Bunny Trails

Wordless Wednesday - Autumn Colors

2008-07-16T10:04:00.004-06:00

My photoblog entry is here, along with links to more WW.

PhotoHunt: Support

2008-07-12T10:36:00.004-06:00

I suspect you all know precisely what this supports.

Find out what other photogs chose for SUPPORT at the PhotoHunt

Project Black?

2008-07-12T08:28:00.003-06:00

If you came here looking for a Project Black entry, it's at my photoblog.

PhotoStory Friday: My Boys

2008-07-11T08:34:00.009-06:00

This is one of my very favorite photos of my boys. Everyone always comments on what a great picture it is. They look so sweet and loving, that I often forget the story behind this.

They had been fighting like crazy, antagonizing one another, and just generally not getting along. But then they wanted something. I don't even remember what - probably to play video games or watch a DVD. I likely commented on how poorly they were interacting with each other, so they adamantly proclaimed how well they would get along. This was the physical display of their willingness to not fight, to love each other, and to live peaceably together. They were so incredibly cute, that I just had to get a picture.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Wordless Wednesday - Family Fireworks

2008-07-09T00:01:00.000-06:00

More fireworks at my photo blog

You can see more WW here, here, and here.

Getting Organized

2008-07-08T07:50:00.009-06:00

You can find my writing over here today. The July issue of Heart of the Matter Online Magazine was published this morning. This month, I share links to help you get organized in life, the kitchen, and in homeschool. There are also plenty of other great articles for your enjoyment and information.

Wishing you a superb day!

ps - I found my day planner pages. They were right where they belong. They must've been invisible last week. Whatever.

A Week of Stuff

2008-07-07T12:10:00.023-06:00

If you're planning to participate in the Heart of the Matter Online Virtual Homeschool Conference, today is the last day for early bird pricing of $19.95! It's happening July 31 - August 3; just in time to gain some insights, ideas, and encouragement before beginning your new school year.

Click on the above image to register and to check out the speakers and schedule. If you'll include my name (Dianne - Bunny Trails) in the special instructions when you register, I'll get credit. I don't know what the credit is for, but it sounds good, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: In the below post, I will ramble and ramble on about last week. If you care to follow all the way through, kudos to you. If you chose not to read my meanderings, I won't know nor will I mind. Sometimes I just have to clear my head of all this information so I can make room for new stuff. Feel free to click away someplace else should I drone on too much. And if you come back on Wednesday, I'm sure to have some pix up for Wordless Wednesday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Without further ado, I present A Week of Stuff

I was hardly home last week, although that really wasn't my plan. What is it that God says (and often reminds me of)? Oh yeah, Proverbs 16:9 "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." That should really be my life's verse. Because it's definitely my life. I knew I'd be busy on Monday and Tuesday, but in my version of the story, that was it. Wednesday and Thursday, we'd spend the majority of our time at home. After all, we'd had a busy weekend and I wanted to stay home. And it's all about me, you know.

Crazy, Busy Stuff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Monday, we celebrated my neice's 9th birthday. In order for her (and my sister) to better enjoy some time at a local family fun center, my other neice, her four year old sister, came and hung out at our house for awhile. Most every time she comes over, she wants to draw. With markers. No crayons or pencils or anything else for this one. It has to be markers. While I did an incredible purge job on the instruments of writing recently, I did retain a couple sets of washable markers. Just for my neice.

She was happily playing with her teeny little toys, watching Tom & Jerry on the portable DVD player, and drawing pictures (with markers, of course) in our dining room. I stepped out to another room and when I returned, she was under the table. Looking a little, guilty, shall we say. I asked what she was doing and she didn't have a response. It was then that I noticed she had a blue marker in her hand. And on her hand. And her legs.

She was wearing the cutest little pink plaid outfit, and I didn't think my sister would be terribly thrilled with blue marker on it, so I had her come out from under the table. While at times she's a very loud and opinionated little girl, she was quite the humble child. She stood before me with her head hanging down and we had this conversation:

Me: M, where are you supposed to use markers?

M: (in a voice so soft, it was nearly inaudible) On paper.

Me: (holding out her very blue fingers) Is this paper?

M: (still using inaudible voice) No.

Me: (pointing to her lips) Is this paper?

M: (barely audible voice) No.

Me: Well, we need to put the markers away now. Since you've used them in the wrong place, you can't use markers here for awhile.

M: (head hung low, still inaudible) Okay.

So I went and got a washcloth (after taking pix, of course), said a quick "thank you" to the Crayola Company for having the brilliance to create washable markers, and cleaned up my neice's little blue act. BTW, when they say "washable" they really mean it. She cleaned up quite nicely. There was only a tiny mark on her top, which I didn't see until later. But the legs and hand? Almost entirely non-blue. Well, under the fingernails is another story, but we didn't have time for a manicure at that point.

The rest of the day was filled with house looking, lunch eating, family fun center playing, dinner out eating, and cake & present happenings at my sister and brother-in-law's house.

Fun Stuff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday was the day to go to the park with the homeschool play group. I always feel so funny saying "play group" in relation to my 14 and 13 year old sons. But they do have friends there and they always find something to do, even if it's just hanging together. There's a big, man-made lake at our local park and on one side, you're allowed to swim. It's kind of fun being in the middle of land-locked Colorado and getting to hang out at a beach. Being in Colorado, you also have to be prepared for those afternoon lightening storms.

Since I was gone all of Monday, I had to act fast to get everything together for an 11:00 start time at the lake. Hadn't been grocery shopping and bringing the requisite lunch would be a little difficult, based upon what we had in the house. So I made a quick jaunt to the grocery store. Of course, I remembered that we still wanted another set of goggles (2 of ours are missing), and some of that spray-on sun block would be easier than the lotion (although not as effective, I discovered), and I should really consider dinner since we'll be gone much of the day. Turned out not to be such a "quick" jaunt after all.

Once I finally arrived home, I threw together some lunch and drinks in the cooler, had ClayGuy get an extra camp chair from the shed, loaded up the van, and we were off. I think we arrived nearly an hour late. UGH! I hate being late. Besides, I was kind of moody. All the more reason to go to the lake and let the boys have some fun whilst I vegged in my camp chair on the beach with my friends.

Naturally, the boys wanted to play with their friends even after it was time to leave the lake (yep - the typical storm rolled in with dark clouds and lightening and chased us all away). So the Comedian headed off with his friend to the far side of our fair city. ClayGuy and I joined another family and went to our friend's house. Much frivolity was had by all. Most of all by the moms, though. We played MadLibs. We love MadLibs. If you've never played MadLibs, you should. They're cheap, easy, and enormously hilarious! They've been around for 50 years! Is that wild, or what? Not only that, they can be educational as you have to come with interesting adverbs, adjectives, nouns, and verbs ending in "ing."

We've often taken them to the ladies' retreat (when I say "we" I'm referring to the girls who carpool for the 2 1/2 hour trip to the mountains) because they're nicely portable and can be played in the van. Of course, it's usually not a good idea for the driver to write down the words. So the driver is limited to giving responses only. That, and pulling over to the side of the road when the laughing exceeds the limits of safe driving.

That evening, I participated in a long-distance Bible study on my patio. What better way to study God's word than with Carrie out in the Land of Eternal Flatness, hanging out on the patio until it's so dark I have to get a lantern, and enjoying my Dr. Pepper?

Good Stuff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before Wednesday had arrived, I let the boys know that we were definitely staying home on Wednesday. Don't even ask about going anywhere, playing with friends, etc. Oh yeah, there's a verse about that . . . but I digress. On Tuesday, ClayGuy had wanted to go over to Big D's house. It wasn't to be, though, as D's dad needed some help from him with the deck-in-progress at their house. Well, one of ClayGuy's favorite things to do is play with D. So I let him know that I'd be happy to take him over there on Wednesday. I mean, that doesn't mean I'll be gone all day, right?

Ha! Ha! Ha! Best laid plans, yet again. Since ClayGuy was playing with a friend, the Comedian wanted to do the same. So I arranged for him to play with someone as well. We dropped of the Comedian and then I took ClayGuy to D's house. In the meantime, my sister had called to say that her best friend from back in the day was in town and they were planning to meet for lunch. Plus her dad, his gal, her aunt, and her son would be with her. I haven't seen her in 10 years and she was always a part of our family. So sure, I'll swing by Souper Salad for a nearly 2-hour lunch.

I don't quite remember what happened to the rest of my day, but I believe it involved running around, picking up kids, and getting home later than anticipated. Oh yeah, I think we looked at yet another house that we aren't going to buy.

Spontaneous Stuff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday rolled around and I probably gave up on the idea of actually staying home. I mean, what was I doing, living in some fantasy land like that? Of course, I can't even tell you what I did on Thursday because I don't remember. Cause I'm kind of forgetful like that. Especially without my day planner and no calendar*. All I know is that I wasn't home. At least not much, if at all.

Forgotten Stuff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest was Weekend/Holiday Stuff since hubby was off and Friday was Independence Day. And here I am. Back to Monday. Stay-at-home Monday. Except for the library trip we need to make. Really. That's it.

Unless of course, the Lord directs my steps out the door and someplace else. Ha! Ha!

* No day planner pages nor calendar, you ask? How can this be? (Or maybe I'm the only one asking) I use a Franklin day planner, and have for many, many moons. Like since 1994-95 or something. When I dwelt in the land of Corporate America, we even had a Franklin-certified trainer. So I got the full-blown, day-long, very awesome Franklin training. I've been a fan ever since.

Last week, I went to put my July and August daily page into my lovely leather binder, but alas! They were nowhere to be found! All I have is a monthly calendar. Where on earth will I write my daily tasks, appointments, and notes?!?!? Here I am, one full week into July, and utterly disorganized and discombobulated. I've been feeling a little woozy.

Not only am I lacking daily planner pages, but my kitchen wall calendar is no more. I have a small space where my calendar goes, so I can't accommodate regular, full-sized calendars. But Office Depot has carried a really great one (with pockets) that has worked exceptionally well for our family the past few years. Problem is the company decided to discontinue that size. Dirty dogs!

So I promptly downloaded a handy calendar template from the Microsoft Office website. I printed a few pages at a time - mostly because I didn't want to use all the ink needed in printing the pretty, colorful scenery included with the calendar. That worked well, and in April, I printed the next three months. Of course, I didn't anticipate needing this calendar format beyond June, since surely we'd have moved by then. Ha! Ha!

When I went to pull up my calendar and print out the next batch of pages, the file wasn't there. Oh yeah, I moved a whole bunch of files off the desktop. It's probably on a CD somewhere. Oh well, I'll just re-download from the Microsoft site. That sounded good in theory. Problem is that my version of Word (which is what I used for those calendar templates in the past) is from 1997. The powers that be at Microsoft apparently decided not to continue supporting such OLD templates. The available files are all for newer versions of Word. UGH! Guess I need to find my back-up CDs and pull out my old file after all. Why can't things be simple? At least once in awhile?

Annoying Stuff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whew! I guess that maybe I should post more often. Maybe then I wouldn't be so wordy all at one time. They (whoever "they" are) say that this type of post in blogging is very taboo! But I'm not always real good at following the rules of "they." If you're still with me . . . we'll you should get some sort of an award or something. I'll let you know if I come up with anything. Otherwise, just consider that you've put in your reading time today. And followed an adventure of non-epic proportions. Ha! Ha!

Independence Day

2008-07-04T09:50:00.012-06:00

I looked out the window this morning at breakfast and noticed that hubby remembered to put out our flag and I'm grateful.

I'm grateful that we can fly our flag

I'm grateful for the freedom it represents

I'm grateful for the many men and women who gave themselves for this freedom

May we never forget their sacrifice. Freedom isn't free, it's priceless.

See the others I took this morning at my photoblog.

Argh, It's Me Piratey Name

2008-07-03T00:05:00.002-06:00

Because I'm ~~super busy~~ not ever home of late, you are treated with a bit of piratey fun today. Argh!

My pirate name is:

Mad Anne Rackham

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Attention Span?

2008-06-30T10:30:00.001-06:00

(Written last week)

What on earth is wrong with me? I'm sitting here, attempting to organize the bills and sort out some papers. Actually, I am doing that. But I'm also reading emails, checking out some fellow class participants for the Through The Lens class, and jumping up to do laundry, take bread out of the oven, or go to another room to do something.

WHY CAN I NOT BE FOCUSED ON ONE THING???

I seem to get worse and worse about this with every passing year. By the time I reach 50, I'll be wandering aimlessly all the time, accomplishing ZERO. I'll forget what I'm doing continually. I can hardly remember now, it seems.

So I look at a few pieces of paper, do a little triage (shred, file, throw away), and turn and do something at the laptop. Type a sentence or two, read an email or three, and it's back to the paperwork I'm supposed to do.

Sure, the logical answer here would be to do the paperwork away from the computer. But then I remember that I need to email a friend to ask her a question. Or I need to update the checkbook on the computer. And then I'm sucked back into my online life. Until I catch the stack of paper in my peripheral.

It was no different earlier today. I was baking sourdough, washing dishes, drying sheets, talking on the phone, and IMing a friend. ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Sheesh.

Attention span? I have none. Zero. Zip. Nada.

Disclaimer: Okay, okay, SOMETIMES I'm capable of focusing on one thing - hyperfocusing, that is. It's at the other end of the spectrum. I forget everything else as time stands still and I'm utterly engrossed in something. Where, oh where is that elusive balance?

A Test of Patience

2008-06-27T22:33:00.002-06:00

Back at the end of January, we were surprised and excited to be approved to buy a house. I anticipated being moved by probably April or May, at the very latest. Apparently, my timing and God's aren't quite the same. Here we are, over five months later, having made offers on five different houses, and nothing in the works.

In the beginning, people said, "Oh, it's a great time to buy a house. It's a buyer's market!" As I mentioned previously, it's really not exactly a great time, it's a weird time. Our situation is also a little different than some, so that has added to the strangeness.

Typically, when I find out that I'm heading in a certain direction, I want it to happen and I want it to happen now! Or at least as soon as possible. Since I assumed we'd be moving fairly quickly, I put my life on hold. After all, why would I invest time in anything here and now? Just wait until we move, and then proceed with life. I didn't initially realize I was doing that, but as time went on and we had no contract or house to move to, I became frustrated. Not merely because we weren't moving, but I couldn't live my life, having put it into limbo.

God in His sweet and quiet love, kindly pointed out that His will is not for me to be so focused on where we may live, while completely neglecting the life He's given me today. In fact, in Psalm 118:24, He says,

"This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

And in James 4:13-15, He says,

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'"

He's given me this moment of this day to live. He promises nothing further as far as life on this planet. The only future promise I have as a believer is eternity with Him. In the meantime, I have to trust that He has our best interests at heart. Even now I can look back over these five offers and see His hand at work:

The garage door at this house was probably not tall enough to accommodate our Jeep. Taking the hard top off and airing down the tires just to get it in the door is not very convenient.

While this house was right across the street from a best friend and our kids' best friends, and in the neighborhood we'd like to live in, there were some BIG sump pump problems within a couple weeks of the new owners moving in. The roto-rooter trucks (2 of them) were there for a very long time. We've "been there, done that" at our old house. No thank you.

Nothing particularly evident for this one, but that's okay. God is good. Always.

Our house payment would've been much too high, stretching us to a financial place we shouldn't be (and don't want to be).

The last house is a little further across town than we'd like to be ideally. Maybe God is going to let us live in the area we most want to be. We'll see.

Does that mean that I have to see the reasons behind why God does what He does in my life? No. He calls me to obey.

"Then Samuel said: 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice.'" 1 Samuel 15:22

But I think He gives us a glimpse sometimes. There are a lot of things He doesn't really have to do, but He does, because He loves us and I believe He enjoys blessing us, encouraging us, building our faith, and sometimes, He just blows our socks off. Just because.

I know that He can be trusted. I know that He knows better than I do where we should live. So when an offer isn't accepted, I have to know that He really does have my life in His kind and loving will.

"Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

Excuse Me?!?

2008-06-26T16:06:00.000-06:00

Our health insurance provider is kind enough to send a handy little flyer that details all the preventive care you should receive and when you should receive it. Now don't get me wrong. I believe that some preventive care is very valuable and should be done. Not all of what they list, but certainly some of it. While perusing the flyer, I came to the very last heading for the adults:

Alcohol Misuse Screening and Behavioral Health Counseling Intervention

WHAT?!? I mean it's not as if I don't know what "misuse" of alcohol is. And I can probably figure out the BHCI. But here's the interesting part. The frequency of this particlar screening?

Routinely - 18 years and older.

So once I'm past 18 (already there), I'm supposed to "routinely" be screened for alcohol ~~abuse~~ misuse and have my ~~mental~~ behavioral health checked out, in case I might be in need of some intervention?!?! What, exactly, constitutes "routinely" anyway?

I certainly mean no ill-will towards anyone who struggles with alcohol or mental issues. But I also do not believe that everyone needs to be routinely screened for such things. For one, I don't drink alcohol. At all. Not that I never have, but we're talking many, many years ago. An entirely different life and lifetime. Kind of hard to have "alcohol misuse" when you don't drink the stuff.

And depending upon the day and certain hormonal issues, I'm sure that someone may think I need some intervention occasionally. I doubt I need to be screened in order to know that some days I can be moody or grumpy. And I certainly don't want any potentially negative things stuck in my medical file over some absurd "routine" screening.

Sorry, health insurance folks. I won't be participating in this particular screening.

Wordless Wednesday - At The Lake

2008-06-25T00:01:00.000-06:00

For more WW participants, go here, here, and here.

Twisted Silver Jewelry Giveaway

2008-06-24T07:48:00.010-06:00

Dawn at My Home Sweet Home is hosting an awesome jewelry giveaway this week. Click on the image for your chance to win a pair of those beautiful earrings!

I was just over at Twisted Silver perusing the goods and they are funky, fun, and gorgeous! In addition to the contest, there are a couple of coupons available at Dawn's place, if you'd like to purchase some Twisted Silver of your own. Maybe you'd like to start some early Christmas shopping. Maybe you'd like to send something to me. Or maybe not so much.

Funnel Cloud

2008-06-23T18:06:00.004-06:00

While you're ~~anxiously~~ awaiting the new blog look, you can check out my photos of a funnel cloud over at my photoblog.

Enjoy!

Redesign

2008-06-23T14:55:00.004-06:00

I've been working on a redesign for my blog over at my test blog. I'm hoping to get it up and running, even though there are still changes I want to make.

All this to say that if you come over here and things look strange, or something is missing. I know. I'm working on it. Worst case scenario, I'll go back to my cookie cutter format until I can work out the details. In the meantime, I'm praying that this comes together. I'm pretty excited about the new design.

Wordless Wednesday - Friend's Flowers

2008-06-17T22:12:00.005-06:00

It's true, I'm on a flower bender.

Go here, here, and here for more WW.

Check out my photo blog here.

Stuff Diet

2008-06-15T23:22:00.002-06:00

While you may be tempted to think that says "stuffed" diet, it doesn't. It means STUFF - you know, the clutter, junk, ephemera, and things that make their way into ones' house? Before you know it, you have rooms that look like this:

This is not a good thing. In fact, I've found that all this STUFF is dreadfully bad for you. You can't find what you want, you trip over it in the dark, it makes your head whirl with overwhelmedness, and increases your blood pressure and guilt level every single time you walk past it.

Therefore, I am on a serious STUFF diet. I'm being very ruthless and really paring down. Significantly. My mantra right now is SORT and PURGE. It began with the pens, pencils, and other writing instruments. I mailed part of it off to some other homeschool mom friends, and still have a few to go. But it's sorted and I'm keeping only what I believe we really will need and use.

Next up was the nail polish and acoutrement. It all fits in one sweet little basket. I don't even polish my fingernails much, if ever, any more. But in the summer I do polish my toes. Actually my toenails. That would be weird to polish my toes.

The makeup is also down to a nice small basket. I do have some additional items in a makeup bag (extra mascara, etc), but it's much less than it once was.

Cleaning the makeup also necessitated cleaning up the top of the dresser. So that was a good thing. It's much more peaceful to walk in and see dresser surface than a chaotic mess of things, many which don't even belong there.

Up next? My bedside table. The one that's been BURIED in books and magazines and pens and journals and whatever else has found its way to this perch. Now it, too, is peaceful and tidy. (insert big sigh here)

The latest purging venture is the cookbooks and recipes. I don't tend to use cookbooks very often, although I do use recipes that I acquire from other people. Actually, I would use my cookbooks more, but they've been hiding out in the bottom of a cupboard in the dining room. Out of sight, out of mind. I did a pretty good cookbook purge about 2 1/2 years ago, but needed to weed it out even further. I purged about 2/3 of my cookbooks, leaving me with this calm scene last weekend (or was it the weekend before?).

Today, I sorted through all the printed out recipes, hand-written recipes, etc. I'd been keeping some of them in a binder in page protectors, but the binder was too small. So I pulled out a bigger binder, more page protectors, some dividers, and have a new, organized, and tidy binder.

In front of my recipe sections are my meal planning forms, grocery lists, and a couple other master meal lists. It's what works best for me. Now I can get back on track with better meal plans (trying some new or long-forgotten recipes), grocery shopping, and cooking. Which will also allow us to eat healthier and move frugally.

Next on tap? I have NO idea. It will depend upon what strikes me. It's all been pretty small projects, but I have gotten rid of a significant amount of stuff, which feels absolutely W O N D E R F U L!!

Looking for a Photo Hunt

2008-06-14T11:15:00.006-06:00

In case I linked someone here for the PhotoHunt today, it's over at my other place. Sorry for the confusion.

Friday's Feast #193

2008-06-13T08:48:00.012-06:00

Appetizer

Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

Yes.

Soup

What is your favorite color of ink to write with?

It's really a mood thing. Most likely blue, purple, or black. In that order. Occasionally pink or green, maybe red. But mostly my three go-to colors. And more specifically - I'm a fine point kind of gal. Mostly. I'm really ticked off at the pen manufacturers, however, for packaging medium point pens and promoting them as fine point. NO. THEY. ARE. NOT. 0.7 is medium, not fine. 1.0 is not medium - it's big, thick, and fat! 0.5 is fine. 0.3 is extra fine. How hard is that to understand?

Isn't that just like our society? Change the name for the appeasement of . . . I don't know who, in this case. It's just stupid. What the does the pen industry have against lovers of fine-tipped pens? Don't they know that we have a thing for pens and we help keep them afloat? And why don't they call me and invite me to be on a consumer panel? Then I could tell them the right way to package and market their pens.

Salad

How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

Okay, off the soap box. I do this myself. If I do it at all. I'm too cheap to pay someone for something I can do myself. And I don't want to take the time. Although they do a much nicer job than I do. I hardly ever wear fingernail polish anymore. I just do my toes in the summer to sort of camouflage my fairly ugly feet. Maybe "ugly" is too strong a word, but I definitely do NOT have pretty and lovely feet that look nice in sandals. So I disguise them with bright polish. Then you can overlook their lack of beauty.

Main Course

Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?

Why, yes, I have! All in blogland. At least three books, a $25 gift card, a Shane & Shane CD. That's all that comes to mind at the moment. If I left something off, I am ever so sorry.

Dessert

In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?

The family desktop resides in our living room. We are adamant about the computer being in a public, visible location. The laptop hangs out wherever - the kitchen, living room, or bedroom. But that's under adult (or cat) supervision.

Out and About

2008-06-12T08:02:00.018-06:00

Hebrews 12:1 “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

What does the “sin which so easily ensnares us” look like to you personally? Is it sitting there on the side of the road in the race of life, looking stinky, smelly, and disgusting? I mean sin really is gross. When I think about how completely revolting sin is in our lives as believers, I picture something from a very disgusting dump with flies buzzing all around it. It most certainly smells and looks terrible.

Since I'm off and running today, you can find me and read the rest of this next door at the Homeschool Blog Awards' Thursday Thoughts.

Have a blessedly wonderful day.

Wordless Wednesday - Lanterns

2008-06-11T00:02:00.000-06:00

You can see more WW here, here, and here.

Blessed Beyond Measure

2008-06-10T11:14:00.009-06:00

I, along with many others, have been a member of the Commiseration Party of late as I watch the economic chaos taking place in our nation. It's frustrating that fuel costs continue to climb at an unbelievable pace, which affects everything else in our country. I cannot believe that I recently told hubby to "just put in $50" while at a gas station. Unfortunately, no one's income increases anywhere close to the cost of living, if it increases at all.

However.

I have to remember that it's not as bad as it may seem. Sure, it's not always easy, and I know there are families out there for whom this is extremely hard. But I was reading this post by Gabriel this morning and was reminded that I am incredibly blessed, even in the hard times.

We still have food, milk, clothes, and a home to live in. We are still able to put fuel in our vehicles to drive places. We might be driving a little less, but we're not relegated to walking. Yes, the cost of everything is higher. Sure, we can't just spend what we used to. But does it mean we're not being taken care of? No. God is faithful and He continues to provide - above and beyond even the basic necessities. I still have a cell phone and DSL internet service. I even went to Starbucks last night to visit with a friend, while sipping on my chai latte and enjoying a piece of lemon pound cake. Not exactly deprivation.

I know that I often take things for granted, or even begin to feel like life is hard, but then I read about the circumstances in Argentina, and realize that I am blessed beyond measure. I have nothing to complain about. And while I see this rapidly changing in the US, I currently have freedoms that many others don't.

Thank You, Lord, for the perspective adjustment. And I pray Your hand of blessing upon the Argentine people, as they seek to provide for their families, and just survive.

Weeding

2008-06-09T21:04:00.010-06:00

I must say that God has a way of humbling us ME. Not that I even felt I was being particularly prideful in this particular area. But my most recent loooonnnnggggg posts both had typos. I already addressed one of them in this morning's post.

Much to my chagrin, I had MULTIPLE typos in this morning's post. You know, the one in which I mentioned the previous typo! Good grief. I believe that at last count, I was up to FOUR of them.

The great irony here is that I am the editor for a newsletter at my church for the women's ministry, the editor for the Heart of the Matter online mag, and prior to today, I would have proudly told you that I don't bother with spell check, because I am detail-oriented and I proof my work, and spell check doesn't do a very good job anyway. You know, it doesn't get the context of what I'm saying. Maybe I meant to type "your" and I type "you." Spell check just doesn't get that.

So here I sit, nibbling on a serving of humble pie, as I recognize that no one is above mistakes. Well, there is One - Jesus Christ. But He IS the only one. I may not have thought I was been feeling prideful, but those roots needed to be pulled out. Before they grew into something big and ugly.

Guess it was time for some weeding today.

PS - Thanks to Mom, Amy, and Dave for their exceptionally detailed proofing skills! Love you guys!

PSS - If anyone finds any typos in THIS post, just humor me and let it go.

Monday Miscellany

2008-06-09T08:05:00.029-06:00

The latest issue of Heart of the Matter is out! As always, there is a plethora of excellent articles. Go check it out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We're still house-hunting. While people keep saying, "Oh, it's a great time to buy a house," we keep saying, "Oh, it's a weird time to buy a house!" A lot of people think their houses are still worth more than the market will bear. Of course, some are into them higher and don't really have a choice. Every time the interest rate bounces around, it changes what we can/can't buy. And we have seen some very, shall we say, QUIRKY houses. Okay, maybe not the entire house, but some quirky features. I think the 70's conversation pit was the most unique. That, and the very narrow, portable pantry. It's definitely been an interesting adventure, including plenty of laughter. We're supposed to go look at three more this week. We'll see how that plays out.

ClayGuy is finally on the road to recovery from a nasty sinus infection. He was at the doctor last Monday, but then developed a pretty bad cough that hasn't wanted to take its leave. I thought I may have to take him back today, as he continued to run a low-grade fever and the cough was so bad. But we may actually be seeing enough improvement that we won't have to go that route. We've spent a lot of time at home since he's not been feeling so great. Although that's a good thing. It's nice to stay home. It's also cheaper to stay home, given the rising gas prices!

If you happened to have read my really long post about our nice dinner out while shopping for an HD converter box, I'd be curious if you caught this (and you're not my mom, cause she did!). I listed dry roasted SESAME SEEDS as one of our dinner items. Like people really buy jars of dry roasted sesame seeds?!?! For a snack? I could not come up with the word sunflower for some reason. It just ~~slipped~~ clunked right out of the back of my head! Even as I typed it, I wondered if that word was correct. But sesame and seeds went together, and I had no better replacement, so I went with it. Then I got the comment from my mom. And I had to fall over and laugh for awhile. But I'm okay now.

I'm not sure what just happened outside, but our little birdie neighbors are MAD!! They're squawking up a storm and flying all over the place. There are some squirrels doing their usual zipping around thing. I don't know if they're wreaking havoc or something else happened, but it is sure noisy out there! Even the yard bunnies came over to watch.

If things go well, you might be seeing a new design here at Bunny Trails. Hopefully soon! I'm kind of tired of this one. I'm working on it, anyway. In my "no clue what I'm doing" way, it's not looking too bad, if I say so myself.

Guess I'd better get cracking with my day. Dishes to wash, laundry to do, phone calls to make, baking to do. Pretty typical kind of Monday. Although I'm thinking we ought to get outside - especially ClayGuy - and just enjoy the warm sun, blue skies, and the beauty of creation. Of course, enjoying for me includes a camera. Or two.

Wishing you a wonderfully blessed Monday!