WFMW: An Easy Workout

Recently on my homeschool blog a friend asked me how I found time for fitness when my kids were younger. Kelly Ripa was probably in middle school when my kids were younger, so she hadn't shared this idea yet, but recently I came across this great workout that my kids and I think is fun and which I think would be a perfect way to get in a good workout with young children around. It's the "Alphabet Workout." Mom (and older kids) can use a 5-20 pound weight ball and little ones can use just a playground ball. Mom gets a great workout and the kids practice their ABC's (or spelling words!)





An easy, inexpensive (arm-flab-reducing) workout that doesn't require a gym membership and can be done with kids... works for me! For more ideas, visit Shannon.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Monday Menu

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend! I didn't post my menu last week, but here are some of the highlights (for those collecting recipe ideas).

Bar-b-cups (My son requests these every week. Every week.)

Crock Pot Chicken Parmigiana (ALWAYS turns out great!)

Crock Pot Ham and Scalloped Potatoes (from FIFI but this is the same recipe)

Our mozzarella sticks from Deceptively Delicious the week before last turned out great, too. What a fun way to eat cauliflower! We're enjoying this book. It's got great recipes, but also a wealth of nutrition information and suggestions.

Speaking of nutrition, I might not always post it with my recipes, but all of what I cook works with low-fat, healthy choice, low sodium soups, broths, and mixes, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, etc. That's all I buy anymore, we've noticed no difference... and things are a bit healthier!

Monday:

B- jelly toast, bacon

L- Baked Potatoes

D- Quick Cheeseburger Bake (made with Bisquick Heart Smart)

Tuesday:

B- whole wheat waffles

L- BBQ brisket, macaroni, mixed veggies

D- Chicken Spaghetti, green beans, salad, bread

Wednesday:

B-sausage biscuits, fruit

L-roast chicken chimichangas (I simplify this recipe and it is SO good!)

D- baked fish

Thursday:

B- cinnamon toast, eggs

L- turkey burgers, sweet potato fries

D- leftovers

Friday:

B- cereal

L- YOYO (you're on you're own)

D- crock pot French Onion Soup <---from my FIFI cookbook, but similar to this recipe

Please visit Laura to share your menu or read others for some great ideas. Have a yummy week!

See? It's Biblical.

Since I received my little black Dachshund, Zacchaeus-the-wee-little-dog (pictured here with our German Shepherd, Haley) from my sweet husband as a Valentines gift in 2000, I have been positively nuts over that dog. It's almost not natural. It's insane. My grandmother once remarked that anyone who has that much extra love to give ought to have more kids. Well, alrighty then! (And, no, I don't equate loving animals with loving children, or having pets with having children and neither does she... She just represents those who might not "get" how someone could love an animal so much!)

I can be having the worst day or be in the midst of something impossible, and when I walk through the room and see my little Zac curled up on a cushion it is positively therapeutic for me to go over and scoop him up. I just love that dog. Being around him actually comforts me. And today, I found out it's IN THE BIBLE.

Just LOOK at what was in my Elisabeth Elliot online devotional today, entitled "Animals, My Kinsman."

"God meant the animals to instruct us. I am sure that is one of the things he meant. When he had listened to all the arguments and complaints of his servant Job, and all the bombast of his friends, he answered by the revelation of himself. And this revelation, beginning with the dimensions of the universe, the mighty harmony of the morning stars, the phenomena of sea, clouds, snow, hail, rain, dew, hoarfrost, ice and the constellations, wound up with animals.

What Job didn't know then was that God had already identified himself with one of his own creatures, the gentlest, most harmless little animal of all. He was a Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world.

I have often thought that that terrible ash heap on which poor Job scratched and shrieked would have been made so much more endurable if he had had the least inkling of that. He was overpowered, but had he any idea at all of how he was loved? I have been comforted, in the midst of what seemed to me like ashes, by the thought of the Lamb, and even (does it seem absurd?) by the unflagging attention and affection of a little black dog. For I remember that when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness he had two comforters--angels and animals. The record says he was "with the wild beasts," which I once took to mean he was endangered by them as well as tempted by Satan. I now think otherwise. The animals were surely no threat to him. They kept him company in his sore struggle.

When the impact of life seems about to break us, we can put our minds for a few minutes on fellow creatures--the whale, the bear, or things that "take life blithely, like birds and babies," as Martin Luther said--and remember that there is a sacrifice at the heart of it all. The Lamb became the Shepherd, bearing and caring for the sheep, laying down his life for them both as shepherd and as Lamb, and, in the end, the Book of the Revelation promises, "the Lamb in the midst of the throne shall be their Shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Motives

Last month I was listening to a series on Nancy Leigh DeMoss's program "Revive our Hearts." (As I recall, I was ironing. Podcasts are one of the best ways I've found to make the most out of time spent doing certain household chores. By the time I've ironed a week's worth of clothes or scrubbed the kitchen, I've heard some wise, wise words... and the time really flies!) The programs I heard were a replay of a program featuring the late Ray Ortlund, who had been Nancy's pastor while she was in college. The week's program was an interview with him and his wife, Anne. It was so interesting. During it, they mentioned his book Lord, Make My Life A Miracle. I picked it up on Amazon pretty cheaply (I saw it there today for a penny!) and since it is quite small I've stuck it in my purse. This week during our marathon of doctor visits to get all of our physicals I was glad to have it with me. (It doesn't draw quite as much attention as I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla and it fits into my purse better than Systematic Theology!)

In the second chapter he discusses being "God-centered" and how to practice God's presence throughout everyday. He quoted one of my favorite verses:

"Isaiah 26:3 says this to us, 'Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee.' That's practicing the Presence my friend. That's holding God in central place in your heart."

Just when I was mentally nodding my head in agreement and thinking about how much I love that verse, he went on to make what I think is an excellent point, and one that I needed to read:

"And here's another snare: even as we think about being God-centered, our tendency is to want it "for me"- so I can have this "perfect peace"- and "I" am still in the center! I want the experience because it will make me a top-quality, grade-A Christian on the top of the pile- and at that point God is not attended to and waited upon and sought for what He is. Oh, our motives, our motives."

I have been startled as I have been working through the questions in Martha Peace's book, Attitudes of a Transformed Heart, how much I have been influenced by the "Man Most High" theology that has subtly (and sometimes not-so-subtly) permeated much of what is being taught today. This quote from Ortlund's book highlights that. So much of the time, we are seeking God for what He can do for us... to meet our need to feel worthy or significant, or to feel better or be happier. I know I have done this. I know at times I still do this! Oh, my motives, my motives.

I'll close with a quote from Peace:

"What about you? Are you seeking to use God so you can feel better, be happy, and be somebody special or of worth or are you seeking to glorify Daniel's "great God Most High?" How you grow and mature as a Christian is at stake. Last and most important of all, the glory and honor of God is at stake. "

A "New" Movie

My son and I found this today and laughed our heads off!

Questions, questions...

Good morning!

Things are pretty well humming around here this morning, so I decided to pour a fresh cup of coffee and update my blog. I know that what we had for dinner last week remains to be fascinating reading, worthy of being the top post for a week, but I guess I'll add something new.

I haven't taken much time for blogging in recent weeks, and that's a good thing sometimes. I've contemplated taking a "blogging break" for awhile, but what I prefer is to just blog when I can and if I can't, well, if you pop by and see that I haven't posted for awhile you'll just know I have given preference to "RL." (Real Life.) Not that my blog is not real. Not that you are not real. Because it is and you are.

Anyway.

I wish I were incredibly funny and creative. If I were, I would take a side-view picture of my husband and I, belly-to-belly, our shirts bulging with wads and wads of paper. Can you get that picture in your mind? There. Hopefully you've got it. Why? Because we are very much in the "paper pregnancy" stage of our adoption! Papers, papers. Questions, questions. Decisions, decisions. Discussions, discussions. (But it's worth it, worth it!!!)

A couple of weeks ago I took my son (11) to the doctor for his incessant cough. Neither of my kids is EVER sick, so we hadn't been to the doctor in years. It's been ages since he's seen the inside of a doctor's office. He was sitting on the end of the exam table waiting for the doctor and was observing every single instrument that was in the room. At one point he reached up beside him and touched the blood pressure cuff that was on the wall and that started a new round of questions:

K: Why do they have this here when they use the electronic one that they roll in on the cart? The one they had just used on me? Do they still use this kind?

Me: I don't know.

K: Why does this part of the table slide out?

Me: Because some people are taller.

K: What are these?

Me: They're called "stirrups."

K: What are they for?

Me: Um... well....

K: And what is this light that comes out of side of the table for? :::::pulls the light around, taps it like a mic, lowers voice :::: Is this thing on?

Me: Okay, please don't put your mouth near it, son.

K: What do they use it for? Why would they need a light here?

Me: Well, it's for if they need light, well, you know... If they need to shine light...

K: ... where the "sun don't shine?"

Me: Yep. That's it. Where the sun don't shine!

Aaahhh. The questions. Just like the paper pregnancy! We've been answering question upon question, shining light "where the sun don't shine" in our backgrounds, finances, private lives, thoughts, childhood, our family life growing up, all of it. That experience with my son pretty much sums it up!

We are all completing our physicals this week and then it's on to the home study. More light!

Speaking of which, the sun is shining brightly through the windows now and it's time to get started on our school day. Thanks for stopping by to check on us!

Monday Menu and Monthly Planning

After a few weeks off from posting our menus, I've decided to post it this week. I've had menu plans throughout the holidays, but during those busy weeks I had to prioritize whether I was going to do it or post about it... couldn't do both!

This has been one of those Monday mornings where everywhere I look around me there is something left undone. Little piles that need to be organized, chores that need to be finished, children that need to be taught! We spent quite a chunk of time this weekend working on adoption paperwork, so other chores didn't get done (and rightly so!) So now, it's come home to roost.

I can't tell you how glad I was, in the midst of things this morning, to flip open my "menu planning" binder in my kitchen and refer to my already-planned-out month of January to see what's for dinner tonight. I've never planned for a month before, but I'm loving it!

Here's how I did it. I sat down New Year's weekend and made a list of the recipes our family has enjoyed the most over the past year under these categories: beef, chicken, meatless, sandwiches, pork, fish, soup and sides. (I did this in Excel because it is easier to have columns and fill them in.) Then I printed a blank January calendar and filled in each week with 3 or 4 recipes, choosing from the different categories to give it variety. I've left room in a couple of weeks to plug in our US geography dinners (we're catching up on that subject in school... it'll be a couple of weeks before we're ready to cook again). As I come across recipes I want to try in the future, I print them out or write which book they're from on a sticky and I've been putting them behind my "master list" in my menu planning binder so I can use them as I plan future months. Also, my daughter and I found this GREAT new cookbook we want to start cooking out of called Deceptively Delicious (which shows you how to "hide" veggies in common recipes... so fun!) so I'm adding new recipes from that to my plans in the coming weeks.

I've never planned weeks ahead because I didn't want to lose "spontaneity," but now that other parts of my life are more nutty it sure has been a comfort to have a plan from a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure others of you have done this forever, but it was new to me. :)

Okay, here's what we're having this week:

Monday:

Lunch: turkey burgers, Flat Earth chips, fruit

Dinner: slow cooker chili (FIFI p. 39), corn bread, salad

Tuesday:
Lunch: mozzarella sticks (DD p. 91)
Dinner: Teriyaki chicken (FIFI p. 178), rice, stir fried vegetables

Wednesday:
Lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches (DD p. 135), veggie chips, fruit

Dinner: Mini meatloaves, green beans, corn

Thursday:
Lunch: tuna salad pita pocket sandwiches
Dinner: Leftovers

Friday:
Lunch: Lunch leftovers
Dinner: Tomato Basil soup (a recipe from my friend Mary, one of the best cooks I know!), salad, bread

Visit Laura for more weekly menus, or to share yours. Have a great week!

Candidates and Caucuses and Speeches... Oh my!

It's time, I guess. For many who are more politically-minded it's probably past time, but I'm just now trying to wrap my mind around the presidential race... candidates and caucuses, primaries, polls, and platforms... Just when I think I like one candidate, another one makes a great point and I think I might like him better. (Yes, I said "him.";) You certainly won't read any Deep Political Wisdom on this blog, unless of course it is me quoting someone else!

I'll start today with a GREAT quote I read on Al Mohler's blog regarding this whole thing. The entire post is worthy of a read, but I particularly loved this part:

"The rhetoric of the race -- and the rhetoric of many evangelicals -- is disturbing. This race is important and necessarily so. We are talking about the next President of the United State, after all. But evangelicals have invested far too much hope in the political process. No government can make people good, transform humanity, or eliminate sin. The political sphere is important, but never ultimate. Jesus Christ is Lord -- and He will be Lord regardless of who sits in the Oval Office."

Amen and amen!!

No Hurry

Well, apparently I have been in no hurry to post lately! I realized this morning that "no hurry" seems to be the current theme in my life...

I have been in no hurry to take down our Christmas tree. We usually leave it up until New Year's anyway, but since Monday is Christmas in Ethiopia, we feel like part of our family hasn't had Christmas yet... If you look closely at our tree, you can see that we added New Year party hats, party horns and streamers to it, so it's lookin' pretty classy!

We've been in no hurry to get well, although we're all a LOT better. Everyone but my husband has been (or is currently going through) a round of antibiotics and various other drugs. This upper respiratory junk has been in no hurry to leave. I wish it were, though.

I've apparently been in no hurry to put "2008" on anything. I just can never get used to putting a new year/date on checks, forms, and other paperwork. Every. Single. Time. I have had to mark it out and rewrite it this past week. It's driving me crazy!!

We were in no hurry to get back to school this week. We did a few piddly things but we're hitting it full force on Monday. If I can finish our lesson plans. Which I've been in no hurry to do.

SO, apparently all the "hurry" which lead up to and carried us through the holidays has stopped. We're not hurrying. And (except for the health part) that's fine with me!

Post Christmas Puniness

Is that a word? Or is it "Puniosity?" "Puni-esque?" "Puni-ose?"

When I was a little girl and I wasn't feeling well, my Nana would ask me, "Are you feeling puny?" If she were here today to ask me that, I would have to say yes!

We had a wonderful pre-Christmas weekend. I had everything bought, wrapped, arranged, cooked, prepared, packaged, and tied-with-a-bow. Christmas Eve day the kids made beautiful gingerbread cookies for Santa before we went over to my father-in-law's house. We had our usual fun time at his house on Christmas Eve, complete with a Santa sighting (and Santa tripped the trap and got away, like he does every year... he's very sneaky!) Christmas morning we had a wonderful time here at home as a family seeing what Santa brought and opening our gifts, enjoying our traditional breakfast of sausage balls and muffins. Then we headed over to my parents' home where Mom had outdone herself preparing a beautiful Christmas lunch of turkey and all the trimmings. We went from there over to Luke's mom's where we enjoyed time around her HUGE tree with all of the siblings and cousins. It's always so much fun! But... BOY was I tired! In addition, my throat was beginning to hurt, bad. And I had a toothache. Always a fun combination.

The next day, I woke up feeling not-so-good, so I purposed that I would spend the day in my flannel PJ's, staying in and staying warm, taking it easy while the kids had time to finally stay in one place and enjoy their presents. I had put a lot of energy into the preceding days and I decided I needed a break. I had nothing on the schedule. I had it all planned out... and then the phone rang. It was my dentist's office. They had a cancellation and would I like to come in and let him get started on my root canal? There I sat in my comfy PJ's with my hair all up in a ponytail, thinking to myself, "You know, when I got up this morning with a sore throat, tired from our Christmas Tour 2007 (and looking oh-so-good I might add) I thought to myself how much I would love to go have a root canal today!"

So, of course I went. Not only was my tooth hurting, it really helped to go while it could go on our 2007 insurance. Meanwhile, the rest of the family began coughing and sniffling. I knew by the next day that I had a sinus infection for sure, and I have decided that a sinus infection with a side of root canal is NOT a fun way to spend one's anniversary (which we celebrated Thursday.) I wasn't feeling all that cute, but my sweet husband looked at me like I was anyway. I was reminded that that's one of the hundreds of reasons I married him. :)

And here we are. Everyone's taking their medicines and I am so hopped up on cold medicine and Darvo*cet that the kids are keeping track on a little tablet in the kitchen when they take medicine, so I don't OD someone.

Happy New Year, indeed! :)

This is JUST the most fun....

I especially love the ending!



(Hat tip to my fun mom!)

Welcome to Our Home

Welcome! I'm so glad you stopped by! Not much has changed (decorating-wise) around here since last year but I've taken some new shots from some new angles... Having this on my blog actually helped me this year when I couldn't remember how I had arranged some things. I just got on the internet and checked! (This year I didn't do a slide show, since I know those are difficult for my friends with dial-up.) I'm sorry if the smell of my Yankee Christmas Cookie candle faked you out... I haven't had time to bake cookies yet today. But I do have some great coffee...

Anyway, without further ado, welcome to our home!

This is my grandmother's foil tree that she always had in her home and then in her little apartment. I inherited it and it is such a treasure to me. It sits on the glass table in my entry way with the lights under it. Someday maybe I'll get a color wheel!

Here's the tree. From the looks of it I'd better log off my computer and get to shopping and wrapping!

This is one of my favorite new decorations, a gift from a friend. I love plugging it in each morning while the house is still dark.

Here's our big mantle. It covers one whole wall in our family room and every year this intimidates me! For years I did 33 candles of various sizes (one for each year of Jesus' eartly life.) This year I just did greenery and lights.

This is a rug I picked up this year. Everywhere I see the word "Joy" and it's catching my eye more than ever, as we have pretty much decided that will be our new daughter's middle name. I love seeing this rug with the little African chairs on either side.
Here is my little Christmas village on my cookbook shelf in the kitchen. I just love Dollar Tree!

Here are our gingerbread houses in the china cabinet, where they live each year. We learned our lesson one year when our dog helped himself...

I haven't collected the whole Willow Tree set yet, but I found this stained glass Bethlehem last year and I think it looks great with the pieces I do have.

My daughter's tree

My son's tree

The view from upstairs. Notice the sleeping Dachshund curled up on the couch cushion. It's his birthday today!


Each new candle brings us one week closer to Christmas Day! I just love this time of year.

Thanks so much for stopping by our home, and thanks, Boomama , for hosting us.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Catching Up

Have you had a good week? I hope so!

We've been caught up in the Christmas busy-ness around here, so I thought I would get "caught up" on my blog as well.

I made a decision recently to focus more on relationships, especially during the month of December. It has been a wonderful, "relational" week or so for us. As a result, I've had to play "catch up" on some housework and I'm a bit behind on my Christmas shopping (!!) but I believe God will bless my efforts to focus more on... people.

Last Friday we spent the day at a friend's house just being together. I can't think of when we've done that. It's been just forever. Our boys soaked up time running around outside together and our girls enjoyed chatting, making crafts and... more chatting. That's just what the moms were doing (minus the crafts!) I realized that day that I needed to spend more time just being with people.

Saturday Bethany and I headed over to my niece's "princess party." We both wore our tiaras and had a fantastic time being with all the other princesses. It was so fun to get caught up with my brother and his sweet family. The kids are all growing so fast.

We started our week "back to business" with school, after our busier-than-usual Awana night the night before. Tuesday as we were starting our day, my daughter said in her usually bright sing-songy voice, "Hey! Christmas is two weeks from toDAY!!" Well, oh my word. That got me going. We hadn't bought any presents! So after some reading that morning, we did the only thing I knew to do. Went shopping. (We ended up getting all of the gifts for my nieces and nephews, and one thing for my cute husband!)

While we were out, we saw some dear friends and we stopped and... just talked. There we stood with our shopping carts amid the shoppers whirring all around us, talking about our adoption, the mission opportunities that are on our hearts, what our kids are up to, good books, fun memories... The blur of holiday busy-ness and buying was interrupted by... relationship.

Before I could even get the packages to the car, my cell phone rang and it was my cute husband asking if I thought we could make it to an adoption meeting that night. He really felt it was one we should go to, and since my prayer each day is that he'll be directing us in this area I said, "Sure!" (while glancing at my watch, wondering how I'd get the gifts and groceries home in time to meet him.) Our kids enjoyed going to their Grandma's house and decorating her (HUGE) tree with their cousin and aunts, laughing, eating and enjoying... relationship. Luke and I enjoyed a wonderfully informative meeting, forging ahead in our adoption process. We stopped for soup afterward on the way to pick up our kids and enjoyed some precious time together alone to "compare notes" about what we're each thinking. I love time like that with my husband! I just love our relationship.

Thursday we went over to my mom and dad's house and helped "deck the halls." We had a great time looking at all of her pretty Christmas decorations and finding creative ways to display the many beautiful things she has collected over the years. The kids jumped right in helping Gram get out boxes and arrange things. My dad has a spur-of-the-moment business trip to Korea next week, so we listened as he was making his plans and learned all about what he'll be doing. He was in Korea for a year when he was in the army before I was born, so the kids listened to some of his stories and some of the Korean phrases he remembers. I'm so glad we got to see them before he leaves. And their house looks beautiful, if I do say so myself!

This morning we went to our church where they were having a Christmas shop for some of the economically disadvantaged people in our community. There were wonderful new gifts that parents could come and buy with vouchers (that they had received, based on their situations). We enjoyed talking to the people who came to shop and we gift-wrapped their presents for them and invited them to our Christmas Eve services. It was a wonderful time of being with friends and enjoying blessing others in our community. As I was wrapping Dora the Explorers, new tennis shoes, and bottles of perfume, I was praying for the givers as well as the recipients of those gifts. It was a wonderful time! The coordinators of the Christmas shop treated us all to Chick-Fil-A sandwiches for lunch and we got to enjoy chatting with friends we haven't seen in awhile. Such fun relationships!

As I type this I can hear the chatter coming from my daughter's room... Her sweet friends who are "missionary kids" in China are staying with us for the weekend. What a treat! I can hear laughter, expressive conversation, and the strumming of a guitar. Across the room from me, my son and husband are playing a fun game of Yahtzee. The sounds of relationship are all around me and I just love it!

We've been lighting our advent candle each night and enjoying focusing on the most important relationship of all, and the One who makes all of these other relationships possible.

Isn't this a wonderful season?

Menu Monday

Well, it's Monday again! I haven't posted since last Monday, when my mind was too full of our adoption news to post anything else... including our menu. And I haven't posted anything in a week because we've been happily busy with all the stuff of the season. I say "happily"... but let me share with you the verse that hit me square between the eyes this morning:

"Be hospitable to one another without complaint."

1 Peter 4:9

We hosted our annual Awana Leader Christmas Dinner last night, and had the Christmas party for the leaders' kids who are school-aged. I spent last week gathering goody-bag goodies, craft materials, etc. for the kids party and door prizes and decorations for the "grown-up" party. We ended up with close to 150 adults and about 80 kids. That's a lot of folks! And, I have to admit... I was a bit stressed. And yesterday when we had to leave the house and miss yet another Cowboy game, on a cold and semi-rainy afternoon when it would've been so much more comfy to stay in and stay warm, I have to admit... I complained. Maybe not with words but in my stressed-out attitude. I don't know if anyone (besides my family) could tell, but that doesn't matter. God knew. He would know no matter how I behaved outwardly, for He hears the unspoken complaints of the heart.

Why did I share this today, on "Menu Plan Monday?" Because menus involve serving those who share your table, whether or not they live in your home, and whether or not that table is in your home. And serving food, whether at home, taking something to a potluck, delivering Christmas goodies to a school party, or having a large catered dinner, involves hospitality. And showing hospitality, I'm finding, is a privilege. It's a chance to receive others in Jesus' name, and to show Christ's love to others, thereby showing love to Christ Himself. I've been convicted today of how I sometimes treat hospitality as a chore, and I don't want to do that. That was a good reminder for me this morning as we are smack in the middle of the Christmas season. By His grace, there are still plenty more opportunities for me to cheerfully be hospitable in the coming weeks!

For our menu for this week, we're having a Geography dinner catch-up (which is SO not a problem for me since we're in the south... it's how we eat anyway!)

Monday: Chicken and dumplings (Mississippi)

Tuesday: Roast with all the fixin's, peach cobbler (Georgia)

Wednesday: Hoppin' John (Tennessee)

Thursday: Taco Soup

Friday: Leftovers

Visit Laura for more menus, and have a great week!

Some Fun News

There are a couple of pictures I neglected to post from our Thanksgiving camping trip, but now I think it's time...

This is a picture of one of the most memorable things we did. Here we are, filling out the paperwork to begin the process to adopt a little girl from Africa!!!!!


Our kids are so, so excited. Our son watched his Dad fill out the papers, and as we were driving home a couple of days later he was at the table reading and re-reading them!

We've spent the past week telling our family, our praying friends (who knew this was something we were moving toward), and this weekend we told our Sunday School class. I was wondering when I should post it on my blog, and this morning when I saw the People Group of the Day (in my sidebar), I took it as a "sign" that it was time to tell the news to my dear blogging friends!

This is something we have been praying about for some time. I can't say we always knew we would adopt, or even that it is something we have always wanted. This is just one example of all the ways God has been working in our family over the years, transforming us by His grace. I looked it up in my daily Bible over the weekend and the first time I noted in my Bible that we were praying seriously about adopting was January 12, 2004.

I've got so many more thoughts swirling around in my head and heart... I go back and forth between wanting to tell everyone I know and talk about it with whoever will listen, and just wanting to "ponder these things in my heart." I've got so much to share about what lead us to this point and the unique ways God has confirmed that it was His will for our family, including which country. But, I've got lots of months of waiting that I can spend blogging about those things... For now I just wanted to share our JOYous news with you, and humbly ask you to be praying with us, whatever God puts on your heart to pray. As I mentioned during our most recent trip to China, the prayers of my blogging friends have been a lifeline to me. God is so good.

Have a blessed, blessed day!

Advent with Preschoolers

It's the first Sunday of Advent! I'm so excited!

A couple of people asked in the comments a couple of posts ago about what I suggest for celebrating Advent with preschoolers. There are so many great ideas out there in blogland and all over the web, and while I don't have any earth-shattering new ideas, I have written a post on my homeschool blog about what we used to do.

Celebrating Advent with Preschoolers

Oh, how I pray that today begins a blessed season for your family!

Come, thou long expected Jesus....

Asking Questions

Elisabeth Elliot, in her book Secure in the Everlasting Arms writes:

"One often hears people say, "the first question I'm going to ask God when I get to heaven is..." During His final discourse with the disciples before He went to the cross they were asking Him many questions. Jesus said to them, "Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything" (John 16:22-23). The King James Version says, "You will ask me no question." May not the sight of Jesus Himself in His glory make all our questions seem redundant, if not simply foolish?"

That's a great point. I, too, have imagined myself arriving in heaven someday with a long list of questions for God... Questions, that if I'm honest with myself, call into question His judgement or sovereignty in certain situations. "Why did You allow that?" "What was I supposed to do about that?" "What possible good was this situation?" Even Biblical questions. I have a list of scriptures that I just. don't. understand. and I picture myself plopping a Bible in front of Him and asking Him "WHAT does this MEAN???" But, the reality is, when I finally see Jesus, the Word Himself, I won't have those questions because at that moment I will be beholding the very fulfillment of Scripture.

She continues:
"There are not many new questions in our very human hearts. When I examine my own heart and find that I am tempted to say to the Lord, "Yes, but--" or "What about--" or "How can I possibly--?" I find that He has questions for me:

Are you willing to understand?

To rearrange your life?

To be healed?

To lose your life for My sake?

Do you want solutions or holiness?

Answers or orders?

The light of Christ or your own logic?"


What got me today was this quote from Evelyn Underhill..."It is only disguised pride that makes us fret over what we can't understand." Ouch. Disguised pride. I must continually check for pride- disguised or not- in my life. And even in my questions.

A final quote from Ms. Elliot: "God will see to it that we understand as much truth as we are willing to obey."

On this foggy Sunday morning reading these words has brought one of my favorite hymns to mind:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

Sure, I will continue to have questions. But if I hold them up to the "light of His glory and grace" they will be put in their proper perspective, and quite likely disappear altogether. And in that moment I will have just the tiniest glimpse of heaven.

Thankful Thursday: Matthew 6

"How great is Your goodness,

Which You have stored up for those who fear You,

Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You..."

Psalm 31:10

Happy Thursday! I hope you are having a good week!

I have loved my time in God's Word this week. Following the method I shared this past summer, I am now in the book of Matthew and spent this week marking chapter 6. As I read this chapter, the first thing I marked were the verses that describe God. (I always look first for what a passage tells me about God before moving on to what it says concerning me.) So, this week I've been reflecting on and being so very thankful for these truths about our unchanging God.

I'm thankful that...

• God is my Father. In this chapter Jesus repeatedly refers to Him as "your Father." I'm so glad He emphasizes that. I need to remember that.
• He is in heaven. (v. 1) He is in His rightful place. He is on His throne.
• He sees what is done in secret (v. 4) There is such freedom in knowing that He knows. He knows.
• He will reward me (v. 4) He will. I need not concern myself with the form that reward will take, but I can know that it is coming.
• He knows what I need before I ask Him. (v. 8) Not just what I want but what I truly need.
• He will forgive me (v. 14). He enables me to forgive others and offers that blessed forgiveness to me. What a thought!
• He is in secret (v. 18). His word says not only that He sees what is done in secret, but that He is in secret. He is there.
• He clothes the grass of the field (v. 30) and how that reminds me that He will clothe me as well.
• He knows that I need all "these things" (v. 32) He knows my true needs and is poised to meet them each day.

I have found such peace, stability and quietness of mind throughout each day when I stop and periodically focus on what is true about God. He never changes, and for that I am most thankful.

To read more Thankful Thursday posts or to link your own, visit Laurel Wreath, our sweet hostess for today. Have a terrific Thursday!

Our Week In The Woods

We had a wonderful week! The weather was crisp and cool (and downright cold at times) but as you can see, we constantly had a fire going thanks to my two resident pyromaniacs campfire attendants. We had a few rainshowers, but that didn't stop the fun. There is another family that camps there every year with whom we have become friends, and our kids all had fun spending time together playing tennis, playing Cranium and Catch Phrase, riding bikes, throwing the football and making s'mores. We enjoyed lots of time together as a family talking around the campfire, walking the dogs, listening to Christmas music and... being thankful. We didn't have a fancy Thanksgiving table, but each of us made a placemat using clear Contact paper, some of the fall leaves and some "thankfulness" scriptures that I printed.


Here's our table (we ate inside- it was a bit nippy!) set with our placemats and our five kernels of corn.
We used those placemats all weekend, it was great to sit down to a constant reminder of God's faithfulness, and to keep us focused on being thankful each time we came out of the cold and gathered in the warmth around the little table in the camper. And now we have some fun souvenirs from our "week in the woods!"

The past two years I have decorated for Christmas before we left for Thanksgiving so we came home to "decked halls", but this year Thanksgiving was so early I just didn't get to it. Right about now, I'm wishing I would have! Once I get all of our camping laundry sorted and put away I'll be dragging down Christmas boxes. Joy, joy, joy!

Which makes me think of Advent... which begins this weekend! This year we will be using the book, The Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader. I found it and ordered it this summer, and it looks really good. We have also enjoyed the Jotham's Journey trilogy for the past several years. They are currently out of print, but they are *so* good- if you come across any of the three titles (Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage, and Tabitha's Travels) you should snatch them up. We began reading these when our kids reached upper-elementary age, and they really hold their attention. We all have loved them. My son has already asked if we will be reading through those this year. (Amazon has some great reviews on them if you're interested.) I just love well-written stories and books that keep us focused on the true meaning of the season and cause us to s-l-o-w down, light candles and read together.

I hope your family had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday. Once I get my laundry finished (and before I fall headlong into the Christmas tubs) I'll take some time to visit blogs and get caught up on everyone. :) I'm so glad you stopped by!

And now, back to the laundry room......

Monday Menu

As usual, better late than never!

The laundry has been swishing and whirring all morning, and I have been working to restore some sort of order around here... Isn't that the way it always is after a vacation? (or most weekends in general!) We had a wonderful "week-in-the-woods" last week. It was truly a time of thankfulness for our family. I'll save all my musings and pictures for another post, but since this is a food-related post, I'll share a couple of pictures of how we ate last week:

This is a yummy beef stew cooking over the fire, my cute husband's concoction (oh, it was so good!)

And here is the cook himself (with his sous-chef by his side) making steaks, baked potatoes and garlic bread. I can smell it just looking at it!

As you can probably tell, it was a good week of eating for us last week, not counting our big thanksgiving meal! Here's what we've got in store this week:

Monday~

Lunch: YOYO ("You're on your own"... Mom's got her head in the washing machine...)

Dinner: crock pot bbq chicken, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, rolls

Tuesday~

Lunch: stir fry

Dinner: Southwestern Fish Tacos, black beans, corn

Wednesday~

Lunch: chunky chicken salad sandwiches on ciabatta rolls, chips

Dinner: whole wheat spaghetti, salad, bread sticks

Thursday~

Lunch: make-your-own pizza

Dinner: Leftovers

Friday~

Lunch: leftover lunch

Dinner: baked potato soup, salad, hot whole wheat rolls

I hope you've got a great week started at your house. Please stop by Laura's for more menus, (and it's not too late to link your own!) I'm so glad you stopped by!

Menu Monday and Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh, I'm JUST so happy. This week is finally here! And it's the week I've been praying for... a week OFF. Off of school, off of housework, off of the phone and computer, off of errands, off of ministry responsibilities, and off of kitchen duty! I know, Thanksgiving seems an odd time to be out of the kitchen, but that's where I'll be-- out! We're spending the week RV'ing in a beautiful state park in Oklahoma. This will be our third year to enjoy time away- just the four of us- enjoying time outdoors and being thankful, especially thankful to our sweet friends who are so graciously loaning us their RV.


Today I'm baking some of the things we love to take- sausage balls, banana bread, pumpkin pie and cookies. Dinner tonight will be a leftover buffet, and then tomorrow we're off! I've got my"camping style" Thanksgiving dinner all ready to go. I've got a smoked turkey which we'll do in the dutch oven over the fire. The stuffing is simply two boxes of Stove Top stuffing, some chicken broth, a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of cream of chicken soup in the Crock Pot (my kids LOVE this!). I've got another can of cr. of chicken soup for our "gravy" and some potato flakes to mix up mashed potatoes, some green beans and some rolls to heat up over the fire as well. (The "old me" would not have considered this a proper Thanksgiving dinner at all... I like the "new me" much better!) Take my word for it, eaten outside by a campfire, this is the best Thanksgiving dinner ever!


The rest of the week's cooking is being done by my fun husband who came home with this over the weekend. Yes, our menu consists of whatever can be cooked over a fire (steaks, hot dogs, stew, biscuits, and of course, s'mores!)

(Those of you with a more "refined" palate should stop by Laura's to read other people's menus or to link your own!)

We're also taking some ideas/activities from Family Life's Thanksgiving resources. I'm adapting the Rainey's "five kernels of corn" activity to also correspond with this reading. I'm also taking some scriptures on thankfulness so that we can apply those scriptures as they pertain to God's faithfulness to the Pilgrims as well as to our family. I want to also pray those scriptures- thanking Him in advance for the way He will be faithful to us in the year to come.


I'll leave you with some pictures of what we'll be looking at this week...

I am so thankful for you, that you stopped by. Have a blessed, blessed week wherever you are and around whatever table your family gathers.

God is good, all the time.

With Thanksgiving

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

I missed "Thankful Thursday," but any day is a time to be thankful, right?

Next week those of us in America will be pausing to give thanks. Oh, how I pray that it will truly be from our hearts! Lately I have been noticing that when I interweave gratitude into my thoughts and prayers that it literally transforms negative, sinful emotions and thoughts. I'm seeing now why Paul says in Philippians 4:6 that we are to pray "with thanksgiving." My prayers become what they ought to be when they are prayed with thanksgiving. John Piper speaks here of praying with thanksgiving and describes it as "the humble, non-demanding mindset that flavors all of prayer. Making requests thankfully means that we will be content and thankful with whatever God wisely and lovingly gives us. And we know that he will hear our prayer and wisely and lovingly give us what's best for us."

This week I am thankful for:

• a successful and safe business trip for my husband. He hasn't had to travel for business purposes in years (it used to be a way of life for us when the kids were younger) so it took me back in time this week to see him leave for work with a suitcase. :::sigh:::
• a productive week of school with my kids. I have prayed for a long time that they would each develop God-honoring diligence in their schoolwork and I'm seeing that quality really shine in them this year. I'm SO thankful for that.
• Bright, sunny days. The sun streaming through the windows so cheerful.
• a neat time with my brother last night. He popped over on his way to do a church service at a church in our area, so he stopped for dinner at our house. He's so fun! (And he didn't mind that it was "leftover night." :) I am so thankful for our relationship. He is so good for me!
• a long, late-into-the-night chat with my daughter a couple of nights ago. She is so precious. I love, love, LOVE being her mother. Typing that sentence just made me cry.
• dear, generous friends who have offered for us to borrow their RV next week for a Thanksgiving camping trip. They have no idea how much our family looks forward to that and how much it blesses us. The past two Thanksgivings have become some of our favorite family memories!
• my sweet son who I see taking on so many of the qualities of his dad. He sees what needs to be done and does it, whether it's load the dishwasher, kill something with 8 legs, or give me a hug. He's going to be an awesome husband someday!
• a full week (almost) behind me and a full day ahead. God is so faithful to give us things to do to be productive and opportunities to honor Him with the stewardship of our time. Each day is a chance to do that.

These are just a few of the things that have blessed me this week. I hope you have had a wonderful week!

Who Is Your King Uzziah?

This past weekend, we were privileged once again to worship at our "second church home," our African partner church. I always love going there, I wish it were closer... I'd go most Sundays, I think! I am always so blessed to be there with our precious brothers and sisters. This past Sunday was a little different, though, in that it was a memorial service for the father of one of our dear friends. It was a bittersweet day, as those services usually are, but the sweet part was so, so sweet. Not only were there tears shed and memories shared, but there was the added blessing of true celebration, African style! Never have I gone from crying to dancing so quickly. It's so good for the soul!

The message from Pastor Kwaku this weekend was so good, I wanted to share part of it with you. He spoke out of Isaiah 6:1,

"In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the LORD, sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple."

King Uzziah had reigned for over 50 years and it had been a prosperous time for Judah. The economy was good, there was a time of relative peace with Israel, there was the security that accompanies those times when things are going very well... and then the king died. Those who had looked to the king were hit hard, for he was gone. Pastor Kwaku asked a very powerful question, "Who is your King Uzziah?" I suppose that "who" could be a "what," too. To whom or what am I looking for security? I think it blew them away when King Uzziah died, maybe in much the same way as it hit everyone so hard when JFK died. "Now what are we going to do?"

What did Isaiah do? He went to the temple. He went into the presence of the Lord. He took it straight to God. He cried out to Him. And guess what, he saw Him. He not only saw Him, he saw where He is-- high and lifted up, exalted, on His throne, in His rightful place, sovereign over all that was taking place. Isaiah had been in the temple before, obviously. He had been serving the Lord. He "knew" the Lord. But after the king's death, God revealed Himself to Isaiah in a new way.

Are you in a time of loss? Maybe it's the loss of a person, a dream, or a change in circumstances. Anytime we lose someone or something significant to us, it can shake us. But, may those be times we can say:

"In the year of _____'s death, I saw the LORD sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted..."

In those times of loss, may we do what Isaiah did, go to the temple, going not only into the presence of the Lord but into the presence of His people. In those times of loss and change, God is ready to reveal His glory to us in powerful, new ways. And He will show us that He is right where He's always been: on His throne. We can receive His comfort, His cleansing, and go forth (as Isaiah did) in His power, forever changed.

Menu Monday

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend! We're jumping back into our weekly routine full force after a very full and fun weekend, so I'm a bit late getting my menu posted, so if you've stopped by from Laura's thanks for visiting me this far down the list! (::::waving from down here in 150's-ville::::::)

Here's what we're having this week at our house:

Breakfast choices:

breakfast burritos
cereal
fruit
oatmeal applesauce muffins

Monday~
Lunch: pita pocket sandwiches, chips
Dinner: pizza

Tuesday~
Lunch: chicken pesto paninis (my simplified version with shaved chicken and no peppers/onions)
Dinner: slow-cooked corn chowder (my family LOVES this!), crusty bread, salad

Wednesday~
Lunch: La Madeleine Tomato Basil soup & grilled cheese sandwiches
Dinner: Geography dinner night... We're in the southern states now, I feel so "at home!" Country Style steak and squash casserole (NC) and "Pea Picking Cake" (VA) from the EYWTUSA cookbook

Thursday~
Lunch: macaroni and cheese, fruit
Dinner: leftovers

Friday~
Lunch: leftover lunch buffet
Dinner: Chicken Enchilada Casserole (FIFI p. 190) , black beans, corn

Whatever you've got cooking this week at your house, I hope you and your family enjoy time together around your table. Have a wonderful week!

Stop by Laura's to read more menus (and do us "latecomers" a favor... start at the bottom of the list! ;)

I Saw What I Saw

I have often asked myself, asked God really, why He has allowed me to see what I've seen in this world. I have stood in places and have thought to myself, "I'm just a suburban American housewife... how is it that I have the privilege to be here, to experience this, to look into these eyes, to love these people?? And when I get home, what am I to do with this?" Well, the answer to that is still working itself out in my heart, as it does everyday. I came across this Sara Groves video that captures what I've been thinking. "I saw what I saw and I can't forget it...I heard what I heard and I can't go back...I know what I know and I can't deny it..."



There's a reason we all get to see what we see... whether personally or through someone else's camera lense. It's not for nothing. It's not merely for "personal enrichment." It's not just data. And it's certainly not just so we can realize how "blessed" we are as Americans. I've seen what I've seen so I can act. It's not real love if I just "feel" it, nor is it true compassion if I merely momentarily shed tears. What wonderful opportunities are out there everyday for us to demostrate the love of Jesus!

"Your courage asks me... what am I afraid of?
Your courage asks me... what I am made of
And what I know of love...
And what I know of God..."

You're Changing the World!

I have been loving Steven Curtis Chapman's new cd, "This Moment." Today as I was driving my son to drum lessons, this song came on and it really ministered to me. (I love "mom" songs!) I wanted to share the lyrics with you today and remind my fellow mom-sisters that you are changing the world!

(If you're not an iTunes junkie like I am,you can listen to a sample of the song or purchase it here.)


"One Heartbeat at a Time"

You're up all night with a screaming baby
You run all day at the speed of life
And every day you feel a little bit less
Like the beautiful woman you are

So you fall in bed when you run out of hours
And you wonder if anything worth doing got done
Well, maybe you just don't know
Or maybe you've forgotten

That you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

With every "I know you can do it"
And every tear that you kiss away
So many little things that seem to go unnoticed
They're just like the drops of rain over time
They become a river

And you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time

You're beautiful
So beautiful
How you're changing the world
Yeah, you're changing the world

You, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh, you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
Oh, I believe that you
You are changing the world
One little heartbeat
At a time

And you're changing the world

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know sometimes it seems like we're only changing dirty diapers...changing the TV channel (to something appropriate!)...changing the roll on the tp... changing plans... or changing our minds- and all the while changing shape! But this song put a smile on my face and a tear in my eye today as it reminded me that by God's grace (and with His guidance) I am changing something else, something far more significant. And that privilege is worth whatever changes come with it!

The New Person

I just love our God... the God of "new." A new covenant, a new and living way, a new heaven and new earth, new mercies each and every morning... He is making all things new!

The kids and I read this quote by Charles H. Spurgeon in our devotional this morning, and I just wanted to share it with you today:

"Christ has been pleased to make us new people. His saints are the "new creatures in Christ Jesus." They have a new nature...... This new nature is conscious of new emotions. It loves what once it hated; it hates what once it loved. It finds blight where once it sought for bliss, and finds bliss where once it found nothing but bitterness. It leaps at the sound that was once dull to its ears- the name of Jesus. It rejoices in hopes that once seemed idle as dreams. It is filled with a divine enthusiasm that it once rejected as fanatical. It is conscious now of living in a new element, breathing a fresh air, partaking of new food, drinking out of new wells not dug by men or filled from the earth. The new person is absolutely new- new in principles and new in emotions."

We are absolutely new! I just loved this thought today, on this new morning of a new week (in a new time-change!) full of new possibilities. We have a new chance to make ourselves available for God to do great new things in all our lives this week for His glory... to continue the new work He started in us.

Have a wonderful week!

Thursday Thanks

It's time for a Thankful Thursday! I haven't done one in awhile, but this morning as I was praying my heart was swelling with such gratitude that I thought it was time for it to spill over onto my blog...


*I'm thankful for my family. And when I say that I mean my f-a-m-i-l-y. The far-reaching, extended family that goes beyond those who live within our four walls or my immediate family. I was with them last weekend-parents, brother, sister in law, nieces, nephew, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins-by-the-dozens... I feel so blessed!

*I'm thankful for my forgiving children. Honestly, I blow it with them just about daily, and they are so quick to forgive. I am definitely not a model of "perfect" mothering, but hopefully a model of repentant mothering! I just love them so.

*I'm thankful for Iris, who not only created Thankful Thursday, but who also gave me this sweet award a few weeks ago and I just remembered about it!!
When I first read the name of this award I thought it said, "Math-letes," as in the math team I remember from high school. I thought, "Wow! Apparently I've really snowed them on my blog into thinking I'm good at math!" (I assure you, I'm not... though in true "I-can-do-all-things-through-Christ" fashion I am teaching Algebra to my daughter!) Actually the award states "Mathetes" is the Greek word for disciple, and the role of the disciple (per the Great Commission) is to make more disciples. I am beyond honored that someone would associate a word meaning "disciple" with me. Since this award has gone the rounds, I would love to point you to the blogroll in the sidebar of my homepage for examples of those whom I consider to be disciples. They inspire me every time I visit them. If your blog is in my blogroll, consider yourself a recipient of this award!

*I'm thankful for my husband, who is praying about some bold new steps for our family. I feel so confident in his godly leadership of our home, he has my complete trust and support. I count it such a HUGE blessing to have a husband who so closely walks with the Lord and listens for His direction. I'd follow him anywhere! (And as an added bonus, he's totally cute!)

*I'm thankful for a change in the weather. The cool, fall weather has finally made it's way to our little corner of Texas and it is so refreshing. "Summer and winter and springtime and harvest.... join with all nature in manifold witness, to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love..." Even the changing of the seasons is a testimony of God's goodness.

*I'm thankful for the godly, godly women in my life. I cannot tell you how inspired and emboldened I am by their faith. If you're reading this, most likely I'm talking about you. :)

*I'm thankful for the music I'm listening to right now. It's from the Classical Praise series. Y'all. Click on a sample and listen. If you love hymns and praise music and have an ear for classical music too, this will bless you! I found it on iTunes and it's become the soundtrack for my day.

*I'm thankful that God is in control... not me! I was reminded of that this morning as I read the name of the blog that is hosting this week's Thankful Thursday. Thank you, Crystal, for reminding us of this, and for hosting us at your beautiful site! Visit her blog to read more participants or to link your own.

Thank you so much for stopping by!