Handi-Treads for Stair Safety (and a Discount Code, too)

clickable link

Disclosure: Goods were received in exchange for my honest opinion.

Recently the HandiRamp Company of Libertyville, Illinois asked me to preview their Handi-Tread product on our deck stairway and share my honest opinion. They also said that I can offer you, my readers, a discount if I think it worthy of purchase. Well, I do like the product and would gladly share the love of safety with you! See below for the discount code.

Injuries and deaths from falls are a rising concern for everyone but this is especially true for aging populations (clickable link) or households with young children (clickable link). We routinely have representatives from both demographics - and everyone in between - traversing our stairs. Several years ago I slipped and fell down our inside steps and broke a bone in two places on one foot and the big toe on the other one. Although my injuries healed completely I still suffer from occasional swelling. Most falls are preventable.

Our inside staircase is not nearly as hazardous to descend as our outside steps so we installed Handi-Treads on the steps that connect our multi-level deck to the patio. Our deck steps are made from wood tread risers with grooves designed to provide some traction. The problem is that we often have precipitation that pools in those grooves making the steps slippery. Not only is this a problem because of our Midwestern winter snows but we can also experience quick freezes following rain in the early spring and late fall that turn the water in the grooves to ice! Grooves are not much help in that situation.

Before

The solution is Handi-Tread!

After

Stair risers with grooves and Handi-Treads

Taking it to the next level

There are other products on the market designed to cut down on slips and falls but they are not as good or as permanent a solution as Handi-Treads.

Please note that Handi-Treads can be used inside or out, on wood or cement steps. They are durable yet gentle on feet. They are used in private homes and in public parks and buildings.

Here is my opinion of the Handi-Tread product sent to me. I love it! It is a noticeable improvement to the traction on our stairs. 

The only negative comment that we have is that the screws included were not as durable as the Handi-Treads themselves. We stripped the screw heads whether we turned them by hand power or used a power screwdriver when installing them. We pre-drilled the holes but the metal shavings piled up anyway. The installation itself was done quickly in spite of that and we are satisfied that the treads are securely installed.

Now for the savings. My readers can obtain a 10% discount simply by using the code BLOG2015 at checkout. Click here to enter the HandiTread website to see their various colors, sizes, and styles.

* * * * *

There is also a STOP THE SLIP contest that you may enter if you are interested. See details here. This is a video contest so if you have a story you wish to dramatize detailing how you slipped in a public location your entry may win a set of Handi-Treads to make that very location safer. Four winners are chosen each year. What a great way to keep others from slipping as you did!

Caring For Your Health and That of Your Loved Ones

It's the holiday season, a time when families gather to celebrate their blessings and to share meaningful moments together. Probably the last thing anyone wants to talk about (or listen to) is a rundown of someone's health issues. Well, as uncomfortable as it might be, American Recall Center has asked me to encourage everyone to take a few moments to discuss medications with their loved ones this holiday season.

Have you ever found yourself answering questions for a patient who is in no condition to answer for him/herself? If so, you know where we're coming from. The reason someone may not be able to answer for themselves could range from confusion as a result of a concussion to being suddenly incapacitated following a stroke. It is important that someone close to the individual knows exactly what medications the patient is taking, how much, and how often in order to get the person help without delay! And that includes any non-prescription pain killers and allergy medicines also! Drug interaction is a very real problem and so are drug allergies and hypersensitivity.

Here are a few questions to get the discussion started:

Once the conversation is under way it might be a good time to ask for the name and phone numbers of any doctors who prescribe or recommend these medicines. Many people have more than one doctor (general practitioner, specialist, etc.) and each has some aspect of the patient's health under his or her consideration. Sometimes one or more of them must be consulted by the hospital staff before adding to or changing a patient's regimen.

Another question that everyone who takes medicines needs to be asked:

Have you checked lately to see if there have been any recalls on the drugs you are taking or have in your medicine cabinet? (You can do this at the American Recall Center website.)

You might think that this discussion is unnecessary because so much of our medical information is computerized and the hospital automatically has access to all the data they need. 

Think again! 

A couple of years ago I found myself in the ER of a hospital that is affiliated with my doctor and his partners. Only some of my medical history was up-to-date. In fact, they lectured me about the importance of having routine cancer screenings done when those tests had been completed at the lab of that very hospital within the last couple of months! 

Earlier this autumn I began experiencing health issues so I made an appointment with my general practitioner. As I sat in the examination room he looked over my computerized file and casually mentioned a certain medication that had been prescribed to me during that ER visit two years earlier. My record showed that I was taking it daily when it had actually been prescribed on a "take as needed" basis and had never even been filled!

I am a newbie to the whole "take daily" prescription routine and it has been a trial and error exercise to find what works so I keep my husband informed which medicines I take whenever they are changed. Since there are a couple of prescriptions that I have filled in recent months it would be improbable for him to know that I only take one of them or at the very least to know which one of them! The rest are kept ready in case the doctor decides I need to add one back into the daily regimen.

So do yourself and everyone else a favor. This holiday season take a few moments away from the festivities to have an open discussion about medications with your loved ones. It only takes a few minutes but it could be the difference between triumph and tragedy in a medical emergency. It might even help your family enjoy many more happy holidays together!

Homemade Yogurt and Blueberry Sauce

There has been a lot of activity in our kitchen lately! Some of it has to do with the recent remodeling projects. (That's another post for another day.) Some of it has been experimenting with a simple way to make yogurt.

"Why?" you ask.

Two reasons:

1. We spend wa-a-a-a-ay too much money on yogurt at the grocery store. (The Bear and I can easily put away 3 cartons a day. Even with coupons and sales we spend at least $2.50 a day or $17.50 a week since he eats 2 cartons of Greek style and I eat at least 1 of whatever style we have available.
2. Neither one of us needs the additional bovine growth hormone that I fear might be in some of the yogurt we consume. He is a man. I am a post-menopausal woman. Enough said. The only ways I know to avoid this hormone are to buy only organic - which would be wa-a-a-a-ay more expensive than what I'm spending now - and I don't want to spend a lot of money on yogurt (see #1 above); or make it myself using non-hormone injected cow's milk. Uh, I choose the latter option.

After a bit of experimentation I have come upon a nice method for making it using equipment and supplies I already had on hand, unless you count the cheese cloth that I bought because I was out of it. Oh, and 1 carton of organic plain yogurt as my starter. (Bought on sale and with a coupon.)

My equipment: a large dutch oven for heating the milk and a pressure cooker/canner for incubating a batch. Also, 2 quart-size mason jars with lids, a funnel, a wooden spoon, cheesecloth, and a candy thermometer.

Steps for making yogurt:

• Pour 8 cups of milk into dutch oven. (That's 1/2 gallon of milk. No matter what price you pay for your milk this method will be a whole lot cheaper than buying 8 cups of yogurt!)
• Heat your milk to 180 degrees while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Use a meat or candy thermometer for accurate measurement. My candy thermometer does a great job helping me make yogurt but it has never helped me make good candy! My holiday fudge always turns into a disaster. Or a nice fudge sauce. Depends on how you market your product. Which is why one of our family traditions includes celebrating Christmas with hot fudge sundaes. :)
• After the milk has reached the desired temperature it needs to be taken off the burner and allowed to cool until it reaches 110 degrees. If you let it sit too long just put it back on the heat until it reaches the desired 110 degree temperature.
• Stir 1/4 cup of cultured organic yogurt into your warm milk. I always use a wooden spoon when making ANYTHING that uses a starter (sourdough bread, friendship bread, etc.). It is probably an unnecessary precaution since the milk is heated in a stainless steel pan, but I do it anyway because somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought that metal kills live cultures. Not sure why that thought is there. Anyway. . .
• Using a clean funnel, pour the warm cultured milk into 2 clean mason jars. Place lids on them. These lids can be reused for each batch because you will not be sealing them to the jars.

• Place the jars on the rack in the pressure cooker/canner. As you can see, my canner holds 5 quarts but that would be a bit too much yogurt, even for The Bear and me. Actually, it would be a bit too much for my refrigerator. Now that I know how to make this quickly 2 quarts at a time is plenty.

• Place water in the canner so that the level is about 1/2 way up the sides of the jars. Heat the water until it reaches 110 degrees. Then turn off the stove.
• Once the proper temperature is reached, put the lid on the pressure cooker but DO NOT add the pressure gauge. The idea is to keep the cultured milk incubating, not cooking!
• Open the pressure cooker every 2 or 3 hours to check on the temperature of the water. If it feels too cool turn the stove on "low" for a short time. DO NOT ALLOW THE WATER TEMPERATURE TO RISE TOO HIGH! If you do, it will kill your cultures. Ask me how I know.
• Go to bed. Really. I start my yogurt about mid-afternoon and I check the water temperature two or three times, the last time being right before I retire for the night.
• Wake up to 2 jars of fresh, creamy yogurt!
• I always take out 1/4 cup of cultured yogurt and place it in a separate container in the refrigerator before I do anything else. This is the starter for the next batch.

Strain some of your yogurt using cheese cloth to make Greek style. The Bear likes the thicker curds of this style of yogurt. I'm not particular. 

Use the milky liquid, the whey, that results from the straining in place of buttermilk in pancake or biscuit recipes. It makes them light and fluffy!

Stir spoonfuls of homemade jam and jelly into your individual yogurt servings. I use strawberry jam, peach jam, and apple jelly. Since The Bear and I are partial to blueberry flavored yogurt I make blueberry sauce and keep it in the refrigerator near the yogurt. (Recipe below!)

Blueberry Sauce

This blueberry sauce is adapted from the Blueberry Pie Deluxe recipe found in The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan. (The whole pie is excellent, too!)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh or thawed blueberries
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the blueberries and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils, thickens, and clears. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and the lemon juice. Cool. Then refrigerate.

Place about 2 Tablespoons of the filling on top of your regular or Greek homemade yogurt. Delicious!

From Fear to Faith: A Personal Testimony

I have been open about my private physical health problem so let me be just as frank about a private spiritual health problem I recently experienced. This may not be the kind of thing you would expect a pastor's wife to write - after all, aren't we supposed to be super-spiritual or something? - but what follows is true and from my heart.

* * *

One day toward the end of June I was sitting here at the computer typing a Bible Journal entry for the daily blog post.

"You know that this is all an exercise in futility. God is not real and the Bible is fake."

That's the thought that crossed my mind. I immediately stopped, prayed, and tried to dismiss it but it troubled me far longer than I thought possible! I've been a faithful follower of Jesus Christ for almost 40 years now. Recently I had even completed 27 years of providing my children a Christian education through homeschooling. Once that was completed I had turned my focus to personal ministry. After much prayerful consideration, and with Pastor Dad's blessing, I had begun investing additional time and money into helping people with their needs. Specifically, this was to be centered on the following 3 groups of people that God says cannot be expected to repay their benefactor:

• widows
• orphans (or those who are unwanted, or unborn, or from broken homes: all of whom can be similar to orphans)
• foreigners.

You know, those people that God told the Israelites to help when He had Moses write the Pentateuch.

Alumni and Faculty of Karabeth Baptist Homeschool, a division of Gateway Christian Schools, Memphis, TN

Things had been going well. At least they had been until that awful, frightening thought took up residence in my mind ...

A few nights later I had a terrifying nightmare! I had another a few weeks later. Those dreams made me not want to sleep for fear of having another. I began to doubt my salvation and this was not the first time. But when I was a child and doubted it was because I wondered if I had understood, or repented, or trusted Christ, or {fill in the blank}. This was different. This was "There is no God no matter what you believe."  I cannot conceive of a more hopeless thought!

Scriptures tell us that only fools say there is no God, that Jesus is God in the flesh who defeated spiritual and physical death for us, and that if there is no resurrection we are of all men most miserable. That pretty much summarizes my situation. I felt like a miserable fool. Things stayed that way for several weeks but I carried on as well as I could, including typing blog posts despite the troubling thought in my head. My life, and the rest of the summer went on in its course. (That was chronicled in a previous happier post.)

* * *

Then on July 19th I received the following excerpted email from a church friend. It was so timely and so appreciated. 

Just been thinking about you and the Pastor all week....especially yesterday and today.
Mrs. _____ told us that when someone comes to mind and you don't know
why, to just pray for them.

When I read this email I sunk to the floor and cried.  Someone was praying for us! For me!  God, if there truly is a God, had put me on this woman's mind. (She would later tell me that God awoke her in the night several times that week and that was when she prayed.)

Once I regained some composure I typed this reply:

Thank you for your prayers. Mrs. _____ was right. We need them! It has been a very stressful week.

Personally, I have been struggling with doubts. That's probably not the kind of thing you want to hear from your pastor's wife, but it is true. On top of everything else he has had to deal with lately your pastor has had to hold his frightened wife and calmly tell her that the God we say we love and worship really does exist.

I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH and yet I am struggling with it. I have been very open about this with my husband and he has been very patient with me. He thinks that my Bible Journal that I post daily on my blog has earned me oppression and perhaps he is right. It had been my best year of personal Bible study so far and I had been devouring scripture like a starving person grabs food. Then the doubtful thoughts began sweeping over me and I panicked.

I'm still devouring scripture, though, and believe God will make Himself known to me. In fact, I find the thought that He told you to pray for us very comforting. Thank you for telling me.

Her response was simple but profound:

I love you and I want you to know that I never thought you were more than human. 

Okay, we all know I'm only human, but it was comforting to know that others do not hold me to a higher standard than other humans. Evidently ministerial family members do experience doubts and there are spiritual people who pray for them!

I later remembered that being human is what Jesus coming to earth was all about! Yes, He is 100% God but He is also 100% man (and no, I cannot explain this). It is because He is human that He could experience everything we do yet remain sinless and that makes it possible for Him to be our Savior.

* * *

The very next morning, July 20th, I picked up Lisa and Roman at the airport. As I looked at the smile on the face of that happy little cherub in the stroller my heart was pounding. I love that little guy! I do not want to lead him astray! We raised his mommy and her siblings to have faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone as their mediator between their sinful selves and the holy God. It is the same faith that we are presenting to our grandchildren. What if we had misled our children all those years and were continuing to do so? I must find the TRUTH before it is too late! After all, being sincere in a faith isn't enough. It is obvious that many sincere people are sincerely wrong since all views of faith cannot be right. They are mutually exclusive.

* * *

Besides my babysitting responsibilities at church camp I had also been planning to be a counselor. Given what I was going through then it did not seem prudent for me to lead a group of teen-aged girls in spiritual reflection. I attempted to talk to our teen camp director's wife Sunday morning, July 21st, to tell her that I was not going to be able to be a counselor but that didn't work out. I took my place in the choir and tried to get through the song service but that didn't work either. I left the auditorium in tears while we were singing a hymn. I later found myself sobbing in the arms of my surprised pastor-husband during the closing hymn. He asked the congregation to pray for me, as one God-awakened/email-sending member and he himself were already doing. (In the 4 weeks since that service I have had numerous people tell me that God has been awakening them at night and they pray for me. I haven't had any more nightmares so perhaps their intervention - and lack of sleep - has helped me rest.) Telling our congregation about my fear was one of the most humbling things I have ever had to do and yet it was the key to recovery.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  James 5:16 

The next day was our 35th wedding anniversary as well as the first day of camp. It is not unusual for those two things to coincide and actually seems fitting since we have been ministering together since the days we took our vows. But my spiritual peace did not return to me overnight and so instead of being a counselor I worked as support staff which gave me more time to read, study, and pray. It was time well-spent toward examining the Bible, other belief systems, and my own heart.

* * *

I later spoke with my friend, the email buddy, about the things that had been troubling me, one of which is what happens when we die. What if I am wrong about death and there is no God, no Jesus, no Heaven? This wise woman told me that what I am seeking is dying grace and I won't need it until I am dying. Right now I only need the kind of grace necessary to live day by day. It is one thing to make sure that one is on the right path, and indeed, it is what I and my husband have dedicated our lives to help people find, but it is another to fear death.

She was right! It is grace for today that I need and God will take care of all my tomorrows. 

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:34)

If you want me to tell you how I reached my conclusions about God and the Bible I will be glad to do so, but not now. Since most of my readers are believers you may know the path I wandered. My starting point was this: If God is real, then I am a Christian because I believe Jesus paid for my sins. With that in mind, and the prayer, "Lord, help thou my unbelief" I began my research.  And once again I was able to experience the joy of my salvation! The fear is gone and faith has taken its place!

Pastor Dad and I with the 8 blessings that call us "Grandad" and "Gram." We are determined that each of these precious youngsters hear over and over again about the living God who loves them, sent His Son to pay for their sins if they will repent and believe, and desires to live with them throughout eternity! 

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39 

Blind Love and Blessings: Perfect Vision

picture source

When last we met I revealed a few of the problems I have encountered as a pastor's wife suffering from a disfiguring illness. I know that most of my readers are concerned that I exaggerated at best or lied at worst, but fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your perspective, I could produce several witnesses since onlookers were necessary for the desired maximum effect. I hope that won't be necessary.

Let me also reassure you about another possible concern. There is no need for any friend or reader to respond like the disciples did at the Last Supper when Jesus revealed that one of them would betray Him. No, you are not one of the offenders. Most likely, you are the exact opposite, one of the people in whom I find great comfort.

For every person whose motive was malicious there were (and still are) many people who bless(ed) me with ointment for my hurting soul: those who held me as I cried, helped me rearrange or artificially replace my hair, empathized with me (there are many besides myself that suffer similar symptoms), and privately counseled me. These include hair dressers, cancer patients, other alopecia sufferers, medical professionals, other pastors' wives, and fellow church members. My support network far outnumbers the bullies.

Why do I share with you my journey? Not out of a sense of bravado! I would not tell any of this unless I was convinced that the Lord wants to use it for His glory and my good because the telling of it is not the catharsis that I might wish it to be. I don't exactly know how the glory and growth will be accomplished, and I may never know until I reach Heaven, but the Bible makes it clear that I do not think like God.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:8-11 (KJV)

It is only because I do believe that God will eventually make all things work together for his glory and my good (Romans 8:28) that I swallow my fear of the ungodly and trust God's perfect love for me.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 (KJV)

I also do not tell this story in order to retaliate, as one might assume, although I do offer it as a warning. Even Paul experienced mistreatment at the hands of church members. In my case, since I obviously am not up to the caliber of the apostle, my story reminds me that I am also a great sinner who has hurt others at times. The conviction of my own wickedness grieves me more than being the recipient of another's wickedness.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Matt 7:3-5 (KJV)
 

It isn't enough that my God, family, and friends have developed blind love for me. I need to develop blind love for others. Everyone has a situation in their life that causes hurt. Often the cause is not immediately evident as we become more sophisticated at hiding behind the facade we present to the world. Sometimes it takes time to peel back the layers but when we are successful we should treat each situation with love.

In the future I hope to share with you some of the ways that God has allowed me to minister to others. I always rejoice when God uses my infirmity to help someone cope with their own situation. It is those circumstances that God uses to develop in me more perfect vision.

The steps are there in scripture! First, remove the obstruction of sin from my own eyes so that I can see more clearly to help someone else and then seek out the hurting and love them blindly through eyes of faith.

Thursday's Tune-Up: Are You A Dummy?

source: www.Christianphotos.net

It's mid-January and for many of us some of the New Year excitement has started to fade and the determination we had to read God's Word daily, attend church regularly, memorize scripture methodically, and pray fervently in 2012 has faded along with it.

Does that describe you? Could this be your photo above? Let's see if there's any resemblance.

• Are your eyes glazed over when you read your Bible each day?
• Do you paint on a phony smile when you "have to" go to church?
• Is your brain wooden when you try to memorize verses?
• Do the words coming out of your mouth when you pray sound like a well-rehearsed script?

Mmm-hmm. I thought so. It happens to all of us sometimes.

Unfortunately, it's natural; meaning it's part of our nature. We easily slip back into old familiar habits like puppet skits performed many times.

And that's exactly why we need to keep practicing new routines whether we feel like doing them or not. Reading the Bible, praying, memorizing scripture, and attending church are the means God uses to change the old nature into a new one that resembles His own.

We have a tendency to resist change in spite of all good intentions. (I wonder how crowded the health clubs are these days?) But if you continue your new spiritual exercises one day you'll find that your eyes no longer stare vacantly at the pages of your Bible, your smile is genuine when you meet with other believers, and your brain meditates on those memorized scriptures with the result being honest heartfelt prayers to God.

What a picture that would make!

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Col 3:16-17 (KJV) -- imported from Bible Explorer 4 (emphasis mine)

The Thursday Tune-Up

No, this isn't about singing (unless that was one of your New Year's resolutions). This is about getting started right and staying on track.

So . . . did you make any resolutions this year? I did! I'll share a few.

1. Ride my bike more than last year.
2. Alternate working out on the treadmill with lifting weights.

These are the resolutions dealing with the "body" part of my being (remember the body-soul-spirit components I mentioned last week?). Here's how I intend to keep these resolutions.

1. This one is easy! All I'll need to do to is to take the bike off it's hanger in the garage and ride it once. Yes, it was not ridden at all in 2011. Sad, but true.
2. We already owned the treadmill but we recently added a weight bench to our home gym. You might remember a few years ago that I said I like lifting weights. I used to do my workouts on the floor with hand weights. That all changed when Pepper (our chocolate lab-meth lab mix) decided to turn my workouts into something to rival UFC events. She seemed to feel that since I was already down on the mat a good wrestling match should ensue. I, on the other hand, never wished to take up martial arts. So now I'm up high enough that I can avoid her.

Then I made a few resolutions to do with helping my soul. I equate this aspect with the emotions. It's true that all of these things - body, soul, and spirit - are intertwined because a healthy body and good spiritual relationship with the Lord definitely help the emotions, but I've decided to see myself as a creative person, too (STOP LAUGHING!), who needs a couple of outlets for the talents that God has given me (STOP IT, I SAY!). These are the resolutions concerning creativity.

1. Sing in church more. (Ha! Ha! Evidently my "tune-up" does have something to do with singing.)
2. Resume crafts and needlework.

Here are how I intend to meet these goals.

1. I have been known to sing solos but as rarely as possible. That's because I suffer from stage fright. It's also because I own very few prerecorded background accompaniments. I need to buy more and sign my name to the soloist list at church. (Sigh. This one will be hard.)
2. I have a few unfinished projects (Hmm. How long has the Princess been married to her Prince? That long, eh? I really must get that wedding sampler finished.) and some new things that I'd like to try. Calvin (remember Calvin and Hobbes?) had his bicycle and I have my sewing machine.

The object of "good emotional health" would obviously be to NOT STRESS OUT if I can't do the above things or not to do them as well as I think I should (Do I have any tendencies toward perfectionism? You think?) but to try to complete a few creative projects and feel good about it.

So what things do you want to start/change/accomplish this year? Whatever they are I'm praying for you and rooting for your success!

Requesting Your Prayers

Dear Reader,

I'm interrupting the normal flow of posts - which are scheduled well in advance anyway - to ask your prayers for my brother-in-law.  For the sake of the family's privacy I won't give his name but the Lord knows him (and he knows the Lord) so God will know who you mean when you pray. 

My brother-in-law had a stroke a few weeks ago and was left partially paralyzed and without the ability to speak.  Some mobility and speech was regained through therapy and he seemed to be progressing well.  Then everything drastically changed 2 days ago and he is now unresponsive and extremely ill. 

Please pray for my brother-in-law and his family as the Lord brings him to your mind.  Thank you.

K.

Looking Forward to 2012

Sample picture entitled "Winter"

Yeah, I know.  It's been awhile.

Once I finished my 52 day birthday celebration at the end of November I just kind of fell off the map again.  Or so it seemed.  Actually, soon after I completed that series I took a trip to a different part of the map with Pastor Dad and The Bear because we just couldn't let 2011 end without a family vacation.  That's one of the perks of homeschooling, you know.  Just pack up and leave when everything else on the schedule says "go for it!"  So we did. I'll post my pictures soon. (Probably Friday.)

One of the things I did while on vacation was think.  As Fen says these days while tapping his head in his best Pooh Bear imitation, "Think! Think! Think!" I did a lot of my thinking while confined to my seat while crossing the country on those jet planes that took us to our destination and back.  I prayed while thinking about what I want to do with my little piece of the blogosphere, too, and I feel like the Lord gave me a focus and a mission. I've been charting the course and making preparations ever since.

I am convinced that Bible reading is one of the most important things we must do and yet it can also be one of the most neglected things.  I became convicted that we need constant encouragement and not just the yearly mention of it as New Year's Day approaches.  With that in mind I outlined a few ideas of how to proceed.

For starters, I will be updating the Bible reading schedule page this week so that anyone can find the Bible reading plan at any time.  Feel free to print it out once it appears.  You'll know when it does because it will say "2012" and not "2011" on the tab.  I've been editing last year's schedule by . . . well obviously, changing the dates . . . but also by moving some of the portions to fit a better chronological timeline and to keep things within a 10 minute reading session.  It only takes 10 minutes a day for 6 days each week to read through the Bible in a year.  That means no one has an excuse for not reading.  No one is so busy that they can't read for 10 minutes each day.  Okay, I've been known to hide in the bathroom a few times just to have a few moments to myself but running water into the bathtub while reading my Bible tends to drown out noise while providing an inviting hot bath at the end of the reading session.  That's just my way of getting away from it all.  You'll need to find your own Happy Place occasionally.

As an added incentive I've also decided that each Saturday the scripture portions pertaining to the following week (like we did for Take Ten in 2010) will be posted as a weekly reminder.

On top of that, I would like to encourage memorization and perhaps a bit of discussion this year so for now, this is how I anticipate the weekly posts to appear:

Saturday:  The schedule for the following week

Memory Monday:  A list of verses to learn or review from the scheduled passages.  Just pick one.  Or if you memorized them all as a child, review them to keep them fresh.

Timeline Tuesday:  Just a little historical background or other tidbits concerning the passages we're reading.

Wisdom for Wednesday:  A s.h.o.r.t. devotion highlighting something from the scheduled reading segments.

Thursday's Tune-Up:  Okay, I intend to meddle a bit each Thursday.  Besides reading my Bible in 2012 I would also like to exercise regularly and do a bit of creative work in order to keep my body and soul healthy as well (the Bible reading is for spiritual health). You can be my accountability partner and I'll be yours if you'll let me.  I think part of the whole man-as-image-bearers-of-God thing is that we are triune beings, too.  We're body, soul, and spirit (or physical, emotional, and spiritual components if you prefer that terminology) and each has needs that must be met.  That's something we'll explore each Thursday.  Think of it as a weekly check up.

Free Friday:  It's just what it says.  I'm leaving it open for whatever suits my fancy.  (Warning!  Grandchildren pictures and more of  the "my crazy life" variety stories just might show up here each week.)  Friday is my potpourri bin for life's minutia.

Well, that's it!  Here's my Bible reading/healthy living/exercise/this-is-what's-going-on-around-here-on-the-Hill-in-2012 blogging plan.  

Talk to you soon!

Being Left-handed is Dangerous to My Health?

Do you want to know one of the reasons I home-school?  It's because I wanted my children to avoid labeling as much as possible.  God only knows how much labeling I endured (and that isn't meant as an oath, just a fact that there is only one Person who could keep track) as a child.  And it wasn't just adults that did it.  Peers were just as apt to assign invisible Post-It notes.  It's the way our society keeps track of its own:  into what mental file folders do you fit?

• She's a Christian? Check
• She's an only child? Check
• She's shy? Check
• She's left-handed? Check

All fodder for the friendship mill or conversations among teachers, and we all know how teachers talk among themselves.  Hey!  I was one!

Okay, except for the shyness thing, and sometimes the Christianity label, I really saw no reason to panic as a child  - and still don't - as an adult.  And then I read this piece in the Wall Street Journal and it is brought to my attention that I survived childhood as a left-hander (actually, I'm more likely the "mixed-brain" type ominously portrayed in the article) only to be stunned by brain dominance research in my mid-adult years.

Personally, I don't know why they bother with these type of studies.  It isn't like there's some sort of cure for left-handedness.  To me, it seems like someone is trying to assign a birth defect where none exists.  I find this insulting, and more importantly, alarming! Are they going to start doing prenatal testing for left-handedness like they do for other types of so-called disorders (which I am also against testing for, by the way)?

Oh, please!  I'm 52 years old and have lived a very nice life so far thankyouverymuch. No schizophrenia, no ADHD, or no other negative labels that they claim have been associated with my handedness.  I also have two left-handed grandchildren who seem to have avoided the ominous labeling so far (they're home-schooled).

Normally I would be making some snide tongue-in-cheek remarks about this anomaly of left-handedness but this is serious business.  If all of the recent debates over sex-selection abortions, which is another one of those "in utero" conditions over which the baby has no control, teaches us anything it is that someday in the not-too-distant future medical science will find a way to test fetal brainwaves for signs of brain dominance.  This will then be used to talk to expectant parents about conditions that their child might develop due to predominantly left-handed or mixed-brain tendencies. 

It all sounds like some horrible B-rated science fiction movie but recent genetic news suggests otherwise.  Google the words "designer babies" and I guarantee that the top results will not be for clothing store websites.

You might think I'm being facetious, but mark my words!  Someday being left-handed could be another one of those quality of life issues.

Sometimes Heredity is Just Plain Quirky!

Have you ever been to the doctor or the dentist and had him mention something unusual about you? I don't mean that the doc was making fun of your anatomy. On second thought, I guess that is sort of what I mean. Specifically I mean that something about your person is different from that of the general population

I had that happen several years ago when I went to the dentist to have my wisdom teeth removed. That's when I discovered that I wasn't having teeth extracted.  I was having a tooth pulled. Specifically, the upper left one. Because that's all I had, that's why!  (I know this wisdom tooth deficiency explains so much about me to some of you.) :)

This one-wisdom-tooth discovery intrigued me on so many levels!

• As a foodie person I was thrilled that few meals would be missed! (Just eat on the other side!)
• As the home economist I was glad to pay for only one extraction!
• As a home-schooling mom I was interested in setting up a Punnett square to see if this was a family trait passed down to my kids.
• As a hobby genealogist I was interested in determining if this was something that I'd inherited from my ancestors or if I was actually the DNA mutant. (I don't think I like the sound of that!)

It turns out that I am not the mutant!!!! My mom only had the two upper wisdom teeth and so did her mom! We don't have any knowledge of generations before Grandma.

But I only had 1 upper tooth, not the deviant 2. Only time would tell if this would be the trait passed on through my DNA. Then a few years ago the orthodontist told us that The Bear only had buds for 2 wisdom teeth (not 4, but not 1 like me either). So I did pass on the "only the uppers" trait and The Bear might be the only one of my four children to inherit this recessive gene. (I'm not sure now but I can find out easily enough. Well, girls?) This means that for some reason (probably a childhood illness) the tooth bud for my upper right wisdom tooth did not develop but that it did not cause a further DNA mutation either.

Just this week a cousin's child said that she is cutting a wisdom tooth. She's in her mid-20's, which is also about the time I got mine. (Late tooth eruptions is another one of those tooth oddities I inherited. My parents considered dentures for me as I neared my first birthday without chompers. Just kidding.)

Anyway, being curious I asked my first cousin once removed (for all of you who need schooling in generation labeling) about the number of her wisdom teeth. She only has the uppers! Since her grandma was my mom's sister she inherited this recessive mutation from my maternal grandma (which would be her great grandma), too! Now I'm so curious that I wish I could determine which of my grandma's siblings had it (she had 2 sisters and 1 brother) and which of the next generation has/had it (there were 10 children in the next generation) and so on down through the generations.

So while the rest of the homeschooling families are doing Punnett squares for peas and fruit flies, or human heredity like the ability to roll the tongue (I can't), taste the bitter strips (I can), blood types (I'm O+) and ear attachment (mine aren't, I don't think) I'm more interested in diagramming our family's tooth genetics because that's a study I could really sink my teeth into!  (Sorry, I just couldn't resist a parting pun concerning Punnett squares.)    :)

Answered Prayers

Early this morning I went to the radiology department of my doctor's office for my follow-up ultrasound. (Why so "early" you might wonder? My morning coffee was commandeered to meet that "full bladder" requirement. No need to drink more fluid than usual. And if you wonder why I needed a "follow-up" ultrasound in the first place feel free to read about the earlier one here.)

I really wasn't looking forward to today and had a bit of trouble falling asleep last night thinking about the things I'd need to do prior to the surgery that was to follow this procedure.

But guess what?! The ultrasound technician peered down at my anxious face from her stool next to the screen and asked, "Just what is it that I'm supposed to be checking because there's nothing amiss. Both ovaries look great this time around."

To quote The Bear when he heard the news, "Wow!"

All I could say was "Thank you, Jesus!"

I'll still need to hear the "official" word from my doctor but the woman scanning my insides was pretty excited while giving the "unofficial" one so I don't think my cries of "Hallelujah" are premature in the least.

I've already crossed "Have Surgery" off of my Autumn "To Do List" and written "Jump Ecstatically Up and Down" in it's place.

I requested your intercessory prayers, you prayed, and HE answered! Thank you, one and all, for praying. And thank you, Jesus, for answering.

(James 5:16)

Because Some Of You Have Asked

Photo Credit

And perhaps others wish to do so.

(Males readers - assuming there are some - might want to go check the stats on your favorite sports team or something. There will probably be "female problems" mentioned and you know how you feel about those.)

Still here? Okay, then.

During my annual check-up I answered the questions that the nurse asked. Just routine, right? Apparently not so much. One caused her to quickly exit the room. Was it something I said? Evidently. All of a sudden I had the sinking feeling like I was the captain of the Titanic who'd just received word that the ship was entering iceberg infested waters. "Okay, that's not good," I thought, "but probably no real danger either."

Ha! Ha! Oh, I am so naive. Having successfully navigated through my years of female adulthood with only minor difficulties charted in my logbook I had assumed my ship would arrive at its port of destination unharmed. Suddenly now it looked like a good idea to change my name to Molly Brown!

Before I really knew what hit me, I was sent to radiology for an ultrasound! The technician told me I would hear something within 3 days. When I hadn't heard anything in a week I began to believe that all the fuss was over nothing. When they finally did call me on Day 11 we were out to lunch with Dan and Lisa (who were visiting for a few days) and I was expecting the routine "everything is normal" spiel.

But that's not what she said. I asked her to repeat the message, several times as it turned out, and not just because of the noise in the Cracker Barrel.

The ultrasound showed things that aren't supposed to be there. Sadly, this rare lunch opportunity was somewhat marred by the news. And some of my male companions who normally wouldn't know much about my "female problems" (that would be The Bear and Dan) received an explanation, too.

A couple of days later I was back at the doctor's office for a more complete explanation. There is a small mass on my ovary. They don't know for sure what it is (the report said just that) but the doctor believes that it could be a cyst.

I was glad Pastor Dad was with me that day because when she started throwing around the "c" word (cancer, not cyst) my brain stalled for a few moments even though the doctor kept right on talking in encouraging tones. They pinched me with a needle to bring me back to reality. We were told that the results of the blood tests normally take 24 hours.

It was 5 days later when we were notified of the results and we were at church camp at the time. If nothing else I've learned that my doctor's office has the uncanny ability of calling me when I cannot fully process information due to situational overload. But I did finally figure out most of what I was told including the fact that I needed to make an appointment for more tests. So now I know that my CA-125 (the ovarian cancer marker test) was low and that my FSH level (the test to tell if I'm post-menopausal) was moderately high. This was a good news-bad news scenario. It means that the THING is most likely not cancerous. But it also means it has no way of going away on it's own. And go away it must!

I've got another ultrasound scheduled for early September. If it hasn't grown surgery will be scheduled at everyone's convenience. (Is there really such a thing as a convenient time to have surgery?)

So pray that there isn't any change. Unless of course you want to pray that it disappears. I have no objection to Divine intervention!

I'm not currently in a lot of pain (I'm pretty tough) although I was having some bad backaches that I thought were kidney related prior to receiving the diagnosis, but other than that I'm feeling fine. Pains due to "female problems" are just par for the course for me.

If you have more questions, just ask and I'll get back with you. It might be in 3 days. Or it might be in 11. But answer it I will!

Prayer for the Boy Who Calls Me "Gram"

I have another request this week but this time it is only for prayer, as if there truly was such a thing as "only" a prayer. And this week the intended benefactor is my own grandson.

Fen, the blog name of our 2-year-old grandson, became ill on the ride home from their Florida vacation. By the next evening he looked like a child suffering from the mumps, an illness that some of us remember from our own childhood.

The doctor on call told Fen's parents to get him to the hospital immediately as a ping-pong ball sized lump on the throat is something that needs immediate attention.  A CT scan showed an abscess that required surgery.

Yesterday was a surreal experience, both pre- and post-operative.  The underlying illness also caused him to suffer from a high fever. We were very thankful that by the time we left the hospital last night this had broken. 

This afternoon Pastor Dad received a phone call from Fen asking if we'd come play. His worn out parents were reaching the end of their reserves when it came to keeping the recovering toddler occupied so when Fen asked to call his mother gladly dialed our number.  

When we got there he was still hooked up to the i.v. (which he hates) and was in a hospital gown (which he also hates) but he looked quite presentable in his own pajama bottoms.  The hated i.v. stand didn't hinder him much as he climbed over and under beds.  We talked the nurses into providing boxes of Brio train sets that we could build on the floor.  (Even post-surgery the little guy had more energy than we did!)

Once he tired of the in-room play, his parents and I took him on a walk.  When we reached the elevators we pushed the button and he pointed at the door that he insisted would be the one to open.  Since there were at least four of them the odds didn't seem to be in his favor, but somehow I wasn't surprised when the desired one opened.  Those in the family will understand this comment that I made to Princess, "Your son seems to have inherited your 'orange gumball' magic."  She grinned and nodded.

We joined several other families walking patients through the lobby. There are child-level buttons to push, colorful murals and decorations with interesting lighting and three-dimensional features designed to entertain the little ones who pass that way.  At one point Fen wistfully watched the cars outside coming and going and his look made me wonder if he would make a break for it if he caught us off our guard.  He is obviously ready to say his farewells.  All the pain, poking, and prodding is beyond his comprehension.

In spite of his strenuous objections we made our way back to his room.  The activity had helped to expend his pent-up energy and he was ready for a nap.  He was successfully corralled in the bed and we left when he dozed off.  The play date was over.

We're praying that our little guy will be well enough to be released tomorrow.  But we're very thankful to have a quality facility such as Cincinnati Children's Hospital nearby when one of the youngest members of our family needs the care that they so ably provide.

Remember this little man in your prayers, please.  He has been such a brave little fellow!

Not "Just" Another Boy and Dog Story

I guess most boys want a dog. I know The Bear just about drove me nuts a few years ago begging for a puppy. Granted,that's a short trip, but you know what I mean. The result was Pepper the Mega-Mutt, the dog who has hastened my arrival at Nutsville.

We got ol' Pep for The Bear's birthday a few years back after he broke down sobbing while reading Where The Red Fern Grows, a classic boy-and-his-dogs story. I probably should've planned his literature studies a bit more carefully that year, knowing his heart's desire. Bad teacher! Bad, bad mom!{Sigh}

Anyway, I'm about to ask your help get a dog for a boy who doesn't just want one. He needs one. His dog will be a service animal. The dog requires extensive and expensive training in order to help someone who has Autism. The boy's name is Aiden and he is the grandson of my blogging friend, Karin Ristau. Aiden and his family need help obtaining the funds for the dog's training.

I've requested donations before for various ministries that I think MATTER. And I thank those who sent them. Most of the time the highlighted ministries use our donations to help people whose faces we'll never see this side of eternity, but you can see pictures of the little guy and the dog here. Look for the pictures of Aiden and Hiro and locate the nearby donation button link.

My recent donation will only cover one hour's worth of training but every little bit helps. I plan to make further donations as I'm able.

I want to help this boy get his dog! You sure didn't hear me making that statement a few years ago!

Thanks for any help you can give.

Secret No Longer

One of the sweet young mothers that I've been privileged to meet over the Internet is Stephanie Hanes. We haven't met in person but I read her blog, I've broken bread with her (well, I've broken the delicious home made bread that I won through her blog and that's the same thing as far as I'm concerned), and I've bought items from her Etsy shop.

Last year her beloved grandpa died on the anniversary of my grandpa's death. We shared several private emails about our losses that shall remain private. (Private conversations are not the kind of secret that I'll reveal. Ever.)

And her youngest child was born on my 50th birthday. I joked that Little "A" and I could schedule a mutual party for my 100th and his 50th birthday. Well, that might be a little hard to do. He lives in Wisconsin and I live in Ohio. :)

Okay, I feel like I know a bit about Stephanie. And she knows a bit about me, too, including my real name. That would be necessary for mailing me the Etsy purchase and the bread.

Anyway, there was something that drew me to this gal. I believe it is the Holy Spirit. I heard Him say a couple of years ago, "You need to be friendly to her." As mentioned, there are many reasons why I think this is so. But today another reason came to light.

Today Stephanie revealed that she suffers from depression. She shared her story on her blog. (Read it here.) As I told her, I think it is time for the stigma of depression to go away. I have no clue why anyone would think that another person would want to feel this way (to get sympathy?) or why they don't just "snap out of it." Oh, if only it were that easy. People with depression are not misbehaving children. There are very real physical and spiritual reasons behind it.

Like Stephanie, I talked to my doctor about depression. That was several years ago. And we found a physical cause ("female problem," and I won't elaborate). Once it was corrected, my life got a whole lot cheerier. Oh, I still had some spiritual causes to deal with (like feelings of inadequacy and perfectionistic tendencies) but correcting the physical and spiritual triggers restored my emotional health significantly. (This was totally unrelated to the Horrible Spring of 1989 for which I should've at least gotten a survivor's t-shirt. Understandably, grief is also a very real source of depression.) I know that seeking proper treatment will restore Stephanie's health also.

Thanks for sharing your story, Stephanie. I'm praying for you and for all of us who think that if we could just be "a better person" we could rid ourselves of this "problem."

The Great Physician often uses a human physician to restore us to health. But we can't be restored if we don't ask for help.

(I'd like to thank our friend, Travis, for the enlightening sermon on Psalm 42 last summer.  You have no idea how encouraging it was for me to learn that the psalmist, David, suffered in like manner.  In fact, I keep the notes I took that night on my desk next to this computer.  "Where's your God?" is the taunt.  "My hope is in God!" is the answer.)

More Frugal Beauty Tips

This is a continuation and expansion of a prior post found here.

I thought a bit about the frugal skin care ideas that I've used over the years and realized that I no longer have access to one of the products I mentioned as being previously free to me. What would I use now? And don't think this is purely a mental exercise! I will be returning to this skin care routine shortly but I still have no intention of buying anything! I will need to substitute something while still implementing the following inexpensive steps:

1. baby oil
2. wash with - oh, I don't know; we'll discuss this in a minute
3. alcohol on 1/2 of a cotton ball
4. moisturizer

I was taking inventory this week of potential substitutions on hand and was surprised at what I found. For Step 2 above I am amply supplied with small bars of moisturing soaps courtesy of the many hotels/motels/inns/lodges where we've stayed in recent years. I usually bring home any opened bars of soap instead of letting them be thrown away by housekeeping.

I also am equipped with a few bottles and bars of baby soap from previous babysitting days. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it seems to me that if a product is mild enough to use on a baby's delicate skin it might not be bad for using on my face either. I see no reason to let these products go to waste.

These two sources of soap shall now take the place of cleanser in Step 2. My point being that any soap would do as long as the oil and moisturizer steps are faithfully followed.

Moving on from the facial package, there is the matter of the mouth.

• Toothpaste, teeth whitener, and mouthwash

I don't know why any frugal person might need to find a substitute for toothpaste these days but I suppose it could happen. I haven't paid for a tube of the stuff in years! It takes effort to clip coupons and watch sale papers but most frugal people do that anyway.

But what happens if you're traveling and find that you've forgotten to pack toothpaste? Okay, most places will give you a complimentary tube at the front desk if you ask, but not all of them. And I've been surprised to find that it is some of the higher-end places (where we've been deposited by the churches where Pastor Dad has been a guest speaker lest you think we're paying their exorbitant prices ourselves. Ha! Ha! Ha!) that will charge a nominal fee for forgotten items.

Forget it! Go to the nearest store and buy a package of baking soda. It will cost less than those micro sizes of toothpaste and do nicely in a pinch. Brushing with a powder isn't as sublime an experience as brushing with paste (oh, I'm really a wise-cracker today!) but it will get the job done inexpensively and will also remind you to pack better next trip. If you cannot take the box of baking soda home at the end of your stay (for instance, if you're traveling by airline) give it to someone (the host pastor's wife maybe?) or just throw it away. The money wasted will be less than on a small tube of toothpaste.

Speaking of oral hygiene, for every day teeth whitening and mouth wash, swish a very small amount hydrogen peroxide around in the mouth for 5 minutes each morning and then gargle it before spitting it out. You must use a very small amount or you'll end up looking like you're suffering a case of rabies! But a small amount is good anyway when you're striving to be thrifty!

As an added bonus, peroxide kills germs. This could potentially save the cost of a doctor bill, too. But don't swallow the stuff. Just swish, gargle, and spit it out.

• Acne products

I feel a bit strange talking about acne products when I'm long past using them myself and have spilled the beans on my facial plan, but I've got a teenager at home who needs the help that only some of the acne products provide. There seem to be a couple of options for getting them: order by mail or pick them up at mall kiosks.

The mail option usually nets the subscriber with more product than can be used in a month. My theory is to split the order between 2 or 3 friends. Or do like my daughter did and wait to have such a backlog that the subscription can be cancelled without running out of products for a year or so.

The kiosk option is only available to those who live near enough to a mall that has one to meet the need. I checked today to see how close we are to a kiosk where we can buy them directly and it isn't that close. However, there are other purchases we can make while in that neighborhood and we are usually at this particular mall a couple of times a year. That would probably be our best option even though there is no shortage of young people who regularly visit our house to play video games with The Bear that would be potential "product-sharers." I'm not sure how kindly they and their parents would take it if I were to approach them with an offer of sharing the purchase of acne products. Sounds a bit insulting to me. Therefore, I think we'll make a trip to the closest kiosk in the next month or so.

Let me know if you have any frugal beauty tips to share. I'm always looking for new suggestions.

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom

Picture This

The verses for this week's Providence 365 project are I Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in every thing give thanks . . ." I hope that I'll be able to adequately represent them Saturday in pictures on a digital page. In the meantime, I've been considering a few things that have happened in the last couple of days that would fit these verses but probably won't be included in any photo collages any time soon.

Picture attending a baby shower that the mommy-to-be didn't due to pregnancy complications. This was originally scheduled a month ago and it became clear that if it was to proceed at all it would need to be without the honoree. But the fact that one month later the baby is still where he needs to be is cause for rejoicing!

Picture coming home last night to an email that one of the families in the homeschool co-op won't be there today because their house just burned to the ground! Rejoice that the whole family made it out safely. No, really rejoice!

Picture being awakened by the alarm and realizing that a fitful night of sleep was caused by a sick headache. Imagine having to teach an Ohio History class in less than 2 hours. Okay, I know you'll find this cause for rejoicing hard to believe coming from me, but here goes. Imagine being really thankful for a son with a learner's permit that can drive himself and his mother to co-op! (And imagine how thankful she was to awake and find she'd slept through his merge onto the freeway!  Just kidding. I was awake enough to talk him through it. And sedated just enough not to yell so I guess that makes two people in that car who were rejoicing.)

Okay, you've stuck with me so far so let's try one more. Picture that the "post-headache energy drain" leaves the impression of midnight instead of early afternoon of a basketball practice day. Then rejoice to find that practice is cancelled for the day!

And as a corollary to the above, picture that the "blah" feeling requires a cup of hot tea with lemon, honey, and Pepper. (The lemon and honey go in the tea. Pepper is the dog who hinders the drinking of same.) And there is rejoicing because no matter what the fashion police say comfy sweat pants and stained sweatshirt, which are now draped by the 55 lb. dog who decides she'd make a lovely living fur stole draped around the neck, didn't get thrown away after all!

It's all stuff worthy of thanks and rejoicing.  A little weird maybe, but part of the "in every thing" that God has brought our direction in the past few days. And this is only Monday!

A Proper Perspective Heading into the New Year

I recently received my notification from the eye doctor telling me that it's time for my examination.  That's good because I've noticed that I've been experiencing a few difficulties seeing things lately.  It isn't so much that my sight has changed, but there are scratches on my lens that are distorting my vision.  My perspective needs help.

I often need my perspective adjusted.  Many times, the things I'm seeing - or think I'm seeing - are not quite in focus with what really is.  With a few adjustments, things look better.

For instance, have you ever awakened in a bad mood for no apparent reason but when you sit quietly and think about it you realize that you had a bad dream about something totally outside of the basis of reality?  Okay, maybe I'm the only one who has ever had that experience.  Happily for me and those who live with me, once I figured out the cause of my moodiness I was able to put things in the proper perspective and get my day moving in a more positive direction.  This had the effect of making everyone's day a bit brighter.  "When momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy," as the old quip goes.

I've been doing much thinking lately about perspective.  As a consequence, I'll be doing much writing about perspective.  There!  You've been forewarned!

I've reached the time of life where there are decisions to be made due to life's changes and I've got to get out the spiritual and emotional lens cleaners and wipe some of the grime off so that I can see better when handling these changes.  I've also got to ask the Doctor (the Great Physician, in case you needed a clue) to help me remove a few beams so that I use the kind of sight that only faith brings (oh, that kind of perspective) and is necessary for making proper decisions.

So . . . my vocabulary word for 2011 is "perspective."  Stick around.  Maybe something will be said that will help your eyesight, too.

Business or Pleasure?

On the last leg of my trip to Vegas I sat next to a couple who were on a weekend vacation away from their teenaged children that were having their own vacation with grandma. On the way back I sat between 2 men who had attended a convention in town. The discussions initiated by my seatmates were interesting to me, however I fear that my answers to their questions tended to bore them.

The lady on the going-to-Vegas trip was somewhat stunned that I wouldn't be staying on The Strip. No, I would be staying with my daughter. She wondered why I didn't stay on The Strip and go visit my daughter each day. I tried to explain that Lulu's birthday occurred a few days after her husband's scheduled departure for the other side of the world and she didn't want to be alone: I was coming for her. For me, the opportunity of providing my daughter some small pleasure was the business at hand. This was also pleasure for me, but not the kind that the lady understood. How could she? Her kids were still living with her and she was traveling to get away from them. I, on the other hand, was going to see my child who just happened to live in Las Vegas. The sights and sounds of the destination held no particular enchantment while the daughter and son-in-law who live there did. Well, would I at least be taking in some of the shows? I explained that would depend upon what my daughter wanted to do. I was sure we'd have lots of fun, but how do you explain to someone that not all travelers to Vegas are there for the casinos and shows?

On the way home, the man to my left was sorry to leave. He said his company's convention meant business during the day and pleasure all night. I didn't ask him to elaborate because I could tell by his wistful backward glances toward Sodom Vegas that he was not happy to be on the plane home. My other seat companion was retired military and was more sympathetic to my own plight. He was returning to his wife and family after a camping trip.

So what did we do on this trip? We did a bit of sight-seeing:


Lisa ("Lulu") at Hoover Dam



The new bridge in the background that connects Nevada and Arizona, bypassing the road over the dam itself.

And we went hiking at Red Rock Canyon. The calico hills were gorgeous and the temperature was a bit warmer than it was at Hoover Dam which was surprisingly c-o-l-d.

 



Lisa taking a break in a rock cavern



At one point on the hike I realized that even if I wasn't a casino-goer I was a bit of a gambler as we had descended down rock walls which would then require scaling rocks on the return trip to the surface. Just what did I think I was doing risking my neck like that? After we'd made it back to the trail heading to the car my body decided I needed a quick sit down session. Have you ever surpassed your target heart rate to the point that you're gasping for breath and feel that you're on the verge of either passing out or vomiting? I was there. And neither of those options sounded particularly appealing so I took an emergency breather untiil I could breathe normally again. Lisa kindly mentioned that the elevation is higher than what I'm used to and that the thinner air was making me light-headed. I don't know if that's true or not (I haven't checked the almanac) but it was kind of her to say so. Actually, I think the fact is that I'm 51 years old and have no business acting like I'm the same age as one of my own children! After that day of exertion we both slept late the next morning so I think we got quite the work out.

 

We drove most of the rest of the 12 mile trail, stopping occasionally to take pictures and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

 



The beautiful colors of the calico hills



The desert is a beautiful place