What We Are Reading for Lent

Each year I try and incorporate some special reading for Lent.  This has not always worked out so well.  I don't know why this is so hard.

We always manage some fun reading for Advent and Christmas, but Lent is another story.  Perhaps it is because Lent is not really fun and the days of Lent are a tougher time to contemplate.  The events of Lent are so much more difficult than those of Advent.  The anticipation and preparation for the birth of a precious baby brings joy, while tremendous suffering and death brings sadness.  But, what came after that suffering and death is what I needed to focus on; to linger in those sufferings to appreciate the magnitude of the sacrifice Jesus made for us, but to also look past it toward the Resurrection.  To endure the darkness knowing that the light will come.

So, this season I am doing much better.

I am working through this book.  It is a collection of readings by some of the foremost Christian writers.  I really need to focus on these readings and often have to reread passages, but I am finding them very thought provoking.

As a family we are reading Amon's Adventure, which follows a young boy and his family living in Jerusalem in the days leading up to Holy Week.  We have enjoyed the books by Arnold Ytreeide for Advent and this book follows the similar format.  Each reading leaves you wanting the next.

We have several other projects and activities in the works, but besides the Bible, these are our two main reading sources.

Shaggy Dog

Dan's hair had gotten very long. So long in fact that my Dad offered to take him to the barber. I finally tackled the job tonight.

Before...the shaggy dog look.

After...close clean cut boy.  My Dad will be very happy.

Didn't even notice the cat on the sink counter until after.  Silly cat.

A Day on the Ski Slopes

We signed the children up to participate in a ski/snowboard program at Mount Snow in Vermont. This is the first time skiing for the children. Gabe opted to snowboard, while Rachel and Hannah wanted to ski. Dan was too young to snowboard, so he also is skiing.

It took us a little bit to get all geared up at the rental shop, but here they are all ready to go.

There was about an hour before their instruction time, so they practiced on the little hill.  They had 1.5 hours of instruction time and then they had a short break to grab a bite to eat.

Back on the slopes, the kids were able to practice what they had learned.  Whoa, Dan, hang on!  He did not fall.

Gabe's snowboard group learned how to use the chair lift, so he was able to go to the top of the slope and he was doing well by the end of the afternoon, making it all the way down without a fall.

Brian was able to go with us to the mountain which was a big bonus for me.  The extra help was much appreciated, but the hours we were able to sit in the lodge and be together was priceless.

After watching the kids, I am thinking I might try it next year.  It sure looks like a lot of fun.

Is was gorgeous this morning as the sun came up and touched the tops of the snow covered trees...magical.

Winter Begins

Our first snow of the season. The kids were so excited and wanted to go out badly.  We finished our schoolwork. The question was where was all the snow gear. I'm not really sure why winter seems to catch me off guard. It comes pretty much the same time every year. I headed to the garage in search of the plastic boxes. They were not buried too deeply and soon everyone was outfitted with enough warm clothing for some fun in the snow.

Yes, those are shorts that Gabe has on. He is always warm, even in winter. I'm sure once he can go sledding, he will at least don snow pants.

There is something so magical about the first few snow falls of the seasons.  Even those of us that are hot summer lovers, stop to enjoy and smile.

First Snow

Our first snow of the 2011-2012 winter season. It is always so beautiful and exciting. Now, if I can just remember what I did with all the winter gear.

An Autumn Walk

It has taken us several weeks, but we have finally settled into somewhat of a weekday routine that is working. Having all of the younger children back home for schooling has been a big challenge for all of us. We are seeing some very positive results, which reaffirms our decision to bring the kids home from public school.


We have enjoyed being able to again take our frequent walks. We live in a lovely area with lots of country roads and nature to enjoy. I get a nice brisk walk, the dogs get some exercise and the kids like to run in the woods, throw stones in the river or find treasures along the way.

You can see the scoured river bank behind the children, remnants of hurricane Irene. This river overflowed it's banks in several areas.

The trees are hanging onto their leaves this fall and this oak was looking mighty handsome with all the variations in leaf color.

Max, our new puppy, has especially enjoyed these outings as everything is so new to him. He spends so much time sniffing everything he can reach. He is already Gabe's buddy and Gabe accommodates him by allowing him to roam all over. Gabe is very good with animals and all our pets seem to gravitate toward him.

We saw this Monarch flying very timidly. I'm sure he was very close to his last days. It is sad to see them go, but just another part of the yearly cycle of nature. He was definitely a bright spot among the brown leaves.

These fellows were looking for a handout. I love the little donkeys. They are so cute and we can hear them braying from our house. What a funny creature they are.

These little walks refresh and energize us to get back to our schoolwork. Sometimes that means more books, but sometimes it is just to discuss and enjoy the treasures we bring home.

Geocaching

We introduced some friends to the fun activity of Geocaching. It is such fun sharing caching with other people. I think they are hooked.  The first cache of the afternoon.  It was in an area that I'm guessing was flooded by hurricane Irene.  The container was a bit damp, but not too bad.

We found four caches, two of them in cemeteries.  Gabe thought this headstone looked like a Guillotine.

Wonderful afternoon spend with special friends.

Camping in Maine - Day 1

It is amazing to me how difficult it was finding a week that worked for the whole family to go on our summer camping vacation. With Bess in college and working, Brian's job as time consuming as ever, several great church activities and a couple summer weddings, it was a logistical challenge. Here we were pushing the end of August and finally making our way to Bar Harbor, Maine. Brian and I have been to this area a few times in the past, the first time for our Honeymoon twenty-five years ago, but the children have never been. We love taking them to new places.

The drive up was uneventful in a good way...light traffic, no problems, happy children and dry weather. We stopped to fill up the van and ourselves at lunchtime and one more time just to let everyone stretch their legs. We made the trip in nine hours. After the days and days of driving last summer, this seemed like a short outing.

We are staying at the Bar Harbor KOA. Brian didn't have any trouble backing into our site and we were hooked up and ready in no time. It is a lovely campground right on the water. We walked down to the water and knew we were going to have a great time.

The kids quickly collected some shells and rocks. Poor Gracie wanted to go into the water so badly, but we did not want to deal with wet dog right away. Tomorrow will be soon enough.


Rachel's arms raised to the sky pretty much expressed how we are all feeling. It is wonderful and we are all so pleased to be here.

Bess looking lovely as always. We are so glad that she was able to work out her schedule to join us. We realize it will be harder and harder for her to get away from school or work to come on our family vacations.

Let the adventure begin!

Quiet Time Basket

Having a consistent quiet time has always been a challenge for me. I'll go through times where it seems easy to set aside the time and to stick with it and other times it seems like just one more thing to add to my busy day of many things I don't have time for.

Recently I signed up at Good Morning Girls. This is an online accountability techie thing where you get a group of women together and check in with them each day. I always do better when I have to report to someone else. I am very hopeful that this will help me make my quiet time more of a priority.

So, I dusted off my Quiet Time Basket (QTB) and restocked it with things that are important to me. Basically, my QTB is a simple basic with books and other supplies that make it easier for me to just pick it up and have a productive quiet time. The location isn't important, it can be my favorite chair or outside or even with me when we go camping.

Here it is all stocked and ready to go. Now, to clarify, this is not my study stuff. That is a whole different kettle of fish. I need to sit at a table or desk to do my serious Bible study. I have several study Bibles, commentaries, dictionary, concordance, maps, etc. This small basket is for sweet, precious times with my Lord, intimate times, when I quietly read smaller portions of His Word, pray and meditate. The way I think of it is that there are times when Brian and I sit down and seriously discuss finances, the house, the children, our goals, etc. and then there are other times when we are just in sweet fellowship, talking about what is on our hearts and sharing the simple pleasures of being together and conversation. This is the contrast between my Bible study and my quiet time.

Here are all the things in my basket....a small Bible (I like NAS), my prayer journal, a devotional (Utmost for His Highest right now, but I have several I rotate through.), two books I am or will be reading, my reading glasses, assortment of pens and pencils, tissues, hand cream, gum, lip balm, a second little notebook (I use this to jot down things that come to my mind that I don't want to forget, but I don't want to be distracted.), my mp3 player (I have lots of praise and worship songs, hymns and sermons loaded.), a candle and matches and a small assortment of note cards (Often someone comes to my mind and I'll write them a quick note.).

I am sure there are many other items that you could add, perhaps a small silk flower, your favorite cd and player or a sketch book, anything that would make your quiet time more personal and meaningful.

So, I encourage you to put together your own Quiet Time Basket.