Husbands - love your wives.

Wives - respect your husbands.

How can this teaching be so simple and yet so profound?

Your spouse isn’t wrong, just different. Can you accept that he or she has needs that you don’t share?

These were some of the questions which challenged us this weekend at a Love and Respect video conference hosted by our church. We went as a family. Joshua and Rachel served in the children’s department, the rest of the kids were, um, children IN the children’s department. We brought treats, welcomed people as best we could in our (always late) manner, and helped put away chairs and tables at the end.

We did walk away with 3 leftover pizzas so the time obviously wasn’t wasted.

Oh, yes and we also left with a renewed commitment to practice love and respect in our marriage. A reminder that we have have tools available to us in a conflict.

In the afternoon we had a family meeting. Time to talk about finances, budgets, and other exciting topics. Nothing like hitting some of the big issues!

We watched some sermon clips from Pastor Mark at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, listened to several discussions on stewardship with Randy Alcorn, and were challenged by some words from John Piper on the prosperity gospel.

Just your typical afternoon viewing.

We ended the day with the rest of our Pollyanna movie.

How about you? If you have children, do you wrestle over the big issues with them? Do you talk about tithing and stewardship? Do you discuss the problems facing the poverty stricken people in other countries? Do you let them see that marriage takes WORK? Do you let them see you struggle?

Tim and I are both spenders, not a saver between us. As our children have gotten older, they participate in our conversations over money, debt and stewardship. They see our weaknesses and faults.

It’s humbling to know they are aware of your flaws.

I hope amidst it all they also see we are striving to grow and follow Jesus.

But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. Job 22:10-11

Kathy

Happy New Year!! My house is so tidy. Nothing like hosting a party to inspire me to clean. And, of course, there is nothing like having an inspired mother to motivate children to clean.

Hannah, Emma, Annie B, Bethany and Rachel enjoy some pizza between giggles.

We had three families over for games and dinner this afternoon. We managed to play Carcassonne, Scum (lots of rounds), and Saga. The boys played outside with various weaponry. The girls sat on the couch, told stories and laughed. The little girls got into the dress-up clothes, the dolls and ended up with a game of Sleeping Queens.

We had pizza, taco soup, corn bread, veggies and dip, chips, and a lovely assortment of sweets. It was the perfect way to begin the new year. We even managed to keep five of the children overnight for an impromptu slumber party.

I’m not ready for school and structured life to begin again. I still have some Christmas cards left to send out. If our tree is still up and the Christmas cards list not finished, can I declare the Christmas holidays officially NOT over??

Kathy
Project 366 - Day 1

I love new beginnings and fresh starts. Although I have a skeptical side (enhanced by living 15 years with a programmer/realist/cynical husband), I am an optimist at heart. I love January with its New Year’s Resolutions, goal planning opportunities, and the hanging of the new calendar.

Most importantly I like a fun, family party.

Some people get a little carried away on New Year’s Eve!

We were invited to a New Year’s Eve party with some friends from our church Bible study group. Yummy food, a stack of games, friends and laughter. What could be better?

Not having to host the party!!

David cheers the new year.

We had a wonderful time.

Did you go out for the evening? How many people joined you? Did you watch the ball drop? Family only or friends? Dinner or just appetizers and desserts? Black tie or casual? I love to hear about how other people celebrate the New Year so leave a comment and say hello.

Kathy
Project 365 - Day 365

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters. In all kinds of weather, we stick together, the same in rain or snow.

Name the movie and win a chocolate prize.

Sarah and Rachel hold their (now empty-sob) Advent calendars.

Sarah and Rachel share a bedroom. They are six and a half years apart. They share a love for all things beautiful, collectible, and “girly.” They fight over whose turn and responsibility it is to clean the bedroom, over ownership of toys, over what movie to watch or how to spend the day. But through it all they love deeply and fiercely. They adore playing together and every night you can find them talking and sharing thoughts.

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other’s hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time. ~Clara Ortega

Kathy
Project 365- Day 364 (the end is in sight)

One of the great things about having a large family and many generous relatives, is that Christmas gift-opening lasts practically forever. We’ve been concentrating on out-of-town relatives today, since people start to wonder by the end of the Christmas week (when you don’t mention their gift) if there was some kind of a mishap in shipping.

The problem is that many of our relatives are the careful, send-packages-early sort — the kind that make the temporally-challenged rest of us seem very slapdash and irresponsible. Their gifts were delivered much earlier in the month and so were at the bottom of the pile, covered up by Johnny-come-lately gifts purchased locally late in the day on the 24th. Now that we’ve worked our way down, the tops of these packages accuse us reproachfully, and so we rushed to open them.

Gifts from Thailand and Norway, brought together with Daniel’s unique touch.

So many have been so generous to us, I feel rather shamefaced, especially when I think of less privileged people around the world. Then again, when I consider how these gifts reflect the love that is lavished upon us, I’m less embarrassed by the splendor, but rather I’m challenged to think of ways that we can splash that splendid love on others.

Now that Sarah knows her reindeer name (Prancer), it is killing her to wait to open a few last presents.

It is a glorious season, and our hearts are full of gratitude and thankfulness to the One who has made all this love and delight possible — our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Tim
Project 365 — Day 362