Economic Experiment on Wealth Distribution!

I received this in my e-mail today and thought I would pass it along:

Here is a creative approach to redistribution of wealth as offered in a local newspaper...

Today on my way to lunch, I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed.

Once in the restaurant, my server had on an "Obama 08" tie. Again I laughed as he had given away his political preference -- just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the "Obama Redistribution of Wealth" concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $5 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more.

The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment, I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn, even though the actual recipient deserved money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.

Organized Pantry!

Well today was a day for organizing my pantry. I knew that I needed to get rid of some stuff and organize Daniel's gluten-free food as well. Rebekah came over today and helped me. It always makes it more fun when you can work together with someone. Rebekah is a real no-nonsense practical person and that is good. She told me even before she came, "Mom, if you aren't willing to get rid of anything, it isn't going to help." So true! So, here is a picture of the finished product. I forgot to take a "before" picture, but we didn't feel like putting everything back just to get a picture! I realize that it may not look organized to the average person, but you should have seen it before!



All of us enjoyed Eliana too. She is such a sweet baby! She is my grandbaby, you know, and I feel blessed to live close and be able to see her when I can. At one point, the kids had her in a box and were pushing her around the house. She looked like she was having a good time.

Goin' Green!

Gotcha on THAT title! Daniel spotted this little green beauty in the grass while jumping on the trampoline in the backyard. I probably took about 50 pictures before I found the right lighting, distance, etc. to get some close, clear pictures of this caterpillar. I have no idea what its name is, but it sure was fascinating to watch! God has made some interesting creatures. Mere, I know your boys will appreciate these pictures.

Here he is on our driveway:



Here he is headed up the first step by our side door:



I think I can, I think I can, I think I can! Almost there!



I think this last one is so cute! In this picture, he is hanging on to the edge of the step and looking down. He looks like he wants to get down, but doesn't know how!

Sunday Musings!

LORD JESUS,
Give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin,
a dread of its approach;
Help me chastely to flee it,
and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be thine alone.

Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,
the ground of my rest,
the spring of my being.

Give me a deeper knowledge of thyself
as saviour, master, lord, and king.

Give me deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.

Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from thee.

Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until thou alone art seen in me,
thy beauty golden like summer harvest,the fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no master but thee,
no law but thy will,
no delight but thyself,
wealth but that thou givest,
no good but that thou blessest,
no peace but that thou bestowest.

I am nothing but that thou makest me,
I have nothing but that I receive from thee,
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing with living water.

taken from The Valley of Vision

Visit with Friends!

Well, I'm going to post some pictures of our visit last week with our friends, Doug and Susan, and their children: Ariel, Caleb, Melody, Tarin, Luke and Noah. They came into town for a Bible conference with John Piper on Saturday night and Sunday morning. So we had a late lunch on Saturday together and then fellowshipped over lunch on Sunday afternoon before they left to go home. Of course, there is always drama when you have a lot of children, so I don't want to leave that out. Some of the kids at our house had been sick and it was Abby's turn to have a croupy cough and a sore throat. I called Susan on Friday night and told her about it and she said , "No problem." As long as the kids weren't throwing up, she wasn't going to worry about it. On Saturday morning, Abby is coughing so much that I decide to take her to the docotr that morning and her appointment is at 11 a.m. Well, on the way home she throws up in the truck. So, I called Susan and told her that the unthinkable has happened. But they decided to come anyway and I'm am soooo happy. Susan said that Caleb said he could get sick and get better or he could get sick and die, and then he would be even better off. Jim thought that was a pretty good attitude! (Just so you know Susan, no one else has thrown up, so I think she just had an upset tummy!)



We enjoyed our time together and they got introduced to Daniel's gluten-free pizza that he made by himself so he could enjoy pizza that day too.









The younger kids played out in the woods for part of the time. Little Noah was so cute. He came inside and said all of the kids left him and went into the woods. We told him he could get his shoes on and go in the woods, but he said, "I don't WANT to go into the woods," and he looked like he was going to cry! Hannah had a nice time with Ariel. We moved away from the Angleton area about 9 years ago, so it was a time of getting reacquainted for Hannah and Ariel, along with Mark and Paul and Caleb.

Caleb, Melody and Tarin spent Saturday night with us after the conference. I really enjoyed hearing about the conference and just sitting around discussing Biblical topics with the older kids. What a treat!

Susan and I have been good friends for over 14 years. She is truly the definition of a good friend, one that encourages to love and good works. I'm so thankful for her friendship and I hope my children find a friend like her, just closer proximity!



Here are the all the boys/men in a group picture!



Here are all the girls/women in a group picture!



Here is one final picture of Hannah and Ariel. We moved away from the Angleton area about 9 years ago, so Hannah doesn't remember a whole lot about Ariel. Plus, they have never known each other as adults. But she commented on how nice and personable she was and how much she enjoyed getting reacquainted.

Abby the hairdresser!

A little toy poodle from across the street came and spent the day with us on Tuesday. We weren't sure who it belonged to but I had a pretty good idea. She had a cute poodle hair cut, and was wearing a pink sweater with white polka dots. I found out that the owner was gone and couldn't leave the dog in the house. I guess she was lonely, so she came and stayed with us for the day. Well, Abby was having a great time playing and spending time with the dog until Tom came in and said Abby was cutting the dog's hair. Apparently, Abby has not let go of her fascination with scissors. So, here is this cute little poodle with tufts of hair missing off the top of her head. Jim called on the phone and we were having a good laugh about what she did and Abby overheard me talking and she says, "What, am I funny when I'm bad?"

Here is the incriminating evidence!

Elisabeth learning how to play the piano?

An older woman from church has been working with Elisabeth and helping her learn how to play the piano. Well anyway, sometimes at night I go to bed early only to get up and make sure all the little ones are getting into bed. So, this evening is not any different. I come out of my room, turn the corner and what do I see? Elisabeth has the front panel taken off the piano and she is peering into the body of the piano while she is playing, watching the keys hit against the strings! Mind you, this is an 8 year old! I will have to ask Mrs. Collier is she has been teaching Elisabeth how to play the piano or take it apart! That would have been a good picture if I had thought to take it.

One more test result.

Well, we have one more test result in for Jim. Drum roll, please!
Negative - Yeah!

How we stand so far:

Jim - negative
Darlene - not tested yet
Hannah - not tested yet
Mark - negative
Paul - negative
Sarah - negative
Daniel - positive for Celiac's Disease
Joel - negative
Benjamin - negative
Elisabeth - negative
Thomas - negative
Abby - negative

I found it!

Yeah! I found it! I knew it was in the house somewhere! This is a picture taken 5-19-08 at the first ultrasound of our sweet little boy and I thought it was so cute. He just looks so perfectly formed and he is only 8.9 cm long. I don't think I was even 2 months yet. It is so amazing how God forms us in the womb and I never cease to be amazed.

Sunday Musings!

Today seemed to be a day of teaching about God's sovereignty and trusting that He in on His throne in the midst of all the problems that are around us: the upcoming elections, the uncertainty of Wall Street, economic concerns, etc. So this one seemed very appropriate for today!

Resting on God

O God Most High, Most Glorious,
The thought of thine infinite serenity cheers me,

For I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed,
but thou art for ever at perfect peace.

Thy designs cause thee no fear or care of unfulfilment,
they stand fast as the eternal hills.

Thy power knows no bond,
thy goodness no stint.

Thou bringest order out of confusion,
and my defeats are thy victories:

The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
I come to thee as a sinner with cares and sorrows,
to leave every concern entirely to thee,
every sin calling for Christ's precious blood;

Revive deep spirituality in my heart;
Let me live near to the great shepherd,
hear his voice, know its tones, follow its calls.

Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth,
from harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit.

Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities,
burning into me by experience the things I know;
Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel,
that I may bear its reproach,
vindicate it,
see Jesus as its essence,
know in it the power of the Spirit.

Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;
unbelief mars my confidence, sin makes me forget thee.

Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;
Grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to thee,
that all else is trifling.

Thy presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy.
Abide in me, gracious God.

taken from The Valley of Vision

Results so far!

Well, these are the results that we have so far:

Jim - tested but no results
Darlene - not tested yet
Hannah - not tested yet
Mark - negative
Paul - negative
Sarah - negative
Daniel - positive for Celiac's Disease
Joel - negative
Benjamin - negative
Elisabeth - negative
Thomas - negative
Abby - negative

To me, that is good news. It doesn't feel so overwhelming. We had a meeting with the nutritionist today and that went well. She has a lot of resources to tap into. There is a gluten-free product list that you can buy for $30 each year/updated annually and it lists products by type and company. It is really neat. I found out that the toothpaste we use is gluten-free (Colgate). I would have never thought of worrying about toothpaste! She gave Daniel a pizza crust recipe, so he is going to make himself a pizza tomorrow and see how it turns out. We are having some out-of-town company for the afternoon, so he can eat pizza along with the rest of us. Tonight for supper, we had sausage casserole. I had to modify it with quinoa/corn pasta, gluten-free sausage from Whole Foods (there was no gluten-free ground Italian sausage at the regular store), and corn starch as a thickener instead of wheat flour. But everyone really liked it. Tom said he wasn't eating, but after he tried it, he liked it. Some of us actually liked it better than the original. God is good!

More Celiacs?

Time will tell! Jim had his blood test for Celiac's today and 7 of the children had their blood drawn for Celiac's yesterday. I got the orders from the doctor on Wednesday afternoon and decided that I would just go for it. So, all 7 of the other kids under 18 had their blood tests. The doctor told me that we could come into his office and have it done. I don't think so! (They did a horrible job drawing Mark's blood a few years ago!) But I said I wanted to have it done at a Lab near our house. The nurse that works has always done such a good job, so I really wanted the kids to have a good first experience with her. We started with Paul, who I was sure would turn pale, sweat, and pass out, but he did great! It looks like he has grown up from when he was 6 years old. Hee, hee! Then on to Sarah, Joel, and Ben. I have to tell you that Elisabeth started crying while we were still at home saying that she didn't want them to take her blood. I kept explaining to her what they would do and that the only part that really hurt was the stick of the needle at the very beginning and that it only took about 15 seconds and it would be done. Well anyway, when we get to Ben, she really starts crying and she says, "I feel so sorry for Ben." I told her, "Ben's not crying", although he kind of looked like he wanted to. So then, it was Elisabeth's turn. She resisted going into the room, then I had to hold both of her arms. She started the screaming, but we told her it was OK to cry, but not to scream. (It reminded me of Rebekah when she was younger and she was going to have a Tetanus shot. She told me she was going to hit the nurse and I said, "Oh, no, you're not!") So after it was over, she says, "Mom, you were right about everything you told me. It wasn't that bad." Next is Thomas, Mr. Stoic. He is resigned to being Mr. Brave. He is watching the needle the whole time. I hesitate to write this next line, but it was just so cute. As soon as she puts the needle in his arm, he toots, which tells me he was a little surprised. The nurse laughs and asks him if he is OK. He nods that he's OK and he's done. Now, it's on to Abby, who has been watching everyone before her go through this. The nurse has her sit on my lap and hold both of her arms. She is crying, but not resisting which I was happy about. Then it is over. (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the good veins!) Everyone is done in about 25 minutes or less. She lets ALL of them pick out a piece of candy (she had some yummy candy too) and a sticker!



So now, we are just waiting for the results that will probably come sometime next week. Maybe Daniel will be the only one, I don't know. Hannah and I are still waiting for the orders for our blood tests.

So, that is the latest in the Celiac's Disease saga! I have an appointment with a nutritionist tomorrow, so I am looking forward to that. Daniel and I went to a Celiac's support group meeting Wednesday night and then we stopped at Whole Foods to pick up some gluten-free cereal and a few other things to try. Daniel said he is already feeling better and that his stomach doesn't hurt anymore, so that makes it all worthwhile!

Rain, and more rain!

Yeah! We are praising God for rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. I think we probably had around 2 inches total. (Mark told me we are about 12 inches behind in rainfall.) I could tell that the kids really wanted to go out and play in it. I was going to let them go out and get wet, but it was thundering and lightning, so they had to stay inside and be content with watching instead!



I did have a little escapee that managed a few runs in the rain until I saw her and made sure she came inside.



I was thinking about how refreshing the rain is to all of us and I found this verse:

Hosea 6:3
"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."

"He shall come unto us as the rain". I think how the dry ground and plants soak up the welcome rain - Lord, help us to be soaked in your presence. The plants look refreshed instead of wilted - help us to be refreshed by your word and renewed for the day. The wonderful thing is that we don't have to wait for the rain like the plants do - God is readily available to us in His word, His presence is with us whether or not we realize it. Lord, refresh us for each day. Make us fruitful for you with your life-giving rain. Rain over us and soak us with your presence! Just as You send the rain to clean the air around us, clean our hearts and help us to glorify you.

Lord, I need MORE rain!

Sunday Musings!

The Valley of Vision

LORD, HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY,
Thou has brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;

Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley.

Taken from "The Valley of Vision"

C-section Date is Set!

I went to the doctor today and the date for this little guy to make his debut into the world is set for December 19th at 7:30 AM. Of course, we have to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM to get ready - yuck - but that's just the way it is. I will be so happy to hold this sweet little boy that it makes it all worthwhile!

Positive Diagnosis for Celiac's Disease today

Well, the gastroenterologist called me personally today and said that the biopsy proved positive for Celiac's Disease. We had a long conversation and she answered a lot of my questions. I'm really thankful because she seems so kind and personable, which is refreshing. She is going to have the nutritionist call me next week so we can set up an appointment to meet with her. She will be able to answer a lot of my questions and I will finally know how paranoid I have to be! :o) I mean there is so much involved if you take it to the highest degree. Someone told me that MSG is free-gluten (whatever that means) and that Wal-mart adds MSG to their ground beef, but Sam's doesn't. Then someone tells me that shredded cheese might be dusted with flour to keep it from sticking. Then you have allergy warning labels all over everything telling you that the product was made in a place that processes wheat, etc. (My doctor told me to remember that allergy warnings were put there by lawyers to cover themselves and it may not mean that the product has gluten, so that made me feel a little better and that there is hope.)I just don't know how strict I am going to have to be. She said that after Daniel has been on a gluten-free diet for 3 months, they would do another blood test, and if the diet is good, the blood test should test negative for Celiac's Disease. I can tell that Daniel is going to be a good self-regulator. He turned down bread and lasagna tonight, and opted for a big salad and an apple for dessert. I don't know how soon the rest of us will be tested but I'm sure it will be in the near future. Mark already tested negative a few weeks ago, so that just leaves 10 more of us! Hee, hee!

Thanks for your prayers!

Fun with Paper Airplanes!

I just had to write about this story. Thomas had a paper airplane and was playing with it around the house. I told him that I had a paper airplane book somewhere and it had a whole bunch of different types of airplanes to make. I found it, we looked through it and decided on which one to make. I think it was called a "Sharp Shooter". It didn't fly as well as the one that Tom had. The airplane that Tom had was one that I had taught the kids how to make because it was how I remembered making paper airplanes in high school. I remember at school, we used to launch airplanes and homemade parachutes from the second story window of our English class. Well, anyway, Tom threw his airplane and it went in the air, did a somersault in the air, and then came towards me and landed right in my mouth, with the tip between my lips, where it stayed until I took it out! We were stunned for a few seconds, then we laughed so hard and I almost peed in my pants! What are the odds of that happening? It was so funny! I wish I had a video of that. I think I would be rich if I could have entered that in Funniest Home Videos.

Maybe I'll add a tutorial for how to make our paper airplanes!

Sunday Musings!

This is taken from The Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions. I decided that every Sunday I would try to share a selection from the aforementioned book. I have been really blessed by this book.

LORD'S DAY EVE

GOD OF THE PASSING HOUR
Another week has gone and I have been preserved
in my going out,
in my coming in.

Thine has been the vigilance that has turned threatened evils aside;
Thine the supplies that have nourished me;
Thine the comforts that have indulged me;
Thine the relations and friends that have delighted me;
Thine the means of grace which have edified me;
Thine the Book, which amidst all my enjoyments,
has told me that this is not my rest,
that in all successes one thing alone is needful,
to love my Saviour.

Nothing can equal the number of thy mercies
but my imperfections and sins.

These, O God, I will neither conceal nor palliate,
but confess with a broken heart.

In what condition would secret reviews of my life leave me
were it not for the assurance that with thee
there is plenteous redemption,
that thou art a forgiving God,
that thou mayest be feared!

While I hope for pardon through the blood of the cross,
I pray
to be clothed with humility,
to be quickened in thy way,
to be more devoted to thee,
to keep the end of my life in view,
to be cured of the folly of delay and indecision,
to know how frail I am,
to number my days and apply my heart unto wisdom.

Sarah's New Recipe!

Sarah usually makes banana bread for us with all the old bananas. When the bananas start taking over the freezer, she is the one that takes care of it. Well, on this particular occasion, she comes to me in the living room and asks me a question. She asks, "What should if I do if I was supposed to add 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp vanilla, but I added 3 cups of buttermilk and 2 tsp butter flavor instead?" The first thing that came to my mind was, "How did that happen? Those ingredients and measurements are not even close?" I guess she came to the last two ingredients of the banana bread recipe and looked at the last 2 ingredients of the cornbread recipe instead! The only thing I could think of was to try and make pancakes out of it, so that's what we did. Tonight, we had banana pancakes and tortillas with eggs and cheese. It was pretty good but definitely sweet and they didn't need any syrup. Chalk that up for experience for Sarah! Sarah made the "pancake" batter, and Daniel cooked them up on the griddle. He's a cute little chef!

Daniel is beautiful on the inside! :o)

Well, here are Daniel's endoscopy pictures from yesterday. When we went to the room to get ready they have written on the whiteboard E.B. I told Daniel I bet you can guess what that is. He said, "Well, those aren't my initials. My initials are D.B." Well, I told him it probably stood for Endoscopy w/ a Biopsy. The lady overheard us and went over and changed it to D.B. because it was SUPPOSED to be his initials. Pretty smart boy!






















After the procedure, the doctor came and showed me the pictures. I took one look at the stomach pictures and asked her if that was normal. She said that THAT picture was the normal one and that it was the other ones she was worried about. She said from looking at those other pictures, she was pretty positive that he had Celiac's Disease, but we will still be waiting on the results when they come in next week. She said the intestines usually have the look of a shag carpet and that it looked like the villi were missing. So, that's why close up it looks more like ripply folds. I guess the villi is what absorbs the nutrition from the food. But it's good to know that they will regenerate themselves on a gluten-free diet. I would have liked to see a picture of a normal upper intestine (the duodenum), but I didn't think to ask that at the time.

There is nothing like real life situations to teach you about your body! But we know that God is in control. People are coming out of the woodwork to share advice and resources with us and I'm thankful for that! So, we know that God is going to help us with whatever we need to do.