It finally happened. My computer gave up the ghost thanks to a fried hard drive (who knew writing my February reviews could be so sizzling hot?!?). AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!
My newsletter Five Star Books & More by the Reading Mom is put on hold indefinitely. All my documents are...eeks! I'm afraid to think that they may be lost in cyberspace forever. Oh, stink. Double AAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!! Sigh.
I refuse to dwell on the fact that I didn't back up my latest documents on the Passport like I had intended... I know, I know, I know! I can hear your thoughts!!! Unfortunately, "If only I..." doesn't change anything and I'm determined that this will not happen again because I'm the kind of girl that doesn't make the same dumb mistake twice!!! Hopefully, this will not be a bath of famous last words....!
Okay, the other day, Krista gave me a heart attack. She came up behind me and I heard a loud *gasp* from her (the sharp inhalation of air when she sees a bug... so NOT a good thing). She was looking over my head and I thought there was a bug on me judging by the volume levels of her*gasp*-o-meter. I immediately asked her what was it and she replied, "Mommy, you have a white hair on your head." Oh! Horrors!!! Actually, I felt such relief that it wasn't a bug on me!!! And, Hello! Of course, I gave her permission to immediately pluck it out!!! *Gasp* I hear that you're not supposed to pluck them out or more will grown in. Well, I don't care! I'm going to war against those babies and I'm not ashamed to admit that I will be using my tweezers until they multiply beyond my control! And then it will be time to look into getting low lights, high lights or something!
This weekend will be the first weekend I've ever been gone from the family for the e-n-t-i-r-e weekend. Come to think of it, it will be the first time in a super long time (as in since Krista was born) that I've gotten away for a women's event. Yup. I'm going to a woman's retreat with the women from our church and I am so-over-the-moon excited about it!!! It'll be like one gigantic sleep-over---without the pranks (I'll have to contain myself) and with nicer accommodations :o) There will be food, games, a great speaker, meaningful discussions and a time to connect with other women without being rushed!!! Can you tell I'm a little excited?!?
I like how The Message phrases Proverbs 27:17, "You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another." I'm looking forward to sharpening and getting sharpened this weekend!!!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Take a hike and get lost, Mr. Pneumonia!!!
I don't bother taking Michael's temperature anymore. Thanks to Krista's frequent bouts of illness when she was younger, I can pretty much guess how high Michael's temps are by feeling his head with the inside of my wrist or by placing a kiss on his forehead. Recently, his low grade fever changed overnight and I detected a change in his coughing (yep, the Mommy Radar strikes again!), so off to the doctor's we went. And as we suspected, there was fluid in his lung so now he gets to drink 2 teaspoons of bubblegum pink medicine twice daily. And, we get to add extra stuff in his nebulizer to help with the asthma issues he's having. He's finally sleeping through the night again... whew, thank God for medicine!!!
Yesterday, Michael and I came home from dropping Krista off at school and noticed something weird about the water when we went to wash our hands. It was barely coming out of the faucet and then it stopped altogether. I had no idea what to do! I called the village to talk to someone in the water department but no one was answering. Then I ran upstairs to see if I had forgotten to pay the water bill but that wasn't it either. I sent a text to see if my friend Sue was experiencing anything odd with her water, but their water was fine. I was so relieved I did the laundry and ran the dishwasher the night before!
I finally did get a hold of someone at public works and was relieved to find out that the water was turned off because of a water main break nearby (and not because of something I did!). And as I pulled out of the garage and down the driveway, I noticed there were bright red fliers stuck on everyone's front door in our neighborhood. Oh.
You know, I had noticed and ignored a piece of that red flyer stuck in our door earlier that morning. I didn't open the front door to get it because it was a cold day and I didn't want to let in the cold air inside. Did I mention I hate being cold?!? Had I just checked it out, I could have solved the mystery of the water issues sooner. And then I remembered that over the weekend, Jacob had pointed out that all the water on the side of the street was probably because of a water main break...
I see a parallel here...have you experienced those times in your life where you feel so far away from God? I've been there. The thing is, God never moved away from me, but instead, I've been the one shifting away from Him because of my sin. Satan is the great deceiver (the father of lies) and he wants us to get our value from pleasing others, idolizing our careers, our status, etc. It's the sin of pride. Satan wants us to believe we've messed up so much we don't deserve grace (so NOT true!). He wants us to believe in the lies we tell ourselves and in the half-truths we tell others. He relishes in the fact that we have time to watch our favorite TV shows, play video games, be on the computer, iPad, etc. but don't have the time or desire to spend time in God's Word (OUCH! I'm guilty!).
No matter how you may slice it or dice it, it's sin! I tell my children that sin is like a big door and it separates us from God and His Holy presence. When we choose sin, we are ignoring the warnings of the Holy Spirit (kinda like me ignoring that red flyer warning about the water main break). The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds us of God's truth in His Word. He has a way of "nudging" our conscience when we make those poor choices. I'm not a theologian or an expert on the Holy Spirit, but John 14:26 is a great verse that gives us some insight on the Holy Spirit. I like The Amplified Bible's version of John 14:26...
"But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you."
Have you felt a "nudge" lately? Don't ignore it!!!
Yesterday, Michael and I came home from dropping Krista off at school and noticed something weird about the water when we went to wash our hands. It was barely coming out of the faucet and then it stopped altogether. I had no idea what to do! I called the village to talk to someone in the water department but no one was answering. Then I ran upstairs to see if I had forgotten to pay the water bill but that wasn't it either. I sent a text to see if my friend Sue was experiencing anything odd with her water, but their water was fine. I was so relieved I did the laundry and ran the dishwasher the night before!
I finally did get a hold of someone at public works and was relieved to find out that the water was turned off because of a water main break nearby (and not because of something I did!). And as I pulled out of the garage and down the driveway, I noticed there were bright red fliers stuck on everyone's front door in our neighborhood. Oh.
You know, I had noticed and ignored a piece of that red flyer stuck in our door earlier that morning. I didn't open the front door to get it because it was a cold day and I didn't want to let in the cold air inside. Did I mention I hate being cold?!? Had I just checked it out, I could have solved the mystery of the water issues sooner. And then I remembered that over the weekend, Jacob had pointed out that all the water on the side of the street was probably because of a water main break...
I see a parallel here...have you experienced those times in your life where you feel so far away from God? I've been there. The thing is, God never moved away from me, but instead, I've been the one shifting away from Him because of my sin. Satan is the great deceiver (the father of lies) and he wants us to get our value from pleasing others, idolizing our careers, our status, etc. It's the sin of pride. Satan wants us to believe we've messed up so much we don't deserve grace (so NOT true!). He wants us to believe in the lies we tell ourselves and in the half-truths we tell others. He relishes in the fact that we have time to watch our favorite TV shows, play video games, be on the computer, iPad, etc. but don't have the time or desire to spend time in God's Word (OUCH! I'm guilty!).
No matter how you may slice it or dice it, it's sin! I tell my children that sin is like a big door and it separates us from God and His Holy presence. When we choose sin, we are ignoring the warnings of the Holy Spirit (kinda like me ignoring that red flyer warning about the water main break). The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds us of God's truth in His Word. He has a way of "nudging" our conscience when we make those poor choices. I'm not a theologian or an expert on the Holy Spirit, but John 14:26 is a great verse that gives us some insight on the Holy Spirit. I like The Amplified Bible's version of John 14:26...
"But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you."
Have you felt a "nudge" lately? Don't ignore it!!!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
"Daddy let me have strawberry shortcake for dinner!" exclaimed the 6-year-old
This was an eventful week! It started with Sunday where we hosted our first Super Bowl party. It was so much fun!!! I tried out my friend's (thank you, Sue K for introducing me to some of the yummiest recipes ever when we served together on Wednesday nights!!!) tried and true "Tangy Beef BBQ" recipe and it turned out really well. What a relief! The best thing was definitely not the Super Bowl (though I'm sure the game was exciting). It was being with our friends and just hanging out :o)
On Monday night, we reunited with our good friend from California, Phil B (next time, we insist the entire B clan visit, too and not just via Skype :o) !!!). He brought over a student from Japan (Hey Taku!) visiting Chicago to stay with us for the next couple of nights.
Tuesday: So. I had my first car accident since my last car accident in '94. The Good News: I'm fine and no one was hurt. Bad News: Our poor car! While backing out of the garage and being in another zone (perhaps it was an alien abduction), I managed to break off the rear view mirror completely off the car (yup. I had the rear view mirror carcass dangling by a few wires) by scraping up against the garage divider that separates the two spaces. So. Not. Brilliant. I hate that divider feature in our garage because I'm sure it won't be the last time I bump into it!!! I took Taku to the train station after lunch so he could explore Chicago and am learning that 21 year old's can eat... a lot! I'm amazed that Taku has traveled all over the states staying with friends of friend's, couch surfing, sleeping on the ground at the Amtrak station, etc! He is definitely having the adventure of a lifetime before he has to return back to college in Tokoyo!
Wednesday: Today was Michael's 100 days of Kindergarten. The weather was beautiful (I think it was in the 30's) so when we came home, I let him try out his new shovel on the driveway (I posted some pics on my fb) if he changed into his boots. He had so much fun!!! We made snow walls, carved out his name on the snow with his shovel and had fun being together outside!!! It was also WOW (Women of Willow) Wednesday so it was up to Jacob to take Taku and Michael out for dinner. When I saw Michael, I had to ask what he ordered and he excitedly exclaimed, "I had strawberry shortcake for dinner!!!" Yeah. These are not exactly the words any mother wants to hear from their child's lips right?!? I was sure he meant for dessert but nope, he was adamant it was what he got for dinner and he told me that he saved half of it in the refrigerator! I checked and it was there! Dessert for dinner would have remained a dream had Krista or I been there!!! Oh well! I'm sure he'll have great memories about this dinner!
Today: It poured snow and freezing rain or sleet this afternoon. Ugh. My least favorite conditions to drive around in. Thankfully, it was only raining when Taku left this afternoon on the train to his next destination. We all made it home safely and lounged around on the couch in front of the fire. It was so cozy! I have a baking project that I wanted to accomplish today but unfortunately, I never got to it. I've been trying to finish reading Fatherless by Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner (it's so good!), but there's always so many things I'm juggling! It's the life of a mom, right?!?
There are always things I want to get to but the other stuff like housework, laundry, etc. seem to just take over! It's easy to get bogged down with the challenges we all face day in and day out, right? I'm so thankful for the hope we have in Jesus Christ!!! Someday, all this stuff will cease to exist because we'll get to spend eternity with our Savior!!!
I love how the Amplified Bible puts Hebrews 6:18b-20a (thank you, Biblegateway.com)...
"18 ...we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before [us].
On Monday night, we reunited with our good friend from California, Phil B (next time, we insist the entire B clan visit, too and not just via Skype :o) !!!). He brought over a student from Japan (Hey Taku!) visiting Chicago to stay with us for the next couple of nights.
Tuesday: So. I had my first car accident since my last car accident in '94. The Good News: I'm fine and no one was hurt. Bad News: Our poor car! While backing out of the garage and being in another zone (perhaps it was an alien abduction), I managed to break off the rear view mirror completely off the car (yup. I had the rear view mirror carcass dangling by a few wires) by scraping up against the garage divider that separates the two spaces. So. Not. Brilliant. I hate that divider feature in our garage because I'm sure it won't be the last time I bump into it!!! I took Taku to the train station after lunch so he could explore Chicago and am learning that 21 year old's can eat... a lot! I'm amazed that Taku has traveled all over the states staying with friends of friend's, couch surfing, sleeping on the ground at the Amtrak station, etc! He is definitely having the adventure of a lifetime before he has to return back to college in Tokoyo!
Wednesday: Today was Michael's 100 days of Kindergarten. The weather was beautiful (I think it was in the 30's) so when we came home, I let him try out his new shovel on the driveway (I posted some pics on my fb) if he changed into his boots. He had so much fun!!! We made snow walls, carved out his name on the snow with his shovel and had fun being together outside!!! It was also WOW (Women of Willow) Wednesday so it was up to Jacob to take Taku and Michael out for dinner. When I saw Michael, I had to ask what he ordered and he excitedly exclaimed, "I had strawberry shortcake for dinner!!!" Yeah. These are not exactly the words any mother wants to hear from their child's lips right?!? I was sure he meant for dessert but nope, he was adamant it was what he got for dinner and he told me that he saved half of it in the refrigerator! I checked and it was there! Dessert for dinner would have remained a dream had Krista or I been there!!! Oh well! I'm sure he'll have great memories about this dinner!
Today: It poured snow and freezing rain or sleet this afternoon. Ugh. My least favorite conditions to drive around in. Thankfully, it was only raining when Taku left this afternoon on the train to his next destination. We all made it home safely and lounged around on the couch in front of the fire. It was so cozy! I have a baking project that I wanted to accomplish today but unfortunately, I never got to it. I've been trying to finish reading Fatherless by Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner (it's so good!), but there's always so many things I'm juggling! It's the life of a mom, right?!?
There are always things I want to get to but the other stuff like housework, laundry, etc. seem to just take over! It's easy to get bogged down with the challenges we all face day in and day out, right? I'm so thankful for the hope we have in Jesus Christ!!! Someday, all this stuff will cease to exist because we'll get to spend eternity with our Savior!!!
I love how the Amplified Bible puts Hebrews 6:18b-20a (thank you, Biblegateway.com)...
"18 ...we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before [us].
19 [Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot [c]break down under whoever steps out upon it—a hope] that reaches [d]farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil,
20 Where Jesus has entered in for us [in advance]..."
Isn't this SO encouraging? Someday, that's us, guys! I can't wait!!!
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