Diana B.

Discovering cRaZy jOY: Oct. 2

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012 Diana B.Leave a comment

Today’s theme for counting gifts is three gifts falling:

1. the legs of my youngest, still six years old for a few more days yet, rising and falling as she kicks on the swing in the backyard

2. the fallen leaves we trace with oil pastels for art lessons this morning

3. our friends’ two-month-old baby boy falling asleep in my arms

Every day in October I’ll post three gifts using the Joy Dare calendar from A Holy Experience). I invite you to add your own gifts in the comment section and then hop over to (in)Courage to read Ann Voskamp’s post “One of the Key Secrets about Joy.”

Discovering cRaZy jOY: Oct. 1

October 1, 2012October 3, 2012 Diana B.Leave a comment

With our house on the market, somewhat excessive business travel, and a new homeschool schedule, life’s been a little more crazy than usual for our family.

That’s why I was quite excited to learn that this month Ann Voskamp, best-selling author of One Thousand Gifts, is inviting her readers to join in 31 Days of Crazy Joy. (Check out the video for an excellent introduction to Ann and her message.)

So it’s time to start counting gifts again, and won’t you come along, too? Let’s start with three gifts orange:

1. the fiery orange leaves on the neighbor’s maple tree

2. the little orange pumpkin she hid in the playhouse

3. the bright orange flame of the gas fireplace that warms the room on a cool October day

Right here every day I’ll post three gifts with a specific theme (from this wonderful Joy Dare calendar at A Holy Experience). Feel free to add your gifts in the comment section.

Let’s discover crazy joy this month!

Glory in the Interruptions

September 28, 2012 Diana B.Leave a comment

This week our homeschool had an unplanned, last-minute field trip that turned out to be a very memorable one. We had planned to do our usual school work at home, but then mid-morning a realtor scheduled a showing, and so we needed to leave the premises for at least an hour. I was grumpy about the interruption, but I quickly threw a picnic lunch together and headed to a nearby nature center for an attitude adjustment.

As we meandered into the woods, the sunshine glowing through the brilliantly colored leaves created a magical canopy overhead that helped dissolve my frustrations.

We ate our lunch — during which my youngest lost tooth #6. Oddly, she has lost three of her six lost teeth away from home. After our picnic, the girls and I played for about an hour in the nature exploration area, building a house out of sticks and logs.

The girls would have stayed there the rest of the afternoon, but I was hoping to get in a nice hike through the woods, so we set off on the trail. I lagged behind just a bit so I could capture a picture of them hiking down the path.

I paused to put away my camera, and I looked up when I heard sudden screams. The girls came running madly back toward me in a complete panic. When they ran right past me and nearly all the way back to the visitor center, I knew they must have seen something more frightening than a bee. Through the tears and sobs they finally explained that a garter snake in the path had spooked them. My oldest daughter was first to see it and, thinking it was a colorful stick, had bent down to pick it up just as it slithered off the path.

So much for my hike. Nothing — and I mean nothing — would convince them to head down that trail again anytime soon. I never even saw the snake, but I must admit I felt a little creeped-out, too. We headed toward the nearby dock to re-group for a few minutes at the lake, where snakes weren’t likely to find us. En route back to the visitor center, we came across a “wooly bear” caterpillar, which was much more warmly received than the garter snake.

Shortly after that, we loaded up into the truck and started for home. But just outside of the parking area we noticed a pair of Trumpeter swans on the pond.

Oh joy! And they were close enough to photograph. I turned around, parked the truck, hopped out and captured a few shots of the swans. The girls weren’t eager to hike much closer to the pond, but I didn’t mind. This distance was close enough to photograph the beautiful pair.

If you’ve been reading this blog long, you know I am slightly obsessed with Trumpeter swans, as I have mentioned in this post about a spring swan sighting and this post about how God orchestrates our homeschool plans.

It’s amazing how God truly reveals His glory in the interruptions some days.

What is Beautiful

September 12, 2012 Diana B.1 Comment

Come, and I will show you what is beautiful.

It is a rose in full bloom.

See how she sits upon her mossy stem, like the queen of all the flowers!

She is the delight of every eye.

She is beautiful, but there is a fairer one than she.

He that made the rose is more beautiful than the rose;

He is all lovely;

He is the delight of every heart.

(Words by Letitia Anna Barbauld, Hymns in Prose for Children, 1781)

Photos copyright Starlight Writer 2012.

Sunday is for Sunflowers

September 10, 2012 Diana B.3 Comments

The girls and I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon at the Arboretum, soaking up the September sunshine and exploring the many flowers still blooming. The radiant sunflowers put on quite a show in the Children’s Garden.

Even the drooping sunflowers radiated hope with their countless seeds.

I’m inspired. The girls and I are going to plant a lot more sunflowers next spring!

Hitting the Books

September 4, 2012 Diana B.1 Comment

It’s been a long, hot summer but now we are hitting the school books again! During our break, we read aloud one of my favorite chapter books: Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls. By the way, Rawls is also the author of the tear-jerker Where the Red Fern Grows. Anyway, Summer of the Monkeys partly inspired the sock monkey theme we have going in the school room this fall.

Our bubbly first-grader named her newest monkey Gris.

And our dilligent fourth-grader named her newest monkey Marron.

The sock monkeys and books aren’t all that’s new to the classroom this year. The biggest addition is a couple of used school desks (with storage under the lid!) that I bought from a nearby Christian school that had closed. The girls are quite enamored with these desks, and I love that they are exceptionally durable and adjustable in height.

So that’s a quick update of what’s shaping up around here. I might be back in a few days to discuss some of the books and various curriculum we are using this year. But for now, please excuse me. I have some reading assignments waiting!

We Heart Family Camp!

August 29, 2012 Diana B.1 Comment

I never went to summer camp as a kid, and last Friday as our family headed off Family Camp at Trout Lake, I certainly didn’t feel much like a light-hearted kid going off to camp. Packing for four and taking a long road trip amidst almost-back-to-school and we-just-put-our-house-on-the-market chaos didn’t lighten my load. At least not at first.

But five days later, I came home feeling a kid again! Maybe it had something to do with being completely off kitchen duty for so many days. I’m still tired from head to toe, but we sure had a memorable and adventurous time horseback riding, canoeing, paddle boating, rock climbing, riding the zip-line and doing the flying squirrel.

My dear friend Alice also came to camp with her precious family.

Ever the fun-loving, adventurous type, Alice encouraged me to do the zip-line with her. I decided to live dangerously.

This was my first zip-line experience, and I wouldn’t have done it without Alice.

My six-year-old was totally convinced I’d chicken out once I got up to the platform. (That’s me, second from the left, and Alice, third from the left.) I’m posting these next images as proof that, while I did scream, hang on for dear life, and close my eyes for a brief moment, I most certainly did not chicken out!

I even completely let go of the rope and threw up my hands when Alice encouragingly yelled, “LET GO, DIANA!”

My 9-year-old says she’d never seen me with such a big smile on my face.

Another highlight from family camp was the flying squirrel, which involves nine people in climbing harnesses. Eight people are “horses,” yoked together and running together in the same direction. The ninth person is the flying squirrel, running in the opposite direction — just a few steps — until he is yanked up high into the tree-tops. What an exhilarating experience to swing freely 35 or 40 feet in the air! I can’t imagine actual squirrels getting this high in the trees, though.

My 9-year-old kindly snapped this photo of me as the flying squirrel.

And this one of my husband as a flying squirrel.

Yes, we both made it back to the ground safely. And by the way, our kids did have a little fun at camp, too.

They rode horses, kayaked, competed in a sack race, paddled canoes, rode the sharking tube and the caterpillar, made rockets, shot bows and rifles, made paracord survival bracelets, hiked, swam and enjoyed a carnival. We also sang some great praise songs and studied the Bible each day. It was church camp, after all.

All this to say, you really must take your family to Family Camp next year. It totally, totally rocks and you are missing out if you stay home!

Brave Enough to Jump

July 9, 2012July 9, 2012 Diana B.1 Comment

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9

Sometimes the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, intimidation or other difficulties shows up in unexpected, unlikely moments. You wake up and suddenly realize you’re in one of those heart-racing, weak-in-the-knees moments, walking to the edge, preparing to jump in deep.

Taking a leap of faith requires letting go of the comfortable yet slippery ground that we so often try to stand on — that slippery lie that makes us believe we can control what happens to us. The truth is we can’t control what happens to us. We can’t control the wind or the waves that rock our boats and make us long for dry land.

But there is an all-powerful, all-knowing God whom even the wind and waves obey. He is always in control. Taking a leap of faith requires trusting in Him, knowing He is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. And He is with us wherever we go.

When we trust Him, God can make us brave. He can help us conquer fears.

In Him, we can be brave enough to jump.

And in Him, we can be brave enough to fall.

Even brave enough to fly.

Next Sunday, our youngest daughter is getting baptized — taking the next step in obedience to Christ as she tells others about trusting in Him. In her walk with Christ Jesus, we pray that she faces trials courageously, trusts the LORD wholeheartedly, and acknowledges Him in all her ways. May she always know He is with her and will direct her path — even through the deepest waters, fiercest winds and highest waves.