Winter Frolic

My Lift Ticket

This year, with the retirement of Pastor Semel, Mom and I volunteered to organize Winter Frolic. And if I do say so myself, it went well! Though others may think I was crazy (see picture below) to volunteer... (I'm not fishing for compliments. :P).

Me and Dee

Friday evening, we all met at my house for food and fellowship. It was nice to see so many old friends and make new ones...

Emily and Hannah

And Tricia's scone recipe was quite a hit!

Dee and Andrew

Saturday was great. Many of us were new to skiing, so we could all try this new adventure together. Stella and Jerry were particularly adventurous, as they hadn't planned on skiing.

Stella and Jerry

Even I skied. Gasp. Shock. Horror. It's my firm belief that the Berry children shamed me into it. :O) But, I had a marvelous time. I even made it down the mountain... once. :P

Atticus

Atticus was the life of the party on Friday and Saturday. His cheerful grin was infectious.

Aaron, Dr. Shaw, and Dee

Saturday night we all met again at my house for an evening meal... and games. (None of my pictures from Saturday turned out very well. Bummer.)

Jenga!

The "12 questions" game really reveals how much you know or understand about people. And I came in second. Yes! Pwn. Though, I'm sure I had a distinct advantage with 3 relatives playing.

Sarah and Phillip

Dee and Andrew were absolute heroes in the Powell household that weekend. Their constant service in preparation and cleanup was not unnoticed. Thank you both so much!

Happy and Tired

Can't wait until next year!

The Danger of Organization

Is that your cat will decide she likes the top of your bookshelf for napping. :O)

Digesting Wormwood

What exactly is the point of reading a book if you don't learn from it? If you don't take any value from it? Reading just to read is not enough. Learning to appreciate the good, the true, and the beautiful is an excellent beginning - especially in regards to fiction.

C.S. Lewis writes an interesting, fictional story with lessons for this mortal coil with eternal implications. And I'm so glad we read The Screwtape Letters this month. Add your comments and thoughts about Lewis, Screwtape, and the like. I'm still processing, but I'll share soon.

Picture Credit: Google Image Search

My Sunday School Kiddos

Aren't they adorable?

"I'm just not sure how well this plan was thought through"

Soap-Making is back again... At last, the girls and I got together to french mill our homemade soap.

Our plan? To make coffee soap and lavender soap. The first step? Grate several bars of soap.

Add coffee and heat. It churned up "light and frothy." Which wasn't supposed to happen... apparently.

But we poured it into the mold...

And set it outside to harden.

Next, we tried lavender soap. It churned up "light and frothy" too. Ugh.

Despite this, Kelsie diligently scooped out lavender soap into the mold.

While the soap turned out squishy, it still is good for washing hands. And the lavender is pretty. There's always a silver lining, yeah?

We'll definitely have to try again sometime.

What would we do with a basket?

For my part, I use them to keep everything neat and tidy. Take that Bessie! :P As promised, I am sharing my improvements to "a place for everything and everything in its place." When my baskets came in the mail, I knew it was time to display s'more of my organizational stuff.

If you are anything like me, your desk houses papers, markers, pens, Sunday school material, paper, magazines... And anything and everything else. While my second shelf on my desk had previously been the "catch all/junk" shelf, the basket arranges it all.

Magazines, markers, index cards, thank-you notes, and DVDs are now all neatly deposited in various baskets. And they look peachy on my bookshelves. Organized and Spiffy.

JA Club: Edition 2011

Finally! JA Club has started again... this year, Masterpiece Theater's schedule has been weak, so we decided to supplement with some BBC period dramas we've never seen... Lark Rise to Candleford is our first stop. The jury is still out, but the first two episodes were fun. And I was not a little reminded of Cranford.

But more than watching the movies, I enjoy the fellowship of these godly women. I'm so glad to be able to host them in my home!

♫A Perfect Day♫

Everyone knows it is poor blogging etiquette to post twice in one day, and no self-respecting blogger would ever do it. Especially twice in two days. Well, I guess I've just proven I'm not a self-respecting blogger. Bummer. Busted. :O)

Today was so beautiful; it made me long for Spring. And I'm the girl who loves snow - loves the pretty winter scene... Yet, today, I could imagine this weather lasting forever! I couldn't resist taking pictures outside. And my trusty brother is a great camera-man.

Another Duck face?

Today was also a day to finish some projects, to spend time with my grandfather, to read Wodehouse, and to get my hair cut! At last. Whew, I needed it.

These are my random thoughts at the end of the day. Until tomorrow, my readers.

Shark Attack

Quick! Make your best "shark" face. Is it as good as the ones below?

Jude

Playing "Sharks & Minnows" involves some serious intimidation. :O)

Evangelia and Maggie

Don't you think?

Noah

And we had to sing "Baby Shark."

Dee says this is my "rock star" move... Personally, it's a little scary.

See? Evangelia thinks so too!

Screw Up with Screwtape

Sorry, y'all! Apparently my brain was switched off while I was figuring out how many chapters of Screwtape to read per week. Therefore, we need a massive reorganization. (Well, maybe not massive. :O) I'm currently on chapter ten... I need to read approx. two chapters a day to finish the book by the end of February.

Just figure out what you need to read!

I'll start a discussion post soon. I hope. :P

Picture Credit: Google Image Search

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Happy Birthday, Dude! Your steadfast example of loving God and desiring to be with Him is a great example for  me. I love you. And only 24 more years... you'll be 102! :D

Daddy Doesn't Know Best

This commercial disgusts me... "Clearly, Daddy is a buffoon who has no clue how his daughter should dress. Mom and Daughter will outsmart him with the help of super-duper Tide. And then Daughter will patronizingly pat Daddy on the head, as if to say, 'Oh, Daddy, I just know better than you. Don't tax your poor little brain.'" Ugh. The advertisement is offensive on so many levels. Firstly, Daughter doesn't trust her father. She figures she know better what is appropriate. Secondly, Mom undercuts father's authority. And Tide approves. (I hate pitting parents one against the other.) And lastly, the Father doesn't directly state his rules... he weasels (or sneaks) his will around. Where is his leadership? Why doesn't he stop his daughter? Why doesn't he talk to his wife about her subverting his authority? This is a family gone a muck. And Tide believes this will make me want to buy their product? Guess again.

Even advertisements have a worldview.

Sing praises to the LORD

"Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His deeds." Psalm 9:11

Infinite and Penitent

Listening to this song today made me smile. Hence, I share it with you. Here's hoping you love it just as much as I do. :O)

Hearing by the Word

And my point is...

I’ve been thinking about worldviews again. Maybe it’s Understanding the Times, maybe it’s listening to Dr. Greg Bahnsen’s lectures on apologetics, or maybe my friends have inspired me. And perhaps it’s a combination of all three. In any case, the clock says 11:35pm, but I cannot sleep until I write my thoughts.

Rationales, reasons, evidences, presuppositions… How do we share, defend, articulate, and argue for the truth? To unbelievers? In what manner do we discuss these things with them?

What does Jane Austen have to do with Apologetics?

 In Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Anne Elliot expresses my mind exactly, “My idea of good company… is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company” (108).  I’m crazy about a good discussion. Even with disagreement, there is something incredibly stimulating about it. And, understanding and knowing the other side of the debate is half the battle – in this a comparative worldview study is invaluable. In what rationales, presuppositions, & evidences does the world believe? On what do they base their lives? What are their flaws? How do you demolish them? How can you demonstrate the truth in this argument? What good evidences can you present? Can you challenge their presuppositions?

The Bible

However, challenging an unbeliever’s presuppositions and breaking down his reasons can only take you so far.  It is not persuasive arguments, eloquent orations, or an extensive worldview vocabulary that saves the day (as helpful as these are). Only the word of God can change a man’s heart. Only the scriptures can win the battle. Only the Holy Spirit, by means of the God breathed gospel can bring the dead man to new life.

Hence, while we practice the challenges and review the arguments (and there is great benefit in such endeavors), we would do well to remember what takes the day.

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Romans 10:17


Picture Credit: Google Image Search

Chid and Chartreuse

It's been more than a month since I've blogged about my little friends... I've missed it.

"Chid." See it?

Confused about this post's title? Don't know what a "chid" is? Neither do we. Apparently, it's into what my sloppy handwriting morphs "did."  At least so Noah claims. :)

Copy work.

Copy work is great! It gives the kids an opportunity to work on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and penmanship. Whoot! And all the while, we can have good discussions.

After we work on school work, it's time for lunch. And The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It's simply delightful. Though, my good friends, the Kincell girls, would probably call my reading "vocal abuse." Especially when I vocalize the doctor of sound: Kakofonous A. Dischord. :D And just what color is chartreuse? Do you know? It's color that the rocks became after Milo conducted the sunrise. Don't ask; you should read the book.

When we're not reading, we take pictures... and make silly faces.

Jude, Noah, Maggie, and Evangelia

Even mine comes out. With Clementine smiles.

Me and Jude

What I Love about Mondays

It seems strange to be posting about Monday on Tuesday, but I'm doing it all the same.

Mondays are a day for housework, etc. in the Powell house. And one of my favorite things *sung, of course, in my Maria voice* is cleaning my room.

It makes me feel bright and sunny to see my room freshly dusted and organized! And it must be done every week, for - if you are like me, you spend TONS of time in your room, and everything quickly becomes topsy-turvy.

Isn't it nice to have a place for everything and everything in its place?

Though, a "place for everything" can always be improved...

I can't wait until some of my organizational baskets come in the mail. More organizational posts to come!