Texas Woman's Daybook

For today...Monday, August 6

Outside my window...it's a different window this week.  And it will stay the same for nine, count 'em nine, months!  The church parking lot surrounds our little green spot of grass around the house.  The kids are loving riding their bikes in all of that parking lot space.

I am thinking...and praying for the Old Testament/New Testament Survey class being offered in Honiara this week.  Our friend and Lavukal translator, Ezekiel, came in to attend.

From the learning rooms...kids are still out of school for the move, but I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things by the end of the week and reading about Samuel Champlain and Henry Hudson exploring North America.

A heart of thankfulness...for my sweet friend who just walked in the house with a garage sale find for me:  Vintage (1952) Scandinavian Cookie Notes by Red Farm Studio.  Each of the 20 cards has a different recipe!

From the kitchen...Golden Morning Muffins and Canadian bacon this morning, and I'm about to go start cooking some Texas Golden Chicken for supper.  They both use orange juice concentrate, guess that's why they are both "golden".  The whole family is using the "First Place" system again to help teach the kids about good nutrition and to help Aaron and me shed the "furlough fifteen" that has already crept on.

On my bookshelf... "Esther:  A Woman of Strength and Dignity" by Charles Swindoll

I am hoping...my back feels better soon. 

I am creating...school schedules and meal plans.  Boring and wonderful real life that means we have finally settled down.

I am hearing...the air conditioner.  I'm still not quite used to the ability to actually make my house cool, especially in our triple-digit heat.  The house is so quiet because Aaron took the kids to the pool at the International Linguistics Center (ILC) where Aaron's classes will be held.

Around the house...tea at my elbow while I type.  Aaron gave me this personal size pot and cup while we were still in high school, and I still love it!

One of my favorite things...singing "We Will Remember" in church yesterday morning and hearing testimonies of God's faithfulness in between the verses of the song

Pondering these words... [God] is just as involved in the mundane events as He is in the miraculous.  One of my long time friends...often says with a smile, "God moves among the casseroles."   ~Charles Swindoll

Looking ahead...thankfully we have a slow week where we can continue to sort and organize, hang pictures, and re-learn our way around the area.  Next week, church activities kick into high gear, and Aaron starts school.

A peek into my corner of the world...

I'm out of computer time...got to go cook supper for my hungry crew!

Sweet Sabbath

Our lives haven't been very restful lately, but as we finally take a break from boxes today and enjoy going to church together, I'm thankful for:

 -early in the week, family willing to help us load heavy furniture and having fun playing "couch cushion frisbee"

-a hard working team who stuck it out to the bitter end, even cleaning the ceiling fans

-finding a new K-LOVE radio station every time the last one crackled into oblivion while driving.  The "joy of the Lord" certainly was my strength as I counted the minutes until I could take more ibuprofen for my back pain.

-a former student who made time to eat lunch with us in Texarkana



-another team of adopted family awaiting us in Texas, helpful, cheerful, and bearing groceries, just like when both families live in Honiara

-a lizard waiting inside to make Benjamin feel at home

"Gratitude takes nothing for granted, it is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder, and to praise of the goodness of God."  ~Thomas Merton

Thanks for all of the prayers offered on our behalf!  When we pulled into the parking late Wednesday afternoon,  we were met By some strong SITAG friends who helped unload the moving truck. Unloading a truck with them instead of a boat felt strange!  Some friends from our church also came to help, and both families brought a few groceries to help get started right. I'm so thankful for friends!  They were the body of Christ in action.

We are settling in to our new house, getting library cards, & Aaron is registering for school as I type. My back is a little better, and I've been finding things to do while I lie down.  Yesterday, I unwrapped breakables from the couch and instructed the kids where to put everything.  We are looking forward to settling into a new routine after our busy summer of traveling.

We are are moving the contents of the fridge into the ice chest and turning in the keys, then on to Dallas in just a few minutes!  Please pray for my lower back.   Pain has been growing steadily worse over the last week, and I will be driving the van today while Aaron drives the moving truck. So nice to know that people around the world are praying for us today!

We got lots done this weekend, thanks to our parents.  Our moms have been alternating playing with their grandchildren and helping us pack boxes, and we appreciate both kinds of assistance so much.  Saturday was a full day of packing, and Sunday we attended Woodland Heights Baptist Church in Conway.  Aaron was a charter member of this church twenty-five years ago, and we were married there, as well.

Aaron played his cello for the offertory.  He is really enjoying playing again, and I'm really looking forward to joining him soon.  Several church members brought food for a potluck at lunch, and we had the opportunity to visit with some familiar faces and to meet some new faces, too.



One of our favorite things to share with churches is the BPPP (Bibleless People Prayer Project), and the cards fit beautifully in my mom's salad bowl she bought while in the Solomon Islands.  Sunday night, we we honored to share with this church family and stayed up late meeting new friends!



 This morning when I woke up and went on the porch to water flowers, I noticed that the roses are finally blooming.  In our triple digit heat, they've taken a beating, but this feisty little bush has one bloom and one bud.  What a gift here at the end of our time in this cute little old house.

My mom helped pack dishes and practiced blowing really big bubbles.  I never could catch the best bubbles with the camera, but her bubbles made the packing process a little bit more fun!





In the mess, Katherine found a little bottle of wedding bubbles, so she plopped down and had some fun in the midst of the boxes.



And Olivia decided she needed a little break and found a cozy spot in the back of the truck along with the things going back to my mom's house.  We can see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Just one more big day of packing, and many hands make light work.  

Sweet Sarah

Friday, our sweet Sarah turned thirteen years old.

Katherine's card to Sarah

One of our family traditions is to gather around the birthday child and pray.  What a joy to watch & listen as family members from three different generations prayed for Sarah.

For my mother's 13th birthday, she received this beautiful heart shaped pendant made with tiny diamonds from her grandmother's wedding ring and a tiny ruby in the middle.  I also received this necklace as a young girl, and now Sarah is continuing the family tradition.

Even though she is thirteen now, Sarah still knows how to play!

Yesterday, we enjoyed our time with my grandmother's brother, Uncle Joe, and his beautiful wife, Aunt Dee, and perused their lovely shop, Wicks and Wax.   We also picked up a "birthday cake" candle made by My House Candles.  I haven't even taken the lid off the candle, but our whole room smells good now.

Spending time with the kindred spirits always encourages me.



We met our friends, the Hibbards, at Barnes & Noble because both families needed to use some gift cards, and then we transferred to Pinnacle Mountain State Park for a cookout.  The kids had a blast playing in a big pile of pea gravel.  Who needs fancy playground equipment?!?



The Hibbards are "iron sharpens iron" kind of people, and we're so thankful to call them friends.  My friend, Ann, is beautiful inside and out!



So after a fabulous day yesterday, today we are busy celebrating Sarah's 13th birthday...pictures soon!

Thought I'd check in this morning...just got back from my eye appointment.  Hoping that this sixth set of contacts works!  Now we're headed out the door to Wicks and Wax, the store that my great uncle and aunt have owned since before I was born.  We'll probably end up with some coffee beans and candles before we leave.  Then we're over to meet some friends one last time before we head out to Texas next week.  Shaping up to be a great Thursday of family and friends!  What are your plans for the day?

Earthquake in the Solomon Islands

Just saw on Facebook that our colleagues in Honiara experienced an earthquake a little while ago:

"Just been woken up and shaken out of my bed by the worst and scariest earthquake I have ever experienced here in the Solomons! My dressing mirror smashed to the floor with other things while my whole house shook violently for a long time! My neighbour told me he thought his house was going to fall down! I am too shaken up to sleep now so going out for a walk with the neighbours to see the young adult team!!"

And from another friend chatting on Skype:

"We are fine. Epicenter was on the weathercoast of Guadalcanal. so it was close, and 6.5 is pretty strong. Shook things for about 20 seconds. maybe longer... seemed longer.  Power was cut to large sections of Honiara.  Lots of people at the hospital feared a tsunami and checked themselves out. Some in wheelchairs!  Quite a number climbed up Cemetary Hill."

We're so thankful that everybody in Honiara is fine.  According to our sources, the Discovery Team even enjoyed the experience! 

Lemonade

(from "Lemonade Sun and Other Summer Poems"

by Rebecca Kai Dotlich)

We pour

its liquid sweetness

from a tall

glass pitcher,

splashing

sunshine

on frosty squares

of ice,

lemon light

and slightly tart,

we gulp its gold --

licking our lips

with summer.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  James 1:17

Conway Woman's Daybook

For today...Tuesday, July 24

Outside my window...the sky is getting a tiny bit cloudy.  Come on rain, we need you!

I am thinking...about what a great weekend we had in Fort Smith.  Our friends, the Halls, loaned us a great book about Deputy US Marshall Bass Reeves and took us to the Fort Smith National Historic Site where we got to see Judge Parker's (the "hanging judge") courtroom.

We also had a blast at the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center.  Thanks, friends!

From the learning rooms...just math for Benjamin and Olivia as we pack up books this week.

I am thankful for...the many people God has placed in our lives.  As much as I don't like moving around, our lives have been enriched by living in so many different places because of the amazing people we meet.

From the kitchen...bagels and yogurt for breakfast, leftovers for lunch, black bean tortilla casserole & rosemary strawberry shortcake pizza for supper.  I love having old family dishes on the table.  My great-grandmother's pink depression glass bowl and Aaron's great-grandmother's spooner dressed up our humble yogurt this morning.

I am wearing...white capris, a sea foam green t-shirt, and a tiny pendant of emeralds encircling a diamond that Aaron gave me for my 17th birthday

I am reading...still "Smart Moves".  It's more academic than I anticipated, but I'm really enjoying it.  I find myself agreeing with so much of her research.

I am hoping...and praying for friends on a mission trip to Wyoming

I am creating...our prayer calendar for August.  Hard to believe that July is almost over.

I am hearing..."Positively Hymns", the washing machine swishing our blue t-shirt sheets, Katherine sounding out words in her beginning readers

Around the house...another batch of homemade laundry soap is on the stovetop right now, and a fresh press of Choffy is steaming at my elbow.

One of my favorite things...schedule, order, routine, etc.  Don't laugh.

Pondering these words..."Time spent cuddling, playing, being fully present and consciously communicating with children establishes a bond of security, trust and respect on which the entire child-development pyramid is based."  from "Smart Moves"

Looking ahead...getting the brakes fixed on the van today, eye appointment on Thursday and a trip to Little Rock to visit some family and friends, Sarah's 13th birthday on Friday, and speaking at Woodland Heights Baptist Church in Conway on Sunday

A peek into my corner of the world...more good friends who have moved to Fort Smith.  We grew to love this family when we lived in Pine Bluff fifteen years ago and shared a couple of pregnancies.  Flake family, thanks for making time in your busy schedule for us!

And the winners are...

Catherine Nagl and Abi's Blog (runner up). I'll get these packages in the mail soon!

Sweet Sabbath

"Praise the Lord.  How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!"  Psalm 147:1

It IS pleasant to praise him:

-for celebrating my grandmother's birthday.  She's a cancer survivor, so watching her blow out that candle was an extra sweet treat.  I love having young grandparents!

-for checking on the kids at night and hearing four sets of deep, sleepy breathing.  Benjamin had an apnea monitor attached to his little chest for the first six months of his life, I'm so grateful for healthy kids.



-for WWII veterans like W.C. Kesner who fought on Guadalcanal.  He uses a beautiful walking stick he got while in the Solomon Islands almost seventy years ago.

-for being able to attend church in English, my heart language



-for worshipping at Eastside Baptist Church in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  Sitting together as a family still makes me giddy after being separated with men on one side and women on the other for four years.

-for old friends who have known us for at least 25 years (back when Denise and I both had big hair), and yet they still like us.  Thanks to the Hall family for a great weekend in Fort Smith!