An Ordinary Man, part two

"The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children."

I think this quotation from G.K. Chesterton describes the Tom Lee family more than anything I could say.

This was a man who lived and worked and just loved his family and loved his Lord.

We love them for who you were and for who they are. We know that some of them are so young that we will be the ones to pass on the legacy of how great their dad was.


Laughter has not come as easily at our home as it did one week before. An ordinary man has died proving what we all knew...he was not ordinary at all.

An Ordinary Man, part one

"The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children." G.K. Chesterton

I have seen a lot of extraordinary people in the last few days.

Extraordinary men and women were the ones who walked through piles of rubble for their friends. The extraordinary are the ones who picked up china plates that survived a tornado where a father did not. The extraordinary men are the ones who looked through piles of rubble for a wedding ring because a godly man had once loved this family. Extraordinary men are the ones who are crying and working because they love their families and would want someone to care for them if the roles were reversed.

The extraordinary men are the ones who took chainsaws and flashlights and cut through miles of trees, so an ambulance could get through to these precious families. The extraordinary men are the ordinary men who serve an extraordinary God.

My hero is one of those men. I remember the hurrying, the realizing things had gone terribly wrong for our friends. But it was not until I put him in the car in the storms with a chainsaw that I knew for a brief moment that this could be our last time together as well. We had no idea what he was facing. We laughed (as we always do) because we were just throwing everything in his car. To break the tension, we quoted our favorite Toy Story line, "don't forget your angry eyes" But that was the last of laughter for a while even for our family.

My hero is ordinary because he loves his family and knows that Tom loved his family. For that my extraordinary hero sat in ambulances, drove to different hospitals looking for children for a mother who needed to know where her little ducks were. My hero sits at my table and cries because two of our dearest friends are in wheelchairs.

All of those people you see on t.v. have a story. The ones whose homes are gone and the ones who are helping them. Take the time to see what Jesus sees. A world that needs His love when all else is crumbling.

Then go be an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and together you will be extraordinary.

Our Garden

Maggie: Isn't she SO cute?

The Dog Kennel!

The "Long Garden" (We also have the Short Garden!)

Well, it is warming up fast here and we are beginning our garden. Our potatoes are growing wonderfully, the strawberries are starting to produce, the onions keep getting taller and taller, and it won't be to long before we have blueberries!!!

We are so excited about our garden. The work is hard. The weather is hot and humid during the summer. The fire ants HURT!!! OW! But, it is very worth it to have fresh tomatoes, potatoes, and onions from the garden!

How are your gardens?

Mommy's Hero

A little man to bring joy to our day, smiles to our faces, and warmth to our hearts!

Fresh Food

Fresh Fruit Straight out of the Garden!

The Red Berries are full of sweet juice, they are SO much fun to find out in the garden after weeding for a while!

And they make for great photo-ops! :)

What will they remember...

When they are older,
grown,
gone,
When they have flown the nest...

What will they remember,
recall,
love,
What will they smile over?

The work,
math,
chores,
the Toil of Everyday Life?

The sorrows,
death,
sickness,
The Curse of Fallen Man?

What will stick out to them,
remind them,
cause them to laugh,
What will they tell their kids?

Will it be the tears,
the time you finished the mathbook,
the time all the socks in the house were put away,
The time all the tasks you had wanted done were done.

Or will it be the boring times,
the unscheduled times,
the crazy times,
The times you didn't plan for.

The times that seem unsubstantial,
unimportant,
there are other things to do.

The cuddles on the sofa,
the talks late at night,
the surprises,
And the walks in the afternoons.

As a mom, you want to have it together.
To keep up with the Jonses.

But, remember... what will they remember?

Pondering

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Pi Day!!!!

3.14 = Pi Day!!!

1. An irrational number
2. The Guinness-recognized record for remembered digits of π is 67,890 digits, held by Lu Chau , a 24-year-old graduate student from China. It took him 24 hours and 4 minutes to recite to the 67,890th decimal place of π without an error.
3. Open Question: Is it a normal number?
4. It is a GREAT excuse to make a pie - which I did!!!! Key Lime Pie is on the menu!!!!!

Happy Pi Day!!!!!

Mothering Gone Wrong

My mom was reading Mothering in the Trenches yesterday. The author was talking about how kids relate well to stories, analogies, and the like. My dear Mother decided to give it a try...

After a time of listening to three little people in our house have a dispute, my Mother decided this would be a great time to impart wisdom in story form to these young sinners.

Mommy: Guys, do y'all know what chickens do to each other? They pick on the those beneath them. It creates the pecking order. The hurt they weak ones and leave sores. They pull their feathers out. It kills them eventually.

Completely missing the point, dear daughter #1 interrupts here.

Dd1: Do they eat them?

Mommy: What

Dd1: Do they eat the dead ones?

Mommy: No, I don't think so. Now, I want to think about how you all are like the chickens. You are tearing each other down with your petty arguing.

Dd1: Who eats them?

Mommy: I don't know.

Dd1: I think its the hawks. They're the ones that eat them.




Do you think she got it? Haha!! Life as a Mother!

Snapfish has a Surprise for YOU!!!!

Okay, this is a short break in normal blog posts to let you know about the wonderful deal on Snapfish this week!!!

We LOVE Snapfish! They are so easy to work with and their prices are so wonderfully low!!!

Right now they are offering a special: A FREE 5x7 Photo Book with the purchase of a 8x11 2011 Calendar.

Free 5x7 Photo book with purchase of 8x11 2011 Classic Wall Calendar Code: WC5X7 2/28

They also have other deals that I will be revealing this next week. Keep your eyes out.

We usually order things and keep them hidden for birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and other "special days"