Ode to The Strudel

It is Saturday morning ... after the first full week of school & all the situations that come with it, I am thankful for a day at home. This was the week when the newness & excitement started to wear off & some of the younger kids decided they'd rather stay home with mom and not go off to that big school every day where you have to do work - it's the week that a parent will wonder if they made the right decision and put their child into a school that has a mean staff that actually expects their child to OBEY rules!!? and who enforces those rules!!?? and why would their angel of a child get in trouble when they are practically perfect?! So, we faced a few less pleasant situations by the end of the week - but thankfully, all were resolved peacably.

This morning, my husband & son are working on the new gym at school - we will soon have the equipment (basketball goals, volleyball set, etc) put in, and the floors will be painted out with the stripes that define the courts. I'll so SO glad when it's all done - but then again, is anything ever completely DONE around here?!?!?!

So, today while my men work, my daughter is watching Andy Griffith (she loves that show!), I'm enjoying coffee and a Toaster Strudel in bed. We don't often buy Toaster Strudels - but we found them to be on sale while doing our grocery shopping last night!! I <3 Toaster Strudels ... what a treat. I realize they have about zero nutritional value - but since I eat a Pop Tart almost every morning anyway (also giving me the nutrition of a piece of cardboard), a warm, flaky T/S is so much better (the commercials are right)!! I know it's something silly to talk about - but at this time in my life, it's the LITTLE THINGS that bring the biggest delight!

I love eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, etc. as much as anyone ... but I prefer to eat them around 10 or 11 a.m. for a nice, relaxed BRUNCH - or even for dinner sometimes! I am NOT a morning person, nor am I a big breakfast person ... and so my little Toaster Strudel this morning is making my day. :)

It's Really A ....

...BABY! Today I had another doctor appointment - and though I tried to get another ultrasound to confirm the early GIRL prediction, I had no success. The doctor insisted that they were "always" right - and before that, his nurse said they can tell a baby's gender between 13-15 weeks. Well, ok then!! But isn't there a first time for everything?!! In any case, I was thankful to hear a heartbeat & know all is well as far as we can tell from the outside.

I have a horrendous contusion on my stomach from where I ran my pregnant belly smack into the thing that holds the nozzle at the gas pump last Friday!! I showed the doctor but all he had to say about that was "hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm." Not much sympathy coming from this guy. He did ask if I had any questions - and he did say to call if I had any concerns (and this guy gives out his home phone # so he can't be all uncaring?!).

I immediately left the doctor's office - and hit the outlet mall near by! The Carter's store was having some great clearance deals - and I had a "25% off your entire purchase" coupon too. I did look around - and there are very few neutral, green/yellow/orange/purple type outfits out there. Even the yellow/orange/green/purple outfits are trimmed in either pink or blue! I got 7 very cute - very pink & girly - sleepers, dresses, and outfits in several sizes from newborn to 6 months.

My family was - once again - disappointed that there was no ultrasound; but we are just going to act like we're having a girl --- and keep the receipts to anything we buy - aside from the Goodwill and thrift store items. AND if all else fails, and we have a boy, my brother & his wife ARE having a girl in November. We will have plenty of gifts for them, if that's the case.

21 weeks!

I'm at 21 weeks pregnant! I got the dress I have on at the Goodwill for $4!! It may look like drapes - but it sure is comfy...in fact, it kind of feels like wearing a nightgown all day ;)

I'm glad I still have 19 +/- weeks to go because I have so much to do before we have a BABY in the house!! Wednesday I have a doctor appointment, and I while I am hopeful that I can have that ultrasound to confirm our baby girl or boy, I will be thrilled to just hear a strong heartbeat.

It's been a day of varied emotions here today - one friend of mine saw the long-awaited sight of a heartbeat of her expected baby - and another lady had a very early miscarriage. It reminds me that "the Lord giveth ... and the Lord taketh away ..." and in it all, He knows best.

Grace Is For Sinners

This morning I've been enjoying the quiet of a Saturday morning on a day that we finally have nothing much planned! My husband is grocery shopping - and probably buying too many bags of potato chips & beef jerky - and my kids are indulging themselves in cartoons on DVD after the first 2 days of school... and I'm ready blogs and playing around on facebook.

I came across a blog today that absolutely touched my heart to the core - and made me cry for the writer - for her pain and because of her redemption! I want to share the blog - but I'm prefacing it with a warning that if you're not ready to have some heady reading that will make you think and question "why?" and be amazed at the suffering - and healing - one person had to endure, DO NOT read this right now. At least not if you're like me and will let it touch you & make you think about the ways of the Lord.

Grace is for Sinners is the life story of Serena Woods who has experienced things most of us probably can only see in a nightmare. She is the child of a 15 year old prostitute, who after a childhood of abuse and neglect grew up to find the Lord ... and to not let her past dictate her life but to overcome - and even then, the rest of her story is on another blog I read, Like a Warm Cup of Coffee, where more of Serena's journey is told in 3 parts: she has her own fall from grace in her marriage - and was yet again drawn back to forgiveness and restoration that only God can be big enough to give.

I could go on & on about the thoughts her story invoked in me: so many of us strive to just live a comfortable life - to make a happy home for our family - to shelter our children from the "bad things" that go on in the world ... and yet, while we are trying desperately to have happy, Christian homes (and that is absolutely the MOST noble goal in the world!!), the bad world is affecting life after life after life ... and GOD loves every one of those souls who are being abused and hurt and who are stuck in cycles of poverty, disease, sin, and perversion.

In my own family, we had some things happen over the years to me and others that were ugly and hurtful and sinful and undeserved or sometimes self-inflicted --- BUT when I was a child, I was given the chance to find God, to ask Him to save me from my sins - and to prepare for me a home in His heaven!! My parents found and accepted Him too - and despite the sins of the past, they tried to live right and do right and raise (rear?) me - and my brother - right.

Now in my own marriage and family, I have a husband who wants to serve the Lord; I have children who know how to pray and who know about the Bible and who will be sheltered - as much as lies in me & by the grace of God - from sin and its ugly consequences. Do I deserve this life?? Did I do something to earn this favor, this comfortable life I have (despite the times I get discouraged because I don't have all the money I want or think I need??)?? No, there is no reason why I was born into the situation I was born into any more than Serena Woods was born to a 15 year old prostitute.

And yet, we all have personal responsibility. We can not blame our pasts for our present states of being. Especially not if we know the Lord. Though we can't always understand His ways or His sense of "fair" (one of my big gripes in life - even as children will often say - "it's just not fair"....), we have to trust that He knows the "why's". Why one child is born to Christian parents and lives a life that revolves around serving Him all their days -and why another child is born to a single parent in adverse poverty and is abused, neglected, and violated in its innocence. And yet that second child CAN be a productive, happy Christian who overcomes. And perhaps their journey with God is a little deeper, a little more aware of GRACE, a little more grateful for the great price Christ paid for ALL sin?? I wish every child could have a happy, complete, clean, godly home ... but because sin is in this world, it just isn't possible.

If you're still with me on this, let me conclude by saying, the story of Serena encourages me that NO ONE is hopeless - and reminds me that we are all accountable for what we do and the choices we make. There are no victims with God - He says we can ALL overcome. For some it is easier; for others, harder - but there are NO excuses. Today I am 100% more thankful for the home and family I have, and I am 100% more aware that there is sadness and injustice and ugliness in this sinful world; however, there is great, great hope in the Lord's grace and mercy. I doubt I will ever be someone who can help those who like Serena have been through things like she endured - and to touch others who walk through our church doors who have had incredibly unfair childhoods - but I can at least hope that I will have a little more compassion, a little more patience as these find the Lord. Many don't want to - or don't know how - or just can't quite "get it" - and it is so hard to see people NOT realize they can have deliverance ... but now I can pray more that they will eventually allow the Lord in. I can't imagine my life without Him ... can you?

Welcome Back!

School started on Thursday! Our school has a new building with 7 new classrooms - and a new gym!! It's so exciting to walk into a "shiny, new" building & see all the "Back to School" decor. The building houses our 2 K-5 classes and 1st-4th grades (only 6 classrooms are in use at this time - but it's nice to have a spare for now). Anna is in 4th grade this year. I can't believe my "baby girl" is so big (and has "Chinese" eyes in this picture??! She didn't get them from me; I'm German!). ;)

My ever-enthusiastic-about-his-job husband is among the staff who greet the students and parents each morning as they drive in. After 16 1/2+ years of marriage, I'm slowly beginning to realize more & more what a wonderful man he is. When I first met him, I thought he was one of the sincerest and kindest people I'd ever met - and he hasn't disappointed me. His unwavering service to others and the Lord has been steady through the many ups and downs we've shared. Anyway ... this post wasn't supposed to be about him - so back to school: Andrew has the same teacher he had last year as she teaches a combined 5th/6th grade class. He did get a "new" classroom - bigger & better as well. His seat is in the very back row this year ... I am hoping this is less of a coincidence and more of a sign that his teacher knows he can handle being at the almost furthest point from her & her desk during a school day!? :) I now see he is surrounded by GIRLS so that should help - he still doesn't like them very much ... thankfully! ha!

Anna has a brand new teacher this year - new to our school - new to us - and we like her already. Ironically - or by God's providence? - Anna got an assigned seat on the very front row of the classroom! It's probably for the best as well ;)

As for me, the school office has been the quietest it has EVER been in the 5+ years I have worked there!! With the new building, the classrooms that surround my office are seldom in use - and the most of the younger children are in a whole 'nother building. The other lady who works with me & I are wondering if we won't get too lonely and bored??! With traffic patterns re-routed for the new building, we also have less of a flow of parents coming through our office. BUT on the flip side, we have gotten SO MUCH accomplished in the quieter atmosphere - and my nerves are not frayed and my brain is not frazzled ... yet. :)

6th Grade

Tonight was the Orientation for our school's 5th - 12th graders.
My son is in 6th grade this year!

I remember my 6th grade year pretty well! We had just made a big move from Northeastern Virginia to Knoxville, Tennessee. So, I had to face a new school, a new church, new friends...but overall, it was a good school year for me .... WELL, except for that one fateful day on the playground. Our class often played "Boys chase the girls" or "Girls chase the boys", which was pretty much like a game of tag. It was the boys' turn to chase us, and a boy named Kris was after me. As he reached out to tag me, the ties on my wrap-around skirt came loose - and my skirt fell off!! Thankfully, my mother insisted that I wear a slip every day. I never wore that skirt again, by the way.

Hopefully, my son will not face such humiliation in his 6th grade year! I foresee our most daunting days to revolve around a familiar nemesis: Spelling and Language. I love how a new school year feels though - all the books the are in perfect condition, the assignment pad is blank yet, and the school supplies are plentiful. You kind of feel like you want to do your best this year - to stay focused and organized - or at least that's how I always felt. I wish that feeling would last into October - to February - and all the way through May - but I know we'll get tired and forget things and slack off occasionally - but hopefully not too often! :)

School Days!

Because my husband and I both work at our children's Christian school, the first days of the school year affect our entire family - well, pretty much affect our entire LIFE as we are probably at the school/church together more than we are together at home, I think!!

Somehow summer slipped by. I didn't get as much done as I planned - I didn't make as much progress as I hoped to - and I didn't get to do all the fun stuff we wanted to either (Science Center in St. Louis - Splash Zone water park). But I'm thankful for what we DID get to do - took a few days of vacation in July, cleaned out my children's rooms a little, kids went to camp, took a lot of stuff to Goodwill, and had a few days off just to be at home with my children.

Meanwhile, our school has grown! This summer we watched a new building go up - and to save money, many of our staff and church members pitched in to do some of the finishing touches like painting and floor tiling. So many did so much!

Last night we had our first Parent Orientation/Open House for the K4 class through 4th graders. The K5 through 4th grade classes are in the new building - and it was so exciting to see the rooms all fixed up - full of desks and books and bulletin boards! Tonight we get to do it all again for our 5th - 12th graders.

I am not really good at changes - and the fact that we have increased our enrollment and added a new building make me just a little nervous! Not that I don't appreciate growth, but I anticipate how everything is going to be now with so many students, so many parents to deal with, classrooms so far away from my little office. However, I know that it is only because GOD has allowed these changes, He will help us adjust. If everyone cooperates and has a good attitude and works together, it will be a GREAT school year - and knowing our staff, it will be so.

Half Way!!

I'm almost through the 19th week of my pregnancy!! Thank the Lord I've made it this far ... and I still don't even believe I am really going to have another baby!!
In fact, this week, I had this bizarre feeling that I wasn't even pregnant or maybe I wasn't pregnant any more ... or you know how weird thoughts go through your mind in the middle of the night (or maybe you don't know ... but I have weird thoughts a lot!) :)

I haven't really felt the baby move (normal, I know, especially since they say the thinner the woman, the sooner they feel the baby move --- which means I probably won't feel anything for many more weeks to come!). I am still able to somewhat sleep on my stomach (which is one thing I remember really missing at the end of my last pregnancies!). I don't waddle or feel huge yet ... which is all good - there's plenty of time for that. BUT it all makes me forget I'm pregnant sometimes!!

However, if you look at me, I guess I am finally starting to LOOK a little pregnant. :) I know this will probably be my last pregnancy - and so I am trying to enjoy each moment, especially because I've been blessed with feeling really well this time so far. I want to document each moment better - not for anyone else but myself. I will probably never again experience this phenomenon again ... and it truly IS a miracle!! Without modern medicine I may have never experienced it once - let alone several times and at the "elder maternal age" of 38! ;) I know many women who would love to have children haven't been able to - and many who have lost children ... and it makes me even more appreciative of the blessing to carry a new life.

Cookin'

It's been a while since I cooked much of anything... between my parents being here, then being wiped out over the weekend, and now I have a sick child at home, there just hasn't been much opportunity or gumption.

Today I did finally cook so my husband would have something decent to eat after a long day at work ... especially since I've been able to be home today.

On the menu:
Frikadellen (German style meat patties) or Frikadeller (the Danish version).
They are easy to put together - kind of like a meatloaf, you can add what you want to the meat.

I used:
1 lb ground beef
1 hot dog bun (slice of day old bread is great too), made wet w/ water & then squeeze water out
minced onions from jar (or real diced onions), to taste
a little ground mustard
ketchup, just a squirt
salt & pepper
1 egg yolk (put aside egg white in a bowl)

You'll also need a plate of bread crumbs and a frying pan with margarine melted in it.

You gotta get your hands messy - so I put all the above in a mixing bowl, remove my rings, and mush all the ingredients together with my hands!

Form meat into 4-5 patties. Dip in egg white & then in bread crumbs. Put in pan w/ the melted margarine - and brown on one side on a medium-high setting. Once the side is brown, flip patties & brown other side.

When both sides are brown, turn down heat to low, cover pan, and let cook through for about 20 minutes.

When done, I like to put the patties on a paper towel to blot off the excess margarine - and then flip them & do the same. And that's it! We like to eat Frikadellen with ketchup :) The German way would be to have some kind of fried potatoes or dumplings and cover the potatoes or noodles & meat with a creamy, brown gravy/sauce.

Between Walnut Grove and Europe

Lately my daughter has been watching a lot of the old TV show, "Little House on the Prairie" as well as the American Girl movies, of which "Samantha" is my favorite. It is set in 1904, a very simple, seemingly elegant (if you were rich!) time. The thoughts of the "good ol' days" and simpler times is so appealing in the midst of the stress, clutter, and activity that we tend to live in these days.



As I contemplate having another chance to rock a baby to sleep again, I envision myself slowing down to a Little House pace. I want to have more home-made meals and bake more cookies for my family; I want to learn to live more frugally as we'll be missing the little salary that I will give up; and I want to invest time into my family instead of having to rush off the work and deal with other people's problems all day. I want my home to be that safe, clean(?), organized(?), clutter-free, happy place for my family to come to after a long day at school. I want to be a true homebody!

And yet, I know that the ideal will not be as easy or as perfect as I anticipate it in my dreams. I realize I do have some wanderlust tendencies - and that my materialist side will want to beg to go out to eat somewhere fancy once in a while! And I'll need to get to a big city outside of Middle-of-No-Where, Missouri every so often. Escape from the mundane routines. I'll need to go SHOPPING - if just window shopping - every so often with my girlfriends and just get out of town. My life will not be a 1 hour tv show where I'll know what to say and do all the time. My house will get dirty and disorganized - and I'll be tired and cranky sometimes.

Occasionally I start thinking about some things that my life used to be - living in Europe and on the East and West Coasts and Texas while we were in the Army. It is enough to make me want to get on an airplane and head to somewhere far away! The thoughts are totally opposite of the homebody homemaker I need to become. I wonder what it would be like to show my children the OCEAN and watch them play in the waves and sand. I haven't seen a beach in years, although up until 7 years ago, beaches and oceans were always within short driving distances from where we lived. I would love to not just tell my children about history but to SHOW them the rich history of Europe and other areas of this country. There are so many interesting places, foods, and people out there to see and experience! That is in complete disagreement with the simple life mind set, isn't it!!?

And yet, I'm content to live simpler - and just talk about and read about the exciting places. I am just struck by the contrast of my heart when I start thinking about how different my life now is! My children are growing up so differently than I did - going to Germany each summer to stay with my grandparents and then traveling so extensively with Dan after we were married. And yet, life is GOOD as it is!! As I get older, my view becomes more "eternal." It is wonderful that God created a magnificent planet with so much to explore and allowed humanity to develop through History! But for me, for now, the time I invest in my family, my church, and my neighbors is worth more in the light of eternity. Perhaps my children will see Europe or the ocean some day -and if they do, that will be terrific ... but for now, we will enjoy the simple days, the joy of watching a baby grow, and the blessings the Lord gives us each day right here in the Middle-of-No-Where, Missouri. :)

Weekend!

We've had some fun, busy weeks lately - filled with visitors and lots going on. It's been GREAT - but I'm kind of thankful that tonight - Friday night - there is just the 4 of us at home, not planning on doing a whole lot - and looking forward to a quiet Saturday for a change :)

This is a random post - here's a picture of my son Andrew. I feel like I've been posting more pictures of Anna lately - so here's a picture we are actually going to submit to the Lego magazine. As Andrew said, some of the pictures they publish are kind of pitiful, so surely, he has a chance to get his picture in the publication too!! ha!! :) We just need a catchy title for the picture ... that encompasses all the various items built.
My daughter got an old fashioned hoola-hoop a few days ago. She's getting the hang of it!

My mom and Anna discovered they had very similar skirts - and almost the same colored tshirts! So Wednesday night, they went to our mid-week church service as "twins". Sadly, this is about the only picture I took of my parents' visit this week.

We did have a good time together. We did some shopping, made some crafts, cooked, and went to the Lake of the Ozarks (where I had my doctor appt). My dad did some fix-it projects for us - digging a french drain ditch to hopefully keep our garage from flooding at each heavy rain and almost fixing my garage door so that the automatic garage door opener ALMOST works again ... it still has a glitch that makes it catch when it's almost open or closed and then it won't open completely ... but it seems more aligned than it was before! :)

I am so glad my parents made the trip to see us though traveling isn't as easy as it used to be for them - especially now that my dad has prostate cancer. He's doing well though and is anticipating cryo-surgery in September. My mom has fun craft projects for the kids - and she cooked us a German dinner one night of bratwurst, red cabbage, and dumpling noodles with gravy! They left this morning, and we were so glad they got to spend the week!

Green, Yellow, Red

So, at 15 weeks pregnant, my doctor and the ultrasound tech were thinking our baby was a girl. Yesterday, at 18 weeks, the nurse was telling us our baby had a "boy" heart rate!?

I am not convinced of either answer - although I realize one of them is right!

My doctor was away at the hospital, delivering a baby when it was time for my appointment on Wednesday. I was pretty disappointed because I had hoped for another ultrasound - and my husband, kids, and mom were there and wanted to see it too!

No ultrasound - and only a brief visit with a nurse who basically only asked how I was feeling - and did a Doppler heart beat check - and of course, filled our heads with thoughts that maybe this baby is a boy after all (our initial inclination!). In the end, the baby is what it is ... and I'm just thankful it has a heartbeat - but I'm a little sad at having to go back to calling it an "it". I was just getting used to saying GIRL - but now I don't know. I wasn't really sure to begin with.

My next appointment is August 26 - and hopefully I will get to actually see my doctor and have another u/s. Until then, we can all make our guesses! BOY or GIRL!?

Old Fashioned & New Fashions

We do not have a garden - however, I love love love fresh garden produce. During this time, we hope for hand-outs from our friends with gardens (pitiful, aren't we!!?) or sometimes break down and buy some veggies from a local produce stand. We all love garden grown tomatoes (my kids eat them like apples!) especially - but there are very few garden items we don't like!

Last weekend we were blessed to receive some garden grown green beans! Though I've made them before, my daughter has never helped - until Saturday. She picked the ends off and helped me cook them. We boiled them, then sauteed them in bacon grease with some onions - so so good!! :) She's really into Little House on the Prairie right now, so this was a fun flashback to the good ol' days for her too.

My parents are visiting this week. My dad is retired from the Army so he has taken me shopping on the Army post nearby several times. Today we hit the Thrift Shop - which you can visit even if you aren't an ID card holder. It is in a brand new location, clean and well organized. I finally bought a bunch of baby clothes! Mostly I got "onesies" and some sleepers, which were all $ 0.50 each. Anna had so much fun sorting through them when we got home.

Lots of PINK in there! Tomorrow I have another doctor appointment - and hopefully another ultrasound. My husband, kids, and mother will all get to go. Hopefully the baby is still a girl!! We'd be happy either way; however, I'm slowly getting more and more vested in girl things.

The Letter

Friday night at church - after a long week - and feeling somewhat weary yet happy that I had completed all I needed to do - someone handed me a letter. It was a 3 page letter where they told me some of their observations and gave me some encouragement. And I have to say it was one of the nicest things anyone has done for me lately!

While I don't mean to say I'm so wonderful that I deserve a 3 page letter written about me and my family, I wanted to share the feeling that I got while I read what this person had to say about watching my family, watching me, and appreciating what she saw. The one thing I was most thrilled to read is that, at least in this person's eyes, I have accomplished something that I set out to be - and that is REAL. I struggle, I'm not perfect, I don't have the answers so many of the times, I'm often at a loss of what is the right thing to do, and I sure fail often - HOWEVER, despite that, I want to get better, work on my weaknesses, and learn from my mistakes. Perhaps this person saw a glimpse of that!

My main reason for this post however is to not tell you what a noble person I am (I am NOT), but to say, if you have a gift for writing or if you enjoy buying cards or making them, write & send or give one soon!! I think I am going to! I haven't written a real hand-written, soul-revealing note of encouragement to someone in a long time. But now that I have been given one, I realize what such a note can mean to someone! For me, this letter will be something that I will read again - not to puff myself up - but to encourage myself in the Lord that even if just ONE person sees I'm trying to live right, do right, and please God in my life and my family - despite my failures - it is worth it to keep going. It is worth it anyway, even if no one but God sees my heart - but it was nice to read it in real words in a letter.

To be MORE encouraged, check out the newly launched blog/website (In)courage !!