Plain and Simple

Yummy Shepherd's Pie

2009-11-14T20:26:00.001-05:00

Yummy Shepherd's Pie

I made this for the first time a few months ago. It is now one of our favorites and we make it frequently. I have looked at several recipes for shepherd's pie. This seemed to me the easiest and the tastiest.

Dice and boil potatoes. Personally I don't peel them before cooking. It's the dietitian in me. If it grosses you out, then peel them.

Brown onion and ground beef.

Add veggies. Continue cooking.

Add worcestershire sauce and broth.

Sprinkle with flour. Mix well.

Mash Potatoes:

Add meat mixture to pan.

Spread mashed potatoes on top.

Yummy Shepherd's Pie

1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
1 onion chopped
1-2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup beef broth
1 - 2 TBSP flour (optional)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 C warm milk
Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice
1/2 - 1 C shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Peel and cube potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 of a stick) in large frying pan.
Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Drain meat if desired. Add salt and pepper. Add the vegetables. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist. At this point you may sprinkle this mixture with flour, if desired.
Mash potatoes in bowl with milk and remainder of butter, season to taste.

Place beef and vegetable mixture in baking dish. (At this point you may sprinkle meat mixture with cheese if desired. I sometimes so this. Most of the time I don't.) Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.
Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown potatoes.
Serves 4-6.

Making Homemade Chocolate Syrup

2009-11-12T08:24:00.000-05:00

Make Your Own Chocolate Syrup
In my opinion, this chocolate syrup is amazing. It tastes so much richer than you-know-who's. It is so easy to make. I will never buy syrup again. Unless of course I find a killer deal. In the Bing house, we make chocolate milk by the gallon!

Combine dry ingredients.

Add water.

Stir to combine.

Stir constantly while boiling to prevent it from boiling over.

Finished product. Boy is it yummy!

Make Your Own Chocolate Syrup

1/2 C cocoa

1 C water

2 C sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Mix the cocoa and the water in a saucepan. Heat and stir to dissolve the cocoa. Add the sugar, and stir to dissolve. Boil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Stir constantly to prevent it from boiling over. (This comes from experience. Very messy.) Add the salt and the vanilla. Let cool. Pour into a sterile glass jar (or contianer of your choice. I use a chocolate syrup bottle from you-know-who), and store in the refrigerator. Keeps for several months. Yields two cups.

The Bomb - Chapter 7

2009-11-10T10:34:00.001-05:00

by Evan Bingaman
grade 5, age 10

Chapter 7 - Hemisphere

Jeff sat up in his bed, sweating like crazy. BOOM! Jeff heard a loud sound in his basement. And. Then. The. World. Blew. Up.

That is the story of Jeff and the letter and the package. You are probably wondering how I am alive. Well, I am an alien. But that's a different story.

The Bomb - Chapter 6

2009-11-09T10:02:00.001-05:00

by Evan Bingaman
grade 5, age 10

Chapter 6 - Time To Die

"I know, Edd." Jeff said.

"Prank, It's just a prank." Edd said.

"NO, it's not." Jeff said with fear in his voice.

Next day...3:10PM

"I'm going to die!" Jeff called out.

"Don't worry, Jeff." Edd said.

Ding Dong. "I'll get it," Jeff said. He opened the door. Sitting there was a box. A box with a clown mask in it. Jeff picked up the mask. Inside the mask was a bomb. "Oh my GOSH!!!!" Jeff screamed.

A person dressed in black came out of nowhere, grabbed Edd and ran away. "Wait up!" Jeff ran after him sweating. The person got in a plane and took off. "No, No, No!" Jeff moaned.

The Bomb - Chapter 5

2009-11-08T09:45:00.001-05:00

by Evan Bingaman
grade 5, age 10

Chapter 5 - Noon

"What does Coil mean?" Edd said

"It means to-"

"I know what it means," Edd interrupted."I just meant what does it mean in the letter?"

"Beats me," Jeff said.

"I better get going, Jeff. See ya."

"Bye." Edd runs out the door. 'What does coil mean?' This thought was in Jeff's head all day.

After school..."Whoot!!" Kids were running out of school yelling. "School's out!"

Edd ran up to Jeff. "Hey Jeff. I know what coil means."

Jeff said in a dark voice, "What? You know the word coil?"

"Yeah." Edd said. "We'll decode the letters into numbers by ABC order, like A equals 1, B equals 2."

"Okay"

Edd said, "The number is 315912."

"So, I'm going to die on 5/9/12 at 3:10 PM." Jeff said.

"But, Jeff. That's tomorrow!"

The Bomb - Chapter 4

2009-11-07T09:27:00.001-05:00

by Evan Bingaman

Grade 5, age 10

Chapter 4 - Coil

"Package for you," the UPS man says. Jeff and Edd scream! "What's wrong?"

"Why are you in pink? Edd asks.

"Because it's dress wacky day at UPS. Can you please get your Mom to sign this?"

"I'm coming," Jeff's Mother yells. Jeff's mother walks into the room. "Where do I sign?"

"NO!" Jeff yells. "DON'T SIGN IT!"

"Why not, Jeff?"

"Because it's a bomb!"

"Jeff, stop being silly." Jeff's mother signs for the package. "Jeff, it says it's for you again. See ya," The UPS man walks away. Jeff's mother walks away. Jeff opens the package SLOWLY. Inside is a letter. Jeff opens the letter.

"Wait, how is there a letter inside a package?" Edd asks.

"No return address!"

"What?" Edd asks.

"I said, No return address." Jeff looks at the letter. It reads:

The Bomb - Chapter 3

2009-11-03T12:38:00.000-05:00

written by Evan Bingaman

grade 5, age 10

Chapter 3 - Death at Noon

"What?!? that's impossible!" Edd said in a loud voice.

"Look," Jeff said.

"Wow, you're right," said Edd. "But the bottom of the words say 'The Movie'"

"Okay then, let's go to my house and look on the computer." Jeff said,

"What do you mean?" Edd responded.

"Let's see if it is a movie!" Jeff and Edd rush home. Jeff searches '3 hours to Domination'. Jeff scans the computer. "Aha!" Jeff says. Jeff clicks on a link that says '3 hours to Domination - The Movie'. "It says here that it's about a person who thinks the world is going to end, so he tries to blow it up."

"Phft," Edd starts laughing.

"Jeff, letter for you," Jeff's mother came down into the basement. Jeff grabs the letter and opens it. Jeff's mother walks away.

"What does it say?"

"It says, 'Death at noon. RUN!'"

"Let me see," Edd grabs the letter.

"Just a prank maybe?"

"Check the return address." Edd said. Jeff flips the letter over.

"Nope, doesn't say."

"Creepy, that's all I have to say!" Edd answered. "It's a prank."

"Check the return address."

Jeff flips the letter over. "Nope, it doesn't say."

"Creepy, that's all I have to say." Edd answered. "It's a prank."

"But I am going to DIE at noon!" Then they heard a knock on the door. Jeff runs upstairs and opens the door. Standing there was an UPS man dressed in pink.

The Bomb Chapter 2

2009-10-29T10:47:00.001-05:00

by Evan Bingaman
Grade 5, age 10

Chapter 2 - Domination
Jeff sat up in his bed. "Just a dream. Better get ready for school."
After school..."I'm telling you, Edd. It was the strangest dream. I mean, it felt so real."
"Like the man dressed in pink?" Edd asked. Jeff suddenly fell to the floor. "Jeff are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tripped over a box...A BOX! Edd, this is the box in my dream!"
"Sure, Jeff," Edd said. "Let's open it."
"NO!" Jeff quickly responded. Jeff got up off of the floor. "It may be dangerous, Edd."
"Well, Jeff. That's too bad." Edd picked up he box and opened it. "See just a box of clothes. Boy, did that scare you!"
"Clothes?" Jeff said.
"Yeah, see for yourself" Edd gives the box to Jeff.
"You're right, Edd" Jeff said. "But look at this. One of the shirts says 3 hours to domination."

The Bomb Chapter 1

2009-10-28T10:35:00.002-05:00

by Evan Bingaman
Grade 5, age 10

A long time ago, there was a man. This was an evil man. I would tell you why but the FBI wouldn't permit it. What's that, you won't tell...well, okay then.

Chapter 1 - The Box
Ding-dong. "Jeff, can you get the door?" Jeff's mother asked.
"No, I don't feel like it!" Jeff responded.
"Jeff?"
"Fine Mom, I will." Jeff ran downstairs and opened the door. "Sup?" Jeff said. Standing there was a tall man dressed in pink. "Why are you in pink?" Jeff asked.
"My family was in a terrible fire," the man paused. "The only clothes I had left were my sister's.
"Okay?" Jeff said in a weird voice.
"I have a box for you, Jeff" the man said.
"How do you know my name? Jeff said frantically.
"Here is the box, Jeff." Then the man ran away. Jeff opens the box inside is a bomb that says "3 hours to domination."

Making Homemade Fabric Softener

2009-10-27T20:04:00.000-05:00

We do a lot of laundry at our house. I used to go through fabric softener like it was going out of style. It gets really expensive so I found this recipe to make my own. This costs about $.02 per load (not counting the added water cost). From one batch, I am able to get 32 loads. The only fabric I have ever had a problem with while using this softener is my flannel pajamas. But to be honest, I don't mind a little static on my jammies.

How to make your own Fabric Softener:

Ingredients: 3 C water, 1 C conditioner, 1 1/2 C vinegar

Start with 3 C water

Add 1 C conditioner (I use coupons to buy conditioner. I can get a bottle (2 C) for $.50)

Use a whisk and mix together.

Add 1 1/2 Vinegar

Whisk again.

Pour into bottle of your choice.

Homemade Fabric Softener

3 C water

1 1/2 C vinegar

1 C hair conditioner (I use Suave)

Measure water into a bowl. Add conditioner. Whisk together. Add vinegar. Whisk again. Pour into a container or bottle of your choice. To use, add to your washer in according to the washers instructions.

First Day of School

2009-10-26T20:32:00.002-05:00

Our decision to send the kids to Bricks and mortar school was a year long process. I have homeschooled since Evan was 3 years old. At the time of him needing to go to preschool, things were very tight for us financially. I figured there had to be another way so I decided to school him at home. Every year we would pray and ask the Lord what He wanted us to do for that year. We have felt that we were supposed to keep the kids home.

Last year was a really hard year for me as the teacher. I felt overwhelmed and burned out. Evan was in 4th grade. Lydia was in 2nd grade. Joshua was in Kindergarten. I felt throughout the year that I was in a constant battle. Attitudes, fighting, disrespect. I realized partway through the year that I didn't like to homeschool any more. I had no joy in doing it. I started praying and asking the Lord what He wanted for this year.

I told the Lord that I would homeschool again because I want to do what He wants me to do. I also told Him that I would school with a happy heart if that's what He wants for our family. I never got the desire back. I still had no desire to do it after praying for a while. I took that as confirmation about the decision to send them to school.

Thus the decision was made to send Evan and Lydia to the local public school. Since that has happened, we have seen such great changes in the kids. Evan has risen to the occasion. He uses manners. He is respectful. Lydia loves being with other kids. She is such a social butterfly.

We decided to keep Joshua home this year. Originally, we wanted to keep the kids home until they had a good foundation, in faith and in education. Joshua has been doing great since our decision.

I have been doing even better. The atmosphere in the house is totally different. I love not being stressed. I love not having to be the referee anymore.

Walking to the bus stop.

The Lydia's. We had to wake up Lydia Anne to walk with us. She still looks sleepy.

Some of the neighborhood kids.

Getting on the bus.

Still getting on the bus. There are 13 kids who get on the bus at our stop.

Still, getting on the bus.

Lydia and Chloe (a neighbor girl).

School is done. Joshua couldn't wait for them to get home.

Welcome home Lydia!

I Got Some Good News and Bad News

2009-10-24T20:53:00.000-05:00

Date: Sept 30th 2009
Event: Joshua lost his first tooth at 6 1/2 years old.
How it happened: We don't really know. Here's the story...Joshua was brushing his teeth after eating lunch when he called out, "Mom! Come here quick!" I went to him and he told me his tooth was missing. I asked him where it was and he said he didn't know. We scoured the house for his missing tooth but to no avail. We never did find it. (Yes, we did check his waste products too.)

He called his pappy and told him, "Pap, I got some good news and bad news. The good news is I lost my tooth. The bad news is I lost my tooth."

He then requested spaghetti for supper that night so he could suck a noodle through his hole.

Hersheypark Happy

2009-10-23T21:07:00.000-05:00

This summer we practically spent the whole summer at Hersheypark. We decided in September of last year that we wanted to do something special for the kids. We don't really go on vacation. We might do a day trip every now and then but have never gone on a real vacation. We decided that we wanted to do something that we could do all summer. $600 later we were the proud owners of 5 Hersheypark season passes. We had so much fun. We would go once a week with the whole family and then just the kids and I would go an additional time during the week and spend the day there.

Evan's highlight was being able to ride the Stormrunner.
Lydia's highlight was swimming.
Joshua's highlight was ZooAmerica.

I have notice through this summer that I am getting old. There were rides that I can no longer go on because of feeling sick. I can't even watch the Carousel anymore!

Lydia & Joshua on the Howler. I couldn't even watch this ride without being sick.

Evan & Alan on the Storm Runner. Evan loved it!

Joshua is a Reese's

Lydia is a Hersheybar

Evan is a Twizzlers.

Lydia on the Scrambler.

The most boring ride - The Frog Hopper. (I like this one!)

Joshua's last year to ride kiddie rides. He liked the dino ride,

Joshua loved watching the animal demonstrations.

Of all the times we have been to Zoo America, the bears were always sleeping. We were amazed the one time we were there and the bear was awake! There was one bear who was sitting in the water. There was a bee who kept flying around his nose. He was really funny when he would bat the bee away. Joshua got a huge kick out of it.

Funny Kid Pics

2009-10-21T14:59:00.001-05:00

This is what happens when young people take your phone without you knowing about it.

This is the world from their point of view.

Happy 10th Birthday Evan!

2009-10-20T17:52:00.000-05:00

Evan celebrated his tenth Birthday on August 2nd, 2009. The Bingaman family rules include only have birthday parties on big year birthdays (5yrs, 10yrs, 13yrs, 16yrs, etc.). Since this was a big year, he chose to have a big party which included several of his friends, a sleepover (in a tent outside), and a play date for the next day. The boys had a great time.

The Party Guests included:

Asher

Joshua

Cade

Judah

Matt

Josiah

Cake Time:

Evan drew the picture that is on his cake.

Present Time:

Game Time:

Marshmallow Towers

Charades: Click Here for awesome for charade ideas.

Outdoor Relay Races:

Stay Tuned...

2009-10-13T18:08:00.001-05:00

Alright, I'm back. At least for a little while. Stay tuned for numerous posts about nothing.

I am planning to post about our summer happenings. You don't want to miss it!

Summer Recap

2009-10-12T21:02:00.014-05:00

Where have I been all summer? This about sums it up.

Summer 2009 Happenings:

Lydia starred in a puppet show at the local Library.

We saw this peacock on the road near our house. We were able to watch it for a long time.

Playing with Pap while visiting Nana in the hospital.

Joshua won all those tickets playing one game at Chuck E cheese. He kept getting the Super Bonus.

We found this caterpillar at Pastor Dave's house during the staff picnic. It's a good thing Eric Nehrt wasn't there or he would have had the kids eat it!

Hanging with the Kindall girls.

We took a trip to the Wolfgang Candy Factory in York. The kids were loving the hairnets!

My Little Entrepreneur

2009-07-03T10:05:00.004-05:00

I am learning that I must be more thorough in my answering of Joshua's questions. Last year he decided to collect the slugs that were in our yard. He then proceeded to go door-to-door selling them. He didn't get any takers. I totally had no idea that he did this until one of our neighbors told me they thought it was cute that he was trying to sell slugs! I learned that I need to watch him more carefully when he is outside.

One day last week he came up to me with a bucket of various toys (foam shapes, broken airplane, farting putty, etc.). He asked if he could sell those toys. I said sure. Before this, we have been getting our unwanted items ready to take to our family reunion. Naturally, I assumed he was also wanting to "sell" his things there. A few minutes later he went outside to play. I didn't think anything of it and went back to cleaning. He comes running back in the house all excited and said, "Mommy, I just made 2 dollars!" WHAT?!? He explained how he went door-to-door selling his toys.

I was torn as to what to do. I didn't want to crush his spirit but I also needed to discipline him for doing that without my permission. I asked him what houses he went to and luckily, he only went to the neighbors who would think that was the greatest thing. I walked with Joshua to their house and explained how he couldn't keep the money because he did it without my permission. They are such great people they insisted that Joshua keep it because they always wanted farting putty and and airplane.

Joshua and I had a great talk. I see him being the president of a huge company one day. He loves to come up with new business ventures.

Mulberries

2009-06-11T14:17:00.000-05:00

I just found out that mulberries are not poisonous. We have 2 trees in our yard and would never let the kids eat the berries because we didn't know if they were edible. It only took 2 years for me to figure out that I could research them online. Duh!

Guess what, they are (edible)! The kids were so excited! They just couldn't wait to try a berry. After we tried them, we realized how good they are. Those berries are really sweet. The only bed part is that they don't have a very long shelf life. Because of that fact, I tried to dehydrate them. Just an FYI, don't ever try that, they were really gross. I don't understand what happened to cause them to taste like cardboard.

We'll stick to the fresh berries. Whenever the kids are wanting a snack, all they do now is get a bowl and go outside to pick berries. I couldn't ask for a healthier snack.

Anyone out there in bloggy world have any recipes using mulberries?

Hokey Pokey

2009-06-10T14:10:00.003-05:00

Last night we tucked everyone in, said prayers and were about to leave the boy's room when this conversation took place:

Joshua: Mom, wait!
Me: What do you want, Joshua?
Joshua: The first thing I'm going to do when I get up in the morning is do the Hokey Pokey.
Me: Oh yeah, that's great.
Joshua: I'm even going to do the part, put your bottom in, put your bottom out, put your bottom in and shake it all about. I like that part.
Me: I can't wait for that.

If anyone wants to join us, feel free to come on over.

Noisetrade

2009-06-05T10:13:00.001-05:00

I wanted to fill you all in on a really cool freebie.

It's called Noisetrade.

It's a site where you can get FREE music. The only catch is that you have to put in 5 email addresses. So if you have ever gotten an email from us telling you about some new music, now you know why.

The site was started by Derek Webb (one of the members of Caedmon's Call). Artists can put their music on the site to promote themselves.

We absolutely love this site. We have gotten so much really cool christian music from here.

Go ahead and check it out.

Stinkodorant

2009-06-04T10:12:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, Joshua asked when he could start wearing stinkodorant.

We said when you stink.

Yet Another Update

2009-06-04T09:53:00.004-05:00

Hi all, Sorry I haven't updated in a while. After getting home, I had to get school finished and now that School is over, I have lots more free time.

Here is the latest.

Mom was in the hospital for 3 weeks to the day. A few days before she was discharged, the doctors finally ordered a Nueropsycologist eval. I was very happy to hear that. I was asking for one for the whole time while I was there but the doctors were not listening to me because she was not listed as being incompetent. I still don't know the results of that because my dad never asked the doctors and they won't tell me.

She was discharged to a rehab facility. She got the the facility around 4:45 in the afternoon. Around 11 PM that same night, she was taken to the ER because her blood sugar had spiked to over 600. (That's diabetic coma range). They got her stabilized and sent her back to the facility. Somewhere along the line she missed a dose of her insulin which caused the spike. When she got back to the facility, around 6AM, she called my dad for him to come and pick her up. She checked herself out and went home. All I can say is STUBBORN!

She has been home ever since. The first day after being home, my dad took her to their family doctor who took her off most of her meds. I was really nervous about that because it took 3 weeks for her to be stabilized in the hospital with the medicine she has been on.

At times she can't remember her phone number. At other times she can't remember where her silverware goes. She doesn't remember me being there. She has not been sleeping too well. She sleeps more during the day than she does at night. She has been getting therapy at the house twice a week. This has been the last week for that.

I talked to her the other day and she seemed to be doing better. I can't get a straight answer out of my dad though. I call him to ask about her and he says, "OK, here she is, you can talk to her." You know how frustrating that is?

I just need to remember that I can't burden myself with their situation. I can't change it. They are not willing to move closer to be near family. There is not much more that I can do.

Thanks for all of your prayers. I really appreciated it. There has to be a reason why she pulled through. Time will tell.

Mom Update

2009-05-08T08:03:00.004-05:00

Hi guys, here is the latest on my mom. I have been home since late Tuesday afternoon and am trying to get back int he swing of things. I am really tired. I think all of the nights of getting woken up by the phone and that one all-nighter that I pulled is finally catching up to me.

She had a rough night 2 nights ago. She started hallucinating again. She woke up around 2AM and was convinced there were snakes under her bed. She wanted to sit up in her chair for a while. After some time of her sitting in her chair, she slid herself down in the chair almost to the point of being on the floor. The nursing staff came into the room to lift her back to a sitting position. She freaked. She started kicked them. She started screaming. She threw her water on the one nurse. Security was called and when a very muscular security guard came to the room, she started obeying the nurses and finally settled down. To top that, later on yesterday, she told my uncle (mom's brother, who went to FL to relieve me) that the hospital staff is kidnapping kids, loading them up in a van, taking them to a mountain and disposing of them.

At first, we thought the meds were making her hallucinate. My uncle stayed at the hospital until 9:30 last night so he could talk to the doctor. He asked the doctor if any of the meds could be causing this reaction. The doctor told him absolutely not. It is brain related.

Overall, physically she is doing good. she is weak but that is to be expected with what she has gone through. She has been refusing her breathing treatments (because she is convinced they are poisoned) which causes her to become congested when she lays down. This in turn wakes her up in the middle of the night and then the hallucinations start. Her blood sugar is running consistently high (250 - 350). The doctors reduced one of her meds to see if that could be part of the problem.

She is supposed to be released to rehab today. But it depends on her night last night. I am still waiting to hear how she behaved. Because she is not listed as incompetent, we have no say in the matter of if she goes to rehab or goes home. Personally, I am pushing for rehab. I don't feel like she will be safe at home. Last night when the doctor finally came in the room (at 8:20 PM) he told mom that he is recommending rehab for her. There were 4 family members in the room at that time and each one took turns telling mom that she would be safe there and that she would get her strength back if she went. Finally after 15 minutes of trying to persuade her to go, the doctor asked for her answer. She said that she didn't want to go but if everyone thought it was a good idea, then she guesses that she should. Then she started crying. She wants to go home so bed. I totally understand how she is feeling. If I was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks straight, I would want to go home too.

Please keep praying. Pray that the hallucinations stop. They might even be spiritual related, i don't know. Please pray that she will go to rehab and the transition will be smooth. Pray that my dad has the guts enough to stand up to her and convince her to go. Please pray that her blood sugar will get regulated. Please pray for her short term memory to come back.

Thanks guys, you're great.

Update

2009-04-30T19:56:00.002-05:00

Two nights ago was a horrible night for mom. I got a phone call at 2:30 AM from her asking for us to come and get her. Her story is this: "All I wanted was another blanket." "Those people keep squeezing my arm". Here is what really happened...She became restless and asked for bug spray. She was told that she didn't need any bug spray because there were no bugs in the room. The nurse came in to giver her the meds. Mom took the meds and threw them across the room. She wanted to sit in the chair, she wanted to sit in the bed. She wanted to walk the hall. Finally she fell asleep only to awaken a couple hours later. At his point, she became combative to the point of the nursing staff having to call security to help her calm down. When we got to the hospital later that morning, I could tell she was having a not so good day. She was extremely grumpy.

The reason why she said that the staff was squeezing her arm is because she has edema in her arm (no lie, her arm is as big as my thigh). Because of the edema, blisters formed and popped prematurely. Her arm is oozing and is raw and painful.

Yesterday, mom had to get a heart catheterization to check and see if everything was still intact from her initial triple heart bypass after having to do CPR. During the surgery, they doctors had to put in 2 stents to keep her veins open. After the procedure, she was taken to ICU where she had to lay without moving her legs for 4 hours. At 7:30 last night, the nurses asked me if I could spend the night in ICU with her due to her combative episodes. Needless to say, I am very tired. I only got at the most 1 1/2 hours of sleep. I left the hospital at 7 AM this morning, went to dad's house and slept for 2 more hours. When I woke up today, I spent the entire day cleaning and organizing their house. As I was growing up, I was a pack rat and was very messy. My parents are still that way. Thankfully I married Alan and now am very organized.

Tomorrow she is having a pacemaker and another device used to shock the heart when it stops put in. She is to remain in ICU until that procedure is finished.

No word yet on when she will get discharged. I am still fighting for her to go to a rehab before she comes home. I don't think my dad will be able to handle her by himself is she were to come right home.

Thanks guys for praying. I can tell I am being covered.

FL Life

2009-04-27T18:57:00.003-05:00

You know you are in St. Petersburg, FL (the retirement capital of the world) when you see an older gentleman riding his bike while carrying his potty chair. What I would have given to have my video camera at that moment! At least I had a good laugh!

Here's the latest on mom. She was taken off of oxygen today. That's a great sign. She is still very confused. She was convinced that she lives in my hometown. She didn't believe me when I told her she was in FL. Some of the things she knew yesterday, she had no idea about today. (She had a great day yesterday with very little confusion, etc.) She still doesn't have the best balance when she stands. She will be working with PT for that. Another good thing that happened today was that she had a speech eval and she was taken off of thickened liquids. She isn't too happy that she still has to eat pureed food.

Tomorrow she goes in for a heart catheterization so they can be sure everything is still where it is supposed to be due to her having CPR.

My hopes now that she is starting to get better is that they will discharge her to the rehab facility while I am still down here. That way, I will know her status before coming home.

I have been trying to talk my dad into moving into a retirement facility because he is so far away from family. Those chats are not going well. He understands that I only want them to be somewhere safe and somewhere that they will have medical care at a moments notice, but he doesn't agree with me. He thinks they are fine where they are at. Who knows, maybe they are. Only time will tell.

That's it for now. I'll update again later. Thanks for all of your prayers. I definitely am feeling them.

Update

2009-04-24T22:35:00.002-05:00

I can't sleep so I thought I would post and update. We got a call about an hour ago from the hospital saying that mom was very upset and wanted to go home. She was breathing very heavily and wheezing. She was refusing to take her meds because she thinks they are hurting her. She keeps trying to get out of bed. I talked with her for awhile and tried to calm her down. I have no idea if she really thougth it was me or not. I asked her if I could pray for her and she told me no because it wouldn't do any good. I did it anyway because the Spirit has more authority than the brain. When I was finished, she was still very upset but a tiny bit calmer.

My dad is taking this episode very hard. He wanted to go right over there but I convinced him that if she sees him, it would probably make the situation worse.

What an emotional roller coaster I am on! It's hard being strong all the time. But, that said, I know that His strength is perfect when my strength is gone.

You know, the saddest part of this whole episode is that she won't remember any part of it when she wakes up tomorrow. In that light I am trying not to let this episode bother me too much but it's hard.

Update

2009-04-23T20:22:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone,
I made it safe and sound. My trip was uneventful which I am thankful for.

Upon arriving, I went straight to the hospital to see mom. She got all teary eyed when I walked in the door. She is struggling with confusion and memory loss. When asked what year it is she keeps saying 2006. Something significant must have happened during that year but we can't figure it out. She also thought she was in the town where I grew up. She didn't remember that she was in FL. She keeps trying to get up and leave. When she stands up, she has gait problems but doesn't know that she has trouble walking so she falls. The nursing staff has to restrain her because she was convinced it was time to leave. When we left the hospital tonight at 6, she had a "sitter" (a person employed by the hospital to babysit patients). I felt better about leaving since she was going to be watched.

The nurse went over some of her lab results with me. Her electrolyte were at dangerous levels when this whole thing started. They are thinking that is what caused her heart to stop. Somehow they think she got severely dehydrated.

I met with the cardiologist and was told that her heart is beating normally.

I seems like she does much better in the morning and is much more cognitively with it. As she tires throughout the day, she gets more and more memory loss.

As usual, you guys rock! I'll update more when I get a chance. As for me, I'm going to bed. I am emotionally drained.

Update

2009-04-22T08:04:00.002-05:00

I really don't know what to say except that the prayers of the righteous avail much.

My mom has been taken off of the ventilator and is responding appropriately to questions. She seems to have some short term memory loss. Her kidney function is improving and her blood sugar is almost to normal limits. She is by no means out of the woods yet, but she is significantly improved.

Thanks so much for praying. I know that is why she is still with us. I am looking forward to finding out what Jesus did while she was not coherent.

I leave tomorrow morning for 12 days in FL. Please pray much grace over me. In the past, my mom has not been the nicest person to me. She spoke her mind and didn't care who she hurt in the process. I am expecting the Lord to have changed her heart but I am still a little nervous. Please pray protections ever my mind, emotions, and spirit.

You guys rock!!

Update

2009-04-20T14:47:00.004-05:00

Hey Guys.

The latest on my mom is that she is still on a ventilator. We are waiting for the neuologist to do some testing to see if she has any brain function. We won't know the results of that until at least Thursday/Friday. Her blood sugar is around 300. Normal is 110. This needs to come down. Her organs are not responding to the things the doctors are trying to do to stablize her. Her kidneys are decreasing in function compared to what they were doing on Saturday night. That's not a good thing.

The doctors now think that it was caused by a condition where your heart stops beating and instead it just quivers. They won't know for sure though until they so more tests.

The doctors were saying originally that she was in a coma. Now they are saying she is in shock. The difference being that she has been moving her fingers and opening her eyes. Not on command, but she has been doing that regardless. Some of that might be reflexes rather than brain function. We won't know until we get the results of brain activity tests.

On a good note, her pupils are reacting. Also, the nurse asked her a question and mom answered appropriately. Then earlier today, the neuse asked the same question and mom didn't answer appropriately.

So, it's still up in the air. She is by no means stable and we still have no idea how long she's going to stick around.

Currently my aunt is staying with them. Thankfully, she was visiting from MN when this whole episode happened. She has to leave on Satuday, so I am going down for a while. My dad had Parkinson's and no longer has the cognitive ability to care for himself. He shouldn't be alone. I'm leaving on Wednesday night and fly out early Thusday morning. I'll be there for 12 days unless she dies. Then I'll be back sooner.

The biggest thing that I have been praying for during this situation is that while my mom's brain is out of the picture, I know that her spirit is still alive. I'm asking that Jesus & the Holy Spirit would meet with her and she would have the best, most scared encouter of her life. I would love to see her changed. Even if she dies. I want her to be all that Jesus called her to be. You see, my mom is saved but is VERY religious. Even to the point of being stuck-up (now there's a word that states my age) about it. It often times gets in the way of her seeing who Jesus is. During this time I am longing for her to get a glimps of Jesus. Jesus works in mysterious ways and if this is the only thing that happens out of this situation, then I'm all for it. Please join me in praying for a Jesus encounter.

Here are some prayer needs:
1. I'm a little anxious about what I am going to find when I get there. Pray that I'll have lots of peace. Pray for wisdom for every decision that has to be made.
2. Pray also that I'll have lots of patience when dealing with my dad. Because of the disease he is very slow in everything.
3. Pray for safety while traveling.
4. Pray for Alan while he stays home with the kids. He is a great dad. He'll do fantastic. Pray that there will be NO attitude problems between the siblings. Pray for peaceful rest and sleep for them. Pray that no one will get sick.

I'll keep everyone posted as I get a chance and if anything changes.

Thanks everyone for praying! I love having a huge family!!

Bingaman Happenings

2009-04-19T09:03:00.003-05:00

Has it really been since November since I last posted? Wow, time just flies by!

Here's the latest on the underwear saga...Last week I found out that Joshua doesn't always change his underwear. His words, "Oh, I forgot I was supposed to do that." EWWWWW!!!
I see that my work is cut out for me. I will be watching him like a hawk!

Now onto other news...
For those of you who don't know, Alan recently had a job change. He still works at the church but is now full time worship which means he runs sound and concentrates on recording. No more weird night shift schedules for the Bing house!!!

I have been stuggling with teaching the kids school. Somedays I feel very overwhelmed and take it out on the kids. I don't want to be that way and God doesn't want me to either. So, I have come to the decision that for next school year, I will be sending the 2 oldest kids to public school. Evan has lots of reservations about going but we are praying through his issues. Lydia can't wait and is counting down the days. When we were first throwing this idea around, Joshua said that the only way he'll go to public school is if we buy him an alarm clock. I guess he assumed that we wouldn't wake him up in time to get on the bus so he wanted to take care of that issue by himself. Joshua will remain at home with me for another couple of years.

We are trying really hard to get out of debt. We have some bills still to pay from when we got our yard done. It's really making us think, "Do we need this, Can we live without it?, Can we get this cheaper?" We are doing well with this. We are almost debt free except for our car and house. We are also working on getting an emergency fund supplied. It's a great feeling to be working on this. It's not always fun, but it feels really good to get some of our bills paid off.

We have been traveling with school again. In March we were in Harrisburg, Lehighton, New Cumberland and in April, we went from Pittsburgh to Philly in 3 days. That was crazy but fun. The kids had a blast swimming in all of the indoor pools.

Last night I got a phone call from my dad saying my mom is in the hopsital and is not doing well. 3 weeks ago, she had triple heart bypass surgery. They had some complications attaching the new veins because she is a diabetic and has been since she was a little girl. The doctors were finding that her veins were very brittle. Overall, the surgery went well but she wasn't healing as well as she should have been. Last week I called one day to check on her and she was out of it. She didn't even know who I was. That was a weird feeling. I called her yesterday and she said she was doing better. She was just tired. Then last night I was getting out of the car after coming home form church and get the call from my dad. It turns out that she had a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot) which stopped the blood flow to her heart and brain and lungs. (typically, these types of things tuen out fatal.) My dad called 911 and the paramedics got there withing 2 minutes and did CPR and revived her. She is currently on a ventilator and is not expected to last very long. She is having tests today to see if she has any brain function. So, if you think of us, please pray for peace for my dad, myself, and my brother and sister. I could really use some wisdom to know what to do and when to do it. It's hard being so far away. (They live in FL.) I asked my dad if he wanted us to come down and he told me to give it a couple days to see her status. Honestly, I don't know how I am feeling. I am still trying to process. Those of you who know the history between my mom and myself have an idea about what I am feeling. Those of you who don't, ask me sometime and I'll share. I was okay last night while talking to my dad until we were ready to hang up and I heard him crying. Then I started. I'll try to update as I hear anything new.

Underwear Update

2008-11-23T20:06:00.003-05:00

Here are the results of my week long survey.

The only thing I did to monitor this week was ask them if they changed their underwear.

I just got done folding this week's laundry and found

Bible Bat Boy: 6 pairs
Shadow: 5 pairs

It still seems to me that they should at least have 7 each in the laundry. Hmm, maybe they aren't changing their underwear everyday. At least they weren't wearing each others underwear this time.

And so, the investigation continues.

Underwear

2008-11-18T07:41:00.005-05:00

On Sunday while my DSH was at church I folded all of the laundry. Here's the stats...

I folded 9 pairs of Shadow's underwear.
I folded 1 pair of Biblebatboy's underwear.

So, does that mean that Shadow changes his several times each day? Does Biblebatboy not change his at all? Or Does it mean that Biblebatboy is wearing Shadow's underwear? I am hoping for that explanation.

So, in case you are wondering what I am up to this week, I am researching the boy's underwear usage.

Breakfast Choices

2008-11-04T08:40:00.002-05:00

This morning my kids had the choice of Raisin Bran or Apple Jacks for breakfast.

They all chose Raisin Bran. No coercion from me either. I guess all of the months of feeding them my homemade yogurt with wheat germ sprinkles are paying off.

What did you feed your kids this morning?

Travel and School

2008-10-23T12:36:00.000-05:00

Part of the reason for not blogging for eons is because my family has been traveling all over the State. This past summer, I was asked to be part of a panel to help encourage parents on their cyber school journey. Because they offered to pay me for my time, I wholeheartedly agreed to do it.

My job was to go to the locations and answer any questions that parents had and if I didn't get any questions, then I was to tell them about my own cyber school experience. It was rather fun to do. I am gifted in encouraging others and this opportunity was great for me to use my gifting.

First I traveled to Harrisburg. Then Lancaster. Then Allentown. Then Wilkes-Barre. Then Pittsburgh. Then Grove City. Then Philadelphia. And finally State College. All within a month. All while trying to get school done.

Looking back on it, it was a very busy time for me but I wouldn't have changed it a bit. I got to stay in hotels. My family came along. The kids were watched by teachers. Life was good. The sessions them selves were very relaxing for me. The preparations for traveling were not. I had to make sure we were ahead with school because of losing a day of school while traveling. Never fear though, we are all caught up now.

If you are ever in any of those areas, I can let you know which hotels to go to and which hotels to run from. There was one in particular that we prayed a cleansing through our room and protection over us. It wasn't pretty. I was afraid to go to sleep. I didn't want to lay in the bed. I didn't want to cover myself. I did eventually fall asleep and woke up still in one piece.

That about sums up my first month of school. Hopefully no you understand more of why I haven't been blogging.

I Am Still Here

2008-10-22T18:27:00.004-05:00

Yes, I am still here. I would love to blog more than I do but just can't seem to justify all of the time it takes me to write a post. I am not the fastest or best writer int he world and a post takes me just about forever (at least it seems so to me) to write.

I am sitting in church in the sanctuary writing this post. This is the first Wednesday that I have had to myself in eons. I am usually teaching is some way shape or form but tonight I had off. Yes, I actually had a night off! I guess could have gone to a class, but I haven't been to one all year. Why start now? It has been really nice to be able to get caught up on reading blogs. I am thoroughly enjoying the quiet.

Life has calmed down a great deal over the past few weeks. I'll tell you a little bit about what has been going on in a later post.

Stay tuned for more. I promiseI won't leave you hanging for long. Well, maybe just a month or two...

Old and New

2008-08-23T06:51:00.010-05:00

Our journey all started in February. We received a letter from a government agency citing us on our yard. The letter stated that because our yard was so bad, that we were being blamed for mud which was going into the storm drains in the street. Yes, the letter was right. We were to blame. The letter also stated that if the yard wasn't fixed we would be getting fined. Well, we didn't want to get fined so we researched options.

We called 12 landscapers. 5 called back. 2 of the 5 said we live too far away for them to help us. We interviewed the 3 remaining. Our final choice was DW Shearer. We felt really comfortable talking to him. We told him what we wanted and he went above and beyond our expectations. They did a great job. Here are pics to prove it.

Before:The deck was so small we could only fit our grill on it (and some miscillaneous toys).

Outline of where the trampoline will be placed.

Bad, just bad.

This area is what started the whole process.

A very nice picture of my rock pile. Those are just some of the rocks that I picked out of my yard. I didn't know what to do with them so before thinking about getting the yard landscaped, I would load them up in boxes and buckets and the kids would throw them in the creek. I used it as a science lesson, which rocks make the biggest splash? But that fun ended when DW Shearer took away my rocks.

During:

After:

We are so pleased with the final product. We use the patio all of the time. My DSH and I will sit out here after the kids are in bed and talk. We have added lights and speakers to the mix. It really is a romantic setting when we sit out there.

Israel: Day 8, January 12, 2008 Saturday

2008-08-22T15:24:00.008-05:00

Saturday...

Our ride to the airport showed up at 7am and we loaded up for the ride to Tel Aviv. This time because of Shabbat, the roads were near empty. We got to the perimeter of the airport and were stopped at a checkpoint where soldiers with their rifles looked into the van, went through our passports and asked each of us questions.

We got into the airport and got in line to get checked in. I was pulled aside for questioning. Talk about being nervous. They asked me what I was doing, where I was going, who I talked to, where I went, etc. Tom Spinks also got questioned. Our answers must have matched because we didn't have any trouble after that. It seemed it was harder to get out of Israel then coming in.

We had lunch / breakfast in the airport center and then boarded our plane for the long ride home. This time, our flight went out over Europe and almost up to Iceland and Greenland. 12 hours later we were coming back into Newark. Customs was very easy to get through, our ride met us as we came out of the baggage area, and we were soon on our way back to the church and home.

It was an incredible trip and adventure. I believe more was accomplished than we knew about or could see – maybe someday we will know what happened in the heavenlies from the worship times. It was quite an honor to minister to the Lord in a place that is very special to Him. We came a long way to do that and I think He was blessed and honored by that. Amazingly, we got to look out at Mount Zion and the city of Jerusalem while we worshiped. We got to walk in some places where Jesus and the disciples walked and encountered the physical evidence that lines up with the scriptures. Joining with other believers, we prayed and interceded for the Jewish people, the peace of Jerusalem, for the Lord to come, for all the nations of the earth, for President Bush, and for our families and friends back home. We were so fortunate to have Gingi guide us around and to find a good friend in a faraway place. At the Shabbat dinner, we were made aware of ancient traditions and made other new friends and had some really good bread! Quite a life changing trip, it was. Sometime in the future, I plan to go back.

The Tele Viv Airport on a sabbath. Empty!

Ocean.

Frosty windows.

Beautiful view.

The Son was shining on us!

What did you say the temp was? -67*F????????????

Our flight plan.

And again.

We still had over 7 HOURS TO GO !!!!

I was so bored, I was taking pictures of anything.

Clouds and ocean.

Notice the frost on the windows? It sure was cold up there.

Beautiful reflection of the sun. May we always reflect the SON.

I was so bored. I started experimenting with my camera. I really don't think this picture came out too bad considering I took it myself.

Above the Clouds.

Isn't Jesus awesome? He created a beautiful world.

Clouds and Egypt.

More clouds and more Egypt.

Beautiful sky.

Approaching land. Notice the different colors of land?

Inside of the plane from my seat.

Coming into Newark.

Almost home. I couldn't wait to stand up!

Israel: Day 7, January 11, 2008 Friday

2008-08-22T14:02:00.006-05:00

Friday! We gave our house and the van a pretty good cleaning and pretty much got everything packed and ready to go. Our session for today was from 3 to 6 so we had some time to go to the Old City once again. We headed back to the Garden Tomb area for some of us to do some last minute shopping. I purchased 30 Jerusalem bags, 30 communion cups made out of olive wood and 3 nativity sets. Again I was the designated bargainer.

After our shopping, we went to a little café called Moti’s to eat. I had half of a Halumi Sandwich and half of a Mozzarella sandwich (see below for more details). We went outside in the courtyard and found a nice spot to take a picture and it was time to thread our way out of the passages, narrow streets and tunnels to the Zion Gate and back to our van. Someone in our group asked if Jerusalem felt a bit like it was home. I thought that the area around the Wall definitely did feel like a kindred place, to which they replied, this would be the site of the New Jerusalem – and that is our home!

Worship was packed full today. When we arrived at the prayer room, the scene to the southeast was beautiful. The sun lit up hills that were way past the security wall. It was a private time just for us, as the room was closed to the general public. It was just us and the Lord. We all gave it what we had as it was our last worship watch, this time. This session was the best one that we had while in Israel.

We had an awesome time of worship We started by singing of the Majesty of the Lord. Megan was leading on the piano and got up to go to the bathroom. She got to a certain spot in the room and stopped because she heard a song about the blood of Jesus. Leah saw a portal from heaven at that spot. I think I saw it too. To me it looked like a funnel of swirling clouds. It reminded me of a tornado. Megan went to the bathroom, came back and knelt in that spot. Then Jesus took her up to Heaven where she saw what looked like New Jerusalem. All I can say about that is WOW! I was able to feel the electricity of the portal. I felt where it started and stopped. What an experience.

While Megan was in the portal, the rest of us had a sweet time where we experienced the playful side of the Lord. There was a time of chord progressions and I kept hearing Na Na Na Na Na Na. I went to the microphone and sang it. That started a time of playing with the Lord. Leah was singing BFF (best friends forever). Tim was singing, "I've got a secret, Do you want to hear it?" Then we sang the Lord the secrets that He told us, i.e, we are His favorite. Leah got a picture of a note form 8th grade. The Lord asked her: Will you go with me? There was a box to check yes or no. The Lord whispered to her, "I checked yes!"

It was such a sweet time. I never experienced that side of the Lord before. I pray each of you will experience at some point the playful side of the Lord.

To add to our already incredible afternoon, Leah kept hearing the word Moriah. She didn't know what it meant so I looked it up in the Strong's and found out that it meant the temple mount (Mt. Zion). We started singing Moriah. I read Psalms 125. We were doing major warfare for the country of Israel.

Then Dan started playing a warfare beat on the drums. As soon as the piano stopped playing and it was just the drums, I fell to my knees and started weeping. Then the Lord showed me a picture of an army climbing up the mountain of Jerusalem. I wasn't sure what to do with that picture and then later on that night, Leah shared with me a picture that she had. It was the rest of the picture that I got. She saw a lion at the top of the mountain. There was an army standing perfectly still waiting for the lion to command the army. She saw this picture at the end of the drum segment when everyone was just being still.

Also throughout that whole time Shawntel couldn't stand because of the heavy presence of the Lord. At one point she just started screaming like she was giving birth.

I felt angelic presences in the room. I felt it all around the room, It felt like swirling clouds of electricity. Even to this day, I can feel angelic stuff going on. My prayer now is that I would begin to see what I feel.

After the set and we all got our bearings back, we heading to a Shabbot dinner. They had a beautiful view from their porch of the Old City. We met such interesting people at the dinner. Nissi, Nimrod, Mary, Greg, Connie…were some I remember most. Both Nissi and Nimrod told us a little bit about their families and their history coming to Israel. Mary was a dress maker and could bake a mean cake! The dinner started with a prayer and a cup of wine that was passed around. Then there was challah bread…it was soooo good. It was a bit like a chunk of soft pretzel and you even dipped it in salt. The dinner itself was a self-serve Mexican taco salad. It was great to meet folks and hear their stories throughout the dinner. We got ourselves together then and headed back to the house. We finished our packing up and went to sleep for the last night in Jerusalem.

Walking to do some last minute shopping. Yes, I am the dork wearing the American Idol backpack.

The Zion Gate. Notice how small the entrance is! As soon as you go into the entrance, there is a 90* right turn. Lots of cars had scraped bumpers.

Inside the Zion Gate.

The Zion Gate again.

Approaching Zion Gate.

Moti's

Karen (our kindred-spirit housemate) and Mike enjoying their food.

Halumi Sandwich. I know it looks really disgusting but it was amazing. It had fried Halumi cheese, pesto sauce, lettuce, cream cheese and cucumbers. I took picture of it so that my DSH could make one for me. A few weeks after we got back, I tried to find Halumi cheese. The only place I could find it was a Wegman's. It was $10.99 for a 4 oz package. (I was hoping that the 10.99 was in sheckels, but it wasn't.) Needless to say, I am still waiting to taste this sandwich again.

Mozzarella sandwich. Really good, but not as good as the Halumi. I again took a picture so my DSH could make me one.

The menu, so I would remember what was in each sandwich.

Group shot outside of Moti's.

The following are pics of the worship room during our session.

Israel: Day 6, January 10, 2008 Thursday

2008-08-14T15:28:00.029-05:00

Thursday, we had our first session from 12 noon – 2pm. We hung out quite a bit in Song of Songs – Beloved.

After our watch, Gingi met us again and took us to an overlook at Caiaphas’s house and then down a lot of steps to a restored courtyard, part of a beautiful Roman Catholic church, where Peter denied Jesus. The inside of the church was beautiful, with mosaics filling every wall and the ceiling. There was a beautiful stained glass cross on the dome of the ceiling. This church was built on the remains, actually straddled the remains of a 1^st century church and then remains of a prison chiseled out of stone under that. Part of that was where they said Jesus was imprisoned overnight, in a pit or cistern. There was the hole in the ceiling where they might have let Jesus down through. We were able to go down into the pit and stand underneath the hole.

We went down, right below the church, into an area where old stone buildings had been excavated. There was a first century staircase that led up from the mountainside below, into the courtyard. These are the steps Jesus would have been led up, as they took him to Caiaphas’s house (the high priest) where he was falsely tried by the Sanhedrin in the early morning hours. He was then kept in the pit until morning when he was taken to Pilate. Way across the Kidron Valley, we could see the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane where Jesus was arrested. Turning a bit to the left, you could see Temple Mount in fairly close proximity. Walking back up the Roman steps was an incredible experience. This was one of the two places that I started to weep. The love that Jesus has for me just washed over me. To think that Jesus gave his life for me! I wanted to dwell on those steps for awhile, touching them with my hands and sitting down to take it all in.

Next, we walked up to the Zion Gate and into the Old City. There were cars trying to come in and out of the narrow gate and it had a turn in the center of it. All the cars had the corners of their bumpers scraped. We walked through some shops and then down to the Kotel…The Wall. We had the incredible privilege to pray at the West Wall (Wailing Wall) of Temple Mount. The guys went to one area to pray and the girls to another. The guys had to put on a cardboard yamika. As I came up to the wall, I could see all the bits of paper that were stuffed into every crack in the wall. These contained prayers. This was the only ofther pace during the trip that I started to weep. The compassion that Jesus has for His people really hit me while I was standing at the wall. I started praying for the Jewish people like I never had before. It was a very pleasant and very special moment.

At the Wall was the first place we saw a lot of weapons and guards. They were having an army ceremony there for new recruits. There were guards on some of the ledges and wall surrounding the plaza and at least one plainclothes agent we saw on the plaza level. We had to go through a security checkpoint where they checked our bags and had us go through a metal detector. On the way down the steps to the plaza there was a large, gold, menorah. I didn’t know it but this is one of the menorahs meant for the rebuilding of the Temple. It was in a glass case by the steps leading down to the Wall, stood about 7 foot high and was made of gold. It had been a bit further away from the wall in a place with a porch roof over it but the Jews moved it to be closer to the Temple Mount.

Next we went through the Cardo area to do a little shopping. The narrow passageways were sometimes completely an enclosed tunnel. Other times they were open a bit on the top, to the sky. At the end of the Cardo was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher but we didn’t go in. It was definitely getting to be time to leave the Old City. The shops of the Cardo had their entrances all closed up and covered. It looked more like a tunnel now.

We had a second worship watch to do that evening from 8pm to 10pm. There was a lot of dancing in the worship time by the people who came. There were many cultures represented there and the many styles of dance were just woven together and accepted. I don’t think there was a single session that I didn’t turn around and look out over Mount Zion and the Old City in amazement and disbelief that I was actually looking at Jerusalem.

We did a bit of pre-packing when we got back to the house as we wouldn’t have much time to pack on Friday night.

The following are pictures with the view from Caiaphas's house. It was so pretty.

The outside of the church.

The inside of the church. The pictures are all made from tiny mosaic tiles. We had to walk through this part to get to the caves below.

This church was built on the old ruins of Caiaphas house.

From the top looking down into the cave.

From the cave, looking up.

Part of the cave system.

Our group in prison.

I read the Psalm from the notebook. This was Jesus' prison cell.

More ruins of Caiaphas house.

A close up.

The steps that Jesus would have walked up on his way to Caiaphas house.

More. The steps were really uneven and hard to walk up. Imagine having to walk up these steps while being escorted by soldiers. I was tired. I can only imagine how Jesus must have felt.

The view from the bottom of the steps.

The view from the bottom of the steps. You can see the Garden of Gethsemane at the right corner of the City wall. Jesus had to walk from there to Caiaphas house.

The Courtyard of Ciaphas's house.

The place where Peter is said to deny Jesus 3 times.

On our way to the Zion Gate.

The Zion Gate. It was under construction.

We just walked through Zion gate. This is the inside of the wall.

The view from the huge golden menorah.

View while walking to the Western (Wailing) wall. The wall is located on the left side of the white bridge looking thing in the center of the picture. Notice the golden dome where the temple will be?

Walking into the guys side.

The guys had to wear a yamika.

A close up of the wall. People would write prayer requests on small pieces of paper and then stuff them into the cracks of the wall.

More.

The girls side. We had to walk out backward. I was afraid I would walk into someone.

The guys side. They got to walk out forward.

An Israeli soldier. They were having a graduation ceremony for the current class of soldiers.

The Cardo was section of the old city filled with underground tunnels and shops. Just like the old city, the shops were divided into sections. We went to the Christian section. We had lots of fun bargaining.

The Cardo.

The Cardo. At sunset (Around 5 PM) all the shops close. I felt like I was walking through a tunnel of garages.

Thursday evening worship set.

More.

And More.

Israel: Day 5, January 9, 2008

2008-05-29T08:08:00.001-05:00

Wednesday began at 5AM (10 PM your time). Wednesday was a huge day for us. We started our first watch a 6am. Some of our team was having trouble sleeping with the time change and was not feeling well. We went for the first worship set missing a couple folks. We were worried about them as the cold in the house and the lack of sleep was not a good combination. During our first watch, there was much prayer and intercession for President Bush’s time in Jerusalem. This was to be a day of negotiations in the political arena. It was a God ordained time for us to be there at the first watch of the day. We got the chance to set the atmosphere for the negotiations that were taking place. I really felt like this was one of the reasons that we were supposed to be in Jerusalem. A person from Alaska led prayers interspersed between the expressions of worship towards the Lord from the team. During this early morning worship time, we watched as the sun rose on Jerusalem. Before the sun was up, I saw the towers on Mount Zion glow from the light. After the rain of the previous day, the sun was a very welcome sight! After our worship watch, we came back to the house, tried to find the warmest places and some of us took naps or read a bit to recharge for the 12 noon watch we were scheduled for.

The afternoon’s session started with Freedom Reigns. There was a focus on freedom for the nations. We sang for the release of people. Isaiah 61 was our focus scripture for the worship time. As we sang about the year of Jubilee (The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord) there seem to be freedom and a release in the spirit realm – the people coming to Mount Zion were from all nations and peoples. Seat Mate 2 had a vision where there were a dazzling array of dress and cultures all coming to Mount Zion to worship Jesus.

President Bush was much on our hearts during Wednesday. We asked the Lord to guide him, especially during the meetings, and protect him.

After our watch, we immediately met up with a friend of Tim’s from last year, Gingi (Hadar), who agreed to guide us around to some of the sights of Jerusalem. Gingi really grew on all of us and we really appreciated getting to know him. Since he grew up in Jerusalem’s area, he is really knowledgeable about so much there plus he was known by the many people who greeted him during our time with him. Even in areas where we were a bit uncomfortable, we were welcome once they knew we were with him. Gingi was also a very gentle, friendly person and lover of Jesus. We had a very full afternoon as Gingi took us to an amazing array of sights, tastes, vistas, and shared details of both ancient and recent history along with some stories and explanations of the local Mid-East cultures. We started at Gordon’s Garden Tomb and then viewed Gordon’s Golgotha, now a site of a bus depot. We had our first ‘negotiating’ experience as we met a vendor selling olive wood carvings (camels, nativity scenes and figures) on our way out of the Garden Tomb site.

We had lunch at the Shualeh Restaurant, on Salah Eddin St, Jerusalem. This was just a couple blocks outside the north eastern walls of the Old City. To get there, we walked past the Damascus gate. The old Damascus gate, that Jesus and Paul would have known, is down about 20 foot below the newer gate built in the 1600’s. Gingi showed us the difference in the size of the stone blocks. They were much larger at the bottom. Those are the original stones. Paul would’ve come out from Jerusalem through the Damascus gate on his way to his Damascus Road experience. The restaurant was in a very Muslim section, although there was a great mix of cultures there. One of the buildings at the corner was built by the Kaiser, before WWI. There was a girl’s school, completely hemmed in by walls, along this street. To reach the restaurant, we walked a couple blocks up through crowded streets, keeping the girls to the inside as much as possible. At the restaurant, they had slabs of beef being cooked on a vertical pole and they sliced it and grilled it with other vegetables before putting the mixture into pita breads. The beef was so tender. They brought out Pepsi’s and things to dip the pitas in. They also brought out pickles that looked homemade and were spicy and sweet – very good. A couple doors down, we stopped for baklava and something else that I can’t pronounce or spell – but it was incredibly good (I would like some right now please!). They had goat cheese baked in honey, sugar and spices, with a sweet sauce poured over the top. That was the best thing! On the way back to the van, we saw a diagonal layer of rock that the walls were built on. This was the area of Solomon’s quarries. Gingi said this tunnel went all the way to Jericho, at one time.

A short van drive, we went to an overlook on top of the Mount of Olives. It was an incredible vista to see. All of Jerusalem was below us and the mountains and valleys that surrounded Jerusalem were plain to see. Gingi told us about the Hill of Evil Counsel. This is where the British Mandate Government buildings were and now it is the UN compound. Originally, Solomon’s wives who were not Jewish and their priests – they were from many countries, were placed in a compound and so it became known since the times of Solomon as the Hill of Evil Counsel. He also explained all the clusters of houses in the area south of the Old City were built upon the ruins of the City of David. We also viewed Absolom’s Cave and overlooked the huge cemetery on the Mount of Olives. We drove on and Gingi had us turn down a small, zigzagging, narrow road with walls and doorways on each side. Part way down, we stopped and were given entrance into Gethsemane by a robed priest.

The garden of Gethsemane was an amazing place, with huge trunked olive trees with stone lined paths through them. The Church of the Nations is to the side of the old olive trees – supposedly the trees were there at the time of Jesus. Upon leaving Gethsemane, Gingi showed us the view of the Golden Gate from where the van was parked. Jewish tradition has the Messiah coming down on the Mount of Olives and entering Jerusalem through the Golden Gate. In the 1500-1600’s, the Muslims sealed the gate shut with stone so the Messiah couldn’t come into Jerusalem. They also put a Muslim cemetery right outside the gate and walls to prevent entry by the Messiah.

Next, we drove around the south-east and south walls, through an area where they are excavating ruins from David’s original city. We were right up against the walls of Temple Mount (Mount Moriah – the threshing floor that David purchased to build the Lord’s Temple on) - in the area where Solomon’s stables were located long ago. The David Baroni song, Mount Moriah was running through my head). The Kidron Valley we crossed contains the original water source for the City of David and so Jerusalem.

On our way to see the Upper Room and the door to the Spirit room, we walked by the tomb of King David and through narrow and sometimes dimly lit corridors. After seeing the large Upper Room, Gingi took us up to the roof to show us where the Jews came to pray, before the 1967 War where they retook Jerusalem from Jordanian Arab hands. Before 1967, when he was just a boy, this was the closest Jewish people could get to their Temple Mount, their most sacred place.

We dropped Gingi off on our way home and then stopped at the grocery store (see Day 2). The store was at the far end of an enclosed parking lot that had enough room to park and for one lane. If you couldn’t turn out of the parking spot, you had to back out. Again, there was a security guard at the door in body armor to check bags. We spent a considerable time in the grocery store looking at all the parcels. There were few packages that we could read what the contents were. Some cereal for instance, you just had to guess what was inside. I found some coffee for DSH and some chocolate for the kids. We all had a nice adventure in a foreign grocery store! Quite an ending for such a big day!

Sunrise View from Succatt Hallel. God's timing!

Sunrise View from Succatt Hallel. God's timing!

This is the parking lot that we tried to get into. the attendants wouldn't let us in until they saw Gingi was with us.

Walking towards the Garden Tomb. Do you recognize anyone in the picture?

Gingi. He was such a sweet guy! He always had a smile on his face!

Garden Tomb sign.

Walking towards the garden tomb entrance. This is where we encountered our first vendor negotiations. BTW, I was considered the team negotiator.

Entance to the Garden Tomb tour.

Part of the tour.

Crucifixion sign

This place is called Gordons' Calvary. It is where people would get stoned. The people getting stoned would be thrown off of the top of the cliff. If they didn't die by the fall alone, there were people placed among the small caves in the cliff. Their job was to throw boulders to finish the job.

The parking lot is where the crucifixion was to have happened. In the words of the tour guide, "Can't say that it was, can't say that it wasn't." The Arabs own this lot and whenever they see a tour group, they start the buses and blow their horns so the tour group can't hear the tour guide.

Self explanitory.

The entrance to the tomb.

The tomb where Jesus was buried.

The tomb and entrance. Notice the blocks on the right side of the door? Those aren't original. There was an earthquake and part of the wall fell down so it was rebuilt.

Wine press. Doesn't that look like fun?

Lunch. I could eat another one of those!

On the way to lunch.

Dessert. Goat cheese with a melted honey & sugar mixture and then sprinkled with pistachios. It was so good. We also had baklava. It is one of the most popular desserts in Jerusalem.
Damascus gate. Upper, used today.

Upper and lower. We saw lots of rats at the lower one, tried to get a picture, but I was too far away.

Upper.

Lower, the one Jesus walked through while carrying his cross. This is the gate that Paul walked through when he had the Damascus road experience.

Another view.

Can you imagine building this without the help of heavy machinery? Notice the size of those blocks. They must weigh thousands of pounds. Also, can you imagine carving the curves into those stones? It just blows my mind.

Close up of the stones.

As the sign says, Soloman's Quarries.

This tunnel at one time went from Jerusalem to Jericho and was used as and escape route.

The wall.

Another view.

View from the Mt of Olives.

Jewish graveyard on the Mt of Olives. Notice the caskets are made of stone and are above the ground. We were told that they are all facing the same direction with their feet pointing towards Jerusalem so that when Jesus comes back, all they have to do is stand up and fly away (no turning of their bodies needed).

Another view from the Mt of Olives.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

A tower at the Mt of Olives.

Ok Folks, Please bear with the next couple of pictures. It was dark while we were here and also my camera was running out of batteries. Sorry they aren't better!

Garden of Gethsemane.

Stone paths running around the olive trees.

A stone carving. Notice Jesus draped over a rock while praying?

Olive tree.

Again. They were HUGE.

Again.

At Gethsemane looking toward the Golden Gate.

Ruins of City of David SW City Wall Corner. Very hard to see in the picture, but amazing in real life.

Supposedly King David's Tomb.

Upper Room.

Door to the Spirit Room where the actual last supper took place. It is only open a few times each year, so we couldn't get in to see it.

It was beautiful.

More.

The chocolate hippos I brought home for the kids.

That's all for today. Stay tuned...More to come!

Israel: Day 4, January 8, 2008

2008-03-23T08:02:00.012-05:00

Tuesday began with us sleeping in again. Then breakfast and group devotions. Our first watch was 12-2PM. Seat mate 1 led this one. I spent some time soaking (not sleeping this time) and bible reading. I also spent some time worshiping through prophetic songs. We felt drawn to sing and prophecy over the old Jerusalem city and Mount Zion. Also during this watch, seat mate 2 got out his cedar flute and began playing. We felt a call to pray for Native Americans. The overall theme of this set was a deep longing for the presence of the Lord for all people. A lot of what we sang came from Song of Solomon.

After this set was over we again ate sandwiches in the little break room section of the worship room. I had turkey and cheese.

The next set was 3-5PM. During this set, we sung using our prayer languages. I believe we gravitated towards our natural spiritual tongue as we went deeper into worship, the prophetic, and prayer intercession. The scriptures the Lord has us concentrate on were from Ezekiel 33, 34, 35.

Tuesday night was our night to eat out on the town. We got directions for a place called The Focaccia Bar. We parked by a construction site where they were rebuilding a large hotel. There was a huge crane lifting large funnel shaped containers right over the parked van and our heads, and delivering it many floors up. We filled up the parking meter with shekels and walked to the restaurant with the construction going on overhead! At the entrance of the restaurant, our bags were searched and the security guard had a hand held metal detector. He was dressed in what looked like a snowmobiling suit – that was really body armor. The restaurant was situated on the porch of a house, with the house serving as the kitchen/prep area and a coffee bar. The tables were situated among live trees and tall propane space heaters. Boy, did the heat feel so good!

We ordered pizza sized focaccia bread as appetizers. One looked brushed in olive oil and had some olives, dried tomato, and another kind of dipping sauce. The second bread came with goat cheese and sweet red peppers. That was really good. We each got something a little different for dinner – pastas, lasagnas, and fish. I ordered sweet potato ravioli. L ordered potato gnochi. We both couldn't decide what we wanted so we ordered them to share. The sweet potato ravioli was definitely different. It was made with sweet potato dough and was filled with cheese. It was in a creamy tomato sauce (it seemed like they mixed alfredo and tomato sauces together). The gnochi was an experience I will never forget. I am used to the gnochi that we have here, in the states. I was in for a big surprise. I put one in my mouth started chewing and almost threw up. No lie. It was a texture thing for me. They weren't pastay and chewy like they are here. They were little balls of mashed potatoes that dissolved in our mouth. One bite was enough for me.

After the gnochi experience, I was ready for dessert. We ordered 4 and split them all. I had some sort of coconut and chocolate mousse thing dipped in chocolate. It made up for the gnochi.

After we got back to the house, I called home through Skype. It was great hearing my DSH and the kids. M had a web cam for the computer we were using and the kids thought it was really funny seeing me in my pj's. They thought it was even funnier when I asked them if they were ready for bed. They told me definitely not because it was only 2PM. The time change was really hard to get used to for me.

All too soon it was time for bed. We were getting up at 5 AM (10PM states time) for our first watch on Wednesday.

The toilet in our house. Notice the 2 flushing buttons? Hmmm, Why have 2. Doesn't one do the job? Any guesses?

Menu from the fococcia bar. (Prices in shekels, not US dollars. To get the amount divide by 4)

One of the fococcias we ordered.

My dessert (that made up for the gnochi).

The toilet in the restaurant. Another version of the 2 flusher buttons. Yes, I did indeed have a toilet fetish.

The sink in the bathroom. It was a solid peice of stone where the sinks were chiseled out of the stone.

Me at the fococcia bar. Yes I do have a tiki torch growing out of my head. Now do you believe me that it was cold? I wish I would have had my scarf!

Stay tuned...More to come!

Israel: Day 3, January 7, 2008

2008-03-22T19:40:00.024-05:00

I really am still here. Just a little busy. Back to Jerusalem...

This post is just a wee bit long. Be prepared. Grab some tea and enjoy.

On Monday, some of us slept in a bit. I was not one of those, I am usually an early riser. That and the fact that the sun rose on our side on the house and our room had no curtains. We all took our time getting ready, then had breakfast and group devotions.

Our first worship set was from 2 to 3pm. Before this set, we went into downtown Jerusalem to find a falafel to eat in the same area we exchanged our money, the day before. We parked in the bottom level of a below street parking garage and walked through a market-like street that had shops and restaurants. After walking for what seemed like forever, we stopped at a street-side place and got our falafel's and Shwarma's. Falafel's: pita filled with hummus, falafel (deep fried chick pea balls), cucumber and tomato salad, lettuce, cabbage, onions, pickles and french fries. I wasn't going to get the fries on mine but I was really intrigued. It was actually good. I lived for the pickles. I am a pickle kind of girl. Shwarma's: same as a falafel but with chicken instead. They had a 3 foot high stack of chicken breasts on a pole cooking and they shaved off some and grilled it a bit with other (some unidentifiable) ingredients.

Traffic: to borrow the phrase, OH MY WORD! People park where ever they want. On the street, on the sidewalk. The streets were narrow with LOTS of cars and trucks and tour buses. At traffic lights, it goes green, yellow, red like here except that before it turns green, it turns yellow again. As soon as it turns yellow (before green) people lay on their horns. People over there use horns for everything. Talk about an impatient society. I have such a greater respect for our van driver, D. He was able to get us places in one piece. And he was able to park in spots where I wouldn't even have tried. There were lots of times driving that I would just be praying for our safety.

When we got to the worship room, we saw a herd of sheep and their shepherd on the side of Mount Zion, facing us. In our 2-3 PM set, we prayed to Jesus to bring His peace to the nations – and starting from His throne, running down the mountain, flowing over the walls. Seat mate 2 asked for us to be the leaves of healing for the nations, bringing both healing and peace through the worship.

After that watch, we headed back to our house to rest and eat dinner. S and I made Lasagna, salad, and rolls. The men did the cleaning up and dishes.

Our second watch started at 8 PM. This was the corporate worship/teaching time for all of the staff to come together. We worshiped a bit in the beginning, then Tom taught on new wineskins and shared a little about what the Lord has been doing in our worship team in the US – specifically with stepping into new places in worship and singing heaven's songs and heavenly sounds. Then, at the end, L felt the Lord leading us to pray for their physical senses to be opened in greater dimensions; Tom had her lead them in prayer, and we asked for the Lord to open up our eyes, ears, etc... There was great hunger.

Then we did a “fire tunnel” as seat mate 1 sang and played over us at the piano, and had them come through as we prayed over each one. I was really skeptical about this. I hardly ever have gone through a tunnel. Usually I was on stage doing worship. I always wondered if people just said the same thing over and over or if they really did get so many different words. Well, I was soon to find out... The Lord was so faithful to give prophetic words over and over again for each one that came through. I was the first one in line and was standing across from seat mate 2. As soon as the person would enter the tunnel, I would immediately have a word fro them. It happened again and again. Over and over. And, to top it off, (I think God was showing me something) Tom and L were praying at the other end of the line. When the people would get to them, they would have pretty much the same exact word that I gave to that person. Now I have my answer. No need for skepticism anymore!

Our team flowed in the prophetic beautifully and the Lord's sweet presence was overwhelming. Bottom line is, they were touched, refreshed, strengthened, and a greater freedom came as the Lord touched them. Our watch was coming to an end, and a Korean team was supposed to take the next watch, but we were still flowing strongly ministering prophetically, so they all got in line and we had a powerful time ministering to the Korean team (through an interpreter). Beautiful people and an intense hunger for more of the Lord – it is like they suck it out of you they're so hungry. While we ministered to the Korean team, D, Seat mate 2, and M jumped on drums, acoustic, and bass and we “took off” in this fun, jammin' music - this dance party started and this freedom came and everyone there started dancing, and jumping, and twirling, and unique, funny dances that us Americans have never seen before (ask me to show you some of them! You'll get a kick out of it!) – so many expressions of worship and joy of the Lord. We laughed and laughed and laughed as we all joined them in having fun with Jesus dancing and playing. Our time went over so much that we didn't stop until 11:30 (we were supposed to end our watch at 10).

It was really hard to leave the worship room. I wanted to stay and worship but my bed was calling me. We got back to the room and found out that the owners had gotten portable oil heaters for us. So we all plugged them in and next thing we knew we blew a fuse. Dark inside. Dark outside. No lights. WHERE IS THE FUSEBOX? DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE THE FUSEBOX IS? Nope, not in that closet. Not behind the fridge. Not in the storage room. Not even in the bathroom! One of the interns who was living at the house knew where to find it. We had to leave the apartment, go to another part of the house, open the door using a butter knife because we had no key, and then try to figure out which fuses were blown. We got it all situated and then went back to our apartment. Now we only plugged a couple of the heaters in. I was glad for sleep that night. I slept like a rock. Morning came too soon for my tastes.

See the sheep? The little white dots in the center far back in the pix. Really it is the sheep.

This is how you spell spaghetti in Hebrew. Just in case you ever need to go to an Israeli grocery store. I took this pix as we were walking to the street market.

Street market 1.

Street market 2.

Street market 3.

Would you look ate that? They even have McDonald's in Jerusalem. After eating the falafel, I had absolutely NO desire to go there.

A fig tree outside of the worship room.

The street in front of the worship room. Sometimes we parked on the sidewalk. Sometimes we parked in a very small parking lot.

Balcony at the worship room.

Panoramic view from the worship room.

This pix is from our worship time that occurred after the prayer tunnel. What a great night.

Here are some pix that seat mate 2 and M took while on a walk before our 8 PM set:

I gather you're not supposed to climb the poles in Israel.

A beautiful pix of the sunset and another glimpse of what all of the houses in Israel look like.

One word...TRAFFIC!

A Break From Jerusalem

2008-01-29T22:03:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't been doing my Free on Friday segment lately. The last time I tried to find free stuff, there wasn't too much to choose from and I ran out of time.

I just came across this. Newsong is one of my favorite bands and just found out that they are giving away a free copy of their album.

Click here for details.

Stay tuned...more Jerusalem on the way, I promise!

Israel: Day 2, January 6, 2008

2008-01-20T08:36:00.000-05:00

Day 2 began sometime on the plane, maybe over the ocean, maybe over land. We arrived in Tel Aviv at 9:15 AM Sunday morning, found all of our luggage (yeah!, it all made it!), and met our escort. That part was hilarious. Instead of our leaders correct name, our driver was holding a sign that stated Tom Spinks. So from now on our leader will be known as Tom.

We drove about an hour to get to Jerusalem, stopping along the way to exchange our American money to new Israeli shekels.

Once arriving at our house in Jerusalem (at about 12 PM), we took our belongings to our rooms and then 3 of us went grocery shopping. I was in charge of planning and making the meals while we were in Israel so I was elected to go to the store. I NEVER, EVER want to do that again!!!!! I was exhausted from not sleeping on the plane so I remember my experience as being worse than it really was. The meals for the week were mac & cheese, Mexican chicken bake, lasagna, meatloaf, and steak. In addition to buying food for my planned meals, I had to buy food for breakfasts and lunches. The store we went to was small and EVERYTHING was in Hebrew (Except Pringles and Oreos)! I was really lost since I forgot to brush up on my Hebrew reading and writing skills before leaving for Israel. By the time our shopping trip was over, I was feeling oh, so frustrated and ready to cry. I thought I got butter. But because I couldn't read the package, I actually got lard or shortening. GROSS! No shredded cheese. I think I got a chuck of cheddar but the deli person couldn't speak or understand English. On and on the story goes. One last thing about the store, the cashier said I owed 1700. I about fell over. And then I remembered it was in shekels, not dollars. It was really only $400. Well, we get home from the store at 2 PM (yes it took long at the store, but I justify it by saying that I couldn't read what I was buying). I had just enough time to put away the groceries and brush my teeth while the other team members made everyone sandwiches to eat between our sessions. Our first session started at 3PM.
Session 1 (3-5PM): Seat mate 1 led this session while the rest of us soaked. At least we were supposed to soak. I slept. Sleep/Soak kind of sounds the same! I tried not to sleep but I sat down, rested my elbows on my lap and was out. After this not long enough session (at least my nap wasn't long enough), we ate our sandwiches in the little break room.

Session 2 (6-8PM): Tom led this session and honestly I was so tired I had to keep moving & swaying, and jumping not to fall asleep. I caught myself a couple times almost dozing while I had my eyes closed.

Home by 8:30 PM. I took that time to unpack and change into my jammies. We decided that we were hungry so we ordered Domino's Pizza. That in itself was interesting. The menu was automated and spoken in Hebrew. The pizza took forever to arrive and then we get a phone call from the delivery guy. He couldn't find our address and we found out that we called the WRONG CITY. We ordered our pizza from Tel Aviv which was an hour away from where we were. The Tel Aviv Domino's called the Jerusalem Domino's and transferred our order there. After another 45 minutes our pizza finally arrived. Remind me never to order pepperoni in a pork free country again. It was really gross. The pepperoni tasted like beef hot dogs. Hot dogs are okay by themselves. On pizza, they are gross! I realized eating that pizza that I am a very spoiled American.
11:15 Bedtime. It was so cold in the house, that I slept in 3 pairs of socks, a tank top, another shirt, and my jammy shirt. I covered myself with 2 thick comforters and still fell asleep shivering. The house was made of stone and had marble floors. It just kept the cold in. I slept like a rock that night! I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and slept solid. I vaguely remember waking up sometime during the night to pee but I couldn't bear to get out of my warm bed and walk across the cold, cold floor, so I prayed that I would hold it in until morning and I did.

This is a picture of some city that was located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I have no clue what it was. I was just so excited to see some of the land of Israel, I couldn't help myself.

This is a picture of a bagel store that was across the street from where we exchanged our money. I couldn't resist taking a picture. How appropriate, us being in the "holy land" and all.

This is the Domino's pizza box. Again, don't put beef hot dogs on your pizza, it isn't worth it! Notice the 3 Jewish superheroes?

This is the gate that we had to go through in order to get to our house. The houses were more like apartment buildings. There were no free standing single dwelling in all of Jerusalem.

This is the outside of the girls room. Yes, it is a sun porch that was converted into a bedroom. No, there weren't any curtains but we did have the hedge that was by the gate to aid in privacy. No, I don't have a picture of the inside of our room. I just plum forgot.

The front door of our house.

The living room and dining room. The floor was so cold that I liked to plant myself on that throw rug.

The kitchen. It's from IKEA. Yes, they even have an Ikea in Jerusalem. The girl in the background is one of the Succatt Hallal interns that was staying in the house with us.

Stay tuned for more to come...

Israel: Day 1, January 5, 2008

2008-01-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

On day one, Saturday, we left the church at 8:30 AM to go to the airport. Upon arriving in Newark, NJ, we waited in a LONG line for check in only to be told that we were in the WRONG LINE! So we changed lines and started over. When we got the the counter check in went very smoothly. We had lots of time on our hands before we could board the plane so we did what any good Christian folks would do, we ate.

We got on the plane and prepared ourselves for the 10 hour flight. We were on a 777 jet that has 3 seats at each window and 3 seats in the middle of the plane. We were in the middle section in rows 42, 43, & 44 out of 45 total rows. The plane was packed, there wasn't an empty spot to be found on it. The flight started out fun but then the novelty wore off and everyone tried to sleep. It was really hard and I think I slept for a total of maybe an hour. One thing I'll remember is that all they did on the plane was try to feed us. First it was a drink and snack. Then it was a meal. Then another drink. And another drink. And then another snack. And another drink. And another drink. Then the fed us breakfast and one more drink. No wonder I couldn't sleep. They kept waking us up to feed us!

Somewhere during the flight, it turned into Sunday, but more on that later. Enjoy the Day 1 pics!

The crew (minus the leader)

Experimenting with my camera

Seat mate 1 - Megan

Seat Mate 2 - Mark

Some Highlights, More to Come

2008-01-09T15:18:00.000-05:00

Jerusalem City

My Vacation Starts Soon

2008-01-03T17:32:00.000-05:00

Well guys, on Saturday I leave for Israel. Today I was busy tying up loose ends and making lists for my DSH. Tomorrow I'll pack. And pack. And pack.

I am a little nervous about the trip but my excitement is out-weighing my nervousness. I am ready to spend hours and hours worshiping my Daddy. How lucky can a girl get?

I'll try to post at least once while I am there.

New Blog

2008-01-03T17:28:00.001-05:00

Has it really been a month since I last posted? Wow, where has the time gone?

I wanted to introduce you to a new blog in the area...

Check out Livin' Life

In Honor of the First Snowfall of the Season...

2007-12-05T18:31:00.000-05:00

Enjoy!

My 3 Little Elves

Rainy Day Fun

2007-11-15T12:59:00.001-05:00

Here's what we do when it's rainy outside...

Yep, we do the stair slide. You should try it sometime.

Plastic Easter Eggs

2007-11-11T13:13:00.000-05:00

Does anyone know where I could buy some plastic Easter eggs in the middle of November? I need them for a birthday party.

Thanks

My Dad

2007-11-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

I thought I should update you about my dad.

My mom called me just before my trip to IN and I didn't get a chance to post about that. She called and told me that my dad's surgery is postponed to Nov 14th.

She called me tonight and told me that they were pretty sure they had to cancel the surgery. My dad's blood pressure has been really wacky. Some days it's extremely high, some days it's extremely low. So far he has passed out three times. He is all bruised because of that. My dad has Parkinson's and this could be a side effect of the disease.

I really want my dad to have the surgery because he is in constant pain, some days he can't even stand up straight. BUT, I am glad that this happened, because I don't want there to be any chance for compliations at surgery time. God is so faithful. He knows what is best for us.

If you think about it, please pray for healing for my dad. He has struggled with Parkinson's for years and it just keeps getting worse. Please pray too for my mom. She has a lot on her shoulders right now.

In case you are wondering, they are saved but are not on the same level as what I am.

Thanks all!

Am I Still Here?

2007-11-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

I have had absolutely no time to blog. Yes I am still alive and well, just no time.

Here's some posts to look forward to in the coming days...

Indiana

MIA Craft Day

And, another Free on Friday.

Have a great night.

Free On Friday

2007-10-19T06:11:00.000-05:00

Sudoku Game (computer game)

Greenies for Cats (I don't have a cat, just thought I would post this for those of you who do).

World Magazine (8 issues free)

That's it for today.

Please Pray

2007-10-16T14:35:00.000-05:00

!. My MIL is going in on Thursday (10/18) for surgery to get her kidney removed. Please pray that everything goes well with NO complications.

2. My father is scheduled to have MAJOR back surgery on October 31. My mom just called and told me that he has a bladder infection and if it doesn't clear up, they can't operate. He really needs this surgery, he is in constant pain. Please pray for healing of the bladder infection and that his surgery will go well with no complications. Please pray for me too, my parents live in FL so I am felling a little nervous about them being so far away since the surgery is pretty major.

Thanks all!

Breakfast Surprise Chowder

2007-10-15T11:28:00.000-05:00

Shadow found this recipe on a website where he plays games. We made it last night and it was really good. It is a nice warm grainy meal. I thought I would share...

Breakfast Surprise Chowder
3 Cups cooked brown rice
3/4 C soy milk
1 TBSP honey
1 medium apple, cored & chopped
2 tsp cinnamon
3 TBSP raisins

Cook rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking, chop apple (leave the skin on) and add to honey, cinnamon, and raisins. Stir to coat apples. When the water is absorbed from the rice, add the milk and apple mixture. Stir to combine. Heat until warmed.

We used white rice (it would have been better with brown), fat free milk, and added a little bit of granulated sugar. We also added roasted soybeans, shelled sunflower seeds, flax seed, and dried cranberries.

Need Some Homework Help?

2007-10-12T13:27:00.000-05:00

You have got to check this out!

Homework Help!

Free on Friday

2007-10-12T07:52:00.000-05:00

Here are today's freebies:

Carmex Lip Balm (I absolutely love this stuff. It's the only chap stick that I use. It heals dry chapped lips in one day!)

Mud Masque for Hair (even our hair needs a spa treatment every once in a while)

Curel Moisturizer (is your skin thirsty?)

3-D Glasses (If you didn't get enough from my last post, here's your chance to get more. For this one you have to go to any Walgreen's and pick up a pair at the photo counter.)

Dr. Pepper from Chick-Fil-A (You have to play a game but then you automatically win)

Hypo-allergenic Pillowcase (you have to fill out a survey on allergies)

That's it for today. Have a great day!

Missionettes and Royal Rangers

2007-10-11T07:43:00.000-05:00

Last night was day one of our Wednesday night classes at church. Now that all of the prep work for it is over, I can breathe a little easier. I even may have time to blog again. Throughout the last week there have been many stressful moments on my part (just ask my kids, they'll tell you) but last night went well. I have heard nothing but good responses to the program. We had about 50 kids total (K-5th grade) in the 4 classes. In my class I had one girl ask Jesus into her heart. THAT is why all of the stress and headaches of the last week have been worth it!

I can't wait to see what all God has in store for the church and this program.

Fight Like a Girl

2007-10-07T21:27:00.000-05:00

I know I am supposed to be taking a break, but I found this and just had to share.

Lisa Bevere is one of my absolutely favorite speakers. I have seen her multiple times and am always challenged. This week and next she is being featured on Believer's Voice of Victory's daily TV show.

Check it out if you get a chance.

What does it look like to be a powerful, purposeful christian woman?

When God helps you face your fears, you become fearless.

Daughter of God… you are woven into a God’s beautiful story. You are set apart and your life tells a story.

Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16 NIV)

But what story do you want to tell? Mother, what legacy would you leave behind for your children? Beloved, what is your love story? My children have something more in them. I catch it in the faraway glimpses of their eyes. I hear its voice in the music that moves them. I want my life to speak to them in a way they can understand. Love alone crosses all boundaries of time.

Though we cannot determine how our stories begin, we are very much a part of how they will end. Never doubt, there is a wrestling match taking place for how your tale will close. More often than not, happy endings come only after there has been a battle waged with evil. In our world, very little good happens without some sort of fight. Each and every day could be likened to a page. We are the writers who craft the stories with our words and choices. This is but one of the reasons why stories speak so powerfully to us.

When Jesus walked the earth as a man, He was a master story teller. He packaged timeless messages in word pictures. He used parables, natural law, and real-life experiences to teach His audiences about His Father’s kingdom. He wanted the truth to be heard within the framework of living, progressive pictures. He took the abstract and made it tangible and embraceable in the everyday.

We could almost say stories are the original form of movies, because as plots develop, we find our minds moving from one scene to the next. We do not merely hear or read stories; we see them as only we can. In the secret places of our hearts and minds, they take form. Within the framework of our imaginations, characters are cast with whom only we can identify. They move freely and fill in the blanks as the story unfolds.

So what about your story? Before the most exciting parts of your story can be realized, you must first discover your role. I am afraid far too often a true casting never happens. We float through life, hoping someone else will tell us what parts we are to play. There is great potential for danger when we make others responsible for our happiness. God is the ultimate storyteller who wants to reveal His love story in you. He has written your role and scripted the desires of your heart.

Pause and Ponder: What story have you been living? Or more importantly, whose story have you been living? Have you been allowing others to dictate your life’s story or are you allowing God to dictate His grand story for your life?
Remember that the end of your story is not yet written. Even now you are crafting your tale with your words and choices. The world is watching to see which story you will be apart of.

This article is derived from Lisa’s Fight Like a Girl Message

No Posts Lately

2007-10-06T10:32:00.000-05:00

I have been extremely busy over the last week. Here's why...

Our church is soon starting the Missionettes and Royal Rangers Program. Guess who is in charge of making sure it flows together easily. Yep, Me!

That is the reason for my quiet blog. I have been consumed with curriculum, finding workers, meetings, and phone calls.

It starts this Wednesday, October 10 at 7 PM.

After Wednesday, I'll have more time to blog.

End of Summer Fun

2007-10-06T05:23:00.000-05:00

You know summer is coming to a close when...

But, IS summer going to end???????

Free on Friday

2007-10-05T10:02:00.000-05:00

Here's today's freebies....

Betty Crocker Warm Delight Mini's (my mouth is watering already!)

Arm & Hammer Toothpaste (sample size)

Complete Multi-Purpose Soln (for contact wearers)

National Wild Life Cards (Christmas is coming, that's 5 less you have to buy or make)

That's it for today. Have a great weekend.

Diet?????

2007-09-29T07:21:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to clarify after my last post. I am not going on a diet. I am not intentionally trying to loose weight. If it happens, great! If not, that's great too! The squishy and Alli comments did make me think though.

Yesterday after reading my post, my DSH took me grocery shopping. We now have food in our house. He looked at me and said, "I don't want you to waste away to nothing."

I am so excited this morning, I am trying to decided what to make for our meals today and tomorrow, and the day after that!

Free on Friday

2007-09-28T06:52:00.000-05:00

Here's today's freebies!

Cartoon Network 3-D glasses (up to 4 pairs per household)

Hope Again (by Charles Swindoll)

Bracelet Kit (by commiting to talk to your doctor about cervical cancer)

Joyce Meyer Calendar (2008)

That's all for today! Have a great day!

I Have Decided...

2007-09-27T08:45:00.000-05:00

That, it's time for me to loose some weight. I keep justifying my weight because I keep telling myself that it is left over baby weight. My baby is almost 5 years old so I can't use that excuse any longer.

Here's what happened to lead me to my decision...

1. On Tuesday I was teaching Girly Girl and writing something on our white board. She stopped what she was doing, jumped up out of her chair, came over to me, squeezed my arm and said, "Mommy, you have nice big squishy arms!" Thanks, Girly Girl.

2. This morning Shadow was flipping through the channels when a commercial for Alli came on. He yells out, "Mom, you need to get that!" Thanks, Shadow.

I have found the perfect weight loss plan. We have been implementing it in our house for the last month. Here it is...We have no food in our house. When there is no food, we don't eat. When you don't eat, you loose weight. That's it. It's that simple. We have not been grocery shopping for over a month. We stop in for milk and eggs but other than that, we have not bought a big order of food in a long time (because of no time to do it). Don't worry, I still make food to feed the kids. They are well nourished and are NOT loosing weight.

The last time I weighed myself, I weighed 142. I weighed in this morning (after shadow suggested that I needed to loose) and now weigh 138. See the no food diet works.

Hmmm, maybe I'll write a book....

A New Blog

2007-09-25T15:05:00.000-05:00

I want to proudly introduce a new blog.

My DSH's All About Music

My DSH's love for music is very evident in his blog. You will get to know lots of different styles of music through it. I may even have to move my Singing Sunday posts over there.

Enjoy, everyone!

Israel Bound

2007-09-24T17:15:00.000-05:00

Many of you already know but for those of you who don't, I thought I would share.

In January of 2008, I am going on a missions trip to Israel with 7 other members of the worship team from church. We are going to help lead worship in a 24/7 house of prayer that overlooks the city of Jerusalem. I am really excited to go. I feel like God has something special planned for me while I am there but I still have no clue as to what that is.

Please pray for us (and me) as we prepare for the trip. That we would all hear the heart of Jesus.

If any of you want to be added to my prayer team, just send me an email (saral3@netzero.com) and I will add you to the list. If you email me please put Isreal trip in the subject line. Thanks.

If anyone would like to contribute funds for my trip you can send me an email.

Singing Sunday

2007-09-23T05:59:00.000-05:00

After a few weeks of being on break, Singing Sunday has returned!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Thankful Heart - [hi-fi] [lo-fi]

Today's song is Thankful Heart by Petra. You can listen to it by clicking above.

This song has been on my heart for the last few days. I am a complainer by nature. I don't complain intentionally, it just happens. This song is making me ask myself "How thankful am I?" Am I thankful in ALL things? When I don't feel like being thankful, Am I?

Charles Stanley (Giving thanks in all Things) puts it this way...

Thankfulness... 1. Constantly reminds us that God is always with us. His presence becomes more and more real to us. 2. Encourages us to search for God's purpose even in the midst of our pain. 3. Helps us submit our human will to God's divine will so we have a change of attitude. 4. Reminds us how helpless we are without God in every situation so that our weakness can become His strength. 5. Forms a stronger trust in God in our heart's while we are walking through the valley of dark circumstances. 6. Lends a key to finding joy -that means peace and contentment, not giddiness. 7. Makes a powerful impact on others when they see us triumphing over very difficult situations. 8. Directs our thoughts back to God instead of on ourselves or our situation. 9. Gives us new spiritual energy, like getting our batteries recharged. Removes anxiety and replaces it with indescribable peace.

As you go through your day today, ask Jesus to help you be thankful.

Our Life In A Car

2007-09-22T16:57:00.000-05:00

I have been trying an experiment over the last few days.

We drive a Saturn Ion. As you can see by the picture, it is not a huge car. All three kids are in the backseat with little room between them and that often leads to lively discussions.

Lately it seems that they just CAN'T get along! Fighting, bickering, name calling, etc. has forced me to pull over to the side of the road numerous times for some "not so nice talks." (code for s-p-a-n-k-i-n-g-s)

Here's my experiment and it seems to be working quite well. Whenever the fighting starts, I make the kids lean their head back, close their eyes and put their hands on their laps. Then I get to relish in the quiet of the drive.

I find that it is increasingly difficult to drive while the kids are yelling and fighting. I actually look forward to this type of punishment so I can have quiet driving time.

Free On Friday

2007-09-21T15:48:00.000-05:00

Word World DVD (this is a new show on PBS this season. My kids really like it. To get the DVD, you have to email your address).

Pure Essentials from Tide, Downy & Bounce (a sample of Lilac or Lemon scents)

Word Slinger Game (download this game for free, a 19.99 value)

Have a great day!

Free On Friday

2007-09-14T08:21:00.000-05:00

Here's today's free stuff!

Sunsweet Dried Fruit (you can pick up to 4 different things).

Simply Nutrilite Food Bar (you get to pick one of two.)

That's it for today. Don't forget to check the Walmart site for more samples.

Have a great day!

Free on Friday

2007-09-08T06:40:00.000-05:00

Okay, Okay, it's really Free on Saturday. I didn't get a chance to post yesterday. Here you go...

Purex Laundry Detergent ( We haven't had to buy detergent for about 6 years (for various reasons) and on Thursday, I ran out and had to buy some. Guess what brand I bought? Yep, you're right, it was Purex.)

Rimmel Lipstick (I don't wear it too often but when I do it's nice to have some on hand.)

Dunkin' Donuts Coffee (My DSH LOVES coffee!)

Have a great Saturday!

Mom Update

2007-09-02T20:53:00.000-05:00

Here's another update on my DSH's mom.

She came home from the hospital on Tuesday night. On Saturday, she was taken back to the ER with a fever and diarrhea. She was admitted for that, so she is back in the hospital.

On the Praising side, her leg was not infected this time.

Please pray for complete healing. That the fever would go down. That the diarrhea would stop. That no other sickness would come upon her.

Thanks all!

How Many Parts Do You Have?

2007-09-02T20:47:00.000-05:00

Tonight was bath night at our house. Here is a snippet of our conversation.

Me: Bible Bat Boy (BBB), Are you done yet?
BBB: Nope.
Me: Well, hurry up in there!
BBB: Mom, I have to wash all of my parts.

We are using Lever 2000 right now. I guess he had to wash all 2000 parts.

Mark your Calendars

2007-09-01T04:14:00.000-05:00

I have a date you don't want to miss!

Wednesday September 5th, 7PM at the youth building of Christ Community Church.

Benjamin Dunn is leading worship for the night. If you have never seen him before, you should come. He is so anointed for worship and preaching. You will be ushered into the presence of God like never before in a youth oriented way.

You can preview his music by clicking on his name above and then the online store. Last time he was here though, it was nothing like the CD. It was even better.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Oh, by the way, my DSH is playing drums. (Just another bonus to get you to come.)

Free on Friday

2007-08-31T08:02:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I never posted free stuff last week. I'll try and make up for that today.

Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich and Coke The only one I know of around here is in York.

Kashi Snack You get to pick one of three different kinds.

Stonyfield Yogurt You have to vote and then they will send you a coupon for a yogurt.

Dove Hair Care You get to choose which kind you want.

Loreal Skin Genesis (sample of this product. Full size is worth $25 in stores.)

Have a great day!

Is Anyone Hungry?

2007-08-30T07:32:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was the staff picnic for the church. It was held at the senior pastor's (Pastor Dave) house. We all had a great time swimming in the pool, playing games and talking to people we don't usually get a whole lot of time to talk to.

It was a nice calm day, until...

Bible Bat Boy found a grasshopper climbing up the wall of Pastors Dave's house. He came to me and said, "Mom, quick, get me a bug container!" (We have numerous bug containers at home. Bible Bat Boy is my bug fanatic.) I picked up the tongs that were beside the grill (with hot dog and hamburger guts still on it) and tried to help him catch this grasshopper. I certainly did not want to touch it with MY hands. That in itself was a feat. Grasshoppers DO NOT like to be caught. After enlisting some help from a few staff members, we finally caught the grasshopper. Now, where to put it? Sherri had a candle holder sitting on one of the tables so I grabbed that. The grasshopper was safe and happy in the container for all to enjoy.

While Bible Bat Boy was enjoying his catch, he called his brother and sister over to look at it. Shadow loved to watch it climb up the walls of the container. The next thing I knew, I heard Pastor Eric, the missions pastor, say to Shadow, "Hey Shadow, I'll split it with you. You eat half and I'll eat half." I ignored that comment because I thought nothing would come of it. Boy was I wrong.

Pastor Eric stood up, walked to the grill and turned it on. He told Shadow to bring the grasshopper to him. I wasn't sure what to do. Do I let him eat it? Will it hurt him? So I asked Pastor Eric if it was okay to eat. He told me that people eat them as a snack in other countries. Although I didn't particularly like the idea, I was okay with it.

In the process of bringing the grasshopper to the grill, it escaped. It was caught and then it escaped again. And again. I think it knew what was coming.

Pastor Eric finally grabbed it and put it on the grill where it jumped out before the door of the grill was closed. The grasshopper was caught again and this time held firmly in place on the grill. After about 2 minutes cooking time, Pastor Eric removed the catch from the grill and set it out to cool.

When it was cool enough to eat, Pastor Eric broke it in half. He took the head and handed Shadow the body. Shadow just stood there looking at it. "Eat it, Shadow" was cheered on by numerous kids and staff. Pastor Eric went first. His assumption on the taste was..."it tastes like burnt popcorn."

Shadow asked Bible Bat Boy to eat it. He said, "no way!" Shadow asked me to eat it. I said, "NO WAY!!!" (A mom has got to draw the line SOMEWHERE!) Shadow got up the nerve and was ready to put it in his mouth when Pastor Eric said he should take off the wings, "They are a little hard to swallow. They get stuck in you throat." Shadow took the wings off and bit part of the body. I asked him what it tasted like and he said , "nothing, really." Then he started to gag. He spit out what was in his mouth into the nearest trash can. I asked him if he was okay and he said he didn't like the shell.

He then ate the rest of it, even the legs.

Rumor has it at church, that Pastor Eric is telling all the staff that he is going to make a missionary out of Shadow yet.

All this said that if you ever don't know what to make for lunch or dinner, all you need is a yard and a grill.

Mom Update

2007-08-29T07:48:00.000-05:00

Things have been really busy here at home for a few weeks. Sorry it has been so quiet in my bloggy world.

Here's an update on my mother-in-law.

She was discharge from the hospital and then a couple days later got another infection in her leg. So she went back into the hospital. She was discharged for the second time last night. She is getting a MRI and a renal function test on Thursday so we can see if the tumor is still on her kidney. We fully believe that it is gone after the taking her to the healing prayer service 2 weeks ago.

They found while she was in the hospital that she has something going on with her heart. She had a few episodes of her heart racing. The doctors put her on some medicine for that.

Please continue to pray for her and our family. Pray for wisdom for Beautiful Grace. (She is our medical advisor). Pray for total healing of mom.

Thanks guys.

I need some organization help!

2007-08-28T08:23:00.000-05:00

I have a bunch of pipe cleaners (or chenile stems, which ever you would rather call them). I have tried MANY different ways to store them over the last few years and they just are too big to fit in any of my containers. I am trying to organize my new school room and the pipe cleaners are just not fitting in.

My question for you: How do you store your pipe cleaners?

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Free on Friday

2007-08-17T09:11:00.000-05:00

Here are today's freebies. In honor of my 100th post, I found quite a few freebies today.

Pledge Wipes (three different kinds)

Memory Cross Bible Card (coloring cards for kids to learn the salvation message)

Post-It Sampler Pack

Bowl & Spoon (from Beechnut)

Stayfree

Orange Julius Smoothie (you can click here to find a location nearest you).

Charmin Roll Extender (now you can use mega rolls.)

Laminating at Office Max (free laminating on Thursdays for Teachers until September 13th. I am not a certified teacher but I do home school and I took some stuff over yesterday and was able to qualify for the free laminating. I just had to fill out a Office Max Perks card. This freebie really excites me. I just bought a calender for my school room and wanted to get it laminated but I didn't want to have to pay for it. God is so good to me! You can click here to find an Office Max near you.)

Free on Friday

2007-08-10T05:36:00.000-05:00

Is today Friday already? Where did this week go?????

Here is today's free stuff...

Scotch Bright Toilet Scrubber (you have to print a coupon and send in a rebate form)

Post-It Sight Word cards for kids (as a home school mom, I was really excited about this one)

Free Museum Day - Sept 30, 2007 (admission is free for you and a guest at any participating museums. You must print an admission card).

Kids Toothbrush from Colgate (you have to keep a reading log)

Bausch and Lomb Wear and Care (for contact wearers, like myself)

Have a great day!

Please Pray

2007-08-05T06:03:00.000-05:00

It has been a while that I have found the time to blog. Here's why. When the kids weren't in VBS, we were dealing with this. For those of you who don't know, Beautiful Grace and my DSH are brother/sister.

and then this.

and now this.

Please pray for much wisdom for the family, especially Beautiful because she is the medical liason for the family. Please pray also for complete 100% healing for mom. She has been through so much in her life (brain tumor, operation, loss of hearing, sight, taste, and smell on her left side, she has lots of pain in her face because of that.) Satan has stolen so much from her and I would love to see the Lord restore everything that was taken from her as she lives out the remainder of her life.

The Things We Learn...

2007-07-31T13:57:00.000-05:00

Last week we have learned 2 things...

1. Mommy can't blog or check email or look for mystery shops while the kids are on the computer. We have 2 computers but only one monitor available. Once school starts it will be better. We will have another computer set up.

2. We learned that we can't run the less-than-a-year-old microwave without anything in it. For 20 minutes. Or this is what happens...it gets extremely hot, smells funny, and stops working. I never realized how much I took having a microwave for granted until it was broken. I tried to make soup, I tried to make popcorn only to remember that there was no microwave to make it in.

Free on Friday

2007-07-27T11:26:00.000-05:00

Here is today's free stuff...

Hallmark Channel Daily Survival Kit Click here to see what's in it.

Nestle Crunch Bar (they only give away 2000 per day and they go fast. They are gone for today already.)

Free Bible in mp3

Have a great Friday!!!!

My Take on Speeding

2007-07-24T13:32:00.000-05:00

Do you speed?

I used to drive really, really fast. I had no regard for the speed limit. I had somewhere to go and did whatever it took to get there. I felt such freedom in driving fast.

Then...God spoke to me. He convicted me of speeding. He asked me this question (or something like it) Why do you feel you can break man's laws? Do you feel you can break My laws? Why then is it okay to break man's laws? Yes, I argued. Yes, I pleaded. It was after all just a small law of man, right? Can you guess who won?

Fast forward a few weeks:

The real test came...I had somewhere to go and was running late. It was supposed to take 20 minutes to get there and I was running 10 minutes late. You do the math. I would not get there on time without speeding. I decided to do what any normal person would do in that situation. I started to speed. That's when I heard that very familiar still small voice.

"What are you doing? I thought we discussed this. Why are you speeding?"
"But Lord, I am running late. I won't get there in time! (said in a whiney voice)."
"Do you trust Me?"
"Yeah, but Lord, I AM LATE!"
"Do you trust ME????"
"I think so?"
"Trust me in this. Drive the speed limit and see if you get there on time."

My natural mind can't comprehend how but I did indeed get to where I was going on time. Ever since then I drive the speed limit. Every time I am late and start to drive fast, I hear, "Do you trust me?"

Even though I sometimes feel like I am driving like a little old grandmother (no offense anyone) when people are constantly flying past me, I still trust Him. I learned my lesson. How are we to show others that we love Jesus if we break man's laws?

The REAL Price of Home Improvement

2007-07-24T13:26:00.000-05:00

This is the part that no one tells you about when you buy a house! The things you do in the name of home improvements!

Free on Friday

2007-07-20T08:07:00.000-05:00

Here's today's free stuff...

Opti-Free Replenish drops (for all of you contact wearers out there)

Dove Clear Deodorant (Come on, admit it. We all stink at one time or another.)

Metamucil Fiber Kit (no comment)

Have a great Day!!!!

Sort-Of New Blog

2007-07-18T07:25:00.001-05:00

Natalie over at Mom in Action just changed her blog name to Like I was Saying. Same stuff, just a different name. Check it out .

I Am a Hopper!

2007-07-17T07:21:00.000-05:00

Are you a hopper? I sure am. Although I will say that I have not hopped as much this year as I have the previous 2 years. Two years ago, I did 7 weeks. Last summer it was eight weeks.

For those of you who don't know me, let me explain myself. I love summer VBS. I enroll my kids in everyone that I can. Of the 17 VBS's that I have enrolled in, only one of them was a dud. I think that is a really good ratio.

At the end of last summer we moved to a different location and there aren't that many churches around me so this year I have only enrolled my kids in 3 so far. This is the whole reason for this blog. I have got to tell you about the VBS that I have just enrolled my kids in.

You can check it out here. It is Harrisburg, PA. It is ALL day. Let me repeat...it is ALL DAY!!!! Can you feel my excitement????? The dates are August 2-4 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) from 8:45 AM to 4:00 PM. It's free AND they provide lunch. For anyone who know my hopping history, this one is a no brainer for me!

I hope to see some of you there!

Dishwasher Detergent

2007-07-14T05:53:00.000-05:00

Here's my recipe...

1 Cup Washing Soda (not Baking soda). You can find this in the laundry section of most grocery stores. It's made by Arm & Hammer. It's sold as a laundry booster. Comes in a big yellow box.
1 Cup Borax soap powder. You can find this in the laundry section of most stores.

Combine. Add 1 - 2 TBSP to closed soap section. No need to add to pre-wash section with this detergent. It works well.

After using this for a while I realized that I was using too much (I don't measure. I just pour it in) and there was a white film on my dishes. To combat this (since I am still too lazy to measure), I added 1/2 C powdered Cascade to the mix. That took care of the problem.

I honestly don't know if it is cheaper. I never figured it out. It should be though because I have been using it for a bunch of months and have only had to buy another box of washing soda. I do like however that it is safer on the environment.

Enjoy!

Free on Friday

2007-07-13T07:59:00.000-05:00

Here's todays free stuff:

Eucerine Foot Repair Cream (it's flip flop season)

Eucerin Redness Relief

Eucerin Daily Replenishing Cream

K'Nex Building Blocks (we are all kids at heart)

Have a great day!!!

Other Uses For...

2007-07-11T07:35:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to give you some options in case you are having a party and run out of chairs. Or if you can't find your crib and need to put your baby down for a nap, it works well for that too. Here's a good substitute.

You notice which one looks more comfortable? She is a smart girl!

My Tag Answers

2007-07-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged. Here are the answers to the question...Eight random things about me...

1. Without my contacts, I am pretty much blind. I have had to wear glasses since I was 5 years old. Not just any glasses but thick, thick glasses. I daily thank Jesus for the technological advance of thin lenses!

2. I grew up on a farm. We had 75 acres of farmland, 100,000 chickens (then pheasants, then ducks), pigs, horses, cows, dogs and cats. I used to play tag with one of our pigs. It was calico and everyday after school, I would go to the barn and teach it to play tag. One day I got off the bus, went to the barn to play tag and "my" pig was gone. I was devastated but not enough not to eat it. I had my first taste of dog food on my farm. My brother and sister dared me to eat it. So I did. VERY salty is all that I remember it tasting like. Because of growing up on a farm, I have absolutely NO desire to have any pets.

3. I used to sing and play in a band with Matt Goss. He played bass drum and tuba and sang. I played flute, piccolo, and sang.

4. I LOVE to read. I read for at least and hour every night before I go to bed. My favorite type of books are fiction.

5. I make my own fabric Softener and dishwasher detergent.

6. I hate to dust and fold socks (I make the kids do it)

7. I sucked my thumb until I was 12 years old.

8. I always wear my seat belt. If I don't have it on, I feel naked.

I now tag Beautiful Grace.

Singing Sunday

2007-07-08T06:18:00.000-05:00

Today's song is by an artist I have never heard of before the other day. I heard this song and I have been singing it ever since. It is very catchy. It's such a great song to sing and shout and dance to. This album is definitely on my I want to buy soon list.

The artist is Steve Fee. He is from Georgia and gives a fresh approach to worship.

Let's make this song the anthem of our lives. We are free! We shine the light of Jesus whether we want to or not! We worship the king with everything we are! Sin is defeated!

The song should play automatically when the page loads.

We Shine by Steve Fee

We shine, we shine the light of God
And when we speak, we speak with words of Love
And when we dance, we may get a little wild
Cause we’re the people of God, yeah the people of God
And when we sing, we sing the angel songs
The worlds been singing around the throne
Yeah, yeah, we’ll worship the King with everything that we are
Cause we’re the people of God, yeah the people of God, yeah

And now is the time for the people to rise
Lift up a shout, everybody cry out
Raise your voice, and shout out a noise
Dance the dance of joy!

We are the redeemed
We are the ones who are free
And we belong to Jesus
We are now alive
And in this world we will shine
And we belong to Jesus

And where the spirit of God is freedom rings
And come, come on, throw off your prison chains
We’re liberated by a King, only freedom remains
For the people of God, yeah the people of God, yeah yeah
We’re living in a Kingdom that will never end
We’re living in a power of defeated sin
So come on everybody, let’s praise the King
Jesus is alive, and he’s coming again!

And now is the time for the people to rise
Lift up a shout, everybody cry out
Raise your voice, and shout out a noise
Dance the dance of joy!

We are the redeemed
We are the ones who are free
And we belong to Jesus
We are now alive
And in this world we will shine
And we belong to Jesus

We’re going into to all the world
We’re carrying the light of Jesus
And we shine, we shine
In the darkest place, we shine

Yeah, we’re going into all the world
We’re carrying the light of Jesus
And we shine, we shine
In the darkest place, we shine

And now is the time for the people to rise
Lift up a shout, everybody cry out
Raise your voice, and shout out a noise
Dance the dance of joy!

We are the redeemed
We are the ones who are free
And we belong to Jesus
We are now alive
And in this world we will shine
And we belong to Jesus

Come on, come on
The Kingdom is coming
Come on, come on
The Kingdom is coming
Come on, come on, come on
Let the Kingdom come down

Orange Juice Milkshake

2007-07-07T07:42:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe a while ago from a book I used when making baby food. I have a hard time getting Shadow to drink milk unless it is in this form. Here's the recipe. It reminds me of an Orange Julius.

Orange Juice Milkshake

1 Cup orange juice
1 Cup Milk (higher fat milk work the best)
Put all in a blender and process for 2 minutes or until frothy and blended.

Free on Friday

2007-07-06T08:16:00.000-05:00

Here's today's samples:

Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners I have always wanted to try these but wasn't willing to spend the money on them.

Reynolds Parchment Paper I use this stuff all of the time. I love it!!!

Gas-X Thin Strips (be truthful...we all have this problem at one time or another)

Have a great day!

Experiments

2007-07-05T07:35:00.000-05:00

Shadow has been doing lots of experiments lately. Most of them deal with food. One of the things he wants to do when he grows up is find new foods.

Here are a few...

1. COW M Drink
Mix equal parts of Cranberry Juice, Orange Juice, Water, and Milk together in a cup. Enjoy. (The little neighbor boy who Shadow got to try this said it was good. I beg to differ!)

2. Milky Water
Mix equal parts of milk and water. Enjoy.

3. Oyster Cracker Ice
Mix equal parts of water, ice, and oyster crackers. Freeze for 2 hours. Enjoy.

I would love to hear about the experiments that happen in your house.

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-04T08:51:00.001-05:00

Happy 4th of July everyone!

I am so glad I live in a country that I am able to worship Jesus without fear of going to jail or being killed. Even though I take this country for granted I feel very fortunate to live here.

My thanks goes out to all of the men and women who fight to keep those freedoms!

Pray today for our leaders that they would get back to the way our forefathers ran our country. Pray today for the safety of our troops.