Radiation and Reformation

*Still squishy, can't explain it. Sorry. Don't abandon me.

There was a teeny tiny little blurb in the back of our local newspaper today saying that the EPA had detected "slightly elevated" levels of radiation that was due to what is going on in Japan.

What?

I am sorry, call me alarmist, conspiracy theorist, whatever you want (people generally do), but I don't believe very much of what is being reported out there, and a tiny little blurb with NO numbers, NO explanations, NOTHING - just doesn't cut it for me.

Anyhoo...

God recently took our family on quite a lengthy journey. We really didn't know what He was doing or what was going on, but here we are. Not at the end, but just here.

We have discovered that we are Reformed Baptists and I thought I would put together a list to help others that may be lost in the land of denominations -

You May Be A Reformed Baptist -
1. You wave at every 15 passenger van you pass because it may be someone you go to church with.

2. The children in the congregation outnumber the adults.

3. The children are in the congregation.

4. You have more in common with your Presbyterian friends and family than your actual Baptist ones.

5. Your non-RB girl friends are worried about you because you may be spending a little too much time with this Calvin guy.

6. You have cleaned out your old topical Bible studies and replaced them with Ryle, Calvin, and a copy of Systematic Theology.

7. You call every contributing member of The Vision Forum by first name when talking about them in conversation with your friends...and they all know who you're talking about.

8. Your friends see you at the grocery store - in a skirt...on a Tuesday.

9. Your pets are named Reformation and Revival so that you can go outside and shout - Reformation! Revival! Here, here, here!

10. Your family was exchanging money at the last family function because they all had bets that you would be the first to crack.

Maybe this will help you in your journey. Probably not as I'm not known for being particularly helpful.

Either way I am going to go see what I can find out about radiation. Next time you see me at the grocery store it may not be the skirt you laugh about, it may be the gas mask. Go ahead and laugh [darting eyes back and forth] you won't be laughing when...well...when...okay, I can't think of anything, but when I do you'll be sorry!!!

Try, try again

*I'm sorry, I know this is hard to read all smushed up like that. I have fixed it twice, but when I publish it, it just goes back to squishy.

So today's plan has been to tell you about my hair care experiment, but I may have to give it another try and get back with you on that.

You all know I likey the au naturel. Not in the big green machine kind of way, but I like what George Washington Carver said in a letter he wrote,

"I'm taking better care of myself now. I realize that God has a plan for my life and I need to be healthy."

We read that this weekend and I thought that summed it up nicely.

So anyway, I knew there had to be a way to get rid of shampoo - which is pretty costly anyway. I halfway watched out for alternatives. I partly listened to someone talking about baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

Oh! I can do that!

Except that I was so ready to tell you it was all a big lie!! A lie I tell you!! Another conspiracy that the world created to make me look like an idiot!!

My hair was an awful unmanageable grease trap. It would not even lift off of my head. The smell reminded me of squeezing those little packets of vinegar all over that grossy fish at Captain D's when I was a kid.

Now, being that I am perfectly brilliant, there is no possible way that I could have gotten the mixture wrong, or even...not ....really...read the directions...and maybe...just...made up something I thought...would work...[downcast shameful eyes]

But I have just learned on this very day, the day that I was ready to call it all a lie, that there is a new and much more wonderful set of instructions! It's on Ma's blog. SO I will try again and let you know how it goes.

However, if you see me with a hat on - don't ask.

This one will actually not offend you.

Sometimes I may miss the mark in the kitchen a little bit. I know this because I hear things like-

"This tastes like a big bar of sickness."

"What smells like chicken poop?"

"This tastes like Luna's breath smells."

I can not imagine where she gets that blatant truthfulness...

But sometimes I hit the jackpot and this weekend I hit the jackpot. On Wednesday we made homemade ice cream sandwiches and today they are absolutely perfect. Yum-a-licious.

Here's the link for the cookie recipe I used. I did cut the sugar by half a cup and I used just regular unsweetened cocoa, not Dutch process. Then we filled some with ice cream and some with whipped cream that we made doing the standard heavy cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla. The recipe includes an Oreo type filling if you go for that, I just can't get over that essentially they are just filled with gobs of shortening, so I didn't make those.

I think next time I will try rolling the dough and cutting it with cookie cutters to get more uniform and smaller cookies. Also, they were not soft at first. The kids ate them Wednesday afternoon, but the cookies were crunchy so I was very disappointed. Alas, like all good things, I realized I must wait! By yesterday they were soft and delish!

Would you look at that! I got through the entire post without offending a single person! That is, of course, unless you are in some sort of group defending the rights of shortening, then there ya' go. I haven't broken my streak.

(Ammended version)Stalking? Witnessing? Either way, a myriad of dysfunction.

*You are now reading the amended version. I hope I took out the parts that alluded to my horrible pride - the worst of all sins, lest you think I am trying to make light of it. Making light of my atrociousness was never my intention. Making fun of my inability to turn away from, yet thinking/acting like I have, that which I do not want to do and be, was my intention, however I guess that's just as offensive. I should probably start a new post about it instead of going on and on about it here on this post. Sorry. Again.

We had our weekly homeschool co-op today and someone brought to mind a story I realized I never shared with you all. So if you are in my co-op, you can skip this one. It is, of course as all my stories are, of utmost importance. Well that part may not be entirely true.





I told you about the trip to North Carolina. You remember - the one where I got a ticket for speeding and Brandon got free lunch for speeding. Oh no, I'm not bitter, just recalling the facts for you.





So anyhoo, my very kind aunt and uncle were nice enough to let us come stay at their beach house with them. Now, supposedly, none other than Richard Gere has a beach house on this very island. I know! Woooooo.





Well, of course, I being all holy and good and stuff am thinking about how I am going to witness to Rich, he is going to love Jesus.





Naturally I use all my free time circling his house on the bike waiting to see if he comes out. Now I know what you unholy people are saying - that is called stalking. That is exactly what the policeman told me. But that is because you just don't care at all about this man's soul.




I mean I am sorry, but any man that God created with hair that good is meant to be on television telling the world how much Jesus loves them. That is just a fact.





Well thanks to satan worshiping neighbors who kept running me off, I never got a chance to bless ol' Rich.



Come to think of it, I didn't have the pants. Maybe I needed the pants. The pants make me more successful.



dysfunction

I guess I won't get to go this year. Aunt Mama Hen and her brood is going, but I've got dibs on Richard!




Oh, I mean, um, you know, the Holy Spirit probably won't be prompting her the way I was being prompted, so she really shouldn't worry about it.

There's nothing to see here. Move along.

Ug. It has been so long I know. I have left you with no ties to the outside world. You have no idea what major news stories have taken place, your Bible study has fallen by the wayside thanks to my lack of commentary and help.

Oh. Wait.

That's not what happens at my blog. That is me daydreaming and grossly inflating my importance.

*sigh*

So for what has really been going on...

My computer is not cooperating (Aunt Mama Hen, tell your husband to expect a call) so I can't load all the wonderful pictures that you are dying to see. Thanks to the Hub fam for this awesome laptop. At least I am still able to communicate.

Anyway, it's been a week of huge happenings - Saturday, we were prisoners in our own home; Schyler got to use our new outdoor kitchen, i.e.: 2 plastic bins and a hosepipe. Tomato-tomato... oh wait. The tomato-tomato thing doesn't really work when you're typing it and not saying it out loud.

Do you see what you re missing!? I know! How can you go on?! How can anyone expect you to?!

In the meantime, go check out some blogs that will actually benefit you -

- You all know my Aunt Mama Hen. Well she's got some good advice for you this week.

- I don't know what I ever did before I found Ma's blog. She shares her notes from her own personal Bible study time and has a real interest in eschatology. Her side bar is loaded with sites that do all the work for us and we get to go read it all!

- DebbieLynne also has good resources. She lives in Boston and enjoys the history of her area so, hint hint fellow homeschoolers - she has a sidebar loaded with enough stuff to call it a school day!

Looting (not tooting)

Being that I live with a seven year old full time and a three year old part time, potty words/humor is a big part of life. Not that being seven or three has much to do with it, the grown man that hangs here quite a bit isn't much help, but I digress.





I saw a news clip on television shortly after the earthquake and tsunami of which I can't even remember the report. What I do remember that was so shocking to me was the lack of pandemonium-esque looting.



There were video images what seemed to be a downtown area. Various people were walking in and out of what should have been a door, steering clear of broken bottles and walking with their hand held baskets. Store workers were busily trying to help.





It was rather baffling and I was pretty flabergasted. (Yes, we are working on using the thesaurus.)





Why were people not racing through grabbing what they could knocking people down in their wake?? Why were prices not triple what they were before the catastrophe?? Those are the images I have seen here in the USA.



Just a thought.

his point of view...

I enjoy handing the camera to the kids. Here's what these little eyes saw -

My turn -

It was six carts. Six.

Do you have one of those friends that is always on the go and always getting you into some stuff? Well mine invited me, quite spontaneously, to go "back home" with her.

"Back home", as she calls it, is Gulfport, Mississippi. You know, Alabama's only saving grace - Mississippi.


Now I fought it a good deal because I am not a spontaneous person. I like all my decisions to be carefully weighed and thought out. At first I decided to decline since she was leaving Friday night, thinking that if she were only leaving Saturday morning I would accept.

Got a phone call.

Leaving Saturday morning.

So guess where I was going?

After getting there by way of Louisiana (don't ask) our first stop was at their "country house", where they had more neighbors than I do at my "all the time house". It was so cute and so nice.

Fences always beg to be climbed, don't they?

They don't like to stay at the country house all the time because it is so far out. Translate - 15 miles. They may not want to come see me, I thought fifteen miles out was close!

They came upon this house as a foreclosure with the intentions of flipping it. Enter: hurricane Katrina. They stayed here until their home was habitable...2 years. I think it's pretty awesome how God worked that out for them and so do they.

I didn't tell Schyler they lived close to the beach, mainly because I didn't realize it myself. You should have seen her face when I asked if she wanted to go for a walk and the front yard came into view!

Besides us, there were other interesting creatures to behold. These guys seemed to be washing up -

Google and dissection came next so you better believe I counted it as a school day.

Next stop: Dirt Cheap. Have you ever been to one of these stores? Well don't take my friend. She may end up buying so much stuff that she has to get her mom to get the maintenance man at her church to drive it all back to her parent's house in the church van.

I was a little worried that I would be driving home with shopping carts tied to the back of my car. Don't laugh. It could have happened. You have no idea who we are dealing with here.

All in all I am so glad she got me into this. The one thing about good friends is that when they get you into stuff, it's good stuff. You don't regret it and you look back with gladness.

Do NOT touch the bear.

We had the best time of fellowship the other day. Just great. True fellowship.

We all met at the home of one of our church member's. They are expecting their eleventh child (and they're not the only ones!) early this summer and they are just that family that seems to have it all together, you know? Their kids are always so kind and happy. Always helping and a joy to speak with. Tuesday when we were eating, one of the girls came in the kitchen and asked her mom quietly, "Can I help someone?" as if she were being left out.

So you can imagine the sheer delight when I saw one of the young girls say something a little not so kind and make a face at my daughter. You have no idea the utter relief to flood my soul! Whew! Then the three year old son wanted his Lightening McQueen car back from my nephew and knocked over Schyler's Lincoln Log house. Bliss! Bliss I tell you!

She was so happy to accommodate my needy ego.

Really though, it was nice to see that her children weren't born that way, but that they were fruit of years of Godly upbringing. Such an encouraging family!


So you should have seen my little family of reformed baptists (did I give that away with the fact that I go to church with people who have 11 kids?:)) attending a pentecostal meeting last night! Um - deer. in. headlights. I swear it is moments like this I so regret going cheap on the cell and not having a camera phone. My daughter's face was priceless. PRICELESS.

A good friend invited us and my husband agreed on the terms that no one lay hands on him because he was liable to reciprocate. I swear. He talks like such a grizzly, but he is the biggest teddy bear.

Anyway - she wanted us to meet this missionary that was coming to speak, so we were of course glad to go hear and meet the husband and wife team. However I am pretty sure we were the entertainment.

The king is in.

I love these kids. Love them. And they love each other. And that makes me love them more.

The only bad thing about that little guy is that he leaves us at the end of the day.

Well, that and the fact that he doesn't value the fine art of laying in bed for at least a half hour every morning before his feet hit the floor and he begins running. Which makes it hard for me to appreciate the art on the days that he doesn't leave and spends the night.

Literally, he was running from room to room this morning at 6:15 saying, "Come on guys!! I weally, WEALLY want to PWAYYYYYY!!"

We made a king cake today and I don't mind telling you it was pretty good. I had never made one before and it was really easy. And I have to say better than any other one I've had.

Of course I know it doesn't look like a king cake. One - I didn't have food coloring and Two - I think the colors make it look disgusting. So there. It was so good warm, fresh out of the oven. We ate and ate it. Because you know tomorrow's Ash Wednesday and you don't want all that temptation around.

Not that we observe Ash Wednesday, but you know. If you did.

Now here is where I need some help -

My sweet granddaddy's one and only sister embroidered this picture. She lovingly worked on it with her own hands and it is in a beautiful frame and now I have it. Very special! I would like to somehow update it and incorporate it into my home while maintaining the integrity of the work. Or should I just do as my husband said (yes) and leave it alone?

Any ideas from all you decorators out there?

A semi-post.

SO I'm in there cutting up a semi-boneless ham for our lunch - okay do you know how bad stuff like that gets all up on my nerve ('cause I got just one good one left)? Mmmm semi? Either it has a bone or it doesn't. Make up your mind. Is it like being semi-pregnant? Or semi-married? Although some of you may argue with that one, sorry, I ain't buying. You is or you isn't.

But that's just me. You know how I have a love for the way we repackage things. I'm not sinning by my lack of self control, I'm just dramatic. It's not sin, it's an addiction. A disease. Well, it may be, but honey it's still sin. And I should know because I've got puuuulenty of it.

Did anyone read this article on the benefits of coffee? Oh I didn't read it either, I know the benefits of coffee. It's just great when someone finally agrees with me on something.

*okay update- I did go skim over it, had to make sure I wasn't sending you to something bad, and as usual, I'm right. Two cups of coffee every morning rocks.

Okay, now. Let's get to the nitty gritty. Did you read this article? It is really so sad. This woman decided she didn't want to be a mother anymore. Her words were "full time mother". You know this kind of goes back to being semi something. You either are or you aren't honey and guess what? You are.

I mean I know this happens all the time. People use drugs and give up their kids, people drink and give up their kids. But see, with this lady it's okay - because she's "successful". Do you see the double standards of the world? I mean do ya'?? Or is it just me?

Well, anyway...[flattening hair while my face returns to it's natural color] you ladies have a great day. I am going to go don an apron and bake some flippin' cookies.

Too good to be fiction

I heard a familiar sound the other day. You know one of those sounds you know you've heard before but can't place it.



Then I walked to the front door and looked out. Oh. That's what it was. A truck running out of gas in our front yard.



Thankfully my manly, super knowledgeable on all things vehicle (and a lot of other things we never want to know about) husband was here. We see people milling about...hmmm. Seems to be a lot of people for such a small truck, and they're not, well...never mind. Anyway, lot of people, blah blah blah. We wait to see if they have it under control.



No. In fact they do not.



Is that? Why yes. That seems to be some one's Grandmaw sitting in the back with a blanket over her, and is she? Yup. She's crocheting like there's no tomorrow.



So while my nice husband is giving them free gas, they debate whether or not they should just leave the truck where it is (in my front yard) until "that'n" gets her check come first o' the month.



But if they did that, how would they lug the brand new flat screen t.v. and PlayStation 2 home?



About that time, their rescue vehicle pulls up. Complete with flames down both sides. Would it have been very appropriate had it not had flames?



Rescue got out armed with her gas can.



We may never know if they made it home that day. It's enough for us just to know they made it out of our front yard.

I got a little deep today...

I noticed lately how I say I give things over to God but if He doesn't do what I think He should or in the amount of time I think He should do it in, I kind of freak out. Kind of the opposite of faith, now isn't it?



Today I had a swing set revival and it was good. Not a revival of the swing set, the swing is fine. I mean God spoke (not out loud - don't commit me yet) to me of His sovereignty. I can not fix a thing. The only good thing in me is Jesus.



I had an old friend from school tell me not to worry about the way she was living, she got saved when she was a kid and once saved always saved.

I know, am I going to be brave enough to go there? You're wondering aren't you? So am I. Help me out here.

I definitely believe in eternal security. I do not believe that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life with a pencil. It's written in blood and blood stains and it doesn't wash out.

Okay here it comes.

However,

if I am truly saved, if I have complete faith in Christ alone, am I capable of living in blatant sin without being convicted? Am I able to twist God's grace in such a way as to say now I'm saved I will do whatever? And why would I want to - For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually (living by The Spirit of God, 1 Cor 2:14-3:3) minded is life and peace. If you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. (Romans 8:7 and 13)

Is it possible to be in sin? Oh yes, of course! I promise I outdo all of you. But will I stay in sin?...

Anyway, is God telling us in the verses above and really in the first 14 verses of Romans 8 that I will live what I believe? Not, live one way and try to teach my child another way.

Oh gracious, am I coming across wrong? You never can tell with these things. You can't hear my voice or see my face. I do not mean to direct condemnation or judgment toward her, these are just some things I started to think about.