Primary Source

Here's the primary source website I found recently.

Rain

Rain, rain go away come again another day...for many that was probably the saying yesterday here in Rainville. For me I relished the rain. It was wonderful!!! I sat on the back porch in the morning snuggled under a comforter and read. And, then moved to my comfy chair in my bedroom so I could still hear the rain.

I read all day long and felt much like a bear in hibernation. I did nothing, but sit and read. And I'm serious. I mean nothing!!! There were a million things I could have done, but instead I chose to sit and soak and rest and read.

I read my BSF notes, Psalm 33, a chapter from The Green Letters, A chapter from the Light and the Glory, A History of US Book 2 (yes, the whole entire book covering the time from 1600-1740), pages from George Muller's autobiography. And then, I found a great resource of primary source documents on the internet and read from Foxe's Book of Matyr's, The Mayflower Compact, Last Will and Testaments from Settler's in Plymouth, The Westminster Catechism, and even transcripts from the Salem Witch Trials.

Rain refreshes the earth.
Rest refreshes my soul.
Reading refreshes my mind.

Smith Story Time

"Far, far away, where the trees were greener than the prettiest green and the sky was bluer than the brightest blue, there was a place called Happy Valley. In Happy Valley the brooks babbled, the birds sang, and everyone smiled all day long. The farmers whistled and hummed as they did their chores. Children sang as they skipped to school. In Happy Valley every day was a happy day."

PLEASE GIVE ME A GREAT BIG BREAK!! Last night Noah picked out a book and this was the first page. I seriously wanted to toss my cookies. But I refrained and read the book and sent my little one off to bed to dream of Happy Valley with a vow to throw this book in the trash after blogging about it.

Why do I react to Happy Valley so vehemenently? I think it's because in the past ten years in particular I've learned that life is not always so happy. People do not get what they want when they want it and everything does not turn out hunky dory.

Life is often hard. Dreams die. Loved ones die. Marriage is not on the horizon. The barren couple weeps. Sickness comes crashing in when we least expect it. People disappoint us. Money doesn't grow on trees, it flies like the wind. Our dream home needs a new roof. The children we long for go off the deep end when they grow up. You get the picture.

Our deepest longings are often unfulfilled. Happy Valley is an illusion. It's a lie. What is the truth?

The truth is Jesus came that we might have life to the full. Not once do I read that He came that we would be happy. His life resulted in death on a cross. And yet, He didn't stay dead, He came back to life. His call on my life is to deny myself, take up my cross and follow Him.

Today one of my dearest friends is dealing with the disappointment of not receiving what she longed for and my heart hurts for her. For many months she and her husband have been involved in the adoption process for twins. They've been loving on them, investing in them and yet they are at home again in waiting mode without them. Unfortunately she is 6,000 miles away and I can not be with her.

She's definitely not in Happy Valley right now, but I know her. Regardless of how she feels, she is trusting God. Why? Because He is God. Because He is good. Because He is Powerful. Because He works all things for the good for those who love him and are called according to His purpose. Because with Him nothing is impossible.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Investments

Recently David and I went to Ashville, NC. We had the opportunity to attend a conference at the Billy Graham Training Center. It is a beautiful location that provides a wonderful atmosphere for refreshment through the word of God. I highly recommend it!!! (And they have scholarships if you are military.)

We also went to visit the Biltmore Estate. It is also a beautiful location. The house is mammoth. David and I walked around for hours, listening to the audio tour. I had two favorite places...the veranda, the view was breathtaking. And, the library....I really wanted to sit and read the books. But, alas, everything at the Biltmore is off-limits. It's a museum and everything is priceless. (And, I might add the cost of touring the facility is PRICEY).

While I get that it's a museum, in my soul I was saddened. Thousands of books will never be read. Thousands of sunrises and sunsets will never be viewed. It seems like a waste really.

As I dealt with these emotions, I began to think about the investments of these two men. The man who built the Biltmore and the man who built his life around sharing the good news that Jesus brings. What are the returns on their investments? What are the results of how they spent their time? How were people's lives affected?

What investments am I making in the future? What kind of legacy will I leave? How am I spending my time? Weighty questions, let me just say!!!

AAAHHHH!!!

Yesterday Little E, who's three, got sick on the way to school. We promptly turned around and came home. I set him up on the couch with waterproof tablecloths all around him. And of course we put the handy, dandy bucket beside him for his puking pleasure.

He never used the bucket, but let me tell you that waterproof tablecloth he was laying on was a cinch to clean...actually he would clean it himself (pretty nice since by this time I was joining in on the sickness venture).

This am my husband went to wake up our six-year old for school and smelled the dreaded smell. I'm glad I was still in bed, let me just tell you that. So now, our six year old is laying on the waterproof tablecloth.

Well, he just got sick and I'm so proud...he used the bucket. But my favorite thing was when his little brother said. "Oh, so that's how you are supposed to do it!!!!" Education at it's finest.

I'm off to do some serious cleaning!!

Crazy at the Cove

David and I went to a conference at the Cove in Ashville, NC last week. It was spiritually renewing and I will talk about that later, but I wanted to share some of the quirkiness of our trip (in no particular order).

• We ran into a former college student from our Ohio days. He's married now with one child and one on the way.
• I met a man from Memphis who looked vaguely familiar. Turns out he was the judge when I went to try and wiggle out of my speeding ticket. OUCH!!
• It rained and rained and rained!!!
• The rain kind of blocked out the view of the mountains...what mountains?
• When you go to the bathroom in an outhouse at the top of a mountain, it's kind of breezy.
• We ate and ate and ate.
• We opted to stay at a Bed and Breakfast since we knew the Cove didn't have TV's, after all it was vacation. Guess what...the B&B didn't have TV's either. Guess what else...a TV free week was nice.
• The Blue Ridge Parkway is a beautiful drive.
• The Blue Ridge Parkway is a spooky drive when the clouds are swirling around you.
• The Blue Ridge Parkway is not the quickest way to get to Memphis from Ashville.
• Traveling without kids is so much easier!!! (Although I did miss them!!)
• Driving a Hummer really does feel like you are driving in a tank.
• Driving a Hummer makes you feel way cooler than driving a grocery getter (minivan).
• It was great to go, BUT it was even more great to come home to our sweet family.

Where have I been?

It wasn't my intention to take such an extended blogger break. But, the time away from the computer was well spent. We've been up to a few things around here.

First, my house needed some significant de-cluttering. Usually I spend all my time in other areas of our home and the master bedroom seems to become the dumping ground. My nice, walk-in closet is dubbed "The Pit" and you certainly couldn't walk in it. Now, it's organized...well for me it's organized. I can actually step foot in it.

Second, my husband and I had the opportunity to go away for a few days. We went to a conference at "The Cove". It was great. I'll post more about that later. I will say that spending time with my hubby was wonderful. And, thanks to my aunt who made it all possible by caring for my four kids while we were gone!!!

Finally, I'm reading a book called "Making Room for Life" by Randy Fraze. Well, first I read Ted Dekker's book "Adam". I digress. This book by Randy Fraze is making me think.

The Smith's are in a BUSY season of life. Sometimes I miss the good ole' days. When we lived in Ohio and we hung out with friends all the time. When we only had two kids and we weren't outnumbered 2 to 1. When it was just the two of us and we....I'll refrain. You get the picture.

The fact of the matter is I want to enjoy the moment. Today is a new day. This season in life is unique and once it is gone, I will not be able to recapture it. Period. So, I'm thinking and pondering.

What is important in life? I can certainly give the textbook answer to that question....God, family, friends...people. But, can I live out the answer? Does my life reflect a full-on commitment to pursue relationships?

Smith Family Bailout

With the state of economy and the rising cost of EVERYTHING, our family is in evaluation mode. It would be easy to be fearful right now. News articles seem to be screaming that we are heading into the next Great Depression. While I am no financial analyst, it does seem that our country operates in excess mode. We want what we want and we want it now. Cost seems unimportant.

If I am honest, unfortunately I've operated in that same mode and have taught my children to do the same. So, while I can't change the world or the country, I can change myself and greatly influence my family. That is why my family is taking stock financially. We're taking baby steps.

This week we evaluated what we spend on beverages. Well, I determined that we spend an average of $130 a month on drinks and that does not count if we go out to eat or pick up a drink at a gas station. For crying out loud. That's $1,500 a year. Surely we can do better than that!! So, the Smith Family budget cut #1 is that we will reduce our beverage budget to $50 a month. Milk gets first priority...we do have some growing kids. Then, tea, coffee and juice (in that order). Anything else is considered a splurge.

Our second cut is piano lessons. Both of our girls are taking piano and while they love it and are progressing well, that's $120 a month. Yes, piano is important, but it is a luxury. So, we've gone to the drawing board. We've worked with their teacher and have come up with a plan to have the girls take piano every other week. They still have to do two weeks worth of work so hopefully it won't slow down their progress. That's a $60 a month savings.

So in one brainstorming session we've cut $140 from our budget for October.

Let me conclude by sharing my Hannah inspirations. First, our daughter Hannah gave up drinking carbonated beverages a year ago. Granted we're paying her $10 a month to do so based on a good case she made . She said she would be saving money. She's decided to continue to abstain until her braces come off. Talk about will power.

My other Hannah inspiration is my mother-in law. She is very frugal and lives simply. When I'm with her I'm amazed at how careful she is with her resources. I could certainly learn some lessons from her.

Some of my favorite frugal websites are:

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/
http://www.owlhaven.net

Who knew?

Here's a pic of our dear little boy Noah when he was four. Isn't he cute? Isn't he sweet? Doesn't he look innocent?

Well, this week he came home from school with a poor conduct grade. As we dug deep to determine the reason, we found out "he had shown his backside to some boys in the classroom".

That's a nice way to say that the moon was shining brightly at school. At least it was only a partial moon, not a full moon.

I mean seriously these boys are causing me to question my sanity. Yes, we spoke with him about the inappropriateness of this. However, I realize this just paves the way for some other boyishness.

Thoughts from a 3 year old.

Yesterday after Bible study I picked up my three year old. I usually ask him what he learned. He usually says "Nothing". Well, let's just say he was a bit more talkative this time.

Here's the conversation on the way to the car:

Mom - "What did you learn about baby Moses today?"

Elijah - "The bad guys put the babies in the river to take a bath because they didn't have a bathroom in their house".

And then in the car driving home:

Elijah - "Mom, is darn it a bad word?"

Mom - "Yes"

Elijah - "Is jumping a bad word?"

Mom - "No. Where did you hear darn it?

Elijah - "Bible Study"

He really makes me laugh.

He can however recite the verse "Direct my footsteps according to your word" for which I'm grateful.

Smith's

Here's the latest family pic from the beach this summer.

Dream Big!!

This morning our daughter who has a hairline fracture and is not able to play soccer shared the following dream she had last night.

"Mom, I dreamed last night that I was playing in the World Cup. And, I was my age. And, my whole team was playing with me. And, I scored 15 goals. And, we beat Italy and won the World Cup".

"Oh, and I dreamed that I met the Jonas Brothers."

"Oh yeah, and I dreamed that I became a star on Disney Channel."

Poor girl!! All her energy is oozing out in her dreams. We'll find out today how her leg is healing. She's handling this like a trooper.

Delighting in the Unexpected

Yesterday was a day I had been somewhat dreading. It was going to be a day full of activity from morning until night with no breaks. A day when I needed a detailed plan to determine where to be and what to do.

My day started early!! It was planned to the minute. Then, at 6:30 a.m. the phone ring. Who in the world calls at 6:30 am? It was my neighbor asking me to do his family a favor. It was serious enough that I took 30 minutes from my day to help my neighbor. It did not stress me out at all, even though it was not in "my plan for the day".

Before I left for work I was reading from a book entitled "Keep a Quiet Heart" by Elisabeth Elliot and this excerpt just seemed to scream at me, with my to the minute plan for the day. "She delighted in seeing her plan upset by unexpected events, saying that it gave her great comfort, and that she looked on such things as an assurance that God was watching over her stewardship, was securing the accomplishment of His will and working out His own designs"

Delighting in the interruptions...what a concept.

Unfortunately the experience of the morning and the success I experienced at delighting in the unexpected early in the day flew right on out the window in the afternoon hours. I won't go into details, but it was not pretty. It involved a missing purple sock that was the part of the soccer uniform....minutes before we needed to leave to take soccer pics.

And no, the sock never was found. What I did find was intense frustration and agitation in my heart that spewed all over my daughter and everyone else in the house. I can't say I delighted in the unexpected. I can say God used the pressure of the situation to reveal what was in my heart.

Today is a fresh start. Thank God!!

I took the plunge

This weekend my husband set me up a facebook account. He recently spoke with his college roomate and I commented on how I really needed to get on facebook. So, he hooked my up. Now, I have a few friends and I'm still trying to figure it all out.

The plus side is I've become friends with people I haven't seen in years. My favorite comment was a friend from college who said I haven't changed much. Little does she know I used a college photo (just kidding, it's a recent photo). The truth is I have changed so much not only in physical appearance, but also on the inside. And, I have a mortgage, four kids, a cat, a husband, a to do list a mile long. Talk about life change!!!

The down side is.....wow how much time could facebook consume of my life. Hubby made a great suggestion to set a timer when I use facebook. Technology is great and yes I love my DVR, my computer, et al, but I have observed that it does eat up my time if I'm not careful.

So here are my questions for the day....what's so great about facebook? Does it eliminate the need for e-mail? How in the world did "my new friends" find me on facebook within hours? Isn't it all a bit frightening? I would love to hear your raves and digs about facebook. And, any pointers would be greatly appreciated by this newbie.

Two Steps Forward Three Steps Back

You know it has just been one of those days. It seems like when I make progress in one area, something else falls apart. This morning went well, I made some progress on the wreckage of my house. I went to Kroger and found some deals!!! My favorite were the bags of chocolate for .75!!!!!

My day got ahead of me and I had to rush to get to my "appointment" to meet some friends at Starbucks. Let me just say that I LOVE that time of the week. It's a regular time to just get together with a few women and talk about life and God. It's a time to relax for a bit and breathe.

I had to rush out of the meeting and pick up my kids at school (crutch girl can't ride the bus). When I got home it seemed like a tornado was brewing in my dining room. My oldest daughter and her friend were finishing their time capsule project highlighting different Native Americans. They were working hard trying to finish on time.

The ultimate moment that I truly haven't figured out how to deal with yet and I'm procrastinating by writing this blog entry is this...I went to put a load of clothes in the dryer. When I reached in, my hand felt cold, slimy, little pellets of yuk everywhere. It took me a moment to figure out what it was.

I washed a pull-up with a load of clothes. So, it's Friday evening and I have to figure out how to get pull-up guts out of my washing machine. SIGH!! However, in all things I will thank God.

I'm thankful that I have a washing machine
I'm thankful to have electricity.
I'm thankful for pull-ups
I'm thankful for a beautiful day

I'm praying for those on the coast who are waiting for the storm.

Love/Hate Relationship

I have a confession to make....I hate moon sand. Last Christmas some dear soul (either my mother or my aunt) gave my children moon sand. "Moon sand, moon sand, sand that you can mold." It was supposed to NOT be messy and more fun than play dough. Bonk, I say!!! It is the messiest and I mean messiest concoction on the planet. In the past year my children have played with it three times max and usually when I am rendered unconcious because of some illness.

Now, I have another confession to make.....I love moon sand. This past week we realized that moon sand played outside works pretty well. It's still pretty messy, but at least it is outside and not tracked all over my house. My kids played with it and many of the neighborhood kids played with it. At one point I believe there were ten children surrounding this small table playing happily with moon sand. The funny thing is we have a ginormous sand box just a few steps from our porch that was completely ignored.

What made the love relationship with moon sand more secure is that my three year old spent an hour outside on the back porch with his sister this past Monday morning. Quiet in my house, what bliss. So, I've declared "Moon Sand Mondays" for one hour each week. It's only coming out once a week people...maybe I'll bring it out as a treat on the weekends if I'm feeling generous.

The morale of this story.....what we hate might just become what we love.

Good News/Bad News

Yesterday was just one of those days.

The good news is our oldest daughter does not have any bone damage in her wrist that was stepped on during a soccer game.
The bad news is our youngest daughter has a hairline fracture above her knee and is unable to play soccer right now.

The good news is our oldest son scored his first ever soccer goal (his smile lit up the field)
The bad news is our youngest son had to be sent to the principal's office (he's only three... did I mention my hair is gray)

The good news is I got a ton of Kashi products at Target. With my gift cards I earned we were able to get a couple of things we needed for our house for virtually FREE.
the bad news is my house fell apart yesterday and I've got some serious cleaning to do. (How does that happen in one day?)

The good news is "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"

The mind of a six year old

Last night I was making dinner and I happened to overhear this conversation between my six year old son and my husband. "Dad, when can I date?" My husband had difficulty formulating a response to this question. Finally he asked our son if he knew what a date was and his response was, "Well, yeah, me and a girl go to a restaurant and I pay."

After a bit he concluded that he should probably wait until he is sixteen. My husband agreed that was probably a good idea.

Did I mention that my hair is completely gray?

The mind of a three year old

Today Little E and I were reading the book, "Harold and the Purple Crayon". It's his new favorite book. We read it often and I mean often. This afternoon I was reading about Harold who decides to take a midnight walk with his purple crayon and draws many fun things. At the end of the book Harold draws his bed and gets into bed. At the end of the book Elijah asked "Where are his mommy and daddy and when are they going to come in, get mad at him and tell him to get in bed."

Very perceptive...not that we had ever "get mad at him" and tell him to go to bed. He never gets out of bed once we've tucked him into bed. Actually, I am concerned that Little E might decide to go for a midnight walk one night with a purple crayon, hence the twelve dead bolts we're planning to install!!

Seriously, if you have a preschooler, I highly recommend this book. It's creative and imaginative!!

Heart!!

Last night Clara's team played their first game of the official soccer season. A couple of weeks ago, Clara was selected by her team mates to be captain along with another young lady. Both of the captains were injured and unable to play last night. Plus, the captain from last year was also injured. Yes, three girls were injured and unable to play. AAHHH!!!

That left ten girls to play the entire one hour game (two subs). They were down 1-0 most of the game and came back in the final few minutes to tie the game. A moment of euphoria. Unfortunately, the other team scored with a couple of minutes to spare and they ended up losing.

It's one of those games where even though it was a loss, I believe it was a victory. EVERY SINGLE girl worked hard and poured themselves into the game. They worked together as a team. They passed the ball. They took shots at the goal. Most of the game was spent on the opponents side of the field.

We were proud of the girls and their victory in spite of the defeat!!!