Raising Godly Fruit

Closet Make-Over

2010-11-30T12:20:00.036-06:00

This year Thanksgiving was a bit unusual at the Treadwell household. We broke from tradition just a bit. For the past few years, we have chosen to spend Christmas in St. Louis with my side of the family, and this leaves us in Texas with our immediate five for Thanksgiving. We are okay with that now, but this year was unusual in a different way. We still had the usual fare, sticking to our tradition of each person contributing a cooked dish of their own: I make the turkey, Craig carves it; Tiffani made a quinoa pilaf; Jeremi his famous mashed potatoes; Bethani the dressing and sweet potato casserole; and I made the cranberry chutney.

This year, however, we decided to give our master closet a make-over on Thanksgiving day.Our old closet was really nice, but we (I) wanted amazing.

OLD CLOSET

I helped to pull all the clothes and stuff out of the closet, and then the kids and I worked in the kitchen while Craig was tearing out the closet rods, and patching the holes.

We ate dinner as usual at noon while the spackling dried.

When the china was all replaced in the cabinet, I changed into painting clothes, and put a faux finish on our closet walls. (No pictures please.)

When I finished with that project, up went the new ELFA CLOSET SYSTEM.
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Amazingly awesome!

In my defense, my secular career dictates that I wear solid clothing that contrasts with the color of my hands. This makes it much easier for Deaf clients to see what I am signing. It really cramps my style, but I'm getting used to it. I have, however, found a way to express myself: through my feet. Works for me. (That is my story and I am sticking to it.)

The kids are really excited about our closet makeover. Why? They love us and want the best for us. (And they get our old organization elements for a closet makeover of their own.) All five of us have a new look in our closets!

First Day of School

2010-08-11T22:17:00.003-05:00

Monday was our first day back in the schoolroom for the 14th time. It does feel a little empty now with one desk missing. We are left with just a 6th and 11th grader, but we bought a few new boxes of crayons anyway. The first day of school just wouldn't be the same without new boxes of perfectly sharpened crayons--age and grade have nothing to do with it.

Tiffani is very responsible, getting up on her own every morning for work. I wonder if she misses
A Beka at all...hmmm...just a little?? Naw.

What a wonderfully fun-filled summer we had this year. We traveled to Pensacola, FL; Pismo Beach and Santa Barbara, CA; Indianapolis, IN; St. Louis, MO; Austin, TX; Miami, and Key West, FL; and last but not least, Nassau and Coco Cay, Bahamas. We were sad for the summer to end, but are up for the challenge of a new school year.

I have many new and exciting doors open to me this fall as an interpreter, and I anticipate improving my skill enough to be able to test again for a higher certification within a year.

Sitting At His Feet

2010-01-09T19:35:00.002-06:00

Christmas 2009

2009-12-17T20:41:00.004-06:00

Here is a family picture of us last week at Pastor Gore's church. We are ready for two weeks of fun at Nana's house.

Baby Things

2009-08-25T08:35:00.009-05:00

Here is my most recent project. I always wanted this piece of the layette with Bethani. You know, it is awkward enough when a new mother must get up in church and walk out with her baby. Adding the huge diaper bag on her shoulder, trying to wriggle her body (not yet back to its normal size) out of the pew and down the aisle only exaccerbates the situation. Diapers and wipes. That's all you really need--right?

This makes for a less conspicuous departure. :)

Sunday's Tow Truck

2009-08-17T16:36:00.006-05:00

Pow! "What was that?" Craig said. "I guess there was something in the road that I didn't see."

This Sunday was a typical preaching out weekend for us. We were only 1 hour away in Lewisville with Pastor and Sister Sales. Generally, by the time the last Amen is said on a Sunday night, I am ready to head for my bed. Yesterday was no exception, and as is normally the case, I was the 'mean ol mom' that said "no" to going out to eat with the pastor after church.

We had only been on the road for 5 minutes when we heard the loud "Pow!" We continued to exit the highway in search of a Taco Bell drive thru (they were 'starving to death' you know.) As we came off the exit ramp, the car began acting really strangely. The lightbulb came on in Craig's head and he said, "Oh, I know what it is, we blew a tire!" We pulled into the first parking lot we could find, got out, and sure enough, there it was--flat as a pancake!

Not to worry, though, we had a spare tire in the trunk and two strong, capable men to change it. (The directions folded up in the case of the jack didn't hurt anything either.) We girls just stood back and watched the men do their manly work. It all would have worked out great...if the spare had air in it. Ahm...

Not to worry, though, we have kept up our roadside assistance insurance since our trailer traveling days, and now we were going to get a return on that investment. (There went my goal of being in my own bed by 10:15.) Craig made the phone call, and then came back and told us that it could take up to 45 minutes for the tow truck to arrive. I took the pins out of my hair, shed my shoes, and curled up for a nap. I was jarred awake by the door slamming, and the bright emergency lights of the tow truck. We all got out of the car, and I plopped down on the sidewalk in my Sunday Best as we all watched the 20 minute drama of hoisting my dream car onto the bed of the tow truck. Craig's plan was to go to a nearby gas station and fill the tire with air, and then be on our way home. This was not to be. Apparently, one must fill the tire with air BEFORE putting it on the car.

NOW WHAT TO DO??? All 6 of us piled into the cab of the tow truck and bounced 50 minutes home. (Sorry Craig about your legs.)

Saturday Night Live

2009-08-16T15:20:00.000-05:00

What a great time we all had at the Saturday Night Live at Oak Cliff Bible Church. This is a quarterly event in which Dallas area Deaf ministries get together for a Deaf concert, or singspiration (what you call it depends on what generation you are from.) I know, you are thinking, how can this be??? They turn the sound tracks up really loud so the Deaf can feel the vibrations, and many times there is a hearing person on the floor supporting the Deaf signers on the platform. Seeing the beautiful ASL from these Deaf Christians is amazing. And, I always enjoy the soul music they choose--always a few from Kirk Franklin. I copy-signed for Chanelle, my Deafblind friend. They were very interested to see this white girl try to copy what was being signed on the platform.

We had a great representation from North Cities this time, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

I noticed toward the end of the concert, the men had stood and were talking among themselves in the back. I suppose this was a "meeting of the male minds": 'we come to humor our wives...'

Sunday

2009-08-09T22:37:00.007-05:00

Wow! What a full day this was! Today was Tessa's baby dedication, and all went well without a hitch. It was beautiful.

Dawn and Doyle Kennedy came to visit our church--we hadn't seen them in a very long time, and it was quite a treat. After church, we went to Souper Salad, our favorite place to meet them, and caught up on the happenings in their lives.

The day ended with the best. This morning, Rachel, one of our Deaf young people prayed sincerely for the first time. She spent the afternoon with us, and on the way to church let us know that she couldn't wait for church to be over so she could go to the front and receive the Holy Ghost. She was fully expecting it to happen. And...God didn't disapoint her. God rewarded her by washing over her with his spirit, and before long, she was speaking in tongues. It truly was a beautiful transformation to watch.

Summer 2009

2009-08-06T12:28:00.003-05:00

It has been a wild and crazy summer. I have been so busy, I have not been able to blog, but here is a brief recap:

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Dress for Savannah

2009-08-05T12:36:00.004-05:00

Here is one of the dresses I made for Savannah. I was sad to see that it was too big, but I know she will grow into it.

Bethani and Savannah in their matching outfits:

Slipper Socks

2009-07-01T16:00:00.003-05:00

About 3 weeks ago, I was out shopping between Sunday services at Marshall's. My feet were really hurting, so I felt justified in buying some slipper socks. My justification was that I would copy them and create more for us girls.

I just got my serger out of the repair shop yesterday, so after hemming 2 pair of suit pants (boo) I moved on to a fun project. Here they are:

Kitchen Make-Over

2009-06-27T13:03:00.015-05:00

Last week while I was fabric shopping on Harry Hines Boulevard, I found this 2 yard remnant for $2. I thought it should be in my fabric stash, so I picked it up.

When I got home, I realized that the 2 Barnes & Noble cups and saucers I picked up for $4 at a consignment store last month were an exact match!

Now you have to realize that for the past few months, I have been drawn to Kitchen Aid's pink collection. Really it just started with the scissors for Christmas. But when I used them in the kitchen, it made me feel so very feminine. Really! My collection has since grown.

Bethani had started saying that I have a pink phobia, but when I explained that phobia means fear, she changed to, "My mom is on a pink frenzy!"

Will all of this in mind, my wheels began turning about a whole new set of projects. Having said all of that, here are my projects from Friday.

I searched diligently for pink kitchen towels to no avail. If anyone knows of where they are hiding, please let me know. So, what do you do when you can't find or afford what you want to buy? You make it yourself, right mom?

Oh, and dying white towels in the juice of freshly boiled beats doesn't work. Trust me.

Now, I realize that this pink and brown polka dot print is trendy and faddish, and one day my children will look back and remember with disdain "that horrible mud brown and candy pink kitchen," but keep in mind, I really don't have a lot of money invested. If and when I tire of this, I will simply start over with whatever else catches my fancy.

You may be wondering why I post the following day... many times, my projects keep me up late into the night...

(BTW, take my advice and don't use your pink spatula to cook Indian curry. Sad, very sad.)

Baby Gown

2009-06-26T08:35:00.008-05:00

I saw a very simple baby dress at the Market, and decided that sometimes simple is sweet. One of the teachers, Vaune Pierce made the statement that stuck with me, "When people look at the baby, their comments should be, 'look at that sweet baby' not 'look at that beautiful dress.'" In other words, if people notice the dress, but not the baby, you have just missed the goal. Here is the simple dress I constructed yesterday.

Here is the petticoat to go under this and other projects.

Tea Bag Pocket

2009-06-25T09:49:00.005-05:00

This was yesterday's project.

This little pocket is made completely from silk dupioni. I learned about this project from Beverly Sheldrick, a New Zealand teacher that was at Martha Pullen's Sewing Market last week.

Sewing Market

2009-06-21T16:18:00.003-05:00

I have just returned from a 3-day sewing conference. Well, I didn't really stay away, it was just one hour away in Arlington. I left my house early in the morning, and returned late each night. All day I was exposed to more creativity than my mind could wrap around. I have so many projects whirling around in my little brain. I am currently in the middle of 4, and am anxious to start 4 or 5 more. I am hoping to crank out most of them in the next two weeks. Perhaps I will share with you along the way.

I must tell you about the funniest thing happened on the second day. I slipped in late to the first class (I know that is hard to believe) and caught just the last 15 minutes of a skirt-making class. After sitting a few minutes in this class, the speaker asked, "Is anyone here wearing a skirt?" I sat motionless, trying not to look obvious, when she asked a second time. People started looking at me, and so I raised my hand. She called on me and asked me to come up to the stage.

Wearing a long tiered white skirt, I made my way up the stairs and on the stage facing a group of about 75 sewers. The speaker asks the question, "So, is she wearing her best look? No. First of all, we would never put tiers around a skirt horizontally. White is never good on the bottom, and knee length is much more slenderizing. This long, flared, tiered skirt makes her appear short and wide. This is NOT her best look. Would she wear this to her 30 year high school reunion??" At this point I had taken enough, and called out, "I would have been 10!"

She pulled my skirt up to my knees and tugged it tight around my thighs. Now, I have had plenty of opportunity to analyze this body in a variety of garments, and I have to tell you that what they saw could not have been a pretty sight. She said, "Now, doesn't this look a lot better? If you can't see that this looks better, then you need to just stick to the rules because you are not seeing right."

Hmm, how presmptuous of her.

When I returned to my seat, I turned to the person behind me and asked, "And why did I just volunteer for that??" I was thinking, first of all, this didn't help us in skirt-making. Secondly I was thinking, this is not the way to win friends and influence people, and then I thought, this woman has no people skills.

I could tell the ladies in the class felt bad for me. Apparently they didn't know that I wasn't all that fragile. When the class was finished a sweet lady came up to me and said, "I think your skirt is beautiful, and yesterday I heard you tell someone that you had a 17 year-old daughter, and I could not believe it." How sweet of this lady to help me regain my dignity.

The comical thing was that all day long, about every 3 feet, someone was stopping to tell me how beautiful my skirt was. The icing on the cake was when the director of speakers stopped me the next day to say "Your white skirt yesterday was just darling!"

It's a Girl!!

2009-06-08T22:30:00.008-05:00

Tessa Ionie Euler

At last...the moment we have all been waiting for.

Congratulations Jason and Amanda. We are so happy for you

2009-06-08T22:13:00.005-05:00

Mom just commented on how long it has been since my last post, and she is right. I am out of college and homeschool now, so I have no excuse.

Last week we entertained Nate, (Tiffani's friend from Indiana), and took the opportunity to tour the Kennedy memorial area.

This is a picture of the window from which the rifle was seen.

Here is the spot in the road where the car was when Kennedy was fatally shot.

It was a sobering tour, but very enlightening just the same.

Because Nate had never taken a train ride, we decided to add a little interest to our downtown trip and take the Dart train. On our way back, we got off at CityPlace and rode the McKinney trolley. It was just a piece of the past, and a bit of nostalgia. Here we are waiting for the train.

Gunbarrel City

2009-05-14T16:48:00.003-05:00

We preached in Gunbarrel City this past weekend. Only in Texas...

2009-05-03T01:06:00.001-05:00

Hello World!!!!! I am back.

All projects are finished and turned in--just waitin' for the final exams.

I am so happy to be back. My family is happy I'm back too. (Bethani keeps telling me so.)

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T08:28:00.002-05:00

Here we are in our Easter best.

Birthday Girl

2009-03-21T22:11:00.002-06:00

It has been entirely too long since my last entry. I am still knee deep in this college thing. (What was I thinking???) Nevertheless, I couldn't let Bethani's birthday go by without a few pictures.

It was a wild ride--I have to admit that. We had 12 girls at first, but only 9 of them stayed the night. Notice I said only! Have you ever entertained 9 squealing giggly 10 year-old (approx) girls??? Tiffani and I traded off and on. I don't know what I would have done without her help organizing the social part. The girls also really enjoyed her salon expertise Saturday morning.

Apparently Twister is a big hit at this age. I wouldn't recommend it in a mixed crowd, however.

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School Woes

2009-02-09T10:52:00.005-06:00

It has been a long time...I know. Our life has just become so very crowded, and I am afraid this is how it will be until spring--at which time, you may hear more from me. You see I have just begun my final round at college. In order to make this the last one, I have taken an extra heavy load. I keep reminding myself that May is coming, and when it gets here, I will be a better interpreter.

Additionally, I am starting a new Bible study on Wednesday afternoons. I am very excited about this. After all, if I am too busy to teach a Bible study, I am too busy.

Tiffani is taking Deaf Culture and Fingerspelling and Numbers. I have class on Monday and Wednesday, (after my Bible study, and before church) while she and Raphalen, (a good friend) have class on Tuesday. On Thursday, the three of us leave home at 3:00, and don't get back until about 11:00. It is a long, very long evening. Thankfully Craig is able to hold the fort while we are gone.

As far as practicum goes...I seriously doubt that I will meet the required 200 observation intern hours. It is really a sad thing--I would like to take advantage of those learning opportunities, but really, people, there are just so many hours in a day. Keep in mind, May is coming.

Craig is busy preaching out every weekend. I miss not going with him, especially when he is flying to other states, but during this season of my life, I must attend to other duties. There will come a time when we will again travel together.

For now, Bethani is excited about planning her birthday sleepover. I'm sure I will have pictures and stories to share...

Our Godly Fruit

2009-01-16T14:24:00.006-06:00

God has been good to us. I am so thankful for our children. What an awesome responsibility I feel to set a good example before them. I know that everyday I make mistakes--my prayer is that even in that they will learn and find themselves gracefully righting their wrongs.

Christmas Day

2008-12-26T23:45:00.010-06:00

What a wonderful time we are having with our family. Here is a peek into our Christmas day:

My Cousin

2008-12-26T23:33:00.003-06:00

This is my 5th cousin: Alexis Mercedes Benz

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-01T08:35:00.004-06:00

This year, our family decided to try something new with our Thanksgiving meal. Okay, actually I came up with the idea. It was a good one, and I think it all went well. Here it is: Everyone is to take ownership of one of the food items. It was their responsibility to find the recipe, gather the ingredients, prepare the item, clean up after themselves, and present the dish on the table. Since this was just the first year, it went fairly well. I kept charge of the turkey and gravy and made a sesame asparagus salad; Craig decided to bake sweet potato casserole; Bethani cut up the bread and baked the cornbread for the stuffing; Jeremi was in charge of the mashed potatoes (and did a great job even without a mixer)(wouldn't you know it, our Kitchenaid died just one month ago); and Tiffani and Jeremi together made the Cranberry chutney. Our new friend, Jason Talley joined us for our Thanksgiving meal, and he brought a chicken shepherds's pie.

When we sat down, (after taking multiple pictures) we followed our tradition of passing around the taper candle, and listing the things we were most grateful for. We were all grateful for the things that we have: the Holy Ghost, truth, family, friends, home, things. I added this year the things I was grateful for things that I don't have: sickness, disease, poverty, debt, etc.

After all of the dishes were washed, dried, and put away, we did what we always do: Sit in the living room floor surrounded by the sale ads, and map our our plan of action for the next day. It seems every year we are waking earlier and earlier to seize the opportunity of sales. This year was no exception. Craig was up first, and headed to Walmart for the $130 Kitchenaid mixer to replace ours. Because there were only six mixers, and several greedy people, he did not push and shove to get one of those, but he and Bethani did get a GREAT bargain on one at Kohls. Tiffani and Jeremi went to Firewheel mall with Jason, (apparently Aldo was having an incredible sale) and I went to several stores that I can't mention (don't want to spoil any surprises).

God has truly been good to us this year, and we are so thankful.

The day after Thanksgiving, Homestead Heritage always has a huge craft festival, and this year was our second year to enjoy it. Click HERE for last year's experience. This year we enjoyed the various choirs, and the very skilled orchestra and craftsmen. Also, the kids handcrafted some Christmas gifts (shhh)and enjoyed some organic, (somewhat) healthy treats. The simplicity of the lives of those at Homestead Heritage is always enticing and inspiring. After hanging around them for a couple of days, we came home with a desire for greater godly character.

We stayed Friday night in an RV, and for Craig and I it was the first time since we had sold ours. What great memories and flashbacks that inspired. Some day...

Saturday night we were in our own beds, and Sunday morning we traveled to Gunbarrel City for church. We are true Texans now that we have been to Gunbarrel City. And, what an initiation some of us got! I won't go into all of the details except to say that it included two girls, four wheels, and a lake; a boy and a broken chain; a very windy day, mud, shivers, scratches, and bruises. (Don't worry Grammy and Nana, the only thing really hurt was a little pride.) (I don't know why, but they have invited us back for an Easter weekend that includes a tail, a mane, and four legs. I'll be sure to post about that.)

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Happy 17th Birthday Tiffani!!

2008-11-14T08:36:00.020-06:00

Nana and Papa flew in one week early to begin the celebration week. We ate at her favorite restaurant: Macaroni Grill. What a blessing to have family that is so involved in our lives!

What a great week she had. It started with her favorite: riding horses.
Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. Even when the horses started running and it didn't look like they were going to stop. Even when the horses had them pressed against the barbed wire fence. Even when it was bumpy. Even when they got off and could hardly walk. Even when, one week later, ankles are battered and bleeding from the ride. They say, "It was worth it."

It is hard to buy surprises for a teenager, so she knew most of her presents.
We did manage to surprise her with a jacket that she had been drooling over. "The White Jacket"

The day after her birthday, Nana flew in again for a day of shopping and lunch at our favorite Japanese restaurant. What fun that was, just the girls. After we took her back to the airport, Tiffani and I finished up our shopping at Arlington Mills.

Well, she is 17 now. A beautiful 17! It seems to agree with her. Her spirit is as beautiful as she is, and I love her.

Bumper Crop of Tomatoes

2008-11-12T12:36:00.001-06:00

Just when we thought that the season was over, our tomato plants came to life! Thus far it seemed that it was a futile attempt, but they came through after all. Bethani has assumed the job of resident cherry tomato picker.

Deafblind Camp

2008-10-21T22:23:00.006-05:00

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This is one of the new passions in my life. I have learned to love and appreciate Deafblind people and their culture.

Just last week, Tiffani and I joined 4 other friends and colleagues and drove with our teacher to Eunice, Louisiana for a 4-day, 3-night excursion. We volunteered as SSP's, (Support Service Provider) and gave these precious people the freedom to do what hearing/sighted people do. We played hot potato with water balloons, went to the local fair, rode scary carnival rides, and went rock climbing and horse back riding. You know, what you might expect from a Deafblind camp.

We met so many wonderful new friends. I especially appreciate the amazing attitude of the special speaker, Kim Powers-Smith. Kim was born Deaf, and because of Usher Syndrome has become, in her adult life, completely blind. She is absolutely one of my favorite people. There is very little that Kim is not willing to try. She has been scuba diving, on the scariest roller coaster and carnival rides, bungee jumping, and even jumped out of an airplane!! Fearless she is!!!! There is nothing that stands in her way, and she is not looking for an excuse or pity. Amazing!!

Tiffani and I followed Kim and Judy (her personal SSP for the week) at the fair just observing and learning from them. Together they function as one person. Judy is Deaf, and provides Kim with all of the visual clues around them. When the day was almost over, Judy said that her hands were tired and asked me to take over. I was stunned, honored and challenged. I did not, however, realize how difficult it really was. After all, Judy made it look so easy. (Isn't that the way it goes with anyone who is very skilled? They make it look so easy and effortless.)

I offer my apologies now to Kim for all of the errors I made. I forgot to warn her of the metal strip at the gate, and she almost tripped. I didn't tell her in advance that we would be climbing a rather steep ramp followed by a set of stairs to get to the ride. I did not adequately explain the buckets they were to ride in, and she bumped her head. I made many errors. But, true to form, Kim took it all in stride. Judy was right there to give me instant feedback. What a treasure. I believe I learned as much in that 1 1/2 hours as I did the whole week combined.

Tiffani enjoyed the week as much as I did. (Well maybe not as much as me.) She certainly had as much "hands on" practice as I did. It was a great weekend that we will never forget. Now, only 358 days until Deafblind camp 2009!

Juggling Joe

2008-10-06T09:17:00.002-05:00

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Clowning Around

2008-10-01T17:03:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday Jeremi, Tiffani and I had a blast volunteereing as "Deaf Clowns" entertaining the children. Tiffani was "Bubbles" I was "Troubles" and Jeremi was Juggling JO. My theme for the day was to be just like Bubbles. I tried everything I could to imitate what she was doing. When I grow up, I want to be like her. "Where did you get your shoes?"

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Girls of Grace

2008-09-20T22:45:00.004-05:00

Bethani and her friend Melissa

There is a precious woman at our church who has a deep love for the young girls in our church. Cheryl Vaughn has made it her ministry to mentor train and teach our 10-12 year old girls how to gracefully transition from that awkward stage we call adolescence to godly young ladies. This past weekend she and her staff pulled together an incredible sleepover conference at our church. They went all out decorating and making this a very special time for everyone involved. There were various booths set up to teach the girls on coordinating and stretching their wardrobe, hair care, preserving character, crafts, and even dress up clothes (hence the picture.) From what I am told, there was pizza, and snacks and fun well into the night, and then more food at 8:00 in the morning before devotions. There was a very special speaker who ministered to them on their level.

I am so thankful for a church body that cares enough about this upcoming generation to invest their time, energy and resources. Thank you so much to all who helped to make this possible, and thank you Sis. Vaughn for loving our girls.

Milking The Cow

2008-09-12T14:25:00.004-05:00

Although very much out of character for me, I am posting for all the world to see...enjoy!

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School Has Officially Begun

2008-08-28T14:24:00.004-05:00

Yup! We are back at it. Two high schoolers and a 4th grader.

As an added bonus, Tiffani and I will be taking classes at CCCC this fall. Her class, ASL 2 and my class, Int. 2 just "happen" to be at the same time on the same nights. Isn't God good to work out the details for us?

I am looking forward to this new way to bond with my oldest daughter. We will have so much more in common and so much to talk about.

California

2008-08-28T14:02:00.016-05:00

Okay, so when I got back from Austin, I immediately took my 2 final exams, passed with 2 A's, and then began packing 5 suitcases for California. We spent 12 days in the Pismo Beach area. We did a prophecy conference and visited with Craig's family. It was on this trip that we got to meet our new niece/cousin. Craig helped to officiate Savannah's dedication.

Before I left for Austin, I pleated a bishop for my new niece, Savannah, and worked on it until the moment the plane touched down. (I had to work on the bonnet after we arrived.) Here she is wearing the finished product.

We spent some quality family time at an apple orchard. The Gala apples were the best!

Grammy was determined to have a bonfire on the beach at night. It would have been chilly, but the fire kept us warm. I know the kids will never forget it.

Here we are doing what we really enjoy.

I'm Back

2008-08-28T13:52:00.004-05:00

It has been a while, but let me do a little recap here:

The first week of August, Amanda, Tennie and I went to the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin for a Communications Skills Workshop. It was at the end of that grueling week that we all took the BEI Certification test. They have told us it could be up to 3 months before we get the results in the mail. If we get an envelope with a thick card in it, we have passed. If there is no card, only a letter, don't bother opening it. Here we are in our room:

We had a great week of immersion and came back home completely worn out. I think I learned more about interpreting in these 4 days than I have in the past 4 months!

18 Years

2008-08-02T19:14:00.008-05:00

Monday will mark 18 years of marriage to the most wonderful man in the world. Craig and I celebrated today by shopping for each other and then dining at our all-time favorite Japanese restaurant.

I am so proud to call him my husband. Not only is he an incredibly handsome gentleman, he is also a dedicated and faithful man of God. The fact that he is a preacher is just a bonus.

Just this week I was talking with Tiffani about the time in my life when I was seeking out a life partner. I have to tell you that none of the other men I was interested in could hold a candle to this one. I think the main thing that attracted me was his love for prayer. I saw some things in him that I lacked yet desired. I rationalized in my mind that if I would hang out with him enough, maybe some of that devotion would rub off on me. When I made a list of the positive and negative things about Craig it looked like this:

Positive things:

Loves God
Wakes at 2:30 every day for 4 hours of prayer
Knows the Bible
Is called to preach
Keeps his dorm neat and tidy
Is faithful
Diligent worker
Adores me

Negative things:

Wears overalls
Enjoys Murell Ewing type of music

After seeing this list on paper, I couldn't deny that this was marriage material. Surely I could modify his taste in clothes and music. And, if not, I could learn to live with that. When it came to the important things in life, he had his priorities straight. I have never regretted my decision. God truly smiled on me when He put Craig into my life. I will forever be grateful. "Thank you God for ordering my steps all along the way."

Fun in the Sun

2008-08-01T15:09:00.000-05:00

What a blessing to have a husband who loves to play with his kids!!

Anamosa, Iowa

2008-07-28T23:48:00.018-05:00

Amanda and I had an amazing trip to Iowa for the annual UPC Deaf Conference. It was a week of fun and learning that we will never forget!

Tonya, my long-time friend and maid of honor drove over with her husband to see us Sunday night at my parent's church. I was so honored.

My dad lent us his convertible for the week, and this added a very fun aspect to our trip. We drove with the top down almost exclusively, and we have burned foreheads to prove it!

A few of us went to visit the state park, and took some pictures on the bridge. Some of the brave girls explored the ice cave. We had a beautiful afternoon getting to know each other better. The best part?? Amanda and I were the only hearing people in the whole group!

Here is a picture of all the Texas registrants. Bro. Wesley Swanson, the Texas Deaf Director,(standing above me) was the special speaker Thursday night.

As always, the Deaf Choir was the highlight of the week. About 60 Deaf people comprised the choir this year. The anointing that fell on them while they were ministering was overwhelming.

Sis. Libby is one of my all time favorite people. I hope one day I can be like her. An added bonus that I was not expecting was to see my very first ASL teacher/mentor, Esther Henry. It was so cool for me to introduce her to my present teacher/mentor, Amanda.

What I was not expecting was when on Wednesday night, one of the leaders turned to me at the altar service and asked me to relieve the current interpreter. I was wearing a black suit, and apparently, that is all the qualification I needed. With Esther pushing me on one side, and Amanda pulling me on the other side, I walked as in a daze up to the platform and did my best. I had Amanda feeding me signs from the floor, and Esther taking video. You can't imagine the intimidation of being a beginning student, signing in a room full of about 100 skilled interpreters!

This must be the most beautiful working prison I have ever seen, right in the middle of downtown Anamosa. We opted out of the tour.

These are our new friends, Melody and sweet Luke, the pastor's daughter and grandson. Doug and Melody opened their home to us, and their hospitality made us feel at ease. I thank God for allowing us this opportunity. The church services were poignant, the fellowship was sweet, and the presenters were knowledgeable. So many more things happened that I won't detail here. Suffice it to say that it was certainly a rich experience.

Tulsa, OK

2008-07-15T22:39:00.007-05:00

This past weekend we went to Tulsa, OK for a prophecy weekend. Pastor Martin put us in the DoubleTree right downtown. Because we had two adjoining rooms, Tiffani and Jeremi had their own beds and bathroom. With the down comforter and myriad of pillows, it was delightfully comfortable!

Sunday morning I opened the curtains, and had this view of the church as I was ironing. (Of course this was not our church.)

Had it not been for the complimentary vouchers, our breakfast would have cost $75. It was an incredible buffet: biscuits & gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, you know, all of the things I would eat... They didn't leave me out, don't worry. There was a chef cooking made-to-order omelets, granola, and a huge fresh fruit bar!

Not even the fire alarm that went off at 1:15 a.m. forcing us all to evacuate onto the muddy lawn in the rain could dampen our spirits on this trip. What a great weekend!

Tiffani's Tutoring

2008-07-11T21:25:00.001-05:00

It is so rewarding for me to see my children using the skills that I have taught them. All of the effort we have put into our language skills is paying off now that twice per week Tiffani is tutoring two Hispanic/Iranian boys.

Jeremi Turns 14!

2008-07-10T12:23:00.000-05:00

He is changing so fast--I cannot keep up with him!! Jeremi turned 14 on Sunday. We were blessed to have my parents in for the weekend, and enjoyed a lovely Saturday. Here is a picture us at Steak & Ale.

Beware of this book!

2008-07-10T12:05:00.000-05:00

This is a copy of a blog entry from Crystal over at "my church." I concur with her for you to spread the word about this deception. Here it is:

If you have children or grandchildren, work with children at church, or you
have neighborhood children whose parents you know, please take note of the
information below and pass it along to others. Schools are distributing this
book to children through the Scholastic Book Club.

The name of the book is Conversations with God.. James Dobson talked about
this book twice this week. It is devastating. Parents, churches and
Christian schools need to be aware of it. Please pass this information on to
church/e-mail addressees, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins,
friends.

Please pay special attention not only to what your kids watch on TV, in
movie theaters, on the internet, and the music they listen to, but also be
alert regarding the books they read.

Two particular books are, Conversations with God and Conversations with God
for Teens, written by Neale D. Walsch. They sound harmless enough by their
titles alone. The books have been on the New York Times best sellers list
for a number of weeks, and they make truth of the statement, "Don't judge a
book by its cover or title."

The author purports to answer various questions asked by kids using the
"voice of God". However, the "answers" that he gives are not Bible-based and
go against the very infallible word of God. For instance (and I paraphrase),
when a girl asks the question "Why am I a lesbian?" His answer is that she
was 'born that way' because of genetics (just as you were born right-handed,
with brown eyes, etc.). Then he tells her to go out and "celebrate" her
differences.

Another girls poses the question "I am living with my boyfriend. My parents
say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?"

His reply is, "Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done
nothing wrong."

Another question asks about God's forgiveness of sin. His reply "I do not
forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing
as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do
not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong,
because the rule is "'judge not lest ye be judged."
Not only are these books the false doctrine of the devil, but in some
instances quote (in error) the Word of God.

And the list goes on. These books (and others like it) are being sold to
schoolchildren through (The Scholastic Book Club), and we need to be aware
of what is being fed to our children.

Our children are under attack. So I pray that you be sober and vigilant
about teaching your children the Word of God, and guarding their exposure to
worldly mediums, because our adversary, the devil, roams about as a roaring
lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We know that lions usually
hunt for the slowest, weakest and YOUNGEST of its prey.

Pass this on to every Believer you know. God bless! And, if you are in
doubt, check out the books yourself.

Bethani's Cheerio Art

2008-07-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

TSID 2008

2008-07-03T23:01:00.012-05:00

Well, the TEP is behind me. I just got the email that says I passed. Thank you to all who prayed for me. That is one test down, now one to go. I am scheduled to take the performance test in Austin on Friday, August 8. I'm sure I will be calling on all to fast and pray for me. :)

We had a wonderful girls trip to the annual Texas interpreter's conference. Stephanie drove us to Houston, and feeling like royalty, we stayed at the Hyatt Hotel for 5 days.

Our group of 4 interpreters was not totally complete until Heather joined our group. She is so very witty--never a dull moment with her around! Here we are dining at Benihana's

All weekend people were asking if these two were sisers.

The grand finale?? Todai's of course. Can you believe we 'camped' 4 1/2 hours in this restaurant? What a deep Bible study we had!

TEP

2008-06-17T23:01:00.004-05:00

Texas English Proficiency

In just 9 days, I will embark on the monolithic task of passing the Texas English Proficiency Test. The manifold vocabulary lists from which I am to study seem interminable. My assiduous studies have left me wishing for supine reprieve. I am not looking to exonerate myself. I realize that my perfunctory procrastination is incontrovertible. I remain solely culpable for my situation. My friend, on the other hand has been a paragon, as her salient efforts have allowed her to subjugate the book "1100 Words You Should Know." Her erudite tendencies are inate.

Before I succumb to a paroxysm of histrionics, which would only serve to exacerbate rather than ameliorate my current situation, I solicit your fervent prayer on my behalf. With that in mind, I will walk into the testing room with temerity believing that God is indeed on my side regardless of my virtuosity

I am fairly certain that the anxiety that I now feel is just a harbinger to what I will experience in August when I go for the final expressive sign language exam.

(Please forgive me if this has been ostentatious. It has served as an au courant review.)

Alaska

2008-05-27T21:01:00.004-05:00

Our 3 children have been with their Nana and Papa in St. Louis for the past 2 weeks while Craig and I were in Alaska. We had 2 prophecy conferences but managed to squeeze in a little R&R as well. It was a fabulous trip filled with the wonderous beauties of God's creation.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Let the Summer Begin

2008-05-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was my last final exam, the summer has officially begun for all of us. (Never mind the fact that I will be taking 9 credit hours in June.) We are looking forward to a summer jam-packed with fun and exciting adventures. With our calendar so full, I'm afraid it will zoom by, but we are going to try to savor each moment.

I won't be able to blog for a couple of weeks. Don't worry, I will fill you in...

Tiffani's Last Day to Homeschool

2008-04-26T23:34:00.008-05:00

Friday was our last day of homeschool for the 2007-2008 school year. As we finished up the final exams, cleaned out desks, filed papers, stored away text books, and averaged grades, there was a different feeling than other years. Friday was monumental. For the past 11 years, I have been Tiffani's school teacher. For nine months out of every year, she has started every school day off at 8 p.m. sharp (well, sometimes not so sharp) writing her spelling list, and then moving on to language, math, history and science. (There were electives in there too. Her most recent elective was French, in which, ironically enough, she scored higher than in English.)

But. Friday was her last day to homeschool. This fall she will be starting the collegiate program in the metroplex whereby she will complete her last two high school years congruent with her first two college years. It is a free program for those who are accepted. Two years from now she will have 2 graduation ceremonies: one for her high school diploma; the other for an associates degree in engineering.

As most of you know, we have used the A Beka curriculum, and it has served us well. She scored extremely high on the Accuplacer entrance exam at the college.

This is a big step for all of us. This is one more step in letting go, and I've got to say, it is tough for the mom in me. These are unchartered waters, however, we have all prayed about this, and we truly feel as though God has opened this door for her. Tiffani has a good head on her shoulders, and when it comes to the big decisions, she consistently makes the right choices. I trust that she is going to be a faithful ambassador for God on that campus this fall.

This is our downsized classroom, ready for the 2008-2009 homeschool year.

Blessed

2008-04-15T09:02:00.004-05:00

The music in this montage is what inspired this blog. I have to admit that from time to time I get to feeling a bit sorry for myself. Immature, huh? It is at those times that I need to stop and count my blessings. My husband has preached many times that people start to backslide when they stop being thankful. When I start to focus on ME and MY NEEDS, I am not only ignoring God's plan for my existence here on Earth, but I am hurting myself by brushing aside the blessings that come with focusing on others.

God has been so incredibly good to me. How could I complain??

The Red Plate-Special

2008-04-08T08:14:00.006-05:00

Saturday morning, I woke to a phone call. It was my mother telling me that she would be landing at the DFW airport in just one hour to take me shopping and to lunch at our favorite restaurant. She flew in for the day to let me know that she thinks I am special.

Yesterday morning my youngest daughter woke up early, made banana pancakes, and served me breakfast in bed. She used the Red Plate to let me know that this was my special day. I am now 39.

My husband took our family of 5 to Tokyo One for lunch--it was a financial sacrifice, but he wanted me to know I was special.

Last night Craig and I toured the Galleria. He was looking for something to buy for me. "Do you like this? I'll buy it for you. How about this?" (The Louis Vuitton store did not count--I certainly found something there.) We finally found something. I felt special.

Sis. McGree took our kids home from the church so we wouldn't have to rush back. On our way home we stopped at Braums for a really special treat.

Altogether I received eight birthday cards from family and friends who always remember me. Four phone calls came in wishing me a great day. Even Henry, my college teacher and Preston, a rough-around-the-edges kind of guy signed the traditional song in ASL.

Before going upstairs to bed, Bethani came to me in such a sincere way, gave me a big hug and said, "Mom, I love you. Happy Birthday." THAT made me feel special.

Yes, I am truly blessed to have wonderful people in my life. Thank you Lord for blessing me.

The Easter Outfits

2008-03-28T10:45:00.005-06:00

For all of my growing up years, each Easter was the same. Here is the scenario that played out year after year:

My mom would sew my Easter dress--sometimes matching hers and Grandma's. Of course, true to her personality, it was almost always done last minute. The Saturday night before Easter was the same. Mom would be in the sewing room hurrying to finish my dress, while I would be in the adjoining kitchen dying the Easter eggs that she had signed up to bring for the next day's egg hunt at church. I would invariably have stained hands to go along with my new dress. (Mom always told me that is why the tradition of Easter gloves.)

After my egg dying was finished, and I could no longer keep my little eyes open, I would guiltily recede to my bedroom while my mom continued to burn the midnight oil. The next morning I would awaken to find my new Easter outfit hanging from the poster of my canopy bed.

We had purchased an ivory dress for Bethani some time back that needed a short jacket. It seemed perfect for Easter, so I decided on Wednesday that I should sew Bethani’s jacket. I went to my closet and found nothing with which to make it. I did, however, find a piece of salmon colored silk dupion. So, I made up a dress. Of course, it was a sleeveless dress, so now instead of ONE jacket, I needed to make TWO. I apparently didn’t help my cause any.

Thursday we went to the store and bought material for the ivory jacket. Friday I made the second jacket and helped Bethani make her American doll her own matching dress.

Saturday morning I woke up and wondered, “Hey, what about me and my needs???” So, I went to the infamous closet and found a nice piece of blue linen, picked out a pattern, and by midnight had a new suit for myself. It was totally unplanned, but typical of my Easter weekend--in fact it wouldn't have seemed normal any other way.

While I was upstairs sewing, Bethani was downstairs dying eggs. To her dismay, however, the next morning she could only find one glove for her stained hands.

Today, Bethani sleeps in the bed I grew up in. There have been several years when she too has awaken the next morning to find her dress hanging on the post of her canopy. This year she asked if she could hang her Easter dress on the post even though it was finished 2 DAYS EARLY!

Memories, sweet memories...

(The ivory jacket still isn't made. I wonder what the aversion is? I really need to get busy.)

Easter 2008

2008-03-25T09:45:00.016-06:00

Windy Easter Morning

The Kiss

Holiday Youth Convention

2008-03-24T19:31:00.001-06:00

Pastor prayed for the kids before they left. Can you believe there were 3 vans and 60 people!!!

This is apparently the latest trend. Too bad I don't have a picture of the final "Do". Must have been beautiful!

Jeremi's Lawn Care

2008-03-17T08:00:00.004-06:00

This week is Holiday Youth Convention for the teens, and this year, they are earning their own money to pay their expenses. (Well, Grammy did send a sizeable check to help them along...)

Jeremi is a bit shy when asking people for anything, so I was there to help push him along. We decided that since it is spring and time to jump start the lawns, he should mow our lawn first as a sample of his quality work. So, on Saturday when he finished our yard, he and I jumped in the car and started driving around our neighborhood looking for neglected lawns. We found several. The first house had no answer at the door. The second house had a son who is capable of mowing himself, but the third house was his answer. He bravely knocked on the door, explained that he was a neighbor looking to fund a church trip next week and was willing to mow grass. "Would you believe it" the man said, "I was just talking with my wife about what to do about our broken lawn mower blade. I would really appreciate your help."

Well, Jeremi was so excited! He was now in business. You can imagine how excited he was when the man said he was going to pay him a lot more than just the suggested $15. In fact, he came home with 2 crisp $20 bills!

I asked him later, "Doesn't it feel good to do a good day's work?" He admitted that it did and added, "I just don't like to ask for work."

THE INFLUENZA

2008-03-14T21:29:00.002-06:00

It has been a little while since my last post. I really have a good reason. Can you say INFLUENZA!!!

Last weekend, Craig and I headed to the airport for a conference in West Virginia. We got to DFW at 9:00 a.m., but because of the terrible snowstorm here in Dallas (maybe 1-2 inches) 300 flights were cancelled, and thus we ran from one end of the airport to the other all day long chasing after promised flights only to arrive and be disappointed "We're sorry, this flight is full." We finally got on a plane, and buckled up only to have it cancelled 5 minutes later. FINALLY, at 4:30 we got on a plane, buckled up, AND pushed away. Imagine our distress when the pilot came on and said, "I have bad news..." Well, needless to say, the pastor had to preach the first night of this prophecy conference--we got into our hotel room at midnight.

All went well for the rest of the conference. We just really love the pastor in Tom's River. After our last service on Sunday, Craig complained of feeling really sick. That night in the hotel, he asked if he could use my heating pad and snuggle with me. "I'm so cold" he said. I felt him, and he was burning up! I knew we were in trouble. It went from bad to worse. Over the course of the next few days, I struggled through midterms with chills, fever, severe headache, etc.

However,

I went to church Wednesday night to be prayed for. Three men of God laid hands on me.

I am glad to say that this is Friday night, and I am starting to see some light at the end of this dark tunnel. I'm so glad too because I don't know how long my resolve not to medicate was going to hold out. (Not to mention how miserable it is to lie in bed for 2 days straight!

Craig is well again, and I am on my way. Thank the Lord for his healing touch.

Birthday Girl

2008-03-02T20:32:00.000-06:00

Well, it happened. She turned 9.

I have been instructed not to divulge the very special personal gifts she received. Suffice it to say that our little Blueberry is growing up way too fast. I am so very thankful God chose to put this bright spot of Joy in our home. Happy birthday sweetheart. Mom and Dad love you so very much!

Bethani and Tiffani have been having fun with the clay Bethani got for her birthday. They are so creative!

Flying Bicycle??

2008-02-28T21:39:00.000-06:00

One valuable thing we learned last week?

Jeremi's trick bike canNOT fly. Just ask him.

(Better yet, just get a good look at his arms and hands.)

Roy & Gwin 40 Years

2008-02-13T17:40:00.001-06:00

I just returned from a weekend in St. Louis. Sunday marked 40 Years of marriage for my parents, and I was honored to be able to be there with them AND to wear mom's wedding dress!

I am so blessed to have godly parents that have passed down a rich heritage and set a fine example of matrimonial love. Thank you mom and dad for loving each other and giving Todd and me an example to follow. We love you dearly.

After church we had a celebration party for them in the fellowship hall. I was unable to show this dvd then, but here it is now for those who have asked.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Shoe Organizer

2008-02-12T04:12:00.002-06:00

Today we overhauled Jeremi's room. You know, sorting through the closet, removing outgrown clothes; dumping out drawers and organizing, removing junk; sorting through his bookshelves, passing down books too juvenile. In the process he informed me that his 'shoe keeper' on the floor was bending his expensive size 10 shoes, and he couldn't use it anymore. Apparently we needed a new shoe keeper solution.

Now, I know that these can be purchased, and in fact, we have several in our house now, but isn't it much more fun to create your own?? I crafted this from material I had on hand and a cardboard box from the barn. It isn't perfect, but it is certainly functional--and free!

Overheard in the school/sewing room:

"Mom, what are you doing?"

"I'm creating. I learned it from my dad."

"Did Papa make things?"

"Oh no, my heavenly Father."

"Moooommmmmmm"

Just four Girls

2008-02-08T16:46:00.000-06:00

That's right, just four girls. The boys left this morning to do a prophecy conference in Oklahoma, and I am flying out in the morning to St. Louis. But tonight--Girls' night. Amanda is coming over for our slumber party and will stay here while I am gone. Tonight we are having a tea party, and then we are going to sit and chat (probably silently as we sign). We will probably sing for a while around the piano, and then maybe pray a bit. I'm sure it will be the wee hours of the morning before we finally fall into bed, and we will enjoy every minute.

As I was setting the table this afternoon in preparation, I decided to choose the Old Country Roses Four Seasons cups. It is a rare collection that I have had for many years, and I don't use them much, but today seemed appropriate. There will be 4of us, and each of us is in a different season of life. Now, I am NOT saying that I am in the winter season while Bethani is in the spring. (insert laughter here) Nevertheless, we are each at different stages. I want God to help me to appreciate the different stages. There are some parts of each that are enjoyable and some not so enjoyable. Isn't it strange how many times we can only see the miserable parts of the stage that we are currently in, and look back and only see the fun parts of the past stages? We all know that there were difficult times then. We can look forward and dream about how it will be rosy one day... we know that there will be problems then too.

"Jesus, thank you for my family, my friends, and my friends that are like family. Please help me to enjoy the right now. Forgive me for wishing away the present in hopes of an elusive tomorrow. Help me to enjoy the present you have given me."

Nothing More Precious

2008-02-04T08:38:00.000-06:00

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

III John 1:4

Crochet

2008-02-01T15:51:00.000-06:00

Apparently one of Bethani's friends has taken up crochet, and suddenly Bethani really wanted to learn. I saw that Hobby Lobby had their yarn on sale for $.99 per skein, so she took some of her money, bought a skein and a 'stick.' I'm sorry to say that this skill skipped my generation. I have never even tried to crochet. I'm not sure I have the patience for it.

Wednesday afternoon on the way to my college class, Bethani sat in the back seat watching Tiffani crochet (who learned 5 years ago) and trying to copy her. It looked very awkward for her. After about 5 minutes, I realized that she was trying to copy her EXACTLY. "Oh, baby, Tiffani is left handed, try putting your 'stick' in your right hand." She switched hands and said, "Oh, that feels much better."

By the time my class was over 2 hours later, she was stitching a chain so fast, I couldn't keep up with her fingers! She is now working on a scarf, then she wants to make bookmarkers. Ater that...? Maybe she will feel ambitious and make a baby blanket for her new cousin.

For now it is serving as motivation for her to finish her school work early so she can sit and crochet. Our Friday night plans include: a simple dinner, fire, books, yarn, soft music, family.

Pencil Toppers

2008-02-01T14:11:00.000-06:00

I just stumbled across a cute little idea for pencil toppers from Missy at Crafty Carnival She also has several really cool tutorials--one for a sweet tooth fairy pillow complete with pattern download! (I could have used that pattern about 11 years ago!)

Nevertheless, I modified the toppers for the current season, and whipped one up this morning. I often have little segments of time when my kids are taking tests or doing math problems or writing assignments. I find my hands fidgeting, needing something to make. (We mom's have an innate need to multi-task.) (Sure I can stitch while I read off my daughter's spelling words for her test!)

Now Bethani is making a list of the people in her life that need pencil toppers.

The Drunk Church

2008-01-31T09:57:00.000-06:00

These men are not drunk as ye suppose seeing it is the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.
Acts 2:15-16

Craig preached an awesome message recently about the church becoming intoxicated on the new wine, the Holy Ghost of "Joel's Bar." He used some thought-provoking parallels:

A drunk man never gets enough.
(The more Holy Ghost you get, the more you want.)

A drunk man is not choosy
(A drunk Christian doesn't care who is preaching, or what song they are singing)

A drunk man doesn't care what people think of him--many times he acts foolishly.
(A drunk Christian worships unihibited not caring what people think.)

A drunk man doesn't feel pain.
(When I am full of the Holy Ghost, you can't hurt my feelings.)

Oh that I would be so full of God's Spirit that I could say with Paul, "None of these things move me."

Licorice Tea

2008-01-30T10:08:00.000-06:00

Yes, my kids shared their sickness with me, so this tea has been my constant companion. Feelin' better now though...

Home Missions

2008-01-28T09:22:00.000-06:00

This weekend our family headed 3 hours south to Temple, Texas (just south of Waco) to minister in two home missions churches. It was a very humbling experience. I was once again reminded of who the real heroes are among us.

Saturday night and Sunday afternoon we were at Abundant Life Church with Bro. & Sis. Carter. They started this church just 3 years ago, and already have a building and about 20 people.

Sunday morning we drove north about 20 minutes to be with Bro. & Sis. Wolfe. Because of sickness in their church, there were only 8 people besides our family. After church the Wolfe's invited us to their mobile home for dinner before driving south again to the Carter's church.

I was so thankful to have our kids with us. Saturday night Bethani boldly stood and testified (something you don't hear of much anymore--especially in a large church setting.) Tiffani and Jeremi joined me and we sang a trio. (We teased Jeremi that this was his debut). My kids so generously 'shared' their 'sick germs' (as one of them used to call it when they were little) and after the first night, I was unable to sing at all. Tiffani stepped up to the plate and sang while I played on Sunday. Both churches were without music, and we did our best to help with the worship services. It was such good experience for my kids. Jeremi even got to play the drums! Craig delivered his heart to the people, and built their faith. They said that we encouraged them, but the truth of the matter is, we were the benefactors. We left humbled and inspired.

Both of these couples have young children, and are working secular jobs and working in their communities in order to cultivate the church God has called them to plant. They are spending the prime years of their lives sacrificing to build the Kingdom of God. Wow! These are the unsung heroes and my hat is off to them.

By the end of Sunday afternoon's service, we realized that, if we would hurry, we might be able to make it for the last part of our home church service in Dallas. The message last night was powerful and called each one of us to do trust God and step out in bold acts of sacrifice. I do believe God is trying to speak to me.

Vision Forum

2008-01-22T14:25:00.000-06:00

I recently came across a catalog put out by Vison Forum, a trusted FAMILY company who is on the same same page I am when it comes to family values. It is a company started by a Doug Phillips, his wife Beall, and their 8 children: Joshua, Justice, Liberty, Jubilee, Faith, Honor, Providence, and Virginia. They have been doing this for 10 years, and now there are more than 50 people pictured in their "staff" picture! They sell whole books that convey, in their words:

The importance of distinctively Christian education through presuppositionally biblical training and parent-to-child discipleship; by pointing fathers to their duties as household shepherds and women to the nobility of femininity, industry, motherhood, and home; by reminding Christian men of their duty to sacrifice for "women and children first"; and by encouraging a culture of virtuous boyhood and girlhood.

Wow!

Can you believe they even have an American Girl Doll alternative?? You can see their online catalog here. Last night I told Craig, "If I just had tons of money, I would buy everything in this catalog!!!"

We don't

So, instead, we took the catalog to our library. They had several of the books we found in the catalog, and we are going to try inter-library loans in the Dallas area. We are also scouring the web for more of these hidden gems. Jeremi has especially enjoyed the first G.A. Henty novel: The Cat of Bubastes. It is set in 1250 B.C., and apparently the main character meets up with Moses in Egypt.

Cool, huh??

Quiz Tourney

2008-01-21T13:51:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday I went to Pastor Foster's church in Dallas to watch Bethani and her team quiz in their first tournament of the year. Bethani has been fairly diligent with memorizing, and thus far has committed about 32 of the required 40 Bible verses to memory. In my opinion, that in itself makes her a winner. The fact that she came home with a red and blue ribbon is just icing on the cake.

Watching her at the board was--It was one of those inside proud mommy moments--you know the kind--that moment when you are so glad to be able to say: "That is my child." Now, don't get me wrong, I have had the 'other' kind of moments (you know that kind too). But, hearing her answer question after question of details related to specific Bible verses made me thankful for all of the foundation work that we mommies do throughout their lives. She really has worked hard this year--mostly on her own without much of my help. (Paying her .10 per verse has perhaps been some incentive.) Sis. Jassi does such a good job working with the beginner team.

Now we start on the next 40 verses...

Simplicity

2008-01-11T20:57:00.000-06:00

Simplicity.

Recently I was describing our post-Christmas home as 'wonderfully bare.' I really do enjoy the holidays with all the lights and garland and decorations, but then by the time the new year gets here, I am ready for simplicity.

Simplicity.

It is a funny thing. In our materialistic-driven society where accumulating more stuff, running out of places to put the old stuff when the new arrives, buying a bigger house because we have more stuff and then renting a cubicle down the road for the excess stuff only to sell the old stuff in the spring yard sale...

Simplicity. Less really is more.

I think back to our RV days. Craig and I traveled for 9 years with a van and trailer evangelizing all over the U.S. Our lives were simple. We started out with just Tiffani. Our little home was just that--little, but it was home, and so cozy. We could only carry the essentials. We had 6 Corelle plates, bowls and saucers. We had just one set of sheets for each bed, and 4 towels. When they were dirty, we washed them and put them back. Our wardrobe was simple, we were rarely in one place for more than a week, so it wasn't a problem. Our lives were simple, and we had more time.

A few years later, we were blessed with Jeremi, and we got a trailer that was a little bigger. Four years after that, God sent us Bethani and we got yet a bigger trailer, but, our lives remained simple. Uncluttered.

Looking back, we have fond memories. Today, I am wishing for that same familiar feeling. I want my surroundings to be simple. I want my heart to be uncluttered. Oh, I'm not talking about moving back into an RV. Rather, I want to free myself of the things that don't really matter. It seems that I can get so caught up in maintaining my life that the things that are really important somehow slip past me. I can get so focused on taking care of stuff that I lose sight of my real priorities.

I will never forget what a Bro. Smith in the Carolina's said while we were evangelizing. We happened to be at their house, and one of his children came running to him with tears coming down her face. Apparently a toy or something had been broken by another child, and she was very upset. His wise words to her were: "Remember, honey, we love people and use things." He was saying to her in not so many words, 'I know that you really liked that toy, but you love your friend, and your relationship with her is more important than things.' That thought has never left me.

There are many goals that I have for myself in this coming year, as we all do, but one of them is to simplify my surroundings, keep only the things I use, and love people.

Lazy Afternoon

2008-01-09T17:07:00.000-06:00

Today after school, we all walked up to the library, checked out some books, came home, and lounged around the living room each engrossed in his own world, yet together. It was a simple, pleasant afternoon. After a while, I got a tea tray, chose some pretty cups and saucers, and served everyone some hot chai tea. It was a lovely afternoon.

In The Kitchen With Orzo

2008-01-08T22:36:00.000-06:00

No this is not a person with a big red nose, floppy shoes and oversized mismatched clothes blowing up animal balloons. This is a whole grain that resembles rice in appearance and pasta in texture.

I have recently been inspired by my friend Jaime Gibbs to revisit the idea of whole grains and fresh live foods. She made such a convincing case for oat groats that we made a trip to Whole Foods ourselves today. Of course, it didn't stop with the oats.

The bulk food aisle has always been our favorite. We also had to get short grain brown rice (hopefully like the rice served at P.F. Changs,)whole wheat gluten flour, couscous for Jeremi, millet, sea salt, and the usual granola snack for each person in the car in their own little plastic container.

While standing in front of the little containers with plastic shovels, Tiffani recognized the orzo. She exclaimed, "Oh look mom! They have orzo! Can we get some?" Now, you have to understand that we used to have this little grain from time to time, but it has been a very long time. In fact, I don't think we have had it since we left RV life. We certainly had to get some, even if just for posterity sake.

When we got home, she wanted to cook it up right away. Tiffani found a recipe and began putting it all together. After tasting it 2 or 3 times along the way to ensure that it was 'al dente', she said to me, "It has to be just like I remember."

Well, it turned out nothing like I remember. I would have remembered this one. Tiffani made it very healthy, fat free and delicious! She is a very good cook!

Christmas 2007

2008-01-07T22:44:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago our computer was put to sleep and then resurrected at the Schobert hospital. Since then, Craig has spent his evenings restoring it so that we feel comfortable and at home with it again. Thus, I have not been on much. Nevertheless, I want to catch you up on our holiday.

It has certainly been a fun and eventful December. Jason and Amanda came on Christmas Eve and we all surprised them with their own photo album with their wedding picture on the cover.

Our little family of five enjoyed Christmas at home the next day, and then the day after Christmas we began the long journey over the river and through the woods to Nana and Papa's house. It was a tight squeeze with 3 kids in the small backseat of the Avalon, but the fighting didn't get too intense. (insert laughter here)

Nana and Papa spoiled us as always. Tiffani got another iPod dock (Nana and Steven are really gonna have to compare notes next year--last year it was ice skates!)

Bethani got the coveted Heeleys,

Jeremi got clothes and $75 toward a trick bike,

I got 800 thread count sheets (single-ply mind you...) and Craig became the proud new owner of a Navigator (as in the device that tells you where to turn, not the SUV.) I think I have just been replaced. (On the way home, he was very smug as, while I slept, he maneuvered through the back country from Allen on Stacy Road. I woke up as we were approaching the high school, and he gleefully announced, "This thing is COOL!!"

Thursday morning, my mom and I hit the mall for Macy's day-after-Christmas sale, and we certainly made a haul. They were practically giving stuff away. How could we say no??

While in the St. Louis area, we enjoyed the annual Kessler Christmas party on Friday and then visited with my mother's side of the family on Saturday.

On Sunday we preached for Scott Graham at The Sanctuary in Florissant Valley. What a great morning it was. There were so very many friends of ours, many of them from Bible College.

I was thrilled to see my long-time friend and maid of honor, Tonya, and FINALLY meet her new baby.

We were very saddened to get the news that Sis. Dugas, the wife of the Bishop of their church, went to be with the Lord about an hour after we left the restaurant. She had been very sick with a brain tumor. Sis. Dugas was a precious, extremely talented and godly woman, and we will all miss her very much.

Well, that brings 2007 to a close. God has been good to us again this year, and we give Him thanks for His many blessings. We are excited about what He has in store for us in 2008!

Final Exams!

2007-12-13T09:50:00.000-06:00

Well, my last 2 final exams were Tuesday. I think I aced all 3 classes--even Henry's class! It was only 10 credit hours, but still a lot for me to juggle while homeschooling the Fruit.

This is Thursday, and we won't be leaving for school at 1:30. Instead we will be leaving for the airport to pick up my mom. She will be staying here with the kids while Craig and I fly to North Carolina. I appreciate her so much! She has stayed close to us regardless of what our return address labels say.

I haven't felt the sense of relief yet. Maybe it will hit me this afternoon when I pass the exit for the college, or Saturday morning when I wake up in a hotel room and have no plans to go to the lab. (I spent 65 hours of my life in the lab this past 4 months.) Maybe it will all sink in when I check my online grades and see the accumulated credit hours, who knows. I do know that I appreciate free time a whole lot more now than before. I am afraid though that this 1 month break of mine is so consumed with holiday events that I won't even notice all the free time.

Oklahoma

2007-12-10T09:23:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday Craig and I took the two youngest 'fruit' to Oklahoma City. (Tiffani had a solo in the adult choir and wanted to stay here with Jason and Amanda) We went to minister to a couple of dear friends, Bro. and Sis. Kevin and Desise Borders. For the past 9 years, they have been growing a solid UPC church in Norman. Here is a picture of Denise and her daughter in love, Amanda.

Denise has won the cancer battle, and we are so thrilled about it.

We first met Kevin and Denise back when we were both evangelizing and living in tin cans. (Most people refer to these as RVs.) We evangelized just 9 years, but they stayed on the field 15!! Wow, my hat is off to them.

Our weekend was short, but fun. After we arrived, the temperature dropped, and it started sleeting. How nice it was to wake up in the warm evangelist quarters, hear the sleet pounding on the outside windows, get dressed, and walk downstairs into the sanctuary. I really felt bad for all of those who had to get out in the weather.

After church, however, we did have trouble getting the frozen car door open to drive to the restaurant. The kids had fun rolling down the window and punching the ice out. We all laughed and laughed when Craig would come to an intersection and have to open the door and look out before making a turn. Who would have thought to bring an ice scrater. (We don't get much of this kind of weather anymore now that we are in Texas, and we had fun with it.) Pastor Borders had to cancel church Sunday night because more freezing rain was coming in, and so we took the opportunity to get out while we could. (I did briefly entertain the thought of spending the night hoping to get iced in. The evangelist quarters were so comfortable; not even one window in our room allowing us to sleep until...)

Cooking from Scratch

2007-12-05T15:29:00.000-06:00

Ever since we returned from Homestead with a 5-gallon bucket full of wheat berries, we have been making homemade bread. It has been great. It is so fulfilling to grind the flour, combine the yeast, knead the dough, let it rise, bake it up, and then slice into a warm loaf at the dinner table. (My husband especially likes this.) And, I feel so good about it. It is totally healthy, and (Jason, this is for you) it has SO MUCH FIBER!!

We wanted to try our hand at yogurt with the fresh milk, and we are getting quite good at it. It is really so easy! We have an abundance of yogurt, and so I decided to try yogurt cheese. It is just as easy. It has the consistency of cream cheese. I added fresh minced garlic, salt, and a bit of parsley, and it is a great spread for our rye crackers.

I've also been making these wonderful banana muffins sweetened only with bananas. They are filled with wonderful nutrients with 'extra' stuff I add like flax seed meal, and the pulp from when Jason and Amanda juiced for us. Yesterday I baked a dozen of these little guys, and this morning they were all gone!

Thanksgiving 2007 at Homestead Heritage

2007-11-26T14:26:00.001-06:00

This year on the day after Thanksgiving after we did our usual 5am shopping, we headed down to Homestead Heritage in Waco. In spite of the inclement weather, we had a wonderful 2 days.

You will notice that I am not a part of the petting animal experience. Thanks Amanda for stepping in for me.

Bethani learning to cross stitch. She is going to use her new talents for Christmas gifts.

Jeremi at the silversmith's shop making a gold spoon.

The Homestead has many resident artisans, and one of them is a skilled blacksmith. It was here that we watched him form a metal candle holder from a steel rod. With continual heating and beating and shaping and forming, something useful was created. (That sounds like something that will preach.)

Tiffani's basket

Jeremi's Watercolor Leaf

Tiffani & Abigail

They spent the night in the RV behind the Wheeler's house. Apparently the 4 girls stayed up late into the night giggling.

Jeremi & Joshua

Joshua has a lot to teach Jeremi. Just take a look at the walls of his room!

This was Bethani's first time to milk a cow. We bought a gallon of this raw milk, and will make butter and yogurt out of it. (If we can keep Craig out of the jar!)

Romeo, Where Art Thou Romeo?

2007-11-16T14:18:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was quite a fun day at my school. My assignment was to act out a college level literature drama. I chose Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. Jessica, another girl in my class was my project partner. We talked about it and decided that Craig would be a much better Romeo than she when it came to the kissing part, so Craig graciously agreed to come to my college class, kiss me, declare his love for me, ask me to marry him, and then die for me. It was all very dramatic and very romantic. I guess you had to have been there...

Sweet Sixteen Party

2007-11-12T08:38:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much to everyone who came to celebrate this day with us.

The party was a huge success, almost 50 people showed up, making Tiffani feel so special.

Take a look at this brief story of her life:

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Birthday Party Prep

2007-11-08T08:04:00.000-06:00

We are right now in the throes of planning a Sweet Sixteen party for our, well, our Sweet Sixteen. My mom and grandma will be flying in today, and my dad will fly in tomorrow. On our way back from the airport tomorrow, we will join Craig at a restaurant of said Sweet Sixteen's choice, and the festivities will begin! I will certainly fill in all of the details when the dust settles.

New Jersey

2007-10-31T15:28:00.000-06:00

Craig and I spent the weekend in Mantua, New Jersey with Bro. & Sis. D'Amico and Angela. We hit it off immediately. Craig and I were able to rest Saturday morning, and God gave us a great conference Friday & Saturday night and all day Sunday. (By all day, I mean alllllll day with a church service in the middle 1 1/2 hours away in which the 5 of us in the car got to know each other really well.)

It was a great weekend and we can't wait to go again. (Hopefully next time, I won't pass out on the airplane--it wasn't pretty.)

XMTX

2007-10-22T09:18:00.000-05:00

Extreme Mountain Top Experience

Brought to you by SALT:

My teens are involved with SALT: Student Action Leadership Team. It is a group that trains teens to minister. SALT has challeneged my kids to rise to the occasion and take ownership of their generation. It has motivated them to pray, fast, and focus on ministry.

For the past 2 months, we have been driving our kids back and forth to SALT practice in preparation for a huge production. Last week was the event. The SALT team put on an outstanding program for kids called Extreme Mountaintop Experience. Tiffani together with Tiffany were clowns trying to make it to the top of the mountain. Jeremi, playing the devil's advocate, convinced them that they needed alcohol, dirty magazines and videos in order to make it to the top. They soon realized that their load was too heavy, and they needed to get rid of the worldly 'stuff.'

I am proud of my kids. I know that God has a calling on their lives, and if they continue climbing, and never give in to satan's deception, they will make it all the way to the top.

California

2007-10-21T01:06:00.000-05:00

17 Years Ago

Last Week

Craig and I flew to California last weekend to help celebrate his pastor's 50th wedding and ministry anniversary. Bro. & Sis. Shoemake have been a constant part of our lives, and we love them. We had a great time getting to know them better, and except for the extremely cold temperatures (which most assuredly necessitated a shopping trip to Nordsrom Rack) it was a perfect weekend.

I flew home to Texas on Monday, while Craig drove back to Pismo Beach to his parents. He will stay there until next Monday and we will miss him.

General Conference, Tampa, Florida

2007-10-05T14:45:00.000-05:00

This year for General Conference, my mom flew here to Dallas to stay with our kids while Craig and I flew to Tampa.
In an effort to conserve in the finanace department, we opted to stay with my cousin, Lloyd and his wife who live just one hour from the convention center. It turned out to be a wonderful bonus to our trip. Lloyd has just recently (4 years ago) prayed back through to the Holy Ghost, and married a beautiful lady. We got to know Lori and her two boys on this trip. God blessed their home with an adorable little girl, and I just ate her up! !

Lacy is definitely one of a kind. It was so much fun watching her learn the few signs that I taught her last week: milk, eggs, toast, amen!

As is my custom, I went to the minister's wives banquet with my friend Denise Borders. She has just won the breast cancer battle, and I am so proud of her.

We had our yearly lunch date with the Barnes from Fort Lauderdale. It was quite an adventure navigating through the Jamaican fare.

A few of our CLC alumni got together one night after church for pizza at the Embassy Suites, and we stayed and reconnected until 1:30! (It was a long ride home that night.)

We saw so many good friends, got a word from God...

ate some great sushi and Thai food, heard some inspiring preaching, and yet...

...by far the most incredible thing that happened at General Conference this year was the 587 that received the Holy Ghost and the 92 that were baptized in Jesus' name!

Impromptu Weekend

2007-09-24T15:57:00.000-05:00

I'm sure my mom inherited it from my grandparents. I learned it from them. That is, spur-of-the-moment, impromptu, shoot from the hip kinds of trips. You know, the kind where you wake up and decide, "I think I need a little vacation today... where could I drive?" It is actually more fun--it feels like cheating or taking a risk, or something, only it is completely honest.

I remember one day when I woke up and told Craig, "Our 15th wedding anniversary is in 2 days, let's renew our vows with a ceremony." I called my mom, and within 5 hours, she was on an airplane with my wedding dress. (Finding a bakery that could get us a wedding cake in 24 hours was a little tough.)

Just last summer I called my mom and told her I had found a car that I wanted to buy--in Florida--and what would she think about a quick girls' trip? The next day we flew to West Palm Beach, and took 3 days to drive home.

Well, last Friday about 1:35, we had a similar kind of phone call. My mom called and asked if I wanted to go with her to a wedding of a friend of our family. You see, I was in Samantha's mom's wedding, Samantha and her brother, Jimmy, were in my wedding, and it just seemed right that I would now attend her wedding. After we talked about the details, (mainly, I can't afford a trip like this right now since General Conference is next week), (mom's reply, I'll take care of it), (argue back and forth), mom won, and after a scheduled optometrist appointment at 3:00, we were all in the car headed for the airport at 5:00.

I flew to St. Louis, and then together, mom and I drove the 6 hours to Cincinnati for the wedding. It was a beautiful drive, with some of the fall foliage making its apprearance. We drove and talked, and did all things mother/daughter.

This is Samantha and Jimmy in my wedding

This is Samantha and Jimmy now.

Mom and I woke up Sunday morning at 5:30 and drove to Indianapolis for Sunday School. After Bro. Mooney preached morning worship, we headed to the airport just in time to catch the afternoon flight back to Dallas. Craig picked me up and we were all able to make it to our church Sunday night.

It was a wonderful little trip, and I am so glad we got to do it together. I feel so blessed to be a part of a family that values time together. I only hope I can transfer that love for each other, and love of adventure to the next generation.

In Jesus Name!

2007-09-17T10:07:00.000-05:00

There is nothing in the world more precious
than being present at a birth--except for a newbirth!

Last Sunday we saw 2 of our Deaf girls
baptized in Jesus Name.

Last night we preached in Hurst, TX, and prayed with Jennie as she received the Holy Ghost, and then baptized. God is certainly adding to the church daily such as should be saved! I feel so blessed to be a part of the Body!

Impromptu Lunch Party

2007-09-03T10:25:00.000-05:00

While shopping at Kroger a few weeks back, I saw a Deaf couple signing to each other while shopping. After struggling within myself for a few minutes, I decied to take a bold step and introduce myself as an ITP student. I was immediaely rewarded with their obvious excitement. They introduced themselves as Chuck and Cheri Vaughan. This enthusiasm resulted in a 25-minute conversation in the milk aisle. They asked me about what church I attend, and I invited them to join us.

Cheri is very active on the computer, and we kept in contact via email. yesterday Chuck and Cheri came to church, and I did my best to interpret the Sunday School lesson for them. Amanda interpreted for Cheri personally because she has Usher Syndrome which is kind of like an extreme case of nearsigntedness with tunnel vision. While church was going on, I started to dream up some dinner plans, and before you know it, I was planning a small get-together in my mind. When church was finished, I invited Chuck and Cheri to our house for lunch. I also invited Dawn and Doyle and their children. Chandana and Rachael, two other Deaf teenagers were standing nearby, and I invited them to come also. We would certainly want some interpreters, so obviously we had to invite Amanda, Natalie, and Rochelle. Before I knew what was happening, I had invited 18 people to my house, and had absolutely no food prepared!

Amanda and Dawn joined me in a quick trip to Albersons where we started throwing things into the buggy as though we were on some TV game show. Guided by the sale paper in my hand, we raced through that store in record time! When we got home, we tossed the bags of corn on the cob in the backyard with a large bowl and a group of teens, and they took care of that messy job. I put Jason right on chicken duty, and he knew what to do with the BBQ sauce. We whipped up a humongous bowl of macaroni salad, and then had a watermelon cutting contest! (I concede, Jason won). (choleric) We dumped a few cans of baked beans in a bowl, warmed them up, and whala! Lunch was served! (Can you believe we had Sunday lunch on PAPER PLATES!!!)

I really enjoyed getting to know Chuck and Cheri better. They are absolutely the SWEETEST people!! Cheri is BRILLIANT!!! Chuck is not so good with directions (he will fit right in around here) so I gave directions to Cheri. They got to our house before we did and they even went to their home first! One of the first things Cheri asked me when she came in was "Is this a Choice Home?" She guessed right (I didn't even know until I asked Craig.) We found out that they prefer to eat organic food. Yep, Amanda, they will fit right in with this gang! (We need to work on Doyle a little bit.)

The camera was completely forgotten in all of the rush and excitement, so I don't have any photos to show, but everyone agreed that this was only the first of many more to come.

Everyone seemed to have a great time. It was a wonderful opportunity for fellowship, and I believe God was here. Thank you Lord, for allowing me to be a part of this beautiful Body of Christ!

Oh, as a bonus, it dawned on me this morning that I could use this experience as an Outside Communication Activity, one of the requirements for my class! Yes!

School Time

2007-08-24T08:25:00.000-05:00

This marks the end of our first week back in school. It wasn't too bad. Really. I think everyone is adjusting to our routine quite well. The subjects are a little more challenging for everyone, and we will need to put some extra effort into our studies, but it is do-able.

Bethani is in 3rd grade, and it is substantially more advanced than 2nd. The papers look more like the older kids, and they are expecting a lot from her already. And she is delivering it. Our goal for her this year is beautiful handwriting.

Jeremi is in 8th grade, and it is much like 7th. He will, however, need to study more. They expect specific answers 'filled in the blank' on tests. A Beka really isn't a 'cake-walk.' Because his schedule is not too heavy this year, we are going to slip in typing and possibly shorthand. (This is something he has shown an interest in.) Apparently this lighter schedule is just a reprieve for him before he hits high school. Look out Jeremi, they don't mess around in 9th grade! Our goal for him this year is to eliminate school procrastination, finishing each day in a timely manner while being thorough.

Tiffani is a full-fledged high school student. She has a heavy DVD load with Grammar/Comp, Algebra 2, consumer math, world history, biology, and French. She started to struggle in French the first 2 days until she found a "suitable tutor." She is excelling now. Our goal for her this year is to cram as much into her little head as possible in order to excel on her SAT and be accepted at Richland Collegiate next year.

They are awesome students! Sometimes I tend to focus only on the things that they still need to master and forget to recognize the good that is already imbedded. I was just pondering this morning on how well-disciplined they really are:

Promptly at 8:00 EVERY morning, all three of my children are dressed and sitting in their seats in the school room--all on their own, and most of the time without me. (It is here that I confess to sometimes [okay, many times] checking my email from 8-8:30.) Now, granted, there is a small reward for them if they are on time--not one minute late. Nevertheless, they are establishing a good work ethic.

Each morning we gather for family prayer--sometimes with mom, sometimes with dad. Occasionally they sleep, but hey, so did Jesus' disciples! We are setting a precedent for them, (right Jeremi?)

We work diligently until 12:30 with an occasional 5-minute break, and then have lunch until 1:00. Any work left-over must be done after lunch. Obviously, the goal is to finish before lunch time, and most of the time they are trying.

Now, before this sounds like pie-in-the-sky, let me confess that just about every day we have an issue with someone. You see, my children are not perfect. But then again, neither is their mother. We are, however, continuing to become. God is helping us, and I believe this year we WILL see more fruit.

Riding Blindly

2007-08-15T08:02:00.000-05:00

This morning during our devotions, God spoke to me in a powerful analogy. It was so forceful!

I remembered our tandem ride last week along the coast. Because Craig is so much bigger than I am, when I sit behind him, my view is completely obstructed. I can see to my right and left, but there is always this huge wall of a back in front of me. It is higher and wider than I can see. If I were to try looking around his side, we would most certainly 'dump over.' If I were to stand up to see above him, I would have to stop pedaling, and if he didn't...well, not good. Two people on a tandem have to pedal together in order to go forward. (Now that will preach!)

It had been a while since we had ridden a tandem, and my first feeling was a bit of anxiety. That same helpless feeling came over me briefly, and then I had to remind myself of the facts. I trust that he is not going to run us into a wall. I trust that he sees other motorists and pedestrians, and will steer accordingly. I trust that he won't ride through a mud puddle. He is taking all the precautions, and, well, I trust him.

Eventually I was able to relax and enjoy the view to my right and left. It was kind of nice to realize that I was not responsible for any driving mistakes. I was not the one directing. (I did, however, have to pay attention to which way we were going soI could actually help my directionally challenged husband get back.)

I don't know what my future holds. I could worry. I could stress.

The message this morning from God: "You don't have to see what is in front of you to go forward. Relax. Let me lead. I won't steer you wrong. We will not go the wrong way. Trust me and I will take you where I want you to go." I felt comforted to realize that we are in this together, and He is not going to abandon me. After all, a tandem ride is not possible with just a passenger, and I don't feel comfortable in the driver's seat. So "Jesus, take the wheel. I will sit behind you and trust that you know where we are going. I don't have to know. You won't even get us lost!"

17 Wonderful Years

2007-08-09T12:05:00.000-05:00

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart.

I love you more now than ever.

I will be here.

Always.

Summer Grand Finale

2007-08-07T08:30:00.000-05:00

Well, this was the last big hurrah before the end of our summer. Nana flew in, picked up the kids, and took them back to her house to stay with Papa and Grandma for 11 long days (just ask her).

This summer trip has become a tradition for them that they look forward to with much anticipation. This year they went camping in Nana and Papa's RV. I am sure that had to bring back memories, at least for Tiffani and Jeremi. Jeremi proudly declared that he was the only one who caught fish, but Tiffani defended her cause by saying that it was only because she didn't participate.

They got back on August 7, and they are already making plans for next summer. Thanks mom for making such great memories a priority.

UPCI Annual Deaf Conference

2007-07-27T13:11:00.000-05:00

What a great week this has been! The Annual Deaf Conference for the UPCI met right here in our backyard this year, and we took advantage of it! It started out with a picnic in the park. Natalie, Amanda and I went and met so many wonderful people.

Luther and Gail are some of the most precious people I think I have ever met in my life! Everyone enjoyed Luther's funny antics.

Monday night started the conference, and we took a van load of people from our church. It was beautiful to see Dawn beaming in church, surrounded by old friends and a host of capable interpreters. The service was in her language, and I enjoyed watching how much she enjoyed it.

The Deaf Mass Choir sang Wednesday night, and brought the house down! What an awesome presence of God came in when Deaf saints of God from all over this country came together to lift up His name! It was an honor to have Bro. Haney as the night speaker on Wednesday.

It was, for me, a brand new experience, one I will never forget. I have truly fallen in love with this language and culture.

Tuesday through Thursday were day classes, and Tiffani, Amanda and I soaked up as much information as we could. We were challenged, motivated and inspired. The Holy Ghost really moved on us in Thursday's class, and we bought the DVD.

These are the people that received the Holy Ghost Friday morning (most of them deaf). Faith was so high in the sanctuary! I think the total count for the week was 9 people!

The girl in the front center is the daughter of one of the Deaf leaders. They have prayed for their wayward daughter for a long time, and God has heard their prayers. Praise God!

My faithful mother flew in with Grandma to stay with Jeremi and Bethani while Tiffani and I spent the days away. Morgan, my only niece, was here with them, and they enjoyed each other's company.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of all of this. I feel God doing a work through me. I want to do my part to educate myself in order to have the ability to work for Him with excellence.

VBS

2007-07-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

This week has been VBS at our church. Bethani was the only child young enough to register, but the SALT (Student Action Leadership Training) team worked with the adults to make it a smashing success. There were about 120 children registered, and I believe 10 children received the Holy Ghost. In our family, however, the most exciting thing was how SALT transformed my teens. They were forced to rise to the occasion, and rise they did!

The second day into VBS, after the children went home, the SALT team had practice from 3:30-5:00. Jeremi called me around 4:30 and said that they had started with prayer before practicing, and they were still praying!! They hadn't yet gotten around to practice. He was so fired up about how God was moving and ministering to him and his peers. When they got home, Tiffani was bubbling over with how God had used the Gifts of the Spirit to speak a specific word to them, and it was the teens who were operating in the Gifts!

The week continued in this same way everyday this week. God used Tiffani in the Gifts of the Spirit. I encouraged her not to seek after the Gift of the Spirit, but to seek after the Fruit of the Spirit, and the Gifts will naturally follow. It is awesome to see their enthusiasm and love for the Lord.

Sunday night, the entire youth group rallied around one another, and it was a beautiful thing to watch them pray and support each other. For a while, they set aside their differences, and worked together for a common goal. They asked Jeremi to stand and tell what he felt about the week. He talked about unity and working together to achieve a common goal. I saw the man he is becoming, envisioned the minister he will be, and I felt so proud of him.

Raising Godly fruit can be a long and tedious process. It seems that the fruit will never grow, and then when it does, it seems it will never ripen. I have to confess that there have been many occasions recently where I have wondered if any of what I have been trying to teach is actually getting through to my children. It has at times truly felt FRUITLESS! However, it is the times like this week that I am so thankful that I have not given up. "For in due season, we SHALL reap if we faint not." Thank you Jesus for giving us a hopeful peek into our children's future.

2007-07-21T23:01:00.001-05:00

Our Family

2007-07-20T09:34:00.000-05:00

Support!

2007-07-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

I have wonderful parents. They have believed in me all of my life in whatever endeavor I happened to take up. I am now taking up ASL, and here they are, at my school and in my class. Thank you mom and dad for supporting me in everything I do. I love you!

Happy Birthday Jeremi!

2007-07-07T14:54:00.000-05:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Well, it finally happened! I am now officially a mother of teens (in the plural). Yesterday Jeremi turned the monumental 13 and was thrust along with millions of other young men and women into the Sea of Turbulent Teen Years. Now, don't get me wrong, the change didn't happen overnight. Oh no, my friend, we have been witnessing many changes over the past 6 months. When he answers the phone, it sounds like a grown man on the other end of the line. When I take off my church heels, he stands just a bit taller than me, and (Shhhhhh he has shaved his upper lip once.) Well, needless to say, there are a lot of emotional highs and lows around here, but with the grace of God, we are plowing through it all. His sweet spirit comes shining through from time to time reminding me that underneath the dark clouds called hormones my sweet little boy/man is still intact.

Nana and Papa flew in to help celebrate this birthday mile-marker, and they helped to make his day very special. From lunch at the Grand Luxe, to ice skating at the Galleria, to ice cream from the Marble Slab, to a rodeo in Mesquite with the youth group, his day was filled with all the things he loves most.

Happy birthday Jeremi. I am so proud of the man you are becoming. Always know that you are special to dad and me. We love you so much

The Mound (Part II)

2007-07-02T16:25:00.000-05:00

May

July

Crusader Camp

2007-06-18T22:08:00.001-05:00

I promised to update you on all the happenenings around here, so here goes:

Last Monday, I took a van load of kids to Lufkin, Texas for church camp. There were 12 of us in the van for the ride there, and just two of us came back home. Jeremi and I had a chance to talk--just the two of us, and it was good. All went smoothly, even the Taco Bell stop.(Ordering for 10 kids could be a bit intimidating!) Tiffany Ramirez was a HUGE help. She stayed as the dorm matron, and they had a wonderful time.

This was Bethani's first time to go to camp as a 'registered, bona fide camper' and she was SO EXCITED!! Bro. Loyd Squires was the camp speaker, and everyone knows he is just phenomenol with the kids. Bethani told me somewhere around 90 kids received the Holy Ghost! Thank God for this precious truth. This Holy Ghost experience is real!!

Relaxation!

2007-06-17T17:09:00.000-05:00

Oh, what a wonderful weekend we had. There is nothing like a room with a view! I am planning to catch you up to speed with what all has been happenening in my world, but for now, suffice it to say that this weekend was a blessing from God. Tenney, you are a doll!