Posted in Random ramblings

We've had demolished bathrooms and contractors in and out of our house for over a month.  It's getting pretty old!  We finally got a second toilet back in and that's been wonderful.  I'm still missing my bathroom though!  We're in the basement and those middle of the night treks up the stairs get old.  I'll be so thrilled when it's all done!  The flooring is so much nicer!  It really lightens up the basement bathroom.  The contractor keeps turning in new bids to the property manager who in turn contacts the owner for approval.  He's trying very hard to find and repair the leak from the upstairs bathtub.  Every time he fixes a leak another one seems to sprout.  He told the property manager that it's likely going to need new tile and a new tub to remedy all of the leaks.  She will have to convince the owner to pay for that and then the additional work can commence.   The joys of living in a 60 yr. old home that hasn't been updated for 60 years!  I told dh that we won't be surprised when we buy a home and run into these types of problems.  We'll make sure we're ready before we buy.

Posted in Random ramblings

I'm a bzz agent and I received four coupons for a free hamburger.  We chose Sunday to redeem them since dh had it off.  He normally works Sunday afternoons so this was a rare treat.  The nearest Chili's is about 2 miles from our house so we loaded up the stroller and walked over there.  We were able to get a seat right away in spite of our large group.  Then we ordered.  Dh and dd ordered the southern smokehouse  burger.  I ordered the triple the cheese burger and ds ordered the jalepeno smokehouse burger.  Each order came with a serving of seasoned fries and a dipping sauce.  One was an ancho bbq sauce and the other was a jalapeno ranch.  The ranch was the hands down favorite but the bbq sauce wasn't bad.  The burgers are huge.  Not even ds (age 13, bottomless pit) finished his.  We all ate our leftovers for supper.  If dh and I went there on a date we could split one and both be satisfied.  The bacon is really thick and very flavorful.  The burgers were cooked perfectly and the cheese was really good.  It's not a cheap place to eat and the children's menu isn't great but we're adding it to our date night list.  I hadn't been to Chili's since I was in college and I was pleasantly surprised.  Btw, if anyone's interested in becoming a bzzagent and getting freebies to rate just check out their site: www.bzzagent.com 

Posted in My projects

Here it is, the picture of my latest creations.  The blouse is my first attempt at a full bust adjustment.  I'm glad I tried it as it did improve the fit some.  I'm still not completely happy with the fit but it's better then it would have been.  I may add a second dart going down and see if that helps some. 

Posted in Random ramblings

Just after dd's birthday we had a three week round of gastroenteritis go through our house.  Everyone's been well for about a week and a half now but I've been in a slump.  Just as Helen was sleeping without throwing up every few hours daylight savings time started and I'm just starting to recover!  I got a lot accomplished today and I'm thrilled.  I did 4 loads of laundry (I'll fold them and put them all away tomorrow), I got the dining room clean (including sweeping the carpet since the vacuum is broken), I delegated cleaning both bathrooms and the living room so they're clean now too.  I also finished dd's skirt.  It came out really nice!  It's a simple, black a-line skirt with a back zipper closure.  Tomorrow I'm going to have her put the skirt on along with her matching blouse so I can take pictures.  The blouse was my first attempt at a full bust adjustment.  I'm very pleased with how well it turned out.  She's actually wearing it in her birthday pictures but she doesn't have it buttoned up so the fit doesn't show up.  Tomorrow's agenda: laundry folding, movie watching and maybe a little more sewing. 

Posted in The life and times of my family

I'm a couple of weeks behind but here are pictures of my new 16 yr. old!  We celebrated by having some of her friends over for dinner and a movie.  They watched Night at the Opera starring the Marx brothers.  It's satisfying knowing that we've educated her in the finer things in life.    Now, for your viewing pleasure and my mommy brag, my dd! 

Dec. 9, 2007:

Sweet 16!

Posted in The life and times of my family

Today my dh and I celebrate 15 years of marriage.  It has been hard a lot of years but God is faithful, even when we're faithless.   I expect that the next 15 years are going to be much better!  God is working miracles in our relationship everyday!  It is only through His strength that we can do this.  I'm glad I'm married to my guy!  He's taught me so much about myself, about life and about love. 

Posted in politics and current events

For the next few weeks I'm going to be blogging on why I'm not voting for the other Republican candidates.  I will not be discussing Guiliani as I think I've covered my concerns about him in previous posts.  I may cover them all or I may just cover some but I'm starting with Romney.  For this I'm going to start with a link to a youtube video on his abortion record.  Buckle your seatbelts, you might get whiplash! You can't trust Mitt, part 1 abortion    He went back and forth so many times on abortion it's hard to understand how anyone can trust him on either side of the abortion issue.  As a strong advocate for the unborn this is a make or break issue for me.  End of story!  I can't vote for Romney.  He also has a horrible record on judges.  This is a biggie as a president's judge nominations have an impact that can outlive that president.  Here's an article that discusses his choices as Governor.  CONSERVATIVE VOICE: On Judges: Huckabee or Romney?   Add to that his recent claims that his father marched with MLK jr.  and a very Clintonion moment in which he examined the meaning of "saw" and he lacks the trustworthiness required for a president.   Here's a reference for that.   ROMNEY DEFENDS MLK MARCH REMARK   Over all, I'm comfortable with my decision not to vote for Romney. 

Posted in politics and current events

I've added a new link on the right!  Scroll down to my links list and check it out.  You can get several and pass them out or just get one for your car.  Let's get the word out!

Posted in politics and current events

He's only 3 points ahead of Guiliani which is a statistical tie but that's really good for a candidate with very little money.  He's ahead of both Romney and McCain by a larger amount and both candidates have a lot more campaign money then he does.  Here's a link to the day by day results.  Daily presidential polling history  After you've checked that out head to his website, see my links, and see why I support him! 

Posted in Random ramblings

This is in participation with Finding JOY in the Morning's book drawing for "I Love You More" which you can participate with here too!  Drawing entries due by Wednesday, November 28, 2007.  Come join!

If my children asked, "How much do you love me?"  I'd answer, "I love you more then chocolate."

Posted in Random ramblings

As a Christian woman and wife I've heard the term "helpmeet" and read the related scripture many times.  All these years I never really understood what it meant.  In recent days I've been reading some blog entries and discovered some new things that I pray the Lord will use in my life.  I always believed that the term meant "helper" and implied a role similar to a secretary, personal assistant or other type of similar role.  That's not the picture God's word is portraying here.  It turns out that the same Hebrew phrase is used in several places to describe God's help to mankind.  God is certainly not a secretary or assistant!  It really means that my role in my husbands life is to strengthen him with my help when he is struggling.  It is to complement his weaknesses with my strengths as he strengthens my weaknesses with his strengths.  I don't think I've done that very well in our almost 15 yrs. of marriage.  I think I've done it on occasion but not regularly.  I have determined to dig into God's word some more and examine what it says about my role as wife to my husband.  I tend to be bitter and unforgiving of weakness in my husband.  I'm also inclined towards stubborness!  I believe that God's word and the Holy Spirit can root out those things that take away from my ability to be a "suitable helpmeet".  I would challenge others to dig deep and explore the things in God's word that have eluded your understanding.  God will reveal truths to you if you will listen!

Posted in The life and times of my family

Here's my menu for this week:

Mon.: ham and bean soup

Tues.: turkey with fruit sauce and rice

Wed.: chicken with noodles

Thurs.:Thanksgiving dinner (menu tbd tomorrow night when we get our box from church)

Fri.:turkey soup

Sat.:leftovers from Mon.

Sun.:leftovers from Fri.

Posted in politics and current events

For those of you who worry that Huckabee can't beat Clinton, rest assured!  It's possible.  Rasmussen Reports polled voters and found if Huckabee ran against Clinton in the general election 46% would vote for Clinton and 43% would vote for Huckabee.  When you realize that Clinton has a whole lot more money then Huckabee does that bodes very well for him!   Also, don't forget, he's the only candidate of either party that has run against the Clinton political machine and he has won, four times!  He knows what to expect.  Here's the link to the Rasmussen Reports article:

Rasmussen Reports: Huckabee vs. Clinton

Don't give up on supporting a real conservative because you're afraid he'll lose!  Join me in supporting Gov. Huckabee and defeat the Democrats in 2008!

Posted in The life and times of my family

I've decided to participate in Menu Plan Monday this week.  Here's my fabulous plan for the week.

Mon. Buffalo chicken over rice
Tues. southwest chicken and bean tacos
Wed. chicken and gravy over potatoes
Thurs. ham slices with cranberry sauce
Fri. eat at church
Sat. chicken in some sort of sauce (to be invented on the fly) over pasta
Sun. Ham and black beans over rice

Posted in Random ramblings

In an online discussion a few weeks ago, my minority view on baptism came up and I was asked to explain what scriptures lead me to my conclusions.  In response, I spent many hours pouring over my concordance, my Bible and some other materials and I came up with this.  In all of it's "glory", here is why I believe what I believe.

Baptism is mentioned 120 times in the book of Acts. Each of the 9 major conversion stories in the book of Acts culminates in baptism as the immediate faith response. Here are the scripture references for four of those accounts: Acts 8:35-38, Acts 10, Acts 16:11-15, Acts 16:31-34. In Matt. 3:13-17.  Baptism is the first act of Jesus' ministry. The great commission (Matt. 28:18-19) is the only command given in the name of the entire Godhead. The great commission commands us to baptize everyone who is made a disciple.
Baptism is for:
*forgiveness and  remission of sins:Acts 2:38, 22:16
*the place where we're united with Christ: Gal. 3:26, Col. 2:12, Rom. 6:1-11
*gives us membership in the Church: 1 Cor. 12:13
*allows us to inherit the kingdom of God:John 3:5

Paul said:
*we're baptized into Christ: Gal. 3:27
*we're baptized into his death: Rom. 6:3-6
*baptized into one body: 1 Cor. 12:13

The Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Our response to the Gospel is our death, burial and resurrection and portrayed in Christian baptism.

Baptism is:
*commanded: Matt.28:18-19, Acts 2:38
*practiced: Acts 2:41, et. al
*connected with salvation: 1 Peter 3:21

Also see: Romans 2: 25-29,10:9; Acts 18:26

Many who disagree with me refer to the thief on the cross. Let me tell you what my understanding of that. The thief was still under the old covenant. Just as the many believers listed in Hebrews 11 were saved by faith in the coming Messiah and His death, burial and resurrection, so too was this man saved by that same faith.

One member of my "brand" of Christianity (we're technically not a denomination) suggests to those who disagree with him to just get out a concordance and read every scripture reference on baptism and prayerfully consider them all. He believes that if God's word isn't going to convince someone, he certainly won't be able to.  After reading all of this, you still might disagree with my conclusions but it's obviously not a belief that I've adopted without searching God's word for my answers. :)

Finally, here are three interesting links. Two are for a two part series on the history of baptism. The last one is a wonderful, grace filled column that put into words how I feel about un-immersed believers. The author says things I've always felt and could never articulate.
The history of baptism, part 1, from Paul to Luther
The history of baptism, part 2, The 16th Century origin of faith only salvation

'Not the Only Christians'

Posted in politics and current events

If Guiliani wins will you vote for him in the general election?  I won't and neither will a lot of other people I know.  Several prominent evangelical leaders met in Salt Lake City.  They agreed that if Guiliani wins the primary they will support a third party or independent candidate.   Their decision has been criticized by some conservative pundits but I think they're right.  I think far too many conservatives have been supporting Guiliani in the primary because they're afraid no one else can win.  They're so afraid of another President Clinton.   Someone on a message board made a very wise observation about our political choices.   "As a Christian, I should be doing things out of faith not fear."  Are we supporting a candidate that opposes everything we believe in because we're afraid??  As a long time observer of politics in this country, I've come to a few conclusions.   We survived President Clinton and we'll survive another Democrat.  Do I want one??  Absolutely not but I won't be ruled by fear.    Do we really think that our God isn't big enough to handle Hillary Clinton as president?  Is He so weak that a bad president will destroy His plans?  I'm supporting Huckabee in the primary (see my link for more information about his campaign) and I believe that if he wins the primary he has a chance at the presidency.  The country is frustrated and ripe for change.  That means a Republican candidate will have to work very, very hard to win in 2008.  That doesn't mean it's impossible.     I will sometimes plug my nose and vote for a candidate I don't like but when there is little or no difference between the Republican and the Democrat (and there won't be if Guiliani gets the nomination) then why not vote for someone else?   What are we afraid of?  If the past is any indication, in our country, a Democrat in the White house will likely lead to a Republican takeover in Congress in 2010.  That means he or she will only have two years to pass his/her agenda with a cooperative Congress.  Even with a Democratic majority the minority still has the filibuster in the Senate and we can stay on our congressional reps. to make sure they understand the political consequences of supporting the liberal agenda.  If Guiliani wins, the Republican party will take a giant leap to the left leaving conservatives with no major party to support.  We must send the message to the Republicans that we want the party to stand with us for real conservative principles.  If the Republican party looks just like the Democrats then what's the point.   They need to remember how the GOP got its start.  The Whig party refused to oppose slavery.   When opposition to slavery reached critical mass they had no party to join so they started a new one.  The GOP is still here.  Have you seen any Whig candidates lately?  

Posted in Grace Academy

Our first official week is almost over.  It's been tough in some places but we're getting through.  I am going to have to tweak the schedule some as dd is struggling to finish everything in the time alloted for school.  I know it's an awful lot but I know she can do it.  She had a really good time working on her history outline but it took a lot of time.  The younger students are bored with their work and are very distracting.  We're going to keep plugging along and get through this!  It's going to take a lot of discipline and hard work though!

Posted in The life and times of my family

We had a ladies brunch today at church and on the way my truck made a very scary sound.  I'm no mechanic but I knew enough to get off the road.  I eased over into the right lane and pulled into a parking lot.  It has been temporarily repaired and it needs a new U joint.  That's a $10 part and so it's affordable.  Throughout the whole ordeal I had no idea how we were going to get it repaired but God was still revealing His tender mercies and care to me.  Here are the things He did for me, even before I knew how it was going to get it fixed.

1.I was planning to take the freeway but dh called and wanted me to drop some stuff at work. I took surface streets instead.  If I'd been on the freeway I may have lost control of the car when the rod broke and been in an accident.
2.I had the cellphone with me. I don't always take it as it's really dh's phone.
3.I was able to move it off of the street and into a parking lot so no towtruck expenses.
4.Our friend, Jordan was able to come pick us up and since I only had the girls we all fit in his little car.
5.I had decided to just go home and give up on the ladies brunch but Jordan misunderstood so we went to church.  While there I shared my struggles with the other ladies and the church secretary took it upon herself to call Jack, a member who mechaniced professionally for years.
6.Jack was going to be passing where our truck was and had time to stop by and take a look. 

It's still parked where I left it, I'm not comfortable driving it but Jack was able to get it driveable again, PTL!  Jordan will take dh to get it tonight after work.  Meanwhile, I'm praising my Father in Heaven for caring for me.

 

Posted in The life and times of my family

Our family is proud to announce that dh AKA Daddy is the proud recipient of an Associates of Occupational Science from Colorado School of Healing arts with certificates in cranio-sacral therapy, neuro-muscular therapy, sports massage and trauma touch therapy.  That adds up to a total of at least 2000 hours of training in massage therapy, enough to practice anywhere in North America.  We celebrated at his graduation on Sunday and followed it up with a quiet get together for friends at our house afterwards.  We're rejoicing that 2 1/2 years of hard work and sacrifice has resulted in a succesful finish to his education.  Praise the Lord for His faithfullness to us throughout this journey.  Here is a picture of the proud graduate.

Posted in Grace Academy

I'm about halfway through putting in all of my oldest dd's assignments into homeschool tracker.  It's very time consuming, especially since I have the free version.  I've got all of her math assignments in through the end of her current book.  I'll enter the assignments for next book when I get it.  I'm also finished putting in all of her writeshop assignments.  I've made a good start on the history assignments but I have quite a ways to go.  I need to finish assigning all of the state notebooking and the reading for the literature component.  I also need to enter her science, Latin and Greek roots assignments and some vocabulary.  I can't find the book I was going to use for vocabulary so I need to do some digging.  I'm not planning on doing this kind of in depth record keeping for the younger two.  I'll just record what they've done each day in a journal type format.   That should save me some time.  I think I have just about everything I need to get started on the school year.  I will need some materials in the middle of the year as the dc complete their current math books.  After I finish entering all of this info.  I'll need to start typing up all of the copywork assigments, printing off the root notebooking pages and the state notebooking pages.   Phew!  It's a lot of work but I think this will make the year run much more smoother.