Going, Going,...

Gone

Texas Woman's Daybook

 For today...Monday, October 29

Outside my window...the church is getting a new roof, the steeple is being exchanged, and our front yard is being dug up to lay new pipes.  It's loud and the kids love watching the whole thing!

On my bookshelf..."Give Them Grace:  Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus"  by Elyse M. Fiztpatrick and Jessica Thompson

I am thankful...for our colleagues in the Solomons and their tireless work in another culture

I am wearing...khaki pants, orange and ivory shell earrings from the Solomon Islands, and a soft orange sweater.  I don't have many long sleeves in my closet, but I sure do like being able to wear them.

From the kitchen...we enjoyed salmon patties and spinach salad tonight followed by some oh-so-yummy Blue Bell Spiced Pumpkin Pecan ice cream.  I love using little antique bowls from a friend for ice cream!

In the learning rooms...Goya, Hadyn, George Washington

Noticing that...I'd better get going on planning and making Christmas presents for the kids' teachers

One of my favorite things...our Monday night planning date while the big kids are in choir practice.  We get to coordinate calendars and enjoy some coffee at the same time.

A few plans for the rest of the week...going over to celebrate a birthday with some SITAG colleagues tomorrow night, Thursday morning I'm driving over to Canton to peruse their First Monday flea market with my antique dishes buddy, Aaron and I have a date on Friday night to go to a dinner theater, and Saturday we get to enjoy some grandparents coming to the Choate Bed and Breakfast for a quick visit

A peek into my corner of the world...what a gift they are.

One blessing after another

Saturday morning, my sister and I took the little ones to the Dallas Zoo while my big three enjoyed their choir retreat and Aaron stayed at home to study for his comprehensive exams.

Katherine loved the meerkats...

and she wanted to take a picture of me when we rode the carousel.

My sister can make me laugh like nobody else can, and funny things happen when she is around.  Seconds after I took this picture with the goats, another goat sneaked up, grabbed the zoo map out of Melissa's bag, and ran off chomping as quickly as possible.  Then the zoo keeper told us that goat was known for stealing and eating maps!

I took this picture of the gorillas just before one of them nonchalantly walked past the window and out of nowhere banged on the glass (I wish you could see my sister's impersonation of this gorilla).  Katherine and her little cousin both screamed and Melissa and I both jumped.  The gorilla obviously didn't want his breakfast disturbed!

The cousins rode horses

and the monorail.  This was our first trip to the Dallas Zoo, and we liked it so much that I will be taking my big kids very soon.

We came home in time for Aaron to go pick up the kids from their choir retreat and for me to make cookies for Little Red Riding Hood's to take to Grandma.

Our church hosted a fall festival Saturday afternoon, so we took the cousins over to play games and ride on the hay.

Because we have lived overseas for the last four years, our family is just overwhelmed with thankfulness by so many little things.  We are loving the cooler weather, the foods that are in season, fellowship with a church again, and time with our families.  The last few days have been full of all those things.  Wow.

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another."  John 1:16

Cousins and cool weather

Yesterday's cold front brought us temperatures that feel downright chilly to this Solomon Island crew.  Strong winds from the north and 50 degrees didn't stop my kids from going outside and carving pumpkins barefooted this morning.

When they were finished, we warmed up with some apple cider - yum!

When the sun finally broke through the clouds this afternoon,

the cousins played together on the playground at our church.

At one point, I was cooking supper inside the house and heard screams.  Aunt Melissa was spinning Olivia around and around, and the two peas in a pod were having a great time together.

After supper we had just enough time for a couple rounds of hearts along with our cappuccino brownies before we took the big kids to their choir retreat.

Then the two youngest cousins got clean

and read some Mr. Putter and Tabby books.

And after a long day gloriously full of family and fun, now we are headed to bed...

Pickin' Pumpkins

We enjoyed visiting Gnismer Farms this afternoon just as the cold front came through.  From the time we left the house until the time we returned home, the temperature dropped twenty degrees!

Not only did we find beautiful pumpkins, but we also picked some cantaloupes and watched as the staff picked mustard greens for us.  Laugh if you want, but they were beautiful (and delicious!).

Cousins

One of our favorite things, Wycliffe's Bibleless People Prayer Project, celebrates its 30th birthday this fall.  Wycliffe's prayer blog features a series of twenty posts highlighting some special people and places involved in this project:

"We firmly believe that the prayers of God's people through this prayer initiative have directly influenced the progress of Bible translation all around the world.  Through it, thousands of Bibleless people groups have been lifted up to God, by name.  Together we're asking Him to begin a bible translation project for each of these people groups still waiting for His Word in their language."

The Bibleless People Prayer Project impacts our family and the Lavukal people of the Solomon Islands because of people like the Webbers who have been praying through the ups and downs of the Lavukal translation project since 1992.  We are so grateful for their faithfulness as we look back and see the fruit of twenty years of prayers growing in our Lavukal friends.  Would you consider adopting a language and joining the Bibleless People Prayer Project?

Colossians 2:2

We haven't set aside a Colossians 2:2 Day in way too long, so today we took the time to intentionally encourage others.  We made cards to stick in the mail...

and baked Danish fruit-filled packets to share with our amazing church staff...

(with enough left over for us to have an afternoon coffee break)

and we worked long and hard on our bags for the Stitch and Send sponsored by Mollie.

 Anyone want to join us and set aside your own day to encourage others?  We'd love to know about it!

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love..." Colossians 2:2

For today...Monday, October 22

Outside my window...dark. 

I am thinking...I should be in bed.

I am praying...for these quintuplets and their family.

I am thankful...for amazing friends.  The kind who tell you to take their own vehicle because yours won't last the long road trip.  We love you guys!

I am wearing...pink pajamas

I am creating...just finished Sarah's red velvet cape, hoping to finish the bags for The Giving Heart in Richmond, VA.

I am going...to buy some pansies and fill up some big pots with beautiful flowers.

On my bookshelf..."Call of a Coward:  The God of Moses and the Middle-Class Housewife" by Marcia Moston.  Oh, my.  I could have written this book.

From the kitchen...cranberry squash from "The New Laurel's Kitchen" and a yummy spinach salad with spiced pecans from a recipe we found in "The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook".  Even though we're in the mid 80's outside, inside it feels like Autumn.

In the learning rooms...the American Revolution has begun!  

Around the house...mostly unpacked and caught up on laundry after our fabulous road trip.

Pondering these words..."Those kicking and screaming death-throes moments when you realize you aren't and you can't are God's opportunities to show you he is and he can."  ~Marcia Moston

A few plans for the week ahead...my sister is coming with her two-year-old on Wednesday and we are soooo excited!

 A peek into my corner of the world...Katherine playing with flannel graph I used as a child.  My grandmother gave me several sets of Pict-O-Graph published by Standard.  This set is copyright 1956.  Anybody else grow up with these?