Fridays are for...

smiling and remembering...

this bird weighed more than Sarah! No wonder she was afraid of it!

giving thanks...(because Thanksgiving isn't an event, it's a mindset)

slowly washing and putting away the last of the dishes...

pie for breakfast, and maybe lunch, too...

planning family vacation...

dreaming up Christmas surprises...

and leftovers.

this is what the drumstick from a 30 lb turkey looks like!

Fridays are for....

cleaning up the countless spills of a tired toddler

hot tea and Words with Friends

horse dreams with Emma

listening to Jon practicing guitar

Bible stories with young ones

meeting new people

devouring good books about the goodness of God

and pizza.

Playoffs, y'all!

JonnyB, #5

I never used to like football. The rules-- like undecipherable code. The play--run for 20 seconds, then stop. Run for 30 seconds, then stop. Huddles and time outs and crazy referee hand signals...I just could never understand it enough to enjoy it. But that was before it was my boy lunging down the field with 2 guys on his legs and one on his back, fighting like mad to get at least one more yard, or lunging through the air to hit the opponent with the ball. Now one of my favorite weekend past times is watching football games in the cold air with the boys I can yell the names of as they sprint down the field or take somebody down. What fun I am having watching Jon and his football team make history in the playoffs!

Playoffs, y'all! (And I'm not even from Texas!)

I now have such a respect for the sport of football. The discipline, teamwork, camaraderie...it builds character like no other sport I know. And the sense of community you feel with the other crazy, yelling parents who run up and down the field is so rich! I'll be honest, I actually got choked up the other day as I watched Jon's teammate make touchdown #2 in their first ever playoff game. I've watched these boys, and this coach for 4 years lose game after game, and not give up. It's so like life, if you just keep walking, steady and faithful, you will eventually make it to the finish line, or the end zone. ;)

Not to sound weird or anything, but I feel God's pleasure when I watch Jon play. Like he's smiling at the son He made so strong, so persistent, so focused. I don't know how long football will be a part of Jon's life, and our life. But we will enjoy it, for however long it lasts. Looking over the photos from that day, I'm struck by the sense of team and loyalty needed for those boys to throw themselves into the opposing team players to protect their man with the ball. Sometimes they are protecting Jon. And sometimes Jon is throwing his body into someone to protect his buddy.....taking one for the team, as they say. There's probably a lesson in there about loving our neighbors and bearing one another's burdens, or helping other people reach the goal (endzone) because if they succeed, we win, too, but sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Next weekend, second game of the playoffs. And I wouldn't miss it for anything!

What's your song?

I think God fills each of us with a soul song as He knits us in the womb. It's like the murmurations of the starlets, the crackle of water on rocks at low tide, the way the colors of autumn flash all aflame at sunrise. It's a song of praise from created to Creator which can only be heard when we are completely ourselves....being who God made us to be. Some may use voices, but many others sing in a different way.

Some use their feet as they go...

Some use wood and metal as they build...

Some use their minds or their words or their bodies...

And some use sticks...

Ken came home with this huge metal tank, and it didn't take long for the drummers in this house to figure out what it's real use was..

Sometimes, when I listen close with ears not made of flesh, I can hear the song of the people around me..the soul song that fills my heart and calls to me to sing, too.

When we, His creations, are as The Creator intended, it's like a love song to Him.

All of us, singing together, our lives set apart for Him.

Fridays are for...

catching up on...

laundry

blogs I love (that list of lovely ladies to the right!)

books that bless (Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson)

chores that get pushed off (read: finding a home for all of the toy weapons, lego pieces, and marker caps that have accumulated all week)

and Halloween Oreos.

Truth is...

I frequently feel like I'm less than I could be,

or should be...

I worry and yell and fret and stew when I know I should pray and breathe and believe and forgive...

Truth is, I still need a savior. And so do you. Because we all fall short, and Jesus makes us complete. Wholly saved, wholly loved, wholly whole.

These days, I'm longing to really understand the Gospel... the Good News...

Father so loved..

Jesus came...

He died..

He rose..

And covers me in grace.

Click here.

Cry.

Repeat.

Fridays are for...

turning 2...

waiting..

exploring..

contemplating..

discovering...

wrestling...

wishing...

and appreciating...

Writing exercises for me

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...Green grass, blue sky, frost touched wilted plant.

I am thinking...that if I understood how much God loves me my perspective on life would radically change.

I am thankful...for freedom and friends.

From the learning rooms...IEW writing assignments, World History, My Father's Dragon.

In the kitchen...defrosting beef for spaghetti sauce.

I am wearing... Blue jeans, pink and purple.

I am creating...a vacation plan for Christmas in NM.

I am going...to wish I had spent this time cleaning rather than goofing off!!

I am wondering...how to better organize our small cluttered spaces.

I am reading...The Singer Trilogy by Calvin Miller.

I am hoping...my books from CBD will come soon!

I am looking forward to...watching Jon and his team play in the pop warner play-offs!

I am hearing...Sarah play with toys at the dining room table, PBS.

Around the house...Crumb laden floors and counters, laundry that needs to be folded, books strewn about...

I am pondering...God's grace and a gospel centered life.

One of my favorite things...brothers and sisters playing like friends.

A few plans for the rest of the week...co-op, Sarah's 2cd birthday.

Take a look at the other lovely daybooks .

Halloween 2011

Costumes

(Emma Bekah and Chris were there too, but somehow escaped the camera!)

Candy

Community

Friends

Participating in Schoharie's Trunk or Treat last night was so much fun! Because the village is still rebuilding after major flooding in August, the community came together along Main Street with decorated car trunks and hay wagons. I realize that Halloween is not without controversy, but honestly, I just love hanging out with the neighbors. It's such a friendly day! We decorated our trunk with mums and pumpkins and had a blast, and I hope the Trick or Trunk becomes a tradition here. Where we live, I never get to give out candy. In fact, the first year we went trick or treating, we made little paper pumpkins that said "God loves you" and taped a piece of candy on them, and gave them out to the people we visited along the way, because I just want to be one of the candy givers.

Last night, we gave away lots of candy.

And collected lots, too. :)

We also managed to get on the local news...

Kids Trunk-or-Treat in Schoharie - YNN, Your News Now