Project 52: Week 4: {Self-Portrait}

A Domestic Missionary — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:52:41 +0000

Can I just start off by saying…I have been dreading this week’s theme from Darcy… you see I am the girl behind the camera not infront of it. I have tried to find a back door to slip out of but at last gave in when no magical doors appeared! I suppose self-portrait is self-portrait, or I am just not creative enough to get out of it.

Once I embraced the fact that I was going to actually have to come out from behind my camera, where I live, I knew exactly the shot I wanted to capture. Every evening about 5 or so the sun begins to set in front of our little house. I just love, love, love how the light floods the yard and shoots out from behind the trees and above the houses. It always captivates me and sends me into a magical world and thoughts of heaven light up my heart. It is like a spark of celestial joy rushes through the viens of life with in me and just for a second gives me a glimpse of eternity, of glory.

Yes, that is really what happens every time I am struck with the sun setting in my front yard… aren’t you jealous?

{Here is another photo I captured in this glorious sun light}

Well for the last 3 days it has been cloudy with 100% chance of terrential pour down and overcast when it wasn’t so I didn’t expect to be able to get my desired shot but heaven broke open this afternoon just as we were about to take a late afternoon walk in the crisp cool air. I ran for my camera like a crazy lady, truly crazy {especially if you were driving by my house when I was holding my camera above my head trying to get just the right shot of myself in my front yard. Conceited much? No really it is for a photo challenge, oh well… think what they will}.

I was able to get 3 shots… that was all the grace I was given before my battery died. This one was the best shot although not perfect… which is perfect neither am I… but I did capture the sun exactly as I had pictured…

How kind was it of Him to grant this silly girl such a silly little desire of the heart… I know how small I am and I am grateful, grateful. I pray that my gratitude for all of His many kindness and graces in my life will flood the earth in glory as this late afternoon sunset does each day in my front yard, for me.

My Struggling Reader

A Domestic Missionary — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:36:39 +0000

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

Oh, if I could only impart the wisdom of Dr.Seuss into the mind of my 7 year old struggling reader. Oh the places he would go!

He loves the idea of reading but he detests the process, the work, the decoding of words, the making of sentences. He loves stories and living inside stories, it is where I find him most but they are the kind that already live inside his mind, no words neccessary.

How do I teach him to read, this boy that lives in the stories? It is one of the things I admire about his childhood, his passion for stories, for the story. Is it just the age? Or is it something else, something deeper that I can not see and that even he can not understand?

I wonder if he sees the words differently than they are written… if they appear a little backwards and displaced? I know this is possible, this reading disease called dyslexia.

Or it could just be that this wild soul just needs a little more time to mature in the world of words and reading. I am thankful though, the stories live on in him no matter if he can read or not.. because stories are apart of who he is, because he is surrounded by them and by those who do read and who love to read. He is a lover of books and one day I know he will be a lover of words, a lover of the Word which gives life to all other words.

If you have any encouragement or insights for this mommy-teacher I would embrace them with much enthusiasm!

Wordless Wednesday {Boys & Books}

A Domestic Missionary — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:45:41 +0000

wordless wednesday

WFMW::Table Chore Lots

A Domestic Missionary — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:07:13 +0000

Ok so you more than likely know the drill of the table chores, right? After every meal everyone picks a duty to assist in cleaning up after the meal. There is clearing the table, wiping the table, and sweeping under the table and also loading the dishwasher and refridgerator.

I use to try to schedule it out to help spice it up a little, kill the monotony of doing the same chore after every meal. Now I don’t have to think about it anymore and assign chores to each child, now they very willingly and joyfully for the most part cast their table chore lots.

They are brillant in the fact that they really do work for me!

Nothing special. Just paper, Microsoft Word, scissors, and laminator.

Pay no attention to them being upside down, I wasn’t paying attention.

They really do appear to enjoy them.

…which makes this mama very happy.

I love taking an everyday chore and making it fun for them. It helps the home run more effectively and peacefully when I can.

Kai did request that I put in a blank one or one that says play, a kind of wild card. That would be fun but it wouldn’t be very effective or peaceful for the other 2.

How do you do ”table chores” at your house?

Linking up with Kristen for Works for Me Wednesday.

Sweet Shot Tuesday {Upside Down}

A Domestic Missionary — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:37:48 +0000

My children inspire me,

to live a

wild,

on the edge,

sometimes carefree,

joy soaked,

intense,

passionate,

silly,

upside down

life

in an all to serious rightside up

adult world.

Live with no regrets even if it means to live a little upside down.

———————————————————————

Menu Planning from the Pantry

A Domestic Missionary — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:32:47 +0000

I have been inspired… inspired to action.

I needed to go grocery shopping today but struggled with spending the money, again. I just went on Thursday and dispite my best efforts among the busy transitioning our life is in right now, spent more than I had wanted. {Sigh} So, as I reached for lunch behind all of this in my pantry cabinet…..

{Isn’t that pretty?}

…I thought surely I could create meals from the abundance of food that already fills my kitchen, a mini grocery store?

So I took inventory and found 5 decent meals to feed my family. Enough to last till Friday, my grocery shopping day. Whew, that’s better.

I used allrecipes to find some recipes using the ingredients I had on hand {suggested by a friend} and then plugged in those plus some others into our menu plan for the rest of the month. Here is our menu plan for this week…

Monday: DIY Tostada with Mexican Rice
Tuesday: Tortilla Bean Soup with Chicken
Wednesday: Enchildada-Quesidillas {made with homemade tortillas} with more Mexican Rice!
Thursday: Chicken and Rice, sweet peas, and buttered homemade bread
Friday: Sea Shell Supper, salad, and bread
Saturday: Homemade Pizza and salad
Sunday: Leftovers

I have high hopes of changing our eating habits, in being more intentional in feeding my family. Looking forward to researching. Until next time…

Joy Dare: {Week 3}

A Domestic Missionary — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:06:57 +0000

Still counting by faith and into joy, filling up 2012 with hope… doubling wonder by thanks!

a successful week back to school

planning the future of great minds

letting go, of fear

holding on, to grace

making memories with pastel joy

making messes

death and ressurection in everyday life

a boy and his favorite book

chocolate chip muffins, her favorite

magical dinosaurs

an afternoon running by the lake with my husband

a running faith

walking in his shadow

surviving the first week of public school

becoming a teachers wife

a basketball game with the family

the untouchable gospel

doubts that lead to more faith

learning to live more simply

an afternoon of footballs and good conversation with friends

early mornings with my husband before work

Making JOY a habit that I wear with Ann and a multitude of other obsessed counters…

Project 52: Week 3: “I Dreamed a Dream”

A Domestic Missionary — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:44:45 +0000

Sometimes we have dreams and they don’t come true and sometimes we have dreams we never knew we had until they come true… life is that dream.

I had a dream I never knew I had, until now… good morning life.

“Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?”

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

——————————————

Things to Remember…

A Domestic Missionary — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:44:01 +0000

…eternity lives in the little things and a simple life means living holistically with your life’s purpose…

The JOY Dare: Week 2

A Domestic Missionary — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:25:54 +0000

You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink. ~G.K. Chesterton

The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! ~Henry Ward Beecher

This week has been busy with life and with grace… crazy grace! We received news of hope and a future this last Thursday and are on a path completely foreign to us, each step is being taken in His strength and mercy.

I have so much to be thankful for, more than what I can catch with my pen…

new beginings

fresh joy

wonder doubled by thanks

an undeserved job teaching English

yellow mercies found glowing through out the day

sounds of laughter, pure joy

of chirping crickets to bring in the new day and fresh mercy

the privilege of being a teacher to my children, growing minds of wisdom

for a reluctant reader, teaching me patience and grace

boys and sticks

an afternoon of 4 leaf clover hunting

life behind the lens

a father daughter game of dance tag

finding the beauty in a blurry background

new curriculum for a new year

a glittery ditch, a magical wonderland for a boy in love with water

a paper winter wonderland above my head

Counting by faith and into joy with a community of world changers.