Emily's Highschool Graduation

{1 Corinthians 10:31b}
Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

{Romans 11:36}
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

The Lord has blessed me abundantly through my family and church family. I am grateful to my parents for more things than I can name-- their patience, their guidance and their commitment to God’s Word have all shaped me into the woman I am today. They instilled in me a love of learning from an early age and raised me to view education as a lifestyle that doesn’t stop at high school graduation. Much of what I will be doing “after I graduate” will look the same as before I “graduated”.

I enjoy gardening, photography, crocheting, reading and analyzing literature, collecting glass jars, trying out new crafts, writing theological articles, making wooden beads on my Daddy’s lathe, discussing theology and philosophy with my Daddy, journaling, singing and playing the Mandolin.

I make it my ambition to search out and find the “little” ways to bless those around me and proclaim the beauty of Christ’s gospel. I love teaching my younger siblings piano, reading aloud to them and watching their eager faces as they hold a newly hatched Monarch from my butterfly garden. 

I help my mom with cooking, cleaning and babysitting my four youngest siblings as needed, at the same time learning firsthand how to manage a home. In my church family this means helping a family with their adoption fundraiser, taking pictures of kiddos for busy mamas, photographing church events, preparing food for our church’s weekly fellowship meal and maintaining a small home library to loan out to the young readers at church.

My 15 year old brother, J.Michael, happens also to be my best friend. 

We love to make music together and will talk for hours on end about anything from theology, to the political state of Iran, to the latest superhero film!

I’m also learning Biblical Greek, auditing classes at Reformed Theological Seminary and launching a jewelry business (DesignCraftJewelry). 

With the help of some church friends I started a small forum six months ago, dedicated to cultivating godly and edifying discussion and debate. I now serve as one of the five board members.

I would appreciate your prayers as I strive to faithfully live out the life God has called me to, seeking to glorify Him through seemingly ordinary, every-day things, knowing that God often advances His kingdom by ordinary means that the world does not see or value.

For it is by a little bit of leaven that the whole loaf is leavened.

...God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. 
{1 Corinthians 1:27-31}

Soli Deo Gloria (to God be the Glory),

A hopeful come back

I know this blog has been severely neglected.  Sorry! I have recently been gently encouraged to revive the blog.  Honestly, it took me a while to remember my email and passcode to even get to the page to post.  Then the next hurdle-so much technical changes with blogger since my last post.  Solved, I found the blogger App.  I'm not making any posting quota promises, but do hope to be higher than once every 18mos.  I will be relearning how to use features on the blog, but hope to have some pictures posted soon...Thank you Emily!

A quick synopsis...

Emily is graduating this month so, pictures and plans will be posted soon from her.

J.Michael just turned 15 and is six foot tall and climbing so he has the great privileged of reaching all the high stuff now.  I am thrilled to have access to neglected top shelves.  He is holder of Bella who is quite smitten with her jolly giant.  He is our fixer of anything, puts together everything that arrives assembly required and keeps our yard looking like we have a landscape company keeping it up (and we do, his!).  He is also learning how to make long bows from Bodark trees.  His passion though
is playing the guitar and piano.  He is currently learning how to record his own arrangements of classic hymns.

 

Andrew is our entertainer.  He and Calvin are best of friends and Bella adores him.  He loves to play Legos with his younger siblings and he is learning to make Lego stop action movies.  He enjoys playing the guitar and piano like his big brother.  He has an amazing ear for music.  He can hear a song once and then play it on the piano-like his Mema Davis.  He is a tree climber extraordinaire who has enjoyed watching the loggers climb up with chain saws and ropes to take out 60-80ft trees lost in the recent drought in our area.  He also uses his tree climbing ability to catch a glimpse of and photograph baby birds in their high perched nests sharing his photos with those of us, who outside of some kind of mechanical lift would never get to see the young birds till old enough to fly.

                                             

Kathlena is my right hand-a servants heart always looking for ways to help.  Often she will get things I need before I have even finished my sentence.  She is our rough and tumble Kathlena who makes your insides hurt from laughter. She is learning to cook and loves to cook ground beef all. by. her. self.  She has persevered with her eye patching and earlier this year she was released from patching.  Her vision having improved beyond what the doctor ever thought possible.  To God be the glory for His favor and mercy on her.  She is a huge help with Bella. Bella calls her sissy.  Kathlena carries her around, helps her get dressed, changes her diaper and plays duplo with her.  Bella loves to follow Kathlena anywhere. Kathlena's is proudly sporting her new air soft gun she got for her Birthday from her big brother.  She promptly used it to "blow" out her candles on her Birthday cake.  She also loves to ride the zip line.

Calvin the negotiator/charmer.  His grin and persuasiveness is deadly-you must know this about him or you will quickly be snagged in his web.  He has always got a plan, which usually includes something to do with "wegos".  He loves to problem solve and count everything.  He enjoys doing addition flash card drills with Andrew and Kathlena.  He loves books and being read to which reflects the love of books from his older siblings and his parents.  His favorite books right now are The Little House books.  We are reading On the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  He is also known as Batman and Man of Steel.  

Bella is well...just plain adorable.  She is talking almost non stop.  It is mostly understandable to the trained ear.  Her cutest word...Bubbie, J.Michael.  Yes, she can say J.Michael.  She is the first and earliest to say it so clearly.  She is also an avid thumb sucker.  I'm not looking forward to breaking that habit.  It has served us well.  She and Calvin and the "big" kids are all starting to play together.  She is so tiny, but she does not know it.  She recently "graduated" to the bench out of her high chair.  She is a proud "benchikin" who stakes her territory better than anyone.  She's little, but feisty.  "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee"

David has settled into life as a full time pastor.  He is studying Greek and reading volumes of books, counseling as well as preparing weekly sermons and spending time in prayer for his flock.  He loves it though and it really does suit him.  We have been so blessed by a sweet little congregation here in Conroe.  WE are loved and love our GFBC Conroe family.

Me...well, I'm keeping the train moving around here especially, the chuck wagon! I'm enjoying these "full" years of laughter and noise.  OK, I do enjoy the quiet of sleeping children to write though.  I love reading The Word, anything Emily writes, (especially her Stoems) Tim Challies, Theology, and books with my children.  We are reading Tim Challies's book The Next Story about the digital explosion.  It is very good for discussion with my older children about living in the digital age.  The history of how we got here technologically and thinking Biblically about how we manage the technology around us instead of it managing us.  Yes, we still love reading books together.  I don't think I'll ever tire of that.  Our garden has gotten off to a slow start this year with our unseasonably cool weather, but we are looking forward to seeing some new things in our garden this year, Peanuts! So far they are growing and doing well.  As always we have our "salsa" in the making with lots of peppers and tomatoes.  Our roses are in bloom and I have added some raspberry plants this year too.  Well, I need to close for now.  More to come...no, really!

Bella at 7 Months

Bella at 6 Months

And she's learned to squint when she's sees the camera...

Shopping For a Christmas Tree

 Last Friday we went and picked out a Christmas tree from the Houston Garden center. It is our first REAL tree in seven years, beyond the memories of my four youngest siblings. So it was quite an experience for them. Andrew and Kathlena zigzagged from tree to tree "Look at this one...what about this one...or this one...Emily, look this one's white!" Calvin missed out on the excitement because he fell asleep in the car. When he awoke there was a tree on our car's roof!

 I had one of those "only in Houston" moments while Dad and J.Michael were strapping the tree to the roof. Where else other than Houston can you buy Christmas trees and palm trees in the same stop???

Kathlenaisms: Space Hoarding

Back on our old blog I used to post "J.Michael-isms": funny things that J.Michael said when he was younger. I thought I'd revive the old tradition by posting some "Kathlenaisms".

 Today's "Kathlenaism" occurred a couple weeks ago. Daddy was reading a book to Andrew, Kathlena and Calvin on the couch. Andrew was to his left, Kathlena to his right and Calvin to the right of Kathlena. Halfway through the story Calvin became disgruntled with this seating arrangement and decided to clamber over Kathlena to get a better view of the pictures. Mom and I were sitting on the other end of the couch when Kathlena called out:

"Mommy! Calvin's hoarding my space."

Our Little Drummer Boy

Our Little Drummer Boy from Gina Shiflet on Vimeo.

The Reading Tree

At our house reading is one of our favorite activities.  Especially this time of year with the beautiful weather outside. Crawling up into the tallow tree at the edge of the yard the cascading limbs camouflage the silent bookworm who is engrossed in another world through his book.  Andrew is becoming a fluent reader and enjoys combining two of his loves-books and nature.  This living fort is known affectionately as the reading tree in our yard and is sought after with book in hand when chores and other duties have been completed.  Occasionally, upon ascending the tree with visions of time lost in a favorite book one finds the tree to already be inhabited and must wait with patience for another to finish.

-mom

Can you see J.Michael in the tree?

Did you call me?

Look at My New Big Boy Bed!

I'm a big boy now!

Bella at 3 Months