Inspired

I'm beginning to realize that I am a "Jack of All Trades, Master of None." I love crafting, sewing, knitting and being artistic but I never really stick with any one thing long enough to be exceptional at it. But, I'm okay with that. :)

Recently, I've been itching to do a painting. It's kind of funny to see in writing.  I have zero painting experience. Darin doesn't even like me to paint our walls because I'm not careful enough. However, the boys keep bringing home great artwork from art class and I think, "Gosh, I want to try that too."

And then my inspiration struck... dear friends are moving to Pennsylvania to pastor a church there. The wife, Kristen, is very dear to me and as I thought of a gift to give her, I thought about how encouraging her relationship with the Lord has been to me. Immediately, Colossians 2:6-7 popped in my head.

"So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness."

I lived for a long time with shallow roots. I wasn't studying God's word and although I believed in Him, I wasn't seeing the fruit of a close relationship with Him. My friend Kristen is the epitome of deep roots. She loves the Lord and His Spirit overflows from her. The perfect verse for what I wanted!

Quickly, I had a vision of what I wanted my painting to look like and called my artist dad to see if what I was wanting to do was even possible for a beginner like me. I decided that if the painting looked terrible, I could easily come up with a different gift. After three days of working on it, I finished my painting last night. My dad was so gracious to talk me through how to make my sketch on regular paper and then transfer it to the canvas. He came over two times to help coach me through the painting. It was super special time for me and I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did!

So, without further ado... here is my first painting. Not spectacular, but from the heart and I can't tell you how much joy it brought me to create this for my friend. I probably shouldn't quit my day job, but I'm pleased with the result. It was just what I envisioned. Notice the Bible verse is the "deep roots."

We will miss you very much Purdy Family!

Can't catch my little sport!

EVERY morning Aaron wakes up and puts on his #4 shirt, his "three stripe shorts" and his SHIN GUARDS. Seriously, he wears them ALL day long EVERY DAY! I'm not sure what he needs the shin guards for, but he loves to wear them. Maybe in case his brothers kick him in the shins? :)

He pulls this outfit out of the dirty laundry basket every day and puts it on. He will only settle for another pair of sporty shorts and some other sporty shirt. Okay..let me remind you... it was 31 degrees out this morning, but to Aaron it doesn't matter. "I like to be cold," he says. The only way I can convince him to put on pants when we go outside is if I let him keep his shorts on underneath. Some battles are just not worth fighting. ;) So we compromise with a little bulk from the shorts under his pants.

I tried to catch a picture of him this morning and he was too fast!

I love my sporty guy! He cracks me up. He told me today that some day he is going to play on the USA Basketball team or the Virginia Tech Football team. Those are some great aspirations little guy. 

 

Just what I needed

At the end of a long week of battling the flu, I'm tired but oh so ENCOURAGED! There are no nannies around here and the kids don't get on the big yellow bus. Haven't found a substitute teacher yet either. ;) SO, it was just me and the kiddos moving forward trying to rest and trying to not get behind in our studies or lose our routine. The fever and aches started Sunday afternoon and just kept on coming. Today (Friday) is the first day I'm fever free and praying I'll be at 100% tomorrow... pretty please. :)

Here is how God blessed me in the midst of it all. (By the way, fevers are the pits! I haven't had one of those in years and years. Gives me a whole lot more compassion now.)

Monday: We made it through a normal regular school day. (nothing is normal around here!) We were scheduled to host a wonderful couple, Hal and Melanie Young, that evening as they spoke at a local homeschool meeting on "Raising Real Men." In light of my fever, I was blessed that my husband took charge and generously made alternate arrangements for them. Very disappointed to miss meeting them and learning from them, but so thankful that Darin made the decision and made the plans. (And I know they were probably glad to not get my germs!) If you have boys, I highly recommend their book. I just finished it last night. Great stuff!

Tuesday: Our school on Tuesday focused on politics with a trip to the polls with a fever going strong. Nothing would keep me away from voting. ;) The boys were so wonderful as we waited for 45 minutes. Truly a gift! Then that afternoon, a dear friend brought the two older boys to art class while I rested at home with Aaron. Two and a half hours with only one boy was heavenly.

Wednesday: Thinking I was over the hump we attended Community Bible Study, only to return home and realize my fever was back and going strong. So sorry CBS friends! I had no idea! And if you are reading this blog, Wednesday also brought SO many things in which to boast in the Lord I couldn't possibly get discouraged by how terrible I felt. I scrapped math/grammar and we did science experiments instead. The boys were attentive and excited!

How many books will 4 eggs hold! 15!!

Thursday: After sleeping 11 hours, I was determined to move along with school. My fever just wouldn't let me feel normal, so I parked myself on the couch in my jammies and robe and the boys came to me when it was their turn to "work with mom." Darin worked from home so he could reinforce and supervise what was going on in the school room. This was a gift. Then my mom surprised me with dinner and company for a couple hours in the afternoon. Another unexpected blessing!

Friday: Finally my fever is gone and I'm feeling a little bit better. The weekend starts tomorrow and I can't wait to get back to my running routine... might need to wait until Monday, if I'm being wise. So glad I didn't sign up to run in the half-marathon again this year which is on Saturday!

"This is the day that the Lord has made; 

let us rejoice and be glad in it."Psalm 118:24

The Great Weaver

How cool is it that God is giving me glimpses into how He is weaving His tapestry? Seriously, I'm exploding with excitement at how He is at work. Can I share it with you? This is just too good to keep to myself. :)

First of all, we were led into hosting because we were drawn by two teenage sisters, one of whom was getting ready to age out of the orphanage. Because of their faces and their story, we were led to consider hosting. God orchestrated all the details and after speaking with the director of the hosting program she felt our family was better suited to 9 year old Irina. We weren't sure of God's plan, but we agreed. In the meantime, the two sisters already had their trip planned but still no hosting family. This was put on the back burners in my brain, but not forgotten.

As we have stepped out in obedience to the Lord, He has blessed us exponentially. It has opened up amazing spiritual conversations. Many I would have never expected and those conversations have left me worshipping Him.

People have given generously for Irina (tubs of clothes, care packages, undies and socks, a promise to knit her a winter hat, special sewing projects, a girly bedspread on loan for her bedroom while she is here, a stuffed animal, etc, etc.) The joy I see as these friends and family share these gifts are beyond words. It blesses me to see them excited to participate in the Lord's work. How cool that I get to watch?

Prior to hosting, we felt led to give financially to another family hosting. Once they learned of our plans to host Irina, they graciously offered to return our check to us. We felt strongly that they should keep the check we had written. We were certain that God would provide everything we needed financially to host Irina. Three days ago, someone unexpectedly gave us a check towards Irina's travel expenses. Wouldn't you know, it was the SAME amount as the check we wrote prior to hosting??? They had no idea about the check we had already written. Can you not see God at work here?

Friends and family have boldly shared Irina's story and have advocated for her. As a result, there has been interest from a couple families in getting to know her and possibly consider adopting her. God, You are good!

My sister-in-law has used her homeschool message boards in a neighboring town to spread the word about Irina and to gather bilingual resources. She connected me with a family (that she didn't know) who responded to her message board posts. They had interest in learning about Irina, about hosting and about adoption. Now, here is the kicker... this family was so curious about hosting that they contacted the hosting program, Journeys of Joy. They are now signed up to host the two teenage sisters that I mentioned in the beginning of this post. Do you see this tapestry He is weaving?

I've been obsessed about all things Ukraine. I've been searching online, checking out dozens of books from the library, and beginning to try to attempt to learn Russian. (I love languages!) As I've searched online, I stumbled across a blog of a dear young women who works with orphanages in Northern Ukraine. I emailed her and she quickly connected me to a warehouse in the states where I could buy a "Jesus Storybook Bible" in Russian. Guess what arrived today?

The boys are so excited to be able to sit side by side and look at this Bible together, theirs in English and hers in Russian. Let's just hope they can keep it a secret until we give it to her as a Christmas gift. :) That might not be so hard since she can't speak English. yikes!

Stay tuned for more testimonies... Irina arrives in five weeks and four days!!!! We're so excited.

Equine Extravaganza

On Friday, we joined my dad for a field trip to the Equine Extravaganza across town. My dad was really eager to go and since Ethan is such a horse lover, we decided to join him. It was definitely geared towards horse enthusiasts who already ride, own horses or farms. I was a bit out of my element, but it was a great diversion after our challenging week. I was amazed by a certain 6 year olds focus and attention span!!! Unbelievable. :) 

 Learning to rope cattle with the help of Cowboy Troy. 

 The other two boys were too shy to participate, but I was glad Ethan mustered 

up enough courage after watching for a while. 

 An amazing sculpture... quick take the picture before the boys knock it down or break it. I had to drag a four year old away as he kept running around and under it. And another boy, who will remain nameless, tried to climb it!! The people on the far right were NOT happy with us. :)

 A highlight was watching Lizzy Traband. She is an amazingly composed 

14 year old equine performer, trainer, competitor and clinician. 

It was a great outing. All in all, the boys did great and we enjoyed being together. Ethan was definitely the most interested. When we got home, Luke and Aaron quickly went upstairs to play with Legos. I found Ethan sitting at his school desk coloring a horse picture for Lizzy Traband. (He wants to mail it to her!) He had figured out how to switch the radio station and was listening to old fashioned country music. I'm talking fiddles and banjos. He was completely in his zone.  I love that he is an individual. 

Thanks Poppy for bringing us with you. 

Soothing Words

It has been a tough week as a mom and teacher. I'm not gonna lie. I'm tempted to wallow in the mistakes, failures and difficulties. That's just how I'm wired and have to fight against it! I could blame it on many different things and make all sorts of excuses. However, these words from my devotional remind me that I must look forward and keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. I'm SO encouraged by the Spirit leading me to these truths. I hope it encourages you too.

From Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling" devotional written as if Jesus was 

speaking to YOU and ME. (Excerpts from two different days.)

"Do not be discouraged by the difficulty of keeping your focus on Me. I know that your heart's desire is  to be aware of My presence continually. This is a lofty goal; you aim toward it but never fully achieve it in this life. Don't let feelings of failure weigh you down. Instead try to see yourself as I see you. First of all, I am delighted by your deep desire to walk closely with Me through your life." Sarah Young

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." 

Hebrews 4:14-16

"Grow strong in the Light of My Presence.  Your weakness does not repel Me. On the contrary, it attracts My Power, which is always available to flow into a yielded heart. Do not condemn yourself for your constant need of help. Instead come to Me with your gaping neediness; let the Light of My Love fill you. A yielded heart does not whine or rebel when the going gets rough. It musters the courage to thank Me even during hard times. Yielding yourself to My will is ultimately an act of trust." 

Sarah Young

"Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:19-20

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15

After a rough week and feeling stuck in the trap of ungratefulness and whining, how perfect that God points me back to this verse from Isaiah that I've been meditating on in 2012!!! This time, what sticks out to me is "quietness." Being a verbal processor, I am NOT quiet. I grumble and complain when things don't go the way I want. Oh how I know God would be blessed if I would submit to Him in the hard times and demonstrate my trust with a quietness that is so unlike me. Hoping and praying He teaches me how to do this. His word is so refreshing to my soul. 

Let's Make A Deal

37... that is the number of jumping jacks I did today.
3... that is the number of push-ups Ethan did today.

I made a deal with Ethan. With the timer set for 3 minutes, for every math flash card he answered correctly, I would do a jumping jack at the end. For every flash card he answered incorrectly, he would do a push-up.

Bravo Ethan! It was worth every jumping jack. :)