Favorite things about Summer & Fall

Favorite things about summer:

• Rainbows after a storm
• Crickets
• Dragonflies
• Birds singing
• The Pool
• The Beach
• Seagulls
• Time with family
• Warmth
• Sunsets
• Sunrises
• Sitting out on the deck
• Flowers

Favorite things about fall:

• Warm days, Cool nights
• Leaves changing
• Fresh start
• New Crayons and Colored Pencils for my little one
• Wonderful Schools for all 3 of my children
• The smell of leaves burning
• Candles
• Warm colors
• Pumpkins
• Apple Orchard

Advent

The Jesse Tree: In preparation for Christmas, each day (we skip days here and there and catch up!) we read through the devotional.  Each day there is a story from the Bible (Creation, Adam & Eve, Noah & the Flood, Jacob's ladder, etc), an ornament (Hand of God, Apple, Rainbow, Ladder), and a prayer. Sarah is really enjoying it this year. 

Our Christmas Tree with a village underneath.  One day we will pull out our train again.

The stable, decorated by Sarah.  I bought the people and animal at Stauffers of Kissel Hill when we first got married.  I also painted them.  The kids have always loved the band of angels that were their Great-Grandmom Thomas's.  And every year they fall over! 

This year I made an advent wreath.  I cut the greens from our small evergreen out front.  I have been enjoying doing an advent devotional this year.   It has helped me focus on the Birth of Christ.



Thankful

This is my Moleskin journal that I use for Hymns and Worship Songs.  I am currently making sure I have the following Thanksgiving hymns and worship songs in my journal: We Gather Together, Count Your Blessings, Thanks to God, For the Beauty of the Earth and Come Ye Thankful People Come.

The morning of the Fall Party: This is one of the farm animals-a chick!  Her mask is waiting at school.

This is blurry but here is the Farmer and all her Farm Animals.

The Fall Party Theme was Owls.  They made these really cute barn owls, listened to a story called "Owl Moon", went on an owl hunt and made owl rice cake snacks (see below).

The Owl Snacks inspired her to make a turkey rice cake snack! 

October Bright Spots

Well, this week has had some highs and lows.  The lows are pretty low which makes the highs even brighter.  Here are the bright spots:

Apple Butter which still reminds me of Dan, my cousin!!

Beautiful mittens made by my daughter for my birthday

New calendar pages & starter pack from the Franklin Covey Store, my favorite store in the world

a new purse for my birthday!

One of our favorite movies to watch.  My hubby purchased it for a few dollars because they don't have it in the rental store anymore.

This one has such a story to it.  Please excuse my messy island.  Note my beautiful candle plant holder!  Here's the explanation for it-the plant is getting wet underneath it so it's airing out.  Anyway, on the way to the store this morning, my little one, yet again, was talking about heaven.  "i want to take my blanket and doll and bucket and I am going to collect gems (from the walls of heaven) and gold (from the streets of gold) and I am going to make a picture from them and write on it Mighty God for Jesus and then I'm going to ask him for a frame. "  Well, I was pretty overwhelmed.  I said, "you could make him one this afternoon.  We will get out your paints. and then I will help you write Mighty God on it."  So here she is painting a picture for Jesus. 

Here it is.  Love it!  We then read the book "Heaven is for Real for Kids" by Todd Burpo on my kindle.  It is so great!



Here's my bday card & money (for a purse) from her.

An awesome book from Mom and a journal from my son

Enjoying a new book.   Love the library!

Go Tigers!  School asssignment for the littlest for Monday. It is a small youth but I think it's still going to be a bit large.  That's okay though.  It's worth it. 

a new cookbook from my dear friend

Friends!

Beautiful tree out front which now has no leaves.  I love fall.

I enjoyed a great visit with this dear friend.

For our 24th anniversary we went to the Traffic Jam & Snug Restuarant in Detroit.  It was featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. 

A Sunday walk.

getting face paint for Awana.  She wanted to be a cat.

Beautiful Michigan Day

 Here's a list of my favorite birthday highlights from today:

• Great Church Service at Trinity
• David went to church with us, just like old times (in the same car!)
• Nice cards, notes & gifts from special people in my life
• Awesome lunch of gluten free pizza from Buddy's while everyone else enjoyed Hungry Howie's pizza.
• Phone conversation with my Mom
• Walk through the Lower Huron Metropark

Lower Huron MetroPark



Racing Leaves



This is the nature girl!  She filled up half her bucket with treasures from nature.



Love these trees against the beautiful Michigan blue sky

Time to head home

Celebration of Discipline: Meditation

I have been reading through the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, originally published in 1978.  What an awesome book.  I had also purchased Celebrating the Disciplines which is a journal workbook to accompany it.  I have read chapters on Meditation, Prayer, Fasting and Study. 
This book has helped me wade through the confusion of what is the difference between Eastern meditation and Christian meditation.  Eastern meditation is emptying the mind, detaching from the world and merging with the cosmic mind.  Christian meditation is an emptying of ourselves and filling up with the Lord.  We need to detach from the confusion around us so we can have a richer attachment to God.  And here's one of Richard Foster's awesome statements: "Meditation is the one thing that can sufficiently redirect our lives so that we can deal with human life successfully.  It brings greater perspective and balance into our world."  Here's my summary of what he says:  Meditation is a quiet time to empty ourselves and be filled with his peace.  It's a time to focus on the Lord and allow him to transform our hearts.  As a result our lives are impacted and we extend it naturally to others.  My obstacles to medication are interruptions, being in the same place each time (as Foster recommends in order to focus), finding a regular time, and quiet (or lack of it!).  Foster gives specific instructions on what to meditate on and how to do it.  He encourages the selecting of a Scripture passage for one week and focusing on that.  He says to take 1 event, a parable, a few verses or a word and allow it to take root. Use all senses and join the story if possible.  Don't study; receive.  In this, we will forget about "self".  He also instructs on how to release our needs to the Lord when we are just beginning to meditate, by placing our palms down (releasing) and stating or picturing what weighs on our minds or is a concern to us and then placing our palms up (receiving).   I like that Foster is so practical. 
One of the things I have learned to do is take the Scripture "Be still and know that I am God" from Psalm 46:10.  I state it like this:
Be still and know that I am God
Be still and know that I am
Be still and know that I
Be still and know
Be still
Be
I had never done this before and find it so refreshing! 
I want to end with a quote from a classic devotional book (which I started reading as a result of the chapter on Study this past week.  Foster gives recommendations on what to read) and what an amazing book it is.
The Confessions of Saint Augustine
written in 401 AD and translated
(I got it for my Kindle for 0.99)
"Oh! that Thou wouldst enter into my heart, and inebriate it, that I may forget my ills, and embrace Thee, my sole good!"

Butternut Squash

I love butternut squash.  In the October 2009 issue of  Better Homes and Gardens, they had a recipe for Butternut Squash Bisque.  That was the beginning of my love for them.  It is so good and something I like to make each fall.  Here are the ingredients: butternut squash, butter, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, braeburn or gala apples, chicken broth, and apple juice. I am looking forward to making this sometime over the next week.

The October 2012 issue of Better Homes and Gardens has a section on recipes for Butternut Squash.  The one I am looking at making is Caramelized Squash Salad with Pistachios and Goat Cheese.  Ingredients are: butternut squash, orange juice, maple syrup, dijon mustard, ginger, salt, pepper, olive oil, mixed salad greens, pistachios, and goat cheese.

Both of these recipes are on their website:  www.bhg.com