Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!

Ashtray or Beautiful Vase?

I've left this Upper Room devotional sitting in my inbox for a while because I liked it, so I thought I'd share (and then I can delete it):

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You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"?
-Isaiah 29:16 (NIV)


I have to admit that I have trouble with the concept of being clay and not having a voice in my development. It's not that I'm rebellious and want my own way; it's just that I want some say in what happens to me. Okay, I admit it. I'm afraid that God's plan for me won't suit me. What if I would make a great ceramic bowl to be displayed and admired, but instead I get molded into an ashtray? All right, maybe being a display bowl is too pretentious. But what if I would make a great serving dish that could be useful in many ways, but I get molded into a chamber pot? (In that case, I think I'd rather be an ashtray.)

In my mind, I know that God wants not only what is good for me but also what is best for me. Still, I have trouble feeling that truth in my heart and living it in my life, especially when people around me treat me like I am an ashtray or worse.

I've learned that when I do what God wants me to do, I am being who God wants me to be. I won't have to worry about how that might look to me or to anyone else.

Fall

Ah, fall. I forget how much I love the leaves changing. I always confess to be a warm weather girl, but there is nothing like the gorgeous fall colors right now. Driving Abby to preschool isn't nearly as much of a chore with the beauty of the leaves right now. I love it.

That said, the girls and I took a walk into a wooded area near our house for a photo shoot yesterday. Many of the pictures turned out beautiful. Lily was pretty fussy, unfortunately, so I didn't get any of her straight-on, smiling. She was most happy if she could attempt to eat the leaves. It was pretty funny because she would chuckle to herself while she was playing with them.

So, this picture cracks me up everytime I look at it. I was trying to get some pictures of just Lily, and Abby just couldn't stand it. She would casually slink into the picture with this sneaky look on her face. Too funny. Like I didn't see her.

When we got home, Abby found a ladybug on our sidewalk that she was mesmerized with. Ah, a bug that doesn't seem so scary.

Happy fall everyone!

Pumpkins

We got our pumpkin all carved for Halloween. Abby helped design it this year...

Lily, patiently eating Cheerios, which she has now mastered, by the way.

A trip to the Apple Orchard

We decided to make our annual trip to the apple orchard today, despite crummy weather (sprinkling and pretty cold). Instead we bundled the girls up and made a go of it. I think Lily was exhilarated by the cold, she refused to let me hold her hands to warm them. Abby got to wear her new Hello Kitty rainboots so she wouldn't have to worry about the mud. We scored by getting both apples AND pumpkins, however the apple selection wasn't great. I think Matt and I think that apple season is later than it really is. Oh well. I still foresee some baking...