"Dancers are the athletes of God."

Thank you to our friends who came to see our girlies dance.   Especially Kimmy, who the girls were thrilled to see!  You were beautiful girls!

Happy Birthday Taylor!

This guy's had a pretty exciting week. 

Happy Birthday Taylor! You have brought me joy unspeakable.

*a few pics and a song from Taylor's graduation video

Lamps are a girl's best friend

I've said it before, but I have a strict policy in my house. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TURN ON OVERHEAD LIGHTS. My children faithfully abide by the rules 'cause if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy'. Nothing puts me in a worse mood than someone turning on my Walmart-style flourescent light in the kitchen. So I was so happy to find out that the Nester was gonna host a party to celebrate lamps. I believe I currently have over 40 lamps or bookshelf lights in operation in my house. Lighting is everything. Next to lip gloss, lamps may be my most cherished earthly possession.

This is by far my favorite lighting project.   Once I removed the doors from my kitchen cabinets and painted them white, they needed to be shown off.  So I bought these bookshelf lights for $4.95 each at IKEA.   They are all plugged into extension cords which run behind the cabinets to plug in under the counters.  I know..I know...a little jerry-rigged ( or is it jury-rigged), but noone sees it.   And they look fabulous!

And this is my favorite lamp!  I added the starfish to him to  cultivate a little whimsy in what could have been a snobbish little  lamp.  He's like a college professor.  Of  botany.

Then there's the tall svelt mantel lamp.  She's all form and very little function.   But we love her, just the same. 

......and my 2nd favorite lamp, the picture wall lamp.   She's very matronly and can nearly light this whole room herself.  Sorry, but my lamps are definitely gendered.   I haven't named them though.

And who couldn't love these patriotic twins.   They work tirelessly day and night and are the only lamps that you can see from the road.   I love them.

And last but not least, the IKEA lights in my homeschool room.   

That was certainly a Lampalooza of a  good time for me.   Click here for more lamp fun!  Thank you to my friend the Nester for hosting.  I'm contemplating a 'Painted Patio Furniture' party in a week or two, so let me know if you've got old stuff you can rescue!   It doesn't take much creativity to buy new furniture and it's much more rewarding to rehab stuff you already have!

3 things

This post has 3 clearly defined objectives.

1.  I wanted to make sure you saw my new button.  Isn't she lovely?  She's located at the bottom of the page.

2.    Because it makes me feel like I'm giving an important presentation:

I wanted to use the 'block quote' box; which one would use for highlighting important points.  You may argue that this is not a particularly important point, but I'd beg to differ.

3.  a.   I was thinking of hosting a linky party to feature painted patio furniture.   What do you think?  Would you participate?  How much time do you need?

     b.   I fell behind on anwering emails during my sons' graduation.   If you have a question for me, ask away.  It can be anything.  And I'll copy Kimba and answer you here on the comments.  And if I can't answer it here for reasons of posterity, I'll let you know.

For example, someone ask me where I got the dress I wore to Taylor's graduation party.......

answer:  Maurice's about 3  years ago.

Example 2: Do you watch tv?   Not much.  I watch 24, Grey's Anatomy and Lost.   That's about it.  I'm not a fan of reality tv which constitutes about 90% of what's on tv.   We've tried different methods for our kids----no tv during the week, very limited tv with no set guidelines.   In general, if you ask my kids, they'll say that 'mom says tv turns your brain to mush'.

      c.  I haven't added back a blogroll to my blog yet.  Do you like blogrolls?   I'm thinking of making it a separate page that you have to click to get to.   Do you prefer them on the side?   Tell me all your blogroll wisdom.  

Graduation Garden Party

Edited to Add:  I'm excited to join Kimba's Garden Party and welcome all you Kimba friends to my blog.  She has been such an encouragement to us all.  I'm planning to host (if Mr. Linky cooperates) a 'Painted Patio Furniture' Party next Monday so I hope you'll join me.  If you don't have any furniture to paint or don't have time, just show us what you're planning to do!   I've painted some already as you'll see in this post, but I'm hoping to do a fun project to show you by Monday!  
Warning:  longest post known to mankind

As I sit here with puffy, tired eyes, and aching legs, I am so thankful for the wonderful celebration we had for Taylor on Saturday.  The weather was beautiful and with the help of many family and friends, I think we were able to communicate to him how special we all think he is.  My wonderful, supportive sister (and beloved Rock Band partner) spent the night with us after graduation on Friday to help me with the party.  I absolutely could not have made it through this weekend without her.  She knows that. We cried together watching Taylor's video.  We laughed together looking through old pictures.   And she chuckled at me as she helped me hang the last 'dropcloth'.   She kept me 'on task' when I needed to stop spray painting things yellow to  start making food and then when the guests arrived, she made me leave the kitchen and enjoy the party.  I love you, sis.  I thank God for you in my life.  Taylor is lucky to be loved by you.

The hardest part for me was finishing the video and having it ready to play by party time.  It was down to the wire, but we (my sister and I) finished it and even burned a few copies to share with family.  It turned out wonderful.  Thank you for your song suggestions.   I ended up using:  

1.  As long as you're not leaving 

2.  Kite

3.  Flies on the Butter

4.  Then there's you

5. How FAr We've Come

6. Say

7. Times Like These

8.  Song 42

9.  Hold On to Me      

The video was twenty minutes long and though I'd love to share it with you, I haven't decided yet if it should be made 'public'.  I may end up showing you parts of it.

 

The party was mostly outside, by the pool and gardens.

A few months ago, I found this table and two chairs (which are now yellow) on the curb at my neighbor Sues' house.  I hauled 'em home and gave them new life!

Sue said they were rusting and surely 'you can't paint plastic'.   'Rust' is no hill for a climber.  And I will at least attempt to paint anything.

The food was just perfect.  Thank you to all my friends who helped out.  And to my sister who helped me assemble all my appetizers.

These two sisters (my mom and Aunt Rosie) were like professional catering staff.  They took over the kitchen and didn't sit down all day.  Until this moment late in the evening.  Thank you both for your tireless work.

Taylor's great grandmother came and after watching his video and being reminded of his signature 'cowlick' as a child,  she inspected underneath his shaggy hair to see if it was still under there somewhere!    Too cute.

>Please pray for Andrews' continued recovery.  After our party, he became very ill and ended up in the hospital with acute appendicitis.  The very day he was supposed to have his own party. We love you and are thinking of you Drew.

We are so thankful for our friends and neighbors.   Especially Kristi and Leigh Ann who went above and beyond the call of duty to help us.

And we are so thankful for family!  You made Taylor's day by making the trip!

I think this is my favorite picture from the weekend.  I feel a little like Elea.  I will watch you leave with longing, with joy, and with anticipation.   "For I am confident that He who has begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus".

You're free to fly!

Project Procrastination

So, while I've been mistreating windows with canvas dropcloths (not my original idea, but brilliant) and spray painting many things yellow (more to come on that soon).....

.....and doing all those little things you never do until company comes.......

Darcy has performed a small miracle here at lifeingrace!   I'll be working on adding 'stuff' to my sidebar categories, so just be patient.  But make yourself at home, look around a while, and check the links out (help us make sure they work) and then tell me what you think.  My

archives page is at the very bottom and along with my 'categories' list.

I wish I had the same good news to report about my real life projects.  It's down to the

wire.  Graduation is tonight.  The party's tomorrow. Hard decisions must be made. 

 Do I shower or clean the baseboards of the 

schoolroom?   Should I make gourmet appetizers or clean my closet?   Should I feign ill and curl up on the sofa in the fetal position and wallow in my bittersweet memories?  

It's a toss up.  I think I'll just sit here and look at my pretty blog all day. 

I definitely must get water proof mascara. 

Big southern gigantic-invade your personal space- hugs to Darcy.   She is wonderful to work with.....very professional and timely, but also genuinely interested in making your blog beautiful and more user friendly.  You should 'get in line'.   She's worth waiting for.  A link to her design blog, called Graphically Designing, is at the bottom of the page.

Curriculum List and Review

We follow a classical program called The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer.  It is history and literature based and  there is a lot of freedom to fill in the 'specifics' for each individual subject;  Susan makes recommendations and then you must figure out what works best for your family.  We have just finished our first year (May 2009), will take a few weeks totally off, and then likely do french and reading and math during the summer.   I will first list what we used last year along with short 'reviews' of the curriculum and then tell you my plan for next year.

Math  We used Saxon Math 2 this year and my 7 and 8 year old both ended up at relatively the same level.  I hated it at first.  The teachers' manual gives you a 'script' to read and it can get long and boring.  I finally learned to glance over the lesson and teach it myself---which was much better for all of us---and by the middle of the year, I did like the program.   It's very repetitive and tends to build very slowly and incrementally---which was good for my girls who are not natural math wizards.   I've been reading and 'shopping' around a little and may consider Singapore next year.   But if I decide to stick with Saxon, I won't dread it---now that I'm familiar with the program, it'll will continue to be easier to use.  Math is not 'my thing' so I'd like to find the best possible program.   

We finished the year by starting the multiplication tables.   We learned the 1's, 2's, 3's, 4's, 5, and 10's during the school year along with the addition and subtraction facts and hope to learn the 6's, 7's, 8's and 9's this summer.  I've ordered a Singapore workbook to try out for the summer to see if I like it better.   I'll let you know.  Please let me know if you have any other suggestions.

Reading   I made the mistake of ordering readers from A Beka.  We've read those for two days and the girls hated them.  Whole books written by real writers are so much better.  The girls have made tremendous strides in their reading this year.   Elea (1st grade) started the year with short chapter books (Magic Tree House) and is now probably reading at a fourth or fifth grade level.   She's reading Heidi right now and has recently read Stuart Little and several Boxcar Children.  She's a natural but I do attribute their fluency to the heavy memorization we've done along with reading a lot and listening to books on tape.   Emme (2nd grade) started the year in Magic Treehouse (the harder ones) and has made tremendous strides as well.   She's read Popper's Penguins, Stuart Little, many Boxcar Children, The Railway Children, and many others.  She's also listened to books on tape nearly every day and done a lot of memory work.  She remembers amazing details about her reading and is working on summarizing stories. (not that easy for detail-oriented people).   We tend to stick with classic literature for our 'mandatory reading ( I discourage Junie B Jones and other such fluff) but they can pick anything they want at the library once they've picked their required list.  We tried as much as possible to coordinate our reading with our history, so for example, after we studied about Cleopatra we checked out some library books about her.

This summer they both take an hour break after lunch to read or rest in their rooms.   Elea is reading Heidi and Emme (8) The Secret Garden.   We're reading The Hobbit together in the mornings and they both check out 4-5 books a week at the library.  I follow Susan's advice and make them check out a biography, science book, and history book every week and then whatever else they want.   They tend to choose shorter books for this since they're reading chapter books at home.  We also will continue to listen to books on tape through the summer.  My girls think they can't go to sleep at night without an audiobook!

Writing We used Classically Cursive and I wasn't too crazy about it.  I've shopped around at curriculum fairs and maybe handwriting is just one of those things that's not gonna be very exciting.  We mostly did copywork from classic literature and often we would copy whatever poem or scripture we happened to be memorizing at the time.   I wasn't very strict letter formation and such (although the girls complained that I was correcting them all the time) and I probably should have been.  They both had already developed bad habits (holding their pencil wrong and making wrong strokes for letter formation) so I've tried to correct those but they continue to creep up.  I will probably still use Classically Cursive as a supplement but I'm still open to trying something different.

History   We used Susan Wise Bauer's curriculum called Story of the World 1 and this was by far the girls favorite subject.   We did history 2-3 days a week usually and didn't quite finish our year yet.   We studied ancient people through the fall of Rome and we really took our time when we got to the greeks and romans.  I plan to finish that up this summer with some fun activities and then use SOTW 2 next year.  I can't wait.  It's an awesome program with lots of extra options to make it come alive!   I have such fond memories of learning history with my girls.

Spelling  We used Modern Curriculum Press' Spelling Workout.  Elea started in book A and finished book B.   Emme started book B and didn't quite finish book C.    I really like this curriculum.   It moves a little slow so we often did 2 or 3 lessons a week.  I love the types of exercises they require and I love that it teaches spelling rules.  We did the traditional spelling test on Friday and they rarely miss any words.  We will continue with this program next year.

We also used Phonics Pathways and got about 3/4's of the way through that book.   We should finish it early this year.

Grammar  I'm a little schizophrenic on this subject.  I started with Primary Language Lessons and English for the Thoughtful Child.  I didn't love those and thought there wasn't enough 'meat' in the lessons.   I then purchased Shurley Grammer 1 for the homeschooler but haven't quite taken the time to 'learn' it completely.   So we learned all the Shurley 'jingles' but mostly did work from the other two books.   SWB isn't too fond of Shurley for homeschoolers and doesn't like the way Shurley teaches sentence diagramming.   That said, I'm still debating for next year.   

Memory   My 2nd favorite part of the day next to History!  I used a book called The Harp and Laurel Wreath and just picked out ahead of time what I wanted the girls to memorize.  We memorized the following poems/scriptures this year:

The Apostle's Creed,  The Moon by Robert Louis Stevenson,  Days of the Week by Sara Buffington, The Creation by Cecil Francis Alexander,  The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson,  A Christmas Carol by GK Chesterton,  The Wind by Robert Louis STevenson,   The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howington (very long, we still have 2 more stanzas to go),  Foreign Lands by Robert Louis Stevenson,  The catechism of the Ten Commandments,  I Peter 1: 3-5,   2 stanzas from Horatius at the Bridge,  Deut. 6:4-9,  a very long history and bible catechism that includes the days of creation, the 12 tribes of isreal, the plagues of Egypt and lots more, Psalm 8, Luke 2:8-14, a list of Roman and Greek gods and goddesses, Proverbs 24:3.4,  Psalm 139:1-6.

I write all their memory work onto a large easel style flip chart and then we just recite everyday for 15 minutes or so.   We filled 2 1/2 flip charts this year!   We work on the new stuff first and then go back and review as much as we can.  I will try this year to plan the memory work so that it coincides as much as possible with what we're studying (in Bible or history). This is one of the reasons I don't want to join a co-op (Classical Conversations).  I want to be able to control what they memorize because this has been one of the most fun things we've done together.  And believe me, even though I say the recitation as much as they do, they always know it by heart before me.  

Bible  We used Veritas Genesis through Joshua.   I have mixed feelings about it but I love the 'cards' that come with the curriculum.  The cards (there are about 30 for the whole year) have the major events of this period in Bible history, in summary form.  We used the card titles as the structure for our Bible catechism.   Example:  The first card says  Creation Genesis 1,2 and then gives the creation account.   We memorized it like a catechism, so I would say the left hand column and the girls would say the right hand column

Genesis 1,2        The Creation

Day 1                  God created day and night

Day 2                  Heaven and earth

Day 3                  Seas and Land

We did this all year and it's impressive to hear them recite all this Bible history.   When we would learn a new card, we added it to the catechism, so it didn't seem hard to do when done in small increments.  The curriculum comes with a CD and the memory is done in song form.  I liked our catechism method better so we'll likely just continue it next year with the next series.  Otherwise, the curriculum or workbook itself was a little dry.   I've thought about just ordering the cards.   If you have any favorite Bible curricula, let me know.

This post is still in progress and will be updated periodically! 

Just like that........

they're gone

Kite by U2




Something is about to give
I can feel it coming
I think I know what it is
I'm not afraid to die
I'm not afraid to live
And when I'm flat on my back
I hope to feel like I did

And hardness, it sets in
You need some protection
The thinner the skin

I want you to know
That you don't need me anymore
I want you to know
You don't need anyone
Or anything at all

Who's to say where the wind will take you?
Who's to say what it is will break you?
I don't know, which way the wind will blow

Who's to know when the time has come around?
Don't want to see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye

It's summer, I can taste the salt of the sea
There's a kite blowing out of control on the breeze
I wonder what's gonna happen to you
You wonder what has happened to me...

I'm a man, I'm not a child...
A man who sees
The shadow behind your eyes

Who's to say where the wind will take you?
Who's to say what it is will break you?
I don't know, where the wind will blow

Who's to know when the time has come around?
I don't want to see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye

Did I waste it?
Not so much I couldn't taste it
Life should be fragrant
Rooftop to the basement

Thank you Hopefull, for this song!

Project Graduation

Want to know what I did this weekend? 

 I did what I do best.  I redecorranged---that's a technical term for 'redecorating by rearranging what you already have'.   

I gave this room a makeover a few years ago for my daughter Caiti and we have both loved it so!  It has such a relaxing, artsy, vintage ambiance.

  The burlap bedskirts, silver-patina walls, and mirrors create an atmosphere that begs you to strum the guitar and curl your hair.  Caiti recently moved into the guest room (which has less ambiance but a t.v. and a very comfortable bed) so I cleaned and redecorranged this room today in anticipation of  the arrival of my sister and her daughter Hope.  They will be coming on Friday for Taylor's graduation and a post graduation pajama party---and to stabilize my ever-deteriorating/emotionally unstable self.   I also added the window mistreatments today which are just linen fabric hung with alligator clips. 

  All I need now are a few small love gifts for our 'guests' and 3 more clones of myself---so that I have a chance at finishing the enormous 'to-do' list that currently bewilders my sensibilities.  For now, I breathe deep and enjoy this lovely little bedroom.   

And I hear you whispering about the oil painting that's leaning against the bed. I like it there. Just leanin'......just taking a break from the hard, busy world. My sister will have no patience for such nonsense. She'll offer to hang it for me. She's one of those people who'd you'd definitely pick first if you were gonna be stranded on a desert island. She just has good sense and knows how to use all manner of power tools and even hung bead board in mother's bathroom by herself. I'm sure she could start a fire with a piece of flint and a rock. Yeah, she'll want to hang that picture and then offer to install an outdoor lighting system before she heads home. But I digress. What do you think? Hang it or lean it?

Post-edit:  I'm joining Kelly's children's room tour with this 'teen' room.  Click here for more fabulous decorating ideas!

Friday Hikes

Today, I'm joining Melissa from The Inspired Room as we celebrate and cherish the beauty, right where we are and right where we live.  Click here for more weekend inspiration.

We live 5 minutes from a beautiful state park.   For the past 2 or 3 months, we've taken the girls there every Friday afternoon for what we affectionately call our 'Friday Hikes'.   At the outset of this adventure, we secured some trail maps and began highlighting the trails as we hiked them, with the intention of eventually hiking them all.

They have come to cherish this routine.   And so have we.  Sometimes, they're on a  mission to go as fast as possible.

And sometimes they get sidetracked.

When we found this trail---that led to a beautiful rocky lake shore, we knew that it might not be our destiny to hike all the trails.   This one is amazing.

We've decided that pretty soon, we're gonna have to bring our swimsuits and a towel.

Oh, and the dogs......they are in heaven!

So, today when we ask the girls where we should hike, I have a feeling I know which trail they will choose.  Their dad will name the trees and the birds.  And we will learn together to see the divine hidden among the ordinary.  

Wall of Frames

You can see my inspiration picture here.   What I really wanted to do was hang 'faux' board and batten and paint the walls.  But when Stevie said to me "Step away from the paint brush," I figured I should listen.  At least for now.  So to jazz up, or 'cottage' up my living room, I embarked on a picture wall adventure.   I did not buy any new frames for this project.  I shopped the house and found a wealth of treasure in a box that I brought home from my medical practice two years ago.  There was no shortage of frames and certainly no shortage of pictures in this house.  Now, they're all in one place.
I'd also like to find a fig tree or something similar to decorate the book stacks , but for now magnolia branches work perfect.

Maybe I should remind you of the 'before' picture.  Obviously taken at Christmastime.





I wanted something 'black' on the wall, so I wrote my favorite passage of Eight Cousins on a little chalkboard and hung it as the anchor.

And since we're running out of bookshelves, these stacks of books are the perfect solution.





Do you have a wall of fame?

3 things

1. In lieu of painting my living room (and risking vehement verbal outbursts from my family), I've been working on a wall of frames sorta like this:

I'll show you later today. You're gonna love it. I just know it.

2. Darcy, from Lifewithmy3boybarians and Graphically Designing, is tweaking my site for me as we speak. I told her this morning that I feel as if she's here, at my house,  helping me move my heavy living room furniture and I keep saying, "Can we just try it on this wall", for the 47th time. She's a wonderful mommy and talented writer and designer. Her recent post on her son 'Trouble' is an incredible story that should be read and shared.

3. My blog friend Jessica, who is back from a blogging sabbatical, sent me the link for this audio segment on 'The Thomas Jefferson Education'. It's a must listen. I'm starting it for the 2nd time this morning. Thank you Jess and I'm so happy you're back.

Happy Mother's Day

Steve and I want to wish our mothers a most blessed day. Thank you for how you have nurtured and nourished us. Thank you for the gift of life. You have ministered the grace of God to us in profound ways. We love you.

Enjoy this repost from last fall and have a wonderful Mother's Day!

"I am so glad that you have come. I will pour out everything inside me so you may leave this table satisfied and fortified. Blessings on your eyes. Blessings on your children. Blessings on the ground beneath you. My heart is a ladle of sweet water, brimming over."
Anita Diamant, The Red Tent

This is one of my favorite quotes........from one of my all-time favorite books, The Red Tent. The book is work a of fiction about the life of Dinah.....the only daughter of Jacob. (taken from the account in Genesis). It's a fantastic book and I highly recommend it. I have this quote printed on pretty paper, framed and sitting on my kitchen counter, right beside where I cook. It helps me---when I'm tired or stressed and trying to make food----to remember how I feel about those who sit at my table everyday. It reminds me to not just go through the motions of cooking.....but to do it with joy and gladness so that I can truly 'serve' those I love......literally nurturing and sustaining them. And you know what? It makes the food taste better. I'm sure of it. Isn't our attitude about things powerful like that?

I was listening to this yesterday on my favorite radio show, Issues Etc., and it helped me to see....for the first time ever.....that a wife really is a picture of the bride of Christ.....the Church. She is the means by which God gives birth to its members through the regeneration of baptism and the means by which He sustains and nourishes its members through the very body and blood of Christ at the Lord's Supper. So my vocation of wife and mother is not trivial. And my uniqueness as the life-giving, life-sustaining source in this family is so important to God..... so important.....that he compared it to His Church....whom He loved enough to give His very life for.

Isn't that what we as women have the freedom and privilege to do.....to "pour out everything inside us"? I feel a little like that about blogging. We share ourselves and our hearts with each other.....to nourish and sustain ourselves and those we love. Your blogs and your words are like that for me....."sweet water, brimming over". So, read the quote again......and be blessed today.

And cook that meatloaf with love, baby!

The Fall

I don't know if I've ever told you about this place. A magical little sanctuary that Stevie labored countless months and years over. A quaint little cottage that he had built for us in the middle of beautiful mountainous country, with a spring fed pond he researched and designed and personally stocked with all kinds of fish and a water trampoline. Paradise. Or pretty close.

Someone decided to trample on our dreams. They came in and took nearly everything 'but the kitchen sink' and this little sign.

Our little slice of Eden went from this....

to this.....overnight. And ditto for every other room.

We made the hours' drive in a somber state of disbelief. We spent the day sifting through broken glass and precious memories. I guess the parallels are endless, but this is what happens in Eden. Everytime. The dream is fleeting. Paradise eludes us. At least for now.

But there is something about suffering that brings joy. And my words will fail to communicate what happened in my heart yesterday. But God is faithful. His mercies are new every morning. Reaching in to give us hope, and life, and salvation.

I am His child.

And He has not left me alone.

He will restore Eden. In His time.

This song is dedicated to a man whose strength continually surprises me, whose love is redemptive and whose compassion for my ever present tears these days is heroic.

We will get through this. All of this. Together.  And when I count my blessings, you are first in line.

comments closed

Thank you for all the kind thoughts and prayers I know you're sending our way!

Exhibit A: Honor's Day

It's a curious thing, this homeschooling. There are so many things I love about it. The closeness (can't peel them off me--EVER) with the children, the control over their environment, the classical training, the ability to impart Lutheran doctrine and practice, and even learning to be IN my house 24/7, are all reasons I'm beginning to embrace  this lifestyle. I'm sure I'm not the only mom to struggle with the questions, "Are they doing enough", "Am I pushing them too hard", "Is bubble gum really THAT bad for their teeth?"

So, to calm my fears, I ordered achievement tests which I will be administering next week---in the most formal and 'schoolhouse' manner I can possibly muster up. I'm even gonna wear a teacher-ish outfit and wear my reading glasses on a string around my neck. It's gonna be all school...all day. There will be an apple on the desk. We will say the Pledge of Allegiance. And then when I get ready to mail their answers in, I'm gonna enclose a copy of the following video, in hopes of a little extra credit. I'm sure the test won't be able to extract from them all the wonderful things we've learned this year about the ancient Greeks and Romans. These two little girls have memorized more stuff than you can imagine. And who's gonna test them on that? Who's gonna 'ooh' and 'ahhh' at how smart they are? I guess we could have our own Honors Day, but we've done enough 'presentations' in front of the American girl dolls.

Therefore, I give you exhibit A. We don't mess around here at Logos School. It's all business. All the time. There is not one moment of the day we are not learning something. And I just have this teeny weeny need to prove to the world that I am not sitting around all day eating bon bons and watching Oprah. There is no time for nonsense when the forming of children's minds is at stake.   The girls recite for you a list of the most common Greek and Roman gods.   In the most solemn, serious way.   Our humble homeschool Honor's Day presentation.

Disclaimer:  Though they used their 'cheat sheet', they could say this list in their sleep.  And we seem to have an uncanny fascination with the British accent.  It makes you feel smarter. And smug.  And makes  you wanna sip tea.

Worship Wars: A Case for Classical Worship

Have you ever asked yourself why your church worships the way it does?   Would you call the worship style contemporary or traditional?   Some might say it's possible that the method or medium of worship is neutral, but I would fancy to say that at the heart of every form of worship, there is a theology driving it.   If that is true, then the real question is what is the theology that drives it?   My background as a fundamentalist, then evangelical,  and now Lutheran has given me a deeper look into many and varied forms of christian worship.   There are parts about them all that I think have some redeeming qualities, but I have never  been challenged to think as much about the mode of worship and its implications as I have since becoming Lutheran.  I thank my pastor and IssuesEtc. for that.  There was a recent segment on Issues, which you can listen to here that seemed to sum it up so well.  This segment was based on a article written by Bill Cwirla titled 10 Reasons Why We Use the Liturgy which you can read here.   I'll just give you the cliff notes but I highly recommend you listen to the very informative discussion.

1.  We have handed down to us a tradition that is 2,000 years old with elements dating back even to Jewish worship in the synagogue.  As Pastor Cwirla points out,  'we are not the first christians to walk the face of the earth'---and those things handed down to us, which do not obscure the pure gospel of Christ, should be preserved.  This is why the Lutheran church 'looks' so Roman Catholic.  The conservative reformation only did away with elements of the worship that obscured the gospel.   Every thing else stayed.

2.  The liturgy (historic form of worship) is Christ-centered.  From beginning to end, it is filled with direct passages of scripture, songs and hymns that are either directly from scripture or paraphrases of scripture (the creeds), with the culmination being the Lord giving us His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.   It might be possible to have a contemporary style service that is Christ-centered, but I've rarely seen it done.   The focus tends to be more on the people--the singers, the pastor---rather than on Christ.  Often the focus of the sermons are man-centered instead of focusing on the objective work of Christ for us.  In most Lutheran churches, everything from the placement of the pulpit off to the side to the central location of the cross and the Lord's table, teaches us that Christ is the focus of our worship.

3.  "The liturgy teaches the whole counsel of God - creation, redemption, sanctification, Christ’s incarnation, passion, resurrection, and reign, the Spirit’s outpouring and the new life of faith. Every liturgical year cycles through these themes so that the hearer receives the “whole counsel of God” on a regular basis."   This seems like such an important point to me--moving stepwise through scripture, so that by the end of the cycle, all of scripture has been covered in some form.   Otherwise, it seems that our own chosen 'themes' seem to become the focus----a 10 week study on 'the family' or  ' 12 weeks to a better marriage' .   It seems strange that we have a wonderful, inspired Word of God, chocked full of stories of redemption pointing us toward Christ, and yet we think we somehow know better or can do better than that.    His word is sharp and active and never returns to Him void;  it is the perfect template for how to order our worship and how to systematically instruct believers.

4. "It is repetitive in a good way. Repetition is, after all, the mother of learning. Fixed texts and annual cycles of readings lend to deep learning. Obviously, mindless repetition does not accomplish anything; nor does endless variety. "  This is probably the number one complaint I here about liturgical worship.  But I can tell you that with two little ones learning the liturgy along beside me, there is something so special about your children being able to sing and say the liturgy by heart.   And because most of the liturgy is taken directly from scripture, they are 'hiding God's word in their hearts'.   C.S. Lewis compared the liturgy to a dance.  Only after memorizing the steps is one able to truly dance and enjoy it;  those things which we memorize or learn 'by heart' are usually those things which we really know in a deep and lasting way.

5. "It rescues us from the here and now".   Following the historical liturgy removes us from following the headlines of the news in our church life.   We follow Christ's word instead, which never changes, and is always pertinent to our lives.   

"In the liturgy, the Word sets the agenda, defining our needs and shaping our questions. The temptation is for us to turn stones into bread to satisfy an immediate hunger and scratch a nagging spiritual itch, but the liturgy teaches us to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."  

6.  "It is external and objective."   We are given God's word and His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.  We come empty-handed to His table, receive the gifts He gives and then we give Him thanks for those gifts.  None of it depends on us or  how we 'feel' about the worship service.  And what a relief; to know that know matter what pitiful unspiritual state we are in, we leave church with God's greatest gifts, poured out to us freely, for the sake of Christ alone. We don't have to gin up any super-spirituality.   We are completely on the receiving end of life and forgiveness.  It changes how we look at our whole life of faith.   We are beggars at His table.  All of us.  We never leave saying, "I didn't get much out of it."  We leave the Lord's house and His table satisfied with what He has provided, lacking and wanting for nothing; the blessed recipients of His very life poured into us.

I hope Pastor Cwirla forgives me for butchering his list a little, but I think it behooves us to see the theology behind what we do.   If we think we come to worship to 'give something to God', then the worship style will reflect that.   If we come knowing that He is the giver of all good gifts, then we come ready to receive the wonderful redemption He has bought for us in Christ; given to us in Word and Sacrament.   Going from contemporary to liturgical worship is a bit like learning to listen to Bach after spending twenty years singing catchy praise songs.  It does not appeal instantly to the emotions.  You can't 'get it all' in one or years, let alone one or two visits.  It is deep and layered and will certainly take a while to seep into your soul. Eventually, you will find yourself spoiled.  Ten verses of  "I Surrender All" won't hold a candle to "A Mighty Fortress is our God".   You will find yourself asking the question, "Am I really the one who surrenders all.....or is it Christ.....who surrenders all for me?"

I realize that in this postmodern world where church growth is king, posts like this will not be very popular.  But it does give us cause to think.   The methods we use are not neutral---they carry with them an implied message.   We should at least ponder the ramifications of that message.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

The Making over of my Bathroom and my Imagination

Edited to add:  I'm joining Kelly's 'Show us Your Bathroom' Party so if you're visiting from Kelly's blog, welcome.  You can see more decorating posts by clicking the pictures on my sidebar!  To my regular readers, you can see lots of cute bathroom decor by clicking here.

I also just wrote a post about "Why I'm not a Feminist".   It's sure to be controversial.  Click here to read.

Decorating my home is not just a hobby for me. It is a part of a quest to create for my family a haven, a place that inspires us, beckons us to retreat from the world; and calls us to notice and enjoy the beauty all around. And my tastes are changing. I'm finding that my spiritual need to live simply and authentically translates well into the  practical side of living too. Decorate with items that you love, that are beautiful, that inspire you.  First,  I want to show you the inspiration for my bathroom makeover. This bust of some Greek/Roman goddess/fairy beckoned me to bring her home. And I promised her that if she was 40% off---and still on the shelf---the next time I went to Hobby Lobby, I'd welcome her to our family. So, she was. And I did. We've named her Juno in honor of the great fun we've had studying the ancient Greek and Roman myths.


This bathroom makeover was an attempt to simplify---using what I already had---and adding a little paint and a little statue named Juno.

The walls got lighter.....

The tired and clunky medicine cabinet was removed and replaced with a simple mirror.

And Juno took her place upon the throne.

Maybe only the towels stayed exactly the same.

The project was cottage inspired--using the colors of the sea--with some natural elements such as shells and starfish to accent.

The vanity cabinet was painted a very dark brown....

and the two front cabinet doors were replaced. (I know, I'm schizophrenic---take the kitchen doors down, put the bathroom doors on).  The look is so much more sleek and clean (minus the two wet, smelly dogs in the picture).  I wanted to add a few quaint little details like vintage glass knobs and a towel 'rope', but those will have to wait for now.

Several smaller decorative items were removed in favor of the one large Roman goddess/garden fairy.   She makes a bold statement in this little room.  And though I have never been a fan of myths or fantasies, C.S. Lewis and George McDonald are teaching me. I am currently reading the book  Phantastes by McDonald;  a book that C.S. Lewis said, 'baptized his imagination'.   That alone intrigued me enough to want to read it.  But mythopoeic writing is difficult for someone like me to read.  It takes discipline and a certain sticktoitiveness, which I sometimes do not possess.  It helps that my  husband happens to love mythical writing and is re-reading the book with me so he can help me through it.

Here is what Lewis says of mythopoetic writing, "It is in some ways more akin to music than poetry.  It arouses in us sensations we have never had before, never anticipated having, as though we had broken out of our normal mode of consciousness and 'possessed joys not promised to us at our birth'.  It gets under our skin, hits us at a level deeper than our thoughts or even our passions, troubles oldest certainties till all questions are reopened, and in general shocks us more fully awake than we are for most of our lives......it finally lets us feel in our face the sweet air blowing from the land of righteousness."   

I think I finally get it.  After struggling through the first 60 pages of that book.....twice,  I finally feel that 'sweet air', an nearly inexplicable goodness, a 'baptism of my imagination'.   And Stevie tells me that Lewis' book "Till We Have Faces" takes it all to another level.  I highly recommend the books, but I cannot tell a lie;  the bathroom makeover was easier.   Maybe Juno will help remind us that this longing we have for fairy tales, for adventure, for truth and meaning, is given to us by God.  And His story is the culmination of all myth and fairy tale; the miraculous and mysterious come to us in the flesh, to bear our sin, and be our Savior.  

When I'm finished reading these, they stay in the Fairy Cottage Bathroom!  With Juno.

And I'm also reading one of McDonald's fairy tales to the girls, The Princess and the Goblin. They find it wonderful and magical and are never satisfied with just one chapter a night!  Do you have a favorite fairy tale/fantasy book?

Edited to Add:  This bathroom has no natural lighting and it's hard to get a picture that captures the colors well because of the necessity to use the flash.  I am not a fan of flash photography.  The bathroom walls are very similiar to my kitchen walls.....a very light (almost white) green.

One mama's journey through goodbye.....

Edited to add:  I'm linking this post with Emily's Tuesdays Unwrapped so welcome to all you friends of Emily.  She's the best!

It's been a busy week for our family as we anticipate the fast approaching graduation of my son, Taylor. He was honored with many of his classmates this week as being among the class to receive more honors and scholarships than any other class in the history of West High School.

He graduates with first honors....with a weighted GPA above 4.0 (I'm still not sure how that's possible)

and will attend East Tennessee State University on a music and academic scholarship, while his best friend Andrew was honored with all the same acolades and will attend King College (only about 20 miles from Taylor's college) on an academic and cross country scholarship.

He was honored as a member of Who's Who and was recognized as the male 'senior of the year' by his music teacher for his participation in Chamber Choir.   It makes a mama proud.   And brings a mama to tears.  (and in retrospect, makes a mama wish she had insisted on that hair cut)!

 To top off the week, his band, The Verity, was invited to play at the World's Fair Park last night in Knoxville.  The girls and I met my mom, my nieces and my nephew to tour the Sunsphere and enjoy downtown Knoxville before the concert started.

My mother's best friend from childhood, whom I also call my 2nd mom, is the owner of the historic Thackston School, which burned a few months back and had to relocate the Holiday Inn Convention Center; conveniently located about 50 yards from the World's Fair ampitheater.  Her son, John, just happens to have the best view of Knoxville, with his office in the top of the Sunsphere.   Needless to say, it was a fun field trip.

This is the view of the ampitheater from John's office.

So, despite the intermittent rain, we had a ball.

I think the boys did too.  This was a beautiful venue.

Everything these days is covered with a haze, a mixture of sadness and joy.   I'm filled with pride and yet, always on the verge of tears.  I feel so blessed to take this journey with him and still apprehensive that when the time comes for me to step off the trail, I won't be ready.  He won't be ready.

I know that this is only the beginning for him.   The world lies in wait; ready to embrace another generation of our youth.  It's my job to let go, to give him gladly to a world that is hurting and in need of strong minds and compassionate hearts.  And I will find a way to let go.  

Because deep down, I know that what we give away from open hands and hearts, always comes back to us.  The sadness turns to joy.   The tears are a baptism of sorts.  Drowning out the need to control....to hold too tightly.  It is necessary for this goodbye----this death to the way things have always been---before new life can spring forth. 

I will say goodbye to this way of life.   To this way I have mothered you.  But I will not say goodbye.   I will hold you in my heart always.  Rejoicing with you in your joys.   And bearing your burdens with you in my heart....and on my knees.   I will be here for you.   Always.