Fun Fall Activities

This week has been filled with fun fall activities for the kids. Monday Megan's class went to a small pumpkin farm. That would have been more fun had it not been so COLD! It was the coldest morning we've had yet this fall.

On Tuesday afternoon we went to the nice big pumpkin farm with daddy and grandma. That was lots of fun. We chose to go on an afternoon because we knew they wouldn't be so busy. We looked at all the pumpkin people, and visited all the animals, then played on the wooden tractor, train and airplane. Since we were there at dinnertime we had a nice pumpkin farm dinner of cheese fries, hotdogs, and cinnamon donuts. YUM! Normally we try to eat a bit healthier but enjoying their food is all part of the fun. . .




Today is Halloween so all sorts of fun activities were planned. Megan and her classmates all dressed up in their costumes and got to trick or treat around their school building. That was fun. All the office ladies had bowls of little treats out for the kids to take. Mostly things like stickers, and toy rings, and pencils. The nurse had out bandaids which I thought was cute! LOL! After school we went right to Grandma's work, where all the ladies had goodies for the kids, and then we stayed for a pizza party lunch. The kids haven't even trick or treated for real, and we've already got a bowl full of goodies. Which, like all moms with any sense, I plan to ration.



This afternoon I also worked on raking leaves in the backyard. Such a big job, but at least this year I have a puppy and some kids who enjoy it which makes it a bit more fun...

I should be sleeping.

Oh how I would love to still be sleeping right now! But instead I am not, and neither is Megan. It's just 6 a.m. and we've been up since just after 5. Why you ask? Well, this weekend my dear husband decided we needed a black lab puppy. For over a year now my husband has been talking about getting dog for duck hunting. I've been able to put him off by telling him we need to wait until the kids are older, and we have a bigger house and yard until now. On Saturday Hemi (yes, named after a Dodge motor) became the newest member in our family. She is 10 weeks old, and not very little. She's got that adorable puppy face that no one can resist.

She's been very good so far, though we do have to watch her like a hawk otherwise she will chew on whatever she can get a hold of. So far no serious damage has been done, But it's only been 3 days. Give it time and I'm sure I'll be posting about things being chewed. We are crate training her, which she is acclimating to very well. Mostly thanks to our cat, Cedric, who was forced into being her crate-mate for the first 2 nights to keep her from getting lonely. My sister says I was taking advantage of Cedric's good nature. Yes, I know I was, but it worked! However, She was doing so well with the crate during the day, going in and out by herself, so last night we decided to try the crate without the cat and she was just fine so Cedric is off the hook now.

Loving vs. Doing

Look at this! Tuesday's In Other Words posted early instead of late for a change! Go me! LOL!

"The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest
route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite
passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian."~ A.W. Towzer ~

I agree with this quote, but I can't say it any better than this verse: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Tim 3:16-17).

However, to say religiously obeying the Word of God is the shortest route to spiritual perfection just doesn't sit right with me. I agree we all need to strive to obey the Word of God, but first and foremost we need to focus on loving God, and being passionate about knowing Him. When we focus on knowing and loving God, He will change us and the things we do will be in obedience to Him and His Word out of love. When our focus shifts to obeying the Bible to become some super spiritual person we become like the Pharisees Jesus condemns in Matthew 23 who obeyed the law out of pride. They looked good to the people around them, but God saw their hearts. He knew they obeyed out of pride and not out of a heart of love and humility.

Matthew 23:23-28 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

To read more Tuesday's IOW visit Chocolate And Coffee.

Birthday Boy!

Today my little boy turns 2! These two years have flown! What a joyful addition he has been to our family!

Look at how he's grown!

Then:

Now:

We aren't having a big party for him, just some family. But I couldn't resist making him a cute cake anyway (I didn't realize it until after I'd used all the icing that I forgot to dot my i and cross my t in birthday. . . oops).

He loves trucks. This is the gift we got for him (just the white one, trailer and gator).

Last night as I was bringing in the groceries, I brought that in with me. Kyle got a glimpse of it an immediately said "Ooohhh. . . ". So I quickly gave it to Tom and told him to go hide it. The entire time I was putting away my groceries Kyle was searching through the bags saying "vroom vroom?" trying to find it. It was so pitifully cute! LOL! But I didn't give in. . . Unlike my mother-in-law. He found the gift she was hiding for him, so she decided to get it out and give it to him early to play with at her house, though I'm pretty sure she's still planning to wrap it up and give it to him again at his party tonight! LOL! She just couldn't bare to hear him cry when she tried to take it away from him.

Well, that's all for today. Now I've got to go work on laundry and finish getting my house ready for the party tonight.

So Much To Be Thankful For!

~I am thankful that my children are on the mend! It's been a long week, but God has given me the strength to get through it, sleepless nights and all.

~I am thankful for my husband who calls me everyday at least once while he is at work just because he loves me and wants to know how my day is going.

~I am thankful for the Word of God that is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts straight to the heart of the issues in my life.

~I am thankful to hear the heat coming on this morning.

~I am thankful for my two little munchkins sitting next to me munching on their oh-so-healthy breakfast of fruit loops. They sure know how to make their mommy smile!

~I am thankful that the pumpkin farm field trip was rescheduled for Monday so Megan didn't miss it after all!

~I am thankful for Tylenol and Vicks and other medicines that help keep my kids comfortable when they are sick and make life a little bit easier.

~I am thankful for hot showers, and make-up that hides zits.

~I am thankful for my warm bodied husband who acts like a heater in bed and helps keep me warm at night.

~I am thankful for pumpkins, and fall foliage, and mums, and all the beautiful things the different seasons have to offer.

~I am thankful for my computer, and the interesting women whom I've met online.

~I am thankful for YOU! The people who read and comment on my blog!

Be blessed with more Thankful Thursdays by visiting Crystal.

My Lesson From Penninah

Today I read 1 Samuel 1 & 2. It's the passage about Hannah and how she was barren and prayed to God and he blessed her and gave her a baby boy. I've read this passage, and heard it preached so many times, but I can't honestly say that I've ever heard anyone focus on Penninah, the other wife of Elkanah, Hannah's husband. Penninah was blessed with children and had a good husband, but instead of focusing on her blessings, she focused on the fact that her husband gave extra special care to Hannah. Penninah's jealousy caused her to lash out at Hannah and rub it in that Hannah was barren.

Even though I'm familiar with this passage, today was the first day that Penninah's part really stood out to me. And I have to admit that I was convicted because I am prone to the same. When something good happens to someone else, I become jealous and critical of their success instead of sharing their joy and remembering the ways I've been blessed myself. I've even done it with my own husband when he's had a fun day out of the house. Instead of sharing his joy, I become grouchy and indifferent because I'm jealous of his free time. Lately I'm seeing how truly selfish I can be, and how much I need God to change me and teach me how to love like Him.

Of course, how can I read these chapters without also taking special notice of Hannah's Prayer in Chapter 2... Anything I say would just pale in comparison so I'll just leave you with the passage itself.

1 Samuel 2

1 Then Hannah prayed and said:
"My heart rejoices in the LORD;
in the LORD my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.

2 "There is no one holy like the LORD;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

3 "Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.

4 "The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry hunger no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.

6 "The LORD brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.

7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.

8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
"For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's;
upon them he has set the world.

9 He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.
"It is not by strength that one prevails;

10 those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
"He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed."

Catching Up

It's been almost a week since I've had a chance to sit at the computer long enough to blog. The kids have been sick since Saturday. They are feeling better, but still not quite 100%. Kyles fever continues to spike off and on, and Megan has really terrible chest congestion. She's coughing and can barely talk. But I'm just glad they are feeling well enough to play again. It was especially hard on Monday and Tuesday when all they wanted was to lie on the couch or be held all the time. It's so hard when they get sick. I just feel so badly for them!

So I have several different topics I want to blog about. Right now though I just have time to write my belated Tuesdays In Other Words.

"We women must realize how visual men are, and because of that we should wear modest clothes. Not because we don't have the right to wear what we want, but for the benefit of the spiritual life of our brothers in
Christ."~
Heather Arnel Paulsen ~ Emotional Purity: An Affair
of the Heart

I agree that the way we dress affects men. I know from experience with my own husband how easily his mind wanders in response to what I wear, though of course with him that's just fine since he is my husband. But certainly I want to be careful that I don't wear clothes that purposely lead other men down such trains of thought.

However, as a married woman, my first thought is for my husband, and I want to honor him even by how I dress. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, who dressed in silk and purple (v. 22), I want to take care of my appearance. I want to go out with my husband and have him to be proud to have me on his arm. I don't want to be like the married woman in Proverbs 7 who dressed to get the attention of other men (v. 10). I honor my husband by dressing modestly-beautiful because it is one small way to show him that my heart and my body are reserved for him alone and he can safely entrust his heart to me because I will be true to him and the commitment I made before God to love, honor, cherish, and obey him all the days of my life.

Proverbs 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 31:10-11 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

To read other Tuesday IOW visit Joy In The Morning.