J-E-L-L-O

Watch it wiggle, see it jiggle, smooth and fruity, Jello brand gelatin.

That's as much as I remember. I know that there is more, something about "through all the world", but I just can't remember it. I will Google it later.

A post about Jello, I really have lost writing inspiration, huh? No. It will make sense.

I have told you that I have been planning lately. I took a picture of my desk to post, but I am ashamed to do such. I have my lesson plans, chore charts, menu plans, and all sorts of charts and lists spread over my desk. We leave for vacation this week and I want it all clean before I leave.

This is where you can help me. You will actually have to comment. I know I have a lot of lurkers and readers, but I need recipes.

I have made a two week menu plan that I will rotate. Since we are home all day, I have planned three meals a day and desserts on a couple of nights. I have looked up homemade pizza crust recipes (whole wheat), pancake mixes (whole wheat and oatmeal), and lots of other nutritious budget friendly recipes. I have picky eaters and I try to get as much good food in them as I can.
This is where your recipes can help.

As a child of the '70s, I have a love for congealed salads. My friend at church makes the best cranberry congealed salad you have ever eaten (and Key Lime cake too!....and chicken salad!) The only Jello recipe I know is to put fruit in it. So, please come to my rescue. I have empty spots on the menu plan, and that will not do.

I am looking for Jello side dishes or desserts. Or if you have a family favorite side dish. Or a homemade "mix" recipe, bring them on.

See where it says "comments", click on that and give me a recipe.

1....2.....3.....go!!!

There's no place like home........

Dorothy's famous words. How often do we use them? Do you feel that way about your own home, or not?

We moved into this house at the end of June 2007. We knew when we moved in that there was a lot we wanted to do here and it would just take time. My dad gives me a hard time asking me why I bought an old house and want to make all these changes. I told him I like the 100 year old parts, it's just the 1970s lineoleum and pastels I am not fond of. I have an ongoing list of projects I want to work on, I am just waiting for the money tree in the back to sprout.

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When we moved in last summer, I went through a phase wondering if we had made a mistake. I just did not feel at home. I felt anxious in my own home. I felt like I was living in someone else's house. It all came down to the paint, simple I know, but I had no idea how much it would help.

My husband went on a mission trip to Mexico and told me I could have some of the rooms painted while he was gone. We have very high ceilings and the main corridor of the house has the original wooden walls, so it was not a job I could tackle on my own. On top of that, all the walls in the house were painted in semi-gloss paint. Why, I do not know. Pink, yellow, turquoise, and seafoam are all pretty colors..........for an Easter egg. I was excited to get the walls painted.

I remember walking in when it was done, and letting out a big sigh of relief. It felt like it was mine.

Our living room has had some issues too. We played "musical rooms" when we moved in. The room they used for the bedroom is our office. The room they used for the living room is our bedroom. The room they used for the dining room is our living room. Confusing, I know. The living room (was their dining room) was painted a BRIGHT yellow. It has white tile on the floor. There was a pass through to the kitchen that was boarded up on the kitchen side, and a big open hole on the living room side. On top of that, we had too much furniture for the room. I could never relax in there.

We are almost there. My brother in law fixed the hole in the wall, you would never know it had been there. I painted the room just before Christmas. It was a technique from Lowe's called "Tuscan Accents", and I still love it. We sold the "too much furniture" on Craigslist last week. This week the new furniture came, and it feels like home. I still have to find curtains, and a rug. But we will have to wait on that money tree.

All this got me thinking. This is how I feel in the world, too. Not at home. Anxious. Like I don't belong. I long for the day when I will feel at home, and it will not be a couple of coats of paint that fix it. It will be my spirit finding it's eternal dwelling place, with my Father in heaven. Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 5, that we groan at where we are now, longing to put on our house from heaven. It will be home like we have never known...................There will be no place like Home.

It's always something!

I know it has been a few days since I posted last. There is always something going on around here. So here is the latest..............

He was playing "Hide-n-Seek" on Sunday night at church. He fell in some uneven grass and landed face first on the sidewalk. The other boys came running to get me saying that he was bleeding all over the place. We had a nurse at the church take a look and make sure we didn't need stitches and nothing was broken. Praise the Lord, it was just bad scrapes. I was worried about a broken nose or broken teeth.

This week was our checkup with the broken collarbone with my other son. The doctor walked in and asked me what in the world was going on at my house. I said, "Two boys, it's always something!"

I know there is something to learn. Once again, we were blessed with an injury that we can watch God heal. Just to sit and think about how God has made our bodies, it is amazing! The instant the bleeding stops, the body has begun healing. We are wonderfully made. (Psalm 139) I think we go through our daily lives without thinking about all that goes on in our bodies. To think that all these complex systems and genetic codes just happened by chance is ridiculous. The more I learn about how the body works, especially on the cellular level, the more I am awestruck by the Design and the Designer.

We are amazed as we watch God heal both the boys. He is the Great Physician.

"For I am the LORD who heals you." Exodus 15:26

What a Wonderful World

Our local Christian radio station sponsored a free event last night. It was called "What a wonderful world". It was a lecture on Creation and Evolution. I thought that it would be a good outing for my oldest son and me.

We have been blessed in our home to have the radio dramas made by Vision Forum. These dramas are called Jonathan Park. It is a series of audio adventures about a boy whose dad is a Christian "Indiana Jones". These have taught us a lot about Creation science and the false ideas of evolution. My sons both love to listen to them. We have to ration out the programs, or they would listen all day long. I thought that taking my oldest son to hear the lecture would be good reinforcement of what he has learned.

We arrived early and found seats. As we were sitting down, two women came and sat behind us and began talking to each other. They were sisters. One had brought the other to hear the information, kicking and screaming. I think the one sister is what would be called a "Theistic Evolutionist", basically she thought that God created through evolution. The other sister was atheist or agnostic and a devout evolutionist. As they began talking, I could hear them trying to find a concordance in the pew Bible so they could find verses on evolution. They wanted to know how evolution fit into the Bible. I wondered if I should try and talk to them. I knew this might get very interesting.

As the speaker began, I could hear the one sister mumbling and talking about all the lies the speaker was telling. My son leaned over and said, "Mom, I think that woman thinks that evolution is true." I told him that she did.

I noticed that her body language changed throughout the night. Early in the evening, she laid back in the pew and had her arms crossed, clearly angry. Later, she began jotting down the "lies" he was telling. At the end, she was leaning forward, listening intently. At the end, when the speaker took questions, I was ready to witness a showdown.

We left as he was taking questions, she had not asked anything or challenged him yet.

I will wonder about these women. Did they hear the truth, or did they close their hearts because of preconceived notions? Should I have talked them before, or were they not ready? What happened after I left? Did they realize that it is important that they believe the truth?

We don't realize how this certain belief invades our everyday choices. We don't realize how it has invaded and changed society. I, for one, will make sure that my children know the truth, and can defend it.

When we left the event, I asked my son, "What did you learn?" He said, "I learned more about evolution and how it can not be true. I learned that there are people that would rather believe in that than have to answer to God, like that woman. That is sad."

"Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." 1 Peter 3:15

Zzzzz

Methought I heard a voice cry, sleep no more!

Macbeth does murder sleep, — the innocent sleep;

Sleep, that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care,

The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath,

Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,

Chief nourisher in life's feast.
Macbeth, scene I

I like my sleep. I am not one of those people that can get by on a couple of hours. My husband can, I can not. You can tell if I don’t get enough sleep. I even feel nauseous if I don’t get enough. But I am becoming increasingly convicted that there is a huge difference between “enough” and too much.

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During the summer, we have a very laid back life. I have children that need 10-11 hours of sleep, so they have been going to bed later and sleeping later. This leads to me sleeping later too since we had the summer off from school and all our activities. No lessons to get to, nor practice, nor Bible study to lead. No alarm clock.

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I have bared my soul here enough for you to know my battle with self. Once again this is what I am dealing with. I had not realized what I had done until I heard a friend of mine speak at a homeschool conference. I had turned sleep into an idol. Talk about stepping on my toes, I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck!

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By sleeping late, I am missing my quiet time ALONE with God. If I wait until the boys get up for me to get up, it throws my day off. I will have my quiet time, but it will not be the same. It will be interrupted with “Mom! He did…” “Mom, can I have???” “What’s for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack?” It hurts to think that I am telling God that I would rather sleep than spend my time alone with Him. Ouch!

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It is an idol. Something I am putting before God. I would not be telling you this, if I did not think that someone reading this is possibly going through the same thing, but you don’t see it. But for you, it might not be sleep. It might be that TV show you could turn off to spend time with Him. It might be that book you are reading instead of the Word of God. It might be the computer. It might be exercise. Only you know.

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In this conviction by the Holy Spirit, I have been led to the Bible, as always.

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I am convicted by reading in Mark 14 of when Jesus goes to pray at Gethsemane and tells the disciples “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow- to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.” He prays and returns to find them sleeping. “Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And it happens again. And again. And then Jesus is betrayed. The last thing He asks them to do, and they fall asleep on the job. Sleep was more important to them. Ouch!! I am also convicted reading through the Psalms. “My voice will you hear, early in the morning….in the morning I will direct my prayer….joy cometh in the morning….sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning…” Do you see it?

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It is getting better. I know I need a better plan. I like plans, not ruts, but plans. I am planning and praying. Planning for our new school year and starting our days off right. Praying for God to help me find the balance of “enough” sleep.

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At least I don’t have Lady Macbeth’s sleep issues.

Look's like we made it!!

Pictures! Broadband!

I was talking with my friend last week about the dial-up dilemma. She told me that I needed to check with my wireless provider, it might be possible to get access with them.

Well, she was right! I talked to my wireless provider and found out I could get broadband access through a USB modem for my desktop computer. We went today and got it!

I wanted to post this picture of my boys. I love it. It says a lot about them and their relationship. .

Also, to those that were having problems posting a comment, I think I have it fixed. Try and leave a comment now, you should be able to.

I am off to watch the Olympics! Go Michael Phelps!!

Seems like old times

I don’t know if any of you are on facebook or not. It is the social networking site that is much safer than the other site that was popular before. A couple of my friends at church are on it, and told me about it. Well, since I am trying to move into the 21st century and all, you know with a blog and a digital camera, I decided to give it a try.

Well, it is addicting. It is fun, and hard to describe unless you get on there. You can control who has access to your information by making “friends”. A lot of my “friends” are the youth from my church. My husband works with the youth and a lot of the parents are friends of mine. They don’t email anymore, they write on your “facebook wall.” And of course, the goal for the youth is to get a lot of friends.

It is also interesting, too. I contacted a friend from my childhood. We were friends in preschool, elementary school, middle school, and part of high school until I moved during my sophomore year. I remember going home from school with her in Kindergarten, sleepovers, and birthday parties. Every picture from my childhood birthday parties had her in it. And yet, I have not really had contact with her in about 20 years-- can I be that old??

It brings back memories from middle school, and who wants to remember middle school. I can close my eyes and be that girl again, with all those feelings coming like it was yesterday. Middle school is not fun for a smart, overweight, and shy girl. It is a hard time when you gain new friends, but lose those from childhood. A time when being popular and outside appearances mean more to people than values and feelings. And then it happens again in high school. I don’t miss those days.

But today, am I much different? Yes and no.

No, I am the same nerdy girl with the constant battle with my weight. I still feel shy at times, and could easily hide out in my house and not contact people. I want to be liked. Battles that rage 20 years later.

Yes, in that I am comfortable with being who God created me to be. He made me with a love for learning. He created a passion in me for His Word. He opened my mouth for me to use it for Him. He created me to be a wife and mother, to care for the gifts He has given me- my husband and my children. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and my soul rejoices in that! (Psalm 139) I know now to believe God and His Word about who I am, and not my own feelings. (Psalm 146:5-6)

Lessons, they never end.

I did get rid of the perm.