Remembering Rich Mullins

This week at church, one of the readings was from the book of St. Matthew (8:20)  Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head."

I can't read that verse without thinking of Rich Mullins.   I know that verse not from a Bible study or childhood memorization, but from the song "You Did Not Have a Home" from Rich Mullins.   I owe so much to Rich Mullins.  I think everyone knows the song "Awesome God" that he wrote and sang, but he was a gifted songwriter and performer with a huge library that is worth checking out.     My mom bought me the album "The Jesus Record" for Christmas in 1998, and it is not an understatement to say his music changed my life.   That particular album was done posthumously  with the help of friends after he tragically died in a car accident.  The story of the CD alone has it's own Wiki page.
Anyway, this week I decided to dust off the old album and give it a listen.   It's been years since I played the music and it was interesting to soak in the words after such a long hiatus.  Since Monday, it has been a constant soundtrack in the car, at home, and in my head.   I've gone on a full scale Rich Mullins Your Tube tour and have enjoyed getting to know and appreciate him even more than I did before (I even found the song "If I Stand" ...the lyrics leave me speechless)!    Anyway, if you are looking for an album that brings profound insight into Scripture, coupled with catchy melodies, this will do it!:) I know I'm not alone either, just check out a few of the comments on Amazon.   I personally like the Rich-only disc (the audio is very rough but I love it).  This was meant to be a concept album on the life of Jesus Christ.  Here is a bit of the record to check out.

One of my classic favorites is "That Where I Am, There You.."
Click here for "Hard to Get".  I like the lyric:  " You who live in radiance,
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in skin.  We have a love that's not as patient as Yours was, still we do love now and then."

If you don't know Rich (and perhaps even if you do) it's an interesting read to check out his Wiki page.  Some things I didn't know about him and it was good to get the full story.   We are blessed to have his music and the legacy he left behind. 

A Happy Homecoming

 Don't you just love those videos of men/women in the military returning home?  The surprises with the kids are the best, it gets me every time.   With the 4th of July coming up, I thought I would post this "best of" montage.  Get your tissues!:)

Day at the Museum

Hooray for the Cleveland Museum of Art!  We visited for the first time today, and it really exceeded our expectations.  I had a special event written on my calendar for about a month, but I half expected it wouldn't happen with our busy schedule.    So, it was exciting when I realized that our day was open and it could actually work out!    The museum just opened a new exhibit:   900 works of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Byzantine, medieval, and African art.   In addition, this Sunday they had a special storyteller to bring tales and legends of ancient Greece and Rome to life.  It was so cool!  Best of all, everything there is FREE!  You can visit anytime, and participate in almost all of the family events for no cost!   Here are a few photos from the day:

This is "Roberto" our Roman storyteller, next to a statue of Marcus Aurelius


Gospel book from 1000-1100, from Constantinople


An original artifact from an Egyptian tomb, dated at least 1000 B.C.



The Cleveland Museum of Art is definitely a must-visit if you are in Ohio!   Click here for the website.   I went with my dad, brother, Gabriel and Grant.  I can't wait to go back with Jim and explore, but you definitely need a few hours to soak it all in.   

Tree Time

We had a fun little field trip today.  Just around the corner, in our own little town, lives the oldest Magnolia Cucumber tree in the world!   They usually live about 120 years, however this one is  approx. 430 years old over 8 stories tall.   We are currently reading about St. Francis of Assisi for our "Reading and Road Trips" and he of course, is known for his love for all God's creation.  So, this was a fitting trip to cap off the week.   Mr. Covey (a wonderful elderly man) gave us the full history of the tree, and why it's so special.   When this tree was just a little sapling, William Shakespeare was penning "Hamlet" and Ivan the Terrible was in power,  and the Spanish Conquistadores were exploring new lands.  

The interesting thing is, if I saw that tree in passing, I probably wouldn't even notice or think twice, and I would miss the amazing history in my hurry.  That is what always strikes me,  God's creation is so awe-inspiring, and the more we look...the more we see!   Also, Mr. Covey shared a fantastic story about WWI hero Joyce Kilmer who wrote a famous poem called "Trees".  It's worth reading about, especially for history buffs.  I love this stuff!:)

Also, one more side note.  If you are looking for a good movie, you have to check out "Hachiko".  It is SO good!  Based on a true story (loosely) and family friendly for sure.  Click here for the trailer.

Father's Day, Food, and Summer Fun

Happy Father's Day! What a beautiful day to celebrate!   It was sunny and perfect here in NE Ohio.   We celebrated dad's day with family and friends, and lots of swimming.    Here is Grant preparing for some deep-lake-snorkeling ( fyi, this set is on sale at Target for $8 this week.  Good deal!)

Here is Jim's gift from the boys.  The "burger" is actually Grant's hand print, and the "fries" are Gabe and Garrett's fingerprints. 

This week is the official start to summer.  Hooray!  With the 4th of July coming up so soon, I have been looking for some food ideas and patriotic recipes, etc.  If you are in the same boat, I found a great resource to check out.  Click here for the Taste of Home 4th of July recipe page.   I especially like the creative watermelon carvings.  

You can find more ideas here.   Happy summer!

Day at the Park!

I am excited to tell you about a fund-raising event that my friend Jayme has so generously offered.  If you live in the Akron/Canton area...this is for you!:)  Jayme is a talented photographer and she is donating her services to you, to help raise money for our adoption fund.   Here are the details:

 A Day In the Park, is a day of photography mini-sessions for your family.    For $45, Jayme will give you all of the pictures she takes in a 30 minute session. You’ll receive a CD with a digitally re-touched copy, and the right to print them.  Every penny goes straight toward bringing a child without a family,  home for good!   Price Park is full of great backgrounds close together, and a fun playground for kiddos. Sessions between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM on Saturday, July 10th

To book your session (and see Jayme's work) click here for her blog.


Thank you to my amazing friend. 

Making New Discoveries during "Explorers Week"

This week we kicked off our "Reading and Road Trips" summer book fun with the theme "Explorers".  In my previous post, I wrote that it was a bust because we weren't able to go Geocaching as we had planned.  Well, scratch that....we did it!  Jim's cell phone is equipped with a GPS and we were able to use that for our "treasure hunting".   It was a BLAST!    If you are unfamiliar with Geocaching, click here to learn more at the official website.  It was something our entire family could participate in, and we ended up being out until 9:30 searching our city for hidden cache's!
Here we are in a parking lot after discovering our first cache!

Another one....

We are all totally hooked!  Even at Gabe's Little League game today, Jim was thrilled to uncover a cache at the baseball field!  Lol.  It's definitely a fun thing to do for all ages, our family is gives it a big "thumb's up" for sure.:)


Yesterday, as I was daydreaming during my long commute (Lol) I also thought of an idea to wrap up "Explorers" week, and today we did it.   We read the story of Ferdinand Magellan and did a craft to go along with it. 

Introducing:  "Ferdinand MagJell-o"




I like projects like this, because even though I am artistically challenged, it's simple but hopefully effective. For the truly creative person, this could really become elaborate if you put some work into it.  We learned a lot about Magellan, and ultimately, his sad death.  Unfortunately, old "MaJell-o" didn't fare much better:


Did you expect anything else?   Ha ha.  :)

Summer Resources

Summer break is in full swing!  This week has been a big success (an answer to prayer)!:)  Although it's been busy, downtime has been a good mix of relaxing, reading, and vegging out.   I was excited to find a fantastic new item this year though, and I had to share!   Evidently it's a big sensation but I had no idea about it until this week.  It's the "Summer Bridge" series of workbooks for kids.  It's intended to "bridge" the previous grade to the next grade, and help kids keep their skills sharp over summer.


I bought one for each of the boys, and everyone has really enjoyed them, even little guy-on-the-go Garrett!:)   You complete two pages a day, so it's easy to keep up with. I found it at a great store called Creative Curriculum.  I also ran across a nice article about "How to Make the Most of Summer Break" with some good tips.   Our summer reading program is off and running in our home, but this week has been a bit of a bust.  I wanted to go Geocaching to cap off "Explorer Week" but it's not going to happen, hopefully sometime we can do it though.  

I think that's about it!  This has been another hectic week as we continue the adoption process.  The Fire Marshall inspected the home, our social worker conducted the in-home inspection too, we did medical exams, notarized various papers and completed our adoption education classes.   My heart breaks to read about the precious children who have no mommy or daddy.  It's bad enough to experience malnutrition, neglect, or various health problems, but to face them virtually alone and with no constant caregiver to offer comfort is just heartbreaking.  That is just one of the many, many factors and struggles that I have learned about...it's a devastating new world that my eyes are now seeing.  I just keep praying for our child (or children) and asking God to protect, provide, and prepare all of us for the journey ahead.   In your prayers, please remember orphans and those who care for them!

Summer Kick Off

School is out!   The boys are officially on break and I am excited for the relaxed schedule....for now. Lol.  Usually, by the end of summer the boys are restless and ornery (and so am I)!:)   I am excited for the great things we have planned though, I am praying for a healthy and happy summer.  Now that the break is here, that also marks the start of our summer reading adventure.   For the past 2/3 years I have just had to focus on Gabriel's list.  This year, Gabe and Grant are both participating in several reading programs and that means two poster boards with stickers and pictures.:)   This year I took a picture of the boys climbing a ladder, and the theme is "Summer Reading 2010:  Climbing the Ladder of Success!"



So far, I have themes for the month of June and part of July.  Hopefully the reading and road trips (at the end of each week) will keep all of us busy and productive!  

If you want to spice up the summer and do something little to keep the kids entertained, check out one dad's amazing breakfast creations at JimsPancakes.com.   Good ideas!   Knowing my awful art skills,  many of these I could never pull off, but some actually look pretty easy ...and totally tasty!:)

Finally, happy anniversary to my best friend and amazing husband Jim.  We celebrated our 10 year anniversary last week.   I'm grateful for every day and pray for 6 more decades (at least)!:)  Happy anniversary Jamie.