STACIA SITS

Big news first! Stacia SITS!!! A new trick that we all applaud. Happened just a few minutes ago as we made lunch and Jared rested her on the counter…NO, this is not where we usually leave our baby. {grin}

5 Months old yesterday! She sometimes sleeps through the night. She still spits terribly and is trying another new formula this week.

Monday, Monday (can you hear the music?)

We got a slow start to the week.

Mike went into the office after chapel on Sunday and didn’t get home until 4:30 a.m. as in Monday. He does report that he made progress on his work load with no interruptions. I still think a sign saying “DO NOT DISTURB” is a better solution. {grin}

Mike arrived home about the time that Stacia and Zander were waking up. I let everyone else sleep in. Obviously, this meant a slow start on the school week. We are determined to “do it right” on Tuesday.

The kids and I have been working on little Shrinky Dink signature items that we can leave in caches. I’ve learned that there is some trick to this that we haven’t discovered. They curl up and fly all over the oven…our end product is not FLAT and I’ve still got work to do to get the colors (which intensify) and the size right. We’ll get it. I do believe we’ll have to make another trip to Hobby Lobby. We’ve got two designs at this point. I found Shrinky Dink film that you can PRINT on. This is GREAT (well ok right now it is cool it will be great when I get it to work right! {grin}). The one logo is a dark blue shape of the state of AK with the big dipper and north star across it and the planes from Elmendorf flying off in all directions…..I typed Not2Many…Found It! on these. The other is a family picture with the same words across the top. We’ll keep working.

I FINISHED reading my first book of the year today. “In This Mountain” by Jan Karon. I had tried to read this series years ago and found it dry and boring. I began it again a year ago and really enjoy it. Go figure! I’ve got lots of books in various stages of reading and am trying to finish them all this month. I’m not sure I will succeed.

Thus ends another Monday. Not a great start to the week…but you have to start somewhere.

Nolan's Thoughts

I've been reading "Third Culture Kids" and this comment from Nolan (6) struck me as incredibly funny. We were hiking through cactus and thorn bush laden land at the state park.

Nolan: "Mom, you know what I'm going to do as soon as I grow up and leave the house?"

Mom: slightly surprised to be discussing goodbyes of this sort with a 6 yo "No, what?"

Nolan: "There is no telling WHERE I'm going to grow up, but when I get out of the house the first thing I'm going to do is get back to TEXAS as fast as I can!"

I would say that Texas has won at least one of us over. {grin} I was surprised to find how much he enjoyed the area (we'll see what he thinks during the hot summer - he commented that TX was perfect not to cold and not to hot....78* in January!).

I found it telling that at 6 years old he would already realize that his growing up years are a bit different than many children's and that no location is likely to last "until he's grown up". Consider that he was born in MT, moved to San Antonio, then Anchorage and now back to TX ...all in 6 years.

MOOSEWOOD BROWNIES

Here you go Kelly{i}! I love these, though the younger kids think they are bitter. I'm thinking of doing them with semi-sweet chocolate or adding chips to them...or...

Moosewood Brownies
from Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

Let soften: 1/2 C butter (don't melt)

Melt 5 oz unsweetend chocolate. Let cool.

Cream the butter with 1 3/4 C brown sugar and 5 eggs. Add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I add more). Beat in the melted, cooled chocolate and 1 C flour.

Spread into a buttered 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake @350* for 20 - 30 minutes

*additions:
chopped nuts
1 T instant coffee
1 tsp grated orange or lemon rind
1/2 tsp allspince or cinnamon
a mashed over-ripe banana

Can also add chocolate after the flour has all been blended, and partially blend it for a marble look.

Enjoy!

Have You Ever Been Alone with God?

I found it interesting that last week I shared some thoughts on loneliness and concluded that loneliness pushes me to be alone with Him where I grow and rest…..

I’m reading through *My Utmost for His Highest* this year and the last couple of days have touched on this very subject. Some thoughts:

“When they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples” (Mark 4:34) and “When He was alone…the twelve asked Him about the parable” (Mark 4:10)



From 12 January
“We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. This is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride. If we have ever had a glimpse of what we are like in the sight of God, we will never say, “Oh, I’m so unworthy.” We will understand this goes without saying. But as long as there is doubt that we are unworthy, God will continue to close us in until he gets us alone. ….Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But when God gets us alone over them, they will be clear” (emphasis added).

From 13 January
“As you journey with God, the only thing He intends to be clear is the way He deals with your soul (emphasis added).The sorrows and difficulties in the lives of others will be absolutely confusing to you. We think we understand another person’s struggle until God reveals the same shortcomings in our lives. There are vast areas of stubbornness and ignorance the Holy Spirit has to reveal in each of us, but it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now? Or are we more concerned with our own ideas, friendships, and cares for our bodies? Jesus cannot teach us anything until we quiet all our intellectual questions and get alone with Him.” (all emphasis added)



I, personally, don’t think Oswald Chambers is saying that we are not to worship God with our intellect…but that we need to allow ourselves to rest in solitude with Him. There is something blessed about being alone with Him…and loneliness calls me and drives me to that position.

STATE PARK EXPLOITS

We knew that yesterday was the only day Mike had off last week and was likely to be the only day he had off this week. Mike and I determined that we were not going to spend it working or preparing for THIS week but that we were going to have fun.

We packed up a picnic lunch, 5 light sabers, 7 kids, 1 football, 1 Frisbee, and 2 GPS units and headed for the local state park. This is the very same park where I saw an 8 foot snake this summer. I had been told that this IS winter and that the snakes would be HIBERNATING - so the story goes. We had a great lunch and the kids enjoyed goofing around with the light sabers. Our oldest boys have discovered a great benefit of a large family is that it is cool to play kids games with them. {grin} We also discussed the logistics of really driving the OR Trail…still thinking.

The state park checks out GPS units and there are 45 caches hidden in the park. This was great fun. We had no clues other than the title of the cache “big cactus….hmmm which big cactus WOULD that be when there are acres and acres of cactus”…and the coordinates. We took the challenge. We found three caches before the sun disappeared and we had to call it a day. These were the kinds of caches we enjoy most…nice hikes, interesting new things to watch for and a bit of a challenge. Mike estimates that we hiked 4 miles yesterday –mostly through cactus strewn brush. We eventually discovered a few things. First, after making sure the kids were all correctly outfitted I somehow got out of the house in Capris….I have the scars to testify to the experience. Second, we instructed everyone to “step AWAY from the cache and nonchalantly say found it” when they found a cache so that all could find it by themselves. Third, we divided into teams and had fun seeing who would find the place first. Fourth, Jamin and I finally bowed to the wisdom of the group. We kept taking off through brush – following those coordinates on the straightest path….over hills, through cactus….and we always seemed to end up at the spot at the same time or behind those who looked for a path. We finally realized that most who HIDE these things are going to walk in on a path and hide them…so now we look for the path and trust that it will eventually wind around to the right coordinates. Fifth, those thorn bushes HURT! We still don’t know the scientific name but these things are lethal. The whole plant is made up of thorns. They can be TALL….many were taller than Zander. At one point I heard a squeak and turned back to see Zander straddling a thorn bush. He rode on Josiah and Jamin’s shoulders for a good 2 miles after this. Josiah learned that my comments about a thorn in the lip were fairly accurate.

This was our favorite treasure of the day. It’s an adventure tape on gratitude from Chick-Fil-A. Notice the cactus and yes, Stacia loves to ride in the back pack. Cuter picture won't upload. {grin}

This is the best hide we’ve seen yet! Can you find it? It’s in plain sight.


We found three more cache’s making our total 12. Our goal is 20 by the end of the month. As the sun set on another hike we realized it was time to pack up and head home.




*Spoiler – find the cache yet? Want to know where it is? Scroll down.






Look slightly to the right, directly over Josiah’s head. {grin}

WEIGHT TRAINING

Weight training has hit our home in a big way. It’s been fun to watch and listen to the boys training program. The older three alternate running and lifting.

Of course, Nolan and Zander are very interested in this. The weight set is in the garage. There is a window in our laundry room that looks into the garage. This is the spectator gallery.



The little boys are allowed to watch through the window but not to be out near the weights when they are in use. Here Zander watches and dreams.


Last night Zander and Nolan followed the boys out to the garage. I got a kick out of watching Zander lift the “big weight”.

The boys then conspired to make the little tiger feel totally macho….. and then he commented, “Mom! I lift the HUGE weights!” I think he’ll be perplexed the next time he tries this on his own.