Chicken Huppy

Haiti Two Minute Testimony

2011-08-03T15:46:00.001-07:00

I will be sharing more posts about my recent trip to Haiti, and here's the first:

As a short term mission team our goal for the week may have been different, but our result was this-
We ended up encouraging and working alongside fellow brothers and sisters in Christ- from all over the USA and from Haiti. We treated people as equals and were able to appreciate each other’s gifts and strengths.

Realistically it’s very hard to convert people to Christ in a week’s time, but we were able to instead help the Haitians know we see them, know they are there, give them resources and groundwork for future outreach in their community, and live with them.

There’s something about working side by side with someone, sharing meals and bus rides and life and adventures, that creates a bond that reaches across the miles and says “God loves you. I love you. You are important to the kingdom.”

That’s exactly the message I would want to hear if my church community had been in a devastating, life-changing situation. I felt honored to be part of this group.

Philippians 2

New International Version (NIV)

Philippians 2:1-11
Imitating Christ’s Humility
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
   did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
   by taking the very nature of a servant,
   being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
   he humbled himself
   by becoming obedient to death—
      even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
   and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.

A Covert Conversation

2011-07-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Denali has been sent to my room because he was being grouchy. I am on the phone with my mom. Later I find this handwritten conversation between Emlyn and Denali:

Emlyn: I wish you could come out.
Denali: Me too.
E: But mom's on the phone!!
D: Then wait for her to get off
E: OK
E: I'll tell you when she's off!
E: Dinner's bad.
D: What is it?
E: ???????IDK??????? (I don't know)
E: Nachos but she's making beans. Oops!
D: YESSS!
E: I know.

Japan Relief

2011-04-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

So my dad went to Japan to help with the relief effort. He will be there for 6 weeks and he is driving vanloads of stuff to affected areas. I am so proud of him and breathlessly following the blog posts and updates of his trip.

Today I received a newsletter from the group he's working with that made me cry. They shared pictures of where my dad has been helping, and seeing him in the pictures almost made me cry out of compassion and pride. Then they shared a firsthand video of the tsunami hitting that did make me cry. It was very intense.

I highly recommend that you follow these links. They have touched me in a way I didn't expect.

First, an unreal video.

Then a slideshow of pictures.

Then a link to my dad's blog.

Off to eat my mundane lunch in my calm rich protected life.

Spring Has Sprung

2011-03-12T08:56:00.000-08:00

The trees and plants are telling us that it's Spring here in Austin. The weather is lovely and the birds are very happy.

I love this time of year because it reminds me of the climate where I grew up. If only it would stay in the 60s and 70s year-round here...

This weekend to start our Spring Break we were supposed to go camping, and it was going to be FABULOUS. Unfortunately Emlyn is on her 5th day of fever and we didn't want her to get more sick by being stressed. So we canceled that and are having another stay-home day with lots of cleaning and playing.

Serene Spaces, my business, is going very well. I am averaging one new client a week, which is AWESOME. I have really loved getting to know new people and bringing them peace in their homes.

My new hobby, which I love so much, is Irish Step Dancing. Think Riverdance. I just can't get enough of it, and if you would like to see me dance you have an opportunity on St Patrick's Day, from 6 to 7:30 pm, at Central Market on 40th and Lamar. It will be so cool.

Anyway off to do more cleaning.

Menu Planning- Do you?

2011-01-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

I have to say, one of the things that has helped me the most as a mom/wife is menu planning. There is nothing like 6 pm when you don't know what you're going to serve your family, and the usual result is peanut butter and jelly or eating out.

Today I took a stock of all my perishable goods (including my freezer) and wrote down everything that wasn't a condiment or ready-to-eat food. I then made a menu from that, writing down the things I would need to purchase to make the menu complete.

As a result, I know I will be using most of the things that would otherwise go bad, and I am making room in my freezer for other yumminess.

My philosophy of meal planning says that I don't plan out what to cook on what day. I just choose from the options on each day so if circumstances change I can be flexible. I also try to plan at least one super easy meal and have stuff on hand to just heat up if necessary. I try not to plan too many new recipes in one week.

Here is my menu for the next week or so (some of the things will be cooked as desserts, not meals). Feel free to drool. Just wipe off the keyboard when you are finished.

Meal 1: Chicken and dumplings
Meal 2: Biscuits, gravy, sausage, eggs
Meal 3: Shrimp linguine
Meal 4: Pumpkin pie
Meal 5: Brownies
Meal 6: Mahi mahi with artichoke hearts
Meal 7: Banana bread
Meal 8: Peach cobbler
Meal 9: Chips and salsa
Meal 10: Spaghetti
Meal 11: Harvest pork stew

Now I gotta eat some breakfast and then go to HEB. With kids.

A Tale of the Attacking Tomato Plants

2010-12-22T08:28:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, a young lady had the idea to plant her tomato plants in a new spot in her yard. She realized that if she planted her tomatoes near the air conditioner drain line, they would be watered every time the a/c went on, and therefore the hotter it got, the more they would be watered. She planted five little baby plants near the drain and waited.

A few weeks later they grew out of the cages she had planted them in. And they started to climb on the a/c unit. Worried that they would interfere with the efficiency of the machine, she rigged a netting/ bamboo stick fence to keep the now 4 foot tall vines away from the a/c.

Worries about birds and squirrels were alleviated when it seemed they were blind to the tomatoes (they were too busy eating peaches).

A week later she noticed that the marigold and watermelon plants she had put under the tomatoes as companion plants were all dead and smothered. She brushed away the concerns and went back to kneeling on the ground and reaching in to get the beautiful delicious ripe tomatoes.

She bragged on Facebook and her blog about the bowls of tomatoes she was harvesting long after others had stopped producing.

One muggy morning she discovered the tomato plants had reached all the way across a five foot walkway and one could not reach the gate behind to take out the trash. A little concern reached her conscious mind, but since it was late July she knew the plants were almost done, so she put a couple more tomato cages as a barrier to the vines and kept harvesting tomatoes.

The next month the sunflowers stopped blooming and stink bugs arrived on her tomatoes. Her precious tomatoes were now marred by speckles! Sometimes they didn't taste as good! She figured she had harvested plenty, so let them be. Surely they would die soon and then the family could use the space for something else. This plan worked until her husband noticed the fruit rotting on the vine and would bring in pints at a time. She froze them as fast as he harvested, planning to make sauce. Her freezer was soon full of gallon bags of tomatoes. And the vines kept creeping.

They were hanging over every barrier they had placed. The vines moved 4 feet over and took over the passion flower trellis. They continued to threaten the a/c, the path, and the lives of whomever ventured over there.

Finally the weather started to change. The temperature dropped closer to freezing. But the vines would not give up! It's just wrong to cut up a vine that is still producing, so the husband wearily harvested.

Four days before Christmas, she finally called it. She took some clippers and a big plastic bin and went to attack the vine. She mercilessly cut off branches with ripe and unripe fruit. She ripped off vines that were dead. She slowly freed, one by one, all of the barriers that had been put into place all year long. She uncovered the trellis for the passion flower and grass that had been buried by vines. She shook the fruit onto the ground for reseeding next year (no, she hadn't learned her lesson).

As she surveyed the destruction, she began to plan next year's garden. She knew it was dangerous. She knew they could be smothered in bell peppers or cucumbers or tomatoes again, simply by putting the plants near the a/c. But she knew as long as Austin was hot, she would be using that spot for her favorite veggies.

Hello? Anyone still there?

2010-12-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

I know, I have neglected you all for too long. Most of you have given up on me.

Life has been extraordinarily crazy the last few months.

Denali started kindergarten, which means that I had to start making money.

So I have been organizing, selling books on Amazon, sewing beautiful things to sell, being a companion to a lovely lady, being the office manager for Good News Walking, and substitute teaching at my kids' school.

And of course keeping the house running and my family happy. So you can see why I haven't had a lot of free time.

As Christmas approaches I am so thankful for the ability to have a flexible schedule, even though it is a little more crowded than usual. I have been able to help out at the kids' school, including the upcoming multicultural fair, where I will be Irish step dancing for the kids.

I have also had time to decorate the house for Christmas and still be sane at the end of the day.

This week I am also starting a 12 Days of Giveaways on my book review blog. Day 2 can be found here. Enter to win, and if you subscribe to the book blog on google reader or whatever, leave another comment on the giveaway page and you will get double entries for that day.

Just remember, Sarah loves you, and Sarah also doesn't like housework. So there.

Treasure these moments

2010-09-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

In the last week I have had the opportunity and pleasure to be a companion to a sweet lady who has lived a long time. She remembers the Great Depression, WWII (where her husband was a Navy man), and many other things. In fact her memories of days gone past are much easier for her to access than her memories of yesterday.

I have loved being able to spend time with her and listen to her stories and eat lunch with her and shop with her. She is a sweet southern belle and very genteel. When my two weeks are up I will be sorely tempted to continue visiting with her.

This has made me remember and want to share with you something that I feel is very important. We are to be taking care of the elderly in our lives. We are to share our time and respect them. If you have family in town that you don't get to see very often I would strongly encourage you to make more time. Bring them lunch or take them out to lunch. Go shopping or sit in their living room with a catalog and pretend to shop. Ask about the pictures they have hanging. Their memories and wisdom are a treasure that we won't have forever. I wish that my grandmothers lived in town so that I could be a companion to them.

If you don't have family in town, I encourage you to find someone to "adopt." Go ask at an assisted living home or senior center, or at your church.

Yes, I know there are downsides. Sometimes they lose their filter on their speech and can seem overly critical of you or a choice you have made. Sometimes they can't hear or see very well and you have to accommodate for that. Sometimes they move REALLY slowly.

But I would argue that these are all ways to help you pay more attention to them, not less. They have many years of experience doing most of the same things you will be doing. They can teach you just like you can try to teach them how to operate satellite TV.

Go forth. Be a friend.

End of soapbox.

New Book Reviews Posted, including a giveaway

2010-09-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

Hola friends. I have been scarce around here because I am too busy enjoying life to sit down and write about it. But I thought I would pop in and let you know about some books I reviewed recently:

Fault Line: A spy story.
The dollshop downstairs: a children's story.
Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs: kid's story about appreciating where you are.
Giveaway: The Aedyn Chronicles: open till Sunday
The Prophecy: Christian Horror book (I guess that's the genre)
Starlighter: Christian fantasy about dragons
The Rape of Nanking: Chinese holocaust

Anyway I highly recommend you go and check these reviews out. I have a wide selection of books up there for you to look at.

See you later!

Quilt

2010-09-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

A while ago I posted in process pictures of my batik quilt.
I then put it on my bed but was always afraid it would get messed up or something.
So I put it up on the wall, directly across from my bed, and I see it every morning. I love this quilt so much!

Humble Pie

2010-08-24T08:54:00.001-07:00

Don't you just love a good serving of Humble Pie?

I have been eating it every day since my wonderful delightful weekend escape with my husband.

First I had a mini ant invasion and after a little baby powder the ants were gone. You see the baby powder is too fine for the ants and it makes a barrier they won't cross. So I was very proud of myself for dealing with the pests.

Then a few of my friends were having ant problems in their houses. I was SO sympathetic towards them because "I have never had ant problems in my house in 9 years of living here. That is really crummy for you!"

Then this weekend we stayed in a lovely little cabin on the Sabinal River. The only problem was the ants. They were in the kitchen and bathroom and they were annoying. Who wants ants on their bath rug?

So I came home and was so proud. I after all have never had an ant infestation. Something is clearly wrong with these people who do have problems.

I bet you can guess what I found on my return from the cabin.

Ants.

In my kitchen, which is a really annoying place to have them. And you know what? Baby powder is not helping. And today they were still here with a vengeance, when I thought they were mostly gone.

So, world, I am confessing. I was proud and snooty and thought better of myself.

I apologize. And repent. And I may have to clean out some cabinets and caulk some cracks.

Making Room for God

2010-06-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

My post yesterday got me thinking about gardening and how God works.

My garden really isn't anything special. I don't spend hours fertilizing and tilling, although in the beginning we spent a lot of time getting all the grass out of the way and putting in good soil (soil! there's another rabbit trail!).

After we planted the plants or seeds, we really left the rest up to God. Occasionally we will water, especially in dry Texas summer. But our ultimate goal with plants is to let them take care of themselves.

This summer has reminded me how little I actually do and how much God does in my garden. There have been summers when I poured much more energy and spent more money on resources and got a terrible result. This year it was all rain and climate. Sure, we planned to plant at the right time, and we chose good plants for our climate. But the rest of it (and the rest is SO MUCH!) was all God.

Now let's get all spiritual and apply this to our relationships with God. I have been studying the parable of the sower and every scripture that relates to that parable has emphasized our job as caretakers but that we don't actually do any of the growing or the work related to that. We can plant and harvest but that's it.

So when we make room in our lives, clear away the "oughts" and "shoulds" that this world tells us we need to do, and clear out all the plans we have to "fix" our spouses and kids and selves, and let God work, he can make amazing things! His plan isn't a cultured lawn. He has a vision so much bigger, so full of awesome, that we cannot even dream it! We can try to plant seeds of Bible study, being with wise people, and etc, but we cannot do it on our own. It's impossible.

Our small minds can only imagine a lawn with pretty trees. But God has much much bigger plans for you. Clear away the weeds, put in some good compost of the Bible, and see what will grow.

our little minds vs God's bigness

God's Garden

2010-06-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

This morning I had a chance to spend a few minutes in our family garden (it's really God's but whatever).

What I saw amazed and delighted me.

Our tomatoes this year have gone crazy to the point that I am almost sick of them. We've had over 2 months of lots of tomatoes every day. The key for us was to put them over by the a/c drain line, so they get lots of free water every day.

Near our tomatoes are the sunflowers Denali wanted to plant. They are huge and beautiful. I have a tiny passionflower vine that has not put out any flowers yet but the Gulf Fritillary caterpillars have found it. This is the only thing the baby caterpillars eat and so the mama butterfly has to find this one plant to lay her eggs. She found ours even though it was barely a foot tall, and every day there are about 10 caterpillars on it.

This morning I saw a cocoon near the vine, which I assume is from one of those caterpillars.

My bird of paradise plant has made its first bloom. If you have never seen one of these you should definitely click the link and see the prettyness. It's gorgeous.

We had a garden spider about an inch long back behind the tomatoes but I don't know where he went.

Our peach tree is so loaded with peaches that we have a stick propping up one of the branches. Every day a squirrel comes and eats half a peach. He seems to think the peaches are ripe but we know they aren't. Soon though.

Every thing in our garden reminds me of God's glory and power and wisdom. I cannot imagine this happening by chance. It is by design.

Emlyn's Recovered

2010-06-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

thanks everyone for your concern for Emmy. She is feeling much better and the doctor has cleared her. We are thankful that none of the rest of us have gotten the illness, whatever it was.

Our summer is now in full swing including visits with friends, art projects, and all sorts of delights.

Off to make breakfast!

Seeds Music

2010-06-16T08:25:00.001-07:00

My friend Bethany let me know about this awesome music available. Seeds Family Worship puts out Scripture to song, and they do it in a fun and great way. We have two of their CDs and let me tell you we all love them. Even Joel is able to tolerate them, and that's saying a lot.

They are trying to fund their next CD, "Seeds of Character", and are having a fundraiser called 45 Days of Worship. I would like you all to click over and check them out!!

Bethany put more details about it in her blog. You can access her posts about Seeds Music here, here, and here.

Summer!

2010-06-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

"So what are you doing this summer?"

I have been discussing this with lots of people recently- school is out and we have lots of free time to play, see friends, go on trips, and do special things that we don't seem to have time for during the year.

This year specifically we are going to soccer camp (indoors, score!), VBS, swim lessons (also indoors!), we're having a cousin visit for a couple weeks, and my sister Ruth is going to be married. It's going to be great.

Unfortunately all we've done so far is nurse Emmy. She has a nasty virus that has fever and staying on the couch. This is day 6 and we are doing all we can to help her get better. Last night that included grandma watching the kids overnight so I could regain my sanity with a date and some time to myself.

This is frustrating for me. While I enjoy being home with my kids and not having any other calls on my time, I am also frustrated with being home with my kids and not having any other calls on my time. I feel like I am treading water here. I have lots of projects to do around the house but it seems like nursing Emmy is sorta like taking care of a newborn. It is so intense that when there is a break I just mindlessly play computer games or toot around rather than doing anything "productive" that is "on my official list and agenda".

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining too much. It's so so nice to be able to stay home and not have to pack lunches and be certain places at certain times.

I'm just ready for summer to really start. Bring on the pool! And the friends! And the exciting stuff!

On a side note our garden is still doing very nicely. We are getting about a pint of tomatoes and a pint of blackberries every day right now, and soon we will have more bell peppers and figs and peaches. The herbs are all growing well and it's just a lovely place to be. I also got a hammock for Mother's Day and when the mosquitoes are otherwise occupied I love resting there. The butterflies are all coming out of their cocoons and fluttering around, and the heat is holding off for now. All in all this is a great place to be.

This also all reminds me that in heaven there won't be any of these little earthly things to distract us from God's power and glory. I pray that Jesus will come back quickly and that every day here I will be doing what I need to be doing to prepare myself for heaven. And I am so thankful to be a stay-at-home mom who can take care of her sick little girl without being worried about my paying job.

2 Timothy Lesson #2

2010-04-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

I taught this lesson on April 14. I hope it brings you peace and hope.

Read the entire book of 2 Timothy aloud.

Do not be ashamed of the message of the gospel. Paul lovingly uses his last words to encourage Timothy and to remind him of his job. Over and over we hear "Do not be ashamed." Even Timothy, who learned from and worked with such a great leader as Paul, was ashamed sometimes. How much more so are we?

The amazing thing about these words of encouragement and warning is that they ring and hold true with us as well. Paul's last words to his dear son are also God's words to us.

He tells us to stand firm in the faith.
He tells us to preach the Word.
He reminds us we should not be ashamed.

I think of times when I have a message or Word from the Bible for a close friend, and I act ashamed of it. I smile, and apologize for the advice, and tentatively offer an idea. That is NOT preaching the Word. Or I fuss and fret over the wording, trying not to offend, waiting for the perfect time to broach the subject.

The Word of the Lord is not chained. The name if the Lord is a strong tower. Yet I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day.

We are to preach the Word in season and out of season. We are charged as soldiers or farmers or athletes to run this race. This is no time to be complacent or worried about the right phrases.

Mark 13:9-13 (New International Version)

⁹"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. ¹⁰And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. ¹¹Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

¹²"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ¹³All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

This text reminds us that the Holy Spirit will give us the right words to say. When I have something difficult to say I make a conscious effort to pray that the Lord would guide my words.

Why are we doing this? Why are we running such a difficult race? If I am already on the right path, why must I treat it with urgency?

CS Lewis gives us an excellent, biblical reason. I am flattened by this essay every time I read it. This is an excerpt from the Weight of Glory.

"It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbour. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbour's glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you say it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. This does not mean we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously--no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner--no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat--the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden."

2 Timothy Lesson

2010-04-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

I taught this lesson on April 7 to the ladies class I go to. I hope it benefits you.

Read the entire book of 2 Timothy aloud.

The two parts of this book I will be focusing on are 1) the fact that this is the last letter of Paul's that we have and its insights and significance because of that. 2) The extreme importance of Scripture in a Christian life and a reminder to whom we belong.

This week I will focus on Scripture and sound teaching.

2 Timothy 3:16- ¹⁶All scripture is inspired by God and is^b useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

I trust that God's hand has been working through the ages, through the first collecting of writings, through the different languages, through the various councils and leader decisions. God has protected and honored His words.

So our verse 3:16 tells us
1) It's good for teaching.
2) It's good for "reproof" or conviction. When you read the Word you should be convicted by it. That is the Holy Spirit working.
3) Good for correction- setting things right in your life.
4) It's good for instruction- becoming closer to God's will for your life.

Paul goes on to remind us that not all teachings will be sound, and not everything we hear on this earth will be truth. In fact I see that it is getting increasingly more difficult to find truth in this world. Despite the amazing variety of ways to get information and the millions of authors on our planet, I see more and more nonsense.

I call it nonsense--it's a fun word to use and it sums up the situation. I speak lightheartedly of some of the nonsense I allow into my life, but it really isn't funny at all. I am pretty careful with teachers who purport to be Christian. I think and compare with God's Word while they are teaching. Yet I allow a disturbing amount of time in my life where I turn my brain off altogether and I wonder if that isn't even more disturbing. For the sake of example I will tell you what I have been known to do in a day. I have been trying to remedy this and feel it is wrong.

1)Facebook games such as when a squirrel hands me a bubble and I use that bubble to pop other bubbles before the time runs out.
2) Kids books about camping
3) Website that makes fun of people
4) Reality show where people lose weight through finally thinking only about self.

Total in one day: 4 hours.

That sounds horrible to me. In this same day I probably did 1 hour of housework, 1 scattered hour of parenting, 30 minutes of Bible study, and a bunch of other "necessary" stuff. I say this because it scares me. None of these things are evil on their own or in tiny doses, but when I spend such an unbalanced time on them I believe Satan has too much influence in my life.

I am being lukewarm. I know I should be studying God's Word more and spending more time with my children but that takes work. That takes brainpower, and full attention. I'd much rather check out and pop the squirrel bubbles.

I'd rather skip the sound doctrine all together and heap teachers who scratch my itching ears. It's much easier that way.

Even though this is very hard for me to share I want to because I am scared for our culture. I am scared that we are letting our free time be wasted. We are taking all our time-saving devices and adding mindless games to our lives or conversely filling our time with "Very Important Things" that God might not actually think to be that important.

Fiddler on the Roof has a great song called "If I were a rich man".
The last verse pulls me in.

And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, seven hours every day.
That would be the sweetest thing of all.

Let me read this again.

2 Timothy 3-4:5

¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All scripture is inspired by God and is^b useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: ²proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. ³For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, ⁴and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. ⁵As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

I want to be like this. I want to be thinking, preaching, and living God's Word. And if I am bringing trash into my life I will be spewing trash right back out.

2:20-21
20 In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. ²¹All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned^b will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work.

I want to be a special utensil, don't you?

How can we counter this legacy of trash? How can we change it to a legacy of truth? How can we be different?
^{2 Timothy 3:14-15
14}But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

The only antidote against a world of apostasy is the Word of God.

Get it on audio. I have Johnny Cash reading the New Testament.
Memorize Scripture.
Read it out loud.
Take a course.
Post Scripture on Facebook.
If you do something with your spare time, analyze it! Does it make you want to read more of God's Word? Does it make you yearn for a closer connection to Him? If not, should you really be doing it?

I am sorry that I cannot say "I have it all figured out and you do ABC and then you too can be perfect and I never struggle so that's why you should listen to me."

Before I end, and read your charge to you, I would like to point out that this says preach the Word, not preach from the Word. Don't just take a couple verses and weave a sermon. Preach the Word.

Here is your charge:

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: ²proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.

Procrastination

2010-03-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

In the past two days I have completed two very minor projects that have been hanging over my head for about a year. One took about 10 hours to complete, and the other took about one hour. It is amazing the freedom I feel and the pride in having these jobs done.

What are you procrastinating on? How long will it really take to finish?

Irish Dancing Update

2010-03-11T20:41:00.001-08:00

Most of you have asked when the next competition is so you can come, or when my group will be performing locally. For Saint Patrick's Day some groups from my school will be performing. I will not be in the show because I am too new, but here are the times.

3:00 Mother Egans 715 W 6th St
4:30 pm Fado's Patio Stage 214 W 4th st
7 pm Cover 3 2700 W Anderson Lane (For this one at the end my teacher will teach a set dance to whomever wants to participate. If I am able to come I will be up on stage learning/teaching the dance as well)

I am also looking at going to the Bluebonnet competition in Dallas April 16-17. I would need to bring the kids and so therefore would need another adult to come with me (Joel can't). It would entail driving up Friday night, staying at the hotel where the feis is, and then in the morning watching the kids/watching me dance. Then we would all go back up to the room (depending on the kids' attitudes) and then in the early afternoon we could watch the best of the best perform. Then in the evening there will be a ceilie which is a party where everyone mingles, listens to music, and dances. Then we would stay another night and then head home.

If you want to just come see me compete in Dallas that would be great too.

Anyway I appreciate everyone's support in this! I am loving dancing and you are all so encouraging.

first feis report

2010-03-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

today i competed in my first feis. a feis is an irish dance and music competition. i danced the light jig, the single jig, and the reel.

i drove up to dallas and stayed with my aunt and uncle and my aunt ivy came to the competition with me for moral support, it was really nice to have her there rooting for me.

i had borrowed a lovely blue dress from another dancer so that was a great dress to dance in. i arrived about two hours early to see other dancers and to make sure to be there on time. in retrospect it was probably good to get there early but i should have found something productive to do. sitting around was not good. i was very very nervous and even though i warmed up i probably did not run through my dances enough times.

the first dance is always the reel. i was the only one in my class of competition for all three dancers so that took some of the pressure off. i was completely unprepared for the music. i had been listening to prior dances and thought i could follow a fiddler rather than an accordion which we usually practice to but either that or nerves made me completely unable to count in the music. the judge counted me in to start me off at least four times and i just could not hear the time. this is very unusual for me since i am a musician. finally i just bowed and went off.

i had just a few minutes wait before my second dance, the light jig. i love light jig, it's the first dance i learned well, and it just seems to speak to me, so i gave myself a good peptalk and jumped out there. it went great. i heard the time perfectly, i danced both steps and was able to finish the dance in style. i felt much much better about this one and felt like i redeemed myself for the judge.

then i had a long wait for the single jig, which was not great because i lost some momentum and started worrying again because the single jig starts the same as the reel and i was concerned i wouldn't be able to hear it either. i got through the first step great and the first part of the second step but lost my concentration and flubbed a bit.

overall i was very happy with my favorite dance and bummed about the others but it was a good experience. there was a lot of waiting which i didn't expect and i missed the best dancers while waiting for my turn because of the way they timed things. in the future i hope to improve my dances more and really to be more calm. i was a complete wreck the entire day and that is wearisome. it was nice to hang out with one of my friends from the school and pretend to be something other than a mom for a while. it was also fun to hang out with my aunt. i wish my teacher had been able to watch me dance the light jig but was glad she missed the other two dances. :)

the judge left pretty much the comments i expected. she liked my carriage and "tech work", which is good because it means i have the basic stuff and can start to carry that into other dances and learn more and more difficult steps. so thats great.

sorry i wrote all in lowercase i'm typing on a netbook with tiny keys. i am looking forward to the next feis i participate in, whether it be in a month or in a few months. i have never loved an activity like i love dancing. i am so glad i discovered it.

I Believe

2010-02-06T05:39:00.000-08:00

I thought of my Uncle Brent when I saw this webpost.

It takes the Nicene Creed and gives you Biblical reference for each part of the creed. Then you hover the mouse over the reference and it pops up on your screen.

http://www.extremetheology.com/2009/11/the-nicene-creed-according-to-the-scriptures.html

A Song for Orion

2010-01-06T08:55:00.000-08:00

Today is the three month anniversary of Orion's passing. I know that Ben and Sondra and the rest of our family still covet your prayers. In my house things are starting to get back to a "new" normal. Denali and Emmy talk about how they miss Orion.

I wanted to share a song with you that our friend/fellow ACU alum wrote about 10 years ago. It's called "God, Please Take Care of My Baby." You can find Zane Williams at his website. I asked for his permission to post the mp3 file on my blog of this song.

Here's a link to the song.

Or maybe this will work

A long, lovely day

2010-01-04T20:59:00.000-08:00

Today was our last day of Christmas vacation. I am happy for school to be starting again but not happy about being bound to a schedule.

We had Denali's birthday today, and for the first time I hired out all of the party prep to a children's play area. Jungle Java in Round Rock had some understaffing issues when we arrived but by the end of the party time I was pleased. They took care of everything, including cake and goody bags, the kids had a great time, and I got to leave and go home to my (relatively) clean home.

Afterwards I got to watch a few extra kids (actually they watched my kids and I got office work finished), and we got to eat quesadillas and cupcakes for dinner.

Lastly I was privileged to read two AWESOME books and write reviews for them. If you have been reading my blog for any time at all you know how tickled I am to find new chapter book authors for my kids. I've got two new ones to share: Milly-Molly-Mandy and Grandma's Attic. Visit my book review blog and see the joyousness.

Tomorrow Denali turns 5. I will officially be the parent of two kids and no toddlers. Life is amazing. I am honored to be along for the ride.

Book Giveaway: Green by Ted Dekker

2010-01-04T17:24:00.001-08:00

I am giving away a copy of Green by Ted Dekker. Click over to my book review blog to enter the giveaway.

http://princessbride42book.blogspot.com/2010/01/green.html

Perfection

2009-12-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

I was gently reminded by a friend today that I do not have to be great at everything or even pursue all the activities that seem fun or interesting. I was initially offended because of course I am good at everything! Hello? Does she not know me?

Then I started to think that it is pretty presumptuous of me to think I can master everything. Or that if I just "give it a go" my results will be as good as someone who has a God-given gift in that area. I will still be pursuing it, but with a more humble attitude.

I also needed my pride to be taken down a bit. I have been guilty of being very prideful about a couple of things in the last few days, and I made some mean comments to someone else.

The strengths I have came from God. The weaknesses are areas where God's light can shine through. It's okay if I am not good at, say, housework. There are other areas where I am awesome. Right? :)

That being said, I will still endeavor to clean my house. I just will never master it like others that I know.

Merry christmas!

2009-12-18T07:18:00.001-08:00

My brain is too fried to post anything original today, but I wanted to share some writings I think are great.

First we have Amy, who wrote about marriage. It IS hard, and I applaud her for being honest.

Here's her post.

Then I wanted to share something funny- it's from "Stuff White People Like," a satire site.

This one is about camping, and enough of it is true to make it pretty funny.

The next one is a post by my friend Emily. I have recently realized that the "thinking" or "processing" I do about things is actually worrying sometimes. Mulling something over and rehashing events in my head that I cannot change is worry, and I would prefer to stop doing it.

Lastly I wanted to share a link to making an awesome snowflake. I like to make 2-D snowflakes but had never thought about 3-D. We will be doing this next week.

I am so glad Christmas break will be here in 2.5 hours. This fall has been a bear of a school semester for my daughter and we desperately need the break. Have a happy Christmas!

Esther and 2 Timothy

2009-11-29T18:23:00.000-08:00

This week I am teaching the book of Esther to ladies class here in Austin. I am using the same lesson I used at the women's retreat I went to earlier this year. It seemed to go over really well. Esther has two main points- one is that God WILL save his people. He might use a really small and insignificant person, but he will save.

The second point is that God may be trying to use you in your life. Be ready for such a time as this.

If you have a chance this week read through Esther. It's just 9 chapters and it is a very quick read. Be looking for the ways that God works amazingly.

In the Spring I will be teaching 2 Timothy in a couple of venues. I plan to have it memorized by April. It's just four chapters so you would think that I could get it done by then. 2 Timothy has an amazing tribute from Paul to his adopted son Timothy. They were not biologically related but Paul loved Timothy. Paul encourages Timothy in many ways and reminds all of us to be careful to read the Word and to not be distracted by things that our earthly bodies really like.

Have a lovely day!

Denali wears a toga

2009-11-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

My four year old son has a really bad rash on his nether regions. Since he can't wear dresses I thought of a way to help him air his rash comfortably and modestly. I took a soft crib blanket, put the middle of the long side at the middle of his back, wrapped both ends under his arms, crossed the ends in the front and took a hair band to keep the ends closed at the back of his neck. To make it a "boy" idea I called it a Veggietales (the blanket was Veggietales) toga. He happily wore it for an hour, until it was time to change into real clothes.

What do I give my child to read?

2009-11-05T07:40:00.000-08:00

I've posted more reviews on my blog. I've also posted a list of my favorite authors of chapter books that you may not have already found for your children. Feel free to share with others.

Here's the list of authors.

Here is a kids' book about adventuresome mice.

I do read adult books occasionally- here's a murder mystery.

Here's another fairy story which just happens to be the theme of my daughter's costume she's wearing today for her school's storybook costume contest.

And lastly we have another giveaway for parents of boys. Check it out!

In other news, my kids picked up some random mite infestation while we were last hiking and I've had to do about 2000 loads of laundry. Ask me how fun THAT is. :)

You all take care!

Briana wins, and Emmy reads

2009-11-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

Briana won the book "Generation Warriors" off of the giveaway on my book review blog. Congrats, Briana!

Emmy read a long, long book called "Ginger Pye" over the last two weeks. She finally finished it last night and took an AR test on it today (a comprehension testing program). She got 100%! We are super proud of her. She earned a lot of points on a book that is at a 6th grade reading level.

Today I spent hours in the office catching up on paperwork. I've made significant progress but there is still lots to go.

Will be reviewing more books soon and another giveaway will be coming up.

Reviews and Giveaways on book blog

2009-10-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

I reviewed Generation Warriors today and it's up for grabs. Head on over and enter the contest. Also Bethany, another reviewer on the book blog, is hosting a giveaway. Go see.

Is there a particular book you'd like to see reviewed on our book blog site? Let us know!

The Book of Ruth

2009-10-14T21:11:00.001-07:00

My friend Amy presented the book of Ruth from the Bible on our women's retreat. A must see.
Part 1

Part 2

Menu Plan Tuesday

2009-10-13T06:26:00.000-07:00

These are the recipes I will be cooking this week, in no particular order:

salsa
chicken strips and squash
herb roasted chicken with summer tomatoes
salmon po' boy sandwiches
rosemary turkey meatloaf, cornbread, green beans
salad

The Invention of Lying

2009-10-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Joel and I went out on a date tonight to see "The Invention of Lying." It's a very clever movie about a world in which everyone tells exactly what they are thinking with no prevarication or dishonesty. Then one man discovers that he can say something that isn't true, and he takes advantage of the ability. Everyone believes what he says because they can't fathom that anyone could lie.

He uses his abilities to get money first, then to get his job back, and then the story goes all wrong.

The man uses his ability to lie to tell his mother that though she's dying, she's not going off into nothingness. She will go to a happy place where all of her friends are and she will have a mansion with no pain or suffering, and eternal happiness.

Sound familiar? He makes up religion. The rest of the movie centers around his "lies" about what happens after you die and his invention of this religion that is eerily like Christianity.

I was very offended that they poke such fun at Christianity, and that they show how gullible and stupid everyone is for believing such ridiculous stuff. He makes the doctrine up on the fly. And the worst part of all is that the characters call "the man in the sky" a prick and other curses.

Can you tell I didn't like it? Yes, it was funny. Yes, it was clever. Yes, the actors were talented.

But I cannot get past the direct blasphemy.

This Crummy World

2009-10-09T04:55:00.000-07:00

I don't have a lot of time to write this morning.

I am going to drop Emmy off at school, take Denali to a friend's house, and then drive to Waco for a funeral.

For a four year old boy named Orion.

Orion lost his battle with a brain tumor, and is now among the angels in heaven.

I don't have any fancy philosophical words today. Two of my friends have posted wonderful writings though they don't know Orion.

Go hug your kids. Life is short.

A Short Note from Orion's Daddy

2009-09-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

I got this email recently from Orion's Daddy, Ben. They have received some good news from the doctor. See below.

here is the latest for orion
he has had his 25th radiation treatment the radiation dr and his oncologist have decided to continue for 5 more treatments
the R dr believes the tumor to be benign and has no significant changes but feels the radiation may be working for a few months after treatment
he has also said he saw on cctv in china a surgion remove successfully a brain stem tumor and he suggests looking into it further
he also said to look at a hospital for sick kids in toronto which is one of the top ten in the world again he is a radiation dr not a surgion but its worth looking into still.
so once the treatments are done and we can ease him off of the steroid we possably can come home
thank you all for the prayers
please pass this far and wide

ben

New book giveaway

2009-09-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

The rain here has been so refreshing, and my kids are loving school. When fall finally arrives in Central Texas everyone takes a deep breath and starts to enjoy life a little more. We get more perky.

I've got a new book giveaway going on at my review blog. The last one, "Love Has a Face," was won by Kim.

This is for a book called "The Book Thief." It's a Holocaust fiction book, very hard to read but good anyway.

Click on over to enter!

A Letter from Sondra, Orion's Mama

2009-09-20T12:20:00.001-07:00

You may have seen some of the blog posts I wrote a few weeks ago about Orion. They are here and here.

Here is a letter from his mama. I love her so much.

A letter from Sondra.

Dear friends,

My family and I can never say enough to express how grateful we are to all of you. Thank you for being there for us and helping us in so many ways.

Orion’s tumor appeared so suddenly and grew so quickly it has often felt unreal. Talking to other parents whose children have had DIPG, he had the symptoms in one weeks time that they had over months time. In the one month since he was diagnosed, he’s gone from a healthy 4 year old--to where he can only move the leg and arm on the left side of his body, and occasionally nod his head yes or no. He is currently undergoing radiation, and that at least has slowed things down so that he is not getting any worse. And we are hoping that he will regain some of his motor skills. Still, God has blessed us that he isn’t in any pain. He often gets frustrated because of his inability to move or talk or eat like he used to, but by asking him and getting yes or no head nods, he has several times confirmed that nothing hurts. It is an extremely aggressive tumor, so everything is happening very quickly.

I pray two main things over and over. One, that God, who is able to do all things, will see fit to grant us a miracle. There is no question that if he were to recover it would be one. It would be awesome to have that witness to God’s power for Orion to share with everyone the rest of his life. But God does not always answer prayers the way we expect. He gives us all that we need, if not always what we want. Also, if God finds Orion so precious that he wants to take him home sooner, then at least I know Orion will be well, and happy there with Jesus. We will miss him if that is the case, but I hope it will be a motivator for us to live for Christ that much more, so that we can meet him again with out any regrets.
One night Orion asked me something to the effect of ‘why daddy was mad at the doctors saying he was going to die‘. I explained that we all die eventually. I said that it wouldn’t happen right “now” but that when it did, he would get to go home to Jesus. That everything was wonderful there. He would have fun and not be sick, and happy all the time. Orion said, “But I like this home.” And I agree. I know that it will be wonderful when we make it to Jesus’ side, but I am enjoying the time with Orion now. I told him I was glad, and we are going to keep him here as long as possible because we love being with him, but when we do get to heaven, we’ll like it, and have lots of fun there as well. A few days before he had told me he wanted to get back to “normal.” And if God does take him home, then at least Orion will be freed to laugh and run and play again. Yet, I’m selfish. I want to see who he’s going to grow in to. I want to see him laugh and play and grow here. I want more time. Orion was the child I fought for. I wanted 3 children, not only 2. I wanted to have a unique name for him--and talked my family into “Orion“ So that they could call him the ordinary “Ryan,” But I would know that he was to be my dreamer. Reaching for the stars and hunting for his dreams. I wished for him to do great things, and have his determination carry him far…. I wanted to have a natural birth and so switched hospitals, and found a midwife in order to avoid surgery. I wanted to stay at home with him and his brother and sister as long as possible. He was so bright, I was always amazed at the things he came up with. I wanted to teach him about God, and help him become a wonderful young man. I want to keep him. But I realize how selfish all these “I wants” are. What SHOULD be more important is what God wants.

So I pray, He is yours God. Give me the spirit of Abraham, to be able to give back to you what was yours in the first place. Help me overcome my selfishness and to acknowledge that he is yours, not mine. I hope for a miracle like you granted Abraham, but he did not have any guarantees, and went to give Issac back without any guarantees, fully believing that God knew what was best. He is yours Lord. And just as I hope for the miracle, I pray that you give me the spirit to accept whatever your answer may be. That I be strong enough to guide my children and support my husband through whatever comes our way.
That is my second main prayer, that whatever the future may hold, that our faith grow stronger and we grow closer to the Lord. I’m terrified of this turning family members bitter. I want us to continue to see the blessings that surround us, and not let our grief and loneliness overwhelm us.

In the midst of all of this, we have been continually amazed at the outreach of the Lord’s family. The church truly is his hands and feet, and you have reached out to us is so may ways. We’ve received gifts of toys which Orion enjoyed when we were in the Dallas hospital. Blankets, which have been awesome. He doesn’t like the hospital blankets, so I trade out and wash one of the comfy blankets we’ve received every day. Money, which has helped in many ways. It has helped us get our vehicles running so that we could go back and forth to the hospital and let his brother and sister visit often. It also gave us the opportunity to let Ben and I be there for Orion as much as possible with out losing our home or having the utilities cut off. It has helped us get the gas to go to temple and back so that Kaitlyn and Kevin can keep in touch with us and have as much time with him as possible. And as we continue to look for treatments to extend the quality of his life, it has given us peace of mind that if we want to try a particular supplement to boost his immune system, or other wise, we can actually afford to by it. So many people have sent cards and letters letting us know how much they care and are praying for Orion, and for us. Meals have been brought to the hospital so that we can get a break from “hospital” food, and enjoy real cooking. My brother brought a beautiful prayer book put together by his class where we could read what each person was specifically praying for us. Friends and family have stopped by to visit and lift our spirits. And by family, I am including our Church family, because that is what we are in Christ, a family. Relatives that I didn’t know before this, both by blood and by spirit, have come by with food, gifts, and most importantly, prayers. We’ve received calls, letters, and emails from people we haven’t seen in years--and from people that we didn’t even know before. We never expected such an outpouring of love. And so we say, Thank you. I can truly feel Jesus’ spirit in all your actions. I can see him in you, hear him in your voices. You’ve brought comfort just by caring. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Whatever the Lord has planned, whatever may be the outcome, we are blessed.

A few more things that I’ve reflected on, and then I will wrap this up. I always thought about Jesus’ sacrifice, but I never really understood what the Father was giving up. When this first started, I remember praying, “Don’t let him be in pain, don’t let him be alone.” And then I realized, God the father, had to willingly leave his son in pain and alone. And for what? For those of us that forget, and take for granted. Jesus suffered greatly, but now I realize just how much the Father must have hurt too. How many other parents have also thought, “if only it could be me instead. If I could take this upon myself I would. And yet we don’t have the power to do that, to stop it. Yet God the father had the power to stop his son’s suffering. And chose to let him go through it because of his great love for ALL. Words can never give justice.

“This world is not our home.” How easy that is to forget. Whatever we face here, good or bad, IT IS TEMPORARY. We get so caught up in our day to day, it is had to see the bigger picture, that in the end, none of this will last, only how we treat people, and how we worship God will matter. We are like campers, hiding in tents in the woods, who have a beautiful home waiting for us. But we get so focused on day to day survival, that we completely forget that the home is there, just outside the woods. We spend so much energy making our tents nice, when it’s just a tent. We have a much better home waiting for us than anything we can put together here. I pray that God help me to always remember that, and live looking towards that time, instead of hiding from it.

Again, thank you for all of your gifts, your love, and most importantly your prayers.
With love,

Sondra Smith

Teaching Children about their bodies; from a Christian perspective

2009-09-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

As a Christian mom, it is very important to me that my kids learn about the birds and the bees in an age appropriate way and in God's terms and God's planning, rather than the world's planning. I have found two series of books on Christian sex education. One of them I highly recommend and the other not so much.

I've reviewed the first two books in each series on my book review blog. I recommend going over there to take a look.

The first book is for ages 3 to 5. There are two for this age group:
Each One Specially
God Made Your Body

The second book is for ages 6 to 9. There are two:
I Wonder Why
How God Makes Babies

At what age do you plan to, or did you start teaching your children about God's will for their bodies? Was it difficult for you?

Don't forget my book giveaway- it ends Tuesday, Sept 21. Click here to enter to win a missionary memoir.

Book Reviews Posted; Win one of them!

2009-09-14T20:20:00.001-07:00

I posted four book reviews tonight on my book review blog, one of which you can win.

The first one is a missionary memoir from Sudan. Enter before Tuesday September 21 and you could win it.

The second and third ones are reviews of excellent children's chapter books. I loved them. They made my heart happy.

The last one was a fictional Holocaust book. Hard to read, but still compelling.

Serene Spaces

2009-09-09T11:01:00.001-07:00

Part of the Plan for my kids going back to school is that I will start to make money. I have decided to start a business. Last week I ordered business cards, yesterday I filled out forms and researched stuff, and today I registered my business name with Travis and Williamson Counties. I am well on my way!

I am starting an organizing/decluttering business. I will take your messy areas and turn them into efficiently working spaces.

I am pretty excited and feel like I should be having a party!

New Book Reviews: Historical Fiction, Mystery, and Great Kids' Series

2009-09-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

I just put up three reviews on the book review blog I contribute to. I wish I were a better review writer because I really loved some of the books but don't feel like I did them justice.

I have troubles sharing enough information to make the story interesting but not too much to give the plot away. I can say that I highly recommend these three books.

Anyway without further ado:

An excellent classic children's chapter book series

A thrilling Mormon murder mystery

A bittersweet Christian historical fiction

It's Friday but Sunday is Coming

2009-08-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is why I am still able to go on every day.

A video here, another here

They both help us remember the promise! The promise that even though this life is really crummy and horrible things are happening all around us, the promise that even despite all of this, God has won the fight. He's in charge. He's coming back to take us home. Are you ready for Sunday? I know I am.

First Day of Second Grade

2009-08-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Emlyn's first day of second grade is today. She is in the same class with her friend Anaya, whom she has known since they were six months old. We bought this fabric during Spring Break and I had promised matching dresses for her and a friend. She reminded me yesterday that I needed to make them, so we had a sewing marathon. I love the way they turned out. They are specially designed for twirling.

Update on Orion

2009-08-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

I was able to make the hour drive to Temple, TX to visit with Orion and his parents today. Sondra, my cousin, is holding up pretty well under the strain of being in the hospital. I will be going again for the weekend with my sister. Ben and Sondra were very thankful for the snacks some friends sent. As people came and went the snacks were enjoyed.

Orion is not doing very well. I was there for about 3 hours and he never said more than one word at a time, he never sat up on his own, and he was hardly moving or eating. The doctors are going to start radiation treatments tomorrow but I don't know what effect they are supposed to have. Ben and Sondra are looking into getting into the Ronald McDonald house which would be nice for grandparents and siblings. Right now both of the parents are up at the hospital full time, and the siblings are with Ben's parents who live in Waco. I want to be hopeful, but this truly requires God's intervention and a miracle.

Sondra, mom, seems to be holding up okay but she is the only acceptable person as far as Orion is concerned, which makes it hard for her to get a break. We were thinking that since he will be sedated for radiation treatments that would be a good time for her to get out of the hospital for a while.

It breaks my heart to see a 4 year old boy who is supposed to be jumping around and yelling and learning and laughing just being in the hospital bed. I can't help but compare him to Denali and it is just WRONG. I wish there were something I could do more than what I am doing. I wish I could take away the pain.

I am so thankful for the health of my children and for the friends and family I have that are making it possible for me to go up to Temple to "help."

My mom and sister Grace are here in town and are considering extending their stays so they can be more supportive of my cousin.

Love you all. Go give your kiddos hugs. Give them ice cream. Let them skip cleaning up tomorrow. Let them break the rules without consequences every once in a while. It's not all about discipline.

Wonderful Summer Day

2009-08-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today I dropped my sister Grace off at work downtown (she's visiting for work and staying with us) and decided to take the kids to the children's museum. We ended up having a great time there, creating and playing and learning. We love the museum. They have updated a lot of exhibits but there were still some familiar favorites.

At lunchtime we wandered down the street to a sidewalk cafe called Jo's. It was great! Most restaurant kids' meals are not all that, but for $4.50 we got a large sandwich and about a pint of fresh fruit. We were able to split it between the three of us (the kids and I) and it was really delicious! I highly recommend this little cafe. We stopped on the sidewalk to look at the clock tower on Lady Bird Lake and saw a friend running on his lunch break.

We went back to the museum for a couple more hours, and then I talked to Grace. She was not ready to leave work yet so we went to the downtown library branch. I spent a while looking for good books for Emlyn to read and then we all read a book called "The Bears on Hemlock Mountain." It's a Newbery Honor book from the mid-20th century. It was a really cute book. Then we went upstairs and learned about what a librarian does, asked her some questions, and learned about encyclopedias.

After that we went to Whole Foods and bought snacks and played on their rooftop playground. Even though it was super-hot the kids really enjoyed the whole day. It was a great way to end the free days of summer in anticipation of school starting next week. It was also a very nice way to enjoy life and enjoy spending time together.

This dumb world

2009-08-17T10:57:00.001-07:00

I am home finally from our trip. We had a lovely time in CA and on the road trip back to TX. Joel cleaned the house before our arrival home and that was lovely.

I will be posting pictures and stories from our trip soon.

But today my heart is breaking because this stupid world has pain and sorrow.

My closest cousin has a four year old boy named Orion who has an inoperable brain tumor infused in his brain stem. He has 6 mos to 2 years to live.

I want Jesus to come back NOW, to take away this pain and sorrow forever. People ask me how I can believe in God. My answer is if there is no God then this world has no point, no hope. My belief in Christ gives me a hope and a future. Christ is returning, and when He returns, He will take me home to heaven where there will never be any pain, sorrow, sickness, or sadness. That is the only reason I can get through days like today.

To see pictures from our visit with Orion yesterday and other pictures from our trip please see this link.

Summer in CA

2009-08-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

Kimono-wearing

Zoo-visiting

Airport-exploring

Breeze-loving

Friend-bonding

Family-hanging

Time-loving

Body-relaxing

Children-enjoying

Thing 23

2009-08-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

First of all I am so glad I was able to participate in some professional development this summer. It is so hard to find quality online classes and this one was really great. I wish I had time to do the next one but I guess I will have to wait until next year.

What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
My two favorite exercises were Thing 19, where I discovered swivel, where you can see lots of kinds of infographics. I really think that would be useful in finding a way to communicate a particular idea to a class. I also really liked Thing 6, where I found retrievr, an artistic site. I can see using that in quilt design or helping kids see how different people have different perspectives.

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
It surprises me how much the world is changing now. I am nearly 30 and still cannot stop learning the new things out there. If I stop even for just an instant I can get really behind. I consider myself fairly technologically savvy, considering I am a stay-at-home mom right now, but I found lots of new things out there. This will help me remember to keep setting goals, keep putting myself out there to learn new things, and appreciate the professional development for what it's intended to do.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I was surprised at how involved learning new things is. There were some days where I was able to learn about 2 or 3 new things, and then other days one of the discovery exercises would overwhelm me completely and it would take a few days to process the new item enough to be able to write about it.

What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept? It would be nice if you could offer it during the school year as well for people like me. I am not teaching right now but trying to keep up with my professional development so I can keep my certification current. On the other hand I understand that most people organizing and taking advantage of the program are too busy during the school year to do this.

If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate? Definitely.

How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities? Joyous and amazing

Thing 22

2009-08-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

A ning is a social network that one can create. It is similiar to Facebook in that one can post pictures, blogs, and discussions, but a ning can be tailored to the interests of the person creating one. You can have a ning related to teaching, recipes, quilting, parenting, etc.

The idea is pretty good I guess but I feel that it is very similar to things already out there. I use Facebook regularly, and I can tailor Facebook to different interests. It is also similar in idea to Livejournal communities.

I am not sure I would be able to use it effectively in a classroom. I can see perhaps for a high school class one could make a ning especially for that class, or for teachers to share information. I would probably not use it though.

Thing 21

2009-07-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

Thing 21 was all about making a videocast or podcast. I was supposed to use Photostory but since I am using a macintosh and Photostory is a windows software, I had to be creative. I decided to make a video with my camera and import it to my blog. It's a video of the quilt I made for my brother Daniel.

Thing 20

2009-07-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

YouTube and TeacherTube are two resources we can use to find videos on the internet. YouTube is often blocked by school filters, so TeacherTube was created to fill that gap and also to focus the videos more.

I saw an interesting video on YouTube about Educational Technology and what we are to be teaching our students. It was very thought-provoking. I also found Mr. Bean in the Library which was hilarious, and a commercial about a blonde entering a library (which was a blonde joke in video form).

These two websites are very helpful for times when it would be good to have an educational video available, and when one doesn't have time to produce one. I love to see how many people see life and produce art. I can easily see using many of these in the classroom.

Here's the educational reform video:

Thing 17

2009-07-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

Rollyo is a website that lets you make customized search engines based on sites you trust and already know. I made a search engine for kid-friendly animal research websites.

It took me a few minutes to understand what was going on and how to use it, but after making my first "searchroll" I think I get the idea.

I was a little disappointed that there are sponsored results mixed in with the real results, and that they are not very differentiated. This would make it difficult for younger students to understand. I realize that the site has to make money somehow but I would first start by teaching the kids not to click on the light blue boxed links.

Other than that I could see many applications: recipes, lesson plan sites, research sites, etc.

Thing 16

2009-07-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

Turns out wikipedia is not the only collaborative website tool out there. I learned all about "wikis" and how teachers can use them in the classroom. I would definitely use it as a tool for my classroom as well as my personal life. One way I can see a good use for it would be for pooling physical resources between a team of teachers or a team of students. Everyone would add to the document the things they are bringing to the table, and over the course of a few days an exhaustive list would be made.

I also like the idea of having students use this resource as a way to do a collaborative project. Rather than writing it all down on paper, the students would do their research and write it all together, and edit it online.

I already made a wiki page for a camping trip we went on this weekend. I shared it with my husband and the family we were going with. We were able to use it as a way to know who was bringing what.

I used pbworks.com as my wiki site.

Hola!

2009-07-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

This week Linda came home from the hospital. She's in her apartment, recuperating from surgery.

This week the kids finished their summer's swim lessons. They did a great job although for some reason they still swim terribly for me. It's probably my fault.

This week it did NOT rain even though the weather seemed promising. We need the rain desperately.

This week I am planning a camping trip to the beach. I've been in TX since 1997 and never been to the coast. I hear camping on the beach is a blast. Except for all the sand.

This week I got a small tummy bug but I think I'm mostly over it. I managed to eat some food today and clean most of my house.

This week I did not get much professional development completed, but hope to in the next week.

This week I got to go to a baby shower for a good friend who is expecting her first baby. We enjoyed laughing and chatting; the two hours went by very quickly.

This week is my only brother's birthday. Daniel is 23 this year. His quilt is not quite finished. I'm hoping to take it to him when we go to CA in a couple weeks.

This week I am thankful for my wonderful husband and kids who were supremely understanding while I was sick. I am also thankful for my normal good health.

This week I was reminded that God is in control and that His promises endure, even past death.

What things did you learn this week?

Thing 13

2009-07-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Wow! Social bookmarking is a whole new world for me. I had heard of delicious and digg, but didn't ever understand what all was going on there. I love the idea of saving my bookmarks so I can access them any time, but I didn't realize about the social aspect.

I think it's neat that I can go look for a tag such as "organize", and see what other people have tagged with the same tag. This has great potential for teachers looking for good teaching sites, or for teachers in the same school to pool their common resources.

I'd like to look around some more and see if there's a way to share certain tags with certain people, or if it's an all-or-nothing type of deal.

I imported all my bookmarks from my browser and had more than I thought. Turns out I usually bookmark things and then never think about them again because the browser bookmark tool isn't very good. It will take me a while to sort through and properly tag all 100 of my bookmarks.

If you want to see my bookmarks on delicious, visit my page through this link.

Some pictures to make you smile

2009-07-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

Summer Chaos

2009-07-08T18:43:00.001-07:00

In the midst of all this brain-bending professional development I've been deluging the blog with, I have also had a lot of issues in my personal life.

Swim lessons are this week and next, and I of course planned them right in the same week as Linda's surgery (more details to follow) and right in the middle of the day.

The kids are enjoying the lessons, so I hear. They've been three days. I've only been to one of those days. It's sad because I really enjoy watching them learn and grow.

I'm trying to lose weight again. I've gained back 12-15 pounds and am now trying to track my eating on SparkPeople and drink much more water.

Linda, Joel's mom, had a partial hip replacement this week, the third one in 5 years. The first two were total replacements, and her left side one was never very strong. Sure enough they had to go back and replace the socket and ball, but thank God she didn't have any infection, and they didn't have to replace the rod (which is inserted into the femur by an uncomfortable process).

I wanted to really show her support through this time so over the last two days my kids have been with 4 different families and I have only seen them 5 hours total. The rest of the time I've been up at the hospital. Most of the time I feel useless. I was able to get some professional development done on the computer, but overall there's a lot of sitting. There have been a couple times when I was really glad I was there. Today her IV "infiltrated" her hand, which basically means the vein broke and started leaking fluid into her hand. It got really tight and her fingers started turning purple from lack of circulation. She was so heavily medicated that when she called the nurse on her phone she was unable to fully communicate the urgency of the situation. I was able to run out into the hall and grab someone.

I am so thankful for my friends who have really stepped up here and helped with the kids. I feel like a sorta bad mom right now but Linda needs me, and that makes me a good daughter-in-law, I guess. We are praying that she will be accepted into a rehab hospital for a few days because recovery is so much easier there. We are also praying that this recovery is overall easier because they didn't have to replace the rod.

I have been able to do some housework and laundry but have basically handed food over to the processed kind. My kids are taking lunchables and pre-packaged fruit everywhere. We pick up kolaches for breakfast and tonight we ate Taco Cabana (which is a better choice than some fast foods).

I honestly don't know how in the world people can handle long term illness or especially NICU. It must be just like this only 500 times more emotionally stressful and chaotic. If this is as bad as it gets I am grateful.

Well I'm off to take a bath and try to relax. Have a blessed and grateful evening. God is good all the time.

technorati asks me to do this

2009-07-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

c5bda4sutv

Thing 19

2009-07-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

I explored the web 2.0 awards from 2008 and found a lot of interesting sites. Probably the one I liked the most was called swivel.com, and it has lots of infographics. Infographics is a term for imparting information to people through pictures. Think bar graphs, etc. But swivel.com takes really good ones and posts them. You can quickly learn something new, because a picture is like a thousand words.

This is highly applicable in education settings. Not only can you search for information on a topic you're teaching, but you can show students so many new ways of charting their information and discuss the pros and cons of each method. You can also discuss why charting and accuracy is so important. This website really makes me want to write a lesson plan or share the ideas with my kids.

Thing 14

2009-07-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

Side note: this is my 900th post! Pretty exciting!

Technorati is something I've heard about but never used myself. When I searched for School Library Learning 2.0 I got some surprising results. I think I was supposed to use quotation marks because the blog posts results were mostly just about education in general and not this program I'm involved in. Once I searched in tags however I found some that looked familiar. I couldn't figure out how to search the blog directory, only browsing it through the topic headings.

I was surprised that "olympics" was in the top 15 searches, since it's not an olympic year. Most of the other popular ones were not too surprising, mostly celebrity stuff which is not really my gig.

I can totally see using technorati as another tool to find blog posts on topics that interest me. I plan to take a little more time to publish info about my blogs and see who else has tagged their blogs in similar ways.

The more I learn about tagging the more I realize that it is just another way of organizing info. Different people categorize things in different ways, so it's nice to be able to personally choose my categories. I also like the fact that the more people tag something, the more info the computer has to make generalizations about people.

Thing 18

2009-07-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

I have used both OpenOffice and Google Docs for quite some time. They are both open platforms for word processing as alternatives to Microsoft Office. For a long time I preferred OpenOffice, because the program emulates Microsoft Office so well. You can basically do anything you used to do in Microsoft Office. They are so similar that you hardly have to do any learning of new processes.

The only problem is that since we use a mac we have to have another program to run OpenOffice, and that program has not been working on our computer for a while. Joel does a great job at keeping our home computers working but we never seem to communicate properly about OpenOffice so we've not gotten that fixed.

So currently I use Google Docs. It's fabulous. It is so much better than mac's version of word processing, and the best part is that if you have the internet, you have your documents. You can keep them private or share them with others.

Since we are on a mac I cannot even tell you how long it's been since I used Microsoft Office.

Thing 15

2009-07-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

I know I'm going out of order but my computer won't watch videos today so I'm limited to those that don't require video.

One point made in this article that really hit me was that libraries really need to continue to grow and change. I still use our local library pretty extensively, mostly because they've made some awesome upgrades that I really appreciate. When I hear about a book I want to read I can immediately go to my library's website, search for it, and request it to be sent to the branch closest to my house. They email me when it arrives, they email me when my books are almost due, and they email me when my books are overdue. I think that's great.

I take my kids to the library but sometimes it's more like "what one could do" rather than "what we need to do". I can see in the near future when they will read me out of house and home but we're not quite there yet.

Another post I read talked about the frustration in talking or thinking about education reform, and how in his mind the important piece of the puzzle is assessment. Almost every teacher I talk to right now is tired. They are tired of the endless assessment. They are tired of not being able to use their creativity.

I liken it to a pendulum. I feel that right now we are at the very top of a pendulum swing with assessment. I do not see how it could possibly get any more intense for teachers, and I really hope it starts to swing in the other direction soon.

There were a lot of good discussions about how to take education and change it to follow the times.

Thing 12 Part 2

2009-07-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

The previous post was getting too long so I decided to continue it to another post.

Today I used google blog search to try to find some blogs/posts about really high quality children's literature. I'm constantly searching for good books for Emmy to read, and since she's above grade level in abililty that makes the problem harder. I don't want her to read about 10 year old problems even though she probably could comprehend the words. Make sense?

At any rate I found a post by Scott Goodson that listed his favorite books. I don't know who he is, but I will check his other blog to see whether I like it or not.

I also found a blog that reviews Christian Children's Literature, which sounds perfect. I appreciate their reviews so much. I subscribed to that one and will be reading it.

I still don't feel that I fully understand google blog search. Perhaps my search terms are off. I never find what I expect to.

Thing 12

2009-07-07T11:11:00.001-07:00

This post is all about commenting. The first thing I read was from Drape's Takes.

This made me think about my commenting "policy." Currently on blogger I don't respond to each comment, mainly because blogger makes it so difficult for people to receive your comments from the blog. You have to actively select each conversation that you want to receive notification on, and then go back to the blog to check it. So if I leave a question on bob's blog, I have to actively return to his blog to see his answer. I just don't have time for that. I used to, back in the day when I only read a few blogs, go back and check everyone's, but that got old fairly quickly. My new policy, such as it is, is to respond personally via email if I know the person's email, or if the comment is something I really feel needs to be responded to publicly, I will do that.

I do read every comment and appreciate them greatly. But since my blog is such a small one, and mostly for my friends, I feel that I interact with people in other ways as well.

What do you think about this? Am I stifling discussion by not responding? Do you want me to respond to your comments?

Another post I read was about aliases vs. real names. I usually post on blogger with the name Sarah, but on wordpress (which remembers my fields) I use Sarah S. Chicken. There really aren't that many Sarah S Chickens in the world, so I use it to be unique. Since blogger links to my blog from my comment I am confident people know who I am. I also have an avatar on blogger.

Since I've been blogging for so long, I am comfortable with the number of comments I get. It's somewhat about community for me but also just a way to remember what I've been thinking. I'm on Facebook now, not to mention all the people I interact with in real life, so overall I just view this as part of a whole big section of my life. I comment on others' blogs once in a while, if something is really important to me, but I don't comment on everything anymore. One thought is that this really is a discussion community. Am I just jaded from doing this so long? Or is it like any other fad, where people are really enthusiastic for a while and then they go on with life?

I don't know. I guess my priorities have changed. I hope that others know that I do read their blogs even though their stat counters may not show it, and even though I don't comment. Maybe I should be commenting more.

One of the techniques I use from 10 Techniques to get more comments is to make it easy to comment. I used to use word verification but as I got tired of using it on others' blogs I took it off mine too. I really don't receive any spam or mean comments. Of course that's probably also because I don't have very many readers at all anymore :)

The last post I read was how to comment like a king or queen. I didn't get much out of this one except the idea that some people do need to be taught how to comment. I think I've been doing this for so long that I forgot that some people don't know how. I would say "being nice" is an important thing. Some commenters use blogs as a way to hide and state things they wouldn't in real life.

What do you think about this? Am I stifling discussion by not responding? Do you want me to respond to your comments?

Thing 11

2009-07-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

Library Thing is a way to catalog your home collection of books and discuss them with others. There are lots of features including many ways to search for books and sort them, and tags you can add. I was impressed with how quickly I could add books.

The interesting thing to me is that Joel started a website a long time ago that had a similar idea, but it didn't get off the ground. Just reminds me that there's nothing new under the sun. Maybe some day my husband will be the owner of a great website like this one.

Here is my catalog; I plan to add more sometime.

I don't know if I would use this in a classroom but it would certainly be nice, especially if I could use Joel's phone to just scan the barcodes of my books and enter them that way. Very fast and quick.

It would be neat to compare my library with some other users and see if I could find some people with similar interests. I think that would be a good way to find new books to read.

Thing 10

2009-07-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

As I type this Joel's mom Linda is in surgery for a hip replacement and I am in the waiting room. Therefore I thought this sign was appropriate.

After a couple busy weeks I was finally able to take a look at some image generator sites. I wasn't overly impressed with most of them, but the most user-friendly one to me was Smiley Face Generator. You take the happy faces and insert the text you want to use.

I can see that many people would like these because it's an easy way to make customized images, but I am not overly fond of comics as a rule and prefer real-life images.

It was interesting to go look at the various options.

Thing 9

2009-06-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

Today I looked at various sites that helped me find new blogs to read.

The easiest search tool I used was probably bloglines, although because of the search term I used (ESL teacher) I did not get many results at all on any of the sites.

I didn't like syndic8 at all- it looked like a message board place and i don't do those very often. For me it was too hard to get to the actual data.

A fun site I found was Awful Library Books, which is posted by librarians going through their collections and getting rid of obsolete books. I also found a few good resources for ESL teachers.

Thing 8

2009-06-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

I have been using Google reader for a while now, as a way to have all of the blogs I read sent to one place. When I first started using it I was reading lots and lots of blogs, especially those of people I don't know at all. It was really handy to have everything in one place.

Now that I've been using it for a long time, I have noticed some pros and cons. The good things are that I don't forget about a particular blog. If there is a way to have an RSS feed, I use it and send the blog to my reader. That cuts down on my reading time. I also like keeping my list private. It used to be in a blogroll but I prefer now to keep what I'm reading more private.

One negative thing I have noticed is that I comment less on other people's blogs, because in order to comment I would have to click on the post, load the comment page there, and then comment. I also receive fewer comments, and I have to think it's because of the same reason.

Over time I have changed my priorities and instead of 40-50 blogs I am now only subscribed to about 20, and very few people I don't know in real life. I really have tried to focus what I read.

A teacher could definitely use this to keep up with the latest news on a particular topic, and to foster a sense of community. It's a great resource.

Thing 7

2009-06-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Today I explored Google applications. I'm very familiar with Google docs, where you can create a document and access it on any computer that has internet access. I have my address book here, so that anywhere I am I have my contacts.

You can also share it with people, like I did on this one.

I forsee this being helpful to share lesson plans with parents who want to know what is going on in the classroom, or recording data gathered in class for students to access at home.

I had never used Google scholar before, but evidently it's a way to search research papers and scientific evidence. A great way to find only reputable sources. I did a search for sunflowers and it looked pretty handy.

I had also never seen Google labs. Lots of current experiments in science using technology. Good times could be had by a high school science class.

Thing 6

2009-06-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Today I got to look at some fun mashups off of Flickr. One of my favorites is called retrievr, where you make a basic sketch and the application searches flickr photos for pictures that are reminiscent of the sketch. I love the way it makes me think about perspective. To me what I drew was a blue squiggly line. To the "eyes" of the application it was something else entirely. Kids would enjoy seeing their art and perspective being interpreted by a program.

Another stunning one I explored was called mosaic maker. I told the application how big I wanted the mosaic, and then entered the tag terms "blue nature". The results I got were fantastic. One could also use pictures from your classroom to post on the bulletin board.

I have used mashups in the past, like the one that shows what sea level rise would look like interposed on the google maps. They are a great tool for using other people's findings to make your own interpretations.

Have you ever used mashups? What is your favorite?

Thing 5

2009-06-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

I found this neat picture by Richard Faulder on flickr. Joel and I are big fans of wild roses because they don't require as much care as some of the fancy ones we find nowadays. They've lived in the wild; they're hardy.

What kind of roses do you like best? Do you have any in your garden?

Thing 3

2009-06-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

The professional development program I'm using this week is called Library 2 Play. They have 23 things I can do to learn more about the internet and ways educators can use these things to further the learning of their students. I'm excited to do this because even though I've been blogging since 2005, I'm sure there's lots of programs out there that I've not encountered and that would help me in my quest to be a lifelong learner.

I also made a cute avatar on Yahoo...

I originally started this blog to tell family members and friends about the kids and about goings-on in my life. As I change, the purpose of this blog has also changed. I still occasionally share stories about the kids, but more often I use this as a forum for sharing big things I've learned. My blog is not for little things anymore- it's my journal. It's the way I record my Christian walk and my lifewalk.

Thing 2

2009-06-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of posts I will be doing as part of my professional development I am undertaking this summer.

As I think about life-long learning I find that one of the easiest things for me to do is taking responsibility for my own learning. I often jump into new projects doing things that I have never done before. I also tend to choose my own learning topics, although sometimes people give me learning assignments too.

One of the hardest things for me when starting new learning or being a lifelong learner is to set goals. I find that sometimes I jump into things without a long term goal in mind, or without asking myself if I really want to start an entirely new line of thinking. For instance I may decide I want to get into scrapbooking without thinking too much about how much money is reasonable to spend on it and if I have the time to scrapbook as much as I want to.

Emlyn's Birth Story

2009-05-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

Emlyn Grace May 23

Emlyn's "due date" was May 11. I was going to do natural birth and had taken Bradley classes, so I wasn't too worried when the due date came and went. I went to the doctor and they did ultrasounds and said things were still okay so I waited. I was very irritable when my friend had her baby before me when she wasn't due till after me.

But finally on May 23 at 3:30 in the morning I woke up and could tell things were happening and that's when I had bloody show. I woke up my mom and my husband and we thought we'd wait at the house for a while. After all, the average first labor takes 14 hours. But the contractions were different and stronger, and soon they were 3 minutes apart.

We decided it was time to go to the hospital. It is only 7 minutes away. As we started to go inside I had 3 contractions between the car and the hospital entrance. I realized this was serious.

We got into a room and I changed my clothes. The nurses bombarded us with questions and forms. I had to ask Joel to read them and I blindly signed during contraction after contraction. They put on an external fetal monitor but I sure didn't like it. It hurt and tethered me to the bed. I also got a heplock just in case they needed to give me an IV.

I had read "everything" about labor and the people said it would start easy. But it didn't. From when I woke up the contractions had been strong. I was worried that it was going to get much worse. They were very fast and strong; I couldn't even get up. I wasn't getting a break at all. I kept saying, "If it gets much worse I don't think I can handle it."

But very soon I felt like I needed to push. It was probably about 6:30 am. The nurse checked me, and yes, it was time. The doctor and a whole slew of others came in to get ready.

It hurt. But I was so excited to finally see my sweetie! I knew this was best for us, and I pushed. And some lady yelled at me to push. And there was a shift change but noone had seen an unmedicated birth before so they all stayed, so there was double the people (15?) in the room. And at 7:01 am, after 3 1/2 hours she was born.

They handed her to me and I held her, and laughed, and cried, and showed her off, and fed her. She was so floppy and wiggly!

We stayed in the hospital for 2 days and then went home.

I tore and had stitches. I vomited a couple of times (watermelon is yucky coming back up). I also had the shakes.

Was it worth it? YES!

Emmy, Six

2009-05-23T06:21:00.001-07:00

P1020569.JPG, originally uploaded by spiffy_guy.

With my sister Grace and Denali, being silly.

Five Year Old Emmy

2009-05-23T06:16:00.001-07:00

P1010873.JPG, originally uploaded by spiffy_guy.

Four Years Old

2009-05-23T06:15:00.001-07:00

DCP_4460.JPG, originally uploaded by spiffy_guy.

Three, and a Big Sister

2009-05-23T06:13:00.001-07:00

DCP_2643.JPG, originally uploaded by spiffy_guy.

Emmy- Two Years

2009-05-23T06:12:00.001-07:00

DCP_1688.JPG, originally uploaded by spiffy_guy.

Posing with her grandpa.

Emmy at One Year

2009-05-23T06:10:00.001-07:00

DCP_0938, originally uploaded by spiffy_guy.

Taking the Sweet One Home

2009-05-23T06:09:00.001-07:00

DCP_0278, originally uploaded by spiffy_guy.

I can't believe she was ever so small. Happy birthday, Emmy!

Taken on her due date

2009-05-22T18:51:00.001-07:00

DCP_0219, originally uploaded by spiffy_guy.

Some people have very beautiful tummies when they are pregnant. They are in magazines with blurred edges and lovely hands holding a perfectly round belly with no stretch marks.

Not me. I go for lots of stretch marks, lots of hippy tattoos, and lots of precious kicks in my side, right where the happy face is on the left side of the picture. I can still point to the exact spot on my tummy where her little heel would push out and show itself to the world. I wouldn't trade that for the most perfect belly shots possible. This memory is much more special.

Belly pics

2009-05-22T18:48:00.001-07:00

DCP_0220, originally uploaded by spiffy_guy.

Temporary tattoos and stretch marks. The hallmark of motherhood, right here.

7 years later, I have another temporary tattoo; this one from field day. Today I spent all day at her school, helping with field day, serving cupcakes to celebrate her birthday, making robots and cars with her class, and reading stories to her classmates.

Barefoot and Pregnant, 7 Years Ago.

2009-05-22T18:45:00.001-07:00

DCP_0108, originally uploaded by spiffy_guy.

It has been 7 years since my body finally decided to go into labor for the first time. Emmy was "officially" 12 days late, and the only reason she came then was because I fell the night before on a walk. Here's a picture of me looking very uncomfortable and large. Look how long those braids are!

Denali's Day

2009-05-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

As narrated to Grandma Linda

Sometimes I open my eyes and I see my room and there are VeggieTales my mommy has removed but she has left the measuring picture nailed to my door. I think I do love it. Do you know what she uses for my blanket? I will go get it! It is the VeggieTales quilt. It was on the wall. Look at the whole thing spread out on the floor. Watch this (he played hopscotch on the squares). I do love it. I saw an adult in Target with brown and purple hair. An adult! Yeah! I helped my mommy in the garden this morning. After that I made two pictures on the computer. SuperWhy is where I made them.

Putting Our Faith in Action

2009-05-04T06:04:00.001-07:00

Yesterday our church had it's annual Faith in Action day, where we cancel church service and members are involved in various activities that give to our community and share our faith. This year some of the events were: planting a victory community garden, free garage sale, baby shower for unwed moms, blood drive, financial seminar, park cleanup, and much more.

Joel and I decided to help with donating items to the free garage sale and then we spent the rest of the day over at the victory garden. We were building beds and planting plants, digging and hauling, weeding and spreading leaves between the beds. We are sharing a garden bed with a nice lady- our plot is about 4 by 12 feet. We planted about 15 tomato plants, 12 pepper plants, 10 watermelon plants, and a rosemary. Then we put in 5 blackberry bushes and 3 more rosemary bushes along the edge of the walkway. It's going to be so fun to see all the plants grow.

It was really amazing how the phrase "many hands make light work" is so true. There were about 40 of us out there working on the garden, and it was so fun to visit and get to know people and share our tools, knowledge, and plants. I look forward to spending time in our church garden with others. Now I just have to figure out how to water a garden twice a week that is 20 miles from my house. :)

Irish Step Dancing

2009-05-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

I just returned from my first Irish Step Dance class (think Riverdance) and it was fabulous! I loved it so much. It will quickly become the highlight of my week.

Errands

2009-04-30T11:02:00.001-07:00

Today I did seven errands in 2.5 hours. I think that's a record of some sort. Now we are home and very weary.

I'm afraid Facebook has ruined my ability to write more than a sentence at a time. What to do?

Gardening is Tiring

2009-04-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today I put 15 baby tomato plants in the garden. The are in with about 8 squash plants, 10 cucumber plants, two cacti, and some bulbs.

I am excited to see what will be happening and how many tomatoes I will get. It's very difficult to leave them up to God now though (that and a soaker hose).

Denali the Photographer

2009-04-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

Like me, Denali has a certain fascination with taking pictures of his feet. There have been a lot of them uploaded to the computer. Today he took a few pictures and wanted me to "online" them.

Oil in your lamp part 2

2009-04-16T04:41:00.000-07:00

What are you doing to get ready for Jesus Christ returning? Are you strengthening your relationship with God?

What about physical things? What physical things are you either letting go of, or remembering that they aren't as important as you might think?

Long term plans- do you make them?

Do you live your life as a light on a hill, or do you show the normal side?

This weekend (Thurs-Sun) I have so much to do that seems very important. And in this physical world it is very important. But when I start to stress out about it I start to remember that all of this stuff won't be remembered in a couple months (okay maybe one thing). Only just a couple things are kingdom-related. And suddenly it doesn't seem so overwhelming any more. Jesus Christ resurrected. Jesus Christ coming back to take us away from this crummy stuff. From the paperwork and the endless cleaning.

So what are you doing to keep oil in your lamp?

I got my hair cut

2009-04-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

I know that's a really boring title to a post, but the fact is that I really only get my hair professionally cut about once a year. So today was the day. I think it turned out rather well.

Oil in Your Lamp

2009-04-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today I was chatting with a friend and she gently reminded me again that we don't know the day or hour in which Jesus will return. Jesus compared his return to a group of women waiting for their suitors. Half of them were prepared; they had oil in their lamps at all times and had everything in order. The other half had neglected to keep their lamps full. When the bridegroom came, the ones who were unprepared asked the others "please share your oil with us!" But the prepared ones were not able to share. They had done what they could and gotten themselves ready. The fact of the matter is that we are all in control of our own lives. If there are some things you have not done to prepare for the return of Jesus Christ, you need to do them now. Don't wait until Jesus comes back.

Gardening, Spring, Working

2009-04-05T18:51:00.001-07:00

We seem to finally be all better around here- we had a month of sickness but it's over thankfully.

This last week I started tutoring at Emlyn's school again- I'm doing two hours a week of kindergarten math and two hours of kinder reading. The kids are cute and fairly well-behaved for kinder. I don't think I could do kinder as my full-time job- the hugs are nice but the wiggles constantly would drive me nuts. I much prefer 3-4 grade. Denali enjoys coming to school with me to learn, although in my humble opinion he is ahead of these kids, at least academically.

This year our garden is weighted towards edibles. Our roses are huge, our trees are well-established, and the xeriscaped beds are doing well. We added a raised bed for more thornless blackberries. We now have about 15-20 plants in all. The ones from last year are not very big but they sent out runners and seem to be fairly healthy. I don't know if we will get any berries this year. We put in soaker hoses for watering this time and that should help for the middle of the summer.

Joel bought a fig tree so we now have a fig and a peach tree. I have given up on my wildflower bed and am hoping to get some hardy seedlings from the seeds of veggies I planted. I bought cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumber, yellow squash, and two types of tomatoes. I made 12 baby pots of each type of veggie, so I may have extra seedlings in a few weeks. I'm excited about them, and trying to do this the right way this year. I also have a soaker hose in the old wildflower bed, which is where the veggies will go.

The weather is still cool, and I love it. Today I got to thinking about where I grew up and how it's a microclimate. I looked up temperature patterns for Hayward and found that the average lowest temp is 44 degrees and the average highest temp is 74! That's why I've been so surprised here in TX! Texas weather can vary 30 degrees in one day, whereas I was used to 30 degree variance in one year. Crazy. No wonder 7.2 million people live in 7000 square miles. That's 1000 people per square mile! So I grew up there. Compare that to Joel, who grew up in Alaska, with 1 person per square mile. Can you say different?

Interview with Denali, age 4

2009-03-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here's what you are supposed to do:

Ask your child(ren) the questions and type in their answers as they say

them. Tag other folks with older kids who might have fun with this. :)

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?
Do your chores

2. What makes Mommy happy?
hugging her

3. What makes Mommy sad?
not obeying her

4. How does your Mommy make you laugh?
she says silly things and she acts silly

5. What was your Mommy like as a child?
I don't know

6. How old is your Mommy?
29

7. How tall is your Mommy?
100 inches

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
do pillow fights

9. What does your Mommy do when you're not around?
watch "hot lava proof" at somebody else's house

10. If your Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
famous seamstress, painter, builder, cowgirl, or whatever

11. What is your Mommy really good at?
sewing

12. What is your Mommy not very good at?
cooking

13. What does your Mommy do for her job?
doing chores

14. What is your Mommy's favorite food?
salad

15. What makes you proud of your Mommy?
letting me snuggle with her when I'm tired

16. If your Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Super Girl

17. What do you and your Mommy do together?
go to movie theaters

18. How are you and your Mommy the same?
both big, both wear glasses

19. How are you and your Mommy different?
I'm little and you're big and I don't wear glasses and you do

20. How do you know your Mommy loves you?
I love her

21. Where is your Mommy's favorite place to go?
chick fil a, austin park n' pizza, disneyworld

Interview with Emlyn, Age 6

2009-03-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here's what you are supposed to do:

Ask your child(ren) the questions and type in their answers as they say

them. Tag other folks with older kids who might have fun with this. :)

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?
Take out the trash

2. What makes Mommy happy?
hugging me

3. What makes Mommy sad?
not obeying her

4. How does your Mommy make you laugh?
saying silly things

5. What was your Mommy like as a child?
I have no idea

6. How old is your Mommy?
29

7. How tall is your Mommy?
12 feet tall

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
read

9. What does your Mommy do when you're not around?
I don't know

10. If your Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
her sewing

11. What is your Mommy really good at?
reading and sewing

12. What is your Mommy not very good at?
cooking

13. What does your Mommy do for her job?
sew

14. What is your Mommy's favorite food?
salad

15. What makes you proud of your Mommy?
reading to me

16. If your Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Super Sewing Mommy

17. What do you and your Mommy do together?
read and walk to school

18. How are you and your Mommy the same?
Our hair

19. How are you and your Mommy different?
I don't wear glasses

20. How do you know your Mommy loves you?
because she's my mommy

21. Where is your Mommy's favorite place to go?
HEB

Strep and Plants

2009-03-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

The kids and I all have Strep. It's crummy.

We are on drugs. So that's good.

Today I planted 12 seeds of each of the following:
Ultra Cool Watermelon
Yellow Straightneck Squash
Bonnie Best Tomato
Yellow Pear Tomato
Spacemaster Cucumber

It's all very exciting!