More Time at the Smithsonian Museums

Guest blogging by Sean from Washington DC..........

On Friday we hustled back to the Air and Space Museum to catch some exhibits we missed with the onslaught of school tours yesterday...... Wow! This place is cool!

Evan standing in front of the original 1903 Wright Brother's Flyer

The Museum of American History was down for renovations. Several items were on loan, being displayed at the Air and Space Museum. Among them were....

The top hat Abe Lincoln had at the Ford Theater the night he was killed.

Thomas Edison's Light Bulb

The scarecrow costume, original manuscript, and Judy Garland's red ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz.

George Washington's Uniform

And Mr. Roger's Sweater!

PaPa again managed to convince Evan that the National Gallery of Art was a cool place to hang out. It didn't last long, but we did manage to see.....

RENOIR'S - "A girl with a Watering Can."

MONET'S - "The Japanese Footbridge."

VAN GOGH'S - "Flower Beds in Holland."

MANET'S - "The Railway."

The Boys in Washington DC!

The Boys are blogging from Washngton DC - Evan, Sean, and Grandpa "PaPa"

On our first night in Washington DC we took the subway to China Town for dinner. And when in China Town we let Evan pick where he wanted to eat for dinner. And, of course, in the China Town area of our Nation's capitol - Evan chose to eat at......

California Tortilla?

Evan's good taste was popular among the local cops. Four of DC's finest came in for dinner.

Our first full day in DC began at 6:30 (that's 3:30AM CA time!) preparing for our congressional tour at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. One of two locations where our nation's currency is printed.

We then headed to the Smithsonian Museums. First stop, the Air and Space Museum. It's amazing, breath-taking, the history hanging and parked within the walls of this museum.

Charles Linbergh's Spirit of St Louis.

PaPa posing with the actual Apollo 11 Re-entry Module. This was part of the space craft used during the first moon landing!

The school tour crowds started piling in so we took a quick trip to the National Museum of Art (seems it wasn't as exciting to Evan as the Air & Space Museum!).

An oil painting by 17th Century Dutch Artist Johannes Vermeer.

Then we stopped at the Museum of Natural History. Pretty cool.

Each room was a museum of it's own....

The Hope Diamond in the huge Gem exhibit.

Gold chunks in an alarmed display case.

Whew. What a first day! Tomorrow begins with a congressional tour of the Supreme Court followed by a tour of the Capitol building itself.

See ya soon!

Sean for the Boys.

Emily and the Terrific Twos!

Guest Blogging by Sean from Washington DC.......

Happy Birthday Emily!

Emily enjoying her Birthday Party!

Our baby girl is looking less like a baby. She celebrated her Birthday with a beaming smile! Birthdays - she knows what those are all about. Her cousin, CJ, recently turned two. He had all sorts of presents and yummy cake. And ever since CJ’s party - when somebody mentions the word “birthday” - Emily thinks CJ is turning two again. She immediately starts looking for the cake and ice cream……..

Emily loved her presents. But like most two year olds, we could have simply put a plain cardboard box inside the gift bag and Emily would have thought it the greatest present!

Let me at it Mommy!

Does Emily love cake? Let me put it this way. While Emily still struggles with pronouncing many words of the English vocabulary, “chocolate” is one she mastered the first time she tasted it! Usually this word is preceded AND followed by a heartfelt “MMmmmmm!” Something like, “Mmmmmmm! Chocolate. Mmmmmmm!” I imagine some of you might be able to identify with Emily……Me, too.

Did I mention Emily LOVES Cake?

Grumbling

This morning I read a warning in Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. The warning was for those who grumble against what God has afflicted them with. Or the way Mr. Sprugeon puts it "a murmurer".

"A word with thee,O murmurer! Why shouldst thou murmur against the dispensations of thy heavenly father? Can He treat thee more hardly than thou deservest? Consider what a rebel thou wast once, but He has pardoned thee! Surely, if He in His wisdom sees fit now to chasten thee, thou shouldst not complain. After all, art thou smitten as hardly as thy sins deserve? Weigh thyself and discern how much dross is mingled with thy gold: and doest thou think the fire too hot to purge away so much dross as thou hast? Doest not that proud rebellious spirit of thine prove that thy heart is not thoroughly sanctified? All his corrections are sent in love to purify thee, and to draw thee nearer to Himself."

Oh, what conviction! How many times I grumble and complain about the trials God has sent my way, big, or many more times, small. Sean and I were just talking about this yesterday!

He then continues, "But if thou wilt murmur against the chastening, take heed, for it will go hard with murmurers. God always chastises His children twice, if they do not bear the first stroke patiently."

Then, as my habit, I read the chapter from which the verse in the devotional was taken. Today it was Numbers 14. It is the story about how Israel complained to God because of the giants in the promised land. They wanted to go back to Egypt. They wanted to stone Caleb and Joshua for reminding them to not rebel against the Lord.

God chastised them and made them wander in the desert for 40 years, one year for each day the spies were in the land. God told them that everyone older than 20 would die in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb, the faithful men who did not doubt God's promises even in the midst of trying circumstances.

Many times the "fire" that purges the dross (icky, bad stuff that's not gold) is hard to bear. But it is sobering to think of this example from the Old Testament and comforting to remember that God chastens those he loves. It is also helpful for me to remember that the end result will be a strengthening of my faith which is worth more than gold.

Happy Birthday Christina!

An unauthorized blog by Sean....

You remain the most beautiful woman I've ever met.

And to think, I got to MARRY you! Yippeee!!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

I Love You!

My Church History

My first memories of church are more like snapshots in my mind. My parents got saved, married, and pregnant with me all in the same month. So I entered the world into a new Christian home in the middle of the "70's Jesus Movement". There is a picture of me riding a pony with a big button that says "ONE WAY". My mom always laughs about the friend who embroidered "REPENT" on her newborn's outfit. When people leaned over to see the baby and say how cute she was, they got the message!

I have a little tea cup with the 23 Psalm that my pastor's wife gave me when I was very little (preschool I think). I used to call her grandma and her husband "Bunkie." He pastored an Evangelical Free Church in northern California. And their grandson went on to pastor the EV Free Church near where we live. "Bunkie" has gone to be with the Lord, but my parents have fond memories of him and are very thankful for the guidance and love he gave to them when they were young believers.

My parents moved to a different town and to a charismatic church that had no denominational ties. (I don't think it is in existence now.) They shepherded a small group. I remember running around with a dozen other kids on summer evenings picking cattails, eating plumbs till we were sick, playing Mother May I? and having a great time while dad and mom had Bible Study! We had pot lucks and Christmas parties. I saw my parents giving time and money to a single mom and showing hospitality. I have great memories of Care Group!

Doctrinally, I'm not sure what this group believed. They eventually folded having gone very astray. But at the time I remember regular Bible stories in Sunday School, but not very regular church services. People danced in the aisles and spoke in tongues all throughout the service. I remember feeling a lot of guilt over what was being taught. There was a lot of emphasis on works and not much on God's grace. I remember feeling very uncomfortable with all the emotion that was displayed in church. And I remember being pressured to speak in tongues. I was told to "practice" like any other second language. Toward the end, I remember being isolated by girls who spoke in tongues, but were disrespectful to their parents and living in rebellion. Looking back I know God protected me from a lot of worldly influences with that particular group of girls. The girl who was my best friend during those years claims to be an atheist now. A few got pregnant. Some of the boys ended up in jail. There were only 12 of us in my class.

I had been going to that church's school. I got a great academic education, very similar to a classical education with Latin and all! But, the girls had gotten openly hostile toward me since I didn't listen to the kind of music they liked or want to read "How to Loose Your Virginity by the Time You're 16." Seventh grade was a lonely year for me and one where books became my best friend. I got lost in Little Women, Swiss Family Robinson and the Secret Garden.

I was very relieved when we switched schools, and churches. My parents took us to an IFCA Bible Church. Most of the kids were in my new school, no one did interpretive dances during church ( I actually like interpretive dances in the right setting), the theology was more mainstream and things were not as chaotic. I started to learn more foundational truths. I was baptized at this church after having spent a summer hearing the same pastor give the same sermon series three times! (Once as a camper, and twice as a camp counselor!) It was on Daniel and standing up for Christ and not being ashamed to call him Lord. We were in this church until I left home and went to college.

Away from home at college, I started attending a Baptist Church. I got involved with teaching Sunday School, singing in the Choir, participating in a small group (not a college one), and playing in the hand bell choir. I enjoyed the liturgical service and the hymns. When I was stalked by a homeless person, one of my professors who was an elder in that church let me live with him and his wife for a month until the restraining order was put in place. It was also the first church where I heard about "Predestination". At that time all I had were questions, but not really any answers.

During the same time, I became involved in the campus ministry of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. I went to a Bible study in my dorm, and learned a lot about discipleship. IVCF sponsors quite a few retreats during the year to help students grow spiritually. I took advantage of as many as I could, going to Catalina Island to study the gospel of Mark, Michigan to study the book of Exodus and learn about leadership, Urbana, Illinois to learn about missions, and the yearly Camp Sugar Pine retreat. Some of the friends I made during those years are my close friends still today even though they now live far away. I met Sean during my last year in college and we were married a month after I graduated.

When Sean and I got back from our honeymoon, we moved a few towns away from the Baptist church. Right before we got married, the senior pastor left the church and divorced his wife (or the other way around) which for some reason caused a split in the church. We decided since we had moved, it was a good time to start over and look for a new church.

It didn't take us long to settle in the church we have called home for the past 11 years. The day we visited, the pastor preached on the importance of having scripture be our highest authority. (This seemed to be the heart of the problem with the Baptist church. Many were appealing to the church constitution, others were saying that it didn't agree with scripture.) Sean and I liked that the pastor preached expositionally, the teens that we saw were sitting next to their parents and taking notes(!), and there was a kids choir and lots of young families.

They had just started a young married's group and we had just gotten back from our honeymoon! The elder in charge of the group had a real care and concern for all us young folks, opening up their home and their hearts to us.

Over the years the group changed as kids were added, but there was a real sense of community and we were growing though Bible studies together. Sean got involved in the worship team playing conga drums, piano, and bass guitar. The kids loved going to A.W.A.N.A groups, and I started a MOPS group.

Then things started changing. The vision for the church went in a different direction. The pastor started preaching more from "books" rather than expositionally and it appears he intentionally dumbed down his sermons. Some decisions were made by the elders that seemed to come out of left field. Sean made several attempts to talk with the elders and wrote a couple of letters. He was very discouraged with the way things were handled by the leadership. And the way that the church ministered to the kids took a dramatic turn toward entertainment and "virtues" rather than teaching the gospel and discipling in foundational truths of scripture.

So we have been looking for a new church this past year and a half. In the middle we went back to the church we used to be a part of because it seemed some of our concerns had been taken care of and the kids really missed it.

This last November we finally cut the cord. The kids were sick a lot so I didn't go to church for at least two months. But God in his goodness, led me to a church (actually in the same town as the Baptist church), where I could listen on-line. That is the one on my sidebar. The pastor has a passion for the gospel. He is a dynamic preacher and I was so blessed by his series on Jonah. It's nice too because I got to listen to the whole series. Jonah is a short book! But, the church is too far away for our family. Sean actually went to check it out and thought that musically, he would not fit in either. So I trust that God has something better for us.

For the past 2 months we have been attending an EV Free church (the same one "Bunkie's" grandson used to pastor!). The pastor there now, preached a few Sundays ago on the sovereignty of God. He is going through Titus. Verse one talks about God's elect or chosen. So he spent the entire sermon walking us through God's sovereignty as shown in all of Scripture in all areas including salvation. I was so encouraged! Although I've read more on this since college, and come to believe "reformed" theology more, I still learned so much. Evan and Amy are learning too,about who God is, His attributes, in Sunday School.

The pastor used to fly P-3 planes in the Navy. I have no idea what that means, but my husband and son sure do and spent 30 minutes after church the first time we were there talking theology, P-3 planes, homeschool and Washington D.C.

Amy and I went to a ladies' tea there a month ago. I was so blessed! I was encouraged to keep Jesus my "best " friend. I was reminded that God is sovereign in all areas of life, including friendship. That means times when I've had no friends too! And I was urged to develop my friendship with my husband. The theme was friendship, can you tell? And you know what? The ladies there were super friendly!

So here we are now. I don't know if this will be a church that we will be able to call home. But for now, I'm thankful for their faithful teaching of God's word and the blessing that it has been for me and my family.

And if you read all of this, thanks for hanging in there!

Dairy Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Sean bought me the cookbook Healthy Kids by Marilu Henner a while back because it was on the $1 dollar table at Barnes and Nobles and he knows I like cookbooks. I put it on the shelf after a cursory glance because she cooked with soy milk and and soy margarine.

But after learning that Amy has trouble with dairy, it upsets her stomach, we've switched to... soy milk and Earth Balance ( a non dairy canola based margarine). So I pulled out the cookbook to see what it had. I've been so surprised and elated to find out that the recipes are really good! Every one of the baking recipe's that I've tried has turned out wonderful. I think she's got the knack for baking with funky soy margarine (or Earth Balance). Her recipe's turn out much better than the ones where I've just substituted out soy milk and Earth Balance for milk and butter. So here is her recipe for dairy free chocolate cake. Yum!

3/4 cup Earth Balance
2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons soy milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups unprocessed pure cane sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup chocolate chips (She recommends grain sweetened. Some dark chocolate brands contain no milk.)
1/8 cup unsweetened chocolate, melted

Heat oven to 350. In a med. bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Put the 3/4 cup soy milk and vanilla in a small bowl. In the bowl of and electric mixer, cream the 3/4 cup margarine and sugar for at least 5 min. until nice and creamy. Lower to med-low speed and add eggs, one at a time. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture. Beat until smooth. Add melted chocolate and remaining 2 tablespoons of soy milk. (At this point I added a scoop of unsweetened cocoa powder to make it more chocolaty, maybe 2 T.)

Fill cupcake liners and bake for about 20 min. Cool

Frosting

3/4 cup Sucanat
1/4 cup unbleached while four
3 T. unsweetened cocoa
1 cup soy cream (I used milk since I didn't have cream)
1 cup soy margarine (Earth Balance)
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 cup grain-sweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

In a med. saucepan, stir together the sucanat, flour, and cocoa until well blended. Slowly stir in the soy cream and continue stirring until smooth. Cook over med heat, stirring, until the mixture thickens and boils. Reduce the heat to low, cook 2 min. stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool completely. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the margarine at med. speed until creamy. Slowly add the cooled soy cream mixture. Add the vanilla and melted chocolate and blend well. You may have to refrigerate the frosting a little for a stiffer, more spreadable consistency. ( I did.) This frosting sounds weird, but it is really good!
Enjoy!

Sleep Deprived

Today I took a 5 hour nap. I don't know if I've ever done that in my life before! The scary part is Sean had to wake me up! I will be so glad when Sean goes back to working day shift. I like getting up with him at 5am a lot better than staying up with him until midnight.

Be Bugs!

After Evan did such a great job pruning the roses, I hired him on full time as my rose care specialist. He is in charge of fertilizing, deadheading, and bug control. I am anticipating having wonderfully healthy roses all summer long!

April is the time for aphids. They are nasty little green bugs (sometimes brown or black) that suck all the life out of my roses. The good news is they are easy to get rid of. The best method I have found is to just squish them on the plant. My mom says that the live ones don't like the smell or look of the dead ones and stay away. Plus you know you got some. They're squashed! Most little kids LOVE to do this. Little kids will do this for free.

They also like the second best method. Spray the buggies off with a squirt bottle. Put a little dish soap with the water and the aphids won't be able to get back on your plant. Again, kids LOVE to do this. Evan particularly likes to do it with his squirt gun!

The last method is one we used for the first time this year. It was Evan's idea since now he's in charge. Again, he thought it sounded like fun. Ladybugs. They will eat 30+ of the little green bugs a day. So Evan wanted to buy a tub of them to release in our yard. He was going to spend part of his salary to buy them, but instead we bought them for him as his Easter gift. We all had so much fun putting them in the garden. You have to put them out at night, so the pictures are a little dark, sorry. And it was great to see the ladybugs eating away the next day! Emily LOVES them. She calls them Be Bugs!

Spring Planting

Apricot tree in bloom.

We've had a lot of fun doing some planting this year. Here are some pictures of the before garden. You'll have to check back in a few months for some after shots. June is usually the peak of everything around here.

Amy in her "gardening dress".

Evan planting white Salvia along the back of the house.

Emily watering with her new Easter present.

A cutting garden of Sunflowers, Cosmos, Zinnia, Bachelor Buttons plus a few tomatoes.

Pots of Ranunculus, Stock, and Delphinium. Irises in full bloom.

A Favor

Yesterday my good friend Jessica, who never ever asks for these kind of favors sent me an email asking me to post this to my blog. Seeing that I haven't posted anything to my blog for weeks (spring fever, overwhelmed with life, birthdays and planning for D.C.) here's a little something.

Would you help her friend out by voting for him? The video is funny if you want a laugh. He is her friend so I'm trusting he's a good guy. And hey, if he wins he gets $25,000 plus a years worth of pizza.

I got to thinking what I'd do with that much money if I ever won. Professional housecleaning, all the books I want, fancy food and a night out each week. But before I started to plan much more, or feel downright jealous of someone who could win $25,000, God reminded me that if he wanted me to have any of those things, He was more than capable of giving them to me plus much more. So I'll trust in His love for me and rejoice in His goodness to me in the many gifts He does give, and be happy for this guy if he wins. Vote for the second video RESUME FOR VP OF PIZZA. Thank You!

Amy's Writing

Amy has been using English For The Thoughtful Child this year for grammar and writing. It covers much of the same material that we did last year in 1st Language Lessons, but with more writing. This is a story she wrote this week.

The Horse

by

Amy Gillham

The horse is pretty. Her name is Emma. Her master is kind. She lives in a nice home and pulls a wagon.

One day she went to Oregon. On her way she bumped into a big rock and damaged the wagon. She couldn't go around it. She tried climbing it but that did not work. So she took a different route and they reached Oregon safely. The End

A Breakfast Hint

Yesterday I tried something that I've thought of doing several times. To help breakfast go more smoothly, I mixed up a little something the night before. The kids really like muffins, pancakes, and waffles for breakfast, however, they usually take more time than I'm able to give ( and sometimes more mental awareness!). So last night, instead of making the muffins the night before, which would have had me stay up later, I mixed the dry and wet ingredients separately. The wet ingredients went into the fridge, the dry got covered and sat on the counter. This morning all I had to do was mix the two together and pop in the oven.

If you missed FishMamma's helpful breakfast hint. It was a great one too and you can read it here.

Sorry there hasn't been much of any depth here lately. I've actually been working on writing about our church journey. It's been good to contemplate where I've been and where God is taking us now. But it has been a lot harder to write than I expected. Partly the days have been busy with school, gardening, and life, and partly I've been forced to think through some things more than I anticipated. This is good, but doesn't lead to much writing. For now, I hope you enjoy the breakfast hints!

Evan's Creative Writing

A few weeks ago Evan attended a student writing intensive put out by the Institute for Excellence in Writing. It was taught by Andrew Pudewa, who although he is a national speaker and teacher for classical education, just happens to live in our neck of the woods. Evan was challenged but had a lot of fun. Mr. Pudewa tells lots of jokes and is a very entertaining and captivating speaker. We have been using his approach a little this year, and will now incorporate more that we learned at the writing intensive.

The writing intensive is geared for 3-5 graders. If you are looking for a way to teach writing or incorporate a more classical model you can buy the same class that Evan went to on a DVD and do at your own pace. For Evan it was very beneficial to be with other kids for a few days and see that what I require him to do at home is really not too much compared to what Mr. Pudewa expected. He was required to do a paper a day. He could either write out a final draft in pen, type it or pay for someone else to type it out for him. It was great, I got both bathrooms cleaned, and several loads of laundry folded and put away!

This has been an area of huge growth for Evan. When he was in 1st grade, he would just cry over having to write (actually just copy) one sentence! Here is Evan's final (and favorite) paper: his own creative story.

The Demise of the Fetts

By

Evan Gillham

Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda flew into the Jedi Temple and found that a difficult mission was awaiting them. They immediately took off and flew to Tatooine to look for Jango Fett who was a bounty hunter. Jango was “wanted” because he had been killing many Jedi. They spotted him at the Mas Espa Cantina while he was having a drink. They snuck up behind Jango Fett, but he whirled around with his blasters ready. “The Dark Side of the force I sense in you!” declared Yoda.

Jango activated his jet pack and fired his missile at Yoda, but Yoda quickly jumped out of the way just in time. Jango fired a burst of plasmic energy bolts at Obi Wan, who deflected it back at Jango with his light saber. And that was the end of Jango Fett because the bullets went flying back at him which pierced his armor, and killed him. While Boba Fett was watching, he screamed, “I shall have revenge!”


Five years later, Boba Fett, who was the son of Jango Fett, quietly snuck up to the back of the Jedi Temple. He planted and activated a holographic projector which projected an image of a Sith Lord. He did it because he wanted to trick the Jedi. When they noticed it, they ran out of the temple toward the frightening image.

While the Jedi were outside, Boba Fett planted a bomb in the counsel chamber, and quietly snuck back into the courtyard. Then suddenly, the entire Jedi Temple blew up. The hologram ceased and everyone beheld Boba Fett who was trying to quietly get back to his ship. Boba Fett and the Jedi began to fight fiercely. Boba fired his missile into the throng of Jedi killing one council member and three younglings. Because he also threw a thermal detonator, Boba Fett was able to escape aboard his slave I attack ship.

A new temple was built and Boba Fett was eventually killed by Han Solo.

A Great Deal!

If you love to garden I just found a great deal for you. Taunton Press puts out a wonderful gardening magazine called Fine Gardening. Right now if you subscribe for $30 you'll get a gift certificate to White Flower Farm for $25. It's like getting the magazine for free if you normally buy plants!

C.J.'s Birthday Party

"I'm 2! Aren't I cute!"

"Not as cute as me!"

"I don't care who's birthday it is, I'm the star of this show!"

Party Helpers

Party Pooper

Chocolate Stout Cake

I made this cake last year for St. Patrick's Day and my husband liked it so much that he asked for it on his birthday! It is so delicious! I might make just half the recipe this year since we won't have as many guests as we did last year. However, if you really want to impress someone, making the whole recipe as a three layer cake will do the job. I put my suggestions on making the cake at the end. The recipe is from Epicurious.com.


CHOCOLATE STOUT CAKE
"I am a lifelong chocoholic and have eaten many a piece of chocolate cake," writes Elizabeth Means of Williamsburg, Massachusetts. "Never before, though, have I enjoyed anything as much as the chocolate stout cake at the Barrington Brewery in nearby Great Barrington. If I could get a copy of this recipe, I would be eternally grateful."

The dark beer known as stout gives this cake an intense, not-too-sweet flavor.

Cake
2 cups stout (such as Guinness)
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream

Icing
2 cups whipping cream
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.

For icing: Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.

Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.
Makes 12 servings.

Bon AppétitR.S.V.P.September 2002Barrington Brewery, Great Barrington, MA

* I used 9 inch pans. The recipe overflowed when I used 8 inch. I also used dark chocolate chips (60% coco or more) instead of chopped bittersweet chocolate. Both tasted great, but the chips are easier! I needed to cook the layers 40 minutes instead of 35.

Meal Plan Monday

This is my first entry for "Meal Plan Monday". I have used meal plans in the past at various times, and really need to get into the habit again. This is a fun way to do it also! You can check out more meal plans over at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Last night I spent several hours purging our house of clutter. It had gotten out of hand and I had given the kids a good week to get stuff picked up. But I had reached my limit! So now there are three, yes three laundry baskets in our garage that no longer contain laundry! The kids will have to redeem items to get them back. I accept Visa, MasterCard, Cash, Dish Duty, Dusting, Laundry Folding and Sweeping/Mopping the Floor. So I'm on a roll. Clean house, meal plan, and a beautiful sunny California Day. I am thankful to the Lord for the burst of energy to get this done, which really blessed my husband. I certainly couldn't have done it on my own strength.

Monday: Bean Burritos, cut veggies, and rice.

Tuesday: Stir fry chicken and veggies and rice.
Wednesday: Taco Soup, cornbread and cut veggies.
Thursday: Oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit.
Friday: Hamburgers, veggies, spicy potatoes.
Saturday: Corned Beef and Cabbage with boiled new potatoes of course! My husband is Irish so we celebrate in style with Guinness and and chocolate cake made with Guinness too.
Sunday: Stuffed pork chops, cranberry sauce, veggies, bread.

Have You Seen The Muffin Man?

We have! Sean woke up at 2:30 this morning. Shift work does weird things to your body. Anyways, while I took a shower, he made us muffins. And he heroically substituted out several ingredients to make these! We've been cutting out sugar for awhile now, substituting Sucanat or honey for baking. I was out of bran, so he had to use oatmeal. And, to top it all off, we discovered recently that Amy is allergic to dairy! So he had to find something to use instead of buttermilk. Then he had to remember to make half without blueberries and half with since our family is a spit personality when it comes to fruit in muffins. Whew! I'm sure it was a lot more than he bargained for when he lovingly offered to make the muffins for me so I could get ready on time! Thanks honey! They turned out great.

Conflict

A while ago I ordered several little booklets from CCEF. Among them was one entitled "Conflict". Based on James chapter 4, this little booklet has so much to say about redeeming conflict as an opportunity to mature in Christ and grow in grace. Since I am giving my copy to a friend today, I wanted to highlight the main points so I could have them handy until I order another copy. You can order one too (for only $2.99) at Christian Counseling Education Foundation.

Timothy Lane writes about 5 preliminary perspectives.
"1. The Bible is a story with conflict as a central theme. Conflict is not necessarily bad. In fact there is a way to do conflict that is pleasing to God.
2. Conflict is an opportunity to grow. James says that without trials, we will remain immature, incomplete, and lacking many godly character qualities.
3. The person with whom we are in conflict is there for a divine purpose. God, who is sovereign, loving and wise, sends people into our lives so that he might work in us in ways that can only happen in conflict.
4. There will be times when we will reach an impasse in conflict. We should not let this be an excuse to stop trying to resolve our differences. But it does remind us that we are limited in our ability to change others."

He goes on to look at James 4. "It answers the questions that beg for answers in the midst of conflict. Its answers are not always the ones we want to hear, but they are exactly what we need to hear."

The cause of conflict is found in James 4:1-3

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

The problem is inside us. Our desires turn into a sinful demand. When we try to win at all costs, please to get approval, or avoid conflict (or a person!) in response to conflict, we can probably bet that we are not handling conflict in a biblical way.

Timothy Lane asks some pointed questions to help us look at conflict in a more godly way.
"1.What do I want right now more than Christ and how am I acting to get it?
2.What specifically do I need to repent of? Where do I need to ask for grace? What has hijacked my heart and what do I need to see and believe about Christ?
3.What is your experience as you enter into conflict with me right now? Is it a good experience or a bad one?
4.What would it look like to wisely love the person in conflict with me? Will I warn, encourage, or help?

When you are most conscious of God's love for you in Christ, you are most willing to look at the false love that has replaced your love for him. You are ready to ask specific questions about why you are in conflict with another person. Looking inward moves you outward to see Christ and his grace. The more dazzling his grace becomes, the less attractive your god replacements seem.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. James 4:7-10"

I hope that this encourages you when you face conflict as much as it has encouraged me.

Planning a Trip to Washington D.C.

For over a year now, Evan has been looking forward to a special trip that he is taking with his dad and Papa (my dad). They are going to Washington D.C.!

We decided that taking the whole family when Emily was so small and Amy's attention span was not really up for museums and all day excursions, was not really the best idea. I have also been to D.C. once before as part of a Senior class trip in High School. So we figured it would be cheaper to have Sean and Evan go by themselves. Amy, my mom and I are planning to go on our own trip in a few years. Of course when we told my dad about the trip he was just as excited about going as Sean and Evan.

They will be able to really focus on the things that interest them: Air & Space/Historical Sites/Williamsburg/Revolutionary War/Civil War/FBI. Of course since it's a school trip they'll tour the White House, Capitol, the Mint, and monuments. They are even going to be in Jamestown on a special day celebrating Jamestown's 400 year anniversary. I'm sure they will have a fabulous time of bonding, sightseeing, learning, and fun.

Evan is making up the itinerary with help from his dad. I was wondering if those of you who who live near D.C. or have been before could give Evan any advice or helpful hints? Places to eat, insider tips on visiting popular landmarks, something or someplace that is a favorite for your family, or out of the way gems? Thanks!

A Year of Bread-Part 2

For February, the kids made whole wheat bread. This is a post about the machine we use as much as the bread they made. My mom bought a BOSCH mixer when I was in High School. She bought a mill and we made our own bread with flour we'd milled. For a short time I even made bread to sell to people at church.

In college, I worked for a few summers at our church's camp as the food service director. I planned meals and with the help of 5 Jr. High girls, we cooked meals for the 100+ campers that came each week. At the end of my last summer there I asked the directors if I could buy the BOSH mixer that they had tucked away in the back of the closet. (We never needed to use it at camp because we had a professional Hobart mixer that was much bigger.) They gave it to me as a bonus!

So this is the machine that we use to this day to make our bread. I have no idea how old it is. It's got to be at least 25 years old. (This is my exact model!)It's older than my mom's model! But the thing churns out 4 loaves worth of bread at a time in 15 minutes flat. If you are considering making your family's bread I would highly recommend the BOSCH mixer. Even though it costs quite a lot new, I've seen several newer than mine on ebay for a fraction of the cost. And I can testify that they last for ever! My friend Cara is the only one I know that has actually worn hers out. You can read a funny story about it here. But she used it more frequently, and for lots of other things other than bread. Plus hers was even older than mine!

I have been using ours off and on since we were married. So the kids have helped numerous times with the baking. But this time they got to do it all by themselves and I just watched. They loved it!

For you BOSCH owners here's the recipe we used.

Whole Wheat Bread

Preheat oven to 200 degrees
In the BOSCH bowl combine:
7-8 cups whole wheat flour, (I use King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
5 1/2 cups hot tap water
2 Tablespoons salt
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup gluten

then add and mix until incorporated:
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon yeast

Turn the machine to 1 and add a cup of flour at a time. When your machine starts making a different noise, switch to 2. Keep adding flour until the dough clings together like a ball and scrapes the sides of the bowl.

Turn your machine back to 1 and mix for 10 minutes to knead the dough.
Meanwhile grease your pans. Sometimes we make 4 loaves of regular bread. But many times we'll make one of them a cinnamon swirl bread by rolling out the dough and sprinkling with cinnamon sugar, then rolling it back up to put in the pan. Other times we'll make dinner rolls, or pizza, or cinnamon rolls.


Put your loaves (or whatever) in the oven and turn it off. Leave in for 45 minutes. Turn on your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes. Enjoy!

Thanks, Honey!

Sean tinkered around with my blog yesterday and totally redesigned it for me! He did such a great job! I never really liked the "boat" background. Sean keeps reminding me that it was a "lighthouse". You know, symbolic of being a light to the world etc. All I could think of was boats, and I get incredibly sea sick.

So now I have this great picture of my lavender, which fits in nicely with the cheesy title. A walk in a garden on a nice day with a friend is so pleasant, with conversation ranging from the everyday and trivial, to more deep and personal. Thanks for "walking" with me. And thank you Sean for making it happen.

Some Funny Things About Me

Zoanna tagged me with a few questions to answer about yourself. She said I could change it if I wanted too. So I did. Here are a few things about me based on the categories she made up. "Tidbits" of information as she calls them.

1) Dramatic Role:
I have never acted in my life, but have been in several ballet productions including The Nutcracker, Copellia, A Christmas Carol, and several smaller recitals.

2) Athletics:
The only time I was on an athletic team was for J.V. basketball in the 9th grade. I went to a small Christian school and a couple of my friends really wanted to have a J.V. team. They convinced me that it would be fun to join. And that way they could have enough people to have a team. The only problem is I'm terrible at sports, and I'm not competitive. So it didn't go well. We lost our one and only game. The next year I became a cheerleader.

3) Lessons:
I took classical ballet (Royal Academy of Dance) for 6-7 years, with several years of a more relaxed dance in college. I'd still be taking lessons if I could. I love to dance.
I also took violin when I was younger. Right now, I'm taking Art lessons with my kids and have been enjoying it immensely.

4) Driving:
I didn't get my licence until I was 19 and even then I was reluctant. I was too scared. Plus I lived within walking distance to my school and church. I finally got a job across town and had to learn how to drive to get myself to work!

5) Literature:
I love to read. I usually have 3-4 books going at the same time. I like having more serious books that take awhile to get through, mixed in with novels and practical helps books. Right now I'm reading Heaven at Home by Ginger Plowman, Humility - True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney, Elizabeth Prentiss: More Love to Thee by Sharon James, Is there Life After Housework? by Don Aslett, and (with the kids) Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney .

Kim, you have been cracking me up lately with your posts. I'd love to hear some "tidbits" about you. You can use Zoanna's quiz format, or my essay format.

Want to Win a Book?

*Clarification added!

Leslie over at Lux Venit is hosting an interview with Ginger Plowman, author of Heaven at Home, Don't Make Me Count to Three, and Wise Words For Moms. If you've read any of these books, now is your chance to ask Ginger a question. Leslie is asking for your input. If you have a question you'd like her to ask Ginger, e-mail it to Leslie. (Her e-mail is on her profile page.) To sweeten the deal, if you submit a question you will have the chance to win one of Ginger's books! If you've never read her books, but would like to win one anyway, just leave your name in Leslie's comment box for a chance to win too.

I'm in the middle of Heaven at Home. It's a great book with many practical applications. The chapter "Letting Your Husband Lead" is worth the price of the book.

"Trust God by letting your husband lead and resting in the fact that your security is based on the hope of Christ, not on your husband's choices. Comfort him when he blows it and don't respond with an arrogant attitude of superiority. The beauty of the whole thing is that your love will be demonstrated even more
powerfully when you support your husband in his failures as fervently as in his successes." Heaven at Home pg. 67

* It just dawned on me that quoting this section might lead you to believe that I think that my husband makes bad choices. Not only is this NOT true, but I would hate to imply that as well. Rather this chapter convicted me that I could do so much better at letting Sean lead in lots of little areas. And my attitude really needs to improve to help build him up. Many times I struggle with wanting to control situations and this quote encouraged me to trust Christ, not what might happen if I "lose" control.

Leslie will take questions up until next Friday and pick the winner on Monday. I hope you win! (I already own all three books!)

I Have the Bestest Wife!

Another unauthorized blog by Sean......

Thank you, Christina, for being an awesome wife. You are everything I dreamed of. And you are an incredible mother to our children. You make daily sacrifices to homeschool them and instruct them in a way that glorifies God. But most of all, you are a beautiful woman created in the likeness of our Lord. And you desire to grow closer to Him. I absolutely love you for that.....Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetie. I love you.

Happy Valentine's Day

Taking Time Out for Marriage

Last night Sean and I had the privilege to attend a talk on marriage. The couple that gave the talk run a camp that I went to in college. They had some great insights and were fun to listen to also.

The church that sponsored the event has a passion for building strong families. I appreciated that in addition to just saying that, they made it very accessible for people to hear this couple's presentation. The talk was FREE, childcare was provided, and now you can listed to it online. Just click here and look for the message entitled "Marriage Seminar".

We were very encouraged by this talk. Many of the ideas presented were not new, but shown in a new way. Some of the stories that were shared not only where really funny, but helped to underscore a point like respect, that is sometimes difficult to really get a grasp on. His last example of how his friend introduces him will, I hope, help me to be more respectful of my husband. It was a powerful story.

The talk is a bit long, but broken up into two different sections (while we had a dessert break!) so you could easily listen to one half at a time. I encourage you to take some time for your marriage and listen to Paul and Virginia. You're in for a real treat!

To read other people's reviews and the pastor's introduction on his blog go here.

Homeschool Meme

Leslie tagged me for this awhile back before we all got the flu. So here it is better late than never.


1) ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED - When You Rise Up by R.C. Sproul Jr.

2) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN’T BE WITHOUT - My husband!

3) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT - I can honestly say I've used or plan to use everything that I've bought. I like it all!

4) ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR - Developing Linguistic Patterns Through Poetry Memorization


5) ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEAR - The ESV Bible - Evan is reading through a daily reading plan online. Amy and I are reading through the Psalms in her Children's Bible.

6) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY - a maid


7) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED - a Classical Christian support group for homeschoolers in our area

8) ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING - Timberdoodle and Veritas Press

9) ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE REGULARLY - The library!

10) TAG OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS - Jessica, Jenn, and Wendy

If you want to see a longer post on what kind of curriculum we've used and enjoyed go here.

We've Been Hit!

Earlier this week Sean hurt his back, and then I got whatever stomach virus that Emily had. The next day, Sean got it, then the older kids got it too. So we are all down at once. The house is a wreak, the laundry is piled up and no one feels well at all. At least there aren't many dishes to do since no one wants to eat!

So, I am taking a week or two off blogging to recover and get our family back on their feet. When I come back I'll post the Homeschool "Meme" that Leslie tagged me with.