worship gathering

1 Corinthians… We set up the room with all the tables together and set it for a meal.  I made matzoh bread… one big… slab of it (you can’t really call it a loaf, can you?)  We started off with a few songs… focused on the greatness of God and the paradox of His love and wanting a love relationship with us.

God of Wonders

How He Loves

My Savior’s Love ( I stand amazed in the presence…)

Then MJ shared some on the historical relevance of the passage, and  how they would have shared communion together as a church body, the context of the passage, etc…

Then we broke bread and drank our juice.  (no wine.  you have to come to our house church for that 🙂 )

And we ate our potluck.  It worked out great, because several people didn’t bring anything.  I brought 3 apples and cut them into wedges.  I know.  Creative!  So we shared all together the bounty God had provided…

Then we sang songs… people’s favorites, with whoever wanted to playing the instruments.  It was very relaxed.  It was great having the kids try out all the instruments and the microphones.  A little out of hand a few times, but in general it was good.  I do wish there had been more participation of the adult variety.  Either supporting and singing along with the kids and/or choosing songs or coming and playing an instrument.  Something besides having their own gab sessions.

BUT it was still a time of being together in unity.  And that was the point.

good friends and a simple woman’s daybook

You know you have a good friend when she moves out of state, and as she empties the remains of her fridge and pantry into yours you can consolidate because you buy the same stuff! :)…

wheat germ, marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, couscous, brown spicy mustard, frozen blueberries from last summer…

A Simple Woman’s Daybook… bits of my week…

Outside My Window… sunshine… I can’ t see it because my back is soaking in it as I lay on the couch. 🙂 Some of the leaves are turning color. It felt like a warm Fall day today. We went on an 1 1/2 hour walk around a lake and through the woods. Saw quite a few piles of bear scat, a big beaver damn, and lots of freshly chewed off trees.

I am thinking… of the satisfaction that comes from opening your home to friends as they pack and move, and embracing the chaos it brings. Its a wonderful way to soak in every minute of their presence and make some more memories before they move across the country.

I am thankful for… my friends… Jeff and Anne. Anne of G-16 – except they moved to G-24, but it didn’t have the same ring so we still called her Anne of G-16. From whom our parenting philosophy was influenced. As was our kitchen. And the thought of homeschooling. And that philosophy too. And home making. As I drove away last night with tears, I was realizing just what a wonderful influence this quiet family was.

A little story… this little quiet spoken family from the midwest, living in AK, we had them over for dinner… my boy lifted his butt cheek and farted huge long and loud at the table. I was horrified! We probably horrified them… or at least surprised them!! – more than once… but they have been gracious with our rough and uncouth edges! (thanks Anne – just in case you are reading this!)

From the kitchen… just a few crumbs left of our meals the last few days… ok, of our desserts… ANZACS, maltines, shortcake to go with the 9 yr old canned peaches from Ohio, the fizzy stewed plums, and frozen strawberries 🙂

I am wearing… blue shirt, socks, my grey sweats… ok, I’ll tell you… I’ve worn them non-stop since Wed night. Its Friday afternoon. They are comfortable. AND I haven’t spilled anything on them!

I am creating… a song. music for singing Psalm 1

I am going… to a good-bye party for another dear friend who is leaving and will be gone by the time we get back from Australia (that is the second of three!)

I am reading… Numbers, Heartfelt Discipline… OK! this hasn’t changed much, but I did finish The Shack. I don’t do book reviews. But for those who want to know what I thought. Which camp do I sit in? Its a BOOK… a story for crying out loud. It was wonderful. I loved some of the images I was left with in my head. There were a couple things I probably don’t completely agree with in the author’s theology FROM WHAT I CAN TELL from the book. But, so what? It’s far from heresy. And there’s a couple sentences of what I think.

I am hoping… to be able to complete sorting my pictures into picture boxes before we leave. Its the one project I REALLY REALLY want to get done. And I am hoping for full participation in the Global Bridegroom Fast next Mon- Wed. For more hearts in our church to intercede together.

I am hearing… the dog licking himself. I guess I could have left that out. Sorry!

Around the house… Bryan has gotten SO much. The garden is halfway to being winterized. It hasn’t rained today, so we’ll probably mow. I should do it for him… BUT – maybe later. The suitcases have been brought up from the basement… the packing starts.

One of my favorite things… sitting inside with the sun burning the back of my head… ah…

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: pack. clean. sort. pack. clean. pack. (I know – we’ll only be gone for 5 weeks… STILL)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing… Shand all growed up in piggy tails!

thoughts on home church tonight

What DOES it mean to love your neighbor as yourself?

• If I am hungry, I get myself something to eat.
• When I screw up, I forgive myself and give myself a chance to try again.
• When I’m tired, I feel grumpy and need more understanding and patience from others.
• When I”m cold, I get a blanket or a coat.
• When I’m lonely, I hang out with someone.
• When I’m bored, I find something to do.
• When I discover an area in my life that stinks, I pray that God helps me to change, and I hope for grace from others.
• When I get angry (fill in not-so-good attitude) for the hundredth time this month, I know I don’t like that part of myself, and I hope to not do it again… I recognize the desire of my heart for a beautiful spirit, and not only the foulness that comes out in the flesh.

What might it look like if I give that much to my kids?  To my husband?  To the neighbor?   To that family member?  To that member of Jesus’ body that I am a part of?

Ancient India and Africa

Just a taste of these countries. We split up Week 3 of the Hideaways.

Lots of reading in these two, and the teacher’s guide recommended splitting up the week, or just skipping some.

INDIA.. some extra books from the library

• “One Grain of Rice” (a mathematical tale of smart thinking with a good moral)
• “Once a Mouse” (another moral story – other countries are good at those!)
• “Buddha Stories” (a collection of moral-of-the-story ‘s as told by Buddha
• Picture book of the Ganges River. Good culture book.

We made a ‘Rakhi” – indian bracelet given from brother to sister signifying him taking care of her.

We made curried chicken and rice. And everyone ate it, including the baby!! 🙂

They colored pictures of Buddha and narrated the story of how he came to be called Buddha and followed by many.

AFRICA

both the boys did maps…

Thad (on top) talked through his copied version of the Usborne Map and his printed ‘clip art’, then we put his hand on the back side of his page.  Keenan (on the bottom of the pic) wrote in his SOTW Activty Guide version of the map (not pictured). We printed out some ‘clip art’ from the Usborne, and put his outlined and painted hand on the bottom of his notebook page.  They are supposed to represent the Africans painting geometric designs on their hands and feet.   (Ours are kind of geometric! 🙂 )

They wanted us to eat something African tonight. I’m uninspired. I’d love some plaintains, but don’t want to go to the store. I’d love to eat some date bars… but don’t want to make them!

Next week we’ll finish the Week 3 portion of Hideaways in Ancient China and Phoenicians.

Unplugged

So I stumbled on this website… and have decided to participate as I am able… Unplugged Project.

This week’s theme was TREES.

We have been spending a lot of time in our tree platform, to become a tree house when we get back from Australia in October (or next summer if its snowing already).

A Simple Woman’s Daybook

FOR Thursday August 21, 2008

Outside My Window… sun, rain, sun, rain, wind… and lots of busy chickadees

I am thinking… of putting the children to bed so I can indulge in a bath… and THEN doing the dishes… and THEN steam cleaning the carpet… and wondering if I will actually have enough energy to carry out that plan.

I am thankful for… the friends that we shared our meal with tonight, that I have a chance to return the favor… of so many many favors that have been done for me.  Countless times watching the kids last minute.

From the kitchen… the lingering smell of home made pizza… bringing to memory this afternoon’s chaos with 5 overly helpful children and one screaming child at my ankles… And coffee… hmmm… should I?

I am wearing… light blue cords, orange hippy shirt I got in Australia 10 years ago.  (WOW – that has lasted!) and bare feet.

I am creating… gourmet pizza… olive oil and crushed garlic, shredded basil, kalamata olives, marinated artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, feta, parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  And I am creating some order… does that count under creating?

I am going… the park tomorrow.  There is no play ground anymore… just lots of big rocks for the kids to climb.  Even better.

I am reading… Numbers, Heartfelt Discipline, The Shack

I am hoping… for time, energy and motivation to finish all the projects, organizing, and winterizing needed before our trip to Australia.

I am hearing… children play.  more specifically BOYS play.  Action, action, action.  In my head I’m hearing some Misty Edwards (I.H.O.P)

Around the house… CHAOS… but underneath, emerging order.  REALLY!  Sometimes you have to let all the maintenance go so you can get some big projects done.

One of my favorite things… open mouthed kisses from Shand.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: planning the worship gathering.  fun celebration at the Library park, Dunamis meeting, yard work (winterizing!)

Here are some picture thoughts I am sharing… thinking of the summer camping trips.  four wheeling, fishing, hiking, fires and s’mores, shooting, rivers and rocks… good times by all.

warming the feet by the fire… it felt more like Fall!

walking the woods with Grandma

Egyptian Pyramids

A week of exploring Ancient Egypt… I love… LOVE this! 🙂 I am having a lot of fun teaching history. Let’s reword that shall we? I am having a lot of fun letting Susan Wise Bauer and Usborne recommended web sites help me teach history.

We didn’t make the ‘hideaway’ this week. We did the cardstock version of a pyramid and I let the kiddos draw pics on the inside that ‘represented’ them. Which was hilarious.

Here they are sitting on the table closed up, and then Thad’s opened up… it’s too hard to show you pictures of their pictures and have you actually understand what is in there!! I’ll write what they said about their drawings.  Keenan actually wrote some commentary in his.

Keenan pretended he was a pharoah…  Side 1, Guy practicing for war (with shield and spear) and Man yelling “the Nile is flooding”

Side 2: Keenan in his sarcophagus

Side 3: Wrestling with people watching  (think… olympics 🙂  I know – this is Egypt!)

Side 4: Ox trampling on the grain.  Woman throwing grain and husk flying away. (his drawing is great, with the ox inside the vat.)

Floor:  Map of his pyramid.

Thad’s pyramid (in back) was for his family apparently.  Below is his all laid out.

Side 1: Mom in the ladies room.. ( I clarified… I’m the princess in the princess chamber – not the bathroom)  Its the top room.  There are all my jewels.  hundreds of them.

Side 2: Thad doing his new math, and a picture of a soccerball.

Side 3:  Keenan, mirror picture, a toilet and a can lid. (? – not sure what all the significance there is, but apparently it was pretty funny.)

Side 4: Dad lying down.  A broken TV.  A soccer ball picture.  Something he shot. (animal?) A hammer thing, but, actually a weapon hammer… bam, bam, bam, cause it has apointy at the end.

They played an “apprenctice to a mummy person”… they thought that was just great. we explored the Great Pyramids and palaces online and read some extra picture books… “Temple Cat” and a great King Tut picture book.

We burned incense… why not? 🙂 I love smelly things! A couple state fairs ago the kids (ok, Daddy) bought me a pretty incense holder.

church stuff

We have had some great gatherings… the pastor is teaching through 1 Corinthians … and can you BELIEVE I am going to be GONE when they get to chapter 12.  Its just not fair! 🙂

A few Sundays ago, a couple in our church got married… since it was a Sunday, we were all there anyway (at the gardens where they had it) so we celebrated our standing as Christ’s bride with them at the end of their reception.  It was great.

Last week, we focused on love.  imagine that.  Christ set us free from the law… not for our own desires, but he set us free to LOVE others… I’ve been thinking a lot about that.  The paradox of law and love, freedom and serving, slave and daughter of the king, lowest of low slave (think galley of ship) and ambassador for Christ…

So, how might you and I ACT love to…

• that person in our church that irritates us or has wounded us…

• that neighbor who you don’t know, maybe a single mom, or an aging lady, or a latch-key kid… (I have a story!)…

• the random person you run into at the grocery store, is following you too close on the highway, you pass by on your walk.

So, with paper and pencils handed out, and encouragement to share with someone the things God brought to mind to help keep us accountable… our week of love begins.

Discipline tip

Actually.  Its not a tip really… more of a new thing for us.  Its seems a no-brainer, and is probably in a multitude of parenting books…

Keenan’s ‘consequence’ for not obeying and following directions… because he didn’t want to.  His own reasoning!  He was pretty worried the consequence would be no TV or computer.  Which is funny, because he hasn’t been on the computer for a week at least, and hasn’t watched any TV because… just because!  So it seemed an odd kind of a consequence when we’d been keeping them off anyway.

• Be with Bryan all day long next week, probably Monday, practicing obeying and following directions.

I think its brilliant.  He won’t be able to go to escape and read books and play… although, I am sure he’ll get a break when its convenient for Daddy… or if Daddy can see he needs some alone time to rejuvenate…

I am really enjoying “Heartfelt Discipline”  I haven’t finished it, but so far, it is very inspiring.  It is freeing and scary to KNOW there IS NO METHOD for parenting, besides seeking His face and parenting by faith in Jesus…

the post in which I WISH I had a picture

Shand disappears for… 30 seconds?  I hear splashing.  Its coming from the bathroom.  oh no… I”m sure she’s playing in the toilet water again. I hope it is flushed.

NO!  She is actually IN the toilet… both feet… and its not flushed.  Wet I lift her out with soggy yellowed toilet paper stuck to her feet.  I set her in the tub.  She looks at me.  Eyes round and lips in an “OH” shape.  ALL SERIOUSNESS!!

“Oh no!”

🙂