Choosing Gratitude #6

...from my Revive Our Hearts calendar for May 2010...


 

 A grateful man or woman will be 

             a breath of fresh air in a world contaminated 

                    by bitterness and discontentment.  

         And the person whose gratitude is a by-product of  

                   and a response to the redeeming grace of God 

          will showcase the heart of the gospel in a way that 

is winsome and compelling.

I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, 

that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Romans 1:8

Nancy Leigh DeMoss ~ Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy

an fb status sort of post

...I should like to sit here and chat with my blogger friends... but my day is not done yet!  Yet I'm 'needing' a TO DO List to check off what we've accomplished so far, kwim?  So, since I don't have enough time for the Daybook and at the risk of wearying you all with a ~ Very Boring Post ~ as Conny would say...

I have...

• scrubbed the stovetop ~ it's electric but not smoothtop, so you can imagine what all that involves... and how pleased I am to see it clean again!
• baked 2 batches of bread ~ one batch is for my brother
• disappointed my kids by not feeding them fresh bread for lunch  ;-)
• baked peanut butter cookies for the guys in the field, which includes my Tim
• convinced a salesman who called for Tim that after Thanksgiving would be a better time to find him at home
• washed 3 loads laundry (with one left to put away...ahem)
• called for our appointment with the chiropractor... I probably need to stay away from the computer in hopes of keeping the migraine manageable
• delivered bread and cookies... and discussed my new Special Projects employment at the farm office with my aunt
• checked some school papers, read to my kids, and got most of them going on the new course in Bible Lands Geography... and otherwise played served as the mom/tutor
• laughed at Miss Autrey (I think that's her name), the wonderful and hilarious speech instructor we enjoy via A Beka Academy's dvds.  {{huge smiley face}}

I am now listening to Miss Music Box actually practicing her violin!!!  {That IS noteworthy, btw ~ Right, Stef?}  I still need to finalized her first lesson with a new instructor.  (My house is generally NOISY all day long, so it's hard to make phone calls...)

Okay, now it's after 6 pm and supper is still c>o>l>d> because I haven't put it together... Might be a good day for Plan B??  The chicken is cooked, so I can warm it up enough to eat it plain instead ...and still have happy children.

And if we get enough of our list done for the day... the girls and I will watch the final episode of Wives and Daughters, which I brought home from the library Friday (intending to selfishly watch it by myself).  Friday night I couldn't get any of the dvds to work in the laptop that currently lives in my room... So decided to try the Oliver Twist at the TV with dvd player, where it worked (That's a 'Go figure' if you know our dvd player, but I decided God didn't seem to want me to watch in solitude).  That was --hmmm-- good, but not so good at the same time.  (Oh, we were thoroughly entertained by the BBC Drama animated advertisement at the beginning ~ I don't know how to explain it quickly, but if you've seen it, maybe you know what I'm talking about?  Need I add that we are easily entertained?)
Tim actually came home just as we were getting it started, so he ended up joining us... and we stayed up until midnight  :o  (not good for a guy who needs to stay awake in a combine all day Saturday)  I did send the younger kids to bed since the movie was untried ...and it was already late!
Saturday I worked towards allowing myself some time with the Wives and Daughters... it ended up being ~8:30pm before we started that... but I stopped us at ONE 90 minute episode  =)   We are enjoying W&D since the less admirable characters aren't nearly as villainous as Dickens' bad guys.  Elizabeth Gaskill (novelist) would appeal to any Jane Austen fan I'm sure.  Have you seen it or her other works via BBC?

Gotta git!  Kids can watch Spanish while I get supper hot ...

while it’s still green…

 

A while back, far- away Felicity requested more photos of our landscape here...

And Jodie recommended using Microsoft’s Live Writer (after I complained about blogger’s new hoops for posting pics).   So here goes nothing!

First, a pic of the house with most of the siding on ~

The clouds were a-moving that day ~

Guess who’s been here?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cattleman’s garden ~

 

which is escaping it’s boundaries of course

 

 

 

 

 

Aren’t they nice to pose together for a photo?

 

And beyond the steers live the heifers and their calves with Bullwinkle ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, this is about as good as it gets with zoom ~ they were too far away (and I wasn’t prepared to hike through the pasture)

 

The kids planted the blue spruce that they brought home from the Farm Progress Show ~ We’ll see how many survive.  And where we decide to plant them next year (?) 

Oh, and I should ask for advice.  The directions say for indoor planting (which is where they will spend the winter):  “place in a cool spot away from direct heat to set dormancy until spring. “ It does NOT say anything about what sort of lighting they need – ???  Our unheated basement rooms will be pretty dark most of the day.  Maybe they should stay in the garage where there’s ONE window?  Any would-be-experts out there?  =)  (I’m thinking they need some sunshine, but I do intend to heat our house this winter, ya know?)

 

Here’s the back side of the house (which is not completely sided) and a patch of mostly dead weeds…

With thanks again to generous people at the Farm Progress Show who gave Tim a sample of some weed killer ~ just what we needed!  Some day this fall (before snow cover) he hopes to burn off the dead weeds ~ Someone advised him to not attempt to shape our future lawn without doing all this first.   (sidenote:  I have looked with some amazement at people mowing their yards the past month or two…  Mowing??)

Thinking of landscaping, here’s my beloved forsythia, flanked by a couple elderberry bushes, if you can discern anything amongst the weeds…  But they are flourishing!  And I am happy about that.

 

The maple tree is not so obvious ~ but it doesn’t look dead either, yes?  We are hoping for the best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This coneflower has survived the transplant…  (yay!)

We’re still debating the future of the many milk weed… for now they live under the grace of low priority  ;-)

 

That’s all for now, folks…

but stay tuned… There’s many a more photo in that there folder!

Choosing Gratitude #5

From April 2010 Revive Our Hearts calendar ~

A significant degree of your emotional,

mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, as well

as the health and stability of your relationships

with others, will be determined by your

gratitude quotient.

          Rooted and built up in him, and 

                     stablished in the faith, 

              as ye have been taught, 

                          abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Colossians 2:7

~ Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy Leigh DeMoss ~

Daybook September 27, 2010

FOR TODAY  

Monday, September 27, 2010

Outside my window...

The sun is shining brightly today.  From where I sit I don't see much of the fall color, but if I go to the kitchen sink I will see a golden field of corn ready to combine as well as our still-green hayfield.
The computer tells me it's 43F out there (that's 6C, Felicity & Ruby) ~ sounds a bit chilly, but I'm sure the cattle are happy :-)  And it will be warming up with the sun.
Forecast predicts a high of 70F (21C) and similar weather for the next few days ~ sounds perfect for harvest!

I am thinking...

I should call Vicki today and make an appointment with our chiropractor  :-\

Tim says I need super-glue on my atlas...

I am thankful for...

...the incredible time Kate & Tim had on their trip to Prague 

~ and that they are home again!

...Saturday's rain that kept Tim indoors 

~ he was able to install the shelves in another closet :-)

...our God who answers prayer

I am praying for...

...the 200,000 people who received a copy of John & Romans in Prague, the 800 people who took a complete Czech Bible home from the Bible Night after hearing the gospel presented, the 5 new visitors who were at church with the Rettigs yesterday, those who may attend the Wednesday Bible studies, and the Rettigs and Czech believers to continue in God's strength

...my Dad whose biopsy was rescheduled for tomorrow after he caught a virus last week

From the learning rooms...

We are starting several combined DVD classes for the high schoolers today ~ Grammar/composition, Speech, Chemistry, Bible doctrines, Spanish.  I'm hoping we can follow the schedule and get it all done!  ("cheerfully" might be accomplished another day)

From the kitchen...

Today:  taco rice casserole I put together on Saturday (rain stopped so Tim grilled steaks instead  :-))
Leftovers in the fridge:  yummy steak and yesterday's beef roast
Tim probably will be eating a hot dinner from the grocery deli for lunch and a sandwich from Subway for supper.  Think I should take him some leftovers instead?
After I cook up some more chicken, we could have chicken packets or chicken fajita quesadillas.  I made buns on Saturday so we could have BBQ with leftover beef or grill hamburgers...

I am creating... 

mended jeans for Tim (2 pairs ~ woot, woot!)  What I really want to do is sew more flannel baby blankets  ;-)

I am going...

...to see the insurance agent today ~ He will be really glad to get our policies finalized... for now  ;-)
...to Kids 4 Truth, youth group and prayer meeting on Wednesday
...to piano lessons/groceries on Friday
...to turn the calendar to October!  :o

I am reading...

Jeremiah ~ God has blessed the Rechabites for their faithful obedience.. and the king has thrown Jeremiah's scroll (God's words) into the fire

I am hoping...

that Kate & Tim will soon get over their jet lag and cough crud fatigue

I am hearing...

the Cattleman participating with his math or language class

Around the house...

souvenirs from Prague, sewing/mending, laundry room is too quiet, and it's time for another DVD class on the TV for my older students (be right back)

One of my favorite things... 

soaking up some sunshine on a crisp fall day

Pondering these words...

"Do not argue with an idiot. 

He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience"

(with thanks to Dan Phillips' blog, found via Julie at Herding Grasshoppers) 

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.  The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.  And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

I Peter 1:24-25

A few plans for the rest of the week:

schoolwork, housework...
Tim will be looking at corn, corn, corn, or beans, beans, beans...
our Big Kids have a youth conference on Saturday ~ Back on Track

Here is a are several more Prague pictures...

Amy R. with Kate...
(Do you see what Kate brought Amy?)

This art museum was beautiful on the outside...

The gate at Terezin ~ a Jewish Ghetto under Hitler
"Work Makes Freedom"

Jana with Kate at the airport...

~ Find more Daybooks at Peggy's ~ 

Prague wrap-up, sort of

First question:  Anyone else having trouble uploading photos on the new blogger? fyi, I had to put them in a picasa web album, then upload from there.


Okay then... Thinking back to Day One:  Here's Petr, Monika, Mrs. Rettig, Amy R., Kaylyn (arrived early from Colorado so dressed up to join with the Welcome), Pavel and Jana (who was on the streets handing out J/R until the day before New Baby was born ~ and was able to attend the Vecer Bible and see the team off again after Baby arrived!)

This is the A Team!
Kate, Kaylyn, Hannah, Tim, Dave, Rebecca, Dixie
Mrs. Rettig also joined them for a few days.

Most days they were assigned a stop on the metro to pass out the John/Romans and an invitation to the Vecer Bible (Bible Night).  Here they are riding a loooong escalator ~ some metro lines go under the river.

Thursday (16th) was their Free Day to tour ~ Here's the astronomical clock with the twelve apostles who come out the doors at the top on the hour.

St. Vitus Cathedral , which was 400 years in the making (finished 1911?) They actually saw this on Sunday (12th) ~

A group of musicians performing (and hoping to sell their CDs from the briefcase parked in front of them) ~

In Prague, you "pay as you go"  :-)  Even at McDonald's.  You know what a "WC" is, right?

Evenings they had dinner at various restaurants.  This is pork schnitzel and potato salad; the other option that evening was chicken.  One restaurant provided them a choice of wild boar or venison!

Friday (17th) Kate was surprised with a birthday party after dinner.

Here's a map of Prague hanging in the hotel lobby ~ {Edit...Another map is hanging in their meeting room where they got their assignments each day at the hotel -- see picture towards end of post.}

If they weren't at a metro stop, they were stuffing mailboxes at apartment buildings.

Sunday (19th) they went out of town to the fortress of Terezin.  In November 1941 the main fortress became a Ghetto, a concentration camp for the Jews.

This room had two walls of bunks and housed 600 people.  They had two "toilets' to share as well.

Back in Prague, they found the church where Jan Hus preached~

And a memorial for the 20-some nobles who were hanged here in 1621 for financing the printing of Scriptures.

The Old Town Square and Tyn Church~

Monday (20th) evening Tim & Kate went downtown instead of joining the group for dinner.  They found a nice concert to attend as well as seeing the Old Town lit up.

Tuesday evening they had dinner at the Restaurant Rapir, decorated from the Medieval era~

Hannah & Kate

Kate enjoyed this potato pancake with veggies ~

Tim's Kate's typical breakfast at the hotel~

At last it was Wednesday, September 22 ~ Ready for Vecer Bible!

The Czech believers were amazed to see people begin to arrive more than an hour EARLY!  They said Czech people are always late...

This was just before the rush of people arrived.  They added chairs, opened the curtained area (see photo above), and seated people in the balcony (where Tim took this photo) ~ and still they came!  More than 800 people!

At least 400 filled out the response card and received a complete Bible in the Czech language ~ Edit: Emilie says that 800 Bibles went out the door that night!

What a beautiful prize!

We will be praying for this little nucleus of strong believers ~ 7 Czech and 3 American
Note the map behind the group ~ the areas colored red were covered by the team!

Tim & Vladmir at the airport.  Tim was especially blessed by hearing the testimonies of these dear Czech people ~

♥  God is so good!  ♥

it's Wednesday in Prague!

It's late Tuesday for me and Wednesday morning for Tim ... I'm so happy to have another email from him!  :-D

Monday we skipped the supper with our group and went down town. The city is very pretty at night and there was a concert in an old church so we decided to go, it was very nice.  There were a half dozen string instruments, a trumpet, organ and soloist.

Today is our last day, time flies it has been a good two weeks. I think we have handed out over 100,000 john romans plus they mailed 100,000 before we got here they also mailed around 20,000 invitations to the meeting tonight. People here know something is going on. The church had visitors both Wednesday and Sunday so that was a blessing. 

We will go out for a while today and then come back to prepare for this evening pray that people will come the auditorium has room for around a thousand we are excited to see what God will do.

Kate,Hannah and Klynn [edit: Kaylyn] played Lead me to Calvary on Sunday piano violin and clarinet it was very nice. They might be doing it Again tonight I am not sure.

Should be home in about 48 hrs

+ěščřžýáíé=´ those are the symbols below the numbers across the top of the keyboard.

  

The meeting is at 7pm, which is noon here (CST) ~ Please pray for God's protection and blessing!

Here's a photo of the special music from Sunday with Kate at the piano (Thank you, Mrs. Rettig!)  The violinist is Kate's roomie :-)