Has it really been since February that I have blogged here? Since June that I blogged on the family blog? Wow...
Regarding television... that experiment didn't last long. We are paying for satellite service again, after experimenting with cable. We have trimmed our package down, but we still have, and watch, television. I did not have to sacrifice my Food Network after all.
Disney trip... we went to Disney World in Florida over spring break. We all had a blast at "Mickey's house," as Grace calls it. We decided on Friday morning to leave on Friday evening. It's approximately a 10 hour drive, so we broke it up into 2 days, staying in Atlanta (the halfway point) both on the way down and on the way back.
New England trip... we took our RV up to New England in June. We were gone for about a month, we hit a few new states and new sites, including Gettysburg, PA and Stone Mountain, GA. We had some good times with friends and family, too.
School... I started a graduate program in Education at MS State. I took a "Maymester" class and a summer class in July, and I am now taking 2 evening classes during the fall semester. I should finish the program in the spring of 2011, and I will have my Master of Arts in Teaching - Secondary English. I will also be able to teach business because of the plethora of college credits I have in that area.
Grace... turned THREE this month! I don't know how it's possible that I have a 3 year old but time flies! She started preschool in August, 3 afternoons a week, and she LOVES it!
I will try to be a better blogger.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
New beginnings
Our family has had a lot of new beginnings in the last year. We set off from Eastern Wasington at the end of June, with the eventual destination of our new home in Northern Mississippi. Once we arrived here, we had to get settled in to a new home, a new church, a new culture, new friends, grocery stores (I had never even SEEN a Piggly Wiggly, except in the movie "Driving Miss Daisy," before moving here), foods, routines, and so on. Just about everything in our lives is new in the last year. I have even taken on a new responsiblity - I am homeschooling a 7th grader because a family in my church has that need, and I have the time and the ability to be of service in that area!
Also new to us is having Rob work outside of the home on a full-time basis. I have been a VERY spoiled wife for the first four years of my marriage. My husband has been in graduate school from the time we met, and so his time was somewhat flexible. Sure, he had to teach or attend class a couple of times a week, and he had to put in a certain amount of time on his research for his dissertation, but now he is a professor, and he is aiming to be in the office 40+ hours per week. I do not begrudge him that, but I do miss him when he is away from home so much, and so does Grace. Some days it seems that he has just come home and it is already time for her to go to bed. We are already becoming accustomed to the routine, though, and we are VERY thankful that he has a tenure-track job at a research university in THIS economic climate!
We have another new event that has been pending for a while. We are buying a house. Because we are moving (in just 2 days!), we have been discussing our options for one of the biggest things in our lives - the television. It is with a lot of embarrassment and a little shame (maybe that should be the other way around, but it's not) that I confess that the television takes up WAY too much of our time. We have explored all of our options, which include Dish Network, DirecTV, and plain old Cable. We had pretty much decided to switch from DirecTV to Dish, thereby saving ourselves about $70 per month. Can you believe we've been paying over $100 per month for TV?!
Then something my pastor said in his sermon this morning hit me. He was talking about how God's Word (the Bible) is eternal. It is the only thing that will last. I have known this truth since accepting Jesus as my Lord & Savior almost 18 years ago, but it hit me in a new way this morning. Yes, God's Word is eternal... so why do I spend so much time paying attention to the things of this world? As I told Rob on the way home, when we flip on the television, we are letting all of the filth and sin and influence of the world right into our homes! Why do we pay money to do this? So I said "What if we got rid of pay TV, and only watched DVD's and the networks that we can pick up with our antenna?" We discussed it for a few minutes and decided to give it a try.
The biggest sacrifice for me will be the Food Network. I LOVE watching that channel! Alton Brown of "Good Eats" has become my favorite TV personality, but as I told Rob, "you bought me all of his books for my birthday and Christmas, I can READ his recipes! He even has some episodes online!" As far as the series that we have been watching, most of those episodes are available online as well, and the ones that are not can be rented on DVD when they are released. So, we are not giving up TV entirely, but we will no longer be paying to receive it, and we will no longer "channel-surf" when there are other things we can be doing. We have a child to raise, a yard to attend to, I would like to plant a garden, Rob wants to get another dog, we have friends to minister to, and so many other more important things that we can be doing with our time besides staring at a screen, being mindlessly entertained.
Psalm 101:2-4
I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.
I am hopeful that, without the temptation of hundreds of channels, I will spend more time in God's Word, soaking in His eternal truths, and doing work for His kingdom. We will try it and see.
Philippians 4:8-9
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Also new to us is having Rob work outside of the home on a full-time basis. I have been a VERY spoiled wife for the first four years of my marriage. My husband has been in graduate school from the time we met, and so his time was somewhat flexible. Sure, he had to teach or attend class a couple of times a week, and he had to put in a certain amount of time on his research for his dissertation, but now he is a professor, and he is aiming to be in the office 40+ hours per week. I do not begrudge him that, but I do miss him when he is away from home so much, and so does Grace. Some days it seems that he has just come home and it is already time for her to go to bed. We are already becoming accustomed to the routine, though, and we are VERY thankful that he has a tenure-track job at a research university in THIS economic climate!
We have another new event that has been pending for a while. We are buying a house. Because we are moving (in just 2 days!), we have been discussing our options for one of the biggest things in our lives - the television. It is with a lot of embarrassment and a little shame (maybe that should be the other way around, but it's not) that I confess that the television takes up WAY too much of our time. We have explored all of our options, which include Dish Network, DirecTV, and plain old Cable. We had pretty much decided to switch from DirecTV to Dish, thereby saving ourselves about $70 per month. Can you believe we've been paying over $100 per month for TV?!
Then something my pastor said in his sermon this morning hit me. He was talking about how God's Word (the Bible) is eternal. It is the only thing that will last. I have known this truth since accepting Jesus as my Lord & Savior almost 18 years ago, but it hit me in a new way this morning. Yes, God's Word is eternal... so why do I spend so much time paying attention to the things of this world? As I told Rob on the way home, when we flip on the television, we are letting all of the filth and sin and influence of the world right into our homes! Why do we pay money to do this? So I said "What if we got rid of pay TV, and only watched DVD's and the networks that we can pick up with our antenna?" We discussed it for a few minutes and decided to give it a try.
The biggest sacrifice for me will be the Food Network. I LOVE watching that channel! Alton Brown of "Good Eats" has become my favorite TV personality, but as I told Rob, "you bought me all of his books for my birthday and Christmas, I can READ his recipes! He even has some episodes online!" As far as the series that we have been watching, most of those episodes are available online as well, and the ones that are not can be rented on DVD when they are released. So, we are not giving up TV entirely, but we will no longer be paying to receive it, and we will no longer "channel-surf" when there are other things we can be doing. We have a child to raise, a yard to attend to, I would like to plant a garden, Rob wants to get another dog, we have friends to minister to, and so many other more important things that we can be doing with our time besides staring at a screen, being mindlessly entertained.
Psalm 101:2-4
I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.
I am hopeful that, without the temptation of hundreds of channels, I will spend more time in God's Word, soaking in His eternal truths, and doing work for His kingdom. We will try it and see.
Philippians 4:8-9
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
First blog of the year
I can't believe that 2009 is already 22 days old, and this is my 1st blog! My mood of the day is "cautiously optimistic." Rob and I are going through the process of buying a house in Mississippi. Assuming that the financing goes through, we will be closing on Feb. 13th. I am cautiously optimistic that the loan will go through, and that we will soon be living in our brick house with its very large backyard, kitchen with a gas stove and a dishwasher (can you believe that our faculty house doesn't have a DISHWASHER?), 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, built-in gas fireplace, lovely landscaped front yard... I could go on & on.
I am also cautiously optimistic about the future of our country. Regardless of your feelings toward Barack Obama, there is no denying that his election is an historic one. Our first non-white president. His Inaugural Address was inspirational. He has made us all sorts of promises (health care, the economy, affordable education), now the time has come to see if he can use his current popularity, and the Democratic Congress, to get some of those things passed.
I am also cautiously optimistic about the future of our country. Regardless of your feelings toward Barack Obama, there is no denying that his election is an historic one. Our first non-white president. His Inaugural Address was inspirational. He has made us all sorts of promises (health care, the economy, affordable education), now the time has come to see if he can use his current popularity, and the Democratic Congress, to get some of those things passed.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
My Review of New! KidKraft All-in-One Bright Pastel Play Kitchen
Originally submitted at PlayKitchens.com
Everything she needs to prepare a wonderful meal and create realistic fun is right here in the KidKraft All-In-One Pastel Play Kitchen. Constructed of medium density fiberboard, this play kitchen is full stocked with all the modern appliances. A pink fridge and freezer will keep pretend food ite...
Very cute!
By Kate from MS on 1/8/2009
Pros: Attractive Design
Cons: Difficult Assembly
Best Uses: Playing House, Group Play, Imaginative Play
Describe Yourself: First Time Parent, Stay At Home Parent, Education Oriented
This kitchen is ADORABLE! My daughter loves it. One drawback, however, is that she has removed the oven & the microwave doors, and slightly (not irreparably) damaged the particle board. Perhaps at only 2 yrs 3 months, she is too young for this type of kitchen. That was my mistake as a parent, not the fault of the company. We will re-attach the doors when she is a bit older.
Assembly took my husband and I about 3 1/2 hours on Christmas Eve.
(legalese)
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas to All!
Last year at this time, we had no idea that we would be living in Mississippi, of all places. But here we are, settled in to our new home. Presents are wrapped and under the tree, stockings are filled, dinner is planned (but not yet started), and the Christmas Eve service is in just a few hours. We are so thankful for the friends that we have made and the opportunities that our great and glorious God has provided for us. We pray His blessings on you, as well. Rejoice, for Christ is born!
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