog, you've already read it.) I meant to include it in our Christmas letter but forgot.
Christmas time comes once a year,
We hold this time very dear,
As we gather 'round our family tree'
And read the Bible "For unto thee..."
And though these things are fun to do,
I know the real meaning of Christmas, do you?
It's about a babe born in a barn,
In a manger soft and warm,
Laying on soft straw and hay,
This special babe born Christmas day.
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Dec. 16, 2007 - Week Recap
We had a great visit with our friends this week. We always enjoy our time - moms & kids get in great visits!
Friday we went caroling with our homeschool group to the nursing home where my grandma lives. It was great to visit with her and then to sing with our homeschool group and to literally see the residents and workers blessed. We also enjoyed the pizza lunch and time visiting afterward.
Saturday was lots of fun. Basketball practice was fun. My second daughter and I went shopping for a bit with my mom. Enjoyed the time together. My youngest had her Sunday school party yesterday - lots of fun. My middle two daughters had a choir practice. (Their choir will perform with the adult choir in the Cantata tonight.) The day wound up with a fun cookie exchange for the girls with some good friends of ours. They had a great time and my honey & I had some time to do some quick shopping.
By the way, here's our great cookie find of this season. (It's a recipe from our first family Christmas celebration earier this month.) Crush an entire package of oreo cookies. (I crush a few at a time in a blender and then pour the crumbs in a bowl.) Save a few of the crumbs for topping. Mix the rest with a block of cream cheese. (I used lowfat and it turned out great.) Once it's well combined, roll into balls and dip the ball into melted almond bark (chocolate candy coating). Sprinkle the extra crumbs on top of the freshly dipped balls. Then just let harden. (Putting them into the fridge or freezer makes this step really fast.) These are delicious and have been a hit with everyone who tastes them.
That about catches you up with us. This week we hope to get some routine in - at least in the mornings. (Read this to mean seat work - sorry girls.) 
The afternoons, Lord willing, will be full of all kinds of things, including a play date, church, dentist, and a party at my grandma's place. I bought a fabric nativity set for us to sew. I hope to get to work on that with the girls this week too. (I'm not much of a seamstress but, thanks to that, the girls will learn what not to do as we firgure it out together.)
Have a great week!
In His love.
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Dec. 12, 2007 - Catch Up
Last week flew by and I haven't posted yet. 
Sorry Gramps, know you've been checking on us.
Last week was a great week - we really enjoyed our friend's visit with us. Her parents arrived back home safely last weekend. They got to meet and get to know the three children they're adopting from Russia. We're so excited for them. (The children get to come home with them on their next trip.) Meanwhile, the girls loved the time they got to spend with their friend while she was staying with us.
Sometimes I really believe that God uses things we see going on around us to show us glimpses of Himself. I was thinking about our friends' adoption and was amazed to hear that, although they've been going through the process to bring these children home for a long time, the children themselves knew NOTHING about it until after the parents arrived in Russia. I'm quite sure that God is at work for our benefit in ways we'll never know (at least not this side of heaven) working hard to bless us and benefit us and we aren't even in the least aware. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness.
Last weekend three of the girls enjoyed their bastket ball practice & two got to attend a fun birthday party. Sunday night was their children's & puppet Christmas program at church. They were both great fun to watch. The kids did a great job singing and the puppets always make my day - they performed "Manger Zone" to the tune of "Danger Zone" & sang "Gloria" (remember the song from the 80's but in the puppets' version it wasn't the name of a girl but rather what the angels were saying when Christ was born).
This week has been fun but full of different types of things. So far there's been a dentist appt., 2 orthodontist appts., missionary geography club, piano lessons, & a fieldtrip. We covered George Muller at the club meeting. I absolutey love learning about him - it's so encouraging. I also love that the club is full of children who really want to learn about these men & women of faith and that the children themselves have hearts for mission.
Today we are looking forward to going to visit with some dear friends of ours. We always love the times of fellowship that we enjoy with them. Tomorrow, Lord willing, we'll attend a Christmas play & Friday go Christmas caroling. Whew! Fun, fun, fun! (Next week we'll slow down some.)
In the midst of all this, I've been really enjoying the many ways God blesses us. I love the opportunity to spend time with my family & friends. I love the cuddle times I get with the girls. (My second esp. appreciates those cuddles.) 
I felt convicted the other day when, as I was reading to the girls about John the Baptist and how he told them that if they had 2 coats - give one away, my oldest immediately got up from the table and returned with a second coat and a fleece jacket telling me that she didn't wear those and wanted to give them away. (We know someone who is collecting coats for children in Afghanistan.) Wow - talk about conviction. We are to be doers of the word and not hearers only. Often I need God to move me off my seat and get going - often He uses my children to do that!
Here's a fun thing that happened last week. My youngest is, without a doubt, a Daddy's girl! In her school work last week, she had to read a few words and then choose four of them to write and illustrate. She chose "dad", looked at me, and asked "How do you spell 'great'?" Yep - a Daddy's girl for sure! 
Have a wonderful week!
In His love.
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Dec. 4, 2007 - Our Busy Weekend
The weekend was busy but fun and a blessing.
Saturday was filled with basketball practice for 3 of our girls followed by a visit to a nearby assisted living facility with the children from our church. The girls enjoyed the basketball practice (and those who came and watched were patient and enjoyed hanging out on the bleachers). Most of the girls had a good time at the facility and were blessed by their time with the residents (and I know the residents were blessed by the children). My youngest two got a bit nervous at times but rallied and did fine.
Saturday afternoon & evening were fun. After dropping our oldest off to decorate a parade float (keep reading for more info there), the rest of us went to a birthday party at the park for a sweet friend of ours. The weather was beautiful and we all enjoyed celebrating with this family and their family and friends at the park.
Our city's Christmas parade was that night and my oldest was on a float with our church's youth group. She spent some of the day helping prepare the float and then enjoyed riding on it. Our visiting friend was also on a float with a 4H group. She enjoyed riding on the float. We got her there a bit late (didn't plan the right amount of time for traffic and figuring out where to park) but she got there in plenty of time before the parade started. The rest of us had a great time standing and watching the parade. We ended up standing next to some old friends, so it was great to catch up while waiting for and then watching the parade.
Sunday was a wonderful day of worship. The morning service was terrific and during the Sunday school hour we had a visiting college group present a wonderful play reminding us that Christmas really started with God's plan of redemption before the beginning of time and that the story is not over yet. It's really our decision - are we going to recognize Jesus as King of kings and ruler in our lives or are we going to leave Him (in our hearts) as a baby in the manger. (Of course, there will be a time of judgement later where we will be held accountable for our decision of whether we accepted God's gift or rejected it.) This was all presented with humor and wonderful music. I loved it! (Meanwhile, our oldest two girls are definitely thinking of this location as a college possibility.) :)
Sunday afternoon we had a great time celebrating Christmas with some family. (Our 1st family celebration of the year.) It was wonderful spending time with them. I know they may be reading this blog - we love you all - you're a true blessing to us.
Unfortunately, all of us except my honey and our youngest had to leave a bit early to get back to the church for puppet practice and children's choir rehersal. (Shows are coming up soon - that time of the year.) :)
It was a busy but blessed weekend.
Monday was a slower day - yeah! We had a "normal" school day - school work in the morning and the kids hanging out and playing in the afternoon. The weather was getting chilllier but the sun was shining so we had fun playing outside much of the afternoon. Last night we watched Elf before bedtime. (We love that movie - it's so funny!)
I really enjoyed the time I got to spend outside with my girls and our friend. They are such blessings to me. I know that they read my blog too - I love you girls! I had a great time playing basketball! :) (Lest you other moms think I'm this awesome mom always outside playing with my kids - nope. I don't do it as much as I would like but sure love it when I do!)
Today we thought we were going on one fieldtrip but I found out that I mixed up my dates - that one isn't until NEXT Tuesday. So some friends of ours (that we thought we were going to see on that fieldtrip) are going to meet us at another location - an impromtu fieldtrip of our own making. Should be fun! :)
Have a great week!
In His love.
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Nov. 30, 2007 - This Week/Plans/Neat Thoughts
This week has been a great one. Last weekend we got our Christmas tree. We went to a local tree farm we've never been to and cut it down. It was lots of fun. (We used to go to a tree farm every year but the one we used closed down/sold the land. Progress?) 
We've never put up a tree before the first week of advent but we sure have been enjoying it.
This week has been a great one. The weather has been beautiful and we've enjoyed our school routine. We finished learning about the pilgrims and were happy to jump back into the middle ages. It also feels good to be back into routine after a holiday week. (We're not big schedule people but routine is comforting.) We had a wonderful fieldtrip to a nature center today. The scenery was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a prettier day.
We are thrilled to have company this week. One of our friends is spending the week with us. The girls were counting down the days until her arrival.
Our Christmas season will officially kick off this weekend. We'll have our first family Christmas celebration of the year. Looking forward to it
I just have to share something cool with you all. My 3rd daugher is a deep thinker. She often blows me away with her questions. Two of her most recent thought provoking questions:
She was in the middle of a math page one morning and asked me, "Do you think there were roses in Eden?" I answered that I assumed so since they were made the day that God made plants. She responded that since thorns/thistles were part of Adam's curse after he sinned, she wondered if roses came after that or if they were in Eden but didn't have thorns. Hmmm.
Most recently she asked me if I thought that Jesus had to die before the thief on the cross so that he (the thief) would go to heaven as Jesus promised. The significance of the timing of Jesus' death and the thief's death was something that I never considered but found very profound.
I absolutely love being a mom. God teaches me so much!
Have a wonderful weekend! In His love.
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Nov. 24, 2007 - Thanksgiving and football!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We did. We had a great trip to visit with lots of family. Thanksgiving has become a favorite time for me. The focus on thanking God for all his wonderful gifts is precious. Also, we appreciate the time with family. (We alternate each year which side of the family we celebrate with but it's always with family.) And on the drive Thursday I just loved the view - the leaves were gorgeous shade of red, yellow, and orange. God truly is the ultimate artist and creator of beauty!
This weekend is a football weekend around here. Lots of great games on - one in particular that is looked forward to all year in this area! We're planning to have my parents and aunt and uncle over to eat and watch the game. Looking forward to it!
Have a wonderful weekend and a meaningful worship time tomorrow.
In His love.
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Nov. 21, 2007 - getting ready for Thanksgiving
Since I'm new to blogging, I'm still trying to figure this all out. One day I'll figure out how to post pictures to give you something pretty to look at. :)
So far this week we haven't been working on "school" types of things (although we're still reading - a fun part of life). :)
Monday we took care of housekeeping types of things - including finally taking our cat for her overdue rabies shot. Yesterday, was a fun day - we ran errands, including a bit of Christmas shopping, and had fun playing with some good friends of ours. We've also been trying to enjoy the beautiful weather.
Today, I hope to get some bread made for Thanksgiving, some extra pilgrim focused learning for the girls (watching a documentary), and work on making some Christmas gifts. We'll see. :)
Yesterday, my oldest led our Bible time focusing on Psalm 100 and thankfulness. We discussed being thankful at all times & praising God. We also had a fun discussion about the generations praising God.
Today my 3rd will lead our discussion. I've already gotten a sneak peak at what she wants to share with us - she saw the parallel between the pilgrims leaving England to worship God freely and the Israelites leaving Egypt with pharoah telling them to go and worship God freely. (Exodus 12:31-32)
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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Nov. 19, 2007 - "When I Come to Die"
This morning I heard of the death of someone that I've met (but didn't really know on a personal basis). He was a believer, so I know that He's enjoying eternity with God. Each time I hear of a believer's death, I'm reminded of a beautiful picture that God showed me a few months ago.
Our pastor's wife was singing "Give Me Jesus" in church one Sunday. The song (in the verses) goes through wanting Jesus throughout your day. The last verse says, "When it's time to die, give me Jesus." (Of course more beautifully repeated to music.) As I was sitting in church worshipping while she sang, I had this picture of a believer passing into eternity parallelling a baby's birth. The baby is leaving the comfort & security of all it's ever known in the womb to face the unknown, never knowing all the excited loved ones gathered to welcome this new one into the world. When we (or a loved one) passes from this life, I truly believe that there is a gathering in heaven waiting to welcome this loved one home! This picture has been such a comfort to me and something that I now cling to each time I hear of a believer's homegoing.
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Nov. 19, 2007 - A Wonderful Weekend
We had a wondeful family weekend. I love those types of weekends.
We had a chance to search for some letterboxes. If you haven't heard of letterboxing, it's really quite fun! It's like a treasure hunt - you follow clues to find a box. (It started in England but now there are lots of boxes hidden all over America.) You bring a stamp, stamp pad, & pad of paper. In the box you find, will be another stamp & pad of paper. You stamp your stamp in the box (and often put where you're from) so the box hider knows who's found the box. Then you stamp their stamp in your pad of paper so you have a record of where you've been. In rereading this, I think it sounds confusing but it's really not. If you're interested in finding out more, you can go to www.letterboxing.com for directions and clues for hidden boxes.
We also had the opportunity to volunteer with Operation Christmas Child. That is such a wonderful ministry; we felt blessed to be a part of it.
We were also blessed to worship with our church family.
We're looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving week. I love Thanksgiving. The focus on gratitude, not to mention the family & food is wonderful. I had the idea of having my girls each take a day this week to lead our Bible time around the topic of Thanksgiving. I'll try to let you know how that turns out.
Have a wonderful day!
In His love.
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Nov. 16, 2007 - Here We Are
The girls and I decided to try out blogging. Tonight's been full of blogger names, templates,etc.
We're looking forward to Thanksgiving next week. We've been studying the pilgrims more indepth this year which has made it more interesting.
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