"They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned...strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith." (Acts 14:21-22)


I received a comment from Mylinda the other day, directing me to her blog. I was a little surprised that she'd awarded me the Mathetes award.


"Mathetes" is the Greek word for disciple. The Mathetes Award originated at Management By God and is given to those who exemplify the life of a disciple of Christ by having a heart to share God's Word and further His kingdom by carrying His message to the ends of the earth.





Mylinda is definitely worthy of this award. Check out her blog if you haven't already. And now I must nominate 5 others for this award. I have been reading some newer blogs (or at least new to me,) that I'd like to share.

Kristin at Yankee Mom
Ann at Small Town Life
Julie at Pearls In A Nutshell
truevyne at The True Vine
Pam at Pinnacle, Pitfalls, and Potty chairs
Annie at My Life as Annie & Pray for Izzy

Dan King prayed this prayer over his nominees. I pray the same for mine and for the rest of my fellow bloggers who exemplify the life of a disciple of Christ.

I pray a blessing over the bloggers that receive this award, and ask that the Holy Spirit use them mightily as they share the Word of God with the world around them. May all of their efforts be fruitful, and their words carry the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Time To Get Serious

Okay, I was hoping to not have to do this. But my boys, the Rockies are down 3 games. They need a little extra encouragment. Bring on the Spartan Cheerleaders!!!

GO ROCKIES!!!!

Really, I'm not advertising for Budweiser. It's just that they were taking free pictures with the clydesdale for the World Series. How could I resist???

I forgot to mention. Last Saturday was a gorgeous day for Homecoming. It was sunny & 80 degrees. Hilary spent the night with a group of friends after the dance. She came home barefoot, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. This is a picture I took Sunday morning:





Our first snowfall of the season!!!! Colorado is the best place in all the world to live. The beauty, variety, sunshine, snow...I love everything about it. Oh, and GO ROCKIES!!!!!!!!

(P.S. I've been having to edit my picture posts. Blogger seems to not like my photo size anymore.)

New Site

I began getting phone calls for recipes, shortly after my offspring began to leave the nest. After a few calls wanting to know how to make frankfurter goulash, or that dish with chicken and maybe tomatoes and noodles, I decided to put together a recipe book. I thought how fun it would be to give each of my kids their own personal cook book with some of the families favorite recipes. I thought it would be nice to include photos of each dish to help them recall which one they were remembering.

It hasn't happened yet. In the meantime, I decided putting the recipes online was an even better idea. I still plan to make a hard copy for my family members. Living in the 2000's, books such as this could very well become obsolete, collector's items.

For now, here is the beginning of my labors. http://13recipes4me.blogspot.com/

I will try to put up a recipe a day and add photos as I take them. Enjoy!

To Jay Alves, Rockies Spokesperson

I realize that this is the first time ever that the Colorado Rockies have had the privilege of selling tickets to the World Series. But please! If you were unsure of how to sell tickets, why didn't you consult other, more experienced teams on how to accomplish this? The Boston Red Socks didn't seem to have any problems selling the tickets for games in their city. AND, they reserved some specifically for diehard fans to purchase at the gate on game day. How sweet is that for fans who couldn't get tickets???

Selling the tickets strictly via the internet did not make our city appear high tech. On the contrary, it showed the rest of the country how inept we are at hosting the World Series-or at least our inability to adequately sell tickets period. What about those who bleed Rocky Mountain Purple? Shouldn't we have a chance at tickets? By selling strictly through the internet, you have opened the door to the world to scalp tickets to the game in our own beloved city. Can't a few tickets be sold locally, making it easy for Denverites to see our home team play?

I am very disappointed. And yes, I wasted a good portion of my day trying to access the site for tickets. I don't think I can afford to waste another day for another chance. Afterall, in the few hours the site was up, it received 8.5 million hits. How is it going to be different tomorrow?

Go Rockies! Rah, Rah. (Said with less enthusiasm than before.)

Homecoming

Sarabeth & date


My girls & Ethan

Hilary & date

This is "the worm" portion of Hilary's dance. She performed this the day after her injury.

Oh Louis...

Exactly one month ago, I posted this. I mentioned the calming affects of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" on driving, especially in stressful situations. Last night's occasion was no different.

I was about to mash a pot of potatoes when my phone rang. A cheery voice sang out,

"Hi, Mom!"

"Hi, Hilary."

(Pause.) "I'm at practice right now." Yes, you are every day at this time.

"We were doing the worm, and I got kicked." Quit pausing, and get to the point. Why are you calling? This mom gets a bit impatient with unexpected phone calls.

"The trainer says she doesn't think my nose is broken, but I need stitches. Do you want me to wait until the end of practice?" What, does she think I can't be bothered right now?

I picked her up, even though her sister, who drives, was at the school. I couldn't remember which urgent care accepted our insurance, so opted for the ER. Hilary had a pretty good attitude. She told me the details while listening to Louis.

Emergency Room doctors and staff think humor is encouraging to their patients.


Doc: "When noses are that swollen, we don't bother ex-raying them to see if they are broken.
You'll know in a couple of weeks anyway. Just look in the mirror. If it is crooked, you can bet it is broken.


Nurse: "Your homecoming is this weekend? Just wait 3 weeks, put on your dress, then take your pictures. Or just take them Saturday looking like a racoon."


Doc: "Usually we try to use glue on faces to minimize scarring. But I'm going to stitch this instead. Just 3 tiny stitches across your nose."


Nurse: "Ice is your friend. If not, your face will be very swollen."


It was after 9:00 when we arrived home. She's at school today, a bit nervous to perform the worm portion of the dance at the pep rally. Tonight is the game & tailgate party, tomorrow the dance. I hope she will keep smiling when she sees the photos from these events.

I've joined the craziness in Colorado & turned my blog purple to honor our World Series Team. After the sweep on Monday night, I woke up Tuesday morning to be one of the first to get Rockies t-shirts. It wasn't an original idea. I had appointments to get to, so I came home empty-handed.

I spent over 3 hours at Children's hospital with Elisabeth-a bone scan and CT scan. Children's hospital went through a huge move across town to a brand new building. Touted as one of the top pediatric hospitals in the nation, the new facility was needed to provide expanded services and I thought more parking. I was unimpressed when I arrived to cones in front of the parking garage that indicated it was full. I do believe I could get used to Valet Parking. I wonder if I could hire them full time?

This week is Homecoming week at the High School. I thought the festivities were for the high school kids? I'm expected to be at the pep rally on Friday, make a main dish that serves 12 for the tailgate party, help find proper attire for Spirit Day, Bling Day, Crazy Sock Day, and I can't remember the others. Let's not forget ordering flowers, buying new dresses/shoes, hair, nails, makeup....Saturday is the last big event. I'm tired already. I'm sure I'll feel much better after the soccer game and choir concert tonight.

(You all know I wouldn't miss a minute of it. Hilary even let me paint her fingernails silver with little black paw prints because I couldn't find the right green two stores later. Of course those will be removed and redone in a french manicure before Saturday.)

Autumn

Autumn

such a fickle season,

teasing with your constant changes.

Warm sunshine dances upon my skin

reminding me of past summer days.

Fierce winds blow rain, sleet, and (gasp) snow,

bite at my face.

A foreshawdow of winter.

Brilliant displays of red foliage,

oranges, & yellows alive like fire.

Too soon, all I see is barren nakedness

Crunching. Dry leaves crushed beneith my feet.

Days get predictably shorter,

darkness cuts into my afternoons.

Spicy hot cider, pumpkin bread,

Sweet hot cocoa, I drink in your delicious scents

Even the smoky wood smell from the crackling fire

intrigues my senses.

You flaunt your loveliness

Taunting me with your bounties,

But I've seen your other side

You are Fall.

To my friends and family in Arizona:
(Except Christopher)

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. A loss can be so hard to accept. Please don't resort to throwing things, as others have done. We all need to learn that losing is a part of life. Especially since we expect you to experience 3 more losses like the one last night.

Go Rockies!

P.S. Christopher, enjoy the game tonight, but watch out for the Diamond Backs' fans-they don't handle loss very well.

Weekend of Surprise

It was a much anticipated weekend for Hilary. On Thursday, her cousin from Arizona was flying in to spend the weekend. We'd timed it just right, so Cara could see Hilary perform for half-time at the football game. Well, that is until we realized the game started at 4 instead of 6:00p.m. Her flight was at 3:30. It would be a close call.

The traffic was horrendous. Her flight came in early, we arrived late. More traffic, but somehow we managed to show up just before half time. Hilary was excited to see us walk through the gate.

It was a very close game, but her team lost. Hilary was undaunted. She was looking forward to spending the next few days with her favorite cousin. As the players were coming off the field, she was surprised when one of them stopped, gave her flowers and a card, and asked her to Homecoming. I didn't get a picture, so we hurried out to the bus, where the players were pulling off their equipment/shirts. This is the best I have. Boy, did her siblings harass him about being half naked!

Later that evening, Christopher surprised me by flying in for the weekend. He brought with him a spiderman costume for Ethan. It was a great weekend.

Teaching manners to young children can be fun. Role playing is a practical and effective way to accomplish this. Playing house, tea parties, and phone conversations to practice please and thank-you's was much more enjoyable than mere etiquette rules. I know my girls especially enjoyed the playtime.


Christopher had to learn additional things that my girls didn't, like opening doors. Manly things. Have you ever witnessed a little boy performing grown-up chores? His chest puffs out, He walks a little taller, and he takes on a new air of confidence. He is transformed into a man-child. My son was no different.

I was hesitant to give him the honor of opening the car door. I've seen too many fingers slammed between the two pieces of metal. At age 7, Christopher was a perfect gentleman. We'd be rushing out the door on a Sunday morning. I'd get the baby strapped into her car seat, make sure each one had her bible, offerings and such. Then I'd hurry around to my side of the car.

"Wait! Wait!" Christopher would run past me. My door would open. He'd stand their and hold it until I was securely inside. He'd shut my door. Grinning, he walked nicely back around to the other side of the big blue van-reopening the door I'd just shut and climb inside. At times I wanted to turn and say, "let's skip it today, I'm in a hurry." But one look into his big brown eyes, and there was no way. I wouldn't have missed it for anything.

On snowy, cold mornings, I'd tell Christopher how nice it would be when he was old enough to drive. He'd be able to drop his sisters and I off at the door of the church, then go park the car like the rest of the gentlemen. Sure enough, as soon as he was the proud owner of a Colorado Driver's License, my teenage son would automatically pull up to the curb closest to the church's front door. After parking the car, he could be seen hurring along the sidewalk with the other men who'd done the same. I was so proud to see him walking as one of the men.

During our winter trips to Arizona, my father-in-law and I used to take walks around the neighborhood. I was often pushing a stroller, coaxing a little one to sleep. I noticed when it was the just the two of us, dad-in-law would sometimes switch to the other side of the sidewalk he was walking. I was a little puzzled, but figured it must be a preferance, like choosing which side of the bed to sleep. He explained one day that he was merely staying on the outside. By walking closest to the street, it was a gentleman's way of being a shield of sorts. What a thoughtful gesture.

My dad modeled similar masculine niceties. While standing in a fast food line at the delectable Jack-in-the-box, my dad asked me what I was having. As usual, I had diffuculty making a choice. It had been years since I was in a Jack. After studying the menu, I finally chose 2 tacos. Dad placed the order. He ordered MY food. To some, this might not mean much, but to me it is a big deal. It is a comfort/security thing, like my husband answering the door or telephone. I can't explain why it is so meaningful, but it is. I can rest and be at ease, knowing someone else is watching out for me.

Men are an example of the Father when they tenderly walk in their masculine roles. Manners-a way to portray the gentle, caring ways of our heavenly father.

Beginnings



Sigh. This school year has not started well for Ethan. I've mentioned this before. Christina was at the school helping him eat lunch. The teacher came over and announced, "Ethan didn't have a good day." She went on to explain that Ethan had pulled the principal's hair and wouldn't let go. And the worst part? She was "so embarrassed." Embarrassed???? For what reason? Was she appalled at his behavior, ashamed of Ethan,or was she mortified because she, as his teacher, was clueless as to how to deal with the situation? I sure hope her embarrassement was a result of her own inadequacies and NOT by my precious grandson. How could this little boy humiliate anyone?




By the way, Sunday began Deaf Awareness Week. It is my desire to learn ASL in order to be able to communicate with the those in the deaf community. Every individual should be able to hear the Gospel in his own language. This sign goes out to all, but especially to Ethan:



I love you

More On Manners

I should have been thrilled, but I wasn't. The grandparents were watching the children for a couple of hours and Michael and I were going out. We rarely went anywhere as a couple, but I was less than excited. Dread would better describe my emotions.

I'd agreed to meet with some old friends of Michael's-from his BMW days. (Yes, he did drive a BMW as a single man. I think of those times as his "Before My Wife" days.) Being 9 years older than me, as were most of his friends, I often felt like a child sitting in a group of adults. Some of the friends I'd met were easily 10-15 years older. The men usually talked computers and business, of which I knew nothing. The women all had established careers, while my life revolved around my children and church. How could I carry on an intelligent conversation? This couple we were meeting didn't even have children. I got out of the car feeling like a total misfit.

Upon entering the restaurant, greetings were exchanged and introductions made. Kyle & Cheryl seemed like a nice enough couple, but I was still uncomfortable. As we took our seats, I noticed that Kyle pulled his wife's chair out and waited for her to be seated, before taking his own. Should I wait for my husband to slide my chair out for me? I looked over. He was already sitting. I quickly sat down.

Have you ever been at a fancy restaurant in a large group setting? You are sitting uncomfortably with people you don't know well. Your place setting has more glasses and silverware than you would normally use in an entire day. Not knowing how to start a conversation, you reach for your water glass. As you gulp down the icy cold water, you observe the person next to you. An uneasiness grips you and your mind gets foggy. Is the water glass placed on the right or left? Being right-handed you instinctively grabbed the one closest to you. While that cold is choking in your throat, you can't be for certain, but yes, you have mistakenly taken a drink from someone else's water glass. Awkwardly you hold the glass close to your lips. Should you quickly put it back, hoping nobody else noticed? Should you announce to all that you are clueless about table settings? Or do you act like it belongs to you, forcing the victim to deal with it? This is how I was feeling as I sat at the table with this couple.

Before our food arrived, Cheryl excused herself to the powder room. Has anyone seriously powdered themselves in there??? Kyle stood to his feet. Was he going with her? He pushed her chair in, and sat back down. As his wife made her way back to the table, Kyle once again rose to his feet and pulled out his wife's chair. I had witnessed this type of polite behavior in very old movies, but never in real life.

By this time, I needed to use the restroom. Would it seem rude to just get up and go? I wasn't used to excusing myself to use the powder room and I knew if I tried it would sound silly. Would Kyle feel the need to stand when I stood? Would my husband look like he didn't have any manners if he continued sitting? I decided to wait it out. I was thankful when Michael excused himself to visit the bathroom. I quickly said, "I'll go too." As I rose, so did Kyle. When I returned, he rose again.

This incident has played in my mind many times. I don't think anyone teaches a young man to acknowledge a lady's presence by standing anymore. I suppose it seems quite a silly thing to do. But I wonder. How would I, as a woman, feel if everytime I entered a room, men would stand at attention? Would this act be a silent command of respect to all parties? Surely, even a hardened feminist would feel important and valued at this gesture. Why do we bother with manners at all?Are they not about giving honor and dignity to one another? In showing respect, we speak to others that we value them-they are important enough to make the extra effort. Could the lack of manners in our society be one of the biggest ills affecting theyounger generation? Could this be why they feel lost and unimportant?

Courtesy & Other Forms Of Respect

I've been pondering quite a bit lately, on the lack of respect, honor, integrity and just plain old common courtesy. Over the next few days, I plan to talk about these things, relating some personal experiences.

Years ago, (what seems like years and years) it was common for a gentleman to "do" for a lady. Such things as assisting her into her carriage or onto her horse...okay, we won't go that far back. But do you remember men opening and holding doors, pulling out a lady's chair, polite words exchanged between the two? I believe this simpler, kinder culture provided men and women with roles in which they were comfortable. It was common knowledge what was expected of a lady and what was expected of a gent.

Things have certainly changed. I was confronted with my own questions of the impact these changes have had on our society. Have the changes all been positive ones? Or have most been negative? Are we better off or worse?

Several years ago, Michael and I ventured out with a neighbor couple. We had our 3 youngest girls with us, they had their son. It was a very, cold December night. I'm not sure why we'd agreed to go, but here we were-stepping out into below freezing temperatures. It didn't seem to matter that we were dressed in coats, hats, gloves, & scarves. The bitter cold seeped inside and clung to us. We trudged along the paths to view the Denver Zoo's Wild Lights.

As we hurried along, not many words were spoken. Talking seemed to allow too much warm air to escape making us feel colder. We oohed and ahhed just a bit, enough to seem as if we might be enjoying ourselves. Finally, Elisabeth blurted out, "I'm cold! Can we get some hot chocolate or something?"

Immediately, my friend turned to her son. "John, give Elisabeth your coat. She's cold." I was so surprised by this, it took me a few moments to believe what I'd heard. John didn't respond, his mother addressed him again. "John, when a lady is cold, a gentleman offers her his coat. Be a gentleman and give Elisabeth your coat."

Elisabeth assured her that she did not need or want John's coat. There is no way she could in good conscience have taken his coat. Michael spoke up and said that it was not necessary for John to give up his coat-he would freeze.

But this incident made me wonder. In years past, would this truly have been the right thing to do? Would a young boy of 12 be required to give up his coat for the greater comfort of the weaker sex?

Ethan came off the bus with his hand wrapped in guaze. He must have tugged & pulled, attempting to get it off. The tight wrapping was causing redness & swelling as it was restricting blood flow. Christina asked the bus attendants if they knew why Ethan's hand was wound with guaze. They didn't.

It took a bit of work, but she removed the dressing. She found a small area that was irritated and bleeding a bit. Since Ethan can't tell her what goes on at school, she retrieved the notebook. It stated that Ethan had been picking at his hand until it bled. A bandage was applied, but he pulled it off. Guaze wrapping was then secured around it.

Picking at himself is not behavior typical to Ethan. Christina looked more closely at his hand. She noticed a protrusion. It was a tiny piece of glass or hard plastic. She pulled it out and Ethan was fine. He had merely been trying to remove a painful fragment from his skin which was the real cause of his bleeding.

I can't help but wonder what other situations does the teacher write off as odd behavior or "just Ethan" when he has a legitmate need but is unable to communicate. He doesn't eat his lunch is it assumed he isn't hungry when actually he wasn't able to pick up his burrito and bite into it. He needs it cut in pieces that he can manage with a fork. Or what about the teacher assuming he refuses to participate in the songs and finger plays, when he just can't get the hand movements on his own? He isn't capable of singing or the hand movments.

I could go on about incidents that have happened in the short time Ethan's been in kindergarten. Starting school should be a positive experience to encourage lifelong learning. Ethan has not have a positive start. This gramma is very sad.

Skies of Blue, Clouds of White

"I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world"

Each time the words of this Louis Armstrong song play, my mind is flooded with the same memory. Hilary and I are in the car together. My fingers are fastened ever so tightly on the steering wheel. For a moment, tension creeps up my back& lifts my shoulders. My neck muscles feel strained as I rembember. Then the peaceful words wash over me. Louis' strong, deep voice evokes a calm.

Minutes earlier I'd been sitting on the front porch enjoying the warm, summer sun of August. Little 5 year old Hilary, was playing out back on the monkey bars. She appeared beside me, cradling her arm. Tears filled her eyes, and spilled down her rosy cheeks. She'd fallen and I suspected her arm was broken.

I don't know why I was so uptight. It wasn't as if I hadn't rushed to the emergency room before. Broken bones, poisoning, stitches...typical ER stuff. But this was my happy, little Hilary. She was the baby and her first trauma experience. She looked so sad.

I left the other kids home with their dad and off we went. Immediately, I snapped off the radio. The extra noise was an irritation. But Hilary protested to the silence. "Please turn some music on, it helps me not think about how bad my arm hurts." I looked over. Her brown eyes were red and pleading.

"Ok, what do you want to hear?" I expected her request to be one of her favorite Christian sing-along CD's. Nope, she wanted Louis, with his deep, raspy voice & strong, jazzy trumpet. I popped in the CD and out came "What A Wonderful World."


"I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world."

She calmed down almost immediately. As the song ended, I hit repeat and we listened again. It is a wonderful world.


I need to dig out my Louis Armstrong CD. Yes, for Hilary. She is 15. We are back in the car. This time, she is the driver and I am the passenger. We both need Mr. Armstrong's calming effect.

(Oh, and yes her arm was broken. It was her first, but not her only broken bone.)