SATURDAY NIGHT UPDATE

It's 9:15 and I'm falling asleep at the keyboard....I've been up 16 hours.

I have all but the resource handout and two of the spiritual gifts test/summary sheets done. I have to stop as I have no clue what I may type when I fall asleep. BTDT.

Mike worked on some projects around the home today. What a guy. He and the boys spent hours vacuming the dust and spiders {G} off the popcorn ceiling in the living room. Yuck - I want a home without celings. He also installed the flag pole for me and I was able to hang our new flag. He and the boys went for a 4 mile run. Josiah is working.

I went to Sam's club with Adrienne today. Amy called and said my new sling is ready. I'll pick it up tomorrow.

I made yummy, "good" crepes today for Breakfast. We also made a triple batch of ice cream and a single bath of pure peppermint ice cream with Baker's chocolate shavings in it. Adrienne is talking about buying carob chips, melting them down and adding sweetner to them. I'm not sure WHY - chocolate seems to be pretty much the same....I'll have to do some research on this.

Jill, our RE called about snacks for Zander tomorrow. She's going to go buy whole milk. I'm taking animal crackers for the class. She is going to take that classes treat in to them and they won't be out where the other treats are. She asked me what to do about the big Easter party they will be having....still trying to think on that. I'm going to miss Jill. I need to begin praying for a new RE to pcs in or something this summer.

Bought another gallon of local cotton honey...yum! We've NEVER gone through that much honey without it crystalizing....

I didn't get the software figured out for the co-op. I need to set it up with each member having the opportunity to go online and input their own orders. I DID get the SAGE newsletter out.

I can't think of anything else we did...and I need to give up and get some sleep before tomorrow.

Saturday Morning...

It's now 8 a.m. and I've typed up my 4 page syllabus. I also quickly made a student syllabus with blanks for key answers. I've made several hand outs: Bird's Eye view of Motivational Gifts, Distinctions Within the Seven Motivational Gifts, and a Summary sheet for the gift of perception/prophecy - characteristics, problems, Biblical examples. I have 6 more summary sheets to go and a resource sheet.

I'm making the summary sheets/tests as obviously the material isn't arriving in time.....it turns out I like my sheet better than theirs anyway - more concise - less paper to shuffle. {G} I ordered tests that would be "objective". They will have all the characteristics mixed up so you don't know WHICH group you were testing for when you take the test. Since they aren't going to get here in time, I'm simply doing it by gift. Oh well. If someone really wants to skew results and be one gift or another they can figure it out on the objective test too. {G}.

I'm not sure we'll have a big turn out for this but this would be an excellent thing for a Mom and Me group, ladies retreat - or a big study - or a youth group/children's group...marriage retreat....I'll be sure to save my notes. They actually have tests for various ages of children and youth...that's what I broke down and ordered this a.m.

Well...that's my update...and now the kids are waking up. I'm ready for a nap. {bg}

*Discover your God-Given Gifts” by Don and Katie Fortune.

Yep, still preparing for Tuesday’s Spiritual Gifts seminar….and discovering that 2 – 5 a.m. is the BEST time for me to currently find quiet time for study. {g}

This book is a gem. It does not deal with what the authors term the Manifestation Gifts (I Corinthians 12) or the Ministry Gifts (Ephesians 4:11). The bulk of this book deals with the Motivational Gifts of Romans 12.

The 7 motivational gifts are listed as perceiver (prophecy), server, teacher, exhorter, giver, administrator/leader, compassion person (mercy). For each gift we are given a description, a test (based on a list of characteristics), a list of 5 “problem areas”, and Biblical examples of those with the gift. All is supported with Scripture (contextually sound).

As I prepare for this seminar (1 ½ hours) I’ve once again manifested my teacher/administrator gift mix and compiled more info than I’ll ever use. I’m helpless. I’ve even ordered a ream of more information from Heart2Heart ministries – the Fortune’s ministry - on children’s gifting, the Manifestation Gifts and the Ministry Gifts. Last time I taught similar material, I used the Breakthrough test, which tested for all three gift types and had the advantage of testing for both “traits” and “experience” – but it WAS a 2 day retreat…this is not. I’ve struggled to figure out how to organize all the material I have collected. I was given some material that also organized the gifts into motivational gifts; but I didn’t like the fact that verses were taken out of context to make points the author wanted to make and that we were given “Biblical Examples” with no verses to support the opinion of the author.

After going through this book again, I think I know where I’m heading. I will briefly mention the three categories and have a handout with verses listed for further study. I will also make a hand out showing the speaking/serving distinction in the motivational gifts. Then we will briefly describe a gift and test for the gift. I’m still not sure we will be able to cover this in 1 ½ hours. I think I’ll have Mike and the older boys take the tests so I can see what sort of timing to expect. What will I do with all the excess info I’ve compiled…anyone whose been in one of my classes KNOWS the answer…I’ll make a handout listing “additional resources”. {g} For blog readers: this is my goal for the day – compile handouts for seminar.

I would recommend this book for a 12 – 13 week topical study or as the basis for a 2 – 3 day retreat. I also recommend it for individuals to read alone. I think it helps as we seek to serve in the Body of Christ, could help marriages and in parenting as well. In fact, I plan to order their book on Children’s Spiritual Gifts. Tests and profile sheets are available to order here for $2.00 each.

OH NO – this is hilarious – a problem of a teacher listed in the book is that they are easily side-tracked. According to the authors they start out looking for “transistors” in an encyclopedia and stop to check out “tape recorders, technology, television, theater, thermometer, thermostat, tide, tornado” until they’ve almost forgotten what they set out to do and find “transistors”. I turned on the computer to begin creating hand outs…I’ve ordered more material from Heart2Heart, checked to see where I can find the Children’s Gift book cheapest (Amazon), saved a picture of this book, looked for a picture of the other book I finished this week and couldn't find it, decided to go ahead and quickly write a book review for this book, and will now post this to the blog…and oh YEAH – that’s right, I need to create hand outs! Another funny: The children have grown up hearing me ask Mike “What’s the plan?”. I don’t care what the plan is “sleep in until noon and then read the paper” I just need to know that we have a plan. This would fit right into my gift of administrator/leader….so last night when a plan for the day still hadn’t materialized and the day was rushing to a close I was able to communicate “you know WHY I need a plan? I’m an administrator. I need to KNOW the big picture.” We communicated. {G}

*Warning: from their brief mention of parenting style, I don’t think I’d gel well with it. BUT this book was great!

ODE TO THE SLING

Here's the picture that wouldn't load below. {G} I already mentioned how I figured out the sling...I thought I'd share a few more thoughts on this contraption.....I've been assured that my sling is a bit short for me and that when I receive the new one I won't feel quite so "confined". That would be my only complaint.

Other than that, I've seen positives. Stacia loves the sling. She can watch the world from my viewpoint. She gets to travel faster than she can when left to her own devices. I am constantly rubbing her head for her and patting her tush too. I've long noted that Stacia has a storm before she gives up and goes to sleep. During the storm it helps if I hold her tight and she slips off to sleep. The sling makes this a natural. She simply lies her head down and sleeps. She wasn't a very cuddly baby and so this allows me to feel that we are cuddling. I've missed nursing with Stacia but since I'm wearing her a LOT of the day now I feel as close or closer to her than I did my nursing babes. My hands are free while I wear her...this means I can carry more, put on makeup and do my hair while I hold her....it also means that we've had no more scares where my wrists give out as I'm holding her.

Wearing Stacia is SOOO much easier for me and my wrists than trying to carry the infant carrier. It is also so easy to go shopping when wearing her...I have two hands to shop and corrall Zander with...and am never leaving Stacia sitting in a cart while I chase someone else down the aisle...not that that has EVER really happened to me. {vbg}

Thanks to Adrienne for introducing me to slings...and Becky for giving me this one....and Julie for finally helping me to "get" how to put the thing on...still thinking of the barrio mama's of my youth in the Philippines...wish I'd remembered them much earlier.

BTW my arthritis symptoms are gone most days and I attribute that to the new diet and eating tons of pineapple and coconut oil. LOL (4 loaves of bread in the oven and 8 buns rising - want to see if the same recipe will work for both....and this is a NEW recipe....blew the top right off the Bosch).
Had to edit this: not sure if this is a positive or negative...but wearing Stacia allows her to reach up and plant her wide-open-mouthed-wet kisses on the side of my face any time she pleases. {G}

QUICK UPDATE

{picture won't load} The star of the day! Today Stacia finally had her 4 month well baby check – at 7+ months. The PA who saw us was giving me trouble about that and I was telling him the story. Finally he asked “are you the chaplain’s wife?” I said, “yes – one of them – well I mean I’m a wife of one of the chaplains”. He then noted that I need to be meaner with Tri-care. I seem to have a reputation after the thumb thing and the well baby thing. ANYWAY – I told him that if she’d not been doing well I would have insisted on getting her in. He then checked her out. She’s in the 95th percentile for height….may yet be 6 feet tall……and the 75th for weight. She’s fine. He noted that she has a unique shot record. I told him that we’d cleared all that previously with Dr. Carroll.

Not much else to report today. Mike has all but Stacia, Zander and Jared at Mr. Gatti’s for a farewell party. I simply didn’t feel right taking Zander to Gatti’s twice in one week. Jared didn’t want to go. Josiah has to work. Mike needs to get our muffler fixed…which IS under warranty but once again there isn’t the shop here that warranties it…I love moving all the time…think we should quit getting the warranties…this keeps happening with the vehicles. Zander and I made another batch of “healthy cookies” – which can’t be to healthy. {G}

I’m preparing for a Spiritual Gift Seminar that we’ll be having next Tuesday. As always I have about 3x the notes I need….but they are starting to organize themselves. I simply need time on the computer when it is QUIET to get them all into a hand out/test type form.

OH big thank you to Charly, fellow FG mom, who told me that Papa Johns is on the FG program. I didn’t even know we HAD a Papa Johns in town…and I can order ONLINE…which I did. That takes care of Friday night Pizza and a movie….and the revolters will be happy as I ordered their favorite “Hawaiian Pizza” – you know Canadian BACON and pineapple…..I was excited to see that they eve have spinach alfreddo pizza at Papa John’s. It takes small things to excite me these days.

Now – Stacia is napping after her big date. Jared and Zander are playing a computer game…and I’m going to go make some bread and hamburger buns. OH – a couple more things….I’m so thrilled with our RE coordinator – and she’s leaving in May – bummer. She emailed me to ask what we could do for Zander’s class for treats at Sunday School. Is that great or what? I appreciate knowing that she will help me police him at chapel.

I figured this sling thing out when a friend from high school wrote me after reading the blog. Julie is great! She told me to go back to my roots. She told me to picture the little Barrio mama’s with a baby on a hip and a sarong over their shoulder. When I pictured the sling as a sarong it worked the very first time. I’m fast becoming quite adept at this sling thing. There is a lady in town who is making me a pretty one. I got to go pick out the colors and it was fun…not sure it is subdued enough for chapel so I may have to get another one made…but have to find a place to order the sling rings….so far no luck.

The bread is screaming to be made now….still looking for a tortilla press….they don’t carry them any longer at HEB.

SCIENCE FUN!

We are excited about this experiment. We are studying flying creatures in our science book. This has proven to be MUCH more interesting that *I* was expected. The kids begged to try to incubate some eggs when we studied egg development. I had to give this some thought. We’ve tried this once before and got no chicks….but WHAT would we do with the chicks if we got some? I was not sure I wanted the kids to have the educational lesson of incubating an egg and then letting a chick die. Our book recommended links to buy incubators. We chose a small one from Home Training Tools; it came with 4 quail eggs. Quail live in the wild here. IF we get some quail chicks and raise those to the age that they can survive….we can let them go in the country….but our best option is some friends who live out in the country.

Last night we set up the incubator (see pictures below). We discussed the need to keep water in the incubator and to turn the eggs every 12 hours. The eggs come all wrapped p and there was the possibility of two different kinds of quail. We all hoped for the brown speckled eggs, as they take only 17 days to incubate. The drama built as we unwrapped the eggs and discovered 4 brown speckled quail eggs. Now it’s a matter of waiting, and watering and turning.

We’ve started gathering the things we’ll need for the box right after they hatch. We are even now talking about buying a bird cage and we need to do some research on WHAT to feed them as the booklet that came with the incubator just mentions “food” but not what.

All good science experiments begin with an idea from Mom, and know-how from Dad.

Our brown speckled quail eggs
Dad and three youngest scientists

We’ll have to guard the eggs!

Munchin

Stacia discovers she likes to eat the plate best of all! She's like a little puppy these days and chewing on everything!

Zander is sure to join the fun....but he prefers whole wheat "healthy" cookies to munch on!