Parental Rights Amendment -- Get on Board

Although our interests may vary, one interest I have that I believe you will agree is absolutely vital is the liberty of American parents to decide for themselves how to raise and teach their children. Changes in American courts and new standards of international law are threatening these rights, as hard as that may be to believe. Please check out this one web page, and see if maybe you become as concerned about this as I am: www.parentalrights.org/why. Please take a few minutes to look this over and consider what you want to do about it – for the sake of our country, and for the sake of our children. I’m already on the email list, and I’m proud to support the Parental Rights Amendment.

And the winner is. . .Sally Clarkson!

Last weekend, I traveled with 4 other women to the Hearts at Home conference. I'd wanted to attend for the last six years but hadn't made it there until now. I am so very glad that I went! I had a wonderful time with the "girls" and the workshops I sat in were absolutely fabulous! I've heard some incredible speakers in the past, but there was just no topping the uplifting and encouraging talks from people like Sally Baucke, Dr. Kevin Leman, Sue Heimer, Karen Ehman, and Bill and Pam Farrel.

The best of the best though was Sally Clarkson. Sally has been a favorite speaker and author of mine for many years, yet I have never been as encouraged as I was listening to her words of encouragement last weekend. She and her husband, Clay, run Whole Heart Ministries. I long to have Sally as my personal friend and mentor. Unfortunately, I just have to soak up every little bit of her wisdom that I can get hearing her speak every few years, reading her books, looking over her website, and stalking her blog. If you ever have the opportunity to hear Sally speak, read her books, meet her, or share a meal with her, drop everything to do it! You won't be sorry, I promise.

Slaying Giants

I never write on this blog. I really hate that I never write on this blog because I really, really have a strong desire to write. I know what my problem is though and I'm taking steps to fix it. I am a perfectionist, plain and simple. My perfectionism takes over and gets me all flustered. I then figure there is no way that I can possibly write anything as I am too worried about my word placement, my adverbial clauses, spelling, prepositional phrases, capitals, periods, semicolons, and on and on the list progresses. So I don't write. Today I am tackling my perfectionistic giant and just writing for the sake of writing. For my kids, I will just write and not worry about the technical stuff. They truly don't care anyway.

I do have one other problem though. I always come up with exactly what I want to write about when I am in the shower. Unfortunately, my computer is not in the shower with me so I lose the thought by the time I get a chance to sit and type. The thoughts about what I wanted to write have completely vanished from my brain, along with the list of what I need to do that day, what I was planning to cook for dinner, and what the temperature is supposed to be. That's how it is for me. If I think about it, it better get written down immediately or it's lost in the myriad of other thoughts and ideas, never to return, unless of course it comes to me during my next shower! I'm working on this problem too, but it seems to be an even bigger giant to slay than the perfectionism. Any suggestions?

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The year just flew by didn't it? Yes, I know that's usually a cliche, but it's reality around these parts. Each year goes by faster and faster, and this year has seemed the fastest by far. I don't want to think ahead to 2009 if it goes by quicker than 2008. That just doesn't even seem possible. In the year 2008 we sold a home, moved into temporary housing, had another home built and moved again, all while homeschooling, hubby adjusting to a new job location, myself adjusting to a new position, and our entire family trying to get our bearings in a new town and different church. Life continues to fly by at an uncontrollable speed.


"Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 Even as our lives seem to blaze past, God is stable and firm. It's a blink of an eye to God, and it seems like he is blinking faster all the time. All we can do is use our days as best as possible and look to him for guidance and wisdom.


Last year held many blessings for our family. I like to look back and take note of all the ways I saw the hand of God work in 2008. What will 2009 hold for us? Joy, disappointment, fear, concern, opportunities,. .. ... I'm sure it will all be there, as will God. Thankfully, he will be there with us through it all -- again -- just as always. "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future." Ecclesiastes 7:14


Will there be resolutions? Not this year. I don't like resolutions since I never, ever, absolutely never keep them. In 2009 I am changing my ways and making commitments. I feel more compelled to keep my commitments, I'm just that way. I'm not one to back out of a commitment, so that's how I'm planning for 2009. Did I start my commitments on January 1st? No Way!! I'm not setting myself up for failure again this year. This year is going to be different, so many of my commitments are not even in place yet. I'm taking this slow and making sure that I establish routines that I can keep.

Here are just a few of the commitments I'm making in 2009:

I am committed to tracking every single penny we spend. Okay, realistically I'll not be tracking every penny, probably not even every dime or quarter, but I'll be diligently tracking our spending. I'm committed to it. Not only do I want to keep a better account of how much of the money we are blessed with is going out the door, but I am also interested in where that money is going. Specifically, who or what entity is receiving those hard-earned dollars that the Lord is blessing us with? Is that company or person in line with what our values are, and is the money going to be used further down the line for purposes which we can be proud? Obviously there is much that needs to spent that we have little control over, but there is also quite a bit that we can choose to spend with companies and with people who are likeminded.

I'm committed to doing my best to help my family be healthy and safe, and to be kind to the environment at the same time. So far I've started replacing our plastics with glass, I'm milling my own flour and baking my own bread, we've switched to many organic products, we are using Klean Kanteens instead of plastic water bottles, and we just got our Laptop Lunches ready to use. There's much more to do, but we are well on our way and I am excited about the steps already taken. If you are interested in any of these changes, let me know and I'll give you some information.

I'm committed to becoming healthier myself. Notice I didn't say "losing weight" or daily exercise. I fail miserably with that. This year I am going to try to become healthy in many ways. I didn't start January 1st, nor have I started as yet. That's okay, because I haven't failed yet either. I still have 360 days to succeed because I haven't made my commitment yet.

I'm committed to so many things related to the education and discipling of my children. Suffice it to say that I have lots of changes that I am planning to implement within the next month or so. It's going to be a difficult process, but I'm committing myself.

I am committing to being in God's word and really focussing on what he has to say. I know he has plans for me, plans to prosper me and for a hope and future. I'm not sure where he'll be leading me, but I am preparing to follow.

Blessings to all of you as we begin this new year.

I haven't written in quite some time. I have no real reason why that is, but I feel compelled to get the word out about two issues that are weighing on my heart and mind right now.

The first is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. If this treaty is signed in the US, its effect on American families will be devastating to say the least. The new administration is poised to jump on this, so the time to get involved is now. Please visit www.parentalrights.org to find out what this is all about and how you can help.

Second, a letter follows that I received from another great organization. They are fighting yet another horrible piece of legislation. Please take a moment to read it and then go to their site.


I'm writing to let you know about a terrible piece of legislation called "The Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA).
FOCA would establish the right to abortion as a fundamental right (like the right to free speech) and wipe away every restriction on abortion nationwide.
It will eradicate state and federal abortion laws the majority of Americans support and prevent states from enacting protective measures in the future.
FOCA will do away with state laws on parental involvement, on partial-birth abortion, and on all other protections.
FOCA will compel taxpayer funding of abortions.
FOCA will force faith-based hospitals and healthcare facilities to perform abortions.
Please read the expert analysis by Americans United for Life (AUL) and sign the Fight FOCA petition at: http://www.fightfoca.com/
Thank you

Blessings,
Angie

My friend told me that I MUST complete this for her, so I shall make a feeble attempt at doing just that! I'll give you 7 random facts about myself, but I doubt I'll be "tagging" anyone else, so there!

Fact #1 -- Like my friend Julia, who tagged me in the first place, I have an incessant need to constantly be in a state of home decorating/rearranging/remodeling. I am forever repainting, rebuilding, rearranging, or flat out remodeling something in our house. This has held true for all 3 houses we have now owned. This week we have been spending time trying to get the home we moved into about 6 weeks ago into some semi-completed stage. My goal is to get this house "done" and leave it that way -- always!!! Hahaha, yeah, right! As stated, I am well aware of this little idiosyncrasy about myself, so I am actually taking steps to prevent further problems by specifically placing furniture in one room that can be rearranged a couple different ways. This way, when the urge strikes, I can switch things around and feel like I've gotten my fix!

Fact #2 I am an obsessive-compulsive reader. There, I said it! If I can read anything I want for as long as I want I am a happy camper. My problem is that once I open a book and begin reading, I absolutely do not have the ability to just read a chapter at a time. If I start a book, I finish the book. That same day, almost without fail. I have been known to shirk my responsibilities on occasion, probably several occasions, because I am caught in a book that I must finish. My great desire was that once I taught my kids to read and they were fluent, then they would catch my love of reading. My middle two are well on their way, but my oldest is over the top already. She is just like me. Never leaves the house without a book or three, reads non-stop from the time she wakes until she must turn out the light, and it pains her to put a book down for any length of time until it is finished.

Fact #3 -- I cannot, under any circumstances, keep my desk clean and organized. I try. I try very hard, but I just can't seem to accomplish such a feat. Right now my desk, although fairly clean and organized to my standards, looks like a small tornado whizzed past leaving paper strewn all around. It's how I work and I can't seem to get it much better than this. That's all I have to say. No apologies.

Fact #4 -- I am a night owl. I get my second or third wind around 10p.m. If I had my choice, I would stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning and wake up around 10a.m. each day. I don't have my choice though, so I am desperately trying to get to bed around 11p.m. most nights. It's 10:30p.m. now, so I better get a move on!

Fact #5 -- I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE CHOCOLATE!!!!! I am a serious chocolate addict. I have been known to rampage through my house looking for chocolate at all hours of the day or night. And just so we're all clear, rampage is a fairly lame way to express what actually takes place when I'm really on a roll. I have family members hide chocolate from me. Then I try to find it later in a fit of craziness. I crave chocolate so strongly on some days that I often feel like I may spontaneously combust if I do not eat a morsel or two. I have recently gotten so desperate that I have taken to grabbing a chunk of 85% pure dark cacao bar just to stave off my craving. I'm a junkie and I know it. I thought it was my problem, but it's come to light that my husband is almost as bad as me, he's just decided to fess up now.

Fact #6 -- I don't do vomit. Period. I am a mom of four, but when there is vomit, I run the other way screaming, often times vomiting myself. Yeah, it's gross to talk about, but it's the truth. Most moms will hold their kid's hair, cuddle them, clean up lovingly after them, change and wash sheets, scrub floors, whatever it takes. Not me! My husband will hold out his hands and allow our kids to vomit right into them so as not to get it on the carpet. That's a mom-thing to do. When one of our kids got sick in the car, I had to jump out immediately and get sick myself. Thankfully my husband was again with us to take care of it. Vomit makes me puke! I have a good friend who is also the mother of four who has the same problem. She totally gets me. Thank God that he placed her in my life so that I wouldn't feel like such a shameful mom. We understand this horrendous feeling that we each have so well that we have made a pact with one another. Under no circumstances will either one offer to assist in changing or washing sheets,or in vomit clean up in any way if the other's family is sick. No offers of help, and no hard feelings. We like it that way!

Fact #7 -- I don't sort my laundry. I feel it's a big waste of time and I just don't do it. I have been teaching my kiddos how to do laundry and they don't sort either. In fact, if you asked them what sorting laundry meant, they'd look at you like you were a bit crazy. Sorting laundry around here means getting it out of one hamper, mixing that bunch with all the clothes from all the other hampers, washing it all together and then drying. Simple as that.

Blessings!

I snapped the photo that sits behind my blog title while on our vacation to Myrtle Beach last year. I love this photo because it elicits such a diverse reaction in my soul. The ocean is breathtakingly beautiful, serene, consistent, and at the same time unbelievably terrifying to me. The immense vastness and powerfulness, to be blunt, just freaks me out!

I see the hand of God in every single aspect of the ocean, from its depth to its diversity of creatures and plant life. It reveals the fingerprints of God, and like God it is always there, the tides come in and go out each day just like they have since Creation. While I stand in awe of the ocean and of the God who created it, I also shrink in fear when near it. It scares me! Oh, I'll wade out into it during the day to play with the kids, but I am still very fearful. Won't have anything to do with it at night, and I would have thought twice about allowing the kids in it had we actually finished our science study of swimming creatures before we arrived. Goodness there's a lot of frightening creatures in that water.

Still, I love the ocean and all that it represents to me. This is the scripture verse that comes to mind when I am walking along the shore or when I gaze deep into the photo above:

Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone -- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea behind closed doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, "This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt"? Job 38:4-11

Blessings!