Vacalaziness

We have taken lazy to a whole new level. Case in point? Today's schedule:

• Arise at 7-ish, coffee and Bible time for.a.whole.hour.a.l.o.n.e.!
• 8ish the young tribe members arise. Are greeted with hugs and suggestions for making their own breakfasts independently, as I have blog reading to do.
• Tribal leader arises at 9-ish.
• conversation, a bit of pleasure reading
• nap from 10:45-12ish.
• lunch: Mcmuffin-esque goodness for Drama Girl and Big; mac and cheese for David; left overs atop a bed of spinach for me. I actually broke down and did prepare the food.
• trip into Langley for strolling and a tiny bit of shopping--I bought a game of pick up stix, so you know it was some fierce shopping...
• short drive to South Whidbey State Park for a wandering hike amidst the beautiful majestic trees and giant slugs. Weather? Nearly a perfect partly cloudy 65 degrees.
• return movie from last night (Batman Begins)
• grabbed a sugar-free latte for the momma. Cuz I've been working so hard and all.
• Blackberry crisp (from our own blackberry bushes) with ice cream.
• Post sugar- high nap/pleasure readage.
• And now? Going to our po-dunk theater to see Dark Knight (Batman) for $6 for Big and me and $4 for the kids. Popcorn $1.50.

It's all good.

The laundry and chores and school prep can wait for just one more day...

Gladitude Monday

10. Glad my bloggy friends understand my being behind in catching up with them. :)

9. Glad that school starts in a week and 2 days. Yeah, I was a hater of the change a week or so ago, but now...r.e.a.d.y.

8. Glad that even though I only lost 1 measley pound, I'm eating healthier. I suspect that, since I weighed in the morning after high salt intake, I might even be truly lower. But, it is what it is.

7. Glad that eventhoughtheinterruptionsdrivemecrazy, my children are learning skillz in the kitchen and in the house which will serve them well (and me, too) as they get older and more independent. However, for now, there is no such thing as finishing a blogging post paragraph without several stops.

6. Glad that Big and I are d.e.c.l.u.t.t.e.r.i.n.g. the house room by room. I'm not so glad as I am relieved. We really have gotten ourselves into living like a dump, and that's not what either of us wants. While I don't heart so much that we're utilizing his staycation this way, I'm grateful that we are working as a team and are committed to being a better example to our children in the old "you get it out, you put it away" and "a place for everything and everything in its place" departments.

5. Glad that my son's 7/8 youth group sounds so supportive and welcoming for the kids. I was really encouraged after the parent meeting yesterday. I realize that we're facing the years where I might not be his first choice when discussing "important stuff", so I'm glad he's set up with kids his own age, plus high school and post high school aged volunteers and staff.

4. Similarly, glad that my dtr's 5/6 church group is a great fit for her. She's beginning to feel so big, and since David has to go to 2nd service and she has to go to 1st (because of room constraints), she's going to volunteer as a helper for our preschoolers in 2nd service. I love it when these kids can make a difference within their own communities. It's a small step, but it's service. And I'm all about service.

3. Glad that I serve a loving and forgiving God when I really, really, really want to strangle my children. I need only remember that there are times when He'd like to do the same with me. Well, not really (as not really with me), but...close. I was born without the patience gene. And it's killing me.

2. Glad that I'm finished exercising today. For I don't love the exercise. Glad I'm relatively healthy to be able to complete said un-fun exercise. :)

1. Glad for old M*A*S*H reruns which we can enjoy together as a family.

Bonus: I lurved the Olympics, but I'm glad they're over for a bit...I can only take so much of the post hype hype and the mispronunciation of Beijing.


Soli Deo Gloria!

Thank you, Suzanne

Many belated thanks to Suzanne for this award:

Here are the "rules" associated with the award:

You must pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award, based upon creativity, design, interesting material, and that also contribute to the blogger community.

Each award must have the name of the author with a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

Award-winners must show the award and put the name and link to the blog that awarded it.

Award-winners and the one who has given the prize must show the link to the Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

These rules must be included in your post.

I am so honored at the compliment, and encourage you all to visit Suzanne's blog, as well. I like her down-to-earth writing and her transparent nature.

That said, I'm going to be a rule breaker and actually not send this on to 5 folks. Rather, I'll send it on to all those in my side bar. Seriously. I'm humbled, inspired, encouraged, entertained, and blessed by you all.

Convicted.

I went to dinner last week with a couple of my closest girlfriends. One, I see nearly every week because she lives closest to me. The other, I see perhaps quarterly. We had a lovely time. A lovely time despite me walking on my lips and tongue. Oh, the pain. The swelling is nearly down now, thanks to Divine Intervention...

Backing up...

I'm doing my devotional this morning. Actually, it's not really a devotional; I've just challenged myself to actually read the entire Bible from cover to cover. Novel idea for a Christian, isn't it? Ashamed to say that I've never done this before. But, it's never too late, right? I mean, I've read bits and pieces of the OT and NT, but never the whole kit-n-caboodle, so-to-speak. I'm proud to say that my convicted heart came from something.I'd.read.in.the.Bible. Wow...it really is a living, breathing book. Now, I know...some of you are saying, "Duh...", but I apparently need convincing of this fact on a daily basis.

Anyhoo, back to dinner. We had such a great time. I don't think we even ordered our drinks for at least 20 minutes after sitting down. Talk, talk, talk. Laughter. Fun. And then...chatting about my friend's sadness/angst/frustration/worry/disappointment about not being able to get pregnant this past year. She has an amazing son from her first marriage, but he was the only gift from that union, and God has given her a wonderful husband with whom she's now married. Now we are all believers at this table, but this particular friend is the most mature of us all in terms of knowing the Lord for most of her life. Knowing Him. Reflecting Him. Serving Him. Seeking Him. But still...as much as she trusts the Lord, she's been in a desert with regards to the whole pregnancy thing.

You know what I did, don't you? I started talking without fully thinking. To the untrained listener, I was encouraging and wise and coming up with possible "reasons" for the valley. "Maybe God is allowing this..." Because me and God are like.this. and He communicates all of His plans to me before He executes them.

Right.

Well, fortunately, He was with me because I tried to clarify and apologize at the moment, but the apology was lost in our salads coming to the table and other topics of conversation. Sigh. And you should know that this friend was beyond gracious because of who she is and because hopefully, she could see my heart.

Friends, I was no better than Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. If you're not familiar with the story, these 3 friends were good friends. They fasted and grieved with Job, but each one tried to reason away his pain and suffering. I sympathized with this dear friend so very much that I tried to fix things that only God can fix with my hollow words. What I should have said was, "I'm sorry. I'll pray for you."

And that's how I confessed and apologized to Him and to her.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for Your powerful Word, which is everlasting, yet as dynamic as the ages. I am pierced and convicted, but have so much hope in You. Thank You for this friendship. Thank You for having control over this world. Forgive my narcissistic controlling tendencies, Father, I pray. Help me to serve, to honor, to glorify You. Help me to listen well and to trust in You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

It's Really Okay. In Fact, More Than Okay...

I sat in my bathroom today while my daughter gave me a manicure. She sawed this way and that with the purple emory board. As she painted my nails, she scraped so much polish off the brush that it was nearly a "dry brush" manicure. She painted them sideways. There was lumpage. Smudging.

I didn't say a thing. Except this: Thank you! I love it.

I went out to dinner with my girlfriends, and everytime I looked at my hands, I thought of my precious daughter, and her sometimes incessant, sometimes appropriate need to just be with me. And I was humbled that at times, I'm downright stingy with my minutes. So, at that point, I felt thankful for her presence in my life. And my hands have never looked more beautiful.

Gladitude Monday

Howdy! Time for my weekly dose of gladitude. I should have just enough time to complete this post since my children have both been sent to their rooms for being mean to each other. Ah, motherhood: it's all glamour.

10. Glad for the rainy Monday. Yes, yes...but even in Seattle, it gets summery, and though I'm not rip-roaring excited for the grey doldrums of winter to be upon me, I love the clean smell of the rain. I love the cozy feeling of just knowing my house is warm and my family is safe.

9. Glad for the pancake breakfast at church. And David is glad they allowed 2nds. :) We're volume eaters here, I guess.

8. However, I'm also glad that I had some eggs and sausage instead of filling up on pancakes and syrup. I'm embracing a healthier eating plan, and by God's grace alone, am doing okay.

7. Glad that sugar addictions do pass...Not sure when, but they do. :)

6. Glad for my sense of humor. Inappropriate as it sometimes is, it gets me through the day.

5. Glad for Michael Phelps and all the Olympians, no matter how they placed. But for Michael? Especially glad.

4. Glad that my kids will be in school and I'll be able to look at some volunteering opportunities. I hope to work a few hours for our church every one day, every other week. We'll see. Need to pray about it, but I'd love to do it if it works out.

3. Glad that Big and his luggage made it safely to Shanghai. NO, I'm not glad he's there, but if he has to be there, I'm thankful he's safe and that things are going well for him.

2. Glad I was able to walk 15 miles on Saturday (12.7 with my group and the rest with my dog, after the walk with them) with little ill effect by Sunday. Sure, I was hobbling a bit and had some hot spots--no blisters, thankfully--but by Sunday, I was walking like the old me and was pain free.

1. Glad that we put a premium on how we speak to each other in this house--even if it sucks when we have to sort it all out when we're mean to one another. We have our house rules posted --signed by all of us--in our kitchen. They're a bit old (4 years), and I'm not a parenting guru of any sort, but here's a look:

As members of this family, we agree to love and respect each other. We agree to abide by the following rules:

1. Respect each other's bodies, property and personal space.

• We won't hit, pinch or otherwise physically harm one another.
• We will knock before entering each other's rooms.
• We will ask for permission before touching or borrowing each other's items.
• We will ask for personal space or time alone politely (oh, am I a rule breaker here!)

2. Respect each other's feelings

• We will speak kindly to one another, the way we would like to be spoken to. (ack!)
• We won't tattle.
• We will try first to work out disputes with the person(s) involved before seeking help from Mom or Dad.

3. We will remember that kindness and love are more important than being right or getting our own way. (Oh, I'm killing myself, here!)

4. We know mistakes happen, and so we agree to apologize immediately and ask for forgiveness when we violate any of the above rules.

I shall leave you with this...it has nothing to do with this post, but I thought it was a gem. Perhaps you can relate...

"My wife and I like to carefully wrap and refrigerate our left overs before we throw them in the trash." :)

Okay...gotta go enforce the rules...sigh. Humility and grace and teaching really suck sometimes. I mean, when I have to extend them. :0)

Happy Monday. Soli Deo Gloria!

In Which The Realization Occurs That It's Okay That School Starts In 2.5 Weeks

Yeah...my emotions have been running awry this week. Not sure why. Except this: I don't do change well. I mean, I try to do change well, but my personality sees change coming down the pike and like the kids in the movie Stand By Me, who amble along the tracks in utter denial of danger, finally realizes there is no turning back and screams, NOOOOooooooooooooo! Or something like that. Control freak, anyone?

See, I finally got used to summer.

I got used to having the kids around 24/7 and e.n.j.0.y.i.n.g. them 24/7. The onlychildwho needsherspace!!! fell back and enjoyed the togetherness and the lazy days of summer.

My kids had one 4 day stint @ Bible camp. And Drama Girl had one other camp. That's it. No soccer practices. No 1/2 day camps resulting in red-faced sweaty kids. Not that those are bad, but this is the summer we essentially checked out. We were in town. We were in the beach. Usually, we were reading. Or walking. Or doing nothing.

Nothing. Cloud watching. My grandma always says kids are too busy to make cloud pictures. Well, we didn't make them every day. But...our days were slow.

This past week, I've started the dreaded expensive hormonal process of shopping for clothes for my 10-ager. She is now mostly in juniors' sizing thanks to size 9.5 feet and a height of just a scootch under 5 feet. Daddy is 6' 4". Need I say more? Well, needless to say, at 10, in a body that doesn't quite feel girly or womanly, she's not having the most ideal time shopping. And, lemme tell you...these "junior"stores are not for the faint at heart. How old do I sound!!! Seriously! Oh, my. But anyway...that's another chink in the armor of no-changes-thank-you.

And David...well, he'd rather I just buy all his stuff and not mention the word "school" in front of him. We went to a lovely potluck last night to welcome new kids to the school. "I really don't want to go, Mom. I'm fine. Really." And you know what? I kinda knew what he was saying. It's August 15th, and since my kids got out at the mid/end of June, he's not ready to face this first year back in a new school and out of homeschooling. Yet. Be assured though, that with promises of food and...well promises of food, we got him to the potluck, showered and everything.

"Honey, please take a shower before we leave."

"Why??? I took one yesterday!"

"Well, you stink."

"I do?"

"Um, yeah. It's called sweat. You've run around, you've slept, you've done boy things. You need a shower. "

"I TOOK ONE YESTERDAY!!"

"You need to watch your tone. Please get into the shower. "

And so it went. He did shower. He re-wore the day's clothes, but he showered. Pick thouest battles, no?

So, I guess we all have our bumps in assimilating to upcoming change.

Yet...

• the kids are kvetching at each other (more than usual)
• the Olympics are tiring me out--heaven's sake, I haven't stayed up this late since doing college term papers
• the leaves are just.starting.to.change
• Big is about to leave for a week (more togetherness than even I like with the kids!)
• I'm giving up sugar shoot me now
• our lack of routine is sometimes harder than the full routine of fall/winter/spring
• We're trying out for the Christmas play at church

So...I guess it's okay that fall is arriving. Isn't that nice of me to allow God to move the seasons like that? :O) It's okay.

Gotta go...time to walk the dogs before it hits 90 and then go school supply shopping. If I don't post any more it's because we no longer have internet service because we'll surely be out of money soon.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Gladitude Monday

Howdy!

I hope your weekend was fab and that you're refreshed for the week. My kids go back to school the day after Labor Day, and it seems so soon! Not sure if I'm glad about that or not. Some days more glad than others, to be sure. I know some of your kiddos have already started back. I hope that the re-entry has been smooth and full of (good) adventure.

Without further ado:

10. Glad that we had TV dinners in front of the Olympics coverage last night. I had tuna noodle casserole, David had mac and cheese (surprise), Drama Girl had a corn dog meal, and Big had a Claim Jumper meal. Yes, we a.r.e. the house of nutrition. Life is short, no?

9. Glad that Drama Girl is home from Girl Scout camp. Oh, boy--the 1.5 hour ride home wasn't nearly long enough to hear of all the adventures and secrets that this 10 year old had to tell. It was as if I had gone too. Really. No...really. I jest about her chatter, and sometimes, it's plain annoying, but I'll keep this any day over her being tight-lipped and secretive. I know those days may be down the pike, but for now, we're very close, and she insists loves to tell me everything. No, everything.

8. Glad that Big has been home for about 2.5 weeks. It just feels more like family when he's here. I know his travel is necessary, and we do okay without him here, but we don't thrive as much. He's just part of the package.

7. Glad that I got to meet a dear, dear friend of my local best friend's (get that?) this past weekend. They were best friends in Boston, and have been friends for nearly 15 years. I love getting to see a glimpse of her past and enjoying all the special things about this friend. She still lives in Massachussets, so I felt very included to be invited to a BBQ while she was visiting.

6. Glad that my 3 day is about a month away. I love, love, love it. But I'll be honest. My training waxes and wanes, and my attitude is fairly burned out at this point. I want it to be over, not because I don't love and respect it, but just because it's been so long in coming. I know it will be a fantastic experience though--it already has been.

5. As much as I love summer, I'm glad that quilting/scrapping/knitting weather is around the corner. How I love to cozy up in my house! I know I can do these things all year round, but something feels wrong about having a huge quilt on your lap, sitting at the machine when it's 70's/80's outside and the sun is shining. We see true summer for such a fleeting time that I want to enjoy every second.

4. Glad I had some of our first ripened blackberries last night. Big and I were weeding at the beach house, and in our back yard are some huge blackberry weeds brambles which are starting to produce the most beautiful berries. I ate several right off the plant before inviting Drama to join me. Because I'm a pig like that. :)

3. Glad I am mentally and spiritually preparing myself to take some weight off. I really need to, and I want to. I am the health example, like it or not (NOT!) in my house for my kids to see. I found 20 pounds last year, and it's time to say g'bye. I confess here and now that I am a faith eater. Yep, I fill the God-sized hole in my heart--whatever it is on any given day--with food. Please forgive me, Lord, and help me again to discern physical hunger from God-hunger. Thank You for preparing the way for me and for Your great plans on my behalf. I am humbled, and love You so. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Didn't know I was going to pray there. So be it. :)

2. Glad I can spontaneously pray. And read my Bible. And talk about my faith. Without fear of retribution or imprisonment. The Olympics in Beijing remind me about how blessed I am to live in this country.

1. Glad it's Monday, and that (shhh...competitive self coming out) once again, I beat David to the computer. Booo Yah!

So what about you? Are you glad about anything in particular today?


Soli Deo Gloria!

Thank You, Jenster

Jenster's post just really made me think, and I believe the Lord spoke to me through her words today. It was that powerful. If you're one of the few of my readers who don't know Jenster's Musings, do yourself a favor: click here.

Book Review Wednesday: The Shack

Hi,

Since I've had time to actually r.e.a.d. lately, I thought I would share a review with you. A few days ago I both started and finished William P. Young's The Shack.

You can read the summary and reviews at Amazon, but in a nutshell, the story is about a man who suffers a grave loss and then has the opportunity to meet with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to discuss not only the loss, but matters of his heart and faith.

Things I lurved:

• Despite the prologue and first chapter, the book went at a good clip and left me anxious to hear more.


• I really enjoyed the fact that Young challenges us to give up on preconceived notions of God and faith and legalism.


• I loved the depiction of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in the novel. It was a great picture for me to hold onto as I watched Mack through his journey in this book.


• I loved the triune relationship-loving and serving one another.

Not as much love:

• In a book about God and a man's journey of faith, it was disconcerting to me that Satan was not mentioned by name (to my recollection).


• There's a significant event in Mack's life toward the end of the novel which felt very "tacked on" to me. I felt it was an unnecessary rabbit trail and it left me feeling that the novel could've finished much stronger than it did. Of course, how many books have I written???

Things I think about:

• Will folks read this book and accept it as Biblical Truth? I hope not. I mean there are a lot of Biblical truths tucked in and assumed in the story, but there.is.no.substitute.for His Word. I know many folks read and believed in Brown's The DaVinci Code. S-c-a-r-y! While I agree that The DaVinci Code was an interesting read, it's fiction. So is this. Fiction. A story. Something to read about and think about and ponder and share, but not a life-giving/decision-prompting book.


• Would I recommend this book to a new Christian/seeker?

To Recommend or Not To Recommend?:

You know, I do recommend it. Very much, actually. It's an uplifting, real-feeling novel, and I think it does force us to think about our faith and where we might get stuck in our perceptions of what/who God is. My hope is that people will finish this book and thirst for The Book. I know I did.

Gladitude, part deux

Psalm 107:1

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Indeed, He is good. So good in fact, that I'm adding on to my gladitude list of last week. I dunno, but perhaps this will be a theme for me...it should be anyway.

10. I'm so glad that my dtr is at camp. For HER, people, not for me. :) I know she was at Bible camp last week with her brother, but this is Outdoor Chef camp for Girl Scouts, and she's going with a little friend, and lots of enthusiasm. Yes, I miss her terribly, and her eyes leaked a bit before she left, but seeing her confidence and her excitement is so cool. "Hello, my name is Drama Girl, and I'm 10, and I have the world by the tail! Woo hoo! I'm glad for some 1:1 time with David, and that the weather is going to be unseasonably warm--80s! Wow.

9. Grateful that we now have 2 eagles on Fort Stinky. Big and Drama repaired the fort on Saturday and added some nice "eagle perches". Must've worked. Now we have 2, and they seem so happy to hunt and preen and pose for us to enjoy. I don't know why this tickles me so, but it.just.does. Pictures to come.

8. Glad that I get to see my 82 year old Grum in Iowa in October. I haven't seen her in almost 4 years, so it's time. Drama Girl and I are so ready to show Grum our knitting and receive our due polite criticism praise.

7. Glad for Big's flexible schedule (when he's not in China). This is a biggie for me. I'm usually a stinker not as supportive as I could be because I don't like his travel or his long hours. What I need to keep giving thanks for is: a) he has a job, b) he loves his job, c) I've been able to stay home and home school and otherwise be there for my children, d) this is a refining process for me and my p.a.t.i.e.n.c.e and delay of gratification. Hmph. Okay, okay. I'm glad.

6. Glad that, through generous donations, I've met my fundraising minimum for the Breast Cancer 3 Day in September. $2,200 is a ton of money to raise, IMO, and I was very much doing a walk of faith to gather each dollar. Some others on my team are still gathering funds, so if you feel so led, please consider donating to anyone on our team.

5. Further, I'm glad I went on a 9 mile hilly walk last week, and a 11.7 (let's call it 12) mile training walk last night with some other 3-day walkers. Last night's walk was a hilly-exhausting-butt-burning extravaganza. So, I guess I'm also glad that I simply made it. I make it hard on myself because I try to walk at about 4 mph, but I do that mostly so I can finish and move on to other non-exercise activities. I presume that I'll be walking much slower during the event. Since, you know, I've never walked 60 miles in 3 days before, and am likely to be p.o.o.p.e.d! I'm humbled by the cause, though, and don't tell anyone, but I'm knitting pink scarves from fun fur for all my team mates. :) Better get started!

4. Lest you think that all I can think about is the 3 Day, I can tell you that I'm also glad that I was the first one on the computer this morning! Ha Ha David, you'll have to eat your cereal first, this morning. This sharing thing is for the birds! Okay, shut up only child! ;) Ooops! I mean, I'm happy to share with my son who hogs it as much as he can--I would NEVER do that .

3. Glad for a dog lying right near me. Glad also that her horrendous farts have subsided.

2. Glad for the Taco Bell meal I had in my car, at 9 p.m. after my long walk last night.

1. Glad for the amazing God-painted sunset last night. How I appreciate my sight.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Gladitude

It's been a few days...I guess with the break from kids (four delicious nights a.l.o.n.e. with hubby and 3 1/2 delicious days alone with...me), I haven't had a ton to say. Perhaps I just enjoyed a little break from my talking and enjoyed visiting and lurking at other blogs...

Anyhooo. Gladitude. In my family, for better or for worse, we are highly verbal. One of the things we do is make up words. Constantly. I give you: gladitude. It's gratitude + attitude. I think I probably made it up after one of my famous, constant, "teachable moment" lectures. I think it went something like this: "You know, (insert name/s here), we have so much to be grateful for, and here all I'm hearing about is your wanting more (insert item, experience, or general whine here). Let's try to have an attitude of gratitude, shall we? Gladitude!" Shouts of laughter and praise erupted from the teeming masses, and a word was born. Well, I made up the shouts...part, but still, we use "gladitude" quite often now. So lately, I've been thinking of my gladitude list...

1. My dtr was baptized in the lake at her Bible camp yesterday. I'd post pictures, but her pastor is in the shot, too, and I haven't rec'd permission. What an awesome experience. I got to assist. She was so ready. 10 children were baptized yesterday. What a celebration in heaven. To see her go through the Bible study and really KNOW what she was doing was so cool. So intentional.

2. My son enjoyed Bible camp, too, and for the first time ever, we dropped him off without watching him sob as we skulked away. He's just very sensitive. And...I love that about him, but no one likes to cry in front of peers, and a 12 year old boy is definitely at the top of the list of those who would rather eat live crickets than let his friends and older teen boys see him cry. I was light as air as my hubby and I took off from camp. I know a lot of parents have this experience when their child(ren) is(are) a lot younger. This was a first for us, and we reveled in it.

3. I had a counseling session with my son's counselor while he was at camp, and we talked about faith being the belief in that which isn't seen. Duh. I wish I had thought of that. No, I've been in a state of worry and anxiety about "whatifhedoesn'tfindhappinessgetajobgetmarriedbesomesoretofnormal???". She told me I had to get to a place where I believed David would be fine. And that what he became was neither because or in spite of me, but was controlled by God. Talk about an a-ha moment. And a moment of contrition on my part. I apologized to God for my lack of faith. She told me that David would respond to my truth. Period. Even if I say all the "right" and supportive things, his spirit will respond to my fears of his failure. Gulp. Admittedly, this isn't a total call for gladitude right away. But...it's true. And truth brings me gladitude. Big and I had a talk about this, too, and he shared his fears. It's okay for us to be scared, but we cannot be paralyzed by those fears. We still have to allow God to be God. And so that's what I'm trying to do. Pray for the peace and the trust for myself to allow God to do His work and me to be a witness to it. Another lesson in boundaries, I guess.

4. I saw another eagle on our Fort Stinky (the driftwood fort we made over Memorial Day weekend). He or she wasn't bothered by the rain and wind. Just majestically seated atop the fort, waiting for a delicious bite of fish.

5. I'm glad that it's August 1st. This is not self-promotion--really! But...each August, I send gifts (one or 2 a day) for one week to my Grandma (82) , who lives in Iowa. We call it "The Dog Days of Summer Holiday". My mom started it several years before she passed, and I've been doing it for the last 10. You see, there is no real holiday in August. I think my mom started this as a way to bring cheer to her mom, and after she died, I couldn't just let it end. So...my Grum loves lavender. Each year at least one of the gifts is or has lavender in it. With postage and the cost of gifts, I usually spend between $50 and $75, but I could be so much more economical if I wanted to. Usually, I'm behind the eight ball, truth be told, and I don't want to forget, so I send everything Priority mail. Some examples: a sachet, postage paid notecards/b'day cards, lavender scented hand sanitizer, little sewing gadgets/quilting notions, pictures of the family, bookmarks, restaurant gift cards, and of course a little note from me in each gift. I better wrap this up so I can get the first package off to Iowa! :)

6. Glad for the lovely bloggy goodness I get to read each day. You all lift my spirits, whether through a devotional or through the sameness we share in our lives as women. Praise God for each of you.

Soli Deo Gloria!