Inniswoods

Here are a few pictures of a recent trip our family took to see all the Fall colors at Inniswoods.
We picked a beautiful day to go. It was so warm and sunny.

Calvin loved the frog pond, even though he didn't get to see any frogs.

And Ebie loved being able to walk the trails on her own.

Exodus 25:31-40 The last few days I have been reading about God's instructions to the Isrealites on how to build the tabernacle. The tabernacle was meant to be a copy of the Lord's heavenly throne room, and so each piece had great significance. God commanded the people to make every piece out of the finest materials. They were told that any who felt called to give materials, skills, money, or time should do so because it was the Lord calling them. It was interesting to learn that the people were called to give whatever they were ABLE to give. God does not expect more, and does not accept less. Not all are expected to give the same thing or the same amount, but we are expected to give of what the Lord has given us. We are also called to give of our very best. Now it is up to me to listen to what God is calling me to give and to give my very best.

The Craft Show

The craft show was this past weekend, up near Lake Erie, at German's Villa. It didn't go as well as I had hoped, but it helped me to realize that I need to diversify my product.

I enjoyed being there though. I was there sitting alongside the veterans. Some of the vendors had been doing this for 30 years or so and it was fun being called a "vendor"with them. The remaining clips/bows from the show will be put up in my etsy shop soon.

Fall Playing

I've wanted to share pictures and tell you about taking my babies to Boo at the Zoo.

I've also wanted to tell you about and share the pictures from the recent trip to the pumpkin patch.

But Craig said there is very little space on my computer, so I am not allowed to download any more pictures until I get rid of some old ones. It is taking a while to go through all the pictures on my computer and it is hard to delete them. I agree with Craig, I do not need all 15 pictures of Calvin's first smile, but it is so hard to choose which ones I am willing never to see again. In some ways the conveniences of today make life difficult. My mother never had to make these decisions! =)

I am posting my readings for earlier this week, I have not done my reading yet today, and I am hoping to go through pictures today so Craig will let me download and post some from trick or treating tonight, so I will post my reading for today then. That's a run-on. No, its a comma splice. Whatever.

10/25- The Everlasting Reign, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28: Although even righteous kings of Israel could not keep the law perfectly, the last King is the fulfillment of the law. King Jesus has come to conquer all His enemies. Death will be conquered and we will be set free from it's chains. He will set up an everlasting kingdom. All things will acknowledges His rule (He will have a visible reign).

10/27- God Chooses Israel's King, 1 Samuel 16:1-13: Saul failed to be a godly king for the Israelites, so God brought forward David, the man of His choosing. Samuel was surprised at God's choice. But we all know what God said, "For the Lord does not see as a man sees: for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." The Bible says David was a man after God's own heart. David was "sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit and knew when to repent if he had sinned" (Tabletalk). Am I a woman after God's own heart? No. It seems that more often than not I quench the Spirit by trying to justify my sin instead of repenting from it.

Some Things Change, Some Stay the Same

As the leaves change and begin to fall, the realization that Summer is gone is beginning to set in my mind. I lament for the season I see as holding never ending lazy hours. Even though our activities change only slightly with the change in seasons, Fall always brings a mindset of leaving play and getting back down to the business of life.

Looking back on the pictures I took of our play from this week reminds me of earlier this year at another change in season, one that held a little more excitement for me. Seeing these pictures made me realize that a certain someone is always excited to see the changes.

Even when the snow comes, which I dread, he will still be happy to run around the yard like a crazy man.

("one Grecian Urn" if you don't know what I'm talking about you need to watch The Music Man)

2 Kings 20:12-21- Hezekiah makes a foolish decision that shows his lack of faith in the Lord and a desire to be like the nations around him. Despite his weakness the Lord loves him.

EnterTRAINment Junction

Last weekend we took the babies to EnterTRAINment Junction down by Cincinnati.
It was pretty impressive. The train display was huge and very detailed.

Calvin loved walking up and down the isles pressing buttons that made noises that could be heard in train yards or that made the trains go.

They also have outdoor train rides for the kids. Calvin was excited to get to ride Thomas again. He enjoyed his rides so much that he still randomly announces that he got to ride on Thomas.

I only rode on Thomas because otherwise Ebie wouldn't get to. Honest.

Joshua 20- God tells Joshua to set up cities of refuge for people who unintentionally murdered someone, to protect them from avengers of blood. Many people think Mosaic law was harsh, punishing with the toughest action for even small offenses, but here we find that God allows for mercy to the truly innocent.

"The Seriousness of Sin"

Joshua 7- "The Seriousness of Sin" The Lord commanded the people to bring all spoils to Him at Jericho. One man, Achan, kept some of the spoils for himself. So the Lord caused Israel to be overcome in battle. Joshua pleads with God for Israel and God reveals to him that someone has broken His commandment. Joshua calls all the people and tells them to repent. The Lord leads Joshua to Achan. When confronted, Achan confesses to keeping some of the spoils for himself. He and his household are killed.
I have to admit, when I read this chapter, I thought it harsh that he and his family would be killed, even after he confessed. But Tabletalk pointed out that Achan only confessed after he was filled with the terror of being found out. He did not come forward on his own, this shows his willingness to continue in his sin if he was not found out. The family was also killed for the same reason. They did not love God's commandments enough to reveal Achan's sin.

I think it is easy for people today to take God's apparent lack of disciplinary action as a sign that He loves us so much that He overlooks our sin. Yes, Jesus came to save us from our sin. Believers (those who have repented) are forgiven. But if we give ourselves a license to disobey God, just because Jesus died, that is not true repentance. God does not honor insincere repentance, as we saw with Achan. Though God's judgement may not be obvious now, it will be at the Judgement, when all will have to give an account.

The questions I have to ask myself today are:
Do I love God's commandments enough to hold myself to obey them?
Do I have true repentance?

The 10 Commandments
1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of anything. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them. For I the Lord am a jealous God...
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God...
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet...

Just in case I am tempted to be content in my knowledge that I have never killed a person, in Matthew 5 Jesus talks about not just keeping the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law as well. I have a renewed thankfulness for Christ. Without Him, I would be doomed.

I'm Crafty.

Working hard on my projects for the craft show in November. I am making hair clips, pins, and accessories.

I hope they sell. I feel horrible asking Craig if we can spend money so that I can try to earn some.

I wonder how the Proverbs 31 woman got her start.

Exodus 14- God tells Moses to take the Israelites out of Egypt by going "the wrong way", the way that leads them directly to the Red Sea. This was meant to make Pharaoh think they were lost and confused, but we know God had Israel's salvation in mind. When Israel was trapped against the sea, God rescued them and destroyed Pharaoh. Tabletalk says "When things happen that we do not understand or God calls us to do what is perplexing to us, we can be sure it is for His glory." I need to remember that God has fought/is fighting/will fight (and has/will defeat!) my enemies (sin and the devil). I can not save myself. Only God can save me!

Coram Deo for today says: "Salvation is a gift wholly from the Lord from beginning to end. He accomplishes our redemption on the cross and gives us the faith to appropriate that redemption for ourselves. It can be easy to forget this truth, but we must always be clear that His work alone can redeem us."

Hop On Pop

We spent the whole day with Craig today. He was off for Columbus Day. So we celebrated by going to the zoo. It was wonderful. This isn't a picture from today, but the series is funny. It shows our babies sitting peacefully on top of their Daddy, and then all of a sudden they turn into monsters!

Poor Craig.

Baby

I watched my new little cousin today.

He's little.

I had fun.

Matthew 2:13-15 We were all once slaves to sin. Christ came to free us from that slavery.

Sorry the post is so short...I'm spending precious moments alone with my husband, and I don't want to spend it typing.

I Hate Litter.

(Calvin playing in a house made from a box my dad gave us earlier this summer)

At the same moment I paused to look out our front window today, a car stopped in front of our house. I watched the woman who was driving finish a Capri Sun and throw the package out the window. "She did not just do that", I said. Yep, she did. She was a full grown woman. I sighed, put on my shoes and walked outside to pick it up out of the street. I hate litter. While I was out there I found two aluminum cans though. Jackpot!

I like to recycle. My big project has something to do with recycling. Not in a save the world way though. More in a good steward/serving way.

Question(s) I am pondering today: Has the day been a success if the house is a mess? Or, has the day been a wash if the house didn't get cleaned? Wondering. My nerves scream no.

Isaiah 19:16-25 Although the Egyptians were enemies with the Israelites, God says there will be a day when all nations will be at peace and worship Him. He will call all nations to Himself and He will be glorified. "Come quickly, Lord Jesus."

Plans...

(my babies and me this summer)

Making plans for a project I want to do. It is a very long term project, something that I hope would last my whole life. It could be big, it could be small. It all depends on me. Hoping to making it kind of big though. Plans for international involvement. I need to give myself some training first, however. No money for classes right now. Guess books and Youtube will be my best friends for a while.

I read Exodus 1:8-14 yesterday. Egypt had a new pharaoh, one that did not know Joseph. He convinced his people through propaganda that the Israelites meant to harm them. There were too many of them he thought. And so began Israel's slavery in Egypt. But the more Egypt persecuted them, the more their numbers grew. What Pharaoh meant for evil, God used for Israel's good. Gives you a better perspective on your trials doesn't it?

Dirty Laundry

(All babies think it is funny when you put them in a basket and call them dirty laundry.)

Just a day of ordinary things, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, sharing the same cookie dunking milk with my babies. Evelynn had her 15 month appointment today, which means shots. Calvin and I took her in, and we all left having been shot. Apparently its flu shot time. Fun, fun. Calvin felt betrayed because I told him we were going for Evie, he didn't feel any better knowing I had a shot too. He keeps randomly saying, "She (the nurse) hurt me!"

Galatians 3:1-9 Through faith we are sons of Abraham, and we will share in his inheritance because we believe. When God told Abraham "through you all families of the earth will be blessed", He was talking about us. I find that exciting! Before I was even born, God had a plan to call me and bless me. That's power!

Bluejackets:4, Other Team:3

Craig had tickets good for a Bluejackets game last night, so he took me. My mother graciously agreed to watch our babies for us. I am not a big sporting event fan, but when I suggested that Craig ask someone else to go with him he looked sort of disappointed, so I went. I guess sometimes its nice for him to have a whining wife clinging to his arm instead of having fun with a buddy. He must really love me. I brought my iPod to have something to do.


(me being bored at the hockey game)

When we got to the game, I was disappointed to discover that my iPod would not pick up the Wifi at the arena. "Now what am I going to do?" I asked Craig. "Watch the game", he said. Yeah right, I watched people instead. Usually we sit in what we call the Fat Boy seats. Either right on the glass, or a few rows up, in plush comfy seats where waiters come up to you and ask you if you would like them to get you some refreshments. We get these seats from my Dad. The company he works for buys season passes every year and they all take turns using them. The section is full of rich people or obnoxious die-hard hockey fans who scream obscenities. There aren't many children in those seats.

Last night we sat all the way up in the nose bleed section, and there were quite a few children up there. The men were on the their best behavior. The only negative yelling done up there was: "Come on!", "Aarggh!" (with the "g" pronounced), "Oh, fun!", and my favorite "That's not your teammate, man!" (in response to a bad pass). You remember all these things when you aren't there for the game.

After the second period, people thinned out, meaning most of the people who had a kid with them left, but things were still quiet where we sat. I got even more bored because there weren't many people to watch, so I started whining. I do this thing to Craig when I start fake whining about stupid stuff I don't even care about just to get his attention (he knows it too, because he just playfully chuckles and gives me a hard time)

(Craig and me in the nose bleed section)

I told him I was cold. He said, "Aw." I asked him for some ice cream, which was dumb because then I really was cold. So I told him my nose was cold, and he asked if I wanted to warm it in his armpit. I gave him a love tap. I asked him if we could go home, "When its over.", "When will it be over?", he ignored me. And so it went on until it really was over. And I asked Craig to pick up his empty beer can to bring it home for my sister Kate who recycles them for college money. He said we were not walking around with an empty beer can. Apparently he doesn't want Kate to go to college.

Isaiah 51- God called Abraham and promised to bless him. God kept His promise and turned this one man into a people of great number. Think about the promises God has given us, He will kept them. And He will greatly exceed our expectations.

Oh How I Love Them!

It has been pointed out to me that my attitude lately has been bad, to put it honestly. Someone who loves me very much and whose job it is to say these things if they need said, told me so recently. He was very right. And I am glad he told me, not that I hadn't noticed myself, but sometimes you need someone else to say something to actually kick you back into place. I am sorry I didn't take the criticism well when it was given, but I hope (Craig) that person has seen that I have been trying. I am ashamed to say my attitude was bad in regards to my sweet babies. Oh, how I love them! But I have a heart prone to wander, and if it is not brought back to God on a regular basis it will stay out there.



It is impossible to keep my heart in the right place if I am not reading the Bible. So I have made the promise to read my Bible every morning while I have my breakfast. It has to be done at this time because I am the queen of "I'll do it after I...", and if it isn't done then it won't be done. I am also going to have to start journaling it because I read my Bible at breakfast this morning, and by lunch I couldn't remember what the passage I read was about. So MKC (My Kaleidoscopic Cornucopia) will be my journal. After every post you will see what passage I read, what it was about and some way that applies to me. I'll have to go reread today's so I can actually tell you.

As for getting back on track with my babies, that's easier. It has always amazed me how forgiving children are, especially of their parents. I have offered my sweet ones my apologies and even though they didn't really know what is going on, it is obvious they have no ill feelings toward me. I am rereading books on making early childhood happy and special, and have been surprised how much I missed just having fun (singing, playing, dancing, reading) with my babies. It makes me wonder how I got to where I was? But I guess I already answered that question. Thankful for God's grace to give, and use, faithful husbands.

This morning (and a few times since then), I read 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. Paul was writing to the Corinthians and giving thanks for God's grace in granting them gifts. And encouraging them in the fact that the God who had called them, would keep them, and perfect them for the Coming day. What a encouragement it was for me to read that the God who had called me, used the husband He gave me in order to call me back again, that He might continue to perfect me, so that I could stand blameless on the day of Christ.