Family Mission Statement

I firmly believe the prayer of every wife should be for the Lord to knit her heart with her husbands.  Lord, help us as wives to subject ourselves to our husbands (Eph 5:1,2).  We are called to be their helpmates, their encouragers.  We are told to respect them, ". . . and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband"  Eph. 5:33.    Lord help us to back our men up and love them by setting aside our will for theirs.  

As many of you know I attended NICHE this past spring.  Drew sent me to several seminars to better equip me for home schooling and I wanted to choose the best sessions for our family, so I sought the Lord before and during the conference regarding session decisions.  One of the sessions I was excited about attending was entitled something like Family Mission Statements.  I highlighted it on the schedule right away when I was deciding which sessions to attend.  What could be better than attending the "Family Mission Statement" session.  I reminisced fondly about the mission statement Drew and I wrote together twelve years ago, just before Mary was born.  We took a weekend away and planned and prayed.  I honestly don't remember our mission statement, but I do remember working 

together and supporting Drew in it.  (I am afraid I didn't support him in it for long, but that is another story for another day - God has changed and I trust will continue to change my heart.)  As soon as I walked into the session it hit me like a ton of bricks, this should be Drew's passion, not mine.  Giving my desire to the Lord I prayed "Lord if it is important to have a family mission statement please impress it on Drew's heart."  Honestly I didn't think about it again after the conference

until. . .

Almost two months later Drew and I attended his 21st class reunion.  Drew had an awesome time.  But on the way home from the dinner he seemed very sober.  We attended the family picnic the next day and again on the way home seemed distant and solemn.  He remained in this melancholy, heavy-hearted state for a long week.  I could do nothing for him but listen and pray, both of which I gladly did. That time spurred him to contemplation.  It spurred in him among other things, a desire to have a family mission statement!

Over the past two weeks we have taken two "date" nights to work on our family mission statement!  I am so excited to be on board this ride of life with a man like Drew.  He heads this family and I am so thankful to be married to a man of integrity who leads us toward great goals.

Our Mission is to know as fully as humanly

possible the power, riches and glory of Jesus Christ

and to honor Him by:

1) Raising to maturity men and women who love Jesus Christ,

2)loving those in and out of the church by warning, encouraging and serving,

3)using my (Drew's) abilities to full capacity to provide for the family and honor Christ and

4)by personally being set free from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of a child of God.

Romans 8:21

We worked out several short term and long term goals for each category.  I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for us in the days ahead.

School's in Session

School started this week (for this family anyway).  The new schedule is posted on the wall.  I implemented a new motivational system (a take off on Sue Patrick's Workbox System) in full force.  Today began our first reward Friday!  Everyone enjoyed the first two aspects of our three fold reward.  1)We met a friend at Storybook Hill in the AM.  2)Attended a Patients First Health Care Rally after that and 3)have a Telegraph Herald Carriers' Picnic to go to tonight.  I am afraid the new schedule does not allow me much computer time so I may not be updating for a while, then again maybe I'll be so organized I will update more than ever in the 1 hour a week alloted computer time I do have.  Time will tell.

Oh yeah, after the rally Cob said "A country is kind of like a car - if you get too many things wrong with it, it goes Kaputska."

Cob's Acrostic

B ooming
A lert
S uper
K ept
E nergetic
T ricky
B anging
A ctive
L aughing
L ong

House Maintenance

I was very humbled several weeks back when a friend was here. She mentioned how relaxed my house is for her to visit because it isn't overly clean. Little did she know I had spent ALL morning getting it to that lived in looking state :-). As I maintain the house I think how much more our spirits need moment by moment maintenance.   I cannot read a verse in the morning and expect to be walking in the spirit in the afternoon. I need to be thinking about that verse, memorizing it, personalizing it, meditating on it throughout the day. Then I can rejoice in the afternoon when I am tired and someone drops the jug of milk. Just as my house doesn't clean itself, my heart must be cleansed by ongoing maintenance.  Psalm 1:1-3 "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers BUT his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he MEDITATES day and night.  And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water which yeilds it's fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither and in whatever he does he prospers.

These pictures were taken merely hours after the house was "company" clean!  Unbelievable? Not really :-)  

Tennis Tournament

In the spring Drew and I were thinking and praying about what if anything to sign the kids up for this summer.  Cob did t-ball last year but Drew suggested tennis for this year.  So Mary, Cob and Abi took tennis lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  At the end of the session there was an optional tournament they could participate in.  Mary had her games on Monday, Cob and Abi's were on Tuesday.  Unfortunately I forgot the camera Monday.  All three did such a great job.  They each lost their first game.  They each opted to play a second.  Mary and Cob each won their second game.  Abi had so much fun she wanted to and did play a third.  We have gone several times since then to play tennis.  What a nice sport. Besides getting an excellent work out you only need two people to play and even us older folks can participate :-)

Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip/Oatmeal Cookies

Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip/Oatmeal Cookies (from Heidi)

Heidi brought the most wonderful cookies over when she and the kids
came for fellowship and play time. Here is the recipe, slightly
altered to meet our families needs. Enjoy!

1 C butter (2 sticks)
1/2 C whole wheat flour (this was not in Heidi's original recipe but
I found the cookies were too crumbly without it.)
3/4 C sugar
1 3/4 C rapadura (or sucanat - unrefined sugar)
8 eggs (yard fresh are wonderful)
2 16 oz jars of natural peanut butter (I used crunchy and skipped the
optional nuts)
1 T baking soda (I forgot to add that today and they turned out
great. hmmmmm)
1 t salt
6 C quick oats
6 C old fashioned oats
1 12 oz bag + 1 C chocolate chips

Mix first 8 ingredients. Stir in last two. Bake at 325 for 8 or 9
minutes.

Chloe Finds a Snack

Chloe climbs on chairs . . .

and my world has forever changed!