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BrightAsDay6
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Name: Dana
Gender: Female
Interests: sleep, chocolate and theology (not necessarily in that order)
Expertise: Delegating
Occupation: Wifey to Scott, Mommy to 6
Message: message me
Member Since:
6/11/2006
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| Sometimes I think that I need a drastic change in the way that I function. I am always waiting until the last minute to finish those last important details before a party, saving up many loads of laundry to ensure plenty of work for myself while watching a long movie, or like tonight, here I am at 10 p.m. helping Allie complete her assignments for tomorrow's class. Not that there isn't room for improvement in my methodology, but I have decided to embrace the way I am. I am "last minute girl". As long as it gets done and is done well, does it really matter?
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| Husband on vacation= junk food in the house= 5 extra lbs.= the "dizzies" for me (my health condition is exasperated by carbs and sugar, sadly). This week I will eat correctly and EXERCISE!!!
I will also be making a detailed schedule for each busy day of this week hoping and praying that I will not crash and burn. I need to be able to do my thinking and planning ahead of time because I'm finding during the school week, there is only time for doing. Please pray for me that I will be able to THINK, PLAN, and DO to the glory of God!!
Our pastor mentioned something I will be looking into this week...you might be interested too. After the fall, in the garden, God did not speak to Adam and Eve concerning the consequences of their sin and the promises. He addressed the serpent/Satan only and Adam and Eve were there to listen in. Interesting... This must somehow be wrapped up in our battle not being with flesh and blood, but with the principalities and powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. I'll let you know what Pastor Paul says about it next week.
Will my eldest ever give me new and interesting pictures for my xanga?? Doesn't she know that I need her for this sort of thing?? My brain is filled to capacity with a lifetime of information...I couldn't possibly remember how to put new pics on my xanga!!
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| The following is an excerpt from Josh Harris' book Boy Meets Girl. I thought his analogy was very good and I hope it will be helpful to those of you who read it here!
We all have very different lives—we vary in
age, cultural background, and circumstances, to name just a few.
Some of us can have our parents involved in our courtships; others
cannot. Some of us can develop a friendship with another person
naturally in a group setting at church or school . Others don’t have
the luxury of those settings and have to be more obvious about their
interest. Some of us approach the possibility of marriage for the
first time, while others have journeyed through the nightmare of
divorce and are hesitantly moving toward a second commitment.
You might be asking, “How am I supposed to
follow God’s principles for courtship when my circumstances are so
different from those of other people?” Let me try to explain.
Imagine that you’re a student in an art
class. You and dozens of classmates are learning from a master
painter. One day your teacher displays a painting of his
own. It’s an incredible work of art, and he wants each of you to
copy it.
You’re about to begin working when you turn to
look at the person next to you. You’re surprised to note that he
has a larger brush than you and a different kind of canvas. You
look around at the rest of the class. Some students have acrylic
paint, others watercolor, still others oil—and every one is using
different colors. Though you all have the same assignment, you
each have completely different materials. This frustrates
you. Some students have materials you would prefer for
yourself. Why should they get them?
You’re not the only student to notice the
disparity. A hand goes up on your left. A girl with only a
ragged brush and three pale shades of blue on her palette is noticeably
agitated. “This isn’t fair,” she tells the teacher. “How do
you expect me to duplicate your painting when the people around me have
so many more colors to choose from?”
The teacher smiles. “Don’t worry about
the other students,” he says. “I’ve carefully chosen brushes and paints
for each of you. Trust me. You have what you need to
complete the assignment. Remember, your goal is not to create a
painting that mirrors the person next to you, but to do your best with
the materials I’ve given you to replicate my painting.”
This is our assignment in courtship.
It’s good to be inspired by couples who have set a godly example.
Still, God isn’t asking us to copy each other but to fix our eyes on
our Lord and Master Jesus Christ and pursue courtship in a way that’s
faithful to His character. We can each rest in the knowledge that
God is sovereign over our life’s situation. No matter where we
are today or what mistakes we’ve made in the past, He has given us
everything we need to glorify Him right now.
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| I think I always think it's going to be a big, hard thing to shop for homeschooling curriculum each year, but I secretly really love it...finding just the right fit for each child...searching out that bargain...anticipating that big box in the mail...the excitement in the house when we open the box...and then (albeit for a very brief time) the children begging me to allow them to go ahead and begin school early so they can use their new books.
This year I cried when I wrote at the top of Mackenzee's list, "Mackenzee Beth--Sr. Year"!! These are the last books I will buy for her as her teacher! Andy-boy will begin preschool!! His big sisters are already getting him all excited about the workbook set that they have all used by Rod and Staff. I loved hearing Savannah and Elizabeth reminiscing...as if they are sooo old! Adorable and precious! That reminds me...I was reading a Puritan prayer this morning from The Valley of Vision book and the author referred to God as adorable...it just struck me how differently we use that word now. The word adorable immediately makes me think of cute puppies, but really God is truly the One deserving our adoration!
Lilly learned how to squeal when she doesn't get her way from some baby twins at a graduation ceremony last weekend. You could see it on her face...first she just got really quiet and looked at them, observed that their mother handed them whatever they wanted after they squealed and then looked back at me with a look on her face like, "Why did no one tell me this was an option?!" and then proceeded to try it out. My reaction was probably not what she was hoping for...and still, a week later, she is still giving it a try from time to time. We're all like that, aren't we?? If we are honest, we know there are areas that we just keep trying out that same old sinful method of getting what we desire. May God make me as longsuffering as He is!
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| Lilly is a walking baby now! Before Mackenzee left, she was taking steps and now she is walking everywhere. You might be thinking...why is this woman amazed? Isn't that normal? Doesn't she have the experience of watching 5 other children take off walking? It always amazes me!! Watching all of my children grow and learn and change never gets boring. Lilly has also hit another milestone...bye bye to the "Ba Ba"!! We have washed our last bottle in this home until we start having grandchildren. I could just cry! (Well...I use the term 'we' loosely since you all know that the dishes aren't my job. )
Another change occurred while big sister was away. She had hoped that the job would be completed before her return, but, nope, no one will escape this experience...potty training Anderson!  I have potty trained 4 girls...no boys. We'll just say it's different and leave it at that. So far, he is doing very well, though. My method requires us to never leave our home as public nudity is prohibited as far as I know. This also makes for an interesting time when the girls want to have friends over. I try to accommodate, but there are some embarrassingly funny situations that just cannot be avoided under these circumstances. I am learning!
Poor Allie has had her braces on for 6 months and has waited patiently, not wanting to impose on anyone, for them to offer her the cool colors. I finally asked at the last appointment and was informed that her brackets are the smaller ones that don't have room for the colors, but should be more comfortable in her mouth. They said we could put them on top of the braces for pretty, but would be bulky in her mouth...Allie said, "No, thanks!" to that idea. Too bad...coordinating the colors of her braces with her outfit would've given her great joy in the midst of the torture.  I suppose there are worse things...
It's so hard for me to comprehend that on one end of the spectrum we are tackling weaning from the bottle and potty training and on the other end of the spectrum, we are experiencing our eldest learning to drive! (She is a very good driver, I might add!) It's difficult sometimes for me to make the adjustment in my mind to remember that the little ones haven't yet been trained in some of the things that it sure seems like they should already know since we have spent so much time training the older ones. At times, this results in me babying the older ones (which I'm sure they just love...just last night I began explaining to Mackenzee as she was making dinner that she should not put jalapeno cheese on the baby's burger and she had to remind me respectfully that she really already knew that. I think her words were, "Mother, how many children have I raised by now? Do you really think I would give the baby the spicy cheese?" Okay, maybe she could've been a tiny bit more respectful, but point taken.) or expecting too much from the younger ones (this morning I asked Anderson, age 3 to go look at the clock and tell me what time it is). May the Lord continue to work through me to prepare them where they are to be who God wants them to be...for His glory!
God has me pondering some things lately...slavery and eschatology. I can't avoid it, so I've decided to study it. What does God have you pondering?
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