A New Favorite

Yesterday while I was in the kitchen I listened to one of several Allison Krauss' CDs I like - "A New Favorite". It's no longer new but I still enjoy it (sometimes I like them best when I know all the words even though my poor children have to suffer through hearing me try to sing along!). And what was I doing in the kitchen? Making Shelley's Mom's recipe for Pumpkin Butter! I foolishly planted pumpkins this spring along with peas and potatoes (maybe it's a P thing??) and now they were ready to be harvested long, long before jack-o-lantern season. I admitted my foolishness to Jimmy during a conversation about farming and gardening and he asked why didn't I do pumpkin butter? Well, my knowledge of this delectable delight was even LESS than my knowledge of growing pumpkins in this area of the country so I replied quite intelligently "Say whut?" Thereafter he emailed me some great recipes but I decided on Shelley's and now I definitely have "A New Favorite" - Pumpkin Butter a la foolish gardener. Actually my 8yo said last night (immediately following her third piece of buttered toast with warm pumpkin butter) that she was very glad I had planted them too early or we never would have discovered such a treat! I have to agree! And the 10 golden brown jars on my counter make me think fall is not as far away as I thought.... Because you know - A pumpkin is a terrible thing to waste.

Happy Birthday!

It dawned on me last week that I had been a mother more years than I was old when I became a mother - confusing? It's OK, old people like me get confused! Anyway, I just had to share a picture of that sweet baby boy that we almost lost on the day of his birth. But God had/has a special plan for him (and us) for the past 26 years and I cannot begin to describe how amazed I am that God would give us such great children. Truly undeserved, truly a grace thing. "Otanjou-bi Omedetou Gozaimasu! " - that means "Happy Birthday" in Japanese (where son#1 is going at the end of this week). I have no idea how you say that but I thought it was neat anyway! Have a great birthday and wonderful trip Matt!

Back from the Ukraine

We have recently made some wonderful new friends that somehow feel like we've always known each other - you have probably been blessed with a few of those in your life, too. It really is great and you just know they are a gift from God. The husband just returned from the Ukraine where he spent a lot of very hot, humid days and nights teaching and translating with a team that included Dave Black (who by the way wrote a book I'm itching to re-read called 'The Myth of Adolescence" which was the topic of an old blog of mine!). Go here to read Dave's blog about the Ukraine and see pictures of their trip. God is good!!!

Trying to win $5k from Tiger Direct

My son spent (I don't want to know how many) hours and developed this video in a competition to try to win $5k from Tiger Direct. The winner is based on number of views so go here and see it:

I'm seeing RED!!

OK, seeing red might be a little strong but my fingernails are red, my fingertips are red, my counter is red, my pots are red...... I canned tomatoes all morning. It's probably one of my favorite home canned things to eat and probably my second to least favorite thing to can (creamed corn is the worst - I wash and wipe sticky corn off of surfaces for what seems like days and days). But seeing those jars lined up on the counter and ready to go into soups, sauces or just eaten with a side of peas and rice makes it worthwhile. Maybe I'll go do something I rarely do - paint my nails - red, of course.

Turn on the LIGHT!

Monday I was running some errands and had the radio on a local Christian station. Now for several years Katy has told us about Lamplighter books and Mark Hamby and even got us turned onto reading them - especially "Ishmael" and "Self-Raised" (both of which would change my rating chart because they are so far above almost everything else out there the rest wouldn't register on the scale compared to those books!). Anyway, here was this man on the radio (Mark Hamby) telling such a funny, believable and challenging personal testimony that I was captivated. It turns out that what my hubby and I have been talking a lot about lately (the wasting of time in front of the tube) is on a lot of people's hearts and minds. We don't have DVR or TiVO or anything similar and have only the basic satellite package (out in the country we have no cable and no good reception even with an external antennae) but since we really only enjoy about 3 or 4 shows during the week (Man vs Wild, Build It Bigger, How It's Made and re-runs of Andy Griffin!) we have questioned whether to have any. But it seems that when my hubby is in a mood to throw it out, I am wanting something to keep my attention while shelling butter beans or something and when I am in the mood to destroy it, he has had a tough week and just wants to "chill" with some sports event (which unless it's boxing usually does a very good job as a sleeping pill!). So here's the deal - we are reading and praying about this "Turn the Light On" campaign. Not sure we can go a whole month without any tv whatsoever but maybe that's the exact reason we need to do so! Read about the campaign and if you want to know more about Lamplighter Publishing, check them out, or read the latest news from Mark Hamby, too. Great alternative to the tube - I love to read anyway so what better choice and my hubby thinks it will be fun to have me read to him every night, too! We will see ...... stay tuned.... (sorry, bad pun!)

Book Report 14

Last week I read two more books while in a waiting room during my hubby's outpatient tests. His results were great for everything surprising even his diabetes doctor - a good witness of prayer to the doctor and others! The books were both by David Jeremiah - "Slaying the Giants in Your Life" and "The Things That Matter" (a very small but worthwhile book). I'm blessed to be able to check these out of our Public Library. "Slaying..." rates at least a 9 out of 10 for me. I like the readability along with constant tying back to scripture and the layout of the chapters makes it easy to pick up and put down if you don't have a whole day in a doctor's waiting room to read (one of my main reasons for enjoying Max Lucado's books is that they are great "bathroom" reads for busy Moms). "The Things That Matter" is about a 7.5 - good information, quick read, worthwhile but not quite as dynamic, in my humble opinion, as several other books I've read lately. Here's a poem Dr. Jeremiah quotes in "Slaying.." from the chapter about Worry. Something I need to be reminded of very often!

My name is I AM.
If you live in the past,
It will be very hard,
For I am not there.
My name is not I WAS.
And if you live in the future,
It will be very hard,
For my name is not I WILL BE.
But if you live in the present,
It will not be hard,
For my name is I AM.
-Anonymous

The Wells Family

Saturday night we got to see our favorite family musicians - The Wells Family. They just keep getting better (if that's possible!) and we love the genuine friendliness they have. We share good friends (some pictured in my earlier blog "Summer Fun - Friends") who told us about them and their music. We have learned the words to most of the songs on their CDs but bought a new one to enjoy. They will be performing again in this area of NC next Sunday and then at the NC State Fair in October. Go listen to their music AND their message. They turn down a lot of "lucrative" offers from Nashville and Hollywood to keep on doing what the Lord has called them to do and to be a witness to His grace, not to benefit from the gifts He has given them - remarkable in this day and age! Truly a blessing from the Lord is on this family! Listen to a clip from my 8yo's favorite HERE, my 5yo's favorite HERE and my fav HERE!

Summer Fun - Friends!

We've had lots of fun this summer getting to see friends - from J's graduation party through today - and we have made a point of using time this summer to "make new friends and keep the old" (Did you learn that song as a child? It was one of our favorites to sing on the Girl Scout bus!). Here's a few pics of our fun with friends this summer (so far!).

Summer Fun - White Lake

One of our favorite places to take a day trip is to White Lake. We've heard lots of different stories about why the sand is so white there - meteors, former volcano, etc. All geology aside, we just like it because the sand is white, the water clear, a long gentle slope allowing for lots of room for young children to play and swim and just overall fun. My hubby went there often as a child and remembers an old boardwalk with a gazebo and jukebos at the end where the couples shagged the night away over the cool water reflecting the soft lights. My children have always enjoyed the water and the arcade next to the beach, including the "funny mirrors". It was a great day to cool off, picnic and have fun.

Summer Fun-4th of July Pics

Man vs. WIld

We try not to watch too much tv but you know sometimes it just gets turned on and then stays on and then someone (or more than one) ends up sitting down to "chill". We have satellite and have blocks on everything rated above PG and lots of channels completely blocked - just no sense in even knowing things like MTV exist as far as we are concerned. We talk occassionally about throwing the whole tube out the window but then somehow we don't (yeah, weak). Anyway, we have a found a tv show that everyone in the family watches and enjoys and is (somewhat) educational. Man vs. Wild. Seen it? If not, check it out. My 5yo knows how to use his shoelaces for at least 20 different things (not related to his shoe!) and my 8yo knows how to get out of quicksand. I like it because as we are watching and afterward we all talk about it and do "what if's" and "wasn't that cool's" and "maybe someday's" - together.
And so far we haven't had to beep out his language or innuendos which is our big reason for not watching "Dirty Jobs" anymore. Oh - and we all really enjoy "How It's Made", too. My children loved the one about how escalator rails were made!

Off to see the Wizard...

Weren't you dismayed the first time you ever saw the "Wizard of Oz" and discovered that there was no real magic, no real wizard? Last night I was discussing college with some parents whose children are headed off to college in just a few weeks (including one of our own!). As I listened to their explanations of why they were paying their children's way, what loans and debts they were incurring to send their children off to "gain wisdom" I thought of the Wizard of Oz.
These parents think they are going into debt and taking out loans to send their children off to some magical place where they will be instilled with knowledge and wisdom that will ensure that they will become successful, happy, and most importantly (to them), wealthy adults. I felt like the one who had seen the end of the movie and knew better but didn't know quite how to get through the screen to tell "Dorothy and her friends" that it was all a bad dream and there was "no place like home". Of course I'm not saying all college is bad - our third one will be the third to enter the world of college this fall and if it was such a terrible place we certainly wouldn't allow her to work her fingers to the bone to pay for it (yes, SHE is paying, not us). But to think that it is a magical place is so wrong. We must prepare our children to enter college prepared for doing battle, prepared for standing against the crowd, prepared to think for themselves no matter what grade an "I will brainwash you" professor gives you for challenging his worldview. It is so different when the young adults enter knowing they are going to a battleground, not a playground. It is so different when they shine like lights in darkness and have loving arms to put around people who really mess up their lives in that playground. There are wonderful young adults who already have pulled back the curtain and seen the wizard wasn't real but who live in Oz to help others and be the hope that shines through the darkest storm, who help pick up the pieces after the tornado of broken promises, who already know that there is no place like home, and their home is not on this earth. May we encourage and pray for those bright young souls and the ones they will touch every day.

Braggin' rights?

My cousin is a wonder at genealogical research and our whole family benefits from the countless hours she has spent tracking down information. Now she and her husband have a new website and they are using some of Matt's pictures on it. Now, you know as parents we have "braggin' rights" to brag about our children, but I think we have braggin' rights for our parents, too. My Mom barely survived polio at age 14 but went on to graduate high school in an area of the country where not many did, especially not after having to recover from being told repeatedly that you wouldn't live, and then that you would never walk (which of course did not take into account the love and perseverance of her parents). She developed a special eye behind the camera, especially for nature photography, and this gene of course skipped me entirely but somehow magically was passed on to my children. Funny how that is...
Anyway, here's a couple of Matt's photos, click the link if you want to see more. Yeah, I'm braggin!!!

This week on the farm...

... there's red-ripe watermelon fresh from the garden cooling in the fridge, plump, juicy red tomatoes being sliced for sandwiches, crunchy cucumbers soaking in vinegar (with a touch of black pepper!), plump green butter beans in my lap being shelled by hand, sweet white-kerneled corn filling out and ready by the end of the week, pink, red and orange flowers in vases in three different houses (my 8yo grows her own row of zinnias and takes them to the neighbors), six baby purple martins learning to fly, and a home where every day I am amazed at the blessings of family, farm and a God who never runs out of grace.

The Case for Creation

My latest "read" is "The Case for Creation" by Lee Strobel. Now if you've ever read any of his books you know he is a master of balancing fact and interesting stories. As a trained journalist, he knows how to draw you in and yet as an inquisitive writer he knows to support his story with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. "The Case for Creation" is just as good, and in my humble opinion, in some ways better, than his other books. I think every adult (young ones especially) should read it, whether they are inundated with the philosophy of evolution or not. On my scale of 1(worst) to 100, I give his book a 90 (I know, I know, I rate too many books above 50 - maybe I'll get a lousy one soon :) !).
I'll let you know what the other family members rate it after they are finished.
Happy Reading!

Look on the bright side!

This is from one of my favorite sites - Pastor Tim's CleanLaugh:

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.

The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

Summer Reading

We like going to the library. Neither rain, nor snow, nor hot summer days will deter us from running our route a whole 3.4 miles to the library. The closest grocery is about 7 miles away, the closest superstore about 15 miles. But don't you know we moved where the library is closer than any stores! Now that's being blessed!!
Anyway, I updated my sidebar for my "bookshelf" reading. My 8yo has discovered American girl books and in the past two weeks has read all of the Kirsten books and only has two more to finish Addy. She loved the book "I Lost My Tooth in Africa" and has enjoyed several short stories from one of our favorite book collections I bought several years ago from Focus on the Family. My 5yo is "into" planes and we have read "Combat Airplanes" about as many times as an F-18 weighs! He can tell you that an A-10 Thunderbolt has heavy machine guns and flies a LO-LO-LO mission and quote things I never wanted to learn! Isn't it amazing what captures their imagination? He was unimpressed with "St. George and The Dragon" and "The Biggest Bear" (two favorites of most boys including one of his older brothers). I think I have a non-fiction lover on my hands (again!). Whatever it takes to "turn them on" to reading!!
Happy Reading!

Happy Ending

I like happy endings in movies and real life, too, don't you? Well, go HERE and HERE to read of a really good happy ending of which my son took part. He really didn't mind 7+ hours of sweating as he was hacking through ridiculously thick undergrowth with a machete and "eating" spider webs since it all turned out so well! Send your good wishes to the little boy and his family!
And savor all of your own "happy endings" every day!