Learning to Love

I think we're doing something wrong.

This morning during homeschool devotions, the lesson was about Mary Magdalene and the other Mary going to Jesus' tomb to put spices on His body.  The book was reminding us how they did that totally out of love for Jesus, and how all work for Jesus is important, whether its cleaning up the church or preaching on Sunday morning.

So I asked the kids, what should be our reason for doing jobs in the church? And they didn't have a clue.  Then I asked what should be our reason for following all the rules?  And one of them responded, "so we can get to heaven?". Oh dear.  I explained that no, obeying the rules doesn't get us to heaven, the reason we do all these things is because of our love for Jesus!  I'm not sure they got it.

But I'm not sure I would have gotten it at their age either.  Learning how much God loves us and learning to love him back is a process, because its a relationship.  And as much as I'd like to, I cannot force someone into a relationship!

But I can be the example that they need.  When I have a job to do at church, do I complain about it or do I remember that this is how I can show Jesus I love him?  Yea, I definitely don't always feel that way.  Doing things out of love for Jesus makes it all a lot more fun though!

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Lilac Tea

The long awaited lilacs have started blooming in front of the stone house,

so of course I had to stop for tea!  They smell beautiful, and like every

year I wish I could make these photos scratch and sniff, like the stickers

we used to have!  An old stump makes the perfect place to set my tea tray.

Do you get the Country Gardens magazine?  I really enjoy it.

This pretty tea cup goes well with our lilacs, even though

the flowers on it are hydrangeas, I believe.  It is really

difficult to find china with lilacs, at least for me.

 And without faith it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to him

must believe that he exists

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

I made sure the younger kids came over and

stopped to smell the lilacs too~

I sure do wish we had the time to fix up the old stone house.

Maybe one day we will...

If you want to know more of it's history,

there's a link on the sidebar.

I'm joining Home and garden Thursday today!

True Safety

 

It seems like the world is falling apart sometimes, doesn't it?  In this age of instant news we hear of crazy things happening in the government, terrible atrocities happening to people all over the world, and our own country is sliding into moral nothingness.  It can easily make me feel depressed and scared.  What does the future hold for our children?  Will they be safe?  

 

I pray for our children's safety a lot.  But what do I mean?  When I think of safety I think of no danger, no pain, no death.  But I don't think that's what God thinks of when he thinks of safety.  In this world we will have death, it's pretty much a given, unless the Lord comes back before then.  So it's a little silly to pray that we won't die, huh? 

 

There is a missionary lady in the Middle East that our church prays for, and she wrote that the area ISIS controls now is just one kilometer from her house.  I can't imagine how scary that would be, but she wrote that she can't imagine being anywhere else.  People are coming to know the Lord and are growing in their faith right there, in the shadow of such evil. 

 

It's hard to know how to pray sometimes.

 

Just this morning I read these verses in Psalms 12:7-8--

 

O LORD, you will keep us safe

and protect us from such people forever.

The wicked freely strut about

when what is vile is honored among men.





 

If God is going to keep us safe forever, I don't think he means we will never die or have hardship or pain physically.  He isn't talking about physical safety, he's talking about spiritual safety- and that's the kind of safety that is really important- Are my children's souls safe?  Will they live forever in heaven with the Lord because they have accepted Him as their Savior?  That's the safety I need to be worried about.

Easter Time Tea

Would you like to join Miss E and I for a little tea

party in the secret garden today?  Follow the path

through the woods, we're waiting for you!

The daffodils that we planted last year are blooming

so beautifully right now, and the weather is perfect today!

Miss E is wondering why I'm taking so many

pictures instead of drinking our tea...

She is slowly feeling better after her surgery

a week ago.  But she still is taking Tylenol

for the pain.  She's been a trooper though.

We are enjoying some mint green tea today,

sweetened with honey.  It was delicious!

This cute little rose candy dish was a gift

from AJ for Christmas. 

Taking time to stop and smell the daffodils!

Thanks for your visit!

And I hope your Easter week is a special

remembrance of all Jesus did for us on the cross,

as well as rejoicing that he gained the victory

over death when he rose from the dead!

I'm joining Sandi again today!

Sweet Girl's Nightgown Idea

There are so many wonderful ideas on Pinterest, and this is one of them!  Is this not the sweetest little girl's nightgown?  Of course, I think my model is pretty sweet too... (: 

It was very simple to make, and although the original nightgown was made with a vintage pillow slip, I didn't have one so I just used 1/2 yard of fabric.  Since the fabric was on clearance, it just cost me $2.50, plus about $3 for the roll of wide lace and we were set.  I just gathered up the skirt at the chest, making it to be a couple inches more than Miss E's chest measurement, sewed the lace on, and added some straps. 



Miss E loves it and so do I!

Look what we found in the horse pen this morning!

Ouch

Our day...

4:00am- alarm clock goes off, reminding me that today is Miss E's surgery day. She is having her tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes in her ears, and then a different surgeon will repair her old g-tube site, since it still leaks.

4:30- we are off on the hour drive to the hospital.

5:45- we arrive in pre-op, where the kind nurses blow bubbles for Miss E and play her princess movies while we go over paperwork.

6:40- I dress Miss E in her hospital gown and carry her down the hall where we leave her to be wheeled away on her hospital bed to anesthesia.  She looked so small and scared in her bed.  It was hard to watch her go...

6:45- we settle in the surgery waiting room and watch her id number on the screen to see how she's progressing, praying all the while that God will guide the surgeon's hands.

9:00- finally they call me back to the recovery room.  Miss E is crying and fighting the nurses who are trying to give her a breathing treatment.  They let me climb on the bed and hold her and she quickly calms down, but they begin her on oxygen since her levels are a bit low.  The nurse is sure we'll need to spend the night.

9:45- the nurses wheel me and Miss E upstairs to our regular room, where we meet up with Andy again.  Miss E is not herself, she acts a little loopy and just rests on my lap.  But they don't restart the oxygen and she does fine.

10:30- Miss E dozes on and off while watching cartoons.  Andy and I read our new Joel Rosenberg books while taking turns holding Miss E.  

12:00- I take a walk across the street and bring back some Chipotle for our dinner.  Miss E tried some applesauce and ate it all.

1:00- the nurse tells us if we can get Miss E to sleep and her oxygen levels stay up we might get to go home today.  We were not expecting that but it sounds good!

1:30- we finally get Miss E to sleep and her oxygen levels are still great!  Now if she can eat some mashed potatoes and not get sick we can go home!

4:00- Miss E wakes up from her nap, her tummy is a little sore and it's hard to wake up.  

4:30- Miss E wolfs down most of her mashed potatoes and more applesauce, things are looking good!

6:00- we receive permission from the doctors to be discharged, and are headed home.

7:00-while waiting on a prescription we head over to get some supper from Braums.  Miss E must be feeling better because she tries to steal Andy's fries!

8:30- we are home, and so glad we didn't have to spend the night in the hospital.  Miss E is subdued and quiet but doing pretty well for all she's been through today!