Baby Shower

Sarah's baby shower was yesterday!
We had it at my friend Rhonda's house and when we arrive she had it nicely set up and a wonderful fall centerpiece on her table; we added a few personal touches and here it is:
Rhonda had also brought out her rocking chair and afghan from when her oldest son, now in his 20's, was a baby. What a perfect spot for Sarah to open gifts!

Friends came from near and far and Sarah's friend Dani was there to help with the fun of food placement and decorating!

This is the only posed shot from the day and it's not even that great!

I think Sarah's sister did a great job with the games, we started with Baby Bible trivia then had a short scripture reading and encouragement from our friend Lisa who also prayed over Sarah and baby Illana Belle.

When it came to gift opening we were all busy making and playing a baby collage game while the kids sat close to see the goodies!

Oh wait there was another posed picture, this is my mom, my grandmother and my grandmother's cousin.

Recently Sarah has gotten to know one of the girls I serve with and know through youth group. Dani is a work of art, a work in progress and a great friend to Sarah. Here she was working hard on her baby collage and being the "pea in a pod" with Sarah-- she won this game!!

Ok so I lied, I took another posed picture with Neta, my friends mother-in-law. I love taking self portraits with cell phone with people over the age of 70, in her case at the age of 89!

Since life as we live it involves not only our friends but their kids I had to add this picture. It's not that good but it is my friend's son climbing down from a tree fort. The transition from fort to ladder is not very easy and he had to talk himself down. I'm sure his mom could come up with a much prettier sounding life lesson from this, she's a genius like that, but it really hit me in the spot I am on this journey. Sometimes we just need to talk ourselves through it, out loud, each inch, each step reminding ourselves we'll survive, it'll be OK, we just need to step on that one lite step in front of us.

And lastly how could I resist a little sleepy boy?

Sarah and Illana got super blessed yesterday and I realize each day brings me one day closer to being a Yiayia and seeing the beautiful face of this lovely child of God.

It Takes A Village

Wanting to do something educational with your preschool/early elementary age active child?!

I've been there and it can be enough to make a lady wanna scream or jump off something very high!

I found it best to be on the lookout for small windows of opportunity to do "school" and then jump on that for as little or as long as my child would allow.

Here are some other ideas I found worked in one season or another on our ACTIVE teaching journey:

1. Always have a basket of "school" for them to do- keep it at his/her level so that it is an option for play. Of course don't expect the workbooks to stay in pristine condition; but it would be an option THEY can choose. Also be warned that wall and furniture writing can accompany this idea, so you decide. I was pleasantly surprised during one of our moves that Jesus had been hanging out under my coffee table; not only had Jesus practiced his ABC's but he also left his name- you're gonna see that coffee table on ebay one day! lol

2. Something else I did when the boys were pre-school/early elementary age was a small table with a bookcase next to it. On the bookcase I always kept crayons, markers, pens and pencils, paper of all sorts, tin foil, small empty boxes, toilet paper rolls, masking tape, maze sheets, number and letter sheets, workbooks, math counting and shape manipulatives. With a good supply of crafting objects as well as some motor skills development and number/letter stuff I felt it was a good play option for the boys and they'd do educational stuff without a thought! Plus anything to promote creativity!

(please notice toys at the school table)

3. Another idea is to plan every day after _______ (b-fast, lunch, nap- you fill in blank) for 5, 10 or 15 minutes of "school" time, or call it what you want. Keep it consistent, keep it short, maybe even offer a reward/star chart when the child has given their best and completed a "school" task.

4. Capitalize on meal times. My kids tended to be a little calmer, at least they were sitting down and I would find it was a good time to slide in some sort of worksheet.

5. Take advantage of drawing in the dirt or sand- boys love sticks, they are nature's pencils. Use pudding on a large sheet of paper for letter writing and it's a yummy snack too!! Shaving cream can be fun in the bathtub to write in. Cookies can be made and shaped into a letter of the week. Begin to look around for opportunities to identify and even trace with their finger, letters or number on signs, at the store etc. Life is an education and I believe it's the best one out there.

Don't expect perfection from beginners, and by perfection I mean they may prefer to do some school on the living room floor, sofa or bed- you decide what works and doesn't work for your family; I will say you should above all else decide to have fun! I'll never forget when Vaughan started to read he loved to read upside down or when he got a little older he always wanted to read and write in a tree.

So whether you are a homeschooler or just trying to navigate the preschool/elementary years I hope these tips are helpful and if you have some ideas to share, please do so here so other readers can learn and apply!!

It truly takes a village to raise our kids and our villages have changed a bit over the years, so let's allow this online community to be part of our village.

And yes, please know a teenage post will be coming one day- my favorite piece of teenage advice is "Just survive".

So here I am: surviving!

New Look

Welcome Fall.

I know it's a little late but for those of us the Sunshine State we are ready for fall.

I say better late than never.

I'm ready for cooler days and even crisper nights.

Time is here to get fall crops in the ground and mow the lawn a lot less.

Windows stay open longer and pumpkin smells fill the air.

Ah... a new season, in weather

and

in life.

Embrace it to the fullest.

As I welcome fall I welcome you to enjoy my new look on this blog!

Fall Planting

I officially began my fall garden today!

I planted broccoli and cauliflower seeds inside and out side got 1/3 of my east garden bed loaded with fresh soil.

I'd love to be able to have a whole load of soil be delivered but I garden on a tight budget so the money comes out of my spending money each week- and, in an attempt to live like no one else my weekly fun money is not much.

Nevertheless my garden is officially underway!!

In other news...

a group of ladies started meeting at my house this morning to work through a study of the Old Testament book of Esther.

What some of you may not know is that Esther is a history book, taking place during the rein of King Xerxes of the Persian Empire. Although Esther is of Hebrew decent her God, my God, Yahweh, His name is never used.

I think one of the most exciting things about this study is that I have several women who are dear to my heart in it; most of them know each other but their paths have not crossed much~ oh how excited I am to dive into the whole Megillah of this wonderful book of history, providence and womanhood.

The remnants of the morning remain:

I have other things to blog about and I plan to blog more often, thinking Tuesdays and ____?? I am also combining all my blogs into one place- HERE.

Because whether in my garden, my sewing spot or my kitchen, where I am or have been I can truly say "thus far the Lord has helped" me.

Welcome back to reading a more interesting blog, thanks for stopping in, comments welcome :-)

God's Word- Forever Good

Lord,

in this time of little, as my eyes see no bud on the trees, no crop on the ground- I rejoice in You O Lord; I will be joyful in God my Savior. You are my strength, You allow my feet to go on, You give me the ability to go to new places with You. Thank You Lord.

Amen

Habbakkuk 3:17-19

April 2007- but forever a good reminder

Birthday Update

So despite all the voting my birthday present ended up being pizza for dinner.
My usual money givers gave nothing and I myself can not spend any money on myself at this point in our financial journey.
So thank you all for voting I am wearing the Tom's wedge shoes in my dreams.
Oh well, there's always next year- and by the way I love being 36- so far it's fabulous!!

E-mail Update from Wano Tribe in Indonesia: Two New Brothers

We only have three more teaching sessions until we have completed our
initial phase of evangelism. The second of those three lessons will be
clearly presenting the Gospel with then teaching about Christ's acension on
the third day. We once again ask for your prayers. We will be presenting
the Gospel Monday morning here, which is Sunday evening back in North
America.

In preparation for these next three lessons, I went through the lessons with
two Wano helpers at the end of this last week to make sure there weren't
mistakes and that they were understanding the content well. (We have done
this with every lesson we have taught up to this point as well.) After
hearing the lessons, both of the guys placed their faith in the finished
work of Christ on the cross!!

After going through the lessons with them, I was able to talk for a fair
while with one of the guys, named Temi. I flipped on my digital recorder
for a while of it and here are some snippets of what he said while we
talked:

"Back before you guys came here we were Satan's children. Since we were on
Satan's side, in order for us to change our minds, you told us that God sent
Jesus for us, that He sent Him in order to save us. That if we truly
believe that, then we are God's children... Oh Jesus, He did an amazing
thing for us. I am so happy. Before I had two hearts. Is God's talk true
or not? When you were beginning to teach us my heart was two then as well.
But then you taught us... The Lord Jesus is amazing. Jesus is amazing. He
did an amazing work for us. Jesus is amazing. I am so happy... Jesus has
already paid the punishment for my sins that I have done and will do. Jesus
is amazing. I am happy."

Be praying with us that the Lord opens the eyes of many more Wano people as
we teach them His Truth, just as He did to both Temi and Liku.

Thanks for your prayers,
Tim for the Ingles - and the Wano

Read more here

Sewing Anyone?

I think the cooler weather makes me wanna sew.
or maybe it's the fact that I have no machine, again!

You're Vote is Appreciated

Ok, my birthday is next week and I am wondering what I should get; it's really the only time I purchase something for myself and don't look at price, except of course trips.. if we decide to go somewhere for a birthday getaway I search and search and we only go if it's super cheap!

Here are my tops picks right now, please vote in the comments on what you think I should get.

1. Tom's shoes, these are so cute!

2. Another pair of Tom's shoes, these are wedges and would look great with my favorite clothing item: jeans! Add in the fact I could wear them to work and they are tempting.

3. A stack of fabric from Anna Marie Horner, her designs are just so cute- how can I resist. Of course I went from having 2 sewing machines to none, so....

4. An out of state trip. I have a picture of NH but realistically it'd be Atlanta, GA or Greenville, SC. Although actually don't vote for this because I think the time frame we're dealing with will rule this out, but if you want to list it as a runner-up then please do so. (am I telling you how to vote??)

5. Staycation. Or do we stay near home and enjoy the beautiful white sand beaches and entertainment we are so blessed with here in Central Florida

S0 let the voting begin, and I know more people stop by here than who comment, so please let me know what you think!!

Thanks!

Phileo vs Agape

I've really wanted to post more than I have lately, I just haven't had the quiet to actually sit down and type; and when it does get quiet I find myself just enjoying it.

These last weeks and months have been challenging for Steve and I, our relationship has been under a tremendous amount of stress and strain.
The change in dynamics at our house,
a child struggling in their first weeks in public school,
work,
ministry,
and all the while trying to prioritize us.

Some days I think I just need a vacation, if I could only get away with Steve for a few days it'd fix any stress and strain. We could put aside the daily grind and enjoy us.
But I know that's not the answer.
The answer lies in God's Word, in the daily effort put forth in making a marriage work.

Recently I looked at the words in Titus 2:3-5 about wives loving their husbands, the word love used in that passage is the word "phileo". The verse says
"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

It hit me: I am to be teaching the younger women to phileo love their husbands. This is not agape love- women were built with agape love in them, unconditional love seems to be part of our DNA; but phileo love, that's another story.

The Greek-Lexicon defines phileo love as
1. to love
a. to approve of
b. to like
c. sanction
d. to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend
2. to show signs of love
a. to kiss
3. to be fond of doing
a. be wont, use to do

It's the brotherly love.
So as I struggle in my relationship with Steve I have to ask myself am I phileo loving him?
Do I approve of him?
Do I like him?
Do I treat him affectionately?
kindly?
do I welcome him?
am I a good friend to him?

Sadly enough a year like we've had can make all of those things hard to do, frankly life can make all of these hard to do. I am feeling frustrated, hurt, confused and abandoned. I've easily turned the focus on my kids and myself leaving Steve to get the worst of me and take the brunt of my frustrations.

So last week sometime as I read about this word phileo love and realized I have a younger women in my house who I am instructed to teach, I realized I have been a poor example.
I have been a poor wife.
Oh but by the grace of God I can move on.
My past does not define me, it does not define my marriage.
I can with the strength of the Holy Spirit living in me be kind, be welcoming, be Steve's friend. With that hope, with that peace I press on.

In other news... I am totally loving my iphone.
I rarely get on the home PC because my iphone does it all- except blogging, I've yet to figure that one out.
I play Words With Friend with my friend Rhonda close by and Natalie in Atlanta.
I emojicon all my other iphone friends and can tweet to my hearts content.
Hear me again I can tweet and check tweets and tweet and check tweets- how I love twitter.

We've also rearranged the whole living room, we're finishing up the shed and hopefully will have Justin moved into his new bedroom in a weeks time! Then Sarah can begin to nest in Illana's room. Splashes of pink already brighten the living room and a growing belly excites us all!!

Hope you all have a happy weekend and I plan to stop by this blog a little more often so keep coming back!

Love to you all-

Weekend in Review

So Friday night I get out of work and there is message for me on my phone.
It's my dad saying he is about 2 hours away and he'll be at our place in the morning!!
Then around 8:00 I hear the sound of his semi backing down our driveway!
What a nice surprise!
Then around 9am my mom calls and says my brother Scott who has been working on the west coast of Florida is making the 6 hour trek to see us!!
Yippee!! Double the fun!
Next my mom starts pulling out old things... like our old Star Wars characters.

Well, OK so they were not MY Star Wars characters but my brothers, they did however let me play with Princess Leah- and here she is:

A trip to the Farmer's Market was in order on Saturday while I worked :-( But they redeemed themselves by purchasing farm grown meat and REAL MILK! Look close and you'll see the cream on top, mmm, perfect for our coffee.

I grew up on the real deal milk, straight from the cow--- yummy!!

We then had a photo shot after the under 24-hour visit from my bro.

Dad;s truck was a great back drop.

Hmmm, wonder who Justin takes after??

We did a bunch of Jeep driving. It was great weather for it!

And of course we visited the beach!

How blessed.

Having fun!

Beautiful family, beautiful scenery all thanks to God.

Of course it was back to life, back to reality today;

where I spend a good chunk of time

sleeping,

working

and crying.

Such is life.