Posted in Family Life

... and wishing I had more of it! But we're home and trying to get back into the swing of things.

BTW, I won the quarter bet! Too fun.

Let's see ... we went to Seattle -- yes, again. This time Dan was with us, as was the rain, which while appreciated after the heat in our neck of the woods, still interfered with our fun. We were rained out at Woodland Park Zoo, and then again on a hike on Steven's Pass. It ruined our camera, or so we thought; we ended up buying a newer, better one at Costco before finding the old one was just too damp. But we do have good pictures of the zoo, the aquarium, the space needle, the science center, and other generally fun things we did.

We've also been to the regional fair in Waterville (very tiny county seat near us) where Dan judged another baking department and I chased children around (mine, my nieces, and some other little munchkin they made friends with there). We visited the uncle with cancer; the chemo is doing its job, but he's looking incredibly old all of a sudden. We met up with an old friend from college and his wife and two little boys at Sun Lakes, where they were camping with her family. We had a work day at the church, where my darling and I are in charge of creating our website. We had a church-in-the-park and picnic. We picked up our poor little truck from the mechanic. I made a stab at cleaning the office, or orifice (as my darling calls it). Hubby made dog biscuits for our client. And then we dropped the busy vacation schedule for the busy normal schedule. Never a dull moment.

The main thing that's been on my heart lately though, is the question of whether I'm actually where I need to be spiritually. Not that I feel like I'm backsliding or purposely sinning, but rather that I don't feel as much as I used to. I had the great privilege tonight of visiting a very special friend by the name of Eva, who was once a missionary to the Alaskan Eskimo tribes and who currently -- even in her 80s -- teaches GED courses at the county jail. Wonderful Christian lady who just exudes the love of Jesus.

I asked her this question: in our Christian walk, is it normal to feel a quiet comfortableness and yet still be passionate about Christ? I put it in terms of that stage of marriage that we're all warned about, where the passion dies off and you become familiar, comfortable even, but still love that person without the overwhelming emotion. Seeing as she never married, I wondered if I stated it wrong, but she is always so gracious.

She described it as one of the phases of life, and yes, of our walk with Him. Sometimes we need comfort, sometimes overwhelming joy, sometimes a dose of humility, but none of those take away from His love for us, or our love for Him. I think I get it. I grew up in a denomination that involved emotion -- not a bad thing in itself, but I can see now where they've gone way too overboard with it. I guess I tend to think I should be emotional about my God. I'm learning more these days anyway to control my emotions, and maybe this is just another area that I need to examine.

That was just one part of a wonderful conversation with this true saint of the Kingdom. I need to see that woman more often; I'm thinking it won't be too long before she leaves this world for His, and I just want to soak up all she can pour into me.

That's it on my thoughts for the night.

Posted in Family Life

... and my fingers can't spell tonight anyway. My backspace key is getting quite the workout.

So just a few notes:

I got another "so good to see you again" at the Republican booth tonight, this time from the undersheriff who acted as the PCO of my neighborhood last spring when the one in that position was down with a brain tumor. (She's completely healed, BTW, and has a wonderful testimony, but that's why I ran for the position.)

My mom and sister joined me in judging 4H demonstrations tonight. We only had three, but tomorrow's lineup looks more in the way of twelve. At least we'll be sheltered from the 104-degree heat by a newly AC'd building. I love this job, and having my mom and sis with me makes it even more fun.

Mom, Dad, Sis and I spent way too much time giggling with our chiropractor in the commercial booth too. To keep themselves busy, he and the staff have taken to dropping quarters in the path and betting on who will pick them up. Tonight we upped the ante -- literally. We had been watching for who would pick up the nickel (the food booth I stopped at didn't have quarters, and we were trying to mock the chiropractor, so we went with what we had). Then my sis dug out an old Starbucks card with only a dollar on it (she's not a coffee drinker obviously -- I would have had an empty one in my wallet!) and tossed it in the path. We then each claimed an age/gender combo that we thought would pick it up, and tossed in a quarter for the pool. His insurance expert won a few minutes later, so she got the dollar-fifty. But then we had to do it again, but back to the quarter -- people actually pick those up quicker than a card for some strange reason. We'll check in when we get there in the morning to find out who won. Too funny!

Anyway, not too much wisdom or humor elsewhere in my life today. Just trying to get everything done and stay cool at the same time. Much easier to do when you stay inside with the AC on, but then the animals get a little upset, and chores don't get done, and stuff doesn't get mailed. Yeah. So, goodnight, sleep .... uh .... cool. Yeah.

Posted in Family Life

Short post tonight.

We've recently rediscovered the Muppets. We got a great deal on the first three seasons (of five?), and are happily nearly done with season two. Happily because we're enjoying it immensely.

I've discovered that my favorite character is Crazy Harry, the lunatic who runs around blowing things up. He's hysterically funny! We shared an evening of Muppets with our best friends over a steak barbecue (now there's a contrast), and now her preteen boys ask, "Did someone say explode?!" I love it. Insanity at it's finest.

Second in line is the Swedish chef. I loved this guy long before I married a Swedish/Slovak chef of my own. My daughter now yells out, "Daddy!" whenever that skit shows up. Today she said something about "the Swedish chef, otherwise known as Dad." How cute!

After that, it's skits like Pigs in Space, how everyone looks at the ceiling when the announcer speaks on the Veterinary Hospital skit, the ancient hecklers in the balcony, Dr. Teeth, the ballroom scene ... oh, my. There's probably pretty close to nothing I don't remember fondly.

If you can get your hands on these old episodes, they're worth it. And season one has the original pilot, which is very different from the show we all know. So there's my wisdom for the night!

Posted in Family Life

Get it? "Boot-stomping good time" is the fair theme this year. Get it? Yeah. You should have seen the other title I had going.

It's been an interesting and very long day, with some interesting lessons.

I spent eight hours on barn duty in the home ec building, keeping the glass cases free of fingerprints and sticky remnants of ice cream, and showing people to the entries they couldn't find, and explaining the premium system to fairground newbies. (By the way, do you realize that the cleanliness and overall organization of each barn at your local fair eventually leads to the premium amount you earn for the ribbons you win there? Fascinating process, actually.)

In this long stint, I spent a lot of time thinking over the changes I'd like to bring to our failing fair and our poor little baking department. Highest on my list for both is the idea that grouchy old ladies scare little children away from entering their little projects the following year; if you're going to man a building or sit around demonstrating how to crochet or quilt, SMILE at the children! And everyone else for that matter. So, I was rather irritated with the scowling quilter who calls herself a "fixture" in the neighboring department. She would smart off that things couldn't get that dirty between my third and fourth rounds of Windex patrol. When I let her and the sweet old lady beside her know that I needed to head out for lunch and a bathroom break, she basically questioned that baking was suddenly in charge of the building. For goodness' sake!

Later, I learned that this poor woman has been sick for two weeks, recently moved and has been dealing with quite a bit of other hard things in her life. That doesn't mean I still won't take on the "we've always done it that way" cranky crowd, but I guess I should have a little more sympathy now and then.

So, feeling put in my place a bit, I finished out my shift and spent some time with this year's superintendent learning some more about the books. I finally got a call from my poor hubby, saying he still wasn't done with what he expected to be a 16-hour day, which meant I headed out to get him some dinner, pick up my little fair-worn dd at my sister's house, and head for the hinterlands. On my way out, I passed the Republican booth, and thought I'd wander through quickly and see which personnages of notoriety were stationed there for the day.

I didn't notice anyone I knew offhand, but a few people turned and said hello, including a darling little elderly woman in a blue dress with a slightly mismatched blue straw hat. She asked me to sign the log, and began to offer info on what the party believes, and on and on. I turned to her and said, "Sweetheart, I'm already working for your party." (I can't remember what I've posted and what I haven't. I am currently running unopposed for Precinct Officer of my neighborhood. I don't think she knows that, but somehow my answer pleased her.)

They introduced themselves all the way around, and two gentlemen I recognized by name as being somewhat familiar, the third being the state Republican delegate to the national caucus. She then asked my name. When I told them, I got definite recognition. The delegate turned to the lady and said, "This was one of our delegates to the county caucus." My thought was, Wow -- he must have been there that night, of course. Then the next guy said, "And she's good too." Now I got the hint; they knew me only from that night, and I must have made a bigger impression than I thought.

So, I blurted out something like, "I guess I made a pretty big stink, didn't I?" The third guy said, "Yeah, but that's what we need." At that point, I didn't know what to say. It's a big deal to catch the eye of politicians; you have to do something pretty intense to get that. I knew I was pretty vocal and pretty intense that night, but I just thought I was one of a crowd of us that want to return to true conservative foundations. Maybe it's the younger crowd/female gender phenomenon -- you know the one, the "you're pretty rare in this racket" thing.

It was definitely a boost to my ego, and a confirmation that I'm not the only one in my area feeling this way about a party gone liberal. I can't say it didn't feel good to have people recognize me (or at least my name).

On the other hand, it's greatly humbling. Number one, to be a spokesperson for so many people is a huge responsibility, no matter what level of politics I end up in, but I'm also sad that so many others don't have the education or training to do so for themselves. Why God would choose me to be one of those who ended up in the few effective school programs out there that taught the skills I use today, especially when there are so many others more passionate, more effective, more powerful than I am to do these types of things. His grace is overwhelming, and I so wish that I could pass on all that learning and experience to others on a whim, with the shake of a hand or maybe a simple statement of encouragement.

It also made me think of all the times I feel like I'm invisible in a crowd. I never am, and I do know it at some level. Too many people know my husband, my parents, my ministries, my friends, my church, me, even my car. That's probably the most frightening of all; my hubby calls me Mario for a reason. I'm not a Sunday driver by any means, and I pass anyone who's in my way. I forget how many people in our small region know me well enough to recognize me. What is that saying about me? I guess some level of aggressiveness is a character trait I've never managed to get rid of, but I always hope I use it in the right places (like at caucuses and with stick-in-the-mud fair boards).

After this happened, the radio in the car was playing the song "I Want to Leave A Legacy" by one of the newer Christian artists out there. I've always liked that song, because it is my heart's desire. I want people to see me as a Christian woman who did everything she could to remind people of truth, who laid a foundation that is based on Jesus and then supports a worldview that puts everything in life from politics to religion to education to the tiniest detail of life at the feet of Jesus.

My mother commented tonight that my reputation is beginning to precede me. I hope so, and I hope it's the reputation for doing the right thing, no matter what the cost. Isn't that what He's called us to? I think so. No, let me say that a different way -- I believe so. And that's how I intend to live

Posted in Family Life

The sign-in screen asks that. I laughed -- there's very few left who remember me by now!

Since I haven't posted in a month and a half, I should tell you I had major eye surgery on July 1; it all went well, and this last week, the surgeon released me until late October. Yeah! In fact, I'm seeing so well these days, I even drove myself and my daughter to Seattle for the WATCH conference. Got there and back fine, obviously.

Which brings me to my next topic ... I had the incredible pleasure of meeting Paul and Gena Suarez, our dear publishers here at TOS blogs, and Dena Wood, also a familiar face to TOS readers. Oh, and I can't forget SuzyScribbles, who was signing her new books in the exhibit hall. How much fun that was! It was another one of those times when you know someone so well because you talk on the blogs, that it seems like you're hanging out with your dearest friends from childhood. Well, maybe not since childhood, but at least since having children ourselves!

In a chat session with Gena, she commented that another familiar blogger, SpunkyHomeschool, was just an average mom who is now famous on the blogosphere, simply because she POSTS EVERY DAY. I know that's yelling, but that's about the way it hit me. I'm a journalist for crying out loud, and I can't get myself to write every day! Hopefully that's the kick in the butt I need to get my act together -- not that I want to be famous, but if God keeps telling me to write, I should probably be doing so. Duh.

So, over the next few days, I'll be posting a bit about the conference for those of you Washingtonians who missed it (shame on you!), and a little about the (continual, yes) zoo that my life is.

As for today, we headed out to the prep day for the Grant County Fair. The previous baking superintendant is quitting simply because it's time, and they are desperate for someone new. My hubby was nominated a few weeks ago, but his schedule won't allow it, and if he's the "stupor" (as he calls it), he can't judge anymore and no one in the county wants that. So, yes, I'm it. I spent the morning learning from the pro and meeting all the pertinent people. Shouldn't be too big of a job under normal circumstances, but the administration is new this year (meaning chaos), the previous admin purposely dumped all the previous records (chaos), the numbers are dwindling all over the fair (general depression), and the quilting department is taking over our space (animosity and frustration); thus I have a great deal of work to do this year. I guess one of the reasons my name was brought up is because I actually welcome confrontations, unlike everyone else in line for the job. Sounds like fun, huh?

I also ended up canceling women's bible study for the summer. Too many people going too many directions, and two of my main attendees (out of maybe six) have either had their baby three weeks ago or are on bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy as of this afternoon. So another month or so reprieve, and then we begin Ruth again. (Maybe I didn't mention that before -- we finally finished Philippians after 19 months! We got one lesson into Ruth before the surgery.)

We also visited the book guy again (did I mention he gave me that ancient bid document for Grand Coulee Dam -- what a treasure!), saw the dad of a guy we both went to high school and youth group with (and I dated at two different points in my life), chatted with the 4H super that I'll be judging for this weekend, hung out with the pastor's wife and step-daughter (and her darling little baby), and ran into another friend of mine from high school. It's like people come out of the woodwork on fair week. Wow -- maybe they're thinking the same about me. Ooh.

Anyway, I'm still unpacking from last weekend and this new week's already off and running at full tilt. If you're reading this, thank you for being faithful to me, the ever inconsistent one. I hope to get some good stuff posted here soon. C ya!

Posted in Family Life

... has finally been published!

Yesterday, the Columbia Basin Herald published its summer "Choose Your Own Adventure" travel guide, which this year included a lengthy piece on local historical markers and points of interest, written by me! How exciting!

My dear hubby and I love to prowl around with old tomes in hand, searching for faint clues to the past. We've discovered ice caves in the middle of the desert, abandoned railroad cuts, roads trailing off into rivers and lakes, native axeheads, and the vantage points from which many famous pictures were taken. This is probably our number one family hobby. Dd comes home from excursions with as many ticks as the dog, and sometimes months down the road we have difficulty deciphering what the subject of that picture was. But it makes us very happy.

So when my dear boss asked if I would take on this project, I was thrilled! We had so much fun traveling around snapping the 200+ pictures, of which I only sent the paper 70. I think they only used a third of them, but some of them were actually really good ones. We prayed for sunny skies, and God granted them, with the exception of the stormy one that perfectly set off the white hills of the diatomaceous earth mines. How cool He is!

Anyway, we're planning on taking this basic info and writing a book on this area. We have several people from previous generations that we're going to interview, and so many books to read, that I have no idea how long it will take us, but I'm sure I'll let you know.

In the meantime, if you're headed this way for any reason, contact the Chamber of Commerce in Moses Lake, or the Columbia Basin Herald, and they should be able to get you a copy. That is, if my family doesn't snag them all up first!

Posted in Family Life

This is my latest favorite incident.

I'm a horrible night owl, and my only time alone is after everyone else is in bed. So my daughter has been taught to get up, feed the animals, have a piece of fruit, and watch a couple of cartoons (we have Boomerang, so she gets all the good old ones!). I get up an hour or so later.

A couple of mornings ago, I came out and sat near her on the couch. She began chattering about the morning's shows, how the dog was behaving, asking what my activities the night before entailed, all the while looking around the room and ignoring the cartoon she had been watching.

Finally, she sighed and said, "I really need to find a book on conversation starters. I just don't what know what to say to you that's interesting."

Oh, my. Poor thing! She just wanted to talk with me, and didn't know what to say!

Posted in Family Life

This evening I had one of the most traumatic experiences in my life. I've had several, none of which you really want to hear about. Come to think of it, you may not want to hear about this one either.

We had a batch of chicks hatch last year, and now that they're all grown up, they fly very well. In order to protect them from dogs and coyotes, we have a 100SF strawbale coop which opens into a 1/2-acre, fenced pasture, where our flock of 6 geese, 3 ducks and roughly 15 chickens live. If they can fly, they aren't safe. So about once a year, we have to clip the outermost feathers on their wings.

Now, we've learned from past experience that trapping them all in the coop after dark is the easiest; we then corner them, clip them, and toss them out into the pasture while we catch the rest of the flock. They tend to be quietly roosting, half-drugged from melatonin or its chicken-equivalent, and thus fairly docile. Normally they're this way. Tonight they were not.

The three of us barricaded ourselves in there, dd at the small chicken door to the pasture, armed with a screen and a fear of flying chickens. Warranted, considering what came next. Fifteen angry birds began to fly over our heads, dive-bombing us as they tried to find a way out. Several hens seriously thought they could get through the screen and made a horrible racket letting us know how upset they were at not getting through. Our poor girl began screaming as the wings and claws flew in all directions. We'd finally catch one, and it would squeal like a stuck pig until it realized we weren't hurting it; but then it would scream again when we dropped it outside the warm coop into the blackness.

Part of the way into the flock, we caught one of our new roosters, and through the cloud of dust, we were admiring his beautiful feathers. Suddenly he let out a shriek, and caught me across the cheekbone with a wing. Let me say, that was two hours ago and it still hurts. But that wasn't the traumatic part.

We were down to two little hens huddled in a corner behind a stack of boxes, and I crawled back there to scare them out. I managed to get a handful of tail feathers on one of them, and as I was trying to get a good hold on her, the other flew up and tried to land on my head. I managed to hand off the first one to my hubby, simultaneously trapping the second one with my head against the wall of the coop. That was a tricky move; I was pretty proud of myself. I reached up to grab her, catching her throat on one side, and a leg on the other.

Now, remember that we're coughing up lungs in the dust, I've been beat up by a rooster, and I broke at least one nail. I'm already having a bad night.

As I pull the hen up over my head, my dear hubby says, "Ooh! She's throwing up!" Yes, that's what I said. In my hair, down my neck inside my coat, all over my hand and arm. She's fine; thanks for asking. I'm not.

AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! I don't remember anything else as disgusting in my life! And I don't get grossed out easy, either.

So, we're standing on the back porch, commenting on how we need face masks next time. My husband notices that I'm covered in dust (somehow momentarily forgetting that I'm also covered in chicken puke), and begins to beat it off the front of my coat. This seemingly kind and helpful action was instead rubbing it into my neck and making me ill. I don't think I've ever made it from the back porch to the shower in that short of a time frame ... ever.

Oh, the joys of animal husbandry. Next time I'm wearing a bio-hazard suit.

Posted in Family Life

Yes, it's been our first week of vacation this year. No, we didn't go anywhere for that vacation; money is definitely an object standing in our way. Bummer. But I did get to go to a Pastor's and Leader's Conference, and I did get to vote in my precinct caucus, and we have had another sickie in the family. All in all, an interesting week.

The caucus is probably all I'll cover tonight, but I'll get to the rest later. What an experience!

Several months ago, we became involved in the Ron Paul campaign here locally. We both felt that we finally had someone to vote for, instead of always voting in a lesser of two evils. So, I attended a meeting last weekend (the first I've been able to make) where we talked about the caucus, and how to go about it.

For those of you outside Washington State, you need to know that our Republican party just adopted the caucus process to obtain 51% of the vote for the candidate to represent our party (though I tend to vote whatever I want based on who is supporting the Constitution at the time). Most people living in the state have no clue that this is how it worked this year. Thus, from our community (rural, yes, but not necessarily hicksville -- and we live in the county seat no less), we only had about forty people show up. Sad, really.

Anyway, I live in a very politically active neighborhood. The city wants us in their Urban Growth Area, and consistently pull stunts (even illegal ones) to wrest us from the county. So, up pops our little neighborhood and shows the county and other neighborhoods around us not to believe the city's tactics, and we get to keep our neighborhood a little longer. Thus, I was horribly disappointed that only three of us showed up from the greater neighborhood (this would include a section owned by the city after they annexed the railroad right-of-way beside our house to get past us!) -- only three of us, and I was one! (My hubby was home with our sick dd, thinking I was more on top of the info about our candidate anyway.)

It turned out okay. Our neighborhood/precinct was allotted three delegates besides our precinct officer (who, BTW, just had brain surgery for cancer -- please keep Vicki in your prayers). So, guess what? I'm now a delegate to our county caucus in March! How do I end up getting roped into stuff like this?! Actually, I'm very excited and honored, even though it was kind of a railroad job. And as part of all this, I get to vote on the party platform of our county and our state -- what an incredible opportunity to affect the state of our government! I like this -- I can be involved without running for office (not my thing).

By the way, in our county Republican vote, Ron Paul took 31%, McCain took 27%, then Romney, and then Huckabee (sorry, I can't remember the other numbers at the moment).

All in all, an excellent experience, one I would suggest taking your kids to next year, or even this year if your state hasn't had their caucus yet. Remember, we don't have any right to complain if we don't vote. Stay in the game.

Posted in Family Life

Yeah, I've been away from the blog this week. I have all the typical excuses -- we've been sick, very busy, family responsibilities, etc. But this one takes the cake.

The dog chewed through our internet cable.

Honestly.

Lucky he didn't find the power cable instead. But nonetheless, we were without internet for about 24 hours until we discovered the problem. Should have seen dh's face; anger has never been more apparent! Fortunately he had intended to go into electronics before chef school, so he was able to fix it until we can get the tools needed to do the job properly.

Now we have to figure out the most efficient way to train the mutt to stop chewing on everything. He's taken out hoses, bottles of motor oil, bags of potting soil, even a dropped bottle of willow tincture. He even regularly eats grapes off our grapevines, and they're supposed to be lethal to dogs. Maybe he's indestructible... hmm.  Then maybe the power cable won't do anything to him.

Better not test that theory.

Posted in Family Life

I'd like for you all to meet a few people. First, my hubby is now blogging here, or soon will be. He is going by SDP45 -- a train thing, if you're clueless as to what that means, like me.

Next, my mom and dad are going under the name "paintbrushpapa" in reference to my daughter; I asked them to come on and leave her messages. I don't know that they'll be blogging, but they have a presence here now in the least.

And then there's the Treasure Hunter. I can't reveal the identity of this person (though I may have in a past post somewhere), but suffice it to say she is very close to the family. She visits/calls/mails maps to my dd now and then, which send her on a treasure hunt for some trinket or other. She too was asked to comment on dd's blog, and so has a page here now too. Again, who knows if she'll do any blogging, but maybe we'll be able to convince her to do so when some of dd's cousins get to blogging.

So, in the least, please pop over to my dh's blog and say hi. You'll find his link at the bottom of my friends list. Thanks!

Posted in Family Life

Well, the girls are now in my in-laws' custody until the case in March. It will be a long five weeks, but at least the kids are with family.

The case itself is going to be nasty, according to the lawyer. Not surprising -- the CPS ladies are real manipulators. I ended up having a bit of an argument with them over some very improper questions they were asking just before walking into court, all meant to further their case rather than to help the girls' placement. Leave it to me to take on an untouchable agency, but it was clearly coming from ulterior motives.

My MIL is going to be homeschooling them until then; it's easier and cheaper than putting them back in the Christian school in our area for just a few weeks. I'm hoping she gains a better understanding of the whole process through this; she's a licensed music teacher (retired) and only slightly supportive of our efforts. But it will be good for the girls to be at home with Grandma for a while.

So thanks for your prayers, and please continue to pray for the whole situation. We're far from done.

Posted in Family Life

Good morning, all.

I need to request prayer for my SIL's family. Her children were taken from school yesterday by CPS. The hubby has had a shaken-baby incident in his past -- about 15 years ago, but hasn't had an incident since. He has, though, dealt with drugs and anger issues, though the anger issues generally stem from CPS' continual assault on him. (I do know about fears of abuse -- I have been trained in domestic abuse advocacy. But this is not the case with this family and with these two little girls. The school counselor even agrees.) CPS has continued a major assault until this week when my SIL told them to back off because there was no active case.

The girls are in an undisclosed location, instead of being sent to us or my in-laws. CPS claims there's no one to send them to, but had spoken with my in-laws the day previous. They lied in their information to the judge for the warrant. They've lied to the state representatives, the state ombudsman, police and to the school as well.

These girls are very family-oriented, and the 5yo is very shy. The 11 yo has health issues too.

Please pray that the lawyer's experience dealing with CPS' abuses in the past will give him a good foundation and that God will give him wisdom. Pray that the girls will be comforted; I've been praying that He send them an angel or a Christian caregiver to help them. Pray that the parents trust Him to take care of the situation. Pray that the girls will be allowed to come stay with family right away, if not back to their own mother. (BTW, the father is visiting daily, but is not living in the home at present.)

My SIL meets with the lawyer today at 4 pm, and the hearing is Friday at 4 pm.
I know you don't have enough info to simply take sides, but if you know me, you know I am very protective of children's safety but also of freedoms. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that these girls are safe with their father. Just pray and we'll hope together that God's will be done.

Thanks.

Posted in Family Life

You know, when it rains, it pours.

Within a three weeks of starting my new job, and during the whole emotional turmoil thing, the next town over -- the one we're spending way too much time in -- had its annual festival. My family has had a long-standing tradition of attending Spring Fest events together -- the water park, the carnival and commercial booths, the parade, etc. My whole family was there this year (really unusual) and we were having a grand time.

Afterwards, they all headed east to cars, and my little tribe of three headed west behing our local library to dump off garbage and then walk across the park to our own car. As I turned from the dumpster, my hubby said, "Dani, watch out for the edge." Now, remember -- it's ten p.m., the dumpster is casting a shadow, and there's no yellow striping to be seen anywhere. I looked down to see what he was talking about ... just as my left foot went off the edge.

A two-foot edge. Down into a loading ramp to the basement.

I came up with my ankle broken and my foot at a very disgusting angle.

I'd always wondered how I would deal with a major injury like this. Shattering my collar bone in college was different; my sinsai was my boyfriend at the time, and I wasn't allowed to show emotion. This time, I could show all the emotion I wanted. But I didn't, thank the Lord. I immediately sent the little one to yell across the street for her grandparents, followed soon after by my hubby because she was getting lost. Several people stopped to help; not that they could, but it was a nice gesture. Then my dad showed up; most of the family are volunteer firemen or have been at some point so I knew I was in good hands, but there's still something way more reassuring about being held by my dad when I'm hurt. A family that stopped to help had two little ones who were curious, and Dad was nearly short with them to stay back (who can blame him?); somehow I had the presence of mind to talk to them like a good homeschool mom with a lesson in anatomy!

Anyway, no ambulance -- couldn't get through the crowd if they tried. Nice little emergency room visit. The foot had moved back into place on its own, thankfully, so no traumatic fix. The xrays showed that both sides of the ankle were shattered. Oh! Neatest thing -- the xray tech made an extra set of films so we could take one home to show our dd! She was more of a mess than I was, so this turned it into a school thing, and took some of the worry away. Poor kid.

The surgeon said there was nothing to pin or plate together, so I'm just hanging, waiting for my body to create new bone. Let me tell ya, I hate this cast! My hubby has written this on the back: "How is my driving? Call 555-ZIPPY." This is causing quite a stir whereever we go. Good thing I'm not bothered by snickers behind my back.

As for the job, I thought I had lost it. But the boss is cool. I think he's a Christian too. Through it all, we've come to the conclusion that I will only work 3-4 hours a day (even after this is all over), and I can come in when dh gets home from work. Thank you, Jesus! My stress level is way down. Except for the long hours in the recliner with my ankle above my heart, waiting for everyone else to help me. I don't handle staying down well.

Did I mention that I ended up with a really nasty virus three days after I broke my ankle? Yeah. So, not only am I supposed to be on my back most of the day (and we all know I never meet that requirement, no matter how hard I try), now I'm also isolated from social contact. Aaaauuugggghhhhh! I was a mess!

I'm finally getting back into life. I can borrow my mom's automatic now and then, so I can drive once in a while. My ladies' Bible study has moved back to the church where I can put my leg up while I teach; Perkins just doesn't offer those kinds of accomodations at their tables. I'm learning how to carry things when my hands aren't really available -- or just crawl if it's a short distance.

But it hasn't been all bad. God's taught me a lot through all this. To trust Him more, of course. I would really rather not have injured myself, but it helped with the job situation. What things are most important. Vacuuming is less necessary than laundry or dishes, for example. Patience and understanding. Neither were my forte; I think I'm getting better now. That I do have a physical/emotional limit -- I really can't do everything and it's okay to say so. That a card or phone call when someone from church is out sick for a week really can make a difference for them and will demonstrate the Father's love to them. That my hubby is the hardest-working man I know, and he'd give everything for me. That our daughter has a true heart of compassion that will be a great blessing to the world someday. That if He allows something in my life, I am powerless to stop it, but if He doesn't allow something, then I am truly safe. And I can rest in that.

And there you have .... the rest of the story.

Posted in Family Life

Wow. When I said a few weeks ago (eight, maybe? Just a few ....) that it was a transition year for our family, I never imagined this.

I'm working ... full-time. Sorry, boss-man -- I've been meaning to call you.

I was having a wonderful spring, making geology excursions and planning ladies' events for church, getting into the groove of teaching history, dealing with the early sage allergies.

Then a close friend became really sick, and I spent a week in the hospital and at doctor's appointments with her. My pastor and his wife returned from a medical missions trip to Nicaragua, and I didn't have near enough time to catch up. My friend was baptised (more on that later). And off we went to the regional women's retreat. Quite the little whirlwind, and I figured it was just a ploy of the Enemy to try to keep me from getting anything useful out of the retreat. (If that was truly the case, it didn't work, by the way. Wonderful weekend.)

On our way home from the retreat, I get a call from my hubby; my SIL's car got repo'd (even the one doing the repo said not to mess with this dealership again because they're shady), and we were the only ones with an "extra" car to loan her. She's basically a single mom (dad's just being released from prison), and works half an hour away, not making near enough to afford a week off trying to find another car. So an hour or so at my friend's and we were off on an hour and a half drive to deliver my little baby (I love that car!).

Meanwhile, a job drops in my lap. The Thursday before the trip, my hairdresser called to say that a land surveying firm in town just lost one of their few draftsmen, and needed help immediately. She had talked me up to the surveyor, and told me to get down there right away. I figured maybe I could do some part-time drafting to get them through the crunch, or even do some work from home. I showed up, met the 78-year-old surveyor running the operation, brought in a resume and copies of my drafting abilities, and assumed that was the end of it. I had heard him talking to someone else about several other options he had, and besides, he thought I was a teenager.

Friday there's a message on my phone (the retreat was out of cell range) that he wanted to see me Monday morning between 7:30 and 8 am. That didn't appeal to my late night sensibilities, but again I didn't take it real seriously.

Monday morning, I borrowed my friend's car (she had stayed overnight after delivering my vehicle the night before, knowing that I'd need a sitter in the morning), and raced down. I walk in and he tells the bookkeeper/receptionist to show me where I'll be getting information and where my timecard is! And, at his age, the only computer he knows how to run is the surveying ranger (which he doesn't believe is a computer anyway), so I can't do any work at home. While he's okay with time off for whatever is necessary, it's a 40-hour a week job. I start panicking when he says he'll call me back in about two days with his decision.

So now I'm crying. This guy is willing to bring me in with no engineering skills and train me, not just as a draftsman, but also hopefully as the office manager when the two guys training me leave for college in the fall. I, on the other hand, am stressing about the homeschooling thing. I made a committment to do this, my daughter is seven (I hit the rebelliousness of puberty at nine), and we'd have to do a lot of commuting to get her to her grandmothers' houses during the day. Not what I wanted.

My husband was also starting a new job, which meant that he'd be getting off work about 2 pm in the afternoon, so dd wouldn't be away from us too long. But to me, even five hours was too long. We really need the money to pay off the school loan; that's what's holding us back from buying a house or property or anything else important, like a reliable truck (we were beginning to struggle without the car already).

So I sobbed through Bible study, and my ladies did everything they could to comfort me. We specifically prayed the Lord's will would be done, and that He would tell me whether I was to do this or not.

My new boss called a few minutes later, only 12 hours after my interview. We all took this to be the confirmation I asked for, and I reluctantly agreed to start work on Wednesday morning. But the crying didn't stop -- I really didn't want to do this. I told myself it would just be for a year or two, and all the money could go to paying off the loan.

Friday I was still a mess, and still no car -- Mom was driving a half-hour each morning to pick up up my daughter and take me to work, then another half hour to get back home. How crazy! We figure between work and church and sitters, we're making 14 trips to the next town a week (a 25-mile trip). Anyway, I asked God to give me one of those little deja-vu, confirmation things, and He did. But then the analytical side of me kicked in -- the Bible is my foundation, not my experiences. Could I trust this? I have to admit I still don't know.

Three weeks later, I'm still a mess. I hate this schedule, and I miss my kid and my hubby. The house is barely surviving. And all sorts of awful things are beginning to happen -- more on that later, because my lunch break is now over.

Pray for me. I'm miserable.

Posted in Family Life

Okay, I think I don't need to actually post them on the blog. This lovely community has allowed me an album of sorts, so I'll just send you there for now. At the moment, there are several pictures of today's trip, and a few from last week of places that I mentioned or would give you an idea of our beautiful geology.

Keep in mind that if you're reading this later, I may have changed the pictures. Also keep in mind that I don't know if this is really going to work.

Enjoy the pics.

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/albums/danib/

Posted in Family Life

I should be preparing tomorrow's Bible study, but somehow I feel like I'm supposed to write tonight.

After church today, we picked up my parents and infant niece (caravan-style -- we all couldn't fit in our little contraption) and headed up to Grand Coulee, site of the massive Grand Coulee Dam.

We first drove through Dry Coulee, a very young canyon in comparison to most of the others in our area. The basalt cliffs are craggy and sharp, with small talus slopes and quiet fertile valleys below. Spring runoff is seeping through the cracks in the rock and spilling down the cliffsides.

From there, we ventured to the east of Coulee City, taking a backside view of the ranch to which my dh and I are heir. It's 3000 beautiful acres of dryland farm, ponds and springs and wells, small canyons of its own, and so much sagebrush that no one could ever count the ticks.

From there, my dh took us to an old government shed of sorts, where equipment for building the dam was brought in by train, offloaded by a large crane onto trucks, and taken up to the construction site. He managed to squeeze a camera under a door to get a picture of the abandoned crane inside. My dd wandered around the tracks with her dad and grandpa, finding the old switch that moved the tracks from one line to another.

Then we followed Banks Lake (a large reservoir feeding our regional irrigation system stemming from Grand Coulee Dam) north, keeping track of the old railroad grade as we went. Somewhere around Steamboat Rock (a large granite mesa in the middle of the lake, from which stem 3 or 4 canyons), we notice that the cliffs have changed from basalt to granite, and the familiar but sparse pine trees are replaced by fir almost everywhere. The walls around us look more wild, and the road cuts show the amazing geology created by an awesome God. Waterfalls pour over these walls, filling pools like the Devil's Punchbowl (though this waterfall itself is empty now, like Dry Falls further south).

Once in Grand Coulee and Coulee Dam, we came on the dam itself. I've seen this so many times in the last twenty years, but today it was stunning. My mother said she saw a documentary recently that said this dam was never meant to be the behemoth it became; it was originally a small dam, but Roosevelt upgraded the plans at his second term because he wanted to make it a national monument. It shows. The massive structure fills the junction of these coulees; Hoover Dam may be taller, but nothing compares with the breadth of this wonder. I remember many late summer evenings sitting there, watching the laser light story play across its surface, and fireworks shaking its massive bulk in the hot night. Stunning.

We went further into the town below, and found an abandoned railroad tunnel beside a pretty creek, bunches of little blue flowers in a park and under a bridge, and a small bee up my pantleg (and squished it, thinking it was a tick). We wandered through the old officers' recreation area from the time of the construction, and introduced my little niece (and daughter too) to cold creeks, mossy rocks, mossy grass, prickly bushes and bouncy footbridges.

My parents then took us up to the top of the hills above the town and the dam, to a lookout that was breathtaking; my dh had been there before, but around 25 years ago. Standing on the edge of the cliff, we could see the entire dam, the siphons that carry water up to Banks Lake, the "manicured" post-dam river that looks like a large canal, three different towns, the massive pile of rubble used to mix concrete for the structure, railroad grades and conveyor-belt routes of old, and a fabulous full moon over shimmering, wind-swept waves.

We headed back home by way of the chain of alkaline lakes in the lower Grand Coulee, the last of which -- Soap Lake -- was once known for its "healing powers." Huge black cliffs, with a royal blue ceiling, and a brilliant white moon shining off the lakes ... aahhh. What a precious Creator! That He would give us such a beautiful land to live in, despite the rattlesnakes, ticks and black widows. I can put up with those, just as long as I get days like this.

My dd doesn't realize it yet, but not everyone gets to see this kind of thing. I grew up in rainforests and bays and oceans -- wonderful in their own right -- but not knowing that this place existed. I appreciate it so much because its so new to me. She and my dh have the pleasure of discovering those other places with me as their guide; here, my dh is the guide, and we can see this stark but amazing place through his eyes and experiences. Hopefully dd will grow up knowing and loving both.

By the way, Venus is the bright star you see in the west at nightfall these days. This week, the Pleiades (or 7 Sisters) can be found above it. Interesting fact: the Pleiades and Orion are the only constellations listed in Scripture (there might be one more, actually -- I'll have to look that one up), and they're the only spacially-linked constellations in our night sky. Worth taking out the telescope.

Goodnight.

Posted in Family Life

I am heading off for two conferences this week. In the same town (two hours away), but with a day and a half between, so I have to travel back and forth. How crazy.

First is the pastor and leaders conference. People like Gale Irwin. Should be good. I've been leading the women by the seat of my pants for nine months now. It will be nice to find out whether I'm doing anything right. (Slight fascetiousness there. Only slight.)

Second is the WATCH conference for Eastern Washington. Our state Christian Homeschool conference has broken into smaller regional conferences and activities under one umbrella. Should be good too, I hope. I loved the big one, so I hope this one will be on par. Hubby goes with me to this one, and Saturday is his bday, so I might get to take him to dinner in the big city. Pleasant thought.

Anyway, I'll be thinking of you all while I'm away. Honestly. I'm constantly thinking that I ought to come write and then read all your stuff more often. Mmm. Someday, I guess. Have a good week.

Posted in Family Life

If any of you read the last post I left on soy, I thought I'd tell you that Mr. Rutz posted his sixth and final article in the series. Go over to the right sidebar .... yeah, over there .... and click on World Net Daily. Then go to writer archives and look up Mr. Rutz. You should find his whole series pretty easily from there.

Happy reading .... and steaming.

Posted in Family Life

(Oh, my -- it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry I can't be around more often to amuse you all!)

My dad just alerted me to this article on World Net Daily. {Moms -- there is specific "medical" terminology used in this one!} I wasn't surprised with what he said. I'm more surprised that it took this long for someone to say it.

When my little one (a weak, tiny preemie at the time) was about three months old, we were told that she should not have any cow's milk 'til she was over five years old. This has to do with a link between babies of moms with type 1 diabetes and the specific milk protein that is most similar to that of the cells that make insulin. These poor little ones seem to be developing type 1 diabetes at astonishing rates.

We, of course, read the info first, and then agreed that it was a danger we'd rather avoid.

I was breastfeeding at the time, but needed to supplement with formula. The long stay in NICU meant that I wasn't producing enough milk for her. Not to mention that she had been ingesting cow's milk formula for over a month by the time we brought her home.

So, it wasn't until her fifth birthday that we slowly started adding cow's milk into her diet. To be honest, it wasn't until the last few months that she would actually drink it.

The curious -- and disturbing -- conclusion we eventually came to was this ... the soy was actually making her gain too much weight. Don't tell her I told you, but at seven years old, she weighs 100 lbs! She doesn't overreat, and we don't eat much sugar (try to tell Sunday School teachers and AWANA leaders that!), so it wasn't her diet. And this one climbs the walls, so activity levels aren't an issue. The only thing I could think was that the natural estrogen levels in soy were causing her hormones (including growth -- see where I'm going with this?) to go completely out of control.

We took her off soy over a year ago now, and finally her weight is levelling off and she's thinning out. (She's also over four feet tall, so she's not as heavy as that sounds.) Now I wonder what would happen if I could find (or produce ourselves) a natural (unprocessed, non-homogenized), full-fat milk -- not for continual consumption as was my own downfall in college, but for that occasional cold cereal, bowl of pudding, or mug of hot cocoa.

I do think, though, that soy -- eaten in proper moderation, of course -- should be healthy for us. After all, it is one of the foods that God created for us. Unfortunately, like all else that is good, we have taken it to an unhealthy extreme.

Needless to say, if you have boys, please limit their consumption of soy -- both for the reasons discussed in the article and for the reason I listed above.