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Princess Adelina – reviews wanted

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 10, 2008 By

Our family’s book, Princess Adelina, is selling like hotcakes at Vision Forum right now.  I also noticed that it’s available from CBD.

Princess Adelina is based on a true story.  Adelina, the daughter of Irish missionaries in 8th century Germany, catches the eye of the young pagan ruler and is pressed into marriage.  This is the account of her courageous struggles among the heathen, her tireless ministry to those around her, and her ceaseless prayers for her unbelieving spouse.   More than that, it is the story of Adelina’s unwavering faith in God and her commitment to serve Him, His kind providence toward her and the unfolding of His plan at that point in history.

I love this story and was excited to rediscover it because so many books with female heroines are heavily infected with feminism.  There is not a hint of that in the story of Adelina.  She was strong, courageous and outspoken, yet utterly feminine and dedicated to acting within her Biblical role.  That balance can be hard to find, and it is refreshing to find such an example for our daughters in ancient church history.

If you have ordered and read Princess Adelina, would you please consider writing a brief review for  CBD since they don’t have any info posted about it yet?  You can submit your review here.

I would also love to have your review for a website we are setting up.  If you get a fair amount of traffic and are willing to post about it on your own site I might be able to sweet-talk somebody into sending you a free or deeply discounted review copy.  Just let me know in the comments if you are interested!

Filed Under: books and poetry 17 Comments

A Calgon morning

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 10, 2008 By

It’s been a Calgon morning.  Remember the old commercials?  Calgon, take me away!

I love being part of a busy, full vibrant household, but sometimes I feel a bit smothered when there are 5 or 6 children standing at my elbow, reading over my shoulders and talking to each other or directly into my eardrums.  (Ahem.  ya hear that, girls?  back off, and bring me some form of chocolate…)

I’m just mentioning it lest ye think that I am the all-patient, ever-loving fount of unfailing maternal sweetness.   I’m sending the little beasts little darlings outside to play Lord of the Flies to run and play on our 5 acres for a while.  They need to make some noise that will not land on my eardrums.

Filed Under: Huh? Category? 11 Comments

Not exactly as planned…

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 7, 2008 By

My day started with grand plans – grocery shopping in town, an early end to hubby’s work day, dinner at the home of the W. family, 70 miles away.

And now, here I sit at Vision Forum, waiting for the u-joint in the van to be repaired.

That’s ok.  Not my will, but His be done.  He’s smarter than I am, anyway.  And nicer, too.  He could have made me wait on the shoulder of the highway, but instead I’m waiting in the air conditioned warehouse, sitting in hubby’s cushy office chair, using his computer.  My grubby boy is playing with popguns and I have 5 other children nearby.  I have been greeted by no less than 10 friends and expect to see more before the van is ready.

We might still make it to dinner with our friends, the W. family, or we might have to wait until Sunday to see them.  Either way will be fine.

My God is good.  I’m glad I’m His.

update: the van was fixed in just over an hour, including the time necessary for the garage to order parts.  the cost was far less than we expected, and we were on the road in time to arrive at our friends’ home at 8:00.  I’m sure dinner would have been delicious at 6, but the fact that we were starving only made it better.  icon smile Not exactly as planned...

Filed Under: gone awry, thankful thoughts 12 Comments

My new widget

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 6, 2008 By

Did you see it in the sidebar?  Don’t let its simplicity fool you.  I put a lot of work into this little little baby.  IT’s my own custom widget to share Vision Forum deals.  Believe it or not, I had to build a new blog to power it!

My new VF Deals widget will alert Vision Forum fans of new sales, coupons and clearance whenever I find something post-worthy.  You’re welcome to look at mine, but I’m hoping everyone in the world will want to install it in their own sidebar.  Really.  Please.  Please? Just click on Get Widget (at the bottom of the widget) and you’ll have convenient updates right on your own blog.  And I’ll get a little commission whenever you or one of your readers orders through it.  Did I mention that part?  Now who wants to be my friend?

Well, if you’re already a Vision Forum affiliate, you’re excused.  And if you’re not but you would like to be one, quit procrastinating.  Like the sneaker people say, just do it.

Filed Under: blogging & technology, Vision Forum 13 Comments

Babies, babies everywhere!

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 6, 2008 By

My sister just had a baby boy minutes ago, and now my sister-in-law is delivering her boy!  I’m waiting for a phone call any minute…

Filed Under: babies 5 Comments

WFMW: our best-ever toys

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 4, 2008 By

With Christmas looming ever closer, Shannon wants our toy recommendations.  We don’t have many toys, but I can think of a few that stood the test of time and I never regretted purchasing:

  • Music Maker Lap Harp – we’ve had ours for many years and it still gets plenty of use.  Kids can make real music with no lessons at all, but they are becoming familiar with written music as they play.
  • Legos/duplos – another toy that I never regret buying and my kids never tire of.  They’re the greatest thing on earth and you can never have too many, unless you just stepped on one.  We need more of these.  Well, we want more of these.  Maybe because every time I step on one I toss it in the trash?
  • Gears! Gears! Gears! – These eventually left the house because they were just too noisy, but we all have fond memories.  Maybe someday soon, when I have another temporary lapse of sanity, I’ll buy another set.  They can be fun.  (what can be fun? lapses of sanity or gears?  you decide!)
  • Super Marbleworks – a marble maze by Discovery Toys.  We enjoyed this for many years.  We once tried a cheaper version but it simply didn’t hold up.  The Discovery Toys version is well worth the cost.

What can you add to the list?

You may have figured out that most or all of these are good toys for a pack herd group of children to share, ideal for large families.  They are also toys that rely heavily on the creativity of the user, and none require batteries.

These are all members of that sneaky class of toys which exercise the mind without ever feeling educational.  Unfortunately they are all a bit on the noisy side, but some things are just worth putting up with increased noise levels.  Kids, for example.

Filed Under: methods 15 Comments

In the news

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 4, 2008 By

Everyone has the election on their mind, but here’s what else is new today:

  • Mother Hen’s latest and greatest idea: Help For Growing Families.  It’s a Mr. Linky event to share helpful tips for growing families.  What do you wish you had known sooner?  What did you learn the hard way?  I shared my sock system, which happens to be the same system Michelle Duggar uses.  Grab the banner, choose an old or new post to share with the world, and link up at Ship Full O’ Pirates.
    140516 In the news
  • Our new look.  The image for our new header was an outtake from the last time I tried in vain to get everyone to stand in a row and smile.  We finally gave up and I snapped a few pics while the kids goofed off.  Are you wondering what Becca is doing with her hands?  So are we.  So is she.  She was in her own world.
  • 9yo Natalie is making pancakes alone for the first time.  pancakes 300x200 In the news
  • Lots of new Vision Forum items on our For Sale page, all priced at 50% off or more.  I mean less.  I mean, discounted at least 50%.  How would you say it?
  • Puppies.  sigh.  Our Golden Retriever is in heat.  We decided not to have her bred this time, but there has been a big handsome black lab camped out on our deck for days.  We locked our dog in her outdoor run for safekeeping and left for the day.  When we came home, we found that her suitor had dug a tunnel for her to escape.  I’m sure they had a lovely day together.  Who wants a puppy?
Filed Under: misc. 26 Comments

Sen. John McCain’s Record on Life Revisited

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 3, 2008 By

Bob and Wes once again take up the pen on the eve of the election to shine the light of truth on not only Sen. John McCain’s deplorable prolife record but also on what appears to be the quiet coverup of some Christian writers and leaders.

According to Republicans for Choice — a pro-abortion organization that endorsed Sen. McCain in February 2008 and who had representatives present at the Republican Party Platform Hearing held in Minneapolis this August — Sen. McCain’s staff sought to weaken the platform plank on the sanctity of life by promoting more inclusive language that this pro-abortion group had proposed. And, while their efforts failed due to the fact that “many of the Delegates on that Committee were not McCain Delegates — they were Huckabee and Romney et al Delegates,”[19] the Republicans for Choice claimed McCain’s cooperation with them as a victory — touting it as the “first” time that a Republican presidential campaign had sought to advance their agenda during a GOP platform proceeding. A statement on the official Republicans for Choice website reads:

Today the sub-committee on the Platform on Crime/Values considered historic language, suggested by Republicans For Choice, that the Party work with those who disagree on the Plank on abortion both within the Party and across party lines to find real positive and pro-active solutions to reduce abortion. This is the first time any GOP Presidential campaign has worked with the pro-choice elements with whom they disagree to try and broaden the Party’s position on abortion. The McCain campaign did not control enough votes on the committee to stop them from stripping this historic language out of the Platform. But this is a step forward.[20]

Was Mr. Ertelt aware of this activity on the part of Sen. McCain’s staff to undermine the pro-life plank of the Republican Party Platform in August — evidence for which is prominently displayed on the Republicans for Choice website? If so, why the slippery response to our concerns on Sen. McCain’s long-stated desire to weaken the platform’s plank on life? Is Mr. Ertelt prepared to say that our concerns were unfounded? How could it be that this information — along with Sen. McCain’s acknowledgment that he acted “too hastily” in voting to save Terri Schiavo’s life — got overlooked?

Please take a moment to read their latest article here.

Also read Caleb Hayden’s response to Mr Erelt and Carmon’s squib “Pyrrhic Victories Leave a Bitter Aftertaste”

Remember the Devil is in the details: read the footnotes.

May God have mercy on our nation.

Psalm 2

1Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.

5Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

6Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

8Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

10Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Filed Under: Christian living, Dad's corner, news & politics 10 Comments

Kudos to Pieter

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 3, 2008 By

Pieter Freidrich on his mother’s blog left the following comment:

I’m not wasting my vote by voting 3rd party, but it’s obvious I’m wasting my time defending that vote. Everyone who agrees has already heard the argument a thousand times before, anyways, and those who disagree are, as evidenced by the comments above, severely delusional.

Keep beating your heads against the wall and telling yourselves it won’t crack your skull. Elect another Republican like Ronald Reagan, who gave us pro-abortion Supreme Court justices. Elect another Republican like Bush Sr., who gave us pro-abortion Supreme Court justices. Elect another Republican like W. Bush, who tells us America isn’t “ready” to repeal Roe v. Wade. Elect John McCain, who over 30 years has proven himself more liberal than all the rest, but had a magical change of opinion when he decided to run for president.

For that matter, continue living in your fantasy world where the ONLY issue you consider when voting for someone is abortion. Ignore the dying economy created by both the pro-Fed, pro-bailout Obama and Mccain. Don’t pay any attention as poverty and job loss balloon, creating conditions which increase the likelihood of women choosing abortion. Don’t worry about the national debt, whether McCain will wage war on Iran, or the coming entitlements financial crisis. Keep your fingers crossed – there’s a tiny chance McCain might appoint a justice who will possibly be pro-life and maybe will hear an abortion case which perhaps that justice will rule on with a broad approach rather than a narrow focus.

Who cares if McCain’s policies destroy the country, as long as we have that little spark of hope in our deluded hearts?

Well said Pieter!
Read the post, Pieter’s comment, and the thread here.

Filed Under: Dad's corner, news & politics 11 Comments

A story I am writing…

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 3, 2008 By

Posted by Lydia

This is a story that I have been writing since June or July of 2007.
I haven’t gotten very far in it because I couldn’t think of what to write for a while and then I would write a bit and the same thing would happen over again,  until I had gotten to where I am and now I can’t think of what to write. Click here to read

Please tell me what you think. icon smile A story I am writing...

Filed Under: Huh? Category? 3 Comments

He’s not a baby

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 3, 2008 By

The boy was 2 at the end of June and has shown very little interest in potty training.  It will be nice to have just one in diapers someday soon.  In the meantime we buy them in two sizes: Big baby and little baby.  I’m ok with that, but am trying to exert just a bit of subtle pressure.  The terminology itself is deeply meaningful.

One example is a conversation we had this morning.  Actually, we have this conversation once or twice a day.

Boy: Mom, I pooped.  Where are my man diapers?

Me: Men don’t wear diapers.  Men poop in the potty.  You need a baby diaper.

Boy: I’m not a baby!  Bethany is a baby!

Me: Well, do you want to poop in the potty like a man or wear baby diapers like Bethany?

Boy: [sigh].  Where are my diapers?

Filed Under: Boys, potty training 24 Comments

Fun with dry ice

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 1, 2008 By

Ways to get dry ice:

Remember the Omaha hamburger deal?  They didn’t like the fact that we combined 2 specials, so we only received 8-5 oz burgers for our $1.98, but we received an unexpected bonus:  dry ice!

If you’ve never experimented with dry ice, I suggest you go right to WalMart and get a pound or two.  Mucho fun for very little money!

Here are a few of the fun dry ice activities we did:

1. Screaming spoon – Lay a spoon or other piece of metal firmly against a chunk of dry ice.  It will rapidly sublime where the spoon is touching and the expanding gas will force the spoon away.  Then the sublimation slows and the spoon touches it again.  This process is repeated so rapidly that the spoon vibrates audibly.  Try it with other shapes and sizes of metal.

2. Supercooled liquid – Drop a small chunk into a cup of rubbing alcohol.  The liquid will cool to far below the freezing temperature of water.  Try dropping a flower into it; the flower should freeze very quickly.  Our rubbing alcohol eventually turned to slush.  This happens atabout -120 degrees.  (Is this possible or likely?  Is there another explanation for our slushy rubbing alcohol?)

3. Vaporize it – Drop a small chunk into a cup of water, and watch what happens.  Is it boiling?  Can you explain it?  Compare the effects of cold water vs. hot water, and different proportions of water to dry ice.  Why does it make a difference?  Why does it slow down after a little while?

island Fun with dry ice

4. Trap it – Hide a couple of cups of water/dry ice in a small cabinet.  Give them a few minutes to work then peek in.  Vapor will pour out as you open the door.

5. Supersize it – Fill the sink or an ice cream bucket with an inch or two of hot water and drop a bigger chunk of dry ice into it.  Watch the accumulating vapor move in waves like a ghostly ocean.  Dip your hand into the vapor and watch your fingers disappear.  Cup your hands and gently scoop up a handful.

hand Fun with dry ice

6. Playing with fire – Light a candle in a votive cup, jar or other small enclosed area.  Tip your bubbling cup of water/dry ice and carefully spill some of the vapor onto the candle.  Set your bubbling cup down into the sink with a lit candle.  What happens as the carbon dioxide vapor accumulates in the sink?

7. Bubble fun – Add a drop or two of dish soap to a cup of water, then drop a chunk of dry ice into it.  Why do the bubbles look “funny”?  Pop one.  What’s in it?

bubbles 300x200 Fun with dry ice

8. More bubble fun – Put some water in a cup and drop in a small chunk of dry ice.  Spread a bit of dish soap around the rim of the cup.  Now get your hand wet and wipe your hand in one slow smooth motion across the top of the cup to create a big bubble covering the opening.  This is a little tricky the first time, but easier than it sounds.  Watch what happens!

More fun with dry ice:

A couple of warnings about playing with dry ice:

  • Do not touch dry ice directly.  Dry ice can cause frostbite almost instantly.  Use gloves, tongs or a spoon, and keep a close eye on little people.
  • Do not put dry ice in an airtight container. It will create an enormous amount of pressure and quite possibly burst.  Yes, it sounds fun, but it’s also very dangerous and possibly illegal.  Let’s skip this idea, ok people?
Filed Under: homeschooling 6 Comments