PHANEROO \fan-er-o-oo\Greek: to manifest in word or deed.


Thursday, December 27, 2012

Sibling Speak

"Fear my boomer!" said Thor
I think almost all siblings have their inside jokes and special code language. My kids have started developing their own language which involves several key words. I wanted to record it here so I would always remember what those were:

boomer:  a large hammer like instrument or anvil. "Thor's boomer is cool."

whap: to whip. "Whap your horse to make it go faster!"

eyeballs: the balls or globes in the eye sockets. "Look into my eyeballs!" (For some reason this one brings on lots of laughter...I don't know, I just live here.)

X eyes: what happens to a cartoon character's eyes when it gets hit very hard by another character. "Jerry has X eyes!" (Again, lots of laughter.)

Do your kids have a special language or commonly use nonsense words? Share them here.

P.S. Charlotte has started singing "This old man..." But because she thinks it says "This snowman..." She sings it every time she sees a snowman. It cracks me up!

Monday, December 3, 2012

Eviction Notice


TO:      Mr. Seasonal Influenza (nickname: Flu)
            (Tenant Name)
             46X0 Hacking Cough Drive                         
            (Street Adress)
              K-town, TN   37X1X                              
            (City, State, Zip Code)


Pursuant to the provisions of RSA 540:2, you are hereby given an eviction notice and notice to vacate, on or before     Dec. 5        , 2012  , the premises and appurtenances owned by
      our family       of the City of    K-Town   , in the County of      K County     , Tennessee, which premises are now occupied by you.

The reason for this eviction notice is:

/    X    /  Behavior by you or members of your family which adversely affects the health or safety of the other tenants or the landlord pursuant to RSA 540:2 II.

Dated:     Dec. 3    , 2012                


  Emily, the co-owner of this residence        
  Signature: Landlord/Agent Name



Friday, November 30, 2012

'Tis the Season to Be Purposeful

If you are like me, you appreciate well compiled, organized, easy to follow plans. It's nice when someone does the work for you, and all you have to do is magnetize a calendar to your fridge directing you to a meaningful and purposeful way to spend the holiday hours with your family. Here are some of those great resources that I appreciate so much. I hope you do, too.


Free Kids' Advent Calendar from Kids Corner


Advent Conspiracy: Turn Christmas Upside Down {worship fully} {spend less} {give more} {love all}


And in case you have time to read, Noel Piper's book Treasuring God in Our Traditions covers more than just Christmas traditions. It will spark ideas for other year-round family traditions centered on Christ.

As for us, we are looking forward to breaking out the Bible verse paper chain during the month of December and adding links to it.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Busy Is About to Get Busier

I really do enjoy the holidays. Seriously, I do. But seeing that I'm a woman of routine and predictability, I'm not too excited about the next two months of busy-ness that comes with Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm pretty sure God did not intend for our lives to be that way. I'm hoping to shift my focus, learn to go with the flow, and enjoy moments with family and friends. This will probably entail paring down the shopping lists and pacing our schedule so little ones don't become over-tired and too cranky to enjoy the specialness of the season. And, it will involve a whole heart change for our family of six.

BJ and I just recently became members of a church, Buffat Heights Baptist Church, just a couple of miles from our house (compared to SHBC which was a 30 minute drive for us). The change was preceded by lots of prayer. We feel blessed to be a part of a fellowship of believers in our own community who share a burden for lost souls in neighborhoods and businesses that surround us. We feel challenged by the Bible teaching led by our Pastor and humbled by the openness of new people we meet every week in Bible study.

However, we do seriously miss our family at SHBC. I'm certain we will always feel a connection to SHBC. After 13 years there, we had built some amazing friendships that will last a lifetime and into eternity (isn't that cool to think of?!). We are so blessed to have been discipled and challenged at SHBC by some of Knoxville's (and Tennessee's) greatest Bible teachers and leaders. It's so cool how God works all things for our good.

We are now in the process of transitioning into serving and learning how to minister and grow at Buffat Heights. Pastor Dave is challenging us to think differently about the holidays. I have come to welcome his messages with an open heart because it was just what I needed to hear as "busy is about to get busier." If life swirls out of control, I will miss the intention of sharing the love of Christ during a season when so many hurting people become acutely aware of the gaping hole in their hearts and lives.

I suspect Christmas this year will look a little - or a lot - different at our house. And no, we aren't throwing out the Christmas tree just yet. And yes, the kids will probably receive a gift or two. But just as we give and share with those closest to us, we also hope to focus on those we haven't even met yet. I'm certain God will make us aware of families, couples, children, and individuals who need the love of Jesus, if we slow down and take the time to see them around us.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Profound

After being warned and then spanked for climbing and jumping from an unsafe location, Griffin eventually fell and bumped his head after a similar attempt. He cried and told his daddy, "My heart told me not to do it." I know that feeling all too well!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

No-Sew Sock Animals



The kids and I goofed off one day this past week because we needed a break from the ordinary school day. We came across a website explaining how to make sock animals. How fun is that!! Once we got started we just couldn't stop. We ended up with four platypuses (or is that platypi), one bunny, and four little purses for carrying the animals.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

13 Days Down, 167 To Go

This year BJ and I decided to bring Lily and Schaeffer home full time to homeschool 5 days a week. (Last year they had been attending River's Edge 3 days per week, although we are continuing to use RECA for our umbrella program so we can do fun events with them). In July, as I counted down the days left in the summer break, I could not have felt any more overwhelmed. But today I could not be any more pleased. Homeschooling is going so well! I don't say that in a way to claim any credit for the way its going. I have numerous friends to thank for their encouragement and a God who never leaves my side. I don't have any plans to share on this blog any fabulous insights into homeschool-dom. Frankly, I hate those blogs and websites that say "Oh look at this fabulous Egyptian pyramid my kids made out of macaroni, graham crackers, and glitter glue!" I'm so glad those moms have their act together and have the time and supplies to pull off such a feat and to find time to post step-by-step photos of the process on their blogs. I'm convinced that other things have got to be missing in their lives because its just not possible to do it all no matter how perfect the blog life looks. (My spice cabinet is not alphabetized, and because I don't want to feel insufficient, I try to avoid websites that make me feel as such.)

So when I say homeschool is going well, that means we are accomplishing reading, writing and math nearly every day that we set out to do school. Our dining room now looks like a classroom instead of a pretty place to display heirloom china. I'm okay with that, though. The kids have immediate access to their schoolwork, which they never hurry to get out, and to their art supplies, which they frequently splay across the table and floor. Homeschooling so far has been a rewarding experience. I get to see their excitement and curiousity when we learn something new. We spent a great deal of time researching the cause of volcanoes (because they were mentioned in our history lesson) all to find out that scientists don't really know what causes volcanoes. There are some well-researched theories but no definite conclusions. I like that we don't have a textbook answer for everything and that several sources say different things. That gives us a chance to think and talk and theorize on our own. We also spent a great deal of time talking about, drawing, imagining, and pretending to be Behemoth and Leviathian (interesting dinosaur creatures written about in the book of Job). As you can tell, I'm all geeked out about learning some new stuff too.

If all continues to go well through the school year, Lily will accomplish 2nd grade and Schaeffer will complete Kindergarten (and Griffin and Charlotte will not feel too badly neglected).

Saturday, August 11, 2012

LeConte Lodge - A birthday celebration

BJ surprised me with reservations at the LeConte Lodge on top of gorgeous Mount LeConte! We packed our backpacks, filled our Camelbaks, dressed in our trail running gear and hit the Alum Cave Trail Wednesday morning (my actual birthday). We arrived at the top of Mt. LeConte around 3:30 and got settled into our cozy cabin at the Lodge. There is no electricity or running water at the Lodge so everything is quite primitive. They offer kerosene lamps and buckets to collect water from the water pumps around camp. But they do offer fresh linens for the queen sized beds and hot meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was a totally amazing experience! The Lodge is 100% booked during it's open season so reservations have to be made nearly a year in advance - and that's exactly what my amazing husband did for me!!
On Alum Cave Trail

Inside Alum Cave

Taking a break

We made it to the top!

Our cozy cabin that has 3 rooms for other campers.

Cliff Tops

My hunky man on Cliff Tops

One of the amazing views from Mt. LeConte

Getting ready to run back down to civilization the next morning.

The Lodge where meals are served. We met some very cool people here during dinner and breakfast.