Mama Hen

My sweet girl's favorite hen, and the only one we named, is a Cuckoo Maran named April. April began stealing all the other hen's eggs a couple of months ago in order to create for herself a clutch of eggs that she could sit on and hatch. It became a battle of the will as I would go out and check the nesting boxes 4, maybe 5 times a day and try to stop her from moving eggs and consequently breaking a number of them. Not only was it exhausting for me but it turns out it was pretty futile on my part. I finally gave in and set up a large dog crate with the essentials for a broody hen and chose 7 eggs for April to set on.

Twenty-one days later, to our great surprise, April hatched 6 out of the 7 eggs. I love watching her care for you chicks. I could do it for hours. She is a great teacher. I watch her teach the chicks how to scratch for food. I watch her show them how to catch bugs and which ones to eat and she fiercely protects them. One morning, I was watching her find food for the chicks and God quietly spoke to my heart about the important role a mother plays in the lives of her brood. April constantly instructs verbally and physically. She has a variety of clucks and coos to give her chicks instruction. Proverbs 31:26 says, "She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue." I wondered if someone watching my life could say the same about me.

First Half of 2011

How pathetic is it that my last post was December 2010. Well, at least I can say life has been eventful around here.

Naomi had a wonderful kitty themed party in April to celebrate her 7th birthday. We had a lovely time with all her friends in the backyard and playing pin the tail on the kitty. Dustin also celebrated a big birthday- #40! We had a great time as a family and took him out for ice cream instead of our standard birthday cake.

We are putting to bed another year of homeschooling. Our third year! I cannot believe how fast it has gone by. This year we learned about Ancient Egypt, honed in on our addition/subtraction facts, practiced time and money skills so we don't get rusty, explored Science with air, in the kitchen and with magnets, read tons of tantalizing books, and wrote several short stories.

Josiah joined Cub Scouts a few months ago. He had his first camping trip 2 weeks ago and he loved it. Not sure that Daddy had the same enthusiasm but they made it home in one piece so I would call it successful. He also has worked really hard on completing some merit badges which he will receive tonight. He is very excited.

I am doing extraordinarily well with my health. I love homeschooling and super duper love my husband. It has been such a pleasure to watch God grow in my husband and kids. And to know the inner workings that He has been doing within my own heart is equally a joy; even when it hurts. But much like Eustace in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it is a good hurt.

"Then the lion said – but I don't know if it spoke – You will have to let me undress you. I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it. "The very first tear he made was so deep and I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know – if you've ever picked the scab of a sore place. It hurts like billy-oh but it is such fun to see it coming away." (7.41-42)

Bah Humbug

I am feeling a bit cranky and probably not in the right humor to be posting but I have the day to myself so I am going for it. My crankiness is due to a minor surgery I had last Thursday which was supposed to have a two day recovery time. Let me reiterate: TWO DAYS. Here it is day 4 post operation and I am feeling worse than before I went in. I knew something was wrong when the post op care was for four weeks and not two days. Everyone keeps telling me that is will be worth it in the end. *sigh*

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Quick update

I wish I had more time to blog! Life in the Rogers household has been very busy. We started school on September 1st. I am super excited to see that the kids haven't forgotten everything. (There's Josiah in his Pharaoh's crown.)

Josiah has surprised us with being able to read CVC words which is difficult with his dyslexia. I actually have hope that he will be reading by the end of the year. Yesterday, he read two sentences fluently! Yeah!!!!

Naomi has lost both her front teeth and recently cut 10 inches off her hair in order to donate it to make a wig for my aunt who has cancer. She looks adorable! (See the Before & After pics at top.)

My brother is still living with us and we got news today that he got a job! Yeah for Sam!

This Fall will be abnormally busy for us. Monday nights Dustin and I are providing child care so that others can take the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class. Tuesday is Women's Bible Study. Wednesday is golf for the kids and Bible Study for Dustin. Thursday will be soccer for the kids starting next week. We normally don't jam pack our weeks like this but it is only for a short season so we are going to plug away.

Currently off the shelf...

VIOLENT PRAYER by Chris Tiegreen

Wow. Can I just say wow again? I really enjoyed this book. It challenged me to think differently and to maybe reconsider previous notions. I am still weighing some things and deciding what I believe but nonetheless I found it very intriguing.

The following passage really struck a cord with me:

"If you find yourself in frequent external battles, remember tha the most powerful internal response you can have is prayer. But the most powerful external response you can have is submission of your actions to God in faith, humility, patience, and mercy. When you display strife, anger, bitterness, retaliation, discontentment, and other fruits of the flesh, the enemy will grab onto them with a vengeance and do everything he can to deface the kingdom of God. When you display the fruits of the Spirit, however, there's nothing for him to grasp. The kingdom becomes very clear, and in your response to evil you become very balanced-in a lot less time than Moses."

Mixing the Unmixable

The last month has been quite tumultuous for our household. We took care of great-grandma for two weeks and learned a lot about our family's history and unfortunately, dementia. Then my brother moved in with us. SHortly there after, Dustin's parents came for a surprise visit. We pretty much had visitors for the whole month and we still have my brother around. All of the new distractions and obstructions to our daily routine has thrown me for a loop. I just wanted things back to the way it used to be. My little family, quiet and peaceful and understanding of all the rules. It was right as I was lamenting that God remind me that He does not desire me to stay inside my little bubble. But I love my bubble! I love that everyone knows where to put things away. They all know what is allowed and not allowed. They graciously put up with my idiosyncrasies and most important, they know the routine!

As I was trying to gain some semblance of normalcy with all the chaos around me, the news was saturated with the BP oil disaster. I watched the gooey stuff flowing out and floating through the pristine ocean. I saw the pictures of trapped wildlife and oil-soaking birds unable to fly. I felt like that oil spill resembled my life. My private, tranquil life had been turned upside down with visitors and changes. The hardest part for me was having visitors that did not understand our desire to live in a way that pleases God. It was like the oil had met the water and we were unable to mix well.... more like impossible for us to mix. God's Word tells us that light cannot be with darkness. We are called to be salt in this world; different from the norm. SO what is it saying when I want to remain in my own salt, with my own salty friends and my own salty church? It means I am missing out on opportunities to grow and opportunities to share my God with others who do not know the Truth.

I heard one expert remark that the hurricane season will be a help and not a hindrance with the oil. With the churning of the sea during hurricanes, the oil will be broken into pieces so much that it will become like the water. That can only happen if the storm is violent enough. And I wondered, will it take a violent act of some kind to transform the lives of unbelievers in my life to a personal relationship with God? One that will bounce them around so much that they finally surrender to a mighty God?

I do know this- I have become to comfortable in my own realm. The question is: What will I do about it?