Grains of Sand

Now that the weekend is behind us and all the suitcases, overnight bags, campfire clothing and sleeping bags are clean and put away, it's time to tell the story of The Boys First Camping Experience. Once upon a time there were two young boys and a their father.  They embarked on a camping adventure that lasted for three days and two nights.  It all started with a simple question, "Do you boys want to go camping with me?" asked the father.  "No!" cried the two young boys.  Since father is much older and wiser, he decided a camping trip was in order anyway. After seeing the tent they would be sleeping in set up in the backyard, the two young boys started to change their minds about camping, and soon the father was hearing questions such as, "When are we going?" and "Is it time to go yet?" The day of departure had arrived and the two young boys awoke early and hurriedly ate breakfast, brushed their teeth and dressed.  Then they packed their...

I love a good word, so I have dictionary.com on my homepage.  Today's word of the day is ameliorate  which means to make better; to improve. I'm going to try to use ameliorate in a sentence or two today and see if I can't ameliorate my vocabulary!

I was baking cookies today and as I was dropping rounded teaspoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheet, I was thinking how messy this is since I use my finger to aid in the process. Then I remembered the medium scoop I had purchased from Pampered Chef. I purchased this gizmo to reduce the amount of mess and time it takes me to put the dough on the cookie sheet. After I located it, I put it into action and cleanly and efficiently finished the task. Then it occurred to me that when life gets messy, I reach for the only tool that can equip me to handle stress and endure hardship. I reach for my bible, the word of God. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ( Ephesians 6:17, BibleGateway.com )

For today September 28, 2009 Outside my window.... a cool, gray, blustery morning. I am thinking..... of my sister and the weekend I spent with all the girls. I am thankful for..... the freedom to gather in the company of other sisters and brothers in Christ. I am wearing..... stiped pajama bottoms, white Alaska t-shirt and a fleece pullover. I am hearing..... the occasional outbursts of noise from the boys, the chattering of my daughter and the low timbre of my husbands voice as he discusses pumpkin carving with M. I am creating..... hmm, not many creative thoughts or projects today. I am going..... to get a head start cleaning the house for a showing on Wednesday. I am continuing to read..... The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian and starting the Power of a Positive Woman by Karol Ladd. (pretty powerful stuff, :D) I am hoping..... to learn a lot as I continue through my study on the book of Daniel. On my mind..... a lovely note from Jess, regarding my sphere of in...

I received this heart-shaped leaf with scripture from a good friend who has been praying for our family. I decided to post it, in hopes that it will also encourage you in the course of your journey through the wilderness. This is the scripture that is written on it: Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. ( Isaiah 43:18-19, ESV )

Ok, take a deep breath, exhale, and say hello to autumn. Wow! Time flies, doesn't it? I'm going to commemorate autumn by joining Fall into Reading, hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days . Simply put, make a list of books you want to read and read them. Here is my list: Non-Fiction: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis Because I always enjoy C.S. Lewis and haven't read Mere Christianity --this book brings together Lewis's legendary broadcast talks of the war years, talks in which he set out simply to 'explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times'. (Borders.com) Fearless by Max Lucado This book has been recommended by a friend and I always enjoy Max Lucado. This resource from beloved pastor Lucado describes how to break away from fear--with God's help--and how to empty a heart of fear and fill it with faith instead. (Borders.com) Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner The child of a Jewish father and a lapsed Southern Baptist...

The boys are getting ready to go on their first camping trip. This weekend they are heading to a state park for the father/child camping trip organized by our church. Yesterday we borrowed a tent from a friend and set it up in the backyard. When the subject of going camping was brought up the first time, both emphatically did not want to go. Now, after setting up the tent, the response is, "When are we going?" and "I want to go now!" I love to see them excited for something, especially a weekend away with dad. Stay tuned next week for part 2 of the camping experience. I'm guessing there will be stories to share that are fit to be told around the next campfire.

FOR TODAY September 21, 2009 Outside my window... cool, gray and wet thanks to a bit of rain that fell overnight. I am thankful for... friends who pray for us. From the learning rooms... fun mosaic art projects today and continuing on through Russia. From the kitchen... coffee, yogurt and Amish cinnamon bread. I am thinking... that I made no other blog entries last week, except for the daybook. I'll have to improve upon that this week. I am wearing... striped pajama bottoms, a white t-shirt and bare feet. I am creating... decorative prayer cards. I am going... to visit my sister this weekend to celebrate her birthday and have a ladies weekend. I am reading... The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. I am hoping... to keep my head up, my back straight and my heart soft as I travel through the desert wilderness. I am hearing... my husband talking to the dog and the boys playing in their room. Around the house... are scattered remnants from a busy weekend. I've go...

FOR TODAY September 14, 2009 Outside my window... the grass is greenish brownish as we need rain. The forecast for today, hot and sunny. I am thankful for... God's perfect timing. From the learning rooms... Russia, Math, Reading and Spelling. From the kitchen... Amish cinnamon bread as we are finishing up a batch from our starter. I am thinking... that this is my first daybook entry when the weather is warm. I am wearing... turquoise blue tank top, brown shorts and bare feet. I am creating... an organizer for school use. I am going... to make a list of books I want to read for the Fall Reading Thing . I am reading... The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. I am hoping... my husband finds employment soon and that I can make school extra fun for the boys this year. I am hearing... the air conditioning running, which is odd for us in September. Around the house... laundry to be folded and schoolwork to be put away. One of my favorite things... watching a family of Easter...

Am I the only one with these issues? When my boys and I sit down to begin our lessons for the day, no matter if it is a well loved subject or something less appealing, I frequently hear grumbling. This started with my oldest and has now been acquired by my middle child as well. It is a never ending source of frustration for me. And, to top it off, when a lesson proves to be a formidable opponent, the children dissolve into tears. It is at this point that my patience is exhausted and I want to SCREAM! Argh! Try as I might, I have not been able to find the magic potion to cure these ailments and have been on my knees praying for a change for over a year. And then, I had an idea. The idea came yesterday while the boys were looking up various ways of folding paper airplanes. It brought back memories of my childhood and how my friends and I folded paper fortune tellers. Do you remember those? Well, I folded one and put some sayings on the inside that the boys would get a kick out of like, ...

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Kailani at An Island Life is embracing this custom with her weekly Aloha Friday posts, so I thought that today I would too. With school in full swing, my daughter decided she wanted to learn something new too. We are in the process of potty-training. My question for all you experienced in such an art, Do you have any tricks or incentives that worked well for you? To participate, go to An Island Life and ask your question. Aloha!

We are off and running. We officially started our first day of school yesterday. I felt the boys needed a defining moment to begin our first day of school, so we took a back to school picture. (above) Then we jumped right in. We bounded around our nature notebook. We sprinted through our handwriting lessons. We ambled through the reading assignments and dashed through math. We did trip along the way, especially when it was time to recall some of the math that we touched on last spring, or when our penmanship wasn't exactly how we wanted it, but all in all, I'd say we ran a good race. The best thing is that we're excited to do it all over again tomorrow.

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Kailani at An Island Life is embracing this custom with her weekly Aloha Friday posts, so I thought that today I would too. I am an introvert and when life gets hectic and I need to recharge, I seek solitude. I need to be alone and away from people. I read, write in my journal or listen to music by myself. One of my favorite ways to recharge is to sit in a cozy chair with a cup of coffee and a good book. What do you do to recharge when life gets hectic? To participate, go to An Island Life and ask your question. Aloha!

Do you ever have one of those moments when you see evidence of God in your everyday life? I have been involved in a few of those moments. I was blessed to be the vessel God used to express his love to a girlfriend of mine and I have also been the recipient of just such a blessing. I have a journal in which I jot down special thoughts and prayers during my quiet time with the Lord. One day I was noticing that I was nearing the end of the journal and I started thinking of purchasing a new one. I was thinking of all the specifics that I hoped my new journal would include. Such as lined pages, scripture every now and then, a specific binding and a fun cover. Tall order, yes? Well, due to economic reasons, I dismissed these specifics and decided that I would just purchase a spiral bound notebook and perhaps personalize the cover somehow. Before I got around to purchasing the notebook a funny thing happened. My birthday came and my good friend gave me gifts. Guess what I got? One of the pres...