The passage of time and other ramblings

I can't believe that it is already the end of April. Let alone 2010. Seems like yesterday it was 2001.

Time sure has a way of not standing still. Seems like yesterday that I was a new bride, when in fact it is nearly five years ago that I was. And then suddenly, I was pregnant and now that child is three and a half! And her little sister is two!!!!!! Bugs is already half my height. Beans isn't too far behind. I'm going to end up being the shortest member of my family in a few years if they keep growing like this. I guess I don't mind being the shortest if they do get tall. Being taller than barely five one does have it's advantages.

You can tell it is spring here in SW Missouri. The wind started two days ago. It was so windy that I couldn't let the girls play outside because of our older trees. They like to shed limbs in strong winds and I couldn't chance them being outside and getting hit. The wind finally let up some this afternoon. Not too soon if you ask me. The noise of it kept me from sleeping the last two nights. I'm fairly useless today because of it. You wouldn't believe the chores I have lined up that I just don't have the mental capacity to complete at the moment. And it all needs done in six days.

We are going to my sister's graduation from mortuary school. We haven't made it out to my hometown in two years. Haven't seen my parents since we met half way for lunch a year ago last Christmas. We've not seen my sister and her husband since we were out there last. It is always weird to return to one's old home. The small town is not the same place I left nearly six years ago. Yet, in some ways it is still the same. We had trouble finding an appropriate gift for my sister's graduation. My husband ended up designing her a shirt that fits her personality. We hope she likes it.

My husband cooked a wonderful lunch for us before he left for work this afternoon. We had sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches on biscuits and hash browns. I like it when he cooks. Hubbs doesn't have a day off until Monday. He pulled a Sunday shift because of getting time off later in the week to go visit my family.

I'm looking forward to the trip. We are planning on taking a picnic lunch and stopping at some caverns on the way. That way the kids can have some run around time to break up the monotony of riding in the car. Trust me, three hours or so is all they can stand at a stretch. Which is how far it is to my MIL's home, and that is with stopping for ten minutes three times on the way. I'm not sure how we are going to handle the eight hour (I'm sure it will be closer to ten or more with the kids) drive. It will be quite the adventure. I'm planning on hitting up the dollar store Monday and getting some surprises to dole out on the trip.

My Mother's Day present should be arriving in the mail today. My husband let me order a new pre-tied bandana from Cover Your Hair The one I got is no longer listed, must have snagged the last one. It was a navy pre-tied bandana made out of terry cloth. I really like them as they keep my hair up out of the way. And I prefer wearing a covering on my head as a reminder that I am under the covering of my husband and God. I don't have my head covered all of the time. Nor do I do it for legalistic reasons. I don't believe that all women are called to cover their heads. I prefer to do it as the physical reminder for myself. The reminder that I am under God's and my husband's authority and that every decision I make will affect those who live in my home at the least.

Well, I just got a phone call from a friend and we are going to be going out later tonight to celebrate her son's birthday at Chuckee Cheese. I must go and get a shower and figure out what the girls are going to wear. Talk to you all later and have a blessed week.

No need to panic

I'm sorry I haven't been posting a whole lot again. My grandma has been in and out of the hospital and things aren't looking too great for her. We hosted small group at our house this past week and I spent a week deep cleaning the house, and we are trying to plan a trip out in a week and a half to see my family. However, today the Bugs cracked a molar and daddy had to take off work early to take her to a dentist so we may be canceling our trip out for my sister's graduation from mortuary school (well, Ivy Tech, but that is what she went for). Not sure what this is going to cost at the moment as we don't have dental insurance. Guess we'll find out. I am babysitting this afternoon, so I couldn't take her. That and the Beans didn't need to go too. I can just imagine my very technically inclined child turning every knob and pushing every button she came across. And yes, Beans would do it. She loves seeing what will happen if she does things like that.

When it rains it pours I guess. We just got things under control financially. We even have plans to replace the front door to our house in the next month. My child definitely outranks a door, but I hate the thought of going for another winter with this one. Last year, the seals around it had gotten so bad that snow got blown into the house twice.

I know, I'm panicking. God is in control. He will provide. I should get busy and do some dishes while I wait.

Thanks.

Book Review for Book Sneeze 4.26.2010

I recieved a copy of Dave Ramsey's the The Money Answer Book to read and review. I had heard many good things about the teaching of Dave Ramsey and I had seen his Town Hall of Hope broadcast. I was impressed by what I had seen, heard some of on the radio and read briefly before this book. This book was just as good as I was hoping. The Money Answer Book is concise and well-written in a very easy to read manner. For this book, he addressed 100 questions that people have about money and answers them in his straight-forward way. The questions posed range from how to handle debt with a potential marriage partner, prenuptial agreements, how to teach kids about money and even saving for future college expenses. HE does inject some humor in his answers. Which is a nice change from every other dry and boring book I have ever read about finances. The book is laid out where you can easily find the question you may have to get a quick answer. This book would make a great compliment to his other books. This book is great for if you have a quick question, or someone you know does, to just go find the answer and then later when you have the time to go to his other books for a more in depth answer.

I really enjoyed how this book was laid out in a very easy to follow manner. This may not be a great introduction to his other works, however it is still a great reference tool.

I was given a copy of Dave Ramsey's The Money Answer Book by Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for reading and reviewing it. I received no other compensation and all opinions are mine and mine alone.

If I Could Ask God Anything, A Review for BookSneeze

If I Could Ask God Anything, awesome Bible answers for curious kids was compiled by Kathryn Slattery. It is a book of questions that children have been known to ask about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Church and the Christian life.

As books of this nature go, this was honestly, just like the others. Each page addresses a typical question that a child may or has asked, followed by the answer. Such as, "How can I know for sure God loves me?" The book explained that God does love everyone, even those who refuse to believe in Him and then references 1 John 3:1. Stuff like that for 203 pages in a strange blue ink. The last page has a discussion on saying the "sinners prayer" (not going to go into that one right now) and then going to tell an adult you did it so they can help you on your Christian walk. Which makes me wonder how many adults would just hand this book to a child to let them read it on their own instead of discussing these things with them. Before I got to that page, I was like, ok, this could be a good springboard for parents to discuss these things with their children. However, after getting to the last few pages, and it discussed that maybe you don't know if "Jesus lives inside your heart", and being urged to pray this prayer, I question if this wasn't possibly meant for a kid to read on their own. I know that as a child, I wouldn't have liked the format so much, and how broad the answers seemed to be (in an effort not to step on anyone's doctrinal beliefs, this book is extremely middle of the road and vague on a few issues such as baptism and communion. I understand that in order to appeal to a wider demographic that can be necessary, however, it just raises more questions as to, why some churches believe differently and do different things).

I will say that this book did have a good table of contents and it was easy to navigate to the specific topic and question. However, the odd shade of blue used in the ink was extremely distracting to read.

I honestly can't say this is the best book on questions children may have about God. It may be a good starting point, but if you are looking for a book in this genre, please check your library first to see some of the other options that may be available. I know that I wouldn't just hand this book to my child and tell her to read it when she comes to me with questions. I pray you also will take the time to discuss your child's questions and if you don't know the answer, to seek it out together.

I was given a copy of If I Could Ask God Anything by Kathryn Slattery by Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my review and post about it as a part of their Book Sneeze program for bloggers. All opinions are mine and mine alone.

Company Coffee 4.2

I decided to write at least for company coffee every week. Otherwise, I forget and can go weeks without writing, and if I don't write, my husband says I get cranky :)

This week has been full of work. We are going to my MIL's for the weekend, so I've been cleaning and packing and kid wrangling. Every day they want to leave. It's been a fun lesson in delayed gratification and the days of the week for the three-year-old. We leave tonight after my husband is off work. I get to load the car and finish packing today. And it is raining here too.

My husband finally got me my own domain name! No longer do you have to type in http://createdforhome.blogspot.com. Now you can just go to http://www.createdforhome.net (sorry, I can't remember how to imbed links again, and well, you are already on this site anyway :)

My ankle is getting better. My chiropractor told me when I was in earlier this week that he doesn't understand how it didn't just break. He popped the thing back into place yet again (you know, when the tendon's and ligaments are stretched and ripped, the bones don't like to stay in place, especially if you are me and um, don't wear the boot like you should. Yes, I was a bad girl and went without it in the house a few times...and yes, I paid for it with pain.) Today, with everything, I'm just in my black brace (looks like an air cast). It's feeling much better, however, if I'm not driving or in the house right now I have to wear the boot. Unfamiliar terrain can do a lot of damage, and frankly, I don't want to go down that route.

This week we added some new members to the family. My husband was helping a friend move and they offered us their 40 gallon fish tank for only twenty-five dollars. Now, this is the tank, gravel, filter, heater, fake plants, a driftwood decoration, stand and six fancy goldfish! We have two black moors, a red capped orana (I think, it will have what looks like it's brains bubbling out when it is full grown) a calico goldfish and two algae eaters. This was a steal considering how much money is in the fish alone, let alone everything else. My husband and I have just been sitting in the living room watching them swim in the evenings. And the girls love them. Bugs named both the black moors Blackie. One is a bit bigger than the other so it is Big Blackie and Little Blackie. The calico is striped like a tiger, so his name is Tiger, and the red capped one is Lily. The algae eaters are William and Jefferson, don't ask.

It has been an insane week with family crises. My grandma's lung cancer had returned and they were getting ready to start radiation when she had to be hospitalized due to a reaction with her blood thinners and a starting to come down with pneumonia. Then, my sister had to have a ct scan as they thought they found a mass on her liver when doing a scan on her gall bladder. Grandma was released on Tuesday and they aren't sure they are going to be able to give her the radiation as they think she is too weak. So, hospice may end up involved sooner than we thought and wanted. My sister got her results back on the ct scan yesterday and was told her liver is fine, it just isn't assembled the same way everyone else's is. She is scheduled to have her gall bladder removed in May. She's only 28.

I have a ton of things to get done to be leaving this afternoon. Like finding the library books that need returned, finishing packing (not until the dryer is done though), bathing the dog and the kids, putting the weekend feeders in the fish tank, paying a few bills and generally keeping tabs on the bedlam. We are hoping to take the girls to the children's museum before coming home on Monday. They will have a blast. And friends of ours are having us over for an egg hunt this weekend too. I'm looking forward at getting away for a few days.

Keep safe, and please remember and focus on what this whole week has been about. The death, burial and resurrection of our Lord. May you have a blessed Resurrection Sunday and truly rejoice in the day that death died.