What I've Been Reading--October

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry has been on our to read list for quite some time.  We finally got around to reading it in the beginning of the month.  This book is about the wild ponies who live on Assateague Island off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia. Two young children, Paul and Maureen, live on the neighboring island of Chincoteague and have their hearts set on buying a mysterious wild pony named Phantom.   This is no small goal for the Phantom has outsmarted the round-up men on Pony Penning Day for two years.  We found this book to be very enjoyable to read.  There are many valuable lessons to be learned in this book, the most notable of which is setting a goal and working hard to achieve it.  We are looking forward to reading the sequel that just came in the mail through PaperBackSwap (our local library didn't have it).

I have heard so much talk of Dave Ramsey from people that I finally decided to read one of his books.  Prior to reading The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, my impressions of Dave Ramsey were more or less that he had some extreme views about credit cards and mortgages.  After reading this book, though, I discovered that I agree with him on most points.  I was pleased to read that mortgages are the one kind of debt that he doesn't yell about, since that's the one kind we have:)  This book will teach you the steps to take to achieve fiscal fitness.  It also includes success stories from people who have used this plan to get out from under mounds of debt, which I imagine would be very encouraging to someone struggling in that area.  I really like Dave Ramsey's writing style and witty remarks.  He really makes the topic of finance enjoyable to read about!

I finally finished reading Muscular Christianity by P.G. Mathew.  Yes, it took me a long time to read this one.  That's because the sermons are so substantial, so rich!  You really don't want to read this book too quickly.  Like dark chocolate, take small bites and savor!  This book is a series of sermons on the book of Hebrews preached at Grace Valley Christian Center between October 2006 and October 2007 by the author, P.G. Mathew.  I think the description from the back of the book is excellent: "P.G. Mathew introduces us to muscular Christianity.  We are to derive strength from our great high priest and strain our spiritual muscles so that, by faith, we can continue our race until it has been completed.  Reading this challenging and inspiring exposition of Hebrews is the type of mental exercise that will equip you to better run this race."


We chose to read King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry, since we enjoyed Misty of Chincoteague so much.  This book is a fictionalized account of the origins of the Godolphin Arabian.  According to Wikipedia, the Godolphin Arabian is "one of three stallions that were the founders of the modern thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock."  This is a wonderful story of the love and devotion of a stable boy, Agba, for his horse, Sham.  No matter what, Agba stood by Sham and always believed in him, in spite of opposition from others.

Honestly, I didn't really have high expectations for Raising Motivated Kids: Inspiring Enthusiasm for a Great Start in Life (School Savvy Kids) by Cheri Fuller.  My earnest desire for my children is that they will be motivated by the love of God and labor on this earth to bring glory to Him alone.  So, I questioned whether I could really benefit from a secular book on the subject of motivation.  Although this book does not come from a biblical perspective, I thought the author made some really good points about how we can inspire or hinder our children.  Below are some points that really stuck out to me:

• Develop close relationships with your children and love them because of who they are not what they do.
• What you do is more important than what you say.
• Expect your children to succeed.
• Avoid comparing your children with their siblings or peers.
• Avoid focusing on grades but instead focus on knowledge attained.
• Praise liberally and criticize sparingly.
• Children need down-time, time to create, invent, daydream, explore, play, etc.
• Encourage your children to ask questions by responding with answers to their questions.
• Require age-appropriate chores at home to teach children responsibility.

I enjoyed Total Money Makeover so much that I thought I'd check out Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey also.  I didn't find this book quite as humorous, but I still enjoyed it.  While we have many issues, living beyond our means is not one of them.  So, I have found Dave Ramsey to be a great source of affirmation that we are doing the right thing with our money.  On our own we have followed his baby steps approach: we have an emergency fund; we do not have debt outside our home mortgage; we invest 15% towards retirement; we have college funds for each of the children.  We are now working on paying down the principal on our mortgage more aggressively, so that we will be completely free of debt.  Another piece of wisdom that I have appreciated concerns loans and friends/family.  Essentially, he says don't loan money to a friend or family member.  If you want to help them out, give them the money, but loaning anyone money changes the relationship to a slave/master relationship.  Anyways, I never really looked at it that way before, but I think he is right on.  What Dave Ramsey has to say concerning finances agrees with biblical principles.  I also love what he says at the end of this book, in essence that financial peace means we have peace with money, that we are managing it and it is not managing us, but that true peace, the peace that we all long for, is peace with God, which can be found in and through Jesus Christ.

We Pied Daddy!

The UNO Chemistry Department held a Pie the Prof fundraiser today! It was $3 for a shot at a professor with a pie of whipped cream. The whole family ventured out for this opportunity! I was only planning on buying one pie, but friends and family wanted in on the action and purchased three more for us! I thought that would be one for Mary and one for Maggie and two for me (since the boys can't throw yet). Mary ended up with two shots because our tender-hearted Maggie was so disturbed about the whole idea of throwing something at Daddy!  Mary had so much fun and even wanted to buy more tickets.  Maggie cried the entire way home because she was so concerned about Daddy being able to get clean again!

Here's David still smiling awaiting his doom!

Pie plates filled with whipped cream.

OK, now he's really ready.  Goggles to protect his eyes and a trash bag to protect his clothes.

Here's Mary ready to throw the pie at Daddy.  She got to step in closer than the rest of us:)

She got him!  He looks like he's actually enjoying this!  I was told by one grad student that he requested chocolate whipped cream, but they concluded it was too expensive.  RATS!

This is just a picture of the line-up close to the end of the pie throwing!

Beyond Mayhem!

This week, David had to go away to a conference in Richmond, Virginia, leaving me even more mayhem than usual!!  Exciting things always happen when Daddy goes away.  This trip was especially eventful.  To begin with, Jonathan decided he wanted to sit up for the first time!  Look how happy the little guy is, delighted with his new skill.  This happened just after we got back from dropping David off at the airport, so he missed it:(

Everything was going so well...until I put the boys down for their nap and sent the girls out back to play.  I went into the laundry room to retrieve the clothes from the washing machine to hang them outside on the line to dry.  Then, I heard shrieks from Maggie.  Somehow, she fell going down the steps and landed on the pavement.  Her lip was cut pretty badly and there was blood all around her gums.  When I couldn't get the bleeding to stop, I also realized that her tooth was loose!  The dentist agreed to see her right away, so I wrangled the troops into the van.  Fortunately, she fell in just the right way and did not damage her permanent tooth.  She cut her frenulum also.  The dentist said to just let it go and feed her soft foods.  Devastating news for Mary who was really looking forward to cheeseburgers for dinner!  And that was Day 1!

And here's Mary on Day 2 demonstrating how great I am at supervising our four kids!  While I was doing something else and while she was SUPPOSED to be doing schoolwork, she decided to put on her long golden curls and put some makeup on her face.  Yes, markers can be used for makeup.  Now, there's a real money saving tip for you.  Cover Girl, move on over.  Crayola, step on up!
I did manage to take the girls to the library to get more Hank the Cowdog books.  From there we walked to a local grocery store that sells kiddie ice cream cones for 25 cents each and bought a box of macaroni and cheese and more bananas, which I still need to mash up for poor Maggie. 

And here's Jonathan on Day 3--another stellar example of my great supervision.  The girls had a coronation ceremony for Jonathan!  Long live King Jonathan!  I didn't have the heart to take a picture of poor Matthew being a lowly subject.  I really don't know where the girls ever come up with these things, but they sure do have a blast! I also was able to take all four kids through the drive thru to get the girls cheeseburgers (a special request plus I had a coupon).  This was a special treat for them, since we never get fast food!

And on Day 4, Mary had a soccer game and team pictures on the COLDEST day of the year.  BRRRRRRR!  I was really worried about taking all four kids to Mary's soccer game, but it worked out perfectly.  The boys cheered for a while and then fell asleep in their stroller.  Maggie always has a blast at soccer games, so I wasn't worried about her.  This was the first soccer game that I had been to this season and she scored three goals!  GO SPARKS!

Even though we did lots of special things when Daddy was away, these girls sure did miss him.  I let them stay up past their bedtime to greet him upon arrival, which was around 9 pm.  They watched and waited and watched and waited.  As soon as they saw his taxi pull up, they hid.  When he went in to give them a kiss goodnight, they burst out from the woodwork!  They each got a baby ride to bed and fell asleep moments later.  David and I stayed up and ate the chocolate he brought home.  YUM!  I am hoping for a little less drama in the coming week.

Homeschool Resources: Science Arts

My mother-in-law, who incidentally homeschooled both my husband and his brother from infancy until they went off to college, gave me this book nearly two years ago.  This is the very first "science" book that I used in our homeschooling journey.  To begin with, I am not a science person at all.  I took science in high school because I had to.  I took one lab science (chemistry) my freshman year in college because, you guessed it, I had to.  I did well in the class, but I can't really say that I enjoyed it.  Well, actually I loved mole conversions, yea for math!  Go figure, I married a scientist, a physicist who teaches chemistry.  On occasion I have overheard my husband talking science.  It is like he lives a double life...he speaks to others in a language that I can't comprehend!  OK, so now you really know where I'm coming from.  Clueless about science!

I love this book!  It is a compilation of fun art projects that also teach science.  I loved having art, I mean, science projects laid out for me in such an easy to use format.  Let's face it, given my awesome science background, I certainly was not going to come up with anything like what's offered here on my own!  (My plan was to rely on my husband, the scientist, but he's trying to get tenure and just doesn't have the time right now.)  The activities are divided into five areas: (1) water and air, (2) light and sight, (3) motion and energy, (4) reaction and matter, and (5) nature and earth.  For each activity, the authors include a list of materials, directions to complete the art project, as well a scientific explanation.  And, even I, proud to be included among the scientifically challenged, was able to assemble the materials, follow the directions, and have fun getting a little messy with my then three year old! 

We had so much fun doing the art projects together. Some activities that we particularly enjoyed were:

• cube painting (freezing/melting)
• stretch pictures (optical illusion)
• dot matrix picture (optics)
• shadow time (earth's rotation)
• paint racing (gravity)
• volcano (pressure/gases)
• marshmallow tower (engineering)
• plant imprints (pigments)
• stencil leaves (patterns/shapes/structure of leaves)

I love this approach to science for the preschool years!  Kids love to use their hands, get messy, and create!  With these activities, you are also introducing them to the principles of science!

Musings About Life With Twins

1. Daily time with the Lord is a necessity.
2. A shower is a luxury.
3. A four-hour block of sleep is heavenly.
4. A trip to Wal-Mart qualifies as a social outing.
5. Twins do everything at the same time, EXCEPT sleep.
6. There is a faster and more efficient way to do everything and I will find it!
7. Pasta with sauce out of the jar constitutes a good home-cooked meal and can be served three or more times a week.
8. I had some thought about memory or the lack thereof, but I already forget what it was!
9. When you are sleep-deprived and don't have your eyeballs in, even the best of parents will occasionally confuse their cherubs.
10. The best gift that a friend can give is a phone call with encouraging words.
11. I have found it necessary to possess every baby contraption known to man: exersaucer, swing, bouncy, jumperoo, bumbo, activity gym.  You name it.  I need it.
12. My heart just melts at the sight of these guys holding hands, touching heads and smiling at me in their almost toothless way!

Have You Packed a Shoebox?

I love trying to find ways to get my children involved in giving to others.  We have found Operation Christmas Child to be a great way to help our children experience the joy of giving to others. At Christmastime, Samaritan's Purse distributes shoeboxes filled with gifts to needy children worldwide.

What I love about this particular ministry is that my children can be actively involved.  Throughout the year, we encourage our children to set aside a portion of what they receive to give to another child in need.  I love that our children are actually giving instead of us buying something for them to give.  Here are some things that the girls were able to include in their boxes this year:

• Toothpaste and dental floss from the dentist 
• Summer Reading Program prize packages: All four kids participated in the library's summer reading program.  We kept two of everything and included two of everything in the shoeboxes.
• Stickers: Oh my goodness, our sticker box is always overflowing.  When the girls receive new stickers, they choose some to include in the shoeboxes.
• Markers, crayons, pencils: OK, this is something that Mom actually purchases.  I just buy extra when I hit the back-to-school sales.
• Extra party favors: We had extra notepads, pencils and erasers from Mary's birthday party.  It was really fun to include these in the boxes this year, almost like the little girls were here celebrating with us.
• Trinkets from the doctor's office: Whenever we receive a car or other toy from the doctor's office, we set it aside to give to someone else.
• Extra toys that we receive as gifts: Mary received four jars of play-doh for her birthday this year.  She chose two colors to keep and we set aside two for the shoeboxes.  Matthew and Jonathan received two stuffed animals, but our stuffed animal stockpile is continually overflowing, so we chose to include those in the shoeboxes as well.
• Craft projects: We made several tie-dye shirts this past year as a craft project, so we included some shirts in our shoeboxes, too.

The girls have so much fun loading their items in the shoeboxes.  This year, I am hopeful that they will want to write a letter to the recipient also in which we can communicate that we want to give to them because God gave us salvation through His Son Jesus.

You can find instructions here.  After you pack your shoebox, simply print out a label, which you can find in the link above, tape that to your box and rubber band your box also.  Take your shoebox(es) to the nearest collection site during National Collection Week (November 14-21).  Samaritan's Purse does ask that you donate $7 per box to cover the shipping costs. 

Clothing Labels

I recently read this ingenious tip for labeling clothes that you pass down from child to child in The Complete Tightwad Gazette.

Label the eldest child's clothes with an X.  When an item gets passed down to child #2, add an X, so that the label now reads XX.  When that item gets passed down to cherub #3, add another X, so that the label reads XXX.  Now, why didn't I think of that???

Mary and Maggie are still different enough in size that we can easily distinguish their clothes when it comes to folding and sorting laundry, but I am holding on to this idea for the future:)

My Favorite Biscuit Recipe

When we moved to the South, my quest for a homemade biscuit recipe began.  This recipe is sort of a variation from one found in La Leche League's Whole Foods for the Whole Family Cookbook. We serve these often with lentil soup or any other soup really.  My family loves them! 

1 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
2 t baking powder
2 T sugar
1/2 c butter
2/3 c milk

1. Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl. (I use my KitchenAid with the wire whisk attachment for steps 1 - 3.)
2. Cut in butter.
3. Add milk and stir until dough forms a ball.  Knead.
4. Pat out to 1/2 inch thickness on a floured surface.
5. Cut with cookie cutters and place on ungreased baking sheets.
6. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

These are delicious and everyone enjoys eating them, but they are also really fun to make!  The girls love cutting the dough into shapes using cookie cutters.  Usually, we end up with hearts and stars.  Once you try them, you'll never want a whomp 'em again!

Homeschool Resources: McGuffey Readers

I first read about McGuffey's Eclectic Readers in The Well-Trained Mind.  Since then, I have read many positive reviews elsewhere.  At first, I really questioned whether I needed a set of readers at all.  We have lots of books to read already.  In the end, I did purchase this set of readers because they were so widely acclaimed.  I am really glad to have them.

The set I own includes seven books: a primer and books 1 through 6.  These readers were first published in the 1880s.  Each book is broken down into lessons, with the Primer having 52 lessons and the sixth volume having 138.  As you would expect the lessons increase in difficulty and length as you proceed through the series.  The print is also larger in the first few volumes for beginning readers also.  The lessons really are an eclectic mix with selections of short stories, fables, poetry, etc. I really like these readers because of the moral values that are taught throughout the selected readings: obeying your parents, working hard, telling the truth and much more.  Many other books out there marketed as readers are just plain silly, but these are very substantive.  The quality of the writing is also excellent.

I have read that some people actually use these readers to teach their children to read.  I have not used them this way; I use them for practice reading aloud. Mary and I sit together on the couch during a quiet moment of the day and she reads a lesson out loud to me.  I follow along so that I can help her with difficult words.  Then, I ask her to tell me what we read about and we discuss the story.  If there is unfamiliar vocabulary, we also review the new words. We have been proceeding through the volumes lesson by lesson this way (though I can't say that we actually do this daily as we ought) and are currently in the fourth volume. 

Picture Books We Love: Martin Luther A Man Who Changed the World

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation by nailing 95 theses to the doors of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  These were concerns he had with teachings of the church because he found no support for them in the Scriptures.  Instead of celebrating Halloween, our family celebrates this important day, Reformation Day.  Last year, we purchased Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed The World by Paul L. Maier for our celebration.  This book is a beautifully illustrated biography of Luther's life written for children.  I love the way this book begins!  The author puts everything in context: people fall into sin and error, yet God lovingly sends messengers to purify His church.  This has happened throughout history.  Martin Luther was a man, used by God to expose sin and error in the church, so that the Gospel might be proclaimed!  Early in life, Luther did not have peace.  As a monk, he was actively engaged in a pursuit for the forgiveness of his sins. Through his study of the Bible, he found salvation to be a free gift of God, not something that could be earned or bought.  His desire to share this gift with others led to great conflict with the church.  Luther's life was in danger because he maintained his belief in the biblical teaching that salvation is a free gift of God.  He lived to please God, not man.  He longed for treasures in heaven, not on earth.  Luther wrote sermons, letters, essays, books, catechisms, even hymns.  Luther died a blessed man at peace with God, confident that his sins had been forgiven.

The Cost of a Great Deal

Recently, David read an article about commuting costs, which got us to thinking about the cost of shopping at various stores.  I end up shopping at lots of stores for our grocery and household needs because I love getting great deals.  I try to mentally weigh the cost of gas versus the savings before committing myself to going to a certain store.  I already consolidate trips as much as possible.  However, I never actually calculated the cost of gas and looked at the numbers.  I also never took into consideration the cost of wear and tear on the car.  Until now.

I calculated the mileage cost at 30 cents per mile, 15 cents for gas ($3 per gallon and assuming 20 miles per gallon) and 15 cents for maintenance and depreciation (this was kind of tricky and a bit more complicated, so I'll spare you the details).  That's probably on the conservative side.  Here's what we found the round trip costs of various stores to be:

Store			Cost
Wal-Mart			$5.51
Target			$6.97
Sam's			$5.68
Save a Lot			$2.82
Rouses			$1.37
Winn-Dixie			$2.30
Lakeview			$1.67
Walgreens			$0.82
Rite Aid			$1.51
Whole Foods			$3.55

The greatest disappointment to me in looking at these costs is how much it costs for a trip to Sam's!  I love shopping at Sam's Club.  It's the easiest place for me to go with all four kids because the shopping carts are so big.  I carry Jonathan in the bjorn and Matthew rides in the basket in his car seat and the girls sit in the front.  They also usually have lots of samples and free cookies for the kids.  Plus, their soft pretzels are really yummy!  But, my mother-in-law kindly pointed out that I could take the cost out of our entertainment budget!

Anyways, I just thought this was all very interesting and something to take into consideration before heading out for a great deal.  Depending on where the deal is, the mileage cost may eat up your savings!

A Lighter Load or a Stronger Back?

I came across this quote in Mary's spelling lessons this week:

"I do not pray for a lighter load, but for a stronger back."  P. Brooks

I have no idea who P. Brooks is, but I really think that this quote is incredibly profound.  Too often we're praying for our load to get lighter rather than for our backs to be strengthened.  When we do that, sadly, we miss out on the character that God is building in us.  He wants us to go through trials for our good, for our strengthening.  Too often, our focus is, "Get me out of here!"  instead of, "Please help me get through this!"

Therapik to the Rescue!

Honestly, before we moved to Louisiana, I had no clue just how buggy it would be here!  Mosquitoes, no-see-ums, ants, and, our favorite, the stinging caterpillars.  None of these seem to really bother my husband.  Lucky guy.  I wouldn't exactly say that we girls are allergic.  I would say that we are extremely sensitive to the bugs.  We get super-itchy welts.  One doctor recommended the Benadryl Itch Relief Stick.  That helps a little.  It's really difficult to keep the girls from scratching the bites, though.  I've tried putting bandaids over every single bite, but they just pull them off and scratch away.  Scabs.  Blood.  Yuck!  A friend who has lived here all her life told me about the AfterBite stick.  We found that if we can apply AfterBite immediately, the bites/stings swell less and itch less.

Recently, my mother-in-law sent me an article about the Therapik.  Consider this my endorsement for the Therapik!  This is absolutely the best product that we have found to relieve the pain and itch of bites/stings.  The therapik applies heat to the area which relieves the pain and itch by increasing blood flow to the area.  It looks a bit like an ear thermometer and requires a 9V battery.  You just put the tip on the affected area and press the button for 20-30 seconds.  If you, like me, find yourself in a place where you have no choice but to coexist with our buggy friends, then you really should seriously consider getting the Therapik!!! 

This Week's Symmetry Lesson

In one of our math lessons this week, we were studying symmetry.  This project was part of the lesson plan in our Saxon 2 curriculum, but I was really surprised by what a hit it was with the girls (and that there was no mess)!  This is what we did:

• Fold a piece of paper vertically.
• Open up the paper and spoon some paint on the center of the fold.  (The lesson plan called for poster paint, but we used finger paint.  I honestly don't know what poster paint is!)
• Fold the paper again, so that the paint is on the inside.  
• Press the paint with your hand, moving from the fold to the outer edges.
• Open up the paper again and allow the paper to dry.
• Voila!  You have a symmetrical design!

 The girls really had fun trying to figure out what design they had made.  We decided we had made a fish, a flower, a beetle, a squirrel, and a butterfly.  This is definitely an activity we'll be doing again!

Homeschool Resources: McCall Crabbs Standard Test Lessons in Reading

I first heard about the McCall Crabbs Standard Test Lessons in Reading in the Spell to Write and Read program.  I use this book for reading comprehension exercises.  This book is actually a five-volume set containing books A through E.  Each book contains 78 short reading passages as well as around 8 - 12 multiple choice questions.  What you're supposed to do is allow the child to have three minutes to read the passage and answer the questions.  At the bottom of each lesson there is a G score, which translates the number of correct answers into a reading level by grade.  (You can also purchase a manual and answer key.)

Here is how I use this book: I assign Mary a lesson in this book once a week, on Fridays, but I do not time her.  I ask her to read the passage to herself, answer the questions that follow, and then check to see how many she answered correctly.  If she misses any, we discuss the question and why another answer would have been better.  This simple exercise has really helped to improve her comprehension!  I do think that it's important for the parent to pre-read the passages prior to assigning them to your child to ensure you approve of the content.   

Picture Books We Love: Leo the Late Bloomer

I probably enjoy Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus more than my kids!  It brings tears to my eyes every time.  Poor Leo.  His peers can read, write, draw, eat neatly, and talk.  But not Leo.  His parents watch and wait and watch and wait.  Then, suddenly, Leo blooms!  He can read.  He can write.  He can draw.  He can eat neatly.  And, he blurts out, "I made it!"  What a great encouragement for children when trying to learn new skills!  As I'm writing this, I'm thinking that I really need to read this to Maggie again.  She wants to do things by herself just like her big sister, but sometimes her dexterity just doesn't match her desire!  Then, she becomes frustrated that she needs help.  I want her to know that it's okay that she needs a little bit of help every now and then...she'll get there, just like Leo!

A Boy in Pink?

Poor Matthew.  All the time, people mistake him for a girl.  Maybe it has something to do with the pink car seat?  Aside from that, I personally think he looks all boy!

I know you're probably wondering why on earth did I buy a pink car seat?  I didn't.  BUT...some friends of ours were given this beautiful pink Peg Perego car seat for their baby girl Chloe.  Chloe has three older brothers.  Now, maybe you understand why Chloe got a pink car seat.  Chloe outgrew this car seat.  Around that time, we were in the market for an infant car seat because we actually looked at the manufacturer's date on the navy blue one that we had acquired third hand and used for Mary...you really don't want to know what it said.  Chloe's parents graciously gave us this beautiful pink car seat.

Then, we had Maggie.  She was (and still is) a girl and looked great in this car seat.  I contemplated retiring this puppy when we found out we were having twin boys.  But, the more I thought about it, I didn't like the idea of getting rid of something that had absolutely no flaws except the color.  So, Matthew rides around in a pink car seat.  People mistake him for a girl.  And, we have an extra couple hundred dollars (if we would have bought the same car seat in a more manly color) to use as God directs!

Thanks, Ben and Sarah (and Chloe)!

The Secret of Contentment

I really liked this passage on contentment that I read in Muscular Christianity by P.G. Mathew.

...We Christians enjoy contentment in Christ's sufficiency and grace, not in changing circumstances.

Paul speaks about this in Philippians 4.  He had learned to be content in all circumstances--in extreme poverty or in extreme plenty.  He knew how to be abased and how to abound.  God was teaching him as he experienced divine trials.  Finally, he arrived at the state of contentment and he gives us the secret: "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:13).  Paul was content even in prison while chained between two soldiers.  He had learned the secret from the mouth of Jesus: "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Cor. 12:9).  So he writes, "In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose...If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:28, 31).  He saves us and no one can destroy us.  Vital union with Jesus Christ is the secret of contentment.  Jesus proclaims, "I am the vine; you are the branches" (John 15:5).  Branches receive everything they need from the vine.

Grandpa and Grandma Judy's Visit

Grandpa and Grandma Judy, affectionately known as Gramps and Grams, came all the way from Pennsylvania to visit us! Not just came...DROVE!  Grandpa used to be in the Navy and so they attend his ship's reunion every year in the fall. This year, it was held in Nashville, and we were delighted that they could make a side trip to visit us before heading out to Colorado to visit my sister, Aunt Alicia.  

Here Gramps and Grams are meeting Matthew and Jonathan for the first time!  I think about every t-shirt my dad owns is either Penn State, Steelers or military!  I love this picture because I never think of my dad as a baby-holding kind of guy, but when it comes to his grandkids, he can't hold them enough!

They did some trashpickin' for us and brought a bike and scooter their neighbors had thrown in the trash!  Here's Mary loving the new scooter!

They bought Maggie a new helmet for her birthday.  She did something funny with it for this picture...it really is the right size!

Judy loves to cook and we love her cooking!  She brought some Auntie Anne's pretzel mix and made pretzels with Mary.  I enjoyed sitting back and listening to them enjoy themselves in the kitchen.  For all of you mix-skeptics out there, I have made my own pretzels, but they do not compare to these!  These are the yummiest pretzels in existence!

And here they are!  Now, I have to tell you that even when Grandma Judy makes a mistake, the results are excellent!  She added the cinnamon packet instead of the yeast, but she figured it out in time and added the yeast, some water, and some flour.  The result was yummy cinnamon pretzels.  In the words of Richard Scarry, "the best mistake ever!"

We ordered Thai food one night for dinner.  Check out Mary's technique with chopsticks!  We shared everything we ordered, except no one else could handle the dish I ordered.  Thai hot is REALLY hot in New Orleans.

Two book lovers enjoying a good book!  Side note: I think this is the day that Mary asked Grandpa if he was in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War or the War of 1812!  Good thing Grandpa has a great sense of humor!

They brought us lots and lots of gifts.  Each of the girls got one of these cute shirts!

Here's Jonathan sporting his new monkey hat.

Here's Matthew sporting his new monkey hat!

Everyone was sad the morning that they left.  Can you tell  from the angle of this picture that it was taken by our budding photographer Mary? 

Here are the girls saying goodbye in their jammies!

This is a picture of what the van looked like before they left our house!  And this is after unloading a lot of things at our house and at the ship's reunion!  Good thing Grandpa has a good ole trusty navigator with him because I don't think he can see out the back!

We're already counting down until their next visit in February or March!