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Film Festival Recap #2
We survived the first night in our dilapidated hotel and woke up too early to take barely-warm showers. (The hotel's water tank must have not been able to accommodate more than a few hot showers each morning because there was hardly anyone staying there and we were probably one of the first ones up yet there wasn't any hot water left!) After getting the girls up and around, we headed to find the convention center where the Film Festival was being held. Upon our arrival, Jesse dropped both girls and I off to try and navigate our way through registration while he found a place to park. That was easier said than done. I followed the crowd of people wearing Film Festival name tags into the building but then we had no idea where to go. Everyone else was headed confidently in this direction and that - everyone that is, but us. After observing my surroundings for a few moments, I decided more people were headed upstairs than downstairs, so we proceeded to attempt going up. The only problem was that I had two little girls and a big diaper bag and the only way up we could find was an escalator. I surveyed the escalator situation and determined that I could make it up safely holding the two girls and the bulging diaper bag. I started to get on but we almost all collapsed in the process. I quickly lost my confidence. Some other Film Festival attendees saw my predicament and came the the rescue helping us all manage to safely reach the top of the escalator. Once up there, I was still lost, though. Just at that moment, Tim Horn appeared and graciously pointed us in the direction of the registration table which was, to my chagrin, back down on the main floor within feet of the entrance door. At any rate, Tim helped us locate the one elevator in the building and we finally reached our first destination - the registration table! Once registered, I realized I didn't have my cell phone and didn't have any way to get in contact with Jesse. We finally decided to just head in to the main auditorium and hope to find Jesse at the break. We enjoyed the first set of short films we watched - especially the film called "Opportunity" which some friends from our church had produced. I know I'm biased, but I thought it was one of the best films of the Festival and, even though it did not win any awards, it was very well-received by the audience.  Kaitlynn and Kathrynne at the FestivalAfter meeting up with Jesse at the break, we had a chance to briefly meet blog reader Bethany Maxson before we attended an excellent session titled Guerilla Apologetics for the Glory of God by Ray Comfort. He was one of the guest speakers at the conference and probably our overall favorite. His engaging, hilarious, and convicting style of preaching leaves you ever wanting to hear more. The girls and I tried to make it to the showing of Heartstrings (winner of the Young Filmmaker's Award and the Audience Choice Award) after that, but the room showing it was completely packed out and there wasn't even any standing room left. We opted to walk around instead and ended up running into Jennie Chancey and some of her children and KimC and some of her brood. I'd met Jennie once before, and it was great to get reacquainted and have the privilege of picking her brain on various things. I've only known Kim from blogging, so it was fun to finally meet. We went with the Haydens over to the food court at a nearby mall for lunch and then walked back to enjoy more films in the afternoon. We were excited to attend Smuggler's Ransom and it wasn't in any way a disappointment. I almost made it through the entire movie with both girls - something which didn't happen a whole lot during the Festival. I was glad, though, that I ended up having to take the girls out because Kaitlynn was being fussy since it gave me the opportunity to run into Elizabeth Botkin. She and I have known each other "from afar" for some time, but it was wonderful to finally meet in person. We hit it off from the get-go. What I thought was a 20 minute conversation actually turned out to be an over two-hour conversation. And we could have easily talked a lot longer except it was almost dinner time!  Myself, Kaitlynn, and Elizabeth BotkinElizabeth and Anna Sofia (whom I also got to meet briefly) were such an inspiration to me over the course of the Festival. I was challenged not only through our discussions but through observing their lives and seeing first-hand how the vision and encouragement their father has given them coupled with the grace of the Lord has truly enabled them to accomplish many great things for the Lord - and at such a young age! Sometimes we miss out on so many blessings because we do not challenge ourselves out of our comfort zone. Instead, we are content to be complacent. Elizabeth and Anna Sofia are most certainly not content with mediocrity but are instead approaching life with a passion, a zeal, and a mission to change and challenge this culture for the glory of God!  While Elizabeth and I talked, Kathrynne enjoyed spending some time with KimC's girls...
 ...And their one and only boyWe enjoyed dinner at a Mexican restaurant on the boardwalk with the Hayden family and the Hawley family. Our conversations with the Haydens are never dull and this was no exception. We had lively discussions on the current Republican Presidential candidates and why we could or couldn't vote for them.  Waiting to be seated for dinnerWe made it back to the conference center in time to catch the last half of the premiere of The Return of the Daughters. I was encouraged and blessed by the part of the film I was able to see and hope to see the film in its entirety in the near future. I've met so many young women and parents who do not feel the Lord is leading them to go to college, but they don't really have any idea what else to do. This film gives hope and practical encouragement for girls who want to "turn their hearts towards home" and impact this culture for the glory of God while serving their families, their local churches, and their communities. Ray Comfort gave another stirring message and then we made our way to the Riverwalk Outdoor Theatre to see George Sarris share a dramatization from Scripture and then we greatly enjoyed the talented Booher Brothers share some fun folk tunes. We finally arrived back at our hotel around 12:30 a.m. realizing that the Film Festival and a good night's sleep are not synonymous. However, we were hoping tonight we'd actually get more than a few hours of sleep - but that was not to be, thanks to an unexpected visitor. To be continued...
Tuesday giveaway: Homestead kitchen vintage gift set
 This week's giveaway, compliments of Homestead Originals, is a Homestead Kitchen Vintage Gift Set.This gift set includes a lovely white enamelware soap dish filled with the following goodies: a half pint all natural soy wax candle in a signature scent, a cute cotton dishcloth, and a bar of handcrafted, delicious, all-natural "Homestead Kitchen" soap. Lisa, from Homestead Originals, sent me a few of her soy candles and let me tell you, these candles smell good enough to eat. We've so enjoyed having their aroma wafting through the house. There's nothing that beats having delicious candles burning at this time of year! To enter to win this wonderful gift set (which would make a great Christmas gift - but I doubt you'll be able to part with it yourself!): -Visit Homestead Originals and pick which soy candle scent you think sounds the yummiest to you.
-Come back here and leave your name and candle scent choice below.
-Comments will be open until Friday evening, November 2, 2007. I'll choose a winner on Saturday and post their name here over the weekend.
By the way, if you love giveaways, don't forget to checkout Shannon's gala giveaway event happening over at Bloggy Giveaways!
In our weakness, God's strength can shine through
Film Festival Recap #1
Our trip to the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival began around 6:00 p.m. on Thursday evening. The Film Festival's opening ceremonies actually began on Thursday evening, but we were unable to leave until early evening because Jesse had a business meeting he couldn't miss in the afternoon.  Kathrynne and Daddy getting ready to board the plane.Kathrynne hadn't flown since she was around three months old and we'd never flown with two little girls before, so we weren't sure how it would go. All we knew is that it had to be a lot easier than a 15 hour drive! Gratefully, we were able to find a direct flight for a very reasonable rate.  Kathrynne enjoying the flight.We needed not worry about the girls on the flight; they loved it! Kathrynne was mesmerized by it all. Her only fear was that she was going to, as she said, "fall into the lights below." Kathrynne surrounded by our huge load of luggage while waiting to get the rental car.We arrived in San Antonio around 10 p.m. Once we secured our rental car, we called our friends the Hayden family (who were also attending the Festival) to see what they were up to. Caleb invited us to a late night dinner with he and Tim and the Stubblefields. Seeing as we were quite famished, we quickly accepted the invitation.  A late night dinner with the Stubblefields, the Carpenters (who ended up joining us, too!), Caleb Hayden, and Tim Horn.By far one of the best things of our entire trip was the stimulating conversations and the encouraging fellowship. This late night dinner was a tiny taste of things to come. Topics of conversation included Mark and Amy's courtship story, marriage, the work of Franklin Springs and the new film they recently released on Stonewall Jackson, and other sundry topics of interest. We finally parted ways around 1:30 a.m. and headed to locate our hotel. We pulled in to discover ourselves at the most run-down place we've ever stayed at before. I guess the saying "You get what you pay for" proved true in this instance as we had hardly paid anything for a four-night stay here as part of a flight/hotel/car rock-bottom package from Orbitz. It said it was a two-star hotel, but I'm still not sure how it managed to achieve those two stars. Since it was already almost 2 a.m., we had nowhere else to go, and were quite exhausted, we decided to overlook the crickets and dirt, the lack of hot water, the broken alarm clock and door chain (you know that extra security mechanism so even if the door is somehow unlocked, it can't be pushed open but a crack), and the lamps which all turned on and off multiple times per minute. Daybreak was fast approaching and we needed to catch at least a few hours of sleep. To be continued...
As if we needed another reason not to support Hollywood
I thought it was quite fitting that as soon as I returned home from a Film Festival dedicated to encouraging filmmakers to create high-quality films for the glory of God, I would receive a number of emails concerning The Golden Compass, a new film which is scheduled to hit theaters near Christmastime. From the Catholic League (By the way, I searched for Protestants who were coming out and condemning this movie and didn't find any. Anyone have a link to throw my way?): A film called "The Golden Compass" opens December 7. It is based on the first book of a trilogy titled His Dark Materials. The author of this children's fantasy is Philip Pullman, a noted English atheist. It is his objective to bash Christianity and promote atheism. To kids. "The Golden Compass" is a film version of the book by that name, and it is being toned down so that Catholics, as well as Protestants, are not enraged. The second book of the trilogy, The Subtle Knife, is more overt in its hatred of Christianity than the first book, and the third entry, The Amber Spyglass, is even more blatant. Because "The Golden Compass" is based on the least offensive of the three books, and because it is being further watered down for the big screen, some might wonder why parents should be wary of the film. The Catholic League wants Christians to stay away from this movie precisely because it knows that the film is bait for the books: unsuspecting parents who take their children to see the movie may be impelled to buy the three books as a Christmas present. And no parent who wants to bring their children up in the faith will want any part of these books.
Related: For anyone interested, you can read more about the film and the series this film is based upon here. Fox News also has an extensive article here (Thanks, Rachel!).
Home sweet home
I had hoped to liveblog some of the Film Festival, or at least have a chance to post once a day while we were gone. Instead, I didn't so much as even get on the internet or check my email the whole time we were gone. It's been years since I've taken a four-day internet break and I think it was one of the best things of the whole experience. Don't worry, I don't plan to make my internet break anything permanent, but it was so refreshing to spend some dedicated time away from the computer and in the company of wonderful friends - old and new! And now my head is spinning with new ideas and posts! The Festival itself was great, but even better than that was the opportunity to get to fellowship with so many dear people, many of whom are blog readers. Thank you to all of you who came up and introduced yourself! Our plane touched down a few hours ago and I'm now wading through lots of laundry and trying to get caught back up with things. I'll post pictures and a recap of our trip later today, Lord-willing.
Anyone else going to the Film Festival?
I'm doing the happy dance! Everything fell into place at the last minute for us to attend the Film Festival starting tomorrow. Will anyone else be there? I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures for those of you unable to make it. Who knows? Maybe I'll even be able to do some live-blogging.
An easy Scripture memorization method for moms
 Ever since becoming a mom, I've struggled with consistent Scripture memorization. I've tried a lot of different things and nothing seemed to work. I used to be able to memorize whole chapters of the book in a day or two and had committed some whole books of the Bible to memory before I was twenty. But after having children, I felt I lost my ability to memorize Scripture quickly and finding the time to focus on memorizing was a challenge, too. I wondered if my days of Scripture memory were a thing of the past. A few weeks ago, I started reading Genesis 1 to Kathrynne and Kaitlynn every day. I thought it would be a great chapter to read to them and a great way to teach them about God's creation. We've read it consistently almost every day for the past few weeks complete with lots of voice inflections and hand motions and had a very enjoyable time in the process (Who said reading straight from the Bible to a little one needed to be a boring thing? Whoever did has yet to see our jolly rendition of Genesis 1!). Before I even realized it, both Kathrynne and I had memorized the first six verses and could quote them together by heart. I know six verses might not seem like a major accomplishment, especially seeing as Genesis 1 is such a well-known chapter, but for this mama who sometimes can't even remember her own last name, six verses is a big thing! At the rate we are going, I figure another two months of reading it everyday and we should know the entire chapter by heart. Then we'll move on to another chapter. How's that for an easy Scripture memory method for moms? Best of all, it doesn't take any extra effort on my part besides the commitment to read the same chapter every day to the girls. It works for me!Graphic from AllPosters.com
It's here!
 My apologies for those of you having trouble getting the coupon code to work. It's fixed now!--------- After much anticipation, Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God is finally off the presses and ready for ordering! As I wrote earlier this month: There are many good books. There are some really good books. And then there are a those few and far between books which deserve to be called a "truly excellent book."
Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God is one book which definitely fits the excellent category.
In an age of constant confusion and conflict over the role of women, this book provides a clear-cut message of biblical encouragement and hope for every woman who truly desires to glorify the Lord as a wife, mother, and homemaker.
Written over the course of two years by two devoted and Godly homemakers, Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald, Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God is without a doubt one of the best and most encouraging books I have ever read. Whether you are a young married woman, a mom of twelve, or anywhere in between, you need to read this book.
From the publishers: Have you struggled to reconcile God's vision of virtuous womanhood with worldly myths that marginalize and mock the role of the homemaker? Do you wrestle with cultural messages that demean the homemaker's calling and exalt instead the emotionally androgynous power-woman -- the wife whose worth is measured only by the degree of her ambition, the shape of her body, or her money-making skills? Such is the image of the "desperate housewife" that the modern media, culture, and feminism are promoting with great energy. In a delightfully fresh and honest way, this book addresses these issues head-on and provides fresh vision for the hopeful homemaker. Hear a former "Christian" feminist share how she went from a die-hard homemaker-in-training to a dedicated career woman and then back again -- after God gripped her heart. See the hollow counterfeit of whitewashed feminism and "me-ology" destroyed. And consider the beautiful picture painted in Scripture of the truly fulfilled homemaker who glories in the hopeful calling God created for her. Pull up a chair, dust off the cookie crumbs, and join Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald as they lay aside stereotypes like the "Stepford wife" and dispel such myths as the 1950s "perfect homemaker." Laughter and tears will flow, and hopefully you will be infused with a renewed vision for victory as a wife and mother. Discover what it means to be a passionate housewife "desperate" for God alone!
After reading only the first chapter, I told my husband, "I wish I could give this book to every woman I know." It is just that good, ladies.
Since I can't afford to give each of you a copy, I decided to instead offer a very special discount price for the next two weeks. Through November 15, 2007, Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God is on sale on our website for 15% off the retail price. Plus, when you checkout, type in the coupon code SAVEMORE and you will save an additional 15% off your entire order.
Click here to order.
Save some of your grocery money, skip the lattes, and buy yourself a copy. I promise you will be glad you did. Especially you tired mamas who are right now wondering if changing all those diapers and wiping those sticky hands really is making any difference. Related: Be sure to read the preface to this book here and also watch a short video clip with the authors here.
Supermarket Savings 101 half price!
Giveaway: Nursing cover from New Little Blessing
 For all of you nursing mommies and mommies-to-be, you will love this giveaway - a beautiful nursing cover compliments of New Little Blessing! From New Little Blessing: New Little Blessing cotton nursing covers are made of the highest quality cotton fabrics, to give you a nursing cover that is super-soft against baby's tender skin, yet lasts the course of breastfeeding. All cotton nursing covers are reversible, with a beautiful print on the exterior and a coordinating solid color on the interior, in effect giving you two nursing covers in one, to match different moods and outfits.
Our wide selection of prints and colors means there is a perfect New Little Blessing nursing cover for every Mom! · All nursing covers have adjustable Velcro neck straps to fit most Moms. · All nursing covers feature our unique open-neck design, which allows you to maintain eye contact with your little one, keep an eye on baby during latch-on and throughout breastfeeding, and keep baby cool at the same time. · When you are not nursing, cotton nursing covers make great blankets and lightweight covers for strollers and baby car seats. To enter this giveaway, visit New Little Blessing and pick out which nursing cover fabric you would prefer. Then come back here and leave a comment below with your name and your fabric choice. Comments will be open through Friday evening. I'll randomly choose a winner on Saturday and will post their name here.
And then I had two
Yesterday, Kaitlynn was sleeping so Jesse offered to stay home with her while I took Kathrynne out for our usual weekly shopping trip.
We had a special time together and I couldn't help but think how easy it was to only take one child with me to the store. Then it hit me how much my perspective has changed since having two. A few years ago, taking one child to the store would have seemed like a major juggling act. Now it feels like a piece of cake (well, almost!). It makes me wonder whether someday I'll think taking four little children to the store is a walk in the park.
Teething??
Kaitlynn (4 months old) has been extra fussy and clingy the last few days and the thought keeps crossing my mind that she's possibly teething. I really doubt it, especially since Kathrynne didn't start teething until much later, but it made me curious: When did your children start teething and when did they get their first teeth? For those of you with more than one child, did you find each child started teething at completely different ages or were they all on similar time tables?
A fun family Saturday
As some of you know, my husband resigned from his position at a local firm this summer and we're in the process of charging ahead with our long-term dream of starting our own law firm. Add this new adventure to my husband being gone at an Alliance Defense Fund training conference all week two weeks ago, our other business exploding through the roof (Thanks to you all!), and the fact that I'm a mommy to two little girls, life has been just a little bit on the busy side recently. So, my husband decided Saturday that it was high time we took the day off. Instead of our usual Saturday chores and work, He whisked us off early in the morning for a fun family day! Our first stop was the Victorian Trading Company outlet store. We spent a nice long time admiring some beautiful things, even though I know I just recently talked about not window shopping. It was a feast for the eyes, but I was happy to exit the store with no bags in tow. Though, I confess if I had the extra money, I would have bought up this cuter-than-cute miniature piano:  Kathrynne was smitten!
 Here Daddy explains about primary colors and how by combining them, you create new colors.
After lunch, we headed to the Louisburg Cider Mill. We'd heard good things about this place and wanted to check it out. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who wanted to check it out, though, as the place was packed! We had a fun time, though, despite the tremendous Kansas wind and the crowds of people.
  Kathrynne could have spent all day playing on the pumpkins and hay bales. Check out those boots. Can you tell Daddy took me shoe-shopping?! And of course we had to pose for some pictures by the pumpkins. Yes, like I said, it was windy! How cute am I? Daddy's turn for pictures!
And we have a winner...
Sorry for the delay in getting the winner of the toddler apron announced. That was supposed to happen on Saturday, but my husband woke me up early Saturday morning, told me I had the day off, and whisked us off to have a very special and enjoyable day out as a family. I''ll post a few pictures of our day later, but since I didn't have a chance to announce the apron winner Saturday, here it is without further ado... KacyKacy, please email me your contact information and your apron will be sent right out!
Frugal Friday: Frugal snacks
 I have 3 young children who need 3 snacks per day. What do you make for kids snacks and how do you keep them frugal? Are they included in your $35 budget? I would appreciate any ideas and suggestions you might have. Thanks! -Kera
Kera, yes, our $35/budget does include snacks, though we don't usually have three per day! I often use whatever items I was able to get on sale for snacks. These things might include:
-Apple slices with peanut butter
-Baby carrots
-Peanut butter and honey in a rolled up tortilla
-Shredded cheese melted in a rolled up tortilla
-Yogurt
-Bananas
-Cherry tomatoes
-Sliced cheese and crackers
-Dried fruit
-Cereal and milk
-Freshly made juice
-Smoothies
This week, I was able to get a good deal on cheese, so we've been eating that melted in homemade pita pockets for snacks. We've also eaten the rest of the leftover apple crisp I made on Sunday.
I also often bake things which we can use for snacks, such as:
-Whole-wheat peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
-Carrot apple raisin muffins
-Lazy granola
-Banana chocolate chip muffins
-Homemade bread toasted with butter and honey
-Banana bread
-Homemade waffles from the freezer (we just pop them in the oven for 10 minutes or in the toaster.)
Those are just a few of my ideas. Anyone else want to share some of their favorite frugal snacks?
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To join in Frugal Friday, leave your link to your frugal tip or post on something related to frugality below. Please link directly to your post. No business solicitations allowed. Duplicate posts will be deleted. And, remember the rules: Must be family-friendly. Please no posts on frugal Halloween ideas (email me privately if you have any questions on that one!). Thanks! I can't wait to read your tips!
Out of curiosity: Who are you planning to vote for?
I just approved a Blogad for Fred Thompson but I thought I should post a clarification that we're still undecided who we are voting for. We are planning to vote Republican (at least in the primaries!), but we've not completely settled on a candidate. The fact that I posted a Fred Thompson ad tells you that we've not ruled him out yet, though. So, I'm curious, who are you planning to vote for?Remember, this is not a debate, just a question that I'm genuinely curious about concerning my readership. Keep your comments civil and considerate and I'll be glad to post them!
A new low in culture wars
The bed is made, the bathrooms are cleaned, and the laundry is in the process of being folded. Progress! We just had lunch and the girls are now down for their afternoon naps while I attempt to finish the rest of my to-do list and get some business orders ready to be shipped. I had to stop a moment in the midst of my day, though, to post this. I almost didn't because we've had a lot of pretty meaty and heavy posts this week and I don't want to overwhelm you with depressing news. Yet, I cannot gloss over this one. What is our culture coming to? From FoxNews: It's a new low in the culture wars. Yesterday the Portland, Maine School Committee approved a plan that allows the health center of King Middle School to provide birth control pills and patches to students in the sixth grade. Parental consent or knowledge is not required. In fact, it is outlawed. Under Maine state law, once a parent has signed a waver allowing a child to be treated at a school clinic in case of sickness or injury, specific treatment is "confidential." Students (kids) decide for themselves whether to tell their parents about the services they receive.
Read the full article (not for younger readers).
Related: Speaking of culture wars, be sure to contact your congressman concerning the Employee Nondiscrimination Act. My husband has the scoop here.
Today's to-do list
 We had a late night last night and so, in turn, got up late this morning. I'm running behind and needing some extra motivation today for accomplishing some cleaning and household tasks so I'm posting my to-do list here: -make bed-clean kitchen (wash/dry/put away dishes, disinfect countertops, wipe down refrigerator)-vacuum upstairs-clean both upstairs bathrooms-finish folding and putting away clean laundry-run two more loads of laundry, including diapers-make whole wheat spaghetti casserole for dinner-make homemade breadIf I get all those finished before naptime, I'll take some pictures of our home and post them here for those who have been asking what it looks like. And maybe I'll try and tackle a few more questions from my inbox, too. What's on your to-do list today?By the way, if you've not been frequenting my other blog, I encourage you to check it out. There's been a lot of great ideas posted over there this week - mostly from commentors!
Family worship
 I was wondering if you could talk about family worship. We would like to incorporate this into our family life, but no one we know does it! Do you have family worship? What does it look like? -Kristy
Great question, Kristy! As Christian parents, it is our responsibility before God to teach and train our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We are to talk of the Lord and teach our children the things of God all throughout the day (Deuteronomy 6). One way that we facilitate this teaching and training is through family worship. Since I am blessed to have a husband who is the spiritual leader of our home, he is in charge of our family worship times. I read the Bible to the girls, pray with them, and sing with them during the day, but he is completely in charge of our evening family worship times. We have currently found evenings to be the best times for family worship. We all gather together after dinner, right before the girls go to bed. We start by praying and singing our "hymn of the month." We're going through a little hymn book my mom gave to Kathrynne and are learning a new hymn each month. Last month, it was Whiter Than Snow. This month, it's All Things Bright and Beautiful. After we sing, we normally read a chapter or two from Scripture. Jesse chooses which chapter we read and we usually read through a book of the Bible at a time. He often stops and explains it as we go along. We then close with either our hymn of the month again, or we sing a hymn we learned from a previous month (Kathrynne especially enjoys doing this!). And that's that! We try to keep it simple and short and to engage the girls in the process. It's not just "Mommy and Daddy's time to talk about the Bible," it's a time for our whole family to be spending time praising the Lord, bringing our needs before Him, and getting to know the Lord and His Word better - which is truly the essence of family worship, I believe. For those of you who also have family worship, we'd love to have you share what yours looks like. It will look different for each family, but we can all glean insights and ideas from others!
Related: One book which I highly recommend concerning family worship is Family Driven Faith, by Voddie Baucham. You can read my review here.Graphic from Art.com
"Keeping the home"
Since we're tackling Halloween and public schools this week, we might as well also talk about women working outside the home. Amy, in her usual wisdom, has a great post on the subject:
I've also noticed that, some would say, it's OK to volunteer outside the home (especially doing ministry), but it's not OK to “pick up a shift” for money outside of the home. This position is inconsistent and intellectually dishonest. The distinction isn't in Scripture; we are commanded to keep our homes. To hold a consistent position, you'd have to say that both are sin. When Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath, this was an outrage. In this way, however, we see that God is more interested in our keeping the spirit of His Words and not the letter only. This is how it is possible for a woman to stay at home 24/7 and still sin (in her smugness) while it is possible for a woman to work outside the home, doing so unto the Lord and thereby glorifying God. Scripture teaches us that women with small children (especially speaking, since the command is given to "younger women") ought to "keep" their homes. (Titus 2:3-5) The responsibility for their upbringing belongs to families, not institutions. This is one reason we bought 54 acres and hope our children build their homes nearby. Raising children is hard on a woman during her childbearing years, and I don't want my daughters to do it alone. I'm doing it, and it's not ideal. We need one another.
Read the whole post.
Giveaway: Girl's apron/bib
Well, this is a giveaway some of you mommies will appreciate!  The Baby Boutique at Womb's Window is giving away a Toddler Apron. I don't know about you, but I have plenty of trouble keep my littles clean. It seems that every time I turn around, one or the other needs a complete new set of clothes on. This toddler apron would be the perfect answer! (Maybe Kathrynne should just wear one all the time - not just at meal times! I now know exactly why they used to have little girls wear pinafores!) From The Baby Boutique:
Do you have a super-messy eater? Do you want to protect your child's clothes from spaghetti sauce and art projects? Do you have a little buddy that likes to help you in the kitchen? Does the new big brother or big sister like to hold their new baby....but not getting spit up on? Our Toddler Aprons are the answer! Designed by two moms, these adorable bib/aprons will work for older babies on up to preschoolers. The 100% cotton fabrics are sewn in the USA by mompreneurs and are fully reversible!
The particular style that The Baby Boutique is giving away the Pink and Sage which you can see here! To enter this contest, leave a comment with your name below. Comments will be open until Friday evening, October 19, 2007. The winner will be announced on Saturday. ------------------
By the way, for those who may have missed it, the winners of last week's contest are posted here.
If you needed another reason to consider homeschooling...
From WorldNetDaily: "Mom and Dad" as well as "husband and wife" effectively have been banned from California schools under a bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who with his signature also ordered public schools to allow boys to use girls restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa, if they choose. "We are shocked and appalled that the governor has blatantly attacked traditional family values in California," said Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute. "With this decision, Gov. Schwarzenegger has told parents that their values are irrelevant. Many parents will have no choice but to pull their children out of the public schools that have now become sexualized indoctrination centers." Read the full article.
This is sad beyond words. And to think people were so excited about electing a Republican to be the California governor.
It's that time of year again
Just so no one gets the impression by my earlier post that I'm not going to be posting controversial stuff here anymore ( that would be the day!), I thought I should open up the Pandora's box which is often opened at this time of year... Are you ready for this? Buckle your seat belts, hold on to your hats, and get the tomatoes ready to fly: I don't think Christians should celebrate Halloween. Period. Dot. Game over.
I understand some of you (maybe many of you) are not of the same persuasion. That's okay. We can still be friends. :)
However, I would like to ask you to consider why you celebrate Halloween. Does Halloween help you to embrace holiness, purity, and Godliness in your life? Does it encourage your children to desire good, wholesome, and pure things?
Honestly, I can't even bear to let my daughters look at the grotesque creatures and eerily-evil- looking decorations associated with Halloween. Call me an old-fashioned legalistic mama, but I don't want my pure little babies tainted with anything remotely related to Halloween. When they get older we'll explain and talk about it from Scripture. For now, we are avoiding it.
This post is not about whether or not to celebrate Halloween, though. Instead, I'd like to open up a discussion like I did last year on the subject of what do we who don't celebrate this day do about it? Do you provide your children with an alternative, or do you just avoid it altogether? Do you use it as an opportunity to witness to your neighbors who come trick-or-treating (by passing out tracts with treats) or do you turn your lights off and not answer the door? How has your family dealt with this? I'd love to hear as we are still trying to discern God's will for our family on this issue.
By the way, please keep your comments to the above topics. I know this is a heated issue and I'd prefer to stay away from a debate on whether to celebrate Halloween or not. This is my blog and you know how I feel. You can do what you feel is right before the Lord. I have to stand before the Lord for how I raised my children, not yours. :) Related: Catherine has a great post here from last year on the subject.
And the winners are...
Finally - the winners of the ten copies of Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God! Rachel from Solid Rock HomeschoolLori from My Little WondersLady Dorothy from Daffodil DreamsCath from Over the Back FenceMelissa Verrill
HeidiJoyce in PA Sirena from The King's DaughterAlanna from An Undeserved Life and, last but not least, Melissa D. from Greek Honey BeeIf you are one of the winners, please email me your contact information and we'll get a book sent to you as soon as they are off the press. For the rest of you, stay tuned for a great deal we'll be offering on this book in about two weeks. You won't want to miss it!
Input requested: Gluten-free recipes
My 3-year old daughter has been diagnosed with celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and until I meet with the GI specialist, I was wondering if any of your other readers are in the same situation. I would love to find out any good, easy gluten-free recipes. We are not big processed-food eaters, but my daughter LOVES Campbell soups. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I would be so grateful! -Jacki Since we're not on any special diets here, I don't have any input, but I'm sure that some of you have some great ideas and suggestions. So post away!
Working with what you have
I wanted to make a nice big meal for Jesse's arrival home yesterday, but I didn't have a whole lot of food on hand to work with (we were having an eating-from-the-pantry-week since Jesse was gone), and I didn't want to make a trip out to the store (Although the girls are usually really good when we go out, I much prefer to have Jesse with me when I take them both shopping!). So, I searched the cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer and came up with a menu based upon what we had on hand. I ended up having to make a number of substitutions, but that's part of the fun! I love being creative and working with what we have to stretch our grocery budget further. Here's what I made:Oven Fried Chicken Mashed Potatoes Banana Bread Tossed Salad Grapefruit For dessert: Apple Crisp It all turned out really good, despite the substitutions, and I wish I had taken a picture. But alas, I was a little too preoccupied with finally having my husband back home to think of photographing dinner. I did, however, get a picture of the homemade pita pockets we made, thanks to Tammy's inspiration.  I don't know what it is, but making something like pita pockets from scratch just makes you feel really empowered. I'm really not sure what it is, but you ought to try it yourself! I mixed the dough up in the bread machine and they were really simple to make. Now if only bagels were that easy...
Oh, me of little faith
Ever have days where you feel completely overwhelmed and drowning? That was me this week. Jesse left the beginning of this week for a six-day business trip and I stayed back home to hold down the fort. A simple task, I thought.When Jesse had first planned this trip, some months back, we were intending for the whole family to go and we'd make a vacation out of it. Then some things came up and it seemed like it wouldn't be the best move financially. I quickly assured Jesse that we'd be fine. Really. I mean, he'd taken some two and three day business trips in the past when we'd had Kathrynne. Surely this wouldn't be much different. I had visions of all this extra time I would have and had made up an elaborate list of all these things I was going to get accomplished. Don't ask me what I was thinking. The moment Jesse was out the door, I started feeling overwhelmed. And that was just the beginning. Kathrynne and Kaitlynn decided that being without Daddy was just one of the hardest things they'd ever had to deal with. Usually very cheerful and easy-to-manage little girls, this week they turned into whining, constantly needy, very draining children. It seemed that every two minutes one or the other or both was crying. And this went on almost all day long and into the night. Of course, this would also be the week I had a post planned on having a good attitude in difficult circumstances.Let me tell you, there were certainly some times this week that I didn't have the best of attitudes. My poor husband would call and be all cheerful and excited, and I would just play the martyr. "I'm overwhelmed. I can't do this. All they are doing is crying. I miss you so much. Can you please come home?"Yep, that pretty much summed up the essence of most of the conversation. So much for me being a strong woman. It took me three days to finally wake up to the fact that I was trying to do this in my own strength. I realized I was just like Peter when he attempted to walk on water: And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? -Matthew 14:28-31 Here I was saying "I can do this. I can manage these two children and our home all by myself."But then when there were two children clamoring for attention, when I surveyed the dirty dishes, the dirty laundry, and even the all-pervading smell of dirty diapers, I felt swallowed up by the waves of despair. Instead of looking to the Lord, I tried harder myself. I stayed up late, got up early, and fell even more into martyr-mode. Until it finally hit me - you can't do this in your own strength.
It was amazing. Once I realized that and gave it all over to the Lord and looked to Him for my strength and sustenance, nothing changed in my immediate circumstances, but it seemed as if everything had changed. I had a song in my heart, a spring in my step, and a firm resolve to face whatever challenges the day held - in the strength of the Lord. And God brought us through! I'm so thankful for opportunities to realize how needy I am everyday (every minute!) of the grace of the Lord. Mothering has a way of doing that to you! God's grace is sufficient, even in my inadequacies. When I look to Him, I have the grace to carry through - to change yet another diaper, to fold another load of laundry, to clean up yet another mess - with a smile on my face. "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."
Edit: I just had to note that I have a whole new appreciation for all of you single mamas and mamas whose husbands are deployed or gone for long stretches of time. I honestly have no idea how you do it, but you have my utmost admiration!
Milestones
I just had to post that in the space of the last 24 hours we reached two sort of milestones here: We had our 1,000,000th visitor and we shattered previous commenting records with over 1000 comments to this post.Recently, I've been working on the long-procrastinated-on project of going through all of my previous blog entries and categorizing them under Blogger's new label feature (I'll let you know when I'm done!). Even though I only started blogging two and a half years ago, I will readily admit that most of what I wrote the first year makes me cringe. It's truly a wonder I had any readers at all! In fact, though I am deleting some of the posts, it's about all I can do to not delete the whole first year of blogging. (I completely agree with ProBlogger that your first few year of posting is your worst.) In going through these old entries it has been fascinating to me to see how I've "evolved" as a blogger. From my vantage point, my writing has improved and I've mellowed and softened all around. (My husband agrees and says it's been a good change!) But it's not just my style that has changed, many of my viewpoints and perspectives have changed, too - I hope for the better. I've come to realize that it's more effective to spend less time criticizing the ills and evils of the world and more time holding up the positive, good, and praiseworthy. I recognize these changes and it makes me wonder how much I'll change and grow over the next few years. I pray that I continue to be molded and shaped more into the image of Christ and thus, that my blog would become more of Him and less of me. It's not said enough around here, but I just wanted to let you all know how much you mean to me. Your encouraging emails, your kind words, the friendships I've made, the prayers that have been prayed on our behalf... I am blessed beyond words. Thank you for taking time from your busy lives to share in a part of mine.
Frugal Friday: Less is more - Part 3
 Earlier in this series, we talked about staying home more and not window shopping and being content with what you have. Today I want to encourage you to not just be content with what you have and where you are, but to seek to make the most of your situation. A lot of you know that my husband and I spent the first three and half years of our marriage (until the middle of last year!) with him in school and us living on a part-time income. We never went hungry and we always had a roof over our head and clothes to wear, but it was a very lean time. During those years, we lived in a little basement apartment that only had four windows on one side. I could plug the vacuum cleaner into one outlet and vacuum the entire apartment without ever switching outlets. We only had one old vehicle almost the entire law school tenure and Jesse usually used it for transportation from work and school. We knew hardly anyone in town we lived in, in spite of many efforts to try and make friends, and there were really not any safe places I could walk to from our apartment. It would have been easy to have been swallowed up in despair and I won't pretend there weren't moments when I felt sorry for myself or wished we could be living in a little better circumstances. Not one to wallow in self-pity and negativity, I quickly set out to try and make the most of the situation. Maybe we didn't have money to go out, but I could come up with creative and free fun. We'd check out a movie from the library and have homemade pizza. Or, we'd brew some coffee and pop some popcorn and play a board game. Sometimes, we'd go to the park with a picnic. Or, we'd go to Barnes and Noble and browse their book selection. We didn't have money to spend on decorating our home, but I still found ways to make it homey and inviting. I tried to always keep it clean and clutter-free. Even if it wasn't very pretty, at least it could smell nice and look clean! We tried to have music playing in the background and that always spruced up a rather bare home, too. We couldn't afford fancy foods or restaurant meals, but that didn't mean we couldn't eat well. I had fun trying new recipes, searching out good deals, and stretching our grocery budget as far as possible. I discovered AllRecipes.com and enjoyed using their ingredient search feature to come up with new recipes to use what I already had on hand. Instead of going out and buying things, I'd go to the library and check out a stack of books. Sometimes we'd check out CD's too, so we'd have new music to play in our home throughout the week. It was also in this little basement apartment that this blog and our business was birthed. Had it not been for the free time and lack of friends, I would have never even considered pursuing blogging or had the time to learn everything about running an online business like I did. Yes, it was a less-than-ideal situation, but I learned to love it. To love the simplicity of life. To love staying home. The Lord has now moved us on to a much better situation, but I'll never forget the lessons I learned in that little basement apartment. And many of them will forever influence the person I am and the choices I make - for good! As I wrote earlier this week to Bethany: My biggest encouragement to you is to remember that a cheerful attitude can go a long way in less-than-ideal situations. You can either complain about the thorns or you can savor the roses which bloom in the midst of those thorns.
You can choose to joyfully accept your current abode and make it a welcoming haven, in spite of it's inadequacies. Or you can choose to steam over the lack of storage space and pine away yours days hoping to move into something better as soon as possible.
Choose to bloom where God plants you!
Related: In a similar vein, here's a great post on making home the best place to be!By the way, if you've not done so already, be sure to enter our giveaway this week!--------------------- To join in Frugal Friday, leave your link to your frugal tip or post on something related to frugality below. Please link directly to your post. No business solicitations allowed. Duplicate posts will be deleted. And, remember the rules: Must be family-friendly. Please no posts on frugal Halloween ideas (email me privately if you have any questions on that one!). Thanks! I can't wait to read your tips!
Trusting the Author of life
Becky writes beautifully of their journey to family un-planning (not for younger readers). I loved her closing sentiments: We have really learned that He is the author of life - a phrase that is batted around so much in pro-life circles but that seems to be little understood. He is the only one who can create life, and He has a perfect plan for each child He brings into the world, regardless of the circumstances of that baby's conception. In an age where everyone is seeking to plan and time and space their family size according to what they can afford or what works best in their schedule, we've truly lost sight of Who is the original Author and Creator of life. Though some think it incredulous, my husband and I have found it so freeing to entrust this aspect of our lives over to the Lord. Instead of worrying over when or how or what-if, leaving our family size in God's hands relieves us to focus on training and raising the precious children God sees fit to give us. His timing is perfect and we can rest in that! Related: You must read this excellent post by Doug Phillips, In Memory of the Woman Who Chose Life. Although I think we need to be speaking out strongly and loudly on the ills and evils of abortion and abortive birth control, sometimes the most compelling case we can make is to hold up a beautiful picture of the blessings of life.
Domesticity coming back into vogue?
 This was an interesting read: For a while 'housewife' has been a word with a solidly retro feel, evoking a time of hand-cranked washing machines and a slavish desire to serve martinis to your husband. Nowadays, we have stay-at-home mums with packed calendars and their own personal trainers. But the word is slipping into our vocabularies again, championed by women writing homemaking manuals and online blogs devoted to art of domesticity. The internet is awash with it. Posts are devoted to 'How to clean like a maid' or 'how to crochet a dishcloth'. Elsewhere, bloggers tell how they have knitted a cashmere hot water bottle cover, baked muesli cookies or cleaned their toilet naturally.
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Kaitlynn and Kathrynne at the Festival
Myself, Kaitlynn, and Elizabeth Botkin
While Elizabeth and I talked, Kathrynne enjoyed spending some time with KimC's girls...
...And their one and only boy
Waiting to be seated for dinner
