First Sentence

"Want some Juice."

Our sweet girl is putting words together! It's so fun to see her satisfaction when she realizes that she has communicated in a way we understand. I can relate! Have you ever tried to get a point or idea across, and you feel like others are just looking at you blankly?

Way to go, Anna!

Super Tuesday? I'm glad I have till March.

For those of you who know me well, it's no surprise that I like to stay informed in areas of politics. Fox News is a channel I couldn't do without (though I fast from it occasionally). I actually scored 100% on the political awareness quiz on www.dontvote.org. (read the site's mission stmt)

So, as the coverage of Super Tuesday is unavoidable, I find myself considering for whom I will vote. No, I will not tell you straight up, because I have not decided for certain, and today's results may help me decide. On the one hand, there is one candidate who embraces my social conservative stances. Then there's another who is pretty conservative socially, but matches my fiscal conservative views better. Then there's another who claims to do both, yet in reality is fairly liberal, and could potentially be the nominee... (not to mention he flirted quite a bit with my sister at an event she was working at). Voting for one could take needed votes from another, and is there a third that I'd rather not see in office?

I heard some wise advice (second-hand) from presidential biographer Michael Beshloss (thanks, Dad, for passing it on!) . He said that regardless of who was elected, 8 to 11 of the past several presidents have, at some point in their terms, had to make some very difficult decisions that have ensured the survival of the US. Those decisions, however, have cost them their public image and their reputations/legacies as Presidents. He encouraged the crowd on hand to vote for someone who would be able to make those tough decisions and have the experience and humility to do so without considering how they would look afterward. Excellent advice, but that doesn't make my choice entirely clear....

Hence the conundrum. I'm glad that I have until the first week of March, now that I'm residing in a different state. I will pray through my decision for the primary election, and likely support whoever wins the nomination regardless. Will I stress over it or feel dejected like I did in 1992 when I thought the world as we knew it would end? No.

Here's why: It's not because politics don't matter (though they are not of ultimate importance either). It's because I know that ultimately whoever runs this great country is not in absolute control, nor is the congress.

For by him [Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Col. 1:16

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Rom. 13:1

So, while I know that God's not out there "rooting" for one candidate's views, I do know that whoever eventually wins, He has in there for a reason. That may bring about good, or that may bring about hard times, but either one will result in God getting the glory. And, since that matches the purpose for why we're here in the first place, I'm good with that, and I'll continue on no matter what.

Anna's Unabridged Dictionary, entry 2

1. wehwee - one of the vegetable variety often seen on video or saturday t.v. acting out stories with a moral message. A cohort of Bob the tomato and Junior Asparagus. Especially used when hugging the plush likeness of that cucumber character.

2. vetaws (veh' tows) - the name of the vegetable series in which wehwee (Larry) and the others sing and act out stories.

3. Veeyo (vee' yoh) - command, meaning "Please turn on this DVD player with something interesting to watch inside. Don't you know that I want to watch now?" Command is often repeated, especially in the car on trips longer than 15 minutes.

Anna's Unabridged Dictionary

Faff: n. (faf) That long-necked yellow creature with brown spots, four legs, and two weird fur-covered horn-things.

Wa: v. (Wah, rhymes with bah as in humbug) "Let me down, I don't want to be held, and I want to get around on my own", also "walk"

Boop: n. (buup, rhymes with look, took, etc.) any variety of printed, bound material, meant to be read at the instance of the spoken word, unless the back-up-and-sit-down has not yet occurred.

Heard and Seen at the McDonaldSpot

Anna learned to slide on her own this week. We have a little Kangaroo Climber from Nanny and Dandy (it's for toddlers), and she can get herself up on the little platform, swing around to a sitting position, and then push herself down the slide. She LOVES it! She giggles at the end every time. The hilarious part is that, due to a song we learned with laughing in the chorus, when she does so, it's a deep sounding literal "Ha ha ha" instead of tee-hees or silly little giggles. Imagine a sweet little girl sliding and ending with a HA!

Heard at the McDonaldSpot

Caleb came home from school Thursday to tell me they had learned about the Ten Commandments in chapel. He said that one of the people on stage was saying silly ones instead of the real commandments, which made it really funny.

I asked him if he learned any of the real ones. Here was his response.

C: No adults up in trees.
Me: (pausing) That was one of the silly ones right?
C: No, that's a real one. No adults in trees because they might fall down and get hurt.
Me: (pausing for quite a while, all while a friend nearby was trying not to laugh)

I figured it out pretty quickly. Have you?



No adultery

After a laugh, he wanted to know what adultery was. I answered in a child friendly way, but I'm curious to know how each of you would have answered a very curious four year old. I'll post my response to him in a comment after you guys give your two cents.

Congratulations are in order!

Several of my friends have great news to report! We celebrate the arrivals of new precious babies to the Hoovers, the Bryces, and the Watts(es)!

McDonaldSpot version 2.008 with readme.txt

Happy New Year to you and yours!

The dawn of the year of our Lord 2008 finds us blogging in the home of First Monday Trade Days as we wrap up our visit with Scott's family. We missed First Monday by a week (the event is held on the weekend that precedes the first Monday of each new month), and while I was slightly disappointed, the trip has been wonderful and relaxing.

Have you made any new resolutions to accompany the new year? Some avoid them because they seem cliche or lack the seriousness required for change. Others show their willpower by keeping them all year long. Regardless, many people would like to change things or introduce new behaviors (workouts, anyone?)

Was reading on your list? Scott and I have compiled a favorite authors list, along with a few specific books that you might be interested in. The nerd in me wants to organize them by genre, then author, then title. The efficient side of me knows that I don't have a lot of time (football is on, the kids are wanting to play games, and the New Years queso dip and snacks are beckoning). So, here goes, and hopefully it's more organized than chaotic:

Favorite Christian Authors and some book titles (with genres included where possible)

a non-exhaustive list

the book titles listed are not necessarily the only books we recommend by that author

• CS Lewis
• AW Tozer Knowledge of the Holy, and others
• Dallas Willard Spirit of the Disciplines, I'm wanting to read The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus' Essential Teachings on Discipleship
• Oswald Sanders Spiritual Leadership
• Os Guinness Dining with the Devil
• Wayne Grudem Christian Beliefs:20 Basics every Christian should know, Systematic Theology (mainly theology)
• Richard Foster Celebration of the Disciplines
• DA Carson (mainly theology, I think)
• John Piper Don't waste your Life, Sex and the Supremacy of God, Brothers We Are Not Professionals (many genres)
• JI Packer Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, Knowing God
• Mark Dever Nine Marks of a Healthy Church
• John MacArthur
• Ravi Zacharias The Grand Weaver, and many others
• CJ Mahaney Humility
• Elisabeth Elliot
• The Jesus Storybook Bible
• Teach Them Diligently by Lou Priolo (parenting)

Now, there are probably many that we missed, and I know that I've received good suggestions and guidance from these places also.

The Discerning Reader

GirlTalk search for entries categorized "books" or "reading"

Al Mohler's website Mr. Mohler often discusses good books and critiques others.

Be wise as you select reading material! As a believer, it would sadly be unwise to assume that any book you find in the Christianity section of a bookstore (or a christian bookstore, for that matter) is Biblically accurate and reflects Truth.

Merry Christmas!

As we have celebrated today, my prayer is that the real reason why we celebrate Christmas will not be taken out with the wrapping paper, down off the tree, or off to shelves, wallets, or respective homes.

Praise be to God who did not see fit to let us stay forever separated from Him due to our sinfulness. Thank you God for sending Jesus to come as a lowly human, to live a perfect and blameless life, to suffer all sorts of pain and sorrow and separation for you by taking our penalty, and to defeat death by coming to life again. Glory to God for His mercy and grace, that all we must do to be reconnected to Him is to accept the gift we celebrate now at Christmas... His Son...that whoever believes in Him will not be eternally separated, but will have abundant and eternal life as God's adopted heirs.

Now for a Christmas wish for you and yours (derived from a favorite song and the prayer of St. Patrick)

Christ be with me and within me
Christ behind me and before
Christ beside me and to win me
Christ to comfort and restore
Christ beneath me and above me
Christ quiet or in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger

Christ in every heart that's broken
Christ in every joy and pain
Christ in every word that's spoken
Christ in sun and mooon and rain

Christ in resting and in rising
Christ the Lord of all my life
Christ to guide me and to seal me
Christ protecting me in strife

Merry Christmas to you all! And to Him be the glory in 2008 and forevermore!

Football Rivalries Part 2

Many Fridays ago, I posted a funny video on college rivalries. I meant to post this next one on Thanksgiving, but somehow that whole week and time since then have been a blur. Here you go, and enjoy!

There's no place like...

HOME for the holidays!

Yes, we're celebrating that our travels will be cumulatively shorter this year (we'll be heading to First Monday territory to see Scott's family) because we now live in the other location to which we usually travel! While living near family was never our intention, nor do we associate God's calling on our life with how close geographically we are to loved ones, it's an unexpected blessing that the Lord chose to lead us here!

But, there is a dual meaning in my post title...

We closed on our house this past Thursday. That, in part, is the reason for my absence from the blogosphere this week! We've been cleaning carpets, wiping down cabinetry, and painting prior to unpacking the storage unit full of our belongings that have been waiting patiently for us for five months! Since we've hit the ground running with ministry every time we've moved, it's another blessing that we've lived with my parents while we were seeking out whether the Lord intended to keep us here. Now, since they're in no hurry to see the kiddos less than what has become normal(and us too, I guess) , we are at liberty to move in one room at a time!

I'm obsessed about organization, but I've found that as we've moved and hit the ground running, our family has grown, our schedules become packed, and opportunities for ministry abound, it's become increasingly difficult to start out organized. I'm so excited about the chance to BEGIN organized instead of playing that dreadful game of catch up.

Oh, and for those of you who may be wondering, here are some specs on our new house...what a blessing!

It is three bedroom, two bath, but has a fourth room which is just smaller than the master. That bonus room has no closet, so it cannot be called a bedroom. However, we're excited to use that room for now as an office/craft room... Sewing and Scrapbooking anyone?

We have a large open livingroom, breakfast area, and kitchen. I'm thrilled that the utility room has space to move around and even room for ironing. We also have a formal dining room, which we will use as a study/sitting area, since the breakfast area has the exact dimensions of the dining room. The patio is stamped concrete and is covered, and there is enough space in the backyard for a swingset. I'll try to post some pictures as we progress with moving in.

We were praying and looking for a home with enough space to comfortably host life groups and other ministry events, and we're so thankful that despite the craziness that ensued with the sellers, we were able to make this house our own (and the bank's, in effect).

Heard and Seen at the McDonaldspot

Caleb walked into the room talking a few days ago and froze mid-sentence. We asked him what he was doing, and when he unfroze, here was his reply:

I was just pretending to be pretend!

House Update

We've continued to look around the city for a home to call our own (while our option period was still going). Even so, we still could not find a home in our price range that stood out to us like the one I posted about before. The sellers continued to be difficult, as it was evident that they'd rather not repair anything, because that would mean spending money. After what amounted to a game of realty chess, they finally agreed to fix the two major things we'd asked for (but not the other 7 reasonable ones). So, with our option period over, the house is ours, provided they complete the repairs and we close as planned. What a relief!

We bit the bullet tonight and purchased a washer, dryer, and fridge, since those things are going with the seller. (cancellable if something prevents the closing) Ouch, but exciting.

I'll keep you updated.

Campaign Funnies

I won't tell you who to vote for, but if you're familiar with some of the lore surrounding Chuck Norris (it's prominent amongst some college students), you'll love this commercial, which is set to appear in regional markets this week!

It's an actual commercial by an actual conservative candidate, who is in 2nd place in the Iowa Caucus polling.

Saturday's Can't Wait till Friday Funnies

On the same football note, watch (and try not to wince at) this clip:

(You may need to pause the music player on this blog (upper-right) to hear clearly)

Hunting Report

Just a quick update... we've extended our option period to next week to give them a chance to decide for sure what they can pay for. We looked at several houses and are still not able to find anything we like better...yet. Keep praying for wisdom for us!

Friday Football Fanatic Funnies

Some rivalries never end.... Part 1

I-N-S-P-E-C-T...find out what it means to me...

Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me...
...wee-oo-wee-oo wee-oo wee-Inspect! Just a little bit....just a little bit.

Ok, so maybe it's only me with the song running in my subconscious. Here's a house hunt update. We like the "house" itself that I posted before, but the inspections turned up a long list of things that need to be repaired, and the house is only 10 years old. We still have 2 days on our option period, and the owners haven't said what they're willing to complete. What to do? It's apparent that they either didn't inspect it on their own to begin with, or their inspector did a shabby job (or maybe the house has really gotten worse over the 2 years they've owned it).

So, while we await their answer, it's on with the house hunt, just in case we have to jump ship. There are not many homes with the amenities/structure we desire in (or below) our price range... they must be quick sellers...they exist, but are not for sale. Be praying that we'll be wise in our investment. (and in which house we choose! The decision on the current one has to be made tomorrow!!!)

Friday on-time Funnies

In light of our house-hunting of late, here are a few encouraging illustrations...(?)

Your house as seen by:

Yourself:

Your buyer:

Your lender:

Your appraiser:

Your tax assessor:

Well, what would you inspect?

Today is a big day for us. We have made an offer on a house in cc, and it appears that in Texas, acceptance of the offer terms doesn't lock you in like in Missouri. Instead you can put $50 towards an "option period" in which you can do inspections. If in that 10 day period, you find something wrong, or just get the heeby-jeebies about your decision to buy for any reason, you can back out, giving the owner the $50 as a consolation prize. Otherwise, inspections are completed and your $50, held in "trust", goes toward your closing costs.

So, we're spending the morning with Inspectors and their Gadgets toward that end. Would you like to see a couple of pictures of the house?