Summer Break

Dearest Readers,

I have been given the wonderful opportunity to custom design a website for my church, which will take quite a bit of time on the computer. Thus, I will have to take a blogging break until the beginning of August. Thank you all for your faithful reading of my blog...look for me to be back around August 1!

Awesome Quotes

I know it is unconventional, as it is not yet Witty Wednesday, but I really must share these quotes with you. These come from Poor Richard's Almanac, written by Benjamin Franklin, and are quite witty indeed.

---"Many estates are spent in the getting,
     Since women for tea forsook spinning and knitting,
     And men for punch forsook hewing and splitting."

---"Silks and satins, scarlets and velvets have put out the kitchen fire."

---"Blame-all and Praise-all are two blockheads."

---"A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle."

Which of these is your favorite?

Various Ramblings

I have been busy of late: gardening, cooking, crafting, cleaning, and various tasks accompanying the lot of a young lady and daughter. The chickens have begun laying eggs, the garden is growing (pictures to come soon), and God is as good as ever.
     In my free time, I have been reading in three books - Middlemarch by George Eliot, In My Father's House by various authors, and The Slaves' Champion by Henry Wheeler - besides listening to Uncle Tom's Cabin when I have work inside to do.

Recently, I decorated a straw hat with homemade cloth flowers. I took some pictures:

Also, as I was reading last night (perhaps very late last night, but time passes so quickly when reading) in The Slaves' Champion - a book about William Wilberforce written on the centenary of his birth - and this passage struck me:

    "' Keepsake, sir? ' said one in reply to a question, ' yes, I have one: my father's name, his deeds, and his love for God and man, which I will keep and, on my dying bed, hand with my last blessing to my children, uneclipsed by any black spot in my own life: I will hand it to them framed with my own deeds and piety, which shall be no disfigurement to the blessed souvenir. ' How beautiful is this greatness, and how exalted the nobility which is seen in the truly chivalrous father! "

This is such a wonderful summation of what Mr. Doug Phillips emphasizes so often: namely, the importance of patriarchal vision and blessings.

I am currently reading through the Bible, and am in the book of Ezra, where I found this passage intriguing:

"For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel."        -Ezra 7:10

I would love to know your thoughts on these things, as usual!

Witty Wednesday [10]

I am going to do something a little different today for Witty Wednesday. Instead of quoting an American founding father, I am focusing on a man who influenced the world, though especially Great Britain and Africa. I just re-watched "Amazing Grace",

and was so inspired, I thought I would post about :

William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce was a Christian member of England's parliament and a social reformer who committed his life to the abolition of the slave trade.

---"So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the Trade's wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for Abolition. Let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition."

---"If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large."

---"Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the secret place of prayer."

---"No one expects to attain the height of learning, power, wealth or military glory without vigorous resolution, strenuous diligence and steady perseverance. Yet we expect to be Christians without labor, study or inquiry. This is the more preposterous as Christianity [is] a revelation from God.....containing doctrines, motives, practical principles and rules.....Reason dictates, revelation commands 'faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.'.....Yet.....with the Bible in our houses we are ignorant of its contents.....such lamentable ignorance."

Let me know your thoughts!

Homeschooling

I saw this on Doug's Blog and thought it was precious and so true.

I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to homeschool for these last 10 years.......thankful to the Lord for guiding us into this path, to my mom for sticking to it and giving up a career of nursing, and to my dad for his willingness and joyfulness in being the provider. It has been such a blessing to all of us. I can't wait for the opportunity to teach my children the way God intended it....at home!

Ohio and the Zoo

A couple of weeks ago, my dad had a last minute business trip to Ohio. Since it is an 8 hour drive, mom and I decided we would go with him to keep company. Miraculously, we got ready to go within two hours! While in Virginia, we ran into some very heavy rain, and then ran right back out of it. We were so astonished to see this rainbow:



There were actually two rainbows, but one was much brighter than the other.



 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: "And as for me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh..."             Genesis 9:8 - 15 

We arrived very late at night, so we went straight to bed! The next day, while my dad was in his meeting, mom and I went to the Columbus Zoo. It was rated the #1 zoo in America in 2009. I wish my dad had also been able to go, because nothing is as wonderful without him there too.

Trumpeter Swan



Mexican Wolf

 

This chipmunk was sooo cute...I couldn't resist!



Timber Wolf



Another shot of the Timber Wolf




Caribou (Reindeer)



This Brown Bear was taking it easy....

 

while the other one fished!



HaHa!

At one point this beautiful Brown Bear attacked the glass, thinking that the children were fish!

Polar bear, of course!



Grizzly bear



Puma



Bobcat

 




Bald Eagle



Bison



I was excited to get a picture of the elephant actually sticking the hay into his mouth!



Rhino



The caretaker was playing with him in this shot....thus the lip!



Red-crowned Crane

Water Monitor. My brother used to own a monitor lizard

Flying Foxes - these were similar to bats, except much larger!

Red Panda

Bengal Tiger - he wasn't too happy about us looking into his abode





African Lion



There was a small aquarium on the premises, and this was my absolute favorite fish. I would definitely call him Pinocchio!



Humboldt Penguin

 The zoo, of course, took an evolutionary stand on everything, but I found this sign particularly interesting. It seems as though they were using a play on words to mock the Bible. This shouldn't be surprising to us.

A resting Alligator

Flamingos

Aldabra Tortoise - this guy was massive!

Tree Kangaroo - isn't he adorable?



Koala

Kangaroo



 

Two Gibbons



Orangutan - he looked so forlorn



Contemplating

 Now we have come to my absolute favorite animal...the Gorilla! I promised in my last post to tell you about a special animal named Mac, and so I will. Mac was the main Gorilla on display at the Columbus Zoo, although there were others. He was almost 400 pounds - that weight being all muscle - and very charismatic. I went up to the glass to look at him, along with a school group of younger children. The kids were banging on the glass incessantly, and finally Mac began sauntering over to us. What started out as a saunter, however, turned into a run. He jumped and banged vehemently upon the glass, scaring all of the kids (and myself, I must admit) to death. The glass shook and rattled something awful.


 It was clear....Mac was completely irritated. After attacking the glass, he went away a little ways and sat down.

Note his position - he had his arms crossed!

The expression on his face was of shear anger

I believe that if he could have gotten through the glass, someone would have been seriously hurt

He had such realistic facial expressions for a Gorilla!

He was running towards the glass again. He attacked the glass about six or seven times!

He finally went and sat down...but he was still mad

So, Mac was by far my favorite animal - I guess because he was so interactive.

All-in-all, it was a wonderful trip. The plethora of animals at the zoo reminded me of what a great God we serve each day. He deserves our undivided attention; whether we are cleaning house, gardening, or cooking, it should be our goal to bring Him glory. We can best accomplish this by knowing exactly what His commands and precepts are, which are laid out clearly in the Bible. As Paul states in 1 Corinthians:

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

I hope you enjoyed these snapshots. I would like to know which animal pictured here was your favorite, so please leave a comment!