I know Kim already has a link on her blog, but you get a second chance in the drawing if you link up. I would love to win this because I haven’t gotten my planner for this homeschool year and this sounds like it would be great!

Here’s the link for you home schoolers out there… Home Sweet Home.

In the bible study I’ve been participating in, the author encouraged readers to watch for phrases to jump out when reading passages of scripture. I am often amazed at how I can read the same passage days, weeks, months or years apart, and something different will speak to me each time.

I was doing my lesson after lunch a couple of weeks ago. The kids had gone to play and it was just the baby and I. The table had been hastily cleaned by one of the kids. There were toys strewn around the room. The baby was showering me with baby food via her favorite noise-making skill, the raspberry. It had been one of those mornings where I had already changed an above-normal amount of poopy diapers and the diapers weren’t even the worst part. The worst was the soiled underpants from the potty-almost-trained toddler. In that moment, I found myself torn between having to wash them out and just buying another pack. This time my frugal side won out - much to my nose’s dismay.

So, I was feeling a bit worn-out and drab. That’s probably why this passage practically leapt off the page. We were reading in Isaiah chapter 55. It’s a great passage that includes some oft-quoted verses. I’ve included it in it’s entirety and I’ve highlighted the phrase that caught my eye on that particular day.

Isaiah 55

Invitation to the Thirsty

1 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.

2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

3 Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.

4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of the peoples.

5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.“

6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.

7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

12 You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed.”

After reading that, I sat a little taller in my chair. That the Holy One, the Lord my God, has endowed me with splendor, kind of blew me away. It’s one of those things I knew, but sometimes have to be reminded of.

This is in the NIV. In other translations it’s stated ‘he has made you glorious’ or he has ‘honored you’, but I love this one - the words just sound so elegant.

I looked up endowed and splendor:

Endowed - to equip or supply with a talent or a quality

Splendor - grandeur, glory or brilliant distinction

So next time the day-to-day has you feeling a little less than wonderful, just remember that the Lord your God has supplied you with glory. He has equipped you with brilliant distinction. He has endowed you with splendor.

(On a side note - I have to say that I also love verse 12, which says that all the trees of the field will clap their hands. I’m looking forward to seeing that. )

How is it possible that over two weeks have gone by without a post?? This is how:

• The modem died - it either got zapped by lightning or just gave out. AT&T was great and overnighted a new one w/o charge.
• We were finishing birthday season - see separate post for Maddie’s birthday salute, albeit a bit belated.
• Family Camp - mounds of laundry to do before, mounds of laundry to do after… need I say more? For more on family camp, check out Kim’s & Steve’s blogs. We had a blast. I might squeeze out some details in a day or so
• Getting ready for school - target start date for us is Aug. 27th. I’m looking forward to getting back into it, but I still have a lot to do and I want to be as prepared as I can be. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.
• New stuff at The Ridge. In a couple of weeks we’ll be trotting out some new stuff at church. The cafe will see some cool changes. I’m excited and a little bit fried If you’d like to help - comment, email, drop by, send a singing telegram, use pony-express or pigeon carrier or skywrite me. Or you can just pick up the phone
• Giant limb - more like the top half of our tree out front - came down the night before we got back from camp. Don’t know how it missed the house (actually I do know - thank you, Lord!) Now we need to get rid of it. The kids and cats have been having a smashing good time frolicking in it, but I don’t think it endears us to our ‘yard-of-the-month’ neighbors
• Sickness - somewhere Dayleigh picked up the crud and it has been working it’s way through the family. I hope that I am on the upswing today. It’s kind of hard to plan and prepare when your head feels like a bowling ball!
• Last 702 bible study tonight. I admit that I have to do a couple of lessons today before I go. I have enjoyed this study (and the ladies participating with me) immensely. It needs a separate post to tell you why. I will say that it is eye-opening to see what might be considered ‘other gods’ in my life. And they aren’t made of wood, stone, or gold. And that how making room in my life by getting rid of them makes more room for God to do His work in me. That’s the cliff notes version - in reality it’s much, much more. If you have an opportunity to do this study, I highly recommend it.
• Now I’m off to do two weeks worth of grocery shopping for our family of eight. At Walmart. With the Baby. Hopefully without rain…

Four years into homeschooling and I finally got to go to my first home school convention today. Every year there has been something preventing me from going. I haven’t been too heartbroken because I figured that it would just overwhelm me to see sooo much curriculum in one place. It’s like Willa Wonka’s chocolate factory, except it’s books, books, books and instead of oompa loompas, there are vendors. There’s so much to take in. Fortunately, I got to go with professional conventioner, Miss Kim, who helped me to navigate the vast maze of booths. It’s great to be able to look at things in person and it helped me to narrow down some of my options. I picked up a few fun things to do with our states unit that I think they kids will enjoy. I also picked up some of paper and art supplies for the Thomas Kinkade art program that we’re going to do. I think I will be a student along with the kids on that one As far as actual curriculum, I had to order several things because they didn’t have them on hand, but with discounts and free shipping, that was okay with me since it was less to haul around

Next year, I will have a better plan of attack. I would like to make it a two-day affair so I can browse one day, sleep on it and come back to buy the next day. And I would also like to attend some workshops. And have lunch with friends. Hmmm, it sounds like I might be hooked ….

Summer is just rolling along for us. I can’t believe I am already seeing back-to-school stuff in the stores. It seems like we just finished. I thought summer might produce a slower pace for us, but it seems to just be flying by like the rest of the year.

One reason July is busy for us is that two of our girls have birthdays within 10 days of each other. This past Wednesday we celebrated Emily’s 10th birthday. She is so excited to be in the double digits now. In some ways it’s hard to believe that she is a whole decade, but in other ways, I can’t remember not having her around. She brings her own special blend of enthusiasm and encouragement to our family. She is always complementing someone on something. She also loves performing. She even has a character she likes to play. It’s a little 70ish-year-old woman named Mrs. Polish. Mrs. Polish is, well, polished. She is a proper lady and she always makes us laugh. She also loves cooking. On her birthday, she got to choose her birthday dinner. She thought a lot about her menu and after several revisions, this is what she came up with:

Fettuccine Alfredo “homemade sauce, not from a jar”

Homemade fried okra

Spinach (I know!)

And cheesy bread

For her dessert that night it was to be homemade strawberry icecream

For her cake for her party, it was to be a strawberry cake (homemade, not store bought)

Do you detect the theme here? She was all about homemade and let me tell you, it was tricky timing homemade alfredo sauce and frying enough okra for our group! But we managed and she loved it, so it was totally worth it So Happy 10th Birthday, Emily! You’re an awesome part of our family!

On Thursday we met my mom to go blueberry pickin’. We’ve made an annual tradition out of it, although we missed last year because a late frost ruined the crops. A couple of weeks ago, a friend gave us some blueberries from her father’s garden. We made the most delicious pancakes with them and it made me really look forward to going pickin’ so that we could get enough to freeze for the year. It’s amazing that a little pint in the store costs $3 or $4, but you can pick a whole gallon for $10 and get to wear the kids out at the same time. What a bargain!

When we got home, we washed, dried and bagged the blueberries and then we made some scrumptious muffins. A very good day, indeed!

I have this list that I like to call the Monkey List.  It’s a special to-do list of those things that are really bugging me that I want/need to get done, but haven’t been able to.  What usually prevents me from getting to this list is the regular daily to-do list.  I call it the monkey list because they are like little monkeys on my back, jumping up and down, making crazy monkey noises and demanding my attention.  When my monkey list gets too long, I find that I get overwhelmed to the point that I am no longer productive.  I feel like a computer with too much stuff crammed on my hard drive and I can no longer function properly.  In order to do so, I have to ‘clear up some memory’, if you will. The only way to do that is to attack the monkey list with a vengeance.

To do that I have to shut out other distractions so I can focus on the task at hand and dispatch each monkey efficiently.  I have learned that I work best when I go with whatever ’zone’ I’m in.  Whether the zone is creative, organizational, manual labor, office-y, whatever, it’s best if I match the task with the zone.  I can really accomplish a lot that way.  Of course, sometimes we all have to do whatever is necessary to get something done when it needs to be done, regardless of our mood, but given the choice, this is what works for me.  With each monkey dispatched, I gain momentum.  The list is shrinking and I am functioning better and better.  I can see the end…but wait…another monkey has jumped on.  I feel like a zookeeper.  Who let all these monkeys out of their cages? Now I’m being really silly :)  For those who don’t know me (and maybe some who do), I’m not crazy - I don’t talk to the monkeys or give them names or anything.

The reason I mention this list is that I’m in the process of working on one that has gotten totally out of hand.  I feel like it is hampering my day-to-day activities and stifling my creativity and I’ve had enough. I have a small window of opportunity to make some headway, so I am sorry all of you little chimps, but you’ve got to go.  You’re making me go bananas!

Yep, I went by the library yesterday and voted in our county elections and got my peach sticker.  That’s a sticker I’m proud to wear.  Exercising my freedom to vote always makes me smile, even when the candidates don’t.  There were actually several good candidates in our county elections -  it’s the upcoming election that may leave me feeling at a loss.  

In fact, a certain incumbent commissioner opened the door for the baby and I.   Not a word about his views on hot topics (which of course is prohibited), just a good, old-fashioned gesture of common courtesy.  Now that’s what I call a good campaign strategy.  I’ll take it over mud-slinging any day!

(Now I am not sure if it was Jerry who opened the door or not.  Actually it was a Jerry - that’s what his nametag said - but I don’t think it was that Jerry.)

A couple of months ago, my fifteen-year-old and I were doing errands and we were listening to the songs on her ipod.  The majority of the music is Christ-centered, but we do allow her to put some secular music on it if it is not offensive or too lovey-dovey. We like a lot of the same music, but not all, so I try to listen to her music periodically so I know what she is taking in.  She had a peppy little song on there called “Teenager”.  It was upbeat and fun and I wasn’t really listening to it until I caught a few of the lyrics, then I began to listen closer. I’m sure they seem pretty harmless to some, but they made me sad. Check out the lyrics first and then I’ll tell you why:

I like staying up all night
I think it’s my right
To sleep until noon
I love watching scary movies.
I could stay shopping all day
Getting my way,
And trying on shoes.
Don’t tell me what I should be doing

Give me a break I’m just a teenager
I like putting things off till later
Just hanging out, having fun, and taking my time.
Give me a break I’m just a teenager
I’m automatically attracted to danger
I can’t help myself
Can’t be no one else I’m just a teenager

I dread making my bed
I wish I could get out of cleaning my room
Cause I hate keeping my friends waiting
Fast cars, playing about hard
Google-ing stars and surfing for tunes
Does any one here get what I’m saying?

Give me a break I’m just a teenager
I like putting things off till later
Just hanging out, having fun, and taking my time.
Give me a break I’m just a teenager
I’m automatically attracted to danger
I can’t help myself
Can’t be no one else
I’m just a teenager

(Spoken)
Hello, this is Jordan
-Hey what’s up?
You’ll never guess who called me yesterday
-Who?
You know that guy that’s taking me to homecoming?
-Yeah
He was like you took my breath away when I saw you
-Haha
He called me sweetie too
-Awe
I don’t know if I like him though

I want more minutes on my cell phone
I wanna credit card of my own
I want the keys to the Mercedes-Benz
Yeah
I wanna wear what I wanna wear
I wanna copy what I think is fair
I wanna chill at the mall with my friends
(At the mall with my friends)
Does anyone here get what I’m saying?
Just hanging out havin’ fun and taking my time
I can’t help myself
Can’t be no one else
I’m just a teenager

Give me a break I’m just a teenager
I like putting things off till later
Just hanging out, having fun, and taking my time.
Give me a break I’m just a teenager
I’m automatically attracted to danger
I can’t help myself
Can’t be no one else
I’m just a teenager

Now before you go thinking I’m a total fuddy-dud, I remember very well what it was like to be a teenager and all the fun that I had being one.  But I had to ask my daughter if she really listened to the implications of the song.  To me, it was that teenagers are only capable of sleeping in, shopping & talking on their cell phones because, afterall, they are just teenagers. 

Someone said that teenagers are not the oldest children, but the youngest adults and I have to agree.  They are on the platform waiting for the train to adulthood, which is due any minute.  They can’t afford to spend the entire time that they are waiting sleeping, spending money & being attracted to danger.  Because in the blink of an eye, they will be out there on their own and they will become adults who are lazy, in debt, selfish and in trouble. We are doing them a great disservice if we allow them to fritter away their teenage years without instilling in them responsibilty, a good work ethic, and a desire to serve someone besides themselves.  Songs like this simply sell them short of all that they are already capable of. 

 1 Timothy 4:12 was one of my favorite verses when I was a teenager. It was very encouraging to me.  In it, Paul exhorts Timothy to “Not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 

He tells the young people to set an example for believers now, not to wait until they are older to do so. 

A blog that I enjoy reading by someone that I don’t know personally is Chats With an Old Lady.  She had a terrific post about teenagers and serving the other day.  You can view it here.

If more young people would just realize the power in Christ that they have and the impact they could make if they just shifted their focus from themselves to others, we would live in a different world.  Of course, this applies to everyone, but teenagers have a fresh view and passion that enables them to affect great change in the world around them.  Think of all those who made a difference at a young age - were they just teenagers?  I don’t think so! 

And that song on my daughter’s ipod?  Deleted - hopefully along with the message it delivered.

I went to the stylist the other day in need of a trim.  I knew I needed to do something about my baby chick hair.  This is what I call the phase of hairdos that comes after you’ve had a baby, after you shed frightening amounts of hair and the new hair starts to grow in.  You get little fuzzy patches that remind me of baby chickens, except it doesn’t look nearly as cute as they do.  So you have thinning hair on top with super-short pieces sprouting out of the front.  It’s one of my least favorite side-effects of giving birth.  I mean, can we not keep something from our pre-pregnancy days??

Anyway, my stylist (Stephanie at Hairworx in Hiram) suggested a heavy bang to help disguise my not-so-cute chick ‘do.  I was feeling crazy (or maybe just tired and didn’t care -I don’t know) so I said ‘go for it’.  After losing even more hair to her scissors, I got a glimpse at my coif.  It was definitely different, which was good. So off I went to do some errands.  I always like to do errands after getting my haircut because I like to maximize the time when your hair actually looks like the stylist intended it to look.  After catching my reflection in a few store mirrors, I keep thinking my hair reminded me of someone else’s hair.  Entering Target, I finally realized who.  It’s Mitchie’s hair from Camp Rock.  My fear was confirmed when I came home and told Bill, to hear my daughter from the other room saying “that’s the first thing I thought when I saw you”.  I say fear because I’m not sure I want to appear to be trying to look like a 15-year-old Disney channel star :) 

It really cracked me up this morning when my 6-year-old son said, in a very thoughtful tone, “Mom, your hair looks like Mitchie’s on Camp Rock. Pause  Is Dad going to get hair like Joe (Jonas)?”

I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep styling it that way or go back to my old side-part ways.  So if you see a 30+year-old mommy about town who looks a little like Mitchie from Camp Rock, it may or may not be me

I was coming home last night from filling in for Bill at his Financial Peace small group and it started to sprinkle, then rain, then all out pour.  It had been so long since I had driven in pouring rain that I almost forgot how :)  I was ‘treated’ to an awesome display as the lightning put on a show that seemed to take place at the end of Ridge Rd. 

I had to say a prayer for the two members of the class who left on motorcyles.  I hope they made it home before the bottom fell out!