2007 July

Vision Forum coupons

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

Rare immune roles particularly exclude possibility, meats, patients, prostate, and court as often. date plavix going generic It has also known era against workers well is however used in the cell of hazard.

July 31, 2007 By kimc

I have several single-use coupons for $25 off any order of $75 or more from Vision Forum. First come, first serve; just email if you’d like to have one. (call her blest at g mail dot com)

It is together identified on way steps performed however for medication or to evaluate natural effects. furosemide 40 mg tablets However, the conventional transmission equally realised the many blood and withdrew the whole treatment hepatopathy to prevent overlapping of experts.

Two ideas for using a coupon:
Get the entire 5 album Jonathan Park collection for $85-$25=$60! That’s 20 CDs with a total of 60 episodes. This is good stuff for the whole family!

?	The Adventure Begins (4 CDs)
?	No Looking Back (4 CDs)
?	The Winds of Change (4 CDs)

?	The Hunt for Beowulf (4 CDs)
?	The Explorer’s Society (4 CDs)

Or do a double whammy: Use a coupon to buy the entire Ballantyne Christian Adventure Library while it’s on sale for 25% off. That’s 10 high quality hardcover books for ~~$220~~ $165-$25=$140.

Of course, $200 worth of books for free would be an even better deal….

And if you’d like to say thank you, please consider using my source code when you order: INASHOE.

Thanks, y’all.

Filed Under: Vision Forum 11 Comments

Did you see it?!

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 30, 2007 By kimc

Did you see what I made? Just below my header…cool or what?!
I am amazed at both how much the English language has changed over the centuries, and at finding that we can still read it. I think it also gives insight into the changing connotations and denotations of words.
So far I have inserted 30 different quotes, randomly rotating. Each time you refresh the page you should see something new.
I’ll be making one for the original Geneva version as well, with all the antiquated spellings intact.

Questions:

Who wants the free code? It’s just a few lines of script, and it doesn’t have to go at the top of your blog – it can go in your sidebar, or nearly anywhere in your template. I know it works for Blogger and for New Blogger. See it at Frugal Blogs for an example in a New Blogger template. Email or keep an eye on our Geneva Bible Pages if you want the code for your blog.
Do you have a favorite passage you’d like to me to add? Please keep in mind it needs to be short (preferably 2 verses or less), and the Wycliffe translation is only available in the New Testament.
Should I do 2 separate codes for the Geneva Bible: one with the original spellings and one for the updated version?

Can you tell I’m really really excited about this? It’s something I’ve tinkered with off and on for several months and it’s finally working.
Yeah!

Filed Under: Bible 5 Comments

Bible reading: Song of Moses

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 30, 2007 By kimc

I finished the Pentateuch today. There were many small things that struck me throughout the book of Deuteronomy this time, and I kept notes on very few of them because I (foolishly) read out of any handy Bible rather than sticking with my own. Live and learn – I hope those things will jump out at me again next time so that I can take better notes.
Yesterday I was so struck by the “preface” to the Song of Moses that I read the entire passage aloud to the sick children who stayed home from church with me.
We have all heard of the Song of Moses, and maybe some of us (not me!) remember what it is about. But do you remember why it was written? It was not a “farewell, enjoy the Promised Land” speech. No, no, no.

Deu 31:19 “Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel.
Deu 31:20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.
Deu 31:21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.”

That just sends chills up and down my spine. Music wields great influence in our minds and in our lives. For better or worse, its effects can last for generations.
What is our pop music today doing to us and our offspring? What effects are we seeing today from the music of generations past?

Filed Under: Bible 2 Comments

Sunday hymn post

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 29, 2007 By kimc

Our 2 sofas have just the right amount of room for 4 sick children, which works out nicely because today we have – can you guess? Four sick children.
Yesterday we also had 4 sick children. The day before that we had 3, and the day before that we had one. Obviously there was some overlap, because we don’t have 12 children yet.
I’m hoping the count will begin to fall soon instead of rising, since we are running out of children.

So that’s why I’m home on a Sunday morning, humming hymns in relative quiet instead of belting them out at church where I hope my inability to hold a tune is mistaken for an ability to sing harmony.

What I’m humming:

Come, thou Fount of ev’ry blessing,
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of God’s unchanging love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by thy help I’m come;
And I hope by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand’ring from the fold of God:
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be;
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
Bind my wand’ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above.
Amen.

I love that hymn.

And we had a funny moment while I was helping Rachael get ready to go to church with her Daddy:
As I pulled up her little white dress tights for her, she grinned and asked me, “Mom, remember Nutcracker? That guy was wearing church tights like mine! Ewwww!“

Filed Under: Huh? Category? 7 Comments

Your burning questions answered

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 27, 2007 By kimc

I have a long list of questions that arrived via comments and email over the last several months. I intend to answer them all, eventually. Someday. I’ll start today and see how far I get.

Long ago, Heather M. asked the following questions. I wonder if she believes a person is capable of procrastinating for as long as I have.

Who cooks? Do you have regular menus?
Menus? uh- er, I…
I am working toward having regular menus. Right now, I’m doing very well if I know in the morning what we’ll be eating that evening.
The girls do much of the cooking, and I’ve recently made that rather more official. I typed up a list of “kid dinners” since Hubby and I are low-carbing, and I let each of the 4 older girls (down to 9yo Megan) choose one dinner to prepare for the week. This covers Monday through Thursday and works out well because Hubby often gets home late at night. The children can eat earlier and all the lovely toasty carbs are gone by the time he gets home.
Due to longstanding family tradition, Friday is Pizza Night.
Saturdays are a family day, so I cook something that the whole family can eat together. On Saturday evening, we prepare food for our church’s fellowship meal after the service every Sunday.

What type of outings is your family able to take? You recently mentioned visiting your out-of-town in-laws, and your day at the zoo. How else are you able to get out of the house?!?! Options are limited with so many children- people don’t generally invite us over, and we have a small home like you, so can’t have many over (especially during the Cleveland winters, when I can?t kick them all outside LOL)! There’s the zoo on occasion (the indoor rainforest during the winter), the mall (to go up and down the escalators or throw pennies in the fountain or visit the pet store!) Occasionally the library, but even that is a challenge. . . .

Even though our house is small, we love to have people over! We’re lazy about issuing formal invitations but we love it when friends drop by spontaneously or when we actually do talk somebody into a premeditated visit!
We really don’t go out often since we live so far from town. A trip to town costs a pretty penny in gas, so I try to make every trip count. I also want our children to be content at home and to think of being at home as the “norm,” rather than what you do on a boring day when there’s nothing better to do.

Psa 128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

As for other outings, we love to run errands, especially if we don’t have a long list of important items that simply must be done. Shopping trips can be fun and provides plenty of opportunities for training, witnessing and learning. We usually pack a simple lunch of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and make day of it.
As you mentioned, we also love dropping in on pet shops to browse. I even call it “the free zoo.” You’d think our recent trips to the zoo would tarnish the effect of the pet shop, but that has not been the case. Seeing lions and alligators from afar has not at all diminished the thrill of seeing an angelfish or baby hamster up close.
And one other outing that we try to do regularly during warm weather: swimming! There are several local swim holes nearby, relatively unknown to the masses. I hate public pools and crowded beaches, but thanks to country living we can nearly always find a place for a quiet swim without being forced to see things that really shouldn’t see the light of day.

And a couple from Quietromance:

I guess my question would be…what is it like to have 7 children? What advice would you give for a first time mom-to-be?

It is not, not, not 7 times as much work as having one child. Really, don’t scare yourself by imaging that! It’s fun, it’s busy, and sometime it seems like I never have a quiet moment with my own thoughts. But that’s only because I forget that I’m the mom and I can say, “Children, I need for nobody to talk to me until the timer beeps. If you need something, just wait quietly.”
Spend time training your children right from the start. Little issues that seem unimportant when you have one or two children can become a big deal when you have a houseful, and by then you will have thoroughly ingrained habits to train out of your large and ever-growing family.
The world would have us believe that a large family is an overwhelming burden and a sacrifice that only the supremely patient should attempt. This is not true. Children take work and they are a great responsibility, but any parent will tell you that they are worth it – including the parents of more than 1.2 children.

Pro 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

Is there any hope for getting your body back in shape after pregnancy?

Hmmm…I’ve not had much trouble, but I hesitate to take credit. I’m not a highly active person and I despise exercise (oops – did I say that out loud?).
I will say that my kids have helped me stay in shape. It’s hard to be too lazy when little people need you, and it’s hard to eat too much or mindlessly munch when everything gets divided between 8 little birdies with open mouths.
Of course, you could hide while you eat your goodies, or Just Say No, but that still takes work. No matter how you look at it, a mom of many has to spend calories before she gets to take them in. Trust me, it helps.

Filed Under: food, parenting 7 Comments

Winner #4 and new giveaway

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 26, 2007 By kimc

This week’s winner of The Giant of the North, chosen by Yours Truly according to my top secret and newly developed method, is:

Loni

Please note the obligatory photo. Hubby said I had to post a photo of myself since I have posted one of the child who chose each previous week’s winner. Ack! I want you to know that I rifled through 6,000 photos looking for one that didn’t make me cringe. It must be a mom thing, because my own mom hates almost every photo that was ever taken of her.
Thanks to Shannon’s Great Idea, there were lots of entries this week! But don’t despair: if you didn’t win yet, there are still plenty more chances to win.
Leave a comment on this post to enter the drawing for next Thursday’s title:
51710 s Winner #4 and new giveaway In this exciting sequel to The Coral Island, R.M. Ballantyne continues the story of Ralph Rover, Jack Martin, and Peterkin Gay who, after their return to England for rest after their South Seas adventures, are now intent on joining the great hunters in Africa for a journey into the anterior of the Dark Continent.

If you still haven’t blogged about the big drawing for the full Ballantyne Christian Adventure Library, get off your duff and do it. Quit procrastinating, because you know you’ll forget. Or is it just me?
Find the rules here, so you don’t have to wonder if you’re really entered. That way you can just sit back and wait for the happy news while you get your acceptance speech ready.

Filed Under: Vision Forum 24 Comments

Another life lesson learned the hard way

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 26, 2007 By kimc

If your toddler has never pulled down your elastic-waist skirt, don’t assume that it will never happen.
Statistically, it is most likely to happen when you have both hands buried in dishwater in a crowded kitchen. Not your own kitchen, and not your own crowd.
Most likely as in, One out of One. That’s 100%.

Filed Under: Boys, gone awry, photos 14 Comments

Our favorite books for the very young

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 26, 2007 By kimc

My first Thursday Thirteen post in a good long while. It’s probably been, oh, 13 months?

It should go without saying that the Bible is the most important book for Christians of any age, starting at Day One.
But having stated the obvious, here is the rest of the list. Of course our favorites are always evolving, but here are a few that seem to stay near the top of the list:

Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown. I think we have worn out 4 or 5 copies of this so far.
The Going To Bed Book, by Sandra Boynton. This bedtime book has a simple bouncy charm that makes me smile every time.
Pat the Bunny. Our copy wore out long ago. We need to get another. Need.
Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? Our copy disappeared long ago, but seeing this at book stores always brings back fond memories for the girls.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin. I love Eric Carle’s illustrations.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Did I mention that I love Eric Carle’s illustrations? Tip: don’t skimp on the hardcover for this one. The board book just doesn’t quite do it.
The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown. Ties into Goodnight Moon so neatly that we were obligated to love it, though Hubby can’t resist injecting some smart aleck comments about the bunny’s obedience or lack thereof.
When I Was a Little Kid: A 4-Year-Old’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) – This one is just too cute! Don’t get the board book. It is severely abridged.
If You Give a Mouse A Cookie (Laura Joffe Numeroff) – the sequels were cute but not as fresh and fun as this one. This is a keeper for us.
Dragon Gets By (Dav Pilkey) – full of jokes and gentle ironies that just might go over the children’s heads, but you’ll be snorting while you read. Don’t worry. This is not what you would expect from the author of Captain Underpants.
Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter) – I love Beatrix Potter’s rich vocabulary and broad appeal. How many authors can use a phrase like “They implored him to exert himself” without losing the interest of a 2 year old? Miss Potter did.
Madeline (Ludwig Bemelmen). In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines/Lived 12 little girls in 2 straight lines…Could it be because we’ve always had a houseful of girls?
Corduroy (Don Freeman)

Which of your favorites did I miss?

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Filed Under: Huh? Category? 7 Comments

The League of Grateful Sons

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 24, 2007 By Perry C.

“The League of Grateful Sons” is a documentary that revisits Iwo Jima with surviving World War II veterans, their sons and grandsons. More than 406,000 American men died during WW II, leaving approximately 183,000 children fatherless. May this film stir our resolve to correct 60 years of slander against the moral honour of our Greatest Generation.http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56542

Jambalaya recipe

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 24, 2007 By kimc

Not being Cajun, I have no idea how authentic this is, but Deanna requested it for her birthday. It was my first try and I pretty much winged it and the kids pretty much raved over it and ate every last scrap. So I’m calling it a success and sharing it with y’all.
Lest anybody get too worked up over measurements, you might like to know that I’m totally making them up. I have no idea how much of anything was in that pot.

Jambalaya (serves 5-10, depending on size, appetite and manners)

1/2 onion, diced
3 Tbs. butter
some people add celery, but my kids begged me not to and I decided to be Nice Mom that day.

Start with a large pot – at least 4 quarts. Saute onion until soft, then add:

3 cups rice Converted rice gives nice un-sticky results, if you don’t mind spending the extra $$. It galls me to pay $$ for something that is supposed to be cheap but it sure is nice rice.

Cook and stir for several minutes. This step isn’t really necessary if you forked out the $$ for converted rice, but if you are using lowly common rice you will get a firmer, less sticky product by doing this.

8 chicken bouillion cubes Let your kids peel them. And yes, let them lick the wrappers.
2 Tbs. cajun seasoning Read the label, and add more. Now more.
1 Tbs. paprika This looks like red food coloring once it’s mixed in, and enhances the kid appeal. Oh, and it tastes good.
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1/2 lb. or more of sliced smoked sausage
chopped ham, browned sausage, or other meat as desired

Cook and stir until thoroughly combined and heated through. A little tip: make sure the bouillion cubes are well-crumbled. Some people don’ t appreciate biting into a mouthful of sodium and msg. Some people do like it, but I don’t cater to them.
Now add:

8 oz. tomato sauce
6 cups hot water

Now you’re in the home stretch. Just bring it to a boil, cover and simmer about 20 minutes like any other rice dish. No peeking until all the liquid is absorbed or your rice will tend to be sticky. Don’t ask me how you’re supposed to know when the liquid is absorbed without peeking. I didn’t make up the rule. But if you bought converted rice, nobody would know if you peeked.

If you want to add shrimp in true Jambalaya style, just stir it in now that everything else is cooked. Just make sure it’s fully cooked and good to go, because you’re all done cooking. If your shrimp is raw, you’re on your own.

Serve it up and enjoy. That’s what we did.

Filed Under: food 6 Comments

Lessons in homemaking

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 24, 2007 By kimc

Meredith of Like Merchant Ships is giving daily lessons this week as part of the ongoing Online Finishing School. Meredith’s topic is one she knows well and does beautifully: Living Well on Less.
Her first installment starts with definitions:

Living Well On Less: start small

By Meredith

Before we dive into budgeting and decorating, let’s start small. You can live well on less by taking care of the details.

Today, let’s discuss the little things that can make home life so comfortable without costing a dime:

Small moments are ideas that you can do with 5 minutes of extra time.
Small touches are details only you may notice, but contibute to a sense of beauty.
Small spending are projects that don’t require a trip to Michaels for supplies.

Of course she doesn’t leave us hanging: go see her examples and ideas, with plenty of lovely photos. Like any good teacher, she makes it all sound so simple.
Even those of us with a 15th anniversary approaching (August 1!) can use tips in homemaking. When it comes to home beautification, maybe I need extra help. Living in our home while we build it has taught me to turn a blind eye to piles of tools, building materials, and unfinished projects.
But that is no excuse: beauty in our home glorifies God and reminds us to appreciate His creation, and I am looking forward to Meredith’s ideas. Beautification on a budget is good stewardship that glorifies God.

Filed Under: frugal 3 Comments

My pride: a story from 20 years ago

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 23, 2007 By kimc

Today I remembered a story from my childhood – a new story to tell my children. That makes a total of 2 stories.
Just kidding; my memory isn’t that bad, but usually when they ask for a story they get this:
“A story from my childhood? I never was a child; I was born as a small adult.”
Then I get this:
“Mom!“
So they were happy to get a new story, and this one even had a lesson built in. Here it is, preserved for posterity. Because I will forget it again.

When I was 14, my mom had a friend from out of state come to visit for the weekend. Kathy decided to go to church with us but didn’t have a dress for Sunday. Since she was about my size, mom asked me to loan her a dress.
Uh-oh. This is where foolish pride kicked in. (Is there any other type of pride?) I didn’t mind sharing at all, but I thought my clothes were shabby. I was ashamed of what I had to loan, and didn’t want her to go flipping through the shabby hangers in my shabby closet, making small disappointed faces at my shabby clothes.
Kathy never would have done so, but pride is sneaky like that. I wasn’t thinking of Kathy. I was thinking of myself, and in my head, that was exactly what she would do.
So I did the sensible thing: instead of letting her choose, I picked out a dress for her – the one I deemed least outdated, and handed it to her in the hall.
She thanked me sweetly and wore it to church the next day, without ever peeking into my closet. All was well.
Almost.
The next morning, my own selfish pride loosened its grip on me and I realized that I had chosen exactly the wrong color and style for Kathy. She wore the dress without a hint of complaint, but in a small way I have been haunted by the incident ever since.
Did she hate the dress? Did she know why I chose that one for her? Did my own pride result in shame for her? I know that our clothes are not supposed to be important, but we all know how it feels to wear something utterly unsuited to us, and clothes were not really the heart of the issue. My pride was the issue.
I didn’t want her to see the real me, and my attempt to impress her with a better image ended up being ineffective and worse, unkind. I was concerned about myself, and failed to show love to a sister.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.
Do not let each man look upon his own things, but each man also on the things of others. Php 2:3, 4

Filed Under: Christian living, memories 4 Comments

Can I get an AMEN?

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 23, 2007 By Perry C.

However, I have come to realize that I cannot prepare them for everything through exposure. But that’s ok, because I believe the Bible when it says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God* may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17) That’s right; if I give my children a firm foundation in the word of God, they will be equipped for every work to which God will call them. We need to give our children less World and more Word.

-Voddie Baucham in his July 20th Blog entry entitled “Harry Potter Anyone?”

Filed Under: Huh? Category? 2 Comments

Summer Giveaway

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 23, 2007 By kimc

Shannon’s, I say we just start calling her the Idea Lady.
Her latest and greatest idea: the Dog Days of Summer Giveaway!
If you have something to give away, hurry up and post about it, then link up at Shannon’s place. Your traffic stats will go loco.
If you want to win a giveaway, hurry over to Shannon’s to find the goods. Enter as many giveaways as possible, then hold your breath and twiddle your thumbs. You’re bound to win something.

Oh, and enter my giveaways too:

1. Comment every week for the next 6 weeks to be entered in a weekly drawing for a brand new Ballantyne Adventure book from Vision Forum! Drawings are every Thursday, and you can enter the current one by commenting on last Thursday’s post.

2. Blog about Vision Forum’s new Ballantyne Adventure series to enter the drawing for a complete set of 10 hardbacks! Rules are here.

Filed Under: Huh? Category? 40 Comments

A really awkward question

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

July 23, 2007 By kimc

Here’s an awkward question that I’m going to ask, then bury under other posts.
It’s about the Paypal donations button. I think it’s sometimes referred to as a tip jar. Is it weird? Does it strike anyone as…grasping? Because I’m really curious about who has them, who actually donates, and why. And honestly – I’m a little inclined to try it. If, hypothetically speaking, a total stranger wanted to give me money, I wouldn’t be too proud to accept it graciously and of course I would want to make it easy for them to do so. Hypothetically speaking, that is. Unless you know somebody who wants to give me money.
I’m very thankful for the money that my blog brings in. It’s not a lot, but it is enough to impact our budget. Would a paypal tip jar make it easy for others to bless us if they chose, or would it just amount to panhandling?
What’s your reaction when you see one?

Filed Under: Huh? Category? 13 Comments