Frederick's bed

I decided I wanted to restore a piece of furniture for each of my children that they can take with them when they are older. I look for inexpensive pieces that need restored, fully or partially, and I get to work. We found Frederick's bed in Northeastern Ohio a couple years ago and I refinished it this winter. I like to refinish with scrapers, chisels, hand tools, etc instead of chemicals.  It is old school and I find it relaxing to work with my hands. Typically, I will use sand paper on the raw wood, but as I was not taking this piece to the wood I used steel wool to rough the original finish so the new finish would adhere. The detail areas I did scrape clean for a sharper edge. After I had the bed smooth and ready to "shoot" with clear, Jeremy and my dad put the finish on for me. We use sanding sealer, which gives it a nice sheen, but not too glossy.

Frederick was SO excited when we set up his bed and he was able to sleep in it for the very first time. He took his little stuffed horse and his cherished blankie and jumped into bed.

The headboard

nature walk 2

I grew up going on nature walks all the time with my mom, so part of me feels like it isn't really spring unless we are watching the changes in nature closely. I once even considered becoming a park ranger because I loved it so much (that was when I wanted to be a recluse and live in the Smoky Mountains too.) Now I get to be the guide for my kids. We were at my parents today and went on a walk. They have the same wildflowers I posted before, so I won't duplicate, but they had some not found at my place. It was a beautiful sunny spring day, a little cool, and the kids did good job of being quiet so as not to scare the wildlife.

Canada Violet

Mustard

Blue Phlox

The Spring 

The Trail

Mossy roots 

Carpet Bugleweed "Ajuga"

Large White Trillium

Wild Geranium

Virginia Creeper

Rattlesnake Fern

Elauna and Frederick

nature walk

Toadshade Trillium

Downy Yellow Violet

Spring Beauty

White Phlox 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Mayapple

Common Blue Violet

Golden Ragwort

Elauna and Frederick

Confederate Violet 

Dandelion

My Handsome Frederick

last man standing

Yesterday was a special day in our family as our daughter Claire was dedicated to the Lord. Our family was there too, which meant so much to us. I am so blessed to have a God-fearing husband who desires to raise his children to honor God. He was able to speak before Claire was dedicated, and I was very proud of what he shared.

“Over the course of the last couple months my wife and I were able to see a movie that really touched our hearts. We watched it as a family and then we had the opportunity last night to share the movie [at The Gathering Place]; the movie is “Courageous.”  At the end of the movie it mainly speaks to the men of God and asks them to be dedicated to live a life worthy  of the Gospel, to honor God in everything you do; that is our mission. In my upbringing, dedication wasn’t talked about. It was just something that was supposed to happen. I want Claire to know who God is, before there is a chance that Satan knows who she is. I want all my children to know God before that happens. We have dedicated Frederick and Elauna; now it is our desire to dedicate Claire to the Lord. But that just doesn’t mean dedicating our children to the Lord, it means dedicating our entire family life to God, to make sure that Claire has a clear understanding of what God wants for her life. So my intention is simply to let God know that we will honor Him no matter what, even if we are the last people standing."

creative fun

I recently found that I really enjoy making aprons. I can add my own unique twist to them and be creative with colors, fabrics, and designs. Below is my latest creation, contrasting stripes with a floral pattern, but keeping the color scheme the same. I added a few ruffles to make it feminine (not that the flowers weren't obviously something most men would shy from wearing). It has two pockets in the floral section.

40 days

I have felt this year I need do a specific study during this 40 days before Easter and journal together with other believers.  I am inviting you to join me in reading a chapter a day from the Bible. Below I have listed the chapters I will be reading each day, starting Wednesday, February 22.

When I was younger, I created a way to journal that fit me: I call it L.E.A. L – listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling me through the Scripture; E – evaluate myself and areas in need of change or needed course of action; A – act on those changes or assignments from the Lord. My entry looks like this:

Date: xxxx xx

Scripture:  Xxxx  xx:xx

Listen:

Evaluate:

Act: short take-away statement

Please use whatever method works best for you. If you join me in this time, I would appreciate updates as to what the Lord is telling you during this time so I can pray for you as well. Remember this does not include Sundays.

1.       Mark 1     (Feb 22)

2.       Mark 9     (Feb 23)

3.       Matthew 5     (Feb 24)

4.       Matthew 6     (Feb 25)

5.       Luke 15     (Feb 27)

6.       John 3     (Feb 28)

7.       John 14     (Feb 29)

8.       John 17    (March 1)

9.       Matthew 26     (Mar 2)

10.   Matthew 27     (Mar 3)

11.   John 20     (Mar 5)

12.   Luke 24     (Mar 6)

13.   Acts 2     (Mar 7)

14.   Acts 4     (Mar 8)

15.   Acts 17     (Mar 9)

16.   Acts 26     (Mar 10)

17.   Romans 3     (Mar 12)

18.   Romans 7     (Mar 13)

19.   1 Corinthians 13     (Mar 14)

20.   1 Corinthians 15     (Mar 15)

21.   Galatians 5     (Mar 16)

22.   Ephesians 3     (Mar 17)

23.   Philippians 2     (Mar 19)

24.   Matthew 3:1-4:10     (Mar 20)

25.   John 16     (Mar 21)

26.  Titus 2   (Mar 22) 

27.   Acts 10     (Mar 23)

28.   Romans 8     (Mar 24)

29.   Romans 12     (Mar 26)

30.   1 Corinthians 2     (Mar 27)

31.   1 Corinthians 12     (Mar 28)

32.   1 Corinthians 14     (Mar 29)

33.   Ephesians 4     (Mar 30)

34.   I Peter 4     (Mar 31)

35.   1 John  4     (April 2)

36.   Colossians 3     (Apr 3)

37.   1 Thessalonians 4     (Apr 4)

38.   Hebrews 10     (Apr 5)

39.   Hebrews 13     (Apr 6)

40.   James 4     (Apr 7)

He bids me come...

"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I have been blessed this January to have spent time with two of my favorite people, both missionaries home on short leaves. Kim Smith is a missionary in Liberia - a godfearing, peaceful man, and I respect him greatly. He has given away his possessions and made Liberia his home, sharing Jesus with the people and starting many churches. The Liberian people are hungry for Jesus. (www.wordsowerliberia.com) My other friend, Noel Garrett, spent a few months in Ethiopia before returning to the Czech Republic, where she has spent the last 7 years as a missionary teaching English through the Bible. Noel recently has been called to start a new mission in Prague. The Czech people are spiritually hungry after being oppressed for generations.

Here in the land of plenty it is easy to loose sight that we are on mission. I have been very challenged of late to ensure that I am teaching my children what is most important in life, and that is Jesus Christ. I want them to know what it looks like to give it all for the service of Jesus, to not be afraid to loose their life for him. I remember growing up that my parents would be very frank with us about the cost of following Jesus. Mom would say, "If someone shows up in the middle of the night, drags us outside, threatens to kill me or Daddy if you don't deny Jesus...", she would stop, "you do not EVER deny Jesus. We will die first." That ingrained in me a deep obedience at a young age. Now that I am a mother, I respect how hard that was to say to a child, especially how protective a mother is of her children. I want my children to know there is a cost to follow Jesus, and that we must rely upon him to guide and direct our lives.

Obedience. Compassion for the less fortunate. A willingness to give. Give even when it hurts. My friend Shawn once asked me to list ten things I would tell a new Christian - I keep it with me, as it reflects much of my walk with Christ.

1. It is about relationship. Without communication there is no relationship.
2. Read Bible daily.
3. Talk to God as if you could see him sitting next to you.
4. Find someone to be accountable to.
5. God is loving.
6. The Bible is truth; everything in it is truth.
7. People will let you down, even Christians. God will not.
8. Never deny Jesus Christ.
9. The devil is real. He is a liar and he never sleeps.
10. God has already won!

He bids us come and die. Don't loose sight of the value of a soul. It is more valuable than any earthly possession. Two of the biggest highlights from 2011 were when my daughter Claire was born, and when my daughter Elauna asked Jesus to live in her heart. My sweet son Frederick is learning to pray, trying hard to keep his eyes closed. My job as a mother is to teach my children the ways of the Lord, and let God convict their hearts. Hopefully I am doing my part in making fertile soil.