Another belated update or Almost Gone with the Wind

I know, my last post might have given some hope that I would show up here more frequently. I confess I even thought I would. However, there is no way I can let recent events go unchronicled . I will start with the biggest event... the one that made national (international?) news this past week.

Last Wednesday, April 27, our state was hit with a record-breaking number of tornadoes. One AP story quotes statistics of 226 tornadoes in one day and 334 deaths in the 24 hours between 8am that morning and 8am Thursday morning. We also had many severe thunderstorms accompanying the tornadoes, with hail and strong winds. The storms caused a 2hour school delay in the morning for schools in our area; as tornadoes began to form in surrounding areas, most schools wound up letting out early (my children's school has a tornado shelter, so it did not; my kids spent about an hour in the shelter).

Noah and I were out in the storm at one point (had an appointment that we didn't know had been canceled due to the weather) and stopped at a local fast food restaurant just moments after a tornado had been sighted less than a mile away (unbeknownst to us). Only a minute or two after we placed our order, we were ushered to the kitchen of the restaurant, where we got to wait out the storm for 30-45 minutes. During that time, there was an area-wide power outage; most of northern AL had its power knocked out, including where we were sitting and here at home. We were able to get home during a lull in the storm. Emily had gathered our candles and flashlights, so we were not totally in the dark.

Brian was still at work in Decatur (tornadoes were at work near him as well); the hospital was on emergency generator power. He wound up having to stay thru the night and next day, as the hospital was taking in storm victims from surrounding communities. Another regional hospital south of here in Cullman had taken a hit from a tornado, so could not provide care to victims.

To make a long story short.... we were without power from Wednesday afternoon until sometime during the early morning hours of Monday. Thursday morning dawned sunny and beautiful. We had absolutely gorgeous weather, temperate and clear for the remaining days. It wasn't until late last night that another set of thunderstorms rolled in.

Our time without power was merely an inconvenience, a slight one at that. Yes, we lost some food in the refrigerator and freezer. That's really about it. The boys spent more time outside than they ever do, getting to know the neighbor kids more, riding bikes, hanging out... We played board games by candle- and flashlight. Halle and I cut up magazines and made collages together. (Definitely therapeutic.... I think we'll be doing more when our magazine stash is built back up!). On Sunday afternoon, Brian and the boys accompanied a group from church to help clean up a home that had been hit by one of the tornadoes. The following newsclip includes a short interview with Joel, and you can catch glimpses of Brian (bald guy in maroon shirt) and Noah (tall kid in light blue shirt and basketball shorts with backwards baseball cap).

There are still some areas without power. So many lost homes, lives, and loved ones. I read an article today about one congregation of believers whose meeting place was demolished by a tornado. They met Sunday afternoon in a neighboring congregation's building. The article stated that "8 people rededicated their lives" during their service. I can't help but wonder why it takes a tragedy to bring about a revival. I guess it is just one more instance of the upside-down nature of the gospel. Sorrow can bring about joy, pain can bring about healing, and death can bring about new life.

Back from the dead

It's been forever and a day since I've posted anything. Rather than blame it on being busy or nothing happening, I'll let you all in on what I've learned about my frequent blog vacations: I've learned that one of the main reasons I stayed away was depression. I didn't even realize it at the time, but I had been living my life in a constant state of mild clinical depression for a very long time. Now that I've been diagnosed and am on medication (NOT Prozac, LOL), things are so much better. It has made a huge improvement on relationships with my kids and my husband. I think my general outlook on life has become more positive, and my husband says I am much easier to live with! (I never knew I was hard to live with!)  Anyhow, there is much peace and joy here in our home now that I am chemically balanced. Life's not perfect, but it's still great. Thank God for bringing the right people into our lives to help bring this about.


Another reason for my absences (related to depression) has been that I used to use online activities to escape. My time online was often a sore spot between me and my husband. So I purposely stayed away from blogging out of respect for him. As things settle into normalcy here, I see that I can still blog and respect him... but the out-of-balance me could not do both. I still will not be here every day; maybe not every week, either. But I will not have mental conversations with myself to talk me out of sharing something here that I want to share (unless of course, I *need* to do that!).


So that's the BIG news from our household.


Other really good news is that I had carpal tunnel release surgery done on my right hand 2 days ago. I have been suffering with numbness, pain, and tingling in both hands for a very long time (years) and finally decided I needed to do something about it. Only took about 3 weeks to get through the appointments needed to officially diagnose it and set up the surgery. I was able to schedule my surgery just 5 days ahead of time, too. Yesterday, I took advantage of the Vicodin prescribed for me; the pain wasn't awful, but annoying. I haven't taken any today and am going to drive the car for the first time since surgery this afternoon. I'm looking forward to my followup visit with the doctor next Thursday morning. I have to leave the Ace bandage on my hand until then. It's a bit of a hassle. Meanwhile, I will enjoy letting the kids do as much for me as needed. It has been nice the last couple of days!! In another 6-12 weeks, depending on how quickly this heals, I will have the other hand done.


There you have it. God is doing big things in my life and my family's life. Hope you can see what he's doing in yours, too!

October already?

Cannot believe how fast this year is flying. Just 2 more months (and 11 days), and we'll have lived in this house an entire year! It doesn't seem possible.

 The kids are on their second (and last) week of fall break, and Brian is taking the week off from work as well. Tomorrow is Halle's 12th birthday; she hasn't told me yet where she wants her birthday dinner to be. We'll have a small celebration tomorrow evening, then Friday night she is having a few friends from church come over to make pizzas, decorate chef's aprons, and spend the night.

That reminds me that I let Joel's birthday slip by without a post to remember it by. (Bad mama!)  He turned 10 on Sept. 15. We need to remember to take him over to the post to get an ID made now that he is "legal." (I wonder why they picked 10 as the age to get a military ID?) With Brian home for the week, we should be able to get that taken care of this week.

I'm getting used to having the kids gone during the day. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy some of the quiet with them gone, but I also find myself missing homeschooling and wondering if I will ever get to do it again. I certainly am not being as productive as I thought I might be with them away. (Bad mama!)  One thing I am doing is attending one of the ladies' Bible studies at church. There is a small group of us meeting on Tuesday mornings working through Beth Moore's study on Revelation.

The kids are doing well in school. They each had an overall percentage average in the 90s (that's all subjects averaged together). At parent-teacher conferences, I heard high praise for them all. Halle's teacher said she would love to have a room full of Halles, that it would make her days so enjoyable and easy. The boys' teachers each said they appreciated their behavior; no troublemakers here!

Guess it is time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'd like to host the family here for Thanksgiving (our first one here in our new home!) and hopefully for Christmas as well. It just makes sense, since we have the space. I'd better get crackin' coming up with gift ideas as well. I guess one advantage of the kids being gone during the day is that it will be easier to shop and wrap!

Simple Woman's Daybook, Sept. 4, 2010

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... the sun is shining and it's beginning to feel like fall. Cool, crisp mornings that make me think of apple pies, leaves to jump in, and a hot cup of tea or cocoa.

I am thinking... of what I might do today. Watch some movies with the kids, a little laundry, ???

I am thankful for... my husband, who works so hard so that I can be here at home with our family. I don't tell him enough.

From the kitchen... Something quick and easy, since it's just me and the kids today. Probably pizzas or pancakes.

I am wearing... something comfortable and casual to hang around the house in.

I am creating... a home for my family.

I am going... to get to see old friends tomorrow. One of my friends from Omaha has taken a job here and is moving in this weekend!

I am reading... Out Live Your Life, Max Lucado. Have to get busy and read more if I am going to get the review up on the 10th!

I am hoping... we can have fun around the house today without making a huge mess. I hate cleaning.

I am hearing... Not a whole lot. It is fairly quiet here in the office and the TV isn't turned up loud enough in the other room for me to hear it.

Around the house... I am enjoying how clean it looks and feels after the cleaning ladies finished with it yesterday. 

One of my favorite things... Not having to run all over town getting things done. I really do like staying at home. I love being with people, but I don't like being overly busy.

A few plans for the rest of the week: The usual trips to and from school every day; Sports physical for Noah (he is going to be on his school's basketball team!); a Pampered Chef party at a friend's house; my mom coming to visit next weekend.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

So much going on since my last post... A month of school down and just 5 more weeks to go until the kids get a 2-week fall break. I'm not sure which of us is looking forward to it more!  I am still trying to figure out what my routines will be while they are in school during the day. I have had many unexpected things come up that have made keeping a routine difficult for me. Last week, I came down with bronchitis. The first day, I could barely hold my head up. I had to ask Emily to pick up her brothers and sister from school. The next few days, I felt better, but still had little energy to do anything. We've been looking for a new housecleaning service, and one day was spent waiting for the crew to show up to clean... they were much later than they should have been and I wound up asking my sister to get the kids from school because they were still here (I don't want to risk leaving the dogs alone with them... just in case one was to get spooked and react adversely.)

At any rate, I have much I'd like to accomplish.  I have stacks and shelves of homeschool books and supplies that I no longer need. They are taking up valuable space here in the office. I need to sort through them and figure out which books I am keeping (ones I want to save for future grandkids) and which I need to sell. Once I get these off the shelves (and floor), I will have space for other books that I've had to keep stacked or boxed somewhere.

The other exceedingly large task that has been waiting for me for several years is getting all of the pictures we have organized and scrapbooked. I have thousands of hard copies just screaming to be taken care of; these photos date all the way back to Emily's early years. Then there are the digital photos on CDs, DVDs, or hard drives needing to be handled. I'd like to set up a place where I can start work on this project. It will probably have to be in the sitting area of our bedroom; either that, or in the bonus room upstairs. Either way will necessitate finding some kind of storage or organizational furniture/equipment to hold the supplies and photos.

Not of lesser importance, but possibly lesser urgency, there is the continued decorating of the house. We'd really like to change the color of the walls in our family and living rooms. They are so light that the house just doesn't seem as warm and inviting as I'd like it to. We recently made an addition to the furniture in the formal living room, and I think it helped the room not seem so barren as it did when it just contained the sofa and love seat. A change in wall color would complete the room, I believe. Here's a picture I took:

Once we change the wall color, I'd like to have a quote added to the wall over the piano. A dear friend sent me this quote about 5 years ago, and I have kept it ever since: Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. I think it would be a perfect complement to the piano. (BTW, if you hadn't already guessed, that was the recent addition; my brother-in-law no longer wanted his piano and offered it to us at a very good price. It's nice for Halle to be playing on a real piano rather than a digital one now.)

So now comes the task of figuring out what to do first. These are the times I like a little company. Some things are just more enjoyable when shared, don't you think? Come on over; I'll make a pot of coffee.

Simple Woman's Daybook, 8/2/2010

FOR TODAY, AUGUST 2, 2010...

Outside my window... it's a beautiful day, but WAY too hot to be outside. 

I am thinking... and wondering when the men in the family will be home from their afternoon at the Space and Rocket Center. They wanted to catch the Star Wars exhibit before it leaves next month.

I am thankful for... air conditioning! Seriously...  But also that my kids enjoyed their first ever (half-) day of school-away-from-home and are looking forward to tomorrow.

I am wearing... grey knit pants and  a green-and-white striped shirt.

I am remembering... the list of appointments and errands for the week.

I am going... to start cooking dinner soon (hopefully... depending on the men). Bacon and eggs, biscuits and gravy. YUM YUM.

I am currently reading... amazingly enough, nothing right now. But I have 3 or 4 books borrowed from friends that I intend to start this week.

I am hoping... to get our home office area organized soon. I need to sell some of my homeschool stuff now that I don't need it any longer. It will be hard to decide which books to keep and which I can bear to let go.

On my mind... What is it going to be like around here during the day when it is just the dogs and I?

Noticing that... my oldest child is truly growing up.

Pondering these words... "Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes." 


From the kitchen... Not a bloomin' thing right now. Ask me again in an hour or so.

Around the house... I think I can say all of the rooms are "company-ready" (except maybe my oldest's). I'm dying to enlarge the entry from the garage and create a "drop zone" for the kids to put their things when they come in. And I'm wanting to pick a new color for the walls in just about every room but the dining room and our bedroom. The rooms are too beige. 

One of my favorite things... a breakfast date at Cracker Barrel with hubby after I dropped the kids at school this morning.

From my picture journal... a picture taken before the start of summer, when we were at the Sandestin Hilton with Brian for a nurse anesthetist conference. We were staying on the top floor, and even though the weather wasn't really all that great (mostly overcast or rainy), we had a great view. It was enough for me to just open the slider to the balcony to let in the sound of the surf and the breeze from the gulf as I read a book in the room.

Do drop by and visit Peggy's Daybook page, and leave a link for yours as well!

Book Review: The Voice New Testament

The Voice New Testament is a new Bible published by Thomas Nelson. While some might call it a translation, I think it fits more in line with a paraphrase such as The Message. However, this does not take away its usefulness. As a companion to a good Bible translation, I think it can bring new insights to familiar passages (ones we think we already "know" all about). According to the Preface, this new Bible version was created to "rediscover the story of the Bible." My favorite thing about The Voice is the inclusion of outlined boxes that contain extra material that expounds on the theme of the current passage, much as a teacher or preacher might do if they were discussing the passage in a class or worship service. Far from being a "study" Bible, one could think of this as a Bible storybook for grownups. It will capture your imagination and bring color and life to the story of God and His son.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Blog Tour: Robert Bresloff - The Wee Musketeers

A few weeks ago, I was asked if I wanted to participate in a blog tour for The Wee Musketeers, written by Robert Bresloff. I won an Advanced Reader's Copy through LibraryThing a short while ago. I was more than happy to join in, and was excited to get the opportunity to ask the author about the book, which tells the story of 3 friends who get transported into the story of The Three Musketeers along with the grandfather of one of the boys. There is suspense and action as they find themselves changing the direction of the story and needing to get it back on track.  I think I enjoyed the book as much as any kid who would read it. My children are familiar with the story because of the Disney live-action version with Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Chris O'Donnell, and Oliver Platt. I think perhaps this version might make them think about reading the story to compare the storylines.  

So now that I've filled you in on the background, here are the questions I asked Mr. Bresloff to answer for me:

What was the inspiration for this series?  I’ve always loved The Three Musketeers. Whether it be the book, movies, comic books, it didn’t matter. I even dressed as D’Atragnan on Halloween when I was in grade school. I still have my first copy of the book that my older brother gave me back in the early sixties.  Because I loved the book, the characters and the romance so much (my brother even taught me how to fence at 11 years old) that I often wondered what it would be like to walk the streets of 17^th century Paris with D’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis and Porthos.

 

What other books do you have planned? I have recently signed with Gauthier to produce, The Fifth Codex, an adventure that takes place in modern day Yucatan Peninsula.  It follows the adventures of a well known archeologist and his teenage assistant, as they travel through the land of the ancient Maya searching for the mysterious Fifth Codex.

 

Illustrator Dan Ziembo and I are teaming up once again on the follow up to The Wee Musketeers, titled Robin and the Little Hoods. This time, Bobby, Fritzy, Keith, and Grandpa Max are joined by a new character, a girl named Judy as they travel to the middle ages and Sherwood Forest.

 

Is there a reason the book is set in 1961, as opposed to the 21st century? Being a parent and grandparent, I realize the importance of children using their imaginations as well as playing outdoors. Unlike today, where children spend most of their time on computers and playing video games, my generation played outside and we played pretend a lot. We played soldiers, cowboys and Indians, yes and even musketeers. I wanted children to know the kind of things that my friends and I did in the, really, not so distant past.

 

Are any of the characters based on people you know? Fritzy and Keith were, at the time, my two very best friends. We got into an awful lot of trouble (nothing serious) and played a lot of games. Many were pretend games, and just as the boys do in the book we played outside— almost all day. Grandpa Max, well, he was my grandfather. Unfortunately, Grandpa Max passed away before I knew him. I guess this was my way of having the relationship with the grandfather I never had the pleasure to know. It was actually my brother Marty that read to me and got me interested in the classics.

 

What do you like to do when you aren't writing? I’m an exercise therapist as well as a personal fitness trainer, so that keeps me pretty busy, but when I’m not working, my favorite thing to do is spend time with my grandchildren.

 

What is the best book you’ve read this year so far? That’s really a tough question. I try and alternate reading adult books and kid’s books. I love to see what other authors are writing as well as the classic children’s books authors, such as L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll and more recently, J.K. Rowling. The most interesting read so far this year was Codex 632 by José Rodrigues dos Santos. It’s about Christopher Columbus’s true origins.

 

If you could recommend one book for everyone to read, what would it be? I can’t really recommend one book that everyone should read, but for the kids, I recommend the Wizard of Oz series. Baum is a wonderful storyteller that created a fairyland like no other in literature. Oh, and The Wee Musketeers

I think this book would appeal greatly to boys, although some girls who aren't locked into the idea of "girl books/boy books" would also enjoy the story. It makes a great read-aloud for ones not reading yet, and would work for indpendent readers up to around 11 or 12, I believe.

What's goin' on

So I haven't really written much about what's been happening around the home lately; just haven't taken the time to sit and write much. But it seems I have a little time today between laundry loads to write, so thought I'd catch anyone up who's interested.

Last time I posted anything more than a meme post, I talked about looking forward to the ladies' retreat in Nashville. It was a great weekend (well, really less than a weekend) and I hated to see it end. We heard an awesome testimony and hiked MILES from our rooms to the convention center at the Opryland Hotel. Man, that place is HUGE! I think I'd rather go there when I didn't have anything to do and could just spend some time relaxing by the pool or something. The trip home was just as wonderful as the retreat. Lots of deep discussions and challenging conversation.

Then in the middle of March, we got to celebrate some birthdays. My brother-in-law's birthday was the 13th, Brian's was the 16th, and my "nearly-niece" Heidi's birthday was also the 16th. We used the occasion as an excuse to meet up for dinner at a new-to-us place called The Mellow Mushroom (sounds psychedelic, doesn't it?). They make AWESOME pizza.  It was deelish. Looking forward to a return visit!

The next week was a very special treat. Casting Crowns was in town for a concert on the 25th. I had scored 2 free tickets through a Facebook contest hosted by the local Christian radio station, WAY-FM about 2 weeks before this. Then the day before the concert, I won 2 more tickets from Mark Hall; these tickets included passes for a meet and greet before the concert. (Side note: I wonder if living in Alabama has made me more lucky... I've never been able to win anything so easily before!) I was able to give the first 2 tickets away to a friend and her daughter, and Brian and I used the last 2.  The concert was one of the best I've ever been to, probably because it was much less of a concert/performance than it was just a time of worship. Before Casting Crowns sang, we heard from Caleb (Steven Curtis Chapman's sons, Caleb and Will Franklin) and Kutless.

Sprinkle in some fun family dinners on the weekends (I've been lucky enough to be able to get my sister and her husband over for at least one meal a weekend, and sometimes one of the boys will come along too). The other fun part is that she brings their new Great Dane puppy over to play with our dogs. Sully (short for Sullivan) is  almost 14 weeks old now and is bigger than Campbell, but not big enough to take Rory down yet. Rory is great with him and they have a ball together. This past weekend, after they had been playing pretty intensely, we noticed things had gotten quiet and found them curled up together resting on one of the rugs. I wish we'd gotten a picture. I'll try to get one of them together soon. I have a feeling he is going to be a big boy. His paws are already larger than Rory's.

March was a month of movies as well. We saw Alice in Wonderland  (meh... I wasn't all that impressed) and Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. That last one was fun. We went with my sister and b-i-l to see it and everyone enjoyed it. Oh, and this past Sunday evening, we took in How to Train Your Dragon with sis/hubby, 2 of their boys, and the boys' girlfriends. I imagine we'll be getting that one on DVD eventually.

OK, this is getting long, so I'll make the rest of this quick. Halle and Joel are back at their respective music lessons again, and we're looking to get Noah started back with his guitar lessons. Emily had a visit from her best friend in CA for 4 days ; they spent 2 of them driving to MO to visit my mom and to eat dinner at Lambert's. 

And now for the really big news: We spent the better part of last evening scrambling around picking up the house and getting the last of the unpacking done that we'd been avoiding in order to get ready for a visit from ..... drumroll please..... our new cleaning lady. I can keep the laundry done, the groceries bought, the meals cooked, and the kitchen semi-clean, but this house is more than I can handle, so we found someone who is coming one day a week to clean. (Brian if you are reading... stop now.) I owe my husband more than I can say for this.

So there you have it. Indeed. (Inside joke...) I'll be back with more news sooner rather than later.

Glorious Day - Then Sings My Soul Saturday

In honor of Easter, here's Casting Crown's version of an old hymn... depending on your hymnbook, you may have known it as "One Day" or "O Glorious Day." Strange how a new melody can make you hear the words almost as if it's the first time...

Glorious Day

Casting Crowns

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine

Oh, glorious day

More songs of inspiration can be found at Amy's.