Thanksgiving

Full of ideas and grand plans, we tend to do something a little different each year for Thanksgiving. One year we served at a local church, serving dinner to families down on their luck or delivering them directly to the homeless. It seems a large number of families reach out on Thanksgiving, so volunteer opportunities are really hard to come by. A few years ago, I thought I would host dinner for our family at my house. I do enjoy entertaining and really enjoyed myself, but it cost several hundred dollars to serve all those people and realizing only an hour after dinner that we were alone to clean up the mess gave little motivation to make that an annual tradition. At least until my kids are grown.

Last year we invited family over for breakfast. We had all the fixings and the wisdom in that plan was that breakfast shouldn't coincide with anyone else's family dinner so everyone could join us. Plus, they don't have to rush off immediately after the meal to the next dinner. It was a hit.

This year however, Mike volunteered to work - all four days of Thanksgiving vacation. (He may regret that when he realizes he worked two days for Uncle Sam.) I had wanted to take the kids somewhere special for the weekend, since we would be missing Daddy, but he didn't want us to spend the money he would have earned. We decided to hunt hard for a volunteer opportunity. At the last minute we found a need with Wheeler Mission. They asked us to be marathon Marshall's for the mini-drumstick, directing the runners and handing out water. We were excited, but I'll admit I was very anxious about waking my night owls and preparing them for freezing weather at 6:00 in the morning. As I feared, we didn't succeed in making that obligation.

We did however, invite Franny and her family over for Thanksgiving. It was a joy. We learned a few years ago to buy the prepared turkey that is ready to cook straight from the freezer. No fuss and great taste. We also glazed a ham from our barter. From there, Keely and I prepared very lumpy mashed potatoes with gravy in our frog gravy-boat, green bean casserole using our garden beans, stuffing (Stove Top of course), Rhodes bread with apple butter, cranberry sauce, and the best cheese cake I have ever had. Oh, we also made apple cider in the crock pot. Delicious.

Two Step Creamy Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped cream topping, thawed

1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1/2 pint sliced fresh strawberries

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon mixture into graham crumb crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Once the cheesecake has set, garnish with sliced strawberries. Serve.

This evening we are headed to Rachael's for the annual tradition of chili on Black Friday. Mike will meet us back home at about 9:30pm and I think, Candice will drop by here as well. At some point this weekend, I think we'll put up our Christmas tree. We are sticking to the tradition of buying a real tree. Noah in particular really enjoys that. We can pick up a grave blanket too, for Lyric. Blessings to You!

Baby Name

When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of having a little girl and naming her "Miranda Priscilla." I loved that name for years and Keely screeches in horror at the thought she could be called Miranda. When I was pregnant with her though, I was confident I was having a boy. I had picked out the name Damien Cole. (No, I had no idea there was a movie about a satan child named Damien.) Later in my pregnancy however, I was reading a book and found the name Keely. I looked up the meaning and it meant beauty or beautiful. Keely's pregnancy was a bit of a struggle for me because I was a young mom and had little support. I knew though that my baby would be the first beauty to enter my life and I was blessed. In fact, she did change my life for the better in everyway. After having such conviction with her name, it seemed quite clear I was having a girl.

While pregnant with Noah, again, I wanted to be surprised with the gender. We liked the name Emma, because of course I thought I was having a girl, but it just didn't touch my heart the same way Keely's name had. Just prior to becoming pregnant with Noah, Mike and I had begin attending church at New Hope. I had wanted to be baptized immediately, but Mike was more hesitant initially. A few months went by and I tried to be Mike's Holy Spirit, clearly causing distance between Mike and the Lord. However, the Lord prevailed in spite of me and Mike and I were baptized in May, the fifth month of my pregnancy. Afterwards, we felt rather isolated. Our family seemed to think we had found a new fad and reminded us frequently that we had many flaws, which real Christians would not have. This persecution made me really identify with the isolation Noah must have felt. When I shared this name with Mike we knew the Lord had hand picked it for him and of course, we gave him Mike's middle name. Noah Michael. Noah genuinely thought he was closer to God than the rest of us because after all, he did build the ark and was baptized while in my belly.

Our third pregnancy, we knew the Lord would provide a name but waiting for that to come was painstaking. I remember reading an Old Testament passage about being pure like the lily and thought Lily might be her name. Again, convinced I was having a girl. This child came after years of my praying for another child. Mike had a vasectomy while I was pregnant with Noah and for years, I prayed the Lord would change his heart and give him the desire for another child. Many years later it happened, but he said if the Lord wanted us to have a child, he could overcome a vasectomy. Not too long afterwards Mike said if we could find the money or a cheap resource for a reversal, he would have it done. Another miracle presented when we found a Christian physician in Merriville, Indiana. He was a wonderful man and performed the procedure at cost. Mike had the surgery just prior to my starting graduate school in June. Seven months later we learned we were pregnant. After much prayer and thanksgiving for this pregnancy, the Lord provided the name Lyric. It was perfect because we were so grateful and wanted a name to represent the praise and worship we wanted to offer. I was also quite moved by the story of Abraham and the test of faith he was given. I had prayed a great deal for this child and like Hannah, bargained for him. It wasn't until after Lyric was born and was clearly going home to Jesus that we found the irony in both his first and middle name, Lyric Bram. It was hard to write the name on his birth certificate, but I knew the Lord had picked them for him and years later, I can't imagine anything different.

Samuel was maybe the easiest of all, I mean in respect to waiting for his name to be clear to me. I am not sure if that was because I was in denial of my being pregnant for so long or if that was because his name was clear from the beginning. It seems we knew immediately though that we would name him Samuel - God's gift. The meaning was perfect, but the name itself wasn't quite comfortable on my tongue. I found in a commentary somewhere that Shem was a nickname for Samuel. Shem was Noah's son, the blessed son. His middle name Moses was simply because the story of Moses was and is one of the greatest inspirations to me from the Bible. There are so many wonderful lessons to be learned from the life of Moses and daily the Lord seems to remind me of at least one, which gives me the perseverance in my own calling. The funny thing, and completely unexpected, was Samuel ended up being born in water. Still today he loves being in the water and seems to be completely unaware of when it completely covers his face in the shower. Samuel Moses - our gift, born into water.

Now...once again, I await direction from the Lord as if I am awaiting Christmas morning. Our back-up name for Samuel was Jewel, although we were confident with him that we were having a boy. This time, once again, I wonder if I am having a girl. I simply can't imagine though. It would be fabulous and of course, she would be well welcomed, but we all seem to agree that we have become quite use to boys in the house. The name Jewel though seems to sit in my mind. Mike's grandmother's name was Jewel and having been so close to his father, it would please him immensely to name his daughter after her. However, I am also reminded of a mother I cared for very early in my career.

As I started my shift, the board of laboring mothers was read to the on-coming nurses and we were told a very large mother in room ten was being induced and clearly would need a cesarean. She was assigned to me, sort of as a joke, "because if anyone can get a vaginal birth out of her, it would be Penny." Absolutely. I was on a mission. Believing in women goes a long way! This woman, whose name I can't even remember, was one of the kindest women I have ever met. It was an honor to assist her in birthing her daughter, Diamond Sierra into the world. A few years later as I took report for my shift, again as had become my legacy, I was given the difficult case. I walked in room six and to my surprise was Diamond's mother! She remembered me too and had said, "Oh, it's Penny," and she turned to her family and said, "Penny is a Christian." Then looked back at me for validation, "Right?" I was astonished and honored. My love for her was apparent. I was shocked that she knew I was a Christian without it having been blatantly shared.

Again, we had a beautiful birth and she named her son Marque, although I can't remember his middle name regrettably. It also was the name of a gem like her daughter and I asked her, why she had chosen such names. She explained to me that she visioned entering the gates of heaven and seeing an enormous, breath-taking wall of gems for all the Christians she had been a witness to and her children had led to the Lord. Anyway, I think of her and her wall of gems when I think of Jewel. What great joy it would be to have a daughter whose name represents evangelism. I suppose we'll see where the Lord leads us as we still have many months ahead of us!

We are ALL Winners!

The one sperm that achieves its destiny has won against gigantic odds, several hundred million to one. The baby it engenders has a far greater mathematical chance of becoming president than the sperm had of fathering a baby.

Alan Guttmacher, MD

More than ten thousand babies are born daily in the United States.

Each year, about 175,000 babies are born to dads who are at least forty years old. At the same time, 31,000 are born to mothers who are at least forty years old.

The best thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother.

Mother's Prayer

Dear Lord, I do not ask
That thou should'st give me some high work of thine,
Some noble calling, or some wond'rous task;
Give me a little hand to hold in mine,
Give me a little child to point the way
Over the strange, sweet path that leads to Thee:
Give me a little voice to teach to pray,
Give me two shining eyes Thy face to see.
The only crown I ask, dear Lord, to wear
Is this: that I may teach a little child.
I do not ask that I may ever stand
Among the wise, the worthy, or the great;
I only ask that softly, hand in hand,
A child and I may enter at the gate.

Author Unknown

Mothering Quote

"Mothering is never, never polished nor orderly nor placid nor smooth. It is instead a wonderful roller coaster of sweet and disorderly chaos and clutter, smiles and worry, battle cries and lullibies, ecstasy and wonderment, with constant overtones of hard work, busted budgets, and the glorious feeling that I have the privilege of influencing the life of another human being for good."

A mother of Four and Grandmother of Ten

Blessing

I've had a few readers discover my accidental pregnancy announcement! Ha! I hadn't shared before because I had so few symptoms, and absolutely no nausea, so expected to miscarry at any point. As time passed, I became a bit more nervous that this pregnancy wasn't viable. After sharing my concerns with several thorough readers, it became quite clear that I have among my friends a few prayer warriors. I was so sick the other night I thought I was going to die! Sick enough in fact that I didn't have to point out the obvious to my husband (that he needed to care for Samuel so I could make friends with the toilet!) I was praying and repenting my doubt and ungratefulness for a peaceful pregnancy. Thank-you my friends and of course, the reassurance took me shopping in celebration! No more prayers for nausea/vomiting though! I am good to go!

Not only did I buy some maternity clothes, but I found lots of sale items for Christmas. I found Elmo pajamas and a robe for Samuel. I was so excited and can't wait to watch him open gifts this year. Keely has picked out a large portion of her gifts, but I suppose once you confess to not believing in Santa Clause you live with the consequences of not having the anticipation of Christmas morning. We do plan to make most of our gifts this year though.

The other blessing yesterday was rededicating my love to Chick-fil-A. Who doesn't love that place? The service is always excellent. The food is fabulous. They support their community and clearly are a faith-based practice. They are a bit pricey though. Yesterday however, I was reminded that this simply means you are getting what you pay for. I went through the drive-through and ordered the boys their kids meals and me the number one. Then as I rounded to the window I remembered Samuel playing with my wallet in the office and I hadn't returned it to my purse. Of course, I couldn't get the attention of the workers until they were ready to hand out our food. I quickly explained the situation and asked if they would set the food aside, that my husband was in town and could run some money over in the next few minutes. She looked at me like I was absurd and said, "You need to eat! We'll give you the food and the receipt. Then when you can, just stop back buy and pay the bill." What?! I am a life-long Chick-fil-A fan. Eat Mor Chikin!

Faith

Clearly we have all been given different spiritual gifts or various doses of those gifts. I am very grateful that it seems my greatest spiritual gift is Faith. Unfortunately, the consequence of this gift seems to be significant trials, persecution, judgment and loneliness (worldly).

As a new Christian many years ago, I caught myself in the middle of a praise and worship prayer confessing that nothing would rock my faith. Immediately I realized I had just put a target on my children because if I ever lost a child or my husband, I just may falter. I have since prayed faithfully that the Lord would continue to deepen my faith and guard me from Satan's trials (as well as my own pride). My faith has survived the death of my son and the Lord was and is glorified.

I have been reading a bit today about trusting God in labor. As each of us know, faith and belief are not at all the same idea. Most everyone believes in God, but a much smaller number have a heart of genuine faith. We also know that works do not bring salvation, but the result of your faith brings works. In my lifetime, I have become close with many that have been given the gift of service or giving. I have had a bit of envy of these women, as these are gifts everyone sees the fruit of; where a gift of faith is more personal and often private. Unfortunately, I have been victim to many volunteers in the church that judge my relationship with God as weak because I don't volunteer to organize VBS or lead a Sunday school group. I have been told that I need to plan my vacations from work better so I can participate in these sorts of activities.

Clearly, my own ministry is not one that all Christians view as fruit for the Lord. It sounds so foreign to me to discuss my profession, my passion, my calling with my Christian sisters and brothers and for them to giggle, belittle or cast off my calling as a real oddity. Do they not see this as a matter of faith? Have they forgotten to look at the WWJD bracelet when it comes to matters of pregnancy, birth and mothering? I am a bit over-whelmed at how easily the idol of technology, convenience and comfort has snuck into our lives without any conviction what-so-ever. I remember clearly, as a baby Christian, hearing the woman I had looked up to as "the perfect Christian Shepard" laugh when she heard I was a midwife and exclaim, "Ha! I don't think any woman should ever feel the pain of labor. Give me an epidural right away!" My heart cried out, but you are missing the Lord!!! To be carried through birth on the wings of the Lord is much greater than the ride of any epidural man's science can offer and I genuinely thought, this great Titus 2 woman would recognize that immediately. This was when I became aware of just how sneaky cultural traditions can shade our Godly vision.

It is rather peculiar too that a deepened faith is an attribute common to Christian prayer, yet when faith is demonstrated in the life of another, it is often viewed not as one of obedience but instead as recklessness. However, if our step in faith is truly in obedience of the Lord's will, the world will not understand it and will mock us.

This post hasn't followed at all the process my mind had when I first began typing, but I close on the great oxymoron of my life's calling. I am a homebirth midwife and a law student with a mission for creating change in our culture. My vision is for Christian families to depend on the Lord during their pregnancy and birth, while having awareness of how the journey of pregnancy through mothering can allow for tremendous molding by the Potter's hands. I also am grateful for the opportunity to witness and share with the unsaved all the many miracles our Creator has to offer during their experience. I am an enormous advocate in all aspects of my profession working for political and legislative change, education, support and so forth. However, I don't have vision for midwifery to be accepted on a grander scale than it is today. I believe because we are to a large extent, proponents of His created purpose, the world will continue to persecute our work as Christ was for His own evangelism. We are attempting to give pearls to pigs. Yet, the blessing of catching just one child of God's or witnessing the transformation of the lost to someone that genuinely feels the arms of Christ wrapped around them in labor is beyond words. I am daily putting energy into work that I believe God is asking of me, but I don't necessarily believe will give the results the world would judge as successful. I suppose this is living in faith.

A good laugh...

I found a web site of homemade items, many specific to birth, breastfeeding and midwifery, but clearly a very new age company. This had me laughing hysterically. Before you look, observe over your shoulder for children's eyes.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_18&listing_id=17076728

Food Co-op

I have wanted to join a food co-op since I was pregnant with Lyric and haven't been successful in finding one. Of course, many of my friends and/or acquaintances have mentioned being in one and promised to pass along the information, but time just flies and we would forget. Finally, one of my clients copied and brought me the information. I have joined a West Lafayette/Lafayette group and hope to join a Lebanon group tomorrow! I found a source for chickens, raw cheese and fish too! Thrilled! I have copied this information and will share it with each of my clients and of course, I'll keep you up-dated on my findings.

I've shared before that this was the first year we have had a hog butchered. I don't think I'll ever buy pork over-the-counter again. An old friend of mine has huge convictions regarding the cruel methods in which animals are killed for their meat and she left quite an impression on me and the children. This meat was not only humanly killed, but is organic! We are suppose to get our calf this month too. I can't wait.

Unfortunately, we are nearly out of green beans, as well as spaghetti sauce and corn. I had to tell Keely to stop making green beans with every meal, because I canned enough to eat a jar a week for the year. She whined, "But...they are so good!" Mike has huge plans for the garden next year and has already tilled a plot twice the size of last year's garden. I think we both forgot that I'll be birthing a baby in mid-June!

A Child's Vocabulary

Every child ought

to know the pleasure

of words so well

chosen that they

awaken sensibility,

great emotions,

and understanding

of truth.

Take all the words available in the human vocabulary and read them from a dictionary and all you have is a list of words, but with the creativity and imagination God has given human beings, let these words flow together in the right order and they give wings to the spirit. Proverbs says, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

Books, the right kind of books, can give us the experience of words. They have the power to evoke emotion, a sense of spiritual conviction, an inner expansion that fills a child to the brim so that "the years ahead will never run dry."

Words and experiences go together. One enriches the other. We can play games with our children to inspire their vocabulary. How does the summer night sound? How does a rainy day feel? This helps train the ear to listen and the heart to feel beauty and emotion as it comes out in stories that the children later read.

Since words are the way we communicate experiences, truth, and situations, who should know how to use them more creatively than people who are aware of their Creator? Words can offer a glimpse of God-huge thoughts, of beauty, of substance beyond our earthiness, of the immensity of all there is to discover. Children are the most imaginative of creatures. They have an amazing capacity to learn. Respect their eagerness and competence by introducing them to good books.

Books can help children learn what to look for in life. Reading develops the taste buds of the mind as children learn to savor, heard, and experienced and fit these into some kind of worth-while framework. Books do impart a sense of security. Children meet others whose backgrounds, religions, and cultural ways are unlike their own. They come to accept the feeling of being different, and fear, which is the result of not understanding, is removed.

Facing failures and tragedies with the characters of a story may vicariously give children the experience of courage and loyalty. Weeping with some and rejoicing with others - this is the beginning of a compassionate heart.

Paraphrased from Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt

Keely has just finished reading...

1. Mara, Daughter of the Nile
2. The Golden Goblet
3. Hittite Warrior

Noah has just finished reading...

1. Ginger Pye
2. The Red Sail
3. The Pony Express

Grab a book and curl up with your children.

Law Suit Frustrates Me...

I found this article on Yahoo and am thoroughly frustrated. I can't imagine the rule the courts must have used to base their ruling. Any thoughts?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081108/ap_on_re_us/house_hidden_money - New Link!

Had this couple's contractor found mold or termites in the wall, rather than a load of money, neither he or the previous owners (and their twenty-one descendents) would have shared in the expense of fixing it. How can they have legal claim on a found treasure?

Laundry Soap Update

The laundry soap is wonderful. It cleans nicely and smells wonderfully. It is also just a penny a load! I have attached a link from another blog that details how to make the recipe with pictures. I purchased all of the items at Marsh, except the five gallon bucket was a bit hard to find. I eventually found one at Advance Auto for $5.00, but today Mike found one at Rural King that also has a lid and it was about the same price. Let me know if you enjoy your own. It was extremely simply to do.

http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/search/label/Laundry%20Tips

Homemade Laundry Soap

Inspired by the blogger, "Grocery Challenge," I have finished gathering all the ingredients for making my own laundry soap and am melting the first batch on the stove now. I have always had the desire to be more self-reliant and earth friendly by making my own cleaning products, but haven't really found many of my recipes near as productive as the store bought brands. We have switched to all organic cleaning products, which except for cleaning the kitchen sink, work perfectly well. I will keep you up-dated on the success of our laundry soap, but for inspiration, making my own will only cost me a penny a load! I am going to add some lavender to the batch, but otherwise my recipe is straight from her recommendation.

Vaccinations and Public Safety...

I am currently learning about public verses private rights and where liability lies. I was rather surprised to see vaccinations as the example provided. Here is what I've learned.

"Suppose the government forces all children to be vaccinated. This is for the good of everyone and the only way to stop disease. However, in rare cases the vaccinated child will suffer a serious reaction that may cause brain damage or even death even though no one is at fault. If a child is injured in such a case, should she be permitted to recover from the government on the ground that the government exacted a benefit for society as a whole by forcing the child to accept the risks of the vaccination?"

In Lapierre v Attorney-General of Quebec (Can. 1995) the court rejected the claim that the government should be liable for injuries from compulsory vaccination. The issue seems to be whether the government intentionally imposes harm, and when they impose risk that is not substantially certain to injure any particular or identifiable persons.

Personally, I think this argument is naive. This ignores the issue of capitalism. Vaccine manufactures are making billions, if not trillions, of dollars from vaccines that most of which do nothing more than provide us convenience from minor, irritating illnesses. Most people my age suffered and survived the chickenpox, the mumps, the measels, even the Roto virus. We missed school, but we got the benefit of being pampered by our parents. The so-called benefit in these vaccinations is that they decrease days parents miss work because no longer are they required to stay home and care for their sick children. However, this is a very short-lived benefit. When these immunized children grow up and realize their protection only lasted twenty years and they become exposed to chicken pox as an adult, no longer is this a simple, irritating disease, but potentially a deadly one. Not only will they miss a few days of work, but potentially will be hospitalized for treatment. Did the government consider the impact to the unborn baby of a pregnant woman exposed to chickenpox that never developed her own antibodies as a child, and was unaware that her chickenpox vaccine is no longer protecting her?

Further, how can the government ignore one in forty children suffering from autism, which parallels the increase in immunizations? Why is it that vaccines often have far more ingredients than is necessary or safe? How can we trust, even mandate, human manufactured products when we have a plethora of pharmaceuticals and medical products recalled daily for safety hazards?

When we live in a country that prioritizes capitalism over private citizen's rights, I am always cautious of manipulation. Does the government truly not recognize the intelligence in each of their citizens and our own ability to weight the risks and benefits of immunizing our children? We seem to feel it is appropriate to allow women to choose not to breastfeed their babies and aggressively protect the rights of a women to choose how they will feed their infants. And as appauled as the nation would be at the government's mandate for all women to breastfeed, this wouldn't be unlike demanding all children be vaccinated for public safety. Not breastfeeding has posed far greater risk to mothers, babies and our community than the chickenpox virus has. Once again, when a company (like our formula manufacteurs) stands to gain trillions of dollars, capitalism trumps public safety. The government doesn't even support an advertisement campaign supporting breastfeeding because it might harm the artificial breastmilk sales. Let me be clear, the government prioritizes capitalism, not the safety of its citizens.

I don't deny that immunizations have been one of the greatest leaps for mankind this century, but as is true for most all aspects of human nature, we tend to take a good thing too far. Do children really need nine vaccinations at only two months of age? Really? Do they require more than fifty by the end of their first year to live a healthy, productive life? When a company stands to gain as much as the vaccine manufactures do, is the government really so naive to assume that their products and their marketing, even their lobbying, is solely for the good of mankind? I believe our children's children will be reading in their history and science text books about the dichotomy vaccinations offered our generation, and the greed that created such catastrophe.

P.S. This is my blog and I can post whatever I want to!!!

Another Milestone...

Samuel is dressing himself now. Unfortunately, he often goes straight to the dirty clothes, rather than his dresser. His top priority is finding a pair of Noah's boxer shorts.

Hope I am Never this Attorney...

ATTORNEY: She had three children, right? WITNESS: Yes. ATTORNEY: How many were boys? WITNESS: None. ATTORNEY: Were there any girls? W ITNESS : Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get anew attorney?

ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to? WITNESS: Oral.

ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body? WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m. ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time? WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for apulse? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when youbegan the autopsy? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor? WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive,nevertheless? WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

I am attending law school on-line, which I believe is the wave of the future for most academic programs; however, the national law association doesn't recognize on-line education even though three supreme court justice's are graduates of Concord Law School. For this reason, when I graduate, I will sit the BAR in California but will be unable to be licensed in Indiana because like many states, they follow the recommendations of the national organization and will not recognize my degree.

Now you ask, "Why would you attend a school that offers a degree that will not even allow me to practice law in Indiana?"

Several reasons...If an attorney has passed the BAR in any state, they can practice federal law, which offers the vast majority of options I had visioned for my legal work. Further, it is my hope that more and more states, including Indiana, will reconsider recognizing on-line programs with respect to the changing times and proven success of Concord graduates. Additionally, this is the only option I would have for legal education at this point in my life, as I simply couldn't commit to the daily schedule of a brick-and-mortar school.

That being said...here is some hope!

An interesting filing in the Texas state legislature to allow folks like us to take the Bar and practice in Texas. It takes a while for bills like this, but at least there's motion: http://www.legis. state.tx. us/tlodocs/ 80R/billtext/ html/HB01055I. htm

To track this bill, and see other info around it, go here and make use of the tabs at the top of the page. http://www.legis. state.tx. us/BillLookup/ History.aspx? LegSess=80R& Bill=HB1055 As the bill says (section (b) is underlined by the legislature itself), if passed one day, so long as we pass the CA bar, and are in good standing, we could take the Texas Bar and practice. We simply need to keep writing our legislature and help keep the ball rolling.

Five Things...

Let's play along. I got tagged by Maria.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. I gave birth to Noah.
2. I was working in the OB-ICU at the Indiana Medical Center.
3. Keely was in Kindergarten, so I was often assisting her school teachers.
4. I began playing in our church's contemporary praise and worship band. (My New Year's Resolution that year was to play flute in a band!)
5. I began searching for ways to help breastfeeding mothers succeed.

5 Things on My To-Do List Today:
1. Study
2. Write some briefs
3. Memorize rules
4. Finish at least four modules
5. Shower!

5 Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Cheese & Crackers
2. Watermelon
3. Carmel apples
4. Carmel popcorn
5. Coke Floats

5 Things I'd Do If I Were A Millionaire:
1. Pay off our house
2. Make some surprise contributions
3. Travel with the family for a year
4. Create non-profit groups supporting my passions
5. Invest in our retirement/kids future

5 Places I've Lived:
1. Colorado Springs, CO
2. Holland, Amsterdam
3. California - can't remember where
4. Frankfort, IN
5. Lafayette, IN

5 Jobs I've Had:
1. Domino's Delivery
2. Migrant Head Start Health Coordinator
3. Wal-mart Household Department & Wore Barney Costume
4. Camp Counselor for Band Camp
5. Sugar Shack

5 People I Tag:
1. Franny
2. Rachael (and challenge to start your own blog!)
3. Amy
4. Chelsea
5. Dana

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

My First Craig's List Purchase

Rachael has always been an avid goodwill shopper, has been completely addicted to ebay for years and I think will soon, if she hasn't already, add Craigs List to her vices. Of course, she inspires me to dig too every now and then, when I find the time. I've always loved auctions and garage sales, but rarely find time to give bargin shopping the attention it needs to really find the good deals.

A few days ago, I was looking for an black iron wrought headboard and although I didn't fine one, I did find another bed that would suit our bedroom nicely. After e-mailing the poster, I realized the couple was on the next block over from us. How funny! Mike and I got up this morning and walked down to their house to check out the bed. We liked it, wrote a check, picked it up, and carried it home on our shoulders. This is a picture of the back side of it. Beautiful, huh?

My plan was to get a large round, black bedside table, with a black iron wrought bed. Now I am thinking we'll use this solid bed with a large iron plant stand painted black with a glass top. Keep your eyes open! I think I am going to sew some curtains to! Yikes!

Harvest Party

Thorntown is such a fun little town to live in. We have greatly enjoyed ourselves since moving here and are just learning all the little quirks. This year the kids enjoyed the free Haunted House that ran two weeks. Keely, Samuel and I were the first ones to walk through it this season. Keely held the back of my sweater tight, not touching a single thing, except for running into the wall when she turned too sharply. Noah was with his friends in the pack behind us. They used their cell phones as flash lights and then had to have an escort to leave, but claim it wasn't because they were terrified. Funny enough, the second time Noah went through, with his Dad, he held on for dear life!

On Halloween, which our family has never celebrated before coming to Thorntown, a rather large parade walks through town. Last year we had no idea what was going on. We were sitting on the couch and saw hundreds of people in costumes out our front window. As we wondered over to see what was going on, we realized the excitement was only beginning and almost every porch had someone positioned to share candy and some sort of scare. I caved into their begging and had them run home and put on some old costumes that we had bought them on clearance after last year's Halloween celebration. It was fun getting to see our neighbors and I made the kids promise when they accepted candy to say, "God Bless You."

This year, Keely hosted a "Harvest Party." We made the rule that we would have no Halloween decorations (scary things), only harvest/seasonal items. It was our first year shopping for costumes as well, before the holiday. Noah wanted to be a ninja and finding a costume for Keely was a real challenge because most things her size were either supper short or Gothic. She tried on a sponge-Bob outfit, which was cute, but it was so thin she would have to wear an entire outfit under it, as well as leggings because the skirt was too short. That was okay until I saw the price of $54.00! We ended up buying some brown dress pants and a yellow shirt off the clearance rack at JC Penney's and some knee high socks. Then we stopped by Franny's for some material and made her a collar, a tie, some eyes and a big grin. Her outfit was adorable.

Samuel wanted to be Elmo. However, he drug the outfit with him everywhere for a week that it has apparently vanished. We ended up dressing him in one of Noah's old spiderman outfits and he was very happy with that too, "Spiman." Noah was too cute, and in his Ninja outfit, looked very underfed. He clung to his bag of candy all night.

Mike dug a large hole in the back yard so they could have a bonfire with their Harvest Party, which they abandoned soon after the fire was finally started. Keely decorated and cooked all day - peach cobbler, Oreo surprise, carmel apples, cupcakes, peanut butter and sugar cookies, pizza... The kids played several games. The first one was guess the body part. They felt, blinded, into bowls of chicken livers, pigs feet, dog bones, eyeballs (mushrooms) and teeth (slivered almonds). The second game was a race to eat the marshmallows, although not as easy as it might seem. They had to wear knee highs on their face and someone behind them would pull the hose trying to keep them from getting it. Hilarious!

Following this game they went into the yard to toss eggs at each other. This was fun until Noah's partner beamed the egg at him when he wasn't looking and smashed it all over him. They the boys all tried to steal more eggs from me so they could hit each other. Stephanie and Cameron were the winners of that game.

We then came inside and played fear factor. The first two contestants were Keely and Karissa. They both ate a pickle spear with hard shell chocolate on it. Karissa won by a land slide, although Keely did way better than I imagined she would. Karissa moved on, competing with Jordon. They were given spaghetti with tarter sauce. Neither of them survived that and poor Karissa was left with a few moments of gagging. She is a champion in my book!

The next two kids ate an apple with spaghetti sauce on it, then a banana with butter rubbed all over it, then a huge scoop of mayonnaise with Reese pieces in it. The last challenge created vomit from both the contestants, so we were done! They all did way better than I would have!




We moved on to pizza in effort to settle bellies, and the kids played an I LOVE YOU game. You'll have to find better directions from Keely, but the essence I believe was to get another friend to smile by saying, "If you love me, you'll smile." They would do funny things trying to elicit the smile. Lots of laughs came from the living room, so they must have been comical.

Samuel was pooping out about this time and told me repeatedly he needed boobie and babies up-stairs. We headed up there to watch Jon & Kate plus eight, and tucked him in to sleep. I think the kids were picked up soon after because when Mike came home, everyone was asleep in their beds and all the fires were out.