Feasting On His Goodness

141.  For 2 cords of firewood delivered before the first official snow.

142.  For marshmallows that I leave on branches in the woods for my 3 raccoons.

143.  For dinner over JoJo's dad's house
(our oldest is courting JoJo)

before we all went to church together Wednesday night.
JoJo is currently serving in the Air Force, being trained in structural engineering.
(we are very proud of him!)

144.  For a surprise friendship with a woman named Betty who is a recent widow.

145.  For Betty who is happy to have me for her friend and is quick to say so. Oh how much we love spending time together (did I mention she took 3 of my younger children for Saturday, while I was away ...)

146.  For a weekend away with my Knight (last weekend). 

it was our first weekend away in 4 years.

(without ANY children).

147.  For my children who took over the command with ease.

148.  For finding a new Italian restaurant we loved while we were away.

149.  For our friends Lou and Brenda that blessed us with their beach house for our getaway.  Lou has gone to a Bible study with my husband for years and years.

150.  For 
a man who will fill his pockets with sea glass & shells for me,

and waits patiently

while
  I snap what seemed like a thousand photos of the ocean.

Non-PAID Movie Endorsement...

   Just came back from

COURAGEOUS

RUN...

it will be out of the theaters soon...

Grab the man in your life and let God speak LOUDLY to your hearts.

*and I go to see movies once every great while...so this is from my heart and not from my movie frequent flier pass, that is encouraging you FIRMLY to go. 

(if you can't go with your guy...buy him a ticket and let him go alone...seriously!)

HONOR so does begin at home.

Christian Parenting....Fruit!! (part 1)

A little story for those of you who have time:

(it's a God story!!)

In July I began making jam, after finding some old canning jars that were too lovely not to fill.  I tried many kinds of jams and marmelades, then I moved on to recipes with rhubarb.  But my garden rhubarb didn't yield enough for my need, so I ran to several stores, but alas they had none.  The sun was beginning to fade across the summer sky, when I heard the voice of the Lord. 

He said, "Go down the road, to the house that has rhubarb growing by the road (in their garden).  Ask if you can buy some from them."

Okay, as my kids were in the car after an afternoon romping at the lake, I told them what God said to me.  I told them I thought it was scary and I didn't think I had the courage to do it.  Got to love my kids, they began yelling, "Yeah, LET'S do it!"

  So I drove past our street and towards the garden a few more miles down the road.  I wasn't sure which house it belonged to, so first I tried the one way in the back.  My 16 year old came by my side, as the others waited with baited breath to see what would happen.  No one came to the door, so I backed out the long driveway and tried the small house closer to the busy road.  

As I knocked at the door (again with my 16 year old daughter at my elbow), a woman came. She was tall and weathered, definitely poor.  I apologized (profusely) and said I was looking to buy some rhubarb, but wasn't having much success at the local stores.  She said, no problem she would happily sell me some.  She called to a man to get her a knife and a bag, he appeared looking very *biker-ish.*  

We walked around the back of the house, winding our way to the garden by the road.  She made small talk very easily and before you knew it she opened not only her garden to us, but also her heart.  She was undergoing treatment for cancer, it wasn't going well.  She was 50 and had already lost her first husband to the disease.  She had also lost all of her teeth from the chemo.  She hadn't even had a cavity.  

She said if we lived in an early time my visit would have been quite ordinary, people then were so different and so friendly with each other.  She said I would have come in to tea and we would have time to visit.

I looked past her current appearance and saw her beautiful heart.  I loved her deeply and her burden became my burden, as she passed me a huge bag of rhubarb.  

I told her I was a Christian and asked her if we could pray for her.  She said, "Yes, I am a Christian too."  My daughter and I lay our hands on her and we prayed as the Spirit had led us." We hugged and thanked her...and went home to make rhubarb.

 BUT

Daily we passed Miss Wendy's house and daily we began to lift her up before God.  Each of my children knew her story, each would remind me (who often was busy with where we were heading) that we Needed TO PRAY FOR MISS WENDY.  Many times it was our youngest (3) who would rally the troops into sweet intercessory prayer on the behalf of Miss Wendy. 

We began in July, now it is October and daily this sweet woman has been blanketed in prayer because of our willingness to step out of our comfort zone and follow the Holy Spirit...

(more of the story next time)

In Times of Trouble

Psalm 89:9                            

You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up,
you still them.

If life seems to be crashing in all around, then stop; still your anxious heart and focus on the One who calms the storms.  Put your heart in the hand of the One who calls us to walk on the water with Him.  Let's not let the things of this world put their weight on us, let us who are weary give our burden to Jesus.  

Prayer Request Sunday

Prayer?

Want it?

Need it?

Just ask, my hands are folded and I am waiting to join hearts with you, in bringing your request before our loving heavenly Father.

Don't be shy, there is nothing that is too small to hand over to Him and NOTHING...no thing,

too big for Him to be able to help you with.

Let's believe Him and seek His face together!!

Homeschool Preschool Alphabet Project

Homeschool refrigerator art...

supplies needed for this project:

A little paint, 

some paper (paintable),

paint (I used tempura black and white),

an old newspaper (to cut the upper and lowercase letters from),

some glue (a glue stick works fine),

 an old refrigerator magnet

and some googlie eyes

I took a look at a zebra coloring page I found online, then free handed our two zebra's.  My 3 year old daughter then chose to paint her zebras (we were working on the letter Z- so we chose a zebra) black, white and gray.  We let them dry then cut them out. 

We had some old magnets that had seen a better day (but you can buy magnet tape at a craft store) that I chopped and hot glued on to their back sides.  My daughter glued down the newspaper letters I cut out (with a little help and an easy peasy glue stick) and then she glued on the fabulous googlie eyes
(who doesn't love googlie-eyes!)

She played with them arranging them on the fridge for several days, while I reinforced the letter sound as she was happily playing with her cute little zebras.  

In my earlier homeschool years I would have gone in letter order, but now as an older homeschooling Mama I ask her what letter she would like to learn and we jump from there.  If she picks a letter she already knows the sound for (I am working towards letter and sound recognition to begin early reading), then I remind her she already knows that letter and that we should pick a different one.  So far it has worked.

She is so cute and so enjoys painting everything in sight.

a typical artist face

I saved an old zip up sweatshirt of mine for our art project days.  It is so easy to cover her up with and washes up with the snap of the fingers (okay and a little laundry soap.)

What a fun way to learn our alphabet and what a great way to showcase your child's school work!
When you are done, just label and date it and slip it into a plastic sleeve which you keep in a binder notebook.  When the year is done you can marvel at all you did and ALL you learned along the way!

Jesus and Prayer

 

This morning as I cuddled on the couch with a hot cup of yummy coffee and my Bible, I came across this passage that I probably have read a hundred times, but this morning the Holy Spirit showed me something new.

Luke 6:12

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, who he also designated as apostles...

What I learned from this ...

*sometimes when we have a big decision we need to pull an all-nighter with God (in prayer)

*God speaks to us with specifics, as we seek Him with listening ears and a humbled heart.

*sometimes prayer requires us to separate ourselves (a moutainside).

*which also tells me that wherever we go (safe place or not...I imagine going to a mountainside in the dark is not a place you want to be sitting alone with your eyes closed) you need to empty yourself of your fears and fully trust God.

*sometimes God requires of us (especially when we are making BIG life decisions) a bit of self sacrifice (Jesus prayed, not slept).

*Sometimes the answer comes very specifically by morning (this verse goes on to say the exact disciples that He was to call to His service).

*sometimes we aren't the ones who are picked, but still we must follow with a good heart attitude. (the verse tells us he calls disciples in the morning (many) but then only picks 12).  How often my heart has ached for not being 'picked' and how I've had to wrestle with this seeming rejection.

*His inner circle of servants were hand picked by God (following with abandon means God may give you more opportunities to serve Him in greater capacities.)

*a disciple is a student

*an apostle is a messenger

Isn't it funny how much you can pick up out of such a seemingly small verse?   

Oh how I love the Word!

A Word from Heaven (training our childen)

subtitled:

when your child has a rebellious spirit, 

but your prayer is heard in heaven...

I have shared over the past weeks that one of mine has been walking on the edge of a bitter spirit and a hard heart towards God and His Kingdom.  My heart has been battling for her and many a night has my soul been overcome with tears.

Yesterday God showed me something He spoke over my life many years ago,
when I was but the mother of two.  

Psalm 128 

My labor being this work He has called me to, mothering many.  I have poured myself out in this calling.  I take my mission to heart and daily work to train my children in the Way they are to go.  Early on we anoint our children to Him, we dedicate their lives into His loving hands.  We ask that they would know Him early (receive Him as Lord and Saviour of their lives) and would never walk a day apart from Him.

The good news is that there is a promise here for me in Psalm 128 (and for you too!)  I can trust that I will enjoy this task that I labor at...which is my children in right relationship with Him (and with us). My work is not in vain, but will produce good fruit.  I am not going to be discouraged, even when it seems that still there is so much to do, instead I will continue to battle (by prayer) for her heart and will lay my heart firmly on His promises to me.

the devil wants us to be discouraged. 
he wants us to quit and throw up our hands.
  he is a liar and we need not lock onto anything he tries to convince us of.  
he is the enemy of our souls (our minds, our will and our emotions).

I WILL benefit from the fruit of my labor...I will see all of my children walking with undivided hearts before their Lord and their God.  How thankful I am that His Word ministers to us, that it is active and alive.  Sharing this in hopes that it ministers deeply to your heart too.

Love Israel? A Virtual Tour of Israel

 Jerusalem

I was blessed by a sweet Jewish friend of mine with a link to this awesome website of virtual 3D tours of Israel. It is worth your time (especially if you love Israel), to go on these virtual tours of the Holy Land.

My kids and I enjoyed an afternoon visit to the Holy Land yesterday. It was an affordable and fast trip to a place where our hearts run free and our imagination is filled with days gone by, where Bible stories come to life!

  Hope you can find time to gather *yours* up and venture together to the land where Jesus walked...

Bon Voyage!

Hand Quilting

An old quilt top that sat too long in a box waiting for me to pay it some attention.  A sweet friend who edged me on to take it out and shake its dust off.  A trip together to the fabric store to secure all the bits it needed to get 'er done.  Encouragement and love poured out just for me.

Slowly working on hand quilting.  Pricking my fingers many times.  Trying to get used to thimbles.  Trying hard to keep my stitches small and even.  Trouble with bad thread.  Replaced said evil thread last week.  Also found a beautiful small block of bees wax, golden and beautiful that should help me with knotting thread.  

Hand quilting is something that takes time and patience.  Kind of like parenting in many ways.  I am reminded to go slow, to stick to the task given to me, to not give up or to loose hope~ that the job is too big for me.  One section at a time, as God gives us just today. 

Lord, as I hand quilt this king size quilt, let me make sure that in my every day that I am allowing you to be King over all I do or say.  Humbly I fall before You, with thimbled bleeding fingers, submitting all I have into your hands again. 

Speak to my heart and give me listening ears Oh my God.

Luke 8:15

"But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Cleaning Rituals

As I cleaned out under my kitchen sink the other day I found this very glamorous box of latex gloves.

I couldn't just toss the box, so I captured the moment for you on film. 

I can promise you that I never look like her when I wear them, not saying that to say I wouldn't want to, just saying there hasn't been a day yet that I am wearing red lipstick and patent leather slides when I tackle cleaning chores.  

Hmmm, maybe she's on to something? 

What do you think, should I change my ways?

Prayer Request Sunday

I'd love to pray for you this week...anything on your heart that you want to lift up together?

 

Feasting on His Goodness

131.  So thankful that I don't walk through life alone, but that God is always with me.

132.  Thankful for a daughter who sees opportunities to help me 

(like grading her younger siblings books that are piled waiting for me to correct them) 

and gets busy without being asked.  

*we are considering sending all of our children to Eyob at Emmanuel Children's Home in Waliso, Ethiopia to get taught such awesome servant's hearts.

 ;-)

133.  For peace filled sleep

134.  For my women's Bible study that started up (we are studying First and Second Samuel this year).

135.  That God helped me get through chapter one of 1 Samuel without crying. (As a barren women whose womb God did not open, as He did Hannah's, this is a hard chapter to study).

136.  For a sweet friend, Stacy, 

who emailed me to see how she could pray for me with my parenting trouble at hand.

(and also built me up in so many loving ways with her words.)

137.  For the Holy Spirit who counsels me. 

138.  For a Knight who bends his knee to tell me what

a wonderful mother,

follower of Christ, 

wife 

and friend I am...

even when the rest of the world seems to say the opposite to me with their words. 

139.   For a small silver charm that hangs on my neck that says,

" Jehovah Shalom the Lord our Peace." Judges 6:24

Which reminds me to pray for our daughter who is coming through adoption...

God has called her by name which is Shalom,
(it means wholeness, peace, completeness,

health,  safety soundness, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony,

absence of agitation or discord.)

In modern Hebrew Shelem means to pay for 

and 

Shalum means fully paid.

Sounds like God has both my daughter and my family covered in this adoption!

140.  For afternoon trips to a place I have called My Serene Pleasure, 
which is where my 3 raccoons live now. 
Yesterday we took them food
and left them a bucket of brook caught crayfish for a little late night snack.  

*Oh how I love the woods and this spot on earth that I feel is my own peace of heaven here on earth.