small things

What your bedside looks like when you sell the bedside table.

{books I'm reading before I read them to the kids, empty glass of water,  bilingual Bible, the remains of this morning's coffee, and my ARCHOS 7 Home Tablet (a computer age disappointment which deserves it's own post)... all on the floor with the dust bunnies.}

I'm glad that at least the JESUS Film Anime version is still working on the Archos. I also downloaded the JESUS Film in Spanish onto it before the internet connection spazzed on me. So at least it's still good for something.

It's the small things sometimes. They keep me going.

.small things, the blog. (now I just need her camera)

Argentine slang word of the day

a full (pronounced 'ah-FOOL') = full; at full power; as much as possible; completely (into) for the time being: "Estoy a full con el estudio" = "I’m absolutely focused in study."

[thank you argentinaslang.wordpress.com]

Another fine and highly applicable example: "Estoy con el café a full." = "I am at full power with the coffee," or "I am completely into coffee for the time being."

You know, because I'm moving my entire life transcontinentally in a few months. With 3 kids. High maintenance toddler included. I need energy.

So, yeah... so much for life after caffeine. It was nice while it lasted. A nice, mellow, 8 months. That I don't remember.

So bring on the high-octane, baby. I'm gonna need it. {insert histerical, highly caffeinated smile here :D}

How To Make a Header

All three kids have the flu right now, and it's strangely quiet around here. I don't think it's been this quiet in YEARS. I'm rather liking it (the quiet, that is). Tony and I have miraculously escaped illness so far.

But, I'm sure now that I wrote that, I've sealed the deal - tomorrow one of us will go down for sure.

In the quiet, I have been having fun making blog headers! Thanks Courtney for explaining how! I never could have figured it out myself.

Here are few headers I've made so far over on Photobucket.

And, of course, this one...

{those are Tony and his brother's feet!}


...that's looking dorky, small, and off-center up there in my header... which, if Blogger would stop spazzing on me, I would be able to remove and resize. One handed, with napping toddler on my lap. Because I'm a Mom. And I'm totally bored, and not used to having free time, or a baby that actually naps. For two whole hours! So, being forced to sit, I'm making headers.

blogs, blogs, and more blogs

So, it's going on a year now that I've been blogging. It may have taken me 9 months to first discover my Stats button and a year to figure out what an RSS Feed is (ok, I still don't know) - but it's been a blast.

And since I LOVE to read (it's a real problem), I've quickly and easily been sucked further and further into cyberspace via the blogosphere. Thanks, Blogger. Really. Because now I'm pretty sure I couldn't live without the Internet. To think a couple of years ago everyone used to get mad at me because I never checked my email.

So, here are a few blogs that have caught my eye. This is a short, uncensored, very eclectic list - probably reflecting my somewhat recovered and reformed life as a tree-hugging hippie:

SortaCrunchy - she stole my bio, totally
Holy Experience - spiritual food for thought, written deliciously
StoringUpTreasures - a so real mommy blog
What Christians Like - speaks for itself, a man blogger (most bloggers seem to be women)
TheSparklingMartins - hippie unschooler
small things - Catholic homeschooling crafty photog mom
The Croslands Are Crazy - encourages and reminds me we're not crazy, because the Croslands are crazier
Aurajoon - she's beautiful, has a perfect house, takes perfect pics, and didn't get fat when she got pregnant - I hate her
In Search of Whales - another man blogger, God's saving grace is written all over this guy's life
My Political Exile in Argentina - I like her wry, worldly sense of humor and pics
Rocks In My Dryer - just ROTFL... (that's "rolling on the floor laughing", for all you that spend less time on the Internet than I do)

Ex-pat Bloggy Friends

A couple of months ago we had the pleasure of meeting Katie, the author of Seashells and Sunflowers. I discovered her blog when I came across Bloggers in Argentina. She blogs about her ex-pat life in a small coastal town south of Buenos Aires. She is writer extraordinaire, takes amazing pictures, and explains the culture (and food!) of Argentina exceptionally well.

Truth be told, I normally don't make friends over the Internet. But after reading over her site a bit this summer, and then talking with Tony, we decided she probably wasn't a psychopath (don't laugh - the only time I ever friended someone over the Internet, she actually was a pychopath). So, anyway, when we saw that she was getting ready to come back to the States for a visit, we decided to invite her over for dinner. It's been a while since we've lived in Argentina, so we were interested in hearing the latest news, and from an ex-pat's perspective.

We had a wonderful evening chatting with Katie. She was delightful company and is absolutamente divina. Her Spanish is better than mine, so Tony had a good time speaking argentino with an American who actually understands his rapid-fire Spanish. She also won some brownie points laughing at his very Argentinian jokes - which she also actually seemed to understand. And she liked my food (which is good, because I made the mistake of trying out a new recipe on company - not a good idea if it doesn't turn out right. Fortunately, it did.).

So, check out her blog Seashells and Sunflowers, if you are interested in learning a little bit about Argentina. She writes about the culture, the food (recipes included), the people, the places, and is currently even writing a little series on (the touristy aspect of) Patagonia here, here, here, and here. Her site is also a wealth of information and links for anyone considering travel to Argentina.

You can view more of Katie's amazing photography here.

Enjoy!

:)

Ray Comfort is THE MAN

Ray Comfort with the atheists... he is just GOOD.





:)

Just in case you...

... were getting too comfortable.

Just Say Yes to Adoption

Saw this on another blog and just had to pass it on.

Patagonia

Patagonia is the area we feel God is calling us to. That could change, I suppose, but that's what we are looking at right now as a home base for missions. I had mentioned before that it is where the largest concentration of indigenous Mapuche, Tehuelche, and Ona peoples are in Argentina. Most, including 90 plus percent of the rest of the poplulation, have never clearly heard the Gospel, and many leaders of the indigenous churches that do exist do not even know how to read enough to read their Bibles. 

Here's a map I found today:

And an interesting blog resource: http://bloggersinargentina.blogspot.com/

Gotta love the internet. I'm kind of wondering what we are actually leaving behind... missions is not necessarily the austere sacrifice it used to be.

:)

Encouragement To Follow

Good words of encouragement today from The Livesays...

:)

What is So Rare As a Day in June

Printed out this free Nature Calendar for the month of June here.

Now that we are officially done "official" school (whew), time for the fun, relaxing stuff. Which, I think to myself, is what we should be doing anyway all the time...

The following poem is the Natural Science activity for June 1st: "Read 'What is So Rare As a Day in June'":


AND what is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days;
Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,
And over it softly her warm ear lays;
Whether we look, or whether we listen,
We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;
Every clod feels a stir of might,
An instinct within it that reaches and towers,
And, groping blindly above it for light,
Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers;
The flush of life may well be seen
Thrilling back over hills and valleys;
The cowslip startles in meadows green,
The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice,
And there's never a leaf nor a blade too mean
To be some happy creature's palace;
The little bird sits at his door in the sun,
Atilt like a blossom among the leaves,
And lets his illumined being o'errun
With the deluge of summer it receives;
His mate feels the eggs beneath her wings,
And the heart in her dumb breast flutters and sings;
He sings to the wide world, and she to her nest,
In the nice ear of Nature which song is the best?

Now is the high-tide of the year,
And whatever of life hath ebbed away
Comes flooding back with a ripply cheer,
Into every bare inlet and creek and bay;
Now the heart is so full that a drop overfills it,
We are happy now because God wills it;
No matter how barren the past may have been,
'Tis enough for us now that the leaves are green;
We sit in the warm shade and feel right well
How the sap creeps up and the blossoms swell;
We may shut our eyes but we cannot help knowing
That skies are clear and grass is growing;
The breeze comes whispering in our ear,
That dandelions are blossoming near,
That maize has sprouted, that streams are flowing,
That the river is bluer than the sky,
That the robin is plastering his house hard by;
And if the breeze kept the good news back,
For our couriers we should not lack;
We could guess it all by yon heifer's lowing,
And hark! How clear bold chanticleer,
Warmed with the new wine of the year,
Tells all in his lusty crowing!

Joy comes, grief goes, we know not how;
Everything is happy now,
Everything is upward striving;
'Tis as easy now for the heart to be true
As for grass to be green or skies to be blue,
'Tis for the natural way of living:
Who knows whither the clouds have fled?
In the unscarred heaven they leave not wake,
And the eyes forget the tears they have shed,
The heart forgets its sorrow and ache;
The soul partakes the season's youth,
And the sulphurous rifts of passion and woe
Lie deep 'neath a silence pure and smooth,
Like burnt-out craters healed with snow.


~James Russell Lowell

Thinking of Homeschooling?

Thinking of homeschooling and wondering how to do it? Veteran homeschooler in need of some new ideas? Click over to this post:

How to Simply Homeschool

at Ann Voskamp's Holy Experience.

Excellent if you are thinking of homeschooling, excellent if you've been homeschooling for a while...

:)

Food for Thought

Hmm, this is all I have to say today.

:)

Susan Wise Bauer and Classical Education

I saw Susan Wise Bauer at a local homeschool convention a couple of years ago. Shame I didn't really know who she was enough to stop and talk to her. Since then I've discovered her book The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home and LOVE it.

In theory.

In practice, haha, well, we do what can. :) We've only managed to follow the History curriculum (outlined in the book) so far.

HOLY COW.

Wow. After doing Ancient History (per the book) this year with the chilluns, I now realize I learned next to nothing in 12 years of public school History. And I was a straight-A student. How is that possible?

From time to time I check her blog here. She is FUN-NY. So if you need a couple of laughs just read the automatically-imported-to-her-blog Twitter updates. I needed a couple of laughs today because this was the "fast-for-six-days=all-hell-broke-loose-this-weekend" weekend. More on that later. Maybe.

If you are looking for an complete K-12 homeschool curriculum for $15 or less (Amazon), check this one out. I purchased mine for $9.00 used at our local homeschool fair. It is worth far, far more.

:)

Why I Want To Be a Missionary

I've been trying to think of what I would answer if someone were to ask, "Why are you doing this? Why do have to leave? Why not just stay here?". No one has asked that yet, but let me just answer that in case anyone is thinking it.

Since I've recently entered the blogosphere, I've been reading a few of the blogs out there. I've mentioned KissesFromKatie before, so last night I was reading her archived posts and came across one of my reasons. She basically put it into words for me. This, by the way, is just one of the many, MANY reasons "I want to be a missionary" (such a cliché phrase, but unpacking that phrase is a whole entire post unto itself, which I will leave to a later date). Katie, 21 year-old missionary in Uganda, writes:

"Angelina is seven years old and barely weighs 15 pounds. You remember that picture that was made popular in the 1980's during the famine in Ethiopia of that little girl (who looked like a bag of bones) curled up next to a vulture? That girl doesn't look nearly as sick as Angelina. Her mother has not had any food to give her in over four months. When Angelina musters enough energy to let out a cry of hunger (she is far to weak to walk or even hold her head up on her own), her mother gives her some locally brewed alcohol to keep her quiet. For four months, keeping her a little drunk has actually probably been what is keeping her alive. The dirt floor where she has been laying her whole life accumulating bedsores is covered in waste, animal and human. Jiggers burrow deep into her little feet causing them to crack and bleed. She is naked, filthy, and cold. It is far worse than appalling.

I bet right now at this moment your heart is sad for her. Is it as sad as it would be if Angelina were your daughter? Angelina is God's daughter. His heart aches for this perfect, wonderfully made child of His. Her circumstances do not surprise Him, but I have no doubt that they grieve Him tremendously.

And it's not just children, because we are all children in His eyes. Grace is maybe 60 years old but looks to be pushing 100. She can't weigh more than 85 pounds. Grace is a mother to six children, but 4 have died of AIDS and the other two have deserted her for a better life. She lives in a 4 by 4 foot room that is pitch black, but she doesn't mind; in addition to being to weak to walk, Grace is blind. She NEVER has any visitors. At night her bones ache against the hard dirt floor and her feeble body shivers with cold. A cough racks her body and her stomach rumbles in hunger making sleep impossible.

Its sad, huh? How sad though? Sad enough that we want to do sometime about it? Sad enough that we will remember Grace tonight as we snuggle down into our beds or next month as we pay the bills? Maybe. But maybe not. Because it hurts, but it doesn't hurt that much. It doesn't hurt the way it would if Grace was your grandmother all alone there in the dark. It does for God. Because Grace is His."

Big A when he weighed 15 pounds, at 3 months old

Sigh. Tony and I prayed for that little girl last night, but she may already be dead by now. Maybe she's not. Maybe there is a happy ending to her story, we'd love that to be the case. But whether there is or isn't, knowing about stories like hers, having the opportunity to go and make a difference somewhere, and NOT going is just not an option anymore for us. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17. I can't stand before God someday and say, "Oh, but God, I didn't know!"

It just makes me sick to my stomach to think about that little girl, and the fact that I still live HERE. It makes me sick to my stomach that I have an extra 5 pounds around my waist and I whine about it as she withers away to nothing.

So really, the question is not, "Why go?", but, "Why not go?".

Bloggy Fun and Encouragement

I just entered the blogosphere very recently, but have been having tons of fun reading all these BLOGS! There are millions! Just found this one yesterday, thanks to the Blog Queen (she will remain nameless, and has assured me she is not, in fact, Queen of Blog; but the nickname may just stick, anyway :)).

From His Hands His Feet Today:

"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion! "

Mark Batterson
Book: In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day

:)

Calling and Kisses From Katie

Read this inspiring blog entry today. And since I am always greatly encouraged when I read this young missionary's site, I thought I'd share what she wrote about being "called":

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

She writes:

'Francis Chan wrote, "How we live our days, is how we live our lives." I had to read it several times as I let it soak in. Because it is true. So often we find ourselves waiting for a specific moment, a specific call, something special. For what? How we spend our days... that will be our LIFE. Because today could be it. If Jesus came back today and said, "Let's go!" would we be ready? Would we be doing what we want to be doing when we meet Jesus? People say to me often, "You are so lucky that you found your calling, that you know your purpose in life." This statement boggles my mind. I AM so blessed to live the life that I do. But it isn't rocket science. God did NOT part the sky and shout out to me, "Katie! Serve my people." I read it in His word. You can too. We can all see as plain as day that Jesus says the number one commandment is to love the Lord and love your neighbor. I happened to move to Uganda and love those neighbors, but that is not the point. As believers, we should already KNOW our calling; it is to love the Lord and love our neighbors by caring for them in whatever broken state they are in. When He said that "the poor will always be among us" I don't think he meant that as an excuse not to worry about it but as a reminder that there is ALWAYS a neighbor, no matter where we are, in a worse condition than we are. I can only believe that God created us to make this world a little better. That he designed us in love to show that love to others. I just don't know what everyone is waiting for.'

Check out her blog here or at the link above. It is very inspiring. :)

What encourages me when I read her story is that she was only 19 years old when she left. By herself. Little to no specific training. No college degree. No seminary. No mission organization. No specific plan.

I wonder how much support she had. I wonder how many people agreed with her. I wonder how many people tried to talk her out of it. I wonder how many people told her she was crazy. I wonder.

Dead Missionary Blog

"I felt the sweetness of divine things this forenoon; and had the consolation of a consciousness that I was doing something for God."

- David Brainerd, missionary to Indian tribes of NJ,
journal entry Sept. 26, 1746

days before his death at 29 of Tuberculosis

Read his entire journal online... at his blog?

Entering the Blogosphere

Welcome to our blog!

God has finally revealed His plans for us! We think. We are heading back to Argentina!

Lord-willing, that is (always good to add the qualifier). We shall see how this all unfolds. It could take a year, years, to prepare to go; so, in the meantime... I need to figure out how to blog! Once we get there, blogging will probably be the easiest way to keep family and friends updated on all the news. Internet access is limited, at least where we are going, so one blog update will be infinitely easier than many individual emails or the sporadic phone call. But, even so, there's also Facebook (hint, hint)! :)

So here we go! First post.

If you're interested in following the news, just Bookmark our page or add our blog to your Favorites. Then check in from time to time.

I plan to write more in the coming months about how we arrived at this monumental decision, how preparations are going, and how life unfolds in the day-to-day along the way. After we make the big move (assuming this all works out), I'll enjoy being able to stay in contact with everyone IN ENGLISH (soon to be a luxury) via the Blogosphere, even if it's primarily a one-way conversation. :)

So check in on us from time to time!
:D