Still at home

Fever status: low-grade. Home from church. I'm so thankful for our porch. Otherwise, I'd feel like a shut-in.

Some of this down-time with Abigail has allowed me to catch up on some reading...just a little. My nearly stagnated "Currently Reading" list on the side-bar finally got stirred. Last night I finished Messy Spirituality. So good. I began reading it back in March and shared my first thoughts in this post, In Good Company.

Here's some more good stuff.

"According to his critics, Jesus 'did God' all wrong. He went to the wrong places, said the wrong things, and worst of all, let just anyone into the kingdom. Jesus scandalized an intimidating, elitist, country-club religion by opening membership in the spiritual life to those who had been denied it. What made people furious was Jesus' 'irresponsible' habit of throwing open the doors of his love to the whosoevers, the just-anyones, and the not-a-chancers like you and me." - p. 47

Sounds like irrational love to me.

more tomorrow...

Not that I'm glad she's been sick...

...but, I have had a good two days with my little sicky. When she's been feverish she says things like, "Can I haf you?" with her little arms out wanting me to hold her. It hasn't all been rosy. Her fever has gotten scary-high a couple times. Then when that isn't an issue there is a LOT of whining. But, for the most part, once her fever comes down she's back to her happy-little-self. We've been reading lots...and lots. I'm all brushed up on my Frog and Toad. I'd almost forgotten about those books!

We've been singing. Rather, I've been singing - she lip-syncs. Hilarious. She has started giving me requests. Although they aren't titles. They are simply words that she wishes to be in the song. "Sing love. Sing love, Momma" So, I think of as many songs as I can that have the word love in them. And it has to come up quick in the first verse or she starts yelling over my singing, "NO, sing LOVE!"

The one that really threw me was, "Sing cwose to you." "Close to you?" Where did that come from? "Yeah, cwose to you." "But I don't think I know any songs that say 'close to you.'" Knowing perfectly well that I do know one...the Carpenters...(They long to be) Close to you. I sang it. She smiled and giggled with delight every time I sang the words 'close to you.' And, if you do all the la la la parts...that's a lot. It was worth it. This isn't, by far, the silliest thing I've done for my kids but it has me wondering what others have done in the name of pacifying a little person.

And, did you know that when you smoosh a raisin between two cheerios it looks like an itty bitty cheeseburger? Hmf....well, now you do. Who knew something so simple could make her so happy. And she's the one who said, "itz yike a cheesebooger"

Some contact with the outside world has been my only ticket to sanity. Our great neighbor, "Miss Lisa" has gone to the store for me...twice! And I've held her hostage she's stopped in to give me some adult conversation. Clinton and my mom have also thrown me some life-lines via cell service. And dumping stuff out here on my blog has helped too.

Ok...I've been posting lots more than I thought I would be so far this summer. I did say that my posts were going to be more summerish didn't I? I can't decide if I feel good, bad or indifferent about most of these posts being so...fluffy. :) Opinions?

1st week at camp a success

Abigail, 2 1/2, is sick. So, she and I missed out on the mini road-trip planned for today and tomorrow. Clinton and the other two set out this afternoon in time to make it to camp for the Friday night closing festivities. I talked with him a little while ago...Anna had a great week. So good in fact she was quite content to joyfully greet them then, aside from a few nods and toothless grins, go about the rest of the night as if they weren't there.

We are actually thrilled about this. She was so comfortable. No need to cling. There was no talk of when she would be going home. Yet, she is our biggest home-body. She appeared to be enjoying everything - soaking up every wonderful moment of her first camp experience.

Not to worry. The trio of seemingly distant relatives had plenty to occupy them. Anna's cabin-mates treated Lily (5) like a little celebrity and told Virginia "we've heard all about you." Not sure what that may have meant. Clinton was a fixture there, first as a camper then as a counselor. He knows all the directors, and Anna's counselor was in his 4th grade class during his first couple years of teaching. (Now if that doesn't make ya feel old!) Then there were friends of ours who also counseled there and their son attended this week. So, he had plenty of visiting to do!

And by now you may be wondering why I'm blogging about all of this. Well, I'm wondering too. I guess I'm just really wishing I was there and tellin' ya'll about it somehow makes me feel better.

Random

I drove my 7-year-old to camp today. For the week. Her very first time at camp. Ever. I miss her. She did great. No tears. From her...or me. I'm so thankful. She has a great counselor. I miss her. She has more than enough clothes, socks & underwear. I fully expect for most of it to come home clean...as in untouched. She was happily waving goodbye as she joined her group for Steal the Bacon. I miss her. Did I say that already?


Today the Holy Spirit led me to pray for an amazing servant of God as we visited briefly. She is growing tired. She has more than enough reasons to be weary. We cried and prayed together. Her hope is in the Lord. When she prayed, she prayed His Word - His truth back to Him and it sounded a lot like this:

Psalm 73:25-26

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

I was blessed beyond words.


At home tonight I met with two more amazing women who are at the beginning of their journey with Christ. I love them. He loves them more. They are inspiring. God loves me through them. We waded through some very important, foundational issues and He blessed their perseverance by revealing His truth.

Romans 12:1-3 (The Message)

1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

3I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

*hands in the air* I just need to PRAISE HIM for an incredible day!

Lifted Up

Our friends, Rich & Kerry, are two of our heroes.
Kerry recently put up this great post that I wanted to share.
We are lifting them up to the King as they serve Him faithfully and sacrificially. Would you join us?
Thanks!

Things I'm loving about this summer...

...and it's only been a week & 1/2!




"Tea" with Virginia










Anna riding my bike from when I was her age








Franklin Graham Festival: We took our two oldest girls. It was amazing!








The girls eating lunch outside on a play-all-day kind of day




Strawberry Shortcake...for dinner...a family tradition started by my grandparents that we plan to continue. Once during the June strawberry season we have home-made shortcake, fresh strawberries with real whipped cream...oh - and some really good vanilla ice cream too!



And then there are the things you can't quite catch a picture of like... fly-by kisses from little smudged faces, hearing a happy i-love-you as one of them scurries out the door with a snack or drink.... oh! and sleeping past 6:30!

One more...




A great neighbor who plants beautiful flowers for us to enjoy AND will come over at 2:30 a.m. to sit with my kids when I have to drive my husband to the E.R. Thanks, Lisa!



(and for the record...Clinton is o.k. now)

Summer Hours

School's out! We hurdled through the last couple weeks of school and as of 6:45 am tomorrow, summer will officially begin - at least for my girls. 6:45 because that is the time that my two oldest are usually getting up for school. And for about the first week or so I will hear, "Would we still be at school right now?" "Do you think we would be on the bus now or would we be home already?" I remember doing that. It is as if the "school-day hours" are more valuable than the rest and must be savored. At least for a while. Until the swimming, bug catching, sandbox village building, vacationing and picnicing stretch into the summer haze. And we all just forget to count the hours.

That brings me to my summer blogging hours. I tend to need quiet to write. With everyone home, my brain is often not my own. My goal is to post here about every 7-11 days or so. We'll see. I'm thinking the content of my posts may be more summerish too.

And now I'm laughing. I'm imagining someone stumbling across my blog around mid August. This being my most recent post. Thinking "that was the goal...but I guess she never made it." I say someone because I'm thinking that by then my tens of regular readers will have lost all hope of me ever posting again.

So, I will say this. If this does end up being my last post for a long while - most likely, I am still alive. Even more likely - I'm being held hostage in the back yard by 4 small, barefoot people who are covered in dirt from head to toe - daily. Send for help.