Cats Sitting

LOL!
This post cracked me up.
http://kittystampede.blogspot.com/2009/11/when-cats-sit-like-humans.html

She has way more pictures of cats sitting in very non-cat ways... Very silly.

Monopoly money

Replace fear of the coming winter with faith in the living God. After all, it's just Monopoly money. It all goes back in the box.
Max Lucado

*****
A reminder for me that everything belongs to God, and that He is the one who provides. We all fight to own the best things we possibly can, but the truth is that it will all pass away.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 20:7

I guess a good modern version would be: Some trust in their mansions and some in fancy cars, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Our Zoo- The Lion

Here's the thing about the Smalley/Trent personality profile- those people (lions, tigers and bears, oh my) have to get along. And most homes are little zoos with every animal trying to get along. Lions trying to command, Otters trying to play, Golden Retrievers trying to get along, and Beavers trying to organize everyone...

Our home is certainly no different.
The crazy, wacky thing about our home is that two golden retriever/otters gave birth to a LION.

A roaring commanding, demanding lion.















Our first-born daughter knows exactly how everything should be done, and believes that she is totally right in all things. I often think of this Bible thought in conjunction with her- 'And each one did what was right in their own minds and hearts'. Deborah will fight til the last breath to have her own way. I can certainly see the value and strength of her behavior, but it is very difficult to deal with a 6 year old who is absolutely convinced that she should have something or be able to do something when she is wrong. And it is difficult to deal with a 6 year old who will fight with her words, body and temper to get what she is convinced she should have.

Deborah is a wonderful, sweet, difficult, strong-willed, little girl. Her quick & vicious temper gets her in trouble regularly; however, I see the light. I see the potential of her practical leadership. I see the possibilities in her decisive and productive leadership. I see the joy that her intelligence, quick-wit and delight in learning could bring her. If we can just get her determination and stubbornness bent in the right way- in God's way. Oh, please help us do that, God!

With a full seasoning of God's love, grace, patience and kindness. Both poured over her through her families' hands, and poured through her by His Spirit.

I've already had the amazing gift of getting to participate in her Spirit Birth- the day that she asked Jesus into her heart. And I have seen a difference in her since that day. I've seen God's Spirit causing her to see people in a new light, with his compassion and grace tempering her will. We've fought many battles, but I believe it would have been much worse without God's spirit dwelling in her. And without her hunger and passion for God's word. (She makes sure she gets her Bible story every night, and she has tons of questions about why things happen the way they do during those stories.)

Much as I love her, I dread the day she hits puberty! Man, the battles my mom and I had! And though I am stubborn and strong-willed (just ask my husband!), she's got me beat hands down. I went through a time as a teenager when I fought my mom over so much... I fear that my Deborah and I will also do battle.

***
God, Thank you for my beautiful Deborah. What a precious, sweet, amazing gift you have given me. Far beyond what I could have imagined or dreamed. Please help me be the mom I need to be for her. Please help me channel her energy, intelligence and will in the way you would have her go. I pray over her these words- 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your path." May this be the cry of her heart.

Personality Test

One of the lesser known Personality Profiles, was developed by Dr. Gary Smalley and Dr. John Trent. They base their personalities around animal characteristics. While these personality types are certainly broad categories, they are easy to remember and communicate. Thinking about people in this way can be helpful when dealing with family members, employees, and/or people in general. Understanding what makes people tick can make the home, work environment, meetings, and projects run much smoother.
Listed below are the characteristics of each temperament and how they line up with Galen’s and the DISC for comparison:

Lion (Choleric/Dominance)
Strengths– Visionary, practical, productive, strong-willed, independent, decisive, leader
Weaknesses– Cold, domineering, unemotional self-sufficient, unforgiving, sarcastic, cruel

Otter (Sanguine/Influence)
Strengths– Outgoing, responsive, warm, friendly, talkative, enthusiastic, compassionate
Weaknesses– Undisciplined, unproductive, exaggerates, egocentric, unstable

Golden Retriever (Phlegmatic/Steadiness)
Strengths– Calm, easy-going, dependable, quiet, objective, diplomatic, humorous
Weaknesses– Selfish, stingy, procrastinator, unmotivated, indecisive, fearful, worrier

Beaver (Melancholy/Compliance)
Strengths– Analytical, self-disciplined, industrious, organized, aesthetic, sacrificing
Weaknesses– Moody, self-centered, touchy, negative, unsociable, critical, revengeful

Often you’ll find that people have a primary character type and a secondary type. Take a look at yourself. Which one is your primary and which one is your secondary? Some naturally go together and make for a wonderful set of strengths. Also, be sensitive to the weaknesses in yourself and in others.

With thanks to Eric H. Brown at weirdblog.wordpress.com

Sick, Sick, Sick

Blech.
It seems like I've had a cold forever... It's probably only been 2 weeks, but it seems like much longer. My cold turned into bronchitis last Wednesday or Thursday, and it has not gone away.

My doctor told me to do NOTHING. Arrgh. Do you know how much I hate beeing told to do nothing??? I hate sitting around. Although I admit climbing the six stairs to the bedrooms makes me winded right now...
I went out with the family on saturday for a couple hours, and then led children's choir on Sunday night.
Now, I think I'm paying for my determination to do those 2 things. I HATE being pinned at home.

I start coughing when I do pretty much anything:
Get up to go get the phone. Cough, cough, cough.
Get the girls' lunch. Cough, cough, cough, cough.
Talk to my mom. Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough...

I've gotten bronchitis every winter for the last three years. It just wears me out. Time to move out of Fairbanks....

Known by their Words and Actions

I recently read a passage written by a Facebook friend, Bishop Liberty in Dakar Senegal:

****
When God truly calls a person to be a vessel for His purpose; it is not by their bank account that you can know them, the amount of children they have, the size of their churches, their impact in the relief giving world, preaching or teaching on satellite, their theological degrees, but He touches them in a special way that cleanse them and change their lives to produce the type of fruits that are from His Kingdom.

In the cases of both Isaiah and Jeremiah; their lips were touch. From that movement what came out was God own words. The Bible describes it like this: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that has clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, and sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Ps.24:3-5).

Does your Shepherd fit this qualification? Is your Shepherd hands clean when it comes to the message he/she preaches/teaches? Is he/her hands clean when it comes to money matters, women in the church, dispensation of justice and truth, not chasing/exploiting to gain things of this world/vanity above righteousness, or swearing in the name of God about things that are non-existent? Or is Shepherd is producing contrary fruits?
*****

This struck me because of the scripture passage Bishop Liberty quotes. 'Who shall stand in God's holy place? He that has clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, and sworn deceitfully.'

The "holy place" David is talking about in the scripture was the Holy of Holies, the center of Jewish temple worship. Only one priest a year would go in that sacred place, and they would tie a rope around him in case he died from the holiness and purity of God in that place.

Then they could drag out his dead body. For real. Think about that one. The 'lucky' guy who gets chosen to go into the holy place has to have a fishing line attached in case he dies... Hmmmmm. Who really wants this duty?!!

I do. I want to sit at God's feet. Worship Him. Come to know Him. Dwell in His house forever.... The job/role/call/duty of the worship leader (or preacher for that matter) is to go to that sacred place and bring the entire congregation with her. To do that you must have gone before, alone... And the scripture says the only way you're doing that is with clean hands and a pure heart. Only those who do right for the right reasons, and those who do not worship anything (food, computer, drugs, alcohol, books, money...), or tell lies.

I want to be right with God, and to serve Him as He sees fit. I'm not sure what He is doing right now, but I will trust Him.

The Dangerous Duty of Delight

I'm reading a book by John Piper called, "The Dangerous Duty of Delight", and I was just struck by this paragraph:

Let it be crystal clear: We are always talking about joy in God. Even joy in doing good is finally joy in God, because the ultimate good that we always aim at is displaying the glory of God and expanding our own joy in God to others. Any other joy would be qualitatively insufficient for the longing of our souls and quantitatively too short for our eternal need. In God alone is fullness of joy and joy forever.

I have to say that in many ways my joy in doing the work of God, (leading worship, acting for a church sketch, writing a piece, directing a children's musical, facepainting at a fall festival, etc.) is significantly less than the joy I take in doing my 'quiet time'. Which sometimes just feels like work.

At my last church I was basically told I shouldn't be doing the work of God at all until my joy in my times with God was greater than the joy I took in doing His work. Which made me feel like I was bad or failing as a Christian. Because I've had wonderful, significant, meaningful, sweet times with God.

But day to day? I'd rather do His work. The creative work He's designed me to do.

3 Pregnancies

I had my annual 'fun' visit with the gynecologist last week, and was thrown for a loop.

I did the questionnaire thingy at the beginning.
One of the questions was 'How many pregnancies have you had?' I said 2.
'How many live births?' I said 2.
Then, it asked 'How many miscarriages have you had?' I said 1.

When the nurse came in and saw that, she corrected my 2 pregnancies to 3.

She was right. I realized I had 3 pregnancies.

I almost started crying right there.
Not that I didn't know I lost a baby, or that I was pregnant.
I just hadn't had it all listed out like that before and I found it shocking.

Really, I'm okay.
Sad. But okay.

The miscarriage still feels kind of dream-like. I know so few people REALLY, and told so few in person... I blogged about it, but really haven't TALKED to anyone about it.

I lost a baby. I don't know how heaven works really, and if she'll be there (I think she was a girl. I don't know this. I just think it.) And really, if there was something terribly wrong with her, and she would have been in a lot of pain it's better that she just go on home and wait for me to get there.

But, oh. It makes me sad right now.
I would have been about five months pregnant right now, and feeling little butterfly kicks.

God, you know what's best. But I don't understand everything right now. I want to trust you.

Faith and Doubts

God does not go
From here to there by shortest routes;
He makes a place for faith and doubts.

by John Piper

Before

I remember when...
I had so much to say to You that the words fell onto the paper like rain from the Seattle sky.
I knew that I was adored and loved and felt fully confident of Your plans and purposes... of Your goodness and love...
I was sure of my place in Your plan, not at the center, but at Your feet gazing on Your light and lifting You high...
I knew Your words and heard Your voice...
I was so full of passion for You from top to bottom that I flew through weeks and over months with joy and abandon...
I was heard, and could come to You in freedom, my Abba...

God, somehow my love for You has been lost behind the slow, lingering death of dreams I thought You planted and nurtured.
Were they my dreams?? My hopes? I thought they were Yours. Was I so wrong?
Because if I was wrong in this fundamental thing, then all I knew of You is shifting sand.
Quicksand dragging me down.

My love for You is still here.
A seed I've kept hidden, safe in the pocket of my heart.
Will you nurture it?
Or will you let it wither and die?
Dried and hollow, like my heart.

Monroe Bazaar Follow-Up

Well, last Saturday was S-A-D.
Seems the poor lady in charge of the bazaar had appendicitis 2-3 weeks ago.
So most of the bazaar planning fell by the wayside. (Somebody please explain why she didn't ask for help or someone else didn't just kindly HELP HER OUT???)

So. NO advertising was done. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
Til the day OF the bazaar. Then they put an ad in the paper.
How nice. The day of.
'Cuz nobody I know makes plans before the weekend. Nope. They all just wake up, hop out of bed, grab the paper and decide what they are gonna do for their only two days off right then and there. (earnest nodding)

And the big banner that goes outside in front of the school during the bazaar? Oh, yeah. They put that out 2-3 hours AFTER the bazaar started. Normally they've got it up the week BEFORE the bazaar to let everyone who drives by know what's going on...

Beth & I each sold one thing. She made table. I did not. And the sales we did make were to other venders. Another friend of ours only made $6.
By the way there were well over 100 venders, and each of us paid $40 a table. And for many of us, this is it. This is how we make our living. By selling the stuff we make...
Instead, we were trading stuff, and selling stuff to each other. Which tells you we had time to do that... We don't normally have time to look at everybody else's tables unless we're set up early enough to do it before opening.

I'm not bitter. REALLY. But I am annoyed.
When you rent the space to sell your stuff, it's with the understanding that they will do their part and get people in to buy your stuff...

Monroe Bazaar on the 17th

We'll be at Monroe High school this Saturday from 10 til 4.
If you're in Fairbanks, Come check us out!
New Jewelry! Pretties, danglies, sparklies, and beautiful stones.
New Halloween pieces & New Christmas pieces.

My Poor Luna

Last night during our evening bedtime rituals, Abigail suddenly yelled, "Mama, Luna's eye is bleeding!!!"

I picked her up, and drops of blood splashed on my hand.

Sometime yesterday the cats had a major fight, and poor Luna got the worst of it.

We're not sure who was involved, but it was probably Gidget. Beth noticed that she'd been stalking Luna all day. Gidget is this cantankerous fat cat who can't stand for any of the other cats in the house to be happy. If Luna or Nene are playing, there's Gidget stopping the fun.

She also has a habit of stalking one of the smaller cats around the house, chasing them down all day until she's got them pinned into a corner.

Anyway, Luna has a slight tear in her bottom eyelid, a deep puncture wound between her eyes, and a scratch across the top of her head between her ears. Poor kitty.

I took her for a daytime emergency visit to the vet, and she got the okay for her eye. We were all concerned that her eye itself had been scratched with the way it was gunky and bloody last night, but it was just the eyelid. Thank God.

So she got an antibiotic shot, and has been trailing me every second I've been home.

Poor kitty....

Jake's Contest

Jake, my husband, entered this really cool Alaskan Inventor's Contest up on the UAF campus.

He's one of the 20 finalists!

He's got a great idea. And the potential to win a large chunk of money.

His final presentation is on Friday, October 23rd, and he's falling apart. Poor guy. He's feeling tons of pressure to do a perfect presention, and he's very nervous.

Please pray that he does his absolute best. (Yes, I want him to win, but I want him to feel like he did the best he possibly could even if he doesn't.)

Thank you!

Headache

I've had a migraine for the last week. Arrgh.
I don't know what's causing it, but it's affected everything I've done- my work, my attitude, my behavior. It makes it hard to think, and hard to function.
I hate migraines!!!

A Call to Common Courtesy

I get an e-letter from Max Lucado's site. I really liked this little article, so I'm sharing it. These are not my words, they are his.
*****

Perhaps you’ve never placed the word courteous next to Christ. I hadn’t until I wrote this chapter.
But you know how you never notice double-cab red trucks until your friend says he wants one—then you see a dozen of them? I had never thought much about the courtesy of Christ before, but as I began looking, I realized that Jesus makes Emily Post look like Archie Bunker.
He always knocks before entering. He doesn’t have to. He owns your heart. If anyone has the right to barge in, Christ does. But he doesn’t. That gentle tap you hear? It’s Christ. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock” (Rev. 3:20 NASB). And when you answer, he awaits your invitation to cross the threshold.
And when he enters, he always brings a gift. Some bring Chianti and daisies. Christ brings “the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). And, as he stays, he serves. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45 NIV). If you’re missing your apron, you’ll find it on him. He’s serving the guests as they sit (John 13:4–5). He won’t eat until he’s offered thanks, and he won’t leave until the leftovers are put away (Matt. 14:19–20).
He is courteous enough to tell you his name (Exod. 3:15) and to call you by yours (John 10:3). And when you talk, he never interrupts. He listens.
He is even on time. Never late. Never early. If you’re checking your watch, it’s because you’re on a different itinerary. “There is a time for everything” (Eccles. 3:1). And Christ stays on schedule.
He even opens doors for you. Paul could preach at Troas because “the Lord had opened a door” (2 Cor. 2:12 NIV). When I asked my dad why men should open doors for women, his answer was one word: “respect.” Christ must have abundant respect for you.
He knocks before he enters. He always brings a gift. Food is served. The table is cleared. Thanks are offered. He knows your name and tells you his, and here is one more.
He pulls out the chair for you. “He raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with him in the heavens” (Eph. 2:6).
My wife has a heart for single moms. She loves to include a widow or divorcée at the table when we go to a restaurant. Through the years I’ve noticed a common appreciation from them. They love it when I pull out their chair. More than once they have specifically thanked me. One mom in particular comes to mind. “My,” she blushed, brushing the sudden moisture from her eye, “it’s been a while since anyone did that.”
Has it been a while for you as well? People can be so rude. We snatch parking places. We forget names. We interrupt. We fail to show up. Could you use some courtesy? Has it been a while since someone pulled out your chair?
Then let Jesus. Don’t hurry through this thought. Receive the courtesy of Christ. He’s your groom. Does not the groom cherish the bride? Respect the bride? Honor the bride? Let Christ do what he longs to do.
For as you receive his love, you’ll find it easier to give yours. As you reflect on his courtesy to you, you’ll be likely to offer the same.

From A Love Worth Giving
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2002) Max Lucado

Christmas Earrings

I've been working on some Christmas earrings to take to one of the local stores, "The Ornamentery".

The owner's name is Judith Grahek, and we are delighted to have seasonal items carried in her store. She's only open from about November 1st to December 23rd or so, and pretty much only carries seasonal items. Last year was our first year to work with her, and she's wonderful! Judith is very positive about the artists, and having a few things in her store was a good experience.

However, I've got some mixed feelings about ME making seasonal items...
#1- They're the most cutesy items I make. Always. And they rarely feel special enough to justify the time they take.
#2- I didn't sell many last year. Although I consistently sell some every year.
#3- I don't have as much fun making them.
#4- Part of me feels like I'm selling out. =) (Like I don't already make items specifically so they will sell! Really, I realize how silly this is, I just can't make it go away!)

Good Things About Seasonal Items:
#1- I like making things that will sell. I like making money. I like money.
#2- I have the items on hand, and I have fun making them, even if I'm all grouchy about it.
#3- Things sold at The Ornamentery only have a 20% commission on them. That is literally the best amount we make on any any of our jewelry other than the pieces we sell ourselves.

These little confetti/sequin earrings are quick and easy to make. I added a little sparkle to them with some 'fairy dust' (yes, that's an actual product, a liquid glitter), and voila. Christmas Earrings.

$10 a pair

Made by Rebecca

Choices

Unexplainable crises that we’d never asked for are often the backdrop of our greatest spiritual breakthroughs.
From Matt Tullos

I don't want that to be true... But I think Matt's right.
When I'm determined to go my own way, God is gracious enough to let me. And then He's there to pick up the pieces after my way turns out to have been the wrong way.

There's an old DC Talk song that goes,
"Some people gotta learn the hard way,
I guess I'm the kind of guy who's got to find out for myself."

I am so glad that God is in the business of making amazingly wonderful good things out of travesties. All those people in the Old Testament who sin... It isn't about how perfect a Christian is- we're not. Christians are messed up. Everyone has the potential for incredible evil, and Christians are no different. The incredible thing about knowing God intimately is knowing that He can take my worst and most heinous mistakes and make something beautiful out of them.

He can take something horrific and make good. But oh, how He longs to use us before we make the worst mistakes we possibly can. His longing is to hold us and protect us from the evil we can do- so that it doesn't happen. He can make beauty out of a life lived dedicated to Him.


See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:10-12

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Matthew 23:37

My new creations

Lately I've been making Halloweeny type stuff for the Monroe bazaar. Having fun with bone skulls and spider webs. ;)

I'm dabbling with the idea of putting some of our/my stuff on Etsy, the handmade site (http://www.etsy.com/). It just seems very complicated. I'd have to get a dedicated bank account, and get a paypal account... And you never know if stuff will actually sell...

But there's the potential of opening up sales to more people & a larger market, and after losing our income from The Stash that would be a very good thing.

So, I'm truly tempted. We'll see.

Holiday Bazaars

So far, Two Sisters Jewelry has two confirmed Holiday bazaars:

October 17, Saturday from 9-4 at Monroe Catholic School

November 28 & 29, Saturday & Sunday from 9-4 at Pioneer Park

We look forward to seeing you there!
We will update the schedule as more confirmations come in.
Thank you!