Spring in the Air

I don't know that I have a favorite season. I enjoy all of them and throughout my life have had wonderful memories of each; spending all day roaming the streets of our small town by foot or bike, with my cousins and sister during the summer; feeling the fall breeze as we walked the streets of the local Jubilee, the smell of corn on the cob, Carmel apples and funnel cakes all around us; during the winter I remember piling on long underwear, eating cream of wheat for breakfast, and trying to warm up by squeezing in close to the wood stove with my sister; and finally...Spring! In particular that time between winter and Spring, the days you could actually smell the Flowers in the air, notice the bees buzzing around once more, and see the brown grass turning green. It was warm enough to play outside in our short sleeve shirts, but with the winter breeze still lingering, it was cool enough to not get too hot. We never had to stop our play to lay in the shade and cool down or run inside to guzzle down some water and take a rest. Yes, on those days you knew-Spring Was In The Air.

That's the kind of day we had yesterday. I knew as soon as I walked outside to get the mail and was met with that old, familiar smell. That smell that you can describe no other way than "It smells like Spring today!" Which is exactly what I said to my Girls when I got back inside from getting the mail. At once we got dressed, got our lunch ready and headed out the door-for that first day of Spring play after what has seemed like a long winter!





We went to Noah's Ark for a picnic




The Lion was Sophie's favorite, and Ruthie liked the Tiger the best. If you look closely, maybe you can see too drool dripping from the tiger's mouth. He was pacing back and forth drooling the whole time...I think he though we looking like a tasty treat!



Sweet Sisters!

Lent

I was driving in the car this morning, listening to the radio in between my four year olds stories about everything from her friends at church to the butterfly she saw out of her window, to Toby Mac (who, by the way, she thinks should be our next president-too funny not to mention!!).
Ruthie does not have many times when she doesn't feel the need to chat, and even fewer times when she has nothing to say. Today, however, she happened to quiet down right in time for a news break on the radio. They were talking about Lent and the article from the Wall Street Journal, that is getting a lot of attention, about adults giving up Facebook for Lent. Which got me thinking...




As a stay at home Mom, life can become lonely, routine and tiring. Facebook is an outlet. A link to the rest of the world. It started as something fun, a way to keep in touch with other stay at home Moms, with friends I don't see very often and with family that live out of state. But all too soon, what was a fun game became a dangerous addiction. Am I staying at home with my kids so that I can sit at the computer and see who tagged who in a picture, who "has ended their relationship" or "poked" me? When was the last time I took my kids for a walk or sat down and played a board game with them? I can tell you this-it's A LOT fewer and far between then my facebook activity! Am I spending more time on facebook then I am showering my kids with love and much needed attention? Without a doubt!
Now let's dig a little deeper...Am I spending more time with facebook than I am spending with my Savior? Where do I go when:
I wake up in the morning? To check my facebook.
I feel frustrated? To check my facebook.
I feel sad? To check my facebook.
I feel overwhelmed? To check my Facebook.
I feel lonely? To check my facebook.
It is embarrassing enough to admit these things to myself, it is mortifying to admit them to you. But here I am, in honesty, saying, Facebook has become an idol in my life. All too often I am running to facebook to forget my hurts instead of running to my saviour to heal my hurts. But giving it up?? Last week I tried to check my facebook twice a DAY and it felt like torture, and I only lasted ONE....yes, ONE day! Could God honestly be calling me out of facebook for FORTY days???...I've never even THOUGHT about lent! Why now? Why today? Why this? As soon as I got home I sat down and started my research...



The observance of Lent has been around for thousands of years. Research on the subject reveals that the 40 days of fasting is meant to mirror the 40 days that Christ spent in the desert, being tempted by Satan. Traditionally, the church was given specific instructions on fasting from food; what kind of food, for how long, and at what meals. Over the years, the meals changed, snacks were added and now a lot of people that observe lent give up only an item of food, such as sugar or soft drinks, and others choose another route-giving up a bad habit or a hobby for 40 days.
The purpose of Lent is to deny yourself, and focus on Christ. It is to be an act of prayer, patience and self denial. Many people, such as myself, think of lent as a Catholic event but as I researched it this afternoon I was surprised to find out that in addition to the Catholic church, several Christian denominations observe Lent to some degree. It is a touchy subject, many Christians thinking it a legalistic ritual and believing that the free in Christ should not take part in it, while others believe it to be not an obligation, but a personal choice to be decided individually as the Holy Spirit leads. and what do I think?...
I absolutely know that to the Christian, lent is not an obligation, but a choice. And so what do I choose? I choose Christ. I choose to take these next several weeks before Easter to reflect on and spend time with my God. To focus on everything that Christ has done and is doing for me, and to run to him when life is too much. I choose to sacrifice an idol in my life, as I remember the sacrifice He made for me on the cross.

"Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'
Luke 9:23

Please pray for me during this time as I make this ever so small sacrifice of an idol in my life. My prayer is that God will teach me something through this and that he will reveal other things in my life that I have not surrendered to him.


You can read the Wall Street Journal article at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123509424821028985.html

FOR TODAY...December 23, 2008

Outside my window...Is a yard full of leaves...I LOVE it!

I am thinking...I should be in bed!

I am thankful for... Jesus!!

From the learning rooms...we're taking a break...we are working on Loving God and Loving People, though

From the kitchen...tomorrow we are covwrinf pretzels with choc., and baking pies! YUM!

I am wearing...pj's and my warm robe-and I'm still freezing!! :)

I am creating...a more peacful environment for my family...that's the plan, anyway...

I am going...to grow closer to the Lord this next year!

I am reading...nothing. Honestly, I am reading NOTHING right now, and that makes me SO SAD :(

I am hoping...My kids have a great, memorable amazing Christmas

I am hearing...my stomach growl-I think I forgot to eat dinner!

Around the house...I am getting ready for my sis and BIL to come into town tomorrow!! And I am planning ion baking with my angels tomorrow!

One of my favorite things...Christmas time! Baking! Candles, fires, coffee, hot chocoalte...everything about this season!

A few plans for the rest of the week:CHRISTMAS!! And my husband has FIVE days off!! WOO HOO!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Coupons!

Okay, so for years...I have been trying to coupon. I clip and clip and clip....only to get to the store and it seems like I can only use like ONE or TWO coupons and my grand savings are usually around, oh, I don't know...$2.00 or so! So then I "quit"...I give away or throw away (yes, I have done it!) my coupons in frustration! Then several months later I will hear people talking about their GREAT savings and amazing stories of getting things for 25 cents, 50 cents, and in some cases even FREE!

I have read articles, blogs and even BOOKS on couponing trying my best with my little mind to comprehend ALL of this overwhelming information! So then, once again, I will clip, clip, clip and it all starts OVER AGAIN!!!!.....This has been going on, for.....let's see....pretty much since I've been married, so about 5 years!

All of this brings me to my AMAZING friend, April Brumm. April and I go to church together and she, honestly, is one of the nicest, most sincere people I have ever met. She is always talking, e-mailing and telling unbelievable stories of "couponing", and not just saving 1 or 2 dollars like I had always done, but saving REAL amounts of money! I have always been amazed... and a little jealous...of these stories.

Well, a month ago, I once again started my trend of clipping coupons and feeling OUT OF CONTROL with the chaos of it all, when I put on my facebook status something to the effect of giving up on coupons forever! And what Happened???...

Lovely April Brumm came to my rescue! Within MINUTES she offered to help and by the end of the day, she had called and told me to come over one day soon and "learn" her tricks! I can NOT TELL YOU how excited I was!

The girls and I went over on Tuesday, and while her wonderfully patient and kind husband, Chuck, watched all SEVEN KIDS (my two, April's two and 3 others she was babysitting!!), April made me coffee...(I told she's GREAT!!)....and taught me how to "coupon."

So, today I started...I had my list, my coupons, And I headed out to the store WITHOUT children, which I have to say, is SO wonderful! I almost felt like I was at the spa... Driving to and walking through Kroger with NO children...It was pure goodness!

And I have to say, I did GREAT! Here is what I got:

And I just WISH the picture could do it justice!!!! There is TONS of meat, fresh veggies, bread, condiments, cleaning supplies and tons more....

For....here goes.....a SAVINGS of $70.18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OOP was $68.23, which means...I SAVED more than I spent!!! And I MUST add, I got....EIGHT FREE ITEMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SOOOOOOO excited that I FINALLY am understanding how to coupon and coupon the RIGHT way!!!!

THANK YOU APRIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

November 4, 2008...A Day I will Never Forget!

On election night, I started writing, as I often do, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Before you read my first thoughts, please read my ending thoughts, which, I will start with...

As a Child, I became obsessed with Martin Luther King, Jr. As I read books on the great, strong man, I became, even as a little girl, concerned for racism and prejudice. I love all the races and different people that God created, I love to learn about all of the amazing cultures around the world. I am a white person, who is friends with African American people, related to Jewish people and married a Hispanic person. There are not many things I want more than to raise my children in a world where racial prejudice will not effect them.

I know the historical importance of the presidential election tonight. I am Happy, YES, happy, for Barrack Obama and his family. What a wonderful accomplishment and historical moment, not only for them, but for America. I will pray for him, for his choices, for his views, and for our country. I will not, most assuredly, agree with a lot of what he does as a president, but I will respect his position while opposing his views. I congratulate Barrack Obama on being the First African American President of the United States of America.

A Day I will Never Forget

As I sit up late and hear the words I've been dreading, stream out of my Internet from a leading news source, "Barrack Obama is the next president of the United States!", I stop. Stop. No thoughts. No movement. I swallow hard and look around the room...at no one. I am here alone. My husband is working and my daughters are asleep.

My mind starts racing with a million thoughts, my stomach is full of butterflies. And chills. I have chills? yes. Chills. I feel myself start to shake. I'm not crying, just shocked. But then, haven't I been the one saying that this would happen? Am I shocked? Or just lost....confused....in a daze?

"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Comes to my mind, but No! No! "I will never leave thee or forsake thee," quickly follows.

And then...calmness....like I can't believe. A calm, a warmth comes over me and I hear, not with my ears, but with my spirit, "Let not your heart be troubled..."

"It's okay, It's okay" I'm talking out loud now...to an empty room!

And suddenly I am assured...it is not about an election, or a party, it's not about an elephant, a donkey or abortion. It's not about gay marriage or the right to own a gun, it's not about taxes or the economy or any other issue that we have heard talked about for the last weeks with what seemed, without end! There is so much more to life than arguing over our own agendas, fighting for our own selfish desires and feeling like life as we know it is "over", just because our candidate of choice was defeated.

It is so important to stand up for what we believe in and to defend our faith, and I am not for one second suggesting that we "give up"on what we know to be true and right, but I am saying that more than believing in prayers in school, the right to life and the sacred union of one man and one woman, I believe in a God that is bigger than an election, in a God that loves Barrack Obama just as much as he loves me, in a God that is NOT asleep, is NOT taking a break and is VERY MUCH in control of everything I can see and everything I can NOT see, in everything I can understand and everything I can NOT understand.

So now as I sit in my living room, at my computer, I am comforted by my God.

"what time I am afraid I will put my trust in thee" comes to my mind,

followed by, "lean not on your own understanding," and, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped."

I praise God in this second for his comfort and his love. I praise him for my home, for my husband and children, for my family and my church and the friends that I have, I praise him for not being surprised by anything that happens and for holding me so tightly when I am surprised by everything that happens. I praise him for my country. I praise him for AMERICA and I pray for America.

For Today Monday November 3, 2008...

Outside my Window... It's dark...of course....I'm always doing this at night!!

From the learning rooms...We are working on vowels in Phonics, 1-20 in Numbers, writing vowels, our name and "1, 2 & 3" in Handwriting, Presidents in Social Studies, memorizing our address and phone Numer in Readiness Skills and today in Art we made the letter "Ii" out of glitter and in Bible we learned about the tower of Babel.

I am thankful for...God helping me get up early this morning!!

From the kitchen... Sloppy Joes!

I am reading...Lifetime Guarantee, preschool curriculum, A Fish out of Water, everything and Anything Dr. Suess, recipes!

I am creating... A routine for my Children

I am hearing... quiet

Around the house... It is peacful! Candles are lit, everything is straightened (for THIS five minutes, at least!) and put away.

One of my favorite things... My kids laughing together

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... I'm learning how to coupon tomorrow!! YAY!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Pumpkin Carving with my Babes!

The many Super Heros of Ruthie!

We are in a MAJOR Super Hero phase at our house!! Ruthie is being "Bat girl" for Halloween and most everyday she is dressed up like some sort of super hero, running around the house saving everyone in her imagination from harms way. Here are a few pictures of her best creations...



Her Side Kick...