first haircut!!

My dear hubby fell asleep in the other room, so I'm staying up past my curfew to sneak some computer time. Heehee. I feel like such a rebel. ;-)
(It may not feel so good at 5:30 tomorrow morning, though...)

Anyway, I'm behind on posting pictures, so I thought I'd try to catch up.

Little Lad had his FIRST HAIRCUT last weekend!
My sister Julie did the honors.

Little Lad is nearly 19-months old now, but my kids stay bald for quite some time. The Nature Boy didn't need a haircut until he was 2!!

Without further ado, here are the pictures of my gorgeous little man:

Aunt Julie gets to work, while I hold the Little Lad still.

Snip, snip...there go the blond curls.
Don't worry, I saved them all.
Right now they're hanging on his wall in a plastic baggie.
I do think I may frame them...

He started to get fidgety after awhile,
and I had to do some crazy songs and faces to settle him down.

And, if that isn't enough pictures for you, here are the AFTER shots:

Yes, he is an angel!

We joined!

Sunday we joined a fantastic church.

I've been to my fair share of churches all over the country. I've visited the deep southern Baptist churches in South Carolina, with paper fans next to the hymnals. I've been to reverent Episcopalian churches with liturgy readings, real wine passed around in one large cup, and organ music. I've been to Catholic baptisms and Presbyterian lock-ins and everything in between. The only church that I've ever enjoyed as much as our new home church was Santa Cruz Bible Church. Loved that.

Now, granted, I know it's fine and dandy for people to worship in different ways. But for us, this church is just perfect! I'm still awed by the genuine people, incredible music, and the BIBLE being consistently opened, read, taught, and applied. L-O-V-E that!

I was even more astonished when the pastor broached the "difficult subjects" in church. A lot of pastors wouldn't touch election topics with a 10-foot pole. Or they might take the easy way out, with a vague prayer and no solid leadership.

But not our pastor.

He brought up three major voting issues.

First the lottery. Did you know this is the 6th time since 1990 that we've voted on the lottery? Now it comes with a tacked on promise of college scholarship money... bwa ha ha ha. As if we'll fall for that. This has failed 6 times for a reason. It is bad news.

As our pastor put it, "I'm not going to tell you how to vote, but vote AGAINST Amendment 3!"

Next up, he talked about an act that will prevent adoptive and foster care children from being placed in homes with homosexual couple and other individuals who are cohabiting with a sexual partner.The sanctity of marriage is under attack. From our pastor: "I'm not telling you how to vote, but vote FOR Act 1." Amen, brother.

Now for the biggie: Abortion. Yes, it's the horrid topic that no one likes to talk about. Why? Because the liberals like to call it "women's rights," as if that somehow masks what is actually taking place, and Christians just get sick to their stomachs. And we should. But we should also do something! Every one has a voice. Together we are the body of Christ. We can't possibly stand as one unless everyone is willing to do their part. No side liners in this game.

"First they came for the Jews, but I did nothing because I'm not a Jew. Then they came for the socialists, but I did nothing because I'm not a socialist. Then they came for the Catholics, but I did nothing because I'm not a Catholic. Finally, they came for me, but by then there was no one left to help me."

– Pastor Father Niemoller (1946)

Yesterday we studied Matthew 18. The littlest ones are the concern of our Father. Again quoting our pastor,"What must God think when Christians vote against His eternal principles?"

On January 22, 1973, five men in robes, in a judicial system gone wrong, legalized abortion. Since then 50 million babies have died. Because of five men. This was not a vote by the people. (And, by the way, Norma McCorvey, known under the pseudonym Jane Roe, never actually got an abortion. In fact, she is now a fierce pro-life advocate who founded the Roe No More ministry .)

The next president will be appointing supreme court justices during the next four years. Right now 5 of the 9 justices are over 70 years old. This may be the only chance we have to overturn this law.

Vote based on principles. Get out of your circle. Talk to people who may not agree with you. Be loving, respectful, but passionate and knowledgeable about the topics. Educate others about what these candidates stand for. Get out of your comfort zone a little. If each one of us could change one person's thinking (and their vote,) we could redirect this nation. Lives truly are at stake here.

Regardless of the outcome, God is in control.

I'll get off of the political bandwagon soon, but this has been on my mind. And where better to vent than my own blog? :-)

This is not a debate. This is not open to criticism. These are simply my thoughts on my blog. Take it for what it is.

A friend of a friend wrote this. Funny, witty, English professor post on the same topic. :-) Enjoy!

old drawings, new inspiration

My little Artist has inspired me to pick up my drawing pencils again. We've been rearranging & repainting the schoolroom, and she came across my JBU portfolio. Gosh, I loved those classes. As she pulled out picture after picture, she began to beg me to draw with her. Now, I do draw often with her, but she wanted me to really draw with her this time. Not just little designs and ideas, but real "on the easel" sketches. Then Nature Boy wouldn't even let me throw out my old (and not so good) acrylic paintings. Ah, kids are so sweet!
The kids are right. I've neglected one of my most favorite things. Crafting is SO fun for me, because it can be done in a few minutes, hours, or days. But sketches...ahhh....they can take weeks or months, depending on work and the mood. I never feel like I have time anymore. But I'm going to try to work it in after devotionals in the morning. :-) Wish me luck.
I have a plan to incorporate sketches with photography. I've formulated some ideas with the kids, and we'll post some pictures when we accomplish something!

Nature Fairies

The other day we made "nature fairies." What's really neat about this is that Mrs. Smiley made some with her boys on the same day!! I didn't know anyone else would even think about such a thing! Just proves we are kindred spirits. :-)
I didn't get quite as elaborate, though, as I could not find my googly eyes. And the baby was around, so I didn't use the hot glue gun. These little creatures were fun, however.
Isabelle's Young Author book this year is about fairies, so we've been checking out books on how to draw them. This leads to lots of other winged crafts.

Be sure to VOTE

Why vote?? Well, there are hundreds of excellent reasons. Here are just a few:

1. This year especially, every vote counts. We have a responsibility.
   
2. The next Congress will determine SO many things that affect your future.
   
3. The next president will determine the philosophical bent of the Supreme Court. The next president may select four or more justices. With a gridlocked Congress, the Court often makes new laws. The most visible concern expressed during the campaign has been over how the Court will rule on abortion. This alone should be enough of a reason to vote. If you are pro-life, this single issue should seal the deal.
4. The next president will select our health care leaders. The people who serve as secretary of health and human services, surgeon general, NIH director, and FDA commissioner will be appointed by the president. These are the people who provide national leadership on health care issues. If you care about the future of health care policies, you ought to care who's providing the leadership, or lack thereof. Raise your hand if you actually want a socialist government...
   
5. The next Congress may address campaign finance reform. Who is spending all the money? Go look at some figures.
6. If you vote, you have the right to complain later. If you didn't vote, you lose some --if not all -- of your right to complain.
7. Finally, you CAN vote. Voting is an incredible right that we have. Believe it or not, people in other countries actually fight and even die for this right; a right that so many of us take for granted. You should vote because you can, if you don't you may one day wake up in a country where you can't.

... and take your kids with you! Let's set a great example for the next generation! :-)

To register to vote, select your state from the widget on the bottom left.

So, who are you voting for and/or what issues are you passionate about? I don't mind differing views, as long as they remain respectful and polite. If you can't say something nicely, then don't say anything at all! :-)

Firepit

I love having friends over. And I love being outside. So the yearly firepit nights are a real treat!

Amy, as Jennifer Connelly from Labyrinth

I got just a few pictures this year. Phooey on me, I know. I neglected to get pictures of Stacy, Cindy, Kayla, Shan, and Trish entirely. And the ones of me and Adelia are on her camera. Go figure. (Don't you dare post those, girl, until I look at them!! ;-) Who knows what I had stuck in my teeth...) And, just so you know, I was a 60s mama and Adelia was a butterfly. Her wings were great!

Miss Judie came, as a "frazzled homeschool mom." Very creative indeed!

October and Gabby came, dressed as a teacher and student.
I suggested that she come as a month. ;-)
But she said that she was dressed as her identical twin sister.
What an easy costume.

Tracy and Sherrill were the pumpkin-shirt-twins.

This mask of hers could blind you when it was turned on...

magnet kids

Dash gives this a lot of thought. How should he dress Little Lad?
After these photos were taken,
he got even more creative
and put a tutu and pirate hat on his little brother.

This was just an experiment.
I need to enlarge some full-front bathing suit pictures of the kids,
and cut out plenty of clothes and accessories
(maybe design my own, or have my little fashion designer sister do it)
and glue them on to magnet paper.

Magnet Baby looks happy with his new bouquet, doesn't he? :-)