Powerful video

I was browsing around on GodTube the other day and found this...thought I'd share.
WARNING:  Have some tissues handy!
I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb

Advent

Sorry for the lack of updates…due to moving preparations, school’s been on and off lately.  We are in the middle of Brazil now for ECC.  We will finish that up next week, then we will take a break from regular school for advent to participate in advent activities.  I will be (hopefully) posting daily activities either the day of or the day before we do them.  I will mostly be using this calendar from TeachingMom, but will be modifying it for my family.  I’m not sure if she’s going to update it this year, but some of the links don’t work anymore, so I will try and find new ones that will work.
I usually try to do this every year, although we skipped it last year and I contemplated just following the ECC curriculum through the holidays to "stay on task."  But with schooling year round (just started this year) there is no reason we can’t break from the usual curriculum to have a little fun. 
So from now until Thanksgiving, we will work on finishing up our study of Brazil, and I will be preparing the advent stuff.  I just love this time of year and am so happy that I made the decision to "do" this calendar again!

My kitchen

Okay, so progress is a little slow today...I decided to pack the food I KNOW we won't use within the next 3 weeks.  Here's what my kitchen looks like right now.

Ugh...look at those bare walls!

And boxes and bins everywhere!  Oh, look, there's my Crock Pot!  What's inside?

Chicken Delicious, a recipe I found on allrecipes.
Okay, and here's the best picture (of course, I'm biased):

Hi, Pork Chop! (Don't worry, we don't eat pork around here.)  He's part of the reason progress is so slow today...his naps seem to be getting shorter and shorter lately.  Oh, well!  With a face like that to sit and stare at, who wants to do boring old packing anyway???

Love,
Lisa (who really should get Pork Chop to sleep so I can get packing, but I don't wanna!)

Packing progress

Well, I got just about everything packed that I can in the kitchen for now.  I just have out the bare bones of what we'll need for the next 3 weeks.  I do still have all the food unpacked, but I want to see what we use up first.  Nick said not to purposely cook to diminish our supply, as we should have plenty more room in the new house than we have now (I don't have a whole lot of cupboard space in this house), as the new house has cupboards galore!    So, I will cook like normal, and when we get down to the last week I'll pack what we have left, minus whatever I plan on using that week.  And we ARE taking our deep freezer, that has been so invaluable to us, so there is no way we're giving that up!

Anyway, I think I'm done for today.  I'll just finish up some last minute things in the kitchen tomorrow and then move on to the foyer and dining room.  The dining room is where all our homeschool stuff is, so I will just pull out what we'll need for the next couple of weeks (won't be much since we will be concentrating more on packing than school), and pack up the rest.  Then there is our desk, which holds ALL of our paperwork.  Hubby's going to help me sort through all that b/c we don't want to have to be digging through boxes for stuff we may need.  That is always a packing nightmare!  I really, really want to get all three of these rooms packed by the end of the day tomorrow.  That way, hopefully I will be able to get the main floor and the upstairs packed before the end of next week.  Then, we'll have the basement, and that's it!  Sounds easy on paper, doesn't it?   I'd come up with a schedule, because I love making lists, but I rarely follow them, anyway.  LOL!

I am thankful for my husband

I thank God for my husband.  I know there is no other man that He could have given me who would be more perfect for me.  I think I could sit here for pages and pages (and days!) and brag on my hubby.  He is my Mr. Command Man, the leader of our home, and he does a great job of it!  Whether he knows it or not, he has a very sweet side as well.    He always seems to know just what I need...whether that be a little spoiling or whether that be someone to put their foot down and tell me no.  I can say with all honesty that Nicholas is my very best friend, and I am so proud to call him my man.  He is also an awesome father to our children...he knows when to have fun, and when to lay down the law.  I have it so easy compared to some women...while I'm not perfect in it yet, I have absolutely no problem submitting to his authority, because I totally trust that he will follow God's leading.  I think we both compliment and contrast each other really well, and yes, I'm going to use a cliche here, but , we fit together like a hand and glove.

I also am so thankful for all the many things my hubby does for our family.  From making the tough decisions to being the sole breadwinner, so that we can keep our kids home where they belong.

Thank You, Lord, for Nicholas!

Packing, packing, packing...

Well, it is finally official.  Our move date is December 13.  That means we have less than a month to get this house packed up.  Time to kick it into high gear!  Hubby says, anything we haven't used in the past 2 weeks needs to get packed.  I am de-cluttering as I go.  I don't want to waste time and resources on stuff I don't want to move!  I am setting up a blog to sell stuff that I will share the address once I get it complete.  I have already started with the decor from the kitchen and foyer, but I think today I will go back to the kitchen and really start culling and packing anything we won't be using in the next 3 1/2 weeks.  Wow, that is such a short time.  Time to get moving!  Pardon the pun.    I will update as we get closer, and hopefully have some photos to share.

I'm thankful for my salvation!

This is the first thing on my thankful list.  What Jesus did for me on the cross, that was the best thing anyone could have done for me, and no one else will be able to match it!  Sure, someone could die for me to save my life, and I would be extremely thankful for that if that should ever happen.  However, can anyone else die for me to save me in eternity?  Absolutely not!  Above all else, I thank my Lord Jesus Christ for loving me enough to do that for me!  Thank you Jesus!

My Journey for Joyfulness Part 3

On the eighth day he sent the people away:  and they blessed the king, and they went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people.
1 Kings 8:66

This verse is basically talking about the end of the celebration after the first temple was built.  What is that linked with the word "joyful?"  ...glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had done...  What I get from that is THANKFULNESS.  And there, I think, is a big key of finding joy.  Thankfulness leads to joy.  If you can find a way to always be thankful, you will always be joyful.  How appropriate for the season that's ahead of us, yet this is NOT the only time of year we should be practicing being thankful...this should be something that happens 24/7/365.

If you have to, make a list.  I am working on being INTENTIONALLY thankful.  I'm doing this because, while I'm certainly thankful for all I have been given, I am bad about *expressing* thankfulness for all those little things.  Obviously, I express thankfulness and gratitude when someone gives me something, but I'm ashamed to say I rarely just stop and say "Thank You, God, for..."  I'm also working on thanking my hubby for things he does for us, those things that are ongoing and I may have thanked him at first, but he does need reminders that I am so thankful even now.  Such as, how hard he works so that I can stay home.  Or, for being my "dragon slayer."    A really good thing to do is make sure your being thankful not only TO, but also IN FRONT OF, your kids.  A wise saying that I heard from the Pearl's is "More is caught than taught."  Oh, how true that is.  I'm learning that now that I'm coming out of my grumpiness (praise God!), and I'm seeing how I used to act manifest in my oldest toward his younger brother.  Ouch!  What a wake-up call!  I can keep telling him to knock it off, but nothing's going to help him learn more than watching it in action.  Anyway, I have a thankful list going, and I hope to share some points of it here sometime.

Go ahead and make a list of what you're thankful for.  It doesn't matter how big or small or "silly" the thing seems.  If you're thankful for it, write it down.  Then, when you start feeling not-so-joyful, take out that list and really reflect on it, and you will have joy in no time!

My Journey for Joyfulness Part 2

And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.
1 Samuel 18:6

And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.
1 Kings 1:40

Okay, now we know how the Lord feels about joyLESSness, and we are getting rid of the spirit of anger some of us may be hanging on to (it's an old habit that dies hard, but I am working on it, believe me, with the help of my Lord!).  When something leaves, it has to be replaced with SOMEthing.  Let's find out ways to fill in the spot all that anger was taking up, with JOY instead!

The above two verses were next in my study.  They are both talking about a celebration.  The first is when David defeated Goliath the Philistine, and the second is when Solomon was crowned king.  So, the things these two verses have in common, is that they both have to do with celebration, and they both talk about MUSIC.  I also see dancing and the use of tabrets (which look really fun, try googling sometime!  I may just make some of these for me and the kids.).

Do we need something huge to happen in order to celebrate?  No way!  Find little reasons to celebrate everyday.  If you need an idea, how about celebrating your salvation, the Gift our Father has given to each one of us who accepts it?  Turn on some worship or praise music and dance around the house THANKING God for all His blessings.  I have found, as someone trying to get into the habit of joyfulness, that unless you're doing something where it will be distracting to you (or the kiddos trying to concentrate on school), having worship and praise music on (even in the background) can help keep you in that thankful and joyful mindset.  That's because since you're singing to/about the Lord, your mind is always on Him.  That reminds me of a verse I read in Luke today:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 12:34

Our treasure is in heaven!  Our treasure is Jesus!  So let's turn our hearts AND minds over to Him.  How can we NOT have joy, knowing how much our Lord and Savior loves us?!

Let's turn on some music and dance and sing for joy!

A couple of good sermons

By S.M. Davis

Freedom from the Destruction of Anger
Freedom from the Spirit of Anger

What do these have to do with joy?  Once we free ourselves from the spirit and destruction of anger (for those of us that have a spirit of anger), it will be much easier for the spirit of joy to come into our lives.  I've had (and still have) a spirit of anger, and he is right...it is VERY deceptive.  I guarantee the enemy did NOT want me to hear these sermons, and he certainly doesn't want any of you to listen, either.  S.M. Davis is very good and there are quite a few of his sermons that I have enjoyed listening to.  Very convicting, and encouraging!  Enjoy!