Long time no write...and a few questions.

I know, I know, it's been a while.

I've been trying to get back on track with dieting and rising on time. And of course, there's the rest of life, busy, busy! So, blogging (both reading and writing) has definitely been low on my priorities.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to keep track of my reading this year. How do each of you do it? I am planning to keep a random (not dated or organized) list of the books I've read this year on the sidebar, here.

The weather has been delightful, but we really haven't been out much in it. I hope to start walking today and stick to it. Does anyone have opinions on the best mp3 player for books and sermons?

I noticed that food prices are really going up and am determined to stick to the same amount in my grocery budget. I have certainly been on a bare-bones budget before, but it is amazing how easy it is to get used to spending money! What are your favorite ways to cut grocery costs?

We are not getting new outfits for Resurrection Sunday (Easter) this year, we haven't always, but it sure is fun to do that. We decided that we all have enough clothes, but it sure is hard not to want a new Easter outfit when friends start showing off theirs! Do you (or your kids) always get a new dress or shoes for Easter?

I'm back to baking bread (and trying not to eat any of it). I like to use a sour dough starter, but my family is not crazy about sourdough, so I add a little yeast and don't rise it quite as long. I'm using some of my favorite amish potato sourdough starter to make cinnamon buns for Easter morning. We are going to have to grab breakfast on the run because we have to be out of here early for a early morning baptism service up in Williamsburg before our regular service. What a wonderful day it's going to be! I love the worship on Resurrection Sunday, it is always so joyful, it usually brings me to tears - not that that is an unusual thing for me during worship. I'm so often moved by so much gratitude, what an amazing, loving heavenly Father we have, to give us so many good gifts!

I finally have an appointment to see the Dr. to start Estrogen replacement therapy. I feel read up enough on it that I can discuss it with her intelligently. I have lots of notes! It will be good to get rid of these several annoying symptoms.

Well, I just got on here for a few minutes while my youngers are scrubbing out bathtubs. It is definitely time to get back to the books, after a walk.

Today's emphasis: Do the next thing!

What's for dinner? Baked fish, pasta and stewed tomatoes (don't ask, it's a family thing!), broccoli, pineapple and potato bread rolls.

Praying for: Dilligence and for The Fruit of the Spirit, especially Kindness to reign in my home.

A poem, predestined to be in my inbox when I needed it to be.

"I WILL ARISE."
Christina Rossetti
Weary and weak,--accept my weariness;
Weary and weak and downcast in my soul,
With hope growing less and less,
And with the goal
Distant and dim,--accept my sore distress.
I thought to reach the goal so long ago,
At outset of the race I dreamed of rest,
Not knowing what now I know
Of breathless haste,
Of long-drawn straining effort across the waste.

One only thing I knew, Thy love of me;
One only thing I know, Thy sacred same
Love of me full and free,
A craving flame
Of selfless love of me which burns in Thee.
How can I think of thee, and yet grow chill;
Of Thee, and yet grow cold and nigh to death?
Re-energize my will,
Rebuild my faith;
I will arise and run, Thou giving me breath.

I will arise, repenting and in pain;
I will arise, and smite upon my breast
And turn to Thee again;
Thou choosest best,
Lead me along the road Thou makest plain.
Lead me a little way, and carry me
A little way, and listen to my sighs,
And store my tears with Thee,
And deign replies
To feeble prayers;--O Lord, I will arise.

The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival

I tend to love the traditional quilts, but this one was my absolute favorite! I wish you could see all of the embroidery stitches on it. This is definitely a happy quilt!

More Later!

Another "I knew that!" article

Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills
by Alix Spiegel

"Clearly the way that children spend their time has changed. Here's the issue: A growing number of psychologists believe that these changes in what children do has also changed kids' cognitive and emotional development."

Read the article here. Thank you to Julia for the heads up on this article.

We've tried really hard to raise children who weren't all about "things". But of course, we struggle with materialism ourselves. It is very hard to live a middle-class life in America and not accumulate tons of unecessary stuff. It has been easier to not accumulate lots of toys one of the reasons being that we have understood that the best kind of play is the play a child makes himself.

So, I was thinking, in the reality of modern life in America, which toys have we had around for all of our children and just wouldn't like to do without? Books, though not toys, comes to mind, first. We like building materials of some sort...the ones which have stayed and continue to be played with are the Duplos - the large sized legos that even a grown-up will get down on the floor and build with. Dolls, especially dollhouse sized ones are also great. Though we do have a collection of lightsabers which keep little boys immensly entertained outside, that is about it for the toys that we have always had and wouldn't like to do without. So, what are the necessary toys in your home?

Valentine's Day Dinner

I didn't take pictures this year. I just didn't get to do much decorating, though the children hung up hearts all over the house.

Our menu was good and the main dish is definitely a keeper! Here are a couple of recipes.

Palermo Pork Loin en Croute
2 1/4 pounds bonelss pork loin roast
4 thick slices of day old bread, crusts removed
2 Tbs. minced fresh herbs, rosemary, sage, etc.
2 Tbs. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon
1 garlic clove, minced
salt & pepper to taste
1 lg. egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
Sauce:
1/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
2 Tbs. salted butter
1/2 onion, chopped
2 Tbs. thinly sliced garlic
1 14oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim away any visible fat from the meat.
2. Place bread, herbs, cheese, bacon, garlic and salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add egg, and 1 Tbs. of olive oil; mix well. Encase meat with the mixture, pressing firmly.
3. Put meat in a baking dish with remaining oil, chicken broth and vinegar. Roast for 90 minutes, or until internal temperature is 145 degrees. Remove to a cutting board.
4. To prepare sauce, deglaze the roasting pan with wine over medium-high heat. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook butter, onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add meat dripping/wine and remaining sauce ingredients. Cook over medium-high heat for 12-15 minutes, or until reduced by a third.
5. Slice meat, pour sauce on a platter, arrange meat on top. Makes 6-8 servings.

This was an easy recipe and very delicious. I substituted dried herbs (about half as much) for the fresh because my market's fresh were nasty looking!

Shayna and I served this with red potatoes cooked with garlic and tossed with butter and parsley, roasted red onion slices, homemade applesauce and a salad of hearts of romaine with oranges and bleu cheese.

For dessert we had caramel custards with chocolate cookies. The recipe I used for the custard came from Arnaud's a restaraunt in New Orleans. I've been wanting to have custard ever since I tried a version of Creme Brulee which was curdled and dry...I thought, "This isn't the custard I remember." I learned to make just a regular custard and then sprinkle the brown sugar on top and put it under the broiler...watch it closely and THAT my friends is Creme Brulee the way you would find it in New Orleans.

For last night I chose to make caramel custard, you unmold the custard and the caramel syrup pools around it on the plate. Yum!

Caramel Custard
1/2 cup granulated sugar, for the caramel
1 Tbs. water
3 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whole milk, scalded
1/2 tsp. best quality pure vanilla
Preaheat oven to 275 degrees.
In a small, heavy skillet over medium heat, put the 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbs. water, cover and heat for 30 seconds. Uncover, stir and swirl the pan until the sugar is melted and turns a light caramel color.
Divide the caramel among six-4oz. custard cups and let stand until cooled.
Beat the eggs with the 1/4 cup sugar and add scalded milk, slowly, while stirring. Add the vanilla and strain carefully into the prepared cups, to avoid disturbing the caramel.
Place cups in a pan of hot water. The water should come almost to the top of the cups. Cover with foil. Bake slowly for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the water and cool to room temperature. Chill until serving time.
To serve, run a knife around the edge of the custard and invert the cup onto a small plate.

So, to make Creme Brulee, omit the caramel on the bottom and sprinkle the cooked, cooled custard with brown sugar. Put under the broiler until the sugar is melted, but not scorched. Serve in the custard cups.

It was a delicious dinner and I had a pork loin twice the size I needed, so I just baked the other half up with some herbs on top. I'm going to be making fried rice with it and sharing it with friends tonight.

A delicious new recipe

Two weeks ago we studied about Ancient China. We had a chinese feast.

This was the best of the recipes we tried:
Five-Spice Shrimp with Walnuts

1 pound of medium or large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined.
1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. dry sherry
1 tbs. cornstarch
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 large red bell pepper, cut into short, thin strips
1/2 cup walnut halves or quarters
Hot cooked rice
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1. Toss shrimp with the five-spice powder and garlic in small bowl.
2. Blend broth, soy sauce and sherry into cornstarch in a cup until smooth.
3. Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, heat until hot. Add shrimp mixture, bell pepper and walnuts; stir-fry 3 to 5 minutes until shrimp are opaque and bell pepper is crisp-tender.
4. Stir broth mixture and add to wok. Stir fry 1 minute until sauce boils and thickens. Serve over rice and garnish with onions.
Note: Watch those bell peppers, don't let them over cook! The next time I make this, I will add a handful of snow peas.

Blind Squirrels

The Surrendered Wife by Laura Doyle, a book review

My husband often says that “Even a blind squirrel can find a few nuts”. He means that even when a person has all of the wrong philosophies or theologies, because of God’s good grace, they can unwittingly land on good ideas or practices.

This, I have found true in Laura Doyle’s book, The Surrendered Wife. Laura Doyle claims to be a feminist and is definitely writing from a non-complementarian point of view. She also only believes in a “higher power” who fits in to her imagined parameter. In spite of these obvious errors, Mrs. Doyle found some golden nuts.

First, her test: “How Intimate is Your Marriage?” Answer “rarely”, “sometimes” and “frequently”.

Do you:
1. Feel superior to your husband?
2. Nag your husband?
3. Commiserate with other wives about your husband?
4. Hear yourself say, “I told my husband…”?
5. Think that everything would be fine if your husband would do what you tell him to do?
6. Eavesdrop on your husband’s conversations?
7. Feel like the only adult in the family?
8. Feel overburdened in parenting your children?
9. Do things for your husband that he is capable of doing for himself?
10. Have recurring anxiety and depression?
11. Feel exhausted?
12. Find either of you are disinterested in “the marriage bed”?
13. Feel resentful or jealous about your husband’s victories in life?
14. Reject or criticize his gifts?
15. Fantasize about divorce of life with a man who would better match you?
16. Discount the reasons you chose your husband in the first place?
17. Feel hopeless about your marriage because your needs have gone unmet for so long?
18. Have a hard time trusting you husband even in small matters?
19. Find yourself trying to control your husband?
20. Get angry with your husband when he makes a poor decision?

I realized that just in these first pages that I have some work to do. I scored middle of the range in this test and the reason is that I have learned to not verbalize my disrespect, but it is still there, playing over in my mind. And I’m fooling myself if I think that my family doesn’t notice my attitude. Ouch!

The author does a very good job explaining how we women try so much to control what is going on…that old garden curse! She tells us that we only end up destroying trust in our marriages.
I’m a conservative, complementarian Christian, who believes that God’s Word in the Bible is infallible. So saying, I did find some of the things that she says offensive. I also found some of the things she says surprising knowing that she would consider me a “fanatic fundamentalist”.

I definitely think that this author over all, has found some good principles that God in His grace helped her to find. And I think I have some homework to do!

One of my favorite bloggers has decided to stop blogging. I will really miss her posts and I’m glad that she is going to be keeping her archives up. Cindy’s posts are often full of content, challenging my thinking and encouraging me to know why I believe what I do.
She has been a modern day “Titus 2” woman to me, blogging to encourage us to love our husbands and children and to be busy at home. The thing that has made her unique is that she doesn’t stop there, she challenges us to not fall back on assumptions when we do these things. Cindy has helped me to think about what it means to love my husband, love my children and be busy at home.
I really appreciate the women who blog who help me wrestle with what those commands look like here, today, in my life. Cindy (and others) help me to wrestle with my theology and my orthopraxy (living out that theology).

I don’t blog like that. I blog in little snatches of time, not devoting much thought or planning to what I’m going to say. First, I’m not very good at focusing, period, and secondly, it takes all of my energy to be focused on what I’m doing here, loving my husband, and children and being busy at home.
I blog, because I know that there are people who know me, who would like to stay in touch with me, our family and our everyday lives. I really don’t expect to have anyone else really interested in this blog. I’m okay with that, infact, I don’t think that I could take the pressure of a broad readership, imagined or real.

Cindy, I think has handled the pressure beautifully and has been a brave woman to hang on teaching us as long as she has. I’m going to miss the glimpses into her family life – her oldest boys have traveled farther down the paths that my own oldest are on, graduation from homeschool, careers, courtship, marriage. I’m going to miss her encouragement to enrich the culture in my home, something I have to work hard at. I’m going to miss her encouragement to enrich the culture of my mind, something that I need a lot of encouragement in – doing this in a purposeful and disciplined manner. I’m just going to miss Cindy.

I’m thankful for the other bloggers out there who do many of these things for me as well. I hope that when I point you in their direction, that you go look and ponder. They often say the things I want to say, but in a way that I never can.

Margaret

I'm just so busy right now! If I could manage my schedule better, I'd be able to post more.
So, here's praying that I get back on track, especially with waking and sleeping times (all of us!). And that we get and stay healthy around here (colds popping up here and there).
Have a good week!
Margaret

This & That

A picture that delights my heart. The older young men in our church. (My oldest in front in the burgundy, and next oldest in the back in the light green.)





















"The father of a righteous man has great joy;
he who has a wise son delights in him." Proverbs 23:24


Another Rossetti poem:

GOOD FRIDAY.


Am I a stone and not a sheep
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy Cross,
To number drop by drop Thy Blood's slow loss,
And yet not weep?

Not so those women loved
Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;
Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the thief was moved;

Not so the Sun and Moon
Which hid their faces in a starless sky,
A horror of great darkness at broad noon,--
I, only I.

Yet give not o'er,
But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a rock.


Last night was a wonderful time. During family devotions we reflected on the description of creation before the fall and what the new heaven & the new earth will be like. We talked about the things God has done for us this past year and the things we are looking forward to in faith for the coming year. Then we spent a sweet time in prayer.



Tonight...the Virginia Tech game. We are hoping to have some friends over to watch the game and visit with us. I have a big pot of spaghetti planned to feed the gang. It has turned really cold here and we are expecting a little snow. There is a little wood pecker on the tree right outside the window, I will have to remember to put out some seed and suet this week.

Steven has his follow-up appointment for his sleep study today. He is hoping to get some definite results, and a plan for what to do next. Just keeping the sleep journal has been revealing, his being in his bed does not mean he's sleeping!

The downstairs looks fine still, from having company, so today the focus is on Shayna's room, and the ever-present but quite piled up laundry. Ironing anybody? No, I didn't think so. :^)

Today, I'm thankful for: The heat that turns on and warms our home. The woodpeckers outside with their cheery red heads. Our family Dr. who promises to keep trying to figure out what's preventing Steven from getting a good night's sleep. For God's care and guidance for the young men in our church.

Today's Bible Reading: Genesis 5-8, Psalm 119:3,4

Happy New Year!

It has been a different, busy and enjoyable holiday season. I'm glad to get back into routines and clear away the dust and debris.

We have company for dinner and devotions this evening. We love to have company and all are pitching in to get the downstairs ready to make our guests comfortable. We plan to not do much schoolwork this week at all so that I can work on routines and lesson planning.

In the past, I have taken Most of January off of school to totally dejunk and get the house ship-shape. It is wonderful to make a fresh start and January is usually a month that we easily get the blahs. This year, though, we have a more rigorous school schedule, so we are just going to try to stretch out the extra house work over a longer period of time.



I have been enjoying the poems of Christina Rossetti these past few months. Here is another that struck me.

THE LOWEST PLACE.


Give me the lowest place: not that I dare
Ask for that lowest place, but Thou hast died
That I might live and share
Thy glory by Thy side.

Give me the lowest place: or if for me
That lowest place too high, make one more low
Where I may sit and see
My God and love Thee so.


Focus for today: Laundry (especially catching up on ironing), Get the downstairs spiffy, Do our weekly chore cards.

What's for dinner: Red beans & Rice, Salad, Homemade applesauce and carrot cake

Today I'm thankful for: New beginnings. My husband who so diligently got up this morning and started back to work. My grown sons who bless me with their wisdom and servant hearts. My younger two who show me Christ (one way or the other) every day and who pray alongside me. My family and church family see the above reason.

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 1-4, Psalm 119:1,2

Nutcracker Ballet today!

A young lady at church is in the ballet company and is going to be one of the rats! So, we are going to a performance this morning with about 50 other folks from church, it should be great!



On Tuesday I made 120 ginger snaps and about 60 sugar cookies. The kids had a great time icing them. I wish I had taken pictures! Gaelan sat at the table with the children (Steven was at work) and iced police cars and very fancy elephants. Hoppy (my niece Hannah) used three colors almost exclusively, pink, purple and light brown! Elena was into quantity and iced the most cookies. It was a great time. I do feel like I cleaned up more than I baked, but them's the breaks! I did get all of my cards and packages out, which is a big relief!



Yesterday, I cleaned my oven, so now it's all ready for my marathon baking starting this afternoon. I also finished several sewing projects and wrapped some things. Gaelan took the younger two out shopping in the afternoon and I think they had a good time. Isaac is still feeling under the weather a bit. Last night, Conrad and I went out with another couple for a nice dinner and to answer some questions in light of their joining the church. It was a very nice time and we got to know one of our newer couples.



When I get home today, I'm going to start baking cakes for gifting.

Tomorrow, after sitting for Mel, I will dive into the cookie baking and packing (the cookies, not us).

I'm thankful today for: The new families who are in our church, even though it is very crowded. A chance to go out with my daughter and friends today. My husband's wisdom and shepherd's heart. Family and friends coming in for the Christmas holiday.

Today I'm praying: For the peace of Christ to reign in our home. For us to be future focused, learning how to serve Christ better each day. For my children, that they will be caught when they sin. Psalm 119:71.

Today is Cookie Baking Day!

Well...one of them. Today we work on our sugar cookie cut-outs. One year when I asked the kids which Christmas Holiday tradition they most enjoyed they said this one. I thought, "Oh great, the one which is most work for me!" It is great fun though! We have a terrific recipe and lots of cookie cutters, some left from when I was a child.

THEN we ice them with the kind of icing that gets hard (royal icing) in about a dozen different colors. The boys have great fun using the cookie cutters in unusual ways - like turning the bell upside down and making an alien. It's a big mess and of course, we have to eat them all because who wants to give the neigbors a Merry Christmas alien?

Kathryn, Mom and the girls are going to come over and help before ballet class. And Steven hopes to join us when he gets home from work in the afternoon.

The rest of the week, I'm going to be working on baking the variety of cookies that we give to neighbors and friends.

I'll try to post this evening and let you know how much I got done and perhaps recipes, if anyone wants them.

I've also got to get out Christmas cards and packages this afternoon! And company's comin' soon!

The focus of the day: Well obviously, it's cookies and packages...but we are not going to skip our holiday school time.

What's for supper: I promised the kiddos party food...so we are having a croc pot full of meatballs with rice pilaf and cooked carrots and salad. I definitely think cookies are for dessert!

What I'm thankful for: Our health, even with the occasional cold it really is excellent! That we have company coming soon and I can't wait to hug niece and nephews and sisters and brothers. That our friends in Holland are coming soon for a visit, I miss them! That God is blessing our sons in their chosen professions and in their pursuit of the responsibilities of adult life. I'm thankful for my husband, he is one of the hardest working people I know.

What I'm praying for: Consistory meeting tonight. For Micah's precious family. That my husband would get done what he needs to at work before Christmas shut-down. For the Crisis Pregnancy Center. For my children: That they will hate sin. Psalm 97:10

Thanks for praying for our week, it went much smoother after cancelling the party. I think everyone here is on the mend. Steven as always has been sick longest and is still coughing quite a bit. He starts his new job today, so I'm sending him off armed with cold meds and a hot lunch.



The funeral was just beautiful! We sang some of Micah's favorite songs and his father spoke about what a privelege it has been to care for Micah, and about the fact that exactly what God planned happened, and Micah ran his race accomplishing the will of the Father. Then the brothers and sisters had written what they most loved and will most miss about Micah and it was read by one of the young men at church. Then two of the men at church whose families are especially close to Micah's family shared some thoughts. The Pastor gave a message and Conrad spoke on the sanctity of life. Conrad made it through the whole thing with only getting a little choked up! That is amazing because he is famous for getting choked up during nearly every sermon he has preached and at Baptisms too! At the end, we were invited to come up and share about Micah or to say a blessing to the family. I got up and shared what I had been praying for each of the children during the time I was praying for Micah and his parents. It was a wonderful time of rejoicing in God's goodness and remembering Micah's special smile. There was plenty of food afterward, too.



This is a hymn that our pastor chose for us to sing at the funeral. I thought it was very sweet.:

Children of the Heavenly Father

Children of the heavnly Father

safely in his bosom gather;

nestling bird nor star in heaven

such a refuge e'er was given.



God his own doth tend and nourish,

in his holy courts they flourish;

from all evil things he spares them,

in his mighty arms he bears them.



Neither life nor death shall ever

from the Lord his children sever;

unto them his grace he showeth,

and their sorrows all he knoweth.



Praise the Lord in joyful numbers,

your Protector never slumbers;

at the will of your Defender

ev'ry foeman must surrender.



Though he giveth or he taketh.

God his children ne'er forsaketh;

his the loving purpose solely

to preserve them pure and holy.



More secure is no one ever

than the loved ones of the Savior;

not yon star on high abiding

nor the bird in home-nest hiding.

When it rains...

Can you believe it? It's 73 degrees here! What's with that?



Our precious pastor's wife's grandmother passed away last night, so she is flying out to be with her family this week. Many of us are stepping up with childcare and meals for her family while she's gone.

So...I've decided to postpone our little party here on Friday. Many of the people invited to it drive a long way to come to church - 1-1 1/2 hours, and since they will come to the funeral and perhaps the visitation as well, that is too often to have to drive that far in one week. Also, this will free me up to help with the above need.

I had no idea, when I sent out invitations a month ago that I would still be battling these headaches as well.

So, my hubby has decided that this is a good plan. I'm much relieved, having more time to prepare food for that which it is most needed. AND, my family can relax and get over the various minor illnesses they are dealing with without Mom being to busy to bring orange juice, and more importantly, a sweet smile!

Phew! Now if the temperature would only drop about 15 degrees...;)

Please pray for our week.

This week is stacking up to be exhausting. Please, if you think of it, pray for us.

Today, we have the visitation for Micah. We will be getting to meet a lot of the family's family and friends who are here for the funeral. Several families in the church are hosting people who are traveling here. Conrad has to prepare to speak at the funeral.

Tuesday is the funeral. We are making food to feed lunch to about 300 people. (So today is shopping and baking day!)

Wednesday is the internment in the countryside at a private cemetary.

Thursday is a baby shower for someone else at church (the first of our next "rash" of babies, hurray!)

Friday, our family is hosting a homeschool presentation day and Christmas party, just for our shepherding families, but that is a lot of people! So, somewhere in the busyness, I have to make the food for that event and keep the house clean. And I know Isaac doesn't have his piece completely memorized (he's hoping I'll forget, I think!);)

We need to find time to meet with a few people, too, this week. And Conrad and I need to go shopping for the volunteers at the Crisis Pregnancy Center.



You know what, though? I tend to really shine when things get crazy. I'm one of those people who works better with a deadline. Headaches? Who has time for those, when you're this busy? It is my down time that I am really tempted to complain about such things.

Oh... I just realized that it is really high time I get presents in the mail, and though I am not very good at getting Christmas cards out every year, I had planned to this year.

Mostly, pray for the funeral and the things surrounding that event. Pray that God would be glorified in the service and people attending would be convicted of the truth of the Gospel, that there is a sure hope in Christ, and that there is a literal heaven and hell. That God's people love Him and submit themselves to His perfect plan for them.

Micah's family wants to make sure that everyone knows that God had a perfect plan for Micah, and accomplished that plan. There was no cruelty or mistake. And that they rejoice in God's will for them, though they miss Micah's presence very much.

Precious in the sight of the Lord...

Little Micah went to be with the Lord last night. Thank you for your prayers for him. Please continue to pray for his precious parents Pete & Suzanne, and his sisters and brothers, Samantha, Ben, Rebekah, Philip, James and Grace.

Hurray!

Steven got the job! He is very thankful and so are we. He will be the "part-time shipping/inventory assistant".

Isaac's Memorywork

Praise for the Incarnation

by John Newton

Sweeter sounds than music knows
Charm me in Immanuel's name;
All her hopes my spirit owes
To his birth, and cross, and shame.

When he came, the angels sung,
"Glory be to God on high;"
Lord, unloose my stamm'ring tongue,
Who should louder sing than I?

Did the Lord a man become,
That he might the law fulfil,
Bleed and suffer in my room,
And canst thou, my tongue, be still?

No, I must my praises bring,
Though they worthless are and weak;
For should I refuse to sing,
Sure the very stones would speak.

O my Saviour, Shield, and Sun,
Shepherd, Brother, Husband, Friend,
Ev'ry precious name in one,
I will love thee without end.

We're home from a lovely Lord's Day celebration. We have a little of time to rest and then we have a parenting class here tonight- always lots of fun.

Warning: the remainder of this post is about health issues and not really very interesting, you have my permission to mose on over to someone else's blog!:
Just for clarification. The headaches I am experiencing are not new to me, though having them for such a long time is. I have had hormone related headaches since I was 14 and used to have them about every two weeks. Since my operation, I have been experiencing them more and more, culminating in one that I have had (sometimes less, sometimes more) for several weeks. I have had a couple of shots following my surgery to completely flush my system of any estrogen because of the endomitriosis. When this is over (late January) we will begin to find out how to get my hormones in balance (through hormone therapy) in order to get me headache free. What a change THAT will be!

Since I have had these headaches for almost 30 years now, I have had several MRIs as well as examinations to check for other causes such as TMJ. I will be calling my Dr. tomorrow to see if I can try yet another headache medicine since what I have been taking isn't making a dent (in fact, I am trying not to take anything, right now, since I don't like the nausea that the prescription meds cause, and the over the counter migraine medicine doesn't do much and I'm concerned about taking too much too often.)



I hope that that helps those who wondered understand a little better (thanks Dawn for calling!).

I do just fine, I am not stuck in bed, just made less effective in my day-to-day work. My family is gracious and understanding and help me when I seem to be having a harder time than usual, but they have had lots of practice over the years.

I'll keep ya'll posted if there's any change. Thanks!

P.S. Please don't forget to continue to pray for the Parkers and little Micah!