Father's Day Thoughts

Thinking today on Fathers.

I'm so blessed my Daddy was a believer who tried to impart wisdom to his girls! I know that many years passed while he prayed and prayed, and took each opportunity to tell us things from the Bible, but saw no fruit. Sometimes I wish he were here to be Grandpa to my kiddos, but others I am glad he is not going through this life any longer... to live is Christ, to die is gain.

I'm blessed to have a husband who values us. Me as a wife, our kids, being together and doing things together... he doesn't like to be gone from us, but enjoys family time. He strives to be someone who understands, best he can, what is important to me and values my opinions, convictions, and ideas. He is silly, just like the rest of us, but isn't one who can't be serious. His desire is to take care of us, and I know he loves each of us.

I am saddened today as well, as I know a family, whom I love dearly, who does not understand such ideas. Their experience has been quite the opposite. Daddys to them are angry and violent, you never know when they may blow up and what they may do next... This is so sad! Not only because it is what has been "normal" to them, but also as it reflects on God as Father. How are they to relate to all the beautiful passages of a Father God who loves them when what they know of a father is so far from Love?
Will you please pray for this family? They have been moved out of the situation by Social Services and are on a really rough road.

Lord,
I thank You we can approach You as Father, Abba!
Please correct our view of You to line up with Truth. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us and Your gift of reconciliation.
I thank You for the daddys here on earth who strive to bless their families by walking in Your ways! I pray for those who do not know of Your Love, that You would draw them to Yourself!

May Your Peace rest on those who love You!
~Amen

Simple Woman's Daybook

I thought this was a simply beautiful way to remember a day!

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... The full(ish) moon casts white light over the orchard.

I am thinking... about a hurting friend who needs prayer.

I am thankful for... the Lord's tender mercies that are new every morning... so all of "today's" mistakes are gone and I haven't made any new one's yet!

From the learning rooms... We did get some things accomplished. I'm wondering if this Science experiment is going awry like the last one did. :-/ ;-) I am enjoying doing History and Science as a group in stead of 3 different books. :)

From the kitchen... 3 kinds of Banana Bread, courtesy of Ysa!
(I did help more with these since it was more figuring)
Extra Banana Almond, Banana Carob, and Cinnamon Banana! We tried the Carob one and it was pretty good! Not too much carob and still lots of Banana flavor. The others we are saving for tomorrow. :)

I am wearing... (embarrassingly) plaid shorts that have pink pigs on them and a comfy, white cotton shirt... barefoot :)

I am creating... this blog... Kiddo journal entries.

I am going... Crazy... wanna come? ;) j/k
I am going... to be spending quite a bit of time on my knees for several days, but other than that laying low with this sickness.

I am reading... The One Year Chronological Bible (always the Bible!) ; One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp; Streams in the Desert; and lots of school reading... when my voice is done needing rest.

I am hoping... for some miracles in hearts and minds!

I am hearing... the ding of chat telling me that my Dear Friend has said something. :)

Around the house... things are not as cluttery as they could be with a sick Momma, but in need of some attention and a working Vac!

One of my favorite things... Sunflowers (or Susans) opening their faces to the sun and following him all day in his arch across the sky!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Rest. School must go on! ;) Lots of prayer!!!
Next Tuesday I have to get a cyst removed from my leg and biopsied.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
It looks peaceful, so it goes well with my rest need; and says: "I'm thinking of camping!!!"

Wanna join too? :)
Simple Woman's Daybook

Thoughts on Heaven

We read Heaven is for Real and enjoyed it immensely!

A thought that I had some time ago came back to me then and the kids and I talked it over. I think I may have read something like it, but I can't remember where to give credit :)

So in heaven the streets are paved with gold, pearls are on the gates, precious stones abound... this makes me wonder:
Do the people up there ever look down here and wonder what all the fuss about pavement is?
Think about the last time you treasured the sidewalk or dirt. Oh, you mean you never really consider that stuff beneath your feet? Me either! We strive after the stuff that in Heaven is walked on!

Why do we strive for these things at all if we have the assurance of Heaven??? After all we already are co-heirs of all that, so we have more treasure there than we could ever desire or attain here.

But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven..
for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The riches there, that we can hardly imagine, I think won't be important at all once we set our eyes on God! Oh, the Beauty Indescribable!
I posted sometime back about motives for going to heaven. I think I should note that looking forward to being reunited with a loved one in heaven to me is different than thinking you want to go to heaven because they are there.

The book gave us some thoughts and descriptions to consider and be encouraged by. And we all recommend it :)

What are your thoughts on heaven?

Comparisons

"Be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:16 & Leviticus 19:2

Many people's idea of their own righteousness is :
"I'm not as bad as ___________ so I'm just fine."
Often this comes with a list of what they don't do so that they "aren't as bad as" whomever they choose to compare themselves with.

Yet God's call is "Be Holy as I AM Holy." not "Be better than your parents, co-workers, or the deadbeat down the street." He isn't asking us to simply not do the awful outward sins that we often think are bad... murder, steal, cheat... He is asking us to do that which we see needs doing... looking after the poor and the oppressed, the prisoner, the widow and orphan, the "least of these." James 4:17 tells us that "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do, and doesn't do it, sins."

Everyone falls short of God's standard. (Romans 3:23)
He knows we will. That's why there's grace.
But that doesn't change the standard.

The flip side of this coin is to compare yourself with those who "do/are better."
Often we judge ourselves on our bad day against someone else's good day (or the mask they let you see in public.) When it says "all have sinned." it meant ALL. Jesus is the only One to live sinlessly, and no matter what someone else does better than you do, they are still gonna fall short. They too are sinners who need grace no matter how "all together" they seem to have it!

Stop comparing with others, and start comparing to
HIS Holy Standards and only His view of you!

Remember that He also has called you Friend! an adopted (grafted in) child! You are co-heir to Heaven!
He "does not treat us as our sins deserve" (Psalm 103) or look down saying "What a horrid woman that Monica is... why did We offer her grace?!?" NO! He sees me (and all of my mistakes) and says that He loves me, His strength is made perfect in my weakness and His Grace is sufficient to cover me! Thank You Lord! (2 Corinthians 12:9)

When I am weak then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

I think I struggle with more inward sins. From the outside looking in, I probably "have it all together." I'm trying not to portray this to others and to be more transparent. The battle of the mind is where most of my warfare lies. To take every thought captive can be exhausting some days!
I also fall in the comparing with others I think are better category. It is so easy to look and see that this person is a spiritual giant compared to me, or that this other woman is such a wonderful mother! (and I'm not)

Remember we're all gonna fall at some time (James 3:2)
and it's not that we don't fall that makes us successful,
it's that we get back up! (Proverbs 24:16)

A pet?

Brianna had a container in her bed the other night.



I told her she couldn't sleep with that, and asked her to give it to me.

In it I found this...

Yup. A stink bug (or that's what we call them here)
She wanted to keep it as a pet. :/

They had put in some food (dried egg from the side of the scrambled egg pan.)
and Aliyah said they intended to add water...
good thing for him they didn't!
He may have drown in stead of being set free!

It was funny (and gross) and it reminded me of Alexander Beetle :)

More than Thousands

I think, as I write out the gifts innumerable, that there are more than thousands! (I haven't numbered them yet :/ but guess I should do so ;) at some point)

So ... More!
I added in the numbers, but did so after typing it all up and numbering previous posts. Since I took from my 7 gifts lists, I added the number they would've been... so they are not in order! :)

40. The little bubbles, microscopic ones, that the dish soap container pushes out to fly around in the air when I use it to refill the sink dispenser.

41. Bagel "Butterflies" that we made for the first time.

42. Watching Honey play with our little ones. :)
43. My children's excited desire to write on their own 7 gifts lists.
(Free download of the list page!)
99. My first 7 gifts list finished!

44. Meeting eyes with a wild animal.

48. Watching the little spiders spin.

45. Excited, giggly morning greetings of siblings.

46. Morning hugs.

50. Little ones helping "all by myself Mommy"
Brianna getting her Daddy water, of her own accord, because she is concerned for him :)

49. Little girls wearing the little pink dresses.
(The first time the big girls wore them... right after I finished them)


(The last time they wore the dresses made for them. Then Mo moved up to the bigger dress. Now Aliyah and Brianna are out growing them!)

47. The "pound- pound- pound" of little feet (raised foundation!)

51. Having a wise correction/ a fitting word.

76. The busy bees humming.

77. The click-clock noise of the ravens.

78. Small hands on my cheeks as a little one kisses me.

89. Surprise chores done for me by a child.

90. Calls from loved ones.

88. Chicken soup.

94. Hubby making me tea without being asked.

95. Free audio books since I've lost my voice!
(Check them out at LibriVox.org though they are having issues from a recent hack)

96. Kids preferring my reading to them over the audiobook.

98. Kids "missing" my voice.

87.Clearing Weeds from the flower beds.

86. Clean, filled liquid hand soap containers.

97. Finding humor in life!

100. Hubby taking care of all of our shopping so I can rest.

Outting

We got to enjoy a day out in nature this weekend...
when the weather finally permitted us to go.
We had a nice little picnic,
then set out to "explore!"
Moriah, in a rare "still" moment.
I had to get her attention to get a face shot!
All the other pics have only hat! :)

(If you right click and choose: "open link in new tab," the butterflies are much easier to see)
You can barely see them, but there are two yellow, swallowtail like butterflies.
Neno, who thinks the name of all butterflies is "Monarchs,"
was so excited to see some of these flitting about.
I got this picture of him looking up at me
while trying to capture the beauty of the two playing in air.

Another neat discovery...
tadpoles!
These create hours of entertainment to us!

Big sister, Ysa, trying to teach little Bri how to catch a tadpole. :)

Pumpkin was quite at home playing in the creek!
She was really good at catching tadpoles,
but I fear she may have also killed
several in her wanderings up and down the creek. :/

Karissa had a nice time hanging out in the stroller
and in the back pack carrier,
but was quite happy to be back home
where she is exploring all of her surroundings by crawling everywhere!
She has even pulled to standing now... eeek!~ ;)

Ysa and Bri were buddies this trip.
(They actually chose it that way, I didn't have to ask!)
Obviously they were enjoying their time together.

I am afraid though that we only increased the severity of everyone's camping fever,
which, as you may know, has no cure. ;)

Humble Thy Self

Another lovely little gardening lesson. :)
Humility.

Maybe not in the truest sense, but in the fact that you must humble yourself, or make yourself low, to truly observe and care for the plants. So many little weeds to pull are easy to see from right down there practically touching the ground with my face, but from a standing position are not even remotely visible.
How much is our sin so invisible standing afar until we humble our selves into the dust to really see! It spoke to me as I reached around the flower bed, uprooting minute little weeds before they are well established and able to cause my flowers harm... that unless I am willing to really get down on my face and look at my sin, they may become large and cause more harm!

In the parable of the enemy sowing weeds in the field, the farmer said of his crop, "Let them grow together and we will weed them out at the harvest." The reason being, the good plants would be hurt in the uprooting of the weeds! The weeds there in my heart can hurt the good fruit I so desperately want to grow (and wonder if there is any to really speak of) if they are left to become large... I can't afford to let them get big! But that means I must weed often and humble myself to really see.

Take every thought captive is just that... a call to true, and very difficult, diligence. And it requires humility to see each thought for what it is, and deal with it accordingly.

You know, I am really enjoying gardening and the little lessons I am learning along the way. :)
I hope that it bears good fruit for my family, and for my heart! ;)
How is your garden growing?

ACK! What a Monday!

So today had a serious case of the Mondays...

We accomplished some good things, but for quite a bit I had an attitude which was fueled with the bickering of children. Around evening time, Uncle Tim stopped by to get the vacuum we are sharing since both of ours are half broken (long story, but we own the same model so we are sharing parts) and I decided to turn on the bubblers to the orchard. We did some other work outside for a few minutes then went back in to work on dinner.
I had pressure cooked a ham bone earlier; so I added the veggies, chopped the ham getting rid of the bone, and put in split peas. I set it back to gain pressure and helped some girls with school. After a bit I moved the pressure cooker to a back burner, off, so it could cool. When I came back later I thought it was done and started to open the lid. I have an antique (belonged to my great grandma) cooker that is tough to open when the pressure is all gone! So when it opened easily and shot pressurized pea soup up everywhere I was a bit shocked!
So the floor that was mopped yesterday, was coated in pea soup and paw prints (at least the dogs got all the stuff up before I re-mopped) today! Mo and I were both thanking God we were spared the scalding since we were both close enough to be burned!
We finished the clean up and making the soup... then I had to wash bowls I used for lunch so we could eat dinner...ate... then we started a huge cleaning project in the girls room, and laundry....

So after hours we sit down to pray. Most of the kids have prayed, and I am reflecting on the day. All of a sudden it dawns on me....
I turned the bubblers ON, but never turned them OFF!
Gasping, I jump up, put the baby down to play and run out of the house! I did grab a sweater and flashlight on my way, but the words to explain myself just weren't forth coming...
After I turn off the water and get back in, I apologize to the kids (especially the one praying) for running out so quickly, and explain.
Ysa said: "I wondered what was going on. I thought maybe Karissa had spit up all over you and you were soaking wet!"
Mo said (as only a Mo can) : "I thought you'd peed."
I laughed and LAUGHED!

Add to that a cutest little baby sitting up all by herself and saying "Da-da-da-da" (both firsts) today! What a DAY!

Since a picture is worth a thousand words...
Here is a picture that is one of my Thousand Gifts.
39. One of Brianna's Curls!
{ My favorite one ;) }

a few thoughts

Ever notice that the truly beautiful sunsets are those with clouds?
The contrast in the sky, the place for the changing light to reflect is not in the clear sky...
the clouds are needed.
There are a few real beauties in the desert,
the sunrise and sunset being two of them.
~~~
The other day as I watered the plants in the evening, with the sun at my back,
I noticed the rainbow in the water spray :)
It was the under side of the rainbow!
Being actually circular, the bottom side of the rainbow has the violet at the top
(or rather inner circle) and the red arching below it... it was really cool!
It made me laugh about the "pot of gold" at the "end of the rainbow"
people chasing a circle for the end ;) lol
~~~

Karissa is *officially getting around.
(*which only means I can not deny ;) it any longer!)
She has discovered the kitchen and dining room,
much to Mommy's dismay!
and wants to be in there as much as she can now!
eeek!
Guess that means I need to sweep more often!
~~~
And now, off to schooling I go!

More Thousand Gifts

18. The moon rising, when it is yellowy orange.

19. Using leftovers in a way that is entirely different than the original dish (like fried balls of "dressing")

20. Singing the "sunflower song" to our flowers

21. Dancing with my girls to Hallelu Et Adonai

22. Watering the gardens and orchard.

23. The wind across my face.

24. Story-nap time.

25. Snuggles.

26. Looking through old family pictures.

27. Hugs.

28. A hot cup of Earl Grey with cream and sugar.

29. Fresh fruit.

30. Learning about new friends.

31. Visiting with old friends.

32. Lighting candles.

33. The "new baby" smell (sigh) :)

34. When the kids "do Mommy's hair"

35. Hearts (everywhere!)

36. Watching the clouds change shapes as they move across the sky.

37. Seeing the owls swoop by us anytime we drive home in the night.

38. The sound of waves crashing or waterfalls.

Pictures from the week

These are some of the fruits of our garden labor. Strawberries! :)
Living in California and having access to Oxnard strawberries regularly, it seems odd to try to grow some too, but it seemed fun and rewarding so we are giving it a shot!

This variety is called "Sequoia Strawberry."
Now, also being able to enjoy the Sequoias on our camping trips, and having hugged the base of a giant with the kids a couple of years ago (See pic below,) the name brings to mind HUGE strawberries, does it not!?!


This is one of the strawberries we have from our Costco box, next to our home grown "Sequoias" ;) hmmmmmmmmmAnd this is them individually next to some familiar sizes ;) for reference.

And this is us, with a Sequoia, also for reference ;)

I found this funny...
maybe they are describing the giant flavor of the berries??? ;)
They are very tart for such small berries!

We also have some yucca growing in front.
I recently cut all of the dead flowers from last year
(shoulda done a long while ago, but couldn't while {fat} pregnant... they are poky!)

and they have soooooo many flowers now!

Aside from their poky exterior, they really can be beautiful! ;)