Of Bunnies and Daisies

May you rest peacefully sweet Brownie. We enjoyed three short weeks with you, our lop-eared bunny. Isaiah loved picking you out of the various assortment of bunnies at our local "chicken swap". He named you. And we took you home where you lived out your three weeks of bunny bliss alternating between our house and outside. You loved lettuce, fruit loops, hay, and clover. Isaiah enjoyed cuddling with you every evening. You were a sweet pet.

The day we brought you home...

Brownie was tiny. Isaiah got to hold her on our way home.

She even got to run into the Dollar Tree with us, and Mawmaw
helped her cuddle in Isaiah's shirt.

Adventures with Brownie:

Isaiah helped give brownie a bath.

Isaiah liked to cuddle with Brownie...

And again...

Even cousin Mason got in on the action...

You didn't know what to do when we first put
you into your outside cage... But eventually you came around,
and ended up loving it.

Brownie, you will be missed (for at least a week)... And thanks to you, Isaiah got to experience death first hand.

A note about his experience, and things I learned: Isaiah knew what death was, but it wasn't real until Brownie died. It wasn't real until we had her funeral, that Isaiah realized she wasn't going to wake up. Brownie went to Heaven. And I am not going to crush Isaiah's spirit by telling him otherwise. I always thought my pets went to Heaven and it had no adverse effects on me when I realized they didn't. Sometimes there are no words. Nothing I said would make the situation better. We buried our bunny, and covered her grave with daisies.

Isaiah cried.
And cried...
And cried some more.

For at least two hours, if not longer. I tried to get him to play with the neighborhood kids to no avail. He didn't want a snack. Or a popsicle. No words would comfort his broken heart. He finally wanted a drink, so we went inside to get a drink. Once inside, little man laid himself down on the couch and sobbed his little heart out. And, I learned in that moment that sometimes the best thing you can do to soothe a grieving heart, is to lay down and cry too. And that is exactly what I did. I crawled beside him on the couch, held him close, and cried with him.

No words. Just be there. Just cry. Because in that moment, he needed that more than anything else. More than, "It will be okay." To which his response was, "Its not okay. My bunny died!" And he was right. It wasn't okay. It will be okay one day, but in those moments, it wasn't.

Honestly, I wasn't that devastated. I know that seems coarse, but I wasn't that attached to Isaiah's pet rabbit. She was sweet, and it was sad, but I wasn't broken hearted. However, when I looked into Isaiah's teary eyes, and saw how broken his heart was, I was sad. I became broken-hearted.

And this reminds me of some sacred words:

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." -Romans 12:15

 

Sometimes the best thing to do isn't to say the right words. It's just to be there. Be happy when someone is happy. And weep when that someone weeps. Comforting words can be a wonderful thing, but sometimes there just aren't any. Sometimes the best thing to do lay yourself down and cry too. 

Ducklings

We started this adventure with ducklings. What was I thinking? That Isaiah would love them. Yep. And squeeze them. Yep. And they'd be really messy? Yep. They are incredibly cute and sweet. And lots of trouble!

Oh the cuteness!

Isaiah has named our ducklings Happy, Daffy and Tweet. Tweet is his favorite.

Spring time is such a blessing. Flowers. Trees. Green. New life. I love spring. The newness of spring is a gift. So often I do not take time to count my blessings, but as I look out my back door and see the field alive with living creatures: birds making their nests, deer grazing, trees blooming, yellow dandelions dotting the green grass, I cannot help but believe in a Creator, and how his gifts to me are so many. So much more than I deserve! How can everything be THIS perfect without creativity? It is simply amazing.

We took the ducklings to a patch of dandelions in the field so they could have some time outside foraging. They loved it. But as I watched them, I couldn't help but notice how they "just are". They don't try to be something they're not. Whether you hand raise them inside in a brooder or they are born in the wild, when you take these ducklings out to forage, they do. They don't question it. They just start foraging. And they enjoy it! They don't act like a puppy or a cat. They don't try to be a horse. They. just. are. They are baby ducks! How often do we try to act like something we aren't? Whether it is towards our Creator who created us for His glory. Maybe we ignore Him. Don't acknowledge him. Act like we (Christians) "know" our Bibles and never do anything "that bad".

We. just. aren't.

We are not who we are supposed to be. This is why we need Jesus, and why the epitome of the Christian faith revolves around the celebration of the crucifixion. We are in desperate need of a Savior who will save us from ourselves. From our sin. So that we can just be. We can be justified, sanctified and glorified through Him.

As a Christian, you are so blessed! Sometimes our blessings are incredibly difficult to see. Our glasses get fogged up. We can't see our blessings or gifts. Sometimes we need reminded. I do. And I am thankful that I was reminded yesterday with ducklings. God uses little things. And big things. And the arrival of new seasons.

Jesus, thank you for new life. For seasons and for my many blessings that I forget to count on a daily basis. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your sacrifice so that I can just be. I can be justified, sanctified and one day glorified. And thank you for the opportunity to take some pictures of your blessings!

First thing little man did when he woke up!

He does so good with them! He holds them well
and can catch and pick them up quickly.

Some time outside.

 

so sweet...

Little man loves to give them kisses. I am loving the
eyes closing. Looks like he is really enjoying them!

Don't let him fool you. Even our manly man (Daddy) likes our new
ducklings!

 

Spring

I haven't blogged in well over a year. And I have missed it! Spring is here! We have spent the last three days mostly outdoors exploring flowers, trees, birds, dirt, worms, ants... you name it. As the mom of a four-year-old boy and aunt (and babysitter) to a two-year-old toddler boy, my spring days are filled with dirt. And worms. And bugs. And mud pies. Today they were feeding ants during our "drive-way, picnic lunch". For the record, I have a serious fear of worms. I. HATE. THEM. Isaiah loves them. He is making me face my fears and move on. The only worms I can actually deal with must be contained in a small bowl and used as fish bait. Anyway, enjoy a picture story of our last three days enjoying this warm spring weather! Its nice to be blogging again (even if only three people read this blog, one of whom is my mom)...

Please note: That IS NOT my cat. She is our neighbor's cat. Apparently her owner left for work for the day and she was stuck out on the back balcony. The boys wanted her to jump down so they could play with her. I was thinking, she is not going to jump 15+ feet. But. she. did. Those kids were so excited. Let's just say she got lots of loving. She also likes to sneak over onto our porch sometimes. Hence the cat peeking picture. Happy Spring!

Hypocrite.

I have debated writing this post for some time, but I haven't in fear of what people might think when they read it. I have researched this subject. And, because I cannot stop thinking about it, I feel compelled to write about it! So, here it goes *sigh*.

I feel very strongly about attending church. I have been around so many people who give numerous reasons for not going to church. I even Googled reasons people don't go to church. Here is a list of the most common:

They (the church) always ask for money!
Church is so boring and ritualistic.
None of my friends go to church.
Church is a crutch.
I'm just soooo tired Sunday mornings.
I don't have to go to church to worship God.
And, my favorite, or least favorite really, and hence the name of my blog post (which I hope captured your attention): Church is full of hypocrites! (Or however you want to put it)

The last excuse I listed is probably the most common excuse among non-churchgoers. And, as lovingly as I can, I'm going to tell you why this isn't a valid excuse for not attending church. The other reasons aren't either, but when you make a generalized statement about people at church being hypocrites... well, that sorta makes me a hypocrite because I attend church! (Deep breath... yes, I literally took a deep breath)... Here it goes.

First, there is a common misunderstanding that attending church somehow makes people act and behave differently... they should be better people because of their church attendance. False. A person's relationship with Jesus Christ is the ONLY thing that will change their life (the way they think, the way they act). It is not the action of going to church, but our relationship with God that will change us. On that note, Christians are seen as hypocrites more easily/readily/often than a person who does not profess a belief. People generally have an understanding of the standards set for Christians in the Bible. The Bible defines the way a Christian is to think and act. I don't know about you, but, as a Christian, I FAIL DAILY at living up to these biblical Christian standards. All Christians are hypocrites. They fail to live up to defined standards of behavior. But, there is hope! You can find that hope here.

The next thing: Church is not meant for socialization! By socializing, I mean, gossiping, showing up in your newest fashions so that people will say, "Did you see what she wore to church?" It is not a place to meet and "socialize". Save that for Bingo, ladies (kidding). Too often, we, as Christians forget the real reason we attend church. Its not to make a mental note of who isn't there (for the wrong reasons), who didn't come to Sunday School, whose kids didn't behave during the sermon... etc... get the picture? Attending church is for fellowship. To talk, pray, encourage, love, and most importantly, worship with other believers. The Bible gives CLEAR instructions for church attendance:

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV): ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

If you are a Believer, and you are not attending church (and are able to), you are being disobeying God. Guess what?! Jesus went to church! Luke 4:16 says ¹⁶ When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. And you don't want to be in the midst of a bunch of hypocrites?! If anyone was surrounded by such people, it was Jesus! Are you better than God? Are you so good you don't have to listen to Him? Are you too good to be around hypocrites? Jesus wasn't.

I love the way Romans 12:4-6 is translated in The Message: ^4-6In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.

If you are a chopped off toe, you are a not actively fellowshipping with other Believers. And you're acting pretty worthless! You are not using the gifts and talents (that God gave you) to contribute to a body of Believers. And, we are told to do that.

Ephesians 4:2 (NLT): ² Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

Overlook faults. Yes. That's what we are commanded to do. I'm not saying that it is easy! But, just as the hypocrite has his or her own problem, so you have yours. It is a fault. Overlook it. Not only are we supposed to make allowance for faults, but also be humble, gentle and patient with each other. Wow. Pretty tough stuff. And by not attending church because of other people's faults, you aren't looking over them! You aren't being patient and gentle and humble.

James 5:12 (NLT): ¹⁶ Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

How do you do this if you are not surrounded by other Christians? We are not walking the Christian life alone. We need each other. We need to pray for each other. And encourage one another. And hold one another accountable. We need to share our sins with one another without harsh judgement and bad publicity. Its okay to talk about the bad things you've done. None of us our perfect! That is why we need a church body.

Lastly, examine yourself. Maybe you still have guilt from past mistakes that you are holding onto. Maybe that is why you feel like everyone is staring at you or judging you. They probably aren't. And, if they are... overlook it. And get rid of that guilt! If you are a Believer, you are not guilty anymore! Maybe you're harboring anger and bitterness because of the homelife you had. The parents you had who forced you to go to church. Get rid of it. Examine your real motives. Examine your heart. God does not look at your past sins, or your present sins. He loves you. And, love Him back... obey Him.  

Adventures with Salt Dough

Yikes! I found all these great articles and blogs about toddlers and kids making ornaments out of this stuff called salt dough. Its a three-ingredient concoction guaranteed to be fun for your little ones. Actually, I had lots of fun making it and playing too!  My goal was to make it with Isaiah, and we would use it to make Christmas ornaments with his hand print/fingerprints on them.  Fail. We made the salt dough. We followed the directions exactly. And it was kind of this gooey mess. So, I kept adding flour until it had the consistency of play dough... which it was supposed to have BEFORE adding extra flour. Oh well. Once I got the mixture right, it was lots of fun. I didn't get to take pictures of the actual "making" process because it was just Isaiah and I at home today. We had salt dough everywhere.  So, if you want to do it with your kiddos, here is the recipe (so simple):

1/2 cup of salt
1/2 cup of water
1 cup of flour

Mix with a mixture or your lovely spoon (we used a spoon so that Isaiah could mix too)! Mix until it sticks together, then knead until the dough (supposedly) reaches the consistency of play dough. This is where I had to add extra flour. Isaiah was doing the kneading, and his little fingers were covered! But it was fun! Roll out with your rolling pin and cut shapes. Or, in Isaiah's case, cut out shapes for the first ten minutes, then create your own sculptures and shapes. Then, bake in a 200 degree oven for 4 hours or so to dry out your shapes/ornaments. You can find detailed instructions complete with pictures here. 

Recommendations: Add flour until the dough is basically "not sticky". Use flour when rolling out (similar to the way you would use flour in any type of cooking with dough... on the surface, on hands, and on the rolling pin). I never got around to cooking my dough to dry it out so I don't know how adding additional flour would effect that step.

It was a lot of fun. I think Isaiah liked playing with salt dough because it does have a somewhat grainy textures, so its a little different than store-bought play dough. He also got to help me make it. He did fabulous with it. He most likely enjoyed playing with salt dough the most because its super messy. And if its messy or dangerous or something he can climb, run, bounce or step on, well, Isaiah likes it. 

Enjoy the pictures of our salt dough adventure.

Love this. Looks like he's trying to decide what to make.

I couldn't get enough of his little hands!

Rolling dough like a pro!

Look at that messy pile of craft stuff in the background... and ignore it.

Making "star shapes".