Random Images of 2007, part 2

Yesterday I started a multipart post on Random Images of 2007 . I decided that rather than reviewing things I *had* posted on my blog in 2007, I would review things that I *meant* to post and never did. *blush* This is the second (of several) installments in that post. These images are entirely random...with a bit of commentary as needed. :)

Strawberry Patch in the spring...





The many faces of Bayley...




We had some great field trips this year. Peter and Emlyn both *really* enjoyed the archery session at the Nature Center. They both hope to get more involved in archery this coming year. (They both did *really* well for first-timers!)


Darcy-dog...

Great-Papa's birthday, Sept. 27, 2007. He turned 96! We enjoyed visiting with Aunt Marlena and Uncle Ken at the nursing home...




New cookbooks!! When we went to Hot Springs Village to visit Grandad and Nonny in October, Nonny had a whole box of cookbooks for me to add to my cookbook collection. Here they are, with a couple from the book sale we went to while we were there.
Fall Festival 2007...


Pet Show at Petco, October 2007. Mamoe entered Prissy...

Random Images of 2007, part 1

Many bloggers are doing year in review posts this week. I've seen some that are recaps of blog posts from each month of the year, some that quote the first sentence of the blog for each month, some that copy a picture a month...all kinds of variations. I had decided I needed to do a review of my own...but instead of reviewing what I *have* blogged about in 2007, I decided I would review some of the things I *planned* to blog about and never got to. :) So...here is the first of several installments of things that *should* have been in my blog this year that didn't quite make it...(they are in no particular order, and some are *random child photos* that I am posting because I just *like* them ;-))

Bayley in puppytails...
Emlyn...
Bayley and Gloria-the-Evil-Cat...
Bayley and her friend Kaitlyn...they just *happened* to be in coordinating dresses one Sunday...
I took these "pictures of pictures" in November for a post I had planned to do in memory of my Granny Marks on her birthday, Nov. 12. From her I got my love of all things paper, tiny print fabrics, creating things, fried chicken and turkey and dressing, and my habit of being a packrat. ;-) I loved her dearly and miss her terribly.

The whole crew on a Sunday morning this fall...
Bay and Ammah Grace in their red plaid....
Mamoe with Prissy...
Ammah Grace and baby doll at Mamoe's on Thanksgiving...
Bayley at Mamoe's on Thanksgiving...
Our Thanksgiving brunch...yummy fruit salad from my friend Amanda...
...and sausage cheese bread, which has been a tradition since we got the recipe from my friend Kathy...
Bayley and Kaitlyn in their matching Christmas dresses...Bay's was a hand-me-down from Kaitlyn, and then another friend gave Kaitlyn one for this year...they were so excited about wearing them together!
Emlyn with Gloria-the-Evil-Cat. This cat is one of the most ill-tempered we have ever had....but she *loves* Emlyn. She follows her around like a puppy dog and sleeps with her every night. Emlyn is my true cat-lover and she and this cat are best buddies.
At Cracker Barrel with Mamoe on Thanksgiving...

Ammah Grace got a new Bible for Christmas from her wonderful Sunday School teacher, Mrs. JoAnn. Mrs. JoAnn has taught all of our children in Sunday School, and I was so glad when she came back to teach Gracie this year. Gracie loves her purple Bible...she carries it around and says, "This says, 'Holy Bible'," and "My Bible is precious". It is truly a treasure to her.


Christmas girls...
Bayley and Gracie in their "storybook coats"...
The kids in the back yard, climbing trees and enjoying a milder winter day...


Not long before Christmas, I took the entire refrigerator apart and gave it the most thorough cleaning it has had since we've had it. It was *spotless* (and we've done a pretty good job of keeping it that way.:)) I had planned to post these for a Tackle It Tuesday post, but didn't get to it. *sigh*

Ice Skating! Kaitlyn had her birthday party at the Jones' Center in Springdale. Neither Peter nor Bayley had ever ice skated, so it was quite an experience. They did really well, though, and I was proud of them!



A boy and his dog...

"One Little Word" for 2008

Earlier this week, I ran across Heidi's post at Mt. Hope Chronicles about "One Little Word". Although the idea came from a scrapper whose work I admire, I skimmed over the post, thinking "I am *waaaayyyy* too indecisive to ever be able to come up with *one word* for the year." I am so, so, SO bad at summing up *anything*...I am one of those people that if asked to give a one-word answer, I give a sentence, and if asked to give a phrase, I give a paragraph. I always start to get the shakes when I have to answer a question that says "choose ONE". I am simply not good at *narrowing things down*.

But somehow within minutes of reading Heidi's follow-up post a day or two later, I came up with a word. I was walking through the house, thinking about goals and plans for 2008, all the things I want to accomplish and the changes I hope/plan/purpose/need to make in every area, and I realized that *much* of what I look forward to in 2008 *can* be summed up in one word:

Haven.

Wow. I did it and I wasn't even really trying. But it works. I've been working on goals, plans, and schedules for the year, and some of them are pretty lofty. But there is a common thread through most if not all of the things that are important to me for 2008...personally, as a wife and mother, in our home, in our finances, in our schooling, etc....a thread of desiring (after several years of chaos in our immediate and extended family) peace and order and comfort in all areas of our lives. Not that there will not be, as Bro. Kent calls them "the storms of life"...we are still in the midst of some on-going storms, and there are more potential storms on the horizon. But I have become increasingly convicted that part of my role as wife and mother is to provide a haven...emotionally, mentally, and physically...for my family in the midst of those storms...and to lead and/or encourage them to seek God first as their spiritual haven.

I think it is interesting that I had not even looked up the definition of the word "haven" until I had typed the above. Then I thought, "I guess if I am going to use this as my defining word for the year, I should at least accurately define it." I knew that I was thinking of it as a place of peace and calm and nurturing, but decided to see what Dictionary.com had to say. Here is the actual definition:

ha·ven /ˈheɪvən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciat

–noun

1.	a harbor or port.

2.	any place of shelter and safety; refuge; asylum.

–verb (used with object)

3.	to shelter, as in a haven.

n.

1. A harbor or anchorage; a port.
2. A place of refuge or rest; a sanctuary.

A haven is truly a place of refuge in the storm. A sanctuary. I like that. Far from being trouble-free, the implication is that there are storms, danger, chaos all around, and yet in the midst, there is the haven. God tells us that He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. My first responsibility is to go to Him as *my* haven, to encourage my husband as he does the same, and to train up my children to seek God as their refuge and strength. But I also need to be available, as a wife and mother (and in other relationships in my life as well) to be the hands and feet that God uses to nurture and care for those around me as a haven. *And* I need to focus on making my home a haven, both for my family, and for those to whom God might want us to extend hospitality. Even our homeschooling can provide shelter and safety and a sense of security for our children as we train, nurture, and educate them.

"One little word" can sure say a lot. I'm convicted and inspired to make this the year that our family turns the "chaos" of 2003-2007 into the "haven" of 2008.

Happy Birthday...to me...

39 years ago today, my dad was celebrating more than the Hogs' win in the Sugar Bowl. My arrival had been expected *much* earlier in December, and when the 31st came without a tax deduction baby in hand, he began to sweat a bit. However, being the always-compliant child that I was, I arrived with just over 6 hours to spare to secure that 1968 deduction, earning my father's favor forever, and allowing him and my grandmother to enjoy the New Year's Day bowl game in between her arrival at the airport and visits to the hospital to see yours truly. ;-) (And no doubt relieving my poor mother of the fear by that time that she was going to be pregnant *forever*.)

Yesterday was a fairly quiet birthday (other than all the "Happy Birthday" songs in person and by phone, some of which were louder than others. :)) We puttered at home for a while (and my dear husband did some loving acts of (housecleaning) service for me for my birthday without being asked!), then went to run a few quick errands and spend some time at my mom's having a "birthday tea" and working on her computer. I was actually looking forward to a quiet day after all the hubbub lately, especially since there are plans afoot for a couple of belated birthday celebrations this coming weekend. (I can't wait! :-D)

As those who know me well will attest, I have always said my place in life is *behind* the camera, not in front of it. But...I have realized recently that someday my children *are* going to wish there were a *few* pictures of their mother in existence (after her 14th birthday), so I decided to get Billy and Bayley to take a couple in honor of my birthday. Not the best pictures of the kids and I...Billy does *not* like to take pictures, and Ammah Grace was not cooperating, so we are missing a child...but they are a start, and I hope to get a few more this weekend.

Fortunately, I got over most of my angst at turning 39 when *Billy* turned 39 a few weeks ago...I like the fact that he always hits those birthdays first so that by the time mine actually gets here, I've gotten that all out of my system. Now I can focus on setting and meeting any "what I want to do before I'm 40" goals this year!