Sunday, April 27, 2008
Have you ever wondered, "What IS he THINKING?" Well, here it is, ladies!
Shaunti Feldhahn's book For Women Only held me on the edge of my seat. I finished it way too quickly~ Nathan even caught me sitting on the bathroom floor reading it. Hey~ there are only so many quiet places in a house with children. Right, moms? I'm not really bringing it up as a discussion point; more of a recommendation to check it out for yourselves. It's worth your time. It's not a very big book, so go for it!
I do have a question on my mind. I'd love to hear from some of you how you approach church services with small children. Some, I know, are proponents of nursery for infants. Some aren't. What are your goals for your children in main service? Please be specific. "I want them to sense the presence of God from an early age" may sound good, but what does this mean to you? My curiosity is going somewhere. I'm going to be posting on this topic soon. By the way, feel free to comment even if you don't have children. There are those who discredit opinions of childless and single people. Well, if you DON'T have any views before you have those kids, they'll be in a world of hurt. And for those lurkers, feel free to e-mail me your views. I'd like to get as many thoughts as possible.
Monday, April 21, 2008
L to R: Chelsea (my sister), Christy Frederick, Danielle (Thomas) Stubbs, Heidi Frederick, Wendy (Thomas) Drennen, me, Alana Frederick, Kira Frederick (Heather (Frederick) Baldwin was the only girl cousin not there that day)
Christy and Heidi Frederick (two of Stephen's three girls); I have to say that all my cousins are brilliant, witty and fun people. What a fun time we had!
Alex looking stunning ;o) against Mr. and Mrs. Eggman's flowers (my grandparents' neighbors in Hobe Sound)
Dean Stubbs (Danielle's) and Alex being chummy. Actually, Alex was eating grass and Dean was poking him. (That's a great time when you're 8 months old!)
My wonderful grandparents, Joyce (Frederick) and Alvin Morgan. These are Kathryn and Alex's ONLY great-grandparents. For those of you in Hobe Sound, you know what a sweet and classy lady my grandma is! They were so gracious to let us stay at their house~ not a small thing to bring toddlers into a quiet world like theirs. Thanks so much!!!
Danielle and part of her first-born, Leah (sorry). Danielle (Sheila's youngest) is another super-special cousin that I love spending time with.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Kathryn was thrilled to find Nathan's hard hat from work...
And his safety glasses... ;o) (she often wears her sunglasses this way, too)
She has an alternative way of apple-eating. That's the stem sticking up.
And thought I should be able to rescue these lunatic cats. I know you can't see them well, but believe me, they were there. Thankfully, they 'rescued' themselves. I DID learn the true definition of CATerwauling!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
To the pest control guy: "Well, MY dog doesn't have fleas, because we took him to the vet, and he got a 'pository (suppository)!"
To a nice lady in Wal-Mart after a little talk on who's allowed to touch us where: "And SHE (pointing at the lady) isn't allowed to touch my private spots, cause only mommy and daddy....." This is where I quickly exited stage left with my blabbering child.
To the employee stocking soaps on the next aisle: "My mommy NEVER uses soap in HER bath."
To me about a lady in Cracker Barrel's restroom (pointing again :o( "Mommy, there's a MAN in here!"
Yep, my life is a series of mortifications. What I wouldn't give for a trapdoor to fall in sometimes!!!
Monday, April 14, 2008
I miss the carefree days of childhood, when (for the most part) the sins of others didn't mess with my world. But we adults know, don't we, how easy it is for someone else's actions to 'throw rocks into our quiet ponds' (as Nathan likes to say)? This has been one of those weeks for many of my readers. How do we respond personally, internally? I think it provides a perfect opportunity for self-evaluation. A careful, probing look into our own lives. An accountability to the Word. A weeding out of the little sins that can grow into a nasty harvest, infecting the fields of the Church. A request for God's perspective on the hideous nature of even our 'little sins.' A fear of judgment, of a holy God. Let's each one stand before the Savior, begging grace for our own weaknesses and mercy for those in others.
"I Would" by the Southern Gospel group Booth Brothers has been running through my mind for days. Call your local Christian station and request it. Or click here and scroll down to read the lyrics. It'll bring food for thought.
p.s. Definitely click here to read my brother-in-law's (Dr. Phil Brown) superb article on "What Should I Think When I Hear of Sin in the Church?"
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Jamie (Howard) Taylor has tagged me. I'm afraid my list won't be quite as "exotic" as yours, Jamie, but here we go.
What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was finishing up my junior year of high school, getting ready to go on TLC '98 to Bolivia. I was dating Nathan (for the first time~ there's another story there ;o)
Five things on my to do list today:
1. Clean up the lunch dishes.2. Join Nathan and Kathryn for family devotions.
3. Put Kathryn to bed.
4. Enjoy a quiet evening with Nathan
5. Nothing else~ I LOVE Sundays!
Snacks that I enjoy: Graham crackers with peanut butter and chocolate chips, apple slices sprinkled with salt
What would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Have fresh flowers in my house all the time
2. Invest wisely, and use the interest to give huge anonymous gifts to ministries
3. Pay off our mortgage
4. Raise the pay significantly at the Bible colleges we support5. Hoard (gasps of horror!); My parents never had much money when I was growing up, and I watched the stress that comes from living that way. A comfy $ amount in the savings account is an easy way to achieve security here below for me. I'm not saying that that's a good thing, I'm just being honest.
Three of my bad habits:
1. Procrastinating a chore because I don't have time to do it perfectly.
2. Snacking while I cook. (I'm trying to learn to chew gum while preparing and cleaning up the dishes~ those calories from a bite here and there count, too, you know)
3. Trying to fix people (just ask my poor sister ;o) I CAN be a bit of a steamroller because my personality can be a wee bit forceful.Places I have lived: (there is a repetition here; my mom's folks live in AL, my dad's in FL)
2. Hobe Sound, Florida (when I was 3-5 years old)
3. Nixon Chapel, Alabama (until I was 10)
4. Columbus, Georgia (from 10-12, while my dad pastored the Bible Methodist Church)
5. Nixon Chapel, Alabama (from 12-18, while I finished school)
6. Hobe Sound, Florida (one year of Bible College)
7. Nixon Chapel, Alabama (less than a year while I planned my wedding)
8. Tuscaloosa, Alabama (years 1-5 of our marriage)
9. Hueytown, Alabama (since then)
Five jobs I have had:
1. Spanish translator for a GoldKist poultry plant. I did HR, switchboard, new hire orientation, translating documents, verbal translation (including one time after a food fight with chili peppers and sexual harassment cases), firing illegals, working with the INS, and just about everything else. I LOVED this job. Higher stress levels make me perform better. Funny how that quit working when I had kids ;o)
3. Working as Sidney Grant's Hispanic Ministries secretary in Hobe Sound.
4. Professional tutor for the public school system, traveling from school to school helping children who were learning English with their work.
5. Teaching Spanish I & II at Tuscaloosa Christian School for one year.
I'm tagging: Marianne, Wesley, Sylvia, Julie & Marty (if you don't have time, no worries...)
Saturday, April 12, 2008
"ALL BECAUSE TWO PEOPLE FELL IN LOVE"
This is a bit belated, since our 7th anniversary was last Monday, but I was trying to get this picture online. This was our engagement picture. The last 7 years have not been the easiest of our lives, but even the hard ones were better because of being together. Marriage is an amazing journey! I LOVE YOU, NATHAN!
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Pictures from Kathryn's Little Celebration
Boy! Doesn't she look ragged?! This is after lots of hard play~ not sure why I didn't notice the scraggly hair while I was taking the picture... Surely this is not her 'regular' look ;o)
OK, notice the teeth marks? Yep, Kathryn found the cake and thought the candle was edible~ whoops!
Kathryn wanted a 'Dora' cake. Rather funny considering she's only ever seen one episode in someone's car. I guess it's just the linguistic/Spanish genetics at work creating the natural desire to learn foreign language. (I wish it was genetic, anyhow...)
Friday, April 04, 2008
The Adventure of the Gingered Pear Sorbet
Doesn't that look delicious? OK, so I'm a fan of all things icy and cold. Sorbets, Italian ice, homemade ice cream, smoothies... So, I decided to make this scrumptious treat for Kathryn and me while Nathan was out of town. The following information is to be taken into account when making Gingered Pear Sorbet.
You start by placing pears, lemon juice, syrupy stuff, and ginger in your blender. Turn on. Of course, the bottom concoction gets pureed immediately, while topped with persistent pear halves. Do not, I repeat do not, open the blender and try to press those halves down with a helpful spoon!
At this provocation, the blender will immediately shoot a huge glob of gritty pears and acrid lemon juice into your open eyeball. Because, of course, you're leaning stupidly over it, staring in. At this point, you will hop helplessly and blindly around the room, saying in a very, very calm voice, "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch..." so your children don't freak out. Remember that now you hear the blender continuing to shoot globs over your kitchen, and your three-year-old is just about to look down into the yawning mouth of this monster. Shoot your right hand out and grope for plug, while flushing your left eye out with cold water. If you're fortunate, no electricity will be conducted through your hand (I was). Assume blindness in left eye is most likely permanent. After flushing lemony grit out of your eyeball, change your pear-splattered clothes. Look in the mirror. Glory be! You can see! OK, see pears in hair. Realize that your hair is stickier than the hairspray-laden day when you were your best friend's bridesmaid.
Now realize that your dog needs to go, and NOW. Open the back door. Doubtless, some large and evil beetle will be drawn by the smells of sweetness, so he will fly right into your face. Have dog kill beetle, shouting, "Kill it, kill it now, I say!" Say a few choice words, like "Dadgum, stupid sorbet! Dadgum, stupid beetle!" Under your breath, of course. We don't want our children picking up those words, now do we? Place your successful Gingered Pear Sorbet in the freezer, hope for the best.
If any of you try the recipe linked above, I do hope your experience is much better. Good luck!
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
"Baby's Got Blue Eyes"
Two posts in one night! You see what happens when Nathan's away on business. These are recent pics of Alex. I just now got the camera to cooperate with my computer. I love how these showed up his big blue eyes.
More happy faces!
If you look carefully, you can see our two mousers, Lem & Vida, doing what they do best: stalking each other.
Why is it that children simply CANNOT look natural when they get old enough to pose?!? :o)
Kathryn Turns "Fwee"
Today is Kathryn's 3rd birthday. Our little celebration isn't happening until Saturday, so no pics of cake, etc. yet. However, I thought I'd post her birth story and a few older pics of her.
Kathryn's original due date was 05/05/05. She was born 5 weeks early, was 5 lbs. 12 oz, and came after about 5 hours of labor. Late at night on April 1st, 2005, Nathan and I were watching an old black-and-white Sherlock Holmes movie. I made a trip to the bathroom (you moms know how regular an occurrence THAT is in pregnancy ;o) While I was in the other room, my water broke. So, I yelled at Nathan that my water broke. He thought I was playing an April Fool's joke on him at first, but was soon convinced by the evidence. So off we went, with him begging me to wait until after midnight, so she wouldn't be born on April 1. Men! Whatever. She was born at 4:30 a.m. and was sooo teentsy-tiny. She was working a little hard to breathe, so they put her under the warmer and observed her for a while. Thank God she never did have to go to NICU. She came home the day I did and was super-healthy. I want to post some of her new-born pics, but technology is beating me again...
Looks-wise, she's her daddy. I'm afraid that personality-wise, I'm suffering for the sins of my youth. She is so strong-willed and busy. I told Nathan recently I'm convinced I could have handled triplets of Alex more easily than one of her. She's beautiful outwardly, and we're working on the beautiful inwardly part. Some days she's more lovely than others ;o) She spices up our life so much. Just a few days ago, she came to tell me this: "The neighbor man talked to me." "What did he say?" "He said, 'Well, hello there, little girl.'" "What did you say?" "I said, 'Well, hello there, little man.'" Oh, dear. She also loudly pointed out a MAN in the women's restroom that wasn't a man. Did I mention she makes me smile? So, here's to you, my sweet little tornado~ Kathryn...
Pulling up (She looks so much like Alex!)
One of my favorites...
This one's for you, Tara!! ;o)