Current Reading

"The God of All Comfort" by Hannah Whitall Smith

"The Call to Joy and Pain" by Ajith Fernando

"The Return of the Prodigal Son" by Henri Nouwen

"Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper" by Harriet Scott Chessman

Psalm 42 and 1/2 Thessalonians

Thankfulness in All Circumstances

Be Still


“Is a man ever made to drink the cup of affliction when no drop of mercy is
intermingled? Is he ever visited with calamity which does not in some way
contemplate his own temporal or eternal good? Could we see all, we should see
that we are never placed in circumstances in which there is not much for which we
should thank God. And when, in His dealings, a cloud seems to cover His face,
let us remember the good things without number which we have received, and
especially remember that we are in the world of redeeming love, and we shall find
enough for which to be thankful.”

--Albert Barnes

Praed Street

I came across this site recently which is called The Way We See It and is dedicated to Londoners taking pictures of specific locations and then putting them all on a flicker stream. I was excited to see some photos of the very building we lived in when we first arrived in London. This is the building at West End Quay on Praed Street that we lived in for one month after our arrival. Here is another picture. And here is the little souvenir shop we passed each day as we walked along. Another view of the building with a deserted pub across the street, which is very near to the metro Tesco where we would get our "daily shop" in. And finally the zebra crossing from St. Mary's Hospital, whose ambulance sirens kept us up half the night until we got used to them. Thanks for taking the trip with me to Praed Street, London!

Little Steps of Faith

"If we would have great faith we must begin to use the little faith we already have. Put it to work by reverent and faithful praying, and it will grow and become stronger day by day. Dare today to trust God for something small and ordinary and next week or next year you may be able to trust Him for answers bordering on the miraculous." -A.W. Tozer

Since becoming a parent nearly 7 years ago now, I had to learn to trust God in new and more meaningful ways. I will never forget holding my newly firstborn and thinking how very underprepared I was to be his parent --and this after reading every book and magazine on new parenting that was out at the time! Then after my second child, who was born only 15 months after the first was born, there was a new level of faith required. This time, I needed to trust God that He would supply all I needed as I endured sleepless nights with a newborn and the demands of a toddler.

About 9 months after my middle child was born, she and her Daddy took a nasty tumble down the stairs that caused a traumatic brain injury and could very nearly have cost her life. In those moments, I remember crying out to God that I simply did not have enough faith to give her back to Him. But in the end, I came to the determination that I had no choice. And in His grace, He spared not only her life, but her health in its entirety. You would never know now that she had suffered such an injury.

When my older two were merely 3 and 2 years old, our youngest was born. The faith required this time was for my own personal sanity, as I suffered with post-partum depression as I never had before, enduring torturous thoughts from the enemy about the health and safety of all of my children. I had to take very small steps of faith then, as miniscule steps were all I could muster. I had to believe that God had good plans for me and my children, plans to prosper and not to harm. I stood frequently in that promise.

This past year and a half required a new level and type of faith --the faith that is required to move away completely from all you know and into another culture with my family. The faith that is needed when one is lonely and isolated and alien. I grasped onto faith then with the very tips of my fingernails as if I were gripping onto the edge of a tall cliff. I learned in a very real sense that "Jesus Loves Me This I Know" at a point in my life when I have never felt more alone, unloveable, and bumbling.

Now, I am at another crossroads of faith, one that involves as I've written about previously, the provision of a job for our family. This new kind of faith - faith for our very sustenance - has proven difficult for me. In the end, I wrestle with my erroneous theology and find that I do not believe that I should expect anything more from God than my salvation. Hasn't that been gift enough? But He does promise to provide for his children, does He not? The perfectionist in me gets frustrated with my imperfect self in this new test of faith.

But this quote by Tozer (above) reminds me that the steps of faith that I have been taking all along have not been in vain. All of the faith steps above and others that I have not written about but have definitely lived out in the years since I invited Jesus into my heart all those many years ago --all of those little steps of faith--are the very foundation for which I will trust Him for the next big thing. And in the end, may there be something very miraculous indeed. Not the job that God provides, no, but the faith. The faith that believes He can do anything. The faith that becomes sight. And the legacy for our family when we tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord.

Natural Thrill

Bird nest with eggs


To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating;
to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter...
to be thrilled by the stars at night;
to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring -
these are some of the rewards of the simple life.
~John Burroughs

Sometimes Their Prayers Put Me to Shame

During our circle time today, we were praying for some church friends who are in Guatamala for the summer and we got to our "thanksgiving" portion of the prayer time. My two oldest blew me away by what they shared. One said, "Thank you God for our home and our family and for music and for books." The other said, "Thank you God for your Bible and your words that Jesus brought to us." I was astounded that the once simple prayers of thanks for home and family (which are very valid in their own right) had turned into thanksgiving for his good gifts of books and music and His wonderful Word. I am humbled to be praying with my little people. Through these simple every day experiences, sometimes God gives me a glimpse into the Kingdom people that He is growing them to be and I think about them in the future and I am excited and blown away and scared all at the same time. I am so thankful that as a mom I get to see these little pieces of their hearts during our prayer time.

What? No Bank Holidays?

DS6 (while looking at our English calendar): "What?! Yesterday was a bank holiday and we missed it?! And dad could have stayed home for that day?!"

I Guess I'll Be Googling This...

DD5: "Mom, what is paint made out of?"

Me: "I'm not sure. That's a good question."

DD5: "Well, you're so smart. Shouldn't you know that?"

How's that for a back-handed compliment? ;)

Starting With Myself

We've been suffering some bad attitudes around here of late. Lots of me-first arguments, raised voices, and harsh tones. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed by 9 (AM!). It's funny...I think I often am frustrated by my own expectations of what I think I deserve. Sinful thoughts such as these creep into my mind often: I got up and had my quiet time, so I deserve not to have a bad attitude myself. I pour and pour and pour into my children only to have them be unappreciative. I find it curious that some of the attitudes of ingratitude that I see in them are also found in me.

Today, as I sat down for a moment to pray after a difficult morning with one child in particular, I was asking God what to do. And so loudly, so clearly in my mind, I heard "Start with you." Ouch. But how true it is! How can I expect my little people to cultivate attitudes of gratitude if they hear mommy complaining? How can I expect them to go about their chores in a cheerful manner when I do not?

I have been reading some posts lately at a new (to me) blog called Metro Moms. They have encouraged me to cultivate redemptive speech. Among other things in this particular entry, I read a quote from Jerry Bridges which reminded me that “We tend to exhibit many sins most freely in the context of our own families.” Yep. So, let me start this day anew with fresh resolve to confront those sins in my own life and heart before expecting my children to have mastered them. Let me start with myself.

Me, Lately

Watching Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, and Jon and Kate Plus 8

Reading Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson, 1 Corinthians

Meditating On Matthew 6:25-34

Praying for My brother's family (my sister in law is in treatment for cancer) and hubby's job, my friends (various needs)

Cleaning out my garage and my bedroom closet (ugh!)

Looking forward to golfing with my husband this summer (didn't get to while in England)

Missing the English parks with their lovely spring blooms

Can't wait to plant my flowers

Listening to Michael Buble

Working on less worrying

Cooking lots of muffins lately

Most recent purchase shoes at Payless (it's BOGO, you know!)

Trying to figure out a good way to do family devotions with Dad

Healthy Habits of a Happy Homeschool

I'm not much of a "meme" girl, but this one from Heart of the Matter seemed to be something I could relate to.

One habit that we have with our homeschool philosophy is to attach important things to things you already do. For example, our Bible time always happens during a meal (either breakfast or dinner) and our art study/manners time always occurs during our tea time on Tuesdays. This way, it becomes a habit and we are more likely to do it if it is hooked to something else in our routine.

Tuesday teatime is another habit we've established this year. Please do not read this to be some perfect family time where I make homemade little finger sandwiches while we read classic literature. While that seems wonderful, it is a bit unrealistic for our family at this stage. Still, I wanted to establish the habit of a special relationship building time each week into our routine. And, as mentioned above, I decided to use this time to do our art study and manners instruction, as it was conducive to this type of occasion. The children LOVE this time and are so sad when it is over. Plus, I no longer feel guilty about the desire to do more with art and manners because it is done in such a fun, natural, and regular manner.

Another routine, related to the above manners and art study idea is to start small. Think of something you'd like to add into your routine or curriculum and start small. For example, I used to read about art study and think I would have to create great notebooks, and mimic the styles of artist, etc during the study. Instead of trying to do my ideal art study time, I decided it was more important to start small. So, I chose an artist to focus on(Mary Cassatt), copied some questions from the Hearts and Trees blog, found my prints, and then each week we simply discuss the prints. We compare the prints each week to the other prints. I am astounded how simply 15-20 minutes per week with this routine has produced such joy and appreciation for art in my children. I will never forget when my youngest, who is barely three saw a familiar print in a book at the library and yelled out, "Mommy, look it's Young Muda (Mother )Sewing!" So, start small. Something is better than nothing.

Lastly, I try to have all my oldest's assignments for the week, including chores and special activities such as piano lesson or Spanish class, written out on one piece of paper for the entire week. I use a standard size printer paper, folded into fourths. I use each square for a day of the week, turning it over for Friday. The chores are always listed as "chores" until the day I assign them. Then, when I have the more specific list, I attach that post-it note to the current day. This saves me lots of trouble in explaining. And it makes my big boy more responsible. Now, if I could get him to establish the habit of putting it in the same place each day! ;)

Well, I hope you can use some of these ideas. Check out the Heart of the Matter for more great habit ideas from fellow homeschooling families.

On Why, Because of the DS, We Will Never Be On TLC's "How Clean Is Your House?"

"Mom, you might want to go get the...umm...umm...umm...feather duster and go clean off that mower!"

Those first children are a bit an*l retentive now aren't they?

A Wonderful Spring Afternoon

Our pansies are within view as I type, blowing just a bit in the breeze. They sit on my white wicker outside table on our front porch. I have the windows up and I can hear my children outside playing. Little sister says, "Hey, guys! Do you wanna pway "Wing Awound Da Wosie?" And then, of course, the singing and twirling begins. I have witnessed several little accidents today. All involved Miss Middle. In the first, she was the hero. I sent her out earlier this morning to feed the dog. When she did not come back as soon as I'd anticipated, I went out to the garage to find her. I found her in great distress. "Mama!" she wailed, "I was just coming to get you because there is a birdie in our garage. He's trapped! See his little tail feather peeking out from under that box by the window? See, Mama! See?! We've got to help him!" So, we helped the mourning dove escape to fly free outside of our garage. The second two accidents involved Miss Middle as well...one was a falling-off-of-the-monkeybars type of accident, the second was a falling-off-of-the-swing-and-getting-her-feet-caught-in-the-swing-chain type of accident. Never one to miss an opportunity for drama, both of these incidents brought about much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Well, that's all for now, I must go collect my latest gift from the girls...a dandelion bouquet.

Praying for the Job Search

My brother recently sent me a package with two books in it. One was titled, "Worry: Pursuing a Better Path to Peace" and the other "Running Scared". Do you think he's trying to send me a message? I had recently spoken to the sweet man about our family's uncertainty regarding hubby's job. The plant where hubby has worked since getting out of college fifteen years ago is closing in June. We are uncertain as to where God is taking us next. We are waiting expectantly for God to provide a new job for this family.

Throughout this season of uncertainty and waiting I have wrestled with many questions and seen my faith for what it is...and isn't. I now realize that one of the faulty beliefs I've held is that God is always waiting to "teach me a lesson". I have been surprised to learn how very little I trust in God's goodness. Could God actually gift this family with the desires of our heart? That has been tough for me to think, say, even to type here. The key scripture that God keeps taking me back to to confront that faulty thinking is from Matthew 7, "What man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him." Now, that is not to say that the "good gift" that I desire is or is not the will of God in this particular situation, but it is life-giving to know that my Father will provide good gifts for his children, which includes our family. I find it very hard --presumptuous even -- to say and believe that, but I choose to believe based on the truth in this Scripture.

Right now, we are living to enjoy each simple moment in our wonderful life. And, we are simply praying that the God of the Heavens, the Giver of every good and perfect gift, the God who is our Provider will align our will to His. And in that, I know that He will answer our prayer.

Thank Goodness God Made Worms Regenerative

A conversation in our driveway this afternoon:

Me to baby girl 3: "Do you still have your worm?"

Baby Girl 3: "Yeah, but I broked him."

Oh.