Min Kona

Feminine Adventures: I have moved

2012-01-18T21:02:00.002-06:00

To any dear friends that still happen to drop by this little blog to see if William finally got a full set of teeth, let me assure you that he has.

And, that I'm blogging again.

I am rather embarrassed to post about my new blog, because, well, I forgot that I hadn't posted about it here. A dear friend said she hadn't seen any new updates and I realized what a mistake I'd made. Whoops! So sorry!

All that to say, after months (or years!) of non-blogging, I decided to start over. I am now blogging on a fairly regular basis at Feminine Adventures.

I would love to have you join me, though I make no promises that I won't simply drop of the face of the blogosphere. Again.

Hill Billy Will

2010-04-29T15:59:00.002-05:00

What do you think? With just one big chomper on top, doesn't he look cute? I just had to get some pictures of that sweet goofy little smile before his next tooth came in. :)

A Day

2010-04-18T20:32:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe it's A Day time again! The stadium was packed when we arrived and we hiked to the upper decks.

The view was amazing, but even Big Al looks small at that distance. It took Rosalind a while to spot him, but it was worth the search.

William loved his very first football game. Or at least the fact that he was outside and being held...

...and that big sister fed him lots of cheerios. He needs to work on that weight if he wants to make it onto Bama's football team, you know. Just a couple hundred more pounds. You can do it William!

I can't believe how big he's getting.

For a reason privy only to the elect few at train station head-quarters, this train decided to stop right in the middle of the tracks. The cars piled up but the train didn't budge. We walked to the stadium, so just hiked around.

Fear: swings and slides

2010-03-22T15:12:00.003-05:00

After a wonderful trip to Missouri to see family, I got on the computer to upload pictures only to realize that I didn't take a single one with my camera. Oops!

Pictures of Rosalind traipsing around with her Aunt Kathryn or dolled up with her three cousins will have to be left to the imagination.

Newlywed friends hosted us for a delightful lunch on Friday and then we headed back home.

Chick-Fil-A presented itself at the perfect time. We ordered chicken fingers, ate them and an hour and a half later pulled out of the parking lot exhausted. What took so long?

The play place of course.

Fear is a funny thing. It's so random. We tremble at safe things and are brave in the face of actual danger.

I brought Rosalind into the play area. An hour later she came down the slide. The first time. Each step towards the slide brought her closer to the big scary slide. Joshua stood and coached her. At one point, the other kids (all boys) crowded around her. They tried to "rescue" this poor little girl in distress and convince her to be brave. "Look. Watch me. It's not scary." It didn't work.

At long last, Joshua climbed through the kid's hoops and helped her down.

She may be terrified of slides, but get her on a swing and she begs to go higher and higher and higher.

William loves the swing too...especially if big sis is pushing him!

A Fender Bender

2010-02-27T21:09:00.003-06:00

I am not a confident driver.

My future self will be the stereotypical "old lady" driver that annoys young people (They don't annoy me. I just sympathize.) I like the passenger seat.

I would have really liked the passenger seat yesterday, but Joshua is out of town and Rosalind doesn't have her license.

You see, folks down here run red lights all the time. Yellow does not mean slow down.

But I did. I slowed down and even stopped before the light turned red.

And got run into.

I was stunned. William was already screaming, I've been walking around on a sleep high (or would that be low? whatever the one without sleep is) and before I knew it the offending driver vanished down the street.

While I waited for the police to arrive and tried to shake off the shocked feeling, I checked the munchkins. When I asked Rosalind if she was okay, she looked at me for a minute and then pointed to a microscopic bruise on her leg from three days ago. She's fine.

Today as we headed to the library and came to a stoplight, Rosalind asked, "Car run into us now?"

Thankfully not.

Getting hit made me realize how blessed we were. No one was hurt. The damage to the car is (hopefully) minimal. We're alive. We weren't hit today.

Living is an awfully dangerous business (that will inevitably end in death), but we are held in the hand of an all wise God. And that is definitely something to be grateful for!

photo by longnshort

Memory and memories

2010-02-12T21:12:00.003-06:00

Playing your first real, bona fide, "I can beat Mommy" game is quite a milestone. Rosalind just reached it. For the last couple weeks, Memory has formed a vital part of our daily routine.

And it's been so fun! Learning the rules took practice, but she's hooked now. Generally, she excels the first round (and does sometimes actually beat me "when I'm playing my hardest") As her attention span wanes with the second round, I win handily. Then we stop. A two year old can only handle so much.

I'm envisioning hours of family fun around a Scrabble board or playing Settlers of Cataan. Someday. For now, I'm loving Memory!

William is cutting his second tooth, but is such a chilled out trooper. At least most of the time. He mastered the art of squeaking yesterday, and regaled me with his happy noise from midnight to one last night. Accompanied by fingers scratching the sheets. (For those unaccustomed to this latter sound, it's frightfully near running your nails across a chalkboard.)

I cut his fingernails tonight.

They grow up way to fast! Enjoy each moment--even the squeaky ones!

Proud owners of a "new" van...

2010-02-09T20:35:00.000-06:00

...which we have never seen!

Here's a picture. Isn't it cute? I can still hardly believe that we have a van. It all happened so quickly.

I woke up Monday morning with van shopping in the distant future. By Tuesday afternoon, the title was signed.

My not-so-little little brother Philip was searching Craigslist for a car for my less-little brother Erik, when he stumbled upon this well maintained '98 Toyota Sienna for $2000. That is a lot less than what they normally sell for, so he told my Mom, who called me, who waited for Josh to get home from school so she could tell him.

We were contemplating purchasing a bigger vehicle when William was born (Honda Civics aren't exactly family cars) but didn't have the money to do so and decided just to make it work.

Since then we'd been slowly setting aside money from Christmas gifts and various unexpected sources of income towards a van. We hoped to have enough by the time God blesses us with another child. [I'm convinced that three car seats will not fit in a two-door Civic, and Joshua does not want to part with it until it dies...even then, we might keep it just for memory's sake. ;)]

Anyway, we had a decent amount set aside, but weren't there yet. I thought we might be able to make it work, but could not decide if we should just wait. After several agonizing hours of talking and praying and thinking about it (and still not knowing what to do), my Mom called saying that the decision wasn't ours anymore. They and Joshua's parents were going to pitch in the rest for us. I was shocked and overwhelmed and so excited!

Within three hours, the title was signed and now I'm eagerly waiting to actually get to see and drive our very own van. :) I can still hardly believe it.

Thank you so much!

*Joshua is picking it up in two weeks.

Stream of Consciousness

2010-02-05T21:23:00.003-06:00

or Incredibly Random Ramblings

I love shopping in the South. My first friend in Tuscaloosa was a cashier at Walgreens. We had just moved. Rosalind and I were finishing up our shopping trip when sheets of rain and pangs of homesickness hit simultaneously. The rain was coming down so hard we were forced to pace the aisles.

And then we met Brenda. She caught Rosalind's attention and her little eyes vanished in a smile. They played peek-a-boo around a big half-unpacked box and then we got talking. Since then, I've planned my Walgreen's trips for the morning, when she works.

But it's not just a single cashier that makes shopping enjoyable. Only the staff of the south side Wal-mart blot the general friendliness of my fellow shoppers.

Older men offer to help you load the trunk ("seeing as you have your hands full") and you know they're being gentlemen, not creeps. They leave with admonitions to "enjoy each day. Mine are in college."

The only thing I missed (shopping-wise) was Aldi. It only just dawned on me that there's one between here and Birmingham. If Google's directions had been accurate it wouldn't have taken more than forty minutes to get there. As it was...well. I got thoroughly acquainted with many streets that didn't house an Aldi.

When I finally found it, I went a bit overboard. But apples and oranges for 33 cents a pound and (deliciously sweet and juicy) pineapple for a dollar were too good not to fill up the cart with. By the time I pushed the 150 pound cart to the car (not to mention the twenty pound baby) and unloaded it, I wanted a chiropractor.

To continue the randomness (for anyone who happens to still be reading) I decided that reading about the health benefits of sourdough from half a dozen different sources in a month was enough encouragement to actually try it.

The starter bubbled and grew and smells delightful. It's been almost a month and I still haven't killed it, though I've yet to find a bread recipe I adore. Sourdough pancakes though? They're worth making a starter for!

It has been said (about law school, not sourdough starter) that "the first year they scare you to death, the second year they work you to death and the third year they bore you to death." So far, the second year prognostication is true. (I wouldn't mind him being bored next year.) He is going with a team next weekend for a Trial Ad competition. At this point, I'm rooting for them... to loose. :)

Actually, the ideal would be for them to go all the way to the finals of these rounds, do so well that everyone is convinced they should have won, and, due to marked favoritism, place third....thus avoiding another month and a half of around the clock practice. I think that's asking for too much.

I'm a big boy

2010-02-03T21:40:00.002-06:00

Guess what! I have my very first tooth. I was such a big boy and hardly fussed about it at all. If I hadn't drooled on ten bibs a day, Mommy would have been even more surprised. Can you see it? It's so exciting to be big now. Mommy even let me have some yogurt--I think it's very yummy. Do you like yogurt?

Who's the chubbiest of them all?

2010-01-27T11:08:00.002-06:00

William was lying on the floor cooing while I put away laundry. Next thing I knew Rosalind had lined him up with her dollies. It looks like they're the finalist in a "cuteness" contest. I think he wins both the "chubbiest" and "cutest" contest--hands down! What do you think?

Rosalind received this adorable little kitchen for Christmas. It's a good thing the cookies she serves us are calorie free--otherwise Josh and I would have put on quite a few pounds! If she makes real cookies one tenth as often someday, her husband will be quite happy. :)

William graduated to the high chair. We managed to squeeze another chair at the table for Rosalind. It's a really good thing her cookies are calorie free!

Mama--we being sweet

2009-12-08T21:36:00.003-06:00

...you take a picture of us?

Sweet and more than a wee bit cheesy!

Sometimes the goodness of God can be simply overwhelming. I just love being mommy!

As a godly mother reminded me again, treasure these moments when they're little. Despite the sleeplessness and diapers and endless laundry, enjoy the time when they like nothing better than to just sit and look into your eyes and smile or climb onto your lap for a story.

A wonderful visit.

2009-11-28T22:13:00.005-06:00

My sis and sis-in-law had been planning a trip down to see us. I was so disappointed when it didn't work out, but it did open up the door for my mom and four sisters to make the trek down.

We had such a great time. It was my mom's first time to visit. There's something so special about getting to show your mom where "you play house"!

Most of the time we did girl things like sit around and talk, watch chick flicks, make food, enjoy the munchkins, go on long walks and talk some more, but I just had to take them all down town on game day for a feel of Alabama football.

It was quite a walk from our home to the square, so after the crowds cleared we stopped on the steps of the library to rest and just enjoy the lovely day.

William was most definitely out numbered- especially since Joshua was in Atlanta most of the time for a trial competition.

Despite what the pictures might suggest, he didn't mind the attention at all! Here he is in the cute little outfit his grandma brought for him.

Lydia and Bekka came with roller blades and spent many hours skating around the parking lot...much of the time pushing Rosalind or Kathryn on the little car.

Of course, we couldn't let the opportunity for sister pics (or aunt and niece!) to slip by.

I'm so grateful God has blessed me with such wonderful family! We miss them already.

Beethoven and the ABCs

2009-11-14T14:21:00.004-06:00

I like rechargeable batteries, but learned my lesson the hard way: buy name brand. I couldn't figure out why our camera wasn't focusing or taking decent pictures lately and then realized that even the new freshly charged off-brand batteries weren't strong enough to charge the flash. Bummer.

Thanks to some Energizer batteries, here are a few pictures of the munchkins. William looks like he has something up his sleeve.

And here is a video of Rosalind and William in which Beethoven's glorious 9th symphony is unceremoniously interrupted for a toddler's recitation of her ABCs.

Beethoven and the ABCs from Anna Christensen on Vimeo.

..and a family picture

2009-10-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

It's so fun to see our little family growing!

Okay, not exactly a family picture, but we finally captured a smile.

Thanks Mom!

A quick visit

2009-10-26T17:06:00.003-05:00

Joshua's parents and brothers Timothy and Jonathon came down for a quick visit this past weekend. It was way too short, but we're so glad they made it. Joshua took Dad and Timothy to hear Justice Clarence Thomas speak and watch The Tide pull a hair breadth victory over Tennessee, but Mom and Jonathon came down just to see the munchkins. :)

These wraps are awesome! Mom brought down a matching set for Rosalind and me. While baby snuggles up close you can go on a walk, wash dishes, hang out laundry or even do the ironing! Thank you Mom. :)

Someone was awfully glad to see his Uncle Jonny again! He was almost laughing.

Timothy turned eighteen on Friday and we went out for bbq to celebrate.

Rose finally warmed up to him. :)

Even though we didn't all get to watch the game, Rosalind had to show Jonny the quad... and Big Al!

Three generations. For some reason, William didn't appreciate all the picture taking and made it extremely difficult to get a good shot. Oh well!

We had such a wonderful time and miss them already.

Hello there...

2009-10-10T10:35:00.001-05:00

I'm hoping to get back into blogging regularly soon, but for now, just wanted to pop in and say hi. :)

Family

2009-10-06T22:11:00.000-05:00

No roaches

2009-10-05T22:13:00.004-05:00

As I walked into our bedroom the other night to lay William down, I was just in time to see a hideous little roach scramble up the wall behind our bed.

"Darling, can you come here?"

"Is it a roach?" he asked. I didn't even scream, but I guess my voice was enough of a clue.

Before Joshua could come to my rescue, the roach crawled behind the curtain. When Joshua pulled it aside, shoe in hand, the nasty little critter dashed down and disappeared under the bed.

A cursory search under the bed failed to uncover it, so I proposed sleeping in the living room.

Joshua didn't like that idea, so he conducted a thorough investigation...

...until even I was convinced that THERE ARE NO ROACHES UNDER THE BED. Where he could have disappeared to is beyond me, but it's been two days and he's still in hiding. Roach traps are definitely top of my shopping list!

Little Will

2009-10-01T22:44:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe he's already one month old! As a complete stranger reminded me yesterday, "Enjoy every last minute... time passes all too quickly."

What if...

2009-09-27T09:42:00.001-05:00

This spring, after a week of dreary drizzling days, I was laying on the bed, utterly exhausted and emotional from pregnancy and morning sickness and disappointment when a dear friend called. After telling me about what she had been up to, she asked, "Sometimes it feels like life just couldn't get any better, doesn't it?!"

"Um, I'm so happy for you..." I said, trying to avoid the question. I sure hoped "life could get better"!

This conversation keeps coming to mind. The days since William was born have flown by so quickly: full of answered prayers, sweet baby smiles, toddler kisses, time with my wonderful husband and the love of friends and family. Sometimes it seems that my cup of blessing simply couldn't contain another drop.

As I stood looking out the window a few weeks ago, with William and Rosalind peacefully sleeping, the sun shining brightly on my little garden and sending it's light dancing across the floor, a sudden feeling, almost of panic, seized me.

What if the fact that I'm so utterly happy now, means that postpartum depression will hit extra hard tomorrow? What if Joshua doesn't get a summer job again next year, even though he has worked so hard and done so well? Will I be able to handle his intense schedule knowing that all his hard work is not paying off like I want it to? What if William starts to get colicky and I don't get any sleep and the neighbor gets mad and...? What if, what if, what if...

And then I laughed. What if all those things happen? Will that change the fact that God is in control? Will His care for us cease? Of course not. And of course life will not always be full of supreme happiness unmixed with trials. Both are part of God's good gifts. I must learn to hold the blessings with open hands, knowing that He who gave can take away, but that either way His name should be blessed.

So spoiled

2009-09-17T20:30:00.001-05:00

All summer long I'd been dying to plant my own little garden and watch it grow. Since we didn't come back home until the beginning of September, I didn't know how much I'd actually get to plant.

But I arrived home to four thriving garden boxes that Joshua planted while I was gone. He even caged them up to keep them from becoming kitty litter boxes. I'm so spoiled! Now if only I can keep from killing the plants...

Two weeks with two

2009-09-13T23:03:00.006-05:00

Especially with moving back home right after William was born, I didn't know how the adjustment to life with two would be. And since nothing about recovery after Rosalind's birth was normal, I had nothing to base my expectations on. So far it couldn't have been better: I'm back with Joshua, William's such a sweet baby, Rosalind adores him, I feel great and friends and family have spoiled me with food and help.

Despite having to deal with some attitude/training issues after a summer away from home, Rosalind has handled the double transition so well. She has been such a sweet helper, always glad to run get a new diaper or put things away for "baby Wiyum".

"Mama, yook in my eyes," Rosalind said earnestly to me a few days ago. Her eyes waited for me and when I looked down she continued, "I yove you too."

Looking into her bright eyes and watching her grow up and then gazing at William as he looks up at me with an occasional grin breaking his intent stare, I wouldn't trade the name of mother for any on earth.

Just after his first bath (it's somewhat impossible to take a picture while holding a slippery baby in a sink full of water): not quite sure whether he enjoyed the bath or getting out more.

William loves sleeping anywhere but in his bed. He was cuddled up in his car seat sound asleep as we got ready to eat dinner tonight.

Just as we were about to sit down Joshua said, "Honey, where's your phone? I think it's buzzing."

It wasn't.

We'd barely begun when Joshua said, "Listen. Isn't that your phone?"
No, it was William snoring.

Home again

2009-09-10T21:39:00.000-05:00

After bidding my family a fond farewell, Rosalind, William and I headed back down to Alabama early Friday morning. Joshua's mom and sweet sister Hannah made the long journey with us. I couldn't have asked for a better baby on the trip down and my one concern was that he was sleeping so well.

It was wonderful to finally pull up into our driveway again after months away from home and be reunited as a family. Rosalind walked right into her bedroom ready to play with her own toys again.

In the morning a surprise was waiting for her outside: a "new" bike (thanks Candace!). She simply couldn't get enough of it and Hannah is probably still sore from pushing her around for hours on end while Mom unpacked and cleaned and restocked our cupboards. Thank you!

Once the counters were visible in the kitchen again, Rosalind helped make bread.

...it was so yummy!

Thrilled though I am to be home again, we will sure miss everyone! Thank you for a wonderful summer.

A Normal Birth

2009-09-09T14:01:00.002-05:00

It seems hardly just to say “normal” because everything turned out so perfectly, but normal is exactly what we were praying for…

Joshua had to return to school on the 10th of August and I stayed here with Rosalind. Within 24 hours I realized that I would make an awful military wife. Grouchiness was always lurking around the corner and it was a constant struggle to enjoy the precious days with family rather than pine to be with Joshua.

At my check up the morning after he left, William, who had been head down for months, was completely transverse. I hadn’t felt him move, so it came as quite a surprise. But that night, I watched as he moved into the breech position. My next appointment was the following Monday and in the mean time I made the mistake of looking online for ideas to flip a breech baby and came across enough horror stories to make me even more emotional. But God answered prayers and on Monday the doctor pronounced him head down again.

The plan was for Joshua to make the ten hour drive back to Missouri as soon as I went into labor and hope that he made it. But by the 27th we were both missing each other so much that he decided to come see us and just hope that William would come while he was here. One of my dearest friends was getting married on Friday, and that way he would make it to the wedding too.

He left Thursday as soon as class was over and pulled up at my family’s house the next morning at five. After catching a few hours of sleep, we spent a very happy day together talking, going on a long walk and taking Rosalind down to the creek to feed the fish.

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous. Aneysa looked like an angelic Southern belle and the reception, which was held on her parents’ lawn, was a picture perfect Southern country wedding.

I had been dosing up on red raspberry leaf tea, evening primrose oil and numerous other things that I’d heard might bring on labor. But even the rather strong Braxton hicks that I’d been having all week had pretty much died down. I was beginning to loose any hope that labor would begin while Joshua was there, but we decided to join in a few of the country dances and see if that might induce William to come. Still no contractions. We were both tired and headed to bed for a good night’s sleep…

After sleeping in Saturday morning, the contractions began. When we first learned that we couldn’t have him at the birthing clinic like we had hoped, my dear midwife Robyn offered to still come to the birth with us. We found a wonderful doctor who was very supportive of laboring naturally. He told us that we could do the early labor at home and come in when I hit transition. Especially since my labor was over thirty hours last time and I threw up repeatedly I didn’t think my low blood sugar would handle another long labor on nothing but a 4 ounce IV and ice chips.

my wonderful labor team :)

Robyn came around 11:00 that morning. I was dilated to a four and William was doing great. Labor progressed rather slowly for the next few hours, and I was so glad to be “home”. (Well, at my parent’s house, my dad had cleared the house of all the kiddos.)

By about 4:00 I was only at a six, but the contractions picked up in intensity. Robyn had been checking William’s heart rate all along, and he had been doing great, but then I tried to lay down. Through the next contraction his heart rate dropped precipitously. I started panicking, but Robyn told me to sit up and then he did great.

About twelve hours after labor began, I had dilated to an eight and we decided it was time to head to the hospital. After the initial bumpy dirt road, the car ride nearly put me to sleep.

We arrived at the hospital and the nicest nurse took charge. She was surprised when she realized that I was at an eight (even though I told her I’d been in labor all day) and quickly introduced us to the doctor on call—who we also really liked. Normally they only let two people stay, but Joshua, Robyn and both moms got to be there (on the condition that they would clear out if there were serious complications again this time). What a blessing to get to have all of their support and love, and especially that Joshua got to be there!

The time passed slowly until it came time to push, and then the doctor almost didn’t have his gloves on in time to catch the baby. William arrived at 12: 36 with a gusty cry, but soon settled down into alert contentedness.

For the next twenty minutes, there was a silent tension in the room as the doctor quickly and carefully delivered the placenta: which was intact and came easily. What an answer to prayer! And what an amazing difference from last time! With Rosalind, the bad part was just beginning.

After venting his hearty disapprobation of hospital scales, William roomed in with us and was so sweet and calm… and I actually got to hold him! What a difference not hemorrhaging terribly makes.

From that point on laughed numerous times just comparing the two births. I felt the glee of a two year old when I laid down on the hospital bed and could actually reach over and push the button to raise it. That was such an accomplishment last time! Even hospital food tastes great when you’re not on a restricted diet.

My wonderful husband stayed with us ‘til Tuesday when we were released from the hospital and then headed back home…with us to follow him in a few days.

From beginning to end, we were so abundantly blessed by how perfectly God worked out each detail. Truly He “welcomed William with the blessings of goodness.” Psalm 21:3

A few more pics...

2009-09-03T16:29:00.000-05:00

I've been dying to get on here and post, but have either been busy or sleeping during the day. Around 3 last night I couldn't sleep and thought "What a great time to post". But my computer battery was dead, and the thought of heading down a steep flight of steps and fumbling through the dark to find the charger convinced me that I really was quite tired.

In the mean time, here are a few pictures of our little treasure:

My three favorite people. :)

Rosalind has been such a sweet big sister...even if she does nearly squash him when trying to give him a kiss.

"One, two free, four finners" Rosalind said and sat back contentedly. Thankfully the fifth one was hiding there somewhere.

Introducing...

2009-08-31T21:59:00.003-05:00

William Boyd Christensen

Sunday, August 30th at 12:36 a.m.
Weight: 8 lbs, 8 oz.
Height: 20 1/4 inches

"Thou preventest me with the blessings of goodness." ~Psalm 21:3

** more pictures and his birth story to follow shortly, hopefully ;) **

Time for an update

2009-07-18T14:29:00.000-05:00

To the few faithful readers that continue to check this poorly neglected site, my apologies... and I thought you deserved an update.

We have been enjoying the summer and getting to spend time with family and friends, but being away from home and the regular routine of life has made the time seem to pass even more quickly than normal.

One of the perks of being in Missouri was getting to continue our Shakespeare tradition. The summer that Joshua and I were engaged we heard of the annual (free!) Shakespeare festival held in Kansas City. Two of our sisters were quite obliging "chaperons" and we headed up to the play.

Sadly, half way through Henry the V, the threatening clouds broke loose, the play was canceled and King Henry's soldiers were left to wander through the mud. We loved it anyway and have been up each year since...only Heidi and Becka have quit their job as chaperons.

Last year's tragic Othello was followed up this time by The Merry Wives of Windsor: a rollicking account of two faithful wives' revenge on a would-be seducer.

We've been staying at Joshua's family's house, with frequent trips made to my side of the family. My family caught the flu bug though, so we stayed away. Thinking that all was over, we headed their direction, only to get a call that the bug lived on.

When the air was finally clear, Rosalind and Kathryn were thrilled to get to see each other again.

A few days ago Joshua and were talking about this pregnancy and without thinking I said, "...last time I was pregnant with William." He's been a long time in coming. ;) Oh the power of an incorrect ultrasound!

Anyway, after going through the boy clothes I had set aside last pregnancy (which Rosalind did not wear), I found several gaps in his wardrobe and couldn't pass up the opportunity to go garage sales with my mom, the garage sale queen. :) We hit quite the jackpots!

My favorite finds were the layettes for a quarter each. I just love them the first few weeks!

Enough of this rambling for now. :)

Socks, socks and more socks

2009-07-07T14:27:00.000-05:00

Growing up in a large family, there was always laundry-lots of it. Every few months (when the basket got too full) we'd pull out the sock stack and flood the living room floor with odd socks.

No longer. My mom came up with a brilliant idea: rather than just tossing your socks into the laundry basket, fold them first. That way they at least make it into the washing machine together. Of course there still are those ornery socks that escape in the dryer, but now most socks end up happily back in their drawers, without an extended stay in the sock basket. Works for me!

photo by Bethography

Salad and Lasagna

2009-07-06T09:38:00.000-05:00

Shortly after we were married, Joshua came home from work and while I served dinner I explained, "I was going to make lasagna, but we didn't have stuff for salad, so I couldn't."

He looked at me quizzically and asked, "What does salad have to do with lasagna?"

"Don't you always eat salad with your lasagna?" I replied, equally surprised.

Apparently not. I later found that he even ate tacos without lemonade and meatloaf without a side of peas! Shocking, huh?

Since we're staying with Joshua's family for the summer, it's been a unique experience to get to watch my "other mom" run her home. After growing up in a large family myself, I've enjoyed observing how another (even larger) family operates and realize afresh how different two large families-who are committed to the same beliefs and goals- can be in the day to day running of the homes.... and just how many things I can learn from both!

From food to organization to child-training, I'm so blessed to have two wonderful examples of practical wisdom. And since I've been enjoying it, I thought it would be fun to share a few, rather random, gleanings from my mothers over the next few weeks. :)

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Photo by Sasa Loggin

Rejoicing in slow internet

2009-06-29T14:57:00.003-05:00

While sitting in front of the gradually loading screen wishing for high speed (you can't get it way out here), I realized that the tortoise pace really does have it's benefits. And even slow internet qualifies as one of those things that we are told to "rejoice in". :)

The benefits are there: The temptation to browse the internet or read the comments on a controversial news story is greatly diminished. You are forced to decide whether it is really worth waiting for the page to load. I still check my e-mail and favorite blogs, but more often than not, I find myself spending less time on the computer because of the wait.

I've also gotten more sleep. The internet invariably seems to fade out altogether when I decide to blog at night, and this forces me to bed. A good thing, right?

It encourages creativity. When the answer to just about any problem is just a click away, the internet can easily become a crutch. Of course, it's awfully handy, but maybe not always quite as necessary as imagined. Our grandmas somehow really did manage to cook without consulting the online chefs.

There are blessings in most frustrations of life, and that is certainly true with slow, unreliable internet. Blessing to remember when I return to a high speed connection...

photo by Theo Kleen

The way back to Eden

2009-06-28T14:18:00.000-05:00

"The only way to become guiltless is to know that you are guilty. This is the tension, the paradox. The way back to Eden is to know that you are, justly, excluded from it... You cannot make the journey back, you must be carried there."

excerpt from an article in Thought Meadow

by Hannah Wolff

photo by Wong Mei Teng

Wal Mart 101: beer and diapers

2009-06-24T15:35:00.002-05:00

After taking a whole semester of Marketing 101, I realized that a simple stroll through Wal-Mart could teach you far more.

Did you know that even the placement of diapers has been carefully planned and monitored?

That’s right. A few years ago, it was observed that beer sold better if it was located near the diapers.

Imagine the scenario: Dad is on the way home from work and gets a call on his cell.

“Honey, could you stop and pick up some diapers? We’re all out.”

Back-tracking a bit, he heads wearily to the nearest Wal-Mart. On his way to pick up the diapers, what does he notice? The beer. Apparently beer sales increased quite considerably after it was strategically placed. Crazy, huh?

Of course, the marketing doesn’t end there. From the differing layouts of each store, to the constantly fluctuating prices of fruits (allowing “mark-down” signs to be placed on normally priced produce) to the blaring $2.50 posters advertising the normal price of potato chips, the folks at Wal-mart are masters of marketing.

But while they master the marketing, we can master the shopping.

Shopping with a list is perhaps the easiest way to avoid the marketing. Knowing what you need ahead of time avoids so many impulse purchases.

Always have a target price for such items as fresh produce, meat and other widely fluctuating items, to avoid the tempting, but over-priced "sales". Of course, there often are real genuine good deals to be had, so I generally just put the generic "fruit" and "vegetables" on my shopping list, and then search for those deals.

Bigger is not always better (per pound). This is especially true when using coupons, but even without them it’s not the price per container, but the price per oz/lb/serving that matters. Recently I was purchasing powdered milk (for making granola, not drinking!) and upon comparing price per oz, realized that a box of individual serving packets was considerably cheaper per quart than the large box. Plus, it’s much easier to store. While some items really are a better deal when bought in bulk, many aren't!

Photo by cbcs

Away from home

2009-06-23T16:24:00.002-05:00

As those who have spent long periods of time staying with family or friends can testify, no matter how wonderful your hosts are (Joshua's family is awesome), before too long you get a hankering for home. Your home, with your schedule, your quirks and even your own dirty dishes.

Even with such accommodating family, it is difficult to assimilate into the much faster pace of life in a house full of people. Getting "stuff" done is more of a challenge and I've been struggling with feeling frustrated.

But whether I'm at home or not, my priorities should not change. Here, as at home, my first calling is to love the Lord, then to love and honor my husband, to train, love and enjoy my little girl and care for my growing son. No matter where I am, my job is to be wife and mother. Walking worthy of that vocation is the goal. The nice long list of "projects", while delightful parts of homemaking, are not essential. They are certainly not something to stress about.

As I focus on these simple priorities, it makes it much easier to enjoy the time. Our siblings are growing up so fast and whether it's spending time together weeding the garden, sitting around chatting or just watching a movie, it's such a special chance to get to know them better.

Plus, after growing up in a big family and watching my amazing mother guide the home, I get to observe first hand a whole different way of striving for the same goal of a happy, obedient, loving children and an orderly home.

Hopefully I can glean from her wisdom. :)

Photo by Johan Desoete

Daddy's Little Girl

2009-06-21T15:17:00.002-05:00

I know this is a bit late, but at last time to get on the computer and working internet have coincided. ;)

One of my earliest memories is of sitting with my daddy as he told me the stories of the Bible, from Adam to Christ. To this day I can still remember the pictures and his patient responses to my myriad of questions.

No matter how busy his day, he took time for each of us children. Time to read us a story, teach us chess (I still haven't beat him!), play outside and eat dinner together. As the years past, dinner time became the highlight of the day. It was around the table that we heard the latest news or discussed ideas. Before long we'd be passionately discussing the latest in politics, rehashing historical events, learning about a new scientific discovery or concluding dinner by breaking out the hymnals.

Growing up, I always knew I could go to my dad for wisdom, counsel or just to share a fun new discovery. For a little girl, there are few things more important than resting secure in your father's love, being able to trust him for counsel and knowing that he's devoted to your mom.

Having been blessed with such a wonderful relationship with my dad, I am doubly blessed to watch my little girl with her daddy: knowing that she too gets to grow up under the loving guidance of a godly man. There are few things more precious that an adoring daughter running in to see if daddy likes her new dress or waiting impatiently for him to get home from work. Yet how rare good daddies are!

Thank you to my daddy and my little girl's daddy.

College reflections

2009-06-17T20:26:00.002-05:00

Finally, years after opening that first study guide, I completed my college degree. Prolonged several times due to lengthy breaks, after Rosalind was born, I nearly decided not to finish. But with only five credit hours left, Joshua finally encouraged me just to get it done.

Though my original plan for obtaining a degree (teaching in China) has been pushed into the distant future, and at this point you do not need a college degree in order to home school, I am glad to have pursued it.

Having gone a less traveled route to earn the credit, I have been delighted to see just how many unique ways there are to learn a subject and obtain credit for it. Most majors (medical and hands-on science courses accepted, of course) really can be pursued away from a brick-and-mortar setting without jeopardizing the quality of the education- if you are willing to study diligently.

Both Joshua and I obtained our degrees through Excelsior College, one of the leading "distance learning" colleges. Distance learning operates under the assumption that what you know is more important that where you learned it and so makes use of a wide variety of standardized testing, portfolio assessments and online courses.

While non-traditional schooling certainly isn't for everyone, if your undergraduate degree is in the arts or is simply a stepping stone to graduate/law school (like it was for Joshua), I would highly recommend looking into it. Even for those who decide to go to a regular college, most schools allow you to test out of at least some of the gen. ed. classes.

There are many advantages to studying at home and then testing for a subject:

Cost- While many college graduates spend upwards of $20,000 for tuition, books and fees, the cost of getting a degree through a distance learning easily falls below $5,000. Add in the fact that much of the studying can be done while maintaining a full-time job (like Joshua did), and the savings are even more significant. Especially with our current unstable economy, the advantage in being able to graduate free from debt are very attractive.

Flexibility- Not only can you choose your own hours of study and testing, many of the lectures I used were audio only, allowing me to learn the history of Soviet Russia or medieval European literature while folding laundry and driving to the grocery store.

Time- Many self-disciplined students, by diligent study, have been able to obtain a bachelor's degree in two years or even one. While I was certainly not one of those students, per credit hour, I spent considerably less time mastering a subject when studying on my own than in a classroom setting.

Despite the benefits of distance learning, there are several major drawbacks when stepping outside of a brick-and-mortar colleges.

Motivation- "What if I'm not self-motivated?" many people have asked me. This is a problem, but in many cases, I think it isn't so much the lack of motivation that makes self-paced study difficult, but the lack of a good plan and tangible goal. This is certainly what kept me from getting my degree sooner. An option that several friends have utilized and enjoyed is College Plus. They offer Christian coaching to direct students in their distance learning endeavors

Online courses- A teacher makes the class a delight or horror, and this is especially true of online classes. Though all of my online teachers have been excellent, my brother took an English class in which the teacher didn't responds to questions and only graded one (out of half a dozen) assignment before finals were due, providing negligible feedback in a class that requires interaction between teacher and student. Apparently a few teachers think that online teaching means "not teaching".

Despite these drawbacks, I highly recommend distance learning.

For more specifics on means we utilized, see these posts:

College: the non-traditional way
College: the non-traditional way 2

_____________________________________________________

Linking to Frugal Fridays over at Life as Mom

photo by Mary Gober

Symbols and Children

2009-06-16T08:50:00.002-05:00

There comes a time in a girl's life when she realizes that Mama gets to wear a pretty ring and she doesn't. That time came for Rosalind about a month ago.

"Where Rose ring?" she asked, pointing to her empty finger. And then came the time to explain, to a toddler, the meaning of the ring. "This ring means that Papa loves me and promises to protect and provide for me; and that he will be a good Papa to our children-to our little Rose."

A sagacious nod. Now she points to my hand and says with a wise look in her eyes, "That's Papa ring."

Since Joshua and I began attending a more liturgical church, I've often pondered the reason for liturgy and symbols and repeated acts of worship. Why do we pray the Lord's Prayer, confess the ancient creeds of the church and take the Lord's supper? For that matter, why do we pray before eating or going to bed? Does repeating a ceremony daily, weekly, yearly make it mere rote?

Certainly not! Though we certainly can mumble a prayer before dinner just because that's what "good people" do, the most important aspects of life are commemorated by thoughtful traditions. Dinner prayers to remind us that all is a gift from God, communion to reflect on the mercy of Christ, the creeds to remember the basic beliefs of Christ's followers and a wedding ring to symbolize the union of husband and wife...

After God commanded the Israelite people to keep the passover, He said, "And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.’" (Exodus 13:14)

Not only are symbols a reminder to us of the covenants God has made with us, or we with one another, and an encouragement to be faithful in them, but they open the door through tangible examples to teach our children. How beautiful the simple sacred symbols are!

photo by J. Chris Photography

The greatest drama

2009-06-14T14:20:00.001-05:00

"That God should play the tyrant over man is a dismal story of unrelieved oppression; that man should play the tyrant over man is the usual dreary record of human futility; but that man should play the tyrant over God and find him a better man than himself is an astonishing drama indeed."

"This is the dogma we find so dull-- this terrifying drama of which God is the victim and hero."

"In any case, those who saw this risen Christ remained persuaded that life was worth living and death a triviality--an attitude curiously unlike that of the modern defeatist, who is firmly persuaded that life is a disaster and death (rather inconsistently) a major catastrophe. "

from "The Greatest Drama Ever Staged"
by Dorothy Sayers

photo by Aneta Blaszczyk

My two year old

2009-06-10T08:41:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I simply can't get over the fact that I get to be your mommy. You are such a joy, but are growing up way too fast!

Favorite color: "Yeyow"
Favorite foods: Oatmeal, olives, green beans, broccoli and tomatoes. Once you refused a cookie because you were eating a tomato.

Interests: You love your dollies, flowers, animals (from a distance) and trucks.
Favorite song: "Jesus" (Jesus loves me)

Endearing habits: Instead of saying "I love you", you say, "Yes-a-Mama" and pull my face to yours for a kiss.
When you get your hair fixed, try on new clothes or wear your favorite outfit, you want to show Papa and ask, "Papa, pitty [pretty]?"
Favorite outfit: the apple dress

Animal sounds: You have most of them down, but insist that the horse says "yee-haw" and all elephants say "Roll Tide!"

Sweet sayings:
"Mama, hold you!"

"Dat truck....big truck...YEYOW TRUCK!"

"Baby. Boy. Wiyum!" you say while patting my tummy. Then ask "Baby Ro-Ro tummy?"

"Cuddle Mama. Kisses?"

"Pitty...kute...niiiiiice!"

You are terribly afraid of the vacuum cleaner. In an attempt to overcome your fear, one night you put yourself to sleep saying "Nice 'vuum. Nice 'vuum." It didn't work.

I love you darling!

Many thanks to your Aunt Crystal for the awesome pictures!

Man and Wife

2009-06-10T01:58:00.004-05:00

What a whirlwind weekend--or rather week. The trip to Colorado was both terribly long and sadly short. The hours in the van definitely seeming the longest.

But after years of waiting, Chris and Bethany are finally married... and the family grows once again! The wedding was gorgeous and passed without a hitch. ;)

a few wedding snapshots

a family photo

We headed back to Missouri with a moving truck in tow and arrived "home" five o'clock Monday morning, only to discover that the power was out in half the house and the freezers not so very frozen. It was a late night!

The rest of Monday was spent moving and unloading the truck at our little house in Republic. One brother moved out and another in.

After catching up on some sleep, life is finally settling back into normal again. :)

It's easy

2009-06-07T14:12:00.000-05:00

"It's easy to be an angel if no one ruffles your feather."

~Unknown

Heading out

2009-06-03T22:19:00.000-05:00

It's been a very busy around here. Last weekend, Joshua and I staffed a booth at a home school conference for good friends. Since then the time has been full of wedding prep, a birthday celebration and packing.

Tonight we're all loading up in the van to head out to Colorado for Joshua's brother's wedding. It's going to be another busy weekend! Much as I'm looking forward to the wedding, I can hardly wait to get back "home" and develop a somewhat normal routine for the summer.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Two years ago...

2009-06-02T13:39:00.000-05:00

...we welcomed our sweet little Rosebud into the world. What a difference one little life can make in a home. What a joy the sweet coos, pattering feet and tiny helping hands are!

The days are passing all too quickly, but how grateful I am to get to watch my little girl grow up and witness all the joys and discoveries that childhood brings! Happy Birthday darling daughter.

Rebates and Receipts

2009-05-28T16:02:00.001-05:00

Recently I began paying the bills (one less thing for Joshua to do while studying) and quickly learned a few important lessons.

Submit rebates immediately: the longer you wait, the greater the likelihood of forgetting entirely or waiting until it's too late. Then that great deal is no longer so great.

Keep track of those rebates: I didn't realize how important this was until just recently and am beginning to get a bit suspicious. Has anyone else had trouble with their rebates lately?

I submitted a rebate for a phone in January and by the end of March still hadn't received it. After a quick phone call they told me they had already sent it. It hadn't arrived. I asked if they could check and see if it had been used (perhaps it got stolen??) and was told that "we have no way of tracking rebates." Huh? When I called to request another one, I didn't have to prove a thing... but finally received my rebate.

About a month later, after submitting another rebate, I received a letter saying we didn't qualify (even though we did). A 2-minute phone call later and the rebate was in the mail. The exact same thing happened to a good friend.

So even though it might be a bit of a hassle, it's definitely worth keeping track of rebates. A five minute call is worth $100 to me.

Pay bills online: Not only does it save a stamp, but makes it very easy to pay immediately and keep track of fluctuations from month to month.

Hang on to receipts: ...for all those times when your word simply isn't enough. When switching internet services, I made sure to cancel our original provider before the next billing cycle began-which included a last minute trip to return the "box". I hate hanging on to extra pieces of paper, and since I wouldn't need to return anything, why bother?

A few weeks later a bill arrived from the old company for the new month. The customer service rep said, "well, it looks like you didn't cancel until the 13th and the new cycle started on the 4th."

"But I checked to see when the cycle began and specifically canceled before it."

"Well, the computer says you didn't cancel."

"I did cancel and we certainly didn't use your internet service after the 4th. Is there nothing you can do?"

"No, but you can pay the bill before it's late," she answered rather rudely.

...and then I remembered the receipt (which I'd reluctantly filed). What a difference it made.

"Oh, I am so sorry. I'll take care of that right away. There must have been a mistake in the recording. Please disregard the bill. So sorry for the trouble."

_____________________________________________________

Linking to Frugal Fridays over at Life as Mom

photo by lusi

No Procrastination Wednesday

2009-05-27T14:13:00.011-05:00

Joshua's in town studying and the rest of the family is gone for the day, so I get to spend a day alone with my little girl: listening to her sing, feeding the chickens together and even explaining why I can't take a turn on the little slide.

Much as I love time spent with our families, I've missed getting to hog her every smile, claim each kiss, listen to all her chatter and have her beside me the entire day. Especially with a new edition to our family on the way, each moment together is such a treasure to cherish!

But rather than cuddle up next to her for a nap, it is definitely time to tackle projects that need to get done and a few I've been procrastinating on for a while. Time for another No Procrastination Wednesday!

Determine the best option for William's birth and set up an appointment
Upload a video of Rose to Vimeo
Transfer the domain name for the blog
Start a train wall-hanging for William (sometime this coming week)
Figure out why our mail is not forwarding and fix it
List Joshua's old law school books on Amazon

Two little princesses

2009-05-26T18:23:00.001-05:00

We're at my family's house for a couple days. Rosalind and "Aunt" Kathryn have been having such a wonderful time together. It's so fun watching two generations playing side by side!

"Can we do it?" Getting ready to go down the slide together

Forget the stars! Let's go "cow gazing"

Just before nap time it got dangerously quiet... the little girls had crawled into Kathryn's bed and were "seeping" quite happily.

Scripture Memory

2009-05-26T15:50:00.002-05:00

One of my goals for this year was to spend more time memorizing. Or rather, to start memorizing Scripture again.

Especially with another little one on the way, I've realized the importance of this goal. Life with two children will certainly pick up speed and having Scriptures to meditate on at two in the morning will be such a blessing. :)

Before Rosalind was born, when life seemed to have less interruptions, it was easier for me to find time to memorize. But for the last couple years, I really struggled making it a priority.

As I've started to memorize again, there are several things that I have found really helpful.

Set a reasonable goal: rather than starting out the year intent on memorizing a verse a day, only to give up in despair by the end of the month, pick something that will be challenging but very realistic, taking into account the unexpected twists and turns of life.
Write it out: whether in calligraphy to hang on the wall or on a scrap of paper, writing it down makes it much easier to remember.
Use the odd moments: waiting to get the oil changed or rocking the little one to sleep, there are so many times throughout the day that can be snatched and used.
Be accountable: even with all the busyness of law school and finals, my dear husband offered to memorize with me. Not only does it make it much more fun, but memorizing with a friend is certainly good motivation.
Remembering why: Right after the first of the year, the nausea and extreme exhaustion of early pregnancy hit and for the next two and a half months I only memorized the first four verses of Hebrews. But what wonderful verses they are! Really, you could spend a whole year thinking about just those four verses. And that of course is the goal, not to cross a chapter off the list, but to have Scriptures to ponder.

What have you found helpful for Scripture memory?

photo by H Dominique Abed

William update

2009-05-25T21:07:00.001-05:00

Sorry this is so late--we've been having internet issues. :)

A pound and a half! How quickly a baby grows: I can hardly believe our son is 25 weeks along already.

Our just-before-leaving Doctor's appointment brought good news. William is healthy, adorable and growing well. The blood results from last time all came back with negative antibody screenings, eliminating one major cause of concern. And though it isn't possible to tell for certain, from what the Doctor could see the placenta has not attached to the uterine wall yet. God has certainly been answering prayers!

We will be having more tests as the due date arrives that should help us find out more definitely, but are so grateful things look to be going so well. Know we are trying to determine what course would be best here in Missouri. Safety is obviously the first concern, but if we aren't as high risk as was first thought, it might open up more options. We would certainly appreciate your prayers for wisdom!

The burst of energy I had after the first trimester passed seems to be waning, but hopefully it is just from all the busyness and adjustments of moving.

Since I am beginning to show more, it has made the concept of a baby a little easier for Rosalind to comprehend...now if only she would hold still long enough to feel him moving! But whether she understands fully or not, Rose is so excited about having a baby brother and I can hardly wait!

Missouri!

2009-05-22T10:42:00.002-05:00

As soon as we finished our Doctor's appointment last Friday (update coming soon), we loaded up the car to head to Missouri for the summer. Somehow Joshua fit all our summer necessities, a big box full of law books, the printer, laptops and scrapbooking stuff in our little Honda Civic. I was quite impressed!

It has been wonderful getting to spend time with our families again... and escape the sweltering southern summer! Now we are all settled in to Joshua's parent's lovely guest bedroom and are adjusting to life away from home... the challenge being to maintain some structure and family time when it's just too fun getting to play with all her aunts and uncles.

After a week the camera finally managed to make its way out of the case for a few pictures:

Mac was busy doing school, so Rose pulled up a chair and joined him

Going to look at the pigs with Daniel

It's going to be like having big brothers (and sisters) for the summer. She's loving it!

Reflections for a Rainy Day...

2009-05-17T14:00:00.001-05:00

"It is half atheism to murmur against Nature, for Nature is God's commissioner."

"Keep me therefore, O my gracious God, in such a proportion of both strengths, as I may still have something to thank thee for, which I have received, and still something to pray for and ask at thy hand."

~ John Donne
from Devotions upon Emergent Occasions

photo by Doc

Around the blogosphere

2009-05-15T20:54:00.005-05:00

Blogging advice from a professional: From how to boost content to instructions for increasing page ranking, Scribbit's new free e-book "Blogging in Pink", covers it all. (Be careful though--you might stay up past midnight reading it!)

International Mama's post about Priority Adjustments was just the encouragement I needed.

Charming or practical is the question posed at The Homespun Heart. Just the pictures of Monica's lovely picnic are enough to inspire those who lean to the more practical side (like me) to attempt the charming.

Laura at Heavenly Homemakers shared a humorous tip about the most obvious way to save money.

Just for fun: Firearm Salesman of the Year

photo by Samuel Rosa

An Insulting Burglary

2009-05-14T11:38:00.001-05:00

While beginning the task of packing for the summer, I started to worry about leaving our home for such a long time. What if someone breaks in while we're gone? I quickly realized however, that there wouldn't be much to tempt a burglar. We don't have a flat screen tv, any consoles or video games, antique collections or ipods and we've experienced first hand a burglar's opinion of our musical tastes.

The laptops, my two pieces of expensive jewelry and the scrapbooks are coming with us. Scrapbooks are on the most stolen list, right?

Hmmmm... maybe I shouldn't worry. ;)

Until a year and a half ago, we hardly gave burglars a second thought. Then on Christmas Eve when we went to get in the car for a morning service, the passenger door was slightly ajar. Looking inside, the seats were covered in papers from the glove box and a gaping whole replaced the car stereo. Not exactly the best Christmas present--for us at least.

To make it even worse, we noticed that the burglar had rummaged through the cds in the car. But as we put them all back it was clear that not a single one had been stolen. How insulting! What's wrong with Gilbert & Sullivan, Ray Vaughn William's orchestral arrangments or operas, pray tell?

After that, we religiously locked our car...until one night two weeks later. And once again we had a visit. Apparently, the burglar was looking for the remote. He didn't find it. Rosalind had claimed it as her own personal phone and hardly parted from it for months.

Nothing seemed to be stolen, but when we got to church and reached for the box of Altoids, we realized we hadn't escaped unscathed. He stole our Altoids. Of all the nerve!

Moral of the story: Buy Altoids, but lock your car doors.

Note to would-be burglars: We're even taking the Altoids with us. Sorry! Interested in Constitutional Law? We are leaving a few textbooks.

photo by Penny Mathews

Getting ready...

2009-05-14T09:17:00.001-05:00

Or The day after which I procrastinated...

It's been a busy week. At about five o'clock on Tuesday, Joshua finished his last exam for the year. I can scarcely believe that the first year of law school is over: the dreaded, grueling, sleep-deprived first year is really done!

While the warnings that he would be studying 'til 3 (or 6) in the morning have certainly been fulfilled many times, looking back it has been a good year.

Not just a year to make me proud of my dear husband, but one in which our relationship has deepened, our baby has grown up and wonderful new friendships have been cultivated. A year of trusting and learning to accept "no" and of being established as our own little family.

We celebrated and went out for barbecue for the first time since moving down (we're not the best Southerners yet, I'm afraid.)

Since then we've just been enjoying time as a family and tackling the last few cleaning projects. I'm afraid some of the things on my list just won't get done. Oh well, it's time to get packing....

Swagbucks

2009-05-12T10:19:00.005-05:00

Swagbucks--it's all over the web. But if you don't currently use it, it is basically just a search engine that awards you points for searches you run. The search results are practically the same as from Google or other search engines only you get rewarded with points: usually one to three a day.

Every 45 points can be redeemed for a $5 Amazon gift card (there are tons of other prizes too of course). You don't have to do anything special except search through their site.

I've simply made Swagbucks my home page* and run my searches through them. What a simple way to save money! :)

*They have both a classic and an "ad-filled" home page version. I'd pick the classic. ;)

Simplifying the Wardrobe

2009-05-11T22:41:00.006-05:00

As I've been getting Rosalind's room ready for the addition of a little brother, I've been trying to find ways to keep it open and uncrowded feeling. One major area of challenge is the dresser. It's so easy when you have space to fill it up--especially when you're blessed with generous grandparents, lots of darling hand-me downs and great garage sale finds.

But preparing to welcome another child into our little home makes simplifying all the more alluring.

A simple goal: I'm a mom. I want my little girl to be dressed cute and "girlie" and I don't want to have to wash laundry every day. ;) But it certainly doesn't take a dresser full of clothes or half a dozen pairs of shoes to accomplish this!

While sorting through her summer clothes and determining what she'll need for the winter (so I can shop garage sales), a few questions came to mind.

How many messy is your child? Rose can easily go through two or three outfits a day (and I know sons are even messier), but usually it is more like one or two outfits daily. And of course, if it isn't dirty, don't wash it!

How often do you do laundry? I have two days each week that are "empty laundry basket" days (even if it does only last five minutes), so she needs less clothes than if I catch up on laundry just once a week.

And finally, using need in the loosest sense possible, What clothes does my child need to be presentable, cute and clean?

Here is the simple list that I compiled for Rosalind. Any suggestions would be very welcome!

Dress clothes: Two or three outfits.
Everyday clothes: Seven or eight outfits. Since Rosalind has been given so many adorable jumpers/sundresses these two categories tend to overlap. I can't bear to only let her wear them to church. :) Oh well!
Pajamas: Especially in the summer I don't think they're necessary. Rosalind usually just wears a fresh comfortable play outfit or onesie (that I can throw a jumper or overalls on top of in the morning) or else a comfortable but slightly-too-small outfit from last year. In the winter a couple warm snugly pairs are great.
Shoes: dress shoes and a pair for everyday play (if they're neutral all the better!)
For girls: Hair bands, ribbons and bows. Perhaps the simplest difference between unkempt and tidy is simply making sure hair isn't covering the eyes.
Summer fun: Swimwear, "wet shoes" and a sunhat or two.
Winter warmth: Jacket, gloves, hat and winter boots.
...and bibs: Twenty or thirty might be enough.

Links to: the Simple Mom's spring cleaning projects
and Works for me Wedensdays

Perfection

2009-05-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

Question 114. But can those who are converted to God perfectly keep these commandments?

Answer: No: but even the holiest men, while in this life, have only a small beginning of this obedience; yet so, that with a sincere resolution they begin to live, not only according to some, but all the commandments of God.

Question 115. Why will God then have the ten commandments so strictly preached, since no man in this life can keep them?

Answer: First, that all our lifetime we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature, and thus become the more earnest in seeking the remission of sin, and righteousness in Christ; likewise, that we constantly endeavour and pray to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit, that we may become more and more conformable to the image of God, till we arrive at the perfection proposed to us, in a life to come.

Selection from the Heidelberg Catechism read at church yesterday

photo by chris wheatley

The Gift of Grandmothers

2009-05-09T15:25:00.001-05:00

Much has been said about the importance of godly mothers in the training of children, but not nearly as much about godly grandmothers. But what a blessing they are and how much easier it makes said training when the grandmothers stand beside and support you!

"Spoiling the grand kids rotten" seems to be the ideal of many Western grandparents. While Rosalind has most certainly been spoiled by her two wonderful grandmas, I'm so grateful that it's been in a way that helps, not hinders her training.

Involved beyond the short term:

It's not uncommon for parents to welcome home their children after a weekend at the grandparent's only to find them loaded with candy, begging for more and more tv and running completely wild. As I overheard one grandma say, "I only have them for the weekend, so I might as well spoil them."

While a bit of candy (especially chocolate ;), or an occasional good movie are great, I'm so grateful that Rosalind's are involved beyond the short term and focus on making memories with her that surpass candy and popcorn.

And to have grandmas that actually reinforce the training received at home--that's so rare! But time and again they've encouraged her to "listen to Mama right away" or "run obey with a happy face".

A repertoire of wisdom:

Having both raised large family themselves, they have such wisdom to share with me. It's such a blessing to be able to call up when I need advice on what to do about her fever, help for some aspect of child-training or just plain encouragement. And even when I do things differently than they did, they are still so supportive.

Gifts, gifts, gifts:

Shortly before Rosalind was born I asked the grandparents if they'd mind not showering her with noisy flashy toys. (Since children generally make enough noise on their own! ;) I'd far rather have a few good quality toys that will last for many years than a room overflowing with cheap plastic ones.

Ahem...well, she's been showered with more than a few toys, but each gift has been so thoughtful and well-loved. From the cutest baby quilt ever to the sweet dollies (and stroller!), beautiful books, and well-loved train they've helped make her room a little girl's haven or provided countless hours of creative fun.

Oh and the clothes!!! Between hand-me-downs and surprise packages in the mail, I've hardly had to buy a thing for Rosalind.

Thank you! While Rose certainly has been spoiled, it's been in the best possible way. Grandma and Nonnie--you are such an incredible blessing! Thanks for being such wonderful Mothers and Grandmothers.

And thanks to all the other godly grandmothers as well. We need far more like you!

Since Rosalind can't give you the pretty "flowers" she picked (with the stems!!), she at least wanted you to see a picture of them.

Links to: Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers

Devotions on Emergent Occasions

2009-05-08T09:00:00.002-05:00

If each era has its own preoccupation, it would be safe to say that ours is not death. Modern medicine, longevity and no World War on our front steps have made it easy to pass by this important part of life, making this book written centuries ago by John Donne all the more timely.

Written while on his sickbed, this collection of devotions cover 23 different aspects of sickness and death. Whether it be "the consultation of the doctors" or "upon hearing the church bells ringing" Donne first ponders the topic, weaving an argument that draws the attention to the goodness of God, then expostulates upon it and closes with a prayer.

My favorite meditations have been on sleepless nights and the ringing of the church bells. Rather than complaining about wakeful nights, Donne turns them into a chance to meditate upon the sleep of the beloved. Why does God not grant him this sleep? Is he not among the beloved? After many lovely twists he ends by turning the cry of the beloved "I sleep, but my heart wakes" to "I wake, but my heart sleeps." Concluding that though God has not granted him the quiet repose of the body, his soul sleeps peacefully in the love and will of God.

"No man is an island, entire to himself....therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee... every man's death diminishes me" These famous lines are in reference to the common 17th century practice of ringing the church bell when someone fell dangerously sick or died. Rather than sending to ask for whom it rang, he used it as a reminder of the imminence of death to each one of us and occasion to plead for the soul of the departing . We are all part of frail humanity and every occasion to ponder the brevity of life should be taken with gratitude.

In this way, Donne repeatedly takes each trial and hope of sickness and impending death and turns it into a chance for meditation.

photo by Federico Belloli

No Procrastination Wednesday : All for Rose

2009-05-06T06:00:00.003-05:00

How the days are flying by! Less than a week now 'til finals and the first year of law school are over.

The Master List is slowly dwindling, but there is still so much left to do before we leave.

Time for a new set of "No Procrastination" goals. I so love the accountability of posting goals. Anyone care to join me? Today I'm going to tackle Rosalind's room and wardrobe.

~~Fix bumpers~~ (as you can see from the pictures, they tend to bunch up in the middle)
~~Finish shirt and make capris~~ (the shirt is done, but I decided she doesn't need the capris--or rather, that I just don't have the time to make them)
~~Go through Rosalind's clothes and make a list of winter clothes she'll need~~
~~Wash stroller thoroughly~~
Find a good natural bug spray for Rosalind that works (mosquitoes love her)
~~Record scriptures/catechism questions for Rosalind~~

Hopefully it won't take me all week this time!

Procrastination update ;)

2009-05-05T20:46:00.002-05:00

My procrastination projects turned into a week long affair with one project leading to another. First on the list was to tackle the cupboards and counters: my goal being to clear everything off my little counter but the coffee maker.

My little helper

Even with the limited cupboard space, I was able to clear out a decent pile of stuff that I didn't use often enough to warrant keeping, creating plenty of room for the displaced Kitchenaid. Then, to my delight, a thorough rearrangement of the spice cupboard created space for the spice rack.

Above the stove is much more practical than by the sink

...which means I don't need extra shelves added. This is great since I'd either have to disturb Joshua's study time right before finals to have him cut and install them for me or end up in the ER with a missing finger when I attempted to use the saw myself.

After getting the kitchen de-cluttered, we headed over to Candace's house for a "scrapbooking morning"; which turned into an impromptu sewing party instead. She had the cutest pattern for a girl's sunhat which she let me use (as well as her material and sewing machine since I hadn't planned on sewing). It was so fun to finally sew something for my little princess! Thanks Candace!

Modeling her new hat... and my Crocs

On the way home we stopped to pick up material for curtains and napkins, but arrived home empty-handed. Maybe I'll just make the shirt for Rose instead, I thought. After getting things cut I went searching for interfacing. Where was that box of sewing stuff? Oh yeah...buried in a box behind the couch. After pulling it out I realized that I actually had material in the box too. But in a box behind the couch is rather hard to get to. So I reorganized the hall closet to make room...

better than behind the couch, methinks!

...while organizing the material, I found a bit of fabric that would work great for napkins...

...never mind the fact that there was only enough for two!

Then back to sewing for Rosalind. I've really enjoyed getting to sew something for her at last, but it sure has taken me longer to finish.

I still haven't made curtains, but just love my "new counter".

Links to: Tackle it Tuesday and Talk about it Tuesday

Coconut success and menu plan

2009-05-04T15:03:00.006-05:00

Sometimes I feel like a little kid when I open up the jar of coconut oil. For some silly reason, I'm always curious to know just how solid or liquid it will be this time. It melts and hardens so quickly depending on the temperature of the room it could almost work as a thermostat.

Anyway, in an effort to completely clear out the freezer and fridge before leaving, I haven't gone shopping at all the last few weeks except for the few perishable necessities like milk and veggies. I had no idea how much food I'd managed to cram into the freezer!

As I whipped up some creamed chicken to serve over biscuits I realized that we just had one and a half sticks of butter left (and no shortening in the cupboard). What should I do? I really didn't want to use it up now. Then, remembering how solid coconut oil is when refrigerated for a few minutes I decided to give it a try...and even found a recipe for coconut oil biscuits . Joshua didn't notice a difference at all and if anything I thought they were a bit more flaky than butter biscuits.

Besides cooking, Lindsay has a great list of other things to do with coconut oil that I've been slowly trying. I've begun using it as a facial lotion after showering and have finally found something natural which leaves my face feeling moisturized that Joshua actually likes. ;) Her simple deodorant recipe also works way better than any of the over-priced natural kinds --without the dangerous ingredients found in regular deodorant.

Back to the kitchen: I was excited to find that we have the perfect amount of food left in the freezer for easy-to-prepare dinners until we leave. As Rosalind would say, "yaaaay!" ;)

Breakfasts:

Cinnamon rolls and eggs
Pumpkin bread
Blueberry coffee cake
Yogurt smoothies
Applesauce muffins
Eggs, bacon and hash browns
Cereal (hopefully we can empty all the open boxes!)

Dinners

Skillet chops with mashed potatoes and gravy
Chicken enchiladas
Bratwursts
Leftover fennel and white bean soup
Hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes
Springfield-style cashew chicken
Leftover lentil rice casserole
Brats fried in a potato skillet
Hamburger noodle toss
Baked potato bar

For many many menu plans go here.

photo by tarin janjobkatt

"Not yet gleaming in glory"

2009-05-03T14:00:00.001-05:00

"This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health, but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not yet finished, but it is going on, this is not the end, but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified."

~Martin Luther

photo by ehsan namavar

this lovely quote was shared last week in church.

Pregnancy favorites...

2009-04-30T17:13:00.001-05:00

What a blessing it is to be pregnant now, compared to even a hundred years ago!

Just consider all the advances in medicine. In the 1800's, I, like so many other mothers today, probably wouldn't have survived childbirth. Nowadays, the focus is not only on safety, but comfort too.

How spoiled we pregnant women are today. ;) There's safe sleeping pills and cute maternity clothes and birthing balls and nursing pillows and the list goes on and on! A few of my favorites are.

Ginger gum- A few weeks ago, Joshua came home from an errand with a package of gum. But not just any kind, this ginger gum was designed for nausea. And, it certainly works for me. Any time I begin to feel really nauseous I grab a piece and the strong burst of ginger does wonders. Almost immediately my stomach starts to settle and I soon feel much better. Ginger has long been hailed for helping with nausea (and a recent clinical report confirms its beneficial effect). I'm so grateful they've put it into a form that's a bit easier to take than a spoonful of minced ginger. ;)

Fish oil- Because the omega 3 fatty acids, DHAs and EPAs found in fish oil have been shown to help brain development in the baby, many doctors now recommend that pregnant women take it: as long as it's pure, high quality, mercury-free fish oil--not the cheap stuff at Wal-mart.

So I went to the health food store in search of high quality fish oil. There was quite a selection that met the requirements, but one made the bold assertion: tastes great! Naturally, I was quite suspicious. Fish oil tastes great? Whatever! But being somewhat nauseous already, I decided to give it a try. And, it does!! Someone came up with the brilliant idea of adding a very strong natural citrus-scented "fresh lock" in with the gel caps which masks the otherwise very strong odor excellently. Oh! I really think they should receive a "grateful pregnant woman's award".

One Word of Warning: don't let your toddler into the bottle. The odor of popped pills lasts a long long time and through many a laundering. Trust me.

Peace Treaty- Though I'm not the one taking it, this has been a life-saver. About a month ago, Rosalind decided to start skipping her naps. I'd put her in her bed and she'd just lay there singing for an hour...then pop up and play with her dollies. But by 5:00 she was so cranky that I was counting down the hours 'til bedtime.

While we were up for Spring Break, Joshua's mom handed me a bottle of herbs she thought might help. Enter Peace Treaty: a small spoonful of the stuff and within fifteen minutes Rose was sound asleep. In the month since then, I've tried not giving it to her and she almost invariably skips her nap. Though a bit pricey, it just takes a small amount. I think a bottle for a years worth of naps well worth it!

Unisom- Speaking of sleeping aids, Unisom is wonderful! My midwife first recommended it after Rosalind was born and I was having difficulty sleeping--half a pill later and Joshua had to carry me to bed. Not only is it safe to take while pregnant and nursing, the pill version even helps with nausea!

See more "Friday favorites" here.
photo by chris27

No Procrastination Wednesday : Kitchen Time

2009-04-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

Perspective is everything, right?

After visiting the law school and deciding this was where we wanted to be, we had approximately three hours and forty three minutes to look for a new home.

We found a little place and signed a lease. It's small, but I love it...all except the cramped old kitchen. I hoped we would find the ideal home for next year, but being gone all summer and having a baby made moving quite impractical. Plus, any home that we looked at that was even comparable in size (much less bigger) was significantly more expensive.

Since we are staying, it is high time to make the kitchen a place I enjoy.

The biggest problem was how completely cramped it was. We squeezed the table in, but there was only room for one to sit. For breakfast, I'd sit on the washing machine and then for dinner we'd drag the highchair and all the plates, utensils and food into the living room. With a toddler, you can imagine how often I had to vacuum. ;)

So, I talked to the property manager about removing the dishwasher (which I've never once used--the washing machine took the water hook-up since it was definitely a higher priority) and to my surprise she happily agreed.

It makes for even less counter space, but I feel like royalty eating at the table again. Plus, now that the table is more accessible, it doubles as my new counter.

Why did I wait nine months to ask?? Rather than waiting another nine months to finish getting it the way I want, I'd say I better tackle it now!

To do:

Spray paint shelves and add them to the left of the stove
Clear out the spice cupboard and place spices on shelf
Reorganize and de-clutter cupboards to make room for KitchenAid (which was sitting on the dishwasher)
Make curtains (what is with me and curtains??)
Make matching napkins

Guess how much I love you...

2009-04-28T19:55:00.000-05:00

Just had to get a picture, for memories sake. I told Joshua I'm preparing for old age and will be quite used to taking lots of vitamins.

Most of them are to make sure that William gets enough nutrients since the embolization after Rosalind's birth could cause a restriction of nutrients. Sure seems to be working! He's growing really well. Thank you Lord!

Joys of Motherhood

2009-04-27T18:23:00.003-05:00

Wind rustles the tree's blossoms, sending a shower of fragrant petals dancing across the yard. Laughingly Rosalind bends to pick a flower, clapping her hands in glee. Could life be more delightful?

Ten months after our wedding, we were proud parents of a tiny Rosebud. In my dreams of a family, I had always pictured myself with many little ones, fairly close together. But month after month passed. Hearing of a friend or acquaintance with her first two so close together, a twang of jealousy beat. Why must pregnancy be so complicated sometimes?

But delightful as it is to have siblings close in age, the One who gives children also decides when to give them and His plan is best.

As my first baby blossoms into a little girl, I've realized what a joy it is to get to watch her enter the toddler stage without any distractions. Each morning brings a fresh adventure, alive with new delights and discoveries that I get to share just with her. Whether it is the thrill of picking flowers for her room, disturbing an ant pile and watching the scurry to repair the invasion, stepping outside just before bed to gaze at the stars or observing her sit in rapt attention silently staring at the falling rain, the innocent amazement of a child wraps the whole world in wonder for me too.

How can I doubt that He who created each delicate flower and placed the stars in their place knows what it best for me and mine? Can I forget my little child? Much less would He forget me.

As eagerly as I am awaiting the arrival of our son, these toddler days are slipping by so quickly. I am determined to enjoy each day alone with my little girl to the fullest, grateful that though "God's ways are not my ways," His ways are best.

See more "Gratituesday" posts here.

Makin' a List

2009-04-27T15:24:00.011-05:00

Just two weeks left 'til Joshua's first year of law school is over. How quickly the time has flown by!

Once he's done, we'll be heading up to Missouri to spend the summer with family while Joshua works and volunteers. The plan is to have our son up there, so Rosalind and I won't be heading back home 'til our little family has grown.

And then it hit me... that means anything I want done here before William arrives needs to be finished now!

While I hope to tackle many of these things the next two "No Procrastination Wednesdays" there's plenty to keep me busy for the fortnight. Perhaps I'm being a bit ambitious, but posting the list will be a good motivation to work diligently on it. ;)

Early nesting:

Replace screen on front porch
~~Add shelves in kitchen~~(Don't need too! I was able to clear out enough space without them. :)
~~Thoroughly de-clutter the kitchen~~
Make curtains for the kitchen
~~Wash stroller thoroughly~~
~~Clear out unnecessary chemical cleaners~~
~~Fix bumper pads~~
~~Go through Rosalind's clothes to determine what she needs for next winter~~(if recovery this time is anything like after her birth, I will not want to be out shopping)
~~Make master list of favorite meals to help with menu planning upon return~~

Other projects:

~~Potty train Rosalind~~ (she's still in a diaper for nap/night time, but that's something we can work on over the summer)
Completely clear out freezer and fridge
~~Order pictures~~
Make swimsuit cover for me
~~Find swimsuit for Rosalind~~ (Thanks Candace!)
~~Make sunhat for Rosalind~~ (Thanks again Candace!)
~~Make capris and shirt for Rosalind to finish out her summer wardrobe~~ (the shirt's done, and her sweet Nonny already has a brown pair of capris waiting for her... so glad, 'cause I'm running out of time! :)
Get Kitchen Aid fixed
~~Record scriptures/catechism questions for Rosalind~~
Finish reading "Wars of the Jews" and "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions"
Find a good natural bug spray for Rosalind that works (mosquitoes love her)

Preparing for return:

Get supplies for a fall garden ready (vermiculite, seeds, planters)
~~Iron all of Joshua's clothes~~
~~Stock up on paper goods, personal goods and non-perishable snack for Joshua~~

Catechism: "What God made?"

2009-04-25T22:12:00.000-05:00

Rosalind just woke up from a nice long nap and is entertaining herself with a series questions:

"What Ro-Ro [Rosalind] made?" (pause)
"What God made? Fowers. Sun. Moon.
"Where sun?" Dere sun-owside!

I am constantly amazed by how quickly children pick up on things. A few weeks ago, after noticing how Rosalind loved asking and answering her own questions, Joshua said we should start catechizing her.

Our pastor's wife gave me a copy of the little catechism book she used for her daughter. It's certainly not the Westminster Shorter Catechism, but the perfect place to start--a "baby version". :)

Rosalind loves it. Before going to bed, she'll repeatedly try to say the answers. The first question was easy: "Who made you?" -- "God". We're still stuck on the second: "What else did God make?" The answer is four whole words long. "God made all things."

Even if she still jumbles the answer completely, it's delightful to watch her thinking about the question and grasping the concept.

photo by Erik Aroujo

It's been a good day...

2009-04-23T22:42:00.003-05:00

Okay, okay. It isn't Wednesday anymore, but oh well! I finally got my list whittled down. :)

Last Friday when we went in for our doctor's visit, a sweet friend watched Rosalind (all day) for me. Yesterday, we swapped and her little girl came over for the morning. I just love "swapping babies" with other moms!

I didn't get much done on my list yesterday afternoon thanks to a nice long nap, but was able to conquer it today.

Our little compost can

After lots of research, I decided to go with a trash can composter. (Or as Rosalind call it, the "funny trash"). Not only does it contain the mess well, but keeps the animals out. It's amazingly easy to set up--- and cheap too! I'm excited to see how it works.

While picking up the trash can, I got a curtain rod. Finally. After eight months we have curtains in our living room. :) Yay!

Meanwhile, Rose has been doing her part to "go green"-- She's loving potty training and doing such a good job.

No Procrastination: "Green Edition"

2009-04-21T23:27:00.005-05:00

cards from last week's "No Procrastination Wednesday"

"Green" and "carbon neutral" products are such a fad these days that it's hard to walk down the street without some reminder to recycle, be carbon neutral, buy earth-friendly products or even invest in reusable toilet paper that you can bleach. (wasn't bleach the ultimate evil a few years ago?)

As a Christian I am glad for the concern for the world God created, but the extreme frenzy made over the newest ideas can be ridiculous. A few decades ago people feared a global cooling! How much of the hype is a money making operation, I wonder? For example, have you noticed that recycled paper costs more now than regular because it's recycled?

As pointed out

We all know how trendy “green” and “eco-friendly” products are these days. What makes me chuckle is how most people think these can only be acquired by large expenditures of cash — like the more you spend, the more environmentally responsible you are. (see full article here)

While being good stewards is vital, God gave placed man on earth to enjoy and take dominion over it. Today people are often considered the problem and we aren't protecting the animals enough.

Several years ago, a news article came out about the Faroe Islands, my tiny homeland, advocating boycotting their exports because they kill whales.

Yep, they kill whales. Not only that, they eat them. And like eating them.

Whale killings are a part of the culture and heritage. But it is not killing for sport. Rather, when whales are spotted in a harbor, the men of the town gather together to help catch them. The village congregates and when the whales are killed they are divided and distributed among those that helped and those who couldn't help. It's not just a sport. It's a way for the community to work together, provide for themselves and help out those who need it. (I believe the instigators of the boycott later realized that they were mistaken since the whales we eat were not of the endangered kind. But that is beyond the point.)

I do desire to take care of the earth, not for the sake of mice in California, but because God has given this beautiful world for us to take dominion over and for the sake of my children and their children. Thankfully, being good stewards requires wisdom not necessarily breaking the bank.

Anyway...enough of a rant. :)

photo by Craig Jewell

In the spirit of "Earth Week" here are my No-Procrastination goals:

Rake up the last few leaves (yep, really procrastinated on that one)
Start a compost pile (using said leaves)
Research and order seeds for a fall garden (last fall, I searched multiple stores before I found any seeds and made the mistake of buying cheap clearance ones. They never even sprouted. This time I'm ordering good ones online to have ready to plant as soon as we come back home after the summer.)
Research homemade washable nursing pads (I've heard one's made from Merino wool are really good. Anyone tried them?)

Anyone want to join me?

A-Day: the full version

2009-04-21T14:11:00.003-05:00

"indoctrination begins early here in Crimson Tide country"

Okay--since I know ya'll are just dying to see more of Rosalind on tv, I thought I'd post the full version which was kindly sent to us. ;)

A-Day: the full version from Anna Christensen on Vimeo.

Menu Plan

2009-04-20T05:47:00.001-05:00

Finals will be over in less than four weeks. It's hard to believe that we have almost reached the end of our first year of law school. What a year it has been! Though I have enjoyed meeting new friends, learning bits and pieces of the law and getting to see Joshua do what he loves, I am ready for a break from stacks of books and papers decorating the living room and Joshua's many late nights of studying. ;)

With only four weeks left, it's definitely time to start clearing out the freezer. If we could just survive without oatmeal, I might be able to skip shopping this week. But I'm afraid oatmeal is a necessity of life.

Monday- White bean with fennel soup and ham

Tuesday- Creamy bowties and chicken with steamed veggies and bread

Wednesday-Spaghetti and meatballs with french bread and salad

Thursday- Western burgers

Friday- Sauteed steak with broccoli over noodles

Saturday- Breakfast for dinner

Pregnancy update: 20 weeks

2009-04-19T14:27:00.000-05:00

"He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young." Is 40:11 (ESV)

What a lovely reminder! Not only does God lead, but He leads gently. Even when I begin to fear or succumb to pregnancy emotions, how wonderful to know that our loving heavenly Father is in control.

On Friday, Joshua and I went in for a check-up and ultrasound. (last update here) On the way, I was fearful of what they might find, but the sweet technician didn't know to check for possible placental attachment. As the doctor later pointed out, there's nothing they can do about it now anyway. They will wait and check next time. Much as I would have liked to know now, the shots of the baby were so encouraging.

It's amazing how well formed a baby is at 20 weeks! The vessels and organs, tiny limbs and even the lenses of the eye have formed and were clearly visible. This ultrasound also confirmed that it is "most definitely" a boy.

Waiving hello to the world

Not only does William look healthy, but he is growing really fast. He measured in at 20 weeks--which would make his due date the 3rd of September, rather than the 10th like the last ultrasound indicated. What a blessing--especially after our concerns that he might not be getting enough nutrients. He's growing just fine! (Maybe he's trying to beat his uncle's 11 lb 3 oz!)

Thank you for all your prayers! I am so grateful that William is doing so well and will keep you updated.

A-Day

2009-04-18T20:30:00.005-05:00

Each spring college football teams open up the stadium for fans to enjoy a football practice game. Admission was free and we thought it would make a fun family outing.

We didn't know whether Rosalind would enjoy it, but she loved it...

"It" not being football, but getting to sit with Papa and watch Big Al. Every time the band started up, she pointed excitedly to Big Al convinced that the band, the players and all 85,000 fans where there to watch our mascot.

Of course, when we went to go meet him she was terrified. ;)

In the stands with fellow law students.

I was wishing I'd been able to capture Rosalind's enthusiasm on video. I didn't, but she was recorded... on ESPN. :)

A-Day from Anna Christensen on Vimeo.

check out more Wordless Wednesday (okay, so I can't help the words!) here and here.

What shall we do?!

2009-04-16T07:14:00.001-05:00

Each morning I am greeted by sweet outstretched arms and "where's op'um?"

Eggs, muffins, pancakes... all these can serve as the first course, but invariably comes the request, "where's op'um?"

But alas, yesterday she polished off the last of the op'um and I haven't had a chance to get more... whatever shall we do? ;)

No Procrastination Wednesday :)

2009-04-15T08:32:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the second No Procrastination Wednesday. Anyone care to join me?

Procrastination is something that I've really struggled with. Since "waiting 'til the last minute--or later" is not the wisest way to run a home, I've decided to set aside a bit of time each week to focus on not procrastinating. (As a friend kindly pointed out, "that still leaves six days to procrastinate!")

One of the biggest areas "procrastination-wise" for me is letter-writing: slipping that thank you in the mail, sending a "thinking of you" card, remembering birthdays and holidays before the fact. Many times I've woken up the day of a birthday only to realize that I should have put something in the mail a week ago.

With that in mind I have two goals today:

Make a thorough list of all the birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays that I ought to remember
Make birthday, thank you, and thinking of you cards to have on hand

Hopefully having a list to remind me and cards already made will help me to be more diligent in this area. :)

photo by bbadger

What's playin'...

2009-04-14T08:17:00.005-05:00

Though nothing compares to curling up with a good book, since there's often not that much time for reading, I just love audio books... and Librivox! For those who unfamiliar with it, Librivox is a huge volunteer project of people from around the world who record works in the public domain and post them for anyone who desires to download.

Recently a friend started stumbled upon Librivox and asked if I had any suggestions of where to start. There are a lot of books recorded and more completed daily. Of course, since it is entirely done by volunteers, the quality differs from work to work. Some are quite professional and others recorded on computer speakers, some books are read entirely by one volunteer and others are collaborative...

That said, just about everything is at least listenable, and you just have to decide how picky you will be. Most of the time, I'm either doing dishes, cleaning the bathroom or ironing while listening, so I look for works that are easy to follow with at least decent recording quality. Part of the fun is getting to pick from a broad range of genres.

Specific recommendations? Here are a few I have enjoyed recently.

...currently playing...On Liberty by John Stuart Mill: This highly influential political treatise is amazing easy to follow--due in large part to an excellent recording job! Mill argues that as long as liberty does not impose upon another's rights, individuals should be able both to discuss and practice their personal views without governmental interference.

The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy: (sequel to The Scarlet Pimpernel.) Set during the Reign of Terror this story recounts the adventures of the daring Scarlet Pimpernel and lovely Lady Blakeney. If you like thrilling tales of bravery, conflict and love, I think you'll enjoy it. After reading The Scarlet Pimpernel three times, I was delighted to find Baroness Orczy continued the drama in El Dorado and The Elusive Pimpernel. While morning sick, the Pimpernel's gripping adventures helped me survive in the kitchen and not think about the food. ;)

To make it even better, all three works are read by an amazing reader, Karen Savage, who makes the adventures a delight to listen to.

What Prohibition Has Done to America by Fabian Franklin: In the mood for something different? Whatever your views on alcohol, this little booklet, published during America's prohibition, compellingly argued that the effects of the 18th amendment on our constitution and liberty had been disastrous. While I didn't agree with all of Franklin's ideas, it was engaging and thought-provoking.

Mother by Kathleen Norris: A sweet story about a daughter's journey to come to appreciate her mother and the importance of motherhood. I was in need of encouragement when this recording was released and greatly enjoyed it.

Chesterton collection: My all time favorite work of Chesterton's is his White Horse Ballad- an epic poem about King Alfred's fight against the invading Danes which Joshua recorded for me. :) We listened to the ridiculously hilarious Man Who Was Thursday together and could scarcely stop laughing. The Innoncence of Father Brown is a collection of mysteries solved by the endearing but absent-minded father Brown. Though a good friend of Bernard Shaw, Chesterton adamately opposed his beliefs in Heretics and propounded his own in Orthodoxy.

I'm almost done with "On Liberty". Anyone have any recommendations for me?

photo by Joel

"Where sun?"

2009-04-11T12:26:00.002-05:00

Rosalind has reached the stage where "twenty questions" is a delightful game to her... the only problem being her limited vocabulary, resulting in twenty very similar questions: "where phone?", "where keys?", "where Papa?".

Thankfully, the last few days she has found a new favorite, "Where sun?" After asking, she will answer her own question and point excitingly to the sky, "There sun!"

But this morning when she woke up the sun was covered in clouds and the view outside was wet and gloomy. "Where sun?" she asked, looking out the window.

"The sun is still there," I answered, "but it's hiding. Clouds are covering it all up."

"Oh," she responded with her most grown-up articulation and pointed to the cloudy sky, "there sun."

Then I realized the much deeper truth beneath her childlike acceptance. So often this is a picture of life. You have done your best, carefully laid your plans and then clouds cover the path. The Sun does not always shine forth brilliantly immediately and you are left without the lovely rays of Sun. But the Sun is still there, always watching and always caring, and showing Himself once again and illuminating the path not the moment you or I choose, but the moment when it is best.

"My life is just a weaving
Between my Lord and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaves so skillfully.

Sometimes He weaveth sorrow
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not ‘til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And explain the reasons why-

The dark threads are as needful,
In The Weaver’s skillful hands
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned."

by B.M. Franklin

The good, the fun and the depressing

2009-04-09T13:12:00.002-05:00

It's been so fun to finally feel like being on the computer again, blogging and enjoying other blogs. :)

A child's lesson: How often little children are the best teachers! A dear cousin recently started a blog and her beautiful post about the child's lesson on faith is so encouraging. You should definitely check it out!

Tedious motherhood: Though I'm certainly not worried about having to put Rosalind on any of the medications she discusses this article was really timely encouragement. It's so worth all the time training takes now!

Just for fun: After weeks of being so tired that I hardly felt like getting dressed, let alone experimenting with creative ways to fix my hair, this blog has been such a good reminder. Not only as a daughter of the King, but as a wife, it is so important to put more effort into looking pretty and feminine. So today I've started trying out some of these super simple, but really cute hairstyles. Of course it took me nearly five times longer than what they said...but I will get faster, right?

Politics....grrrr: Do you ever find you just about can't handle "the news" anymore? I thought this article especially disturbing.

Procrastination update ;)

2009-04-09T09:46:00.004-05:00

Lol....well, I didn't mean to procrastinate in getting this posted, but though I was thrilled to get my list whittled down yesterday, it ended up being a really busy day and by the time evening rolled around I was thoroughly exhausted.

~~drop off boxes at thrift store~~
~~make returns~~
~~order checks~~
~~fix the vacuum cleaner (the floor is begging~~)
tackle the mending
~~go through Joshua's summer clothes~~
~~organize under the kitchen sink (and get rid of all the cleaners I don't use!!)~~

I simply couldn't squeeze in time for the mending, but was really happy to get everything else crossed off the list... especially fixing the vacuum cleaner.

Before leaving for spring break, I was vacuuming out the car and accidentally sucked up a glove. Oops! I opened up the vacuum cleaner and couldn't find it and since it still worked, assumed that all must be okay. Not quite! A few days ago I began noticing that the vacuum simply wasn't working anymore. All it did was rearrange the dirt on the floor.

I was contemplating taking it over to the vacuum repair shop, but decided to take one more look. After taking the vacuum all apart, I discovered this...

our floors are happy once again. :)

I really loved the motivation to not procrastinate, and since there is always something that's easy to put off, I want to do this more often. How about next week?

No Procrastination Wednesday :)

2009-04-08T08:46:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how quickly the little things can pile up from day to day! Before too long the boxes of clothes to donate become part of the bedroom decor, the pile of mending grows and we get down to two checks left... definitely time to stop leaving it 'til tomorrow!

drop off boxes at thrift store
make returns
order checks
fix the vacuum cleaner (the floor is begging)
tackle the mending
go through Joshua's summer clothes
organize under the kitchen sink (and get rid of all the cleaners I don't use!!)

Whew! I think I need to do this more often. Thanks to those who are joining me! It's fun to know I'm not the only one working on "getting it done today"!

photo by Mattox

The day it (almost) paid to procrastinate

2009-04-07T14:09:00.000-05:00

The cost of waiting 'til the last minute is usually overnight shipping fees, a trip to the post office that you really don't have time for, "night before" shopping madness and frantic attempts to find something to wear.

One of the benefits (??) to law school is the chance to dress up more often. We've been married two and a half years, and our wedding was the last time I'd really "dressed up" until this semester. Since you can't exactly wear a wedding dress to a formal dinner, it was time to do a bit of shopping. After visiting thrift stores, discount stores, Wal-mart and just about every shop in the Mall, I was getting rather discouraged. I mean, I'm not that picky. I just wanted a black dress with a bit of a sleeve that hit a little below the knee or was floor length. I naively though that it would be a simple matter of walking in, finding the right size and buying it.

As I continued the search however, and kept stumbling across darling dresses that were either XS or XXL (or any size but mine), I realized that to find anything in my size that was pretty and feminine and modest and wasn't designed for preteens or seniors would be great.

Then in the very last store in the mall I found exactly the dress I wanted---which just happened to be on a one-day sale.

After wearing it twice it needed to be washed, but procrastinated and rather than taking it to the cleaners immediately, stuck it in the closet thinking "I'll just bring it in when Joshua needs his suit cleaned. Surely I won't need it again soon..."

Right. I did need it again, but we didn't decide to go until too late to have it cleaned. And since I couldn't wear it again without washing it, I was in somewhat of a dilemma. I mean, I've washed other delicates by hand, but they were 50 cent garage sale items that I didn't mind risking...not a new dress that had taken hours and hours to find.

After a bit of searching online, I found that manufacturers are no longer allowed to put several washing labels on clothing, like "dry clean or hand wash in cold water" and must stick with just one. Therefore, though many "dry clean only" materials, like rayon, wools and silks might well shrink or loose their shape, garments made from polyester, spandex... are much safer to try at home. So I did.

And it worked. For once, procrastinating helped me save money, stay at home and learn something new...

If only we hadn't procrastinated about nailing down our tentative babysitting plans. ;)

This almost happy procrastinating story has shown me just how often I procrastinate. Rather than taking care of what needs to be done in a timely fashion, it's so easy to "put it off 'til later". With that in mind, I've decided to declare tomorrow morning anti-procrastination morning: a time to pull out that list of odds and ends that falls through the cracks on a normal day that really shouldn't be put off. Anyone care to join me?

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

2009-04-06T14:47:00.002-05:00

Joshua is a PP&J fan, I am not. I love meat and cheese sandwiches but have had a difficult time finding lunch meat for less than five dollars a pound--which seems way too much to me. So I just haven't been buying it much.

But being pregnant Joshua is constantly encouraging me to eat more protein. How do you do so inexpensively?

A couple weeks ago a good friend had Rosalind and me over for lunch and served us delicious chicken salad sandwiches. After I told her how much I loved chicken salad she commented on what a great frugal lunch it was. I had never even considered how inexpensive it was compared to lunch meat.

Split chicken breasts are often on sale here for a dollar or dollar fifty [and you not only get great chicken salad from it, but chicken broth for other meals as well!]

We like ours pretty simple with just dressing, onions and celery. But even adding grapes or apples, sprouts or water chestnuts, it stills ends up costing under two dollars a pound and is loaded with protein, less processed than most lunch meats and simply delicious. Plus, if you prepare a big batch at a time, it makes for very quick sandwich prep. My new favorite lunch. :)

Thanks Candace!

Can He give bread also?

2009-04-04T15:15:00.001-05:00

Waiting. Expecting. Not knowing what the future holds. Though perhaps one of the most common states of mortal man, it's also one of the most difficult to bear.

This year began with one blessing tumbling over upon another. Many nights I fell into bed simply exhausted from the pregnancy, but overwhelmed by God's goodness to us.

Yet as the weeks past an unexpected situation arose which I found really difficult to accept. As I kept praying and not receiving an answer I began to get discouraged and impatient, wanting a "yes" now. Then one morning I was reading from Psalm 78.

The Psalmist begins by calling us to attention: this is what we must remember and pass on to our children so they will "set their hope in God"... Then he recounts God's dealings with the Isrealites. How He brought them out of Egypt, divided the sea before them, guided them by a cloudy pillar, brought water gushing forth out of a rock.

But then they cried out against God,

“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
He struck the rock so that water gushed outand streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?”

"Can He give bread also?" The question struck home. How quickly I forget. Rather than keeping His many blessings before my eyes and confidently trusting that of course He can "give bread also", I so quickly slip like the Jews of old.

But how much smaller any problem appears when seen in light of all that God has done in the past! And so the Psalmist stresses again and again, remember the past, recount God's goodness, tell your children so that when trials arise you will not forget the one who has lead in the past.

Photo by Christy Thompson

Mullet Toss and Crawfish

2009-04-03T23:50:00.004-05:00

After Spring Break, we kidnapped my sister Heidi and brought her back home with us for a week.

While she was here, the law school hosted a mullet toss and since it seemed like a rather unique opportunity, we decided to go.

For any Yanks who don't know what a mullet toss is, let me explain: since the coasts of Alabama and Florida lie adjacent to one another it has become a tradition for Alabamans to gather the incredibly common mullet, and, while standing on the Alabama side, toss the dead fish across the border into Florida. (c'mon, can you think of anything better to do with the fish?!)

Since their is no Floridan shore near here, the next best thing is to simply have a contest to see how far you can toss the slimy dead fish.

We arrived just in time for Joshua to enter the competition. After groping around in a large pail of rather smelly water, he grasped a nice fat mullet firmly in his hand and prepared for the toss.

But as he released the fish into the air, it slipped from his grip and flew past a row of shrieking girls and smacked into the pole of the canopy, splitting the poor fish in two. One half landed squarely in senior law student's cup of beer and the other splattered into his lap. As you can imagine, he wasn't too happy.

Ummm, yeah. Let me just say that this ended Joshua's brief career in mullet tossing.

We then decided to try something more safe...like refreshments. The menu? Crawdads.

I claimed the pregnancy excuse, but Joshua and Heidi dug right in. Even Rosalind enjoyed the tasty little critters.

Lest any friends who had contemplated coming to visit begin to think better of it, let me assure you that most of our time was not nearly so exciting and consisted mainly of playing outside with Rosalind, long walks, scrapbooking, talking, time with friends, movies and just hanging out. :)

Meet William...

2009-04-03T18:00:00.001-05:00

.... maybe!

Tuesday morning dawned bright and clear and Joshua and I headed out for a check up, blood work and ultrasound, little realizing what lay ahead.

Just in case any of you are wondering, the ultrasound was not to determine the gender. Last time, we had a 4-d ultrasound and were told "It's definitely a boy." Three months later, a lovely little daughter arrived to a home full of blue clothes, baby boy toys and William for a name. We finally uncovered one outfit that wasn't completely blue or covered with "sweet baby boy"--a rather boyish yellow sleeper with a green giraffe on front. We learned from our mistake! ;) The purpose of this ultrasound was solely to make sure that the baby was doing well (and so we can see the baby, of course!). It's too early to tell anyway.

From the day that we found out we were expecting again, my desire was to use the amazing midwife that delivered Rosalind, only this time in a birth clinic with a well-qualified OB present and immediate hospital back-up available. Even though we had unexpected complications with Rosalind, the likelihood of a re-occurrence is low and with a well-laid back up plan in place, this option seemed safe and the doctor and midwife graciously agreed.

So we headed up to the clinic for a check-up. After preliminary prenatal work, we were ready for the ultrasound. The moment the wand touched my stomach, a beautifully clear image appeared on the screen. I was taken back by how darling and well-formed the baby already appeared. Even the tiny fingers were clearly visible.

I was just getting ready to inform the doctor that even if he could tell, we really didn't want a guess as to the gender, but as he tried to determine an exact due date, he got a shot that convinced all of us (even me!) that it’s a boy…even though it’s supposedly too early to tell.

[Though I will refer to the baby as "he" until I found out differently, I'm not setting too much faith in it--but at least we have plenty of pink and blue this time. ;)]

"William's" profile

A few minutes later, the doctor stood back and said, "I have good news and bad news. Good news is you have a healthy son. Bad news, your placenta is exactly where it should not be. If you needed further confirmation that God wanted you here in law school and not in rural China right now, I think this is it. Rather than sitting high, your placenta is partially covering the cervix and, more importantly, directly across from your bladder. With your previous placenta accreta, this is very serious and could even lead to a percreta. I will refer you to a specialist who will be able to give you more information, but know that you may be as high risk as they come and expect a hysterectomy and you might not even make it…oh, and you will be having this baby in a high risk hospital in a big city. ” (paraphrased, of course, but how I took it)

Even in the midst of the tears that followed, we were so grateful to know that "William" was healthy. Our biggest concern before the ultrasound was that due to the embolization I had performed after Rosalind, he might not being receiving enough blood flow and nutrients, but still this new development was hard to submit to and it was a while before I finally regained my composure.

The doctor referred us to a Maternal Fetal Specialist for a follow-up appointment the next morning.

The consultation both confirmed and alleviated our fears: at this time the placenta has not grown into the wall of the uterus, but most accretas do not occur until further into the pregnancy. Therefore I will need to be under the care of a MFS with ultrasounds and perhaps an MRI in pregnancy to monitor possible complications. After explaining my history and expressing our desire to preserve the uterus if possible by having another embolization he said that he would recommend a vaginal birth with a radiologist ready to perform surgery unless the situation has become very serious. A C-section would heighten the risk of a hysterectomy.

Another factor that we had not considered was the possibility of blood contamination. Because I received so much blood last time, I will need to have thorough tests run to eliminate any possible problems that may arise from donor’s blood.

He concluded by telling us again that this is a pregnancy for high risk doctors in a high risk hospital.

...so this is where things stand at this point. We would greatly appreciate your prayers for "William" and for me. Though things have certainly not turned out the way we'd hoped or planned, we know that God is in control are grateful to know so early on so we can take proper precautions.

A few more pics...

2009-04-02T12:30:00.003-05:00

Philip, Kristian, Erik and Joshua engaged in a competitive computer game match... with Lydia cheering them on. :)

"Aunt Kathryn" and Rosalind happily reading side by side.

My awesome sistesr-in-law Becka, Crystal and Jenny, Grams and Joshua's Mom scrapbooking in the coolest scrapbooking room ever.

Reading with Uncle Jonny and cousin Mea.

Pretzel Time!

2009-04-01T21:18:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Joshua reminded me that it has been nearly three weeks since I've posted and that "that's no way to run a blog!" He's right...

Omitting all excuses for why I haven't posted, let me simply say that the last few weeks haven't gone exactly as planned (not that they ever do!)

Knowing how excited I was to get up to Missouri, spend time with family and friends, and have our baby check-up and ultrasound, Joshua agreed to head up as soon as class was over on Thursday and get in early Friday morning.

We arrived around 3:00 am, but Rosalind was so thrilled to be out of the car and see Nonny and Poppy that she didn't calm down for over an hour. After a bit of rest she was up and ready to play... and make pretzels. All told, I think we made them four different times. They're yummy. ;)

Making pretzels at Joshua's family's with Hannah, Mac and Daniel (who didn't want his picture taken).

Having a wee bit too much fun...

Mac, hard at work :)

Over at my family's home, we made some more. :)

The girls: Rose, Heidi, Kathryn, Lydia, me and Bekka

A day at the zoo

2009-03-11T16:17:00.003-05:00

It's funny how having a child changes everything. I used to think zoos incredibly boring places but ever since Rosalind started to notice animals, I've been dying to take her to the zoo. Even the sound of birds chirping in the morning is enough to excite her!

So when my friend Candace asked if we wanted to go to the zoo, I was quite thrilled. Even if my face and arms are feeling the effects now, yesterday was the perfect day to go to the zoo. Sunny and warm with a cool breeze.

Rosalind in the wagon with "'Phia and Ellie"

It often took Rosalind a few seconds to find the animal, but as soon as she did would laugh, clap her hands and say "yay".

Rosalind and Ellie.

Irons and marriage

2009-03-03T08:47:00.000-06:00

My mother is a garage sale queen. As our wedding Joshua and I were so blessed to find furniture and kitchen appliances and pots and pans.... But there was one thing I knew I didn't want to get used: an iron. Growing up we had gone through so many used ones that I just wanted a good new one that would last.

Joshua and I were talking about things we needed for the house and I was just going to tell him that we had to get a new iron, when he said, "Darling, there's one thing that we simply must get used."

"Really, what?"

"An iron."

"Oh! uh, why?"

"We've gone through so many new irons and they just keep on breaking. I figure if we buy 20 irons at a garage sale for a dollar each, at least one of them would work for more than a year!"

"Oh." I really couldn't refute that argument, so we started hunting for an iron. Not only did we find a used one, we found one that was made right after they invented electrical outlets. ;) And for another two and a half years it has worked wonderfully.

Then, a couple weeks ago, I noticed that the more I ironed, the longer it was taking the wrinkles to leave the shirt. I felt the iron. Cold. "It bit the dust at last!" I thought.

But no, it wasn't the iron, just the electrical outlet. The iron lives on...

Welcome March!

2009-03-01T20:36:00.002-06:00

We headed up to Missouri for Christmas break hoping for at least one good snowfall while we there, but there wasn't even a dusting of snow. Just before heading back south, my sweet little brother-in-law pulled out a bag from the freezer--with a chunk of snow in it.

"So Rosalind knows what snow looks like," he said. ;)

Little did we expect to actually see any once we got back home...especially not in March.

Rosalind didn't quite now what to think. At first she was terrified and refused to touch it. But after a while she started helping us make a snowman...

Not exactly the purest snowman ever, but hey, it's a snowman. :)

She definitely overcame her fear in the end!

Pickles...

2009-02-16T16:11:00.000-06:00

Before writing it off as simply a pregnant craving, let me explain that the first time I tried this was before getting married with my family at friend's house. Of the twenty or so people gathered 'round, not one was pregnant and everyone liked it. So there! It is perfectly normal to crave pickles on pizza, right?!

Growing up...

2009-02-13T09:07:00.001-06:00

"Where phome?" --the most frequently heard question around here. This little chick loves talking on the phone (or staring entranced if anyone is actually on the other end). Now it's dolly's turn to talk.

She loves wearing scarves!

"I'm a big girl, don't you think?" Definitely ready to be a big sis. :)

Excuses, excuses

2009-02-12T21:22:00.004-06:00

I began the year with high hopes. In addition to a myriad of other accomplishments, I was going to post something at least once a day. Right.

Shortly after getting back from Missouri for Christmas, I found myself completely lacking in energy. Five minutes in front of the computer screen was nearly enough to put me to sleep and the moment Rosalind laid down all I could think of was my pillow. Hmmmm.... a cold maybe? or maybe...?

After many months of disappointment and growing worry that maybe the complications after Rosalind was born would make it difficult to have another child, I really didn't want another negative test. Maybe it will wear off.

But no, several more days passed in which it was all I could do make dinner, keep clothes clean and prevent Rosalind from decorating the living room with shampoo. Time for another trip to Dollar General. [If it weren't for their dollar pregnancy tests, I would have spent a mini fortune by now ;)]

And this time we were not disappointed. So there's my excuse for not posting of late... I've been dreaming about little fingers, soft silky cheeks and God's goodness to me instead.

Thoughts on The Aenied

2009-01-21T21:59:00.000-06:00

Well, I finally finished the Dryden's translation of the Aenied. Rather than bore you with a book review, I thought I'd just share the thoughts that came to mind as I finished the final chapter.

As Virgil penned his masterpiece, Rome had just emerged from civil war, chaos and social turmoil. Luxury and vice proliferated and wealthy aristocrats preferred pleasure to children. The new Caesar realized that something must be done. Order and virtue must be restored as well as a fresh confidence in Rome and Rome's gods if the new Empire was to survive.

In this setting Virgil attempted to create a glorious history for Rome and provide an example of a model citizen. Throughout the tale he emphasizes repeatedly the virtues of Aeneas, pointing to his devotion to his gods, courage, self-sacrifice and glory.

Then, as now, the heroes set before a people do influence culture. Today toleration, success and happiness are emphasized with quite foreseeable effects. But what a poignant reminder of the importance of ideals- the vitality of looking continually unto Christ "the Author and Finisher of our Faith" so we can be transformed more and more into His image!

But the thought that kept constantly running through my mind while reading was "I am so glad that we don't serve gods like his!" Endless accounts of fighting and intrigues, infidelity and revenge between the gods made me realize afresh the glory of the true God. God who never changes. God who is the same "yesterday, today and for ever." God who was also the Perfect Man.

Frugality

2009-01-17T15:36:00.003-06:00

Many of the blogs that I enjoy visiting frequently share tips on frugality. Sometimes they are things I already do or wouldn't dream of doing, others times ideas that I have never considered that inspire me. The many different ideals of frugality can be amusing, but Webster's definition from his 1828 dictionary hits right on.

"1. Prudent economy; good husbandry or housewifery; a sparing use or appropriation of money or commodities; a judicious use of any thing to be expended or employed; that careful management of money or goods which expends nothing unnecessarily, and applies what is used to a profitable purpose; that use in which nothing is wasted. It is not equivalent to parsimony, the latter being an excess of frugality, and a fault. Frugality is always a virtue. Nor is it synonymous with thrift, in its proper sense; for thrift is the effect of frugality.
"

Using the resources God has blessed us with judiciously. This will obviously look different for each person: for some purchasing a slightly used BMW rather than one off the lot and for others saving up to by a well-worn Honda.

No matter where we are in the journey of life, it is easy to begin to envy the more lavish expenses of those who can genuinely afford it or become dejected because we don't stack up to a friend's frugality, rather than striving to become more prudent in our own "housewifery" and maintain the joy of frugality.

Joy seems to me to be the most important part of frugality. If the two do not stand together it will be difficult to avoid miserliness on the one hand and discontent on the other. But when they are united, joy brings contentment and peace to frugal endeavors.

By the way, for those who don't own a copy of Webster's 1828 dictionary, an online version is available here. :)

Puppy puzzles and kitty sounds

2009-01-13T22:55:00.001-06:00

As I tackled the stack of shirts waiting to be ironed, Rosalind sat on the floor playing with her puppy puzzle. The first shirt done, I glanced down and stood amazed. She had already matched all the pieces. Yes, I know. It's not that big of an accomplishment, but every time before this she was flabbergasted when I attempted to show her how to match the pieces.

Silently I had begun comparing her to other little ones her age and worried that she was lagging behind.

How silly! It just hadn't clicked yet. Eventually she will learn to say "meow" not "num, num" when asked what the kitty says, begin reading, write cursive... In the long run does it really matter if she's a little behind or ahead "of schedule"? I am not called to compare her with her aunt or cousins or friends but to patiently train her and enjoy being her mommy.

However, since the puzzle was quite a breakthrough for her, I decided it did deserve a video. (She still thinks putting it away is the best part!)

Puppy Puzzle from Anna Christensen on Vimeo.

Goals for the year

2009-01-12T15:30:00.003-06:00

With the New Year comes the urge to begin upon the soon forgotten "New Year's Resolutions", but also the chance to look over the past year and contemplate goals and priorities for the new. I know the first of January has come and gone, but the rest of the year lies ahead and these are a few of my goals in it.

Finish my degree: After Rosalind was born and we decided not to go to China right away (though hopefully we will someday :), I lost the impetus for completing the last few classes and decided just to enjoy the time with Rosalind. But with only three classes left, Joshua really wanted me to finish. I'm on my last one now and, unless I flunk out, will finish the beginning of March. I can hardly wait!

Write more: There is something so thrilling about putting the pen to the paper, or rather the fingers to the keyboard, but I am so slow at writing. My goal this year is to spend at least two hours a week writing with a timer and forcing myself to get something on the screen.

Read at least two books a month: Reading. I am either so engrossed in a book that every spare moment is spent devouring it, or else I lag and let it slide. Neither extreme is good. I certainly don't want to neglect more important things just for the sake of a book, but also shouldn't stop reading. Much of the problem has been not having a set time for reading, but I realized the perfect opportunity has been staring me in the face: while I rock Rosalind to sleep. I just love cuddling up with her and feeling her succumb to sleep and it's a perfect time to relax and read myself.

Focus on memorizing and studying the Word: By beholding we do become changed and that is my prayer for this year.

Of course, there are many other things that I want to do like have a successful garden and potty train Rosalind, but hopefully these won't take all year...especially not the latter. : ) But no matter what the year holds, I am looking forward to the delights, challenges and unexpected twists ahead.

photo by Cempey

Hello again

2009-01-09T14:44:00.005-06:00

How the last few weeks have flown by! I began the trip with great plans of blogging consistently but was having way too much fun doing other things. We had a delightful break spending time with family and friends, numerous rounds of Settler's of Cataan, yummy food, a wonderful Christmas, late nights, good fellowship, gas at 1.39.... and just being "home" in Missouri. :)

Settler's of Cataan. Perhaps the wisest $40 investment ever made. We played daily with my family.

My little sis and me. She just started a blog here.

I did learn one important lesson while there: take pictures with your own camera. Or, at the very least, remember to copy the thousands of awesome ones your sister-in-law took with her new camera. I ended up with two (not very flattering) pictures from the week and a half spent at Joshua's family's house... which wisdom compels me not to post. But despite the dearth of pictures, we have so many, many fun memories from the holidays.

After three weeks away I really did look forward to pulling up into our driveway, unpacking and getting back to a somewhat normal routine. Rosalind was thrilled to wake up in her own bed and spent nearly an hour walking around her room checking to make sure her books and toys were still in their place, pulling out one after another while smiling and jabbering.

It didn't take long, however, for her to walk to the front door, point to the car and say "Nonny? Hei-ee? Ro-Ro? Meee?..." We miss everyone already.

Aunt and Knees

2008-12-27T22:19:00.000-06:00

The other day, the two little girls were playing with Papa/Abba, and he asked "Rosalind, where's your aunt Kathryn?"

With a grin she pointed to Kathryn, "Da da."

"Kathryn, where is your niece?" he the asked.

Promptly, she reached down and pointed to her knees.

Dynamics certainly change when an aunt and her niece are just five months apart, but they sure love playing together.

Grimy little fingers

2008-12-20T21:41:00.000-06:00

"Here mommy, just for you. I love you," her little eyes seemed to say.

Though taken months ago, for some reason I simply cannot forget this picture. Her smudged face and grimy little hands lifted up to me are etched upon my memory. Looking into her deep blue eyes as she tries to please, makes me want to pick her up, clean her off and just smother her in kisses.

But looking again, it has even deeper meaning for me. For, in many ways, I am the one with the grimy hands. My hands are soiled time and again with worry, anger, disrespect, apathy, laziness... and my attempts to love and please my Father fall so miserably short. Coming before Him, there is no work of my own that could ever merit His favor.

In her book Mimosa, Amy Carmichael shared how the young believing Indian mothers would pray, lifting up their empty shawls and asking simply, "My hands are empty, fill them." And that is the place where I too must come. Emptied of reliance on myself, realizing that my feeble attempts to please, my works, my mothering... are nothing, no, worse than nothing. But believing that "as a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him." (Ps. 103:13 ESV)

Looking up at my Father, He sees past the failures to the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Beyond me, to the beauty of His Son. As I wait for Him, He will cleanse my hands and fill them with His love and mercy and joy.