Crossing My Mind

TMI, TMI

Been away from the blogosphere due to surgery recovery. Three 8.5 lb. babies + One five foot woman = A seriously compromised pelvic floor. 'Nuff said.

Thank you to all my friends and family for your prayers.

A Little Lesson in Socialism

How can you tell it's Spring and my home school brain is fizzling out? I start preferring reading material with more pictures and less text. Hence the comics posts.

Busy day today. Have to run to run to grocery store to pick up goodies for my husband's surprise 40th birthday party tomorrow night. Then, of course, we have two baseball games tonight. The crock pot is up and running...and so am I.

But I just had to pass on this funny.

An Author of a Classic Dies: Johnny Hart

This was my favorite comic strip when I was growing up.  And my very first set of matching glasses for my very first apartment were the B.C. glasses you got at Arby's when you bought a large Coke. Martha Stewart had nothing on me. 

Now my kids enjoy Calvin and Hobbes (uuhhhh...in between reading War and Peace and Shakespeare...gotta keep up my good home school image...) and I have been thinking that they might get a laugh or two from B.C. as we study creation. Now that I see Hart has passes away I think I'll actually put some wheels behind my brain wave.

It's interesting that ANSWERS IN GENESIS has an article about him. I don't know much about Hart's religious beliefs, but I do remember that a lot of his comics featured the 'humorous' side of God and creation vs. evolution. Of course, when I was a kid - a product of public school, mind you, I didn't know there was a debate. We came from goo with fins and that was that.

It's too bad, really. They don't make them like these any more.

Let's Get Real Monday

 

Thanks to COFFEE MOM I'm going to throw my hat into I HAVE TO SAY's "Get Real Monday" loop. The theme this Monday is, My Favorite Things.

It was a hard choice between my library and my quilting corner, but my quilting corner won. It's in our dining room, which is also our school room. I quilt while my kids do their school work. Unlike when I'm reading a book, when I quilt I can still interact with my kids, help them with their school work, and give them a hard time. It's truly the best of both worlds.

 

A Cure for Vanity

I think I'm embarrassed. Shouldn't there be more women? And Rebecca Romijn...they were obviously feeling sorry for me.

RicDaddy's Quilt is finally finished!

I finally finished my husband's quilt! I am thrilled to have this project completed.

There are two blocks out of place. Can you find them? My grandmother made a quilt with a couple of mistakes in it. When I was a little girl I loved to lay it out and try and find them. I'd like to say I planned the mishaps in this quilt, but alas, I didn't.

Are we really ever too old to have a favorite blanket? This now resides in my husband's room on the air craft carrier. A little bit of home to soften the edges of the ship.

Pacific Northwest Spring

I will not stay up until 3 a.m. blogging, I will not stay up until 3 a.m. blogging....

Yea, right. The kids are in bed, and my husband is on the ship tonight. So here I sit in my big comfy bed with my laptop. Yep, I can smell an all-nighter. Here's to Bing Blogging. Seems to be the only kind I can do these days. Oh well, I didn't bring my power cord to the bedroom; that will at least limit my time to what the old battery can handle.

For all the clouds and rain the Pacific Northwest has dealt us, we are now getting our reward. The last three days have been beautiful.

We moved into our rental house last July. I didn't know we had these beautiful spring bulbs!!

Qualities of an Excellent Servant of Jesus

For the past several months I have been studying the sufficiency of Scripture. This has come about due to a debate gone wrong with a friend who holds the belief that the scriptures are not God's authoritative word to His people, but rather tradition and the church have equal authority. The debate hasn't been pleasant; mainly because I struggle with Foot-in-Mouth Disease. But God has been gracious where I have not. He has also blessed me with a deeper love and understanding of His Word.

The Biblical teaching of my pastor on how to better handle these types of situations in the future, should I ever be in one, has been invaluable. I could have avoided mountains of frustration and kept my witness in tact had I been better equipped.

Qualities of an excellent servant of Jesus - 1 Timothy 4: 4-7

1. An excellent servant warns people of error.

6 In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.

* Take a firm, but gentle approach, when pointing out doctrinal error. (Strike one for me...)

* Don't focus on the false doctrine; focus on the teaching of God. In other words: Don't focus on error; focus on the truth.

* Don't pour energy into refuting false doctrine, but teach the truth, the whole counsel of God, and the false doctrine will stand out.

* Care for the flock - don't hunt for the wolves.

* Be known for what you stand for - not what you stand against.

2. He must strive to be an expert student of the scriptures

*If you're going to refute error you must be an ardent student of the Word of God.

* Timothy was praised by Paul for his constant, intensive pursuit of good doctrine: "...which you have done..."

* Timothy measured Paul's words with Scripture.

* The best refuters of error or those who are skilled in positively expounding the truth.

3. He must avoid the influences of unholy teaching.

7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;

*  Focus on biblical truth not bad theology.

*  Do not entertain futile, senseless discussions around theologies that are nothing more than fables, "...fit only for old women."

* Work hard on personal godliness - not refutations.

According to Paul in 1 Timothy 4: 1-3:

1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.

As a Biblical Christian, I must become equipped to firmly speak the truth of God's Word with gentleness and accuracy. This is my ongoing prayer as I study the Scriptures.

Blog Name Change

The name of this blog has changed to better reflect the contents.

Defining a Classic: A Slight Musical Digression

Due to the end of the home school year fast approaching...Hallelujah!...the posting is becoming sporadic at best.

Allow me a slight dip into nostalgia as I surf the "In My Youth" play list on my iPod.

When I was in the 8th grade Pink Floyd came out with The Wall. I was the DJ at one of our school dances. I was never allowed to be DJ again. Any guesses as to what I played? Yep.

"We don't need no education.
We don't need no thought control.
No dark sarcasm in the classroom.
Teacher leave them kids alone.
All and all you're just another brick in the wall."

Already the establishment was against (future) home schoolers...ha ha ha.

Actually, I think the teachers saw that one coming. It was when I let the album keep going and the song  Mother came on that my career had its abrupt ending. That's when our principal, Mr. Peterson, made the needle jump across my new album in an attempt to protect the student body from songs that all of us had already memorized.

"Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Mother do you think they'll like this song?
Mother do you think they'll try to break my ba......."""Screeeech-skip-scratch!"

Great memories. The best -  When Malcolm and I laid head to head between two huge Bose speakers and listened to the entire album...three times.

God has brought me a long way from those days.

But there is a point to my musing. Many of my fellow home schooling friends are quick to hand their kids "classics" to read. OK, I'm one of those home schoolers. But some of the authors of these "classics" led suspiciously immoral lives, at best. So why should their works be considered classics? I've been pondering this as I compile my kids' book lists for next year (and listen to my ITunes library).

I ask this question on the heels of a friend's raised eyebrows at my exposing my kids to various musical artists from my 'unregenerate' past.  I just shrugged, smirked, and said, "It's for the guitar riffs." But honestly, shouldn't the same eyebrows be raised in response to some of the books so universally called "classics"? Just look at the lives of Tolstoy, Whitman, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald.  Not exactly a group of people you'd want mentoring your kids. And let's not leave out those books from antiquity; Oedipus Rex anyone? But so many parents/educators pass the 'classic' works off as "commentary on society during that time in history". I think a similar argument could be made for Gilmore and Waters (Pink Floyd). While unsettling, The Wall is more insightful than some want to admit. You don't need drugs to figure that one out.

Now I'm not justifying an anything-goes policy concerning music. There has to be some (lots of) discretion. My kids aren't listening to the Rolling Stones (mainly because I don't like them) or Metallica (again, no love), but they do appreciate a little Springsteen, Bad Company, Supertramp, and a little Cold Play interspersed ever so lightly throughout their David Crowder, Third Day, and Chris Tomlin.

Likewise, I don't advocate the anything-goes-because-its-a-classic mentality and blindly hand my seventh grader A Tree Grows in Brooklyn just because some book list touts it as a must read classic for that age.

I know there are strong arguments (ones I still use to this day) against the rock music culture, starting with drugs, sex, groupies, and gallons of alcohol. But if one carefully researches, the same could be said about the circles of Hemingway, O'Connor, and Whitman. They just did those things in a socially acceptable manner...

My point? Well, I'm not sure I have one, really. (Remember, this started as musing.) I'm just sitting here enjoying a blast from my past.