Reasons to be a blogger

Bloggers not-so-anonymous

I love blogging. Posting, commenting, and reading about others. It has been a real positive for me and my family. We began the blog because of family members being so spread out over the country and world. It was to help our times when we were together to not be so "my-kid" centered conversation, because they would already have known what we had been up to. Like scrapbooking, it gave me a way to document our lives and to share it with others.

A negative to it I guess I could say is reading conversations in print just doesn't get the point across or the humor at times. I edit myself at times so feelings are not hurt and I have read some blogs that I sit back and question their intent. So, grace usually covers these situations.

I did search and find and wallowed in for days, blogs of adoptions and Down Syndrome blessed families. I still share in their lives and look forward for our addition someday. This was a big influence for me in the world of blogging.

I also must say my past exposure to the world of web-world and meeting and marrying my husband made it easy to go to Texas and meet so many friends that I had communicated with through blogs. It has been a source of encouragement and strength.

I am tagging a few friends to share their reasons.
Melissabecause a former roommate has a lot to say.
Stephaniebecause if I lived in Tenn. I bet we would share porch time.
Kaceybecause she has a jewel of a daughter and my girls are in love with Ella Grace.


1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
2. link back to the person who tagged you
3. link back to this parent post
4. tag a few friends or five, or none at all
5. post these rules— or just have fun breaking them

Thanks for letting me do my first tag.

End of the Spear

End of The Spear
In 2005 Steve Saint wrote a book about his father and four of his missionary friends who were killed fifty years ago when they tried to witness and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Waodani tribe deep in the heart of the jungles of Ecuador in South America. Fifty years after the tragic deaths of the five missionary men. Steve Saint's parents, Nate and Marj moved to Equador, near the Amazon River basin, when Marj was pregnant with Steve. They were Christian missionairies from the United States, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the native people who lived there.

Near Quito, the villiage where Steve was born, lived a tribe of the Waodani Indians. The fierceness of this tribe was legendary. They killed each other with their spears to the point the tribe was almost extinct. Nate would fly his small yellow airplane over the jungles along the Amazon River searching for the Waodanis. Once he spotted where they lived he started dropping supplies down from the airplane in a small bucket. He was hoping that this would let the people know that he was a friend. One day the Waodanis put a bird in the basket as a gift for the missionaries. This bird became Steve's pet. an excerpt from Just for Kids magazine

There is so much more to this movie, and I will not give away the incredible life altering ending to the movie, but if you are looking for a movie, this would be one to watch. It is not appropriate for the squeamish, and my two daughters did not watch it, because of the killing.

I would love for them to one day see it, and to see how God's ways are above man's, even when it seems like God has turned His face.

It was a priviledge for me to watch this movie tonight and I will not soon forget it. I love the rekindling of a servant's heart. I love the heartstrings of mine that have been pulled because of my past experiences in South America. I love how I know my love for the things of God are taking root in my children. I love His gentle ways He draws us near and yet I love the "in your face" way He gets our attention too.

Carve out some time to watch this movie.

Colonial Life

Hardtack! What kind of appealing name is that for something you would eat? Well, according to most books I have found, this is the food of choice when traveling across the Atlantic in the 1600's. So we made some today to take with us to our group class. It is made of flour, salt, baking powder and water. It was fun, but no one is really excited about eating it. Olivia is excited because she loves Slim Jims and considers that dried beef which they also ate. In her imagination, she could survive; but we who know her, know the truth. There were not enough hair products back then, or denim readily available.

Yes, we are studying history and learning the ways of the world if we lived back then.

Don't get too excited we are not giving up electricity or spices or daily bathing. We are just learning about it. Stephanie gave me quite the laugh today when I read over her list of topics comparing today's world with colonial times. Here are a few-

making clothes from sheeps wool OR buying it at Wal*Mart (she included the star)
using herbs and water to cure illness OR Dr. Thomas
punishment for broken laws by hanging OR spanking, timeouts and hot sauce
attending meetinghouse on Sunday OR going to church at church

Another funny she said today...
" Mom, do you know what they did back in Colonial times when wives spoke back to their husbands?"
"No" (even though I have read the book and did know)
"Well, they dunked the wife into the lake."
"Really."
"Mom, if you lived back then, you would be wet all the time!"

Okay, so we all laughed. Hmm...talking back... I better work on that. You know that whole "begat in your own image" thing.

Speak the truth

Here is a glimpse of our third grader busy with school this year. Along with learning about God, this year we are focusing on speaking the Word of God. Be encouraged today.

Labor Day

So after a weekend of rain and clouds due to Hurricane Gustav, we played then, therefore, we work now. Afterall it is called Labor Day. Loads of laundry for me, a little cleaning and 24 hour run of FOX news to keep track of all that Shep and Geraldo have to tell me about the levees. After this coverage, we will be able to get our degrees in engineering...It is so hard to NOT watch. We celebrated New Orleans with a batch of the infamous Cafe du Monde's beignets. So good.

Steve is cutting the jungle aka our backyard. It has caused the girls and I quite a fright lately, because we do not know what lurks in the grasses. He is a good man. Having his zen (ipod) to listen to, makes it agreeable. I have some good steaks defrosting to reward him later for his day of Laboring.

As for the girls. They decided that the day could only be celebrated with a proper morning concert. And what is a concert without proper attire? They were just so darn cute, I could not resist the pics. Gotta love them! Is it 2008 or am I dreaming of the 70's? Disco queen.

Oh to be a kid!

These girlies know how to have fun!

Ooh so lovely!

It makes a mother proud.

Who knew soap foam was so much fun!?

San Antonio

Loved it!

And this was not a coordinated outfit planned event.

Cute but oh so "swoled" up.

Texas beef...a good steak we shared, too bad it was 11:00pm

She called me "Precious"...


Friday morning came early as Steve drove me to the Tampa airport to catch my flight. I did not set off any alarms with my two small bags, so I was sure this was going to be a breeze. Three stops later and three disbursements of peanuts by the lovely staff of southwest, I was on my swollen feet again. Apparently I am one of those whose feet dont do well with flying. Fifty feet off the ground and the ankles grow. Add in the heat of Texas, salsa and staying on the 23rd floor, and it was a weekend of growth. Ha. The ankles will go back to normal, but I hope I never will be the normal I was on Thursday again.

Beth Moore delivered a word that was a dissection of Psalms 16. She was able to give us a feast of information went back to the days of Abraham and how it is relevent to us today. I can tell you that without a hint of hesitation, this mind and soul has boundary lines laid in pleasant places.

I was able to fall back into old habits and meet people I had met online and I was not disappointed in that arena either. These women were funny, brillant, lovely, real, and so worth the miles. There is no one else I would cross five lanes of traffic for in my pjs. But speaking of arena, doesn't it seem strange that at a woman's conference with 10,000 women, we would not be allowed to use the men's and women's bathroom facilities? But Noooooo, there were guards blocking the entrance to the men's room from all of the desperate woman. Oh the lines.

If you want to hear some of the music I have been listening to and my girls have been humming for three days, check out Travis Cottrell's song in the playlist on the side. This song was one we sang and it brought us to the throne. Enjoy.

So with new friends, a family to come home to that loves me and a wealth of knowledge to chew on and digest I am a blessed woman.