Warning -- Alexandra has a driver's license! Please email for her driving times so that you can plan accordingly to stay home during those hours!  ****** She got her haircut today and doesn't like it because, "It makes me look old! I look like Mama!" Thanks, dear.  ****** And I will leave you with one final, unexplained quote from Alexandra. (To try to give you context or explanation would take too long and wouldn't be funny anyway. Just let it stand alone. And know that trying to understand Alexandra is sometimes impossible!) "God gave men shoulders for bearing burdens and women hips for bearing children!" |
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Quick note on my health to start. Thank you all for your continued prayers. My rheumatologist has given up on me and advised I see a pain specialist. She worked with me for over two years. But either the meds did not help me or, most often, I had side effects and could not continue with her prescriptions. But my hope was never in her anyway - I will look unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My hope is in the Lord. If painfree is not His best for me, then I don't want it. ****** Yesterday we finally took Abigail out for her chosen birthday activity with Daddy and Mama - ice skating! I know what you're thinking and you are absolutely right! We're a little late, Abigail's birthday being in July. But this was more difficult to arrange, requiring a free Saturday afternoon (ha!) and me feeling well enough (a bigger ha!). (As a matter of fact, we did better with Abigail's than Sophia's. She had wanted an afternoon playing in the park with Daddy & Mama. That required all of the above plus good weather. Sadly, after months, she changed her request to dinner at Olive Garden.) This was only Abigail's and Jay's second time ice skating. Abigail went at the beginning of this year and was doing quite well yesterday. She has not yet perfected stopping. She's content to bodyslam herself into the boards! I was teaching her how to stop properly but we had to leave before she got it. Bummer. I had hoped to move her on to skating backward. But she really had no interest at all in trying that yet. Jay says he & I went about 23 years ago - his only other time. I don't remember that. But that's also the last time I had gone. We were both nervous. That first step out was shaky, but I quickly remembered the basics and coached him on finding your center of balance on ice skates. I was easily able to skate all around, even backwards. But as the afternoon went on, I realized that that and slowing/stopping was about all I remembered. I had taken lesons long enough to have learned quite a bit more. I was not adventurous enough to try any more right now, though! Jay did quite well for his first time. All right, he did fall 3 times but he only told us at the very end of the day that his skates were bruising his ankles terribly. He should have tried relacing or gotten a new size. Poor guy. He though they hurt only because it was all new to him. I'm amazed that he did so well under those conditions! When I first stepped on the ice, my ankles hurt like that and I was seeing stars - and I had had a large dose of painkillers to be able go out at all! A re-lace fixed it all for me. I so wish that I had known how much his hurt. It would have been so easy to fix. Instead, he needed frequent breaks and we had to leave sooner than planned. Afterward, we went to Steak n Shake and ate decadently! Burgers, fries and shakes - Mint Oreo, Butterfinger and Snickers. It was way too good! Right now, Ethan, Alexandra and Emma have a bad cold. At church yesterday, they announced that a terrible stomach bug was going around there (about 1/2 hr from where we live) and that the schools were having 25% absentee rate. That spread around here last year (or was it the year before). I told the kids that if anyone brought it home from church, they'd have to sleep in the garage!! ****** I have begun once-a-month cooking again. Tried it decades ago, but did not have the $ to buy all the groceries at once. And now, I also have lots of helpers. Our first cooking day was exhausting. But I learned much about how to improve the next one. It has been wonderful to have fresh, home-cooked meals all the time with so little work each night! We have to learn to plan ahead a bit better, though, and thaw a few days in advance. ****** And for a final groan: Madeline plans to start Christmas cookie baking this week. |
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(Grrrrr! This is the third time I writing this entry - my computer has already eaten it twice! It amuses me less each time I write it.) Last night, we were discussing this poll, What Do You Think About Males Wearing Pink? (see www.homeschoolblogger.com/carpebanana). Madeline tried to explain her answer with a real life example. "I saw a really ripped waiter wearing a pink shirt and he pulled it off!" Much hilarity erupted, as Madeline brightened to a lovely shade of pink!  ****** Another one of those, 'Did-I-really-just-say-that?'-moments -- Me: So then she looked at me like I had just grown a third head! Eliza: Uh, Mama, does that mean you had already grown a second one?! Huh. I say that all the time, but had never thought about it before. It most definitely begs that very question! [I then had to research it - to prove to myself that this was indeed an English idiom used by others and not another symptom of the senility that continues to annex more and more of my poor, old brain. The best explanation I found linked it to the ancient Greek mythological monster, the hydra, a many-headed beast. If a head was cut off, a new one promptly took its place. In addition, one of the heads was immortal. All of which made it a tricky enemy. Hercules managed to vanquish it, though, by cauterizing the stumps after the head-ectomies and burying the immortal head. I am guessing that the idiom references the shocked bewilderment of the early hero-wannabes as they watched that third head (said by some to be the immortal one) regrow.] ****** Emma: Hey!! Who was that? (getting blank stares, she continued) A man just walked through our yard and went toward the garage! Looking out the window, we see no one. Emma: I know I saw him! He was wearing a hat with safety pins all over it! Now we all look at Emma *like she just grew a 3rd head!*. Emma: (with a simple grin) Oh please don't take my delusions from me! They're quite delightful! Jay: Now, Emma, your mind's a dangerous neighborhood that you should never go into alone! (Just Like Heaven) ****** |
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First, let me reassure you that I am not letting Alexandra type this entry! She suggested that I begin with "dirt don't eat dirt" or, should I not like that title, "flying pigs are tasty"! Now, aren't you glad that she's not writing any more than that?! Next, Andrew & Sarah are all moved in to their new place - only 3 hours from us! And finally, in a surprising development, Miss Madeline is a'courtin'! Jesse F. requested permission from both the young lady and her father to court her. Both happily consented. Yes, they are young, 18 & 19. So this is to be a long courtship, unless the Lord leads either to bow out. I hope their family is as happy as we are. Jesse is from our previous church so this will be long-distance. For the time being, any trips made will probably need to be undertaken by the young man as I do not foresee being strong enough to travel that far for quite some time. Right now, we are trying to stop the daily migraines I've been having for the past 6 weeks or so. My, how the Lord keeps me dependent upon Him. Anything He uses to that end, though it involves much pain, is still a good thing and I thank Him for it! My parents have been here for about 10 days to help while the teens were at Worldview Academy. They surprised us since I had asked them not to come. I did not want them to make that long trip, particularly since they just got back from Melissa's in CO. But I am very glad they came. It has been wonderful to have their help and company! We hate to see them go. |
) And to top that off, Andrew called that very night to tell us, "God just dropped a job in my lap!" Work was a very big concern for them and this is exciting news. Please pray with us that God will also provide quickly for Sarah. She has applied for a Financial Aid position there at the seminary. That would make things so much easier for both of them.|
I have oodles of fun stuff to tell you -- but not tonight. Instead, I just have to say something that is very hard to say and may be very hard to hear. All of you, except for the random blog-surfer, know that I have been dealing with the chronic pain of fibromyalgia for years. Recently, God has seen fit to add cervical pain (arthritis and a bulging disc) also. I very much appreciate all your prayers and encouragement over these difficult months. (I am over the bout of exhaustion that hit after a whirlwind holiday and wedding season. Yea!) I do not like pain. Who does? It has been very, very difficult for me to accept that, unless God intervenes, I will be in pain every day for the rest of my life. Most of my days are "tolerable" with Vicodin. I never wanted to start with pain meds, but without it, I can't function. Even with it, I have to scale back my activities. That frustrates me. But my comfort in all of this is that God is in control, that His love for me is boundless and that all of my circumstances are for my good and for His glory! But on the really bad days, nothing helps. On those days, which are only a few times a month, I am tempted to despair. And my life looms in front of me as an unending sea of pain. At those times, I feel like a caged dog surrounded by horrible, hate-filled little boys who sadistically stab at me with sticks. I run round and round in my "cage", trying to find some escape or some refuge. But there is none. The pain continues with no help in sight. I long to be pain-free again. Sometimes I forget what it felt like. I have thought long and hard about it all. It has made heaven all the more real and wonderful to me. I wonder how glorious that first moment will feel. I believe that I will be amazed at how great I will feel, having gotten used to living in pain. I think that my first thought will be, "I didn't realize how much pain I had every day!" But then I think that perhaps I won't give my physical body any thought at all, that I will be too enraptured by the Love, the Joy and the Glory of my Savior and King! The really bad days have also led me to ponder the reality of he** - an eternity of unbelievably bad days that defy my imagination here. Real physical pain that never eases, never abates. There will be no such thing there as finally having paid for all your sins and getting out. The torment of he** is not based on how good or bad we've been here. God's requirement for heaven is, always has been and always will be perfection! Justice demands that an offense against the infinitely holy, infinitely good, infinitely righteous God deserves infinite punishment. We can never work that off in this life or the next. That's why we need a Savior - we have all earned he**! We can never save ourselves! Only by believing that Jesus, God the Son, lived a perfectly holy life, pleasing in every way to God the Father, and died in your place, can you get into heaven. The Bible speaks of it in accounting terms. All of Christ's perfection can be transferred to your account. And in return, He has taken on all of your sins. And paid for them by dying on the cross. God will exchange your "account" for Jesus', stamping "Paid in Full" on your bill! You can appear at heaven's gate having been declared perfect in God's sight! In the midst of great pain, on those bad days of mine, I think constantly on this. My heart aches almost more than my body. I actually feel it, my chest is so heavy. I know that my bad day will end. I know that there will come a day when I will be set free from this body of pain; this body of sin. I hate, hate, hate that tormented, caged dog feeling. I hate knowing that I will never be free of my pain in this life. But, oh so much more, I hate thinking that anyone I know would ever have to face an eternity of inescapable pain! I just can't tell you how much that thought hurts!! Hard words, I know. How much I would love to pretend it was otherwise. But that would not change who God is or what His Word tells us is Reality. I am not thinking of anyone in particular ~ only God Himself, and yourself, can know your heart, can know if that "account exchange" has taken place. His love for His children is overflowing! All we have to do is ask! I did not want to talk about this; especially not on this blog. I have said from the beginning that this would not be filled with my thoughts and musings, only with the antics of the children. But all of this was becoming too much to keep inside any longer. And Easter brought it all out! The joy of Christ's death for me, for my children and for my husband, the glory of His victory over death in His rising from the dead actually hurt as they were juxtaposed with knowing that most of humanity will not choose to accept His free gift; will end up enduring endless pain far beyond mine, rather than humbly and gratefully "trade accounts" with Him. I know that that might include some of you. And so I weep and I beg you now to think long and hard about this, pray about it and maybe even read the book of John or Romans. And talk to me, to any of us, if we can help! We pray weekly for all of you; we'd love to pray with you, if you'd like. If anyone has actually read this all the way through -- thank you!!!! Oh how I pray for God's greatest blessing on you. And I know that anyone of you might be upset by this. I hope not. That was not my intent at all. But I could not live with this burden any longer. There may be someone who needed to read this. I love you. |
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Madeline (as Johnny Horton's Battle of New Orleans played): This is the very first song I ever made up an interpretive dance for! Abigail: Yeah. And I was always the alligator that got its behind powdered!! |
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This is Alexandra. This is a poem that I wrote. I parodied it off of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven". As with all proper parodies, this poem is almost entirely sputtered forth from my own mind, but you can try to pick out the lines that I left in there from the original poem.
EDIT I've now attached a link to the real poem here: http://www.heise.de/ix/raven/Literature/Lore/TheRaven.html so you can see the difference.
Once upon a midnight funky, I woke up and got the munchies My stomach was grumbling so I went to the kitchen quietly While I tip-toed, nearly soaring, suddenly I heard a snoring As of someone gone exploring--exploring out loud their own dreams " 'Tis my father," I muttered. "Snoring loudly in his sleep." Only Father--Certainly
Ah, distinctly I do recall, it was the hottest month of Fall 'Cause as I opened up the fridge, the chilly air felt good to me Eagerly I wished the morrow;--really I thought just to borrow From my mom's supply of food oh--food enough to set at ease My stomach couldn't wait a few more hours 'till breakfast to eat "Just a small snack, Certainly!"
The fridge was humming like a bird, but the snoring now became absurd Thrilled me--filled me with fantastic terrors! I was jittery So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating " 'Tis my father entreating breathing rather noisily Surely Father's entreating breathing rather noisily This is it, Certainly!"
Presently my soul grew stonger; hesitating then no longer "Dad," said I. "You're snoring loudly again and it's bugging me." But the fact is the snoring, the noise I was ignoring, Was so faintly decerned at first, that I thought, "My dad indeed!" I was very much mistaken. It came from the kitchen, see? It came from there, Certainly!
Back into the kitchen gliding--making food; still slinking, hiding Hungry, cooking things no mortal dared to cook or eat But the pie that I was hacking, much ingredients was lacking And the only food that I would allow to fill my tummy Would be Peanuts, Chocolate, and Crasins: in the oven--yummy! Trail mix pie, Certainly
Grinning, to the cupboard turning, my poor stomach in me burning Soon I heard again the snoring, somewhat like a whiney wheez "Surely" said I. "Surely that is the hinge on the cabinet Let me see, then, what thereat is, and what this all must be Let my heart be still a moment, and what this is let's see. 'Tis the oil, Certainly!"
Open here I flung the cupboard, when, with many a flirt and flutter The bag of craisins spilled upon the counter, the one nearest me And the least wrinkled craisin, the biggest, reddest craisin, Rolled most smoothly to the oven, 'till the force of Gravity Or something like Inertia, caused him to stop effectively He stopped short most Certainly
Then this scarlet fruit beguiling my sad fancy into smiling By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance wore he "Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said "art sure a craisin Ghastly grim and ancient craisin, wandering from the nightly sea Tell me what thy lordly name is on the night's Plutonian sea!" Quoth the Craisin, "Certainly"
Though it's answer little meaning--little revelancy bore Much I marvelled this ungainly food to hear discourse so plainly For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being Ever yet was blessed with seeing food upon his kitchen scene Snack or feast upon the white stove resting in his kitchen scene With such a name as "Certainly"
But that Craisin, sitting lonely on that placid stove, spoke only That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did plea Nothing further then he uttered--'Till I scarcely more than muttered "A craisin's a craisin, buttered or battered, tastes good to me And I wonder how he'd like to be in my pie specially?" Then the Craisin said, "Certainly!"
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken "Doubtless," said I "what it utters is the only word knows he Caught by some unhappy farmer, whom unmerciful the charmer Followed calm and followed calmer, 'till his wrinkles sunk in deep 'Till the dirges of his Hope, the wrinkles sunk in way too deep Of a certain--Certainly!"
But the Craisin still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling Straight I wheeled a wicker-seat in front of food and stove and me Then, upon the wicker sinking, I betook myself to linking Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this wrinkled mess of history What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and wrinkled mess of history Meant in croaking, "Certainly"
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing To the snack whose firery eyes now burned into the heart of me This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining On the pokey wrickety seat that kept slicing, goring me But that pokey wrickety seat I think I'll throw out Tuesday I shall pitch it Certainly!
Then, methought, the air grew smokey, wafting upwards made me chokey Coming from forgotten oven--my pie was burnt hopelessly "Wretch!" I cried. "My pie is ruined!--My midnight snack is ruined! Burnt to a crisp and completly unfit to eat, even by me! Burnt to a crisp and blacker than the blackest of ebony!" Quoth the Craisin, "Certainly!"
"Aw man!" said I. "It's your fault!--You made me forget! I should never have opened the cupboard. Curse my curiosity! Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted-- On this home by horror haunted--I implore--tell me truly Were you--were you the snoring one? I implore--tell me--tell me!" Quoth the Craisin, "Certainly"
"Aw man!" said I. "It's your fault!--You made me forget! If it wasn't for you--you Craisin!--I could've been full and happy Tell this soul with sorrow laden, if within the distant Eden, It shall clasp some food not eaten--that's the future I shall see Clasp a rare and radiant dinner--that's the future I shall see." Quoth the Craisin, "Certainly."
"Be that word our sign of parting, fruit or fiend!" I shrieked upstarting "Jump then up into my clenched fist and do see to it speedily! Leave no grease spot as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken Leave my loneliness unbroken!--Quit the stove and away from me! I'll eat you! I don't care if Mom needs you in a recipie!" Quoth the Craisin, "Certainly"
Since the Craisin tasted so good, I ate the rest of his neighborhood Now my stomach--full and satisfied--has finally let me go to sleep To my parents I am seeming to be very happily dreaming But my mind to me is screaming this wise suggestion--That we Next time, upon my stomach's pain, to order pizza simply Stay in bed! Certainly! |
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Ethan's shirt was very wrinkled this morning as we got ready for church. Not having time to iron it, I handed him his jacket. "Guess you're wearing this today." Ethan: ~sighs~ The last time I wore this, everybody kept saying how nice I looked! Cooper even said I looked like I wsa wearing a tuxedo! I was like, Dudes!! It's just a jacket! Me: E: No. Me: It means that people think good things about you when you wear nice clothes. E: (disgusted) Well, I don't want people talking about me like that! |
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First, for Linda C - Hi! I lost your addresses when our last computer died suddenly. Can you email me? I'd love to reconnect with you guys! ****** Secondly, Alexandra is very interested in computers. She took Andrew's very old, very dead one and took it apart and resurrected it. But she did it all through a kind of instinctive trial and error. She doesn't know what she did or why it worked! We'd love to get her some guided, hands-on experience. Any ideas? -- some kind of "kit" or book? a class? I am hoping that someone can help us out from their own experience because we are all technologically ignorant and really don't know where to start. Thanks!! |
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The past week has been a rough one for Abigail! Last Thursday, she fell out of a tree, ending up with a cut over her eye and a sprained arm. The cut is healing nicely (without the stitches that she probably needed), as is her arm. The whole eye area has finally shown the bruising and she's got quite a shiner! Jay complimented her Sunday for matching her green dress to it! As if that wasn't enough, she managed to get frostbite on her palms on the last (official) day of summer! She now has first degree thermal injuries to those hands! Jay thinks we may need to lock her up for a while for her own protection! But keeping her safe from herself sounds like an impossible task!! Please pray for her on her road to full recovery. She will have a painful week. ****** And just to leave you with a smile, here's the latest overheard from Alexandra, "My deodorant fell out of my armpit!" (Remember - it is always safest not to ask Alexandra what she means!! ****** And don't forget: Fireproof starts this Friday!!!! Don't miss it! Click the link above to learn more and see trailers. It's a great excuse to treat yourselves to a movie out - one that you can safely enjoy. It is exciting, interesting and clean! Please support it so that more high-quality adult movies will be made. Hollywood needs to know that there is a market for something other than filth! |
The good news is that the damage is literally only skin-deep, with no blistering. The bad news is they are very swollen and painful. So much so that she needs vicodin to use them and to sleep at night. Even still, she keeps smiling. She just came in to tell me, "This is slightly ironic. I am learning about nerves in science today!" |
As the oldest 4 are writing novels for English this year (using the great curriculum Learn to Write the Novel Way), everyone has decided to write books! (I think I may need to open a separate blog just for their stories!) Here is one that Ethan just finished. Everything is exactly as he wrote it. You should also know that each section is on a separate page. Ethan's Family Book dAddY Encoregis me to do my scoolwork ***** MAMA cook's good food ***** ANdREW let me play with his star wars legos ***** MAdALIN is vary funny and wierd thats wy I like her ***** ALEXANdRA bey's pop-corn (Im a cub scout) ***** ABIGAL sings nice songs ***** EMMA trise to make pece in the famale ***** SOPHIA say's some word's rong like oun time she said america lincon evrebody lafged ***** ELIZA shard her birthday gifts with evre oun ***** EtHAN I am the oun hoo rohtge this book I hope you like it
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Today was the first day of driving on the city streets for Madeline and Alexandra! The event yielded some interesting quotes. -You're drifting right. ***** -Turn left here. -Which way is left? -Why is she driving?! ***** -Alexandra, if you don't look left, right, left before your next turn, I'm gonna smack you! ***** -You're drifting right. ***** -Is there any particular reason you tried to pull out in front of that truck? -I was concentrating on not hitting the parked truck on the other side of the intersection! ***** -You forgot to take your Brave pill. ***** -Sorry. I forgot which was the brake again! -Why is she driving?! ***** -You're drifting right. -Sorry. I was aiming for the water! ***** -Hi Mortons! -- Madeline! Back on the road! -Well, you waved! -I'm not driving! I'm allowed to wave! ***** -You're drifting right. ... Uh, honey, when I tell you you're drifting right, you're supposed to go a little to the left, not just agree with me! ***** -Please don't run over the track team! ***** -I think that's Andy. -Yeah, I think it is! -You're drifting right! ... Please keep your eyes on the road! ***** -Ooops! Sorry. I forgot which was the brake. -Why is she driving?! ***** It was a good outing. Both girls got a good idea of how the car handles and, especially, how to turn at an intersection. They were both very calm, though a little nervous.
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Okay...you've all heard of the Jabberwocky right? Well, this is a sample of MY take on portmanteau-ish poems. ~Alexandra~ As I made my pleary way A queedish car along the street My ruined outfit I expect |
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Gee, I really can't afford the time to post this, but I just can't resist bringing a smile to your faces! On Saturday, the four youngest girls went to a birthday swim-party. That left Ethan here with Madeline and Alexandra. I asked them to get the hose out and play with him so that he, too, could have some wet fun on an extremely hot day. So far, so good. But apparently, wet fun turned quickly to mud fun!! They made a large mud hole in a grassless part of the yard and Rolled, Splashed, Squished and Slid through the afternoon! The fun escalated to body art as they "painted" themselves and each other. The only recognizable part of Ethan were his light green eyes shining out of the thick black mud. He was literally black from head to toe - except for the time when he ran in front of the hose and the white seat of his swim trunks peeked briefly through! Last night, the girls doubled over in laughter again as they related what happened when the poor little guy suddenly cried out that he had mud in his nose (on an entirely random bunny trail, anyone know where the idiom "Here's mud in yer eye" originated?!). Alexandra helpfully told him that she was able to get shampoo from her eyes by tossing her head back. He then went into seizure-like convulsions throwing his head forcefully back to the left, right, left again, as his skinny body followed where the head led. His wild gyrations convulsed his sisters in wild laughter and Alexandra ran for the camera. She filmed him just as he slumped on the ground in defeat. She again helpfully And the video ends abruptly there, with the unstoppable laughter of his big sisters. He was not really hurt and that was obvious. But they found it hysterically funny that he almost hurt himself with his wild gyrating. As much as I shook my head at hearing all of this, then watching the video itself, we all laughed, including Ethan. It is just too funny! I did try to be serious enough to ask the girls what the neighbors must have thought watching them laugh as their little brother threw himself all around the yard! They were not in the least concerned about that. You see, no one watching could have known it was Ethan - he was entirely unrecognizable. Of course I "understood" - it was much better that the neighbors think it was a poor visitor convulsing on our lawn while our teens held their sides laughing! I have carefully made sure that all C's know that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, never to be repeated!! ****** Warning: Madeline and Alexandra have begun driver's ed! "Pirates, ye be warned!" Stay off the sidewalks
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suggested that he try one more time and giggled mercilessly as she caught his tossing about on camera. Suddenly as he threw his head back wildly, he stopped and cried out, "Ouch! That hurt my back!"|
Well, we began our 08/09 school year last week. And I just had to share a few of the short stories that came out of that first week's assignments. The oldest 4 girls are working in Learn to Write the Novel Way. They were to create short stories using 3 ordinary items which were assigned . Light bulb, kitten, chewing gum Abigail: Once there was a curious kitten that watched too much "MacGyver". He tried to make a bomb out of a light bulb and chewing gum. He succeeded.... Poor guy. Alexandra: Once upon a time, there was a lonely lightbulb. His name was Frederick. Frederick had no friends. One day, a kitten passed by close to him. Frederick shouted out, "Oh, no! Look out, little kitten!" But it was too late. The kitten got stuck in some chewing gum that had been carelessly thrown down. The kitten cried and cried. "Do not be afraid!" Frederick said valiantly. "I will burn the gum off you." And in a short time the gum (and a little bit of the kitten's fur) was burned all away into magically nameless oblivion. The kitten was very grateful to Frederick. To show how thankful she was, she gave Frederick twelve dollars, two penny whistles and a 13% off coupon to Lowe's. Spaghetti, typewriter, wrench Madeline: Once upon a time, there was a fellow by the name of Harold who was unusually tall and strong. His friends nicknamed him "Superman" and he had fans in abundance. This fame, unfortunately, puffed Harold up with pride. So one fine Saturday morning, about the time when lazy people roll out of bed and plop onto the cold bedroom floor, and people who actually like mornings have already read the paper, gone for a brisk jog, done the shopping, fed the children and downed 3 cups of strong coffee, Harold decided to call up a friend of his friends (one "Kristof" by name) to come and write a biography of him. "This biography," Harold explained when Kristof arrived, "is to be an account of my life - my ordinary, day-to-day activities. In this way, I may show the public that though I am a celebrity, I am also an ordinary man like them." He flexed his biceps in the mirror that stood by the front door. "Well, almost ordinary." He grinned at himself, assuring himself that the people in the world loved him almost as much as he loved himself. Kristof sat in an expensive leather armchair and drew out his Dell laptop, which Harold immediately condemned. "I want it to be professional!" he declared, pointing to an ancient typewriter residing on a small, rickety, wooden desk by a window. Kristof rolled his eyes and proceeded to blow the dust off the decaying items. Throughout the day, Kristof recorded every single thing Harold did in great detail, even when he wiped his nose on his sleeve. (Kristof knew he would be paid a great deal for this ridiculous venture and so did not even object to Harold's demands of rewording and rearranging entire pages.) At the end of the day, however, the items of highest interest were nothing more than the cat eating Harold's lunch of spaghetti and meatballs and the plumber accidently hitting himself in the head with a wrench. So Harold abandoned his biography and took Kristof out for ice cream, where he had his picture taken with Smokey the Bear and was quite happy for the rest of the evening.
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I now get all my staples for the month in one big shopping trip, which frees me up considerably during our school weeks. Alexandra always accompanies me. She thinks it is because she is such an enormous help to me. That's very true. But the bigger reason is because she is so entertaining! Here is a part of our dialog today... Me: Do you guys want mini ravioli again for a lunch or should we try the spaghettios with meatballs for a change? Alexandra: Get the o's. It tastes like dog food. Me:  Later, in the car. A: Something smells like grasshopper. I can't figure out what it is! Me: I don't think I'll even dignify that comment with a response! .... Personally, I have never smelled a grasshopper, so I can't help you. Neither have I ever tasted dog food!A: If you squeeze them just right their little legs kick out again and again. Me: A: They have the ugliest little faces too. You can just stare and stare at them for as long as they'll let you. And of course they always puke on you. Me: That wouldn't have anything to do with squeezing their guts out, would it?! |
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Sometimes we have deep discussions in our family devotions; edifying, encouraging and educating each other. But then there are days like today when we read Genesis 31... (for reasons that will be obvious, the only identified speakers are Sophia and Daddy. Just imagine the rest in the general "hub-bub" that it was) Sophia: What does it mean when it says, "and Jacob stole away unawares from Laban"? --I hate it when someone steals my "unawares"! --My unawares are always missing! --Me too! --Well, I happen to know that ____ stole your unawares! --_____! How could you?!! --Well, you had 3 pair and I had none and I couldn't find any anywhere! And wearing the same pair of unawares for days was kinda gross! All: Ewwww! Daddy: Hey!!! When we first moved here, and I finally had a real job with a real income, we had a big Unawares-buying spree! We all went to WalMart and got new unawares! How can you not have any? --(said very seriously) Daddy, I really think we have an Unawares-Thief! Sophia : Can we please get back to the verse?!********** And here's a short conversation I had with Ethan: Me: You really seem to like that new bathrobe I got you. Ethan: I love it!  Me: That's wonderful, especially since I only paid $0.05 for it at a garage sale!  E: Wow. If I were limited to only one digit, I would have at least picked a 9! Me:  thinking, Did my 7 year old just say "limited to only one digit"?! |
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First of all let me ask you to mark your calendars for Sept 26. The makers of the wonderful movie Facing the Giants (and of the lesser known but also very good Flywheel) will be releasing their newest movie --Fireproof starring Kirk Cameron -- on that date. Here's a quote from Gary Smalley, a Christian writer, "Amazing! Action-packed, heartwarming and a great esource to help strengthen and affirm marriages!" Friends of ours were just invited to an advance screening and loved it, they highly recommended it. They also told us that the production studio told them that they will base their decision about whether or not to make any more family-friendly movies on the income from the first weekend! They want to know if there is a market in America for good, clean movies. Please, please try to go see it on the opening weekend (and take all your friends along ******* Now back to us. The fibromyalgia is bad. None of the meds seem to really help so I am weaning off those. I do have good days occasionally (defined now as not needing too much pain med - no such thing as pain-free these days). Two of my new friends here, as well as some in my church family, have taken up the burden of praying for me daily and I know that is what has helped on those good days and gets me through the bad ones. Low pressure systems (rain) brings on the worst. But I do make a pretty good forecaster - when the pain goes up to beyond tolerable, I know it will rain within 6 hours. The kids have taken to consulting me before they go out - "Mama, can we play in the park or is it going to rain? ... Will I need an umbrella, Mama?" Okay - more than enough on that subject. (After all, my life's motto is "It 's not about me!") We had a marvelous vacation in a nearby state park. We rented a house that actually had 10 beds - no one had to sleep on the floor! Although Andrew was not thrilled at sharing a bed with Ethan because the little guy flips and twists and rolls in his sleep! But it is good for Andrew to begin to get used to sharing a bed! The Lord answered all our prayers for the week. We rested, played games, rode horses, hiked and just enjoyed each other!! The highlight of the vacation was a day at a fantastic children's museum! Every one of us played around and got silly. It was a great way for all of us,even with all the different ages, to connect, to strengthen those family ties. About a week after we returned, Jay and I went away for our 23rd anniversary. We got a very private, very romantic cabin. The days flew by. On each of these trips, there was only one day that I was unable to participate because the pain was too much even with my pain meds. But Jay and the kids were very understanding and we just took it easy on those days. Abigail went to church camp that same week. Then Madeline and Alexandra went to the Worldview Academy. WOW! They are doing amazing things with the teens who attend! It is an intense week of classes, training, small group discussions "practicums". The girls just loved it and came back begging to go again next year. How can you say No -- you may not go back to learn how to live a life that pleases God and not yourself; you may not work at serving others and being selfless; you may not be encouraged by like-minded friends and godly examples?! So they are already signed up, along with Abigail. She is not so sure. She is going by virtue of an exectutive decision made by Daddy. She would have preferred to go back to the church camp she was at this year. She had so much fun there. So Madeline & Alexandra are encouraging her and passing on the promise that WVA made to them: "This will be the best week of your life!"
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An A to A Game last week produced some interesting quotes! Names withheld to protect the silly! Opera is not "luxurious"! People just go there to look at other people -- and you can do that in a bathroom! (People-watching in a bathroom, hmmm..... ****** -Communists killed a thousand-billion people! -What communists are you talking about? -Uh -- many communists! ****** -Killer whales are "speedy"?! -Yeah! They can be fast. Well, unless they're beached. ****** Cow pies are "sensual"! (Ick! ****** -Pond scum are not "calm"! Plastic is "calm"! Pond scum eat and reproduce and - and - pass excrement! -Okay!!! That's the last straw! I can't stand this anymore! What is wrong with you tonight?!!!
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Our closest friends have a son, Daniel, who just graduated from college and is about to enter law school. He is hospitalized in another state, having had 2 strokes. He still has vertigo and other symptoms, making him unable to walk or do much. His family is headed there now. Please pray that the doctors will find the cause of the strokes, keep him from having more and ease his current symptoms so that he can be rehabilitated; and that he'll regain full use of all of his formidible brain power! If you know Daniel, you know what I mean by that!! Thanks! |