Tag, You're It!

Apparently there's a game in the blogging world where someone 'tags' you and then you get to play along. My sister-in-law has tagged me to tell five things about myself that not everyone knows. Not deep dark secrets, just little known facts. It's like truth or dare . . .only you're being dared to tell the truth! Now, the only blogger I know who hasn't been tagged is Leah, so Leah, consider yourself tagged.

1. Jeff and I are serious Harry Potter fans. We are actually going on Friday night to see the fifth movie, The Order of the Phoenix. We've preordered the new book and at midnight we're going to go to Barnes and Noble to get the seventh and final book!

2. Despite the fact that I tease my mom about falling asleep during movies, I do it regularly! When I need a nap in the afternoon, I put in an old fave like A&E's Pride and Prejudice, then stretch out on the couch and fall asleep listening.

3. I have two major goals for the next few years. One is to save up enough money to build on to our house and the second is to save up enough money for us all to be able to go to Germany.

4. I don't have very many secrets -- this is hard! Umm. . .My closet is a disaster area. But my recipe collection is all catalogued by date, publication and page number. I have a spreadsheet in progress that will allow me to cross reference by method of cooking, major ingredient, etc.

5. I like my minivan. Wow, did I just say that?! I really do. I'm very satisfied with it. It was truly an answer to prayer and came along at just the right time. The outside color is pretty (even if I really dislike the blue interior!). I love being able to have space, and the ability to take friends with us when we go places.

Aw, Shucks!

So Katie painted this picture for me one day -- I think she was trying to butter me up for something!



In case you can't read it, it says "You are too prety to work". Did you get that, Daddy??

For All the Nerds Out There

This is for those of you who lay awake the night before the first day of school. Who were more excited than your mom about the end of summer. Who love the smell of Scotch tape. Who would be thrilled with a " . . . bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils." (And extra points if you recognize that movie quote!)

We enjoyed last year's schooling so much that we ordered Katie's school curriculum again from Sonlight Curriculum. This company is a wonderful fit for our family. They are evangelical Christians, so all of the teacher guides are written from a Biblical worldview -- that's our favorite part! They also emphasize learning about other cultures and missions. (One of Katie's books this year includes a section on missions in the Central Asian country I've been to the last two years.) Another thing we really like is that there is a lot of reading. Some things I read out loud (Read Alouds) to Katie and some she reads on her own (Readers) and we discuss them.

Some of the Read Alouds I'm excited about are Ginger Pye, A Cricket in Times Square, Tales of Robin Hood, And the Word Came With Power (missionary stories from the Philippines), A Little Princess, and The Twenty-one Balloons.

Katie's Readers include some of my childhood favorites: B is for Betsy, Ralph S. Mouse, Henry and Ribsy, Encyclopedia Brown, Little House on Rocky Ridge, Socks, and More Stories from Grandma's Attic.

Katie will also learn about dinosaurs, electricity, Gladys Aylward, Michelangelo, Peter the Great, Queen Elizabeth, and memorize the countries of the world and the states of America (in theory!). Midway through the year she'll also start cursive writing, which she is very excited about. So that's an overview -- my nerdiness is satisfied!

Summer Days

Requirements for a good summer:

1. Fireworks! We watched them from the back of the truck. To kill time before they started, the kids rode their bikes and then we played Uno until it was too dark to see. Katie didn't like the noise and Joe said, "There's no reason to be scared, 'Datie'."

2. Eat fried chicken. On Independence Day, we had all the fixin's! To go with our chicken, I made potato salad, baked beans, wheat rolls and chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Our guests, Lisa and Doug Westmoreland, brought corn on the cob and wonderful company.

3. Play in the sprinkler. Check!

4. Sidewalk chalk. Check!

5. Vacation Bible School. We had a blast at our Western themed VBS this year. Even Joe goes around saying, "YEE-HA!" Katie's new thing is to play cowboy with her jump rope as lasso, a net (?) and one of daddy's hats.

6. Swimming. My friend Leah was in town with her baby daughter Georgia and we went to visit them at her mom's house. Linda has a pool so we got our swimsuits on and played all afternoon.

7. See a movie. Jeff, the kids and I all went to see "Ratatouille". Katie loved it, but Jeff and I weren't as impressed -- not as good as "Cars" or "The Incredibles". Also, we went yesterday to the free movie at the Mall of Georgia. We met several friends over there to see "Everyone's Hero", a cute baseball CGI cartoon. After the movie we had lunch at the food court and then went outside to play in the fountain. The kids didn't want to leave!

Well, that's it for now -- but summer's not over yet! I haven't yet decided when to start school this year, but it will probably be in mid-August. We've already gotten Katie's books for second grade and we're both excited. More on that later!

Tasty Blueberry Muffins

We had "breakfast for supper" the other night and I made these wonderful muffins. The whole family loved them!

Tasty Blueberry Muffins

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 large egg)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup fresh blueberries

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the orange juice, egg, applesauce and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray; fill half full with batter. Bake at 400 for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen

Blueberry Tips: To keep them from sinking to the bottoms of the muffins, toss the blueberries in a little of the flour you've measured out for the recipe. Also, you can use frozen blueberries -- just stir them in straight from the freezer.

There's a New Name Written Down in Glory

Father's Day, Sunday morning, our pastor based his sermon on Psalm 128. Verse 3 says, "Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table." Brian quoted John Phillips who told of how olive plants are slow to grow and the planter has to be very patient and continue caring for it even though it has shown no berries.
"Normally, it will bear no berries until the seventh year, nor will the crop be worth much until the new tree is from 10-15 years of age." (John Phillips) I laughed when I heard this -- God certainly knew what He was talking about when comparing children to olive plants! I thought, with a touch of humor, "But Lord, couldn't I see just a little fruit in their lives, now and then?"

Well, God said, "Yes."

I went on to Sunday School after the sermon, and I began to greet my students (1st & 2nd Grade) and prepared to get them busy until class started. Our children's minister came to the door and told me that Katie was in counseling with Miss Annharrow. Kaitlyn had come forward during children's church saying that she wanted to ask Jesus into her heart! Annharrow talked with Katie about her decision and then prayed with her to accept Christ as her Savior.

Katie will go to a special new Christian Sunday School class for four weeks. After that, she'll be baptized as a symbol of how her old life has passed, and 'behold, all things have become new!'

Central Asia 2007

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This was an amazing trip! Ten of us from Maysville Baptist went to Central Asia. We had two primary purposes in going -- one, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and the other, ministering to our missionaries already there.

The first part of our trip we spent at a business called Compass where we participated in conversation groups. Basically, students from the local university come in to practice their English and to meet real live Americans. Our group's goal there was to make friends, enjoy conversations, and to be real about who we are in Christ. Everyone in the group was able to share the gospel at least once. We drank gallons of coffee, laughed, and used lots of big hand gestures to get our point across! Several of the nationals had handheld computer dictionaries that they'd use to look up what they wanted to say, or to figure out what in the world we were saying! One young engaged couple was particulary eager to hear about Jesus. He kept telling our pastor, Brian, "I'll come back tomorrow and you can tell me more about Jesus." One of the missionaries made sure Brian had a Bible to give to the young man. Today I got an e-mail saying that on Sunday the young couple both trusted Christ as Savior of their lives. It is absolutely amazing to see God at work!

The second part of our trip was spent leading a retreat for the missionary families. Our pastor and minister of music led the conference for the adults, three others did an intense Bible study with the seven youth, and the other five led VBS for the fourteen children. I was part of the VBS team, of course, doing the Bible story. We also had crafts, music, games, and snacks. The kids had a great time with the Western/cowboy theme and they especially enjoyed the crafts and the music.

Of course, the flights were long and the layovers decidedly not fun. The showers were sometimes cold. But every little problem that came up is nothing compared to the rejoicing in heaven and earth over the two who have been saved. I know that there were many seeds planted and watered, and I look forward to hearing from the missionaries about how God is continuing to move and allowing them to be a part of the harvest.

What's the Difference?

Can you spot the difference between these two pictures? Well, okay, there are lots of differences -- but I'll direct your attention to the most important one! In one of the pictures, Katie is missing a tooth! She was unbelievably excited about it. She stayed up until 11 o'clock at night, wiggling until it finally came out. A (tired) tooth fairy took her tooth from under her pillow, leaving Katie with a tiny note, and two quarters. (She used her fifty cents to buy a gumball for herself and her brother.)

Whew!

Wow! We have been crazy busy lately! This will be a catch-up post and then over the next few weeks I'll add details. For now, you get the high points! Rewind to the first part of May. The first weekend I drove with the kids down to Granny and Papa's in Blackshear to a family reunion. My Aunt Belinda and Uncle Steve were here for a visit from Germany and our family got together to see them and everyone else, too! The following weekend was graduation weekend. That Thursday, Mom graduated with her Master's degree from University of South Carolina, Aiken. Friday was Jeff's brother Joe's commissioning ceremony -- he's now officially a Second Lieutenant in the US Army. Saturday was Joe's graduation from Augusta State University with his bachelor's. May 17th was Field Day for our homeschool group and also rehearsal for the children's musical at our church. The next day was dress rehearsal for Katie's ballet recital, with the actual recital on Saturday. Sunday was the children's musical. (Are you tired yet? We sure were!) The week after that I spent focusing all my energy on getting ready for my trip to Central Asia. I left for CA, along with nine others from Maysville Baptist, on the 28th of May. So, the kids split their time between Jeff's parents' house, my parents' house, and being home with daddy. I got back from the trip on June 6th, and spent the next few days being jetlagged and going to bed at 8:30 in the evening! The trip was absolutely amazing and I'll have more details on it in another post.

Kaitlyn and Joseph

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

These are portraits that Paul De Jong took of the kids last year. Obviously, the resolution is low on these, but in real life they are crisp and absolutely gorgeous. Paul and his wife Sandy have a website for their business, GardenHouse Photography, and it really showcases Paul's talent much better than I can! Check it out in the links section of our blog.

Katie is wearing my wedding dress, which was Cheryl's (Jeff's mother) when she married in 1969. Her mother, Pauline Linnenkohl McKinney, made it for her. Katie's veil is a rough copy of the veil Cheryl wore, and she is carrying Gerbera daisies, like I did. I got the idea to do this because Paul and Sandy have a beautiful portrait of their daughter Sarah as a little girl wearing Sandy's wedding dress. So, when I first saw the portrait (at nine years old!) I decided that when I had a little girl someday, I'd have her portrait done in my wedding dress. Note: it is a testament to Paul's talent that the kids were really cranky with each other throughout the photo session and he still got great shots!

Also, please be aware that these are copyrighted photographs. I have special permission to post them here, but please don't share them elsewhere!