We have been busy!

Ok.
So life has just been happening too quickly for me to keep up on here lately.
Molly had her second surgery and all went well.
Thanksgiving was spent with family and good friends
and was a wonderful day.
We've been taking family photos and editing for friends.

AND
we've been trying to keep on schedule with school.

Speaking of school,
meet "Lucy".

We've been studying crustaceans in science and I had the brilliant idea to dissect a crawfish.
So, we got some dissection kits from a friend,
and I found a GREAT lab on-line with step by step instructions and questions.

So, Wednesday, we walked over to the Asian market behind our house to get
our crawfish - I was hoping for dead ones so we wouldn't have the dilemma of how to "kill" them without cooking them.
But, they didn't have any.
Just blue crabs.
All thrown together in a big "self-service" tub.
So . . . we tried to pick out just one crab.
Have you ever tried to pick out just one crab?
They all cling to each other (no they weren't dead!!), and flail their appendages.
I look over at Annie at one point and she's losing it emotionally,
and Jonathan is screaming,
"Not that one, Mommy! I don't want that one! He's too moovey!"
I finally got one and am silently praying that Emily doesn't drop the bag while I'm trying to get him all in.
So, we get him in, and twist the bag, thinking that will kill him.
Then we pay for him and head back home.

We put him in the refrigerator, tightly twisted and Thursday morning, we got ready to dissect him.
But he wasn't dead.
No - he was still moving.
Annie started to lose it emotionally again.
I assured her that we wouldn't do anything to the crab until it was dead.

So we decided to just draw it.
We studied the drawings, made our own and labeled the parts.
That's when we discovered that he was actually a she.
So we named her "Lucy".

We read on-line that if you keep a crab in below 36 degrees, it will kill it,
so when we were done drawing her,
we stuck her in the freezer.

But, lo and behold, though I took her out in the morning,
it is hard to dissect a frozen crab (duh!),
and she wasn't ready to cut open until mid afternoon.
We finally got the shell off
but didn't recognize anything inside.
It was pretty cool though.
Sigh.
So, we're off to find us some crawfish next!

(Notice the cool lab coats we bought for chemistry a few years back.)
(Notice also how much smaller Molly's nevus is! It's almost gone.Only one more surgery next year -
hopefully not until around September.
We need to give the church a chance to recover financially
and fall is a good time for not missing much.)

We've also been busy getting ready for a boutique.
David made some handmade journals.
I sold some of my photo cards as well as advertised for our photography services. (Gained two more probable bookings for the new year.)
Annie made these neat decorative candles.

Molly made some handy "sticky note booklets".

And Emily sold about $20 worth of her jewelry.

The boutique was today and I took Molly and Emily with me to represent our family.
It was a real fun time of festivity and fellowship!

(Thanks, Linda, for helping Emily's display to look so "professional". She got a lot of very positive feedback on her work as well as the display.)

And so, the Christmas season has officially begun for us.
Therefore, I am going to sign off from the blogging world
until after the first of the year.
I have 4 major photo editing projects to complete,
Christmas gifts to buy and make,
children to read to,
Christmas bread to bake,
and toffee to make,
a newsletter to hopefully get out,
a house to decorate,
parties to prepare for,
children to play with,
a husband to snuggle with,
friends to get together with,
notes to write,
school lessons to teach,
and plans to make,
and the list goes on.

So, I am releasing myself from this "task",
and taking the rest of the year off.

In the meantime,
have a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS,
and enjoy the days,
as you rejoice that Hope Has Come.
Those of us in Christ
truly have great cause to rejoice!

Joy to the World!

~From our family to yours~

Happy Reformation Day!

"Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times."
~ Martin Luther

"I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen".
~ Martin Luther

"To whom, save thee, who canst alone for sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?
~ Horatius Bonar, 1857

Alive in Christ
I once was rebellious, corrupted by sin, pursuing the devil's dark path, -
Oblivious, dead to the state I was in, an object of God's dreadful wrath.

But God who is rich in compassion and love, not leaving my soul to the grave,
Has given me life; born again from above, by God's sov'reign grace I've been saved.

God lifted me up to the heavenly realms where seated with Christ I am free;
In ages to come he will show me more grace -- so great is his kindness to me.

Since grace is the source of the life that is mine - and faith is a gift from on high --
I'll boast in my Savior, all merit decline, and glorify God 'til I die.

Yet now I am living with work to be done for I am God's workmanship too, -
Created in Christ with a race to be run, which God has ordained me to do.

~ James Montgomery Boice, 2000

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God . . . " Ephesians 2:4-8

Excited!

This week's challenge at I Heart Faces is "Excited".

I was "excited" because I thought I had the perfect photo.
Then I realized this morning that it was more of a "surprised" look and didn't really fit the "excited" theme.
Bummer.
But then!
In His mercy . . .
God made it rain here this morning!
And the Miles family LOVES rain . . .
because that means we get to stop what we are doing
and fix hot chocolate or "cozy cappacino".

I also stopped what I was doing
and grabbed the camera
and sent David out back
to see what we could get if we played a little.
It was really fun!
He is a natural goof,
but he also gets really excited about rain.
It doesn't rain often here in Southern CA.
It's not necessarily a truly "excited" look,
but we had fun,
and that's what it's all about.
Right?

Click on the button above to check out all the awesome photographers!

Our Boy Turned 10 - EDITED!

Oops!
Did I say "turned 10"?
Ahemm . . .
he actually turned 11.
Yeah.
Our boy is now 11.

I usually don't post about birthdays,

but I wanted to show off the wonderful work a friend of mine does.

She has a site called "Precepts and Promises" where she creates beautiful overlays to use in PS - all with a Scripture basis.

She helped me create this for David's birthday last week:

Isn't that cool?
You have to go visit her site and see her other works!
And then share with me how YOU used them.
She's doing a theme right now on Martin Luther in light of
Reformation Day this month.

I am so new to PSE and really know nothing yet,
but am loving learning little by little.
This was sooo fun to do as she walked me through it on
speaker phone one night.
My friend is mainly in the "digiscrappering" mode,
but I would LOVE to use PSE to make beautiful framed wall art with my photos.
Or greeting cards.

I sent it to Sam's to be printed
and then finished it off with a cool frame
that a friend just happened to be giving away.
I'm very limited in my creative talents,
but David LOVED it,
and that's what counts, right?

Thanks again, Barbara!

And Happy Birthday, David.
May you grow to be a godly man just like your daddy!
w e . l o v e . y o u

A Soul's Meditation

Today I am home from gathering with the Church
because our little Jonathan just can't shake this cold he has been fighting and woke today really coughing as well as contending with nasal congestion.
So we're resting and watching Steve Green's "Hide 'Em in Your Heart" videos, blogging, reading and snuggling.

I have been listening lately to some great teaching . . . Carolyn Mahaney, Martha Peace, and some speakers from the Women Discipling Women conference at John MacArthur's church.
My heart has been challenged, rebuked, encouraged, and refreshed.
It has been good.

This morning, for my devotional time,
I read through Psalm 119
and verse 165 struck me:

"Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble."

Lately, there has been much to rob me of peace and joy,
and the temptation to give in and not fight back with the Truth has been great.
But God's word remains my comfort and my security and my vision.

From my journal:
"My 'peace' will not ultimately be found in an ordered environment, or in living with sinless people, or in participating in fun recreational activities, or in whatever else my heart may long for at the moment apart from God Himself. My peace will be found as I devote myself to the Word of God . . . meditating on it day and night . . . and the fruit of that peace will be a straight, well-lit path leading to many victories."

I heard a quote this week that wasn't new, but I liked the wording of it.
"If you want to be like the Son of God, then you need to give attention to the Word of God."

The Word of God tells me that my season right now, as a biblical woman, is to be devoted to my husband as his helpmate,
to work diligently in training and discipling my children in the few remaining years I have left with them,
to keep my home in such a way as to bless those who dwell here and who may visit,
and to love the body of Christ through my good works.

It is a season of sacrifice and giving.
And honestly . . . does that season ever truly end as I grow in my pursuit of biblical womanhood?

My peace is lost when I try and fight for "my time" or time to pursue "my interests", and try and convince myself that my children are becoming more independent and don't need me to train and disciple them as much anymore. (Is that a lie straight from the pit, or what?! If anything, their need for discipleship and guidance is growing greater, and the time needed to invest in them is increasing . . . and it should be looked at as a joy and privilege!)
The Word of God reminds me that it IS in my best interest to serve those around me,
relying on the strength and the grace He provides (and abundantly, I may add!).

So, as I meditate on those truths,
and as I rise in the morning and look forward toward the day ahead of me,
I can say with the psalmist,

"Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing (instead of grumbling and complaining). Know that the Lord Himself is God (and submit yourself to His will); It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (not with downcast eyes and dejected spirits). Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good (He is not withholding any good thing from me, or preventing my happiness or fulfillment.); His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations."
Psalm 100
(Italics added from my own thoughts.)

Blessings on you as you meditate on His Word and apply the gospel to your own path He has set you on.
Great joy and victories
await those whose hope is in the Lord
and who are resting
in His righteousness alone!

Annual School Photo Shoot

Ok, so today we headed off to the park
to take our annual school photos.
Some shoots go off without a hitch,
and others . . . well . . .

Hey . . . hello? Everyone look at the camera . . . hello???

Ok, good, now scoot in close and look here . . .

Where are you going???
Come back here! Right now!

(Guess I can't compete with a bullfrog.
Can you see him?)

(Neither can I compete with a VERY interesting ORANGE spider with one leg almost squished completely off . . . )

Hey, boys . . .look over here . . . PLEASE?????

Ok, good. Now everyone get in position. Now look over here.
Ok, good. Now everyone get in position. Now look over here.
Hello??
Everyone???

Now, we're just going to find one more perfect spot,
then we'll be done.
(Hear sinister, but godly, laughter?!)

Hello? Emily?
Over here, DEAR!
Hello?

(Oh great. Now I have to compete with a HORSE??!)
In all my years of walking in this beautiful park, I've never seen a horse on this side.
Sigh.

Say hello to Bronzie, sweet children . . . .sigh.

Hey! Where are you going now?
Mutiny, huh?
Fine. Take off without me.
Just remember your mom has got the . . . SNACKS!!!

Oh, Jonathan dear, this is not a video.
So I can't capture that "cool dance" move.
Can you just stand still please??

Ok, now look at the camera, boys.
Smile.
Boys??

Oh, look! I think I see our car up ahead.
Whew.
Everyone hop in.
We'll see what we got later.

I guess I will have to go back through all my photos and see what I can salvage with Picasa. I've heard I can work miracles with PSE.
We'll have to see about that.
Sigh. {giggle}

What Have I Done??

Pig Latin is a game of alterations played on the English language game. To form the Pig Latin form of an English word the initial consonant sound is transposed to the end of the word and an ay is affixed (for example, trash yields ash-tray and plunder yields under-play). The purpose of the alteration is to both obfuscate the encoding and to indicate for the intended recipient the encoding as 'Pig Latin'. The reference to Latin is a deliberate misnomer, as it is simply a form of jargon, used only for its English connotations as a 'strange and foreign-sounding language'; it could also be because the transformed words sound similar to Latin.

Sometimes unexpected results occur in our homeschooling classroom.
Like this one.
I have taught each of our children to read.
And they LOVE to read.
Anything.
I have to really keep on top of things.
But I let something slip by me.
A friend bombarded our home with lots of "Kids Discover" magazines,
and our oldest kids have been reading them,
and apparently learning from one of them on "languages".
Go figure.
I didn't even ASSIGN it!
Out of all the various languages they read about,
my 10 and 12 year old naturally gravitated toward one particular one.
Today they are speaking in Pig-Latin.
Yikes!
I can't even barely speak English straight these days,
without having to translate their Pig Latin.
What have I done??
They are loving it, however,
and teaching their younger brother and sisters.
Sigh.

Ordlay elphay emay! :)

(Inside I am thrilled and smiling to myself that my "students" find learning fun and tackle most things with great enthusiasm. You go, guys. The Lord will take care of your wimpy mom!)

Hmmm . . . maybe they will end up working for Wycliffe Bible Translators??

A Soul's Meditation

Psalm 3

My adversaries have increased.
Many around me are saying there is no hope in God for me.
I find myself saying,
"Yes, God can help, but . . . "
"Yes, He is strong, but . . . "
"I know He is sovereign, but . . . "
My enemies have robbed me of joy.

Yet the Psalmist does not go on and on with his complaint.
(And he easily could!)
He focuses his mind on and comforts his heart with the truth:
But You, O Lord . . .
are a shield . . .
the One who lifts my head . . .
(You) answered me . . .
sustain me . . .
have smitten all my enemies . . .
have shattered their teeth . . .
Your blessing is upon Your people!

Who will I listen to today?
My adversaries or my Lord?
I may have to fight to hear His voice amidst the voices without and within.
But fight I will.
Fight I must.
I have no other option.
Abba, Father!