Fight Freedom of Choice Act

Please take the time to read and decide on this important issue. I will have a "button" posted on my sidebar for this.

The Sweetest Thing of All

If I were rich, I'd have the time that I lack
To sit in the synagogue and pray.
And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall.
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men,
several hours every day.
That would be the sweetest thing of all.

Why do we put off the one thing that brings us peace, thankfulness, and contentment?

I'm talking about reading the Bible.

Our friend, Tevye, was lamenting about all the things he would do if he were a rich man. Not surprisingly, his home would be larger, his flocks would be larger - even his wife would be larger! Everyone passing by would exclaim, "Now, there lives a wealthy man!"

But the sweetest thing of all?

Discussing the "holy books with the learned men several hours every day."

Tevye couldn't read.

The only glimpse he had of scripture was when the rabbi unrolled the scrolls in the synagogue. The only scripture he was fed was what the rabbi read to him.

From where I sit in my living room, there are two Bibles in my line of sight. There's another in my purse, two more in my school room, one in Himself's office, one in my bedroom, two in Kelly's room, three in Ty's room, Glenna's are everywhere . . . you get the picture.

I have just finished a Bible study and I'm eager for another. But sometimes, sometimes, just reading the Bible myself is the "sweetest thing of all." I used to fuss and fret about where I should start reading or how much I should read each day. I'm so thankful for the NTM missionary who comes to our church and shared with me a simple, yet obvious, way to read the Bible:

Just read it.

Start at the beginning, read it all the way through. When finished, start over.

In other words, read it! Daily, yearly, perpetually, read the Bible. I cannot understand God and His love for me unless I do.

Slowly, imperfectly, non-legalistcally, I am reading the Bible. I'm in Deuteronomy. I do not always understand what I read, and sometimes it makes me downright angry, but I have a Living Author with me as I turn each page, eager to give me understanding. Thankfully, He's also eager to not give me understanding.When He wants me to know, I'll know.

And, that's all I need to know.

Retreat '08

Last year, I took Green Monkey on retreat and showed the insider's view. This year, I wanted to talk a little more about our location.

First of all, it's a good idea to have a good idea when it comes to eating dinner. Some wanted fish, some wanted anything but fish, and that's why we ended up here:


The food wasn't all bad, but as you can see by the wall behind us, food is not the first priority of this place! From L to R: Anne, Julie, Laura, BA, Stacie, moi.

For some odd reason, I found myself alone on Saturday. The posse in the photo above was going to hit the beach once again. Since I was facing an operation the following week to have a pre-cancerous mole removed from my back, I opted out of baking in the sun.

I decided to hit the downtown area to "see what I could see."

This is Daytona Beach. I should emphasize, this is Daytona Beach in the day time, and not during Bike Week or Biketoberfest. If you've never been there, allow me to show you some of the sights from main street.





This place had loud music playing as you walked by. It was kind of clever, but be warned! They take their auto racing seriously. After all, Daytona Beach, on the actual beach, was the birthplace of the Daytona 400.

Here, I'm heading west down Main Street. To save all you parents some serious headaches, just know this: Do not take your children down Main Street in Daytona Beach. Especially, do not take them into any of the stores! If you think you'll be able to find cute souveniers, you may. However, you'll have to plow through a lot of downright nastiness in order to do so.
The bikers were friendly enough, probably because they'd had a few shots under their belts. Main Street is the street where the bikers gather. It's designed specifically for them and to them.

One has to remember that most bikers today are doctors, lawyers, mortgage brokers, etc. In other words, they have some coin to drop. Well, maybe not the mortgage broker.

I'm wondering how old these signs actually are and whether they're as vital today as they would have been in the 70's and 80's:
I can understand no drugs, but no attitudes? Awww, come on! It's kind of great to know you don't have to wear your shirt until 7 pm! NO MC Club shirts though, which I'm guessing stands for Motorcycle Club. I could see how a doctor with a few shots under his belt would get offended by someone else's club shirt and you know that never ends well.



Here's some real-live bikers. It didn't hit me until later that perhaps I wasn't in the safest place. I think dressing like a middle-America church lady may have offered me some protection.




The only thing more disturbing about the following photo is the fact that it requires a sign stating it's not for sale. Meaning, so many people have wanted to buy it, they posted a sign.








I moved off of Main Street and headed toward a type of outdoor mall with a movie theater. I found these two guys playing the blues in front of Sbucks:
They were quite good! They actually laughed when I mimed that I wanted to take their picture. Sorry I didn't have some bills to toss at them!


This mall opens right onto the beach, which is so cool. I took my church-lady-dressed-self and decided to put my toes in the water as I made my way back to my vehicle.


I was dressed, and I looked weird.
What do you expect at a beach? I didn't dare get closer to these guys, but not only did they have identical poses, they had identical tattoos.

I guess it's their way of getting around the no MC Club shirt signs. Just print it right on the skin and have at it until 7 pm when, of course, shirts are required.

Foolish and Ignorant Disputes

Sunday, I had a religious solicitor come to my door. After introducing herself and the young girl with her, she let me know that they were going through the neighborhood to ask six questions about Jesus. I stopped her there.

You know, I'm a Christian locked in at a local church, so I'm good to go.

Oh, that's great! We often talk to people from other religions.

Other religions? Did she not just hear me? She just came to my door saying she wanted to ask questions about Jesus. I told her I'm a Christian. Does that word have no meaning? There have been many occasions where I've wanted to post a doctrinal statement on my door:

Bible-believing, Pre-or mid-trib, Millennial, Dispensationist lives here. Oh, and to all JW's, JESUS IS GOD. Still feel like knocking?

I'm realizing that in today's world, saying you're a Christian could mean nothing at all. Even my doctrinal statement is something I won't go to the wall for, because it mainly expresses my views on end times (except for the Jesus is God part). Taken right from my recent Bible study, here's what I WILL go to the wall for:

1. Jesus is the only way, truth, and life. No one gets to God any other way. (John 14:6)

2. Jesus Christ came wrapped in human flesh as the divine Son of God. (John 1:1, 14; Col 1:19-20)

3. Christ's bodily resurrection is an absolute tenant of the Christian faith. His resurrection occurred as the firstfruit of the harvest so that all who believed in Him could be raised from the dead. (1 Cor. 15:22-23)

We had such a great discussion on this at Bible study last night. What I won't go to the wall for is:

1. Styles of worship.

2. Discussions on baptism.

3. Spiritual gifts.

4. End time theology.

The last one is because brilliant scholars have not been able to agree for centuries! I believe this fits firmly under Deuteronomy 29:29 - The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.

I wish I weren't so tongue-tied when religious solicitors come to my door. I wish I could speak with elloquence and welcome them as a Christian, that is, a believer in the sacrificial death of Christ removing my sins so that I am no longer separated from God and will have eternal life with Him, should. Insead, I end up looking like an idiot by saying things like:

What do you mean, other religions? I just told you I'm a Christian!

Oh, wait, what church did you say you went to?

____________ right down the street.

Oh, well thank you for coming to your door.

2 Timothy 2:23 "But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they breed quarrels.

I'm Awake

Why am I on line at 5 in the morning?

Because I'm awake.

My dear friend once told me, "When you can't sleep, don't count sheep! Talk to the Shepherd!" So, when my eyes opened at 4:05, I decided to talk to the Shepherd. He brought to mind the newlyweds whose wedding I attended last night, so once again I thanked Him for their lives and their love.

Now what?

Blink. Blink.

Himself is on the men's retreat so I could turn on a light without disturbing anyone. I didn't feel like reading, though, so I decided to get on Himself's computer. He has this folder of family pictures and I cruised through that.

I found these pictures from Evangelin's CD release party back in March! Our friend Dave (from RZoo) had taken these and given us a copy. It was such a fun night!

Dave has one of those cameras with a fast shutter so he was able to catch some great action.

Ty, but he's really just getting started. That's Beefy with the guitar. I miss him, but I'm so excited about the new band members!

Now we're starting to get a little blurry stick action!

Look at his face. Yes, he's really that into it. He's not just like this at shows, either. When I walk through the living room during a practice, he's all-out.

Hey now . . . . I'm guessing this is the chorus of a song. Sometimes he even comes up out of his seat!

Whaaaaa???? Whoa!!! Look at the sticks and cymbals!

We had a really great crowd for the CD release. There were two other bands who played, then Evangelin. I'd say there were at least 70 to 80 people, which is good for a local, unsigned band.

Before you think they filled the room, here's an actual shot:

This is our church's sanctuary. Our youth pastor is so great and let the boys have their CD release here. We take down all the chairs and put them back when we're done. We also don't use any of the church's sound equipment! Too hard on the speakers. (Heh, heh.)

The next photos show the actions and antics of our bass player, Jeremy. He once hit Zach in the mouth and chipped his tooth, so now they stick him off to the side and stay clear. Jeremy's on the far right. [Side note: he's back to lead guitar now!]

In which Jeremy goes crazy on bass guitar.

In which Jeremy's strap breaks, flinging the guitar toward the crowd. Zach has his own guitar in the air and doesn't notice.

In which the innocent bystander, who was almost nailed with the bass, hands it back to Jeremy.

In which Jeremy looks at Ty and says, "Dude, I dropped my guitar!" All the guitarists in the crowd think it's hilarious, but they're also very concerned about the guitar.




Lights up, end of the show. Can anyone spot Kelly in this picture? Glenna was in a few shots, but I think she had left the room at this point.

Jessie's in this picture, too, but it's before she was his Jessie. :-)

I can't wait for their next show with Paul on bass and Bryce on vocals!

Super Suppers

Last night, BA and I went to a Tasting at Super Suppers. They served us beverages and gave us a list of the foods we'd be sampling. We were asked to rate the foods from 1 to 10 and write additional comments.

I had such a great time chatting with BA. We have such busy lives once school starts! We steered away from politics (mostly) and got into the meat of our lives. I just love that gal.

The food, I felt, wasn't as good as Dinner A'Fare. I may be biased, but I saw that BA gave low rankings to several of the dishes as well. I felt they used more processed foods but didn't have a list of ingredients. Also, they had onions in almost everything! I like onions if they're well-cooked, but these were a little too raw.

They were also fond of plopping cheese or some kind of nut on everything - both foods for me to avoid. Some of the foods just tasted . . . odd.

There was one dish, however, that I ended up purchasing. Autumn Pork Roast Stew or something like that . . . the potatoes were heavenly! BA and I both gave it a 10.

Their prices were also at least $20.00 more than D'A.

So, I'm settled in my mind where I will be going when I do this. In fact, I'm heading off for round 2 today and bringing the girls with me!

One major note: I didn't waste any food this week. I didn't have to buy 5 turnips in a package when I only needed one, same with zucchini. I didn't have produce rotting in my drawers because I only used parts. My freezer is empty except for some ground turkey. Empty! My produce drawers are empty! All I have in my fridge is lunch meat and cheese for lunches.

I love this especially.

Migraine Update

I have begun to re-introduce foods to see if they are trigger foods. To my great disappointment, I cannot have orange juice.

Cheese is a definite factor, but mozzarella is safe. Makes sense, since mozzarella is not an aged cheese. I'm actually thankful that cheese is a factor. I think this was one of the main things that added weight and I certainly like being lighter!

Peanuts are fine! Going to try almonds this week since they're a favorite snack. Still, since I think peanut butter was also a weight factor, I'll probably not go back to it.

The Dinner A'Fare meals have been so tasty! Each one of them has even my pickiest eater cleaning her plate. I didn't get to have last night's Chicken Cordon Bleu (ham plus swiss plus croutons, all on my "no" list) but the family loved it. Beyond the good food, though, was the ease with which the two weeks of meals occured. Tonight is Tortalini Soup, tomorrow Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli, then I'm back to Dinner A'Fare!

The portions have been enough, but not enough for leftovers if Himself has anything to say about it. I think I need to offer more side dishes. Or, like with the Chicken Cordon Bleu, I put my portion into a container right away so Kelly could take it to work and have it for lunch. Otherwise, any one of the W's would have eaten it! They're certainly not going away from the table hungry.

So, here it is: my full endorsement for Dinner A'Fare. We love it!

How to Capture a Glenna on Film

The easiest way to capture a Glenna on film is to leave the camera out. Somehow, pictures of Glenna just appear!

This was one of her panorama shots. I'm almost embarrassed to show the lengths I would go to in order to use the internet in semi comfort (note stool to prop my elbow). I have since purchased a better wireless router and can sit anywhere in my home.



She used the self-timer on this one.



In New Mexico. Albuturkey to be exact.



Tenth birthday. Note the punch stain on her mouth.



On the way to the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. It was very hot.


I have no words for this one. I figured if she was bold enough to put it on the camera, by golly, I should use it!


Favorite!

The Great Wreck of '08

Why do they call me? Why don't they just come home?

Saturday, the band was practicing in the living room when I heard the house phone ring.

It was Glenna.

Of course, my immediate thought was for their well being since she and Kelly had gone on a bike ride .. . . No.

My first words were, "Why didn't you call my cell phone? The band is practicing in the living room!"

Um, Mom, Kelly and I were in a pretty bad wreck here.

Can you walk?

I think so . . .

Well then, come home!

Yes, that's how horrible a mother I am. They gamely picked up their bikes, returned the cell phone to the nice lady who let them borrow it, and headed home. I must have had some clue enter my consciousness because I sent Himself to meet them on foot.

Tyler was the only one with a view into the kitchen when the girls came in. They were pretty banged up and scraped up, so we put them up on the counter and we both set to work cleaning out dirt and bandaging. Ty was trying to concentrate but all he could see was the hospital triage in the kitchen! Pablo (bass guitar) could see it, too, so he moved his line of sight.

I know, I know. I made them walk home.


The shock's starting to wear off of Glenna, here. My baby! She was fortunate to land mostly on her sister, but one side is pretty scraped up. Having just endured a broken arm, she quickly put Kelly's limbs through all the tests of movement to see if anything was broken. What a smart girl! As they hobbled home, Kelly said to her, "I know this hurts and all, but still . . . it's a pretty sweet wreck!"

That's my Kelly! She was living in the moment. Even as she was wrecking (she admits it was her fault and deeply regrets Glenna getting hurt) she was thinking to herself, "Whoa! I'm falling! I'm going to hit the cement! This is not going to be good."

Still, she feels a new kinship with kids everywhere who wreck on their bikes every day. She feels like she got out there for a brief moment of glory and threw caution to the wind. She wrecked, but she walked away with a story to tell!

I know the picture is a pretty bad one, so here's some enhancement on all the scrapes:



(The shock was starting to wear off on Glenna and it was starting to hurt!) Kelly's face isn't scraped, just bruised. They make such a lovely pair, don't they?

Glenna was wearing a helmet. Whew!

How to Capture a Kelly on Film

No Jessie required (though always welcome)!

Downtown Orlando, checking out a new building on Church Street.

The wind is always blowing downtown.



You're taking my picture?


I'm so embarrassed! What am I supposed to do here?


Awww . . . gosh . . . gee . . .


See? Easy peasy.

Food Report

I'll get to the chow in a minute. Here's a couple of words I've had to type this morning while commenting on other blogs:

guestert - I'm guessing this is a guest who brings dessert. Or maybe it's the dessert a guest brings?

merple - proof that there IS a word that rhymes with purple!

We've had four meals from Dinner A'Fare so far.

Horseradish Encrusted Cheddar Beef Burgers: The family loved these. I didn't get to eat them because of the cheddar, but there were yums all around.

Pretzel Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Cream Sauce: The pork cooked beautifully and the sauce was amazing. The kids were finding anything they could (bread, veggies) to scoop up the sauce.

As with any new endeavor, there's a learning curve. This is the first meal I assembled and JoAnne hadn't told me that I need to mush the ingredients around in the bag to mix them before I wrap them up. When I added the ingredients to the bag with the pork loin, I didn't mix it up well. Since flour was one of the ingredients, this resulted in part of the pork loin having a clump of flour. Next time I'll know to distribute the flour evenly and shake the bag before sealing or adding other ingredients so it will coat without clumps.

Cheese Ravioli with Parmesan Pesto: I should have known better - follow the instructions! I didn't really need to heat the parmesan pesto sauce, but I did, and the result was a gooey, stringy mess when the parmesan melted. Seriously! I had to wait for it to cool and un-melt before I could serve it with the ravioli. I'm laughing because I just now read the instructions thoroughly and I was supposed to mix the sauce with the ravioli and not serve it on the side.

The family liked this one, too. Three and a half raviolis and they were full, so there were plenty left for lunches. Could probably have company with this one without worrying if there would be enough. This was their first experience with pine nuts - many thought they were beans. Hah!

Beef Vegetable Stir Fry: Easiest by far, this one was extremely tasty. I love that the meat was already thinly cut into perfect sizes! In fact, I haven't had to touch raw meat yet (and we all know how much I love to deal with raw chicken! Shudder). This took maybe ten minutes to prepare in a skillet, so I started the rice ahead of time. Perfect meal for AWANA when Glenna and I need to get out the door with dinner already eaten, or else we'll be forced to wait until we get home.

Tonight, Jambalaya!

Wake up, America!!!

I watched this video yesterday and I have been sick to my stomach. Are people really listening to what Obama is saying? I did NOT want to mention anything political on this blog, but if I can change one mind or solidify one decision, I'll risk it.

Forget religious views. Obama is anti-American. He will rob us of our American identity and universalize us all. Our hard-won freedoms will be ripped away and we will be right back under the hammer of tyrrany.

WAKE UP!!!

Please read this post carefully and with an open mind, then listen to the words from Obama himself on the video she included. Forget religious freedom if that's what it takes, and think instead about your rights as an American. This man is determined to take those rights away.

How to Capture a Tyler on Film

Many of you recall this lovely photo, taken by Jessie's mom the night of the costume party.


I want you to note Tyler's cooperative pose, cheerful smile, and overall willingness to capture the moment for posterity. This is what happens when the lovely Jess is added to the equation.


It was a completely different scene at our house the day before. We hadn't yet found the bow tie and his hair wasn't slicked back. He had tried everything on for effect, though.


Notice his hand stretched out in frustration. You're taking my picture? I'm on the PHONE here. What are you doing?


Stop trying to take my picture already.

Look, if you'll just cooperate, I could get a picture and then you'd be done with it. Stop telling me to stop taking your picture! I'm your mother.


Fine. How's this?
Ok, hold it . .. Ack! It's blurry! And that's not a smile, that's a grimace. Could we try one more time! Drat this camera, it's taking forever. . . .


No, I'm done, I'm heading upstairs.

Wait! Come on, Ty, just one more try.



Mom, I'm done.
I think if you just sit still for one second, I almost have it. Let me adjust the setting and then I'll have it. This will only take a sec . . . .


Ok, you're done. I see that. In fact, I'm done too. Never mind.

So, the secret to capturing a Tyler on Film is to have a Jessie nearby. And a better camera. One with a speed shutter or something, because he was smiling and laughing between each of these!