Thursday, July 29, 2010

Thankful Thursday - 7/29

I am very thankful for our friends Brian and Lara. Last Thursday our refrigerator died. Landlord told us to call a repairman. We did. Saturday morning repair person (Best Buy Geek Squad) came out. Dead fuse on the motherboard. A week to get the part. Brian and Lara offered to let us borrow their extra refrigerator until ours is fixed. YAY!!!

Yesterday we got a call from The Geek Squad and were told that the part won't be available to ship until Aug 4. WHAT!?!?!? So we're out a refrigerator for another week. Yikes! Brian and Lara said, "It's OK. Keep the extra fridge as long as you need it."

Thank God for good friends like Brian and Lara. They are good friends even without the use of their refrigerator, but thank God that they have one to let us borrow.

On a related random thought: Why is fridge spelled with a "d" but refrigerator is not????

Monday, July 26, 2010

Discerning The Difference Between Containers and Content

He sums it up all so well.  Please read this blog by Bob Kauflin ... a worship leader who is on the same brainwave as me.


Although there are probably a number of ways to answer that question, what came to my mind was the difference between containers and content in our meetings. “Container” describes what’s going on during a particular portion of the meeting. In a more formal church the containers might be listed out in a bulletin and include things like Call to Worship, Prayer of Confession, Assurance of Pardon, Worship in Song, Pastoral Prayer, Giving of Tithes and Offerings, Lord’s Prayer, Sermon, the Lord’s Supper, and Benediction. In a less formal church containers still exist, but are generally assumed. They could include the “worship time,” “ministry time,” announcements, sermon, testimony time, special song, prayer for the sick, welcoming of guests, communion, and the closing song.
In either case, we can get caught up in focusing on the “containers.” How they fit together, how much time each one requires, whether or not we’re approaching them with creativity, and other administrative and aesthetic questions. We think the meeting has gone well when we fit all the “containers” in to the allotted box of time, or when things flow smoothly. “Worship didn’t take too long.” “Smooth transition from announcements to the special song.” If we’re really on top of things, we assign a theme to the containers so that they all relate to the same topic or have a similar focus.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Happy Birthday Andrew

Today is Andrew's 16th birthday. 


 Andrew is a great kid.  I'm very blessed to know him.


He tries to be tough and be a "skater" and at least have the rebellious look to him.  But not very deep down, he's just a big softy ... and that's fine with us.  He loves his family, and would rather hang with us on a Friday night than go outside and hang with his friends.  He goes out of his way to do nice things for people.   He sticks up for his younger sister.  He does housework without prompting.  He loves to play with his baby sister.


Happy birthday Andrew!!!  Thanks for being such a great step-son!!!










What happened to Memorization Monday?

It's been several weeks since I've done a Memorization Monday.  You may be wondering what happened to it.  So am I.



I converted my paper verse cards to an electronic flash card app for my phone.  I've been working on my verses that way.  I didn't realize how many I was rusty on.  So I'm trying to get all those down before I add more to my list.  Many are older verses that I memorized in college.  They are good verses and I'm remembering my reasons for memorizing them.  It's been an interesting journey, doing that.

I'll leave you with a verse that I memorized when I was about 8 and in a church musical called The Music Machine.  We are currently doing a sermon series based on this scripture, so I wanted to share it with my readers.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.

Too often the last phrase is left off.  I think it's a very important phrase, which applies directly to the 4 verses preceding the "fruit of the spirit."
Gal 5:18-21
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
If we live by the Spirit, and let the Holy Spirit lead and direct us, we will have amazing benefits such as peace, and joy.  And patience .. which I am constantly told is a virtue, and not one easy to learn.  When we live by the flesh, we are OF the world.  and speaking from personal experience in many of those flesh states, it is a very dark, dirty, and scary place to remain.  I much prefer to live in the Spirit.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Cloth for the Coast

I don't know how many CDing momma's read my blog, or former CDing momma's, but I want to post this and get the word out.


Mother of Eden, the maker of Fuzzibunz, is taking donations of baby blankets, old prefolds (not used) and old diaper inserts to aid in the clean up of the oil spill in the south.  


I added a button to the side of my blog that links to this site.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Homemade Diaper Sprayer

Cloth diapers have one little nuance to them that disposable diapers do not.  You have to clean the solids off of the diaper before you can wash them.  Normally, it's not a big deal.  The solid just rolls off the diaper into the toilet and the rest washes out in the washer.  But sometimes, the solids are a little less solid and the diaper needs to be rinsed before it can be washed.  Traditionally, this is done in the toilet.  Swish the diaper around in the toilet bowl, shake off the chunks, and then into the diaper pail it goes.  This is gross and a little messy.  And being pregnant and that close to something so odorous is, well, risky.


Someone much smarter than myself invented what is called a diaper sprayer.  I've never seen it in stores, but then again, we don't have any cloth diaper stores around here.  But they are sold online for about $45.  But you can also make them from a kitchen sink sprayer and some adapter pieces.


Yesterday, Josh, my awesome and handy husband, agreed to buy the pieces and assemble for me my very own diaper sprayer.  We got our shopping list handy (thanks to this blog) and went over to Home Depot.  We purchased our items and came home.


Of course no plumbing or other home improvement project is complete without a beer and at least one more trip to Home Depot.  So right after I cracked open Josh's beer, he looked at the pipe from the wall to the toilet and discovered that our pipes are not common size.  Why would they be, knowing the house that we have.  So he took the tube that goes to the toilet off and back to Home Depot we went.  With the help of an employee, we decided instead of an adapter, it would be easier to change the spigot coming from the wall.  So we bought the new piece and came home.


Then Josh started to change the spigot only to discover that it's one piece to the pipe coming from inside the wall.  Well ...... nevermind that.  Time for plan B ... or was this now plan C.


I took a look at the toilet in the kids bathroom and wouldn't you know it ... it's the size we needed in the first place.  OK.  Back to our original set of pieces.  Put it all together.  Go to the bathroom.  Screw it in place.  Turn the water back on.  And voila .... I have a diaper sprayer!!!  Complete with only 2 trips to Home Depot.  


Thank you honey!!!!








"I get by, with a little help, from my friend...."




"Watch out Daddy ..."


Entire contraption, attached to the wall with a piece of Velcro.


T-connector at the Spigot to split the line - one goes to the toilet, the other to the sprayer

Shut off valve so I can control my water pressure and reduce/prevent leaks or accidental sprays

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Vacation Photos...

I feel like I'm spamming my own blog today. Just lots on my mind I suppose.

We just got back from 5 days in Arizona, most of which was spent in Tucson with my parents and sister's family. It was a great little vacation. I got my favorite little Tucson treat, an Eegee's frozen fruit drink. If you ever find yourself in the Tucson area, check them out. They are awesome.

Audrey got to go swimming for the first time. She really seemed to have fun. We tried to take her out of the pool and she walked back on over and tried to jump back in.
We also went to the Desert Museum, the Air Museum, Saguaro National Park, and Kartchner Caverns.

Kymberly was totally stoked to be sleeping in and even riding in an RV! She got to ride shot gun halfway to the Caverns and just thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Josh enjoyed some time to sleep in and relax, while getting a look at history at the Air Museum. He would've stayed all day if Audrey didn't need some food.

And I really loved the time with family. It was great to be all together for the first time since Audrey's birth.

I have a few photos here to share. And the rest are on a different computer waiting for me to sort through.  These are from the 2nd half of our vacation.

Kymberly and Audrey in the pool

Josh with Audrey, in the pool

Nephew Danny, showing me how to blow bubbles

"Praying" cactus at Saguaro National Park

Desert Sunset

Prickly Pear with a sunset background

The Roosas at the National Park

Gramma Janet and Grampa Ken

The Kangs

Christine and Audrey at "Grampa's Dino" near Kartchner Caverns

Kymberly at Grampa's Dino

Wide Shot of Grampa's Dino ... named because my dad took a photo of it for Danny, who just LOVES dinosaurs.

Audrey enjoying her first Smoothie


Audrey's first skinned knee ... she didn't cry much at all

Gramma, Grampa, and grandchildren at Kartchner Caverns


Beware of Study Bibles - by Steve Burchett


However, every good gift from God can be abused. Of all the study tools, perhaps in our day the Study Bible is the resource that is most often misused. For example, many who have taught the Bible have felt the frustration when, instead of meditating on the passage of Scripture being taught, several in the group were busy reading and then sharing from the study notes at the bottom of the page!
I read this article this morning and could not agree any more with the author. I went through a period of time in college where I would read a verse, then read the study notes, then read the next verse, then look for notes, etc. I wasn't listening to what God was trying to teach me, I was reading what God taught someone else years ago.


I love study bibles. I think they have a great purpose. And I have at least 3 of them. But I finally realized that I wasn't really getting anything out of my bible reading and I needed something different. I went on a hunt for a bible that was just a bible. No study notes, no devotions. Just cross-references and maps and the Word of God. It took me awhile to find one, but I finally did. I've been using my Just a Bible Bible for about 7 years now and I LOVE it. I am amazed at how much God shows me when I'm not reading somebody else's interpretation of scripture.

Aud Ball ...

My mom took this cute video of my daughter walking up and down the hallway at my parents house. She really mastered walking while we were away. Something about hot pavement, cacti, and hard tile floor made her not want to crawl.

you know you're a mom when...


You find toys in your purse when you get to work.....

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Thankful Thursday - July 1

Today I'm thankful for a short vacation with my husband, daughter and step-daughter. What a wonderful week this will be.

Thankful Thursday - July 1

Today I'm thankful for a short vacation with my husband, daughter and step-daughter. What a wonderful week this will be.