This last couple of weeks we have hit up our local(tiny!) library and August found a set of books that he loves. They are a bit longer than picture books, but not chapter books either. Each book is about a different person from History and talks about their life and some kind of character trait.
Today we read about Beethoven and giving. Many people invested in his life and music and when he felt like giving up, he persevered and gave back, with his beautiful music.
Afterward I got on youtube and found a couple songs and I said to lay down, close your eyes and dream about what the music is saying.
Well, there was no lying down, but there was plenty of imagining! Zade rushed over to me and said, "Mom, I thought of a new word! Musimovie!" They started creating a story of a man in the desert with a turban, sneaking up to a princess' window and trying to capture her. They went in and out of character and multiple characters throughout the music(about 30) minutes, and came up with a pretty good story! Princess, ballroom dancing, sword fights, poison, the antidote, good guy, bad guy, etc.
I wrote it down as they performed and they loved that even more! I read it back to them and then they chose a couple other symphonies and made up new plots and stories.
The only input I gave them was to try to think of a completely different story and characters from the one before.
It was such a fun hour! We haven't delved into Shakespeare yet, but I hope when we do, they will want to reenact the plays!
We finished our read aloud today also. Ralph Moody's, Little Britches. We all really enjoyed it. There was a lot of great lines from Father to son that I hope sunk into their heads and hearts.
For the summer we kept things really simple. We wrote out 1, 2, 3 John and the kids read 2 chapter books. Zade read Sign of the Beaver and a magic tree house book and Grace read May B. and the same magic tree house book, Dolphins at Daybreak. I wanted to challenge them to read something a little harder or longer than they have been, but in the end we made a compromise of one hard and one easy. Their reward was a date night with mama. Zade and I saw TMNT, and Grace are going bowling tonight.
Other learning happened through planting our first garden and reaping the benefits of that. Also, having a garage sale and making change, lots of life lessons and many late nights with great conversations and movie watching.
We are moving in a week so we haven't started the traditional school year yet. We will move and get settled, spend a good week with long nature walks exploring our new area and then get back to the books. I am looking forward to every part of it!
I will share more as we get into September what books we will be going through, but for now I just wanted to journal a little of what our summer has consisted of.
Enjoying the last of it, for soon enough we will be snuggled up with hot chocolate and tea and gazing at the leaves changing and the snow falling.
Showing posts with label thankfulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thankfulness. Show all posts
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Abiding
I can't quote lengths of scripture and if I do in fact spout off a verse from the Bible, there's a good chance I can't tell you where it's to be found. That's not something to be proud of, just a telling of the truth.
What I can do is testify of the many things that Christ has done in my life and what He speaks into my life, and oh how He speaks!
I have a simple faith but it is fierce. I like to say it's an unshakable adherence to the One who saved my soul. Nothing has shaken me so badly as to let loose of Him and I pray nothing ever will. Without God I wouldn't be the woman I am today, like me or not, agree with the way I live or not. He lives in me, and I cling to Him. It's an abiding kind of life that leads to peace and calm even when the storm rages.
I am in the midst of a mini storm now.
We are moving soon and have no place to move to. Interesting, if I do say so myself. Ever since we had our first big move across half the country, I have felt a kindred spirit to Abraham.
From the ocean to the prairie, to the desert and now up into the mountains; we keep trucking along with our Saviour who opens one way and closes another.
The house we thought we had secured for our family fell threw. The owners needed to sell it as fast as possible and we weren't able to be in that kind of hurry. I'm a slow mover with most things but I sure would have moved quick to snag that cute little cabin if I could of. But circumstances being what they are(we are waiting on our business to sell and Micheal's other job to start up), we have no choice but to be patient and wait hopeful that when things need to work out, they will.
I loved the idea of that sweet mountain cabin. So cozy and a bit of a stretch to fit us all in, but we were going to make it work and by the Lord's grace be happy about it!
After the initial shock of that house not working out, what else could we do but start praying again. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed that first evening after getting the call that the house was not to be ours and Micheal hugged me and said that we have done enough thinking and worrying for one day, we needed to rest and get up in the morning ready for another.
That's exactly what I needed to hear. Rest. In the Lord. It's the only way to get through anything, with peace that is.
So, here we are waiting to hear about another house. Hoping it will work out. Hoping for a home to live in. Hoping for the timing to be good and hoping that we will be like water off a duck's back with whatever Christ lets come our way.
Currently the house we are looking into seems to be a HUGE blessing from the Lord. Isn't that just the way it works out? He knows best. It's a lot newer and doesn't need any improving, just some adding on. In the end, it will be cheaper and bigger. About 1600 sq. feet and for us that is a perfect size. Not the cute little cabin feel like the other one, but it is in the mountains and it will be cozy in it's own way.
Today is just another day. Another day to rest and abide in God. To allow Him to do His thing and a chance to offer my life as a living sacrifice, a holy offering of trust and obedience. Today I get the joy of thinking(and sharing!) of more things the Lord has shown me and done for me and my family.
I get to breathe in the grace of my Lord and breathe out my worries. He has them all taken care of and there is no need to fret. He loves me. I must remind myself of this and I must remind you too. He loves you. Trust in His leading, even when you can't see the way. He sees it all. Trust that He knows what is best for you.
I am Yours, yes I am.
Only Yours, I will abide.
Through it all, through it all,
My eyes are on you.
Through it all, through it all,
It is well.
This is the goal of knowing You; to be Yours.
I will abide because I am Yours and You are mine.
Nothing else for me.
Hold me together Lord, I abide in You.
New mercies every morning, moment by moment.
I am Yours.
I abide in You.
- Bits of worship and thoughts from my journal mingled together
Here we are abiding in Christ, waiting with a hopeful heart that we will have another temporary home here on earth, waiting with a patient hope for our home eternal.
What I can do is testify of the many things that Christ has done in my life and what He speaks into my life, and oh how He speaks!
I have a simple faith but it is fierce. I like to say it's an unshakable adherence to the One who saved my soul. Nothing has shaken me so badly as to let loose of Him and I pray nothing ever will. Without God I wouldn't be the woman I am today, like me or not, agree with the way I live or not. He lives in me, and I cling to Him. It's an abiding kind of life that leads to peace and calm even when the storm rages.
I am in the midst of a mini storm now.
From the ocean to the prairie, to the desert and now up into the mountains; we keep trucking along with our Saviour who opens one way and closes another.
 |
| The house that almost was |
I loved the idea of that sweet mountain cabin. So cozy and a bit of a stretch to fit us all in, but we were going to make it work and by the Lord's grace be happy about it!
After the initial shock of that house not working out, what else could we do but start praying again. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed that first evening after getting the call that the house was not to be ours and Micheal hugged me and said that we have done enough thinking and worrying for one day, we needed to rest and get up in the morning ready for another.
That's exactly what I needed to hear. Rest. In the Lord. It's the only way to get through anything, with peace that is.
So, here we are waiting to hear about another house. Hoping it will work out. Hoping for a home to live in. Hoping for the timing to be good and hoping that we will be like water off a duck's back with whatever Christ lets come our way.
Currently the house we are looking into seems to be a HUGE blessing from the Lord. Isn't that just the way it works out? He knows best. It's a lot newer and doesn't need any improving, just some adding on. In the end, it will be cheaper and bigger. About 1600 sq. feet and for us that is a perfect size. Not the cute little cabin feel like the other one, but it is in the mountains and it will be cozy in it's own way.
Today is just another day. Another day to rest and abide in God. To allow Him to do His thing and a chance to offer my life as a living sacrifice, a holy offering of trust and obedience. Today I get the joy of thinking(and sharing!) of more things the Lord has shown me and done for me and my family.
I get to breathe in the grace of my Lord and breathe out my worries. He has them all taken care of and there is no need to fret. He loves me. I must remind myself of this and I must remind you too. He loves you. Trust in His leading, even when you can't see the way. He sees it all. Trust that He knows what is best for you.
I am Yours, yes I am.
Only Yours, I will abide.
Through it all, through it all,
My eyes are on you.
Through it all, through it all,
It is well.
This is the goal of knowing You; to be Yours.
I will abide because I am Yours and You are mine.
Nothing else for me.
Hold me together Lord, I abide in You.
New mercies every morning, moment by moment.
I am Yours.
I abide in You.
- Bits of worship and thoughts from my journal mingled together
Here we are abiding in Christ, waiting with a hopeful heart that we will have another temporary home here on earth, waiting with a patient hope for our home eternal.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Cultivating beauty: seasonal bounty edition
When God created, He made all things gorgeous and perfect. When sin entered the timeline, death and ugliness came along.
We know all that, but sometimes we forget. Sometimes we are so surrounded by the current news headlines that the ugliness and brokenness overwhelms and brings us down.
But then there are the beautiful moments.
On a walk last night we noticed a neighbor's overflowing apricot tree. He said to pick to our heart's content and so this morning the girls were up early and we rode over in the early windy cloudiness and got us a basket full.
Fact: it does not take a whole day or a perfectly planned out event to cultivate beauty in our lives.
In our case, it was a mere 30 minutes of riding bikes, looking at the scenery of a small neighborhood, laughter from squishy apricots in our toes, challenging tree climbing, tasting the sweetness of orange fleshed fruit, and catching a few perfectly tree-ripened apricots tossed down from mama to child. It was a few moments of enjoying God's creation and it does a soul some good!
When we got home the kids went off to continue on with the story they have been playing out since last night, and I went about taking some pictures of our free fruit; for beauty's sake.
God saw the importance in making things beautiful. I am woman created in His image, so therefore I too am a creator -not THE Creator- but an imitator of what He is, a maker of beauty.
It doesn't take long, but it speaks volumes to our children and the people in our lives, when we cultivate beauty.
What are you doing to create a space of beauty? Are you taking the time to notice all the small things in life that we usually take for granted?
Our daily lives are the sphere for glorifying Christ in all that we do and say. It's a challenge to find the beauty in the mundane daily life sometimes, but a worthy challenge to embark on in my opinion!
In every season there is something beautiful and pleasant to be found; a gift from the Father of lights.
Go about finding those gifts and living in thankfulness for them.
Change the world, one beautiful thing at time.
But then there are the beautiful moments.
On a walk last night we noticed a neighbor's overflowing apricot tree. He said to pick to our heart's content and so this morning the girls were up early and we rode over in the early windy cloudiness and got us a basket full.
Fact: it does not take a whole day or a perfectly planned out event to cultivate beauty in our lives.
In our case, it was a mere 30 minutes of riding bikes, looking at the scenery of a small neighborhood, laughter from squishy apricots in our toes, challenging tree climbing, tasting the sweetness of orange fleshed fruit, and catching a few perfectly tree-ripened apricots tossed down from mama to child. It was a few moments of enjoying God's creation and it does a soul some good!
When we got home the kids went off to continue on with the story they have been playing out since last night, and I went about taking some pictures of our free fruit; for beauty's sake.
God saw the importance in making things beautiful. I am woman created in His image, so therefore I too am a creator -not THE Creator- but an imitator of what He is, a maker of beauty.
It doesn't take long, but it speaks volumes to our children and the people in our lives, when we cultivate beauty.
What are you doing to create a space of beauty? Are you taking the time to notice all the small things in life that we usually take for granted?
Our daily lives are the sphere for glorifying Christ in all that we do and say. It's a challenge to find the beauty in the mundane daily life sometimes, but a worthy challenge to embark on in my opinion!
In every season there is something beautiful and pleasant to be found; a gift from the Father of lights.
Go about finding those gifts and living in thankfulness for them.
Change the world, one beautiful thing at time.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
The gift of July
It's been a full month and a surprisingly perfect balance of rest and busyness, being social and keeping to ourselves, procrastinating and actually getting stuff done.
It's been a luxurious month and when I say that I don't mean that I have flown around the world, eaten the most expensive foods, or spent a bunch of money on clothes or what have you. I mean that I fully recognize this gift of staying home with my children and I fully take pleasure in getting to do what we get to do; staying up late, waking up late, eating toast and eggs together while reading a Bible devotion or the next chapter in our read aloud, jumping on the trampoline, splashing in the water, gardening, cleaning, having a garage sale, hanging out with friends, and the list goes on and on.
My reading slowed way down this month. I have only read 1.4 books! I started a couple but couldn't get into them. I have found that July has been a month of hands on enjoyment of this beautiful earth. I didn't want to read. I have wanted to experience and explore, to get my hands dirty and get down on the floor with my kids and tickle and play. I needed to put together a garage sale in hopes of making a few bucks and getting rid of some things we no longer need. I enjoyed some much needed time with friends to just talk and live it up! We traveled just a bit to see family and celebrate freedom. Yes, July has been luxurious! And I am so very thankful for it all.
And on this last day of this wonderful month, we find out we have some people interested in renting our house. That's some exciting news for our little family but with that news comes a realization that a bunch of stuff has to happen within a very short amount of time.
So farewell my luxurious and fun July and hello to you, my adventurous August!
It's been a luxurious month and when I say that I don't mean that I have flown around the world, eaten the most expensive foods, or spent a bunch of money on clothes or what have you. I mean that I fully recognize this gift of staying home with my children and I fully take pleasure in getting to do what we get to do; staying up late, waking up late, eating toast and eggs together while reading a Bible devotion or the next chapter in our read aloud, jumping on the trampoline, splashing in the water, gardening, cleaning, having a garage sale, hanging out with friends, and the list goes on and on.
My reading slowed way down this month. I have only read 1.4 books! I started a couple but couldn't get into them. I have found that July has been a month of hands on enjoyment of this beautiful earth. I didn't want to read. I have wanted to experience and explore, to get my hands dirty and get down on the floor with my kids and tickle and play. I needed to put together a garage sale in hopes of making a few bucks and getting rid of some things we no longer need. I enjoyed some much needed time with friends to just talk and live it up! We traveled just a bit to see family and celebrate freedom. Yes, July has been luxurious! And I am so very thankful for it all.
And on this last day of this wonderful month, we find out we have some people interested in renting our house. That's some exciting news for our little family but with that news comes a realization that a bunch of stuff has to happen within a very short amount of time.
So farewell my luxurious and fun July and hello to you, my adventurous August!
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
30/52
Last week I wanted to focus on Grace turning 10 so I didn't post any of the boys. This week is nothing especially fancy photo wise, but as a Mama, these photos are precious to me.
Enjoying the summer in all it's fullness:
Enjoying the summer in all it's fullness:
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Double digits.... whaaaaaa?
Our first born and only daughter Grace, AKA Katelyn, AKA Sister, has turned 10!
We had a fun swimming party last week and some friends over for pizza and cake.
I have wanted to take some pictures celebrating her big birthday (ten is a big one to me!), but hadn't made much time until I snapped these this afternoon. I bought a 20x28 inch black foam board while doing errands this morning and put it to use straight away.
Loving the black background and LOVING this girl even more!
She's silly and sweet and outdoorsy. She's a softy for her baby brother, a hard worker, and big dreamer. She's the spitting image of her Daddy, generous like her mama, and a bit ornery too! She also does not wear glasses! These have no glass in them!
This is our daughter in a nutshell of a blog post. We sure are blessed to have her in our lives!
Happy 10th birthday dear daughter! May the next 10 years be full of love, joy, growth, and more love.
We had a fun swimming party last week and some friends over for pizza and cake.
I have wanted to take some pictures celebrating her big birthday (ten is a big one to me!), but hadn't made much time until I snapped these this afternoon. I bought a 20x28 inch black foam board while doing errands this morning and put it to use straight away.
Loving the black background and LOVING this girl even more!
She's silly and sweet and outdoorsy. She's a softy for her baby brother, a hard worker, and big dreamer. She's the spitting image of her Daddy, generous like her mama, and a bit ornery too! She also does not wear glasses! These have no glass in them!
This is our daughter in a nutshell of a blog post. We sure are blessed to have her in our lives!
Happy 10th birthday dear daughter! May the next 10 years be full of love, joy, growth, and more love.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
You will be jolly
Micheal comes home happy pretty much always (one of the many reasons I love the man!), but tonight I could tell a load had been lifted.
He was at the bread depot after a long days work and one of the guys he works with told him to not even bother putting his truck up for sale, he would buy it. !!!!!!!
This has been one of the harder things we have been trying to figure out. He needs the truck until his last day of delivering, but we can't afford it after we sell the business, nor do we want a vehicle payment in general, but there won't be any more than a week to try and sell it before we move. What to do? What to do?
He came home and told us all the news and we couldn't help but send praises up to God and thank Him for this small (but really big!) miracle! With the kids looking at us with huge smiles, we shared with them the joy of praising God when He does the unexpected, the amazing, the miraculous.
"Every day you will see things and you have the choice to give praise to whom it is due, or not be moved and think it no big matter. But the more you see and realize that God is moving and working things out all the time and always making the sun rise and set, always giving us air to breathe, always making beautiful things, you will be jolly!"
We both feel completely over our heads with this life. We don't have all the answers. We don't have all the money. We don't have all the connections.
But we have life, because of Christ. We have the answers we need when we need them because of our God. We have all the money we need when we need it and not a moment before then, because of the provision of our Lord. We have all the connections we need, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
So we rest and know that all things will work out, in His timing and in His way.
And we rejoice when God moves in our lives!
How fun is it to live this life with Jesus?!!
It's the best kind of fun I know!
He was at the bread depot after a long days work and one of the guys he works with told him to not even bother putting his truck up for sale, he would buy it. !!!!!!!
This has been one of the harder things we have been trying to figure out. He needs the truck until his last day of delivering, but we can't afford it after we sell the business, nor do we want a vehicle payment in general, but there won't be any more than a week to try and sell it before we move. What to do? What to do?
He came home and told us all the news and we couldn't help but send praises up to God and thank Him for this small (but really big!) miracle! With the kids looking at us with huge smiles, we shared with them the joy of praising God when He does the unexpected, the amazing, the miraculous.
"Every day you will see things and you have the choice to give praise to whom it is due, or not be moved and think it no big matter. But the more you see and realize that God is moving and working things out all the time and always making the sun rise and set, always giving us air to breathe, always making beautiful things, you will be jolly!"
We both feel completely over our heads with this life. We don't have all the answers. We don't have all the money. We don't have all the connections.
But we have life, because of Christ. We have the answers we need when we need them because of our God. We have all the money we need when we need it and not a moment before then, because of the provision of our Lord. We have all the connections we need, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
So we rest and know that all things will work out, in His timing and in His way.
And we rejoice when God moves in our lives!
How fun is it to live this life with Jesus?!!
It's the best kind of fun I know!
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