Seaman Family Adventures

Skin Map

2012-02-04T12:14:00.003-05:00

Our son, Nathan, is a fan of Stephen Lawhead's books, so we thought it would be fun to review this audio book as a family. Like other Lawhead books, Skin Map is part history, part fantasy, and part intrigue. Originally set in modern-day Great Britain, it takes off to different places and times. Our only complaint about the audio book was that it was at times a bit hard to follow all the paths that were being explored simultaneously. In a print book, it's a little easier to reference earlier events and review as necessary to follow the plot.

The book is entitled Skin Map because one of the time travelers developed a road map through time that he tattooed on his body to keep from becoming lost in the cosmos (and to make it harder to steal). Those who really want to follow this audio book in detail might want to take out pen and pencil and draw up their own map.

The narration of this audio book is superb. Very entertaining- highly recommended in either print or audio form!

Happy Epiphany!

2012-01-06T12:30:00.005-05:00

What do you do when your late sending out your annual Christmas letter? Answer: You turn it into a New Year's letter. What if you're late for New Year's? Answer: You make it an Epiphany newsletter (or for our friends and relatives who are Razorback fans, it's a "Happy Cotton Bowl" letter)!

Epiphany is not something I celebrated when I was growing up. Now, in addition to being a good reason to keep the tree up a bit longer, it's really quite meaningful to me since it celebrates the arrival of the wise men who followed the star to Jesus. It shows how Jesus was sent not just to Jews but to be a light to the Gentiles. It's also neat to note how the wise men didn't seek on their own - God provided the star to both prompt them and show them the way. In addition to the holiday of Epiphany, the word epiphany is a good word to describe 2011 for us - God showing up in big and little ways throughout the year.

One special event for us this year was the high school graduation of our daughter, Rebecca. It has been such a privilege to teach her at home all these years and see her grow up into a beautiful young lady.

From Graduation

We saw God show up in a big way when she got a full ride to Milligan College - her first choice - in a year in which we had very little income. She is liking it there and doing well - double majoring in Fine Arts/English while getting her prerequisites for physical therapy school. We are glad to have her close to home (just about 20 minutes away).

Nathan is 15 and is turning into quite a young man. He is a student driver now and still loves to play soccer:

From Nathan's 15th birthday

Caleb is now our tallest son. He is also the noisiest - having learned to play the electric bass and electric guitar this year. I'm so happy that in addition to playing rock music, he's also in Civil Air Patrol - so he has to keep his hair short and neat! I think Caleb has been somewhat influenced by the idea that girls are impressed by musicians - this thought also prompted him to try out for High School Musical this past spring (he's #12):

From High School Musical

In addition to playing a basketball player on stage, he's one in real-life, too. In fact, unfortunately he's playing in a game tonight while Arkansas is playing in the Cotton Bowl. So please nobody call me to say "How 'bout them Hogs?" until I have a chance to watch it Saturday morning.

Noah is growing up fast. His favorite school subject is recess and he loves to jump on his pogo, so we got him a Flybar for Christmas. Pray that he survives until next year:

From Christmas 2011

Terry and I have had an interesting year career-wise. I have three small part-time jobs: freelance writing, closing loans as a traveling notary, and working in corporate pricing at Eastman as a fill-in. Terry has had several doors open and close (so many stories that it would take more than a single blog post to tell), but is now working part-time doing engineering at Eastman and alternately working on flipping a house we purchased in Knoxville (read more about this venture here and here).

From Coker

The project has involved the whole family - doing demolition and renovation work, painting, cleaning, etc. It's not over yet, so stay tuned.

We also have our house on the market - just to be open to selling and moving if that's what God wants, and a very interested party is looking at it this weekend for the second time (which has sorta spoiled my plans to keep the tree up through Epiphany). It would be a bummer to move now, though, because one of our big praises for this year is that a family of teen boys just moved into the neighborhood, and they are homeschoolers just like us.

We took one big trip in 2011 - a two week camping trip to Michigan. It was one of the best trips ever - so beautiful and relaxing. We did lots of hiking, biking and canoeing.

From Michigan Favorites

2011 has also brought some sad news into our lives. My mother was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer - which has metasticized to her liver. She is also dealing with pretty severe dementia. I am trying to spend as much time in Fayetteville as I can. Dad is doing a great job taking care of her and has become quite a cook.

Terry and I feel very blessed right now and are eagerly anticipating what is next. It seems strange to not know where you're going to be living and working and just watch it all unfold in front of you. Right now, we are rejoicing in God's provision.

We hope 2012 will be a year of epiphany for you as you seek after God.

Love,

The Seamans
(Terry, Susan, Rebecca, Nathan, Caleb and Noah)

From Fourth of July - 2011

"Christmas" in Knoxville

2012-01-06T12:15:00.003-05:00

We had our third Christmas celebration of the season on New Year's weekend in Knoxville. The whole Seaman clan was together for almost three days. Here we are dressed up for church on New Year's Day:

From Stuff for Mom

We also spent time opening gifts,

From Stuff for Mom

cooking, eating, watching football (and playing football outside), playing with new toys,

From Stuff for Mom

watching movies,

From Stuff for Mom

and making/decorating cookies (an annual tradition):

From Christmas 2011

Home for Christmas

2012-01-01T16:08:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful relaxed Christmas at home this year. On Christmas Eve, we went to a service at Redeemer Community Church. Then we came home, had a snack supper, sang around the piano, hung stockings, and then watched "It's a Wonderful Life" together. Here are our annual stocking photos:

From Christmas 2011

Another Christmas Even tradition at our house is sleeping in a tent (just the kids, not the adults). The tent is built utilizing almost every extra quilt and blanket in the house and several chairs, poles, and clothespins. Here is Noah getting ready to go to sleep and have those visions of sugar plums dancing in his head:

From Christmas 2011

The next morning, we looked in stockings, had some sharing time, and opened gifts.

From Christmas 2011

We were so relaxed that we didn't eat our huge Christmas breakfast until after lunch:

From Christmas 2011

We spent the day putting together Lego, playing games, working puzzles, reading, napping in front of the fire, and feasting! I kept my pajamas on almost all day.

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. ~Andy Rooney

Christmas in Fayetteville

2012-01-01T15:15:00.004-05:00

As usual, our Christmas had three parts - taking place in three distinct locations - Fayetteville, Arkansas, Johnson City, Tennessee and Knoxville, Tennessee. Our celebrations started in mid December and finished up on New Year's Eve. I love having three Christmases, and I love even more that they don't take place all on one day. I love spreading out the fun.

Our visit to Fayetteville started off with the wedding of my niece, Lisa on December 17th.

From Lisa Wedding Favorites

It was a beautiful wedding. It was special seeing Lisa get married in the same chapel where I was married, my sisters were married, and so many friends were married through the years. I was glad Mom was feeling good and able to be at the wedding. It was also nice seeing all my handsome sons dressed up in dress shirts and ties. I have some photos to prove it:

From Christmas 2011

Of course, Rebecca was dressed up, too, but that isn't such a rarity.

After the wedding, we were all kinda tired, so we did some simple gift exchanges over the next few days. Mostly, the kids played games. Aunt Ann gave all the boys a gift of a day of paintball - organized by Matthew.

From Christmas 2011

The kids also played board games. Here, they look a little "bored" with board games ~ but I think they're actually just intensely competitive:

From Christmas 2011

Usually, we do some singing at the piano or with the guitar. This year, Caleb played guitar while James joined in on banjo.

From Christmas 2011

Finally, one of the fun things about Christmas in Fayetteville is the lights on the square. They have music, snacks, carriage rides, camel rides, etc. We just walked around for a few minutes and snapped some photos:

From Christmas 2011

Journey to Christmas

2011-12-24T10:19:00.002-05:00

By Journey to Christmas, I don't mean the long drive from Fayetteville, Arkansas back to home in Johnson City. Tennessee. That journey involved a detour around construction on I-40 and letting our student driver take the wheel at Bald Knob. Which turned out to be a bad idea because the new navigator(Terry, as I had moved to the back of the van to watch Scarecrow and Mrs. King on DVD) didn't know we were supposed to be on Hwy 64 instead of 67, and we ended up going to Memphis by way of Jonesboro. A flat tire in Nashville added a bit more adventure to our Christmas journey.

From Flat Tire

No, the Journey to Christmas of which I speak is the title of a DVD series that our family recently previewed for Tyndale House Publishers. This 4-part series follows five individuals who are given a trip to the Holy Land to help them discover the true meaning of Christmas. The five travelers include an agnostic, a person experiencing a crisis of faith, an artist looking for inspiration, a native American who wonders if Jesus can identify with her culture, and a "normal" enthusiastic believer (at least I hope that it's normal for believers to be enthusiastic about their faith).

The cinematography was wonderful, and it was interesting to see the five travelers bond through their journey. But, my family found the series to be quite boring. Each episode (except the first) started with a great deal of review and the action was very slow. I had hoped that watching this together would make a great family advent experience, but we were underwhelmed. I even fell asleep during one episode. I had hoped at least to see some dramatic life-change occur with the travelers, but they didn't seem all that different.

I received a complimentary copy of this DVD series from Tyndale House Publishers and was not required to post a positive review.

Return of the Living Dead

2011-12-15T10:08:00.013-05:00

I posted before about the book, Night of the Living Dead Christian by Matt Mikalatos. This is a book I agreed to review for Tyndale House Publishers, and I read it aloud to the boys back in October. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but we all loved it and couldn't wait to sign up for the blog tour!

In the book, Matt uses a hilarious story to explain how we all need transformation and how that can only be accomplished by the work of the gospel in our lives. We had some great discussions about our own "monsters." I know I struggle with my anger - though,like a werewolf, I appear normal most of the time. I also have some of the controlling issues of a mad scientist. My boys could relate to the anger of the werewolf and the selfishness of the vampire. And we all thought that, unfortunately, zombies are a very good analogy for the church as a whole. Our favorite scenes were at the zombie church and at the therapist, where the werewolf learns how to use behavior therapy to change his actions without truly changing his heart. We could all relate to how our own efforts only succeed in making us "a vampire with a tan."

Nathan thought that most Christian teens would also enjoy this book - though he said to warn them to persevere through those first few chapters when you don't know what the heck is going on. I actually think it's even better to share this book by reading as a family or as part of a discussion group (discussion questions are provided in the book).

Spoiler Alert: I must say that the boys did not like the ending because the "guy didn't get the girl." They said this was hard to take after what happened to Captain America. I never would have pegged them for such romantics. I, however, really liked the ending. It was a refreshingly realistic ending to a very improbable story.

We liked the book enough that we decided to read Imaginary Jesus by the same author. It was also very funny and thought-provoking. You could read either book first, though it might make more sense if you start with Imaginary Jesus. I've read a lot of Christian literature, but I think these two books have been the most unique and creative approaches to sophisticated theology that I've encountered.

As part of the tour, we are very excited to present author Matt Mikalatos on our blog, answering the questions that we prepared for him:

Q: You've got more monsters in your self-diagnosis guide than appeared in your book. Does this mean you have a sequel planned?

I actually pitched a series of short novellas looking at the lives of some of the minor characters in this book... specifically Robert zombie, Lara the vampire and the minister in the end of the book as he goes to reconcile with his (other) son, but with various sorts of busyness, that's on hold for other projects right now. I had a lot of fun with this book, and I'd love to revisit some of them and see how their lives are shaping up! I have plans for the mummies and the sasquatch in some of those follow up novellas, but most of the others were either things I had originally thought about using in this novel or some I put together specifically for the monster guide.

Q: Who/'What is Borut supposed to represent? Is he Satan or just the death that follows us all or something else entirely?

Ha ha. Well, no one has seen Borut the way I see him yet... I saw Borut as a physical manifestation of the Pauline concept of The Law. The implacable, unstoppable reality of your sin equaling death. By all rights, someone like Luther belongs to the Law and his penalty is pre-determined. In that sense, the Law can be seen both as adversary and death sentence, so I don't see those interpretations as too far off from what I was shooting for.

Q: We couldn't quite figure out Matt's dream in Chapter 18 where he swallows the tiny silver bullet. Is that supposed to represent salvation, a longing, an answer to prayer, or what?

Hmmm. That's what I like about dreams. You probably learn more about the interpreters than anything else. I think your interpretations are more interesting than anything I had in mind. For me, I would look at it through the lens of Matt's concerns about leaving his neighbor alone with a loaded gun, and concerns that he might harm himself, feelings of helplessness, lost, worry, working themselves to the surface.

Q: When did you start writing?

I wrote a couple little things here and there as a kid. I did a good amount of writing in high school in my drama classes, though at the time I thought of it as acting. In college I really buckled down and it became a regular part of my life.

Q: Have you ever done NaNoWriMo?

No, though I love the idea of it. I'm already squeezing as many free moments into writing as I can, so in some sense it would be redundant for me. This year on about November 23rd I thought, "I should try to do it!" but obviously it was folly by then to try to catch up!

Q: Was the secret lair in your book inspired by reality?

All the space in our home (aside from the bathrooms) is really shared space... my wife and I share a room (of course) and our kids do, too. The one place I feel like is "mine" is my car when I'm driving to work. So, when I asked myself where my secret lair might be, my first thought was that that car! I don't, however, have any sumo wrestling equipment in the trunk. I just thought it was funny.

Q: Clockwork Jesus can quote from different versions of the Bible? What's your favorite version?

I most consistently read out of the NIV personally, but for family devotionals we use the NLT. I grew up largely with the King James, so a lot of verses I've memorized are KJV, and I still enjoy the poetry of the Shakespearean language in it. I actually like the New Berkeley for a change of pace now and then, as the unfamiliarity of it sometimes shakes me into taking a new look at phrases I know too well. There aren't any translations I absolutely loathe, but the more stilted the language gets as a translation moves toward trying to capture Greek or Hebrew sentence structure and things like that, the less I enjoy it for casual reading.

Camo Cupcakes

2011-12-11T19:35:00.004-05:00

During the week of Thanksgiving, I had fun helping Carol make "camo cupcakes" for Samuel's outdoor laser tag birthday party. It's always fun to make a mess in someone else's kitchen, so we made this at Ann's house.

We used some brown and green food coloring to make several ugly shades of cake batter and randomly placed them in muffin cups.

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Then we made a rather unpleasant but authentic shade of green buttercream frosting.

From Art Museum in Arkansas

They looked pretty disgusting - just perfect for a 10-year old boy's birthday party. But they tasted good, and they also blended in perfectly with dirt and leaves just like camo should.

A Visit to Crystal Bridges

2011-11-28T16:49:00.005-05:00

From Art Museum in Arkansas

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened in Bentonville, Arkansas on 11-11-11, and we enjoyed a fun visit there during the Thanksgiving holidays.

Being hillbillies from Arkansas, we admittedly don't know that much about art, but that's part of the fun of seeing a place like this in Bentonville, a small town of 35,000 (after all, we are from nearby Fayetteville, which has twice the population).

There were some very interesting pieces there.

Here's a salute to a modern artist made out of televisions and pieces of a piano:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Here is a picture made entirely of puzzle pieces:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

And one made of upside-down spools (well, I guess the spools weren't upside-down, just the image):

From Art Museum in Arkansas

With this cool globe that allowed you to see it right-side up:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

This huge sculpture gave Hannah the creeps, but I was very impressed:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

I guess art is supposed to invoke certain thoughts or feelings. This one made Ann and I think of "Batman":

From Art Museum in Arkansas

This one made me think of a porthole to space (Rebecca is in the doorway wearing black):

From Art Museum in Arkansas

And we definitely know the feeling represented here:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Some art was very whimsical:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Other pieces were unusual but beautiful:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

And some were downright odd:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Here's the piece that Alice Walton paid $35 million for. It's called "Kindred Spirits" and it's by Durand.

From Art Museum in Arkansas

It was very nice, but I can never imagine it being worth that much money! But unlike the Occupy Wall Street folks, I support Alice Walton's right to spend her money however she pleases. I think it's wonderful that she is pursuing her passion while creating jobs and tourism for her hometown. The art was expensive, but entry is free! What a deal!

The museum is going to be a lot more impressive when it is finished. A sunny day would help, too. When we visited, the water was murky and the sky was gray.

From Art Museum in Arkansas

I wasn't a huge fan of the architecture, but it did seem sufficiently "artsy."

Krispy Kreme is Back!

2011-11-15T07:58:00.004-05:00

From November 2011

Today, Noah and I got up at 5 am to go to the Grand Opening of Krispy Kreme in Johnson City. We were among the first one hundred in line, so we got free commemorative T-shirts!

When I first got married twenty-one years ago and moved to East Tennessee, I tasted Krispy Kreme donuts for the first time. I can truly say that I think they are the best donuts in the world - especially when they are hot and fresh!

Sadly, over ten years ago, the Krispy Kreme in Johnson City went out of business. There was a store in Kingsport, so occasionally we would stop by there after (ironically) visiting the dentist or after a late-night rehearsal with the Kingsport Theater Guild. Then it, too, went out of business last year.

I hope the return of Krispy Kreme is a sign of good economic times coming. At any rate, we'll all enjoy a little sweetness.

From November 2011

And yes, a little strange timing after the post about fasting.

A Woman's Guide to Fasting

2011-11-15T07:24:00.004-05:00

I haven't fasted in a long time - and have never fasted for a long time (as in more than a day). I think for about ten years, I had the excuse that I couldn't fast because I was pregnant or nursing. Then I starting feeling like maybe my motives were not right. I think that I, along with many, sometimes have erroneously regarded fasting in Ghandi-fashion, as a hunger-strike of sorts against God - a way to manipulate Him to answer my prayers. Another error it's easy to fall into is legalism - somehow thinking I'm better because I fast. In order to avoid errors, I pretty much decided not to fast at all. But I can't escape the fact that Jesus fasted and he also said "When you fast" in the gospels, not "if you fast."

So when I got the opportunity to review this book, I decided it was time to revisit the idea of fasting.

Lisa Nelson does a great job of discussing the subject - addressing the very issues I felt were problematic in the chapter "Should You Fast?". There is NO legalism in this book. It is written in a very humble way with lots of practical advice for everything from a one-day fast to a forty day fast. The author also deals with aspects of our spiritual lives like dealing with temptation, journaling, etc. My only criticism is that the author didn't address the subject of exercise during fasting. It really seemed like an oversight.

"A Woman's Guide to Fasting" is a quick, easy read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering adding the discipline of fasting to their life.

My New Wall Clock!

2011-11-10T15:40:00.006-05:00

I finally got this done! This project has been about two years in the making. Not that it takes long at all - I just procrastinate a lot!

From For Clock

I saw a clock like this in a magazine several years ago - I think it was Family Circle, but I'm not sure. I tore out the page and filed it away in a drawer somewhere. Then Terry got laid off, and we put a moratorium on unnecessary spending.

I guess at some point I decided that it was necessary that we have this clock! I purchased 12 black frames, 4 that were 5X7, 8 that were 4X6. and one 2X2 for the middle of the clock. In retrospect, I wish I would have gone with bigger sizes since I have such a big wall. I also bought clock hands and a working clock piece.

Those frames sat in a drawer for over a year while I decided what photos to use. This was by far the most painful part - not only choosing the photos but deciding if each child should have the same number, whether they should be portrait or landscape, etc. I started collecting potential shots in a folder on my computer.

Then one night I printed out 20 or so potential photos (printing them in miniature on regular paper) and played around with them. I ended up choosing four family photos for 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock. Then since I have four kids I chose two pictures for each child - one landscape and one portrait. And yes, it didn't seem right not to put them clockwise in order of birth. And I still was not pleased with some of my choices - but it's only 50 cents or so to print out a new photo to update the clock.

After ordering the photos and receiving them, they stayed in another drawer for about a month while I figured out exactly how to hang them.

I ended up cutting a long wire type string to a 2' length (because I decided I wanted my clock to have a 4' diameter). I put a hole in the wall and used a protactor to mark the center where each picture needed to go. And since pictures don't hang on their center point, I measured each framed picture to find out where it's center was and how far up from center the hanger was (see the dots below).

From For Clock

Then it was pretty easy. I just measured the correct distance up from center on the 12 dots I had made on my wall, put in the nails and then hung the photos.

From For Clock

I am thinking of putting some words from Wise Decor in the middle of my clock. I am thinking of "My times are in your hands" from Psalm 31:15 as that verse has meant a lot to me these past few months.

From For Clock

Night of the Living Dead Christian

2011-11-02T12:45:00.006-04:00

What Does it Mean to Be Truly Transformed?

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I decided to review this book. I'm not normally into reading about zombies, werewolves, and vampires (in fact, thanks to Dark Shadows, I had an enormous fear of vampires throughout my childhood). I got the book because I thought it might appeal to my teenage sons and might be something we could read together and discuss during our homeschool devotional time.

It has been a great read - the funniest book we have read in a long time - but also extremely thought-provoking. And while it's sometimes hard to get my boys to talk about spiritual matters, Mikalatos' humor seemed to break down some barriers and allow for deep discussions. We used the discussion pages included in the book but also had plenty of our own insights to share.

This book tells the story of some Christian friends hilariously helping a neighbor (a werewolf whose marriage is crumbling as he struggles with his inner beast). In fact the neighborhood is full of monsters - vampires (those struggling with selfishness), zombies (those who appear to be alive but are in fact dead), etc. Each one provides a mirror that we can use to think about how each of us desperately need the transformation that only God can provide.

The back of the book described the author's style as "Monte Python meets C.S. Lewis." I thought that would be pretty hard to pull off, but Matt Mikalatos has done a superb job!

Here's a link to Matt Miklatos explaining why you should read his book. You can add my recommendation as well!

Men in Black

2011-11-01T12:56:00.002-04:00

We spent a quiet Halloween here - only Caleb and Noah dressed up and went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood - as a Ninja and as Wesley from The Princess Bride.

From Oct2011

They got a lot of candy for their efforts, and fortunately Terry and I got all the Almond Joys (since the boys don't like coconut).

From Oct2011

Ascent from Darkness

2011-11-01T11:58:00.003-04:00

This book is the true story of a transformed life. I believe God transforms all believers, but sometimes those changes are a bit more subtle - especially for folks like me who came to know the Lord at a very tender age and live a fairly sheltered life. Sometimes its easy to forget God's transforming power. This book was an excellent reminder. It told the story of how Michael Leehan, a Satanist, came to a believing faith in Jesus Christ.

The darkness of Michael's life before Christ is such a contrast to the joy he feels now. It's a bit disturbing to read the details of his former dark life, but I felt what he shared was necessary to understand the delivery he has experienced.

Michael also has some disturbing things to say about some of the church-goers he met that were just "playing the game" versus the authentic Christians he met who had a palpable spiritual brightness about them.

The book is honestly told in first person and gives insight into true transformation and how no one is beyond God's reach.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Table Rock Family Hike

2011-10-23T19:53:00.003-04:00

From Oct2011

Terry's birthday is tomorrow, and he wanted to celebrate by going on a family hike.
We decided to try out Table Rock in North Carolina - about an hour and a half from our house.

It was a beautiful drive, but the curves made a few of the kids a bit carsick. We arrived and had a little picnic at the base.

From Oct2011

It was only a mile (but all uphill) to the summit. The view up there was great - probably the best I have seen in this part of the mountains.

From Oct2011

Legacy Quest

2011-10-19T11:51:00.005-04:00

From Legacy Quest

This past Friday the whole family was involved in the inaugural Legacy Quest 5K - a race sponsored by TEACH, our homechool group, and the Tipton Haynes Historic Site.

The boys and I were all runners, Rebecca was a photographer (making pictures for the TEACH yearbook - called "The Legacy"), and Terry got to wear an orange vest and help block traffic.

The race was started by re-enactors with rifles:

From Legacy Quest

Noah meant to run the One Mile Fun Run instead of the 5K. Right after Rebecca snapped this photo, he handed her his jacket. She neglected to tell him that he was at the end of the one-mile run, so he just kept going.

From Legacy Quest

Caleb had his best time ever at 22:38. This won him 1st in his age group and 6th place overall.

From Legacy Quest

Nathan was running his first 5K, and he did it in 24:43, which was first place in his age group as well.

From Legacy Quest

I haven't really been running lately, so this was actually my worst time ever. I sorta hate it that the clock has to be in the picture:

From Legacy Quest

But I did manage to beat Noah who was managing to smile even though he took that wrong turn:

From Legacy Quest

Michelle Dorr, the race director, did such a great job organizing the event! The trophies were cannons - very unique! We got three first place trophies - Caleb for age 0-15, Nathan for age 15-19, and me for age 45-49, an age group I will only be in for one more month. Sigh. All three of us benefited from lack of competition - most teens in the area that run were involved in a huge cross-country meet that day, and most of the runners in my age group must have been at another race as well.

But speaking of age, I met this very inspiring woman at the race. Her name is Eleanor. She is 75 years old, and she actually ran a half-marathon two weeks ago. She told me that she has MS and was in a wheelchair four years ago. The doctors told her she would never walk again. She said "I don't accept that" and started working out. I told her she was my hero.

From Legacy Quest

Fall Break

2011-10-17T15:27:00.003-04:00

Rebecca had a four-day fall break from Milligan College, and we enjoyed having her home. Seemed like she spent most of the time making treats like Apple Cider Caramel Cookies (so good!) and Cracker Candy.

We had a fun shopping trip during one of her days home. Rebecca hates to spend money and almost has to have someone come along to give her the nerve (I, on the other hand, sometimes feel guilty spending money when I'm with somebody, so it's sometimes easier alone).

Rebecca didn't buy this hat but had fun trying it on. Baby hats are so "in" that I guess they decided to make them for big people. Somehow, I don't think the effect is quite the same.

From Oct2011

Seeing Red

2011-10-17T14:35:00.005-04:00

I spent a week in Arkansas visiting Mom and helping out a little as she was being diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. This cancer originated in her breast but is now in her liver - so this is "breast cancer awareness month" for me in a big way! I'm so proud of my Mom's attitude - she has the faith of Job and doesn't complain. But please pray for her as she is in the battle of her life as she starts chemo and tries to put on some weight at the same time. And Mom, if you read this, please clean your plate! That's something you were never able to make me do as a kid, but I'm pretty good at it now.

I realize I didn't take any photos of Mom while I was there, but she probably likes it that way. Rebecca has the nicest camera at college with her, and the better of our remaining two Panasonic cameras is not currently working. But I have this little Panasonic that I keep with me all the time, and I did manage to take a few photos at my nephew's soccer game. I know I'm home in Arkansas when I see the red everywhere and little Razorbacks on all the clothing. And when I see my sweet sisters:

From Oct2011

The red is even more prominant than the orange in Tennessee, if you can believe that. I love the Vols (hey, I married one!), but red looks better on anybody, in my opinion! Here's my Dad in his red - my sisters and I love how his hair flips up in the wind. We still remember the crew cut he wore for about thirty years - and how he was always taking photos of us

From Oct2011

I really had fun getting to call the Hogs with him as they creamed Auburn in Razorback Stadium. I hadn't gone to a game with him since I was in high school.

Let it Snow?

2011-10-04T20:51:00.004-04:00

Last year, Terry took Nathan on an overnight backpacking trip. This past weekend, it was Caleb's turn, and they had an unexpected surprise for Oct. 1st- SNOW!

From Backpacking

They hiked up on the Appalachian Trail near Unicoi. They stayed in the Cherry Gap Shelter (the haze in this picture is from their fire):

From Backpacking

They got pretty cold, but they must have had a good time because Caleb came back totally enthused about backpacking - planning his next trip and hoping to get a new backpack for his birthday (so far they've mostly been borrowing equipment). As you can see from the photos, the leaves haven't really even turned yet - that's why the snow was so unusual.

From Backpacking

Stained Glass Hearts

2011-10-04T20:04:00.006-04:00

The subtitle of the book "Stained Glass Hearts" by Patsy Clairmont is Seeing Life from a Broken Perspective. I expected a book about what it is like to be broken, which has been a subject of discussion in our house since Terry was laid off a few years ago.

Instead, the "broken" subtitle of this book was more about the idea of a mosaic. With chapters like "Stained Glass Prayer","Stained Glass Books", and "Stained Glass Nature," Patsy explains how all these aspects in her life contribute to the themes of light and redemption.

I enjoyed the book, but like a mosaic, it did seem to be sort of random and rambly. She used the "stained glass theme" to tie together a lot of otherwise unconnected thoughts. It didn't really bother me, though, because she shared a lot of wisdom. Conversations are often quite random like this and can still be very inspirational.

I liked the way that she included recommendations at the end of each chapter for books to read, art to look at, and music to listen to. I'm going to add several of her literature recommendations to my book list.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Happy Birthday, Noah!

2011-09-21T20:09:00.003-04:00

From For Blog

Today my little boy turns twelve! Noah's birthdays are somehow more bittersweet since he is my baby! He is my only child who still climbs in the recliner to snuggle next to me and the only one who reaches out to hold my hand when we're on a hike. And he's my only boy who can't sing bass! I know those days are numbered.

We celebrated Noah's birthday with a swimming party back in July (his idea). so today was very simple and low-key. He got some candy and a set of Lego Minifigures that he'd been wanting. We got an afternoon treat at Sonic and went out to eat as a family at his choice of restaurant - which turned out to be Burger King. Rebecca came over from college for the evening.

Today Terry's Dad also has a birthday, and he is turning 75! We'll be headed to Knoxville this Sunday to have a family celebration for him.

Lessons, Part 2

2011-09-21T19:49:00.003-04:00

August 14, 2011

In Hind's Feet, when Much-Afraid reaches the heights, the shepherd asks her for her bag of remembrance stones, and he turns them into precious jewels.

Yesterday, Terry bought me a little bracelet entirely made with stones from Lake
Michigan - petosky stones, iron and copper.

From Michigan Favorites

It will be another reminder of lessons learned on this trip.

I want to be a polished stone - made beautiful by affliction.

"I am my Love's and he is mine, and this is his desire,
That with his beauty I may shine in radiant attire.
And this will be - when all of me is pruned and purged with fire."

August 24, 2011

After Much-Afraid reaches the High Places and has her name changed, she realizes the need to return to the valley to share what she has found. In this way, she is like the water - going always lower:

"From the heights we leap and flow
To the valleys down below,
Sweetest urge and sweetest will
To go lower, lower still."

She realizes she was brought to the heights just for this purpose.

How can I "go lower" today?

From Michigan Favorites

Lessons, Part One

2011-09-11T20:13:00.006-04:00

This will be an unusual blog post for me. I don't know that I've ever shared excerpts from my spiritual journal before, but I had such a neat learning experience on our trip that it really was as significant as the fun time with my family (shared in an earlier post). If nothing else, by sharing it, I will help cement these lessons in my mind - I need lots of repetition.

August 5, 2011

This morning I had a precious experience - getting to read "Hind's Feet on High Places" from a very high place - a scenic overlook of Lake Michigan - deserted except for Rebecca and me. It was quiet and peaceful and seemed to be on top of the world.

From Michigan Favorites

I love the way the author rewrites the Song of Solomon in verse ~

"The Song of Songs, the loveliest song,
The song of Love the King,
No joy on earth compares with his,
But seems a broken thing.
His name is ointment poured forth,
And all his lovers sing.

Draw me - I will run after thee,
Thou art my heart's one choice,
Oh, bring me to thy royal house,
To dwell there and rejoice.
There in they presence, O My King,
To feast and hear thy voice.

Look not upon me with contempt,
Though soiled and marred I be,
The King found me - an outcast thing
and set his love on me.
I shall be perfected by Love
Made fair as day to see." Cant. 1: 1-6

August 6, 2011

Today I read about the song of the water in Hind's Feet. It says the water is singing of how sweet it is to go lower and lower. I know God calls us to humble ourselves, and He sets the example Himself.

I get to see lots of water "going lower" on this trip - just this morning I'll be going downstream in a canoe with Rebecca and Noah.

Lord, help me remember the song of the water when I see water, and let it remind me to humble myself.

From Michigan Favorites

August 11, 2011

The timing for reading "High Places" has really been a blessing in itself. As Much-Afraid takes her journey, it has paralleled many things we have seen on our trip. For instance, yesterday we took a beautiful hike along cliffs overlooking Lake Superior. It was very windy and the waves were powerful - but it was sunny and the water was a wonderful blue and aqua color. I lifted my hands to praise the Lord for such beauty. Then this morning, I am reading the chapter "On the Old Sea Wall," and here are some quotes that describe my experience ~

From Michigan Favorites

"The sun was shining brilliantly, and up there on the wall they could feel the full force of the great wind which was urging and lashing the rushing waters to flow swifter and swifter . . . Somehow the roar of the wind and the surge of the waters seemed to get into her blood and course through her being like a glorious wine of life. The wind whipped her cheeks and tore at her hair and clothes and nearly toppled her over, but she stood there,shouting at the top of her voice,

'And now shall my head be lifted above my enemies round about! Therefore I will sing praises unto the Lord; yea I will offer the sacrifice of joy and will praise the name of the Lord (Ps. 27:6)!'"

At first I was thinking that I don't really have enemies, but then I realized that I have the same enemies as Much-Afraid in this book - Pride, Bitterness and Selfishness. Now I have a new way of looking at these "enemy verses" in Psalms.

August 11, 2011

Today we went to Miner's Beach, and I got the idea to collect some of the rocks on the shore to make a little "altar" like Much-Afraid does - an altar representing putting "self" and "my will" to death.

From Michigan Favorites

It will also be a cool reminder of this trip (since we built a stone stack on Lake Huron to make a memory, too) and of the lessons learned from this book. I think having objects around that remind me of spiritual lessons is very biblical. God used items in the tabernacle and in the Passover meal to teach lessons. I wish I had started going this sooner - something that Joanne Heim inspired me to.

August 12, 2011

Last night Terry made a roaring fire. It was so big that we were afraid for a while that the tree above it was going to catch fire.

From Michigan Favorites

It made me think back to one of my favorite parts of "Hind's Feet" - when Much-Afraid is led to Egypt and learns lessons there at the threshing floors and at the furnace. The shepherd tells here that his rarest and choicest jewels are those that have been refined in the furnace.

"O Thou afflicted, tossed with tempest,and not comforted, behold I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones." (Is 54:11)

Another verse about rocks! I can't get away from them.

August 13, 2011

Another theme from the book that I can relate to on this trip is the little flowers that Much-Afraid finds growing in unusual places - places where there is only a trickle of water or very little soil.

We saw a mighty tree growing at the top of Chapel Rock - its roots stretched over to the mainland. It found a way to thrive in a difficult situation and became glorious in the process.

From Michigan Favorites

"I have borne and I have not fainted; I have not ceased to love, and love helped me push through the crack in the rock until I could look right out onto my Love the sun himself. See now! There is nothing whatever between my Love and my heart, nothing around to distract me from him. He shines upone me and makes me to rejoice and has atoned to me for all that was taken from me or done against me. I look up to him as a weaned child and say 'Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth I desire but thee.'"

Update on our House Flip

2011-09-07T16:27:00.006-04:00

Terry and I bought a foreclosed house in Knoxville in May with the idea of "flipping" it to make some cash. It's a cute little Craftsman-style house (probably built in the 20s) with lots of nice features (my favorites are the large kitchen and porch). Rebecca and her brothers helped their Dad with demolition work back in June (she blogged about this here, here and here). Then several times during the summer one or more of the boys went to Knoxville with Terry to work on it.

Now that Terry has started contract work at Eastman four days a week, he has less time to work on the house. We took advantage of the long Labor Day weekend to all go down there and help out (sans Rebecca, who is now off to college).

A few days before we came, about $700 worth of power tools were stolen as well as the heat pump (stealing someone's AC in the summer ought to be a federal crime!). Terry suspected a guy that was working for him, and on Saturday he was arrested.

From Coker

Terry had grown to care for the guy and hoped to work it out with him without turning him in, but it just wasn't happening. We learned some things in the process. While we want to help out folks that need work, I think we're going to start doing background checks. Caleb was fascinated by the process, though, and has at least temporarily decided that he wants to go into law enforcement.

Here the boys are hanging out in the kitchen. I took the wallpaper down in this room this weekend. Don't worry - the purple color will not stay.

From Coker

Here Terry is doing some foundation work -

From Coker

While Nathan helps from underneath (he loves crawl spaces!):

From Coker

Noah helped me with the wallpaper:

From Coker

And Caleb helped with painting:

From Coker

When he wasn't goofing around:

From Coker

And Terry's Dad (aka "Papa") was a great help. Here he is doing some electrical work:

From Coker

Here are some views of the awesome front porch:

From Coker

Matriculation

2011-09-07T16:26:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago, I didn't know what "matriculation" was, and now I have a daughter that has matriculated right in front of me. Apparently, to matriculate is to add your name to a list - the word "matrix" is from the same origin.

Rebecca and all the freshman at Milligan College are required to formally write their name on the roll.

They also had to make a public affirmation along with the faculty. Here is what the faculty affirmed:

"As teachers and workers in a Christian college, we pledge that our service shall reflect at all times our ministry as servants to Christ. We shall attempt to correlate all areas of learning so that our students shall see that all truth is one. Our concern for each student shall follow the example of the Master, who knew each student by name. Our energies and talents we dedicate to the Lord."

I feel so blessed that Rebecca is getting to have an education like this.

Below are pictures of Rebecca and Tess (her friend from this graduation moment) before and during the ceremony.

From For Blog

After the ceremony, there was a bagpipe playing and a path of luminaries going down the hill to a big tent where there was a jazz band and a dessert reception.

Doesn't Rebecca look smarter already with this light coming out of her head?

From Milligan

My Baby

2011-09-07T16:17:00.003-04:00

Of course, the little baby in the bed is not my baby. My baby is the one taking the photo.

From For Blog

Rebecca and I first hoped that my friend Melissa would have her baby several days BEFORE we went to Michigan so that she could do a "few-days-old" photo shoot. Then when time came to leave on our trip, Rebecca started praying that the baby would be late. Not sure how Melissa felt about that - but the baby was indeed nine days late (even though it was her 5th!), so we were able to do a photo shoot just a few days after we got back! I say "we" because it was definitely a group effort. Bram was a very sweet and cute baby, but he just wasn't that interested in sleeping.

From For Blog

I thought her photos turned out great, though (see them here), and it was a fun memory.

Michigan Top Ten

2011-09-01T06:15:00.008-04:00

I'm finally getting around to a post about our Michigan trip. Rebecca kept up pretty well with updates on her blog while we were traveling, but I left my laptop at home. Once we got back, I kept forgetting to get the photos from Rebecca's computer so I could blog, and once I got the photos, I was a bit overwhelmed with the 1800 PHOTOS she took. This was after she apparently deleted several 100. As much as my family likes looking at photos, I knew I was going to have to be very selective for my blog post.

So I decided to do my "Michigan Top Ten." These are the things I enjoyed the most in roughly chronological order.

#1 Michigan Lake Overlook at Sleeping Bear Dunes

This was probably my very favorite spot (and also just voted most beautiful spot in America by Good Morning America viewers). This view was just totally incredible. It was 450 feet down to the water, and Lake Michigan just looks like a piece of liquid textured fabric (I'm sorry, that's the best description I could come up with). We saw this view first one afternoon, and then Rebecca and I decided to return early the next morning. Turns out the scenic drive was closed until 9 am, but the gate was wide open, so Rebecca and I went anyway and enjoyed an hour or so of total solitude (well, not solitude exactly since there were two of us). I had brought my Bible and journal along, and it was just a really special time.

From Michigan Favorites

#2 Running Down the Dune

After enjoying our sunrise, we decided to return for sunset. The boys and Terry and I ran down the dune to the water, and it was such a blast running down that long hill of sand. Nathan and Caleb climbed back up (Caleb actually did it twice), but Noah, Terry and I took a walk down the beach where Rebecca picked us up in the van.

We met the folks in the boat pictured here with Nathan (who is about 1/4 way up the dune).

From Michigan Favorites

They like to come by water, climb up the hill and then run back down, which I think is a little more appealing.

#3 Canoeing the Platte River

My friend Sally had told us to be sure and canoe the Platte, so we brought our canoe with us. When we couldn't get a spot in Sleeping Bear Dunes (apparently, folks line up BEFORE 6 AM for sights), we went over to camp at Platte River State Forest. Our spot was huge and was right on the river. We used it as both a launching point and a destination. The Platte River empties right into Lake Michigan, which is something you don't see on the Buffalo River in Arkansas.

From Michigan Favorites

#4 Cherry Pie

Sorry - I don't have a photo of this. Michigan is famous for cherries and blueberries. We bought some blueberries and fresh apricots (never had them before) at a roadside farm. Cherry season was supposedly over, but one day when we were traveling, we started seeing signs for cherry pie every few minutes. We weren't even hungry, but after you see about 10 signs in a row, you are going crazy thinking "I have to have some of that pie!" We stopped, bought a whole crumb-topped cherry pie, and ate it for our dessert at camp that night. Wow! Best cherry pie I've ever had in my life. If you ever get a chance, don't pass it up!

#5 Mackinaw Island

We enjoyed a beautiful day on Mackinac Island. We arrived early one morning with our bikes (we were two bikes short, so we rented a tandem bike for Noah and me), and we rode around the entire island - only seeing a few people. It was just gorgeous. The kids were singing as we rode, and everyone was in a good mood for once. We kept seeing these rocks stacks, so we stopped to build one of our own. We saw lots of cool things on Mackinac like the Grand Hotel, Arched Rock and Ft. Mackinac, but this is my favorite memory of the day. I felt like we were leaving our mark on Michigan.

From Michigan Favorites

#6 Shopping with Rebecca

While in Mackinaw City, the boys went to see Captain America one evening while Rebecca and I went shopping. While I guess it would be more fun to have a ton of money to spend, we enjoy taking photos of craft and gift ideas and goofing around.

From Michigan Favorites

After we got tired of shopping, we walked down the shore to watch the sunset.

From Michigan Favorites

#7 Chapel Basin Hike

I've only taken one other hike that has views to rival the ones we saw on this one - and that's the Stairway to Heaven on Oahu. This hike was over ten miles, but about five miles of it was along cliffs overlooking Lake Superior. It was a windy day (but blue skies), and Lake Superior was really rocking. It was so pretty and also a bit scary. Nathan described it as "fiercely beautiful."

From Michigan Favorites

#8 Canoeing at Mosquito Beach

After seeing Lake Superior on our hike, I was very skeptical that our canoe or any small boat could survive in that water. But the next day, the wind was gone, and the water was as calm and clear as glass. We canoed around these beautiful rocks and looked down on some very beautiful water. The only thing that kept me from jumping in (besides not having my swimsuit on), was the fact that I was scared to get the camera wet.

From Michigan Favorites

#9 Collecting Rocks on the Beach

I think I prefer the beaches of the Great Lakes to the beaches on the ocean. I definitely prefer the water - as they say "No salt, no sharks, no worries." Honestly, since the Great Lakes are used so much for shipping, I had not thought they would be so clean and clear. The water was just gorgeous, and I didn't even think it was too cold - just refreshing - though I'm sure the water is at its warmest in August. And though there aren't seashells, there are so many pretty rocks. They just shimmer in the sunlight, and I loved collecting them - partly because during the trip I was reading the devotional "Hind's Feet on High Places" (more about that in a later post), and the main character collects stones she finds along the way.

From Michigan Favorites

#10 Crisp Point Lighthouse

It was fitting that we went here right at the end of the trip. This was an out-of-the-way lighthouse that I had read about on the internet. It took 18 miles down a dirt road to get here. When we arrived, it was empty, but the door was wide open for guests (where there was just a guest book to sign and no fee to pay). We ran to the top and enjoyed some incredible views. It felt like our own private showing of sunset.

From Michigan Favorites

Is the Bible Reliable?

2011-08-28T16:05:00.006-04:00

I was fortunate to be asked to review this new series by the publishers of the Truth Project. Is the Bible Reliable? is a 10-part series that goes through archeological evidence for the historical events in the Bible starting with the patriarchs and going through the time of the early church. The series comes with a study guide for taking notes and reviewing the teaching from each session.

The lessons were academically serious with a fairly challenging vocabulary. In addition to Bible truth, there was a lot of history and archeology taught as well. Even though target audience is college students, my 11-,13- and 15-year-old boys all enjoyed watching the DVDs, and I learned a great deal. I'll be eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series. See www.TrueU.com to read more about these great resources! It has also re-whetted my appetite to visit the Holy Land and see some of these historic sites.

Thunder Dog Book Review

2011-08-28T16:03:00.001-04:00

Thunder Dog tells the story of Michael Hingson and his guide dog, Roselle, who both escaped from the north tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. Since she is prominent on the cover, I expected to be impressed with the heroics of Roselle in this book, but instead I came away inspired with Michael and his story of growing up as a blind boy in a seeing world. I was so impressed to know he actually rode a bike all around town with no assistance. Compare this to our current day and age when many parents don't allow their seeing children ride around the block without supervision!

It was interesting to hear Michael's detailed description of his descent from the North Tower. Being blind, his perspective focused more on touch, smell and sound. Turns out that these were the senses that everyone was dealing with as most of the descent was in the dark. In reading this book, I was able to briefly enter into their experience and emotions.

As we get ready to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I found this book to be a good reminder of both the horror of the day and the hope that accompanied it.

Home for Sale

2011-07-14T21:19:00.003-04:00

Well, we put our home on the market last week. We've had two showings, and the family that looked at it today are very interested. I will have a hard time letting this place go if it comes to that.

Today, the Lord blessed us when our Panasonic wide angle telephoto lens arrived. We've been waiting for it for over a year, but just this week I started praying that it would arrive before our vacation trip to Michigan. I just really wanted to capture some scenery with it.

Anyway, turns out it comes in handy when taking photos of your house, too. You can fit so much more in the shots.

Here are a few photos I took inside this evening with the new lens:

I love our kitchen (and how you can see the fort through the window):

From 155 Lake Meadows Drive

The master bedroom with the huge headboard I got at a garage sale:

From 155 Lake Meadows Drive

The newly painted dining room (finally replaced that pea green):

From 155 Lake Meadows Drive

The den:

From 155 Lake Meadows Drive

The newly-decluttered classroom/office:

From 155 Lake Meadows Drive

While the potential buyers were looking at the house, we walked down to the lake to hang out:

From New Lens

This one I'm going to entitle "Jingle discovers a body":

From New Lens

Curiosities of the Civil War

2011-07-08T13:36:00.004-04:00

I got this book for review this spring just after concluded a Civil War unit in our homeschool. It is full of interesting trivia, and the author has attempted to organize this trivia in a way that makes sense (I'm not quite sure he succeeded in that because I have tried in vain to relocate the snippet I read about Lincoln comparing his height to other tall soldiers when visiting the troops). Unlike many books on war, it comes in small bite-size portions that are easy to digest.

This is not a book to use to learn about the war, but it would add great flavor to other books about this pivotal event in history. I think Civil War buffs would really enjoy it. It's not the kind of book you sit down and read cover-to-cover but the kind to enjoy bits of over a long period of time.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Whole Bible Story

2011-07-08T11:35:00.003-04:00

Having grown up with a Bible, I don't experience the "intimidation factor" that some people have when they pick it up for the first time. Many paraphrases of the Bible are available that help with some of the archaic language, and there is even a chronological version available. And of course, there are children's versions which are usually illustrated and leave out the seedier stories and violence.

Dr. William Marty put this book together so that someone could just pick up the Bible the way they would pick up a novel and read it from cover to cover. It's not meant to replace a Bible but to give a reader a hunger to know more. I was anxious to review it because I thought my teenage sons might be more likely to read a Bible in this format.

I was disappointed. Have you ever seen a movie after just finishing the epic novel that the movie was based on? That's the feeling I got. If I had never picked up a Bible before, I might have been satisfied. I would be interested to know what someone who had never read the Bible before thinks upon reading this book.

The author also interjects opinion into the text. For instance, in the flood account the author explains that some think this flood was universal and others believe it was localized. While I didn't find a lot to disagree with, I generally think it's better to separate theological opinions from the text of Scripture.

365 - Fireworks and Family

2011-07-04T20:10:00.004-04:00

We had a fun and low-key fourth of July. Actually, our celebrating was done on the 3rd because that's when the fireworks were scheduled in our lake front neighborhood. There's a guy with an empty lot down by the lake, and he hires a fireworks company and sets off an insane amount of fireworks. We usually watch the show from the neighborhood pool, and I love seeing all the lights of the boats on the lake that are parked to watch the show. You can see them in the bottom right of this photo:

From Fireworks 2011

Below are some more fireworks shots. I feel a little guilty because Rebecca fixed the settings on the camera and just handed the tripod to me. I only cropped these and did nothing to enhance the color. Hey, I didn't choose the watermark "Lazy Susan Photography" for nothing!

From Fireworks 2011

I took a few shots of the kids decorating cookies:

From Barns

And last, but not least, we did a little photo shoot in our patriotic colors right after church. Disclaimer: Rebecca took most of these. I only took the one of the four kids. It was Terry's idea to do the "Iwo Jima" pose.

From Fourth of July

From Fourth of July - 2011

365 - Macro Lens

2011-06-28T17:30:00.005-04:00

This week our long-awaited macro lens arrived. It has been on back-order for over a year! It was a gift from Panasonic (long story, see the start of it here and here) so it's not like we could complain about the wait (in fact, we still have this wide angle telephoto lens to look forward to)! Anyway, when I came home the first day we had the lens, Rebecca had set up this water-drop photography apparatus:

From Mom's Photos

And she thought she would never use Calculus again (ha!):

From Mom's Photos

Anyway, she had some fun with that, and now we're saving up lightbulbs to break for a cool macro shot (Dad, you're the one who gave us that idea).

So I haven't gotten to use the lens much, but here's a few shots I took with it.

From Mom's Photos

Rebecca says this one is indecent, but I'll post it anyway:

From Mom's Photos

And, finally, this is one I took of the sky. It just looked really cool when I woke up in the morning. Normally I would not take a sky shot with a macro lens, but I would have had to wake up Rebecca to get the other lens out of her room.

From Mom's Photos

Nathan

2011-06-22T12:25:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Nathan turned 15. I know it's cliche, but it seems like yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital.

Nathan has always been my sensitive one. I have told him many times that he reminds me of the one leper in ten who came back to thank Jesus for being healed. Nathan is the one who remembers to tell me thanks for a good meal, the one who notices if I'm feeling down, and the one who empathizes with others (this may be a mutant gene as the rest of us in the family are sometimes sadly lacking in this quality).

Terry worried about Nathan's sensitivity when he was little. He wondered how Nathan would be able to compete in sports and if they would have anything in common. Turns out, Nathan is a highly competitive athlete and the one who truly enjoys watching sports with his Dad (unless the Vols lose - then the sensitivity kicks in and he has to leave the room).

Nathan is at the wonderful age where he is quite mature and capable (with the possible exception of cooking) but he hasn't forgotten how to have fun like a kid. He's a great son, a great brother, and a great friend. We are very proud of him.

And I've actually had a few Moms in the area tell me that Nathan is the kind of guy they hope their girls grow up to marry. I'm not ready to cut those apron strings quite yet!

365 - Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

2011-06-20T20:13:00.006-04:00

One of my part-time jobs is as a mobile notary. I have enjoyed getting to drive to some pretty out-of-the-way spots. Today I drove to Afton, Tennessee and took a route through some countryside I had never seen before. On the way, I saw several signs - some nostalgic, some disturbing and some humorous. I don't know if the photos are that good - I just used the point and shoot for these.

I took these at a gas station on Highway 11E. I assume there's no gas here (check out the price!), but someone sure has taken care of these vintage pumps. One of my favorite lines from a commercial when I was little was "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star!"

I saw quite a few signs for fireworks, but this sign had me wondering whether Wild Wilma was a local celebrity or just a retail chain:

Then I saw this sign which just struck me as funny. It says "Beware of The Dog," but I didn't see a dog - only these goats.

It's not unusual to see Bible verses on barns in Tennessee, but this sign had a message I didn't expect.

I came home and looked up the verse, and we talked about it some at dinner tonight - not a lot because I often feel like I'm in over my head when I try to explain the trinity.

Speaking of Bible verses, I'm enjoying the chalkboard I have in my kitchen now, and this is the message we have up this week:

365 - Random Shots

2011-06-20T19:56:00.002-04:00

I've not been able to keep up with my photos for Mommytography as much as I would like. I have returned to work for a few months this summer for the first time in fifteen years. And though I've found some very interesting decor in various cubicles, I somehow feel like I'm violating people's personal space (and probably company policy as well) if I take a picture. I did manage this one - my first self-portrait of the Mommytography project.

From June 2011

The other shots are just random ones I took around the house or out driving. I think Rebecca's random photos are way better than mine, but besides her superior talent, she has the great camera (which I now only get to use occasionally) and lots of time on her hands.

From June 2011

Memories, Pressed Between the Pages of My Mind

2011-06-13T05:40:00.016-04:00

From Milligan Orientation

Well, Rebecca went to college orientation this weekend, so I guess it's about time that I wrote a post about her graduation. I've been doing quite a lot of thinking about this "end of an era" type of feeling that I have - and this sense of urgency to make the most of the time I have left with all of my kids.

First of all, I want to share a couple of scriptures that come to my mind. The first one is a little verse about Mary that has always captured my attention -

Luke 1:19 says "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

Mary did not have a camera or a scrapbook or a blog (can you imagine if she had?), but I believe we are kindred spirits when it comes to memories. I treasure the time I have had so far with Rebecca, and I love to ponder what God is doing in her life and what God has taught me through being her Mom.

Sometimes I think it's easy for me to get to caught up in memories and to make an idol of the past. I have to also keep in mind this other verse from Eccl. 7:10, "Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?' For there is no wisdom in this question."

It's not wise to live in the past because it robs us from the experience of the present.

As much as I enjoyed my little Rebecca and treasure those memories,

From small beginnings

I wouldn't want her back because I would miss the Rebecca that I have now.

From Graduation

Thankfully, graduation and getting ready for college is such a busy season that I don't have time to wallow in memories (which is probably unhealthy anyway), but I have had moments to ponder. Even the making of Rebecca's memory table was a memory in itself. I love it how Noah wanted to help.

I have truly loved the privilege of teaching Rebecca. I sat by her on the couch as she learned to read, I sat by her on the piano bench teaching her to play, and I even floated in the water until my fingers were wrinkly as she learned to waterski (got to give credit to Dad for that one, though). I taught her to sew, with my own struggles following a pattern, and then she figured out she didn't even need a pattern and could make up her own designs!

I'm grateful that God sent along teachers and experiences for things I couldn't have taught her. Rebecca had some wonderful art teachers and theater directors. I'm so glad for the extra time that homeschooling gave her to pursue those passions.

But I'm mostly glad for the extra time that homeschooling gave us to have extended conversations and long walks. This time has bonded us together in a way that has blessed us both.

Now it's time for Rebecca to move on to her next experience, and I'm really excited for her. In fact, Terry has accused me of living vicariously through Rebecca on more than one occasion. From Websters,

vicarious: experienced or realized through imaginative or sympathetic participation in the experience of another

Yes, I admit it's true! I have shared her experiences and will continue to do so. However, that doesn't meant that I want her to live her life to please me or that she has to tell me every.single.detail. My prayer is that she will live her life to please the Lord and that He will continue to bless us with a friendship that will only deepen through the years.

I'm so glad she didn't listen to me when I said "Wheaton's a great school! You should really consider it." I'm glad that her "going off to college" involves just a twenty minute drive. It makes for an easier transition for both of us.

Finally Got to the Prom

2011-06-09T18:56:00.002-04:00

This post is overdue, but I wanted to capture my memories of this year's TEACH formal. It was very special this year because Rebecca was honored as a senior and because it was the first time for Nathan to attend (as his sister's date - how sweet!):

From Uploading for Mom

This was also the first time that both Terry and I attended the event (in the past he went as Rebecca's escort and I stayed home) - which means for the first time in my life - I had a date to the prom!

From Formal 2011

No, I'm not bitter that I never got asked to the prom in high school, but let's just say it was on my bucket list.

One of the fun things about homeschooling is that parents are welcome at the prom and get to join in the fun. Our friends, Sally and Mark, decided to have some extra fun with the "1920's Red Carpet" theme:

From Uploading for Mom

And here we are getting down to some music from our era. I think it was "Play that Funky Music":

From Formal 2011

Several people asked me if it was strange to see Rebecca all grown up. You know, it really wasn't. She's seemed grown up for a long time. I'm sorta used to it - though I thought she was beautiful in the dress she made herself!

From Uploading for Mom

It was Nathan that really caused me to pause a little. He looked so tall and grown up. And he could dance!

From Uploading for Mom

I think my proudest moment was the mother-son dance. Nathan came over and asked me to dance. I wasn't sure if I knew what I was doing (I'm better at funky-music dancing than ballroom dancing), and I asked him if he did. He said "Just give me a second to listen to the music . . . yea, I can rhumba to this . . . I'll start on my left foot . . ." and he proceeded to lead me perfectly:

From Uploading for Mom

So, it's never too late to go to the prom.

365 - Fire and Water

2011-05-26T11:13:00.003-04:00

These shots were all taken during our recent visit to Arkansas.

The waterfall is Tanyard Falls - located near Bella Vista. It was a warm day, and the kids enjoyed getting wet. I also got in and waded, and I believe my older sister took numerous pictures of my backside which better not end up on HER blog.

From Arkansas May 2010

The bonfire shots were made right next to my older sister's house. The boys had worked with Terry and Uncle David to gather fallen and trimmed limbs. It made a huge fire! I love the silhouette shots.

From Arkansas May 2010

365 - Sunday School Shots

2011-05-26T10:46:00.005-04:00

Rebecca and I teach Sunday School together at least once a month for 1st-5th graders at Redeemer Community Church. We just started meeting in a new building in downtown Johnson City. It was formerly a huge department store. Anyway, our room is very large - but the high ceilings make the acoustics horrible for trying to teach a rowdy group of kids.

When we finish the lesson, there's always some time for drawing, making paper airplanes and playing hangman with Rebecca (who is a real favorite with all the kids in the class). On this day, I pulled out the little Panasonic point and shoot that I keep in my purse.

From Sunday School

High School Musical

2011-05-26T10:39:00.004-04:00

Caleb played basketball for our homeschool group this past season, but recently he also was a basketball player on stage in JRT's production of High School Musical.

From High School Musical

Other than meeting tons of girls, I don't think this was a play he really enjoyed. It involved lengthy practices at least five days a week and three full weekends of shows. During one of the shows there was a storm, and the power went out. They ended up finishing the performance with people holding up their cell phones to give light.

Here's a slide show of some of the photos. The basketball players had to learn lots of choreography.

New Appliances

2011-05-26T10:17:00.002-04:00

We are getting ready to put our house on the market in a week or so. One of the things that several realtors had suggested was to update our kitchen by replacing the white appliances with stainless steel. Terry got busy shopping (and selling our white appliances) on Craig's list, and we were able to upgrade all for just $1000. During that time, I was without a dishwasher for about three weeks and spent one LONG weekend without a fridge.

Here's our old fridge (notice the High School Musical ad - watch for an upcoming post about that):

From Kitchen

And this is the one we had for about a day:

From Kitchen

It was "cool" because you could record messages by hitting a button on the front (messages like "Don't even think about drinking my last cold Diet Dr. Pepper"), but it was very "uncool" that it wouldn't keep things cold AT ALL. Fortunately, the seller took it back (claiming that he never knew anything was wrong with it), and we got this one instead:

From Kitchen

Here's my new dishwasher;

From Kitchen

I love it because it's extra deep for pots and pans. I hardly ever have to handwash anymore.

And here's my new oven and microwave:

From Kitchen

Notice that there is a hole above the microwave where the unit was smaller than the previous one. Terry filled it in with this:

From Kitchen

Isn't that clever? I need to get some smaller chalk to use in writing messages. The only thing I have right now is huge sidewalk chalk, and it's a little hard to do lettering with that.

We got a new stovetop, too, but there are plenty of pictures of that in the post below.

365* - May Shape Challenge - Circles

2011-05-26T09:56:00.005-04:00

Recently, I've taken lots of photos in our kitchen to document the changes there (more about that in a coming post), but without really even trying I realized I had lots of photos that involved circles - all taken in my kitchen. You'll see round coils for burners in the new stovetop, round knobs, round egg yolks, round biscuits cooking in the oven, and my favorite little detail in my kitchen - a set of cute measuring spoons given to me by my sister-in-law, Angie.

I was going to try to watermark the spoon photos and have chosen the name "Lazy Susan Photography." However, I have yet to find a font that I really like.

From Kitchen

365* Pride and Joy

2011-05-21T11:15:00.002-04:00

This is my favorite photo from Rebecca's graduation. It represents pride, for sure, but also pure joy! In this case, the joy is not so much for the diploma received but because the preparations and ceremony were over and now it was time to celebrate!

From the Library of A.W. Tozer

2011-05-12T13:15:00.000-04:00

Since I first read The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy, I have been a fan of A.W. Tozer. His reflections on God were deep enough that I would re-read them for pleasure but not so difficult that I had to re-read them just for understanding. Tozer himself was apparently a voracious reader, and this volume gave me a chance to read excerpts from writers who influenced his spiritual journey.

I loved this book! I used it during my devotional time for several weeks. Some of the writers featured were known to me (Spurgeon, Moody, Calvin, etc.) but many were saints I had never heard of. My favorite selections were from St. Anselm (who was the Archbishop of Canterbury around 1100 AD), and I have been inspired to read more of his work. The writing is a bit archaic (which is totally to be expected) and is definitely deep, not fluffy. But I didn't expect Tozer to be reading The Hardy Boys.

The book is well-organized. The devotional readings are organized around topics such as worship, prayer (my two favorite sections), exhortation and doctrine. Also, there's a very helpful section in the back where there is a brief bio of each featured author.

Praying for Your Future Husband

2011-05-10T12:44:00.003-04:00

I know some of you are thinking "Isn't it a bit too late? Haven't you already been married for 21 years?"

Well, for the sake of being argumentative, I'll point out that the guy I'm married to now is hopefully also the guy I'll also be married to in the future, so I can still find some application. But I really had my daughter in mind when I reviewed this book. Rebecca recently turned eighteen, and on her own she decided to start a journal of letters for her "future husband." I thought that this book might give her some inspiration and insight.

Praying for Your Future Husband by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer not only inspired me to encourage our daughter to pray for her future husband, it prompted me to join her in those prayers. Robin and Tricia gave numerous examples from their own lives and also from others who have shared their own experiences. Each chapter had a sample prayer to pray for your future spouse and also a prayer to pray for your own preparation. Discussion questions are also included for each chapter. In addition, there is a guide at the end of the book which leads you through a different aspect of prayer for your future spouse for each of the 52 weeks of the year. In addition to being helpful and informative, the humor included in the book makes it fun and easy to read. I will not hesistate to suggest this book to my daughter and other single women I know.

The Final Summit Review

2011-04-21T07:40:00.002-04:00

I know it's said that you can't judge a book by its cover, and this proved to be true for me regarding "The Final Summit" by Andy Andrews. In this case, I actually liked the cover design and the reviews on the back which called this a "riveting narrative" and compared the writing to C.S. Lewis. But when it came to reading the actual book, I found it to be extremely disappointing.

In this book, a fairly regular guy, David Ponder, is a time traveler who gets to meet with world leaders from history to help figure out how to save the word. Sounds interesting so far.

But do you find committee meetings riveting? The majority of this book takes place during a meeting - no action, not even disagreement among those attending the meeting - even though they were world leaders known for strong personalities. The quest to find the two words (here's a key that there will be no action) that will help save the world yields such tired phrases such as "restore hope" and "build character." Ironically, the final answer - "Do something" (sorry for the spoiler here)- stands in sharp contrast to the lack of action in the book.

If this book was published by a secular publisher, I would simply feel that this book was a poor read - but since it's published by a Christian publisher, my disappointment is more profound. Nowhere is Jesus or faith in God mentioned as the answer for our world. Also, the summit meeting is supposedly happening in heaven - the Benjamin Franklin character even indicates that many got there at the last minute - having almost gone to the alternate destination. This book is written from a worldview of universalism as it has characters in "heaven" like Cleopatra (a pagan) and Albert Einstein (an atheist) among many others who did not espouse a Christian belief when they were alive.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

365, Week 12 Barn Art

2011-04-05T17:48:00.002-04:00

In this part of Tennessee, you see barns everywhere! Many are part of the "Appalachian Quilt Trail" which I'd like to explore more fully every year. Some of the barns below are right around the corner and most are ones I see quite often.
Besides the quilt squares, "See Rock City" is classic Tennessee barn decor.

I'd like to do some better photography of these barns. These shots were mostly captured from my car.

From Sep. 2010

365*, Silly

2011-03-27T21:43:00.004-04:00

This Mommytography assignment was easy, as we have plenty of opportunities for silly pictures in this house.

Here is Noah in his wild PJs. I bought them extra-long since he is in the middle of a growth spurt, but he uses the extra length to goof around.

And though this picture is poorly lit and out of focus, it shows another silly thing that Noah has been doing lately. He has been sleeping in the linen closet so that he won't have to share a room with Caleb. Needless to say, we are in need of a little more brotherly love around here.

365, Week 11 Retreat

2011-03-19T21:25:00.003-04:00

This week I had a special blessing. I got to get away to the mountains for a personal spiritual retreat.

Here is the little cottage I stayed in:

From Retreat

My room had a "The Lord is my Shepherd" theme and had a real feather bed. The kitchen cottage had this neat window with blue bottles:

From Retreat

I spent most of my days sitting by the fireplace in the big lodge with my Bible and journal. I also consumed quite a bit of chocolate.

From Retreat

The Lord's presence was all over this place. The owners have built it as a special ministry for those who need to get away and rest. I came away very refreshed and with a strong sense of what the Lord is teaching me. One of my prayers for the weekend was this one by St. Anselm (who was the Archbishop of Canterbury over 1000 years ago):

Holy Comforter - do enter by Your mighty power into the innermost sanctuary of my heart, and of your goodness dwell within, making glad with the brightness of your glorious light the neglected corners inside and make fruitful by the visitation of Your abundant dew the fields that are parched and barren with a long continued drought.

Pierce with the arrows of Your love the secret chambers of the inner man. Let the entrance of Your healthful flames set the sluggish heart alight, and the burning fire of Your sacred inspiration enlighten it and consume all that is within me, both of mind and body. Give me drink of Your pleasures as out of a river so that I take no pleasure hereafter in the poisonous sweetness of worldly delights . . .

Graciously grant me that my littleness may be pleasing to Your greatness, my weakness to Your strength, according to the multitudes of Your mercies, through Jesus Christ my Savior, who lives and reigns with the Father in the Unity that is of You, world without end. Amen.

The sun came out the last day I was there and I wandered around and took a few more photos.

From Retreat

Life Without Limits

2011-03-15T18:02:00.003-04:00

"Life Without Limits" tells the story of Nick Vujicic - a young man who was born without arms or legs but has gone on to be a motivational speaker (and surfer!). I found his story to be very inspiring but the book itself to be a little repetitive. It read more like a great speech than a great book, and I think if I heard the message delivered in person it would improve tremendously. So at the risk of sounding mean by giving a below average review to a guy with no arms and legs, I'm going to say that I wouldn't recommend the book but I would recommend going to hear Nick Vujicic in person (I have not heard him in person, but I have heard several who have, and they were beyond impressed).

I'm afraid I couldn't help comparing this book to another I recently read called "Breath." It was written by a woman, Martha Mason, who spent over sixty years in an iron lung. The similarities were striking. Both met their difficulties with a great attitude and a profound faith. The difference was that Nick spent time learning to skateboard and surf, and Ms. Mason's passion was reading. The difference in passions and maturity is evident in the writing. "Breath" has a superb literary quality. Of course, her life was a lot longer and she had a lot more material to include in a memoir. And to be fair, Nick's book is not described as a biography or memoir - it's simply a motivational book. Perhaps I'm just more a fan of biography.

At any rate, both of these books gave me lots to appreciate about the little things in life like being able to use my arms and legs and breath without a machine.

Gray Matter by David Levy, MD

2011-03-15T17:22:00.003-04:00

I recently finished this fascinating book about a brain surgeon that brought prayer into his practice. I found many things about this book intriguing - first of all, that a guy who was originally a car mechanic changed gears (sorry for the pun) to attend medical school and become one of the best surgeons in his field. I also found his own journey of faith followed an equally unique path.

David Levy was very real and open about his fears when he first felt led to pray with patients. He didn't know how they would respond or what would be the reactions of colleagues. What about if he prayed and there was a bad outcome? These were all very real concerns, but David overcame them with radical obedience.

It was truly inspiring to see both the change that it brought about in him as well as his patients. And it humbled me to pray more in my daily occupation of being a Mom and teacher to my children. If a highly-trained brain surgeon feels the need to continuously ask God for help, should I do any less?

365*, Week 10 Swinging

2011-03-13T23:46:00.004-04:00

Today was a beautiful day! Noah was swinging in the backyard with a neighborhood friend, and I went outside to snap some photos.

For some reason, the kids enjoy swinging while standing on a board. I tried lots of angles trying to get a good shot. I think my favorites are the ones taken from up above.

Watching them play brought back memories of when I used to play with Sandy, the little boy next door. It's sad when you get a little older and it's not as simple to play with members of the opposite gender.

From Noah's Haircut 2011

365, Week 9 - Noah's Haircut

2011-03-13T23:37:00.002-04:00

We had a momentous occasion for photos last weekend when Noah got his first haircut in several months. He really likes to wear his hair long, and we have indulged him for the most part. However, he had some very bad behavior while Dad was out of town - calling his mother a stupid idiot repeatedly was the milder of his offenses - and he knew he had some serious punishment coming when Dad got home.

So among other things, he received a haircut against his wishes. I will say that he took it fairly well - he knew it could have been far worse. Funny thing is, the rebellion seems to have gone away with the hair.

From Noah's Haircut 2011

365, Week 8 Our Old House

2011-03-10T20:36:00.013-05:00

Well, I finally reached my limit. Not my own personal limit - I reached that long ago - but I reached the limit for how many photos I could put on my blog without paying for more space! I ran into a few glitches when trying to add the space, so it put me a little behind with my blog posts.

Here are some photos I took a few weeks ago when Terry, Rebecca and I went to visit our old house that has been added onto numerous times since we sold it eleven years ago and is now on the market. This house was originally built by Terry's grandparents as a "lake house," and it remained pretty much the same from 1960-1994, when Terry and I first built an addition on the back.

You can see that it was a pretty humble house:

But what you can't see in this picture is the beautiful lake view behind the house. And after we added on, it looked like this from the lake side:

We had lots of great times in this house. It was a great house for entertaining even though it was quite small, and we had 30 or more college students meeting at our house every weekend.

Here's what the house looks like now. It's hard to appreciate the difference if you were never in the old house. The new version has an additional fireplace, an additional two bedrooms, an additional bath, etc. In fact, it is almost double the size as it was before. The kitchen had blue linoleum countertops and plaid wallpaper before. Now it's modern with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. There certainly was no spiral staircase when we lived there, but now it's got one that goes down to a "man cave."

But the basement and the waterfront hadn't changed much.

It was a very strange feeling looking around a place that had so many memories yet was so different. Terry and I both said that we would buy it back now if we could. I'd also love to buy back those sweet years when my children were little.

365, 43-49 Main Street, USA

2011-02-19T17:25:00.010-05:00

One of my favorite things about this area is historic Jonesborough, Tennessee. It's about a 20 minute drive from our front door to Main Street! I get to go there lots these days as Caleb is practicing for "High School Musical" at Jonesborough Repertory Theatre.

These pictures were all taken Saturday afternoon on Main Street.

First of all, the Courthouse, where I recently was sworn in as a notary public and where I go to pay for our car licenses and property taxes (and though I hate to pay property taxes, I think it's kind of interesting that our county clerk's name is Jack Daniels):

Next up, the Historic the 1797 Chester Inn, the oldest still standing inn in Tennessee, which housed presidents traveling through the Appalachian Mountains on the Great Stage Road, including Jackson, Andrew Johnson and James K. Polk.

Here is a log cabin (right on Main Street) that Andrew Jackson himself used to live in when he practiced law:

And here is the "Parson's Table" where Terry and I had our first date over 21 years ago:

And here are some more of my favorites from Main Street (including yet another "Senior Photo" shot of Rebecca):

365, 36-42 Senior Photos Part 2

2011-02-13T20:43:00.004-05:00

Rebecca and I were in downtown Bristol this past week, so I took the opportunity to take some more photos of her. I was going to try for some urban alleyway shots ,which really doesn't fit her personality, but I wanted to give it a try. Instead the old train station caught my eye,and thought it would be a neat backdrop. I loved all the architectural elements with the big doors and the railings.

Here again, I can't really make up my mind between the black and white and the color photos. I think I like the B&W better.

365, 29-35 Tune Up Pomp and Circumstance

2011-02-05T16:15:00.007-05:00

This week Rebecca's diploma, cap and gown arrived. It's a little early since her graduation is not until May 20th, but the days are flying fast.

I remember well the day we started homeschooling kindergarten. I have easily learned as much as she has during these past thirteen years. She told me she was going to make me my own diploma to celebrate relearning all that stuff that may not have stuck the first time around.

I have really cherished the time we have spent together. The relationship that we share has been the neatest part of our homeschool experience. I'll blog about that more about that later as I just am not ready to deal with all those emotions right now.

I've had fun doing some "Senior Portrait Sessions" with her this year. Below are my best efforts to date. I love our new pancake lens (courtesy of Panasonic) and used it for all of these. I've had a hard time choosing a favorite!

We tried some "city shots" downtown, but it was cold and windy and the late afternoon sun ruined the lighting. We'll try again when we get a sunny, spring-like day. We also have an antique dress (from my great aunt Pansy) to use for some photos - I think those would look really cool in a sepia tone.

While the World Watched

2011-01-31T12:48:00.003-05:00

This memoir, written by a survivor of a Klan-planted bomb that went off in her church and killed four of her teenage girlfriends, both inspired and educated me. Carolyn Maull McKinstry tells of growing up in Birmingham (called "Bombingham" by many at the time) and how the tragic bombing of September 15, 1963 shaped her life for years to come. And though this tragedy occured in church, she looked to Jesus to heal her and help her forgive.

This well-written personal story contains a timeline, photos, copies of Jim Crow Laws and excerpts of speeches from Martin Luther King, Jr., John Kennedy and Governor George Wallace. It is very helpful in getting an overall picture of the segregated south and the Civil Rights Movement.

365* 22-28, Snow Shrine, Snow Whine

2011-01-29T20:35:00.009-05:00

Snowfall is magical to me! I can never get enough of it. Now, if I lived in Wisconsin, I'm sure I'd get my fill, but here in the south there is always a special excitement when snow is in the forecast and a feeling of disappointment if the snow does not materialize (or if our neighbors in surrounding counties get more than we do). At our house, we have a tabletop display that I have jokingly referred to as our "snow shrine" (which obviously does not work well).

And though I don't really collect snowmen (really, I don't), I practiced taking close-up photos this week on some of the snowmen around the house (including one that decorates the back of a toilet, one that holds mail, and one that contains this week's Mommytography "I Spy" object).

We were predicted to get up to 3 inches of snow this past Wednesday night. Instead, we got this "dusting" which looked more like a bad case of dandruff on our deck table.

Did we whine? You bet we did! Even if we had gotten the predicted 3", we would have complained to hear that Elizabethton got 4". Here is my son Noah watching for snow and giving his famous snow pout:

Thoughts on Happy Thoughts

2011-01-27T21:48:00.004-05:00

I'm going to make a departure from my usual posts with photos, family news, or book reviews to share my thoughts about something.

For me, it started a few years ago. When listening to the Today Show, I heard Matt Lauer (or was it Ann Curry?) saying after some tragic event that they were "sending our prayers and happy thoughts." Now, I often hear them just sending "happy thoughts."

Is this the new politically-correct version of prayer? When someone doesn't really believe in the power of prayer (and doesn't want to be hypocritical) but wants to show they care, I guess this has become the appropriate thing to say. But if someone doesn't believe in prayer, do they seriously believe that "happy thoughts" are going to telepathically come to the rescue? I don't think so. I guess that they really don't know what to say, and they feel the need to say something.

Sometimes Christians (me included) are bad about saying that they are going to pray about something and then not doing it. In that case, they may believe in the power of prayer but be too lazy or forgetful to actually do it. In that case, they might as well have sent "happy thoughts."

For those of you who have prayed for us and Terry's job situation, I sincerely thank you! I also thank you that none of you have sent me "happy thoughts." If you do ever tell me you're sending me "happy thoughts," I won't be offended. But I hope you don't mind if I send up a prayer for you to come to know the God who truly answers prayer.

The Goodness of God

2011-01-24T19:53:00.009-05:00

I have really loved Randy Alcorn's books, so I was thrilled to get a chance to review "The Goodness of God: Assurance of Purpose in the Midst of Suffering." I was not disappointed. This is a small book on a big subject, but Randy Alcorn did a good job of making every word count. A lot of theology is covered, but it never took on a boring tone.

I would recommend this book to anyone wrestling with this issue, but better yet, read this book to prepare yourself when suffering inevitably comes!

Reading this review after the fact, it seems like one of the lamest ever. I guess I was just being lazy. I really did think this was an incredible book - and since it's barely over a hundred pages, it is an easy read. It was full of examples - some of Randy Alcorn's own life - and it left me with such a grand view of God's sovereignty. One of my favorite quotes was near the beginning. Hopefully, it will whet your appetite for more:

"Evil and suffering have a way of exposing our inadequate theology. When affliction comes, a weak or nominal Christian often discovers that his faith doesn't account for it or prepare him for it. His faith has been in his church, denomination, or family tradition, or in his own religious ideas - but not in Christ. As he faces evil and suffering, he may, in fact, lose his faith.

But that's actually a good thing; any faith that leaves us unprepared for suffering is a false faith that deserves to be abandoned. Genuine faith will be tested by suffering; false faith will be lost - the sooner, the better.

Believing God exists isn't the same as trusting the God who exists. If you base your faith on lack of affliction, your faith lives on the brink of extinction . . ."

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group in return for reviewing it on my blog

365* 15-21 Beginnings

2011-01-23T18:24:00.007-05:00

Sorry, that was the only theme I could come up with for this week's photos. I know I don't have to have a theme, but just humor me.

This week I took tons of pictures at the wedding of a daughter of a dear friend of mine. I was not the wedding photographer - in fact, I tried to be wherever she wasn't in order to catch something that she might miss (like the groom using his laptop to try to capture the wedding on Skype, an effort that failed due to low signal strength). I also got caught up taking lots of pictures of the wedding cake topper and cupcakes. The DELICIOUS cupcakes were provided by a local shop, "The Ugly Cupcake," and they asked me to take some photos for their website.

It was so fun to capture the beginning of this couple's new life together, and I think the shot of the bride and groom together captures the excitement that was in the air.

My other shots were taken at the beginning of the day on two different days this week.

On this first one, the sky was so pink, that I looked up from my reading and ran outside for a photo.

For this second shot, the moon was setting as the sun was rising. It made for a very wintery scene and reminded me of the book "Owl Moon."

Defiant Joy

2011-01-17T19:35:00.004-05:00

G.K. Chesterton was a famous and very skilled English literary critic. So I find it a little intimidating to critique a biography of a literary critic.

Kevin Belmonte's book, "Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life and Impact of G.K. Chesterton" was about two parts biography to eight parts AP English Literature. It tells of the life of Chesterton through the lens of his own writing - which was extensive. I am familiar with Chesterton only through his wonderful quotes (one of which I've had on my blog for years!) and his book "The Man Who Was Thursday" (which I admit was very hard for me to understand), so perhaps I don't have the intellectual experience to fully appreciate this type of biography. I would have preferred a more narrative style. I definitely had to put on my thinking cap along with my reading glasses.

The book did inspire me to read more of Chesterton, though, and I think reviewing literature with the help of Chesterton would be one of the best ways to study English Literature from a Christian worldview. I hope to do such a study with my boys in a few years, so this volume will definitely come in handy.

I'm also inspired by Chesterton's modesty and charity toward those who disagreed with him. What's the point of having a good argument if your style means no one will listen? So here is one of my favorite quotes about Chesterton from this book:

"Chesterton was one of the deepest thinkers who ever existed; he was deep because he was right; and he could not help being right; but he could not either help being modest and charitable, so he left it to those who could understand him to know that he was right, and deep; to the others, he apologized for being right, and he made up for being deep by being witty."

I know I can never be a deep thinker like Chesterton, and it is likely I will never be as witty, but by God's grace, I hope to be modest and charitable. That will have to do.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

365*8-14 Road Trip

2011-01-14T19:10:00.012-05:00

Disclaimer: Do not try this unless you are a trained professional. Or at least if you do, don't tell anyone you got the idea from me!

This week, I didn't have any idea what to take a picture of, plus I was going to be gone most of the week for business training. I decided to pack along my camera on my road trip to St. Louis. Well, twenty hours in a car by yourself can lead you to some novel sources of entertainment (I gave up reading while driving over twenty years ago, but I used to be quite good at it). I'll also point out that I was using my Panasonic "point and shoot" this week, not the Panasonic G1 with interchangeable lenses that I used last week.

So there is really nothing remarkable about most of these shots except that they were all taken from the interstate while I was driving (usually at 75 mph). For the record, I did not look through the viewfinder. I truly did "point and shoot" and then I would make adjustments if needed. I did NOT use burst mode as that just seemed like cheating. Timing was critical on lots of these. In some cases, it was snowing. In other shots, it just looks like it's snowing because the window is so dirty.

I also completed the "self portrait" and "upside down" challenges (I chose an ambulance thinking it would be both upside down AND mirror image, but since the ambulance was in front of me that wasn't the case). I had a lot of fun!

365*-3/7 - Whatever Your Hand Finds To Do

2011-01-08T20:04:00.010-05:00

Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might."

I didn't start out to have a "hand theme" this week, but when my first two pictures were of hands, I decided to just go with it. It was a fun way to "focus" on some of the different activities we do around here - from the artistic to the fun to the mundane. My days are full of such variety. I thank God for the beautiful and for the mundane and ask Him to help me embrace 2011 and all He has for me in it. I'm thankful that He holds me in His hands!

365-2

2011-01-02T19:47:00.005-05:00

I decided to take some more pictures of hands. These hands belong to Allie, one of my nieces who was here for the weekend to celebrate New Year's. Allie loves to play piano (just like her aunt!), and I like to spend time with her at the keyboard.

I think maybe the shots are better in black and white. Just seems appropriate for a piano shot.

365-1

2011-01-01T23:07:00.004-05:00

I almost forgot I was supposed to make a photo for my blog today (as part of the Mommytography Project featured on the sidebar). I decided to snap some shots featuring a handmade sweater that my mother-in-law gave me today. She did a great job with it, and it was a real surprise as she has just picked up knitting this year. Here she is finishing up the belt for the sweater, and I also took a photo that shows the texture of the sweater and the bokeh of the tree in the background. Maybe later in the week I'll take a photo of me wearing the sweater.

3D Technology at the Seamans

2010-12-31T15:51:00.009-05:00

This is sort of like one of those stories where the kid gets a great gift for Christmas and then plays with the box . . .

Our kids went to see a movie in 3D right before Christmas. They didn't go on and on about the technology; they just popped the lenses out of the glasses and started to goof around. They took them to all family events and got cousins, moms, and grandmothers into the act.

Book Review: "Slave" by John MacArthur

2010-12-16T16:35:00.008-05:00

The subtitle for this book is "The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ."
When I think of metaphors to explain who I am as a Christian, I think of the father-child relationship or of how Jesus is my personal friend. I don't normally tend to think of myself as Christ's slave. It turns out that I am pretty typical for modern times. But what author John MacArthur is pointing out in this book is that early Christians all referred themselves as "slaves of Christ." In fact, the word "Christian" is only used three times in the New Testament, but "slave of Christ" occurs 123 times. His book explores the concept that because (1) this word was mistranslated as "servant" years ago (and a servant is a hired worker - very different than a slave) and (2) our culture really doesn't understand much about how slavery worked in the Roman empire of the New Testament, we have lost the meaning of this rich idea.

"Slave" contains a message I needed to hear. Thinking in terms of being a slave is the ultimate "it's not about me" attitude - which I could always use a heavy dose of. I tend to think of slavery as only negative (but in a theological sense, we were all enslaved to sin or self before we were purchased by our new Master, Christ). But one thing I need to keep in mind is that a slave did not need to worry about providing for himself - that's the master's job. What a comfort! And far from being a "slave driver," Jesus said "his yoke is easy and his burden is light."

Paul spoke of "bearing on his body the brand marks of Christ." He was referring to the scars from scourging and comparing them to the marks of ownership that a slave might have. The word picture that immediately came to mind for me was Woody in Toy Story. You remember how he has Andy's name written on his foot? And how he's not worried about anything but spending time with Andy? That's how I want to be.

I really enjoyed this book, though I must warn that it gets a little tedious in discussing theology (the doctrines of election, grace and eternal security are all discussed in depth) and in the details of Greek translation. You can tell that it is written by a seminary professor and not a layperson. There are generous footnotes and a lengthy appendix, if you like that sort of thing. I always feel obligated to read the footnotes and find it a little distracting. I wish it had contained a little more in the way of personal stories and application, but I definitely recommend it to the serious believer!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Dickens December

2010-12-13T19:41:00.008-05:00

This year, as one last unit study "hurrah" with all the kids before Rebecca leaves our homeschool for college, we are doing a study based on "A Christmas Carol." I bought this annotated version which has a wealth of extra info:

For our advent devotions, we are also reading "The Life of Our Lord" which is an abridged version of the gospel that Dickens wrote for his own children (he had ten of them) and read every year during advent.

We also read two stories that inspired "A Christmas Carol" - Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and Dicken's own "The Story of The Goblin Who Stole a Sexton" (from "The Pickwick Papers"). We are reading abridged versions (or watching movies if available )of Dicken's other novels (just to know the plots) and are watching both a short bio and a long (10 episode) bio of Dickens that we found on Netflix. We are also studying a huge amount of new vocabulary words and "Humbug Grammar."

Our literature studies are going well. Our science studies are going poorly so far. I read on the internet that you could make a great pH indicator from poinsettia leaves. I planned to buy a poinsettia to do double duty as a decoration and a science experiment. However, the boys didn't see the plant in the car when they unloaded the groceries, and it ended up spending the night in the backseat.

Well, one thing the kids learned is that the poinsettia is a tropical plant and as such cannot survive temperatures below freezing. We chopped up the leaves and steeped them:

The mixture smelled pretty bad.

We used different acids and bases to test our indicator (I know, usually you use indicators to test acids and bases, not the other way around). Anyway, the poinsettia indicator was an "epic fail" as my boys like to say. The only thing we had fun with was mixing our acids and bases to make it foamy, and we could have done that with food coloring.

So the lesson we learned from this experiment is that you can't trust everything you read on the internet. Poinsettias are valuable as a decoration only.

Gingerbread Nuclear Launch Facility

2010-12-10T09:13:00.008-05:00

Last weekend we had a party for Nathan's soccer team at our house. We had planned to do s'mores in the firepit out back, but since it was sleeting we stayed inside. We ended up with many boxes of graham crackers. So we decided to put them to good use and use them as "faux gingerbread" to make some cool little houses.

Nathan got started, and I saw that he had a little table in his house. He said "That's not a table! It's a nuclear launching pad!"

Here it is complete with guard towers:

Most of the missiles are regular warheads (extras are stored inside). But there's also a special weapon, "fat boy" pictured out front here:

And here is the artist pictured with a lot of "nuclear waste" in the photo as well:

Gingerbread will never be the same!

No Mo NaNoWriMo

2010-12-07T08:40:00.004-05:00

Rebecca participated in "National Novel Writing Month" (NaNoWriMo) last month, and she wrote like a woman obsessed. She kept up with her word count each day (the website provides a graph to show you how you're keeping up), and I've never seen her so motivated. She wouldn't let me read her novel until it was done.

Anyway, I must say it was very gratifying to finally read the finished product last weekend. I kept thinking "This is the gal that I taught to read and write. She is the one I spent countless hours reading aloud to. Now I am sitting here enjoying the fruits of my labor - being entertained by a full-length book that she wrote herself." I enjoyed the story thoroughly. It was about a misfit in a Fairy Godmother school. Very funny and maybe a little sappy - but true to the genre.

I also got some insight into the way she works. I have dubbed this month "NaFiIlMo" for "National Finish your Illustrations Month" in order to motivate her to finish the drawings she is working on for a children's book. I even told her I would put a graph on the fridge so she can be accountable for how much she is getting done each day. We'll see if it works.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

2010-12-05T17:04:00.010-05:00

I got to thinking that none of my family has ever seen my house decorated for Christmas - because I'm always at their homes for Christmas. So consider this a Christmas tour of the Seaman home - minus the free cider and cookies.

The kids usually get the tree down from the attic and put it together. I'm sure it's not as fun as going to a Christmas tree farm, but it's what we've always done so they don't know any different. This year, as soon as the tree went up, the boys left to go to Knoxville for a game, and Rebecca and I did the rest of the decorating.

Rebecca puts the lights on - following my random method instead of her Dad's meticulous all-day method. We had some fun watching "Love Story" while we decorated. I thought it was cool that I was able to get a picture of Ryan O'Neal working at a Christmas tree lot in the background with our tree.

Here's the tree with lights. You can tell by this point we had moved on from "Love Story" and were watching the Arkansas football game.

Here is our mantle. I always put a basket of Christmas books on the hearth along with the "Wise Guys" that Aunt Barbara made years ago. One of them has lost his gift, and one has actually lost his head a few times. Notice how the faces are interchangeable.

I've got a sofa table behind my loveseat now. Don't you love how you can still see the football game?

And last, but not least, here is our advent wreath. We are rebels, so we use green and red candles instead of pink and purple. I loved how I got the bokeh of the tree in the background. It's a technique I've been working on.

I really don't decorate much of the rest of the house. We spend most of our time in this room and the kitchen, and since you can see the tree from the kitchen, I usually don't bother decorating in there. Or you might say I decorate it with cookie dough, icing and sprinkles. In other words - a big mess.

I do have three special manger scenes in the house (which I'll save for a later post) and occasionally buy a poinsettia (this year's has already met an untimely death - watch for a post on that as well).

Thanks for taking the tour! If you ever visit in person, I promise I will provide cider and cookies.

Sweet Potato vs. Pumpkin Challenge

2010-11-24T20:39:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, I told Nathan that I might make a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving this year. He refused to believe that someone would "make a pie out of a vegetable." I told him I didn't think he could tell the difference between pumpkin pie (one of his favorites) and sweet potatoe pie. He bet me $10 that he could! Well, money's been a little short lately, so I decided to accept the challenge.

Nathan started to get nervous. He reduced his bet. He reduced it again. Last Sunday I baked some pies. I used the same recipe except for the pumpkin and sweet potato. All my boys took a blind taste test. Only Noah could consistently tell the difference. I won a whole dollar from Nathan!!!

But what really made me a winner is that all the boys agreed that sweet potatoes make a good pie. A can of pumpkin costs $1.50. An equivalent amount of sweet potato (if you're willing to peel it, cook it and mash it), costs about 30 cents. So we'll be having sweet potato pie this year. The money we save will be used to help subsidize the apple pie for Rebecca and the pecan pie that we just had to have to round out our meal.

Here are my two pies. I will give my $1 to the first person who can correctly guess which one is pumpkin. Sorry I can't let you taste it. Both of the pies were gone in about 24 hours. Since sweet potatoes are a vegetable, the boys could justify eating some at every meal.

True Colors

2010-11-03T19:16:00.005-04:00

Recently, we did a little project involving tree identification that involved taking lots of photos of leaves, trees, and bark (this was supposed to be one of the educational projects that I was going to do as part of my work with Panasonic).

I think it's interesting that the green in leaves is just chlorophyll - the true colors of the leaf are what we see when the green is gone.

That's a great metaphor for life. For us, the "green" is gone - quite literally since we have had no income for a 10 months now. I feel like we are being given a chance to show our true colors! It is a comfort to me to know that God knows me - He knows my true color, and He can identify me without a field guide of any kind.

May our true colors bring glory to the Lord!

On Being a Good Audience

2010-10-31T20:32:00.006-04:00

There's a reason they call it performing in front of a "live audience." Have you ever been to a play or a performance where the audience was dead? My kids have seen both sides this year- audiences so good that they make a mediocre performance seem worthy of an academy award, and audiences that were so dead that performing in a morgue would have been more exciting. When they come home from a performance, I've learned that the best question to ask is "How was the audience?"

I've trying to apply this to my life in all kinds of ways. What kind of audience am I? At a soccer game, I want to learn the kid's names and encourage them from the sidelines. At a play performance, I want to be one of the ones that laughs and claps loudly. When I'm reading a friend's blog, I want to take time to leave a comment now and then. Romans 12: 15 tells us to "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." I want my friends to know I am in the audience of their lives, I am sharing in their victories and sorrows, and I am rooting for them.

Now Showing at Kingsport Theatre Guild

2010-10-10T15:19:00.000-04:00

Rebecca, Caleb and Noah are currently performing in "Once Upon a Mattress" at Kingsport Theatre Guild - the musical based on the story of the "Princess and the Pea." I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see them sing and dance on stage for the first time.

From Once Upon a Mattress

Interestingly, we did our own version of "Princess in the Pea" several years back that proved that Terry is of royal blood. Terry is a little picky about how the bed is made, how his pillow is adjusted, etc. So almost ten years ago now, Rebecca and I put a few very small dried beans under the sheet on his side of the bed to see if he would notice. He passed the test. So I guess he really is my Prince Charming!

Running Around

2010-10-10T15:09:00.003-04:00

Like most families, we do a lot of running around - especially when school starts back in the fall. Recently, that running has been literal.

Caleb has joined the recently-formed homeschool cross-country team. They don't have cool matching outfits, but they managed to do well at the recent Bristol Cross at Steele Creek Park. Caleb is easy to spot in his orange shorts!

From Running

Noah also decided to try some running. He recently ran in the Eastman Road Race. he didn't prepare at all for the one-mile race, so he found it fairly brutal.

From Running

Noah has declared that his running career is over. Caleb is going to be in another cross-country meet this next Saturday.

Noah's Birthday

2010-09-29T20:22:00.003-04:00

Noah turned 11 on September 21st. It was a pretty low-key birthday. He started out with breakfast in bed (his request). Then after a short morning of school, we took our bikes and headed to the Greenbelt Trail in Kingsport.

From Sep. 2010 - Birthday

We turned it into a field trip that fit pretty nicely into our history studies lately.

We saw the site of the Battle of Kingsport - a Civil War battle that the Confederates lost in 1864:

From Sep. 2010 - Birthday

We also saw this interesting monument that was created to honor the Indians. The land that the monument is on was given back to the Indians about 200 years after the white men first took it from them. It seemed like a fairly empty gift as there was nothing but a monument in a vacant field. I guess it's the thought that counts?

From Sep. 2010 - Birthday

Anyway, it was a beautiful day, and it was fun to get outside and enjoy it. Noah had a sleepover a few days later to complete his birthday celebration.