Last Year...

These were taken at our "parking lot" it is around the corner of our house in some Assembly of God parking lot. I'm not sure exactly how old Ellie is but Athanasius is small enough that he was in the stroller. She looks a lot younger. Now Nayshe is allowed to run around. When they are older it is going to be a fun place to ride bikes.






These were taken at Dowling Park. We love parks. They are free and so much fun. Clayton usually finds some stranger to talk too. Which I think is hilarious, because that is what my Dad always does. I talked to someone at the grocery store the other day and Clay said he was proud of me. :) We balance each other.





Ellie can do this now and is very happy about it. And Mommy isn't scared anymore. :)



There is something about this one I love a lot.





He makes me smile.



These last few were also at Dowling. These crazy kids crack me up. :)



And lastly, this was our pet for a couple days. He was huge and awesome. Clay and I would catch bugs and throw them in the jar and we would all watch as he devoured them. Then Mommy screwed the lid on all the way (I thought Daddy did it and it went well...) and our poor pet was no more. But it was fun while it lasted.

Hopefully more old pictures coming soon!

Creation and Comfort

Last night Clayton and I watched a documentary on the late photographer Ansel Adams. His photography is beautiful and amazing. It is amazing because our God is; He gave us a lot to work with when trying to create pieces of art. Here are some of his images. We found the documentary from the library; it was done by PBS. It seems he was quite the character, but sadly did not know the Creator of all his inspiration.


I kept thinking about Adams pictures today and it reminded me of Psalm 19. It brought me much needed peace and comfort.



"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."

I am amazed at how much God allows unbelievers to enjoy Him, they would not admit that of course. There is something different about Adams' images, I am thankful he was able to take them. And I am thankful for the great canvas God allows us to live in; instead of just giving us a plain and boring place to live our earthly lives.

Book Recommendation

I LOVE THIS BOOK. The story is so sweet and simple. There is a great sense of family unity and using what you have to be creative. The art work is beautiful. I think I really like this book because I did go to school and girls can be just plain mean. But Daddy's are wonderful and have the ability to make a daughter and family feel on top of the world. I cried at the end of this book. I know?? I surprised myself. Actually, I cry every time I read this book! Poor Ellie, what a crazy Mom she has. Also...the kids at our church would appreciate this one...the main character likes to go bare foot! Check it out from your library, and if you do let me know what you think! You might cry too. :)

Decent Films

Clay and I have picked so many bad movies over the years, which is kind of annoying. :) I do not know how my husband found this website, but Decent Films is where we look now before we rent something. He writes good summaries of the movies and then gives it a rating on the side. We have been really pleased so far! If you click on the link it will take you to a review of the movie The Miracle Maker . It is a retelling of the life of Christ. Also, it is a claymation which we think is pretty creative. Ellie loves it, and has recognized a lot of the stories we tell her. Hope this helps in the quest for finding movies for your family!

Christmas in FLA 2010

Ellie took this picture!




My Dad with Buddy.





My Grandma with Ellie.







Ellie sitting with Georgia in my parents backyard. She loves this dog.



My Mom and Ellie.



Ellie, completely zoned out watching a movie. I never thought we would own a dvd player for the van. Eighteen hours on road, it was nice.



Buddy, not quite as interested in the movies.


This is the great family picture Clay got! I am so happy to have this. This is in my Grandma Pat;s backyard. I remember as a little girl helping to clear this, there were so many trees and a crazy area of bamboo. It is a really big, great backyard.


This is Ellie "posing" for the camera. :)


Buddy, really happy with his stick. :)

Hopefully more pictures to come!

Being Faithful With What You Have

I have read so many great and inspiring stories about living debt free, pinching every penny to pay in full for your home or pay it off as soon as possible. These couples did a good thing in being able to do this. However, every one's needs and circumstances are different and usually by the time I finished their story I felt unfaithful in our finances, and not encouraged but discouraged. I felt discouraged because I know our budget and how many areas I cut back, and still I am not able to pay extra on our mortgage. We do not use cell phones. We have an Internet phone that is $35 a year for unlimited local and long distance; we have a prepaid cell phone for emergencies like when the power goes out and we can not use the Internet. I shop at thrift stores, a lot. Most of our furniture has been given to us. I cook and prepare our meals. We had a vegetable garden last year and plan to have one this year. I use cloth diapers for our babies. I write these things to give an idea of ways we try to be frugal. But maybe you are asking, "Brooke, couldn't you pay just a little bit extra on your mortgage?" My honest answer would be "no we can not."

There are three reasons why, in our present circumstances, we will not own our home earlier than later: I want to stay home and take of our children, I want to purchase good, nutritious food, and we want to give to God's church. You do not know how many times I have tried to work and rework our budget, and how merciless I have been to myself because we do not pay extra on our mortgage. I have come to believe, with my husband's guidance, that if it does take us the 30 years to pay off this home we can still be faithful Christians that have served God well with what we were given. Like everything else that can become an idol in our lives -- paying off your home early has the potential as well.

Not in any way do I want to bash the couples that have done this or are trying to do this. Maybe, and I'd like to think so, they were completely faithful in their efforts. If we could fulfill these three goals listed earlier and still be able to pay extra, we would in a heart beat. But we are not going to compromise on those three points. If I am not going to stay home with my children and take care of them what would be the point in even having them while paying someone else to keep them for 8-9 hours a day? My children will remember me being with them more than nice clothes or whatever else a second income could bring in. Second, good food in this house is priority. And it doesn't even look half as healthy as I would like! Kraft mac-n-cheese three for a $1 is no temptation for me. Good, simple food is an investment and savings down the road. Lastly, giving to His Kingdom is wonderful and you always get back more than you gave. You just might not know it at the time. Maybe you are thinking, "But you could give more to His Kingdom later if you owned your home faster." That is true, but there is no guarantee that we will even be here in ten years to do so. We are living now and now is when we are going to give. These three areas mean more to us than "financial freedom".

This humble, poorly written post is for those trying to live faithfully, having babies to God's glory, living in a small house, working hard all week long to feel like you are just making it. You might not have your three to six months income saved like Dave Ramsey suggests (which is wise advice) but it doesn't mean you are irresponsible and unfaithful. I hate to use this phrase because I hear it so often, but "modern Christianity" sets these "faithful" check lists that aren't really necessary. We homeschool our kids, check. We own our home at age 28, check. My wife bakes all our bread, check. And the list can go on. All of these are good to do, but not all of us can do them at the same rate as our neighbor. That is okay. Be faithful with what you have, be encouraged with what you can do financially instead of being discouraged by what you can not, and serve Him faithfully with the knowledge and resources He has given you presently.

Different Season of Life

Right now I have a 3 1/2 year old and 1 1/2 year old. I am not pregnant, yet. :) I have a good amount of energy and health right now. But that could all change, and soon. If God blesses us with another little one around the house, based off of my last two pregnancies I will not have a lot of energy and the yuckiness will try to take over. This contrast hit me the other day when I was thinking about all the lovely expecting gals at church and how I would like to make each and everyone one a yummy lasagna. (I have not hit the casserole stage of life yet, but we do like our homemade lasagna). It occurred to me that this needs to be a season of serving for me. Why? Because I can. I know what it is like to lay on a couch, big and pregnant, exhausted, feeling like life will always be this way. Fortunately it isn't. God remembers us and gives us a beautiful reward for all our hard work and longsuffering. :) Our season's change, and our needs and abilities change. In some months I could be the one receiving a casserole from a friend. Have you thought about this? What season are you in? If you are in a season where it seems like you are constantly receiving, take heart and enjoy it with thanksgiving! I know for me it is hard to receive the help that I need sometimes, but I think that is what God was trying to teach me, to just receive. So, this was my little epiphany the other day --- "Get busy on those baby blankets and lasagnas Brooke...your season may be changing soon!" :) Have a blessed day. Oh! Hopefully pictures from our FLA trip will be up soon. It was so fun!!