It was a Dark and Stormy Night...

I'm sitting by our sliding glass doors and the wind is howling as the rain pounds and dances on the pavement outside.  It feels like a night in New Jersey! People, this is soCal.  Weather like this isn't what we're paying for here!!! Just kidding, of course!!!

Actually, I'm a huge fan of cloudy days (as long as I get to stay indoors!) and I really love hearing the wind and the rain.  As a kid, I would get mesmerized watching rain drops on the window dripping down on the window.  It's the perfect kind of weather to keep the kids home and where we can drink lots of hot tea (laced with sweetened condensed milk, of course!), read in bed (that's a luxury for any mom, right?!?), play and hang out.  Notice I didn't add exercise...!!! Duh!!! 

In New Jersey, it rained.  A lot.  On the few rainy days Krista wasn't sick at home, I would pick her up after school and we'd go to Panera Bread and have soup out of bread bowls and share an enormous mug of hot chocolate.  It was our rainy day treat.

I think rain makes me nostalgic.  I look at Michael at age 4 and I remember Krista at age 4.  Wow, what a difference! I wish Michael had a tenth of the experiences Krista had at his age.  She used to travel everywhere with me to conventions, conferences, etc. getting to meet all the different people I used to work with in the industry.  She's been on stage with me emceeing Christian concerts, in interview rooms as I talked with Christian authors and artists, in limos heading to record studios, backstage, in concerts, etc.  She was a well-seasoned traveler making friends with everyone she met on the plane, in the taxis, at hotels, etc.!

I'm glad I experienced that with my daughter.  it was a different season of life I was in.  But, I'm doubly glad I'm getting to experience life as a stay-at-home mom with Michael now.  I remember wondering what it would be like to be plugged into a mom's group and hang out with other moms talking about mom stuff.  I remember Krista begging me to be in the classroom because other mommies were there.  I did a lot of stuff at home for the teacher but being in the classroom physically wasn't something I could do because of work.  I remember her begging me to be the mom who went on field trips with the class when she was in Kindergarten and 1st grade but things never worked out with my schedule.

Now, I get to do all those things I wondered about and then some! In some ways, I feel like I've been given a second chance at doing the mom thing and it's so much fun and more rewarding than I ever could have imagined!!!

This is a season of life I find very rewarding (except for the exercising part!).   Jacob recently returned from Hong Kong.  The other day he called and after speaking to him briefly, I gave the phone to Michael.  Apparently, while I had been on the phone, he was trying to pull the strap of my purse which was dangling down from the counter (I don't think he realized it could fall and knock him in the head!).  Krista was trying to drag him away from it and he was not a happy camper. This is what I overheard him say...!

Michael:  "Daddy, I want you to come and take Krista back to Hong Kong with you.  Just leave the two of us here and take her with you." 

Isn't that a hoot?!?  He can be very articulate when he's irate! But thankfully, he was over being angry by the time we had to get in the car.  Krista helped him with his seatbelt (I don't understand how he manages to twist his seat belt every single time!) and he responded by saying, "Krista, I love you you!"  He was actually modeling the verse in Ephesians 4:26 (I'll be using the Amplified Bible):  "When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down."
We can all learn from that, right?

In other news, I am happy to say I finally finished No Safe Haven by Kimberley Woodhouse and Kayla R. Woodhouse (I loved it!) and started two other books.  One is Blood Covenant by Lisa Harris and the other is Rob Stennett's Home Made Haunting. Hopefully, by the time I blog again, I'll be able to share two other new books I'm reading! Happy Friday!!!

The Talkative Talker in the House (and I'm NOT referring to myself!!!)

I was on the phone with my friend Betty and she was having neck issues again so after I got off the phone, Michael and I prayed for her.  Here's what Michael said...

"Dear God, please help Miss Betty and her neck issues...[long pause].  She needs grace, mercy, gratitude and peace from you.  In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen"

Don't you love the way children pray?!?  I wish I could record these prayers with his little voice so sincere and fervent.

I finally finished Siri Mitchell's A Heart Most Worthy and fans of historical fiction are going to love this one! This morning I started No Safe Haven by Kimberley and Kayla R. Woodhouse (remember them on Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition?) and the story is seriously addictive...in a good way! But trying to read in between Michael talking to me non stop makes it hard to concentrate.  I'll wait til his nap to get some reading done...

Most of our friends have no idea how much Michael talks.  He's so quiet in the public arena, but when it comes to home, he talks...and talks...and talks.  Here's a random sample of stuff he says at home...

"I'm making a project for you, mommy and need the tape.  Can you get it for me...why can't I use the tape?"

"How do I spell that?  I don't know how to write this letter.  Will you write it down for me?"

"Can I exercise now?  Is the TV set up to AV2?"

"Watch me, mommy.  I'll be your coach, ok?  And then you can do it after me.  I'm good at this, but you're not, right?"

"I need to do more school work.  Can you get me more books?"

"Can you be my doctor and check my breathing and take pictures of my bones?"

"I'm not tired! I could stay awake all night doing school work!  Can I?"

"I'm hungry.  Is it snack time yet?"

"We need to read our three books.  Can you read your book out loud to me?"

"I have assessments to do! I need to do science, math, history, and my grammar now!"

"Can't you bake today?  I want to help you do some baking! Please, oh please oh please?!?"

I wish I could record all of Michael's conversations! He has me laughing through the day!!! Lately, we've been playing the new VeggieTales Hosanna CD in the car (I'll have a full review of it in my next edition of Five Star Books & More newsletter) and I love the song selection on there! We know most of the songs because we sing them at church so it's great to be able to sing them in the car together, too.  I love it when we're at church and they start singing a song we've heard on one of our CDs in the car and Michael will lean in to me and whisper, "They're singing cut number 5 on our CD, mommy!"

In the NLT (New Living Translation) 1 Chronicles 16:9 says, "Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds."

So, let's do it!!!

Death by Exercise

It's a proven fact that exercise is dangerous.  My friend Nicea has broken her toe (I'm pretty sure it's because she's an avid runner and is the poster child for exercise).  Isn't that proof enough?!?  And I feel like I'm dying each time I turn on the Wii Fit and each time I'm finished beating my body into submission while running, cycling and doing step aerobics (which should be renamed torture aerobics).  It's a very slow process to getting the desired results so I'm really hoping that the rapture comes sooner than later!!! Since I began exercising (day 21), my reading time has dropped tremendously and it's killing me (I have barely finished a book in the past week and that is a BAD thing)!!!  So I can safely say with certainty that exercising is killing my way of life as I knew it (and what's up with the exhaustion after exercising?!?  I can barely stay up past 12:30 now which cuts into my reading time in a big way)!!!

I just finished Waterfall by Lisa Bergren and I've been trying to finish Siri Mitchell's A Heart Most Worthy which has been my upstairs book.  I started it a week ago and should have been able to finish it a long time ago!!! AAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!

On a happier note, I finally finished writing to my brother (it's taken me about 4 months to complete it!), got the house cleaned and organized enough to have my 8th grade girls over again for part two of our Bible study discussion using Dannah Gresh's book, What Are You Waiting For?  We've been having the best conversations---especially when we veer off the scheduled path I planned! I figure it's a God thing and I just go along with it.  And so far, it has been an incredible experience with the girls and I cherish the time I get with them!!!

Michael has been loving having the girls over here because it means he gets to be the "taste tester" of the bowls of snacks I set out for the girls! This afternoon, he discovered he really really likes pretzel M&Ms.  He only eats the green ones though.  And all day, he was anticipating making his own pizza with the girls (I had set out pita bread, a bowl of sauce and mozzarella cheese and various toppings for the girls to make their own pizzas) which he did.  I was hoping he would eat it, but he was content making it...and leaving it.  Okay, now.  He's definitely going to be seeing it again tomorrow because I'm not eating it for him!!!

I'm very thankful for Jacob who works hard and provides for our family.  I love being a full-time mom at home with Michael (and Krista when she's not in school!) and feel very blessed and grateful!

I Chronicles 16:34 puts it best:  "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!" I love the Amplified Bible!

 



  

What Are You Waiting For?

I've been waiting forever for this day to happen and now it's over! Today was the Inspired31 Mother-Daughter tea with special speaker Dannah Gresh.  If you've read my blog, then you know she's one of my favorite authors and her recent book, What Are You Waiting For? is the book I've started to use with my 8th grade girls!!! Seeing Dannah and Bob again was really great!!!  It reminded me of one of my favorite things about working in Christian radio---getting to talk to the most interesting people shaping our culture with their writings and music!

While Krista and I were at the tea, Michael was happily playing at PaPa Bear and MaMa Bear's house! He was waiting for this day for the entire week!!! He packed up his rolling backpack (Thomas the Train, of course!) and filled it with his school books ("I love doing school!" and "I think I need more school books, mommy!" Believe me, I never heard those words ever come out of Krista's mouth at that age!).  Then he showed me his money and offered to let me use some (No thanks, that money is worth as much as Monopoly bucks, kiddo!).  I love his generosity though! It's the thought that counts, right?!?

The other day in the car,  a conversation between Krista and Michael just cracked me up!

Michael:  I'm so filled with energy that I can't stop talking!!!

Krista:  Michael, you don't stop talking even when you're not filled with energy.

I asked Krista to supervise Michael while he washed his hands after playing at the park with PaPa Bear.  I went to bring in the stuff from the car and Michael said this to me later:

Michael:  I don't need Krista to supervise me when I'm washing my hands, mommy.   I can do it all by myself.

It was a surprise to hear the word, "supervise" coming from a four yo's mouth! Michael continues to surprise me every day and my days are filled with laughter because he says some of the funniest things! Don't you just love this age?!?

Laughing with Michael (and yes, I admit that sometimes we're laughing at him too!) makes me thing of the verse in Proverbs 17.  I really like how the Amplified Bible phrases Proverbs 17:22: "A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones."

It sure beats taking Tylenol!


 

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Girls Night Out

Krista and I have been talking about having a LOMSAA girls sleepover for a while now.  And of course, after reading Dannah Gresh's book What Are You Waiting For? I felt strongly compelled to have the 8th grade girls over to do a Bible study sleep over on it with them.

Well it happened.  Every girl from the 8th grade class made it (only 11) and we had the best time talking, journaling and talking! I love these girls! They are amazing and have such a desire to know God and each other!!! And I love being with them, talking and just hanging out with the girls.

Although only 9 were able to sleep over, it was still an amazing time going through Dannah's book with them.  We are up to chapter 4 and will have another Bible study sleep over to continue our journey with Dannah.  I read to the girls, we discussed things in between readings and then the girls took some time to journal.  It was amazing!!! Being with the girls reminded me how much I loved being a youth group leader and hanging out with the kids.  I'm currently in the season of being involved with moms in women's ministry (which I love!), but I look forward to the day when I can get back to working with the kids in youth group, too :o)

I've adopted every one of these girls in my heart and I'm so thankful that Krista has these girlfriends.  They're godly young women with a desire to build their relationships and love one another.  I can say with certainty that there is not another 8th grade class of girls like these LOMSAA girls in the entire nation!!!

I can't wait to see them grow up, date (of course, every date has to meet my expectations before it can go further), get married (I'll be in the front row with Laurie!!!) and eventually have children (after getting their master's degree or Ph.D degree, of course!!!) of their own.  Most of all, I can't wait to see how God will use these young women to impact His kingdom.  I'm just privileged to be a small part of their lives (hopefully for a long time!) as they go through this journey known as "life."

What I love about these girls is how easy they are! All I need is snacks (corn and potato chowder for those who needed dinner) and a place for the girls to be together and they're set! We don't have the biggest house, but it doesn't matter because they're happy to all lay down side by side on the floor in their sleeping bags and on the couches!

At 5:43 am every sleep over mom's nightmare comes true...a child is sick under my watch.  I can't get a hold of her parents, but after researching on the internet, there is very little I can do except make sure she's drinking enough fluids to prevent dehydration.

Okay, Michael is up (I've been hearing the music from his aquarium and he's been humming to it, too! Such a sweet sound this early in the morning (6:44am) which means hello Michael and goodbye blogging!

Let me leave you with this amazing verse I just found  in The Message for Psalm 103:6"God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet. He showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel. God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he's rich in love. He doesn't endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins. As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we're made of mud. Men and women don't live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom, But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here. God's love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him, Making everything right for them and their children as they follow his Covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said. "

I love the part about God's love being present and making everything right for His children.  Oh, I pray that everything right will go for my girl who loves God and is so sick right now.  Dear Father, please have mercy on my sweet girl.  Bring her healing and please give her mercy.  In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

A Four Year Old's Definition Of L-O-V-E

"Love is when you're mad and then you hug afterwards.  That's the definition of love."

"Love is when you hug and kiss."

"Love is when you love somebody." 

"Love looks like...I don't know.  God knows.  Ask God."

"I love my teddy bear.  I love my animals in my bed.  That's what I love.  I love my toys and...I love you!"

I love how The Message puts John 13:34-35: "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."

"You've Hurt My Feelings," "I'm Mad At You" And Other Comments From A Four Year Old

I'm exhausted. The Wii Fit is destined to kill me after my three year hiatus from exercising.  I feel it in my back, my sides and my thighs! I've actually gotten the ranking of "Fitness Enthusiast" (boy, does the Wii have that wrong!) for some of the activities and it makes me just roll my eyes because that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!

The other day, I had to take out the trash before picking up Krista from school, so I needed Michael to get his shoes on (pronto!) and get in the car...

Me:  Michael, put on your shoes and get in the car while I take out the trash, ok?

Michael:  You didn't say please.

Me:  Okay, please put on your shoes and get in the car.  Now.

Silence.  No pitter patter of little feet going into the car.

Me:  Michael?  What did I just say?

Michael:  WWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH [insert flood of tears] You used your cranky voice and hurt my feelings!!! WWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH [insert more flood of tears]

Okay, I apologized, held him, hugged him and then explained that the cranky voice only comes out when he doesn't obey right away.  Of course, if I could re-live the moment, it wouldn't have gotten that far out of hand.  And a reminder would have helped.  Tremendously.

We noticed Michael has been saying "I'm mad at you" when we tell him something he doesn't want to hear.  So on Saturday, Jacob told him that it meant he needed a hug.  So all day, he kept telling us he was "mad at us" and then we would all have to hug!

In our house, I have designated the love seat as "The Couch of Loving Kindness."  When Krista and Michael are not treating each other with love, they have to go on "The Couch of Loving Kindness" and sit there, make things right with each other and hug each other until I feel that they're ready to get off.  It's funny how the moment I ask them if they need to be on "The Couch of Loving Kndness" (if I see they're antagonizing one another), they immediately make things right with each other.  You would think (based on their reaction and immediate change of heart) "The Couch of Loving Kindness" was a torture device made of spikes and other pokey thingys! Now that's a mystery I would love to solve!


I finally finished Kathy Herman's False Pretenses (book 1 in her new series, Secrets of Roux River Bayou) and really, really, really loved the message of grace and redemption that's woven in that suspenseful story! I admit it had a bit more suspense than I wanted (remember, I'm the suspense wimp) because of all the heart pounding moments, but it was definitely a great story! I know it's definitely the kind of story my sister and Laurie (she reads all my suspense and mystery novels) will love!!!

I'll end with a verse on the Giver of grace from the Amplified version.  Psalm 84:11 says,  "For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

Got grace?  Then practice extending grace to others, too.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! I challenge you to invite a single mom and her kids over, someone going through a divorce or already divorced and anyone else you can think of whose heart is lonely on this day.  Go ahead and make it a day about others and not just about you!!! I dare you :o) (p.s.  krista, this is a good kind of dare, so it's okay!)
 

Crumbled Bacon...A Moms's Best Friend For Mini Eaters With Selective Palates

There isn't a need for hidden cameras while I'm exercising.  That's because the whole family seems to gravitate to the couches when I get on the Wii to torture myself (I think I'm on day 11 now) The snickers laughing that's inevitable when I'm on the Wii Fit Plus is because I'm providing entertainment for the peanut gallery! I'm glad somebody's laughing because I'm not! The more I exercise, the more I'm reminded why I can't stand it.  If only we could lose weight and be fit and healthy by osmosis.  Sigh.

But where's everybody when I need a witness for the amazing facts I was given from the Wii Fit last night?!?  Of course, it figures no one was around when I was on the Wii last night torturing myself with the aerobic steps.  I did it twice and then tried the advanced aerobic steps.  Okay, even I had to laugh when I kept falling off the Wii! The steps go so fast that I'm surprised I don't have a nervous breakdown trying to follow those footprints on the screen! I decided to do it twice (without falling down twice as much!) and then do the body test where you are weighed and given  your BMI.

O----k--a--y.  I was elated.  For a moment.  According to the Wii Fit Plus body test, I had dropped 22 lbs since the day before! In fact, instead of being announced I was "overweight," I was being congratulated on meeting my goal 6 months early!!! Seriously?!?  This is the kind of celebration that needs to involve Trader Joe's Coffee Blast ice cream, right?!?  Except I remembered how I added on an additional 3 lbs the last time I celebrated (with Michael, whom of course, lost 3 more lbs after eating his Trader Joe's peppermint ice cream which is SO NOT fair, I might add!), so ice cream was not an option.

This morning, I told Jacob about my amazing weight loss (part of me knew the Wii was dead wrong, but part of me was hoping it was true!!! Can't a girl dream a little?!?) and his predictable reaction was this (here's my paraphrase)...?

"Great.  You broke the Wii.  I'm not surprised because the Wii is a computer and you always break computers by the way you use them."  Usually, the first words out of his mouth about technical issues are, "What did you do?!?"  Can I help that the computer seems to break down after I'm the last one to use it?!?  I hear from other women that this is the typical response from their husbands, too when the computer goes on the blink after they've been using it!  Of course, this is why this is one of the reasons why I tell Jacob he's missing the gift of encouragement!  He so needs to go to Giving Encouragement 101!!! 

I demonstrated my lack of skills at the advanced aerobics step today for Krista and Jacob at noon for entertainment purposes (I only fell off once and landed straight on my back on the floor!!! Did I mention my lack of coordination and athletic proneness...?!?) and we found out why the Wii got my weight loss messed up.  Sadly, now the Wii reflects that I've gained 22 lbs in one day!!! It's so insulting! Ya know, that's a lot of ice cream and I didn't even get to enjoy it!!! Oh well, but that's reality for you.

Michael's appetite for meals seems to have diminished since he was sick (however, his appreciation for snacks has increased way over time!).  But last night, I found that if I added some crumbled bacon to the chicken and pasta, he was all gung ho about his meal! Tonight, I did the same thing and after eating it, he asked for more! It's a good thing we stocked up on some Costco sized bags of crumbled bacon (you can't always find them) because it's going to come in handy the next time he's not enthusiastic about lunch or dinner!

I started A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck yesterday and finally finished it today.  I loved the story about a girl's dilemma in marrying for stability and security vs a relationship with fireworks and being madly in love! Katie McKenna wonders what God wants for her.  Loved it!!! My only complaint is the cover.  I love the picture, but Kristin describes Katie McKenna as having pale skin and red hair (she's Irish through and through) and the girl on the cover looks Italian! So, what's up with that?!?

Michael and I were playing "The Thankful" game the other day in the car.  He was thankful for Heaven because he was going to get a new body there where he can eat anything and not be allergic to anything! We started talking about Heaven and I was telling how the Bible tells us that there will be no more pain, sorrow or tears there.  Michael wanted to know where we live in Heaven and I told him about the verse in John 14:2 where Jesus says,  "In my Father's house are many *mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." The KJV says "mansions" but other translations say "rooms."  I kinda like the idea of a mansion better, don't you?

When things break or go south, I usually console Michael by asking him, "Remember where we live, Michael?" and he will reply, "We live on earth where things break and get lost, but in Heaven, nothing breaks and gets lost because we're with Jesus! I can't wait for Heaven, can you?!?"  No, I can't either, sweet baby boy because I'm pretty sure there's no exercising in Heaven since we'll be praising and worshipping God! Hallelujah!!!












 

Sheer Entertainment!

It's the funniest thing to watch Michael do boxing on the Wii Fit.  I sit on the couch behind him and just laugh the whole time as he's punching away with his little arms and shoulders dancing in motion! He tells me that he's going to be my "teacher" so I'm instructed to watch him and away he goes!

What really cracks me up is when he drops the Wii Numchuk while he's vigorously boxing with one arm while trying to retrieve the Wii Numchuk! And I love how he excitedly declares when he's finished boxing, "I didn't even break into a sweat!" He doesn't have the faintest clue what sweating is but he sure makes up for it with his enthusiasm!

He also insists we "run" together but if you watch him, he stands stationary while shaking the Wii remote (a tip his sister taught him!).  It's hilarious!!! It's hard to read these days when we're busy "exercising!" 
I finally finished In The Shadow of Evil by Robin Caroll (danger, suspense and murder!) and Jim Ware's The Stone of Destiny which is a fantasy story about a middle school boy and his best friend Eny (she has a blue eye and a brown eye and plays the fiddle with finesse!) that fans of C.S. Lewis will enjoy.

Yesterday, the kids and I dropped in on a life group where Michael officially met "Pa Pa Bear."  Before leaving for the life group, Michael insisted on making a card for Miss Betty (he met her when she came over for an informal interview for our MOMSnext newsletter).  He wrote, "Michael loves Miss Betty" and then drew random pictures of a hat, a "magical" ice cream cone, a suitcase, his grandfather, himself, a balloon and a "slippery slidey connector" (closely resembling scribble scrabble on the edges of the card).  It was so cute and so sweet!

It made me think of the words of Jesus from the Bible story where the disciples tried to stop the children from coming to Jesus.  He said in Matthew 19:14 (I'm quoting from the NLT version), “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” 


We can learn a lot from the expressions of love, adoration, acceptance and trust from children, can't we?!?

Writing On The Wall

Today we did a pretty cool thing after the last service.  We all went over to the newly demolished interior of our children and youth building (LOCC building expansion project) and got to write Scripture on the walls before it gets painted this week.  I've heard of other churches doing that and always wanted to do that...and now I have! Of course I wrote my favorite verse of all time from Jeremiah 29:11 and a few other favorites as well!!! It was a pretty amazing experience to stand in the middle of the room and look at all the Scripture on the walls and even on the floor.  I'm glad our whole family got to participate in this historic event and I can't wait to see our new children and youth building completed!!! God is clearly at work at LOCC and I'm so glad we're a part of the family there :o)

For those of you wondering, yes, I am still torturing myself on the Wii Fit Plus system.  Yesterday, I had an allergy free and low impact run (I have herniated discs issues and can only do low impact activities which is why shopping at the mall is such a healthy choice for me!!! It's too bad I don't get to do it often enough!).  I ran 1. something miles in 10 minutes (I'm sure my friend Nicea can run it in like 2.9 minutes!!!) with a fan blowing on me.  It was the best conditions for a person who is not a natural at running (nless it's about running late...!)!

And I'm still pretty sure my trainer and the Wii Fit program hates me.  I was listening to Jacob's trainer tonight and he was all compliments with Jacob! In fact, Jacob got rated as "fitness guru" or something of that nature on his screen while I get comments such as "You're not good at this" or "You're not ready for this yet so you better work on blah blah blah!" Some of us were not born to exercise which just stinks since I'm at a stage in life where the mere sniffing of baked good adds an additional three pounds on you! 

Now Michael, on the other hand, loves to exercise! He knows how to start the Wii and begins choosing his stuff! His weight is going down while mine is going up! So.  Not.  Fair.

I finished reading Robin Caroll's In The Shadow of Evil and really enjoyed it.  If you like suspense, you'll definitely like it, too! My downstairs book is The Stone of Destiny by Jim Ware and my upstairs book is Kathy Herman's False Pretenses which is very intriguing so far! 

I baked over 400 cookies today.  I'm bringing some to school tomorrow because I know the kids all prayed for Michael when he was sick and had his febrile seizure and cookies are a great way to say "thanks!".  Some I'm going to give out to the church office staff (they do so much!) and I have some for friends and our teachers at LOMSAA.  Whew! I don't want to bake again for a LOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG time!

Psalm 97:10 is a comforting verse to know! It says, “Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”

Thank you, Lord for keeping ALL your promises.  I trust in You!!!

Finished!

I just finished posting the February edition of my newsletter here, Five Star Books and More by the Reading Mom.  I hope you find some great resources for yourself, your family and friends, too!!!

I would love to blog more, but my brain is numb.  

Psalm 18:1-2 "I love you, LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

 

Three Great Books

I love the Four Lindas series by Melody Carlson! I just finished All For One yesterday (four baby boomer friends find faith, love, adventure and one crazy blond ex-wife...!).  And today I finished Angel Sister by Ann H. Gabhart (a story about the power of forgiveness and love) and Terri Blackstock's Vicious Cycle (part of An Intervention Novel series) which centers around one teenager's devastating choices as a drug addict.  There's always faith, redemption and hope in the midst of suspense, danger and death! It's a classic Blackstock (Hi Terri!)!!! 

Gabhart's book will be featured in my February edition of Five Star Books and More by The Reading Mom newsletter this Friday (gasp! I have so much to wrap up before my deadline!) and the other two will be in March's reviews.

Gotta get some sleep now! :o)

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”  Psalm 59:16

Thank you, Biblegateway.com!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

It's my favorite sister's birthday today!!! Unfortunately, we can't throw a huge celebration for her since she's in Indonesia while I'm...here.  I sure wish we could be together on our special days.


I thought I would share some memories of growing up with my sister, Mei (pronounced "May") which will ultimately explain why she's my favorite sister, of course!

1.  Red bean Soup nightmare

For breakfast, my mom used to make us drink these tall glasses of red bean soup (red bean soup is usually an asian dessert which is eaten after dinner) for breakfast.  My mother though that the beans=high nutrition.  Anyway, it should have been outlawed and banned!!! And to make things worse, my mother didn't like using sugar (and believe me, that red bean sludge NEEDED it!!!) so it was NOT my favorite thing to eat.  At all.  And the consequences for not finishing the whole thing was...well, let's put it this way:  not pleasant.  My sister used to drink mine for me (or at least half of it) so I wouldn't get in BIG trouble with my mom.   This is why every child should have a sister like that!!!  Note:  And to this day, I won't touch the stuff.  See how things from your childhood can scar you for life?!?

2.  The Big Garden

I'm so not into gardening.  I don't like picking strawberries, vegetables or anything that involves heat, bugs and more bugs.  When we were growing up, my dad and mom had an enormous garden.  They grew all kinds of vegetables including the asian variety.  They had an enormous strawberry patch that kept multiplying like rabbits.  And one of our jobs was to help harvest stuff.  Which I hated.  I didn't like getting hot because then I would be SO itchy (my eczema was really bad when I was younger) and nothing brings on the bugs like open sores and owies on your neck, arms and legs.  My sister would allow me to entertain her with my stories (I was good at making her laugh with my ridiculous stories!!!) while she picked all the veggies and stuff.  Don't you wish you had a big sister like her?!?  Note:  To this day, I refuse to garden.  I'm happy to buy fresh produce at the store or at a farmer's market, thank you very much!

3.  Candy, Bubble Gum and Other Adventures

We used to live close by to this convenience store called "Farmer Boy Dairy."  They had the best candy selection.  Since candy was forbidden at our house, the only way to get it was from A.  Miss Selleck's purse at church (this adorable grandmother that would carry a big purse with lots of candy for all the kids that came to give her hugs) B.  Sometimes my dad would bring some back from work when he was testing different flavors  C.  Farmer Boy Dairy---my sister got me to save my milk money so we could buy candy when the bus dropped us off at the bus stop.  What a brilliant sister!!! I developed a taste for Lemon Heads, Swedish Fish (one of my top seafood choices!), Gummy Bears, those nasty wax bottles with sugar syrup in them, Milk Duds and Bubble Gum.  All was well until we were chewing bubble gum in bed one night (yes, she introduced me to bubble gum!!!) and mine somehow got stuck in my hair...which then had to be cut off by my sister...which then clued my mother in that something fishy was going on...well, it wasn't a pretty picture!

She is the BEST sister in the world and though she's not saving me from scary monsters anymore, she's ranked #1 in my book!!!

Happy Birthday, Jeh-Jeh ("sister" in Chinese)!!!


Psalm 118:24 (NASB) "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"