Bible Blessing

School time at the Crouch house! I was over at my mom's last week and we were at the table learning to read and the like, lol... I love doing school with the kids and watching them learn. I can't even believe that I finished school. When I was their age, it seemed like I would be doing school for the rest of my life, haha...



Which brings me to something my little sister Leah was saying recently... She was asking me about Nathan and telling me about whenever she's going to get married. (She is only 4.) Then she sighed and said: "I guess mom isn't going to let me get married until I finish all my schoolbooks." This totally made my day.



Then a few days later after we got done with phonics I noticed she was missing from the table. When I found her she was sobbing "drama tears" and she exclaimed: "I am so tired of tracing letters!" Oh my goodness, I had such a hard time trying not to laugh at her. Chana helped me to explain that after she learned how to write her letters correctly, she would never have to trace another letter again. She was satisfied with that. : )



Anyways, just a couple of days ago I was there again enjoying the kids. It was finally time for lunch and we all sat around the table and held hands to pray. Then lo and behold, as we started to sing the prayer Ezra opened his little mouth wide and if only I could write what sounds came out! He was really trying to sing along and it was the sweetest thing I ever saw.... He didn't chicken out either when he noticed we were watching him... he just kept singing until the prayer was through! What a blessing...


Later the same night, we were sitting at my parents dinner table and it was time to read the Bible. Little Ezra ran to get the bibles. I was laughing at his enthusiasm. As my dad opened up his bible to read, Ezra got settled in his high chair with another bible and opened it up slowly.... His face was so serious. He would look at dad out of the corner of his eye as he held the bible up gently with one hand. Then he licked his little finger and turned a page and you could see his little mouth moving with the words dad was speaking. When he saw that I was smiling uncontrollably at him he started to smile, then you could see with every muscle in his face he tried to get serious again and keep reading. And he did. I was so blessed with what I saw. Mom told me later that reading the bible is one of his favorite things to do. He will go and get out two bibles and give one to dad and the other he will sit and read. Oh my goodness! Who ever heard?!

I am so glad I was able to experience Ezra's love to "read" the bible. It blessed my soul so much just to know that he is growing up in a home where God's Word is a special and good thing. Thank you Lord for little Ezra and his little heart. I pray he grows every day into a godly adult and ask the same for all my brothers and sisters...

Well, it is almost Shabbat. I am so ready to go home and enjoy a peaceful evening. Nathan and I had a good day of work and although it is tiring, it is such a blessing. I love working with Nathan, it's really cool... Thank you God for my hubby and all that he does for me. : )

Goodnight!

P.S. Happy 13th birthday to my little sister Eliana! Love you!

Another day...

It's 50 degrees today. Thank you Lord!!! Finally people can actually see what I'm wearing because it's no longer covered by a very large brown coat... I can't wait for summer. : )



Violin lesson today! Yes, I still take lessons because I feel like while the opportunity is here I want to take it and learn as much as I can. Right now Mr. Haskins and I are going over Bach's Six Sonatas, my favorite being the Sonata VI Preludio. If you want to hear a very lovely version of it, look up Hilary Hahn Sonata VI Preludio Solo something or other on Youtube... she plays it perfectly.



I am out of time.... I suppose I will write more later. : )

Love in Yeshua,
Caitlin

Snow Day!

Yes, we played in the snow today! It felt good.... honestly it wasn't as cold as I thought it would be. AND.....for the first time ever I actually walked across a frozen pond. It was a thrill... especially when it all started to crack and move. At first I thought it was gunshots but no..... :)

Fun fact: If your pool is frozen and you want to skate... simply scrape down the snow and pour a little water over it. It is sooo fun. Just make sure you are wearing lots of padding because falling on ice hurts. Bitty and I also tried out our dancing skills on the pool. Ice skaters have it harder than I thought. : )


Caitlin Noel

P.S. Does anyone like Big Band era music and oldies like that? If you do you should listen to "Unchained Melodies". So sweet. :)

Thoughts....

It's Friday night again..... I'm lovin' it. Shabbat is so peaceful... Just knowing I get to rest tomorrow is I think my favorite thing about it. I have to thank God, literally, for telling us to rest on the seventh day... Sometimes we think we can just keep going and work hard every single day. We don't always realize that our bodies NEED a rest - the Sabbath is a blessing.

Tomorrow is Nathan's 22nd birthday. We celebrated with his family tonight. There was a cake and presents and everything. My thanks to my wonderful sister and mother-in-law for cooking a lovely meal for him and decorating. :) Happy Birthday sweetheart!

I do have to correct myself on my former post. A good friend of mine pointed something out to me....just to let you all know we were married in 2008, not 2006. :)





I was thinking about something recently.... Hanukkah just came and passed. It was a joyful celebration with many lights, fried foods, and music... We read the story of the Maccabees and their victory over the Greek army....the miracle of the oil, and Hannah's seven brave sons...


Hannah's sons always get to me. Their courage and strength seems almost to far to grasp. I mean at first you think, "I could do it. I could say 'no' to an evil man's wicked commands and obey God instead. I could do the right thing...death is only for a moment..."


But when you think of a mother and her beloved sons standing before the most powerful men of the land, looking death in the eyes... She raised those children from the time they were born, until they were men. She loved them and taught them good things, and cared for them... There were most likely instruments of death around them and tormenting thoughts probably filled her mind... To watch her sons be killed just because they wanted to stand up for the truth. Her sons stood there and watched each other die horrible deaths...and they didn't falter. Not one succumbed to the pressure and gave in. Not one denied their faith so that they could live. And even at the end, the youngest child, with words of complete courage, went to his death. All while the mother watched.....


Could we do the same? Could we literally watch our family die one by one for the truth? What if we were alone? It was just you standing there with no one to hear your decision.... No one would know you gave in and let everything you ever believed in just go.... Would you have the strength to stand for what was right?


I pray for strength every day... Not just to be strong in hard times but in every day life. To withstand the evils that are all about us in the world and overcome. I will confess one of the hardest things for me is music. I love music - most people do. I love playing and listening and singing along... Music is a powerful thing right? It can literally sway our emotions and make us feel completely different than before we started listening. It's happened to me many times. Sometimes the reaction is good - we can be listening to a worship song and really join in the worship. Sometimes the reaction is bad - a song might make you feel depressed or angry or even rebellious. I don't want music to have that power over me. How can I overcome ? Where do I start?


I was listening to a song one day... it was catchy, I won't lie and I was enjoying it... I guess when I started paying attention to the words I became upset at myself for listening to it. So I turned it off....I said no... "I don't want to like this anymore" I kept saying. I kept saying"no" for several weeks after that. Gradually, the longing to listen to it diminished. I turned it back on one day to see how I felt. I really didn't like it. I was amazed at myself - I mean I thought I would want to here it again. (I'm not just speaking of one song, but a particular genre of music that I was a fan of...) Praise God! It worked!


I know of course, it was God that gave me strength to overcome, but I did have to actually do something first. I learned that waiting for God to "convict" my heart didn't work for me in this situation. Of course He convicts our heart, but I can't just sit there and keep doing what I wish I didn't do.... (Sounds weird doesn't it?) So I can safely say that, at least for me, strength is something I can build up right here, right now. If I start now and really try to overcome my faults one by one maybe I am making it easier for me in the future....when real persecution comes.....

Just a thought.

It's time for me to go to bed before I lose my eyesight completely... this computer screen can really change a prescription... :)

With all my love,

Caitlin Noel

*If I gotta' start somewhere why not here....If I gotta' start sometime why not now?... TobyMac - City On Our Knees *

First Post

So as I was writing in my diary the other day I thought, what is the point of this little book? I write in it when I am inspired or when I want to remember something forever. I don't write out of anger because feelings and emotions change and there is forgiveness, whereas words last for lifetimes... Also, why does it have to be secret? If there is one good thing in my memoirs that could maybe encourage someone else, why do I hide my little book and warn my siblings and family not to read it? I am guessing it is just tradition... if you have a diary you keep it secret. But I think I would rather people read what they like now, than wait until I am passed away and it doesn't matter anymore. So yes... I am starting a blog. If you wish to read it then very well, I obviously don't mind. And if you think I am wasting my time, simply click the little X button in the top right hand of your screen so I don't waste your time as well. :)

My name is Caitlin Noel and I am 20 years old. I live in the beautiful hills of Tennessee with my loving family and husband. Yes, I am married. I was married on the 9th of June, 2008, to the most wonderful man alive. Nathan is my best friend, I don't know what I would do without him now. Life before I met Nathan was good, just growing up in a big family and loving all 7 of my brothers and sisters and learning from my two parents. But now that Nathan is part of my life, I have experienced happiness that I never knew before and I know I couldn't go back to being single without a deep hole in my heart. Thank you Lord for my husband and please bless him today. :)
I enjoy lots of different things... playing my violin or cello, reading God's word, spending time with my husband, singing and dancing, driving, cooking savory foods, visiting the assisted living home in Lebanon, writing poetry, and drawing to name a few... I also enjoy working with my husband in the office. I am his secretary? assistant manager?... I do whatever needs to be done. We recently set up an office in Lebanon for his company - White Design Roofing. I've enjoyed having everything organized and ready for business. It was a good choice. :)

Today is the first day this winter that it has truly snowed. Tennessee never seems to get a lot of snow, so today is rare. It has been coming down now for several hours, and the roads are getting dangerous. I will have to be very careful on the way home...

Also, today is my dear sister's sweet sixteen! Emily is not just my sister, but one of my very best friends. She was also the maid of honor in my wedding. :) Happy Birthday Emily!

Well, for now I will stop writing and possibly turn on some music... Song of the week?...Third Day's "Born Again". You should listen. :)

Caitlin Noel