Monday, February 23, 2009

20,000

I have but a minute. However...
Word has it that women use about 20,000 words a day. How would our day as wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends be different if we managed our 20,000 words as if they were $20,000 instead? How would we invest them and spend them and save them if they were 20,000 dollar bills instead of 20,000 groups of letters pouring forth from our lips? For don't our words have the potential to have a greater impact on eternity than $20,000 ever could?

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Matthew 12:37,38
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Sure has me thinkin'!

Friday, February 13, 2009

He's Reading!!!!!!

It happened!!!! The switch flipped and Kaleb is reading! Like, really and truly reading!!!!!! I backed off, slowed down and lightened up on the outside while I sweated bullets on the inside (because backing off, slowing down and lightening up SO goes against the norm). And it happened! Almost overnight!!!! Suddenly he was reading the first page of Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Red Shoes. Then the first few sentences from Psalm 13. And now, just now, he came out of his bedroom, where he is supposed to be sleeping, Bible in hand and a huge grin on his face and said, "Mom, listen to this: "In the beginning God created the sky and the earth. The earth was empty and had no form..." His voice trails off as he looks at me with those gigantically huge blue eyes, toothless grin seeking my praise. "Wow, Kaleb!!! That's terrific, Son!" I say, fighting those foolish motherly tears that crop up so unannounced! "I'm going to start in Genesis 1, Mom, and then I'll read right into Genesis 2!!!" Enthusiasm and an awed sense of accomplishment encapsulates each word. It happened. Just as my mom said it would and just as those veteran homeschool moms said it would and just as my heart said it would. He's reading...and loving it!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

A Bit of This and That

Things have been unseasonably (or rather, unreasonably!!!) busy lately. We had a bout of sickness plow through, hitting little Sarah the hardest. We're on the tail end of that, praise the Lord. Yesterday began the remodeling of the kitchen (it's the stove's fault, I tell ya!!!) so the busy-ness appears to refuse to relent, however self-induced it may be. Nonetheless, I am not too prideful to admit that I've longed for a few Calgon moments lately! If you find any up for grabs, would you mind sending them my way? Thanks!


A ballerina? A knight? Your guess is as good as mine!


I absolutely love the old timer on my stove. Love it!!!





This is what 50 years of grease looks like!



Two peas in a pod; er, basket!


In other news, I recently discovered Libera, a boys' choir from South London. In truth, perhaps it was a God-ordained Calgon moment for me when I stumbled upon them playing on the radio late one night driving home from Mom and Dad's. Oh, how their music soothes and melts. Just thought I'd share!

Also had a moment to take a Toothbrush Rug class with my mom. It was so fun and felt fabulous to learn and create. I'll have to post a picture of my 'trivet' when I get a moment!

AND...when I fall to my nightly resting place, it has been with Cheaper by the Dozen, bound in an old library spine, that lulls me to sleep. What a terrifically humorous and delightful read! Just what I've needed lately!

Okay, back to laundry and school and kitchen cabinets and dinner prep and .....

Friday, January 30, 2009

A Sequential Event

With bliss and excitement, Hannah relishes in the moment...
Only an ounce of concern as the count down begins...

Actually, that hurt!!!

But it's all better now...

Beautiful pink daisies, beautiful little ears, beautiful girl...

Saturday, January 24, 2009

My New Possession

I am so very, very elated to be the new owner of this old stove!!! After hunting, researching, and drooling over a plethora of pictures of various vintage stoves, I found this one on craigslist.My very sweet husband, my amazingly tolerant children and I tumbled out of the house at 5:30 this morning to travel north and scope this thing out! I offered the previous owner $150.00 and did a little jig as as it was loaded up in our truck. SIX, count them, SIX burners, three of which are large!!!!! And two, yes I said TWO ovens!!! Could I be more tickled pink? I sometimes think I was born in the wrong era. Honestly, if someone gave me $5,000.00 to spend on any stove I wanted, I would have chosen one just like this! Sometimes it just doesn't take much to make a girl happy. Know what I mean?



Friday, January 23, 2009

Pee on a Heater Bean Soup

So lately we've had some unpleasant experiences with children and poo-poo. This provides somewhat of a disclaimer for the event I'm about to recant for you. Yesterday, Craig and I and the children ran some errands in the morning. Before we left, I had put a pot of beans on to simmer and soften. Upon returning from our morning errands, Craig opened the front door with his four little ducks trailing right behind him. He suddenly stopped and announced with fear and trembling that something smelled awful and that the children should stay right there while he went and investigated. He said that it either smelled like one of the dogs had pooed in the house or that someone had peed on a heater (I'm not sure where that one came from! How often does someone pee on a heater in YOUR house?!?!). As I entered the house behind him, listening to his proclamations of stinkiness, I realized what it was he was smelling! "Craig,", I announced, "what you are smelling is your dinner! Yes, that smell that smells like dog poop or pee on a heater is your dinner!". What a compliment, huh? Craig laughed so hard I thought he was going to stop breathing and for dinner last night, we had "Pee on a Heater Bean Soup" or if you'd rather, "Dog Poop Soup". I bet you're sad you missed it!
P.S. Craig would like me to add that the soup was very good (I do believe this is his attempt to dig himself out of a hole)!

Friday, January 9, 2009

Busy and Blessed

We've been busy......


Celebrating Birthdays
Snuggling Christmas-clad Beauties...

Drawing Out the Surprise...
Revealing...

And Wiping Thankful Tears...

Noticing Winter's Wonder...

Donning Hats of All Kinds...

Enjoying Warm Baths...

Harassing the Wildlife...


Getting Up Close and Personal with the Pine Siskins...

Seeking Forgiveness for Harassing the Wildlife...

And watching Cinderella Read "Snipp, Snapp and Snurr"...

Falling back into the post-holiday routine, settling into a new shift with Craig's work, and continuing to pray for complete healing for my mother.

Busy and Blessed