Daybook

For today...

Outside my window...beautiful, sunny, hot, muggy, blue skies ~ temps in the upper 90's

I am thinking...about our fun weekend with family


I am thankful for...deep theological discussions with our children & sharing of our convictions


From the kitchen...leftovers for lunch & spaghetti for dinner

From the learning rooms...its SUMMERTIME!  No scheduled school work (amen) but they are still reading, keeping up with their bible study, and working on crafts.


I am wearing...denim skirt, knit top, sandals


I am creating...a baby rag quilt, several quilt tops, potholders, a John Deere cross stitch picture


I am going...no where today, except taking the girls to dance


I am reading..."Already Gone" by Ken Ham & Isaiah in the Bible


I am praying...for a safe trip for Mom to MS tomorrow, Greg's safety while out in the field for work, a fun time tonight with our friends, salvation for those near & dear to my heart, for wedding plans for my son


I am hearing...cleaning ~ Amy is hard at work cleaning out her school basket, Will needs to do his, Katie finished hers, plus house cleaning for our company


Around the house...planting new square foot gardening boxes, keeping the garden watered (no rain in 3 weeks), swimming, crafting, eating, enjoying time together, playing with puppies, enjoying Greg's new outdoor kitchen, working on the new chicken coop


One of my favorite things...helpfulness


A few plans for the rest of the week...a slumber party tonight with friends, Granny's visit, church activities, ballet recital


Please join Peggy over at  A Simple Woman's Daybook for more entries!




 

Saturday & the week

This has been the PERFECT Saturday!  It started out with our usual "sleeping a little later than normal", we got to talk to Rob & Allen, went to eat breakfast, & ran our errands. 

Today we have....planted corn, green beans & squash, spread 3 bales of pinestraw around all the tomatoes, blueberries, and roses, sunk up to my ankle in mud (really!  watering & then walking on freshly tilled soil can be messy).  We finished the new deck and got most of it stained/sealed.  We also have enough sealant to do the original smaller deck. 

We spent a lazy time floating in the pool, sipping sweet tea.  The kids and I made a run to Kroger.  And Andy came to visit for a couple of days.  Katie made sliders for dinner and I made brocolli salad to go with it. 

After dinner we finished to pine straw and cleaned up the cabana, which is Greg's new workshop.  Worked on my cross stitch for a little while and now we are ready to rest for the night.

We've had a great week with no school books ~ our first full week of "vacation".  The kids are working on a jigsaw puzzle, painting bird houses, and finishing quilting projects.  We've got to clean out our school baskets and get rid of what we don't need and put up what they want to save.  I've been chatting this week with a friend and her husband that are going to start homeschooling in the fall.  Its so much fun to encourage folks.

We will be reworking our chicken coop.  Our lovely ladies were terrorized by the dogs on Wed. while we were at church and we came home to 4 dead chickens.  The dogs pushed their way under the netting on the trampoline and created pandemonium.  We've been pretty depressed about the whole thing and Greg keeps calling the dogs "chicken killers".  So, no more trampoline run. We are making a wire pen that will be stonger than the green plastic chicken net.  My friend Trixi, read of our peril on FB and has offered us some chickens.  Seems she's got too many and gets 20 eggs a day (wow).

Thats all for now...we still haven't figured out what google is doing with the blogs.  Greg's got firefox set up on our computers but I have to exit that and get onto my blog through internet explorer.  Hopefully, we will figure this out soon.

Have a blessed Sunday!


 

We have been Hacked or Zapped or Befuddeled

The friends at google have perplexed us here at Mississippi Mama.  We have been working diligently to restore and repair the blog.  OK, not too diligently, but we did get it working again kind of. If you get something weird from this site, it did not come from us.  If you find something deeply motivating or theologically sound, it did come from us.  Probably.

As my friend Bellhanna says, "The Lord Bless You." and "I be back."

Scientific Conversions

Scientific Conversions

1. Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi
2. 2000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won ton
3. 1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope
4. Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1 bananosecond
5. Weight an evangelist carries with God = 1 billigram
6. Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour = Knotfurlong
7. 16.5 feet in theTwilight Zone = 1 Rod Sterling
8. Half of a large intestine = 1 semicolon
9. 1,000,000 aches = 1 megahurtz
10. Basic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepower
11. Shortest distance between two jokes = A straight line
12. 453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake
13. 1 million-million microphones = 1 megaphone
14. 2 million bicycles = 2 megacycles
15. 365.25 days = 1 unicycle
16. 2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds
17. 52 cards = 1 decacards
18. 1 kilogram of falling figs = 1 FigNewton
19. 1000 milliliters of wet socks = 1 literhosen
20. 1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche
21. 1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin
22. 10 rations = 1 decoration
23. 100 rations = 1 C-ration
24. 2 monograms = 1 diagram
25. 4 nickels = 2 paradigms
26. 2.4 statute miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Yale University Hospital = 1 IV League
27. 100 Senators = Not 1 decision

---

 I "borrowed" this from the Patriot Post e-newsletter I receive every day!

Multitude Monday 1076-1100

more & more blessings....

1076.  fellowship

1077. generosity

1078.  fun with friends

1079.  bargains

1080.  donuts

1081.  slashing prices

1082.  finding goodies

1083.  helping people

1084.  laughter

1085.  blessing people

1086.  doing all of the above in the Lords name

1087.  lazy Sat. afternoon

1088.  the start of weekly salad nights

1089.  the restart of Sunday night desserts

1090.  a mostly finished deck

1091.  sun kissed cheeks & shoulders

1092.  swimming

1093.  hot, sunny, sweltering Miss. heat (its here, be thankful)

1094.  blooms on my greenbean plants

1095.  asparagus shoots

1096.  6 beautiful peaches (our total crop this year ~ we beat the squirrel, he only got 1)

1097.  sprinklers in the garden

1098.  big splashes at the end of the pool slide

1099.  friends coming to swim

1100.  new bottles of sunscreen!

Blessings & A Grouchy Older Gentleman

Today was our church's yard sale ~ all proceeds are for our Haiti Mission Team.  We put alot of work into the sale...cleaning, sorting, resorting, hanging up, setting out, etc.  Days of work. 

The sale was to start at 6:30 this morning, we got there at 6:15 and folks were waiting on us.  We hit the ground running and kept it up all morning.  6 hours & $2000 later, we were ready to shut down shop.

Blessings...folks that donate money even if they didn't purchase anything.  Folks who were told their total was $5 & donated an addition $20-$50 dollars.  Folks who said they would pray for the trip and the orphans that would be ministered too.  Until....

One grouchy older gentleman.  Who wanted to know why we weren't helping in Miss, why were we leaving the country, and flat out told us to forget Haiti and help our own people.

But we are helping in Miss., we are leaving the country because other countries don't have "gov. help", because children & adults are starving in Haiti, because they can't help themselves~no jobs, no opportunities, etc., because children were orphaned in the earthquakes & tornadoes, because the Lord called our church to Haiti long before last year, because we are committed to helping our fellow Christians living in harsh conditions, because Christians can make a difference in spite of an area full of witch doctors & voodoo.

Some folks just want to argue about everything...we didn't explain all of the above to him because it was obvious he didn't want to listen ~ he just wanted to drop his "poison" and leave.

I know that going to another country is not everyone's "cup of tea".  But, when you go to a 3rd world country, you see the appreciation and feel the love of these people, you shop in their stores, worship in their churches, etc.  You get a whole new appreciation for your own life. I have been very blessed by my 3 trips to Honduras.  I have nothing to complain about, I am blessed.

And I have been just as blessed with my trips to Florida, Oklahoma, and here in Miss. People all over the world need aid.  Where is the Lord calling you to help?

Don't Leave It On The Desk

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States.

Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course their freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him
"How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" asked Dr. Christianson again.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it."

Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

"Sure!" Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.

When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own push-ups?"

Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"

With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups.

Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"

Dr. Christianson said, "Look! This is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"


Sternly, Jenny said, "No."

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"

Steve did ten. Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, "No!" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your push-ups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?"

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut."

Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now.
Jason, do you want a donut?"

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a donut."

"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"

Dr Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone. I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice when a player messes up, he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes."

"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, "And so it was that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, pleaded to the Father, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.

"Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding, "Not all sermons are preached in words."

Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not His Only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid."

"Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"..

 

What a great analogy to show Christ's sacrifice for our sins.  He paid the price so that we may have eternal life.

I "borrowed" this post from "Rural Revolution" listed on my sidebar under blogs.  Patrice posts great thought provoking things regularly~  And she has a new book coming out soon "The Simplicity Primer".