7 Quick Takes Friday - #17

Let's get this 7 Quick Takes going.

1. Sorry I'm late to the party this week, posting my "7 Quick Takes FRIDAY" on Saturday. The country I live in blocked blogger for a while. I still can't access blogspot to actually tell what this post looks like. I can't even check through my feedreader to know if I've posted any of these pictures before. [ETA: Well, apparently, it won't let me post pictures at all. Oh well. These things happen from time to time when you live overseas.
   
   
2. We're packing, packing, packing. We're up to 48 boxes, and still going... Doug is being awesome this go-round and we're actually making a master list of what all is in each box, numbering each box, etc. Packing is not super-fun, but I'm having visions of unpacking perfectly sorted things, not having extra junk/stuff, and I like that idea. Sounds pretty great, in fact.
   
   
3. I've never had to feed this many people while packing up a house before. It's kind of tricky, keeping out just enough to keep the kitchen going, while packing up all those things like serving platters and glass bakingware that have to be packed oh-so-carefully.
   
   
4. Canasta. I love it, and totally forgot about it. We played a lightning round this morning to pass the time before hitting the packing, and it was superfun. Do you like Canasta? Other card games you love? I like that it's highly portable.
   
   
5. Love this quote from Gary Thomas' book "Sacred Parenting":
   

   I told one group of men that I wished I could start parenting now, at age forty-one. I feel more mature at this point, more settled in my career with a better perspective to begin parenting than when Allison was born to me at the age of twenty-five.
   
   But here's the rub: What helped me to become more mature? What has given me a better perspective? What has worked on my character over the past decade and a half?
   
   Raising my kids!
   
   I wouldn't be the man I am if I hadn't raised [our kids].

   
   
   
6. And this one, a page later, from the same book:
   

   God has created an institution-- the family-- through which He can shape, mold, and form all of us, parents included. We come into the family as imperfect people, and sin against each other every day; yet through rubbing shoulders and learning to ask for, and offer, forgiveness, we all come out the richer for taking part in this sometimes painful process.
   

   God adores your kids, *but He is also crazy about you*. You're His much-loved son or daughter. He has a direct interest in your care and your spiritual growth, and He sees your kids as valuable teachers and prophets to that end.

7. I shared this conversation on Facebook, and thought I'd go ahead and share it here too-- between my nearly-3 year old son, and my 4 year old daughter:
   

   Silas: "I want to go seep."
   Me: "You want to go to sleep?"
   Silas: "No, I want to go seep."
   Maranatha: "A sheep is eating you?"
   Silas: "No, I want to go seep. Under table."
   Me: "Oh! You want to go sweep?"
   Silas: "Yes, under table."

:) So there's a quick take of my week. How was yours?