Hands-Free?

Today, in California, was the last day you could use your cell phone, at least while, holding it. I just purchased a wireless device so that I can avoid a ticket. But, I have to laugh as so many other things are more distracting to me than holding my phone while talking. For instance, choosing song lists on my i pod or changing the movie for the kids. Now I guess I can talk on the phone PLUS sip my latte and change songs on my i pod. Is this law really supposed to make us less distracted?

I Heart Saturday AND ....Vacation Bible School

Bria's Gymnastic's Promotion

Bria has been really, really enjoying gymnastics this year. She has done so well paying attention to her teachers and working hard. Her best event is the bars. She placed 5th place overall this year (out of about 45 girls) and was able to move up to Level II after only a few short months, obtaining an overall score of 9.03 for Floor, Beam and Bars. What fun it will be to watch the Olympics this summer. Way to go Bria!


This photo is Bria with her Bar Coach Miss Alley - her favorite coach! She is going off to Biola in the Fall so we will miss her!

By the way -yes this photo is blurry...and yes my husband happens to be a good photographer and enjoys it for a hobby....and no he NEVER has his camera with him. He still shoots with film - and yet never really has any film handy. He wants a digital camera real bad. So, when you start to see the quality of my photos improve, you will know that my hubby got a job and then bought his nice, new digital camera!

Donkey Kong the Fish

We got another fish today. The boys named him Donkey Kong - I think. This is our fourth fish in the past two months. It started when I won a fish for Matt at a carnival. It was after an important baseball game and the Mets won, so we named him Mets. Matt had always wanted a fish, so it was very fun for him. Dad over fed the fish and he was found dead after about 3 weeks. Im sure part of it is the bowl. I know better than just using a bowl - but we have no room for a tank and thats just the way it is. So, good luck Donkey Kong. At least this time I remembered to get a photo. This is for you Matt!

Wordless Wednesday

While Nate is away the kids will...

Friday Night - movie date with Mamaw (Kung Fu Panda)

Saturday - pool with Mamaw and Papaw, play Clue with Mom & Dad and eat popcorn and apples for dinner

Sunday - Tacos for lunch, watch Mr. Beans Holiday, take a long walk and meet new friends

Monday - Vacation Bible School with neighborhood kids

Tuesday - Miss Nate a whole bunch but go to the beach anyway

Wednesday - Countdown begins - big brother is home today!

While the kids are (all) away the parents will......

1. Watch a very silly movie

2. Not sleep in (uggh)

3. Browse the internet and discover lots of great blogs and edit my space page- AGAIN- (Brian)

4. Drink lots of coffee (a full pot is empty at 7:30 am)

5. Decide the budget project can wait

6. Discover an amazing idea for saving $$$ on fuel - LOTS more on this later

7. Miss the kids

8. Eat lunch at an Italian restaurant and then decide there are no good movies out worth $20

9. Go home and work (uggh)

10. Remind eachother how much we love eachother, will one day just be two of us -then race to get the kids (2 anyway) back!

Oswald Chambers

Abandoned to God, The Life Story of the Author of My Utmost for His Highest, by David McCasland

I finished this book a few months ago. Oswald Chambers was an artist, history buff, poet, missionary, pastor, teacher and a man of prayer. I loved this book. I felt like I could have written down so many quotes in my notes -thoughts I would want to return to. But here are two, both from the writings of Oswald Chambers.

"We are not called to be successful in accordance with ordinary standards, but in accordance with a corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying, becoming in that way what it never could be if it were to abide alone."

"A parenthesis is a sentence inserted into an othewise grammatically complete sentence, and if you want to understand the author, pay particular attention to the parenthesis. God puts a parenthesis in the middle flow of our life, the life goes on before and after, but if you want to understand the life, read the parenthesis, if you can."

Nate Left for Camp

Nate left for camp. 6 days of fun-filled games, water sports, music and God's Word. We will miss him here at home - he brings such laughter to our house. Not to mention, what a great help. I cannot believe I have to empty the dishwasher for 6 days.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for your $ help for camp, to Mamaw and Papaw for providing work for Nate to earn $ for camp. He will tell you all about it when he returns!

We are thankful for the many wonderful people God has given our local church body that are so much fun and really, really love God's word.

Hot Summer Day

We love our fairly new friends Brandon and Lauren. Same age as Matt and Bria and oh so sweet! They live down the street and came over for a day of pool day fun! It was 106 degrees today!

Fathers Day Food

We celebrated Fathers Day by making Brian lobster tail. I had never made it before, but it turned out great - and was so easy. We even had some fun with the video camera. As you can see, the kids have been introduced to Julia Childs....remember her?

Imperfectly Beautiful

My favorite blog http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/ has invited us to share what is imperfectly beautiful in our homes. While I had many areas in my home to choose from, the piles of books around the house is the winner.

We have piles like this, right on the floor. My Brian and I are at least reading one, two maybe three books at a time, so is Nate (14 yr), plus we love read-alouds for the younger ones, then there is the various books we use for family devotion time. This is the room we pick up a book and just drop in a chair or the couch and so the books never seem to make it back to the shelf. Speaking of book shelfs (shelves?), I really only have one, that's why I actually have similar piles of books in other areas of the house as well! Its not that I cannot pick up a good book shelf at a yard sale, its just my house does not have the wall space to put a shelf against. Anyway, I love this beautiful mess!

Flag Day

"Liberty is a precious thing; and one of the things that history has taught us is that liberty undefended is very soon not liberty at all." Douglas Wilson

Celebrated Flag Day on Saturday. Dragged the kids to a local park and watched the Elks Lodge of Temecula post several flags and give the history of each. We sang God Bless America and Pledged Allegiance to the Flag. It was great. The kids did not really think so - but they got Starbucks tea so they were ok.

Andrew Jackson

I just finished a book called "The President's Lady" by Irving Stone. I enjoyed this historical/biographical novel so much. Andrew Jackson was an intersting man - full of excellent character. The kind of character that is hard to see in any American leader today. One thing I learned from him was how focused he was on his mission and how he never cared about what other people thought of him. A few of his accompishments include: negotiated countless treaties with Indians, fought heroically in the Revolutionary War, became an attorney general in Tennessee, Supreme Court Justice, leader in the fight for our freedom during the War of 1812 (he had been fighting for years to organize a military, knowing the British were not going to let us really be free) he was a master at military science and fought for Florida (governed by Spain until after the War of 1812). He loved his wife, adopted several children whose fathers died in battle and lost his wife the week he was elected President of the United States.

His wife Rachel Jackson was rediculed for years and yet still served her neighbors on horseback giving them anything the needed...food and clothing and help with child birth, illnesses and fevers. She was a wonderful hostess - serving royalty in her humble homes as well as worked the land for years and managed the staff while Andrew was serving our country.

side note - the cottage picture on the header of this blog is the chapel on Andrew Jackson's property "The Hermitage" and was taken by Brian while we were on our tour.

Season of Hope

I hope my family is in a season of hopes fullfilled. Somewhere along the way as parents, our hopes become mostly for our children. I so want their hopes fullfilled and so does their God. So comforting. I do admit though........I still have hopes to be fullfilled too and I am waiting on Him.

Contentment

Struggled all last week with mumuring. I knew it and God knew it. Came across this quote on another blog and was smacked in the face. Which is ok. I needed it.

"Murmuring is no better than mutiny in the heart; it is a rising up against God. When the sea is rough and unquiet, it casts forth nothing but foam: when the heart is discontented, it casts forth the foam of anger, impatience, and sometimes little better than blasphemy. Murmuring is nothing else but the scum which boils off from a discontented heart."

Thomas Watson, The Art of Divine Contentment