Scripture on my Doorposts

In light of all our Thanksgiving preparations and study, I wanted to sing out my thanks to the Lord for all He has done.  But I wouldn't want you to have to cover your ears.

Instead, I convinced my husband to help me wrestle down this project idea and make it happen (at 1am Thanksgiving morning, which is the best time!  He thought so too.)

 

   Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The LORD works righteousness

and justice for all who are oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

The LORD is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame;

he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting 

to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children's children,

to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all.

Bless the LORD, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,

obeying the voice of his word!

Bless the LORD, all his hosts,

his ministers, who do his will!

Bless the LORD, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

             (Psalm 103 ESV)

Do you write scripture on your doorposts?  You can enter the Doorposts contest here.

Giving Thanks, Thanksgiving Everyday

I think we should celebrate Thanksgiving every day, all year long.  Perhaps not the feasting part, but the heart part.  We are surrounded by a culture of ingratitude and entitlement, and it can be easy to fall into the trap of discontentment.  This year my husband wanted a feast of remembrance.  So a feast we had!

We saw a rainbow out back, reminding us of God's promises.

Everyone had to pitch in to make this feast happen.

Our friends from Mississippi sent us this recipe.  It was always a hit at potlucks back there, and happened to fair just as well in Washington also.

The Thanksgiving Table

Hot Potato, Hot Potato

A place for everyone.

We were grateful to have many friends join us.

This is Butter's good friend that she insists on sitting with at church.  She's telling good stories too!

These boys have been friends since birth...

Here gleaning wisdom from friends.

Fellowship with friends around the table, is so special.

Belle and her friend.

Young Gentlemen

A lady-bug-bucket enjoying some...everything.

Though we are sad that we don't get to see our families very often, we are still thankful for the wonderful family God has blessed us with here in Oak Harbor.

Praying that the Lord blesses you also this wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas season.

How do Babies Worship God?

If you are a little girl, and you can't sing the worship songs....

Then you do whatever you can to participate.

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This fancy up-do took me less than 30 seconds!  Isn't it way better than a pony tail?

~ Lilla Rose ~

Just stop by my website to shop for beautiful clips! Then shoot me an email or leave a comment on my blog and one lucky order will receive a FREE GIFT!

Plus, if you order in the next 3 days, there is free shipping!

(FREE SHIPPING offer is good on orders over $20.00 USD for 3 days from 12:01AM Thursday November 08th to 11:59PM Saturday November 10th 2012 Pacific Standard Time.)

School Supplies ~ Must Have Items

As you can imagine with seven children we need a never ending supply of socks, underwear, pencils and paper. And since my children truly prefer things like books, animal encyclopedias, puzzles, and maps, over toys and gadgets, school supplies are a big deal in our house.  You won't see my children more excited than when the UPS truck pulls up with our new school books and supplies for the quarter.  That is awesome.

If someone had told me when I was a young girl that as an adult I could take out stock on pencils, markers, and construction paper, I probably would have rolled my eyes or made some kind of snarky comment.

Fast forward and imagine that I just spent an hour researching reviews for a good pencil sharpener that would hold up to 643 sharpens per day 6 days a week, and perhaps work in a van as well? (is there such a thing??)  I wouldn't care to admit how much $ I spend on pencils, erasers, and wide ruled paper.  At least 5 times a day someone yells out "where is my pencil?" and at least once a week I yelp as I accidentally sit on a pencil lost in the cushion of the couch.

I am so glad we save money on back-packs, school clothes, and gym uniforms, all we need are pajamas, right? snicker

We don't actually wear pajamas all day, and we do use back-packs (we do school in the van often)

I absolutely LOVE homeschooling!  Our dining room is also our school, the living room is the library, the kitchen is the art room, and bedrooms are offices, my van is the bus. We are pencil experts and love trying new products.  Every day is an adventure filled with the love of learning.

Here are some School Supplies of which we can't get enough:

These are the best pencils- they seem to hold up the longest and the lead doesn't fall out as much as the others.  We tried mechanical pencils but there are eraser-eating-gremlins in my house, and without an eraser, the lead dumps on the floor.



Our Favorite (disappearing) Pens




Printer Paper

Primary Paper

Cursive Paper

Construction Paper

Markers

Colored Pencils

Bands for keeping our drinks straight

Dry Erase Markers

Here are some "Dream Come True"  items we would love for our school...

A Globe

Electric Pencil Sharpener

National Geographic Kids Magazine

World Magazine

Sentence Practice

Math Manipulatives

If you make any purchases via these links above, our family will earn a few pennies that we will use toward our school supplies.  We appreciate your support!

Homeschooling friends, what are your favorite school items?  

P.S. check out my new tabs at the top of the blog, this one will stick!

A Broken Record

Time is flying.
                   
                              Time is flying.

                                                        Time, is flying!

I can't say it enough.  The moments may be long, but the days and months seem to flash before my eyes.  Sometimes it takes my breath away.

Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

~Psalm 144:4

Wasted moments, there are too many of them!  Each day is a battle of choosing what is important over what seems urgent, choosing what lasts forever over what only lasts a moment.

As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from

everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children’s children,

to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

~Psalm 103:15-18

Time is Flying and I've been busy trying to catch it.

Mr. Pilot's Trip to Guam - Part 1

Well, yes, I was actually in Guam for the past two weeks.  And while the trip was every bit as complicated and tedious as you'd expect, I did manage to get about 2 whole days! off to visit the area.  

This is the view from the hotel that I was staying in.  It's a fairly nice view, and I did go down to the pool (below the picture line) and to the water the first day I was there. Honestly, I was busy every single day after that till next Sunday, and it 'looked' wonderful.  Since I did little more than wade in it, I can't speak for any of its other qualities, but the view was spectacular.

Since I was working so much I only had a little bit of time to 'see the sights', naturally I went to the local yokels...

I'm just kidding...Actually these are the fellow saints I met from Faith CRC on Guam.  A delightful looking group.  They were kind enough to drag along a tourist on their hiking expedition for what we were informed (by our officially 'un-official' National Park Ranger guide, think fishing hat) was not technically called spelunking but cave exploration.  We weren't sure if spelunking technically meant wearing more gear, like helmets???  

spe·lunk·ing

  : the hobby or practice of exploring caves

 HaHa!  

[MOVIE TRAILER NARRATOR VOICE]: Here our adventurers are preparing for an incredible spelunking journey into the abysmal Guamese abyss'sses. 

Unsure of their fates, knowing that God was their determiner, they make preparations to meet the Maker at every turn...

The preparations for this intrepid expedition is about to commence...you could cut the tension with a hankie.

[ADVENTURERS]: Is this gonna be 45min? 1 hour?  2 hours!?!  

[ME]: I better get some more trail mix... 

[NARRATOR]: It doesn't matter if you describe this adventure as spelunking or not!  They bring gloves, headlamps, snacks, and water. Armed with all the trimmings of danger and DEATH!  Prepared for anything...almost.

They fearlessly journey into the pits of doom and despair, never sure if they would return to loved ones again!  

Gut wrenching silence...

[ME]: BOO!

[NARRATOR]: Eerie sounds bellow from the great deeps.

ArrrrgghhhlllassssssppiiiilhmmmmmMMMMM

[ME]: Oops, that was me!  Where's my trail mix?

[NARRATOR]: The view from this perilous cliff could only be accessed by braving some of the most aggressive and persistent blood sucking insects in the galaxy...

Don't be fooled by the look on their faces, they have suffered mental anxiety and physical exhaustion on a level few mortals have ever lived to describe.  It is only because of their fearless devotion to their cause, and desire to inspire comfort in their loved ones that they make a good show despite the proximity to mortal death...

Down into the depths they descend.

Each adventurer knows that the only path to survival is dependent on their ability to congeal into a team.

Down they descend...

Up they climb

And then back down...

And then back up...

oh...

Awkward Silence...

Here they pause to gather themselves.  And tell tales to inspire each other.

It is here that the guide and others tell them that they are actually "out in the boonies"... An urban term to most, rooted in the islands of Micronesia. This is all too familiar territory for our weathered guide, his success in leading numerous parties through the Boonies is only surpassed by his love for the dramatic and dangerous!  Both of which he seeks and encounters on this adventure...(Foreshadowing)

But these explorers have little time to relax and tell stories, important as morale is, they know death is waiting in the next venemous spider's bite.

[ME]: What did you say?

Our undaunted travelers return from the journey through the first of many deadly caves.  There is no turning back now...The only way to salvage a chance at returning to civilization is by continuing on a monstrous assent up the slippery walls of doom!

[ME]:  Hey look...a frog!

The journey has become so hazardous that they must gather food at every juncture, never sure when the next meal will avail itself.

The kids are gonna love this!  Hey guys look, I caught a frog!

Tune in next time for the continuation of:

The Perilous Journey Into and Out Of the Abysmal Guamese Abyss'sesssses

[ADVENTURERS]: Did you eat that frog...?

Truly Blessed

The best anniversary ever!  If you haven't yet, please read part 1 of our anniversary.

I wasn't joking in my last post when I said we were dancing in the minefields.  When talking about covenants my husband shared briefly with our children during dinner that our marriage certificate had been destroyed.  He kindly left out most of the details, much to my relief.  Especially since I, in my complete foolishness, had ripped it to shreds. Three days after we were married.  Three days.   I had no understanding at all of what marriage meant.

I happened upon this perfect blog post  from a blog I regularly read.  Here is a little excerpt:

A Christian marriage begins with the reality that marriage is God designed and God instituted and has a purpose far beyond this temporary life... The truth about marriage reminds me often of how far short I fall. His divine design is inspiring...yet sobering and convicting to me...

~ Bambi from In the Nursery of the Nation

I couldn't agree more!  Praise the Lord for His redeeming Grace.

I only tell you about my ripped up marriage certificate so you can understand the preciousness of the gift my darling husband gave me.  I was completely surprised, and once again reminded of the Grace of God.

Since my husband thought he was going to be gone on deployment for our anniversary he wanted something really special.  He got several people in on the deal, all without my knowing.

Our marriage certificate!

Isn't it beautiful?!  He had to go through great pains to keep this a surprise!

 Friends ordered our marriage certificate from Virginia, my mother-in-law asked me (back in June) for a family picture (so I mailed it to Colorado and she mailed it back here to the framer, lol) 

He chose a very special verse about marriage, had it beautifully framed and hand delivered to me.

I think it is the most thoughtful and meaningful gift ever, and I am so honored to be the wife of my husband. 

Even my children made the day very special. They had some of our friends pick them up for a couple of hours and we had no idea what was going on.

They baked us a cake (a flourless, gluten-free cake!) beautifully decorated it, made strawberries with whipped cream (homemade with no sugar), and even pooled their money together and bought a bottle of bubbly.  How romantic!

This day is special to them, too.  More than they know yet.   It is my prayer that our children will know the Lord, know His grace, and one day understand the blessings of a godly marriage. ~the example of Christ and His Bride.

This was a heartwarming day.  May the Lord fill the earth, and to Him be the Glory!

13

13 years ago today I did a really crazy thing.  I ran away and married a 19 year old boy I barely knew.
Nobody thought we'd make it.  There were times I just knew we wouldn't make it.

We were dancing in the mine fields.

But God knew.  God is faithful.  By the world's standards we were destined to fail, and we certainly tried. But He had different plans.  That is what the promise is for.

I am so thankful for my husband.  I'm blessed by his perseverance and fortitude.
For the man that he is, I would dance through the mine fields every day.  I'd sail in the storms.

13 years ago I could not even imagine what an incredible husband and father you would become.  This marriage is beyond anything I could have dreamed up.  I am so honored by God's grace, and I look forward to growing old with you as the years fly by, Mr. Pilot.

Thank you husband, for loving me even when I am unlovable.
Thank you for loving the Lord even more.

Happy Anniversary!  I am glad you are here to celebrate it with me.
God is in the details, isn't He?!