7 Quick Takes (three memes today!)

Jennifer, from Conversion Diary blog, offers a PLETHORA of good reading with each visit!

Her meme each Friday invites us to make 7 mini posts about the random thoughts and musings we'd like to share for the week.

Join us by clicking this image in the sidebar and leaving a comment or link on Jennifer's blog.


Here are my Quick Takes for the week:

1) The current news events of the president's "education speech" (Visit this blog for info) and other ongoing trends, such as the UN's proposed mandate in the public schools to teach things that rob our children of innocence have been weighing heavily on my heart this past week. There is such a "scent of evil" in the air of this nation...the purity and well-being of children and the sacredness of life are being trampled and shoved aside in order to promote a culture of death and other underlying agendas which feed into a system of Communism/Socialism. I feel drawn to deep prayer and ask God's Mercy.

2) There is SO MUCH MORE to the game of football that I ever realized! My son Jake is playing his first season on a community team. Thus, I have an "up close" view of what actually goes in to participating in this sport. There is quite a lot of strategy and things to learn and memorize.
I grew up in a "sports" family...so I am familiar with the basic positions and goals of a football team/game. However, truth be told, I really thought the gist of it all was basically a bunch of guys trying to get the ball from one end of the field to the other and CREAMING each other to do so...NOT SO! I have been SO IMPRESSES at the physical/mental skills and abilities necessary to play this game in a safe and organized way. Now...I still do not think people should be paid Kabillions of dollars to do it...but, I have changed my mind about the level of talent and intelligence needed to take part on a football team!

3) I feel so blessed to be homeschooling my children...not only because I am present in their moment-by-moment studies and living during the day...but because I TOO, learn SO MUCH each and every day through the process of teaching them! I have come to greatly appreciate and enjoy certain subjects (i.e. Science/History) which I really didn't glean much from in my own school days. It is only in homeschooling that I can see how much I would be missing if I didn't have the privilege of being among my children all day. I AM VERY THANKFUL.

4) Autumn is right around the bend! YAY!!! I can't wait for walks in the woods that require donning a sweater, the glorious foliage that comes in October, the chill of the night and morning air...seeing the little puffs of breath when you step outside...and making hot cider and cocoa to enjoy by a campfire!

5) One of the things that I love best about my husband is that "he is who he is". He has never been one to worry about impressing others or seeking the acceptance of peers. He admits his faults...tries his best...and simply shares himself with the world...unpretentious in every way and trying only to please God and better himself for the sake of God's glory. BOY DO I ADMIRE THAT! I am NOT so blessed and have spent MUCH time on this earth worried about "the opinions of others" and sometimes lacking courage to be who I really am because of it.

6) I feel the call to SLOW DOWN lately. While we do participate in some outside activities and service, our family has really cut out a lot of what we used to do outside the home, in order to cultivate and celebrate more "home and family" focus in our lives. We are enjoying renewing some traditions that we enjoyed years ago...more family prayer time...more baking and cooking special meals "just because"...more reading, strolling in the woods, playing catch, exploring, sitting, resting, conversing and discussing...being together and honoring the fact that God has blessed us as a FAMILY...He put us here together...so we want to SPEND TIME TOGETHER...getting to know each other intimately, and helping each other reach our fullest potentials as children of God in this world.

7) The blog, In Him We Move and Find Our Being, holds GREAT contests where you must enter a caption for the photograph posted. Stop by when you get a minute and join in the fun! The photos are SO funny sometimes, and the entries are great fun to read as well! It's an easy way to break up the monotony of a long work week...only takes a minute...and is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!