One of my favorite bloggers has decided to stop blogging. I will really miss her posts and I’m glad that she is going to be keeping her archives up. Cindy’s posts are often full of content, challenging my thinking and encouraging me to know why I believe what I do.
She has been a modern day “Titus 2” woman to me, blogging to encourage us to love our husbands and children and to be busy at home. The thing that has made her unique is that she doesn’t stop there, she challenges us to not fall back on assumptions when we do these things. Cindy has helped me to think about what it means to love my husband, love my children and be busy at home.
I really appreciate the women who blog who help me wrestle with what those commands look like here, today, in my life. Cindy (and others) help me to wrestle with my theology and my orthopraxy (living out that theology).

I don’t blog like that. I blog in little snatches of time, not devoting much thought or planning to what I’m going to say. First, I’m not very good at focusing, period, and secondly, it takes all of my energy to be focused on what I’m doing here, loving my husband, and children and being busy at home.
I blog, because I know that there are people who know me, who would like to stay in touch with me, our family and our everyday lives. I really don’t expect to have anyone else really interested in this blog. I’m okay with that, infact, I don’t think that I could take the pressure of a broad readership, imagined or real.

Cindy, I think has handled the pressure beautifully and has been a brave woman to hang on teaching us as long as she has. I’m going to miss the glimpses into her family life – her oldest boys have traveled farther down the paths that my own oldest are on, graduation from homeschool, careers, courtship, marriage. I’m going to miss her encouragement to enrich the culture in my home, something I have to work hard at. I’m going to miss her encouragement to enrich the culture of my mind, something that I need a lot of encouragement in – doing this in a purposeful and disciplined manner. I’m just going to miss Cindy.

I’m thankful for the other bloggers out there who do many of these things for me as well. I hope that when I point you in their direction, that you go look and ponder. They often say the things I want to say, but in a way that I never can.

Margaret

I'm just so busy right now! If I could manage my schedule better, I'd be able to post more.
So, here's praying that I get back on track, especially with waking and sleeping times (all of us!). And that we get and stay healthy around here (colds popping up here and there).
Have a good week!
Margaret

This & That

A picture that delights my heart. The older young men in our church. (My oldest in front in the burgundy, and next oldest in the back in the light green.)





















"The father of a righteous man has great joy;
he who has a wise son delights in him." Proverbs 23:24


Another Rossetti poem:

GOOD FRIDAY.


Am I a stone and not a sheep
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy Cross,
To number drop by drop Thy Blood's slow loss,
And yet not weep?

Not so those women loved
Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;
Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the thief was moved;

Not so the Sun and Moon
Which hid their faces in a starless sky,
A horror of great darkness at broad noon,--
I, only I.

Yet give not o'er,
But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a rock.


Last night was a wonderful time. During family devotions we reflected on the description of creation before the fall and what the new heaven & the new earth will be like. We talked about the things God has done for us this past year and the things we are looking forward to in faith for the coming year. Then we spent a sweet time in prayer.



Tonight...the Virginia Tech game. We are hoping to have some friends over to watch the game and visit with us. I have a big pot of spaghetti planned to feed the gang. It has turned really cold here and we are expecting a little snow. There is a little wood pecker on the tree right outside the window, I will have to remember to put out some seed and suet this week.

Steven has his follow-up appointment for his sleep study today. He is hoping to get some definite results, and a plan for what to do next. Just keeping the sleep journal has been revealing, his being in his bed does not mean he's sleeping!

The downstairs looks fine still, from having company, so today the focus is on Shayna's room, and the ever-present but quite piled up laundry. Ironing anybody? No, I didn't think so. :^)

Today, I'm thankful for: The heat that turns on and warms our home. The woodpeckers outside with their cheery red heads. Our family Dr. who promises to keep trying to figure out what's preventing Steven from getting a good night's sleep. For God's care and guidance for the young men in our church.

Today's Bible Reading: Genesis 5-8, Psalm 119:3,4

Happy New Year!

It has been a different, busy and enjoyable holiday season. I'm glad to get back into routines and clear away the dust and debris.

We have company for dinner and devotions this evening. We love to have company and all are pitching in to get the downstairs ready to make our guests comfortable. We plan to not do much schoolwork this week at all so that I can work on routines and lesson planning.

In the past, I have taken Most of January off of school to totally dejunk and get the house ship-shape. It is wonderful to make a fresh start and January is usually a month that we easily get the blahs. This year, though, we have a more rigorous school schedule, so we are just going to try to stretch out the extra house work over a longer period of time.



I have been enjoying the poems of Christina Rossetti these past few months. Here is another that struck me.

THE LOWEST PLACE.


Give me the lowest place: not that I dare
Ask for that lowest place, but Thou hast died
That I might live and share
Thy glory by Thy side.

Give me the lowest place: or if for me
That lowest place too high, make one more low
Where I may sit and see
My God and love Thee so.


Focus for today: Laundry (especially catching up on ironing), Get the downstairs spiffy, Do our weekly chore cards.

What's for dinner: Red beans & Rice, Salad, Homemade applesauce and carrot cake

Today I'm thankful for: New beginnings. My husband who so diligently got up this morning and started back to work. My grown sons who bless me with their wisdom and servant hearts. My younger two who show me Christ (one way or the other) every day and who pray alongside me. My family and church family see the above reason.

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 1-4, Psalm 119:1,2