50th Birthday Card Shower

The day before my 50^th birthday, David’s parents and grandmother came to deliver my gift. We had a short, but very pleasant visit. When they left, Mom Kautt said, "Spread your birthday celebration over the rest of the week." That's just what we did.

One way that happened was the card shower the children gave me.

During the two months previous, unknown to me, Abby had initiated and supervised the making of fifty greeting cards. She created alongside Caleb, Phoebe, Ruthie (Johanna), and Jaden. For the two days before my birthday, I was banned from the schoolroom. I knew they were working on something for my birthday. On the actual day, while I was answering emails, they quietly scattered the greeting cards about in each room of the house.

I found the first one strung at eye level across a doorframe. There was a note on the breakfast room table that read: “We have placed a series of birthday messages in every room of our abode! Have fun as you search for them! Your Kids”

I found two magneted to the fridge, one tacked to the cabinet door, one attached to the ventahood, a couple on the piano, another wedged under the moulding around the french doors, one with the corner down in the edge of a lampshade, one standing on the hearth, another atop the television, another tucked into a photo frame, one slipped partially behind the thermostat in the hall, and so on, until I had gone into every room. There was even one hidden in the pocket of my fat purple terrycloth bathrobe. As I made my way through the house, I was amazed, and chuckled. I didn't know ahead of time how many there were all together.

I was touched by their thoughtfulness and creativity. They used colored paper, wall paper samples, old greeting cards, foam shapes, wax paper and golden tissue paper, stickers, brads, pre-printed messages, cut-outs from magazines and catalogs. There was everything from the big and elaborate, to the small and elegantly simple; from the single-lined: Happy 50th, to several lines of scripture or poetry. Some had very personal messages. Jaden even made three extras (for a total of 53). One, a large piece of red card stock, on the front bore the date and “From Jaden To Mom!” and 6 smiley faces. Inside he placed about 50 tiny floral and heart stickers, and embellished it with a satin ribbon. Every one of those cards was beautiful.

I have the greatest children in the world. And that was confirmed by the fact that Joel arrived home from work that evening with raw cashews for Mom!

That night, our maidens prepared a scrumptious meal and I opened gifts, some pretty amazing and special ones, even ones that were an answer to prayer. It was a precious, joyous time of celebrating. One of my 50 cards said "May this be a birthday you remember the rest of your life." It’s guaranteed! I certainly will.

Julia

I love this one because it reminds me of Ruthie and Phoebe when they were little. The girl on the right looks almost exactly like Phoebe when she was that age.

Ruthie used wax paper on the pink hearts purple paper one. And the blue plaid hearts are fabric.

Jaden knows I was born a Buckeye, thus the Ohio sticker. He put a Texas sticker inside!

This one began as a white embossed wallpaper sample, which was then colored with markers.

All the Women of the Bible

Today I was studying 5 women from the Bible. I used the book All the Women of the Bible to find out information about these women. I read about: Lot's wife, Jochebed, Abigail, Jezebel and Phebe (or Phoebe).

When I was reading about Lot's wife, I ran across these interesting words:

"She [Lot's wife] still stands as a permanent symbol of the woman who looks back and refuses to move forward, the woman who, faced toward salvation, still turns to look longingly on material things she has left behind."

After I read that sentence I thought, "Would I have been like Lot's wife and looked back". I hope I wouldn't have. But, is that how I am today? The Lord supplies salvation, but I'd rather have the material things over the immeasurable gift of God? May we, whether we are men or women, never choose material things over God's gift of salvation.

Also, when I was reading about Jezebel, I found this interesting:

"Jezebel's name even appears in the dictionary as a term of reproach. Certainly no woman's name in history has become so commonly accepted as a synonym for wickedness."

Jezebel is remembered as an outstanding example of what every women ought not to be. Instead, we women should strive to be like Jochebed, Abigail and Phebe. Holy, committed, humble, faith-filled, courageous, wise, gracious, nobble, pure and gentle.

Chalk art

The other day we were outside, enjoying the beautiful spring weather, and we found these ancient hieroglyphs. :) They were so ancient, over *an hour* old!


An ancient drawing of an old heroine, Johanna


A sketching of the ultimate escape artist, Ann of Pheebs. (Who is this?)


This one was of a man not quite evolved yet (no offense Caleb!) :)

And last of all, an ancient drawing of a young boy, who happens to be our friend.

We happened to have a camera, and were able to get this photograph of all of them.

Happenings

We have been so busy lately, the blogging has really fallen down! Sorry for the lack of blog posts.

Some pictures from recent happenings in our life:

Gardening (tomato plants)

Gardening (baby lettuce)

Crazy haircut on a crazy boy (before)

Crazy hair cut on a crazy boy (after) :)

Family photograph on Resurrection Day.

Passion Week: Selected Readings 4

Happy Resurrection Day! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

¹ Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. ² But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. ³ Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. ⁵ Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, ⁷ saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”
⁸ And they remembered His words. ⁹ Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. ¹¹ And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. ¹² But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened." Luke 24:1-12

Happy Resurrection Day everybody!

Thanks to Abby's blog for this post.

Passion Week: Selected Readings 4

Today we will read from Mark 15, Jesus is buried:

⁴² Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. ⁴⁵ So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶ Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. ⁴⁷ And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.

Thanks to Abby's blog for this post.

Passion Week: Selected Readings 3

Today is Good Friday and I am going to share my favorite passion week scripture - John 17

John 17

Jesus Prays for Himself

¹ Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ² as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ⁴ I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵ And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

⁶ “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷ Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. ⁸ For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
⁹ “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. ¹⁰ And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. ¹² While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³ But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. ²⁶ And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Thanks to Abby's blog for this post.

Passion Week: Selected Readings 2

Our reading for today is from Hebrews 9 -

how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood." Hebrews 9:14-18

Thanks to Abby's blog for this post.