Coffee, Cats, and Deadlines: A Day in My Life
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Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Roper's Catechism & Scripture Memory Review
Is it surprising that teaching Catechism and Scripture Memory work to a 2-year-old is a challenge?? And that it requires massive amounts of patience?? I know it is just a phase...but the distractions were endless...from a picture of Graem, to scissors, to paper, to the sound of his foot kicking the chair, to the dog. Watch and see...and believe it or not, when we went in for the mid-point review, he passed with flying colors!! He climbed up in the chair and {correctly} answered all the questions without flinching.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Mason's Catechism & Scripture Memory Review
You may remember from a post last year that our church has a Catechism and Scripture Memory Program (CAMP) for children starting at age 2. Yes, age 2! It is so amazing what they can learn and retain at such a young age! Since Roper is 2, this is his first year participating in CAMP, but Mason is now in his second year.
This year Mason has until May to learn the answers to the first 13 Catechism questions, as well as memorize six verses. The mid-point review was last week, and Mason has already mastered all the questions as well as the first verse! Now he has until the end of May to learn the remaining 5 verses and then bring on the reward -- all the children that complete their CAMP memory work get a free trip to a waterpark! (That will be fun with a newborn in tow!) :)
I could hardly believe my eyes and ears when I looked back at the video of Mason reciting his Catechism and Scripture from last year...his speech has seen such a huge improvement over the past year and he seems so much more mature now. This was a wake up that I need to take more videos of my boys! I'll be back soon with Roper's recitation.
And in case you are interested, here are the Catechism Q&A and verses that we are working on:
1. Who made you? God.
2. What else did God make? God made all things.
3. Why did God make you and all things? For His own glory.
4. How can you glorify God? By loving Him and doing what He commands.
5. Why are you to glorify God? Because He made me and takes care of me.
6. Is there more than one true God? No. There is only one true God.
7. In how many Persons does this one God exist? In three persons.
8. Name these three persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
9. What is God? God is a Spirit and doesn't have a body like men.
10. Where is God? God is everywhere.
11. Can you see God? No. I cannot see God, but He always sees me.
12. Does God know all things? Yes. Nothing can be hidden from God.
13. Can God do all things? Yes. God can do all his holy will.
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14a
"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31a
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good." Psalm 136:1a
"If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15
"There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you." 1 Chronicles 17:20a
"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go." Genesis 28:15a
This year Mason has until May to learn the answers to the first 13 Catechism questions, as well as memorize six verses. The mid-point review was last week, and Mason has already mastered all the questions as well as the first verse! Now he has until the end of May to learn the remaining 5 verses and then bring on the reward -- all the children that complete their CAMP memory work get a free trip to a waterpark! (That will be fun with a newborn in tow!) :)
I could hardly believe my eyes and ears when I looked back at the video of Mason reciting his Catechism and Scripture from last year...his speech has seen such a huge improvement over the past year and he seems so much more mature now. This was a wake up that I need to take more videos of my boys! I'll be back soon with Roper's recitation.
And in case you are interested, here are the Catechism Q&A and verses that we are working on:
1. Who made you? God.
2. What else did God make? God made all things.
3. Why did God make you and all things? For His own glory.
4. How can you glorify God? By loving Him and doing what He commands.
5. Why are you to glorify God? Because He made me and takes care of me.
6. Is there more than one true God? No. There is only one true God.
7. In how many Persons does this one God exist? In three persons.
8. Name these three persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
9. What is God? God is a Spirit and doesn't have a body like men.
10. Where is God? God is everywhere.
11. Can you see God? No. I cannot see God, but He always sees me.
12. Does God know all things? Yes. Nothing can be hidden from God.
13. Can God do all things? Yes. God can do all his holy will.
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14a
"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31a
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good." Psalm 136:1a
"If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15
"There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you." 1 Chronicles 17:20a
"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go." Genesis 28:15a
Monday, November 21, 2011
Catching Up
It's been a while since I've posted...I've had good intentions but time has gotten away from me! I don't expect that to change any between now and the end of the year! Ready or not, the BUSY holiday season is upon us! I really love it though -- it's the most wonderful time of the year!!
Roper had his surgeries...all three of them...about a week and a half ago. I can't believe I'm going to post a picture of me sans makeup...but give me a break, we had to be at the hospital at 5:45 am which means I was up at a ridiculous hour. Thankfully my mom stayed over the night before to look after Mason while we took Roper to the hospital.
He looked so cute in the hat & scrubs & slippers that the nurse had us dress him in...but they didn't last long...he is not a morning person (wonder where he gets it?) and he was stripped down to just the pants in no time.
The day of the surgery was pretty miserable for him. We had a hard time getting him to take the pain medicine the doctor prescribed for him, which was tylenol with codeine. He spit it out every time...so finally I switched to plain tylenol, thinking it would be better than nothing, and it made a huge difference! 24 hours post op he was back to normal...pretty much...although there is a long list of things he's not supposed to do for 2 weeks, so we're still trying to keep that under control, which is hard since he feels perfectly normal now.
He has about a 2" incision just below his hip from the hydrocele repair, but he only complains about it when he sees it. Out of sight, out of mind! During a diaper change or bath time, he will point to his "big ole boo boo" as he calls it, but he says it doesn't hurt anymore. But he's quick to remind us that the "mean ole doctor" cut him. In addition to the hydrocele repair and another procedure related to that, he also got tubes in his ears. We are so thankful that the doctors coordinated their schedules so that he could get everything done at once!
Mason made it to his third football game this season...
At the end of the game on Saturday, Mason announced that he wants to be a quarterback when he grows up, but he wants to play for the blue team! Sounds good to me -- my grandfather went to the Citadel so it holds a special place in my heart! And I agree with Mason that the blue and white uniforms look pretty good!
Another Mason "funny" that I have to share...he has really been "into" the Bible story lessons from Sunday School each week. He comes home talking about them and asking questions and then most nights he will ask that we read him whichever "story of the week" from our children's Bible. For a while he was stuck on the story of David & Goliath (which, by the way, is hilarious if you ask him to tell you the story). And thanks to David the Shepherd Boy, Mason now has a sling shot on his Christmas list!
The most recent story that he is fixated on is the story of "Joseph and his Very Colorful Coat." Over the weekend Mason told Graem that he thought it would be a good idea to sell Roper to slave traders, just like Joseph's brothers did to him! I was re-counting this to my friend Leslie, who's mother happens to be Mason's SS teacher, and Leslie responded that perhaps Mason should be reminded of how the story ends -- with Mason grovelling at Roper's/Joseph's feet for mercy! HA!
Roper had his surgeries...all three of them...about a week and a half ago. I can't believe I'm going to post a picture of me sans makeup...but give me a break, we had to be at the hospital at 5:45 am which means I was up at a ridiculous hour. Thankfully my mom stayed over the night before to look after Mason while we took Roper to the hospital.
He looked so cute in the hat & scrubs & slippers that the nurse had us dress him in...but they didn't last long...he is not a morning person (wonder where he gets it?) and he was stripped down to just the pants in no time.
The day of the surgery was pretty miserable for him. We had a hard time getting him to take the pain medicine the doctor prescribed for him, which was tylenol with codeine. He spit it out every time...so finally I switched to plain tylenol, thinking it would be better than nothing, and it made a huge difference! 24 hours post op he was back to normal...pretty much...although there is a long list of things he's not supposed to do for 2 weeks, so we're still trying to keep that under control, which is hard since he feels perfectly normal now.
He has about a 2" incision just below his hip from the hydrocele repair, but he only complains about it when he sees it. Out of sight, out of mind! During a diaper change or bath time, he will point to his "big ole boo boo" as he calls it, but he says it doesn't hurt anymore. But he's quick to remind us that the "mean ole doctor" cut him. In addition to the hydrocele repair and another procedure related to that, he also got tubes in his ears. We are so thankful that the doctors coordinated their schedules so that he could get everything done at once!
Mason made it to his third football game this season...
At the end of the game on Saturday, Mason announced that he wants to be a quarterback when he grows up, but he wants to play for the blue team! Sounds good to me -- my grandfather went to the Citadel so it holds a special place in my heart! And I agree with Mason that the blue and white uniforms look pretty good!
Another Mason "funny" that I have to share...he has really been "into" the Bible story lessons from Sunday School each week. He comes home talking about them and asking questions and then most nights he will ask that we read him whichever "story of the week" from our children's Bible. For a while he was stuck on the story of David & Goliath (which, by the way, is hilarious if you ask him to tell you the story). And thanks to David the Shepherd Boy, Mason now has a sling shot on his Christmas list!
The most recent story that he is fixated on is the story of "Joseph and his Very Colorful Coat." Over the weekend Mason told Graem that he thought it would be a good idea to sell Roper to slave traders, just like Joseph's brothers did to him! I was re-counting this to my friend Leslie, who's mother happens to be Mason's SS teacher, and Leslie responded that perhaps Mason should be reminded of how the story ends -- with Mason grovelling at Roper's/Joseph's feet for mercy! HA!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Exactly What I Needed to Hear
The sermon on Sunday morning at the women's retreat was exactly what I needed to hear. Don't you love it when that happens? I really think the whole reason I was at the conference was to hear that sermon.
Apologies in advance for what is sure to be a deep post. Here goes.
I am a pretty happy person in general, but sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed with all the suffering in the world. And I feel helpless because I can't fix it.
Cancer, and what it is doing to my sweet mother-in-law.
Gangs in schools.
Starving children. Neglected & abused children.
Friends that struggle with infertility.
Teen pregnancy.
Birth defects.
When you couple all this suffering with the disappointment I feel for our country, our society, our world, it can really get you down. Then I start thinking about my children having to grow up in this world...and my grandchildren...goodness, how depressing. I know its not all bad, but I know how much things have changed since I was a child, and it saddens me that my children will have so many additional things to worry about.
So...back to the sermon. The guest pastor was Rev. Brian Habig from Downtown Presbyterian in Greenville. He was really good...and I'm not gonna lie, as much as we love our church and pastor, it kind of made me want to move to Greenville just so I could go to his church.
I'm planning to download the sermon so that I can listen to it whenever I start feeling "the weight of the world on my shoulders."
I'm pretty sure my recap of his sermon won't do it justice, so I'll just stick to his scripture references. The sermon was centered on Romans 8:18, a familiar verse. But for some reason it really resonated on Sunday.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
How encouraging! And the rest of the passage is great as well, so I'll post it below. And since I'm a good Presbyterian, I will continue through the part about predestination. :)
19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Apologies in advance for what is sure to be a deep post. Here goes.
I am a pretty happy person in general, but sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed with all the suffering in the world. And I feel helpless because I can't fix it.
Cancer, and what it is doing to my sweet mother-in-law.
Gangs in schools.
Starving children. Neglected & abused children.
Friends that struggle with infertility.
Teen pregnancy.
Birth defects.
When you couple all this suffering with the disappointment I feel for our country, our society, our world, it can really get you down. Then I start thinking about my children having to grow up in this world...and my grandchildren...goodness, how depressing. I know its not all bad, but I know how much things have changed since I was a child, and it saddens me that my children will have so many additional things to worry about.
So...back to the sermon. The guest pastor was Rev. Brian Habig from Downtown Presbyterian in Greenville. He was really good...and I'm not gonna lie, as much as we love our church and pastor, it kind of made me want to move to Greenville just so I could go to his church.
I'm planning to download the sermon so that I can listen to it whenever I start feeling "the weight of the world on my shoulders."
I'm pretty sure my recap of his sermon won't do it justice, so I'll just stick to his scripture references. The sermon was centered on Romans 8:18, a familiar verse. But for some reason it really resonated on Sunday.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
How encouraging! And the rest of the passage is great as well, so I'll post it below. And since I'm a good Presbyterian, I will continue through the part about predestination. :)
19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Weekend Recap
We kicked off the weekend with my nephew's 2nd birthday party on Friday night, and then my mom and I took off to Atlanta for a women's retreat. We rolled into Atlanta late Friday night, and on Saturday had a packed day of seminars, shopping, eating out, and even managed to watch a movie! Even though we go to different churches, they are part of the same denomination, and this retreat was for women in the PCA. We didn't realize what a big deal the conference was -- there were over 2,000 women there! I even ran into a good friend that I grew up with!
It was so nice to spend time with my mom, just the two of us. Sometimes it makes me feel old that I'm actually friends with my mom (ha!). Sunday morning we had a worship service, then more shopping, followed by more eating...and then we headed back to Laurens for my grandmother's 87th birthday celebration (and Kate's 20th birthday celebration!).
I can count on one hand the number of times I have left the boys at home with Graem for a weekend. He is a great father, but we all know that sometimes dads can miss details that mothers are particular about. So Sunday morning I asked Graem to send me a picture of the boys dressed for church. Before I left I laid out church clothes for them, but he insisted that he could manage. He sent me this picture...
I have to admit he did pretty good. :) Although I can't tell if it was just windy or if he didn't brush their hair? Anyway, the picture was preceded with this text (keep in mind that Sunday mornings are always hectic & we make a mad dash to get to Sunday School by 9:30):
"I don't know what to do with all this time. Read the paper cover to cover. Both boys dressed, fed & ready to walk out door for church. Don't know how I've done this! Love you!"
Sounds like he's ready to handle 3, don't you agree? :)
It was so nice to spend time with my mom, just the two of us. Sometimes it makes me feel old that I'm actually friends with my mom (ha!). Sunday morning we had a worship service, then more shopping, followed by more eating...and then we headed back to Laurens for my grandmother's 87th birthday celebration (and Kate's 20th birthday celebration!).
I can count on one hand the number of times I have left the boys at home with Graem for a weekend. He is a great father, but we all know that sometimes dads can miss details that mothers are particular about. So Sunday morning I asked Graem to send me a picture of the boys dressed for church. Before I left I laid out church clothes for them, but he insisted that he could manage. He sent me this picture...
I have to admit he did pretty good. :) Although I can't tell if it was just windy or if he didn't brush their hair? Anyway, the picture was preceded with this text (keep in mind that Sunday mornings are always hectic & we make a mad dash to get to Sunday School by 9:30):
"I don't know what to do with all this time. Read the paper cover to cover. Both boys dressed, fed & ready to walk out door for church. Don't know how I've done this! Love you!"
Sounds like he's ready to handle 3, don't you agree? :)
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Weekend
What a beautiful weekend we had to celebrate Easter! It was a wonderful weekend of fun and fellowship with family and friends, with probably not enough time spent reflecting on how very undeserving I am of the gift Christ has given me.
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we consider him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6
I feel like I have tons of pictures to share from the weekend, but none from Supper Club/Tunmore baby shower on Friday night...and none of us as a family in our Easter finest on Sunday morning! In fact, I have no pictures of myself from the entire weekend. I promise I was there! I need to start handing off my camera...
Saturday morning our church had a big egg hunt for the children...
These three are in the same Sunday School class.
Thankfully they have a wonderful teacher that they absolutely adore. Here is Mason with his much beloved Ms. Ginny...
Saturday was also mine and Graem's 6th anniversary! I know, SIX years. Time flies when you're having fun! :) We put the boys to bed early on Saturday night and I cooked a gourmet meal that I found in one of my Christmas with Southern Living books (I'm pretty sure its the 2001 edition).
I was flipping through trying to find the recipe for the dish I was bringing for Easter dinner when I came across a recipe for Fig Glazed Quail. Hmmm...we just happened to have some quail in the freezer from one of Graem's hunting trips. I have never cooked quail but I always trust SL to come up with something tasty. Why not? They recommended accompanying recipes of Bacon and Pecan Dressing and Skillet Red Cabbage.
So I gave it a shot...and about 3.5 hours later dinner was served! Note to self -- don't try THREE new recipes all at once. My timing was off and the "fig glaze" had about 32 steps to reach the finished product. No doubt, it was all delicious! But...have you ever eaten quail? It was kind of like eating chicken wings...messy! Not exactly the elegant dinner I had in mind. It was delicious nonetheless and it was fun to try some new recipes to enjoy with my sweetie!
Moving right along...on Easter morning the bunny made a quick stop to fill up the baskets and leave some beach chairs...and now that I'm looking back through my pictures I'm really annoyed with myself because for months I have been wanting an external flash for my camera so that I won't have pesky shadows in my inside pictures. I got the flash for my birthday, over a month ago, and I still haven't learned to use it. I'll get on that pronto!
I'm just realizing that it might appear that we don't fully dress our children in pajamas...in last year's Easter morning post, Mason wasn't wearing pajama bottoms, just underwear...and in this year's post, Roper is sans shirt. Oops!
After a beautiful church service with very special music and a great message, we headed over to Graem's Aunt Linda's for a feast and more egg hunting. The Roper clan did not get together this year, and Graem's family was so sweet to invite my parents to join us. It is unusual to be able to spend time with both sets of parents on a holiday, so this was quite a treat for us.
One of my favorite things about blogging is looking back at old posts...
Check out Mason hunting eggs in 2009. And Easter Sunday 2009. Here is Easter Sunday 2010.
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we consider him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6
I feel like I have tons of pictures to share from the weekend, but none from Supper Club/Tunmore baby shower on Friday night...and none of us as a family in our Easter finest on Sunday morning! In fact, I have no pictures of myself from the entire weekend. I promise I was there! I need to start handing off my camera...
Saturday morning our church had a big egg hunt for the children...
These three are in the same Sunday School class.
Thankfully they have a wonderful teacher that they absolutely adore. Here is Mason with his much beloved Ms. Ginny...
Saturday was also mine and Graem's 6th anniversary! I know, SIX years. Time flies when you're having fun! :) We put the boys to bed early on Saturday night and I cooked a gourmet meal that I found in one of my Christmas with Southern Living books (I'm pretty sure its the 2001 edition).
I was flipping through trying to find the recipe for the dish I was bringing for Easter dinner when I came across a recipe for Fig Glazed Quail. Hmmm...we just happened to have some quail in the freezer from one of Graem's hunting trips. I have never cooked quail but I always trust SL to come up with something tasty. Why not? They recommended accompanying recipes of Bacon and Pecan Dressing and Skillet Red Cabbage.
So I gave it a shot...and about 3.5 hours later dinner was served! Note to self -- don't try THREE new recipes all at once. My timing was off and the "fig glaze" had about 32 steps to reach the finished product. No doubt, it was all delicious! But...have you ever eaten quail? It was kind of like eating chicken wings...messy! Not exactly the elegant dinner I had in mind. It was delicious nonetheless and it was fun to try some new recipes to enjoy with my sweetie!
Moving right along...on Easter morning the bunny made a quick stop to fill up the baskets and leave some beach chairs...and now that I'm looking back through my pictures I'm really annoyed with myself because for months I have been wanting an external flash for my camera so that I won't have pesky shadows in my inside pictures. I got the flash for my birthday, over a month ago, and I still haven't learned to use it. I'll get on that pronto!
I'm just realizing that it might appear that we don't fully dress our children in pajamas...in last year's Easter morning post, Mason wasn't wearing pajama bottoms, just underwear...and in this year's post, Roper is sans shirt. Oops!
After a beautiful church service with very special music and a great message, we headed over to Graem's Aunt Linda's for a feast and more egg hunting. The Roper clan did not get together this year, and Graem's family was so sweet to invite my parents to join us. It is unusual to be able to spend time with both sets of parents on a holiday, so this was quite a treat for us.
One of my favorite things about blogging is looking back at old posts...
Check out Mason hunting eggs in 2009. And Easter Sunday 2009. Here is Easter Sunday 2010.
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