Learning from John Piper - LIVE at The SBTS Valentine's Chapel

This morning I was able to join Dustin for Chapel at Southern.  We were excited to hear John Piper in person!  His message was from 2 Timothy 4:9-22, and entitled "The Sadness and Beauty of Paul's Final Words".  When I first read the title of the message, I admit that I was a little skeptical, especially since I feel the "melancholy" traits of my personality have been predominant in my thoughts and attitudes over the past year or two.  I get tired of thinking and hearing about sadness much of the time.  But God knew this message was just what I needed to hear today.  Piper's message reminded me that our hope and strength is Christ who will never leave us as we labor in ministry.  It reminded me that Christ is our perfect friend, who never lets us down, and we can run to him when our imperfect human relationships fail; and it is only through Christ that we can forgive or be forgiven by others when we fail.

The Text from Paul in Scripture

9. Do your best to come to me soon. 10. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! 17. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. 18. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

19. Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21. Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.
22. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

(2 Timothy 4:19-22 ESV)

The Application from Piper

Point 1: Christian ministry is relationally hard (consider v. 18)

Point 2: Friends in ministry can let you down and never return again (consider Demas in v. 10)

In the Christian's quest to share the good news of Christ, and be relevant in the culture around us, let us not forget that there is a love for the world that is incompatible with Christ.

Point 3: Good friends in ministry can let you down, and still be good friends (consider v. 12, 16)

Even when all deserted him at his defense, Paul was with and longed for his Christian friends now (Listen to the list! Luke, Mark, Timothy, Prisca, Aquila, Erastus, Trophimus, Claudia, Linus, Pudens, Eubulus--Paul must have reconciled with them after being deserted by those who were with him now)

Christian, when a brother fails you, you must forgive...or kill yourself holding onto bitterness and not forgiving.

Point 4: Jesus Christ is the center of your Christian friendships, and deepens the sweetness of your friendships (consider V 9, 21)

Human friendships are fickle, and yet, Paul longs for them.

Christ does not intend our friendship with him to replace Christian friendships or the Church.

Point 5: Jesus Christ is the only flawless friend (verse 17,18)

The Lord stood by Paul when all deserted him.  Only on friend can rescue you, and bring you safely home. And when your human friendships fail, don't turn on your One Friend, Jesus, who will always be there.

Point 6: Closeness to God at the end of your life does not negate the need or desire to read and be nourished (verse 13). 

Paul requests scrolls and parchments, presumably to study, meditate upon as the end of his life is approaching.  I liked how Piper put it "bring the books! They will help me die well!"

Point 7: People with great influence and authority don't need great possessions (consider verse 13)

Paul asks for a cloak and stuff to read.  Point 7 is always a timely reminder for me, as I feel that the sin of my love for money bears down upon me relentlessly.

Piper ended encouraging those pursuing Ministry to walk toward it, and to walk toward it with our eyes wide open, to help us to know what to expect in this life.

Study

The reason why moved to Louisville is so that Dustin can study here:

Here at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he is studying for is Masters of Divinity.

Last year, I was still working out, or "fleshing out" (to use a term I hear Christian pastors use more and more as they seek to apply practically what a text written by the ancients, inspired by God himself, looks like for the average person) what this season of study meant and just what it was going to look like for our family.

During the first several months after we landed, here's how I saw what this move looked like for me:

-Work every Saturday and Sunday as a nurse, leaving the house at 6:15 a.m., returning around 8 pm, and stuff my fear of getting sued because I didn't document something properly 15 yrs down the road (other OB nurses can relate to this I think).

-Take care of four little kids Monday through Friday 24/7, one of them being a breastfeeding infant, less than 12 months old.

-Try to limit the number of days/nights a week I cried or yelled at someone at home to 3 out of 7...I felt pretty good about that number

-Figure out where my heart went and where it was going...

I won't detail the gory details of last year.  It is painful, and in comparison to the infinite hurts in the world, it would be shameful for me to dwell there.  Except...God is faithful.  He has carried me through my grief and given me strength to:

- fear not

- rest

- delight in the Lord

- love my husband

- love my kids

- have a soft heart

- believe in Jesus Christ

Dustin is beginning his second year at SBTS.  My heart is so different from what is was one year ago.  There were nights where I thought I was going to lose my faith, and begged God to keep me, not knowing how in the heck He would do it...because, the world looks pretty bleak out there with out Him.

Louisville

Dustin and I, and Elias, Jillian, Georgia, and Luke Rudolph live in Louisville, KY.

One year ago, I was reeling with this fact.  Oh wretched and healing grief.  In the midst of the denial stage of my grief, I stood in our kitchen crying out, out loud (Lord, have mercy and let my kids forget these moments) "Are we really HERE?!".

Prior to moving to Louisville, I had not really left "home".  Yes, through marriage, I had gone through the "leave and cleave" separation of leaving my parents, leaving being "just me", to becoming united to my spouse.  But, no, really I had not left home.  And in my move to Louisville, after much research, prayer, planning, searching of places and hearts...with Dustin blazing the way, we packed up our stuff and moved across the country, with some of my heart, all of our kids, and away from a place and people I really really like and love.

Thankfully, we did not need passports to get here.  And I pray that our next move to our next home does not require passports or visas.  Really, I pray that.  I also pray, not my will.  Even if our next move does require those things, it will be okay.  It will be hard.  I might even be disappointed, because, I don't want to move out of the country.  But I have experienced how, when I submit to what is God's will for my life, to the best of my knowledge, through prayer, and circumstance, in faith, and study of God's word, then he will be faithful to complete what he has started.  And in His faithfulness, I can rest.

You see, I am small.  I am so so small.  I am one person in the midst of billions of people who live and have lived on one planet, which circles a star, which sits in the midst of countless other stars, in the midst of countless galaxies of countless stars and planets and...

And God made all these things.  Meditate on that.  Really picture the reality of the vastness of the universe.  Take a whole day to think about this!  Even the enormous thunderstorms we experience in the middle of the United State are tiny compared to that vision.  Really picture how minute we are in that vastness.  And yet God who made the universe, who thought up the universe, makes himself known to me.  Not only that, he LOVES me.

God loves me.  It is ALL OVER the Bible.  I think I my favorite might be 1 John 4:10 (NIV) "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin."  Exodus 34-6-7, Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:7-21, Ephesians 2:4-10.  He loves me and us, for His glory.  Not for my glory, although, oh, the infinite and profound blessings I receive from his love.  But for HIS glory and purposes.  And I can rest in that because he is much much bigger than me.

Gladness

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; 

you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,  

that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

Oh Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Psalm 30:11-12 (ESV)

Last month we got to visit Bellingham, my hometown.  When I moved from this place, I felt like a piece of my heart was severed from who I am.  So, when Dustin and I, and the kids, visited both the physical place of Bellingham, and "my people" who live in Bellingham, it was like balm to a wound--a wound that is more or less healed now, but still scarred and itchy sometimes.

We visited one of the San Juan Islands and my dad made a drum from a drift wood log on the beach...and soon, we were dancing in a Pacific Northwest sunset.

Photo Update of Our Fantastic Four!

In the photo above, Jillian is "teaching" Georgia and the Stuffies. She is teaching them Bible verses in song format. They are pretty quick learners.

Storytime with Grandpa in front of the fireplace.

Luke's first slumber party!

Elias took over read-aloud time on this February day while I was nursing Luke. One of our fam's fave books is "Make Way For Ducklings".

Laid Luke on the couch for a nap, went to the kitchen, came back in to the living room to check on him...and discovered another "mommy" thought this was a great location for her baby to take a nap too.

It must be kinda fun having these three people talking to you at once.

First smile caught on camera on February 12th...one month old, pretty sure it was a "real" smile, too :)

Sunny Snow Day!

Luke is almost two months old now, Georgia is 2.5 years, Jillian almost 5 years, Elias 6 years old. All six of us are living with my gracious parents whose arms of love have expanded greatly to allow us to live in their home for five months now. I'm learning A LOT about unconditional love from my mom and dad. I am SURE that we annoy them at times. I constantly annoy MYSELF with all of my mistakes and clutter...imagine being "empty nesters" and having a family of six enter into almost every corner of your home space. Yet somehow (I attribute it to their love for us, faith in Jesus, sense of humor, oath to each other to remain "kids at heart", their ability to forgive and "let it go", and that they genuinely enjoy being around us--at least I think they genuinely enjoy being around us...), my parents continue to make us feel welcome here until we march onward to Kentucky.

Ten Years

Ten years ago, sometime near today's date, I received a special Christmas card in the mail. The return address originated in North Carolina, on Bent Creek Drive, with someone bearing the last name of "Rudolph" (no, not the reindeer). The handwritten portion of the card inside wasn't simply "I hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year" or "I'm so glad we've become friends" type message. Well, it wasn't sappy either...the verbage was witty, unexpected, and what I consider sweet (something like "I didn't get a chance to fare thee well before we left school for Christmas break...et cetera, et cetera). I would write the exact quote, but at the moment "The Card" that made my heart so twitterpated toward my now husband, is packed away in our storage unit across town (as we are preparing to move across the country), within my small box of keepsakes from way back when.

Every Christmas, I remember this card, remember how wonderful it felt and still feels to be pursued by this man. Oh dear, we were so immature, selfish, and crazy when we first were getting to know each other, knowing we wanted to get married, but wondering how and when we should do this when we were so...young, still in college, for heaven's sake! The verse "Flee the evil desires of your youth" applied quite strongly to us.

Dating Dustin was far from perfect...we were selfish, fickle, covetous, impatient. Honestly, not a whole lot of our two years of dating do I enjoy reminiscing about...Which is a tangible reminder that ALL of our marriage is a MERCY from God. What God has provided for us, and mostly, how he has changed our hearts over the past 10 years, has been orchestrated ultimately by the God of the universe.

Have I ever mentioned how I love my husband? One thing I love about him is his naturally strong personality, which he uses to call me out and reign me in. Dustin is my accountability partner: He teaches me about loving my neighbor. Seriously, left to myself, I am prone to be critical of everyone around me, in the privacy of my mind and heart. It usually boils down to my being envious of something a person has or a quality they possess, and I try to disguise this sinful attitude with another...comparing and criticizing others. None of this falls into the "encourage one another, and build each other up" or "Love always hopes" categories that are biblical principles Christians are to strive for as we walk the road of sanctification. Dustin typically recognizes when I'm going down these critical paths, and sets me straight. What a gift!

Okay, I have to jot down one more attribute of Dustin that I really really appreciate: he stewards his time well, according to his abilities. Before and after work, he is usually helping out at home, or studying, or playing with our kids, cooking, cleaning, communicating well. On days off, he goes to meetings, or studies more, or researches, typically before our family time (which I have struggled to get used to). We do like to take time to watch movies together usually at night on our laptop before bed, which, occasionally is a waste of time. We do take vacations within our budget, which are NOT a waste of time or money. And he is learning and teaching me how to Sabbath. Dustin is not idle, and he is not afraid to take on another task that needs to be done, and I appreciate that.

So that is my bi-annual blog entry as it seems lately, heh. With our fourth baby due in a few weeks, I don't imagine I will blog more frequently, but who knows? I just had to jot down my thoughts as this 10 year anniversary of "The Card" rolled around.

Spring

Tomatoes growing on the window sill, shoring up the garden beds with mulch and great soil, reading books on a blanket outside, and eating supper at the picnic table--AND Jillian Spring's birthday just around the corner. Tomorrow we take a trip to Eliza Island, per her request, to celebrate her birthday. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad for your vision, work and efforts to make Eliza Island a very special place in my heart, and now my kids' hearts.

Here We Go Again!

Whenever I feel the crispiness of Autumn in the air, an internal alarm begins to signal: "It's Starting!" Well, the "It" used to be school, and in a year, that will be the "It" again when Elias catches up to age 5 and kindergarten. This year, thankfully, "It" is not school. "It" isn't anything, really. "It" is just a feeling I get at this time of year. So I decided that "It" would be the start of my blogging again.

I overwhelmed myself with the subject I attempted to begin blogging about in my last post. The first, oh, five or so times I thought about sitting down and writing about temptations, I found a reason to not do so. Then, spring, vacation, summer hit me in the head like an open cabinet one forgot to close prior to bending down to pick something up--WHAM! UGH!...Ouch, that REALLY hurt. Not that the past two seasons have been bad. Not in the least. They've been a lot of work. They've come and gone--FAST. We have reaped and are reaping much fruit (from our farm and local farms near us). Vegetables (beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, collards, swiss chard, peas, lettuce, zucchini, pumpkins, cucumbers, beets, turnips, corn) and fruits (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, plums).

Last April we butchered the 14 cornish cross chickens we raised in our back yard for 8 weeks. In July, we butchered our two roosters, that we hatched from our very own, and dear hen's eggs last February. We sold our goats (those rascals) on the day we left for our vacation (literally a few hours before our airplane departed), and picked up two lambs (literally a few hours post-vacation airplane arrival). Our order for two pigs this autumn is in and paid for. The freezer filled in the spring with Mr. Pettitoes, local-pastured beef, and whole chickens is now only 1/3 meat, and 2/3 berries, with a little room to spare for apples, lamb, peaches, and maybe another few gallons of blackberries if I can eek out another picking in the orchard below us which belongs to Shirley, our neighbor.

Practically, I've learned a lot, too. I've been using techniques described in How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons, involving "double digging", raised garden beds, composting, and companion planting. Paired with great sun and warmth, these gardening methods will forever be tools in my farming belt, or should I say overalls? wheelbarrow? I don't know. In any case, I won't be hanging up my farming belt or wheelbarrow or overalls or muckboots anytime soon. I really truly enjoy working our small farm and I am looking forward to trying out new winter gardening techniques come the dreary gray autumn so near at hand to us here in the world of the Pacific Northwest.

In addition, I recently read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and feel inspired-- inspired to grow and nurture and learn and understand what is feeding me, and my family. I grew up in a "farming" family, in a way. So many of my childhood memories are filled with playing (sometimes working) near my parents and grandparents at Grandma and Grandpa, Jack and Lenny Hovde's Christmas Tree Farm. Dustin has some great stories about barely escaping the sow hog at his grandmother's house (think:four second-grade boy cousins, sneaking into the pen, and clambering under barbed wire just-in-the-nick-of-time before Mrs. Sow chomps or tramples you...yikes!). The Christmas Tree Farm provides helpful income. Mamaw and Papaw still plant and put many pounds of fruits and vegetables for food throughout the year.

For whatever reason, both Dustin and I have a developing, perhaps even deeply-seeded drive within us to farm. Unless God's calling is clear, it is unlikely that we will ever settle into a chicken-less suburban neighborhood...and if we do...watch out! Over the past two years we've lived in this suburban neigborhood (which never was completely chicken-less) I've gone from hearing our roosters crow, to hearing what I think are five different crows coming from different directions and distances. And from talking with and touring neighbors' back yards, I'm pretty sure I'm right. Not that our family has been the driving force in the surge of neighborly chickens. No, "local" food and backyard farming is so en vogue right now (at least among those I rub shoulders with) its no wonder my ears have discovered this crowing trend. I wonder how long it will stick around?

In my opinion, I hope this trend is here to stay, and grow. In all honesty, I am still the cheapskate, convenience consumer I have always been. I can't pass up Old Navy's "extra-50% off clearance" sale, for example. But, my hope is that it becomes more convenient for me to buy the local small farmer milk, vs. the 1,000 mile away milk at my favorite grocery store. There are many changes still to be made in my purchase choices, and the changes we have made have been slow, sometimes sporadic, but, nevertheless, manageable (which is a vital factor, especially when parenting three wee-ones). All in all, I feel I'm in a continual process of de-cluttering--my living room, my grocery list, my mind, my heart, my soul.

Yes, decluttering my heart and soul.
Titus 3: 4- 7 " But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous thins we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
Oh how often do I have de-clutter my heart. Have you ever realized you've twisted the Gospel in your heart and mind? I have. It typically takes me 30+ minutes to fall asleep at night, even when I'm really tired, so I have a lot of time to think. It's usually during these times that I realize I've "exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator" (Romans 1:25). Most of the time, I'm worshiping myself (either internally gloating about nice I am or wallowing in my lackings or sin--in both states, neglecting to glorify and fear God). I easily trip into a "works-based" religion, that it is my good works that make me "more righteous" or shortcomings that make me a sinner. That concept a lie. I am a sinner by nature, inherited from Adam. Even in my most self-sacrificing and loving moments my heart (and yours) is deceitful and self-centered. But, it is "by one man's [Jesus Christ's] obedience many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19).

In Wayne Grudem's book, Systematic Theology, he states that it "is essential to the heart of the gospel to insist that God declares us to be just or righteous not on the basis of our actual condition of righteousness or holiness, but rather on the basis of Christ's perfect righteousness, which he thinks of as belonging to us." And, in the words of the apostle Paul: "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 5:1.

So, as I seek to declutter and simplify my heart, my home, my money-spending, our farm operations, may I do it all remembering Christ, and with a grateful heart. Thanks for reading through this long post. And hopefully, I'll post more often about our farm and life ventures.

Temptations

In The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, he writes "No one is completely free of temptations because the source of temptation is in ourselves. We were born in sinful desire. When one timeptaion passes, another is on its way. We will always have temptation because we are sinners who lost our original innocence in the Garden."

I would like to meditate and reflect over the next month on temptation--in general, and in my own life and how God provides a way out for us in every temptation that we face.

January

Here are a few snapshots of what I've seen around my home this past month: Elias in our backyard: stick and sword in hand--a dangerous combo
One of our Barred-Rock Hens peering into our house from the deck

Red the Rooster and Henny Penny...a courtship not to be separated (or Red will attack you)

Elias in the January Sun

Nearly every morning, Elias awakes before me, comes into Mommy and Daddy's room and whispers in my ear "Mommy, I'm hungry for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich"...here he is making it so early in the a.m.

Adventures

Elias LOVES to hold Georgia in his lap! She likes it too.

Jillian playing "Princess"

Jillian loves to dance in this Princess Dress from Pop Pop and Emmy Rudolph (the dress has a built in music box that plays "Swan Lake" when the person wearing it dances--a little girl's dream!).

Last Saturday I had the fun of spending the day in Seattle with my dear friend Rebecca Jones. We roamed all over downtown together in the January sun, had time to laugh, chit chat, and catch up. We even went to Nordstrom to look for a pair of shoes for an upcoming event in which Becky is to take part. I felt very unsophisticated at this store, wearing REI, toting an infant in a carseat, and a two year old bolting this way and that. Plus, Steve Madden was there...THE Steve Madden shoe guy sporting a dorky pair of faded jeans atop a pair of pointy black shiny shoes. I have one pair of pumps. They are black. They are Steve Madden. This personal fact made it a little interesting to see the designer in person.

It was also interesting to browse the clearance rack at Nordstrom. I saw a sign advertising "50-60% off original prices"--an advertisement to which I am drawn like dust to a ceiling fan. I found a shoe I liked the look of...but it was a little out of my price range, even with the discount ($369.00 after 60% off).

Jillian and I had lots of fun while Becky modeled shoes. We rode escalators, elevators (a thrill for Jilly who found them to make her dizzy...which made her want to ride them over and over). Jillian also got to get a make-over at bareescentuals.

While I was feeling unsophisticated in Nordstrom, Dustin was experiencing the opposite feeling while hanging out with Elias, Elijah and Makaio. Dustin and Elijah took their boys to just about the ultimate Father/Son event ever: Monster Jam. They had a great time, and Monster Trucks are now ranked as fun to play with as Lightning McQueen Pixar Cars at our house.

It was a fun weekend.

Snow Cream

This is snow cream. Dustin introduced me to it our first year of marriage. It snowed a bunch that year. I remember snowboarding down the driveway to our apartment. Pre-kids, just a couple of kids, in married bliss, playing in the snow together. Playing in the snow with Dustin is one of my sentiments because I first developed a crush on him during our snowboarding excursions throughout the winter of 2000-2001 while we both went to Seattle Pacific University. Sometimes I still get those little "crush" butterflies when I see him trapsing through snow in his snow clothes. Cheesy, TMI, I know. But its true.

Here is that delicious creation: Vanilla Snow Cream. To make, scoop loads of clean, fresh, white snow into a large container or big bowl. Add a little milk, a lot of vanilla extract, and a little sugar to taste. Mix it all up (preferrably outside where its cold so it doesn't melt too quickly). Then eat!

Happy New Year!

I have that empty feeling I usually get after Christmas ends or after snow melts away! This New Year is a double whammie! The snow is gone and Christmas 2008 is a memory stored in my mind and on the "J" drive of my computer (the extra memory drive where we store all of our family pics. It's called Maxtor).
We had a really great Christmas season this year. We celebrated Christ's Birth in many ways and I feel that it is always a challenge to remember that this is why we celebrate Christmas.
Here is a list or our season highlights:
Hovde Tree Farm days
Christmas Dinner at church
Christmas Shopping on Amazon
Decorating our home with a Christmas Tree, Laurel Wreaths, and lots of red "shatterproof" ball ornaments
Lining our Driveway with Christmas Lights with the kids
Advent Calendar countdown
Nick and Sarah Kheriaty visit us
Christmas Eve (at Grammie and Grandpa's and at GiGi's)
Christmas Morning at Home (ahhh....home is best)
Our baby chick hatched on Christmas morning! Its name is appropriately "Christmas".
Christmas Dinner at Greatgrandma and Greatgrandpa's
The Rudolph's arrive in the Northwest the day after Christmas!
Dec. 27th Rudolph Family Christmas!
Board Game Day!
Elias' first ski day with Dad!
Rudolph family leaves :(
Visit Shoreline to see the Cabiles'
New Years Eve @ the Tarrells
New Years Day Brunch at Grammie and Grandpa's with David and Sarah.
I really truly enjoyed this busy season. Not that we don't have our moments of being marred by the curse of sin, but as we are married longer, Dustin and I are growing closer. We have the same vision, same goal for our family (to magnify Christ) and in desiring that end, we both seek to serve each other and our family. Dustin is kind, patient, trustworthy and loving toward me. He leads me confidently and firmly. I really like that. I really need that. It is a joy for me to submit to his headship in our marriage because of how he leads us. And when I submit to his headship, it is a joy for him to be the leader.

I will post some new photos of our family tomorrow.
For now, a thousand words will have to create the picture of the Rudolph Christmas Season.

Do you know your Neighbors?

Here is our neighbor Shirley.
Proverbs 27:10 Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you--better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away."

I love having neighbors. I love the idea and practice of being neighborly. Growing up we had wonderful neighbors. I can think of five different families that lived on our street growing up, with whom my family shared our lives with. I still keep in touch with them today and they are my friends. As a kid, it was good for me to see how different families run and live (examining the good, the bad, and the ugly).

Shirley is our neighbor. She is in her late 80's and has been widowed for 15 yrs or so. She still wears her wedding ring. Our other neighbor mows her lawn for her once a week from spring through summer. It has been great getting to know Shirley. All of her family lives in the Seattle area or south of there, so she typically is alone, as she says most of her friend's here have died.

I like Shirley and think it is interesting to hear stories from her about the old days. We have each others' phone numbers and I could call her if I need something and she calls me when she needs something.

Our neighbors across the street are the Isaksons. They are a family of four and Yvonne and her two boys take care of our animals when we are out of town. They are really sweet. We've exchanged phone numbers with them as well. Last night she brought over some veggie scraps to feed to our pig.

Do you know your neighbors? Who are they? Can you trust them? Be wise in this area, don't risk your safety or your family's safety just because you want to be neighborly. However, it is important to build community and your neighbors are people in close proximity to you. Make an effort to get to know them. And even if you've lived where you do for a while and have never extended a hand of friendship to your neighbors, do it now and begin being a neighbor.

A Useful Blog for Moms

May I recommend a practical and helpful blog, written from a Biblical perspective?
If you want handy tips on managing a home, working on your heart, and glorifiying Jesus...you can find that here: www.workandworship.com

A Shout Out to Moms

Proverbs 31:28 "Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her."

Dustin's Mom, Emily, with Jillian and Georgia
My Mama, Miki, with Georgia

How blessed I am to have been raised by a wise, diligent, fun and loving mom. The longer that I am a mom, the greater my thankfulness for the mom that the Lord provided to me. As I grow as a mom, I see how much of herself, her dreams, hopes, energy, she put forth into her raising of my brother and I. She gives and gives and gives and gives to me in boundless areas: love, wisdom, grace, forgiveness, encouragement, time, energy, friendship. And I am so thankful that she gets to share in the life of my kids as Dustin and I raise them. Mom, you are a continual blessing and encouragement to me and I love to just hang out with you. We have fun being together.

PS: My Mom and Auntie Berna cleaned my whole house for me while we were on vacation! Thank you for that wonderful gift!

Another mom I have in my life, is Dustin's mom, Emily. Over the years that I have known her, I have discovered a rare person. She is one of the most giving people that I have ever known. She is always looking for ways that she can help another person. No task is to complicated or too great for her to take on. I have learned much from Emily about giving, sacrificing of time and comfort for the benefit of others. I love to talk with her and learn her perspective when it comes to relationships and situations. I am inspired by her ability to cook a gourmet meal nearly every meal. And I am encouraged by her humbleness of heart...to look back on her life and reflect, repent, and change.

Miss Pettitoes

The Pig I've Always Wanted. Here is Miss Pettitoes our new pig. She is a Hampshire/Duroc cross and is as sweet as can be! She is our newest attempt at growing our own meat. Some of you may remember our tragic attempt at turning our duck, Ping, into duck-dinner. The roosters were another venture to put into the "FAIL" category. Just three nights before the day of butchering, something (likely a raccoon or weasel) dug into their cage and killed all seven cockerels (one was missing, the others, it appeared, were killed for the fun of it??!!).

I am beginning to wonder how early American farmers did it, and I am gaining great respect for those living/who lived in an agrarian culture. So far, this micro-farm/hobby-farm business has produced very little, practically speaking (granted I am not doing this 24/7, and am not truly dependent upon the results of my labor). Our garden produced very little this year, especiallly in comparison to our luscious 10'x10' little garden in our Shoreline backyard. We have two birds that produce eggs, four birds in all, and...let me see....we've lost eighteen birds to wildlife and/or accidents. Not the best survival ratio for chickens and ducks at our place. Lillian apparently, hasn't reached maturity yet...no signs of fertility. And before she begins milking, she has to kid (have a baby(ies))...and before that, let me tell you 'bout the birds and the bees. And speaking of bees, we didn't have enough honey in the hive to harvest, the stuff that was there we had to leave for the bees to eat all winter long. So, I must be patient. Farming is a science and an art. And it takes a lot of time and hard work, its expensive and dirty. And we aren't very good at it--yet...we are determined to see if we can do this. So...I will not get attached to Miss Pettitoes, I will not get attached to Miss Pettitoes!

The standard is to raise this type of hog to about 220-250 pounds. This should take around 5-7 months. We've been told and have read that a 220 pound hog produces about 150 pounds of edible meat. So, if this works out for us, we should have some pork-chops and bacon to share--even if we do get another deep-freezer.

My Happy Happy Family

I thought I would post a few more photos of my cutie-pies. Elias and Jillian both jibber-jabber so much nowadays. Like all kids, they say the most surprising, funny, profound, hilarious things sometimes. What I hear them say is especially endearing because I am their Mama. I can't think of any of their latest quotes right now.

If you look close, they are holding hands--I make them hold hands a lot and sometimes they do it on their own.

I love this one of Georgia. She's got the Hovde down-turned eyes, too. My cousin calls them "Precious Moments" eyes--don't know if I would go so far as to call them that, but it helps me to embrace the shape-o'-my eyes.

In this shot, I was trying to imitate a studio photoshoot. Not so much.

The Happy Toe-Heads (is that how you spell that?)

Elias and our beloved "Pogo". Pogo puts up with a lot of man-handling these days, especially since her counterpart, Lola, got eaten by a coyote a couple months ago.

I am discovering something new about autumn this year. I can grow things to eat during this season up here in the Northwest. Yes, it is true. In my west garden (I say that a little fecetiously) I have beets, spinach, corn salad, Alaskan Bush peas, fava beans and brussel sprouts growing. They are growing very slowly, but growing, they are. Also, my rosemary plant that Dustin got me for Christmas last year is still going strong.

This afternoon, the kids and I were out with the animals and we heard the hoot of an owl...likely the same owl that Elias and I discovered perched atop our chicken tractor about a month ago. It is a little ironic because, since before he could walk, Elias has been enamored with birds--particularly owls (he's a little freaked out about crows). So we trekked along the perimeter of our goat fence toward the back of our property and an owl flew out of the Sequoia tree and into a fir that graces our neighbor's pond.

Yesterday, the kids and I painted during most of our free time throughout the day. We painted on paper, cardboard, old popsicle sticks, and the like. It was really fun. I prefer watercolors, but Elias likes to paint with glitter glue and Jillian likes to paint with poster paint.

---------ORGANIZATION RESOLUTION UPDATE-----------

Since, in my last post, I resolved to organize something small every day, I thought I would document an update.

I have fixed a small shelf I bought for $2 @ the Salvation Army and spray painted it--looks great as a sofa side table (toy bins fit in it)

I have spray painted a furnace vent cover to better match our bathroom.

I have cleaned the kitchen every night!

I have put away clothes right after I folded them

I'm working on making this ORGANIZATION RESOLUTION a LIFESTYLE! Whoo hoo!

Perservering

For the past month, I have wasted a lot of time. I have not been orderly in my thoughts or in how I carry out my daily tasks. I feel like I am defined by the clutter in my mind and home. A contributing factor to this is motherhood, I think. Another contributing factor is my natural bent toward the disorderly and ability to look over a mess without a second glance. But this is not a state of mind where I am stewarding wisely, carefully, what God has given me. When all the kids are in bed, I stand in my "greatroom" (i.e. kitchen, eating area, office and living room) and all of the things I have to do/should do/want to do flash through my mind as I take in with my eyes what clutter remains of our day....and often, I get too overwhelmed to begin to tackle more than the kitchen (if I even do that...hey, it can wait till 7 a.m. right?). This week I remembered something I learned a few years ago about how, often times, perfectionists don't start any projects because they don't see how they could ever get the job done the way they want it. So, not ever taking it on, whether it be scrapbooking, or organizing- whatever it is, it does not get started. Well, I'm no perfectionist, I'm just lazy. But this week I decided to organize the books in our home. Nay, they are not exactly how I had wished them to be ordered (alphabetically and by subject), but in my organizing I have created two ordered bookshelves and gotten rid of a few books that I don't care to read (okay, only 3 books)... Bonus! I found a few books I thought I had lost. So today, I resolve to steward my inklings of free time to organize one area of clutter in my life each day.
I have realized the necessity of teaching my kids how to pick up after themselves, I just am not sure how to do it. This is how the moment passes when I ask my kids to pick up their toys. "Elias could you please pick up your Lightning Mcqueen cars and put them in the plastic box?"
Elias picks up one car and puts it in the box. Then carries on playing in his merry way. "Elias please finish picking your cars up." Eventually I am the one that picks up the cars in order that peace be maintained in the home. I get really frustrated because usually the scenario goes one of two ways. The first, as above, I pick up the cars. The second, Elias picks his cars up after much coaxing, conniving, bribing, and fussing. This second scenario is much more difficult for me to endure. Its way easier for me to pick the cars up myself, or, better yet, to overlook the clutter and leave the cars on the floor. This has resulted in many a stubbed toe between Dustin and I. If any of you moms have any tips on teaching kids how to pick up after themselves I welcome them graciously. Even more so, I welcome encouragement from moms who realize how much thoughtful and wise teaching their children require.
Why is it that in the most mundane of duties do I realize my children's deepest need and do I see their wayward hearts and through that I see mine. My wayward heart doesn't want to perservere, to keep on teaching them, my heart is hard towards them and not understanding of their youthfulness. I want them to get it the first time and I despair when they don't. I lack grace and hope.
I've been encouraged by 1 Corinthians 13:4-13, I hope you will be too.

The Kiddos

Jillian

Georgia

Elias

Walking with the goats

Georgia-Pie

Sisters