Five Happy Moments

What Came on Monday

What We Got Tuesday

Armed with cardboard and instructions, two young scientists are ready to begin their projects for the Science Fair next month.

What I Needed to Hear on Wednesday 

See that book?  It's actually a love letter.  And the words come from the One who is love.  That's why He can love me, in spite of all that wearies Him, just like he loves the people described in chapters 42 and 43 of Isaiah.


What the Kids Configured Thursday

I thought this was an ingenious way to resolve the longstanding conflict over who gets the two swings.  Now all three can!

And before we had a swing set, they devised this simple setup, which they continue to enjoy in addition to the big wooden play set (that grandparents and great grandparents sponsored).

What Remained on Friday

What moments from your week are you savoring with a thankful heart?

I'm linking up with the Company Girls and Boys in Motion today.

Introducing Winter Activity Week 2011

The Bleak Midwinter is upon us here in Nebraska.  And I want to learn to like it.  Because normally I dread its onset all year long.  Those single digit temperatures repress my desire to revel in the outdoors.   Add three kids who must be bundled up, and it's the perfect recipe for cabin fever.

{Our family took a trip to the zoo this week.

Peacocks apparently don't mind the cold.}

Starting on Monday, January 10th, I plan to post at least one new winter activity per day (some indoor, some outdoor, all kid-friendly).  On Saturday, I will gather a list of links to additional fun winter-inspired activities we've discovered and enjoyed from other sites.  If you have a link to share, leave it in a comment. I will try as many of your suggestions out with my kids as we can.  Then on Saturday I will choose our favorite ones to include in a list of links to wrap up the week.

Feel free to join in the fun by trying the activities
(or sharing something fun you've enjoyed recently or long ago).

Would you like to join us next week?  
Leave a comment and say so.

The more the merrier!



 

Four Ways in Which I Spent My Time This Week

1. Crafting Again 

On Monday, I submitted another entry to the "Imagination Unrolled" contest.  My floral wall decoration took quite a while to assemble and finish, so I don't think I will enter any more creations.  Other priorities require my attention.  But I would still appreciate any votes you would like to send my way!  If you have a Facebook account, I think you can vote more than once (daily even?), until the contest ends in December.

2. Experimenting in the Kitchen

• Making homemade yogurt continues to intrigue me. I'm starting to favor the crockpot, combining Alicia's crock pot method with my own, which involves using a cooler. 
• I've been experimenting with kale again.  Last month, I tried soup, pizza, and pasta with kale (and reported the results here). I incorporated kale into our meals in three more ways during the past week:

Broccoli, kale and ham pockets

Butternut squash, sausage, and kale soup

Corn and kale soup

3. Enjoying Isaiah in Spite of Myself

When I did a "full court press" house cleaning this past weekend, I was not studying Isaiah.  But the truths I've been learning in weeks past are still sinking in, and I'm thankful for the weekly opportunity I have to learn from other women.  I've also had an inspiring song from Isaiah 11 running through my head lately:
"For the earth will filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

Music helps me focus again on the source of all true joy.  I am easily sidetracked.


4. Struggling with Priorities 

Godly priorities are so hard for me to live out consistently.  That's why I liked the idea of mapping out different categories, as Amy Andrews does in her Tell Your Time strategy.  But implementing what I know tends to trip me up.  I tend to focus on one thing at a time, to the exclusion of all else. 

This all or nothing tendency of mine is one reason I wanted to be a mom who stays home, because I knew that working at another outside job and raising young children would not be a good combination for me.  But motherhood is defined by multi-tasking nonetheless--training, teaching, disciplining, cleaning, shopping, cooking, etc., etc.  I need to trust God for the grace to improve in managing multiple priorities.

And how about you?

What priorities have you successfully carried out this week?

What helps keep you on the right path?

End of Summer Reckoning

It's been a while since I've linked up with the Company Girls.  While I've missed the connections and inspiration, I needed to take a break and regain some perspective.  Earlier in the summer I was very gung-ho about what I aimed to do offline.  Somewhere between my high hopes and low moments is where I think most of our summer days were spent.

Puddingstone necklace my husband gave me on our 10th wedding anniversary

What we did and did not accomplish in June and July:
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• We did not pick strawberries, but my children did go out and pick fresh raspberries from the yard during our two week stay in Canada.
• My husband took two of my children to the "mammoth museum" while my eldest daughter and I went to a book club at the library.
• We made it downtown to the farmer's market on several weekends and bought local, ethically-raised ground beef.
• Found peach ice cream to make Summer Spice Ice Cream Sandwiches (recipe here), but did not create the healthy version.
• We did a few of the activities on the summer calendar from Thriving Family and attempted a fourfold approach to structure our days--for about two weeks in June.
• Attended my husband's best friend's wedding in Ohio and made a customized recipe collection for my dear friend in California, whose wedding I was not in since our friends chose the same date.
• Finally spent some time with my grandparents in Ohio, after being thwarted last December.  Not long after we left, my grandfather, who is 90, was hospitalized, so I treasure the moments we had in July.
• Had a fun vacation for the kids in Canada, but not much true rest for my husband and I.  (I was not expecting much of a vacation for myself with three kiddos in tow, but my husband really needed more of a break.)

What remains (in the next 30 days):

1. Read the New Testament and review my study of John
2. Re-institute spiritual disciplines for myself
3. Begin teaching them to my children
4. Develop and follow through on chore lists for each child
5. Remove excess clothing and goods from the premises (via garage sale, city mission, etc.)
6. Devise and implement a schedule for being online.
7. Celebrate our tenth anniversary in Kansas City while grandparents care for the kids.

Though refreshed from being away and enjoying natural beauty surrounding us last month, my deeper thirst remains unquenched.  I know the simple solution.  Draw near to God and he will draw near to me (James 4:8).  Only then can I become the woman I yearn to be.

How was your summer?  Have you been refreshed?