Theme Song Thursday -- The Sovereign LORD Reigns!

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Revive

June and July have been fabulously full of fun, learning opportunities.

After our adventure with Revive Northwest Indiana, my intention was to summarize that "summer school course."

You regular readers know that I have not chronicled our time in Lake County.  As I dreaded might happen, the passing time since then has gathered many of my memories and stolen them away.

I absolutely LOVED going out into the community to pray with people.  I absolutely LOVED listening to Holy Spirit's leading as to where to go and who to talk with.  I absolutely LOVED being part of a team of people whom I had never met before and who, by the end of our morning or afternoon outing were like family to me.  I absolutely LOVED the worship, the fellowship over meals, the prayer, the testimonies and the genuineness of Time to Revive's team.

So what lasting impact did it make upon me?  I feel like I am much more bold to talk to people than ever before.  I love the fact that I can now easily present the Gospel to someone using the tools (wristband and Bible), if that's where the person is on their journey to God. I was blessed and encouraged to see and to hear Holy Spirit respected, consulted, listened to and taught upon. Practicing hearing God's voice and then walking in faith according to what was heard is always a bonus as well.  

Love. Listen. Discern. Respond.  Four great steps for all of our interpersonal relationships!


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Theme Song Thursday

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Theme Song Thursday

OH YES!!!  COME ON!!!

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Tech Week 2015, Wednesday

 Peacefulness and order seem to be reigning so far this week.  The costume crew has worked hard to be prepared and has found themselves ahead of the plan.  Tonight is the first dress rehearsal, which will birth new projects.  It will continue to be a GREAT week.

 While labeling and sorting through my thread spools in preparation for their appearance at the theater today, I found myself reflecting upon the various projects associated with those thread colors.  I felt warm, happy and comfortable as I pondered, despite my knowledge that none of those projects were accomplished without mistakes and frustration.  Is it maturity and wisdom that empowers us to remember the entirety of the experience, including the messy and painful bits, and yet still find it a satisfying and even comforting memory?  Perhaps the added bit of knowledge that everyone struggles, makes mistakes and gets frustrated in the process is the "vitamin" that keeps this kind of jumbled rumination healthy?

 And then mix in the wonderful revelation that though now we see dimly, one day we will SEE clearly because we are face-to-face with KINGDOM REALITY.

 When dim seeing is this satisfying, how much more incredibly is what lies ahead?!

  What threads, colors, revelations are you seeing these days?


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May Madness

Madness - a state of frenzied or chaotic activity.

"Let me ‘splain…No, there is too much. Let me sum up. . ."  (Princess Bride movie fans recognize that Inigo Montoya quote).  After the injury which caused me to be Gimping Like a Boss, life around here ratcheted up into frenzied mode.  Thanks to all of you who prayed for my healing and recovery; the pain went away the next day, unless I tweaked the injury.  I can feel the improvement almost daily, and this is the start of week six of recovery.  I plan to hold off trying to run until after eight weeks while continuing to strengthen the injured area with toe raises and walking.  Then I plan to gently launch into running via my favorite, run-walk method.  More on that when the time comes.

While May was madness, -- our 2nd stage drama troupe's play and cast & crew party; a whirlwind 25th anniversary trip to Seabrook Island, SC; graduation celebrations; the last day of our homeschool 2013-14 year; paperwork and preparations for all things Camp Tecumseh; starting a new part-time job; and trying to finish planning the coming school year -- it was also joy and celebration and fun and change and growth. 

The group of Christ followers we have been meeting with locally since September has blossomed into Hope Church GL.  None of us actually wanted to start a church, but did want to hear and to follow what He is up to in our area.  We shall see what happens next.


 In one week, some of our family will start on our summer adventure: a sports camp outreach in Kentucky.  I have thoroughly enjoyed sports camp in the past and am very much looking forward to the upcoming one.  I do not feel prepared, but am trusting that I will be in a week.

What's been going on in your world?

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Theme Song Thursday - Throwback

"Children of the Living God"

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Techy Though Tardy

I just discovered a wonder which has existed awhile now, but had escaped my notice.

If you have Kindle and/or Kindle apps on your computer and mobile devices, you really should have the appropriate "Send to Kindle. . ."  For instance I just downloaded Send to Kindle for PC.  Brilliant addition to my growing Kindle apps and books and all-things-Kindle.  It also means that I love my Kindle even more!

What spurred this discovery was another wonderful discovery via Mary Hunt: 

Girlebooks.com for classic and contemporary ebooks by female writers, many of them FREE!  I delightfully downloaded one of my favorites FREE, "The Enchanted April," and then was pondering how to move it from my PC to my other Kindle devices.  While I emailed it to my Android Kindle device, I discovered the wonder of "Send to Kindle" after the fact. 

What wonders have you discovered lately?



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Theme Song Thursday

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Theme Song Thursday

You hide, I want to find you
Go, and I will follow you
I want to be where you are
As You move, I’m right beside you, love
Oh, I’m running after you
I want to be where You are

Chorus:
I’m Chasing You, I’m so in love
Captivated, I just can’t get enough
I’ll spend my days, Running after Your heart

Your heart, Your heart, Whoa
I’m Chasing You, with all my love
Captivated, I just cant get enough
I’ll spend my days, Running after Your heart
Your heart, Your heart, Whoa

Verse 2:
Heart, You’ve won me heart and soul
And where You lead I’ll go
I want to be where You are
From the moment I rise to the moment I sleep
My affection is for you, and even as I dream
I want to know you, I’m after Your heart

Bridge:
This life, this love, was always meant to be
A wild, crazy adventure discovering
The thrill, the rush, the more of You I see
The more it leaves me wanting
You’re everything
You’re everything

Written by Jenn Johnson, Gabriel Wilson,
Ian McIntosh, Daniel MacKenzie
© 2013 Bethel Music Publishing (ASCAP)
/Jesus Culture Music (ASCAP).
All Rights Reserved, Used by Permission

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A new twist on an old recipe

 Gloriously I took time to bake yesterday.  Had I thought about it more I probably wouldn't have done so because I should have dashed out earlier in the afternoon than I did to do my shopping trip a day ahead of schedule; winter weather impending today means I want to be at home.  Because of the February birthdays, I tend to bake less in terms of random sweets during the month.  Hooray that March has arrived!

 On my last outing to Aldi about a month ago, I purchased white chocolate chips, dried cranberries and walnuts with this new cookie variation in mind.  I used my stand-by oatmeal cookie recipe from "Eat Well for $50 a Week" and stirred the additions in with love and care.

I had my dear hubbie in mind when I first baked this delectable cookie; he absolutely LOVES them!

As for the winter weather, we are still awaiting signs of it at our house.  May this be winter's last hurrah!  Organizing my unexpected at-home day for maximum productivity and life is my next challenge.

Cracking on...


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Celebrate!

 What do I want for my birthday?  Some years that question has left me feeling bewildered and discouraged because I had no answer.  Not happening this year.  It did take me some time to hand over a list, but I had one already started well before the beginning of February.  This year the difficulty has been narrowing it down.

 Currently I am typing on one of my presents, the

ASUS TF300T-DOCK-BL Tablet Docking Station

image from: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834991741&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=6146833&SID=1xcjw3g04fsed

Always on My Mind?

  3:45 a.m., lights shining from outside on my window shade, and I think, "must be the newspaper delivery..." and go back to sleep.

 6:45 a.m., lights shining from outside on my window shade again, and I think, "must be hubbie going to buy doughnuts for me..." and I go back to sleep.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy+

Image courtesy of

anankkml

/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 Not many days left now until Christmas 2012!  Celebrating Christ's birth is one of my very favorite engagements of each year.  At present our world pines for the comfort, joy, peace and

On earth as it is in Heaven?

What can I do in 10 minutes?  Inspired by two of my daughters who recently participated in a NaNoWriMo Write-In, I decided to write.

"I am on vacation" is heard around our house on days like today; being translated, it means that all of my school work is finished, and I am officially in non-school mode.  At present I believe that I am on vacation, though I have one student still working.  After lunch I will bake pies, knead up a batch of 100% whole wheat dinner roll dough, and make cranberry sauce in preparation for tomorrow.  In the betweens, I am pressing into rest and mentally transitioning to non-school mode.

What appeared to be an "empty" month, according to our over-sized dry erasable wall calendar, is almost at its close.  Because I love this time of year so very much, the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays, I have peace in regard to where we are in the 2012 year.  We have much on our "to do" lists for the Thanksgiving vacation, including decorating the tree and inside of the house for Christmas, drawing names for gift exchange, scoring an acceptable family picture for our Christmas cards and spending time together as a family being thankful for each other and for our enumerable blessings.

Resting and loving authentically are two themes which Holy Spirit is highlighting in this season.  Both are challenging for me due in large part, in my opinion, to the day-to-day demands of this life I've been blessed to live.  And it is exactly in the day-to-day where I long to wear rest and love as naturally and as effortlessly as my skin.  I wonder if that day will ever arrive here on the earth?

Yes, there will be joy in this journey!

Trying to remember to seek first the unseen Kingdom...



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Nearing Summer's End

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I've been asked several times in the last week "what did you do today?"  My days have been packed and busy, but my reply has honestly been, "I have no idea."  The interpretation of that at least partially is:  "aside from laundry, cleaning, cooking, school work, office work, miscellaneous housekeeping work, correspondence and reading, I am not currently working on an all-consuming project."  I should have probably said something about enjoying my "time off."

Celebration

Breakfast this 70-degrees-and-breezy morning was a serving of Cascadian Farm Oat and Honey Organic Granola with almond milk, homemade whole grain wheat and toasted wheat germ toast with natural peanut butter, coffee and water.  Generally I try to limit grains and carbohydrates for breakfast, but this morning I splurged.  The change in our weather makes me want to celebrate! 

I am also rejoicing that I finished the costumes and props for our 1Voice team!  Although I have not yet sewn on the quilt that I was planning to work on this summer, it  was still fun to sew something!  Furthermore another finished knitting project means that I am free to choose a new project -- hooray!  (How many exclamation points do I need to use?)  I have one in my sights, but have not found the appropriate yarn as of yet, so until then I cast on an anklet sock late last night.  I might as well be knitting something until I find the yarn. 

And then tonight is "July birthdays celebration night" with extended family.  Fullness of joy is mine!

What are you celebrating or could you celebrate today?



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Shattered (or Wrecked again)

I must pass along links to recent two messages by Danny Silk that shattered and encouraged me recently.  We were in attendance at Bethel Valparaiso All-Nations Church for Danny's message on May 13th, 2012.  I listened to the second message, Fierce , this morning while making pancakes, (our Wednesday morning breakfast is usually pancakes), and again while out running errands.

Projects

Summer afternoon sky

publicdomainpictures.net

I mentioned unfinished projects recently without naming any of them.  The projects I have completed from that list are:

1. organizing some craft supplies into a temporary holding box until I have purchased a new set of shelves and a basket or two for them, 
2. sorting out and filing 2011-12 schoolwork into each student's small storage box, 
3. acquiring approval and an ordering date for 2012-13 textbooks,
4. putting some NEEDED library books on hold (lots of them!), and
5. clothes changeover from fall/winter to spring/summer for our youngest two kiddos. 

Other projects and/or project ideas for the summer include:

• finishing school preparation for 2012-13
• getting rid of unwanted cookbooks to make room on my cookbook shelf
• cleaning up and organizing the basement
• pondering a kitchen reorganization, including adding some shelves and possibly a small tall table
• adding weight training to my exercise routine
• sewing together completed quilt squares and compiling a quilt started long ago
• knitting Christmas gifts
• crocheting
• reading lots of books
• DREAMING!!!

I need to make a new page in my organizing notebook titled "projects" and pepper it with post-its!

What projects have you completed recently?  What projects are on your summer list?


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Creative Outlet

I agreed to re-purpose a donated dress into a skirt for a costume for "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."  

Here's what I started with: