So I started a job...

I am so busy... I doubt I will blog much anymore...

Are they all yours?

With a new study out saying Vasectomy may cause dementia... this hat may be more popular than you think.

Clairvoyant

Maggie and I were watching "Wheel of Fortune" and she mentioned:

"I am going to win this game on the 14th level."

"I don't think they have a 14th level."

"I can see the future and I will win the 14th level in the future!"

Friends help with wisdom

An online friend shared this:

Once in a while the L-rd brings us to a place where we can learn his heart just a little better. Often the place he brings us to is a place of trial, so that we can really understand his heart. It is in the place of trial that he has our full attention, and our hearts are open to gaining understanding. David and I are in this place right now, and although it is hard, we are seeing the L-rds heart. He often deals with us around the biblical holidays, he usually shows us something that helps us relate to his relationship with Israel in those times. We left Kentucky 3 years ago during Passover, and David saw Kentucky as Egypt for us. So far this has indeed proven to be a fruitful place for us, as David's yearly income has tripled in those three years. The L-rd has provided me with a richness as well, in the animals and the skills he has provided me with.

Purim is the holiday that celebrates the deliverance of G-d's people as told through through the book of Esther. It is a celebration of how G-d delivered a people that had no where to go. During the sermon on Shabbat our Rabbi addressed deliverance in a way we can now relate to. He spoke about How the Israelites were in a narrow place. They had Pharaoh closing in fast on one side, and the Red sea on the other side. With the time of Esther, the people had an edict coming down on them, and they had no where to go from there. They were in a narrow place.

The thing that strikes me about these narrow places was that they came immediately after times of such great celebration. For the Hebrew slaves, they had just been released from their bondage, they left Egypt after all of the miracles G-d preformed on their behalf. The slaves left Egypt with all the gold they could carry, surely they were rejoicing. For Mordecai, he had just seen his own flesh and blood elevated to the throne, he also had just saved the king himself from a sure death. It was only a short time later that these people were in a place of sheer terror, plucked from the top of the mountain, and tossed into the fire. I had never stopped to consider how crushing it must be to come straight off of the high of G-d's promises, only to head into such a narrow, fearful, frightening, place.

Only a month ago, we were in a place of wonder. We had just been given a literal ton of food, we got our horse, David had been exceedingly blessed at work, and we entered into contract for our home. It did not take much time before our land lord told us we had one month to be out of here, and the next day the lender told us she was going to be unable to get the loan for the new home. Only three days before that she told us there would be no problems at all. It was on the same day we were to find out about getting a loan that the Wall Street Journal ran a huge story about sub prime loans, and all five lenders immediately backed out. In many ways we feel like the Pharaoh is behind us, with the Red sea fast approaching in front of us. We are in a narrow place. I have been frightened, and confused and even a little depressed. We also came right off the top of the mountain immediately into the fire, it was a long, long fall down. Much like the Hebrews leaving Egypt we had hope, we had a glimpse of G-d's vision for us and a home on enough land to have the ministry we have discussed for years, only to see all of that crumble down.

So here we are with only 10 days to finalize the details of this loan, or get out of the contract, and 25 days until we will have no place to live. Because we have such a large family, in addition to the animals, a rental will not be an easy thing to find. It is hard to shake the vision we had, it is hard to contemplate moving into a rental property and being a slave to a land lord again, after we had such a strong sense of the L-rd finally having freedom in store for us.

It is in this narrow place where we can only pray. We can only cry out to G-d for true deliverance, lasting deliverance. There is nothing else we can do. All of our best game plans have failed, all of our plotting and planning has come down to nothing. Apart from G-d we will be either destroyed by our enemy, or swallowed by the sea in front of us. It is a reminder of the total dependence we have on our G-d. It is also a chance for us to behold the miracles that our G-d has in store for those who will believe and trust. Not only for our sake, but to show the nations (those around us) how merciful and good the L-rd is to those who call on his name.

I do not yet know the way that G-d will pull us out of this narrow place, but I know that something is coming, and it will probably be quick and mighty. G-d's heart is to bring us to a place where all we can do is cry out to him, so that when deliverance comes, we have only him to give the glory to.

So how do you bandaid an imaginary friend?

Abbie: Sherman (her imaginary pet) is hurt.

Me: What happened to him?

Abbie: Sherman is falling down. He's crying.

Me: Go pick him up and make him feel better.

(Abbie runs off)

Abbie: Sherman is hurt.

Me: I'm sorry. Did you give him a kiss?

Abbie: Yes, he needs a bandaid.

Me: Imaginary pets do not get bandaids!

Abbie: Sherman does!

Me: (Inspecting imaginary worm) No Blood, No Bandaid! Sherman is fine.

Personality

So we took a personality test... no big suprizes

My husband is a INFJ and I am a ESFP

Chicken Farmer

Chicken Farmer

A city slicker moves to the country and decides he's going to take up farming. He heads to the
local co-op and tells the man, “Give me 100 baby chickens.”
The co-op man complies.

A week later the man returns and says, “Give me 200 baby chickens.”
The co-op man complies.

Again, a week later the man returns. This time he says, “Give me 500 baby chickens.”

“Wow!” the co-op man replies. “You must really be doing well!”

“Naw,” said the man with a sigh. “I'm either planting them too deep or too far apart.”

Do you have a home computer? Predictions from 1954:

To everyone who reads my blog

It doesn't matter whether you agree or disagree with me on my views of birth... but there is a new indie movie coming out that helps make my point:

Pregnant in America

"What smells like big business?"

To lighten the mood here

A cardiologist died and was given an elaborate funeral. A huge Heart covered
in flowers stood behind the casket during the service.

Following the eulogy, the heart opened, and the casket rolled inside.

The heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the beautiful heart forever.

At that point, one of the mourners burst into laughter. When all eyes stared
at him, he said, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking of my own
funeral.........I'm
a gynecologist."

The proctologist fainted

Each house has a smell

Every house I have been to has a distinct smell. While the people and their cooking may alter that smell, it still maintains it's own smell.

I am opening up bags of family heirloom linens... and trying to decide what to do with them. I have some with a "P" or Pitman on them... since I am now a Franklin... these might be good for my sister-in-law or my new sister-in-law to-be. The ones that were my Grandma Marcia's have been ziplocked with cedar since we lived in the condo... and even with the cedar... smell like that house. The linens of Gram Marge and her mother "Budder" smell like their house in Oak View.

When I opened the bag... yummy memories of that home come to my mind. I remember living in that house as a toddler. I remember the shag carpet, the piano and the tupperware drawer. I remember frying donuts with "Budder" and giving concerts to her on the piano while she slept. Then later I spent many weekends and vacations there. When my brother spent time in the hospital as a baby... I was there with my Grandmas. The day my horse fell and had to be put down, we went there. It was a safe place.

When the house was too much for Gram Marge to handle, I moved in with Maggie (2) and Abbie (10 days) The day we moved in, we also were given our cat, Jack. I spent almost 2 years in that house, cleaning it, replacing all the broken appliances, ripping out shag, hauling out 12.43 tons of things my Grandmas couldn't throw away (Working womans magazine 1980-1983 and more... you get the idea) I didn't plan on leaving. I wrote my kids measurements on the arch in the entry way. I had a huge garden and raised chickens from little chicks. I tried to grow grass in 100 degree weather and give the girls a place to play. It was a safe place for them.

We were called to Northern California by God. I had to leave a place that meant so much to me. We left it in the hands of some treasured friends. People we loved. A family who really needed a large home and some stability. They hadn't had a stable home due to the housing boom and wildly fluctuating costs in Ventura.

Less than a year after our friends moved in, my father asked them to leave. His mistress was in trouble (And living in my other grandmas home by the way) and he moved her in. He re-painted and re-carpeted the house for her. He permanently damaged the safe place. All my yummy memories with these smells are now ruined. I fall to my knees crying. I find my curtains from when I lived there as an infant and become hysterical.

I live in a parsonage which will never be mine. I can fix and paint all I want... but it will always be owned by the church.

With the separation and upcoming divorce, my parents home hurts me to visit. And now both of my grandparents houses are tainted. I will probably never enter them. Our of respect of my brother (Who lives in "other grandmas home") I will be cautious and go if he needs me. But I will never set foot in the home I loved so much, No matter what my father does.

I currently cannot talk to my father. I cannot handle what he has done to this family. I cannot maintain my sanity when he talks about his mistress and "their home", how pretty she thinks my kids are, or how happy he is.

He has ruined all of us permanently.

Paula's Home Cookin'

I love watching Paula on Food network. Today she made BLT soup. After cooking the 1/2 lb of chopped bacon she doesn't drain it... but adds half a stick of butter. Then after assembly of the other ingredients... she adds CREAM! Then she makes the statement, "You will be surprised how good this tastes" UH NO! I am sure anything with that much bacon, butter and cream will taste great!

Then she starts off making the dessert and says, "This dessert is almost dietetic... I am only using one stick of butter!"

HA!

Gates vs. GM

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.

At a recent computer expo (CO MDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,

"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:

If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........
Twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.


7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

So how will you die?

Go here first... then comment your answer!

How will you die?

Oh my!

My husband is currently arguing with mormon missionaries! Why would mormon missionaries come to a parsonage? (Pastor's house on church property) Fascinating... Mormons talking about contradictions in scripture...

Where's Baby?

Huh?

Abbie is very interested in the sun's rising. Especially since she can't get up until it does. So this morning she kept saying, "The sun is coming up" over and over. Finally I repeated, "Yes, the sun is coming up" and she replied, "It's coming out of the egg."

(Doesn't it make your eyebrows hurt?)

full moon + snow = erie colors

I love when a full moon is casting shadows on snow. All the colors are black and periwinkle. I bet it would be great inspiration for a quilt!

Lost in Translation part 2

Jason: So you speak from experience?

Maggie: No. (long pause) I speak English!

I love Mr. Rogers!

Do you remember this song?

It's you I like,
It's not the things you wear.
It's not the way you do your hair,
But it's you I like.
The way you are right now
The way down deep inside you
Not the things that hide you
Not your diplomas...
They're just beside you.
But it's you I like,
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings,
Whether old or new.
I hope that you'll remember
Even when you're feeling blue,
That it's you I like,
It's you yourself, it's you
It's you I like!
Mr Rogers