Counting Blessings (to Bible Bee and Back) Part 1

Littlest Warrior's first airplane trip

 

Finding a van to rent that would fit us all (and our luggage)!

Plantation homes in the south.  Made me feel a little bit like I was in Tara.

 



 

My dearest husband (and how he indulges my photographic whims with such grace) :)

 

Playing miniature golf with my children on this fun "Great Locomotive Chase" themed golf course.  If you haven't seen the Disney movie, it's a good depiction of a famous Civil War story.

 

 

A glorious early morning hike with my older girls around the base of Stone Mountain.  Gorgeous fall colors were still left here.

 

 

The first morning of our trip we woke up to this and thought we were back home!  The tram operator said, "It's like this about 4 or 5 days a year here."  Hmmm....how did we land on one of those?  This was our only day to enjoy Stone Mountain, so it was quite disappointing weather-wise, but we made the best of it.  We could not see the infamous carving, except for standing right up underneath it and making out the bare outlines of it.  At the end of the day, they closed the park early due to the wet weather, and the possibility of thunderstorms (this was the eve of the big tornadoes in the Midwest).  The thunderstorms never came, thankfully.  When we inquired at the desk, they offered to give us a full refund!  This was a huge blessing-in-disguise.  The next day we had to leave, but we made sure to get outdoors as much as possible, and we were able to afford a second trip up to the top of Stone Mountain so that we could actually see!  And God gave us a glorious 60-mile visibility day (and 70-degree temp)!  The best it gets up there.

 

Now we could see that carving in all of its splendor!  And the children rejoiced!

 

 

Stunning views from on top of the mountain.  I realize this picture looks like we are in a very precarious situation, but rest assured...the camera makes it look this way, but there are platforms of rock below and a chain link fence to prevent anyone from falling down the mountain!

 

 

More museums.  This one was highly anticipated for all of the historical relics it holds and because...

 

...it is the home of  "The General" -- The infamous (real) train that the Union stole from the Confederates for one day.  It's the train of "The Great Locomotive Chase."  We could look across the street from the museum and see the place where the Lacey Hotel was and the diner where William Fuller and his crew were eating breakfast when the train was stolen.

 

Overlooking Atlanta from Kennesaw Mountain.

 

 

The imaginations of a young boy.

 

Amazing artwork!  This is an original painting by Civil War artist James Walker in 1874.  It is amazingly large and detailed.  This scene depicts the Battle for Chattanooga at Lookout Mountain. 

 

More mountain-top views.  Yes, we spent a lot of time walking and hiking, but we did not climb these mountains all by ourselves.  Thankfully, there are roads and tram cars for such things.  Still, we tried to imagine how hard it would have been for a soldier.  Truly it is not comprehensible.

 

This part of Tennessee was quite lovely (and still maintained some fall foliage color).  I found myself standing up here looking out over the valley and the mountains, feeling quite small, but amazed that I could even have such an opportunity.  And that God's people are spread all over this great land.

 

I am so thankful for such an adventure, for the preservation of so much history, for breathtaking landscapes, and for blessings both seen and unseen.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.

~ Edward Sandford Martin

 

In Honor of Veteran's Day

We are blessed to live in a community that honors the military veterans of our country.  Each Veteran's Day (when the weather is tolerable), the children anticipate the celebration highlighted by an outstanding parade.  We might feel a little closer to this subject than many, but we have always felt it is our duty to pass on to our children the heritage of our country.  We live in a generation in which it seems a connection to history and the sacrifices of our forefathers are fast being discarded in favor of present "everythings"-- modern conveniences, lightning-speed communications, entertainment, and the sense that what is today is all that matters, and that those who have gone before us are outdated, old-fashioned, and out-of-touch.  Sad, to say the least.

So we make it our ambition to take our children to events that honor our nation's military, especially on Memorial Day and Veteran's Day.  Some of our best memories associated with these events are when we have opportunities to speak with veterans of their experiences.

So, just a few highlights to share:

 

I thought this one was especially well-done.  It made me want to go and shake each one's hand and say, "Thank you."  But as they are all on a platform, a wave of thanks had to do.

We have a friend who is a World War II re-enactor and historian.  This was his first parade march.  His first book is available now!

 

 

 

The most photographed segment of the parade is probably the Civil War re-enactors, as we have some who are particularly fascinated by studies of the Civil War.

 

 

And they still love horses, too!  They are the most anticipated parade exhibition!

 

 

Coming from a heritage of fire-fighters, I always like the fire engines, new and old!

 

We are grateful.  These occasions remind us that we don't enjoy anything in our country because we deserve it or have been handed it on a silver platter.  God has been merciful, and we really have no idea sometimes just how good we have it, even with all of the discouraging political decisions and the loss of freedoms that have taken place.  Real people and real families have suffered enormous sacrifices and even great loss for the blessings of liberty that we enjoy.  Remember to thank a veteran or service member at any time, not just on Veteran's Day.

Who Shall Deliver Me?

Now you might be thinking that perhaps my life is so put together and pretty, after the previous two posts on the joyful celebrations we've shared.  But it simply isn't true.  To be quite honest, there are days of deep struggle, conflict, and pain.  And those aren't so lovely or beautiful.  But as this place is where I write of how I look for the beauty that is in all things, yes, even the hard and ugly, I needed to write here today to collect my thoughts.  More than that, what I sincerely desire is to speak the Words of Gospel life into my heart in a way that truly impacts it.  Somehow going around just thinking thoughts to myself doesn't always feel very productive or helpful in achieving that goal--though I do believe it is right and necessary as well.  John Piper has said that writing helps us see things in a way we do not otherwise see.  I have always felt and understood this to be true in my own processing of what God is doing in my life.

This morning I came to my quiet reading desk where I spend time in Bible study and prayer.  The tears started flowing as soon as I read what I was "supposed" to be studying this morning.  A cloud of condemnation, waves of doubt, even a crisis of faith.

I came to the breakfast table a little while later and saw the Tabletalk magazine sitting there with the topic this month of "The Seven Deadly Fears."  I skimmed through what those fears were.  I landed on one, thinking it would speak most to where I was, but actually discovered it was another.  And in His Providence, every word of this article spoke directly to my present struggle.  I will likely spend a lot of time quoting because this is just the tool God used to direct me back to His Word this morning--and just what I needed to preach the gospel to my heart today.

WHO SHALL DELIVER ME?

God strengthen me to bear myself;
That heaviest weight of all to bear,
Inalienable weight of care.
 

All others are outside myself;
I lock my door and bar them out
The turmoil, tedium, gad-about.
 

I lock my door upon myself,
And bar them out; but who shall wall
Self from myself, most loathed of all?
 

If I could once lay down myself,
And start self-purged upon the race
That all must run ! Death runs apace.
 

If I could set aside myself,
And start with lightened heart upon
The road by all men overgone!
 

God harden me against myself,
This coward with pathetic voice
Who craves for ease and rest and joys
 

Myself, arch-traitor to myself ;
My hollowest friend, my deadliest foe,
My clog whatever road I go.
 

Yet One there is can curb myself,
Can roll the strangling load from me
Break off the yoke and set me free

 

~Christina Rossetti

 

 

This poem is quite a depiction of the internal struggle with self and the condemnation that so often plagues, as Paul so aptly explains for us in Romans 7:24..  If you have not guessed, the fear that this article addresses is "Fear of Self."  Right away, after a brief analysis of this poem, the author of the article, Kris Lundgaard,  makes this statement.  And I find it perfect.

 

"The beauty of the Bible is that it never leaves us to think we are alone in our fears."

 

I've found that word I was looking for......BEAUTY.

 

 

What was Paul's response to his own desperate cry?  To start preaching to himself.

 

"I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."  (Romans 7:25, NKJV)

 

Anyone else think it frustrating that we can imagine in our minds how obedient we'll be, and know what is the right thing to do, and be powerless to carry it out?

 

Then he continues on:

 

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1, NKJV)

 

 

What I had not noticed before is that Paul models for us how to make this move--how to go from self-condemnation to self-proclamation of the victory that is ours in Christ Jesus.  And it is likely that Paul learned the same from the models given in Psalms, like in Psalms 42 and 43.



 

 

I have spent much time in these Psalms the past year or so, and have only begun to unpack what's here.  These laments show a pattern that encourages me in knowing just how to speak the Gospel into difficult situations.  First, the psalmist shows his thirst and longing for God, yet feels distant and perhaps separated from Him.  Can you relate?  He shows his sense of oppression, and the feeling of being overwhelmed by grief and trouble.  A very deep and troublesome groaning inside (I always think to Romans 8 when I find my spirit so deeply hurting; those groanings that words cannot express). 

 

But then...HOPE rises!  The psalmist begins to turn from his inward laments, his self, toward God. 

 

"Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him

For the help of His countenance."

~Psalm 42:5, NKJV

 

The author of the article again says this well:

 

"As long as the heart searches inward--reckoning up past sins, rehearsing past failures, bemoaning hardships--it will only find reason for self-doubt, discouragement, and fear."

 

Been there.  Am there, perhaps.

 

He continues on:

 

"We must preach the gospel to ourselves.  This demands that we keep our noses in the Bible, listening for God's voice, founding our confidence on Him and His promises rather than on ourselves.  What we will find in the Word is that though 'our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything' (1 John 3:20).  That's right--He searches our hearts more piercingly than our own conscience can, and He knows that we are actually worse than we ever imagined."  (Kris Lundgaard, italics mine)

 

I saw those last words and immediately remembered the Sonship course we took over ten years ago, in which the author was very fond of saying something very close to, "Rejoice!  You are worse than you ever imagined.  But God's grace is greater than you ever imagined."  Somehow it's easier to remember the first statement than the last.  The last statement is where we shine the light of His truth and gospel into our dark places.

 

Preaching this truth to myself has really brought about a peace in my spirit that "rules" over the circumstance.  Perhaps another way we were designed to take dominion in the image of God.  I've never thought of it that way, but it makes sense.  I find that I do have to "rule over" my sinful flesh with the Word of His truth.  Not an easy task...but most essential.

 

"God is on our side--even against our hearts...In fact, the thought that God would turn against us after giving His Son for us, or that the Son would abandon us when He's the very one who died for us and who lives to pray for us--well, the thought beggars the imagination."

 

 

And that, dear friends, is our only hope for deliverance!

 

 

**Quotes, besides the poem by Christina Rossetti and the Bible, are taken from Kris Lundgaard in his article, "Fear of Self," Tabletalk magazine, October 2013.



 



The Celebrations Continue

Another birthday and another occasion to celebrate!  This time we were off to a local pumpkin and harvest farm.  We really like this one, as there are no scary-themed decorations, and they do such a nice job with their activities and décor.  There is something for everyone, and Little Princess was delighted to share her birthday with friends and family here.

 

Fun hay slides

 

Tall vistas from which to look out over the farm (and more slides!)

 

John Deere tricycles for little ones (and yes, even bigger ones try their best to ride these).  This one was yet too big for Littlest Warrior.  His feet could not reach the pedals, so Mama and Daddy did some pushing, and he scooted the rest of the time.

 

Lots of pumpkins to behold.  We did not pick pumpkins.  We actually have a pumpkin patch in our home garden, so we didn't need any more.   And do you know?  We discovered the "secret of the pumpkin patch!"  Yes, the pumpkins are sometimes "planted" in the fields already full-grown!  We saw a semi-truck enter the farm loaded with pumpkins, and when we went on the hayride, the tractor driver informed us that "4000 people have come before us" so that they were re-stocking the field, and very carefully and intentionally I might add.  No need to tell little ones of that "secret."  Let's just keep that one to ourselves, shall we?

There was a special little birthday area, that we reserved for the occasion, for the cake and apple cider we would share in between the playing. 

 



 

 

Beautiful scenes to photograph for Adventure Girl, who is right in her element on the farm.

And of course, farm animals.  Country Girl especially liked this calf frolicking and jumping in the meadow.  And Adventure Girl had a knack for putting the piglet to sleep (by rubbing its belly)!

 

It was a very successful party and we were blessed by the Lord to have friends to share it with, and GORGEOUS fall weather! 

 

We returned home, all refreshed from the outdoor activity, and in time for our own birthday dinner celebrations.  At the end of gift time, we reserved a treasure hunt for Little Princess to find her one last birthday gift.  Adventure Girl wrote the clues (and Young Warrior begged, "Oh, I love these!  Can I PLEEEEAAAASE have one again for my birthday?") and she was off on the hunt. 

 

At the end?  Her very own violin, just her size!  Something she has been longing for for well over a year (especially since her older siblings all play).  Sorry...no pictures of it yet.

 

And while this lovely weather was holding out, we took an impromptu trip to the coast for the day on the weekend!  It's true we have plenty of work to continue at home, but we hadn't gone together to the coast all summer, and it was high time.  One must celebrate beautiful weather while it remains!

 

It did prove to be a slight bit more windy than we had hoped by the forecast.  So after playing in the ocean (and even for those who didn't), there was the search for a shelter from the wind.  Tender Warrior thoughtfully brought along these reflective space-blanket-like things.  And this is what they proved useful for.

 

We did have a blast playing in the little sandy dunes, running, jumping, sliding, enjoying the warm sand on the feet, and getting exercise.  This little game after lunch was enjoyed by the younger ones.  I think it's called, "Catch Daddy if you want a cookie!"

 

After a little bit of drying off and warming up we were on the road again.  We stopped at some overlooks in hopes of seeing a whale, but we had just missed the one that was sighted for the day!  And with a little bit of salt water taffy in a bag, off we drove into the sunset toward HOME!

 

"What is a family meant to be?  Among other things, I personally have always felt it is meant to be a museum of memories---a collection of carefully preserved memories and a realization that day-to-day memories are being chosen for our museum.  Someone in the family.....at least one person needs to be conscious that memories are important, and that time can be made to have double value by recognizing that what is done today will be tomorrow's memory."

"Memories (not all of them, but some of them) should be planned with the same careful kind of planning one would give to designing a museum.  A family life in retrospect should be a museum of diverse and greatly varied memories, with a unity that makes the grouping of people involved share at least many if not all of the overlapping memories.  Memories don't need to be just a thing of chance collection, but can have some measure of planning."

 

~Edith Schaefer, What is a Family?

The Season of Celebration Begins

I recognize that in most American households, the traditional "holiday season" begins at about Thanksgiving.  Since we have been blessed with several autumn birthdays, it feels to me as though our celebrations begin around the middle of September, and continue straight on through until New Year's!  It makes it both extra fun, and perhaps extra busy.  But busy in a wonderful way.  For autumn is my favorite season.  I think those babies born in the fall have something to do with that.  Add to this mix, preparations for National Bible Bee and a big family trip to get there, the "every-dailies" of life and school and well, it is a little bit nonstop this year.  We are truly enjoying the journey, though!

Littlest Warrior had the first birthday of the season.  I like to do at least one literature-based birthday theme in my each of my children's lives.  To say we love good books and reading is an understatement!  Over the years I have done "Madeline," "Winnie-the-Pooh," "Curious George," "Rainbow Fish," and "Goodnight Moon."  All of these were chosen because they were that child's favorite at the time.  This year we had an owl theme based on the book "Owl Babies."  He discovered this book from our library stack several months ago and his big sister read it to him so many times that she memorized it.  He developed his own word for the name of this story, which is a special "inside-family" memory.  This same word he uses whenever he sees an owl.  Even though he also knows how to say the word, "owl."  Toddler language simply melts my heart!

 

Here is my rendition, in birthday cake glory, of the cover of the storybook.  He knew exactly what it was and he was SO excited!! (I taught myself, through a correspondence course years ago in early married life, the basic art of cake decorating and it has been one of the most useful skills I've ever learned to bless my family, and others, with beauty and fun!)

 

We also made these cute little cookies that I found by the inspiration of Pinterest.

I have mentioned before how much I treasure making handmade gifts for my loved ones, and this birthday was no exception.  I started off with a chalkboard placemat on which I wrote a birthday message to greet him in the morning.

 



 

And I finally finished this adorable pumpkin hat, which I actually began a year ago!  I made some little adaptations along the way to be sure it would still fit, and I just love how it turned out.

 

And then there was this last-minute inspiration that I could not resist!  A most-adorable owl hat!  He wasn't too sure about wearing it at first.  But he likes to wear it most when someone reads him the story and if someone else will wear a hat at the same time.   My favorite is when Tender Warrior puts the pumpkin hat atop his own head, while Little One wears his owl hat.

 

 

Aside from the actual birthday and holiday celebrations, I always look forward to this season because it brings an extra enthusiasm for our read-aloud time.  Not that we aren't always enthusiastic about this very favorite time in our day, but some seasons and some books are more inspiring than others for both Mama and children.  I am sure that you can relate.

 

 

 

More celebrations to come soon! 



Vignettes of Summer

It is still officially summer and not yet fall, but as school is back in the daily order of life, it seems a good time to recount the joyful memories we've made this summer.  Lots of pictures in this post!

First of all, a very fun and amazing outdoor day full of learning about everything from surviving in the wild to turkey calls to archery and how to shoot a shotgun.  Delightful day for my adventure-lovers!

Then there was music camp on a most lovely property.  A fun camping adventure, even if I did get 15 spider bites on one foot and a bunch on the other,  and my foot swelled badly, and the last bit of them are still healing!  It is worth it to give the children so much time outdoors with fun like this.

They even had their own fireworks.

This was where Littlest Warrior also had his first ice cream CONE.

This dear woman is wonderful with children.  She raised 8 very talented musicians on this lovely spot in a humble home.  Her spirit of hospitality and simple, gracious living, and her loving smile are so very inspiring to me as a mother.

Summer is full of Bible Bee around here.  And on this day there was a "Swarm" of Bible Bee-ers at the amusement park.  It was full of friends, laughter, activity and just plain FUN!  It was a little bit of revisiting childhood for me, as we used to go here every year for the annual Fireman's Picnic (and it was THE highlight of the year as a child)!

 I even talked my Tender Warrior into riding these "squirrel cages" with me!  Yes, here we are and yes, we even went upside-down.  It was a good thing he was wearing a hat because his height presented a bit of a problem and his head would press against the top of the cage when inverted.

There was even roller-skating for a little while.  The older ones got better at it and the younger ones tried out their new wheels and did great!

It was a very full and fun week, as in the same week we went to a most amazing time to celebrate the providences of our Lord in this country in honor of Independence Day.  It was hosted by the S. family, who are some of the most hospitable people I have ever known.  There were old-fashioned games, a homemade ice cream stand, presentations of music, history, and poetry, incredible food, zip lines, a pie contest, and so much more.  Beautifully done!  And I think this picture belongs in "Country Magazine" or something.  Love it!

We missed the fireworks, however, as we were en route to a wedding the next day in a town several hours away.  What an honor and delight to share with this beloved family, in the marriage of their daughter, whom we have known since she was a baby.  These dear ones have been long-time kindred spirit friends and I am so grateful that the years have continued to keep us close even though we have not lived near one another since those 2-1/2 years we were stationed together.  The evening sun was very bright, but I thought this moment between parents and daughter was so tender. 

With all of the wedding busy-ness, our time together was too short, but memorable nonetheless.

Then it was back home and time to prepare for the county fair.  We always seem to have loads of projects to submit.  One of the highlights is that Country Girl finally finished her 2-year project of hand-stitching (yes, every single stitch in it!) this commemorative quilt for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.  She was rewarded with a Champion ribbon and a gift certificate, and it was a blessing to see her so rewarded for such a diligent effort.

Then it was off to a wonderful family camp!  The summer sun was hot and the weekend was exhausting, but again we shared fellowship, good music, food and adventures with wonderful people.  The hosts put on this camp for free.  They too are a shining example of blessing others with hospitality.

We returned home to catch up on laundry and get ready to host a baby shower for a sweet friend.  Country Girl and I had so much fun coming up with ideas that fit a western "country boy" theme.  She even made these wonderful cupcake toppers for me.

Next up, a local fiddle contest.  Country Girl, Adventure Girl, and Young Warrior all participated.  It was a lovely outdoor venue, a perfect weather sort of day, and full of fiddling friends.  They did well and one even advanced to the second round.

Several birthdays took place.  On my Tender Warrior's, I took him this "Mason Jar" themed picnic to the lovely grounds of his workplace to share a lunch date together.  I had so much fun finding foods that could be creatively served in Mason jars---caprese salad, sparkling lemonade, Greek yogurt parfaits, and cheesecake!  This picture doesn't really do it justice.  I also took a cut flower from home and floated it in water, and 2 votive candles.  Next time I will put the candles in deeper jars.  I could not light them because it was too breezy. :(  It was a beautiful picnic anyway.

We were finally able to visit my dear, sweet Grandma in her new care home.  I am grateful she is so well taken care of in a small, home-care setting since she had to leave her home earlier this year due to a fall.  She will be 94 years old in November!

And we're back to Bible Bee and Local Contest Day!  It was challenging and lots of fun for the children and young people who participated, and for all of us.  So many highlights wrapped up in this day.

Can you believe this AMAZING cake, made by one of our Bible Bee Moms????!!!  Our study this summer was on 1 John, and this cake is a wonderful reflection of the themes of light within that book.  I can appreciate this effort as a decorator of cakes.  Wow!  It was delicious too!

Contest rewards, and awaiting the results.....

We took a trip to our state fair so the children could participate with the fiddlers.  Since it was the same day as the Bob's Red Mill baking contest, I decided to enter.  And I got a 3rd place award!

And my Little Princess wanted to wear her older sister's Dorothy dress--the one I made for Adventure Girl's 4th Birthday.  She wore it to church recently, and it begged some photos.

So many delightful memories and so much to be thankful for this summer!