Simple Woman's Daybook...Two Day Edition :)

For Today...  March 9, 2009 (and March 10...:)I couldn't keep my eyes open and had

 to go to bed in the middle of my Daybook!  Blue entries are from Monday night, brown entries were typed on Tuesday morning. ) 

Outside my window... Darkness!  (It's late. :))    

I am thinking... about the mystifying ways of God.   I've been thinking a lot lately (again:)), for various reasons, about  the incredible awesome-ness (is that a word? ;-)) of God's sovereignty.  He has taught me *so* much in the last few years about this aspect of His character...and yet there is still *so* much about it that I cannot fathom.  I was sitting with Ammah Grace yesterday and marvelling once again at her *super-quick* mind...and thinking that there is no way that someone could have gone through the past 5+ years with her and not *see* God's power and glory.  Only God could take a brain that was supposed to be hopelessly damaged and make it instead not just normal, but extra-sharp. :)  

I was thinking the same thing about our friend Josh this weekend, as I remembered waiting on pins and needles for the call that he had been born, and the incredible rejoicing when we found out that against all earthly "odds", he was not only alive, but healthy (other than the hydrocephalus that would later be corrected surgically.)   I thought about how he keeps everyone around him on their toes...and in stitches!  He is so bright and so quick-witted...and a total walking, talking miracle. 

Jenny has also been on my mind quite a bit this week.  God's plan for Jenny was different.  Jenny was born blind and profoundly retarded.  She never walked, talked,

 fed or dressed herself...and yet God used her for almost 23 years to show His glory in amazing ways, and has continued to use her in  the 13+ years since her death to impact those of us who knew her, and those who have come to know her through her father's writings (beginning with this article and continuing through the articles on his website).  

I remember thinking about Joshua and Jenny both quite a bit as I prayed in the back of the ambulance on the way to Little Rock...and realizing  that no matter what, God had a plan for this baby, and whatever it was, He would bring glory to Himself through it.

I've often questioned since...why did God choose to work a healing miracle in Joshua and Ammah Grace, and choose instead to allow Jenny's brain to be so damaged and healed only in death at the age of 22?   I haven't come up with an answer, except this one:  God is God.  His ways are perfect and higher than ours could ever be.   He is much too big, His sovereignty is much too awesome, for me to *ever* completely understand His ways.  The paradox is...the more I know Him, the more I see of who He is, the more I understand of His ways...the more I realize how vast the gap is between His bigness and my smallness, between His infinite-ness and my finite-ness, between His wisdom and my simple-ness.  And the more I realize  how thankful I am for the mystery...how thankful I am that my God's ways *are* much higher than ours, and that He allows us to see the tastes of His glory in so many *different* ways.   

From the learning  rooms... We finally finished our Mega Memory Month passage for January. :)  Actually, we've been finished with it for a couple of weeks,

 but hadn't had a chance to  present it to dad.  We finally quoted and signed the Beatitudes for him Friday night, and are now starting Eph. 6:1-9.  

We're also doing a bit of a focus right now on "frugality", which fits in nicely with our missions study during Bible time.  Bay had come in last week telling me about something the kids had heard on the radio about a mission trip to meet the physical and spiritual needs of children in Africa.  She was really burdened about these children who don't have enough food to eat.  Part of our focus on frugality right now, among other things, is to enable us to have resources to help feed hungry children.  We're researching possibilities right now, and the children are excited about doing something concrete to help.  More on that soon....

I am thankful for... my husband!  He takes such good care of us in so many ways.  I woke up in the wee hours of the morning with an unbelievably severe headache, and even though his sleep had already been interrupted more than once, he not only brought me medicine, but went out to the deep freeze to get ice for my drink. :)  I am so thankful for the ways that he demonstrates Christ's love to me daily.  

...Emlyn's profession of faith yesterday!   She will be baptized next week or the week after.  I am so thankful for her solid, childlike faith.  What a blessing to see God working in her life already, and giving her courage to do what only weeks ago she was terrified of!    I'm also thankful for Bro. Kent...I appreciate his teaching and counsel so much.

...the heart for missions I'm seeing developing in our children, and opportunities God is giving us to grow that!

...that the Growing Kids Sale is *over*, we survived it, and God provided almost everything the girls will need for spring and summer (and it all fit!!) :)

From the kitchen... I had planned to make banana bread today, but didn't get that far...hopefully tomorrow!  Billy is planning to grill tomorrow night, weather permitting. :)  I need to do some baking this week before it gets much warmer. 

I am wearing... Gray sweats.  Today was a day for comfort over style. :)

I am reading... Just finished Daisy Chain, by Mary DeMuth.  Watch for my review as part of the blog tour this week!  

Last week's busy schedule didn't leave much time for serious reading, so I'm hoping to get back to my stack this week, as well as Real Learning (linked in my sidebar.)  Hopefully I'll get to post a Book Bit or two this week as well. 

I am hoping... that we slow down a bit at losing teeth before we go broke! :)  Bay has lost 3 in just over 24 hours, and Peter and Em both have at least one threatening to pop out any time.  Eek!

I am creating... I have a few projects in the works I hope to complete this week, but most of the creating this week is the children's...it's Art Fair week!!  We are drawing and re-drawing and painting and trying to narrow down entries...creativity is fairly crackling in the air here this week. :)

I am hearing... the fan whirring as it oscillates behind me.  Last week I was freezing, this week we have the fan on!  March in Arkansas is always an adventure. :)

Around the house... Trying to catch up from a hectic week last week, and keep up the momentum of last week's  sorting and organizing and purging.

One of my favorite things... Watching Peter with his younger sisters, especially Gracie.  As I said in my Princess Party post yesterday..."Peter is such a good big brother...I am so proud of the way he is never "too big" or "too macho" to do something fun for his little sisters."   Yesterday, Gracie wanted to have a tea party with the tea set Breilly gave her for her birthday.  Peter got everything fixed just so and then sat and ate cheese puffs with a teeny tiny pink fork and knife with her just as if it was the most fun he had ever had. :)  Watching him indulge her is such a delight! 

A few plans for the rest of the week... Nothing out of the ordinary this week except Co-op Presentation Night and the Art Fair on Thursday.  Otherwise, a normal week at home! (I hope.)  Hopefully a very productive one on the house and school fronts. :)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... 

Our latest "Not-So-Basic Bookmaking" class project for co-op...matchbox books.  These were really fun!  The kids enjoyed decorating the matchboxes and making the teeny tiny books to go inside them. :)

For more Daybook posts, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.