I just don't know...

I just don't know... I had in my head & heart what I was going to write about... but it just wasn't coming out the way I thought would best be a blessing... so hmmmm...  I began reading a book yesterday (surprise, surprise) called 'Raising Real Men-Surviving, Teaching, and Appreciating Boys' by Hal & Melanie Young.  This couple has 6 boys- yes SIX!  And educated them all at home.  For most Americans that would be total overload, apparently we've been conditioned to think that having more than 2.3?? children is a lot (though I've never met anyone who has three tenths of a child)... actually, the average number of children per household in 2010 was 1.9 according to wiki-answers, and no, I haven't met anyone with nine tenths of a child either.  :)  But seriously, 'children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward,  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.  Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!  He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate'. 
~ Psalm 127:3-5
How did we get so far away from this, even as Christians?  I hear so many people talk about what a burden their children are- even when their blessings are standing right there!  Don't get me wrong, parenting isn't an easy task, it takes everything you've got all the time to raise these sweet blessings, and we all get tired and weary... and sometimes we need to share our struggles we're having with our children with a confidante or two.  I'm not talking about the occasional sharing of parenting woes, but about those parents who consistently talk negatively about their children- their blessings from our Father...

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.  ~Proverbs 12:18

I'm so continually challenged by this as I tend to talk a lot, and don't always do so with the true intention of bringing life to those whom I'm speaking.  It breaks my heart to see children whose hearts have been hardended by the words spoken to and about them by their parents, though I know all too well just how easy it can be for those hurtful words to come spilling forth from the lips. 

Anyway, I digress... what was my point again?  Oh right, I didn't really have one, I'm just rambling...  Okay, six boys. Right.  That sounds heavenly to me- I wish the Lord would have blessed us so greatly, though I am - as Jon is -so very grateful for the two we have and the freedoms that come with having only those two.  But still, as I look upon those who have it easy and can 'plan' when they want to have children, or those who have been given a sweet 'surprise', that little twinge comes back, making me think, 'just one more Lord?'  though I'm rather certain that our quiver is quite full...  :)   
Rambling done...

Sweet Blessings...

I am continually amazed at God's loving faithfulness toward His children... toward Me- yes, sinful, selfish little ol' Me.  Sometimes He chooses to show His love for me via His Holy Spirit but more often than not He chooses to use random people in my life to bestow His wonderful blessings.  Today was just such a day... it was cleaning day at Mother's so the morning was a flurry of activity as I rushed to get everything finished so I could be home before my dear husband had to go to work this afternoon.  When I came in, Jon was sitting at the table looking over the latest plans he and Jacob D. had come up with (yikes!) and I happened to notice a pot of beautiful flowers in the middle of our table.  So of course I ask the obvious, "What's this?"  all the while thinking he and Jacob went to the store and picked them up for me.  Lo and behold he says, "You didn't buy them?"  Uh, no...I didn't.... I stood there looking at him with that look that says, 'you're trying to pull one over on me, yes you really did buy those flowers for me'... but actually, he didn't.  Enter Jacob D. hearing that we were talking about the flowers, he said, "Miss Brianna brought them over for Mom."  Miss Brianna is our neighbor, a sweet young (to me) lady who blessed my day with not one, but TWO pots of gi-normous begonias-simply lovely.  So, I thank the Lord for this sweet blessing today, He always knows just when His children are in need of a little pick-me-up...   :)

No Place Like Holmes

I am so excited to write this book review of  'No Place Like Holmes' by Jason Lethcoe.  Though written for tweens ages 9-12, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this detective story.  When young Griffin Sharp travels to London from America to visit his estranged uncle for the summer, he envisions a summer filled with adventure with none other than Sherlock Holmes himself.  But upon arrival to his uncle's home at 221A Baker Street, he is met with a big surprise... his uncle is not the renown detective Sherlock Holmes (who happens to live next door at 221B Baker Street) but a second-rate detective yet brilliant inventor named Rupert Snodgrass.  Griffin's strong faith in the Lord helps him to eventually win over his bitter, stingy uncle as they investigate together the case of a lifetime.  Now I don't want to give anything away lest you think you shouldn't have to read this book... I definitely recommend this to you and your children- I, for one, can't wait for my 10 year-old to read it!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Seasons...

As my dear children are quietly doing their reading time, I'm finding a moment to reflect on where we are and where we're going... I've recently stepped down from a leadership position that has consumed much of my energies leaving little creative energy for my own little schoolhouse (much to the dismay of my children)... there are a few loose ends that need tying up in that ministry before summer hits and as I was emailing the ministry director, I found myself in that role I so easily slip into, and it goes a little something like this: "Oh, and it would be great to put this together, and then this could happen;  it would be easier if we could do this thing like that and so on and so on....  I just can't seem to help myself!!  Will it never turn off???  When I get in mode, the ideas come as easily as the rain falls from the sky... I so need to put that energy to use here in our own little school... my husband keeps telling me I have that 'leadership' gift, quality,whatever you want to call it...I can't really see that, I'm so bad with people, that is, I'm good at telling people what they should be doing, but not so good at the relational side-which is what keeps people and attracts people to ministry.  Anyway, it seems good to not have the weight of the responsibility on my shoulders, and am looking forward to what the Lord would do with this that I just can't seem to turn off in our own family/home (maybe my dear husband will wish I hadn't stepped down- lol)...

On another note, I've been reading 'Stepping Heavenward' by Mrs. Elizabeth Prentiss (an e-book free to read on http://www.gutenberg.org/).  It's written as a journal begun by a girl-Katy- who has just turned 16 and walks through the next 30-ish years of her life/spiritual journey...  As I read this, though I don't struggle with the same types of things this 16-year-old girl does, her selfishness mirrors my own.  *sigh*  The Lord is ever showing me my selfish ways, and I so do wish that it was more natural for me to seek out ways to put my family and others first...  I heard a series of devotionals last week that centered on "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength."  This week I'm meditating on that particular verse, I certainly have been very lazy in loving the Lord as of late....

Gloomy, Grumpy Gusses...

Wow,  we've got a bad case of the Gloomy, Grumpy Gusses around here lately, and for no apparent reason.  Lots of 'he just wants to be first!' and 'Stop it!', scowls, furrowed brows and pouty lips.  But in any case, this is the day the Lord has made- even singing that to my precious lovelies didn't do much to cheer them up.  So, in the face of my beloved list of things to do, it's one of those days to take a step back, slow down, cuddle up on the couch and do a little extra reading from 'Little Men' (one of our favorite books).  There's nothing like a little cuddle time to cure the Gloomy, Grumpy Gus in all of us.

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! 

(Even if we feel like a Gloomy, Grumpy Gus)

The Truth About Dating, Love & Just Being Friends...

"I was looking online at some incredible photos of some of nature's most scenic places.  A ."waterfall in Africa, the ocean vie in the morning, peaks of mountains at sunset, lovey dove, blah, blah,blah, neato pictures, right?  But after a little while, I kind of felt deceived.  Here's why.  One of those picures was of a place that I had actually been to...So up on this mountain ridge, it was great.  Amazing views!  Unbelievable scenery!  And I'm glad I did it.  But seriously - and I'm not kidding here - it was some of the grossest and nastiest back country you could ever step foot in...The pictures look great... But in reality it was one of the most unnerving places that planet Earth could offer you...Dating can be like one of those pictures.  It can be great.  It can offer great views, a fun journey, and great memories.  But if done without care, intelligenc, and planning, it can also be treacherous."
And so it goes throughout Chad Eastham's book entitled "The Truth About Dating, Love & Just Being Friends."  In his conversational, witty style, Eastham covers the good, bad and ugly about relationships for teens.  It is salt and peppered with references to God, with no real Scripture mixed in and so would be a great read for those who are non-Christians and Christians alike.  Case in point, "It's good to be aware of other people and how they see us.  But it's not good to live our lives for them.  There is a huge difference.  I hope you will consider God the person that you perform and live your life for.  He is there to encourage you, not simply give you a score.  He's your number one fan."  - page 166.
 As a Jesus-following parent, I would probably select a different book on the subject of love and dating when my children get to 'that' age.

I received this book free from Tommy Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze Book Review program.  I was not paid to write a favorable review.

The 'Olden' Days

I absolutely love the 'olden' days.... you know what I'm talking about... the days beautifully painted for us in the tales of Laura Ingalls Wilder or Jane Austen, or Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and Little Men.  I dream about those days and have often thought & joked that I was born in the wrong era.  Of course, the Lord created me for 'such a time as this,' and has not mistakenly put me in the latter 20th-21st centuries.  But I still long for days of a simpler, more classical nature.  In my mind, I would be the wife and mother who never wearied of serving her family-even though she was maybe physically tired, who never was impatient with her children-even though they may give her 'reason' to be, who never turned away someone who needed an ear to listen, or a warm meal- even though time and food were scarce... I could go on and on, but I won't.  You get the picture.  When I visualize the atmosphere of our home and family, it always reflects the warmth of that era...  Happy children, patient, loving Mother, strong but gentle Father...  Mother patiently and lovingly educating the children in matters of Faith as well as academics, seeing well to the ways of her home, the family gathered around the fire after dinner and evening play time, Daddy leading evening Bible study w/ the family whilst the children are gathered in his lap w/ Mother sewing/crocheting/knitting in her chair... (notice the lack of intense media input here?)  Honestly, the atmosphere painted in the book Little Men is exactly what I've always envsioned my life to look like, right down to the scads of boys sliding down the bannister on Saturday evenings and the keeping of the Sabbath... Unrealistic?  Perhaps in total... but a set-apart life must reflect in part a little of that peaceful picture.  The Lord is the center of it, for without Him as the Rock, this bright, vivid, peaceful portrait would wither away as quickly as a sun-scorched flower and become nothing more than a greyscale sketch of hustle and bustle... I will struggle against that greyscale sketch all the days of my life, I think, as the pressure to succumb to all the busyness around me tries to crowd in...through it all I will cling to the Words of my Lord,
"I have said these things to you, that in m you may have peace.  In the world you will have tibultion.  But take heart, I have overcome the world."  John 16:33
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Phil 4:7