"What have they got that I ain't got?"

Part 1 - written 3/24

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/quotes?qt=qt04098Scene quoted not scene pictured...

Cowardly Lion: Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got? 

Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman: Courage! 

Cowardly Lion: You can say that again!

      Well - we've had quite a couple of weeks.  I don't have a lot of time to post actually - we got caught up in baking and I have 15 minutes until the timer goes off - and, well, I have a lot more to say than I can in that time.  But - in 15 minutes I can do a quick summary and then, maybe, I will be faithful enough to follow through with a little more detail after that.  Right.  OK.

    Just recently came under the conviction that I really have a whole lot of fear.  And not just the "normal" morbid Italian type either (and I mean that with the utmost of respect - being half Italian and all.....) - not just fear of things going wrong.  Fear of things going right.  I actually fear blessing.  And I don't know why.  Don't get me wrong - I have the normal "living in a fallen world" fears.  I am afraid when I watch my son walk to drum lessons by himself now (he's 13) - maybe he will get hit by a car, or worse, hurt by someone else.  Maybe this will be the last time I ever see him.  Which of course gets me to thinking that maybe I should have thought about that when I said "Goodbye" to my husband this morning - maybe he's not coming back either.  And you know where that spiral ends up.  Let's just say that I am very familiar with the phrase paralyzing fear.  It's not a stranger in my mind.  And it's a battle I have to fight in faith - faith that God loves all of them more than I ever could.  That kind of battle, to me, is normal - at least normal-ish.    

          This battle is new ground in my awareness of my lack of faith.  And I am finding it goes much deeper than the "normal" fear I am used to battling.  It's that fear of waiting for the other shoe to drop.  It's a fear that whatever might be going well is just a set up for something going really, really wrong.  It's a facet of a battle I had thought I had already had victory in - the battle of cynicism.  And it turns out it is just as paralyzing as the other kind - but in a different way.  


Part 2 Written 3/27
    You know how faithful God is????  Just two borrowed thoughts for now.  Imagine, my surprise as I sat in church on Sunday and listened to our sermon .  As I listened near the end, sitting there crying and hearing some of these exact phrases coming out in application for a heart that is trusting in performance instead of the finished work of Christ.  Things like waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Things like being paralyzed with fear and weary.  And then, this morning, reading these thoughts from another blog - again tying in insecurity and fear to trust in our performance (definitely worth a read!!).  He is faithful to answer, isn't He?  I said this was new ground - but He was already at work.  Still reeling from the love He has for me - will get more into detail maybe later.  For now - that battles is still very much on in my life this week - and I am still fighting and "in the midst" - and it feels more and more intense as I try to cling to truth instead of fighting the "old" way.  Prayers are appreciated - but even more than that - to be able to sing to Him, tears streaming down my face Sunday "I Will Sing of MY REDEEMER" - It is FINISHED!!!  Praise the Lord!

  

The MOST delightful Bed and Breakfast ANYWHERE!!!

This past weekend we had an amazing opportunity.  We were invited to spend the weekend in a beautiful bed and breakfast down in Souderton, PA.  Our schedule only allowed us to stay for Saturday night, but I think, once you see where we were, you can understand what an amazing opportunity it really was!

Here is the view from the front....

It was in one of those farm house apartments..... this was our view from the dining room....

"Our" room for the evening.....

Our own private bath.....

The Parlor...

The kitchen - let me tell you - this is where magic happens!!

Like 3 course breakfasts (YUP - those cinnamon rolls are homemade!!)

 lunch that keeps on coming, "Mennonite Supper" and unique desserts like "Finger Jello"....

And MY personal Favorite - Brownie Triffle.....

 Not only can the innkeeper cook - she is a crafter of the highest caliber - and, for fun, made us these wonderfully CUTE tags for our coffee mugs....

Okay - maybe it wasn't just for fun.  Maybe we have had "issues" with trying to sort out coffee mugs before....  

So - jealous yet?  

Here is the BEST part of the whole weekend.....

We had the opportunity to spend the weekend with THESE people...

And their parents (who have no recent pictures I could find to lift off of the blog...... Hint hint!!!)

This is the time for full disclosure.  My friend, Bevy, has always wanted to run a bed and breakfast.  This absolutely top of the line establishment we stayed in was their home.  "Our" room was theirs - and they gave it up to serve us.  Our church had a function the evening before, and they "put us up" to cut back on our travel time and expense - at no small sacrifice to themselves.  They literally gave up their own bed for us.  Who does that?

A while back, I was doing a series of posts on Koinonia.  It is community in it's highest form.  It requires sacrifice in it's truest sense.  It is banding together in a state of "doing" not a state of "being".  A phrase we use commonly at our church is "doing life together"- this is the essence of koinonia.   This family "put us up", fed us, and in a hundred other ways sacrificed for us over this last weekend - and beyond that?  Worked through some heart issues with us.  Followed up with us in some areas of accountability they are holding us to.  Got comfortable being uncomfortable with us.  And the result - I experienced God through them.  And now I get to embarrass them publicly!  Scott and Bevy - thank you.  Thank you for all you have been to us.  Thank you for your example, your love, care, and sacrifice.  Wish there was a stronger word than thanks!  Love you and your family - and look forward to our next adventure!

Oh do we have MUCH to learn.....

That's all for now!  : )

Love. These. Kids.

Typical Hard family day part 2

So - I didn't ever update and finish the post!  Here was part of the rest of that day!

My little men manning the rakes "All together now....."

Katie tackles the flower gardens - both cleaning out and turing the packed soil (see the finished bags of leaves behind her?  I think we only took out 5 contractor bags that day...):

Stephen resting after a hard days work:

Michael and Chris enjoying the newly cleaned yard : ) :

Great day - BUT - the leaves aren't all done yet which means..... MORE next week!

Fall is HERE!!

This is my favorite time of year!!!  Absolutely.  Crisp weather, stunning colors, every sense is amplified!!!  And the smells!!  And I get this baking bug (we have been eating very well around here as of late....  :  )  ). Here are some pictures of my decorating - it's an event around here!  And I can edit out the messy parts of the house.....bonus!!   : )

Our archway between the living room and dining room:

 

One side table of the sofa:

The other side table:

The blanket on the sofa I finally finished last year!

The wall behind our table:

The window next to our table:

The window behind our table:

My hutch:

Left corner close up of the hutch : ) :

Right corner close up of the hutch:

In the hutch - my pottery leaf - love this thing!!

I LOVE fall!

So what is a typical Hard family day like?

OK - this might not be typical - but around here, it's becoming more and more common.....

We start with the kids making mom breakfast and coffee to come down to because she is late......AGAIN!

 

I am SO grateful for the gift of my kids!  We are on our way to getting school (the written and oral part) DONE because we are heading out to grandmom's to do our yearly "duty" - LEAF RAKING!  Will bring my camera and continue to take you through a typical day fall day (at least MY ideal...  :  )  )!