11 years!

Yesterday was our 11th anniversary and we enjoyed a beautiful spring day together. We went to the Botanical Gardens and walked the many trails winding through all kinds of plants, trees and shrubs.

Mini-me and Dad. “Can we reach around this tree?”

 

Just barely!

Appropriately, Savannah was wearing a shirt with 11 on it! :) And, just today, I thought how it would have been cute if we would have made a heart with our hands.

We also went to the Birmingham Art Museum and enjoyed looking at the exhibits. We will have to go back another day because we were all pretty hungry by then :)

We ate an early supper at Red Robin before Hadden had baseball practice (chicken pesto pasta – YUM!). We all really like the American flag made from baseballs, so we snapped a shot of it before leaving. Finally, we played for a little while at Learning Express Toys. The kids made a chain from “zoobs”.

The weather was absolutely beautiful and it was a very fun day. My dear hubby even watched “Ever After” with me at the end of the day. Ah, bliss! :)

Loving this spring weather!!

We are enjoying some incredible spring weather here in Alabama and it is a nice break from the rain. Baseball and soccer are in full swing, so we are hopping getting kids to their various practices and games. This past winter was very quiet - I didn't have any painting to do or other tasks to keep me busy, so I was really looking forward to spring sports starting to fill some of that down time. Boy, did that down time get filled! But I really do love it. Savannah has had 2 soccer games, and Hadden has his first game next Thursday.

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Neli was fixed last Monday - whew! She now is feeling better, however, and would really like to be outside enjoying the sunshine. Unfortunately, we have to try to keep her calm and quiet for about 4-6 more days.

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Savannah will be doing the standard testing next month, so we are doing practice tests right now. Any suggestions for spelling? She is a very avid reader, but can't spell for beans! I used to do spelling lists and tests, but have not been doing those for a while. Any hints would be greatly appreciated.

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Homeschooling is going pretty well. Having our week scheduled out in advance has been a major improvement for all of us. This week, we have taken a bit of a break because the public schools are on spring break. We decided to take a break from a big load and enjoy some of the nice weather, too. 43 days to go :)

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I started making my own granola and it is so yummy! I saw a couple of recipes for crackers, so I think I will try that next. I need to get some of the ingredients first.

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John went to PA with We Care for 5 whole nights! The kids and I stayed home because of sports, but then most of the events were rained out. 5 whole nights is a really long time!!!

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Planning on putting a garden in - John made me some raised boxes and now I just need to clean them out and put some dirt in. Later tonight (after it cools down some), I am hoping to get working on that.

I will try really hard ...

From now on, when John is working on a project, I will try really hard:

1. to not laugh when he asks me where his pencil is after he just had it 2 seconds ago.

2. to be more quick to help him find tools, get something, etc.

3. to be more quick to listen to him think things through.

4. to run for the charged battery for the power tool.

5. to not complain that he doesn't feel up to putting all of the tools away immediately.

Today, while John was gone, I had to rig up two temporary caps for the camper. Yesterday I found one of the little vent caps on the ground, completely destroyed. The kids then told me that there was another one missing, and sure enough, there was. I really wanted to blame the dogs because they are normally not innocent in these kinds of things, but there was really no way they could get on top of the camper.

After investigating this morning, it seems that the Alabama sun was too much for the hard plastic and they had basically disintegrated.

Since there is rain forecast for tonight and tomorrow, the gaping holes in the top of the camper really needed something over them. And, boy, do I appreciate John all the more - he makes this stuff look so easy!

After coming up with a game plan,
hunting tools and supplies,
3 separate phone calls to John,
a splinter,
sawdust in my eyes,
a broken bit (seriously? HOW did that happen?),
a dead and then replaced battery,
screws the wrong length,
hunting for more screws,
whew - found some,
assembling,
putting the first cap on,
running into "issues",
rethinking,
sawing more off of the bottom board,
praying,
coercing,
whew - it worked,
repeat most steps for second cap,
oh, good, this one was much easier,
tightening down,
exhausted,
still had to put all the tools away (ladder is still waiting),
I am DONE!

Now, off to put that ladder away before it blows away :)

Personhood

Guest post by John Kline Kurtz (my dear hubby)

Person (n): A human being
What makes you a human being? Your honest educated answer will reveal your world-view. At the core of your answer is whether or not you believe that God's final creative acts during the creation were to make man and woman, breathing into them His breath of life. He granted them the means to reproduce after their kind, human beings. Only mankind was created in God's image. Man is special among all the creatures. The Psalmist declares the relationship of the pre-born with God:

For You are He who took Me out of the womb, causing Me to trust while on My mother's breasts. I was cast on You from the womb; You are My God from My mother's belly.
(Psalms 22:9-10 MKJV)

He also declares:

For You have possessed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well.
(Psalms 139:13-14 MKJV)

Now what God has covered is precious! The same Hebrew word for “cover” is used to describe the protection of important objects and principles, as well as His protection and defense of his people. God holds the pre-born children in a very special place of protection. We should too!

From the time that you were conceived, all of the necessary information to form you was present to begin the development of your body. Recently, in one of my classes at St. Clair Correctional Facility, a student referred to the child at an early stage as a “blob of cells”. I interrupted my student to address that phrase. If he thinks that the baby is just a “blob of cells” then the student himself is still just a “blob of cells”. If the baby is just a blob of cells, then he/she is equivalent to any other growth within the body of the mother. This is an argument which has permitted the “Pro-Choice” folks to choose to eradicate those cells, even if the next day, those cells would have been born a “baby”.

Redefining “Pro-Choice”
The real choice is made before intercourse. “Pro-Choice” should be defined as the “choice” to proceed with intercourse knowing it may produce another person. In other words, make your “choice” before the life of another person is involved.

Moral Laws
From a recent online article, there was a picture of a woman holding a sign declaring “Keep your laws off ..." presumably "my body”. Does she really mean that? Without laws to protect her, she could more easily become the victim of rape, abuse, and murder. Moral laws are good. The moral laws of protecting a baby's rights are meant to protect mother as well. She will be protected from the mental anguish and guilt of an abortion, and she will be protected from the eternal consequences of choosing to destroy her own child.

The same picture showed another woman holding a sign, “I regret my abortion”. This is a deeply moving picture.

(Dueling South Dakota protesters after the 2006 abortion ban passed: AP.)

The horrible cases of rape and incest are usually brought up at this point. But following up one atrocity with another is not the right solution. The mother will be reminded of the tragedy that took place throughout the pregnancy, birth, and subsequent life of the child. But in reality, would the mother be any less tortured by the rape or incest while also feeling the guilt of having aborted the child? We must understand “forgiveness” and “hope” in order to proceed. But our culture has come to ignore these God-given entities. Rather some prefer to hold on to the hatred and bitterness. Some seek to find healing in death and destruction (abortion), rather than in forgiveness and hope. We can change as we look to Jesus’ example of forgiveness and follow Him.

We are not looking to place blame or cause guilt on persons for deeds from the past. Rather, we offer life-giving hope that will produce great rewards for individuals and our land.

Conflicting Laws
An inmate at St. Clair Correctional Facility handed me the laws of our land demonstrating a dual standard about the pre-born child. Currently, if a pregnant mother is murdered, the murderer can be charged with a double homicide, one for mother and one for pre-born child. At the same time, two people, mother and abortionist can plot and execute the murder of the unborn child via an abortion, legally. Premeditated murder is more severe an offense than one that is not. How is abortion different from a woman and her lover plotting to kill her husband? He is an inconvenience as well! This is despicable. The reader should be bothered severely at this contradiction. We need moral laws that are consistent in protecting the life of the pre-born child.

Illegal Abortions
In a recent discussion a person lamented that in the removal of legal abortion people would resort back to dangerous and illegal ways of ending their pregnancy. The laws would again indicate that such activity is on par with murder - abortion would be a criminal act. So we see that there is an urgent need to teach God's word concerning the value of human life. Without the mindset of the people being turned toward life, abortions will continue. Personhood is not just about ending abortion, but is also about educating people of God's promotion of life.

Alabama v. “Roe v. Wade”
The recorded words of the judges and lawyers in the 1973 Supreme Court decision known as “Roe v. Wade” indicate that if the unborn child was protected as a ‘Person’, then the case for legal abortion would have been very difficult to defend. We have gone nearly 40 years and have aborted over 50 million babies, making very little progress towards defending the lives of the pre-born. But now there is more hope. If we return to the pursuit of establishing these children as 'Persons' with the unalienable rights that you and I enjoy, we can protect them from destruction.

Such a pursuit is beginning in Alabama. The Constitution Party of Alabama hosted a small meeting in Birmingham in 2010 to share what was going on in other states in the “Personhood USA” movement. Then in February 2011, The Foundation for Moral Law (Honorable Roy S. Moore, President) hosted a meeting to ignite the effort in Alabama. I attended both meetings and met some wonderful people who are determined to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from person to person by means of promoting a proper knowledge of the preciousness of life in the pre-born. Cal Zastrow and others shared the vision of the 'Personhood USA' organization to help each state make law for the protection of the unborn as 'Persons' from the point of fertilization forward. This drive has two key elements. First, design and submit the correct wording for the Bill to account for the nuances of each state's existing laws. Second, gather the people's signed opinions (in other states, known as petitioning) to submit to the government leaders of the state, reinforcing the public opinion about the importance of protecting the pre-born children’s right to life.

This understanding of personhood needs to be taught in our homes, churches, schools and media. This country was established by the preaching of righteousness throughout America’s churches to the people, who then fought and gave their lives for our freedom. It is now our turn to fight for the freedom of our children.

Wake up Alabama! The South will rise again, but this time it will be in the humility and righteousness of calling our state, country, and world to acknowledge and protect the rights of the pre-born child.

Learn more at www.personhoodusa.com and sign the petition for your state!

Weekend waterfall hike

Our church started an early service yesterday, so we had all afternoon to hike before the super bowl :) The weather was just about perfect, so we enjoyed a nice hike following the little streams on our property and then later on the wildlife management area.

These two waterfalls are on our property. They are seasonal and run in, around, and through the hillside.

We also have a little bamboo “forest” growing on our land. We walked to “the rock that Mommy took a nap on”! One time while hiking, I really just needed to lay down and rest, so this place now has this unique name :)

Beautiful blue sky. Little tree growing out of a crag in a rock.

We spent some rest time up on a rock plateau. John’s a thinker. Me … not so much.  He was kind enough to shorten his thinking time when I started to get cold from not moving.

There were more waterfalls to see, you know. John heard this one from up on the plateau rock, so we went and found it. We have been here before, but the water was not running quite as much then. Love how the water was shooting off the end of the rock. OH – and the sound!!! I took a couple of little videos just for the sound.

Another rest stop – look closely to see Hadden – he’s camouflaged :) Neli LOVED the waterfalls! She was all over them – I half worried that she was going to slip and get stuck somewhere! Crazy dog!

Same section of waterfall in these two shots – one is just a little closer in.

This is actually the same rest stop :) By this time, we had hiked 3+ miles and hadn’t brought any snacks besides water.

 

This is my favorite little waterfall.

Oh, I like this one, too.

Really like this one – my handsome hubby! :) And here’s proof that I was actually along! 

Our weekend

The weather was beautiful this past weekend, so we enjoyed some time outdoors. We had talked about going for a long hike, but until yesterday, 1/31, it was still hunting season here in Alabama. Part of our long hike is on wildlife management land, so we thought we should go with plan b instead. Savannah really wants to go camping – as in tenting – on our property. While I am all for enjoying the great outdoors, tent camping is not real high on my bucket list (I am still recovering from living in the camping trailer :), but it did seem like a good idea to clear some underbrush. John has been forging ahead clearing trails around and through our property and we join him sometimes. Hadden LOVES to “whack” with a machete.

So, clear we did. Then we gathered rocks for a fire pit. Then on Sunday, John enjoyed cooking burgers on the fire. (have to give him credit here – he took care of all of the fixin’s for the outdoor cooking party!) Later, we had s’mores … it is just not a campfire without s’mores!

 

John tending the burgers. Savannah enjoying a burger. She worked hard clearing brush and hauling rocks for the fire pit. She has all kinds of plans for using the camping site now :)

Lilly and Savannah. A decent picture of Mercy – she normally doesn’t cooperate for pictures.

This shows why we call him “Happy” – he looks like he is smiling! He belongs to a neighbor, but he spends a lot of time with us. He’s a very sweet dog, so we don’t really mind. Very convenient to have a dog that you don’t have to feed or take care of :)

   

Neli is growing up! So is Hadden! Like I said, he loves doing this. He is careful – trust me! If this overly protective mom doesn’t cringe with him using a machete, he is able to handle it :)

 

Here, he is taking down a tree. Baseball season is starting soon, so I think he is trying to build up some strength :)

Finally, we finished burning up the brush. John then tends the fire until it is burned down enough to be safe while the kids and I head back to the warm house for a shower! Don’t worry, I think he actually likes it ;)

Annual We Care Crusade

Last week was the annual We Care Crusade - the yearly event where men and women from all over come to Alabama and minister to the men and women in prison.

Somehow, I didn't get any pictures! We were blessed to have several men join John at St Clair and I am so grateful for all who come. John really gets a boost during this week and even though the hours are long, in the end, it is all worth it.

The kids and I joined them one day for breakfast and one night for supper. In past years, they have also made a short trip up to the house. Our road is SO bad this year, that we didn't feel it was wise to have them bring their vehicles up. In fact, one night, John wasn't even able to get the car up the last portion of the hill and had to walk in the dark! :)

MANY thanks to those who came this week and encouraged my man! It means a lot to all of us!

Proverbs 25:25 Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.