Claire started learning Psalm 56:4 before they went on vacation:
In God, whose word I praise,
In God I trust, I will not be afraid.
Amazingly, she remembered it (mostly) when she got back home. I was very impressed, and this week we're learning a harder verse:
2 Samuel 22:2-3 The Lord is my Rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Thanksgiving
Thank You, Lord, for making me a generally happy and optimistic person.
Thank You for giving me my faith.
Thank You for the family that surrounds me.
Thank You for getting me through this week without my girls.
Thank You for the ambition to get all the projects done that I accomplished.
Thank You especially for these things, because I have done nothing to deserve any of them. You gave them to me because You love me.
Thank You for giving me my faith.
Thank You for the family that surrounds me.
Thank You for getting me through this week without my girls.
Thank You for the ambition to get all the projects done that I accomplished.
Thank You especially for these things, because I have done nothing to deserve any of them. You gave them to me because You love me.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
A Long Week
Claire and Natalie are on vacation with their dad and his family this week. I dropped them off on Saturday morning and will pick them up this coming Saturday at suppertime. To say the house is quiet this week is to say that A begins the alphabet. I'm sleeping poorly and having one-sided conversations with my dog Brinkley, who is no doubt wondering where the girls are but enjoying the one-on-one time.
I have been keeping busy, though. Mom gave me a lecture about moping around all week and then being mad at myself for not doing anything during my daughter-free week. So on Saturday, I spent the afternoon with my two blonde, blue-eyed, science major college roommates named Bridget, their husbands, and one of the Bridget's daughter, who is Natalie's age. We had a lot of fun looking at the other Bridget's cows and catching up on each other's lives.
Sunday was church and brunch. I had planned to finish an embroidery project, but instead Andy and Christine were there with my 2-month-old nephew Brandon, and I got to hold him quite a bit. I went home after supper and did dishes, folded laundry, and cut up a couple of pounds of green beans and froze them.
Monday I had a busy day at work, then I went home to start on the child-sized boppy pillows I'm making for Natalie, Evelyn, and Carly. Since I don't have a pattern, I have to draw the shape out free-hand. I got one put together and will take it for a couple of other opinions before I finish the rest. So for the rest of Monday night, I watched 4 episodes of Lost from my current DVD off Netflix while finishing the embroidery project.
Today I framed the embroidery before coming to work. This afternoon I'm going to Mankato to do a bit of shopping, buy the supplies I need for painting my bathroom (the one project I've deliberately been saving for the girls' vacation week), and probably seeing the last Harry Potter movie again.
I have several other projects to accomplish this week, but I mainly want to get the bathroom painted because that will be significantly easier doing it alone than having Claire and Natalie help me.
I have been keeping busy, though. Mom gave me a lecture about moping around all week and then being mad at myself for not doing anything during my daughter-free week. So on Saturday, I spent the afternoon with my two blonde, blue-eyed, science major college roommates named Bridget, their husbands, and one of the Bridget's daughter, who is Natalie's age. We had a lot of fun looking at the other Bridget's cows and catching up on each other's lives.
Sunday was church and brunch. I had planned to finish an embroidery project, but instead Andy and Christine were there with my 2-month-old nephew Brandon, and I got to hold him quite a bit. I went home after supper and did dishes, folded laundry, and cut up a couple of pounds of green beans and froze them.
Monday I had a busy day at work, then I went home to start on the child-sized boppy pillows I'm making for Natalie, Evelyn, and Carly. Since I don't have a pattern, I have to draw the shape out free-hand. I got one put together and will take it for a couple of other opinions before I finish the rest. So for the rest of Monday night, I watched 4 episodes of Lost from my current DVD off Netflix while finishing the embroidery project.
Today I framed the embroidery before coming to work. This afternoon I'm going to Mankato to do a bit of shopping, buy the supplies I need for painting my bathroom (the one project I've deliberately been saving for the girls' vacation week), and probably seeing the last Harry Potter movie again.
I have several other projects to accomplish this week, but I mainly want to get the bathroom painted because that will be significantly easier doing it alone than having Claire and Natalie help me.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Cheap E-reads
I've linked before about Nook Deals, but now the website has changed. As of this morning, they've merged with Cheap E-reads to become The Cheap.
I haven't done much exploring around the site yet, but since I've found so many deals from Nook Deals, I'm sure I'll find great stuff on The Cheap, too.
I haven't done much exploring around the site yet, but since I've found so many deals from Nook Deals, I'm sure I'll find great stuff on The Cheap, too.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Abundance
I am in the middle of uploading a ton of pictures to Shutterfly to order prints. The pictures go back to the early spring and include Easter, Natalie's 2nd birthday, vacation to South Dakota, various trips to the zoo, and playing in the pool at Mom & Dad's house.
In looking at these pictures, it occurred to me just how abundant are God's blessings. I have been given so much. In my pictures, I can see my daughters as they grow, happy and healthy and having fun. There are lots of little moments, such as the picture of Claire and Natalie sitting on the floor with little china dessert plates with cookies and colored marshmallows, and little cups of homemade hot chocolate, watching Mary Poppins. I see the pictures I took of the bookcase Dad made for me. In that picture, I am reminded of my dad's skill in woodworking, my aunt and uncle who helped pay for the supplies, and all the children's and young adult books I've received over the years that fill the shelves. Claire and Natalie love to pull random books down and "read" them. I can't wait until they're old enough to read them for real.
I also have pictures of us playing at the beach, just across the street from our house. Our house is much smaller than the one we left behind over a year and a half ago. It is kind of old and needs a lot of repairs. But it's in a wonderful location, only a few blocks from the local library and state trail, and very near the beach. We haven't been to the beach as often as we'd like this summer, due to the long, cold, wet spring and the heat waves that have come during the summer.
Lots of pictures feature Alair, of course. She and Claire are pretty much inseparable, unless they've been thrown together for a whole week and start getting sick of each other. Otherwise, the two of them giggle constantly (even across the state of Minnesota and the state of South Dakota and back) and love to play pretend. Natalie likes to join in with the "big girls" and isn't usually to excited to play with her cousins Evelyn and Carly, who are much closer in age. One of the pictures is of Alair, Claire, and Natalie standing in front of a cutout of Thing One and Thing Two at the Minnesota Zoo. I was really struck by how much taller Alair is than Claire. I tend to think of them as closer in age and size than they really are.
And food. Of course pictures will feature food. Most of the women in my family love to cook, and the men love to eat. I have a picture of three glass goblets filled with pound cake cubes, sliced strawberries, and a swirl of Reddiwhip on top. My aunt had gotten a lot of glassware and other stuff when her mother-in-law passed away, but she didn't have any real use for it. Well, I don't often entertain, what with the size of my house and all, so I turned the fancy goblets into parfait dishes. Claire and Natalie LOVED it. I think it made them feel grown-up, eating out of those goblets.
These pictures are such wonderful reminders of the abundance of blessings from God. I pray that I will remember that even little moments are happy reminders of God's love for us.
In looking at these pictures, it occurred to me just how abundant are God's blessings. I have been given so much. In my pictures, I can see my daughters as they grow, happy and healthy and having fun. There are lots of little moments, such as the picture of Claire and Natalie sitting on the floor with little china dessert plates with cookies and colored marshmallows, and little cups of homemade hot chocolate, watching Mary Poppins. I see the pictures I took of the bookcase Dad made for me. In that picture, I am reminded of my dad's skill in woodworking, my aunt and uncle who helped pay for the supplies, and all the children's and young adult books I've received over the years that fill the shelves. Claire and Natalie love to pull random books down and "read" them. I can't wait until they're old enough to read them for real.
I also have pictures of us playing at the beach, just across the street from our house. Our house is much smaller than the one we left behind over a year and a half ago. It is kind of old and needs a lot of repairs. But it's in a wonderful location, only a few blocks from the local library and state trail, and very near the beach. We haven't been to the beach as often as we'd like this summer, due to the long, cold, wet spring and the heat waves that have come during the summer.
Lots of pictures feature Alair, of course. She and Claire are pretty much inseparable, unless they've been thrown together for a whole week and start getting sick of each other. Otherwise, the two of them giggle constantly (even across the state of Minnesota and the state of South Dakota and back) and love to play pretend. Natalie likes to join in with the "big girls" and isn't usually to excited to play with her cousins Evelyn and Carly, who are much closer in age. One of the pictures is of Alair, Claire, and Natalie standing in front of a cutout of Thing One and Thing Two at the Minnesota Zoo. I was really struck by how much taller Alair is than Claire. I tend to think of them as closer in age and size than they really are.
And food. Of course pictures will feature food. Most of the women in my family love to cook, and the men love to eat. I have a picture of three glass goblets filled with pound cake cubes, sliced strawberries, and a swirl of Reddiwhip on top. My aunt had gotten a lot of glassware and other stuff when her mother-in-law passed away, but she didn't have any real use for it. Well, I don't often entertain, what with the size of my house and all, so I turned the fancy goblets into parfait dishes. Claire and Natalie LOVED it. I think it made them feel grown-up, eating out of those goblets.
These pictures are such wonderful reminders of the abundance of blessings from God. I pray that I will remember that even little moments are happy reminders of God's love for us.
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