Diamonds in the Rough

What Does a Mother's Helper Do?

2012-02-25T22:05:00.000-06:00

Alison and Amy have been working as mother's helpers to two moms. Here is a partial list of their job description so far. It's a wonderful education!

read out loud

wipe noses

change diapers

paint walls

make supper

developmental therapy

mop floors

teach homeschool

crowd control

fold diapers

wipe vomit up in the car

wash bedding

do the shopping

memorize Bible verses

hold the baby

fabric shopping

make lunch

give piggy back rides

make smoothies

sooth savage creatures

babysit

make curtains

make breakfast

teach music

And they LOVE IT! Amy is a bit jealous that her sister has somehow landed all the fun shopping jobs with the cartload of children. I'm sure it will even out. This is one of their happy bunches of kids, at Sam's Club:

Did you count six? There are six. In about three weeks, make that seven. :)

Not Bragging or Anything

2012-02-23T21:49:00.000-06:00

More Wisdom from Emily

2012-02-11T17:27:00.001-06:00

10 Ways to Do Your School Quickly

Randomly Selected Goings On

2012-02-06T23:16:00.000-06:00

Yes, we are still homeschooling. I don't say much about it, because it just happens. Sort of. I appreciated Lady of Virtue's recent post on how to reduce homeschooling stress, in which she shared these pieces of wise advice:

No parent, it doesn't matter how affluent or dedicated, will ever be able to give a child "everything"--God doesn't even promise His children that! Give them what they need--this is what you need to concentrate on.

[...]Concentrate on teaching them to speak, read and write legibly and well. Then be sure they can cipher well enough so that they can make change and eventually manage their own finances. Instruct them to make honest and wise decisions. This is as far as some children will be able to go and still retain what they've learned. There are others you will want to take further, but don't stress on these points; unless they are planning on entering a profession with stringent math requirements, you just may find it a waste of your time and energy.

I read this last statement just as I was praying and having a personal internal battle about whether or not to insist one of my children continue to struggle with the algorithms of a falling rock and its velocity at the point of impact. Is there any point on insisting we do chemistry or higher algebra, when the resident teacher, who has a chemistry minor, doesn't remember it and never uses it? We aren't raising our girls to be scientists or engineers, and they are already much more ready to function in the real world than I was at their age...

On the other hand, Emily's proverb does have some merit:

When all else fails,

Do not gasp at the check marks. They merely indicate the math question was answered orally. :)

* * *

I am happy to announce that I conquered my chocolate selfishness (previous post), realizing that seeing the delight on my girls' faces as I generously shared my M&M's would be as much fun as, or more fun than (I can't believe I said that), eating them myself. Besides, I was convicted by a recollection of a Wisdom With the Millers story of a girl who was stingy with her chocolate, and it was eaten by ants. It is a lesson I should have learned when I was about six years old.

* * *

Although I still can't remember to get the coupons, I am hard at work being the frugal and prudent wife. The other day I rescued one of my DH's favorite wool sweaters by picking up a pair of matching corduroy pants for $.75 and making patches for the elbows. Hand sewn patches! Does that say "love" or what? Now Betsy needs a black skirt, so I also picked up a nice women's skirt (I do believe long girls' skirts are non-existent) which could easily be cut down to size for Betz. It is awaiting my attention at the sewing machine. Also among my thrift store treasures were a denim skirt for her and one for Emily. Emily's also happens to fit Alison, who loves it, so little sister generously announced that she would share.

* * *

Desert girl in Minnesota:

We'll be traveling to tropical North Dakota this weekend. I think I'll remind her to take some real shoes.

* * *

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 9:10

They Always Know

2012-01-29T22:46:00.002-06:00

I've told you before how Amy's first word was "chocolate". She has not changed an iota since she was a year old. She can smell chocolate a mile away. Her supernatural hearing can discern the sound of clandestine chocolate candy wrappers behind closed doors. She knows how to ask direct questions to find out if I have any chocolate stashed away and makes me feel guilty for having it, unless I share.

We went to Target after lunch today for some Tylenol, and my family was content to wait in the van for me. As I stepped out the van door I was vocally barraged with a list of other things to pick up while I was in there -- a newspaper (for the coupons I keep forgetting to pick up each weekend), some TP, a box of tissues, some milk, etc.

As soon as I entered the store I added my own important item to that quickly fading mental list, a bag of cordial cherry M&M's, available only at Target. The slightly obsessive thought of my M&M's instantly blocked out the rest of my list. Now, what else did I come in here for? I stopped for a second, retrieved the Tylenol from my good but very short memory (not difficult, considering the headache I had at the time), and went straight to the H&B section. Next stop, Valentine candy. Only one bag, because it's not on sale yet. I am exercising restraint. Where to now? What was I forgetting? I knew there was more. I got almost to the checkout before remembering the trash bags. Of course those are at the opposite end of the store, but walking back all that distance did not help me remember to get tissues and TP while I was back there in the paper goods section, or milk, as I passed the groceries for the third time. I checked out, deciding we can live for the rest of the month without whatever else I was supposed to pick up.

My kind driver pulled the van pulled up to the curb and I got in. Amy's first words, "Mom, did you get chocolate?" I actually considered lying to my child, but, with the Lord's help, I answered honestly and deliberately, "I got trash bags and Tylenol."

"And chocolate," she says.

How does she always know?!?!

Now they ALL know.

Does sharing one's chocolate count as hospitality? Because I read in my Bible today, Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 1 Peter 4:9.

I think I'm in trouble.

No. Be MINE, all MINE!!!

Oh, and predictably, I forgot to get the weekly coupons. Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just Because :)

2012-01-29T17:34:00.000-06:00

Another First

2012-01-26T19:48:00.000-06:00

The world's best dad handed me $20 and told me to go buy four sleds. Are you laughing already? I got to Wal*Mart and picked up TWO cheapo plastic sleds for $30. Isn't it ironic that the 2012 swim suits are already on the racks next to the winter coats, but the sleds aren't on sale yet? While all the kids in town were all stuck in school, we took advantage of the nice polishing job they had done on the hill at the city park the day before. (Another great reason to homeschool -- you get the sliding hill all to yourself!) Alison was busy taking the GED and sadly, she missed out on most of the big event.

Emily learned early that when you get your face full of snow, you have to just brush yourself off and keep going!

The big hike back. (There's a price to pay for so much fun!)

The parents forgot their age for a moment.

This looks like a posed photos. Honestly, we are zoooooming past the camera!

It was such a good day that today we went back for more, and this time we brought Alie along. Everything is so much more fun with all four sisters. :)

*Feeling a twinge of envy at that jacket in the background. Fleet Farm didn't have THAT color when we bought jackets!!

Looking Unto Jesus

2012-01-21T21:52:00.002-06:00

The other day I decided to tackle the boxes of piano/violin/viola/ocarina/harmonica music that have been hiding behind the couch since the day we moved in. All that stuff belongs downstairs with the piano, but there really isn't a place to store it other than in the cardboard boxes it was all moved in. Over the weeks and months since we moved, the music has been rifled though and mixed with the contents of other boxes that have also been hiding back there, open boxes of audio recordings, new Bibles, good reads for Christians and lost people, ancient sermon notes, and an inch of dust. The paper stuff seemed to be multiplying, and, fearing it would gradually take over this end of the house, I reached way down into my reserves of motivation and initiative. Summoning all that was necessary to do a one-hour organizing chore, I dived in.

And I was rewarded! A piece of paper that had been lost between Leila Fletcher Piano Course, Level 1 (with cover missing) and Babylon Mystery Religion fluttered to the ground. An ancient, yellowed grocery list, with a few unidentifiable phone numbers scratched in, and the word "surgery". Something caused me to turn it over. (Who would check the back side of a grocery list? Why didn't I get the gene that says, "Trash. Throw It Out?") A sharp intake of breath. Lo! It was my dearly beloved, and lost (but not irreplaceable) copy of Charles Spurgeon's devotional from his Morning and Evening, "Looking unto Jesus", from Hebrews 12:2. It is now taped inside my Bible for safe-keeping. These words on the sufficiency of Christ speaks volumes to me:

It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of his children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus." All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: he tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all." Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee-it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee-it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument-it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "looking unto Jesus." Keep thine eye simply on him; let his death, his sufferings, his merits, his glories, his intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to him; when thou liest down at night look to him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after him, and he will never fail thee.

"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name."

Looking unto Jesus...

Hebrew 12:2

Synesthesia Strikes Again

2012-01-17T14:20:00.001-06:00

http://oliverhibert.com/design/

It is very important that we homeschoolers teach our children how to communicate. Communication is vital for survival in this world. Communication involves wording your ideas in such a way that other people understand them, in addition to receiving information from other people in the way they meant for you to understand it. Communication involves both speaking (or writing, or art, or music, etc) and listening (or watching or reading, as the case may be.) Obviously, it really helps if both parties are literally speaking the same language.

For the most part we do very well here in the communication department. I am especially pleased with the way our girls have learned to write, effectively putting down on paper what is in their hearts and minds. And other than Alison mumbling to herself in Hebrew, which none of the rest of us understand, I think we do pretty well with speaking.

However there is one area in which we are experiencing the big fail.

You know how it is when you ask a woman where it hurts. She will give you a detailed description of a pain. It burns or stabs or it feels like electricity, or there's stiffness. She will tell you where it's located -- down her upper arm or leg, behind her eyes, or just to the left of her belly button. This type of communication is complete. The woman explains the pain, and the listener, presumably her doctor, understands it and knows what to do about it.

With men this isn't so. Men will just say it hurts. "Where does it hurt?" "Moannn. I don't know, it just hurts! Am I dying?..." (This is sort of related to the insidious "Man Cold".) This type of communication does not help you to know how to treat the thing that is ailing your man. It is one-sided. The idea is being transmitted, but it is not being received clearly. The communication is incomplete.

And then there's my Amy and Elisabeth, who also describe their pains with incomplete communication, in colors and shapes. How is a mother to interpret this??

"My stomach doesn't feel good. It's a gray-blue cube."

"My chest feels funny. It's a light brown strip, about two inches wide, with a sandpapery surface. It runs vertically and has a light blue border."

Blue mouthwash leaves a yellowish aftertaste.

Cuts are red, bruises are yellow, and a dull ache is blue-gray.

Elisabeth was certain that everyone "sees" their pains. She and her sisters were flabbergasted to know that this is not so with the general population.

So. How do I learn THIS language? What ever will we do when "a green and black oozing blob with knives" turns out to be acute appendicitis? What is "dark red with silvery jagged edges"? Is that a migraine? Truly we have a communication breakdown!

This must be another manifestation of their synesthesia. Weird stuff, that.

Birthday Blues

2012-01-17T12:39:00.000-06:00

Unopened gifts :(

Thank you all for wishing our daughter a wonderful day, but Amy got a fever for her birthday! It was a Very Sad Day. Amy missed out on her specially requested spaghetti and meatballs supper. No one ate Amy's traditional Oreo birthday dessert. No one opened presents, not even one. The shades stayed shut. Sisters tip-toed around the house, and one sister even cried because Amy's special day was ruined.

The next day we forced her to open her gifts, because if Amy couldn't celebrate, we could! And besides, getting a can of Pringles sour cream and onion chips from your sister is bound to put a smile on your face, even if you are sick. :) We ate her meatballs and her birthday dessert and we had a wonderful time. :) She still hasn't recuperated fully, but she's on the mend.

Happy Birthday to My Dear Amy

2012-01-14T11:25:00.000-06:00

Amy turns 15 today. And what a lovely lady she is becoming! This year found her volunteering her time weekly at the local nursing home, babysitting free of charge, and teaching piano lessons. She is also working as a mother's helper for two different moms, and she LOVES the work! These teen years are so fun. I am so enjoying seeing my girls mature into wise and helpful young women.

To see the spectacular birthday of Amy's dreams, go here. Wishing we could make it real!

Lacking Nothing

2012-01-09T10:11:00.001-06:00

Reprinting (and adapting) from our 2008 church newsletter:

Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness,

so that they lacked nothing:"

Nehemiah 9:21

The children of Israel abode in the wilderness for forty years, having nothing with them but what they brought from Egypt. I can think of some things I would like to have along if I had to flee this prairie: my coat and mittens, and clean clothes, and food and water. And soap, too, just in case we couldn't get any while we were running. And money, but the children of Israel did not need money in the wilderness. And, of course, it would be nice to have my Internet and, most especially, a good stash of chocolate!

But the children of Israel had no extras, certainly not chocolate or email. They didn't have television or board games to occupy idle time. No new clothes or shoes, no new dishes, no variation in their home decor. No vacation. No flower garden, no music collection, no pedicure. But God's word says they lacked NOTHING!

Did you know that it is possible to have nothing and everything at the same time? For it was the Lord Jesus Christ who sustained the children of Israel. HE was the source and supply of their every need. I have a feeling that if we were brought to a place where the only things we had were those that God gave us directly, we would find a new definition of the word "necessity".

How many of life's extras can you do without, and still feel like you have everything? Is Jesus Christ everything to you? While some women might seem to have it all, without Jesus they really have nothing at all. He is made unto us "wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption". In the eternal scheme of things, what more could we ask?

I thank God for making me a woman who has it all!

Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15

Happy New Year

2012-01-04T23:16:00.001-06:00

2012 began just right, with a blanket of snow! I finally have some very contented kids in the house! 3" doesn't sound like much, but if it's enough to build a fort, it's enough.

Sadly for them, however, it is going to be 45 here Thursday. I just don't understand it. Everyone kept telling us how cold it is here and how were were just going to FREEZE in Minnesota... I am all for global warming if it means temperate Januaries (Januarys? January's?) in the north country!

The 2012 bicycle race between my husband and his dad is already in full swing. The rules are complicated; read them here. My FIL, being 71, has a goal of riding 100,000 miles before he turns 80. He is well on his way, with 24,000 miles since his 69th? birthday. We heard a rumor that he is not riding at all for the next couple of days, so my competitive husband (like his dad!) will be sure to get out today for a few extra miles. In this race which is so dependent on the weather conditions, he is already behind!

My nebulous goals for 2012:

1. To be more gentle, especially with one particular child, this in keeping with Courtney's Gentleness Challenge. But I need a quantitative way to measure gentleness. Any ideas other than, "Today I will only yell THREE times"? lol

2. More Bible!

3. To cast EVERY care on my Lord Jesus, because he cares for me. I think one of the major reasons why so many women are on anti-depression meds is that they have never learned to PRAY. I'm working on it!

4. Be a better friend to my best friend, Monocogman.

5. Lose 17 lbs, one and a half pounds a month. I can do that, right? Anyone could do that. Even me.

6. Read out loud more.

7. Learn how to do something. What?

8. Keep in touch with the real people in my life.

That's enough goals for now. Maybe I'll post an update sometime. #1's coming along nicely. :)

Art Blog

2012-01-04T19:58:00.001-06:00

Holiday Amigos

For those of you who homeschool or whose children enjoy art projects, the Rum River Art Center, located in Anoka, MN, now has a terrific blog. Larry Weinberg, who is a wonderful, motivating art instructor, posts a daily assignment/project, along with instructions and photos. Elisabeth and Emily and I enjoyed Larry's drawing class last fall and we plan to enroll again in the spring. Check out his blog here.

Animal Drawing: Goldfish Project

Modiglani "Bride and Groom"

Animal Drawing: Koala Bear

Politically Incorrect Career Training

2012-01-03T14:17:00.000-06:00

I just love this photo!

Being a mom is the best career ever!

In the Dog House

2011-12-29T09:04:00.000-06:00

I started a new blog at a diabetes website recently. For years I have stayed away from the diabetic community, because I just don't want to be one of those people whose daily life revolves around their blood glucose meter and their A1c test. Lately, though, I could use some moral support from others who have been there, or ARE there. I never did read the guidelines or rules for posting at this website, because, after all, I would never break the rules! Rules are for people who would use profanity and that kind of stuff, and that is not me. So I happily wrote a post about how much I like T-Tapp and how much just that one little move, Hoe-Downs, is doing for me, and I mentioned T-Tapp on a couple of forum posts. Whammy, just like that my post was deleted and I got a warning in my mailbox about breaking the rules. It seems new members are not allowed to post links.

Huh. Okay... so I re-post, this time without the links, and blammo! That post was also deleted by the moderator. We are not allowed to promote other websites, and furthermore, we are not allowed to discuss moderators' decisions! My profile at that other site now has a new tab marked INFRACTIONS! (**gasp** It feels like the Scarlet Letter!) Indignantly I wrote a heated response to the moderator about this is America and I have freedom of speech, and I'll just go back to my other blog, and I bet religious discussions aren't allowed, either! And then I deleted all that indignation and responded meekly, "Thank you for telling me," and went away with my head down and my tail between my legs.

I understand it. Someone else owns the site, it's not really my blog, etc. But I ran back here where I'm comfortable, to hide and to nurse my hurt feelings. :)

So as I was saying, I have had Type 1 diabetes for over 30 years now, and I should be one of those forum experts who helps encourage others with diabetes. But for about the past 28 years I have not kept caught up on diabetes developments or treatments or theories, so I am like a newbie. No one can MAKE you do something good for yourself, and I have, in a perverse way, hugged that truth for years. Maybe that's because it's the one area of my life that I am in control of.

But I was watching T-Tapp testimonials on YouTube the other day and somehow I got inspired. Doing Hoe-Downs after meals is helping me keep my blood glucose under control and it's giving me more energy. Yesterday my kids told me I look thin! (Yes, they are silly. I don't look any skinnier. I think I was reaching up and stretching or something.) For the first time in a very long time I feel encouraged to be ON TOP of my diabetes rather than on the underside of it. And I am kind of excited.

* * * * *

Okay I feel better now. It's always a good idea to count to 10. Or 1,000,000. :)

Invisible Appliances

2011-12-24T12:31:00.002-06:00

(not my kitchen!)

Not.

Today's post is for my family (SOME of my family), because I know they read my blog. Surely it is better to nag via blogging than in person? I am speaking today about the invisible appliance. No, not an orthodontic appliance. This one is a bit larger than that. Probably every house has an invisible appliance. We have one upstairs and one downstairs. The downstairs one is not so obvious, at least not to visitors. That one is behind closed doors. Maybe that is why few who live here can see it. The upstairs one is right out there in the open where sighted visitors can see that it is not being used to its fullest potential.

Now, dear family mine, this upstairs appliance is a wonderful thing. Besides soaping, rinsing, and drying dishes, it also HIDES them. Since you have already rinsed your dish (you did rinse it, right?), just take one more step to the right, open the dishwasher door, and set the dirty bowl/plate/cup upside down in the rack. See how easy that is? (Nod your head.) Okay, good.

Now that we have that taken care of, thank you very much, I love you, and have a very nice day! ((hugs))

* * * * *

The number one sign that my teeny little exercise routine is working is that my brain fuzz has disappeared. And you can tell that is so when I start blogging more often. :)

God Is So Good

2011-12-22T14:26:00.002-06:00


imycomic.com ~ Used with permission

Who would have thought December 21st in Minnesota would look like the view out my window (previous post)? We are expecting temperatures near 40 after the weekend. Our previous residence in western Arizona is about 58 degrees, and I don't believe the wind has stopped howling there since the day we moved away. You know what? All other factors aside, this year I'm glad to be spending the winter here, and not there! **big huge silly grin on my face** This is not true for all family members here, however. Last night Emily cried herself to sleep. "Why did God call us to Minnesota? I miss everyone in Arizona!! Boo hoo!!" Betsy's latest post reveals her AZ longings also. The girls are really feeling gypped with the current balmy weather, and the AZ yearnings would probably disappear rapidly if we just had a few inches of snow on the ground.

You know, when we moved to AZ eight years ago the first summer was a relatively mild one. And our first winter back in MN is, so far, a very mild one also. Now maybe this is just a coincidence, but I like to think God cares about me so much that he is holding back icy winds and freezing temperatures just for me. :) Or maybe it's because he really doesn't want to hear my complaining about it... yes, that's more likely. At any rate, it really is wonderful, because when we lived here before (like, fifteen years ago) I had a really bad time with winter lasting from October thru March. No, March is not entirely snowy, however one can always expect a blizzard for the state basketball tournaments. So look. This winter is already three months shorter than others I have endured with less grace. God is just good to me and I appreciate it.

Speaking of fifteen years ago, the other day I ran into a woman I have not seen since we lived in Minnesota before. It is so weird how that can happen in a very small town, where I just went to pick up a few grocery coupon items while the girls were at music lessons. You know how it is. We should always dress to represent our Saviour, but there are times when we just need to run out for a minute to grab something, and we're hoping to slip in and out of the store or post office without being seen. In most cases, the chance that you will not be noticed is inversely proportional how bad you look. If the person is important to you, you will look like something that crawled out from under a rock, just this one time. This woman looked exactly the same as she did fifteen years ago. She was wearing no make-up, but it didn't matter -- she looked youthful and slender and beautiful. I'm sure I look the same, too, except for an additional 25 pounds, a pair of dark circles and some wrinkles... But miracle of miracles! This ONE TIME when I ran into someone who knows me, I had a bit of make-up on and it was not an epic bad hair day. Isn't that just a blessing?? I think that's a blessing. :) (You have to count the small things, too.)

And now it's time for me to quit blabbing, and go kiss four more of my blessings good night. Yes, God is good to me.

♪ ♫ ♪ Ooooh, the Lord is good to me
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need
The sun and the rain and the apple seed!
The Lord is good to me,
Amen, amen, amen amen amen,
Aaaaamen! ♫ ♪ ♫

Fail

2011-12-21T10:53:00.001-06:00

For those of you who are still thinking about putting up tissue snowflakes on your windows, you might want to reconsider. Smarty pants here thought sure the hairspray would come off the glass easily, after all, that's how I get it off the bathroom mirror. But this is what my rented windows look like after much straight alcohol and scrubbing:

It was pretty while it lasted!

I sure am thankful for internet anonymity...

* * * * *

In everything give thanks,

for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus,

concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Come, Lord Jesus

2011-12-15T23:30:00.003-06:00

Someone asked if our family sings Christmas carols. We sing the doctrinally sound ones, and they are good for all year long. These beautiful words, sung to the tune of Our Great Savior (one of my favorites!), are rich with meaning:

Come, thou long expected Jesus,

Born to set thy people free;

From our sins and fears 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 ev'ry 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.

I like that first line, Come, thou long expected Jesus. Planet earth is getting to be a scary place to live. I am ready for Jesus to come again and set things right!

The first time he came, only a few knew the King of Kings dwelt here. When he comes again, the whole world will know about it!

At his first coming his kingdom was not of this world. When he comes again, he will take his throne in Jerusalem.

The first time he was here, he was lowly, riding on a colt, just, and having salvation. The next time he comes he will be exalted, riding a white horse, and judging and making war in righteousness.

The first time he came, he wore a crown of thorns. Next time he will wear a crown of gold.

Jesus first came as the Lamb of God. His second coming will be as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

The first time he came he gave his sinless life's blood for me, so that the next time he comes, he'll be taking me with him!

God's greatest gift was not just his Son -- it was the blood of his Son! Jesus did not remain a babe in a manger. He grew up and accomplished what his Father sent him to do. He is God Almighty. He died to make things right between you and God.

What will you do with Jesus? Will you worship him as a babe in a manger, and then go about your life unchanged, the same as you were before? Or will you, in repentance, receive him as your King? If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

Come, thou long expected Jesus!

* * * * * * *

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;

and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,

and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns;

and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:

and his name is called The Word of God.

And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses,

clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations:

and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:

and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,

KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:11-16

Kids Creating

2011-12-13T22:31:00.002-06:00

Years ago we had a friend who "gauged" his TV, meaning, he filled it with shotgun shells. Isn't that a grand idea? I love it. We have never had a television, but there are times when I would like to gauge the computer monitor. :) Occasionally I find a girl or four with eyes glued to it for way too long, watching the early episodes of Little House on the Prairie, or some such thing, via DVD. The less expensive and more reasonable alternative here would be to ban videos for a while. So I did it! Mother No moved in! And you know what immediately followed. TNDS, or, There's-Nothing-to-Do Syndrome, immediately hit the house. Some residents were hit harder than others, one in particular being the most despairing.

But look! This is what happens when you turn the TV off: the girls' imaginations and their hands are now at work! They are making things. Betsy wanted to make a doll house out of popsicle sticks. What started out as just a box with a peaked roof became a mansion!

Amy followed this tutorial to make an ear-bud case (or three) for herself, so that she would quit losing her ear-buds at the bottom of her travel bag, under the covers, or in the ~~mess~~ multitude of valuable things on her dresser. It slides easily on to the zipper of her jacket or bag, and she's set! Is that cute or what? You can make one yourself in about 20 minutes, or you can pay $12 for one on Etsy. (I know what I would do!)

Alison has suddenly acquired a desire to learn how to draw, hence "Susie" here. (This is a Hebrew play on words. In Hebrew, a word approximately pronounced Susie (soosee) means "my horse".)

And when she couldn't get the music to an arrangement she liked, she decided to write it out from listening to a recording of it. The left hand is missing because she doesn't need that part. I love to listen to Amy and her play. If I don't watch myself, I can already start tearing up at the thought of them leaving us in a few years for some unworthy young men. :)

Emily is drawing, baking, and writing her own composition.

I have only heard one person mention LHOP lately, and it was the one hardest hit, the one who was convinced she would have NOTHING to do. She is recovering, however slowly. At the moment she is making grand plans for a tea party with some other little girls in the neighborhood. Mother No Maybe is in charge right now, and she is making that particular child exercise some much-needed patience. How about a few weeks after the holidays? (Anyone have any ideas how we can give it a gospel theme?)

I am enjoying these good after-effects of the video ban. Hmm. Might have to extend that ban indefinitely!

Betz's Birthday!

2011-12-08T15:14:00.000-06:00

Another birthday has come in the Diamonds household. Where do the years go?? Betsy has been shooting up before my eyes. I am sure she was a foot shorter just last week! This year Daddy decided he would take each of the girls on a special outing for their birthday. Alison got to go along with him to a preachers' meeting, Emily had a date at the zoo, and Elisabeth and her sister, Amy, whose birthday is not 'til next month, were taken to the Mall of America for a day at the Nickelodeon Universe theme park. Now, in addition to the drive and the cost of this adventure, Daddy is not a big fan of rides and theme parks, so we see solid evidence here that he was thinking of someone else's happiness on this day. He brought along a backpack full of work to do while the girls had a blast riding everything that was fast and furious.

Wait. What is this?? My husband on a roller coaster???

As it so happened, the park was not at all crowded, and some travelers who were at the MOA on a layover gave my husband a left-over ride ticket. Look! He even has a smile on his face! That man just has to do something completely out of character once in a while to keep all of us ladies guessing! (The ride, I mean. Not the smile.) :)

The birthday girl likes to have her gifts hidden. This was too funny -- she looked all over for this package in the red wrap, and there it was in plain sight!

Betz's traditional birthday cake choice is banana cake with peanut butter frosting. It was a tough decision this year, though, because she thought lemon cake sounded good, too. Emily solved that problem. Betsy was sure puzzled when she unwrapped a lemon!

And surprised to get a cake mix!

It hasn't been a lemon of a birthday, though.

Last summer the girls went to Cabella's with some friends, and Betsy raved about some candied pecans they were sampling there. In vain I looked everywhere for them (we don't have Cabella's nearby) and finally decided to try making some. Allrecipes.com rarely disappoints; now we are all fattening up on delicious pecans. The nicest words a mom can hear are these: "Mom, these are better than Cabella's!" *pats self on back*

This evening we will have the birthday girl's choice, chicken tacos, and play a game or two of her new game, In a Pickle.

My #3 child is becoming a beautiful young lady. I am so thankful to be her mom. :)

The View From My Window

2011-12-02T12:06:00.003-06:00

** Before doing this project, read this post!

No snow yet, but still, it's pretty! Excuse the rag on the sill. I will forever be the mom who has a laundry basket in the background of a family photo...

Instructions:

1. Cut snowflakes out of tissue paper. For how to cut, see here or here or here.

2. Iron snowflakes without steam.

3. Wet the window. ***

4. Smooth tissue snowflakes on window.

5. Give each one a shot of hairspray to keep it up.

Ta da!

*** Update: Wetting is not necessary. Give the window a shot of hairspray, smooth snowflake on, then spray again.

*** More recent update: Find something that works better than alcohol, to get hairspray off windows!!!

Industrial Strength Fail

2011-11-29T19:13:00.001-06:00

We rent this place, along with all of the appliances. It is just what we need and when we moved in, everything was as clean as could be. Everything looked brand new.

I had an issue with the washing machine, however, and after a few months of living here I called our landlord. He graciously drove over here to find out why the washing machine agitator was not agitating, but only going in a circle. This is a problem, you see, because that means the clothes are only spinning around in a circle in soapy water, and not really getting clean. I had this dilemma at our old house, you remember, and I hoped that I could be the fix-it woman again. But the solution to this one was not as simple.

So Mr. Landlord came over and together we figured it out, or so we thought. Shortly after he left, I realize it was not fixed after all. Now, I don't like to be a problem renter, so I have not called him about it again. At least the clothes smell clean. But sheets are a huge mess -- they just spin tighter and tighter until I could use them for a rope. And since I have no hot water pressure to the washer, it is kind of bugging me that my dirty underwear and towels are just spinning around with cold water and germs.

And then there's this problem:

KNOTS.

Now, I know all the verses. In everything give thanks. Giving thanks for all things. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good.

This is the best I could do. (I asked Amy to Photoshop me, but she said it was hopeless. Yes, it's the real uncombed, un-make-up'ed, frumpy-looking me. It was wash day, okay?)

Okay, let's think about this. What is positive about this situation?

I don't have to wash the clothes by hand, although they would probably get cleaner that way...
Having a rented bum washer gives me something to look forward to with our next house.
It gives me practice untying knots, and that is a good skill to have.
Struggling with these knots is strengthening my arms.
On this particular day we all had a good laugh!
It gave me something to write about.

Ah, yes. To every cloud there is a silver lining.

* * * * *

Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

Prov 31:29

(I'll always be a Proverbs 31 Woman wanna-be.)

Thankful for Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T16:27:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving is not a day. It's an attitude. Whatever you focus on gets bigger. Sometimes it gets so big that you can't see around it. Do you suppose this is why the Lord gave us Philippians 4:8?

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,

whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just,

whatsoever things are pure,

whatsoever things are lovely,

whatsoever things are of good report;

if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,

think on these things.

How I would love to have the discipline of keeping my mind on these things. I would love to have these things in the forefront of my thinking all the day long. Sometimes I feel like if I could just get to the bottom of all the things that are wrong with me, I'd feel a lot better. But no, the truth is that I'd feel worse. Because when you scrutinize things and spread them out under a microscope and try to identify all the little culprits that are stealing your joy, those things become your focus, rather than all the things around you that would bring you joy, if you could just quit majoring on the bad stuff!

On Thanksgiving Day I was tired from a lighting-quick trip to Wichita and back, stuffed with turkey and all the trimmings, and ready for a clean-up-avoidance nap, when someone in the family said, "Let's take a walk!" It was SUCH a beautiful day (thank you, Lord), and I have such a wonderful family, and well, I just couldn't stay home. Guilt is strong. :)

We have a lovely wooded trail along the river. It's a snowmobile trail of course, but do you see any snowmobiles on it? Of course not. There's no snow! Yippee! (Oh wait, I am supposed to be looking forward to that.) Instead, leaves and trees and rocks and weak sunshine and dried seed pods and the smell of cold fresh air and natural compost... all riches. The natural world is ready to be hidden away under a beautiful blanket of white. White, like my soul after Jesus washed me clean in his blood.

There were other things to explore, like this roof in the middle of nowhere. A teeny shelter? A wishing well in the wilderness? A reminder of God's protection and provision?

And the stillness of the river, a deep and silent current that brings life to millions of creatures along the way. Peace for the soul who knows God. Refreshment for the weary. A balm for the turbulent spirit.

The walk was good. GOD is good. O, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. Let me focus on him up close, so that he grows bigger in my sight, so that all I can see is my Jesus.

* * * * *

By the way, congratulations are in order for Amy, who finally won a first place at the Edit Me Challenge! She will be opening an Etsy shop for photo edits. She took this dark river scene and gave it an amazing transformation on her blog. Go see. And see the original shot here. Nice job, Amy!

* * * * *

More...

Wanna see desert kids make a snowman? Notice the sandals. :)

This photo needs a crop, but then you'd miss the snow kitty. (It's really a dog.) All that remains of our snowmen is their heads and a bunch of lumps, and a few carrots on the ground. We're ready for more snow, and this time we'll do it right, Minnesota style -- in boots, with coats on! Like this.

2011-11-24T10:28:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving Day to you all!

Pants Armstrong Faces Off to Winter

2011-11-19T15:38:00.003-06:00

It's official. Pants Armstrong and Winter are now in competition.

On Winter's side:
freezing temps
blowing snow
ice

Most people would be deterred by the incumbent's advantages.
Not Pants Armstrong.

On the cyclist's side:
military issue polypropylene long undies
waterproof jacket
balaclava (not to be confused with baklava)
goggles
wool hat
STUDDED TIRES
and...

a winner's attitude!

May the most worthy opponent win! (My personal favorite would be Pants Armstrong.)

In Which We Have a BOY

2011-11-18T13:37:00.002-06:00

Read that right. I did not say I gave birth to a boy. I said we have one. Over the years we have talked about how totally and COMPLETELY different this family would be if we had a son. Well, today we are finding out what it is like to have one very busy boy child among us! A friend had an emergency appendectomy last week. I offered to babysit for her, but she didn't call me. So yesterday I called her. "It's not easy to rest with a toddler around," she says. !! No! So that is how we came about to have a boy in the house.

Emily is in on cloud nine. The big sisters are all occupied elsewhere, so she has assumed the role of babysitter and playmate. How often Emily has wished for a younger sibling to play with. The boy found a box of potato gleanings at the bottom of the stairs, and he seems to think potatoes belong in the kitchen. So Emily has climbed the stairs twenty times in five minutes, with a boy and a potato. For his entertainment, she has fastened and unfastened his car seat belt a dozen times in the past three minutes. They have gone together to throw clothes into the washer and dryer. The two of them built and destroyed a dozen towers of blocks. He has been here for all of a half hour. :) When we take him home, Emily will want a nap! I will have to pay her a dollar for handling the extra energy in the house while I iron and tackle the rest of my 100-item-long list of things to do before Monday.

Today Alison and Amy are volunteering at the nursing home. Elisabeth is helping Daddy canvas a town of about 50 people with flyers for our new church. In the next 48-52 hours I have to make a trip to WalMart and McDonalds, finish the laundry, make turkey dinner and dessert for Sunday at church, and pack for a short trip and a long drive to and from our home church. The tub needs a scrub (as well as the rest of the house), I need to run my feeble vacuum cleaner, and wash out the window tracks. Okay, that last thing can wait. And we can scratch McDonalds.

Emily and the boy have now eaten lunch, played in the sink, looked out the window by climbing a step stool fifty times, and played hide and seek. She's a good babysitter. And who says little boys are more work than little girls are? (Look -- he's SLEEPING!)

♥ The ♥ Best ♥ Applesauce ♥ Ever ♥

2011-11-14T15:39:00.001-06:00

I promise, you will never be satisfied with applesauce from a store shelf, ever again. Ready? It's easy.

Fill your crock pot with peeled, sliced apples. One of these doohickeys works wonderfully for coring/slicing/chunking:

Add about 1/2 C water, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and maybe 1/3 cup of sugar. It depends on your apples and your taste, but you can sweeten more after the apples are done. Now, stir it all up a bit, put the lid on and cook on low all day or until the apples are soft. In about four hours your family will start sniffing and asking you what is that marvelous smell coming from the kitchen. Mash it all up and taste. (Don't burn your tongue.)

Deeeelishus, the taste of autumn and home and love! Serve in a bowl, over pancakes, on biscuits, or on a Dutch baby. Your children will rise up and call you blessed, and your husband also.

♥ ♥ ♥

Coupon Chaos

2011-11-06T23:03:00.000-06:00

Do you remember the old "I Love Lucy" episode in which Lucy and Ethel get jobs in a candy factory? They are supposed to wrap chocolates as they come down the conveyor belt. The women start out okay, but as the belt moves faster, Lucy and Ethel can't keep up!

This is my experience with couponing!

You all know I had planned to start couponing, oh, last year maybe. I see couponing as a wonderful way to "make" money from home, since the less I spend, the more we have in the bank. So Jane and I attended an extreme couponing class through our local community ed program. I bought a box and a bunch of file cards to organize my coupons, and I got several copies of the inserts for a week or two... (I say a week or two because I keep forgetting to pick up the newspaper!! argh!) The younger girls and I spent a while cutting those up and filing them. Then I printed a bunch more and signed up for some coupon sites and others that let you know what the deals are.

Oh dear, this is where I lost it. I am still forgetting to get the newspaper. But now I am getting coupons or emails from Coupon Mom, P&GeSAVER, Coupon Network, Passion for Savings, The Krazy Coupon Lady, Extreme Couponing, A Full Cup, Pocket Your Dollars, and others! My inbox is crammed with now-outdated coupon emails. Coupons are now stacked on top of my file box, not in it. Ads are overflowing into my kitchen counter workspace. I am way overwhelmed, even panicky!

Time to go back to START and take this a bit at a time...

Here are Lucy and Ethel. Have a laugh. :)

* * * * *

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.

Proverbs 17:22

Afraid of God's Will?

2011-10-27T23:23:00.001-05:00

graphic from thegospelforoc.com

In a recent conversation with a new friend, she asked, "Does it really matter to the Lord what I do for a job?" She is afraid to ask God what he thinks. Why? Because she is afraid she might find out God's will requires a radical change in her life.

When we first come to Jesus Christ for salvation, we come with repentance. That means we are turning our back on our sins and on unbelief, and that now we are willing to change from our way to his way. Or at least, we are willing to have him make us willing to change. If I am afraid to learn that God wants something different from me, does that not mean that I am refusing to give up my will? Hmm. What happened to repentance? Does it only go so far?

As my friend is a new Christian, I can understand her fear. The problem is, she fears the wrong thing. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, the Bible says. The fear of the Lord is what drives the Christian to understand his will. As my friend learns to fear God and obey his direction, she will find that she will also trust him more; as she proves him, she will find that the result of submitting to God's will is better than any of her own plans could have turned out. Truly, it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4)! He is so gracious and kind.

I wrote a post on this topic several years ago, and it bears repeating:

Trusting God's Answers

“But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.” Luke 9: 45

Have you ever been afraid to ask God about a particular passage of the scripture? I have. Soon after I was saved I began to hear preaching and to come across Bible literature about a lady’s wardrobe. It wasn’t just about modesty, for if it had been, I would not have been bothered. I thought I was modest. (It’s amazing how the Bible opens blinded eyes!) This stuff I was hearing and seeing had to do with women wearing pants, and how God designed women and men, and what the Bible has to say on the subject of a woman’s wardrobe. For some weeks I pondered and wondered. I searched the scriptures, looking for a verse that said my outward appearance didn’t matter. (It wasn’t there.) Then I began to argue with God. While I didn’t want to be a rebel against the Lord, I also didn’t want to submit to his will if it meant giving up my pants. What would my family and friends think? Wouldn’t people look at me strange if I only wore skirts?? How could I afford a new wardrobe?!

The whole question could have been solved much sooner for me, if I had just asked God the clear meaning of the passages I had read. But I was afraid to ask him! I think I already KNEW what God wanted me to do. So why was I afraid? Did I think submitting to his will was going to make me miserable? Did I think God wanted me to feel conspicuous? Was he going to destroy my comfortable LIFE? Did I think God just did not know what he was doing? After all, in our culture, women wear pants. If I gave in to this, what else was he going to demand from me? (Pants on ladies is not the subject of this post, so keep reading.)

Since that time, other similar issues have come up for me, issues that I was afraid to ask the Lord about -- how he wants me to act towards or react to the unloveables in my life, what he wants from me now that he owns me, what kind of missions offering does he want me to give? The Bible has the answers to all of those questions. Certainly I have not gotten the victory over every fear concerning what God might ask of me, but I do thank the Lord for this promise:

“For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.” Luke 9:56

There is nothing that God could ask of me, that, if I obey him, will make my life miserable. Oh, I might be afraid to give up this security blanket or to be put into that uncomfortable situation or to humble myself, but I know now that on the other side of obedience there is joy and a peaceful conviction that I am in the will of God.

My husband knows a man who thinks maybe the Lord is calling him to be a preacher. This man is afraid to ask the Lord about it, because he is afraid of the answer. A call to preach would mean EVERYTHING that his family is comfortable with would change. They would have to move away, take a very serious pay-cut, and move into the spotlight as a preacher’s family. He would have to learn to speak in front of people on a very regular basis (oooh!), and come up with messages that he is convinced are from the Lord, to feed his church. The burden to pray would be great. The burdens of his church family would add to the burdens of his own family. His wife would be a preacher’s wife, and his children would become PK’s. His dreams and aspirations for this life would go up in a puff of smoke! Now that’s scary! Is God set out to destroy this man’s life and that of his family? No. God wants to save his life. God may be giving this man an opportunity to serve him right in the center of His perfect will. What an opportunity! What peace can be found when God’s answer is known AND acted upon.

What does God want for your future or your career (or lack thereof)? What does he want you to look like, and how does he wish for you to spend your free time? Are you afraid to ask him? If you are God's child, he has a wonderful plan for you. His plan for you is better than any of your own plans. Go his way. It may take a leap of faith to ask him what it is, but you won’t regret following him in it.

Tip of the Day: How to Fix Night-Time Leg Cramps

2011-10-22T20:02:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my first tip-of-the-day post. There may not be a second one, but this is so good I have to share it.

If you suffer from night-time leg cramps, give this a try. It sounds crazy, but it works. Before you go to sleep, put an unwrapped bar of soap, any brand, under the sheets. And then, go to sleep. If something wakes you in the night, it won't be a muscle cramp.

That's all.

Wasn't that easy?

* * * * *

The legs of the lame are not equal:

so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

Proverbs 26:7

Diamonds in the Country

2011-10-18T20:34:00.000-05:00

That's what we are becoming. The Lord sure is giving us a lot of opportunities to live like country folk, in spite of the fact that we dwell in a townhouse. Does this mean he is preparing us a home outside of town? If so, he is also preparing for us a mower and a plow and something to push that plow... and lots of gas for many trips into town. :) I'm kind of liking the idea, although I have to confess that for the past forty-some years I have not been trained to keep up the work ethic that is needed for country life. It's never too late to change, and miracles do happen. I am looking forward to a miracle in my character.

So far we have been on a hay ride, weeded a big garden, harvested carrots, potatoes, and corn, and enjoyed a nice outdoor campfire and meal. That's country-ish, don't you think?

Last weekend we added apple-juicing to our list of countrified activities. We learned how apples go from this

and this

to this!

First we gather the apples.

Then we separate the good apples from the bad. The pigs get the bad ones. It's their dessert. :)

Next we wash the apples and cut out the bad parts.

Then comes the fun part. The apples go into the grinder,

and from the grinder into the press:

And from the press into the cup/jug/mouth.

Deeeelicious!

We'll be adding raking leaves, shoveling snow, and milking a cow to our list of experiences. Stay tuned!

Just a Little Lefse

2011-10-07T15:15:00.001-05:00

As we now live in the land of Scandihoovia (not to be confused with Outer Slobovia), we thought it was time we made some lefse. Two people here think it is just the most wonderful stuff. I guess it's kind of like pickled herring or lutefisk, two other Swedish/Norwegian delights. Either you love it or you can leave it. The lefse lovers here eat it with butter and jam on it. To me that tastes like mashed potatoes with jam... not that I would ever top my mashed potatoes that way. (Blech!)

The Lefse Song (sing to the tune of Camptown Ladies)

Norsky ladies sing dis song...Uff Da! Uff Da.
Bake dat lefse all day long...all da Uff Da day.
Bake it till it's almost brown...Uff Da! Uff Da.
Makes you yump yust like a clown...all da Uff Da Day.

(CHORUS)
Gonna bake all night...gonna bake all day
I'll spend my money on potatoes and flour...
To have me an Uff Da day.

Vent down town for some lutefisk...Uff Da! Uff Da!
De vedder vas so cold and brisk, all da Uff Da day.
Used my lefse for a Mackinaw...Uff Da...Uff Da
Greatest yacket I ever saw...Lefse saved da day.
(CHORUS)

Vent to town in my Model T...Uff Da...Uff Da.
Tire vent flat and I said "poor me."...it Vas an Uff Da day
Used dat lefse for a patch...Uff Da...Uff Da!
Now I gotta bake me anodder batch...Oh da Uff Da day.
(CHORUS)

For you non-Scandihoovians, lefse is a lot like a flour tortilla, but it's made with potatoes.

Here is my lovely lefse baker, who thinks it would be nice if we made ALL of our bready items by hand.

I think this girl is going to grow up to be a coffee-shop owner and resident baker and soup-maker. She will have a little store built on to the side of her pretty house, and the outside will be decked with bright flowers. :) Go, Betsy!

An Emily Post

2011-09-27T21:15:00.001-05:00

As I was browsing thru my recent photos for some blog fodder, I noticed the sole subject of my photos seems to be my youngest daughter. Wonder how that happened?

In a nutshell, here's a special post on Emily.

Emily is a very easily influenced child. When big sister had what was possibly a contagious stomach bug a couple of weeks ago, the power of suggestion was too much for this one. Her complaint of a tummy ache resulted in her missing her piano lessons. :( Next time she won't be so quick to imagine herself ill!

Friends from church had a hayride and potluck dinner last weekend. Emily loved their miniature horses and thinks we need one! As well as a goat, a donkey, a cow, and some chickens... Ah, I am blessed to live in a townhome.

One of the fun things about getting together with families who have lots of little kids is that a seven-year-old discovers she is one of the "big kids".

A while ago I received a nice gift bag full of lovely things from the sweet ladies at one of our supporting churches. Down in the bottom of it were these two battery-operated, lighted zipper pulls. I had to laugh at that, wondering what the targeted market is for lighted zipper pulls. I discovered the answer this evening. The market is seven year old little girls!

I love this little kid. This evening we took a short hand-in-hand walk. She was full of love and affection for me. :)

It's so nice to be a mom.

~ ♥ ~

Sickhouse Update

2011-09-22T18:46:00.000-05:00

Thank you, all you dear people who commented and gave advice about my poor Amy's illness the past week. She is better. So much better, in fact, that I can't afford to keep her. She is eating me out of house and home, quickly putting those ten pounds back on. It must have been a virus of some sort, and really, I should have gotten a clue when Wal*Mart was totally out of Imodium.

I am very thankful to have her back to health, and I'm thanking the Lord.

Now if we can just get her over being sick of chemistry we'll be doing real good...

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

2011-09-20T12:14:00.001-05:00

Sorry, those lyrics that were pounded into my brain a zillion times during my youth have a permanent place in there. All I remember is that line, and I don't even know what the song was about. Probably fornication. Most of those rock tunes are. Either that, or a drug high. But I digress.

What I am actually thinking about is whether to stay, or go to the doctor.

This has always almost always been a problem for us, and it would have been a lot worse up until now except for the fact that God has given us an exceptionally healthy family. How do you decide when to go? I think I can recognize an emergency. It's the non-emergency, but becoming urgent, medical situations that get me.

Amy has had diarrhea for over a week, and although she feels starved she doesn't eat, because everything immediately goes through her. She has lost 10 lbs that she didn't need to lose. She had a fever early on, but only for a few hours. She is beginning to look pale and skinny (er). And she doesn't feel tops. Here is my line of thinking:

Could it be food poisoning? Probably not. We have all eaten the same things and the rest of us are fine. A virus? Maybe. But weird one. Could it be Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis or Celiac disease? Probably not. But what if it is?

Maybe I should take her in.

But if I do, that will be $125+ to see a doctor... and $???? for diagnostic tests that we can't afford, and what if they don't show anything wrong with her, in which case we will wish we had not wasted the money...

Lord Jesus, my daughter needs your healing touch, and I need your peace of mind...

I just hate it that the cost of diagnosis and treatment is a part of my decision-making. Amy is worth way more than all the money we have. Which isn't much. The money, I mean, lol.

But thinking like this has kept us in the black. I could have had kids in for tests for diabetes, Celiac, obesity, allergies, ear infections, etc, and we'd be broke just from the diagnostic testing. But patience has always proved that we didn't need it. I think the medical industry is wacko on spending other people's money, whether that is insurance money or private funds. I don't want money stress on top of health stress. And I hate having to admit that I even hesitate to help my daughter because of it.

Amy is sick...

Have I been patient long enough? Too patient? Am I heartless? Prudent? Foolish?

Sigh...

I am really good at casting my cares upon Jesus with a big rubber band attached. They always come flying back at me.

Stand Still and Consider

2011-09-18T22:21:00.001-05:00

I meant to take the camera to church today, to post a photo of our new location. But, as one of our church ladies says, my memory is something I forget with. I've been meaning to do this for several weeks. If I had remembered to take my camera two weeks ago, we would have seen a gorgeous green countryside in the background. Today we'd have had a more fallish looking scene. We're meeting in an old township hall building with a wood floor and great acoustics, out in the middle of a corn field (or is it a bean field? yes, I know the difference, I just can't remember!), with horses and chickens nearby. Big oaks in the yard drop their acorns on the parked cars, adding big metallic thunks to the country sounds every few seconds. And I'm pretty sure that if we keep the door open our singing can be heard a ways down the road. The church nursery is a comfortable tree stump out back, where the one noisy child has been rocked, hummed to, and tricked into falling asleep.

Fall is definitely upon us. Early last Thursday morning my hubby drove the car right out of the nice warm garage and dropped it off at the tire store. I left a few minutes later in the van to pick him up, after turning the defroster up full blast, running the washer/wipers, and using my kitchen scraper to chisel a hard frost off the windshield. I grinned at the cloud of vapor coming out of my mouth and nose. I jumped into the van and shivered, and I couldn't help smiling. Truth! It has been a long time since I have been that cold, long enough that I have forgotten how awful it is. Fall is invigorating! I love it. And I have determined to love it all the way 'til.... maybe Thanksgiving? Then the snow will be upon us for good. God will give me grace to love the snow, too. My chances of that might be better if I just observe it from my living room window, but with God nothing is left to chance. :)

In the short time we have been back in Minnesota I have really enjoyed watching God's handiwork. What has been even more fun is watching my desert kids' reactions to the wonders I have taken for granted: worms in the driveway after a rain, apple trees full of ripe fruit, the look-at-me-blue sky of September, soft grass to run in with bare feet, frost on said grass, sand cranes feeling in a field, sumac turning bright red, and the appearance and disappearance again of all the leaves that alternately hide and reveal landscapes.

Thanks for the photos, Amy.

Honest, I did finally learn to ~~love~~ (Can I say "love"? I think I can say "love"...okay) like the desert a lot, and there are desert things (and people!) that I miss tremendously. But I am very happy to be back in a land where things are alive, and you can tell. lol. Okay, if I had been more observant back there in Bullhead Land, I would have appreciated much more of God's handiwork there, too.

Okay, now for the snow. Stay tuned. It's coming.

Thank you, Lord, for letting me be blessed with all this beauty that you made for your own pleasure.

God thundereth marvellously with his voice;

great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.
For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth;

likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.
He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know his work.
Then the beasts go into dens, and remain in their places.
Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.
By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened.
Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud:
And it is turned round about by his counsels:

that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth.
He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy.
Hearken unto this, O Job:

stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

Job 37:5-14

Science for Sickies

2011-09-14T15:55:00.000-05:00

Did you know you can still have science class with a sick child?

If the kid lies low enough and you have a straw, he/she can learn about siphoning.

Hopefully he will not turn to a life of crime with that knowledge. (Don't tell him that's how you can steal gasoline from a car's gas tank.)

Thou shalt not steal.

Exodus 20:15

Church As You Like It

2011-09-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8,9

Emily's Gregorian Science Fun

2011-09-03T20:48:00.002-05:00

Today's science-without-school project:

When I survey the wondrous cross 

on which the Prince of Glory died; 

my richest gain I count but loss, 

and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, 

save in the death of Christ, my God; 

all the vain things that charm me most, 

I sacrifice them to his blood. 



See, from his head, his hands, his feet, 

sorrow and love flow mingled down. 

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, 

or thorns compose so rich a crown. 



Were the whole realm of nature mine, 

that were an offering far too small; 

love so amazing, so divine, 

demands my soul, my life, my all.

In Which I Survive Another Craft

2011-09-02T23:06:00.000-05:00

Emily was doing a Google search for kid-friendly crafts the other day. (Let me interrupt myself here and say that a MOM-FRIENDLY craft would be one which does not involve the Mom. Ahem You know crafts make me want to run away!)

We always have the same problem when we look for something to do or make, and that is that we never have the required equipment on hand.

"Mommy, do we have an empty toilet paper roll?"

"Nnno."

"How about... pipe cleaners?"

"No, sorry."

"Straws!"

"No, no straws, either."

... "How about an empty egg carton?"

"~~I could empty one...~~ No..."

"Do we have any card stock?"

"No, sorry, you ~~wasted it all~~ used it all up on yesterday's crafting adventure."

"Tempera paint? Nails? Colored tissue paper? Bottle caps?

"No, no, no, and no."

And on the exchange goes.

Since I am trying to keep the family grocery bill to ~~$50~~ $100 a week without doing super-extreme couponing (hahahahaha), I usually avoid adding things like balloons or felt or beads to my grocery list. But this time I relented and bought some lentils (they're edible) and balloons (cheap) to this week's list, and here is the result:

Look at that happy face! The project was these fun balls that Emily found on the Family Fun website. They double as stress balls or bean bags (sort of -- they make a rather hard bean bag) or, as #2 daughter Amy suggests, a school-time educational supplement for active kiddos like herself. (Just what we need.) And they roll well. But they don't bounce. Alison suggests covering them with fabric and ModPodge, to hide the strong latex smell, which Amy thinks is one of the best things about these balls. (These two girls couldn't be more different!)

It was not a 10 on the mom-friendly craft scale, especially since Emily wanted to do it RIGHT NOW, while I was making lunch. But it wasn't bad, since the process did not involve glue or paint. And her crafting was contagious. Pretty soon two or three sisters wanted to make their own. I give it an 8.

If you're game for this, you'll need three 11" balloons and maybe 2/3 C lentils for each ball, plus a funnel.

Blow it up the balloon that is going to be the inside layer of your ball, then let the air out. This is to stretch the latex a bit. Stick the end of the funnel into the balloon neck and pour some lentils in.

Now you are going to have to be creative and find a way to get more lentils in there. Kind of squish the base of your balloon, then stretch the neck. Gradually you will be able to get quite a few more in.

Cut the thick rubber part off the neck of the first balloon. Now cut the neck off a second balloon. This color will show through when you are finished.

Pull the neck of the first balloon flat around the ball of lentils, and stretch the second balloon over and around the ball. Obviously you want to cover the opening of the first ball.

Now do the same with the third balloon, only cut a bit farther down the neck than we did the one in the previous photo. It will be the outside color. Again, cover the opening of the balloon on the previous layer.

Ta da!

Forgive the horrid photo quality. I did not hire the resident photo editor to fix these. She charges me a spoonful of Nutella for editing, and that is just too high a price to pay for such frivolity! More on that later...

And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite.

And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop,

where was a piece of ground full of lentiles:

and the people fled from the Philistines.

But he stood in the midst of the ground,

and defended it,

and slew the Philistines:

and the LORD wrought a great victory.

2 Samuel 23:11, 12

PS. I'm sure this is about the only thing lentils are good for. I have tried to make them palatable several times and we still think they taste like dirt. Too bad. I hear they are good for you!

State Fair Time

2011-08-28T19:31:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow our family is going to have another new Minnesota experience, the Minnesota State Fair. I don't believe there is any other place in the world where one can enjoy tater-tot hot dish on a stick, with cream of mushroom dipping sauce. Or maybe you'd rather have chocolate-covered bacon on a stick? Or deep fried butter? We'll probably stick to the standard bratwurst and Coke, and maybe a blooming onion. :)

...eat the fat, and drink the sweet...

Nehemiah 8:10

Painting with Rousseau

2011-08-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, I take it back. Paint is not evil.

Elisabeth and Emily and I made a little cross-country trip to the city of Anoka on Saturday for a free class at the Rum River Art Center. I am really happy to have found this place! The artist/instructor/curator offers homeschool and after-school programs, plus summer art camps and free classes for families. Joining one other homeschooling mom and her two fact-loving children we used watercolor pencils to copy the style of Henri Rousseau. Rousseau was a post-impressionist French painter whose most famous paintings depict jungle scenes. He painted all of his outdoor scenes indoors using a taxidermist's animals as his models, and he made up the foliage from his imagination or from the specimens at a nearby conservatory. Because his paintings are mostly flat and don't contain a lot of contour, his style is simple for children (and moms) to imitate. Larry, our instructor, took us step-by-step through an imitation of a Rousseau bush baby.

In one hour we learned about artist Henri Rousseau, the smallest known primate on earth (the Sumatran bush baby), and how to effectively use water color pencils. That Larry just sneaked all kinds of good education into that one hour.

We'll be back!

Art in the Kitchen

2011-08-09T17:09:00.001-05:00

Paint is evil. I cringe when Em begs me to get out the paints! I hate the waste of good card stock or acrylic paints (but isn't this what they are for??), and the way our brushes are used to scrub the paint on, and the mess that is left after Em has supposedly "cleaned up" her materials. See what I mean? This is "picked up". Let's see, she did take care of the water cup...

However, I do love the way painting keeps Emily occupied for hours, and I like the exercise in creativity. See what I mean about waste? This seems senseless to me, but maybe she's another Mary Cassatt. ??

I also like the way Emily's older sister, Elisabeth, seems unable to resist an art project when all the equipment is out! Betsy got a nice set of watercolor pencils to play with for her birthday last year. Pencils are wonderful! No dripping, no waste of paint, easy control. Color/draw with the pencils, then use a wet paintbrush to blend or soften lines.

I have seen several different sets of these nice watercolor pencils, but this Lyra brand has been the easiest to work with:

How do you handle art projects with the little ones in your house?

* * *

Update:
Emily has been spying on my blog.
"Really?" she asks me. "Mommy, do you want me to quit painting?"

"No," I tell her. "I don't want you to stop. I'm the one with the problem." I smile at her.

"Good. Because I want to be a professional painter when I grow up!"

Family Foto Fun

2011-08-03T22:20:00.000-05:00

Our family photos have been put through the shrinking machine, and here they are. First, we didn't care for the gloomy look of our blue shirts against blue background, so Amy transformed the background to black. I can't get the photos to upload next to each other so that you can better compare the before and afters (yet another thing for me to learn to do in this short lifetime), but good enough. Not bad for free, huh? :)

before edit

after edit

(Twenty minutes of HTML gibberish goes by...) Okay, forget it. I can't figure out how to align these photos! Anyway, I like the black better.

So there we are. All we wanted was one photo like this one. My friend coaxed us into an hour and a half of posing! The man of the family was a good sport. (The "new man" won. Yay!) We have all sorts of poses, even one in our bare feet. :) And now I must find a frame and put one of these on our wall, lest I die of the guilt that will consume me if I stash these in the bottom of a drawer somewhere, like I have done with all of our other photos...

Pizza and More

2011-08-03T09:06:00.001-05:00

Have you started school yet? I thought we were going to be ready next week, but part of my order has not shown up, and the person who placed it is out of town. :) So that must be a God-ordained delay, and we will enjoy a longer vacation!

We have had a lovely summer. My senses have been filled with the smell of growing things, thunder, sticky humidity, toads and turtles in the road, the buzz of deer flies, and driving rain. I love it! Of course, one of the reasons I am enjoying this so much is that the Lord blessed us with good screens and central air... most of it I have enjoyed from indoors. It's quite a contrast from where we were last year at this time, but I was indoors there, too. I miss the desert, but we can't have both!

The man of the house has been doing an awesome job with our new little church, and he is working temp jobs to make up the gaps in our support. Cleaning welds and pushing brooms is not very exciting work; at least when he hauls bags of cheese around he comes home smelling good. :) Mmm, Parmesan! I so appreciate his willingness to take these humble jobs and bless his family. Have you thanked your husband lately for going to work?

Since our move we have made some new friends. An enterprising young mom in our neighborhood recruited the girls and me to help her with a homeschool curriculum fundraiser last Friday. She posted a notice on her Facebook page that she would be taking orders for take-n-bake pizzas, hoping to get orders for at least 24. When it was all said and done we had chopped veggies, spread dough, spooned sauce, and strategically sprinkled pepperonis, sausages, olives, ham, green peppers, onions, pineapple, mushrooms, and cheese for 153 pizzas!! My friend made about $150 profit after only six hours of building pizza pies, which included lunch and one or two technical difficulties, and many more hours of telephone conversations, trips to Wal*Mart, and performing organizational miracles. She decided her pizzas will cost more next time. :) Emily and Elisabeth surprised me with their endurance and their determination to stick to the job. Betsy is my resident entrepreneur without a business, so she ate this all up (pun intended, lol!)

Spread

Adjust

Chop

Spoon

Top

Wait for Cheese

Keep Going!

Wrap

Stack

Chill

DELIVER!

Alison and Amy have been busy the past few days making a photo cloud for their bedroom wall, with photos printed on regular printer paper. They now have nearly 100 photos of different sizes, and I can spend way too long just looking at all the memories... sigh. It's nice to have people who are out of sight, still in mind. That arrangement has helped make their room a lot more personal, and now I feel inspired to do the same thing in my living room -- but only if you promise me that we won't be moving again for a long while!

Oh yes, the famous pizza lady is an amateur photographer with a lot of good equipment. She coaxed us unto a family portrait, which was really an answer to prayer since we needed a decent one to send to our supporting churches. Amy did her editing magic on one of our favorite ones, changing a blue background to black. Sadly, the photo is too large to upload right now! I'll save that for a later post.

Well, it is a gorgeous day here in the north land, and I am going to go enjoy it. Have a great day!

This is the day which the LORD hath made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

And of a Sound Mind

2011-07-26T14:00:00.001-05:00

One Bible verse that I cling to for dear life is 2 Timothy 1:7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. That would be KJV, of course, because what good is a promise like, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline," when you feel like you are losing your sanity? I don't know who did the latter translation (yes, I do -- it's NIV), but "sound mind" and "self-discipline" aren't the same words in any language. How did "sound mind" get translated into "self-discipline"??? Or, how about this (per)version, from The Message, "God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible." The NIV and The Message are both dynamic equivalency translations, meaning that the translators kept loosely to the main idea of the text, but put in the words they felt should be there in English, based on the current culture, ideologies, political correctness, carnality, and personal bent of the particular guy in the committee who worked on that particular passage. Dangerous, that, if you ask me. Didn't God say not to add or take away from his words? Yes, he did. Am I ever glad I have a Bible I can trust. But I digress. This post is not about Bible translations, but the promise of a sound mind.

I'm an insulin-dependent diabetic. That means my pancreas is non-functioning, that my brain has to be my pancreas by telling my hands when to give me insulin, and how much, by injection or by infusion pump. I have had diabetes for over 30 years, with NO complications, praise God, but I am becoming less and less sensitive to the symptoms of LOW blood sugar. Low blood sugar can occur if I exercise, or if I don't eat enough, or if I take too much insulin to cover the carbs I am eating. That is a bad thing, because the human brain needs sugar, or glucose, to function properly, and really, truly, my brain needs all the help it can get.

Back in the early days of my diabetes, I noticed hypoglycemia symptoms right away (low blood sugar < 70mg/dl -- normal is 100). As is typical in the early stages, I felt shaky on the inside, saw spots, and broke into a sweat if not treated immediately with something sweet. It was not -- and still is not -- uncommon for me to behave as though I were a bit drunk, talking loudly and with exaggerated gestures. (That is embarrassing, considering I don't drink at all.)

Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar

Lately, though, I am often not aware of "dipping" until I am on a fast slide into the later stages of hypoglycemia, in which confusion and personality changes are not uncommon. Yesterday as I sat and listened to my husband's preaching, I was wondering what was wrong with him. His message wasn't making any sense. I thought, Oh dear Lord. How are we ever going to build a church with that?? THANK YOU for not bringing anyone to hear this! This was the first time since we started our church, that we have not had any visitors. I was overcome with a dread feeling of hopelessness, that God has brought us to Minnesota to starve us to death, and that this little church is NEVER going to get off the ground. I felt like I was of absolutely NO USE to God or anyone else. All of a sudden I began crying profusely and made a vain attempt to do it secretly. Sitting next to me, my Emily stared at me as if I were growing feathers and horns and turning into a fantastical creature (little kids do that sometimes when they see their mommy cry), and, since it was now time to give hymn requests, I began frantically looking through the hymnal index for one about hopelessness and despair. I chose "Little Is Much When God Is in It" then continued to cry and sing at the same time.

We cleaned up, locked up, and drove home. I stared out my window with tears streaming down my face, trying to control those grotesque contortions your face makes when you are trying to keep from crying, all the while wondering, What is wrong with me, and why am I crying like this? Am I losing my mind? I am! I must be! I went straight to my room to drop my stuff, then into the bathroom. While in there I forgot what I was doing. Where has my mind gone? My poor husband and children, having to have their wife and mother committed to a mental hospital! How dreadful! Oh dear Lord save me from this! Let me keep my mind! Sobbing again, trying to keep quiet so no one will hear me. I know my family thinks I'm insane. What am I doing? Oh yes, better test my blood sugar.

Oh. It's not my mind after all (oh God, thank you), it's my blood sugar. Still crying, I return to my room for some glucose tablets, a quick fix for crashing glucose levels. Dear husband looks at me like he is a bit afraid of me, probably wondering if he should call a doctor in a white coat to bring a straight-jacket. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I kept repeating. I collapse on the bed. "It's my blood sugar, and I can't control myself!" Loony, I know. But it's terrible to feel like your body or your mind is doing its own thing without you.

This has happened at least twice before, and both other times I was pretty convinced I was going to have to be tranquilized and shipped off to the insane asylum. But there was a little echoing in my head... that verse, the one about the sound mind... oh, thank you, Lord, for writing it on my heart. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Just yesterday I made the connection that this is all diabetes-related! What a relief! God is so good to me. The promise of a sound mind is true. Of course it is!

If you see me acting strangely, please ask me to test my blood. Of course, being "low" I will probably be belligerent and refuse to do it, but at least you will have tried to keep me out of the mental ward. When I have recovered you can say, "Welcome back. And I told you so." :)

Still. I don't like it when my mind goes off by itself...

Devotional ABC's

2011-07-25T20:47:00.002-05:00

Recently my dear husband decided to base our family devotions on the ABC's.

We have had short nightly lessons on Attendance, Baptism, Complaining, Doers, Exaltation, Forgiveness, God, and tonight, Hair. Matthew 10:30 tells us, But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. It really is quite remarkable that God cares to know the number of hairs on my head! That means he is paying close attention to each one of us. He has therefore given the promise of 1 Peter 5:7, encouraging us to cast(ing) every care upon him, for he careth for you. (Us! You and me!)

When we see lilies

Spinning in distress,

Taking thought

To manufacture loveliness,

When we see the birds

All building barns for store,

T'will be time for us to worry,

Not before.

Photo by Maureen "Mo" Reilly http://www.flickr.com/photos/reillymo/257163662/

Isn't God good? (Nod your little head up and down.)

Goings-On

2011-07-19T11:23:00.003-05:00

The summer is going fast! I have been spending the past several days trying to get together my order for the coming school year, but the normal interruptions of a mother's life have kept me from completing it. That, and the state of general confusion that this tasks leaves me in after about ten minutes of concentrating on it. If I didn't think my children would curse me some years down the road for neglecting my parental and educational responsibilities, I would un-school. In this house un-schooling looks more like non-schooling, and we would be a fine story for the prime time news, now, wouldn't we?

Now that we are home at last from all of our running around the Midwest this summer, the Diamonds family is set to put our minds and bodies to the work of establishing a new church. Although it is in its infancy, we have not had one Sunday yet in which my dear husband had to preach to just his own family. That is a blessing!

We spent last week at family camp and had a blast. The campground and pavilion are in the middle of Nowhere, North Dakota, and used to be a hang-out for Glen Miller and Guy Lombardo and the likes. I keep wondering where the people came from to hear them play, because there is just nothing out there but lovely canola fields! After that it was a county park and a hang-out for wild teenagers. But for the past 41 years it has been a place for God's people to be strengthened and refreshed spiritually. The Lord blessed our family so much, cementing a recent friendship with this great missionary family to the foreign peoples of Chicago. I see another trip coming...

* * * * *

UPDATE:

I finished my school order! Hip! Hip! Hooray!

We have not been scholars at all this summer, not since maybe around March. It has been a very long break, and the girls are getting tired of being lazy. I have seen some signs of their minds stirring in the past few days. Alison is going to take the GED and be officially done with school this year, but she will continue to feed her hunger for knowledge. She has been working hard teaching herself conversational Hebrew, which is practically useless in the USA in 2011, but we trust God has put this passion into her heart for a good reason. Who knows what opportunity might present itself? She is also reading up on all things Israeli, following the Jerusalem Post, watching Israeli talk shows (in Hebrew!), and looking for someone to converse with. Piano and violin are still in the works, and she will be attempting to rebuild her student base. Maybe I can get her to be a homeschool tutor, too! Now that would be helpful here!

I stopped at the library last night and found this book on the sale table, almost brand new, for 50 cents:

Amy has had her nose in it ever since I brought it home, save for a few hours of sleeping. Sadly, her good camera, which was, in fact, on its way out, but still very useable, was accidentally Kevorkianed and suffered a quick, rather than a lingering, death. (Does that sentence hold a record for the most commas?) Anyone have a really good late-model digital camera you have no use for? Maybe you have decided it is too bulky and you have replaced it with a smaller one, and you know that eBay won't bring anything for it, but you can't bear to throw it out? Amy is a good cause. She would even pay the shipping on it. :) Also in her talent repertoire, sewing and crafting. She has once again broken open the sewing supplies and is in the process of making a sock-monkey-turned-sock-elephant.

Elisabeth is a budding writer. This is the girl who needs a stage to complete her. Her creativity tickles me. A quote from her latest work:

Ben removed a book from his backpack. It was titled, Thoughts of an Alligator.
“What’s that book about?” asked Tom.
“A man who trains an alligator, that later escapes and causes an uproar in the White House.”
Uninterested, Tom put back his head and closed his eyes. Thankful that they had finally found the plane, and now assured that the rest of the trip would be peaceful, he fell asleep.

Emily... is dying to start school! She will be doing mostly ACE this year, with a bit of Christian Light math thrown in. I unpacked a box of books the other day, deep in the bottom of which was our Draw-Write-Now series. I love it when something old becomes new and exciting again. :) Emily has now created a paper menagerie of giraffes, elephants, and zebras for me find a home for. I'd take a photo of her excellent zebra to share with you, but the camera is out of reach and I am at the wrong computer, and any other excuse that will do.

Also in the news here, I have been doing some sleuthing for extra-curricular homeschooling activities in our new local area. Stuff such as speech or drama or orchestra.... nothing we can participate in unless I want to do a lot of driving, and I don't. So it will either be a quiet year, or we will come up with something else! In the process I have come in contact with old acquaintances who are still in the general area... maybe more socializing is in the works.

Well, that's our life in bits and pieces, with more to come. Thank you, all you faithful friends who have been leaving comments in spite of my not reciprocating. My computer is dead, so my time here is limited! :( And, my apologies for the small print. For some reason, my blog is now ignoring all font and size requests.

County Fair Time

2011-07-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

A funny conversation in our van this evening, about why farmers need to have their corn de-tassled, prompted this repost. It's not just LA people who need a county fair -- it's transplants from Arizona, too! (But we do know where wool and cashmere come from.)

Biblical Election

2011-06-30T12:55:00.030-05:00

Why is there so much confusion over election? In my experience, election is commonly understood as predestination. Predestination is the idea that God, from the foundation of the world or even earlier, determined that some of the souls he created would be saved and go to heaven, and others would be eternally lost.

According to Noah Webster (1828) one who is "elect" is:
chosen or set apart
taken by preference from among two or more
selected or designated to eternal life
designated by God to salvation
predestinated to glory
or set apart as a peculiar church and people.

I, for one, am very happy to know we don't derive our doctrine from the dictionary, but from the Bible!

Who are God's elect? If I am absolutely certain I am one of them, could I be wrong? What if I am deceived by my own heart?

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

Could you ever really have the "peace that passes all understanding" if you thought there was a chance that maybe, just maybe, God had not designated you to eternal life? How could you witness to people with the confidence that, if they were willing to receive Christ, he would save them from their sins? And, if God has ordained some to hell to begin with, and others are destined for heaven whether we tell them about Jesus or not, why bother to testify of him at all??

I submit to you that predestination, in the sense that God has pre-ordained some to eternal life and others to hell, is a false doctrine.

First of all, from the standpoint of logic, would it make sense that God would predetermine some to a hell that he did not create for man in the first place?? Of course not. Matthew 25:41, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. We can't rely on logic, however. We'll take a look at the Bible instead.

At its root, "elect" means to be specially chosen. According to God's word, his elect, specifically, is his Son, Jesus Christ. Isaiah 42:1, Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

This was fulfilled in Matthew 12:15-18, so we know the prophesy of Isaiah is speaking of Jesus Christ:

But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; And charged them that they should not make him known: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles.

Election, or pre-destination, is based on being found IN CHRIST, who is God's elect. If I am "in Christ", then I am elect. Simple. My righteousness is in his righteousness, and my election is in him also.

2 Corinthians 5:17,21: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. [. . .] For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

So, now, back to our dictionary definition, with better understanding we can say that one who is "elected" by God is:
chosen or set apart because he is in Christ
taken by preference from among two or more because he is in Christ
selected or designated to eternal life because he is in Christ
designated to salvation because he is in Christ
predestinated to glory because he is in Christ
or set apart as a peculiar church and people.

It's like this. Say an airplane is scheduled to fly to NY. We'll say it is predestinated to go to NY. If you are in that airplane, then you are predestinated to go to NY with the airplane. If you are not in the plane, you don't go. This is an oversimplified illustration, but it works nicely anyway. If you are in Christ, you are predestinated to go to heaven. And if you are NOT in Christ, you are under the wrath of God, NOT destined for heaven until you repent of your foolishness and your unbelief, and receive him as your Savior. John 3:36, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

We are chosen of God according to his foreknowledge (1 Peter 1:2), that is, that he knew from the beginning who would be his. And who would those people be? Those who receive Jesus Christ. John 1:12, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. I could not have been elected or predestined for heaven before I knew Christ, while I was still in my sins! No one is elect who is still in their sins! You have to be saved from your sins before you can be elected to eternal life.

A parenthetical thought: What does it mean to receive Christ? Well, what does it mean to receive a guest into your home? You open the door and invite him in, and provide for his wants. That is what Jesus wants. Open your heart's door and let him in. In fact, give him the whole house, to do with as he pleases. That is what it means to receive him. Open the door and get out of his way. Let him take over. End of parenthetical thought.

Election seems rather simple. So then, why IS there so much confusion over this? Well, it's because of verses such as Romans 8:29, Whom he did foreknow, he predestinated... Predestinated to what? To be saved and go to heaven? NO. ...to be conformed to the image of his Son. And, as the text goes on to say, those whom God predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ, he also called, and justified, and glorified. So, those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour are predestined, according to the foreknowledge of God, to be made like him. And is that not our goal as Christians, to be more like Jesus every day?

And then there's Ephesians 1, where it says, According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, [...] Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Christ Jesus to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, etc. Well, who is the letter written to? The saints at Ephesus. Saved people. People who are IN CHRIST. Turn there in your good ol' KJB and see how many times the words "in Christ" or "in whom", referring to Christ, appear there. It's all based on the foreknowledge of God, not pre-determination.

People who teach predestination say that the will of man is so depraved that we could not possibly choose, on our own, to receive Christ as our Saviour from sin. But the Bible says differently. Look at the invitations we are given to come to him! God wants us to respond to him!

Mark 8:35 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Matt. 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

John 7:37[...] Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Rev. 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ is available to EVERY soul on earth. The Bible says so.

John 7:37 [...] Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Romans 5:18 [...] even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

1 Tim. 2:3,4 [...] God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

1 Tim. 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, [...]

1 Tim. 4:10 [...] the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men,

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, [...] that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is [...] not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Well. That's pretty plain. No one is predestined to go to hell. All can go to heaven if they choose the right way and get IN the way -- Jesus. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

Writing these posts is good for me. It helps me to learn the Bible better and to verbally defend my faith. (Hey, I should have my kids do this!) I think one reason people are hesitant to talk about their beliefs is that they don't know how to defend them. I want to be able to open the Bible and show someone what God says. I always learn something when I do this, and I hope you do, too. :)

Thanks for listening!

* * * * *

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation,

it was needful for me to write unto you,

and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith

which was once delivered unto the saints.

Jude 1:3

Violin Lessons

2011-06-29T14:20:00.003-05:00

Just putting a plug in here for my daughter. :) If you live in Cambridge, Minnesota, or in the Isanti / Chisago / Kanebec County area and are seeking a reasonable but experienced violin instructor for a beginning-to-intermediate student, look no further! Alison charges $12 for a half-hour lesson. See her contact info in the photo. (Keeps the spammers from finding her.)

Foto Fun

2011-06-20T00:08:00.002-05:00

The Diamonds in the Rough gang is back from a nearly week-long trip to somewhere I've always wanted to go (not), Detroit! Oh we had such a wonderful time. Van Born Baptist Church itself is a sort of "diamond in the rough", a gem of a church in a rough setting. We spent three days and evenings with 41 other preachers, some with their families present also. The fellowship was the best ever, and the preaching was right to the heart -- all sixteen messages! The Lord spoke to me plainly and gave me strength and encouragement. The church treated us visitors like royalty and really made us feel special. What a great week we had.

One of the highlights for me was meeting my e-friend, Sheryl Shaffer, who is the editor of the awesome Beautiful For Thee website, for the first time. Mrs. Shaffer is a preacher's wife extraordinaire, and she is all the things I should be and want to be. My daughter, Amy, photoshopped a shot of the two of us together, so now I have had my very own Dove Evolution experience! Wow, it was fun to watch my nose shrink, my jowels thin down, and my under-eye shadows disappear. Ta da! I'm ten years younger!

You gotta love the creepy flashing eyes in the background on the left, lol.

I think my daughter has found her niche. And I have found a new avatar. :)

My People Love to Have It So

2011-06-10T10:39:00.005-05:00

Where will it end?

Where is God's word today? Do you know? Inspiration without preservation is worthless.

Every time a "new" translation is published, it is farther from what God gave us, both in its words and in its message. Since the late 1800's Bible "translators" have had an agenda. Here's a word about their latest popular work:

THE PRO-HOMOSEXUAL GREEN BIBLE (Friday Church News Notes, June 10, 2011, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) -

The Message, by Eugene Peterson, is extremely popular and influential. Rick Warren quotes it frequently, five times in the first chapter of The Purpose-Driven Life alone. It has been recommended by Warren Wiersbe, J.I. Packer, Jerry Jenkins, Joyce Meyer, Stuart and Jill Briscoe, Vernon Grounds, Bill Hybels, Leighton Ford, Billy Graham, Joni Earckson Tada, Chuck Swindoll, Bill Gaither, John Maxwell, Gordon Fee, Gordon MacDonald, and Max Lucado, to name a few. [Do these people have no discernment??] Yet, it is the goofiest, most frightfully corrupt “version” I have ever seen. It has a New Agey flavor (probably because of Peterson’s deep interaction with Catholic contemplative mysticism), even using the occultic term “as above, so below.” It is weirdly oriented toward environmentalism. In Romans 15:13, The Message says, “May the God of green hope fill you up with joy,” and in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 it says that those who “use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t quality as citizens in God’s kingdom.” The Message is also pro-homosexual, playing right into the hands of those who teach that homosexuality is a natural condition that God can bless instead of a sin that needs to be repented of. Every passage that condemns homosexuality is tampered with in The Message. For example, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 in the KJV’s “effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind” becomes the vapid and almost meaningless “those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex.” In 1 Timothy 1:10, “them that defile themselves with mankind” is changed to “the irresponsible, who defy all authority, riding roughshod over God, life, sex, truth, whatever.” Romans 1:26-27 becomes “sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men--all lust and no love.” This fits into the humanistic thinking that as long as homosexuals “love” one another, everything is fine. One brother rightly observed that “The Message is simply a forerunner to what will be a ‘christless,’ sinless Bible.” Beware of The Message and of the deeply corrupt evangelical world that loves it!

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means;

and my people love to have it so:

and what will ye do in the end thereof? Jer 5:31

2011-06-03T12:06:00.003-05:00

Our new town is lovely, don't you think so, Jane? I love old brick buildings on an old-time main street, and I love old houses with garrets and gables and artistry in the trim, and lilacs and peonies and lots of green grass!

This is the reason for the greenness of our new home -- rain. Lots of it.

It has been very lovely. Nice thunderstorms, some howling winds to keep us from being homesick, and a tornado warning or two. The weather is never the same two days in a row, and that keeps life from becoming mundane.

Soon after the above photo was taken, the sun came out and dried up the landy, landy. (Anyone remember that song from VBS when you were a kid?) Emily wasted no time in making new friends at our neighborhood playground. The other children in the photo are also homeschoolers, and now my older two girls have a babysitting job! Speaking of which. I am woefully behind the times. I found out our nephew makes $15/hr babysitting ONE child. It is a special circumstance, because the families are good friends. The other teens in his neighborhood are making a paltry $12/hr. !!! And here I was thinking the prevailing wages for babysitting might be up to about $3 by now. I really am in the dark ages. Alison and Amy won't be making $12/hr today, but they will have $65 to split between them this evening, plus coupons for freebies at Culvers. :) Now there's a good spiff, as my husband says.

One of the ladies who has been consistently visiting our new church agreed to come over and teach Betsy and Emily how to make truffles,

and caramels. The caramels got too hot and were turned into toffees! Yum!

We have unpacked the necessities but have many more boxes to tackle. I am not feeling very motivated, especially since there is a distinct possibility of another move for us, locally, within the next year or two. Lord willing we will be able to buy a house and have a garden and a bird feeder. :) This little guy has been flitting around for a few days, and I can not find him in my birding book. Anyone know his name? He is a sparrow or finch of sorts... possibly a purple finch? But he is definitely NOT purple! Right, Kristy.

Last week we enjoyed a quick trip to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. What pretty country! Next week we'll be in Michigan, and our inter-state travels will end in July with an inspiring week at family camp in ND.

And then, hopefully it will be summer, because if it doesn't come by then, I don't think we are going to have summer this year at all! We have a fancy tea part to look forward to next week, and another visit from the grands, also next week, our nephew's graduation open house tomorrow, and... more events coming up in the fall.

Now I must forsake the computer and go check out a pair of $1 ladies snow boots at a nearby garage sale!

She is not afraid of the snow for her household:

Prov 31:21

A Post From the Past - Eternal Security

2011-05-31T19:50:00.004-05:00

Recently in our family Bible time, my husband taught us about the Bible doctrine of election. If you are one of the "elect", as the word is widely (mis)understood, then you would never worry about losing your salvation. Elect is elect, right? But there are better reasons not to fear losing your salvation. While I am thinking about writing a post on election, here is one about eternal security.

(The following is a re-post from back in the days when I had a brain)

The doctrine of eternal security, or "once saved, always saved", is one that comes under fire often. Many people trust Christ for their salvation, only to be told later that it is possible to lose it. When the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary, the sinless blood he shed there was the payment for sins. For all sins. For everybody's sins. For everybody's sins in the past, for all the sins that were committed on the day of Christ's death, and for all of the sins that would be committed in the future of humanity. When Jesus died, your life was still many years in the future. And yet, his death paid the penalty for every one of your sins! They were all covered at once. I can tell you that I KNOW I have been saved from ALL my sins (past, present, future), and I will give you some scripture that explains why. But before I do that, think about these things:

~When Christ saved you, did he give you everlasting life or temporary life?

~Which one of your sins did Jesus NOT pay for when he was crucified for you?

~What kind of sin is bad enough to make you lose your salvation -- murder? Skipping church? Gossip? Unbelief? Adultery? Neglecting your Bible or prayer? And for how many times? One? A hundred?

~Where is the "peace that passeth all understanding", if every day I wake up fearing I might have lost my salvation?

~Once you "lose" it, how ever do you get it back (IF you can get it back)??? No one in the Bible was ever saved twice!!

~No one who teaches eternal INsecurity ever believes that they have lost it, or that they could lose it.

~No one who asks the Lord Jesus Christ to save their soul ever does so believing He might forsake them in the future. That is not faith. You have to be taught that you can lose it, and that teaching does not come from the Bible.

One of the reasons this heresy, that one can lose his salvation, is now so prevalent is that the newer Bible versions have removed the good words "justification", "redemption", and "propitiation" from the text. These words have been substituted with other words or other phrases that do not give us any assurance that salvation, the free gift of God, is for eternity. I will be quoting here from the King James Bible. If you are not reading the KJB, I suggest you open your version, whatever it is, to the following references to see what you are missing.

Read:
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,"
Romans 3:23-26

"Justified" is a judicial term that means one has been declared righteous. Although you were once guilty, the penalty for your has been paid in full. You are no longer viewed by the Judge as guilty. Hooray!! Once a person has been justified, or declared righteous, he is never tried again for those crimes.

To be "redeemed" means to be bought back. In the book of Romans, chapter 7, the apostle Paul says he was "alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and [he] died." Later in the chapter he says he was now carnal, "sold under sin". No longer spiritually alive, Paul had an terrible new master --sin! (See chapter 6.) In order to be saved, he must be REDEEMED. Bought back. And he was! The blood of Jesus Christ was the payment, praise God. There is no scriptural example of one who was once redeemed by the blood of Christ, and then sold back to sin again!

A "propitiation" is a price paid to appease one whose wrath has been incurred. John 3 says of those who are lost (have not been eternally saved), "the wrath of God abideth on them." God the Father ordained that his own precious, sinless Son would be that payment. Isaiah 53:11 says, "He [God the Father] shall see the travail of his [Jesus Christ's] soul and shall be satisfied." When I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior from sin, I was accepting him as the only offering that I could present to God the Father for the forgiveness of my sins. No other offering coming from me was good enough to appease the wrath of God! Remember when Cain was too proud to ask Abel for a LAMB? Cain gave his own offering, not the one God ordained. The offering God ordained was the blood of an innocent lamb. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God!
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10
"The blood of Jesus Christ [God's] Son cleanseth us from ALL SIN." 1 John 1:7

There are two verses that people often use to teach that one can lose his salvation. One of them is 2 Timothy 2:12, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:" But look at the context. The Bible is speaking here of denying Christ reign in our hearts and lives. If we deny him first place in our hearts, he will deny us reign in his kingdom! The Bible goes on to say, "If we [We who? We Christians!] believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." It is God himself, and God alone, who does both the saving and the keeping. You can read Galatians for more about that. Whether or not we can do something to keep our salvation is the theme of that book!

The other verse people use to teach eternal insecurity is this one: "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." Hebrew 10:26,27 That's true -- there is no more sacrifice for sins. The sacrifice for sins was made ONCE AND FOR ALL (Hebrews 10:10) at Calvary . God does chasten us for sin after we have been saved. That is not to say that he condemns saved sinners to hell for their sins. That's impossible. (What would those "saved" sinners then, have been "saved" FROM??) "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1,2

Although those two passages appear to be saying you could lose the salvation that God gave you for eternity, there are many MORE verses that very plainly say you can not. Read and believe the following verses, which apply to all who have repented of their sins and received Christ Jesus:

John 10:28 We shall NEVER perish
John 10:29 No one is able to remove you from God's hand.
John 6: 37 God will in NO WISE cast out those that come to him.
John 6: 39 The responsibility for keeping us saved belongs to God, and Jesus Christ can lose nothing.
Johns 5:24 says the kind of life I now have is EVERLASTING.
Romans 8:38 says nothing can separate the saved from the love of God.
1 Peter 1:5 says we are kept by the power of God.
Jude 24 God is able to keep us from falling.
Philippians 1:6 says that the Lord will continue his good work in us until the day of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:13 says my salvation was sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8 says our salvation is the GIFT of God, and Romans 11:29 says the gifts and calling of God are without repentance -- that means he doesn't take them back!
There are many more verses in God's Word which assure us of our eternal salvation.

While it IS possible for the Christian to lose his assurance of salvation, his rewards, his joy, or his fellowship with the Lord, he cannot lose his salvation!

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 1 John 5:11,12 You either have the Son or you don't. If you have the Son, you are saved. Forever. God has put this promise in writing for us, and that's the key. If your final authority is the written word of God, you need never fear he will cast you away. Believe the Book!

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Hebrews 10:23

Welcome to the New Diamonds in the Rough

2011-05-21T15:27:00.000-05:00

With the disappearance of my cactus header, I hereby resolve to be done with my own prickliness. But what part of my personality does the dragonfly represent? They eat lots of mosquitoes, and hence I count them as one of God's wise gifts to us. What a blessing he gave us something to keep the mosquito population down! I don't plan on adding mosquitoes to my diet, but I do hope God will use me to bless others here in some way.

Do my new colors work on your monitor? Or are you squinting at the glare? Falling asleep at the dull shades? Do let me know if there is a problem for you. My previous red was lovely here, but on my dad's computer it was quite bright. I want you to be comfortable. Minor adjustments to details may be made next week, and I might have to go back to my old avatar. I kind of miss that cactus. :)

O LORD, how manifold are thy works!

In wisdom hast thou made them all.

The earth is full of thy riches.

Psalm 104:24

:-)

2011-05-20T09:40:00.000-05:00

Button Soup

2011-05-17T20:12:00.000-05:00

Ever hear of King Midas? He was famous back when kids still read the classics and stuff. Everything King Midas touched turned to gold, hence the expression "the Midas touch". I have what is surely some sort of opposite kind of touch -- everything electronic that I touch keels over and dies. My kind of touch might come in handy if your kids had iPods that were out of control, or if you needed someone to police your own computer activity. Call Sally. She can control it for you!

Anyway, my computer died, as you know. We have had a few other electronic problems around here, the latest being that I was just going to post some photos of our Button Soup, and my dear husband's monitor would not turn on (shhh, don't tell him). But it's on now. And then I learned that my camera card reader doesn't work on this computer anyway. So after this I will just use the library's computer, K? If I break that one, no one will know.

Back in the Great Depression, prudent, thrifty homemakers figured out how to satisfy their loved ones' appetites with stuff people probably didn't normally eat. Like dandelion greens. I am pretty sure this recipe, or rather, non-recipe, was developed before they had to resort to dandelions, probably when the potato bin was just about empty. My great-grandmother made this for her family, Grandmommy made it for hers, and my mom made it for us. Now I make it for my kids. Sometimes.

I have not seen a real recipe anywhere, and I don't know if there are other variations. If Button Soup is familiar to you, I'd love to know your version and its history in your family!

Button Soup (With No Photos)

APPROXIMATELY:

4 cups flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

6 cups water

1 potato, peeled and diced

1/2 onion, chopped

2 T butter

3 eggs, lightly beaten

oil

Make a dough from the salt, flour, and milk, adjusting quantities as needed to knead and make it smooth. Divide the lump into four smaller pieces and set aside.

Saute the onion in the butter in a large pot. Add the water plus some salt to the pot, and bring to a boil. Add the potato pieces.

Now either cut or pinch off small pieces of dough from the large lump and drop them into the boiling water. Cook the "buttons" for about 10 minutes, or until done in the centers.

Turn off the heat, and strain out about half of the buttons. If your soup is now too brothy, pour out a cup or whatever. Drain the buttons well. Heat some oil in a very hot skillet, and carefully slide the drained buttons in. Let them fry until nice and golden, then stir to turn them over and brown on the other side. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir until the eggs are scrambled. These are the "fries".

Serve the fries separately from the soup. They can be eaten alone (that's how I like them), or put back into the broth.

There you go. Stuff a family of four on one potato, half an onion, and a couple eggs. This is definitely a carbo-loaded food and should probably not be eaten if you are diabetic or if you are wishing to lose weight. In my case, both are perpetually true.

So why did I make this tonight??

Because. It's very cheap. :)

* * * * *

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land,

not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,

but of hearing the words of the LORD:

And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east,

they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD,

and shall not find it.

Amos 8:11

A New Home for Us DITR

2011-05-16T16:55:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are in green, green, green Minnesota, complete with internet! Yay! One good thing is that now everyone (all three of you) will be expecting me to write a nice newsy post.

The bad thing is that, alas, my computer died on the way here.

The good thing is that my sweet hubby is letting me borrow his.

The bad thing is that he needs it a lot. His entire office is in this thing.

The good thing is that he is thinking about buying me (or him) a laptop!

Another good thing is that a laptop takes up much less space than a desk. Space is at a premium here.

Every cloud has a silver lining. :) And we have seen plenty of clouds around here. Snow clouds, rain clouds, thunder clouds, no clouds. It's a lovely day, way too nice to spend it indoors writing a new post.

Besides, now it's time to make supper. I'll be back.

Signing Off

2011-04-20T14:55:00.000-05:00

We'll be packing up the computers this evening. The next time I post will probably be from the library in our new town! Getting back online at home will be at the bottom of the priority list. I was going to say I am taking a vacation from blogging, but to be honest I don't think it will be much of a vacation, lol! Everyone have a lovely spring!

Getting There

2011-04-18T16:04:00.000-05:00

Last Monday:

Last Friday:

Today:

Three days left til the truck is loaded!

2011-04-14T19:19:00.001-05:00

It seems the driver of the Penske truck had a moment of stress-induced zealous threatenings, and I believed him! Here is his unpublished comment on the previous post:

"The dining room table is moving. Only two desks are being sold. Two bicycles are being sold. So it isn't as bad as the article made it sound."

The lovely oak table goes with us! :) Three of the desks will be dismantled and squeezed in. :) And two of the bikes will be sold, however I was not even counting one of those.

My editor checks my posts carefully, and he is always faithful to let me know when I have misrepresented him or made factual errors. What would I do without a faithful editor? Lie, probably. I didn't mean to.

2011-04-13T23:03:00.003-05:00

That house looks rather empty, doesn't it?

When we moved to Arizona we had a 26-foot moving truck. Everything we owned fit in it. That was before we had two cars, a king-sized bed, two bunk beds, three large desks and three small ones, and an oak dining table that seated twelve. It was also before we had eight bicycles. (Yes, there are only six of us. Some guys collect tools. Some guys collect bikes.) And it was before we had years' worth of school curriculum and a vast library. See how God has blessed us?!

We are leaving the piano. And the recliner. Our washer and dryer and refrigerator are sold. The king-sized bed stays here. Three of four of the desks will go in the yard sale this week.

The driver of the Penske truck is worried that we will still have too many possessions to fit into the van. I now hear talk of leaving behind another desk, the dining room table(!), the bookshelves, and some end tables.

*sigh*

Hold on while I experience an attitude adjustment...

The Lord is my helper,
the Lord is my helper,
the Lord is my helper,
the Lord is my helper,
the Lord is my helper...

♪ ♫ This world is not my home

I'm just a passin' through.

My treasures are laid up

Somewhere beyond the blue....♫ ♪

♫♫ ♪♫♪ ♪♪♫ ♪♫

♫ ♪ Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full on his wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace...♫ ♪

Okay, I feel better now.

All we need is a home.

With the Lord and a roof and six people who love each other, we have that!

That house looks rather empty. There's no furniture in it, but it does have the most important thing. :)

2011-04-13T17:51:00.000-05:00

One of the friends we made here is our orthodontist. Exactly one year and one day ago he outfitted Elisabeth (and before that, Alison and Amy) with braces, charging us only for the labs and equipment involved. This has been a HUGE blessing to our family. God was good to introduce us to this man! Dr. W. will not be helping us load our truck, however. (Isn't that why you are supposed to make lots of friends before you move? For help loading?) :)

Today Amy and Betsy had their brackets removed. What gorgeous smiles my girls have now!

Other friends have offered to help us load our truck, keep our kids overnight, or bring us a meal. Some have even brought us homemade soft pretzels, and others chocolate! (Now that's a true friend!)

What would we do without all of you? We are going to miss you, each and every one.

2011-04-12T20:35:00.000-05:00

We don't have a dog or a cat, but there are other things that should not be packed together... like school books with dishes. Or maybe you have a box of bathroom things that is 3/4 full, and you toss in a jacket just to fill up the empty space. It just doesn't make sense. But when you get down to the dregs, everything that's left just sort of gets thrown together! I think we are getting to that point.

Today's goal: pricing all the yard sale stuff.

* * * * *

Okay, so now it's evening, and not one yard sale item was priced... what DID I do??

Time to set another goal. This evening's goal: make signs for yard sale.

Packing

2011-04-11T12:10:00.002-05:00

Today's goal is to get all the girls' bedding washed and packed without running out of soft water, and then we will tackle whatever is living UNDER the beds. *grimace* We are going to be camping out for the next 10 days, and then we'll hit the road in whatever array or disarray we happen to be in when the deadline comes!

I thought I was making progress, but our stuff seems to be multiplying furiously while I sleep at night.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage;

be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:

for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:9

When All the Toys are Packed

2011-04-01T16:05:00.002-05:00

We have the advantage of knowing weeks ahead of time that we are moving. That is a wonderful thing, because I really would not want to have to pack a house in a week. But it's also a hard thing, because everything can't be packed at the last minute. The books are boxed up and it seems like everything else that is fun is also off limits for a few weeks. What to do in the meantime?

Make a house-of-cards with apple separators.

Or build a tower.

Or be silly with a roll of paper.

Did you know that your local newspaper sells (or maybe even gives away) the ends of their paper rolls? For $3.00 I bought miles of clean newsprint. Obviously it was going to be for packing breakables, but since there is trouble where there is boredom without ingenuity, I have delayed packing the breakables. Thankfully we have a bit of ingenuity here. And silliness, too. :)

By the way, clean newsprint is great homeschooling paper. It makes wonderful material for self-portraits. Just draw around your child's shape with a crayon and have him color in the missing parts. Or let the kids make Happy Birthday, Welcome Home, or Garage Sale banners. Or pretend it's a fashion runway for modest evening gowns. Or red carpet for the king. Or practice log-rolling. :)

What On Earth is a Swamp Cooler?

2011-03-30T13:17:00.000-05:00

A swamp cooler is an ingenious invention which, unlike air conditioning, cools a house without refrigeration. Working on the same principle that perspiration does, it works well in very dry climates like ours where the children won't go swimming unless the temp is at least 105 degrees. A dry breeze blowing over a wet body makes that wet body COLD! This is what a swamp cooler looks like:

Ours is on the roof. Air is pulled into the box through wet pads that line the inside. A small motor turns a fan that blows the cooled air into the house. There is also a pump in there, that circulates water over the tops of those pads to keep them wet. Hence, the air is continually cooled and so is the house. Keeping the windows open makes it more efficient and keeps the house from feeling damp. It doesn't cost much more to run than a fan does, but it is somewhat noisy, and there is the dust. Probably if we would turn it on once a week through the winter, we would not have the dust problem from my last post. Now why didn't we think of that seven years ago??? Merlynn, add this to your list of weekly jobs!

For those of you who are mechanically inclined, here's what the inside looks like:

Our swamp cooler (or evaporative cooler) can keep the house about 20 degrees cooler than the outside temp, so we run it until it is about 105 out. After that we turn on the AC!

You will not find a swamp cooler in Georgia or in Alaska. :)

One Thing I Am Not Going to Miss

2011-03-30T00:34:00.000-05:00

Swamp cooler dust. It is getting warm enough that by late afternoon the house needs cooling, especially if I am going to turn on the oven. The first time the swamp cooler is turned on each spring, the house is filled with a white cloud -- kind of makes me think of the tabernacle being filled with the glory of the Lord, only he did not leave a holy residue on all the furniture!

Yesterday the girls washed the car; ironically their daddy was probably scraping ice off of his at the same time. The man of the house departed at noon on Sunday for Minnesota. After 32 hours of driving, one hour of sleep, and a quick stop for breakfast with our pastor in Kansas, he made it to his brother's place south of the Twin Cities. We are hearing reports of 8' drifts and 15' mountains of plowed snow. I sure am glad THIS was a record snowfall year. Next year isn't likely to be one, especially with global warming. Right, Jane? :)

Seven Random Wonderings

2011-03-23T12:21:00.003-05:00

1. I wonder where we are going to end up living. The area we are going has lots of foreclosures, but the people moving out of those homes are looking for rentals. There's not much out there in rentals for us, except for one big 5-bedroom, 3 bath house with a great big yard. And a pool! A pool. I'm laughing. :) And it's got a deck, and woods, and it's on the river. It's perfect. And it's for sale, and we'd move into it and two weeks later it would be sold, lol. We'll keep trying.

2. Aside from the fact that he is God, I wonder how Jesus endured forty days of Satan's temptation in the wilderness (Luke 4). I can withstand about ten seconds and I'm done for. Depending what it is. Adultery doesn't tempt me in the least. But chocolate? I'm dead. Not that eating chocolate, in itself, is a sin. But it is tempting.

3. I wonder how long it is going to take us to unpack all these unorganized boxes. Oh Jenn, I hear you every day, telling me to throw this stuff away!

4. I wonder what the purpose of this blog is. ??

5. I wonder if anyone is going to bid on my eBay stuff. Two days to go.

6. I wonder what's for supper tonight.

7. I just remembered that Lynn Marie tagged me, and I wonder what seven things about me would be interesting to you. For the time being, here's an old "seven random things" tag from my previous blog, c. 2007.

In Which the Urgent Takes a Back Seat to the Important

2011-03-22T00:34:00.000-05:00

Betsy is my blossoming adventurous cook. Unfortunately this interest is blossoming just at a time when I have a jillion things on my mind. While my brain goes over what all needs to be done before we move, I prefer to keep my body on standby just in case it is needed. So I am not busy every moment; I just feel like I am, or like I should be. When Betz asked me to forge with her into uncharted territory in the kitchen, the words, "I can't right now. I'm busy," were right on the tip of my tongue. The problem was, I didn't look busy. When you say, "I'm busy," but you don't look busy, a kid knows she is being put off.

The old man and the new man had it out for a few moments. The old man hollered, "ME, ME, ME!" while the new man pummeled him, shouting, "OTHERS! OTHERS! OTHERS!" The old man was not annihilated, just knocked out long enough for the new man to bake donuts with Betsy.

In short time the kitchen was declared a major disaster area, what with butter and flour and sugar everywhere, in addition to a multitude of greasy bowls and utensils and cookie sheets. Remember, the kitchen is already a minor disaster area. Being a horizontal surface, the counter is being taken over by items that love a resting place before they are committed to a moving box.

But we did it! Three hours later we were all fat and happy. Happy is the important thing. :) Sometimes the urgent stuff has to move over for the important stuff. I sure am glad that new man won. Betsy told me this was one of her best days ever. :)

Ole and Lena

2011-03-16T00:30:00.000-05:00

Two government surveyors asked Ole if they could survey his farm. Ole agreed, and his wife Lena served them coffee.

The next fall they stopped by and told Ole that they came to personally tell him that they discovered his farm was not located in Minnesota but in North Dakota.....

Ole turned to Lena and said, "That's the best news I have heard in a long time! Why, I just said this morning, I don't think I can stand another cold winter in Minnesota."

Photo from Nature's Desktop

We are going to have to introduce our kids to Ole and Lena. :)

Today's Entertainment

2011-03-11T17:14:00.000-06:00

2 Timothy 1:7

2011-03-10T16:10:00.000-06:00

Claiming this verse for the next six to eight weeks:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power,
and of love,
and of a sound mind.

I am slooping around the horn, but holding on to this promise. :)

Quick Report

2011-03-09T21:55:00.000-06:00

This is supposed to be a quick report. First, let me thank you all for your sweet comments, which I have not taken the time to respond to. Oh my, if I only felt like I had the time!

Second, I want to report what God has done for us recently! A few weeks ago we began asking God for a car to replace our aging van, which has been our only vehicle for some time now. We were not specific, just praying for a future need. Three days later the phone rang and a very dear person offered us their Camry, which has lots of miles left and is in very nice condition. :) This is the second time God has given us a car outright. No, it doesn't fit everyone at once, but it will be a good second car, and it might be needed where we are going. It is nice to live out of the city, but that also means more driving. With gas as high as it is now (and still going higher), we are very grateful to have a gas sipper for running around!! In addition, people who KNOW winter have donated real winter clothes to our worthy cause (my family is a worthy cause, don't you think?). God is good. We should never be surprised to see him answer prayer!

Next in the report (this is to make up for the abandoned month in review post for February), we enjoyed a very quick trip to the Grand Canyon. The girls had more fun crunching the snow than they did looking at the scenery! Just wait til next year at this time. They'll be wishing they could get away to view the scenery. :)

At the request of the children, my dear husband and I enjoyed a romantic second or two. He's a good man, even if he does move me to places with extreme temperatures! :)

Last week we made one last quick trip to my mom and dad's in California. Dear husband and I got to have an anniversary date at Ruby's on the pier, one of our favorite places. See it waaay down there? There's a red sign, barely visible in the dusk. Sorry about the SOOC photos. I'm not going to bother wowing you with my editing skills.

We made a mental list of all the things we wanted to do for the "last" time. The girls wanted to skate at the beach. We fit right in. There are just ALL kinds of strange people hanging around there!

And a trip to the mall, of course. I had let the girls go off on their own for a bit ("Stay TOGETHER, girls!"), and at our appointed meeting time I came upon this sight, in which three sisters were happily sharing a treat. :)

Last on the list was a real picnic at the ocean and subsequent trip to the Long Beach Aquarium.

Who would have dreamed an aquarium could double as a petting zoo? Would you like to pet a shark? How about a stingray?

This guy was quite friendly!

To their temporary dismay, the mother of the family agreed, without asking them, to bring the girls to play a Telemann concerti with some older lady friends the other night. Dismay gave way to smiles in rapid fashion. It is just FUN to play music with other people! And besides, this might have been the last time. (Turns out we get to do this again before we go, yay!)

Other than than, I have been collecting boxes, packing stuff no one ever looks at (so why don't I throw it out??), making dental and eye appointments, and arranging for last-chance get-togethers with friends. The blog will be neglected in the coming weeks, as will my feed reader. Please forgive me! I'll be in touch occasionally.

A man's heart deviseth his way:

but the LORD directeth his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

(That explains why we are going to Minnesota!) :)

The Answer Is...

2011-02-24T15:35:00.000-06:00

Sorry to keep you all in suspense! Announcements had to be made in other places before we could reveal this publicly and well, you know how the web is...

Sarah was close. Alaska was a good guess. After all, it's almost the same thing! Parts of Alaska look just like this place we are moving to. They both have dreadful mosquitoes and snow more than half the year! And northern lights, and hoarfrost, and hot chocolate... I'm looking forward to it. (I mean, I'm trying to talk myself into looking forward to it. Let's be honest here.)

But Jenn is the lucky winner -- we are moving to MINNESOTA!!

Now, I need to make something clear here. I will admit, this does look a bit suspicious. My husband's brother and his family live there, my mom's sister lives there, and PLAIN JANE lives there!! Those are all good things. I know what you are thinking. The Diamonds women pressed sore upon the man of the house to move, so we could be with family and friends. No, that is NOT what happened. My husband does not make decisions that way. If we had begged him to move, he would have said, "Tough it out. Man up, ladies."

If you are in a church where some sort of man-made governing board decides where God's preachers go, you are not going to understand this. But let me explain anyway.

Almost fifteen years ago when my husband and I and two little girls left Minnesota, my husband said to the Lord, "I am NEVER going back." He should not have said that. He should have already learned that God does what he wants to do with his servants. Mr. Diamonds had planned to move SOUTH (away from snow and cold weather!), and the Lord had us moving to Alberta at that time. (That is NOT south, unless you are at the North Pole or something.) A few years later, as we were driving through the Kingman, AZ area, I told my husband I would NEVER live in that desolation. *ahem* We are 35 miles from there. Now we should both know better than to say NEVER. I hope.

Several years later the Lord planted a seed in my husband's heart, a seed so small that it was summarily dismissed. No way. Not Minnesota. Never going back there, remember? We were in beautiful, warm, mountainous Arizona in a fine church, where God had just sent us two years before. End of subject. My dear husband didn't even tell his wife about the seed. But it was still there, slowly germinating.

And then God poured Miracle-Gro on it. Our trip to Minnesota last summer was NOT a scouting mission, but as we drove through the eastern mid-section of the state, my husband began to be burdened for a gospel-preaching, historic Baptist church in that area. He began to pray the Lord would send a man to start a church there, having no idea that HE was the man! The burden grew greater, but there is a big difference between a burden and a CALL. After more praying and fasting, my dear husband knew. It was a call.

We were not looking to go anywhere else, or even hoping to. It is a blessing to us that God is sending us to a place that we are familiar with, and where we already know people. This is a fringe benefit of my husband's obedience to him. As the under-shepherd of the flock here, my husband has, with much prayer, appointed another man to take his place. No shepherd leaves his flock without committing them to the care of another worthy shepherd.

I have mixed feelings. Suddenly the desert looks amazingly beautiful to me! (Honest, Shani!) Suddenly I have realized many of my faults and failings in this place, and I am ashamed of my struggles here. I could have loved living here for seven years, instead of only one! Pray for me, that I will not make the same mistakes in our new home and in our new church. I am moving with anticipation as well as with fear.

Our date of departure is April 22, Lord willing. Yard sale on the 15th. That means I have only... 8 weeks to pack!!! And do my eBaying... and clean... and say goodbye...

The Cat

2011-02-21T14:52:00.000-06:00

has finally been allowed to escape the bag! Do you know how hard it is for five women to keep a secret? It's not so much that it's a secret, but there were people who needed to hear it from the proper source before we were allowed to blab. The cat is out.

I don't think I have ever felt so elated and so disappointed at the same time. When we moved to Arizona seven+ years ago, I dutifully followed my husband's lead (as he was following the Lord's lead) but on the inside, to my shame, I was kicking and screaming. For a long time I didn't even WANT to like this environment, and I didn't. Somehow, in the past year or so, I have come to love this valley. It is harsh, but is beautiful. The power of God is seen everywhere, as are his judgment and his mercy. I love the feeling of the sun on my bones. Unless you have been here, you don't know what that is. The heat goes all the way through your body, and it feels GOOD. Our church family has been wonderful to us, and we love them dearly. But I am looking forward to what God is going to do with us now.

When you get a new puppy, you hold him real close until he stops wiggling. This is to establish the fact that you are the master, and he is the dog, and not the other way around. When he submits to your hold and relaxes his body, you can put him down. God is the Master, and I am the puppy. He picked me up and held me tight. I stubbornly struggled against his will. And now that I have humbled myself and decided I like it right here in his will, he has let me go! But wait! He has not really let me go. I am still in his arms. Psalm 31:14,15 But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand. He is still holding me, but he is moving me. As a matter of fact, he is moving my whole family. And he is going with us.

You won't believe it when I tell you where...

Goodbye, mountains.

Goodbye, Diamonds in the Rough. It won't be so rough where we are going. Not in the same way. I might need a new blog name. We are still rough, though, so maybe I will keep it.

Goodbye, quartz hunting.

Goodbye, mountain biking!

Goodbye, north wind. (Not really. That's wishful thinking. We'll have lots of north wind in our new home!)

Goodbye, Hoover Dam and Boulder City.

Goodbye, bone-warming sunshine.

Goodbye, beautiful, clean Lake Mohave.

Goodbye, Pacific Ocean!

Goodbye, cactus!

Goodbye, 119 degree days. (Yay!)

Goodbye MBC, friends, violin students, goatheads and dear grandparents... Smith's, Dr. White, Colorado River Homeschoolers, Green River 4-H Club, my hair lady, good neighbors, pigeons, feral cats, coyotes, road-runners, and burros.

We're getting ready to say HELLO to...

Well, I'll keep you in suspense for a teeny bit. :) Here's a hint:

She is not afraid of the snow for her household:

for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

Proverb 31:21

(I know you're going to laugh at us when I tell you... Be nice.)

Overheard in My House

2011-02-09T19:30:00.000-06:00

(Not my Emily. The hair is the only resemblance.)

Mom: Emily, have you brushed your hair today?

Emily: Yes.

Mom, smiling: Which one?

Emily: Both.

________________________________________________________

Sixteen year old daughter: "No one understands me!"

(Spoken while muttering in Hebrew all the day long.)

אני אוהב אותך, את הבת שלי.

New Chore System and Etc.

2011-02-05T13:31:00.002-06:00

In spite of my having tried over and over again (however weakly) to establish a good chore system in the Diamonds in the Rough household, nothing has really worked. (More evidence that we are still "rough".) The weakest link has always been the mother, who is not very consistent at following through and making sure these things are done -- except for the obvious ones, like dishes still in the sink. As for laundry, I don't have to even think about the girls' wash. That was assigned to the older girls ages ago.:)

SmocketyFrocks has posted a wonderful chore chart! With a bit of ingenuity I made one (backwards and inside out -- who reads directions?), and it's working!

The pink sections are for weekly jobs, and the yellow are to be done daily. The jobs in the center are to be done weekly, too, but I forgot to highlight them. The center part of the chart rotates one job to the right each Monday morning. This way, each girl does each job for three weeks, with a bit of variation each week. A bit of FunTac behind the middle circle keeps it from spinning accidentally (or on purpose, hmm), and us from losing our place. The flower in the center is a shank button with safety pin on the reverse side.

It needs a bit of tweaking. Emily is not big enough to handle the supper dishes by herself, and Elisabeth can't stand anything crumbly or slimy in her dishwater, so I have been washing for both girls while they dry and put away. Hence I am washing a lot more dishes than I was before the new system. Also, I need to add "wipe out the van" with "set table".

The girls have been quite willing to serve cheerfully, which is a huge blessing! Thank you, my lovelies!

Yesterday I began my ruthless decluttering, taking the wise Biblical advice of a good friend -- BE THE EXAMPLE!!! While I did get rid of two large boxes, the stuff that was in them was mostly hoarded and repacked in other boxes that had empty space. lol. I was not as ruthless as I had hoped, but the closet looks better anyway. That was the upper shelving. Now for the clothes and the floor.

Also in the news: T-Tapp is working!! Yippee!! Always the skeptic, I am becoming a believer in spite of myself. Who would have believed a fifteen minute workout could deliver results in a week?

The Missing Photo

2011-02-03T10:04:00.000-06:00

Found it! Amy's three here. Isn't she cute? She has the face of a little imp. And mischief, she was! Still is. :)

I love you, Amy!

Diamonds in the Rough

What Does a Mother's Helper Do?

Not Bragging or Anything

More Wisdom from Emily

Randomly Selected Goings On

They Always Know

Just Because :)

Another First

Looking Unto Jesus

Synesthesia Strikes Again

Birthday Blues

Happy Birthday to My Dear Amy

Lacking Nothing

Happy New Year

Art Blog

Politically Incorrect Career Training

In the Dog House

Invisible Appliances

God Is So Good

Fail

Come, Lord Jesus

Kids Creating

Betz's Birthday!

The View From My Window

Industrial Strength Fail

Thankful for Thanksgiving

Pants Armstrong Faces Off to Winter

In Which We Have a BOY

♥ The ♥ Best ♥ Applesauce ♥ Ever ♥

Coupon Chaos

Afraid of God's Will?

Tip of the Day: How to Fix Night-Time Leg Cramps

Diamonds in the Country

Just a Little Lefse

An Emily Post

Sickhouse Update

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

Stand Still and Consider

Science for Sickies

Church As You Like It

Emily's Gregorian Science Fun

In Which I Survive Another Craft

State Fair Time

Painting with Rousseau

Art in the Kitchen

Family Foto Fun

Pizza and More

And of a Sound Mind

Devotional ABC's

Goings-On

County Fair Time

Biblical Election

Violin Lessons

Foto Fun

My People Love to Have It So

A Post From the Past - Eternal Security

Welcome to the New Diamonds in the Rough

:-)

Button Soup

A New Home for Us DITR

Signing Off

Getting There

Packing

When All the Toys are Packed

What On Earth is a Swamp Cooler?

One Thing I Am Not Going to Miss

Seven Random Wonderings

In Which the Urgent Takes a Back Seat to the Important

Ole and Lena

Today's Entertainment

2 Timothy 1:7

Quick Report

The Answer Is...

The Cat

More Posts to Share

Overheard in My House

New Chore System and Etc.

The Missing Photo