Random Things

This is a random post about our family in the here and now. These pictures were taken on election day. Thankfully the center where I went to vote was line free, and there was a park attached. So, the children were able to walk to the voting booth with me, and I even let Gabriel press the button to cast the vote. While I think this past election was the most depressing ever!!!! I am learning a lot about the sovereignty of God. I have done a lot of heart probing, and I think that the Lord is more concerned about the unconfessed sin in our nation than He is about preserving our prosperity and comfort. Perhaps allowing America to come under hard times and oppressive government is a mercy in disguise. What we all need is repentance and revival even more than we need security and comfort. I also believe that we are here for His glory. He has His eternal purposes in mind for all the nations, and He is working His plan. It is our job to glorify Him in good times and bad. I also believe that He is loving towards His people. Yes, we may face hardship, but He promises to be with us in our sufferings. He is leading us on a pilgrimage to His eternal glory. How I long to be in His presence when He will make all things right! I am reminded of a hymn I grew up singing. What A Day That Will Be "What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see, when I look upon His face, the one who saved my by His grace, when He takes me by the hand and leads me to the promised land, what a day, glorious day that will be!" So for now we rest in Him, seek Him fervently, pray for revival, and trust that He is going to be with us in the days ahead. If harder times bring our nation to repentance then the harder times are a grace to us from a loving God. So these pictures were taken right after voting, and I am thankful we were able to have a sweet spot in a very sad day. Now, just some current things about our family: * We are using Christ Centered Curriculum for Annagrace, and Abbie Joy is joining in some too. She is studying math and phonics and learning a lot with that. We are also using some sweet Mennonite and Amish color books, activities, etc. for the little ones. They are simple and fun; I love them! Gabriel and Lauren are studying with the ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) paces. It is working very well as it is meant to be mostly self taught, and that frees me up to work with the little ones more. The older ones are doing Teaching Textbooks for math. * Lauren, Gabriel, and Annagrace are all taking piano lessons, so we have a lot of piano practice going on around here. * I am focusing a lot of energy on Lauren right now talking with her about God's design for women and how we can glorify the Lord through our womanhood. We are doing the "Divine Design" Bible study together on Biblical womanhood. She is at the age where she is asking lots of questions and hearing and seeing a lot from the world around us. This season is so important that I share God's plan with her as the air she breathes in this culture is polluted by feminism. I am prayerfully being very intentional about this. * We are praying about getting a family dog; we have never had a dog. We are considering a Brittany. * Gabriel is enjoying another year of Cub Scouts, and all the homework is keeping us on our toes! * As I said in my last post, Abbie Joy and Lilly Faith LOVE to play baby dolls! It is very sweet! * I am hoping to keep Christmas a little simpler this year. I desire to do the things that bond us together and draw us close to our Savior. The materialism and expectation in our culture can be maddening, and why do I get swallowed up in that pressure? The Lord is teaching me to focus more on what matters. I am trying to listen and learn. * Lauren continues to bless us with yummies from the kitchen. This morning she made scrumptious blueberry muffins from scratch. * I really love crochet but never seem to have the time. I have been slowly working on a little blanket since last Spring. It is slow progress, but I am trying to not give up. There is something about the rhythm of the crochet stitches that is therapeutic to me and seems to relax me. I especially enjoy listening to one of my favorite podcasts while crocheting. * This week I have trying to catch up on months of ironing I have been behind on. * When we bought this house the moldings and baseboards were bad. They are even worse now! This past weekend Matt began working on repainting those. It will be an ongoing process, but the little bit he did looked worlds better. * Last weekend we drove across town for our first outdoor family photos. We had a good session and are thrilled with some of the photos. We will be sharing those in the near future. Currently I am waiting to get the copyright and then I can begin sharing. I LOVE pictures, so I am excited! Well, those are some current happenings in our lives. Thanks for reading! God bless you this weekend. Ruth