My Backyard Friends

This little guy visits my backyard every day.


He's a cute little guy - and yes, it's obvious he is a guy! He gets into everything in the yard including my bird feeder. So, despite the fact that I keep the squirrel feeder well-stocked, I've discovered that he'll leave his feathered friends' food alone if I scatter a little seed on the ground.

Look at those little paws. No wonder he can get into mischief!

The birds aren't afraid of him and sometimes they flutter down from their feeder to help gobble up the seeds on the ground. (See the Cardinal behind the rock?)

Here's a better look...

This bad boy is quite mean to the other birds - he'll even run off my doves that are twice his size. But, he's fun to watch in the birdbath!

And then there's this wild critter...

Max is none too happy to share the yard with the rest of them.

And the answer is...

This...

is the inside of this...

And is the new instrument being played by this happy boy...

Who used to play this...

Signed,

One very proud percussion mom

What is it???

Can you guess?

I did not stay up 'til 1:00 AM last night.

I did not go back to bed after Bud left for work this morning.

I did not allow the kiddos to sleep until they woke up on their own.

I wouldn't feed my family cinnamon rolls out of a can for breakfast.

I did not stay in my jammies 'til noon.

I will not eat a very late lunch at a restaurant with my kiddos and friends today.

I will not spend the entire afternoon wandering around the outlet mall with the same kids.

I will not let my kids stay at the pool until well after dark.

I will not let my kids stay up late for the second night in a row.

Actually...

YES, I would!

Welcome to summer vacation 2009! Woohoo!!!

Sabbath Blessings

Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing.”

And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power
belong to the one sitting on the throne
and to the Lamb forever and ever.”

(Revelation 5:11-13 NLT)

Mama Bear

May is such a hectic time for everyone, it seems. The month can be overwhelming at times with all the end of school year activities, programs, concerts, ceremonies, etc. - all piled on top of the regular calendar of activities and commitments. When I'm in a season like this, I'm likely to be more easily angered, more quickly offended... and I'm more likely to bare the mama bear teeth and claws, and to growl loudly at all who would dare to threaten my cubs.

This train of thought reminded me of a post that I wrote last year. When I looked it up, I was surprised to find that it was posted on May 20, 2008. Exactly one year ago today. Reading it brought back the memories of what we were going through at that time, and how similar the circumstances were to those of this year. It also reminded me that "this too shall pass."

So, rather than trying to rewrite what I've already done, I'm going to repost the original.

***************************************************

A quick search on the internet revealed several sites that describe the qualities of mama bears. They all had a common theme.

• Mother bears will not leave their cubs. They are fiercely protective. She will hide her cubs nearby (to keep them safe) while she hunts or fishes. She will put them in a place where they are still nearby, but where other animals are not likely to notice the cubs. If a mother bear feels that her cubs are in danger, she will fight to the death to protect them.


• Mother bears are fiercely protective and extremely devoted, attentive, sensitive and affectionate with their young cubs.


• The mother will fiercely protect her cubs from any perceived danger.


• Mother bears are fiercely protective of their young. You especially don't want to get between a mother bear and a cub.


• A mother bear with cubs will be fiercely protective.

Fiercely protective. Sound familiar? Are you a mama bear? I am.

My kiddos can vouch for this. They say they can see the transformation begin in my eyes. Then it moves to my jaws. The clinching begins. The timbre of my voice drops and sharpens as the volume slightly rises. Sometimes more than slightly. Push me beyond this stage and you’re likely to see the claws, snarling teeth and flying fur appear.

It doesn’t have to be a life or death situation to bring about these protective instincts. And, it doesn’t matter the age of your child. I’m certain that my parents still feel the mama bear tendencies arise when they believe my sister or I have been wronged.

Wronged. Aggrieved. Mistreated. Persecuted. Maltreated. Victimized. Offended. Ill-treated. Injured. Harmed. (I have a great thesaurus. Let me know if you need more words.)

The dilemma in these situations, I’ve discovered, is finding the discernment to know when to unleash the mama bear. Or, when to take a deep, cleansing breath, step aside and let my cubs fight their own battle. Especially as my kiddos are getting older.

How am I doing with this dilemma? Well, it’s a day-to-day process. Some days I get it right. Some days I don’t. My prayer, though, is that my kiddos will know that whether I jump into the fray in their behalf or step aside and allow the battle and its outcome to be theirs, Mama Bear is there. Praying for guidance and protection from the One who loves them even more than I ever could.

And then I return to our family verse:

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. " (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT)

Confessions: Answering a Proust Questionnaire

Because I don’t have any creativity for original writing at the moment…

The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature. Here is the basic Proust Questionnaire.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness? Living a life in obedience to God's plan for me.

2. What is your greatest fear? Death or harm to my children.

3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Lack of self-discipline.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others? It would be a tie between dishonesty and fakeness. (Although, fakeness is really just a form of dishonesty, isn’t it?)

5. Which living person do you most admire? My husband.

6. What is your greatest extravagance? With my husband’s blessing, the manicure that I get every other week. (Bud says it’s worth it every time I scratch his back!)

7. What is your current state of mind? Calm

8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Is there such a thing? Although, I do despise "honesty" used as a disguise for maliciousness!

9. On what occasion do you lie? Possibly to spare someone deep hurt. Although, I prefer avoidance over lying if at all possible.

10. What do you most dislike about your appearance? As much as I like lists, I’m not going to start this list right now. Ha!

11. Which living person do you most despise? Child abusers and molesters.

12. What is the quality you most like in a man? Integrity. (See my answers to questions number 5 and 30.)

13. What is the quality you most like in a woman? Integrity.

14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “Apparently” and “No, what did YOU say?” (The latter just to irritate my kids!)

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life? My husband.

16. When and where were you happiest? Now! At every stage of life I think, “This is the stage I’ll look back upon and think was the best.” Then, I reach the next stage and think the same again!

17. Which talent would you most like to have? To be a great singer.

18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? More self-discipline.

19. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Being a mother.

20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? A cat because they have nine lives. Right?

21. Where would you most like to live? On the coast – preferably in a southern region.

22. What is your most treasured possession? Videos of my children over the years and linens/quilts that were made by my great-grandmothers.

23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Godlessness.

24. What is your favorite occupation? Homemaker, baker, writer. In that order.

25. What is your most marked characteristic? I’m the boss. Don’t believe it? Just ask… I’ll tell you!

26. What do you most value in your friends? Faithfulness/loyalty.

27. Who are your favorite writers? In no particular order: Jane Austen, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Janette Oke, Robert Frost, and Betty Crocker.

28. Who is your hero of fiction? That would have to be Betty Crocker! (I'm not going to debate this answer. Betty is a fictitious character and she's a hero in my kitchen - which completely qualifies my answer!)

29. Which historical figure do you most identify with? I’d like to say Ma Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie) but I’m not sure I could live up to her standard. My husband has dragged me all over the country (VA, to TN, to IL, to TX) but he never made me do it in a horse-drawn wagon or required my help to build our home with my own two hands. But, I do like to think that I can “roll with the punches” like she did! (Updated to add: When I said Bud has "dragged me all over the country," I didn't mean to imply that he made me move against my will - I've happily anticipated every move we've made and fallen more in love with each home/community than the prior one. I simply meant that we've moved more often than many couples and each time to a very different region of our country.)

30. Who are your heroes in real life? My dad and Bud. Both are godly men of integrity who live their lives for the good of their family.

31. What are your favorite names? My kids’ names: Burrito and Kat.

32. What is it that you most dislike? Lack of integrity.

33. What is your greatest regret? I don’t have any great regrets – just things I might have done differently.

34. How would you like to die? In my sleep at a very, very old age.

35. What is your motto? There’s no guarantee of tomorrow!

So, who's up for answering next??