Yearly Archives: 2008

Daily Life, Project 366, Sarah

I’m Going Under – by Sarah

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I’m not sure about this whole swimming thing. It turns out they want you to put your head under.

Under the water.

All the way.

I tried to tell them, “No, thank you, I’m fine with my face out of the water,” but they kept insisting it was swim class and I had to learn how to swim. Who knew swimming involved getting your head wet.

Look what I did today!!

plug your nose!

I have a GREAT swim teacher and she told me I could “Do It!” and so I went under.

Yep, all the way.

Twice.

where's Sarah?

This isn’t too hard. Bring it on!

a little water logged

Sarah
Project 366 – Day 23

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Events, Rachel, Works for Me Wednesday

WMFW-Tea Party Craft

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wfmwLast month, you know, way back in 2007, Rachel and I were invited to a Craft Party. Since I don’t really “do” crafts, I try to accept any and all invitations that give the children opportunities to explore their creative side. Thankfully I’ve been blessed with wonderfully talented friends so the children aren’t suffering too terribly.

We were instructed to bring a package of tea. How lovely, crafts and hot tea! Doesn’t that sound like a perfect way to spend a rainy, gray afternoon. Sure enough, the party was a delight.

Heather (our hostess) had a craft area set up for the girls, complete with paints, hot glue gun, pretty stencils and more. There were instructions written up on the board, a model of the completed project and scented candles burning in the background.

shall we paint?

The girls were to design their own tea caddies. They each had an unassembled cardboard box (old film packages, I believe), ready for painting and decorating as they liked. After they painted the boxes, they glued them back together, added glass beads for feet and a decorative pull for the top. Best of all was the tea swap! They traded and shared the different teas among them so each girl brought home a full box of tea.

hard workers

Heather and I met several years ago when a friend brought her to our church’s women’s retreat. I immediately enjoyed her sense of humor and love for the Lord. The next year she joined us again at the retreat and we had more opportunity to visit. I knew this was creative, hilarious, homeschooling mom was someone I wanted as a friend.

kathy and michelle

This, of course, is Michelle (who introduced us) and NOT Heather, as Heather was the one taking the picture. Clear as mud?

I am constantly amazed at how God brings beautiful, unique, intelligent women into my life. Each one is like a precious gift and I am truly thankful for the way they enrich my life.

Heather is a talented artist and has a home business where she sells gorgeous project kits, ribbon crafts, and other treasures. Her oldest son was born with two congenital heart defects. Her renewed interest in art came about during the traumatic first year of the baby’s life. As she says so beautifully on her website:

Then, as God patched Jacob’s heart with a miracle, He also patched mine. With the guidance of God’s gentle hands I have been creating with my hands and heart ever since. That is why we are called The Patchwork Heart, Co.

I love that name, The Patchwork Heart. It so perfectly captures exactly what the Lord does as He gathers the broken pieces of our heart. He makes us new creations in His image.

Heather also writes for the Girlhood Home Companion magazine.


The Girlhood Home Companion is a beautiful 4-color magazine and companion guide that encourages young ladies (ages 10-18) how to enjoy their precious girlhood years while walking closely with the Lord and developing a deeper relationship with Him.

The very best thing of all is that Heather is MY friend. Despite my incredibly inept crafting abilities, my pathetic lack of artistic talent, and my tendency to ruin perfectly good decorating projects, she still likes me. :)

just beautiful crafters

The girls hold up their finished projects.

rachel's creation

Rachel painted hers in two of her favorite colors – purple and turquoise/aqua.

a closer look

Here’s a close up.

When you have time, I know Heather would love to have you stop by The Patchwork Heart for a visit. Her winter newsletter/catalog is online and she shares a delicious recipe for apple honey tea as well as other craft ideas.

Thank you, Heather, for a delightful afternoon!

Anyone care for a cup of tea? Oh, I have to ask: what is your favorite kind of tea? As much as I am a serious coffee drinker (love me some Starbucks, as they say), I am very fond of tea. I prefer the non-fruity ones and adore Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Constant Comet, especially with a little bit of milk.

Am I missing a fantastic tea flavor? One of my good friends loves Stash teas and introduced me to chocolate hazelnut. I’m also curious as to where you buy tea? Do you order it online? Is there a particular grocery store that sells a wide variety of teas? Does tea go on sale? What is a good price for tea?

Sorry to ask so many questions but I know there lots of you who enjoy tea and you really should share you wisdom with me!

Speaking of which, I guess I should be sure and refer you back to Rocks In My Dryer where people are sharing tips about everything from coupons, crib sheets and cameras.

Kathy

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Grandparents

Happy Birthday, Mamie! Part 1

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Someone wrote a most amazing, loving blog about my mother. You have to go and read it. Click on this link:

Happy Birthday!!

Really, it’s got pictures and scripture and beautiful words of praise. You will feel incredibly jealous and wish that this was your mother.

Kathy

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Bible Study, Musings

The Sanctity of Life

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January 22, 2008, marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which lies at the core of our national debate about abortion. In those 35 years, more than 47 million infants have been legally murdered by residents of this nation alone. The Supreme Court, seeking to protect a woman’s right to privacy from government interference, neglected to protect the rights of the unborn in what seems to many a monstrous parody of ‘justice’.

Harry Blackmun
This man, Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun (1908-1999), wrote the majority opinion in Roe v. Wade. May God have mercy on his soul.

On Sunday our pastor spoke about what the Bible says about three pertinent questions:

  1. When does life begin?
  2. What about a person’s choice?
  3. What about forgiveness?

It was an excellent, courageous, insightful and straightforward discussion which left no room for doubt that:

  1. The Bible clearly indicates that human life begins in the womb, and that God values in utero life in no way less than an adult human.
  2. A woman’s choice for her body is subject to God’s control and will, and (as a child of God) her body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. As with any person, her body is to be offered to God to do works of righteousness; this does not include murder.
  3. God’s forgiveness is offered freely to all who sin and the blood of Jesus is more than enough to forgive even the vilest of crimes.

Our pastor is a very kind man, and his sermon was delivered in such a way that people would really have to work to be offended — yet he didn’t pull any punches in laying out what the Bible says. I was proud of him and delighted to sit under the teaching of such a man.

The verses our pastor cited are as follows:

The unborn are created and known by God: Psalm 139:13-16

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

The unborn are called babies: Luke 1:41 (John the Baptist), Genesis 25:22 (Jacob and Esau). (The same Greek/Hebrew word is used in the scripture for the unborn as for infants.)

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.

The unborn are protected as persons: Exodus 21:22-23

“If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

The unborn are called by God: Isaiah 49:1, Galatians 1:15

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name.

But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased …

Our pastor went on to list several specific applications, ranging from political to personal:

  • We are fortunate to live in a nation that allows us to vote, and we should apply that vote in support of a candidate who values human life as God does.
  • We must not grow weary in praying for justice for the unborn; rather we ought to be praying more and more fervently.
  • We are surrounded by many opportunities to show love to those who find themselves with unwanted pregnancies; in our own community there is CareNet, which offers ultra-sound services and counseling to thousands of women each year.

I John 1:9 — If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Thanks be to God that He is able and willing to forgive any and all of our sin, whether public or private.

Tim

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Events

Bloggy Giveaway Preview

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Starting January 28th and running through February 1st, Rocks in My Dryer is hosting a bloggy giveaway. Last time there were nearly 500 participants. That’s five hundred chances to win something free (and meet some other bloggers). People giveaway everything from books, gift certificates, dvds, and trinkets.

We here at the Duckabush blog have not participated in the last two giveaways (except to enter, like crazy, as many drawings as we can) but I think that is about to change. Ever since Tim won the Scrabble tile, we’ve been feeling the need to pass on the love.

Discussions are in place as to what we will give away but I suspect it will have something to do with two of our favorite things:

Chocolate
Coffee

I’m still a bit perplexed as to how Rodgers and Hammerstein could forget those two items when they wrote that famous song. I’m sorry but I would give up crisp apple streudels for chocolate and coffee any day.sarah cheers

Be sure to come back on the 28th for the Big Bloggy Giveaway, and be thinking about something you might want to share with the blogging world on your own site.

Kathy

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