Digital Camera Dilema

My camera has been dying a slow death ever since Christmas. The shutter speed gradually slowed to the point that unless I was talking pictures of still life bowls of fruit, it was basically useless. Last weekend, it refused to turn on at all and I was forced to admit that my trusty Vivitar Vivicam (with a whopping 5.1 mega pixels!) is not coming back to me.

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So, as I do with any large (read:minuscule) decision, I obsess. I've been poring over endless reviews, window shopping online (or would that be windows shopping?) narrowing down the options, and trying to decide what features I really want. So far, I've decided that I want a camera that will make all of my photographs look like Ansel Adams, The Pioneer Woman and Anne Geddes rolled into one. Perfectly reasonable, no?

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Here are the contenders thus far:

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Nikon Coolpix - Good reviews. In my price range. Lots of bells and whistles.

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Canon Powershot - Slightly better reviews than the Nikon. In my price range (but some models hover on the edge). Again, lots of bells and whistles.

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Casio Exilim - Good reviews. In my price range (but the high speed one is not). Lots of different models with various options.

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Hopefully, I'll have a decision made by Friday and I can wow everyone with my professional grade photos (I could barely even type that with a straight face) by this weekend!

Of Teenagers and Locusts

This morning it was a struggle to get out of bed.
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Dark and rainy and chilly. Good sleeping weather. Really bad Monday morning weather.

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For the record, the perfect weather for a Monday morning would look like something out of an early Disney feature film. Sun streaming through gracefully floating fluffy white clouds, gentle flute music wafting over green meadows full of technicolor wild flowers punctuated by the perpetually cheerful chirps of bluebirds sitting on my windowsill.

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Not too much to ask for, right?

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I didn't think so.

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This morning was definitely a stereotypical Monday morning. I hit snooze A LOT. Stumbled out of bed and drowsily picked out clothes for the day. I went downstairs to find that my kids were ready for school and had prepared the "sign this" gauntlet for me. I often wonder what their teachers think of those signatures, most times I sign them without even turning the light on. The bus comes early, so after talking with them a bit, they got their things together (we are considering renting my daughter a pack mule for Monday mornings.) The bus came, goodbyes were bid, and I headed for the kitchen to get something for breakfast.

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This verse came to mind as I surveyed the damage:

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And the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts will swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail."

Exodus 10:12 NIV

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I'm kidding. Kind of.

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I think there may have been one wee surviving Oat O (yes, we buy store brands) in the bottom of the box. I think maybe the grocery store has been bumped up a bit in my list of priorities.

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Have a Happy Monday!

Free to Be TV Free

As of this evening, our family is undergoing an experiment for spring and summer. Our television is now a free agent - no cables or dishes attached.

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This was a decision that we had considered on and off for the past year. Two other friends took the plunge before us and had nothing but good things to say about the decision, so we consulted the kids and took a few days to consider it. Surprisingly, we were all in agreement.

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I have to admit, I've been a bit nervous about the whole thing. While I'm definitely not a TV junkie, I've become quite accustomed to the constant chatter and passive entertainment and even if we were not watching anything in particular, the television was usually on in the background.

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We are all hoping to accomplish more reading and spend more time outdoors, and just generally have less "junk" in our lives. I will try to keep you posted as the experiment goes on.

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Here's hoping for a successful withdrawal from the television!

Oh, the Wonders of the Internet

While doing a bit of family tree research a few years ago, I managed to find some poetry written years ago by my great aunt. I thought that perhaps I would share one of her poems here. Enjoy!

On Trusting
How small, this heart of mine
How little does it trust
My God has said He made us all
And cares for us each day

My eyes can only see the ashes
Of all my golden dreams
My God can see beyond all his
For He has planned my way

And when my foolish tears are dry
And my soul again will look
I'll see my Loving Lord has been
building what He planned for me

And Oh! My heart leaps high with joy
For far more wonderful it is
Than any earth-bound dream I had
or even hoped to see

by Arlene Hearn Price

Outstanding Opportunity

You all know I've been dreaming big lately.
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Looking forward to what God has in store for my life.
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Exploring promises He has for me and all of His children.
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This weekend, an opportunity have appeared on the horizon that I'm really excited about. There is simply nothing as exciting as possibilities. And everything is possible with God!

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A few months ago, while searching for a new ladies' Bible study, I found Proverbs 31 Ministries. As I perused the wonderful resources on their website and subscribed to their daily devotional, I continued to click around on the site and discovered the She Speaks Conference quite by accident. This event is specifically for women in writing, speaking or leadership ministries - and it sounded thrilling. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think anything like this existed. My attending this conference will hinge on my ability to obtain a scholarship, however, as it is a few states away and would strain the family resources. It would be a tremendous opportunity to explore the Lord's plan for me and learn more about women's' writing and speaking ministries. That said, as I wrote earlier this weekend, I am working hard and being content to wait on God. While I certainly hope that I might be able to receive a scholarship, if I don't I will accept that it was simply not a part of the plan.

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All in all, God's waiting room is a pretty awesome place to be, I think!

Happy Birthday!

Fourteen years ago today, at the ripe old age of 22, my husband and I welcomed our daughter into the world. A full week and a half overdue, she gave us several clues to her personality even before she was born. We found out that we were expecting a girl a month before she was born. Excitedly, we gave her the name we had picked out and our doctor and his staff were pleased to use it during tests and exams. Following her unofficial naming, our precious daughter commenced a prenatal noncompliance campaign - leading one ultrasound technician to comment that perhaps she did not like her name. A few more similar incidents led my husband and I back to the baby name book. She kicked so hard when we came to her name that we knew we had the right one.

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She protested her surroundings loudly and with gusto from the moment she was born. She slept little and screamed much. Our baby was an intimidating little mite, but fortunately we were young enough to survive the sleep deprivation and assault on our hearing.

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Fourteen years have flown by. I cannot believe that the precious little bundle that was handed to me then, now has her own income from babysitting, flew across the country by herself and has a terrific talent for music. Apparently all of that screaming as an infant made for a powerful set of lungs.

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Happy birthday! (And good luck at your band competition today!)

Success vs. Failure

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Please hit play and then read this post.

Bossy, aren't I?

I continue to consider and dream about what God's plans might be for the future, and one nagging thought continues to bother me. What if I fail? What if I go out on faith and end up flat on my face? What if I? Hold on a second, just who is this about anyway? Not me, that's for sure! It's about Him, not about me. If I write to glorify Him and not a single soul reads it, that's not failure. If I'm never asked to speak publicly, but am willing to share my faith to even a few, that's a success!

God's definition of success and failure is different than our definition of success and failure. We want to succeed because it makes us feel good. We avoid failure because it feels bad. Success equals greater and failure equals less. God sees it much differently.

"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. Matthew 18:12-14 NIV

A human shepherd would probably march home with 99 sheep and look at it as a successful grazing trip. Sure, he lost one, but he brought home 99, because his focus is on his personal success. I'm so thankful that our Heavenly Father doesn't gauge success and failure in the same way we do.

Anything we do wholeheartedly for the Lord is a success, even if the results seem modest to our eyes, the trick is we need to make sure that our focus is clearly on Him and not on us!

Dreaming

This morning, I came across this post on Lysa TerKeurst's blog at Proverbs 31 Ministries. It hit home in a big way. This is a subject I've been praying about for awhile now.

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I have big dreams. I have held them close for a long time, only recently beginning to put words to them and dare to hope that my dreams might be more than just flights of fancy.

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Ever since I was in elementary school, I have dreamed about writing a book. As I grew up, that dream changed a bit from wanting to write the great American novel and become famous and fabulously wealthy, to wanting to write to glorify God. Last year, my dream expanded to wanting to speak and encourage women in the church.

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For many months, I've prayed about my dreams, trying to discern whether this desire comes from a selfish ego or a true desire to serve the Lord. I'm still praying and hoping that God will send opportunities so that the way will be clear. Waiting is hard, though. I try hard to remember:

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But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

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For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Awesome promises from an awesome God! I'm going to continue to seek His will for me and my dreams. I pray that you dream big dreams to serve Him, too!

Chock Full o' Links

This very rainy weekend was perfect for getting some cooking done.
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On Friday, my daughter's math class celebrated Pi Day by eating pie. I should have explained earlier, but Pi Day is actually today, March 14. The peanut butter pie recipe that went to school with my daughter was this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's fabulous cooking site. It has been a great go-to recipe for when I need something in a hurry.
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Yesterday evening, our church had a terrific soup social followed by a bluegrass concert from a great group of men. The dinner consisted of many different types of soups, sandwiches and appetizers. I decided to go with an appetizer, so I made these bacon wrapped jalapeno thingies also from The Pioneer Woman. The best part is that is their actual name.
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Today, it is wet, rainy and flooding, and I am trying to console myself after managing to wreak havoc in my kitchen. So far, I have broken a glass, a mug and a plate - not even all at the same time. For lunch, we are having home-made macaroni and cheese. Guess where that recipe came from? Yep. The Pioneer Woman.
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I think tomorrow night's dinner is going to have to be something along the lines of a nice, healthy salad. Wonder if The Pioneer Woman has a recipe for that? Just kidding!

In Honor of Pi Day

This has been a wild and wacky week. Parts of it have had me tearing my hair out, others have had me laughing so hard I cry.

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My husband, who has been dealing with a minor knee injury for a few months, thought it would be wise to slip on the basement stairs and take it up a notch. His new nickname is Tiny Tim. He's not a big fan of crutches, as it turns out.

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My daughter, busy with band competitions, had informed me (several times) that she needed a pie for school tomorrow. I somehow managed to procrastinate so well that it completely slipped my mind. This evening, she asked how her pie was coming along. I asked her where she got her sarcastic sense of humor. She answered, "From my mother." That sounds about right.

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My son, hopped up on sunshine, reached new heights of creative hyperactivity this evening. He treated us to a two minute reenactment of Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief followed by a serenade of his original musical arrangement about chicken soup. It was riveting. And energetic. Really. I asked him where he learned to be so crazy. That apparently is from me as well.

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I did ask them where all the normal stuff they do comes from. That, they said, they got from their dad. They're probably completely right.

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For the record, there is a peanut butter pie ready to go for tomorrow for the observance of Pi Day.

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Happy Pi Day!!!

Spring Preview

I feel the need to relate a strange phenomenon happening in this part of the country. On Saturday morning, my family awoke to light streaming in our windows. Curious, we peered outside and to our surprise, the light was emanating from an odd glowing orb in the sky. My husband insisted that this orb did seem somewhat familiar to him, but he just could not place where he had seen it before.

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Yes, I'm exaggerating. But this weekend was lovely, and today was more lovely still. The sunshine and warmth are melting the snow pack we've hosted since before Christmas. The crocuses are making their debut. A photo of the first robins of the year graced the front page of the local newspaper. These are all sure signs that spring is on it's way after all!

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There is not much point to this post, I'm afraid. Just joy. And sunshine.

Book Review - Forgotten God

I wanted to read this book as soon as I read the review this past fall, but I was afraid to read it. Why would I be afraid of reading this book? Because it is about the Holy Spirit.

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I'm guessing that statement probably needs some explaining, right?

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As I mentioned earlier this week, the church I grew up in was one of a kind in our area at the time. Services were sometimes frenzied, which was often frightening to me as a child. The name of the Holy Spirit was mentioned frequently, but never adequately explained. There were a few occasions where the name of the Holy Spirit was used to intimidate.

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Suffice it to say, I developed a bit of an issue where the subject of the Holy Spirit was concerned. Convinced that I did not know enough and that what I did know was most likely incomplete at best, I decided that this was an area best left to theologians. Nice cop out, isn't it?

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After many months of feeling increasingly convicted that I was shirking my responsibility as a Christian to learn as much as possible about my faith, I found a review of the book Forgotten God by Francis Chan. I finally picked up a copy and hesitantly began to read. Pastor Chan's friendly conversational tone immediately put my mind at ease. This is not a hefty theological tome circling the stratosphere above my head, he successfully brings the subject matter to a level the reader can relate to - yet he makes no effort to simplify it. The book portrays a picture of the average church in the United States and contrasts it sharply with the flourishing newborn church we see in the book of Acts.

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Pastor Chan also discusses the difference between operating under your own power and letting the Holy Spirit work through you. Christians sometimes forget that God often chooses to work through our weaknesses (think Gideon!) and need to depend on Him instead of always trying to do everything ourselves.

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I have in no way done this book justice, but I highly recommend reading it! This book did make me feel much less anxious about my apprehension on the subject of the Holy Spirit, and I finished the book in deep gratitude for comforting presence of the Spirit in my life.

The Best Laid Plans

Remember that Chonda Pierce concert I was looking forward to?
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The one that was supposed to be last Saturday evening?
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The one that I had 47 women signed up to go to?
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Yeah, that one.
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Turns out a wicked winter storm can thwart the best of plans. On the good side, the concert has been postponed to May. And Chonda is worth waiting for.
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Its funny how plans get changed. Once the show was moved, my focus slid to the Ladies Bible study I was planning for this summer. Just like last year, one study in particular kept coming to my attention - Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst. I'll post more about the upcoming Bible study very soon - once I feel a bit more organized.

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Among the plans for this year is a ladies' retreat scheduled for November 12-14, right now the preparation seems immense, but I know who is really in charge and He's big enough to handle it. The theme for the retreat is Leaving the Masquerade: Getting Real and Living an Authentic Life for Christ. There will be more on that to come, too.

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I'm afraid this post has been a bit all over the place. There is a matter that I would like to ask for prayer about. Last February I had an opportunity to speak at a Ladies prayer breakfast. In that moment, I felt certain that speaking is something that God would have me to do. I have been praying since then, and asking for His direction and asking that if this is not His will that the desire to speak leave me. It has not left. I have no idea how to, or whether to, proceed. Your prayer would be very much appreciated.