The Work Of His Fingers

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars which You have ordained,

what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?

 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,

and You have crowned him with glory and honour.

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;

You have put all things under his feet,

all sheep and oxen--even the beasts of the field,

 

 the birds of the air,

 

and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:3-9 

 

Taking in the wonder of God's creation at Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto.

 

Double Digits

 

She'd planned her underwater birthday party for months, maybe even since she turned nine. The goal was to visit the new Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto and then have the theme continue when her friends arrived a couple days later for her party. Just in time, a homeschool email circulated inquiring families who'd like to see the Aquarium at a discount. Perfect. But, beyond parties and grand underwater field trips, this kid was just elated to finally turn double digits.

little mermaids with beards (Bailey missing in photo)

 

 

Emily, you brighten our world. Your dramatic responses to life keep us laughing! You have such a heart for children who are new to a group or seem to have no friends. You always dream of feeding the poor on your own one day and we pray the Lord will bless you immensely in such a noble occupation. Enjoy your double digits for many years to come! Happy birthday, our passionate, diligent girl. We love you. XO

 

The Great Purge

There is great loss and fantastic relief all wrapped up in one push into the donation bin. It's the purge of clutter and stuff and piles of things so unnecessary to the well-being of my family. I suppose that makes it not such a great loss. My sister and I are holding each other accountable this month in a 21 bags in 21 days purge of our homes. Why 21 days? The number simply derived from the fast I do every January to begin my year. I told my sister that along with food this month, I desired to fast "stuff" too. It's like a cleansing on the inside and out. So far, the Lord has taught me a few lessons concerning entitlement and hoarding any material items. They might seem like big bad words but He and I know exactly where those issues lie. Just as He is moving in me and through me, my home is going to reflect the cleansing. So far, about 16 bags have left my house and my school shelves are de-cluttered and organized. This is a monumental task, my friends. Ah, January is so good for getting rid of the old and on with the new. So thankful God's grace covers all the junk... but then reveals it for a good clean-up in His timing--and, when I'm most receptive.  

The kids' schoolwork bins (bottom right) are back in regular use. You can see clearly that "chucking" books into their bins is so much easier than lining things up nicely. Neat doesn't always last but I'm learning that "less" makes it simpler to deal with! This may look like a lot of books but I did remove about half of them. Yep, took me nearly nine years of homeschooling to get the concept :)

 

While my sister and I both entered into the Great Purge, I was met each morning by an encouraging email reminder to stick with it... along with a little update on how her removal of junk was coming along. Below is one of my favourites. Is it any wonder why I chose her as my accountability partner? :)

 

bag 2 was actually a box.  Where the heck are all my bags?  can't find one.

anyhow, I filled a box with crystal ... who even knew I owned any???? 
Apparently the upper cupboards in the kitchen ACTUALLY housed some
things and those doors are not simply decorative, I'd led myself to
believe.  Things you learn.  Those cupboards are kind of the kitchen
wasteland of household items.  The black hole of things you never use. 
The Bermuda Triangle of crap. Somehow, without realizing it, i have
amassed FOUR vases ... what?  THREE crystal serving bowls ... um, I
have serving bowls? ... a brie oven proof pot (for all those MANY times
i've needed to melt brie???? ... and about 5 mason jars full of random
baking supplies that are likely 4 years out of date.  (Disgustingly,
this did not stop my offspring from each getting a handful of the OPENED
icing that had been in there for an indeterminate amount of time and
shoving it into their mouths before I noticed.  Botulism, anyone????)

This begs the questions .... #1 - Who the heck BOUGHT all this stuff? 
and #2 -  HOW ON EARTH has all. this. crap. escaped discovery on my MANY
previous purges????  It's a mystery.

Don't forget to do your bag today.

 

Eight-ness

This eight year-old boy is not unlike other little guys out there in that he is full of spunk and sport. However, this kid of ours is the one I held in my belly and prayed for while he squirmed inside. He does not pass by the armchair in the living room without jumping from the back of it into a handstand. And, he does not slip into bed at night without a kiss to his mommy. He won't relent on a good argument with his sisters, when he feels justified, but give him the opportunity and he will cheerfully cook them eggs for breakfast. He wants recess more than spelling, but craves art above all subjects. This boy can erect any Lego set and carries around his bucket of tools, begging me to find him things to fix. He has many friends and approaches kids on the fringe and asks if they want to play.

 

This sensitive, energetic boy is mine and he is a gift for all my birthdays and Christmases. His eight-ness will be greatness as he learns and grows this year. The Lord knew exactly what we needed when He gave us Oliver.

 

braving the -8 degrees Celsius weather at his birthday party!

double cousin hug

 

 hockey party 

another year under his belt!

 

Happy Birthday, our creative, lovable boy. May God grow you to be a mighty warrior for Him. May you always respond to His voice as He speaks to you.