We may actually have our home improvement projects done before Thanksgiving.  We now have space to homeschool, not to mention EAT. 

The stove was moved back and plugged in none too soon. Recent deaths in our church family meant serving food for the bereaved. Handsome Hubby just informed me that the Deacons will be cooking dinners for the widows of our church in a couple of weeks [so I'll try to have a backup meal ready to thaw and serve in case they burn the Fellowship Hall down--just kidding, sweetie!].  My pal Kasey is famous for saying: "A Baptist meets all catastrophes with  Scripture, prayer, and casseroles." 

The office, kitchen, and two of the bedrooms are painted leaving only the dining room. The floor in the kitchen is absolutely MAAHH-velous, and almost complete.  And the stuff we've gotten rid of! Yikes! Who knew that there was a whole 'nother house hiding in the mess of the one we now dwell? That's how it felt, going through all the clutter. Space and order is so refreshing.

 In family devotional time last night, I had to confess that my attitude stunk during the remodel [as though the family didn't already guess that about two months ago!]

The Family LIfe broadcast yesterday with Nancy Leigh DeMoss focused on being grateful. How convicting! Here God's blessing us to improve our home and fussing about the inconvenience and disorder.  What was really a blessing, I treated as a burden. The end of this messy process will yield beauty, comfort, and order for our family. But I was stubbornly holding an  "I can't stand the mess RIGHT NOW" attitude. Once again, something small became a teaching moment from God. This little lesson in patience and gratefulness is easy to hear and to give lip-service to, but  hard to put into  practice. 

So, gentle reader, we are getting it altogether again in so many ways.  If I can actually take a picture that isn't fuzzy, I might post some when we are all finished.

We are in the middle of a remodeling project. Or perhaps I should say "projects."  The kitchen floor has been mostly ripped up, we have trim stacked in the foyer for the cabinets, new wood flooring stacked in the dining room for the kitchen, tile for the bathrooms and laundry stacked in the garage. The garage and shed need siding up before the really bad weather sets in. And, yes, we are hoping to re-do the "dining room of many colors"  so it is all one harmonious hue instead of the patchwork of paint samples that we about which we were undecided.

In the middle of this mess, it is just too distracting to do school. Since we are doing very well with our days and our assignments, we are taking off a few days. The kids could use a break, and I need time to clear out some clutter and take stock of where we are academically. I also need to make a LOT of copies of certain things and my printer has died an unnatural death. Chalk up a day out to town for a Xerox run.

Tonight we're having microwaved burritos and putting down the new kitchen floor. I can't cook homemade meals right now because the stove has been moved.

It's been an eventful day already. The children and I have  rearranged furniture, done some yard work, and  tossed some unnecessary books.  Boy, that hurt to type. It goes against my grain to call any children's books unnecessary. My friends that know what a book-nerd I am will be shocked to read that. I may bring them to Jen's get-together this Friday so I can make sure they find good homes.

I'm almost ready to let go of children's clothes, too. Notice I said almost.  Every article of clothing my children have worn has been carefully stored for future use. We weren't sure how many blessings the Lord would give us, so I kept all the clothes to save money.  Now that we know there probably won't be any more little ones around here, it's time to start letting some things go. Ouch. That hurt to type, too.

All in all, we need some time to regroup, catch up on home stuff, get ready for winter, and make more detailed lesson plans. We have a small time window before Dad starts his next several surgeries. I plan to make a little time to find out what it is like to sit down for a while and relax, too. With a cup of tea that Pat sent me this week. Ahh! Things are shaping up nicely already.

My sweet cousin sent me a picture of a family Thanksgiving celebration from the 1960s in Cades Cove. My dear mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousins are all there. It was so touching to see my mother again. I hadn't seen her in so long--it struck me how much my middle child looks like her. The oldest lady [seated on the left hand side] is directly in front of my Mom--the blonde- headed teenager.

How do you make the time pass when you aren't really supposed to be doing anything at all? Well, crochet and read, of course! You watch Pride and Prejudice. Over and over and over again. And peruse catalogs.  

For a woman who hates to shop in town, I really enjoy having a handy stack of catalogs available. There are a few clothing catalogs around here, but there's also a steady supply of book catalogs, craft supply vendors, garden seed publications, and home decorating brochures. My husband has referred to them as my stack of wasted trees--joking of course, but he marvels at the amount of catalogs we get when we don't buy anything!  

And let's not forget the magazines. Some I've bought, others have been gifts from friends. Old copies of Victoria, Southern Living, Cooking Light, Tea Time, Southern Lady, Country Sampler, Country Woman, Grit, Ideals, and Skeet Savage's Home School Digest are in a basket that I keep handy for myself, my oldest daughter, and friends.  If that weren't enough, I'm thinking about getting a subscription for The Girlhood Home Companion for Thelma Lou.

My aunt--who is an avid gardener, cook, crafter, and all around fun gal to be around-- and I hit upon the idea to trade our old magazines.  We've learned new crochet patterns, recipes, garden hints, and decorating ideas.  Magazines in good condition are often available at used book stores or even Goodwill.  Since  they are so expensive on the newstand [sometimes $4 or $5 or more], buying them used makes sense.

Besides, when I'm sick, my marvelous fabulous husband pitches in to help with laundry. It's better for me to bury my head in a catalog than interject, "Gee, hon, the towels stack better if you fold them this way."  Yep, it's just much better to read, clip coupons, and pretend that I'm not going to refold the whole stack as soon as I get better or he goes to work.  LOL!

Since I'm having surgery tomorrow, I'm making sure that there are some good things to eat for my family while I recover.  Not that I won't be back home the same day, but my husband is a diligent nurse. There will be no kitchen work [much to my chagrin] while I recuperate. So, I'm cooking now.

So far:

2 Peanut Butter Banana Walnut Cakes

1 large lasagna [will last two days]

1 large pot of pintos & cornbread

1` sugarfree chocolate pie

I'm getting ready to let some bread dough rise and cook some skillet spuds with rosemary and garlic. I'm planning on cooking some carrots, too--the baby loves them!  Maybe I'll get around to getting a batch of cinnamon chicken ready, too.  Depends on how much laundry I finish.

For pity's sake, it's only outpatient surgery, but I'm cooking like I'll be gone for much longer! Well, at least we'll enjoy the accrued benefit of having food ready when we want it!

We are back to school!  Since we take my Dad every day to the hospital for radiation treatments, and have been there daily for the last month and a half, and weekly since February of this year, the staff at Dad's doctor's office graciously showed us a room where the kids could do school work.  The doctors and nurses know our children by first names, too.  We have become "the face of homeschooling" to many people who have never met such fabled creatures as ourselves [LOL]. I'm praying it's a positive representation!

Our daily schedule looks like this:

Up at 6:30. My Bible time. Kids up and ready. Animals fed, lot cleaned, kitchen cleaned, supper started in crock pot, pack for the day.

8:00  Leave for Dad's. We do Diana Waring's history cd's and listen to Charles Swindoll.  We bought a Jim Weiss storytelling cd and the kids love it. More of those are on my to-purchase list. I'm not surprised that the kids learn history through story---I learned quite a bit of English history [not all of it is something I wish I'd read!] through books by Jean Plaidy. [In answer to the question I'm sure will be asked, NO, now that I'm a Christian, I don't recommend these for your Charlotte Mason adventures with children!]

9:00 Leave for hopsital.

10:00 Dad's treatment. Kids do math and reading.

12:00 back at Dad's for lunch.  We do our Bible workbooks, grammar, phonics/spelling, science, writing on our history timelines, and writing assignments while my Dad rests from his treatments.  For the first six weeks of Bible, we are using Josh McDowell's Beyond Belief: True or False curriculum. They are inexpensive, and provide big truths in little chunks.  

We do chores at his house, fix his supper, and then go home. It's a challenge keeping Thelma Lou's mind on school with all of Papaw's cats just outside--she's more like Ellie Mae Clampett than Thelma Lou!

Evenings are for homework , more chores, and family time. We have several home projects going on, including painting the inside, getting new carpet next week, and fixing the kitchen and bathroom floors before my surgery [ or -ies--still unsure]. Most likely, that charming experience will be after Dad's treatments are finished, but before our return to Vanderbilt for a checkup in October. 

No vacation this year, all the off time has to be used to help when I'm recuperating from surgery or taking Dad to his appointments. His facial reconstructive surgery may be this year, too, and he needs another corneal transplant. 

I had to chuckle when I got an email about field trips from a local homeschool group. Our whole school is one big trip! Yes, even in trying circumstances homeschooling is possible. The only things that we aren't able to do as I wished are the experiments with our science and our reading selections don't last long enough. The kids are already finished with books that were intended to last four to six weeks[ only in school for two weeks].  The kids get  to see much more of life than I did when their age, they meet interesting people, and they ask lots of questions. Plus, they have spent time with their Grandpa and extended family that they had never even met until this year.

So life is busy. Nothing new about that. Plus, our baby [officially nicknamed Charlene Darlin' ], will turn one year old in September!  What a year it's been!  It's all worth it.

Yesterday in the bright morning light I awoke to the sounds of ----not birds, not frogs, not alarm clocks---but sick children!  Yikes, from morning till night my washing machine, bathtub, and mop bucket were full of clothes, kids, and cleaners. Thank goodness it was only a 24 hour bug.

Bless their hearts, these usually active and happy children were as droopy as my unwatered peace lily. [That's on today's to do list. ]  We watched movies, listened to cds, and took very long naps.  Poor hubby had to come home early to watch the children so I could go to an important doctor's appointment. My brother had to take my Dad to his radiation treatment.  They are much better today, except dear son--who felt the worst--is still pretty tired.

I must admit, I was very tired last night. Even my soul was tired after reading some news from the last week or so that I've missed. Hmmm, that was certainly the history lesson I wished I'd missed.... Then I switched to something light--Todd Wilson's first Homeschool comic book.  When I got to the one about the Mom who tried to count taking a bath as a "marine biology field trip", I guffawed.  It sounded just like our "science" adventures. 

I'm still doing laundry today. The dryer sounds like it's about to give out. I kid you not, it sounds like it's possessed by Lucille Ball because the high-pitched noise it's making sounds just like it's saying, "RICKYYYYY!!!  RICKYYYY!!!"

Oh, yes, it's Wednesday and we're all better now and going to church tonight. After all, we don't want THIS to happen again.  [Just kidding!]

My niece arrived about 8 am this morning. She's healthy, almost 20 inches long, and over 6 lbs. YEAH! Momma's healthy too. Now I need to think up an Andy Griffith Show -related codename for her like I have for my kids when I blog. I'm tied between Ellie Walker or, "The beautiful, the tempestuous Josephine Pike...."   :-) Thank you Lord for thisprecious addition to our family!

Okay, that's an exaggeration, but I'm glad I was at prayer meeting instead of the porch when this big tree fell.

Here's as much of it as I could fit in one shot:

The view from the porch interior:

The corner of the porch was completely smashed.

At least we could open the door!

Because you never know when a tree will fall on your house.

We just spent a week in the hospital with Dad. Now he's home, but he just called to say a tree fell on his house. We're trying to assess the damage. He insists on staying at his home. We're hoping he'll come over here.  We may have to hog-tie him.....

So what can I rejoice in over this new development? First, that Dad wasn't on his porch when it happened, but at church. The lesson here is, mid-week prayer service can save your life! :)

Dad has cancer. His mom and uncles all had it. My mom and her mom had it. My mother-in-law had it.

I really hate cancer.

But I have this verse that gives me hope and strength----

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." No cancer there--ever. [2 Cornithians 5:1]

Just a mere three weeks ago we thought my Dad would be having face-altering surgery. After surgery would radiation therapy and  we weren't sure about the Through an office snafu, the surgery couldn't be scheduled because the orders weren't processed correctly before the two attending surgeons in Nashville went on a week long vacation.  The tumor grew more rapidly than they were prepared to operate on and as a result, chemotherapy was the only option left.

Dad started chemo and had it for two straight days.  His doctor in Knoxville called me personally to say this route was a long-shot. We needed to be prepared that it wouldn't work.  He may not make it through this.

All I know is that our family is choosing to trust God.

My friend Jamie died this week. We've just been back from her funeral a few hours. I hadn't seen Jamie in a while. The last time was at church. We were praying together because she wasn't sure of her salvation. But when she finished praying, what a smile and sense of relief that played across her features!  I'm glad that is my last memory of my friend.

We'd had many heart to heart conversations and fun over the years. Like the infamous Cracker Barrel dinner where one of  my kids got sick at the table. She laughed so hard--it was one of those "I shouldn't laugh but can't help it" moments.  She always joked that she'd sit on the end of the table when we went anywhere to eat after that!

My sister in Christ is with the Master now.  I know Heaven is even sweeter now because she's there.

Has it really been nearly a month since I blogged?  I think we can safely say that my computer time has been effectively reduced!

We had a wonderful Christmas and celebrated my son's and daughter's birthdays, too.  Birthday week  always includes a trip to Chucky Cheese's.  I don't know who has more fun, the kids or Dad! They love to play skee ball and the virtual roller coaster machine. It gets loud in there though! 

The kids got cowboy boots for their birthdays--black and red for Earnest T and bright pink for Thelma Lou. I don't know how many pictures we've taken trying to capture Earnest T.'s fast draw or Thelma Lou's  pink-booted fancy footwork.

Christmas Eve was unforgettable. We had a lightening storm that evening as we headed to church with wind gusts that approached 40-50 miles per hour. Even traffic on the usually "speedy" highway near the house was slowed to a crawl. The crowd who made it to church was small, damp, but joyful.  After church we ventured on into the mountains where my Dad lives, praying the roads weren't  flooded.  We celebrated with him and my brother and then home to bed.

Christmas Day began with prayer by the Christmas tree before the children opened gifts. We had so much to thank God for--He saved my life this year, gave us a healthy baby, protected us,  and loved us. Our son is now ten and daughter is seven. Each year they become more of a joy to us! We have so much to praise Him for.

Later we had dinner with my husband's family. I think we left a little early because my husband wanted the lion's share of the banana pudding I made...

One funny note--I had been trying to find out what Handsome Hubby wanted. My friend Jennifer told me how much she enjoyed her MP3  player, especially since she could download Christian programs from www.oneplace.com . Another neat website with Christian programs available for download in DVD format is www.lightsource.com  . My little brain begins to spin--"Hmmm, wouldn't that be much neater than carrying and purchasing all those cd and dvd albums? Wouldn't it be more convenient for HH to have this gadget on his lunch break ?"  So in early December, I began trying to gauge his response to the idea. He was lukewarm at best. So I just bought him Adrian Rogers cds from Love Worth Finding ministries--his favorite.

On Christmas morning I see a small bag for me under the tree and Dad confidently asserts, "Honey, i know you'll love yours!"  I pulled it out and said, "Why how nice! Thank you honey!............What is it?"

Yep, he'd bought the MP3 player because he thought I'd hinted at it for me!  Later on in the day I confessed to him the truth of the situation. We had a good laugh, returned it, and now I know NOT to hint obviously about anything in front of him!

Honestly, I know I've neglected friends/comments/and regular posting on this blog, but my non-cyber life just took over!  Thank you for stopping by to comment and for emailing me, too. I'm not gone, just forgetful.

It's the last month of what may be my last pregnancy and have had so much going on. It's been a time to thank God for his goodness in bringing baby and me healthfully this far, a time to plan and dream, and  prepare for baby.

As of today, we already have forty days of our 180 day schoolyear completed. We've stayed current with every subject this first quarter and worked ahead on several others. Now that we are very close to taking our "baby vacation", we can do so with a sense of accomplishment. Areas that need further work [place value for the six year old, verb tenses for the nine year old] have been spotted and we can deal with them when we return to class.

LIttle do the kids realize, but they'll still be learning. This time of welcoming a new baby will be the most memorable part of this year, and that's exactly how Dad and I want it.  While it certainly isn't a children''s book, a passage from To Kill A Mockingbird came to mind about the inadvertant learning of children---and how a wise parent takes advantage of it. 

"....I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said...."

Of course, reading that book again as homeschool Mom, other appealing pasages demand my notice:

The remainder of my schooldays were no more auspicious than the first. Indeed, they were an endless Project that slowly evolved into a Unit, in which miles of construction paper and wax crayon were expended by the state of Alabama in its well-meaning but fruitless efforts to teach me Group Dynamics....I could only look around me: Atticus and my uncle, who went to school at home, knew everything---at least, what one didn't know the other did. Furthermore, I couldn't help noticing that my father had served for years in the state legislature, elected each time without opposition, innocent of the adjustments my teachers thought esssential to the development of Good Citizenship....As for me, I knew nothing except what I gathered from ...reading everything I could lay my hands on at home, but as I inclined sluggishly along the Maycomb County school system, I could not help receiving the impression that I was being cheated out of something. Out of what I knew not, yet I did not believe that twelve years of unrelieved boredom was exactly what the state had in mind for me....

...but I digress.

Per the policy of Doehill, I won't be posting pics of Charlene darling when she arrives, but I will announce it on the blog. I've told my friends and family there'll be a shout of Hallelujah to fill the entire Tennessee Valley when she gets here. My husband, insensible of the rigors of a difficult pregnancy, insists that having a kidney stone earlier this year is comparable to bearing children. Three days of pain & nausea versus nearly nine months of pain and nausea---well, it balances out to him. You just have to know my dear hubby to appreciate his sense of humor. He enjoys getting me to respond to such silliness. It's how the family learns new vocabulary words. [All clean, just multi-syllabic.]

This month has been eventful. Hubby fell off a building, cracking a rib and scaring us all half to death. An old lady clutching a half-melted ice cream sandwich attacked the Big Dodge Truck in the parking lot of a local grocery store with a shopping cart, and then swore her buggy never touched the truck. I just let hubby handle the situation---I didn't know whether to hand the poor soul a napkin for her drippy dairy treat or call the police to come and help her find her way home.  She shouldn't have been driving a cart, let alone that big sedan she parked crookedly in the crowded lot. I hope she got home alright.

Sleepless nights have provided time for reading.  So far I've read and re-read   Othello,  King Lear,  a collection of O. Henry stories [I nearly roused the house at 3:30 am one morning laughing at Memoirs of a Yellow Dog], some Father Brown mysteries by G.K. Chesterton, almost 200 pages in an old book I found late one night on my bookshelf, Favorite Poems of the American People.   When my son was born,  I read a collection of Edith Wharton short stories. When my daughter was born, I read the entire Tolkien Rings series in a week and a half. I'm not sure what I'll be reading in the wee small hours after Charlene Darling gets here. The only thing I haven't finished is Dostoevky's Crime and Punishment,  but I'm afraid that might sour my breast milk for the baby. The search for nursing-time reading material thus continues.

All in all, I'd say we're as ready as any parents can be for another child. Diapers, bottles, clothes, blankets, socks, sheets,  more diapers, and extra laundry detergent are all on hand. Bags are packed and kids are ready for a holiday with their Grandpa while I'm at the hospital. They told me they are going to look at their Uncle's Tennessee Walking Horses, watch cartoons, eat a lot [ a diet at my dad's house consists of fried potatoes and onions with generous portions of fried bologna topped off with pears from Cousin Steve's pear tree and a box of little Debbie cakes and washing it all down with Pepsi Cola], play golf in the yard, chase the cats, and play priates in the back of Papaw's truck. Oh, yes, and watch Gene Autry movies because "Papaw's got the Western Channel at his house, Mom!"  They have already packed cowboy hats, bandanas, cap guns, and some gun belts made out of several of my old purse straps .

So, that's life at Doehill.  I'll post soon after Baby #3 makes her grand debut.  And whether or not Papaw survived babysitting.

I love "nesting" for a new baby.  I just love all things homey. Maybe it's not the neatest or best decorated around here, but it's cozy  and welcoming.

The smell of grape juice dripping through a jelly bag is floating through the house on breezes through the large open windows.  Little pink dresses and ruffled blankets are being sorted and stacked everywhere, much to my daughter's and my delight, and brother 's disgust.  A soft crocheted blanket in progress is draped across the arm of my favorite living room easy chair. A cup of Yorkshire tea is waiting for me in my dear little rose patterned teacup.  A bird entertainings us as it performs loudly but sweetly on the porch railing outside the nearest open window to the schoolroom.

This is such a soft day---if feels like September already. The sky is already September blue and the morning was cool and clear. Even the old yellow dog sensed cooler weather and sprang around joyfully.  I might have pet him but he was very wet after romping through dew-soaked field grass.

This is a good day.  Psalm 118:24:  "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Very glad.

On August 12, 1995 my sweet Mother went home to be with Jesus.  The cancer had racked her body and made her too weak too speak. It had spread and devoured her flesh, but her soul belonged to Christ Jesus.  He himself said, "...I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (John 10:28).  This was what kept her going.

I never really understood Mother's faith. Barely out of my teens, I was a nominal Christian, merely a churchgoer. Her Christian life consisted of  much more than a habitual appointment on Sundays and Wednesdays. She carried on with grace that I certainly didn't possess.

There are so many memories of Mom's last days. Friends' kindnesses, heart breaking goodbyes, last smiles.  But now, to me at least,  it is her faithfulness that stands out. When my faith crumpled, hers was sure.  I didn't think about her faith or mine much at all for the next couple of years. My grief swallowed me and I still had a lot of growing up to do. Eventually though, I began to re-think my relationship with God.

It was my husband's growing faith and the preaching of a faithful  minister that triggered the change in my spiritual life. However, I didn't come quietly. I argued, I resisted,  I resented inferences that I needed help beyond myself.  I didn't like one bit the truth that finally became irresistable.   The casual Christianity I'd adopted began to be replaced by a real, living  faith in the real, living Son of God.  The teachings from the Bible seemed to explode with greater urgency and clarity than ever before.  The gentle example of a loving husband, the sound reasoning and clear teaching from Scripture by a faithful pastor, and the constant reaching out by God the Holy Spirit won in the end.

I don't think I'll ever be as strong as Mom was. But at last the source of her faith is clear---the Jesus of the Bible, the resurrected Savior.  Of all the gifts she gave me, an introduction to Him is the best and most lasting.

Our dear pastor's wife taught the children of our church a cute little song called "Showing God's Great Love".  In it, the children sing about everyday examples of showing God's love.

Our nearly 92 year old friend that we take to church had been wanting us to come eat with her. We put her off, mainly because we were afraid of the amount of work it would cause her. But she would not be denied---and we accepted. She was bound and determined to cook for us to repay our taking her to church.

We had the most fabulous country meal I've tasted since my own sweet Mamaw went home to be with Jesus. Garden green beans, peas, fried corn, cornbread, steak and gravy, strawberries, sweet tea, creamed taters and homemade slaw sounds homey, but they tasted so good! 

This little lady was living out what the adult Sunday school lesson was about: showing apprecation to fellow believers, little acts of compassion, hospitality. In short, showing God's great love.

Well, Miss Ruby, you'll probably never read this, but I love and appreciate you. And your delicious green beans!

March came in like a lion, but not with weather. Baby #3 has taken  Doehill Homeschool by storm.

However, nobody feels the storm but me. Morning sickness is like never-ending flu. I've always wanted to lose weight quickly, but this isn't what I had in mind.  FIfteen pounds in three and a half weeks---my pal kasey calls it  "The Miracle Pregnancy Diet".  I have a feeling that when my friends are swapping pregnancy horror stories, my name will crop up with this line, "She dropped two sizes with morning sickness!" 

Get this, my husband wants to take a short cruise for a nice vacation this year. Well, paint me green and call me sour apple, but the line from Shakespeare, "I would fain die a dry death," runs a steady rhythm through my brain.

With continued bouts of sickness and dropping weight, friends have come to the rescue with remedies that helped them. Sucking sour lemons, eating bananas, eating crackers in bed before getting up in the morning, chewing peppermints or Altoids mints, drinking Sprite [ick--I'm so over that!], and other helpful tips have all proved useless. Hopefully, the pickiness about what is coming into my body doesn't indicate baby # 3's temperment, or I'm in BIG trouble.

Everyone has been so kind to NOT talk about food or disgusting things in front of me [except son #1--who is mirthfully enjoying mom's discomfort way too much], but I've even had to miss church. It got to the point where I couldn't just take my pack of crackers and go sit in the outer room of the ladies restroom anymore.  At least the pastor hasn't preached out of certain nauseating passages from Ezekiel, but we did have communion last night at church.  I almost didn't participate--the unleavened bread wasn't a problem, but the juice nearly done me in. I didn't color eggs with the kids this year, a first around here. I just couldn't handle the smell of  boiled eggs and vinegar dye.

However, for some reason, I have the strongest urge to bake cakes. Weird isn't it? Can't stand drinking milk,  butter on toast, or eggs in any way, but I've been busy baking cakes lately. So far I've come up with four new recipes, some I've made multiple times in the last three weeks. They are Lemon cake with Orange Creamsicle Glaze,  Strawberry Pound Cake with a preserve topping [baked in--it goes to the bottom, which inverted looks fabulous], Orange Pound Cake with Orange Creamsicle glaze, and my favorite, White Chocolate Coconut Cake. 

For  a woman who can't eat, I've sure been making sure everyone else does. For the first time--and as a Tennessee native, I'm ashamed to admit it--I've finally gotten my pinto beans to taste right. Our church ladies served for a family who'd had a death this past week, and I took them. Hubby said, "Well, I hope you can do that again. Those smelled pretty good and I didn't get any. " So there's pintos and fresh cornbread waiting on him tonight.  What with the cruise idea and wanting some beans comment, I hope I'm not making him sound selfish. He just wants to pamper me with a nice a vacation and he also knows that fastest way to make me smile is get jealous of my cooking.  Oh, how I love that man!

So, I've not abandoned blogging totally, I've just not been able to sit down and give it the time needed.  Besure to check the sidebar link about the up coming Voice of the Martyrs meeting at our church--IT'S ON MONDAY APRIL 7 AT 7 PM!!!!! BE THERE--YOU'LL NOT REGRET IT!

Time to go--hopefully it won't be so long between my visits to my own blog.

You know in Luke where it says Elisabeth "...hid herself five months..."? [Luke 1:24] well, I have a pet theory about that. I think she probably had killer morning sickness and HAD to hide five months! It must have toughened up Baby John---how else could he grow up to eat locusts and wild honey?

Oh, man, I wish I hadn't just typed that. See ya later---the way I feel now much later........

My friend Kim sent this out this morning. She was right---if there is one link you can visit today, make this the one:

http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php

Dear hubby--whom I've resisted giving a nickname on this blog like I have the children--is celebrating his birthday today.

Dear son--code named Earnest T. Bass--quipped, "Gee, Mom, now he's the same age as you."  Boy, did I get that nickname dead-on or what?  My children get an inordinate amount of pleasure from the fact that I'm OLDER than their dad [by about 3 piddly months]. 

Anyhoo--Happy Birthday, honey. I'm blessed because of this day! 

You know, it's a good thing I've already made up my mind [see earlier posts] that my Christmas focus will be more spiritual this year.

Because after what I did to my husband's beloved Dodge Ram truck the financial part of it probably isn't going to be such a thrill, anyway.

Friends and family who read this blog will be shocked to hear this--because we've haven't said a word about it. But I--yes I, WonderDrip---seriously injured my husband's "third baby". His truck.  He hasn't so much as uttered an angry unkind word though. He has merely cautioned me to be more careful, to pay  more attention.  Of all the men to have their trucks abused by their wives did it HAVE TO BE MY SWEET MAN?

While at a friend's house [um, that would be you, Jennifer] I was backing into what I thought was her driveway to exit her subdivision. THEN....

THWUNK! THWAP! CHU--U--GGG! [CAN YOU TELL WE STUDIED PHONICS DIGRAPHS TODAY?]

I backed into her telephone pole. The stinking pole was fine--but my husband's truck! 

I thought I had just damaged the bumper. "We'll find a junkyard and get another one," I thought, nearly in a panic. "After all this IS Tennessee--we've got nearly as many junkyards as we do mountains!"  Not so.  Upon careful examination, I not only damaged the bumper, but the truck-bed-door-thingy, the bed liner, and something else that I can't remember the name of.

He took the truck to a body shop today to get an estimate and called me. "Hon, do you want to guess how much it is?"  "NO, just tell me, "I said, while in the back of my mind I was trying to calculate what I had in the house to sell on ebay or homeschool buy to cover it and cleanse my conscience.

"Only over $3,000." 

So, I couldn't have a Martha Christmas right now even if I wanted one. I thought about jumping over to the SewSensible website to see if she had patterns for portable holes to crawl into when one pulls a boner like me.

I don't know if there are 'memes' for "fessin' up on Friday".  If not, I officially start it here at Doehill. Sheesh, for $3,000 worth of damage I ought to at least get a little blog traffic out of it.