• Nov. 6, 2009
Thanksgiving Reading

Each year at this time I like to spend some time reading books that remind me of what Thanksgiving is all about.  One that is a favorite of mine is, Of Plymouth Plantation: Bradford's History of the Plymouth Settlement 1608-1650.  On top of many reasons that I will list below, I like to read this each November because it is just the right length to fill up the month prior to Thanksgiving.  This month it works perfectly because the book is 26 chapters long and Thanksgiving is on the 26th!  You can read one chapter a day and finish on Thanksgiving.

It is so important to familiarize yourself with your history.  And it is not sufficient to just believe what you have heard or were taught about the people that founded our country.  Everyone has a world-view that they project onto everything they do.  So if you read your history through the lens of someone with an alternate worldview to the founders, you will be misled.  You really need to read it in their own words. 

That is why I like this particular book so much.  It is written by a man who was there and he inserts many letters written by those involved.  This book begins with the pilgrimage from England to Holland then moves from Holland to America.  You will learn the hearts of the people who made this move, the trials they went through, and the providence of God through it all.  Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"They cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundations, or at least of making some way towards it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work."

The Mayflower Compact:  "In the name of God, Amen.  We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc., having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honour of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presnts solemnly and mutually in the prescence of God, and of one another, covenant and combine ourselves into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation, and the furtherance of the ends aforesaid and by virtue thereof to enact constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general use of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.  (then it is signed and dated.)"

And finally a quote from Bradford, "And thus they found the Lord to be with them in all their ways, for which let His holy name have the praise forever, to all posterity."

Another book I am reading (more slowly) right now is The Federalist Papers which is a compilation of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in defense of the need for our nations Constitution.  They were written at a time in our nation when it was unclear whether we would be the United States of America or we would be a collection of states or smaller confederacies with no overarching government.

It is important to know our history.  Vitally important because "The man who has no sense of history is like a man who has no ears or eyes."  I don't often quote Adolf Hitler, but in this case he made the point well.  While Hitler used peoples lack of knowledge to lead them into bondage, we can use our knowledge of history to promote freedom in our country.

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Oct. 20, 2009
Costco Vs. Aldi Price Guide

I had this price guide made up for my other blog but I thought some of you might like it as well so I am sharing it here.

A huge thank you to my friend Tracy! She took care of making a link to my Aldi/Costco price guide so that you can all have a copy of it if you would like. All you have to do is click on the link below and print it out!

Let me explain the layout so you know how to use the list. It is set up like a spreadsheet and organized in the following way. There are 6 columns that include: Item Type (frozen, canned, pantry, etc.), Item, Aldi Price, Aldi Price Per (price per pound, ounce, can, etc.), Costco Price, Costco Price Per.

Many of the items are listed by name brand. These name brands apply only to Costco of course since Aldi carries only their own store brand. In the price per columns I have highlighted in red the store that has the best price. If both stores have the same price then neither is highlighted and if one store does not carry a particular item you will see n/a in the price columns.

There are certain things obviously missing from this list. One of those things is milk. I always buy milk at either Costco or Aldi because they are always the cheapest. However milk prices fluctuate like crazy so it would be futile to try to keep it on a list like this. Produce prices fluctuate as well so they are not included. I usually shop produce based on weekly sale prices. Finally, you will not find fresh meat prices on this list because, while both Aldi and Costco have meat prices that are better than regular grocery store prices, grocery store meat sales are always better than Aldi and Costco meat prices.

Armed with that information please feel free to print out and use this price guide. I have found it to be helpful if I am wondering if a grocery store deal is really good or not. I can check the price against my guide to know for sure. You can get the guide at the following link: COSTCO/ALDI PRICE GUIDE.

(1 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Oct. 19, 2009
Spiritual Neutrality?

I lay in bed last night thinking (I was wishing I was sleeping but, alas, sleep took it's time in coming.)  For some reason my mind kept turning to the topic of spiritual neutrality.  It probably came from a mix of the Bible Study I am a part of on Sunday nights and a book I have been reading.  I kept thinking of all the things we tend to think of as spiritually neutral.

As I thought about this topic my mind kept coming back to one constant refrain, "He who is not for me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."  (Mat. 12:30)  Spiritual neutrality is NOT a biblical concept!  As Christians we know that it is not possible to "ride the fence" spiritually.  You belong to your father and their are only two options: "If God were your father....or....You belong to your father, the devil." (John 8:42...44)  There is no spiritual orphanage that you get to hang out in until the decision is made who your father will be.  You belong to one or the other.

Sometimes we fail, however, to realize that there is nothing in life that is spiritually neutral.  There are so many things in our lives that we think fall into that non-existent, spiritually neutral category.  And those are precisely the areas that Satan gains entry into our lives.  From the way we spend our leisure time, to our time spent on the job, to education.  We can be tempted to see these areas as a-spiritual, as if God is not concerened with them.  But we must remember that there is no area of our lives where God is not concerned.

When we spend our leisure time watching a movie God is either glorified or mocked.  The content either causes us to think of things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy" (Phil. 4:8) or it causes us to think the opposite of those things.  That doesn't mean that every movie we watch must have a message of salvation in it.  There are many movies that may seem "spiritually neutral" because they don't have a blatant spiritual message.  But stories and themes in movies cause us to either be lifted up to the true, noble, right, pure, etc. or they cause us to be dragged down.  They do not leave us unchanged.

When we are at our job or at home cleaning the house we can bring God glory or bring him shame.  We may be convinced that if we are not a pastor or a missionary that God is unconcerned with how we do our daily work as long as we aren't hurting anyone else.  But that could not be further from the truth!  "Whatever you do, wether in word or deed, do it all for the glory of the Lord."  (Col. 3:17)

There are areas of education where it is obvious to us that education is not spiritually neutral.  For example, as Christians we know that God created the world and everything in it, so any teaching that rises up against that immediately raises red flags in us.  But there is no subject that escapes unscathed.  Even math (if anything seems intrinsically unspiritual it would be math!), but even math is something that God designed and is therefore not a-spiritual!  God is a God of order and he designed an orderly universe!  "For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace." (1 Cor. 14:33)  God has put together our world in such an amazing way that it boggles the mind.  Mathematical equations, believe it or not, are a reflection of that order.  But what happens when someone comes along and says in their heart, "there is no God"?  Well, then you get "New Math" and suddenly 2+2 can equal 5.  That thinking flies in the face of a God of order! 

Everyone has a worldview, a lens through which they filter everything.  Non of them are spiritually neutral.  Let us "be very careful then how we live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Eph. 5:15)

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Oct. 12, 2009
When God Writes Your Love Story

If you are a Christian and you a)are single, b)are friends with someone who is single, c)have children who are single, or d)might someday know someone who is single; you really must read this book!

I have to thank my friend Debrah for loaning this book to me!  It is an amazingly forthright, easy and enjoyable to read book about trusting God for the love of your life.  It is written by Eric and Leslie Ludy who both had decided to "let God have the pen" and write their love story.

This is a book I wish someone had given me.  For too long we have accepted the lie that God cares nothing more about our romantic relationships than that we follow a few rules; don't have sex outside of marriage, and once you get married, stay that way.  But God, the author of ALL CREATION, the passionate LOVER OF OUR SOULS, want to author our love story as well. 

Eric and Leslie say it better than I could so, go get the book!  Seriously!  You will not regret it.  This one could change your life or the life of someone you love!

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Oct. 6, 2009
Timmy and School

Timothy has really started enjoying school lately.  We are using My Father's World curriculum and we just finished the unit on the letter "A" and we learned about apples.  We also learned the bible concept "if I stay in Jesus I will bear much fruit."  Now, this is a very abstract idea and I am pretty sure he has no idea what it means, but at least I am sure he is listening. 

On Sunday morning in the sermon, the pastor spent some time talking about bearing fruit.  As soon as I heard him say it I looked at Timmy and he grinned.  Every time the pastor mentioned fruit Timmy would perk up and look at me.  I know he has no real idea of the true meaning, but at least he is making the connections!

On Monday we made applesauce.  Timmy enjoyed helping me turn the handle on the Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer and he really enjoyed eating a "slinky apple".  After the apple sauce was finished I gave him a bite.  (He has never liked applesauce.)  He grinned and grimaced at the same time as he chewed and swallowed.  I said, "What did it taste like Timmy?"  He replied, "Much fruit, and I don't like it!"  Hah!!  What a kid!

I am thouroughly enjoying watching him learn.  I had forgotten what sponges kids are at this age!

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Oct. 2, 2009
Birthday Bonanza!

Well, the month of October has arrived and around here that means Birthdays!  We have a plethora of October birthday's in my family.  (Not to mention quite a few friends that we happen to know who share my brother and husbands birthdays!)  It goes like this:  My nephew, my Dad and Daughter (same day), my brother and my husband.  Whew!  They go from beginning to almost the end.  In fact if my grandpa was still alive they would go from the 1st to the 31st!

Today began the festivities for our immediate family.  We spent the day with Sarah's best friend and her family to celebrate Sarah's birthday.  We began the day at the Soulard Farmer's Market then had a picnic lunch in the park. 

 After that we headed to Baked Goods Pottery to paint some ceramic pieces.  We had a little adventure there.  We pulled up to the building and it said "FOR LEASE" in the window!  Fortunately I called 1-800-YELLOW-PAGES and was able to discover that they had just moved to a bigger building across town. 

For dinner we all went to Pizza Hut then went back to Sarah's friends house for oatmeal cookie bars (yes, she requested that instead of a cake!)  It was a really fun day!

What has happened to the past 12 years!  I can not believe that it was that long ago when the doctor first placed her in my arms!!  Now she is becoming a young woman before my eyes and I can not begin to comprehend how it happened so fast!  I am just glad I have been able to see every step of her growth to this point.  I am blessed beyond words with a wonderful daughter!

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Sep. 21, 2009
The Parenting Conference

Last weekend our church had a parenting conference.  We had a speaker lined up to come in and on Wednesday the church got a call that he was in the hospital and would not be able to come.  After a slight panic and lots of prayer our pastor stepped up to fill-in and we were blessed by the fact that he did.  Below I have listed a few of the things that really spoke to me.

• We must defer to God's plan over our plans for our kids.  These are God's kids, not ours.  We are merely training them for His service.
• When your kids ask you if something is right or wrong, don't just give them your answer.  Take them to scripture to show them what God says.  Let them know you are not the ultimate answer.
• There is no "perfect way" to parent, but, God will use imperfect parents with imperfect kids to bring about His perfect plan.

And the statement that spoke to me the most was this:

• Do what you do as a parent for the glory of God and not to produce a result.  Parenting isn't for self-fulfillment, it is about creating people for His glory.

Finally, on Friday our pastor was asked to be a special guest on Albert Mohler's radio program to talk about being a parent of a Down Syndrome child.  You can hear that interview by clicking HERE and you can read the blog post that initiated the interview HERE.  Click on the blog link and look for the title from Friday "Will Babies with Down Syndrome Just Disappear?"

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Sep. 19, 2009
New Family Photos

Thanks to John Shaw for taking some new family photos for us!  Here are a few of my favorites:

Shannon

(2 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Sep. 17, 2009
Back at last!

We have internet again!  Wow, that was a long 5 days.  I did find some free Wi-Fi spots that I was unaware of before though!  A silver lining to every cloud. 

Yesterday we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went to the zoo with friends.  They had a half day of school so we met about 1:00 and headed out.  We had been to the zoo earlier in the year together but there were a few areas that we didn't get to take advantage of.  We also still had train tickets that we didn't use last time!  That made it a nice cheap trip since our zoo is free and we were blessed with a free parking spot right by the entrance to the zoo!  The only thing we paid for was the stingray exhibit and it was well worth the $3.  We actually got to pet and feed the stingrays.  (Their stingers had been removed.)  Then we went through the "River's Edge" exhibit and saw the rhino's, elephants and hippos.  I think the hippos were my favorite because they swim right past you, about 6 inches from your face!  I had forgotten how huge they were! 

It was a fun day.  I forgot my camera though so I apologize for the lack of pictures.  The day ended with choir practice.  I handed out the parts to the kids for the musical.  I love to watch their faces when they get their parts.  It's like Christmas! 

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Sep. 15, 2009
Out of the loop

We are without internet till Thursday.  It is amazing how unconnected I feel without it.  I am just posting this update because I am in a Wi-Fi hotspot and I have a minute.  Hopefully I will be able to post something more productive when we get our internet back!

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Sep. 4, 2009
Beware Legalism

I have been thinking a lot lately about legalism.  I am not sure why, but I have, and a few days ago I was reading the testimonies of many people who had been subjected to a very legalistic setting when they were growing up.  Some, thankfully, had discovered the wonder of God's amazing grace, but others had been so brutally scarred by the legalistic paradigm that had been forced upon them that they have turned their backs on all forms of religion.

Legalism is so attractive because it gives us exactly what we want in our human nature, something to control.  We spend our lives trying to stay in control and legalism says we can do that.  It tells us that if we just follow these rules we will have a relationship with God and a perfect life.  There are just a couple problems with that premise.  First, God never promised any such thing and therefore; secondly, it is not true.

Sometimes legalism is difficult to discern right off.  It is usually couched in such beautiful terms, sometimes even biblical terms.  For example: Love = Obedience.  That statement is true in some form, Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey my commands."  So, being a Biblically knowledgable person you can hear someone say that and say, "Amen."  When legalism says "love = obedience" however, it usually has a list of rules you need to follow.  Some of these rules may even be biblical principles, making it even harder to detect the legalism.  But I challenge you, if you have a set of rules you feel you need to follow, read them carefully, then check them against scripture.  If you can't find them in God's word, then, while they might not be bad rules, don't give them the credence that you give to God's word.  When we take God's law, and add to it the laws that have been made up by men, we put on the robes of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  I don't know about you but I did not particularly care for what Jesus had to say to them, and I do not want to pick up where they left off.

I hope I am not rambling,  These thoughts make sense in my head but I don't feel like they are coming out correctly.  Maybe I should give an example.  I once had a friend (Godly, biblically knowledgeable friend) show me a book that had rules of etiquette in it.  They were interesting, nothing wrong with them, just rules of etiquette.  The problem was, these rules were presented as if they were Biblical principles!  Well, I would charge you with the job of finding in the Bible where it tells you what to do if you are eating a bite of meat and you end up with gristle in your mouth.  I don't think you will find it in the Bible, but this book had the answer!

I pray that we will be very careful with the rules we follow, and the rules we impose on our children.  Please don't get me wrong, we NEED rules.  We must have them.  God gave us the law, first and foremost, to show us our need for Him but also to protect us.  His laws do lead to good in our lives.  But we, like the Pharisees, are so quick to add more to them so that we have more control.  Not all these rules are bad, but if God's word does not spell them out or clearly show them in principle, then we must be careful not to give them Biblical importance.  And we must be extra careful not to look down on others who don't follow our ideas.  Love = Obedience applies fully when it applies to Christ.  We do show our love for Christ by following His teaching. 

I have been writing this with Christians in mind but I feel that I should finish by stressing the fact that there is no law we can follow to make us right with Christ.  The law was given to prove that to us, to show us that we could never do anything but fail on our own, and to show us our need for a Savior.  Christ did all the work, followed all the rules on our behalf.  To have a relationship with God we must only depend on Christ.  And while it is true that when we have a relationship with Christ we will want to do good, we will want to follow God's law, the act of following His law does not get us or keep us saved.  It does not make us more righteous in God's sight and it does not guarantee an easy life.  Our obedience to Christ is simply the evidence of our love for Him, not the cause of His love for us.

Praise God for His amazing grace!!!

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Aug. 31, 2009
House Church 2009

Well, this years house church is officially over.  With a roster of 33 people including the kids (we averaged around 25 per week) we had quite a lively house church.  This year we had a travelling group .  The first half of the sessions we spent at the Gabbert's house and the second half were spent at ours with 2 weeks at the Johnson house.  That made it fun and kept everyone on their toes!  There was a lot of, "Now where are we meeting tonight?".

It is so nice to meet and study God's word together in a more intimate setting where everyone can share together.  And the priviledge of bearing one another's burdens in prayer for each other is amazing too.  Last night Jay read through all the prayer requests that we have had throughout the summer.  It was amazing to see how God had answered prayers and also just how many major things had happened during the summer!

Of course one can not fail to mention the food!  Each week we also had a meal before study time.  Each family brought food and let's just say, no one went home hungry!  We had a fabulous bunch of cooks!

God blessed us greatly through house church 2009.

Shannon 

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Aug. 26, 2009
Going out with a bang!

This week Sarah had both a dentist and an orthodontist appointment.  Yesterday (Tuesday) we were headed out to the dentist first thing in the morning.  As I backed out of the garage there was a huge crash!  I looked all around and could not figure out what in the world I had hit!  When I got out of the van to check it out the garage door was pushed out of the frame.  Now, lest you think I am a complete moron that I did not see the garage door, it was not closed.  The garage door had been open for quite a while before we left.  It was open when we got in the car.  But when we got in the car the opener was in my seat so I handed it to Sarah to put on the visor.  When I gave it to her she must have accidentally pressed the button.  The garage door was on it's way down while we were on our way out!  It made it as far down as far as the spoiler on the back of the van when we hit it.  It bent and knocked the garage door out of the frame and cracked the spoiler on the van!

Thankfully, my husband was able to fix both problems and everything is in working order today.  We made it out of the house for her orthodondist appointment without incident.  Life is never dull.........

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Aug. 21, 2009
We made it...

We made it, the first week of school is officially behind us!  And on top of that it was a complete joy!  No, I am not holding my breath that every week will be like this one, but it is nice when it starts out good!

Sarah is enjoying her studies, especially the Lord of the Rings Literature study (made doubly fun by the fact that Jay has agreed to read the books this year while she is studying it, he hasn't read them before) and her General Science curriculum which has already consisted of three experiments!

Timothy is enjoying his time as well... I think.  It is hard to remember back to the time when I had to do everything for Sarah, she does almost everything on her own now.  This starting over again is more challenging than I had thought it would be!  But he is doing well.  We are a little over half way through the week of Creation.  After that introduction we jump into 26 units each based on a different letter of the alphabet.

This week has been quite an interesting one in other ways as well.  Monday we had to get the starter replaced in Jay's truck = $200.  Tuesday was quiet and we got to celebrate our 14th anniversary by going out to dinner (alone!).  Our actual anniversary was Wednesday and on the way to church Jay had a rock hit the windshield of his truck (= big crack) and I drove over a nail (= $200 for two new tires!)  Needless to say, we are somewhat glad to see this week come to an end and are hoping next week proves to be somewhat less expensive!

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Aug. 19, 2009
First week of School

It has begun.  The Sikes homeschool 2009-2010 school year began officially on Monday.  I cannot believe that we are over half way through Sarah's 'formal' education as she began 7th grade this year.  It seems just yesterday was her first day of kindergarten!  I remember the first homeschool conference I went to I heard the man speak who wrote the science curriculum that I knew I would want to use for Jr. High/High School and I thought to myself, "That is so far away!"  Well, this year I bought that curriculum!  I can't believe that my baby girl is on the verge of being a young woman!  Her favorite subject this year is literature as she is doing a year long Lord of the Rings literature study.  She is also doing the basics (Grammar, 7th Grade Math, American History, General Science) along with Home Ec, Art and American Sign Language.

At the same time we have begun kindergarten with Timothy.  (Well, truthfully K-4 since he won't be 5 till after Thanksgiving.  We are doing a modified Kindergarten, minus the reading/handwriting.  Next year we will do the full Kindergarten program.)  School with Timothy is quite an adventure!  He is so different than Sarah was at the same age that I am learning how to teach all over again! 

Enjoying every minute of it,
Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Aug. 19, 2009
Vacation

I feel somewhat behind in my posting.  Much has happened in the past couple weeks that I haven't had a chance to share yet...

Last Sunday (8/9) after church we headed out of town with friends to Branson.  On the way down we stopped at Lamberts for lupper (lunch/supper).  We got there at 3:30 but weren't seated till 5:30!  What a wait, but it was worth it, then we travelled the final half hour to our condo.

On Monday we kept it pretty low key because one of our friends daughters was still recovering from pnemonia!  Not a fun way for her to start vacation.  While she rested the rest of the kids spent some time swimming and we played board games.

On Tuesday all of the kids were up for put put golf and go karting so we spent the morning doing that.  The afternoon was spent with more swimming and board games.

Wednesday morning was the only other day of the week that we ate out (we took lots of groceries so we wouldn't have to spend the money on restaurants) and we had breakfast at Golden Corral before we headed to Silver Dollar City.  We also spent Thursday at Silver Dollar City and by the end of the 2nd day Timothy had finally gotten brave enough to ride a few rides!

On Friday the girls went horseback riding and the boys played put-put and laser tag.  That evening we spent some time at the Branson Landing.

Saturday was our day to head home so after we finished packing we got in one last game of dominoes.

We had a lot of fun in our last week of summer vacation.  It got us well rested and ready for our first week of school!

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Aug. 3, 2009
Making my bed

I have never been a bed maker.  I am sorry if that shocks anyone.  I really don't like making my bed.  To me it seems pointless, as the old cliche goes, "I am just going to sleep in it again, why make it up."  Seriously, if no one is going to see it, what is the point?

I think I have figured out the point. 

About 3 weeks ago I got on an organizational kick.  It started in the school room and just kind of spread.  (I don't get these kind of fits regularly so I thought I'd better go with it.)   I went through and organized the whole house, including.....,our room!  Our room is always the last to get cleaned.  It is generally the dumping ground for whatever doesn't have a home.  If company is coming stuff gets dumped in our room and the door gets shut.

Well, after my organizational fit, everything had a place.  There was no more need to dump things in my room, and it was clean!  So, without giving it much thought I decided to make my bed, every morning, whether I wanted to or not.  I still don't like making the bed, but I discovered something shocking.  I like the way it looks when it is made.  And when the king size square in the middle of the room looks neat, it is more compelling to keep the rest of the room looking neat.  (As opposed to when the king size square in the middle of the room looks like a jumbled mess, it is easy to allow the rest of the room to become a jumbled mess.)

I was telling my friend about my new revelation and she told me about Flylady.net who says the same thing about the kitchen sink.  The basic premise is, if you keep your sink cleaned out and shiny, you will want to keep the rest of the kitchen clean around it.  I am now a believer. 

So, like it or not, I have committed to making my bed, everyday, because while I don't like the job, I am loving the results.

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Aug. 3, 2009
What a busy week

Last week was very full of activity around here. 

The majority of the activity centered around Sarah's "Theater Kids Camp."  This was a one week day camp that took place at our church.  The kids did all kinds of activities in preparation for their Friday night performance where they put on about a 35-40 minute musical presentation.  They did drama, choreography, and both choral and solo/duet singing.  Sarah had a solo, two duets and a trio and she did, of course, a fantastic job.  The favorite part of her week was spending the entire week with her best friend. 

Not only were they in the same small group at camp, but they spent nearly every night together that week.  Sunday night Sarah's friend spent the night with us, Monday night Sarah spent the night with her.  (Tuesday there was no sleep over due to her friend getting braces Tuesday and Sarah having an orthodontist appt. Wednesday.)  Wednesday night Sarah's best friend spent the night again along with her brother and sister.  That was fun!  From two kids to five instantly!  Then Thursday night Sarah spent the night at her friends house again.  Timothy's favorite night was Wedndsday because he got to have his own 'sleepover' with a couple kids sleeping in his room!  He was thrilled!

Thursday night was an interesting one for me.  I encountered a wasps nest and ended up getting stung (not badly) but in my haste to escape the wasps I ran across the yard, fell and hurt my leg (badly).  I really thought I had messed my leg up, but thankfully I am nearly pain free now.  I never even had so much as a bruise.

Sunday was the first night of house church that was held in our home this summer.  We had a great time and a really good chili supper.  Yeah, a chili supper the first week of August.  So much for summer temperatures around here.  It's been so cool at nights that a chili supper sounded good!  And it was!

We are looking forward to a slightly slower week this week as we prepare for vacation next week.  Just going to put the finishing touches on the school plan (since we start the week after next) and take it easy.  Well, that's the plan anyway.........

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Jul. 28, 2009
Some things to think about

The following quotes really have nothing to do with each other.  They are just quotes that made me think and I thought I would share them with you.

"If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep the streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep the streets like Beethoven composed music...Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well." Martin Luther King Jr.

"Perhaps some of you claim a sort of negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask you - Is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God's word? Do you make it the man of your right hand - your best companion and hourly guide? If not, the blessing of Psalm 1 does not belong to you." Charles Spurgeon

"There are more people voting for a living than working for a living." H. L. Makin (sp?)

Shannon

(0 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)

• Jul. 19, 2009
Longing for Produce in a Chicken Nugget World

Strange things inspire me, but I am okay with that.    Yesterday a trip to the farmer's market really got me thinking.

If you have never been to a farmer's market it is a sight to behold.  Mounds of beautiful, fresh produce stacked higher than your head.  The sights and scents and sounds are overwhelming (especially in a market the size of the one we went to!)  People push all around you searching for the best deals on the freshest fruits and vegetables.  It is not just a good place to get produce, it is actually a lot of fun.

What struck me most however was the beauty of the different food items.  Yes I said beauty!  The cool, majestic purple of a tower of plums stands in contrast next to the warm, orange and yellow of the peaches.  Deep, blue blueberries and purple, nearly black blackberries surround the vibrant red of the strawberries.  Not to be outdone by the fruits, the vegetables put on a more subtle show of beautiful greens, yellows and earth tones.

Have I gone mad, waxing eloquent about produce?  Maybe.  But the beauty of the food God created really struck me!  He gave us food that is not only delicious and nutritious, but it is also a joy to look at.  So much so that we paint pictures of bowls of fruit and place plastic fruit in bowls around our house for decoration!  Think of the beauty of the food God made for us in comparison to the food we have created, like chicken nuggets.  Okay, so I have nothing really against chicken nuggets, they taste pretty good, but their nutritional value is somewhat minimal and they look, well, not pretty.  I got to thinking about how often I eat a plate full of man-made food and how often it is all the same color, brown or pale yellow, when God has given me a whole rainbow full of food to choose from that in the end will not only fill my desire for food, but nourish me and make me feel better as well.

Now at this point you might expect me to say I have come to some grand dietary crossroads but really, while there is much value to that discussion, that is not where I am going with this.  I got to thinking about how often we gorge ourselves on man-made pleasures.  Entertainment and activities that fill an immediate desire but do nothing to nourish our souls.  On top of that the pleasures that man can invent are dull and drab compared to the beauty of the pleasures God has for us.  We are as infatuated with fleeting, momentary pleasures as a 4 year old is with chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. 

I long to be filled with what God has for me.  So often I get so fixated on the quick and the temporary, not taking time to see the beauty God has placed all around me.  I am glad He chose the farmer's market to remind me of His goodness.  I am thankful that He took the time to make things not only good, but beautiful as well.

Shannon

(1 Comments) (Post A Comment!) (Permanent Link)