Tube Tuesday!

A Very Married Monday to YOU!

I realized the other day that we're working on being married a decade.  And one sign of such aging ...is that our friends have too.  Suddenly, marriages around us are struggling, breaking... 

It is hard to love friends through this...especially while holding to a strong Biblical example.  When people want to give up and quit...are angry and hurt...it's hard to keep pushing them to do right.

Sometimes friendships end. 

May I please encourage you to be faithful friends.  Speak the truth in love...speak it boldly...encourage with all.your.might. 

Then, let God be in charge of the rest.  He can restore. 

Fitness Friday: Encouragement from Pinterest

Happy Hodgepodge!

 

1. April showers bring May flowers...what have you been showered with this month?
I thought about putting anxiety but that sounds awful.  Um, responsibility?  I seem to have more than the usual amount of balls in the air and less help than normal.  Yikes.  

2. What is the nature of compassion?  Is it learned or innate?  Can compassion be learned?  If you're a parent is this something you've purposely sought to instill in your children, and if so how?
I think, due to our sin nature, we are naturally selfish.  I think only a changed heart can bring true compassion.  That being said, I do try to instill compassion in my children by reminding them of Christ's precious sacrifice for our sins...and how they are to love other as He loves them.

3. Do you prefer to watch romantic comedy or romantic drama...or are you rolling your eyes saying bring on the action flicks?
Romantic Comedy...I just watched Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail while Loverbrains was away.  Now that you know what I like, any suggestions for my next solo watch-a-thon!?  Note: Nothing that'll freak me out like PS I love you...sheesh, bawl fest.

4.  It's April which means baseball season is officially upon us here in the US of A. Humphrey Bogart is quoted as saying "A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz." Agree or Disagree?
Yeah, I kind of hate hot dogs...and the only reason I care about baseball at all right now is cuz my son thinks his Daddy's old cards are fun to scatter around the house!

5. What's something in your community or city that needs fixing or improving?
We've had a major influx of panhandlers lately.  It's kind of scary.  I don't want to get into the politics of the varied solutions I have in mind for this issue right now...but it's something that needs to be addressed.

6. Share a song you enjoy that mentions flowers or a specific flower in its title.
This is partially why I love the ukulele.  This song is so cute...and I could picture myself doing something just like this...I was much like this when I taught...although without the ukulele skills.  I also spontaneously sing this song...odd...it sort of sits in my brain and pops out at odd moments.

7. April 22nd is Earth Day...do you believe there's life on other planets?  That wasn't the question you were expecting was it?
Um, no.
8.  Insert your own random thought here.
So thankful for a cathartic writing outlet...not because it allows me to procrastinate per se...but it gives me something to do while my brain percolates on what I can no longer focus on without throwing up.  I'm giving a seminar Saturday...in front of my peers...and my stomach hurts.  It's nice to blog for a while and let my pile of notes take a rest until tomorrow....then I gotta time it out and make sure it fits into 40 minutes.  I'm betting the second time I do it...(yes, I get to do it twice, back to back)...it'll be much better.  Well, maybe.

Tuesday Tute: Angry Birds Bowling...

Monday Methinks...

The archaic-sounding verb methinks, meaning it seems to me...seemed a cute way to share some serious stuff I've been pondering.  A little levity with the gravity!

So, completely out of the blue an issue confronted me the other night.  Boycotting...should Christians do it?  I gotta say...the Holy Spirit in me gave a definite... NOPE.

So, methinks they doth protest too much...

• My purpose for being on earth is not political...it is personal.  Specifically, I'm here to share the gospel.  My aim is to be changed into His (Jesus') image.  Jesus was nonresistant...and that's different from nonviolent resistance.  Nonviolent christian resistance that I see is often full of it's own sinful pride.

• Boycotting is in no way winsome.  Boycotting assumes that human evil (SIN) could be overcome by a grand display of moral courage.  Jesus said that the only thing that could transform human evil was his death and resurrection on a cross.

• We have to be willing to be weak, relying on his power to redeem and give eternal hope.  That kind of hope isn't found in getting the economic majority (which is unlikely) but in Jesus Christ alone.

• Talk about burning our bridges.  Christians may have legitimate reason for not using certain products or buying from certain businesses...but banding together to destroy commerce for an otherwise harmless venture is without biblical warrant.  In fact, it's often a real detriment to the gospel.

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.  “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."  Matthew 5:13-16 NLT

So maybe, instead of boycotting and losing our "voice" entirely....methinks we should take a chill pill and order a Grande Mochachino with Sprinkles and sweetly, winsomely chat with our barrister about the great hope that we have...and how we can be so calm amid life's problems.  Care about him or her...let them share their burdens with us.  Then tell them where we go for answers...the only place with answers that truly work.

The Bible is relevant for today's problems.  Rather than boycott them...especially the ones dealing with sin that makes us uncomfortable...let's let it be POWERFUL...not in a hateful way but in the way God intended...with LOVE.

If we'd rather boycott than share the truth in hard places then...well, methinks we don't really love the lost as much as we say we do!

Sew Saturday

A baby blanket in the mail...ahhh...a good feeling!

Fitness Friday: A Healthy Snack...

...in a pretty bowl...

 
...can make all the difference to how you feel about eating healthy!!

Springtime {pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty}

A burst of Springtime sunshine flooding the house...with a bright flash of happy turquoise!

 {funny}

If your kids happen to proudly present you with flowers you'd rather they'd left in garden...enjoying them in a cobalt blue bottle and giving them a place of honor is always the right MomE thing to do!

{happy}

After making hundreds of fabric yoyos...I've finally started attaching them to each other.  Yo yo pillow here I come!

{real}

Awful carpal tunnel pain in left hand from holding binding while stitching...is a REAL reminder to use the clips I got at Quilt Camp last year.  Ouchie!  Plus side...baby quilt almost ready to mail!!

A Cup of Hodgepodge Wednesday

 

1. April 15th is the deadline for Americans to file their state and federal income tax returns.  What's a job you do on a regular basis that could be described as 'taxing'?

Cleaning the kitchen...It seems like as soon as I get it clean it is messy again.  Every surface covered with cups and dishes...the stove full of skillets.  I'm a clean and you go kind of girl...it's just the aftermath of all my good cooking! Ugh...

2. I'm participating in the April A-Z blog challenge, and the Hodgepodge happens to fall on Day O this week. In keeping with that theme...olives, onions, oysters, okra...of the foods mentioned, what's your favorite O food?

I like them all....hmmmm my favorite...I guess I'll go with olives...Kalamata olives in a nice Greek Salad. 

3.  What is something memorable you experienced as a child that your own children (or future children/nieces/nephews) will not get to experience?

I recently realized that my children do not understand phones...with a mouthpiece and ear part...they aren't sure how to hold my smartphone...it just works better to put the grandparents on speakerphone and set it on the table.  They seem to think they should look into and try to see the voice inside anyway.  I'm sort of glad that we won't have to deal with phone cords...I still remember how ours would get dreadfully tangled! 

4. Term limits for our elected officials...your thoughts?

If there aren't term limits and individuals unnamed get to decide how long they stay in power...isn't that a totalitarian dictatorship?  Especially if THEY decide they get to stay in...by legislating when they are supposed to be a part of the executive branch.  Ahem...sorry...got carried away!

5. On April 18th, 1775, Paul Revere made his famous 'midnight ride'...when did you last make a midnight ride?  Perhaps the fate of a nation wasn't hanging in the balance, but tell us where you were headed anyway.

My midnight rides have been to the ER with my son.  His life was hanging in the balance.  Equally scary.

6.  What would freak you out more...a mouse running across your floor or a big fat hairy spider?

Mouse...ew ew ew!  Spiders I can squish...

7. I love it when people ask me________________________?

If I'm having any  more babies when I'm enjoying someone elses newborn.  What?  Young women can't cuddle a baby without the suggestion that they should have more children?  Sheesh.  This is your business because?  No, I'm done, thanks....I have no womb ache...I just love me some squishy baby succulence...especially when I can return it to its mother and go home and sleep through the night!!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Loverbrains has returned from yet another business trip to China.  The bullet train he got Caleb is awesome...the un-awesome part is that it says the equivalent of "get on board or we're leaving without you" in Chinese with a three tone tune...over and over and over and over.  And...there's no way to remove it's batteries.  Sigh...

Tuesday Tute

In an effort to post more...I'm putting the weekday alliteration to good use! Hey, it works for my menu planning...ask anyone who has experienced Taco Tuesdays at our house!

Soooo...tis the season...that the caffeinated awesomeness that is iced coffee comes back into my life. If thirsty I just drink it black over ice...but I'm a snob and have trouble using old morning coffee for that purpose. Therefore, this TUTE (tutorial) is for using that cold morning stuff in the bottom of the pot.
 

I add about two inches half and half, the Splenda packet and then one big ole gorpy spoon of SCM!  Yes, gorpy is a technical term.  Feel free to gorp up the sides of the glass...it leads to ribbons of happiness in your glass later!

Enjoy outside in the Springtime...working on your favorite Bible Study...ahhhh!

A Very Married Monday To Yous!!

I was nineteen, you were twenty-one The year we got engaged

Everyone said we were much too young But we did it anyway

We bought our rings for forty each From a pawn shop down the road

We made our vows and took the leap Now fifteen years ago

We went dancing in the minefields We went sailing in the storm

And it was harder than we dreamed But I believe that's what the promise is for

"I do" are the two most famous last words The beginning of the end

But to lose your life for another I've heard Is a good place to begin

'Cause the only way to find your life Is to lay your own life down

 And I believe it's an easy price For the life that we have found

And we're dancing in the minefields We're sailing in the storm

This is harder than we dreamed But I believe that's what the promise is for

So when I lose my way, find me When I loose love's chains, bind me

At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days

When I forget my name, remind me

'Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man So there's nothing left to fear

So I'll walk with you in the shadowlands Till the shadows disappear

'Cause he promised not to leave us And his promises are true

So in the face of all this chaos, baby, I can dance with you

by Andrew Peterson

Five Minute Friday: Here...

Go.

One of my goals...to be HERE!

I know it is a blessing to be the Domestic Engineer, the Heart of our home...but so often I find myself over involved in a multitude of good things and so rarely HERE! And even though I've been blessed with good organizational skills...and can still have a tidy home and meals on the table (thank you Crockpot)...When I'm running all day long...it's hard to be HERE even when physically present!

I need to slow down. To be truly be HERE. To be sure I'm only doing what I've been called to do...and not all I can possibly squeeze in...or want credit for...or all the things that other people think I should be doing.

I need to capture the moments...so I can see the Divine Appts. And today, I'm HERE...at home with a mildly-upset-tummy-boy...who needed some extra attention and loving. I sew and he plays with my button collection. I blog and he chats with me about the "letter of the day." And although there were other plans for the day that had to be shelved...I wasn't there...I was HERE.

I am HERE...I am blessed. God is good.

STOP.

THE Great Inventor!

My God is SO GREAT!  A recent trip to the Children's Museum had us dealing with how light is refracted...among other things. In our lab lesson, the scientist talked about how what we learn from animals has been put into technology. He mentioned a special screen they are currently designing so we can see our iphone screens even in the sunshine.

And as we examined peacock feather, butterfly wings (new high tech surfaces), magnified gecko toes (velcro), and looked at burrs...

All I could think was...MY GOD IS SO GREAT!  Anything we are discovering is something He's created!  What an amazing creation...What an amazing CREATOR!

  

Psalm 8:9, "O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!"

Over Easy Hodgepodge!

 

1.  Share one fun thing you did last week, while the Hodgepodge was on 'spring break'.
I went Letterboxing as a family!  I had never heard of this...it's similar to geocaching but much more family friendly.  GREAT wholesome fun!  How many things can you say that about?

2.  April 10th is National Sibling Day...do you have siblings, and if so are you close? Share a favorite story featuring one or all of your siblings. If you don't have siblings, did you ever wish you did?
I have one baby brother...10 1/2 years younger than me!  He was incredible fun as a baby...I taught him his animal sounds and loved and delighted in him.  There was a period of time (his teen years) that I worried he'd be a pest forever...but I'm happy to say that we're friends now.  I'm especially thrilled with the sister he gave me by getting married this past June!! 

3. Is it important to you to 'buy American'? Why or why not? How much of an effort do you make to 'buy American'? If you're not American, insert your own country in the blank.
Not if it isn't a quality product.  

4. Besides The Bible, what book has impacted your spirituality in some way?
Embracing Obscurity by Anonymous
Changed Into His Image by Jim Berg
Trusting God by Jerry Bridges

5. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes.  Do you find rainy days calming or depressing?  When were you last caught in a rainstorm? What's blooming in your neck of the woods today?
I can enjoy a rainy day here or there...but weeks of rain can be depressing.  (I guess I should pray that God doesn't ever move us to Seattle.)  The last time I was caught in a storm was at the grocery store with both kids.  It was er, exciting!  I have lots of daffodils and hyacinths blooming right now.  The cherry and dogwood trees are blooming too!  Gorgeous Spring!!

6. What's your favorite yellow food?
Summer Squash...which in my family is called Squeaky Squash because of the squeak it makes on your teeth!  Yum!  Can't wait for summertime.  Remind me to share the recipe for zucchini combo.

7. April is National Poetry Month...what's a poem that holds special meaning for you, and why is it special?
After A Bath by Aileen Fisher
After my bath
I try, try, try
to wipe myself
till I'm dry, dry, dry.

Hands to wipe
and fingers and toes
and two wet legs
and a shiny nose.

Just think how much 
less time I'd take
if I were a dog
and could shake, shake, shake.

I think of this poem a lot when doing bathtime with my kids...because my Mom, who has a great memory for verse, used to say them.  There's also Before A Bath.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Well, I'm glad to report a happy ending to a stressful situation that none of ya'll knew about.  Our dog got a hold of some rat poison, brought into our yard by a squirrel.  It looks like she's going to be okay...after an overnight stay at the emergency vets and lots of $$$...I mean, TLC.  Phew!  Praise the Lord...who cares about all these crazy things.  Just a heads up...cuz I'd never considered it before...but rat poisons are pretty lethal...and rodents can carry them to other locations where pets and toddlers can get them.  Keep an eye out!

My beautiful quilt!!

My Mom made me this beautiful quilt! It has lots of fabrics from my childhood (doll clothes, shirts, curtains, etc.)...and is quilted with a pattern of her hands and hearts interlocking! As soon as the van was unpacked I carried it upstairs and put it on the bed! My poor tired Loverbrains, who did allll the driving, finally said..."Are you done taking pictures so we can get in bed?" HAHAHA!

Thank you MOM! It's beautiful! We LOVE it!!

I HEART Letterboxing!

Aunt Bev and Uncle Don introduced us to letterboxing!  It was love at first hunt! 

Letterboxing is an intriguing pastime combining artistic ability with "treasure-hunts" in parks, forests, and cities around the world. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by cracking codes and following clues. The prize: an image from a miniature piece of art known as a rubber stamp—usually a unique, hand-carved creation.

Letterboxers stamp their discoveries in a personal journal, then use their own rubber stamp, called a signature stamp, to stamp into the letterbox's logbook. Atlas Quest started as a set of tools for letterboxers, but has grown into a community of letterboxers.