Pictures, updates, random stuff

The neighborhood kids have been having a blast this summer. All of the parents are great- sharing, playing. . . etc. Hope and a couple of the girls played "makeover" and I think they look very pretty in the picture in this post.

The kids have been making creations with play-doh and jello beach desserts.

The website- http://www.menus4moms.com/ has been very helpful to me. I get a list of dinners with recipes and a grocery list for each week-free. I also found a 14 week plan for breakfast and lunch with recipes and grocery list for the kids! I DO NOT know how to cook- so this has been great! Also- no more making grocery lists- yeah!

Our kitchen table top has been destroyed by the kids. . . but Will had a great idea. We purchased a tinted glass tabletop. It looks amazing! We can no longer see all of the imperfections and it's EASY to clean.

Finally, I love the Jesus Storybook Bible. This is what I read to the toddlers in my Sunday School class. This is THE BEST Bible for little kids.

Also, we should be moving July 8th. Our new house is finished- sitting there ready for us to move in. We LOVE it. Everything turned out as we had hoped- pictures coming soon. Unfortunately we can't move in until we close on our present house. The buyers continue to postpone this. Hopefully, they will postpone no more and on the 8th we'll be able to enjoy our new home.

Convicting

John Piper said something like this (or at least that is what my husband says. . .)

"Man tends to be God-centered as long as God is man-centered."

ouch- that was very convicting to me. . .

The Pastor's Daughter update

This is for you, Carol :).

Papa to Maria

"You acknowledge, then, that the heart alone gives a value to outward acts of kindness, and yet you wish God to be contented with formal and hypocritical services, while your heart is an enemy to Him! O, Maria, when will you learn that you are treating your Maker as you would not dare to treat an earthly friend, no, nor a comman acquaintance, nor even a menial; for Him only do you require to be pleased with hypocrisy." Maria wept, as usual, and, as usual, her heart remain unchanged."

. . . to be continued (can't wait to see her heart changed :))

Father's Day

Everyone knows that two-year-olds tell the truth, even if its yucky, stinky, and/or ugly. So, a few weeks ago, when my two-year-old, out of the blue, looked into her Daddy's eyes and said, "You a good Daddy," I knew then that my girls know now how blessed they are.

The Pastor's Daughter

The Way of Salvation Explained to His Daughter by Rev. Edward Payson- a book written by Louisa Payson Hopkins

This is a great book to read to children. It is beautiful to see God work His grace upon the heart of young girl through His Spirit and His truth. It is a much better portrayal of salvation than the watered down, incomplete ABC version that is given at many VBSs.

In one chapter, Papa discusses friendship with Maria. He helps Maria to ponder upon how lovely it would be to have the "perfect" friend. He then admonishes her with this:

"My dear child, I want you to look at the character of Christ- to study it. Think, first of all, the perfections you imagine to exist- think of infinite wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, faithfulness, truth and love- add one after another of these perfections, till they all blend and unite in one harmonious whole, blazing with a lustre so resplendent and dazzling, that not only men but angels must veil their faces before it- a lustre compared with which the sun is dark , and the highest created excellence, deformity. Look at this Being- is he not awful, glorious, lovely? Yes, you might love Him and reverence Him and admire Him but He could never be your friend. How could such a Being sympathize with human infirmities and sorrows? But He veils himself in flesh; He takes upon Himself human nature; He unites all the glories of divinity, all that is lovely and excellent in humanity- the infinite God united to a perfect man. Now, He can understand your wants and sorrows, for He has felt them; He comes to you with all the majesty of a God, and all the sympathizing tenderness of a brother, and offers to be your friend. Maria, will you open your heart to Him? Maria would not reply, she could not, but her tears and sobs told how deeply she was affected. Her father sighed to remember how often her tears had flowed without effect, and silently prayed that this might prove to be a sincere repentance."

To be continued. . .

Christy-isms

These aren't really "isms," just stories that Hope wanted me to tell on myself.

Yesterday morning I came to breakfast and asked Will how he liked the coffee (we had just purchased a new brand the night before). He simply said, "O.K." SO, I took a drink and replied, "Mmmmm, I love this coffee. It's sooo much better than that Dunkin' Donuts coffee we've been drinking lately. (Will is in charge of the coffee around here, and I have been complaining quite a bit about the DD brand.)

Needless to say, the coffee I had just tasted WAS the Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Will showed me the unopened container of the new stuff as proof.

The problem is that I have done this before. We had a soda tasting contest at a New Year's Eve party. At the time, I LOVED Coca-Cola and complained and complained when he brought home Sam's Cola. He never drank soda, so he didn't care. Anyway, at the tasting contest- I was POSITIVE that a certain cola was Coke- my favorite. Will insisted it was Sam's Cola. There was NO way that my favorite of all those colas was Sam's Cola. Sure enough, it was.

Secondly, Hope was getting a lecture from me about kindness. A looooooooong lecture. So long, in fact, that I grew tired of it and by the time I got to point #2 I just said, "Well, you know" and walked away. She started laughing because I had been so serious for so long and then walked away leaving her with no idea what point #2 was. . . ohhh I've got so much to learn about parenting.

New Design

Thanks Megan for the new look. I love it!