Today was a very happy day! My niece Adrianne and her husband Michael became the parents of a healthy baby boy, Samuel. I am an aunt again - a GREAT Aunt to be exact. Samuel's older brother Ashton was born last June and only lived two days, and so it was an especially happy day for everyone. Congratulations Adrianne and Michael! We love you, Ashton and Samuel.
31 August 2007
A Happy Day
Today was a very happy day! My niece Adrianne and her husband Michael became the parents of a healthy baby boy, Samuel. I am an aunt again - a GREAT Aunt to be exact. Samuel's older brother Ashton was born last June and only lived two days, and so it was an especially happy day for everyone. Congratulations Adrianne and Michael! We love you, Ashton and Samuel.
Angels Watching Over You
You know that you are a hard-core blogger when you wake up in the morning thinking about something to post on your blog. You also know that it is way beyond just a casual activity in your life when you realize that you don't want to post something new because of something in your last post that was so great that you want it to stay at the top for fear somebody that hasn't visited your blog in a few days will miss it. (PLEASE scroll down and see the post entitled "Everything--" - you won't be sorry!)
This morning I was thinking about my husband and how he seems to have nine lives or something. Going back to the day after I met him, he has had serious accident after freak accident after ridiculous incidents that were the fault of someone else. Here are some of those things:
· The day after I met Travis he was hit in the face on a “brick job” by a mortar mixer. The safety had been removed for the sake of time, and a rock jammed in it, causing it to kick back right as he happened to be near it – and a metal pipe slammed him in the jaw, cutting through his chin and gums, and throwing him several feet.
· Travis was working as a welder, and burned his eyes through a microscopic crack in his shield, so light was slowly seeping in all day and he didn’t know it. When he was taken to the hospital, the doctor prescribed codeine, which apparently he is allergic too, and went into anaphylactic shock.
· When I was pregnant with Kaitlyn, our 14 yo., Travis was working nights. I was wakened by the phone to a southern twanging voice saying “Miss Forsythe, your husband was ‘lectracuted this evenin’ and he was taken to the ‘mergency room.” Indeed he was – an ungrounded welder gave him a huge jolt, to the point that it messed up his heart rhythms and he was in Cardiac Intensive Care for two days.
· He decided after that electrocution to do something other than welding for a while, and was working with heavy machinery. His boss asked him to skip the safety measure of using a tool to press items under a heavy blade, and just use his hands to make it go more quickly. You guessed it – he cut the tip of one of his fingers off. It was stitched back on – but to me it looks more like a toe than a finger!
· One morning on his way to work, Travis stopped at a convenience store to get gas, and stepped inside for a Butterfinger candy bar. Evidently someone had put a can of kerosene on the counter, and it leaked down, saturating the candy in front of the register. Having just brushed his teeth, Travis was unable to detect the strange taste at the first bite, and excused it as being the “just brushed” taste. A couple of bites later – he knew he had eaten something bad – and ended up in the emergency room. They wanted to put a tube up his nose and down his stomach to administer charcoal. He said no way – he’d drink it – and did so, even though they said that has never been done before.
These are just some highlighted incidents of things this man has been through over the years. The man can touch fire, and has taken things out of the oven with his bare hands. He is a bit of a freak of nature - but let him get a fever or a stomach ache and that is a different story - you'd think he was a terminal cancer patient. He is a living illustration of the fact that only God determines the number of our days. This gives me a lot of peace now that he is working as an electrician. I know there is a whole team of angels assigned to that man, and those of us who love him!
30 August 2007
Everything - -
I don't post videos often, and since I already posted one this morning it may seem that I have spent my day browsing videos - but that isn't the case. I was reading blogs on my Google Reader - one linked to another that I have never been to before, and I saw this video there. I almost didn't watch it - having too much to do, but something continued to compel me to come back and watch it. (Was that you Father?) If you ever take 5 minutes to do anything online, I would ask you to take the time to watch this. Please, you won't regret it.
Better Than a Conference
I don't want to push - and I hate to sound like I am selling something, but listening to this CD is better than going to any "pump you up" Christian mega-conference that I have ever attended. The music is so relevent. Here is a little "sneak preview" with lots of song clips:
Some of the words from the first song, What This World Needs, make me want to get up and dance around. First an explanation of where the song comes from:
Galatians is the main basis for this song. False teachers were slipping in and adding tot he Gospel. Jesus + being good = The Believer's Life. Paul builds in a foundation for the Galatian people that it is by faith in Jesus that we are saved. Even today, we the church, are in danger of adding to the Gospel Jesus plus my denomination. Jesus plus our style of worship. Jesus plus good behavior. We must be careful not to strap ourselves to the Gospel.
The words to this song are amazing:
What this world needs is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind - Another two bit politician peddling lies - Another three ring circus society - What this world needs is not another sign waving super saing that's better than you - Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth - Another prophet in an Armani suit - What this word needs is a Savior who will rescue - A Spirit who will lead - A Father who will love them in their time of need - A Savior who will rescue - A Spirit who will lead - A Father who will love - That's what this world needs - What this world needs is for us to care more about the inside than the outside - Have we become so blind that we can't see - God's gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt - What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance - Blending in so well that people can't see the difference - And it's the difference that sets the world free - Jesus is our Savior, that's what this world needs - Father's arms around you, that's what this world needs - That's what this world needs
My absolute favorite part is a voice over section where the voices of teenagers say these things that I have heard echoed in youth group meetings for years - and it is so precious to me that they used teenagers to be the voice here:
The first time I heard this voice-over part it made me cry. If this speaks to you - this whole CD will amaze you, and inspire you to live in relationship instead of religion. I promise.
Some of the words from the first song, What This World Needs, make me want to get up and dance around. First an explanation of where the song comes from:
Galatians is the main basis for this song. False teachers were slipping in and adding tot he Gospel. Jesus + being good = The Believer's Life. Paul builds in a foundation for the Galatian people that it is by faith in Jesus that we are saved. Even today, we the church, are in danger of adding to the Gospel Jesus plus my denomination. Jesus plus our style of worship. Jesus plus good behavior. We must be careful not to strap ourselves to the Gospel.
The words to this song are amazing:
What this world needs is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind - Another two bit politician peddling lies - Another three ring circus society - What this world needs is not another sign waving super saing that's better than you - Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth - Another prophet in an Armani suit - What this word needs is a Savior who will rescue - A Spirit who will lead - A Father who will love them in their time of need - A Savior who will rescue - A Spirit who will lead - A Father who will love - That's what this world needs - What this world needs is for us to care more about the inside than the outside - Have we become so blind that we can't see - God's gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt - What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance - Blending in so well that people can't see the difference - And it's the difference that sets the world free - Jesus is our Savior, that's what this world needs - Father's arms around you, that's what this world needs - That's what this world needs
My absolute favorite part is a voice over section where the voices of teenagers say these things that I have heard echoed in youth group meetings for years - and it is so precious to me that they used teenagers to be the voice here:
People aren't confused about by the Gospel - they're confused by us
Jesus is the only way to God - but we aren't the only way to Jesus
The world doesn't need my tie, my hoodie, my denomination or my translation of the Bible
They just need Jesus
We can be passionate about what we believe - but we can't strap ourselves to the Gospel
Because we are slowing it down
Jesus is going to save the world, but maybe the best thing we can do is just get out of the way!!
Jesus is the only way to God - but we aren't the only way to Jesus
The world doesn't need my tie, my hoodie, my denomination or my translation of the Bible
They just need Jesus
We can be passionate about what we believe - but we can't strap ourselves to the Gospel
Because we are slowing it down
Jesus is going to save the world, but maybe the best thing we can do is just get out of the way!!
The first time I heard this voice-over part it made me cry. If this speaks to you - this whole CD will amaze you, and inspire you to live in relationship instead of religion. I promise.
29 August 2007
Some Stuff About Today
I had to run an errand this morning, and it just so happened that our local Walmart, which is THE world's smallest Super Walmart, did have the new Casting Crowns CD, The Altar and the Door!!!! I haven't stopped listening to it since we got it. The first song kicks - it is so awesome. What I love about Casting Crowns the most is that their songs are so thoughtful. The things they sing about are carbon copy to thoughts I have all the time. They speak to me, heart and soul. I am also jazzed about the fact that they are coming to our area in concert this fall. Tickets go on sale in a matter of days! Yippie. I'm there.
I also went to my neighbor's house and welcomed in her two new toy poodle puppies. People pay hundreds of dollars for these things - and even though they're cute, I don't understand why people pay so much for dogs, when we got a perfectly lovely black lab they almost paid us to take away from a farm two years ago. Yeah, he chases cars, and barks at a strong breeze (he was HOWLING at the eclipse the other night!) , and may have some gender confusion - other than that - perfectly acceptable in the canine department.
Shortly after coming home from my visit with the new poodle babies, the sky turned pitch black, and much the way it always does here, thunder and lightening and then a deluge. We sat on the front porch swing and enjoyed the storm.
I also went to my neighbor's house and welcomed in her two new toy poodle puppies. People pay hundreds of dollars for these things - and even though they're cute, I don't understand why people pay so much for dogs, when we got a perfectly lovely black lab they almost paid us to take away from a farm two years ago. Yeah, he chases cars, and barks at a strong breeze (he was HOWLING at the eclipse the other night!) , and may have some gender confusion - other than that - perfectly acceptable in the canine department.
Shortly after coming home from my visit with the new poodle babies, the sky turned pitch black, and much the way it always does here, thunder and lightening and then a deluge. We sat on the front porch swing and enjoyed the storm.
Dinnertime Discussion
Every night after dinner we use a book called ONE YEAR of Family Devotions to share God's word with our kids. Some nights the devotions are awesome and the stories really drive the point home, while other times they are a bit cheesy. Last night's devotion brought on an unexpected discussion. The verses used were from I Cor.3 about not being wise according to the world's standards. The story was about a boy named Rob and his dad, sitting on their deck, lit by the glow of a bug zapper. Rob confesses to his dad that he has been smoking. He says he realized looking at the bug zapper that in the same way the bugs while attracted to the light were being drawn toward their demise, that he was attracted to things that were harmful to him. Neat little story - until we started to discuss it.
It just so happened that as we were starting this discussion, still sitting at the table full of dirty dishes, that our dining room was filling up with teenagers from our neighborhood. Two of them just happened to stop by as we were starting our devotion. Maybe a God thing?
For the sake of conversation, I threw out the question whether or not "smoking" itself was a sin. I had no answers, I wanted to know what everybody, including my husband was thinking. Some thoughts were that it was a personal conviction. We talked about how your body was the temple for the Holy Spirit - but then how would smoking cigarettes, something that is harmful with no benefit to your body be any different than say, eating margarine which is supposedly one molecule away from plastic, and also harmful with no benefit.
I am an ex-smoker. I used to have times when I first quit smoking that I was repulsed and craved a cigarette at the same time. Now I'm pretty much repulsed by the smell. When I stopped smoking, it was a personal conviction - I felt that God was asking me to lay them down - because they were my crutch. I shared this - a distinct reason that cigarettes becoming an idol, as I made smoking the place I turned when I was stressed or lonely or bored, was a sin for me. Or how disobeying your parents, if they have told you not to smoke is the sin of disobedience. But is smoking in and of itself a sin? This was what we tossed around for about half an hour.
I explained to the kids that on a non-spiritual level - just as a health issue, staying away from cigarettes was a very wise decision from a healthy living standpoint. I have to admit, it makes me a little uncomfortable as a mother not to give my teenagers pat answers for things like this. It seems easier and safer just to tell them that everything is a "sin" that I am personally convicted about and settle the issue, but I find that I am not teaching them to live in relationship with the Lord, listening to His voice and learning to heed the direction of the Holy Spirit in their own lives.
I don't have an answer as to whether or not smoking is a sin. For me it would be because I would be disobeying a specific conviction. As far as respecting our bodies as the temples of the Holy Spirit, what about poor posture, bad sleep habits, unhealthy diets, etc. etc. etc. Would we call these things sin as well?
What are your thoughts?
It just so happened that as we were starting this discussion, still sitting at the table full of dirty dishes, that our dining room was filling up with teenagers from our neighborhood. Two of them just happened to stop by as we were starting our devotion. Maybe a God thing?
For the sake of conversation, I threw out the question whether or not "smoking" itself was a sin. I had no answers, I wanted to know what everybody, including my husband was thinking. Some thoughts were that it was a personal conviction. We talked about how your body was the temple for the Holy Spirit - but then how would smoking cigarettes, something that is harmful with no benefit to your body be any different than say, eating margarine which is supposedly one molecule away from plastic, and also harmful with no benefit.
I am an ex-smoker. I used to have times when I first quit smoking that I was repulsed and craved a cigarette at the same time. Now I'm pretty much repulsed by the smell. When I stopped smoking, it was a personal conviction - I felt that God was asking me to lay them down - because they were my crutch. I shared this - a distinct reason that cigarettes becoming an idol, as I made smoking the place I turned when I was stressed or lonely or bored, was a sin for me. Or how disobeying your parents, if they have told you not to smoke is the sin of disobedience. But is smoking in and of itself a sin? This was what we tossed around for about half an hour.
I explained to the kids that on a non-spiritual level - just as a health issue, staying away from cigarettes was a very wise decision from a healthy living standpoint. I have to admit, it makes me a little uncomfortable as a mother not to give my teenagers pat answers for things like this. It seems easier and safer just to tell them that everything is a "sin" that I am personally convicted about and settle the issue, but I find that I am not teaching them to live in relationship with the Lord, listening to His voice and learning to heed the direction of the Holy Spirit in their own lives.
I don't have an answer as to whether or not smoking is a sin. For me it would be because I would be disobeying a specific conviction. As far as respecting our bodies as the temples of the Holy Spirit, what about poor posture, bad sleep habits, unhealthy diets, etc. etc. etc. Would we call these things sin as well?
What are your thoughts?
28 August 2007
When It Comes to School, There's No Place Like Home
Well, it is that time of the year again - back to school. The roar of the big yellow buses that pass my house en route from the junior high on the next block was the mantra of the morning for two days in a row now. In my heart the anticipation of fall is building. This morning as I stepped out on the front porch, it felt cooler - but maybe it was all in my mind.
With the hub-bub of the new school year buzzing all around us, even though we are so outside of all of that, we seem to get swept up in the energy of it all. This year the kids are very involved with activities surrounding the co-op we have joined, but on any given year, they tend to get energized to pursue their passions when the world seems to revolve around the onset of the school year.
Yesterday morning, my daughters wanted to sit on the front porch, and wave to their friends who were passing by on the school buses, and I let them. It wasn't done in an unkind way, but they were in their own teenage "rebellion-against-the-man" kind of way, they were celebrating who they are - homeschoolers. I was reading this post at Crunchy Christian Mom's blog, about celebrating who we are and it really got me thinking. For years, we have answered the rude and often pointed questions about our lifestyle. "How long are you going to homeschool?" "What do you DO all day?" "What about socialization?" My daughters have been asked this a few times this past year, "Why would you want to stay home all day? I would be bored out of my mind." Also, whether we like it or not, everytime you turn on the television, radio, have a conversation with a neighbor, go to Walmart, the grocery store or the mall, you have the whole "back to school" celebration thrust before you. Why shouldn't homeschoolers be able to celebrate that they are not going? I think we should.
Now before I step on some toes of some real life friends and some of the most awesome friends the cyber-community has ever given me - I want to be clear that as parents we make decisions for our children and our families that no one else can qualify. Period. That being said, I also must insert that I believe the best place for a child is with their parents. I have terrific friends who are excellent school teachers, and while I would trust them implicitly with my children, and I also know they love my children, they can never love them with the heart of a mother that God has given specifically to me.
I have friends who after years of homeschooling have put their children back into public and private schools, sometimes permanently and sometimes for a season. I know the intimate details of their situations, and fully support what they do in the best interest of their families. I still and always will believe that the best place for any child is with a parent that loves them, but that doesn't mean that there aren't other things that are good or that work.
As a homeschooler, I would not walk up to the parent that sends their child to school and ask them pointed, invasive questions about "why they send their children to school" or "how long they plan to send their children to school". I have also learned that celebrating who we are is possible without criticizing others, as was so easy to do in the early years of homeschooling when I felt we were being constantly examined for the approval of others. I don't care anymore.
Wave your freak flag homeschoolers! Celebrate who you are!
With the hub-bub of the new school year buzzing all around us, even though we are so outside of all of that, we seem to get swept up in the energy of it all. This year the kids are very involved with activities surrounding the co-op we have joined, but on any given year, they tend to get energized to pursue their passions when the world seems to revolve around the onset of the school year.
Yesterday morning, my daughters wanted to sit on the front porch, and wave to their friends who were passing by on the school buses, and I let them. It wasn't done in an unkind way, but they were in their own teenage "rebellion-against-the-man" kind of way, they were celebrating who they are - homeschoolers. I was reading this post at Crunchy Christian Mom's blog, about celebrating who we are and it really got me thinking. For years, we have answered the rude and often pointed questions about our lifestyle. "How long are you going to homeschool?" "What do you DO all day?" "What about socialization?" My daughters have been asked this a few times this past year, "Why would you want to stay home all day? I would be bored out of my mind." Also, whether we like it or not, everytime you turn on the television, radio, have a conversation with a neighbor, go to Walmart, the grocery store or the mall, you have the whole "back to school" celebration thrust before you. Why shouldn't homeschoolers be able to celebrate that they are not going? I think we should.
Now before I step on some toes of some real life friends and some of the most awesome friends the cyber-community has ever given me - I want to be clear that as parents we make decisions for our children and our families that no one else can qualify. Period. That being said, I also must insert that I believe the best place for a child is with their parents. I have terrific friends who are excellent school teachers, and while I would trust them implicitly with my children, and I also know they love my children, they can never love them with the heart of a mother that God has given specifically to me.
I have friends who after years of homeschooling have put their children back into public and private schools, sometimes permanently and sometimes for a season. I know the intimate details of their situations, and fully support what they do in the best interest of their families. I still and always will believe that the best place for any child is with a parent that loves them, but that doesn't mean that there aren't other things that are good or that work.
As a homeschooler, I would not walk up to the parent that sends their child to school and ask them pointed, invasive questions about "why they send their children to school" or "how long they plan to send their children to school". I have also learned that celebrating who we are is possible without criticizing others, as was so easy to do in the early years of homeschooling when I felt we were being constantly examined for the approval of others. I don't care anymore.
Wave your freak flag homeschoolers! Celebrate who you are!
27 August 2007
Oh Yum Yum Yummy - Pumpkin Dip
I found this incredible, delicious recipe the other day, and whipped some up to take as a snack for co-op today. We shared it with anyone who seemed brave enough to try it, and everybody loved it. If you like pumpkin - you will LOVE this stuff. Served with ginger snaps - it is my totally new favorite snack. As my daughter Kendra says, it is very fall-ish.
Creamy Pumpkin Dip
16 oz (2 pkgs) softened cream cheese
15 oz can packed pumpkin
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups of powdered sugar
16 oz (2 pkgs) softened cream cheese
15 oz can packed pumpkin
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups of powdered sugar
Mis first 4 ingredients together with a mixer on low, and slowly add powdered sugar until creamy. Refrigerate until firm. Serve with ginger snaps.
I only made half a batch and it made a huge amount. Enjoy!
I only made half a batch and it made a huge amount. Enjoy!
26 August 2007
Me and the Man
Tomorrow is the 19th year anniversary of the day I met my husband, and the 16th year anniversary of the day we got married. Last night he took me out on a date to a really awesome mexican restaurant. We have been having a rough time over the last year and a half since we moved, and at times it seems to be a make it or break it situation. I am so thankful that the Lord has been doing a lot of work between us, and happy to report that I think against all odds we may just make it! Last night was the best date ever. Nothing extraordinary - just great food, uninterrupted conversation, an opportunity to pay attention to each other sitting in a quiet little half circle booth in a nice, quiet atmosphere with somebody else bringing hot food and refilling our drinks.The girls thought we looked so cute together that they wanted to snap a picture of us before we left. I am so glad they did, because this is by far THE best picture we've ever had taken together. I was going to make a scrapbook page with this picture before its unveiling - but I just couldn't wait to share it with you.
I know that all odds were stacked against us when we met - with him being an island unto himself, and my desire to tuck tail and run everytime things get hard. I am happy to report that I think marriage is worth the trouble. I love this guy - and I think I just might marry him again.
Happy Anniversary Travis! I love you.
Rambly Brambly Post
Yesterday morning my husband and I watched an Inconvenient Truth. I am never afraid to watch things that may be controversial, and I feel that I came away from it with some food for thought, and compelled to action. I didn't agree with the evolution-friendly dates given to support some of the theories expressed, however, I do believe that we have a serious problem and it is time for all of us who inhabit this planet to pay attention. This isn't a political issue, nor an enviromental one, but one that will impact the lives of every living thing. As a Christian I used to think that none of these kinds of things matter - and that the days of the earth were numbered and that there was nothing we can do to change that, but now I feel certain that as caretakers, we are ask to take care of what we have been entrusted. I am going to watch it again with my kids. I know there will be some super good discussions as a result.
After the leisurely morning, I decided that my azalea bushes needed a haircut. They have gotten SO tall that if I stood on one side of them and you on the other, we would not be able to see each other. This amazes me, being that in WV, azaleas were seldom more than a couple feet tall. Here they are so large, they can dwarf my mini-van. When they are in bloom, they are a sight to behold. Needless to say, after trimming hedges for a couple of hours, my forearms are very sore. I also have about half a dozen huge welps around my ankles from an ant pile I encountered, causing me to do somewhat of an Indian rain dance across my front yard.
Last night my hubby and I went on a date for our anniversary, which I will post more about later, however, we had some pretty good discussions. One of which was about manners and kids. We have noticed since we got here that most kids say "yes ma'am" or "no ma'am" (or sir respectively) when they are speaking to adults. I was telling Travis that I felt compelled to encourage the kids to do the same - and yet what I want is for them to be truly polite, not just "appear" to be polite. We agreed that it is better to just be who we are - and let people think what they want if our kids don't say ma'am and sir. Being truly polite and respectful is the goal, to adults and other kids alike.
After the leisurely morning, I decided that my azalea bushes needed a haircut. They have gotten SO tall that if I stood on one side of them and you on the other, we would not be able to see each other. This amazes me, being that in WV, azaleas were seldom more than a couple feet tall. Here they are so large, they can dwarf my mini-van. When they are in bloom, they are a sight to behold. Needless to say, after trimming hedges for a couple of hours, my forearms are very sore. I also have about half a dozen huge welps around my ankles from an ant pile I encountered, causing me to do somewhat of an Indian rain dance across my front yard.
Last night my hubby and I went on a date for our anniversary, which I will post more about later, however, we had some pretty good discussions. One of which was about manners and kids. We have noticed since we got here that most kids say "yes ma'am" or "no ma'am" (or sir respectively) when they are speaking to adults. I was telling Travis that I felt compelled to encourage the kids to do the same - and yet what I want is for them to be truly polite, not just "appear" to be polite. We agreed that it is better to just be who we are - and let people think what they want if our kids don't say ma'am and sir. Being truly polite and respectful is the goal, to adults and other kids alike.
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