Morning Musing Over Coffee - Talking to God

credit: Michelle Meiklejohn

Pray on the shadowy hillside of hardship and on the sunny hillside of happiness. ~ Terri  Guillemets

The weather was beautiful and Michael and I were sitting on the porch enjoying the Spring weather. I was doing some online work and Michael was just relaxing. As he sat with me he chattered nonstop - about lawnmowers, the neighbor's dog, the neighbor's lawnmower, what time Daddy's coming home, the lawnmower at Lowe's, the rooster, Grandpa's lawnmower - there seems to be a pattern here. In between topics he would sings snippets of his favorite songs. 

It was nice to just listen to what was going on his mind, what his interests are at the moment, and the things he wants to do in the future (mostly ride lawnmowers). And while I have no real interest in riding lawnmowers, I was interested in hearing him talk about it because he's my child and I love him. 

It made me think of my Heavenly Father, and His desire to hear from me. He wants me to talk to Him about what's on my mind, what's bothering me,  what makes me happy. Why? Because I'm His child, He's my Heavenly Father and He loves me!

He would love to hear from you too.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

Blackberries, SPCA and More - The Walnut Acre Daily Thursday July 25, 2013

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

~ Matthew 19:14

WORKING, LEARNING AND PLAYING TOGETHER

This morning we walked through the field behind our house and down to the creek. We were happy to find that the blackberries are beginning to ripen. Most of the kids had their fill of fresh blackberries in between trips to the creek and through the bushes. Christopher absolutely loved them and kept begging Austin to pick him more berries. 

When we got back home we played in the yard awhile before going in. 

IN THE KITCHEN

The early kids went back to sleep this morning and Michael slept in until 8:00 so we just had a quick breakfast of cereal with milk and juice. Amanda made lunch and said she was going to make lunch as unhealthy as she could so she fixed hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, french fries and applesauce. There were no kids home for dinner this evening and I was gone most of the evening so I didn't make dinner. 

OTHER

This evening I took Amanda to volunteer at the SPCA. On the way out we stopped at Arbey's and got our dinner. I love the jalepeno bites from Arby's.

Here are some pictures from the SPCA.

After the SPCA I had a meeting to go to. It was in the home of a family from church. The meeting didn't last real long and I had some time left before I had to be at the church for my usual Thursday hour in the prayer room so they invited me to just stay and chat until it was time to go. It was a nice time of learning to know each other better and I really enjoyed it. 

On Tuesdays and Thursday our church's prayer room is open and there are people assigned to the prayer room from 4AM to 9 or 10PM. I have the hour from 8 to 9PM on Thursday evenings. As prayer requests come in they are put on cards and placed in the prayer room. It has been a blessing to spend that time in prayer and exciting to see prayers being answered. 

TODAY'S QUOTE

Live in rooms full of light. ~ Cornelius Celsus

Pray Without Ceasing!

1 Thessalonians 5:17 

"The position of our text is very suggestive. Observe what it follows. It comes immediately after the precept, "Rejoice evermore;" as if that command had somewhat staggered the reader, and made him ask "How can I always rejoice?" and, therefore, the apostle appended as answer, "Always pray." The more praying the more rejoicing. Prayer gives a channel to the pent-up sorrows of the soul, they flow away, and in their stead streams of sacred delight pour into the heart. At the same time the more rejoicing the more praying; when the heart is in a quiet condition, and full of joy in the Lord, then also will it be sure to draw nigh unto the Lord in worship. Holy joy and prayer act and react upon each other."

C. H. Spurgeon, March 10,1872

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The Walnut Acre Daily - Prayers of a Child, Snow and More

Walking With the King

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun

Bible

We started our morning with prayer, our memory verse, and our theme song. Then we watched A Hole in the Roof, the story of the man who was carried to Jesus by his friends who had to lower him through a hole in the roof to get near Jesus and have Him heal their friend.

Phonics and Reading

We completed the Starfall letter Uu lesson and writing worksheet.

And we reviewed the "ad" word using our word matching mats.

Math

Our math lesson was our favorite counting video - Let's Get Fit: Count to 100. I think we're going to use this for a couple weeks to make sure all the kids are very familiar with counting to 100. Plus the exercise in the middle of hour (more or  less) of lessons is good for all of us.

Transportation Unit Study

We watched Transport for Kids and then counted with these Transportation themed Counting Cards. I loved it when Michael started putting cards side by side and using them for addition problems, especially when last week he was fighting me all the way when I tried to help him do a few simple addition problems. I guess he's learning even when it seems like he's doing his best not to, or it seems like he just can't focus that day.

Storytime

These are the books I read with Michael, Lauren and Madelynn at storytime today.

Austin and Amanda's Homeschool Notes

Bible - Proverbs 31; Science - Respiratory System - Introduction to Cellular Respiration; Math - Unit Conversions 1; Literature - Children and the Supernatural

In the Kitchen

For breakfast this morning we had cereal with milk, bananas and juice.

Amanda made lunch and fixed Empenadas, cheesy fries and butter beans.

For dinner this evening I made a big pot of homemade sausage vegetable soup and we also had turkey & cheese sandwiches and grapes. 

I've been working hard on getting a bigger variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in my diet so a lot of mornings I fix myself a large vegetable/fruit plate to munch on while I work. This was my plate this morning.

Around the House

I cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast this morning, did some laundry and sorted through two boxes of "stuff" that CJ took out of the van when he cleaned it Saturday.

Austin cleaned up the kitchen after lunch and dinner, did the daily cleaning in the upstairs bathroom, and took care of the chickens and outside dog this morning and this evening. 

Amanda did some laundry and did the evening cleaning in the mud room and the downstairs bathroom. She also took care of our inside dog and the cats.

Outdoor Fun

We didn't go out to play today because it was cool and damp most of the day. And now it's snowing and the forecast says there should be a total accumulation of 10 to 14 inches by the time this is over tomorrow evening. This is our first really good snow this year. I'm hoping it snows hard and then turns warm and melts and we move on into Spring. 

Furry, Feathered and  Four Footed Friends

The chickens seem to settling in well. They are laying a few eggs but we really need to get some nesting boxes built because they are laying them from the roosts and the eggs are cracking when they hit the hard floor. I'm not very happy about that at all! I had put up a temporary, makeshift nesting box but they don't seem to approve of that one.

Other Notes and News

I happened on the sweetest scene this afternoon. We've been really focusing on incorporating times of prayer together into our daily routine. This afternoon I saw Michael and Lauren playing together and decided to get a photo. When I quietly slipped up to them to take the picture without interrupting their play I realized they were praying together. Part of the prayer went like this - "Dear God, thank You for You and for me and for . . . " and then went on to mention several other children. So sweet and so encouraging to see them put into practice what we've been learning.

Just Having Fun Together

Our Little People playset has been really popular lately. The kids also enjoyed playing with some of the laminated learning sets from our bird unit last month and putting together rhyming word puzzles.

Today's Quote

We have too many high sounding words and too few actions that correspond with them. ~ Abigail Adams

Daily Deals

Why I Write the Walnut Acre Daily

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The Walnut Acre Daily - Weekend Recap

This weekend has flown by!

Saturday morning I woke up with the goal in mind of using some red polka dot fabric to make some curtains for the playroom. I could hardly wait to get started but I knew I had to get my other work out of the way first or it simply wouldn't get done. So after cleaning two bedrooms, the kitchen, the upstairs bathroom and hallway I was finally able to get started on the curtains. In the middle of making them my plan changed and I decided to put them in kitchen instead. But my sewing machine wouldn't cooperate so it was taking me a long time. I only got one pair of curtains partially finished and I need two more sets yet but it's okay. I'll work on them some more tomorrow afternoon during naptime. I can hardly wait to get them up and post pictures. 

Doug's Saturday was pretty busy as well. First thing Saturday morning he and CJ took the trash to the landfill. When he came loaded up the lawnmower and weedeater and went to mow two yards. He took Michael with him. He finished those just in time to work on our friend's van for her. This took the rest of the evening.

While he was working on her car, Jennifer and I took the kids and ran a few errands and then decided to just go for a ride. We had a good time talking and the kids enjoyed their time together too.

The kids stayed pretty busy too. Austin's friend Aaron was here for the night Friday night and they were up late. So he slept in and I woke him in time to  get ready to go to another friend's house for the afternoon. I picked him up in time for him to get ready to with Aaron to his house for the night and then they were heading to the beach for the day first thing this morning. 

The younger kids played outside, rode bikes, and even did some math in some old workbooks just for fun.

Today has been another awesome day. It started out a little crazy because I overslept but we made it to church only about five minutes late. 

Today was the second Sunday in a three sermon series on Destiny given by David Chappell. Here are a few nuggets I have in my notes from the first two sermons.

One person, with God on their side, is a majority.

The first reason man was created by God was for relationship. He wants to be your friend (John 15:15). He wants to knock on the door of your heart and ask you to come out and play. He delights in His children.

You have been called by God to invade the impossible, not to declare anything impossible.

Destiny is God's purpose for your life, it is the blueprint of His plan for Your life.

These are just a few of the notes I have written down from the last two Sundays. 

This afternoon flew by. Doug and I went for a walk with CJ and Michael because they had a lot of energy to burn. We scared up a snake and followed it awhile. I think it was a garter snake. We talked about how they should never try to touch a snake because some are poisonous and can make you very sick. We walked on down to the creek to see if it was dry. It was so Michael and I went down to explore the creek bed. We found a little green frog hopping around and a persimmon tree growing on the bank. I couldn't resist a picture of Doug holding Michael. It won't be long before he's just to big to be picked up like that. It's hard to pick him up now and we don't do it very often.

We finished off the day by going to a specially called prayer meeting at church. This Sunday evening and next Sunday evening are being set aside for prayer as the church seeks direction on some things. This is not the typical service, but simply a time of coming for prayer and praise and listening. It is a time of letting go of our own ideas and seeking direction. 

Now I'm relaxing for a little before I get good night's sleep in preparation for a busy Monday.

Morning Musing Over Coffee - Praying With Other Christians

credit: Michelle Meiklejohn

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. ~ Matthew 18:20

This promise to us from Jesus is precious. It is His assurance that when we come together to honor and worship Him, He is there in a special way. And when we pray together we can be confident that He will hear and answer. 

Do you have a friend or two that You can take time to get together with and simply pray together? It's something I want to do and if anyone is interested in doing it with me, just let me know. I'd love to see if we can make something work out.

Morning Musing Over Coffee - Ask

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credit: Michelle Meiklejohn

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ~ James 1:5

We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties. ~ Oswald Chambers

God wants to give, not only wisdom, but blessings of all kinds. He wants to hear from us the desires of our hearts. He stands ready to bless if we will only come to Him, the Heavenly Father, and the One who gives all things good.

But, I know I am far too likely to look at the difficulties around me and the many reasons I see that this blessing may not be mine and I doubt. I may not even ask because in my eyes it would be impossible anyway. When I do that I am looking at the difficulties instead of keeping my eyes on God.

My prayer, for you and for me, is that we can keep our eyes on God, knowing He loves us, and gives generously to all.

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Morning Musing Over Coffee - Then I Prayed to the God of Heaven

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credit: Michelle Meiklejohn

Then I prayed to the God of Heaven . . . Nehemiah 2:4b

I was discouraged this morning, wondering what the day would bring and how I would make it through the day. And beyond today ... I was trying to take on the future now. And then I read this and realized that I am (once again) trying to take life's challenges and solve them on my own.

I know bettter. But it's an ongoing process for me to learn to simply take it Jesus and leave it with Him. I keep picking things back up and walking away with them.

We've been talking a lot about prayer at church and are beginning a study on prayer tomorrow. I'm so glad we are. I need the constant reminders that prayer changes things, that He is always there to listen and respond.

Morning Musing Over Coffee - Prayer

credit: Michelle Meiklejohn

 

 

If man is man and God is God, to live without prayer is not merely an awful thing: it is an infinitely foolish.

~ Phillips Brooks

And yet, knowing that God is God, and that I am merely human, I all too often approach prayer in a very casual and perfunctory way. It far too often becomes something that I do merely out of habit or because it's a "nice" or "good" thing to do, when in reality it should be the lifeline I hold onto every minute of every day.

Prayer is not merely an occasional impulse to which we respond when we are in trouble: prayer is a life attitude. ~ Walter A. Mueller

Please Pray - Two Prayer Requests

We only had seven daycare children today and two of the seven were here overnight and left around 6:30 this morning. So it's been pretty quiet. But it's not a good quiet. In fact, I have a two prayer requests. There should have been three more little ones here today and all day I was acutely aware they were missing.

The first prayer request is for siblings who may be in danger. I am not at liberty to give a lot of details but they are with a family member who is very unstable at the moment and may not have their best interests in mind. Police can do nothing at the moment because no harm has been done but . . . please just pray.

The other child who should have been here was not here because her mother is sick and unable to work. She has five kidney stones in one kidney, three in the other, plus a cyst on her ovary. All are causing incredible pain. But not working is rough for a single mother of three.  When I talked to her this evening she said something just feels very wrong, and she feels like she should be in the hospital but she's been to the emergency room twice and they give her more medicine and send her home. So I'm asking for prayer here as well.

Thank you in advance for the prayers. With God all things are possible and we know He hears and cares more than we ever can.

When Amanda went out to take care of her pet chicken this morning she discovered that something (probably the fox we've seen) had somehow gotten ahold of the chicken. So followed a morning of tears. She loves everyone of her pets dearly and takes it very personally if something happens to one of them. And since this is the second time this month this has happened, in spite of our best efforts to keep them safe, it was very hard for her. She seems okay this evening but I'm sure she will still have some rough moments.

We are watching the big winter storm that everyone is buzzing about right now but it doesn't look like we are going to get much of it here. There is a winter weather advisory issued for this area but only a 50% chance of a small amount of freezing rain. Icky but not like a lot of people are getting. I'm a little disappointed, I was hoping for another good snow storm.

Amanda made dinner this evening and did a great job. I made playdough after dinner because our last batch was starting to be show the effects of a lot of use.

Now that the little ones are asleep it will soon be time for me to go do our read alouds with Austin and Amanda. As I've said before, this is one of the highlights of our day. I find myself getting lost for an hour in our books and sometimes the hour long escape does the mind good.