my Sam....and thought of spring

Samuel

My daughter Hannah took this picture of my Samuel.  I love, love, love it.  I'm hoping to have it blown up and put on a canvas type frame.  Sigh.  She's got many more pictures on her photography blog 2010 in 2010 and this picture she entered in a contest.  She wrote about it on her blog Aspire.

I love spring.  Well, mostly.  If it wasn't for my terrible allergies I could safely state that spring would be my favorite season.  Despite those pesky allergies, there is something rewarding about seeing green growth come from what seemed to be dead earth.   It amazes me how this plant, buried under piles of snow, sitting in freezing temperatures unthaws to come alive again.  I never grow tired of wandering around my perennial gardens looking for signs of life.  And today?  Oh my, oh my, my beautiful crocuses emerged.  Some years these hardy flowers peek through remnants of snow.  This morning I wandered over to be greeted by this:

new life

What an amazing God we serve.  We were dead in sin without Him. His sacrifice, His giving of His life allows us to emerge...beautiful.  It's so easy to forget the power of the Lord at work in our hearts and lives.  We tend to get so busy with the world's concerns that our hearts slow die.to the beauty of Christ in our lives.  We plod around our day, trudging from menial task to task and losing sight of the big picture.

He's alive!  Without Him we would be no better than dead earth.  But with Him we are free to grow, to love, to live.  And to find joy.

Spring is about reminders of new life.  Everywhere I look green and color are returning.  It's a beautiful reminder of how our lives parallel the seasons.  I've had those times of winter.  Times when everything is bleak, and hard, and where the everyday seems enormous.  And I've had those times of fall.  Times when I need to reign in activities, to refocus, and remember.  Or summer.  Times that are carefree, full of family, and moments of rest.  But spring?  Ahhhh, spring.  Springtime is a new start.  New energy for life.

The most surprising moment of my daily "check out my gardens" walk is a post of chives given to me by my father last year.  He gave them to me late in the summer.  By that time I was quite tired, being seven months pregnant, and I never got around to planting them in my garden.  So I left them sitting in the planting pot.  Untouched.  The summer came and went.  Fall, then winter.  And now spring.  I looked at them a couple of days ago thinking that I might as well just dump the dirt into my garden.  I thought they were dead.  And then today....on my walk...alive.

chives

No matter how dead we think we are in our walks there's always hope.  Hope in Him.  Jesus can take us, no matter where we are, and breathe new life. So take a little "check out the garden walk" today and be reminded of the beauty of spring in our own hearts.  Alleluia to Him!!

Sophie Gradon very hot in Bikini

Name: Sophie Gradon
Age: 23
Title: Miss Great Britain 2009
Height: 5’7”
Dress Size: 8 UK
Measurements: 32-25-33 (82-64-84 cm), according to Tyne Teese Models.
Spicy Bikini Pictures of the hotel hottie Sophie Gradon. Check out these spicy bikini pictures of the hotel hottie Sophie Gradon who had been crowned Miss Great Britain 2009

Check out hottest photos of Sophie Gradon in Bikini:

Photos collection

what I REALLY did...

Ahhh...to be humbled. If you read my previous post, why I NEED a spring break, you will find these plans for my day and week.  Ideas that, on paper, did NOT get followed today.  I did NO reading.  I didn't play with chalk.  I played the piano, but ooooh, too fast.  Moonlight Sonata is meant to be savored and I rushed through it, impatient, and knowing I needed to make lunch.  I didn't look at those flowers.  Well, I did...but only to pick up the petals that had fallen.  That laundry pile?  Still there.  Same height.  Same arrangement.  Blink is scattered on the kitchen floor, blown around from the constant gust of wind caused from the sliding door being opened numerous times each hour. And not on the schedule?  The arrival of our caterpillars.

What did I do?  Well, some ain't stuff.  I DID cut back the perennials from last year.  I could see the green of new growth poking through so I took my gardening sheers and did away with last years remnants.  I DID clean out the window well.  (I'm sure my daughters will thank me.  Right Hannah ?)   And I DID help Hannah work on her graphic design blog.  And I tried, one more time to introduce Samuel to some solid food.  Not too  successful. And I DID sit with all of my younger kids and read about the caterpillar.  Did you know it has 10,000 eyes?  Unbelievable.  And we DID talk about how we need to keep the caterpillars away from our, oh shall we say curious, two year old.  :)

But more than that?  I was there for my kids.  At least I tried to be.  Samuel was sooooo fussy today.  He wanted to be held.  Constantly.  At first I was so irritated.  Didn't he know about my to-do list?  My spring break list?  But, as the day wore on, it became clearer and clearer that he was my to-do list today.  He needed me.  Not me who was racing from thing to thing.  But me...the mom who could sit in the rocking chair and snuggle him.  The mom who didn't worry about the laundry (although I will attempt to tackle it tonight...again).  He needed his to-do list taken care of, not mine.

So I thought I'd post about it.   And in the same spirit of my post from earlier, I'm going to offer you some pictures.  Real pictures of today.

My REAL day

Samuel...earlier.

perennial bed...cleaned up

yard remnants

caterpillars

cereal attempt

...Hannah working

Samuel, finally asleep

Why I NEED a spring break

my to do list

hee hee hee...what a title! 

But, it's true.  I NEED  a spring break.  I need time off.  To rest, to slow down and to get caught up.  As a homeschooling mom of seven my days are, shall we say, mildly crazy.  Actually, mild is too mild of a word.  They are simply busy, crazy, fun, stressful, joyful, sad, happy, and abundant.  All wrapped together.  And I am busy from the moment I wake up to the moment my head hits the pillow.  Interspersed are moments of calmness and joy, but mostly it's busy.  And work.

Work is good.  We tend to stick our noses up at work.  So often I hear, once they find out the size of my family, "how can you handle it all?"  Truth is...I work.  And I've learned to find and relish the moments of joy within the work.  In the process, the Lord has taught me that work, specifically work done for His glory, produces joy.  So I work...and enjoy it...and am grateful for it.

So why the need for spring break?  Well, I have many reasons.  First, I simply need the rest, the break from routine.  Our Father rested when he created the world.  He wrote a commandment about rest.  I need the rest.  My children need the rest.  Often I find that after this time they are more eager to return to the daily work...as am I.  Plus, it's like a spring cleaning of my mind.  And when I think clearer, our home functions better.  When I break the routine I begin to see life differently.  I can view what's working and what needs help.   I'm able to sit with each of my kids and truly listen, learn and discover what the need now and where their heart is.  When life is all about moving forward it's easy to miss the beauty in the everyday.  Spring break, while still having work, is a stop in the daily routine.  And in that stop I'm allowed time to look over the plan, the goals, and to rest.  To pray and listen.  To dig deep in His Word.

So, in that spirit, I've added some photos depicting some of the things I'll be doing this week.

Taking a break lets me catch up on all those things I "ain't" doing when I'm teaching.  Think washing the baseboards, or cleaning out the hosta plants, or switching the season clothes.  Those tasks.

ain't stuff

 to try to catch up on laundry.  (I can't believe I just posted this photo)

laundry

..to start a game at 10:20...

games

to look at beauty...

beauty

to play the piano...slowly...

piano

to read a book...or two...

books

To enjoy spring...

chalk

and to love...

family...love them

Maybe we don't all need a week off, but we do need time away from the daily grind.  I know I do. :)  Will I do this next week?   Yep. The laundry will be there, the piano available, etc...I'll just have new energy, new joy, for doing it. 

So this week is going to be a different pace.  Still work...yet restful.

Angelina Jolie Wants To Be "Maleficent"?

Disney is putting a lot of energy into making Maleficent happen. They've brought Linda Woolverton on to write the script, and Tim Burton is still reportedly dancing around the project. Now a rumor has surfaced that none other than Angelina Jolie is showing interest in the project.
According to The LA Times, Jolie has been interested in Maleficent since last spring, but in the last few weeks

Vietnam wins two prizes at Miss ASEAN Television Charm

Jonavi Raisa Quiray of the Philippines won the ASEAN Television Charm contest for television hostesses on the night of March night in HCM City.

Second place was taken by Miss Bali 2009, Data Sili Pertiwi of Indonesia, while Vietnamese cai luong (reformed opera) actress, Que Tran, came in third.

Sixteen women including editors, MCs, reporters and performers working for TV stations in Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam competed in the contest that opened on March 17.

The competitors had to perform in traditional ao dai (Vietnamese long dress) and western-style evening gowns during the second and last shows. They also took part in a talent competition during the contest.

The event, organised by HCM Television and the Cat Tien Sa Company, aimed to help female media professionals in Southeast Asia meet and exchange experiences and promote understanding among ASEAN countries.

Vietnam’s Que Tran won “The People’s Choice” title and was second runner-up.

Que Tran in ao dai and night gown.

The first prize went to Jonavi Raisa B.Quiray from the Philippines. She also won the “Best in Ao dai” award.

Indonesia’s Data Sili Pertiwi ranked second.

The three top contestants: Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The Miss ASEAN Television Charm pageant closed on the evening of March 22 in HCM City. (photo: Indonesia and Vietnam's representatives).

The first prize winner in night gown.

A Cambodian contestant won the “Best in Traditional Costume” award.

A Lao contestant announcer the “Lifestyle” title.

Contestants competed in four competitions: traditional outfit, talent, ao dai and evening gown.

Source: http://english.vietnamnet.vn

Lady Fernanda Mina crowned Miss Ecuador 2010

Lady Fernanda Mina ,Miss Ecuador 2010

Lady Fernanda Mina to represent Ecuador at the Miss Universe 2010At the Miss Ecuador 2010 Grand Final held at the Centro de Convenciones y Exposiciones (CEMEXPO) in Quito on March 25th, Lady Fernanda Mina, has been crowned the Miss Ecuador 2010.Lady Fernanda Mina is 23 year old and stands 1.70 m tall. Currently, she is a student of communications from Guayas. Lady will represent Ecuador at the Miss Universe 2010 pageant to be held later in the year.

Lady Fernanda Mina crowned Miss Ecuador 2010

Besides, other beauty queens have been chosen to represent the country at international beauty pageants:
Ana Galarza, a 20-year old model from Tungurahua, was crowned Miss Ecuador Mundo. The 1.73 m beauty is currently a student of psychology and will be working in charity projects as she prepares to compete in the Miss World 2010 contest in November.

Miss Ecuador Mundo 2010 Ana Mercedes Galarza Añazco

Big favorite Andrea Suarez from Loja won the title of Miss Ecuador International. The 1.80 m stunner holds a degree in journalism and will represent Ecuador at the Miss International 2010 pageant in Shanghai, China, in October.

Miss Ecuador International 2010 Andrea Ivonne Suárez Melgar

Completing the finalists were Lissette Cedeño and Nadia Manosalvas. 15 beautiful ladies competed in the annual event. Lady Mina will also represent the country at the Miss Continente Americano and Reina Hispanoamericana competitions later in the year.

Miss Ecuador 2010 Highlight

Credit: Global Beauties.

a post from the past....with an analogy...and peanut butter.

I've decided to repost a blog entry of mine from last year.  I wrote this over at homeschoolblogger.  I think I'm going to periodically pull a post from then and repost it here.  I thought this one would be perfect...especially since I already admitted that I love to look for analogies in everyday life.

Anyways, ever since I've written this post about peanut butter and bread I tend to pause as I make sandwiches for my kids.  I still put the peanut butter on first...but not without thought and wondering.  And that wondering, well, it's good.

Enjoy my blast from the past!

How come you always put the peanut butter on first?

WHAT? How come I put the peanut butter on first?  This morning, as I was making my five year old, Brennan, a sandwich, he looked up at me and asked me about the peanut butter.  As I stood there with a knife ladened with peanut butter, I froze at his question.  I didn't know what to say.  And more than that, I had never thought about why I put the peanut butter on before the jelly.  I've just always done it that way. So I told him that I didn't know and that's the way I always do it.  And he told me, "maybe you could try to do the jelly first sometime?"  Again...I was stunned.  Do the jelly first?  How does that work? And then I got to thinking about blogging and how this little interaction was worthy of a blog post.  You see, putting the peanut butter on first is a habit.  Not only is it a habit, but it is one that I don't ever think about why I do it.  Certainly in the scheme of life it's a little thing, but my innocent five year old's comments allowed me to ponder choices and responses. Think about this: there are good habits and habits that need to be re-examined.  A good habit would be daily waking up and giving over the day and anxieties to our Lord.  A bad habit, for me, would be sitting down at the computer in the morning and frittering away time, and then starting late and allowing my own lack of time management set the tone for the day.  In that instance, I need to re-evaluate why that pattern is one that I follow. Patterns and ruts in our minds are sometimes difficult to identify.  The first step is recognizing that they are there...similar to the analogy of chipping away at the snow in my previous post hard, hard work .  The patterns and responses are all there imbedded in who we are as individuals.  A response that I'd love to change in myself is instantly feeling irritation when my kids fight.  (I know, I know there goes the illusion that my family is perfect...:) ) Anyways, I will hear yelling or annoyance or "MOM" from them and I instantly can feel the hairs on the back of my neck raise.  So I started to examine this response.  After all, it is an emotion to a situation, it isn't me as a whole, it's just an emotional response to the stimuli of fighting.  The first thing I discovered is quite humbling.  I am annoyed because part of me doesn't want to be bothered at that moment.  I don't want to have to get up from the computer or reading or cooking or etc.. (which I've had to many times throughout this post), I don't want to have to deal with consequences, I simply want to keep my time to myself.  The second response, after the initial annoyance, is that I am tired of dealing with the fighting.  But, still, it surprises me that my first line of reasoning was, in fact, a bit selfish.  I am the mother.  Yes, they should work on getting along and patience, but I am also the one that should be there guiding them, leading them. So, now what?  I've identified the response, but how do I change it?  Well, after prayer and thought, I've realized that I need to work on creating a new response to this situation.  And that involves work.  It's not easy to change a habit, especially one that is ingrained into who we are as a person.  I decided to come up with a strategy for my response to fighting.  First, when I hear the arguing, if I feel irritation creeping in I take that and give it to Jesus.  I'll take the annoyance and ask Him to replace it with gratitude, wisdom and patience.  Gratitude?  Yes...thankfulness that He placed me as their mother.  I need wisdom.  That will remind me to get up and deal with the situation.  And finally, patience in spirit for me...so that when I am handling the scenario I can have a heart that is understanding and loving.  I also decided to have a conversation with my children.  If they are going to expend time arguing, then there will be a consequence.  Typically it involves extra chores.  I also discussed that they need to give me time to respond.  Yelling MOM over and over will not make me move faster.  For those that can count, they need to give me to the count of ten to respond.  Am I perfect?  Absolutely not.  Even in the course of writing this I've had to battle this pattern.  But now, I am aware that this is an old responces, and now I have implemented ways to counteract reacting this way.  It's so easy to go through life on auto-pilot.  We dash here and there, we shout out answers, we are busy.  My encouragement for you is to look at your life and to identify patterns of your own.  Do you have any "peanut butter on first" responses?  The Lord is good, He will help you discover them.  And more than that, with Him you can develop a new pattern.  And maybe, it involves putting the jelly on first.  "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." Galatians 5:16

it never ends

Sweeping

It never ends.

The second I finish, it needs to be done.  Again.

Dust.  Playdough.  Crumbs.  Sugar. Flour. Cut paper. Sand.  Dirt. Shredded cheese.  It just doesn't end.

That's my day.  I sweep before breakfast.  I sweep after breakfast.  Twice.  I sweep mid-morning after playdough.  I sweep before lunch...the boys tracked in mud.  I sweep after lunch.  And then in the afternoon, at least twice.  After dinner.  And before bed.  And in case you're wondering why I sweep in the morning, after all what happens between the last sweep and the first, it's because I have the morning light and can see what I missed.  That, by the way, is a great deal of sweeping.

And today, I found myself grumbling about sweeping.  I couldn't believe I was having to sweep again.  As I bent down to brush the crumbs into my dustpan I found myself profoundly grateful for sweeping.  It was so strange....thankful for this task?  And yet, I was.

the trusty dustpan

It hit me that our lives parallel sweeping.  How many times do we need to brush ourselves off?  To try again?  Or, even deeper, to keep our focus right.  Throughout my day it's easy to become sidetracked with thoughts of things to do, things left undone, needs, wants, and routine.  The enormity of the everyday, at least mine sometimes, can overwhelm.  In that overwhelmed state it leaves a residue...thoughts of discouragement, or decreased optimism, or failure...in it's place.  And that's where sweeping needs to take place. Not just in the morning, or at lunch, or at night.  But throughout the DAY.

I know that when my floor at home starts to get messy I begin to get, well let's say, a bit anxiety ridden.  (Hannah...keep your comments nice.)  Well, it's the same way with our minds.  When we allow clutter of this world to mar the truth of the Word then our thoughts have a more challenging time in discerning truth.  Bits of the world's lies are obscuring the true picture.  Here's the final catch...if we don't work to remove the falacies they'll build up.  Just like the playdough, and mud, and food stuff that gathers on my kitchen floor.  So we need to sweep...our minds.

I think analogies are fascinating.  For me, analogies help me to discover deeper truth about life.  I once blogged about puzzle pieces...and why I clung to old ones.  Or why I put peanut butter on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich first.  And in that post I linked that to habits that we let go unchallenged because they just seemed normal.  I'm thinking I might repost some of those musings.  And keep looking for more.

So the next time you sweep that kitchen floor of yours....pause....and think about what lies you need to throw away and truths you need to uncover.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about those things.  Phillipians 4:8

messes, eyes, & caterpillars

What's that mess?

Brennan was up to his typical creative ventures today.  The weather is warm, the sun is out, and the messes have begun. Dirty jeans. Mud-caked hands. Stained elbows.  But are they really messes?  Have my own ideas of neatness and order overtaken creativity?  To me, I see a deck board with spilled bubbles, sand from the sand box, and rocks littered everywhere.  But to Brennan, it's a magical mixture designed to keep animals away from my garden.  Well, that's what he told me....and he called it his "Super Stinky Garden Protector Goop."  And, to think, I almost labeled it a mess.

creating the garden formula

It's so easy to get caught in the work that we lose the beauty.  I could have allowed frustration to take over and then scolded Brennan for his "mess".  This year I've been praying about seeing the beauty in life.  In the everyday.  Joy isn't reserved just for those big moments of life.  It's in the everyday.  The teeny moments of life.  Sometimes I just need a little reminder to remember.

I've got this cold right now, and it's settled in my eyes.  I know.  Ultimate in gross.  And yet, I'm thankful.  It's given me the freedom to slow down.  To sit on the couch, to watch my children, to enjoy.  If I felt great I'd probably be living quickly, with an agenda to finish.  But, in this time when my body needs rest, I've found some joy.  Although...lol...I will admit that I'm praying to feel better soon! See those eyes below? That's what I want again.  Right now I look like I've had no sleep for weeks!

lovely eyes

Ah, spring, how I love it.  New....so in honor of spring, I'll leave you with one of my favorite poems.  As a homeschooling mom of seven I certainly can tell you that we've memorized it, chanted it, and acted it out countless times.  Enjoy!!

So take a lesson from the caterpillar.  After he takes his walk he rests.  And after that rest, that metamorphosis, he's a beautiful butterfly. Butterfly?  or caterpillar?  You decide...I know I'm going for the latter.

Thanks, Hannah for making my poem look awesome. 

One last thing...here's what Chloe drew on our sliding door today.