Changes

Things they are a-changing. There is one that I can't make an announcement on yet. Not until it happens anyway. Murphy likes me too much. But another change is in the air and I really need to work harder at it than anything else. After a short encounter with the Boss I really need to do some navel gazing. I hate navel gazing. I spend more than enough time doing that without making myself do it more. But where he is concerned I need to really inspect myself. For most of the Peanuts' lives the Boss has been my right-hand man. I've counted on him for so much. Unfortunately that has put a lot of pressure on him and he has come to feel as if he's not as important as they are. While I certainly don't see it that way, it is true from his standpoint. He does get neglected in some areas. He is expected to wait for my time and attention and then, when I can give it, I'm often too exhausted. When my time and attention was wanted for watching favorite shows or movies, it was easy. Relaxing. But now that he's a teenager and in high school it's so different. And I'm such a failure.

Yesterday in Bible study were were discussing 1 Corinthians 6 and I just kept telling myself, "This is so important! No one ever made sure I read this and understood it. I have to with the kids, especially with the Boss now." Perhaps Grandma did (her lunches always included a sermon) but if so, I don't remember it or I thought I could justify a different opinion with worldly standards. If so, I wish I had listened better.

Hopefully I can remember this when opportunities arise with the Boss. And he'll be more willing to listen than I was. It would help if I wasn't scared silly of being the mother of a teenager. As a friend said yesterday, "There's nothing like having teenagers to really get your prayer life going."

Articles: Thanking America: When Americans Save Lives Overseas, it Doesn't Make the Textbooks

Articles: Thanking America: When Americans Save Lives Overseas, it Doesn't Make the Textbooks

Here's an eye-opening article. Very appropriate on this national day of thanks.

The meaty stuff

Today was Monday. That means women's Bible study and then errands. This year we're studying 1 Corinthians and today we made it to chapter 5, where Paul gets down to business. It's hard to think of excommunicating someone from the church. How Paul sets it up is with the hope of the person softening their heart, repenting, and coming back to the church. It's meant to be temporary. That means you may deny them communion and take them off the member roster, but you also put them on the prospect list. You still hope to see them in church.

This doesn't happen easily in churches where communion doesn't mean anything. It's only celebrated once a year, with grape juice and crackers.

After today's wonderful lesson it was time to renew the tags on the truck. A quick bite to eat, state inspection, and then $30 for stickers. If the kids ever asked me for $30 for a couple of stickers I'd come unglued. But the license office asks me for it and I fork it over, no questions asked. So wrong.

It's been cold and rainy but should be sunny and nice for Thanksgiving. Big improvement after the slushy snow last Thanksgiving. I hear the rain on the metal cover on my stove pipe. I would have built a fire but I was gone with the Little Prince who was being awarded for his popcorn sales. He had a blast at the meeting. He's looking forward to Baba being home next year to really help him go out and sale. He had over $300 but there were kids with over $600 and another with over $1000. He wants to pie the pack leaders. I say, "More power to him."

Oh, the Pepperjack cheese up there? That was on my shopping list today. Nothing beats pepper jack on club crackers with a glass of white Zinfandel. Speaking of which, ...

Be careful, little ears, what you hear

Agenda 21

Today I found this video. I've heard of Agenda 21 but didn't really know much about it. I still don't know a lot but I know enough to dislike it. A lot.

Part of me wants to grab my kids out of school and homeschool but would that solve the problem? No, it won't. As long as I like their school and they have great, caring teachers, they'll stay put. But I do need to make sure that I educate them at home as well. I need to make sure they're not afraid to disagree or to question. If teachers today are being taught to challenge what students know and change how they think, then my kids need to be prepared to challenge their teachers and change how they think. It's the only course of action any of us have.

Throw away?

I'm not crunchy. I'm not particularly green either. However, I am practical (some of the time) and I like to save money where I can (so I have more to indulge my love of knitting and other pastimes). I also like to share pictures and links I see on FB so here you go.

I've never thought a lot about plastic spoons. I rarely buy them and only use them if I order something in a fast food place where a spoon is required. Same goes for forks and knives for that matter. I've avoided plastic utensils because they're a waste of money and it's just more trash that sits in the landfill forever. But I honestly never thought about the waste and expense and all of the other bad stuff that goes into making those plastic spoons. I have 4 sets of silverware in my house. An old set that is mostly missing for everyday stuff like spreading PB & J or butter, or stirring something small, etc. A nicer set that we got for a wedding present. A really nice set of stainless steel that I use for company, and a really, really nice set from my grandmother that I think is stainless steel but I'm not sure. Don't think it's actually silver though. Why on earth would I ever want or need a plastic spoon? And if we have a full house for the holidays? We have a dishwasher!

Now I don't take half of what I read on FB seriously, unless there's a link to a reputable website where I can read it myself. However, sometimes you run across something that makes you at least take the time to think. I'm glad that happened today.

A rose by any other name...

This morning I let Ace out to use the bathroom. A while later he was at the door and I let him in. Then I shooed him right back out again. He'd had his first encounter (since we've had him, anyway) with a skunk. Frankly I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner than this. I ran to MFA after dropping off the kids at school and found a de-skunk shampoo but the bottle is $8 and you use the whole thing! Not happening. So I mentioned seeing a recipe for a homemade shampoo that was supposed to be effective. The gal there googled it for me and I wrote it down. I stopped at the discount store next door and picked up the one ingredient I didn't already have at home.

I gave Ace his bath and he's clean and sweet. That stuff is truly amazing. His face still stinks but I think that's for two reasons. One, I was very careful to keep the solution out of his eyes...the main ingredient is hydrogen peroxide. Also, I'm thinking the skunk nailed him right in the face since it's very strong there and his eye is red and irritated. I'm not delusional...there's a chance that, despite my best efforts, I could have gotten some in his eyes anyway. I've washed his face with cloth with baking soda and vinegar on it and I've also used a cotton ball to put vanilla on it (recommended by a friend who used to work at Bass Pro and got that advice from hunters). It's still stinky though but only when you can smell his head. The smell isn't lingering in the room.

We took him with us to McD's and the truck stinks so I put an open jar with baking soda and vanilla in it to work overnight. Hopefully we'll enjoy the smell in the morning on the drive to school.

Oh, and candles in every room help the rest of the house. :)

Bad blogger

Well, not Blogger, the website. Me! It's seriously been almost a month since my last post?

Life is busy, what can I say? The Peanuts are in Scouting...the Diva is a Brownie and the Little Prince is a Wolf Cub. Saturday they each had an activity at the same time in two different locations. Our neighbor came to the rescue and took the Diva and I took the Prince and the Boss. The Prince was finished first so I took the boys home and relieved my neighbor. Then I dropped the Diva home and took the Prince to sell popcorn outside our supermarket in town and met the Boss's friend and his mom to bring him home for a sleepover. He came to church with us and then they did paintball with the youth group.

The Boss is busy with play practice. It's been hairy...the musical was canceled and it's now a play. Kids were getting lazy about showing up and learning their lines but it's moving along now. He has practice today and then a very quick bite before taekwondo. Hopefully he'll call and tell me they're done early.

This year our women's Bible study is focusing on 1 Corinthians. It's a short book and we're taking the year (well, about 9 months) to study it. It's getting a lot of good discussion going. I'm really enjoying this class!

I got to talk to SIL last week. She was at the cousins' home for lunch. I miss those guys! I'm so glad to be home in the States but I do miss family and friends in Lebanon. I'm looking forward to our next trip. No earthly idea when it will be. {sigh}

My new favorite daytime show is The Chew. It always makes me so hungry and motivated to cook, rather than just throw something together. The kids get good leftovers for school instead of PB and J or school lunches. I'm thinking about mjadra today...great for kids who are have little time between plays and sports and good for a sack lunch. Just need to get the dough in the frig for the tortillas...pita bread is NOT something I enjoy making. Tortillas are so much easier.

Rainy Days and Good Theology

This weekend the boys decided to share a bedroom. The Boss and the Diva traded spaces so I finally get to help her go all Princess now that she doesn't have a brother rooming with her to protest. We found a bunk bed online. It's not pretty but I'll get it there.

It's totally unfinished (built by church members for the church camp dorm) and needs sanding in a major way. I plan to sand it and then stain it some weekend. Right now I'll be happy to get the thing put together. We picked it up Monday. I tried to just do the work by hand but my wrist thought it would fall off. Besides the Boss has to hold up the sections as I screw them together and doing it by hand takes longer, making it heavier. So yesterday I went and bought a cordless drill/driver, which, of course, had to charge for 12 hours before using it. That would have had me starting the project at midnight. So tonight we'll work on it.

Today I did make a lot of progress in the boys' room. There's still more to do, but at least they walk in there. I'll work more tomorrow. With the rain and temps about 30 degrees lower than yesterday it's a good time to do that. Today I enjoyed listening to a full day of Issues, Etc. while working. Then I listened to Table Talk Radio. Then I moved on to The White Horse Inn! I haven' t listened to them since we lived in Lebanon, maybe even Kuwait. And it was an excellent podcast on salvation by grace through faith. It was so timely due to a discussion on an FB group with only one other Lutheran as a member. I posted a link to the podcast on the page and told them that since I was having such luck finding links to click on that dealt with our topics to please refrain from bringing up porn. LOL

Here's some good stuff for those rainy days:

By Grace Alone Through Faith Alone

The Pelagian Captivity of the Church

Gift?

Green and Frugal (and nontoxic) Cleaning

I've checked out a great book from the library, Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan. Her recipes are nontoxic and easy to make at home. I've been working on my shopping list for the things needed and can't wait to get started. The ingredients are inexpensive though I have to shop around for good quality essential oils that won't defeat the frugal part. If you can get your hands on a copy, you really need to.

Quick Barbeque Beef Bake

I love casseroles! You can pack a lot into a little. This one has no veggies, but due to the amount of *stuff* in it, a simple veggie on the side is plenty.

1 lb. ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 (18 oz) bottle barbeque sauce
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Heat oven to 400. Cook beef and 1/2 cup onion in skillet until beef is browned; drain. Stir in BBQ sauce. Spoon into ungreased 9x12x2-inch baking dish; sprinkle with cheese. Stir baking mix, milk, and eggs until blended. pour over beef mixture. Sprinkle with remaining onion. Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until crust is light golden brown. Makes 8-10 servings.

I don't like to use Bisquick or any other mix. I do have a really quick and easy drop biscuit recipe I use instead.

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder (I use homemade)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter

Mix together and drop.

Since the amounts of this recipe are the same as you'd get with the baking mix I just make this up and add the 2 eggs for the BBQ recipe. Since the Boss doesn't like onions, especially the ones he can see, instead of sprinkling them on top of the biscuit dough, I mix them in when mixing up the batter.

I could probably skip the eggs and have it more like the pot pie topping I do, but I needed it more liquid-y and it will taste different. Besides I never pass up a chance to use eggs!

Storms and laundry

In an effort to be stubborn (not that it's really that much of an effort) and get my laundry hung out to dry, this is my rainy day laundromat. You can't tell from the sunshine in this picture but the sky behind the house across the way was a dark blue and there was thunder around. Ace and I went for a walk in our park and when we got home the clouds were getting darker. The sun came out and was shining by the time I was done but it's clouded up again a few times since. It's really getting darker now and the thunder is getting a bit louder. Not close enough to turn off the computer but enough not to hang things out on the line.

This is our front porch. It's on the south side and is open on the south and west sides. It will take longer to dry there than on the deck on the east side, which had the sunshine earlier but unless it starts to really blow later, I won't have to move it once the rain (hopefully) starts.

Speaking of the park, Ace and I hadn't been since summer school ended in June until last week. Either I didn't notice it last week or they finished it up since then, but where it used to be brush hogged from the bridge, through the soccer fields, to the other parking lot, they've made nice paths and put in gravel. It's wonderful! Big bits of it go through the woods and one part of it makes a circle all in the shade so if it's a really hot, sunny day you can walk and not get baked. We ended up walking for an hour we enjoyed it so much. Poor Ace...I may not see the whites of his eyes for the rest of the day. LOL

For supper I'm planning on a mix and match casserole. We have leftover chicken from a few days ago. I was wanting to make sambusik (Middle Eastern version of empanadas) for the school lunches this week. However, I'm really tired (and being outside helping the ferrier for 4 hours yesterday didn't help either) and don't feel like standing to roll out dough and make them. So I'm thinking I'll wait until tomorrow or Thursday. Or maybe the weekend, though there could be an advantage to doing it when the kids aren't around to eat them as they come out of the oven. The casserole from today should be good for leftovers for tomorrow's lunches anyway.

I'm also seriously considering knitting as a home-based business. I need to find patterns that I can sell things from without infringing on copyrights. I know of one website that allows people to sell anything they make from their patterns. There are some patterns I LOVE and have made several as gifts for people. I do need to contact them and ask if permission is possible and what conditions, etc. I also have some old pattern books from Grandma that could work. Many of them are published by yarn companies that no longer exist so I need to check on those as well. A lady on a knitting forum I visit shared a link with the info. Just need to get up the nerve to navigate it (could easily get lost) and find out. I have no desire to make up items and claim them as mine. I want to give proper credit to designers...just don't want to get in trouble so I need to make sure I check things out before I start too much planning. I hope it looks feasible...like I told my doctor yesterday, "If knitting burned calories, I'd be Twiggy by now."

RE: Who is a Christian

Start Your Engines!

Today was the first day of school for the kids and first day of subbing for me. The Boss is now a freshman and loved it. The Peanuts really like their teachers and were proud to tell Baba and me that they didn't lose a stick.No that's not some strange Lebanese expression...it's the discipline plan for their grade.

Each student has 3 sticks with their name on them. One is yellow, one is red, and one is blue. The first warning they have to give the teacher the yellow stick. The second stick they have to give her the red. The 3rd time they give her the blue stick and they get a blue note to take home to Mom and Dad...meaning they "blue" it. They also lose the chance to participate in Fantastic Friday.

I subbed for one of the Agriculture teachers. They're at the State Fair this week. The kids are good. First period has only 8 kids, 2nd period has 15, and 4th has 22. Then I head home. I drove past the elementary playground and saw the Peanuts at recess, having a blast with their friends. This is the first time they've been in the same school two years in a row. If Baba ever wants to move to a place with more acreage I'll agree on one condition...we stay in this school district. It's a nice, small, rural school with a very good academic record. They score higher in several areas than the state average on their "report card".

Last night we lost a bit of sleep due to excitement over the start of the year. I'm expecting them to get to sleep faster tonight but I won't hold my breath. We might need to give it a few days first. When I got home today the most I did was fix supper. But tomorrow I hope to get more done than that! If this is how I'm starting off the school year I don't want to assume that I'll have a full week next week to get things in order. Though I'll gladly take it as an excuse not to!

I was only joking!

Seriously. Yesterday I spent part of the afternoon in the middle school computer lab doing stuff with the other subs to prepare for what we need to know for this year. I gave L what she needed for my file, did the training, and swam to my car. (Yes, you read that right. It was pouring down rain when it was time to leave.) I ran to the library to pick up holds and headed home to the kids.

This morning the phone rang and it was L. I figured she needed something for my file but I joked with her anyway and said, "Do you need a sub?" I mean school hasn't even started yet so it was a good joke, right? She replied, "Yes, I do need one. Are you available Thursday and Friday?" LOL So I'm subbing until noon the first 2 days of school.

I was looking forward to the first 2 days of an empty house to get some stuff done but I think I prefer to make some money instead. Besides I'll still have a few hours between when I leave school and when the kids get home so all's good. Besides, if I'm busy making some money, then I'm not out spending it, right?

Here We Go Again!

Today we finished up the last of the back to school shopping. At least I hope we did. The Peanuts are in the elementary so they get a list of what they need for their grade. By the time you get to middle school you don't. The Boss is a freshman this year so he just got his schedule. What I wish the upper level teachers would so is make up a list of what they want their students to have so the school could have them at the table with the schedules. Then, when the student picks up the schedule, he just picks up the lists form the appropriate teachers. Makes sense, right? Maybe just to me. LOL

Friday we got our start. I did all the regular pencil/paper shopping for the Peanuts and just spent $25. Today we bought the stuff that the Boss is pretty sure he'll need and what he wants for keeping his stuff organized. Unless a teacher has a very specific request, I think he's set. We went to a popular thrift store first because last year they had school supplies, or at least a TON of pencils. So we checked there first. The Diva didn't find a book bag she liked but the Little Prince did. He wants everything this year to be green...and he found a green book bag right off the back. It was a nice, new one too, with the original tags. Cool! Next we went to another thrift store to see what they had. None of their bags were new and the only one we found was kind of dirty and smelled...and had wheels. Not sure if bags with wheels are allowed at their school. I know they drove us crazy at my school in q8. We were constantly fussing at the kids to carry them up and down the stairs. Just so you know I'm not opposed to using used book bags, but I'd like them to be in better condition than our last year bags...which I can't convince them to use. Actually the Little Prince's bag probably needed to be replaced last year but squeaked by through the end. The Diva's is in much better shape but can't be outdone now, can she?

Next was a children's resale shop. A couple of nice, new bags but wheels. But they were having a buy 2 get 1 free sale in conjunction with the sales tax holiday so the Little Prince got a cute outfit and the Diva got 5 things. Honestly I wasn't being unfair...that was all I could get him to pick out. Such a guy! Until I try to get him to wear what I picked out in a morning. {sigh}

So we headed to a popular retail store (despite wanting to avoid buying new as much as possible-more on that later) that has really good prices. We found one for the Diva right off the bat. They had nice lunch boxes but too small for the nice Thermoses that I send their hot foods in so we went to the super center next. That's where we finished off the Boss's shopping and got the new lunch boxes, etc. I only bought a few groceries this week, just stuff we were out of or close to. I didn't bother with stocking up because I knew I would be spending money on school stuff. Besides, there are only 2 days of school this week so it's not like I have to be really prepared. I have time to bake or prepare stuff for those 2 days. Next weekend I can go back to stocking up, if necessary.

Oh, I found a cookbook whose name I can't quite say properly. It's where I can see it but I can't see the spine where the title is. I also don't want to get up until I'm turning off the computer and heading to bed. But it's written by the wife of a very famous comedian who has neat recipes calling for healthy food being hidden in favorite kid foods. I plan to study that this week and find stuff good for sending to school.

OK, why was I shopping at thrift stores? First, I love the deals you can get there. You can find really neat stuff for a great price. It's a charity so I'm doing good while saving money. I really like them for the Boss because he's 14 and wearing men's sizes. But he's only 14 and still growing. Since he is going to outgrow the clothes I'm buying for him, unlike most men who wear his size, it bugs me to pay adult prices for what are essentially kids' clothes. So thrift stores and resale are the best place to start looking. For his birthday, before we discovered this neat resale place, I did buy a bunch of clothes at the super center and they're nice. He wanted stuff for church since he's now confirmed and helping as usher and occasionally other stuff.

Also, I've been reading some blogs lately and joined a Yahoo group on The Compact on not buying anything new if at all possible. So I thought the back to school shopping frenzy on the sales tax holiday was a good place to start. I wish we had found some stuff for the Boss today at his resale shop, but it was so crowded it was a real pain. Also the prices on pants/shorts just aren't nearly as good as the thrift shops. Just easier to find stuff since it's sorted by size. I think for bottoms we'll stick to the thrift stores or the super center. Shirts are easier to find in the right size. If we can't find pants the right length (most are way too long) I can hem them or put in a fake cuff to keep as much fabric as possible to let out.

Tomorrow I have training for student teaching. I tried going to the state website for a new copy of my certificate. Luckily she told me I can get online there to print it because I couldn't figure out which heading to use to do it. Ugh!

Well, it's off to bed but first I want to try Freecycle for a trailer coop for our chickens. We bought 7 more little ladies yesterday, bringing our flock up to 12. I'd like to keep it at 12, hence the trailer coop idea.

Here we go again!

Yummy bread revisited

I'm pretty sure that at some time in the past I've shared this bread recipe. I don't bother with tabs so I can't just go back and find out easily. There are times that bit of making blogging easier isn't so much, but since I really don't want to keep tabs on my previous posts (pardon the pun) I'll just repost it.

I found this recipe on a package of whole wheat flour and kept it. I didn't make it for years but last year when I really wanted to stop spending my grocery money on bread and make my own I tried it. This bread is wonderful! It's delicious and good for just about any sandwich. It's also easy to make. Unless I time something wrong (or forget I need to refill my flour containers until after I turn on the oven) the bread is usually in the pans and waiting for the oven to preheat. So I can have bread cooling on the counter in an hour.

4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 quart buttermilk (I reconstitute powdered milk and use vinegar to sour it...one of the few things I'll use powdered milk for)
4 tsp baking soda
2 bread pans, greased

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large mixing bowl, mix first 4 ingredients. In a separate bowl mix baking soda and buttermilk. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Pour into pans and smooth tops. (This is very important if you don't want these strange things growing up out of the loaves, falling over, and sticking to your rack. Trust me.) Place in center of oven and turn oven down to 350. Bake approximately 50 minutes. Mine is done in 50 but ovens vary so figure out what works best for yours. When it's done, turn it out to cool on a wire rack.

For the past year I've been trying to eat more traditional, whole foods. I still do shop at supermarkets and supercenters but within those I've found many good things. I would love to try raw milk and grass-fed beef, but it's just not in the budget. We're trying to get Baba home so I'm being frugal. Lots more to do on that front, but we're doing well. I'm really enjoying it. LOL

However, for this recipe and for any baking that requires a fair amount of milk I choose to use powdered skim milk. It's very economical. We drink whole milk and I use it for baking/cooking where smaller amounts are called for (not quite worth the trouble of mixing up smaller amounts unless I'm almost out and don't want an emergency trip to the store). Especially if I'm going to be sour-ing it.

The other day I made this bread and a batch of hamburger buns. The buns were delicious but about the size of large biscuits. I also got more out of the recipe than it said to expect so I think I need to not roll it out as thin. I think I misjudged the 1/2 inch thickness. LOL They were good though and pleasantly smaller than the burgers, which was a nice change. I'm not crazy about a big wad of bun left over after I finish my burger.

I don't have the recipe in front of me to share but if you have a copy of Not Just Beans you'll find it there. In fact this is one of the cookbooks I took overseas with me and it gave me some great help in cooking from scratch. I still had to figure out how much fresh to replace canned with, but that was fine. At least it wasn't full of recipes calling for lots of processed, boxed items. Blech!

I hope you enjoy the bread. I think you'll be hooked. I know I'm a lot more likely to keep us in fresh bread with this recipe than with bread calling for yeast and rising. I can save those recipes for things I don't make as often, especially if they're large enough to freeze between times.

Ramadan TV Commercial

Today is the start of Ramadan. When we lived in Lebanon it didn't really impact us too much other than the kids being out of school for Eid. While their school was founded by Quakers in the 19th century, the students were a mix of Christian and Muslim so holidays from both religions were observed. Also due to the mix of the Lebanese people, many of the holidays from both religions are national holidays anyway so no school. It made for a very pleasant calendar.

When we lived in Kuwait it had a much larger impact on us. Whether you are Muslim or not, you are not allowed to break the fast during daylight hours in public. So no food, drink, chewing gum, etc. in public unless you want to spend the remainder of the month in jail. School hours were much shorter which, while making planning periods a mad rush to get things done, made for a nice time. Our favorite TV channels would have series on you didn't have other times of the year. "Knight Rider" every night of the week, for example. LOL

I recently was directed to a website for Christians to pray for our Muslim brothers and sisters during Ramadan. Actually the website offers resources for praying for them all year long, but especially during this "holy" month for them. The 30-Day Challenge has a special section for prayers for each day during Ramadan, plus you can sign up to receive e-mail reminders. I signed up and have received two. You receive them a day early so I have 2 in my inbox even though it's only the first day of Ramadan.

Now off to get my Monday started.

Torn

I can't go into too much detail, but we've been living on a very tight budget the last year. Not because money is tight, just wanting to sock away as much savings as possible for...what I can't go into much detail about. {Now, wasn't that as clear as mud?} So I've put myself on a tight budget and I manage to stick to it. There are, of course, the unexpected expenses, but we've chosen this budget so we do have the freedom to either pay for things out of that savings or to set aside for things, depending upon the situation.

A few months ago I started couponing. I enjoy it. It's fun. However, it's something I do every Sunday afternoon/evening. I'd really rather just relax and enjoy the time playing with the kids, reading, needlework, etc. However, I can really save some money and stock up on things we'll run out of anyway.

Lately I've been reading some blogs and chatting with some friends on a small discussion board about buying less, making things myself, and trying not to purchase anything new if I can avoid it. It gets me to thinking.

With the exception of today (there were a LOT of great coupons in today's paper) I usually throw away more coupons than I keep. I only cut coupons for hygiene, paper, batteries, and other non-food items that we tend to find necessary. I cut very few food coupons and they usually expire. I prefer to buy as much fresh as I can. I'll buy frozen if it's a deal, especially if there's a dish I have in mind and I'm not sure I'll make it soon enough to buy fresh. I check out the grocery ads to make the bulk of my list. This week the things I'm out of was pretty short but one of my ads had great prices on chicken, ground chuck, etc. so I'll be stocking up there.

I also check out a certain major pharmacy chain that, while more expensive the a certain supercenter, has great deals in its ad every week. It's just a matter of matching the deals with coupons with what I need.

So, for tomorrow I have two lists. My grocery list and my major pharmacy list. I need to check the list again tomorrow to narrow things down, but mostly it's stuff that I'll decide on after I see how much stocking up on groceries sets me back. Start with the stuff I do actually need and go from there.

However, after reading The Non-Consumer Advocate, I'm wondering. How much do I really need to buy? Obviously, groceries. But of the other stuff?

I already avoid buying new clothes. The Boss is a growing boy. He's in men's sizes in clothes and shoes. And he's still growing. It doesn't make sense to spend the money on new clothes when he's going to outgrow them at some point. So I like to check out Goodwill and a great resale store here called Plato's Closet. Prices are pretty similar and it's easier to shop for sizes at the latter. Goodwill is only good if you're not in a hurry, frankly. Or if you don't need to look for things in a certain size. You can find some really great stuff there though if you have time and are in the mood. I shop there and at Clothes Mentor, next door to Plato's Closet and owned by the same people. My new favorite store. There are a few resale shops for the Peanuts but they're still wearing clothes from Lebanon, Kuwait, cousins in Lebanon, and cousins here. I buy them shoes new. The supercenter has them cheap enough I can buy new pretty much guilt-free, and of course the underwear...for all of us. LOL

Right now I'm stocked up on detergent and fabric softener. I normally use about half of what it calls for anyway, so it'll take me quite a while to use that up. When I'm done, I can try a homemade version and see how I like it. I might wait until I'm ready to open my last bottle so that if it just doesn't clean to my satisfaction I have a whole bottle to find deals for more.

I've heard bad things about fluoride. Do I listen to the harbingers of doom and switch to baking soda or do I keep on stocking up as I find sales/coupons? Hmmm. As far as Kleenex, do I only keep a few on hand for serious colds/allergies and sew up some hankies? Or just stick with the disposables? I don't use paper towels for much except cleaning messes that I don't want to use rags on (dog messes and other nasty things) and for catching bacon grease. So I go through them pretty slowly. So I'll probably not change anything there.

Do I keep a lookout for glass cleaner since I have coupons or try making my own? I want to save money but I want to be able to see myself in the mirror (not really, but it's the only way to get the make-up on straight and fix my hair) and out the windows. Again, I can try the next time I run out and go buy more if I'm not happy.

I have a huge list made up. The groceries are mostly non-negotiable but the rest kind of is. Just need to double check item by item.

What are your thoughts? Is trying to be a non-consumer compatible with sale ads and coupons?

Inspired but flour-less

This weekend I rediscovered my friend's blog. Let This Mind Be in You is full of recipes and hints. She's gotten me inspired to get on a baking bandwagon. I was in the mood to make up a batch of cinnamon rolls today, thank to her, but, alas, not enough flour. I'm completely out of whole wheat, have enough whole wheat pastry flour for another couple of pizzas, and a decent amount of unbleached white flour, but not enough for the rolls. Grandma's recipe makes 3 pans of rolls. I make them and then freeze two of them. They're great for sticking in the frig on Saturday so they're thawed for breakfast on Sunday morning. If they're still too chilled, just put in the oven for a few minutes.

Tomorrow is church. I'm so tempted to do some shopping tomorrow but I have procrastinated and haven't done any menu planning. So, after lunch it's off to buy a Sunday paper and cut coupons. I'm not real big on it. I do combine them with good sales, but if I can't and I really need something, I stick with the store brand. Much cheaper. I've stocked up on a few things, but thanks to Calico Prairie's blog I'm wanting to try some of the homemade detergents, etc. I wanted to overseas but could never find Borax or Fels Naptha. The latter was optional since I found recipes where you could just use a good bar soap, but the Borax and/or washing soda were essential and nonexistent.

Today for lunch (and for supper leftovers) we had Potato Kibbi. It was so delicious! Yesterday it was mjadra only I browned the onions in bacon grease instead of oil. It was really good. The Peanuts wanted seconds. I still don't know how I'm managing to burn the lentils though. I honestly didn't have this problem overseas with the gas stoves. I know it made it here before the big move 6 years ago, but I'm sure I didn't have a problem with burning it. Boiling over, yes, but not burning. Hmmm...got to figure this one out.


Well, it's late and we have church tomorrow. It's our new pastor's first sermon at our church and I want to be awake for it. LOL I've already spoken to the Peanuts about letting me listen tomorrow. Last week the Little Prince was playing with the cars in the kids' bags in the narthex. He wasn't really being so loud but the bit of noise was distracting to me as I tried to listen. So I reminded him today that he could only play with them during Communion when there's no preaching or other things to listen to. The organ is playing, drowning out the little cars. Why do they put those in the bags?!nt.

Peace and quiet

I'm a horrible mother. I admit it. The Boss left Tuesday for church camp where he's a junior counselor. He was so excited and couldn't get rid of me soon enough when I took him to church to get his ride. The Peanuts and I went home and you won't believe what happened.

The Diva played video games in their room, the Little Prince played games in the Boss's room, and I sat in the family room and surfed the internet and listened to podcasts while working on the Little Prince's Christmas stocking. I even chatted with Mom on the phone without interruption.

As much as I love my oldest I have to say that not having a teenager in the house has resulted not only in a lack of noise fro him but a lack of noise from his brother and sister. They're not arguing with each as much, even when they're in the same room playing games or watching movies. Which they've done most of the time rather than split up.

Am I a horrible mother for enjoying this? Do I really care? LOL

Nice!

This evening I watched the movie "Arranged", which you see the trailer for below. It was a wonderful movie. I highly recommend it to everyone. I'd like to hear your opinions of it as well if you do watch it.

The summer is going by so fast. I'm wishing now the kids hadn't done summer school, even though they did enjoy it. School starts before we know it. {sigh} While I understand the benefit of a shorter summer break and more breaks during the year, I'm not sure I really like a shorter summer break. I'm not sure I like improvements...LOL But I do have an open mind so we'll see.

This week I bought fabric for a dress for the Diva. It's been years since I've made anything. The only times I've put my Viking to work has been to repair ripped out seams or put fake cuffs in a pair of jeans for the Little Prince. The pattern was .99 at Hobby Lobby and the fabric was on sale at JoAnn's. I also had coupons to use on the buttons and thread so I didn't pay full price for a thing! Yeah!

I cut out the pattern pieces today as well as the fabric and interfacing. I really wanted to start today but decided to wait until tomorrow. Today I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom so I got a late start on the cutting. Tomorrow I don't have any cleaning jobs planned outside of laundry and hot spots so I should be able to do most if not all of the dress. It's a simple dress, only 4 pieces to sew together, and then hem. Even if I need to rip out seams along the way it shouldn't take too long. It's pink with some glittery stuff on the right side. Very pretty. Very Diva.

ARRANGED - TRAILER

Pictures of the Day - Placido Domingo Opens Zouk Mikael International Festival

Pictures of the Day - Placido Domingo Opens Zouk Mikael International Festival

What I wouldn't give to have been there!

(More Than Dreams) Khalil's Story - Arabic

No, I'm not dead yet

I get into the swing of things for a few days and then I drop off the face of the blogging planet. I've been online quite a bit, just forget to head over here.

Things are hot but fun around here. Today we went to the Nature Center and learned about venomous and nonvenomous snakes. They're both illegal to kill here unless there venomous one about to bite a human and it's him or you. Good to know. I like snakes in general and like the job they have. Just want them to do it outside, please and thank you. I also would like to attract some bats around here for the mosquito population.

I've started the Little Prince's Christmas stocking. It's coming along. I'm getting a lot done since I have season 7 of McLeod's Daughters. It's not the same show since all of the original cast members are gone, but I still like it. I wish they'd nix all the feminist propaganda they like to spout. But I just let that nonsense about women having to be independent go in one ear and out the other. I know I don't need to be independent to get the job done. Or to be validated as a woman. Or to be a real woman. Anyway...it's still a good show.

It's way past 8 and I still need to feed the kids. But the Peanuts are outside in their swimsuits enjoying the sprinkler and getting the dogs barking. I'll fix us some hot dogs on the Foreman grill and then we'll hit the showers. And I'll try to work up a good blog post sometime soon. There are a few floating around in there somewhere.

Summer vacation

Don't worry...I seriously doubt any of my kids will come up with any antics to rival young Mr. King up there, but then sometimes I do wonder. The Peanuts have tried a few times to find dinosaur bones in the back yard. This has resulted in a few holes, dangerously on the route to the clothesline, that I've tripped in a few times. I've always managed not to fall or break anything but I keep waiting for my luck to change. It usually does.

Summer school has ended. The Little Prince was the resistant one. He was perfectly happy to be the only one home with me, though I'm sure he would have gotten bored and ended up wanting to go anyway. He agreed to try it once but then ended up sick. By the time he'd heard from the Diva what it was like there really wasn't any talk of a trial basis. He just went one morning and every morning after that. He had a blast and seemed disappointed that it was over. The Boss ended up wanting the weekend to hurry up and end so he could get back to school and friends. The Diva didn't say a whole lot about it outside of answers to my questions but it was obvious she had a blast.

Tomorrow is a dentist appointment for the Boss and then grocery shopping and a few other errands. After tomorrow I have to find a way to keep them busy here. I'm seriously considering kicking them out of the house after breakfast and not letting them back in until lunchtime. Well, mostly seriously anyway.

The "How To" Show: How To Be An Awesome Lutheran Father (Ep. 4)

We've been enjoying the weekend and I haven't been online since Thursday. Nice! Except for the tornado warning that had us in the basement for about an hour in the middle of the night it's been a good time. I was thrilled to find the e-mail notice for this video in my inbox today. Enjoy!

God's page

Come, Holy Spirit!

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.

In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.

In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers.

On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.

This is most certainly true.

Xp Men: First Class

Solid theology and X-Men. They go together like chocolate and peanut butter.

Have a blessed Pentecost, everyone!

Angels

The Trouble with Angels

Here is a great post on angels. I've never really thought of it before, but angels, as they're accurately described in Scripture (NOT as they're portrayed online and in home decorating parties) are scary creatures. Why else would they ALWAYS have to remind people not to be afraid of them? If they were cute little cherubs or sweet-looking beings helping children get home safely, would it be necessary to do that?

I do agree with the author...I prefer my angels to be winged Pit Bulls than cutsy. Of course, I realize that my Pit Bull is conked out on the floor where a walk has gotten the better of him. Of course, even without the walk he'd be conked out. And the neighbor's long-haired Chihuahua (whose smaller than our cat) has chased him out of his yard before...so maybe not the best analogy.

BTW,. about the picture above. Do you know how hard it is to find a decent picture of an angel? Most are cute little cherubs, most that aren't are female and rather sexy. The few males you find are generally hot. This was the only one that didn't look like he belonged on the cover of a bodice-ripper...and I'm not entirely convinced of that either.

My addiction

About a year ago, after a lifetime of abstaining due to not being able to stand the taste, I began a love affair with coffee. It started off with Nescafe mixed with creamer and sugar. (That was the trick...I'd always tried it black before...blech!) Then I actually began not only drinking Turkish coffee with family but to make it myself at home (though with almost as much sugar as coffee). I don't make it here because I don't have the right kind of coffee. The one time I stopped by the shop to get some they were out and I haven't made it back yet.

For Christmas Baba gave me the lovely machine you see above. I had heard of them and my brother gave my SIL one and she'd fixed me a cup before, but I thought it would be a waste of money since the K-cups were more expensive. However Baba insisted and who am I to argue? Imagine my joy when I found with the machine a reusable filter that allowed me to use my own coffee...cool machine and still save money on the coffee.Yeah!

However when I first descaled it (after using for 3 months, per instructions) I started having problems. And the problems continued when I made coffee as well. I received good customer service and tried their advice. I now descale each month since we're on a well and have hard water. That was still only limited help since it still acts wonky now and then. So I switched to using only K-cups so I didn't have to worry about using coffee that was ground correctly to work in the reusable filter. Not a problem. However, it still acted wonky. {sigh}

Last week was the last time I descaled it and I had to call the company again. She walked me through the process of cleaning the needle (not included in the manual-they have to walk you through it the first time) and it worked beautifully the rest of the day. But still had trouble the next morning. I started flushing it with water before the first use of the day and that seemed to help a bit.

Between my first and second cups today I made 4 cups of tea so you would think that would be a good flushing...it still acted wonky on my second cup. So, I called the company again and they're sending me a replacement. A few days ago I joined the FB page for the company and there are a lot of people getting replacements so apparently the machines are pretty sensitive. Good to know with the new one.

Although I've had a hard time with this one I have to say I still recommend them. There are people on FB who love theirs and have never had a problem. There are those who have had them replaced a few times but still love them. The company has great customer service and a good warranty on their product so you have nothing to lose. Just be sure to register your machine. I don't usually bother to but it's essential in this case. I don't even have to send back the old one...just one small part of it that's required for using it. Much better when paying postage!

So, what do you want to bet that from now until I receive the replacement mine works perfectly?

For once I like a segment with him in it

Brigitte Gabriel is someone whose opinion I respect. She is fearless. And for once I see Bill Maher in something I can enjoy watching. One caveat...yes, they're laughing at the story behind this segment. No, the horrible crime committed was not humorous. They are not laughing at the crime but at the idiot who committed it. So if you feel the urge to laugh, don't beat yourself up about it.

So that's what it really means! ;)

Feed a Fever? No kidding!

A couple of weeks ago I was sick with some upper respiratory thingy. Drugs were half of my breakfast and I'm nor really exaggerating. Turned into an ear infection. Then just as I was better and could bend over and pick up the house without getting dizzy or nauseous, the Little Prince came down with mastoiditis and the Boss was apparently getting over 5th Disease. However this weekend was good, the antibiotics are doing the trick and this morning I dropped all 3 kids off at summer school. The Boss was saying all weekend how he couldn't wait until Monday he was having so much fun. The Little Prince, who pretty much wanted to stay home, headed off eager to try it out. However the Diva was complaining of a tummy ache but no fever so she went, unhappily.

I headed straight to the park, figuring that when we finished our walk the pharmacy and post office would be opened for my first set of errands. However, as I got the iPod hooked to my pocket, cell phone in the other pocket, it rang. Uh oh! Yep, the school nurse. The Diva was there with a tummy ache and a fever of 101. Man, that was fast. So we headed back to school with hopes that a walk will be in the cards sometime this week.

But on the bright side my little bird is eating like a pig. She's 2 PB & J sandwiches, 3 oranges and two helpings of chocolate-covered animal crackers. And she's still hungry! What happened to her?!

Oh, well, I'm thrilled that her appetite is huge right now I don't care. She usually gets full before everyone else and she's my little *blow away in a stiff breeze* girl so I'll enjoy it while I can.

Everlasting Extras: Gay Marriage

Here is an excellent explanation of the Lutheran view of homosexuality. In our modern world, anyone who disagrees with another is accused of not validating them. It's easier to play the victim card than to just accept the fact that people will disagree with the choice you make. Some people will not accept the choices you've made on how to live your life. And that's OK. If people don't agree with you and your choices, they're not hating you. Loving you is not be equated with unconditional acceptance. Quite the contrary. Loving you means not letting you continue in your sin without saying something. The worst thing Christians can do is remain silent. It helps no one and allows others to head into disbelief. Because if they believe what they want, they won't believe the Truth.

The Life and Death of Jack Kavorkian

Bloomberg Obit Tells Facts About Macabre Kavorkian

The Real Jack Kevorkian

OK, I realize now I was misspelling his name the first two links. Oops! I feel so bad...about as bad as felt for his *patients*.

This past week saw the death of Dr. Death. Somehow people got the mistaken impression that he wanted to help people die with dignity. He was full of compassion for those who were terminally ill and wanted to die on their own terms instead of being left to linger and becoming a burden to their families. I even though he had those motives as well because I, like many Americans, only heard what was shared on network news. Unfortunately for his victims, what he referred to as *patients*, that was not his intent. Listen and read the above links carefully. Those of you only know what the media shared will be shocked.

I posted the first two links on FB and an old friend went ballistic. He honestly considers Dr. Death to be a hero. He admires him for going against the status quo. He claims that I and other friends who posted in agreement with what is said in the links are using our opinions as facts while he blatantly disregards the use of Kevorkian's own words cited in the articles. He also brought the euthanizing of animals in the argument and claims to see no line of demarcation between humans and animals...and therein lies the rub.

When theory is taught as fact in classrooms from elementary through university, you run the risk of totally screwing up people's sense of our place in the world. We've gone from recognizing that we are created in God's image to thinking we're just another species of animal. We expect it from agnostics but from Christians? Christians claiming that we can't speak for God or claim to know His will? But we do know His will. We have His words, we have His Word. How can anyone claim we can't know His will? We may not know everything there is to know, but we know enough to know that killing is wrong and that truth is truth. We know what we need to know.

Modern day Antigone

Haleh Sahabi: Our Antigone in Tehran

Another example of the respect shown to women. When I read this I had to wonder at their motives. Of course, she is a dissenter, like her father before her. They did advocate for human rights, which Islam violently opposes in all forms. The author's description of her as a "distinguished Quranic hermeneutician" caught my eye. Most of the Muslims I've come into contact with as a teacher believe in education and want their children, sons and daughters, to succeed academically. I've known many professionla women who are also conservative, devout Muslims. However, Islam doesn't seem to care much for women who are too well-educated in Islamic theology. A woman who actually studies theology could be a threat to the powers that be...namely the men who view them as their property and wish to maintain the status quo.

Namely, Jesus

Speaking of...

Alleged Libyan rape victim deported from Qatar back to Libya

I feel for this woman. In order to not be accused of fornication and executed, she went to a hotel where she told western reporters what happened. Now she has been sent back by the Qatari government. What were they thinking?! Never mind. Read the previous post and it's easy to see. So much for respecting women.

I can't really recommend you read the comments after the article, unless you like to be reminded of the ignorance of others on the internet. However, it never hurts to read other viewpoints, no matter how poorly they're expressed.

Today's musings

Like I said yesterday, I'm reading The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) by Robert Spencer. It's an excellent book. One of the myths (and there are many) is that women have more rights in Islam than in Christianity. But you know what?

• The Qur'an and Islamic law treat women as nothing more than possessions of men.

• The Qur'an sanctions wife-beating.

• Islam also allows for child marriage, the virtual imprisonment of women in their homes, "temporary marriage" (i.e. prostitution - but only for Shi'ites), among other things. ( I remember hearing years ago about militants in Algeria forcing girls into *marriage* and then divorcing them a few days later. Supposedly this was more *respectful* than raping her...not to mention wouldn't get the man in trouble...not that he would have for rape anyway.)
  

A horrible example of Islam's respect for women occurred in Saudi Arabia in 2002 when 15 girls were killed in a fire at their school. The police and firemen were prevented from opening the doors to let the girls out by the muttawa, or religious police that really control the country. Why did they do that? Because since the school was for girls and only women were in the school, the girls weren't wearing their abayas and hijabs. The muttawa preferred that the girls die instead of risk being seen without their required coverings. Never mind that they were all fully dressed!

In order for a woman to accuse a man of rape, she must have 4 male witness to the crime. If she can't produce them, then she has just confessed to adultery and usually finds herself sentenced to death. We've heard in recent years of women being sentenced to stoning for supposedly committing adultery and only international pressure might spare her. Mr. Spencer, in each chapter, compares Mohammad to Jesus, by quoting their teachings on the subject at hand. Let's see how the religion that brings such great respect for women measures up, shall we?

"Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?' They said this to test Him, so that they could have some charge to bring against Him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger. But when they continued asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, 'Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.' AgainHe bent down and wrote on the ground. And inresponce, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So He was left alone with the woman before Him. then Jesus straightened up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She replied, 'No one, sir.' Then Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.' " John 7:53-8:11

"There came to him (the Holy Prophet) a woman from Ghamid and said: allah's Messenger, I have committed adultery, so purify me. He (the Holy Prophet) turned her away. On the following day she said: Allah's Messenger, Why do you turn me away?...By Allah, I have become pregnant. He said: Well, if you insist upon it, then go away until you give birth to the child. When she was delivered she came with the child wrapped in a rag and said: Here is the child whom I have given birth to. He said: Go away and suckle him until you wean him. When she had weaned him, she came to him...She said, Allah's Apostle, here is he as I have weaned him and he eats food. He (the Holy Prophet) entrusted the child to one of the Muslims and then pronounced punishment. Andshe was put in a ditch up to her chest and he commanded people and they stoned her. Khalid bin Walid came forward with a stone which he flung at her head and there spurted blood on the face of Khalid and so he abused her. Allah's Apostle heard his (Khalid's) curse that he had hurled upon her. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Khalid, be gentle. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, she has made such a repentance that even if a wrongful tax-collector were to repent, he would have been forgiven. Then giving command regarding her, he prayed over her and she was buried."

The above is from pg. 75 of Spencer's book.

As I've said on my blog before, while I have no love or respect at all for Islam, I do have a great deal of respect for those Muslims who have touched my life in such a positive way. I've been blessed to know some wonderful Muslim women who've been such an influence on my own spiritual life by the example they set. However, I will not be blinded to the violence and hatred taught by Mohammad and his Qur'an. I also will only read books and articles, etc. from those who study Islam carefully and get their information straight from Islamic sources and approved translations of the Qur'an and Hadith. There's enough misinformation on both sides without contributing to it.

Ascension Day

Ascension Day is the coronation celebration of our Lord as He is proclaimed to be King of the universe. Jesus' ascension to the Father is His entrance to the greater existence beyond the confines of time and space, being no longer bound by the limitations of His state of humiliation. Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, which Luther correctly taught is everywhere, having again taken up the power and authority that were His since before time. Yet our Lord is present with us who remain bound by time and space. He is with us as true God and true man, exercising His rulership in the Church through the means of grace which He established: His Word and His Sacraments. We mortals in those means of grace can grasp the King of the universe and receive a foretaste of the feast to come. -Treasury of Daily Prayer

The Triune God and Islam

Quite a title for this post, huh?

Tonight I listened to THIS podcast with Pastor Will Weedon on Issues, Etc. Before that I listened to THIS one. It was good timing. No, it was excellent timing. Earlier today I started reading The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) by Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch. It's the 3rd book of his that I've read since moving home last summer. You know the book has to be good if the praise for his work on RevivingIslam.com is, "May Allah rip out his spine from his back and split his brains in two, and then put them both back, and then do it over and over again. Amen." Seriously. I'm not kidding. The quote is right on the cover of his book.

Something I've noticed about Islam and it's scholars...the amount of their apologetic that seems to basically consist if trying to refute Christianity. So much time is spent in the Koran and other Islamic writings making points of what they do not believe. I know there's plenty out there about what they actually DO believe, but pay attention as you watch videos on YouTube or read articles by Muslims. It's not just my imagination.

While you're at it, regardless of your denomination, be sure you know what you believe and why you believe it. Some things that Muslims claim Islam teaches can tickle the ears, especially if you're not educated about what it does teach. What I love about Spencer's books is that he gets his information on Islam straight from the source...the Koran, the Hadith, and Islamic scholars...both orthodox and more liberal-minded. Be sure if you want to traipse around in Muslim websites that you have your Christian filters firmly in place.

{cough, cough, sniffle, cough}

Pretty much sums up my life the last couple of weeks. Oh, wait, I forgot ring, ring...in the ears that is.

A week ago yesterday I went to the doctor after a few days of bad congestion and shortness of breath. I was put on meds and did start to feel a bit better but as of Monday I still wasn't over it. So he put me on antibiotics and my ears almost immediately started bothering me. And I'm still feeling pretty much the way I was before. So I'm waiting for a call back from the nurse to see what to do next. I should probably wait until the meds he gave me Monday are done but that would be the weekend. So I'll talk to her and see what I should do.

The kids had their last day of school yesterday. They're thrilled. I got to pick them up during a thunderstorm. Well, I picked up the Boss during one anyway. It was starting to rain as I picked up the Peanuts and by the time I drove to the neighboring lot to get the Boss it was pouring. He had to wait until the hail stopped to come out to the car so the Peanuts and I sat in a shaking truck and watched a HUGE bolt of lightning strike in the distance. After he got in the car (the Boss, not the bolt) we headed out. By the time we were parallel with the high school (other end of the middle school where I'd picked him up) the rain had stopped and the sun was out. Gotta love living here!

It's still cloudy and drizzly today so we're hanging out in the house. That's about all I feel like doing anyway but the kids have been arguing. I made them turn off the PS2 since they were fighting and clean their rooms. I don't think they finished but they're not fighting anyway.

Summer school starts on Tuesday. Only the Little Prince wants to stay home with me. That's fine. I'm not a big fan of summer school unless it's needed for grades. I did put the Boss in when we were homeschooling but that was for fun and to meet other kids. I wouldn't have suggested it except he wanted to and so did the Diva. But the Little Prince is going to be home with me. But I enrolled him anyway just in case after a few days he decides he's bored with me and his sister is having too much fun without him.

I got the Peanuts' report cards by e-mail yesterday (the Boss's will be available next week) and loved what I saw. The Little Prince has improved so much this year and his grades were terrific. The Diva kept up her usual wonderful work. I just want to share the comments with you.

The Diva: It has been an enjoyable experience teaching (the Diva) this year. She is such a sweet young lady and I am going to miss her so much. I know 2nd grade will be a very positive experience for her, but I do hope she stops in and gives me a hug every now and then!

The Little Prince: I can not say enough good things about (the Little Prince), but I'll pick a few choice things to say. First, I'm so proud of his reading and writing! With Mrs. E and myself after him the poor kid didn't stand a chance. I hope he'll have many opportunities to go to the library to continue this literary journey. Next, what a mathematician! Let him help you add money at the store, figure the area of the outbuilding, begin simple multiplication. He is a smart boy! Look at maps together. Find ones of the city, county or state and let him be your "guide" to get there. The KY3 storm team map is another idea, and you can reinforce weather concepts such as cloud formations, reading temperatures, noting sunrise/set and directions. There's many fun things to do in the summer, but I know most importantly having the family united is priority. I would feel the same way! Are you going to travel overseas this summer? Thank you for sharing your little boy with me, and God bless you all.

My kids have had the best teachers this year. I've loved having teachers that don't hesitate to let me know if there's a concern about anything at all. What a blessing to be in a small town where the teachers really get to know your kids and let their values rub off on them.

This I Is Am My The Body Way

On Drugs

Really...I am. LOL

I have one of the worst colds I've had in a long time. The coughing had me sore the first day. Combine it with two days of fillings at the dentist's and it's really made for a fun week. After seeing the doctor yesterday I'm on prednisone, an inhaler, and Flonase, plus the antihistimine and mucus-relieving medicine I was already taking. Just wish I knew why the PB & J sandwich I ate a couple of hours ago is suddenly causing heartburn. Oh, well, only 3 more days of the meds. Then all should be more or less back to normal.

Resurrection and other events

The last couple of weeks in the women's Bible study at church we've been looking at the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Christ from all 4 gospels. While we've been studying Matthew this year, and he was the primary source for this, we also included the other 3 to get the whole picture. We did that again today with the resurrection.

After discussing the events recorded throughout the NT, he also had listed some of the myths that sprang up to try to explain the resurrection without actually believing it.

The Stolen Body Theory: (The Bribe of the Roman Guard/ Justin Martyr TRYPHO, AD 108 - Jewish emissaries sent across Mediterranean world for this purpose...to 150)...The disciples, Joseph of Arimathea, or Pilate moved and buried body in secret place to protect corpse from desecration OR apostles stole and buried elsewhere to hatch the myth of a risen Christ.

The Wrong Tomb Theory: the hastiness of Friday evening confused the women; a gardener tried to point them to the real tomb (see the place where He lay...He is not here), but the emotion and panic of the women at an empty tomb put the entire false story into motion.

The Gardener Theory: (Tertullian reports it DE SPECTACULIS)... gardener moved body to protect his recent plantings. (I kid you not, this is an actual theory.)

The "Swoon" Theory: Jesus did not die, but survived and appeared as a risen Lord. Origen CONTRA CELSUM reports the pagan philosopher Celsus' theory. He revived in tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, exchanged His grave clothes for the gardener's work clothes, encountered Mary Magdalene (do not touch me), made His way back to Joseph of Arimathea, presented Himself to His followers, and forty days later His wounds got the best of Him as He walked into a cloud on the mountaintop to die (ascension was perceived). (OK, where to begin? Considering His wounds, based upon any well-researched report of the torture and execution techniques of the Roman guard, if He had actually swooned and then awakened, how did He have the strength to change clothes, let alone walk back to Joseph? If He was so much worse 40 days later, how did He manage to climb a mountain?!)

Gnostics in the early centuries believed that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and He lived out His life as a descendent of David...seed of Messiah-King still alive.

The Muslim sect "Ahmadiyya" believes that Jesus was delivered from the cross and traveled throughout the east and died in Kashmir, Pakistan, where His grave can be seen to this day. (There may be a grave with His name on it, but it's not His!)

The "Psychological Hallucination" Theory: amazing case of contagious wish fulfillment within a community. (If this were possible, could I cause my kids to think they love cleaning their rooms?)

The "Twin Brother Theory: (Pretty self-explanatory.)

There have been reports of visions of Jesus, God, angels, etc. through the centuries. The more famous ones are Mohammad's claims of visions of Gabriel (Jibril) giving him divine revelations from God and Joseph Smith's vision of Moroni. Considering how strongly these men held their convictions and the lasting impact these religions have had, more than likely these were actual visions these men had. However, Mohammad most certainly never saw Gabriel. He saw Satan or another demon. Perhaps Joseph did speak to someone named Moroni, but he certainly was no angel. But I do believe they did actually have these visions. Their behaviors are just not indicative of someone trying to pull off a scam. As many have said about the disciples' willingness to die for the faith, how many people are willing to die for a lie? If they're fooled into believing the lie, maybe. But for something they know to be a lie because they made it up themselves? Unless they are actually mentally ill and out of touch with reality, no one. These men believed what they said.

As St. Paul says in his letter to the Galatians, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." (1:8-9)

If anyone today can claim to have seen an angel (as some converts from Islam have claimed) there can be nothing in what is said that contradicts Scripture.In fact, it should be pointing them there. If anyone ever claims to have been told by God to do or not do something, if any part of it contradicts Scripture, it is false. The only words that can be trusted are Scripture. I very strongly doubt that God would use visions or dreams to speak to people today. It just isn't necessary. All we need to know is in Scripture. However, there are places in the world where it is illegal to have a Bible. People can't just pick it up out of idle curiosity. They have to actively search out one and to do that, they need a powerful impetus. Therefore I don't automatically disregard claims from converts that they experienced these visions...as long as they are now associated with a legitimate church where they are receiving sound instruction and being encouraged to read the Bible to hear the Word.

Back together

I've loved Francine Rivers' books since I first started reading them years ago. The first book I read of hers was the first of 3 novels set in Rome. I made the mistake of checking out the first book and leaving the other two on the shelf. Big mistake. Big, big mistake. Huge! NEVER check out only one book in a series written by her. Ever!

I finished that book around 11 at night and if not for the first chapter of book of two at the end of it I would never have gotten to sleep. We were homeschooling the Boss at the time. I had to remind myself that his lessons came first and just had to hope no one had checked either of the other books out yet. I went to start breakfast and saw we were out of milk. Since we live on a farm between 2 towns it made no sense to go to the store and then back again to the library after lessons so I combined my errands. After English was over I started the book while Baba worked on math with him. I stopped to fixed lunch and continued reading while the guys napped. I stopped to fix supper and then read while watching cartoons with the Boss that night. I moved to the bedroom after he went to bed and finished around 2 a.m., shortly before Baba returned from working, where he was closing. I started the third book the next day.

Friday night I started Her Mother's Hope while the Boss had taekwondo. Since it was Friday he had another class after the advanced class so I had lots of time to read. I continued yesterday afternoon and evening. I just finished the book a little bit ago. I've never cried so much while reading a book in my life. It's beautiful. Like that book I read years ago it ended where I wish it hadn't. But I've just put Her Daughter's Dream on hold and there are now 2 holds on the first of 14 copies returned. Two of them are due back this week so I'm hopeful. Meanwhile I've got some other good ones to read. Have I mentioned how I enjoy being back in the land of librairies?

Super True Stories: Paul's Baptism Oopsie (Episode One)

Relief!

For the last few years I've had pain in my ankle. It was interrupted by the pain in the same foot from 2 spurs but the ankle has finally overshadowed the foot again. I had an MRI this last Friday to find out what the problem is and, thank God, it's nothing serious. There is a small cyst, which had shown up on the x-ray, and degeneration in the joint. Basically, arthritis. So it's anti-inflammatory meds as needed and cortisone injection if needed (I'd have to be in a LOT of pain for that) and hang in there.

A good day

The weather finally seems to have gotten its act together. For the last week, with only 1 or 2 exceptions, I've been able to hang laundry on my new clothesline. They smell wonderful, dried in the sun and wind. The windows have been open and the dog has been in heaven. I caught him one day standing in the middle of the living room, where 3 windows were open, with his nose in the air and sniffing to his little heart's content.

This morning the Boss fixed me breakfast in bed. Since my 4-legged child was in bed with me we moved it to the kitchen table. He fixed scrambled eggs, sliced apple, 2 Clementines, and fresh-squeezed juice from a couple more oranges. Then brunch was served to the moms of the church by the men. The kids had subs in Sunday school...the men who weren't serving brunch. The service, as usual, was wonderful and Communion was just what I needed...so nice after months of not receiving it.

As you can see from the sidebar, I'm reading The Flipside of Feminism by Suzanne Venker and Phyllis Schlafly. These two women have been successful in their careers without needing to pull out the victim card to do it. For quite a while now I've been uncomfortable with the rhetoric from the left, and some from the right, who are so heavily influenced by feminism. Guess what? We don't need NOW or ERA to get equal pay. We just need to contact the EOCC if we're not getting it. Oh, and when they try to get you upset with the *fact* that women aren't making as much as men, it's not because employers are treating women unfairly. It's because women aren't going after the high-power, high-salary jobs at the same rate as men. Also, some women are working part-time. You don't make as much that way as a someone (male or female) whose working full-time. They just leave that unimportant and distracting detail out. Along with way too many other details.

I've been knee-deep in knitting projects for Mother's Day and the Peanuts' teachers for the end of school. I'd make stuff for the Boss's teachers but he has too many of them. LOL Besides I'm too depressed...he has freshman orientation next week. NO!!!

I had an MRI on Friday to find out what's causing the pain in my ankle and I get the results tomorrow. My laptop is making me want to spit! It keeps shutting off on me. I'm going to have to bite the bullet, I'm afraid, and pay to have it looked at. At least the cost of the *looking* applies to the cost of repairs. Just hope it applies to the cost of a refurbished one if that's the better way to go. {sigh}

Well, I'm off to finish some work in the Peanuts' room and then get some knitting done. We're on season 6 of McLeod's Daughters. Oh, need to go put season 7 on hold.

Jesus is Risen song ترنيمة: المسيح قام

Easter Vigil

So far Easter Sunday is in wait-and-see limbo. The Diva was sick with a tummy bug this last week so we missed Maundy Thursday service. Today the Little Prince is taking his turn so tomorrow is in question. Well, not really. Easter happens whether you're ready or not, sick or not. Thanks to what He has done for us we are no longer required to attend certain festivals...we should just really want to. Which we do. But it would be better for our fellow worshipers if we sit this one out...unless he makes a miraculous full recovery.

Meanwhile, here are some links you might enjoy. The first is a post on Good Friday vs Earth Day. {Guess who wins?}

Offsetting Sin

The second is more of a feel-good type...about our favorite *church*

A Simple Way to Stop Westboro Baptist

Enjoy!

Good Friday

Peace and Quiet

Today is the first day all week that I haven't had a child home sick from school. Two trips to the doctor this week. The Diva was home first with strep throat and went back to school yesterday. The Boss was sick and I took him in to be sure he hadn't caught it as well. Turns out he has either a bad cold or allergies. He really didn't want to go back today but he had no fever or any other symptom that would require him to stay home. Plus he has a dance tonight that he bought a ticket for and I know he wouldn't want to miss it.

Today I did do some organization in my room, shredding a lot of old bills, receipts and stuff and am spending the afternoon knitting and watching "The Lion in Winter", one of my favorite movies. I love the old one and the new. Today it's the newer version I checked out from the library though I do have the old one on VHS somewhere around here.

Sunday the Boss will be confirmed. Tomorrow we're off to find him a white dress shirt to wear under his robe. He needs to finish his essay (wonder if he's even started it yet...hmmm) and I need to find some pictures for the luncheon. Can't wait!

Wrong number?

I don't know if this poor guy called a wrong number or just had a hard time getting through on the right one...but it's sure funny. This is one of our favorite songs...

At last!

No, I'm not online at home yet. Not until tomorrow. However, at last I get to have communion again! We are now members of our new LCMS congregation so on Sunday morning I get to confuse the ushers who are just getting used to my staying in my seat by getting up and taking communion. Hot diggity dog!

And now...

Internet blip can be dealt with by going to the library. However, the power cord I apparently need can't. So tomorrow I'm heading to buy a new one. Other than that, what a great weekend. We went to a festival at the kids' school and had a blast. Then a haircut for the Boss, a trip to drop off some recycling, and now hanging out in the library a bit. Might give the car a bath when we get home.

Uh oh!

SIL left this morning. I'm really going to miss her. While it's going to be nice to get back to the normal routine with the kids and house, it was so much fun having her here. We stayed up til 4:30 this morning talking about all the stuff we hadn't had the chance to before. My alarm goes off at 6 so you know how much, uh, little, sleep I'm running on today. I've had 3 cups of coffee and might need a 4th after I finish my lunch. I went back to bed after taking her to the airport but I couldn't sleep so I got up and did a bit of stuff I've been needing to do.

While I don't believe we need to "save the planet", I do believe in being good stewards of what God has given us. So while I disagree with SIL about a LOT, politically (she works for an international NGO that does a lot of meddling) she was a great shot in the arm to get me back to recycling. I even collected some bags to do shopping in to avoid coming home with more plastic bags than necessary. She also makes great salads that the kids love so we've kicked that into high gear. The left over greens even got the hens to start laying.

The "uh oh" part? While SIL was here my monthly usage for internet went up considerably. Therefore I'm going to be very frugal with my internet usage until next week when it resets. So if I don't do much here for the next week, you know why.

We have eggs!

We got this chickens at one day old. We lost several over the last few months, mainly due to a possum that Baba took care of over the holidays. Yesterday the kids and SIL went out to feed the animals and came back with 9 eggs! Whoohoo! Guess what we had for breakfast?

SIL has moved up her flight to Friday. It was supposed to be Saturday but that meant an 11-hour wait in Europe. With the outrageous prices in the airports there she would have been spending about the same amount for food and water during that time as the price to change the ticket. So, we get one less day with her but at least she'll have a much better trip and arrive at a much better hour. So it's good for her and I'll get a few hours at home without kids to get the house back into some kind of shape. We've been running all over the place and when I am home I'm pooped. Or running the Boss to taekwondo.

I'm hoping to get back on my normal routine as soon as possible and get back into the Bible reading.

Off to work on her scarf...I now have one less day to knit. Yikes!