The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at
home in the bosom of my family.

-Thomas Jefferson


Friday, November 14, 2008

Artistic Outlet

One of the ways we try to make our together time special is to go on “Family Dates”. Last week we had so much fun at Color Me Mine, an open studio for painting ceramic pieces. We chose to paint teacups for yet-to-be-planned tea parties.

Nick was super meticulous to attain the drippy look along the rim of his cup.

Alli’s teacup went through several phases during our hour and a half session. She loved being there with just the three of us doing what she loves to do—paint. The final stages of her cup were completed using a mixed palette –as in she mixed all the colors on her palette.
I had fun experimenting with the different techniques they had displayed—mixing paint with soap and water and then blowing bubbles, combined with taping off sections to get a clean striped look.
We highly recommend this activity as it is appealing to such a wide audience and it allows for time spent with one another talking and creating something beautiful and memorable.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Being a Woman of God

Recently, I have seen the need to reassess where I am, spiritually speaking. This introspection resulted in a goal to define and become a Woman of God. Based on my study of what others have said, I will share what I believe a Woman of God to be. The following are ideals, mind you, and are by no means areas that I have perfected.

A Woman of God:


  • Has knowledge that God blesses her each day with His love. She feels His love and identifies His hand in all things. She knows that she can turn to the Rock and Anchor of her faith when life seems anything but stable.

  • Serves God, others, and self—in that order.

  • Loves. She nurtures and finds opportunities to create an environment friendly for growth and views mistakes as part of the growing process.

  • Cherishes the knowledge of the sanctity of marriage and family life. She supports honorable men—whether they are in her family, civic leaders, or church leaders—and she does all she can to uphold a decent society where men are free to excel in their capacities, free from the filth that so easily besets virtuous men.

  • Is willing to sacrifice and not gloat about the perceived “loss”, thus becoming a martyr.

  • Understands that no amount of time in front of the mirror will compensate for the inner beauty that radiates from a woman of God. She knows that her body is a wonderful gift and she will not be dissuaded to embrace the worldly belief that she does not “measure” up (or down).

  • Is empowered with unshakable confidence in the gestalt (the smaller elements that are unified to make up a whole that cannot be understood by inspection of the individual parts) of God’s plan for her life.

In my quest to become this ethereal being, I want to know what my friends and family think of who a Woman of God is.


**What is an attribute that describes a Woman of God?
**Do you have a female role model that emulates these attributes? Who is she?

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Update


I am a lackadaisical blogger (I love that word and all it's nuances). We have been busy living life and have failed to chronicle our adventures.

Here is a generic update on our goings-on:

1. Halloween was a blast with Alli living out her dream of being a witch and cackling the night away.

2. Miriam's birthday was spent in the company of her lovely parents who came all the way from The Land of Enchantment to spend time with us. Those birthday celebrations were in addition to a fun jaunt to a romantic getaway in Midway with Nick.

3. Miriam has not yet been summoned to Jury Duty (fingers crossed!)

4. Nick has started attending Toastmasters to improve his public speaking abilities--his constant drive to improve himself is inspiring!

5. We are getting ready for winter...and we still hold to the desire to have the ability to hibernate as the cold sets in.

All in all, we are happy and healthy and have a renewed goal to be a better blogger family!