Sunday Scripture

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Friendship, It is a Funny Thing

The concept of friendship is a strange one. At least to me. You know that saying, that some friendships are meant for a season, others for a reason, and still others for a lifetime. That doesn't help me understand friendship any better.

A few months ago, I finally caved to urgings of a few friends to join Facebook. My resistance was because I did not need one more thing to waste my time on the internet. I joined because friends from graduate school (seminary) were on it, and those friendships are very dear to me.

The surprise of Facebook has been that friends from college have also found me there. But that also puts me in a strange place. I graduated from a small Christian college over thirteen years ago, then went on to three years of seminary. The passage of time and place has unfortunately dimmed my memory of college and those friendships.

I am not saying that they were not important friendships to me, because they were. I had a lot of great friends in college. But none were that close, bosom buddy type of friendship. Those close relationships came in seminary.

I have been wondering how to pick up with these friendships. Not only catching up on the events that have happened in my life, but also the growth that I have experienced. I do not think that I am the same person I was back then. I hope that I have matured. And I am sure that these friends have changed again.

Or maybe there is no "picking up" where we left off. Maybe the friendships need to start all over again.

I did pull out my college yearbooks (from both of my senior years), hoping to jog my memory of that time. It has helped. The major events of each year are recorded for me. And the pictures remind me of the smiling faces that I saw on a daily basis.

So, dear friends, forgive me if I seem a little foggy. I am trying to brush the cobwebs from my brain. It's a daily struggle. It is so easy to become too entrenched in my daily life that I do not have time to reflect on from whence I came. I'm working on that.

To my friends, both past and present, thank you for your patience. I am a work in progress. Thankfully, God is still working on me.

An Unscientific Survey

I would like to conduct a survey of my readers, so you are seeing this in a reading, please click on over to see the poll in my sidebar. ----------->

I know that I have mentioned before that Ladybug can be quite the morning lark. I am a early bird myself. But she does not often allow me to get out of bed without her. Even this week, with early morning preparations that were needed for the Thanksgiving feast, she was not in bed long after I rose both Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

So, the thought hit me, Do SAHM's Need Alarm Clocks?

Even if you don't usually comment when you stop in to visit, please take a moment to vote in the poll and leave a comment about your alarm clock usage. Are you a morning person, or is it tough for you to get out of bed in the morning? Are your kids early risers? Were they early risers, but when school starts, it's like pulling teeth to get them moving in the morning?

And you don't have to be a SAHM to participate. I'd love to hear from all of you! Thanks!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100
A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

2 Worship the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing with joy.

3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us, and we are his.

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good.

His unfailing love continues forever,

and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Enjoy some Pumpkin Pi

What a Difference a Year Makes

I love looking through Ladybug's pictures. She has grown so much! When I hold my 35 inch tall, 35 lb toddler, I sometimes forget what a small little bundle she started out to be. Small is a relative word, since she was 8 lb 9 oz at birth.

In November 2007, she was 5 months old. She was starting to sit up independently. I love this picture from last year when my sister, brother-in-law, and my mom were in town.

And here is our precious Ladybug playing in the leaves. She is almost 18 months old. She runs, jumps, is starting to show some independent thought (read: she doesn't always want to listen to Momma), and plays independently. What a difference a year makes!

A Meme, an Award, and an Apology

Courtney at A Mom Speaks tagged me for a book meme.

These are the rules
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next two to five sentences.
5. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book or the intellectual one. Pick the Closest.
6. Tag five people to do the same

The closest book to me that isn't a board book is Love is a Decision by Gary Smalley and John Trent. I haven't started reading it yet. Here is what it says....

"Halfway through the park, we finally came to the well-marked 'danger zone,' and right when we were in the middle of no-man's land, Norma asked, 'What's that coming out from under the hood?' Well, it was steam from our overheating radiator, and it was beginning to form an unwelcome white cloud!"

I am tagging the following for this meme (don't feel obligated to participate if you don't want to, you won't hurt my feelings):

Melanie at Livin' With Me!
Casey at The Beautiful Letdown
Mandie at Just We Moms
Diana at Sunshine on My Shoulders
Carol at I Throw Like a Girl



And Tara at Feels Like Home bestowed the Kreativ Blogger award for me (or my blog, I'm not sure which!). Thanks, Tara!! In addition, I'm supposed to list 6 things that make me happy and then pass it on to 6 more bloggers. The things that make me happy are:


1. my faith in Jesus Christ
2. my wonderful, patient husband
3. my beautiful Ladybug
4. wonderful Christian friends
5. my mom's cooking!
6. chocolate!


There are so many of you who deserve this award too! However, since the directions say to share this with 6 bloggers, I'll actually observe the rules this time. I am sharing this award with:


Heather at Desperately Seeking Sanity
Amanda at OhAmanda
Elaine at Peace for the Journey (I actually know Elaine IRL!)
Esme's Mommy at MoziEsme`
Lisa at Little Jack's Corner
Kim at Beanish and Other Languages I'm Learning


And for the apology. I know there are two more of my wonderful bloggy friends who have also shared awards with me, but I cannot remember who. I am so sorry that I haven't acknowledged your kindness! I am so thankful that so many of you come here week in and week out to share your thoughts or just to peek into our lives. Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet!

More of Him Monday - What Does God See?

Welcome to More of Him Monday! This is a weekly carnival in which we can share encouragement with fellow Christian bloggers. Please read here for participation guidelines.

NOTE: If you have a More of Him post, please link up in the comments. Thanks!

***************************************************

Once again, a parenting moment has given me a new insight into Who God is and how much He loves me.

Ladybug has been cutting molars, and this weekend has been particularly bad. She's cranky, temperamental, and in general pretty ornery. Not like my little Ladybug at all. At times, I run out of patience with the attitude.

I try to distract her with toys, books, or running around the house. But her attention span is very short. She is soon whining and fussing again, and just wants me to carry her.

It hit me Sunday afternoon that I am very much like a teething toddler in my relationship to God. I whine a lot. I don't want to listen when He says "no" or "not now." I ask Him to meet my needs immediately. My attention span is very short, and I make lots of excuses why I cannot possibly do what He is asking of me.

Wow. And God puts up with that! Because He loves me unconditionally. And His patience is never ending.

But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. 1 Timothy 1:16

************************************************

Your turn. Where have your seen More of Him in your life?

Sunday Scripture

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.

Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

3 For the Lord is a great God,

a great King above all gods.

4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth

and the mightiest mountains.

5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it.

His hands formed the dry land, too.

6 Come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,

7 for he is our God.

We are the people he watches over,

the flock under his care.

Psalm 95:1-7

Checking In

Just a quick post today. My mom arrived from Pennsylvania this afternoon. She was here last at Easter, when Ladybug first started crawling. Now Ladybug runs, jumps, dances, and runs, jumps, and dances everywhere.

Already Grammy and Ladybug have been outside running, chasing each other, and playing in the leaf piles. It's so fun to watch my mom play with her grandbaby!

We'll be hosting Thanksgiving dinner for Hubby's family, plus doing some Christmas shopping this next week. No, I do not shop on Black Friday. I used to work in retail and do not care to voluntarily be a part of that chaos. Too much for me!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Big dinner with family? Or something low key? What's your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

There are few things that get my goat more than lack of respect. It seems that disrepectfulness has become an epidemic in our society. No, I am not talking about teenagers. I am talking about other parents.

I hate it when other parents feel that they have the right to tell you what you are doing wrong in the parenting department. They see nothing wrong with criticizing every little thing that you are doing in raising your child.

Excuse me? Who made you an expert on child-rearing? Just because you have your own children does not make you an expert on all children.

One thing I learned very early in my parenting journey is to trust my instincts, and that is the advice that I give all new parents. If a book, or grandma, or a well-meaning friend or stranger tells you how you should do something, and it seems counter-intuitive, by all means do not follow that advice!

Ladybug's first pediatrician told me that by letting her nurse for more than 10 minutes per breast was allowing myself to become her pacifier. Um. So what's wrong with that? It is my job as her mother to comfort her, and if that means putting her to the breast, I will do that. Babies, toddlers included, do not know how to navigate this world emotionally. As her mother, I need to teach her how to calmly approach difficult situations. But you cannot rationalize with a screaming infant or toddler. Giving them a means to calm down first is more important in my eyes.

Notice I said "first" pediatrician? We found a new one who would be more supportive of the way that we chose to care for our child.

And just recently, I was told by a woman, who I know well, not only that Ladybug should not be sleeping in our bed, but gave specific instructions on how to get her to sleep in her own room. And this came from a woman who regularly takes mission trips to a very poor country. Um. Where do babies sleep in that poor country, where most people can barely afford a one room shack? They sleep in the same room with not only their parents, but their entire family. Just because I am "rich enough" to afford a 3-bedroom home does not mean that I have to use all of those rooms for sleeping.

I do not mind if people disagree with my parenting choices. As long as it is not hurting my child, however, I do not believe that anyone else has the right to tell me what I'm doing wrong AND how to fix it.

So, if you are a new parent: trust your instincts. For an experienced parent: respect the parenting choices that your friends and acquaintances make. Offer advice only when asked. Most of all, respect another parent's choices and the fact that they know their child best.

... end of rant ...

Thankful Thursday - Answered Prayers

God is so good to answer our prayers! I sit here this morning with a deep sense of awe and relief, knowing that He always works for our good.

I shared before about a good friend's daughter who I nicknamed "Button." Button is 14 months old, and since her 6 month check up, several developmental delays have been noticed. Finally, Button was able to be seen by a specialist, who began running tests.

This week, a diagnosis of a metabolic disorder was given to Button's parents. It's one where her body doesn't produce the right enzymes to break down the nutrition in her food. So they are beginning a round of B-12 shots which she will most likely take for the rest of her life.

Thankfully, the disorder was discovered VERY early, and although they are running more tests to make sure her heart has suffered, all things look good that with the right nutrition and the shots, she'll be able to catch up and lead a normal life.

God is so good in the way that He takes care of us, and I give Him praise today for the way that He cares for Button and her family. And seeing my friend go through this makes me very thankful for my healthy 17 month old Ladybug.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

For more thankful hearts, please visit Iris at Grace Alone.

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Fun!

Click here of here for more Wordless Wednesdays!

The Family That Plays Together - Family Bliss

I love the stage that our 17 month old Ladybug is in. (To be honest, I've loved every stage so far!) She is playful and active, learning to communicate and express herself, and learning to use her imagination.

Although I know some parts of the country are dealing with snow, we finally have enough leaves in our yard to rake them. So Saturday, we took some time as a family to rake leaves and play outside together. It was so much fun!

Ladybug loved "helping" to rake the leaves. And we all got some exercise and had fun too. It was a great family time!

Special thanks to Kim from Up North Mommy for featuring my Blissful post on recycling from last week.

Thanks for visiting, and don't forget to check out the other Blissfully Domestic posts.

Where, O Where, Have My Thoughts Gone?

Yes, I realize that today is Monday, and I usually write a More of Him Monday post. I've been feeling inundated, unorganized, and overwhelmed lately. And those three things don't lead to many deep thoughts. Here are the few thoughts that are swimming in my head right now:

~ my mom arrives on Saturday! Yay! But I want to get my house clean before then.

~ holding a Holiday Open House for my business tonight. Thankfully, this is a group effort, my adopted director and the other gals I meet with are setting up together. But it's still a good amount of work to make sure I have guests.

~ I'm behind in my reading/writing for the Blissfully Wed channel at Blissfully Domestic. So far behind!

~ I would really like to just lie (lay?) on the couch and stare into space right now. (Ladybug is napping, so that is a possibility.)

~ It's difficult to even concentrate enough to finish this post. That's bad! I read a tweet on Twitter last night - I can only concentrate in 140 character snippets. That's me right now!

~ I didn't want to skip a day of posting since I have made it halfway through NaBloPoMo without missing a day. Don't want to ruin that now. So you are subjected to my incoherent ramblings - sorry!

~ When I googled "open brain image" to find a cartoon type picture for this post, I found lots of pictures of open brain coral. Who'da thunk there would be coral by that name? Obviously not me.

That's about all I have right now. I think I'm going to stare at the ceiling for a while now....

Sunday Scripture

14"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

23"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28" 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Matthew 25:14-15, 19-30

The Pitter-Patter of Little Feet

So, Hubby and I were sitting in the living room this afternoon. Ladybug was napping in our bedroom, which is on the opposite end of the house. Usually, she cries a bit when she wakes up, and I go get her out of bed.

She has learned how to slide down out of the bed by herself. I saw her do this a few days ago. And she did it again today, because she silently appeared at the living room door while we thought she was still asleep.

I guess that's one disadvantage of her not sleeping in a crib. Oh well.

Oh, and the title of this post? Did you think it meant that I'm pregnant? Um, no. But my sister is and I'll pass along your well wishes.

International Babywearing Week

I'm a little slow on the draw this week. International Babywearing Week is drawing to a close, and I am just now posting about it. Stephanie at Adventures in Babywearing is giving away a sling from Nonny & Boo to someone who posts a babywearing picture this week. (I hope I'm not too late!)

This was taken Sunday night. I was trying to make pizza for our dinner, and Ladybug was EXTREMELY cranky. So instead of yelling at Hubby to come distract her, I just popped her in the mei tai that I got from Baby Love Slings.

And Hubby had to get in on the photo op as well!

She was so comfortable that by the time I had the pizza in the oven, she had fallen asleep!

Ladybug has never really been a cranky baby, but now that she is a toddler, we have late afternoon meltdowns all the time. I'm so thankful for my ring sling and mei tai! Just pop her in a carrier and Voila! She chills out! Since I'm usually cranky at that time of day too, it's nice to know that I have a way to attend to her needs yet still get things done.

Stephanie has a Mr. Linky up, so if you want to check out more babywearing pictures, hop on over!

Thankful Thursday - The Lord Provides

9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15 Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that 17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. 18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:9-18)

I love the story of Abraham and Isaac. I believe that God still provides in miraculous ways, in ways that we do not expect. And I also believe that the current "economic crisis" will drive more people to their knees, asking God for His supernatural provision.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:25-30)

I believe that God will provide for our needs when we put our trust in Him. Our needs, but not always our wants. I know that is a lesson that I need to be reminded of. I'm thankful that God knows the difference better than I do.

For more thankful hearts, please visit Iris at Grace Alone.

Wordless Wednesday - Laundry Helper

Ladybug was "helping" me fold laundry the other day. Don't we all need help like this???

Click here or here for truly Wordless Wednesday!
or here for Wordful Wednesday

Blissful Recycling

Today, I am being Blissfully Frugal for the I am Blissfully Domestic carnival. Don't forget to check out the other participants.

This past Saturday, we held a worship concert at our church. With seventeen singers and seven musicians, we knew we would go through a lot of water bottles. (it's a musician/singer thing - I don't like to use plastic bottles all the time, but for this event with that many people, it was a necessity)

So I decided that if we were going to use plastic water bottles, I would take on the job of recycling said bottles. I placed an empty paper grocery sack next to the case of water and let everyone know that it was for the empties. I even went around after the concert to gather up empties that people left behind.

Here is the bag of water bottles that I was able to take to the recycling center on Monday:

Every little bit helps! Now, go recycle something!

More of Him - At Worship

Welcome to More of Him Monday! This is a weekly carnival in which we can share encouragement with fellow Christian bloggers. Please read here for participation guidelines.

NOTE: If you have a More of Him post, please link up in the comments. Thanks!

***************************************************

WOW. WOW. WOW.

That's about all I can muster to describe Saturday night. God showed up in a BIG way.

We had a "worship concert" at our church. This is something that we have wanted to do since we came on staff at our church three years ago. But the timing was never right. Finally, God opened doors and showed us that this was the time.

First, let me define "worship concert," since that term may a little confusing. We used modern worship music, combined with videos, and a little bit of testimony to create an atmosphere for worship. There were seven instruments, three lead vocalists, and fourteen singers in the praise choir.

This wasn't a concert in the typical sense, where people can sit back and relax and be entertained. No, we wanted the people to worship. And worship they did!

The church was filled with energy and enthusiasm. We worshipped. We praised God. We stood in awe of Who He is and what He has done for us. It was an amazing experience.

We put so much preparation into this one hour of worship, not knowing if we would ever see any "fruit." When Sunday morning came, God allowed us to see a small portion of what He did in that worship.

A teenage girl who came Saturday night with a friend also came to worship on Sunday morning. She told someone that God had spoke to her during the Saturday night worship, and that she knew she needed to be in church more and follow God more closely.

What a gift to hear that! If only one life was changed because of that worship experience, then we know that God was glorified in all that we did.

We are looking forward to holding another worship concert soon, at the Lord's leading. We couldn't do this without Him, nor would we want to! I love it when God shows up, and especially when we open our ears and listen to Him.

What an awesome God we have!

*********************************************

Your turn. Where have you seen More of Him in your life?

Sunday Scripture

Psalm 70
For the choir director:

A psalm of David, asking God to remember him.

1 Please, God, rescue me!

Come quickly, Lord, and help me.

2 May those who try to kill me

be humiliated and put to shame.

May those who take delight in my trouble

be turned back in disgrace.

3 Let them be horrified by their shame,

for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

4 But may all who search for you

be filled with joy and gladness in you.

May those who love your salvation

repeatedly shout, “God is great!”

5 But as for me, I am poor and needy;

please hurry to my aid, O God.

You are my helper and my savior;

O Lord, do not delay.

The No-Cheese Zone

Do you have pet peeves? I'll tell you one of mine.

It's that space on a pizza where the toppings meet the crust. I like that space to be covered with cheese. But a lot of take out pizzas have sauce without cheese covering it. I call this the No-Cheese Zone. And I don't like it.

Just thought you'd like to know.

What is one of your pet peeves?

A Silent Call for Help

Ladybug and I attended our local La Leche League meeting yesterday. I enjoy the company of the moms, and Ladybug has other little ones to interact with.

I was standing near the snack table, listening to the conversation of the moms in the circle. Ladybug had been at the table eating a banana, but she slipped away to find a toy or something.

As my eyes gazed the room, I saw her over by the dolls. There was a doll in a high chair that she wanted. She saw that I was looking at her. So she signed HELP because she couldn't get the doll out of the chair.

It was a silent call for help across a crowded room. No need for a tantrum because Ladybug knew that saw I her and would know what she wanted. I love my signing toddler!

Thankful Thursday

It's a busy week, but there are so many things on my thankful list too!

~ Being able to snuggle with Ladybug when I don't feel good. She's a typical toddler and doesn't always want to snuggle. But I can still get my snuggle quota filled!

~ Watching Ladybug learn something new. She is a sponge and picks up new words, new signs, and new skills every single day! This morning she was pointing at my arm, I said "arm," and she repeated it back to me.

~ We'll be welcoming a new cousin for Ladybug in May!! My Sister is pregnant, and her due date is May 13. I'm so excited for my Sister and her husband. This is a blessing that comes after a long wait and a lot of struggle.

~ God's provision. He is good and provides ALL of our needs. Not always our wants, but definitely our needs.

~ An amazing worship event at our church this Saturday. This worship "concert" has been on our hearts for several years, and finally it's here!!

~ My wonderful hard-working Hubby. He is a blessing to me!

I know there are so many other blessings that I could share. God is so good! For more thankful hearts, please visit Iris at Grace Alone.

Wordless Wednesday - Election Day

Well, almost wordless. Ladybug accompanied Hubby and me to the polls yesterday. We arrived at 7 am and had an hour wait. I put Ladybug in the Mei Tai that I bought from Baby Love Slings, and she enjoyed checking out all the people.

By the time we reached the door, she had fallen asleep, so she missed watching me vote (the main thing a 17 month old would be interested in would have been the touch screen).

I think Ladybug enjoyed her first experience at the polls. We hope that she'll grow into a responsible citizen and always exercise her right to vote!

Click here or here for truly Wordless Wednesday!

Wordful Wednesday

Adventures in Coloring

The time has finally come to teach 17 month old Ladybug about the joys of coloring! I have been looking forward to this for a while. Seriously.

She came home from Mom's Morning Out with a coloring page in her bag, and I knew the time was right. Here we go!

I bought the triangular shaped crayons. They are bigger and easier to grip in her toddler hands. The package says "washable" - we'll see about that!

I set Ladybug up in her high chair, placed a paper on the tray, and gave her a crayon. And she was off!! Soon, she wanted crayons in both hands.

We both had a lot of fun with our first adventure in coloring. I did turn my back for a few seconds and discovered that she had taken a bite out of the pink and orange crayons.

For now, I am letting her color on blank white paper. I know there are free printables out there. Can anyone make recommendations on sites to find good printables for coloring?

Thanks for dropping by today to see our colorful attempt at being Blissfully Domestic!

More of Him Monday - How Much More?

Welcome to More of Him Monday! This is a weekly carnival in which we can share encouragement with fellow Christian bloggers. Please read here for participation guidelines.

NOTE: If you have a More of Him post, please link up in the comments. Thanks!

***************************************************

Sometimes when Ladybug is at Mom's Morning Out, I have a chance to watch her on the playground, from inside the church, and she doesn't know that I'm there.

I watch her climb the steps, sit down at the top of the slide, and scoot down the slide. I'll watch her toddle around to do it again.

Sometimes she'll walk over to one of her teachers. I can see her jibber-jabbering.

I'll watch her toddle around the picnic table. She'll bend over and investigate the wood chips. Uh-oh, she stood up too quickly and at the wrong angle and she bonked her head. From the reaction of the teacher, she must have cried out in pain.

Watching this scene play, I wondered how God watches us.

Does He smile as He watches us play? Does He nod His head with pride when He sees that we have gained a new skill? Does His gaze become more intense when He sees that we might have hurt ourselves? Is He relieved when someone comes along to help us, encourage us, and dust us off?

As much as I am learning about parenting, I think I am learning more about God. He is our Divine Parent, the One who watches over us. He is our Father, the One who loves us so much that He sent His own Son to show us what true love is.

As much as I rejoice in watching my daughter learn new things, I think about how much more He loves watching us learn to follow His way. How much more does He love us? How much more does He hurt when we hurt? How much more does He long to pick us up, dust us off, and give us a reassuring hug? How much more does He shake His head in sadness when we make wrong choices? And how much more does He celebrate when we turn to Him?

**************************************************

Where have you seen More of Him in your life?

Whose Life Is It Anyway?

Two days until the US Presidential election. It can't come soon enough for me. While I have my political opinions, I do not enjoy politics because there are way too many arguments, hurt feelings, and passionate people who believe that what they believe is "right."

But I would like to ask your opinion on a political topic that, to me, is very important when deciding which candidate to vote for.

Hubby and I had a discussion recently about the pro-life vs. pro-choice debate. We both believe in the sanctity of life and that life begins at conception. But is it easier for a man (in general) to be pro-choice because whether or not to end an unwanted pregnancy will never be a decision that he has to face?

I won't even guess at the myriad thoughts that lead a woman to end a pregnancy. It's not a decision that I could make. But I would not judge a woman who felt that was her only course of action. I would, however, grieve for that lost child. Because "it" is a child.

I would love to hear your opinions. Please be respectful when you leave a comment. No attacking. I will yield my executive privilege on this blog and delete all nastiness. Let's have a healthy discussion here.

Is it easier for a man to be pro-choice because having an abortion is not something that he will have to face personally?

NaBloPoMo 2008

I have decided to take part in NaBloPoMo again this year. What is that, you say? It's short for National Blog Posting Month, where bloggers challenge themselves to post on their blogs every day for the month of November. I participated last year as a brand new blogger. I think that's when my love for blogging bloomed.

So, what will you see this month? I cannot guarantee anything except thirty days of posts. Sometimes they will be thought provoking, sometimes not. A lot of pictures of 17 month old Ladybug. I may talk about a few topics that I haven't brought up before.

Last year, I participated in the Thirty Days of Thanks, but since I regularly participate in Thankful Thursday, I don't think I'll do that this year. I am part of the Breastfeeding and Mothering group for NaBloPoMo, so I will be talking about those topics a little more this month.

I will continue posting More of Him Mondays to bring you an inspirational thought for the week. If you have a More of Him type of post to share, please feel free to leave a link in the comments on Mondays.

Through this whole month, I want to encourage us all to recognize the community that we have around us - the blogging community. I have found such great support, encouragement, and friendship through other bloggers.

Are you participating in NaBloPoMo this year? Let me know so I can come visit you too!