I've noticed a trend....you've seen it, too?

Just a few fun tidbits about my husband

This is my wonderful husband. Always super busy with work, typing on his keyboard, writing a sermon, reading his online Bible, doing our family finances, answering emails, initiating friendships, following up on tasks, etc.

Sometimes he does those things while he watches Jimmy.

Or after taking a break from reading one of the various titles he's checked out from the library.

Having warm feet helps him to concentrate.

And he didn't seem to mind me jumping around the room, taking these pictures while he multi-tasked. What a man.

Greatly in need

Makes me want to leave it all and go.

4 Babies (One year of life)

I heard there's a movie coming out in April about the first year of life of four babies from four different parts of the world (USA, Japan, Mongolia, & Namibia). I can't wait to see it!



Thanks, Barbara!

She (we) made cookies!

Abigail and I have every Friday morning together, just the two of us. I try incorporate one learning activity during this time that allows her to do most of the "work". I mean, she loves to help me unload the dishwasher (no knives!), throw the clothes in the wash (no colors with whites!), scrub the potties (no, not really), vacuum the carpet (it's all about the self-propel feature), and sweeping the floor (don't step in the trash pile!) but those tasks aren't as fun when you do them everyday, right Abigail?

This past Friday, we made cookies for the teachers at the boys' school. I had no cookie dough (Chrissy ate it all - yeah I just called you out, CM) so we used an easy cake mix cookie recipe I found online.

Latest from Matt Chandler

He's gonna post once a week. Here's WEEK ONE.

Churches helping churches

There are churches helping churches.

They, Mark and James, ask for prayer as they lead their team into Haiti:

• Pray that we can get into the country and are able to travel safely.
• Pray that we are able to get the plane full of medical and relief supplies effectively distributed to those in need.
• Pray that we can serve where we are needed, as reports indicate that so many pastors are dead and churches destroyed that those Christians seeking to grieve and serve need much support.
• Pray that we can forge some solid bonds with the best local churches and international relief agencies on the ground.
• Pray we can get some great stories on video about what God is doing in order to help encourage God’s people around the world to be generous and help those in need.
• Pray we can get great photos and other video footage to give away online, to give to Christian agencies who could use it to help get the need out, and to give to mainstream media outlets showing the difference the church and God’s people are making as well as all that remains to be done. There has been a great deal of great media coverage, and we want to add to it some of the stories of God’s people doing God’s work to encourage more of God’s people to support that work.
• Pray for the ongoing generosity of people around the world sending in support and supplies.
• Pray for the complicated task of getting supplies to needy people when roads are not passable, and only a quarter of the country’s roads were paved before the earthquake.
• Pray for the hearts, minds, and souls of the people, who are reportedly 80 percent Catholic and 16 percent Protestant, while roughly 50 percent also practice voodoo.
• Pray for the rebuilding of the city of Port-au-Prince as prior to the earthquake it was the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with 80 percent of people under the poverty line and 54 percent in abject poverty with a Gross Domestic Product per capita of only $1,300 with two-thirds of the labor force not even having a formal job.
• Pray for protection for disease, as the spread of hepatitis A and E, typhoid, malaria, leptospirosis, and dengue fever is a reality as conditions worsen.
• Pray against civil unrest that would further promote chaos.
• Pray for the government, which has lost many of its buildings and leaders.
• Pray for the safety of the people, since some of the jails and prisons are now emptied and dangerous criminals are running the streets without police patrol to contain them.
• Pray we get home safely and can take what we learn to help encourage churches and Christians to strategically pray and give of their resources for the long haul, as this will not be a short rebuilding effort.
• Pray for the children as roughly half of Haiti’s population is reportedly children.
• Pray that Christians will help bolster the remaining churches in Haiti and support the planting of many more Jesus-centered churches so that the people of Haiti can see the gospel rise out of the devastation.
• Pray for us as as a plan is forming for churches helping churches in places where war and disaster have struck.

Write your representative, PLEASE!

I have a close friend who faithfully writes letters to her state representative, requesting anything that God lays on her heart to speak about and stand behind. I've often thought of writing one of those letters myself but have stopped just short for whatever reason.....laziness, apathy, uneducated on the issue, thinking my request would never be read, and fear - you name it, I've felt it.

Oh, how my heart aches for those precious little children left orphaned in Haiti. There were U.S. -Haitian adoptions already in process when the quake hit and now there is a possibility that, due to lost paperwork, the adoptions might not "go through". I've emailed my state representative TONIGHT to ask that he help in granting the necessary passports and visas to those children whose adoption is already in process. If you'd like to do the same, please do and then tell your friends, blog about it, update your FB status, and pray. The reports are saying that due to overflowing orphanages, most of the children left without parents will become street children. If only I could snap my fingers and fill my house with these precious lives!

The state department has answered my question,"Can I parent the orphaned children?".

The best gift

This past Christmas, we agreed (Mitch's side of the family) to only purchase gifts for the five grandchildren. It was a lot of fun watching the little ones open presents that were chosen specifically for them from their aunt, uncle, and grandparents.

I didn't realize it, but Andrew and Luke noticed that the grown-ups didn't open anything for themselves. They have never mentioned this fact until tonight at bedtime. After closing the boys' bedroom door, I heard them call me back in for something.

LUKE: "Mom, we want to tell you something."

ME: "Ok, what 'cha wanna say?"

ANDREW: "Since you didn't get to open up anything at Christmas, we wanted you to know that you still got the best present of all. Us."

Really, it didn't sound haughty at all! They were genuine in knowing that family is always more important than any material possession. My heart melted and I knelt down beside each of their beds and told them how much I loved them and how God wonderfully created them.

Smiles, kisses, and hugs followed. That's an awesome way to say goodnight, huh?

I couldn't help posting this picture....she's so cute!

Pants on the ground

Ok, if you didn't see this, you should have.

Overflowing

I am so tired of plunging toilets.

It's either our house plumbing that needs some attention or I need to stop feeding my children so much food. Ewwwww.....

Today was warmer than yesterday

We spent TWO hours outside this afternoon! It was still cold but not as cold as it was yesterday. The children enjoyed playing with the neighbors, painting a computer box, bowling, bike and scooter riding, and hitting the tennis ball in the street. This is a memorable time of their childhood and I want to help them remember it in the pictures I take for their future albums.

Next photo session on the agenda is to begin taking pictures of the inside rooms and outside of our house. This is the only house Abigail has ever lived in and is probably the first house Luke remembers. Andrew remembers our previous residences, but barely. I read this post today and thought the idea was special and would make for an interested few pages in their scrapbooks.

Barefoot shoe?

My husband went to college of a full cross-country scholarship. He misses those running days and has recently begun going to the local park after work in an effort to "start it back up". He read this book and decided it was time to start investigating a new running shoe. Mitch is one year from turning 40 years old...maybe I'll purchase these ugly shoes so he can prepare for the next decade.

Crafting with friends

Oh my....my children LOVE their next door neighbors, I & G. I think I hear everyday, "Mom, is G home? Can I go over and knock on their door?". Having wonderful, friendly neighbors is certainly a joy and I'm thankful my children have them as friends. Their mom, T, has also become a sweet friend of mine. She's my emailin' buddy (right, T?).

So, if I get the opportunity, I like to snap a few pics of our kids with their friends. I invited them over one afternoon to watch a movie, snack on some popcorn, and make a craft. With the cold weather, we'll probably be doing it again sometime soon.

This is how cold it is in Minnesota!

Piper at Angola Prison: Q&A

Piper answers questions at Angola. So encouraging!

Tears in my eyes

Do I mourn for the loss of life or for the state of my heart? Both?!?!?!? 6 Year Med writes about recent activity she tended to on her job as a doctor in the ER.

"i heart faces" photo contest

Happy Birthday, i heart faces!

i heart faces is celebrating their first birthday by having a photo contest with the rule that all entries include the i heart faces logo in the photo somewhere. Hesitancy is always my friend when it comes to entering these contests but this blog has taught me so much about photography and I simply want to participate to show "the love" in return. This will make my second entry since the birth of their blog and I hope to enter more photos in the future since I now have PS Elements 8 to help improve my photo editing skills. It's a major work in progress, I tell ya (my photo editing skills, that is)!

I have always loved this picture of Luke and I knew it would have the perfect spot for the i heart faces logo. The winner of the contest will win a cool 18-200 Tamron Lens! You should visit the i heart faces blog and see all of the other amazing photos that have been entered in the contest.

I am submitting this photo into the I Heart Faces logo photo contest. By entering, I am granting I Heart Faces LLC permission to consider my photo for use in the marketing and promotion of their website.

Need that small gift for a Valentine?

I know it's only January 6th but wouldn't you like to get a head start on buying that sweet little somethin'-somethin' for that special person(s) in your life? Megan, a wife and mom living in the city of The Arch, contributor to my favorite magazine, and multi-talented craft queen, is making some adorable zip bags full of love. Oh, the possibilities of what I could put in one of these bags is endless....let's see.... makeup, a gift, small toys, pencils/pens, Phase 10 cards, Memory cards, scrapbook supplies, stamps, notecards, etc..... I'm sure many more items will come to mind the more I think about it!

Go on over to Megan's blog and see how cute they are for yourself!

Speed Racer

Our sweet neighbor friend got a go-cart for Christmas and he let Andrew enjoy it one afternoon when outside in the windy cold.

He's getting it

Today in the car, Luke said something that cracked me up:

LUKE: (looking out the window along our drive to meet friends for lunch) "I think it took God a lot of time to build all these houses and buildings."

His statement reminded me that he "gets" the second question of the children's catechism:

Q: "What else did God make?"
A: "God made all things."

I Need You Now

I love, love, love this song. I can't embed the video due to copyright rules on YouTube but you can go here to see the video if you want. The song is far better than the video. I love the harmonies.

Homemade playdough

Today was the last day of the holiday vacation. Tomorrow starts the routine of packing lunches, picking out school clothes, doing homework, and playing hard at school. So, we spent most of today in the kitchen making homemade playdough, cutting paper, stamping, and painting. All three of my children said that making the playdough was their favorite part of "craft time".

Recipe:
2 cups flour
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. salt

Combine and mix well. If consistency is dry, add water as needed.
Add food coloring of choice. Store in airtight containers or sealed bag.
This recipe made enough for each of my children to have a little over a cup of playdough for themselves.

Chehaw Wild Animal Park

We like to take advantage of our annual membership to the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums so we decided to FINALLY stop and visit Chehaw Wild Animal Park that we pass at least three times a year (on our way to and from my mother's house), but have never visited. My sister and her daughter went along with us and I'm so glad they did! The kids loved the animals and we were very impressed with the park itself. The playground was 'DA BOMB and we were surprised to find that the park also had a professional 18 hole frisbee disc golf course, a BMX Bicycle track, and a long walking trail....all of this in Albany, GA!

After loading the pictures above, I think I posted more of the humans than I did of the wild animals. Well, Mitch might be considered a little wild.....roar!

Pictures I've yet to put on my external hard drive

Just some more random pictures to share....

I can't tell you how many times I used to climb to the top of this very same staircase as a little girl. It's fun to see my daughter doing the same each time she's at "Granny's house".


My brother with his sweet new wife. It was fun having Kristi in our home this Christmas. I look forward to many more visits to come. God is good to give her to us!

A holiday visit wouldn't be the same without a game of Aggravation and Phase 10.

This was what my darling husband got me for Christmas. It arrived yesterday and thus, I will be blogging more often, editing more photos, and replying to emails quicker since I no longer have to restart, restart, and restart!

To bring in the new year, the children took their pillows and blankets to the floor to watch a few episodes of American's Funniest Home Videos together. Mitch started a fire and made some hot chocolate. This might just become a tradition!

My verse for 2010

Psalm 90:14-17 (ESV)

Moses' prayer

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

I pray I wake and give thanks to the Lord for each new day he chooses to give me. I desire to rejoice in his goodness and be thankful for life.

15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.

I pray that I will give thanks to my sovereign God for times of hardship and suffering just as easily as I give thanks for times of ease and comfort.

16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

I pray that I will give you ALL the glory, all the days of my life. I pray that my children will see you glorified in my marriage and through my parenting. I pray that my children will hunger to see God lifted high, exalted above all things.

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

I pray that I not waste my time but rather make every second of my life one that is filled with meaning and purpose. I pray my purpose is to enjoy God and make him known to myself, to my family, and to the world. Let me not look back with regret or guilt but rather look to the cross to remind me to fight for the gospel.