Five Finds Friday (teen drivers. the first egg.)

This week kind of felt like a million years long because we did ALL of the subjects for school and worked hard to get up on time and to be regular contributing members of society.

It’s hard, y’all.

funny

Two parenting tasks that rank high on my list of Least Favorite Parenting Tasks are potty training children and teaching teens to drive.

Fortunately, I’m all wrapped up with one of those but still right in the middle for the other one.

This week Bergen got behind the wheel.

He buckled up. Adjusted his mirrors. Then asked, “The brake is the big one, right?”

Jesus, take the wheel.

fashionable

This week, we’ll let a photo speak for itself.

flavorful

Our chickens are very cute but they have not been very productive in their unique and specific skill set. The skill set for which we acquired said chickens.

We’ve been patient. And, of course, in the waiting time, we discovered that two of the six are roosters so that was disappointing.

But this week, the stars all aligned and we found ONE TINY EGG in the nesting box.

We celebrated! We told the chicken GREAT JOB!

And then Otto scrambled that tiny egg for the two of us to share – on my mom’s mini little tea set.

It was sweet to enjoy those two bites with my small chicken wrangler partner.

And – the egg was delicious.

(The next day – there were THREE eggs! They’re on their way!)

faithful

I guess a day doesn’t go by that I don’t feel the weight of the precious burden of parenting the six souls with whom I’ve been entrusted.

For as long as I can remember, we begin our school morning with a short reading from the Bible. Of course, most days it feels like we’ve been in the Old Testament for all of their lives.

This week, though, we’ve been reading through James and I tell you what – full of conviction and wisdom and insight, that one.

I mean, when we read the passage about the power of the tongue – about its ability to SET THE ENTIRE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE ON FIRE, every ear was listening and every heart at our table was feeling it.

The words aren’t tricky. They’re not wrapped in parable or spoken like Yoda.

And aren’t we watching the fallout, tongues unleashed and untethered, all around us, every day?

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. ² We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

³ When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. ⁴ Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵ Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

feels

What fun it is to see my kids get to love on and hang out with their nephews and niece.

It makes my heart happy.

Aunt London is well known to the little boys as the Best Snack Maker and she goes a little overboard when they ask for hot cocoa.

Of course, she’s rewarded with affection and giggles and hugs.

So – you know – she probably won’t stop any time soon.

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