Around Our House

Last week/weekend the girls had a speech tournament. We had a wonderful time. They were able to give their speeches (the oldest two gave each of their speeches 3 times and the youngest two gave each of their speeches 2 times). They also got to see some wonderful speeches and debates. (Not to mention the fun they had hanging out with the others at the tournament - there were over 200 students registered, not counting siblings and parents. Lots of people, lots of fun.) They didn't advance to the next level, but they had a great time and have learned a lot.

We were really tired out after the tournament. We had 13 - 15 hour days during the tournament. Wore us out (although we enjoyed it).

Sunday, we were thrilled to enjoy a wonderful day of worship, napping, and getting outside to enjoy the beautiful spring weather. We all enjoyed the trampoline (and my honey enjoyed making us all fly a bit higher). :)

(Gotta admit that the look on my face really made us all laugh. I don't think I was that scared!?!) ;)

Have a great week!

Another Giveaway

Another giveaway I found:
Life in a Shoe (a blog that I love to read) has information about Vision Forum's upcoming webinar. It looks wonderful - great speakers: Doug Phillips, Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr., Dr. John Morris, Dr. George Grant, Douglas Bond, Kevin Swanson, and Dr. Voddie Baucham. If you follow the link, you'll find more information about the speakers, the topics, and how the webinar works (basically, I believe they'll air them once a week). Best of all, she's offering a giveaway for registration to this webinar. If you're interested, go check out her blog and post a comment to enter.
Enjoy! :)

LAF/Beatiful Womanhood Site

On my sidebar, I have a link for Ladies Against Feminism. It's a site with great, thought provoking articles related to Biblical womanhood that I've really enjoyed.
The site has undergone a renovation and is now opened as LAF/Beautiful Womanhood.
They already have some great articles on the site along with some wonderful giveaways. I'd encourage you to check them out.
Enjoy. :)

Life Around Our House

We had a great weekend.

Saturday, the first day of spring, was a fun day. The oldest two girls had a Word of Life competition with their youth group. They had a great time. They both competed in piano and the oldest also competed in poetry, on a quiz team, and with the youth praise band. (She signs the songs while they sing.) While they were gone during the day, the younger two and I met my mom and grandma at a local park to feed the ducks and geese (who were not very hungry). We had a good time walking around, visiting, and using the playground equipment. :)

In the afternoon, my honey and I worked in the yard - 'bout time. We got a good bit done in a few hours and the weather was simply beautiful.

That evening, when the older girls got home, we all donned our p.j.'s and headed to Bruster's for a free waffle cone. (We are shameless, I know. We'll wear just about anything for free food. Once a year we dress like cows for free Chickfila and now p.j.'s in public for free ice cream.) ;) We had some sweet friends meeting us there. They arrived before we did and weren't getting out of the car until they saw that we wore our p.j.'s too! :)

Last night our 10 year old daughter made us a special treat for dessert. This year for her birthday, she's asking us to let her take cake decorating classes. Meanwhile, she's been teaching herself some things. She's been wanting to try a basketweave icing technique. So last night she made us a cake & icing from scratch and decorated in beautifully.

The rest of this week looks like it'll be busy, but fun. The end of this week we have another speech and debate tournment, but this one is local. The girls are really looking forward to it. It makes for very long days but lots of fun.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY... Monday, March 21st, 2010

Outside my window... a cloudy new day beginning.

I am thinking... I need to go wake the girls up and get started with our day. (A lot to do.)

I am thankful for...God's Word that sustains us, teaches us, and sanctifies us. "Santctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by Truth; Your Word is Truth." John 17:17 (Amp)

I am wearing... my p.j.'s. (Should fix that when I go wake up the girls.) :)

I am remembering (and praying for)... my little nephew, Eli, and his mommy, daddy, brothers, sister, and grandparents.

I am going... to be home all day (Lord willing) but busy. I need to make bread for the week, school the girls, get all the details of the speech/debate tournament meals I'm coordinating this week taken care of, and tackle laundry and house cleaning. (Doubt it will all happen today.) :)

I am currently reading... Never Before in History - my oldest daughter's history book that she'll probably be starting in about a week. (I'm trying to stay ahead of her. It's sure altered my reading choices this year, but I've learned a lot!) :)

I am hoping... that I'm able to not be distracted by busyness.

On my mind... hope my honey has a great day at work today.

Noticing that...it's not as early in the morning as I'd like it to be. (How does time pass by so quickly?)

Pondering these words..."I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]" John 16:33 (Amp)

From the kitchen... breadmaking and have to decide what to have for dinner. (I made tonight's dinner plan for a potluck yesterday at church. This means either taco salad or something else, but I forget what I thought of as a possibility yesterday.) :)

Around the house... laundry, cleaning, cooking, learning, loving.

One of my favorite things~ being with my family and good friends.

From my picture journal...

Happy Spring! (Photo credit - my 10 year old daughter) :)

You can enjoy more daybooks at Simple Woman's Daybook.
Have a great week.

Ancient Words

This month our church is focusing on how precious God's Word is - what a gift it is to us!
This truth has really hit home with me this year.

My sweet little nephew, Eli, was born and went home to Jesus a month ago today. His birth and homegoing have made such an impact on my life. Since my brother and his wife went to their ultrasound and learned that his kidneys weren't functioning and his lungs weren't developing very well, we prayed so much for his healing but, most of all, for God's will to be done.
My brother and his wife have been such wonderful testimonies to God's presence and His working as He's been carrying them through this.

Through this very traumatic time, God's Word has been such a blessing. I know that for me, since little Eli and my sweet brother and his wife have been constantly on my heart for months, so much of God's Word spoke to me about this at different points. From the beginning, when I happened to be reading in the gospels about Jesus healing the blind man and His disciples asked why the man was born blind - was it his sin or his parents and Jesus answered that it was neither but rather this happened so that God would be glorified in his life. (I read that just after their ultrasound and was encouraged - this did not sneak by God - He knew about it and would bring Himself glory through it.)

Then, a couple weeks before Eli's birth, I was reading in Mark 6. Jesus had just fed the 5,000, sent the people home and the disciples across the lake ahead of Him, while He went off into the hills to pray. The Amplified Bible tells us in verse 48 that Jesus saw the disciples were "troubled and tormented in [their] rowing, for the wind was against them". Jesus came to them walking on the water. The disciples were scared but Jesus told them in verse 52 "Take heart! I AM! Stop being alarmed and afraid." How powerful. Take heart - I AM - stop being alarmed and afraid. I kept repeating that phrase over and over.

This week, as I was reading through John, I came to John 12:26 where Jesus said "If anyone serves Me, he must continue to follow Me [to cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying] and wherever I am, there will My disciple be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him."

I was digesting that thinking - okay, I am not just to love Jesus and talk about it, but I'm to serve Him - put feet to my faith. And how should I serve Him? (1) Cleave steadfastly to Him. (2) Conform wholly to His example in living and, if need be, in dying. Also, I saw that it's not that Jesus will be where we are but that we will be where He is and God will honor us when we serve Him.

I read on to verses 27 & 28 where Jesus said, "Now My soul is troubled and distressed, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour [of trial & agony]? But it was for this very purpose that I have come to this hour [that I might undergo it]. [Rather, I will say,] Father, glorify (honor & extol) Your [own] name!" I got so excited! I realized that my brother and his wife are doing exactly this. Throughout this whole experience, their prayer has been that God would be glorified. That is not to say that this is not the hardest and most heartbreaking experience of their lives - it is. But they have been serving Jesus - following His example and He has used them as such a testimony. What a blessing!

It just boggles my mind to realize how amazing God's Word is!!!! Below I've printed the words to the song "Ancient Words". (It's also playing when you come to my blog.) Above I've mentioned ways that His word has encouraged me and my famiy through this very specific event. His word encourages all believers in so many different events in their lives. And His word has been encouraging His followers for centuries!!!! What a mind boggling thought. This morning in church as I was listening to God's word, I thought about people in ancient times and in the middle ages receiving comfort and guidance from His word also. Wow! His word truly is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). These words that bring us such comfort, such guidance, such wisdom were penned thousands of years ago and yet He is still speaking to us through them.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your word!

Ancient Words by Michael W. Smith

Holy words long preserved
for our walk in this world,
They resound with God's own heart.
Oh let the ancient words impart


Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength,
help us copeIn this world,
where e'er we roam
Ancient words will guide us Home.


CHORUS:Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you,
We have come with open hearts
Oh let the ancient words impart


Holy words of our Faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
Oh heed the faithful words of Christ.


Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world.
They resound with God's own heart
Oh let the ancient words impart.


CHORUS x4

We have come with open hearts
Oh let the ancient words impart

God's Handiwork

God is the ultimate artist. My 3rd daughter took these wonderful pictures of flowers in our backyard.

As you can see, some of these pictures are of weeds and others are of flowers currently blooming. I think it's amazing that God even made what we consider weeds to be beautiful. His beauty is everywhere! I never would have even noticed these had my daughter not had an eye for beauty and borrowed my camera. I wonder how much beauty I often miss because I'm just too busy.

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." John 6:28-34

May you have a wonderful day worshipping God who takes care to make the flowers beautiful and cares so much more for you. (Jesus died for you, not the flowers.) :) Enjoy glorifying Him today. :)

Update

Thank you for the sweet comments and prayers offered up for my brother, his wife, and their sweet family. If you've not read Jennifer's blog, I highly recommend it. It's amazing to see how God has been and is working in their lives and carrying them through Eli's birth and home going. It's been the hardest thing we've ever been through, to see someone you love so much go through such pain. Eli was absolutely beautiful and we are so glad He's in Jesus' arms. It hurts so much to miss him this side of heaven. Thank you for continuing to keep them in your prayers.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Something about St. Patrick's Day just makes me want to grab my green food

coloring!!!! :)

Yes, that's green pancakes and green tinted whipped cream. By the way, lesson learned yesterday, pancakes may look good but they taste awful if you leave out little things like the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Funny how something that seems so unappetizing can actually improve the taste so much! Kept thinking about the spiritual applications of that yesterday - I'm glad that we can leave to God what we need in our lives to bring about the sweet fruit He desires.

Hope you've had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!