In case you hadn’t noticed (but you did, right?), I’ve been strangely silent the last two weeks.
As threatened, my computer slipped into a coma. We’re not quite sure of its status right now. It occasionally seems to respond to outside stimulus, but we’re not sure if the hard drive is capable of recovering consciousness.
For the moment, I’m at the dinner table typing on a borrowed keyboard, scrolling with a borrowed mouse, using a very loud and bulky cpu (which a kind soul very graciously gave us!), with a borrowed modem and a borrowed monitor. Needless to say, this situation might not last long.
I’ll grudgingly admit that the house had been cleaner of late; school more rigorous; ironing finished more promptly; meals more timely; the littles more read-to; Bibles better attended; and so on.
But due to my inattention, an ad of questionable value had made it onto my sidebar. If anyone noticed, I’ll apologize. It’s not the sort that I can unreservedly stand behind, and I believe it’s gone now. Normally I would have declined; but it showed up by default since I failed to reject it within the alloted 72 hours. See, it’s important for me to spend time online. I knew I was needed here!
I’ll close for now and attend to important business – like reading email and tossing up some posts that were nearly ready and in a safe place. My apologies if any questions seem to have gone unanswered, since computer troubles have created a bit of email difficulty as well. Let me just say that seeing 2 weeks’ worth of comments at once was like receiving 27 Christmas cards in the mailbox on the same day. I love it! Thank you for reading and for your encouraging notes, even while I’ve been away.
Did you miss me?
Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker
I won’t be able to post very often
Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker
Sorry to inform you that the cooling fan in our laptop is broken and I won’t be able to post very often 
it’s not permanent because Mom and Dad are going to get it fixed:)
I think:(
Kaitlyn
My big helpers
Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker
I depend a lot on my big girls for help around the house. They know their help is valued, and I think it makes them feel good, in a grown up sort of way.
Today, hubby was leaving with the 4 biggest. The house was clean and chores were done. As they walked out the door, 10yo Kaitlyn turned aroud with a look of concern. “Mom, you’ll be alright with all the little ones, right? They’re all watching a movie…”
Danger, Will Robinson
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My computer is experiencing health problems. Lately, it’s been experiencing fevers and dizzy spells. Sometimes it passes out cold.
I took it apart and cleaned the fan, but no change.
Today, it passed out and slipped into a coma. It regained consciousness after a bit, but needless to say we are very concerned.
So if I suddenly become very quiet, you’ll know where I am. I’ll be hovering over the motherboard with motherlike concern, watching for signs of life, waiting for the technician to pronounce the diagnosis. The technician may or may not be Hubby. He’s pretty handy with a computer, but this is a member of our family. Do doctors operate on their own loved ones? I don’t know…
Consider yourself warned.
Doug Phillips on "End of the Spear"
Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker
Finally, it is my sincere desire that independent Christian filmmakers will look to Every Tribe Entertainment as an example of what not to do. More important than the cinematic artistry and emotional power of this one film, is the catastrophic message these filmmakers are sending to the Christian community and the nation. Our standard in evaluating these methodologies behind these films is not The Lord of the Rings or Chariots of Fire (both of which were secular productions from beginning to end that cast homosexuals in lead roles). Our standard remains the Bible. It is by this standard alone that Christian filmmakers must be evaluated. By this standard, we must learn from the mistakes of this film company and aspire to make godly films in a godly way. We must recognize that our Lord is just as concerned with the means as He is with the ends.
Good reading
Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker
If you’re looking for an excuse to spend more time on the internet (yeah, right!), here’s some material that helps justify it:
- Girl Talk has a good, quick article on being a wife. She encourages us to ask ourselves honestly, “Do I act more like a mother or a wife?”
- Atypical Homeschool has the latest Unschooling Carnival up for your perusal
- Carmon at Buried Treasure Books is addressing the topic of daughters in college, graciously shooting holes in her commentors’ reasons as to why it might be a good idea. Look here for the original post, where she states:
The current normative practice of Christians sending daughters to college is generally wrong and can have negative consequences
.
As you can imagine, that generated some discussion. Next, our dear Prairie Muffin neatly summarizes objections, then begins addressing them one by one. Although I have not yet made time to read each post, I suspect all are very worth finding the time to do so.
Charlie’s Soap
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Just in case you missed my blogad on the sidebar last week, be sure to check out Charlie’s Soap. I scored a free sample of the laundry powder as a perk of hosting the ad, and Hubby and I are very impressed!
We have very hard water, and saw 3 differences right away:
- The detergent dispenser is shiny clean – all the built-up goop disappeared with the very first use of Charlie’s soap.
- Our dingy old whites (which get dingier every time we wash in our very hard water) are visibly whiter after just one wash.
- This excited me the most: the persistant sour smell in my dishcloths and heavily used bath towels is gone. Even bleach wasn’t making them smell truly fresh; it just covered the odor until they got wet, then they smelled ready-for-a-wash again. Does anyone else have this problem? For the first time since they were nearly new, they smell truly clean.
It’s everything they say it is, and it really only takes 1 Tbs. per load – we even skimped a bit since we have a high-efficiency front-loader.
We also have a sample of the All Purpose Cleaner to try out, so look for a review in the near future. Needless to say, I have high hopes for this one as well!
They have several other products as well – I’m sold on the one I’ve tried, and will definitely be trying others in the future.
I think this means I’m famous now
Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker
Search on Google for shoe riddle, and who do you think is the top result?
I just want to say thank you to all my supporters. I never expected to make it this far…sniff…[big soppy smile]…
The Birds and the Bees
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This morning, as I was reading a children’s book about the birth of Jesus, our 6yo asked me a question:
“But how did the Baby get out?”
gulp.
Before launching into an age-appropriate discussion of female anatomy, I tried the easy way out:
“The usual way.”
“But Mom, it couldn’t happen the usual way. There was no midwife. Somebody had to help get the baby out. Who?”
ahhh…sweet relief.
Is everyone around me short?
Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker
Or am I tall?
My mom and grandma are both taller than me and I remember reading somewhere that the average American woman now is about 5′ 6″, so I’ve been under the impression that I was precisely average.
But yesterday I came to the startling realization that nearly all the women I know are shorter than me!
- My [adult] sisters: all shorter.
- Other female relatives (cousins, aunts): shorter
- Females-in-law: all shorter, except *maybe* one aunt-in-law
- The ladies at church: all shorter (correct me if I’m wrong – a few are close)
- The wives of hubby’s coworkers: as far as I know, all are shorter.
- My friends and neighbors: shorter.
- That lady at the corner store who gives the girls free Parrot-Ice drinks on their birthdays: shorter.
Is it statistically possible to be taller than everyone and average at the same time? I dunno. The mathematician in me is shaking her head sadly. Maybe I need to expand my circle of reference.
So…how tall are you? Or more to the point, Are you more or less than 5′ 6″? Am I a Great Green-eyed Giant, a statistical anomaly, an Amazon in a land of delicate fairies?
Mexican Chicken Chowder/Peach Cobbler
Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker
Our wonderful church has a fellowship meal after worship every single Sunday, and we love it! We used to enjoy our quiet, restful Sabbaths at home after worship: naps, occasional visitors, favorite family movies, etc. But we were glad to give up that routine for the all-day-fun-and-fellowship that happens after church every Sunday now. We leave for church at 8:30 and rarely make it home before 6:00. The socialization is so refreshing for all of us poor, lonely homeschooling families . Our dog, on the other hand, probably isn’t enjoying the Sabbath so much anymore…
Here’s what we took for the meal yesterday. Both dishes were well received, and I was encouraged to share the recipes.
Mexican Chicken Chowder
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 clove garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cubes chicken bouillon
- 1 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 cups half-and-half or 2 cans evaporated milk
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 2-3 cans corn or cream corn
- 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles (or rotel – omit fresh tomato)
- 1 dash hot pepper sauce
- 1 tomato, chopped
- fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
In a 4 qt. pot, brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink.
Dissolve the bouillon in hot water; Pour into pot, and season with cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in cream, cheese, corn, chilies, and hot pepper sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted. Stir in chopped tomato. Garnish with cilantro.
To make this fast and easy for church, I cheated :
- I boiled the chicken the night before, deboned, and used the juice instead of hot water for extra flavor. No butter needed this way. I still added the bouillion.
- I used minced, dried onions and the minced garlic that comes in a small jar.
- I added all remaining ingredients except evaporated milk and cheese, so it wouldn’t spill on the way to church.
- I stored it all in my 5 qt. crock pot in the fridge (just the removable crock, of course: not the part you plug in).
- During church, we added the milk and heated it on low.
- A little before the meal, we stirred in the cheese.
Peach Cobbler
a recipe I learned from my dear mother-in-law. She, in turn, learned it from her mother-in-law.
Fruit filling:
- 2 large cans peaches, undrained
- 1 Tbs. vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tbs. flour
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
Stir together and warm on stove. Mixes in easier if you first combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon, but don’t worry if they lump a little – they’ll dissolved as they heat. Pour into 9×13 or 2 qt. casserole dish.
Topping:
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
Combine butter and sugar. Stir in egg, then flour. Drop by spoonfuls onto fruit filling. Bake at 350 degrees, 45 minutes or til bubbly and beginning to brown. Serve warm or cold. Delicious alone but ice cream is always a nice touch!
A mime in Hawaii
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This is a picture of a mime in Hawaii. He would wait for people that thought he was a statue to get too close and he would scare them!
Abortion in America
Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker
We believe that lives begins at the moment of conception and that abortion – under any circumstances – is wrong.
Sometimes we can gain encouragement from our enemies. Certainly we shouldn’t take joy in their trials, but when their evils causes falter, there is certainly a reason to rejoice!
I found some very encouraging facts in this pro-abortion article:
- since 1995, bans on safe abortion procedures have been enacted in more than half the states and challenged in courts throughout the country
- Thirty-one states have enacted bans on safe abortions. Although the bans have been challenged and struck down in twenty-one states, other states continue to introduce new bans
- Thirty states have mandatory delays and require that clinics share biased information with their clients. This is enforced, according the Center for Reproductive Rights, by twenty-four of those states.
- Only seventeen states still provide limited Medicaid funding for abortion.
- Studies have shown that from 18 to 35 percent of Medicaid-eligible women who want abortions, but who live in states that do not provide funding for abortion, have been forced to carry their pregnancies to term.
- as of 2002, 87 percent of all U.S. counties and 97 percent of all rural U.S. counties have no abortion provider. (Wow!)
- In 2000, more than half of all providers experienced harassment from anti-abortion forces.
- Although spousal consent was overturned, laws in effect that mandate the involvement of at least one parent in the abortion decision exist in thirty-four states.
- Since 1997, Wal-Mart has refused to sell EC [emergency contraceptives, i.e. OTC abortions]. The company calls this a business decision, without regard to the fact that for many women, Wal-Mart is the only pharmacy within miles. A report by the Alan Guttmacher Institute explains this policy has an especially broad reach for women living in rural areas. “A 2003 projection estimated that Wal-Mart would control 25% of the drug store industry by 2007.” (Go, WalMart! One more reason to love them!)
- By law, caseworkers aren’t allowed to utter the phrase ‘birth control.’ Further, they are pressured to push abstinence. The mixed messages for poor women are hopelessly confusing: the government is pro-abstinence, pro-marriage, against contraceptives. Welfare imposes family caps and yet provides no coverage for abortion.
- The Center for Reproductive Rights quotes an article in the Economist from April of this year: “A rising number of pharmacists are refusing to dispense prescriptions for birth control and morning-after pills, saying it is against their beliefs.” Currently, four states-Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and South Dakota-have laws or policies on the books that explicitly allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense contraceptives. Similar legislation was introduced in nine other states this year, although none became law.
- few doctors outside the abortion clinic setting are willing to prescribe the medication [RU-486]
- Policies that make abortion inaccessible — due to funding, difficulty in finding a clinic or getting to one, fear of on-site violence, or laws that enforce waiting periods or parental consent or notification — increase fear and shame for women. “Fear,” says Barbara DiTutullio of the Women’s Law Project (womenslawproject.org), “is a big factor.”
A Texas Longhorn in court
Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker
Yesterday, I went to court as a potential witness on behalf of a friend. We spent nearly all day waiting as the case was bumped from 10:30 to 11:30, to immediately after lunch, to 2:00…in the end our business for the day was done and seemed to end well enough, but I witnessed plenty of other business in the meantime.
I saw many social workers in action, discussing the “cases” (or maybe we should say, the lives) of many children. Some seemed like hard, dour women – perhaps working to avenge their own unhappy childhoods?
Others impressed me as truly compassionate (albeit misguided) women – all were women – working for the good of the children involved.
It saddened me that every single child, without exception, was on prescription drugs for behavioral modification. One case dealt with 5 siblings, each of whom was on a variety of such medications. Their medications were being constantly monitored and modified, as they were causing heart and liver conditions in the children.
Every child was also in therapy.
There was no mention of the spiritual condition of any of the children, no indication that there might be an alternative cause or method of dealing with undesirable behavior.
On a more joyful note, I witnessed the finalization of an adoption, attended by a large group of friends and family. The child had been with her foster parents for 16 months of her 22 month life. In spite of a small hitch, it was completed with much joy and celebration. Maybe it’s just pregnancy hormones, but it was like witnessing a marriage or a birth – I had to work hard to cover up the tears of joy. They all gathered round the judge for pictures afterward, as the judge joked with the family and held the other children in the group.
And last but not least, I saw the most – er – impressive? No, that’s not the word I’m looking for. Unique? No, surely there’s a better description. But alas! Words fail me. I saw a Texas Longhorn Moustache. I watched this moustache all day. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. My gaze followed it as it walked about the room, riding upon an attorney of some sort. I was utterly distracted by this moustache.
I couldn’t find a good picture and couldn’t quite bring myself to take a picture (“Excuse me sir…may I have a picture of your moustache?”) so I had to recreate this creature myself. Here is my best representation:
There is no exaggeration here – in fact, I may have underdone it a bit; I really don’t think I’ve done the twisty tips justice. It was every bit of 14 inches from tip to tip. If we measure along the outside of the curves, it may have been 20″. How do they measure longhorns?
Seeing this on the upper lip of an attorney was worth the trip downtown and $10 in parking. It was a good day.
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