A crafty girl and her Christmas present

Alisa was able to do her candle craft project from Uncle James and Aunt Lindsey.  We had a candle lit supper last night as a result!  It was fun...easy...and over all too quickly for her!  We are planning some more crafty things for next week.

I know one reason why my heart is happy when I hear singing during Bible time!

"Tell me the story of Jesus...I love to hear...Seams by the whale side...hmm, hmm, hmm, tell them to me." Teddy sang this morning.  We have moved past the Christmas carols and are now learning some new songs.  When they first are learning the words...there is alot of humming mixed in with the words they are catching.

High, high as the sky...wide, wide as the ocean blue is Jesus' love for you!  (Never heard this one before!)
Rolled away...
A Sunbean...
Wonderful words of life...
It's bubbling...day and night...
Oh, such a wonderful friend...
I believe in Jesus...upon the cross of Calvary... (A song about the trinity)
In the sweet by and by...
He's still working on me...
Little children...
God made me...

A reminder for me...again..."The source of my song is the Savior!  The reason for my singing is this Man of Galilee.  It does not depend upon my circumstances..." 
What a blessing to hear our children learn these wonderful words!  My prayer is that they will continue to sing them at the top of their lungs (as today) for the remainder of their lives!

The Twenty Question Game

"Mom, before you and Daddy got married, and before that, did you want kids?  Did you want three kids?  Or did you want more?  Or less?  Did you decide how many kids you wanted?  Or does God tell you?  Are you glad you had kids?" drilled Alisa. 

I think my responses went something like..."yes, um, I didn't really know exactly how many, not really, I am glad I have you three, well-uh-we sort of decided and then God changed that for us, and yes...I think...what was the question?"  And off she went singing, giggling, and chattering about...I'm not sure.  (Do you remember the post about the squirrel?)  Anyway...she must have been happy with my responses and they must have matched up to the right question at the right time of asking.  She felt loved, safe, and secure.

As she was exiting the room, I started typing as fast as I could, so as not to forget that little exchange!  We have had so many of those exchanges lately...unexpected questions and statements that leave us stunned. 

Our children catch more than we know, they think deeper than we expect, and they understand better than we realize! 

Which leaves me wondering...What did I say today?  How did I say it? Did I give them what they needed when they needed it? Do they know I love them and appreciate them by my words and actions?  Do they know we are proud of them?  Do they know that we take our job seriously?

Did I want to be a mother?  Yes

Did I ever imagine what my life would be like as a mother?  Not really

Did I try to imagine?  Yes...but babysitting is nothing like the real 24/7 deal!

Could I have imagined what it would be like to have three-healthy-energetic-so-close-in-age-children?  No

Do I like to hear people gasp when they hear our children's ages?  Now I do...it is funny to me...others have done it with more than I have!

Do I appreciate the sympathy?  Sure...but it is a little late now...we made it through infancy and toddlerhood.

Do I recommend this plan for others?  No...but then God's ways are not my ways! 

Am I thankful that He is in control?  Oh...yes...and His grace is sufficient!

And my favorite question...Is it time for bed yet? 

That answer...can make anyone who spends time with children thankful for a break...from more questions!

I'm having difficulty reconciling the two..."the way we always do things" and growing which means there are changes...

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds,
cannot change anything!"
Warning: I am thinking out loud again...it goes with the change of the year...and what God is working on my heart...

I don't know who said this...but I agree with them.  We had to change our mind about our sinful heart and agree with God that we were sinners and then saw a change by confessing and asking Him to be our Savior.  As a Christian...is that the only change we need to make?  uh, NO, would be the correct answer.
A stubborn heart and a made up mind are not medals of valor!  Nor are they a sign of growing to be more like Jesus and loving others...which means "we need to let go of what is old and comfortable and take that step out..." to quote our Pastor.  Every message on Sunday had this same theme.  Pastor said that it is great to start out well...but did you finish well?  "It is difficult to be any earthly good, unless we are Heavenly minded."  Good beginning of the New Year challenges...that really need to be heeded and put into practice!  Everyone needed to hear this!  No...I needed to hear this!  I need to allow the Holy Spirit to change me.
I am tired of hearing "This is how we have always done it..."  or "Traditionally..."  I am not talking about rewriting the history books and throwing out all sense of order and decorum.  I find myself sinking into that same mode of thinking and it makes me angry.
I am dumbfounded when I look around and see the bored, blank stares...the unthinking stares, the uncaring stares, the perplexed stares, the lonely stares,  and yes, even the tired stares on faces...
"How could this situation be done better?" 
"What would be more of a help in this situation?" 
"Why are we doing this...the same way...year after year after year?"
"Am I the only one who sees this?  Surely not." 
As a mother...those type of thoughts are always going through my head...usually to make my job easier and help my family members.  So, why not have the same questions and thoughts when it comes to other areas in our lives?
If I served the same thing for every meal or planned the same activity for every fun occasion...isn't that being lazy?  To quote my children..."It's boring!  We always have to do it this way...why can't we...?"  They have a valid point...we try a different way...and often...we learn something...and have fun! 
Yet...year after year...there we sit...doing the same ole' same ole' and can't figure out why it ain't working like we thought it would!  God created us in His image.  He gave us minds.  We ought to use them!
I sat in Sunday School this past week and pondered Mr. K's first illustration about being bogged down by so many rules that common sense goes out the window.  (It was about a train and a fire on the bridge...they followed policy and didn't move the train...the bridge burned and collapsed...and so did the train.)
The only thing that was picked up on through that whole example...voiced out loud...that he mispronounced a name. 
How sad! 
And that is my whole point...we are missing what is being taught and preached from men of God...or we just aren't listening...or we are not paying attention to what is going on around us...or sadder yet, we don't care what God's Word says because we think things are going well.
Our teacher for the day had been speaking out of I John.  I John 3 and 4 were the day's lesson.  We are to love others...a love that walks circumspectly...that we may point others to Christ. 
He started off the Sunday school hour asking for a list of other words for being discerning:  alert...watchful... cautious... careful... discriminating...good judgment...vigilant.  The opposite thoughts listed by class members:   careless... foolish... lazy... apathetic... gullible... naive... simple...slothful...
As we sat and listened in that sleepy, Sunday morning stupor. 
My mind started whirling..."What?  Yeah...that makes sense...sincerity isn't the test of what is right or wrong...some people can be sincerely wrong!  My Dad told me that years ago!  This applies to me as a mother, teacher, wife, friend, daughter...in this new year...I need to be discerning (vigilant) in many areas of my life on a daily basis!"
He then asked the question...
"What areas of life do we need to be discerning in?" 
"EVERY AREA!!!"  I shouted quietly in my mind. 
No one spoke up...did they hear the question? 
Good grief...somebody say something! 
No one did...he continued teaching...
I took notes to keep my mind out of that sleepy fog...and I have been meditating on it since.

So, if that is true...that we need to be using the wisdom God gives us and be discerning...shouldn't we apply that to things that we do every day, month, or year?!  As Christians, we are to be growing and progressing in our daily walk...to be more like Jesus...out of that comes a love for others...wanting God's best for them!  The focus of the lesson was not being easily tricked by false teachers...to be watchful for them and  to question their teachings.  Yes, we do...but there is more to this...
Wait a minute...what about be tricked and tripped up by all our lists of rules and lack of common sense where we are living and serving right now? 
Does nobody see that as a problem? 
Are we paying attention to what is happening in the pew right in front of us or across the aisle or on the prayer sheet?  It is easy to focus on the "big ugly monsters" outside of our home and church ('cause that doesn't pertain to me)...which then gets the focus off what is uncomfortable for us.  What about the "little foxes" that creep into our lives...laziness, apathy, carelessness, etc. 
Apply it to my life right here...right now.
What is a struggle for us right now? 
Are we even struggling?
We are being careless, foolish, lazy, naive, etc. to think that "the way", (that things have traditionally been done), is not a tactic that leads to blindly following a false teaching.  When we follow that philosophy...we leave people standing alone wondering what and where and how and why should I bother...they think and say, "all they care about are their rules and ways of doing and being...they don't care about me!" 
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." 
And so, we have thrown others in their need out to the false teachers and then are outraged by the false teacher's growth and impact in our cities!  Sadly...they are getting the job done...reaching people...and there we sit with our little book of rules and traditions intact.
If we are to be like the Bereans..."searching the Scriptures daily"...
when "traditional things" don't allow for showing love to others and challenging spiritual growth...
it is wise to go back to "the why and how of things done traditionally" and see if we are even following God's way of reaching out to love others.
I look at people's faces...
when I see the blank, uninterested looks...
I wonder...if we stepped out of our comfort zone...
how much more of an impact would we have for the Lord?!
Am I overthinking this...taking it too far?  Maybe...No...but I don't think so.  I have seen too many looks on too many faces...and we are missing the boat.
I know that I need to be vigilant on a daily basis...not just comfortable in my own little world. 
I need to be discerning...because it is the little things that make a big difference in people's lives...all it takes is one word or one act! 
One moment will display what is in my heart and mind.  What will others see from me this year...love or apathy? 
If I don't step out of my comfort zone...someone else will...and what will I tell the Lord someday?  "That is how I always have done it.  There was no need to change anything.  They will come back if they want to."  I need to stop kidding myself...there were many things I could have done differently...they won't be back...if that was me...I wouldn't ever be back either!
It starts with me...I need to change!

Thoughts that are tumbling around in my head...

 as the new year has begun. 
What do I need to learn? 
What do I need to do differently? 
What did I accomplish last year? 
How can I help my husband? 
What do my children need from me?
Is there some way for me to be a better friend to others?
What does God expect from me?

I should have goals and resolutions...so I have something to aim at...besides the daily goals of laundry, dishes, childcare and education, meals, and etc.  My husband has goals for business and family.  My children have goals for school.  As a wife and mother, I need to have goals beyond "just surviving this day"!  I am seeing how that attitude affects my contentment and energy in serving and training my family. 
One change for this year...every morning as Daddy leaves and we kick into our morning schedule...good, strong, Christian music will be turned on as we prepare and sit down for breakfast...loud enough to remove opportunity for cross words at the table and bickering about insignificant things.  Often...as Daddy walks out the door "that good loving feeling" that we started our day with dissolves when "she looked at me when I was trying to brush my hair" or "he came in and messed up my stuff". 
Somedays I would turn music on...and other days...I would simply get busy on breakfast. 
Philippians 4:8 "whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report...think on these things."
The second thought about this year...I had a couple minutes this morning to just stop and "Be still" before we started our school day and I just sat and listened to the song that was playing. 
"...I could not see through the shadows ahead...so I looked at the cross of my Savior instead...I bowed to the will of the Master that day...then peace came and tears fled away.  O Rejoice in the Lord...He makes no mistakes...for He knoweth the end of each path that I take..."  I let the words of that song wash over me and fill my heart..."for when I am tried...and purified...I shall come forth as gold."  How often I heard that song...and at times grew weary of the flippancy at which people popped off the phrase to those who were going through trials...as if they didn't know what else to say!   But can I say...when you finally understand the shadows and tears...and realize that He layed out that path...and you submit to the fact that He makes no mistakes...there is peace and there is joy!  And people know that you truly know and hear it in your voice when you tell them...to rejoice in the Lord!
I now know...all my goals for this new year will focus on that premise...to rejoice in each step along life's pathway...we don't know where the path will lead...but we know He ordained it...
I prayed that for my husband as well this morning...watching as he pulled away to go to work...getting sick again.

Why did she take those pictures and post them?

This is what I came home to last night after our Ladies club meeting!  No...our mothers nor aunties were babysitting!  With Ted not doing so well, I asked the kids to clean up after supper...giving each of them a job and instructions on how their evening should go...with the goal of Wii time!  The test would be...would they stop playing and follow bed time by 8:00p.m. I got home at 9:30p.m. and walked into a quiet house that looked like this!

As I listened to the Bible study portion of our meeting...on the home and parenting...my eyes got teary as Mrs. W. encouraged mothers to be consistent and follow God's way...because on the other side of all that hard work is blessing and joy.  I know it is hard work...somedays...we are overcome with the enormity of the task...but God is giving me glimpses every day how much that hard work is accomplishing!  I stood in the middle of the kitchen last night and caught sight of the clean towels layed out...

and cried. 

My girls thought of the little things...knowing that dry, clean towels would be needed for today!

This morning...Ted said he heard them turn the game off at 7:30p.m. and head in to get ready for bed.  He didn't step in or step out to check on them till they had settled into bed. 

"Kari, they did exactly what you asked them to do!"

So...that is why I took those pictures...to remind me...that I must continue to be the mother that God wants me to lovingly be...in word and deed...when they do as they are told...and when they don't.

Ladies' club surprise

What to do when hosting the January meeting...embrace the cold and invite the snowmen!  Be sure to add some snowballs and snowflakes for the full effect!

Scarves, mittens, boots, slippers, gloves...whatever it takes to stay warm on a frosty night!

Add a twinkle of candlelight and the hum of a surprise birthday remembrance for your pastor's wives!  They never saw it coming...it was an "unbirthday" at their half birthday...give or take a week or two.

More cupcakes??? You have got to be kidding!!!

We have a party tonight...can you guess what kind of party...I'm not telling right now...but I will show you later!  After today...I think I may be sick of cupcakes...for awhile!

First day back to school...and it is a Monday!

Chevy has the right idea! 
We have suffered two injuries this morning...Teddy ran into the shelf and hurt his head.  How...I don't know and he can't tell me.  It's Monday.  He just fell off his chair and twisted his ankle.  How...I'm sure I have the answer for that...but his tears are real and he doesn't need me to add insult to what he already knows.  It is the first day back to our regularly scheduled program...and it is going ok...well, for the most part!  I am so thankful that I don't have to go out for schooling purposes today!!!  It is cold outside!!!

"Do we really have to go back to school tomorrow? Can't we take another week off...just one more?"

From the sound of it right now...tomorrow morning is going to come very fast for three little people...especially if they don't settle down soon! 
I came down to clear off the school table and pull the books off the shelf and get organized...and here I sit...procrastinating! 
This past week was so busy...it wasn't really a break for me...and then I added sickness to the mix.  I am not ready to go back to school yet.  We took a week and a half off knowing that different times will come up for a break now and then.  It takes alot of self-control and determination to stick to a goal as parent and teacher, but we want our children to know that school is very important and first priority...no matter how we feel!
As I think about it...tomorrow morning might be tougher on the teacher...than her students!  I haven't seen a 6:00 a.m. that I had to get moving for for a few days...and I like that!  How quickly we can fall out of a routine and schedule!  I better get myself to bed so I don't wake up grumpy for our first day of school for the new year.  Nope...Still haven't added that to my "Things I'd like to be happy about in...2010" list yet!!!

The Navy man sealed it with a kiss!

We made it to the New Year...

it is just taking me some time to find the energy to post about it all...I brought it in with sickness while sipping Sierra Mist...never eating one of those delicious cupcakes!  I'll post...promise...the kids took so many pictures for me...maybe tomorrow!