I'm not trying to "beat a dead horse," as it were, but here is another article on submission that is worth a read. Good insights and encouragement from Nancy Wilson.

I've been doing some browsing. See what I've come up with in these links...

Follow this link, from Mermaids Under the Warf, to some really great music. You can listen while you browse!

This is a fun blog called Making Books with Children. What kid doesn't want to be the author of his own book?

Don't have time for scrapbooking the old fashioned way? Check this out! You design your own pages online and then print them if you like what you have created.

This is a fantastic recipe for chicken pot pie from scratch. Takes time, but ends up being so worth it.

I made these crochet mary jane slippers last year as Christmas gifts. Easy and fun. Here is another fun site about crochet.

That's it for now...Gotta get back to life.

I heard my little girl singing 'What a Wonderful World' in her room this morning. I thought it was sweet to hear a child sing it. Did a search on YouTube and found a version from the soulful
Eva Cassidy. I wasn't able to embed, so you'll have to follow the link. Enjoy.

Also, we've been loving this lullaby album by the Innocence Mission, Here's a sample.

Submission: A Consequence of the Fall???

I am posting a couple excerpts from a really great article from Tim Challies, but you should really read the whole thing. It's not that long, and it is so good. Something I needed to read and appreciated.

It seems to me that women would be glad to know that the idea of submission precedes the fall. This shows us that the headship of the husband is not rooted in a punishment, and perhaps even an unfair punishment where woman was given the harsher penalty of having to submit, but is rooted in the very purpose and creation of mankind. Yet women have told me that they prefer to think that submission is a product of the Fall. Perhaps this shows just what a poor job the church has done in teaching this subject and what a poor job husbands have done in making submission joyful. Or maybe this is simply society echoing even in the church.....

.....When men lovingly lead their wives and when women respond in joyful submission, we see a beautiful echo of the relationship of the Father to the Son and we model the love of the Son for His bride. Submission may be unpopular, it may be a difficult word to say, but it is a concept that existed in a perfect world and is one that will endure for eternity.

Update: for more insight on this subject, keep watching for some great reads from Christine,who is now also writing over at Babble of the Sexes

Say what you will about West Virginia. (One of the highest obesity rates, biggest party school in the nation...not so much to brag about.) But the beauty is breathtaking, especially in the fall. I hope to get out once more during the week when the colors at the Gorge have peaked.

All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

Thinking about beauty this week. Wait for some fall pics from West Virginia. Meanwhile, check out this video over at Maple Mountain.
That guy over there is such a feminist. (in the best sense of the word)

I want to make these.

Frosted Pumpkin Drop Cookies. I love to make drop cookies. Is it because I am lazy? Perhaps. Also, I am impatient and thoroughly enjoy instant results. No rolling, no cookie cutters, no chilling of the dough. Yes, I can handle these.

Father, Long Before Creation

Father, long before creation
Thou hadst chosen us in love,
And that love so deep, so moving,
Draws us close to Christ above.
Still it keeps us, still it keeps us
Firmly fixed in Christ alone.

Though the world may change its fashion,
Yet our God is e'er the same;
His compassion and His covenant
Through all ages will remain.
God's own children,
God's own children
Must forever praise His name.

God's compassion is my story,
Is my boasting all the day;
Mercy free and never failing
Moves my will, directs my way.
God so loved us,
God so loved us
That His only Son He gave.

Loving Father now before Thee
We will ever praise Thy love,
And our songs will sound unceasing
'Til we reach our home above,
Giving glory,
giving glory
To our God and to the Lamb

Chinese Hymn, translated by Francis P. Jones

Good Reminder

"Investing" in your children.

Avocado Bread Salad

Here's a 'winner' from Shelly, once again. I'm trying to get her to enter the world of blogging. Until then, you can all be blessed by her, through me!
Sorry about the pictures. The light was fading in my kitchen as I was making this, so they got progressively worse.



Ingredients:
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
3 cups French bread cubes
1/3 cup mayo
2 tbs dijon mustard
1 tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp sugar
4-5 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped










Stir first 3 ingredients, plus 1/4 tsp salt. Add bread cubes. Arrange cubes in an even layer on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.






Stir together mayo, dijon mustard, lime juice and sugar and remaining salt until blended.
Add bread, tomato avocado and onion. Toss. Serve immediately.

"Constructing" a Birthday Party

We had a fun week, celebrating the coming of fall and J2's birthday. (Actually, my birthday, since I did all the work during labor, if we're going to be technical about the whole thing. My father-in-law always wishes me a happy birthday on my children's birthdays for that very reason. Thoughtful man.)

Anyway, since little boys are into construction, and mine is no exception, we had a construction site birthday party. It was so fun, complete with a toolbox craft, dump truck cake, tractor rides, and a Bob the Builder video. I find it easiest to keep birthday parties simple and straightforward. It's tempting to get caught up in a bunch of ideas, but pulling them all off can be tricky. So I have learned to stick to just a few simple activities and snacks to keep things running smoothly.

I collected cardboard egg cartons and spray painted them to make toolboxes.

I used duct tape, folded lengthwise and looped through the openings at the top, as the handle and let the kids decorate them with stickers and stamps. I filled them with a few goodies and some tools that I found inexpensively at the local Big Lots.



Here's a tip: make sure the tools you choose are small enough to fit in the egg cartons. Some of mine didn't fit and were a frustration to the children once they got home. Oops! Live and learn, right?

Another idea that I found on Family Fun was to fill the back of a dump truck with chunks of cake and serve them right out of the truck. That's exactly what we did and it was a big hit with the birthday boy, especially when it was emptied out and he could play with his new toy.


Boyhood, here we come!

I forgot about this!

Thanks to Tulipgirl for posting this again. I bookmarked this about a year ago and when our computer crashed it slipped out into nothingness. It's a children's booklist that I thought looked fantastic. My children are still young, so I am waiting a little longer to introduce some of my personal favorites. But there are some great stories on this list, even for little ones.

I was thinking about roles last evening. We were on our own for the church meeting (the kids and me) as Daddy had to work and bring home that bacon. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for taking my well-behaved children out to Wendy's and ordering a salad instead of a burger. I was really proud when we were on time for the meeting and still more pleased that the kids were content and quiet and I didn't really have to do any disciplining to speak of. Look at what I accomplished last night. I had both kids into pajamas, brushed up and then into beds within 20 minutes of arriving home, not to mention that they voluntarily picked up their toys in that same time span. I really have it together and I just want everyone to know that. So, thank you and good night.

WAIT! Don't go...what I really want to say is this: I think the reason I had such an easy time of it was because of the one person who wasn't there with us. Okay... still not coming out right.

I'm trying to appreciate my husband, here. I'm trying to say that because of his leadership on a daily basis, we can survive when we're going it alone. (For a while) He is involved, and I am so glad. How easy would it be for me to have this place running like a top if I always had my plans in action? Pretty darn. How boring would that be, though? And how debilitating for my husband, the man I put myself under in the sight of God. I was just thinking about what I missed out on. Sure, we were home and in bed at a decent hour, but I missed hearing my husband joke with the kids and talk about theology and life with the other men from our assembly after the meeting. I missed the relaxing ride home and all the thoughtful chatter that usually encompasses our jaunts to and from wherever. We all missed out on bedtime shenanigans that are a part of these kids' childhoods, all for the sake of my trying to be efficient. (Not that this is always a bad thing, in my own defense.)

It would be so easy, each day, to jump into a leadership role in order to keep things running properly--to bark out orders to the kids and expect my man to jump right in and help to execute said commands. Easy for me, maybe, but then my husband's job would be so much harder. How can a man lead when he is fighting for control? In his own home, no less! And, what kind of picture would that paint for my son? What kind of a wife would I be modeling to him? What kind of man would I be producing? A leader? Or a man who is afraid to be in charge for fear of doing it the wrong way? Or too lazy to lead because someone else is willing to do it?

What we have works, even though we are not always on time and the kids sometimes stay up later than I think they should. And I'm not by any means saying that I have it all together or that I have it all figured out. I'm saying that I have a great husband who is easy to submit to. He is usually really in tune to when I am feeling stressed about keeping things running smoothly and starts making things happen. He also lets me know when I should lighten up a little.

It can be a struggle sometimes, but I like my role and I really don't ever want to abuse it. I think also, though, that the deceiver wants women to struggle in these areas. He knows that we want control so he makes it so easy for us to give in to the temptation of taking over. I hope all of that makes sense. I feel like a lot of times I have a good thought, but it comes out distorted or just lacking in continuity somehow. Anyway, it made sense to me.

Any thoughts?

Clutter Shmutter

Being Challenged by Edith...


Some friends gave us this book when we had our son. I read it then, but maybe at the time I was just too distracted to give it a whole lot of thought. Anyway, I recently picked it up again, and I'm enjoying it even more this time. (So thanks to you again, Dave and Nancy, for the great gift) It's kind of like a refresher course--a reminder of what it is I'm supposed to be doing with and for these kids of mine. Also, I'm being reminded of the importance of being available to my children and inspired to look for teachable moments each day.

Heads up: this is a great gift idea. It drives home the reality that children are a blessing and challenges parents to pass on the Truth to their children. I looked this up on Amazon and it is only about $4 right now, so click on the picture link, scoop it up and pass it on.

"...The truth of the existence and character of God is to be made known to the children and the chilren's children. We are responsible to make known the wonder of who God is, what God has done, and what God has said and what He has meant to those doing the telling...

....In the relay of passing on truth to the next generation and interceding for the next generation, God alone would be able to trace exactly who dropped the stick, so to speak. Dropping the stick in these crucial relays has made a difference in history. The relay of truth and the relay of intercession are imperatives for your life and mine for present and future history."

--Edith Schaeffer, in 'A Celebration of Children'