Waiting Eagerly for His Return
6 years ago
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Teaching PE
Since the kids came along, I have worn a wide variety of "hats" I never imagined I would wear during my ambitious engineering career days. One especially enjoyable role I have had over the past two years is PE teacher to 30+ homeschooled students between the ages of 3 and 10.
Each year concludes with a big field day for all the students in the program. Coach Sports (as the kids call me) is responsible for organizing and facilitating Field Day each spring. Approximately 75-80 students compete each year. Usually, the students' families come to watch and many of them volunteer, so may have over 200 people cheering, participating or serving. I really enjoy watching the students compete and demonstrate skills we have honed during class over the past 6-7 months. Here are some photos from this year's field day.
Field Day fell on my 40th birthday this year, so they embarrassed me with a song during the awards presentation. I am so thankful to all the volunteers who made this event possible.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
1000 Gifts (Part 16): Agragrian gratitude
This post continues my observations and recounting of God's marvelous gifts which begins here:
249. My softening heart toward cats
I'm never been much of a cat person because I've never met a cat who liked me. Most just hiss and show their claws when I'm around. My husband's college cat instinctively scratched our son when he was a young toddler, so that only increased my dislike of anything feline.
However, over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting two very beautiful cats who actually like people. One such cat lives on the horse farm where our daughter takes horseback riding lessons. Flitter loves people.
Flitter also likes books.
250. Written language intelligently organized into educational and entertaining literature
251. Parenting two children who are eager readers
While his sister rode horses, our 6-year-old read "bed time stories" to Flitter who eventually fell asleep.
252. A cat's reminder that afternoon naps, or at least the Sabbath rest, should be a priority
253. The smile on my little girl's face as Socks moves into a fast trot
254. My parents' faithfulness for the past 16+ years to uphold our annual yard day tradition
When I bought my first house in another state as a single gal, my parents drove over three hours to my house one weekend to assist me with spring landscaping. Dad brought his pick-up truck so he could haul mulch and various gardening materials from the nearest Lowe's store to my new home. They worked tirelessly in my yard teaching me how to plant and/or doing much of it for me since I'm hopeless when it comes to landscaping.
They probably regret that first trip because when spring (and my birthday) rolled around the next year, I asked them to return and help me in the yard again for my birthday present. Soon, this annual yard day, mostly involving my parents' help, became an annual tradition.
Now that I have a husband and kids of my own, we all pitch in each year to spread mulch, plant flowers, and clean out flower beds. Theoretically, everyone should be working on yard day. Our bunny's job is to supervise the workers. He did so half-heartedly from the shelter of his igloo.
During a break from my labor, I noticed that our baby bunny was nibbling on grass and sweet gum balls (ouch). For a moment I thought I had found a solution our problem of mass amounts of gum balls falling from a neighbor's tree into our yard but that solution would involve more bunnies. Smile.
255. Thankfully, these forbidden snacks did not make our bunny sick.
My jobs that day were to cook lunch, coordinate with suppliers, and spread pine needles out back.
256. Thankfully, no one got sick from my cooking...at least not yet.
Last year, I ended up spreading at least 70 bales. This year, we bought less because out of the four different suppliers we visited, we could only cumulatively procure 52 bales. I managed to spread 29 bales before the dark clouds rolled into the area Usually this task, which involves bending over for several hours at a time, causes a relapse of low back pain, but after icing it twice last night, I was pain free this morning.
257. Healing of my back and regeneration of my spinal discs that I can not only see on the X-Ray but also feel when my spine is tested
My husband usually buys and spreads mulch around all our flower beds in the front yard. Our normal mulch supplier was completely sold out of the mulch we needed, but thankfully, our backup supplier had what we needed.
258. My dad's patience and willingness to drive his truck all over three cities in search of the landscaping materials we needed
He ended up making two trips to Lowe's, one trip to Home Depot, two trips to two different mulch suppliers, and a trip to the yard waste facility in addition to driving almost 75 miles each way to/from our home that day. God bless my awesome parents!
259. Our 9-year-old's thoughtfulness and generosity
While shopping with her daddy, my daughter saw this plant and liked it so much that she insisted on buying two as a birthday gift for me with her own money (okay, so technically she only paid for one and a half with her daddy covering the difference).
260. My husband's servant's heart
My man does not particularly enjoy landscaping. He may even admit to loathing it. Yet, when his little girl bought those plants for her mommy, he helped her clean out the flower bed around the mail box and plant them there for me. While they were digging, a neighbor stopped by while walking her dog to warn them that the plants were poisonous but only when eaten. Oops! Maybe these plants will keep out those dogs whose owners disobey the HOA covenants which forbid pet feces in other homeowner's lawns, and maybe it will keep the deer, who eat all our flowers and blueberries at their peak, away as well.
261. God's wonderful design in allowing animals to know which flowers are safe to eat and which are not
After helping her daddy plant the flowers around the mail box, our little girl was eager to plant some more. So, she helped Nana fill up lots of flower pots with new flowers.
262. Splashes of natural color, which will grow larger all season long, located all around the exterior of our home
She even filled a new rabbit planter with flowers this year in honor of the newest "member" of our family. This planter is for you, Cody.
I'm not sure what our son's job was yesterday, but he did bring us cheerful company, clip bindings on bales of pine straw, and run miscellaneous errands for us.
263. New blooms beginning on our rose bushes signaling that spring is here
264. The anticipation of an explosion of various natural colors all around us
249. My softening heart toward cats
I'm never been much of a cat person because I've never met a cat who liked me. Most just hiss and show their claws when I'm around. My husband's college cat instinctively scratched our son when he was a young toddler, so that only increased my dislike of anything feline.
However, over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of meeting two very beautiful cats who actually like people. One such cat lives on the horse farm where our daughter takes horseback riding lessons. Flitter loves people.
250. Written language intelligently organized into educational and entertaining literature
251. Parenting two children who are eager readers
While his sister rode horses, our 6-year-old read "bed time stories" to Flitter who eventually fell asleep.
252. A cat's reminder that afternoon naps, or at least the Sabbath rest, should be a priority
253. The smile on my little girl's face as Socks moves into a fast trot
254. My parents' faithfulness for the past 16+ years to uphold our annual yard day tradition
When I bought my first house in another state as a single gal, my parents drove over three hours to my house one weekend to assist me with spring landscaping. Dad brought his pick-up truck so he could haul mulch and various gardening materials from the nearest Lowe's store to my new home. They worked tirelessly in my yard teaching me how to plant and/or doing much of it for me since I'm hopeless when it comes to landscaping.
They probably regret that first trip because when spring (and my birthday) rolled around the next year, I asked them to return and help me in the yard again for my birthday present. Soon, this annual yard day, mostly involving my parents' help, became an annual tradition.
Now that I have a husband and kids of my own, we all pitch in each year to spread mulch, plant flowers, and clean out flower beds. Theoretically, everyone should be working on yard day. Our bunny's job is to supervise the workers. He did so half-heartedly from the shelter of his igloo.
255. Thankfully, these forbidden snacks did not make our bunny sick.
My jobs that day were to cook lunch, coordinate with suppliers, and spread pine needles out back.
256. Thankfully, no one got sick from my cooking...at least not yet.
Last year, I ended up spreading at least 70 bales. This year, we bought less because out of the four different suppliers we visited, we could only cumulatively procure 52 bales. I managed to spread 29 bales before the dark clouds rolled into the area Usually this task, which involves bending over for several hours at a time, causes a relapse of low back pain, but after icing it twice last night, I was pain free this morning.
257. Healing of my back and regeneration of my spinal discs that I can not only see on the X-Ray but also feel when my spine is tested
My husband usually buys and spreads mulch around all our flower beds in the front yard. Our normal mulch supplier was completely sold out of the mulch we needed, but thankfully, our backup supplier had what we needed.
258. My dad's patience and willingness to drive his truck all over three cities in search of the landscaping materials we needed
He ended up making two trips to Lowe's, one trip to Home Depot, two trips to two different mulch suppliers, and a trip to the yard waste facility in addition to driving almost 75 miles each way to/from our home that day. God bless my awesome parents!
259. Our 9-year-old's thoughtfulness and generosity
While shopping with her daddy, my daughter saw this plant and liked it so much that she insisted on buying two as a birthday gift for me with her own money (okay, so technically she only paid for one and a half with her daddy covering the difference).
260. My husband's servant's heart
My man does not particularly enjoy landscaping. He may even admit to loathing it. Yet, when his little girl bought those plants for her mommy, he helped her clean out the flower bed around the mail box and plant them there for me. While they were digging, a neighbor stopped by while walking her dog to warn them that the plants were poisonous but only when eaten. Oops! Maybe these plants will keep out those dogs whose owners disobey the HOA covenants which forbid pet feces in other homeowner's lawns, and maybe it will keep the deer, who eat all our flowers and blueberries at their peak, away as well.
261. God's wonderful design in allowing animals to know which flowers are safe to eat and which are not
After helping her daddy plant the flowers around the mail box, our little girl was eager to plant some more. So, she helped Nana fill up lots of flower pots with new flowers.
262. Splashes of natural color, which will grow larger all season long, located all around the exterior of our home
She even filled a new rabbit planter with flowers this year in honor of the newest "member" of our family. This planter is for you, Cody.
I'm not sure what our son's job was yesterday, but he did bring us cheerful company, clip bindings on bales of pine straw, and run miscellaneous errands for us.
263. New blooms beginning on our rose bushes signaling that spring is here
264. The anticipation of an explosion of various natural colors all around us
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Cody is 3 months old
Our bunny, Cody (aka "Bun-Bun), is now three months old. He's grown so much since we first received him in mid March. At over2.5 lbs, he is already almost as big as his daddy. He has become more friendly toward us. He doesn't bite or chew on us anymore, and he rarely ever scratches. He leaps when he sees us, and will actually hop over to us for back scratches and tickles behind the ears. He's very playful and still enjoys playing hide and seek.
Just like my pet bunny from childhood, he does not like eating his food from a bowl. He usually flips it over and eats from the floor of the litter box. Gross! He sure does love drinking from a water bottle, however. He loves to explore and nestle in tight spaces just as infants like to be swaddled. I guess it makes him feel safe and secure.
When he's feeling relaxed, he will usually put both legs out behind him. I think he's so cute in this resting position.
He loves exploring outside his pen, but he doesn't stay outside very long. He will usually return to his pen on his own now instead of us having to catch him and carry him back.
Sometimes instead of returning to the inside of his pen, he will rest outside the pen right beside the door and up against the boundary. I guess he likes to feel close to safety and free at the same time.
He also likes to hold one ear straight up while the other
one lops. Maybe he does that to listen more carefully. It's adorable,
but I am interested to know why he does it.
I've been joking that he must be 9 years old in human years because his spastic behavior at times is remarkably similar to our daughter's.
Just like my pet bunny from childhood, he does not like eating his food from a bowl. He usually flips it over and eats from the floor of the litter box. Gross! He sure does love drinking from a water bottle, however. He loves to explore and nestle in tight spaces just as infants like to be swaddled. I guess it makes him feel safe and secure.
When he's feeling relaxed, he will usually put both legs out behind him. I think he's so cute in this resting position.
He loves exploring outside his pen, but he doesn't stay outside very long. He will usually return to his pen on his own now instead of us having to catch him and carry him back.
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| Training for the 400m hurdle event |
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| Chillaxin' outside his pen |
Two more teeth out
They say that kids lose their baby teeth in pairs. Our son lost his second baby tooth on April 22 which is only 24 days since he lost his first tooth. Now he says he has a wiggly tooth on top. His sweet baby doll smile doesn't look quite the same anymore.
Update: His 3rd tooth fell a few hours after I first published this post. Now his smile is really changing.
1000 Gifts (Part 15): Glimpses of His Presence
These past few months have left me feeling exhausted. Yet, God gives us strength when we are weary.
232. Humorous reminders of my human frailty and the knowledge that when I am weak, He is strong
233. Living long enough to celebrate my 40th birthday last week
Turning 40 must shrink or destroy a whole lot of brain cells because the same bike helmet that fit snugly and securely the week before kept blowing right off my head while I was biking the day after my birthday. It seemed as though the helmet was suddenly sizes too large.
234. Coming to faith early in life and the abundant joy walking with the Lord brings
Jesus has been my Lord and Savior for over 30 years!
237. Inspirational quotes that address my biggest need on any given day placed conveniently within the pages of my Bible study lesson for that day
With all the recent banter about the Common Core Standards followed by Exxon funded television ads promoting CCS during major sports events, I had to laugh when I learned that Ron Paul is launching a new freedom curriculum (for free for the first six years) as a foil to CCS in September. No matter how you feel about the U.S. Constitution and individual liberty, you must admit that America would be a very boring place without all it's diversity and precious freedoms.
239. God's power which vanquishes fear
The Boston tragedy has consumed many of my thoughts and prayers. As evidence has been presented to prove that Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano committed perjury to protect a Saudi national who has been proven to be a radical Islamic terrorist with two counts of terrorist activities in the U.S. including a lead role in the Boston marathon bombings, a huge distrust of the government and the media (which refuses to report anything negative about this administration regardless of the evidence) can lead to great fear. If those in the highest positions of authority in our land, tasked with protecting American life, will allow terrorists "with connections" to visit the White House on multiple occasions, give millions of dollars and sophisticated warplanes to a nation that funds and promotes terrorism, and even provide welfare checks to known terrorists in our country, what sense of safety is there in America? If the president chooses to sleep while ambassadors and security/military personnel are brutally murdered by terrorists in a plot everyone involved, including the POTUS, knew about in advance and could have prevented, is it any wonder that the number one cause of death in the U.S. military is suicide? If the President shows more remorse over losing his battle for stricter gun control than over the victims of the terrorist bombing and if his wife chooses to visit the Saudi national responsible for the bombings in the hospital but does not take time to visit the man who lost both legs and who courageously identified the Tamerlin brothers leading up to their capture, Americans can't help but wonder if the entire administration is anti-American and pro-jihad.
With the domestic and international security at such great risk, the economy in such upheaval, socialistic ideals robbing the country of both freedom and prosperity, no wonder the mental health of Americans is at an all time low. This article describes the mental state of Americans and offers some practical advice for managing the stress of it all. Although for me, recounting blessings has been the best tonic of all. Because of Christ, none of these concerns should morph into anxiety. You can't pray and worry at the same time, and the Bible commands us to bring all our concerns to Him through prayer and petition. So I'm so thankful that no matter what circumstances surround me, I can find peace and rest in Him.
240. In Christ, there is no fear of death
As Christians, our family does not fear death by terrorists or any enemy because we are ready, even eager, to meet our Maker. He has established every single day before us, so He will not take us until that preordained time comes.
241. In Christ we need not fear economic collapse because God, our Jehovah Jireh, is faithful to meet all our needs
243. The witness of all creation to a magnificent Creator God
244. The marvelous uniqueness God gave every single created human being
My daughter's right-brained tendencies are revealing to me how masterfully God designed each person's brain. No one is alike. All are masterfully intelligent, but each mind processes information uniquely according to God's design through DNA. Since my brain processed information differently than hers does, I have really enjoyed the discoveries into how she thinks. Recently she debunked the myth that math is harder for right-brained people than left-brained. It just takes her longer to solve word problems because she first needs to understand why the pen mentioned in the problem costs more than the notebook. She then begins imagining all the creative, elaborate, handy features this pen must have to make it more valuable. When she gets around to actually solving the problem, however, the answer comes almost instantaneously. She cracks me up!
245. The way the Holy Spirit brings encouraging verses to mind when we need it most
246. Musical reminders of God's goodness
As I was driving home from that doctor's appointment, I heard the song, "Even If", by Kutless on the radio. I had been praying that morning for a friend had been rushed to the ER for heart problems, and another friend's family members who were undergoing a kidney transplant. The lyrics of that song were such a powerful reminder that regardless of our circumstances, God is always good, faithful, and true.
Here are a few lyrics:
Our kids' school uses positive reinforcement to encourage desired behavior. While I greatly wish my son's teachers would not give out so much unhealthy candy in class, and while I wish the prize boxes used at church and school did not fill our home with clutter, I am thankful for the positive behaviors being affirmed.
I overheard the 9-year-old talking to herself (will she ever stop all that incessant chatter?) while she was flipping through the mail, and she said, "Shame on you, Vaseline, for putting that photo in an advertisement! You can almost see that woman's behind."
You know you aren't a morning person when you enter the bathroom to get ready for the day and reach for the switch to turn on the lights only to discover that the lights are already on and the reason it's so dark in the bathroom is because your eyes are still shut.29 "He gives strength to the wearyIsaiah 40:29-31 (NIV)
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
232. Humorous reminders of my human frailty and the knowledge that when I am weak, He is strong
233. Living long enough to celebrate my 40th birthday last week
Turning 40 must shrink or destroy a whole lot of brain cells because the same bike helmet that fit snugly and securely the week before kept blowing right off my head while I was biking the day after my birthday. It seemed as though the helmet was suddenly sizes too large.
234. Coming to faith early in life and the abundant joy walking with the Lord brings
Jesus has been my Lord and Savior for over 30 years!
John 10:10
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
235. The way God prepares our hearts in advance for trials awaiting us
A precious sister and friend in Christ shared with me that the Lord had set 2 Timothy 1:7 on her heart repeatedly as though He were intentionally reminding her to trust Him and to walk with courage.
I had a similar thing happen to me on an exceedingly smaller scale, which is a reminder that God prepares us for both the big challenges in life and the minor day-to-day inconveniences.
During a time of reflection one night before bedtime following an in depth Bible study on Proverbs 31, I felt convicted that I needed to look for ways to be a better servant to my family. Then at 2:00 a.m that night, our little one began a cycle of vomiting that is the worst we've ever experienced in our home. As I scrubbed vomit out of carpets, bed clothes, pillows, car seats, and the floor board of my SUV while trying not to breathe in the nauseating stench, I could not help but laugh at this new opportunity to serve and how different it was from the ways I had imagined that I would serve my family better.
236. Quick healing for a very skinny little boy following five brutal episodes of vomiting
A precious sister and friend in Christ shared with me that the Lord had set 2 Timothy 1:7 on her heart repeatedly as though He were intentionally reminding her to trust Him and to walk with courage.
2 Timothy 1:7A few weeks later during a routine physical exam, she discovered that she had cervical cancer. When the doctor gave her the news, she replied, "So that's why God gave me that verse. I trust Him to carry me through this trial, for He has always been faithful." Her courage was a huge encouragement to her doctor who was undergoing health concerns of her own. This dear friend faced the surgeries to follow with great courage, and no chemo or radiation were required following the surgery!
"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."
I had a similar thing happen to me on an exceedingly smaller scale, which is a reminder that God prepares us for both the big challenges in life and the minor day-to-day inconveniences.
During a time of reflection one night before bedtime following an in depth Bible study on Proverbs 31, I felt convicted that I needed to look for ways to be a better servant to my family. Then at 2:00 a.m that night, our little one began a cycle of vomiting that is the worst we've ever experienced in our home. As I scrubbed vomit out of carpets, bed clothes, pillows, car seats, and the floor board of my SUV while trying not to breathe in the nauseating stench, I could not help but laugh at this new opportunity to serve and how different it was from the ways I had imagined that I would serve my family better.
236. Quick healing for a very skinny little boy following five brutal episodes of vomiting
The next day after he first became sick, he surprised me by installing one of the new interior bathroom
door knobs I had purchased the night before on the front door (oops). This sweet 6-year-old then attempted to change out all the hardware in the kids' bathroom. Clearly, the
stomach bug had passed and as he was back to his usual, handy, tool-loving self.
237. Inspirational quotes that address my biggest need on any given day placed conveniently within the pages of my Bible study lesson for that day
"On every level of life, from housework to heights of prayer, in all judgment and efforts to get things done, hurry and impatience are sure marks of the amateur.”
― Evelyn Underhill
"That in Christ, time is not running out. This day is not a sieve, losing time. In Christ, we fill – gaining time....We stand on the brink of eternity. So there is enough time. Time to breathe deep and time to see real. Time to laugh long, time to give God glory and rest deep and sing joy. And just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done." - Ann Voskamp
238. God given human liberties freely exercised
Just as a spinning ballerina must keep returning her eyes to a given point to maintain her balance....the only way to to keep your balance [in this whirling world as it spins out of control] is to fix your eyes on [Jesus], the One who never changes." - Sarah Young
With all the recent banter about the Common Core Standards followed by Exxon funded television ads promoting CCS during major sports events, I had to laugh when I learned that Ron Paul is launching a new freedom curriculum (for free for the first six years) as a foil to CCS in September. No matter how you feel about the U.S. Constitution and individual liberty, you must admit that America would be a very boring place without all it's diversity and precious freedoms.
239. God's power which vanquishes fear
Isaiah 41:10
‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
With the domestic and international security at such great risk, the economy in such upheaval, socialistic ideals robbing the country of both freedom and prosperity, no wonder the mental health of Americans is at an all time low. This article describes the mental state of Americans and offers some practical advice for managing the stress of it all. Although for me, recounting blessings has been the best tonic of all. Because of Christ, none of these concerns should morph into anxiety. You can't pray and worry at the same time, and the Bible commands us to bring all our concerns to Him through prayer and petition. So I'm so thankful that no matter what circumstances surround me, I can find peace and rest in Him.
240. In Christ, there is no fear of death
As Christians, our family does not fear death by terrorists or any enemy because we are ready, even eager, to meet our Maker. He has established every single day before us, so He will not take us until that preordained time comes.
Psalm 139:16Christ came to provide a way out of this world which is so corrupted by evil. When He returns, those who believe will dwell with Him in a world absent of wickedness, pain or suffering. Hallelujah!
"Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them."
241. In Christ we need not fear economic collapse because God, our Jehovah Jireh, is faithful to meet all our needs
Genesis 50:21 "So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them."
27 "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!"242. The illumination of truth in the minds of those who have the Spirit of God
Hebrews 6:4-5 "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come"After reading an article by a PhD'd astrophysicist friend, our 9-year-old explained to me how his evolutionary based arguments actually disprove evolution and the "millions of years" theory of the age of the earth. Thank you, Lord, for opening her eyes and for using the "weak" and "lowly" (in this case our little apologeticist-in-training) so that no one can boast. (1 Corinthians 1: 18-31)
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| Spirit Week at School: Dress to Impress Day |
Romans 1:20Thank you also for scientific discoveries which point to your magnificent design. They are like hidden treasures in an universal treasure hunt designed by You, with clues set above, below, and throughout the earth to point us back to You. Yet, we cannot truly see until we choose to believe.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
244. The marvelous uniqueness God gave every single created human being
My daughter's right-brained tendencies are revealing to me how masterfully God designed each person's brain. No one is alike. All are masterfully intelligent, but each mind processes information uniquely according to God's design through DNA. Since my brain processed information differently than hers does, I have really enjoyed the discoveries into how she thinks. Recently she debunked the myth that math is harder for right-brained people than left-brained. It just takes her longer to solve word problems because she first needs to understand why the pen mentioned in the problem costs more than the notebook. She then begins imagining all the creative, elaborate, handy features this pen must have to make it more valuable. When she gets around to actually solving the problem, however, the answer comes almost instantaneously. She cracks me up!
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| School Spirit Week: Wacky Hair & Clothing Day |
John 14:26During a routine doctor's visit this week, I received some surprising news that will require months of costly, painful treatments to adequately address. Tears welled up inside of me as I sat there in the exam room waiting for the doctor to come in and give me an overview of the treatments. At the moment, my first thought was how much I wanted to share this news with my husband and have him hold and comfort me, but he was on an airplane leaving the area for a few days on business. I should have instead turned immediately to the Lord, for His comfort and peace surpass anything that any human can give me. This medical news isn't life threatening or anything of great concern, dear blog reader, but it is something that must be addressed, and the treatments are painful, and the entire ordeal had me quite frustrated because what mother of young children has time for more medical issues anyway? After finally getting some relief from all my back pain, I'm down to only one chiropractor visit a week compared to four visits per week last year, and those visits were relatively quick, easy, painless, and affordable. These upcoming treatments will be none of those things. I get overwhelmed more easily when my husband is away on business. (God have mercy on single moms who never have that extra support). Yet, I knew I needed to regain composure before the doctor entered, and then the Holy Spirit brought 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 to my mind to give me perspective.
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."As soon as those verses came to mind, my fears dissipated, and peace overwhelmed me. I realized how trivial this trial really is and prayed that God would use it for His glory.
246. Musical reminders of God's goodness
As I was driving home from that doctor's appointment, I heard the song, "Even If", by Kutless on the radio. I had been praying that morning for a friend had been rushed to the ER for heart problems, and another friend's family members who were undergoing a kidney transplant. The lyrics of that song were such a powerful reminder that regardless of our circumstances, God is always good, faithful, and true.
Here are a few lyrics:
"...Even if the healing doesn't come247. Positive reinforcement
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God You are good
Forever faithful One
Even if the healing
Even if the healing doesn't come
Lord we know Your ways are not our ways
So we set our faith in who You are
Even though You reign high above us
You tenderly love us We know Your heart
And we rest in who You are..."
Our kids' school uses positive reinforcement to encourage desired behavior. While I greatly wish my son's teachers would not give out so much unhealthy candy in class, and while I wish the prize boxes used at church and school did not fill our home with clutter, I am thankful for the positive behaviors being affirmed.
There
are 3.5 girls for every 1 boy in our son's class not counting the two
female teachers. When I picked him up after school recently, he said to me, "The good boys got
kisses today". As my blood pressure soared, I asked for more details, and he clarified, "Hershey's kisses."
If people have sued McDonald's for making them fat, Hershey's better watch out because that company nearly gave me a heart attack .
If people have sued McDonald's for making them fat, Hershey's better watch out because that company nearly gave me a heart attack .
248. Evidence that my daughter has accepted the Biblical perspective toward modesty in a world that bares all
I overheard the 9-year-old talking to herself (will she ever stop all that incessant chatter?) while she was flipping through the mail, and she said, "Shame on you, Vaseline, for putting that photo in an advertisement! You can almost see that woman's behind."
Sunday, April 21, 2013
A trip to outer space for his 40th birthday
My husband and I just celebrated a significant birthday milestone. His birthday came first. On his birthday, I used social media to wish a happy birthday to the love of my life, and I even told the world that I think he is as "hot" now as the day I first fell for him. He is an awesome man of God who still continues to grow even more each year in knowledge, wisdom, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, and faithfulness. I thank God every day for the blessing and
privilege of journeying through life hand in hand with him. And I particularly love the fact that he, like a good leader should, went over the hill before
me. This post will be all about his birthday celebration. All my husband wanted for his birthday this year was a trip to outer space and a handgun. Purchasing a gun was a hassle, requiring him to take time off from work on two different days to complete all the registration paper work "during business hours only". The waiting period for approval took three times longer than it usually takes due to a dramatic increase in gun sales since the election of our current POTUS. But getting my husband to outer space would prove to be a bit more complicated.
These days, you can actually buy a ticket to space, but the airfare could easily devastate a healthy retirement savings fund. So we worked out a little compromise. Instead of launching him into space, we would launch him "over the hill" with a celebration that is "out of this world".
After the guests were welcomed with "Greetings earthlings", they were introduced to the costumed guests and then voted for best male and female costume. Two sets of Star Trek couples arrived in matching red or blue shirts and black pants with appropriate emblems and stripes.
I had hoped our family members would each choose costumes that complemented one another, yet we each had very different ideas. My husband is a huge science fiction buff, so he chose to dress as Arthur Dent, the main character from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Since my husband wanted to go to outer space, I thought I should dress as the wife of a famous astronaut. Mom had a dress she wore in 1969, the year Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, so I went as Jan Armstrong circa 1969. Jan had very short dark hair, so I kept my hair darker than usual and tried to put my hair into a faux bob. Our daughter wore my confirmation gown from my middle school days, carried a Nerf gun, and styled her hair to look like Princess Leia. Our son initially dressed as Buzz Lightyear, but he transformed into an Angry Bird from outer space by the end of the party.
We converted our music room into a planetarium using our son's Star Wars planetarium night light. This darkened room had the Star Wars galaxy lit up across the ceiling. The kids set out their Melissa & Doug solar system floor puzzle as an activity for the children to do under the light of the starry sky (aka ceiling). This room also served as a sleeping area for infant earthlings. Unfortunately, I do not have any photos of the planetarium.
The most amusing game of the evening was Spaceteam, a virtual space game that guests downloaded onto their smart phones or tablets. Each guest's digital device served as a space ship console with hilarious buttons and controls. Commands appeared on the screen but each player's console was different, so players would shout out the command and whoever had the control on their display would have to activate the command before it was too late. When entering an asteroid belt, players would have to shake or flip their devices over. Watching them yell at each other as they all worked together to man the spacecraft was funny indeed. Again, I failed to take photos since I was too busy chatting with guests, but I do have a short video clip I took of the kids, my husband, and my brother playing this game at my parents' home during our Easter visit.
Favors included inflatable space shuttles, space shuttle gliders and pop-up aliens for the kids and special symbolic gifts for the adults. Prizes were baskets filled with space food, including freeze dried ice-cream which was quite popular during my youth but very difficult to find today. Thankfully, you can buy almost anything on Ebay.
I outsourced the cake to my most creative and talented friend. She baked him a UFO cake complete with battery powered landing lights, chemical tube lights, and candles that burned different colored flames to match the color of the candle.
The birthday boy requested junk food like you might find at a football bowl game party.
Alien cupcakes
Cheesy star
clusters
Virgo's veggies
Cosmic
cookies
Chips &
the big dipper
Sausage satellites
Butter bolides
Blueberry
& vanilla almond asteroids
Saturn’s Rings de la onion
Nutty moon
rocks
Lunar lemon
tea
Galactic
sweet tea
Chicken & bacon space stations
Celestial
chicken
Pretzular
perturbations
Flying saucer
pizzas
Milky ways
Mozzarella
marinara meteors
Jupiter Sharp cheddar Cheese ball with almonds
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
1000 Gifts (Part 14): Spring Break Science
During the kids' spring break from school, they got to observe God's handiwork through His magnificent creation. The week was filled with fun scientific observations which give glory to Creator God. Father, we thank you for....
220. Your provision for the lowliest of creatures, even the reptiles, so we can trust You to tend to our needs in ways greater than we could possibly imagine.
During spring break, we conducted the arduous seasonal process of changing out the kids' closets. We gave away, donated, sold, or threw away winter clothing they had outgrown and restocked their closets with larger spring/summer clothing that should fit them over the next few months. At the same time, the lizards on our front porch went through the molting process designed by God in which they shed their old skin which has grown too small for them as larger, new skin forms underneath.
We also had the privilege of attending a field trip with our homeschool co-op. It was the first and only field trip we could attend this year due to school scheduling conflicts. This field trip took us an hour away deep into the rural outskirts of a nearby suburb to the home of a kind man with a huge heart for petrology, an enormous rock collection, and a head filled with a gazillion rock facts, many of which he gladly shared with us. He led each student through a rock classification exercise and generously gave out the supplies and rocks from his collection for the students to keep. We were late arriving to his home because my rear driver side tire went flat during our journey there, but he kindly helped us catch up on the presentation.
221. God's brilliant design in preserving His marvelous creation in sedimentary rock layers
222. Evidences of Biblical truth found throughout the many rock layers across the earth, especially the rich fossil layer which point directly to the world wide flood
223. The enormous variety and intrinsic beauty buried within each rock formation.
224. Orchestrating my husband's arrival to rescue us as we were stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire just in time to allow us to get there in time to hear the best parts of the rock presentation
225. This kind man's willingness to invest so much of his time into sharing his passion and knowledge with others
We also took a family trip to a wild animal conservatory during spring break. After adding a bunny to our family, we've been learning how prey animals think and behave in order to best connect with our bunny and allay any fears he may have of us. Conversely, at this private conservatory, we learned how predators act and what movements resemble prey to them. The tour was extremely educational, but considering that almost every large cat we saw was sleeping, the kids did not get to see how ferocious wild cats can be when all their needs are not met so meticulously. These cats were very comfortable there, evidenced by the way many of them slept with their belly (an all their vital organs) facing upward.
229. The unity and strength found within a pride of lions as each member fulfills his/her role
230. The commitment of this private organization to providing a
safe, comfortable, natural habitat for each of these rescue animals
while educating the public, all without government funding
231. Generous donors who make this effort to be effective stewards over all of God's creation possible
220. Your provision for the lowliest of creatures, even the reptiles, so we can trust You to tend to our needs in ways greater than we could possibly imagine.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6)
During spring break, we conducted the arduous seasonal process of changing out the kids' closets. We gave away, donated, sold, or threw away winter clothing they had outgrown and restocked their closets with larger spring/summer clothing that should fit them over the next few months. At the same time, the lizards on our front porch went through the molting process designed by God in which they shed their old skin which has grown too small for them as larger, new skin forms underneath.
221. God's brilliant design in preserving His marvelous creation in sedimentary rock layers
222. Evidences of Biblical truth found throughout the many rock layers across the earth, especially the rich fossil layer which point directly to the world wide flood
223. The enormous variety and intrinsic beauty buried within each rock formation.
224. Orchestrating my husband's arrival to rescue us as we were stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire just in time to allow us to get there in time to hear the best parts of the rock presentation
225. This kind man's willingness to invest so much of his time into sharing his passion and knowledge with others
The next morning, the kids woke me up before my alarm went off eagerly asking me for permission to go dig up rocks in our back yard.
We also took a family trip to a wild animal conservatory during spring break. After adding a bunny to our family, we've been learning how prey animals think and behave in order to best connect with our bunny and allay any fears he may have of us. Conversely, at this private conservatory, we learned how predators act and what movements resemble prey to them. The tour was extremely educational, but considering that almost every large cat we saw was sleeping, the kids did not get to see how ferocious wild cats can be when all their needs are not met so meticulously. These cats were very comfortable there, evidenced by the way many of them slept with their belly (an all their vital organs) facing upward.
226. The majestic beauty of all wild animals
227. The perfect balance found in the natural order of the food chain
228. The interesting way those bizarre looking binturongs maintain the tropical rain forest
How wonderfully creative and omniscient is our Creator. These binturongs play a vital role in the rain forest by simply eating the fruit from these rain forest trees and then excreting the seeds together with the right mixture of nutrients added during the digestive process to replant the trees that provide the rich canopy supporting all life beneath it.
229. The unity and strength found within a pride of lions as each member fulfills his/her role
Similarly, in the human family, when the husband fulfills his role as spiritual leader, and the woman serves as his helper in a Proverbs 31 way with the children showing respect to their parents, then the family will stay strong and united, prospering according to God's perfect plan.
 |
| That old tiger tried to look ferocious, and I suppose those nasty yellow teeth would be a dentist's worst nightmare. |
231. Generous donors who make this effort to be effective stewards over all of God's creation possible
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