Strawberry Sachets

Ally and I have been working on our strawberry shaped, lavender sachets. We estimate that with the pound of lavender purchased on Etsy we should be able to make fifty sachets. Then we'll send them off to mothers and grandmothers, sisters and friends. Just for fun, a sweet surprise. We have been hand stitching all of them, working a little here and a little there, 15 minutes at a time. Ally brought them along in the car. We carried our work box over to the couch the weekend Bryan was gone for sachet-stitching, Pride and Prejudice watching, girl time. They are a perfect quick and easy project. We're having wonderful fun. Naturally, the other kids are never far off and one afternoon they settled next to us at the table and spread out their own activities.

The pattern for the strawberry sachets is from Country Living. We ended up enlarging the stars, 125%, and combining them with smaller stars on our berries. Soon I'll show you a basket of our finished work.

Rushing After Jesus Christ

"All thy strange, passionate, sudden rushings forward after Jesus Christ, coming sinners know what I mean, they also are thy helps from God. Perhaps thou feelest at some times more than at others, strong stirrings up of heart to fly to Jesus Christ; now thou hast at this time a sweet and stiff gale of the Spirit of God, filling thy sails with the fresh gales of his good Spirit; and thou ridest at those times as upon the wings of the wind, being carried out beyond thyself, beyond the most of thy prayers, and also above all thy fear and temptations."

John Bunyan, Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ

Do you ever feel that? Something strange and awkward comes over your heart, a longing so strong it hurts? Half afraid the feeling will end and you'll be mired in normality and half afraid of coming face to face with a Living God? Even this is His grace at work, carrying me up, beyond myself, to Himself. The fear, love, longing, and thanksgiving are all gifts of His grace.

Critter Croquet

These have been lazy summer days, aside from swimming and mowing, but we have been busy with our hands. Kara listed oven bake clay as a high priority on her birthday list. Yesterday she pulled out Create Anything With Clay and made a "Critter Croquet" set. Today the raccoon sets about a lively game of croquet, a family favorite here.

Arden, busy as ever with Legos, brought his ship downstairs this morning. I bought myself a few minutes to check email by letting him sit next to me and take pictures of his men "in action." And even now, as I type, I am heavily guarded.

Many thanks to Ally for photographing the critter.

Tucked In

We read about David the Outlaw.
What's an outlaw?

I grant special permission to fly the Lego ship in bed.
Can I have the lamp on?

I ask which pillow he would like me to slip inside the case.
Which one is better?

One hour later I step in to kiss his brother, high in the top bunk.
The little one is asleep.
Curled inside his pillowcase,
a sleeping bag.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep,

For you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8

Bible Bee Update

Our Bible Bee materials have arrived. Two excited children opened the box as soon as it was delivered. Papers, cards, pins and manuals rose in a stack on the floor. They each spent several days setting up their notebooks and punching holes in the corners of the verse cards, in a futile attempt to keep them in one place. Still the floating verse cards are as ubiquitous as Legos. Then they began memorizing.

One child does only the minimum requirement. We let all three children choose whether or not they wanted to participate in the Bible this year with the clear understanding that they would commit to spend at least 15 minutes each day memorizing. That's not enough time to win anything, but hopefully enough time to keep from embarrassing yourself on competition day. Once they've made their choice, we remind them of the expectation (I would say "enforce" it, but we're not standing over anybody's shoulder and punishing infractions). It becomes a matter of keeping one's word, with the added benefit of keeping God's Word ever before you.

Two children are passionately memorizing verses. They walk around with their ring of verses, muttering words of life. These two work together and they compete with each other always pushing the other to work a little harder. We stand back, watch, listen to verses, and encourage. They're having fun. One read "but a brother is born for adversity" as "but a brother is born as an adversary," and laughed aloud. The other came in today talking about flies in a perfumer's oil, but with that pseudo-Boston accent, we thought she was talking about Oreos. It took more than a minute to figure out the Oreo's role in the perfumer's process, let alone that this was the Bible we were talking about.

This is the Bible we are talking about. Last year before the Bee another mother asked how we made our children learn their verses.We don't make them, we couldn't make these words travel from the head to the heart. This isn't of our making, it is of God and we love to see Him working.

He Needs Me

He runs around like a wild man. That's what I tell the inquirer when they ask what Arden does during our homeschool days. I'm joking when I say it. He's not literally out of control and wreaking havoc. He simply has almost totally unstructured days.

He runs around like a wild man. Really, this week he's been wild. He's arguing with every sibling. I hear his voice above all others and he can't control his temper. He throws his toys in anger. He won't take no for an answer.

He runs around like a wild man. This means he needs me, I was busy last week and he needs more attention, more time, more conversation, more discipline. He needs to read frog books on the couch. He needs a game of Qwirkle at the table. He needs a crowd in the amphitheater for a gladiatorial contest cape flying as he battles the invisible foe. He needs his hand held in Walmart. He needs an extra dinner chore. And he needs me watching to see that he does it.

He runs around like a wild man. He will never say it aloud, but in letters large he writes it on his heart. He needs a little extra love today. He needs me.

Like a Poplar

Today in my Bible reading I arrived at one of my favorite passages. Verses that have been favorites not for a week, or month of sitting above the sink on an index card, but years of flipping back, reading and rereading them.

"Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb,

who will help you, 'do not fear, O Jacob My servant; 

and you Jeshurun whom I have chosen. 

For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; 

I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants; 

and they will spring up among the grass 

like poplars by streams of water.' 

 "This one will say, 'I am the Lord's'; 

and that one will call on the name of Jacob; 

and another will write on his hand, 'belonging to the Lord,' 

and will name Israel's name with honor."

Isaiah 44:2-5

The Lord has formed and made me, He has chosen me, He has called me not to fear. He is my help. He offers blessing to my descendants for a thousand generations. He gives His Spirit without measure making me flourish like a poplar beside streams of living water. I am the Lord's and He is mine. I write on my hands "Belonging to the Lord," as He first inscribed my name upon His hands. 

Belonging to the Lord.