Just checking in...

at 03/16/10 8:02PM
Hey all,

It's been a while since I was on here so just thought I would stop by & see what was new. Hope everyone is happy & healthy.

We are doing great. Gabriella Deborah was born Oct. 8, 2009. She is doing great! She has more than doubled her birth weight, is sleeping most of the night & is babbling & smiling at us. The girls seem to be adjusting well to their new little sister.

Katie & Rachel are growing up to fast for my liking - I wish I could freeze time & keep them little forever.

Abbi is excelling in school -well, homeschool :). She enjoys reading & reading to her sisters.

We have enjoyed some warmer temps (40's & 50's) & have been able to play outside. We are loving the sunshine & fresh air.

Looking forward to summer & spending many days outside in God's beautiful creation.

Words

at 08/31/09 2:48PM
We all know to well the power of words - to comfort or hurt, heal or wound, encourage or discourage, strenthen or destroy.

Why do you speak the words that you speak? What motivates you to speak? What feeling is your audience left with when you speak?

As children we are told, "If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all." (Many adults would do well to remember this.)

What is Satan's #1 tool for causing Christians to stumble? **** DISCOURAGEMENT****
How do we as Christians discourage others? With our words.
Why are we hurting each other with words? Are we not commanded to love oneanother? If you say you love someone but hurt them with your words do you really love them? So often we feel the need to go to a brother and point out his flaw. Why do you personally feel the need to point out someone else's flaw? Be honest! Is it jealousy, envy, self-righteousness? Aren't we each our own worst critic? Don't you think your brother knows his flaws & is working on doing better? Let's remember who we are - sinners saved by God's grace & Jesus' blood (Eph. 2:8) and our purpose - to do GOOD to all (Gal. 6:10). Are your words doing good or causing hurt & discouragement?

We need to be using our words and actions to strengthen our brethren.

I challenge each of you to think BEFORE you speak. Say only things that will be encouraging to your audience. I think you will be amazed at how your personal relationships improve.

**Remember** You will catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
When you point a finger at someone else, you have 3 fingers point back at yourself

Just to be clear, I'm not saying we should overlook or excuse sin. I'm just asking you to pray and think before approaching someone.

Here are some things to ask yourself before you point out another's flaws:

~ Is this a repeated behavior, or a one time mistake.
~Why would he have done or said this? Would I have done or said the same thing if in the same or similar situation?
~Is there someone better suited for approaching the brother?
~Are you pointing out this flaw to everyone struggling with it, or have you singled out a particular individual?
~Is this a sin or a judgement call? Just because you're personally not comfortable with something doesn't make it a sin.

Love bears all things - are you bearing your brother's struggles with him, or becoming a burden to him with your constant criticism?
Love believes all things - do you believe your brother is doing or trying his best?
Love hopes all things - do you hope your brother is sincere in his walk as a Christian or do you secretly want him to stumble?
Love endures all things - are you enduring others shortcomings? Or are you harsh when they fail? Remember, we only have to please God & He is gracious & forgiving.

Some passages to consider: Galations 5:15, 22-23
Hebrews 10:24
Ephesians 4:1-3
Phillipians 2:3
Colossians 4:6
1 Thes. 3:12, 4:11 & 18, 5:14
James 1:26, 2:13, 5:8-9
1 Peter 1:22, 3:8
1 Cor. 13:1-7



  • amcmichael
    awesome job angie! Glad to see you back on pleo!! Love you bunches!
    by amcmichael at 09/01/09 7:50AM
  • cruisingmom
    Wow. You came back with 'guns blazing'. Good thoughts. Good reminder.
    by cruisingmom at 09/01/09 10:45AM
  • tommyswife
    These are good thoughts for all to consider! Sometimes we get to a point where we think of the worst in a person's character. That is a horrible place to be!
    by tommyswife at 09/01/09 3:28PM

Cranberry Thanksgiving

at 10/25/08 12:17PM
This week we did "Cranberry Thanksgiving". I love this book! It talks about not judging people by how they look (specifically not trusting someone just because they look & smell good) and reminds us that the important things in life are friends & family, not material possessions. FIAR is still going great for us - yeah!!! I think I have half of the books from childrens dept at the London Public Library in my living room but that's ok.
Last night when Jason & I went into our bedroom we found Abbi, still wearing her glasses, under the covers asleep with the new Fancy Nancy book next to her head - we were so pleased :O) (Jason & I both love to read & are so glad to see our children developing a love for books also)
We are in Dayton today for Garland's 70th birthday - so if you know Jason's dad please wish him a happy birthday. Lynda & Matt just arrived, so we will close for now.
  • tommyswife
    I am so glad FIAR is going well. I am pretty sure that is what we are going to do next year too. So you can give me some pointers.
    by tommyswife at 10/25/08 6:30PM
  • granny
    Angie, you are so right. When our children discover that lots of adventures come from reading, it is a special day for parents, sharing what they love.
    by granny at 10/26/08 3:31PM
  • garythellama
    My parents used to catch me in my room, late at night, reading a book by night light back when I was a kid. Books rule! :-D
    by garythellama at 10/27/08 11:36AM
  • tommyswife
    I think you and Jason's definition of construction is very different. I thought you all were engaged in a little remodel over there. Now having read your comment, I see that Jason needs to get a dictionary! :)
    by tommyswife at 10/28/08 4:46PM
  • annashusband
    Angie, I told Anna about pleo, maybe we can get her on her, too!
    by annashusband at 11/20/08 6:33AM
  • dehutmom
    Hey girl! Lost your voicemail and phone# :(. If you contact my son, Jeremy Dehut, he can give you what you need. You can find him on whitepages.com. He lives in Avon, In. Hope your holidays are going well! And...hope to see you in Feb at the Ladies Weekend. :)
    by dehutmom at 12/18/08 11:28AM

update

at 10/14/08 6:50PM
Katie is home from the hospital & doing great. She hasn't had a breathing treatment since last Saturday. Thank you all for your prayers. Katie started walking this week! She can go quite a long way, but then decides to crawl since it is faster. I can't believe she will be a year old Sunday.
Rachel made a trip to childrens hospital yesterday during communion. She fell off the pew during while reaching for a song book & hit her head on the hymn rack. She reaches for the song book all the time, & can even put them back with no problem but somehow yesterday she didn't manage to stay on the pew. She got a 1/2 inch gash above her left eyebrow that was deep. So deep that she got one stitch inside & four stitches on the outside. After they finished stitching her up they gave her a popsicle & immediately all was well. We were walking thru the parking garage at childrens hospital & she said, "I all done now. I go home." She is such a good little trooper! They said where it is at either her eyebrow or hair will cover it when she is older.
Abbi broke her glasses on Saturday, she was at a friends house walking up the slide & slipped on the dirt that they had poured on the slide. She is fine, but the glasses, well, they need adjusted. We also switched curriculums this week. We are doing five in a row. We are doing Madeline & so far it has been great. Rachel sits with us while we read & enjoys looking thru the extra books. We have several books on France, french culture, and the Eiffel tower. So far FIAR seems to be a really good fit for us. Rachel can be involved which is great since previously that was something that was frustrating for her & me since I kept having to remove her from Abbi's school work. Next us is Ping, Mike Mulligan & His Steam shovel, & How to See the World and make an apple pie.
Hope all is well with everyone out in pleoland!
  • tommyswife
    Glad everyone is doing better and I am so sorry about Rachel! Tommy had told me about that and I felt so bad for her and maybe even more so for you! :) I love FIAR. I used Before FIAR with JT last year and will probably be doing that next year for kindergarden. I did another one this year. Before FIAR would be great for Rachel and then she could feel like she was doing school work too! I will see if I can find it if you want it.
    by tommyswife at 10/14/08 7:31PM
  • cruisingmom
    With children come bumps, boo boos and trips to the ER. You have had more than your fair share recently. I officially pronounce you done for a long while...now if it were only that easy.
    by cruisingmom at 10/14/08 8:02PM
  • mamahastings
    FIAR is GREAT! We loved "The Little Red Clogs"
    by mamahastings at 10/14/08 10:27PM
  • orangemachine
    I had a great time! Thanks! And yes Pumpkin doughnuts are THE BOMB!! :-)
    by orangemachine at 10/16/08 10:20PM
  • granny
    Whew! what a read! I do hope you have a safer week! And love how you are loving your children.
    by granny at 10/19/08 3:09PM
  • jay
    you pack a lot into your updates ;o)
    by jay at 10/23/08 8:44AM
  • cruisingmom
    Love ya!
    by cruisingmom at 10/23/08 10:55PM

09/19/08 8:46PM

This was Rachel's first time apple-picking. We went to Legends Hills Orchard in Utica, OH. We all had a great time. Rachel liked to transport the apples on her head before putting them into the basket.
Thank you to my dear sister Lesley for teaching me how to add pictures!
  • jay
    ok . . .i really miss u . . .
    by jay at 09/21/08 3:18AM
  • tommyswife
    She is a cutie! C ya tuesday!
    by tommyswife at 09/21/08 8:42PM
  • kmedasmom
    Is she working on her posture? That's very important ya know:)
    by kmedasmom at 09/21/08 9:35PM
  • cruisingmom
    Sounds like you have had a great Texas trip. I can tell from your posts, and Jason's, that everyday holds adventures when you have a house full of girls! Rachel sounds like a special wee person. She has to be with a nickname of Bambam!
    by cruisingmom at 09/22/08 1:49PM
  • jasonswife060305
    glad you all are home now but more glad you got to spend some time with your sis. Love ya
    by jasonswife060305 at 09/24/08 1:38PM
  • granny
    Thank you for coming to see me. After reading several of your entries, I agree, you have your hands full! Did you stop reading? I too raised three little stairsteps, boys and they were such fun. But indeed my hands -- and heart -- were full. But I learned that all those people who made the same exclamation were actually wanting to be a part of my joy -- or difficulty. Wanting to feel connected, wanting to tell me somehow that they cared. So you just go right ahead and smile and share that full heart. They need you too.
    by granny at 09/25/08 9:37AM
  • orangemachine
    We will definitly be praying for Katie...
    by orangemachine at 09/27/08 10:04AM
  • orangemachine
    How is Katie doing? Hope you all are doing well!!
    by orangemachine at 10/02/08 9:49PM
  • amcmichael
    Hey watcha been up too??? Hope you are having a great week!
    by amcmichael at 10/06/08 12:09PM
  • tommyswife
    Thank you so much for all the support you have been in the past couple of weeks! I can't tell you how much I appreciate just you thinking of me and asking me if I need anything! Love you!!!
    by tommyswife at 10/06/08 10:06PM