31 March 2006

52 Things meme

1. FIRST NAME? Amy

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not my first name, but my middle name (Jonna - joe-NAY) is after a girl my parents knew when I was a baby.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? I can't recall, and that's a good thing. I tend to cry very easily.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes. It's unique to me, but also reminds me of my mom and grandma's

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Turkey ham on whole wheat with Miracle whip and Muenster

6. KIDS? 3 boys, ages 5,3, and 1.

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I'm not sure. Probably, just because I would love to have more friends

8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Only if blogs count

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Yes, unfortunately

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope.

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Never in a million years. It just strikes me as too dangerous.
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I like steel cut oats for hot cereal and homemade granola for cold cereal.

13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Always. I like my shoes very snug, and I could never get them off if I didn't untie them.

14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes, about average on physical, but above average in mental.

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Homemade vanilla like dad makes.

16. SHOE SIZE? 10 1/2 or 11

17. RED OR PINK? a very pale shade of petal pink

18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I obsess over stuff too much.

19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My nan - mom's mom.

20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Leave me a link in my comments

21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING? Blue jeans and white socks.

22. LAST THING YOU ATE? dairy-free kheer (Indian rice pudding)

23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Short Stuff fussing and Veggie Tales from downstairs.

24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Magenta (my favorite color in childhood).

25. FAVORITE SMELL? That special baby scent that all newborns have.

26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom.

27. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes, especially if they look at me when they talk to me.

28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I think so. I'm just getting to know her through her blog, but she seems to be such a very neat lady! :)

29. FAVORITE DRINK? Almost any hot beverage - hot tea, chai, or lattes. I think I need to try MissM's fave. It intrigues me

30. FAVORITE SPORT? Soccer

31. HAIR COLOR? Blonde, but it is getting darker with age, just like my mom's did (and at 65, she still has very little gray - she highlights it to make it look like she has more gray than she really does, lol).

32. EYE COLOR? Brown

33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I have contacts but rarely wear them as they really bother my eyes. I normally just wear my glasses when I need to drive.

34. FAVORITE FOOD? Almost anything. My short list is lasagna and beef stroganoff.

35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy ending.

36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Great Outdoors, but the last one I watched that I truly wanted to was Luther.

37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? navy s/s tee

38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter, in all its snowy glory.

39. HUGS OR KISSES? Both.

40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Mom's homemade Black Forest Torte, tiramisu, or a good old-fashioned custard pie.

41. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No clue

42. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I have no idea.

43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Seeking Him, Bible, Gideon's Torch, A Return To Modesty.

44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have one. I use an optical mouse.

45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I don't think I did...

46. FAVORITE SOUNDS? a sleeping baby's breathing, birds singing, babies jabbering

47. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Definitely Beatles.

48. THE FURTHEST YOU BEEN FROM HOME? California when I was 5

49. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? singing
50. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? December 23, 1955

51. WHAT CONDITION ARE YOUR HANDS AND FEET IN? Dry with peeling nails - both

52. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR? A lot, but I really like C.S. Lewis, so I'll just say him.

Links to other 52 things lists:

Kim at Hiraeth
Kim at The Upward Call

29 March 2006

Today was somewhat of a rough day. I'm not sure why, unless it is just from the cabin fever that seems to strike in late winter/early spring. At any rate, the afternoon started to go much better. I was able to take a nap, a rarity. Then, I had plenty of time to start one of our favorite suppers, which we don't get often simply from the amount of cooking to be done. We were going to have Indian - complete with cilantro chutney and idlis (puffy rice pancakes). I decided to pressure cook the chickpeas for our curried chickpeas, but guessed at the time, since it wasn't written in my cooker manual. I started the rice, and began preparations for the chutney while the beans came up to pressure. The rice was done a little before the beans, and it turned out wonderful. I do believe it was the best I've ever cooked rice in my life. Consistency that even HOH raved over!

The beans, however. Let me tell you about those beans. I have enough very soft chickpeas to keep us in hummus for 2 months! Good thing I was planning hummus next week, eh? I cooked them too long. So, it ruined my plans for dinner tonight. And, I worked hard at this because cooking Indian takes a while (which is why I usually use canned chickpeas for this). I was so tempted to complain or be mad or throw myself a good tantrum. But, I didn't. I couldn't. I just kept thinking of how grateful I am that HOH makes good money and we can afford to eat out on occasions like this. At least I didn't have to wrack my brain to try to come up with something for my hungry kids to eat out of the mess I made. It is all a matter of perspective. Yes, I'm disappointed in my supper that wasn't, but I can buy a can of chickpeas at the store and start over again in a few days. At least I have my perfect rice already made. And I'm really looking forward to the chutney and idlis. And, HOH's fix for our supper dilemma was excellent, too!

27 March 2006

Currently...

Linda at Soli Deo Gloria sparked this idea for me! :)

Current Bible study: Seeking Him by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Current fiction book(s): Lynn Austin's Chronicles of the Kings series, Sharon Kay Penman's Justin de Quincy mysteries, Frank Peretti - I think The Oath is next if the library has it

Current nonfiction: The Bear in the Attic by Patrick F. McManus

Currently listening to: WISG 93.9 "The Song" or WGNR 97.9 "Light for the Crossroads"

Currently watching: Lady and the Tramp, all of the Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers, Sheerluck Holmes or The Ballad of Little Joe - until another VeggieTales video gets remembered

Currently praising the Lord: that Timex's tonsillectomy & recovery have gone so well, for HOH's new job that starts next Monday, for our new church and how supportive they are

Currently giggling over: Short Stuff's baby jabbering, Timex's vivid imagination, Bubba's counting the letters on the bathroom sign (didn't have a lady or man silhouette on it) to make sure he went into the right one

Currently celebrating: the herbs that survived the winter and are poking their heads up in my garden, crocuses and even daffodils beginning to bloom, Short Stuff's birthday

Currently planning: supper (dairy-free Beef Stroganoff), my garden (peas will go in as soon as the soil dries a bit), organizing my kitchen with MIL

23 March 2006

Post and Run: Timex's update

Timex did very well with his surgery. He ate the nurses out of popsicles yesterday - he had 12. They have fallen in love with my funny little boy. My MIL stayed the night with him, because Shor Stuff still nurses at night - a lot. So, Short Stuff and I will be heading out as soon as we get dressed and eat breakfast. Hopefully we'll be bringing Timex home around noon, unless he refuses to eat and drink today. He is very homesick. I think he thinks that home will help him feel better, and who knows, maybe it will!

Praise the Lord for the good surgery!

Updated: We are home now. He is doing much better now that he is home. He has eaten so much, and drank a lot of water, too. He even took a good nap on the way home. He had a rough night last night, being so homesick. I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep for him and a resulting good day tomorrow.

20 March 2006

Brief update

Thanks for prayers. Timex is still healthy, and the rest of us seem to be getting better. Short Stuff had a wonderful birthday party. My parents didn't stay as long as they had planned, due to a huge snowstorm headed our way tonight, but it was long enough. My mom brought me her sock to turn the heel for her, which I got done today. I'll have the gusset decreases done by tomorrow, so she'll get it back on Saturday when she and dad bring Bubba back to us.

I don't think I'll get my "M" for the Sock-a-month Knitalong that Knittin' Mom has started. I did one anklet sock with lots of cables on size 2s, which hurt my hands tremendously, so I'm not going to do the second sock for a while. I recently started a pair of Thuja socks (knit with my preferred yarn, gauge, and needles), but I'm not going to get that pair done before the deadline either. I'll probably have 2 mateless socks and an extra heel turn/gusset decrease for the month. But, that's okay. I can always get my "A" for April on the Thuja's, maybe even a brownie point for the cabled anklets. My "break" knitting is some yummy Karabella Aurora 8 in a chocolate color on 10.5s. That will be a shrug when it is done, and the yarn is so soft. If I ever knit a sweater, it will be in this yarn, or at least something similar in feel. I could wear that wool next to my skin any day!

19 March 2006

I've been tagged! :)

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:
1) Irish Hills
2) Dominionfamily
3) Just Janet
4) Good Soil
5) Ezekiel's Garden

Select Five People to Tag
Anyone who wants to join.

What were you doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago, I was finishing up my senior year in high school. I was in the middle of deciding where to go to college. I decided to go to Ball State University in Muncie, IN. We also moved the fall of my 18th year, next door to the house in which I grew up. That was 2 weeks before I went to college, so I kept myself packed up and only enough clothes out to get me through that last 2 weeks.

What were you doing one year ago?
A year ago, I was waiting on baby Short Stuff to arrive. He arrived on the Wednesday before Easter. It was a very quick labor & the Lord really helped me keep from delivering him in the parking lot of the hospital. I swear that if I have another baby, I am demanding another homebirth (Timex was born at home) because of the precipitous labor. I much prefer laboring in a tub vs. while going 100 mph on the interstate & kneeling on a blanket on the floor of a minivan while holding tightly to the toddler's car seat. At least Short Stuff was born in a birthing tub.

Five snacks you enjoy
1) Nutella and pretzels
2) Homemade chocolate chip biscotti
3) Guacamole and blue corn tortilla chips
4) Popcorn and chocolate
5) Banana and blueberry smoothies

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics
1) Be Thou My Vision
2) Amazing Grace
3) The Hairbrush Song
4) The Bunny Song
5) Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody
The kids don't know about the Queen song. They do, however, really appreciate the fact that I can sing many VeggieTunes at will, lol.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire
1) 10% tithe right off the top
2) Support international missions
3) Adopt several more children
4) Invest
5) Build a modest house nestled in some woods in the country with lots of land that is wooded and enough cleared to have a huge garden and woodshop for DH

Five Bad Habits
1) French Press coffee
2) creating and maintaining piles around the house (ditto)
3) sitting at this computer (ditto)
4) leaving my car a mess (I do make my bed)
5) not putting laundry away

Five things you like doing
1) Ladies' Bible study on Thursdays
2) knitting, especially socks
3) watching the Food Network, especially Rachael Ray and Alton Brown
4) gardening
5) reading - I love going to the library to check out new medieval mysteries

Five things you'll try not to wear
1) low cut or too tight pants
2) too tight or too low shirts
3) hairspray
4) too much jewelry
5) short skirts

Five favorite toys
1) computer
2) French press coffee pot
3) serger
4) new chef's knives
5) elliptical trainer

16 March 2006

Busy, busy, busy...

We've been a bit busy around here, which accounts for the lack of posting. Next week, Short Stuff turns 1. However, his exact birthday is the day we're bringing Timex home from the hospital. He's having his tonsils out. So, we're going to do Short Stuff's party on Sunday afternoon so there won't be any temptation for a 3 year old to be too active so soon after surgery. This leads to a prayer request. Short Stuff, Bubba, and I are all coughing and hacking like a pack of dogs. Please pray that Timex's immune system functions properly & spares him this so that he can have his surgery as planned. Short Stuff even had to go to the doctor for his cough. Poor baby! He is on prednisone, which seems to have given him a headache, as he has been extra clingy, fussy, and nurse-y lately. I definitely don't want Timex to get this, either before or after the surgery.

I'll be back as soon as I can, but may have to take a break for a week or so until things calm down around here.

10 March 2006

"Let the Children Come to Me"

I think I understand why the Father loves children so much. As crazy as I get at my kids, I'm even crazier for them. Each one is special in his own way - the baby for his sweet trusting and cute antics; the middle one for his derring do and the way he marches to the beat of a different drummer; and the oldest one for his sweetness & caring.

Bubba is a lover. He loves people, and he always has, even from babyhood. He has been so worried lately that a little boy he knows is going to hell because he doesn't know Jesus. We pray for this boy lots, just because Bubba knows the power of prayer & knows that it is what C needs. We will probably never see C again. It's a tragic situation. Bubba says that he will share the Gospel with him if we ever see him again, but since we probably won't, he says he's going to pray for C and his mom every day. Isn't that sweet? So far he has, too. I'm so proud of him, and his sensitivity to the things of the Lord. I never thought I'd see this day, especially when we were Catholic.

The responsibility to shape and mold these creatures is so staggering. I'm so thankful that God is there every step of the way for us, and that there are such things as unconditional love and grace. My prayer today is that the Lord gives me the words to teach these little ones as I help form them into godly men.

07 March 2006

Slacker accountability

Well, I've been doing a bit better in the slacking area, but it's not at all what I outlined! The bedrooms are about 50/50 most days - some days the beds get made and sometimes they don't. However, I've been doing really well at the laundry and the kitchen. Go figure! I'm just pleased with myself that I'm getting motivated to try to get this place tidy. It's only a little over a year old, so there's hope while it's still young! I can't remember if I've mentioned it, but HOH also suggested hiring someone to help me with the vacuuming and dusting a couple of times a month, since that seems to be my worst pitfall. I was delighted at the suggestion, and after I get my new "un-slacker" self down better, we'll see if I still need that help.

I hope I'm not too ambitious with my garden this year. I just ordered quite a few seeds from Seed Savers Exchange. I have 5 different kinds of dried beans coming, carrots, brussels sprouts, leeks, peas, peppers, winter squash, and some herbs. This is in addition to the tomatoes and summer squash that my mom will be starting for me and bringing up later this spring. I'm very excited. I can't wait for it to warm up so I can work the soil. I'm really excited about the beans. I love beans, and it is a bit disheartening that my sons all look at beans like they are some sort of alien life form. Oh well! I guess that means I only have to fight DH for them.

A bit of an update on the "library" project that HOH has going - he is putting the facing on the cabinets right now with Bubba. They're about to quit because it is late and the two babies are sleeping, or were before that last round of banging. I'm really excited about how it is turning out. I think it will be beautiful. His friend from work is supposed to come over tomorrow night and help him make the top for it - yay!!! Can't wait to see it!!! :) We may be able to install the new floor (Pergo or hardwood; we're still undecided) this coming weekend! This is particularly exciting because I may actually get all the book boxes unloaded and out of the way before Short Stuff has his birthday!

04 March 2006

Bible meme

1. Who is your favorite Biblical personage, other than Jesus?

Esther or David. God used them both so mightily. Two very great stories of providence. :)

2. What is your favorite book of the Old Testament?

Probably the Psalms because they are so deep. I also like Esther, Ruth, both Samuels, and the minor prophets I've waded through.

3. What is your least favorite book of the Old Testament?

I have only read about 1/3 of the OT, but Ecclesiastes has always been difficult for me. So, that or Numbers (so dry).

4. What is your favorite non-gospel book of the New Testament?

Again, not read a lot in here, either. Last semester our ladies' Bible study went through Philippians using Elizabeth George's book as a taking-off point, & I loved it. I've also enjoyed Ephesians, Galatians & Hebrews.

5. What is your life verse?

Jeremiah 29:11

It seems to me that my plans may not always be His plans, but His plans always lead me to someplace better than my plans would. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, I visited a new LYS. I am so in love. It is teeny compared to the other I normally go to, but it is closer, they have a great selection of superwash wool in all different sizes, and they are so friendly (which is a big changeup from the other one). They have these 2 adorable little pomeranians, and the little girl, Fiona was absolutely beside herself trying to love on my boys, who, I might add were very well-behaved & the darlings of the half-hour I spent there. :)

01 March 2006

Faith sure is a journey

God has certainly led me on quite a journey in my faith life! From a Charismatic Protestant to a conservative Roman Catholic to a reformed paedobaptist to a reformed evangelical.

I grew up in a charismatic/pentecostal home. My parents are still very much charismatic, although they attend church at a Church of God (Anderson IN) in their home town. In addition, they are more than a little supportive of the Word-Faith movement, also known as "name it, claim it" movement. It never sat right with me, and I still don't think it encompasses what God wants His children to believe, but I leave that between them and God. To that end, when I got out into college, I went through a period of testing - going to different churches, not going to church at all, attending campus fellowships, etc.

Ultimately, though, I met HOH at the beginning of my sophomore year, so I really only searched for maybe 12-18 months at most. When I met HOH, he had just taken some time off from Catholic seminary to discern God's will for his life. He met me, and the rest was history. The way he explained his faith, it just seemed so much more "real" to me than all the talking in tongues, "if you're not healed it's because you have hidden sin in your life because God doesn't want His children to be hurt, poor, sick, etc.." or anything else I had experienced. So, shortly after we got married, I was confirmed in the Catholic church. Things went along fairly well for a few years, going to mass, learning that there was a lot more to faith than what I was raised with, and just plain growing up.

The bottom fell out of my nice little world when I was pregnant with Timex, though. HOH felt a pull out of the Catholic church and decided that we should join an Anglican splinter group. The particular group we were in was extremely small with no real pastor (not to be demeaning to our friend who had started this church). I finally convinced HOH to come back to the Catholic church, and there we stayed for another year or so, where I was desparately trying to put down roots in a church that was so big that if you were gone for 2 years, nobody noticed.

One day, HOH decided that we should go to Bloomington IL to meet PastorK, whom he had met on the foray with the Anglican splinter group. As an aside, PastorK is a reformed Baptist minister in Bloomington, and a wonderful dear friend of our family. I was very resistant to this visit, because I knew HOH wanted out of the Catholic church so badly, and I couldn't understand it, at the time. I have since realized why, and obviously I agree now. This visit was very painful to me. I was scared of being ripped up by my roots and trying to fit into yet another church group, especially when I have so few friends anyway. There were many tears at this visit with PastorK and his lovely family. Finally, I awoke the final morning, and God had completely changed my heart. I know that this was God because I certainly wasn't going to budge if it was left up to me (thank you God that it wasn't!).

We came back from that visit with a firm resolve to find a good Bible believing church. PastorK suggested the PCA so that HOH wouldn't have to deal with the minor issue of infant baptism vs believer's baptism while there were other, more major theological issues with which to grapple, like justification, double imputation, free will, predestination, and all the other terms that good Calvinists like the throw around. ;) We found the right PCA church on the very first try, and we enjoyed a little over a year of great spiritual growth there. We also have some very dear friends from that church. Then, a little over 6 months ago, HOH felt that something wasn't quite right with his baptism, and that it wasn't necessarily because it was a Roman Catholic baptism. So, we went to Bloomington IL again, and PastorK had the honor of baptizing HOH this summer. After this trip, it became obvious to our family that our PCA church was no longer the place that God wanted us to call our church home. Thus began the church for a reformed body that held to believer's baptism.

Praise to the Lord that we found a good church, First Baptist, fairly quickly. Since then, we've been blessed even more richly in our spiritual lives than ever before, or at least I have. God has really used our pastor, our ladies' Bible study leader, and our Sunday School teachers to grow my faith. I have a desire to study God's word, which I had never had prior to this, even though I always considered myself a Christian from childhood. I yearn for a closer walk with Him and to please Him more than any other person in my life, even my family. I want to plumb the depths of Him and His mysteries, drinking of the fullness of His mercy and goodness. God is so good, and I'm so happy that He chose me! It is with excitement that HOH and I approach our upcoming membership. There are only 2 steps left in our process - giving our testimonies in front of the church and being voted in. If you remember, please pray for us the evening of March 12. Pray that I remember all that I want to say about my testimony!

Thus ends the story of my faith journey to this day, although I know it will continue for many years to come! While I don't always understand why God had me in some of the places I've been, I'll thank Him for the blessings that it has yielded.