As For Me

The Sacrifice of Parenting

2011-12-30T09:57:00.007-07:00

Some people say that motherhood, that parenthood, is a sacrifice. On one hand I disagree with that sentiment because it implies that since it's a sacrifice, there's something better or more desirable that I could be doing with myself and that I'm giving it up. In my heart, there's nothing I'd rather be doing than being a mother.

Okay, once in a while I wish I could just sleep in, just be sick and have no one depending on me, just do what I want to do without having to consider someone else. But that thought just brings me to my other hand, my other thought. Motherhood IS a sacrifice. But let's think about what's being sacrificed.

In my list of things I sometimes wish, I find some pretty selfish wishes. Seems to be the only real sacrifice to be found in parenting is a sacrifice of self. But isn't that something we're supposed to be doing anyway? This life isn't about us. As Christians we are to live for Christ, reflect His image, die to self and let His life become our own. What a profound gift parenting is. What an opportunity for Christ to accomplish His work in us. What a blessed vehicle for us to be molded into Christ-likeness. It's a very rewarding way to do what we're supposed to be doing anyway: decrease so that He might increase.

My opinion is that it would probably be much more difficult to die to self if one didn't have children. I would likely be much more selfish than I am if I didn't have the constant reminder that it's not about me.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

Decrypt . . .

2011-11-09T15:52:00.001-07:00

Didja miss me?

2011-10-07T22:19:00.002-06:00

It's been well over a year since I've posted anything on this blog. Sad. I was just saying on Facebook that I miss blogging but I love FB more and I don't have time for both. But within 5 minutes here I am....

I'm sure the links on my sidebars are outdated and broken. Maybe I'll get around to fixing that... maybe I won't.

Facebook sure provides me with connections to people, daily, that I wouldn't otherwise have. That has an instant gratification element to it that blogging doesn't provide. But blogging provides a digital diary of sorts that I can't achieve at FB. Hmmmm. What to do... Maybe try both again. We'll see.

Anywhooo, nice to be back. For a minute anyway! ☺

Mission Minded

2010-06-16T23:24:00.003-06:00

My 6.5-year-old son is on a mission to save our neighbor's life. The other day Adam said, "I don't think Jantzen's dad is very healthy." I asked why he thought that. He said, "Because he smokes." I agreed that wasn't a very healthy thing to do.

Several days later Adam entered our house saying, very dramatically, through clenched teeth, "I'm doomed!" Then he hid out it a darkened room. I asked why he was doomed. Adam explained that he was trying to save Jantzen's dad's life. "How?" I queried. He went on, "Well, I asked Jantzen if he wanted to save his dad's life. He said, 'Yes' so I told him to tempt his dad not to smoke." I interrupted at this point to say that USUALLY we are tempted to do something that we SHOULDN'T do not something that we SHOULD do, and then Adam continued. "Well, Jantzen went to his dad and said, 'Adam doesn't want you to smoke.' So I'm DOOMED!!! Those weren't the words I wanted him to say!" When I asked Adam what he did want Jantzen to say he said he didn't know but not THOSE words. I guess Adam wanted Jantzen to talk his dad out of smoking but to leave Adam out of it! :-) Adam thought he was doomed because he figured that Jantzen's dad would be mad at him. I told him that he probably wouldn't be mad.

Today, Rebecca brought me a picture that Adam had requested that she deliver to the neighbors. She delivered it to me instead. Good call, Rebecca!

Simply Complicated!

2010-05-31T16:40:00.002-06:00

Why is simplifying so incredibly complicated?!?! While too much stuff is truly an issue, I'm really speaking about the systems I've created or adopted. While I don't mind working hard, I'd like to feel like I'm being efficient in my hard work and that I'm accomplishing and doing well the necessary tasks. Sometimes I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and a slave to the "system". I’m so busy keeping the machine going, I don't have the time to determine if I'm using the best machine... Know what I mean?

Yogurt-Making Tutorial

2010-02-28T10:12:00.011-07:00

Here is the process I use to make my own yogurt. You might need to tweak these instructions to tailor them to your situation and taste.

Make sure all tools you use are VERY clean. Getting any bad bacteria into your yogurt will ruin it.

You will need:
-thermometer
-large sauce pan
-whisk
-jars or plastic containers
-milk
-plain yogurt (to use as a starter)
-powdered milk and/or gelatin (optional)
-insulated cooler
-towels

I use powdered milk and gelatin in my recipe because I like the consistency better that way. It makes a firmer yogurt. It’s not a necessary ingredient but the result will be a softer yogurt.

STEP 1: Heat milk (and whisked-in powdered milk & gelatin) to 145° - 160°F.

STEP 2: Remove from heat and cool milk to about 125-130°F. If the milk is too hot you will kill the starter when you add it. If it's too cool you won't activate the cultures.

STEP 3: Inoculate with starter yogurt. (Plain, no sugar added, with LIVE cultures) Whisk starter yogurt into the milk and then pour into your containers.

STEP 4: Incubate @ about 130° for 4-6 hours. I do this by filling an insulated cooler with very hot water and letting it heat while I get the milk mixture ready. Then I pour out the water, put in my filled jars and refill with fresh, hot water up to the neck of the jars.

STEP 4 (continued): Wrap the cooler in towels or blankets to help hold in the heat and let it sit for 4-6 hours. Yogurt likes to be VERY STILL while it's culturing so be careful not to jostle it.

STEP 5: Remove jars from the cooler and refrigerate. The yogurt will firm up more after refrigeration.

Ingredients for each quart of yogurt:

4 cups milk
2 Tablespoons powdered milk
1 teaspoon gelatin
2 Tablespoon plain yogurt

Here is a link to a printable copy of my basic recipe: www.cindee.net/Yogurt.pdf

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Why I don't trust the swine flu vaccine

2009-10-15T14:05:00.003-06:00

There is so much information out there to sift through in order to formulate an opinion on this that it's a bit daunting. There's a lot I could talk about here but I just don't have the time or energy to do it. However, I do want to touch on some things.

Thimerosal- Some formulations of the vaccine contain thimerosal and some do not. Pre-filled, single dose syringes contain no thimerosal or have it removed to trace levels. Multi-use vial DO contain it. Know what you are getting before you get it! Here is a table (Table 1) at the FDA website that has this information detailed. (It's on page 3)

Before I continue I want to say there are four FDA approved vaccines. Three injectables:

Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine (CSL Limited)

Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited)

Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine (Sanofi Pasteur, Inc.)

And one intranasal:
Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine (MedImmune LLC)

Pregnant Women- In every list I can find, including the Center for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration (page 3), pregnant women are at the top of the list of the ones who should be getting this vaccine. YET..on the package insert found at the FDA’s own website (page 12 section 8.1) I read this: “Pregnancy Category C: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or FLUVIRIN. It is also not known whether Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or FLUVIRIN can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed. (emphasis mine) Even with that admission, they say that “If you are pregnant, you should get vaccinated against H1N1 (swine) as soon as possible. So, on one hand they say a pregnant woman should only get the vaccine if it’s "clearly needed" but then on the other hand they indicate that being pregnant is reason enough to be vaccinated! I do not trust these people. Furthermore,

Nursing Mothers- Do nursing mothers know that “because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is administered to a nursing woman? It’s on the package insert. (page 12 section 8.3)

Young Children- Children from age 6 months up are recommended to be vaccinated, but in the package insert for the vaccine it says, “Safety and effectiveness in pediatric subjects below the age of 4 years have not been established. (page 12 section 8.4) So we don’t know if it’s SAFE OR EFFECTIVE but go ahead and vaccinate them anyway! I don’t think so.

The links to the package inserts I've included are all to the Novartis vaccine. The other two injectables say essentially the same thing about pregnant and nursing women, just a little different wording. However, the CSL Limited package insert says this about pediatric use: “Neither Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine nor AFLURIA has been evaluated in children. Safety and effectiveness in the pediatric population have not been established. (page 8 section 8.4) The Sanofi Pasteur insert says, “Safety and effectiveness in pediatric subjects below the age of 6 months have not been established." (page 10 section 8.4)

Maybe I’m missing something or I’m misunderstanding something here but this vaccine doesn’t seem like a good thing to me! Aren’t you glad I don’t have the time and energy to get into the other aspects of this that are unsettling to me!! ☺

A convergence of thoughts

2009-08-25T22:37:00.001-06:00

Opening our fists, releasing our hold, and giving financial gifts to individuals and/or organizations becomes really easy if we recognize that it's God's money in the first place. Dave Ramsey says, in his Financial Peace University, that, "You and I are asset managers for the Lord, so if we view it properly, we aren't giving our own money anyway." It's really easy to give away someone else's money! Fun even. I really appreciate Dave Ramsey bringing that principle into focus for me. It's not mine anyway, I can give it away freely. Now hold that thought a moment...

Often I feel stretched to my limit, spread to thin. There's not enough of me to go around. This one needs a diaper change, this one wants me to read a book. That one needs to talk about friendship issues and the other one needs his tail kicked because he got side-tracked from doing a chore. You know the feeling, right? On top of that, I'D LIKE A NAP! Or to read a book, or write this post without interruption! There isn't time to do it all and certainly not time to do all the the things I'd like to do and do them well. So I have to choose. I have to NOT do some things. Then my Sense of Entitlement rears it's ugly head. I get grumpy. I feel sorry for myself. I start thinking that too much is being asked of me, no one appreciates me, and "why can't I just DO this thing I want to do without anyone bothering me?" (stamps foot!) See how ugly it can get?

One day a Scripture popped into my head (thank you Mr. D for requiring me to memorize Scripture in school!). "...you are not your own. You have been bought with a price..." 1 Cor. 6:19b-20. Now I wasn't remembering the Scripture perfectly and the issue being written about was s3xu@l immorality, BUT... I think I can still make an application. Here's where the two thoughts converge. I'M NOT MY OWN. I've been called to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). My life belongs to Jesus. SO...it doesn't need to be difficult to give myself away. Now It's not as hard to just put the book down and go meet the need of a child. It's not such an irritation to stop in the middle of a project and resolve a squabble. Why? Because I AM NOT MY OWN. I'VE BEEN BOUGHT WITH A PRICE. I am not mine anyway, I can give myself away freely. It's easier. Fun even.

Hold that thought too.

Because he's beautiful...

2009-04-02T18:50:00.001-06:00

Levi Quinn - 7.5 months

Levi at 6.5 months (2-18-09)

2009-03-15T14:00:00.001-06:00

2009-01-13T22:47:00.004-07:00

I'm still alive. I just got sucked into the black hole of Facebook. Oh. My. Goodness. It's been so fun reconnecting with SO MANY people from my past. I swear it's a little taste of heaven. Except for the guilt associated with spending so much time on it. I just keep thinking that in heaven I'll get to do this but to perfection and with no time constraints and no guilt. And then I think that however exciting and enticing that sounds it will be nothing, NOTHING, compared to the sweet fellowship with the Creator of the universe and the Saviour of my soul and the Keeper of my heart.

I feel it more and more.

This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' though.

Those with young

2008-12-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Do you have young? Do you need encouragement? I do. On both accounts. I'm tired. I'm overwhelmed. I cannot do this on my own power. Here is a Message:

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; He gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11

Our Lord is not heavy-handed nor is He absent from our lives. Take heart in that!

Advent Season

2008-12-01T00:11:00.005-07:00

I want to share a couple thoughts from the sermon I heard today. I've never really known what the Advent Season is. I've always just figured it had something to do with Christmas since that is the only time I've ever heard it spoken about. I learned something new today.

Advent (from the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming") is a season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, in other words, the period immediately before Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western Christian year and commences on Advent Sunday.
Latin adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, commonly used in reference to the Second Coming. Christians believe that the season of Advent serves a dual reminder of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting that Christians today endure as they await the second coming of Christ. (From Wikipedia)

I think that the Advent we should focus on is the one yet to be. The preacher said, "While Jesus' birth is important, His return is imminent. ...It's hard to see what's ahead when we are always looking backward." We can get so distracted by what was that we forget that something is still to come. His return IS imminent...are you ready? Are you watching? Are you expectantly waiting and preparing?

O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Refrain

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." Matthew 25:13

Cardboard Testimonies

2008-11-30T23:09:00.005-07:00

I had never seen any Cardboard Testimonies until today when a friend sent me a link to the Cardboard Testimonies at Richland Hills Christian Church in N. Richland Hills, Texas. The idea is that everyone has a story and the testimonies tell various people's stories before and after Jesus. I went looking for it on YouTube so I could embed it here on my blog but I couldn't find it there. What I did find was there are several CT's to watch on YouTube, just not the one I saw first by following the link. Sooo, click on the link and spend a few (worthwhile) moments seeing the difference Jesus has made in people's lives.

I've embedded a different one below from YouTube. It's good also. Of course it's good...It's God working in the lives of people...that's always good.

Why I'm AWOL

2008-11-11T11:52:00.004-07:00

What I've done today (Oct 10th):

diaper
nursing
breakfast/refereeing
rocking
schoolwork
peeling apples
bathroom
nursing
diaper
schoolwork
laundry
hollering
cooking apples
rocking
e-mail
mashing apples
craft beads
refereeing
give a test
lunch
nursing
diaper
baby swinging
peeling apples
rocking
explain perfect tenses
cooking apples
stepping on craft beads
mashing apples
phone call
change toddler
nursing

I quit making the list because I just didn't have time. I've been reading blogs intermittently but I've no time/energy to post. I miss it but I AM enjoying my little lambs. That's a good thing.

Here's an article about why we maybe should avoid calling our children "kids": Is There A Better Word Than Kids?

Baby Levi at 2 1/2 months:

Feeling Grateful

2008-08-27T23:44:00.006-06:00

Somehow I don't feel much like complaining about grocery prices!!

Headline: Price of rat meat quadruples in Cambodia as inflation bites

I'll happily pay the extra for milk and eggs that I'm paying...

Because he's just SO cute...

2008-08-10T18:28:00.005-06:00

Levi & Daddy

Nighty-night

Bathtime

Announcing.....

2008-08-03T17:48:00.007-06:00

My pregnancy ticker at the top of the page is wrong. I do NOT have 5 days to go. Because my new little boy is 4 days old now!! :-)

Yep, that's right. I finally had that sweet little boy and I feel SO much better. I knew I would.

Okay, the details. Levi Quinn was born Wednesday morning, July 30th, at 6:25 a.m. It's hard to say how long the labor was because I had been in mild/moderate labor for DAYS!!! But I arrived at the hospital at 3:50 a.m. and he was born at 6:25. That's 2 hours and 35 minutes later. Sounds good, eh?

Levi weighed 9 pounds 13 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long with a 14 1/2 inch head. There was a lot of baby all bunched up inside of me and we both seem happy with his change of address! :-)

Labor was uneventful except for the remarkable fact that I HAD A BABY!! :-) It was unmedicated as I wished, I labored in the tub until the last possible moment, I didn't tear so there were no stitches (yea!!), my doc let me deliver the placenta unassisted, she waited until the cord stopped pulsing in order to cut it, the doc didn't break my water (even though she asked if she could during those last few moments). BTW, her reason for wanting to break the water wasn't good enough so I said no. She wanted to break it because she didn't want it to break all of a sudden, in a gush, all over her! I said "isn't that why you get paid the big bucks!?!?" Soon my water broke all over her. She said, "That's what I mean." Funny! I pushed for 11 minutes and then I had my sweet 'little' baby!

Well, that's all I have time to write for now. We're pretty busy and nursing is a little rough right now because Levi is tongue-tied but hopefully that will be remedied tomorrow at the doctor's office. Here's a link to a slideshow of Levi's hospital pics. I put it together really quickly so they aren't all the best pictures, I just dumped them all into the slide show without being choosy. Enjoy!!

BTW, I worried in my last post what message I was conveying to (especially) my 12 y.o. daughter... Today she said, "I sure hope Levi isn't going to be the youngest child around here..." Hoo boy!

Weak and Heavy-laden

2008-07-23T20:11:00.004-06:00

I'm having so much trouble being cheerful and thankful at this point in my pregnancy. I've just been miserable and oh so tired. I don't sleep much at night and that makes days with my 4 children not so pleasant. I feel like I'm complaining at every turn and I can't seem to get it under control. I just want to be DONE! I've never felt this uncomfortable during a pregnancy before. Maybe it's my age?? I'm 39. I find myself worried that maybe I'll have to do this again and I won't be able to do it again. That's certainly not the attitude I wish to have and not the attitude I want to convey to my children (especially my 12 y.o. daughter!)

I feel so badly that I'm not able to do the stuff I normally can do and because of that I'm placing a much bigger burden on my husband. It seems like such a burden that my children are having to bear because I'm not up to my usual duties. I feel like the house is falling apart despite my husband's valiant efforts, I feel like my kids aren't getting the attention and care that they want and deserve. I wonder why in the world I put in a garden that I can't maintain. I wonder what we are doing that we should eliminate in order to have more time for the important. I wonder how to balance the fact that I just cannot do certain things with the fear that I'm being lazy and taking advantage of the situation.

Sometimes I don't know I've overdone things until it's too late. I look back and realize 'oh, THAT, was too much'. I'm light-headed, dizzy, and I stagger around the house sometimes with contractions that don't allow me to stand up straight but I have to keep going because dinner needs to be made and the contractions I'm having, while they are difficult, aren't accomplishing anything at the moment. I know (because I've had other pregnancies where I contract for WEEKS/MONTHS before delivery) that it all those contractions make for a pretty fast labor in the end BUT it's so hard to be in mild labor almost all the time. I think I'd rather just save it for the end where everything else stops and I can just have the baby. Instead, I doing labor and life at the same time. I don't like it. But that's where I am and somehow I need to find ways to be cheerful, thankful, and trusting that God is at work in this pregnancy, my life and in my family.

This is a pretty bad pity party but maybe I'm venting enough here that things will get better. Meaning, of course, that my attitude will get better. Just pray with me that I will remember to avail myself of the privilege of laying my burdens at the foot of the cross and remember that Jesus can take our burdens and turn them into joy!

Forgive me for taking this verse out of context but I've been thinking of this one a lot during this pregnancy:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS
What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

Laundry at Midnight

2008-07-07T23:55:00.003-06:00

I got out of bed to put all the baby clothes that have been packed up into the washing machine. Maybe I'm getting ready too early but then maybe I'm not. It's so hard for me to tell. I've been very uncomfortable today. Lots of contractions, gastrointestinal upset, some vomiting. I never know if I'm just doing too much or if "something" is happening. I need some clear, unmistakeable sign that "this is it". Breaking of my waters would do it but I don't want it because the last two times my water broke in the hospital the baby was born within 9 minutes and the second time was within 7 minutes. I definitely don't want my water breaking at home! So I'm left to wonder when things get strange, "Is this it??" Just in case, I'm laundring baby clothes and blankets. Tomorrow I plan to wash the infant car seat cover and get that all ready. Maybe I'm setting myself up for a really long wait or else I'm just being prepared.

My Ambien is kicking in...I better hit the hay.

Getting some ZZZ's

2008-07-07T08:43:00.004-06:00

I got some pretty good sleep last night. What a blessing. I haven't been sleeping well for a few weeks due to my restless, twitchy legs. I've been averaging about 2-4 hours a night. That is just not enough for me. My doctor prescribed Ambien for me Friday, June 27th and I slept great that night. It didn't work the next night! I was so disappointed. A couple of days later I decided to take two and THAT worked much better. At my last appointment she (my doc) said that taking 2 if fine but it would be better if I was only taking it 2-3 times a week. So I pretty much have to decide ahead of time if I really need to sleep on a particular night or if this night will be one of the ones that I'm tossing and turning, up taking a hot bath, and getting no sleep. My right eye has been twitching on and off for about 3 weeks now and I'm sure that it's due to the lack of sleep. I had a mild case of this when I was pregnant with Abby but it wasn't much of a problem and it went away after her delivery. I'm sure hoping the same is the case this time. I'd hate to be up in the night trying to rock and nurse my new little one and unable to sit still! I'm hopeful that it will go away in time.

I'm not calling Guinness just yet

2008-07-04T20:50:00.009-06:00

Wednesday I had an ultrasound (pictures are below) but I couldn't have the follow-up appointment with the doctor because she was in surgery. They scheduled me to come back the next day (Thursday). That's not so bad but it's a 40 mile round trip and I hated to spend the gas to do that twice in two days. Also it's a little difficult scheduling that around hubby's work and my waning energy. In any case, I went yesterday for the follow-up and the doctor was delivering a baby. I chose to wait rather than have to come back yet again. My wait ended up being an hour and twenty minutes! That was pretty miserable because I can't sit still for long. I have had a lot of trouble this pregnancy with restless legs and trying to sit for very long is pretty impossible. I also cannot relax. It has made for many, many sleepless nights already and I still have five weeks to go....

So, my follow-up appointment. The reason I had the u/s in the first place is because my fundal height was measuring large and the doctor wanted to see how big the baby was and see if I maybe had too much amniotic fluid. I pretty much consented to the u/s because I wanted to have pictures taken like the ones below... :-) The technician told me that the baby has chunk on 'it' and I also have a lot of fluid but that neither of those things were dangerous. Yesterday the doctor said that, yes, the baby is big. Baby weighs 8 lbs 5 oz. right now and that if I go to my due date I'm looking at delivering a 9 to 10 pounder. She said I just may break my personal record which is 9 lbs. 9 oz. (Adam). I don't really know how accurate with these weight estimates and I kind of wish I didn't have those numbers in my head!

The doctor said that if I consented to an amniocentesis to check up on lung maturity then she would deliver me early. If you know me very well, you know that there's no way I would consent to that unless there was some kind of an emergency! BTW there's a really cool DVD called In The Womb put out by National Geographic. On that DVD I learned that when the baby's lungs are mature they secrete a protein into the amniotic fluid that triggers the placenta to decrease the production of progesterone and to increase the production of oxytocin. Either of those things can put one into labor and both of them combined would certainly do the trick! And so, since I like to keep things a natural as possible, I'll be waiting until the natural course of events unfolds.

Remind me I said that a couple of weeks from now if I start complaining!

Does anybody else have experience with the doctor's estimating baby's weight? Were they right or wrong?

Whaddya think?

2008-07-02T14:44:00.003-06:00

My due date is 5 1/2 weeks away. Don't you think this baby looks "done" now? I feel pretty done... I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

CRACK!!!

2008-06-30T22:04:00.003-06:00

Since I'm a tired and lazy blogger, I will refer you to my daughter's blog to read about our exciting evening tonight...

It could have been a lot worse.

♪ Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Songs ♪

2008-06-29T00:00:00.003-06:00

GOD WILL MAKE A WAY

God will make a way where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength
For each new day
He will make a way
He will make a way

By a roadway
In the wilderness
He'll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and earth will fade
But His Word will still remain
He will do something new today

God will make a way where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength
For each new day
He will make a way
He will make a way

Don Moen

Today's Doctor's Appointment

2008-06-20T16:40:00.006-06:00

Well, I didn't have my OB appointment today. I was running late and I called the doctor's office from my car (yes, while I was driving) and said that I would probably be about 10 minutes late for my appointment. The receptionist checked the schedule and told me that I would have to reschedule for next week. Arrgh. On one hand I was irritated but on the other hand I don't like going anyway so it's not so bad to put it off for another week. On the other hand, I was irritated. She asked when looked good for rescheduling next week. I said afternoons are best and any afternoon would do. She asked if 11:40 a.m. would work. I ~~condesendingly~~ sweetly replied that that was actually still morning NOT afternoon and I was thinking sometime after 3pm. So... now I have an appointment for NEXT Friday at 3:40 pm. I'll make a better effort to arrive on time!!

If only real midwives could deliver in the hospitals here and insurance would pay for it! Sigh.

cartoon source: http://www.mediclicks.net/nexium/cartoons.asp?i=46

Pregnancy & Cousins' Camp

2008-06-18T22:48:00.004-06:00

At my last OB appointment (May 28th) I was 29 1/2 weeks. I haven't been keeping track of my weight very much so I asked what my weight gain had been so far. The nurse looked at my chart and said that I had lost since the last visit and that my total gain was 2 pounds! Cool! I have an appointment this Friday and I'll be 33 weeks. I absolutely expect to hear that I've gained about 10 pounds in the intervening 3 1/2 weeks. It's been crazy!

We went on "vacation" to visit my family in western Oregon June 4-9. I think I gained all the weight then. Vacation is in quotes because traveling 9 hours one way when I'm 30 weeks pregnant is not a comfortable venture for me. It wasn't too bad on the way there but the drive back was pretty miserable! It was worth it though because it was time for the kids to go to Cousins' Camp. My parents grandkids who are approximately 4 years old and up get to go to grandma & grandpa's house (without the parents and younger siblings) for two days of activities and fun times. This year we had three of our kids at camp. It's worth whatever it takes to make it to camp. Yes, even that miserable drive! :-) Anyway, since we weren't at home and we were eating out, I think I ate a lot more than usual. I found my appetite returned when I didn't have to think much about planning meals or preparing them. I'm very curious to see how much I've gained when I go to this next appointment.

I also want to know if maybe the due date is wrong and I'll be having this baby sooner than we thought. Everyone I see is amazed when they find out I'm not due until August 8. A checker lady at Wal-Mart gave me a raised eyebrow when I told her Aug. 8th. An older man at Home Depot looked at me incredulously and asked if I was sure about that date. A man I don't know at my parents church asked me if maybe it was twins I was carrying. The size of my belly coupled with my frequent contractions and sleepless nights really does make me wonder if this can really go on for another 7-8 weeks. Ah, here's a contraction now. Speak of the devil! I have to remember, though, that I have contractions all through my last trimester anyway, so I really shouldn't make too much of this.

BTW, here's a picture that was on the Cousins' Camp t-shirts this year:

I'd rather starve...

2008-06-18T10:59:00.005-06:00

...than eat a bent cucumber.

This is so ridiculous that I had to share it.

Apparently several of the EU governments would rather throw out misshapen fruits and veggies than eat them. With high food prices and starving people throughout the world this is just ludicrous! One idea was to let misshapen fruits be sold in shops with a special label indicating for use in cooking which, the Commission says, makes far more sense than throwing them away. (duh!) But, a lot of the member states did not like it.

Read the article here.

Menu Plan Monday - June 15, 2008

2008-06-17T15:48:00.006-06:00

Sunday- Ham & Cheese Sandwiches
Monday- Deer Steaks & Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday- Chicken Salad & French Bread
Wednesday- Grilled Salmon, Grilled Zucchini & Salad
Thursday- Crockpot Chicken & Mashed Potatoes
Friday- Homemade Pizza
Saturday- Leftover Buffet

See what's on other menus at Organizing Junkie, the host of MPM.

Grace Beyond Measure

2008-06-16T13:17:00.005-06:00

I know Father's Day was yesterday but, hey, I'm just running behind on everything at this point.

Yesterday I read a great Father's Day post at the Common Room. The Headmistress there wrote so many things that echo in my heart that I wanted to share it with you.

Speaking of her husband she writes:

I wish that I could say that I carefully chose him for all of those qualities that make him an excellent parent, but the truth is that what attracted me the most was his brilliant blue-green eyes, long hair, and his high cheekbones and great tan...

Yes, he was a gentle, kind, and easy going person, I knew that. But that was a bonus. Those pleasant attributes did not strike sparks from my heart the way those astonishing eyes did. I was playing with fire, making decisions of a lifetime based on the heartbeats of a moment. I deserved to be struck by lightening for my frivolity, but instead, I received the gift of domestic fire- a gentle, loving, kind, godly man, a man devoted to his God and his family...

The green heart-flutterings of a silly 20 year old are not be compared with the strong, steady, dependable heartbeats of a 46 year old who knows that her husband will protect her and her children with everything he has. I'll take the sweetness of properly aged and ripened maturity over all the flibberty-gidget heart-throbs of callow youth...

There's more. You should go read it.

Here is my comment on her post:

I, so like you, "was playing with fire, making decisions of a lifetime based on the heartbeats of a moment. I deserved to be struck by lightening for my frivolity, but instead, I received the gift of domestic fire". I wonder why I was so protected in my silliness and others that I know were not. It seems unfair and I have some sense of survivor's guilt. I know not why I'm so blessed, but I am. It's only been 13 years for us but I could echo so many of your words. I'm thankful for each one of these 13 years. I'm about to have my 5th child and I'm thankful for each one of them as well. A wonderful father for my children is a gift beyond my deserving.

In my comment I referred to my silliness but in all actuality I should have said my rebellion. I do not understand how God metes out His grace and mercy. I'm thankful for it but I don't deserve it. Likewise, I don't deserve the wonderful husband I have, but I'm oh so thankful for him.

Happy Father's Day, dear, I love you!!

The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him. Prov. 20:7

Quite a pair

2008-06-02T17:17:00.006-06:00

My last post included a photo of Abby as my cookie apprentice and just yesterday I stumbled upon a picture of Adam at about the same age and in the same spot in our kitchen. Here are the photos together...

Spring, Gardening, and Baking

2008-05-21T09:32:00.004-06:00

I've been busy the last couple of weeks getting my garden all set up. It seems crazy to me that it's taken that long to get a garden in that is as small as mine. It's just that I can't do much without getting tired out and winded. Pregnancy does that to me. It's also been pretty hot this last weekend that takes it out of me too. Yesterday a fierce wind blew in and cooled things down and brought a lot of spring rain. That means that today I'm happy to be baking bread and cookies. :-)

Later I'll get some pictures of my garden and post them. I always love pictures of my garden when it's first planted. It's so pretty without all the weeds that end up taking over by July!

I'll leave you now with pictures of my youngest cookie apprentice, Abby:

Hope Fulfilled

2008-05-08T08:21:00.006-06:00

I forgot that I posted last October about planting tulip and daffodil bulbs. I came across the post a couple of days ago while reading through my archives. I'm so glad that I bothered to take pictures of the flowers before they dried up. I bet they would have lasted longer if I had watered them, ya think?

Enjoy a glimpse of God's handiwork in His world:

Thoughts on Earth Day

2008-04-22T09:29:00.003-06:00

Today is Earth Day. Not a day I generally take notice of but I thought what I read in my devotional today was so good I wanted to share it.

Today is Earth Day, a commemoration of our global home and a reminder of our responsibility to be careful stewards of this orb. But celebrating the greatness of our unique home among the planets can take on a dangerous slant if we leave out one key element. Contemplating the grandeur of earth should remind us that we are merely "the people of His pasture" (Ps. 95:7), and we must worship "our Maker" (v.6). The creation was flung into space to point to God and His greatness, power, and majesty. He alone deserves our praise and worship (Ps. 148:5). Thank You, Lord, for such an awe-inspiring reminder to worship You! — Dave Branon

How foolish to worship the creation, when the Creator is so much greater.

Source: Our Daily Bread

PSALM 148
The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the LORD.

1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, Sea monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins; Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven. (emphasis mine)
14 And He has lifted up a horn for His people, Praise for all His godly ones; Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise the LORD!

WFMW - Greatest Hits

2008-04-01T22:53:00.009-06:00

This week's tip is supposed to be one our favorite tips from our archives. Mine is about measuring honey and molasses. Here it is:

In keeping with the kitchen edition this week, here's my quickie little Works-For-Me-Wednesday tip. When a recipe I'm using calls for honey or molasses, I spray a little food release in the measuring spoon or measuring cup before I pour in the sticky stuff. When I pour it back out of the cup it comes out so quickly and easily it usually comes out it one big glob. No more waste and no more "slow as molasses in January" for me. It's quick, it's simple, and it Works For Me. Check out other tips at Rocks in My Dryer.

*********************************************************
My previous WFMW posts:

Measuring Honey & Molasses

Precooking Hamburger

Holey Jeans, Batman?!

Cleaning out the fridge

Trimming Baby Nails

Conversations with Adam

2008-03-31T16:32:00.002-06:00

Adam: Why do you have such a big blub?
Me: That's my tummy, not a blub. Why do YOU think I have such a big tummy?
Adam: I don't know.
Me: Is it bigger than it used to be?
Adam: Yes.
Me: And you have no idea why it's getting bigger?
Adam: shakes head no
Me: Where do you think our new baby is growing?
Adam: At Schimmels' ?? (family friends)

Menu Plan Monday - March 30, 2008

2008-03-30T21:33:00.004-06:00

Sunday- Tuna Melts & Pears
Monday- Burritoes (make double batch to put in the freezer)
Tuesday- Grilled Salmon & Rice Pilaf
Wednesday- Tacos
Thursday- Chicken & Rice Bake
Friday- Homemade Pizza
Saturday- Spaghetti & Salad

See what's on other menus at Organizing Junkie, the host of MPM.

Newborn Eye Ointment

2008-03-30T19:49:00.008-06:00

Anne, in the comments on my Pregnancy Update, you asked what the eye antibiotics were. I decided to post the information here rather than in the comments because of length.

Eye ointment - If you had a sexually transmitted disease while pregnant, this can be passed to your baby and cause blindness. Rather than test for an STD before applying the ointment, they simply apply it to all infants. Silver nitrate used to be used, and it stung the baby’s eyes, sometimes causing eye problems later in life. Now it is more common to use Erythromycin, which does not sting. However, many mothers object to their babies receiving a treatment that is unnecessary, especially if they are in a monogamous relationship and know they don't have an STD, or if they have been previously tested. This can be dispensed with if you sign a waver (sic). Click Here to read the medical research studies which explain why choosing to forgoe the ointment is a reasonable decision for parents to make because the treatment does not significantly reduce infection, and many infants who receive the treatment contraction the infection anyway.

Information copied from: http://www.unhinderedliving.com/newborn.html
(This reference is not meant to imply an endorsement of the website mentioned)

Since this is totally not an issue for me, I see no reason whatsoever to subject my child to the antibiotic. I'm not a proponant of prophylactic antibiotic use anyway so it's a pretty natural response for me to decline it.

Pregnancy Update

2008-03-20T17:11:00.005-06:00

I consistently read blogs even though I don't consistently write. I just haven't had much desire to write anything lately and I can't really blame it on my pregnancy. Well, maybe I can. The extreme nausea I usually experience has abated somewhat and it's definitely more managable but I still get quite tired and never know how to fit into one day all the things I 'need' or want to do. The list of things in my head is quite a bit longer than is my stamina. I guess I'm getting old!

I'm also having the struggle that I've had at this point in a pregnancy before and that is, "Boy, I wish I could just go to a midwife and a birthing center and skip all this medicalized doctor stuff" the trouble is, insurance pays 100% for the medicalized doctor stuff and 0% for the personal, humanized, holistic, hands-on care. It's a big difference between $0.00 and $3400.00 or so. Sigh. I guess I just go over my birth plan again and remind myself why I decline all the different testings and typical protocol and get ready to stand my ground. I do have to say, though, that my doctor last time didn't give me too hard a time about rejecting a lot of the typical medical protocol. In case you wonder what I mean specifically, I decline things like:

most cervical exams
genetic testing
glucose tolerance testing
group b strep testing
20-week ultrasound (and any other u/s except the one at the start to date the pregnancy)
labor induction or augmentation
IV use
eye antibiotics for baby
assisted delivery of the placenta

Another thing is that I wish I could labor in the water as long as I wanted to and even deliver there. I'm pretty sure that's not okay at 'my' hospital and with my doctor although I will be verifying that to be sure.

Okay. That's out of my system. Now what I wish was out of my system is this nasty cold that I have. I cough so hard that I end up vomiting (nice), which is also hard on my umbilical hernia (ouch). Once the baby has grown enough that my uterus is blocking the hernia site it won't be so much of a problem. As it is, I have some excruciating belly button pain some days (even without the cough) and I have to press on my belly button to reduce the hernia and, um, well, push that little bit of intestine back through. Imagine that with a wicked cough.

Tomorrow is the halfway point in this pregnancy and I'm really looking forward to adding this new one to our home. (Even though I sound like I'm doing a lot of complaining in the above paragraphs!) I got to see Abby with my sister's new little baby girl and Abby LOVES her. It's so sweet! When I was holding Elizabeth, Abby would climb up on my lap and lay on my chest beside the baby and pat her back and tell her "you okay". Oh my goodness, she loves that little girl. It just make me anxious to bring home a little baby of our own to Abby. Anyhow, I'll end with a picture of the little sweetie born in the water at a birthing center and caught by her mama! Isn't that just great!?!?

5:45 a.m.

2008-02-20T13:35:00.006-07:00

That's when Abby woke up this morning and she didn't go back to sleep. I'm accustomed to sleeping until 7:30 - 8:30 depending on the day. This day isn't going so well for me!

So what did I find Abby doing at about 12:45 p.m. today? See below!

notice how her babies sleep face down like her!

Thirty-nine

2008-02-20T09:52:00.006-07:00

My mom says she can't believe that I'm that old. Sorry, mom, but it's true, whatever that says about you. :-)

I had a pretty nice day. My daughter, Rebecca, was pretty excited about my birthday and she did all kinds of things to make it special. She rigged up a sort of balloon net outside my bedroom door and when I came out balloons cascaded down all around me and the kids sang "Happy Birthday". She was so pleased that her idea worked! She put up decorations in the kitchen and made a "Happy Birthday Mom" banner with Micah's help.

Later in the day Jim and I took the kids to the rec center to go swimming (which they've been begging to do for a while now) and they had a really good time. Abby (2 years) was begging to go down the water slide but no one could go down with her. They only thing allowed was for someone to catch her at the bottom. Jim walked her up the steps and put her on the slide and let go. At the first turn in the slide Abby flipped around so she was headed down head first on her back. Rebecca was waiting at the bottom to catch her and took Abby's head right to the stomach. From my vantage point it just looked like appendages flying out of that slide. It was so hilarious. Abby disagreed. She was crying but had stopped by the time Jim got her back to me where I was watching from the edge of the kiddie pool. Abby never asked to go down the slide again.

We picked up dinner for the kids on our way home and left the kids at home to eat while Jim took me out to dinner at The Olive Garden.

(note to self: don't let them seat us in the bar area again. It's too noisy (even early on) because of the coffee grinder and the blender for drinks. It's also pretty cold there and the waiter... ugh. The waiter was SO inattentive and talked on and on with another customer about the great party he was going to later where he was going to drink all night long. His goal was to drink in such a way that he would last the entire time until the party ended at 2 a.m. No mixed drinks or shots, he said, because I'm determined to 'last' until 2 a.m. "It's gonna be so great.")

Anyhow, the food was great as usual (I had Eggplant Parmigiana) and I didn't have to cook it or clean up and I didn't have to tell anyone to "sit down - on your bottom - IN your chair - take another bite - use your napkin, not your sleeve" or any such thing.

When we came home Rebecca had the table looking festive with presents all set up. Adam was so pleased that I was FINALLY going to open the presents. I received a lot of nice and very needed things and the kids were so happy to see me opening it all up and Adam asked right away if I would share some of the chocolate with him. (yes, I did)

Then Jim asked if I maybe needed to go to the bathroom. ? Oh, yes, I guess I probably do! I figured they needed me out of there to bring out that ice cream cake I discovered in the freezer when I got out the pork steaks earlier! So I gave them plenty of time while I got engrossed in a Reader's Digest article. Then I came out to more "Happy Birthday, Mom" and got sung to again. Then Abby helped me blow out my candle. Yes, candle. Just one. 39 candles on an ice cream cake would not have been a good idea.

I got several e-cards and snail mail cards and then at the end of the day I got a surprise phone call from a very special friend. It was very unexpected and quite a treat. I got a call from JanD. She was my mom's best friend while I was growing up and she is such a special lady. Her husband was my teacher from the time I was in third grade until I graduated from high school. After I graduated they moved to Taiwan as missionaries for 17(?) years. I visited them there once and helped teach in a summer school they were doing. They've been back in the States for 6 years or so. It was so great to get to talk with her. A spectacular end to a very nice day.

Speaking of which...

2008-02-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

Speaking of the whole conception, pregnancy, and birth process being a blessing, check out this story from the UK:

Pre-born Twins Save Mom's Life by Kicking Away Tumor
by Aimee Herd : Feb 4, 2008

UK resident, Michelle Stepney and her husband Scott, were expecting twins. However, at about 17 weeks into the pregnancy, Michelle was rushed to the hospital with what they suspected was a miscarriage. What it turned out to be shocked them.

Doctors at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London told the couple that Michelle had actually had cervical cancer, but that the twins' kicking feet had dislodged the tumor! The bad news came as the Stepneys' physicians urged Michelle to begin immediate chemotherapy treatments, and undergo a hysterectomy—which would terminate the lives of her two unborn daughters.

"If I hadn't been pregnant with the twins, the cancer may not have been discovered until it was too late," Mrs. Stepney explained. "I knew I could have an operation straight away and it would cure me of the cancer, but that would mean getting rid of my babies and I couldn't do that."

Read the rest here.

Our God is so, so good. Isn't He? It's all a blessing. It really is.

It's ALL a blessing

2008-02-02T14:08:00.001-07:00

On the lastest Quiverfull Digest that I received in my e-mail, I read a great entry by a lady named Micklyn. I wanted to share it because I think it's so good:

Hi all.
I just wanted to share something the Lord showed me a while back when I was grieving over miscarriages. (I have had 9 pg's, 4 miscarried, 5 births... last week I had a positive hpt but when I repeated the test on Monday it was negative, so I think this 10th pg may also miscarry. I also have 2 darling adopted sons and 1 darling stepson, so 8 children here with me.) Anyway, Hosea 9:11 reads:

"As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird-
No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!"

This was God's judgement on them. What struck me was not the thought that God is judging me, rather the opposite. In God's eyes, yes, birth is a blessing, but so is pregnancy and so is conception. This means that even though I don't carry a baby to term, God sees my conceiving as His blessing me!! This was a revelation.

I see now that God has been sooo good to me. For every child he has allowed me to birth on earth, he has given me another one in heaven. In the time I've had, i could not have conceived AND given birth to 10 children. But in between my full term pg's, he has seen fit to BLESS me with shorter pregnancies. For each of those I give glory and thanks to him.

Micklyn

Source: Quiverfull Digest #3455

I think that's so great.

Today's Winter Wonderland

2008-01-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

Bustin' his britches

2008-01-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

My husband, Jim, works really hard so I was happy to accomodate him this morning when he called from work and asked for a special delivery. The kids and I went to his workplace this morning to take him a pair of pants. He had a wardrobe malfunction! He has had a small rip by his back pocket and at work this morning he bent over and the pants gave way! When I showed up, he was wearing his t-shirt and jeans with a flannel shirt tied around his waist which was exactly how I envisioned I would find him!! :-)

Thanks, honey, for working so hard for our family.

We made 'em too

2008-01-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Now Rebecca and I have joined the fun and made Funnel Cakes too. Thanks to KimC at Life in a Shoe for the recipe and tips and to Donna at Handsful for reminding me that I wanted to make them. It was easy, fun, and delicious!

Through the wilderness

2008-01-17T16:04:00.001-07:00

Thanks for all the congratulations! I feel sick as a dog but I'm trying to remember to be thankful for that. The only pregnancy I've had where I didn't feel so bad was the one I miscarried. That tends to make me think that sick=good. However, being nauseated is the thing I hate the most. I feel so discouraged and I lack motivation when I feel this way. I just want to be unconscious or totally absorbed in a book or reading SOMETHING online. Obviously that doesn't fit in very well in a homeschooling home with kids ages 2-11. So I have to find my way though this. Actually, I know that I don't have to find my way, I just have to follow the One Who already has the way mapped out for me.

Remember this song?:

"My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,
All I have to do is follow, strength for today is mine always
And all that I need for tomorrow.
My Lord knows the way through the wilderness
All I have to do is follow."

~Sidney E. Cox

Picture: The Wave, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area, Arizona

Chocolate Cake

2008-01-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Dessert is served. Actually it will be served 08-08-08 or thereabouts. :-)

Holiness

2008-01-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

It seems I don't have anything to blog about or the inclination for it either. Anything I have on my mind seems too big to discuss and I can't find the words. Also, lately, I'm very consumed with my home life. I suppose that has to do with being gone for 2 1/2 weeks over Thanksgiving and Micah's recent surgery. There's probably more to it but I don't want to get into that right now. More than anything I feel God pruning the dead wood from my life. Really there is so much I've been busy with that has nothing to do with God's purposes being worked out in me. That stuff needs to go!

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He [a]prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." John 15:2

God is not as interested in my happiness as He is in my holiness. This business of becoming holy is tough stuff. How much has to go before I have achieved it? Aha! First of all, I'm not the one doing it. This is God's work in me. Second of all, it ALL has to go.

Christ says "Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked-the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you
Myself: my own will shall become yours."
C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity

I think about this a lot in terms of entertainment. I'm starting to wonder if there is any room in our lives for any of the entertainment the world has to offer. There is so much on TV and so many movies available to rent/buy. Most of it is just rotten. The rest can be pretty questionable. In trying to be more choosey in that area and trying to glorify God in my choices, I'm finding that there is almost nothing that is worth watching. What should be my standard? Even in Christian circles I see the standard sounding a bit like this: "Well, it's a lot better than anything else out there" or "It could be worse" or "I've seen worse". That isn't a good standard. When we use that standard for our own behavior we get into trouble. If I use the excuse that "I haven't murdered anybody", or "I don't cheat on my taxes" then I'm comparing myself to what I consider the worst examples (and I come out looking pretty good) rather than comparing myself to God's standard which is Jesus. In that case, I come out looking like I'm in need of a Savior. Which happens to be the truth. I'm going to go out on a limb here (with a saw) and say that I think Hannah Montana is garbage. In researching the show online I find that so many people think it's a great show. Even Christians. That surprised me. Even PluggedInOnline (a media review site by Focus on the Family) gives it a good review. That surprised me also. I guess it's getting good reviews because it's "better than the other stuff out there." I still think it's junk but I have a hard time explaining just why. Here's a stab at it:

-immodest, worldly dress
-inappropriate boy/girl relationships
-focus on self
-inappropriate situations portrayed as funny
-lack of respect for parents (this usually turns around by the end of the episode but it still keeps happening so the lesson never seems to be learned)
-answers lie within oneself

Oh, most of what I just said about Hannah Montana goes for High School Musical and HSM2 also. As you can probably imagine, I'm quite popular with my 11-year-old daughter right now.

We were asked by family members whether or not she could have those movies for Christmas. After researching them online (we had watched Hannah Montana on TV several times) we said No to Hannah but yes to High School Musical. Well, she got Hannah, HSM, HSM2, and HSM2 Behind the Scenes! Yikes! We took away Hannah and let her keep the rest. Yesterday I saw part of HSM2 and I was horrified! I couldn't even stay in the same room. Then it occurred to me that we had only agreed to HSM and not the sequel. When I looked at the review of HSM2 on Plugged In I realized that I would not have agreed to that movie if I had been asked in the first place. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I'm more interested in the holiness of my family and less interested in their happiness but, boy, this is hard.

What do you think? Do the titles I've talked about have any redeeming qualities? Am I missing something here?

I guess I thought of something to say! :-)

Where I've been

2007-12-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

WARNING: I change tenses all over the place in this post. Sorry.

Yes, I know, I disappeared again. As if this isn't already a busy time of year and as if I wasn't trying really hard to get myself established back at home after being gone for 2 1/2 weeks, we just had some more "fun"!

Monday - 4 p.m.

Micah (9 y.o) started complaining on Monday afternoon that his belly hurt. All day Sunday he had been pretty, uh, gassy, much to his amusement and his sister's dismay. When he complained on Monday afternoon I figured that he had more gas trapped in his system which can be pretty painful.

Monday - 5 p.m.

We gave him some anti-gas medicine and just watched him. He didn't eat dinner very well and spent most of the evening on the couch.

9 or 10 p.m.

Got out of bed and vomited 5 times. He felt much better, acted pretty chipper, and I thought we were done.

Tuesday - 1 a.m.

Micah's up again in more pain. I talk to Jim and decide to call our family doctor.

1:34 a.m.

Dr. calls back, suspects appendicitis, and says he should go to the ER. I get dressed (and made-up because I'm vain!), start the van to warm up, and make a snack for myself because I'm starving.

2:20 a.m. - 7 am

We arrive at the emergency room. There are 3 other kids there with the same symptoms. Strange. Micah gives a urine sample, get hooked up to an I.V., gives a blood sample, and starts drinking contrast for an upcoming CT scan. He didn't like it at all and it took about an hour for him to get it down. He's the fourth one of four kids that are getting CT scans so we have to wait a while for our turn. Meanwhile, his pain starts subsiding. The lab work came back and they said it looked okay. After for-ever he gets to go for his CT scan. He loved that part. He thought it was very cool! He even loved the feeling of the IV contrast entering his bloodstream. Weirdo! But I'm thankful for the small pleasantries along the way. It takes an incredibly long time for the doctor to get back with us. The other kids start going on home and I figure we're probably next...soon...sometime? The nurse pokes her head in and asks if the doctor has talked with us yet. I say, no. Later she reports that he is consulting with another doctor. Hmm. Interesting. then the nurse comes in and put a NKA (no known allergies) sticker on Micah's ID bracelet. Hmm. Also interesting. She leaves. I inform Micah that I think we are staying here and NOT going home. He starts getting a little upset at the prospect of surgery. I try to calm him down. Really, he's doing great and he's so brave. The doctor finally comes in and tells me that he's been consulting with another doctor and was waiting for a call back and he really wanted to wait until they had a complete picture before talking with me but it was becoming an embarrassing long wait and so he was there now to talk. The other doctor called back during our conversation, of course! Yes, it's appendicitis. They need to do surgery soon the only question is where. They were trying to find an open operating room at the St. Luke's in Meridian (where we were) or in Boise.

7:30 a.m.

Eventually we were admitted to the Meridian St. Luke's to await surgery. We were gurneyed to a way cool room in pediatrics. Awaiting Micah was a stuffed bear and a Sorry! game on the nightstand. There was also an extra hospital bed for me to sleep in, YEAH!!! I unpacked Micah's things from the bag they had given him, ate the other half of my sandwich, called Jim and other family members to update them and then laid down. Then the surgeon came in and introduced himself. We weren't supposed to have been admitted in Meridian. The surgery has to happen in Boise unless we wait until late afternoon which isn't a good plan at this point. He said that he told them not to admit us anywhere until he knew where he had an OR. Oh well, here we go again. He said that Air St. Luke's will transport us by ambulance (for free) to the other hospital. We will be delayed a bit by the paperwork necessary to extricate us from the Meridian hospital and get us into the Boise hospital. The 9am surgery he was shooting for may not happen until 9:30 but all is good. I've always been VERY happy with the service I receive at St. Luke's and I continue to be. I call Jim to tell him of the change in plans.

8:00 a.m.

Air St. Luke's people arrive and start moving IV poles and Micah onto yet another bed and get him all strapped down and get paperwork from the nurse. Jim calls back to remind me to take pictures with my cell phone! :-) I hadn't thought of that. I'm glad he reminded me. I'm offered a ride with Micah but I need to drive me van and not have the trouble of being at a hospital in Boise with my car in front of the ER in Meridian. Plus, the ambulance isn't stopping at Mickey D's. I am. I ask the nurse if we can take the bear and the Sorry! game. She says no problem! It's a good thing we did because the other St. Luke's didn't have that perk for him. I almost didn't take it because I figured we would end up with two. I'm glad Jim told me to take it. :-)

8:24 a.m.

Micah is loaded into the ambulance and I follow along behind with a slight detour to grab breakfast!

9:15 a.m.

I meet up with Micah again in pre-op. I bring him the blanket he left in the van. They give him drugs to make him not care a bit (even though he wasn't really acting nervous at this point.). Though he does remember this room with the Winnie-the-Pooh winter screen saver on their computer and the movie CARS playing, he doesn't remember leaving it. I remember him leaving. Good-bye, Micah, I love you.... Take care of my son, Lord....

9:18 a.m.

The screen in the OR waiting room reminds me of an airport arrival/departure screen. It states that he's in the OR as of 9:18. the surgery should last about one hour and recovery another hour. I will get to see him once he's assigned to and in a room. The screen will say when he's in Recovery I and then Recovery II and then at his final destination. I eat my breakfast, make phone calls, read and then sleep for about 10 minutes on a bench until the doctor comes out.

10:05 a.m.

It was less than an hour. Yeah! He has a good report. It WAS a nasty appendix and it's good they got it out. He showed me "lovely" pictures. They did the surgery laparoscopically which makes for a faster recovery.

11:30 a.m.

Micah is in his room where I've been waiting since shortly after he got out of surgery. He's sleepy and in and out of consiousness.

Rebecca & Adam visiting Micah

Well, that's probably enough to give you a really good idea what we've been up to this last week! Micah had lots of visitors, bearing flowers, candy, toys, and comic books. He didn't eat the candy until he was at home because even after they lifted the "clear fluids" diet he wasn't interested in eating. Popsicles, though, that was different. The first time they got him up walking was very unpleasant for him. He turned a dusky green and got really hot, sweaty, and nauseated and almost passed out. Each ambulation, though, was easier than the previous one. He rarely took pain meds after the first 12 hours or so, he got up and walked when they told him to (even though he would have preferred not to). He was a real trouper.

Jim stayed off work and on the home front keeping it together and I never left the hospital until I took Micah home Wednesday afternoon. I was very glad to get a shower and clean clothes!

I'm so thankful for: (in no order of importance!)

medical advancements
knowledgable doctors
antibiotics
pain meds
friends
nurses
nurse's aides
electricity
clean water
hospital cafeterias
extra toothbruses
pain (without it we wouldn't have known there was a problem)
insurance
sick days
my husband
God's hand in our lives
cell phones
popsicles
sterile hospital conditions

There are many places in the world where this little hiccup in our lives would have meant the end of my son's life. Does that make sense? It's really late and I'm expremely tired. I guess that is a combination of extremely and supremely. It fits so I'll leave it. In any case, I'm very thankful to live WHERE I live and WHEN I live. There is more to God's provision than I can go into at this time but it will suffice to say that God is good. All the time. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

♪ Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Songs ♪

2007-12-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Refrain

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

Refrain

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Refrain

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

Refrain

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Refrain

Words: Translated by John M. Neale
Music: arranged by Thomas Helmore
Source: CyberHymnal

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Quotable Quotes

2007-12-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

I saw a great quote yesterday on The Anchoress's header:

"Having resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die" -- Malachy McCourt

What shall I say? For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will wander about all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. Isaiah 38:15

MIA

2007-12-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that I've been missing. While I have been missing I've certainly been in action! Here's a little recap.

My family and I left town early Tuesday morning, November 20th, to head to western Oregon for 5 days for Thanksgiving. I didn't return until December 8th! While we were on our way to Springfield I got a call from my mom that my sister, Junelle, who lives 1.5 hours north of Springfield was going to be hospitalized. She was in her 23rd week of pregnancy and her cervix was opening. Her midwife wanted her to go to OHSU in Portland for a cerclage. We suggested that she come down to Eugene as she would be closer to family for any support that she would need. Plus, her husband works in Eugene so it made even more sense for her to be there. Her midwife drove her all the way to Eugene and waited with her for HOURS! Midwives are awesome! Jim and I continued driving and got to town in time for my mom and I to go to the hospital. We listened as the doctor described to June and Rick (her husband), what the procedure would entail and the risks involved. Since the bag of waters was beginning to extend through the cervix it would have to be pushed back a bit before the stitch could be put in and could end up being ruptured which would end the pregnancy. If she didn't have the cerclage she would have to be on very strict bedrest to stave off labor and the doctor said she wouldn't last more than a month which would put her at 27 weeks. Still too early to deliver. They opted to have the cerclage. It was successful! Thank-you, Lord! After two days in the hospital she was allowed to come "home" to Mom and Dad's. On Thanksgiving Day! Bedrest was still part of the equation and she has a 3 1/2 year old son. Saturday, the day Jim and I were supposed to leave, only Jim and the two older kids went home. I stayed behind with the two younger ones to help out June and her son, Gabriel. Boy, I was busy!

I'm so thankful I have the flexibility to have been able to stay and help. I'm so thankful I have willing in-laws and friends to help out with the kids who returned home. I'm so thankful for a great husband who was willing to make the 8-9 hour drive last Friday to come back and get me and then turn around and do it again the next day to take us home!

Pray for June as she continues to take it easy and watch other people do the jobs she's "supposed" to be doing. She's to be on modified bedrest for about 9 1/2 more weeks. At that point they'll take out the cerclage and let nature "take it's course". Pray for Rick as he supports his wife though this trying time. Pray for Gabe as his world is upside-down and will continue to be until it's turn upside-down again when the baby is born. Pray for my parents as they continue to have extra people in their home and colds bouncing around from one person to the next and back again! Finally, give thanks with us that June is still pregnant and that God is so very good. All the time.

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
Psalm 139:13-16

Here's a peek at the frame being woven in secret:

♪ Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Songs ♪

2007-12-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

COME THOU LONG EXPECTED JESUS

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Words: Charles Wesley, Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord (London: William Strahan, 1745), number 10.
Music: Hyfrydol, Rowland H. Prichard, 1830 (MIDI, score)

Source: CyberHymnal

I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. Haggai 2:7

Parents ordered to court for kids' shots

2007-11-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

The article below irritates and concerns me in way I cannot even describe. This is very, very wrong. Besides the obvious problem that parents are being denied the right to decide if they want to ~~inflict immunizations on~~ immunize their child or not, doesn't it seem stupid to expel the kids and then charge the parents with truancy? It seems like the school officials would at least be able to come up with a charge that didn't make them look foolish. I also didn't like the comment the judge makes at the end of the article!

(Okay, in the interest of transparency I should say that I almost fully immunized my two older kids, partially immunized my third child, but have no plans to immunize my fourth [or any others I might have]. The road to my current immunization stance has taken many years and is still in a state of development as I sort out my opinion of each and every vaccine individually. I do regret having the two older kids immunized without even a second thought. I wish I had put some amount of consideration toward it before I just went along with the mainstream thinking.)

Parents ordered to court for kids' shots

By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer - Sat Nov 17, 6:09 PM ET

Scores of grumbling parents facing a threat of jail lined up at a courthouse Saturday to either prove that their school-age kids already had their required vaccinations or see that the youngsters submitted to the needle.

The get-tough policy in the Washington suburbs of Prince George's County was one of the strongest efforts made by any U.S. school system to ensure its youngsters receive their required immunizations.

Two months into the school year, school officials realized that more than 2,000 students in the county still didn't have the vaccinations they were supposed to have before attending class.

So Circuit Court Judge C. Philip Nichols ordered parents in a letter to appear at the courthouse Saturday and either get their children vaccinated on the spot or risk up to 10 days in jail. They could also provide proof of vaccination or an explanation why their kids didn't have them.

By about 8:30 a.m., the line of parents stretched outside the courthouse in the county on the east side of Washington.

Many of them complained that their children already were properly immunized but the school system had misplaced the records. They said efforts to get the paperwork straightened out had been futile.

"It was very intimidating," Territa Wooden of Largo said of the letter. She said she presented the paperwork at the courthouse Saturday and resolved the matter.

"I could be home asleep. My son had his shots," said Veinell Dickens of Upper Marlboro, who also blamed errant paperwork.

Aloma Martin of Fort Washington brought her children, Delontay and Taron, in 10th and 6th grade, for their hepatitis shots. She said she had been trying to get the vaccinations for more than a month, since the school system sent a warning letter. She had an appointment for Monday, but came to the courthouse to be safe.

"It was very heavy handed," she said of the county's action. "From that letter, it sounded like they were going to start putting us in jail."

School officials deemed the court action a success. School system spokesman John White said the number of children lacking vaccinations dropped from 2,300 at the time the judge sent the letter to about 1,100 Friday.

After Saturday's session, 172 more students were brought into compliance, including 101 students who received vaccinations at the courthouse and 71 whose records were updated.

That still left more than 900 students out of compliance with vaccination requirements, White said.

"Obviously, we still have some more work to do," he said.

Any children who still lack immunizations could be expelled. Their parents could then be brought up on truancy charges, which can result in a 10-day jail sentence for a first offense and 30 days for a second.

Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn Ivey couldn't say Saturday whether he would prosecute parents who fail to comply.

"We have to sit down with school and health services," he said. "We haven't ruled anything out. We need to figure out where we stand."

White said the school system, with about 132,000 students, has been trying for two years to get parents to comply with state law. That law allows children to skip vaccines if they have a medical or religious exemption. It was unclear how many medical or religious exemptions were involved.

Maryland, like all states, requires children to be immunized against several childhood illnesses including polio, mumps and measles. In recent years, it also has required that students up to high school age be vaccinated against hepatitis B and chicken pox.

Nichols said nobody actually came before him Saturday, but he was there if any parent asked to see him.

The judge noted the unhappy looks of some of the kids in line waiting for vaccinations.

"It's cute. It looks like their parents are dragging them to church," Nichols said. (emphasis Cindee's)

Several organizations opposed to mass vaccinations demonstrated outside the courthouse. While the medical consensus is that vaccines are safe and effective, some people blame immunizations for a rise in autism and other medical problems.

"People should have a choice" in getting their children immunized, said Charles Frohman, representing a physicians' group opposed to vaccines.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071117/ap_on_re_us/shots_getting_tough;_ylt=AvqZaK5MJLoCzoiV2Ox4Sfi9j7AB

Conversations with Abby

2007-11-19T08:49:00.001-07:00

This is just a glossary of Abby words.

kumpin - pumpkin
guhb - bug
cawpet - pocket
geh guh - Rebecca
jack jack - Blackjack (neighbor's kitten)
saw we - sorry
No! - No!
you kay? - are you okay?
uh matter? - what's the matter?

Conversations with Adam

2007-11-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

After hearing me mention something about my mom and dad Adam says:
"Adults don't have moms and dads, they ARE moms and dads!"

***********
Walking out of the church building last night Adam says that he forgot to give his offering and wants to go back to give it. Everyone else is in the van but Adam and I return so he can give his gift to Jesus. On the way out the second time Adam asks for me to bend down so he can whisper in my ear. We are right in the flow of traffic so I tell him to wait a moment until we are outside. We stop in front of the van (which was right outside the door) and I bend down and tell him to go ahead and whisper. After looking around furtively, he whispers, "Mom... (looks around again)...Mom, can you take me to the bathroom? I have to GO!"

♪ Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Songs ♪

2007-11-18T00:30:00.000-07:00

COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME

Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God’s own field, fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day all offenses purge away,
Giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store in His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified, in Thy garner to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels come, raise the glorious harvest home.

Words: Henry Alford, Psalms and Hymns, 1844.
Music: St. George’s Windsor, George J. Elvey, 1858 (MIDI, score).

Source: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/comeytpc.htm

Menu Plan Monday - November 11, 2007

2007-11-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sunday- Nachos
Monday- Spaghetti & French Bread w/green salad
Tuesday- Tostadas
Wednesday- BBQ Pork Ribs
Thursday- Chicken Fajita Burritoes
Friday- Homemade Pizza
Saturday- Leftover Buffet

See what's on other menus at Organizing Junkie, the host of MPM.

♪ Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs ♪

2007-11-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

CARRIED TO THE TABLE

Wounded and forsaken
I was shattered by the fall
Broken and forgotten
Feeling lost and all alone
Summoned by the King
Into the Master’s courts
Lifted by the Savior
And cradled in His arms

I was carried to the table
Seated where I don’t belong
Carried to the table
Swept away by His love
And I don’t see my brokenness anymore
When I’m seated at the table of the Lord
I’m carried to the table
The table of the Lord

Fighting thoughts of fear
And wondering why He called my name
Am I good enough to share this cup
This world has left me lame
Even in my weakness
The Savior called my name
In His Holy presence
I’m healed and unashamed

You carried me, my God
You carried me

Written by: Leeland Mooring with Steve Hindalong and Marc Byrd

From Leeland Mooring's Wikipedia entry: When asked about the story behind "Carried to the Table", Mooring said, "One of the evangelists [my family] traveled with for two years had a message that spoke about that story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel. His message moved me so much that I fell in love with that story and couldn’t get it out of my head. He related [the story] in the message to how God carries us to the table. Things I can’t get out of my head, I make songs out of them. I sat in my room and prayed to God about it. I worked on [the song] two days and finally finished it."

You can listen to this song on my Playlist. It's at the top of the right sidebar.

Days of Elijah

2007-11-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

This is dedicated to (Theodore) Elijah, my new baby nephew, and his parents.

(Double-click play button to start)

Here he is at 4 days old. Isn't he so sweet?
Elijah: "Jehovah is God"

Menu Plan Monday - November 4, 2007

2007-11-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday- Nachos
Monday- Crock-pot Chili & Cornbread (make double batch to put in the freezer)
Tuesday- Chicken Pot Pie
Wednesday- Baked Potato Bar (cheese, chili, broccoli, bacon, sour cream, green onion, etc.)
Thursday- Bean & Rice Burritoes
Friday- Grilled Hamburgers
Saturday- Leftover Buffet

See what's on other menus at Organizing Junkie, the host of MPM.

♪ Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Songs ♪

2007-11-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

REJOICE THE LORD IS KING

Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Mortals give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,
And bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He all His foes shall quell, shall all our sins destroy,
And every bosom swell with pure seraphic joy;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!

Words: Charles Wesley, Moral and Sacred Poems, 1744.
Music: Darwall’s 148th, John Darwall, in The New Universal Psalmodist, (MIDI, score).
Source: CyberHymnal

Menu Plan Monday - October 28, 2007

2007-10-28T21:26:00.000-06:00

Sunday- BLT's
Monday- Stovetop Lasagne (F)
Tuesday- Soft Tacos
Wednesday- Chicken Alfredo
Thursday- Swiss Steak (make double batch)
Friday- Homemade Pizza
Saturday- Leftover Buffet

F = It's premade and in the freezer.

See what's on other menus at Organizing Junkie, the host of MPM.

♪ Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Songs ♪

2007-10-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU

Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

God will take care of you,
Through every day, over all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.

Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

All you may need He will provide,
God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon His breast,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

Words: Civilla D. Martin
Music: Walter Stillman Martin (MIDI file)

It's a Boy!!

2007-10-26T13:10:00.001-06:00

My sister, Jaymarie, had her baby this morning at 11:47 a.m. central time. Theodore Elijah joins sisters Zoë and Eva. He will go by Elijah or Eli since his daddy and grandpa are both named Theodore (Ted) also.

That's all I know... AArrgh! I need more details! I'll update this post later as I get more details and pictures. Wisconsin seems awfully far away from Idaho right now. :-(

*****************
Updated to add:

Whew! I have more details. Here's the e-mail from daddy, Ted:

Hi All,
Just a real quick news flash... Jaymarie and I are the proud parents of Theodore Elijah (last name removed). I caught him at 11:47 this morning (just over an hour after I got home from work). He is 21 inches, 8lb 9oz and is wonderfully healthy and cute. More info will follow (including photos) but that's all for now. Zoë and Eva are very happy and excited.
Ted

Here are the pictures I have so far:

Favorite (F)oto Friday

2007-10-26T08:44:00.000-06:00

I don't know why I continue to get such a kick out of Adam's (or anybody's) sleeping positions, but here I am sharing another one!

Conversations with Adam

2007-10-25T11:21:00.001-06:00

Rebecca: Who do you want to marry when you grow up?
Adam: (thinking) Eh...Mom.
Rebecca: Why do you want to marry mom?
Adam: 'Cuz she's my favorite girl person.
Rebecca: But mom's already married to dad. Now what are you going to do?
Adam: Well....I guess I'll just have to marry you.

Remembering & Hoping

2007-10-22T10:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I planted purple tulips and yellow daffodils. Except for a few weeds missing, the flower bed looks no different today than it did yesterday. It's full of bare-looking bark chips and fallen leaves but I know that it now holds the hope of beautiful spring flowers. The bulbs I planted will die but they do not die in vain for they will bring about beauty and I will once again see God's hand at work in His world.

Yesterday was my due date. Except for a few more lines on my face, I don't look much different than I did last year. I wear the same clothes that I wore last year and my hair looks pretty much the same but I hold in my heart a renewed hope of an eternity with my Savior. For I have died and my life is hidden with Christ in God and when Christ, who IS my life, is revealed, then I will be revealed with Him in glory. (Col. 3:3-4). When I die to myself, I do not die in vain for it will bring about Christ's perfection in me and I will once again see God's hand at work in me.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
John 12:24-26

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Menu Plan Monday - October 21, 2007

2007-10-21T21:19:00.000-06:00

Sunday- Tuna Patties & Fried Potatoes
Monday- Porcupine Meatballs & Mashed Potatoes (F)
Tuesday- Chicken Salad & Breadsticks
Wednesday- Chicken Enchiladas (F)
Thursday- Beef Stroganoff & Noodles (make double batch)
Friday- Grilled Hamburgers
Saturday- Leftover Buffet

F = It's premade and in the freezer.

See what's on other menus at Organizing Junkie, the host of MPM.

♪ Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Songs ♪

2007-10-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

UNDER HIS WINGS

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Refrain

Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

Refrain

Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

Refrain

Words: William O. Cushing, 1896.
Music: Ira D. Sankey
Listen to a MIDI version of the music

"Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings.” Psalm 17:8

Seven-Year-Old Sings National Anthem

2007-10-15T17:19:00.000-06:00

This is amazing! Hat tip to Rocks In My Dryer for the link to this video.

Yes, it bugs me, too, that no one is placing their hand over their heart whilst he sings. But other than that, wow!

(I'm staring at the word too in the sentence above and can't figure out if the commas are correct or not. Now too is looking very strange to me. Ahhhhhh! Help!)

Menu Plan Monday - October 14, 2007

2007-10-14T23:45:00.000-06:00

Sunday- Soft Tacos
Monday- Crock-pot Chili (F)
Tuesday- Meatloaf (F) & Baked Potatoes
Wednesday- Grilled Pork Steaks, Zucchini, Applesauce
Thursday- Fried Chicken & Mashed Potatoes
Friday- Homemade Pizza
Saturday- Chicken & Rice Soup (F) & French Rolls

F = It's premade and in the freezer.

See what's on other menus at Organizing Junkie, the host of MPM.

MIRLing in Idaho

2007-10-14T16:13:00.000-06:00

I've MIRLed! I think it was KimC at Life In A Shoe that coined that term*. She defined it very well anyway even if she didn't make it up! I've finally Met In Real Life Roberta from Debtor2Mercy. We've been talking for a while about getting together, since we totally live close enough to do that, and today we finally did it. We met at a restaurant for lunch after church and had a great time. Her husband and oldest child were gone hunting and so were Jim and our three older kids. I just had Abby and she had her three younger ones. Her youngest is one day older than Abby so it was fun to compare notes. It's impossible to have the amount of conversation over lunch that we've had brewing in us, I think, so we left the restaurant to continue our conversation at my house. BUT, when we got there we discovered my family had returned. So she only stayed long enough to meet everybody and take a tour of my backyard and then she left. We'll have to get together again soon. It was great fellowship and great fun. Thanks Roberta (& kids)!!

Anybody you wish you could MIRL?
__________________________________
*Okay, I researched the word (MIRL) and it was Shannon from Rocks in my Dryer that requested a verb for 'Meeting In Real Life'. Valerie from Many Mundane Moments that came up with MIRL and KimC that expanded the definition on Rocks in my Dryer! Aren't you glad you kept reading this post so you could get this fascinating etymology?! :-)

Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Songs

2007-10-14T00:00:00.000-06:00

WHERE THE ROSES NEVER FADE

I am going to a city,
Where the streets with gold are laid;
Where the tree of life is blooming,
And the roses never fade.

CHORUS

Here they bloom but for a season,
Soon their beauty is decayed;
I am going to a city,
Where the roses never fade.

In this world we have our troubles,
Satan snares we must evade;
We'll be free from all temptations,
Where the roses never fade.

CHORUS

Loved ones gone to be with Jesus,
In their robes of white arrayed;
Now are waiting for my coming,
Where the roses never fade.

CHORUS

Lyrics: Janie West Metzgar, 1929
Music: Robert Metzgar

Listen to the Cathedrals sing it.

Favorite (Foto) Friday

2007-10-12T15:26:00.000-06:00

What I harvested from my neglected garden:
Click on picture to enlarge. I apologize that it's so dark!
A garden forgotten by me since we started back to school but remembered by the Lord, the Giver of all good things.

The grapes you see are only a token amount of what is in my back yard. I have a lot of grape jelly to make! The parsley I will dry and put away to use this fall and winter. The tomatoes and onions are about to become spaghetti sauce. The pumpkins are headed for the front step to decorate for fall. The green pepper will end up on my pizza. The carrot will be eaten as soon as I finish this post. The potatoes will make a nice dinner for Abby and I. (Everyone else is up in the mountains deer hunting.)

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 1 Cor. 3:7

October Winds

2007-10-10T15:37:00.000-06:00

It's October and I'm lovin' it. I love it that winter is just around the corner. I love it that we are back to schooling. I love it that the weather is cooler and it's time for flannel sheets. I ♥ my bed any ol' time but I really love it in the fall and winter seasons. I unearthed my sheets and my down comforter and so they would smell all fresh and lovely, I washed the sheets and hung them on the line. I hung the comforter on the line to air out too. I sure appreciate that I have a covered patio because that allowed me to put my clothesline there and I line dry laundry rain or shine. I didn't used to avail myself of my clothesline in the fall but I am doing it this year. In fact whenever the wind is a blowin' I feel like I'm squandering an opportunity if I don't have some laundry out there. Anywho, my cozy flannel sheets are on my bed, my down comforter is tucked into my denim duvet cover, October winds are blowing, and winter's on it's way. Life is good.

WFMW - Fingers in Doors

2007-10-09T23:33:00.000-06:00

Elise's cool tip today reminded me of something I do that might be helpful to others too. I take a partly folded hand towel and drape it over the top of any door that I don't want my tiny ones to be able to close. This can accomplish several things.

1.) They can't close the door and then sit down in front of it thereby preventing me from getting in when they're crying because they're trapped.

2.) Since they can't close the door all the way it's harder to get their fingers pinched in the knob side of the door. Now if I could just figure out how to protect their fingers from the hinge side. (THAT was a fun ER visit!)

3.) It's also handy on those warm, breezy nights when you have the windows open and the wind is sucking the door open and then pushing it back and it's a little loud and startling and it's even freaking out your 11-year-old daughter! With the towel over the door, the latch doesn't hit against the strike plate (is that one word or two?) and sleep isn't rudely interrupted. Not by that anyway.

It's worked for me for many years.

See what working for the rest of the crowd over at Rocks In My Dryer.

Casting Crowns Concert

2007-10-09T02:35:00.000-06:00

I went to the Casting Crowns concert in Boise tonight with my daughter, Rebecca. Oh.My.Goodness. I don't know if I'll ever be able to put into words how great it was. All I can say right now is we serve a big, big God and I am so blessed to be called His child. I've never been to a concert where the seven members of the group sit at the front of the stage and spend 20 minutes taking turns praying for the audience. Each member focused on a particular thing. I can't remember all seven but one prayed for young men and the decisions that they are making that will affect who they become and the kind of fathers and leaders they will become. One prayed for encouragement for those in ministry. One prayed for marriages and for wives to learn what it means to really submit to their husbands and that husbands would just love their wives the way Christ loves the church. One prayed for the members of the audience who don't yet have a relationship with Jesus. One prayed for the fatherless, and one prayed for mothers, for mothers in the trenches of raising childen, for the heartache of losing a child, and for the ones desiring to become mothers. It was a good thing we got napkins at the concession stand earlier because I was a teary mess. The mention of the heartache of losing a child especially touched me because I'm very much aware of the fact that my former due date was two weeks from yesterday. (It's strange to think that I'd be delivering a baby very soon if I hadn't miscarried. It's been so many months ago now it seems crazy to think that I was supposed to be having a baby this month. Perhaps that's a different post.... back to the concert.)

Ack. I feel like I have Niagra Falls trying to fit through a 1" pipe! Apparently I can say more than I first intimated! :-) There's so much to talk about.

Rebecca liked the opening group, Leeland, better than Casting Crowns but she did like CC. She commented that the main singer looked like he was too young to be touring the United States. (When Leeland began playing/singing I thought "Oh my goodness. I'm old. What have I done and why am I here?" I'm too old for this. I enjoyed CC much better and Leeland really was okay. Their music is a bit wild but carried a good message nonetheless.) She didn't like the video plugs for WorldVision. Seeing the plight of children in third-world countries is really upsetting to her and causes her several sleepless nights. (I didn't realize we would be seeing that. I still would have taken her had I known.) When CC sang their last song and the lights were extinguished and we were standing and applauding, I leaned over to Rebecca and said, "They are clapping to bring them out again. They will come out and sing one more song." "How, do YOU know?" she asked. I said, "This isn't my first concert!" It was funny! I got to go to a concert again for the first time. She thought it was just silly and they should have stayed out there and sung the song without leaving first. At one point they let the drummer rip. Rebecca liked it but thought it dragged on too long. Really, it was impressive. He was quite skilled and in a strange way it was neat to see/hear. I reminded her of how she feels when she gets to run, really fast. Run as hard as she possibly can without having to stop until she wants to. It's a good feeling to do someting you love and that you are good at and to do it to the utmost. I said I think it feels like that to him. She nodded. She understood that feeling. The really cool thing was he did that and he gave it to to Lord. I saw that happen. It was beautiful... and it was really, really loud drums. Go figure.

Are you still reading all of this? Sorry that I'm so chatty... it was a great mountain-top experience and I want to remember what I'm thinking and feeling right now.

The thing I loved most was the meatiness of the lyrics. Casting Crowns doesn't spend much time on feel-good songs. Here are some examples of ones that particularly challenged me:

And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth - Voice of Truth
*****

Just love her like Jesus, carry her to Him
His yoke is easy, His burden is light
You don't need the answers to all of life's questions
Just know that He loves her and stay by her side
Love her like Jesus
Love her like Jesus - Love Them Like Jesus
*****

Jesus, I'm trying so hard to stop trying so hard
Just let You be who You are
Lord, who You are in me - The Altar and the Door
*****

It's all because of Jesus I'm alive
It's all because the blood of Jesus Christ
That covers me and raised this dead man's life
It's all because of Jesus I'm alive - All Because of Jesus
*****

What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captives free
And not let Satan have one more

What if the church for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took and stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates

What if His people prayed
And those who bare His name
Would humbly seek His face
And turn from their own way... What If His People Prayed

Want a taste of our evening? The following videos will do that for you.

The Altar and The Door Tour Preview (2 1/2 minutes)

The Altar and the Door Sneak Preview - with Mark Hall (almost 6 minutes but SOOO good! If you only watch one of these videos, watch this one.)

I'll stop now. It's 2 am. I think I'm finally winding down... Typing sure is getting difficult. :-) Tickets to this concert were a great gift from my husband. I am blessed, I am encouraged, I am challenged, I am convicted, I am refreshed, I am humbled, I am grateful.

I am tired. G'night.

Menu Plan Monday - October 7, 2007

2007-10-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday- Chicken Pot Pies
Monday- Spaghetti, Salad & French Bread
Tuesday- Grilled Hamburgers & Corn-on-the-Cob
Wednesday- Chicken & Rice Bake, Salad
Thursday- Deer Steaks, Mashed Potatoes
Friday- Leftovers
Saturday- Pancakes

Check out the other menus for the week at Organizing Junkie.

By the way, I really liked the copycat recipe for Olive Garden's Alfredo Sauce that I mentioned and used last week. I doubled the amount of cream cheese and added about an extra 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. It turned out very well and we enjoyed it a lot. I'm so happy to find a great alfredo sauce recipe. YUMMY!

Adam-isms

2007-10-07T22:53:00.000-06:00

Tonight while I was gone at a church function, Jim was home with the kids. He heard Abby screaming and hollering in the living room. When he went in there to see what was happening he saw Adam lying on his back on the couch with Abby lying on her back on top of him. Adam had his arms and legs wrapped around her, restraining her. Jim asked what in the world was going on and Adam replied, "Abby was doing bad stuff and I am taking her sin away."

Apparently Abby didn't want her sin taken away. Sometimes it's hard to let go of our sin, isn't it?!

There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Prov. 16:25

(Near as Jim could reconstruct, Abby's sin was standing up on the arm of the couch and turning the light off and on. Thanks, Adam, for keeping her from hurtling to the ground!)

Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Songs

2007-10-07T00:00:00.000-06:00

THERE IS A FOUNTAIN

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.
Washed all my sins away, washed all my sins away;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.
Lies silent in the grave, lies silent in the grave;
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.

Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, unworthy though I be,
For me a blood bought free reward, a golden harp for me!
’Tis strung and tuned for endless years, and formed by power divine,
To sound in God the Father’s ears no other name but Thine.

Words: William Cowper, in Conyer’s Collection of Psalms and Hymns, 1772.
Music: Cleansing Fountain, 19th Century American camp meeting tune

Source: CyberHymnal.org
"This is one of the first hymns Cowper wrote after his first attack of temporary madness." You can read more of the history at CyberHymnal by clicking on the link above.

Favorite (F)oto Friday: My Girls

2007-10-05T09:12:00.000-06:00

Three Things Thursday

2007-10-04T07:36:00.000-06:00

1. Just so you know, I threw it out!

2. Remember, it's October 4th! (wink, wink!)

3. My husband bought me tickets to a Casting Crowns concert. The tickets were tucked into a chocolate bar. Rather they were tucked into the wrapper. Isn't he great!?!

Works for YOU Wednesday

2007-10-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

This week is supposed to be backward week for the Works For Me crowd at Rocks In My Dryer. Shannon said that:

Instead of giving a tip, you'll ask for one, on a very specific subject. You'll be inviting all the WFMW readers to weigh in with their clever solutions to your most stubborn problems.

So here's my situation:

Where To Sleep?

I have a three-bedroom house. One room is for my husband and me; one room for my boys, ages 3.75 and 9; and the last room is for my girls, ages 21 months and 11 years. We've had the baby nap in our room during the day because I'm not using it then and my 11 yog can have her room available to her at that time. The problem is nights. The baby will still wake up at night and fuss. Sometimes scream and cry. If I let her cry it out she's usually asleep again within 10 or so minutes. My 11 yog can't sleep through that and doesn't want to be sharing a room with the baby. She also wants more light to sleep by than the baby can handle. Once my babies are about 4/5 months I don't share my room with them anymore because I hear every little intake of breath (that doesn't bother my older daughter) and I'm just ready to have my bedroom back. For a long time my two older kids, Rebecca and Micah shared the top bunk in the boys' room and Adam (3) slept on the bottom bunk but Micah finally got tired of Rebecca being in there and wanted his space back. The two older kids spent the summer sleeping on the hide-a-bed in the living room but that is over now too. So now Rebecca is back in her own room trying to share the space with Abby. I wish I had space for my babies to have a room of their own, but I just don't.

Am I being selfish for not wanting to have the baby in MY room anymore? Am I asking too much of my older daughter to expect her to share a room with her 21-month-old sister? Is there a solution that I haven't come up with yet? HELP!

See what the other questions this week are at Rocks In My Dryer!

Menu Plan Monday - Sept. 30, 20007

2007-10-01T09:19:00.000-06:00

Sunday- Soft Tacos, Chips & Salsa

Monday- Baked Ham, Au Gratin Potatoes, Salad

Tuesday- Chicken Stir Fry, Pork Fried Rice

Wednesday- Broccoli Chicken Alfredo, French Bread (I'm trying this Olive Garden copycat recipe this week.)

Thursday- Roast Venison, Mashed Potatoes

Friday- Homemade Pizza

Saturday-Parents Go Out!

Check out the other menus for the week at Organizing Junkie.

Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Songs

2007-09-30T00:00:00.000-06:00

The DeputyHeadmistress at The Common Room has a post every Sunday called Sunday Hymn Post. I've enjoyed it very much especially since I really miss singing hymns regularly at church. A good old hymn is hard to come by. So I've decided to copy her idea and post a hymn here each Sunday. Since I like many different types of church songs I may post something other than a hymn here sometimes too. Whatever strikes my fancy or whatever song God is using to minister to me. That's why I'm calling it Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, a phrase I borrowed from Ephesians 5:19: speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain

But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

Refrain

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

Refrain

Words: Daniel W. Whittle, in Gospel Hymns No. 4, 1883.
Music: James McGranahan

Source: CyberHymnal.org

Cousins Camp 2007

2007-09-29T11:24:00.000-06:00

My daughter, Rebecca, has posted her Cousins' Camp report on her blog, Just Horsin' Around. Give her a thrill and go read and comment.

peanut butter, paws, & predicaments

2007-09-28T13:32:00.000-06:00

Updated*

Okay, Internet, I've got a question for you.

First I have to tell you that I've been doing a pretty good job of transforming my life into a frugal lifestyle. Okay...I've made a few positive changes. Not a major transformation, yet. But it's happening. It's mostly in my head but a frugal lifestyle IS mostly about attitude and how you view life. To quote the DeputyHeadmistress in her latest article on the new Frugal Hacks website,

"the most important frugal tool you have is the way you think about things. All the frugal buys in the world won’t help us live within our means until we change the way we think about what we need and what we want."

So, to get to the point, I bought a new jar of peanut butter. We had used it once. It was left on the table after breakfast (we gotta have peanut butter on our pancakes!), and the ~~@#^!%$&~~ cute, loveable cat got to it.

Here's the question: What would you do? Go ahead and vote. I've already made my decision. I'll tell you what I did later.

*For some reason when I posted this voting thingie, a strange color bar appeared at the top and bottom of my blog. I don't like that color! It doesn't belong but I can only make it disappear when I remove this post. Strange! I guess it will just have to stay there until this post is archived unless someone out there can tell me how I can fix it....

Favorite (F)oto Friday

2007-09-28T07:48:00.000-06:00

Menu Plan Monday - Sept. 23, 2007

2007-09-23T22:35:00.000-06:00

Sunday- Go Out
Monday- Sub Sandwiches, Fruit
Tuesday- Chicken Salad, French bread
Wednesday- Baked Potato Bar
Thursday- Swiss Steak & Rice, Salad (from the freezer - I made a double batch a few weeks ago)
Friday- Grilled Hamburgers
Saturday- Leftover Buffet

Be sure to check out the other menus this week at Organizing Junkie.
You can also check out my handy, standard breakfast menu.

Menu Plan Monday - Sept. 16, 2007

2007-09-17T08:07:00.000-06:00

Wow! I haven't posted a menu plan in months. Really, I have been using menus I just haven't gotten around to posting them. But I'm back now.

Sunday- Spaghetti
Monday- Grilled Pork Steaks & Zucchini, Applesauce, Salad
Tuesday- Chicken Enchiladas (make double batch)
Wednesday- Grilled Salmon, Steamed Baby Reds, Salad
Thursday- Beef Stroganoff (from the freezer - I made a double batch a few weeks ago)
Friday- Homemade Pizza
Saturday- Deer Steaks, Mashed Potatoes, Pan Gravy, Salad

Be sure to check out the other menus this week at Organizing Junkie.

The Monstrous Regiment of Women

2007-09-17T07:21:00.000-06:00

Thank you KimC for the heads up on the following video:

I'm thankful for men like Colin Gunn who are willing to fight the culture war.

I can't wait to see the movie.....the official site for The Monsterous Regiment movie is here.

Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

This post: It's coming ..... are you ready? was written by KimC @ Life in a Shoe.

More on Overpopulation

2007-09-14T12:16:00.000-06:00

Or should that be moron overpopulation? Sorry.

My sister sent me an article that is a startling contrast to my last post. She doen't agree with it, by the way, she just sent it because of the contrast. Here's an excerpt:

Global Swarming
Is it time for Americans to start cutting our baby emissions?

By Daniel Engber Posted Monday, Sept. 10, 2007, at 4:49 PM ET

Oh, if we all just disappeared. According to The World Without Us, Alan Weisman's strangely comforting vision of human annihilation, the Earth would be a lot better off. In his doomsday scenario, freshwater floods would course through the New York subway system, ailanthus roots would heave up sidewalks, and a parade of coyotes, bears, and deer would eventually trot across the George Washington Bridge and repopulate Manhattan. Nature lovers can take solace in the idea that the planet will thrive once we've finally destroyed ourselves with global warming. But Weisman takes the fantasy one step further: Let's not wait for climate change, he says. Let's start depopulating right now. (Read the rest...)

In the third paragraph of the above article is a link to another article that I think is worth reading. It's not for the faint-hearted, easily angered, or for children. Read a little:

Cases of Forced Abortions Surface in China
by Louisa Lim ~ Morning Edition, April 23, 2007

During the past week, dozens of women in southwest China have been forced to have abortions even as late as nine months into the pregnancy, according to evidence uncovered by NPR.
China's strict family planning laws permit urban married couples to have only one child each, but in some of the recent cases — in Guangxi Province — women say they were forced to abort what would have been their first child because they were unmarried. The forced abortions are all the more shocking because family planning laws have generally been relaxed in China, with many families having two children. (Read a little more...)

This is just wrong, folks. And terribly sad. We'd be foolish to think it can't happen in the U.S.

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:3-5)

Who am I to tell God to stop giving me gifts? How do I know when my quiver is full? I believe God is the best judge of that. He knows me, He knows His plans for me. He knows where He wants me to be and He knows how to get me there. How can I think that I would do a better job of directing my life that my Maker would? My only task is to submit to His will and let Him form me in to the person He wants me to be. C.S. Lewis states it very well,

Christ says `Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked - the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.' (from Mere Christianity [chapter 30])

It's as simple and as difficult as that. I don't think overpopulation is our problem. I think SIN is our problem. Only God has the solution for that and it's offered as a free gift to us. We'd be foolish to squander that gift.

******************************
Updated to add link:
China to crack down on rich flouting one-child rule

Overpopulation?

2007-09-13T00:18:00.000-06:00

I've never believed it. Apparently the governor of a central Russian province doesn't believe it either!

Skip work, make babies, says Russian governor
By James Kilner Wed Sep 12, 6:02 AM ET
The governor of a central Russian province urged couples to skip work on Wednesday and m@ke love instead to help boost Russia's low birth-rate.
And if a woman gives birth in exactly nine months time -- on Russia's national day on June 12 -- she will qualify for a prize, perhaps even winning a new home.
"It's normally something for the home -- a fridge or a television set," Yelena Yakovleva at the Ulyanovsk regional administration press office, said.
"It doesn't matter if it's a girl or a boy."
Newly-weds Karina and Anton Bukhanovsky walked hand in hand down the main street of the regional capital of Ulyanovsk. They live in St Petersburg but travelled to Ulyanovsk to soak up the atmosphere on Wednesday.
"I used to live here," said Karina, aged 19.
"We plan to come back on the same day next year and try for a baby and the prize nine months later," she said.
Anton, aged 21, kissed her gently on the cheek and they strolled off arm in arm.
Regional governor Sergei Morozov told employers to contribute to a Kremlin campaign to boost the birth rate by giving couples Wednesday off to have s&x.
Russia wants to reverse a trend in which the population is shrinking by about 700,000 people a year as births fail to outpace a high death rate boosted by AIDS, alcoholism and suicide.
This is the third year Ulyanovsk region, famous as the birthplace of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin, has dedicated a day to encouraging couples to produce more babies.
Prizes will extend equally to unwed women who produce children on the right day, though the biggest prizes will go to married couples.
On Russia Day this year, a family won a jeep after their fourth baby was born on the holiday.
Next year, the top prizes will include an apartment, Morozov told Reuters. "We need more people," he said.
This year a record 78 babies were born on June 12 at the main hospital in the regional capital of Ulyanovsk, beating the 2006 total of 26, said chief doctor Andrei Malykh.
"The scheme is working. People want the prizes," he said.
A mass wedding and special lessons for children at school on how to deal with having a brother or sister are also planned in Ulyanovsk city, which is about 900 km (560 miles) from Moscow.
At the town's central post office, a sign urges locals to write love letters for free to anywhere in Russia, with postage pre-paid.
This week First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a possible successor to President Vladimir Putin, said he wanted to stabilise the population at about 142 million by 2015 and boost it back to 145 million by 2025.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070912/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_
russia_sex;_ylt=AlixwWWvxDK4iO7gaXxomnwuQE4F

I don't really know what to say about this but I wanted to share it. I'd like a new house or a new fridge, but we didn't get this Wednesday off. We should start a program like this here in the states. July 4th is a good national holiday for us to aim for, eh? So how about Thursday, October 4th? National Trying To Conceive Day. Whaddya think?

I think it's late and I should get to bed. I'm starting to get punchy.

WFMW - Line Drying Towels

2007-09-12T01:03:00.000-06:00

Do you line dry towels and find them rather stiff and abrasive? Well, I learned a trick from my mom. Throw them in the dryer for about 10 minutes on the no-heat setting, THEN hang them on the line. Ten minutes is enough to fluff them up and remove the wrinkles from the spin cycle and you still get the sweet smell of line drying and you've still reduced your energy usage.

Check out what works for others at the Works For Me Wednesday home: Rocks In My Dryer.

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My previous WFMW posts:
Brand Loyalty
Breakfast Menu
Rinsing Toddler Hair
Measuring Honey & Molasses
Precooking Hamburger
Holey Jeans, Batman?!
Cleaning out the fridge
Trimming Baby Nails

WFMW - Brand Loyalty

2007-09-05T10:25:00.000-06:00

Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer has asked that: "Everybody post about what brands (any products) you cannot do without."

Here's my list:

Jif peanut butter
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Toothpaste
Arm & Hammer laundry detergent
Arm & Hammer dryer sheets
Crayola crayons
Clorox bleach & Clorox 2
Plain or Honey Nut Cheerios (other generic cereals are okay but NOT Cheerioes!)
Premium Saltines
Van Camp's Pork 'n Beans
Gorton's Fishsticks
Scott's toilet paper
Band-Aid's
Dove bar soap
Q-tips

There might be a few others but I can't think of them now. The cool thing is I just got a BUNCH of coupons for the name brand things that I like. I spent a total of $6.18 on ebay for a huge amount of coupons (from three different sellers). I'm so excited for payday because then I get to use them and see exactly how much I'll save! Check back later and I'll record my savings. The trick with coupons is to ONLY buy the coupons for things you already buy anyway. Otherwise it turns into more spending instead of more saving. I've been bitten by the coupon bug!

Anyway, back to WFMW... What's on your list?

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Updated to add: After reading a few other brand loyalty lists I had to hurry back here and add NETFLIX!! Yes, of course! Goodness, it's even in my sidebar. I can't believe I forgot that one. Netflix is so great. I can't tell you how I DON'T miss going into the video rental store and having to avert my eyes from the evil that abounds there.

Homeschooling - Ages 3 and under

2007-08-22T11:53:00.000-06:00

What do we study when I am teaching a one-year-old and a three-year-old?

Why, fluid dynamics, of course!

And what do you do once you have filled the bucket? Pretend you are Georgie Russell from Davy Crockett - King of the Wild Frontier!

Safe

2007-08-21T11:26:00.000-06:00

Welcome Home!

Damaged shuttle Endeavour lands safely

Psalm 23 - Surely??

2007-08-14T10:06:00.000-06:00

Hat tip to KimC @ Life In A Shoe.