A Girl in the Mud

After Moriah, Lily and I returned from the violin shop, we found Jeramy at work in the yard, after it rained the night before. I was aware that the ground was still wet and they might get dirty. Dirt washes out, right?! Of course! I went inside for a minute and returned outside to find Lily romping in some standing mud. :-) She was having a ball! And so was I watching her and taking pictures. :-) Look how dirty she is!!

Multitude Monday

Today I'm thankful for:

421. Shelter from the wind and rain.

422. Unexpected strawberries!

423. My husband's job.

424. Sweating in the gym.

425. New Teva flip-flops that make being on my pregnant feet way easier to bear.

What are you thankful for today?

Saturday Strings

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mr. Mark O'Connor

performing "Lady Be Good"

in the bluegrass fiddle tradition.

Our Garden

Here are some pictures taken Wednesday of how our garden is progressing. The tomato plants are really tall. Since these pictures were taken, Lily broke off the top of the jalapeno plant. Afterwards, she was very sorry. Hopefully it will teach her which plants she can pick (dandelions) and which she cannot!

May Flowers

Here are the flowers in our yard that have bloomed this month. Some are really quite beautiful. This first picture is of wild roses in our backyard.

Here is a pretty daisy near our mailbox. It really stands out.

I don't know what these are, but they open their blooms when the sun is out. They kind of remind me of stars. There are a couple patches of these around our mailbox.

This one is very beautiful and the only one I could find in the yard.

Who can resist hydrangeas?

A beautiful white, late blooming azalea.

This one reminds me of a princess - regal, breathtaking, beautiful crown, stands alone.

This beautiful bed of pretty little purple flowers is blooming next to our basement door.

Recent Wood Projects

Last night Jeramy built these a rolling table for his saw and here is the rolling table he made for his planer a while ago. This makes accessibility to these heavy pieces of equipment much easier. When the time comes that he feels moved to build something, he doesn't have to spend extra time setting up and taking down machinery.

Last week and again this week, Jeramy has built and installed two gates for the stairs from our deck. They look really handsome, don't they?! They blend in to the remaining sides really well and therefore make the stairs that much more unappealing for our girls to adventure. The rust resistant hinges are very attractive and swing and catch really easily. It is so much nicer having a safer outdoor place where we can relax with the girls and other little people. :-)

A Little Visitor

Here a moth or butterfly is visiting our mustard greens. He's probably waiting for us to get the ham bone and a pot of boiling water.

Belts Are Easy!

Moriah is really petite. Her height is normal for her age but her waist is smaller than most 24 months clothes fit, especially her jeans. So after unsuccessfully looking for girls' belts in the store I decided that maybe I could just make her one.

It was a lot easier than I thought I would be! At Joann Fabrics they have a shelf on the end-cap of one of their isles with different kinds of belting. This is sort of like the stuff seat buckles are made of - durable, interwoven, tough stuff - except prettier. Then on The Notions Wall I picked up a packet of D rings, which comes with 4 rings for two belts. The instructions are right on the packet of rings.

I cut a nice straight edge, looped it through two D rings and sewed it down. Then you do the same thing at the other end except without the rings and viola! It's done in 5 minutes! I made Lily a matching one also. :-)

Saturday Strings: Play With Sticks

Didn't your Mother ever tell you not to play with sticks? The primary part of a stringed instrument bow is called a stick.

The composition of the stick is what makes the bow valuable and determines its quality. Student bow sticks are made of fiberglass because they can withstand a lot of brutality before breaking, which makes them ideal for classroom situations and younger, less cautious, students. Bows made of fiberglass are also one of the least expensive type next to Brazilwood.

Western, European, bows are traditionally made from pernambuco wood from Brazil. Since the 18th Century, this was determined to be the best material from which luthiers used to make high quality bows. It was chosen because of it's unique combination of strength, flexibility and responsiveness. The finest bow makers have traditionally been French from the late 19th Century.

Other synthetic materials besides fiberglass have been chosen in the recent decades because of current laws protecting the now rare pernambuco trees. Carbon fiber bows have been manufactured to attain almost the same high quality as that of the pernambuco and therefore have become just as popular, even among professional orchestra personnel. They also have a reputation for durability.

Funny Friday: 20 Broken Record Questions

I have found myself asking these same questions day after day. As I was writing them down, some of them look really funny, as if I were somewhat mentally incompetent. How many of you parents find yourselves repeating some of these same things?

1. What did I just say?

2. What did I tell you to do?

3. Do you want a spanking?

4. Why won't you just obey?

5. Do you understand me?

6. Where are you?

7. What are you doing?

8. What's in your mouth?

9. Do you need to go potty?

10. Did you pee pee in the potty?

11. Are you finished?

12. Are you hungry?

13. Are you sleepy?

14. What do you want?

15. What did you say?

16. What do you say?

17. What's the matter?

18. Will you pick that up for Momma please?

19. Do you want to help?

20. How many times do I have to tell you ___?

AIG Materials for Our Homeschool

Here are a few materials that Jeramy purchased to add to our homeschooling collection. More than a year ago (around the time Moriah was 12 months) he bought some flash cards of numbers, letters, picture words and direction words. We've also been showing the girls some of the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum DVD collection: Life and Dinosaurs & Dragon Legends. The girls will sit the entire 30 minutes for the Life DVD oftentimes without stirring from their chairs. They love watching all the pictures of animals, people and the outdoors.

The books, A is for Adam and D is for Dinosaur, are more than just rhyming alphabet books that give children a Biblical perspective, it's also a more thorough resource material as the children get older. There are pages that direct Bible school lessons and xerox pages that they can color. The Creation Bible has a CD of music by Buddy Davis that sings through the entire book in about 7 minutes! Dinosaurs, Genesis & The Gospel is a good resource where Ken Ham is giving an interactive talk with Buddy Davis to children from 5 to 12 year olds. The girls have really enjoyed this new set of materials and hopefully they are learning a lot.

Not Your Average Treat

I've had a cravings for Rice Krispies Treats lately and so I decided to make some. When Jeramy saw the ingredients, he decided to do it for me. :-) Jeramy has a history with these Rice Krispies Candy (as they call it) and I'll share it with you.

Jeramy's parents have historically been in business for themselves. They owned the second largest tobacco farm in GA before the Government Buy Out when they retired and they have also owned other, smaller operations including a convenience store. At the time they co-owned the store, Jeramy, then 12 or 13, decided that he wanted to make a little money too. He decided to invest in homemade Rice Krispies Candy. He had this down to a very fine science from how much each ingredient would cost, counting the marshmallows, the wrapping materials - everything. He was very successful at this enterprise and made a good bit of money. People would rave about these Treats and it got to the point where customers requested them by name and preferred these to other candies and favors. As a result the other co-owners decided that they didn't want Jeramy to continue with his Candy business and shut him down. Customers got mad when they pulled it from the shelves because they were the best. The consistency and ratio of marshmallow to cereal, the texture, a personal recipe and the price were what drew people.

He has kept his original recipe a secret (even from me) but here are a few tips from the master about making your own Rice Krispies Treats:

1. Use real, brand name ingredients. Don't use generic cereal or marshmallows.

2. Use water on your hands and utensils to keep the marshmallow from sticking.

3. Cover with air-tight plastic wrap to keep it moist if it lasts through the next day.

4. Allow 30 minutes to cool and set before serving.

5. Cut with a straight-edged knife.

Know Where to Look

Day after day, it's the same thing. Besides feeling like all your daily and weekly work is taken for granted and being emotionally and spiritually drained in trying to remain consistent in disciplining disobedient children, you feel like there are no rewards for all your labor.

Who recognizes your sacrifices? What regular wages do you receive for all your long hours and being on-call 24-seven? You work overtime and are not compensated. There are no days, holidays or weekends off. You are overworked and underpaid. Don't they know that you could have had a successful career? Don't they know how many hours of study you devoted to obtain levels of higher education? And for what? To change diapers, cook meals, fold laundry and sing The Alphabet Song 20 times a day besides listening to relentless whining and crying?

The rewards are there because you're doing ministry in faith.

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Psalm 127:3

What about those giggles when the Tickle Monster attacks? What about those ear-t0-ear tooth filled smiles? What about those words that come unprovoked, "I love you, Mommy"? What about when they come up and beg to sit in your lap for a little "we time"? What about when people compliment you on how beautiful/handsome they are? Or how well-behaved they are? Or how clean they are? Or how smart they are? Or how about when your husband surprises you with your favorite ice cream? Or flowers? Or 10 lbs. of bacon? Or a foot or back rub?

When your children don't have temper tantrums in Wal-mart like other kids - that's a reward. When your children beg you to help you do your tasks and cry when they can't participate - that's a reward. As they've watched you go about all the many things you do, directly and indirectly for them, they see. They learn. It fosters in them already a mentality that they are not supposed to be idle. The helping desire and attitude they already exhibit - that's a reward. Any small little moment of joy that wells up in your heart when you realize that you are doing something right - that's a reward. When your children grow up and come to the point of tears at recalling how much you've done for them - that's a reward. When after 16 or even 18 years you see that you've successfully, by God's grace, reared responsible sanctified adults prepared to start families of their own, who are willing to now care for you when the time comes to do so. That's a reward. And at the end of it all, to hear those words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant," and see the crown and other heavenly rewards that accompany them. There is no greater reward.

A conversation between Eowyn and Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:

'Shall I always be chosen?' she said bitterly. 'Shall I always be left behind when the Riders depart, to mind the house while they win renown, and find food and beds when they return?'

'A time may come soon,' said he, 'when none will return. Then there will be need of valour without renown, for none shall remember the deeds that are done in the last defence of your homes. Yet the deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.'

.....

Hang in there. Keep going. Know where to look. Open your eyes - the rewards are there. They won't look like the rewards as the world defines them. They may not be as big, flashy or expensive. They might be small and meaningless in the world's economy. But these rewards are as God defines them and you might be the only one to notice.

The Will to Go On

How do you find the strength and the will to continue doing this role of wife and mother when you have no joy, no appreciation and no rewards? The will comes from the desire to obey God's Word, the hope that one day there will be joy, appreciation, rewards and, selfishly, the hope for relief and help. Even when you struggle in your will to remain faithful in your commitment to others, it is constrained by a greater desire to remain obedient to God - to be faithful to Him - by a fearful dread of His heavy hand of conviction should you decide and actually do escape your role.

In John 16:33 Jesus said,

"In the world you have tribulation, but take courage;

I have overcome the world."

Multitude Monday

Today I'm thankful for

411. The grace God has shown me that I might believe and be saved from an eternity in Hell.

412. The faith and will to be obedient to the Word.

413. The energy to do what needs to be done in the home.

414. How efficiently time has been given and passed to complete all the work that gets done.

415. Distractions from unholy thoughts.

416. What faint hope I have for future rewards and recognition.

417. The will to get out of bed each morning.

418. The faithfulness of God even when I begin to lose faith.

419. The fact that nothing I do could cause God to forsake His grace shown me.

420. The hope that God will give me joy in His time.

What are you thankful for today?

Eau de Cloth Diapers

I use a Sterilite tall trash can with a lid for our cloth diaper pail. I've always kept it dry because I knew that a wet pail would weigh more and the extra weight would make it more cumbersome when the day came to launder them. The lid helps to keep the smells contained and I only encounter the smell when it's full and I open the lid to drop in a dirty diaper. I don't use a pail liner because they cost money and I can just as easily throw the diapers in the machine hands-free without one.

At first we would rinse each diaper separately in the toilet before depositing it in the pail. This really helped keep the smells under control. I consider now that doing so uses much more water than just rinsing them in the washing machine before the wash cycle. Let's say my pail holds between 20 and 30 cloth diapers before they get washed. Old toilets (before 1994) use 3.5 gallons of water per flush and today's low-flow toilets use 1.5 gallons. Multiply that with the 20-30 diapers per pail and that's between 30 and 105 gallons of water! A washing machine with a 3.3 cubic feet basket capacity will use about 31.5 gallons of water per complete cycle. If you break that up by 3 (once for the wash cycle and once for each of two rinse cycles) then it's only about 10 gallons to rinse the cloth diapers all together in the machine rather than doing each one by hand! (And I suppose that's if you have an average to full load of laundry.)

Plus, I've found that letting the machine rinse the diapers saves me time during each diaper change. And it saves my hands from swimming around in dirty toilet water several times a day! It's more time efficient, energy efficient, resources efficient and it's more sanitary! I will still rinse a cloth diaper if there's enough number two that stubbornly won't detach, but that's maybe just once a day. Diaper sprayers also are great inventions that help keep your hands cleaner.

The first morning cloth diaper (the one baby's worn all night long) would be especially aromatic and still is. Both Moriah and Lily wear cloth at night. In the morning, thanks to the no rinsing dry diaper pail, I don't really have to smell it at all. I just remove the dirty diaper and plop it in the pail. I barely have enough time to really get a good whiff. If they drink more water than other alternatives, the smell won't be so horrible either.

When I had to change a diaper with number two while dealing with pregnancy nausea, the smell would make me get sick almost every time. My friend Jennifer would use disposables during her "morning sickness" period and then switch back to cloth when she could tolerate smells better. During those dirty diaper changes I would aim a fan right at my face or the diaper so that I wouldn't be overcome by the fragrance. If I used a disposable (which I might just happen to have thanks to Grandma) and she didn't poo, then I would feel like I wasted a disposable diaper. It's a give and take kind of thing, I guess.

Previously I was using bleach in the diaper wash/rinse cycles to help with residual smells, but now I've switched to baking soda and they come out smelling just as clean as when I used bleach. I use a whole cup of baking soda in the first rinse cycle, Tide for the wash and they smell great when the cycle is complete. I use so much soda because I only wash my cloth diapers about twice a week. (After 3 days of non-rinsed cloth diapers, the smell does almost knock me out when I dump them into the washing machine.) I also wash out the diaper pail when I empty it. I just swish it in the bath tub with soapy water and that's enough to remove odors and give me comfort that it's clean. Sometimes I will wipe it also. Overall, I don't usually think about the smell except when it comes time to wash them.

When G'Wanda takes the girls for a day and leaves me with the disposable Lily's wearing upon their return, I change it and leave it in the trash can in the bathroom - I tend to notice it's odor more than I do the cloth diapers! There's way more dirty cloth diapers in the pail with a lid that don't create a wafting smell, but the one disposable in the open trash can does! Ironic, huh?!

Any other thoughts or suggestions?

Newborns & Cloth Diapers

Last year Jeramy and I decided to invest in cloth diapers because we had become uncomfortable with how expensive it was having both Moriah and Lily in disposables. Lily was still solely breast feeding while Moriah was on the same diet as we were. I purchased some Osocozy All-in-Ones, Kushies diaper covers and several dozen pre-folds.

We loved using the AIO on Moriah because they work just like a disposable but they are washable/reusable and therefore more economical if you're willing to make the plunge financially for the convenience. (At the time, through a forum, they only cost us about $7 each. Immediate picture below.) In the end it really does pay for itself. The diaper covers and pre-folds are probably the most economical purchase for cloth diapers. It definitely doesn't bite your wallet too much to switch to cloth when you choose this method.

Once or twice I used the AIO on Lily during that time and found that if she did a number two, the soft breast milk stool would come out of the AIO and mostly run up her back. :-P I figured the reason for that being that there was no lip around the back or gussets around the legs to prevent wetter messes from escaping. Primarily for Lily during her breastfeeding I used the pre-folds and the diaper covers.

I loved the diaper covers because I didn't have to use pins or other closures for the pre-folds. The way I created a lip in the back to keep messes from escaping was just folding it down a bit and it worked wonderfully. I plan on doing the same when our new little one arrives. And for the older, solid food babies and toddlers, I definitely plan on purchasing enough AIOs next time to last between washings because they are so convenient and others will not be so averse or fearful to changing the cloth diapers either. :-)

Anyone have other comments or suggestions about cloth diapering newborns?

Fruit & Bamboo

Here's a few pictures Jeramy took of our growing garden yesterday. The tomato plants are really quite big (about 3 feet or so) and the peppers are growing as well. Hopefully the plants will produce a lot. There are a lot of flowers on the peppers. We would like to see more ladybugs, though.

A Poem

This was included in our Sunday bulletin.

A Mother's Day Poem

Written by a Homeschooling Father named Matthew Moran

Your back and your head ache at days end.

And you wonder in silence if there exists just one friend.

One you can talk to who doesn't need a drink,

Or need his mouth wiped or help up to the sink.

And try as you might, sometimes you feel small

And doubt your self-worth, or if it's worth it at all.

For if you have a career, in society's eyes,

You've come a long way, and have proved yourself wise.

But for the mother at home, she thinks less of herself,

For instead of a pedestal, we place her up on the shelf.

And for tasks done in the office a woman receives praise

But what glory do we give mothers for the children they raise?

So for the mother of my children and others I know

A bit of a tribute and gratitude to show.

I know they're not much, these words that you read

But I do know that MOMS are what children need.

So look at those children as they spill once again,

As they fight over toys and bring you to your wits end.

For the day will arrive when childhood is no more

And your shoes won't be sticking to juice on the floor.

And twenty-nine times you won't have to repeat,

"Pick up those socks" (unless your husband is like me).

And while your task as a mother may seem to be through,

Your children, as grown-ups, are still children to you.

And diamonds and gold are little to pay

For what a mother goes through with her children each day.

For her payment isn't seen by the money she earns

But by the adults that she's grown and the love they return.

A Work in Progress

After buying the majority of my materials, I put completion of the hearth project on the back burner. I suppose that is due to a higher priority of finishing The Lord of the Rings. :-) After a challenge from my Honey that he'll build a new changing table when I finish the hearth cover, I got to work on it quick. (Hey, we need that changing table before the new baby comes!) I'll probably finish it soon. I'm going to surge the inside seams because the expensive upholstery fabric is fraying a little more than expected. Then I'll stuff it, sew the zipper and then the ties on the corners. Jeramy gave me the "go ahead" to buy the expensive high quality urethane foam so that the fireplace might be a comfortable place to sit. (Pictures in backwards order.)

Trying to smooth out the foam stuffing - not working too well right now.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to put hose on a giant ogre's leg?

Project consolations

Pinned and ready to sew.

Live & Learn: Protect Your Investment

It's almost been one year since we've switched to cloth diapers and let me say that I will never go back to the sole use of disposables again! I'm so very pleased with the money we've saved, the peace of mind, and being a better steward of the natural resources that are accessible. When you're trying to live a frugal lifestyle, cloth diapering really is the way to go. The last thing you want to do when you're trying to save money is to spend it on one more thing that's just going to end up in the trash. That is priceless at this point! Especially when you have more than one child in diapers at a time.

I have learned quite a few things over this past year of cloth diapering, though. The first thing being: Follow the dealer's laundering instructions! This is the most important way that you can protect your investment in cloth diapers! I can't emphasize this enough because this is the lesson I've learned as I've watched my diaper covers age so quickly in such a short amount of time.

Do not put your covers in the dryer! There would occasionally be a time when I missed taking one out of the mix when throwing them into the dryer and I noticed that there was no immediate negative response. So, for the sake of time and just being lazy, I've since always thrown my covers in the dryer. And now I've found out why and paid the price! It's only been a year since I've used these covers and look at the wear and tear! I plan on mending them before the new baby arrives (probably within the next couple of weeks).

I just bought a pack of 3 Thirsties Duo Wrap diaper covers from Simple Wonders Diapers and I love them! They have an adjustable rise and really durable velcro and just from using them once you know that it's a higher quality than the Kushies I've been using all year. I plan on buying more of these eventually. They're great!

Do not use bleach! One of the only things about cloth diapering is the smell of dirty diapers in the pail! It almost just knocks me over (literally!) when I dump my diaper pail in the washing machine. Only using detergent didn't rid the diapers completely of the unpleasant odor, so I began adding bleach to the first rinse cycle before washing or to the wash cycle itself (or even both). Bleach is a very harsh chemical and the new diaper covers I just bought clearly indicated that they should not be washed with bleach. Instead I've started using Baking Soda which has been approved for so many household, first aid, baking uses as well as deodorizing laundry. Click here for a great article I found on Diaper Hyena. I saw that Tide powder detergent is one of the best detergents for laundering cloth diapers - which is the detergent I've always used - click here.

Other things to consider that I haven't completely subscribed to yet, that I probably should:

Affixing the velcro onto the designated laundry tabs will prevent the fraying of other parts of the covers and aging them before their time. Plus, if they have laundry tabs, the maker knows how to protect their product. The Kushies diapers covers I purchased don't have laundry tabs included. :-(

Hanging the diapers out in the sun to dry will aid with deodorization and stain removal. I've done this a few times and it really does work to remove stains on my diaper covers. Plus it will save the energy of always using the dryer. We don't have a line outside to do this and I may not always want it visible as a lawn ornament. I will definitely hang my covers to dry, inside the house, but I don't know if I'll hang all my diapers in the future. It seems like more work to me - at least for now.

What other suggestions do you cloth diapering Moms have - things you've learned, things you love and ways you protect your investment?

Saturday Strings

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Gonzalo Andres Molano

performing the Gigue and Double

from Lute Suite No. 2 by J. S. Bach (BWV 997)

Free Nursing Cover for Mother's Day

My friend Erin over at A Full Heart just wrote to tell me that Udder Covers is giving away free nursing covers using the promo code, "Mother" in honor of Mother's Day. They're covers are really cute and I've just ordered mine. Each cover is a $32 value and you can give them away as gifts or store them for the future. :-) You will have to pay $9.95 in shipping, but you still end up paying less than 1/3 the cost for one of these great covers.

Just go to the Udder Covers website, click on "Shop Now", select the nursing cover you would like and you will automatically be repositioned to the center of the page where you can enter in the promo code! Type in Mother and it will bring your product total to $0! We are not sure how long this promotion can last. You can use the code more than once - you just have to open a new browser/window to do so. This promotion code is valid once per transaction!

April Flowers

My parents had a lot of azaleas on our property back in Northern VA. They had about 3 acres of land there, full of azaleas and trees. But I've never seen an azalea like this white one bloom so full and amazing that I can remember.

The iris strikes me as being a funny flower. They look gorgeous from a distance, but get up close and they're not all that breathtaking. The pretty colored petals are flopped over like rabbit ears and their full glory is somewhat diminished. The previous owners planted these purple and yellow ones on the side of our driveway. Some days there are more and some days there are less flowers in bloom.

Our Garden

It's been a few weeks that our garden has been fully established and we're already seeing some fruit! Our tomato plants have already begun to produce cute little baby green tomatoes! There are many other tomato plants that have sprouted some flowers too. The peppers look healthy. My cilantro needed to be replanted from seed, but the chives are doing well. The mustard greens show a lot of promise as well as the beans too. Some cucumber and squash are making themselves known and hopefully we'll be able to reap a good harvest from them too. The corn looks really great - Jeramy thinks he should have planted more.

Monday we had a lot of rain (4"- 5" in some areas!) and it knocked down most of the vegetation. Thankfully the next day the bamboo poles we ordered arrived and we all were able to help set them up. You can see our bamboo structures in the next garden update. Jeramy has done an excellent job of keeping tabs on the garden and giving it a lot of attention.

On the sides of our yard Jeramy planted some blueberry bushes, raspberry bushes, grapes and additional squash and cucumber. Along the driveway he planted some marigold seeds which have also come up and are looking really great after just a few weeks from seed. Yay, garden!

Update: Baby #3

Now it's 25 weeks and counting. There is a lot of movement from the baby - usually most of it is while I'm awake, which is good. Sometimes women have a lot of baby movement when they're lying down, trying to go to sleep, but she seems to be on the same schedule as I for now. :-) Bending down is difficult and awkward especially at the end of the day. I've not had too much lingering pain and I'm very thankful. Pelvic tucks and glute stretches work really great for the tail bone.

There is still the occasional bouts of nausea, but I can more easily tolerate garlic and onion in small amounts now than before. It's been a little while since I last vomited, but it seems to be occurring now about once every 2 to 3 weeks or so. Carbonated beverages help settle my stomach but they have a lot of sugar (or unhealthy sugar substitute) so I try not to indulge too much.

Exercise is going well. I continued to run last week, but I strained my groin muscle which prevented me from doing a whole lot this week. Monday when I tried to run, I had a little discomfort/pain in the bottom of my belly after 3 minutes (5.5 mph) so I stopped and just walked. Based on that last experience, I think my running days are coming to an end. But I'm so very pleased that there has been nothing to hinder me from running up to this point! Yay!! I definitely don't consider stopping now a failure! I still plan on getting regular cardio exercise 5-6 days a week, strengthening and stretching. So, I'll keep you posted.

So far I've gained about 13 pounds. I'm getting a little discouraged that I won't be able to keep my pregnancy weight at 20-25 pounds, but all I can do is remain disciplined with exercise and diet and that's all God expects of me. So, I try not to let it bother me too much. Plus I remain hopeful that I'll lose it all afterwards. :-D

See new pictures of the girls in the right sidebar from April.

Multitude Monday

The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;

Let the many islands be glad.

Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

Fire goes before Him

And burns up His adversaries round about.

His lightnings lit up the world;

The earth saw and trembled.

The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD,

At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

The heavens declare His righteousness,

And all the peoples have seen His glory.

Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images,

Who boast themselves of idols;

Worship Him, all you gods.

Zion heard this and was glad,

And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced

Because of Your judgments, O LORD.

For You are the LORD Most High over all the earth;

You are exalted far above all gods.

Hate evil, you who love the LORD,

Who preserves the souls of His godly ones;

He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Light is sown like seed for the righteous

And gladness for the upright in heart.

Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones,

And give thanks to His holy name.

Psalm 97 NASB

Today I'm thankful for

401. God's promise never to flood the whole earth again.

402. Temporary relief from a pulled muscle.

403. Nightmares are just bad dreams.

404. Opportunities to save lots of money.

405. Encouragement from God's Word.

406. New members at our church.

407. Comfortable, good looking clothes.

408. Walking barefoot in my house.

409. Impromptu hugs around my legs.

410. Little curly heads I can pet.

What are you thankful for today?

Creation Seminar in Garland, TX

A couple of weeks ago, Jeramy went to a church in TX to give a creation vs. evolution seminar. The pastor had been advertising for weeks and there was a great turn out, considering the size of the church. There were also some un-believing atheists in attendance! There was one particularly, extremely foolish man to come and try to steal the show - a real heckler. Jeramy kept his cool and even some of the little old ladies in the church yelled at him saying something like, "Sir, this is not your seminar! Sit down!"

Anyway, Jeramy recorded his seminars and was able to edit out that crazed heckler for our benefit. I am excited to hear it soon. Check it out. There are four sessions with the notes and audio on his blog. His talks cover a lot of ground from worldview positions, intelligent design, the Flood and dating methods up to racism. There is also a link to it in my top left sidebar.

Saturday Strings

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mr. Yehudi Menuhin

performing the Third Movement of the

Paganini Violin Concerto no. 1.

Notice how effortless he makes the ricochet bowing and double-stop false harmonics appear! Wow! Paganini is definitely no walk in the park!