Little Soldier
Little soldier, little child
You’re still too young to know,
The impact of the battlefield
Or how its memory lingers so.Playing war is now a game,
Its truth you can’t conceive
Should you defend, until its end
Our freedom to believe.In God, in man, in liberty
With rights for one and all,
Little soldier, little child,
That day you’ll stand as tall.Written by Maureen Kuehne
Copyright 2003
1,655 posts
7,743 comments
4 themes
2 continents
1 domain name
6 years
At the beginning of the year, I set up some projects that I wanted to pursue in 2009. Some of them morphed through the year, some of them were discarded, and others added.
To summarize: Projects for 2009
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Connecting in Community Project
I feel like this project was a success. . . Even though we’ve had the spectre of moving looming, we’ve become more integrated in our church, our neighborhood, and community. We’ve been in the same house for almost 5 years — the longest I’ve ever lived in one town, not to mention one house, ever in my life. I have especially loved being part of a women’s Bible study, not just for the community aspects but also for how much focus the women put into really delving into the Bible.
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Calvin Quincentenary Project
The boys read through two Calvin biographies, and I read through half of one. *blush* I listened to a significant portion of the Institutes of the Christian Religion on MP3 and was so nourished by that. As Hubby received Calvin’s complete commentaries for Christmas, I think we’ll need to continue this project in another form next year.
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Homeschool Habits Project
Homeschooling has gone great this year! We’re using Ambleside Online as the spine of our studies, with the boys all in the same time period but different requirements for reading and writing. We wanted to devote significant time to US related studies when we returned to the States and I feel we’ve done that well. The older boys have also become involved in debate, and that has been a great addition to our schooling (and a great motivation for them, as well.)
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Regular Reading Project
I still haven’t kept up with George W., Half-Pint Megan, Civil Staci or Classical Kristen. . . but I have read more this year. Getting back to regular reading, but didn’t do many reviews.
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Family Fitness Project
Fail. . . no family 5k.
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More Music Project
While we did have “more” music, we didn’t quite have as much as I had envisioned. No piano, but T12 does have a guitar and C9 a harmonica. No live concerts, but did see The Nutcracker.
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And while I have been formulating and contemplating my 2010 projects, they are still a bit amorphous. Will post them as I flesh them out a bit more.
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet – to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
–Moina Michael
Cultivating a thankful heart, looking to God as provider and sustainer, each day this month I’m posting that for which I’m thankful. . .
* super-organized homeschool parents (of which I’m not)
* debate club for the boys to learn skillz
* road trips across the state
…for His steadfast love endures forever.
This conversation really happened. Hubby and I were looking through hulu.com to watch something light and distracting.
Me: “Is there a new episode of In Orbit out yet?
Hubby: “What?”
Me: “You know. . . Blast Off.”
Hubby: “What?. . . Oh! You mean, Defying Gravity.”
Me: “Yeah, whatever it’s called.”
And Hubby, without missing a beat, brought up this clip:
I’m laughing so hard I have tears in my eyes. . .
“Nearly all the wisdom we possess—almost everything we know—can be summed up under the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves.” –John Calvin
The Mothering by Grace online community is giving away a copy of Families Where Grace is in Place this week. I’ve mentioned this book before and find it to be an encouragement to us as we think through what it looks like to live out Gospel in our daily interactions with our spouse and children.
And to celebrate their one year anniversary online, the Babywearing.Com community is giving away a gift set of a Moby stretch wrap, babylegs, and swaddler. Very helpful for new moms and babes!
Enjoy these goodies!
Whenever I start thinking I’m spending too much time online, the Julie Miller song from the early ’90s starts playing in my brain. While that’s not what the song is really about, still I don’t want my family to have their memories being the back of my head.
I listened to your talking, I believed in what you said…but I only saw the back of your head.
…
I wouldn’t have been misguided, I wouldn’t have been misled…but I only saw the back of your head.
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Well, you promised me a lot of stuff that you never could keep,
You said you were a friend, but you’re a wolf among the sheep,
You said you’d do your best for me, to keep me clothed and fed…but I only saw the back of your head.
Speaking of, April 20 – 26 is Turnoff Week. It started as Turn-off-the-TV week. . . but now they are promoting “screen time awareness.” So, I guess that means the wii, nintendo, dvds, computers. . .
(Via Carol)
Breakfasts
Egg & Sausage Breakfast Muffins
Granola / Yogurt
Oatmeal
Cereal
Lunch
Bagels and Cream Cheese
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Soup in Freezer
Ramen-n-Eggs
Leftovers
PB &J
Dinner
Pork Something / Sweet Potatos with Cinnamon and Ginger
Beef Stew (Marinate Beef) (Freeze?)
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Red Beans and Rice
Chili (Freeze?)
BLT Pasta
Snacks
Deviled Eggs (teach boys to make)
Baked Potatoes
Navel Oranges
Apple Sauce
Popcorn
Church Fellowship Breakfast (after the Sunrise Service)
Croissants (bacon and cheddar / chocolate)
Quiche (Spinach, Broccoli)
I came across the English Russia blog the other day, and this picture reminded me SO much of our neighborhood in Kyiv (except for the main point of the pic — the cars parked so close.) But the style and size of the buildings, the neighborhood, the colors. . . Definitely brings back memories.
Thanks to Google Maps, you can actually take a pretty close look at where we used to live. I miss it. But honestly, I’m not missing the looooong winter. Florida winters suit me just fine.
Gotta love Jerram Barrs. . . Cool lectures on Francis Schaeffer, great book lists for kids, and a new book coming out on God’s perspective on women in the Bible.
My friend Megan, she of four girls to match my four boys, has had the fun of not only taking classes with Prof. Barrs, but also reorganizing his library! How cool! And, she gets to give away a copy of his new book.
Yes, I’m blogging on this ’cause I want Megan to send me the book. But not just that. . . I’m sure this will be a thought-provoking book of interest to many of y’all who stop by TulipGirl.
My friends Jo and Tim (and their cute twins) recently had a visit with family, Jonathan and Beka Hastings. It reminded me of just how precious time with family and friends are, whether they live near or far.
A psalm of praise. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works. [b]6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.9 The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made. [c]14 The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.20 The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
Cultivating a thankful heart, looking to God as provider and sustainer, each day this month I’m posting that for which I’m thankful. . .
* Stimulating conversations
* Gas prices falling
* A full fridge
* God’s faithfulness
* Forgiveness
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I Th 5:18
Another reason I’m infatuated with Google is Google Labs newest search engine toy, In Quotes.
Try it. . . Find out what McCain, Obama, or any one of many major politicians have said on any issue recently. I can see so many bloggers and pundits having fun with this one!
(via LifeHacker)
Molodyetz, Senator McCain, on the “Trust, but verify” nod to Ronald Reagan. That made me smile, along with McCain’s understanding of the nuances of Georgia, Ukraine, and NATO. (And the nuance of accurately saying Ukraine, rather than Obama’s the Ukraine.)
Yes, the focus of the debate was much broader than Eastern Europe, but I appreciated McCain’s strong statement of support for Ukraine.
MCCAIN: Well, I was interested in Senator Obama’s reaction to the Russian aggression against Georgia. His first statement was, “Both sides ought to show restraint.”
Again, a little bit of naivete there. He doesn’t understand that Russia committed serious aggression against Georgia. And Russia has now become a nation fueled by petro-dollars that is basically a KGB apparatchik-run government.
I looked into Mr. Putin’s eyes, and I saw three letters, a “K,” a “G,” and a “B.” And their aggression in Georgia is not acceptable behavior.
I don’t believe we’re going to go back to the Cold War. I am sure that that will not happen. But I do believe that we need to bolster our friends and allies. And that wasn’t just about a problem between Georgia and Russia. It had everything to do with energy.
There’s a pipeline that runs from the Caspian through Georgia through Turkey. And, of course, we know that the Russians control other sources of energy into Europe, which they have used from time to time.
It’s not accidental that the presidents of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine flew to Georgia, flew to Tbilisi, where I have spent significant amount of time with a great young president, Misha Saakashvili.
And they showed solidarity with them, but, also, they are very concerned about the Russian threats to regain their status of the old Russian to regain their status of the old Russian empire.
Now, I think the Russians ought to understand that we will support — we, the United States — will support the inclusion of Georgia and Ukraine in the natural process, inclusion into NATO.
We also ought to make it very clear that the Russians are in violation of their cease-fire agreement. They have stationed additional troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
By the way, I went there once, and we went inside and drove in, and there was a huge poster. And this is — this is Georgian territory. And there was a huge poster of Vladimir Putin, and it said, “Vladimir Putin, our president.”
It was very clear, the Russian intentions towards Georgia. They were just waiting to seize the opportunity.
So, this is a very difficult situation. We want to work with the Russians. But we also have every right to expect the Russians to behave in a fashion and keeping with a — with a — with a country who respects international boundaries and the norms of international behavior.
And watch Ukraine. This whole thing has got a lot to do with Ukraine, Crimea, the base of the Russian fleet in Sevastopol. And the breakdown of the political process in Ukraine between Tymoshenko and Yushchenko is a very serious problem.
So watch Ukraine, and let’s make sure that we — that the Ukrainians understand that we are their friend and ally.
Do not wait; the time will never be “just right.”
Start where you stand,
and work with whatever tools you may have at your command,
and better tools will be found as you go along.George Herbert, via Camille
Reluctantly, dragging my feet, resistant to let go of ritual. . . At the prodding of my pastor of all people, I am finally embracing RSS and using Google reader to keep up with my online friends.
After church today, our pastor led a mini-seminar on utilizing web technology in a positive way. Afterwards, one gentleman told me he was “too old” for that sort of thing — and then waxed eloquently about his iMac and how he frequented the pastor’s blog. Too old? No way! Though, it has taken a little bit of prodding for my grandmother to like her new laptop. . . still she’s checking her e-mail and looking at family pics online now.
From time to time I come across an article or academic research that points to problems with technology, cautions about the web being a barrier to community. I think those warnings are very valid. And yet. . . So many times in my life I’ve been physically isolated (at home with small kids, a move to a new state where I’ll only live a few months, on the other side of the ocean from family), and yet have been able to maintain relationships, continue communication, stay sane because of this same technology.
How often it just comes back to the same refrain that is true of so much of life. . . Balance.
“These are the different stems of the Hebrew verbs. The Qal stem is used when the verb is active, Niphal for simple passive or reflexive, Piel for intensive active or causative, Hiphil for causative active, Hitpael for reflexive. The consonants in the root verb stay the same, but you can tell which stem is being used based on vowels or additional consonants added to the root.” — my friend who knows this stuff
Good info to know when looking this up on BLB:
Lexicon Results for shakach (Strong’s H7911)
שכח
1) to forget, ignore, wither
a) (Qal)
1) to forget
2) to cease to careb) (Niphal) to be forgotten
c) (Piel) to cause to forget
d) (Hiphil) to make or cause to forget
e) (Hithpael) to be forgotten
1. ـTulip, 2. Brie, 3. 1991, 4. Blue, 5. None, 6. Tension Tamer Tea, 7. Diving with Whales, 8. Gambino’s Petit Fours, 9. Author, 10. Hubby and Kids, 11. Ambivalent, 12. TulipGirl
Here’s how it works:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker. Choose 3 columns with 4 rows.
The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to? (or, What year did you graduate high school?)
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name. (kid version: favorite animal?)
Like Megan, if you want to join in, consider yourself tagged!
Yes, the comments are wonky here at TulipGirl. For some reason, most people who try to leave a comment get a message about needing to enable java and cookies in their browser. Behind the scenes, my friend Her Royal Geekness is trying to find the glitch. Thanks for your patience!
And if you just HAVE to comment, you can reach me at tulipgrrl AT gmail DOT com .
UPDATE: Thanks to the the nitty-gritty codewonking of a friend, comments are back on!
The GFI National Conference is now well under way. We believe and have experienced how the Lord is both over all and close at hand, and how He uses prayer. And so we ask you to join with us in prayer for the parents and teachers involved with the conference and with Ezzo parenting.
Pray that Christ will be preached.
Pray for Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo.
Pray for the conference attendees.
Pray for wisdom and discernment.
Pray that parents who do use the material will seek balance.
Pray for reconciliation for the Ezzo family.
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This post is part of the Ezzo Week(end) 2008 series, raising awareness about the concerns with the parenting “philosophy” promoted by Gary Ezzo.
Karen Campbell of ThatMom podcast and blog had a special contest in June — and I’m one of the winners!
The podcasts are a great source of mommy-inspiration. As Karen explains, “. . .my vision for thatmom was born back in the days of diapers, Winnie the Pooh, and Playdoh. . . . I hold to the truth that God’s word, the Bible, rather than the agendas of man, is our standard for life and practice. To that end, the goal of this nook and cranny of cyberspace is to reach out to those women who might be looking for a kind word, a cup of virtual tea, and an older friend who knows that some days, all you really need is chocolate!”
As one of the contest winners, along with a special book, a hand-made apron, and a family cookbook, Karen is sending me three cds of ThatMom Podcast first year archives!
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And so, another contest!
In the spirit of passing along the blessing, two special moms will be receive a mommy-inspiration prize of the first year cd of all of the ThatMom Podcast broadcasts AND a $5 Starbucks giftcard! However, the drawing is limited to the new visitors to TulipGirl.com who have stopped by thanks to the mention in the No Greater Joy Magazine July/August 2008 issue published by Michael and Debi Pearl. All those new visitors who have commented on various threads so far will be entered into the drawing — and those who comment on this thread will be entered a second time.
I’ve received several requests to unsubscribe people from receiving emails of comments on posts to which they responded. I want to make sure all understand that I have not signed anyone up for these subscriptions, when you post a comment you have the opportunity to opt in or opt out.
It has taken a few days to figure out some of the behind-the-scenes wordpress coding, but I can now unsubscribe those who have asked that I do so. I appreciate those who have been patient.
So as not to sidetrack the discussions on other posts, those who wish to be unsubscribed, please let me know in the comments of this post.
And I do encourage you to continue the conversation!
Grace and peace,
TG
With all the new babies and babies soon to be born, I just had to share these TWO contests! (No blog, website, or purchase needed to enter!)
Love to babywear?
Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride
(one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)
Want to try cloth diapering?
BumGenius 3.0 Cloth Diaper Starter Kit!
In Texas, Heather and Troy greet Susannah Grace.
In Pennsylvania, Aliza and Jeff greet Shelby Rose.
In Nebraska, Chad and Shanna finalize the paperwork for Lexie and Becca.
