“I Love My Dad” Photo Contest ENDS Thursday!

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ave you entered the Father’s Day photo contest yet?  It ENDS TOMORROW! There are TWENTY-SIX wonderful entries so far.  It’s not too late for yours! On Friday or Monday (time depending) I will have a blog post of links to all the submissions and sometime next week the winner of the scrapbooking prize of over $100 will be announced.  Details here along with links to the entries so far.

In Other Words: Just a glimpse of heaven

"Lower your expectations of earth. This isn’t heaven, so don’t expect it to be."
~ Max Lucado ~

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very where we turn, there is there is pain – from the headlines in the newspaper of yet another death in Iraq, more job layoffs, murders, drug deals gone wrong, and things uncomprehensible that our children have to face such as another 16 year old boy dying from the choking game, as our son did.  We get glimpses of heaven, with new life and a baby’s first smile, spring blooms and autumn’s full rainbow of colors, and music swelling our souls to lift praise up to heaven, but it certainly is not heaven on earth.  We cannot even fathom heaven here despite God’s pouring out His handiwork and His unending care and love towards us.  Imagine going through a day with no conflict, no tears, no turning on a TV let alone the news that it bears on earth each day, no skinned knees or tangled hair, no long sighs of missing a loved one, no more rejections. 

A special song to our family was Matthew’s favorite song, and a few lines of it imprinted on his gravestone, from "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe – "surrounded by God’s glory, forever praising Him".  It won’t end.  We won’t tire of Him, of heaven, of praising Him.  How long will it take for us to get off our knees when first seeing Jesus?  What awe will we see!  Can you imagine the gardens and fruit trees – and no worry of bugs and insects destroying them?  I wonder how much more intense the smell of roses will be.  My jewelry gives me a tiny glimpse beauty of the of heaven – the gates of heaven made of one great pearl, the cities and streets of gold, and walls made of precious stones and jewels (Rev.21:18-21). Imagine no sin, no sinning – no temptations of sin.  No seeing sinful things.  We will be holy and blameless. I can’t have a day of that on earth!

In the meantime, as we travel life’s journey, with only a glimpse of heaven -

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21

This week’s In "Other" Words is hosted by
Iris at Sting My Heart.
Be sure to visit her site to read other
women’s interpretations of this quote.

Birthdays & Remembering

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his weekend was two of our children’s birthdays.  Yesterday, one of our younger girls turned six and had a fun-filled day with our normal church activities interwoven with presents, a little kid’s party including "pin the tale on the lion", and a yummy raspberry chocolate cake she chose from a cookbook.  Today, Memorial Day, is Matthew’s 19th birthday, and instead of gifts, it was flowers planted at the cemetary by his gravestone. We miss him . . . yet, we treasure the sixteen years and a scrapbook packed full of precious memories.  I also believe God planned these two birthdays close, so we remember life, and have a reason to continue to celebrate. 

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Birthdays & Remembering

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his weekend was two of our children’s birthdays.  Yesterday, one of our younger girls turned six and had a fun-filled day with our normal church activities interwoven with presents, a little kid’s party including "pin the tale on the lion", and a yummy raspberry chocolate cake she chose from a cookbook.  Today, Memorial Day, is Matthew’s 19th birthday, and instead of gifts, it was flowers planted at the cemetary by his gravestone. We miss him . . . yet, we treasure the sixteen years and a scrapbook packed full of precious memories.  I also believe God planned these two birthdays close, so we remember life, and have a reason to continue to celebrate. 

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

PHOTO HUNTERS: COLORFUL

~ ~ ~ ~Theme: COLORFUL | Become a Photo Hunter | View Blogroll

HANGING OUR COLORFUL LAUNDRY!

Guest Article: On Writing

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t is an honor to introduce you to Miss Mandy, a graduated homeschooled girl who is "striving to be a Titus 2 daughter, and doing accelerated distance learning."  She has gracefully allowed me to share this article from her blog, Where Righteousness and Mercy Kiss.  Thank you Mandy.  I am sure this will be an encouragement to both parents and their homeschooled children.

My all-time favorite book on writing in my collection is Turn Not Pale Beloved Snail by Jacqueline Jackson. One day long ago, I happened upon it in the small writing section of the library which I perused quite frequently. In this book’s introduction, Mrs. Jackson says she has written it for any age, whether kid or adult. The suggestions and ideas she gives can be applied to anyone’s writing. If I was to sum up the central theme, I would say it encourages writers to use all five senses to experience the world and draw from those experiences to write.

After reading this book several times when I was around twelve or thirteen, I actually found Mrs. Jackson’s email address and sent her a message. She was (and still is) teaching at the Universityof Illinois, using her book in her writing class. Over the years, we exchanged a few emails; I began receiving her newsletter and got signed copies of her newest books. Very neat.

Curious about the title? It’s from "The Lobster-Quadrille" by Lewis Caroll. If you want to know why that’s the title, you’ll have to read the book! Sadly, it’s now out of print, but I believe used copies can be found on Amazon and Half.com. To my knowledge, this book is not written from a Christian perspective, but there’s nothing objectionable in it that I can think of.

Next, what would a good writer be without reference books? Having taken many English classes, I have my share of these. The classic, of course, is Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Similar to this and written more recently is Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams. My mom got me a copy of this book from Veritas Press when I was in high school. I could be mistaken, but I believe the author is a Christian. In any case, there are quite a few Bible verses quoted in it. The many exercises throughout the book can be used to improve one’s own writing.

In complete opposition to The Elements of Style is Audios, Strunk and White by Gary and Glynis Hoffman. This book was required for an advanced expository writing class I once took. I would not recommend it because of some objectionable content, however, the concept is interesting. The authors aim to teach writers how to write stylistically complex sentences instead of short, to the point, boring A-papers. Think of Dickens writing style – that’s basically what this book teaches. I may talk more about the ideas later, since I don’t recommend you getting it.

An easy-to-use reference book is A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker. If you’re writing articles or papers for school, this is a useful book. It gives directions on MLA and APA format for how to do those pesky in-text citations and works cited pages, plus lots more.

For more serious writing of books and articles, I would recommend two books. Book Proposals that Sell by W. Terry Whalin gives an inside look at the publishing world and how to get one’s foot in the door. The Christian Writer’s Market Guide by Sally E. Stuart lists countless publishing houses and magazines that accept submissions. It also contains many links and resources for writers.

Lastly, all writers need a good thesaurus. The Synonym Finder by J.I. Rodale is the best, hands down. My mom first discovered the secret of this big red book when we were homeschooling, and I’ve been using it for years.

Those are some of the favorites from my collection. Whenever I read a book on writing, I try to pick out some specific things from it that I can apply to my own writing. That makes the books worth it. Writers have a tendency to procrastinate in any way possible, and reading books on writing is one of those ways. The most important thing is to actually WRITE and apply what you learn from what you read.

Feel free to send Miss Mandy a thank you note for this article.

73rd Carnival of Homeschooling

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deas and info galore – that is what this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling is.  Lissa at The Lilting House did a wonderful presentation of the many entries, from volcanoes and bees, to homeschooling with a new baby and lapbooking.  You will not want to miss these great contributions of information and encouragements. 

In Other Words: Self Worth & Holiness

"Until you settle the issue of your own worth, it’s impossible to bring holiness into anyone else’s life.  Until you understand that your worth is already determined by the fact of your birth, everything else is an exercise in propping up a dying tree."
~ Carol Brazo ~
"No Ordinary Home"

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he word "self-esteem" usually rubs me the wrong way.  Generally it is used in a prideful and self-worshipful way.  It is often used with kids in public school settings that nothing negative can be said or done to them because it might tear down their self-esteem.  One of our neighborhood kids told us how the teachers cannot use "red pens" to correct their schoolwork because it might hurt their self-esteem.  (YIKES!  I use a red pen with my kids’ schoolwork!) Yet, as a mom, there are times self-esteem needs to be built up in our children, to show their worth in God’s eyes. 

Several months ago one of our younger girls began covering her mouth often, and showing a shyness I was not accustomed to with our other children.  We finally got it out of her that she did not like her smile – "it was ugly" to her.  Where she got this from, I have no idea.  We had to build her up – encourage her with how Jesus made her perfect and gave her that beautiful smile.  The unique, God given moment was a few weeks later, after getting her teeth cleaned, when the dentist told us that she has one of the most beautiful smiles he has ever seen.  We told him what we had been struggling with and he affirmed with her that she indeed has a beautiful smile.  It was not a matter of vanity. 

God valued us so much He sent His only Son, to die for us, and purchased us with His blood (Acts 20:28), to save us and give us an eternal hope.  That alone should prove to us how much we are worth to Him.  We must be cautious though ~ there is that fine line. We need to remember that all good things, including our looks, skills, accomplishments, financial resources, status, etc. comes from God.  Psalm 16:2 reminds us that "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You."   I can only imagine if my daughter continued in the unhealthy self-worth, that her smile is ugly, continuing on to her being of no good, how could she share Jesus with others?  How could she glow with God’s radiance and be a shinning testimony? 

Her smile is much brighter now.  She does not cover it up.   She knows God loved her so much to give her life, made her in His image – including her contagious smile to all ten fingers and ten toes.  It’s our prayer that along with her we continue to learn more about Him, grow in Him, to want to be more holy like Him, and rest in our worthiness because of Jesus and Him alone.    

This week’s In "Other" Words is hosted by
Christine at Fruit in Season.
Be sure to visit her site to read other
women’s interpretations of this quote.

In Other Words: Self Worth & Holiness

"Until you settle the issue of your own worth, it’s impossible to bring holiness into anyone else’s life.  Until you understand that your worth is already determined by the fact of your birth, everything else is an exercise in propping up a dying tree."
~ Carol Brazo ~
"No Ordinary Home"

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he word "self-esteem" usually rubs me the wrong way.  Generally it is used in a prideful and self-worshipful way.  It is often used with kids in public school settings that nothing negative can be said or done to them because it might tear down their self-esteem.  One of our neighborhood kids told us how the teachers cannot use "red pens" to correct their schoolwork because it might hurt their self-esteem.  (YIKES!  I use a red pen with my kids’ schoolwork!) Yet, as a mom, there are times self-esteem needs to be built up in our children, to show their worth in God’s eyes. 

Several months ago one of our younger girls began covering her mouth often, and showing a shyness I was not accustomed to with our other children.  We finally got it out of her that she did not like her smile – "it was ugly" to her.  Where she got this from, I have no idea.  We had to build her up – encourage her with how Jesus made her perfect and gave her that beautiful smile.  The unique, God given moment was a few weeks later, after getting her teeth cleaned, when the dentist told us that she has one of the most beautiful smiles he has ever seen.  We told him what we had been struggling with and he affirmed with her that she indeed has a beautiful smile.  It was not a matter of vanity. 

God valued us so much He sent His only Son, to die for us, and purchased us with His blood (Acts 20:28), to save us and give us an eternal hope.  That alone should prove to us how much we are worth to Him.  We must be cautious though ~ there is that fine line. We need to remember that all good things, including our looks, skills, accomplishments, financial resources, status, etc. comes from God.  Psalm 16:2 reminds us that "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You."   I can only imagine if my daughter continued in the unhealthy self-worth, that her smile is ugly, continuing on to her being of no good, how could she share Jesus with others?  How could she glow with God’s radiance and be a shinning testimony? 

Her smile is much brighter now.  She does not cover it up.   She knows God loved her so much to give her life, made her in His image – including her contagious smile to all ten fingers and ten toes.  It’s our prayer that along with her we continue to learn more about Him, grow in Him, to want to be more holy like Him, and rest in our worthiness because of Jesus and Him alone.    

This week’s In "Other" Words is hosted by
Christine at Fruit in Season.
Be sure to visit her site to read other
women’s interpretations of this quote.

HE’S GOT DIMPLES!

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hat was the first thing I heard one morning last week!  One of my older girls will sometimes get the baby early in the morning so I can get some solid sleep.  He is not a good sleeper ~ therefore I am not either!  So after getting some much needed sleep, the first thing I heard when I got up was: "HE’S GOT DIMPLES!"  They were ALL so excited!  The camera was out, and I think they about used up half my SD card.  The baby is responding a lot now to our talking to him, and when he gives big smiles, there’s deep dimples in those starting-to-get-chubby cheeks! His eyes get so sparkly.  He gets dressed up like a doll.  Last week he wore little shoes out for the first time.  If I let the kids, he’d probably go through numerous clothes changes a day.  The hard part though is, NO ONE will LEAVE THE BABY ALONE!  He is continually held all day long, so . . . guess what?!?!  He does not sleep well at night.  He wants to be held.  I can’t sleep holding him!  I am trying to get the kids to let him take naps during the day without being touched.  But, one little whimper or stirring, and they are all attending to him.  Yawwwnnnn . . .

Today he is 12 weeks old.  It’s going too fast – 1/4 of the way through his first year!  He had a doctor’s appointment today since we are still watching his weight.  He is officially eight pounds. He gained a pound in the last month. This is quite an accomplishment after his weight and growing struggles.  I am nursing him plus he gets a couple formula bottles a day.  Overall he is a pretty content baby.  Now to get him sleeping through the night . . . another. . . yawwwnnnn . . .