Tag Archives: family

The Cowboy’s Davy Crockett Speech!

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Well, I think I figured it out!

Here’s the little video of his first place Davy Crockett speech from the American Heritage Dinner on Friday night. He stumbled a bit at the very end, but that was an awfully big stage with an awful lot of people watching him! {smile} I could see he was nervous and forgot his little hand gestures.

We’re so proud of both of them getting A’s on their first speeches, ever.

Oh, how I miss my parents right now. They would have been just bursting their buttons!

And I’d just like to mention that we thought the other students did a wonderful job as well. The whole program was wonderful. I hope the little Thomas Jefferson one grade up from the Cowboy is on someone’s video too and the senior class winner’s George Washington speech was ah-mazing.

Other than Speedracer eating waaaayyy too many candy-corns, it was a good night!

Top 10 Reasons to Attend Titus 2:1

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Last Spring I attended my first blogging conference. (Who knew there were such things, anyway?) I picked one close to home (actually, back in my “hometown” of Northern Virginia) and one that I saw lots of on-line friends chatting about. Titus 2:1 was about blogging and homeschooling–which was on my heart a lot the last year–so it seemed like a good fit. Little did I know how perfectly it would fit!

Here’s 10 reasons YOU should consider attending the Titus 2:1 Conference–from someone who went last year and already registered for this year!

1. It’s not just about homeschooling. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot about homeschooling. But it’s more about faith, about motherhood, about being intentional in your daily life.

2. It’s not just about blogging. There’s quite a bit about blogging, obviously. It is a blogging conference. But it’s more about balancing blogging with the rest of your life, whether that includes working, homeschooling, running marathons, or scrapbooking. It’s about making it all fit together.

3. It’s about learning. Since we don’t homeschool full-time, I thought I would feel out of place. (Everyone else there pretty much did homeschool.) But I left absolutely convinced that I am in control of our children’s learning environment at home, that learning can be fun, and shouldn’t stop just because they leave the school house.

4. It’s fun. Um…plungers and pickle buckets, that’s all I’m saying. Plungers and pickle buckets at 2 am.

5. It’s real. It’s a group of women who have faith, blogging, and family in common. We talked about everything–from financial problems to marital problems, to grief and depression.

6. It’s about connections. The 2:1 group did a great job of creating community before the event using Twitter and continuing it after the event using Twitter and Facebook. I still chat with 2:1 friends daily. (Well, almost daily. I’m not the best social media user!)

7. It’s small. They keep the size of the conference cozy, 200-300, I think. (That means tickets are limited, folks, go now!) Sponsors and speakers are amazingly accessible. Meals are wonderfully social. The Sunday morning worship time was heartfelt.

8. It’s about family and home. You won’t feel awkward talking about how much you miss your kids. You’re not the only one. There’s no endless rounds of husband-bashing (but if you’ve got something you really need to deal with, a Titus 2:1 women is just who you need!). You can also talk about doing laundry, using coupons, or crocheting patterns along with blogging and homeschooling.

9. It’s about blogging and homeschooling. Seem strange to bring that up after points 1-8? Well, I signed up because it was about blogging and homeschooling and I wasn’t disappointed there either. I came home with tons (I mean tons and tons!) of notes and ideas to sort through for blogging and home educating.  Our summer learning plan was a direct result of 2:1. So were some new blogging collaborations, like Family Connections and 5 Days of Back to School. 2:1 also introduced me to some new companies and wonderful new affiliate partnerships, like We Choose Virtues.

10. It’s all about HIM. Every speaker, every session, every keynote and sponsor, all pointed back to the goodness of the Lord. I left feeling that nothing in my life–nothing–was out of His reach. (Which was good, since we’ve had a rocky road this summer and fall!) And that everything in my life–everything–could be used as a platform for His good work.

So, will I see you there?

10 Books, Part 2…and that Giveaway, again!

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Yesterday I shared the first 5, in my list of 10, books that we’re smack in the middle of around here–including a couple completely new-to-us series that we’ve discovered recently.

I also shared a giveaway for Walking in High Cotton readers–Childhood of Famous Americans, Davy Crockett–Young Rifleman. You can enter at the bottom of this post–or the bottom of yesterday’s post–or every day by tweeting about it!

But on to the books on this Momma’s nightstand!

I actually cleaned it up, just for you! {grin}

6. Voice in the Wind, by Francine Rivers. Actually, I’m in Book 3: As Sure as the Dawn right now, but #1 is my favorite, and I pretty much read through the whole series at least once or twice a year. I’m on my 3rd copy of book 1 because I keep loaning it out and not getting it back and I always want to read it again. Besides just being an absolutely captivating historical fiction, these books about the trials and hardships faced by those first generation Christians really helps put any little challenges in my life in perspective. (And a book about a blonde, German, barbarian trying to put aside his anger and desire for violent revenge and follow Christ’s path of forgiveness and peace..wow, hits in the heart right now.)

7. The Power of a Positive Mom/Woman, by Karol Ladd. These books have a great message and are formatted for quick, easy reading. You can grab snippets from them without losing the message, or read the whole thing at once and feel rather chipper for days! {smile} This one stays permanently on my nightstand for days when I really start to feel defeated. I also have The Power of a Positive Wife, and recommend it as well.

Our nightstands are actually wrought-iron bar chairs. Mr. Fix-It cut the back off and welded it into the bottom where your feet hang to give me more space. I covered it with pretty fabric to give him some relief from the clutter.

8. Life Management for Busy Women and Beautiful in God’s Eyes, by Elizabeth George. These books stay on my nightstand permanently (and most of her other books are on our bookshelves as well!) and I read them several times a year–particularly when I start to feel overwhelmed or like a complete Proverbs 31 failure.

9. Right-Brianed Child in a Left-Brained World, by Freed and Parsons. My Ladybug struggles with school work. Not with school, she loves school, but with the school work. When “words” like ADD, ADHA, and Dyslexia started coming out I immediately searched out some books. (Well, after crying. A lot.) This book is less about ADD and more about simply understanding different learning styles and gave me a lot of hope and encouragement, as well as some strategies to try. I’m also using their footnotes and commentary to make a list of other books to work through. The choices are overwhelming!

Ok, I’m actually working on several more than 10 books right now.

10. Living at Nature’s Pace, by Gene Logsdon. Yes, this one is about farming. But more than that, it’s about simplicity, about seasonality, about a philosophy of peace and routine and not being swept up in every new fad that comes along. Another farming book that’s about more than farming is Joel Salatin’s Family Friendly Farming. I’ve wanted to read this one again, but I lent it out and haven’t gotten it back yet. Salatin’s book is more about a philosophy of family and community than about farming. It applies to any family business and includes some good, solid ideas on raising competent, confident kids.

I know it’s strange, but I actually like to read the same books often. If I enjoy them or get something out of them, I don’t mind re-reading them. Sometimes again and again!

What have you been reading lately? Do you have favorites you go back to, or do you prefer to read new material all the time?

And be sure to enter our GIVEAWAY from yesterday. You can enter the Rafflecopter below, or head to yesterday’s post to get details about the book!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Note: While this post does include affiliate links, this giveaway is being sponsored by The Lowe Farm, LLC and I received no products or compensation for this post. I happen to think these are great resources for families! For more information on affiliate links, please visit the Disclosure page.}

Living Water for His Sheep

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You know, sometimes words escape me. Sometimes there’s so many words around us that don’t matter that we never find the moment for words that do. Sometimes we fill the space with words so we don’t have to fill it with Truth. With the Word.

I have been angry. And hurting. Angry because I’ve been hurting. And the Lord has been insisting that I give that up to Him. And the truth is that I haven’t wanted to. I can’t see the end from the beginning. I can’t see into hearts and souls. And sometimes I find it hard to give things up to Him because it seems like He’s too soft on people. He lets them get away with things, behaviors, actions and just forgives, forgives, forgives.

{I know, I’m stacking sin on top of sin over here on my side!}

Then we were sitting at dinner and the Cowboy started telling us what he learned in school that day–the story of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction and how Lot’s wife looked back and turned to a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:1-29)

He asked why she looked back.

I said, “Well, because she didn’t trust the Lord. Because she didn’t listen to what He said. Because sometimes we can’t help but hanker back toward our sin and we find it hard to just walk away and not look back. Because sometimes we want things done our way and feel the need to check up on how the Lord is handling things to make sure it meets our expectations. That His fire and brimstone matches our definition of fire and brimstone. Because sometimes we’re just downright disobedient. We don’t want to do what God tells us–we want what we have, or what we think we’re gonna have. We like where we are. We’re comfortable and just fine and not interested in moving on just because He said GO. We don’t see anything wrong with where we are right now.”

Four pairs of bright blue eyes stared at me.

Stared at me.

Cowboy looked right at me and said, “The Bible doesn’t say that. My teacher said the Bible doesn’t tell us.”

Well, no, my precious child, the Bible doesn’t have those words right there. Not on that page. But the Bible is not just one page–it’s all the words from the beginning and the middle and the end. The end from the beginning. The beginning knowing the end. I’ve read all the words. I know.

And I know better.

I know better than to put my Bible down and not open it because I’m angry.

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

I know better than to forget that the Holy Spirit is part of the living God and part of myself as a child of God, and will lead me into wisdom (sometimes kicking and screaming) with conviction.

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

And I know better than to doubt the plan and perfect timing of the Lord.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose…What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:28 and 8:31)

Do you need a little time back in the Word? A little time in the prayer closet?

Take it!

The world is a whole different place when you step back and let God lead!

“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” (John 12:26)

 

School This Fall…

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Well, I’m gathering the paperwork and scheduling the doctor’s appointments…

We’re in the middle of registering the kids for school in the fall. You may remember that our school closed in May and we’ve been wrestling with this question of what to do next year for several months now.

We found a small Christian school across the river that teaches with a biblical worldview that is compatible with what we believe and want our children to learn and we’ve determined that it’s the best choice for our family for the 2013-14 school year. As good of a school as we’re blessed to have found, this was not my first choice.

My heart is hurting because I told God what I wanted, I prayed unceasingly, directly, and I thought unselfishly, and He didn’t give me my request. He didn’t grant my petition.

I told Him what I thought would be best–what made the most sense to me–and it’s not working out that way. It’s not working out my way.

And it’s been hard to swallow. Hard to submit to. Hard to understand, to accept.

Hard to write about. {smile}

And all the while…all the time down on my knees {or driving to work…pretending to read on the back porch…folding laundry….} God has been telling me that this is not just about choosing a path, choosing an action–it’s about choosing an attitude.

Do I choose an attitude of faith? Of joyful submission?

Or do I choose to rebel in my heart? To feel defeated rather than blessed? To walk my own path rather than let Him be my lamp and my guide?

Will I trust in Him and wait patiently upon the Lord, leaning not on my own understanding?

I wish I could say that I’ve got it all figured out, all settled, and I chose JOY, and we’re happily out buying glue sticks and notebook paper as you read this.

But that wouldn’t be true.

What is true is that I’m accepting it. I’m trying to see the possibilities rather than the challenges. I’m trying to not be all or nothing about this, just let it be what it is this year and see where it leads us. Give it all time and see what opportunities come–what other doors open as we head down this path.

What else is true is that I prayed about this. I prayed and prayed, and God was not silent. He told me plainly that submitting to this path is what He wanted from me. He told me that I was to submit and obey like Sarah, in faith, and not with fear and amazement (1 Peter 3:6). The question is not “What do I do?” The question is “Am I going to do what I’m called to do?”

{Sigh} It’s a hard row to hoe. And sometimes it’s a lonely, quiet, place to be.

But I’m working on it.

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.Do all things without murmurings and disputings:That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” (Phillippians 2:12-16)