Boys are Loosing Faith

My boys are loosing faith with Amazon.com

Last Monday they ordered season 2 of Hogan's Heroes. It was to be delivered between 2 - 4 Feb. It did NOT arrive in time for Family pizza/movie night.

The site shows it hitting Waco on Friday....and it's been scanned twice in OUR TOWN but they still have not delivered them!

Will the make it for NEXT Pizza/movie night? Time will tell...stay tuned....

CHINA HUTCH REVISITED

I finally found the time this evening to get the China down from the top of the closet and place it in my new hutch. Wow…where did I get so much? I’m the lady who maintains “there is no purpose in having dishes you can’t EAT off of”…and yet I have the top part of the hutch full.

Hmmm….on the way to Alaska I drank my first cup of real tea. This led to Heather, my lovely sister-in-law, buying me my first tea pot…which was antique and very pretty but still USEFUL. While in Alaska others gave me tea pots and tea cups. I fell in with a crowd of “foofy types” {smirk} and they contaminated my practical soul. Then I made zillions of tea services for the first Mother/Daughter tea…which led to several new styles of tea pots migrating to my home. I was also introduced to Polish Pottery in Alaska…and the kids gave me several pieces.

I began to dream of finding a set of 8 matching salad plates and tea cups for little gatherings of new friends. I’m cheap…incredibly cheap. I scoured second hand stores and dreamed. I never expected to buy a whole set of China. We arrived in West Texas. Who would GUESS that this is some sort of haven for antique dealers? Really…seriously…Corinna, I think you need to stop by here on your way to wherever your next assignment turns out to be. I found a set of Rosenthal China….an estate sale. The dear lady had brought her china over from Germany – pre War. Pretty. Expensive…or so I thought…but a set of 10 plates and 12 of EVERYTHING else, platters, tea service etc. I did an internet search. The whole thing was being sold for less than two pieces were worth. I put it on lay away. It came home in boxes and I’ve not looked at it…I was still saving for a China Hutch. The box said “78 piece Rosenthal China”. Mike wondered if I’d inventoried it when I brought it home. Nah – who would cheat ME? Tonight I put it all out on the table and there are 90 matching pieces!

I am SURE there is an ART to displaying such pretties. I need Jill to come over and HELP ME! BUT …it’s all IN the hutch. That is how I who maintain that “nothing in this house is as important as the toddler” and “there is no purpose in having dishes you can’t EAT off of” have a hutch full of said dishes…..

Monday – AGAIN with the MONDAY THING????

It comes every week, doesn’t it?

Today I woke up encouraged that Nolan didn’t have a fever, had NO VOICE but wasn't complaining of any pain. I took that as a double blessing….feeling better and silent.

Then Zander threw up. If he is truly sick he is the most energetic sick person I’ve ever seen. He has run non-stop all day. I finally let him outside this afternoon. He has no fever, hasn’t gotten ill again, and isn’t complaining of any aches or pains. Thanks for the prayers, ya’ all.

We were invited to the park this afternoon but I wanted to keep the boys home…I thought maybe Josiah could take Arielle and Jared over to visit with their friends. Josiah mentioned that he had a headache and felt nauseated – as do I; we all stayed home.

We are studying the Crimean War and Florence Nightingale this week. The older boys are reading Tom Sawyer and Uncle Tom’s Cabin. When I make it to the library Jared will be reading The Slave Dancer. The younger ones asked me to “please, please, PLEASE mother dearest” (yes – girls THEY DID! {G}) read them the next Little House book. We are reading On the Banks of Plum Creek. (So it hasn't got a thing to do with the Crimean War (this week) or the Civil War (next three weeks) but it fit into the Western Expansion and we sort of got stuck. We'll stay stuck there until our OR trail trip, I think, and progress ahead as well. I had found some great picture book type biographies of Laura Ingalls Wilder at the library to read to them too. Of course, we’re now thinking when we drive the OR trail we’ll need to stop off and briefly trace the Ingalls migration, as well as the Pony Express route, and maybe the Santa Fe Trail….maybe we could drive down through the north – go visit the CA Gold Rush camps and drive back through the southern trail…we’ll see.

Mike came home, ate dinner, ironed a fresh uniform and went back to work. The ORI is coming, the ORI is coming…..

I plan to finish up this week’s Bible study, read another chapter in my “serious” book and then several more chapters in the next Penn Dutch Inn book. Tomorrow is bound to be a more energetic day around here….except, dare I admit, I was hoping that being sick might slow Zander down a day or two.

Prayer Update!

Nolan is out of bed. His fever is down, he says he feels "ok". His voice is still gone.

Zander just threw up.

I'm doing wash, school and trying to figure out how to get birthday shopping and prep done.

Prayer Request!!!

I put a counter on here 3 weeks ago (to the hour) thinking that maybe 20 folks would read the blog in a week. Significantly more are checking in and so I thought I'd post a prayer request.

Please pray for our home. I do all I can to keep us healthy around here. You can imagine how illness can sweep through a family our size...often reinfecting the first ones by the time the last ones are feeling better.....

This upcoming week is our birthday week. Nolan, Josiah and Alex all have birthdays. It is also the last full week before the ORI begins on base (translates to long hours and stress at work for Mike). We've done so well not getting ill....but

YESTERDAY Nolan came down with a fever and headache. He threw up once. Now he's got a sore throat too and is nauseated and feverish. He'd asked for a party with friends and has so been looking forward to it...and now he feels bad....and I don't want this to spread to the rest of us at this time.....

Please pray he recovers quickly and that the rest of us don't catch this right now. Please pray that we are able to stay "on track" as Mike prepares for the ORI.

Thanks all. . . whoever ya'all are. {g}

PS a prayer for my sanity is always good too....I feel a bit queasy myself...and that ringing cow bell (I give them when they are sick) coupled with lack of sleep and fussy babies....appreciate your prayers.

PLAIN OLE TWADDLE!!!! {g}

I read “Just Plain Pickled to Death” for no reason other than fun! I thought I deserved a fun read after the rather “serious” non-fiction books I’ve been reading. Thanks to all who recommended the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery series by Tamar Myers.

This is the 4th book in the series and 44 (or is it 46) year old Magdalena Yoder finally marries her “pooky bear”, Aaron Miller. Before the wedding can occur, Magdalena has to solve a 20 year old murder. The Penn Dutch Inn is full of a strange cast of characters one of which predictably turns out to be the murderer.

I find these books to be HILARIOUS! I love the novelty of the Amish/Mennonite setting. There is nothing at all necessarily “meaningful” in these books but they are a great way to spend a relaxing evening. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, if you like a good laugh and you are intrigued by the Amish/Mennonite lifestyle you may enjoy these books too.

It would be impossible to share all the spots in the book that struck me as funny...but the final chapter - the wedding itself had me laughing out loud. Enjoy.

Thanks to the young ones for buying me the WHOLE SERIES at Christmas….

Experiencing God Through Prayer

Another book finished!

I had heard many things about Madame Jeane Guyon. I had heard that she was “new age”. I’d also heard that her writings had positively influenced as varied an audience as the Moravian brethren, Francis Fenelon, John Wesley, Charles Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Andrew Murray, Watchman Nee and A.W. Tozer, all of whom God used powerfully and profoundly.

Madame Jeane Guyon was widowed at the age of 29, arrested in 1688 and again in 1695 for teaching heresy. She spent 6 years in prison at Vincennes and was later transferred to the Bastille. She was released in 1703 and lived the rest of her life in Blois under house arrest.

She was a teacher of Quietism, a form of mysticism. Quietism often refers to the state of human inactivity while in fellowship with God when praying, reading and meditating on the Scriptures. It is a spiritual exercise so as to “quieten” the soul in order for God to have His full way with the believer.

I found some things in this book that could be taken to an extreme and did give me cause for concern…but I also found some gems in this book. It is important to remember that Madame Guyon assumes her reader has already experienced “new birth”. I found this book to be easy to read and yet filled with truths that cause one to ponder and “be still” in God’s presence. This book was first published in 1685. In my research I found that there is a book edited by Gene Edwards that several state wanders far from Madame Guyon’s original words and intents. *Experiencing God Through Prayer* takes the reader on a journey to discover the difference between praying to God and experiencing God through prayer. Madame Guyon continually urges her reader to press on towards intimacy with Christ.

I found this to be a valuable read, though I would caution one to read “warily”. This is now one of my “well-marked” books. {g}