challenge wrap-up

At the beginning of this month, I hopped on board with Susanne's idea to spend 30 days focusing on honouring, encouraging, and praying for my husband. I didn't do so well in the first half of the challenge with following the practical suggestions that have come with each day's email from ROH, but I made considerably more effort in the second half to at least READ the daily emails!!

Unfortunately, due to some mysterious cyber-pixies, much of the last week's worth of emails never actually arrived, and the few that did, were all mixed up.

Of course, it's not like I really need daily email reminders to know I should be encouraging my husband!! The practical suggestions are nice though, but are often virtually impossible to put into practice by nature of my husband's job. When he's working, it's pretty rare that I really see him much during the day ~ sometimes not at all. (Thank God, he had another week of work, though!! They've been all too few and far between over the last six months.)

I had great hopes of doing well in the second half of this challenge, but I have to confess, I don't think I did any better than the first half. We'll have great conversation, we'll share our feelings and express our thankfulness for each other, but we seem to be having trouble connecting lately. Either he's not home at all because he's working, or he's antsy because he's home and not earning any money and can't really figure out what he should be doing. Add to that the fact that we've got two VERY different internal clocks.

I'm in bed every night shortly after 10 and up between 5:30 and 6 every morning, while he sleeps until the girls are at the breakfast table (shortly after 7:30 am) and stays up till... well, I'm usually fast asleep by the time he comes to bed, so I have no idea how late he stays up!!!!

So you can imagine how well we're connecting, um, physically.

Which creates more tension.

::sigh::

If I've learned anything from this challenge, it's that these are exactly the barriers that the world wants us to think are insurmountable, which is exactly why it's so important to be a true helpmate for my husband ~ to sacrifice at least a little of my desires, my characteristics, my routine, my life, to better serve him and glorify God.

I love my role as his cheerleader, his caregiver, his supporter, his lover....

I'm just not very consistently good at it yet!

best of both worlds

For the most part, our summer was, well, somewhat underwhelming. July and August, statistically our hottest two months, were cool and damp. We had one hot week at the end of June to kick things off, but after that....

...nothin'.

Until my birthday.

Seriously, August 22 was the start of the beautiful weather. It's actually FELT like summer now the last five weeks. Which is odd, because usually by now, it's feeling like fall. The nights are definitely cooler than what we'd normally get in July, but the daytime temps are normal for the peak of summer. We've used our air conditioner more in September than we did all of June, July, and August combined!!

I'll take it. I really don't care when we get our two months of summer, just so long as we do!!

There are signs of the season though, despite the abnormally warm, dry weather, but I'm fine with enjoying the vivid fall colours while still enjoying the heat of summer! I truly am getting the best of both seasons.



PS. Can you believe it? This is my FIVE HUNDREDTH post!!!

i'm in a bit of a domestic pickle...

Yesterday, with both girls off at school and The Bushman at home, he and I decided to tackle making pickles, since we've got a bajillion cucumbers still coming out of the garden. It was a first for both of us, but having had help canning first cherries and then peaches earlier this summer, we bravely decided it was time to try it on our own.

First, he picked, washed, and sliced them for me...

...and then I took over. Once he'd sliced up 7 quarts-worth, I put them in a huge bowl, sprinkled a cup of pickling salt over top, covered them with boiling water, stirred them up a bit and then let them sit like that for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, I washed all my jars and rings...

...and cooked up the brine ~ 12 cups of sugar (yes, you read that right!!), 6 cups of vinegar, 1/4 c. salt, and 4 tsp. turmeric. Pictured here is a half-recipe of the brine. I had to do it in two pots because I was using my biggest pot instead of a canner. I can't bring my actual canner to a boil on my stove, but because this pickle recipe isn't a huge one, and because I can fully submerge pint jars in my stock pot with a metal trivet at the bottom, I thought I'd give it a try.

After the cukes sat in the warm salt-water for two hours, I drained them thoroughly and put the cucumber slices into the 14 pint-jars...

...poured in the brine and added a sprig of fresh dill to each jar...

...topped with sterilized snap lids, fastened them with rings and brought them to a boil in my stock pot. As I mentioned earlier, I can't bring my canner to a boil on my flat-top stove, but my stock pot boils within moments.

Once the water has come to a boil, I turn off the element and just let the jars sit in the hot water for 20 minutes. And voila! Fourteen pints of what I've grown up calling "Mrs. Fast" Pickles ~ because my mom got the nameless recipe from her friend years ago and we've just never seen the recipe anywhere else. Best. pickles. ever.

All 14 jars sealed, although one I'm not positive did on its own, so it's in the fridge.

Now the only unfortunate thing about this whole experience is that I need to let them sit and cure for a couple of weeks before I can let you know how they turned out!!

kitty update

I don't know if you've been wondering or not, but Tigger's kittens are still all alive and thriving. Three have been adopted out, but that still leaves us with plenty of CAT on the yard! You remember Patches and Lunar Jim, of course, but now the twins have names as well ~ Thing 1 and Thing 2. This way, it really doesn't matter that we can't tell them apart!!!

Tigger hasn't quite weaned off her remaining kittens and while they really don't need her milk anymore, they obviously prefer it to water and dog food.

DoSD 2: the challenge of discernment

Wow, this chapter gave me chills.

Challies reminds us in the opening paragraphs that Jesus came not to bring peace, but to "bring a sword" of division. (Matthew 10:34-37)

"With discernment comes division. A person who seeks to be discerning must be willing to suffer the effects of this division.... It will separate the mature from the immature, the naive from the prudent." (p39)

He goes on to explain the forces within and without us that work against our attempts to become discerning Believers ~ internal ("The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"), spiritual (the devil on the prowl), and cultural. In looking at the cultural influences that work against spiritual discernment, Challies lists several, beginning with a secular worldview.

The term "worldview" gets used a lot these days, but it means, quite simply, a way of looking at the world. Everyone has a worldview. And sadly, the worldview of many who profess to be Christians is no different from the worldview of those who don't. The author sites some startling statistics that prove many Christians ~ most, in fact ~ have a worldview that is completely inconsistent with their profession of faith.

"It is a worldview premised not on the truths revealed in the Bible but on a person's flawed understanding of the world. It is ultimately a worldview rooted in a person's own sinfulness. The worldview we see around us is one that refuses to delineate an antithesis between good and evil.

Biblical language is filled with examples of this antithesis: clean versus unclean, saved versus unsaved, good versus wicked, chosen versus 'not chosen.' The words the Bible uses in the original languages to describe discernment... are rooted in this distinction. Discernment itself is rooted in the understanding that there is good and bad, that there are God's ways and other ways. A secular worldview, on the other hand, teaches that truth exists along a continuum. Truth is subjective; it is relative.

"This unbiblical worldview encourages a secular mindset that in turn rejects discernment as unnecessarily divisive and discerning Christians as those who cause schisms within the body of Christ." (p45)

That excerpt echoes very closely what I heard in Sunday school last weekend. Our church has just begun Focus on the Family's "The Truth Project" by Dr. Del Tackett. In Tour 1 ~ Veritology: the Search for Truth ~ he uses the same terminology: the antithesis between good and evil. It was interesting to read that again in this book later in the week.

A low view of Scripture, a low view of theology, and a low view of God's holiness contribute to this worldview problem. We can only judge between right and wrong when we believe what God says is true, and where else can we find this than in His Word? Challies states that when Christians reject the belief in the sufficiency of Scripture, they begin to depend on things other than the Bible as their guide to matters of life and faith. They turn to mysticism, ways of supposedly knowing God apart from the Bible.

And so it follows that if we have a low view of Scripture, we're going to have a low view of theology, the study of God. But the process of sanctification is exactly that ~ learning more and more about God and His requirements for our lives so we can then become the people He expects us to be.

"We must know theology so we can allow it to govern our actions.

Sadly, though, many Christians have separated theology from practice, knowledge of God from their practice of serving him. Some Christians delight in their ignorance, claiming that they don't want theology; they just want to love Jesus. These people tend to build their faith upon feelings and experiences rather than upon the truths of the Bible." (p49)

And, with equally low views of His Word and His character, we obviously have a low view of God and His holiness, and herein lies the key:

"When believers do not understand God's holiness and allow this doctrine to shape their faith, they cannot understand his hatred of all that is sinful and, thus, the need for discernment. God's holiness lies at the very heart of the need for discernment. (p50)

And when God's holiness is downplayed or even ignored, the importance of discernment is, too.

bedtime, shmedtime

Last Friday evening, just before the girls' bedtime, I saw through the trees that we were in for a spectacular sunset. I haven't captured many this summer with my camera and because the next day wasn't a school day, I told the girls they could stay up later if they came for a little walk with me.

Fidget's always whining about not being able to stay up late like her parents, so naturally, she jumped at the chance. Peanut was all too happy to comply.

The sky never ceases to amaze me. Its control over my moods is astounding. Its ability to inspire me is unending. I think sky-gazing is one of the ways God has chosen to speak to me because I tell ya, when I'm out there ~ whether to witness the sunrise or the sunset, whether overcast or sunny, regardless of extreme heat or cold ~ it makes me feel like it was all created just for me. Like I'm the only one who's seeing it exactly the way I'm seeing it at that moment. And I guess, in a sense that's true. No one else is looking at it through my eyes!

I love the way the sky draws my attention away from my cares and concerns. Financial problems, business issues, personal relationship struggles, heartache.... they all seem to fade a little and lose their deathgrip on my soul when in the presence of the Son.

Interesting how that works.

Hosted by Cecily & Izzy 'N Emmy

DoSD 1: a call to discernment

After reading and reviewing the book, Why We're Not Emergent, I thought this book would be a good follow-up, but there's a lot of material here and rather than just giving a review once I'm finished the book, I've decided to share what I feel are the key points ~ as well as my thoughts ~ on each chapter.

Clearly, one problem I have in my spiritual life and relationship with Christ is that I lack discernment. I can usually notice when someone outrightly says or writes something that is contrary to Scripture, but I'm not wise enough to notice when something contrary to Scripture is implied, either by a slight twist in wording or by what is left unsaid.

This, according to author Tim Challies, is proof of either spiritual immaturity, backsliding, or even spiritual death.

We live in an age where too many who profess to be Christians rarely consider their spiritual maturity ~ an age when many consider spiritual immaturity a mark of authenticity, and when people associate doubt with humility and assurance with pride. Far too many people consider sound theology the mark of a person who is argumentative and proud. Far too many people are just like the audience to whom Hebrews is addressed.

Scripture makes it plain: if you are not a person who exhibits and exercises discernment you are not a mature Christian. (p 23)

Ouch. Rather harsh words ~ especially since I've been a professing Christian for the last 30 years!

But the Bible teaches there is a clear connection between discernment and spiritual maturity, and since Believers are to guard the truth of the gospel which God entrusted to us, it follows that knowing and discerning the truth would be important in fulfilling this responsibility. And yet so many Christians today don't endeavour to reach the point where they know the difference between what looks good and what IS good. Like the writer to the Hebrews laments, we're happily content with milk when we should have moved on to solid food.

God demands and expects maturity, and maturity is inseparable from discernment. A Christian cannot have one without the other. (p 24, emphasis mine)

challenge update

At the beginning of this month, I hopped on board with Susanne's idea to spend 30 days focusing on honouring, encouraging, and praying for my husband. Unfortunately, I haven't done that well so far.

I know I've spent much more time in prayer for my family in the last two weeks than I have previously (which, obviously, includes my husband!), but as far as specifically telling The Bushman, and others, what I appreciate about him hasn't really been happening. I've focused much more on the prayer aspect of this challenge; the physical challenges of saying nice things about my husband and to my husband have not been addressed with the same discipline.

Except for the day Susanne encouraged us to do it via Facebook. And in a way, I felt like that was a cop-out for me, but when you only get out of the house once a week for grocery shopping and errands, and once a week for church, there just aren't daily opportunities to tell other people how awesome my husband is except online!

One thing that's always been a goal of mine, since before we were even married, was to make sure he knew I was behind him 100%; that I would share my thoughts with him, but that ultimately, the decisions he made about supporting and leading our family would be his, with my full support. At times, it's been tough to follow through on that, and I know I used to poke a lot of fun at what I thought were his short-comings and mistakes, but over the last couple of years, he and I have both changed.

We've both made deepening our relationship with Christ a priority and as a result, our marriage relationship has grown as well. I look forward to the second half of this challenge, and putting more of the suggested practical applications to use.

back to school

Yesterday and today were the girls' first days back to school.

Peanut started Grade 2 yesterday. She was so excited. Her backpack was so full, her lunch and her new runners didn't fit, but she's a tough kid ~ she managed just fine.

Fidget was so excited about her sister coming home yesterday afternoon, that we stood at the end of the driveway for almost 15 minutes, waiting for the bus.


And then this morning, my li'l Fidget got on the bus with her big sister, off to her first day of Kindergarten. And left me all alone. All day.

As much as I've kind of looked forward to this season in my life, it feels a little empty. I guess because my day didn't change much when Peanut first started school; I still had one girl at home.

But this year, I'll be alone on "even" days in each 6-day cycle. This week, it's just today. Next week, it will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and from then on, the two- or three-day pattern will become routine.

Part of me looks forward to the uninterrupted quiet; part of me misses Fidget's boistrous voice and non-stop activity.

Part of me is excited about the larger projects I've been putting off until I wouldn't have kids underfoot; part of me feels like the house is just too empty.

All of me is looking forward to when that bus brings them home again.

Which it did just moments ago, and the second after she'd almost fallen out of the bus because she was looking back at the driver to say goodbye, Fidget yelled at the top of her voice,

"Mom, this was my bestest day of my LIFE!!"

So I guess it went okay.

riding into yesteryear

We had one final summer hurrah this last weekend as we spent a few days in the city again, visiting family. We helped one of The Bushman's sisters move to a new apartment (top floor of a three-storey walk-up, of course!), ate a couple of belated birthday suppers (and too much food, in general!), shopped at W*l-M*rt a few times ~ had to stock up on Nutella! ~ missed Value Village this trip, and rode a fully restored early 1900's train, complete with coal-burning steam engine.

I'd done this once before with my parents as a child ~ probably when I was around Peanut's age ~ and my parents decided it was time to do it again.

It really is amazing to see and experience how people would have travelled a hundred years ago.

The cars (there are five) are all slightly different and all beautifully restored down to the last details. Ours was a "mixed" car ~ meaning both women and men would have ridden in it together, but separated by the centre aisle (who was to sit where was clearly marked on the walls the front and back of the car) ~ although we were allowed to sit wherever we chose. There were match strike-plates on the wall beside each seat to make lighting cigarettes easier. Cigars would have had to be smoked in the designated men's smoking car.

The suspended overhead brass and glass down the centre of the coach were beautiful ~ not ornate, but stately Pintsch gas lamps ~ and the woodwork was incredible as well. I didn't actually tour the other cars, but a couple we sat across from had and they showed us pictures of some of the details they'd seen in the other ones, including some brass inlays.

The train stops twice for 45 minutes, at two little towns not far from the city, who participate in the festivities with petting zoos, garage sales, bake sales, hotdog vendors, and more. The second town had a beautiful park where we had our picnic lunch and took some family pictures.


It was a gorgeous afternoon ~ perfect for riding the rails for a couple of hours with the windows open. It became quite hot (in fact, The Big City had its hottest week this summer while we were there), but the humidity was low and the breeze coming in through the windows was refreshing and comfortable.

(Fidget, pretending to be Bolt!)
The girls loved it and we all had a great time. I'm really not much of a history buff, but it was fun to slow down and imagine, for one afternoon, how my life might be different had I lived a century ago.