knees and blessings

Miss Beth's sprained knee is still swollen, though she seems to have full use of it most days. Pediatricians commonly tell worried parents that toddlers will stay off their injuries when necessary, unlike adults who try to push themselves. Well, she re-injured it on Monday, so I'd say that's not necessarily true. Though less swollen than the first forty-eight hours, there's still visible swelling and I'm concerned that the longer the fluid stays around, the more chance for infection in the joint. They'll eventually decide to insert a needle and drain the fluid if it stays around too long.

Yesterday morning she started with a limp again, and I considered taking her back to the ER, but after the stiffening subsided and the limp stopped, I changed my mind.

In an attempt to keep her off of it, we are trying to run extra errands and keep her in a stroller or carseat. Since I sold a little more curriculum, we went to a thrift store yesterday to gather fall/winter things for Miss Mary, who only had two pairs of pants to start the season. I hate getting myself into a one-to-wash-one-to-wear laundry situation. That never works around here.

In other news, my Peter--regular readers might recall--prays every summer for a praying mantis. Around this time they are full grown and more visible. Once again, the Lord provided, as you'll see below. 

Running into the house, Peter yells, "I caught a praying mantis!  Jesus told me to look in this one bush and at first I said to myself there was nothing there. Then I decided to look and I found a female mantis! Maybe we'll get an egg sac!" 

All these clothes are like new, though I'm not sure the pictures show that.

A Talbots jumper for church

pink Gap chenille pullover

Children's Place layering sweater in red

Old Navy fushia stripped hoodie

red Esprit sweatshirt

Simple shirt dress from Walmart, new

Cherokee jeans, look brand new though the picture makes them look old

new Arizona jeans with diamond jewels on pockets

A pair of new jeans for Peter and new navy cords for Paul (not pictured)

Always love finding book treasures at the thrift store! I'm sure there were more classics, but with four kids along, I could only look briefly.

Can you tell she wasn't thrilled about a picture just then? I'm mourning the loss of my sweet girl! While she still cuddles lovingly, there is much more attitude and whining over minor things. A stage I hope? She will be five in December.

God's Timing; Weekend Wonder

I really want to write about Catherine Marshall or the Lord's Prayer, but alas, those topics take a long time, and the clean-laundry mountain has reached an elevation I can't ignore. I keep up with the washing and the hanging, but I'm pretty good at ignoring the folding mountain. I'd never write a word here if I didn't ignore it.

But briefly, I have a testimony to share on the Lord's timing, and some weekend photos to post.

Paul, age 7, has been interested in soccer for awhile now. A few issues hampered our signing him up. One was financial and another involved me chasing young girls around the green by myself, instead of cheering for my sons....back when husband still worked nights. As the girls got older, we had the issue of no van available while Daddy used it for work.

Most importantly, soccer options I looked into involved way too much time.....time stolen from family meals and Bible reading around the table. Life can take a nasty turn when you have to rush children here and there. Over the years, I've noticed that too much of this prevents all of us from giving our best to God and to one another.

We all prayed. Not continuously, but every time Paul mentioned it, we began adding it to our prayers again.

Enter my soccer angel.

The Lord knew my Paul's heart. He knew our hearts, which desired the best for Paul, without compromising our family purpose goals.

A few weeks ago I received a homeschooling e-mail from my Christian group about a September soccer class. It meets two days a week for the month of September only, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10:30 - 11:30 for soccer instruction, and from 11:30 - 12:15 for lunch, fellowship, and free play. It costs $15 per month per child for one day a week, and $30 total per child for two days a week. There will be one game at the end of September at a date and time decided upon by the parents as a whole. We will do just Thursday mornings, since the class is thirty minutes away from us, and with library day and another day of household/business errands, we already do enough running around.

The whole thing was put together by a homeschooling mother who also has a 7-year-old son long interested in soccer. For reasons similar to ours, she's never put him on a team (she's a single mom).

After rejoicing over this e-mail, our next obstacle was that both my boys needed a soccer ball and shin guards...cleats being optional.

I found shin guards for one boy at a garage sale. Today my cousin's wife sent along a like-new soccer ball, cleats to fit both my boys, soccer shorts in various colors and sizes, and another pair of shin guards. Her boys have moved on to other sports.

Make that two soccer angels.

We're short one soccer ball, but the Lord has shown His love for my son, and his respect for our family goals. Another soccer ball will show up before September 1st. I know this.

The Lord's timing.

It's mysterious. Hard. Beautiful. Perfect.

Speaking of angels, we also had one for the fair. My aunt gave the children spending money for our County Fair, which is a big deal around here.

 Last year my Sweet Miss, at eighteen months old, cried around all the farm animals, with the exception of the small animal barn. This year she fell in love in with these farm buddies.

Saturday was Fair Day, and Sunday was Reptile Day at a local nature park.

I respect wild animals. Which means I don't put my children in front of free-walking alligators. People were looking at me strangely, as though I was being over-protective in making sure my children were out of striking distance.

Yes, folks, this good-sized alligator was walking the floor free--no lease, no noose, no pen. My husband took this photo, but he wasn't really this close.
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This smaller one had a noose. This woman held him the whole time, like he was her baby. When people start treating their alligators like babies, I know they've lost perspective on wild animals.....like the woman whose chimp destroyed her friend's face.

The flower garden at this place! It soothes my soul. I showed you these flowers last year, but I thought you'd like another peek.

My children were thrilled with the soccer things from my cousin. Miss Beth was not to be left out. Here she is in her soccer gear pose, happy as a lark. Yes, I let her go outside like that. The boys put everything on and ran around the house, uber excited. Then they practiced out back for an hour.

They're already quite good! Miss Mary too!

This group of fair photos are courtesy of my Peter. Every time I see these teeth, I giggle. It looks like he's smiling at my Peter.

Journal Notes, Matthew 15-18

Reminder:  Homework due Wednesday, August 31......Read and journal Matthew 15-28

A number of Matthew passages stood out and spoke directly to me, all of which shared the same the central theme. Faith.

I'm sure I've been through other periods like this in my life......times when everything seemed to go wrong. Vehicles, health issues, home repair issues, kid issues....big and small. In the past few months a new problem revealed itself nearly every week.

Grace is present, yes. And blessing. But problems piled upon problems lead to discouragement. For anyone.

Does a new dedication to prayer and Bible reading make me Satan's target? Hmm.

My husband prayed regularly for weeks about a specific problem.....getting the van registered for another year. He even set an alarm to remind himself to pray at intervals. Despite his dedication, we must go in tomorrow to get another thirty-day extension (the last one allowed) on smog repairs we still can't quite afford. So instead of putting this intensely frustrating problem behind us, we have to pray for another month. Other things are needed for school and for winter prep and for home repairs, that also must wait. And it's no small matter that the adults here lose health insurance at the end of September, frustrating a very moody peri-menopausal woman, hoping to seek treatment for increasingly debilitating migraines.

The Matthew passages reminded me, as did the church sermon today, that problems are only frustrating when we lack faith.

Matthew 15:25-28

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

 ²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

 ²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

 ²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Matthew 16:5-11
⁵ When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. ⁶ “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

 ⁷ They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”

 ⁸ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹¹ How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Matthew 17:14-20¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. ¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

   ¹⁷ “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

 ¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

 ²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 18:1-4¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

 ² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

My husband has to work hard to maintain faith about our vehicles. I have to work hard to maintain faith about our children's futures. Are either of us being like little children, trusting God effortlessly? Isn't our discouragement a lack of faith?


My Bible study is like daily manna. It gives me a simple soul task....a task that nourishes and fixes me.

When I'm heavy laden, I know what the answer is. Believe like a little child and keep my joy. Get out of the way so my mustard-seed faith can move mountains.


A side note of gratitude:  Sometimes when there's no money and we all suffer, I wonder if I should be in the workforce. But God always replies "No. Not you. Be a keeper at home." Today was our second visit to a 3-year-old, non-denominational church that meets in the local elementary school. The pastor mentioned that a local boy (not from the church) accidentally killed himself by hanging. Apparently a lot of kids are trying to get a temporary high by limiting their oxygen levels.

The state of things has never been more shocking. Hearing these things, it's hard not to feel physically sick. There's never been a better time to be a keeper at home....and to homeschool. No matter what my physical circumstances are, I'm blessed that my kids are safe from a culture of destruction. I pray that God blesses them with bold, abiding faith, enabling them to go out into the world and change it for Christ.

Library Gems

I went off to my local library today, in search of literary gems suggested in the spiritual section of Gladys Hunt's Honey For A Child's Heart, The Imaginative Use of Books in Family Life. With my two-year-old in tow, looking for a specific book proved quite challenging. Instead, I grabbed a handful of books that looked interesting, happening to find two of Ms. Hunt's suggestions, quite by accident. She suggests Prayer For A Child, featured below, as well as Psalm Twenty-Three, also featured below. All the others are wonderful too, though not mentioned in her book! Enjoy!

The Ancient World Of The Bible, by Malcolm Day

This is a wonderful Bible companion!  It shows artifacts, ancient maps, detailed time lines, and interesting facts revealing the customs and daily lives of various people of ancient times. Truly fascinating for ages 6 to adult. (14 x 9, 76 pages)

The Illustrated Children's Old Testament, Paintings by Bill Farnsworth, 1993.

Written in fairly large print at about a third- or fourth-grade level, this beautifully illustrated book serves as a read aloud, or as a devotional tool for young readers. (Big and heavy, with171 pages)

Daniel in the Lion's Den, Retold and Illustrated by Jean Marzollo, author of 130 books, including the award-winning I Spy series. Her Amazon author's page is here. She's written several Bible story books, including David and Goliath, Ruth and Naomi, Jonah and the Whale, and Miriam and Her Brother Moses.

When Jean Marzollo heard this story as a child, she wondered how the angel shut the lions' mouths so that they couldn't harm Daniel. She uses her imagination to retell the story to include what she thinks happened in the cave. Delightful retelling!

Prayer For A Child, By Rachel Field, Illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones

Written in 1941, this precious book won The Caldecott Medal for its illustrations. One look inside and you'll fall in love! I swooned over every picture. And the prayer is quite a gem too.  A few sentences a page, appropriate for ages 3-7.

Psalm Twenty-Three, Illustrated by Tim Ladwig

Against the backdrop of an inner city, Tim Ladwig makes this Psalm come alive with rich illustrations, providing children insight into the meaning

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The Lord's Prayer, Illustrated by Tim Ladwig

A young girl and her father help an elderly neighbor, illustrating the meaning of the Lord's Prayer as they love her with their actions. I loved the sweetness, the simplicity, the truth....made me get tears in my eyes.

A New Pasttime Around Here

Can you guess where my kids have been spending a lot of time lately? Remember my curriculum selling venture?

Hints:
~ Their recent playtime has included the phrases listed below.
~ My new scotch tape is long gone.
~ The Christmas wrap left over from last December is also long gone.
~ Their Little Tykes shopping cart now delivers packages.

New Lingo:

"Can I help the next person?"
"How are you today?"
"Anything perishable or flammable?"
"Do you need a book of stamps?"
"Credit or debit?"