I am obsessed with really like the Olympics. I like rooting for America. I like seeing the stories of the athlete's dedication and perseverance. I really like it when the Americans win! I even like the sappy profiles on NBC. I watch sports during the Olympics that I don't normally watch. Speed skating, skiing, snowboarding, the biathlon, hockey, curling- you televise it, and I'll watch it! (Especially if the US might win a medal!)

The downside of the Olympics is that the television coverage lasts into the wee hours of the night. I have to make myself stop watching around midnight. (OK, it's been 12:30 a few nights.) And I wake up late and I'm tireder and less patient the next day. So the past couple of weeks I've been tireder and a little less patient, and our home is certainly messier.

Now that the Olympics are over for two more years, I'm really going to try to get to bed ON TIME! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

One thing that I've really noticed this year is the athlete's reaction to winning silver or bronze. I loved watching Elisabeth Goergl of Austria ascend the podium for her bronze medal. She was so excited she was jumping up and down. For a bronze. Watching her made me happy. And Joannie Rochette's bronze was so touching. Even Apolo was humble and gracious when another's mistake may have cost him the gold or silver.

And then there's Evgeni Plushenko. Who appeared extremely disappointed about his silver during the medal ceremony. And who then declared that he deserved the gold in a subsequent interview. And who had a platinum medal (now removed) from the Vancouver Olympics on his website. A gracious loser he was not.

But then again, all too often, neither am I. I have never been in the running for Olympic gold. I would be thrilled just to compete in the Olympics! (I would even be thrilled just to watch an event live!) But when I get upset because my neighbor has a better car or my friend is building a beautiful new house or another blogger can afford clothes that are out of my price range, I think the rest of the world would view me like the embittered Russian skater. Most people in the world don't have a car at all. Most of them live in a home a fraction of the size of ours (many with no electricity or running water!). I spend more on clothes than many people make in a year.

I want to live a life of contentment and joy. Contentment when I have little or when I have much. Joy in what God has given me, even He has given someone else more. I want these two qualities to point others to God. And when contentment and joy overcome disappointment, people will notice. I noticed Elisabeth Goergl's joy in winning the bronze and rejoiced with her. May my joy even when I see someone come out ahead be even more contagious. Because my joy isn't in winning a medal or competing well in an athletic competition. My joy is in the Lord!

Yesterday the mailman delivered my new rain boots. Today God delivered some rain. And my feet were warm and dry! Sometimes it's the small things that make me happy.

It's amazing how new rain boots transformed a gray, dreary day that could have been depressing into a day that was kind of fun! So much of life really is my attitude. And far too ofen I allow myself to just see the bad or the hard or the inconvenient rather than seeing those things as an opportunity God is using to develop something new in me.

Consider it pure joy, by brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ~James 1:2-4

I like the Jewish calendar. I like that their New Year begins in the spring. I think it would be easier to reflect on the past, to consider the future, and to make changes in the midst of the newness of spring. The middle of winter is just not a real motivating time for me, no matter what the calendar says! Too cold, not enough daylight, too many cloudy days!

I also think a new day should begin at sunset (like the Israelite calendar) or at sunrise. Why a new day begins in the middle of the night when only those of us who are night owls are awake to see it baffles me. And even though I have seen the beginnings of more new days than I really needed to, they still seem like part of the old day I'm about to finish.

But since I don't think we're going to change our calendar or our clock after so many years, I guess I'll just have to deal with it. The great thing is that every day is new with God. His mercies really are new every morning! And every evening! And even at midnight when I'm supposed to be asleep but am not! So even though I've messed up some of the goals (I don't do resolutions.) I've chosen for the year, I can start over today. Maybe I'll start with going to bed before midnight!

Sometimes we have a flood of activities. In the last five days I have :

*Made cute doll t-shirts and purses at Michaels (for free!)

*Brought Faith, Joy, and Grace to a total of four Nutcracker practices

*Attended a birthday party

*Attended a college ministry swim party in which the only people swimming were my girls

*Went to church

*Hosted our small group at our house

*Quickly cleaned up (as best we could) for small group

*Watched a friend's children

*Taken the girls to a total of three dance classes

*Eaten out with Paul and the girls

*Stood in line for 30 MINUTES at Stuffmart!!! (With all four girls!)

*Went to and helped at our first 4-H meeting

*Helped Paul lead a class for engaged couples in our home (and cleaned up and made a dessert for that)

*Homeschooled the girls

*Went to Wednesday night church

*Witnessed this last night on the way home



The picture doesn't do God's creation justice. And there was a second, fainter rainbow above it that disappeared by the time we got home. As I was thinking about the rainbow today and what it means, I realized that not only does God promise never to flood the earth with water, but He also promises never to allow my life to become flooded with more than I am able to bear in Him. Psalm 142:3 says, "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path."

God does know my path, and when I am following Him, He will lead me beside still waters and restore my soul, even in the midst of what may seem overwhelming.

Wow, I can't believe January is almost over and I haven't updated the blog! I had great intentions of sitting quietly and praying about what goals God would like me to achieve this year and then blogging about all my good intentions. But in our house, sitting quietly doesn't happen all that often. And when it does I usually would rather read a book. Or take a quick nap. Which I read yesterday in my issue of Southern Living is good for you.

I have spent a little bit of time thinking about what I want to change this year. Mainly this time was when I was getting ready in the mornings, so my thought processes were interrupted by thoughts about whether I had moisturized or not and which leg I had just shaved.

The good thing about waiting until January is that I can give an update of my progress in my goal areas. (And maybe not mention any areas of complete failure!) This year I knew I needed to be more consistent in teaching Faith and Hope science and history. The fall was more hit-and-miss than I would have liked. And we have really done good this month! I even learned how to use the interlibrary loan system so we can have an expanded pool of books to use for history!

I also NEED to become more organized. I have several areas of my home that REALLY need work, so I came up with a mental schedule of which area to work on which month (with a month or two of catch-up or rest built in). January I wanted to organize the linen closet by the girls' bathroom. I just have the top shelf left! I also organized my MANY e-mails, either deleting or archiving the old ones.

I wanted to cook more and eat out less, and we have done pretty well here as well. The times we have eaten out have been planned times and not just because I didn't have a plan for supper. I have also been getting back in the habit of using coupons. If I were organized I would know how much I have saved so far, but I know I have saved close to ten dollars in addition to using a fifteen dollars in gift cards that came as bonuses from prior purchases. And everything I used coupons for was stuff I regularly use. So not too bad.

The thing I've struggled most on is actually the most important thing! My Bible study and prayer time has been sporadic lately, and I NEED to be consistent in spending time with my Father. Sadly, I haven't seen much change here. But I know God is faithful and He will enable to do this. Since I'm not a part of a group Bible study at church, this requires more self-motivation on my part than I needed in the fall. But my relationship with God should be motivation enough!

Now I'm off to read God's Word before reading a story (which I got through an interlibrary loan) to my girls!

There are so many things I don't know about Heaven. But I do know this: There are no allergies in Heaven! Praise God! I have been dealing with major allergy crud since Friday. I have been stuffy and had a sore throat and a cough. Sometimes I feel OK, and other times I feel lousy. So I've been vacillating about whether to go to the doctor. I don't have time to go until Thursday, so I have some time.

Of course, the week I'm feeling bad is the week we finally are able to get carpet installed. Faith and Hope have had cement floors for TWO MONTHS now! So I guess it's about time. Had we known this weekend that the carpet installers were coming today, we could have painted the final coat of paint (the orange took THREE COATS) on Faith's walls and move ALL THE STUFF out of the girls' rooms. But since I found this out yesterday afternoon, we had to do all that last night!

Oh, and Paul invited our Sunday School class to our house on Friday for a gathering. (Hey, maybe they can help us organize the girls' rooms! That would be a fun evening, wouldn't it?) Or maybe not. So tonight we get to move everything back. Or actually move the big things back, since I want them to go through their toys and smaller things before we move them back.

As I think about the mess and the trouble that painting three rooms and putting new carpet and floors in has been, I think about the improvements God is making in my life. Sometimes I have to get rid of some things. Sometimes He moves everything around. Sometimes when I let God fix one part of me I realize how much another part of my life needs attention. (The new floors made me notice my dirty walls more than ever!) And one day, my home and my life will be beautiful and orderly inside and out! Until then, I must continue to patiently submit to the changes, even when they are inconvenient and I have three rooms of furniture and stuff in my living room and dining room. May my life and my home both be a reflection of His glory!