Fast Forward

Marc and I found these little dollies on clearance a couple of days before Valentine's Day and knew that the girls would fall in love with them. They did! The dolls are about 5 inches tall and their real names are Ashley, Briana and Paige. Each girl came with an itty-bitty hair brush and a pet. I only wish that the real girls that they represent always got along as well as the dolls seem to. It is so much fun to listen to the conversations that these cheap pieces of plastic have with one another. A glimpse of things to come?!

Does God make mistakes?

Today at lunch...

Sierra: "Mom, I know that I shouldn't say this, but I don't like so-and-so's face."

Me: "Oh, Sierra. God made that person's face and He doesn't make mistakes, does He?"

Sierra: (dejected) "No."

Me: "Do you like my face?"

Sierra: "Yes."

Me: "Even though I'm a little chubby?"

Sierra: "Yes. I think you're pretty anyway."

Me: "Well God made me even though I'm chubby."

Sierra: "Yeah, but God didn't make you chubby. He made you just like me AND THEN YOU ATE TOO MUCH CANDY."

Nice.

Beater-lickin' Good!

Valerie + Pudding = True Love

5 Reasons Why I Like "Night Church"

1. Going to the evening service requires me to set apart a Lord's DAY rather than just a morning. I know myself. If there were no commitment to going back to church in the evening, my day would not be the same. As it is, I love having lunch out, settling everyone down for much needed afternoon naps, and then eating popcorn and playing games when the kids wake up.

2. The evening sermon is never watered down. I love getting the extra dose of teaching, encouragement and spiritual challenge. It's a good way to head into Monday morning.

3. Miss Julie provides a wonderful class for my kids in the evening. They love going...and I love that they love it. She has some very creative projects to send home at the end of her teaching units (even when the unit is about the judges of Israel!).

4. I love the family atmosphere at "night church." The crowd is smaller, the worship time is a little different and there is lots of time to talk afterwards since no one is scrambling to get to Sunday school.

5. There are lots of "EXTRAS" at night: special missionary reports, Dad's fire-side chats, communion, testimonies, cookie fellowship time, etc.

So - here I go. It's 5:20 on Sunday afternoon. Time for me to re-do the girls tangled hair and get back in the car. Sundays are good days!

Life with Little Girls

Yes, the Squinkie craze hit our house this Christmas. Surprisingly, though, these itty-bitty toys haven't been all that popular with the older girls. Valerie, on the other hand, thinks that they make great chew toys. I was tickled PINK to find that in the one package that we bought there were three little characters who very much resemble some little girls whom I happen to love very, very much.

I don't, however, love this face. And I'm seeing it more and more these days. Ahhh! The terrible-two's are almost upon us.


As far as our regular days go, we've been ...

...having lots of manicures.

...taking lots of bubble baths.

... trying some Green Eggs and Ham!

...and playing plenty of girly make-believe.

And then there was the day when I heard Val-Val fussing in the living room and came in to find this scene:

She desperately wanted to ride in Polly Pocket's little blue beach cruiser. Try as she might, she couldn't even manage to push one foot into that danged car! She seriously tried to get herself in there for at least 5 minutes. After I grabbed the camera and took these pictures, I was able to convince her to be content sitting on Barbie's jeep and scooting her buns around the living room. We're gonna have some issues with this girl, folks!

The Children of Israel and Me

I have decided to read through my NIV Study Bible again this year. Last year I took a break from a "formal reading plan" because I wanted to take my time and read through the New Testament in The Message (a paraphrase in contemporary English). That was a really good change for me because over the years I have become so familiar with many texts in the NIV that I can gloss over them without even thinking about the meaning. The language in The Message caused me to think about familiar passages in a whole new light. (Follow those links if you need a wake-up call!) I often had to refer back to my NIV to look up the more familiar wording, but The Message brought some passages back to life in my mind. That's not to say that God's Word is ever dead or dull, but sometimes this reader is!

Well, back to this year. I have been staying on track with a couple of chapters in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament each day. (By the way, did you know that it only takes 15 minutes a day to read through the whole Bible in a year...even for a slow reader like myself!) This week I started the book of Exodus and I was really hit by something. After God had miraculously delivered the children of Israel from their oppression in Egypt - remember the horrible plagues of boils, flies, frogs, blood, etc. - they immediately began to grumble against Him and against Moses. On one page of my Bible I can read their beautiful songs of praise and deliverance and (literally!) on the next page I can read about their grumbling and complaining.

Take a look:

Exodus 15:13 (pg. 108)

Exodus 16:3 (pg. 109)

I was so tempted to mock and criticise those ungrateful wretches...until I realized how very true that is in my own life. One moment I am praising God for his wisdom and sovereignty and the next moment I am doubting and resisting His plan for my life. BUT GOD DIDN'T ABANDON THOSE SINNERS AND HE WON'T ABANDON ME. I am so thankful. And - I'm excited about all the other things I will observe and apply through my Bible reading this year.

My Dad

My Dad

...preaches hard,

...works hard,

...plays hard,

...sleeps hard,

...and loves hard!

Happy Birthday, Dad!
(We love you.)