July 25, 2013

A New Perspective




 

     Today was the day I had been waiting for and dreading for over 30 years. Since the moment Father said goodbye to His son I have known that this day would come. Really, since Eve and Adam first chose to do things their way instead of Father’s way, this day was inevitable. As I watched the years, decades, centuries, and millennia pass by, I glanced forward to today with horror and anticipation. And now it’s here.
     Looking around the great crowd of witnesses, I see the old, familiar faces – Abraham, Moses, David, Gabriel, Michael. All of the saints and other angels are watching below with rapt attention. I see in Abraham’s eyes the slightest look of remembrance. He, too, was asked to sacrifice his son. I look at Father, with all of His glorious radiance, and there is a look on His face I’ve never seen before. I glance down at what is happening on Earth and understand the look.  
     Jesus, perfect, precious Jesus is being assaulted. He is being attacked by the sins of the world. To the onlookers down below, they are invisible, merely wind and that strange feeling. But to us, with our Heavenly vision, we see them as they really are. Hatred, envy, lust, disobedience, pride, guilt, and shame. They are black as night and press in on Jesus with an ever increasing force. There, in the glimmer of the sins, I see Lucifer’s face, grinning. He is enjoying this, reveling in it. Father can’t even bear to see that much sin covering His only son. He turns away. When He does, when He turns completely away from Christ, the world weeps. The clouds roll, thunder and lightening crash and flash, the angels weep. I weep. It is almost over. The darling of Heaven, who forfeited His glory and power and reign over all beings and creation, who took on flesh and became like man, who was mocked and hung on a cross, is about to return.
    We wait in anticipation for the moment of total defeat and total victory. “Father, Father, why have you forsaken me?” This is it. He glances upward at us. He breathes one, final human breath. The rejoicing and hallelujahs are deafening! It is finished! He has returned to us, to His Father’s side, to His rightful place on the throne! Hallelujah! Worthy is the Lamb!

July 24, 2013

9 Month Comparison

I haven't been able to take as many pictures of Peyton this month because someone has been sick for going on three weeks now. First it was Kaleb so I had to take special care of him. Then it was Peyton with some new teeth. Now it's Kaleb again. I did manage to get a couple Peyton pictures so here we go!

Kaleb at 9 months


Peyton at 9 months

July 23, 2013

Book Review: Sons of Encouragement: The Warrior


Once again, a Francine Rivers book. I probably sound like a broken record, but I LOVE her writing. It's always great. This series (Sons of Encouragement) is about five men of the Bible who were inspiring. The Warrior, The Priest, The Scribe, The Prophet, and The Prince. This book is technically the second in the series, but since they don't relate, you can read them in any order you'd like. Okay, on to the review. The Warrior is about Caleb (can you tell why I chose to read it first?). It starts with the plagues in Egypt and takes you through the Israelites taking the Promised Land. As Rivers would remind her readers, it is just fiction. She takes facts from the Bible and creates a story with them. I love character development so this is right up my alley. It made me want to read Exodus through Joshua all over again. The book really made me think about God's promises, protection, and provision. It was only six chapters - although they were kind of long - so it's a pretty quick read. Recommend? Totally!

July 22, 2013

DIY House Rules

Here's how I made our house rules with a pallet

I found this pallet on the side of a road in Laurel. I wanted one that was this color. It kind of reminds me of driftwood.

Eric took off 5 of the planks. Four were for the mini-pallet (see below) and one was to secure them together.
Here's what it looks like with the four planks nailed on top of each other.
 
 
And here are our house rules. We only have 2 because it is easy to remember and everything else falls under these two rules. Plus, Jesus said they were the two greatest commandments.
 

July 20, 2013

Books of the Week

We've been going to the library Tuesday mornings as part of their summer preschool program. We check out about five books at a time for Kaleb. Here are the books of the week:


The Construction Crew by Lynn Meltzer
It's no surprise that Kaleb wanted a book about the machines at a construction site. This book is actually pretty good. It includes all of his favorites like bulldozers and excavators, but it also includes extension ladders, power drills, and other tools. Kaleb really likes it!

Look Out! A Giant! by Eric Carle
I wanted to include two books a week by famous children's authors. Eric Carle is one of the most famous so I thought I'd start with his books. When we read all of the ones from the library, I'll choose another famous author. Netflix has a new show that reads 4 of Carle's books and shows the pictures. Kaleb really likes it, too. ANYWAY, this book is lesser known (at least by me). I was surprised at how short it was. There are flap throughout the book that Kaleb really likes lifting, but they don't really make sense in the book. Kaleb has now told me that he loves that book.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
I couldn't have books by famous authors and not include Dr. Seuss - the most famous of them all! I really wanted to start with some of the books we had as kids. We haven't read this one all the way through yet. It's kind of long for a four year old. No matter - love some Dr. Seuss. I have a new item for my bucket list: own all of Dr. Seuss's books.

Kelsey's K Book by J.L. Mazzeo
I changed it to Kaleb's K Book. I wanted to get a book that would be relevant to him. It has lots of things that begin with K. There's a book like this for every letter, so when he starts back school I'll try to get the one for the letter of the week.

Peter's P Book by J.L. Mazzeo
I also changed this one to Peyton's P Book. Kaleb  would say "P for Peyton and K for Kaleb!" At least he's making the connection. Similarly, this book gives many things that begin with P.

Tyrannosaurus Rex Up Close by Peter Dodson
Kaleb's newest thing is dinosaurs. He's even having a dinosaur party this year. This book may be a little scarier for him, but apparently boys like that sort of thing. I really like this nonfiction book because it gives information, but not so many that it's overwhelming.

July 19, 2013

Holy Moly Chicken

Another easy recipe that is holy-moly good! I had to force myself to stop eating it.

Ingredients:
5 cups boiled, cubed chicken
2 can cream of chicken
8 oz sour cream
1 1/2 sleeves Ritz
1 Tbsp poppyseed

Extras:
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer chicken on the bottom. Combine all other ingredients EXCEPT Ritz and poppyseeds. Mix together with the chicken. sprinkle Ritz and poppyseeds on top. Cook for 25 minutes. (The extras are what make it super delish)

July 15, 2013

9 Month Update

Peyton with his best friend!


Age: 9 months! Now he's been out as long as he was in!
Weight: 21.4 lbs
Length: 27 inches
Sleep: He takes a short morning nap (30-45 minutes) and a longer afternoon nap (2-3 hours). Some days he goes without an evening nap, but some day he just can't help it. He sleeps about 11 hours at night. So if we put him to bed at 8 he wakes up around 7. Some days we get lucky and he sleeps until 8.
Likes: He ADORES being around people! His favorite is his brother, of course, but he also loves to be around his family. He can't sleep without his paci, but he doesn't have a particular blanket he must have. He just needs to snuggle. He also likes when people act silly, throw him up in the air, and blow raspberries on his belly. He likes watching "Color Crew" and eating. He really likes eating.
Dislikes: If he's crying, it's almost always because he's hungry. He doesn't like Puffs or the stage 3 food because of the "chewing" he has to do with his gums.
News: He had another busy month. He started crawling at the end of June, learned how to wave and give high fives, started giving us kisses, and is saying "dada." Actually, he reserves "mama" for when he's hurt or angry. Otherwise, I never get him to say it. He's all about dada now. :) He started pulling up in the last few days, so look out for next month's news update!

July 12, 2013

Houses in Laurel

There are some things I've seen on Laurel houses that I'd really like to have one day.

Lovely small porch

Eric really likes the red iron on the stair rail

And on the windows

We'd love to have a small balcony on a second floor
 
How cool is that little turret?

Fun, swirly staircase

Love the big porch with a swing

I'm not sure why, but I love this porch. I guess because it's so deep



Another second story balcony

About Me

I'm a happily married mother of two perfect little boys. I love my family, living in the South, reading, and teaching.