OK, Can I just tell you what a laugh I had this morning, when I read my friend javamama's comment regarding my wall paper. She doesn't know me too well, so wasn't sure if I was serious or not.
SO, for anyone who is wondering. I do NOT like the wall paper. I am all out of unicorn and mermaid prints to decorate with. 
Above: making the mud wigwam… Dining room is to the right.
Below: the finished wigwam… I made it too wet and it took FOREVER to dry!!!
below: Keenan's diorama… one side of it anyway. He really like this, paper project though it was!!
Below: in our dining room… see the pretty wall paper? The two large wall maps are now in that corner. this is what Thaddeus does while we do math (MathUSee)… the sun room you can see through the double glass sliding doors.
A close up of the wall paper… I mean, the interactive map of theory of how some people got to the “new World”
Above: Thaddeus loves to play in the stuffec animal bin… yes, its cracking, mom!!
Below: Excuse the butt shot… the point is my favorite corner in the house… It doesn't show you the view but it does show you the trees outside, which are now bright yellow.
Below: Funny pics of the kids dancing and singing their memory verse songs in the kitchen.
to the back, on the left, you can see the door that goes into the “butler's pantry” – it is like a whole extra kitchen!!! its crazy!
This is just funny: I was going to pick them up, and Keenan says NO – its my animal sacrifice!! mom: ooh! Keenan: its ok mom, they aren't bowing down to it!! they just have their feet towards the elephant (being sacrificed) see? AND sure enough!!
We have finished going through Philipians and we are going through some parables. MJ is wanting to practice narrative style preaching, something he feels he needs to grow in, and though he wants to do Romans, God said parables!! And that makes a lot of sense for that style of teaching…
Last week we did the story from Luke 16: 1-13… with two main points… being wise with our resources for the future, and integrity. It was a good time of worship. We did a rather corny thing at the end, that made a point, silly as it was. At the beginning we gave out little cups with 10 skittles each in them. The instructions were to keep most of them but it would be ok to eat a few, because MJ wanted them back at the end. And if you had 8 left at the end of the service, he gave you a whole bag… delayed gratification! 🙂 Its fun to experiment… in this case, it was good to have a little sugar, but other than that, it probably didn't REALLY have some lasting impact! 
Following is our order of service
Church Prayer /
city prayer
Scripture
– Romans
9:22 – 26
Responsive
Reading: Have Mercy on Us.
Teaching
)
Closing Prayer
Two weeks ago was the parable where the widow kept bugging the judge over and over and over, and didn't leave him alone, and he finally gave her what she wanted… For our experiential time we got the kids to ask all the prep team, and worship team and anyone else who was there for the worship gathering forthem to read a book, or play a game or whatever… to keep asking every few minutes until they got what they were asking for… It was kind of fun to look back at the reactions at the other end of the service!! 
Please note, we are all like family… they weren't asking visitors or anything like that!!
One of the neat things about that week, was that it followed our prayer on the mountain, and we had another time of intense prayer for our city, and for our church, and for His Kingdom… good stuff!!
I am excited about next week… we have a neat “flow” to the service, and I think it will be very… good… God is good, right? so good isn't a mild word!!
First of all, please don't anyone tell me if I spelled dillemma wrong… I DON'T know how to spell dillema, I have discovered!
ok so here is my… quandary! 🙂
a few months ago I started making my own laundry soap… (it lasted a few months!! )
SO I am OUT of laundry soap. Do I make more, and use the inexpensive fairly easy way to make soap and save a few bucks, and continue on as my status as “Makes her own laundry soap” – noting again, I have only made it once!
Or do I give in to my tired, feeling lazy and short-cutty self, and just BUY the soap like every other regular person out there, including me, up until 3 months ago!!
That's it for my deep thoughts for today, I need to make up my order of service for tonight.
So we are working on dressing himself… we go up and down, back and forth with progress…
This morning… “Mama, the pants aren’t letting me put the pants on!!” “They are just laying there!”
after going potty… ALL BY HIMSELF… no help from me (wow this is becoming ALMOST regular!) He says “Help – Come fix it mama!”
mom: “is it twisted”
Thad: “Yeah, when its twisted its excercise… twisted is excercise mom”
you know… its true!! When YOUR panties / underwear get all twisted wrong when you are putting them on / pulling them up… it is EXCERCISE to fix it!! I believe it qualifies!
So we are working on dressing himself… we go up and down, back and forth with progress…
This morning… “Mama, the pants aren't letting me put the pants on!!” “They are just laying there!”
after going potty… ALL BY HIMSELF… no help from me (wow this is becoming ALMOST regular!) He says “Help – Come fix it mama!”
mom: “is it twisted”
Thad: “Yeah, when its twisted its excercise… twisted is excercise mom”
you know… its true!! When YOUR panties / underwear get all twisted wrong when you are putting them on / pulling them up… it is EXCERCISE to fix it!! I believe it qualifies!
Saturday afternoon, in the BEYOND blustery wind and sideways rain, at 40 degrees, not counting the wind chill… at the edge of the lookout, overlooking over the city of Anchorage and the inlet… (just want you to get the picture of our little church huddled together)
We prayed… LOUD and passionately and with all our hearts. Prayed for God to break our hearts for the lost. To break strongholds. That God would pour out His Spirit over Anchorage. We prayed for the other pockets of people that desire for more of GOD in this city, and are willing to let God change them to make that happen. We prayed for unity among God's body of believers.
If my people will humble themselves (not be focused on denomination, not have to be right, not have to be first, not have to be visible, will see themselves in the light of GOD and His holiness and righteousness, justice and mercy, will love others as God as loved them)
If my people will humble themselves and pray!!! (daily, hourly, minutely, privately, and corporately, truthfully, sincerely, passionately)
If my people will humble themselves and pray and seek my face (at night, when I go to sleep, in the morning when I wake, together with my children and husband, together with the body of Christ in my living room, when I don't know how to love my neighbor, when I don't know how to confront in love, when I don't know the right words to say or the way to go… when I don't know!)
If my people will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways (from my pride, from my self centeredness, from my self-righteousness, from the hidden sins we don't talk about and think no one knows, but God does, and it is preventing Him from working through us to the capacity He would like! from my selfishness and laziness, from my bitterness and unforgiveness.)
THEN I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will HEAL THEIR LAND!!
Our Saturday prayer time carried into our worship gathering last night… It was a good service. Even with some personal things going on, lifting my eyes to Jesus, He erased it away and filled it with Him. God is GOOD!!
OK, I know this is TONS of pictures, and they are rather old some of them… but, hey, we were moving, and surely from now on I will not be behind and outdated!!! Plus my family like pictures, so they are just happy to get some! 
This first picture is just a funny part of Keenan… His storage units for his weapons… oh, wait, no, that is the cereal cupboard and file cabinet!!
This one is the first day Thaddeus was doing his new chore of putting the silverware away. He of course, makes a joke out of everything, so you can be sure with great glee he had them mixed up with a great guffaw accompanying it!!
Next we have the boys and the Father's Day cake they made. OH they were SO PROUD – and their expressions are so beautiful, I couldn't choose which one to post, so I posted both!!
Here is Keenan after we moved… this boy LOVES books!!!
Mr Cool Thad in the pilot's seat at the air show!! with his lollipop!!
At the Sea Life Center… we didn't plan to match with orange shirts… but it does look kind of cute, don't you think?? Don't you love the sea lion?
Their favorite part was… wait for it… climbing on the rocks outside the Sea Life Center… I'm glad they were free!!
And last, but not least… outside our DIRTY dining room window (before we cleaned them… we HAD only just moved in!!) is Mama Robin, feeding her fledgling!
We had a really neat “set” of worship gatherings.
We are finishing up Philippians… last week MJ started the service by handing out everyone a dollar. (yeah, I know… but we are a poor church!!)
Did it make our lives better? Is money important… and we talked about contentment.
This week, MJ handed us a dollar again… (you want to come to our church?? – we pay people just to come!! just kidding) This dollar is not ours… it is to be given away… we talked about generosity… how you don't have to be rich to be generous.
SO the dollar sits in my Bible… to be transferred to my wallet soon, and I will pray about who the Lord will have me use that dollar on… and if I will add some more dollars, or a 10 or a 20… or a 100. Generosity. Its a heart thing… the money isn't ours. The money Bryan makes, and I make piano teaching. Its not ours to hoard and spend. With a heart willing, God can use it to do amazing things, and to bless so many lives and to show Himself to them.
SO… I'll let you know who my dollar goes to! 
A Life of Balance 