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Our goats are so lazy.....(how lazy ARE they?).....well, they're so lazy they prefer to use the lawn mower instead of trimming the grass with their teeth!

I'd given up all together, when three different asked on three separate days whether I would ever post here again.    

I tried.  I tried to come up with something witty and clever that included "reasons for not writing."  Got nowhere that wasn't cliche.

I toyed with the idea of not writing at all, but I miss it and enjoy it.

Finally, after re-telling a Strange but True Story of Events that Really Happened to Our Family to a fourth person, I knew I was at the end of my list of excuses.

So, welcome back to our garden and some true stories that are rife with ridiculotory and incredulousness, along with a smattering of (frighteningly Conservative) opinion, cute kid pictures (human and animal), foodtalk, and stories to make you smile, laugh, shake your head and (most likely) cringe!

God's Gifts

As I write this post, Andy and Han are at Lowe's picking through their discards bin for chicken coop lumber.  I'm home with the little one, having cleaned up after she emptied her stomach twice - once in the car and once on me and the downstairs couch.  She's now watching an old movie musical on TBN with a trashcan beside.   The situation lends it to an opportunity to update my blog!

So many changes since the move, and I've felt God's presence throughout.  Things have not always gone as we've hoped or expected, but nonetheless, I've been blessed - by truly feeling His presence throughout everything.  One or several of us was sick for most of February, yet we still managed to make it through work, homeschooling, housekeeping and our new engagements.

The girls took swimming lessons at the far-away (20 miles?) Green Ridge Recreation Center, and I am more than satisfied with their progress.  One girl who wouldn't put her face in the water for me is actually swimming under water for significant distances, and the other quickly shot to the top of her class, demonstrating that she is, in reality, actually a water bug.  They've each "graduated" to the next level, and if we decide to re-enroll them, they'll begin again after a weeks' break.  For Abigail, her goal is to be able to swim well enough to "go down the big indoor slide"; check out their website at the link above to see what she means.

Homeschool Co-op through CHEF (Christian Home Educators of Franklin County) has been an abundantly rich experience for both me and the girls.  While I truly enjoyed the Alleghany Highlands, I often felt they isolated in terms of other homeschoolers.  True, we had a small core group (whom I miss, miss, miss, Margie!), but here we've connected with even more.  They go weekly for five week sessions ~ Hannah is studying Alaska and the Iditerod race, Royal Rangers Together, and last session she was in well-organized and presented poetry class.  Abigail is in a preschool class and a gym class.  We've gone on a couple field trips and I've been to - sadly - only one Mom's Night, but the friendships and support I've built through CHEF are priceless.

This is an example of God's timing and grace for our family.  I have a hard time making friends.  I do!  And as far as co-op, I wasn't sure if I'd want to relinqish any of my teaching time or schooling to someone else.  I wasn't sure if it fit into my overall plan for their education.  But my heart has changed at the same time the I saw how much they (especially Hannah) would benefit from it.  And its not even that socialization thing.  But it ends up being that.  And while our children are engaged in their activities, I'm making developing relationships with other moms who have many of the same interests, goals and desires for their kids - all as sisters in the body of Christ.  Its something wonderful, really.

And along the lines of making friends, God has blessed me in other ways, too.  I mentioned our neighbors, right?  I'm so thankful for ours ~ we've been out to dinner a couple times and have enjoyed ourselves together as families - laughing and yukking it up in the yard and in the snow.  I know, I know, PICTURES, right?  They'll come.

But I've also met friends out at random:  Andy sold his truck to buy a 20+ year old Dodge so he wouldn't have a payment.  Chatting with the folks who bought it, they homeschool and have kids the same ages as ours.  We've cahtted by e-mail and have promised one another 'playdates' once the weather stabilizes some.

And of course there's more ~ even at the doctor's office for a physical today, I met a nurse who - um, "coincidentally" (yeah, right)  is also raising chickens, hoping for goats soon and working toward a more self-sufficient lifestyle.  So we exchanged particulars and here I am writing about her.

God is so good!  He takes care of needs I didn't even know I had, overly and more abundantly than I could ever ask for hope for.

thoughts on Spring

Now that we've pretty much finished unpacking and are settled into our new surroundings, I've taken the time and had a good look around.  We've moved to this new home in the middle of what is passing for winter this year:  I think the average temperature has only been in the 50's and there's been no snow.  The trees are mostly bare except for the evergreens and some of the oaks which hold their leathery leaves until the first buds of spring push them off.  The grass of the lawn is brown, azaleas with their deep purple leaves look chilled and the underbrush on the back hillside where lumber was harvested a couple years ago is grey-brown and dusky-looking.

Whenever we've gone to the Maple Festival up in Highland County its been overcast, wet, slushy and cold.  So I always associate that type of weather with the area, although I know that in summer it is hot, green and lush.  It was like that too, in Oklahoma: for me, it is always cold, damp and snowy.

Here in Hardy the great outdoors is cold, washed-out, brown and damp.  Inside, the walls are painted with strong, earthy colors - too bold for my liking.  They serve to emphasize the heaviness that hangs on like a leaden blanket.

Somehow I am hopeful as the calendar promises to turn in the next couple days to February, a month closer to Spring.  Yesterday morning I walked in the back yard and flushed out five or six white-tail deer from down near the creek.  They ran, snorting, up the back hill and up to and across the ridge.  They must be the same group that mingles in front of the game camera set up by our neighbor on the back corner of the property.  I wonder if they, too, are waiting for spring, or if they realize its been over a year since they last walked through snow.  Of course I still hope that the Farmer's Almanac is correct in its prediction of a Valentine's Day storm; the girls and I want to put the hills to good use.

I can't imagine what the yard will look like in its Spring greenery, or how the sunlight will fall against newly-painted walls at a different angle than in the winter months.  I look forward to what berries might be growing after a long winter of dormancy in the underbrush.  I'm eager to enjoy the sound of the creek after clearing out an area to sit in the warm sunshine.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to join this property in a slow cycle.  We can afford a leisurely pace while the weather keeps us inside.  I have feeling that the spring and summertime will bring busy outdoor adventures in gardening, land clearing, animals and learning.  I think we're all looking forward to the changes.

I shouldn't have even looked!

Has it really been since May since I posted last?  I'm sorry!  But here is something blog-worthy to break the long dry spell.  Its typical for me.

I drink day old coffee.  Yes, yes, some will say its so gauche, or gross or what have you, but I don't mind ~ I usually mix it with new coffee to heat it back up so I can drink it right away. 

Ever have that niggling feeling that, "I should...." but then ignore it? 
Don't ignore it.

Last night I poured the last of yesterday's coffee into a coffee cup and left it on the stove, refilled the stove top percolator and set it on the burner and went to bed.

This morning I turned on the burner, perked the coffee and, when it was finished, topped it off with the fresh coffee.

I just finished drinking it and, reaching the bottom, felt something against my lip.

It wasn't coffee grounds.

It was an EARWIG!!

GROSS, GROSS, GROSS!! 

Someone I know who reads this will be ESPECIALLY GROSSED out. 

Don't remember what an earwig looks like?

My Crow Wave

We've got a new addition to our household - it was given to us, or otherwise we  would still be in the minority of American households without one.  Its been over 4 years since we've had one of these machines, and I haven't really missed it.  In fact, I've enjoyed smugly saying, "we don't have a microwave..." and watching the reaction.  My friend Lora said, "how do you LIIIIIIIIIVE?!"  My mom just shakes her head.

As it turns out, it was donated at an opportune time - I've burnt up three saucepans beyond serviceable use in the past four months and I'd begun to dig into our camping supplies for stove top cooking appliances.  I haven't planned ahead enough to stockpile saucepans, so my cooking resources were limited to the crock pot, cast iron skillet and toaster. 

Although my dad informs me that an electric stove uses more energy than a microwave, heating up milk for bedtime drinks and cooking macaroni and cheese on the range top wasn't too much of an inconvenience.  I timed it, of course, and it only takes about 25% more time to heat things up on the stove top than in the mike, but then there is the extra pot to wash.  Stove top cooking lends itself to a bit of patience, too, in that it is a wholly interactive experience.  Witness my failure to "interact" with the cooking process by the blackened bottoms of my cookware....

Without a microwave, we're excluded from a surprising amount of convenience foods at Wal-Mart - foods that are high in fat, calories and added salt, low in fiber, freshness and health.  I use my teapot more to heat water for hot tea, hot chocolate and cream of wheat.  The whistle is satisfying and familiar.  But with a microwave comes ease in steaming vegetables, microwave popcorn and fewer dishes to wash.....(because you know if we didn't have a microwave oven, we certainly don't have a dishwasher!)

There was no real reason for not having a microwave oven in the first place.  We had one at our former house and used it regularly for defrosting and reheating.  I've never been one to cook a roast or a chicken in them.  When we moved here, we just never got around to getting one because there didn't seem to be a place for the bulky, cumbersome machines that we thought we needed.  This one is small - it probably is not too much taller than a soda can inside. 

The girls are, for some reason, pretty excited about it.  It doesn't have a rotating glass inside or anything, but they are fascinated that it can cook without really getting "hot."  I've explained "hot spots" and "uneven heating," and hopefully it will be an easy lesson for them.

Anyways, I just thought I'd share with you why I'm not looking so smug these days....

Facebook Status

There's a new pastime on Facebook. Maybe you've seen it, wondered about it, or even participated. I've seen it, been invited to participate - It is purported to raise awareness for breast cancer, and what you do is change your status update to answer the question of "where you like to put your purse." Only you indicate the location only and do not reveal to what you are referring. The "joke" is that it is supposed to be suggestive - supposedly your "friends" will wonder what you are posting about and think about it in terms of anything but where you hang your purse. HA, HA, very funny, right?


I know that my Facebook friends who have posted the different locations to their status updates don't see any harm in joining in on the "fun." It's just a game, after all, and it's for a good cause, right? We're just hinting around at something…let the guys or those "not in the know" become curious. After all, most of my FB friends are married…so it's OK, right?

But wait…these same friends have guys listed as their friends. And those guy friends were created in such a way that such titillating comments so very easily trigger sinful thoughts…and lustful thinking…and, again, because of the way they are created - visual images. That's right. Her guy friends are PICTURING her…

It's not just men, either. Facebook allows users to be as young as 13. What kind of message does this send to young girls and boys? That sex is the butt of a joke? That single women are engaging in…

Do you profess to be a Christ follower? Do you tell others that you love Jesus?  Do you go to church? 

Here is what Paul suggested about how we should interact with those who will be watching to see if our actions measure up with our words:

2 Corinthians 8:20, 21: "We want to avoid any criticism

of the way we administer this liberal gift.

For we are taking pains to do what is right,

not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

Is posting a suggestive status taking pains to do what is right in the eyes of men?

There's more…

But among you there must not be

even a hint of sexual immorality,

or of any kind of impurity,

or of greed, because

these are improper for God's holy people.

Ephesians 5:3

Yikes! There's more…

Abstain from all appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22)

…Be careful to do what is right. (Romans 12:17)

Yes, but it isn't really evil, or wrong, now, is it?

The Apostle Paul comes at it another way:

We put no stumbling block in anyone's path,

so that our ministry will not be discredited. (2Cr 6:3)

Can a status update be a stumbling block?

1 Corinthians 8:13 says:

"Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin,

 I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall."

(Chew on that a minute.)
Try this version:

"Therefore, if my use of Facebook causes my brother to fall into sin,

 I will never use Facebook again, so that I will not cause him to fall."

I'm pretty confident Paul would agree with this translation...do you?

"So whether you eat or drink

or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Do not cause anyone to stumble,

whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-

even as I try to please everybody in every way.

For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many,

 so that they may be saved."

1 Corinthians 10:31-33.

See a trend here?

The Bible is pretty clear. And that was before Facebook was even invented!

I'll close with this - which is the yardstick by which I measure many things in my life, thanks to a lesson I studied with a friend who worked closely with The Navigators:

Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,  whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable

-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-

think about such things.

Ice Breaker

Do you remember this scenario from grade school?:

"Now we are going to go around the circle and say our names with a word that describes us, a word that begins with the first letter of our name.  I'll start:  "Hello, I'm 'Clever Catherine'....now you....."

The above was usually smarmily voiced by a fun-loving Sunday School or Youth Group leader who most surely had only the best intentions in mind and was supernaturally able to ignore the eye-rolling and nervous seat-shifting that went on around the group. 

I HATE that game.  Or icebreaker.  Whatever.  I DESPISE it so much that to this day when I take a class, a workshop or attend a reunion, I quake inwardly that the leader will attempt to pull that nonsense. 

WhyeveronEarth? you wonder.

Well, think about it.  How many adjectives come to your mind that are begin with the letter "H"?

Hot
Hysterical
Honest
Hungry*
Heavy*
Homesick
Homely
Helpful
Horrible
Humble

(*maybe if I weren't so daggone hungry I wouldn't be so daggone heavy...but I digress)

Ya think I'm gonna' let any of those rip in a room full of my peers?  "Helpful Heidi"?  I'd be someone's slave for months.  That's just begging for trouble.

And WHAT common adjective, pray tell, is omitted from that list?

That would be the adjective that I selected, by default, Each And Every Time the bottle spun my way attention of the room was shifted my way, that being:

HAPPY.

And the worst of it is, that I can't help it that I smile so much so that when I did say (shudder) "HAPPY HEIDI" that everyone - snarky eighth graders included - would practice their eye rolling skills some more and nod their heads because it just made so much sense; certainly that girl who smiles all the time is always happy. 

Indeed, however, I am NOT always happy.  Not now and certainly not then as a snarky kid, but more often:

Hateful
Horrendous
Humiliated
Hurried
Humourless
Humdrum
Hotheaded
Horrible
Homicidal (I actually WISH I had thought of that in 8th grade...)

What triggered this diatribe?  Like most other things in my life these days, it was the dreaded "Mommy Guilt."  You see, almost 6 years ago I had the clever idea to give my eldest daughter a name that begins with the same initial as does mine.  And as I was ironing one of her dresses I had a terrible shock that she will face that same humiliation that was mine all those years ago. 

I can see it now: 
"now, little girl, its your turn...."
"Hello, I'm hard-core Hannah!"
 
I'm going to have to buy her a thesaurus.

Password Protection and a FREE GIFT!

I'm taking a minute out of my busy, busy week to jump on and let you know about something that happened to a good friend of mine: Her PayPal account was HACKED! And since her bank account is linked to her PayPal account, thieves also gained access (temporarily, at least) to her bank account! Yikes! And although she had it quickly straightened out and didn't lose any money out of pocket, it was still unsettling, time-consuming, disruptive, disturbing - and (insert synonym here)!

You're thinking, as was I, that PayPal is CERTAINLY safe....and it IS! In fact, I have a PayPal account, also connected to my bank account, and I intend to keep them BOTH. You should too. BUT what you SHOULD do, is QUIT USING THE SAME PASSWORD ON ALL OF YOUR ACCOUNTS! INCLUDING E-MAIL! Wait....ESPECIALLY E-MAIL!

I'm sorry to have to shout like that, because, as you know, I try to keep this blog friendly and upbeat - garden, butterflies, kids - but I have a feeling that - -

CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS TODAY!!

- - - whoops - - - there's that yelling thing again - - -

I have a feeling that, if you're like me, you get complacent and might gloss over things, so yelling will get your attention. (Unless, of course, you're in the under-6 set and your last name is Morris and you don't listen to anything I say, much less yelling, then this is not for you.)

So, back to my pal's - that is, my Friend's - story: After she noticed that her bank account was missing over $300, she found that there had been two PayPal draws on the account - neither of which was made by her or her husband. So she called PayPal (no doubt in a panic) and was told that while PayPal is nigh unto impossible to hack, E-MAIL is extremely easy. (If you're a hacker, that is....).

As an aside - she also said that the PayPal rep she spoke with was very soothing and professional and provided every assurance that PayPal is indeed secure, AND that when she hung up the phone, she was no longer in panic mode but had a clear set of steps to follow thanks to PayPal. )(Kudos to PP.....)

Now, back to our story: Most of us have web-based e-mail, right? Like yahoo.com or gmail.com or (fill in web-based email here). Well, it seems that those accounts are easy to hack. And shoot, blogger dot com is probably easy to hack, too, so beware of any posts that don't seem to be from me after this - who knows who I might anger? These types of websites do not have the layers of protection as does, say, a financial institution or PayPal.

Back to our story:
The Bad Guy(s) hacked her email account password and muttered (because bad guys mutter, you know?):
"I bet this chick uses the same password for all her accounts.....and.....(tap, tap, tap)....hah!...there it is......good.....now for her PayPal......this is too easy.....let's go shopping for electronics......(whistle)......bonus, it's attached to her bank account, so....(tap, tap, tap).......cool........and now to shop for a new cell phone....."
and so on and so forth.

Now, what are you going to do after reading this post? Shake your head sagely and say, "she's lyin' again...."? Fix a bread-and-butter-sandwich? Pickle those watermelon rinds you've been saving? Send me a FrontierVille gift?

NO! YOU ARE GOING TO CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS!

And here is what you are going to remember as you change them:
1. They should all be different. Yes, this is a pain, but you must do this.
2. They should be unique. This means NO birthdays, no last 4 digits of anything, no street addresses, nothing. Make it up. C'mon, you can do it.
3. It should contain letters and numbers and characters - at least a combination of the two. We're going for protection, here, you know.
4. Write them down.* Do it!

(*Do you want me to make a password notebook for you as an incentive to change them? Seriously. Because I want to Do My Part to keep the web safe and fun. For the first ten folks who comment below, I will make you a sweet little password notebook and get it to you by first class mail or otherwise as a special free gift for reading this blog. No, I don't have a picture of what it looks like, so it will be a surprise. To both of us.)

Don't put it off!

GO DO IT NOW!

Diary of a brief illness

I've been sick for the last 36 hours and am functioning now only because of the Wonders of Modern Medicine, i.e., Excedrin (store brand, BOGO, of course).
Night before last it felt like a giant cannonball was resting in my stomach, just below my sternum. In the morning a mild case of delirium had me convinced that it was a giant hairball, the illusion brought on, no doubt, by my constant warnings to Hannah to quit chewing on her hair.
So at 12:00 noon yesterday, only a minute or so after I'd eaten the edges off of two PB&honey sandwiches belonging to two little girls who have been allowed to eschew the "sides," I made a mad and unplanned dash to the bathroom to relieve my suffering. With a hoarse voice I dictated Daddy-o's cell number to the 5 year old who quickly took in the situation and relayed the pertinents to her father.
As I staggered back to the kitchen, there she was handing the Unhappy Princess a bag of "printzels" in hopes of allaying a tantrum that had now been going on a full quarter hour.
"I'm following Daddy-o's rules now, you can go to bed."
And she deftly stepped by me, searched out a video from the "movie" box, slid it into the VCR and took a seat in front of the tube. Meanwhile, Unhappy Princess continued to beat her tiny fists on the kitchen floor screaming at the top of her lungs. Summoning my strength, I hoisted her over the cannonball/hairball I was feeling in my gut and plunked her down - very unregally - on my bed and tried to soothe her.
I finally was made to understand that she had wanted to carry her plate from the counter to the table after her sandwich had been made (and before my mad dash to the lav) and that the only way to remedy the situation was for her to be allowed to eat her sammy in the living room watching whatever video her big sister had chosen.
"By all means," I said, and she plopped herself on the "good chair" while I situated her lunch beside her and clambered into bed.
Thankfully Andy came home early, before the video was even over, I think, but I can't be sure, as I stayed in bed and slept until 6:30 or so. I was back asleep around 9PM and up at 4:15, 5, 6:30 and then again at 8:30 for good.
Despite my early morning agonies, we managed to get in a full homeschool lesson, minus the extra handwriting practice that Hannah needs. I still have few ideas how to involve the 2-year old during periods of time when Hannah desperately needs to concentrate. One helpful hint I've read recently was to put her in her bedroom with a baby gate across the door. Um, yeah, right. Cue the thrown objects. I'm hoping next year will be better for all three of us in this area.
Anyways, all that's left of this bug so far as I can tell is a residual headache - easily solved - and some mysterious rumbles in my stomach. I don't know if it was a touch of food poisoning or a little virus going around or what.
Better go so I can get ready to greet two sleepyheads who are still abed lo' this late hour of the morn....

Thoughts on Easter

The blog post over at Domestic Cents sums up exactly what I'm feeling as we approach Easter...right down to the fact that I've got to get sewing on matching dresses for the girls!!

Since my girls have been old enough to equate pretty much any holiday with candy and toys, I've struggled with the dual meanings of holidays - the meaning the world puts on them and the meaning that we as Christians attach.


I have friends who go to the extreme of having no Easter baskets/eggs/jelly beans, but that isn't for us, and even if we tried it, the girls get mini Easter baskets in their Sunday School class. And truly, dyeing and hunting for hidden eggs is fun! Nothing inherently wrong with that, right? (Provided that the egg dye is homemade or purchased on sale with a coupon, of course!) In fact, I'm looking forward to heading over to Clifton Forge again this year for an Easter Egg-stravaganza (scroll to middle of the page for details) and parade the day before Easter....there's always free, fun things to do here in the Alleghany Highlands...check some of them out here.


But there is something that tugs at my spirit about the duality of holiday celebrations: is it OK to celebrate Easter with sugar? Christmas with wrapping paper? My answer (for now, anyways) lies in the answer to these questions:

Where are our hearts?

Are our hearts at the feet of Jesus when we think about the traditional meaning of the day?

Am I teaching my girls the whole story or just squeezing in a backhanded,

"oh yeah, Jesus rose on Easter"?

Throughout the year am I teaching them that Easter is the day we remember Christ's resurrection from the dead - the only way we could have received forgiveness from sin and freedom from death?

Is it only chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks? Because if that's what it is, its only empty calories - too quickly a memory and grass-stained knees from searching for eggs.

"Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them." (Deuteronomy 11:16)

Hmmm....but read on:

But, if I (we) take the time to constantly -

"train up your children up in the way they should go"

and

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds....teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 11:18,19

Then I think there is room for eating chocolate bunny ears and a handful of Cadbury mini eggs (purchased with ECBs from CVS or with a Catalina from Kroger). I think that once that foundation is built and continually strengthened on a daily basis no matter what the season, you can add a little sugar and sprinkles and not risk that your family will be building an altar that the feet of the Easter Bunny.

I'm sure there are those who won't agree with me - who hold fast to having no involvement in the secular commercialization of the holiday - and there are those who could give a hoot less about the Real Meaning of The Holiday. But this is what is comfortable for our family, and what I have prayerfully considered.

I hope you'll read other perspectives from my 'bloggy friends,' like Nicki at Domestic Cents, above or Alyssa over at Keeping the Kingdom First , who is hosting the "Frugal Easter Eggstravaganza." Click through to the blogs linked to this post for great recipes and frugal ideas pertaining to Easter. In the spirit of the friendship topics of my recent posts, these are women who are valuable resources to me as I consider their ideas and perspectives.

Thanks for letting me share this piece of my heart with you!

Friends (part 2)

When Abigail & Hannah want to go to the park, the first thing they say is, "Let's call the Friends!" (Don't worry ma...some of these are old pictures....these kids have GROWN)

For the first few months after we moved to Alleghany County, I have to admit that I became concerned that Hannah and Abigail would end up being such mountain girls that they would develop no friends at all and wouldn't even know what to do when they met people their size.

Then, we discovered the Library and Story Time. One of my first blog posts was about Story Time before because it was such an important part of making me feel connected to the community when we first moved here. Out of this weekly meeting of preschoolers and their moms, I met some great women. I didn't get their permission to post pictures of their kids here, so I won't identify the kids......

And in the interest of confidentiality, I'll disguise the moms' names:

Stacie, Sabrina, Amberr, Kylah, Carma, Lissa, Amandah, Torie.... There. Now you have NO IDEA who they could be.Well, these friends have been true friends not only to me, but also to my kids, via their kids. We've shared parenting successes (and more often failures!), birthday parties, playdates, picnics in the park...we've supported one another as best we could through difficult times...

....we've gone apple and blueberry picking (those of us who woke up in time), overwhelmed a local fast food establishment en masse, declared "what happens on the river stays at the river," hollered at each others' kids (not really)(OK really), discussed politics/grocery bargains/Pampered Chef/31/recipes and - for me, at least, have been an indispensable support group. Girls nights out have been a highlight in our relationships - which reminds me....we're about due for another one! Some homeschool, some don't - we each have talents and hobbies that contribute to the group: a forrester, a frugalista, a politician, a networker, a resaler (is that what it is?), a musician, a business owner (a couple of those), a loyal friend (lots of those) - but more than this, these women are so much more...complex and wonderful personalities with whom I am proud to share friendships.

They might not know it because I've probably never told them, but I am so thankful for each of them - and they have each been an answer to prayer to me - they and their great kids.

Hurray for The Friends!

Friends (part 1)

I'm reminded to be thankful of the friends in my life.....

The other night I was (stalking profiles) on Facebook when a friend messaged me to give her a call - it was 10:30 at night and she had more to say than could fit into a chat box.
The great thing was that we picked up right where we'd left off - supporting one another with struggles in our families and connecting over shared past experiences. We haven't worked together since Hannah was born (five years ago), but the voice on the phone was same. Funny how our lives have taken different directions - she chose the career path and public schools for her daughters while I chose to stay at home and homeschool. Each one of us took a brief, wistful peek at the other's lifestyle, and settled back, happy with our own choice.

My Northern California friend and I also connect regularly - she mails books, music CDs and countless photos online. While we worship the same God, our "faith lifestyles" are different, and I've been challenged to examine my own convictions at times. We saw each other last - was it three years ago? - and hope to get together sometime this year. This friendship means so much to me because it began before I was a teenager and has ebbed and flowed along with the changes in each of our lives. She's one of the first I turn to when I am troubled and need an ear (eyes, really).

Facebook has also made friends out of acquaintances - literally! My Friend List contains folks with whom I had only casual relationships in the past, but have become closer with as we share our experiences in our everyday life now. I'm glad to share my stories and theirs in brief status updates, but also look forward to affirmation, advice and suggestions from "many counselors." And although I've had to whittle and prune my Friend List from time to time, it has served to make it even stronger.

Once transplanted to Alleghany County, I was afraid I wouldn't manage to connect to other women to develop meaningful relationships. As it turned out, the Internet has been a part of this as well. We first used Facebook as a tool to schedule park playdates and birthday party invites - but its also been a tool for encouragement and support.

My heart shudders that a good local friend lost her dear mother-in-law to a drunk driver only weeks ago. As the hurt and sorrow of this tragedy have settled on her family, other local friends have been at the ready to lift her up in prayer, feed her family and gather together to remember this remarkable woman and the loved ones she left behind.

I'm excited for new, developing friendships as well. There's the friend who's shared that she's discovered a God-Shaped Void in her life....homeschoolin' mamas who have much to share of their own experience at the kitchen table....and still others whom the Lord has yet to reveal.

For all of these relationships I am humbled and grateful.

Spring Reading List

The winter continues on. There is hope in the color of the birds that visit our feeders, though. The goldfinches are looking a little more gold, the house finches are cranberry and there have even been a few robins grubbing about under the feeders. It's all a promise of Spring. I won't complain about the snow, unlike friends (and, -ahem- family - immediate family members, to be more precise) here and on Facebook. Growing up in Tidewater the anticipation was so firmly engrained that it remains when the skies grow dark and the temperature is below freezing. We have snow on the ground mainly in the woods and on slopes that receive little sunlight. There are also expanses in shady yards and of course where snowplows did their job. But with temperatures being over 40 for the last several days and a sapphire sky, even I have to admit that it is a nice change.

I've been doing a lot of reading in my usual shotgun blast style. This means I have about 4 texts going on at once. I always think you can learn much about someone with their reply to the question, "what books are on your nightstand?" For the last couple weeks my nightstand has held:

The History of Christianity (Zondervan)

Eats Shoots and Leaves (Truss)

An Amish Gathering - Three Amish Novellas (Wiseman, Fuller & Cameron)

Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World (Jeremiah)

The Man Who Moved a Mountain (Chapman)

A Woman After God's Own Heart (George)

The Message/NASB Parallel Bible

and this month's unread Cooperative Living, Woman's Day, All You (for the coupons!) and Southern Living.

I get an idea or a recommendation for a book and, impulsively, get it from the library, E-Bay or Alibris.com and stack it on up. Then I read through it feverishly for a couple nights until another strikes my fancy, and on the stack it goes, replaced by the new text. Eventually, I'll finish them all, become burnt out on reading for awhile and clear off my bookstand for a couple weeks until it all starts back up again. The only book I've recently been unable to finish was Elmer Gantry. It was published in my favorite period of American history (next to our own, of course), the mid-1920s. Updike writes about a narcissistic, unethical, womanizing man who eventually becomes a Methodist minister. It is actually rather depressing when contrasted with The Man Who Moved a Mountain, a true story about a man who dedicated his life to the Lord and ministered in the Blue Ridge mountains in the early 20th century. Besides the uplifting story, the fact that it takes place mostly in Floyd and Carroll Counties, an hour or two south is inspiring. In reading "The Man," I've learned about the culture of Appalachians and have gained valuable insight on the heritage of mountain folk that makes them who they are.

I asked our Associate Pastor, Chris Chesley, if I could borrow a book on the history of the modern church and he loaned me The History of Christianity. Pat Robertson's controversial statements following the Haiti earthquake led me to wonder about the origins of the charismatic movement. Well, I'm stuck in Byzantinium. At least I made it through the early Roman Empire. I have a feeling I'm going to fast forward through much of the Dark Ages, so I can answer my questions. Actually, the sections on the early church movement are fascinating. I had no idea that there was so much controversy - and when you read about it from a historical point of view, it is a miracle that we even hold God's Word in our hands at all. It is a textbook, though, and I tend to get bogged down in the different offshoots of Christianity and 'isms, and besides, it's a pretty thick book and it takes up a lot of space, so I'm going to move it to the top of the stack after I read....

Eats Shoots and Leaves. Are you familiar with this book on punctuation? It's described as "The Runaway #1 British Bestseller." Improper use of punctuation truly irks me and I've often chosen to take the low road and ignore it after getting peculiar looks from friends (like when I recently pointed out to a local coffee shop owner that the proper spelling of the dark Italian coffee is "espresso" and doesn't begin with "ex-" unless it has already been drunk). (And I know that's not punctuation but the illustration is just to give you an idea of what I am up against.) Here again, I've learned that I am indeed right (as I suspected all along) about many of my punctuation choices (it is = it's but the cheese belonging to it = its). But this is punctuation taught in the way I wish I'd been taught in school - the only dryness is the sense of British humor. I'm going to stash it away for a homeschooling text in the years to come.

You might already be aware that I have a thing for Amish and/or Mennonite literature as My Life's One Regret is that I did not grow up in their culture. Sorry mom, but that might actually explain a lot about me, right? An Amish Gathering is on the level of Beverly Lewis' books and was a new fiction offering at Clifton Forge library. I snagged it on my way out, already burdened with a pile of Dr. Seuss and American Indian books for you-know-who, but ja, I would be ferhoodled if I didn't get my Deitch fix.

I'm doing a Bible study with some wonderful ladies (girls? women?) and we're using A Woman After God's Own Heart as a jumping-off point. I really enjoy that book because it touches on so many aspects of a woman's life. From housekeeping (an area in which I certainly need all the help I can get) to being a wife and mother, there are lessons that abound in how to do all while giving glory to God. I'm excited about our Tuesday fellowship. And, due to my short attention span/disorganization/failing memory, I've ordered a second copy of the book. So if anyone wants a paperback copy, please let me know and I'll send it your way. This is how it goes. Told you I was ferhoodled.

Living with Confidence...well, I'm going to get to that review in a later post. Stay tuned.

Finally, I have The Message beside my bed to read Proverbs to the girls and for my own reading in bed. I generally use my Living Bible for quiet time, and I keep that in the kitchen near the rocking chair (and picture window and coffee maker). My NIV "church Bible" is either hanging off the post of my bed in its holder or is in the trunk of my car. Were I a bit more organized, that Bible would be by my bed too and I could make notations like I see in others' Bibles. My grandparents gave Andy and me matching Life Application Study Bibles back when we were first married, making them at least ten years old. It is certainly not as marked up as I'd like it to be. But then, that is not necessarily a sign of a good Christian, now is it?

So, friends, thus ends your visit to Heidi's library for the day. What books do you have on YOUR nightstand? Please comment below!

Working

If you don't know already, I've started working again part-time at Sentara Highlands Home Health. Funny how all that worked out:
1. Mid-September - began orientation at SHHH.
2. Two days later, Andy was asked to work PT for the City of Covington
3. I resigned, sadly....we couldn't do both without leaving the girls with a babysitter, which we are not willing to do.
4. Andy made arrangements to work for Covington...to begin on Monday....
5. I fell out of a tree on Saturday. At 11AM.
6. I required round the clock full time care (not out of the ordinary for me, just more of it :)
7. Andy excused himself from working with Covington
8. I recovered and thereafter endured countless taunts from -AHEM- those who love me about staying out of trees.
9. SHHH called me in December and asked me to please, please, please reconsider.
10. I did.
I think its pretty cool, myself. Because honestly, back in September when I was going through orientation, I was kind of having second thoughts. But in December, I was more than eager and ready to join their team.
I'm classified there as a "Hospice Social Worker."
I've never worked with Hospice, and never had the desire to do so - one way or the other. So, as is my wont, I have been reading about Hospice and end o fife care. Consider - have you ever heard anything - ANYTHING negative about hospice? It is always more along the line of , "I was so thankful for their help. They made a bad situation so much easier to handle. We couldn't have done it without them....they were wonderful."
I'm encouraged. I am interested to see what issues of my own I have to deal with in helping others prepare for the loss of a family member.
Now, I'm very - very part-time. There is a full time social worker with the agency and as I understand, they need my credentials (MSW) to comply with state and federal regulations. Either way, no matter the extent of my involvement, I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life. I wholeheartedly welcome any insights you'd like to share with me about it.

I can (should not) has cheeseburger?

I've been fighting off some nearly uncontrollable cravings lately - and its a big N-O on the obvious question that follows a statement like that. Fact is, I don't know where its coming from myself, but its a dangerous obsession, and, for me, one that borders on sinful.

Its those doggone fast food cheeseburgers! What? That's crazy. Gross, even. No, really!

See, for all of my frugal life, I've always prided myself in avoiding what I see as the scam of "Value Meals" and "$4" burgers introduced by fast food chains. Working in Virginia Beach, I'd slide thorough the Wendy's drive through and get a junior cheeseburger and a small fries, feeling as though I'd cheated the system somehow, getting a lunch but not paying dollars for a full sized cheeseburger.

Then, conscious of my weight, I switched to fast food salads when I ate out. But 'tho I love me a Wendy's Southwestern Taco Salad, the resultant squabbles over which little blond headed girl gets to eat the nacho-flavored crumbs from the chip bag and -really- who gets to lick the sour cream packet, are just too much to bear.

And yes, truthfully, we shouldn't be eating out at all when we're trying to pay down debt. But hold onto your stones. With two little girls and a mama who's often hanging on by her fingernails, those golden arches look surprisingly like a pair of welcoming arms.

Weh-eh-elll, now I see what I've been missing. In a fit of indecision the other day at the register, after I'd already placed an order for breaded, processed, deep fired poultry-ish goodness (?) for the girls, the cashier suggested a "~$4~" cheeseburger for me. What the hek, I was hungry. And it was all downhill from there.

See, the burgers on the value menu have no juice. Dry burgers on dry bread. But the burgers advertised with pictures are full of greasy, juicy goodness. Add a slather of mayo mixed with warm mustard, a splat of ketchup and a hothouse tomato, top with a couple slices of dill and it is a recipe for satisfaction.

For a moment. Several, maybe.

The guilt comes in the evening...lying in bed, wondering where the vague feeling of discomfort is from. And in the morning, when the Fat Jeans, um....fit.

So, if you catch me with a gleam in my eye and a mustard stain on my shirt, please call me on it. Because in my very personal struggle with my weight, fast food ~$4~ cheeseburgers are currently The Enemy.

News Flash

Our homepage on the computer is CNN (dot) com, so whenever it loads, I get a quick glance at the headlines, and often I'm sucked in to read a couple stories. Like last week when it announced that Garth Brooks was coming out of retirement to rake in a few billion more dol... I mean, when he was coming out of retirement.....

But today, the headlines turned my stomach. I won't regurgitate them - maybe you were fortunate enough not to know about the despicable acts that humans perpetuate on one another here in the United States, or maybe you missed numbers that were added to the tally of our soldiers dying abroad - or terrorist acts perpetuated on innocents. Each time I read accounts of such vile and utterly base goings-on, inevitably it brings tears to my eyes, and, the proper response of "Why, Lord? When are you coming back to take us away from this?" But generally, I have no quick answer, except to pray for those affected and quickly navigate elsewhere.

Tonight, though, I have been immersed in a book suggested by a friend: What in the World is Going On? Ten Prophetic Clues You Cannot Afford to Ignore by Dr. David Jeremiah. I wasn't necessarily thinking about the distressing headlines, and instead was, through this text, examining a different horror: that of how "radical" Islam is perpetuating itself and growing stronger mainly in Europe, but also in our own country, the Land of the Free.

Like the title suggests, the book examines current events using the Bible as a yardstick to illustrate the prophecies found there that foretell these, the final days of Earth's history.

As He often does, though, God spoke to the immediate need I had in reference to what I had viewed on CNN earlier. In the chapter, "Vanished Without a Trace" Dr. Jeremiah writes about the Rapture, the event that will happen when Christians and those who are dead in Christ will rise up. Dr. Jeremiah writes that this event will likely be the immediate precursor to the seven years of upheaval before Armageddon. He also writes:


"According to Jesus, Christians are the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13,14). When all the Christians in the entire world are removed from the earth in one day, all the salt and all the light will suddenly be gone. The result is predictable. you may think the world today is degenerating into rampant greed and immorality, and indeed it is. But as bad as things are becoming, we can hardly overstate the horror that will occur when society loses the tempering influence of Christians."


Thanks, I needed that.

Because it will be getting worse.

And if you are alive and have not believed that Jesus Christ is who he says he is and have not accepted him as your Lord and Savior, you will be reading headlines much more horrific than those that were online today - except you will be reading them EVERY DAY. If you die before you acknowledge Him as the Son of God, you will experience unspeakable horror for eternity.

But if you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are spared from the ravages to come. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 that "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." So there is comfort to be had....and the promise of spending eternity in paradise.

I've already made my choice.

home again!

What a long day yesterday was!!
We left Norfolk around 8:30 and drove to Nottoway. The wild grapes this year were most abundant and I wanted to get a harvest so I can make more jelly. I got 3 WM bags full; I should be able to do some interesting things with them.
From Nottoway, it was on to Roanoke. We pulled in to the parking garage at about quarter after 3. My appointment was at 3:30. I finally got seen sometime after 5:30. 5:30!!! Then, the nurse got a little freaked out that my arm was still so swollen and there was a little fluid when she started taking out the staples. The doctor came to look at it and said it was fine, that there had been so much deep tissue injury that it would take longer for the swelling to go away. So I got the staples out and got some sort of butterfly bandages put on that will stay for a few days, and then I'm done. I go back in a month for just one more x-ray to be sure all is well. There's not a whole lotta chance it won't be though; you should see the hardware he put in there. Its two plates, each almost the length of mt humerus. One is on the inside of the bone set down a couple inches from my shoulder and extending to my elbow. The other is screwed or drilled into the ball of my shoulder joint. I could use that arm for a bat and it still wouldn't break!!
After a Chic-Fil-A treat, we finally made it home around 8. Everyone (except Andy, who had school) went directly to bed. Unfortunately, early to bed means early to rise and they were all up at 6:30 this morning. Maybe tomorrow we'll get back on schedule. Meanwhile, today, I have to get some little attitudes adjusted and some habits trained back in and out. I'm running on extra strength Tylenol and prayer, biding my time till Andy gets home and we can do our Friday night WalMart run.
Here we go again, me with a bit of a gimp arm, but I think I'll manage somehow!

and in summary....

OK, this pretty much sums up my feelings and heart after the past two and a half weeks. Its a quote by Elizabeth Elliott (former wife of Jim Elliott, missionary to the Quichua Indians of Ecuador) a wonderful woman who loves the Lord with all of her heart:


"God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notion of what He is up to."


I can add nothing to it.

(old eggs)

.....that was the verdict. No big deal, the OB said, you just have 40-year old eggs, which are not as healthy or vibrant or (was she going to say fresh??) .... as they were when you were 35. So, this is what often happens - 1 out of 75 times to 1 out of 50 times for a gal your age.
So, based on her observation, I am in great company - as most of my g/fs are over 40....I just stand out though, I guess, attempting to hatch one of those old eggs :)

ree-coop-er-ay-ay-shun....

I think all of the effects -both positive and negative- of the surgical anesthesia finally wore off sometime this evening, and after a good night's sleep tonight I might be ready to begin some serious healing tomorrow. At least that's the plan.

There is the slim chance that a couple of you have no idea that I am painstakingly typing with only limited benefit of a left hand which is presently shaped like a sausage patty....with plump links for fingers. A blog is a good a place as any, too, to confess, a la AA style that,

I am 40 years old, and I fell out of a tree. Because I did not choose to get down the long ladder that I had actually looked at, but decided was too much trouble.

And I broke my arm. In 3 places.

(pause)

My left arm, which is a blessing as I am indeed, right-handed.

Ahem.

OH, AWRIGHT!!

.....and yes, yes, I knew full well that I was with child when I began the entire project. With as in one more than the two who were on the ground, egging me on.

There, I said it.

So, that's it, folks. Throw the first rope swing if you have never done something that you knew wasn't quite on the level but you decided it would all work out in the end. as my ever lovin' husband points out > my strength does not lie in thinking things all the way through....

The girls seem to be doing better daily. They have settled into a routine here at Meemaw & Deedee's house that includes K/preschool in the mornings, naps, snacks, TV hours (Dora, I'm sure), baths, books and bed. Surprisingly, Abbo is giving everyone the hardest time, mainly at bedtime, bu the word "NO" has become her friend. This does not bode well for one-handed-mothering, which I'll be attempting on Wednesday since there is a field trip and she can't go. Maybe a little indoctrination is in order. Hannahberry is enjoying a week off from chores, too much TV and chasing boys (!) during recess in preschool. I think she's also seeing that she has it pretty good with homeschooling....at least I hope she is.

Once my hand stops going numb and no longer needs to be propped on a notebook to achieve a good typing angle, I'll have to write about a few of the many lessons I've learned from this entire ordeal. Not really a lesson, but a gimme: God is good all the time, All the time God is good. From the get-go I've trusted that God will have me come out stronger and able to bless others with what I've learned and also to witness for myself the changes that He has in store for my family on so many levels as a result of this accident. For one thing, being forced to count on my husband (of all people!)(sarcasm!) for basic things like bathing needs is certainly not my style, but in just one week of doing so, I've felt a whole fresh love for him just begin to take root and grow! Truly. I had allowed some minor stuff to annoy me and the smallest bitterness was setting out roots - just the typical stuff that comes after 10 years of marriage - and I'm sure he could say the same thing about me....it is one thing to remember vows you said a decade before, but another to live out the "in sickness and in health." And while I wholeheartedly believe that my prayers are heard, to dutifully pray "for a stronger marriage" often ends up being just words. In our place now, its happening! The great thing is, its a deeper caring that has the benefit of maturity (?!) and life experience. So, this is one way that God is turning my lack of forethought into a basket of blessings that are so welcome and well-received.

According to one of the three clocks I see, its close to midnight so I'll be signing off. Can't wait to post more pictures of the girls, who seem to change daily. Don't give Andy too much of a hard time - he's my hero :)

One more thing, and you heard it here first: although I am still only barely pregnant at 6 weeks, my due date will be sometime around May 19, 2010. See! Aren't you glad you subscribe to my blog? You knew the news first!!