FEAR! It's what's for dinner!

FEAR - if we live in fear we have no faith in God

I wrote the following on 10/20/14 but did not publish it because life moved on and I didn't take the time to fully work through my thoughts...

Dear Christian, Please settle down on the Ebola panic.  I've seen your messages on Facebook calling for our boarders to be closed to African nations where Ebola is raging.  I've heard your requests for prayer this weekend at church and the fear in your voice as you worry.  I just want to gently remind you the Bible has so many wonderful verses that call us to live a fearless life! 

2015 - there is FEAR of Syrian refugees.  31 Governors refuse to support Syrian refuges and people stay quiet?  Evangelicals write on Facebook that it's not our place to support this war because it's God's battle.

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

2020 - Coronavirus - biggest stock market drop since 2008, in at least one news article biggest drop in the history of the stock market.  Impossible to buy face masks, clorox wipes, etc.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

Orange Mushrooms 2014

These orange mushrooms fascinate me.  Last year they popped up on 10/4/13 and this year I took photos on 10/13/14 but they had already been there for about a week.  I just find it so interesting that they have held the same schedule for two years straight!

Last year I made a photo montage in Photoshop of our family sitting under the mushrooms and it's one of my favorites.  I'm by no means an expert in Photoshop but I love to play!

Here's a photo of this year's orange mushrooms:

Three days later it rained and they got bigger and flatter!

I think that this one is perfect for an updated family photo under the mushrooms.  Now I just need to get a good shot of us on a bench like last year, or maybe on a rock or something outside.

Just because I'm pregnant and work from home doesn't mean I get to slack off!

But at least I can squeeze in a few more fun things when I work from home! 

Wake at 8am
Yoga 20 minutes
Prepare breakfast for self and two year old
Read news whilst eating breakfast and two year old watches movies
Work from 9-11:30 then get shower, take photos of cute orange mushrooms in the front yard
Eat lunch
Work from 12:30 - 3:15, stop and go get daughter from 1st grade
Decide we all need a nice snack, stop at Panera and get full sandwich, chocolate croissant and mocha, let girls get whatever treat they want, everyone should benefit from moma's pregnancy!
Home at 4:30, work until 6:30, make girls dinner, still too full from "snack" so go back to work until 8pm.  Spend 15 minutes with girls then work until 9:00 when back hurts so bad I can't see how I could possibly sit for another minute.
Yoga for 20 minutes.
Make snack/dinner
Get call from Hong Kong office at 9:30, go back to work until 11pm.

Well, at least I did yoga twice and had a nice afternoon break with the girls!

When did Prayer become such a big deal?

I asked myself this question last night during our church's Wednesday prayer meeting.  I asked because prayer is now a very big deal to me at this point in my life, but when I was a kid, sitting through these long prayer meetings were pure torture.  Sorry mom, but I dreaded the long prayer meetings.  I'd bring a full bag of entertainment and draw or read. 

As a child I'm sure I had needs, but mom and dad took care of the prayers so I only participated as required.  As a teenager, I got so distracted with high school and pressures within that it simply didn't occur to me to pray for my problems there.  Was God going to stop the bullies from pestering me?  It just didn't register.  In college, I was fearless, although I probably could have been a little more cautious.  I think at that time it was my mom's continued prayers that probably kept me safe. 

As an adult, with real problems, I find I can't pray enough.  Every day I hear something about a friend or family member that makes me want to intercede on their behalf.  You see, it's no longer about myself - I have three kids, 4th on the way and deeper relationships with people.  There are major things happening in the world affecting our futures.  There are major illnesses affecting friends and family.  And the one thing I can do is pray on behalf of everything that bothers me.  When I wake up at night, the first friend I think of get's prayed over for something.  At this point I even have atheists friends calling and asking for prayer because they know I'm good for it.  I have a simple faith but with my simple faith I've seen prayer work and that gives me the confidence to keep going.  I actually enjoy these prayer meetings now and I even speak out with thanksgiving when prayers are answered.  I guess I've finally matured as a Christian.

Hello Cool Spider

Husband found this on our kids art table so please pardon the splashy background.  We thought this was a pretty cool spider.

First day back from vacation - tears, drawing and coffee

After a two day return trip from Texas, we decided to stay home from church this Sunday.  We got in late last night and the girls looked like they needed rest.  But rest is more than sleeping!  It also involves acclimating to home, toys they haven't seen for two weeks and a much colder temperature than when we left.

By 3pm I declared it was time for a coffee break outing.  With fond memories of drawing with husband before kids, I declare it coffee shop sketch day.  Much time and effort is spent in finding our sketch books - I'm afraid it's been so long for mom and dad that we had to really dig.  Next we bravely put on our outdoor gear - one of us over compensated by putting on a snow suit which was promptly removed upon entering the truck due to discomfort.

Finally we arrived at the coffee shop with grand intentions!  We order coffee beans for the month, drinks and snacks.  We sit to eat the snacks and the oldest dives into my peanut butter pie and consumes 90% before I've opened my sketch book!  Then she melts down when we ask her to stop.  Dad takes her for a walk.  It turns out she's just really hungry from not eating much lunch so we order a cheese bagel.  Then she's suddenly wet, and we can't figure out if she sat in something or had an accident when she was freaking out earlier so dad takes her to the truck for a change.  Back from the truck she happily eats the cheese bagel and finally draws.  The youngest rolls her sketch into a ball and loses all interest in drawing.  All she wants is cheese and entertainment.  My delicate pond sketch with cattails and swan is roughly colored over.  Finally husband, having drawn nothing, says quietly that it might be time to go.

On the way home there is more whimpering from the oldest because her tummy hurts again.  I wonder how she's going to survive first day back to school tomorrow with all this drama!