Little Zo

I don't mention them very often, but we have two dogs - Zoe and Thor. We've had Zoe for more than 11 years now, right after we got married, and Thor joined us a couple of years later.

Zoe's been showing her age recently. More than that, she's been really sick for a little while. She's had lumps growing on her neck and face, a nose that's chronically blocked, and a lot of trouble breathing. After several trips to the vet and no clear diagnosis without invasive tests and a lot of money, we've made the very sad decision to have Zoe put to sleep. At 4pm, I'll be making the lonely trip to take her to the vet for the last time.

There is part of me that's wondering if this is the right thing to do, and most of me that's sure it is. After all, growing up with dogs, we've always had to deal with 'finding' them (as often as not, in the road). With the number of bids for freedom she has made in her 13 years, I'm surprised she's lasted this long. I'm grateful that we can offer her a peaceful and loving farewell, rather than the altnernative.

Please do pray for our little family, who will be minus one tonight. Abigail is especially distressed, but handling the situation with a surprising amount of grace.

In spite of the sadnes of losing Zoe, we are still grateful for the time we've had with her, for the great deal of fun and laughter she's brought our family, and the knowledge that our good God cares for all of His creation - even Zoe.

Cold Sassy Tree

I can't now remember how I heard about this book, probably in something like Honey for a Woman's Heart. Since my reading time is at a premium, I haven't been reading a lot of fiction in recent months, but I'm glad I made this a part of my list. The author has such an engaging writing style, and once you get past the southern colloquialisms (something I can struggle with), it was great. There are some fantastic laugh-out-loud moments (nursing pigs, inflatable "bosoms", the ratty play), and more than a few heartbreaking moments (a grave of roses, Uncle Camp's sad end, "That Night"), and all of which not only hook you into the story, but make you care about these crazy people. Our hero, Will Tweedy, is the 14-year-old who gives us a tour of Cold Sassy and the events surrounding and following his grandmother's death. In a world of etiquette and tradition, how do cope when your Grandad up and marries a woman half his age only three weeks after his wife's death? Fortunately, I don't know, but Will seems to handle the excitement with style, humor and grace, while the rest of his family and the whole town go bananas over the scandal.
This book sat on my bedside and kept me up past my bedtime a couple of times (cliff-hanger chapter endings are always the death of me). If you haven't read it, it's worth finding time for. If you have read it, what did you think?

Pictures...

...because I've been talking too much.

One of the few pictures of myself I would actually allow

That about sums it up around here

It was like pulling teeth to get a photo where someone wasn't crying

All (but one) photo credits to Dad, who takes better pictures than me with his fancy-pants camera.

Why I don't get out more

It should have been nice, fun even. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I didn't think it would be that bad. Still, I should have known better...

I took my children to Target.

I know, I know, what was I thinking? I was thinking, "I only need a couple of things, so we should be in and out". Yeah, right.

I should have seen the signs as soon as we got out of the car. Those horrible, big, concrete ball-things at the front? Covered in white 'stuff' (I choose to believe it's salt...)? My kids think they're tasty. The words "Don't touch anything without asking and please don't ask for tons of stuff"? My kids missed the "don't" part. Those shopping carts with the 2 extra seats? My kids like to fight over them and push each other out of a moving cart.

Then, it's the bathroom debacle. Abi has to go. So we all go. Abi and Noah run in while Anna is trying to extricate herself from the manical safety harness, I'm trying to hustle her along while keeping an eye on the other 2, until finally a kind and highly-pierced stranger helps her out (probably all the while wondering what my problem is). Have mere seconds to enjoy bumping into the lovely Beth before returning to my whirling dervish routine. On the way out, Noah falls down in the doorway as the door proceeds to shut on him. Abigail gives me grief for not telling her my debit PIN so she can enter it for me (as if). And finally, the big girls run right out of the store ahead of me and into the parking lot. Eleanor helps the outing by pulling my hair throughout. I think there was more trauma, but it seems I've mercifully blocked it.

And that is why, boys and girls, I don't get out more.

Shrinky-dink obedience

A couple days ago, I decided craft-time with my children was in order. Generally, I avoid 'crafts' like the plague, since more often than not it involves an incredible amount of mess, mopping things up with various cloths and cleaners, and a few tears from myself and/or my children. But I figured, shrinky-dinks, not too much mess, should be okay. And it was. And I'm glad I gave it a shot, because God seemed to speak to me through that little project (isn't that just like God, to give object lessons through shrinky-dinks?).

It would seem that to "shrink your dink", you can use an embossing tool rather than the oven. Since I have an embossing tool that rarely gets used and is a little more exciting than the oven, we decided to try it out. But as these little creations started to heat up, they curled and bent until it was this incredible, gnarled mess. I stopped and stared at this thing - did I do something wrong? Is the dink faulty somehow? Should I just give up and chuck it away? I figured I'd give it another try and see what happened, and wouldn't you know it - right about the time it looks completely mangled is when it all starts to flatten out and turn out right. Huh. And amid the whoops and squeals of a bunch of delighted children, I realized that there have been many times where God has prompted me (or flat-out told me) to do something that I would begin with excitement, just to lose enthusiasm when it didn't work out the way I expected. I hesitate, thinking "Is this really right?" (note - questioning Him is not generally wise). How many times, if I had stuck with it, would I have seen it all turn out just as He planned? How many times have I given up and missed being a part of something big He is doing?

The Lord is gracious and merciful; no doubt He will give me more opportunities to obey Him. By His grace alone, may I not grow weary in doing good. And maybe next time I won't melt my embossing tool, either.

Heaven

I'm going to Heaven. I've known this since I was fifteen years old. However, I never really understood how good a thing that is, just that it's better than going to Hell. I've readily excused my ignorance on my final destination with trite platitudes like, "I'm sure it'll be wonderful", or "Even if the idea doesn't excite me now, I'll love it when I'm perfect." How dumb. Honestly.
Then I read Randy Alcorn's Heaven. It takes a building-block approach toward answering common questions about Heaven, based on Scripture. From questions like "Will we have bodies?" to "What will we do with eternity?" to "Will I see my pets?", Alcorn takes a careful examining of biblical text to try to answer these and other queries.
What a joy - not only to better understand my "home country", but to realize just how much the Bible has to say on the issue. The best part of this reading has been to understand just how important it is to desire and long for Heaven. It's what we're made for! After all, if we visit another country or even another state, more often than not we buy the Rough Guide and brush up on the local info. Shouldn't we do that and more in preparation for the place where we will spend forever with Jesus (assuming we know Him as Savior)?

Magic in the kitchen.

A very delicious Sour Cream Apple Pie. I've made several different types of apple pie, but is defintely my (current) favorite variation.

Check out the link, then take a few minutes to give it a shot - you won't be sorry.

Yum

Marriage to a Difficult Man

What a good book. Truly. When I started it, I knew little to nothing about the Edwards', only that he was a Puritan preacher and they had a lot of children. What a blessing this couple was, not only to those they directly ministered to, but to us, who enjoy the fruit of their ministry hundreds of years later!
Two most common questions I'm asked is, "Why are you reading this book?" (with a pointed look at Toby) and "What made him so difficult?". As to the first, you quickly realize it's not a self-help book (regardless of what the Barnes & Noble clerks think), but a love story - between a husband, a wife and their God. It's also the story of the massive impact they made on generations of believers - they children they trained in godliness, the countless guests they ministered to, and the unpacking of God's truth for those who believe.
As for what made him difficult, it seems that Jonathan Edwards was not blessed with certain social graces that one would expect in a man of his position. He was not harsh or demeaning; he adored his wife and children; he had a great love for the people of his flock. What he did not have was the desire to impress or the interest in meeting social expectations for their own sake. He didn't sit and make small talk with parishioners, he studied. He travelled to preach when it was considered extravagant to do so. He told his church what they needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear. But when a travelling minister needed counsel, they got it. When a church memeber lost a loved one, he wept with them. When his family needed him, he tended to them with joy.
In all of this, I think what made him "difficult" was really Sarah's ability to tend the social graces her husband was so lacking in. She was well aware of and cared what others thought, so when her husband made choices or delivered sermons that were not popular, she often felt the community's displeasure in a way that Jonathan did not. Yet God was faithful (as always) in refreshing and preparing them both for the difficulties that would ultimately remove them from their church in Northampton.
I shall not share any more, for it would likely spoil the reading for you. You'll have to get into it yourself! My mom got me my copy from Vision Forum (thanks Mom!). Check it out and let me know what you think!

I am second

This is Stephen Baldwin's testimony. Once you've looked at his, check out some of the others. It's pretty neat to see the many different people God calls to himself. And to think that I'm one of them... Awesome.

Coming soon...

...a short review of Marriage to a Difficult Man. For now, a couple photos of my daughter on the receiving end of a (terribly cute) Sharpie attack: And something I never thought I'd see - my son, sitting still and reading! Oh happy day!