VAN SAGA
I got a call this a.m. from Ray, my friendly mechanic. He once again said those fateful words, “Your van is as ready as I can get it”. {Big, big sigh} I rightfully guessed that this means that they still haven’t figured out what is wrong with it. Mike called the owner of the dealership and told him that we’ve been dealing with this long enough and that it may be time to discuss Ford getting us a new van. He said that in all his years he’d never seen the mechanics stumped and he would go talk to them. The kids and I headed out to pick up the van. I got stuck behind a work convoy going BOTH ways. Doesn’t this sound like one of those “when I was a kid” stories?????? They were painting yellow lines and white lines on the road. Coming back I decided to pass on the shoulder as that was the only way around but Jared restrained me….::::snort::::
Ray told me that he’d sent all the recordings from the black box to Ford motor co. He put his arm around me and said, “Make sure to tell Mike to call me”. I told him I this was frustrating and he told me it was MORE than frustrating. The up shot is that he’s turned it over to Ford Motor Co. He said that the records clearly show something is wrong. The Engine stalls and dies….BUT everything is fine with the car (fuel pump blah blah blah). The dealer offered to extend our warranty another year….but what good does that do if they can’t figure out what is wrong with the van? I guess it is a start so that the warranty doesn’t expire while we are still fighting with this.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
VISION ANYONE?
I had emailed a friend this a.m. about vision for marriage and then headed for the shower. I picked up “My Utmost for His Highest” on the way. This is one of my “bathroom readers”. Today’s selection is about vision. What to do when God gives you a vision and it isn’t revealed yet? Where we often get faint hearted and loose our sight of God and vision. I thought, rather than try to post excerpts, I’d just mention you can read it here.
Do you have a vision for your marriage, children, health, homeschooling, ministry, family, friendships that you’ve not seen realized yet? This article may be encouraging.
Now on with the crepe making!
I had emailed a friend this a.m. about vision for marriage and then headed for the shower. I picked up “My Utmost for His Highest” on the way. This is one of my “bathroom readers”. Today’s selection is about vision. What to do when God gives you a vision and it isn’t revealed yet? Where we often get faint hearted and loose our sight of God and vision. I thought, rather than try to post excerpts, I’d just mention you can read it here.
Do you have a vision for your marriage, children, health, homeschooling, ministry, family, friendships that you’ve not seen realized yet? This article may be encouraging.
Now on with the crepe making!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Summer Routine –
We’ve sort of gotten into a summer routine – a stride – and so it seems boring to say “this is what we did” day after day…thus the “this is what I’m thinking” posts earlier in the day. {G}
I had thought I’d take my bike tire to Concho Bikes today – but I got side tracked. Adrienne called and suggested we meet her and her kids at the park at 9:30 a.m. We did. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the “cool” morning at the park. We went our separate ways for lunch. We met again at China Beach at 1 p.m. Jared was starting to think that he was jinxed with China Beach since every time he is with us we DON’T SWIM! The first time they were closed before we got there. The second time I forgot the pool passes. The third time they shut it down for storms. This is the pool right on base. The kids spent quite a bit of time at it while we were in TLF’s. I assured him that they WERE open today, it wasn’t storming and we’d be fine. We headed out.
I had to stop and get another pass for the Expedition to be on base. I was sure I’d have the van back by Friday and so had them make the pass through the 4th – yesterday. Keep in mind that I’ve already gotten *3* passes for this vehicle. The gentlemen in there today discovered that the vehicle registration I’d been given at the dealership expired in MARCH. There was no way he would give me a pass. When he left, the women, who know me by now, came out with me to the car…noted the current registration tags and said they’d write it based on that. BUT they also noted the vehicle inspection pass EXPIRED in June! ARGH. They said there is a 5 day grace period and decided to let us on base today. However, I can’t drive the Expedition ANYWHERE with the expired inspection tags….and who does the dealer think is going to pay for this? I wonder who will pay if I get a ticket for driving without insurance (which I had them fax me because they forgot to give it to me) or driving with an expired tag? We’ve still not heard a word from them. I checked the TX Lemon laws and since we’ve had the van in for the same problem FIVE TIMES (hadn’t realized it had been so many times) in the 8 months since we bought the van (the requirement is 2 times in 12 months) and since we’ve had it in the shop for 30 days in those 8 months (the requirement is 24 days) we qualify. It stopping isn’t a “serious safety issue” BUT it certainly would qualify as “impairing the operation of the vehicle.” We think we are going to talk to the dealer and tell him that FORD owes us either a fix, a new van, or our money back. This van is still under warranty….I’m tired of taking 4 hours a week to drive out and back and then go back to get the van and back home again.
ANYWAY – we got into China Beach after 30 minutes at the visitor center. We had a fun time. Jared and I reminisced of how Bre and Krista would take them to the pool last summer…how huge I was at 8 months pregnant and our first week in TX…..and then we saw the lifeguard that kicked Zander out of the pool a year ago for throwing rocks at a spider on a tree. {sigh} Today she was telling him he couldn’t go in the “deep” end without me. The deep end is 4 feet tall – and he can touch. We all had fun anyway.
We came home….I made Chicken Quesadillas for dinner. I read two chapters out of *The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe* to the kids. It’s amazing how small our family reading circle has become with the 4 older ones gallivanting around the states and Mike working late. Mike is still at work.
Jared took some pictures – I’ll check them out and upload a couple.
We’ve sort of gotten into a summer routine – a stride – and so it seems boring to say “this is what we did” day after day…thus the “this is what I’m thinking” posts earlier in the day. {G}
I had thought I’d take my bike tire to Concho Bikes today – but I got side tracked. Adrienne called and suggested we meet her and her kids at the park at 9:30 a.m. We did. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the “cool” morning at the park. We went our separate ways for lunch. We met again at China Beach at 1 p.m. Jared was starting to think that he was jinxed with China Beach since every time he is with us we DON’T SWIM! The first time they were closed before we got there. The second time I forgot the pool passes. The third time they shut it down for storms. This is the pool right on base. The kids spent quite a bit of time at it while we were in TLF’s. I assured him that they WERE open today, it wasn’t storming and we’d be fine. We headed out.
I had to stop and get another pass for the Expedition to be on base. I was sure I’d have the van back by Friday and so had them make the pass through the 4th – yesterday. Keep in mind that I’ve already gotten *3* passes for this vehicle. The gentlemen in there today discovered that the vehicle registration I’d been given at the dealership expired in MARCH. There was no way he would give me a pass. When he left, the women, who know me by now, came out with me to the car…noted the current registration tags and said they’d write it based on that. BUT they also noted the vehicle inspection pass EXPIRED in June! ARGH. They said there is a 5 day grace period and decided to let us on base today. However, I can’t drive the Expedition ANYWHERE with the expired inspection tags….and who does the dealer think is going to pay for this? I wonder who will pay if I get a ticket for driving without insurance (which I had them fax me because they forgot to give it to me) or driving with an expired tag? We’ve still not heard a word from them. I checked the TX Lemon laws and since we’ve had the van in for the same problem FIVE TIMES (hadn’t realized it had been so many times) in the 8 months since we bought the van (the requirement is 2 times in 12 months) and since we’ve had it in the shop for 30 days in those 8 months (the requirement is 24 days) we qualify. It stopping isn’t a “serious safety issue” BUT it certainly would qualify as “impairing the operation of the vehicle.” We think we are going to talk to the dealer and tell him that FORD owes us either a fix, a new van, or our money back. This van is still under warranty….I’m tired of taking 4 hours a week to drive out and back and then go back to get the van and back home again.
ANYWAY – we got into China Beach after 30 minutes at the visitor center. We had a fun time. Jared and I reminisced of how Bre and Krista would take them to the pool last summer…how huge I was at 8 months pregnant and our first week in TX…..and then we saw the lifeguard that kicked Zander out of the pool a year ago for throwing rocks at a spider on a tree. {sigh} Today she was telling him he couldn’t go in the “deep” end without me. The deep end is 4 feet tall – and he can touch. We all had fun anyway.
We came home….I made Chicken Quesadillas for dinner. I read two chapters out of *The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe* to the kids. It’s amazing how small our family reading circle has become with the 4 older ones gallivanting around the states and Mike working late. Mike is still at work.
Jared took some pictures – I’ll check them out and upload a couple.
Chapel Funnies (or another Zanderism)
Do you know the song “Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes Lord”? Our service sings that one quite a bit. Evidently Zander has been paying attention in church. On the way to the pool today he began to sing a familiar tune…but his interpretation was a bit subjective….
“Less Lawyers, Less Lawyers, Less Less Lawyers, Less Lawyers, Less Lawyers, Less Less Lawyers….AMEN!”
He does not like us to laugh at him but it was almost impossible not to…instead we joined him in singing with the proper lyrics.
Do you know the song “Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes Lord”? Our service sings that one quite a bit. Evidently Zander has been paying attention in church. On the way to the pool today he began to sing a familiar tune…but his interpretation was a bit subjective….
“Less Lawyers, Less Lawyers, Less Less Lawyers, Less Lawyers, Less Lawyers, Less Less Lawyers….AMEN!”
He does not like us to laugh at him but it was almost impossible not to…instead we joined him in singing with the proper lyrics.
Age of Opportunity (emphasis mine)
I’m currently reading this book. I really need to probably get that book blog running. {g} It’s set up. I’d thought I’d write chapter summaries of the non-fiction books I’m reading and whoever wanted to could comment…sort of a book discussion….but I’ve not had the time to write the summaries yet. I am rereading this book and finding his approach to be gentler than his brothers in *Shepherding a Child’s Heart*….but the principles are the same. This book gave us confidence to face the “teen” years as Bre (who is now 21) entered those years. With a 21, 19, 17 and 15 yo “under our belts” and a 12 ½ year old quickly entering this phase, we have found these years to be wonderful, exciting and truly an AGE OF OPPORTUNITY and reaping some awesome benefits from the early years of sowing into their lives. I want to encourage you that the teen years need not be feared. They have also been great opportunities of personal growth. In fact….maybe some of us need so much work that that is why we have so many years in the teen years. {bg}
Here are a few quotes I’ve read in the past couple of days that I especially liked.
“The rules and regulation approach that focuses on keeping the teen out of trouble will ultimately fail because it does not deal with the heart. {snip} We have to work at the level of the heart desires with our teenagers, or we will win lots of battles and ultimately lose the war. It is not enough to be detectives, jailers, and judges. We must PASTOR the hearts of our children with the kind of faithful, watchful care for their souls that we receive from our heavenly Father. (Yes, yes, YES!!!)
The parent who has a pastoral model of parenting will do more than hand down regulations and enforce punishments when the regulations are broken. Pastoring parents will befriend their teen. They will probe and examine. They will engage their child in provocative discussions. They will be unwilling to live with distance, avoidance, and nonanswers. They will not let the teenager set the agenda for the relationship. In times of trouble, they will hold discussions rather than cross-examinations. They will not be there simply to prove the child wrong and to announce punishment. They will seek to expose the true thoughts and motives of t heir teenager’s heart by asking heart-disclosing questions. {snip} They will help their teenager to look at himself in the accurate mirror of the Word, which is able to expose and judge the heart. And they will do all of this in a spirit of humble, gentle, kind, forgiving, forbearing, and patient love.” *Age of Opportunity*, Paul David Tripp, p 111 – 112.
Several things leap at me when I read this – obviously the whole thing and especially the parts I put in bold {bg} but also the fact that this type of parenting, this Pastoral Parenting, TAKES TIME! It’s WORK. I’ve watched my husband come home at 8:00 p.m. from a long day of work and take the time to shepherd the boys’ hearts. The time I’m thinking of he walked with me and we discussed the issues and my concern. Then he walked with each of the boys and then one of them a second time. He patiently listened and asked those “heart disclosing questions” – all with a view of helping our sons SEE what their actions exposed of their heart and it led the boys to repentance….now THAT’S discipline! He walked until well after 10 p.m. It would have been so much easier to say, “You are this, this and that and because you can’t do this and that you are grounded”. No, they weren’t grounded. BUT they saw their heart, they were broken and grieved before the Lord and they changed. That’s the goal….heart change….it just takes more time than other methods.
It takes me being in the WORD if I’m going to use the Word as a mirror for my children. I also must be very careful not to constantly use the Word as a club and create distaste for the Word in my children’s life.
Above all my care, love and shepherding of my children is to be KIND and patient…..Titus 2 (a passage so many quote a verse or two from but have never really studied – this little book is a jewel) instructs older women to teach the younger women to love their husbands and children. I checked it out years ago. The word for love is Phileo. A kind, brotherly-hearted love. At that point in my life, my home didn’t show much phileo. I was in charge, I was the parent, they obeyed me without question and were well-behaved, I intimidated with bursts of anger….but God spoke clearly to my heart that I was NOT “loving them” the way I was commanded to love them. I was not doing a thing to shepherd their heart but was focused only on behavior….and He had a much greater focus than I.
Just thoughts I’ve been having.
I’m currently reading this book. I really need to probably get that book blog running. {g} It’s set up. I’d thought I’d write chapter summaries of the non-fiction books I’m reading and whoever wanted to could comment…sort of a book discussion….but I’ve not had the time to write the summaries yet. I am rereading this book and finding his approach to be gentler than his brothers in *Shepherding a Child’s Heart*….but the principles are the same. This book gave us confidence to face the “teen” years as Bre (who is now 21) entered those years. With a 21, 19, 17 and 15 yo “under our belts” and a 12 ½ year old quickly entering this phase, we have found these years to be wonderful, exciting and truly an AGE OF OPPORTUNITY and reaping some awesome benefits from the early years of sowing into their lives. I want to encourage you that the teen years need not be feared. They have also been great opportunities of personal growth. In fact….maybe some of us need so much work that that is why we have so many years in the teen years. {bg}
Here are a few quotes I’ve read in the past couple of days that I especially liked.
“The rules and regulation approach that focuses on keeping the teen out of trouble will ultimately fail because it does not deal with the heart. {snip} We have to work at the level of the heart desires with our teenagers, or we will win lots of battles and ultimately lose the war. It is not enough to be detectives, jailers, and judges. We must PASTOR the hearts of our children with the kind of faithful, watchful care for their souls that we receive from our heavenly Father. (Yes, yes, YES!!!)
The parent who has a pastoral model of parenting will do more than hand down regulations and enforce punishments when the regulations are broken. Pastoring parents will befriend their teen. They will probe and examine. They will engage their child in provocative discussions. They will be unwilling to live with distance, avoidance, and nonanswers. They will not let the teenager set the agenda for the relationship. In times of trouble, they will hold discussions rather than cross-examinations. They will not be there simply to prove the child wrong and to announce punishment. They will seek to expose the true thoughts and motives of t heir teenager’s heart by asking heart-disclosing questions. {snip} They will help their teenager to look at himself in the accurate mirror of the Word, which is able to expose and judge the heart. And they will do all of this in a spirit of humble, gentle, kind, forgiving, forbearing, and patient love.” *Age of Opportunity*, Paul David Tripp, p 111 – 112.
Several things leap at me when I read this – obviously the whole thing and especially the parts I put in bold {bg} but also the fact that this type of parenting, this Pastoral Parenting, TAKES TIME! It’s WORK. I’ve watched my husband come home at 8:00 p.m. from a long day of work and take the time to shepherd the boys’ hearts. The time I’m thinking of he walked with me and we discussed the issues and my concern. Then he walked with each of the boys and then one of them a second time. He patiently listened and asked those “heart disclosing questions” – all with a view of helping our sons SEE what their actions exposed of their heart and it led the boys to repentance….now THAT’S discipline! He walked until well after 10 p.m. It would have been so much easier to say, “You are this, this and that and because you can’t do this and that you are grounded”. No, they weren’t grounded. BUT they saw their heart, they were broken and grieved before the Lord and they changed. That’s the goal….heart change….it just takes more time than other methods.
It takes me being in the WORD if I’m going to use the Word as a mirror for my children. I also must be very careful not to constantly use the Word as a club and create distaste for the Word in my children’s life.
Above all my care, love and shepherding of my children is to be KIND and patient…..Titus 2 (a passage so many quote a verse or two from but have never really studied – this little book is a jewel) instructs older women to teach the younger women to love their husbands and children. I checked it out years ago. The word for love is Phileo. A kind, brotherly-hearted love. At that point in my life, my home didn’t show much phileo. I was in charge, I was the parent, they obeyed me without question and were well-behaved, I intimidated with bursts of anger….but God spoke clearly to my heart that I was NOT “loving them” the way I was commanded to love them. I was not doing a thing to shepherd their heart but was focused only on behavior….and He had a much greater focus than I.
Just thoughts I’ve been having.
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