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Shaking the Dust

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

November 28, 2007  |  Comments (7)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

ThatMom Podcasts

For several months I've been listening to the weekly podcasts of ThatMom - homeschool mother and grandmother Karen Campbell. I've known Karen via her daughter for several years now. The podcasts are definitely included in my Mommy-Inspiration Files.

What I've really appreciated is how Karen keeps returning to the Gospel, and how the Lord is leading each of us in our respective families. Too often in homeschooling (and Christian parenting) there is the tendency to become ideological or strive to do everything "just right." In doing that, it is easy to adopt manmade standards and lose sight of our focus on Christ alone.

Karen and her guests come across as just another homeschool mom. Loving, imperfect, wanting the best for their children, seeking the Lord. In her tone, I hear the experience of a mother who has made it to grandmotherhood and the experience of a Christian who has made mistakes along the way and learned to lean into the Lord.

And for me, that is the encouragement I need.

ThatMom Blog
ThatMom Podcast Downloads

November 24, 2007  |  Comments (4)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Psalms of Thanksgiving: Psalm 100

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

November 22, 2007  |  Comments (2)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Preparations for Thanksgiving

I'm about to light candles, put on music, get a glass of wine, and enjoy the evening with the kids doing Thanksgiving preparations.

I've not been. . . excited. . . about the traditions of Thanksgiving, even though my heart has been very thankful. The Lord changed my heart from stress to peaceful today. He gave me the energy and desire to do a "real" Thanksgiving and I went grocery shopping for all the fixings.

I just got off the phone with my Dad to get his special, secret tips for making a turkey (he was the one that always cooked our turkeys growing up) and had a wonderful visit.

Now the turkey is thawing in the pool and my heart and home are peaceful.

ETA, later:

Thanksgiving 2008 Menu

Dad's Roast Turkey and Stuffing

Turducken and Sausage Stuffing
(I didn't make it--left over from an office party)

Gravy

Green Bean Casserole (R8 made)

Red Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Green Peas (C6 made)

Corn (R8 made)

Dinner Rolls (C6 made)

Cranberry Sauce

Hot Mulled Apple Cider (T9 made)

Pumpkin Pie

Ambrosia (J11 made)

Butterscotch Scotchies (J11 made)

Bailey's Irish Cream (continuing a Kyiv tradition)

November 21, 2007  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Psalms of Thanksgiving: Psalm 30

Psalm 30

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
By your favor, O Lord,
you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.

To you, O Lord, I cry,
and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
“What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
O Lord, be my helper!”

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

November 21, 2007  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Psalms of Thanksgiving: Psalm 65

Psalm 65

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!

By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;
who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples,
so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

November 20, 2007  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Psalms of Thanksgiving: Psalm 24

Psalm 24

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah

November 19, 2007  |  Comments (1)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Psalms of Thanksgiving: Psalm 34

Psalm 34

I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!

I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

November 18, 2007  |  Comments (1)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Psalms of Thanksgiving: Psalm 67

Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!

November 17, 2007  |  Comments (1)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

95 Theses in Bits and Bytes?

"The medieval church had Leo X and Machiavelli. We’ve got Bill Gothard and Gary Ezzo."

--P.J.

November 17, 2007  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Psalms of Thanksgiving: Psalm 111

Psalm 111

Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.

Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.

He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!

November 16, 2007  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Rejoicing and Thankful and Relieved

I've been hesitant to give lots of specifics about Hubby's health issues until we know more. . . I appreciate those who have been so supportive of us--calling and writing and emailing and praying.

Of the four most likely possibilities of diagnoses which fit with his symptoms, three of them were tested for and eliminated as possibilities within the first two weeks. While some were pretty serious, all were things we could. . . deal with. That left the most serious diagnosis to still be pursued. The past week, by God's grace, we've been doing alright. Living each day, taking things in the moment, not being too wrapped up in the what ifs.

We received some FABULOUS news today. Hubby saw the neurologist for a couple of kinds of tests, and the most serious of the possible illnesses was ruled out. The neurologist very confidently assured us that it was off the table. We are rejoicing and thanking the Lord and just so, so relieved.

Hubby and I have always dreamed about the future, daydreamed, speculated, drawn castles in the air. . . It was so difficult this past month not be able to do that. Not be able to say, "So, would you rather go to Prague or Budapest?" Not be able to make plans beyond the next month because. . . well. . . we just didn't know.

Hubby's symptoms are continuing, still undiagnosed, but now we are hopeful and joyful and thankful and optimistic. Rejoicing!

November 16, 2007  |  Comments (19)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Sarasota: Recycled Paint Give Away

Own your home in Sarasota? Need to repaint it in true Florida colors like Spanish Moss, Dolphin Dance or Hacienda Clay? Get up to 10 gallons of recycled paint free.

November 14, 2007  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Addicted to Google

Yeah. Okay. The geek in me comes out. I got excited to see the book 55 Ways to Have Fun With Google is now available for free download.

November 13, 2007  |  Comments (2)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

We Remember

November 12, 2007  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Ordered Christmas Cards Yet?

If you haven't, then check out Winged Feet Designs and the amazing array of holiday designs. . . The quality is amazing and the personal service is great.

November 10, 2007  |  Comments (0)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Hubby Update

I've been so amazed and humbled at the outpouring of concern, prayers, and support from people online and in real life. I've been hesitant to share details until we have a diagnosis--which we still do not have. Of the four most likely scenarios initially presented by the doctor, the three mildest have been ruled out. The fourth and most serious, while not completely ruled out, was not confirmed by a clinical exam and next Friday Hubby will do some more medical testing that may take it off the table. That is our hope, though. . . it could still be a possibility. At that point, it is possible Hubby and his doc will be back to square one, as to evaluating the most likely causes for the symptoms he's been having.

Overall, though, we are at a place emotionally and spiritually where we were not two weeks ago--just being in the moment, taking each day, being hopeful, not speculating. . . Physically, Hubby's symptoms are still presenting, his energy is low. . . His thesis advisor has okayed a break from his research, and when we get a diagnosis, we'll evaluate the next step. He's still homeschooling the boys, though we're relying upon workbooks more than before.

The past few weeks I've been doing okay--and then this week, I've just been worn out and fell apart a few times emotionally. (Hence, the long delay in updating y'all. I just. . . couldn't.) I went to sleep at 7:30 pm the other night and slept 11 hours solid. Fighting off a cold. It was like as soon as we could take a breath and relax a little about Hubby, it all hit me.

Again, thank you for your encouragement and prayers. They mean a lot to us. We seek secure in the Father's hand. And we'll be sharing more as we know more.

November 10, 2007  |  Comments (15)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

At The Foot of the Cross

Go on up to the mountain of mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore
Be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified

Follow Christ to the Holy mountain
Sinner, sorry and wrecked by the fall
Cleanse your heart and your soul
In the fountain that flows
For you and for me and for all

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On that beautiful scandalous night you and me
Were atoned by His blood and forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night

On the hillside you will be delivered
At the foot of the cross, justified
And your spirit restored
By the river that pours
From our blessed Saviour’s side

Go on up to the mountain of mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore
Be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified

--Hindalong/Daughtery

November 06, 2007  |  Comments (3)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Bizarre Dreams

So, I've been having really bizarre dreams lately. Stressful dreams. You know how it is when you have an emotion-laden dream and you wake up with your body still feeling the emotions? That's how it has been. And I've been cussing a lot in my dreams (not taking the Lord's name in vain, but definitely foul language) and found myself the past two days using words uglier than my normal vocabulary. I find it kind of interesting that the stress from real life is bleeding into my dreams, and my reactions in my dreams are bleeding into real life.

Saturday morning I woke myself (and Hubby) up yesterday yelling "Help!" In my dream, I was nekkid in a bathtub at my aunt's house, and people and kids kept coming in to books on bookshelves. (It was a large bathroom.) And I kept telling them to go out and let me get dressed, but they wouldn't--they just laughed. I was trying to get Aunt Sherry to come and get them out, but my voice was hoarse and so I knew I couldn't yell "Aunt Sherry!" So I gathered all my energy to yell "Help" and actually did! Bizarre, huh? Totally freaked Hubby out. Woke me up.

November 04, 2007  |  Comments (4)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

A Walk Along the Beach

We were planning a walk along Lido Key Beach. . . It was chilly, and I was wearing my leather jacket and a scarf. Before we knew it, the boys were frolicking among the seaweed and waves. We didn't have towels. Thanks to a not-cleaned-out-van, the boys had clothes to change into for the ride home with the heater blaring.

November 03, 2007  |  Comments (2)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

A Peak Inside. . .

I value transparency. Over the years I've been pretty open with people online, yet still going through cycles of being more or less transparent. I don't put my full name on this blog, partly out of security concerns when we were overseas, and partly out of respect for my children's privacy in the future. (Do I really want future employers to find nekkid baby pics when they google my kids' names as they apply for jobs?)

Some of y'all are aware that when we returned from Ukraine, we pretty much crash-landed. We were considered "short term" with MTW, and extended twice. The second time. . . well. . . perhaps that was a mistake in judgment. I've been blogging less since being in the US. Time constraints, adjustments, pondering things that I'm not willing to be transparent about yet. . .

The Lord has been gracious, but this time of adjustment has been. . . interesting. . . and led down unexpected paths. Personally, spiritually, emotionally, in our family. . . Still we're journeying down this life path. Images of Little Christian's pilgrimage come to mind. God is faithful.

Right now we are facing an obstacle that we were not expecting. Hubby is having significant health problems that are as of yet undiagnosed. His symptoms are worsening, almost daily. Of the four most likely possibilities, the two milder illnesses have been ruled out. He's undergoing further blood work, and as I'm typing this he's in the midst of a three hour MRI.

Peace of mind as we face the unknown, making the most of each day as it comes, wisdom in guiding the children, and a return to full health are what we are praying for now. Thank you for keeping our family in your prayers.

November 02, 2007  |  Comments (39)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink

 

 

Bored of Bedtime

"I don't know what to do right now. . . basically, I just have zero options."
--C6's comment, when trying to avoid bed

November 02, 2007  |  Comments (6)  |  TrackBack (0)  |  Permalink