Saturday, October 23, 2004

Swonderings

from W@H

List 10 things that you dream about ... material and immaterial.
1) Being back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
2) Going to Israel some day.
3) Having twins. :-)
4) Purses - lots of them, that hold lots of stuff.
5) A consistent quiet time and journalling time.
6) Unlimited gift card at Starbucks, my favorite bookstore & TJ Maxx.
7) Better at scripture memorization.
8) Writing a book someday...
9) Homeschooling my children.
10) A marriage that gets better as the years go on. *heart*

Off to Houston with Travis for the week . . . back to a regular blogging schedule in November! I will leave you a picture of Noelle from this week - she was dancing on our coffee table with her Larry the Cucumber. (After my heart stopped beating at the sight of her on the table, I took a picture!) :-)



Friday, October 22, 2004

Review of List

~ layout and print bulletin, sermon outline, prayer sheet DONE!
~ pull music for Sunday worship service
~ pull overheads
~ go by church and check carpet where water leaked in, ugh. DONE! It sure stinks in there...
~ Kroger - need milk, eggs and snacks for Noelle DONE!
~ return videos to library TODAY! DONE!
~ drop some pics of my new nephew off at Costco so they will be ready for the trip DONE!
~ run by bank DONE!
~ call D. re: special music we're singing on Oct. 31 DONE! Left message...
~ give dogs heartworm pills (didn't I just do this???)must do . . .
~ make packing list for me and Noelle and actually start packing barely started this . . .
~ get Travis' stuff together (no list needed for him!) :-)
~ pre-trip laundry doing today . . .
~ November music team schedule & calendar in process . . .
~ birthday present for Nat

New stuff:
~ run to Target for shampoo, shaving creme, etc...
~ make list of stuff for Travis for watching Noelle tomorrow while I go to church women's retreat (Note: I only get to go on Saturday, but one day is better than no days!)
~ Staples - a few supplies for church
~ type order of service, prep for announcements
~ babysit Dixie & JohnnyMac this afternoon from 3-6ish
~ etc., etc.

Must fly!

Note to Dana: It was an above-ground pool that we took out so there wasn't much in the way of filling in, thankfully. Just a nasty shallow hole and lots of mud!

Thursday, October 21, 2004

A List Makin' Kind of Day

So need to make a list. My brain is swirling!

~ layout and print bulletin, sermon outline, prayer sheet
~ pull music for Sunday worship service
~ pull overheads
~ go by church and check carpet where water leaked in, ugh.
~ Kroger - need milk, eggs and snacks for Noelle
~ return videos to library TODAY!
~ drop some pics of my new nephew off at Costco so they will be ready for the trip
~ run by bank
~ call D. re: special music we're singing on Oct. 31
~ give dogs heartworm pills (didn't I just do this???)
~ make packing list for me and Noelle and actually start packing
~ get Travis' stuff together (no list needed for him!) :-)
~ pre-trip laundry
~ November music team schedule & calendar
~ birthday present for Nat

and so on . . .

But, I did actually get up this morning by 6:30 a.m. and read my Bible before Noelle got up! And, there was a verse for me in Proverbs from the Lord.

Prov. 21:5, "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty."

I've been stressing over a decision that Gina and I need to make regarding our music team. It's not a big deal, just how we are going to do some reorganization. The Lord has showed me here that there is nothing wrong with the fact that I am still hesitant to make the decision and it's okay that I keep "chewing" on it some more. It encouraged me. :-)

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

More Photos!

Courtesy of Beth, my backyard and under my bed.

Looking out our back door to the left...



Looking out the door to the middle of the backyard, we have a one car garage and carport that is not connected to the house.



This is other half of the backyard. When we bought this house, this area was almost entirely consumed by an above-ground swimming pool and surrounding deck. We decided after a few months that the pool was a LOT of work and, I was a little nervous having a pool with Noelle so small. Travis spend most of this spring planting grass and this was the result of his hard work! Looks like the perfect place for an eventual swingset. :-)



This is the gist of what is under my bed - two large rubbermaid containers and pillows. One has wrapping paper and gift bags in it, I'm not sure what is in the other one...



Beth also asked for a photo of my vehicle, but it's with Travis today and I can't find a picture of my car anywhere. (I know I have a photo of it when I bought it somewhere, but can't find it). I'll try and remember to take one and post it later.

Getting excited about my trip to Houston with Travis - have been emailing with my college buddies and we are formulating plans to hang out. Claudia, my friend told me it was 100 degrees there this week . . . I don't think I'm going to have to worry about being cold. :-)

This morning I was working on my study in 1 Samuel while Noelle napped. We're in 1 Sam 13 - Samuel has just made Saul king of Israel and instructed him (Saul) to wait for his (Samuel's) arrival before offering sacrifices to the Lord.

"And you [Saul] shall go down before me [Samuel] to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do." 1 Samuel 10:8 [parentheticals my addition]

Saul goes ahead like instructed and begins gathering the men of Israel together to prepare for battle against the Philistines. The people see the Philistines assembling to fight with Israel and they begin deserting and hiding.

"Now he [Saul] waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, 'Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.' And he offered the burnt offering." 1 Samuel 13:8-9

The question that the study asked was to point out exactly what Saul did wrong here only by using the text. Samuel tells us in 1 Samuel 13:13a, " . . . you have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD." As a direct result Samuel says (v.13b-14), " . . . for the LORD ould have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as a ruler over His people, beause you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." I was struck in this passage about how serious the Lord was in dealing with Saul's sin. There was no 2nd chance. Saul was in a leadership position over the nation of Israel. God held him to a higher standard of obedience and Saul did not obey. Because of this, Saul (and his descendants) were denied the privilege of ruling over the nation of Israel.

The reason this so struck me is that I've recently stepped back into a position of leadership with our church's worship/music team. This position is a blessing from the Lord - one that He has entrusted to my stewardship. I need to be cultivating my relationship with Him, and being obedient to his commands. But, if I instead choose to slack off in this area, then it seems reasonable and Biblical to me that He will take this responsibility away. Lord, thank You for how Your scripture teaches me when I choose to spend time with You. Thank you for this word from You and help me to change how I view this responsibility that You have blessed me with.

Monday, October 18, 2004

Our One Year Old...



We had a family photo day on Saturday and this is one of her 1-year pictures that will go in the baby book. She's standing on a bridge waving at her Daddy. :-)

Beth has put in a "3 things" photo request for and I will try and put those up tomorrow. Have been busy chasing our dogs that have figured out how to get out of our backyard. Thankfully they go to one of two different yards each time they get out, but still frustrating . . . Will be working on some fencing issues probably this evening.

In other big news - I get to go with Travis on a business trip next week! He's going back to Houston for the week, and I get go . . . as in we have a plane ticket bought already. I wasn't planning on travelling with him for budgetary reasons, but while he was in New Hampshire last week, his manager contacted him to let him know that he got a bonus check at work. When he got it this morning, it was just what we needed to pay for a plane ticket for me to join him in Houston. I'm thrilled about this little break! My two closest college friends live in Houston and I will get some time with them hopefully, and their two new babies. God is good to provide us this time of refreshment. :-)

Friday, October 15, 2004

For Friday

The Silence says . . .

Noelle is in bed for the night. Veggie Tale land is closed for the evening and the puppies are snoozing nearby. Travis has a book in hand or maybe on the computer. I sit in my big chair with something cold, caffinated, and suspiciously like Diet Coke. I have my study on 1 Samuel at hand, but I just sit for a minute and reflect on the day. Was I a good Mom today? Did I miss any teachable moments? Did I spend enough time being silly? How did I show love to Travis? The house is quiet . . . it's a good thing.

From Swonderings at Women at Home.

Thursday, October 14, 2004

A 2 post day...

For all the WaH ladies...



The "Pray Naked" notecard . . . suitable for all sorts of correspondence. :-)

Must do real work now!

At the end...

My last picture post of the week. If there is something that you still want to see after today, I'll still take requests - 3 photos of whatever you would like to see from my life. Today's request: Mrs. Darling asked to see photos of my kitchen, Noelle's room and my devotional chair. Without further ado...

This is Noelle's room . . . the walls are white with a hint of pink to them. We decided to go with white because most likely, Noelle will be sharing this room with a future sibling and if it's a boy, we didn't want him to be stuck with pink walls. :-) The bedding, rug and window ruffles are from Target. The dresser and the bookshelf/desk were Travis' when he was a boy.





I posted pictures of my kitchen earlier this week, so I'm not going to repost those. But, here's a picture of my devotional chair.



My parents bought me this chair several years ago and I love it. It's a chair and a half, which means Travis and I can sit in it together comfortably and it has great big arms to spread books out on if you want to do some studying. This is my favorite chair to sit in for devotions because it's so cozy.

On another totally unrelated note, sometimes I am amazed. Last night, I was on the Women at Home site, and decided to check out someone's webpage. Much to my amazement, this person, who was a new face to me online, had my webpage in her blog list of reads. It is humbling to me that folks are interested in the little details of my life that I put here. Thank you for allowing me to share with you. It's an honor.

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Books A Million

Today's post is compliments of Nattie . . . her photo request were for pictures of Noelle and for my bookshelves.

There are three bookshelves in our "music room" - our living room that we have no furniture for and the piano and drum set are set up in there. This is the fiction bookshelf... (I have to have the books all divided or I can't find anything). :-)



Non-fiction/Christian living books...



Music...



Office supplies/Bible studies/Noelle's toys...



Bookshelves under printer - mostly computer reference and Travis' current study books...



Bookshelf in Noelle's room - sits on top of a desk. This was Travis' when he was young.



My scrapbook bookshelf...



We have a lot of bookshelves. :-)

And for photos of Noelle . . . I'm sooooo glad you asked. :-)







Off to get the house ready (somewhat) for small group tonight - I'm subbing for sister at Awana so my parents are hosting it here at our house and I want to be all picked up for them. Big thank you to Dana for my cool "pray naked" thing-y on the side. It totally brightened my tired, miss-my-husband, rainy day.

pandp
I believe you belong in Pride and Prejudice; a
world of satire and true love. A world where
everything is crystal clear to the reader, and
yet where new things seem to be happening all
the time. You belong in a world where your
free-thought puts you above the silly masses,
and where bright eyes and intelligence are
enough to attract the arrogant
millionaire/prejudiced young woman of your
choice.


Which Classic Novel do You Belong In?
brought to you by Quizilla

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

For Sale...

One boy Husky dog. Very bad. Chews things. I will pay for shipping. *sigh*

Sam has been on a tear around here since Travis left. Sunday night, I'm getting cozy in bed and I hear the sound of fabric ripping. Not good. Get up to see that my neice had left her new purse here and Sam had eaten off the corner of it. I called my sister first thing Monday morning to explain what happened and asked her if she wanted to break the news to Jordan or if she wanted me to. Kathy said that she would talk to her and call me back. About 10:30 I get a call from a very teary six year old who is sad that her new purse was eaten. She ended the coversation with, "It's okay. I luuuuve you." *Insert knife into chest and twist* Needless to say, I felt like mud. Noelle and I went to two Target's yesterday trying to replace it with no luck so we bought her a different one and will give to her tomorrow.

This morning I woke up to find that of the three bills I had laid on the kitchen counter last night to mail today, there was only one. Hmmmm. Small scraps of paper littered the floor, so my only conclusion is that Sam was at it again. Before someone might accuse me of laying the blame on just Sam and not suspecting Jenny at all, Jenny really is the good dog. She has her behavior issues, too. She's our jumper/Houdini artist. If she wants out, she can get out. Thankfully, that doesn't happen often at all, and is usually just her getting out of the kitchen.

Anyway, Sam is, of course, lying on the floor now sleeping with his bone and being precious. I can't give him away. I take back the offer. :-)

Response to Comments: Crystal, the Bible was open to Romans 5. That is the passage that we had been discussing with the youth on Sunday morning. I opened the Bible to that passage because I have still been meditating on something I learned. In v. 2, the verse says that, "we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand. . ." The word "introduction" can also be translated "access." My husband asked us all what the word access means to me. The first thing that pops into my head was a backstage pass - all access - meet the musician, sit down with them, talk to them, go behind the stage, etc. That's the kind of relationship I can have with God because of my faith in Him. So often, I limit myself to just being out in the audience observing God. But because of my salvation, through faith, I have complete access to the Father. I'm not an observer - I'm on stage participating with Him. I loved that picture. :-) Bev, it is a great Bible. I've been thoroughly enjoying it with our Precept studies. I'm glad Zach is liking his. :-)

Dana, I called sluggish first. :-) You'll have to think of something else.

Today's picture selections are courtesy of Michelle. She asked to see a photo of me (surely yesterday's were enough?!), my kitchen, and my favorite place to be. I'm having a hard time determining my favorite place to be, but here goes...



This is a recent favorite of my and my girl. :-)





This is my kitchen . . . small and slightly oldfashioned. :-) The writing on the cabinets are verses I have posted up to look at whilst I cook. Also, note the Diet Coke on the counter. That's how you can tell it's my house! We have our kitchen table in a little room off of the kitchen - there's no room otherwise. The washer and dryer are also in the kitchen.

And, for my favorite place, I chose what we call our "big room." The previous owners of this house built an additional 20x20 room at the back of the house and it's where we live as you will see in the pictures below:



In this picture, the brown box-y looking thing is our gas stove - fabulous when it gets cold. You can heat the entire house with it. In the corner is our miniscule TV. One thing I love about this room is that none of the furniture is directly turned towards the TV, meaning that it isn't the focus in the room. :-) The chair between the stove and TV is my special chair and will share more about it in another post... (I know ya'll can't wait). Then you see our couch...



Continuing on from the couch, draped with the pink afghan my Mom made me when I went to college, you will see my scrapbook/craft bookcase and my scrapbook desk. Where I make cards, work on scrapbooks and do other crafty things. :-) It needs massive straightening! Next is our loveseat . . . The little window there is a "pass-through" from the kitchen. Also to note, the big table in the middle of the room was my parents' coffee table. It's the table that I learned to walk around, my sister, and now my baby. My folks were going to get rid of it - they just didn't have room for it in their condo - and my sister and I were appalled that they were going to throw it out. We love this table. Many fond memories of it covered with the pieces of a 2000 piece puzzle, or eating at it while watching a family movie, etc. Probably one of my favorite pieces of furniture - ever.



Here we have the dogs' kennel (yes, they both fit in there all curled up). Over it is our wall of family pictures. The doorway takes you into our dining area. Then we have two books shelves that contain my paper cutter and paper/office supplies for my church job, miscillaneous school supply stuff, Bible reference books, and completed Bible studies that I have done so that I can dig into the when I need to look something up. Next is Noelle's pack-n-play/changing table. She doesn't spend much time in her PnP anymore - usually just when I am going to jump in the shower.



And, lastly, between the pack-n-play and the desk are Travis' small bookshelves that contain computer books/reference stuff and his study books for Romans and Job, and which our ink jet printer sits on top of. Then there is the computer desk. Behind the big blue lazyboy chair are our other printers - one which is a small copier and the other is our HUGE color printer for church. The door leads to the back yard and deck.

And there you have it - my favorite place to be. There's still time to get in your request for 3 photos! :-) Off to be productive!





Monday, October 11, 2004

Picture Post

I'm feeling sluggish this morning. Could be that Travis is out of town. Could be that I felt like staying in my pj's (but went ahead and got dressed). Could be that Noelle and I both have runny noses. But now she's down for a nap, I've had a cup of coffee and I'm ready to post some pictures from the photo requests I received. I'm probably just going to do one person's photos per day to limit myself on how long I play with the computer this week. (I've found that with Travis travelling, I start staying up late trying to redesign my blog and move stuff around so I avoid going to bed by myself - need to get sleep this week!) :-)

Crystal asked to see a wedding photo, a picture of me pregnant (very cruel!), and my Bible. Here goes...



This is my bridal portrait that my Dad took *coughDasya'sPhotographycough*



A picture of the both of us.



This is the pregnant shot - ugh! :-) This was taken the night before Noelle was born, 2 days shy of 40 weeks. Noelle was a 9 lb., 11 oz. baby and all out front.



My Bible - it's a NASB Keyword Study Bible that Travis bought me for Christmas this past year - I'm still breaking it in. It has all sorts of reference material at the back for doing word studies and I am loving it. Before this, I had a Ryrie Study Bible that I used - still pull it out when I want to read the notes in it.

Well, there you have it - today's pictures. :-) Tune in tomorrow...

From Sunday Brunch:

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
-Walt Disney

1) What is your favorite Disney movie and why?
My favorite is probably Mary Poppins. I loved the music in the movie and the character of Mary Poppins.

2) Who is your favorite Disney character and why?
I don't know that I can pick one favorite, but at the top of the list would be Pooh & Company. He's just so sweet. :-)

3) What is your favorite Disney song and why?
The lullaby from Mary Poppins:

Stay awake
Don´t rest your head
Don´t lie down upon your bed
While the moon drifts in the skies
Stay awake don´t close your eyes
Though the world is fast asleep
Though your pillow´s soft and deep
You´re not sleepy
As you seem
Stay awake
Don´t nod and dream
Stay awake
Don´t nod and dream


4) Disneyland or Disneyworld? Why?
I would be excited if I got to go to either one, but probably Disneyworld because of location (closeness), and it has the animal kingdom which would be sooooo cool.

5) Do you have any decorations or articles of clothing in your home that are Disney and what are they?
Well . . . I have quite a few Disney coffee mugs (probably 20 or so) and Disney glasses that we use. They work great when you have a bunch of folks over because everyone can remember which glass is theirs based on the character or movie. :-) I also have a Mickey Mouse telephone that my sister bought me probably 10 years ago - it sits by my office desk. I know there are other things - several Disney Christmas ornaments, stuffed animals, and, of course, videos. I used to be very into collecting Disney stuff when I was in college and after . . . until I didn't have money. :-)

One of my goals this year has been to diversify my reading. As I've spent the last 17 years homeschooling anywhere from 1-4 kids, I woul...