That's A Muffin!

This is a muffin made the usual fabulous way I make them. Whole grains and oats, fresh eggs and milk, pure vanilla extract, organic sugar and raw nuts. My son, who has been body building asked if I'd add some protein powder to the muffin batter the next time. I thought that my muffins were pretty fantastic the regular way, but being the wonderful and understanding mother that I am, I made them with the protein powder like he asked.

The results? . . .

well,

see for yourself.

Wow!! Now that's a muffin!

Short Accounts

I have a sweet friend who called me today with a concern that she had gossiped about a woman who is hurting. The thing is that I don't even recall the conversation (yay for peri-menopause!). She had it on her heart to apologize for the offense (one sentence), so she called me and confessed. She felt that instead of saying something that was negative, she should have said something positive. I was so touched by her sensitivity! I love having a friend that feels bad if she (not even on purpose) says something less than encouraging about her friends. Here is the irony (and I have to say that I love how God works) if I ever meet the "offended" woman (and if I even remember this conversation beyond tomorrow) my heart will be so tender toward her because instead of the negative comment (which I don't recall), I will forever remember that she is hurting. It's such a reminder to me that everybody we meet has a story to tell. I haven't met a person yet that has escaped life without a few painful bumps. Plus, my friend may have felt I'd think poorly of her because of her comment, however, I think more highly of her than ever because of her sensitive nature. It's what makes her so special to me. I applaud her for short account with God, her courage for calling me and her love of others . . . I applaud me for picking her as a friend (yay me!). . . and I applaud God for the irony of it all.

That's The Kind Of Guy He Is

Today I fought with my husband. Not in private like most couples do. No, we fought in the busiest place in our county, the new Shop Rite. Yes, folks, it was a sight and unfortunately most of the county saw us. It started out as an "adventure." I said to my husband this morning, "hey, you wanna go to the new Shop Rite with me today, it'll be an adventure." He gave me a look that said, "I know you and shopping is never fun with you and I hate Shop Rite and you know that I vowed never to go there." But he said, "Sure" (because that's the kind of guy he is). We got there and the parking lot was packed. We walked inside and the store was packed. The floors are hard and cold. The aisles are narrow and long. The ceilings are high and sounds echo. He said something and I heard, "mumble mumble, mumble mumble, mumble mumble." I said, "WHAT?" He said it again and again and again. Finally, I went over and shouted, "I can't hear you!" He said, "Never mind, it's not funny anymore." He stopped to look at gummy bears and I lost him. He stopped again, this time to look at videos and I lost him. When I found him I yelled at him. While I was yelling at him some old lady stood there just looking at me. I glared at her and thought, "Take a picture why don't you!" She said, "Excuse me, but you're standing in front of my cart." I stepped out of the way, turned to my husband and said, "We need to go back to aisle 1, I just put about $10.00 of groceries in her cart." And just like that, the fight was over (because that's the kind of guy he is).

A Little Nerd Story

Many years ago my husband and I were invited to a Halloween Party. We decided to go as nerds. So, we went to a thrift shop at one of the local churches to buy outfits. I picked out a lovely polyester pants suite, old eye glasses and a bright red purse. My husband picked out polyester pants, a polyester shirt, a pocket protector, old glasses, a chunky belt and black shoes. We played the "nerds" all night. In my bright red purse I had big, yellow rubber gloves and using them I picked up discarded food scraps. I placed each food scrap in my purse and later that evening set a table for my husband and myself. I set out the food scraps and we ate them. My husband played his part a little too well, if you catch my drift. He buttoned his shirt wrong, left his zipper down, tucked his shirt into his underwear, wore white socks with his black shoes and flood-water pants, taped his glasses and wore the pocket protector (all things he has done at one time or another - sorry Honey, just sayin'). We won the costume contest, unanimously. But here is the best part. When we were at the thrift shop getting our costumes my husband came over to me and said very excitedly while holding up some ties, "Look at these really cool ties I just bought! They were only a dollar each. Aren't they really nice??!!" "Sweetie," I said flatly, "those are the ties I donated here last month that I pulled out of your closet. Give them back." Which he did . . . under protest . . . just sayin' . . .

B4 U Hit Send

Well, if you saw my last post you saw a picture of my new phone. This is the first upgrade to our cell phone service since 2001. Our old cell phone, which I shared with my husband, was big, with big buttons and no texting capabilities. It had an antenna, great reception and easy to navigate tools. I got my new phone (my own, but not really because even though I don't share with my husband anymore, I share this one with my son - but whatever) and quickly learned how to use it. I have texted my daughter at college with the appropriate emoticons, I have texted a picture of my omelet to my daughter while she was in study hall at school, I have texted my son's "friend" to ask her when she was getting picked up (hint-hint) while I was upstairs and they were downstairs. I have texted all my way cool young friends sending them quirky messages in "textease." Yes, folks, this dinosaur with big thumbs mastered the art of "communicating" through texting. I have also mastered the art of rude. I answered my phone right in the middle of Bible study, I interrupted my husband to receive and then send a text, I even texted at the dinner table. I was tempted, but refrained from viewing the beeping, vibrating device in my pocket while I was driving. Today, I am sending out a mass text which reads: "Peeps, I am 2 busy 2 txt u anymore. Pls b sure u rly have something important 2 say b4 u txt me :D"
U c, I am so cool, I dont need 2 txt anymore :-)

What I Did During The Snow Storm

First I took out my sewing machine and made cell phone cases. I lined each one with a thick batting to protect them. Sometimes I am so clever that I even surprise myself.

Then I went outside with my family and made Mario, the Italiano snowman. Notice his mustache and his gupalini. Again, I surprise and amuse myself.

Then I finished crocheting this baby blanket for a dear, dear couple who are expecting their first child this month. Every time I sat down to crochet I prayed over this baby and the dear couple. I began by praying for the fetal development of the baby and continued praying through all the years of this child's life. What an honor for me to pray for this little life and the family and friends who will be touched by it. The center represents the child's small and humble beginnings and the outer edges represents a life well lived, finishing strong.

Finally, the sun came out and shined into my kitchen catching the bottom of a CD, casting this beautiful rainbow along the corner of the wall.
Again, I ask you folks, how great is our God?

Today, it's back to the grind. . .

On Lunch

I had the most fabulous lunch today. It wasn't the food (though the food was excellent, I had Panko crusted eggplant, fresh spinach, roasted red peppers, basil ricotta Parmesan on toasted flatbread, topped with fresh mozzarella and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette - yummy!) it was the company that made lunch so fabulous. I lunched with someone I haven't seen in over 20 years in a nice little restaurant outside of town. She even went so far as to say I looked exactly as I did 22 years ago - boy, oh boy, I love that woman. Are you wondering who she is? Have you guessed? It was Tina, the social worker who matched me and my little brother together all those years ago. She is the woman responsible for creating a bond between two strangers that has never been broken. It was wonderful to thank her and confirm to her that she did a great thing when she matched us as Big Sister and Little Brother. We laughed and shared stories and ate and laughed some more. My heart explodes with joy thinking of it. In the year that Tina was our social worker, I learned so much from her. She encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone, she supported me, she signed me up for a parenting class to teach me how to best deal with my little brother, (I am still using those techniques today) and she applauded my successes. I would not be the woman nor the mother I am today if not for having known her. She was thrilled to hear about my successes as a wife, a mother and a mentor but would take no credit for it. Isn't it funny how some people will never know how much influence they bestow on others? Again, I ask, how great is our God?

Is It A Sin To Kill A Bug In Heaven?

I am a very peaceful person. That is why I was trying to peacefully co-exist with the stink bugs. But that was before I learned a little known fact about them. It's not that they stink when you kill them, but God knows they do. It's not that they fly into my food sometimes (I confessed the first time that happened . . .). It's not even that one landed in the lap of a lady who was attending my little Bible study. It's the fact that they reproduce like crazy! One stink bug lays 30 eggs! I stopped worrying about them for a short while and now my house is invaded! That's what happens, you give a stinker an inch and they take the house! I was okay with a few of those buggers in my front hall and some buzzing around the kitchen sink (I wash them down the drain but in half an hour they come crawling back up!), but not in the whole house. I'm done, or should I say they're done! I flush them down the toilet while humming taps in my head. I don't know if God will see fit to have stink bugs in Heaven, but I won't co-exist with them on Earth anymore. Maybe in Heaven God will give them a sweet aroma when you kill them and rename them perfume bugs. I wonder, is it a sin to kill a bug in Heaven?

They're Watching You

This is a story for anyone who has a mother . . . or even worse . . . a mother-in-law.

There was a family that consisted of a father, a mother, a son and a daughter. The father's mother (I'll call her Grams) became ill and needed to move in with her son's family. Grams shook and when the family ate dinner together, Grams chipped the china with her spoon. The mother gave Grams a wooden bowl at the next meal. Grams didn't chip the wooden bowl, but it made such a clatter every time her spoon hit the bowl. The mother set up a small table and chair in the pantry and Grams ate her dinner in there where she would not disturb anyone. Mother found her son in the workroom of the basement the next day whittling a block of wood. Mother asked, "Son, what are you working on?" He said, "A gift for you." "Awww," Mother said, "what for?" Her son answered her while he worked the block of wood, "For when you are old and need to live with me, I am making you a wooden bowl and you can eat in my pantry." At dinner that night, Grams sat at the head of the table using the family's best china.

There are two important points here. First, "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." Ex 20:12 They're not called commandments for nothing. And second, the kids - they're watching you . . .

Cupid's Arrow

I know, Valentine's Day is a corny little holiday with history in horrible pagan rituals. But, I love Valentine's Day. And there are some sweet stories about the lengths people have gone through to declare their love to that someone special and I'm a sap - what can I say? My husband took me to see my favorite performer last night for Valentine's Day. We saw Michael Amante. He sings Italian Opera. It was a wonderful concert! My husband gets double the points because 1. he got us 5th row seats, 2. even though he wanted to go out to dinner he agreed to have dinner at home so we could eat with the kids, 3. he complimented my one nice outfit that I wear whenever we go out, 4. he bought me a Bailey's Irish Cream at intermission and when I only took 3 little sips of the $7.00 drink, he only smiled when I had to throw it away before we could see the second half of the concert, and 5. because he's an all-around nice guy. I know what some of you are thinking. Y'all thinking, I should give my husband 5 times the points, not just double. But Cupid hit me in the heart with that arrow, not the head! Happy Valentine's Day dear ones!

A Lesson Learned . . . The Hard Way, Part II

My son has an iron stomach. That boy can eat! He'll try anything. He even ate a cat treat once. It was one of the ones that is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was gross and he and his friend looked a little green afterwards. This particular day, the day my son learned a lesson, was a typical day; studies, snack food, more studies, lunch, more studies, more snack food, sports, dinner and more snack food. We all went to bed satisfied in the day's work, play and food. Sometime after midnight I heard some noise in the bathroom. I got up to see my son with that same green look on his face like after he ate the cat treat. I said, "Son, have you been eating cat treats? Are you okay?" "No mom, I think I'm going to be sick." I grabbed a towel and some Clorox wipes and sat on the tub while he hung his head over the toilet. As he vomited the day's food, I began to pray. "Oh Lord, how great You are! Our bodies are wonderfully and fearfully made. Thank you that my son is getting rid of the poison in his body. Thank you for creating us in a way that we vomit the germs out of our system . . . (you get the idea)." My son looked up at me with his body still leaning over the toilet bowl and said, very slowly, "Mom, . . . do . . . you . . . MIND?!" "Sheesh," I said, "I was just trying to help. And by the way, try chewing your food next time, that is some chunky vomit." He continued to hurl for about an hour, got rid of all the germs and woke up in the morning hungry. I ask you, "How great is our God?!"

A Lesson Learned . . . The Hard Way, Part I

When my son was in the 8th grade and we were homeschooling we did a unit in health on the human body. We looked at all the body parts and systems and marveled at the miracle of life. We learned Psalm 139:13-14, "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." We talked about health and nutrition and how everything we need God has provided. We talked about how really fragile we are in that our body temperatures can only go up or down 6 degrees or else we would be facing death. We talked about Genesis 2:7 ". . .then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." We talked about how we can have all the parts of the human body, but never could we breathe life into it. We talked about our cat, Boz, who died after 17 years and no matter what we did, we could never breathe life back into him. We talked about viruses and bacteria and our immune system. We talked about how our bodies fight germs that invade it and how we are created to get rid of our waste. I really wanted to drive home to my son these valuable lessons and how we should be praising God everyday for our health. I prayed he would understand how great our God is. Well, an opportunity arose and he wasn't pleased . . .

If You Like The Snow, I Did It ~ If Not, My Bad

Most of you know I was in Tennessee this weekend with my daughter looking at a college. Most of you know I get travel anxiety. Most of you know that I love my home in New Jersey. So, at our final session at the college (way to go Sweetie, you did a fabulous job!) the admission counselor said, "So, it looks like you'll be getting some snow in New Jersey this week." I said, very casually, trying to hide the anxiety, "Yes, but as long as we can get home okay I don't care if it snows a foot!" Well, guess what folks? It snowed a foot!!

A Homsechooling Story

When my kids were homeschooling and in 4th, 6th and 8th grade I wanted to teach them the 6 steps to the scientific method. I handled the first step which is ask a question. The other steps are:

- do background research

- construct a hypothesis

- test your hypothesis with an experiment (test until you get the same result at least 2 times)

- analyze your data and draw a conclusion

- report your results

I told them I would pose a question to them, give them the list of steps and then told them I would not interfere until they reported the results. When reporting the results they needed to supply a photo or an illustration of their experiment. They were pretty excited about the whole thing as I built it up before I posed the question. The end results were not disappointing. And the only one to suffer was the cat. Yes, poor Boz. The question was this: Is Boz, our beloved cat, left pawed or right pawed?

The results - 2 concluded he was left pawed, 1 was inconclusive.

New Boots For The Queen, From The King Of Kings

This is really the truth. I don't make this stuff up. My daughter, the queen of purple, got boots from God, the King of Kings. This is how it happened. When I got home from the dentist who found boots on-line for my daughter, I was happily willing to spend the $100 + for her new boots. She said, "Mom, it goes against my principles to spend that much money on boots." I said, "I get you one nice thing a year, I want you to have them." She said, "No thank you." We decided we would look at discount stores and see what was left on the shelves. In the meantime, I got an email from a friend that said she had boots for anyone who wanted them. They are free. The email said they are a size 9, purple swede ankle boots - first come first serve. I called my friend and asked, "Am I first?'' Much to my delight, I was. I met her in town and she gave me the boots. I asked, "Where did you get them?" She said her son, who is a roofer, was working on a building and he found these boots, brand new with tags and all, on the roof. I said, "As if they dropped out of the sky from Heaven." "Yes," she said, "a gift from God." And this is the best part - they fit the queen, I mean, my daughter like a glove and she loves them. But who wouldn't love purple boots from God?

Did You Know . . .

Homeschooling allowed my children to explore topics that interested them. I had a friend ask me once why I let my kids pick topics to study like bats or otters or bugs. The beauty of letting kids study things that they were curious about is that they learned how to learn. All 3 of my kids are so resourceful. They can find the answer to just about any question in any topic. They can scan reams of material and pick out just what is relevant. They also know how to document their information in an organized way with illustrations. They learned that any topic, any knowledge, has value. Also, when they got to share what they learned with our family they became the expert. Imagine the joy of a 9 year old boy telling his big sisters and his parents stuff they didn't yet know about bats. These independent studies became a regular item on our lesson plans and I was always thrilled to see the end results of their work. The kids looked forward to these assignments because it was a break from math, science, history or English. What they learned about research will be used their entire lives. They may forget that bats use radar to locate food and that some whales use echolocation for communicating but they will certainly know how to find that information when they want to. I learned what made my kids tick, what made them smile, what made them curious and what made them cringe. I also learned not to take seriously the criticism of others.

Kudos Homeschooling Moms

I must preface this post, too. Without the loving, financial and emotional support of my husband, homeschooling would not have been the complete success and joy it was. I think that is true in lots of homes. It may not take a village to homeschool a family, but it takes a lot of tenacity and creativity. The homeschooling moms I know have both. Actually, most woman I know are tenacious and creative. That's how God created us. A homeschooling mom has to be mom, teacher, Principal, Superintendent, custodian, nurse, auditor, field trip advisor, curriculum specialist, purchasing agent, bus driver, cafeteria worker, hall monitor, friend, mentor, social director, technology expert and all around good gal. You don't get a day off or health benefits or paid vacations or prep time or a teacher's lounge. No wonder why moms don't homeschool! That's a lot of work with no perks - or so it seems. I am here to tell you that the work is manageable and the perks are many. The joy and satisfaction you get in really knowing your children, teaching them, loving them and training them in the way they should go is beyond wonderful. If I can do it, so can you. I celebrate every mom who has ever homeschooled, it's a tough job but it is also a gift of God to enjoy the good of all our labor. (Ecclesiastes 3:13 paraphrased)

Food For Thought

I must preface this post by saying I completely understand that homeschooling is not for everyone. There are times when a parent is not the best person to teach their child. I think our homeschooling was successful because my kids were willing and without special needs. I think if I ran into a situation where one of my kids had a special need I would have sent them to the public school and had a trained professional teach them what they needed to learn. With that being said, I encourage mothers to consider homeschooling as an option for their children. Most of the women I know are bright, resourceful, articulate, creative and loving people. Who better to teach your children. Don't forget when you buy curriculum, you get the answer books, there is no answer you can't find. How wonderful for a child to have their parents immerse themselves in their world. How wonderful for parents to know what makes their kid tick. My daughter liked butterflies, so we raised butterflies. My son liked frogs (yuk) and puppies so we raised frogs and puppies. My daughter loved reading and children, so she volunteered in the public school to teach children how to read. What a blessing for us to have known those things about our children and then share in their wonder and learning. I never tired of seeing their work and seeing the world through their eyes. It was a gift. That window of time has passed but the memories will stay with us until the end of time. Don't let the window close before you even consider homeschooling as an option. Chew on it . . .

10 Not 7

I have decided to count the years of homeschooling my 3 children as pre-schoolers. So when someone asks me how many years I homeschooled, I will say 10 years, not 7 years. My kids never went to pre-school. I couldn't imagine paying someone to do with my kids what I did at home for free. I had people ask, "Don't you think they'll fall behind?" Behind what, a 4 year old? They asked, "What about their social development?" 4 year olds can only be social for so long before they need a nap. "Aren't they bored?" Bored, with moi? "Aren't you bored?" With 3 kids?? Seriously, my kids and I had a grand time. We knew a bunch of "stay-at-home" moms and we got together at least twice a week in my backyard for play dates. One day the water company was looking for my neighbor who was at my house with her kids and the mailman told them she was in my backyard, "as usual." We did so many amazing things together and the kids and I learned so much. If you can do it, I encourage all moms to stay at home with your kids for at least a year before school starts. There is no one better for your children than you. If you can homeschool beyond that - even better. Homeschooling my children is the proudest and most enriching experience of my life. I know, because I did it for 10 years.

The Unfortunate Pedometer Incident

It all began on Christmas morning - Nat King Cole on the stereo, everyone in their pajamas, Christmas paper all over the floor, the smell of pine (from a candle), and a happy family exchanging gifts. It was my turn to open presents and much to my delight I received a pedometer. I love counting and lists and keeping track of all sorts of things (I get this from my mother who knows exactly how many Christmas cookies she makes each year). The first time I used my pedometer it didn't register my steps properly - my fault. The second time I used it, it dropped (twice) and it didn't register my steps properly - not my fault. The third time I was bound and determined to get it right. I placed the pedometer in my hand (securely) and walked a distance that I was sure was 1.5 miles. As I walked I felt the little weight inside go up when I swung my arm forward. I was so sure it was working properly that I didn't even look at it until I got home. Much to my surprise it registered .75 miles. WHAT??!! I went over the route in my head. I went over the motions of walking in my head. I wondered what could go wrong. I then realized that it only counted 1/2 of my walk. Why? Ahh, because it counted on the up swing of my arm, not the down swing - only every other step. That is when the unfortunate incident happened. The pedometer fell . . . under my foot . . . six times . . . but I only counted it as three times . . . I feel better.