Alotau Woman's Daybook

For Today...Monday, February 21, 2011


Outside my window...shimmery blue seas, a row of dugout canoes lined up after a night of fishing, and a man painting the bottom of his dug-out canoe.



I am thinking...about homeschooling in high school and what that might look like. It seems a ways off, yet Austin is now halfway through 6th grade, so it doesn’t seem that far away.



I am wearing...a coral tank top, army green cargo pants with pockets filled with tissue as I have the sniffles and sneezes…again.



I am praying for...my nephews Destin and Drake as they charter the often tumultuous seas of college and high school. I am very proud of them and their use of the gifts God has blessed them with.



I am going...blessedly, nowhere today.



From the learning rooms.... We are using 3 different math programs this year—Teaching Textbooks for Austin, Saxon for Kylah and Singapore for Lucas. I am enjoying aspects of each and find that my kids have different needs, different learning styles, and I appreciate what each of these math programs have brought to our family.



I am thankful for...leftovers for lunch.



I am remembering...how our American democracy came into existence. I concur with my husband’s words: “It is not flawless, but I wouldn’t want to be from anywhere else.”


From the kitchen...homemade yogurt, homemade bread and a dinner of local foods—Mince meat over rice, kaukau, cooked bananas in coconut cream, and fresh watermelon from the market.



I am reading...Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander (This book so clearly teaches about the concept of Pi—wishing I’d had something like this during my geometry days. I would have remembered this concept so much better in story form rather than lecture form.)



I am hoping...for a less hectic week than last week. I’m not just hoping, but I am planning for it. Though I know how plans go around here….heh, heh, heh.



I am creating...room arrangements. I guess my mom in me is coming out because I have this growing desire to change the furniture around—at least in the kids’ rooms.



On my mind...our church homes in America. I am hoping that those who attend won’t take such blessings for granted. Oddly enough, it is when I’m at church here that I feel the MOST homesick.



Noticing that...my printer is almost out of ink and I can’t just go to Staples or Office Depot for a refill. Must plan way ahead here.



Pondering these words… “Personality emerges from traits handed down to us. However, character is what we do with the personality given to us. We may have the personality of our forefathers but we do not have to develop the same kind of character they had. We can make good choices that grow us into a person of Christlike character.” From Praying for your Family by Sammy Tippit



I am hearing...the rattle of the wrapper to a chocolate candy bar in the fridge. Someone is not being very subtle. I’m not too worried though—there is no more dark chocolate.



Around the house...spotlessly clean floors you can eat off---if you eat fast!



One of my favorite things...a cooling afternoon storm complete with ominous skies and tempestuous winds….and me and my sweet ones safe inside.



A few plans for the rest of the week... we are having guests for dinner Monday night, a worship jam at our house Wednesday night, an end of Vital module dinner celebration on Friday night. Didn’t I say I was going for less busy this week?


Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...


Tree kangaroos in a neighboring yard
(These are not a usual sight, but rather, someone's pets.)
 
Inspired by http://www.simplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Alotau Woman's Daybook

For Today...Monday, February 14, 2011


Outside my window...glorious sunshine after a wet, grey day.



I am thinking...that sometimes I need to say “no” even though everything in me wants to say “yes.” I’m also thinking about how hard this is to do.



I am wearing...a purple/pink rayon dress and silver hoop earrings.



I am praying for...my mom and her teacher observation, knowing that she will do a beautiful job—as always. But still praying….



I am going...on a date, a real dress up in my red (and only) fancy dress I brought with me, date. I’m wishing I brought my very impractical but oh so fun 4 inch platforms—even if just for this one night.



From the learning rooms...LOTS going on in the learning rooms this week. We have a new student joining our home learning, we begin a co-op writing program with a few other families in town, Jacob and Esau, Exodus 20 memorization, the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, Mary Poppins read-aloud, fractions, and more fractions, and multiplication of 3’s.



I am thankful for...Sweet, so sweet, valentine cards made by Kylah.


I am remembering...Jason and Brenda, my brother and his wife’s Valentine anniversary. Missing them, loving them, and praying for them.


From the kitchen...homemade granola. I finally found my favorite recipe….but it has more sugar and butter than any others I have found. I guess that must be what makes it so good! Hmmmm….Doesn’t that defeat the point of homemade granola?



I am reading...Walk with Jesus Stations of the Cross by Henri Nouwen



I am hoping...I can recover the last set of pictures missing after I inadvertently pushed the wrong key in Picasa.



I am creating...lesson plans for Hannah, a young girl whose family asked me to consider teaching her as they find the school where she has been attending inadequate and not always safe.



On my mind...labor pains that began at a friend’s wedding 12 years ago.



Noticing that...though I began this on Monday, it is taking me a long time to complete it. Today is now Thursday. It has been one of those crazy, busy weeks: A new student, a slightly new schedule, a birthday, and numerous unexpected drop-ins. How do people, with just as many (or more) children and just as much going on, daily blog??? I admire them greatly.



Pondering these words…”Just as the weights of a grandfather clock, or the stabilizers in a ship, are necessary for them to work properly, so are troubles to the soul. The sweetest perfumes are obtained only through tremendous pressure, the fairest flowers grow on the most isolated and snowy peaks, the most beautiful gems are those that have suffered the longest at the jeweler’s wheel, and the most magnificent statues have endured the most blows from the chisel.” From Streams in the Desert


I am hearing...Weston singing “I have decided to follow Jesus” over and over again…precious.



Around the house...marbles—and lots of them.



One of my favorite things...the smell of home in a care package. I was laughing recently as I watched Kylah stick her head in the emptied package and just breath in deep, exclaiming, “I love this smell. It smells like America.”



A few plans for the rest of the week... a writing co-op class, a 12 year old birthday party sleep-over bash complete with outdoor games, homemade pizza, movies…and very little sleep, and dinner in with some of the VITAL mentors.



Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...



Austin enjoys coconut crepes for his birthday breakfast.



Inspired by  http://www.simplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Alotau Woman's Daybook

For Today...Monday, February 7, 2011

Outside my window...dark nighttime skies, and unusual windy squalls

I am thinking...how sweet my husband is. He was gone for the weekend on a short trip and our happy reunion yesterday was severely marred by food poisoning. I met him at the wharf with these words—“Hi Babe. Welcome back. We need to go home NOW!” We didn’t even make it home before my nauseous stomach betrayed me. I spent the entire night throwing up ---in the sink, a Tupperware container, the shower, the toilet, and a drink cooler. (I know this is TMI but I really miss my garbage disposal.) And Tim, throughout it all, hugged me, rubbed my back, sat with me in the shower and comforted me in my ugly moments. That is LOVE!

I am wearing...a turquoise short nightgown with a ruffle at the bottom and bare feet.

I am praying for...our neighbor Joy and her daughter Faith. Joy left on Saturday for Port Moresby to give baby Faith to a relative for adoption.

I am going...to sleep in my bed very, very soon.

From the learning rooms...not much book learning occurred today as this momma was laid way low in bed. Later this week we will be reading The Ides of April, studying the Middle Kingdom in Egypt, continuing our memorization of Exodus 20:1-17, and continuing with fractions, perimeter, and multiplication. I am thinking some Chinese New Year crafts would be appropriate in preparation for our upcoming celebration.

I am thankful for...children who quietly played, made “Get Well” cards and baked cookies while I rested oblivious in bed.

I am remembering...a former co-worker who, after missing work, would dramatically relay her reason for missing, in a loud, strong New York accent: “I was violently (VOH-Lently) ill.”

I now know what she must have meant!

From the kitchen...Austin baking chocolate chip cookies and Romela (our friend and househelp) baking our Monday bread. Tim made brown sugar and cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast, sausages were for lunch, and I was able to make and finally, blessedly, eat a little of Homestyle Hamburger Helper from More with Less Cookbook.



I am reading...Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore and Kay Arthur

I am hoping...that I never, ever get food poisoning again.

I am creating...a cross-stitch of Vicenzio Irolli’s Mother’s Kiss. At the rate I am going, I might finish when Weston graduates from high school.

On my mind...(missed) Superbowl games and the friends and parties that go with them.

Noticing that...my growing Firstborn either needs new pajama pants or I need to cut these into shorts.

Pondering these words..."Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we will find it not.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am hearing...a quiet stillness as all the kids are in bed, the hum of my faithful fan, and the sound of the waves tossing and rolling.



Around the house...Legos--always.

One of my favorite things...burying my nose in the clean shampoo scented head of my little one.

A few plans for the rest of the week... front verandah coffee with my neighbors, a hospital visit, a meeting with our Pastor to discuss teaching and training Sunday school teachers, swimming and water play if the recent rains dissipate, and our first-ever Chinese New year party (it was postponed after Cyclone Yasi passed by us last week.)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...



Weston and his friend Jonathan in a green colored bath



http://www.simplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Green Engineer





With the exception of a little plastic, Austin made this boat using natural products. 

And it floats!

I love when our kids get creative like this.

End Well

Last night Tim and I watched a movie. A Love Story…Just the two of us. Curled up under the covers with the laptop at the foot of the bed we cuddled, conversed and viewed the screen as the story unfolded. Now, no spoiler here, but as the movie played out and the characters developed, I could sense that maybe, (but surely not!) this movie wasn’t going to have a happy ending.

I can usually work out the possibilities of a good ending to a story but I just could not figure out how to bring this one to a neat, satisfying close. In the end, I knew that there would be heartbreak. But I kept hoping, hoping that all would end well. As the unavoidable tragic end came I sat there with tears streaming down my cheeks and a declaration in my heart—I hate unhappy endings to movies. Especially love stories.

Now I know that life is not always neatly tied up with happy ending bows. But I realized as I watched this film that I so wanted it to have the perfect happy ending. I wanted them to live “Happily Ever After.”

And not just in the movies…I want our lives to end well, as well. Shouldn’t every story have a happy ending?

Tragically, I have seen broken marriages that move beyond a point of ever being restored. I have heard the cries, the aches of barren wombs and empty arms that long for a child to hold. I have seen the hollow eyes and bitter hearts of those who have said too soon and sometimes forever goodbyes.

Those are the endings--real-life tragic endings of a fallen people.

And yet…I know the Author of these stories has written a happy ending.

Happy? Well… Victorious. Joyous.

So, with that said, give me a Cinderella story any day. And don’t try to convince me that it is just a fairy tale. Because, truly, isn’t that real life? Loss, poverty, hardship, ruins, cruel “sisters” and wicked “step-mothers” exist in all of our lives. Yet…a Prince awaits. He is looking for the one He loves. And though He knows how great His love for us is…we often return to the ashes.

To our comfort zones, because as we are, we feel unworthy.

 

Still, He searches the land to find what He offers—a perfect fit.

In the midst of life’s debris, demands, heartache, and loss, a Prince issues as invitation:

Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden. Matt. 11:28

Come. Come dance. Come spend an evening….no… a lifetime.

With expectant hearts we go, hoping to be chosen—to be cherished.

To our and His delight, it is love at first sight!

Parting the crowd, He reaches out for you, for me. We forget where we came from—what we came out of—as we tenuously step into His embrace. For a moment we savor the thrill of His arms around us—holding us close, dreaming of forever.

And the clock begins its climb to the stroke of midnight.

BONG!...

1: Doubt “Is God really good? If so, then why is there so much suffering in this world?”

2: Deceit “There are many ways to your God.”

3: Darkness “Your sins are many…the lie might be forgiven, but the addiction, adultery, abhorrent heart…never.”

4: Disillusionment “You’ve prayed for a long time. He must not hear.”

5: Dismissal “God could not love you. He doesn’t have the time. Nor does He really care.”

6: Disappointment “Everyone has let you down. Even the God you claim to follow.”

7: Death “Did your God care enough to heal your child?” “Why did He allow cancer to win?”

8: Defiance “Who is He to run your life? Be your own person. Be in control.”

9: Distrust “He said He would never leave you nor forsake you but you have lost your job, your health, your family.”

10: Desolation “There is no God. There is no hope.”

11: Depression “You will never be good enough. Nothing you can do or say will erase your past. ”

12: Despair “You are worthless; scarcely covered in filthy, sin-stained rags, torn and tattered with unforgiveable shame.”

... BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG!

And we run, stumbling, tripping, with tear-stained faces back to our ashes.

Is your fairy tale like this?

Perhaps…but I ask, is this the end of your story? Is it the end of mine?

I have wallowed in ashes. I have listened to the deceiver who offers nothing but the alliteration of lies leading to the depths of despair.

It is not how the story goes...for you or for me. It is not “The End” time. Because, despite our ash wallowing, there is a proclamation sounding throughout the land.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love…” Jer. 31:3

“I have come to seek and to save those who are lost.” Luke 19:10

Though we may hide, though we may be locked inside a hopeless heart, the Prince comes. And he comes to our cinder-covered rags and pushing aside doubt, deception, and darkness he offers us crystal clear hope.

The hope that whispers to a hurting heart.

The hope that speaks to a wounded spirit.

“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.” Jer. 29:11

As we hesitatingly point our toes towards the shoe we catch it…a glimmer, a sparkle, a light…

• The Clear Chronicle of a God who loved us from the beginning.

• The Clarity of His Word as it re-nourishes and renews with its ancient words.

• The Lucid Love Language of a Father who gave His only Son to redeem our lives.

• A Spotless Savior who sacrificed His life in exchange for our filthy rags.

• The Unveiled Promise of a Future—of Hope

• The Indescribably Pure Peace that comforts during trials, suffering, and yes, even in the face of death.

• The Glint of Grace as it dissipates the darkness--the sins of our past—and mercifully the sins of our present.

Slip into it- the shoe fits. It was perfectly designed to fit you—to fit me--for when we wear Grace, it always feels good.

And we live happily… no, victoriously, joyously ever after.

THE END

For the old life has passed away…behold all things are new! 2 Cor. 5:17

Sea Treasures

With the sea in our backyard we have many oppotunities to find treasures from the sea. Kylah and her friend Shania enjoyed holding this sea star as much as Weston and his friend Rochelle did.

Sailing

Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing His praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands.
--Isaiah 43:10

"Do Not Touch the Skulls"

Not your everyday American sign, eh?

We were able to visit these skull "caves" on a recent trip to one of the nearby islands. Sobering, interesting, and yes, just a little surreal.

Click on the collage to read the history of these particular skulls.