Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Eve Rememberances

It is Christmas Eve, mid-day, and I am sitting in the corner blue chair which is almost too broken to use, but I love it because it is a gift from my friend Debbie, and somehow I just want to be in it because she gave it to me. I love gifts from her. I am still in my p.j.'s, ahh the blessing of vacation. I am sipping hot tea, and sharing my bagel with Anna who is half sitting on my shoulder and half on the arm of the chair, feeling the silky part of her beena (blankie) and sucking on her paci. We are warm and snuggly in the blanket that was Joel's when he was little, and I am hoping that nothing peaks her interest for awhile so we can stay this way for as long as possible. We share each morning like this when I read my Bible and I love it. Isaac is vacuuming, Abby is finishing up the breakfast dishes, Caleb and Nathan are half-cleaning and half telling me what they each would like for their next birthday. It is a day filled with the blessing of ordinary things, which in reality are extra-ordinary gifts to us from God.

10 years ago this morning I went out for a very special breakfast. A nervously handsome young man drove me to Jumers, a Castle looking hotel and resturant, with his parents accompaning. The bagel wasn't toasted, the orange juice never came, the eggs were over easy and not scrambled with cheese, and who could forget the high-back booth seat that leaned forward or backward whenever the person on the opposite side leaned forward to take a bite! Ahh the memories. Then it was a stroll through the castle, to a red velvet couch in a cold drafty lobby, in front of a fireplace with, unfortunately no fire in it. It was dim yet we could see the Hotel Maid as she came and had us lift our feet while on the couch as she vacuumed under them! Romantic? Very. No one I ever knew had gotten engaged over breakfast. Ever. Well there's a first time for everything.

Because I like to have some things that are just for my enjoyment and memory I will not tell you each and every detail. I WILL tell you that what transacted in that lobby was a solemn committment. It was the beginning of a life-long adventure, one that still keeps us laughing, praying, loving and enjoying every crazy minute of it. The imperfect surroundings remind us that we too are imperfect, yet you can make the best of any situation, and you can bring out the best in an imperfect person, faithfully loving them day after day for 10 years solid.

I would say yes to Him a thousand times again, and in a very real way I do each and every day. I did today, "Yes I will be your wife," I will take care of your little hoolagins who keep me hopping, spanking, loving, and praying. I will make your home a haven, a place like none on this earth where we can come and hide from the whole world. I will make your favorite meal more than once a year, and set the table like your Mother always did so that we can have sweet times around the dinner table like you had when you were growing up. I have not forgotten what I meant in that power-packed word, "yes."


Thank you for asking me. I still say "yes.""Us" enjoying some entertainment "grandpa" style


Self portrait of us at Christmas Eve Service, ten years ago.
She is still beautiful and fun!!!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Our New House!!!

Yes we have waited 10 long years for this moment........the day we would build a new house for our family. We have put our sweat and tears into this, we have given it all we've got, and we are now proud to share the fruit of our labors with you.............







Wait for it..........









Wait for it............







Tada!!!!! Well at this point in our lives ANY new house is exciting! This is the first year we have ever made a gingerbread house. Perhaps they have been too expensive to buy in the past, perhaps we have seen some of Uncle Jason's previous houses.......either way we have finally discovered how fun they are to put together.

1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Ne 4:6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
Ps 128:3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
Ps 90:17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.


This was 100x's better than fighting Walmart crowds for last minute Christmas gifts. What a SWEET time we had together. I am thankful for my "large" family, and I would rather be home with them than with anyone, anywhere in the world.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Friday, December 12, 2008

Earl Grey with cream

If you are like me, which in some ways I hope you are not! :-) But if in SOME cases you are, you find such peace and warmth and comfort in the old familiar things. The worn comfy slippers you cannot bring yourself to throw away, a good book that you have memorized, a throw that someone made for you that you use everyday when you sit in your favorite old chair and have your time with the Lord. In the old we find a sweet coziness that reminds us of things we have forgotten, of things we wish we could do again, of moments we wish we could squeeze all the joy out of and carry a little bit of it with us throughout our lives, and in a sense, these old things do that for us.

Earl Grey with cream goes back a ways for me. It goes back to my Pastor's wife's Sunday School class, where I sat, at a folding table, half in the kitchen of an old Real Estate building. I loved watching my teacher sip her tea and peruse through her Bible with it's worn homemade cover and tell me things I needed to know. I remember thinking how Motherly she looked to me, looking for acceptance, in her lilac dress with freshly curled black hair. Love this picture. Tea was matronly and feminine.

Then I would enjoy a cup of this tea sneaking sips from hers as she drove me to school with her kiddos. These memories are filled with van breakdowns, prayers to coast into the gas station, and combing our pockets and seats for change to contribute to the "get us all to school and back fund." I loved all the excitement and remember watching the Lord take care of us. Each time we had a difficulty no one was in a panic. There were smiles and tea and I remember these moments fondly. Tea was comforting.

Tea was always a way I could feel at home in a far away place, like college. And meeting my Husband to be, whom just happened to enjoy tea, brought a smile to my face. Here and there I would find Earl Grey, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I began to REALLY enjoy it and look for it, and feel like I HAD to have a cup.


The smell, that so familiar fruit-loop smell, just takes me back. It reminds me that someone invested in me, that someone treated me as their own, gave me their tea to enjoy, brought me reassurance that I still enjoy today. I make my cup while with a group of Ladies who look at me half-cocked and turn their nose up when I add the cream. I smile. I am re-living a bit of the past. I have memories attached to this cup of tea that they will never know. I sip and grin and am content to enjoy this all to myself. I like the fact that they do not know how good this tea is, nor care to know. I want to savor it and save it for my kiddos to enjoy and laugh as I tell them all of the memories I have attached to it.

The kettle is whistling..... Thank you W family, for everything.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

A Lesson from the Twelve

The shepherds, the wise men, the kings.......this time of year we are centering-in on biblical figures. We think about them, put up images of them standing or kneeling beside Jesus, and we even send cards with pictures of them on it. But today I am thinking of a different group of individuals. Today I am thinking about the disciples.

While reading my Bible I began to notice some things about them and I would write them on a slip of green paper and keep it to mark where I was reading to gather more "finds" about them as I read. Hmmmmmm........interesting. Now we all know that the LORD chose these men, each and every one of them. He called them out of various professions, each with varied personalities and amounts of smarts too. We all at one time or another, in Christian service, have taken note of these men and after looking at their stature realize that we too can be of use when called by God Himself. These were not perfect men by any means as we are not, but were greatly used, as we too can be.

So let's take note of 4 things I have recently learned from the 12 whom God chose:

1. Sometimes they were afraid to ask Jesus something when they didn't understand. Mark 9:32-"But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him."

Wow. Ever been there? Knowing all you know about the nature of God, have you ever not understood Him, and His ways, yet been afraid to ask Him something?

2. Sometimes they struggled with pride. Mark 9:34- "But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest."

Hmmm....ever been THERE? Pride welling up inside over a job well-done, seeking some praise or recognition for it????

3. Sometimes they actually turned people AWAY from the Lord! Mark 10 13- " And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them."

How often has our attitude been wrong in front of others, and we discourage someone from coming to the Lord??

4. Sometimes they lacked needed compassion for others....even wishing them harm. Luke 9:54- "And they did not receive him, because his face was as thought he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

Shocking, isn't it... that those closest to Jesus, who walked, talked, gleaned from Him daily would be thus? Or is it??? We walk and talk with Him. We glean from His teachings just as they did, and many times we find ourselves spiteful at people looking past their souls to the very sin they struggle with. This Christmas season don't mumble under your breath when the cashier tells you "Happy Holidays," instead of "Merry Christmas." She sees your button that blinks "Keep Christ in Christmas." Let that be a testimony to her and let your sweet spirit be the icing on the cake. Stop bumbling through crowds of people only wondering if they took the last sweater or gift YOU were looking for, and for pitty's sake don't turn your nose up at the bell ringers at Walmart because they are not our "Stripe." Shame on us. Learn from the disciples, they made mistakes just like we do.....daily.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Do You Hear What I Hear??

Recently, in the hustle and bustle of getting last minute things ready for the wedding of all weddings next Friday, keeping my family free of the roaming stomach bug (no Diana it really isn't a BUG persay...), and dashing around like a mad woman determined to get all my Christmas shopping finished the beginning of December instead of my usual 3 days before Christmas.....(hey Mom I said I was sorry for the spatula I gave you last year, listen that was all Kohl's had left!!) ......in the business of all of this the Lord has graciously reminded me through a sweet listener that HE is talking. God is speaking through the Holy Spirit to us. Everyday. All day. Are you hearing what I have been hearing?


The other day Hubby asked me the yearly question...."Honey, what would you like for Christmas?" And usually he has something sneaky and terrific in mind, but he asks away anyways. So I replied with something for the kitchen that I really needed.....a chef's knife. You know the one, the one that is thick and perfect for chopping veggies for soup. The one that makes you for one second feel like you are on the Food Network.....THAT one. My knives are 10 year old wedding presents and well, let's just say that my veggies groan when I try to cut them and if, perchance someone did break in my house for some really strange reason.... and I grabbed a knife to try to fend him off...the um, assailant would um, be laughing so hard at my knife he would ah probably give me time to call the authorities and have him taken away. You get the overall idea, don't you??

No one knew what I had asked him for except him. I originally thought that in the back of his mind, knowing him, that he already had something else planned and maybe he could pass my request on to my MIL for an idea, tho the more I stewed on that, the more I was uncomfortable with receiving a knife, a very sharp one from my Mother-in-law. ( teasing here!!!) So, a week or so later a special offering was taken up for a man who is a friend of our church who had extensive medical bills from a recent surgery. You know the likes.......when you squirm in your seat and try to tell yourself that you cannot "squeeze blood from a turnip," if you catch my drift. There I was, Hubby was sitting on the platform so it was just me and the chain of kids stretching endlessly into the left wing.....and then it was there. The voice. Shame on me, it had been a little while since I had heard him speaking. He told me to give that money in my wallet that someone had given us. All of it. Now. So I him-haud around and finally got it in time to put in the plate. And then a strange thing happened. I asked God to give me that money back. NO NOT RIGHT THEN, and I have done some pretty crazy things in my lifetime, but I did NOT, I repeat did NOT chase the usher, jump on his back and snag my money back. (Too many childhood adventure movies...) I asked God to give me the money back somehow, somewhere, just so I knew it was from HIM, and it was given back to me. I told the Lord it could be food on my table, health, anything. I just wanted to KNOW that it was given back to me.

Fast forward a few days to an answering machine message. I need to interject here that Hubby changed our answering machine to Spanish....we don't speak it, but this machine now does. Not our message to those calling, but every other instruction to US is in it, making it nigh impossible to change it back to English!!!!!! A cruel joke. I digress..... After the mumbo jumbo I finally heard my message. Someone wanted to give Joel and I something special at the next service. I thought that was sweet and seriously never thought of it again. Maybe the Spanish distracted me.......JOEL please switch it back!!! I get hungy for nachos everytime I hear that thing!

The next service rolled around and this person took us out for hot chocolate and french fries, a mighty good combination if I do say so myself, and then presented us with his "gift." Yep, you guessed it, a knife. Four knives to be exact. And in a nice wooden knife holder, AND not just any knives....Wolfgang Puck knives. I was just dumbstruck. I just looked at him and said, "How did you know I asked for a knife?" And he didn't. He told me that he was told to give this to me by none other than the Holy Spirit. There He is again speaking to more people. That night was such a night for me. He, the benefactor, told me how sometimes we just get too busy to hear the Holy Spirit when He speaks to us......but He is speaking. I just sat silent for a while and told him I would do better at listening for Him. I wanted to be a blessing to someone like he had been to me, meeting a need or want at just the right time. When we got home I set my new knife set on my baker's rack and went to brush my teeth. While brushing my teeth again the Holy Spirit spoke reminding me of what I had given to a man in need, and what I had asked of the Lord. Now, I am not out of my mind here, and if you haven't had the Holy Spirit speakin' you might think me so, but this is what He told me to do..... He kept telling me to go and see if God had not given me back what I had given to that man. Go! He kept telling me. "Yes you are curious. Go and satisfy your curosity about this!" So to the computer I went. A few clicks and there was the Holy Spirit again saying, "Look there. I have given you Double what you gave to help someone else. And who better to know even the slightest desire of your heart, than me?" Almost double to the "T" financially what I had given.


He is speaking. Are you listening??? Someone needs a blessing.......do you hear what I hear?

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving from Us!

This Thanksgiving Poem was written in the forty's by Marian Douglas

A GOOD THANKSGIVING

Said Old Gentleman Gay, "On a Thanksgiving Day
If you want a good time, then give something away."

So he sent a fat turkey to Shoemaker Price
And the shoemaker said, "What a big bird" How nice!
And, since such a good dinner's before me, I ought
To give poor Widow Lee the small chicken I bought."

"This fine chicken, oh see?" said the pleased Widow Lee,
"And the kindness that sent it, how precious to me?
I would like to make someone happy as I--
I'll give Washerwoman Biddy my big pumpkin pie."

"And oh sure!" Biddy said. "Tis the queen of all pies!
Just to look at its yellow face gladdens my eyes!
Now it's my turn, I think; and a sweet ginger cake
For the motherless Finnigan children I'll bake."

"A sweet cake all our own! Tis too good to be true!"
Said the Finnigan children, Rose, Denny and Hugh;
"It smells sweet of spice and we'll carry a slice
To poor little lame Jake, who has nothing that's nice."

"Oh what a bootiful, bootiful, bootiful cake!
And so such a big slice! I will save all the crumbs
And will give 'em to each little sparrow that comes!"
And the sparrows they twittered, as if they would say:

Like Old Gentleman Gay, "On Thanksgiving Day,
If you want a good time, then give something away!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Abby-babs turns 7 !!


Yesterday was Abby's 7th birthday!!! She wanted more than anything to have Joel and I all to herself for a little shoppin'. So Mom and Dad watched the other 4 kiddos and we left for parts unknown to Abbs. She knew she had a surprise waiting for her, she just didn't know where we were goin' and to see her squirm with glee in the van with anticipation made me want to drive in circles just to enjoy that a wee bit longer. We went after dinner and just as we were cleaning up from dinner she hugged my neck and whispered in my ear, "Mom, thanks for having me." I just squeezed her and wished I could record that sweet comment to play back to myself on long days.


So we went to the mall and let her go to Build-A-Bear and pick out an animal to stuff, fluff and dress. The people waiting behind me were eating up the way we were talking to Abby and taking pictures, and there is just something inside me that makes me have to tell other people, when I am out with only one kiddo, that I have 4 more children at home. Weird I know, okay so maybe I like the OOO's and WOW's alright. Abb picked out a bunny and while she was at the computer filling in the information for "Emaly's" birth certificate I took off my earings and put them in the ears of this bunny. Once we left the store we told Abbs to check Emaly over and see if she noticed anything different. She noticed in like a milisecond...totally my daughter, and guessed immediately that we were going to allow her to get her ears pierced. So to Claire's we went!


Once we got Abbs in the chair she immediately became a nervous wreck and had to go to the bathroom...again MY daughter all the way... but we made her wait and watched as she struggled between being afraid and yet wanting to get earings so badly. It. Was. Cute.


It was a good time out with just Abbs. She is precious to me and I wouldn't trade my tree-climbin', Math dislikin', deep-thinkin' sweetie for anything in this world. Happy Birthday Abby!!!

A Labor of Love


A great, big, wonderful thanks to all those dorm girls who helped me with a small "payback" to our Dorm Mom whom is battling cancer at present. Much love, prayers and tears have been put into this scrapbook, and letters, cards and pictures have come from across the US and beyond. Some from Pennsylvania, Iowa, Mexico, Mongolia, and even Russia....... all to express their appreciation for someone "investing" their life in them.





Galatians 6:10 says, "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." and Romans 15: 1&2 tell us, "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification." I don't think you could ever be too thankful, to anyone, for anything, nor do I think you should underestimate what the Lord can do in your own heart, when you seek to be an encouragement to someone in need. Thank you, old friends, for reaching beyond your own comfort zone to show appreciation to someone who needs to hear it at this moment.


Saturday, November 22, 2008

Life's Checklist

Things to do:

1. Hold a live lobster.......


Ummm...... CHECK!

2. Get a good pic with my fwend of all fwends Kristyn.



CHECK CHECK! (Aww....love ya!)

Friday, November 21, 2008

Interesting Thought

I came across this article in today's news and thought that I would share it. I believe it helps to remind us that,

  1. God has everything under control.
  2. Mankind brings alot of heartache upon himself.
  3. The Lords return is imminent.
  4. "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."
Take a read and let us know what you think.

Report: U.S. Dominance and Influence Predicted to Fade

Alarming government report predicts environmental catastrophe, threat of nuclear war and the decline of America as the dominant global power by 2025.

FOXNews.com

Friday, November 21, 2008

The next two decades will see a world living with the daily threat of nuclear war, environmental catastrophe and the decline of America as the dominant global power, according to a frighteningly bleak assessment by the U.S. intelligence community.

"The world of the near future will be subject to an increased likelihood of conflict over resources, including food and water, and will be haunted by the persistence of rogue states and terrorist groups with greater access to nuclear weapons," said the report by the National Intelligence Council.

The analysts said that the report had been prepared in time for Barack Obama's entry into the Oval office on January 20, where he will be faced with some of the greatest challenges of any newly-elected president.

"The likelihood that nuclear weapons will be used will increase with expanded access to technology and a widening range of options for limited strikes," the 121-page assessment said.

Click here to read the report in full

The analysts draw attention to an already escalating nuclear arms race in the Middle East and anticipate that a growing number of rogue states will be prepared to share their destructive technology with terror groups.

"Over the next 15-20 years reactions to the decisions Iran makes about its nuclear program could cause a number of regional states to intensify these efforts and consider actively pursuing nuclear weapons," the report Global Trends 2025 said. "This will add a new and more dangerous dimension to what is likely to be increasing competition for influence within the region," it said.

The spread of nuclear capabilities will raise questions about the ability of weak states to safeguard them, it added. "If the number of nuclear-capable states increases, so will the number of countries potentially willing to provide nuclear assistance to other countries or to terrorists."

The report, a year in the making, said that global warming will aggravate the scarcity of water, food and energy resources. Citing a British study, it said that climate change could force up to 200 million people to migrate to more temperate zones. "Widening gaps in birth rates and wealth-to-poverty ratios, and the impact of climate change, could further exacerbate tensions," it said.

The report says the warming earth will extend Russia and Canada's growing season and ease their access to northern oil fields, strengthening their economies. But Russia's potential emergence as a world power may be clouded by lagging investment in its energy sector, persistent crime and government corruption, the report says.

"The international system will be almost unrecognizable by 2025, owing to the rise of emerging powers, a globalizing economy, a transfer of wealth from West to East, and the growing influence of non-state actors. Although the United States is likely to remain the single most powerful actor, the United States' relative strength -- even in the military realm -- will decline and US leverage will become more strained."

Global power will be multipolar with the rise of India and China, and the Korean peninsula will be unified in some form. Turning to the current financial situation, the analysts say that the financial crisis on Wall Street is the beginning of a global economic rebalancing.

The U.S. dollar's role as the major world currency will weaken to the point where it becomes a "first among equals."

"Strategic rivalries are most likely to revolve around trade, investments and technological innovation, but we cannot rule out a 19th-century-like scenario of arms races, territorial expansion and military rivalries." The report, based on a global survey of experts and trends, was more pessimistic about America's global status than previous outlooks prepared every four years. It said that outcomes will depend in part on the actions of political leaders. "The next 20 years of transition to a new system are fraught with risks," it said.

The analysts also give warning that the kind of organized crime plaguing Russia could eventually take over the government of an Eastern or Central European country, and that countries in Africa and South Asia may find themselves ungoverned, as states wither away under pressure from security threats and diminishing resources..

The intelligence community expects that terrorism would survive until 2025, but in slightly different form, suggesting that Al Qaeda's "terrorist wave" might be breaking up. "Al Qaeda's inability to attract broad-based support might cause it to decay sooner than people think," it said.

On a positive note it added that an alternative to oil might be in place by 2025.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Ode To Hubby

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost


Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind a downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Isaac and Abb's are memorizing this poem just like their Dad did when he was young, and there is just something sweet about that. Just a reminder to stop and watch the fresh first snowfall in the midst of your busy day.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

A MUST-READ

Please take a moment to visit a favorite site of mine today. The site is, www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com. Scroll to May 23rd and take a good long peek at the entry entitled, "The Past and The Pitcher." Make sure you mute the CCM and also take a few kleenex with you too.

Monday, November 10, 2008

7 things most people do not know about me.......

I was tagged in a friend's blog to write 7 things people do not know about me so here I am. Funny thing is, the more I thought about this post, the more I realized that the reason people do not know things about me is probably because I purposely do NOT tell them. AND I am probably not telling them for a good reason. Another funny thing is that the more you know me...the more you know that I am an open book, cry with everyone, laugh with everyone, tell everyone what I am struggling with, (Well those patient enough to listen that is..) and so really I do not have too many "undisclosed details" about myself. So read on and just pretend like you never knew k?


1. My favorite color is red. (Cranberry to be exact.)

2. I named two of my children off of Sarah Plain and Tall.

3. I have seriously thought of legally changing my middle name. (Mostly when I was in grade school.)

4. I come across much better on paper than in person, and I look better too!

5. I have more fond memories stored in my memory, that I pull from on a weekly basis, than the average person. And these memories are shared with a select few that I am permanently attached to because they have gone thru these things with me, and when I am with them we can just be together and enjoy ourselves because we have so much "history" together. We can begin talking about a memory and just end mid-sentence knowing that we are both re-living the memory in our minds. And two of these people are Tam and Patty.

6. I would like to have some published work before I die.

7. My favorite Bible Story is Jairus' meeting with the Lord and his daughter's healing.


Well there ya go.... somehow it seems to me that knowing more is really more like knowing less??? (smile)

Monday, November 3, 2008

Family Photo Essay

My College Sweetheart,

My dirty-face Anna-banana,

My mischievous Nazy,

My Abby-babs,

My Da-bed,

My soon-to-be New Brother-in-law Chris and his sweetie Diana,

My MIL-and-FIL,

My Preacher.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Remains of the Day

Mom tucking Isaac in with those wonderful warm Hospital blankets. The nurse gave Isaac a stuffed dog, which he affectionately named, "Fluffy."
Bless his heart, now who smiles for a picture right after getting his IV in????
The beginning of the "Amelia Bedelia Marathon.." (And sporting the duck slippers!)

One sore, brave boy headin' home!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

What did one tonsil say to the other??? "Get dressed, the Doctor's takin us out tonight!"

Our oldest son Isaac had his adenoids and tonsils taken out this morning... and the whole hospital visit brought an old poem back to mind. Isaac was the picture of bravery today and each nurse that tended to him told us privately that he was just the most courteous boy. He thanked everyone for everything and even tried to turn down the nurse's offer of a popsicle for his extreemly sore throat, telling her that he "had some at home he could eat," thinking he would be putting her out! (Yes this is all Joel's doing. Kindness oozes out of him.........seriously)
On the way to the Surgery Center this morning...early... we had a great discussion with Isaac. When I first spoke to him this morning he was sitting calmly on the couch reading a lap-full of Amelia Bedelia books. I asked him how he was and he, without lifting his head from the book shrugged and told me....."I'm not scared....I just don't know what to be!" Gotta love him. Well this began the discussion about bravery that followed us all the way to the Center. We talked about Moses and how being afraid doesn't mean that you aren't brave. I just sat and loved hearing Joel explain some great Biblical examples in pint-sized bites. Today was just filled-to-the-brim with good memories. Joel bought me breakfast and I asked Isaac, once seated in the waiting room, if he would mind if I ate it....tho he wasn't allowed to eat after Midnight the night before, I think he was too nervous to be hungry anyways, still absorbed with Amelia Bedelia. We were checked in, Isaac and I got matching wrist bands....like they wouldn't know he was mine....(ever read the Ransom of Red Chief???? I digress...) then it was a jaunt to the pre-op. Our anxiety was surpassed by the ever-hilarious pint-sized Hospital gown with his fruit of the looms peeking out, not to be out-done by his "duck slippers" as we affectionately called them. I will post pics of them later... All three of us laughed at those things!!! Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz would have killed for them! Anywho.. we knew the IV was coming, told him about it days earlier..but all stashed information falls out of your brain when you see a nice lady with a needle comin at you. He kept a stiff upper lip..and so did Joel ( little inside joke...love you Honey!) and that was over. The walk to the OR was a wee bit sad, and Isaac trickled a few tears, but we kept talking about being brave and he (our little duck) walked into the OR like a little man.
Joel had to run back to school to teach and I waited in the (what else) waiting room until summoned by the Doctor who is absolutely hilarious in his own right. Not enough time to elaborate on HIM. Wow. Anyway, back I go to see my brave boy who is red eyed, swollen and has "what did I just get myself into" written all over him. And his first words to me?? "WHHHHHHERS DAAAADDD???" Bless his little heart he sounded like a Muppet. So I called Joel and told him he just had to find a way to come back up... which he did, and which commenced some more unbelievably sweet memories. Just the three of us, well four if you count Amelia Bedelia, and we took turns reading aloud to Isaac, with all of us laughing.... a sweet time that I will forever remember. Joel called it an "Amelia Bedelia Marathon." It was fun because we were together. It was fun because Amelia Bedelia really is a hoot. It was fun because we were relieved that everything went well. It was fun because Donna (who I am indebted to) snuck in a great cup of coffee which Joel and I shared. It. Was. Fun. Proving that we Royalty's really do have a blast in the weirdest of situations. Sweet time sipping hot coffee, reading Amelia Bedelia ( which I still can't figure out WHY the author insists on making the reader say her FULL name EACH and EVERY SINGLE time she is mentioned!!! Can't they say, SHE, HER,.... MELIA! for Pete's sake??) and belly laughing.
I made Isaac a notebook with pencil that hung around his neck. It came in handy. I am going to show him that pad of paper someday and the scribbles and we will laugh some more. He has eaten his weight in yogurt and finally zonked out on the couch. What a day. I must add that my sweet MIL, Mother in law, made us a delicious dinner and my Hubby picked up the kiddos from her house late in the afternoon, giving me a few hours of quiet time with just Isaac. Who was taking the sore throat oath of silence by this time, allowing me to get the whole house in ship-shape, watch my favorite parts of "Sheffey," get some fall candles burning (my trademark after cleaning) and do some punch needle embrodery. (Lest you think I am "all that" refer to previous post..) God is good to us, and Isaac is on the mend.

Dr. Johnson's Picture Cow

Got a sliver in my hand
An' it hurt to beat the band,
An' got white around it too;
Then the first thing that I knew
It was all swelled up, an Pa
Said: "There's no use fussin', Ma,
Jes' put on his coat an' hat;
Doctor Johnson must see that."

I was scared an' yelled, because
One time when the the doctor was
At our house he made me smell
Something funny, an I fell
Fast asleep, an' when I woke
Seemed like I was goin' to choke;
An' the folks who stood about
Said I'd had my tonsils out.

An' my throat felt awful sore
An' I couldn't eat no more,
An' it hurt me when I'd talk,
An' they wouldn't let me walk.
So when Pa said I must go
To the doctor's, I said: "No,
I don't want to go to-night,
'Cause my hand will be alright."

Pa said: "Take him Ma," an so
I jes' knew I had t' go.
An' the doctor looked an' said:
"It is sore an' red --
Much too sore to touch at all.
See that picture on the wall,
That one over yonder, Bud,
With the old cow in the mud?

"Once I owned a cow like that,
Jes' as brown an' bug an' fat,
An' one day I pulled her tail
An' she kicked an' knocked the pail
Full o' milk clean over me."
Then I looked up there t' see
His old cow above the couch,
An' right then I hollered 'ouch.'"

"Bud," says he, "what's wrong with you;
Did the old cow kick you, too?"
An' he laughed, an' Ma said: "Son,
Never mind, now, it's all done."
Pretty soon we came away
An' my hand's all well to-day.
But that's first time that I knew
Picture cows could kick at you.

The delightful - Edgar A. Guest


P.S. Isaac's name means, "Laughter." :-)

Friday, October 24, 2008

The Bad News Blog Post

At long last the much anticipated bad news blog post is here! Ok.... SLIGHT exaggeration.....slight. After weeks of blog surfing I muse on one common thread..... Why does everyone want to appear to have the "perfect family?" Martha Stewart-ism at it's finest.....(soapbox please, Henry) Why do we need to appear to be "all that and a bag of chips?" (You have NO idea how long I have waited to use that quip!...I digress) In the tone of the voice of the woman from the Test of the Emergency Broadcast System I say, "No one is perfect!" I then repeat.... NO ONE is perfecut! (Yes, perfectionists I spelled that wrong to make a point! Relax would ya?) So, after surfing and looking at pictures of perfect hair and perfect children making perfect loaves of fresh ground whole wheat bread I have decided to take a stand. Right here and now I am posting a bunch of "less than normal" stats about my humble existence in hopes that those weary bloggers who, like myself feel like they can never match-up to perfection, will have a place to feel normal again. So stop setting-up activities to photograph for the sole purpose of making you look like you have it all together and posting it on your web page. Stop running to your computer the minute your darling daughter says something funny instead of calling your darling husband and telling him and only him, forgetting that it does not matter if no one ever found out how cute she is.... Stop!!! Read. Laugh. Walk away feeling just as crazy messed up, saved by unbelievable grace just like me.


1. I have eaten Oreo cookies for breakfast more than I can number......YES of course, with my kidds as well!!

2. I still count on my fingers under the table.

3. I have stayed in my robe until my husband came home from work.

4. I have "Played" the part of the "Lowly Housewife" in order to get Chinese take-out for dinner.

5. I have spanked the wrong child.

6. I still cannot multiply in my head higher than the 6 family...and I am not blaming it on my Public School...

7. I cannot fit in my wedding dress. (Ok I can hear the sighs of relief!!)

8. I make my children take an oath of silence whenever I roll out a pie crust.

9. I hide in the bathroom to eat candy bars so the kids don't hear the crinkle and attack me.

10. I can not make a pumpkin roll. (the last attempt is still in the yard of a house in Mongolia, frozen, wrapped in the pillowcase that someone was given as a wedding present....)

11. I sold a Princess House chip and dip bowl at a yard sale for a dollar. (Re-read to grasp the dumbness of this.....and NO I did not know it was Princess House, and YES I still think it was dog ugly!!)

12. When I turned 30 I seriously stopped caring what people think and how they like my hair.

13. I run from confrontation, like far away.

14. I cry when I get lost, see a Hallmark commercial, when old people sing, when I can't get a cake out of the pan, and at too many other things to list.

15. I have at least 2 cross-stitch projects that are started and am noting right here and now that they will never get finished. (Embrace freedom, crafters.)

16. I have shopped at Goodwill for secret sister gifts....and still do.

17. I sing songs that are way out of my range in the shower and even there I still sound bad.

18. I never learned phonics and so I have called my husband to ask him how a special sound was pronounced.

19. I have eaten candy given to my children "for later" by people at church several times.

20. I leave clean clothes in piles, making it a game to see who can find clean underclothes first, instead of putting it away.



The list could go on...and my point is that, we are all under construction. Failure to recognize that makes us impatient, frazzled, mean and nasty. Stop keeping up, and just keep on. Be real, and love life. Love your husband, children and friends....even if no one ever notices, takes your picture or writes about it. "Kids...get the Oreos..................."

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Old Fashioned Day at Church




Two peas in a pod.

Two man saw contest. Jeff and I won!!

The watermelon seed spitting contest.

In this picture we are looking forward to two days away.


My little miss Abby.
Part of my family on our Old Fashioned Day. Deena did a great job making us look Old Fashioned

Friday, October 10, 2008

My Talented Wife

My wife has written many poems in her life and I thought it would be great if I posted them little by little. Poetry is a dying art I fear yet it is such a great way to express things. Here is one of my favorite ones.




A Higher Calling


I live a very simple life,
I am a mother, friend and wife
There’s never been a ounce of pay
For the tasks that I perform each day.
Little pleasures I enjoy---
Obedience from my little boy,
Renew my lifelong purpose, goal,
Enriching others heart and soul.

Though lacking stature, outward looks-
And sums of knowledge found in books,
My span on earth is just as stout,
As goals that others carry out.
For in God’s vast plan and design,
He saw a job, worthy of time.
Then looked for one this job to claim,
And paused-- and to it signed my name.

-Deena




Eventually I hope to publish some more poems and stories from my wife here on the Blog. I trust they will not only humour you but also encourage you.

Joel

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Remains of the Day

High flying adventure
My side...

His side.



My scribble.....




Our amazing kite!