The Year of the Horse

So another Chinese New Year is here, and it is time for the Year of the Snake to slither off.  It was a bad year for many, but not so much for us.  Sure, there were a few moments we'd rather not face again, but on the whole we were blessed as always.  Our daughter is healthy and happy, as you can see in the photo above.  It's an annual tradition now, taking a picture of Madison and sending it out for the Chinese New Year greetings.  This is the sixth one, which means we're halfway through the zodiac.  Six more, and we'll have a complete set of photos - and I'm quite content for us all to take our sweet lovely time on that.

Before the snake slithered off, Daddy must have gotten bitten.  Today was a sick day with lots of sneezing and tissues and things like that.  This may have been a result of too much playing in the snow,  however you can also chalk it up to "it's that time of year."

Nana and Ba-Ba made a break for it this morning, deciding to escape while they could!  They made it back to Florida just fine, which was great news.  Meanwhile, Daddy was working towards getting everything ready for Sunday's service.  Madison, however, was not at school again.  This was unexpected.  The roads seem okay where we are - no ice or snow.  There are, of course, accumulations of snow here or there, but the roads where we are seem passable.  Apparently, elsewhere there are places where travel is questionable.  Either that, or everyone is paranoid.  There are a lot of folks pointing fingers as to who it is that is "guilty" for the massive traffic jam on Tuesday, where people spent twelve hours or more stuck in traffic.  Children were spending the night at schools, due to the slow reaction time of school administrators.  Which again, was due to the fact that nobody saw this coming.  Only at the last minute did the meteorologists start saying this might turn northward - that was Tuesday morning.  Up until then, the refrain heard over and over again was a slight dusting, if anything.  Of course, now the meteorologists are putting out their disclaimers saying, "We did warn you."  But the fact that 8 million people went to work, and 8 million people all saw what was going on outside their windows, and 8 million people all left to go home all at the same time is a strong indication that there was clearly a failure in communication about the forecast.

Again, we were not stuck in the fray at all.  We were blessed.  But there were plenty of individual stories, where you can use the word "harrowing" without feeling like you are exaggerating.

It's still been cold too.  Olaf, our snowman, is still hanging in there, not melted yet.  He's not even really affected at this point, hanging out in the shade, where the temperature has stayed around freezing.  That is supposed to change a little tomorrow, as the temperature will rise and we will probably see all the snow melt.

So here we are, galloping into a new year.  It was nearly a false start, with both Mommy and Daddy feeling under the weather - and some technical glitches in our "Friday Night Live" broadcast on our website.  It took about an hour to get it on the air, and Mommy and Madison were there watching it on the computer when it was all said and done.  This month's episode featured our groundhog puppet, which you'll see again on Sunday.  The big day is coming up:  Groundhog Day!  Now there's one rodent that won't let you down on the forecast, eh?

Snow School

Yep, there's "snow school" again.  It's still pretty chilly outside, so much that there are still patches of snow on the lawn, places where Madison piled it up.

We're feeling a bit under the weather lately, which may or may not be a result of the weather.  Sniffles and fevers sort of wear you down, and the worst part is that a few pills you would normally take to reduce fever - just average over-the-counter stuff, mind you - these pills have gluten in them.  It's a secret little trojan horse that you have to be vigilant about, otherwise we'll deal with what Mommy faced last night.  Just the slightest bit of gluten will cause her system to go bonkers, and she's up late into the night with nasty side effects.

Mrs. Pam sent us a music sheet in an email, so we did face the music, so to speak.  Quickly, Madison was back to practicing her piano, as well as doing some more drawing and reading.  Daddy wrote another message for the upcoming "Storm Chaser" series, one that Josh just finished a mascot for - it looks pretty good:

The series is going to be pretty different, which is always something fun to do.  The research is one of the fun bits, learning about actual storm chasers and weather patterns.  At this point, I could even probably predict the weather just as good as they did this past Tuesday (insert rim shot here).  Here's a sneak peek at one of the messages Daddy wrote recently in preparation for our new series:

“Storm Chasers”

     Storm chasers are a little bit crazy.  You’d have to be, when you’re racing towards a F5 tornado, while everyone else is running away from it.  There’s no question that they’re fearless!  But when you understand the reasons they’re chasing after storms, you’ll begin to see what it’s all about:  they’re trying to save lives.

     Some time ago there was a man out in the wilderness that everyone thought was crazy.  He was completely fearless, and tore a path through all their religious traditions.  But he was trying to save lives.  He went by the name of John the Baptist, and Jesus said there wasn’t anyone greater on the planet.

     A storm chaser is what it sounds like:  someone who chases storms.  As Christians, God didn’t put us here to run away from trouble.  Picture a team of chasers zooming off road to get as close as possible to a twister.  Like them, we shouldn’t be frightened of any principalities of the air.  With God’s help, we can have the boldness of a man like John the Baptist.

     Remember, it’s all about saving lives.  We may find ourselves in some wild situations, doing things we’ve never done before.  But that’s the walk of faith.  Although the atmosphere may seem extreme with situations whirling around you, remember to keep your eyes on Jesus.  He’ll keep you anchored!

     Time is short!  The average time between a tornado warning and a possible strike is only eleven minutes. That’s not much time.  There is an urgency to what a Storm Chaser does, because lives are on the line.

     John the Baptist felt the same way:  he knew that people were in danger.  He had a passion and an “urgent urgency” about him.  That’s what God wants to see in you.  Even now, He’s looking for someone to be bold and just a little crazy, all in the name of saving lives.  That sounds like something right up your alley, doesn’t it?  No question about it, you can be a Storm Chaser!

     In those days John the Baptist came and preached in the Desert of Judea.  He said, “Turn away from your sins! The kingdom of heaven is near.”
     John is the one the prophet Isaiah had spoken about. He had said, “A messenger is calling out in the desert,
 ‘Prepare the way for the Lord.
 Make straight paths for him.’”
     John’s clothes were made out of camel’s hair. He had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.  People went out to him from Jerusalem and all of Judea. They also came from the whole area around the Jordan River.  When they admitted they had sinned, John baptized them in the Jordan.
     John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing. He said to them, “You are like a nest of poisonous snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming of God’s anger?  Produce fruit that shows you have turned away from your sins.  Don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father.’ I tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham even from these stones.  The ax is already lying at the roots of the trees. All the trees that don’t produce good fruit will be cut down. They will be thrown into the fire.
     “I baptize you with water, calling you to turn away from your sins. But after me, one will come who is more powerful than I am. And I’m not fit to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  His pitchfork is in his hand to clear the straw from his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the storeroom. But he will burn up the husks with fire that can’t be put out.”

Matthew 3:1-12 NIrV

1. Be __________.  We don’t have to be afraid of any principalities of the air.  Normal man spends his life avoiding tense situations, but a Storm Chaser spends his life getting into tense situations!  With God’s help, we can have the boldness of a man like John the Baptist.
   “So don’t throw away your bold faith. It will bring you rich rewards.” Hebrews 10:35 NIrV
   a.  windy         b. fearless      c. prepared
   
   
2. Be _________. We may find ourselves in some wild situations, doing things we’ve never done before.  Sometimes it gets a little dark, right there in the middle of your day – but that’s the walk of faith.  Although the atmosphere may seem extreme with situations whirling around you, remember to keep your eyes on Jesus.  He’ll keep you anchored!
   “For we live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV
   a.  crazy          b. happy          c. gone!
   
   
3. Be _______.  People are in the path of danger, and time is short.  It’s all up to you!
   “So keep watch. You do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matthew 24:42 NIrV
   a.  urgent       b. amazed       c. late

This message sort of captures the spirit of a storm chaser, although there are others that refer to specific storm stories in the Bible, most notably the instance where Jesus calmed the storm.  All in all, the writing is coming along just fine - but the interesting thing is that the best work is always done after the "research."  So we're watching more storm chaser material, and sort of getting into that spirit lately.

Speaking of inclement weather, one thing that was not cancelled was ballet this afternoon.  So Madison and Daddy made the trip over the river and through the woods to Brenau.  The snow is still quite plentiful in the woods out there, making the views over Lake Lanier very nice.  Daddy did some reading while Madison did some dancing, and it felt as if for a moment things were back on schedule, and the day was not a total step backwards.

We got home and watched a movie together with Nana, Ba-Ba and everyone all in the great room.  They wanted to watch "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," believe it or not.  This may be a result of fasting candy for so long, but whatever the reason, it was a nice thing to do before bedtime.  It was a later bedtime again though - this because there is no school again tomorrow.  Now the school systems are just acting paranoid - we don't want a repeat of Tuesday ever again on the roads, that's for sure.

So we all tucked in, nice and warm for the evening.  Looking at the forecast, we won't have to tuck in so much in the coming days.  Coinciding with the arrival of the groundhog on Sunday, we'll see soaring temperatures.  Everyone is quite looking forward to that!  Anything that gets us out of the cellar - temperatures in the single digits and teens are not quite what we're used to around here.

National Puzzle Day

We still had somewhat of a "snow checklist" to finish off today, and sledding was on that list.  As we currently don't have a sled, Mommy found us a large cardboard box that would suffice.  A few trips down the hill on the side of the house, and we were set for another epic snowball fight.  Madison will let Daddy focus on building things, or using the snow shovel to clear the driveway, and then sneak up behind him with a big snowball.  As a gesture of kindness, she'll pat you on the back too - only with a big snowball in her hand, rubbing it all over your back.

The snow is something she really enjoys.  I always thought the line in that song, "I want to wash my hair in snow" was a bit odd, but I think Madison would actually have no problem with this.  She would lay down in it, and want to be buried in it, and just throw it in the air over anyone nearby.  Simply put, Madison loves snow.

But come in we did - the snow shovel did it's magic, and soon we were ready to come in out of the chilly air.  Everything was closed today, and it will be closed again tomorrow.  Tomorrow's call is a little over anxious, but nobody is taking any chances after the controversies of yesterday.  Again, nobody saw that coming.

Another thing on the list for today was Ratatouille Uno.  We had this old Uno set that Madison discovered, and she was really wanting to play it for the past couple of days.  With an entire day off, we had time to do just that.  Daddy got inside to discover that tonight's services were cancelled, as was any trip to the office.  I suppose the photo of Josh's car was a sobering reminder of the risks that folks might take to get there.  So, we had the day off entirely, and found ourselves with a few rounds of Uno.

The itinerary took a turn from there, as we noted it was National Puzzle Day.  Ah, what a great idea!  We had a few puzzles upstairs, so we endeavored to set up a 300 piece one with Madison, one with a familiar character on it:

Yep, there's Jack Sparrow again.  This was a group effort, this puzzle, with Nana, Madison and Daddy doing most of the work, and an occasional assist from Mommy.  Madison did quite well with this one, and it took us a little bit to do, especially when combined with an afternoon meal.

Mommy and Daddy are a little under the weather today - we got that from Madison, probably.  She had a bit of a runny nose and sore throat earlier.  The unseen one was the sinus pressure.

We didn't go anywhere today.  We didn't try to either.  Partly because of the above, but the other reason was that it just didn't get above freezing temperature today.  The roads in our neighborhood looked fine, but the shadowy areas on back roads might be just enough to cause trouble.  So therefore, we stayed put.

Of course, there was Infinity.  And there were movies too.  But it was a day "stuck in the house" for the most part, and that was okay.  Poor Nana and Ba-Ba came up from sunny Florida, and they probably weren't expecting this at all.  But as we close, check out this photo we got from the Florida state line:

The Sunshine State indeed!

Snowfall

We've been asking all winter - do you want to build a snowman?  And today, the answer was completely YES!  Here's our version of Olaf above, and he turned out pretty decent!

This amount of snowfall was completely unexpected though.  We were supposed to get a dusting, if anything at all.  Instead, we got 2-3 inches.  This forecast was so off that school buses in our area were frantically trying to get the kids home before things got worse.  And they did get worse:  other schools in the area did not fare so well.  Nobody saw this coming:  as a result, school buses were trapped on roads, and children literally spent the night at schools, trapped there.  Madison's Uncle David spent the night at work, trapped there.  But a lot of folks spent the night actually trapped in the madness that was traffic in Atlanta.  It's a state of emergency, declared by the governor - and nobody saw it coming apparently.  We were all expecting one thing, and the next thing you know, there's panic.  Everyone in Atlanta rushes out of the office all at the same time and tries to get home on roads that are becoming more and more icy.  Accidents occur, back-ups happen, and into the next morning, people are trapped away from home.  We know more than one person who was stuck in this sort of situation, and we really feel terrible for them.

Our friend Josh was in a worse position:  he apparently flipped his car on the way home from church.  He's okay, we hear.  But nobody foresaw that this would be this cold, icy and treacherous.

Daddy went home early from the office today, meeting Madison and the rest of the family safely at home.  The roads weren't dangerous yet, but within an hour they would be.  He timed it just right.  Actually, he probably wouldn't have left early if it weren't for the carpet cleaning that was taking place. The office smelled of cleaning chemicals, and some of us weren't reacting so well to that.  This, combined with the potential of bad weather, convinced us to take a break and go home - maybe doing some work there.

It turned out to be a blessing, those cleaning chemicals.  It drove us home, and apparently just in time.

Of course, we did no work at home.  Josh unfortunately lives much further north, and encountered sheets of ice in his direction, hence the accident.

We lived up north for a time, so we know snowstorms.  A few of our friends do as well, and it irks us all when we hear people currently living up north mocking us for shutting down things.  Clearly, these people have no idea what they are talking about.

Again, fortunately everyone made it home safely.  We had a heavy heart about Josh, but were glad to hear he wasn't hurt.  And so, as it was around 1:00 or so in the afternoon, we got ourselves ready for an afternoon in the snowfall.

It was safe and warm here, with everyone accounted for.  We had a fire in the fireplace, and had electricity too.  Madison and Daddy, of course, went outside and got busy in the snow.

Let it snow!  That's the sign hanging on our door this season, and we've been anticipating at least one good snowfall.  Time to make the best of it while we can, with plenty of fun in the snow while we can.

Here's a shot of Madison taking a shot at Daddy.  This is the first thing she typically wants to do with a snowfall - throw a snowball.  Again and again and again!  We had a bit of a battle in the front yard, with lots of giggling and lots of snow being thrown.  Soon, we were covered in it - but we had plenty of layers on, so we never really felt too cold out there, despite the temperature.  I think it was about 28 or something like that.

Here's a photo of an angel making a snow angel:

She made several of these in the front yard, naming each one after family members and characters from movies she's seen.

Oh, and remember that snow shovel Mommy ordered back in October?  We have Madison down below wanting to use it for a bit:  child labor at it's finest!

She was enjoying this for some reason, collecting big piles of snow to dump and play around with.  She built a big "snowcano," a large pile of snow which she used to sit on when done.  Of course, with the slippery snow around, there's always a place to plop down!

Here she is, having just slipped down on her bottom.  As you can see from her expression, she's just loving the snow!

We eventually came in, quite soaked and cold.  But we had a fantastic time playing in the snow, and are so thankful for the good time.  It's all tempered with the understanding that there are currently people trapped in cars or schools or work, of course.  We pray and hope for these folks, as that story unfolds.  But here at the house, we're okay - safe and warm.

Currently, there's a fire in the fireplace and after a warm bath for Madison, we sat down to watch a movie together with popcorn and big blankets.  The snow stopped just before the sun went down, and some of us were ready for bed after the movie, ready to dive under all the blankets in bed.

Here's one last shot of our Disney Infinity Elsa. We probably should have consulted with her before the day started - it looks like she was in the mood to throw all that snow our way.

"You kind of set off an eternal winter."

Bubble Wrap

Today was National Bubble Wrap Awareness Day, which Daddy prepared for about a month ago.  I think there was one Christmas present that arrived in the mail, shipped here, and I remembered this sacred holiday coming up.  SO, I stuffed the bubble wrap in a hidden spot, so I could bring home some magic.

Yes, it was just like Christmas at the house when Daddy came through the door with a big roll of bubble wrap!  We spread it out on the floor, and everyone started popping!  Even Velcro was stepping on the bubbles, making them pop.  Mommy put on a "virtual bubble wrap" page on the computer, and Madison continued the fun there too.

We take bubble wrap very seriously in this house.

We had a good day today, with thoughts of winter in our minds for tomorrow.  It might snow here, so there's a tiny bit of excitement.  The forecast is an odd one though, as they'll get as much as five inches of snow in Macon, and not that much here at all: probably just a dusting.  But that's enough to shut down the world for a tiny bit.  Though probably not enough to build a snowman.  : (

Madison was back and school, and Daddy was back at work.  Mommy and her parents were off for a bit, but tomorrow is the day of shopping around (should the weather work out).

We had a Thanksgiving dinner tonight, compliments of Nana, who just felt like turkey.  In a dramatic move, Madison tried a bit of turkey, and found it delicious.  This bodes well for our next Thanksgiving, of course!

We did some reading tonight about King Solomon, and did some Disney Infinity as well.  Madison was done with her piano practice for the week, but she still wanted to impress Nana and Ba-Ba, so she played a few songs like "Windy Day" and "Itsy Bity Spider" with both hands.  The first of those songs is actually a slight challenge, as your fingers with one hand are going at a different rate than the ones on the other.  She's doing well though!

Guess what?  We discovered we have a few days off around a weekend coming up:  Valentine's Day.  That, combined with a desire to feel warm again, may send us to Florida for the weekend.  We'll see how that pans out, but it's a good idea in theory.  Today we were looking at pricing for various vacations, although we're wanting to save a little this year.  We're certainly more economy-minded this year than usual, as are most Americans.  It's a gloomy sort of malaise that has settled in, one we hope we can spring out of as a people.

I know there's one thing that can help cheer everyone up.  It's something that is time-tested and true, a source of inspiration and joy, which lifts spirits like a beacon of hope just bursting with the unbridled faith in a world that can only get better!  Yes, there is no question that this would bring about the overwhelming flood of contentment that will drown out the gloomy malaise.  That one thing is:  bubble wrap.

If only we could mention that in the State of the Union, then people would take the President seriously!

Break Fast

Nana and Ba-Ba are here, and so is our old diet of meat and sweets.  It's a return of good things today - that's the theme.  It all started out with the service in the morning, two services actually.  We had our annual "Miracle Prayer Service" at church this morning, the usual service that takes place at the end of the fast.  This has sort of evolved over the years to a point where the pastors and staff pray for everyone, somewhat like the "back to school prayer" service does for students.  Therefore, Madison was prayed for twice this morning - a double blessing!

It was a simple service by design, basically because there wasn't much time for anything else.  And soon enough, we were home again, waiting for the grandparents to arrive.  Meanwhile, we took advantage of the word "break fast," eating chicken marsala and in Daddy's case, an entire dark chocolate candy bar from Christmas.

Madison watched a little television too - ending that fast as well.  She wanted to watch the last train chase of "The Lone Ranger," but not much more of the movie (as it is a little too much for her right now).  She loved that sequence, which is fun, completely unrealistic, and full of hilarious action sequences.

The weather is warming up some, although there is snow in the forecast - a dusting for us, and strangely enough, a lot of snow for places south of Atlanta.  But we take everything as we take our sports championships:  we'll believe it when it we see it!

Madison did finish her piano practice for the week, which resulted in a few Disney Infinity power discs that she wanted to try out.  This incentive is working really well for piano practice - I'm wondering what I'll do when I run out of discs!

Nana and Ba-Ba arrived safely, although much later than usual.  This was because they left a little later, but the trip seemed uneventful.  Even in Henry County, the "Traffic Bane of the South."  There was a happy reunion in the house, as Madison hasn't seen them since Thanksgiving.  Of course, we talk on Skype frequently, which is simply amazing technology.  We can get used to it, but we are from a generation where it was just the sound of someone's voice when talking miles and miles apart.  Now, we can see someone as we talk with them, which is something only seen on the bridge of the Enterprise.  This technology is fairly common now, but it's still wonderful.

Tonight we sat and talked for a bit, but everyone was ready for bed rather quickly, considering the long day and the long trip.  That was just fine - tomorrow we'll have more time to spend together, in fact the rest of the week.

Minion Cakes

Ms. Halston loves the "Despicable Me" minion characters, so Mommy made up these cupcakes tonight for her - they'll be given to her tomorrow, despite the fact that her birthday was two weeks ago.  The reason is that the fast ends tomorrow, and everyone can eat sweets.

Madison made it all twenty-one days without sweets or television - and she filled out her devotional each day as well.  This made Mommy and Daddy pretty proud, of course.  Daddy actually gave her a Disney Infinity figure, Francesco, as a reward for keeping with the fast.  A "fast" character (the race car) for the end of the fast.  Yes, the tie-in was weak, but the appreciation was not:  she wanted to play as the character as soon as possible.  This we did, racing about with Francesco today.

The day was cool outside, again.  We did a bit of grocery shopping this afternoon, first stopping at Aldi's, which is Mommy's favorite destination for shopping and saving.  It's like Goodwill, with food.  Of course, the food isn't previous used.  I think I use that comparison because there seems to be this ravenous popularity in going there lately, something that Goodwill saw a few years ago.  Goodwill's traffic has since gone down (despite the fact that Madison's grandparents will be going there this Tuesday), but the Aldi's phenomenon is alive and well right now.  You can tell it's trending big because the place was swamped.  We went there with Madison, and Mommy turned at one point to tell us that this isn't as crowded as it usually is.  Seriously?  It felt like Christmas shopping at on Christmas Eve in there.  You know that feeling where you're constantly in someone's way?  Yeah, that's going there.

Fortunately, as always Mommy has a list and was on a mission.  Madison and Daddy tagged along, pushing the cart and helping move groceries about.  Madison always wants to be the one to put the items in front of the cash register.  So be it!

We pretty much came home after that, and straightened the house a bit more.  We'll have guests tomorrow, special ones all the way from Florida.  One week from today, it's the Chinese New Year, so it will be nice to have them up for this:  we can maybe try out PF Chang's this year, as they have a gluten-free menu.  Traditional Chinese food, however, is out.  Lots of gluten there, and that just doesn't work with Mommy's diet anymore.

So we spent some time playing games - and we drew pictures too.  Daddy is enforcing the "draw more" policy in the house.  Madison used the step-by-step book to draw a picture of Mike Wazowski, and then she wanted to do a picture of Tigger as well.  We also tried a picture of Pluto - although none (including Daddy's) are perfect, they're all part of the practicing phase.  Madison likes to draw, and we encourage her in that area because the more you do it, the better you get.

Which of course she's doing with her piano as well.  She's not at all challenged for the moment, which is somewhat unusual.  It's like the calm-before-the-storm though!  We're playing two pieces in particular with one hand - and then the other.  Soon, we'll have to play those pieces with two hands, and Daddy will have to give out a few power discs for that as a reward.

We're still reading the Bible at night, as Madison wants to hear it all.  This is so fantastic.  Tonight we read about the prophet Samuel a bit, how he heard a voice calling out to him in the night.  Madison is always asking to hear the next part, and so Daddy gives her a teaser - a hint - as to what happens tomorrow night when he reads again.

Then we pray.  And tonight we prayed for a man named Carman, who is very sick.  He was a big influence early in the history of Christian music, and we have several of his CDs.  We even saw him in a movie this week, and spoke about his battle with cancer.  Coincidentally, he's having his toughest struggle of all this weekend.  Mommy knows what that's about.  Battling cancer is something so completely epic.  She made it though, and we all prayed tonight that he would too.

DAY TWENTY-ONE
Psalm 147:1 says “How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting.” You’ve made it to the twenty-first day of the fast! It’s time to rejoice, and testify of God’s goodness. Are you glad you did it? Are you glad you made it through? Share below how you feel on this last day of your fast.

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Prayer is one of the most important parts of your life, even after this fast. Write down below when and where you intend to pray each day for the rest of this year. It’s very important to keep that schedule – and pray!

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Read today’s Bible story in Matthew 28:1-20. Jesus rose from the grave, just as He said He would. What were His final orders to all His disciples, including you and me?

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The Bible App

Yay, I signed us up for "Daddy-Daughter Date Night."  For some reason, the last two years the thing has been full when I remember to try and sign up for it.  Not this year!  Daddy has been vigilant, checking out the registration website every single day, and by gum, got signed up for it today.  We'll be going in a few weeks, so we'll report on the events then.  That same day, we're signed up to go to another Lowe's project, where Madison will be making something for Valentine's Day.  It should be a fun day together!

Today was a work day, and somewhat of an "off" day for Madison.  Of course, she had school, but afterwards there were no practices to attend to.  She did some of her piano for a bit, and also spent some time reading too.  One app that we're delighted that she's really into:

It tells stories from the Bible, and she's been really into it lately.  How great that she naturally gravitates towards these stories, interacting with them time and again.  The animation is fun, and the method of telling the stories is great for younger ears.  She's been doing this one in the car on the way to ballet, or longer trips, and of course at home in between times.  This is ideal for this time, when she's on a fast and not watching television - instead investing that time learning and reading more about the Word.

Meanwhile, she still fills in her fasting devotional - only a few days left on this one.  She gives thoughtful answers, never trying to hurry it along.  We're so very proud of her with this one.

We've been trying to improve her behavior in a few areas lately though:  staying on task, and cleaning up after herself.  There are rewards for this sort of good behavior, so hopefully we'll be able to keep the positive reinforcements coming along.  She knows when she forgets to pick something off the floor, after being reminded - so it's just a matter of time before she naturally gravitates towards having a cleaner, more organized, lifestyle.  And then we'll send her to the basement to clean it all up!  Just kidding on that one - that area downstairs is going to be a "challenge," as Madison calls it.  We've got quite a bit of straightening up to take care of downstairs.  But that we will, when the weather improves. Currently, it's still quite cold outside, and consequently, pretty chilly downstairs as well.  We don't go there too often this time of year!

We couldn't ask any more of her with her education though.  God has graced us with a smart one, who doesn't take much motivation to finish her homework.  Her only challenge there right now is rushing through it, which leads to mistakes.  But she knows how to do math problems beyond what I believe I could do when I was her age.  She can spell quickly too.  Spelling tests lately have featured larger words, and she's moving through them much more rapidly, without the thoughtful hesitation she had at the beginning of the year.  Also, her reading is getting faster as well.  She reads everything in front of her, which is just fine with us.  We have to stop and tell her what words mean from time to time, but she's always looking around and reading.

And on that note, here's something else to read:  our fasting devotional for DAY TWENTY.  Just one more day to go!

DAY TWENTY
Psalm 98:1 says, “Sing a new song to the Lord.” There is no better way to spend the start of your day than singing a new song to the Lord, or listening to praise and worship. List below some of your favorite praise and worship songs.

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Fasting and prayer help us to focus on God. This is what really matters in life, but there are many distractions. Pray for God to help you with those interruptions that keep you from a lifestyle of prayer and reading His word. List a few of those distractions below, those habits that take up so much of your time.

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Read today’s Bible story in Matthew 27:11-65. Who were the first people to realize that Jesus surely was the Son of God? Jesus was crucified, although He was innocent. He paid the price for a crime – but who was the guilty one who deserved punishment?

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100 Days, 10 Years

Today was Madison's 100th day of 1st Grade.  Nowadays, the 100th day is a big deal, usually celebrated by counting 100 of something.  Last year, Madison made a 100-eye monster, which was pretty fun to make.  This year, we opted for 100 mini-marshmallows to bring in.  Madison hand-counted them to make sure.

She did a few dot-to-dots with 100 points on them, and a few other 100-related things as well, which is all kind of fun.  Tomorrow, we'll celebrate 101, right?

Probably not.  I think the number everyone will be thinking about tomorrow is 7.  That's the temperature in the morning, and the windchill will make it 0.  This is clearly the coldest winter we've been a part of, and still yet no snow.  I ask again, what's the deal with that?

The other number to throw around today is 10.  As in, "10 Years."  Today is my ten-year anniversary of working at the church.  It does seem a long time ago - a lot has happened in ten years.  Obviously, there's Madison.  But a lot of other things have happened too, such as the move from one building to this larger glorious edifice.  Sorry, channeling a little "Bishop's Wife" there.  Anyway, we moved to this new building about ten years ago.  Since then, we've had a shifting cast at KidPak, and even a shift in children's pastors.  The children Mommy and Daddy taught in the third grade Sunday school have all grown up - these are the ones we saw before Daddy was even hired here.  One we keep in touch with:  she's getting married!  This of course makes us feel ancient of days.

Daddy has been writing sermons and skits, and acting and doing so much more for ten years now, at least as a part of the staff.  We were volunteers long before that, starting out with the food ministry and then going to the nursery.  The idea was to prepare ourselves - or at least prepare Daddy - for what it's like to have a toddler around.  That didn't happen until 2008, of course, but for around two years we worked with the nursery.  Then, at one point we shifted gears to help out with the older kids, taking on the responsibility of the third graders.  We were never happy with the curriculum we were given - at least the creative ideas behind it.  We stuck to the bottom line, always, but took things a step further with the class ideas.  Mommy and Daddy were a perfect team, and still are.  This is what God made us to do, and for the past ten years we've been doing it for more kids than just a select group of third graders.  We've been writing skits and curriculum for the thousand or so kids here, and even for a children's church in California.  Soon another one in Gwinnett.

It was a choice to make, working for the church.  Daddy had what he needed from graduate school to teach (we're still so close to that graduate's degree!), and was about to launch out to find a school to teach at, having passed the PRAXIS and taken all required classes and steps to become a teacher.   And yet, there was this job here to take.

Obviously, the right decision was made.  For one obvious reason, the insurance was much better.  We had no idea how this would affect us at the time, but within a few years, Mommy got the diagnosis of cancer that had our world spinning.

The economy dropped out, and a lot of teachers lost their jobs, something unthinkable to begin with.  The prevailing thought was that if you work for the government, you're the last to lose your job, right?  Not so much.  And the teachers with the shortest work history were the first to be let go, regardless of performance.  So many of my classmates were let go, or lost jobs.  And yet Daddy was able to keep his job through that storm.  The storm is still out there - the economy is uncertain, and most Americans have a bleak outlook currently.  We rely on God as always, as he's brought us through the storm and not just into it.

This is somewhat the basis for our upcoming series, "Storm Chasers."  This will be a March-April series, one that will be a lot of fun and excitement.  You'll see stuff for it here, although not quite yet.  Daddy has written about three messages so far for it, some right after watching "Twister" and other storm chaser documentaries.  We got some great ideas - God has always been good to turn that creative fountain on, giving us all kinds of inspiring directions to go in.

When Madison got home today, our direction to go in was ballet.  It's Thursday, so that's where we go. Daddy did some chores while waiting for her, but also was able to finish "The Carpet People," a great old book about a race of people that live... in a carpet.  They're very tiny.

We got home and did our piano, and did our fasting devotional.  Madison is almost done with that one - just a few more days until the fast is over with!  We managed to get all that done, and had ourselves some free time.  The theme of the week on Disney Infinity was "Tangled," so Daddy downloaded the new Rapunzel-themed toy boxes, and we explored a few.  Madison enjoyed it, and is looking forward to getting Rapunzel as a playable character.  That's coming, but not until Valentine's Day, when Daddy wants to do a Rapunzel-theme with gifts.  She'll get that character, a few related power discs, and we're going to go and get a Rapunzel doll from the Disney Store to go with the doll clothing we got her for Christmas.  So all in all, it's Rapunzel for Valentine's Day.  And in case you are wondering, yes, I really just wanted to type out the word Rapunzel over and over again for fun.

Mommy and Daddy did a lot of cleaning today.  One epic project that Daddy was doing was taking off the lights on the new tree we got.  This has taken - and I'm not exaggerating - six hours to do.  There are tiny clips all over, and winding knots of lights on a seven-foot tree.  It's been an ordeal.  To help with that, we watched a few shows while doing laundry and so forth.  We watched "Toys," which I'd never seen before, and a movie based on the story of Ruth from the Bible.  It wasn't that bad, really - and it inspired us to actually use some of the clips when we do our "Walk through the Bible" series on Wednesday nights with the kids.

The neat thing about this was that the part of Boaz was played by Carman.  That was a surprise - we didn't see his name listed in the credits.  But there he was, and he wasn't a bad actor either.  We've always enjoyed his music - back in the day.  Lots of creativity there, always making Christian music fun.  Lately, he's been battling cancer on an epic scale.  Our prayers have been with him since last summer's diagnosis, hoping he can start that concert series he wants to do after he recovers.

It was a good day today, nice and sunny - and bitterly cold.  We stayed indoors when we could, and took Madison to ballet, which she enjoyed as always.  She's getting more and more graceful each day.  Before class, she was practicing a bit in the halls, and Daddy was just enjoying the show.  She's also doing great on her spelling tests - she's already mastered her words for the tomorrow, and we didn't even quiz her that much.  The words are getting longer, but she's also spelling them out quicker.

And that's it for now.  100 days, and 10 years, and it was a day much like many others.  But that's not a bad thing at all!

DAY NINETEEN
Psalm 106:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!” You have almost reached the end of your fast! Look back at the last few weeks, because it is time to reflect. Write down below any special moments you’ve had, and use these warm memories to help you endure until the end!

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Elijah fasted and prayed for direction and to hear God’s voice. Moses fasted to receive God’s law and the Ten Commandments. Daniel fasted and got a revelation. Ezra fasted for protection. Jesus fasted to begin His ministry. Ask others you know why they have fasted, and write down a few of their answers below.

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Read today’s Bible story in Matthew 20:20-28. Jesus told everyone that He did not come to be served. According to His own words, why did He come?

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1

That's the temperature this morning:  1.  Tomorrow we'll experience a slight heat wave when things warm up to a sizzling 7.  You'd think we live in Minnesota or something like that.  Not that I've ever been to Minnesota in the winter time.  We've all seen the images from "Fargo" and movies like that, and no thank you.  Minnesota in the summer time is fine - we were there a few years ago when the weather was just right.  But when it starts to get cold, I'm outta there.

Unfortunately, I can't say that about Georgia right now.  This cold snap is pretty frigid, changing my winter routine somewhat.  We dress in layers now:  even wearing pajamas under our pants, and double layers of socks as well.  I've taken up the habit of wearing a scarf, even.  These are not normal behaviors for a Georgia person!

Madison was dropped off in 1 degree weather this morning.  I think the temperature was below ten somewhere, and the windchill made it around zero, or one.  At that point, does it really matter what the official number is?  It's soul crushing cold out there!

Fortunately, we have tennis practice INDOORS.  Madison and Mommy went to tennis again this afternoon, and Madison had a great time as always.  They have gymnastic training in the same room, and Madison's eyes wander over to the girls practicing on the balance beam, or bouncing over pummel horses.  We asked her which she would rather do:  tennis or gymnastics?  Madison likes tennis better.  She had a great time in class, and is getting better and better with her returns.  Like all things, it just takes practice.  But this is one of the safer sports, and it does keep you moving around quite a bit.

Daddy was waiting at home for Madison and Mommy, as he used his lunch break to spend dinner time with everyone.  We ate together, and spent some time playing games and just generally chatting away - until Daddy had to return.  Always a sad moment when Daddy has to return to work, but tonight's service went very well - even if it was a shorter one in duration.

Madison did her fasting devotional this afternoon, and only has a few days left of that to do.  We're pretty proud of her accomplishing so much with that, keeping up with it and making sure that she doesn't fall behind.  Unlike this blog from time to time!

DAY EIGHTEEN
Psalm 89:1 says, “I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of Your faithfulness!” God helps everyone, young and old! Ask someone older than you to share something good that has happened during this fast. Write it down below so that you can remember it, or share it with others!

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Jesus fasted and prayed before beginning His ministry. It is never too early to start planning for your future! Write down where you want to be in a few years, and pray for God’s help in getting you there.

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Read today’s Bible story in Matthew 19:16-22. The rich young ruler thought all of his possessions that he owned were more valuable than what? What can we learn from this story?

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National Hug Day

So Madison wanted to give a few really big hugs today - this was great news for Mommy and Daddy, who received some mondo-hugs from our little princess.  A little careful research about today, National Hug Day, reveals that it was created to help folks cope with essentially the most depressing time of the year (described here).  This is the half-way point between Valentine's Day and Christmas, so it sort of creates an oasis in the long desert that is January.  Happy National Hug Day!

Although this January hasn't been that depressing, really.  We haven't gone out and done much lately, choosing to stay inside where it is warm and where there is plenty to do.  As a result, we've saved a bit of money too, really.  Soon, we'll want to get out of the house a bit more, but at the moment, we're content to read by the fire, or play video games, or build Lego structures.  Basically, it's a month to continue playing with our Christmas toys!

Of course, life goes on with the schedule.  School continues - can you believe it will be DAY 100 in two days?  The students are asked to bring in 100 items, and Madison is bringing in 100 mini-marshmallows.  So tempting to eat them, isn't it?  But we won't!  We'll use self-control!

We had another piano practice today with Mrs. Pam - things are getting a bit more difficult now, and so Daddy's glad he has some motivations for Madison to get her practice done.  This week, Daddy will surprise her with a power disc and a new figure.  We started the "Cars" playset today, and Madison will like seeing Mater and Francesco added to her collection.  She's really, really into Disney Infinity, so much that we haven't touched Lego Marvel or some of the other games we've had.  That's okay, because those other games will still be there when we're done with this one.  We're set until Summer, I suspect!

It's time for Winter Wonderland in piano class.  That means Mrs. Pam gives the kids a hint as to where it is that everyone is going at the end of the session, one hint at a time.  Today's hint was a rope - Madison guessed the circus, while others had good guesses too.  We'll see what it is in just a few weeks, but it will be fun, no doubt.  Madison really enjoyed it last year when we all went to the Pool at Bethesda.  This, of course, is not the one located in Israel.  No angels showed up to stir any water.

The weather is going to be frightful again.  Tomorrow morning, it's supposed to feel like 1.  One degree.  The temperature will be 15, but the windchill will make it feel like 1.  And so once again, we'll wrap Madison up in layers and send her off to school, as if she lives up north or something.  To contrast our cold weather, I know there are heat waves in the Southern Hemisphere.  But this has been the coldest winter season I can remember.  Yet still no snow.  Sure, we saw a few flurries - such a small amount.  But nothing accumulating whatsoever.  This is such a letdown, as we're all wanting that one chance to build a snowman.  And throw snowballs.  Of course, it's only January 21st, but with all this sub-zero weather, we've had some serious opportunities!

Madison is picking up on a reading challenge at school, which is something she enjoys anyway.  She records what she reads, and answers questions about it.  She's been dropping by the library at school and picking up a few books, but Daddy has some books with a Chinese New Year theme as well.  She'll also be reading online as well, which is great because she can add to her pink room in space.

We read from our Bible tonight before bed, and Mommy and Daddy continued watching "The Bible" mini-series.  We saw the episode that dealt with the story of Moses today - and while technology has come a long way, you simply cannot beat Charlton Heston as Moses in "The Ten Commandments."  It's an amazing movie, and we're wanting to see it again.

So tonight we're "hunkering down" and trying to stay warm.  The big blankets are pulled out and we're all snug in bed - here we go again with the cold.  But that sort of thing is fine, because we've got another weapon against the chill:  nice warm hugs!

DAY SEVENTEEN
Psalm 150 tells us to praise God with the trumpet, harp, tambourine, strings, flute and even the clash of cymbals! There’s a lot of ways to praise God – can you think of any other musical instruments that can be used to praise the Lord?

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Jesus told us to pray for and help the “least of these.” There are those who are homeless and those who are hungry, and those who are cold. Pray for those who are in need, and while you are doing so, list below the things that perhaps you take for granted at times, like water, heat and food. Then thank God for what you have.

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Read today’s Bible story in Matthew 18:21-35. Why was the master so angry at the first servant? Write below why we should be quick to forgive others who have wronged us.

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MLK

For today, MLK meant something else entirely different.  These three letters stand for Massive Lego Kit.

Here's the dolphin cruiser, a technological terror of the high seas, armed with a jet-ski, amazing speakers, two beds, a mini-fridge, lounge chairs and torpedoes.  Of course, I'm kidding about the torpedoes.  But it is a pretty amazing craft - the top comes off easily so you can let the three dolphin explorers eat, sleep, and yes, use the rest room.  There are waterskis there, and of course all kinds of lounging possibilities.  The high tech stuff they use to track dolphins must be pretty effective, as there always seem to be two Lego dolphins floating around nearby!

This took a while to build, but it was fun to do.  Madison was pretty helpful to begin with, but the adventures of those three characters got the best of her for a time, where she was using the waterslide in the back of the boat more and more frequently.  Or having the dolphins in the lounge chairs, sipping on lemonade.  In fact, you can see above that the dolphins are up near the steering wheel, sort of getting ready to set sail for some exotic location, like Port Talon or something.

Which is a great segue to our Disney Infinity experience on the high seas.  The pirates level is nearly complete, as we've finally darkened our sails and set forth to find amazing treasures and battle scurvy fish pirate people.  The "Pirates" version of this game has been fun for Daddy and Madison - we've enjoyed the sailing parts, battling in our boats.  Daddy steers while Madison fires the variety of cannons.  Or, we just sit back and summon the Kraken, which is always an impressive sight.  Overall, it's been a fun adventure - we played this a bit today because Madison finished her piano homework.  This was a difficult week for both of us, but we made it through, partially thanks to the reward of two Disney Infinity power discs once everything was completed.  Still, it took the full week this time, and we were glad to have that under our belts and complete.  Madison asked about the power discs, and Daddy told her that she would have to go "where mermaids swim."

This was the bathtub - her bathtub - where her mermaid Barbie was set up late this morning, holding two "Finding Nemo" discs.  She had to try them out immediately.  We changed the entire environment of the toy box into an underwater world.  Again, we have all the discs already, and it's great handing them out one bit at a time, rather than all at once.  For one thing, it really makes you appreciate the function of each one.  Next week, she'll be getting a few to celebrate her end of the fast - and Chinese New Year.

Which brings us to here:  Another thing we did today was spend time reading.  Yes, we did something other than video games today, and enjoyed it too.  We read "The Runaway Wok" and "Daisy Comes Home," two children's books related to China.  The New Year is approaching, and so we've been reading a few of these, as well as listening to a lot of music from China.  Mommy and Daddy picked up a few CDs when we were over there, and of course there are the few we got when visiting EPCOT's Chinese Pavillion.  Oh, and the three or four CDs we have by the Twelve Girls.  Anyway, Chinese New Year is approaching, and we'll probably do a bit of decorating this week, and preparing for food.  Yes, food.  Oh, glorious food!

The fast is nearly over with, and it's something we are so craving right now.  Mommy is making some great stuff with vegetables and rice.  We even had these sweet potato fries today that were delicious.  BUT... I miss sweets.  And meat.  Which is why Sunday is probably going to be called "Meat and Movie Day."  Madison has been fasting television, so we'll all get together with lots of meat, sweets and television.  Sounds like a perfect day, doesn't it?  Maybe that's a great formula for a new restaurant too?

So today we had off of school - but I believe we kept busy doing different things throughout the day.  And they were all fun, including some time spent drawing Merida.  We used the Brave booklet, which has step-by-step how-to-draw Merida pages, as well as the other characters from "Brave."  Today, we drew a picture together of Merida and her bow, which came out pretty well.  As soon as we were done drawing her with our pencils, we used colored pencils to add a bit of life to our illustrations.  Daddy wants to hit these drawings a bit more often, so look for that more often in these pages.  Madison does a lot of drawing, but this sort of drawing teaches her how to draw figures, teaching her skills she'll hopefully retain.

Madison got a bath later on tonight after dinner.  We put our LEGO dolphin explorers down for the night - they're resting comfortably in the cruise ship beds.  And Madison has fresh sheets on her bed too.  Today was a day to catch up on a bit of laundry too.

Our original thoughts were to go out and do something, but we had a great time just hanging out around the house.  Tomorrow we'll all get busy again, with piano and work and school.  But it was a good day off again for now.  We'll bundle up for the chilly weather due again this week (back into the teens we go), and face the shortened week with a bit more energy, as we've just spent the day resting and relaxing.

DAY SIXTEEN
Psalm 66:1 says, “Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!” Christians live all over the globe, each one praising God at this moment because of His mercy and love. Join their praises today! List some countries below from around the world, and pray for the message of Jesus to spread in each land.

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At this moment, thousands of missionaries are far from home, doing God’s work and risking their lives to share the gospel. Take time to write below a special prayer for those across the globe who have given up so much to share God’s word.

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Read today’s Bible story in Matthew 15:29-39. Though there was very little food to begin with, once the fish and loaves were in Jesus’ hands they became enough for everyone. It may not seem like much in your hands, but when you give your gifts and talents to Jesus, He can multiply them for everyone. List some of your gifts and talents below, and imagine what you can do for God when He multiplies them.

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