love to paint

I'm not even sure where to begin.  So much has happened in the last month and a half that I want to write about. So, I'll start here. We did move last weekend.  The closing on our new home was very hard and even before we closed we could see that problems with the house were likely ahead.  There were a few that we new about.  What we've found though is much more.  There are little and big problems. There are so many shows on television about rehabbing houses, fixing up your old house, decorating rooms, finding treasures that one thought was trash...  They make moving look fun, full of work, and doable.  I think they also romanticize and idealize it!  They make us think that different and new is better than what the present is. I had a lot of time to think about this the past two weeks. After our pre-closing inspection showed issues, we were a bit jittery.  Our closing did nothing to settle my nerves as the house's owner started...

When I told my husband about taking a break from blogging, he didn't give the enthusiastic cheer that I thought he would.  Instead he told me, "Well, we'll see how long that lasts.  You may need the outlet in the midst of everything else."  As often happens, he's right in this case.  I've had all these thoughts running around in my head this week, so I'm just going to put some of them down in this post. Pondering #1 Last week a missionary couple came to visit our church from France where they are serving.  We started talking about books and I recommended several of my favorite books to her.  At first, I didn't articulate why.  After the church service, I realized that it was because each of the books made a deep impression on me. These were the books: Love in the Driest Season by Neely Tucker This book made me realize how Americentric I've been in my world view and why it is important that the U.S. help countries in Africa and why we need ...

I will admit that I've read all 7 Harry Potter books.  Many people have different opinions on these about whether they want their children to read them.  After discussions with friends, I decided that I would let my children read one each year beginning when they turn 10 or 11.  Harry gets older in the books and the later books include material (how they address magic) and are often scary in ways that I feel aren't appropriate for young readers.  So, that's going to be my approach with these books and my kids. This week I read a book that made me recall my feelings about Harry Potter.  It reminded me of the books because my husband's reaction to it and what he was concerned about. The Future Door by Jason Lethcoe You see my husband has a habit of picking up the books I'm reviewing, flipping them open, and reading a few pages. After he read a snippet from this one, his first question was whether I was going to let our 8 year old daughter read it?  I said...

Right now, I am sitting down and writing down my homeschooling plans for the week.  Yesterday, I made a list of all the things I need "to do" for our move this week.  It's a big list.  I also have to keep up homeschooling in the midst of it.  So, I thought I'd write this post and say there's a ton of things running through my head that I wish I had time to write about.  But, I don't think much of it is going to get written before January between moving, unpacking, homeschooling, the refinance, my inlaws coming for a visit, my brother and his wife coming for a visit...  So, if you read my blog, please don't think I'm disappearing permanently.  It's just for a little while.  I'll be back in a few weeks.   PS To whoever reads my blog:  Thank you...  I say very humbly...  Thank you for listening and reading my musings.   PPS I'd really appreciate your prayers that I make it through all of this in one piece! ;) Merry C...

This week my children and I had the chance to read a new book together.  It is The Barber Who Wanted To Pray by R.C. Sproul.   This picture book is the story of a dad having family worship with his kids.  One of his children asks how to pray.  The father tells the story of Martin Luther and his barber.  This picture book is an interesting thing.  It is written for older children, rather than younger ones.  Honestly, I think it would be most appropriate for 4-8th graders.  I think 8th graders would benefit from it  and grow from it, though they might think a picture book is young for them.  My 3rd grade daughter did enjoy the story, but I'm not sure how much she understood about Luther's explanation of prayer.  As an adult, I thought it was wonderful and it did encourage me.  Essentially, Luther explains that he prays through the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostle's Creed.  He meditated on the statemen...

Two years ago, I had a long conversation with a local bookstore owner about children's bibles.  It was he who explained to me the difference between the ICB (International Children's Bible) and the NIrV.  I've written several posts that reference these two translations (see  http://lovetopaint.blogspot.com/search?q=NIrV ).  To quickly summarize, the NIrV is a simplified version of the NIV and the ICB is a thought for thought paraphrase.  After my conversation, my husband and I decided to purchase an NIrV for our 6 year old daughter.  It was a little above her reading level, but we knew she'd grow into it.  She did the next year.  We wished at the time that we could get her a copy of the ESV, but the only one available for children didn't have notes that would be helpful to her at her age.  My husband struggled though because he really wanted Autumn to read from the ESV. Last month, Crossway published a new edition of the ESV for ages 8-12....

19 days and counting...   An update on how we're doing.  Home buying is so complicated and stressful.  This week has us trying to live "normally" while waiting for pieces to fall into place.  This week was the termite inspection.  Thankfully, it came back just fine.   I'm trying to think about Christmas and being prepared.  I'm also trying to plan for Thanksgiving.  I'm trying be present. What it comes down to is this:  trusting God is a simple thing to say, but not such a simple thing to do.  In some ways, I think it is easier to trust God in the hard parts of life.  It feels as if there is no other option.  It's often hard to trust God with the things we desire most.  We fear disappointment and that what we want is not what God wants for us.  Or at least I do.   This is the place I'm in.  Taking each day as it comes.  Trying to focus on what I need to do.  Trusting that God will fit the ...

Dan Walsh published his first novel about three years ago, I believe.  I read the first two novels and enjoyed them.  They were a bit cheesy, but I was impressed particularly by his first novel.  The second was quite predictable.  Recently he published his fourth novel, Remembering Christmas .  I sat down to read it, but found that it was a rare book that I had to pick up and set down.  You see, I never got drawn in.  Let me explain... Storyline:  The story is about Rick and the Christmas season that changed his life.  He hadn't planned to come down and visit his mom and stepdad.  But, his stepdad, Art, had a brain aneurysm and they needed his help.  He spends several weeks at the shop which bring about a change in his heart.  (Of course there's a little romance thrown in there.) Writing:   Mr. Walsh's writing in this book is fine.  This book didn't stand out to me, but it wasn't badly written. Plot:  The...

For the past three years, Revell has published a Christmas novella by Melody Carlson.  I have grown fond of them.  I remember the first one I read, The Christmas Dog .  What I loved most about it was that it was an enjoyable Christian novel that wasn't just a romance.  Then came The Christmas Bus and Christmas at Harrington's .  Both were those books you curl up with a cup of tea on a Sunday afternoon.  This year Melody Carlson wrote a new one, The Christmas Shoppe .  Just like its predecessors, it was a fun read.   Storyline:  There's all sorts of little stories in this one story woven together.  A stranger comes to Parrish Springs and purchases an old building on the main street of town.  It was desired by a coniving councilman who sets out to undermine her ability to open her shop.  There's the town manager who's divorced and raising her daughter with the help of her cantankerous mother in law.  There's the newspaper e...

When I go hiking, my goal is to keep up with my husband--at all costs.  I don't let on when I'm tired.  I am determined that I will keep up!  What a strong willed woman I am!  Thankfully, I usually can keep up.  But, when I'm hiking with him I don't rest as often as I might if I were on my own.  The past month has been a lot like hiking for me. Last Wednesday night, I had the chance to sit down for coffee with a young gal from my church.  I shared with her all that had been going on with my family.  At the end, she queried, "All of that happened in a month?"  I replied, "Yes, my mom arrived October 7th." It's strange to realize that it has been a marathon of a month. First my mom arrived.  Within a few days we realized we wanted to move.  We put our house on the market.  We started looking for a new home for all of us.  We put one offer in.  We took it off the table.  We made another offer.  It was ...

This was one of those weeks when I went from peaks to valleys.  On Sunday, we had our offer accepted on a house .   It was a huge blessing and we were so excited.  That excitement stayed for a day or two.  And then reality set in--I had to tackle the mortgage application.  I had questions and I couldn't seem to get the answers I needed from the lender we're using.  I left messages and struggled.  Thursday afternoon, I found myself throwing up my hands.  My husband had had a very hard week at work and I realized that he didn't know what to do either.  I realized in that moment that I had to do my job. Most of the time my job is to homeschool my children and take care of them.  But, my job also consists of keeping on top of our budget, health care, and other paperwork tasks.  This week that included this mortgage application. It's ironic to me that when I was a teenager, life seemed so intense.  Then, came college.  Li...

Last week our pastor preached on Psalm 23.  What struck me the most was when he pointed out that it says "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."  He pointed out that it says walk.  It doesn't say run, hop, skip, fly, or jump.  It says walk. This week, he preached on Psalm 24. A Psalm of David.   1  The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,    the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has  founded it upon  the seas    and established it upon the rivers.   3  Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?    And who shall stand in his  holy place? 4  He who has  clean hands and  a pure heart,    who does not  lift up his soul to  what is false    and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive  blessing from the LORD    and  righteousness from ...

A few months ago, I started a website that could serve as a resource for families in the county I live in considering homeschooling.  I didn't realize at the time that I should have defined who a Christian is.  This past Monday, I realized that I need to define it.   Hundreds of years ago, there was a lot of controversy over who a Christian was.  That is why the Council of Nicea met and wrote the Nicene Creed.   We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.  We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under P...

My brain is a jumble of thoughts and stress right at the moment.  I'm trying to calm down, but I'm not being entirely successful at it.  You see, my mom moved across the country to come live near us a week ago.  This week was filled with the normal homeschooling schedule and activities plus helping my mom get her car (it was shipped), have it inspected and registered, get her driver's license, and switch her Medicare supplement provider.  It was a very busy week.  I saw God's fingerprints all along the way.  My mom had such a great attitude about everything.  She lessened what could have been a lot more stress for me than it was. From the day she arrived, my husband and I began talking together and with her about where would be the wisest place for her to live.  Within a few days, we realized that we didn't want her to buy a house in our neighborhood because we want to move.  We want to move closer to our church family and be a part of peo...

I spend more time than I'd like on the computer.   I have realized many times that it is easy to gravitate to this thing on the desk which I can turn on and be instantly entertained by or interact with.   But, is it real interaction?   No, not really.   It's this semi-real kind of thing.   I think it falls in a gray area.   It's not entirely authentic and real or entirely fake.   One of the conclusions I've come to as I've watched myself spend more time, mostly out of necessity, on the computer is that I need to seek out real, tangible hobbies all the more.   I need to put the people in my life that need me first at all times.   Interruptions that are real need to take precedence.   I have a few hobbies that I enjoy.   I knit--just simple blankets.   I like to quilt and do simple sewing.   I try my hand at gardening--it gets me outside in the sun.   With homeschooling and taking care of my kids and home, there isn't ...

This weekend I went garage saling with my kids as I often do on Saturday mornings.  My mom was with us for the first time.  She was surprised by how many conversations I struck up with strangers.  But, she chuckled about it and told my husband many stories about our adventures when we got home. One of my conversations was with a woman who has written a book.  She self published it back in 2007.  She's been trying to publicize it and get it out there for the past 4 years.  It was interesting to hear from her how challenging that has been--and how much she's invested in it.  She wrote a book that matters to her.  I suspect that most authors feel that way.   Or at least I hope they do.  During my conversation, I discovered that the book was a fictional story about a young woman who has an autistic son.  The author has an autistic son who is in his 20s now.  Autism is such a mystery and I was very curious about this story. ...