Happy Halloween!

The kids enjoyed carving pumpkins today. I tried to make it a little lesson about the Gospel. The pumpkins representing our hearts and all the gook inside is our sins. Jesus takes all the gook out to make our hearts clean when we repent & trust in Him as our Savior. Have a great weekend!

Come back next week for some pictures of Batman, the Angel, and the Enchantress. Happy Trick-or-Treating!!

TinkerBell!!!

We have waited and waited and it finally came out...the TinkerBell movie on DVD. About 3 years ago the girls were introduced to TinkerBell and all the Disney Fairies and fell in love with them. Rani was Madison's favorite, then Silvermist, but Adrienne has always been a true TinkerBell fan. At first there was talk about TinkerBell being on the big screen but that didn't happen, then there was a delay, and after waiting over a year we finally had the chance to buy it at KMart & watch it. The kids loved every minute...(ok the girls a little more than Matthew). We'll be watching it again tonight.

Oh...and I almost forgot...GO PHILLIES!!!

ANTS!!!

This is what I love about homeschooling. At the breakfast table this morning I read the story of "The Ants and the Grasshopper" in the book, The Aesop for Children. You know the story. The grasshopper asks the ants for food since he has not stored up any for the winter and is hungry. The ants ask him why he hasn't any food to which the grasshopper replies, "I didn't have time to store up any food...I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone." Boy could I relate!!! Shortly after the story the kids asked if I could make them look like ants. 3 headbands, some paper, tape & voila! As I type the kids... or ants, are building their anthill in the TV room....(hopefully they won't begin seeking out sugary things).

Phone Call

I got a call today from the Obama campaign asking me who I am voting for. It was a good call because it helped me to state in my own words why I am voting for John McCain. I told the woman how I was torn. I really like Obama. I like that he is young and passionate. I like that he has a young family like me and holds family as important to him. He is intelligent and articulate and can energize people easily. This said however, I cannot in good conscience vote for someone so radical in his abortion views. As a Christian I believe all have a right to life, even the unborn, the unwanted, the unloved. Does this make me a one-issue voter, maybe I guess. The woman was not happy with my response and said that Obama was Pro-life as well, but supported choice. I told her you cannot be both, thanked her for the call and said good-bye. If you're feeling torn on this issue as well...here's a blog about faith & politics that had some interesting comments on it...check it out, but be warned, there is an abortion photo on the page that is hard to see. Also, here are 2 videos of the woman who survived an abortion. She has a powerful testimony to say the least!

ARISE!

With the addition and moving all the kids around I have been painting alot lately. Now since the upstairs is done I'm realizing the downstairs could really use a fresh coat of paint, so I'll be painting the trim & doors downstairs this week. I wanted to share a song I love to hear. While painting Matthew's room last month I had this song blasting & I was praising God and painting never seemed so enjoyable before. Here's the song called Arise by Don Moen....enjoy!


Don Moen - Arise - Christian Music Video via Noolmusic.com

Apple Pickin'

On Wednesday we went to Linvilla Orchards to go apple picking and to get our pumpkins. We had a great time eating...I mean picking apples. We brought home too many apples, 4 little pumpkins and a bunch of mini pumpkins (I just love those) to decorate the house. We could not leave without bringing home an Apple caramel walnut pie...mmmm. It goes really well with caramel cheesecake ice cream!! Enjoy the pics & have a great weekend!

PS...Keep on the lookout for the Hip-Hop van! Bill's back doing appearances and feeling great. No one can believe he is able to do what he's doing. He has been running on the treadmill. I'll have to show an updated knee photo next week.

Radical Womanhood

Happy Monday!

One of the blogs I like to visit is written by a single Christian gal named Carolyn McCulley. She wrote a book that will be out soon about feminism...it's positive influence on our culture and also it's negative influence. Here is a short video describing the book's content. It's good because it gives a little history of the women's movement through the years. Click on Carolyn's name to see her blog and on the video link above to view the video...check it out.

My Chair

So I just had to post a picture of my chair in our bathroom. Here's the story behind it. As most of you know, Bill LOVES to take baths. He has been in our new tub almost every night. One night I walked in and all I saw were bubbles and his face peeking out...too funny! Well there's something about a bath...I guess the warmth, comfort & vulnerability of it, that causes Bill to want to talk. We have had some of our best talks while Bill was in the tub. The problem with this is, I have had to attempt to find a place to sit while we talk...on the hard toilet seat cover or the hard floor...not very comfortable for me. But you see I didn't really mind...because we were talking. Most of these conversations are about our faith, our sins & struggles. Confessions, asking forgiveness or just sharing hurts that the other might have caused are frequent topics. This is good stuff...stuff that can easily be forgotten in the busyness of our day...but imperative for our marriage to be healthy & strong.

So ever since they started digging the foundation for our addition I have been on a hunt for the perfect little chair...my chair. I would find one, call Bill and he would say..."Be patient...keep looking around." Well as hard as it was, I was patient & last weekend while staying at Bill's parent's home in NY, I saw in the garage a little chair...beaten up, in need of a little love...but the perfect size & shape. My father-in-law was happy to give it away and we loaded it in the car. With a couple coats of white paint and a new seat...it is finished. I still would like to add a few little fun details on it, but I love it. I look forward to many more great talks with Bill...and this time I'll be comfy in my chair. Happy weekend!!

Encouraging Words

I wrote this earlier in the summer & my church posted it on their blog yesterday so I thought I would share it...Happy Thursday!

Our driveway is very steep and so are the surrounding sidewalks in our neighborhood, so we always have to travel somewhere to let the kids enjoy bike riding. Madison just learned to ride without training wheels. Adrienne and Matthew each have cute little bikes all their own. The other day we had the kids riding in the parking lot of our local elementary school. My son rode by me looking up as if to say “Look at me!” so I said, “Look at you Matthew! You are such a big boy riding so well on your bike!” He grinned this big grin and rode away faster with his head and shoulders tall.Isn’t this what the grace of encouragement does to all of us? It gives us that little spark of strength and determination to pedal away strong and fast. I wish I could say I am always encouraging my children. But at times it seems easier to give them lists of things they are doing wrong on top of lists of things they need to do better. “Don’t be so loud”, “Stop running”, “Be patient,” and my all-time favorite, “SIT STILL!!!”I am so glad that God has gently convicted me when I fall into these habits. By his grace I am able to stop and think, “Boy I have really been negative towards the kids. I’m not sure I can remember the last encouragement I gave to them.” My eyes are opened and I see they aren’t pedaling quite as strong and fast as I know they can. What’s missing may have more to do with my words than their efforts. Last year Bill came up with a great idea. Before the kids go to bed at night we take time to think of at least one area where they did well during the day and exhibited godly character. The kids LOVE this time of encouragement and I believe it honors God. Let’s make sure we are giving many words of encouragement for each word of correction and let gracious words be “like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” (Proverbs 16:24)

Two Become One

This Saturday our family had the privilege to witness the wedding of good friends Lloyd & Amy. The wedding took place at Trophy Point...a beautiful hillside on West Point's campus.
Everything about it was beautiful. It was obvious to many that God was present with them as they said their sweet vows to one another...you could just sense His presence...It was amazing!

Bill was an usher in the wedding & was very handsome in his tux. The kids had a blast on the dance floor...it was fun just watching them. They followed Amy around hoping to get to hold hands with a real princess...she happily obliged and spun them on the dance floor. They are headed to Peurto Rico today & we pray they have a blessed trip and an amazing life together. Thanks for including us in your special day Lloyd & Amy! We love you!

Broken

I was listening to a Steven Curtis Chapman CD with Bill on our ride home this weekend and a song reminded me about how we are all in need to be fixed...cause we are all broken...all of us...me, my husband, my kids, my friends, and our leaders in charge of this country. With all the mess in Congress, our 401K losing money and our country so divided it is obvious that we cannot place our trust in man...not in Senators, political party leaders or even our President & soon-to-be President...because we are all flawed. Some are more obviously flawed than others. And if your like me, pride can often cause me to believe I'm a much better person than "they" are. But the reality is just not so. I can be jealous of what others have & I do not. I can get angry at someone for doing something to me that I did to someone else a week ago. I yell at my kids saying, "STOP YELLING!" What I am saying is that all of us, no matter how good we may look on the outside, are failures, mess-ups, weak, and in desperate need of help. So if I may get a little political for a moment...if our country needs "change"...real change...we should not look to man or a man, but we should humble our own selves, get on our knees, admit our weaknesses, ask for forgiveness and for faith. Because change happens when a mom is unselfish and sacrifices for her children, when a dad makes a choice to "be there" and invests in the lives of his children, when we teach our kids that this world is not all about them but God & His purposes and when we teach our kids to love others and serve others. Looking at the state of our world could cause me to fear...BUT Jeremiah 17:7-8 says..."Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."

I'm going to trust God with our finances and with this world that my kids will grow up in, and in the mean time, change. With God's help I hope to consider others better than myself more often, have more patience with my kids, be more humble and admit when I am wrong & ask for forgiveness (oooh...this one's the hardest for me). Happy Wednesday and have a great weekend! We'll be traveling to West Point, NY tomorrow for the wedding of our good friend Lloyd and Amy...I hope to have some pictures next week.