Quotes

I just finished a biography by one of my favorite authors. "Two-Part Invention, The Story if a Marriage" by Madeleine L'Engle.

The book reaffirmed for me her strong christian beliefs. I am sure there are some differences in what she believed and what I believe. But I saw through out the entire book her deep faith and dedication to God.

Here are some quotes from her book that stuck with me.

" How can anyone even begin to have an incarnational view of the universe without an incredible leap of the imagination? That GOD cares for us, every single one of us , so deeply that all power is willing to come to us, to be with us, takes all the imagination with which we have been endowed"

"Whenever something is completed successfully, then we must move on , and that is again to risk failure."

Finally a quote she had saved and included in her book.

" They asked the abbot Macarius, saying 'How ought we to pray?'

and the old man said, 'There is no need of much speaking in prayer, but often stretch out thy hands and say, Lord, as Thou wilt and as Thou knowest, have mercy upon me.' But if there is war in thy soul, add, 'Help me', and because He knoweth what we have need of He sheweth us His mercy."

Contrasts

North Carolina, March 2, 2009

North Carolina, March 11, 2009

Keep your eyes open...

Sarah and one of the reading therapy dogs she reads with were photographed today at the Harrisburg library for an article about MaryLou and her therapy dogs. If all goes as planned, they will be in an upcoming issue of Dog Fancy.

Here is a photo I took several weeks ago. This is McKenzie, therapy dog number 2.

Trip with Gran

The children went to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden today with Gran. They had a great time and took some nice photos. Unfortunately they didn't get one of Gran or of S.

A lizard D caught and then released, (Thank goodness!)

http://www.dsbg.org/ is the website. Check it out if you're in the area.

One of the beautiful quilts on display.

A bed of Pansy's one of my favorites. Thanks S!!

What do you get...

When you combine a very creative 10 year old, an old lamp, some nuts & washers and time?



You get this:



S took an old lamp that was worn out and out of date, and made a new lamp for her dad for his side of the bed.

Now I want her to make one for my side, even though I have a perfectly good lamp. BUT I will move the existing lamp to the living room beside my chair where I desperately need it.

Reading Aloud

We have always read aloud to our children. David has slowly read through the Sherlock Holmes books over the past 4 or 5 years or so. He has (I think) 2 books left in the series. I don't know what he'll read then, but he as a while to decide.

I am currently reading "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder to them. This is our FIRST book by her. They have not until recently been the least bit interested in any of the stories. It was INCONCEIVABLE to me. These were the books I had cut my teeth on. These were classics.


But now they cannot get enough. After FB, I intend to read the books in the correct order. I don't know if we will skip FB or read it again when we come to it.

Reading aloud is something that I hope we will continue long into their teens. This family time is something that ties us together. Something that is a constant in our life when all else seems to be falling apart.

Yes reading FB is "school" but it is so much more than that. It is life, family togetherness.

How to clean a leather purse....

http://www.bzzagent.com//p/4502086568/swymm89

Good info to have. I'm sure I would have ruined my new bag if I hadn't read this.

Can anyone who reads this blog tell me how to format the posts? I have it nicely formatted, it looks good in the preview, then I post it and everything smooshes together. YUCK

Tough Days Ahead

Adolescence is tough. No matter how wonderful your kids are when the hormones start to change things get tough.


Emotions boil over.

Frustration levels are low.

What works one day is totally wrong the next.

And that's just for Mom. What about the poor children??


Plenty of exercise, sometimes helps.

Plenty of sleep, sometimes helps.


Prayer and patience are indispensable.




Sometimes you just have to seperate yourself from them and allow everyone to relax.

How does a soothing cup 'a tea sound?

A relaxing cd?

A nice SCREAM??



But I must stay calm and rely on the strength that comes only from above. This is only one stop in the journey.

Snow and Vegetable Soup

I have decided to start posting some of my recipes as I think of it. So today the kids and I made Vegetable Soup

1. Brown 1 # of ground meat, I used venison.
2. Add 1 chopped onion,
3. garlic to taste,
4. 2 potatoes,chopped
5. 2 ribs of celery,chopped
6. about 3 cups of frozen mixed veggies, I even used 1/2 of a turnip, then wished I hadn't 'cause I like it raw and wanted to munch on it.
7. Add 1 large can of V-8 juice
8. and 2 pints of broth, I used turkey broth.
9. Let simmer all day or afternoon. Once the raw veggies are tender it's good to go.

Daniel took this photo from our front porch around 7 this morning. He used the flash and look what it did to the snowflakes. I think it's very cool!

"Poor Mans Pot Pie"

I made a new concoction for dinner yesterday. And since I've been inspired by Stephanie at http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/, I decided to post the recipe.

Unfortunately I did not have the foresight to take a photo with my new pink pentax :(

4 Boneless/skinless chicken thighs
1 can cream of mushroom soup
garlic powder to taste
1/4 cup finely diced onion
2-3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
elbow macaroni



1. Cook the chicken thoroughly then shred and add the onion and garlic.
2. When the onion is cooked to your taste, add the can of soup.
3. Once the soup is heated through add the veggies and continue to cook stirring to prevent sticking.

Cook enough pasta to serve 4-6.

Combine drained pasta and the meat/veggie/sauce mixture.

Enjoy.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

The kids and I are going through the book of Romans using a study by David Jeremiah.

Yesterday and today we focused on Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.", and talked about why the gospel is offensive to some.

That led to a discussion of Martin Luther and we'll be reading a book about him as well.

Then during Latin, one of the vocabulary words was "via" meaning road. That brought to mind the song by Sandi Patty"Via Dolorosa ". So I searched YouTube. There it was. A very powerful rendition with footage from Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ"

But this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31urACOSS1o&feature=related is a group of teens/ young adults doing a dance to Sandi Patty singing. It is so powerful. I think it hit home more to me than than the depiction using footage from "The Passion" You tube can be used for so much evil, but this is so powerful.


My prayer is that I will not be ashamed of the gospel. That I will preach it to myself every day. That I will share it with my children and those I come in contact with. That because of what Christ has done for me, I will live for him.

This Christmas Season, focus on the baby, but remember He did not stay in the manger. He grew, and lived in a family and was obedient to his parents, and felt hunger and pain, and fought temptation. He died a criminals death and rose from the dead conquering death and sin.

Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I've been thinking more of how to be thankful in all things.

My Strongs Concordance lists 73 verses that have to do with giving thanks.

Ephesians 5:20 Always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 ...be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants of you , in your life in Christ Jesus

These are 2 verses that I really try to cling to. It is so easy to be thankful when everything is going smoothly. But what happens when there is not enough money to buy groceries? What happens when the price of gas sky-rockets and the lines to get gas are 2 hours long? What happens when your pick for political office is NOT elected?

We sang a song a couple of weeks ago, it was new to me, (I don't listen to the radio much). The words keep running through my mind,

.
You are God Alone by Billy Foote (2004) © Billy Foote Music/Integrity’s Hosanna! Music

You are not a god created by human hands.

You are not a god dependent on any mortal man.

You are not a god in need of anything we can give.

By Your plan, that’s just the way it is.

You are God alone;

from before time began,

You were on Your throne,

You were God alone.

And right now,

in the good times and bad,

You are on Your throne,

You are God alone.

Unchangeable, unshakeable, unstoppable,

That’s what You are.

You’re the only God whose power none can contend.

You’re the only God whose name and praise will never end.

You’re the only God who’s worthy of everything we can give.

You are God, that’s just the way it

Listen to it here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkjEscy05Yc

Enjoy!

What are you thankful for?

1. That this morning when the furnace wouldn't work, we had some alternatives to help keep us warm.
2. That our dear friends who move to Minneapolis blessed us with a couch a dining room table before they left.
3. That my wonderful husband goes to work every day to provide for us.
4. That I am able to stay at home with my children.
5. That we can homeschool and allow them to learn the way they need to.
6. That 5 hours after we discovered the furnace wasn't working, it came back on.
7. That the God who parted the red sea and saved Daniel from the lions den and raised my Savior from the dead , cares enough that the furnace is now working.
8. That my children love life and people.
9. That my children love to take care of the little people in our lives and of our elderly widowed neighbor.
10. That we recently celebrated 19 years of marriage. It gets better every year.

Birthday yarn turned into...

Purse & Cosmetic Bag

Crochet Tools Case