Did they drop off the face of the earth???

Well, no. We are fine. I've been reading blogs the last couple of weeks, instead of posting. I had lots of scathing posts/comments written in my mind, but thankfully, you will have no way of reading them. Not unless you are a mind reader. I just cannot stand it when false doctrine/medical advice is perpetuated on blogs, and honestly, I cannot believe the teachings that are coming out of these supposedly fundamentalist, Baptist blogs. Of course, these are the people that you cannot dialogue with because they either turn off the comments or they delete any comments that disagree with them. I want to say this, though, the Dake Study Bible contains false doctrine. Instead of saying that he has an interesting take on the Trinity, lets tell the truth--it is just plain false doctrine. Some things in the Bible are open to interpretation--the Trinity is not one of them. I'm very careful about allowing books by T.D. Jakes , for example, or music by such groups as Phillips, Craig, and Dean in my home. They promote or attend churches that promote false teaching on the Trinity. I recommend that you check questionable doctrinal issues, or books out on the Christian Research Institute's website.

While I love the internet and researching on the web, some cautions come to mind. I took business classes and we would research our term papers through books, magazines and the internet. We were required to not put all of our eggs in one basket, so to speak. My Internet Research professor noted that an eleven year old in Timbuktu can post a website, along with all the legitimate sites out there. This was back in 2001, before the blogosphere really took off. Now anyone can post anything freely. I could post hate-filled posts, false medical information, false doctrinal teaching, and people who are gullible would just eat it up. There are too many people sitting at home on the internet, believing everything that they read. Just because it is in print on the internet makes it look like it is real. I love to blog, but I would rather be silent on an issue that I don't know too much about, rather than give out info that could hurt someone, or worse, send them to hell.

Some verses come to mind from 1st Timothy 1: 3-6. "....stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrine any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless geneologies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm." (NIV)

Also, we had company and got quite a bit done at home. It was great to see my sister and brother-in-law again, even for such a short time.

I was happy to get a month's worth of casseroles into the freezer the last couple of Saturdays. Lasagna, Baked Ziti, Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole, Spaghetti Pie, Hamburgers, Meatballs, Sloppy Joes....plus we have lots of pork chops and other cuts of meat. I'll try to get some more of the recipes added to Two Many Cooks. I love knowing where my recipes are. I had to call Mom for the Lasagna recipe last Saturday--no telling where that bit of paper went. Anyway, no going hungry here. I'll just try to keep that maintained through the summer. Everything is marked and labeled so Hunny will have no trouble cooking.

As if we aren't already busy enough, Shawn starts his EMT classes next week, and they will run 2 nights a week through August. So we have been trying to spend as much time together as possible. It will be nice not to have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen on the nights that he is home. He will still have all his other homework to do for his 4 classes until the end of the semester--May 8th, I think. He's so excited about getting recertified. He was a volunteer fireman/EMT in New York for a number of years before he moved down here, so I don't expect that he will have a difficult time. I'll have to find something to do in Greenville during those 2 nights a week, since he will be picking me up at work and then going to class. I would only be home for 2 hours before having to drive back to Greenville so I'll just stay in town. I have a list of things to do and places to go. I always grocery shop 2 evenings anyway, so that leaves 6 to fill per month. I'll probably try to hang out with Christine some, and I'm sure I'll make good use of the stroller. We have a lot of new stores opening on Woodruff Road, and I would love to go visit over there. We are getting a Whole Foods and a World Market went in a couple of months ago.

The Knoxster has had such a spurt of intellectual growth the last two weeks. He is now sitting on his own and playing and balancing himself. He has figured out how to pick up little items such as crackers and animal cookies and put them in his mouth. If you ask him to say Hi he waves his hand. He was on his tummy the other evening and scooted himself to the gas furnace and put his hand on the base. I took his hand and tapped it and said, "No, no. Hot." And I moved him a couple of feet away. In no time he had scooted back. And this time, he looked at me, put one finger on the furnace and started "talking" to me. Of course, we followed the same procedure as before, and this time he cried. Funny how just "redirecting his attention" didn't work when he had it in his head to play with the stove. I can't block off the stove, and he is just going to have to learn to obey. I'm glad that we are just a couple of weeks from turning it completely off for the summer. I'll move my scrapbook table over in front of it. And just this morning, he figured out how to take his socks off.

We've been looking for a stepladder for awhile. Goodness, they are expensive. Then yesterday, I found a perfectly good used one at Salvation Army. I can finally wash the outside windows. I'm still kicking myself over the fact that there was the cutest new little red bike there a couple of weeks ago for $5, and I didn't get it. I try to get over there at least once a week. Sometimes I get free bread, bagels, etc. I always check the housewares/furniture departments, since I'm looking for a chest of drawers, some dining room chairs, a couple of bikes and a dehumidifier.

I'm hoping to get into the flowerbeds this weekend. I want to repaint the porch furniture, and the mailbox, and wash down the house. Already the grass has started growing in the yard, and I want to get the garden tilled or spaded at least. We probably need to burn some yard debris too. So its looking like another busy weekend. Also, there is the time change this weekend---spring forward, fall back. I might try to go early and yard sale a little.

Next week, we are heading to NY, God willing, to visit family and friends. That should be interesting, since we haven't been up there since June 2003.

Change the World

I found this thought-provoking article on http://www.frugal-families.com. Often we get so caught up in our lives, that we forget that there are those around us that may need that little extra bit of love and encouragement right in our own backyards. I'm sure you can think of other ways to help as well. What are your ideas?


How can one person change the world? If not the entire world…then one person's world? By taking positive action! Look around your community! There are needs every day…on every block. And you don't have to be rich, talented or even *connected* to meet them. You just have to be willing to do a small amount or give a small amount every month. But that small amount can make a big difference in someone's life. Here are some things you can do for $50 to change someone's world:
1. Buy a box of groceries for one or two families in need a month.
2. Buy books for 10 kids who can't afford books each month.
3. Buy diapers for your local day care center.
4. Dedicate $50 a month to sponsor inner city children for summer camp.
5. Buy space heaters for those who can't afford them in the winter.
6. Or pay part of someone's electric bill during the cold winter or hot summer.
7. Adopt a senior that has no family nearby. Take them for rides, shopping and lunch or a special dinner on their birthday.
8. Buy smoke alarms or carbon monoxide alarms for 2-3 families a month. You may save a life.
9. Commit to mentoring 1 student with the goal of making sure that student graduates from high school. Commit $50 a month toward college tuition.
10. Buy $50 of fresh fruit and vegetables every month and donate them to a senior or child day care center.
11. Adopt a family. Be responsible for presents on holidays and birthdays and special dinners on holiday occasions.
12. Help a senior or single mother with monthly cleaning chores or home repairs.
13. Pay for a dental exam for one needy child a month.
14. Commit $50 toward college books for a worthy student.
15. Round up clothing in your neighborhood and give it to a domestic violence shelter along with $50 to augment supplies.
16. Buy a car seat a month and donate it to your local hospital or health department for families who cannot afford proper restraints for their children.
17. Give $50 worth of general school supplies (paper, crayons, pencils, etc.) to your local school per month.
18. Buy $50 worth of coats at your local thrift shop and donate them to a local homeless shelter.
19. Buy $50 worth of yarn or fabric for local sewing or knitting clubs which make quilts and afghans for those in need.
20. Donate $50 a month to your local United Way. Each local United Way is autonomous. Check with your local United Way to find out how your donations can be leveraged to help greater numbers of your neighbors.
Look around your community. There are needs that you can meet. You just have to be willing to do a small amount or give a small amount every month. Start now and make 2004 the year you change the world!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pamela Cole Harris is a writer, eco-decorator and author of *100+ Wildly Imaginative Ways to Make Your Own Coffee Table - a Handbook for Creatively Deficient Decorators.* Visit her website,http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com for her unique decorating and remodeling style (and a free newsletter!) Or for unique content for your website, written especially for your keywords and audience, visit http://www.pamelacoleharris.com.

Knoxie Knews

Thanks everyone for the kind emails/comments about Knox's pictures. It was nice to hear from everybody. My favorite is an email dictated by a 4-year-old to her mother:

Dear Knox:
If you want a present from me, I will give you some playdoh or some
crayons - or you would like a toy? or would you like one of my toys?
I hope you have a nice day. If you want to come over and go shopping for
Daddy's birthday present, you can. Or you can stay over and have a night
with us. [translation: We know that you will be coming in April and
K's birthday is April 25 so she wants you to come to celebrate his
birthday (shhhhh).....]
I would like to see your baby, Shawn and Kat.
I love you Knoxy.
I love you Shawn and Kat.
We saw your pictures on the computer. Thankyou for sending the pictures.
You are a handsome boy.
We hope you have a nice day in South Carolina with your mom and dad.

Caitlyn, we think you are a beautiful girl(we saw your pictures too), and we, too, think he is handsome. Yes, he probably would like the play-doh, but would try to eat it. He loves toys---Al E. Gator, Mrs. Magoo, Lamb Chop, his bears: Ted E., Doc, and Buddy, his talking firetruck (ie. Fire--to the rescue!! Raise my ladder, Buddy)....so hopefully he will enjoy playing with some of your toys when he comes to visit in April.
But, as I told Shawn, we want Knox to think girls have cooties till he's about 25 or so. ;-) So, no, he is not betrothed yet to any of our friends very sweet little girls.

Ahem....
In other news....
Knox loves his cough syrup. Yes, he does. He also loves Tylenol--which he is getting because he is cutting teeth. He gets so excited when he sees the bottles---shivers of excitement just radiate from his little body. He gets the dropper-full and just sips it like fine wine. Must be that grape flavoring.....LOL

He has been growing again, I found a baby scales at Salvation Army yesterday and he is now over 15 pounds. Which is pretty good, since at his last checkup (middle of Feb.) he was just shy of 14 pounds. Knox eats grownup size bowls of cereal now, and cleans up on those jars of baby food. We are working on a sippy cup. That is the only way he can get juice, so he is excited about that, also, it is fun to kick the cup to the floor.

I put another stack of clothes away last week....we are working on the 12 month size stuff now.

Last night, Knox discovered Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. The only reason he didn't get more than a third of the muffin, is that his mommy had eaten the rest.

He has taken screaming (happy screaming) to new decibel levels, and delicately tosses robustly catapults his toys all over the dining room. He also discovered that the furnace in the dining room is hot.

Knox is too big for the baby tub now, plus he splashs way too much. His Mommy's back hurts when she tries to bend over the grown-up tub, so he is getting in the shower with Mommy, which works great. Thanks to a tip from a comment on Amy's Humble Musings.

Thats all for now.

The Pipes, Drums & Highland Dancers of 1st Battalion: The Black Watch & the Band of the Welsh Guards

We love bagpipe music and Scottish history, so when this opportunity presented itself, Shawn and I were excited to go to the BiLo Center to see Black Watch. They are a Scottish military regiment that does pipe and drum concerts. It was excellent, they did a lot of military/patriotic numbers--US and British, as well as Beethoven's Ode to Joy, Abide with Me combined with Taps, Amazing Grace, and of course our favorite Scotland the Brave.

They are a real fighting regiment and have seen duty tours in the Middle East recently...in Fallujah and other parts of Iraq. The MC/announcer gave a lot of history between numbers. We were fascinated by the Highland Dancers, and the plaids. I was reading about them on the internet and was able to find out that the pipers wear the Royal Stewart tartan, which is our family plaid, as far as I've been able to tell.

Anyway, the music was wonderful, we were able to have a date night--first since October without the baby--and the baby was safe and sound at our friends house.

Knox--6 months old

I got these pictures back last night. Sunday afternoon I had set up in the living room with a painter's tarp and some awesome light bulbs (100 watt Reveal) to take Knox's 6 month pictures. We had a lot of light because it was a sunny day, so I shot without flash with C-41 black and white film, but used two extra clamp lights with the Reveal natural lightbulbs. If you remember, I got a little upset highly ticked off with Sears and Walmart and decided that I could do just as good of a job myself. Last week, I got a book from the library The Art of Photographing Children and read through it and got some helpful hints.
I'm pretty happy with the black and whites, most of the roll turned out great. The color images were not as good, but he was getting fussy, too. He did great for most of our photo shoot, he is doing really well with sitting up---Daddy provided entertainment for him with the kitty tickler.

Born Again at 101

While I am not a huge fan of the Purpose Driven Life book and all the hype surrounding it, John Fischer has written some awesome short articles that are sent out on an email daily devotional. A work colleague forwards me these every week or so and I wanted to share this article with my readers--as a reminder to never quit praying for those friends and family who have not accepted Christ. It is never too late.

March 03, 2006

Born Again at 101
by John Fischer

Vicky never gave up. For 42 years she prayed for her uncle. Last year she thought she could see some cracks forming in his 101-year-old heart. Earlier in the summer, Vicky's daughter joined a short-term mission group in Hawaii. Her emails home were all about what God was doing in her life, and Vicky's uncle read them all. Vicky wasn't sure, but he seemed moved by them. And then something happened that broke his heart. Was God was opening up a place in the hard heart for Himself?

"I am a scientific person," he once screamed at Vicky, "and I need scientific evidence. I need proof! I won't believe unless I have proof!" C.S. Lewis has said that God dragged him, kicking and screaming, into heaven and Vicky decided to hold onto the hope that God was dragging her uncle in like Lewis. He's an intelligent man and a self-made millionaire. He's been fighting God for 100 years. Those are hard odds to overcome, but nothing's impossible with God.

Vicky and her daughter went to see him after her daughter's return from Hawaii. "We went with highest hopes," Vicky said. "As usual, he was incredibly distracted and appeared not to be listening. My daughter kept trying to steer the conversation back to Jesus and he kept changing the subject. Finally I told him how I knew he had no purpose and hope for living and asked him if he wanted to pray with us to find the peace that his sister and I had found in Christ. Miraculously, he softly said, 'Yes.' My daughter and I couldn't believe it!"

Shortly after Christmas, the sister he dearly loved and had looked after all his life, passed away.

Vicky believes it is the grace of God that kept her alive long enough to see her brother's salvation. Though he was deeply saddened by her leaving, Vicky's uncle was visibly buoyed by the knowledge of being able to be reunited with her in heaven. This is the same man who only a few months earlier had claimed there was nothing after death. Nothing. Now he has a new purpose for his life, and, by the way, another sister to take care of. This one is only 96 and in better health than her older sister, which puts a little sparkle in her brother’s eyes because it means he can get out again. He may not be screaming anymore at 102, but he's still kicking!

Last October, Vicky's family got to celebrate her uncle's one-hundred-second and her aunt's one-hundredth birthday with the joy of adding the celebration of his first natural birthday as a Christian. Born again at 101. Proof that it's never too late; and encouragement to all to never give up, even amidst the most obstinate resistance. Just ask Vicky.




John Fischer is the Senior Writer for Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotionals. He resides in Southern California with his wife, Marti and son, Chandler. They also have two adult children, Christopher and Anne. John is a published author and popular speaker.

I've been tagged by The Homespun Heart

I was tagged by Monica to do this kitchen questionnaire and thought it looked really fun...

1. How many meals does most of your family eat at home each week? How many are in your family? Well, breakfast is adults fend for themselves, Shawn and I take leftovers or sandwiches to work, and we usually eat dinner at home together, except we eat out twice a month. Knox is still loving formula, baby foods and applesauce.

2. How many cookbooks do you own? Lots. Probably close to one hundred. My favorites are

3. How often do you refer to a cookbook each week? Probably every day. I have my favorite recipes listed in the front of each book, so I know where to go. I also just like to read them, and cross reference them and combine recipes.

4. Do you collect recipes from other sources? If so, what are some of your favorite sources (relatives, friends, magazines, advertisements, packages, the internet, etc.)? Yes, I collect.....I like Taste of Home, Quick Cooking (now Simple and Delicious) and I save all of them. I print some off the internet, some I get from my Mom or sister.

5. How do you store those recipes? I move the back cover of the Taste of Home mags to be the front cover and highlight the ones I like, tried or want to try. I'm trying to get all my favorites on our cooking blog, Two Many Cooks. I have a couple of binders with dividers that I use for ones that I have printed off, and another very messy one with all the ones on scraps of papers. I have a nice bookshelf that keeps them all in one spot.

6. When you cook, do you follow the recipe pretty closely, or do you use recipes primarily to give you ideas? Well, if I'm baking something new, then I stay close to the recipe. However, I've been cooking long enough that sometimes I just "know" something will not work or I won't like the spice combination. I cross-reference cookbooks and write in them, so I know for the next time what did/didn't work.

7. Is there a particular ethnic style or flavor that predominates in your cooking? If so, what is it? We eat a lot of Italian and barbeque flavors, along with Amish/Mennonite style country cooking. I am slowly introducing Shawn to different cuisines and flavors, in an attempt to develop his palate. ;-) I love to try new foods, and Lebanese is my currect favorite.

8. What’s your favorite kitchen task related to meal planning and preparation? (eating the finished product does not count) I enjoy preparing food, and watching people enjoy the food I just fixed. I really love grocery shopping, and could spend hours reading labels, especially at cool specialty food stores such as Garner's or Fresh Market, even Publix....Unfortunately, there is nothing "cool" about shopping at Save-A-Lot or Walmart, so I usually hurry through there.

9. What’s your least favorite part? Washing up those dirty dishes, (my husband was warned before we got married.) I'd rather clean the bathroom, instead.

10. Do you plan menus before you shop? Always. I have a monthly meal rotation. That way I can do 1 large shopping trip per month and 1 other small one. However, its not set in stone and I do switch things around some or decide on something else.

11. What are your three favorite kitchen tools or appliances? I love my Bosch mixer, my Tupperware modular mates, and the little silicone brush for basting stuff. If I was allowed more favs.....I would have to say the commercial baking sheets, mixing bowls, and commercial whisks I bought from Sam's Club....

12. If you could buy one new thing for your kitchen, money was no object, and space not an issue, what would you most like to have? A dishwasher.

13. Since money and space are probably objects, what are you most likely to buy next? A new microwave, since ours seems to be getting "tired." Hey, its a 1997 model. I saw one that is also a convection oven. I'd like that one, when this one dies.

14. Do you have a separate freezer for storage? Yes.

15. Grocery shop alone or with others? Almost always with Shawn and Knox, usually after work.

16. How many meatless main dish meals do you fix in a week? None. We eat leftovers for lunches and I don't fix any breakfasts, except on the weekend.

17. If you have a decorating theme in your kitchen, what is it? Favorite kitchen colors? Well, there is really not much room to decorate in my kitchen, but I have blue denim curtains, and a couple of coffee themed items. I like blue for kitchens with houseplants, and cleaned off counters.

18. What’s the first thing you ever learned to cook, and how old were you? I was about 9 and it was cornbread for dinner. Mom would leave the recipe (with diagrams) on the table for me to do when school was out, and I would mix it up. When she got home from picking up my brother at school, then I could bake it.

19. How did you learn to cook? Mom, for the basics....She believed in "line upon line, precept upon precept"....so I made the same things over and over again until they were mastered....Cornbread, biscuits, white sauce, cookies, pizza....at some point, it became one of my chores to make dinner one night a week, and that was fun too. Mom also taught me the basics of canning and baking and how to read a recipe, but it was when I got out on my own that I really started cooking a lot. Some of my friends thought that I would never be "domesticated," and that makes my husband laugh. He's not sure how much more "domesticated" he can stand. (He might have to eat veggies, then.) I've taught myself a lot of cooking skills since.

20. Tagging… I’m tagging Judy, Laura, and Heather if you're interested in joining in!

March 1st and my Piles of Library Books

Here it is--March 1st already, and its 75 degrees and sunny. This is why I live in South Carolina. I'm thinking trips to the park, getting a garden planted, painting my porch furniture, spring cleaning. I'm sure this month will go by swiftly--we have lots planned and lots to do. And here I am with a pile of library books.... (smile). Spring is almost here, and the redbuds are, well, red.

I borrowed my sister's book, The Art of Romantic Living, and have been reading it here and there, mostly while Shawn is studying in the evening. I'm finding lots of good tips, but some of it really cracks me up. I asked my husband if he would like me to powder the bed with rose scented talcum powder...he wanted to know what anyone would do that?!?! He's happy that the sheets are washed every week and that I do the bed changing. He also wasn't keen on antique lace doilies draped over the chairs, or taking a romantic boat ride down the river either. (I guess that brought back memories of tubing down the Toccoa River on our honeymoon!)

I'm also reading The Art of of Photographing Children. You may recall a month or two ago, that I made a solemn vow to take my own pictures instead of listening to my good-natured son's screams bouncing off the walls of the Walmart Studio. I have the canvas tarp, lights, and large amounts of other gadgetry assembled and am just dying to try my hand.

And of course, the other one that I started here at work: Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homemaking. There are more nifty ideas and diagrams, and proving once and for all that tables are set for right handed people, with the forks on the left and knife and spoon on the right. That line of reasoning, of course, is courtesy of the left hander that I am married to. (The only one in our relationship who is in his right mind.)

Knox is moving right along, like Inchy Inchworm....steadily making his way under the couch, or table, or someone's feet. He's growing again too. He is pushing the ends of his little striped suits. His fav thing right now is Growling. Like a good natured little dog....RRRRR....RRAAHHH...so funny. The sounds coming out of his mouth just tickle him to death, and he laughs hysterically at himself.

We took him out to dinner with friends a couple of weeks ago and were waiting in the lobby for our friends. He thought that everyone walking in had arrived to see him, and he bestowed a charming grin on everyone. At the end of the meal, he dove for my glass, and amid all the ice on the floor, emerged triumphant---arm upraised, straw firmly clasped in his little fingers. He thought it was funny--we were glad it was Ryan's and Daddy left a larger than normal tip. Isn't he a little young for this? Sigh.

I'm running by the library tonight---they called and said that the books I requested were in. Baked Ziti is on the menu and cleaning the kitchen and finishing the bills. And of course, I can't forget playing with the Knoxster. Have a lovely evening, everyone!!