Crazy Girl!

Here's my Elle-Belly! Here's Elle asleep on her bedroom floor - and yes, you can see she does have a bed! She gets out when she has a messy diaper. She gets a new diaper, the wipes and a change of clothes. Why she picks out the new clothing is a mystery to us. Then, instead of letting us know she's messy - she falls asleep.Wake up sleepy-head! Here's Elle cleaning. Again, when she wakes up from her nap she doesn't say anything, she just busies herself with taking the wipes out of the box. She hasn't done this for a while so maybe she's finally learned that she should stop pulling them out! And, here she is taking a much needed cleaning break. This girl cracks me up - she is just a photo op waiting to happen. If you remember, I don't drink coffee - so I'm not sure where she got her inspiration for this photo! These last few are of Elle playing with her dollhouse. Through Elle's play, you can get a pretty accurate idea of what I do during the day! ;-)

Oh, look, here's Mommy rocking Baby!

Wow, what a long day, time for bed!

Just to make myself look better clarify, this dollhouse is not equipped with a washer/dryer, but I find it funny that it came with a computer! Even the kitchen is rather basic - so this mommy is really limited to what she can do during the day!!! :)

**Update**

Please go here to find out more about printing, posting or purchasing Maggie's artistic interpretation of Beth Moore's Columbia commission.

Isn't it AWESOME?

2nd update - Maggie has given permission for this to be published on blogs again. You'll notice it now has a watermark.

I think it is so awesome - I wanted to update this post...again! he he :)
5/7/07

***********************

The picture had to be removed.

From Magnanimity:
So…here’s the bad news: due to the above, it (the graphic posted on Friday) is currently available for printing, posting, or personal use without permission from the authors, and from LifeWay. And, one huge favor, if you’ve posted it, would you help all of us by please removing it. That would help everyone involved act responsibly. I’d so love to hear from you equally in obedience as I did in celebration. Spread the word. God bless you richly."


***********************************************************************
The above is Beth Moore’s Columbia Commission (An Artistic Interpretation) by
Magnanimity. To read more go to the Living Proof Ministries Blog.

Thank you for letting me share this Maggie!

A*ndre*a B*oce*lli sings El*mo to sleep

This was on Ses*ame Stre**et the other night and I couldn't resist posting it. I have always loved his voice (An*d*rea Boc*el*li's is good too - har har har).
Funny story: After watching this episode, I gave the children baths and afterwards I was trimming their toenails. Quintin was counting each one in true "Count" fashion - 1 toe*nail trimmed, 2 toe*nails trimmed, and so on. He had the biggest smile on his face as he continued counting because he knew he was making his mom laugh!
So, do we watch too much Ses*ame Stre**et? Nah...

Do you have a favorite S*esame Stre**et moment?

The Four Promises of Forgiveness

The Four Promises of Forgiveness: Powered by Hebrews 9:22

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

Forgiveness may be described as a decision to make four promises:

"I will not dwell on this incident."
"I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you."
"I will not talk to others about this incident."
"I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship."

By making and keeping these promises, you can tear down the walls that stand between you and your offender. You promise not to dwell on or brood over the problem or to punish by holding the person at a distance. You clear the way for your relationship to develop unhindered by memories of past wrongs. This is exactly what God does for us, and it is what he calls us to do for others.

Taken from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken Sande, Updated Edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2003) pp. 209. Clicking on this link will take you to the Peacemaker bookstore where you can download the first chapter of this book for free .

Food For Thought
Do you sometimes find yourself breaking (or tempted to break) one or more of the Four Promises of Forgiveness sometime after you make them? That's a very normal experience--and, believe it or not, it's an invitation from God to draw closer to him. The key is remembering and applying Hebrews 9:22. That verse tells us that in the universe there is only one source of durable forgiveness: the Cross of Christ. "Without the shedding of blood," the verse says, "there is no forgiveness."

For a time, we may be able to forgive someone out of our own willpower or our human desire for reconciliation, but eventually even our best efforts will buckle (yes, even when they're buoyed up by the Four Promises). If we want our forgiveness of others to "stick", we ourselves need to "stick" continually--to the Cross. So when you sense a long-buried hatchet rising to the surface, don't dwell on those thoughts. Instead, dwell on Christ's forgiveness of your own sin. The more real that becomes for you, the less real temptations toward unforgiveness will be.

**********
I found this to be such a powerful email for me, that I wanted to share it today. Holding grudges is something I am working to break. Doing so is like building a wall between me and another person, and it is nearly impossible to talk openly while the wall is there. God doesn't keep a record of my sins; when he forgives, he forgives completely, tearing down any wall between me and him. I need to do the same.

How to correctly weigh yourself...

I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years.

We must get the word out.

Making the Graphics

I wanted to share this since a few of you asked. This is how I make my graphics, there may be an easier way, but this is what works for me, lol. I use MS Publisher and HP Image Zone.

MS Publisher allows me to create the graphic with pictures and add the text. In Publisher, I can save it as a 'jpeg' file, by going to "Save As" and clicking on "Save As Type" drop down menu and choosing "JPEG File Interchange Format."

Once I have it saved as a JPEG, I can open it up in HP Image Zone and crop it down to size, rather than being a full page.

I hope this is helpful to some of you who wanted to know. I am not sure if it can be done in other programs or not, but wanted to share how I've learned to do it. Let me know if you make some graphics, I'd like to stop by and check them out.

Also, here is how to do the strike through:

Oh no...

The following is an ad that appeared four days in a row in a real-life newspaper -- the last three hopelessly trying to correct the first day's mistake.

MONDAY: For sale: R.D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Phone 948-0707 after 7 PM and ask for Mrs. Kelly who lives with him cheap.

TUESDAY Notice: We regret having erred in R.D. Jones' ad yesterday. It should have read "One sewing machine for sale cheap. Phone 948-0707 and ask for Mrs. Kelly, who lives with him after 7 PM."

WEDNESDAY Notice: R.D. Jones has informed us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of the error we made in the classified ad yesterday. The ad stands correct as follows: "For sale: R.D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Cheap. Phone 948-0707 after 7 PM and ask for Mrs. Kelly who loves with him."

THURSDAY Notice: I, R.D. Jones, have no sewing machine for sale. I smashed it. Don't call 948-0707 as I have had the phone disconnected. I have not been carrying on with Mrs.Kelly. Until yesterday she was my housekeeper but she quit!

From the Good, Clean Funnies List

The Good, The Bad & The Kinda Cool

:) The Good: All the children are feeling great this week.

:( The Bad: Momma now has what the children had.

;) The Kinda Cool: I've lost 8 lbs since last week. Let me assure you first, this is not a weight loss program I'd recommend.

Lesson learned: Take the good with the bad, because you never know when something kinda cool will come of it!

I've developed a bit of an obsession a passion (quiet Ginger) for creating these graphics. A few have been labeled "silly" by some! The pictures are in a publishing program we have. When I come across a quote or saying that I really like, I look for a picture to match it - so they aren't 'originals.' But it has been fun making them and I was just REAL excited when I figured out how to save a document as picture file. All that to say - there will be more to come!

Have a great weekend friends!

Photo Exhibit by Quintin

Show and Tell

I thought this was such a fun idea that I wanted to participate. Thanks Kelli - for more Show and Tells visit Kelli's blog.

I'd like to introduce you to my first real knitting project! For me, this is a big deal, because I only learned how to knit a year ago. My mother in law taught me how while we were on a ski trip last year.

To back up a little, when I was pregnant with my oldest, I thought it would be so much fun to knit a blanket, booties and all that stuff for my first baby. I went to the store and bought a Learn to Knit book (basically a Knit for Dummies book) and I was such a dummy that I still couldn't figure it out! I was still able to nurture my baby and take care of him, even if he wasn't wearing cute little knit booties!

We were in a plane, headed west, and my mother in law taught me how to knit. I think I made 2 or 3 scarves that week alone! When we came home I was up for a bigger challenge. There is a local knit shop and the owner is just wonderful! I headed to her store and told her I wanted something basic, but wanted to go beyond a scarf.

She showed me a pattern for a purse and I believed it would be next to impossible for me to complete that. Instead of using 2 knitting needles, the pattern called for 1 pair of circular needles, basically 2 needles combined with a plastic cord. By using the circular needles, I was able to knit the entire pattern and not have to yet attempt to conquer my fear of learning how to purl.

The thing I liked the most about the purse is that it is felted. I knit it with wool yarn and the pattern has you make it really big! After I was finished knitting, I had to sew the bottom closed and then I tossed it in the washer on the highest heated water setting I had and it shrunk it. So instead of looking like a knit sweater, you can barely see the knit rows.

I am not much of an artist when it comes to drawing or painting, but when I can create something with my hands, by myself - and it looks like it is supposed to, I get excited! Thanks for taking a look at my show and tell.

Prettiest Moms

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do
tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put them down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed (nurse) a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

I don't know who wrote this or where it originated, but I thought it was sweet and wanted to dedicate it to some real pretty moms - that would be those of you reading, in case you weren't sure!

What does it mean when...

...you get excited that your flowers at the kitchen sink are blooming...

...and then you remember that they're artificial?

7 things about myself

Tara has tagged me to do a post telling you fine folks 7 things about myself. I could tell you the same thing 7 different ways, but I figure it'll be more to do that random "betcha didn't know this" kind of thing.

1. I've never had a cavity.

2. I was a cheerleader in HS.

3.I have lots of freckles and when my children first notice them, they ask I how I got my boo-boos.

4. I've done 4 loads of laundry since last night. I've set a new record. Quintin is now sick, and I even think Colin might have a touch of it.

5. Growing up I wanted to be either a teacher or a veterinarian. I gave up the latter because I got to overwhelmed thinking about having to put an animal to sleep.


6. My first job out of college was for the local YMCA. I taught PE for 2 private schools that didn't have gyms. So I would pick up the classes, in a really old 15 passenger van, and bring them to the Y. I also ran their youth sports programs on the weekends, soccer in the fall and spring and basketball in the winter. When I was hired, they wanted to welcome me by announcing my start on the marquee outside. Unfortunately, the worker in charge of changing it hadn't met me yet and didn't realize I had two names. Although it would have been nice to have two 'me's to do the job!

7. After spending one year at the Y, I got hired at an elementary school just blocks from the Y. I had driven past the school many times while traveling with my students and I didn't even know it was there.

Mrs. Goodnest

A mom was concerned about her Kindergarten son walking to school. He didn't want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence, but yet know that he was safe.

So, she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he probably wouldn't notice her.

She said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed.

The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor boy he knew. She did this for the whole week.

As the boys walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy's little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week. Finally, he said to Timmy, "Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her"?

Timmy nonchalantly replied, "Yeah, I know who she is."

The friend said, "Well, who is she"?

"That's just Shirley Goodnest," Timmy replied. "And her daughter Marcy."

"Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us"?

"Well," Timmy explained. "Every night, my mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, because she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life,' so I guess I'll just have to get used to it!"

May "Shirley Goodnest" and "Marcy" be with you, today and always.

Feeling Randomized?

Aisha and Ginger were the only courageous souls to step up to my Feeling Randomized challenge! Thank you gals! I had done this a few days ago and it was really fun. Are you ready?

Here are my random questions:

1. What TV or movie character are you most like and why?

2. How do you like to spend a lazy summer afternoon?

3. You're stuck in Lancaster county for a day. How do you keep yourself occupied?

4. Time for a food fight...What's your strategy to win?

5. If you found a wallet with a ton of cash and an ID, what would you do?


Hmmm, between Aisha and Ginger, this could be very interesting! I can't wait to read your answers! And, please, don't think I am so creative in coming up with these questions. I stole borrowed them from blogthings!!! You know, I need all the help I can get with my recent surgery and all.

This brought tears to my eyes...

...and I had to share it. It brought tears to my eyes because I was laughing so stinkin' hard!

Please Click Here only if you've read the post below.

Sunday at home - this is how rumors start

Here it is 9:30 Sunday morning, and I'm at home. I am usually in my own Sunday school class or teaching the 2nd grade but a few of us are at home. Its Elle, Colin and me. Colin has been fed and is working on going back down for a morning nap...and Elle, she is still asleep.

Elle had a terrible night Friday night, throwing up in bed. I never did so much laundry in one night. She actually woke up Saturday morning with the same sheets that she went to bed with. While T would scoop her up and take her to the bathroom and get her cleaned up and I'd replace the sheets on the bed with fresh ones and take the dirty ones down to throw in the washer. Then an hour later, we'd be doing it again. So I'd head down and start another load after placing the wet sheets in the dryer. Each child has two sets of sheets for their bed and since Elle's were both being washed or dried at the moment, I reached for Quintin's other set. Well, she did not want to go to bed using his. Here it is 3:30am and I'm trying to rationalize with my 2 year old. Then I remembered that she likes to crawl into Quintin's bed at bedtime and wants to sleep there, so I said using Quintin's sheets is like sleeping in his bed. Worked like a charm! After that we had one more episode, so I took the dirty sheets down and the ones in the dryer were dry - the original set. 3 loads of laundry in one night, it has to be a record for me! She slept just great last night, didn't wake up one time, and like I mentioned above, is still sleeping.

So now to the "rumors." Last week, a prayer call went around for a woman in our church having surgery at a local women's hospital. This call came around Wednesday morning for this woman who shares my last name - except I don't believe our husbands are related. There are 4 families in our church with the same last name - 3 of those families would be us, my hubby's parents and hubby's brother. So, this call goes around and the name of this woman is LuAnn. So you can imagine there would be some confusion. My mother-in-law is the one who records the message for our prayer chain (done by a Phone Tree) and even I paused and had to listen to it twice, thinking, am I supposed to be somewhere this morning? A few friends called, I got some e-mails and two cards even came in the mail. One of my friends, at a Bible Study, said they were trying to get this all straightened out and she commented, "This is how rumors get started." I think since the call went around Wednesday that most people have figured out it isn't me but this other woman.

So, back to me staying home from church. I laughed as my son and hubby left because I was thinking of the people who haven't heard the correction and when they see my hubby there alone...oh boy. A few of my friends said they hoped I had a great evening Wednesday since they were covering me in prayer, but I know that the Lord knows who it was for. Even T's sister called her mom and asked if that was for me, because it if was why hadn't I said anything at Easter Dinner? Oh yes...even with the best of intentions, rumors still get started.

Have a good day everyone, I am going to head upstairs and wake up my peanut - I'm going to guess her diaper isn't going to hold too much longer :(

Birthday Meme

Heather from The Zoo and Ginger at Just a Thought tagged me for this birthday meme. It looked interesting, so I'll give it a go and see what new things I learn!


BIRTHDAY MEME
1. Go to Wikipedia and type in your birthdate only -without the year.
July 10

2. List 3 events that occured that day:
A) 1938 - Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91 hour airplane flight around the world.
B) 1962 - Telstar, the world's first communications satellite, is launched into orbit
C) 1978 - World News Tonight premieres on ABC

3. List 2 important birthdays:
A) 1943 - Arthur Ashe, American tennis player (d. 1993)
B) 1980 - Adam Kyler Petty (d. 2000) was the first fourth-generation driver in NASCAR history. Grandson to "The King" Richard Petty and son of Kyle Petty.

4. List 1 death:
1978 - John D Rockefeller III, American businessman (b. 1906)

5. List a holiday or observance:
Silence Day - celebrated by followers of Meher Baba.

I'm not aware of this holiday or Meher Baba - but thought it truly fascinating that someone who struggles being silent, was born on the day some celebrate Silence!

I'll tag anyone who hasn't done it yet but would like to :)

Did I really agree to this?

Susan had this randomization meme on her Learning for Lifetime blog. I "stepped up" to her challenge (along with 4 others, including Susan/Penless) to be "randomized." Here are Susan's questions and my answers. If you'd like to be "randomized" leave me a note in my comments and I'll send you MY five questions for you to answer.

1. What's your worst pet peeve?

I guess it would have to be blog readers who don't leave comments. Just Kidding! Seriously, it would have to be people who aren't considerate to mothers pushing strollers. We have a farm market that I like to shop at and it is always very full. It drives me nuts when people jump out ahead of me to 'beat the stroller.'

2. What are five things you would do if "money were no object?"

Since she didn't specify it as the "first" five things and you all know that I'd give it away to good causes, I decided to ask my family for suggestions.

1. I'd buy a horse for my mom, because she's always wanted one (so she says). And, if you're going to buy a horse then you might as well hire a jockey and a trainer so you can race it. You didn't think she wanted to ride it, did you?

2. My dad would like a riding mower for their new house. They have more lawn to mow than their previous home a full quarter of an acre. (I hope this helps explain why I am the way I am)

3. I'd purchase a laptop for myself so that I am not confined to blog in my den. I could be doing it during breakfast, lunch and supper, and while they kids play...oh wait, I already do that. But the laptop would allow me to be next to them! It would promote more togetherness. And then I could blog more about the funny things my children say, since I can never remember when it comes to typing it up!

4. I would host The Very Ultimate Blog Party for the blogging friends of Momma Roar's blog. I would host it on a cruise ship and we'd have MercyMe along with many other Christian artists aboard for entertainment. All of our favorite foods would be available, but the only drink will be Pepsi, no coffee! Oh, and it would be Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi! Since I am trying to lose some extra weight, the diet soda would balance out the effects of any high calorie foods we may eat. Come on guys, you know I was a Health teacher!! I wouldn't lead you down a wrong path ;)

5. My last one...well, no expense would be spared to hire the best babysitters so that we SAHMs know our children are in the best care. We wouldn't want our husbands to watch the children...they need to keep working so we have spending money!

3. If you could be an inanimate object, what would you be and why?

I'd want to be a cello. I've always loved its mellow sound - even though when I played, it didn't sound very mellow!

4. OK, fess up, some people have eaten crayons or tasted glue. What's the strangest thing you've ever taste-tested? Where were you and why did you do it?

My brother, sister and I had these pretzel pins as kids. It was a real pretzel that was shellacked and glued to a pin, so you could wear it. I remember breaking the pin off and eating the pretzel. It was stale...I guess I was hungry. I can't remember anything else I would have tried. If you haven't already guessed, I am not the most daring person.

5. And because I LOVE music and Linda (who challenged Susan) used music: If you were standing before all of your friends and family and they asked you to summarize yourself in one to two songs, what would you sing and why?

1. Running over, running over, my cup life is full and running over.

2. They're coming to take me away, ha-haaa!! They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa To the funny farm. Where life is beautiful all the time and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats and they're coming to take me away, ha-haaa!!!!!

I think the "why" is self-explanatory!

So do I have any takers?

What kind of American English do you speak?

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English

15% Dixie

15% Yankee

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

I found the quiz above and I am not quite sure how to interpret my results - but I thought it made for a great segue into this post.

Last week, after my post when I was a little caffeine-crazed, a few people shared what they call caffeinated beverages. I call it soda. If you want Pepsi - you ask for Pepsi - if you want Coke - you ask for Coke. On the western side of the state, they call it pop.

Awhile ago, Julieann posted a "chatter" post asking what people call this:


We call it a grocery cart or simply a cart. A few people commented on Julieann's blog that they call it a buggy and they mentioned the signs that read "Park your buggy here." Well now, I live in Amish country so this is where you park your buggy:

Doesn't every grocery store have a bar to hitch up the horses? And please don't look too closely at the ground, because, yes, it is what you think it is!

I began to think about some phrases I use that people have asked me about. I've mentioned before that I still live in the same county I was born in, so going off to college was the first time I heard different phrases than I was used to. And the college I went to is just one county away.

1. One of my college roommates was from Philadelphia and she was often confused by my choice of words. One thing that sticks out in particular was if I was going somewhere and wanted to invite her, I would say, "You coming with?"

She was always like "with......?"

"With me?"

"You coming with?" sounds fine to me, any thoughts?

2. Also, while at college, I was doing an end of semester assignment and teaching a High School PE lesson in lacrosse to my classmates. I instructed them to "Go and pick up your sticks awhile." My professor questioned me, "Awhile what, Leigh Ann?"

"Awhile I wait here as you get them?" I asked, trying to sound sure of myself.

Again, sounds fine to me.

3. I can remember my mom telling me they would say "Outen the lights" to mean turn off the lights. I simply say, turn off the lights.

So I'm curious if you've picked up anything in my writing that is different or makes you wonder, what does that mean? Below is a little quiz. I look forward to reading your answers, feel free to explain. See you in the comments...that is where my answers will be.

1. What do you call a) the noon meal and b) the evening meal?

2. What is this called?

3. What do you call a long sandwich made with deli meats and cheeses?

4. What word(s) do you use to address a group of two or more people?

5. What do you call a sale of unwanted goods on your porch, in your yard, etc?

Thanks for letting me use your idea Julieann.

Continuing Construction

Thanks to all of you who've made such sweet comments about my blog redesigns. It has been a lot of fun learning how to tweak it on my own.

I'd be happy to share what I've learned and my e-mail addy is in my profile. There are just a few more changes I want to try to figure out, so bear with me!

Real Mums

Time to get to know a little more about me in one of these m... things. I found out that Trella and Lori tagged me, so since I am in high demand well liked, I'll attempt it today.

A Real Mum....

...thanks the Lord everyday for the gift of children and this job He's given.

...thinks and prays about her children's future.

...feels unqualified, at times, to homeschool, but trusts that where God guides, He will provide.

...desires to know what God wants for her children.

...knows that God doesn't call each of us to the same things.

...values the opinions and choices of others but doesn't insist that homeschooling is for everyone.

...has feelings and is hurt when people tell her, to her face, that she is crazy to homeschool.

...tries her hardest.

...suffers a few times before she finally gets the message.

...enjoys the sunny days outside when the children can play, but also love the rainy days to snuggle inside.
...lets her children attempt to hang laundry by just winging up on the wash line, because they want to help.
...searches for lost toys.

...doesn't mind a half clean toilet bowl, because her son is the one who scrubbed it.
...calms fears and wipes tears.
...gets angry with children, and then realize their mistakes and ask their children to forgive them.
...can't turn down the opportunity to buy more books for her children, even when the bookshelves are full to bursting.
...lets the children help in the kitchen because it usually guarantees they'll eat what is on their plate.
...walks away in disgust as Daddy takes the children outside to help scoop up the groundhog he just shot.
...tries not to get frustrated that a task takes 10 times longer because a child wants to help.
...knows the limit to pushing a child when teaching something new.
...lets their child continue to sleep on the floor because she knows it will be unsuccessful to put her back in bed.
...puts the kids to bed early so she can talk and share with her husband.
...tries to keep things in perspective and knows if doesn't matter if the dishes don't get done until tomorrow morning.
...has some child rearing books on her desk, but usually just wings it and follows her mother's heart.

Quintin just came in, I asked him what a real mom does and here are his answers...
...she cooks.
...she plays with us.
...she practices letters with us.
...she takes many pictures of us. (his emphasis, not mine)
...she types. Huh? What? Oh.....I think it is time to finish!

These were just some of my thoughts. I'll tag WeaverMom, Tara, Tina and Heather.

The Anvil - God's Word

Last eve I paused beside a blacksmith's door
And heard the anvil bang and vesper chimes
Then looking in, I saw upon the floor
Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,
"To wear and batter all these hammers so?"
"Just one," said he, and then with twinkling eye,
"The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."

"And so," I thought, "The anvil of God's Word
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon,
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone."


~Author Unknown

Thinking Blogger Award part 2

Pen of Jen nominated me a second time for this award. Jennifer has a thought provoking blog that I enjoy reading very much.

And, the nominees are:

1 - The lurking blogger who hasn't commented yet and in so doing, makes me unaware of their possibly thought provoking blog posts.

2 - The lurker who has yet to begin a blog of their own where they can begin to share their possibly thought provoking blog posts.

But, what I really want to say that there are many good blogs out there! I enjoy them all, but just like books - there are some that make me laugh, some that make me cry, some that make me mad, some that make me think and some that offer an honest glimpse into their daily lives. I appreciate many genres of blogs as I do books and I go to each blog for different reasons. (Is there such a thing as a genre of blogs? Well, if there wasn't, there is now!)

So far I've only come across the Thinking Blogger Award, but when the Funny Blogger Award, Take It or Leave It Blogger Award or Cutest Kids Blogger Award comes around, there will be other blogs to pick - not to say that those chosen before aren't funny or don't have cute kids, but you get my idea.

Thank you all for posting. I look forward to what each of you share with me, a fellow blogger on this journey with you. Thank you for offering me a seat at your kitchen table where we can share some coffee Pepsi and some honest discussion. Thanks for blogging and keeping it real!

Happy 1st Birthday Aliyah!

I'd like to introduce you to a little girl from our congregation, Aliyah. Some of you reading, from my church, already know this story, but I wanted to take the opportunity to share it with my family and new friends that don't know about her. Her parents started a carepage for her, updating it often for us to pray for specific requests and to rejoice in all the things the Lord is doing in her life. I have pulled this post together from those entries and Michelle's, Aliyah's mom, writings will be in quotes.

I trust you will be encouraged and have a stronger sense of God's healing power after reading about her life. If you feel led, you can pray for her and her family.

Aliyah was born April 10, 2006 and on the 11th, Aliyah had surgery on her bowel. "They had to remove most of it because it did not develop properly and was not functional."

Aliyah came home on May 23, 2006. At birth she weighed 3lb, 8oz and on June 23, "She has hit the 6 pound mark! 6 pounds, 2 ounces to be exact!"

This is a picture of Aliyah and her big sister, Mariah.

With many more bumps in the road to follow, I now want to bring you closer to the present.

February 13 we read this from Michelle's sister, "By the looks of everything, all felt sure Aliyah would not pull through and we started the process of saying goodbye. God and Aliyah had different ideas!"

Aliyah came home from the hospital and her parents took her to a hospital in Boston where there is an experimental IV nutrition. They left before an impending snow storm and arrived in the middle of the night.

A prayer request: "The insurance has not approved Aliyah's hospitalization here yet. And they have not approved her to be listed for transplant here."

Prayer answered: "Praise the Lord! We just received word that the final appeal to have insurance to approve Aliyah to be admitted and listed for a transplant at Boston was a success! The conference call (which involved quite a few people) went well, with presentation of facts and no berating or arguing, but positive interaction between all participants. God was obviously one of those present!"

March 24: "PRAISE GOD! The Drs. have called us at 4 am to let us know that there is an offer for organs for Aliyah. Also pray for the family that is donating their child's organs. We are given hope for Aliyah's life and they are grieving the lose of their child's life. We are feeling so excited for this chance of life for Aliyah and yet so scared. God is our peace and strength."

March 25: "What an exhausting day! Praise God for this chance at life for Aliyah! The surgeon talked to us about 9:30 pm. Things went fairly well overall but not necessarily as planned. They transplanted the stomach, liver, pancreas, and sm. bowel. The spleen they put in but it was bleeding some and they were not able to repair it so they took it out. Not a huge deal, you can live without a spleen, but it may put her at a slightly higher risk for some infections. They also did not transplant kidneys. They decided that her kidneys were functioning OK and that hopefully with new and improved other organs they will get happier too."

April 9: "Aliyah continues to do well. Her kidney function is improving and her lungs are improving too! They did a biopsy of her bowel this morning and it continues to look good - no rejection! The drain they put in to drain the fluid pocket were her spleen is absent was taken out today, because there was no fluid there now. Pray that the fluid will not reaccumulate. No more smiles after the ones caught on camera this morning, but she is having more awake times where she looks around and seems comfortable."

"These smiles made mommy soooo happy! the nurses were excited too!"

Happy Birthday Aliyah! We are praying for you to heal and be home again soon. We are praying for strength for you Mom and Dad and for the Lord's presence to completely surround them, you and Mariah.

Mariah will be celebrating her 2nd birthday this coming Sunday!

If you'd like to continue to follow Aliyah's progress, go here. You can register and use "aliyahdiffenbach" to visit her carepage. If you visit, please leave them a message!

Looking Good

Thought I'd post some pictures of the children from yesterday.

I thought I had taken Quintin's picture during the Easter Egg Hunt, but couldn't find it on my camera. The kids hunted eggs with 10 of their cousins. It was cold here too - Elle should have had gloves on , but I couldn't find them after packing them away the week it hit 70 :( At least I could find her hat! Our Sunrise Service was even held inside yesterday morning instead of outside in the Church Cemetary.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Thinking Blogger Award

Yesterday, after having just typed up a thank you to my angels for their thought provoking posts this past week leading up to Easter, I got nominated not once, but twice for a Thinking Blogger Award. Both Candy and Jennifer nominated me for this award. Jennifer isn't making it official until Tuesday, but I was too excited to start and will begin with my first 5 to tag from Candy's nomination.

Candy said, "Next is Leigh Ann from Living to Learn & Learning to Live. Oh, Leigh Ann is so sweet and wiser than her age. I love to visit her blog and see what she is writing about. She has a sweet of way of being relateable too. I love her and her blog!"

Thank you so much - I enjoy reading your blog too, Candy. You have a gift for sharing your thoughts and ideas about decorating and making a house a home. You challenge me to think about what changes I can make. Thank you for blogging Candy!

Aisha - I don't always know what will greet me when I log onto Just Mom's Musings, but I can be sure it will be humurous, have great pictures and be something from her heart. Aisha really challenged me to dig deeper this past weekend and I appreciate that very much - if you didn't look at my post below, please do Aisha.
Anna - Anna's Whole Hearted Life blog shares many stories to encourage and bless me each day.
Ginger - Ginger's Just a Thought, does just that - it leaves me thinking about her posts later into the day. She also really challenged this past week - Ginger, make sure you read my post below.
Devildog Wife - The Marine Corps Nomad blog offers a lot of honesty in her family stories and day to day life, whether it is about moving, homeschooling or just their daily outings.
Weavermom - Weavermom is the one who got me started blogging - how can I not award her? She's the one that got me to think in the first place :) Even though she is super busy with taxtime right now, I always look forward to the times she can post about her family and her homeschooling adventures.

Each of these people offer honesty about themselves and their families in all their posts - they open themselves up and share it with us. For those I have tagged, if you wish to participate, please go to the The Thinking Blog to read the rules and tag 5 more bloggers.

Friends

"Friends are angels who lift our feet when our own wings have trouble remembering how to fly." ~Unknown

I want to thank all you angels this week that have helped lift my feet with your encouraging Easter posts. You've helped me to fly and grow closer to our Lord with your challenging posts.

I've had a heavy heart due to some family and friends going through some difficult times and you all have helped to put a smile on my face (not just this week, but since I've met you.) I was able to, on Friday afternoon, finally give up my worries and fear to Him....

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one." Psalm 28:7-8

....and I was able to think more deeply about this weekend. I thank each of you for your posts this past week, you've been my angels!

Always Easter

You say it happened long ago

And in a far-off land

Where men and women spoke a tongue

I would not understand,

That centuries have come and gone

Since that triumphant day,

And that the garden where He walked

Is half a world away.

He walks in every garden, friend;

And every rock-sealed tomb

Opens 'neath His shining hand

As springtime flowers bloom.

For every dawn is Easter dawn:

On every sunrise hill

The earthbound glimpse eternity

And meet the Master still.

Grace V. Watkins

Slow Down

“On this Good Friday, take time for prayer and meditation.

Can you imagine the leather strips of the scourge tearing into His back? That flogging was meant for us.

Can you hear the mocking of the Roman soldiers as their angry fists pounded Jesus’ face? That beating was meant for us.

Can you feel the unbelievable pain that Jesus must have felt as the large, iron nails were pounded into His hands and feet? Those were meant for us.

Can you feel the shame and humiliation Christ felt hanging naked on that cross? It was the shame and humiliation of our sins.

And, especially, imagine Christ’s utter and total anguish as he was separated from the Father in his hour of need. It was our separation from God that Christ experienced.

It is painful to ponder. But to do so is to approach the throne of grace and be immersed in the incredible love and mercy God has shown all who humbly approach Him in genuine faith. And the glorious celebration of Easter will be that much sweeter when we meditate on his supreme sacrifice.”

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2 NIV)

I encourage each of us this weekend to walk a little slower, think a little deeper and talk a little less.


Thoughts from B. Kellogg at Focus on the Family.

Three Trees

This story has circulated for some time, and you may have read it before, but I wanted to share this story because I love its beautiful lesson: Next time you feel down because you didn't get what you wanted, just sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you ....

Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: "I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I'll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!"

The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on it's way to the ocean. "I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I'll be the strongest ship in the world!"

The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. "I don't want to leave the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me, they'll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world."

Years passed. The rain came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall. One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain.

The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me."With a swoop of his shining axe, the first tree fell. Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest,I shall hold wonderful treasure!" The first tree said.

The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is strong. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining axe, the second tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters!" thought the second tree. "I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!"

The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the woodcutter never even looked up. "Any kind of tree will do for me." He muttered. With a swoop of his shining axe, the third tree fell.

The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter's shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feedbox for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, nor with treasure. She was coated with saw dust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals.

The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day. Instead, the once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river; instead she was taken to a little lake.

The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. "What happened?" The once tall tree wondered. "All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God..."

Many days and night passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feedbox.

"I wish I could make a cradle for him." her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and the sturdy wood. "This manger is beautiful" she said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.

One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through with the wind and the rain. The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, "Peace." The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the King of heaven and earth.

One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beam was yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man's hands to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.

~Anonymous~

The Legend of the Dogwood

~ An old and beautiful legend ~

~~Author Unknown~~

At the Creation, God made the dogwood tree tall and strong, equal to the mighty oaks which grew alongside it. The dogwood was a proud tree - it raised its head above the others in the forest - and its wood was world-renowned and used to build strong ships, magnificent palaces, and great bridges. So strong and firm was the dogwood's wood, in fact, that the Romans used it as the timbers for the crosses on which they crucified criminals.

When the Lord was sentenced to death, a dogwood was chosen for His cross. The tree became so distressed that its mighty limbs quivered and its leaves shed in mourning. So deep was the dogwood's sorrow that Jesus took pity on it and made a promise.

"Because of your compassion for me, mighty dogwood, never again shall your kind grow large enough to be used for a cross. Henceforth your trunk shall be slender, your branches bent and twisted.

"Each spring your blossoms will form the shape of a cross with two long and two short petals. They shall be as pure in color as ivory, but on the outer edge of each petal there will be stains of my blood. The center of your flowers will be a crown of thorns - so that all who see it will remember it was upon a dogwood tree that I was crucified, and this tree shall not be mutilated nor destroyed but cherished and protected as a reminder of my agony and death upon the cross."

Now, the dogwood blossoms serve each spring as a beautiful and poignant reminder of the glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Photos from photobucket.com

Addicted to thinking?

After my Late night contemplations post last Friday night (or was it Saturday morning), I still couldn't settle from all the Pepsi in my system, so I headed for the library, in the mood for Clinton's latest book "Family Morals in America". Listening to a PBS station on the radio, I roared into the parking lot and ran up to the big glass doors... they didn't open. The library was closed. Later, I realized that God was looking out for me that night. As I sank to the ground clawing at the unfeeling glass, whimpering, a poster caught my eye. "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked. You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinker's Anonymous poster.

When I got home and read the comments on my post, I realized my friends had already known it. "You think way too much," was the comment that told me Thinker's Anonymous was for me. I went to my first TA meeting last night, where I met "Bob" (name has been changed) and he shared with me his story and is allowing me to share it with you.

"It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then to loosen up. Inevitably though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker. I began to think alone - "to relax," I told myself - but I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.

I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself. I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read writings of Plato, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Jesus Christ, and Aristotle. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?"

Things weren't going so great at home either. One evening I had turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's.

I soon had a reputation as a heavy thinker. One day the boss called me in. He said, "Skippy, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job." This gave me a lot to think about.
I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey, " I confessed, "I've been thinking..." "I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!" "But Honey, surely it's not that serious." "It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as college professors, and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking we won't have any money!" "That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently, and she began to cry. I'd had enough. "I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door. Which is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker. I never er miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was "Jerry Spinger" talking about the song "I'm bad" by Michael J. Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting.

Life just seemed .. more bland .. without purpose or meaning, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking, and avoided thoughts about the meaning of life and my future. I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home and the office. Now I stare for hours at the T.V. and receive my daily dose of brainwashing instead of contemplating the mysteries of life."

Isn't Bob amazing? I hope TA can help me!!

I found this story earlier and thought it was great -I just tweaked it a little - I hope you don't mind my silliness (again). I have a heavy heart today and just needed a good laugh!!!

I found the story here.

Six month anniversary

Six months ago our area experienced something that you think wouldn't happen where you live nor to those it happened to.

On October 2, 2006, a gunman walked into an Amish one room schoolhouse taking hostages and eventually killing five girls and then himself.

The Amish had five little girls to bury. Several others had been hurt badly. They’ve forgiven Charlie Roberts. The Amish went to his funeral. The school has been torn down, and a new one has been built, just a few hundred feet away. The New Hope Amish School is opening its doors for its first day of school, today.

The Amish take this terrible occurrence and use it to reinforce their faith in God. They would say “this is a chance for us to learn something about how to be better people, to each other, and to the world around us.”

We have Amish neighbors. This is a picture of the Amish one room schoolhouse less than a mile from our house. These schools dot our landscape. Having been born and raised here, I’ve always rubbed elbows with the Amish. Last year, some girls from this school came to our door selling cleaning supplies for a school fundraiser. They have a strawberry stand at the end of the lane just across from our development. I’ve always seen them – we pass a dozen buggies on the way to church. I've always known of their strong faith, but "The Happening" as they refer to it, showed me, along with the world, how strong it truly is.

Five little girls died but five survived and for the Amish that is blessing enough.

Four of the five survivors are doing well. They’re back in school. They can run and jump. The fifth girl, who was shot in the head, is bedridden and remains on a feeding tube. While it's heartbreaking for the community to see the little girl in so much pain, the families try not to question it.

"It was God's plan, I don't know how, how to explain that," an amishman said.

They get comfort from the four girls who have exceeded doctor's expectations. They call them the "Miracle Girls". One of the girls, a fourth-grader, who was shot in the jaw and shoulder, still has two bullets in her arm, but was the first to return to school.

An eighth-grader who was shot in the hip and arm had extensive nerve damage and had to wear braces on her arm and leg. She was in a brace for a while, but she isn't anymore.

A sixth-grader, who doctors originally thought would lose her arm, not only avoided an amputation, but has gone beyond what doctors said would be possible.

The fifth girl, the 10-year-old who was shot in the head, spent the most time in the hospital -- three months. But her speech is back to 100 percent and she is amazing her family.

For a community that lost five precious lives, the Amish see that five lives were spared and for that, they're thankful. "It's God's healing power. He wants to show the world what he can do through prayers” said an Amish woman.

I just wish all the national news stations would come back and spend as much time here now, telling about these "miracle girls," as they did when it first happened.

Quotes and survivors' conditions were taken from wgal.com

Palm Sunday

Each year the children receive palm branches in their Sunday School classes. Today was Elle's first Sunday School class. Up until today, she had been in the 'toddler nursery.' They begin a 2 year old Sunday school class in January, but, in January, Elle was the only 2 year old in the '06-'07 class. So, they waited for a few more to join her before beginning.
Note: Palm branches don't hold up well when given out before the worship service! Often the minister will ask the little ones to hold up their branches and say "Hosanna!" Since our church is very full of little ones, it is always a very awesome site!


Matthew 21 (NKJV) from Bible Gateway
The Triumphal Entry


1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “ Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘ Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’”6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “ Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘ Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” 11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”