Not a Lot of Time

Joy shared is joy doubled. –Johann von Goethe

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24:36

I am a procrastinator, a piddler and a time waster. I can have a to-do list that stretches the across the house and manage to find a reason to sit at the computer…for "just another minute." I don’t use my time well.

This week at church I was reminded that the one thing we all have in common is a 24 hour day. You cannot buy more time. With enough money one can buy conveniences and hire help to get more done in a day—but no one can’t buy more time.

If you knew that you only had a limited amount of time left, what would you do with it? Would you read a great book? Would you go on a mission trip? Would you make up with your ex-friend about the argument you can’t remember what started it? Would you go visit Grandma? Would you spend every last second with your nose shoved in your child’s hair, just to smell that sweet smell? Would you hold your spouse’s hand a little longer?

Would you sit and write a blog post about time?? Apparently, I might. But we all only have a limited amount of time left. We don’t know the day or the hour. We don’t know if we will see the LORD return or if we will be waiting for our loved ones on the other side of heaven.

There are so many things to do with our time. There is no right answer for everyone.

The question needs to be asked also, what will you leave behind? Some people laugh at me because I am a “saver of stuff’ but I think I am saving memories. (The guy on Clean Sweep would trounce me.) I know my grandma is not in the afghan, but her hands made it. I know my father (who is alive, just so you know) is not the hope chest I have, but he made it for me. I save pictures and letters and they all bring back memories. I want to leave good memories for my family, should I leave before them.

There’s not a lot of time. There are more memories to be made.

Encouraging us all to live life well…In Him.

Menu Plan Monday

Once again I am joining the creative and organized ladies at Laura’s I’m an Organizing Junkie (shhhhhhh…don’t tell them what a messie I am!) and trying to start the week off on a planned route. There may be a few detours, but at least we will have a map.

The menu this week consists of:

Monday— pizza sandwiches & salad
Tuesday— spaghetti
Wednesday— breakfast for dinner
Thursday—cardboard pizza deluxe (add our own ingredients)
Friday—tacos

Ballet is on spring break this week so we have nowhere to go and there for it doesn’t matter how long preparation takes, although most of the meals are pretty easy, 'coz I'm kind of lazy organized that way.

Pizza sandwiches are a French loaf cut in half filled with Italian turkey sausage and turkey pepperoni & mozzarella cheese. Marinara is on the side for dipping.

Breakfast for dinner this week will include either biscuits and gravy or pumpkin pancakes, I haven’t decided.

Cardboard pizza is frozen pizza (we use Red Barron 4 cheese) and then we doctor it up. Still cheaper than delivery and we can pick the toppings.

For more and more creative menu’s go visiting Menu Plan Monday at Laura’s.

Happy Dining!

Grains of Gratitude

Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God. –Leon Bloy

Grains of Gratitude was started by Christine at Brady’s Bunch. It seems a fitting way to start the week being thankful. I don’t always thank my heavenly Father first or praise Him first. Often I run in with my wish list and I need to be more mindful of what I am blessed with first.

This week I am grateful for many interviews on Friday and interviews scheduled for this week. We are hopeful that one of these will yield the job the LORD has planned for my DCG.

I am thankful that my niece got a superior at her piano contest. I wish I could have been there to listen. We are proud of her.

I am thankful my nephew got a trophy bowling. He is such a strong boy. Look out pins!!

This week was parents watch week at my boys dance school. I am so proud of the dancers that they are becoming. They have improved literally by leaps and bounds. I am so grateful for the teachers in their lives that are providing solid training. And I am thankful for all of the people who are encouraging them and offering their talented examples.

The lessons I have learned over the last almost two months have been eye-opening and at times painful, but I have been blessed by them and for that I am grateful.

What are you grateful for?

Psalm 51
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you are proved right when you speak

and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;

you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will turn back to you.

14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,

the God who saves me,

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;

build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,

whole burnt offerings to delight you;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

It Is Well With My Soul

Words: Horatio G Spafford
Music: Phillip P. Bliss

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain


Philippians 4: 4-19

4Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

5Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

9Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

10But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

11Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

14Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.

15Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.

16For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.

17Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

18But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.

19But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

More Reading

Besides reading aloud to my boys they have been returning the favor and reading aloud to me. This has been a great relief to my throat sometimes and a really good skill for the boys to learn.

Not by nature a patient person, I have usually just borne the brunt of all read alouds by my choice. I get fidgety over stumbled on words and mispronunciations. Well, it was time to get over my weirdness and let the boys have a stab at it. Roo and I have actually been taking turns at reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at his request. I am glad I’ve read it before because we pause often for much laughing at all the mishaps and go off on tangents and bunny-trails asking lots of questions. But he’s having a great time and I am impressed with his improved inflection and animated reading.

Boo is reading at least one if not two books to us each day. Usually a Dr. Seuss and a DK Level 1 Reader. This child will most likely grow up to be an actor. There has been no need to suggest a variety of “voices” or variations in voice. Boo is an entertainer. He may be moving up to Level 2 readers by the end of next week. This from the child who “can’t read.” Gotta love it.

The only pitfall to having your child read to you, is if you are tired you might find the tables turned and you might get a little to cozy and find yourself nodding off…

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Technorati tags: reading, books, homeschool, children's books, parenting

Read to Me 2007 Mission

I think we have been doing a fair job of increasing our reading. I have tried to read to each boy separately and to both of them together. I have also tried to have them listen to some of each other’s selections. Not a shocker that this has had mixed reception.

Boo just cannot get into Johnny Tremain and I am not really surprised. Roo and I went ahead and added Johnny along with The Chamber of Secrets. Once you get started, it just seems to be an easier thing to add just a little more. Roo on the other hand seems to really be enjoying Johnny. Let me just say here, so far the old Disney movie version of Johnny Tremain is a pale comparison to the book. (Why is that not surprising??) It is no wonder the book is a Newberry Medal award winner. We have had the opportunity to talk about apprentices and how they would have lived back then. There has been character traits to discuss--namely Johnny's pride. There are more characters than the movie had and each brings so much to the story. I am glad we are reading this book.

Boo is sitting through Chamber of Secrets, although I really never intended that book for him. But with the deal the movies would be watched with me after reading the book—Boo came along for the ride. It is hard to keep a second child as innocent as the first one was. Oh well…not worth a battle.

Roo has been listening to the James Herriot’s Treasury for Children. At first it was my suggestion, and I got the withering, “Oh, Mom!” But after the first two pages he was re-hooked and is enjoying them a second time around, for I read them to him when he was younger. This is one of my personal favorites and sentimental me gets a little teary reading some of the sweet tales.

Peter Pan—once again, Disney disappoints in comparison to the book. Is there a "Peter" movie out there that is truer to the book? I must admit to being caught off guard by a few words from Barrie that I wasn’t expecting and sometimes his humor is a bit off color, but we’ve enjoyed it immensely.

Two books we read this week that I highly recommend: The Quiltmaker’s Gift and The Quiltmaker’s Journey by Jeff Brumbeau. The illustrations by Gail de Marcken are breathtaking and both boys have really responded to the message of the story. These are beautiful books and as soon as life gets back to a manageable mess, I intend on purchasing these for our personal library. If anyone is a quilt maker themselves there are companion books about the quilts in the artwork for the books. There is a website with information and activities.

Go visit Jennifer at Snapshot and check out who’s reading out loud to their children. Her Read to Me 2007 Mission is going throught the 19th of March.

Right after that Katrina at Callapidder Days is hosting a Spring Reading Thing. She will be putting up more informations soon. Get some reading lists made up and join!

Technorati tags: parenting, Peter Pan, James Herriot's Treasury for Children, The Quiltmaker's Gift, children's books

Works for Me Wednesday

I have a friend who is an inspired hostess. She can make a quiet dinner for two, she can host a cocktail party for her significant others sophisticated friends, she can do dinner for the girls, she can feed my children and entertain them. She is the “hostess with the mostest.”

Me…not so much.

When I have company for dinner I hate to spend time in the kitchen after the guests arrive. I inevitably forget to put something in the sauce or overcook the meat. I get distracted. Also high on my obsessive list is worrying about food allergies. We have several friends who are allergic or who choose not to eat certain foods for other reasons.

What I have found works for me is to have a buffet where the guest becomes responsible for the contents of their meal. My three favorite company meals have become—make your own pizza, soup and sandwich or build your own tacos.

Pizza involves just having toppings available in bowls, having small crusts ready and waiting in small pie tins. A couple different sauces (jar sauce is fine), three kinds of cheese, a couple meat choices, plenty of veggies and everyone should find something to eat.

Build your own tacos is much the same, I usually offer chicken, beef and beans, with lots of veggies and cheese.

The soup and sandwich meals have been really nice for early meals. Chili, chicken noodle and some other family favorite or a vegetarian soup make for easy do ahead and keep warm in a crockpot. Sandwich fixings can be as simple as meats and cheeses or as complicated as you like. I am a plain sort of gal and prefer to keep it simple.

Feel welcome to come have a meal at my house. Don’t look for crystal and silver. Be prepared to make yourself at home. Don’t mind the dog and the boys. Don’t be afraid to take as much of what you want and if you pass on something it surely won’t make me feel bad. Put your feet up and get comfy and I will too and we will have a relaxing time.

“Make your own___” buffets—Works for me!
For lots of other great tips, tricks and recipes check out more Works for Me Wednesdays at Shannon’s blog, Rocks in My Dryer. This week is a kitchen themed carnival.

Wordless Wednesday

The view from Grandpa & Grandma's porch...

Visit more Wordless Wednesday participants. The variety of photographs is entertaining and inspiring.

Birthday Card

Showing off a recent birthday card for a friend. Torn mulberry paper, some rubberstamps and some cardstock with a piece of paper that has sunset colors on it. Could you guess this is my beach loving friend?

I've been slow on the card making lately. Hopefully this will get me jump-started again.

Recommended Read--My Sisi

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Where was I when this book came out three years ago? Probably digging my way back out of PPD and unpacking. Well I finally caught up to it and it was worth the read.

The book is based on a young girl named Anna who is asking for medical emancipation from her parents. Her sister has a rare form of leukemia and Anna has donated stem cells , bone marrow, and lymphocytes since she was very young. In fact her birth was orchestrated to provide the cord blood for her sister. Now her sister needs a kidney…

The story is told from every participants view and while that could have gotten messy Picoult handled it with relative ease and even went so far as to change fonts with the changing voices. A nice touch that eases the leap from character to character. Picoult’s players are easy to form relationships with and understand. It is not hard to put one’s self in their shoes. In fact that becomes an issue—who will you side with?

The book addresses questions of morality and justice. Medical advancements and technologies are examined. The fine line balance of just day to day living in the middle of a crisis is tangible.

It took me all of two evenings, interruptions for snacks and suppers and baths included, to finish the book. It is not a hard read but it is challenging emotionally and ethically.

Worth the read.


Technorati tags: Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keep er, books, reading