Judgment Day?

I saw a billboard the other day claiming to know when Christ is due to return.

Now, I'd like to make clear that since Jesus said that no man knows when He will come again, I'm inclined to believe Him, and you should, too.

Having said that, the advertised date is May 11, 2011. Isn't that right around Mother's Day? Bummer.

The thing that caught my eye was the background scene of someone writing down the date in a "two to a view" daily planner, which made me think of what the true test of faith is: you might write it down, but how many would be willing to then tear out the rest of the planner's pages, since time should then be no more?

It sure is hard to take seriously the person who has callously made a lunch date the week after Christ's return. Or is that just me?

As before

So, the only "Anna's sixth birthday" photos we got look like this:

The book is really cool, and being used to identify all sorts of creepy crawlies. She also received a little field scope with which to view all her new creatures. To encourage the budding entomologist in her pursuits, Daddy has taken to bringing home dead bugs from work (though he does take care to only bring home the interesting-looking ones). He's nice that way.

And the exploding Sigg bottle? Here it is:

I gotta tell ya, I'm pretty impressed. I do understand the basics of freezing things and thought I'd left enough of a head in the bottle for expansion, but it appears that I was mistaken.

What makes me laugh, though, is the claim that this type of bottle is supposed to be "indestructible". It figures that it would be me who could destroy the indestructible.

Knitting for Babies

There's been quite a bit of knitting going on recently, as there are a lot of babies being born in the summer/autumn seasons. So here are some of the things I've actually finished, with patterns but without destination details - don't want to spoil any surprises too much!

The Baby Boy 5 Hour Sweater. I made it to be unisex and I'm pretty sure it took longer than 5 hours. Made some changes, noted on my Ravelry page.

Love, love, love this shoes. Doing them in the variegated wool means they kind of match.
Terrible picture, but I couldn't seem to get the light right for a better one. This is based on this pattern, in terms of basic construction, but I omitted the eyelets and I-cord for speed. Notes here.

I'm still finishing Dan's ribbed sweater - it's been sitting around for ages, waiting to be seamed up - and there's a couple other things on the needles. Haven't given up on the tea leaves dream either, but I'm working on patience. I'll get to it, eventually!

Little sisters

Toby's Aunt Val is a very talented lady. Case in point: the Raggedy-Ann-style dolls she so loving crafted and sent to us, complete with passports!

The girls love their new "little sisters" and cart them around a fair ole bit. Visit Val's blog to get better photos than mine (passports, too), and see the other nifty stuff she gets up to.

Thanks again, Val!

Book Review

To start, a confession: I have deviated from my book list. For a good cause, mind you. Abigail started reading The Mistmantle Chronicles: Urchin of the Riding Stars as part of her schoolwork, and I figured I'd need to read it, too, just to know what she was reading and be able to discuss it with her.

It didn't take long - maybe a couple chapters - before it went from reading it for Abi's monitoring to reading it for fun! Yes, it's a kid's book; yes, it's about an orphaned squirrel fulfilling his powerful destiny; yes, it's got talking squirrels, otters, hedgehogs and moles. I don't care. The writing is wonderful, the story is well-developed, and it's just good. Plus, there is continuous reference to prayer to and reverence of "The Heart", which seems symbolic of God, something rarely found in children's literature (at least, that I've seen).

We found the book in the library, plus the audio book - we all enjoyed listening to the narration by Andrew Sachs (Manuel of Fawlty Towers fame!) to the point where we were all listening to it over meals just to hear what happens next! Even Toby enjoyed it and is on to reading Book 2 to the kids - which is high praise from a man who normally can't stand the humanization of animals...

So, for those who are looking for summer reading that's fun and a little different, this is a good way to go. Get the book for bedtime reading, or the audio book for long car rides. If you don't like it, then...I can't help you.

Breakin' da face

Well, it was bound to happen at some point.

Though Toby never had stitches growing up (quite shocking, considering), I have had enough for both of us. Considering how accident-prone I alone seem to be, it was really just a matter of time before someone else in the family experienced the joy of the stitched-up wound.

It's just a shame that it had to be Anna - the one least able to cope with any discomfort.

A rainy Saturday afternoon had the big three kids wrestling on the couch (a game they, for some reason, call "baseball"). Being in another room, I could occasionally hear yells and giggles, peppered with Toby's "Be careful!". Suddenly, there was a thud, a cry and a yell of , "Kell!!!". I run in to find Toby holding Anna's chin together with this declaration: "This is going to need stitches." Now, Anna was doing pretty well until she heard the word "stitches". Then, abject terror filled her eyes, calming her down was a significant effort, and I wanted to punch Toby (poor guy).

In the end, a trip to Patient First (for the Brits, it's a sort of cross between doctor's office and A&E - a bit more efficient than the local hospital) provided her with 3 stitches on the chin and a neat story to share.She's been coping admirably, though she was pretty anxious about people noticing her stitches. Of course, that was short lived, since she started pointing them out to pretty much everyone in a matter of minutes.

And for the record, I have no idea how her fall could have resulted in such a cut in such a spot. I can only assume she fell directly on her chin, in which case she's fortunate she didn't do more damage. Praise God for small (and great) mercies!

Good intentions

So, I wanted to post some pictures of Anna's 6th birthday - the cake, the gifts, the girl. It would seem, however, that some little urchin got to my camera and deleted everything before I could download the pics. Little stinker, whoever it is.

Then, I was going to post some pictures of my exploded Sigg bottle - a little lesson learned on which water bottles can and cannot go into the freezer. But I haven't yet figured out how to transfer the photos from my phone to the computer. Apparently my clever phone is more clever than me.

So now, some old photos of some of the cool bugs my kids find in the yard and squeal over.

I have no idea what these things are, but I'm sure that if I (or you) went onto bugguide.net, I (or you) would surely find out.

And for all those inquiring minds who want to know what Noah and Eleanor do with themselves when the rest of us are doing school - if it's not making a big, fat mess somewhere for me to clean up, it's this:

Playing forts. Under the picnic table. In the rain. Just because.

Berrying

I love this time of year.

Any favorite recipes that will make good use of all these lovely berries and cherries?

The Fire Station

Last week we had an invitation to join another family on a field trip to the Abingdon Fire Station. How could we pass that up?

Our tour guide, Fireman Monty, apologized for not being able to allow the kids to try on the uniforms. Since they're only laundered quarterly, he thought there might be some hygiene problems. Ick.

He showed us the set up of the truck - in and out - and raised the ladder, which the kids loved. I so would not want to be at the end of it, no way.

When Toby saw the "moving tool chest", I think he was a little jealous.

In checking out the ambulance, Monty shared some stories of the types of calls they receive - everything from car wrecks to "I have a headache". And though I'm sure they would like to give such trifling callers a piece of their minds, they have to respond.

In one of the common rooms, there are some toys available for the firemen's children to use during family days. Of course, my kids found these pretty quick.

I think I got a lot more from it than the kids, primarily in regards to what these men (and women) go through in the course of their "normal" duties. I gained such an appreciation for the sacrifices they make, the time away from family, not to mention how they stand ready to risk their lives at every shift. And in the midst of all this, they're still happy to show a bunch of little kids around the station, answering questions and showing off all their equipment with a smile.

Respect to our local firemen - I'm so grateful for them.

Shovelling my pride

We had a mulch delivery last week. The plan was that Toby would do the shovelling and spreading first thing Saturday morning, but I figured I'd help him out by doing as much as I could on Friday afternoon, getting a little extra exercise and giving the kids a chance to help out into the bargain. At least, that's how my thinking started out, but my delusional pride soon kicked into overdrive.

I said to myself, "Self, you sure are working hard! You're teaching your kids to work hard, and you're even being patient! Yes, sir, you're pretty good. Think how pleased your husband will be when he comes home to see how much as been done! Man, he's gonna get you flowers or something. I'll bet even the neighbors are thinking about what a hard worker you are..."

Pathetic, isn't it? But wait, it gets worse:

"It sure is hot out here. I wish these kids would help a little more - they're just running around! Don't they know how hard this is? I thought I was setting a good example for them, but they're not even paying attention! What if no one notices how hard I've worked?"

Fortunately, the Holy Spirit had had enough at this point and stepped in.

"You know, it is hard work, and someone does notice. The Father notices. He notices when you work hard, but it should be for His glory, not for the praise of men. He is honored when you serve others, so don't concentrate on what others notice or not. And you are setting an example for your children, but don't look for their thanks or approval. It's not for now that you're training them - it's for when they are adults, with spouses and children of their own to serve. It's then that what you've modelled for them will bear fruit. Now stop trying to glorify yourself, and look to glorify the One who is actually worthy of it."

Thank you, Lord, for correcting my heart, and giving me the opportunity to serve you by serving my family. Thank you for reminding me that what I do now will serve my children - maybe not now, but in due season.