Harry Potter

I went with a group of friends last night to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It was good and as usual much is left out from the book. But I can't blame the writers because the books are so long it would be impossible to include everything into a 2 1/2 hour movie. I was suprised I didn't cry when Dumbledore died but I guess I must have processed my grief when I read the book a few years ago. George didn't come with me, I've yet to talk him into seeing any of the movies. So I tagged along with my pastor and his family, some other teens from church and a friend and her husband. Thanks guys for letting me join you all!

My New Table

My new dining table arrived today and I'm very pleased with it. It's from the Amish in Ohio and I've been imagining an old Amish man making my table by hand in his old red barn these past couple of months. Silly I know:) My grandfather passed away a year ago and he left me some money and I told George the one thing I really wanted was a really nice dining table. This table is made of oak and will last forever, at least a few generations (I know this because we have a few Victorian era pieces made of oak from the late 1800's). The craftmanship is beautiful, a work of art. It has four self-storing leaves which extend it really far, it could probably seat 14 people. I guess that means I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year:)

Closet #2

My husband has been diligent in completing both closets and finished the second one on the weekend. I have banned him from putting his computer on the dining room table so he made a desk for himself in the second bedroom and also installed some shelving for storage. I'm so proud of him!

Closet #1

Whoever said "a place for everything and everything in it's place" was a genius. I love the quote and live by it. When we decided the boys would share and room and that we would turn the other bedroom into a den I knew we would need to come up with some storage solutions. Thankfully we found the bunkbed with tons of storage and we also decided to add a closet organizing system to the closet as well. I got a few quotes from closet companies and after learning that it would cost at least $800 to have it done, we decided to do it ourselves. I dearly love my closet system (I told George recently it's my favorite thing we have done to this house--he thinks I'm crazy:) we had done a few years ago by a local company and I had hoped to have the same thing put in to all the other closets but it just isn't worth the money for such a small closet. So George and Ethan put the closet together last weekend and I think it turned out great. Now on to the closet in the soon to be den. In the next closet we're going to try and add a desk in the closet as well.

Wannadoo City

Yesterday we took a road trip with a friend and her kids to Wannadoo City. The younger kids didn't have quite as much to do as the older ones but they did enjoy pretending to grocery shop and riding on some rides. Ethan and his friend (aka fiance) Maddie, got to role play being fire fighters, veterinarian's, paleantologist's, EMT's, and pilot's. The crazy thing about the day was that the AC was broken at the place so it was very hot there--and packed with people. My friend Kristine and I used that as an excuse to leave with the younger ones to go shopping (the park is located in a large outlet mall). The kids had a blast and I got some good exercise walking all over the mall. A good time despite the hot temperatures:)

Sun and Sand

Today we went on the boat. George had the day off so we invited some friends and enjoyed a day on the boat snorkeling, swimming, kneeboarding,and tubing. Ian hated wearing his life jacket but begrudgingly accepted his fate. Ethan had a blast on the tube and we enjoyed watching daddy get back up on the kneeboard. It was a fun filled day!

Day of Appointments

Today I had a sitter so I could go to a couple of doctor's appointments by myself. First the dentist followed by the dermatologist. I would certainly rather be doing something else with my free time but it is so worth it to go by myself. When I returned home after lunch, Ethan was disappointed and asked if I could leave again so he could play more with Miss Karen:) Later in the day I had to take both of them to my allergist because I am still battling a sinus infection (going on a month now) and it's been aggravating my asthma. More meds to try. I'm thinking maybe I should just live in a dust free, allergen free bubble, do they make one that can fit around my house?

Jonathan Edwards

I was excited when I received the opportunity to review the book "The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards" by Steven J. Lawson because earlier in the year the devotional I use (Tabletalk) had some articles about Jonathan Edwards and I made a mental note to find a book about him. This book examines Edwards life, his theology, and his legacy. Jonathan Edwards was a puritan preacher during the early 1700's and is thought of as "the theologian of the First Great Awakening." He is considered one of the greatest theologians our country has ever produced and is well known for his sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." I remember studying him in church history class in high school but never considered reading about him on my own until recently. What intrigued me the most about Jonathan Edwards was his passion for holy living and as a late teenager he began writing a list of resolutions for how he would live a holy life. This list of resolutions ended up totaling 70 and he evaluated himself by them each week as well as kept a diary of his progress in his pursuit of holiness. This book reviews many of these resolutions and discusses what Edwards journals reveal about what he learned about himself, the struggles he had in putting his sin to death, and God's sanctifying work in his life. At first glance it may seem like a list of legalistic pursuits to try and earn God's favor. But for Edwards this was not the case. His entire life centered around bringing glory to God and that was the reason for his writing his list of resolutions. I know I frequently attempt to write a list of things in my life that I want to improve or fruits of the spirit I need to demonstrate but I never seem to give it my all as Jonathan Edwards did. Yet he never forgot that he could not do anything without God working through him as is seen by the introduction he wrote to his list "Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake." Here is a sample of a few of his life long resolutions: "1) Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever. 7)Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life. 67) Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them." This book has given me the opportunity to not only read about Edwards list of resolutions, but also to learn more about his life, his writings, his pastorate and his theology. There are many books written to instruct Christians in how to live a Godly life but this one shows someone who did live a Christ-like life, who resolved to grow in holiness, who trusted God's work in his life to that end and who did it all for God's glory. May that be my aim as well.

Bath Time Buddies