Thursday, May 20, 2010
Two New Posts
I just posted about our field trip to the Levi Coffin House and Rachel posted a Smile Box. Be sure to check both of them! :)
Look Who Came to our House!
We got to keep Kurt and Kristen's kids while they went on a date the other night. They have Michaela, Josiah, Nathan and Kara. We all had a lot of fun with them. The boys played cars while Rachel and Michaela made dolls bracelets with beads, and Miranda got to spend time with sweet little Kara. Later, we decided to make no-bake cookies. They didn't set up very well, but we spooned them up anyway!
Sweetie!
We got creative with our toys!
Check out Nathan's cool Nerf flipflops!
He had fun keeping track of the kitty...hmmm, is he under the bed?
Oh look! His tail's sticking out!
Reed and Josiah set up the racetrack.
All American boy!
Kara finds a kitty and another Kara!
YUM! Ooey-gooey cookies!
Lots of cookie monsters!
Field Trip to Levi Coffin House--Another Opportunity to Count our Blessings
We recently went on a field trip to the Levi Coffin House in Fountain City, Indiana. It was about a two hour drive, but well worth the trip.
Built in 1839, the house was a part of the Underground Railroad and is a registered National Historic Landmark. Levi and Catharine Coffin were Quakers who helped more than 2000 slaves reach safety, and Levi is often referred to as the President of the Underground Railroad.
Several different escape routes led to the Coffin house, and once there, slaves could be concealed for several weeks. One of the slaves who hid there was "Eliza", whose story is told in Uncle Tom's Cabin.
In 1847, the Coffins moved to Cincinnati, where they helped another 1,300 slaves escape.
Slaves were hidden in this cubbyhole, and the bed pulled over in front of the door.
Slaves were hidden between straw tick mattresses. (See the rope wound beneath the mattress to support it? Thus the admonition to "sleep tight!")
Bed with trundle underneath. See the chamber pot at the foot of the bed. (Counting our blessings--bathrooms with toilets) Reed was concerned that the parents would step on the kids when they got up.
Pitcher and wash basin (Counting our blessings--hot showers with running water)
Baby cradle. Notice the slats cut in the bottom? In a time of no disposable diapers, nor even any rubber pants, it was important to ventilate the cradle. I'm beginning to think this room didn't smell too good by morning... (Counting our blessings--many!)
Fireplace and bedwarmer that was filled with hot ashes or coals. (Blessings--electricity and a furnace.)
Kitchen fireplace (Once again, we are thankful for our stove...and microwave, crockpot, toaster, coffeepot.)
Washboard--first you heat water in the fireplace, then put it into washbasin with homemade soap, then wash and dry dishes. (Blessings--hot running water, a garbage disposal, and soap we don't have to labor over a hot fire to make. No dishwasher? Guess it's not so bad.)
Ironing anyone? Your own weight lifting system. (Not only do we have irons that heat up and stay hot, but they are light-weight and we don't have to iron very many clothes with today's dryers.) And see the vacuum cleaner hanging on the front of the cabinet? :)
Hmm, guess no one had to wait much! (Didn't have to worry about remembering to flush or put the lid down. Wonder what they used for toilet paper?)
Even school is much easier now. They didn't have white-out, let alone a computer to delete or undo errors. How did they go about researching something?
A wagon with a secret compartment used to hide and transport slaves.
"This house was called the 'Union Depot of the Underground Railroad,' and more than 2000 escaped slaves were cared for here."
Tablet placed by Wayne Co. Society of Indianapolis
Levi and Catharine Coffin were extraordinary people who risk their lives to help others. Their children, relatives and many friends and townspeople were involved in their work. I thought it was especially interesting that one of Levi's cousins was Lucretia Coffin Mott, who was one of the first proponents of the women's vote.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
A Happy Mother's Day Weekend
It was nice to have my mom here for Mother's Day! It was the first time Mom and Dad have visited us in Leo.
Mom and Dad got here on Friday afternoon. The next morning was the Spring Banquet at the Fellow Center. Mom, Miranda, Rachel and I went. The theme was being instruments of Christ. The centerpiece for each table was a musical instrument--ours had a flute. Others had violin, tamborine, dulcimer, drum, trumpet, viola and more. They had a lady playing the harp when we got there.
At each seat, we had a scroll with a song printed on it. During the course of the morning, each table was to work together to make up new words to the melody of that song to go with the theme of being instruments of Christ. We got "All the Way my Savior Leads Me." Here are our new words:
All the way my Savior leads me, Helps me as I do my part.
Guides me into loving service, creates in me a joyful heart.
Family first, then onto others, as an instrument of grace,
Build in me a heart of righteousness, so I'll see You face to face.
There were a lot of really good verses, and the ladies on the committee collected all of them and are going to put them together in a booklet. I'll post more when I get them.
We had what Mark calls girl-food--things like quiche, little fruit drinks, fruit kebabs, little pastries. It was yummy!
We had decided to go out to eat on Saturday evening, and stay home on Sunday evening, so we went to a local restaurant. The food was great--hmmm, future date night place?!
Sunday church was really empty because of a wedding that a lot of people had gone to. In fact, it was probably the emptiest I'd seen it since we moved here. But it might have been a blessing too for Mom and Dad. They could get to know a few people at a time.
After church, Mark grilled chicken and made a wonderful Mother's Day meal. Wonderful in that I didn't have to cook it and didn't have to clean it up! And he is an excellent cook! :) For dessert, we went and got ice cream.
We went to one of the houses on campus later in the evening and played basketball and card games.
Monday was school and fix it day. Meaning I did school with the kids while Mom altered several skirts for me and Dad put up a ceiling fan in the sunroom. Oh, I didn't mention that they brought some meat for our freezer (another blessing to being close--being able to get good meat often!) and a vanload of stuff from their shed. It has been a blessing to be able to store some of our stuff there, but now we need a big trailer to get it all out here.
It is going to be really nice to have those skirts. I've been needing them fixed for a long time. Thanks Mom! And the sunroom doesn't have heat or AC, but the ceiling fan is going to make it usable this summer. Thanks Dad!
By the way, we did have more people go through our house, but they need something cheaper. We'll keep praying...
Mom and Dad got here on Friday afternoon. The next morning was the Spring Banquet at the Fellow Center. Mom, Miranda, Rachel and I went. The theme was being instruments of Christ. The centerpiece for each table was a musical instrument--ours had a flute. Others had violin, tamborine, dulcimer, drum, trumpet, viola and more. They had a lady playing the harp when we got there.
At each seat, we had a scroll with a song printed on it. During the course of the morning, each table was to work together to make up new words to the melody of that song to go with the theme of being instruments of Christ. We got "All the Way my Savior Leads Me." Here are our new words:
All the way my Savior leads me, Helps me as I do my part.
Guides me into loving service, creates in me a joyful heart.
Family first, then onto others, as an instrument of grace,
Build in me a heart of righteousness, so I'll see You face to face.
There were a lot of really good verses, and the ladies on the committee collected all of them and are going to put them together in a booklet. I'll post more when I get them.
We had what Mark calls girl-food--things like quiche, little fruit drinks, fruit kebabs, little pastries. It was yummy!
We had decided to go out to eat on Saturday evening, and stay home on Sunday evening, so we went to a local restaurant. The food was great--hmmm, future date night place?!
Sunday church was really empty because of a wedding that a lot of people had gone to. In fact, it was probably the emptiest I'd seen it since we moved here. But it might have been a blessing too for Mom and Dad. They could get to know a few people at a time.
After church, Mark grilled chicken and made a wonderful Mother's Day meal. Wonderful in that I didn't have to cook it and didn't have to clean it up! And he is an excellent cook! :) For dessert, we went and got ice cream.
We went to one of the houses on campus later in the evening and played basketball and card games.
Monday was school and fix it day. Meaning I did school with the kids while Mom altered several skirts for me and Dad put up a ceiling fan in the sunroom. Oh, I didn't mention that they brought some meat for our freezer (another blessing to being close--being able to get good meat often!) and a vanload of stuff from their shed. It has been a blessing to be able to store some of our stuff there, but now we need a big trailer to get it all out here.
It is going to be really nice to have those skirts. I've been needing them fixed for a long time. Thanks Mom! And the sunroom doesn't have heat or AC, but the ceiling fan is going to make it usable this summer. Thanks Dad!
By the way, we did have more people go through our house, but they need something cheaper. We'll keep praying...
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Atlanta Sunday School Pictures
Here are a few pictures I snapped on the last Sunday we were in Atlanta. I taught this class and Rachel and Luke were both in it. It is one of the things we miss the most about leaving Georgia!
Duane and Bonnie were visiting that weekend, so it was special to have Allison join us in class and for the picture. Joel and Hannah weren't there that weekend so they aren't in the picture. Luke always enjoyed having another boy in the class!
Back L to R: Sheree W, Hailey W, Rachel, Allison
Front L to R: Nikki G, Naomi S, Ashlyn W, Luke
We had been writing down special verses in our Proverbs Books, but the last Sunday, I gave them a special verse to remember. It was Psalms 34:8
O taste and see that the Lord is good, Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
As you can see, our class met in the lunchroom, because there were only two SS rooms. It worked out nicely to sit around the round table, and the students were always good helpers when it came time to clean up quickly. We were also near the coffeepot which was nice for me!
Sometimes the girls could help their mothers if they were serving lunch too.
Duane and Bonnie were visiting that weekend, so it was special to have Allison join us in class and for the picture. Joel and Hannah weren't there that weekend so they aren't in the picture. Luke always enjoyed having another boy in the class!
Back L to R: Sheree W, Hailey W, Rachel, Allison
Front L to R: Nikki G, Naomi S, Ashlyn W, Luke
We had been writing down special verses in our Proverbs Books, but the last Sunday, I gave them a special verse to remember. It was Psalms 34:8
O taste and see that the Lord is good, Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
As you can see, our class met in the lunchroom, because there were only two SS rooms. It worked out nicely to sit around the round table, and the students were always good helpers when it came time to clean up quickly. We were also near the coffeepot which was nice for me!
Sometimes the girls could help their mothers if they were serving lunch too.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
It's Okay
Well, I'm still not sure why we had to go through that with the two nonexistent offers on our house the last day of April... It really did try my faith. I was upset and yes, angry about the whole thing that night, but when I woke up the next day, April was over, it was May, God was God and I wasn't, and what else is there to do, but repent and go on?
Sometimes I feel like Peter when Jesus asked him if he would go away too. Peter said, To whom would we go, Lord? Thou hast the Words of Life. I'm not sure if that's the exact words, but you know the passage.
I have a plaque (why can't they just spell it plack? it looks like a disease) in our bathroom that says "O taste and see that the Lord is good, Blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Psalm 34:8 I really did have to pray to keep my heart stayed on that.
This verse is becoming very important to me as I go through life. Only if I truly believe that God is good can I trust Him and put my life in His hands.
How can someone trust God if they don't believe He is good? I think if a person doesn't believe that God is good, but is still trying to trust Him, he would be, as Hannah Whitall Smith said, an uncomfortable Christian. She said someone once told her that if Christians wanted to influence the rest of the world for Christ, then they should be more comfortable with their faith. He said that some Christians carry their faith like they would a headache. They don't want to get rid of their head, but at the same time, it is very uncomfortable to have it!
If the sheep are happy, trusting, and in good shape, it reflects on the shepherd. It says how the sheep feel about the shepherd and His care of them. Other sheep would want to be under His care and in His sheepfold too!
I had to think of that as we were going through the Double No Offer House Test. If I believe that God is good and that He loves us and He has our best in mind, then I am a comfortable Christian and people around me can be influenced for good toward Christ. And the most important people I have around me are four people fourteen and under who are forming their views about God...
So it's okay and I'm glad I can say, God is good and I am blessed to be able to trust Him.
I AM still diligently praying that our house will sell though.
PS. Sunday's afternoon service was a great encouragement to me too. You can listen to it if you want. Click on May 2, Jeff Waibel in the afternoon. http://www.leoacchurch.org/PreviousSermons.asp
Sometimes I feel like Peter when Jesus asked him if he would go away too. Peter said, To whom would we go, Lord? Thou hast the Words of Life. I'm not sure if that's the exact words, but you know the passage.
I have a plaque (why can't they just spell it plack? it looks like a disease) in our bathroom that says "O taste and see that the Lord is good, Blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Psalm 34:8 I really did have to pray to keep my heart stayed on that.
This verse is becoming very important to me as I go through life. Only if I truly believe that God is good can I trust Him and put my life in His hands.
How can someone trust God if they don't believe He is good? I think if a person doesn't believe that God is good, but is still trying to trust Him, he would be, as Hannah Whitall Smith said, an uncomfortable Christian. She said someone once told her that if Christians wanted to influence the rest of the world for Christ, then they should be more comfortable with their faith. He said that some Christians carry their faith like they would a headache. They don't want to get rid of their head, but at the same time, it is very uncomfortable to have it!
If the sheep are happy, trusting, and in good shape, it reflects on the shepherd. It says how the sheep feel about the shepherd and His care of them. Other sheep would want to be under His care and in His sheepfold too!
I had to think of that as we were going through the Double No Offer House Test. If I believe that God is good and that He loves us and He has our best in mind, then I am a comfortable Christian and people around me can be influenced for good toward Christ. And the most important people I have around me are four people fourteen and under who are forming their views about God...
So it's okay and I'm glad I can say, God is good and I am blessed to be able to trust Him.
I AM still diligently praying that our house will sell though.
PS. Sunday's afternoon service was a great encouragement to me too. You can listen to it if you want. Click on May 2, Jeff Waibel in the afternoon. http://www.leoacchurch.org/PreviousSermons.asp
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