Stolen from Kate

These quotes.

"One student a year who hears God’s call would be sufficient for God to have called the Bible Training College into existence.  This college has no value as an organization, not even academically.  Its sole value for existence is for God to help Himself to lives.  Will we allow Him to help Himself to us, or are we more concerned with our own ideas of what we are going to be?” - Oswald Chambers


“I do know that waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts. Its easy to talk oneself into a decision that has no permanence – easier sometimes than to wait patiently.”  Elisabeth Elliot


“The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be. It may seem to be much worse, but in the end it’s going to be a lot better and a lot bigger.”  Elisabeth Elliot

January Sunshine

Yesterday, as Luke, Andrew and I returned from a walk,
I followed the boys as they cut through my neighbor's front yard into our back yard.  

That caused me to pass by my snowball bush.  I haven't given it or any of my flowering bushes much thought during these unseasonably mild days of January 2012.  But I saw this as soon as I topped that embankment. 

I have this one "almost" bloom on the bush.  And the whole bush is  full of mature buds just waiting and trying to come to full bloom.  First frost they'll all be ruined.  Sad.  This post is a memorial to what might have been.  I love and look forward to the white blooms on this bush in early spring.  

And there you have it.  What my bush is full of.

So, unless I'm wrong, all I'll be able to expect in the spring and summer are lots of pretty green leaves on this bush.  Oh well.  There's always other years of gorgeous whites.

I did take pictures of Luke and Andrew on the walk and earlier when Luke was doing school.

They're listening to rushing water beneath the street.

And here they are peering at what I showed them led to that underground noise.

Of course Luke asked if they could walk on that grate.

I recommended that we not do that.

The noise made Andrew a little insecure so he reached for Luke's hand.

Brothers.

Earlier in the day when Luke was tracing and writing his D's.

and his d's.

Andrew built towers while Luke wrote his letters.

Hope you're having a good weekend.

Grateful for more sunshine today.

Seventeen Days Ago

I wrote something here - as my mind was blanking out pretty much -
going dormant for January, I suppose.


No - my mind's not dormant, but there's very little I can think of to write about.


I could tell a very revealing tale (but I'm not going to) of how 
Charlie and I have finally, finally gotten on the same page of how to reel in my  our overspending - so as to recover from 11 years of college expenses, 18 years of growing 4 daughters in our home and 7 more years of growing 3, 2, & 1 daughter at home.  I just haven't ever quite "gotten" the frugality and boundaries we needed to embrace - seriously.  I finally get it.... or finally got it.  So - Charlie and I are now enjoying "not spending money".  Well, we're enjoying my not spending money.  Charlie doesn't spend very much money.   I won't go into all of the uglies of it - but I look forward to having a testimony of "how we got out of debt by living within our means".  There - that has been a big biggie between December 30th and right now.  I'm enjoying it.  It's a whole new and free way of life.

So, hmmmm, what else has been happening to document.
Well, due to our January Spring Season, I'm guessing I'm not the only one who has daffodils already.
At first I didn't want them to come up. I wanted to say, "Go away! Go away! You're too early! It's not time!" but they knew better and I'm enjoying them.  What a season!  Surely we'll have some cold and dry weather with January sunshine.  Not complaining, just surprised.

It's shocking, how much time I can spend doing this:

It's a crossstitch piece I started the year I married, 1979.

There have been small segments of time over the years 

when I've picked it up again, done a little more.

When the cross stitch craze flourished in the late 70's and into the 80's

I did several other pieces - smaller.  

This was my favorite, but I like instant gratification - and this one seemed endless.

I was too young and fidgety - 

Now I'm really, finally finishing it.

The verse reads:

See how the lilies flourish white and fair

See how the Ravens fed from Heaven are

Then ne'er distrust thy God for cloth or bread

Whil'st the Lilies flourish and the Ravens fed

And...

Have I mentioned on here that I teach an art class at our church?

I'm not a natural teacher - like a classroom format kind of teacher.  I suppose our actions, our lives, our words, they all teach something.  Still - you know how here in the bible belt, or maybe all over, every church has a childrens' choir?  We did, but now we don't.  Because we don't have a teacher to teach.  (we're a very small church)  So I was approached about teaching art.  At first I gasped at the idea - but then it settled in and now I'm into the second semester of doing this.  It's ages 6 to 12 and they all seem to enjoy it.  I suffer some unnecessary angst about it.  I've joked with friends and family that I act as though I'm teaching a college course at Vanderbilt or somewhere.  I do have a little tight feeling in my chest as I prepare for it.  But it always works out.

We've completed 2 projects already since we started back and we're working on a third.

Look at some of the cats that were created.

Nice, huh?

I love their finished products and how they all look different.  

I promised them during the first semester that we would have an art show at our final meeting time before Christmas.  We did.

I displayed their work semi-professionally and had a small, nicely done table, with simple refreshments.

And we all received our guests as each one perused the displayed art.

The "show" stayed up through Christmas, at our church, and it came down before we began our second semester.  Each student was then able to take home their work.

Okay other thing -

I nursed my never-get-sick-or-ever-have-surgery husband back to health last week.

I did.  I still have the maternal in me.  I was nice to him.  I did for him.  He was surprised, I think.

In fact, many jokes were going around and people were calling in to see how I was doing as a nurse.

I'm not that wife who waits on and dotes over.  It's every man for himself around here.  Actually, Charlie seems to wait on me more than I do on him.  He's kinder and more giving that way.  

But it was my turn to do for him. He had  hernia surgery.  2 were repaired, mended. awww.  Two really nice boo-boos on Charlie's lower tummy and all kinds of aches and pains inside afterwards.  

Bless him.  I had four C-Sections in 81, 82, 86 and 88.  I was VERY sympathetic.

He's mending nicely.

And finally,

before Andrew and Luke arrive at my house,

I'm helping Ann 2 days each week in her homeschooling endeavor.

The plan is that Steve brings Ellie to my house on Tuesdays and I "teach" her.

On Thursdays he brings Luke and Andrew and I "teach" Luke.

I really like this new plan and Ann says it's helping.

We agree that it will evolve differently each semester as the childrens' ages change.

Huge difference next fall will be that Abigail will have passed her first birthday and probably be weaned.

That will give us all much more flexibility.

So that's it.

Oh - and I continue to play tug o' war with this same 10 to 15 pounds which insist on clinging to my body.  I loathe them and desire that they go away.  They love me and I don't love them.

Food - Calories - Metabolism - 60 years - Exercise or lack of  (cross stitching doesn't burn calories)

Somedays I fight the battle and other days I don't.

It's January and no January is complete without bemoaning those extra pounds.

Okay - that's all.

Heavenly Father,

our sins are too heavy to carry,

too real to hide,

and too deep to undo.

Forgive what our lips tremble to name and what our hearts can no longer bear.

We come to you now, beginning to name the ailments that plague us.

We can do this only because You promise to forgive our sins

through the death of Your dear Son.

                       

Set us free from a past that we cannot change;

Open to us a future in which we will be changed;

and grant us grace to grow more and more in Your likeness and image,

through Jesus Christ, the light of the world.

Prayer found on  Sarah's blog one year ago.

Go Back to Sleep, Christmas Is Over.

Just kidding.

I was looking for an eye catching title.
Christmas is over.  Not kidding about that.
But the other.

My site meter tells me I'm down into the 30's of people even happening upon my blog.  The highest I've been is in the 70's and 80's.

I mean, I know my blog is not even on the radar screen of blogs to read,

but it's as if its pulse is fading - what little pulse it had.  

I can't find the pulse of my blog.

I suppose it would help if I would post more often.  As in daily.

I just can't do daily.  I wish I could.

Also I have no instructions to give or share. My blog is very very random.

I do have this one thing to share.

Have any of these left over from Christmas?

I have lots.

So I did what I always do.

I googled.

Google:  What to do with leftover candy canes.

Link I chose:  http://www.candyblog.net/blog/item/recipe_candy_cane_sugar

and I discovered Candy Cane Sugar.

I made it today.  One cute little jar.

I have lots more candy canes - but I just want to see how I do with this one delicious jar of 

Candy Cane Sugar. 

Cakes?  Cupcakes?  Coffee?  Ice Cream?  Valentine's Day?

Tomorrow is the first day of non-holiday 2012.  

Here we go.