So cool!!!

Our little town will make national news tomorrow! We can walk to this church from our house. Heck, we can almost see this church from our house! Very cool!

Check it out here.

A Special Weekend

I've been thinking about this post for about ten days now but finally got the pictures downloaded tonight! The weekend before Thanksgiving, I had the privilege of taking Sydney away for her very own Passport to Purity weekend. This is something that I did with Brooke as she entered her teen years and have been looking forward to doing with Sydney also.

We started out in western Maryland for dinner and a movie on Friday night. Sydney chose Bob Evans for dinner (no surprise there!) and then we went to see The Bee Movie, which was great! We had lots of fun chatting over dinner and watching the movie. After the movie, we headed to our hotel near Harper's Ferry, WV. As always, Sydney was enthralled with the mini-fridge, little shampoos, and elevator. (Our kids don't get out much!) We had fun in the hotel room watching television and hanging out together. We also spent time listening to the Passport to Purity CD's. The one about the "birds and the bees" elicited quite a few nervous giggles and "oh gross" exclamations, but the subject is dealt with in such a great way that we both were comfortable, (for the most part, that is!)

The next morning, after our breakfast at the hotel, we spent a few hours in Harper's Ferry. I hadn't been there since I was about Sydney's age, and it was fascinating to read about the history of the town and see the old buildings and museums. It was really cold that day but we had a great time visiting all the shops and historic houses. Sydney picked a Harper's Ferry sweatshirt as her souvenir of our special weekend.

Saturday afternoon we did some shopping (of course!) and then Jeff met us for dinner at the Olive Garden. We were able to talk with Sydney together about the importance of purity--not just sexually but in every area of her life--and we presented her with a purity ring, in the hopes that on her wedding day, she will be able to give it to her husband and tell him that she waited just for him! It was a great weekend!

If this is a subject you have yet to approach with your tweens or teens, I encourage you to check out the Passport to Purity program by Dennis and Barbara Rainey of Family Life Today. The kit provides step-by-step instructions for the entire weekend and gives you great ways to make it very memorable for parents and kids! Don't take your responsibility in this area lightly moms and dads! Your kids need to hear about purity, in every respect, from you! Even if you don't choose this program, make sure you choose something and make it fun and memorable! I'll be the first one to tell you it's not easy, but it's worth it, I promise!

Sydney relaxing in the hotel room with her Passport notebook.

Sydney loved the deep windowsills in the old homes.

Here we are overlooking the convergence of the
Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.

John Brown's famous, or maybe infamous, fort.

Sydney enjoying a ride in an old grocery wagon.

Beautiful downtown Harper's Ferry

Jeff and Sydney at Olive Garden for our special dinner.

If you..........

Give a girl the need for seasonal decorations,
She'll go out to the garage to retrieve said decorations
And she'll see a few things that are out of place in the garage.

So she'll start condensing, reorganizing, and repositioning Rubbermaid containers
Then as she carries the festive red and green Rubbermaid into the house,
She'll realize she smells fabric softener coming out of the dryer vent.

So she'll go down the basement to move laundry into the dryer and start another load.
Then she'll spy the freezer and realize that she hasn't thought about dinner yet.
She'll grab something from the freezer and head upstairs as the phone rings.

So she'll grab the phone and try to be productive while chatting.
Which means that she'll hang up some wet laundry, straighten the basement,
And haul an overfull laundry basket of clean clothes upstairs to be folded.
While she's upstairs, she'll notice the boys' closet door is open.

So she'll go in to close it and see clothes strewn about.
She'll put dirty clothes down the laundry chute, pj's back in their proper spot,
And move the karaoke machine out of the middle of the floor.
Which will remind her about the Christmas CDs waiting to be unpacked.

So she'll head downstairs to the festive Rubbermaid container and begin unpacking.
As she carries the Christmas village into the living room, she'll notice the layer of dust
that needs to be removed from the front windowsill.
She'll grab the Pledge and dust rag and dust the windowsill, figuring while she's at it,
she might as well dust the whole living/dining room.
Then she'll notice that the drapes and lampshades seem dusty too.

So she'll haul out the vacuum cleaner, switch it on and notice it sounds kinda funny.
She'll realize that the vacuum cleaner bag reached its "full line" about two weeks ago.
So she'll change the bag and vacuum the entire downstairs, including drapes and lampshades.
Then she'll head back to the kitchen to look for the fake snow that goes under the village.
As she digs through the boxes, she'll find the wreath that hangs on the front door.

So she'll go outside to hang the wreath and realize that the "fall decorations" are still occupying the porch.
Since the "fall decorations" included mums and pumpkins, she'll head to the garage
to retrieve a yard waste bag for the Saturday pick up.
While she's in the garage, she'll notice lots of leaves on the floor.

So she'll grab the broom and sweep the garage and front porch.
Then she'll fill the yard waste bag with said leaves and mums and pumpkins.
While she's out there, she'll figure she might as well put up the small tree that adornes the front porch each Christmas.

So she'll head back to the garage to retrieve the tree from another festive Rubbermaid container.
And she'll hope that those Christmas decorations will be put up before the new year arrives.

My thanks to author, Laura Numeroff, for the inspiration.

Huh???

Ok folks, this one falls into the "You have GOT to be kidding me!" category. Go see for yourselves.

Thankful Thursday Thirteen

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! In lieu of today's celebration of gratitude,I thought I would list thirteen things I'm especially thankful for this year.

My godly husband. I have seen his character tested again this year, and again, he responded with integrity and godliness. I am blessed.

My healthy children. Yes, they make me crazy some days and yes, they routinely bounce off the walls but they are healthy and, for the most part, happy.

A difficult year. It's much easier to look back now and see God's hand in our year of transitions. But I am so thankful that he had a perfect plan to bring tremendous blessing out of some very difficult days.

Our new church family. We have been lovingly welcomed and encouraged to use our gifts. We are thankful to be part of a unified body of believers led by wise and godly men.

Children who love the Lord and want to serve him. Each of our kids has jumped into our new church with nary a backward glance. Brooke loves Uprising, where she leads the junior and senior high groups in worship each week with the praise band, enjoyes her small group, and has made many new friends. Sydney loves Elevate and serves each week in the children's ministry. Payton loves Breakaway, has recently joined the kids' worship team, and serves each week in the children's ministry also. Sawyer is loving life, as usual, looks forward to KidQuest every week, and has also made many new friends. We are blessed.

My job. Just this week, I was reminded again how blessed I am to have a christian boss who is a man of integrity and generosity. I was working on a writing project this week with my Bible wide open on my desk. How cool is that?? And, we get to dogsit Webster occasionally, an added benefit.

My forty years. I am blessed to have lived forty healthy years with a godly heritage, a family that I love dearly and am very close to, and more blessings than I deserve.

My siblings. Many people can't say this but I am very grateful, not only for my two sisters and my brother, but also for the close relationships we enjoy. I truly look forward to seeing them and miss them when we can't be together. We have fun together and our kids enjoy one another's company.

Ok, I've been serious and sentimental, but I'm also thankful for some silly things too.

My iPod. I am blessed on a regular basis by the sermons and songs that I download on that silly little machine. It's so cool!

My eyesight and reading ability. I don't ever want to take them for granted. I can't imagine not being able to read or see my kids or watch The Office! I am blessed (although I wouldn't mind lasik surgery some day!)

My books. There are so many good books in this world. I can't imagine not LOVING to read and learn.

My diet pop. In the past year, I have forced myself to love diet drinks. I am now completely and totally sold on Diet Mountain Dew, Diet Sunkist, and Diet Dr. Pepper.

My appliances. I truly can't imagine "doing life" without my dishwasher, washer, dryer, and laptop. Not to mention, my Kitchen-aid and blow dryer!

I am Mashed Potatoes!

And that's no surprise--they are my favorite part of any meal. I could eat them every single day! Yum!!

You Are Mashed Potatoes

Oridnary, comforting, and more than a little predictable You're the glue that holds everyone together.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Fifty Nifty United States---mottos

My apologies to anyone who is very state-loyal and might be offended by these but they are just too funny not to pass on. Enjoy!

Alabama
Heck, yeah we have electricity!

Alaska
11,623 Eskimos can't be wrong!

Arizona
Yes, but it's a dry heat.

Arkansas
Literacy ain't everythang.

California
By the age of thirty, our women have more plastic than your Honda.

Colorado
If you don't ski, don't bother.

Connecticut
Just like Massachusetts, only smaller.

Delaware
We really do like the chemicals in our water.

Florida
Ask us about our grandkids and our voting skills.

Georgia
We put the "fun" in fundamentalist extremism.

Hawaii
Haka tiki mou sh'ami leeki toru
(Death to mainland scum. Leave your money.)

Idaho
We're more than just potatoes. Okay, we're not, but the potatoes are real good.

Illinois
Please, don't pronounce the "S".

Indiana
Two Billion Years and still tidal-wave free

Iowa
We do amazing things with corn.

Kansas
First of the rectangle states

Kentucky
Five million people, fifteen last names

Louisiana
We're not ALL Cajun wackos, but that's our tourism campaign.

Maine
It's really cold, but we have cheap lobster.

Maryland
If you can dream it, we can tax it.

Massachusetts
Our taxes are lower than Sweden 's but our senators are more corrupt.

Michigan
First line of defense against the Canadians

Minnesota
10,000 Lakes... and 10 zillion mosquitoes

Mississippi
Come visit and feel better about your home state!

Missouri
Your flood relief tax dollars at work

Montana
Land of the big sky, the unibomber, right-wing wackos, and honest elections

Nebraska
Ask about our state motto contest!

Nevada
Home of hookers and poker

New Hampshire
Go away and leave us alone!

New Jersey
You want a freakin' motto? I got yer freakin' motto right here!

New Mexico
Lizards make excellent pets!

New York
You have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney but no right to self defense!

North Carolina
Tobacco is a vegetable.

North Dakota
We really are one of the fifty states!

Ohio
At least we're not Michigan!

Oklahoma
Just like the play but without singing.

Oregon
Spotted owl....it's what's for dinner!

Pennsylvania
Cook with coal!

Rhode Island
We're not REALLY an island.

South Carolina
Remember the Civil War? Well, we haven't actually surrendered yet!

South Dakota
Closer than North Dakota

Tennessee
Home of the Al Gore Invention Museum.

Texas
Se hable Ingles?

Utah
Our Jesus is better than your Jesus!

Vermont
Too liberal for the Kennedys

Virginia
Who says government stiffs and slackjaw yokels don't mix?

Washington
Our governor is a worse criminal than your governor!

West Virginia
One big happy family...really!

Wisconsin
Come cut the cheese!

Wyoming
Where men are men and sheep are scared!

The District of Columbia
The work-free drug place

Crazy 8's Meme......

Still pretty quiet around here. I've had this "meme" (if you can tell me what that word actually means, I would appreciate it.) for a while and thought I would give it a try.

8 things I'm passionate about

1. My Lord and Savior
   
2. My sweet husband
3. My two beautiful daughters
4. My two handsome sons
5. Raising our children to deal with "real life" in a godly and biblical way
6. Neatness/unclutteredness
7. Proper grammar/spelling (please disregard the previous "made up" word)
8. Reading GOOD literature. (not "twaddle"!)
   

8 thing I say often

1. Stop pesting your brother/sister.
2. Did you brush your teeth?
   
3. Did you wash your hands?
4. Put your dirty clothes down the laundry chute!
5. What do you want in your lunch?
6. Did you finish your homework?
7. I love you.
8. Turn that music down!
   

8 books I've read this year

1. My Bible
2. Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy
   
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
   
4. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
   
5. Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock
   
6. Teen-Proofing by John Rosemond
   
7. God is Green by Dr. J. Matthew Sleath
   
8. Sex God by Rob Bell
   

8 things I want to do before I die

1. See each of my children following God with their lives
2. Go back to Australia with Jeff
3. Speak/teach more
4. Record a CD with Jeff and/or Brooke
5. Kiss my grandchildren and great-grandchildren
6. Live in Grand Rapids again
7. Learn to relax
8. Learn to enjoy exercising

8 songs I can listen to over and over again

1. Jeff singing anything
2. Brooke singing anything
3. The Sound of Music soundtrack
4. Amy Grant's Christmas albums
5. God's Own Fool by Michael Card
6. Born in Zion by Wayne Watson (I want this sung at my funeral, just for future reference.)
7. Mighty to Save by Hillsong United
8. O Holy Night by Josh Groban

8 things that attract me to my friends

1. Loyalty
2. Honesty
3. Sense of Humor
4. Dependability
5. Mutual Accountability
6. Mutual love of chocolate
7. Mutual love of shopping
8. Similar parenting styles
   

8 things I learned (or relearned) in the last year

1. God is good--ALL the time.
2. Who our true friends are.
3. Saying "We love you." means nothing; it's showing "We love you." that truly matters.
4. Watching my son play football wasn't as nerve-wracking as I anticipated.
5. The Office is a HILARIOUS television show.
6. Getting older stinks!
7. I am truly blessed with a wonderful and supportive family--immediate and extended.
8. I can't eat with reckless abandon like I've always done. (Daddy, you were right, it caught up with me.)
   

I didn't "tag" anyone but if you want to join in, feel free!

Great Finds....

A friend (thanks Steph!) recently suggested that I do some posts on items I have found that I really like or find very useful, etc. I will readily admit that I'm not much of a trailblazer, so most of my "great finds" were probably "found great" by someone before me, but I am happy to share some things that work for me in the hopes that some of you may find they work for you as well.

I have stated repeatedly (ad nauseum probably) that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fall and winter. I love the crisp air, dark evenings, and snow, such as it is here below the Mason-Dixon line. However, as much as I love the seasons, I most definitely do NOT like the dry skin and scaly feet that come with them. It has always boggled my mind how people are so worried about their feet in the summer. I guess it's because most people wear sandals, flip flops, etc. and want them to look good, which is a noble goal. Yet, I think there's not much worse than sliding into my preheated bed (thanks to that wonderful electric blanket) and feeling my feet "scrape" on those 400 thread-count sheets. Yuck! And I'm sure I can speak for Jeff when I say that he doesn't appreciate snuggling up to "scratchy feet" either.

So................I am extra careful to keep my feet moisturized, pumiced, "unscratchy", if you will, during the fall and winter months. And, while I love, love, love Bath and Body Works scents (mandarin orange for spring/summer and sensual amber for fall/winter), I have found that the general rule seems to be "the better it smells, the less moisturizing it is." What I have found are two creams that, although a little pricey, are definitely worth the few extra dollars for soft, smooth feet.

First, for overall moisturizing, my fav is Curel Ultra Healing Intensive Moisture Lotion. It's not greasy or slimy, and it really works. Of course you have to be diligent in applying it--just buying the bottle and looking at it on your bathroom shelf every day won't cut it--but it's great! Only two drawbacks: not only doesn't it smell pretty, it actually smells kinda sour. But I only notice that when it's coming out of the pump and not after it's on my skin. Secondly, it's a bit pricey, at $8-9 a bottle, but you can often find sales and/or coupons to help the budget a bit.

My second fav cream was a new discovery for me this year. And when I say "discovery", I mean "discovery". I searched high and low for this cream after reading rave reviews about it online. Turns out, I was looking in the creams/moisturizers and all the while, it was hiding in the foot care section. Novel idea. This little miracle tube is called Kerasal One-Step Exfoliating Moisture Therapy, and it does everything it promises to do. At least it did for me. Now if the bottoms of your feet/heels already feel like rough sandpaper, it may take a little longer but I think if you stick with it, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Again, this is pricey, around $9 for a small tube. But you only need a tiny bit each time, and it goes a long way. I have found that if I put on the Kerasal and then put socks on immediately, my feet are smooth as silk by the afternoon. And, I always rub the excess from my hands on my elbows! I figure it can't hurt!

So, there you have it. The first of (hopefully) many great finds posts. Let me know if you try these and they work for you! Your husband will thank you, I promise!

The goose (and I) are getting fat......

It's official. Christmas is coming. I know because today I bought my first, OK first two, bags of these.

And I got this to listen to while I'm eating them.

Tra-la-la-la-la
La-la-la la

Get smart AND help end hunger....

This is fun!!! I played for a while and donated 1000 grains of rice!

Go here. Learn a few new words and help end world hunger too.

Then leave me a comment and let me know how much YOU donated.

Quote of the Day......

Payton was home sick with strep throat on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yesterday, as he was finishing watching Eragon, a current favorite, he wondered aloud........

"Mom, why do all movie stars have straight white teeth? None of them ever look like hillbillies."

My apologies to any hillbillies out there............

Gimme an "S", Gimme a "Y".........

It's official. We have our first cheerleader in the house!!!!! Evidently, Sydney inherited her Aunt Becky's, Aunt Kathy's, Aunt Nancy's and Aunt Sherri's cheerleading genes (because she most definitely did NOT get them from me!) She has been working very hard, and today she was rewarded with a place on the school cheerleading squad! She is very excited, and we are very proud of her! Practices begin tomorrow and games start in the next few weeks. Pictures will be forthcoming, I promise!