Sweet! Keeping Christmas Nov. 30, 2012

Tonight my youngest daughter and I had a dreamy Mom-and-daughter date.

She desperately wanted to shop for her secret Santa sister. So, when the big girls were off to a birthday sleepover, A kept the boys at home doing man things like wrestling and eating cereal for dinner.

MJ and I got a hot chocolate, hit the shops, split a dinner at the restaurant of her choice, went to the village at Sandhills to find the new cupcake store that opened 14 days ago. As we circled around trying to find it, we saw a horse and carriage. I literally dumped my purse out in my car to see what kind of cash I could muster up, but it turns out that rides were only $3 for adults and $2 for kids. I was so happy! I thought of the carriage that drove A and I away from our wedding reception. I thought of our ride through Central Park on our 10th anniversary. I was happy to snuggle up with my littlest girl and ride behind Prince Charming (the horse). I felt sorry for the 15 people who had chosen to cram themselves on a little train ride instead. For 15 minutes we were princesses clippity-clopping through twinkle lights. I did manage to restrain the urge to wave, however, as little eyes looked up at us.

Thank you God for dreamy moments in the midst of laundry days.

 

Keeping Christmas- November 29, 2012

Children are a gift from The Lord.

Psalm 127:3

This lollipop won in an AWANAS competition at church was the source of all kinds of envy in our house.

A few years after using this kit to tell the Christmas story, my kids still LOVE hiding the story characters and racing around the house to find them before their siblings do. Christmas competition?

We use the story as a prompt to ask God what gift He would like us to give Him this Christmas. I'm thinking mine is perseverance. Holding onto His hands while sweeping up endless crumbs.

 

Mimi's hand-knit scarf and hat

Filth! We live in filth! We do sweep daily, but the winter sunlight comes in at an angle and highlights every speck as well as the large clumps of someone's snack.

I love the stillness of our house when everyone has gone off to bed and only the white twinkle lights remain.

 

Keeping Christmas- November 29

I love the season of Advent. Each day a reminder of God's love for us. Each day a little surprise. Something as simple as a Little Debbie Gingerbread cookie waiting in the car after school , or a cup of cocoa by the fire, or listening to the Charlie Brown Christmas CD while you do your homework.

In the fun of keeping Christmas, that lazy tooth fairy fell asleep on the job again. Will woke up this morning and said, "I got nothin' !" "Are you sure?" I countered. Maybe it's wrapped up in all those blankets and clothes piled on your bed? And sure enough, when I helped him look, there was a golden baggie with a golden glittery dollar and some chocolate coins that would equal 74 cents if they were real. (When you are a homeschool Mom, even a visit from the tooth fairy is a golden opportunity for practicing math skills!)

 

Jars of Clay

 

We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

I don't know that I've displayed any "all-surpassing power" lately, but I am thankful that God is supplying a spirit of perseverance as we plug along through November.

Jars of clay, humble, ordinary, easily broken.

You know how I am formed.

You remember that I am dust, O Lord. Psalm 103:14

Creating quiet moments to read by the tree

Super simple....playing (with the new electronics) in the dark inside a box in the garage

 

 

Another's Perspective

This is a picture of someone having an amazing climb in Italy.

 

This is a picture of my friend trying to learn how to rock climb at an indoor facility. My friend is fairly good at this. After one climb, my left forearm tuckered out and I was ready to watch the pros scamper up and down as if it were easy. I have newfound respect for those who excel at this arduous sport. Who has forearm strength? How do you grasp little smooth knobs when your fingernails are in the way? So much to learn.

I had the girl who was belaying us talk to me the whole time so that I wouldn't be nervous. As I was trying to figure out which handhold would be best, I thought about how great it would be in life to have someone on the ground with a different perspective calling up directions to me. Just look to your left and bring your left knee to your chin. You'll be fine!

How great would it be to have someone call up pointers on how to speak to your preteen so that she is inspired to clean up her room, or whisper a magic phase to inspire family harmony between the fighting boys.

I was reading in Romans this morning and ran across Romans 8:6

"The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." Holy Spirit, I invite you to call the shots today. Help me acknowledge that I don't know what I am doing and that I do need your perspective and direction as easily as I could acknowledge that I would crash and burn without some guidance on climbing the rock wall. I know that you're willing and waiting to help if I'll just ask.Fill my mind with your thoughts and grow my character so that I look more and more like you. I want to climb!

 

Birthday celebrations

Soon to turn seven....since some of our family will be in Latvia finalizing our adoptions on the littles' actual birthdays, we chose to celebrate this weekend instead.

The bigger kids turned green with envy when they realized that the littler kids had better technology than they did. So sad to realize that a couple of years quickly outdates you in the technology fields. "Sorry guys, they don't even make the model you have anymore!" Great time for a lesson on gratitude and contentment with what you have been blessed with and being happy for others. Hard lesson to learn at nine and eleven.

 

Hope for the future

 

Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

(1 Peter 1:13)

On any given day, I can be brought to tears by how awful we are and how badly we treat each other as the kids are grumbling about what is for dinner, or slugging it out over who touched whose things, or show immense ingratitude after a shopping trip. Then, moments later, I can be brought to tears in gratitude for how good and sweet life is when they choose to get along and do the right thing and serve each other.

I am learning to put my hope fully in Jesus, and not my parenting skills or the behavior of our children at any given moment.

Yesterday, we tried a new (yet old-school) discipline technique for sassiness (after checking with our pediatrician). The technique back-fired, and both of our disciplined kids were smirking because it was not as awful as we'd imagined. Back to the drawing board. Parenting each child is somewhat of an experiment.

We lean heavily on the hope that they will turn out as decent human beings with God's help and through no genius of our own. When they are awful, it is not our fault. And when they are wonderful, it has nothing to do with our parenting skills, blood, sweat, and tears. We do not know what to do but we rely on you!

(2 Chronicles 20:12)

Letting the kids decorate this year, and living with the less-than-perfect results. This is truly a growth step for me, although I may sneak behind them and rearrange a few things when they are sleeping!

Shhhhhhhhh.........

 

We are truly thankful

Happy Family, 2012

 

10,000 Reasons

► 5:43► 5:43

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

Nov 25, 2011 - 6 min - Uploaded by GloryToFatherGod

Bless the Lord, O my soul / O my soul / Worship His holy name / Sing like never before / O my ...




Let me be singing when the evening comes.....

 

"10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)"

Matt Redman

[Chorus]

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

[Chorus]

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger

Your name is great, and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

[Chorus]

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

[Chorus x2]

Bless the Lord, O my soul

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name

Lord, I'll worship Your holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name

I'll worship Your holy name

O my soul

And on that day when my strength is failing

Worship His holy name

The end draws near and my time has come