My poem, "april second", is out today at Every Day Poets. Just click here: april second at Every Day Poets to check it out. I'm pretty excited about this one, even if my faith seems a little clouded with bitterness at the beginning, I think it begins to come clear near the latter half.
On a side note - I apologize for the length of yesterday's post. I understand, especially now after reading so many, that during A to Z, I might need to keep my posts a wee bit shorter. And now, on to B.
B is for Blessings! Blessings are amazing in number, variety, size, and strength. Once you get started looking for them, they are everywhere.
I challenged myself nearly a year ago to start a 365 Day Blessing Count Challenge, and it has been an interesting adventure. I can't say I've been succesful in finding brand new, completely original blessings each day, but I keep trying. And in trying, I've found blessings from the blessings.
Have you ever tried to count your blessings or develop an attitude of gratitude? How did it go?
Do you see any blessings around you right now?
These are just ten of the many blessings I've received from counting blessings:
1. The Blessing of a better attitude.
2. The Blessing of deeper faith.
3. The Blessing of sweeter relationships with my husband, my kids, and my whole family.
4. The Blessing of encouragement from friends and family.
5. The Blessing of brighter hope.
6. The Blessing of rainbow moments - finding the good in the midst of the rain.
7. The Blessing of living a "surround sound-HD" real life that has become more clear with every count.
8. The Blessing of joy.
9. The Blessing of growth.
10. The Blessing of thanksgiving that is like a gifts that keeps returning and spreading.
Blessed Scripture Blessings (there are really too many to add here):
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
Friday, April 1, 2011
A is for Adventure! and Day 306 of 365 Blessings
A is for Adventure!
Adventures are awesome.
Whether I'm adventuring in my own yard, at Whistler, in Hawaii, or right here on my blog intertwining the A to Z challenge and my own 365 Blessing Challenge, April is going to be a month of Adventure for me. And I love adventures. Most of my favorite books have an element of adventure in them, and I love to write stories of adventure.
We all know what adventure means to us, but let's look at the official version for a moment: According to Dictionary.com, Adventure means:
1. an exciting or very unusual experience
2. participation in exciting undertakings, or enterprises
3. a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome
Life is an adventure. Every day, we have uplanned, or sometimes unusual experiences that are out of the ordinary. We participate in risky undertakings when we try new things, meet new people, or even just experiment with a new recipe.
For me, adventure means to step out of the humdrum and into life lived fully.
What does adventure mean to you?
Here are some adventures that I'm giving thanks for in my intertwined 365 Days of Blessings count, and A to Z Challenge:
1. Adventures in cooking: my experimental banana cocunut muffins turned out really yummy! As a mom with food intolerances (means I don't digest many foods without pain or major discomfort) with kids and a hubby with food intolerances, I've learned that taking risks in the kitchen can lead to some sweet rewards. (and some flaming disasters)
2. Adventures in education: our family has used three very different methods of home education in the last 7-8 years. We started with fun and games with a little curriculum (preschool and kindgergarten for my oldest), then took part in a state run home study program for four years, and then switched to homeschooling with two home school co-operatives, and a mix of different curriculums. Every day is an adventure for us, and we are learning all the time, and loving it.
3. Adventures in dance: my daughters are dancers. They've been dancing since their preschool years, and in the last 2 and a 1/2 years, they've been part of a tap company at Action Dance Academy. They perform at least six times a year at competitions, company productions, and community events. They have ups and downs, and they tap everywhere they go. They've always been movers (our whole family has a need to fidget), and now they are tappers. They tap their feet in classes at our co-ops, in line at the grocery store, in the library, the bookstore, the car, at amusement parks, at their friends houses . . . everywhere.
4. Adventures in writing: I talked my daughters into participating in the NaNoWriMo young writer's program in November, and now my oldest has persuaded me to participate in the April Script Frenzy. I don't know what I'm doing, and I don't know that I'll finish, but I'm trying something new and exciting.
5. Adventures in faith: Nearly three months ago, we experienced a painful church split. During this split, my family and I prayed through all the struggles, and felt called to be part of a new church, a church plant that is just now gaining steam and direction. I've been called to a new ministry in this new church as a worship and music facilitator. We don't have a Pastor yet, but we have been getting guidance from visiting Pastors and Missionaries along the way. These adventures in faith are stretching my abilities in all kinds of ways, and I feel blessed to be a part of a growing, loving, welcoming church group committed to working together and blessing our community with the message of Christ's love and salvation.
6. Adventures in friendship: Recently, I have been blessed abundantly by friendship. A wonderful friend of mine has called me nearly every day to check in with me, and share her ideas, her troubles, her fun stuff, and to listen to my ideas, my troubles, and my fun stuff. I really appreciate her friendship, and how it has grown over time. It makes me appreciate all of my friends more, and want to check in with all my friends more often than I usually do.
7. Adventures in marriage: To many, marriage doesn't sound adventurous, but it is. Faithfully sticking by your spouse's side through joys and sorrows, agreements, and disagreements is an adventure. Laughing together, crying together, praying together, playing together, and occasionally stomping around the house together is all an adventure. Marriage is a time when two become one, and in that process, the two rub against each other like sandpaper some days, while other days are just one giant hug.
8. Adventures on family vacations x2: My parents took me on many adventurous vacations while I was growing up, and I feel that adventure is a necessary ingredient to any good vacation. This month, courtesy of my in-laws generosity, we will ski and snowboard at Whistler in Canada with the whole family - from my nine year old daugther to my 72 year old father-in-law, from our physically fit nephew who plays water polo to my sister-in-law's husband with MS - we will all ski and snowboard. Believe it or not, you can ski at Whistler even when you can't move from the neck down. They have ski tours where an individual can strap into a chair on skis and be skied from place to place by a tour guide. It's an awesome experience for the whole family.
Then, in a wild, adventurous turn of events, we will travel to Hawaii for most of the last two weeks of April, where . . . get this . . . we will Swim with Sharks. This is a big dream for my oldest daughter, who has loved sharks since age two when we first took a trip to Pt. Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and watched the sharks swim by us on the other side of two inches of plexiglass. I'm probably going to be terrified, but the Shark tour company we've decided to make reservations with has a 100% safety rating, and I liked the pictures of the very safe looking cage that we get to swim inside (with the sharks outside).
9. Adventures in blogging: You may be wondering how on earth I'm going to keep up with the A to Z challenge this month with all these amazing adventures taking place at the same time. Well, I admit, I'm going to write some in advance, and I'll have time to write on our car trip to Canada, and our plane ride to Hawaii. It will be a challenge, and an adventure to blog all month, but I intend to succeed. In addition to both the A to Z Challenge, and my Blessings Challenge, I'll be at my 2nd Blogaversary this month. . . . I'm thinking of a contest giveaway of some kind, but I'll have more details on that later.
10. Adventures in community giving: A few years ago, I realized that my daughters didn't have a way to serve in our community. I asked at the food bank, and they said they had enough kid help and needed more adults. I was interested in Habitat for Humanity, but they can't take children because of safety issues. I asked and asked, and I looked around the community, thought about my daughters' interests, and finally came across a newspaper article about Harbor Hope Cat Rescue. We've been volunteering there for nearly two years, sometimes weekly, sometimes just once a month, and we love our time there.
Adventures in Scripture Blessings:
"What anyone else dares to boast about - I am speaking like a fool - I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendents? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received forty lashes minus one.
Three times I was beaten with rods, onces I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day on the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.
I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face the daily pressure of my concern for all churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness."
2 Corinthians 11:21-29
Paul's adventures in faith, his boasting of his own weakness and the Lord's strength, in response to accusations that he is not enough of a "super-apostle."
For me, this is a recounting of both spiritual and physical adventures . . . of hardship and risk for faith.
Adventures are awesome.
Whether I'm adventuring in my own yard, at Whistler, in Hawaii, or right here on my blog intertwining the A to Z challenge and my own 365 Blessing Challenge, April is going to be a month of Adventure for me. And I love adventures. Most of my favorite books have an element of adventure in them, and I love to write stories of adventure.
We all know what adventure means to us, but let's look at the official version for a moment: According to Dictionary.com, Adventure means:
1. an exciting or very unusual experience
2. participation in exciting undertakings, or enterprises
3. a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome
Life is an adventure. Every day, we have uplanned, or sometimes unusual experiences that are out of the ordinary. We participate in risky undertakings when we try new things, meet new people, or even just experiment with a new recipe.
For me, adventure means to step out of the humdrum and into life lived fully.
What does adventure mean to you?
Here are some adventures that I'm giving thanks for in my intertwined 365 Days of Blessings count, and A to Z Challenge:
1. Adventures in cooking: my experimental banana cocunut muffins turned out really yummy! As a mom with food intolerances (means I don't digest many foods without pain or major discomfort) with kids and a hubby with food intolerances, I've learned that taking risks in the kitchen can lead to some sweet rewards. (and some flaming disasters)
2. Adventures in education: our family has used three very different methods of home education in the last 7-8 years. We started with fun and games with a little curriculum (preschool and kindgergarten for my oldest), then took part in a state run home study program for four years, and then switched to homeschooling with two home school co-operatives, and a mix of different curriculums. Every day is an adventure for us, and we are learning all the time, and loving it.
3. Adventures in dance: my daughters are dancers. They've been dancing since their preschool years, and in the last 2 and a 1/2 years, they've been part of a tap company at Action Dance Academy. They perform at least six times a year at competitions, company productions, and community events. They have ups and downs, and they tap everywhere they go. They've always been movers (our whole family has a need to fidget), and now they are tappers. They tap their feet in classes at our co-ops, in line at the grocery store, in the library, the bookstore, the car, at amusement parks, at their friends houses . . . everywhere.
4. Adventures in writing: I talked my daughters into participating in the NaNoWriMo young writer's program in November, and now my oldest has persuaded me to participate in the April Script Frenzy. I don't know what I'm doing, and I don't know that I'll finish, but I'm trying something new and exciting.
5. Adventures in faith: Nearly three months ago, we experienced a painful church split. During this split, my family and I prayed through all the struggles, and felt called to be part of a new church, a church plant that is just now gaining steam and direction. I've been called to a new ministry in this new church as a worship and music facilitator. We don't have a Pastor yet, but we have been getting guidance from visiting Pastors and Missionaries along the way. These adventures in faith are stretching my abilities in all kinds of ways, and I feel blessed to be a part of a growing, loving, welcoming church group committed to working together and blessing our community with the message of Christ's love and salvation.
6. Adventures in friendship: Recently, I have been blessed abundantly by friendship. A wonderful friend of mine has called me nearly every day to check in with me, and share her ideas, her troubles, her fun stuff, and to listen to my ideas, my troubles, and my fun stuff. I really appreciate her friendship, and how it has grown over time. It makes me appreciate all of my friends more, and want to check in with all my friends more often than I usually do.
7. Adventures in marriage: To many, marriage doesn't sound adventurous, but it is. Faithfully sticking by your spouse's side through joys and sorrows, agreements, and disagreements is an adventure. Laughing together, crying together, praying together, playing together, and occasionally stomping around the house together is all an adventure. Marriage is a time when two become one, and in that process, the two rub against each other like sandpaper some days, while other days are just one giant hug.
8. Adventures on family vacations x2: My parents took me on many adventurous vacations while I was growing up, and I feel that adventure is a necessary ingredient to any good vacation. This month, courtesy of my in-laws generosity, we will ski and snowboard at Whistler in Canada with the whole family - from my nine year old daugther to my 72 year old father-in-law, from our physically fit nephew who plays water polo to my sister-in-law's husband with MS - we will all ski and snowboard. Believe it or not, you can ski at Whistler even when you can't move from the neck down. They have ski tours where an individual can strap into a chair on skis and be skied from place to place by a tour guide. It's an awesome experience for the whole family.
Then, in a wild, adventurous turn of events, we will travel to Hawaii for most of the last two weeks of April, where . . . get this . . . we will Swim with Sharks. This is a big dream for my oldest daughter, who has loved sharks since age two when we first took a trip to Pt. Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and watched the sharks swim by us on the other side of two inches of plexiglass. I'm probably going to be terrified, but the Shark tour company we've decided to make reservations with has a 100% safety rating, and I liked the pictures of the very safe looking cage that we get to swim inside (with the sharks outside).
9. Adventures in blogging: You may be wondering how on earth I'm going to keep up with the A to Z challenge this month with all these amazing adventures taking place at the same time. Well, I admit, I'm going to write some in advance, and I'll have time to write on our car trip to Canada, and our plane ride to Hawaii. It will be a challenge, and an adventure to blog all month, but I intend to succeed. In addition to both the A to Z Challenge, and my Blessings Challenge, I'll be at my 2nd Blogaversary this month. . . . I'm thinking of a contest giveaway of some kind, but I'll have more details on that later.
10. Adventures in community giving: A few years ago, I realized that my daughters didn't have a way to serve in our community. I asked at the food bank, and they said they had enough kid help and needed more adults. I was interested in Habitat for Humanity, but they can't take children because of safety issues. I asked and asked, and I looked around the community, thought about my daughters' interests, and finally came across a newspaper article about Harbor Hope Cat Rescue. We've been volunteering there for nearly two years, sometimes weekly, sometimes just once a month, and we love our time there.
Adventures in Scripture Blessings:
"What anyone else dares to boast about - I am speaking like a fool - I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendents? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received forty lashes minus one.
Three times I was beaten with rods, onces I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day on the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.
I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face the daily pressure of my concern for all churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness."
2 Corinthians 11:21-29
Paul's adventures in faith, his boasting of his own weakness and the Lord's strength, in response to accusations that he is not enough of a "super-apostle."
For me, this is a recounting of both spiritual and physical adventures . . . of hardship and risk for faith.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
365 Days of Blessings, Days 300 thru 305
Life has been full, and blessed, and I have lost count . . . so here is the best blessing count I can give for the last several days. It's long, so just skim if you are daunted by the length. I'll try to keep them daily and short from now on.
1. Spring Skiing.
2. Fresh snow.
3. Math homework done on the car ride to the ski hill.
4. Lettuce wrap sandwiches for lunch for three days in a row, and no complaints! My kids actually like them, and continue to like them.
5. A big bundle of red grapes.
6. Coke Zero. I know it isn't good for me, but I still like it.
7. Winnie's War by Jenny Moss, a book that I added into our homeschool curriculum. This book by a first time author gives us a strong, young heroine who battles the Spanish influenza that swept the country near the end of WWI. I'm not sure it's on my top 100 must read books, but it is well written and I highly recommend it to anyone studying this time period with a 4th-6th grader.
8. My favorite quote from Winnie's War:
"Hope is a thing with feathers -
that perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -"
This is the epitaph that Winnie writes for her mother's grave. Trust me, this book will make you seek out a box of kleenex.
9. Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray is part of my older daughter's curriculum, and I highly recommend it for anyone who would like to read a story based in Medieval times, following the exploits of a young minstrel who gets separated from his father and his dog.
10. My favorite quote from Adam of the Road:
"'A road's a kind of holy thing,' Roger went on. 'That's why it's a good work to keep a road in repair, like giving alms to the poor or tending the sick. It's open to the sun and wind and rain. It brings all kinds of people and all parts of England together. And it's home to the minstrel, even though he may happen to be sleeping in a castle.'
It was, somehow, a solemn moment. Four wild geese flew overhead just then, and made it so that Adam never forgot what Roger had said and how he looked when he said it."
11. Recently, I learned that the most well known haiku poet, Mtsua Basho, was also a samurai. How cool is that?! And why didn't I know? Oh well, I know now, and I love it!
12. The old pond:
a frog jumps in,-
the sound of water.
-Basho
13. That great blue oak
indifferent to all blossoms
appears more noble
-Basho
14. speaking out
my lips are cold
in autumn wind
-Basho
15. Won't you come and see
loneliness? Just one leaf
from the kiri tree.
-Basho
16. With dewdrops dripping,
I wish somehow I could wash
this perishing world
-Basho
17. The bird, a dark speck
against the storm clouds, wings home
before the winds strike.
-Tyrean
18. Pulpy lemonade
tastes summer sweet on gray days
- a hint of sun inside.
-Tyrean
19. Having a haiku moment! Just try writing one!
20. Learning more about haiku poetry while teaching it to my writing class. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to share my joy with them. They found it to be a painful writing exercise, but I'm proud of them for trying.
21. Haiku Diem is a fun site where one poet is attempting to write a haiku each day.
22. Hollywood Connection Dance Convention! Seven hours of dance classes each day for each of my daughters, plus a competition that took place Saturday evening.
23. My daughters received Silver in their age group, and dance category!
24. Christian hip hop teachers are cool.
25. My oldest daughter had an awesome time at the convention.
26. My youngest daughter survived the convention . . . and had some fun moments. She liked her Jazz and Sassafrass classes the best. She also liked performing at the competition.
27. My oldest daughter knows how to take care of herself in a room full of 100 dancers, with 4-5 friends with her and a few parents she knows. She was confidant enough to step out when one teacher went over the top with her criticism of the class' "fumbling feet" and "inability to focus." It doesn't sound that negative as I write it, but this teacher was cranky and down on a bunch of 11-14 year olds who were giving their best, and I wasn't the only parent who took offense. Thankfully, only that one teacher at the convention was out of line. The rest were awesome.
28. I loved how the tap teacher worked on the kids' performance techniques and personality.
29. I also loved how one of the jazz teachers spent time teaching the kids life lessons in joy and self-worth.
30. I was wowed by my oldest daughter ability to learn hip hop. Hip hop is usually not her style, and she did great!
31. The petite Jazz and petite Tap groups from our Dance Company took First Place Gold in their age category! They were awesome! (and they are 6-7 years old)
32. Counter Rhythms, a select tap group number, and Flapper Fusion, also did awesome at the competition.
33. I learned some valuable parenting lessons this weekend.
34. I also learned that without keeping my focus on Christ, I am lost. I know that doesn't sound like a blessing, but it is. I needed a reminder on Sunday morning when my youngest had a series of meltdowns at the convention. Finally, we took time out and took time to pray, and we worked through it.
35. Flashmobs with my daughters.
36. My youngest daughter talked on the phone yesterday with a friend! This was a Big, huge step in gaining self-confidence with friends.
37. My oldest daughter had a conversation with my youngest via cell-phone to encourage her before she called her friend.
38. Our beagle has learned to "talk" to use kind of like our older Rhodesian Ridgeback does with a series of throaty rumbles. However, our male beagle has a higher pitched rumble, with a series of yawning whines. He's looking at me right now with that I-need-attention-now look.
39. The joy of petting a dog, or two.
40. Have I mentioned before that my daughters have taught our cat how to give "high fives"? I never knew a cat could be trained to do something like that, but they read about it in one of their books, and started training.
41. Kids are optimists most of the time.
42. I have experience in being miserably, painfully shy. Again, this is one that doesn't sound like a blessing, but it turns out that it is one now. My youngest daughter is experiencing some of the same kind of social anxiety that I once experienced, and she knows that I understand what she is going through lately so she is willing to try taking some of my advice . . . like smiling at others, saying hi as a start, and then finding something to compliment or a question to ask. If we can get someone else to do the talking, then we don't have to . . .
43. Prayers for my daughter's self-confidence.
44. Prayers for all the girls, and women in this world who need to know the love, joy, and peace of having Christ as their savior, and shepherd.
45. My daughters are both looking forward to seeing some of their friends today at our Wednesday Family co-op, which is a smaller, less formal group of kids and moms coming together to play, do Science experiments, Latin practice, Writing, and Art.
46. Looking forward to Lectio Divina tonight for our Lenten Worship. Holy Reading can be very meaningful, and wonderful.
47. Our new church has an interim website online with three of our Sunday sermons, and two of our Wednesday night worships online. I highly recommend the sermon videos with Pastor Joel Parker, Pat Lelvis, and Elizabeth Cochrane. ILCGH - check it out to see some of what we've been up to these days.
48. Just now, I got over my fear about what I looked like and sounded like on camera and actually watched the video of the message I did last Wednesday night. The Lord definitely showed up and provided His grace, while I tried not to "um" too many times. Lenten Message March 23rd With God's help, I did ok for a formerly painfully shy kid. I prefer jumping around and pretending on stage in front of a group of enthusiastic VBS kids. It's harder to just be me in front of a group of people.
49. I've lost eight pounds since January 1st. Not quite the 20 I had hoped to lose before mid-April, but I have a few more weeks . . . maybe I'll at least lost another 7 for a total of 15 by then. I know this is mostly vanity, but it's about health and fitness too. A facebook friend of mine challenged me to try to lose 40 pounds by my 40th birthday, and I have 4 and a half months yet to go for that goal.
50. The more weight I lose, the higher I can jump! I'm just working on my own personal anti-gravity method.
51. The more weight I lose, the longer I can dance!
52. My youngest daughter started the day with reading in bed.
53. My oldest daughter started her day with dancing in the living room.
54. I started my day with push ups, sit ups, leg lifts, ironing, Bible-reading, biking, and blogging.
55. Experimenting with a new muffin recipe. Here it is so far:
1 and 1/2 cups of my gluten free flour mix (Garbanzo bean, Fava Bean and Sorghum flour)
1/4 cup of sugar
2 Tablespoons flaxseed
1 Tablespoon Chia seed (replaces eggs and some oil)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon guar gum (replaces that nasty gluten stuff that naturally occurs in wheat)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Then
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 overly ripe bananas mashed to a pulp
1/2 cup coconut
1//4 cup almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 to 1 cup water (I didn't measure this well enough to be sure, and added too much later, then let it sit and thicken for a while)
Currently cooking in a 350 degree farenheit oven.
So far, the dough scrapings taste delicious!
56. My childhood inventiveness in the kitchen is now paying off. I always wanted to create "my very own" recipes. Now, I have to make my own to eat without IBS, rashes, headaches, or other food intolerance symptoms. All my childhood experience has made me less fearful about subsitutions, and even (gasp in shock from any professional/proud amateur chef) not measure things exactly. If I waited to measure everything out exactly while subsituting, I would go crazy. Sure, this way, I have some flops. But I've learned some basic amounts of different ingredients that work well. An "eyeballed" amount, or a pinch work fine when I cook every day.
57. My daughter is challenging me to scissor leg lifts . . . I can only do five, but five is better than none.
58. My dogs have a lot to say today, determined to love me away from my computer.
59. I love the book of Acts in the Bible, and how women show up in the Biblical account. Lydia, Damaris, and Priscilla are all my heroines.
60. Just realized that my cooking experiments could make a great allegory for my writing life . . . may have to put together a post on that tomorrow! Hopefully those muffins turn out well.
61. (an extra blessing on a 60 day count? God provides!!!) The steadfast endurance of the Lord's apostles. From them, we have a Biblical adventure that rivals the Oddyssey for excitement, and teaches us how to follow Christ!
Scripture Blessings:
"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." (Paul is saying goodbye to the disciples in Ephesus) Acts 20:22-24
1. Spring Skiing.
2. Fresh snow.
3. Math homework done on the car ride to the ski hill.
4. Lettuce wrap sandwiches for lunch for three days in a row, and no complaints! My kids actually like them, and continue to like them.
5. A big bundle of red grapes.
6. Coke Zero. I know it isn't good for me, but I still like it.
7. Winnie's War by Jenny Moss, a book that I added into our homeschool curriculum. This book by a first time author gives us a strong, young heroine who battles the Spanish influenza that swept the country near the end of WWI. I'm not sure it's on my top 100 must read books, but it is well written and I highly recommend it to anyone studying this time period with a 4th-6th grader.
8. My favorite quote from Winnie's War:
"Hope is a thing with feathers -
that perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -"
This is the epitaph that Winnie writes for her mother's grave. Trust me, this book will make you seek out a box of kleenex.
9. Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray is part of my older daughter's curriculum, and I highly recommend it for anyone who would like to read a story based in Medieval times, following the exploits of a young minstrel who gets separated from his father and his dog.
10. My favorite quote from Adam of the Road:
"'A road's a kind of holy thing,' Roger went on. 'That's why it's a good work to keep a road in repair, like giving alms to the poor or tending the sick. It's open to the sun and wind and rain. It brings all kinds of people and all parts of England together. And it's home to the minstrel, even though he may happen to be sleeping in a castle.'
It was, somehow, a solemn moment. Four wild geese flew overhead just then, and made it so that Adam never forgot what Roger had said and how he looked when he said it."
11. Recently, I learned that the most well known haiku poet, Mtsua Basho, was also a samurai. How cool is that?! And why didn't I know? Oh well, I know now, and I love it!
12. The old pond:
a frog jumps in,-
the sound of water.
-Basho
13. That great blue oak
indifferent to all blossoms
appears more noble
-Basho
14. speaking out
my lips are cold
in autumn wind
-Basho
15. Won't you come and see
loneliness? Just one leaf
from the kiri tree.
-Basho
16. With dewdrops dripping,
I wish somehow I could wash
this perishing world
-Basho
17. The bird, a dark speck
against the storm clouds, wings home
before the winds strike.
-Tyrean
18. Pulpy lemonade
tastes summer sweet on gray days
- a hint of sun inside.
-Tyrean
19. Having a haiku moment! Just try writing one!
20. Learning more about haiku poetry while teaching it to my writing class. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to share my joy with them. They found it to be a painful writing exercise, but I'm proud of them for trying.
21. Haiku Diem is a fun site where one poet is attempting to write a haiku each day.
22. Hollywood Connection Dance Convention! Seven hours of dance classes each day for each of my daughters, plus a competition that took place Saturday evening.
23. My daughters received Silver in their age group, and dance category!
24. Christian hip hop teachers are cool.
25. My oldest daughter had an awesome time at the convention.
26. My youngest daughter survived the convention . . . and had some fun moments. She liked her Jazz and Sassafrass classes the best. She also liked performing at the competition.
27. My oldest daughter knows how to take care of herself in a room full of 100 dancers, with 4-5 friends with her and a few parents she knows. She was confidant enough to step out when one teacher went over the top with her criticism of the class' "fumbling feet" and "inability to focus." It doesn't sound that negative as I write it, but this teacher was cranky and down on a bunch of 11-14 year olds who were giving their best, and I wasn't the only parent who took offense. Thankfully, only that one teacher at the convention was out of line. The rest were awesome.
28. I loved how the tap teacher worked on the kids' performance techniques and personality.
29. I also loved how one of the jazz teachers spent time teaching the kids life lessons in joy and self-worth.
30. I was wowed by my oldest daughter ability to learn hip hop. Hip hop is usually not her style, and she did great!
31. The petite Jazz and petite Tap groups from our Dance Company took First Place Gold in their age category! They were awesome! (and they are 6-7 years old)
32. Counter Rhythms, a select tap group number, and Flapper Fusion, also did awesome at the competition.
33. I learned some valuable parenting lessons this weekend.
34. I also learned that without keeping my focus on Christ, I am lost. I know that doesn't sound like a blessing, but it is. I needed a reminder on Sunday morning when my youngest had a series of meltdowns at the convention. Finally, we took time out and took time to pray, and we worked through it.
35. Flashmobs with my daughters.
36. My youngest daughter talked on the phone yesterday with a friend! This was a Big, huge step in gaining self-confidence with friends.
37. My oldest daughter had a conversation with my youngest via cell-phone to encourage her before she called her friend.
38. Our beagle has learned to "talk" to use kind of like our older Rhodesian Ridgeback does with a series of throaty rumbles. However, our male beagle has a higher pitched rumble, with a series of yawning whines. He's looking at me right now with that I-need-attention-now look.
39. The joy of petting a dog, or two.
40. Have I mentioned before that my daughters have taught our cat how to give "high fives"? I never knew a cat could be trained to do something like that, but they read about it in one of their books, and started training.
41. Kids are optimists most of the time.
42. I have experience in being miserably, painfully shy. Again, this is one that doesn't sound like a blessing, but it turns out that it is one now. My youngest daughter is experiencing some of the same kind of social anxiety that I once experienced, and she knows that I understand what she is going through lately so she is willing to try taking some of my advice . . . like smiling at others, saying hi as a start, and then finding something to compliment or a question to ask. If we can get someone else to do the talking, then we don't have to . . .
43. Prayers for my daughter's self-confidence.
44. Prayers for all the girls, and women in this world who need to know the love, joy, and peace of having Christ as their savior, and shepherd.
45. My daughters are both looking forward to seeing some of their friends today at our Wednesday Family co-op, which is a smaller, less formal group of kids and moms coming together to play, do Science experiments, Latin practice, Writing, and Art.
46. Looking forward to Lectio Divina tonight for our Lenten Worship. Holy Reading can be very meaningful, and wonderful.
47. Our new church has an interim website online with three of our Sunday sermons, and two of our Wednesday night worships online. I highly recommend the sermon videos with Pastor Joel Parker, Pat Lelvis, and Elizabeth Cochrane. ILCGH - check it out to see some of what we've been up to these days.
48. Just now, I got over my fear about what I looked like and sounded like on camera and actually watched the video of the message I did last Wednesday night. The Lord definitely showed up and provided His grace, while I tried not to "um" too many times. Lenten Message March 23rd With God's help, I did ok for a formerly painfully shy kid. I prefer jumping around and pretending on stage in front of a group of enthusiastic VBS kids. It's harder to just be me in front of a group of people.
49. I've lost eight pounds since January 1st. Not quite the 20 I had hoped to lose before mid-April, but I have a few more weeks . . . maybe I'll at least lost another 7 for a total of 15 by then. I know this is mostly vanity, but it's about health and fitness too. A facebook friend of mine challenged me to try to lose 40 pounds by my 40th birthday, and I have 4 and a half months yet to go for that goal.
50. The more weight I lose, the higher I can jump! I'm just working on my own personal anti-gravity method.
51. The more weight I lose, the longer I can dance!
52. My youngest daughter started the day with reading in bed.
53. My oldest daughter started her day with dancing in the living room.
54. I started my day with push ups, sit ups, leg lifts, ironing, Bible-reading, biking, and blogging.
55. Experimenting with a new muffin recipe. Here it is so far:
1 and 1/2 cups of my gluten free flour mix (Garbanzo bean, Fava Bean and Sorghum flour)
1/4 cup of sugar
2 Tablespoons flaxseed
1 Tablespoon Chia seed (replaces eggs and some oil)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon guar gum (replaces that nasty gluten stuff that naturally occurs in wheat)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Then
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 overly ripe bananas mashed to a pulp
1/2 cup coconut
1//4 cup almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 to 1 cup water (I didn't measure this well enough to be sure, and added too much later, then let it sit and thicken for a while)
Currently cooking in a 350 degree farenheit oven.
So far, the dough scrapings taste delicious!
56. My childhood inventiveness in the kitchen is now paying off. I always wanted to create "my very own" recipes. Now, I have to make my own to eat without IBS, rashes, headaches, or other food intolerance symptoms. All my childhood experience has made me less fearful about subsitutions, and even (gasp in shock from any professional/proud amateur chef) not measure things exactly. If I waited to measure everything out exactly while subsituting, I would go crazy. Sure, this way, I have some flops. But I've learned some basic amounts of different ingredients that work well. An "eyeballed" amount, or a pinch work fine when I cook every day.
57. My daughter is challenging me to scissor leg lifts . . . I can only do five, but five is better than none.
58. My dogs have a lot to say today, determined to love me away from my computer.
59. I love the book of Acts in the Bible, and how women show up in the Biblical account. Lydia, Damaris, and Priscilla are all my heroines.
60. Just realized that my cooking experiments could make a great allegory for my writing life . . . may have to put together a post on that tomorrow! Hopefully those muffins turn out well.
61. (an extra blessing on a 60 day count? God provides!!!) The steadfast endurance of the Lord's apostles. From them, we have a Biblical adventure that rivals the Oddyssey for excitement, and teaches us how to follow Christ!
Scripture Blessings:
"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." (Paul is saying goodbye to the disciples in Ephesus) Acts 20:22-24
Thursday, March 24, 2011
365 Days of Blessings, Day 299
Giving thanks for some amazing blessings:
1. I received the Powerful Woman Writer Award from Deidra at A Storybook World. Thank you Deidra! I'm passing this on to:
The Golden Eagle
Karen Lange at Write Now
Angie at Notes from the Writing Chair
Jill Kemerer
Melissa at Through the Looking Glass
and Carol Riggs at Artzicarol Rambling
2. I have a poem published with Yahoo Associated Content, which is interesting, and pretty cool at the same time. Check it out - New Hope You have to look carefully for the last three words, placed under the changing advertisement. This is an adventure in publishing for me, and at this point I'm just checking it out and seeing if the process, and payment is worth it.
3. Hula-hooping with my daughters this afternoon.
4. Free Dress week at the Dance Studio.
5. Gumball machines.
6. Practicing tap steps while writing a blog post!
7. Our Monday Homeschool Co-op is having a coin drive for relief efforts in Japan.
8. A really, really nice lady from our dance studio is dropping off my youngest daugther's ski jacket - which she left at the dance studio earlier.
9. Playing the medieval game, Fox and Geese, with my oldest daughter as a fun part of our homeschool history. Here's a link for The Rules of Fox & Geese and a fancy looking board set. We just used a piece of paper with a pen made board, and pennies for our geese, and a dime for our fox. It's amazing that such a game of "unequal" sides can be won by either side - the 13 geese, or the lone fox - depending on how you play.
10. My youngest daughter's recent enthusiasm for scrapbooking!
11. The Lord is patient with us.
Scripture Blessings:
Psalm 86:15-16
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.
1. I received the Powerful Woman Writer Award from Deidra at A Storybook World. Thank you Deidra! I'm passing this on to:
The Golden Eagle
Karen Lange at Write Now
Angie at Notes from the Writing Chair
Jill Kemerer
Melissa at Through the Looking Glass
and Carol Riggs at Artzicarol Rambling
2. I have a poem published with Yahoo Associated Content, which is interesting, and pretty cool at the same time. Check it out - New Hope You have to look carefully for the last three words, placed under the changing advertisement. This is an adventure in publishing for me, and at this point I'm just checking it out and seeing if the process, and payment is worth it.
3. Hula-hooping with my daughters this afternoon.
4. Free Dress week at the Dance Studio.
5. Gumball machines.
6. Practicing tap steps while writing a blog post!
7. Our Monday Homeschool Co-op is having a coin drive for relief efforts in Japan.
8. A really, really nice lady from our dance studio is dropping off my youngest daugther's ski jacket - which she left at the dance studio earlier.
9. Playing the medieval game, Fox and Geese, with my oldest daughter as a fun part of our homeschool history. Here's a link for The Rules of Fox & Geese and a fancy looking board set. We just used a piece of paper with a pen made board, and pennies for our geese, and a dime for our fox. It's amazing that such a game of "unequal" sides can be won by either side - the 13 geese, or the lone fox - depending on how you play.
10. My youngest daughter's recent enthusiasm for scrapbooking!
11. The Lord is patient with us.
Scripture Blessings:
Psalm 86:15-16
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
365 Days of Blessings, Days 294 thru 298
Whew! Days have flown by and I haven't kept track of my blessings very well. This project has grown tougher as the year has progressed, and I'm not sure why that has been true.
So, here is the best I can do, with limited time, and limited notes:
Today, I'm giving thanks for:
1. New leaves.
2. The way our cat watches my husband's every move. He is her favorite person.
3. Watching my husband play with our cat. When I married him, he hated cats. Now he loves our cat.
4. A new adult tap class at our dance studio. My husband and I are both taking it together.
5. My "squeaky" husband tap-dancing in his work shoes.
6. Waking up with a story in my mind.
7. Writing a rough summary-outline of a story, first thing after waking up.
8. Researching names in a language that I'm unfamiliar with . . . to break my tendency to name my characters randomly, and similarly.
9. The sleepover my oldest daughter went to last weekend.
10. Getting a garden bed cleaned out - away with those old leaves.
11. Hasty gardening - my new method that I hope will help me get the work done quickly.
12. Vacation plans.
13. An unexpected visit from family.
14. Vacation meal plans with my sister-in-law.
15. The gift of a trip from my in-laws.
16. My parents are home for a few days.
17. My mom brought me home a sparkly blue hat from her travels. Now I match her, and my daughters. My mom has a sparkly silver hat, my oldest has a sparkly black hat, my youngest has a sparkly pink hat, and now I'm sparkly blue.
18. My mom gave my daughters a couple of interesting crinkle shirts that she found in Mexico. They shrink into a tiny size when they aren't being worn, but stretch out and look baggy while worn. Interesting material.
19. My Dad is back to tinkering with stuff to make it work. He may not be happy that their water-based floor heating system burst and flooded their basement, but it gives him something to fix. He likes fixing stuff.
20. Looking forward to PJ day with our Wednesday Co-op group.
21. Pancakes for lunch today!
22. Worship last Sunday was awesome.
23. The Story of the World books by Susan Wise Bauer.
24. Yukon Ho! - a Calvin and Hobbes book.
25. A bulletin board full of homeschool art, and homework.
26. Finally feeling as if I've given my Shakespeare students enough creative options for a project. We were all tired of writing papers every time.
27. Being able to commiserate with a friend over troubles.
28. Thinking of a t-shirt that would read: "So many Bible verses, so little time." Just my quirky brain trying to be creative with an old theme.
29. The new Youth leader at our church is putting together a group to go to Creation Fest Northwest!!! Woohoo!
30. I'll be leading worship, and speaking the message tonight at our Lenten worship for our new church. And I feel mostly ready, and I have notes.
31. Surprised by a package on my doorstep!
32. Our album from Snapfish has arrived!
33. Fun looking at an album . . . and plans for how we would make it better, and more cost effective next time.
34. Reading the line up for Every Day Poets in April. My poem "april second" will be out April 2nd. :-)
35. Sharing crazy dream story ideas over breakfast with my daughters.
36. My oldest daughter finished her math before breakfast today . . . now I have to check her work, but I'm excited that she took the initiative.
37. Finally learning how to embed video - hope this works:
38. The corner store . . . supplying us with all our last-minute-oops-I-forgot-that-at-the-grocery-store needs like chocolate chips for chocolate chip pancakes.
39. The melting pot of the English language - old English, Celtic, Viking/Scandinavian, Latin, Greek, French - all mixed together in the wonderful, complex, rich language.
40. Piles and piles of books. Ok, I need to re-shelve in the midst of my planning/dreaming/reading/homeschooling days, but there are few "things" in this world I like better than piles of books.
41. Looking forward to Creation Fest Northwest 2011:
42. Looking forward to seeing Nick Vujicic at Creation Fest:
43. One blessing of having a messy house today - our cat loves to play with stray socks left on the floor.
44. Science Experiments with friends.
45. Art with friends.
46. Story sharing with friends.
47. Latin with friends.
48. The fruit of the Spirit in sign language.
49. An afternoon cup of Vanilla Chai Tea with honey.
50. When we surrender our lives to Christ, the Lord grows the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
Scripture Blessings:
Galatians 5:22-23
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
So, here is the best I can do, with limited time, and limited notes:
Today, I'm giving thanks for:
1. New leaves.
2. The way our cat watches my husband's every move. He is her favorite person.
3. Watching my husband play with our cat. When I married him, he hated cats. Now he loves our cat.
4. A new adult tap class at our dance studio. My husband and I are both taking it together.
5. My "squeaky" husband tap-dancing in his work shoes.
6. Waking up with a story in my mind.
7. Writing a rough summary-outline of a story, first thing after waking up.
8. Researching names in a language that I'm unfamiliar with . . . to break my tendency to name my characters randomly, and similarly.
9. The sleepover my oldest daughter went to last weekend.
10. Getting a garden bed cleaned out - away with those old leaves.
11. Hasty gardening - my new method that I hope will help me get the work done quickly.
12. Vacation plans.
13. An unexpected visit from family.
14. Vacation meal plans with my sister-in-law.
15. The gift of a trip from my in-laws.
16. My parents are home for a few days.
17. My mom brought me home a sparkly blue hat from her travels. Now I match her, and my daughters. My mom has a sparkly silver hat, my oldest has a sparkly black hat, my youngest has a sparkly pink hat, and now I'm sparkly blue.
18. My mom gave my daughters a couple of interesting crinkle shirts that she found in Mexico. They shrink into a tiny size when they aren't being worn, but stretch out and look baggy while worn. Interesting material.
19. My Dad is back to tinkering with stuff to make it work. He may not be happy that their water-based floor heating system burst and flooded their basement, but it gives him something to fix. He likes fixing stuff.
20. Looking forward to PJ day with our Wednesday Co-op group.
21. Pancakes for lunch today!
22. Worship last Sunday was awesome.
23. The Story of the World books by Susan Wise Bauer.
24. Yukon Ho! - a Calvin and Hobbes book.
25. A bulletin board full of homeschool art, and homework.
26. Finally feeling as if I've given my Shakespeare students enough creative options for a project. We were all tired of writing papers every time.
27. Being able to commiserate with a friend over troubles.
28. Thinking of a t-shirt that would read: "So many Bible verses, so little time." Just my quirky brain trying to be creative with an old theme.
29. The new Youth leader at our church is putting together a group to go to Creation Fest Northwest!!! Woohoo!
30. I'll be leading worship, and speaking the message tonight at our Lenten worship for our new church. And I feel mostly ready, and I have notes.
31. Surprised by a package on my doorstep!
32. Our album from Snapfish has arrived!
33. Fun looking at an album . . . and plans for how we would make it better, and more cost effective next time.
34. Reading the line up for Every Day Poets in April. My poem "april second" will be out April 2nd. :-)
35. Sharing crazy dream story ideas over breakfast with my daughters.
36. My oldest daughter finished her math before breakfast today . . . now I have to check her work, but I'm excited that she took the initiative.
37. Finally learning how to embed video - hope this works:
38. The corner store . . . supplying us with all our last-minute-oops-I-forgot-that-at-the-grocery-store needs like chocolate chips for chocolate chip pancakes.
39. The melting pot of the English language - old English, Celtic, Viking/Scandinavian, Latin, Greek, French - all mixed together in the wonderful, complex, rich language.
40. Piles and piles of books. Ok, I need to re-shelve in the midst of my planning/dreaming/reading/homeschooling days, but there are few "things" in this world I like better than piles of books.
41. Looking forward to Creation Fest Northwest 2011:
42. Looking forward to seeing Nick Vujicic at Creation Fest:
43. One blessing of having a messy house today - our cat loves to play with stray socks left on the floor.
44. Science Experiments with friends.
45. Art with friends.
46. Story sharing with friends.
47. Latin with friends.
48. The fruit of the Spirit in sign language.
49. An afternoon cup of Vanilla Chai Tea with honey.
50. When we surrender our lives to Christ, the Lord grows the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
Scripture Blessings:
Galatians 5:22-23
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."
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