Lighten Up Your Life

It's Time

2011-08-04T15:25:00.003-05:00

I've put it off long enough, it's time to let you know about the new blog.

Small Town Nebraska

I'm not sure when I'll have good internet access, so if I don't post for a while don't give up on me.

We might not be living in Lincoln anymore, but if you're in Lincoln and have an electrical need you should still call Brad. He's a fabulous electrician, and I need frequent excuses to road trip Lincoln.

Electrical Recycling

2011-07-01T07:11:00.000-05:00

Here's something interesting about being an electrician. If you're a thrifty one, you save scraps and go turn them in for cash.

Since Brad was saving aluminum and copper, I took it upon myself to help with the cause. I faithfully collected all the "pop" cans I could spot on every walk I've been on for quite a while now. The kids are pro's at spotting them now too. We easily averaged two cans a walk. I thought maybe it was paying me to take a walk. Well, this box of cans (plus a few other pieces of aluminum)...

...paid me a whopping $5.85. It sure is going to take a lot of walking to earn money for much. All the stuff Brad collected earned him almost $300.00. I guess I need to go start walking construction sites.

Update

2011-06-28T14:19:00.000-05:00

About time for an electrician update, isn't it?
He's been keeping busy the last couple of weeks. He just passed his inspection with no problem on the rough in (a.k.a. before drywall) part of the first new home he's wiring as Robertson Electric. It's a log home in the sandhills, which seems like an interesting fact you would want to know. I hope to see the final result someday. Maybe I'll show you a picture of a light he put in it someday.

Now for a Julie update.
I've actually finished six chapters of Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy by Gary Thomas. It's interesting enough that I can actually read it before I go to bed without falling asleep after five minutes. I do find it a little difficult to read a book on marriage when it is a husband talking about what he's done to be a better husband. I have a remarkable husband, but I've had times when I thought of pointing to a paragraph in the book and making Brad read it. Clearly I need to read the book and let the part soak in that talks about making yourself better and not your spouse. (see 3rd quote below)

I thought I should share some interesting quotes from the book for you.

"The difficulty with honoring our spouse is that it calls us to adopt attitudes and actions that go far beyond merely saying that we won't dishonor him or her. As Betsy and Gary Ricucci point out, "Honor isn't passive, it's active..."" That's on page 63 if your book is like mine.

"Whether in men or women, there develops an underlying ruthlessness, a demanding spirit, and a stark self-absorption that permeates every task and relationship as the person seeks to manipulate others into joining their own orbit rather than seeking to launch people into God's." He says this on page 78 of my book when he's talking about people who sacrifice their family relationships for their personal ambitions.

This one I have to ponder from page 101. "Much of our marital dissatisfaction stems in actuality from self-hatred. We don't like what we've done or become; we've let selfish and sinful attitudes poison our thoughts and lead us into shameful behaviors, and suddenly all we want is out....The times that I am happiest and most fulfilled in my marriage are the times when I am intent on drawing meaning and fulfillment from becoming a better husband rather than from demanding a "better" wife."

I've also been spending time on creating a new blog. I might tell you where to find it in a month or so.

Running and Reading

2011-06-15T14:52:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Team Rob The Truck. The five people on our team - Brad, Tyler, Jill, Shauna and I - all finished the 10k Havelock Run. Finding five people to train, sign up for and complete a 10k is harder than you might think. We were all happy to finish and City Impact gets money! It's a win/win.

My reading kick has slowed some you may have noticed, but it came back with a vengeance with all the quality, quiet car time I had when Brad and I got away to Minneapolis this weekend. Maybe because I was content to just read while we were driving instead of attempting to have quality conversation time with my husband is why my mom gave me Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy to read. The first chapter is about "a call to holiness more than happiness." I bet Brad probably went and hid any other book I might consider reading so that I read this one quick. I'm going to try to stretch my brain more than I do by reading fiction and give it a try.

Once I finish it, I'll make sure I encourage Brad to read it. He's actually on a reading kick too lately. Currently he's reading Beyond the Final Score: There's More to Life Than the Game by Tom Osborne. He keeps sharing all the great info he's reading, so I don't know if I even will need to read the book when he gets done with it. (Thanks for the book Dad!)

On our trip I finished my most recent Blogging for Books book and read
Sharpshooter in Petticoats in it's entirety. That series could easily be made into a western movie that I would want to watch.

As for the book that I got free for this review from WaterBrook Multnomah...

I can't decide what I feel about it. It wasn't hard to read, was well written, and I wanted to find out what happened; but fiction about someone who really lived was hard for me to come to terms with. The Daughter's Walk is about a real girl named Clara who actually walked across the country with her mom in 1896. No kidding! They walked from Washington to New York. The author, Jane Kirkpatrick, did extensive research on Clara's life. She then fills in the unknown and makes a story about what she thinks may have happened. I loved learning about life in a different era while reading, but I was always wondering what was really true and what did the author make up. Kirkpatrick does explain a lot of that at the end, so that eased my unease some. In my opinion writing a book like this would have to be much more difficult than writing about someone you can create from scratch.

I liked the book enough to check out from the library another of Kirkpatrick's books that I'm assuming is written the same way. Of course I won't be reading that until I finish "Sacred Marriage."

Or maybe I'll alternate books every time I finish a chapter. Sometimes I have to create a little motivation.

Remember The Wonders He Has Done, Part 2

2011-06-06T12:07:00.001-05:00

Continuing right from where I left off before...

I'm sure many families would've been more than happy to adopt her baby right when he was born; but because of some complicated court issues, he wasn't able to be adopted right away. In the mean time, after my parents had time to grieve and process, they looked into adoption. We stopped by the adoption agency to check in at about the same time that a judge said the little boy could be adopted. The agency saw us and knew we were the family for him.

We didn't disagree. Less than a year after looking into adoption and 14 months after losing a baby, we brought home an adorable 14 month old boy. His location had to be kept secret for a while, so it felt sort of like an undercover operation. We had to give him a new name, which was the third name he'd be given in his entire life. We named him Luke, and to say he was well loved and attended to would be an understatement.

He was more adorable than words can describe. (Still is actually)

Thanks Mom and Dad for finding and scanning pictures!
Do we wish that Jay would've been a healthy baby and lived? Of course! Did Luke's birthmom enjoy going through 48 hours of labor, (which means she was probably in labor almost the same time my mom was!) then having a major c-section, giving up her baby for adoption and then wondering for over a year if he would find a good home? I don't think so! Did God have a plan?! YES!

This example of how God works things for good has been on the forefront of my mind because Luke just got married. When he seated his birthmom during the wedding, I made the mistake of looking at my sister and the tears rolled. Not only was that little boy all of a sudden grown up and getting married, but he was with the woman who chose adoption, which allowed us to have him as our brother. We're so proud to have Luke as our brother, and so deeply thankful for his birthmom.

The details that show how God was at work in both of our stories are countless. I feel completely inadequate to tell them all because I was almost eight at the time it all started, and I only know of most of the amazing ways God worked because of what I've heard people say. I think Luke, his birthmom and my parents all just need to write a book together. (I think they could follow the format of The Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, but I'd let them settle for writing posts for my blog if they're not up for a book at the moment.)

When talking with Luke's birthmom about her story, she mentioned how she sees the fingerprints of God through it all. Our stories are definitely proof God is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). I'd be beyond hopeless if I couldn't count on God to work all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). I'm also thankful to have lived through Him doing just that for my family. It makes remembering His wonders a lot easier when evidence of them is right in front of you.

Psalm 105:1-5
Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
Speak of all His wonders.
Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face continually.
Remember His wonders which He has done...

Remember The Wonders He Has Done

2011-06-03T16:16:00.003-05:00

Seems like I've heard a lot of bad news lately - tornadoes, floods, fire, death.

It's one of those times where I have to look back and remember what great things I've seen God do. Thankfully I've had one of those instances of how God works things for good right in front of me recently.

In 1988, my mom gave birth to a little boy, Jay, prematurely by c-section. Right after he was born, my parents were shocked to find out he wouldn't live long. Jay had a problem with his chromosomes, specifically trisomy 18, but he lived a full two weeks.

My mom had been on bed rest and her tummy was larger than it should have been (We later learned this was because Jay couldn't swallow, which I always thought was a very interesting cause/effect.), but we didn't know the baby was going to have major problems. We were very proud that he could pee and that he had a great grip. We were thankful for every day we had with him, but needless to say it was a very tough time for our family.

Also in 1988, a high school girl got pregnant. Considering she was a pastor's daughter with college in sight, I'm pretty sure that wasn't what she had planned. In order to have her baby born in a state that was more favorable towards adoption of children who are partially Native American, she actually moved away from her family to an entirely different state to finish high school and have her baby. I think it's safe to say it was a rather tough time of life for her as well. She gave birth to her baby exactly two days after Jay.

I'm not making it up when I tell you those two tough stories collide and make an amazingly happy one. I'd tell you the rest of the story, but I can't let myself without a picture. So we're all just going to have to sit tight and I'll finish the story later.

I promise it's too good to not finish.

Do I trust God?

2011-05-26T07:09:00.000-05:00

I like to think that I had the perfect job for me this year.

(I should probably put something about how being a mom is actually the perfect job, but I kind of sit in the boat that says - I do a little bit better at staying home with my kids when I go work somewhere else for a couple days. - Gasp in horror and call me a rebel if you need. Maybe you won't think I'm so evil if I tell you that I worked three days a week this year and would much prefer to only work two.)

I love working in a high school, I love the students, I love the things they're learning, I love the environment, and I love the role of the SLP in a high school. I rarely ever had that sinking feeling of dread about the day when walking into work. I'm sure it helped that one day a week I got to work with Kyla.

Say hello to my newest blog follower!

To say I was a little torqued when I found out I don't get to go back to my perfect job for me would be an understatement. Usually when educators get to the last few months of the school year, they start counting down the days until summer with extreme eagerness. When I saw how many days were left it just made me want to cry. Yesterday was my last day and I started getting all teary eyed in the parking lot before I even got out of my car. (Thankfully I got a grip for the rest of the day and didn't lose it until Elliana said good bye to a little friend at daycare.) I am so sad that I won't get to stay with my students and see them graduate, and since I really love this job I'm almost dreading working with elementary students next year. If you're reading this and you're my employer, don't worry, I'll eventually get over it.

I've been a bit mad at God over it all. Why shouldn't I get to stay at a job that I think is perfect for me? In the book I last finished, The Same Kind Of Different As Me, which is essentially a very interesting and moving autobiography of two people, one of those two people writes this:

There's somethin I learned when I was homeless: Our limitation is God's opportunity. When you get all the way to the end of your rope and there ain't nothin you can do, that's when God takes over. I remember one time I was hunkered down in the hobo jungle with some folks. We was talkin 'bout life, and this fella was talkin, said, "People think they're in control, but they ain't. The truth is that which must befall thee must befall thee. And that which must pass thee by must past thee by." (169)

Does it make sense to say my life is not my own? Do I really think that I want to be in control of my own life? My mom and I were talking about something that worries us, and she said she just has to ask herself, "Do I trust God?" So I think it completely stinks that I have to leave the job that I think is perfect for me, but I've had to ask myself, "Do I trust God?" Really, trusting Him on the issue is really my best option because being angry about it just makes this ugly pit of discouragement fill me up.

I'm not in control of the plan for my life, but I'm trusting God to have a plan for me that far surpasses what I would get out of staying at my perfect job (and crying every now and then because I'm sad it's not the plan I wanted).

HIS little feet

2011-05-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

Follow this lovely link -----> HIS little feet <------ and you'll see the captivating smiles of the 15 children who led our church in worship this morning. I was teary through the whole thing. I went to their concert this evening and started getting teary all over again.

It is so sad to me that they are orphans, but what really made me cry was their joy. They sang the song "Blessed Be Your Name" like they meant it. Only God can bring children who have had terrible life circumstances to a point where they can praise him and have an impact on people across our country. They certainly had an impact on me; they showed me that whatever my circumstances, God can keep my heart still praising Him. I also decided we need to adopt two siblings from another country. Doesn't everyone feel that way though, or is it just me?

Speaking of adoption...

...my brother became my brother when he was 14 months old. Yesterday he graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. That made me teary too. My tear ducts are working I guess. The smart school that decides to hire him will be getting a fabulous high school business teacher. Working in the schools, my heart swells when I see a quality educator in action. I have a sense Luke's going to be one of them. I'm sure it's partly because of the profound impact his two other mothers (a.k.a his sistsers) had on him. We were very good about making sure he didn't watch too much tv when we were in charge!

Comparisons and other 1/2 marathon reflections

2011-05-03T23:45:00.000-05:00

One of my dad's frequently declared quotes is "All comparisons are odious." Well, when it comes to half marathons I completely agree, especially when I begin to compare how I looked after the race to the female who ran it in half that time I did that took the time to put make up on before the 7 am race. She must have known she would get her picture taken.

I guess I knew I would too, but I chose to go as unprimped as possible. Here's proof as I stand before the race with my fabulous running mates, Shauna and Charles.

More proof of my unprimped self as I stand with part of our send off team. Charles' parents and my sister-in-law to be were also there super early to send us off as well.

I'm so glad they sent us off because it makes the experience even more fun and because they were able to get a picture of my other running mate, who I need to name,

and a picture of me looking like I'm running. Looking like I was running in the pictures was one of my goals for this half marathon. Look for the shirt I always wear when running in official races. My cheerleaders say it helps them spot me.

Here's a closer look in case you couldn't find me or make out how 2 inches taller than normal and it actually looks like I'm running - focused, serious, both feet off the ground.

Speaking of cheerleaders, look at what Charles, Shauna and I had going for us.

(I believe the hair sticking up one the top of my head is my wings from last year.)

Brad got the kids up early and out the door and was able to get to four different spots along the race to cheer for Shauna and I. Elliana cheering with all her might was priceless! They would've cheered for Charles too, but Charles could only stand about 2 miles of our pace and sprinted off to finish 20 minutes before Shauna and I. He wasn't wearing an orange under armor shirt either so I'm sure that made it hard for Brad to spot him as well.

With this amazing group of people and Brooke (who made Shauna and I a sign!) we were able to have 8 different spots where people were encouraging us on. Hearing them shout their lungs out during the last .1 mile was unforgettable. Thanks everyone!

(Only when you're on a high from finishing a race do you really have the nerve to put your sweaty armpits around your friends. Sorry about that guys!)

Now back to the comparison lecture before I tell you Shauna and my finishing time. (We tied all the way to the second if you're wanting to compare how we did.) Comparing half marathon speeds is completely odious. If I compared my time to the winner's, I could feel like such a slow runner; but I believe that would be a completely worthless comparison other than to note she's unbelievably fast. I was not made to run that fast. I most certainly couldn't have finished much faster than I did.

I don't think it's odious to compare my time this year to last because it does show improvement. It's a personal accomplishment for me and one I never thought possible, actually. Here's the comparison.

2010: average pace: 10:14 (and I spent at least 4 hours after the run in the bathroom or curled up in my bed while everyone else went to brunch)

2011: average pace: 9:59 (and I only spent 15 minutes in the bathroom and was actually able to eat lunch!)

Can you believe my goal was 10 minute miles?! Scary considering I don't like to think I'm goal oriented.

Now please don't go comparing your would be or actual time to mine because that would be completely odious. However, I would consider setting a goal for yourself so you can have a great personal accomplishment as well. Continue reading for a possible opportunity...

So now it's over and I start to get depressed because I don't have a half marathon to train for to give me an excuse to run, BUT there is another run coming up that you can join me on: The Havelock Run the first weekend in June.

I'd like to get together a team of 5-7 people to run the 10k, but if I can't find enough people to do that, I'd consider putting together a team to run the 5k. Let me know if you're interested in either. If 5 people from a team finish, the charity of my choice gets a donation! I failed at this last year but am trying again anyway! I need a reason to run! If I don't have one, I prefer to not have to hassle with changing into and out of running clothes to exercise.

Funky

2011-04-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

I just saw that my last post was my 100th for this blog. What an uninteresting post for the infamous 100th post! I've felt rather funky in general about this blog lately. As if you couldn't already tell that based on the randomness and irregularity of the posts.

My focus started as talking about how Brad is lighting things up and how I'm lightening up by dealing with my issues. I've been terrible about telling you what Brad's been doing, although he's had relatively steady work lately. (*PTL!*) I've already dealt with all my issues so I've none left to tell you about.

Ha Ha!

Actually, I just got sick of telling you about all my issues and thought maybe you were all going to start thinking I just liked to beat myself up on here. Who wants to read that?

So I've lost focus, which is actually one of the reasons I've been post irregularly.

The other reason I've been irregularly posting is because my mind is all wrapped up with a new blog I want to start.

You're thinking, "Seriously, another new blog? Would you just settle on one and stay there?"

Yes and sorry, I hope I will someday.

I'm no where close to telling you about the new blog because I so want to start this blog right. I want it to look great (but have no idea how to make that happen *HELP*), I want it to have a focus that I don't veer from like I've done with this blog (which I'm still hashing out), and I don't want to tell you its topics yet.

I sort of feel like I need to have a little blog committee meeting. Any volunteers who'd like to be full of constructive criticism and helpful ideas? I'm thinking a meeting at a coffee shop just before bedtime so that I can get out of putting the kids to bed. My sister and I did that this week and it was FABULOUS! Anyone else get sick of bedtime?

Mostly it's that perfectionist tendency of not starting something because you're afraid you can't do it right that's keeping me from working on it. That and that my mind is a slightly full with all the MAJOR events coming in the month of May...

1/2 Marathon
My Brother's Graduation
Our 9th Anniversary
Wyatt's 2nd! Birthday
My Last Day of Work for the School Year
Brother's Wedding!

Perhaps I should put blog creation on the back burner for a few weeks.... :(

On the Lighter Side of Goals

2011-04-08T15:12:00.001-05:00

Just so you don't get worried that I'm becoming overly goal oriented, let me tell you the first thoughts that came to my mind when I considered what my current goals might be for my kids....

Wyatt: Needs to talk more
Elliana: Needs to talk less [only at appropriate times]

I know that "all comparisons are odious;" but when I compared those thoughts to what I remember reading on Breezy Acre Farms about how she has 3-5 character goals for her kids, I realized I have a ways to go to get on the majorly-goal-oriented-person ship.

Still on the lighter side of goals would be our financial goal for the year: to not spend more than we make. That's a little tricky considering the income of my fabulous self-employed husband is always unknown. God has consistently shown up in the last two plus years of self-employment; because of that, I have a lot fewer worries about money than I did two years ago! I know He'll keep taking care of us even if we currently don't have a very ambitious financial goal.

I probably have a subliminal personal financial goal: to get as many things free as possible. It probably borders on the line of an unhealthy obsession, but it's also personal entertainment.

Then one more reason why I laughed at myself after I wrote my last goal post (get it? ha ha!) - it occurred to me I write goals for every single student I work with at school. I referred to goals at work in that post but was talking about the ones we deal with in long staff meetings. I didn't even think about individual student goals when I was writing that last novel. Perhaps that's just evidence that I have very little problem with leaving work at work.

This now concludes my thoughts on goals until January of 2012. You may have to read more about my mission before then but that's still getting tweeked.

Goals and Mission

2011-04-04T23:36:00.000-05:00

I've never been into missions and goals. Maybe I've been tainted by work meetings where we spend hours talking about them when I would much rather be getting my things organized for working with students. However, I think my armor against them is beginning to chip.

It started with my New Years Resolution. I'd never had one before but for some reason I gave it a try. I'm amazed at how the things I resolved to are becoming habit.

These were my top 2...

1. Be more intentional showing Brad love every day.

I need to improve on this one. I get more focused on #2 and he gets forgotten. Poor guy.

2. Be more intentional about spending quality time with Elliana and Wyatt every day.

I really like having this thought process in my day. If I do spend time with each of them then I don't feel guilty when letting them play alone. It's actually been a challenge to get QT with Wyatt lately due to his sister being so chatty and loving of attention, but I'm trying. I may not have even noticed that problem if I didn't have this goal!

These were the lesser items...

3. Make an intentional effort to read a book one day a week.

Clearly if you've been reading all my posts about books you see this has not been a problem. I'm currently in love with reading thanks to this resolution!
4. Intentionally train to run faster than my previously slow pace.

I forgot I put that as a resolution but I'm running faster than last year partially thanks to my new toy. Still no record setting but it's good for me.
5. You'd better bet that I'm going to be very intentional about my dental hygiene as well!

I'm still brushing and flossing - nothing I didn't do before. I'm actually having a issue with biting the inside of my cheek so hard at night that I wake up in pain. Anyone want me to write an entire post about that issue?

All that to say why I'm starting to like goals. Then there the mission thing. I think mission statements are more annoying to talk about than goals during work meetings. Let's just state the mission and get on with work!

Then at church on Sunday our pastor talked about missions, and I was actually so excited because I think I might have a real personal "mission statement"! Unbelievable that I could be excited about such a thing. You want to know what it is? You're going to have to ask me in person or wait until I'm ready to blog about it. Anyone else have a mission out there?

Lot's of words. Sorry. Hopefully not a lot of typos considering the hour. I just had to get something posted so my friend, Keri, wouldn't have to email me to see if I was still alive. ;) Thanks for the motivation friend.

More Education

2011-03-22T14:52:00.001-05:00

If you're still reading my blog after all it's dull content lately, you're going to have to put up with the dull content a little longer. I'm mulling some ideas that I'm excited about, but you don't get to know them yet; unless you want to ask me about them in person and give me meaningful feedback (none of this "that sounds good" unhelpful stuff). I've pondered telling you about my cleaning issues, but I don't want to scare you away from ever coming to my house.

All that to tell you that all I have to ramble about more books and something else I learned. I'm most excited about what I learned, so it goes first.

I learned that what I really wanted for my Mother's Day/Anniversary present was the GPS watch that the nice electrician in town gave me last week. Surprise! I had no idea how much more fabulous running could be with a device on my arm. You could get a fancier one than what I have, but mine works wonders for me! It's a blast knowing how fast I'm going and how far I've gone just by looking at my wrist instead of having to guess and calculate based on the time on my phone. I actually run faster because of it. If you're related to a runner, serious walker, or biker and they don't have one of these, today is your lucky day because you now know what to give them the next time they need a present. If you're one of those runners, serious walkers or bikers, you now know where to send your relative for an unsubtle gift idea. (That rave review was all unsolicited. I blogged about it because I'm so excited about it, but did you know that if you actually click on any Amazon link and buy any new thing from them, they'll give me a small percentage of what you buy. It's not much, but I take whatever money I can make because God's still working on knocking out the root of all evil from me. I also figure if I make a little money from this blog Brad might decide to see blogging as the valuable hobby that I already feel like it is.)

As for the books, remember my rambling post about When the Heart Cries? Since then I've checked out and finished the next two books in the series. I feel very comfortable saying I think Cindy Woodsmall is an great author. I love the contrast she provides between book 1 and book 2 and how she brings it all together for fabulous book 3. Her sub plots were as interesting to me as the main plot, and I felt they all tie together extremely well. The first two books leave you dying to get your hands on the next book, but the final book has a happy ending. I always think I need an entire chapter or more about how happy life is for the characters after all the conflict is resolved but usually feel like I get two sentences. This gave me a couple of pages, so I was pretty happy with that. If you start book one make sure you're ready to read two more books. You've been warned! Lincoln's library has all three if you're wondering.

This Will Take My Whole Life To Learn

2011-03-10T23:12:00.001-06:00

"To really understand this walk of faith, it is the heart that says, "God this is all about You. It is all about You, Your plan and Your purpose. Is is about what You want to accomplish in the world." It is not about me figuring out a way to manipulate God to get what I want. It is a willingness to sell out for God and His plan and Purpose. I just want to be a part of that. That is really the heart of faith God blesses."

-Bryan Clark - from a message on Genesis 25:19-34 on September 6/7, 2003 -

Getting Even Smarter

2011-03-05T14:39:00.003-06:00

What an educational week it's been.

First I learned about Photo Booth and Charles Lindbergh Jr.

Then I learned it really does work to request items from the library to be sent to whatever library you want, so you can pick them up whenever they're available. Best of all it's free as long as you pick them up! Brad just picked up season 2 of Lost today. Considering it was all checked out and had a waiting list for it when I initially checked, and considering I don't want to buy it and have it taking up room on a shelf; this is very convenient. I love taking advantage of things I pay taxes to support. (It would be more convenient if someone I knew owned all the seasons of Lost and wanted me to borrow them, but I wouldn't want to be so obnoxious and cheap to actually ask for that.)

I requested a book today because of the other thing I learned this week. Cindy Woodsmall is an excellent author. I base that statement only after reading one book that I received for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I finished the book and wondered how many other readers I know that have not made it clear to me I should read some of her books. Maybe they tried to tell me at a time in my life before I put memo's in my phone to help me remember such things, but I really don't think I'd ever heard of her before this book arrived at my door Wednesday.

I started reading it Wednesday night and finished it Friday night. I fed my kids, played with them, and cleaned my house among other things between those two evenings. Let's just say I couldn't stop reading when I should've been going to bed. I love having that problem.

What book was it you ask?

When the Heart Cries (Sisters of the Quilt, Book 1) I was so relieved when I saw "Book One" on the front cover. I get paranoid about reading a series of books out of order, and that would really be problematic with this series. Unfortunately this story ends with so many things unresolved that when you read the last page you're ready to drop everything and do whatever you can to get your hands on book 2! (Hence the requesting it from the library ASAP!)

A few bullets about the book for you...

Amish in present day. What is it about the Amish that's so fascinating?
I bet you'll be hooked to the story in 4 pages or less. Probably less, but since I bet you I figured I should play it safe.
Riveting plot!
In terms of Christian fiction, it's just a great story. I didn't get the sense the author wrote with the main intention of trying to teacher her readers about God or consider an area of character in their life. You certainly could do both if you take time to think about it, but it's not overpowering.

I wish I would've read other books from Cindy Woodsmall in order to give you a comparison of this book to her others, but I was in the dark about her before this week. I may request another of her novels for the next book I review even though that probably means I lose a couple nights of good sleep. I'm on such a reading kick I think I better go for it before I lose the kick.

(Just click real quick up there to rank my review.)

Feeling a little chatty today, so I'm going to keep going...

In case you think I always tell you all books are good, let me tell you about this other book WaterBrook Multnomah sent me just because they're nice. I didn't request it or pay for it. The Charlatan's Boy: A Novel is a book I will not finish. I've taken a new approach to reading. If I'm not into the book after 50 pages or so, I'm not going to feel guilty about not finishing it. I have no guilt about not finishing this one. I'm sure someone out there likes the book because it has high rankings on some sites, but I think I'll just stick with my shallow obsession with Christian romance. Let me know if you read the book and think I should give it a few more pages of chance.

Learn Something New Everyday

2011-03-02T21:29:00.001-06:00

This is all in the name of lightening up.

High schoolers get distracted with Photo Booth. Little did I know that I had access to it and could get distracted too.

On a more serious note, I also learned today that Charles Lindbergh had a child get kidnapped and killed. Very sad.

Was I supposed to learn these things in high school? I didn't. Good thing I'm back there now.

More Blogger Block

2011-03-01T22:14:00.000-06:00

Since I want to blog but am still experiencing blogger block, how about a touching video that most of you have already seen? If you're anything like me, it'll make you tear up.

Just More Books

2011-02-20T20:53:00.002-06:00

Good thing I have books to blog about now, because I'm having serious blogger block trying to come up with something else meaningful to write. Maybe I've been reading too much to think of blogging content. Since I last wrote about books, I've finished Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (very interesting) and Wrangler in Petticoats (a fun, 1800's, western romance) and now I'm reading Doctor in Petticoats. Doctor in Petticoats takes place before Wrangler in Petticoats. I'm quite annoyed that I read them out of order! Completely ruins the suspense.

Let me tell you about another fabulous children's book I received for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review since I'm guessing you really don't care what I've been reading.

When I saw the option for another "polar bear" book to review I didn't think twice about it. God Gave Us So Much is another keeper. If your kids like any other book in this series, then this would be the book to get, since it's three in one - God Gave Us Love, God Gave Us Heaven, and God Gave Us the World. Each one is basically a curious little polar bear asking fitting questions about the topics of our world, heaven and love. The adult polar bears give very appropriate answers for a preschooler's level of understanding. You can tell the author put in excellent thought into each book and they teach kids a wide variety of great concepts. In God Gave Us Heaven they even have the bridge illustration fit in very naturally. Elliana loves having any of these books read to her. I think we'll have to check out God Gave Us You and God Gave Us Two sometime soon!

Grandma Robertson

2011-02-12T09:43:00.001-06:00

Please deal with me while I mourn a minute. This fine lady passed away yesterday. She hasn't been my grandma for long, but I still teared up when I heard that news. (Side note: Wyatt looked at me and said, "Uh oh!" I guess he's already afraid of crying women.) Seriously, if I have to live to be over 90 years old, I hope I can do it with as much grace and dignity as Grandma Robertson. She always looked beautiful, and I don't think I ever heard her complain. She was always giving and was always ready with a cup of coffee. In our house she will easily be remembered by all the blankets, quilts and plastic spoon roses she gave us.

Now that she's gone I wish I would've asked her more about her life on the farm, life before dishwashers and the term "fat free", life during all the eras I didn't live through, and more about what she remembers of Bradley as a little boy. I wish I would've written her more letters and sent her more pictures. Death is good for making a person remember what's important.

My dad always makes "grandma cookies" on his grandma's birthday. I've decided I should do the same for my grandparents, making something I remember them making. For Grandma Robertson we decided that means making peanut butter cookies with fork marks on the top.

$2 billion made. $300 million saved.

2011-02-08T21:20:00.002-06:00

We got to be a part of a wonderful wedding this weekend, so I actually took time to iron my clothes for the wedding. As I was trying to plug in the iron I grumbled to Brad about the new outlet he had put in for us to try. I have given up using it when I plug in the vacuum, so I don’t know why I even tried it with the iron. Brad plugged the iron in and informed me that this great new tamper proof outlet is what all new homes are going to have now because the national electrical board voted to change the code. Considering I haven’t been able to plug anything into the great new outlet without Brad’s help, I certainly don’t feel inclined to want a new home right now.

This led to an informative discussion in which I learned some things I will now rant about.

This little code change will cost around $1 more per outlet plus a lot of annoyance at trying to get things plugged in. I guess it will protect your child if they stick a paper clip in one side of the outlet, but they make little plastic covers for that or you can just keep your eye on your child.
Now if you don’t care about tamper proof outlets, you might care about this new code. If an electrician goes into a home and touches a circuit, they now have to put in an arc-fault breaker. So let’s say you want a new outlet in your bedroom. Instead of that costing you around $60 (if you used Robertson Electric) it would now cost you $120 if your house was compatible with the breakers or up to $200 or more if it wasn’t. That’s just one outlet.

As for new construction, a new home could have anywhere from 8 to 20 breakers. The breakers you formerly were able to use cost $4. The arc-fault breaker costs a minimum of $30. You do the math on that one.

This is what’s really intriguing on this topic. The manufacturers, who sat on the board that voted for this, will generate over $2 billion in revenue annually. The amount of property damage that this will prevent across the nation is only $300 million. Over $2 billion made. $300 million saved. Hmmmmm.

So I wondered, who makes up this National Electric Code? Well, I went ~~and did some very deep research~~ to Wikipedia. It didn't really answer my question, but it did tell me this.

"The National Electrical Code (NEC), or NFPA 70, is a United States standard for the safe installation of electrical wiring and equipment. It is part of the National Fire Codes series published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). "National Electrical Code" and "NEC" are registered trademarks of the NFPA. While the NEC is not itself a U.S. law, NEC use is commonly mandated by state or local law, as well as in many jurisdictions outside of the United States."

Does that mean we could change these annoying codes if we storm the gates of the Nebraska legislature and beg for reform? Maybe I need to become a lobbyist.

This is going to make my fabulous electrician look like he’s trying to make a lot more money, but he’s really just doing what he has to do. In reality, it makes you think it could cause him to make less money because who wants to pay $200 for a new outlet?

Show Me What I've Got

2011-02-01T15:48:00.000-06:00

In light of the recent post on Elliana Zea & Co. I suppose this video is fitting...

Good Reads

2011-01-27T14:26:00.003-06:00

Once I start a good book, it becomes less of a problem for me to create time to read. When I started my new book by Francine Rivers it made it real easy to keep my resolution of reading one night a week. Now I need to get started on the second book in the series so I can continue keeping my resolution.

After I get done with that one, I might start Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back. Brad just finished it in short order. The boy it's about is from Imperial, NE, which is very close to where we lived last year. My mother-in-law and Brad both said it's an easy read.

Now for the latest book I got free for reviewing purposes...

God Gave Us the World is a keeper! I had never read any of the other books in this "series," (God Gave Us Love (God Gave Us...), God Gave Us You, etc.) but I would be very interested in checking them out now. I sort of felt it was fitting that we were reading this book around Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day because it talks about how God made bears all different but that they're all special. That's just one of the great points it teaches kids. It would also be fitting to read on Earth Day because it talks some about why we should take care of the world. I love how it explains God has creative and BIG and of course that it tells that He made our world. It's certainly not as long as Horton Hears a Who but it's not a two minute read either. The entire book is a conversation between the mother and daughter polar bears, so I feel like I need to create distinct voices for each when I'm reading in order to help the little people know who is talking when. That's definitely not my specialty!

In case you didn't already know, I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Show Up Big Time

2011-01-20T22:00:00.006-06:00

This week I've been asking God to show up big time for us, for our friends, for Joanne. I want to see Him do something miraculous. I'm sort of tired of waiting for all of our dreams to come true. A summary of the conversation in my head has been something like this:

Me: God, would you please show up big for us? I feel like I need to see you do something miraculous.

God: Don't you think I show up big for you everyday? Remember what big things I've done for you in the past?

Me: True. This flower on my counter that's about ready to bloom is pretty amazing, You protect us and provide abundantly for us, and have given us two amazing children... I just want to see something really big. I want our problems solved!

God: Well, If I always did what you wanted right away, then that wouldn't strengthen your faith and you would be in charge instead of me.

Me: So true. Thanks for showing up in big and small ways everyday. I'm still going to keep asking you to do the miraculous! Then I'd have something exciting to blog about.

God: I will do the miraculous, you just keep your eyes open, keep asking and keep trusting.

Envelopes

2011-01-11T15:41:00.000-06:00

What a good week for me! Sorry to those of you having a cruddy week. Your week(s) will come soon hopefully.

Thanks to the snow, it looks like I get to only work 1 day this week instead of 3. Even though I like my job, this is a great thing! What's even better about that is I had picked to not work today when the school year started, but last week I asked to switch this day with another day next month when our sitter is not available. That switch is working out splendidly!

Speaking of working out, I registered for the Lincoln half marathon this week. That makes for a great week, since I love a good reason to excercise. Anyone else out there going to go for the half this year?

Another reason why it's a good week - I'm getting such a kick out of making envelopes out of my old calendars. It doesn't take much around here. When I saw the link on moneysavingmom.com on how to make envelopes out of your old calendars, I set to work right away on my 2010 Mary Engelbreit calendar and squeeled outloud when I finished with each one. This is my type of craft.

I'm sure many of you more talented craft types could do much better, but I'm completely fine with my results. This one turned out perfectly.

So today I went in search of all the other old calendars that I didn't have the heart to throw away. I first started saving them because I dreamed of having a Mary Engelbreit room someday where I would frame my favorite calendar pictures and line the walls with them. Even after I figured that would never happen, I still couldn't throw them away and felt annoyed at my pack rat self. Until today! I found all my old calendars. Will you think I'm nuts if I tell you I have at least 8 of them?

See that calendar from 1996?! Ha! I can't wait to make it into envelopes!

If you decide to make envelopes using the directions of the link above, I found that it works best to fold the bottom corner up first a little past center then fold the sides in and have them meet at the center. That way you don't end up with a square envelope and needing to pay more for postage. You also need to know these required dimensions if you don't want to pay more for postage. May this lighten up your week, like it's lightened up mine!