12 Friday Sep 2014
Posted in Uncategorized, {This Moment}
{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
puzzle time
08 Monday Sep 2014
Posted in One Life, Uncategorized, {This Moment}
{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual, that is happening on Monday. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Family Labor Day Hike
Linking with the lovely Amanda.
02 Tuesday Sep 2014
Posted in goals, Uncategorized
We had a great Labor Day weekend, wrapping it up on Monday with a hike on a nearby mountain.
View from Mt Cutler
View of Colorado Springs behind us
We followed the hike with a picnic and some historic fun at Rock Ledge Ranch.
Old Fashioned Fun
Yes, that is Abe Lincoln
This Week…Simple Goals for the Holiday week
Intentional Relationships
Drive with our newly permitted daughter
Plan another family hike or bike ride
Intentional Care of Marme
1-3 mile bike ride or walk 4x ~ Builder is helping to make sure this happens J
Start calcium supplement
Be a little more intentional about finding moments to read
Making this One Life Count
Finish September letters to Compassion kids
Correspondence to Compassion GMC
Other Pursuits
Map out the new cabinets in the kitchen, more cabinets that I’ve ever had!
Prepare the big stack of books we are purging for the Just Between Friends sale coming up.
31 Sunday Aug 2014
What I’m INTO August 2014 Edition
This month has been full of dust, sun, new starts, laughter, frayed edges as the remodel work continues, as new school year gets going and summer dwindles down. Week four of no kitchen left me feeling out of it, and I discovered that while I am not frustrated or discontent, the adventurous energy that I started this venture with has dissipated and I feel as though I have frayed edges. Still holding it together and pushing forward, but with a little less gumption.
Read and Reading:
The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle This book was a delightful piece of comic relief as my home continued the craziness of kitchen & bathroom remodel and sending the kids off to new school situations.
Sheba’s Song was another quiet time blessing.
Currently reading:
Where There Was No Church, Families Where Grace is in Place, Clutterfree with Kids, Generous Justice
(I completed _2_ books this month, but read a chapter or 2 or more in several others.)
TV:
We turned Netflix back on and started where we left off with Dr Who. Slowly, the 5 of us have become Whovians to varying degrees.
Music:
I’m really enjoying the classical station on the way to school on Monday morning, and listening to the Newsboys as we continue to work on the house.
Things I Love:
This bench and these plans. Thank you for sharing Ana White!
grilled nachos
Beautiful words
an old favorite shared with a new generation
progress
friendship
Singing the Gospel
Young women encouraging each other
In the Blogosphere:
~ “I’m slow to process, slow to think, slow to respond. Rather than fight against that, I’m learning to celebrate it in my own way.” Oh Emily, thank you for the admonishment to stop fighting my slow processing thoughts and responses! Spending some time this month pondering the idea of celebrating that aspect of introverted me.
… take no relationship for granted.
My sisterinlove recently shared a link on facebook that led me to The Imagination Tree, oh my. This playdough looks like a recipe for fall fun with a precious little one I get to spend a few days a week with! I just can. hardly. wait. for the new kitchen!
On The Blog:
I shared
why my family is committed to child sponsorship
and my “back to school” plan for September/October
Your turn, what are you into this grand month of August?
Linking with Leigh Kramer
29 Friday Aug 2014
Posted in Education, Gratitude, Parenting, Uncategorized, {This Moment}
{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Back to School, 6th Grade!
This picture is a week late, and it was a day late. Chica started back to her Cottage School class a week after her sisters started their College Pathways classes. And wouldn’t you know, I forgot to take a morning picture. This one was taken just as she was walking out after school.
Oh the days, they are so long, yet the years they just fly by. Sixth grade, one last year of elementary school and then she is off joining her sisters in youth group, mission trips and all the wonder of the next season.
Oh how very thankful I am for all the days and all the years and this precious surprise, our youngest daughter.
Linking with the lovely Amanda.
25 Monday Aug 2014
Posted in One Life, Uncategorized
Your One Life, You Get to Decide
19 Tuesday Aug 2014
Posted in Life Long Learner, Menu Planning, teens, Uncategorized
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18 Monday Aug 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Finding the School Year Rhythm, While the Kitchen Remodel Continues
The first week of school went pretty well. Our 13 year old and 15 year daughters started their classes at a local dual enrollment school.
8th & 10th Grade!
We’ve tweaked the breakfast time for Friday and Saturday, knowing that enough sleep is vital to everyone’s well being. I also noted that Wednesday evening was nearly a crash. The fall activity schedule has not started with our congregation, but youth group meets year round. I noticed that getting home from YG at 8:45 or 9:00PM will be a real challenge to calm bedtimes & early Thursdays.
So before I make good on my commitment to work as a small group leader during AWANA, I need to see if lunches and backpacks can be ready BEFORE the kids leave for the evening. I don’t want to take activity away, but we must be able to settle down for bed and be ready on time the next morning. It may be that I stay home and be available to cover gaps.
This is a big change from HOME schooling. We are still considered home schoolers, but now we do also follow someone else’s schedule.
We were able to have our dear friends over for dinner before they continued on their way to Alaska. They are a young military family and it was absolutely delightful to spend the evening with them and their kids. We’ve known the wife since she was in high school, she is best friends with one of our older daughters. I love how I can count her as one of my dearest friends as well.
It is very encouraging to me that I didn’t let the remodel get in the way of having them over. As I told her, swallowing my anxiety about the construction mess and eating in our backyard kitchen meant we could see them. Otherwise it might have been another 3 years before the opportunity was possible again. I hope that is an area that I will continue to grow in!
The doorway we are closing off for more counter & cabinet space
Hand washing Sink rough in
This Week…
Intentional Relationships
Take our 15yo for her learners permit, schedule with the driving instructor!
Continue to be looking for the ways to improve the rhythm for this school year
Intentional Care of Mom
1-3 mile bike ride or walk 4x
Start calcium supplement
Making this One Life
Correspondence to Compassion GMC which my kids have completed
Schedule interview with local outreach ministry
Other Pursuits
Schedule time to finish 3 writing pieces
11 Monday Aug 2014
Posted in goals, Homeschooling, One Life, Parenting, teens, Uncategorized
Back to School Goals for August 11-16
Two of my kiddos are starting back to school this week, but it is very different than in the past. We’ve home schooled since the beginning with them, but this fall Mae and Petal Rose begin a full time course load at a school with a hybrid early college program. So they don’t go full time (Monday through Friday) but it is still a significant amount of time away.
I am committing this next week to a little less of my own endeavors and plans, and a lot of watching & note taking to do my best to make this transition as smooth as possible.
Last week…
Intentional Relationships
Go to “Step into My Shoes” event with Chica
Backyard Smores & Stargazing – we did a few fun things, but not this one. Most nights we were falling into bed dog tired after dinner.
Receive Mae & Petal Rose home from their mission trip into a period of comfort and rest before they hop right into school classes on Tuesday
Intentional Self Nourishment
Get back on James 1 memory work
Reading: What He Must Be, Where There Was No Church, Pursue the Intentional Life, Families Where Grace is in Place and Sheba’s Song
Continue the nightly walk or bike ride (4x), Strength exercises (4x)
Making this One Life Count
Attend Step into My Shoes and spend time after processing. Not letting this the opportunity to learn and grow pass me by.
Other Pursuits –
Create syllabus for General Science (Petal Rose & Chica will be in general science this school year)
Clean one fridge
Organize laundry/dish washing roomDone, some plumbing and gas work and not things are a bit jumbled again. This will be an ongoing job until I can move dishes back to the kitchen!
Intentional Relationships
BBQ with young family friends on their way to Alaska
Be open to the new rhythm & changes this year brings
Intentional Self Nourishment
James 1 memory work, Justice Study
Reading: What He Must Be, Where There Was No Church, and Families Where Grace is in Place
Daily walk or bike ride (4x), Strength exercises (4x)
Making this One Life Count
Back to school outreach event on Saturday
Stay present and calm
08 Friday Aug 2014
Posted in One Life, Uncategorized
Counting the gifts God showers upon me has been a life changing practice. Throughout the Bible one can find the encouragement, the admonitions, the command to give thanks. And I have tried to give thanks in all things. I have tried to see the blessing in the hard. But.
There’s always a But isn’t there?
But there is one thing in which I am unable to find any good. There is one thing where layer upon layer of a dark, dirty, pain filled wound there is NO GOOD. Despite the deep cleansing healing that the Father has done within my mind and soul the only good is that HE has cleansed and healed. All there has been to give thanks for is that HE is my HEALER, my Redeemer.
A challenging message was recently shared with our congregation that included the reading of Romans 8:28 and 29 with a few comments. In that message there were many nuggets to write down and ponder, but that one passage and the words spoken caught my entire attention. I don’t think I heard anything else of the message.
Tossed by the storms
Romans 8:28-29
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Honestly I have quoted verse 28 many times, I have sought the truth of this passage, wrestled with it, never being able to reconcile it with this one thing. Verse 29 was not familiar to me.
Verse 29, on the other hand, was not familiar to me. As verse 29 was read and commented on by our pastor, a good that only God could bring was illuminated before me. In all things He is working the good for me. The good? He uses my broken desperate need to conform me to the image of His Son.
~ the good is to be conformed to the image of Christ.
“according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
His purpose ~ conformation to the image of God.
For me, whom He FOREKNEW and PREDESTINED.
The evil things that happen to us are not, as far as I understand, God’s plan for us. He doesn’t plan evil for His children. (Jeremiah 29:11) But He can redeem the bad things, and the redemption can work to conform us (Romans 8:29) or transform us (Romans 12:1, 2)
And dear precious one reading these words, these words are for YOU. Broken, lovely You, whom He has foreknown and predestined, the dark bad things, the evil things are not His plan for you.
But the good He can make out of them is far more than we can hope for.
By Quiet Waters 