slapped

disney fun fact

It takes 4 minutes and 41 seconds to complete Soarin' Over California

(source: Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places: Disneyland)

He slapped me
with His eternal truth

I was convicted,
renewed,
and supernaturally strengthened
in about 30 minutes

I have been wrestling with discouragement for about two weeks now

discouraged about life
discouraged about ministry
discouraged, discouraged, discouraged

not depressed, discouraged

like i'm not appreciated
like all my hard work is going unnoticed
like all my hard work isn't fruitful
like all my hard work isn't enough
and the WORK is just too HARD

And at my bible study yesterday, as I was taken through 1 Thess. 2:1-12

I felt like God went *SLAP* right on my face

It was like, wait, rewind...
"like i'm not appreciated

like all my hard work is going unnoticed

like all my hard work isn't fruitful

like all my hard work isn't enough

and the WORK is just too HARD"

*SLAP*
whose work???

Paul's motives in ministering to others in 1 Thess. were for God and God alone.

Of course I've been discouraged, its been about my work, expecting my results. 

I've been working for an audience of many, instead of an audience of One.

And at the end of that 30 minutes, I finally realized my error

And just like that, my discouragement was gone

(it might come back, and then I'll have to go through the whole process all over again, but for now, gone)

I was convicted to redirect WORK for God, alone

My heart was renewed to WORK at being faithful for God, alone

And I was strengthened to WORK even harder for God, alone

Thanks for the slap, God.

It was just what I needed

ever been to a pet parade? ever made fried ravioli? have a verse?

Of the eighteen teacups available to ride on the Mad Tea Party, 

the plain lavender one spins the fastest.

(source: Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places: Disneyland)

Have you ever been to a pet parade?

Well I have!

Saturday morning our family went to breakfast at Neil's and then attended our very first Pet Parade.

For one morning I felt like a resident of Stars Hollow

Which I would kill to live in, if it were a real town

Everyone in town brought out their pets, and walked down Broadway led by an 

American Flag, and the high school marching band

Some owners just brought their pets on leashes, and then some came out in costumes

Not just the animals, the owners too

Think of it as Bay to Breakers for pets

there were dogs dressed as bugs

clowns

princesses

and of course the orange and black got represented

but dogs weren't the only ones who came, there were rabbits, fish in their bowls, turtles, even parrots 

And it was one of the most fun parades 

I've ever been to

The girls had a blast

And we got to see one of our high schoolers from church perform in the band

Can't wait for the Pet Parade to come around again

Have you ever made fried ravioli

I have!

You should...seriously!

biggest crowd pleaser. 

Give it a try.

Do you have a verse you could share with me?

I've been struggling with some serious discouragement lately

maybe I'll share more about it in a later blog

But have you been there? What verses were helpful to you?

Cause I could sure use some

sick day

in Peter Pan's Flight, observant guests will notice a set of blocks, whose letters spell out D-I-S-N-E-Y from the bottom up, as they are escorted past the window of the Darling children's bedroom. 

(source: Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places: Disneyland)

This picture was taken back in July when Haley was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia

and this was taken last night

almost immediately after Jason got home from church yesterday we headed over to the ER, 

only to find out she's got pneumonia AGAIN

However, this time I have more knowledge about prevention the next time she shows signs of a cold

Also, can you see the goofy smile?

Have you every watched the episode of FRIENDS, where Chandler and Monica are trying to take their engagement pictures? Chandler has a great smile, until he steps in front of the camera. Then it gets weird.

We're pretty sure Haley has the same syndrome

Not sure what it is, but we've been seeing a trend the last month 

when the camera gets in front of her face

case in point

But I love her, and it was great seeing her smile last night in the ER. 

She made friends with staff and patients. 

She was a total trooper.

and throughout yesterday, God showed me His graciousness when I was beyond stressed, by:

 providing wonderful friends and family to lift us up in prayer

providing a sister in christ to watch Aidan for the day

providing a calm, easy-going husband who made all 5 hours at the ER somewhat enjoyable

providing me with scriptures and songs throughout the day reminding me of 

His presence and tender hand

And NOW I'M sick, perhaps a gift from the Lord to make me take a SICK DAY

So that's what I'm doing. 

Only 1 week into homeschool and we're taking a sick day

bathrooms are a complete mess, but I'm taking a sick day

laundry is not done, but I'm taking a sick day

And God is so good, to give me a sick day

pajama school

Anyone, not just cast members, can wake up Jose the Macaw in the Enchanted Tiki Room. Simply ask the cast member as you enter, while the audience is being seated.

it should be called pajama school

but homeschool is what it is

and this week was our first week 

I tried to be as prepared as possible

1. lesson plan book = check! thank you $1 section @ Target

2. LOTW curriculum = check! thank you confessions of a homeschooler 

for being so awesome that I barely even used my own lesson plan book.

3. coffee = check! in my new favorite mug, no less

but I just couldn't get out of my pajama's

I had our schedule ready...

 prayer

pledge

 daily chart activities

Letter Aa lessons

 snack

 reading

 game, computer, or leapfrog video

And I'm pretty rigid about it. We must get it ALL done in 1 1/2 hours. 

Because after 1 1/2 hours, Haley wakes up from her nap.

I had my daily activity charts

Here's a quick rundown of the week

day 1, I taught in pajamas, and was ready to throw in the towel when Aidan wouldn't recite the pledge of allegiance. In her defense we have no flag, so it is a little awkward. 

day 2, I taught in pajamas, and got Aidan to pretend there was a flag

day 3, we took a day off, but I was dressed by 9am. interesting...

day 4, I taught in pajamas, pledge went smooth, verses memorized, Letter Aa worksheets went great, reading went well (food for thought: did you know that if you just plant an apple seed, you won't know what kind of apple tree will come from it? Just because you plant seeds from a red delicious doesn't mean that's what you'll get. amazing!)

day 5, I taught in pajamas, pledge went smooth, address memorized, difficulty during Letter Aa work, end game was a hit!

I wasn't sure how it was going to work in our little kitchen, but it did

even in my pajamas

And I think she really loved the activities

A little rough, but not bad for a first week

my goal for next week is to make it out of my pajamas

but you know how much I hate goals :)

approved workman are not ashamed

disney fun fact #4

There is a regulation size half-court on which employees 

can play basketball inside the Matterhorn.

(from Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places: Disneyland)

A.W.A.N.A.

We go way back...

like 3rd grade back...

And Aidan had her first experience last night

She was excited even though 

she'd never been...

didn't know anyone...

and hadn't had a nap all day

I thought she'd be nervous, and shy, and want me to stay

SHE DIDN'T

and I cried on the way home from dropping her off

really cried

But then I saw this when I picked her up

it reminded me of myself in SPARKS

it reminded me of the impact A.W.A.N.A. had on my life

the key role it had in my salvation...

rejecting legalism and embracing grace

and the verses it helped hide in my heart

countless verses

and the godly friends it helped bring into my life

life-long friends

Crys, Kris, and Alex just to name a few

And i LOVE that it will be apart of my daughter's life

and I hope it has the same impact on her

giving her the GOSPEL from the very first lesson

psalm day

disney fun fact #3

On Disneyland's opening day, the cost of admission was $1.00.

(from: Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places: Disneyland)

just a psalm I came across this morning. 

share your favorite psalm with me.

weekend wrap-up

disney fun fact #2

The locked blue-green doorway on Royal Street in New Orleans Square, with the ornate address plate bearing the number 33, marks the entrance to a private 

dining room known as Club 33. Membership in Club 33 stands at about 

487 individuals and corporations, and has a nine-year waiting list that caps at 1,000 people.

(from Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places: Disneyland)

Our family had a fun/busy weekend.

The festivities started on Friday with our youth group's annual BURGER BASH. Its our big evangelistic night where we tell the students to invite their friends, have a hamburger (or as Aidan puts it a "hambooger") eating contest, and a gospel message.

We had a lot of fun, ate a ton, and even hired Haley to be our mascot for the evening.

what a HAM-burger!

Saturday, was a birthday party for one of Aidan's best friends. They have an awesome pool, and Aidan made a huge milestone in it. She's always been the cautious child, and until this summer has had a love/hate relationship with the pool. She only loves them if she can touch the bottom of the pool with her feet, or is safely in Haley's floaty. But this time she took a leap of faith and went in the deep end with only her life-jacket. I was one proud Mama. And a special thanks to Teri for capturing the big moment!

I also had a good time at the party. This is me listening intently as my friend, Jessica, tells me about her Club 33 experience. Seriously, this might have been the most exciting moment of my day. 

Sunday was filled with church family. Who I just ADORE. And even though I didn't get to hear Sunday School, or the Worship Message, the Lord allowed me to have some great conversations with people, where He showed me how I could pray for some, and then just caused me to get closer to others. In the evening we had a great time with our CCS group (College, Career & Singles). Filled with great conversation about SIN from this book

Peruvian Tamales

And a classic

chaos = clutter

Amazing, the night of my last post my husband and I got to go on a little date for 

ice cream and Barnes&Noble browsing, where he found a book for me called, 

Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places: DISNEYLAND by David Hoffman. 

Its perfect for my fun fact addition in the blog, and a GREAT bedtime read! 

disney fun fact #1

Disneyland's original Tinkerbell was Tiny Kline, 

a 4'10" circus performer, who was 71 years old when she first flew down a zipline from the top of the Matterhorn to start the 

"Fantasy in the Sky" fireworks show. 

I'm pretty certain that chaos and clutter always go together. And my house is no exception. I wish that I had a magical wand that automatically re-arrange and organized my clutter...oh and went to target for me to do my shopping. 

Side note: Seriously, wouldn't that be great if you could give your magical wand your target list? it would go there and do the shopping for you, while you went and got a mani-pedi with the money that you would have spent on extra things at Target if you had gone yourself. 

Anyhoo, here is my clutter...

Living Room Clutter

Bedroom Clutter

Kitchen clutter

And, I am now in De-Clutter MODE

Not just because I don't like clutter - I mean, who really does? But also because I love my husband. And after working a long day at church, he deserves to come home to a clean, 

orderly, relaxed home, where he can find rest. He also needs a relaxed wife 

(and clutter isn't relaxing, whenever I look at it the tiny hairs on my arms stand up).

Since these pictures I have worked tirelessly on the bedroom closet, which doesn't look perfect but much, much better. 

But it will get perfect; soon enough. 

So stay tuned to future posts titled Clutter Revisited.