Autos at the State Fair

These pictures were snapped close to the fair entrance.

Mom tries out new car possibilities (okay, okay: Dreams of new possibilities)

Like this one. (Dad, are you reading this?)

Mom having fun. We can all pretend, right? ;)

Later on, the boys visited the Auto Show where they saw such strange sights as this:
umm, what is it, exactly?

Hunter is wondering, too.

Texas State Fair 2007

The State Fair has long since ended for another year, but in October we took an opportunity to head to Dallas for the annual event.

Bendel

Info-Techno Sabbath 2

Mark Driscoll also has thoughts on taking a break from technology.

Info-Techno Sabbath

A great article on Boundless detailing the benefits of an information and technology free Sabbath. This is something my family has been doing for awhile now and we have seen many wonderful results from this practice. It's so refreshing to take a break from technology and to spend a day resting from time enslavements like email, blogs or forums. One good point to note, and the author does this in the article as well, is that it is easy to make a practice legalistic and you need to avoid this. We occasionally find that we have to use the internet on Sundays, like in an instance a couple of weeks ago when we were making a stop by someone's home after leaving church and we got lost. My sister pulled out her BlackBerry for directions on Google, and that's okay. The point isn't that we absolutely, positively cannot touch the computer on Sunday, it's really just about showing the Lord that we can fast from something very important to us so that we can put more focus on worshipping Him, because He is far better and more important than internet.

Fall Garage Sale 2007

Here are just a few pictures from our fall garage sale we had over a month ago. It was a successful day, in terms of good fellowship and yummy food with our friends. Alas, I did not take any pictures and our friends took some, which I am using here, but we were pretty busy all day so there aren't as many photos as there would normally be. But I guess it just goes to show that we were so busy having fun, we didn't want to stop for pictures. :-)

It is always such a joy to have our friends visit and to spend time with them. ( How long now until the next garage sale... ? :-) )

A trademark of our garage sales: junk. Lots of it. It was all treasure to us at one time before it was junk, and now it's regained status to be treasure to someone else.

Landon sets up our clothes rack: PVC connected into a long rectangle. It held up very well.

Visiting with the shoppers.

The driveway was not sufficient, we had to use the front lawn as well. It was a good one, people. That much stuff makes a very good garage sale.

Ashley and Joseph. We are so glad to see him back to his normal, funny ways after watching him fight off serious illness this year.

And that's it - until Spring/Summer!

Global Warming

"...the discussion about climate change has turned into a nasty dustup, with one side arguing that we're headed for catastrophe and the other maintaining that it's all a hoax. I say that neither is right. It's wrong to deny the obvious: The Earth is warming, and we're causing it. But that's not the whole story, and predictions of impending disaster just don't stack up."

-Bjorn Lomborg, author of "Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming" in his Washington Post op-ed piece yesterday. Read it here.

God's Sovereignty and Singleness

from an engagement story written by Genevieve Smith in her weekly email newsletter. I thought the following was very good and should be shared here:

I am 27, and knowing about His sovereignty has been a wonderful and beautiful thing in my
life. It has given me the freedom to concentrate on what God wants me to do now without
worrying about the future...

Knowing that God is sovereign has enabled me to be content, to trust God in two ways: 1)
to know the desires of my heart and 2) to give me what was best for me, either singleness
or marriage; and if marriage, then to the right sort of man.
All these years God has been saying to me, “I am sovereign. Believe in me. Trust in Me. Be
content. Have faith. Have hope. Pursue Purity. Obey Me.” And guess what I recently
discovered? While I have been trying to do all these things with the help of the Holy Spirit,
He has been preparing someone for me who fulfils the desires of my heart and then some,
who is a gift far beyond anything I could have dreamed of, hoped for or believed was
possible! I can’t help but get this picture of God smilingly encouraging me along and
knowing what a treat He had in store for me just around the corner. “Be patient!”

A Day At Canton

Editor's note: Post almost fixed! You can see all of the pictures but one.

On Thursday morning early, Mom, Ashley, Lexi and my sister-in-law, Sarah, drove to Canton for a day of bargain shopping at the huge "First Monday" flea market. Below are some pictures from our fun day.

Here Sarah takes a close look at some antiques. She scored a beautiful rose painting on canvas, unframed, for the baby's room from this vendor.

Ashley and Mom absorbing ideas in a beautiful booth. Mom scored a beautiful vase that now sits on our piano. Notice the Christmas trees? Canton vendors are getting ready for the holiday.

An outside vendor with lots of fun junk. Shutters in need of paint, old kitchen items, toys, furniture... One of the joys of shopping at Canton was sorting through pure junk and finding all kinds of treasures.

Ashley and Sarah were examining a window shutter, I think. Notice Sarah's fabulous hat? It's from Costa Rica and is made (obviously!) for shielding face and scalp from a hot sun She is obviously the smartest, savviest, out-of-doors shopper in the family. She came with her backpack, sunscreen, hat, trail mix and large bottle of water. Smart, smart . We walked around toasted, hungry, thirsty, with our arms aching from carrying bags and wished we had had half of her foresight. And we have lived in Texas much longer! :)

Ahh, lunch time! Here Ashley and Sarah are in line ordering homemade sandwiches and salads. We all shared a peanut butter pie and a snickerdoodle (I think - or something similar) pie as well.

My "baby" sister. Isn't she beautiful? :)

Mom texting. (More money? Please?!) You can see where Lexi comes by her loveliness.

See?

Ah, yes, I'm sitting and tired at the end of the day. But it was so much fun! We filled our SUV's trunk with newfound treasures big and small. I think everyone got something at Canton, but the prize for the best bargain find probably goes to Lexi for finding a 1930's Royal typewriter in near-perfect condition for $60. I believe they usually fetch a hefty sum on eBay.

We are already saving our money for next month's trip. Mom even bought paper cups and lids so that we can share coffee drinks while we are out and put our saved dollars into the Canton fund. :)

Sometimes...

...You acquire bargains at garage sales. Sometimes, you just acquire more junk. But then, sometimes, you can acquire a cute kitten:

Muslim Outreach

"The most dangerous thing a Muslim can do is leave Islam—no matter what the reason" (Mark Gabriel, Islam and Terrorism, p. 59).

"Islam says that human rights are unnecessary because they are also a man-made idea that is not found in the Quran" (Mark Gabriel, Islam and Terrorism, p. 55).

HT: Doug Wilson

I was blessed to be able to hear a talk on Muslim outreach given by Brother Andrew the other night. What an amazing, God-exalting, humble missionary. He addressed the desperate need for mission work in Islamic countries, and challenged us to show compassion and love to this largely unreached people group. He said that "there are no places where you cannot go, as long as you don't expect to come back." Brother Andrew is just as active in delivering Bibles and sharing the Gospel today as he was when he first began his work 50 years ago in communist countries. Thank God for this man's dedication to the spreading of the Gospel, despite all of the dangers and difficulties he has experienced in his life's work. He is an extraordinary example of true faith and a dedicated missionary; a humble man exhibiting a love for the lost, coupled with compassion for the people he works with and an exuberant zeal to share the Gospel wherever he is.

To learn more of Brother Andrew's work and ministry, visit his website. You can also read his book, God's Smuggler and his newest, Secret Believers.

Good-bye Tarnish (and harsh chemicals, too!)

I love this easy, chemical-free way to remove tarnish!

I'm currently listening to this.

And the dog snoring.


The former is great. The latter is annoying.

If I Could Afford It

this would be the way I would choose to travel to the UK.

Unbelievable.

I'm already calculating how much I can put away between now and next September... ;-)

Should We Negotiate with Terrorists?

Although we can rejoice that the South Korean missionaries who were being held hostage were finally released last week and returned home yesterday, there is some sobering discussion on whether the S. Korean government did the right thing in negotiating with the Taliban for their release. Has the government set a dangerous precedent for future relations with the Taliban regarding hostages and meeting unreasonable demands from an unreasonable terrorist group? CBC reports that (Canadian) Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier expressed regret late Wednesday over South Korea's handling of the crisis.

"We do not negotiate with terrorists, for any reason," said a statement from Bernier's office. "Such negotiations, even if unsuccessful, only lead to further acts of terrorism."

It is something to consider, especially when you have the Taliban releasing statements like this on the hostages' release:

"We will do the same thing with the other allies in Afghanistan, because we found this way to be successful" - Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi.

I remember back when missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham were kidnapped and held hostage for over a year in the Philippines by the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. The US government stayed out of negotiations, as did the mission agency that the Burnhams were a part of, in order to discourage kidnapping of missionaries and foreign travelers. The Burnham's ordeal ended with Martin's death and Gracia's rescue by the Philippine army. Of course, everyone wondered at the time, did the US government and the mission agency do the right thing by not negotiating their release? Shouldn't they have made every effort to rescue the Burnhams from their captors? Or, should we take the view that even though one life was lost, many more saved as a result?

Should the South Korean government have stayed out of the hostage affair? Should we ever make concessions to terrorists in order to save lives, or will many more lives now be lost as a result?

Saying "No"

Nancy Wilson on saying "no" and internalizing standards:

So, what kind of standards do women need to live by? You need standards about what you think.What you say.What you listen to.What you will read and watch.What you will laugh at. How you dress. What makeup and jewelry you wear. How you drive. How you walk down the street. What you will post on myspace. Who you will receive phone calls, email, or instant messages from.The kind of people you will befriend. The kind of parties you will attend. The kind of gifts you will receive.The kind of men you will spend time with and where you will spend that time.

I strongly encourage all of my female readers (especially if you're single!) to take the time to read this post in it's entirety.

America's Reading Habits

I found this statement interesting:

People from the South read a bit more than those from other regions, mostly religious books and romance novels. Whites read more than blacks and Hispanics, and those who said they never attend religious services read nearly twice as many as those who attend frequently.

And yet...

The Bible and religious works were read by two-thirds in the survey, more than all other categories. Popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries were all cited by about half, while one in five read romance novels. Every other genre -- including politics, poetry and classical literature -- were named by fewer than five percent of readers.

(emphasis mine)

Where You Fall in Poll of US Reading Habits

Wow

A really imaginative, artistic person creates art on an old wooden dresser with...

Blue tape!!!

I Don't Normally Laugh Out Loud When Reading Something

But I was laughing a lot over this Ebay description.

HT: BaylyBlog

Birds at My Local Park

Photos by LTS

Right-Wing Anthropologie?

A store that I love to shop in but can rarely afford (unless it's on sale) is Anthropologie. They offer beautiful, feminine clothing and lovely home decor items. The last time I was in the store, I was mesmerized by all of the cute, retro, and just plain pretty kitchen aprons they had. I have to say that when I go shopping, I just shop in stores that I like, the ones who offer the kind of products that I am interested in finding. I don't think about the political views the store's owners have and promote, and that may or may not be a good thing for me to just ignore. Come to think of it, it probably isn't. But I do. When I shop in a store that is owned by a major corporation, I naturally assume that I just don't want to know the politcal views of the people in charge, or the causes their money goes to support. So it was with a lot of surprise that I discovered this information from a disgruntled group of liberals who were discussing online their conflict over shopping at Anthropologie while protesting/disagreeing with the founder's politics. (Interestingly enough, they don't seem to have as much of a problem with some of the products that have been for sale at Anthropologie and it's parent company, Urban Outfitters, which I have seen and thought were over the edge in terms of racial or cultural insensitivity) I had to laugh over the whole discussion, as I'm just not sure that a few thousand dollars donated from the pocket of a millionaire to a conservative Republican senator makes that millionaire's corporation a right-wing one (actually, if you have ever shopped Anthropolgie or Urban O., you would really think the opposite!).

But, having said all that, I shall feel a little bit better about shopping Anthropologie from now on. :)

Making New Out of Old

Clip on earrings as money clips.

Primates

Humans studying primates.

Human waving to camera man.

Photos by LTS.

Going to The Zoo...

Flowers

Primates

Yes, It Can Happen:

Girl overdoses on espresso coffee

SNUFFY

1994 - 2007

Faithful companion, great escape artist, adventurous, loving and loved.
-

There will never be another like you.
-
We love you and miss you, old man

A Contest!

To be eligible for a $150 shopping spree at Christa Taylor, just follow these easy steps from the website:

To enter the contest (1) simply choose anything your heart desires up to a value of $150. Each individual product page contains an "Add to Wishlist" option. (2) Click this button for each item you choose. If you do not already have an account you will be prompted to (3) sign up for one. When you're finished making your selections you will be provided with a link to your wish list. You will find this on your personal wish list page. (4) Post this link as a comment at Lessons From the Scrapbook page, the event's sponsoring blog, and you're finished! The winner will be randomly chosen and announced September 1, 2007. No purchase is necessary to enter.

Christa Taylor was born out of one woman's desire to provide a shopping resource of modest, yet modern clothing for girls and women. I, for one, am glad that someone is stepping up to meet the need for modest clothing. The clothing is at affordable prices, and definitely worth a look if you are interested in promoting "modish"(a word coined by Christa Taylor, meaning "chic" and "modest") modesty with young women.

Here is an interview with Christa Taylor if you want to learn more about what the company stands for, and how it all began.

Flight Aware

I just discovered this website and will definitely use it in future visits to the airport. I wish I had known about it a month ago when we went to pick up my cousin form the airport and we ended up waiting over two hours to get her because her flight had been re-routed to another airport, but the airline refused to keep everyone updated on the flight status, so we waited, and waited, and waited...

Another great feature is an amazing map they have of all airplanes in flight right now.

Nancy Wilson on Controlling Emotions:

Emotions are nice but unreliable. Women in particular need to wield control over their own feelings rather than letting the feelings control them. They can really work us over good if we let them. Self-control has the wisdom to see what is going on. I think it is as equally unwise to get really excited and buoyant as it is to get down in the dumps. Mood swings are not fun for anyone in the room. Self-control is like a thermostat, setting the temperature, and keeping things at an even keel. Emotions are like the thermometer, affected by the surrounding climate or conditions, and given to great fluctuation.

Read the post in it's entirety here.

John Piper on the Minneapolis Tragedy

From the Desiring God blog:

At about 6 PM tonight the bridge of Interstate 35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. I am writing this about three hours after the bridge fell. The bridge is located within sight of Bethlehem Baptist Church. Most of us who minister at the church cross this bridge several times a week. At this point I don’t know if any staff was on the bridge. Desiring God offices are about a mile from the bridge.

...Tonight for our family devotions our appointed reading was Luke 13:1-9. It was not my choice. This is surely no coincidence. O that all of the Twin Cities, in shock at this major calamity, would hear what Jesus has to say about it from Luke 13:1-5. People came to Jesus with heart-wrenching news about the slaughter of worshipers by Pilate. Here is what he said.
Read On...