Third Friday of Lent

 1. This week they really are going to be quick takes because I am leaving this afternoon to go on the retreat with the High School students from church to Ocean City, MD, for Impact, 2011 and I didn't sleep well and am not ready so don't have the time to write everything I wanted to. I tried to sit down and write this post yesterday but my brain never really came on. Next week, I hope to finish what I wanted to write.

2. Last night I went to see the performance of CATS at Eastern High School in Voorhess, where many of our students attend, because several of our students were in the performance. I've always liked the musical and so enjoyed the show, for the most part. The dancing was great, but woe to that flute player who was playing out of tune!

3. Simcha Fisher, whose blog I've been following more regularly of late, posted something pretty profound yesterday:

"...we sometimes try to drag God down into our limited view of life:  Black-and-white, Lord.  Just tell me what to do.  But just because WE see only two choices before us, let’s not forget that God is all-seeing, all-knowing.  His Will is not a checklist of do’s and don’ts, but a living, fluid, powerful force that somehow, inconceivably finds its way into our puny seedling lives, nourishing us like the rain and making us grow and bear fruit."

You can find the whole post here. I know she's a Catholic talking about family planning, but I think these specific comments can apply to all Christians.

4. I did make some good cross stitch progress this week, mostly because the design is fairly simple on this page. It makes it a little boring, but fast to work through.

Although, as soon as I finish this page, I'll be back working on the stems in 28 different greens. At least it's not boring!

5. If you think of me this weekend, pray for my time with the students and pray for my husband at home with the children. He's not completely on his own; I've arranged for a sitter for tomorrow night so he can go out and celebrate a friend's birthday. It should all work out fine. I just have anxiety about all going well since I am a control freak and hate for things to spin out of control (which, I think, is why God gave me exploding children) or for those I care about to be hurt. I keep thinking that if I just plan hard and long enough, everything will work out the way I want it to. Silly Sarah. 

6. Do please pray for the retreat with our church's High School students. I love working with them; they are a joy to be with and bless me regularly. I want to be able to be present with them and not worrying about what I left undone at home or what I haven't anticipated for on the trip.

7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.

And here's Jen. 

Second Friday of Lent

1. It was a week of extreme highs and lows. Alex started his swimming lessons last Saturday and did really well. Then, on Sunday, we had something really resembling a Sabbath. Miranda and Daddy took a nap:

Alex and I took a lovely walk in the spring sunshine. Then Monday came and Alex seemed to be in a terrible mood for 3 days and nothing we did could shake it or explain it. He tore up his worksheets at school and refused to cooperate with his teacher. He was so frustrated one evening he broke his rechargeable flashlight, one of his most prized bedtime possessions since it allows him to read until he falls asleep each night after we turn out the overhead light. Marshall would spend an hour every night talking him down from these extreme rages so that he could go to sleep. And then, Thursday was perfect. He did all his work at school and came home happy. He, Miranda and I took a walk around the neighborhood where everyone was happy and well-behaved. He ate dinner without complaint and then played in the backyard with Miranda without conflict. And went to bed happy.

As thankful as I am to have my happy boy back, the thing I hate most about autism is how difficult it is for Alex to communicate. It is very rare for him to be able to explain why he's angry or if he's sick and I only know he's hungry when he heads for the string cheese and that he needs to use the toilet when he starts dancing from foot to foot. I think it's called a processing error in the brain, but it's no fun to live with.

2. Miranda had a pretty charmed week. The best week at school we can remember, a surprise play-date with her cousin Lilly on Tuesday, sleeping through the night about every other day (she wakes me up because she's hungry, no matter how much she had to eat before bed) and so earned the privilege of helping me make her favorite banana chocolate chip muffins (in the oven right now!) and a proposed trip to the toy store for a reward doll. However, 5 minutes ago she dumped her milk cup (I gave up on sippy cups a few months back) on the newest laptop and had a coughing fit in the midst of her tears when I took away said laptop, so I might be getting the nebulizer out of the closet this afternoon. Dang.

3. I finished page 11 of White Lilies on Red and it's really looking beautiful:

I am thankful to be working on the last of the petals. Stitching in a flurry of light pinks on cream colored fabric is hard on the eyes.

My favorite DMC color, previous to this project, was 550, a deep, royal purple that I used extensively in Christmas Flourishes by Mirabilia. Now, my favorite is 920, a rich coppery brown.Very pretty.

4. Anything that takes Miranda away from Jake & the Neverland Pirates is okay in my book (the theme song plays interminably in my head--way too catchy a tune for my peace of mind!) but what she's discovered (and I'm not sure how) is Boowa and Kwala, which, as far as I can tell, is a French import into Australia. Kwala is obviously a koala but I have yet to figure out what kind of animal Boowa is: he's blue and kinda dog-like. The site is not offensive in the least and fairly educational, but a little strange to encounter. But in a good way.

5. A dear friend from school lives in Yamagata, Japan, 80 miles from the epicenter of last week's earthquake, so we have been watching his Facebook page very closely all week and praying for his family often. They are all safe, as well as his wife's extended family, some of whom lived in Sendai (Thanks be to God!), but are currently having to cope with rationed fuel and food amounts. Still, so much to be thankful for in the face of this catastrophe. Thank you, Lord, for your mercy.

6. I watched Easy A this week when I needed a laugh and enjoyed it greatly. It's about a young woman in high school who lies about her sexual experience and sees her reputation transformed almost instantly. Emma Stone, who has been cast as Gwen Stacy in the new Spider-Man reboot, is amazing, as advertised, but it's also interesting as a modern take on The Scarlet Letter. For as many stupid high school movies get made every year, this one is worth watching. Not quite as good as 10 Things I Hate About You, because Nathaniel Hawthorne with never top Shakespeare, but I liked it. 

7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.

And here's Jen. 

First Friday of Lent

1. So my Lenten Discipline this year will be to live in thankfulness every time I'm tempted to curse my circumstance, and I had a wonderful chance to practice this morning when Miranda announced she wasn't feeling well and went back to bed after eating some breakfast. She has been in school all week and regaining her health, but the last three weeks of croup-ear infection-croup-ear infection have spooked me and I decided that it would be best for her to stay home from school. Previously, I would have given her some Tylenol and pushed her onto the bus, but something resembling wisdom (or paranoia) has taken hold of me and I'm going to let her rest today and avoid any opportunity for another relapse. Ostensibly, I know my children are different but I still keep expecting Miranda to have this iron constitution and stellar immune system that Alex seems to have. (For example, swine flu for Alex was about a day's discomfort and low-grade fever; then I got it and lost a week!) So, today I am thankful that I can stay home and easily rearrange my schedule whenever my children are sick, and take them to the doctor whenever I need. And only pay a pittance for all of the medical care Miranda has received in the last month. God is good.

2. So I finally found the camera this week. Miranda had swiped it, taken a dozen pictures of her room, and stashed it in one of her drawers. Silly woozle. 

It was a good week for stitching:

I keep going back to the picture of the finished product, though, to remind myself that all these tiny little x's come together to make something beautiful.

3. Tomorrow our family joins the Brave New World of enrolling our children in extra-curricular activities: Alex will start swimming lessons at the local YMCA. And Miranda has been signed up for soccer that will start on Saturday mornings next month. Both children will be participating in programs for kids with special needs, but, still, this is a big step for us. We've never tried anything so, well, mainstream like this before. Partially because we have high-maintenance kids, but, honestly, also because both Marshall and I are homebody-type people who would prefer to stay at home, safely in our caves, thank you very much. 

But I have made the decision to join the neighborhood pool (well, the Ramblewood one, anyway) this summer so that we can continue to work on their social skills in a place where I know many of their friends from school will also be swimming, and save Marshall the continual headache of maintaining a pool in our backyard. Alex is a good swimmer but he really needs to work on his pool etiquette (following the directions of the lifeguard, no running on the deck, etc.) and I need to be sure I can turn my back on him to watch Miranda (who will probably still need a flotation device of some sort) while we're at the pool this summer. Big steps for us. I think I'm more apprehensive than the children will ever be. I hate change. 

4. Since Miranda was able to go to school Monday-Thursday, I spent the week playing major catch-up on things like correspondence, Bible study work, grocery shopping, and house cleaning. I really need to re-sort Miranda's toys again and weed out the ones she's really too old for, but most of what's left are the things I still love and don't want to get rid of. Maybe I'll leave that chore for when my mother next comes to visit, April 9. 

I had forgotten, though, in all the craziness of previous weeks, what a privilege it is to have a bus come every week day for each child and whisk them away to school and wonderful, therapeutic programs. Thank you, Lord, for their awesome teachers and school staffs!

5. A young couple we know is going to take the smaller of the sets of three bookcases we are replacing with built-in book shelves in the living room, so I spent some time last weekend emptying the books onto other shelves and 3 plastic bins. And was reminded again how many books we have. Is it so surprising, then, that Alex collects them as well? When I finally shelve them in the living room, I am going to try to whittle down the total, again. The problem of having been an English literature major in college is that most of your textbooks are worth keeping, forever!

6. If you are an Anglophile like me, you will be interested to know there is a new version of Jane Eyre opening in theatres this weekend. Slate does a great review of all previous versions here. For the record, the only one I've seen is the Americanized (meaning, cut) version of the film with Timothy Dalton, which I did greatly enjoy. According to Amazon, the full restored film is now available on DVD. I was never a Bronte fan myself; too much misery and angst. Give me Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer happy endings any day!

Now the movie I'm really looking forward to, I am ashamed to say, is Fast Five. A new trailer was released this week that made me positively drool. Sad, but true. 

Also, in the news, Series 6 of Doctor Who will premiere April 23! Can't wait!

7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.

And here's Jen. 

Just When I Think I See A Light at the End of the Tunnel...

1. It turns out to be the head-lamp of an oncoming train. Yesterday, Miranda was feeling so much better that she was harassing her brother to the point where I allowed him to lock his bedroom door to keep her out and give him some peace and quiet. I was able to get a lot of the mess around here cleaned up, laundry done and was looking forward to a Friday morning all to myself. Then 4 am came around with another fever for the poor little woozle and she woke up this morning complaining that her ear hurts. Of course, we already have a doctor's appointment for this afternoon so I expect we'll get another scrip for another antibiotic. So, the moral of the story is, next time we do oral steroids, we get the antibiotic at the same time to avoid the one-two punch. Two times in a row is enough. Truly.

2. Thankfully, I have managed to keep up with the book study, Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs, that I'm doing with a small group of High School girls on Sunday nights, but my own, Wednesday morning Bible study, Beth Moore's The Patriarchs, has completely fallen by the wayside. I need to spend a good portion of my time this weekend catching up in my workbook and watching a couple of videos on Beth Moore's website.

3. I still haven't found the camera. Which is fine because I haven't been able to stitch all week. I found a mistake, spent an hour trying to figure out where I went wrong, and then gave up. I have been so tired by the time the children have gone to bed every night this week that I haven't been able to re-examine my work to find the error. Miranda has been up every night between 1:30-4:30 am for as long as I can remember, at least 10 days. The advantage of Friday, however, is that when I hear her tonight, I can kick Marshall awake and ask him to check on her. 

4. I am grateful for Facebook and the fact that many of my girlfriend's now have blogs. So, even though I've been home for almost 3 weeks, I can still keep up with most of what's going on. Of course, it also means I can't leave my laptop for more than a few minutes at a time. Here's to socially acceptable addictions!

5. Miranda's new favorite television show this week is Jake & the Neverland Pirates on Disney. I cannot say that I am a fan as there is little or no educational value to the show. I would much prefer her to watch Bubble Guppies, which is on Nick Jr. But she's sick, so I'm letting her have what she wants. Hopefully, she will tire of the former and pick up again with the latter.

6. What with all the constant snow and illness around here, we haven't been able to get out to the movies, which makes me unhappy since Green Hornet is no longer playing at any theatre nearby. Dang. 

January 14

Green Hornet

 

Anyway, here's my hopeful list for upcoming films:

April 1
Source Code (Duncan Jones' new movie; we loved Moon)

April 29
Fast Five (I have this strange weakness for Vin Diesel)

May 6
Thor (Who doesn't want to see Kenneth Branagh do a super-hero movie?)

June 3
X-Men: First Class (It could be good, like X-2 was)
June 17
Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds was very compelling in The Proposal so I want to give him a chance)
June 24
Cars 2 (Cars is my favorite Pixar Film so I have high hopes for the next one; it also may be the first movie our kids actually see in the theatre)
July 1
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (My husband has already announced I will be seeing this alone; he hated the other two while I kinda liked them)
July 15
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
July 22
Captain America: The First Avenger (Chris Evans was one of the best things in The Losers and Scott Pilgrim and I'm interested to see if he can pull this off)
July 29
Cowboys & Aliens (Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in a western with aliens and all the early buzz is good!)

7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.

Jen didn't post today--too busy planning for a speaking engagement--so she sent us to her friend Hallie's site.

Our Situation Has Not Improved

1. Well, that's not exactly true, even though it's an awesome quote from Indy III. Miranda has almost finished her antibiotics (which means her ear infection must be healing) and doesn't have to be held down anymore by both parents and the dose shoved down her throat to get the full effect of that medication, which is how affairs were last weekend. We're down to one breathing treatment a day, before school. And she's back to waking up at 3 am because she's hungry. Which means she has returned to being the impossible 4 year old we know and love. At least we've changed from punching to spitting when she doesn't want to clean up the toys she's strewn all across the house, but she's still throwing toys when sent to her room for obstinacy and disobedience. I know understand why my mother looked forward to my illnesses when I was this age: the Miranda who was seriously ill and a completely pathetic child of last week was much easier to cuddle and care for. My problem this week is that I am so tired from her 3 am "feedings" that I'm not always ducking successfully from the flying Little People tractor. Dang it.

2. On a happier note, the ice and snow is gone so Alex is a much happier boy. And we've adjusted his ADHD meds slightly to help him focus more at school, so life for his teacher is getting a lot easier, and he is earning new books again. If he comes home with a good report today, we will be off to the bookstore straight after school. Darling boy.

3. Not only are my crocuses blooming outside on my front stoop, but in the front room I am enjoying the end of my third amaryllis and first paper whites, I have 2 still blooming primroses my mother-in-law gave me several weeks ago on my table, cut tulips were on sale at Trader Joe's last Sunday so I got 10 of those in a lovely peach-pink, all in addition to my usual African violets. Although, half of the violets really need to be replaced. I can keep them blooming and happy for a couple of years, but then they get leggy and need to be discarded and replaced with beautiful new ones that usually cost $.99 at Produce Junction.

4. I can't find the camera anywhere, so I have no progress picture for you this week, even though I finished page 10 and made a good start on the top half of page 11 this week. I will probably need to clean Miranda's room to find it since she's known for running off with things like that and stashing them somewhere "safe." 

5. Because we had a forecast for snow on Tuesday (which was much less than advertised and so the cancellation of school seemed a bit silly), on Monday I pushed all of us out of the house to make a trip to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden even though I knew it would be absolutely mobbed because the children really needed to get out of the house and do something fun if they were going to be stuck at home Tuesday (and, remember, Miranda missed 4 days of school last week because of illness) and Alex would miss his field trip to Pump It Up, his most favorite place in the universe (thankfully, it's been rescheduled for next Tuesday). We had a good time even though we did it at a dead run and were crowded out of a few exhibits. 

6. I am continuing to work my way through Series 2 of Spooks on my own and Season 1 of Mission:Impossible when Marshall is available to join me. I did see, many years ago, the American cuts of Series 1 & 2 of Spooks, repackaged as MI-5 but missing at least 15 minutes of each episode so the stories did not flow together very well. The UK version is much better. Soon, I will move into Series 3, saying good-bye to Matthew Macfadyen and hello to Rupert Penry-Jones and episodes I've never seen before. 

7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.

Bonus 8. For the record, my favorite Valentine's Day movies, that I've revisited in recent weeks, are The Replacement Killers and Romeo Must Die. Somehow, 10 Things I Hate About You, my previous favorite, just isn't the same since Heath died.

And here's Jen.

Oh, God. I'm going to die.

1. That was the first thought in my mind every time I had to get out of bed since about midnight, last Sunday morning. This has been one of those weeks that I hope disappears quickly from my memory in a haze of grogginess.



2. If you missed all the excitement last weekend, Miranda contracted croup overnight Saturday-Sunday and when I finally had enough wits to page the pediatrician Sunday morning, he sent us straight to the ER. We quickly made arrangements for Alex to be cared for after dropping him at church for Sunday school (so handy that the hospital is 2 blocks from our church) and followed Miranda through an exam, chest x-rays, several breathing treatments and oral steroids. She was much more herself by the time we left the hospital 4 hours later with a nebulizer and more steroids in hand. Marshall and I were still pretty dazed, although that could have been shock or lack of sleep or both. Neither of our children have ever suffered from anything like this before so it took us a bit to come up to speed on all current treatments, but we learn fast. And I can say with gratitude that we received excellent care the whole time we were in the hospital. My only previous hospital experience is in the maternity ward, so it's good to know Virtua-Voorhees' pediatric ER is so reliable.

3. Because I was so desperate for sleep, I sent Miranda back to school Wednesday morning even though she wasn't quite her usual self. She'd already missed the Valentine's Day party and the trip to the Book Fair, but I wanted to give her a chance to catch up with her friends, distribute her Valentines (she worked really hard on Saturday writing the names of her friends and teachers on the cards and I wanted Miss Barbara to see what a great job she did) and pick up her new books. And I really, really, needed a nap.

4. I think I survived Wednesday on the promise that my cleaning lady was coming at 3 pm and no matter what happened, the house would be clean by dinner time and life would be better because of that. I had been so exhausted from Miranda's sudden illness and all the excitement thereof that I hadn't been keeping up with the disaster we create daily by living and moving through this house and the floors were starting to look scary. Bless her; she's really wonderful.

5. It was a good thing Wednesday ended well because Miranda woke up Thursday morning with a fever. The steroids had done their job well but also suppressed her immune system and, after a trip back to the pediatrician's (we'd been already on Monday for a follow up from our hospital trip Sunday) we now have a diagnosis of an ear infection and a new set of antibiotics to consume. My poor little woozle. God, I'm tired.

6. Somehow, I have managed to keep stitching in the evenings, probably because it's such a nice, safe distraction from how distressing life has been this week. Here's your progress pic:

While I've stitched, we've been watching the first season of Mission:Impossible. It's amazingly suspenseful. 

7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.

Bonus 8. Okay, the week wasn't all bad. Alex's behavior finally improved at school (probably because the snow is almost completely melted and the weather is warmer and pleasant) so he earned a new book and permission to go on the class field trip on Tuesday. Marshall is settling in better at work since the most recent reorganization. My father's recovery from his knee replacement almost 3 weeks ago is going really well with his progress well above expectations. The team my church sent to Haiti returned safely last night after a great week. And Miranda is chipper and hungry this morning after waking up at 3:30 am hot and miserable. So, life should be better soon.

And here's Jen.

I Still Have Foggy (Cold) Brain

1. This has got to be the longest lasting cold I've ever had. And it's only a cold, because I had a regular visit with my doctor on Monday and he said as much. So I've been experimenting with different over the counter medicines, trying to find that perfect cocktail to avoid the grogginess of most cold medicine and keep the cough at bay with only some success. Dang.


2. I made great progress on my cross stitch this week as the pattern moved on to an easier section. Thank God, because I thought the confetti was going to kill me. Here's your progress pic:

3. Tonight our church is hosting a special couples' night so we get to drop our kids off at church at 6 pm and go down the block to enjoy a meal with our spouse. It's going to be a lovely way to start the weekend, especially since this will be Marshall & my 15th Valentine's Day together. Woohoo!


4. I was kind of sad when we finished the last of all 26 episodes of The Green Hornet last weekend. It was a charming little show, if rather predictable. So, I've decided to stay with that era of television and start us on Season 1 of Mission:Impossible. I'm also blaming my pastor, who just finished a sermon series of the same title and showed clips from the original show, thus whetting my appetite. I remember watching in syndication when I was much younger. According to many reviewers, it holds up pretty well, in spite of the nearly 5 decades since production. We'll have to see.

5. Marshall and I watched a fascinating documentary this week proposing a counter-factual history called Virtual JFK: Vietnam if Kennedy Had Lived. We highly recommend it, even though it makes you wish we'd avoided so much of the blood shed there. Although, The Fog of War is better, but only slightly, and we also enjoyed the television movie, Path to War. I'm not a huge fan of Alec Baldwin, but watching him bring McNamara to life is amazing, especially for someone like me born after the war was essentially over. These kinds of films help me understand the world my parents grew up in but fill me with dread about how later generations will look at the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lord, have mercy!

6. Three of my friends welcomed new babies this week, two girls and a boy, which was cheering, since we know of two other families who are soon to be saying farewell to their loved ones as they go home to Jesus, one older but one way too young. Yesterday, our church sent a team to Haiti for a weeks' worth of work in Jacmel, where this missionary family has been serving Jesus and is now about to bury their 4 year old daughter. Christ, have mercy.

7. I just finished working on my own Valentine cards and will be spending tomorrow helping my children prepare theirs. It helps that they are in small classes (8 students in Alex's and 9 in Miranda's) but instead of doing them all myself after the children go to bed, their teachers want them to "help" by writing their friends' names on the actual cards. Which should keep us busy for quite a while tomorrow.


Bonus: 8. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, inform me that you are claiming one of my few remaining copies.


And, just in case you missed my blog post yesterday, I have to share this again:

And here's Jen.