Blessings & Life & Promises Kept

From: Stuff Christians Like #552

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 04:51:00 +0000

This is from http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/ His writings are normally full of hilarity and wit but I guess I'm just now noticing that he tackles serious topics on Wednesdays.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009
#552. Judging pop culture as if we're immune to its woes.
Last week I watched a little of the television show, "Jon & Kate plus 8." They're all over the tabloids right now so there's no need to rehash in detail what's going on, but if you've never seen the show, here's a summary:

A few years ago, a young Christian couple with two kids had sextuplets. They invited TLC to tape their lives as they raised 8 kids, renewed their vows in a marriage special in Hawaii last season and last week addressed some painful marital issues that have become paparazzi fodder.

I wasn't going to write about the whole situation. A million people already have and reality TV tends to be a great hiding place to avoid dealing with our own lives. But in watching the swirl of conversation online about Jon and Kate I realized two things I think are true regardless of if you've ever seen the show.

1. When we say, "They got what they deserved" we forget that we didn't.
Did Jon and Kate introduce new risks and rewards into the structure of their family when they invited television cameras and millions of viewers into their home? Without a doubt. Does fame and celebrity come with consequences that are often toxic? Without a doubt. Did Jon and Kate get what they deserve? I don't know. I've seen other Christians express this opinion but I don't know Jon and Kate. I know me. And I didn't get what I deserved. I got grace. I got forgiveness. I got Christ. I got rescued from the ruins of a life that seemed beyond redemption. I got a second chance and a 10th chance and a 300th chance. I didn't get what I deserved. And when we say that someone, "Got what they deserved," whether we're talking about a reality TV couple, our relatives or our neighbors, we lose sight of grace, which is the undercurrent of our entire faith and a gift we do not deserve.

2. "That could never happen to me" is a dangerous sentence.
I don't know the devil, but I have to assume that when he hears a Christian judgmentally proclaim, "That could never happen to me," he does what I do when I hear the Black Eyed Peas song, "Boom, Boom, Pow," and that is the robot. He absolutely loves when we say that. It's not inherently a bad thought, it's just that often when we say "That could never happen to me" we don't take the time to answer the question, "Why?" Why wouldn't that emotional affair you're writing off as just "your flirtatious personality" multiply what's already poisonous and turn into a physical affair? Why wouldn't a week of late nights at the office turn into a month of late nights at the office turn into a year of late nights at the office turn into you knowing your kids as little as your dad knew you? Why wouldn't a small compromise on your dream turn into a bigger compromise on your dream turn into you being an accountant when you've always felt called to paint? Life is littered with moms and dads, pastors and CEOs that believed in the fake comfort of "that could never happen to me" and woke up one day to find a surprisingly broken life on their doorsteps.

I don't really want to analyze Jon and Kate today or discuss where things went wrong or pick apart things they said on the show. I don't really even have a good wrap up that kind of ties things together. All I can really say is that we are not immune to the woes we see in pop culture.

You don't need a million dollar house or flock of paparazzi to hurt yourself and your marriage. I didn't anyway. At times, my marriage has been able to be wounded without the aid of a reality show. But whether you're name is Jon and Kate Gosselin or Jon and Jenny Acuff, God loves love, and His ability to repair it will forever exceed our ability to deserve it.

Overheard Conversations

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:40:00 +0000

I've come up with code names for my kids. Well, 2 out of 4 of them. I'm still deciding on how to refer to the elder two. But for now, 3 of 4 and 4 of 4 shall be referred to as Buckaroo and Smidge. Seems fitting for them.

So the other day Buckaroo, who is 4-1/2, and Smidge, who is 3, are hanging out at the dining table playing with various things strewn there upon. They're having a little conversation. I came into the kitchen to hear this part of it.

Smidge (she): "Do boys have babies?"
Buckaroo (he): "Nah. They need a girl."

Then they went on to discuss other things. I thought that was a cute conversation.

Stuff Christians Like

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:20:00 +0000

I have fallen in love with this site. The writer's style is one I enjoy reading and I find myself laughing in all the right places. And in all the wrong places. And that's the point! He has an amazing way of illuminating the silliness and sadness we Christians can wittingly or unwittingly portray to those around us. He makes me think.

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/

Catch Phrases

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:19:00 +0000

Some things I've noted as of late.

The phrase "Jesus Saves" is not biblical. Now, I don't mean it's not a biblical concept. That's a discussion for another day. But the actual phrase doesn't exist in the Bible. I've just now realized this at 36 and 9/12ths years of age. (Correct it to 36 and 3/4ths years, if you wish. Tonight I just happen to like the ring of 9/12ths.)

You will not find "Jesus Saves" in the Bible. No, I haven't read the whole thing. But of the parts I have read, I realized I've never seen it. So I checked Bible Gateway and I can't find it there either. Not in the NIV, the KJV, or whatever V J L K X version you might be reading.

http:www.biblegateway.com

I'm pondering this because there are so many phrases we use that aren't in the scriptures. For example: "sinner's prayer", "altar call", "turn to the announcements", "pass the offering basket", "childrens' church", "go deeper", "life group", "youth pastor", "new life in Jesus".

I suppose, per se, I don't have a problem with those things. Okay, with some of them I do. I just find myself more and more weary of our filling our conversations, and preaching, and worship, and prayers, with words and phrases that don't exist in the very Breath of God. I've been reading/hearing them everywhere lately - radio, online, snippets from various churches. Not singling anyone out - just noticing that I'm noticing them more.

I understand about cultures, languages, things changing and fitting the current times. I'm not advocating we go around adding "eth" to larger words we may use. (Thine daughter of mine, shalt thy emptieth out the washer of dishwares?) I just find myself longing to hear what the Breath actually says. We seem to just limit that to sermons, and I find myself bristling at the quaint little phrases we've unwittingly coined in our Christian language.

Seriously, If I hear "go deeper with God" one more time, I think I might actually scream. Those are, like, Moody Blues lyrics. And possibly MC Hammer, if you google it, which you shouldn't. We never say "go wider with God", or go higher with Him, or go longer. We get stuck on deeper.

And I haven't been able to wrap my brain around "ask God to come", either. Where did He go? Is He not there and is He not aware of everything that's going on? Brad likened it to a child in one room calling for Mom in another, and Mom coming to see what they need. I can see that, sort of, but I'm also a human, non-omnipotent, can't-see-through-walls-and-time-and-dimensions Mom. If God knows what we need before we even know to ask it, then I'm pretty confident He's figured out where to be and when.

What does this heightened sensitivity mean? Dunno completely. I don't want to settle for catch phrases and expected terminology. I want the Spirit to take over my words and thoughts and express the fullness of what He sees in that moment or scenario. I know I'm hungry and need to get about the business of digging into the Feast that has been placed before me. It's like there's this delectable nine course meal sitting on a silver platter under a silver dome and I'm walking around with my bowl of cold macaroni and cheese and won't take the lid off. It feels good to finally admit that.

Dancing With A Short-Lived Rainbow

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 04:57:00 +0000

GM spent a long time getting all the blocks on the string. But he learned today the importance of leaving enough at the end to hold on to. It was long enough for holding, but not long enough for dancing. In the third photo you can see the "something's not right" realization setting in. He didn't get upset at his handiwork dashed colorfully on the ground. He just had that furrowed brow slow-blink of disgust, dropped his string, and quietly walked away.

God is cozy

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 04:41:00 +0000

GM & TJ were playing today and they were pretending that GM was God. I heard TJ exclaim, with a deep breath, dramatically, "God!", as if she were looking up and realizing that the God of everything was standing before her. Then she instantly switched to a casual tone, a tone you'd use when your good friend comes to the door, the kind of friend who comes into the midst of all your clutter and laundry and you don't even care. It was in this tone that she said, so sincerely, "How ya doin'?"

Sweetness.

Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:48:00 +0000

Every once in awhile I get a burst of creative energy of which I am quite proud. I made these invitations for a party we were having for a friend. I like them. The invitations, that is, but also our friends. And obviously the details weren't blurred on the actual invites. I just did that for the world wide web.

And just FYI - Should you ever get an invitation that says "Regrets Only", that means if you DON'T call/email then the host assumes you ARE coming. So if you're really NOT coming, be sure you DO call/email the host BEFORE the party. It's really helpful, truly it is. :o)

Clarification

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:39:00 +0000

Just to clarify ... I've had my share of nightmare grocery shopping trips which have included, among other things, screaming, crying, anger, eighty-thousand "don't touch that"'s, broken bottles of soy sauce (in the checkout lane!), and blackened thumbs (mine, shut in the car door, after the crying, angry, broken soy sauce bottle day). Yesterday, blissfully, just wasn't one of them! It seems as the brood have gotten older - and as Mama has gotten better at training - that they're bad shopping days have gotten less. MN and RT hardly ever scream at the store anymore. ;^)

Viewpoints

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:04:00 +0000

GM, TJ, and I went to Central Market this afternoon. Oh, how I love Central Market! My little ones still like it, too, because they get to put a quarter in the piggy bank and pick a banana or an orange. And then at the floral counter before we check out they get to put a quarter in that piggy bank and pick out a flower. And because Mama is a sucker for the dry goods section and lets them get tiny portions of candy for like twenty-seven cents. And because she's euphoric to be in Central Market she lets them eat all of it in the store and then happily pays for the empty little bag.

My older ones don't like CM so much. It's too crowded and narrow and noisy for them. I can see their point, but come on, it's Central Market! What's not to love?

Anyway, so we wandered the aisles and found our goodies. Had plenty of time today so we could go slow and soak up the sights. That was nice, and I was able to observe GM and TJ taking in the world through their eyes. I'm trying to remember to do that more. It was pretty peaceful even having to keep young-uns out of the way of oncoming buggies (no easy task inside that store).

Bought veggies today for a party on Thursday. GM loved touching the ice around the broccoli. Okay, and some of the broccoli. The lady beside us didn't quite feel the joy, but she kept a polite smile.

Stopped to check in on the crabs and lobsters. Answered, for the millionth time, "Why do they have those bands on their hands?" I'm sad that one of these days GM and TJ will have the horrific realization of what happens to those critters when they get home to someone's kitchen.

Stopped for a potty break but took the kids in the family room because the women's was being cleaned. As we're going in GM asks quizzically, "Why is there a man AND a woman on the sign?"

Buggied past the wine section. TJ always asks, "Is that ALCOHOL?" "Why do people drink ALCOHOL?" (We've had some familial situations which have required more explanation of alcohol, and the effects of too much thereof, than most 3 year olds would need to know.)

Snatched the cracker from GM's hand mere milliseconds before he returned it to the sampler roundy-round. He'd taken one out, held it, then decided he didn't want it. Caught the eye of yet another lady as I said, louder and more slowly than if I'd remained unnoticed, "No, dear, we don't put them back after we've touched them." Quickly ate the cracker myself to dispose of the evidence.

Bought some coffee beans (for the party), and used the grinder machine. Never done that before. The kids got a kick out of seeing the machine jiggling and a' bouncing, and that little paper sack shaking it's heart out. I felt grateful that I'd figured out the machine and still had all my fingers.

Checked out the cookie section. Another couple walked past us and we only heard a snippet of their conversation which happened to be, " ... we're not married ...". TJ turned her head to gaze at them, then turned around and said in a hushed/surprised tone, "They're not MARRIED!" Man, what's society coming to? Shopping at CM and you're not even married. My, my.

Found another sampler bin, but this time it was flavored water. I took a small cup over to TJ and held a cup for me. You know, those little plastic cups, about twice the size of a communion cup. (Well, a typical southern Baptist/CofC/non-denominational cup anyway ;^) ) She started to take a sip, then stopped quickly and said in all seriousness, "Wait. We forgot to pray." I laughed but then said, "Well, let's pray then," and she offered up a small prayer there in the aisle for the cup she was about to receive. And this child doesn't even take communion! I am realizing more and more how observant she is.

Tried some bread samples. Strolled through the cheese section with GM hugging each gigantic wheel of cheese, in awe that there really was actual, real cheese in there.

Wrapped up our purchases, bought two 25 cent flowers. GM was bereaved because the one he wanted wasn't "blooming" (it was a tulip). I managed to convince him to take a purple fuzzy stalk-looking thing, also non-blooming, because I showed him that it looked like a sword. That sealed the deal.

Paid for the food while GM and TJ were sword-fighting in the checkout lane with their new flowers. Pulled them close and explained, again for the millionth time, that we do not sword fight in stores. Let them take a few laps on the outdoor planter ledges. Strapped in for the ride home and rejoined our family and a good friend for a lovely meal and hours of catch-up talk.

Bonus - while the little ones and I were gone, the older ones had vacuumed, cleaned bathrooms, cleaned the fridge, and cleaned their rooms, in preparation for our guest.

Very nice day. The Lord is Good to bless people with friends, and food, and time to relax and chatter about anything that comes to mind. Seeing the world through 3-year-old and 4-year-old eyes was also very sweet.

Basic Food Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:27:00 +0000

I was doing dishes yesterday and heard Gideon tinkering around with their play kitchen. He would round the corner and ask, "Mom, is corn a vegetable or a fruit?" I'd answer and he'd disappear. Then minutes later he'd pop around the corner again, "Mom, is an apple a vegetable or a fruit?" I'd answer and away he'd go. This continued on for several different items of food. Then a thought clicked into my head - "Teaching opportunity! Play opportunity! Put the dishes DOWN, girl!"

So I went into the living room, sat on the floor, and joined him in his exploration of fruits and vegetables. I'm sad to admit that it has been awhile since I've sat on the floor and played with my youngest brood. For more than a couple of minutes, anyway. Gideon was still happily sorting when I carried out the idea that had been sent into my brain.

The plastic food is stored in several plastic buckets inside the little play kitchen. It's, of course, all mixed together in quite the hodgepodge of plastic confusion. I dug out my construction paper and some scissors. I lined one bucket with green paper and said, "Hey Gideon, look! Green for vegetables." He was pleased. He proceeded to put his vegetable pile into the now green bucket.

I lined another with red for fruits and he was overjoyed to have two buckets to work with. But wait! There's more. I lined another with brown - for breads, of course. Another with pink. Can you guess? Meats! And then the last one with white, for dairy.

Then I spent twenty minutes handing him plastic food and asking which bucket he thought it went in, and the boy never tired of the game. What a fun morning. And their little play kitchen is beautifully organized in a lovely basic-food-groups sort of way. (In my day, we learned about basic food groups. Didn't have any of the fancy schmancy food-pyramid stuff.)

I'm sure it will all be disheveled soon enough, but now when they put the food away they will be learning as well! Bonus!

I found this quote a few months ago and it has become the theme for our homeschooling. "Learning sleeps and snores in libraries, but wisdom is everywhere, wide awake, on tiptoe." - Josh Billings

And yes, we love libraries. :o)

The Pirates Keep Growin'

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:51:00 +0000

Every once in a blue moon we have a Pirate Day here at the Stanford household. We put on our Captain Bogg & Salty CD and crank it up loud. Then we put dishtowels on our heads (well, all except Robin and Brad - they're too cool for dishtowels) and run around like pirates.

This pic is from a Pirate Day in 2006.

And this is from a Pirate Day last week. Note Maelan dubbed the boat the S.S Pollywag. I guess Pollywog was too sweet and tame for Pirate Day, so we had to make the pollywog scoundrel-y. Pollywog + Scallywag = Pollywag.

Pictures!

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:37:00 +0000

Peek-a-Boo

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:36:00 +0000

Yes, I'll admit it. Facebook is the reason for my not blogging since Halloween. Well, that and I have four kids, and we homeschool, and my husband works from home a lot, and I've been getting more organized with our schedules and things, and we've gone to the park a few times, and oh yeah, this week G had a fever for a few days. ha ha

I've also started journaling again for my kids. I've done it off and on over the years, starting with the calendar that all babies get when they're born. You know, that first year calendar where you put on the little stickers for their first food, first time they roll over, first word, etc. M and R both have one of those. G has one, I think. T, not so much. (Sorry T!) But I've also learned over the years that the calendars don't work so well for me. I was getting different ones each year and one year got really big ones without contemplating the storage problems they would produce.

So I switched to little journals. All the same size, just a different pattern for each kid. My plan is to get new ones every year and then as the kids grow and move away they can take a box of all their journals with them. Eighteen or so small journals should store much more easily than eighteen or so calendars.

I try to write in them on the day of the week when that child was born. Since all of my kids were born on different days, it works out great. But it also has me writing four times a week. Plus I have one for myself, so really five times. For someone who is notorious for having multiple stacks of paper containing multiple to-do things that "I really will get to this week", writing down something five times a week is not a small task. I've missed days but have been remarkably good (for me) at keeping up with it. And I figure even if I write in their books once a month, it's more than I've been doing and I know they - and I - will really enjoy reading back over them someday.

I've recorded that Maelan is great at designing things on Zazzle and that I'm proud of all her creations. And also that she's seen all three LOTR films, extended-versions, about four times now!

I've noted for Robin the day that he retired his treasured blue knit cap, and that he even placed it tenderly in a small Lane cedar box (the little "sampler" ones that they passed out to all the girls in my senior year of high school - do they still do that?). Robin retired his knit hat because it sprung about three unfixable holes - but he only did so after acquiring a black knit cap as a replacement.

I've captured for Gideon the fact that he has completed 40 of his 100 reading lessons and that he's doing great. I would not have started the book with him at this age except for the fact that he kept asking me what sound this letter made, or what word is this mom? So we tentatively began and he's loving it. R didn't care much about reading until he was almost 10 - kids are different! - and so this interest of Gideon's has been a nice surprise.

And I've written down for Tabitha her penchant for nonsensical phrases. The other day at the bank I was trying to hurry her out of the car and she didn't care for it. She said, in all earnestness, "Stop doing that! You're making my ears look soft!"

Life's been good and peaceful, which is a great blessing in this crazy political/economic situation of ours. Our move into the city has helped us refine a lot of things in life - patching up some frayed edges, settling into patterns and traditions that work for our family, narrowing down forays and adventures into things we can handle and do well without getting overloaded. We've got some changes coming up in the future to prepare for and meld into, and I feel like this time in Benbrook has helped us get ready for new days ahead. (No, we're not expecting ... though I wouldn't mind it if we were.) Kind of like packing for a trip. What exactly do we need to take in our suitcase and with what attitude are we going to approach the details of travel and the trip.

I guess that's about it. I have many thoughts running through my mind each day - social, political, philosophical. So much to say, so little time to write it. But I'm thankful I can record snippets now and again.(And thinking I should print these entries off in case the world wide web disintegrates someday!)

One of my favorite scriptures is John 21:25, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." Maybe Jesus keeps little journals ... and if so, it's gonna be *really* neat to look through them someday.

Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:38:00 +0000

Yes, Brad went as Mr. T. Nothing like starting your morning off combing out, and then trimming, your husband's Mr. T. wig so it will lie flat and look right. (It was kinda fun, actually, as I was thinking there might not be a huge number of wives who would help out like that, and look at the fun they were missing.)

Gideon went as High King Peter, from Chronicles of Narnia. I dressed Tabitha up as your general issue knave, so she'd match her brother. (Her tunic is made from two cloth napkins that were on clearance at Target.)

Robin and I went as ourselves, respectively.

Maelan went as Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings. She created the costume all by herself and spent lots of hours cutting, painting, arranging, and sewing. You should see some of the up close work and colors. We found her helmet at a party supply store (where Brad was looking for Mr. T. jewelry). She was so excited that such a helm existed.

Questions Gideon Asked Me Tonight As I Was Tucking Him Into Bed

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:35:00 +0000

"Why did Pharoah kill the baby boys?"
"How come the soldiers didn't see Moses in the river?"
"How did God kill the soldiers?" (much later, at the Red Sea)
"Why didn't Pharoah's god help him?"
"Why did Pharoah worship idols?"
"How do our bodies get to heaven?"
"Why did Shama's kitten die, but we could still see its body?"
"Why do they not make us mummies when we die?"

Gideon is four. Gideon generally has questions like these at bedtime, and right as you finish answering one he's ready with another. There were some more, but I couldn't remember them all when I went to write them down. Sometimes he has three or four questions and he's satisfied. Other nights, I have to limit him so we can all get rest. Interestingly, he was snoozing within five minutes of me turning out the lights.

Hair Ball -aka- Hair Hockey

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:24:00 +0000

The kids invented a new game a few months ago while we were sitting around the table, twiddling our fingers in that bored lull you sometimes get after a good time of conversation.

Maelan had cleaned out her hairbrush and thrown the puff of hair onto the table. Robin picked it up, twirled it around a bit, and Hair Ball was born. We also called it Hair Hockey. (Get it?)

The rules of play are similar to table football, except that we found it more fun to expand the boundaries to the edges of the table. You flick the hair puff and if it goes off the opposite side of the table, you score. Opposing players try to keep it in play on the table surface. For fun, you can also shout, "Hairball!", when it goes off the edge.

Very fun night. Much laughter and hilarity. Cheap and simple, too. Did I mention environmentally friendly? ha ha

We're voting for Chuck Baldwin

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 02:46:00 +0000

Would've voted for Ron Paul if we could have, but since Dr. Paul has endorsed Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party then that's who we're voting for. Can't in good conscience support either McCain or Obama.

If you'd also like to vote for Mr. Baldwin in Texas, you will have to write him in. Normally write-in votes are not counted, but Mr. Baldwin submitted all the correct paperwork to have his write-ins counted. (Well, any vote-stealing shenanigans aside) When you go vote you'll have to tell the people at the table that you'd like to cast a write-in vote for President. They may not know for sure how to do that, but there is a way. Don't give up. Politely insist that you'll be casting a write-in vote, then let them make whatever calls are necessary to figure out how you do that. I don't know if it's a provisional ballot or whatever. But it can be done.

I'd love to say "Happy Election Day!" but somehow I don't have a lot of joy about this one.

((Did you catch in the news that Bernanke is now asking for ANOTHER bailout. Seems the first one (which was actually about the fourth one) didn't work. But he's so certain that this one, number six?, will fix it. Yeah. Right.))

www.baldwin08.com
www.campaignforliberty.com

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." - John Quincy Adams

Do not read this if you're squeamish about rodents. You have been warned.

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Yes, that's a rat. Yes, he's dead. And yes, he's stuck in the stove. Well, I should say he *was* stuck in the stove ...

So we moved into this rent house about a month ago and are greatly enjoying it, but it soon became evident that there were mice in the attic, and one of them was traipsing through my kitchen at night. Five days of live traps hadn't worked so we resorted to poison packets which say, "Mice may ingest a fatal dose immediately, with dead mice appearing 3-5 days later." (The thought crossed my mind that rats wouldn't fit in mice traps and maybe that's why they hadn't worked, but I didn't want to dwell on that.)

Wednesday was "a few days later". Brad had come home early after a meeting and arrived in the middle of me finding the dead thing under the stove. We'd noticed "a smell" earlier and tried to ignore it, but as the day progressed it became the inevitable "smell of dead critter" scent. Brad, thankfully, was able to tend to the kids while I executed the extrication.

"Aaaaagh!" doesn't quite cut it. There are some holes manufactured into the back of the stove, at the edges, about 1-1/2" in diameter. Either the thing just happened to die halfway through the hole, or it got stuck for some reason and then died. (Soft socially-accepted expletive! :o))

So after much pacing the floor and hyperventilating and various and sundry other "I can't believe this!" noises, I and my rubber gloves, masked face, and bleach spray managed to wriggle the rat free of the hole. I had been hoping to grab the rat the standard way - from a distance, using a very long tong-like implement, and tossing it into many layers of trash sack. But, noooo! Instead, I had to get on my hands and knees, douse the thing with olive oil, hold onto it's tail bone with one hand and inch it's backside out with my fingers.

I don't know how I managed not to pass out, except making noises helped a great deal. Brad peeked around the corner and said, "You sound like you're giving birth." I said, "You should've heard me earlier!"

Brad did offer several times to handle the task for me, and he was so sweet and brave to do that. Blood and gore are definitely not his thing. I really appreciated him being willing. I wasn't quite on board, though, with his plan to just yank the rat out and clean up the body carnage afterwards. (Did I mention it was swollen and rotting and oozing?) I kept saying, "Do you know what that will smell like? You can't imagine what that will smell like!" Plus I guess I figured I'd come this far, so might as well see it through.

When it still remained wedged after several more attempts, I was just about ready to give that carnage tug, unbelievably. But then I heard our friend Heath holler in my head, "Greea-se it up!" and my eyes rose and locked onto the bottle of olive oil in my oil basket on the counter. (I appreciated God's sense of humor in the matter.) That was the game-changer. Well, that and figuring out I could hold onto the tail bone. (What am I saying?!) And remembering to pray (even in the small things, right?)

I soaked the back of the rat with olive oil, poured some down the holes in the stove, prayed, "Please, please let this rat come out!" And, "Please, please don't let it break in two!" A little more gentle wrangling and maneuvering, and out it came indeed.

I remember feeling relief at one point, when I thought it was about to come clear, and then my brain said, "The tail! Remember the tail. There will be a tail." Had I not been told that, I'm sure I would've screamed in horror when that tail came through the hole. As it was, I managed to just grunt.

I scooped the thing up in the twenty layers of paper towels I'd already covered it with, threw it in three layers of Target bags, then chunked it outside until I could get it further disposed of in black bags. I huffed and puffed and paced some more, and shuddered and stomped, while a new level of confidence rose within me. Brad was impressed, too. Then I spent the next hour bleaching and cleaning the floor under the stove, as evidently this critter had lived very fully there for quite some time.

My. What an experience. Haven't noticed any more signs of rodent guests, though.

Here's a picture of the new stove that arrived the next day. Seriously. After I realized the rat was stuck and my tong-like implement wouldn't work, I took a break from near-screaming to call the appliance place and ask about their scratch-and-dent specials. (We had been contemplating a new stove already, as the one that came with the rent house was ancient.) Our rat buddy kind of sealed the deal. For that I am grateful.

Priorities

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:43:00 +0000

"It's extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion dollars to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases."

- Bono, rock star and anti-poverty activist

"Bankruptcy, not bailout, is the right answer"

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:03:00 +0000

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/29/miron.bailout/index.html

And also, "Interview with Congressman McCotter", from http://voxday.blogspot.com/

---

http://www.campaignforliberty.com

No Bailout, at all, in any form ...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:25:00 +0000

Wall Street execs took home $38 BILLION in BONUSES just last YEAR alone. Their bonuses for the last ten years would fund half of this calamity that the prez is trying to force through. (credit to voxday.blogspot.com) I hear there's been a revolt from the House Republicans. We're calling our reps again today to support that revolt.

----------------------------

Bush the Socialist and Destroyer, by Lew Rockwell
9/26/08

http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/bush-socialist-destroyer.html

Anyone who has read a good economics book would be quickly reduced to laughter and tears by George Bush's ridiculous economic address to the nation. He put on his 9-11 suit and tried to warn Americans about the impending disaster: that their access to an infinite stream of paper money might be imperiled if they don't cough up hundreds of billions immediately. It is very tempting to go line by line and shout back.

"I'm a strong believer in free enterprise, so my natural instinct is to oppose government intervention. I believe companies that make bad decisions should be allowed to go out of business."

And this is why he nationalized airport security, created huge new bureaucracies, spent more than any president in American history, centralized control of education, put up more protectionist barriers than Clinton and his father combined, bailed out airlines, presided over the Sarbanes-Oxley reign of terror, unleashed anti-trust regulators, intensified health-care controls, and pretty much used every headline as an excuse to demand more money and power?

"The FDIC has been in existence for 75 years, and no one has ever lost a penny on an insured deposit, and this will not change."

But the penny itself has lost 94% of its value in those 75 years precisely because of institutions such as the FDIC and the Fed. Does he really think we are that foolish?

Here is my favorite:

"The problems we're witnessing today developed over a long period of time. For more than a decade, a massive amount of money flowed into the United States from investors abroad because our country is an attractive and secure place to do business."

So those nasty foreigners did it to us, huh? Maybe it was Bin Laden who sneakily tried to create a credit bubble by investing in U.S. stocks!

And here is his description of the grave calamity we face:

"As uncertainty has grown, many banks have restricted lending, credit markets have frozen, and families and businesses have found it harder to borrow money."

Imagine that! We might have to live within our means for a bit. That would actually be a wonderful thing. Maybe a recession would last a year or 18 months, and then we would be back on solid footing again. He very nearly admits that too much credit is what created this mess. So he proposes more credit so that we can continue to live on too much credit. And then what happens next time? Ever more credit? This path ends in Weimer-level inflation and total destruction.

What is striking here is the level of public opposition. It is somewhere between 55 and 90 percent, depending on the way the question is worded. Also, it is wide and deep opposition. It is made up of Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives, blacks, whites, rich, poor, men, women – just about everyone, with no systematic bias among the polled groups. In other words, we have here a wonderful thing: a clash of group interests, as Mises would say. It is the state and its friends vs. the American people.

That doesn't mean that Congress won't pass something or other. The administration is prepared to pay off every member. And yet the proximity to the election complicates matters. A lost election means no payoff, no matter what. If public anger is intense enough, these guys might balk in the end.

This would be a glorious result. The "credit crisis," as Bush describes it, is nothing more than the kind of crisis a college kid faces when his parents cut back on the deposits to his checking account. It means less high living, a few more nights moping in the dorm rather than going out with his drinking friends. It does not mean the end of the world.

The market is working now to make things right, to eliminate bad debt and get us back on a sound economic footing. The government can help by legalizing alternative monies, cutting regulations, cutting spending and taxing and wars (as Ron Paul says), but otherwise by doing absolutely nothing. Lehman failed on its own and yet life goes on. The same should happen to Goldman, Morgan, Bear, GM, and all the rest.

Free enterprise is a profit and loss system. This is a time of losses, stemming from an overinflated credit sector, one that the Austrian economists have warned about for many years. Listen to the Austrians now and permit the failures to occur.

By the way, since when has it been an article of our national religion that the economy must never, ever, under any circumstances, be permitted to fall into recession, even slightly? This is completely insane.

The books you need to get to your congressman and staff now are America's Great Depression and The Mystery of Banking. The first explains that it was credit expansion and the attempt to keep prices high that prolonged the Depression which would otherwise have ended by 1931 or 1932. On this point Bernanke is all wet.

The second book explains how money and banking work in a free market, as opposed to a subsidized, fiat-money, centralized system. These are the two most essential books of our time, because they completely overthrow the prevailing theory behind the bailout.

Our choice is this. We can buckle down for a year-long recession and then get on the path to financial and economic soundness. Or we can set off a calamity that will last a decade or more, and perhaps even wreck civilization as we know it. That's our choice.

September 26, 2008

Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. [send him mail] is founder and president of the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, editor of LewRockwell.com, and author of Speaking of Liberty.

Bob Barker Was Right

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:58:00 +0000

Have your pets spayed and neutered.

So back in December we were considering getting a cat, as we hadn’t had one since before Gideon arrived. We decided, nah, not quite yet. Not a good time. A week later a cat shows up on our porch and wouldn’t leave. We named her Shama, as in “God provides”.

A couple of months later we notice she’s looking larger than usual and all of us except Brad thought, “Cool! Maybe we’ll get to experience the miracle of birth!” (Like we haven’t experienced that plenty around here.) On 3/13/08, Shama gave birth to six kittens. Pretty neat experience. She actually came to get me at five in the morning and Maelan, Robin, and I were able to sit with her over the next five hours to see all the kittens be born. A bit of feline midwifery.

We planned to get her spayed once she was done nursing the kittens. Little did we know that a cat could get pregnant when her kittens were only three weeks old. Little did we know that a grown cat could squeeze through a two-inch wide opening in the window, after clawing out the screen. But she did.

We kept two of her kittens, found homes for three more, and STILL have one to give away. (Hint! Hint!)

A couple of months later Shama is big, really big, huge big, and we all know this means a lot more than six kittens are coming. We are worried. We went out of town for a week and when we returned she was even larger than we thought possible. Oh no. So on 7/14/08, Shama gives birth to ELEVEN, yes, eleven kittens. Again she let us stay with her. But this time the kids were much less interested. Hmm.

One of the kittens - one of two runts - died a couple of days later, but the rest thrived and grew. Even the second runt, who is still tiny, is spirited and able to hold his ground among the throng. We named him Mouse.

So this is why we have had fourteen cats living in our house for the past month. Our 900 square foot, 1 Bdr/1 Ba, which we’ve lovingly converted into our 900 square foot 4 Bdr/1 Ba/Den abode. (Tabitha sleeps in the “den”.) Fifteen, if you count Tiger who showed up in between litters and also refuses to leave. He’s not allowed inside, though he would love for our hearts to soften on that matter.

And this is why Tiger, Marden, Legolas, and Teeku have all been recently spayed and neutered. Except Shama - she’s next, as soon as this current batch is weaned.

And this is why I am BEGGING and PLEADING everyone within range of this blog ... PLEASE tell your friends and neighbors. Free kittens! We have ten of them! Enough to spare. They are cute, some are gray, some are orange, some have white feet. Please come knock down our door and take them away to a good place! “I’m askin’ ya with my brain!”

And if anyone needs a sweet, friendly, 5 month old girl kitty - who is spayed! - she needs a home, too.

My apologies to Bob Barker for not taking his words to heart. Myself and my fifteen cats bid you a fond evening.

Keys to the Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:59:00 +0000

Spent a week in Glorieta, New Mexico, helping with a retreat for missionaries from our church. They came in from Croatia, Thailand, and yes, even Hawaii. Brad helped out with the older kids. I helped out with the younger ones. Beautiful week. Amazing weather. Though 7,400 feet of elevation doesn't get along with these Texas lungs.

A friend and her daughter took TONS of pictures, for which I am so very thankful. I didn't document it myself, and so her pictures are now priceless to me. This one stood out to me in particular. Robin's in such a quiet phase of life right now - can't often find the right key to get into his thoughts and mind, and he seems to have a revolving set of locks. On rare occasions, usually as I'm tucking him in at night and giving him his blessing, he'll open up a bit and give me a glimpse of who he is. Sometimes I worry about it. Is he okay, what's he thinking, will God make sense to him someday? Mama questions like that.

This picture was very reassuring to me. When I ask my worried questions to Brad - will he? does he? when will he? how will he? - Brad always replies patiently and confidently, "In his own way; in his own time." This photo declares that so tangibly for this Mama's heart. Gives me encouragement to track down more of those keys and to keep them close at hand.

Just Somethin' Pretty

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:16:00 +0000

I love butterflies, and these are especially pretty to me. So delicate and beautifully designed. They're called Glasswings (Greta Oto). They originate from Mexico and Central America. Their Spanish name is espejitos, which means "little mirrors".

Big Tent = Cocktail Umbrella

noreply@blogger.com (Brandynn) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:12:00 +0000

The Republican State Convention is this week in Houston. If you think the party leadership is upstanding, honorable, and committed to truth and the rule of law, think seriously again. We witnessed the unraveling of that belief right before our very eyes.

http://www.fairconvention.org

http://www.rightintexas.com

There are many within the Republican party who still hold to the values it stands for, the Goldwater, Regan, constitutional, limited government, freedom for all values. But the leadership has been for the most part hijacked by people willing to sell out. This hijacking has been slow and stealthy and is now firmly rooted.

But there is a fight going on in Houston this week to root out the imposters and restore the GOP to what it was and what it can be again. Some of our friends are there. Brad and I witnessed the lies and deception firsthand through our own participation in the Parker County election and convention. If you're interested, let me know. It's too long and too sad to post here.

The media wants to spin it as just some "Ron Paul crazies" stirring up trouble. Please believe me that is not the case. We discovered that the GOP hasn't been following its own rules, or those of the Texas election code, for many years, while they continue to spout their love of the grassroots and their staunch adherence to truth. This is happening in county after county and state after state, all the way to the top of the national GOP. They've got their dog and pony show just the way they want it and don't want new input or anyone actually requiring them to stick to the law.

The Republican Party is hemorraging and I cannot see how they will win November with John McCain (who is the furthest from a conservative Republican imaginable.) The GOP can either accept the infusion of the thousands of grassroots people who've gotten involved this year. Or they can die a perhaps not so slow death. I personally hope the transfusion works. We will never "hold our noses" again and vote. And there are over a million of us who feel the same way. Sorry for the bummer post. I felt I needed to say it.