Project 365: Week 46

Sunday, November 7, 2010

At community group tonight, the kids played with these foam pieces called Magic Nuudles. (We got ours at Hobby Lobby.) You just barely get them damp, and they will stick to each other. Noah made this absolutely ingenius creation! (I'm not at all biased.) The boy just may be an architect after all!! (I mean, right??)

Monday, November 8, 2010

We're filling our Passport to India "suitcase" with ALL our loose change to send to Sonlight. Every dollar raised sends another boy or girl in India to a Children's Bible Club near them. And Sonlight is matching every dollar we send up to $167,000.

I probably should have washed the dinner off his face first...(oops).

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I brought home a couple more kiddos tonight to help out my friend just for the fun of it!! (They leave for vacation Friday night. You may recall she did the same for me before ours.)

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Our friends were here throughout the day today. Don't you think six kids fit quite nicely on my couch?

We took a little nature walk and collected lots of leaves, etc. for our leaf animals.

Some things needed to be inspected reeeeeeally closely.

"These two" just need to LIVE outdoors.

But the boring mama keeps making them come inside and sit down.

Okay. So this project is a little messy. But that's okay. What are days like today for if not for a little mess?

Thursday, November 11, 2010

We go to the library while Gabriel is in speech therapy next door. Atticus loves the just-his-size tables and the simple toys there.

Saylor is all about checking her books out herself. Actually, the kids all have their own library cards. It may seem like a lot to have to keep up with, but I have the account notices all go to my email address, so it's not that bad. Besides, my kids gain a lot of independence and social skills this way. Oh! And having multiple accounts allows our family to check out 20+ DVDs, as opposed to 4 or 5 on a single account. (How else is a family supposed to survive 28-30 hours in the car together?! Ha!)

Friday, November 12, 2010

It's late, and I'm leaving the counters in a nasty state. And just going to bed. I don't care.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

We spent a lot of time just lying around today, which was nice. But one thing about staying in the house a lot is people often get too rowdy. Especially all these boys. Gabe ended up with a severe carpet burn on his back. He's a tough kid, but this was seriously painful. The only thing that helped occupy his mind while I doctored him was my iPhone. I had loaded up on free apps for preschoolers a while ago, so he had plenty from which to choose. It seems we're all a bit addicted to the iPhone in this family. Tonight I was grateful for that.

The picture doesn't really do it justice. After a coating of aloe vera (for its antibacterial properties and cooling effect) had dried, I very carefully dabbed on a mixture of raw honey and Vitamin E essential oil. And then covered it with sterile gauze pads so he could wear his warm jammies without fear of more friction there. Ouch!!

Itten that sad??  :(   I just hate it when we have doctoring to do around here.

So, that was my week. How was yours? You can find all the Project 365 participants linked up at Sara's "...make music from your heart to the Lord. Eph.5:19."

Project 365: Week 45

This week begins with our travels back home after our vacation in Virginia last week. (Stay tuned for a comprehensive post about that!)

Sunday, October 31, 2010

What?! Not the caaaaarrrrr againnnnnnnnnnn!!!!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Since our overnight stop was in Nashville, we decided to take a quick look at The Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jackson. It was such a lovely day and none of us really relished the idea of getting back in the car, so our "quick look" turned into several hours of incredibly interesting sight-seeing.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

After getting in at nearly 9:00 p.m. last night, we hit the ground running this week. Paul left at some unbearably early hour this morning, and the kids and I had Bible study at 9:30. I had really missed my class. And after that we all went to vote.

Gabe kept saying, "Mommy! Bote Daddy."  :)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

It was rainy and cold today, so we very happily stayed in our pajamas all day. It was a great day for coloring. And I would have shared an absolutely precious picture of all four coloring together right about here, but it's kinda hard to do when you don't have a memory card in the camera. Yeah, sometimes I'm that dumb.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

We picked up our Azure Standard order today. I'm so excited about my organic Honeycrisp apples! All 20 pounds of them!!! 46 apples, y'all. (Don't worry, we'll eat 'em.)

Friday, November 5, 2010

We're so happy with the new location of Saylor's dance studio. They've got it all set up for the dancers' siblings to be thoroughly entertained during the lesson (and still not disturb the class). My boys have a ball with all the cars, trucks, and trains!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Oh, wow. Today I'm just plumb beat. Paul found out late yesterday afternoon that someone wanted to see our house. And here we were still not entirely unpacked from our trip! I even still had boxes of food from the Azure order to put away. And we hadn't exactly left the house clean before going to Virginia. And then--my dear hubby felt it was absolutely necessary to repaint an entire wall!! So, needless to say, we were up late last night and quite busy this morning! In fact, we totally ran out of time. At the last minute on our way out, Paul loaded all the stuff we had no time to deal with into his car! (Poor Atticus never even got dressed. He wore his pajamas to lunch.) Oh, well. The house looked good when we left. (Maybe we should just stay gone forever.)

College or Bust?

"My Busy October" has very gradually become "My Busy November." Apparently. 

I'm makin' it, though. And again, I'm so grateful to have a way to look back and see what all the busyness was about. Thanks, Sara, for hosting this fun project! I can't believe we only have seven weeks left!

Radical Response: Week 7

Chapter Seven: 

"There Is No Plan B: Why Going is Urgent, Not Optional"

Do you know how BADLY I want to just get up and GO?! Go far, far away to people who have NEVER heard of the Jesus Christ I have kept to myself while keeping good and busy with acquiring more, more, more of whatever I have desired in life. Go to these people who have no hope. People who don't know Who created them. People who don't realize the penalty for being the sinners they (we!!) inevitably are. Do you KNOW how badly I want to?!!

Yeah.......

I don't either.

I don't know. I'm so torn. One minute I'm thinking, "What am I doing just sitting here on my very nice couch in my very nice living room watching my very nice TV after having a very nice meal (one of three today!)? What is wrong with me?! How can I be so disgustingly selfish?!!" And then I'm thinking, "Oh, dear. Why me? It would be so much easier to...ummmm...not! I've got a lot going on around here. And one day I might like to retire and travel...for fun. MY fun." I can so easily slip back into an out-of-sight, out-of-mind frame of thinking. Just pretend that what's important is making memories with my family, saving money, being healthy, and getting places on time. (Oh, boy.) And pretend that there are not billions of people going to HELL!! And that I'm responsible for sharing the Christ Who Saves with them. It's my job to tell them. My God-given job. (Matthew 28:19) It's not optional.

"If people are dying and going to hell without ever even knowing there is a gospel, then we clearly have no time to waste our lives on an American dream."

Clearly.

But it's not easy. It's not easy to give up my way of life. I want to hold on to it. I want to make myself feel safe and secure and avoid the very idea of going someplace dangerous, scary, poverty-stricken, and hopeless. Because that might just freak me out, and we all know that freaking out is being out-of-control and having to rely 100% on God for our every need. (Yikes!)

So am I a "Christian" who claims Christ is the only way, but then lives like everything will work out okay in the end for all the rest of the people in the world? I think I sort of AM. I mean, I certainly don't BELIEVE in such a pluralistic viewpoint. I don't BELIEVE that there are other ways to get to heaven. I don't BELIEVE for one second that Christ's death on the cross was anything other than absolutely, horrifically necessary to pay for my sins. So why do I live like this is not an urgent matter? Or a desperate one? 

I think it's just more of the same self-centered heart that we are all born with. And I think Satan wants us as busy as possible so there's no time to reflect on the eternal damnation of the billions in the world who are either following a religious path that will lead them nowhere or who have no inkling of who Jesus Christ is. And IF we stop to think about it, he wants us thinking there are too many, and we can't do anything to make a real difference. And that maybe God is unjust in having things this way. That maybe God is the bad guy. But Satan is forever trying to deceive us. We know that!

And while it doesn't SEEM fair that there are so many who don't know Jesus...and therefore will go to hell, "there is no injustice in God," says David Platt and more authoritatively, the Bible! (Romans 9:14) Instead, "the injustice lies in Christians who possess the gospel and refuse to give their lives to making it known among those who haven't heard. That is unfair."

And that IS unfair. And I've been a part of it. I've not gone anywhere! I've not risked anything! I've not lived out the fact that the gospel is worthy enough of whatever cost I must pay to get it to others. I've not even acted like it on a daily basis with my children!!

At this point, I guess I'm left with a sort of dissatisfaction. With myself...and with church, in general. Churches that put forth so much effort in making our buildings comfortable and conducive to all our "programs," who make sure teenagers (who have HEARD about Jesus) get to go on purely fun trips, and yet say to potential missionaries: "What if you're not REALLY being called? We wouldn't want to put our money toward financing your endeavor if it's not the real thing." (Romans 10:15) 

This chapter was so great because it debunked the whole "you've got to be CALLED to go into missions" thing. I do believe God CALLS people. And sometimes in very dramatic ways. But the fact is...we are ALL "called." GOING is God's will for all of us!! Whatever that may look like. Maybe it's GOING over to your neighbor's house and showing some hospitality to them. Maybe it's GOING to a local school to volunteer, love on kids, and show Christ's love to them. Maybe it's GOING on a short-term mission trip to provide medical attention and share the gospel as you help restore health to a hurting people. Or maybe it's GOING for good. No matter what the cost. No matter WHO thinks you're not "for real." But GOING because God commands you to do so. And because there is no greater cause worth living and dying for.

This post is part of an on-going read-along at Marla Taviano's blog.



**All quotes, unless noted otherwise, are from David Platt's book.

Project 365: Week 44

As you may know, this week we were on vacation in Virginia. I forced myself to choose only a few photos per day for this post. I will have to do a separate vacation post with the complete photo album of fun.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Vacation Day #1 Highlights

Visited Polyface Farms. Perhaps you've heard of it on this must-see movie.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Vacation Day #2 Highlights

Made a flying trip (having had no time for a shower or makeup) to Staunton, VA this morning to see Joel Salatin (OF Polyface Farms) speak at the Senior Center. Yeah, I didn't exactly fit in with the crowd. You can pretty much consider me a "groupie" of the borderline-stalker variety. ;)

Other highlights:

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Vacation Day #3 Highlights

We were going to go to Williamsburg today, but there were thunderstorms in the area, so we opted to visit Grand Caverns, the oldest show cave in America, which is only maybe 20 minutes away from where we were staying.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Vacation Day #4 Highlights

Finally made it to Colonial Williamsburg. We quickly learned one really needs about three days to tour this area. It is rich with amazing history.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Vacation Day #5 Highlights

Somehow we mustered the motivation to get.back.in.the.car. and drive to D.C. today. There were a few really important things we needed to see.

And we were blessed to be able to hook up with an old friend.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Extra Vacation Day #6 Highlights

We were supposed to be heading home this morning. But Paul decided to take one extra day so we could actually relax some before the horrific interesting two-day trip back home. We spent it watching college football, specifically the Hogs, playing at the playground, doing laundry, and running errands. Overall, a day just like we needed.

Well, this was one week I didn't have any trouble coming up with something to photograph! Unfortunately, though, I find it much more challenging to get GOOD pictures on vacation. There's a lot of "Quick, get the kids in front of that and I'll snap a picture!" and a lot of fast-walking from one feature to the next. Oh, well. We certainly experienced much! I wonder what Sara and the others have done with their weeks...

Radical Response: Week 6

Chapter 6:

How Much is Enough?: American Wealth and a World of Poverty

Oh, this chapter is right up my alley. I've been dealing with the plague that "stuff" has brought on my life for a while now. One day several years ago I just woke up and suddenly felt engulfed by it! Everywhere I looked there was more stuff. So much I couldn't even manage it all. It always needed dusting, picking up, putting away, organizing, etc. There was no end. Sadly, my first thought (and the one I went with) was that we needed a bigger house so we'd have a place to PUT all of the stuff. Well, one big house with lots of storage space later, it finally dawned on me:

I can't control the stuff. 

I am overwhelmed by how much there is, and how much work it requires of me! So, basically, the stuff is controlling ME! 

Huh. Considering God's plan is to GIVE out of your abundance...not HOARD out of it, is it any wonder that it got so bad?  

Don't you see? It's a test. And I'm quite sure that most of us are FAILING it on a daily basis. 

So you've been blessed with much. A great salary. A large house. A manicured lawn. Quality furnishings filling every bare wall. And plenty of trinkets, decorative knick-knacks, spare sets of dishes, a wide range of shoe choices, and a well-stocked pantry. What now? Sit around enjoying it all while you view the latest episode of some trite drama on your very large flatscreen? (I hope y'all know I have a very large flatscreen. And I hate it. I love it. I hate it.) Unfortunately, that's what most of us do. And then we go spend some MORE money on ourselves and get ourselves further and further into debt (one kind or another).

But God's plan is to bless YOU so that YOU can see the needs of others and, because of your transformation in Jesus Christ, YOU will have compassion on them and YOU will give YOUR stuff, your money, your time, your gifts...to meet those needs.

Have you passed that test?

I confess, I haven't. 

I've failed miserably.

Because I haven't cared. ("But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" 1 John 3:17 ESV)

I haven't cared and I haven't even NOTICED anyone else but myself for SO very long. But what if we noticed that...

"More than twenty-six children today will breathe their last breath due to starvation or a preventable disease."  (emphasis added)

Are you okay with that? Does it bother you at all? Is it just not REAL enough for you? Or is that the kind of statement (or program) that makes you switch the channel on your very large flatscreen?

I mean. That's an atrocity. But it's especially unfathomable in light of the luxuries WE all have and yet are discontented with. Disgusting. And then I think of all the people who actually believe that those in great need like this are there because of a lack of faith or a lifestyle of sin. That as long as we are "in God's will" and obeying Him, etc. we'll have "health and wealth." (Down with the evil Prosperity Gospel!) Here's a news flash: Faith in Christ does not equal worldly prosperity. PLEASE! Consider all His saints all over this dangerous planet risking. their. lives. just to know Him more. That takes faith. US going home to our huge homes with their adjustable thermostats and nice, cozy beds after our fabulous restaurant dinners...well...does NOT.

And that's me! Oh, I've had my moments of despair. I've had my share of financial troubles. I wouldn't, in fact, say I'm free and clear even NOW. But I have not had to watch my children starve right before my very eyes. I have not had to roam the streets looking for shelter. I have not lived in a tiny, poorly-built shack where raw sewage runs right by my door. I have not had to go hungry. I have not had to worship in secret. I have not been without a home or medical care. 

And yet, I often take it all for granted. Wanting more. Keeping more for myself. Giving not nearly enough. 

But here's the great thing about God. God is just awesome enough to take my affluent lifestyle, bring me to my knees by allowing the very thing we Americans all strive for to crush my spoiled-brat spirit, and then cause me and my husband to desire to sell our large home (on the market for 5.5 months now) and most of the stuff in it so we can get out from under debt's very large thumb...so that we can have a surplus of money each month. A surplus of money with which we can help send missionaries, we can give away to the poor, and we can bless others with. And a surplus of time with which to train our children better and serve others more, since we won't be wasting all our time dealing with our stuff! God is just awesome enough to provide for the poor by teaching me a hard lesson about stuff. You know. A lesson He already made perfectly clear in. His. Word.

Because...

"...I realize there is never going to come a day when I stand before God and he looks at me and says, 'I wish you would have kept more for yourself.'"

Let me be clear. This is not a judgment post. I just have to joyfully declare that God is changing my desires. Am I a full-out, give-it-all-away radical yet? No! I'm definitely a work in progress. I still struggle with unbelief (that God will provide) so I want to hoard things. I still struggle with treasuring earthly memories and things instead of heavenly rewards.("The mark of Christ followers is that their hearts are in heaven and their treasures are spent there.") The point is, I struggle.

But God. But God!

'Cause I am struggling less than I used to. Really--the very fact that I struggle at all--that it's no longer easy for me to just go on about my willy-nilly stuff-buying and stuff-storing ways--is a testament to the work He is doing in me. And I KNOW the Lord will get me where He wants me, and I can't wait to see all His plans unfold!

For more responses to chapter 6 in Radical by David Platt, visit Marla Taviano's blog.

Project 365: Week 43

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Did a little planning/thought-processing (very little) for our upcoming trip to Virginia.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Went to the library to load up (literally) on movies and audio books for our trip. This pic just shows the top row (minus a few which walked away). There's another whole row under them. We have around 24 movies and 6 or 7 books. Now. I just hope that's enough...

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

WHILE Paul was gone hearing Wayne Grudem speak at our church tonight, I cleaned kiddie bedrooms--because they desperately needed it just for the fun of it. Found this birthday card from Noah to Paul, which I felt definitely needed to be stored in digital form for posterity's sake:

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

I so enjoyed my Bible study this morning...AT the kitchen table...AT 8:00! WITH a healthy breakfast, which I ate sitting down! And it was QUIET. Hmmm...where were the children, you ask? Let's just say I have a VERY good friend. A friend who, in her goodness, picked up all.four.kids. and took them to her house last night and won't bring them back until TONIGHT. Today is my "be productive" day. Awesome!

Go here to see what the kids did while away. (P.S. My friend is amazing!)

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Gabriel ended up needing only an hour per week for articulation this year. We negotiated with the "powers that be" to let us use the same therapy providers that did his two-year-old program...because they are a whopping three minutes from our house and right next to our library! Since his therapist will no longer come TO our home, and we have to go to THEM, I need it to be easy. (Can I get an "Amen?") What a blessing that they actually let us!! Today was his first day back...AND he gets to have the same therapist he's been missing so terribly since he turned three in May. I tried to get a decent phone picture of him thoroughly enjoying their gym, but that boy just couldn't be still for two seconds, plus the light was streaming in from the windows. Not a great picture, but I think you get the idea: he liked it a little bit!  :)

Friday, October 22, 2010

Had ballet rehearsal today.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Well, the big day finally arrived. Off we go to Virginia!! Paul's sister and her family live there, and we are very excited to go visit them. But it's going to be a looooooooooong drive. These were some of our better moments...

We stopped in Tennessee somewheres for the night and gave the "four-kids-in-a-bed-sleeping-horizontally" thing a shot, but they were just too wound up about being in a hotel! (We obviously don't get out much.) So one "itty bitty" had to move over with us. We certainly didn't get just a fabulous night of sleep, but that's okay. More driving tomorrow!! 

Sunday, October 24, 2010

So. much. more. driving today. Oh, man. We had to stop and stretch our legs a whole lot more. Just to stay sane.

We found a beautiful, colorful spot complete with a brambly country fence right next to a rinky-dink gas station for a great photo spot, though not every one was cooperative.

And the drive was so scenic. A magnificent state!

(from the moving vehicle)

Stay tuned for next week's vacation pictures. You know...when we're actually THERE! Now I'm off to Sara's to catch up on everybody's posts from LAST WEEK in addition to this week. Whew! (But what are vacations for??)