Pretty

**Caution--contains the f-word, and I don't mean fudge. If you can accept said word for the point it makes, this is a very good video.

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." ~ Proverbs 31:30

What are we teaching our little girls about beauty and acceptance by our words, actions and expectations?

For a really cheap ocean vacation...

Run a few ounces of saline through your nasal passages with a Neti pot and then take a stroll on a windy, warm afternoon. You'll swear you're only a block or so from the sea.

Check back often for more frugal tips.

A good rebuke

"What unifies the church is the gospel. What defines the gospel is the Bible. What interprets the Bible correctly is a hermeneutic centered on Jesus Christ crucified, the all-sufficient Savior of sinners, who gives himself away on terms of radical grace to all alike. What proves that the gospel hermeneutic has captured our hearts is that we are not looking down on other believers but lifting them up, not seeing ourselves as better but grateful for their contribution to the cause, not standing aloof but embracing them freely, not wishing they would become like us but serving them in love (Galatians 5:13)." ~ Ray Ortlund





I need this kind of instruction often as I find myself taking sides in all sorts of doctrinal bickerings. It truly is all about Jesus and I need humility. Read the rest of this excellent charge at The Resurgence.

Upon finding bugs in our broccoli

as it sat upon our plates, sprinkled with cheese.

LB: Mom? Was that broccoli you got organic?
Me: No.
LB: So it had pesticides?
Me: Yes. Probably.
LB: Then why did it have pests?
Me: Good question.

Less than 5 months 'til 40

...and these videos are looking more and more like reality.